Nomad's Galaxy

by Craig Martelle

They had no experience with China. Fortunately, they were with Aaron and Yanmei.

  “Just stay close. Nod and bow politely. We’ll take care of getting us onto a boat,” Aaron said confidently.

  They continued into the city, making a beeline for the port.

  Aaron and Yanmei slowed until they stopped. The others closed in behind them.

  Aaron leaned down and whispered, “Weretigers. Not far.”

  They changed direction and walked casually past small shops and homes on the outskirts of the growing city. Aaron and Yanmei approached a larger building, nondescript from the outside. Spirited yells were coming from the inside, followed by a rhythmic pounding. They’d all heard the sounds before.

  The sound of a dojo during training.

  Aaron and Yanmei smiled and waved the others to follow.

  “Felicity has her ways, and I guess Aaron and Yanmei have theirs. Hopefully this isn’t a blood-sport contest. There can be only one!” Kim told Auburn and Nick Rixon, shaking her head.

  They followed the Weretigers in, where they removed their shoes and waited patiently at the edge of the training area. Aaron and Yanmei watched the three masters carefully.

  The group finished their set of high blocks and were put at rest. The three masters, all Weretigers, approached, studying Aaron and Yanmei with a critical eye. They conversed in Chinese before Aaron and Yanmei stepped onto the mat, signaling for the others to wait.

  Aaron stepped up first, facing off against one of the masters. They both assumed their preferred combat position and the bout started.

  Aaron was tall and lanky, but he was as quick as the master as the punches and blocks flew beyond the class’s ability to follow. They dodged kicks, rolled past each other, jumped up, struck, parried, and danced some more.

  They seemed evenly matched until Aaron was able to close with the shorter master. He wrapped the man up, lifted him off his feet, and slammed him into the mat. Aaron rolled away and assumed the standing, resting position. The master gathered himself, climbed to his feet, and bowed.

  Yanmei took the next bout. She assumed the praying mantis pose, moving gracefully, holding the master at bay. He circled patiently, trying a variety of attacks, each blocked as easily at the last. He left his feet in a power move and Yanmei seized the momentum, hitting him so hard in his exposed abdomen that he flew halfway across the training room before slamming into the wall. Yanmei relaxed into the resting pose and bowed deeply.

  Her expression remained neutral. Kimber risked a look at the students. They were awestruck, shocked at what had taken place before them. Their masters were invulnerable. Two strangers, fresh off the street, had dominated them.

  The third master bowed in place of his injured peer. The master dismissed the class and sent the students away.

  “Take your shoes off and join us, please,” Aaron told the other members of Tac Team Charlie. The three removed their footwear and climbed onto the mat, each bowing to the masters as they did so.

  They knew that they were in the delicate stage of negotiation and compromise.

  New York

  Butch and Skippy took deep breaths and listened to the sounds of the city. Timmons and Sue watched them.

  Timmons wanted to meet his namesake, see if he was from an earlier liaison or if the boy simply took his name. Timmons was good with either possibility as both were flattering to his perception of manliness.

  Samantha had secondary orders to keep her eye on the New York City Werewolves and call Terry if any of them lost sight of their mission.

  “I’d like to see our old house,” Butch said.

  “Me, too,” Skippy agreed, and they started walking.

  “What the hell’s wrong with you people?” Timmons blurted. “We’re here a grand total of forty-seven seconds and already you two idiots are off on a tangent. Was there too much lead in your baby bottles or something?”

  “Hey!” Butch replied, crossing her arms and tossing her head.

  “One month. That’s it. We find accommodations and then we head out to canvass the city,” Timmons declared, before softening. “I hear we can take the train now.”

  “We’ll need money and it so happens that we might have a bank account here that could serve our needs,” Skippy suggested.

  “Lead on,” Timmons said, waving them into the lead.

  Waal River

  The ship was little more than a tug pushing a number of flat-bottomed barges that had been built as a floating hotel and restaurant. It was nicer than they expected. They had thought they would be sleeping on the deck.

  The challenge the oversized tac team had was that even though there were seven of them, only two could sense others with the power to tap into the etheric. In Kae’s mind, the rest of them were there to provide security for the Werebears until such time as Weres or Forsaken were discovered.

  Then their mission would depend on the response they received.

  “What if we sail past a bunch of Were?”

  “I ask captain to stop and let us off, or we swim,” Gene replied.

  “We’re not jumping overboard and swimming ashore, Uncle Gene.” Kae shook his head. Ramses and Cory agreed with Kaeden.

  “I swim like polar bear. Him, too.” Gene stabbed a thumb toward his son.

  “I have no doubt,” Kae replied. “We can’t jump overboard because then we’d be trapped there. This is our ride.”

  Kae pointed to the deck and tapped one toe.

  “We can call pod. It is no problem.” Gene yawned, followed by a belch that made Bogdan laugh.

  Cory turned away. Her Uncle Gene could be rough around the edges, but she liked having him on her side. “How about we cross that bridge when we come to it? I suspect that the Were will be where it is convenient to travel, as in, this ship will stop at the ports where they will be found.” Cory looked around to make sure they were alone. “What I’ve learned over all these years, living near the good people of the Unknown World, is that they like their creature comforts.”

  Tyson Kurtz watched the interaction with fascination. He saw the arguments on both sides, but yielded to Cordelia. Gene seemed to be making it up as he went, but he wasn’t. He had too keen a mind for that. Tyson expected the Werebear was less concerned by small variations to a master plan.

  People didn’t give the great creature enough credit. Tyson saw through the gruff exterior to the man who loved his wife so deeply, he’d bring a sack lunch to the field, despite the grief the others gave him over it.

  Gene winked at Tyson. The lieutenant tipped his chin in reply.

  “What’s our next stop?” Ramses asked as he stood next to Cory looking over the rail.

  “No idea,” she replied. “Are all your deployments like this?”

  Ramses laughed. Cory had been on plenty of deployments before and they were almost never like that, cruising on a riverboat with a soft bed and a well-stocked restaurant. Tyson and Samantha appreciated the amenities and understood Cory’s comment about the Weres even better.

  If it had been up to Kurtz, he would have had them hiking the shoreline, going overland and being miserable doing it. That was what made people warriors!

  He chuckled to himself. He looked forward to crawling into his bed after a good meal. “You’re getting soft, Kurtz!” he exclaimed out of the blue. Samantha Matthews scowled at him and moved farther away.

  “You are soft like grub,” Gene said, then repeated it in Russian for his son. Bogdan laughed until he snorted and then started coughing.

  The entire group started to laugh. Kurtz was lean muscle. He didn’t have an extra ounce of body fat. Samantha didn’t either. Keeping up with the pack took every last bit of energy. They often burned muscle for energy as they’d tapped their reserves and gone beyond.

  After a month of Colonel Walton’s training, no one was sporting any extra weight, not even the Werebears.

  “We are at your beck and call,” Tyson said, bowing to Gene.

  “Go sleep. I call if we see wolf.
” Gene waved the others away as he leaned back in a deck chair. The poor chair creaked and groaned under his weight, but he gave it no quarter. He leaned back to stress it further, almost as if he wanted it to give way.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Japan

  Akio bowed deeply. “You are ready, Marcie-san.”

  She returned his bow. “I cannot thank you enough, Akio-sama, Yuko-sama, for the patience and understanding you have shown me. I shall not be afraid to use what I’ve learned.”

  “There is no reason to fear. It is nothing more than a different way to see. But remember, others with this ability can now see you. You’ve drawn power from the etheric. You are now a beacon in the fog.”

  “I understand.” Marcie held out her hand and Akio shook it firmly as they each showed their strength. She capitulated first. She was no match for the Vampire.

  She shook hands with Yuko as well, and flexed hard, but Yuko was just like Akio. Her grip was firm with vampiric strength.

  Marcie walked toward the pod and stopped when she heard the faintest of footsteps. She turned. Akio and Yuko were behind her.

  “There was a time not long ago where you would not have heard us,” Akio said softly.

  Marcie smiled and climbed the ramp into the pod. “Where are we headed, Akio-sama?”

  Akio looked at her without smiling. He manipulated the touchscreen to activate the pod’s comm system.

  “Terry-san. Marcie-san has completed her training. Where would you like us to take her?”

  “Her team is traveling the Rhine River looking for Were settlements. It would be best if she joined them. If you call Kaeden, you can zero in on his signal,” Terry yelled through the background noise.

  “Are you okay?” Akio asked.

  “Big storm on the lake. The boat is doing well, but we’re fighting. Even with the nanocytes, you can still get seasick, as Sarah has discovered. Gotta go, Akio-sama.” The noise on the channel ended.

  “That didn’t sound good,” Marcie offered.

  Akio didn’t answer. He called Kaeden. Marcie’s husband answered quickly. “Akio-sama. Ohayo gozaimasu.” Good morning.

  “Ohayo gozaimasu, Kaeden-san. We are on our way so Marcie-san can join you. Leave your channel open and we will be there shortly.”

  Kaeden did as instructed. They could hear him briefing Gene in the background.

  Akio closed the ramp and the pod headed skyward, accelerating at fantastic speeds toward the north, where it would pass over the pole on its way to link up Tac Team Alpha with their leader.

  Lake Michigan

  SNAP! The main mast groaned under the stress after the sail was nearly torn from it. Terry and Char were struggling to bring it down. The gears had shredded, making the hand-cranks useless. The sail was caught half way down.

  The wind was merciless. The waves buffeted their small boat, a thirty-footer getting tossed about like a child’s toy. Shonna and Merrit hung on to the ship’s wheel as they tried to maintain a steady course toward the trailing edge of the storm.

  The boom started to swing wildly as the wind shifted. Terry grabbed it, but couldn’t keep it from slamming into Char. Terry grabbed her ankle as she was launched high over the rail. They flew into a great wave as it rolled by, tossing the boat sideways before it popped upright again.

  “Grandma!” Sarah yelled before running two steps on the shifting deck and diving overboard.

  Shonna and Merrit were powerless to turn the sailboat. Bringing it across the wind with the sail trapped halfway down would swamp the boat.

  Sarah swam hard as Terry and Char spluttered to the surface. They grabbed their granddaughter and held on as they bobbed through the peaks and troughs of the raging lake. They watched helplessly as the boat held course. Shonna and Merrit were yelling something, but it was lost in the relentless howling of an angry wind.

  The Rhine

  The river cruiser pulled in to the dock specifically built to support the barge-style vessel on which Tac Teams Alpha and Bravo traveled.

  Kae saw her first. Marcie, looking no different from before. They smiled at each other as lovers do. Kae was first down the gangplank, walking steadily, exercising the self-discipline of a warrior. Marcie waited for him. She carried a backpack and that was it. She appeared to be unarmed, since she hadn’t taken her rifle to Japan.

  She didn’t care about the rifle. She was armed with weapons they couldn’t see, both physical and virtual.

  Kaeden rushed the last step and the two came together, hugging and kissing, holding each other, oblivious to everything around them, counting on the teams to watch their backs.

  “You have been gone only two months!” Gene bellowed across the dock.

  Kae and Marcie laughed quietly, letting go while keeping an arm wrapped around each other’s waist. They turned to face the rest of their comrades.

  Cory’s eyes glowed blue as she walked through the small crowd on the dock. She smiled as she passed. The people stopped and looked at the striking woman, unsure whether they’d seen properly. The older folks assumed it was a new fad of the younger generation. They quickly went back about their business.

  “Hey, big sister,” Cory said in greeting. They’d been raised closely enough that the sisters-in-law had always treated each other as siblings.

  Gene and Bogdan stopped on the way to help two men struggling with a heavy load. The Werebears picked it up with ease, pointed to an entire stack of crates, and proceeded to carry the load on board, setting it on the deck by the galley.

  The foodstuffs for the next leg of the journey. Gene and Bogdan made two more trips to load food onto the boat while the others watched. The grateful men thanked the large passengers profusely for their help before disappearing into the gathering crowd, the next load of passengers.

  Marcie waited for the Werebears to join them before talking about what she’d seen.

  “There’s a small group of Werewolves here. I think we should sniff them out before we board. We have a couple hours, I think,” Marcie said in hushed tones as the group leaned their heads close together. She closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and reached into the etheric dimension. She found them quickly. They weren’t far.

  “This way,” she said as she opened her eyes and tipped her head toward the exit. The group followed her out.

  Shanghai

  After spending a week at the dojo, which the Chinese called wu kwan, Kimber and Auburn had learned a great deal, advancing in their martial arts as the Weretigers had befriended the three masters.

  Nick Rixon learned how much pain he could withstand. After a week of pummelings, he could barely remain upright. He wheezed with each breath, which made him suspect he had at least one broken rib, maybe more.

  Maybe all of them. He couldn’t stand toe to toe with any of the enhanced. They’d hit him three times before he could react to the first strike. In between bouts, he was able to work with their latest Japanese electronics. Trade between Tokyo and Shangai was robust.

  When Tac Team Charlie left the wu kwan, they carried with them a great stack of coin money, a gift from the masters. With it, they’d be able to buy passage on the Yangtze.

  The group walked inland, away from the ocean harbor, to where the riverboats were. Even though the river fed the harbor, it was best to not mix the two types of shipping. Riverboats would quickly get swamped in the tidal waves of the big ships.

  Aaron and Yanmei weren’t in a hurry. They’d learned from the masters that there were enclaves of Weretigers throughout China. Most were benign, minding their own business as the masters were doing. A few had banded together to form a new clan, the Qin Clan, named after Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China who had nine thousand terracotta warriors produced to stand guard over his tomb and protect him in the afterlife from his conquered enemies.

  The masters didn’t know where the Qin Clan was headquartered. They had only heard rumors of their existence, but evidence of the destruction left behind after a Qin attack pointed to We
retigers who had no respect for humanity.

  One attack had happened in Wuhan and that was where they were headed. On their way, they’d enjoy the scenic Chinese countryside.

  And all the amenities they rated with the purchase of first-class tickets.

  All Nick wanted was a bed to lay in. A soft bed.

  The Rhine

  A small pub in the town of Emmerich, old Germany, where the Waal became the Rhine. Dank. Dark. Full of muskiness. Where dark beer flowed from casks behind the bar.

  “Dad is missing out,” Kae said when they walked in. Marcie wasn’t listening. Her eyes were drawn to three burly forms sitting in a shadowed corner. Gene and Bogdan followed her as she wound her way between the tables. The Werebears bumped people and furniture from their path. The other members of the tac team remained near the doorway.

  Kae, Ramses, and Cory had seen human minions throw themselves in the path of danger when ordered by their Forsaken masters. These were Werewolves and the tac teams didn’t know if they were masters of this domain.

  Marcie strolled up and stopped, stayed out of arm’s reach of the booth, and stood on the balls of her feet, her arms tensed and slightly forward. She expected a fight.

  Gene and Bogdan moved in behind her, blocking her, giving her little space in which to work. Without taking her eyes from the three toughs, she saw the corner and the space above, where she could go and where she couldn’t.

  The Werewolves growled at the Werebears, showing their straight white teeth. They were larger than Char or other members of her pack. Marcie didn’t care. She wasn’t intimidated by size.

  The one closest to her gauged the distance and leaned slightly. She almost rolled her eyes. He lashed out a hairy mitt as he tried to grab her arm. She blocked the clumsy but insanely fast attempt and followed through with a right cross that hit him in the side of the head.

  The Werewolf was thrown out of his seat, tipping the table and their beers on his fellows. He slid onto the floor. The remaining two Werewolves stood to look down at Marcie.