Spartan Valor

by Toby Neighbors

  “Don’t I know it.”

  Chapter 26

  An hour later, we were forced to the ground by a troop of Fae. They were on foot, carrying spears and small bows. The diminutive Fae were the most fearless creatures I had encountered on Apex Vanandi. They didn’t even try to move quietly, but rather chattered carelessly as they marched through the jungle.

  Gloria and I slipped into some bushes between the trunks of two dead trees. We laid side by side, watching the Fae through the foliage and hoping the Fae didn’t see us. I was hyper-aware of Gloria’s body so close to mine. I didn’t think my feelings for her were love, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t attracted her. Perhaps it was the danger, or even just the tension we were under, but I was struck with desire. It was the wrong place and certainly the wrong time, but my hormones didn’t seem to understand that. I didn’t dare even take off my helmet to kiss her, but I was sorely tempted.

  The Fae were almost past us when I felt a tremor. I looked at Gloria, who turned and and stared at me with wide eyes. The rumble continued to grow stronger, and soon I heard the rhythmic thumping of heavy feet. The Fae heard it too. Their small heads swiveled in search of the commotion. Their chattering ceased. Instinctively, I checked the safety switch on my assault rifle and motioned to Gloria to stay down.

  The Gral charged into the space ahead of us like an angry bull, scattering the Fae. One unfortunate Fae jumped the wrong way. The Gral caught the simian in its large, toothy maw and devoured most of the Fae’s upper body in one savage bite. Another Fae slipped and was on the ground as the Gral charged in. It was trampled to death by the large, six-legged creature. The Gral quivered, shaking its body the way a wet dog would shake water from its coat. Only the Gral wasn’t wet, it was flinging quills from it back in both directions. There had been fourteen Fae warriors. Two died from the Gral’s charge, and ten more were hit with quills from the large beast’s back. Those hit with the quills wailed in agony. I remembered reading that the quills were poisonous. Apparently, the poison was fast-acting and extremely painful.

  The two Fae who were left, charged at the Gral with their spears. It appeared as if the six-legged creature was defenseless, but that wasn’t the case. The Fae were on the Gral’s right side. The big creature held its bulky body up with just one leg as the other two kicked out sideways. One of the Fae dodged aside, but the other was hit. The sound of the simian’s body when it slammed into a nearby tree made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

  I knew I could shoot the Gral. One shot with a depleted uranium round would cause massive damage in the thick-bodied alien, but the Gral wasn’t threatening us. And the last thing I wanted to do was attract attention. The final Fae bellowed a war cry and charged again. The Gral turned to face its final foe. The big creature moved quicker than I thought possible, shuffling to the side and snapping at the spear with its massive teeth. The spear shaft shattered in the Grals mouth, and the Fae was swept off its feet.

  The Gral stepped up to the smaller alien and growled. The Fae turned its small head. I could see it shaking in fear, but the six legged beast didn’t devour the small simian. Instead it spit the spearhead out of its wide mouth. The weapon, covered in alien saliva, hit the Fae with a splat. The Gral then lowered its pointy snout, which reminded me of a snapping turtle, and nosed the smaller alien out of the way with a flick of its massive head. The Fae whimpered as it was rolled over. The Gral made a huffing sound as it began to saunter past its enemy. It looked to me like the six-legged alien was laughing.

  And then, to my utter surprise, the Fae rolled to its feet. It had the slobber-covered spearhead in its hand. The Fae raised it high, preparing to stab the Gral, but my finger squeezed the trigger of my assault rifle. The report sounded too loud, but it couldn’t be helped. The bullet hit the Fae just under its upraised arm and blew the small alien in half. The Gral jumped to the side in surprise and saw the Fae’s arm lying on the ground with the spear head held like a weapon.

  “Stay here,” I said to Gloria. “Don’t make a sound.”

  “Orry, what are you doing?”

  “Trusting my instincts,” I said, rising slowly to my feet.

  I held the assult rifle by the barrel shroud and away from my body, trying to indicate that I meant the Gral no harm. It growled threateningly at me as I pointed to the dead Fae. I felt foolish and exposed as I stepped away from the bushes where Gloria was still hidden.

  “I was just trying to help,” I said.

  The Gral made a deep pitched utterance, not words, but more than a growl. I could see something in its eyes, which seemed soulful and wise. It dropped its head slowly, not quiet a bow, but a placating gesture that I returned. When I raised my head, the Gral shuttered slightly. A long, red-tipped quill toppled from its back and stabbed into the ground where it stood upright. The Gral grumbled again, then walked away without looking back. As soon as it was gone, Gloria got to her feet.

  “Wow,” she said. “That was... wow.”

  “I know. I didn’t even think before I shot that Fae. It was all instinct.”

  “I guess your instincts are good. Why did it leave that quill? Was it a sign of respect?”

  “I hope so,” I said.

  I walked over and picked up the quill. I had seen other six-legged Grals before, and had seen the Vena carry their quills as trophies. I looked at the strange spine. It was as long as my arm, the perfect diameter at the bottom to be held with one hand. It was light and flexible, yet sturdy. The quill tapered down to a very fine point. The glossy object was black for most of its length, but blood-red on the final eight centimeters.

  “It’s beautiful,” Gloria said.

  “We better get moving. That gunshot will attract attention.”

  “Okay,” she agreed. “Why don’t you let me carry the pack for a while? I don’t mind.”

  I unfastened the belly strap that connected the shoulder straps cross my chest, then slung the pack to the ground. Gloria picked it up and made a few quick adjustments.

  “Alright, sir. I’m ready.”

  “Don’t call me sir,” I said with a grin. “I work for a living.”

  We set off through the jungle again, both of us grinning happily, and neither of us seeing the Vena hunter who moved like a shadow through the trees directly behind us.

  Chapter 27

  The jungle on Apex Venandi was a dangerous place. I was on the lookout for the hostile natives and their traps, which could entangle or even kill us if we weren’t careful. I wasn’t expecting to suddenly be surrounded by a squad of Marines. They came down out of the trees like spiders using a rope and pulley system, which slowed their descent. Their helmets covered their faces, but they carried assault rifles and their armor was easily recognizable as Military Intelligence.

  I stopped, but didn’t take my hands off the pistol grips on my own rifle. I checked my Command Helmet’s locator beacons, which should have revealed anyone in the vicinity. But perhaps not surprisingly, the MI units didn’t show up.

  “What are the two of you doing out here?” asked one of the figures. None of them had rank insignia or name tags. I had no idea if I should salute or not.

  “Private First Class Orion Porter,” I said. “This is Private Gloria Keyes. She was taken hostage by a clan of Prog warriors, and I was sent to rescue her.”

  “You were sent to rescue her? All alone?”

  I could hear the distrust in the strange voice. It was odd to hear another Marine in a battle helmet speaking, yet not being picked up by my Command Helmet’s com-link. The speaker’s voice was projected from the helmet’s speakers, but came out as oddly mechanical. It was like I was speaking to a robot from a science fiction movie.

  “That’s right,” I said. “Captain Rigel’s orders. I was the only Marine he would spare.”

  The MI speaker didn’t respond at first, and I understood the hesitation. No commander in his right mind would send a lone Marine out on a rescue mission. The fact that Rigel had seen fit to do it twice ma
de it all the more absurd.

  “I can vouch for PFC Porter,” said one of the other MI Marines. “He’s Recon.”

  “Where’s your armor Keyes?” asked the first speaker.

  “I’m Armored Division. We don’t wear armor.”

  “Are you sure the two of you weren’t wandering out into the jungle in search of some privacy? Maybe you got lost and you’ve been trying to get back to the Base Camp.”

  “No,” I said. “We were part of Venom Company working on the road from the Base Camp to Mount Zuko. The Fae hit us pretty hard, and during the fighting, Private Keyes was pulled from her vehicle by an opportunistic Prog.”

  “You should hear yourself, Porter,” said the second speaker who had vouched for me. “You sound like you’re speaking gibberish.”

  “It’s all true,” I said.

  “Alright, let’s clear this area,” said the first speaker. “Wilkes, if you know these two, they’re your responsibility.”

  “Roger that, Staff Sergeant.”

  The rest of the squad slung their rifles over their shoulders and hit a switch on their harnesses that activated the pulley system. They rose back up into the trees effortlessly. The power systems were silent, and soon the squad was high in the trees watching the jungle in every direction.

  “Looks like you got a trophy,” Aurora said.

  I couldn’t see her face, but I could hear the smirk in her voice.

  “It was a gift from a grateful Gral.”

  “Grateful?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it once you fill me in on what you’re doing out here,” I said.

  “Aurora? Is that really you?” Gloria asked.

  “Good to see you again, Keyes,” Aurora said. “Let’s get up in the trees. It’s safer than being down here.”

  I didn’t argue. I was curious about what the MI platoon was doing, but I would have preferred to continue back to the Base Camp. We still had a long way to go, and every moment of daylight was precious.

  “I’ll go up first, then drop you a line,” Aurora said.

  “Roger that,” I replied.

  We watched Aurora go up on the pulley system before Gloria spoke to me in a quiet voice.

  “I feel under dressed,” she said. “Can you hear them in your helmet?”

  “No,” I said. “They don’t even show up on my locator program. Whatever they’re doing out here, they’re completely on their own.”

  “I’ve heard things about Military Intelligence. Nothing good.”

  “There’s not much we can do about it now,” I said, as a rope dropped down from the tree above.

  There was a loop tied in the bottom. Gloria stepped into the loop and held onto the rope with both hands. While she was raised up, I looked around the jungle which seemed quiet and still. I was just about to glance up to see about Gloria’s progress when a slight motion in the distance caught my eye. It could have been any number of things, but the tingling on my back intensified. I stared at the spot where the motion had been. Whatever had moved was no longer in sight, but I was certain that something was out there. Something was watching us, perhaps even stalking us.

  The rope dropped back down and I stepped into the loop. I held the rope with my left hand so that my right could stay on my assault rifle’s pistol grip. As the automated pulley system hauled me upward, I spun slowly around, which gave me a chance to study the jungle. There was no sign of anything among the trees, vines, and wide-leafed plants, yet I had no doubts that I had seen something. And on Apex Venandi, something moving in the jungle usually meant danger.

  Once I reached the wide limbs of the lower canopy, I stepped from the rope onto the wide branch where Gloria waited. Aurora powered down the pulley system and settled onto a nearby branch where she could sit comfortably.

  “What are you doing up here?” Gloria asked her.

  “Waiting for nightfall,” she said. “It’s safer to move about at night.”

  “What about the problems with your night vision?” I asked.

  “Our helmets have thermal detection and use ultraviolet wave lengths to create a composite of our surroundings,” Aurora said. “We get by just fine.”

  “What are you doing out here?” I pressed.

  “We’re on a mission, same as you,” Aurora said.

  “What mission?” Gloria asked.

  “That’s confidential.”

  “We’re all on the same side here,” I protested. “Why all the secrecy?”

  “It’s just easier that way,” Aurora explained. “Some missions are classified…others not so much. But that’s really up to the CO. For enlisted personnel, everything is classified.”

  “Who’s your CO?” I asked.

  Aurora just shook her head.

  “Can you at least tell me what you’re planning to do with us?”

  “We’re not planning to do anything with you,” Aurora said. “But you have to admit, having a Recon grunt blundering around in the forest isn’t a good idea when there are stealth op specialists engaging. You’re blowing our cover.”

  “First of all,” I said, trying not to let my anger get the best of me. “I wasn’t blundering around. We’re making our way back to the Base Camp.”

  “BC’s that way,” Aurora said, pointing in the opposite direction from where we had been going.

  “I know that. I have a topo map and GPS guidance,” I explained. “Our goal was to circle wide around the village where Gloria was held. They’re searching the jungle for us. We were attempting to swing out toward Mt. Zuko and hopeful meet the engineering platoon.”

  “Not a terrible plan, but you probably should have just made for the BC.”

  I couldn’t believe the arrogance in her voice. Aurora had changed so much in such a short amount of time. She had gone from being haunted and guarded, to being almost rude. Part of me wanted to tell her that I knew more about Apex Venandi than she ever would. I wanted to remind her that I had engaged all five species at different times, that I had rescued not just Gloria, but Staff Sergeant Barnes and Master Sergeant Eubanks. I had even escaped from a Vena village after being captured, tortured, and held for nearly four days. But I didn’t say any of those things. I just listened.

  “You should rest,” Aurora said. “We’ll be on the move as soon as it gets dark.”

  Gloria looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders, even though I wanted to tell the entire MI squad to go to hell. The Sergeant outranked me, and despite having orders from Captain Rigel, I was still obliged to obey a superior, as long as it didn’t contradict the mission parameters I had been assigned.

  “I don’t guess we have much choice,” I said.

  “Who’s on watch?” Gloria asked.

  “My squad,” Aurora said. “That’s why we came down when you stumbled onto our position.”

  I unzipped a compartment on my pack and pulled out two sets of MREs. I couldn’t understand why Aurora was intentionally goading me, but I let it slide. I had to remove my helmet to eat. I noticed Aurora shifting on her limb so that she could see the both of us, even though she should have been scanning the forest below.

  “So you’re watching for movement?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Aurora answered.

  “And did you see the native down there, about forty meters from this tree?”

  “What? Where?”

  “I saw movement before you hoisted us up.”

  “And you’re just now telling me?”

  I wanted to lash out or respond sarcastically that I was just bumbling along and didn’t know what to look for. Instead, I swallowed my pride and pointed as indiscreetly as possible.

  “That direction, although whatever it was is probably gone by now,” I said.

  Aurora looked. I couldn’t be certain, but from the way her neck moved, I guessed she was probably reporting to her squad leader. Her helmet muted her voice so we couldn’t hear what was said, which actually suited me just fine. I was exhausted, and sleeping a few hours while the MI squad
kept watch sounded great. The limb we were on was twelve meters off the ground and barely wide enough for me to lay on without feeling like I was trying to sleep on a balance beam, but I had been in worse spots. One of the first things I learned in Recon Training was to eat when you could and to sleep anywhere.

  “You didn’t see what it was?” Aurora finally asked.

  “No. But if I had to guess, it was probably a Vena hunter,” I replied, settling back with my head on my pack, which was between Gloria and me. We could both use it to rest our heads with our bodies stretched out in opposite directions.

  “If you didn’t see it,” Aurora asked. “How could you possibly fathom a guess?”

  “Because I’ve been around the Vena,” I said. “They prefer to hunt alone. Although they usually don’t get out in the daytime unless they have to. It was too small to be a Gral or a Grex. The Fae are usually louder and more agressive. The Prog tend to hunt in troops. So the Vena make the most sense, but it’s a hunch more than anything else.”

  Aurora was silent again, but I didn’t care. I could already feel myself starting to nod off.

  “Wake me up if there’s trouble,” I said. “I’m not a stealth specialist, but I can be handy in a fight.”

  “Sure,” Aurora said.

  There was a note of surprise and perhaps just a little respect. I couldn’t tell for certain, but it made me feel better to think that maybe she realized I knew what I was talking about. As I let sleep whisk me away from the pressure and stress of being hunted on an alien world, I couldn’t help but smile. It might not have been under ideal conditions, but I was getting to spend more time with Aurora, and I would never complain about that.

  Chapter 28

  At dusk, we dropped down out of the trees. Gloria and I lingered at the rear of the MI squad. The platoon had been split in two. I had no idea where the other half was, but Aurora’s group was one of two squads. We hadn’t gone far when we were told to be quiet and stay where we were. Aurora seemed agitated to be left with us as the rest of the MI Marines moved quietly through the jungle.