Transformation Space - Marianne de Pierres [89]
‘I’m Principe Trinder Pellegrini. Who are you that you wear Pellegrini fellalos?’
This time Randall directed her gaze to him. ‘So Franco’s pup did survive. Fedor was right.’
‘You know Baronessa Fedor?’
Randall nodded to Jo-Jo, and back at Catchut in the AiV. ‘We all do. She’s the reason we’re here. She told us about you.’
‘Is she alive? Does she bring help?’
‘Can’t answer either of those questions. But maybe there’re some others I can.’
The Principe glanced up into the sky. ‘Then we should talk inside the cave. Sunrise is close.’
Randall gestured with her hand, indicating that she would follow him. She and Jo-Jo waited as they passed: Trin Pellegrini first, Cass, carrying her dead child, and then the two others who had been standing either side of her. The latter were still casting angry stares at each other.
Jo-Jo tried to work out what had happened. The way Randall’s eyes were flickering around, she was too. She signalled for Catchut to follow them. The AiV would soon be too hot to stay inside without the engine to cool it.
They were greeted at the entrance to the caves by a ragged group of ’esques and one emaciated korm, who towered above them all.
The survivors huddled as close as they could to the growing light, curious about the newcomers. As Jo-Jo cast his gaze around the semicircle, one of them stood out from them in both appearance and manner. She was slim without being thin, and her facial skin was tight as a mask, flattening her nose and eyes. Not attractive, and yet something about her seemed … significant.
He knew he was right when Trin Pellegrini moved to stand close to her.
The girl looked him and Randall over, then immediately left Trin’s side to go to the woman, Cass Mulravey, leading her away into the cave’s darkness. Some of the other women followed, and the circle closed again.
‘There was an accident,’ Pellegrini explained.
Jo-Jo felt the weight of unsaid things in their tense manner; saw the complex mix of expressions on the watching faces. What had these people been through to survive?
‘Do you have water?’ asked Randall.
‘Of course.’ Trin nodded to one of the women. No one spoke until she returned with three shells of water.
Jo-Jo drank quickly. The liquid smelled of fish, just like the cave itself. The air burned despite the cave’s shade, and he longed to be back in the sky, in the AiV’s cooler cockpit.
‘How did you find us?’ said Pellegrini finally.
‘Could take a while in the telling,’ said Randall. ‘Might be you want to sit down.’
Pellegrini hesitated, then agreed. ‘We have a meal at this time. Before we sleep. Eat with us, and talk.’
It was not an invitation.
Randall nodded on behalf of all of them.
The group shuffled around until they were all seated close enough to the cave mouth to see.
‘Not all of you have cooling robes. How can you stand it?’ Jo-Jo asked, thinking it was time he spoke.
‘If you keep out of the direct sun, it’s bearable after a period of adjustment. We manage better than visitors who don’t have our melatonin-rich skin,’ said Pellegrini. ‘Your name?’
To his surprise, Randall didn’t jump in, but waited for him to answer.
‘I’m Josef Rasterovich. Not a survivor from this terrible invasion, but a new arrival.’
A murmur went around the group which Pellegrini silenced with a word. The young Latino Principe spoke like a true leader.
‘Before I tell you more, OLOSS does know what happened here,’ Jo-Jo added.
‘Tell us how you got here,’ demanded Pellegrini.
Jo-Jo glanced at Randall. She’d folded her arms and was leaning back against the rock wall. She seemed calm and attentive, but he knew she was cataloguing everything she could see. He had to give her time to gather information. Get the group members to reveal something about themselves.
‘We were hired to escort your Baronessa Fedor to a place called Rho Junction. She was trying to make a deal to get you people rescued. OLOSS didn’t want to do anything in a hurry, and she didn’t want to wait, so she was using other means. Shit happened, and we ended up stranded on an Extro craft – fuckin’ weird