1

Anavrin, 3593, AD…

Darius breathed in the clean, fresh air. He had only landed a few hours ago, but Darius loved it. It was wonderful to take in a deep breath and fill his lungs with air that had not been recycled and reunified. To feel the breeze on his face and the hot sun beating down on him. Although the sun was a bit too hot for his liking, but beggars could not be choosers.

They had landed the Genesis in what looked like a valley embedded between some mountains and a huge jungle. There were so many massive plants and vibrant colours. The brush was tall and thick. Between the humidity and the heat from the gigantic pale red sun, the planet had taken on a tropical jungle-like feel. It was beautiful, but it had to go.

The Genesis had been charged with the task of preparing for the arrival of the others. They had to clear the valley for construction. Erecting a suitable habitat was the top priority. Bulldozers and wreckers were already blazing through the thick brush, clearing usable land.

Darius patrolled the grounds. It would appear that centuries of lack of use had paid a toll. After a few hours of use and the machines were already breaking down. His weapon in his hand readied but lowered, Darius walked the grounds. Except for all the sudden breakdowns, everything was quiet until Darius heard movement in the construction bay.

Quietly Darius moved into the bay, his weapon up and ready to fire. He stepped lightly as he swept the area. Then he saw something between the machinery. A man was cutting away the lines and sabotaging the equipment. His back was to Darius. His long black hair was decorated with a long red feather, and he wore nothing more than a long loincloth, covering back and front tied with leather at the sides. Hide boots were bound to his feet, and his skin was deeply bronzed, likely from the hot sun.

“Don’t move a muscle,” Darius barked, pressing the barrel of his gun against the back of the man’s head. He slowly held up his hands, the stone knife still in his right hand. “Turn around slowly,” Darius ordered.

The saboteur did as instructed and was relieved to see Darius on the other side of the automatic machine gun he held. “Darius, it’s me,” he said.

“Brody?” Darius stared at his brother, unable to believe it was his brother with his hair so long and in his present state of undress. Brody had always been so clean-cut and pale. He had been fit, but not like he was now. He had lost weight and built muscle since the last time Darius had seen him. “Oh my God, what happened to you?” Darius asked, lowering his weapon. “And what are you doing back there?”

“Nothing,” Brody lied, sheathing his knife. “I need to speak with Commander Wicker,” Darius looked at the equipment suspiciously. He wanted to give Brody the benefit of the doubt. After all, he had been lost on this planet for months.

“Well, he will not be back there,” Darius said, not wanting to believe what he suspected. “What is with the loincloth?”

“It’s hot here,” Brody said simply.

That was an understatement. “No shit, I have sweated a river since we landed,” Darius said, gesturing for Brody to come out from between the machines.

“Wear less,” he said.

“Like you?” Darius laughed. “I think I prefer being dressed over half-naked. Come on, let’s go find the Commander,” Brody kept pace with his brother as they walked through the construction zone. “Gee, what happened to everything they were all working a minute ago?”

“The Commander?” Brody reminded Darius, trying to keep his brother focused.

“This way,” Darius led Brody to the front of the ship and into the huge tent that had been temporarily erected for the commanding staff. “Commander.”

Commander Wicker turned, and his jaw dropped to see Brody. “Dr. Fisher? Is that you? Why are you dressed like that? Put some damned clothes on, man. Lt. Fisher, find this man some pants,” Darius nodded and left the tent. He would find a pair in Brody’s quarters, but first, he had to get back into the ship.

A sudden warrior cry echoed through the air. Darius spun around and brought up his weapon. It was a woman dressed in tanned hide and half-naked. Her hair was stark white and done up with feathers down her back. Her skin tone was dark, and her eyes flashed like silver. In her hands, she held a bow and arrow. She let loose, and the arrow flew, killing a soldier. Darius open fired as she raced across one machine to another, lacing another arrow in her bow and letting it fly.

She quickly shot another arrow as she ran across the machinery dodging the array of bullets fired at her. She was fast, unnaturally fast, and her aim was lethal, but even she could not avoid bullets forever.

Brody drew his bone knife and jumped the Commander from behind, his knife at his throat. “Call them off, or I will slit your throat,” he demanded.

“Traitor!” Commander Wicker growled. “Kill her!”

Brody pressed his knife hard between the Commander’s legs. “Perhaps you think I wasn’t serious. Call off your dogs, or I will give you a sex change,” Brody snarled.

There were ten guns on Brody immediately. “Give it up, son. We have got you.”

The woman leapt off the machines and came at Darius. After a lifetime of combat practice, Darius swept her legs out from under her, and she hit the dirt. Facedown, Darius placed his booted foot on her back to prevent her from getting back up. “Brody, what are you doing?” Darius barked. His brother had lost his mind.

Brody looked up and saw that the woman had been captured. Darius had her face down in the mud, his combat boot on her back and his gun to her head. “Let her up!” Brody snapped.

“She is a savage, bro. Why are you doing this?”

“She is my wife.”

Darius stared at Brody, both shocked and horrified by what he was saying. “You married this thing?” Darius cocked back his hammer and placed his finger on the trigger. She was a damned savage that had just killed his friends. Brody was insane to defend this woman.

“Darius, no!” Brody screamed.

“Shoot her,” Commander Wicker ordered.

Brody released the Commander and threw his knife through the air embedding it in Darius’ shoulder. Darius yelped and fell back from the impact. The bone knife was buried deep into his left shoulder, and Darius could not move his arm. It was agony. He reached over and closed his hand around the hilt, slowly pulling the jagged blade from his shoulder, screaming out as the blade cut and tore on the way out.

“Kill them both! Kill them now!” The Commander yelled at his men. The savage woman quickly scrambled up and drew her knife. Brody ran over, grabbed her by the arm and forcefully dragged her into the bush. “Go after them,” Commander Wicker ordered and came to Darius’ side, helping him up off the ground as the others chased after Brody and the woman. “That is a nasty wound, boy. You better go see the medic.”

“Yes, Sir,” Darius said, glancing over his shoulder at the brush where his brother had vanished. He was furious. How could Brody betray him like that?

Darius held the bone knife in his hand as he walked through the landed ship to the medical bay. Inside were some of the other wounded men and many of the bodies of those who had not been so lucky. The sight only furthered Darius’ anger. He looked at the knife in his hand, still stunned and hurt that Brody had attacked him of all people. His brother was a traitor, he did not want to believe it, but he could not disregard it either.

Darius took off his shirt and sat on the examination bed quietly, waiting while the medical staff tended to the most serious wounds and then his. The medic took their laser and meticulously closed up the wound. It repaired the damage but left a scar. Then the medic bandaged it up for extra protection until the healing was completed.

Sliding off the bed, Darius left his shirt tied around his waist and remained in his undershirt. He stuffed the knife into the back of his waistband and started down the hallways. He was headed to his quarters to change out of his blood-stained clothes when he was stopped by the Commander. “You all fixed up?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Wonderful. Dr. Fisher has been captured, but his whore has gotten away. I want you to join the search party that is taking off in the next few hours to find that bitch and see justice done for our boys.”

“With pleasure,” Darius said, saluting his commanding officer.

He watched as Commander Wicker went into the brig. Curiosity got the better of Darius. He wanted to confront Brody and know why he did what he did. Darius waited until the Commander left and then slipped into the brig.

Brody looked like a complete stranger on the other side of that force field containing him in his cell. Darius glared at his brother angrily. “You threw a knife at me,” he growled. “I’m your brother!”

“And she is my wife. You were going to kill her,” Brody said, standing up.

“She is a savage, Brody. What are you doing? Look at you, my God, you look like Tarzan.”

Brody came to the forcefield and looked his brother in the eyes. “Darius, don’t go after her with the others,” clearly, he knew about the search party this evening.

“She killed my friends,” Darius snapped. Damn straight. He was going after her.

“Please, Darius, you don’t know what is out there. It’s getting dark soon.”

“What is out there?” He asked, wondering just what his brother knew. Darius waited for an answer, but Brody said nothing.

“Promise me you will not go,” was all Brody said when he finally spoke.

“I am going because at least I remember where my loyalties lay,” Darius snarled, then turned around and left the brig. He had no idea what had gotten into his brother, but he was not going down with him.