by Martin Durst
He walked to his assigned A2 and rubbed his gloved hand across its sleek hull. The new modifications that made it atmosphere-space capable gave it a tougher look than the old A1’s. Directional jets were visible along its sides and thick armor plating gave it the extra protection needed for space combat. Its modifications had no effect on atmosphere capability. Negrav generators compensated for any additional weight.
He climbed the hatch ladder, strapped in, and sealed the canopy. Merging his chip with the ship systems, he signaled his Squadron. Nineteen light blue blips emerged from the other darker blue ones. All his men were synch-locked and ready.
‘Earth Wing One, this is Wing Commander,’ Captain Tork chipped. ‘Send me synch-lock confirmation for all Squadrons. We launch by Squadron order in nine minutes. –Wing Commander, out.’
Tr’al swam lazily relishing the feel of the cool water. The waterfall at the edge of the lake threw mist dozens of feet in the air creating a rainbow in the sun. She took a breath and plunged deep in the clear water. She could still hear the muffled sound of the waterfall. Multiple species of fish slowly swam below her unaware of her presence. She was enjoying their lazy movements when she was scared by a pull on her ankle. Looking behind, she saw Matheus grinning at her. Tiny bubbles trickled from his nose. She was about to swim to him when she felt a tug on her ankle again. How was that possible? He was in front of her?
‘Tr’al! Wake up!’ she heard from the depth of the pool.
She looked around in confusion as everything, including Matheus, started to fade. She swam to the surface in panic. The harder she swam, the further away she seemed to be.
‘Wake up!’ she heard again.
Her lungs burned for air as she tried again to reach the surface. Matheus was barely visible. She woke abruptly gulping air into her lungs. A human she’d never seen before held her by the shoulders.
‘Tr’al, it’s ok. You’re safe.’
She looked around not recognizing her surroundings. ‘Where am I?’
‘You’re at the village. Rumors of you being lost in the Jungle are evidently false.’ the human replied. ‘I’m Lieutenant Michael Stone. I was assigned as a liaison to your sister, Shi’la.’
Her head was pounding, but she needed to sit up. ‘Wait … you were with Shi’la? I thought- She’s dead! But you- you’re supposed to be dead too!’
‘Your sister is very much alive. I’m afraid it’s a long story.’
‘If you too are finished with the family reunion, there’s food over there on the table.’
From the shadow emerged a tall, sleek, attractive woman. Tr’al could tell from her confident stance that she was not to be reckoned with. Beside her a large human male stood quietly.
‘We’ll be leaving within the hour. I suggest you eat. It’s a long way back to the States.’
‘Carolina, there is absolutely no need to involve this child,’ Stone pleaded. ‘Please let her go.’ This woman was worse than Brianna. She had no scruples or decency. He knew she wouldn’t hesitate to kill.
Tr’al suddenly had trouble breathing. The memory of her Mother lying on the floor flooded back to her. ‘You vile human! You killed my Mother!’ She threw herself at Carolina who easily sidestepped landing a vicious back hand across Tr’al’s face. The force of the blow knocked her into the table causing a glass of water to spill onto the floor.
‘You might want to think twice before you do something stupid like that again,’ Carolina calmly observed. ‘Wilson here will be more than glad to take some of the fight out of you!’
As if on cue, he picked her up roughly with one hand and threw her in a table chair. ‘Eat!’
Tr’al sat in silence glaring at Carolina. Her lip was bleeding, but her pride hurt more.
‘Enough! I’ll keep her under control!’ Stone intervened.
‘Be sure to keep an eye on her,’ Carolina replied. ‘She causes anymore trouble, she’ll regret it.’
They both left locking the door behind them.
‘Where are we?’ Tr’al asked.
‘We’re at the bar in the village,’ Stone replied sitting down heavily at the table. ‘This is the store room in the back. They keep the liquor here.’ He nodded over his left shoulder. Beside them was an entire wall lined with bottles.
Tr’al buried her face in her hands and began to sob. ‘They killed my Mother! –And probably my father! –By the Gods, why?!’
Stone allowed her to cry. He wasn’t quite sure whether to try to comfort her or just leave her alone. After a moment’s hesitation, he elected to just leave her alone.
She finally looked up at him. –Her face wet from crying. ‘You said Shi’la was alive?’
‘So far,’ he said glumly. ‘But I don’t know for how long. They want her to give them a bioweapon to use against the Hiver’s. She’s been trying to stall, but now she’s been given a live specimen. They’ll expect results.’
He went into detail of the events that led him here. He noticed that she visibly calmed as he explained who he was and how he came to know Shi’la. When he was finished, they sat quietly for a moment until she finally spoke. ‘How do I know you’re telling the truth?’ she said with an air of suspicion. ‘For all I know, you’re one of them.’
‘Shi’la told me to remind you of how you broke the hair comb her mother gave her. –Said you’d remember.’
Tr’al smiled slightly. ‘We never told anyone that. –Not even Mother.’
He smiled back glad that he had her trust. ‘Listen, she made me promise to keep you away from these guys.’ His look turned deadly serious. ‘I’ve let them push me around long enough. I haven’t resisted before because I was afraid Shi’la would get hurt. But here, I have no idea what they’ve done to her. I just pray to God they need her skills long enough for us to escape and try to get back to her. When they return, be ready. We’re leaving.’
Almost an hour had passed before Tr’al heard the door bolt turn. As it swung wide, Wilson walked in. She was sitting at the table facing the door.
‘Where is he!’ he barked.
Before she could respond, Stone swung down from the rafters and planted both feet square against the side of Wilson’s face. He plunged headlong into the liquor shelves. The sound of breaking bottles exploded throughout the room. Wilson howled in pain as glass lacerated his face and arms.
Struggling to his feet, he glared at Stone; rage swelling in his eyes. ‘You’re a dead man!’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘I’m going to enjoy this! I have a particular grudge against Academy boys!’ Wilson took his time slowly circling around the table.
Tr’al was terrified. She hurriedly got up and ran to the door.
Reaching out with lightning speed, Wilson cuffed her against the back of the head. The blow knocked her off balance causing her to trip and fall. She crawled to the corner trying to get away. Stone took advantage of the distraction.
Grabbing Wilson’s outstretched arm, he brought it down hard against his knee. He heard an audible crack as Wilson howled in pain.
Wilson reflexively grabbed at him with his right arm but only grasped air. Stone rolled over his back and spun his elbow against his nose. Blood spurted as cartilage broke. The force of the blow knocked Wilson to his knees.
‘You bastard!’ he said through spittle and blood. ‘You’re going to die!’ He struggled back to his feet and steadied himself. ‘All I need is one arm to rip your throat out!’
‘I’ve been waiting for this,’ Stone said calmly. ‘There’s no one here for you to threaten now but me.’
They circled like caged animals. Wilson spat blood while trying to clear his vision.
Lunging with incredible speed, he knocked Stone against the wall with enough force to jar his teeth. Stone’s head exploded as Wilson landed a punch. The blow knocked him across the room. The taste of blood welled in his mouth.
Wasting no time, Wilson swung again. Stone blocked the blow with his forearm while delivering a palmed upper-cut that lifted Wilson off the f
loor. His head snapped back as he fell to the floor. Stone readied for him to get up, but he didn’t move. He was unconscious.
‘Let’s get out of here!’ he panted. ‘I don’t want to go another round with that guy!’
They stumbled through the door and into a hallway. Left or right was the only option. ‘We came in that way,’ he said nodding his head to the right. ‘You can bet Brianna is outside waiting. Let’s see if we can find another way out.’
He pulled her to the left and down the hall. There were several doors on either side. One of them had to be a way out, but the sounds of patrons came from several of them. ‘C’mon,’ he whispered.
He pulled her to the last door on the right. He put his ear against it and listened. He couldn’t hear anything. He tapped the entry pad and the door opened. He entered quickly pulling Tr’al behind him, and shut the door.
‘Lights,’ he said. A soft glow brightened showing the entire room. Looking around, he realized he was in some kind of parlor room. Cheap decorations dotted the room and a small social table with two chairs was at the center. A fireplace was against the far wall with a window beside it. To the right was another entryway presumably to a bedroom where business transactions were consummated.
He hurried to the window and looked for a control panel of sorts to open it. –No luck. It was an automated fire exit that opened when the building fire system initiated.
‘Figures,’ he mumbled. ‘We’re trying to get out of the only building in the village that is built with modern specs.’
‘Lieutenant!’ Tr’al hollered. He’d been so engrossed with the window, he hadn’t noticed a lone figure emerge from the additional room.
‘Who the hell are you?’ the man demanded.
Judging from his appearance, he was a guard from the settlement scantily clad in a pair of boxers and swaggering with drunkenness.
‘I paid for the whole night! Get your own girl!’
He stumbled forward, but tripped on the rug under the table. Simultaneously, the door exploded open. A bloody and battered Wilson walked into the room. Carolina, looking much more composed, carefully stepped over the door fragments.
‘Tr’al get behind me,’ he said evenly. She quickly moved behind him while peering anxiously over his shoulder. Stone grabbed the drunken soldier and twisted his arm behind his back. He yelped in pain but stood still.
‘Now lieutenant,’ Carolina said taking a few steps to the side to survey the room, ‘I admire your tenacity, but really! –There’s nowhere to go!’
‘That’s close enough right there,’ he said.
‘I guess you’re more of a man than I thought,’ she taunted. ‘Old Wilson here definitely got his pride hurt. You’ve been holding out on us!’
The guard fidgeted trying to keep his balance. Stone tightened his grip to encourage him to stop. ‘Take another step and I’ll make sure soldier-boy here never holds a weapon again.’
‘Or I could just shoot him now,’ Carolina replied. She pointed her heat pistol at him and smiled. ‘I really don’t give a crap either way! –Bottom line, you’re still coming with us!’
Stone desperately tried to think. Only way in or out was the door or the window; and he already tried … the window! ‘I’ve fought tougher trainees than you Wilson,’ he sneered. ‘Where’d you learn to fight? –Over crackers in a soup kitchen?!’
Wilson spat at him. ‘I’m going to make you hurt! And after that, I’m going to let you watch as I take care of your little girlfriend here! It’ll be nice and slow! Then we’ll see how cocky you are!’
‘–The way you fight? She’ll probably spank you like an altar boy!’
Wilson screamed and lunged. It was exactly what Stone waiting for. Carolina hollered for him to stop, but blinded by rage, he charged like a bull.
Stone flung the drunk at him and spun. Wrapping his arms around Tr’al, he threw them both through the window. As the window gave way, he caught a glimpse of Wilson tumble to the floor entangled with the half naked soldier. He hit hard rolling over his shoulder. It was a good thing they were at ground level. They hurried to their feet even as heat blasts shattered the window frame. They ran quickly sticking to the shadows. Ducking between buildings, they moved as fast as they could. He could hear footsteps and voices chasing them, but they were fading. They paused at the wood line to catch their breath. ‘We’ve got to keep moving,’ he gasped. ‘They’re going to try and track us.’
‘Wait,’ Tr’al replied. ‘We’ll get lost. Do you know this forest?’
‘No, but we have little choice. We’ll find a place to hide till light. We can then make our way back to the settlement. –See if we can steal a Pod or something. I don’t know how or why, but someone in Earth Fleet is working with these bastards. –Someone high up. I aim to find out who!’
‘We’ll never get to a Pod,’ Tr’al replied bitterly. ‘The village is too small and will be watched closely. I have a better idea. There’s a city a few days from here. –Branco something. We can get a Pod from there.’
Stone thought about it. If he could contact Earth Fleet HQ from there, he could get help. He wasn’t sure who was on whose side, but it was better than getting captured again. It was a good plan, but they’d need help and supplies. ‘Going to the city is a good idea’ he replied, ‘but neither of us knows the forest well enough.’
‘I know someone we can trust that does. –C’mon.’ She pulled him back to the village.
Chapter Ten
Tr’al tapped on the window again. She was sure this was Matheus’s bedroom. She was about to tap louder when he finally appeared. He had a puzzled look on his face as he opened the window.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked. ‘Isn’t it a little early for visiting?’ He stretched sleepily.
‘Tell him to keep his voice down!’ Stone whispered.
‘Who is that?’
‘A friend,’ Tr’al replied. ‘Listen, we don’t have a lot of time. We need your help!’ She quickly explained the events of the past few hours. Matheus frowned with disapproval, but listened quietly.
‘So you want me to guide you to the city through the forest? Are you nuts? I’ve only made the trip a few times myself, and that was with some of the adults here at the village. Even then, we traveled by boat along the river.’
‘Are you saying you won’t help us?’ she asked.
‘I didn’t say that,’ he sighed, ‘but we’re going to need provisions. He thought for a moment. ‘Wait for me at the river where we swam. I’ll be there in an hour.’
Tr’al and Stone waited in the darkness for Matheus. The sound of water echoed in the night. Tr’al looked at the sky. Dozens of light flashes filled the sky just above the Northern horizon.
‘The Hiver’s are back,’ he said quietly. ‘Earth Fleet ships have been battling them for some time now.’
She looked at him with horror. ‘Gods no! Tell me it’s not true!’ She slowly sank to her knees, stunned. ‘So. It may be all over.’
Stone didn’t know what to say. Earth Fleet was outnumbered and probably outgunned. The odds weren’t good.
‘C’mon,’ he said. ‘We can’t just give up,’ he said looking up. ‘There’s always hope. Admiral Cook is a good Commander and a smart guy. If anybody can beat them, he can.’
A loud snap pulled them from their conversation. ‘Get down!’ he whispered. ‘Someone’s coming.’
They both peered through the darkness apprehensively. They could definitely hear voices.
‘Look over there in that tree line! We’re covering the village!
‘There coming this way,’ Stone whispered. ‘We need to move. –C’mon.’
They moved further into the forest trying hard not to make too much noise. Stone pushed the brush aside with his toes before putting his full weight down. To her credit, Tr’al saw what he was trying to do and walked in his footsteps. They repeated this over and over until they could barely hear the voices. After a few minutes, it was quiet again.
&nb
sp; They rested against a trunk of a large tree. Neither one of them wanted to talk. Creatures and insects of every kind sang in a symphony of night time activity. They’d paid little attention to it before, but now with darkness all around them, the sound seemed deafening.
Finally, Stone broke the silence. ‘I hope your friend can find us.’ He thought for a moment. ‘Perhaps we should go back to the river.’
‘That’s not necessary.’
They both jumped startled at the voice beside them. Instinctively, Stone spun ready for an attack.
‘It’s me, Matheus,’ the shadowy figure said. ‘-Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.’
‘How did- I mean you didn’t even make a sound,’ Stone said with disbelief.
‘My people are from the forest, Mr. Stone. We are taught very young how to be one with the land and to respect it. –And yes, even how to use it to our advantage.’
Stone just shook his head in the darkness. ‘Ok, tippy-toes. Lead the way. We have a long way to go.’
‘We’re not moving far till it gets light. It’s dangerous to travel the forest at night. But I know a place we can shelter until then.’
Stone just shrugged in resignation. Truthfully he was tired and his head was still throbbing from the punch Wilson gave him. He imagined that Tr’al was feeling the same.
‘Here are the provisions and gear I brought you.’ Matheus gave them both an overstuffed backpack. Stone slung his over his back and marveled at how Matheus carried all three of their pack here. It had to weigh at least twenty-five to thirty pounds.
‘Here, I’m sure you know how to use this.’ Matheus tossed him a holster belt.
Stone felt the gratifying weight and cold steel of a heat pistol. ‘You’re damn right I know how to use it. Where did you get it?’
‘It’s one of my Father’s. He’s also the village Constable.’
Stone didn’t say anything further. Just the fact that this young man was willing to take a weapon proved he was all in. He felt along the belt as he strapped it on. There were several recharge sticks along its thick leather surface. Good, he thought. At least I’ll last awhile in a gunfight.