by Jay Korza
Seth felt a furry arm around his neck and warm breath on his face. When he looked to his side, Huj’pa’ul lifted him to his feet. She helped him walk but Seth protested, “No. I can’t leave the fight.”
Huj’pa’ul looked at Seth with what must have been the Shirka equivalent of disdain and shock rolled together. “Captain, I would never lead you away from battle. I am helping you up so you can get back in the fight and die with honor.”
“Die?! Are we losing that badly?” Seth knew his vision was blurry but he didn’t think things were that bad for their side.
“No, we will win this fight. But you cannot hope to keep fighting and stay alive in your current condition.” She walked Seth over to the fallen warrior, pulled Seth’s knife from the fallen enemy’s back and placed it in Seth’s hand. “Come, there is a weakened warrior over here. You will fight him to the death.”
Seth was only beginning to realize just how out of it he was when he couldn’t physically resist Huj’pa’ul’s ushering. He was thankful when First Son appeared out of nowhere and stopped her.
“Our ways are not theirs. Take him to safety and then rejoin the battle.”
“But First Son,” she sputtered, “he has asked me to not take him from the fight.”
“That is because he has been hit so hard that his head thinks less than yours done when you are around Weh’op’gar.” He laughed at her.
Huj’pa’ul growled at the teasing but did not protest any further. “I will protect him, First Son.” She then left the fight with Seth slung over her shoulder.
Seth came to sometime later, though he wasn’t sure how much time had passed. “Mike.” He barely got out as he sat up. “I don’t remember bringing any bedding with me on this mission.” Seth was confused as he moved his hands around his body and felt the blankets and pillows around him.
“That’s not bedding, sir.” Joker laughed. “Several of the cubs took a real liking to you after you saved them from a warrior. They have refused to leave your side while you’ve been unconscious.”
“Save them?” Seth was now able to focus a little bit better. He looked down into the eyes of the cubs all around him.
He felt kind of bad for thinking of them as dogs—he knew they were highly intelligent and sentient beings—but at this stage of their development, they looked exactly like several of the dogs he had had growing up.
“The last thing I remember I was being pulled from the fight after getting what I assume was a concussion.” Seth rubbed his aching head.
“You were being pulled away, by me.” Huj’pa’ul came over and crouched next to him. “You were slung over my back and I carried you. Then you saw a warrior fighting these cubs and killing one of their littermates. Somehow you squirmed away from me like an ishfugna.”
Seth looked to Fang for a translation. “A large slimy fish from a Trizite world.”
“Ah. Thanks. Go on.” Seth drank greedily from his water tube.
“When I turned around, you were already on top of the warrior. You fought well and then collapsed.” Huj’pa’ul was definitely impressed with Seth’s action.
“So what are your names?” Seth addressed the cubs. One of them cocked his head and whimpered.
Fang came over to Seth. “They do not have full language abilities yet. They understand the native Shirka tongue, though they cannot speak it. They do not understand human basic at all and they have no idea what you are saying. They can understand your tone of voice, but not the content of your words.”
“Okay. Can I pet them?”
“They are not pets.” Fang growled before adding, “Sir. But they are affectionate as all Shirka are and enjoy being close with their littermates or others they bring into their pack.”
“Shirkas are affectionate?” Joker couldn’t keep a straight face. “Yeah, you’re just one big cuddle monster, aren’t you?”
Seth ignored the two and pet the cubs. They were very affectionate and happy that Seth was now awake. After a few minutes of getting to know his new friends, Seth decided it was time to try standing up.
As he stood, he asked Joker, “Where’s Mike?”
“He’s over there with Father.” Joker pointed to where Reaper could be seen crouching over the Shirka leader.
“How bad is he?”
“Bad.”
“Why didn’t you get me up sooner?”
“Surgeon ordered us not to. Besides, Reaper said you really needed to rest so the brain swelling would go down. And brain swelling is not something to mess with, ya know what I’m saying? Sir.”
“Who else?”
“From our team, just Smoke. From their pack, the two nephews and one cousin. Ultimately, Father also.”
“Copy that.” Seth was shaky on his feet but three of his cub friends did their best to help support him. “If it hasn’t already been done, I need you to get an equipment and supply update from everyone. I need to know what assets we still have and how much of our expendables are left.”
“Yes sir.” Joker shoved the rest of his half-eaten ration bar into his mouth and then set out on his given task.
Seth finally made it to where Father lied on the ground, with his head and shoulders slightly propped up against a tree. Reaper had already wrapped the wounds he could and had nothing left to do other than to wait by his patient’s side and be with him at the end. Mike talked with Father, listening to and telling war stories of missions past.
“You’re awake.” Mike turned to Seth.
“Sort of. My head is still…” Seth couldn’t think of the best way to describe it. “Muffled? I’m not sure if I’m so dazed I can’t think of the right word or if there’s just no way to describe what I’m feeling.”
Reaper motioned for Seth to sit down next to him and Father. “Let me take a look at you. I also need to give you another dose of meds for your concussion.”
Seth nodded his consent to Reaper as he leaned over Father. “It has been an honor to hunt with you, Father.”
“Thank you, human.” Father coughed blood and wheezed in a breath of air. “My pack has learned much from working with yours. I hope you feel the same.”
“I do, without a doubt.” Seth wasn’t sure whether holding Father’s hand was acceptable in Shirka culture, but Fang had just said they were a very affectionate species. Seth held Father’s massive clawed paw in both of his hands. “I will tell stories of our hunt and your braveness in battle.”
Father looked sternly at Seth. “You will speak of my family’s sacrifice and honor, of how my nephews and cousin died well. A Father’s honor springs from the deeds of his pack, not of his own.”
“I understand.” Seth smiled and added, “But you did kick some major ass out there.”
Father’s lips snarled and showed most of his huge teeth. “I did indeed.” Father’s eyes rolled back and his body shook with several rattling coughs. “I am done; my story is told. Now you, Seth, now you are Father. Take our packs and become one. Do you hear me, First Son?”
Seth thought the dying Shirka was delusional but then he heard and saw First Son drop to the ground from the tree above them. He had been there the entire time, looking after his father and pack master.
“I do, Father.” First Son took his Father’s other hand and placed it on the side of his own face. “I love you more than my own honor.”
Father’s arm went slack and Seth could feel Father’s death in the hand that he held. Seth stood and watched as each of the remaining Shirka walked by Father and gave their last respects. Each one knelt and put their cheek next to Father’s and whispered something into his ear.
Seth walked over to First Son. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“I thank you. He was a good man, a great father, and an even better pack master.” First Son looked directly at Seth. “Now Father, what would you have us do?”
“First off, I am also sorry that he named me Father of the pack and not you.”
“Do not be. I am not offended at all.” First Son pu
t his hand on Seth’s shoulder. “We talked while you were still unconscious. The last battle made Father realize that we needed to make our packs become one for this mission to succeed.
“Father had hunted with humans many times before, and so he was able to make our packs work together based on what he knew of your species and your abilities. The rest of our family has had very little experience with humans and we would not work as well with your team as he did.”
Seth and First Son now walked together as they spoke. “Father thought our united packs would work better together with a human in charge, a human with a first sergeant who has had many hunts with Shirkas.”
“Mike.”
“Yes, Mike.” First Son paused a moment. “I believe you humans have a phrase—a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”
“And you think we are the weakest link?” Seth was getting the feeling he was being talked down to.
“Not as soldiers, no.” First Son tried to choose his words wisely. “As a species, you cannot deny that humans are physically inferior to Shirkas.”
“I’ll concede that point.”
“As hunters, you are also inferior.”
Seth didn’t like it but he had to nod in affirmation to that statement as well.
“As a species, though, we are no better than you are. And there are many soldiering things that humans are better at than we are.”
“Such as?” Seth needed to hear something positive from First Son to cancel out what he was feeling about the negative comments so far.
“We do not employ snipers in our militia. We shoot well in close-quarters combat, but not in sniper roles. Most of our fighting abilities are tied directly to our heightened senses. If we cannot feel, smell, and hear our enemy, we do not fight as well as you do.”
“Okay, that’s one thing we do better. So why am I, the weakest link, in charge of the pack now?”
First Son was frustrated. “Our words are not the same. Our intentions are not the same. I am not trying to offend you. I am finding it difficult to tell you my thoughts so you can understand without losing honor.”
Seth took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s start over. No offense taken and no honor lost. Speak to me as your own brother.”
First Son growled something and then said, “A Shirka plan to attack the warriors would not work with humans by our side because you cannot do what we do. You cannot run through the trees, you cannot smell your enemy in darkness, you cannot hide in the open.”
“Agreed.”
“Good. However, a Shirka can follow any plan that is made for humans. We must follow your lead because you cannot follow ours.”
Seth mulled this over for a moment. “I understand and no offense is taken. I will, however, be relying on you to give me suggestions on how I can best use the Shirkas in my plan. If we don’t use your abilities to their fullest, we will be hurting ourselves in the long run.”
“Agreed.” First Son slapped Seth on the shoulder for emphasis.
With First Son’s help, Seth set up a perimeter watch schedule for the evening. Seth wanted to move out at first light and make it to the enemy camp by nightfall. They would take a few hours of rest before beginning their assault.
Seth still hadn’t been able to raise Davies or Boddie on the sniper team and hoped that it was just a communications issue or purposeful radio silence on the snipers’ part. If the team was in place, Seth would include them into his plans when they finally made contact. But for now, Seth had to leave the sniper element out of his mission planning in case the worst happened: Davies and Boddie were dead and unable to join in the fight.
Seth, Mike, First Son, and Mother sat around the campfire and finalized their assault plans. Seth still had his entourage of four Shirka cubs with him. They played and nipped at one another near Seth and took turns sitting with him. They made sure that one of them was always by his side.
Mother just laughed at Seth. “I did not take you for the motherly type.”
“What can I say, animals love me.” Seth hoped his joke hadn’t crossed any lines and was happy when First Son and Mother looked at each other before they laughed heartily.
“I like you.” Mother growled. “With your permission, I would like to send your cubs on an errand.”
“Sure.” Seth really didn’t think of them as his cubs, but something in Shirka custom might make them his because of their fight together. “What do you need of them?”
“I am going to send them out into the forest to gather more cubs. They were very useful in the battle today. There are probably between one hundred and two hundred cubs close by that could come to our aid.”
“I can’t allow that.” Seth answered without even thinking. “They are children, not soldiers. Almost half of the cubs that helped us today were killed.”
First Son put his hand on his mother’s leg to stop her from answering. “Brother, our cubs are warriors from the moment they claw and chew their way out of their birthing sacks. They are natural hunters and eager to prove themselves and become strong.
“This is their birthing planet and they would do anything to protect it. We are not human and you are not Shirka. I do not expect you to understand our culture in its entirety in this briefest of moments we have shared. But I do want you to trust us when we tell you that this is our way and there is no dishonor in asking for our cubs’ help. Their parents will be filled with joy when they find out what their cubs were a part of.”
“Even the parents of the multitude of dead cubs?”
“Yes, even them. More so even.”
Mother leaned forward. “In my life, I have left three birthing sacks in the forest. I have left twenty-seven cubs and come home with a total of twelve children between the three sacks. I am proud of those who fought their hardest but still did not make it. But if I were able to choose how my cubs died, I would rather they die in a battle against warrior enemies rather than to become a meal for a stronger predator. Every Shirka mother in the universe would tell you the same thing.”
Seth looked at the cubs, who were now lying near and on him and knew he had already become attached to them. But this wasn’t his species and it wasn’t his culture. Seth knew he had to trust his allies, his pack, to tell him what was best for their own kind.
“Okay.” Seth sighed. “But tell these four to come back to us and fight with our pack. They already have roles in our plan and I don’t want to have to explain it to other cubs who haven’t had the experience of fighting against the warriors yet.”
Mother called the cubs to her and gathered them in a huddle. Seth could see their tails wag and bodies shiver with excitement as she gave them their instructions. The tails would eventually be absorbed into their spinal column as they grew another three to five feet taller, but for now, they wagged with happiness.
Each of the cubs walked by Seth and rubbed their head on him before they left the camp. One female in particular paused a bit longer than the rest and waited for Seth to rub her head and neck before she left with her littermates.
Seth turned back to Mother. “Do you really think there are two hundred cubs in this area? I haven’t seen any sign of them.”
“You are thinking in human terms when you think of this area.” Mother gestured with both arms outstretched to the forest. “This area I speak of is roughly two hundred square kilometers.”
“How will they cover that entire area and still meet with us tomorrow?” Mike had finally joined the conversation.
“They do not have to cover the entire area. Their voices will be heard and passed on to others, who will pass on the message again and again. They will do this until there are no more cubs to hear the message or their time has run out. They were told to pass along our request for help and to meet us near the waterfall tomorrow evening.”
Seth stood. “I don’t think there is anything left for us to discuss tonight. I’m going to see Reaper before I hit the sack.” He turned to Mike. “I’m also going to have Reaper do an in
dividual check on every operator tonight. Just to be sure no one picked up an injury they are trying to work through.”
“That’s a good idea.” Mike stood and stretched. “I’ll make sure the men don’t rack out before they get checked. Good night, Father.” Mike gave Seth a lopsided grin.
“That better not stick after this mission.” Seth jabbed his finger into Mike’s chest.
The next day started early, before sunrise. The now joined pack headed out into the forest, eager to make the journey to their final objective.
The pack was almost to their final waypoint when they found a single warrior by the river. Seth viewed the warrior through binoculars and relayed the image to his teammates who wore visors.
The warrior sat on a log; he held a flower in one hand and some sort of fruit in the other. The warrior ate the fruit while he turned the flower around between his fingers and looked at every aspect of it.
“What in the worlds is he doing?” Seth whispered.
“I don’t know. We haven’t seen this kind of behavior in the warriors before.” Surgeon had pulled out his binoculars and watched the scene from a different angle. “He is armed, though. There is a plasma rifle leaning up against the tree, near his left leg.”
“Good to know. I can’t see that from my vantage point.” Seth lowered his binoculars and thought for a moment. “Do you think we should attempt contact with him?”
There was silence for longer than Seth had expected there would be. Joker was the first to break it. “I understand why you’re putting the question forward, sir, but no, I don’t think we should. Even if we are seeing aberrant behavior in this warrior, that doesn’t mean he’s any less dedicated to his empire than his non-flower-smelling compatriots.”
“I agree with Joker.” Surgeon chimed in. “If this were a different mission, and we could risk being detected, then I would say yes. But we need to win this planet and let the warriors know that their grocery store is closed. The potential supply line of food from this planet is too important to let them get a foothold here.”
Seth put his binoculars back to his face. “Agreed. Who’s in place to take him out quietly?”