As she studied the creature, its head swiveled around to look at her, causing her to pull back in surprise. In addition to the large round pair of eyes on top of its head, it also had a second set of eyes underneath its beak, just centimeters from its throat. As it settled into position onto the bench, the plumes on its tail fanned open and closed reflexively to adjust its balance.
"Rysth-nuul," Sikaris's voice growled behind her. "Give Druen the signal to climb on, and then let's go."
The snake alien complied, and a moment later, the entire vehicle shook and groaned from behind as if being crushed by a giant vise. Turning quickly to look over her shoulder out the rear window, Rebecca caught her breath in surprise.
Climbing onto the vehicle was an immense being that looked strikingly similar to a triceratops. However, instead of three horns on its crested head, two long white horns protruded from each side of its forehead, curving down over its long snout. The left horn was broken at the tip, a testament to past battles. In addition, two identical tusks rose from its jaw to meet the top horns at their tips, forming a kind of mask. The ten-foot-tall creature, being too large to ride inside the vehicle, was holding onto the back with its stubby thick claws.
"Katie is never gonna believe this," Rebecca said under her breath as she turned around to face forward once again.
The engine rumbled below as the vehicle lurched to life. A particularly strong gust of fumes drifted up through the hatch, causing Rebecca's lungs to burn and her eyes to water. Undeterred by the cloudy haze created by the engine, the reddish sunlight streamed through the front windows of the transport. The rays became brighter and brighter as the vehicle moved slowly through the now open doors before them until the entire vehicle was bathed in an eerie red glow.
I'm coming, guys. Be there. Please still be there. Reaching down, she took the tracker out of her bag and set it to the Vanguards frequency. As before, the ship appeared as a fuzzy blip in the midst of a blizzard of distortion, its location unchanged. Reassured, she returned the device to her bag and attempted once more to get comfortable on the hard metal bench.
Prin, noticing her discomfort, pointed to a set of eight-inch metal bars imbedded into the floor near the front of the bench. "Try holding onto those with your hands." It offered. "It makes the ride less bumpy."
Rebecca grabbed the handholds but found it extremely difficult to see where they were going with her chin lying on the seat of the bench. "If I may ask," she said finally after several minutes of trying to find a suitable position. "Why benches? Why don't you just use chairs?"
"A bench fits our natural body position. Most of us can sit, but..."—Prin looked down to where the tail hole was on Rebecca's pants—"our tails make it uncomfortable and difficult, yes, yes. Lying down is much better." After a moment of silence, Prin asked tentatively, "How did you lose your tail? Was it cut off, or is that a mutation?"
Rebecca was taken aback. "I...no...I mean...my clan...no one in my clan has a tail. Our ancestors probably had them, but I guess we lost the need for them thousands of years ago."
A loud wheezing sound erupted from Prin's mouth as the muscles in its face contorted wildly. "That was a good joke, Rebecca Clan Evans! 'Lost the need for them!' That is funny."
Rebecca stared at it in disbelief. "Why do you find that so funny?"
Prin, suddenly realizing that she was not joking, quickly stifled its laughter and composed itself. "Well, a tail is an extremely useful thing, yes, yes. It is almost like having another arm. In fact, some clans even have mutated hands on their tails. It is used for balance. It can be used as a weapon. It can be used to move things. And it can help you scratch where you cannot reach." As if to punctuate this last thought, Prin brought its tail up over its back and used its double tips to rub between its shoulder blades. "If your clan really did lose their tails, I do not think it was because they lost the need for them."
Not knowing what else to say in this unsettling conversation, Rebecca looked forward and gazed out the front window, lost in thought. It surprised her that although it was just after sunrise when they landed, the sun was only barely past its zenith. Checking her watch and doing a quick calculation in her head, she realized that over eight hours had already elapsed since their arrival.
Just then, as she was about to ask Prin about the length of the day, the transport began climbing a hill, causing the engine to struggle and emit another blast of noxious fumes. After she had recovered from her latest fit of coughing, Rebecca looked over at Prin once again, all thoughts of her previous question having vanished. "Was the exhaust system damaged on one of its previous missions?" she asked in a raspy voice. "This thing's engine produces more pollution than half a city."
"The translator does not know that word, but if you mean the gases from the transport, then I would say that we are all used to it," Prin said in its typical matter-of-fact manner. "If you stay on Ka'esch for long, you, or most likely your offspring, will become used to it also."
My offspring? Rebecca thought curiously. Deciding to let the unusual comment pass until later, she continued with her current train of thought. "But what about the damage all this pollution does to the environment?" she replied. "What about your children? Don't you care about preserving the environment for their sakes?"
Prin looked at her with that same strange look. "It is true that the gases from machines will probably make the air unbreathable in a few generations, but why should we care? We will be dead by then. We do what we need to do to survive. And when we are not fighting to survive, we are enjoying other pleasures, not worrying about what will happen in the future. That will be their problem, yes, yes. If they have not mutated enough to breathe the air, then they will die."
Rebecca was shocked at the unabashed self-gratifying attitude of this creature. That's so cruel and selfish! How can it...?
The alien simply stared at her, no malice showing on its features, just hard reality. Disgusted and frustrated, Rebecca turned away from Prin and stared out the window, her thoughts a mixture of indignation and confusion.
Several hours passed uneventfully. Whether due to Rysth-nuul's skill as a driver or by pure luck, they had as of yet encountered no hunting parties. After trying numerous different positions, Rebecca gave up on trying to get comfortable on the hard bench. It almost seemed as if the transport itself took some kind of twisted pleasure in bumping and jostling her about.
During this time, Rebecca was asked at various intervals to consult her tracking unit to confirm that the ship hadn't moved. Each time, she grew more and more excited that this horrible nightmare would soon be over.
A sudden screeching alarm caused her to sit up so abruptly that she nearly struck her head against the ceiling.
"What's that?" she asked Prin nervously.
But before it could respond, Rysth-nuul yelled up loudly from below, the translation seeming contradictory in its inflectionless response. "Tarluj's curse! I knew it! I knew this trip was going too smoothly. Sikaris, you had better see this."
In an instant, the large form of Sikaris sprang to the front of the cabin to stand on all fours between the two ape-like aliens. "They are coming in fast," it said in a low growl, its attention fixed on a point outside the front left window.
"What is it?" Rebecca asked again, panic beginning to build in her voice. Not now! Not when we're so close!
By way of reply, Prin, its face a grim mask of resignation, pointed out the window beside him. "Mrdangam."
Rebecca looked out the window to where Prin indicated and gasped, a terror such as she had never felt before seizing her in an iron fist. Flying toward them over the barren landscape and bathed in the bloodred glow of the sun were five enormous dragons.
7
Mrdangam Attack
"EVERYONE, GET your weapons ready," Sikaris ordered. "Rysth-nuul, take us into the Joktan Ruins. At least, we may find some cover there." Turning around, the alien leader headed back to its bench. "Lohgur, launch the flyer," Sikaris commanded, its vo
ice strong and firm. Rebecca turned and looked at it and was surprised to find it staring at her in return. Unable to hold the gaze of those intense violet eyes, she quickly looked away.
Immediately and without a word, the ape-like alien on the front right bench leapt up, moved past Rebecca to the back of the vehicle, opened a hatch in the ceiling, and disappeared through it. A moment later, a sudden booming sound pushed her already frazzled nerves farther toward their breaking point. Glancing out the window to see if the dragons had somehow already reached them and begun to attack, she was relieved to see that although they were significantly closer, they were still too far away to have been the source of the sound. A second later, she heard the unmistakable sound of rockets firing and watched through the forward window as the toboggan-like flyer launched and banked left toward the oncoming dragons.
"What...," Rebecca choked out, her mouth having gone suddenly dry. "What are they?"
Prin looked at her gravely. "The Mrdangam are very strong fighters with very little intelligence. Because they are so large, they never had the need for it. We will very likely not survive this, Rebecca Clan Evans. A Mrdangam hunting party is not easily killed, especially not one this big. They usually only hunt in pairs."
"But...aren't these transports powerful? And we have the flyers. Shouldn't that...I mean, won't that stop them?" she asked, her hope waning rapidly.
But before Prin could reply, Sikaris's commanding voice came from behind them. "Prin, we do not have any time to waste. Show him how to use the guns."
At once, Prin left its bench and moved over to stand next to Rebecca. Its claw reached down next to her bench and threw a lever, causing her bench to swivel ninety degrees to face the right window and the weapons controls.
"I will explain this quickly, so listen carefully," Prin began to say, its voice shaking slightly from nervousness. Over the next minute, Rebecca summoned all of her military training to help keep her mind focused on learning the unfamiliar controls and shut out all thoughts of the approaching terror.
"And remember," Prin concluded, "Mrdangam have very strong hides. Our weapons will only hurt them if we hit them in the heads or other weak points, such as their underbellies, so aim there. And if you see one spit acid at your weapon, get off of the bench as quickly as you can."
"Acid?" Rebecca echoed, incredulous.
"Yes, yes. They have the ability to spit acid from their mouths," Prin said downcast.
A low and raspy voice issued out from the ape-like creature manning the front left gun. "The flyers are almost there."
After glancing over its shoulder to mark the progress of the flyers, Prin looked back at Rebecca, a hopeless expression on its face. "Good luck." With that, Prin returned to its seat, which now faced directly opposite hers. Since the dragons were approaching from the left side, Rebecca turned around in her seat and watched as the flyers engaged the oncoming threat.
Once they were in range, the two flyers opened up with their machine guns, spraying gunfire at the heads of the flying reptiles in an attempt to divert their attention. They then split off on each side of the five beasts, which were more or less flying in a straight line. The two dragons on the ends of the formation turned to follow, leaving the remaining three to continue the main attack.
"Well, three is better than five," came the voice of the translator. Since no one on the top floor had spoken, she assumed that either Rysth-nuul or the copilot had made the comment. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later when a second comment came through the earpiece.
"But still more than enough to fry us all! Now shut up, Tarrsk, and help me figure out how to keep us from becoming lunch."
Rebecca diverted her attention from the approaching dragons to look out the front window at the Joktan Ruins. The small ruined city still contained many buildings that stood erect in various stages of decay and destruction. Rubble was strewn everywhere from the mud and brick buildings, causing many of the streets to be nearly impassable, at least, for conventional vehicles.
"Hold on, Rebecca Clan Evans," Prin called from behind her. "It is about to get very bumpy."
Reaching down, she grabbed the handholds in the floor in a vise-like grip and prepared herself for the worst.
"This is going to be close," the ape-like alien in front of her grunted through clenched teeth.
The ruins loomed ever closer, but to their left, the dragons, which were approaching at a right angle to their current path, were rapidly closing the distance. They were now so close, in fact, that Rebecca could see dark green saliva dripping from their gaping maws. Their bloodred scales reflecting the hazy sunlight created a sort of glow that seemed to emanate from them. Massive wings that spanned nearly thirty feet propelled their slim, muscular bodies, which were, from head to tail, almost as long as the wings. Like Kyen'tir, each of their wings ended in deformed clawed hands. Unlike Rebecca's alien companion, however, these looked capable of ripping through even the thickest of hides with ease. Their heads, which Rebecca could now see resembled that of a Pteranadon, were crested with numerous horns and spikes that protruded at various abnormal angles.
"Fire!" Sikaris shouted. The front and rear guns on the left side erupted with fire; the percussive sounds were so deafening that Rebecca had to fight the urge to momentarily let go of the handholds and cover her ears. Druen, the dinosaur alien riding outside on the back of the vehicle, added to the chaos by unloading its heavy cannon several times. Some of the projectiles hit their marks on the approaching beasts but served only to enrage them.
A sudden loud hissing sound like that of boiling water could barely be heard over the roar of the gunfire. "Incoming!" Kyen'tir squawked in warning.
Out the left window, Rebecca watched helplessly as a stream of dark green liquid hurled straight toward them. Then just as the jet of deadly acid was about to strike the window, the outline of a ruined building moved rapidly past their vehicle, blocking her view.
"That was close!" breathed Prin, but a sudden scream from their long-range intercom immediately stole any relief it may have felt.
"We lost our rear left gun!" a voice said in panic.
The dragon creatures, having now closed the distance, began circling the vehicles as they sped down the ruined streets. Bracing herself, Rebecca aimed at the airborne beasts and squeezed the trigger of her weapon. The jolt was terrible, and although her ears had begun to adjust to the volume of the others' weapons, the intensity of the sound, nevertheless, caused her ears to ring painfully. After several wild shots, she became accustomed to the feel of the weapon, and her accuracy improved markedly, yet due to the speed of the creatures, she soon became frustrated at her lack of success in hitting her targets.
"What are they waiting for?" Rebecca asked, momentarily ceasing fire. "Why don't they just attack and get it over with?"
Prin, concentrating on firing its weapon, took several moments to respond. "It takes them some time to make enough acid for another attack."
A sudden question from Rysth-nuul crackled through the translator, cutting off any further explanation Prin may have offered. "Tarrsk, have you found the map of this place yet?"
"Yes, it is here," cameTarrsk's reply through Rebecca's earpiece.
"Then what are you waiting for? Find me some place where we can lose these things."
Sikaris's sudden warning caused Rebecca to grab her weapon's grip with renewed fervor. "Incoming!"
In an attempt to avoid the deadly blast, Rysth-nuul jerked the vehicle hard to the left. The bulky transport, however, could not maneuver quickly enough, and the toxic liquid struck it with a loud splat. Prin gave out a startled cry and leapt off the gunner's bench just as the acid began to dissolve the controls with a voracious appetite.
Another sudden change of direction threw Prin off balance. Rolling quickly to its hands and feet, it made its way forward to the unoccupied bench in the front of the vehicle, its chest heaving from exertion and fear.
"Tarrsk, I need someplace to go now!" a frustra
ted Rysth-nuul bellowed.
Tarrsk's translated reply was heard a moment later. "Here. The last scouting report says that there is a mostly undamaged storage building just up ahead. We might be able to lose it in there. Take the next left—look out!"
One of the circling dragons had flown slightly ahead and, swooping down, used its lengthy tail to knock over a large corroded wall into the debris-filled street directly in their path. Rysth-nuul jerked the cumbersome transport to the right, narrowly avoiding the falling wall.
The sudden evasive maneuver, however, forced the vehicle down a side street in the exact opposite direction they were hoping to take. Rysth-nuul's curse came through Rebecca's earpiece untranslated. The side street was much more narrow than the main street, leaving the wide transports only a few feet of space on each side. Rebecca, her arms protesting from the abuse inflicted on them by the jolting of the gun, ceased fire, thankful that no more of the attackers were in her sights.
Perspiration and fear hung thick in the air. "They are herding us," Sikaris said softly, its voice still and calm in defiance of the seemingly hopeless situation. "Get us off this street," it said more loudly so that the small microphone on the translation device would pick it up. "Even if you have to go through a building to do it."
But at the same moment the translation finished, Sikaris's observation was proven correct. Perched atop an intact building several dozen yards ahead of them on the right side of the street was a fourth dragon, its massive lungs taking in air in preparation to spew forth its deadly poison.
"Another one? Where did this one come from?" the ape alien asked in aggravation.
Rebecca felt a scream rising in her parched throat, demanding release. But just as the beast was about to discharge the attack that was sure to disable their vehicle and leave them helpless, two missiles streaked out of the sky from the left and impacted into the creature's chest. Following in the wake of the missiles came one of the flyers, banking off to the left to circle around for another pass.
Logic's End Page 9