Valiant (Jurassic War Universe Book 1)

by Kristoff Chimes

  Glaw relaxed his grip and lowered Dax to the floor.

  Dax broke free and staggered backwards. He collapsed to his knees as he rubbed his aching throat.

  Five marines from Delta squad surrounded the Ursu with all guns aimed at him.

  “I got to know,” said Glaw. “This toy gun of yours...”

  Dax shoved the syringe-gun into the utility belt.

  “It’s special,” Dax said, “but harmless.”

  Glaw snapped two claws together and slapped his thighs.

  “I knew it! I knew it!” Glaw shouted. “You play poker, right, dude? You the high stakes mean-machine, man.”

  Dax’s throat croaked as he glanced over to Van Cleef. “Let her go, Sergeant.”

  Van Cleef clipped a pair of handcuffs around Myf’s wrists. He shoved her away.

  Valkyrie took Van Cleef’s hand and hauled herself up. Gripping her chest she said, “Cuff the Ursu.”

  Delta squad surrounded Glaw. With twenty guns aimed at the Ursu, Van Cleef stepped forward.

  He clamped a pair of magno-bracelets around Glaw’s ankles. Tapping on his hand console, Van Cleef adjusted the magnetic traction on the bracelets.

  “Take a step toward me,” Van Cleef said.

  Glaw shuffled forward as if his feet were wading through concrete.

  Van Cleef nodded. “Hold out your paws,” Van Cleef said.

  Glaw sighed and held out his paws. “Are they non-allergenic?” Glaw asked.

  Van Cleef patted his Xiphos. “I can always chop off your arms if you prefer?” Van Cleef said and closed the cuffs around Glaw’s wrists.

  “Ouch!” Glaw yelled. “These cuffs chafe and I got a sensitive skin condition.”

  “Need some moisturizer?” Van Cleef said.

  “Is it tested on animals?”

  “I’ll just check,” Van Cleef said. He took out his night-stick, ignited it and prodded Glaw between the legs.

  Glaw roared and collapsed to his knees.

  Van Cleef leaned over Glaw. “Consider yourself moisturized, Ursu scuzzball,” Van Cleef said. “Delta squad will be sure to stop by and give you a little extra on behalf of our fallen.”

  “Hey I didn’t ask to be boarded like a common criminal,” Glaw shouted. “I was just minding my own legit business when you hijacked me. I want to make an official complaint. Don’t I get a lawyer or something?”

  Myf shuffled over to Glaw, “Quit your ear-bashing, Glaw,” she said.

  Dax limped over to Valkyrie. “Glad to see you’re OK, Captain.”

  She grimaced. “Sergeant secure the bridge. Begin searching for more crew.”

  “Yes, Captain,” Van Cleef said and began dividing up Delta squad into pairs.

  “I’d like a moment alone with the Ursu,” Dax said to Valkyrie.

  “Get in line, Dax,” Valkyrie said. “We’d all like a minute alone with a Xiphos and that scuzzball.”

  “I need to commence interrogation,” Dax said. “Time’s against us.”

  “You’re not going to enlighten me, are you, Commander?”

  Dax smiled briefly until shooting pains up his neck forced him to share a grimace with Valkyrie.

  Valkyrie shrugged. “I’ve got a ship to lock down and a cargo to itemize,” she said. “You’ve got until I hear from Valiant to play your spy games, Commander.”

  Valkyrie gave Dax a small black box. “This is a prisoner pacifier,” she said. “If he gives you trouble, hit the big red button.”

  Dax stifled a shiver that shot more red hot pain into his neck. “The Lupos use them,” Dax said with disdain. “I won’t need it.”

  All the same, Commander,” Valkyrie said. “Regulations stipulate I give it to you.”

  Dax took the pacifier. “Have Private Thor meet me at the cargo hold,” Dax said.

  The remaining Marines left Dax alone with the Ursu.

  “What do you know about Hermes?” Dax asked.

  “Greek god of flight?” Glaw asked. “Dude had a backstage-pass to hell.”

  “You know Earth mythology?” Dax asked.

  “My people invented half of it,” he said and sneered. “Vikings? Been there, done that. But my specialist knowledge is mid-twentieth century music. Can you say Beach Boys? Got the t-shirt. All I need’s some beach honies, surf’s up and I got me some good vibrations. Know what I mean?”

  Just my luck to get a twentieth century human culture geek.

  Dax let his hand hover over the pacifier. Glaw’s eyes popped wide and he shut up.

  “You were saying?” Dax asked.

  Glaw shook his head.

  “I was speaking of the Earth passenger space cruiser, Hermes,” Dax said.

  “Got nothing for you, buddy,” Glaw said.

  “You got greedy, Ursu,” Dax said.

  “Don’t know what you mean, human?”

  “I’m in the mood to take a walk,” Dax said. “Care to join me?”

  “Where we going?”

  “Your cargo hold.”

  They took an elevator. The doors slid open to a cargo hold about a quarter mile deep. The place was dank, cold, and without lights. Dax found a pocket-light drone on his utility belt. He tossed it in the air.

  The tiny metallic humming bird shaped drone unfolded wings and fluttered away. It stopped to hover one hundred feet above their heads as it shone a halo of blue light into the murky shadows.

  A line of cages appeared along the back wall. Dax felt a waft of dinosaur dung pummel his senses through his shattered visor. Dark shadows pressed themselves against the bars.

  “More pets?” Dax asked.

  “Handled with care, love and respect,” Glaw said, “they make loyal playmates.”

  “Good with kids, huh?” Dax said and shook his head.

  Dax stayed near the entrance and stared up at a mountain of sealed crates. He found a computer port in a wall. He swiped the back of his hand against it and uploaded an Intel-grabber virus to the ship’s system.

  A cargo manifest appeared on the back of his hand. He scrolled through it.

  “You’re hauling coffee beans?” Dax asked.

  “Coffee gets the galaxy up in the morning,” Glaw said.

  The cargo hold doors slid open and two Delta squad marines cautiously entered.

  “Commander,” Thor said as his eyes moved back and forth at the gloom of the cargo hold. “We got a reading of more lifeforms like that T.Rex.”

  “They’re not why we’re here,” Dax said and pointed to the crates. “Open one up.”

  Thor unsheathed his Xiphos, ignited it and split the nearest crate wide open. A fountain of coffee beans gushed out at Dax’s feet.

  Thor and the other marine, Daniels, shared a look of mutual disgust.

  “Commander,” Thor spat, “we lost Alpha and Beta to hunt down a coffee smuggler?”

  “Seems that way,” Dax said.

  “I hope you get a court-martial for this, Commander,” Thor said.

  Dax nodded. “Sooner or later I’m sure Fleet will grant your request,” Dax said and stooped to pick up a handful of coffee beans. He stuck out his tongue and cautiously tasted one.

  Dax jolted. A chemical rush brought tears to his eyes. His hands began to shake. His heart thundered. The marines took on a violet hue and their faces seemed to melt. Dax spat out the bean.

  Damn it, hallucinogenics.

  He glanced at a narrow panel of his visor that the power-armor nano-bots had repaired. He stared at his own holographic image health monitor. His brain flashed red. He forced his eyes to focus and selected a chemical wash for his blood stream.

  He fell to his knees and felt the dusty metallic floor rise up and swallow his arms up to his elbows. He collapsed and felt the floor open up like a wide mouth sucking on his face.

  He felt the antidote wash through his blood stream and filter the toxins from his brain. After another minute he sat up.

  He glanced up at the smiling Ursu. “Ursu coffee?”

  “Triple espresso, industrial
strength. Best in the galaxy.”

  “Hallucinogenic. Outlawed across the galaxy as a narcotic,” Dax said. “This stuff is ruined more lives than the galactic war.”

  “Hey if you’re a light-weight,” Glaw said, “we also do decaf.”

  Dax realized Thor and Daniels were laughing at him. “Wait ‘till Firestorm Grint hears you risked Valiant so you could get a quick fix, Commander,” Thor said.

  He glanced over his shoulder as if to check they were alone. “So Commander,” Thor whispered, “you need a hand completing a full itinerary with Fleet?”

  Dax forced himself not to smile. Keep pulling on the thread of that idea, Thor.

  “You want me to turn a blind eye?” Dax said.

  Thor shrugged. “Who’s to say the Ursu miscounted the number of crates, right Commander?”

  “Or maybe,” Dax said, “I can adjust the number to a more ‘accurate’ count?”

  “Exactly,” Thor said and nodded to Daniels.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Dax watched Glaw’s interest peek, as he leaned in on their conversation.

  Dax nodded. “Or maybe you do your damn job, Private,” Dax said, “and find out what the Ursu is really shipping.”

  Thor and Daniels shrugged.

  Dax reached into the broken crate and shoved his arm deep into the beans.

  The cargo hold doors slid open and Valkyrie ran in. She took one look at the coffee beans and spat.

  “I’ve been monitoring marine conversations,” she said. “I’ll be reporting this fiasco to Grint.”

  Dax felt his fingers brush up against something smooth and metallic. He grabbed the object and pulled it out. He held up a cone shaped object

  Valkyrie’s eyes popped wide. “Thermonuclear rocket propelled grenades,” she said.

  Thor and Daniels raised their weapons at Glaw.

  “You sprinkle these on your morning cornflakes?” Dax said to Glaw.

  Glaw shrugged. “Hey, they’re supposed to be a little extra pick-me-up with my morning coffee,” Glaw said. “Must be a shipping error.”

  “OK, maybe we can do a deal here, human,” Glaw said. “I let you take the coffee and one or two of them firecrackers, and you turn a blind eye to my disappearance.”

  “Fifty percent,” Dax said.

  “Commander, are you insane?” Valkyrie said.

  Dax shot her a dark look and held up the palm of his hand to silence her. “Well, Ursu?” Dax asked.

  “Fifty percent?” Glaw said and rolled his eyes. “You’re slitting the throat of my cubs. I can’t do less than sixty forty.”

  “Seventy five, twenty five,” Dax said. “To me.”

  “Hey, you need to consider shore leave, pal,” Glaw said. “Clearly you are space gaga. On my planet we negotiate up, not down, in favor of the other party, namely me.”

  Dax turned over the grenade in his hand. He set the detonation length on a digital clock to thirty seconds. He flipped off the safety and the countdown began. He held it up for all to see.

  “Commander, what the hell are you doing?” Valkyrie shouted and raised her gun at Dax and stepped forward.

  “Back off, Valkyrie,” Dax said. “You’ll get your share.”

  She hesitated as he held her gaze.

  Come on Valkyrie, get with the program.

  On his Interactive lens he selected a message and sent it to Valkyrie: Play along!

  She nodded and stared at the countdown.

  Twenty five...

  “Here’s the thing, Glaw,” said Dax. “We’re not on Ursu. We’re in USF controlled space. Out here, I’m the man. And my people will testify to the fact that I’m about as space crazy as it gets. Ain’t that right, Captain?”

  Twenty three...

  She nodded. “Commander Dax is the most reckless XO I’ve ever had the misfortune to serve under,” she said.

  Twenty...

  Glaw glanced questioningly at Private Thor.

  Thor glanced at Valkyrie. “Speak your mind, Private,” she said.

  Thor licked his lips. “The commander don’t care who he gets killed,” Thor said. “hell, he sacrificed two thirds of our squads just to board this rust bucket. If he ain’t space gaga, I’m an Ursu’s uncle.”

  Eighteen...

  Valkyrie rolled her neck. “Commander, I think you’ve proved your point.”

  “Go, Captain Valkyrie,” Dax shouted, “or stay and shut up.”

  Sixteen...

  Glaw leaned toward the marines and sniffed.

  “You smell their fear don’t you, Ursu?” Dax asked.

  Fourteen...

  Glaw nodded. “They stink of fear,” Glaw said with contempt. He sniffed Dax.

  “And you don’t smell any on me,” Dax said, “do you?”

  Ten...

  Glaw swallowed hard and shook his head.

  “Want to know why that is, Ursu?” Dax asked.

  Nine...

  “When I want something I stop at nothing,” Dax said. “I was prepared to ghost-warp three entire elite marine squads just to board your vessel.”

  Seven...

  “So when I say I’m now in charge of your gun running business,” Dax said, “how far do you think I won’t go to get what I want?”

  Five...

  Dax’s thumb hovered over the detonator ‘off’ button.

  Glaw let his head drop.

  “I like your style, human,” Glaw said. “Maybe you need to ask your mama if you’re like one quarter Ursu?”

  “Four seconds, Glaw,” Dax said.

  “Yeah that’s it,” Glaw said. “Me and the guys must have been by your mama’s house on our last Earth raiding party.”

  “Three...”

  Glaw sniffed at Dax once more. “Maybe you’re a little scared...”

  “Two...”

  “Seventy five, twenty five to me,” Glaw said.

  “One...”

  Glaw’s eyes bulged. “OK, we got a deal.”

  Dax slammed his thumb against the detonator button. It beeped and reset the countdown before blinking off.

  “What’s your name, human?”

  “Why, you want to put me on your Christmas card list?”

  “Something like that,” Glaw said.

  “All you need to know is deliver the cargo to your destination like we never met.”

  “I hear ya, human,” Glaw said as he flicked the side of his snout with one claw and winked. “Like nothing happened. Except how do I explain the fact that you cut human size holes in my hull?”

  “Tell your buyers you took a short cut through an asteroid field.

  “OK, works for me,” Glaw said. “But how’d I explain one damaged dinosaur to its new owners?”

  “Get creative,” Dax said impatiently. “Rendezvous on the dark side of Mars.”

  “And you come collect your half?”

  “Seventy five percent.”

  “Yeah, like I said, half.”

  Dax reset the grenade’s digital countdown to a five second delay.

  “We got to go through this again, Glaw?”

  Glaw let out a belly laugh. “Hey, I meant, seventy five percent,” Glaw said. “So I guess I’ll call you care of Fleet command? Or maybe you want me to friend your social media profile?”

  Dax felt something crawling on his skin. He felt an itch behind his ear. He scratched and found a bite mark. He reached around to his medi-pack and drew the syringe gun. He stuck it into Glaw’s leg and squeezed the trigger.

  Glaw howled and looked at his leg.

  “What did you do to me?”

  “I gave you a flea shot,” Dax said.

  “I ain’t got fleas, man,” Glaw said and shrugged. “Well, none that don’t taste good.”

  Dax held out his hand.

  Glaw stuck out his giant paw, “I believe, my man, we got ourselves a bona-fide deal. Shake it. Or do you high five.”

  Glaw held his paw above Dax’s head. “OK, low five it is.”

  They low fived. But
Dax pulled back his hand just as Glaw flexed his claws and slashed them violently through the air at Dax’s hand.

  “That was your last free chance to screw with me, Glaw,” Dax said.

  Valkyrie checked her comms. “Commander, we got a distress beacon from Hermes,” she said. “Valiant’s on its way. You ready to wrap it up here?”

  “Almost,” Dax said.

  So now I’ve tracked down the Ursu Glaw for Fyre, it’s time to find out what’s so important about him.

  “Send in the sniper,” Dax said.

  Glaw did a double take. “For what?” Glaw growled.

  “Insurance, Glaw,” Dax said. “She’s coming with us.”

  Glaw’s eyes dilated. He strained against the cuffs. “She’s not part of the deal, you double crossing scuzzball,” Glaw growled.

  “She is now.”

  CHAPTER 35 - FINDERS KEEPERS

  Location: On board the Ursu ship, Gy-Fly-Mach

  The cargo hold doors slid open. Van Cleef shoved Myf into the cargo hold. Myf’s blue and white power-armor had been stripped away. She appeared in a tight fitting black flight suit.

  She fell at Glaw’s feet. He stooped down to help her.

  Van Cleef brought up his weapon into Glaw’s face. “Back off, scuzzball,” Van Cleef growled.

  Glaw sneezed blood from his snout.

  Myf looked at Glaw’s cuffs.

  “You can’t treat Glaw like this,” she shouted. “Don’t you know who he is?”

  Glaw shot her a look and she immediately shut up.

  This peeked Dax’s interest.

  “Who exactly are you, Glaw?” Dax asked.

  “Me?” Glaw said and shrugged. “Just your average low riding space pirate. Keeping my nose clean and turning a dishonest buck here and there, when no one’s looking.”

  Dax stared at the Ursu. I’m not buying that act for one minute.

  Dax held up the back of his hand and selected the DNA scan app.

  “Stick out your tongue,” he said to Glaw.

  Glaw turned up his snout, “I don’t do tongues on a first date,” Glaw said.

  Van Cleef whipped out his night-stick. He slammed it into the back of Glaw’s knees and brought him down.

  Van Cleef grabbed the fur at the back of Glaw’s neck. “Prisoner, hold out your tongue,” he shouted.

  “Glaw,” Myf shouted, “don’t provoke them.”