“Can we stop talking about this now?” Miranda asked.
“Sure,” Anna relented, rubbing at her backside, “as long as you promise to never throw me like that again.”
“I promise,” Miranda told her. “No more throwing.”
Anna was shaking her head. “I knew your dad taught you a bunch of stuff, but that was really awesome, even if it did hurt like heck. Do you think you could teach me?”
“We just agreed no more throwing!” Miranda chuckled. “Besides, Anna, we both know fighting isn’t your thing.”
“Got me there!” Anna cackled. “I’m a geek to my core.”
There was no real school beyond 12th grade on Harold’s Colony, but that hadn’t stopped Anna from pursuing her dream of becoming a botanist. She had finished the classes offered by the colony’s school a year earlier and was now going after a college degree in botany via long-range comm classes. It was costing her parents a fortune, and both her parents were working extra shifts in the fields to pay for it. Miranda was a bit envious of that. She couldn’t even tell her dad she wanted to leave Tanatos IV one day without him having a fit. To him, Tanatos IV was their home, and he couldn’t face life without her. Miranda knew she was his everything.
It was all well and good to be loved so strongly. Her life on Tanatos IV was everything any child could ask for, but as she had gotten older, her father’s love had become overprotective and oppressive. Miranda loved her father and was grateful for the life he had given her since her mother had passed, but she wanted more than a small farming colony could offer. She longed for adventures among the stars, and that was the absolute last thing her father wanted for her. They had fought over what lay in her future for the last year or so, until Miranda had learned to just keep her mouth shut. Her father was never going to understand, and she was never going to stop wanting a life among the stars. Miranda took comfort that at least Anna was getting a shot at her dream.
Miranda glanced at Anna. No one would ever imagine the level of genius that lay beneath the girl’s beauty. Anna was much heavier, but in all the right places. Miranda was a lithe, well-toned blond, five foot six, and in no way unpleasing to the eye, but Anna; she was something else. Anna was the epitome of the word ‘alluring.’ Her hair was red and cropped short just above her shoulders. There was an intensity to her eyes that was startling, even to Miranda at times. They were so different, and yet so very much alike. Miranda’s version of exercise was shadow dueling with the sword her father had given her, while Anna’s consisted of pouring over the latest scientific journals released by Earth Gov’s intellectual elite. They were both driven, determined not to be stopped from obtaining their dreams, and Miranda believed that was the commonality they shared.
As they entered the gates of the town, Anna turned to her and asked, “See you tomorrow?”
Miranda nodded. The work roster had them both slated for a turn in the corn fields. “You know it.”
She watched Anna dash off for her house, and then stood there, thinking about her own future. Her father wouldn’t be home yet. His duty as Mrs. Bergman’s bodyguard would keep him with her until the talks with Claus Wulf and his hunters were completed. When he got home from that there would be no time to approach him again about leaving Harold’s Colony, even if she could work up the nerve to do so again. With a heavy sigh, Miranda started her long walk to the other side of the town, and home.
* * * * *
Chapter 3
Keith Leighman opened the door to Bergman’s office for her, the two senior elders of the town, and Claus Wulf. Bergman walked straight to her desk and took a seat behind it. The elders took a spot, one on each side of it. Wulf swaggered into the room like a strutting peacock, his heavy armor impossibly silent as he moved. The gleaming suit had to have stealth tech build into it. Wulf didn’t take the seat Bergman offered him. The weight of his armor would have crushed it.
Bergman stared at Wulf. “Thank you for answering our call for help, Mr. Wulf. We’re grateful for your presence here.”
“We go where the credits are,” Wulf said honestly.
“I understand that.” Bergman nodded. “According to our agreement, half of the credits have already been transferred into the account you specified.”
“I would wager it’s time to get down to business, then.” Wulf smiled. “Tell me everything you know about this monster of yours.”
“We don’t know much.” Bergman shrugged. “The thing is huge. The few who’ve encountered it and survived have described it as being close to ten feet tall, covered in brown hair, with glowing yellow eyes and claws that can tear through metal.”
Wulf snorted. “Doesn’t sound that bad.”
“The beast moves like lightning, Mr. Wulf,” Keith added. “One of our last sheriffs went after it with Stinger rifles and never came back.”
The master hunter blinked at that revelation. Stingers were military-grade hardware. Not many colonies on the fringes had that sort of firepower to bring to bear on their enemies.
“Really?” Wulf asked.
“Those weapons are gone now,” Bergman told him. “Gone with the sheriff who took them into the hills to kill the monster and never returned. Rather than spending what we had left on more weapons, Mr. Wulf, we hired you.”
“A wise choice.” Wulf grinned.
Wulf turned to Keith. “I take it you’re the new sheriff?”
“No,” Keith shook his head. “I’m merely a concerned citizen doing my part for my colony and home.”
The two men stared at one another, each appraising the other.
“You’re ex-military, aren’t you?” Wulf asked. “You’ve got the look of an Earth Gov specialist, and I think you know the kind I’m talking about.”
“My past isn’t the issue here,” Keith said firmly, “and it’s none of your business.”
Wulf smirked at Keith, giving him a half bow. “Whatever you say, good sir. Whatever you say.”
“I’m sending all the details we have regarding the monster’s attacks and where they happened to your ship, Mr. Wulf. It’s my hope that will assist you in finding it quickly. Every day that goes by is another the people here are forced to live in fear for their lives,” Bergman said.
“That’s most helpful, Mrs. Bergman,” Wulf answered. “But I have to ask, if this thing is as powerful as you claim it is, why has it never attacked your town outright?”
“We don’t have an answer to that, but we’re certainly grateful it hasn’t.” Bergman glanced over at Keith. “Mr. Leighman here has tripled our guards on the town walls. Perhaps that has something to do with the monster staying away from here.”
“I doubt it,” Keith said.
“So do I.” Wulf grunted.
“Will you be requiring any assistance from us in terms of manpower Mr. Wulf?” Bergman asked.
“No.” Wulf shook his head. “We work best when left to ourselves. No offense meant by that, Mr. Leighman.”
“Well, then,” Bergman said, rising from her seat. “Unless you have any further questions, given that the terms of our arrangement have already been settled some time ago, I imagine it’s time for you to get to work.”
“With pleasure,” Wulf said. The master hunter swaggered out of the office to return to his ship and make his preparations for the coming hunt. Keith and Bergman watched him leave.
“He’s one cocky bastard,” Keith said.
“I really don’t care what he is, as long as he gets the job done.” Bergman snorted. “We’re so far behind our scheduled quota at this point, we might not be able to recover even if he and his people kill the thing tomorrow.”
“We’ll catch up once the monster is dead,” Keith assured her. “Too many people here love this place to let this colony default and fall into Earth Gov’s hands.”
“I hope you’re right, Keith.” Bergman frowned. “This place was my husband’s only real dream in life. I can’t lose it to those credit-grabbing fraggers.”
Keith blinked
at her language. It was unlike her to curse unless she was furious over something and lost in her rage. Right now she was far more downtrodden than angry. Harold’s Colony was holding on by a thread, and her own sheer willpower, with him watching her back, was the only thing holding its people together.
* * * * *
Chapter 4
“Where we at?” Wulf barked as he stomped up the ramp into Strider’s bay.
Peart and Carson were busy readying the Hog. Wulf cast a sideways glance at the two of them and the armored hovercraft. It was an ugly thing, with a large auto-cannon mounted on its top.
It was Lee who answered him, “We’re almost ready to roll. I’ve got Strider’s mainframe analyzing the data Bergman sent over to see if there is any pattern to the monster’s attacks, or more frequent spots the thing goes for.”
“Good.” Wulf grunted. “How are repairs on the ship going?”
“Peters is grumbling and complaining about not having the proper parts as usual, but he’ll get her fixed up. That ride down took a lot out of her, he claims. He says she needs some real down time soon. It would have been nice if you hadn’t changed your mind at the last minute and let us go into town with you like we had planned. If you hadn’t come back just now, you might have had to fire me for putting a bullet in his skull.” Lee frowned.
Wulf laughed. “It would be a shame if you did shoot him, though I can understand where you’re coming from. If he wasn’t the best engineer I have the credits to pay, he’d be off the crew in a heartbeat, but someone has to keep Strider soaring through the black.”
Lee cocked an eyebrow, looking outside the ship. “It’ll be dark soon. You sure you want to go hunting at night?”
“The way the locals are yammering and going about this monster, you’d think it was some sort of demigod,” Wulf told him. “But that’s always the case, isn’t it? We’ve been up against a lot worse creatures than this thing sounds to be.”
“Still…” Lee said.
“We’re professionals, Lee.” Wulf grinned. “We can handle this thing in our sleep. Besides, we’ll have the Hog. Ain’t much out there that can stand up to her cannon.”
Lee frowned but didn’t argue. Instead, he started checking over his rifle to make sure it was ready for action.
“We’re ready, Boss!” Carson called to Wulf.
Wulf walked over and slammed a fist onto the intercom panel. “Peters, we’re headed out. Carson’s going with us on this one. You’ve got the ship. I want her ready to fly when we get back.”
He didn’t wait for Peters to answer him. Lee and Peart had already mounted up on the rear of the hog. Wulf climbed into the small pilot compartment next to Carson.
“Got the data from that analysis Lee was running,” Carson told him. “It just dropped into the Hog’s system.”
“Anything useful?” Wulf asked.
“Oh, yeah!” Carson beamed at him. “Strider’s mainframe was able to put together a rough estimation of where our big bad’s hidey hole has to be.”
“Then I guess that’s where we’re heading.” Wulf smiled. “It’s time to kick some hairy arse.”
“Amen to that, Boss,” Carson said, and brought the Hog’s engine online. The armored hovercraft rose from the deck of Strider’s bay. Lee and Peart held on tightly as Carson punched it. The Hog shot out of Strider like a directed missile, howling out into the growing darkness of the falling night.
Wulf could see a group of the town’s night watch on the wall as the Hog streaked by the town, heading toward the hills beyond the vast fields of crops. The guards waved their rifles, cheering the hunters on.
It took nearly an hour at the Hog’s maximum speed of sixty miles per hour to get close to where the monster’s lair was likely located. The area reminded Wulf of what he had heard the woods of Old Earth were like. The scattered trees were no issue for the Hog. Those it was too large to skid between, Carson simply drove through. The Hog’s engine was a powerhouse, capable of giving it the strength to ram directly through the colony’s walls, if for any reason Bergman didn’t make good on their payment, and its armor was designed to withstand ballistic missile attacks. The poor trees didn’t stand a chance against it. The ones Carson drove through either splintered apart or were pushed up and out of the ground, crashing over onto the forest floor. The auto-cannon swiveled on its turret as Wulf used its targeting sights to scan the woods for any sign of the monster. He knew Lee and Peart had to be getting tired of being forced to take cover behind the rear of the Hog as they clung to its backside every time Carson hit a tree too fast. The Hog’s speed was all over the place. Carson would kick it up and then bring it back down without warning.
“Ease up,” Wulf ordered the pilot. “I think Lee’s likely mad enough as it is. You don’t want to get him really ticked off. Trust me.”
Carson had been having fun. He enjoyed driving the Hog almost as much as flying Strider, perhaps even more so. But he went pale at what Wulf said. Nobody wanted Lee mad at them, ever.
“Sure thing, Boss,” Carson said, slowing the Hog to crawl through the trees again, and keeping its speed steady.
“You sure this is the place?” Wulf asked. “I’m not seeing anything that could be a lair.”
“According to the data, this is it, or pretty dang close to it,” Carson confirmed.
“I’ve got move…” Lee’s voice came over the shared comlink of the kill crew, but suddenly cut off, even as Wulf jerked the sights of the auto-cannon around toward the rear of the Hog.
The monster had come out of nowhere with blinding speed, bounding through the trees toward the Hog. Lee and Peart barely had time to dismount from the vehicle as the thing reached them. One of its massive hands crashed into Lee, sending him flying off the ground as it silenced his warning cry. Lee flew several feet through the air to land in the grass with a loud thud. Peart swung the tri-barrel of his weapon at the monster, trying to get a shot at it, but one of its clawed hands grasped the barrels, crushing them in its grip. Being the professional that he was, Peart released the weapon and leaped backward, away from the monster, drawing his sidearm.
Wulf had to admit the creature was impressive. It was everything the locals had described it as and more. But its time was over, he thought, squeezing the auto-cannon’s firing trigger. The powerful weapon roared to life atop the Hog. It hit the monster with a stream of rounds meant to shred the armor of a tank. They tore into the monster, ripping at its flesh. The monster gave a chilling shriek and staggered backward in Peart’s direction. He had the unfortunate luck to end up within its reach. The monster swept Peart up from the ground, using his body as a shield against the auto-cannon’s fire. Peart’s body burst apart from the powerful rounds that hammered into it. Nonetheless, it gave the monster the moment it needed to escape the auto-cannon’s line of fire. The wounded monster drew closer to the Hog, ducking low as it came.
“Holy frag!” Carson yelled as the monster caught hold of the armored hovercraft and swung it around into a nearby tree. The monster angled the craft so when it struck the tree it was the Hog’s underside that hit it. The Hog’s engine screeched and died from the damage inflicted by the impact. Smoke poured from the vehicle’s underside as the monster swung upward and brought the Hog smashing down onto the ground. Wulf leaped free just before the Hog made contact with the grass and dirt. He heard Carson screaming from inside the Hog as the monster released its hold on the vehicle’s rear and jumped atop it, scrambling along its roof toward the pilot compartment.
The monster tore the canopy of the pilot compartment open easily as Carson struggled to free himself from the safety harness of his seat. He wasn’t able to do so in time. A swipe of the monster’s claws took away the top half of his head in an explosion of red.
Lee had recovered and was on his feet. His rifle braced against his shoulder, he fired a shot that blew a gaping hole in the monster’s side. The monster roared its fury, bounding toward him with Wulf on its heels—the master hunter had no intentio
n of watching another member of his crew die at the thing’s claws. As he ran, the high collar of his armor grew, its sections expanding and snapping outward to enclose his head in a fully sealed battle helmet. Wulf tugged his axe from its position on the back of his suit. The axe came to life in his hands, vibrating and emitting a soft hum as it powered on.
Rifle cracking again, Lee put another round into the monster’s chest as it came at him. The shot clearly hurt the beast, but didn’t stop it. Lee threw himself sideways out of the raging monster’s path at the last possible moment. It whirled around at him with near supernatural speed and would have killed him, but Wulf appeared between the two of them.
“Oh, no you don’t, you bastard!” Wulf shouted, blocking the monster’s swing at Lee with his axe. The monster was so strong that parrying the blow nearly knocked the axe out of his grasp, despite the enhancement his armor gave to his strength.
Wulf looked up into the glowing yellow eyes of the monster as it towered over him. The master hunter knew he was in trouble. He had underestimated this creature, and two of his people were dead because of that mistake already. If he didn’t act fast, he would be joining them. Screaming a battle cry, Wulf brought the blade of his axe around in a wide arc, sinking it into the monster’s left shoulder. He had expected it to cut right through the monster’s arm and sever it from the thing’s body, but it didn’t. The monster cried out in pain and rage, tearing the axe loose and tossing it aside before delivering a punch to Wulf’s stomach that knocked the master hunter from his feet and dented his armor. Wulf landed on his back, his breath knocked out of him. As he sucked in air and began to breathe again, he tasted his own blood in his mouth. The monster had him dead to rights, but the thing didn’t finish him.
The monster leaped over Wulf where he lay in the grass and ran, disappearing into the trees and leaving a trail of blood behind it. The master hunter heard Lee take another shot at the monster as it fled but couldn’t see if he’d hit it or not. Then Wulf lost consciousness, the world around him going darker than the night.
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