by Max Jager
"I'll let the queen know," he replied, "She won't be happy about it but under the circumstances…"
The Witchfire Mountains were larger than Matt had thought, but thanks to the advanced scanner technology it only took a little less than two hours to locate a promising site. Concentrating on a "hidden" valley, with a small mountain stream. Hovering at close to five thousand feet above the valley, high enough so that anyone below wouldn't hear them they were able to pick up several life signs of people below. Because of fuel concerns, they could do this for roughly one hour but it was enough. Then Matt had a thought.
"Let's go check out the backside of this mountain, if I was Kiggham, I'd make sure I had a "back door" to my hide-out."
"Good idea," he replied. It took some concentrated effort but they finally found it through the thermal imaging of the scanner. Using the eye device on his translator, Matt was able to pick out a faint trail.
"There it is," he pointed. "I don't think it's an animal trail, they don't just stop like this one does, and hey look, look at the scanner, isn't that someone standing down there?"
They were hiding under a small grove of trees, but the imaging revealed them as a living being.
"Gotcha!" Exclaimed Matt,
"So what are we going to do about the escape exit?" Asked Slavek.
""That's easy," replied Matt, we wait until it's real late at night, then blast half the mountain down on that exit, Mr. Stenuck might be more inclined to see things our way when he discovers his "escape hatch," is gone."
They located a small rough area that was reasonably flat, and didn't appear to be accessible by foot to wait until the early morning. Everyone took the time to get a little sleep before the attempt to rescue Kaitlyn went down. Matt had a hard time sleeping thinking about Kaitlyn, especially the very real chance that this thing could go "south" and she could die. He and Slavek had briefly discussed the possibility, with Matt telling him,
"If something should go wrong and Kaitlyn dies, we uses those plasma cannons of your's and bring the whole fucking mountain down on them!" Slavek was horrified by Matt's determination, but finally agreed that's what they'd do if it should come to that.
"You're willing to wipe out all those people just for your friend?" He asked.
Matt looked him dead in the eye and replied.
"Payback is a bitch Slavek; you told me you wanted to learn about us humans? Well, if something should go wrong your fault, Stenuck's fault, nobody's fault, wiping those bastards out won't bother me a bit!"
"Relax Matt, just give me a chance, I know what I'm doing."
"All right, you're on, but I'll be up in that turret with those guns trained."
A little while after midnight they lifted off and re-located their previous position over the escape trail as well as what was no doubt the rear entrance. The thermal imager also picked up what appeared to be two shapes that indicated they must be a couple guards. Slavek slowly turned the craft to face the mountain, as he centered the aiming ring on a rocky outcrop. Without further ado, he opened up lashing the rock with intense cannon fire blasting rock in every direction. As hoped, a rockslide began bringing tons of rock down over the entrance, and obliterating the trail as well as anyone who had been standing nearby.
Quickly moving around to the other side, he set the craft down in front of what reminded Matt of the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, only these were being lived in along with several smaller structures on the valley floor in front of them. Another last-minute problem was quickly solved when Bria offered to call Kiggham out since no one else knew Elvin.
"Once I get up close to him it's a simple matter of translation," admitted Slavek, "However calling him out from inside the ship is another. Bria also volunteered to go with him to help with words the translators might have trouble with.
"You never told me you could speak Elvin," said Matt. Chuckling, Bria replied.
"You never asked. Even though we have only a tiny elf and fairy population on Doradus, it's still practically a second language for us."
By now the stronghold was awake with lights coming on and signs of people running around. Calling out over the loud-hailer Bria announced.
"Kiggham Stenuck! Show yourself and yourself only. My name is Slavek Slykhor, representing Matt Grainger, the friend of the earth girl you have taken. It's time to talk, we are sitting our here directly in front of the cave entrance. If you haven't been told as yet, you're back door is permanently closed. Step out here Kiggham, and let's talk."
By now the whole area was in a complete uproar when Slavek told Matt,
"We can't fire these weapons while cloaked. I'm going to de-activate the cloaking system, so once I do that, you fire a short burst up towards the face of this mountain, but don't do it where rock debris will fall down and hit anyone, do you understand?" He said he did, then waited until he saw a shimmering, and the ship suddenly appear. Apparently there must have been some of Kiggham's men nearby, for they spotted the ship appear, quickly scrambling out of the way as Matt opened up with the turret guns.
Greenish-gold pulses of light streaked up to the mountain causing rock to explode outward, falling down into an un-inhabited part of the settlement.
Nothing happened for almost twenty minutes making them think the bandit leader wasn't going to respond, but then a small light could be seen approaching stopping roughly twenty feet away.
"Well here we go," announced Slavek, his sister gave him a hug and wished him luck. With Bria at his side, the two slowly walked down the ramp.
Using the image magnification on the gun sights Matt was able to closely observe the meeting. Because of this, he was able to give Tiag a little better description of what was going on. Kiggham Stenuck appeared somewhat larger than the elves Matt had seen on his previous visit to Denedra. He appeared to have a very short and close cropped beard, and short hair. Because of the dark, it was hard to tell much more about him with his face often shaded in darkness. He did see Slavek gesture to him using the arcane hand signals, which Stenuck returned. All three people stood for several minutes in apparent conversation, then squatting down on their hams drawing with their fingers in the dirt.
Matt watched carefully for anyone trying to creep up on Bria and Slavek, but everybody was staying put. All three people continued to squat, drawing in the dirt, making occasional hand gestures with no apparent progress being made, finally Bria stood up and slowly walked back to the ship. Coming up the ramp, she loudly announced,
"Matt, get out here! Kiggham wants to talk to you, oh, and bring that rifle of yours." This didn't sound good but then he had an idea, quickly dissembling the rifle, he removed the little cotter key that held in the firing pin, as well as replacing the twenty round magazine with a five round one he had brought. He also removed the micro dot sight and replaced it with a screw on iron sight; Bria was waiting for him at the bottom of the ramp.
"What took you so long?" She hissed.
"Taking out an insurance policy!" he shot back. "What's this guy like?" He asked.
"Can't really tell," she replied, he's Elvin of course, he knows about you and that rifle of yours. He's claiming that Kaitlyn is fine and that she wasn't really taken against her will, says it was all an effort to get you to come here."
"That's sure a strange way to go about it," replied Matt. As he drew closer, he could see another man standing there but he had a hood over his head making it impossible to tell who or what he was. As he came closer Kiggham held out his hand for the rifle which Matt reluctantly handed to him. Then quickly looking it over he handed it to the other man and in passable English said,
"Well Roy is this what you've been telling me about all these yarns?" Before Matt could react, the stranger examined it while Kiggham held a small flashlight over it. The stranger fondled the weapon then pulled back the charging handle it like he had one all his life.
"It's been a long time since I held one of these," came out of his mouth in perfect English.
"How is it yo
u have one of these son," he then asked.
"My dad gave it to me for Christmas, they are very popular, every one has one now, say just who are you?"
The man threw back his hood and exclaimed,
"Name's Roy VonDran, late of the United States Marine Corps, and the good old US of A." He then looked at Kiggham and added.
"Guess we owe these folks some answers, c'mon everybody follow us."
Chapter 43
Titan Stand Chapter 43
So much was swirling through Matt's mind he didn't know what to think, when Bria asked him what was going on, all he could say was,
"Bria, you're in the dark as much as I am." They stopped at a small stone structure which was apparently a surface access to an underground room. Descending a flight of wooden stairs, they entered an anteroom that opened out into a large passage, then entering a large room he quickly spotted Kaitlyn who seemed to be talking to an older Elvin woman. When she saw Matt and Bria she squealed and jumped up, rushing towards Matt. Wrapping her arms around him and planting a big kiss on his lips she said.
"Oh Bria I'm so glad to see you as well!"
"Are you all right?" He asked her, "I thought you'd been kidnapped?" She just laughed,
"No silly, I was out walking one day and Ellna over there came up to me and asked that I go with her, I mean it's not like I was going with some creepy guy back on earth. You know we just walked and walked, ending up here. Oh did you know Roy is from Texas?"
"He was just about to tell us," replied Matt.
"Do you know what is going on here?" Asked Slavek, Matt grimaced, and replied,
"Not the foggiest clue, but I guess we're about to find out."
Both Kiggham and Roy held their hands up for silence,
"All right everyone settle down all your questions are about to be answered," announced Kiggham.
"To begin with my name is Kiggham Stenuck, I can only guess what you've heard about me, some of it may be true, but most isn't. They call me a warlord, bandit, Reiver, just about anything you can name, but all that really know me and my brother know better. I and my people live here in the Witchfire because it suits us, we do pretty much as we please, however I'm not a murderer as some would like to claim. Now most of us are Elvin, however we do have a few dwarves who are part of our family as well." Then turning to Roy, he added,
"I'm going to let Roy here answer your questions which I'm sure you have many."
VonDran then took a sip of water from a mug and began.
"My name is Roy VonDran, I'm originally from Amarillo Texas and how I wound up here is quite the tale." He then looked at Matt and said,
"Matt Grainger you have no idea how long it's been since I've spoken to people from earth, and the US to boot. The young lady here has been filling me in on everything that's been going on since I …Left. It seems like a hundred years ago now, but it was August of 1970 and I was driving back to Pendleton after being home on leave. I was in the Marine Corps and had already done one tour over in Nam and was heading back for another. Well sir, it must have been around two in the morning and I was east of Globe Arizona when my damn car broke down.
There were only a few trucks out on the road and nobody wanted to stop."
"I knew I wasn't that far from town so I started walking when I heard a loud humming from overhead, then the next thing I knew was an incredibly bright light engulfing me. Well when I woke up I seen this strange looking fellow standing there looking at me. Well he put this device in my ear a lot like that thing you have in your's young fellow, then I was able to talk to him."
"Did he say what his race was?" Asked Slavek, "Or what did he look like?"
"He said they was called the Uwan or something like that. Fellow had funny copper colored eyes, stood about five foot, black hair, and little ridges on his long nose. He and his crew all wore these one piece metallic grey jumpsuits.
"I've heard of these people," exclaimed Slavek, "They live out in the Thovan system, nothing really special about them other than they are well respected engineers, and technicians."
"Well I've been running into a lot of people who have been visiting earth here lately," said Matt, "Why should they be any different?"
"Did they harm you?" Asked Slavek. Roy shook his head,
"No not really, just poked and prodded me, stuck me under some machine but that was about all."
"Did they ever tell you why they picked you up?" Asked Slavek.
"Best I can figure is they was just roaming around saw me out by my lonesome so figured "What the Hell!" Anyway after awhile they let me wander around the ship so I started helping them, you know, fix stuff, and keep things clean. We landed on this one planet that seemed to have nothing but strange animals on it and all of them wanted to kill you. Well I helped them beat off the animals with this sword they let me make." Pulling out a short sword from a hidden scabbard he showed it to Slavek and Matt.
"That's pretty good," remarked Matt "Looks sharper than hell."
"Believe me it is," replied Roy, "It's made from something called Mekkarion Steel with a Konia alloy blended in. Well we traveled around a bit, generally getting into trouble until their leader who called himself J'alKatt told me they were going home but that I couldn't come. They dropped me off right up here in the Witchfire Mountains and here I've been ever since."
Matt studied him for a moment; he appeared to be the right age, but in very good shape for a man in his mid sixty's. He wore a short and well trimmed grey beard, along with graying hair. Kiggham then spoke,
"When we found Roy, he had himself a nice little camp set up, very well hidden, small fire, and a snow sheep hanging on a rack. We couldn't figure out who this fellow was, he certainly wasn't Elvin, not a dwarf. As we started to move he dropped out of a tree right in front of me. Needless to say we were impressed."
"That's right," added VonDran. "I've been hunting since I was a little kid. Jackrabbits, feral hogs, even a pronghorn or two, a country boy can survive.
Well sir, Kiggham made me a nice offer and I certainly didn't have anything else going on so I joined up with him, what's it been now Kigg, something like forty three yarns now we've been running these hills."
Matt then said,
"I noticed that when we landed here, those buildings and houses tucked into the mountainside remind me of Mesa Verde, interesting."
"Eh you noticed that did you?" replied Roy, "Believe it or not that was my idea, cliff dwellings down in Arizona comes to mind. Anyway folks was getting sick living in that cave, so I told Kiggham here we could do a whole lot better, you ought to see them places, them old Anasazi would be proud to see what we've built up there, hell! We've even got running water." Then Roy put his head down for a moment then quietly said,
"You know I've given my heart and soul for these people, they are my family certainly no earthman could come close to the pride and honor Kiggham and his people have. You know my marine training came in quite useful, my Nam training as well. We've got a great bunch of guys, a few ladies too, that would put them old Viet Cong to shame. So far queen Breca pretty much leaves us alone and we don't bother her, even rescue a few from time to time that get lost up here. Anyway, were they ever to come after us we'd give them such an ass-whooping they'd never bother us again." Even though Roy was well into his prime, Matt saw fire in the man's steely eyes.
"So I take it your not interested in returning to earth with us?" Asked Matt.
Roy sighed and shook his head.
"Kaitlyn there already asked me that, and the answer is a solid no. I'm bound to this life, Kigg and I are like brothers, there's nothing I wouldn't do for him. However I did write out a couple letters, I'd like you to send. One for my family back in Amarillo, the other for the marine corps, I imagine they have me down as AWOL I'm sending along one of my dog tags as well as my old military ID. As for my family, I had a younger brother, as well as an older sister. Dad took off when I was twelve, and ma…Hard to say if she's still living in Amarillo, maybe my brot
her and sister are as well, who knows? Anyway, if you'd see that the letters get delivered it would ease my mind and let everyone know I ain't dead."
He then took out a battered leather pouch and pulled a couple cards out.
"I haven't carried these with me for yarns but I dug 'em out 'cause I knew you was coming. This one's my Texas driver's license, it expired back in 72. Here's my military ID." Matt looked at the picture on the military one; it was a faded picture of a young Roy VonDran just a couple years older than he was now.
"I'll bet when they took this you had no idea of the adventure you were about to go on," observed Matt. Roy chuckled,
"No sir, not by a long shot, but you know it's an adventure I wouldn't change for the world, no sir!"
"So what do you guys hunt with or use as weapons?" Asked Matt, Roy grinned, and went over to a corner of the room.