The war chief looked at him, his expression grim. “Even should we win Rekka, there is no guarantee that this will make the Tsuna obey us for all time. There would also be this Angula threat to deal with.” He wrenched his arm from the younger Sauren’s grasp. “We are not what we once were. Our advancements have made us believe that we deserve to be known as the greatest among the stars. But we are but a hundred million and lose proud hunters every day. We should keep our traditions up without succumbing to the instincts of our prey.”
He sighed and fixed his gaze on the Tsuna. “Kolp said we should all be united under one tribe, the strongest, and it reminded me of one of our legends that said we should do the opposite—about how the tribes started in the first place.” He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes.
“Many, many cycles ago, when the tribes weren’t yet born, the Sauren roamed only across the land. We were all hunters, the apex of Saura, but that was all we saw ourselves as. One day, a monstrous Sauren, said to stand as tall as the trees, declared himself the alpha. Anyone who fought against his will was slain by his claws. He ruled for many cycles like this, demanded tribute, and feasted on the weaker Sauren. Then, several other Sauren, great warriors themselves, came together. They were not only warriors, though, and all practiced different disciplines. Their thought was that if they came together—each unique in their own right—they could accomplish what most saw as the new rule.”
Raza nodded. “I’ve heard this old tale. They slew this alpha Sauren, and others became their disciples—the first tribes. The Tul’Zera are among them, supposedly begun by two of those warriors, a female tactician and a male champion.”
The war chief nodded. “Many grew from then on, each with their own culture and practices. At least until the wars, where those cherished differences became something to mock or dismiss.” Tiox sighed. “I see these Tsuna as a tribe of their own. They call them clans, but they live by similar paths. I would rather die than see another tribal war take place.” He clicked his claws together, his face resolute. “So I will. I will let their leader claim me and request that there will be no war among us when I pass my title to Seeb.”
The younger Sauren’s jaw was so rigid, it felt like he would snap his teeth. “This plan is madness. Do you think that will stop a potential war? Especially if you let their leader kill you. Where is your honor?”
“Lost when I killed dozens of my brethren,” Tiox snapped in response. “Seeb will make sure my will is done. The other war chiefs will agree. If they hold their titles dear, they will uphold the traditions.”
“He is not even of your tribe,” Raza challenged.
“The war chiefs watch over all the Sauren. They were established after the wars so that there would be those who had the interest of the race at heart. We are the chiefs who rose from war.” Tiox pressed a claw against Raza’s chest to make his point. “Our tribes may be our family, but we need to remember that what we are—all of us—is fueled by the best of us. Seeb may not be of my tribe, but I know that he will watch over you and make sure this comes to pass.”
“You would die for those things?” Raza asked and gestured impatiently at the warriors below. “For a race of beings we didn’t even know existed half a cycle ago? If I knew I would be responsible for the death of a war chief, I would never have reported this finding.”
“Is that so?” Tiox questioned harshly. “That wouldn’t have been very honorable of you.”
Raza snapped his teeth and looked away. “Have you told the others as well?”
“Almost everyone else I handpicked explicitly for this reason.” The war chief placed his hands upon the railing. “I haven’t told Jok’sa or Kolp. I doubt they would agree or that they would allow it to happen. Honestly, I didn’t want them to come, but their tribal leaders and another war chief requested them, and I had to make sure that nothing was suspicious. It will be too late for them to do anything come tomorrow.”
“And the Tsuna leader? He agreed to this?” Raza growled his frustration. “To take the life of one so selfishly when he has been given the chance to fight for his people?”
“It’s not so one-sided, Ran’ama,” Seeb explained in an effort to calm him. “The leader agreed to the plan but offered himself in exchange. He will go to Saura to face the war chiefs’ judgment.”
“If this was done at Tiox’s behest, he will face no recourse. What good is that?”
In an unexpected motion, the older Sauren snatched Raza’s throat and caught both him and Seeb by surprise. Tiox hauled him in close and looked him squarely in the eye. “As I said, to keep our people from falling even lower. We are hunters, not conquerors.”
Raza grabbed his leader’s arm and managed to push himself free from the vice-like grasp. “Why tell me any of this?” he demanded and felt his throat for injury. “Because I was another you were simply forced to bring? Did you want to see if I would be a problem in your plan?”
“There was that possibility.” Tiox nodded. “But I also knew you would take it the hardest. As you said, you were one of those who discovered this planet. You would feel responsible for the events that happened, even if they were above your rank and far out of your control.”
Raza fell silent and exhaled a long, ragged breath. “When will this happen?”
“Tomorrow. At the start of the ceremony, I will declare my intention and it will commence.” Tiox spoke calmly and with great resolution.
Raza looked at the warriors again, who had begun to depart. “Do you truly think this is worth it?”
“You may not be a youngling, but you are still young, Ran’ama,” the war chief replied. “I am but one life, and this will save millions and leave the Sauren to grow. We didn’t even know that the Tsuna existed, but what of other life? Should we fight them all?”
“We should—” Raza turned and studied the weary face of the old hunter, the sorrowful but resolute visage, and caught a glimpse of the memories in his mind. He hadn’t been there to experience them, but he could almost read them upon his leader’s face. “We are Sauren and we prove ourselves in combat. Even the creationists of the Tul’Zera believe they are battling in the field of the mind.”
“Combat is made up of battle, passion, honor, and sacrifice,” Seeb pointed out.
“And I am sacrificing for our future,” Tiox finished. “You will see that one day, but I have only one request of you.”
“What is it you require, War Chief?” Raza asked and bowed to the elder.
“Learn from this that our place as Sauren is something that is to be proved time and again so that no one will ever question it.” Tiox bared his fangs in a grin. “If nothing else, it will make our potential allies hold us in high regard and maybe make a statue in our honor one day.”
Raza, despite his brooding, laughed. “I will certainly make sure it gets done. This, I can promise.”
The event arrived. Raza watched from the stands with trepidation as Tiox walked forward into the center of the ring. He kept his gaze focused on the Tsuna to make sure that nothing and no one would stop this.
“Tsuna!” Tiox called out in ringing tones. “I, as war chief of my people, will declare that this Rekka is no more. It will not proceed.” This caused surprised gasps and confused murmurs in the crowd.
“I believe that your people and my people have much to learn. We are both surprised by new intelligent races amongst the stars and beginning this new relationship with needless slaughter is unnecessary.” He drew a deep breath and focused on the Tsuna warrior leader. “My people are mired in old ways. Traditions are held dear by us, but as they should be respected, so must the change of time be too. We are proud hunters and have lived life by codes and honor, and I shall make sure that nothing befalls your people. With my dying words, I shall say that the Sauren will not hunt on your planet and ask that you be open to my people after these wounds have healed.”
The Tsuna leader stepped forward. “I have discussed much with this Sauren war chief. I did not wish to k
eep you in the dark.” He looked back at his warriors and bowed his head. “But this was a delicate situation and this plan pains me.” He drew a blade. Raza noted immediately that it was of Sauren design and even their scales couldn’t withstand it. “This champion will give his life to assure our peace. Remember him for this. I will also lay my life down in the name of peace and offer myself to the Sauren after this task.”
This caused some frantic yells and shouts from both races. Raza was unmoved, but he wouldn’t look away. He would learn this lesson, one of giving yourself up for something greater, of knowing when to follow traditions and when to rebuke them for worthy goals.
The leader looked at the war chief, who nodded. “I declare Seeb Boka A’zul of the Tul’Zera tribe as my successor.”
“You will do no such thing,” a voiced roared and was followed by a loud blast. The Tsuna leader toppled with a hole in his chest. Raza rushed down from the balcony as the Tsuna cried out in shock. Jok’sa walked onto the field with his hand cannon pointed at the war chief as the Tsuna warriors ran over, some to the body of the leader and others around Tiox.
“Jok’sa? I left Ozil and Es’pic to guard you,” the war chief shouted as he moved to draw his razor disk.
“And you will join them now,” Jok’sa yelled in response and fired a single shot into the war chiefs’ heart. Raza stopped in shock. Tsuna raced past him as Tiox’s blood sprayed in a pulsing arc before he collapsed. “By right of Rekka, by having felled a war chief, I will be named his successor.”
Seeb attacked from above. He barreled into the killer and clawed at his arms to knock his gun away. “You scum. What have you done?”
“I wouldn’t let a coward control me,” he bellowed furiously and dug a claw into his assailant’s eye. Seeb reared back in pain and the assassin followed through with a headbutt to drive him off before he snatched up his hand cannon. “Like you have.” He fired and Seeb whipped his tail at the shot, exploded it, and hurled them both away, his tail and most of his back split by the blast.
Raza flung himself from the stands and onto the traitor. Jok’sa tried to fire at him but he forced his arm up so the blast rocketed into the roof and shattered the ceiling. The Tsuna warriors fled. As the younger Sauren bit down on his adversary’s neck and sunk his claws into his chest, Jok’sa roared in pain. The ceiling fell, and he dug in deeper before he spun and careened the other Sauren into the falling debris. He landed hard and before he could recover, a large section of the ceiling collapsed on top of him.
The still somewhat dazed young warrior hastened to the corpse of the Tsuna leader, retrieved his blade, and approached the debris. Jok’sa struggled to free himself and Raza held the blade aloft. The assassin hissed and cursed him, telling him he was as much a coward as the others had been. Without a word, he arced the blade down into his skull. Jok’sa’s eyes went white. Raza yanked the blade out and with one mighty swing, sliced the traitor’s head off.
He spiked the blade into the decapitated head and ran over to Seeb. “Are you all right?”
“The war chief?” Seeb asked and winced from the pain. “Is he—”
Raza glanced at their leader and shook his head. The shot was through the heart and there was no visible regeneration. “He’s gone, I’m sorry. If there is nothing else, he accomplished what he wanted to do. You are now war chief and must bring his plans to fruition.”
Seeb grimaced as the young warrior helped him up. The Tsuna circled around them and Raza eyed them warily. Would they strike? Their leader had said he would give his life, and even without that, they couldn’t think this was a ruse when their war chief was dead and they had killed Jok’sa.
One of them moved forward, his weapon at the ready. “Will your plan succeed?”
Raza looked at Seeb in surprise. “Our new war chief lives. Once he is recovered, he will make our last war chief’s words law. We vow this.”
The warrior looked at the others. “Where are the other Sauren? Are they also traitors?”
“Ozil and Es’pic may be dead, from what Jok’sa said,” Seeb muttered and managed to stand without support. “But the others should be here soon after all the ruckus.”
“Seeb!” They turned at a shout and a group of Sauren raced toward them. The Tsuna warriors readied for an attack, but the one in front had them stand down. Raza nodded in thanks. As Seeb explained to them what had happened, Raza noted a wrathful glare in Kolp’s eye. The older Sauren walked to Tiox’s body and yanked the blade from Jok’sa’s head on the way. He placed it on the former war chief’s chest, then crossed his arms over it. He would make sure he had a hunter’s funeral and one day, he would be sure that sacrifice was taught to be as important as honor and battle.
Chapter Four
Raza withdrew to his quarters after talking with the delegates. The trip to the embassy wouldn’t take too long once they reached the warp gate, but he already felt restless. On hunts, he could occupy himself with tactics and checking his gear, but during these delegation missions, he couldn’t even plan. Half the time, he didn’t know what they wanted, and the other half was usually wasted by someone asking for a report.
They were paranoid, those humans. In the cycles since the Rekka, the Sauren and Tsuna had moved from an uneasy truce to allies. The Sauren received a lot of work from their scientists to explore the universe and bring back samples, and many stayed to help them against the Angula threat.
In that time, Raza made the rank of Ken-ra and was a leader of his own pack. Their first mission was to find a rare creature, a borroth, a vicious titan with an outer shell that was almost indestructible and a ram on its head that could crush even a Sauren.
When they arrived, they saw their quarry carried away by a ship. They contacted other tribes to see who else was on-world, but no one claimed responsibility. When they contacted the Tsuna, they explained that they had no scientists or warriors in that sector but asked them to describe the ship. After the explanation, they were informed that they had seen a human vessel.
That was first contact with them, even if it was merely a fleeting glance and one-sided. Raza wondered if it was a sense of fate that led him to be one of the first to see two new races. Whatever it might be, he was glad he didn’t have to be the first one to see the Mirus, the only race that generally concerned him. He found it both amusing and upsetting that the humans seemed to trust them more than the Sauren.
He thought back to their first battle. While waiting to assume his responsibilities as a newly appointed war chief, he’d elected to make one final run with his pack, who were instructed to pursue the humans and retrieve the quarry. At first, they went in simply for recon, but they had discovered that they held the borroth at a station, not their planet. The location was well armed, but they were able to sneak aboard and discover where the creature was secured.
One of the defense droid devices discovered them, and a battle ensued. They fought for at least two days, during which Raza attempted to make it a priority to simply retrieve the borroth and leave. The humans attacked first, but their fear was understandable. At that time, they had just met the Tsuna and now, they confronted the Sauren. He recalled when he first met the aliens. They had been shocked to realize how vast the universe was. To meet another race on board a private vessel trying to steal something of theirs without introduction was probably more than they could handle.
Raza hadn’t thought that way at the time. He held no interest in the humans in the beginning. They seemed a soft race, like the Tsuna. Their technology was refined but seemed needlessly complex. Perhaps if he had taken Tiox’s words to heart he would have tried diplomacy first, but his hunter’s blood boiled too hot, and he couldn’t show weakness as a new pack leader. Unlike the Tsuna, there was no bargaining and no attempt at diplomacy at first, merely battle. But he would have his opportunity after a time. They battled for five earth days. For three of them, he was alone in a fight against the first human he would eventually call a friend.
“Are the sharpshoot
ers ready?” an ensign asked.
“Most of them were wiped out in sector D,” a recruit responded. “The ones that are still kicking are in position, but there aren’t great spots. We’ll have to lead these monsters into the clear area.”
“You make it sound so easy,” another recruit muttered as he took out his empty magazine and reloaded. “Did they get through the doors yet?”
“Two of them, and they’re about to take down a third,” a security guard said. “After that, the one in front of us is the only one between us and them.”
“How many of us are left?” the ensign questioned and looked around.
“There are forty-eight of us here, between navy, marines, and security. Back-up is on the way, sir,” a petty officer responded.
“Who’s the backup?” Before anyone could answer, the doors literally erupted. Six armored Sauren stood in the entrance and growled as they held their weapons at the ready.
“They’re here,” a recruit shouted unnecessarily.
“Fire! Get them into the clear area,” the ensign ordered as he brought his machine gun up and fired.
Raza roared at the defenders and the mask of his helmet did little to muffle the bloodthirsty cry. He pointed a claw to direct his pack at the troop, and all roared as they attacked the humans. The lasers of the men’s guns did little to his shields and their kinetic rounds dented his armor but did nothing to his skin. He drew his hunter’s lance and crouched.
“The leader,” one of the recruits warned before his head erupted from a blaster shot.
“Here he comes,” another yelled. The guards and military men backed away as the assault continued but they fanned out so the Sauren couldn’t sweep them all together. Ken’ra took an explosive bola from his belt. He cast it toward one of the soldiers in heavy armor and it whipped around his chest and ensnared him. When the ends connected, it erupted, knocked some of the other soldiers down, and blew the soldier to bits.
Animus Boxed Set 2 (Books 5-8): Revenant, Glitch, Master, Infiltration Page 42