Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

their spirits, and they were all soaked in sweat from the effort and the heat. Not all that surprising, Jesamine was the first to complain.
    "I shouldn't have to put up with this. Why couldn't we have landed right next to the base? I'm tired, my back aches and my feet aren't talking to me. We should have brought a gravity sled! It's been years since I had to walk this far, and I hated it then. Look, why don't I take a rest break here, while you—"
    "No," Lewis said immediately. "I'm not splitting up the party. I want you all where I can see you, and that very definitely includes you, Brett. We're stronger and safer together. So suck it up, Jes, and keep up the pace. You're doing well. The sooner we get to Base Thirteen, the sooner we can all rest."
    Jesamine sniffed loudly, and kept going. The trees moved slowly past, only the size and the colors changing, and it was hard to tell how far they'd come or how much farther there was left to go. Jesamine started muttering under her breath, and when that didn't get her anywhere, began to whine and complain out loud again. Lewis commiserated but was firm with her. In the end, she lurched to a halt and threw a full-fledged temper tantrum. She stamped her foot on the hard gray ground, waved her arms around, cried loud angry tears, and positively refused to go a step further. Lewis and Brett looked at each other, embarrassed. Jesamine had been a star too long, used to people being ready and willing to do all the unpleasant things in life for her. Lewis tried being reasonable. He pointed out that they were closer to the base now than the ship, so they might as well go on, and she'd really feel better if she just kept moving…
    all to no avail. Jesamine just wept bitterly, said he didn't love her anymore, and refused to take another step. So Rose stepped forward, and looked Jesamine right in the eye. The star and diva shut up immediately.
    "We're going on," said Rose Constantine. "You can stay here on your own, unprotected, or you can come with us. But if you start whining again, I'll hurt you. Got it?"
    Jesamine wanted to say How dare you talk to me like that? How dare you threaten me? Don't you know who I am? but she knew none of that mattered a damn to the Wild Rose of the Arena. She looked uncertainly at Lewis. "You wouldn't really leave me behind, would you, sweetie? You wouldn't let her hit me? Would you, Lewis?"
    "Jes," Lewis said quietly, "I am only a moment away from making you walk in front so I can kick your arse if you slow us down. This kind of behavior isn't worthy of you. So stop complaining and move. It's no harder for you than the rest of us. You always said you were a good trouper. Time to prove it."
    Jesamine stuck out her lower lip. "You're sleeping on the floor tonight, Deathstalker."
    As it turned out, it was only another ten minutes or so before the metal trees fell suddenly away on all sides, and they emerged into a clearing. In the center of the wide open space stood half a dozen tall metal statues. They were twice the height of a man, and the gleaming shapes made no sense at all, though they somehow felt as though they ought to. Light gleamed along their smooth curves that turned and twisted in uncertain directions. Lewis walked slowly up to the nearest statue and studied it carefully. It didn't help.
    "Ashrai sculpture," said Brett, peering past Lewis's shoulder. "I've heard of it, but usually you only see stuff like this in specialized and very expensive catalogs. I doubt there's a dozen pieces of Ashrai art in human hands throughout the Empire. Supposedly the Ashrai sculpt these things out of the metal trees using nothing but their minds."
    "And you can only really appreciate them by touching them," said Jesamine. "They were meant to be felt, not seen. The Ashrai don't see the world the way the rest of us do. I've been trying to acquire even a small piece for years."
    "I really don't feel like touching that," said Lewis, and the others nodded.
    "Forget the alien porn," said Brett. "Dump it all out, and fill the cargo bay with these. We could manage two, maybe even three… Sweet Jesus, we could sell them on Mistworld for more credits than even I usually dream of. We'd be set up for life!"
    "Don't even think about it," Lewis said sternly. "We are here as guests, remember? Not thieves, or looters. You really want the Ashrai mad at you?"
    "Well, not as such, no," said Brett. "But there has to be some way…
    "No, Brett"
    "They're just shapes," said