Chapter 1 Esag #2
When the vans finally cleared the jungle, sprawling training fields appeared on one side of the road, and barracks and several industrial and commercial buildings in various stages of completion appeared on the other.
The island used to be home to a mining operation and had belonged to Cobalt Industries until the company had gone bankrupt.
It was small, but exactly what the clan needed to train their new army of humans in exoskeleton warfare.
It was also close to Navuh's island, which could be counted as an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the goals Kian and Kalugal had in mind.
Kalugal liked to live dangerously, but Kian seemed like the cautious type, and Esag wondered why he had let Kalugal talk him into this crazy scheme.
Perhaps Yamanu was right, and everything would play out according to the Fates' grand design. At any rate, it wasn't his place to question their methods.
When the vans stopped next to a white stucco building, they spilled out of the vehicles, and Esag joined the others and walked inside.
The structure consisted of a sprawling dining hall, which looked big enough to serve all of the island's residents without having to do so in shifts, and as they continued to the back, they came to a section partitioned by a glass wall for private dining.
Through the glass, he could see a long table that was set up and loaded with food.
"Welcome," Jade said as they entered the enclosure. She shook hands with Yamanu, Anandur, and Julian, saving him for last. "I didn't know you were part of the team."
"I'm just a spectator. Tula knows me, so she might appreciate a familiar face when she gets to the submarine."
Jade nodded. "I suppose so. In her condition, the ordeal might be traumatic for her, so seeing a familiar face might help."
She'd said it as if something like that could never happen to her, and Tula's need for a friendly face was a weakness Jade wouldn't suffer from.
When she returned her attention to Yamanu, Esag shook hands with Phinas, her partner, and nodded at Drova, who was sitting at the far end of the table, looking even more alien than her mother.
The funny thing was that despite Drova's alien features, she looked like a typical teenager. She was upset about something, the sour expression on her face capable of curdling milk.
Yamanu must have noticed because he walked up next to her and pulled out a chair. "What troubles you, my young padawan?"
She lifted a brow. "What's a padawan?"
"A Jedi apprentice."
Drova's scowl deepened. "I'm way beyond the stage of being an apprentice, and I should have been included in this mission.
I'm stronger and faster than any of your Guardians, and I can compel.
I could probably scale that rock face better and faster than Okidu, and I don't weigh a ton like he does, so I'm less likely to fall. "
That might be true, but Drova was also seventeen, and Esag understood Kian's reluctance to let a kid join a dangerous mission.
"You're absolutely right." Yamanu leaned toward her and put his hand on her shoulder. "That's why I'm putting you on backup. If anything goes wrong, you're our ace in the hole."
Drova's scowl lessened fractionally. "What do you mean by backup?"
"Twelve Guardians will remain behind in the submarine as backup. Esag and Julian will be there too. You can join them and be ready for rapid mobilization."
Jade didn't look happy about Yamanu's offer, but she didn't say anything.
Drova straightened, looking marginally less homicidal. "I'll be ready."
"Good." Yamanu returned to his seat next to Jade. "Let's eat. We can talk later."
After they were done eating, Jade pushed back from the table. "We should adjourn to my office. I've scheduled a meeting with the submarine captain for fifteen minutes from now."
Yamanu wiped his mouth with a napkin and turned to the Guardians. "Anandur and I need to attend this meeting, but you can head out to the barracks and get some rest."
"Drova can show them around," Jade offered.
"Is it okay if I join you for the meeting with the captain?" Esag asked.
Yamanu shrugged. "Why not? Just remember that the captain doesn't know what we are. I will be shrouding Jade."
"I don't need you to shroud me." Jade cast him a haughty look. "I've already met the captain. Besides, I've managed for almost a century among humans." She pulled a pair of stylish sunglasses from her pocket and put them on. "See? Makes all the difference."
She was right about her face now passing for human, but she was still very tall and very thin. She also had small but noticeable fangs. Then again, humans tended to dismiss anything that didn't fit their worldview, and aliens living among them were certainly not part of their Weltanschauung.
"As you wish," Yamanu said.
They followed Jade through a series of corridors that still smelled of fresh paint, and at one point, they had to duck under scaffolding.
"I thought we would be done with all this by now." Jade waved a hand at the temporary structure. "But we are constantly running into problems. Getting materials here is a pain."
When they reached her office, Esag wasn't surprised to see that it was sparsely furnished.
Jade didn't look like the type who decorated.
It was large enough to accommodate a desk and a conference table that could seat ten, and the only decoration was a map of the surrounding waters covering one wall.
Esag followed Yamanu, pulling out one of the plastic chairs surrounding the oval table.
He was about to sit when one of Jade's underlings escorted a fifty-something human into the room.
"Captain Ramirez, I presume." Yamanu stood and walked over to shake the man's hand. "Turner has told me a lot about you."
"All lies." The captain grinned. "How is Victor? I haven't seen him in years. He only calls me when he needs something."
"Regretting not being able to attend this op in person.
" Yamanu motioned for the captain to take a seat.
"I'm Yamanu, the team's commander. Let me introduce you to my team.
You've already met Jade and Phinas. The tall redhead is Anandur, the pretty one is Julian, our doctor, and the other redhead is Esag. He's…an observer."
They each dipped their heads in greeting as their names were called, and Ramirez smiled in acknowledgement.
The captain pulled out a tablet. "Let's review. We're extracting a woman. A dive team collects her and brings her to my sub. If everything goes flawlessly, it's an easy in-and-out mission. If things go wrong, another team will deploy from the sub to assist in the extraction."
"That's right," Yamanu confirmed without elaborating further.
The less the captain knew, the better.
Ramirez nodded. "Turner briefed me on the basics, but I don't know the details of what you will be facing on that cliff.
It seems risky as hell, though. For you, not me.
" He leaned back in his chair. "A fair warning, my friend.
If torpedoes head our way, I'm getting out of there, and you are on your own. "
"There will be no torpedoes," Yamanu promised.
"The cliff face is considered unscalable.
No guards are posted there because they think it's impossible to approach from the sea, but we have a world-class rock climber who can do it.
After he secures the rope, I will climb up and bring the woman down. "
"Brave woman." Ramirez shook his head. "How long has she been imprisoned there?"
"Too long," Yamanu said. "But not for much longer."
The Guardian navigated the half-truths like a pro.
"We should start loading the submarine." Ramirez checked his watch. "I want to leave at midnight. It will take us about eighteen hours to get into position. That gives you two hours to get to the cliff in time for the extraction."
"Isn't that cutting it a little too close?" Esag asked. "It doesn't leave any wiggle room."
Yamanu shook his head. "If need be, the sub can go faster, but I don't foresee the need. We don't want our team to get to the cliff too early and then have to hover over there and wait for the ladies to do their thing. Precise timing is critical."