Seth watched for another forty minutes, still unable to tell who the men were. But then about ten of them started digging a large hole near the pyre. Another man started sorting through the burned remains, making a series of complicated, ritualistic gestures over them. They were burying their dead, Seth realized; the men had to be Pilgrims. He had seen enough.
Scooting back until he was well below the crest of the ridge, Seth walked quickly down the hill toward Bragan’s hiding place. They needed to get their camp packed up, and they needed to figure out a plan of action.
Bragan jumped out of the shadows as Seth approached, blaster ready to fire. For a moment, Seth froze.
Was the man going to double-cross him after all? But Bragan lowered the weapon as soon as he recognized Seth.
“It’s the Pilgrims,” Seth said, and Bragan’s face fell.
“Let’s get the camp packed up, and then we’ll try to figure out what to do next,” Bragan said quietly.
The survival bubble was designed to be portable, but it still took them nearly an hour to deflate and move it. They wasted precious air in doing so, but it needed to be done. From now on they would live in their suits. The bubble, even hidden among the rock formations, was too visible. When all was ready, the two men went into the mineshaft. Sitting next to each other, they eyed the boxes of Jansenite.
“It’s amazing that something so small could do so much damage,” Bragan said into the silence, gesturing toward the explosives.
“There’s enough here to destroy this entire asteroid, and quite a few around it,” Seth replied. “Hell, this is more than enough to destroy Discovery station. I wonder what they were planning to do with it.”
“Overthrow the Saurellian occupation,” Bragan said. “We both know how they feel about you guys.
One of their core teachings is that ‘humans shall not be governed by non-humans.’ Words of the Celestial Pilgrim himself, if I remember correctly.”
Seth grunted in response, then they both sat in silence.
“I don’t see too many options here,” Seth said. “Not good options, anyway. If we really want to stop them, perhaps the best thing would be to detonate the Jansenite. At least that way they couldn’t use it against anyone.”
“There’s another option,” Bragan said quietly. “You could steal one of their ships. That way you could contact your people and warn them about how dangerous these Pilgrims really are.”
“You can’t leave the asteroid, your implant won’t let you,” Seth said harshly. “And I’m not going to leave without you.”
“You sure as hell can leave without me,” Bragan said, his voice firm with conviction. “You can steal a ship and go for help. I’ll stay hidden. You can come rescue me once you’ve found help. It’s our best hope.”
“That could take weeks,” Seth replied. “Do you really think you can last that long? They’ll find you sooner or later, we both know it.”
“If they find me, I’ll blow the Jansenite,” Bragan said. “I’ve been living on borrowed time for years now.
At least this way I’ll get to choose when and how I die. Very few people are that fortunate. I kind of like the idea of taking some of those bastards with me...”
“I don’t like it,” Seth replied. “Saurellians don’t leave each other behind. We’re brothers, we live together and we die together.”
“Well I’m not a Saurellian,” Bragan said harshly. “I’m an escaped slave, and I’m going to die on this rock. I’ve known that for five years. Do you know I’m not even a man any more? They castrated me for looking at one of their women. Give me this, Seth. Give me the chance to fight back, like a man. I don’t want you to stay with me.
“I want you to warn your people,” he continued. Seth could see the man’s face was twisted with emotion, despite the helmets they both wore. “Don’t fool yourself, Seth, it’s not out of any love for you. I don’t want these bastards to ever buy another slave. I don’t want them to ever hurt another woman. You saw what Calvin did to Sarai. There are thousands of women out there just like her. Take this chance to escape, to save them. It isn’t about leaving a comrade behind, it’s about saving people’s lives. If you refuse to do that out of some misguided sense of honor, you’re as much a criminal as they are. And an idiot, to boot,” Bragan added, disgust in his voice.
Bragan was right, Seth realized. Leaving him behind went against everything he believed in, but saving his people was more important. In fact, saving his people was really all he had to live for. It wasn’t as if there was anything waiting for him if he survived. Calla was gone. From the time he’d realized he would never have a life partner, Seth had lived only to fight. It was time to continue that battle.
“All right, I’ll do it,” Seth said. “But I want you to wait until the last possible moment to detonate the Jansenite. I’ll do everything in my power to rescue you.”
“I know you will,” Bragan said quietly. “Seth, I want you to make me a promise.”
“What?”
“I want you to try and understand why Calla did what she did,” the man said, staring fixedly at the Jansenite. “I think the two of you should give each other another chance.”
“It’s impossible,” Seth said tightly. “Even if I found her, she isn’t my life mate. Our relationship could never grow into anything real or permanent.”
“At least answer this,” Bragan replied. “Do you hate her for what she did to you?”
“No,” Seth said softly after several minutes of silence. “No, I don’t hate her at all.”
“Remember that,” Bragan whispered. “We don’t all get a chance to be happy in this life. Don’t be afraid to take whatever joy you can find, regardless of whether or not you understand it.”
“We need to get ready,” Seth said tightly, refusing to look at the man he’d once thought crazy. “If I’m going to steal a ship, I should do it as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more likely it is they’ll find us.”
Bragan just laughed, which confused Seth.
“I’ll pack you some supplies,” the doctor finally said. “You’ll need them to get back to your people.”
* * * * *
Darkness came over the asteroid suddenly. Seth, his carryall strapped to his back, crept silently toward the waiting ships. They were all in poor condition, but the smallest one looked slightly better than the others, and had the added advantage of being parked on the edge of the field. Seth was willing to bet it was faster, too. Realizing that his life might depend on his ability to outrun any pursuers, he decided it would be his target.