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the energy spheres later.” Alana patted him on the arm and smiled. “It still doesn’t quite explain where we come into the scheme of things.”
    Norman hunched his back beneath his flight suit.
    “No doubt, time will enlighten us.” Alana grimaced with wry amusement. “Hello ladies, how’s our plan going?” she said to the small group of women approaching them.
    “All done,” announced Elise.
    Alana said, “Then we need to leave this area now. Jess, do a roll call and ensure everyone is here before we move out. Norman, we’re relying on you to lead the way.”
    The alien puffed out his thin chest and nodded, an eager grin split his face.
    It was a slow and painstaking trek picking their careful way through the strange landscape. The ground was littered with rocks and boulders. Here and there dry, brittle grey plants struggled for life and crunched under their feet.
    The sun beat down hotter than anything Alana had experienced on Earth and she had been on a few missions to the worst deserts on Earth.
    Apart from their small group, the bleak land offered no other sign of life. There were no birds, no animals, not even scaly lizards. No trees—just rocks and boulders and hard baked gravel. Not to mention the sand bogs, a type of quicksand where one could become trapped, then freeze to death should they be unable to free themselves, come nightfall.
    The planet gave her the creeps. She scanned the landscape for any sign they were being followed but so far, the terrain remained empty.
    They slogged their way over the difficult ground carrying what they had salvaged from the shuttles. Norman lectured the barren planet was used only by long distance voyagers, runners, sky pirates and traders as it lay at the very edge of the known universe. Here intrepid or desperate travellers used the sparse facilities it had to offer to stock up on what supplies were at hand and make repairs. With water scarce, the scattered outposts relied on water carrier ships which visited the planet intermittently. The few females who landed here were salvagers or runners who were as fierce as their male counterparts.
    Alana sighed upon hearing this news. It was obvious she would need to source some weapons so they could defend themselves once she had everyone established behind walls. Another ‘must do’ to add to her list.
    “At last,” huffed Tina at her side. The other girl pushed her black bangs out of her eyes. “It doesn’t look like much does it?”
    “Mmmm.” Alana shaded her face with her hand. She squinted into the haze.
    Structures rose ahead, rough and primitive. They appeared to be fabricated out of slabs of the rock which was so profuse on this planet. Each building had small, round, dark holes she assumed were windows. The tallest structure was three or possibly four floors high and the remains of a crumbling stone wall encircled the settlement. She noticed a clearing which stretched into the distance to the left outside the settlement walls. An immense low-lying building sprawled at one end, closest to the township. Here and there she saw the glint of metal reflecting the faint rays of the setting sun. “Is that a runway over there, Norman ?”
    Norman bobbed his head several times in agreement. “For smaller craft. You can see transport ships parked near the hangar.”
    Alana tilted her head up to the sky. The orange-brown moon had risen higher and the searing white sun had made significant progress to the far horizon. She wondered how much time they had before nightfall. She stared deep in thought at the moon and then froze.
    The dark shadows she had spotted earlier and had taken to be craters were now in a different position.
    Norman noticed her interest and followed her gaze. He squealed in distress. He hopped from one foot to the other. “The docking stations. If you look very carefully you can see the Darkons have escaped the Elite Forces. Their transport shuttles are heading towards the main docking station.