Broken Valley

CH01

Adan grunted as he lifted the tightly-packed firegrass bale from the bed of the rusty old truck. A drowsy cloud of pungent fumes floated in its wake. The firegrass fields may have smelled light and sweet waving in the near-constant Tepani winds. But, sliced from their roots, the greenish-purple stalks smelled exactly like the inside of a bashki barrel. Adan chuckled, remembering his escapade with Bo and a van full of stolen bashki barrels. He’d been full of fear and excitement that night, sure that he’d never experience anything like it again. How little Adan had known about where life would take him.
“Come on, Sander! Put your back into it!”
Adan chuckled at his crew chief’s goading. Sanna Kivi was nothing like his boss back in the Union laundry. In many ways, she was his opposite. Sanna was tall and sturdy, with well-defined musculature stretched over a curvy femme body. And she was easily half Ulla’s age. Unlike Adan’s foul-tempered Union boss, Sanna always seemed in good spirits, laughing and joking with Adan and the squad as if she’d known them for years instead of weeks. Where Ulla ruled by fear, Sanna earned her authority through respect, working at least as hard as anyone in her crew. And harder than most of them.
Adan hoisted the heavy bundle into the air and dropped it on the rickety conveyor. A flock of tiny green clippings danced through the fingers of light poking through holes in the metal roof. “I swear these things get heavier every time, Sanna.”
The crew chief laughed as she stuffed a few loose locs back under the thick headband tied around her generous head of black hair. “That’s cuz we’re so close to mealtime. I can hear your stomach growling from here, Sander.”
It had been nearly six weeks since Adan had first introduced himself as Sander from Liman’s Glen. He almost thought of it as his real name already. Adan certainly answered to it readily enough. The only people at the Mendi Crossroads Commune and Trading Post who knew Adan’s real name were the squad he’d arrived with in their stolen Motari truck. They were all fugitives, with two factions of the Bolvar Union Defense Force and at least one faction of the Motari rebels on the hunt for them. So they’d all taken to using fake names. All except Davi, that is. Gabri Jatsu, the oldest member and unofficial leader of the commune, already knew the Abarran scientist from the last time she’d passed through.
Adan’s legend was unfortunately thin on verified details. Thankfully, Liman’s Glen was far enough away that no one at the Crossroads was likely to have ever visited. Hopefully, nobody would call Adan on his lies. No one in the squad had ever been there either. For all Adan knew, Liman’s Glen really was the idyllic farming village from his childhood stories that he’d told everyone it was.
Adan returned to the truck to grab another bundle. “I think you actually hear Wen.”
“Yeah, Sanna,” Garun added with a chuckle. “You still haven’t figured out he’s really a hoxen in disguise.” Hoxen were truck-sized, six-legged herbivores common to the Tepani plains. They were well known for their voracious appetites.
Bo snickered. “Whatever, Rafa.” He bent his arms to show off his biceps. “You only say that cuz I’m gifted with a hoxen’s mighty strength.” The sturdy beasts were also well-known for occasionally taking on the Mendi farming equipment and winning. “Just ask Sancha.”
“Hey, don’t drag me into your little spat,” Jenra said. “Emphasis on the little.”
Sanna barked out a joyous cackle. “I swear I’ve never worked with a feistier crew. You all are gonna kill me from laughter. But maybe let’s get these last few bales unloaded before you do.”
Adan dropped his next bundle on the conveyor, turned back toward the truck, and saw it was finally empty. Garun set the last bale next to Adan’s and watched it trundle toward the stacks of processing equipment. There it would be mashed, extruded, and otherwise converted into biodiesel fuel. Access to fuel was the primary reason the squad had decided to settle at Mendi while searching the vast plains for Broken Valley. Their truck drank fuel like a marsh pig, and the Crossroads allowed them to work in exchange for fuel, along with room and board.
The work wasn’t easy. But it was simple enough. And Adan found himself enjoying it after a fashion. With the long days spent threshing in the fragrant firegrass fields, he didn’t feel quite so skinny anymore, either. And the bountiful sunshine had tanned Adan’s warm, olive-brown skin several shades darker than it ever got in Bolvar. But the work also left him sore. Adan slipped off a thick, hoxen-hide glove and reached up to massage his achy shoulder.
“Here, Sander. Let me help with that.” Garun put his bare hands on Adan’s shoulders. Adan closed his eyes, softly moaning as Garun gently squeezed and kneaded his aching muscles. “How’s that?”
“Perfect. You always know just the right places, Rafa.”
Sander, Rafa, Wen, and Sancha were all names from Sander Varin’s missing lander expedition. They were archaic names by modern Neskan standards. But it was a fitting choice, considering the squad hoped to duplicate their journey. As soon as they found the proper place to start, that was. And Davi had decided to trust Gabri with that much information, at least. That was another reason why they’d stayed at the Crossroads. Gabri had agreed to hide their truck when it wasn’t in use in exchange for a cut of whatever they found in Broken Valley.
Garun leaned in close to Adan’s ear. “That’s because the right place for me is next to you,” he whispered. Then he gently blew in Adan’s ear.
Adan almost squealed. “Founders muh–” He stopped himself before invoking the Founders. Only Bolvarans did that. “You’re so lucky you’re good at massaging my shoulders, Rafa.”
Garun chuckled. “Oh, that’s just one of my many talents.”
“Hey, you can blow in my ear anytime, Rafa,” Jenra offered as she walked toward them. The squad had settled into an easy familiarity with one another over their time at the Crossroads. Their shared trauma had faded somewhat over their time together as they worked and explored the rolling grasslands west of the Osbaks. And Adan enjoyed that camaraderie almost as much as he enjoyed not running for his life. “I’ll even bring you food.”
Garun smiled as he patted his stomach. “Food. Yeah, definitely gonna need some of that soon. What do you say, Sander? Is it time to eat?”
Adan emphatically nodded. “Absolutely.” Then he turned around and kissed Garun on the cheek. To Adan’s surprise, he and Garun had also settled into an easy intimacy with each other during their time as boyfriends. While more than one boy had caught his eye back in the Valley, Adan had never before experienced anything quite like what he had with Garun. In some ways, it felt like his nearly lifelong friendship with Bo. But only in some ways. Adan and Bo had shared a bed on plenty of occasions. But not the way Adan and Garun did. Or, at least, the way Adan and Garun would’ve if they ever had any privacy. “But you should save your spot so you can pick it up later.”
Garun grinned and gave Adan a cute wink. “Deal.”
The squad left the processing barn and walked across the Crossroads’ central courtyard. Pamu’s early evening light bathed the reddish-brown pavers set between the compound’s buildings in an almost golden glow. Most of the compound’s buildings were also brick, owing to the lack of trees in the Tepani plains. Only the working buildings, like the processing house or equipment barns, were metal clad. All the buildings were plain but managed to be charming in a way that Bolvaran buildings never did. And they were all built sturdy and robust to withstand the frequent winds that blew in from the Adak desert.
The squad’s first stop was their rooming house, one of several at the Crossroads. Adan had never counted all the people who m
ade Mendi their long-term home, in addition to the travelers whose stays were temporary. But there had to be dozens, at least. Enough to make the compound feel more like a little village.
Adan saw the appeal of a long-term stay. After growing up in the rigidly controlled Bolvar Union, the easygoing, cooperative nature of Mendi Crossroads seemed a world away. But the shadowy Osbak Mountains still thrust up from the distant horizon as a constant reminder that Bolvar was just on the other side. Adan’s childhood instructors had always told him the badlands beyond the wall were full of raiders and marauders out to steal whatever Bolvaran resources they could get their hands on. But those instructors had lied.
Adan’s experience outside the Valley was proof enough of that. Everyone he’d met since he and the squad had escaped the Motari rebel camp had been kind and generous. That had to be the real reason why the Union was so afraid of what lay beyond the frigid Western Osbaks. Who would want to live under the oppressive thumb of a regime like that when they could have a simple, peaceful, friendly life of mutual cooperation and support?
After cleaning up and changing their clothes, Adan, Garun, Jenra, and Bo gathered in the dining hall to meet up with Rune and Davi. Rune had spent his work hours helping to repair some of the commune’s vehicles. Davi had taken on the physically low-stress but mentally challenging task of helping update the solar system that provided most of the compound’s power.
Dinner was grilled hoxen and roasted vegetables. Mendi also brewed their own version of bashki called kinimi and a light, refreshing beer Adan enjoyed.
Adan was ravenous. Spending his days working out in the firegrass fields had increased his appetite. But no one made any marsh pig or prowler jokes as they ate. Both creatures were only found beyond the Osbaks. Mentioning them would’ve given the squad away as Bolvarans. Not that they wouldn’t have been accepted as escaped Bolvarans. Many permanent Crossroads residents had grown up in the Union. But the squad was in hiding. And no one was searching for Sander from Liman’s Glen.
Once she’d eaten most of her meal, Davi announced that she’d settled on the next area they’d explore in search of Broken Valley. As a scientist from the Abarran First Explorers Institute and the squad’s Old Tech expert, she’d taken on the responsibility of mapping and leading their search. It was a role she’d taken seriously ever since joining up with the squad during their escape from the Motari outpost. “I think it’s got a lot of potential.”
Bo groaned. “You said that last time.”
“And the time before that,” Garun added.
Davi frowned. She knew their complaints well. And she had many of her own. Bowen Valley, the location’s original name, had been one of the original Neskan settlements by the First Explorers. And it was the first to be abandoned after an unfortunate flux storm incident brought down a flying lander right on top of it. Thus it hadn’t been included on many maps made over the intervening five centuries. Not even Besi knew precisely where it was. Then again, even if it did, the computer brain in Adan’s armor didn’t know exactly where they were, either. “I know. Believe me, I know. But I’ve been pouring over my map. And there’s a river valley where we’re headed next that looks promising.”
“Well, I’m excited to head back out,” Adan suggested. “Staying here makes me nervous.”
Rune nodded. “I’m with Adan on that. It’s too easy to get complacent here. And every day here is one closer to getting discovered by Sala.”
Jenra snorted. “Damn. That’s not ominous at all.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Rune shrugged. “I’ve already caught myself thinking how nice it would be to settle here more than once. If I’d managed to pair up with someone like you all, I’d probably consider it.”
Adan frowned. That wasn’t the first time Rune had complained about being the only uncoupled person in the squad, even if it wasn’t true. Davi was also unattached. But she didn’t seem bothered by it as much as Rune. Adan remembered having a crush on Rune when they’d first met. Rune had been Adan’s handsome, charming, courageous rescuer, mysteriously appearing to help free Adan from the secret testing facility under the Defense Force Training Center. He’d also given Adan the Old Tech armor and Besi. Even just thinking about it, Adan automatically put his hand on the black disk strapped to his chest under his clothes.
The armor and its computer brain Besi were just two of the many Old Tech relics that Adan and Adan alone was somehow able to use. The technology that the First Explorers had brought to Neska was gene-locked to prevent its use by non-colonists. Unfortunately, that particular genetic sequence had failed to pass along to the First Explorers’ offspring, rendering everything unusable. Until Adan came along, that was. Somehow he’d been gifted with the appropriate genetic code. Nobody knew how or why. That was the primary reason the squad had set out to find the missing lander.
All the landers from the Jennix, the colony ship that had crash-landed on Neska, had been accounted for except one. Sander Varin, the original Jennix Security Chief, claimed to know where the missing lander was and led an expedition to find it. But Varin’s expedition had never been heard from again. That wasn’t very surprising. Five hundred years ago, Neska was almost entirely unsettled and unexplored. And no one else had claimed to find the lander since then.
“You just need to be patient with the process.” Davi looked at the squad with pleading eyes. “I know it can be frustrating. Believe me. But we’ll find it as long as we keep looking. Then we can move on to the next step in our quest. And I doubt it’ll be as comfortable as this has been.”
Bo sighed. “Yeah, I gotta admit that sleeping in a soft bed and eating food like this has been nice. Even if I have to smell like firegrass for a week to earn it.”
Jenra shrugged. “I don’t even notice the smell anymore.”
“That’s how you know you’ve found the right one,” Adan said with a smirk.
Bo snorted. “This from someone I’ve shared multiple beds with. I’ve smelled nicer marsh pig pens.”
“Maybe you should try sleeping in fewer marsh pig pens.”
Davi almost choked as she swallowed a sip of her beer. “Can you all at least let me enjoy this meal before I spend days bunked out in the cab of a stolen truck?”
Adan playfully frowned. “Sorry, Davi.”
Davi smirked. “You’re forgiven. I also spoke with Gabri today. She said we’ll have enough work hours for the fuel we need after tomorrow’s shift.”
Knowing they only had one more day before heading out made Adan feel better about their situation. Aside from his fear of being discovered and having to run again–or worse, fight–Adan was anxious to move on so he could find the answer to his main question. Why was he able to use Old Tech?
A small commotion near the door caught the group’s attention. Adan looked over to see a trio of new faces enter the dining hall. Travelers were common enough at the Crossroads. As the name implied, the compound sat where major north-south and east-west roads crossed each other. And at least a dozen folks had come and gone during the weeks the squad had been at Mendi.
All the new arrivals were young–definitely older than Adan but probably not yet Rune’s age. Their appearances were utterly ordinary. One was skinny but toned with a femme build, curly, dark brown, shoulder-length hair, and sandy brown skin. Another was taller with a more muscular masc build, wiry, black hair pulled up into a topknot, and deep, dark brown skin. The third was as short as the first but as muscular as the second. They had close-cropped black hair, golden brown skin, and deep brown eyes.
The trio bore the weary look of long travels. Their simple clothes were dirty and dis
orderly, and their boots looked well used. But the way they held themselves immediately sparked Adan’s instincts. Their faces were casual and friendly. But their bodies were ready for a fight. Even that wasn’t entirely unusual. Adan had probably looked much the same way walking into the dining hall for the first time. But that type of reaction to an obviously welcoming crowd probably meant one thing.
“Bolvarans,” Bo quietly announced, echoing Adan’s unspoken conclusion.
Adan grunted. “We should go.”
Rune shook his head. “It’s too late. They’ve already spotted us. If we rushed off now, it would be even more suspicious.”
“That’s not what I meant.” The travelers were unarmed. Besi, correctly guessing Adan’s need to know, had quietly scanned them and whispered its conclusions to Adan’s ears alone. But that did nothing to calm Adan’s suspicions. “I mean, we should get whatever fuel we can and leave the Crossroads tonight.”
Garun and Bo frowned. Jenra rolled her eyes. And Rune shook his head. Adan knew what they were thinking. He was being paranoid. But Adan didn’t care what they thought beyond the obvious. It was his responsibility to keep them safe. And if Adan could do that without killing a bunch more people, that’s what he’d do.
“One more day, Adan,” Rune said. “That’s all we need.”
Adan kept silent, pressing his lips together to keep from frowning. He’d said his piece. But he couldn’t force the others to agree with him. Even if it was in their best interest. Then Adan finally gave in. “Fine.” He pushed back from the table, stood up, and grabbed his dishes. “Then I hope I’m wrong.”
Adan walked away, added his dishes to the wash pile, and left the dining hall. He was a dozen steps into the courtyard before he heard Garun call out.
“Hey, wait for me!” Adan stopped and turned back. Garun’s beautiful face was weighed down by hurt and confusion. But he looked adorable when he pouted like that. “Why’d you take off like that?”
Adan knew he was being immature–no better than an angry Tik Tix player who knocked all the counters to the floor when he lost. Then again, he’d never played a game of Tik Tix where the loser lost their life. “Sorry. I’m just a little edgy today.”
Garun nodded. “Want to go for a walk? The others are headed to the sepak game.”
Sepak was a simple card game where players matched cards of the same number or color. It was said to have originated among the First Explorers, who brought it to Neska from their original home. But the rules were easy enough to pick up. And Jenra used it as a chance to learn more about the world from travelers who stopped at the Crossroads. Maybe she’d do that with the new strangers.
“Okay, yeah.” Adan allowed a brief smile. “I think that would be nice.”
While communal living had many advantages, it made finding alone time hard. Added to that was the almost complete lack of privacy when they explored Tepani in the truck. So Adan and Garun liked to get away with just the two of them once in a while.
Garun took Adan’s hand as they wandered from the central compound. He led them west toward a low hill with a small stand of redtail trees overlooking a gentle brook. It was one of the spots they found on their occasional walks they’d called their own. And it was one of the few places they could do things they didn’t want others to see. Communal living was fine for most things. But Adan and Garun’s cautious exploration of each other beyond kissing and cuddling was better done away from their squad.
The grove was also an ideal place to watch the sunset. Adan was still wowed by how low the sun fell outside of Bolvar Valley with no mountains blocking the view. He still had yet to see a sunset after a thunderstorm.
“It sounded like you’re anxious to get out of here.”
Adan shrugged as they walked. “I know. It’s just–” Adan sighed. “Sometimes it feels like I’m the only one that takes our safety seriously.”
Garun gently squeezed Adan’s hand. “But you know that’s not true, right?”
Adan nodded, even if he didn’t honestly believe that. After watching his lovely Garun get shot by a Motari bullet during their last escape, Adan had sworn that he’d protect them all until whatever they were doing was finished. He hadn’t realized that would require convincing them to act in their best interests. “Of course.”
“Good. I know you probably feel a lot of pressure with the armor and all. But you’re not in this alone. I’m here for you. We’re all here for you.”
Adan nodded. He even managed another smile. Talk about pressure. Of course, Garun meant that he was there with Adan. But Adan only heard Garun say that he was there because of Adan. “I know. And I appreciate it. It’s just hard, you know? Being somewhere like this, knowing that I have to keep leaving.”
“Would you stay? I mean, if you could?”
Adan shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, I like it here. But I don’t know if this is the kind of place I’d want to settle down.”
Garun nodded. “I hear you. After all that trouble getting out of Bolvar, it hardly seems right to set down in the first place we stop. There’s got to be more out there.”
“Not to mention the fact that the closer we are to Bolvar, the more likely they are to find us. I have to believe that putting more distance between us and them will make that less of a threat.”
Garun snorted. “I hope that’s true. I’d hate to think that Sala’s reach extends any farther than this.”
Adan sighed. It was an automatic reaction to hearing Sala’s name. Commander Cristina Sala had once saved Adan from a Union firing squad only to strap him to a metal table in a secret underground base. “I hope that I won’t be looking over my shoulder forever.”
“Me, too.”
The pair walked up to the top of their small hill and found the trunk of a fallen tree they’d started using as a bench. Pamu had already dipped close to the horizon, turning a fiery orange-red, coloring the wispy clouds a spun sugar pink and casting scarlet-purple shadows on the rolling, grass-covered plains.
Adan smiled, finally shrugging off his paranoid feelings from dinner. “It’s so lovely here.”
Garun gently squeezed Adan’s hand. “I’ll say. That sunset’s pretty nice, too.”
“You’re such a charmer.” Adan grinned as he glanced at Garun. “Remember that first night in the tent?”
Garun chuckled. “Do I ever? I thought for sure you were gonna kick me out.”
“I’m really glad I didn’t.” Adan remembered those first kisses well. He’d been surprised at his lack of guilt over them. Not to mention his desire to do that all the time. He leaned over and kissed Garun. “Then I wouldn’t have anyone to kiss while I watched the sunset.”
Garun rested his free hand on Adan’s thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’d rather look at you anyway.” He smiled, which made Adan smile back. “You’re more beautiful than any sunset.” Garun’s smile briefly fell. When it came back, it looked a little sad.
Adan frowned. “What’s that look for?”
“I wanted to ask–” Garun frowned. “I heard you call out in your sleep again last night.”
Adan sighed. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
Garun tightened his grip on Adan’s hand. “Don’t be. You’ve been through a lot. Was it the dreams again?”
Adan took a deep breath and nodded.
The dreams had started on their first night at the Crossroads. Or, at least, that’s when Adan first remembered having them. He dreamed of Third Chief Tam Osaben. The Chief briefly took Adan under his wing during his first weeks at the DFTC. They’d hardly been friends. Adan doubted Osaben had any friends. But he’d been friendly enough with Adan, especially when he instructed Adan in weapons maintenance. Then Adan had killed him, shooting him in the face with his stolen Old Tech weapon while escaping from the secret lab.
A
dan had killed seven others during that escape, either directly with a weapon or indirectly with the explosion he’d caused. He’d since seen all of their faces in his dreams, too. Along with everyone else he’d killed during his escapes from Bolvar Valley and the Motari outpost. And the ones whose faces Adan hadn’t seen appeared to him as faceless ghosts. Adan sometimes even saw Simi, his squadmate who’d been shot while riding in the back of the truck during their initial escape.
While the faces changed, the dreams were all the same. Adan’s victims confronted him about what he’d done. It’s your fault, his victims would tell him. You did this. You killed me. You’re nothing but a killer, Adan Testa.
Garun frowned. “I’m sorry, Adan.” He reached up to softly caress Adan’s cheek with his thumb. “If I could take all that from you, I would.”
“Thank you. “Adan shook his head. “But, it’s mine. I did those things. I need to remember them.” He’d never say it aloud, not even to Garun. Especially not to Garun. But Adan deserved that pain. He’d killed people, but he wasn’t a killer. That pain was what made it so. “But I’m glad you’re here with me.” Because he’d already almost lost Garun, too. Adan had never told Garun about those dreams. The ones where he’d watched Garun get shot. Except in Adan’s dreams, no miraculous Old Tech devices were around to save him.
Garun nodded. “I’m sorry if I ruined the sunset for you.” He reached up and ran his fingers through Adan’s hair. “I just wanted to know if you’re okay.”
Adan smiled and nodded. “Pamu will keep rising and setting long after you and I are gone, Garun. But every moment I spend with you is precious.”

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