by Rob Howell
Suddenly the channel hissed.
“Qarsh!”
“Kal’shin,” yelled Mar’shin Allzhen. “We’re getting jammed. All our electronics! Comms and sensors.”
“Fix it, or the Slyest Prey will forget you,” snarled Tahnerif.
The tech didn’t answer, he was so focused on his screen.
“Aku……nerif, c…”
“Akuwin, this Tahnerif.”
“…ships…ester…att…”
“What? Repeat.”
The importance of Akuwin’s message became clear as two dropships roared over the hills separating the base from Jeriasker. Massive concussions knocked Tahnerif to the ground. A crack developed along one of the building’s walls. Limestone dust filled the air, and the windows shattered. Allzhen had been close to a window. The glass shredded him and sliced into his techs.
Tahnerif rose.
Two more dropships roared over. The different pitch of their engines suggested they were Zuul.
“Kal’shin, this is Mar’shin Biranthiss. The Foresters are charging from the docks! They just destroyed the quad MACs!”
“Can you hold?”
“I don—” Rippling 12.7mm fire and the sharp crack of impacting HEAT rounds answered Tahnerif’s question.
He realized he was bleeding from a glass shard in his paw.
His blood dripped on the floor.
Like when we visited Streetho. Where is my honor now?
“Do we have comms yet?” he yelled to a living comm tech.
A pause, then the tech leaned back with pride. “Yes, sir!”
Tahnerif glanced at the blood at his feet. Then, shoulders hunched, he opened a clear channel. “Attention, Colonel Edmonds or whoever currently commands the Queen Elizabeth’s Own Foresters.”
“Edmonds here, who is this?”
“Kal’shin Tahnerif of the Stalkers in the Stars.”
“Go ahead.”
“We request…” Tahnerif coughed. “We request cessation of hostilities.”
“For what purpose?”
“So the Stalkers in the Stars, whose roll of honor stretches far earlier than the inclusion of Humans in the Galactic Union may surrender that honor to you under the rules of the Mercenary Guild.” He paused to watch another drop of blood fall. “My foe, I lay down my knife.”
“Agreed.”
Tahnerif looked at the sensor techs, whose mouths all were open.
“Attention my kin. You have fought with honor, but to my shame, I have failed you.” He paused. “The fight is over. I have laid down my knife to Edmonds, and we must now accept the path the Great Hunter has laid before us.”
* * * * *
Epilogue
The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship
—Casablanca
Chapter 60 – Rick Blaine
Maquon Base
Tlanit walked into the room. To the Humans, his height and long, prehensile tail might have seemed comical, but the look in his eyes dismissed that impression.
One of Tahnerif’s subordinates muttered something, clearly irritated by the Peacemaker’s manner. The kal’shin snapped something back, and the rei’shin shut up.
The Peacemaker flicked his tail at the Zuul commander.
“You aren’t popular among my hunters,” said Tahnerif.
“Nor among my troopers,” agreed Edmonds.
“Then I have succeeded.” The Cochkala flicked his tail again.
“I can understand that.” The colonel looked around the table. Sheridan and Christopher had joined him. Tahnerif and his three rei’shin faced him. Tlanit sat at one end, and I at the other.
“Not that I have many troopers left. Altogether, we took around forty percent casualties.” Edmonds’ eyes glowed with pride and grief. “It’s amazing. Most Human units break when casualties are one in four.”
Tahnerif considered the Human. “We, too, lost many, around six in ten. Our troops don’t ‘break,’ though.”
“No Kal’shin, they do not. I wish they would. Many of mine would still be alive.” Edmonds grimaced, then continued, “Where do we go from here? We know Kukuluki has maneuvered against all of us. We destroyed seven of his ships and however many Zuparti were on them, but he’s the one we want.”
“As do we,” growled Tahnerif.
“No chance he was on one of those ships?”
“Chance? I suppose, but his personal ship is the Zukalakk and your records show she gated out of the system without even trying to fight.” Tahnerif bared his fangs.
“A coward, now and forever.”
“I have contemplated issuing a StormWatch for him,” said Tlanit.
“A StormWatch?”
“It calls for all Peacemakers to bring him to me, should they find him. However, I decided to speak with you first. I don’t think he’ll be easy to find, and if I issue a StormWatch, he’ll be warned.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “However, I don’t believe Kukuluki acted alone.”
“Neither do I.” Edmonds shook his head. “A Type Two destroyed the Algonquin.”
“A Zuul Type Two corvette?” asked Tahnerif.
“Yes, it gated out after killing my ship.”
“I know of no Type Two corvette in the Maquon system. Our contract with the Zuparti specified we weren’t to use our own ships.”
“Come now. It escorted the Zuparti armed freighters that brought you to Maquon.”
“You must be mistaken.”
Edmonds leaned back with a puzzled frown. “Is there something in the Zuul honor code I’m missing? Something that would prevent you from discussing it?”
Tahnerif’s tongue lolled out. “There are undoubtedly many things in the Zuul honor code you’re missing.”
I leaned forward. “Before the ship left, I broke her security enough to uncover her name. It was the Starstrider, from Tahv, which is where you come from, right?”
The Zuul stared at me, mouths open in surprise.
“The Starstrider? Are you sure?” asked Tahnerif.
“Yes, do you know it?”
The Zuul exchanged looks. Then Tahnerif wrinkled his muzzle, hesitating for a long, angry moment. Finally he said, “Yes, I know that ship. She’s the ship of my littermate Tahzhent.”
“But he would not—” The biggest of Tahnerif’s rei’shin stopped. “He’s covered in honor.”
“How sure are you about the name?” asked the kal’shin.
“It’s what was in her registry. The registry could be altered, and I didn’t have enough time to do a full investigation, but it appeared to be legitimate. The Starstrider is a Type Two corvette, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, if it is a false lead, it was well planned. However, it wouldn’t be the only skillfully created false lead. There is also the video.”
Tahnerif shifted his eyes to Edmonds. “You have seen the video?”
“Yes, he has. I showed it to him. I also showed it to our techs. They found no editing, but my techs say it could’ve been created.”
“Ours said much the same.”
“I remember fighting Zuul on that contract.” The colonel shrugged. “It was eight years ago. We had better logistical support and more troops, and your employers represented a much smaller fraction of the Maquonese. Nevertheless, the Tahrietha Trackers fought hard.” He grimaced. “We have faced Zuul too many times lately, and we both have a long butcher’s bill. We’ll slay you in battle, but not afterward.”
“But the Trackers never made it home,” growled the big rei’shin. “What was their fate?”
“I don’t know. I do know that I’d cashier any commander in my employ who gave such an order,” snapped Edmonds. “If he managed to convince his troops to carry out that order, I’d send them all to the unit or race we massacred for sentencing. If that wasn’t practical, I’d line them up against a wall and shoot them myself.”
Tahnerif flicked his ears. “Many of our kin are gone, as well. We have both lost much.”
Tlanit leaned forward. “
I’ll bend my will to discovering the fate of the Trackers. There is much here that is still hidden, but we now know of the plot. We now know our enemies.”
“Which brings us back to Kukuluki and Tahzhent,” I said.
“And the Veetanho Streetho,” added Tahnerif.
“Interesting,” murmured Tlanit. “The Streetho I know of is related to Peepo.”
“It is the same one, Peacemaker.”
The Cochkala looked at me. “Peepo, again.”
“Yes,” I answered. I turned back to Tahnerif. “Why would Tahzhent conspire against you? I can understand the Zuparti and Veetanho. Conspiracies are their norm. But not the Zuul.”
“It can only be that he seeks my position as leader of Clan Tahverian.”
“How would he claim the position and what would make his claim legitimate?”
“He must face me on the field of honor, his kin and mine. He must convince the clan he’s more worthy than I.” Tahnerif bared his fangs. “And I have given him a great gift.”
One of his rei’shin leaned in. “Had you not surrendered, Tahzhent would face no risk at all for you would be dead, and he would be the obvious heir. However, my kal’shin, you have lived and by so doing you have laid the seeds of his doom. We’ll carry his shame to all of Tahv, not just Clan Tahverian.”
Tahnerif looked over. “Thank you, Akuwin.”
I drummed my fingers on the table. “That might explain the actions of the Type Two.”
“What do you mean?”
“When the Algonquin reached Maquon, a Type Two warned the Foresters something was amiss. What if your littermate warned them so they could land and do more damage to your Stalkers?”
“Tazhent is a skilled hunter. He’s capable of such cunning. Doing so would harm the goals of Kukuluki, but he wouldn’t consider that. The Zuparti isn’t honorable and doesn’t deserve such respect.”
“We finally have a theory that fits the facts,” said Edmonds. “It is the first one that makes sense.”
Tahnerif growled, “If it was Tahzhent, my guess is that he has returned to Tahv to prepare his claim to the title. I must return as swiftly as I can.”
“We have exchanged parole, Kal’shin. You and your soldiers are free to leave.”
“You’re generous. You don’t require reparations?”
Edmonds sighed. “This has cost me millions of Galactic credits and the lives of many troopers. However, it’s Kukuluki that I blame.”
“And Streetho,” I added. “She probably brought them together, and that suggests Peepo was involved as well.”
“We don’t trust the Veetanho,” growled Tahnerif.
“Nor do we.” Edmonds glanced at Tlanit.
The Cochkala waggled his tail. “As yet, there is nothing here for the Peacemakers. But I’m interested and will investigate.”
There was a long pause.
Finally, Tahnerif pulled out his knife. “Colonel Edmonds, I, Tahnerif, Kal’shin of Clan Tahverian, acknowledge a debt of honor.”
The rei’shin next to him bared her teeth, but said nothing.
Edmonds’ eyes opened wide. “I can only guess the power of that statement, Kal’shin, but we have fought honorably. I don’t require any scale-balancing. The fault is with those who hired you.”
“They bear much shame, yet I allowed myself to be manipulated.”
“Had I seen a video showing you executing my troopers, I’d’ve moved Heaven and Earth to deal with you. But the question remains, what do we do now?”
Tahnerif glanced at his rei’shin, then turned back. “It is I who acted rashly many months ago. It’ll take more months to heal our forces.”
“It is the same for us.”
“Then I suggest we focus our efforts on that. And perhaps the Peacemaker or Blaine can provide us with some answers.”
“You’re wise, Kal’shin. Agreed.” He looked around the table. “We might as well get started. Do we need to speak about anything else?”
After a moment, the Foresters and Stalkers rose and left.
Tlanit and I stared at each other.
I finally said, “I want to ask a bunch of questions which you won’t answer, but I must know who your mole in the Foresters is. I must also know what hold you have on them.”
“Why do you need to know?”
“I need to know if I can trust you. If Edmonds can trust you. The time may come that knowing this will alter our decisions. I still owe a debt of honor.”
Tlanit pondered this, idly turning the tip of his tail in a circle. “This, too, falls under my seal. You may not speak of it, even to Edmonds, unless I say otherwise. And most especially not to my nephew.”
“I cannot guarantee that. I won’t let someone die by my inaction.”
“That won’t be an issue.” He considered me for a moment. “I’ve actually had a number of people watching the Foresters. Some died in Houston. My contact within the regiment died here. He wasn’t well-liked, but that was by design. He was a corporal in the Foresters named Cox. I sent him here after the events at Cimaron 283133.” He flicked his tail. “My nephew hated him throughout training. Yet, he served the Peacemakers well for many years, and he died to save Kiial. The Peacemakers will remember him.”
I took a deep breath. “I think Kukuluki has moles too.”
Tlanit flicked his tail sharply. “Yes, there are others who have betrayed Edmonds.”
“The one I most fear is not here. He remains on Earth.”
Tlanit’s tail stopped for a beat, then continued. “You have seen the trail. Human words cannot describe how much I despise Kukuluki. To use a person’s birth-mother to force a being to betray one’s comrades is despicable.”
“Too bad that’s not a Peacemaker-worthy offense.”
“Too bad, indeed.”
“Will you tell Edmonds?”
“Eventually.” I shrugged. “He has enough on his plate at the moment, and if we can find Kukuluki before there’s a need…”
“You can allow the problem to go away.”
“Yes. He’s a decent man, whipsawed by a cruel galaxy.”
“I’m not supposed to allow sentiment to affect my decisions as a Peacemaker, but in this case, I too hope for the man.”
“And the memories of those dead troopers will haunt Captain Gregg for far longer than any punishment Edmonds deems worthy. However, I would very much like to bestow just punishments upon Kukuluki and the Veetanho.”
The Peacemaker flicked his tail. “I’ll bring them peace.”
“Eternal peace.”
“Yes.” Tlanit put a UAAC on the table. “I hoped you’d agree.”
“What’s that?”
“Slide it into your sweeper.”
I blinked but did as he asked.
Tlanit leaned back and flicked his tail. “You’re out of a job. Might as well become a deputy of the Peacemakers.”
I pulled the UAAC out and flicked its edge a few times.
Then, slowly, remembering the Latin, I said, “Stare Aut Cadere, Rhan’Tlanit’Tala. Stare Aut Cadere.”
* * * * *
Chapter 61 – Pvt. Rhan’Kiial’Tala
East Gate, Maquon Base
Maquon System
Kiial sat with his back against the motor pool and looked down the road that two days earlier had been a battleground.
Crews working overtime had removed most of the bodies, but nothing else. There had been no time to take out the trash.
Schmidt came up the road. She sat next to him. “How you doing, you bad motherfucker?”
He glanced at the remains of Ericson’s CASPer, stained crimson with the blood of a man born on the Red Planet. “Better than him.”
“Yeah.”
They were quiet for a moment.
“Sarge?”
“Yeah, troop?”
“I don’t think I’m…” Kiial paused
“You don’t think you’re what?”
“I just...” His tail twitched. “How do Humans do it?”
“Do what?”
Kiial waved his tail at Ericson’s CASPer and the blue, cratered wall with a pile of fur in front of it. “Deal with this. I guess that’s why you’re a merc race, and the Cochkala aren’t.”
“Oh, kid.” Schmidt sighed. “I guess…we just do the job, and sometimes the job does us.”
“But all this? That Zuul, the one on the wall, he saw me open fire. I saw his head explode.”
“Yeah, kid. I know.”
“I don’t belong here. I don’t know what my uncle was thinking.”
“You did the job, kid. You did it well. We’ll find things in the AAR that you could’ve done better. We’ll find that about me, too. We can all get better. But you did well.”
“But Ericson’s dead,” Kiial snapped with a bitter flick of his tail.
“Yeah.”
“I guess I killed his killer.”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Then why don’t I feel glad?”
“We all deal with this. Everyone from Edmonds on down.”
“But…” Kiial twisted his tail around him. “It’s not the same. It doesn’t seem the same. The others were joking and laughing when they got out of their CASPers. I…I had to go. To be somewhere else.”
“That’s the thing. We don’t all handle it the same way. Some gotta laugh. Some gotta drink. Some gotta fuck. But we all deal with it.”
“You?”
“Yeah, kid.”
“I don’t…Sarge, I mean…”
“You don’t see it, kid, and that’s because I hold it all in here.” She pointed at her head. “I’ve been doing this job for fifteen years or so. I’ve killed Zuul, Jivool, Oogar, and who knows what else. I’ve spilled red blood, blue blood, purple blood, and yellow blood. I know exactly how you feel.”
“Oh.” Kiial tightened his tail around him. “Does it get better?”
She didn’t say anything.
“Sarge?”
She sighed. “Sorta. It sorta gets better.”
“Sorta?”
“The memories sorta scab over. But there are times when the scab gets knocked off, and they bleed into your mind.” She held up a hand. “Before you ask, it could be anything. A smell. The color of the light. A taste. An odd word. Whatever. It scrapes the scab off, and all you’re left with is the memory of your buddy’s bits and pieces. Your targets are nothing but stains on walls on planets across the galaxy. You’ve seen the elephant, kid, and you can never not see it again.”