Hunter, Warrior, Commander

by Andrew Maclure

  The cell door swung open. Tor came in with a tray holding a sealed plate like the one she had at breakfast and a flask of water. Instead of a spoon, the lid of this plate had the army eating implement that had a dished blade like a short knife with prongs on the end attached to it. Tor handed her a knife. “You’ll find it easier to eat with this.” she said in her gravelly voice. “You shouldn’t have one but Sek said you can be trusted. He has a friend called Sergeant Si’ir Monnen Dak who has vouched for you. Promise you won’t use it on any of us.”

  Sah Lee smiled. “I promise not to attack you with the knife, or a spoon, or anything else.” She took the plate, knife and flask from Tir, who left with the tray.

  Chapter Sixty

  Four Days

  The four days on the troop carrier flashed by for Sah Lee in a constant round of fighting the golem, exercise, eating and sleep. She felt as though she wasn’t getting enough sleep and her muscles ached, but she could see that her fighting skills were improving. She was getting better at anticipating the moves the golem made and her defense was faster, and more assured.

  The troop carrier was due to dock during the night, Sah Lee’s AI had changed the orders so that she stayed on board and was woken at her normal time, then had breakfast before being escorted off the carrier and into her new cell.

  While she was eating, she asked her AI: “Do you think I’m ready to take on all comers now?”

  “If I were deploying you in the field, I wouldn’t put you in the front line yet, but I would keep you just behind as one of the reserves in case of the enemy broke through, or to follow through an attack by our own troops. You’re good with a particle beam weapon though, so if it was a shooting engagement I’d put you at the front.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  “You are not ready to take on the level of attack that you are likely to be subject to. You will be better able to defend yourself than when you came onto the troop carrier, but there’s only so much you can learn in four days. However, I have extensive information about the weak points in the physiology of all the species you will encounter. I will indicate where they are most vulnerable, and the well protected areas where it will not give you an advantage to attack. I will also brief you on their preferred fighting styles and methods of attack before you engage with them. This is unlikely to let you overcome them, but it will give you some protection until they have had enough or run out of time.”

  “Run out of time? How does this work?”

  “According to the information I have, it’s supposed to be intensive training, but most of those who come long just want to beat someone up. They are permitted to cause you any amount of injury short of killing you. They have up to one hour per session, one session a day. They can call a halt at any time if they have injured you or if you have injured them. You can’t call a halt at all, but if you lose consciousness, they must stop.”

  “And what happens when the session ends?”

  “There will be two security officers attending to enforce compliance, from you and from your opponent. They will give first aid for any minor injuries and you will be able to take a drink of water. Then the next opponent comes in.”

  “No time for a rest?”

  “No. You go straight from one opponent to the next.”

  “This doesn’t sound good.”

  “Si’ir Monn made that quite clear, and we now know that was from personal experience.”

  “I thought he was exaggerating.”

  “He wasn’t, but he didn’t have the advantage that you've got, which is me.”

  “He’s got an AI!”

  “No one has an AI like me. Well, no one that’s going to get in the position you are in. As you will be in a potentially life-threatening situation, it is within my remit to take over your physical processes to help protect you when you are in imminent danger, or I can do it now if you agree. I can only control your natural processes. I’ll release hormones to reduce pain and to keep you stimulated. I’ll control blood flow to reduce swelling from bruises and to provide maximum blood flow to muscles and a myriad of other things to keep you functioning and minimize damage.”

  “What other things? Oh, forget it, don’t tell me, just do it. I trust you to do your best for me. If you are so much better that anyone else’s AI, why have I got you? We are supposed to be getting AI’s at the level of a newly emergent race.”

  “It’s a mystery, isn’t it?”

  “I haven’t got time to play word games. What happens next?”

  “When you’ve finished your breakfast, you’ll be taken to a wet room to shower and change, then to the exercise room where you will fight.”

  Chapter Sixty One

  ‘Training’

  Sah Lee stood in the middle of the floor in the exercise room. Sek and another security officer sat at one edge of the room.

  Her first opponent entered the room and walked slowly toward her. It was a bulky, hairy mammal with a low brow and a wide face. As it approached, it made a snuffling noise, and its broad flattened nose wrinkled up and twitched. Its long arms almost reached the floor.

  “Is that thing sentient?” Sah Lee asked her AI.

  “It’s a Rendan. They are fast and powerful. It will probably move around about four meters away from you and then attack in a rush with its arms out. It may try to strike you or more likely just grab and crush you. It would be best to avoid that. Get ready to duck when it comes at you. It doesn’t really have any weak points, but if you can strike it hard above the knee joint on the back of its leg, it will hurt it and slow it down. There is a nerve point on its back about twenty centimeters down from its shoulder and fifteen centimeters in from its side. If you can hit that hard enough it will lose the strength in that arm for several minutes.”

  The Rendan stopped a short distance from Sah Lee and started moving first to the left, then to the right. Sah Lee felt her heart beat faster and her skin get hotter. In a half crouch, she moved round to keep facing the creature as it moved back and forth. She remembered someone saying that the best form of defense was attack, and she was ready. Without warning, the Rendan rushed towards her, arms stretched out wide. Sah Lee reacted by leaping at it, aiming herself so she would be beneath its swinging arms, ready to twist and kick out at the back of its leg as she slipped past it. She saw its left arm change its trajectory as her legs started to extend, launching her in the air. Its arm came down and round on an interception path towards her, she flung her arms out to rotate her body to avoid the massive clenched fist coming straight at her.

  ◆◆◆

  She opened her eyes and saw the friendly face of a medic looking down at her.

  “All better now.” the medic, a slightly built female reptile, said with a smile. “You’ve had a good rest too. There was nothing broken, just a mild concussion. The bruising has gone already. You’re fighting fit again. Oops. That wasn’t very appropriate. Sorry. You can get up now. I’d like you to have a solid meal and a drink before security take you back. Can you ask your AI to order you a meal from the synthesizer? You can eat at that table.” she said, pointing, “Do you need help to get up. You might still be unsteady on your feet.”

  “Meal and a hot drink ordered.” Sah Lee’s AI told her.

  “I’m fine, I think.” Sah Lee said to the medic as she got off the bed.

  “I’ll bring your meal over when it’s ready.” the medic said, moving towards the synthesizer.

  “What happened?” Sah Lee asked her AI as she took a seat.

  “Your tactic of defending yourself by hitting its fist with your head was not a complete success. You didn’t injure it, but it was pissed off that the fight ended so quickly, so, one out of ten I think. What were you trying to do?”

  “I thought attack was the best form of defense.”

  “I see. Let’s stick with the maxim that defense is the best form of defense for the time being, shall we?”

  Sah Lee sighed. “It’s not a good start is
it? Do you think I’ll survive this?”

  “You’ve learnt a lesson. Only attack when you understand your opponent and have a clear plan, preferably one you’ve used before, or a variation of one you’ve used before, and never attack an opponent unless you’re confident of winning or you have no choice. And to clarify that, you do not have a choice in the training. And you’ve learnt a tactic that doesn’t work against Rendans.”

  She smiled. “With your optimistic disposition how can I fail. Even if I was knocked out and hospitalized seconds after the start of my first fight.”

  “I have a confession to make. You were only stunned. I made you fall unconscious, so you got some rest. You needed it.”

  “Didn’t the scans show I wasn’t concussed?”

  “They would have if I hadn’t modified them.”

  “So I could have got up and carried on fighting? I might have beaten it.”

  “You could have got up to get smashed down again and got a real concussion. You weren’t going to beat it. Not yet.”

  The medic brought her meal with a hot drink.

  “What’s this? What are these blue things?”

  “The blue tubers are full of minerals and vitamins. The pink beans and steak are what you’ve had before.”

  “I don’t like blue food!”

  “Have you ever eaten blue food?”

  “No, because I don’t like it.”

  “You’ve not tried it. If you don’t eat it, then that’s all you get for your next meal.”

  “Bastard! You don’t have to eat this crap!”

  “Just eat it and stop whining. If you won’t even eat this, you might as well give up the army now. You clearly haven’t got the motivation to win.”

  “Fuck you! I’ll eat it!” Sah Lee surprised herself at the use of the expletive. She tried a tiny piece of the blue tuber, ready to spit it out. It tasted really good. “Bloody smart-ass AI!” she thought.

  Chapter Sixty Two

  The Krendor And the Rinquit

  Back in the training room, Sah Lee bounced up and down on her toes a few times. Partly to get her legs ready for the next fight, partly to calm her nerves. The door slid open and a huge Krendor stomped in.

  “Oh shit! I’m not ready for this!” she said to her AI. “Where are its weak points?”

  “For you, fighting it unarmed, it doesn’t have any. It is likely to walk straight up to you and attack with its arms or legs. It may break into a run as it gets close. They can run much faster than you, but nowhere near so for. They are immensely strong and very aggressive. It won’t use its teeth, to avoid killing you.”

  “Can I just lay down and give in?”

  “It will probably pick you up and fling you across the room.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Do you believe in a god you can pray to?”

  “Oh thanks. If I shit myself, will that put it off?”

  “You can try, it’s probably the best defense you’ve got.”

  As the Krendor got closer, Sah Lee recognized it. “Kar Fen, what did I do to offend you?” She dropped into a half crouch with no idea of what to do, apart from keep out of its way.

  The Krendor stopped when it was two meters away from her. “I have not come to fight you Sah Lee, I have come to train you.”

  Sah Lee stood upright. “What?”

  “I think my words were clear. It is unlikely that something as small as you…”

  Sah Lee interrupted angrily: “I am not small! I am one point eight meters tall! Just because you are giant reptile freak does not make me small!”

  Kar Fen tipped his head upwards and made a series of loud barking roars.

  “Laughing.” Sah Lee’s AI helpfully informed her.

  “You are all small to us Krendor, but I apologize if I have offended you. Perhaps I should say that as you are relatively small, you are unlikely to be able to be able defend yourself against a Krendor in unarmed combat, but I can teach you how to maximize your chances to survive for long enough for help to arrive. What you learn will also help you against any opponents bigger than you. I can only spend one hour a day with you, so let’s waste no more time. Prepare for a Krendor attack, I’ll take it slow and will not hurt you. Ready?”

  Sah Lee nodded and Kar Fen came lumbering toward her, arms outstretched, elbows slightly bent. “I have a large sharp claw halfway down the inside of my forearms, beware of them, they could easily rip your body open. They are dangerous to you even if you are wearing body armor.” As he approached, Sah Lee ducked down and scuttled underneath his arms, almost on all fours. She planned to go between his legs and attach from behind. One of his feet came forwards and hit her in the chest, knocking her on her back. Kar Fen stepped back and grasped her shoulder, pulling her to her feet.

  “A logical move, but as you can see, that doesn’t work. We have good control of our legs in a forward and backward motion, but it is difficult to move them sideways. Let’s try that again, this time duck under and go to the side.”

  Kar Fen repeated his approach and Sah Lee ducked under his outstretched arms and past him to his right, rolling over. She sprung up to her feet, leaping straight onto his back and hung for a few moments, before dropping to the ground.

  “Very good Sah Lee. If you had scrambled up, you could have had access to my eyes. They are relatively small for our size. The star of our planet of origin is a blue giant and daylight is very bright. Krendor eyes are vulnerable, even to a well-aimed claw. If we had been wearing body armor, and you had a blade, there is a weak spot in the armor we wear just below the end of the mandible. It is because of the way our neck extends, expands and contracts when we move our heads. If you can get a blade in there, you are likely to hit an artery which would disable me quickly. Look out for the same vulnerability in other reptiles with a similar head and neck configuration.”

  “Aren’t you worried I might use this against you one day?”

  Kar Fen laughed again. “I am not going to become an outcast, and I am sure you won’t either. We will fight together in the future, but never against each other.”

  They practiced the same move, over and over, with Kar Fen’s attack become faster and more aggressive until a loud and sustained squawk came out over loudspeakers and one of the security officers came over to call a halt. Kar Fen left, promising to return the following day.

  “You were lucky to get him Private. You did well too. You're very agile, you should make use of that when you are fighting. Most of those coming to fight you are angry and usually not the brightest of our soldiers. On the whole, their preferred method of attack is to charge you and rely on strength and weight. You can overcome that with your agility and intelligence.”

  He returned to his seat and Sah Lee stood in the middle of the mat, bouncing on her toes, waiting for her next opponent.

  “He gave you good advice Sah Lee. We will get one hour at the end of the day, if you are still standing, to practice. We will work on your agility, it will give you an edge against stronger and more experienced fighters.”

  The door slid open and a bulky oval shape about one and a half meters long scuttled in.

  “Amnoptera. An insectoid, obviously. They have short, powerful mandibles which could sever your arm - or your neck, but it shouldn’t use those on you except maybe to immobilize you while it uses its front legs to pummel you. You need to avoid that as it will break your ribs and the claws on the end of its feet will rip you open. It knows not kill you, but it will make a real mess of you. Its hind legs are longer and thicker than its front legs, but it only uses these for locomotion - walking and running. Its head is very hard, and it may charge you to ram you with it. The elytra, or wing cases on its back are very hard and act like an armored shell, so don’t bother attacking them. The exoskeleton on its thorax and abdomen are also very tough, but just behind its front legs are spiracles - it breaths through them. They are sensitive so if you can strike them it will distract it. Right at the end of its abdomen, just below t
he end of its wing cases is a very sensitive area. If you can hit it hard there, it should be so distracted it will lose all interest in you. Their body armor gives this area a lot of protection, so that information would not help you in battle, but it might be useful now.”

  “It’s got wing cases, can it fly?” Sah Lee asked nervously, unsure of how to defend against airborne opponents.

  “It has vestigial wings, so it can’t fly. It uses its wing cases in courtship but the muscles controlling them are far too weak for it to use them as weapons. So, you know what you have to do?”

  “Yes, kick it up the ass!”

  “Eloquently put. Use your agility to avoid it making contact.”

  The Amnoptera stood up on its hind legs and broke into a run, charging at Sah Lee. When it was four meters from her she sprung forward, took two steps and dived to the ground to the left, rolling over and jumping up as it rushed past. It swung round and made a loud hissing noise and made another run at her. She bent her knees and leaned forward, ready to repeat the maneuver. It was ready for her this time and as she tensed to spring, it jinked to the left to intercept her. Sah Lee leapt to its right and ran a few meters in the opposite direction to it, then turned and ran as fast as she could towards its back and leapt at it. Swinging her arms up she tilted her body back and curled her legs underneath her. Just before she struck the creature she shot her legs out and kicked it hard just below its head. The Amnoptera fell heavily with Sah Lee on top of it, its legs splaying out to the side. As soon as it hit the floor, Sah Lee jumped off and ran to take up a defensive stance. Making a series of short sharp hisses, the Amnoptera scrambled to its back feet, the middle leg on its left hanging loosely at its side.

  “You’ve hurt it and those hissing noises mean you’ve made it angry.”

  “Doesn’t it speak?”