Chapter 78

Chapter Seventy-Eight
An hour before midday, Connor led the team out of the woods and up the gentler incline to the top of the butte. There were no lizard creatures and no winged scorpions. A low, wispy fog was all that remained of the rain, and without it, things were quiet.
Vicente shook his head in disbelief. “It’s almost pleasant, huh, Boss?”
“Almost. If you ignore the smell.”
“Yeah. I’ll never get used to that. It’s like death is always here.”
Death always was there—a perpetual rot that got into the sinuses and spoiled food and water. Even without that smell, Connor would never be happy with the planet’s humidity, but the rain had given them a break from it.
It couldn’t last.
He conducted a quick inspection of the landing gear to be sure the repairs were holding up, while the others entered the ship. Other than some inconsequential leaks, things looked good.
Once the ramp was retraced into the Lucky Sevens and the hatch closed, Connor pulled his pocket computer out.
The stopwatch was still running, the time passed meaningless now.
Most of them had made it back, which was the real success.
Except Gregor. Losing just one person was a failure for Connor. He understood how Selen had arrived at her decision not to order the others to open fire, but he still disagreed with it.
How do you know when to consider a teammate dead? Drew wasn’t injured when Selen had pulled Connor away. The engineer could have been saved.
Nausea coiled in his stomach, sending a chill through his gut.
He’d accepted Selen’s order to abandon their teammate. He was complicit in Drew’s death.
Connor headed up to the infirmary and nearly ran into Elise.
In the light of the passageway, he had a better look at her: the greasy hair was definitely blond; her grime-covered face was plain and puffy; her lips were almost colorless.
Her head was bowed. “The captain said you’d take care of me.”
Of course Selen would have to make things miserable for the new person.
Connor waved for Elise to follow him to the nearest ladder chute. “I’ll give you a tour later. For now, you can clean up and get some rest.”
The archaeologist struggled with the rungs, pausing to catch her breath halfway up.
She’d been without food and water, hiding in the ruins.
He waited at the top of the ladder until she resumed climbing. As she drew closer to the top, he offered her a hand and pulled her up. She could have lasted a while longer without food.
At the hatch to Drew’s quarters, he came to a stop. “This was Drew’s cabin.”
“Was—meaning they’re dead?”
“We’ve lost three people since we landed.”
Elise’s eyes dropped to the deck, which she scuffed with a muddy sneaker. “There were fifteen of us on the Invincible.”
“That was your expedition ship?”
“Maybe our benefactor had a cruel sense of humor.”
He opened the hatch. “Bunk, closet, foot locker, sink, foldout desk.”
“It’s cramped.” The archaeologist slid past and opened the locker. “Could you get me some clothes?”
“We have a simple fabricator. We can make simple undergarments and coveralls like what you’re wearing.”
“Can you salvage my sneakers?”
“Sure. Aft of the last crew quarters, there’s a laundry cabin.” He pointed down the hall. “That’s where the fabricator is. You can grab towels and soap there, too.”
She smiled awkwardly. “I know I’m a mess.”
“You’re alive. That’s what matters.” He did his best to return her smile. “I need to check on my wounded.”
“I understand.” She brushed the greasy hair out of her eyes. “Thank you.”
It seemed a manipulative move, not meant to seduce or anything but to appear vulnerable and—
He was being cynical, slipping into Selen’s thinking.
Don’t let it get to you, he thought. You’re a human being; act that way.
At the infirmary hatch, he sucked in a breath, then headed in.
Lem was hunched over Tim’s bed. A mechanical slurping noise came from one of the medical machines nest to the bed, and ugly, thick orange fluid splattered the attached glass cylinder.
Pus.
The clone was shirtless. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his face was pinched in a grimace. Bright tones of alcohol mixed with the darker, coppery notes of blood as Connor stepped in.
Aubriella rested on the nearer bed, breathing deeply. A puffy, bright red wound ran from her shoulder to just above her left breast. Wound sealant glistened in the infirmary’s bright light.
Connor pulled the sheet up over her. “Is she sedated?”
The android continued working on his patient. “She passed out. I administered a sedative afterwards.”
“Isn’t that backwards?”
Now Lem twisted around and pulled a pair of protective goggles off. “I underestimated the amount of pain involved in extracting the infected blood.”
“I thought you said they weren’t poisoned.”
“It might have been better had they been. Apparently, the venom acts as a counter to what covers those stingers.”
Tim moaned. “Very reassuring, Lem. Some more painkillers, please.”
“Of course. I do apologize.” The android tapped an icon on one of the displays, then he turned back to Connor. “A few more hours, and the bacteria would have caused sepsis in the wounds.”
Connor pulled Aubriella’s sheet aside to get a better look at the wound. “It got under the armor?”
“Coming in from the side.” Lem hooked his index finger and brought it down at an angle toward his shoulder that would have been just below the chest plate’s pad.
Tim opened his eyes. “Didn’t even feel it, not like what Gregor went through. This hurts a lot more.”
Lem frowned, but Connor shook his head.
Connor leaned against Aubriella’s bed. “The wounded should never suffer.”
“Maybe we deserve it.” Tim snorted. “All these years of Tom saving money for retirement…I’d give it all for some painkillers. Or for Gregor to be alive.”
“Don’t let that sort of thinking get to you.” It was survivor’s guilt.
“It’s just—”
“Don’t.” Connor pulled the sheet back up. “We need to socialize this. Tactics need to emphasize maintaining distance and keeping low.”
“We’re going back down there?” Eyes wide, mouth ajar—the clone was afraid.
“Maybe not.”
The suction from the machine took on a gurgling sound, and a spurt of yellow fluid sprayed inside the tube just as Tim arched his back, then he relaxed.
Lem cocked his head. “Perhaps I should simply sedate them from the start.”
A cool tickle shot up Connor’s spine. “Minimize suffering, please.”
“Of course.” The android typed on his pocket computer. His head came up. “You know, I was curious about the captain’s selection for the forward team.”
“Did you talk to her about it?”
“I did not. The exchange you two shared before we began the descent made it seem as if the decision was non-negotiable.”
“That was my take.”
“The thing is, I had already cautioned her about Gregor’s health. His blood pressure was dangerously high.”
“It was?”
“Yes. I placed him on medication for it before we landed on Mara.”
“Did the captain know that?”
Lem pursed his lips. “Per your contracts, she does have access to all medical records.” The android tapped a finger on the edge of his computer. “Do you think that my silence led to Gregor’s death?”
The cool shiver expanded out from Connor’s spine to his entire body. “Don’t obsess over it, Lem.”
“Very well.”
And with that, the android returned to attending to his patient.
But it wouldn’t be that easy for Connor. Knowing what he did now, he had to wonder about Selen’s decisions.
Why would she risk one of her team?
Gregor’s bad health put the entire forward team at risk, not just himself.
It was a question Connor would have to ask soon.