by Chris Hechtl
“You know it is!” Zara said, turning to glare. “And you know what it means! For both of us!” she said sounding desperate.
“No!” Deidra practically screamed, throwing the door open and rushing out into the night.
“Deidra!” Zara said rushing after her.
Bux looked at his wife. She bit her lip unsure. Finally she shrugged. “Tis no concern of ours mine husband,” she cautioned. He slowly nodded.
<==={}------------>
After driving another six hours they made a pit stop and the princesses immediately went off by themselves, arguing intently. The two of them came running back a minute later with an angry squealing six legged thing chasing them. Zara hastily climbed up a tree, climbing for all she was worth. The military group turned just as Deidra tripped and fell. She rolled, pulling out a dagger. The beast lunged for her but a horn blew. Confused it turned its six piggish eyes to the noise.
Ryans blew the truck horn again. The animal turned, then stomped and began to paw at the ground. He flicked the headlights on. Deidra rolled away and clambered behind a tree.
The hex boar lunged forward. Ryans popped the truck into gear and stomped down on the accelerator. The truck surged forward as the boar's head dropped. When the two collided the five hundred pound creature was thrown backwards, but it stuck firmly to the bumper by its tusks. Edsfield tried to get a clear shot but he couldn't. He yelled at Ryans to back up.
Ryans popped the truck into neutral to go to reverse. The boar got its' footing and began to dig in pushing the truck backwards. It tore at the bumper until its tusk snapped. In pain and confused it retreated into the bush.
Deidra came out after Edsfield confirmed the creature was gone. She coaxed a shaken Zara down. Zara hugged her sister then looked over to Ryans. “Thank you,” she said in her own language. He nodded. Deidra glared for a moment and then ignored him, turning away.
Ryans shook his head turning to Edsfield and Perry. “Just another day rescuing princesses I guess,” he said with a rueful grin.
“Where the hell are we going?” Edsfield asked. “Sir,” he said turning first to Perry and then to Ryans.
“We're following the main road,” Ryans responded when Perry turned to him. “It's the only road that can handle our vehicles easily. I'd take one of the side roads but this one lets us get as much distance between us and the damn raiders as we can get, as fast as we can.
“Ah.”
“You realize this will eventually lead to somewhere we may not want to be. Like oh, say another castle or even the capital,” Perry warned as the head sniper left.
“Yeah well, that's one of the reasons I'm letting the princesses tag along with us,” he said jerking his chin slightly to the women in question. Perry nodded.
“One of the reasons?” Perry asked neutrally.
“Okay, every damn time we leave them to their own devices we have to come running to rescue them.”
“Where's Bowser when you need him huh?” Perry chuckled, slapping Ryans on the arm.
“Funny, very funny,” Ryans said but couldn't help grinning slightly at the joke.
<==={}------------>
Art’ur scowled. Word had just arrived from another hunting party, Thorvald and his raiding party had been found. To add insult to injury the fool had let the princesses slip through his fingers before being killed.
And now this, he thought angrily slapping down a paper onto his makeshift desk. He turned, pacing in his tent. Emroy, the so called Duke balked. His rejection of Art’ur's generous terms of surrender left only a siege as a final recourse. It would have to be, he couldn't leave Emroy behind him. He needed the food and goods the Duke had stored.
The count of Monty had fallen all over himself to surrender only this morning. The man had sent his women and children off before surrendering. It vexed Art’ur; he could have used the hostages to ensure the man's loyalty. At least he didn't have to lay siege to that wretched castle. Not that it was much; his men had identified three different ways to gain access to it easily.
A siege, it always came back to that. “Majesty we can ill afford a siege. But we must secure our rear,” Yorik said, one fist clasped over his heart. “We have but a month's provisions. We must forage our men to keep them fed for longer.”
“Then it's a siege then!” Art’ur howled, turning. Uuôden was crestfallen, head down in a corner. He was weary and cursing himself for letting his brash impulsive son rush ahead of the main army. He'd wanted the lad to get it out of his system but... he scowled.
He wouldn't be so brash and stupid he vowed. His people needed a leader. He needed to lead, it was his destiny. He knew that in the fullness of time he'd rule this world with an iron hand. It was written in the stars after all.
“Uuôden! Uuôden the red I need your counsel! Your people, your King, needs you!” Art’ur called turning in a swirl of royal robes.
“Coming your Majesty,” Uuôden replied striding over to the young man.
<==={}------------>
Over the next three days the Terrans continued to work on the linguistic barrier. Using Ben's laptop as well as Doc's rudimentary understanding of Latin and the wireless network to the other computers they managed to build a common syntax they could use as a base. It helped that both women seemed to have a natural gift of understanding them. Each of the princesses took turns with the words. It seemed like a game to them. The two peasants were practically useless.
Corporal Lisa Patterson, Ryans, Wanda, Doc, and their vid tech Sydney figured out the linguistic system with some trial and error. They did firmware updates to the team's phones and blue tooth ear wigs daily.
This allowed them near real time translation. Natural linguists like Patterson picked the language up on their own. In the three days she was exposed to the girls and other refugees she picked up their language quickly. So quickly she started to sound like a native. Patterson seemed to bond with Zara, the younger princess.
<==={}------------>
Zara stared at the gaijin woman Lisa. Lisa was a nice sort for a peasant soldier, bright and smart. She, unlike Bux and Yana, knew how to read. Very few outside the royal houses or merchant houses had that skill. She looked around. It appeared that all the gaijin could read, to the princess that was something that was slightly disconcerting. She had never been exposed to a mandatory educational system for others outside of her class.
Lisa pulled a wire out of her ear and looked over to her. “Did you say something princess?” she asked.
Zara frowned prettily, hands dry washing. She only understood a small part of what the woman had said. She indicated the wire Lisa had dropped in her lap.
“What oh this?” Lisa picked up the jack and then chuckled. “It's... look,” she said holding it up and then putting it towards the teen's face.
Zara reared back until Lisa encouraged her with a smile and used her other hand to brush her hair aside. Zara noted another white wire in her ear. Hesitantly she allowed Lisa to touch her hair.
Lisa brushed the girl's blond locks over her ear and then put the earphone in, the girl gasped as rich sound washed over her.
Deidra looked up at her gasp but she waved the concern aside, her hand going to cup her ear. She looked at Lisa in incredulous wonder.
Lisa smiled. “IPod,” she said holding up a small rectangle. Zara stared at the small silver thing.
“I know it's a lot but well,” Lisa moved over to sit next to the girl. She showed Zara the screen. Enraptured the teen listened and watched the small screen as the woman showed her different images and text.
“Cool huh?” Lisa said after a while. Her eyes lit onto a laptop. “Here check this,” she said. She popped her earphone out and then reached over to the computer.
Zara had seen the thing of course but hadn't understood it. Patterson flipped it open and pressed a button. Lights began to blink. Zara gasped again. She pointed at the screen and looked up to her sister. “It's a magic box!”
“A child's toy,�
� Deidra said, sounding bored and exasperated. “So what? They all play with them,” she said. She continued to stare out the window.
“It's more than that look!” Zara said turning the laptop in Lisa's lap. Deidra looked over just to make her sister happy and gasped, eyes going wide at the video playing out.
“How is that possible?” she asked, coming over immediately. She reached for it but Lisa looked uncomfortable and shielded it with her hand. She moved over so Deidra could sit on her other side.
“Here,” Lisa said patting the cushion beside her.
Deidra sank onto the cushion and watched enthralled by the moving pictures and sounds.
Bored Bux and his wife Yani looked over their shoulders to watch as well. Zara looked up at them in irritation but couldn't keep her gaze off the screen for long.
“Here check this out,” Lisa said. She played a video of Earth, showing them various cities and views. The natives were awed and speechless.
Finally Lisa showed them a video of one of her favorite artists. That however didn't go over well for some reason.
“She's... undressed,” Deidra said, wrinkling her nose.
“Well, Kelly Clarkson isn't for everyone I guess,” Lisa said with a diffident shrug as she closed the laptop. “Time for breakfast and bed!” she said getting up and waving for them to move.
Zara looked up. In her enthrallment she hadn't even felt the metal carriage stop. She looked out the window and saw a forest. Suddenly she wasn't at all happy about going outside.
<==={}------------>
“Did you notice the armor is Japanese?” Dr. Roshenko said coming over to Ryans and plopping down beside him. They'd just finished watching video footage of the army again. He stirred his MRE for a moment before taking a bite. The routine was just that, routine now. If they pushed they could drive day and night but they didn't want to run themselves out of fuel. By their best estimates they were at least three or four days ahead of the raiding army and wanted to stay that way.
Which made these pit stops during the day a pain. Oh he agreed, they needed to stand down, the vehicles needed a break, the men and women needed a chance to unwind and stretch but damn. Each time they were now wary of an alien animal coming out of the bush. Perry, the Gunny, Waters, and Ryans were divided on the best position to bed down. The military men were divided in wanting a defensible position versus a hidden one. Ryans sought a compromise that didn't make anyone happy but supposedly got the job done. At least for the short time they would be there until they moved on anyway, Roshenko thought.
“Asian you mean. They look like a hybrid of Roman, European plate armor, and Asian armors,” Perry said, eating a bite of stew. It was weird for some people to see them eating stew for breakfast but you got used to doing those things when you were in the field.
“Probably, ah hot, hot,” Roshenko said, fanning his mouth. He gulped some water then cleared his throat as he set his canteen down. “I'd say it's got some samurai overtones in the helmet and skirt. Shoulder pauldrons too for that matter. But the chest looks like articulated armor from a European thirteenth century knight.”
“True. But did you see the armor some of the raiders were wearing? Or the footmen? It's Roman. I mean Roman legion. They even have javelins,” Perry said looking up.
Doctor Roshenko's eyes became thoughtful. His fork was frozen midway to his mouth as he stared off into the air. The mystery meat dripped off it after a moment. Perry tried not to look at it.
“You know, I didn't think of that. I... You know, you could be right. I did note that some of the lower quality armor is lacquered like the Japanese did. It must be to protect the metal from this damp atmosphere,” Roshenko murmured thoughtfully. He looked around. “I did see some armor that looked suspiciously like chromium or nickel platted alloy... possibly even stainless steel... I wonder...” His thoughtful daze seemed to waken into enthusiasm. He looked around distracted, patting his pockets. “I should check...”
“Eat first, look at your notes later Doc,” Waters said. He looked over to Scooter and Ginger who were snickering. They nodded to the Doc then rolled their eyes when he wasn't looking. Waters glared until they dropped the snickering and went back to eating.
The basilisk attack was something that caught them all by surprise. They had parked in the forest, screened from the road by the trees and brush and their own camouflage. The predator had climbed a tree near their camp, and then went out on a limb before dropping in on them from above. Suddenly a giant six legged predator was among the people sleeping outside in the waning light of the evening.
Pandemonium struck. The beast savaged PFC Fairfax, disemboweling the medic in a welter of gore. It spread its' cheek displays and Medusa tentacles and then turned on Lieutenant Jg Galloway as he came out from around his hummer to see what the commotion was all about.
Galloway went down screaming as the creature swatted him with a massive clawed paw. He screamed in pain as he hit the side of the camper. Hearing the commotion, growls and screams, Ryans came up around him drawing his weapon just as the girls burst from the camper they were in.
“No get back inside!” he yelled, shooting at the beast. It turned, clawing at him but only catching air and then swung its barbed tail at the door. Deidra was trying to get Zara back into the bus but the girl was frozen in fear. The barbed tail struck the door, knocking them to the ground. The tail spikes stuck in the door. The creature turned, trying to pull the spikes out, when it couldn't it turned on the door, clawing it.
The girls screamed as the beast savaged the metal door beside them. Ryans grabbed each of them and then shoved them under the bus. He turned just in time for the back of a mighty paw to slap him to the ground. His Berretta went flying from his hand.
“Ah hell, why did you have to play a hero,” Perry yelled from beyond him as the beast stood over Ryans. The beast looked up over its shoulder to the lieutenant and hissed, displaying its cheek ruffs and tentacle hair once more.
“Oh aren't you a nasty bitch,” Perry snarled, shooting at it with his Berretta. The creature cawed in defiance and then turned on its new prey.
Ryans had reached out and caught hold of Fairfax's Berretta still in its holster. He fumbled it out while the creature was distracted and then brought it up. It was slippery but he managed it.
“Eat this you bitch,” he said as the predator turned to look down. He brought it up in a two handed grip just as the beast opened its mouth to bite. Its jaw and teeth articulated out, almost like a shark or viper.
The first shot went up into its soft mouth, ricocheted off a bone then bounced off the spine and down its gullet. The second punched through the throat, right through the back of the neck nicking the spine. His third shot severed a carotid artery, spraying blood. It screamed, turning away from him. It clawed at its side, thrashing about. One of the kicks knocked him over. He felt stabbing pain in his shoulder and side.
He felt hands on his wounded shoulder pulling at him. He sat up, and took more careful aim. A thunderous boom made him turn, Edsfield had his Barrett out. The round exploded into the animal's shoulder.
It thrashed around, staggering, slamming into the vehicles. Its hind claws tore into his exposed thigh and arm as he tried to dodge and roll out of danger. Then Edsfield's second shot made the predator's head explode. The carcass toppled to the ground in a welter of gore.
Ryans spat out the blood and guts that had sprayed into his face. “Medic,” he said lying back under the smelly steaming carcass. “Yo, medic!” He called and then sighed. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up over his head to see Deidra’s eyes under the truck.
“You girls okay?” he asked trying to pull himself out from under the body. Zara was hysterical, sobbing. Her sister patted her arm. She clutched at her in desperation, hugging herself for comfort. The red and purple dresses were even richer in color now he thought.
“Well, I can say one thing, this is a camping trip to remember,” he sighed as he rocked his shoulders back a
nd forth, pulling himself out. Every move was an agony of stabbing pain.
“Hang on a sec,” Perry said looking over to him. Doc was busy with Galloway. The Gunny and Master Sergeant were nervously eying the trees, muttering about more of the damn things.
“Deidra.” He looked up again to the trees then to the shaken girl. “Hey.” He patted her thigh. His bloody hand brushed Zara's and she shrieked into fresh hysterics. “Sorry, I don't mean to scare you hon, but we need to ask you some questions.”
“What?” Deidra asked rocking her sister and patting her hair.
“Are there any more of those? Is it a pack hunter?”
“No,” Deidra said shaking her head. “It may be a female though. It may have a mate. If it is a female then it may have young nearby.”
The Terrans caught half of that, but enough to get the general idea of what she was saying. “Great, that's all we need,” Perry said as he stepped closer. “Looks like you could use some help.” He bent forward and helped to pull Ryans out from under the carcass. “Looks like you need a shower...and a long one. Maybe one of the ladies can help you get cleaned up?” he teased. The women ignored them.
Ryans snorted. “Try getting them out of there,” he sighed, leaning against the camper and putting pressure on the arm and thigh wounds.
“Injured?” Perry asked suddenly concerned.
“Ah, yeah, bitch chewed me like a rag doll,” Ryans grunted, feeling the temporary anesthetic of adrenalin wear off and the throbbing pain start to set in.
“How bad, I can't tell where you end and it begins under that,” Perry said, looking serious he turned. “Sergeant; medical kit here!” he called looking over his shoulder. The Gunny grabbed a medical kit from the nearest hummer and came over, still eying the trees.
“Looks like you got sprayed. Sure your'e hurt?” he asked eying the greenish blood.
Ryans snarled and pulled his shirt up. Claw marks raked his side and shoulder. They started bleeding again the moment he pulled the blood soaked cloth away, tearing at the short lived scabs. They weren't deep, but they were long.