The Tactics of Revenge thc-4

by T. R. Harris

  Sherri lowered her arms, a look of defeat in her posture. Adam looked downriver and saw two of the tracked vehicles begin to plow their way upriver in his direction, while two more drones were zipping his way, just above the trees.

  “Go!” he cried out again.

  Reluctantly, Sherri turned and climbed up the shallow bank. At the tree line, she turned and looked back at him. Adam stood up and waved. Sherri lifted her arm and returned a feeble wave. Then she turned and disappeared into the jungle. Adam let out a sigh, standing for a second looking at the point across the river. He really hoped that wouldn’t be the last he ever saw of Sherri Valentine.

  Chapter 22

  Firming his resolved, Adam ducked into the vegetation, gripping the flash rifle tighter as he did so. He had to give Sherri enough time to get clear. Once the Juireans picked up his scent, they would concentrate all their efforts in this direction, allowing her time to escape. How he would elude the Juireans and their machines long enough for him to make it to the spaceport — of that he had no idea. He also had no false illusions that the drones wouldn’t be able to take him out from the air. Depending on what level the drone’s flash rifles were set at, it may take a shot or two to kill him, but it was perfectly feasible that that could happen.

  Hopefully, his heat signature would be programmed into the Juirean computers by now; if the Juireans planned on taking him alive, then they could direct the drones just to track him through the jungle without firing on him. Yet from the Juirean actions so far, they didn’t seem too opposed to simply killing him. With so many forces aligned against him, his only chance at survival may be to let the Juireans capture him; then he might be able to escape at some future date. He had done it before. But to be blasted from the air — that would suck.

  Adam moved back toward the river, skirting the shore just inside the tree line, heading for the Juireans. The drones buzzed past, but over the jungle, moving further from the river. The Juireans figured he’d move away from their position, rather than toward them, but this might be the only way he could save his life.

  Within a few minutes, the tanks were nearly upon him, and Adam could see there were troops moving along behind them in the path cleared by the tracks. He moved into the jungle, allowing one of the towering and noisy vehicles to pass by. But then a drone appeared above him. He dove to his right, just as a powerful blast struck the ground to his left.

  So much for surrendering. He rolled on his back and fired into the air, striking the drone.

  Immediately, he heard shouting, as a dozen armed troops moved in his direction. He fired again, hitting one of the Rigorians in the chest. But then bolts began to splash all around him. He tumbled into the palms and vines — just as he was hit. The bolt struck his right calf, sending him to the ground with a spasm of pain. He groaned loudly, lying on his back, cradling the flash rifle on his chest. He fired again, missing this time. But then another bolt hit his left shoulder, and the pain was unbearable. These were flash rifle bolts, not the lower-intensity shots from the MK’s.

  Adam felt himself losing consciousness, barely noticing when several creatures descended upon him, pulling the rifle from his weakened grip. The pain was gone now, replaced with an almost heavenly feeling of peace. His eyes fluttered and then closed, bringing to him such a sense of relief that it left a slight trace of a smile on his blood-splattered face.

  Senior Guard Jydle Ga Liplun pushed his way through the crowd of creatures surrounding the body. Once the others realized who he was, they separated, allowing him an unobstructed view. The Human was lying on his back, covered in blood, with a peaceful-looking expression on his face. A medical Nuvilian was huddled over the body; he looked up when Jydle came near.

  “He is still alive; why I do not know,” the Nuvilian said.

  Jydle lifted a datapad from his satchel and pulled up an image. He compared it with that of the unconscious Human. It’s him — and he’s alive!

  Jydle turned away and used the datapad to open a link to his ship. “Let the Overlord know that we have Adam Cain,” he said when another Juirean came on the screen. “He is alive but injured. Send the report.”

  The Juirean looked back at the Human. You don’t look all that impressive, Human, not to have caused all this concern, the Juirean Guard thought, addressing the body. Jydle had captured the so-called super-being. Now it would be up to others to have their way with him.

  Chapter 23

  Sherri had made her way southward, following the course of the river, moving closer to the Juirean location. She knew Adam would have expected her to go west, toward the town, and make her way to the spaceport. But she couldn’t do that, at least not right now.

  From her vantage point on the opposite side of the river, she had witnessed the effects of the brief battle between Adam and the Juirean forces. It had made her mad that her instincts had been right: Adam wasn’t about to run from his pursuers. Instead he would try to give her time enough to get away and to bring the search to an end.

  She had seen the flash bolts strike the two drones, as well as the sounds of battle from within the jungle, and then everything had gone quiet. There had been dozens of creatures amassed against him, so even Adam Cain was outmatched. She fought back tears. The odds were she had just witnessed the death of her friend — her best friend in the entire universe.

  This also meant she was now alone on the planet Hyben. Adam had been such a strong rock in her life for the past year that it was now hard to imagine him not being there anymore.

  There was still a lot of activity across the river, but the drones had ceased flying. She should be safe for now; after all, it was Adam Cain who was the big prize, not her. She doubted the Juireans even knew her name.

  It was about mid-day on Hyben and Sherri had the rest of the day and night to make it out of the jungle and across the town to the spaceport. The distance wasn’t the problem. Whether she could make it there without drawing attention to herself was the real question.

  Reluctantly, Sherri turned back into the jungle, separating the covering vines and leaves as she went. The jungle had become a blanket of sorts for her over the past five days. She steadied her emotions as she trudged along. So many terrible things had happened to her — and to her race — over the past few years. And the battle was continuing. It was time for her to get back into the fight.

  Sherri left the jungle just on the west side of the massive Hyben shipyards. Through a combination of frequent rain showers and sweat, most of the caked-on mud had washed off of her, but still, she was a mess. Her hair felt like a stiff, brown cap on her head, and her tunic was stained and torn in so many places to be almost non-functional. Looking like this, it would be impossible for her to pass through the town without attracting attention.

  She moved along the fence line next to the yards until she came to a neighborhood of Hyben mounds. There were a few of the natives about, so she ducked behind the mounds as best she could to keep from being noticed. Still, a few of the Hyben did see her, but the normally timid creatures did their best not to make eye contact with the disgusting-looking alien.

  This couldn’t go on; she still had a dozen kilometers to cover. Sooner or later one of the natives would call the Mulinni to report the suspicious alien in their neighborhood.

  A small male Hyben opened the door to his chamber and disappeared inside. Sherri moved quickly toward the door and tried the handle. It was unlocked; apparently Hyben did not feel the need for security. After today, he may rethink this belief.

  Sherri slipped inside and came face-to-face with the shocked alien.

  “Who are you? You do not belong here,” the Hyben protested. He unfurled his back plates to show his full size, a move meant to intimidate the much smaller Human.

  Rather than being scared, Sherri whipped out her blade and extended out to its full length. She brandished the sword in the face of the Hyben.

  “All I need are your clothes,” she said. The Hyben stepped backwards as his mouth for
med the circle she had come to recognize as the look of shock.

  “My clothes? Why?”

  Sherri waved her left hand down her body. “I can’t go to town looking like this, now can I? Do a girl a favor and help me out.”

  “I will not-”

  Sherri stuck the blade up under the Hyben’s pointy chin. “Don’t make me hurt you. I’m tired, filthy and in a shitty mood. Just take off your clothes.”

  After a brief moment of silence, the Hyben removed his robe and passed it over to her. He used his forearms to cover his lower torso. Sherri grinned.

  “Don’t be modest,” she said. “You’ve got a great body. I can barely keep my hands off of you.”

  The Hyben’s head began to vibrate, confused.

  Sherri slipped the clean tan robe over her shoulders and pulled the hood over her head. The robe was still way too long for her and would trail after her like a cape as she walked. She would have to cut the bottom off with the sword.

  She looked up at the tall Hyben. “I don’t suppose you’ll just let me go quietly and not call the authorities?”

  “You have stolen from me, and have entered my chambers uninvited. I have no choice”

  “So you’re saying the only way I can keep you quiet is to kill you? Is that what you’re saying?”

  Again, the alien’s head began to vibrate. “No! No! That is not what I’m saying! I can remain quiet. It is only a robe, and it looks as if you could use it more than me. Consider it a gift.”

  Sherri grinned again. “That’s better. I knew we could come to an accommodation.”

  Sherri moved to the doorway and slipped outside. She scurried around to the back of the mound and used the sharp edges of the sword to cut away the bottom meter of the robe. That was much better. Now she could move quicker through the town and not attract attention. She knew the Hyben would eventually call the authorities, but having just spent five days and nights living with a native, she knew it would take several hours before he would build up the courage to do so. By then she should be at the spaceport.

  Kaylor should have no problem landing the Exitor. With the search for the assassin Adam Cain now concluded, all travel restrictions on and off the planet should be lifted. With a renewed spring in her step, Sherri began to jog quickly through the Hyben neighborhood.

  Here she was, just your average Human girl, out for a late-afternoon jog on an alien world, two-thousand light years from Earth- just another day in the life of Sherri Valentine.

  Chapter 24

  Sherri spent the warm night huddled in a metal trash dumpster just outside the massive spaceport. Her stomach was growling and she was weak from hunger. She had drank some water earlier the prior evening, but could not risk eating any of the native food, not without cooking it — which apparently wasn’t that popular of a practice on Hyben. So she suffered, for a little while longer, now watching the sky for the distinctive outline of Kaylor’s Exitor-class spaceship on its approach for a planetary landing.

  With the ban on landings and takeoffs now lifted, the spaceport was exceptionally busy. Five days without interplanetary traffic was crippling for the Hyben economy, already suffering from the effects of the Human-Juirean war. So it wasn’t until early afternoon before Sherri saw the Exitor make its landing at the spaceport. She was at the rear loading ramp almost before the chemical engines cut off.

  However, what she saw first, as the door to the loading bay opened, surprised her almost to tears.

  There, standing next to the pale alien with the inch-long appendages dangling from under his ears, was Riyad Tarazi and Andy Tobias. Sherri ran into Riyad’s arms and hugged him forcefully, and then pulled Tobias into her grasp.

  “I’m so glad to see the two of you!” she said as tears flowed down her cheeks. Then she turned to Kaylor. “You too, Kaylor, of course. Thank you so much for coming to get me.”

  Kaylor bobbed his head at Sherri, who released the other two Humans and stood back a step. “What are you doing here? I thought you were over on Saczen Four.”

  “We came here as soon as Kaylor let us know about the two of you being stranded,” said Lt. Andy Tobias, U.S. Navy SEALs. “Thought we could help.”

  An incredible feeling of sadness overcame Sherri, and the tears flowed even freer now. “Oh, God, Adam didn’t make it.” Her voice trembled as she spoke.

  Riyad put his arm around Sherri and led her into the loading bay of the ship, while Kaylor shut the heavy metal door behind them. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, my pet,” he said with a broad smile. Sherri locked a laser gaze on his dark-featured and bearded face.

  “What do you mean-?”

  “He’s alive. It’s all over the local broadcasts. He’s been captured, but he is alive. The Juireans are making a big deal about catching the terrorist Adam Cain. It’s a big propaganda coup for them.”

  “Is he all right? Has he been hurt?”

  “They had some pictures of him,” Tobias spoke up, more serious this time. “He’s injured, but being taken care of. I think they want to keep him alive long enough so they can make a big spectacle out of his execution.”

  “What? When?”

  “They haven’t said. Apparently, they’re taking him all the way to Juir.”

  Sherri rushed past the three males, heading for the pilothouse. “Then we have time to get him,” she said, panic in her voice. The men followed after her.

  “Yes, we do,” Riyad called after her. “But we must have a plan first. He’s apparently aboard Juirean Class-3. With Kaylor’s ship and mine, we are no match for them.”

  “I don’t care! We have to do something!”

  Tobias caught up with her and grabbed her arm, spinning her toward him. “Relax, Sherri. We’ll get him back. But Riyad’s right, we need a plan.” His eyes were serious as they bore into hers. “The trip to Juir will take five months. We have time, but first things first. We have to get off of Hyben and muster our forces. Chill out!”

  Sherri was stunned back into reality. Tobias was right, of course. She was working on adrenalin and pure emotion. Yet when she did stop for a moment and look at the others around her, her legs suddenly grew weak and her eyes fluttered. A moment later, Sherri had collapsed into Tobias’s arms, unconscious.

  Andy Tobias easily lifted Sherri in his arms and carried her to the nearest stateroom. She looked emaciated, was unbelievable filthy and smelled like yak squeeze. If he had the proper medical supplies aboard the Exitor, he would have started an IV and got some liquid nourishment inside her as she slept. Instead he simply laid her on the bed. He would let her sleep for a while, and then they would work on getting her back into shape.

  He shut the door to the stateroom and met Riyad in the corridor. “Damn, she stinks.” Tobias said.

  “You are so right, my friend, but don’t let her hear you say that. I thought the aliens smelled bad, but she — as you say — takes the cake.”

  Tobias just nodded, before he saw the amused look on Kaylor’s face. For far too long he and Jym had been the brunt of the Human’s jokes about alien odor. “I know what you’re thinking,” Tobias said to Kaylor. “But she’ll clean up.”

  Kaylor bobbed his head. “If you only knew what Humans smell like to us, you would not be so flippant with your remarks.”

  All three of them smiled, as Tobias put his arm around Kaylor’s shoulder. They headed for the pilothouse, where Jym was waiting to lift the ship off the planet Hyben. Riyad’s ship was waiting for them in orbit. They had a lot of planning to do if they expected to get Adam back from the Juireans.

  Chapter 25

  For thirty-four days the Human fleet pursued the fleeing Juireans. Although fast for their size, the Klin Fleet Vessels (KFV’s) could barely keep up with the Juirean Class-4’s and -5’s in full gravity drive. The Juireans were getting away.

  So it was with surprise — as well as confirmation of their suspicions — that the Humans saw the Juireans begin to slow and reform their battle lines.

  The call
went out to the Fleet to prepare for engagement. This time they would use all their forces, which now numbered eight-hundred fifty-two ships, not counting those that had remained in the Fringe to mop up the remaining Juirean-loyal forces and the twenty-five that had been destroyed on Melfora Lum.

  Word had spread quickly throughout the Fleet regarding the nuclear explosion on Melfora Lum, and the annihilation of the Marine Force Alpha at Hi’Jea. Over a million Melforeans had also died during the explosion, which just showed how cruel and heartless the Juireans could be. Even though the Human High Command had devised a plan to lure the Juireans into a false sense of security regarding the coming space battles, the destruction of General Taggert’s forces meant that the Juireans were also capable of doing the totally unexpected. This reality had brought a somber atmosphere over the entire Fleet. The war with the Juireans was now in full gear, and the enemy was proving to be quiet a formidable and ruthless opponent.

  The Human forces tore into the Juirean lines with a renewed ferocity, aimed at avenging the deaths of the Marines. The Juireans suffered far more losses in the first few minutes of the engagement than they had during their prior meeting with the Humans. KFV’s whipped between the Juireans lines, laying barrage after barrage into their diffusion screens, overloading them. And then other Human units would lay more bolts into the weakened areas of the shields until their shots impacted the metal hulls themselves. The next runs sent bolts through the hulls and into the ship’s interiors, resulting in massive explosions from within. Twenty-one Juirean ships exploded into vapor within minutes.

  Although only a handful of the commanders knew of the master plan for the battle, the actual Human casualties were not all that bad, with only five ships lost and seventeen damaged but repairable. Without the damage suffered in the planetary rings or the asteroid field, the Humans came out of this conflict relatively unscathed — before the Juireans bolted away again.