by Andy Kasch
“Felidors,” Alan said from behind them. “My dad calls those saber-tooth tigers. Says they went extinct on Earth thousands of years ago.”
No sooner had Alan said that then the bush next to them exploded with sound—much too loudly for a small animal. All ten of Kayla’s fingers dug themselves deep into Jumper’s right arm. The bush then emitted a spine-chilling growl and a blurry object sprang from it.
Jumper wrapped Kayla backward with his arm and pushed her to the ground, falling on top of her and knocking Alan down as a domino. Jumper rolled off her and reached for the hand laser on his belt—but it wasn’t there.
A felidor had ambushed them. Jumper’s quick reaction moved him and Kayla out of its path, but the big cat landed on Lakor5 and now had him pinned on the ground. Lakor5’s forearms were extended to the felidor’s thick neck. He was managing to hold the cat’s large fangs a few inches away from his throat. But the felidor was winning the struggle and Jumper could see Lakor5’s strength beginning to give way. Jumper turned behind him and yelled.
“I lost my weapon! Help!”
Kayla had crawled back behind a fallen tree and her head could be seen thrashing about behind it. Jumper heard her cursing in what sounded like a crying voice. Alan was trying to stand but might have been knocked senseless from the fall. Jumper crouched at his side and grabbed the rifle still strapped to his back, trying to pull it off his arm. But Alan rolled to that side, probably as an instinctive reaction. The rifle ended up beneath him.
Jumper looked behind him in desperation. Totlen6 was there, thank Erob, and had his rifle up. But wait—the butt end was wedged between two tree trunks behind him and the front was stuck in a hole in a tree in front of him. He was struggling to free it.
The great beast let loose with a ground-shaking growl. Jumper looked back to Lakor5. The cat was leaning ever-closer to its intended victim. Lakor5 then managed to roll slightly to his right, freed his left arm, brought it to the opposite side of the felidor’s neck, and pushed it sideways away from him to his left. The cat jumped off, but crouched and pounced right back on him. Lakor5 was back in the same position, even weaker now, trying to hold the cat’s jaws off his throat.
That’s when a laser fired from behind. The beam connected on the felidor behind its shoulder, causing the beast to howl horribly and jump off of Lakor5 again. It landed on the path in front of him, where it turned and crouched in a pouncing position. Jumper looked back down the trail.
Totlen6 was still struggling to free his wedged rifle. Lying on the ground beneath him was Mulb9. He had just set his hand laser on the ground and was extending his other arm forward, which held a long, thin device. He aimed the device and fired. A long red segment of light shot out of it and struck the felidor in the chest, resulting in another loud shriek from the cat. It changed positions again, but was still on its feet.
Quickly, Mulb9 stood and charged. The felidor saw him coming and crouched lower, preparing to spring with whatever strength it had left. But Mulb9 fired again first. This time, the red light could be seen sinking deep into its neck. The felidor dropped stiff.
Lakor5 managed to sit up and get his rifle positioned at his shoulder. Too late.
Jumper looked behind him again. Totlen6 cursed and slowly dislodged his rifle from the trees, a much easier task when not panicking. The driver was finally coming into view on the trail. He had a confused look on his face, obviously unaware of what was happening.
Alan stood up and surveyed the scene in front of him. He looked as confused as the driver. Kayla also reappeared from behind the big log. Her hair was a mess. She was holding her hand laser, but her hand was shaking a little.
Jumper moved forward on the trail, disgusted at the humans’ performance under pressure. Lakor5 stood and reached his hand out towards Jumper.
“Is this yours?”
Jumper looked at his hand. He was holding Jumper’s laser. It must have dropped when he pushed Kayla backwards.
“Thanks.” Jumper took it and fastened it back on his belt, hopefully more securely this time. Kayla came up by his side and started fixing her hair. Jumper stared at her.
“Rescue me, huh?”
Kayla shrugged and appeared to be recovering. “I probably should have told you. I’m afraid of animals.”
“Great.” Jumper shook his head and went over to inspect the dead felidor.
It was bigger than Jumper, with red fur and impressively muscular shoulders. Those fearsome fangs were about the size of the span of Jumper’s hand. Mulb9 came up and stood next to Jumper.
“That’s a dart gun, isn’t it?” Jumper asked Mulb9. “I’ve heard about those.”
“Yes.” Mul9 re-strapped it to his ankle and then produced a different device, a small silver metallic ball. As he held it, an antenna rose up. Jumper thought he detected a slight popping noise for a second, and then birds in nearby trees and bushes could be heard flying out of them and away in every direction. The antenna went back down and Mulb9 put the device away in one of the small pouches hooked to his belt.
“Someone should have told me there were large predators in this region,” he said.
Mulb9 then drew his hand weapon, bent down, grabbed one of the felidor’s fangs, and began shooting short, controlled beams into its mouth at the base of the tooth. A moment later, the tooth pulled free. He wiped the blood on the cat’s fur and stood up.
“Souvenir.”
Jumper saw Kayla walking backwards with a terrified look on her face, until she bumped into Totlen6. Jumper rolled his eyes and looked back at Lakor5.
He was back on the ground, sitting and resting his head on his knees. The driver was crouched next to him with a hand on one of his arms. Jumper hurried over and knelt at his other side.
“Lakor5, are you all right?”
Lakor5 lifted his head. “I think so. Just catching my breath. But I believe I’ll let you Earth kids have your own mountain adventures from now on.”
That’s when Jumper noticed the puncture wounds on both of Lakor5’s shoulders. Small trails of yellow Torian blood were running from either side. The felidor’s claws must have been sharp to puncture the thick leather Torian skin.
“Excuse me,” Mulb9 said as he nudged Jumper out of the way. He held another small device in one hand and positioned it over Lakor5’s left shoulder wound. A flash of light came from it and the wound stopped bleeding. He did the same to the other side, then peeled back one of Lakor5’s eyelids and looked into it.
“He’ll be fine,” Mulb9 said and stood back up.
They gave Lakor5 a few minutes to rest before continuing the expedition. When everyone was ready to start again, Totlen6 insisted that he and the driver lead from this point forward. Jumper’s objections were ignored.
“Stay behind us,” Totlen6 said, “and try to make yourselves useful if there’s any more trouble.”
Alan dropped his head and looked at the ground after that comment, but Kayla furled her brow. She looked upset and determined.
Jumper wasn’t sure how he felt, but it was clear Totlen6 had taken him off point position for the time being. Jumper reluctantly instructed him as to the path and stayed close behind him and the driver. Kayla and Alan were right behind Jumper. Mulb9 walked with Lakor5 in the rear, with a short gap between them.
Before they had gone much farther, Jumper noticed red streaks in the sky. Totlen6 must have seen them also, because he paused for a second and looked upward before resuming the climb.
Alan saw them too. “Are the mountain dwellers shooting at us above the treetops?” he asked.
“Erob no,” Jumper replied. “Those streaks are way too high. You sure your vision is okay? Those are so far up they may not even be in the atmosphere. Could even be meteors.”
Alan glanced back and forth between the sky and the trees a few times while blinking, then shrugged and resumed hiking.
As they continued to ascend, the landscape became less rocky. Thick patches of lush green vegetation grew on the forest
floor. Much of it was an edible plant with large web-like leaves, what the locals called sola but what Jumper’s dad referred to as ferns. Jumper stopped momentarily as he noticed many of the sola leaves had recently been picked. He knew they were getting close to population.
Jumper then jogged ahead to correct Totlen6 and the driver to the right path, as they were veering from it again. Totlen6 really should have let Jumper continue leading. But before he reached them, Totlen6 and the driver stopped cold and crouched. Jumper quickly drew his weapon and turned behind him. Kayla had her weapon out and her feet spread apart. Alan was already hunched down with his rifle leveled at his shoulder. Good. The humans were making a comeback. Lakor5 and Mulb9 were also crouching down in the rear, but didn’t have their weapons up yet.
Jumper turned to the front and saw the driver and Totlen6 slowly stepping forward with their weapons pointed. They stopped at an opening in the woods between two larger trees that had twelve or so feet of space between them. There they stood.
Jumper hurried over to join them, but slowed and carefully picked his steps the last bit of distance. When he got there, what he saw was perplexing.
Two native Amulites, both with fairly bright skin, were sleeping on either side of a polwar game. The frame was lit and there were pieces in the field, but not enough for a completed game. They must have fallen asleep while playing. Either that or they were dead. One of the players was hunched over in a sitting up position, and the other was slumped sideways on a tree stump.
Totlen6’s words about doing something useful echoed through Jumpers brain. He decided to pick up a stone and throw it at one of the players. It hit the one in the sitting-up position in the leg, which caused him to stir. That one, at least, was alive.
Totlen6 turned to scowl at Jumper when the stone hit, and raised his rifle closer to his eye. But then he looked back at Jumper and nodded towards the same player, motioning him to do it again. So, Jumper threw another rock, a little bigger one this time, a little harder. It hit him the torso, under his armpit. That did the trick. The player woke up.
He raised his head and looked about him. When he saw the weapons pointed at him, he glanced around rapidly in a panic. But then he noticed his sleeping opponent. He stopped moving, stopped looking about. The game field captured his attention and held it. He finally picked up a piece and placed it in the field. He then picked up the same rock that Jumper just hit him with and threw it at his opponent. It hit him it the head. His opponent came to life, but never noticed the armed party standing next to him. The first thing he saw was the game frame and he never looked away from it. He picked up a piece and studied it. As he did, the first player fell back asleep in the same position.
Jumper holstered his weapon, walked over to the now-awake player who was leaning against the tree stump, and waved his arms all around his peripheral field of vision. No reaction. He turned back to Totlen6 and pointed up the path.
“Let’s go. No threat here.”
Totlen6 must have surmised this as well, because his rifle was already swung around his back. The driver looked confused, but finally shrugged and turned back to the trail. The expedition continued.
But they moved slower now, and stayed closer together. This was the final stretch. The large clearing where Jumper and Alan inadvertently discovered the mountain dweller camp several days ago was close ahead. Before they reached it, they passed two additional smaller clearings with two more pairs of natives sleeping with a polwar game between them. The sleeping players were thinner than typical Amulites, possibly due to malnourishment. Those players they left undisturbed.
Then they came to the large clearing.
“This is it,” Jumper said to Totlen6 as they stepped out of the trees.
“No one’s here,” Totlen6 said.
But he spoke too soon. Two strong arms grabbed Jumper from behind and held him in place. He saw blurs moving on his left, and then the driver and Totlen6 were both quickly seized as well, by one native on each side of them.
Jumper turned to his right. Alan was also being held in place by a single native from behind.
He looked back into the trees at the pathway. Kayla, Lakor5, and Mulb9 were nowhere in sight.
Chapter Eight
Brandon stood by himself at the far end of the lounge and watched the surprising scene in front of him. Mip7 returned from the bar with a large tray full of Redflower-20 tubes and distributed them to all except the two Dirg shuttle pilots. When the tray was empty, Mip7 proposed a toast to celebrate the truce. Olut6, unfortunately, had been called away from the peace talks at the last minute on some kind of military emergency, so was not present.
Belle-ub was the first to swallow his drink. The Dirgs watched and waited for the Latians to take theirs first, but all eventually drank the Redflower-20, symbolically sealing the peace agreement.
Brandon had never known a Sheen to be an enthusiastic drinker before. Sheen approached alcohol with more of a medical reverence, from Brandon’s experience. These red Sheen, the “Belle order” as they called themselves, were distinctly different in some of their attitudes and practices. Brandon wanted to learn more about them, and hoped Belle-ub would leave the group to come over and talk with him privately.
As if he had read Brandon’s thoughts, Belle-ub excused himself from the gathering, returned his empty tube to the bar, and then came over to Brandon holding a full one.
“You wish to speak to me?” he asked.
“I’m impressed with your perceptiveness,” Brandon said.
“Aren’t all Sheen perceptive?”
“Yes, but in different ways, I find. I once had some Sheen friends who were truly prophetic in their perceptiveness. I’d like to ask you some questions, Belle-ub, if you don’t mind.”
“Certainly,” Belle-ub said. “But you were overlooked in the distribution of the drinks. As you were present during the talks, and can rightfully be credited as being instrumental, it is only proper you take part in the ceremony.” He handed Brandon the tube.
Brandon reached out to accept it without breaking eye contact. Belle-ub’s eyes remained calm and constant, never blinking, never changing that polite smile which was beginning to look like a political mask to Brandon.
Brandon took the drink from his hand. It wasn’t something he wanted to do, because he knew he would lose some of his focus—especially during the first few moments when every sense in his head would explode from the bitter bite, before fading to an overpowering euphoria. But he swallowed it anyway, knowing it was not something he could practically refuse. Belle-ub spoke as Brandon came under the temporary dominion of Redflower-20.
“Yes, your old friends Arkan9 and Nunon4. I remember them. Arkan9 was a respected teacher. Some do refer to him as a prophet, as his intuition was strong. But there are those of us who question the wisdom in his decision to abandon us in our time of greatest need. Could a true prophet leave his people in such a manner?”
Brandon choked as he tried to respond. “He …knew, he knew…”
“Yes, he correctly predicted what he and you both see as a regression of Amulen society. But Arkan9 and Nunon4 were citizens of Banor. Banorian society has only progressed since their migration. Banor is now the seat of nearly all advanced technological production in Tora. This is something my confederation seeks to rebalance. But why should your Sheen friends have left Banor? If Arkan9 is a genuine prophet, shouldn’t he have seen this, and remained?”
“Because he loved Amulen, and couldn’t bear to watch its demise.” Brandon was regaining his senses now. “Also, not all Banorian citizens agree that becoming a center of technology is a cultural advancement. There are those who miss the simpler days of old. Banor used to have a certain …charm that many feel has been sacrificed. And it wasn’t just the social changes the migrants wished to avoid. It was the forsaking of Erob law. Banor has not fallen as Amulen because we kept the game from infiltrating our society and destroying it. Even so, our citizens move farther and farther from being
a law-abiding culture, especially in their hearts. This is the condition which drove the migrants out, and Arkan9 has been proven clear in his vision of it.”
“The Earthlings also refer to you as a prophet,” Belle-ub said.
Brandon shook his head. “I’m not.”
“Of course not. You have no Erob blood.”
“Are you a prophet?” Brandon asked.
Belle-ub smiled again. “Which of us knows his true capacity? I am still evolving into whatever I will become, as are we all. My intent is to serve. My people need a leader. They require one with special abilities during this tumultuous period. I seem to possess at least some of the qualities they are seeking. They label me a prophet, as your people label you. I do not object to this, because what the citizens think they need is someone they can label a prophet. I wish to help, so I accept the label and try to serve to the best of my ability.”
“Is it acceptable behavior for a prophet to lie?” Brandon asked.
“What do you mean?” Belle-ub’s eyes narrowed. Behind him, Brandon could see Mip7 standing between the Dirgs and Latians. The Latians were bowing, preparing to depart. Brandon knew he didn’t have much time so he hurried his speech.
“Your solution to the impasse during the peace talks was resourceful, and appears to have worked. I was shocked that you claimed responsibility for this unknown light weapon above Milura. The governor and High General obviously were as well. But I was flabbergasted when it actually paved the way for a successful conclusion to the talks. My intuition tells me there was no truth in what you claimed, and I also doubt your ability to make good on your promise.”
“It is not I who must make good on my promise,” Belle-ub said, “but all the races partaking in the tournament—the winning race excepted. I will do everything in my power to ensure the prize is dutifully awarded. Ultimately, I will not be at fault for a breach of agreement. Do you not see the wisdom behind this tournament? With so many races in attendance, those who must provide the prize will not dare fail to honor the terms, as they would be dishonoring themselves in the presence of half the known galaxy.”