Hunter's Home: Hunter's Saga Books 1-3

by Art DeForest

  A huge plume of dust seem to be issuing from exhaust ports back by the engines. “There’s the source of that dust cloud I’ve been seeing.” He surmised. Tearing his eyes away from the immense craft, he began scanning the area for other indications of activity. He started be panning his scope slowly down the top of the opposite side of the canyon and ending where it dropped off to the valley floor. He continued to search that side of the canyon until he was reasonably sure it was clear of sensors looking down into the canyon. He was amazed once again that people with such advanced technology seemed so inept at using it effectively. As a matter of fact the only sensor defenses he did spot were in the bottom of the canyon and seemed to be facing out of the mouth towards the valley, It was almost like they thought they were in a city and the canyon walls were buildings with the canyon floor being a thoroughfare. They didn’t seem to give much consideration to someone approaching from say, where Alex and his team were approaching from now.

  He motioned for the Lieutenant and Private Owens to join him. He enjoyed the shocked expressions on their faces as they took in the sight. “I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get close enough to overhear any intel ma’am.” Said Owens. “We’d have to actually sneak on board I think.” He continued. Lieutenant Cooper studied the scene before her as she considered their next move. “Mr. Hunter, I want you to find a good position near here that will enable you to watch the comings and goings out of that large hatch as well as being able to cover us as we get closer. Owens, you and I will investigate the far side of the craft and try to determine what the purpose of that large dust cloud is. Hopefully we can at least determine that much.” Alex nodded. “There are a line of sensors between the ship and the valley floor. I’d suggest you make your way a little farther up the canyon before you try to make your descent to the floor. With a nod to each other, Cooper and Owens made their way on up the canyon.

  Alex found an outcropping of rock jutting out from the side of the canyon, not too far away from the spot where he separated from his comrades. It had sufficient brush on it to offer good concealment when bolstered by the camo cover. Rifle resting on his backpack, he kept overwatch on the two soldiers making their way to the canyon floor as well as watching for any movement at the hatch.

  The sun was high in the air before Lieutenant Cooper and Private Owens crept out of sight around the side of the large ship. Not long after they disappeared, Alex heard the rumble of an approaching scout ship. Ducking a little lower into his cover he watched as the scout came up the canyon and settled down on the floor of the canyon not far from the large ship’s hatch. Almost as soon as it touched down Alex saw a small motorized conveyance trundle it’s way down the large ramp carrying what he guessed was two large energy cells in its bed. It also appeared to have some sort of manipulative arm attached to it where the bed and drive compartment met. As it approached the ship a small door at the back of the scout opened and a sliding platform eased out of the hatch holding two energy cells of its own. The unmanned little cart move directly behind the scout and quickly swapped out the energy cells. The spent cells replaced the new cells in its bed and the cart trundled back up the ramp as the engines on the scout spun up for departure.

  The refueling of the scout ship quickly became the highlight of the afternoon. There was no other activity for a long while. Alex’s frustration at the inactivity was evident as he rubbed sweat out of his eyes once again. Scanning the area around the mother ship, Alex thought he saw movement at the base of the far canyon wall. Scrutinizing it closely, he could just make out a camo cover helping to hide someone in a copse of brush. He shook his head in appreciation of the stealth Lieutenant Cooper and Private Owens had shown getting that far. He once again resumed his scan when he started hearing the rumble of an approaching ship. The rumble became louder and louder and soon Alex realized that the sound was from more than one ship.

  ++++

  Colonel Sampson sat on the bridge of the mothership brooding. Things had not gone according to plan on this mission. All his meticulous planning had been repeatedly disrupted by a couple of stray locals. Locals that had an unknown amount of intel on his operation. He was starting to regret the Association’s decision to implement this raid in the first place. After all, they had found irisium deposits on a number of unoccupied worlds as well. Unfortunately they had not been near as large or pure as the one on Plentiful. The Technology Council was sure that this one vein of ore would leap their planned buildup of pulse proof ships ahead by years. The refining of the irisium ore was proving that theory out. Their remote system reconnaissance drone had showed the large vein, but up close inspection had shown the vein to be larger and more pure than anyone in the Association had dared hope. However, the locals running around creating havoc and the absolute need for anonymity at this stage of the build up had conspired to cut short the mining operation by several days. Not they could have mined out all the ore that was there anyway.

  “Colonel,” said his comm officer, interrupting his thoughts. “Incoming message from Scout 1.” Sampson acknowledged the officer with a nod. “Put it through to my station ensign.” Turning back to his console he wordlessly complied. “Sampson to Scout 1, go ahead.” A response came after a brief pause. “Sir we have movement on the road heading in our direction. It appears to be four troop carriers similar to the one that was pulsed. There is also a larger armored vehicle in the lead.” Sampson sighed in resignation. “Give me the all hands channel, comm.” Once he got the nod from his communicator, his voice reached out to his entire command. “This is Colonel Sampson. Pull back all the ships to the mother ship, shutdown all refining operations and prepare for pulse and departure. Local troops incoming. Repeat, local troops incoming.” Acknowledgment of the order started coming in, all except Alvarez in Scout 2. Sampson was just about to call again when Alvarez’s voice came over the communicator. Scout 2 inbound with two prisoners. I say again. Inbound with two prisoners.

  ++++

  Alex knew something was up when the dust started billowing out of the mother ship just as the scout ships and the assault shuttle came in for rapid fire landings inside of her. He was starting to think the show was over when the last scout ship entered the canyon and headed for rendezvous with its mates.Being the last one in, the ship was packed in near the hatch. Alex was amazed they had all fit.

  He watched through his scope as the troop hatch slowly started descending. A large man with a lot of silver walked up to meet whoever was about to come out. Looking more closely at the silver bedecked man, he recognized him as the commander from the assault shuttle. The one who had destroyed his home.

  As he continued to watch the scene unfold, two soldiers descended the ramp from the scout ship and took up positions at the corners. The sight of who came down next shocked Alex to his very core and his hand automatically reached up and jacked a round into his rifle. Keisha was escorted down the ramp by the soldier who had called out for their surrender that night that seemed like forever ago. As Alex continued to watch, three more soldiers started down the ramp, flanking Private Williams.

  The killer started to once more shine out of Alex’s eyes when he saw Keisha pushed roughly to the ground at the bottom of the ramp. The waiting officer reached down to pull Keisha up by the arm, a stern look on his face. She allowed the man to aid her into a standing position. Then promptly kneed him in the groin as hard as she could. He immediately collapsed into a fetal position and before anyone could recover from their shock, Keisha was sprinting down the ramp towards freedom, head low and arms pumping with exertion. The man who had thrown her to the ground recovered quickly and started to pursue her, a look of pure hatred on his face.

  Taking advantage of the distraction, Private Williams sent a stunning elbow into one of the soldiers beside him while simultaneously kicking the soldier on the opposite side in the knee. The knee made a wet crunching noise as the man screamed and collapsed. Williams meanwhile made a grab for the elbowed soldiers assault rifle.

&nbs
p; Alex’s instincts took over as he watched Keisha flee for her life. He lined up the crosshairs on the invader sprinting behind her. BOOM! The sound of his shot ricocheted off the canyon walls as the soldier’s sprint became a stumbling sprawl and roll that ended at the base of the ramp.

  Upon reaching the bottom of the large ramp, Keisha turned sharply and continued her desperate flight into the brush on the far side of the canyon from Alex’s position. A three round burst from an assault rifle chewed into the dirt where she had been standing milliseconds before. Looking back up the ramp, Alex saw one soldier with his rifle raised trying to reacquire his target. Boom!

  Looking through his scope after his shot, Alex could see the officer still laying on the ground looked on, stunned at the collapsed form of the soldier only a couple of meters away. Reaching up to something on his chest he began speaking urgently. Seeing the man reach for a communicator instead of his sidearm, Alex panned back down the ramp to make sure Keisha was safe.

  Williams wrested the assault rifle quickly from his disoriented opponent. Raising the weapon quickly, he stitched a burst of slugs through the his captors before beginning his own race for freedom. The lone remaining armed soldier from the scout ship brought his rifle up and put his sights on the fleeing private.

  Alex was so busy making sure Keisha made it to cover that he didn’t see what was happening at the top of the ramp. Fortunately help came from an unexpected quarter. Throwing off his camo cover, Private Murdoch raised his pistol and started firing at the soldier lining up to kill his friend. Bullets sparked off the ramp as his first shots went low, causing the invader to roll to the side.

  Seeing Murdoch’s entry into the fray, Alex swung his rifle once more up to the entry. BOOM! The soldier, just coming to his feet after his evasion, jerked at the impact and crumpled to the deck. Alex released an explosive breath as the last man went down. His relief was short lived however as more soldiers began to approach from deeper in the flight deck.

  ++++

  “Man down! Man down! We are under assault at the landing deck entry, multiple shooters!” Shouted Commander Walsh through the all hands channel. He was still on the ground trying to recover from the vicious attack of the prisoner. Adrenaline dulled his pain however as his survival instincts kicked in and he scurried to the side.

  Colonel Sampson’s panicked voice came from Walsh’s communicator as he took refuge behind the refueling drone. “What’s happening down there commander! Report!” He screamed into the communicator. “Sir, a contingent of locals is attempting to rescue the prisoners. There are at least three shooters. The prisoners are free and hiding in the brush outside the ship.” Walsh paused as he looked briefly around the flight deck. I have reinforcements coming up now. We can attempt to recapture the prisoners.” He continued. “The prisoners are irrelevant at this point commander.” Came the shaky voice of the colonel. “ Are all the men inside the mother ship?” He asked. “No sir.” Came Walsh’s quick reply. “Sergeant Alvarez was shot while trying to apprehend one of the prisoners. He is lying at the base of the flight deck hatch. Unknown if he is alive or dead.”

  “Alive or dead, we need him retrieved commander. We have no idea what information the locals will be able to glean from him or his corpse.” Walsh once again looked over the situation. Peeking out from around the refueling cart to the ground below, he could see no sign of the prisoners or their rescuers. The firing from both sides had stopped and an eerie silence fell over the tableau. “Yes sir.” Replied Walsh, glad he wouldn’t be forced to leave a man behind. “Hurry Commander. Lift off in two minutes.”

  ++++

  Alex continued to watch the invaders at the top of the ramp. None of them were shooting at his friends, so he had no reason to keep killing them. The ruthless killer that came into existence when his mother was shot down in front of him howled for revenge, but Alex shoved that part of himself down deep inside. To kill in defense of your planet or to protect your loved ones was one thing. Killing for revenge just made you a murderer. His mother had taught him that lesson before he ever picked up a gun.

  As he continued to watch, Alex saw a phalanx of invaders start down the ramp. Their assault rifles scanned at all angles, but they weren’t shooting. They seemed to be headed for their fallen comrade at the base of the ramp. Alex let them do their duty.

  He thought he was going to have to start killing again when one of the soldiers pointed something out in the brush and began walking towards it. Alex knew that none of his friends were near where the man had pointed, so he held his fire. The man soon returned to his compatriots holding Murdoch’s camo cover. Alex winced, but held his fire. He supposed that they would figure out how he had been hiding so successfully over these past days, but that information didn’t seem worth more lives lost.

  Some of the group of invaders picked up the limp form of the soldier he had shot and carried him back towards the flight deck. The rest of the soldiers continued to scan the area for threats.

  A deep rumble started shaking the ground as the soldiers reached their destination. The huge ramp started to ascend. Standing up Commander Walsh scanned the terrain for any sign of the locals. Movement on the distant side of the canyon caught his eye. A young man stood there looking back. A large rifle was held in a competent grip as the two locked eyes. He saw no fear in the young man’s face, quite the opposite in fact. Cold, calm assurance came off him as if to say “I’m ready. Don’t come back.” They kept their eyes locked on one another until the rising hatch blocked them from each other’s view.

  Alex continued to stare at the huge ship as it’s repulsors kicked in and started lifting it straight up into the air. As dust started to kick up, he saw the Lieutenant and Private Owens sprinting down the side of the canyon to avoid the forces being exerted by the craft. Alex started his own trek down to the bottom of the canyon and out towards the mouth.

  He reached the bottom of the canyon and started trekking to the center where he could best try to meet up with his scattered friends. Movement in the brush caused him to stop abruptly. His gun went back over his shoulder as Keisha stepped out of the brush. She was dirty and bruised, but he swore he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. She continued to walk towards him, a fierce expression on her face. Her pace picked up and he started to wonder if he was about to be attacked. She was almost at a full run when she hit him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. As they hit the ground her lips met his, crushing them as all the terror that had built up morphed into a sudden passion. His arms came around her and he returned the kiss with a passion that rivaled her own. After a minute, or maybe it was a lifetime, they parted to catch their collective breath. “You saved me.” She whispered as she looked into his deep blue eyes. No trace of the killer she knew to be inside him was in evidence. “You saved yourself.” He said returning her gaze. “I just helped a little.” He said with a wink.

  “Ahem” came the sound of a cleared voice behind Keisha. She rolled off Alex and they both turned bright red a they both saw Lieutenant Cooper standing in the little clearing they occupied. She wore a stern expression on her face, but one arched eyebrow belied her apparent anger. Owens, Murdoch and Williams were arrayed behind her, all wearing grins.

  Epilogue

  The rocky cairn looked much the same as when he’d left it, although the wild flowers he had planted at its head had taken root and grown a little. He was dressed in regulation militia fatigues. The planetary medal of valor decorating his breast. He hadn’t technically been a member of the militia when the action occurred, but he’d been in the youth program. That and his subsequent enlistment allowed him to receive the military honor.

  Keisha stood next to him in civilian garb, her fingers interlaced with his. She chose to continue her medical training in the planetary capital of Harvest. The ribbon around her neck was the Plentiful Medal of Courage. A civilian honor. She wasn’t too worried about being separated by their different career paths. They were both training in Harvest after all.
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  “So that’s about the size of it mom. Private Ciner was safe and sound when we got back to the homestead. Keisha must have been pretty convincing in telling those soldiers that there were only two of them.” He said, bumping her shoulder with his. A wan smile touched his lips, but there were still tears in her eyes.

  “We got all the captured folks out of the school with no problems. Shooting some of the motion sensors with long range fire was all we needed to open up a gap in the defenses.” His face became a scowl as he thought of what they had found in the school. “Rose and Tyler, Keisha’s aunt and uncle are in a bad way, but the doctors are doing all they can. They’re not sure what caused them to be the way they are. We’ll just have to find out when we catch the bastards.”