Hunter, Warrior, Commander

by Andrew Maclure

  As the sound of rocks hitting the ground fell away, relieved that she had suffered only a few more cuts and bruises, she stood again. Partially deafened by the intense sound wave that had hit her, Sah Lee could still hear more of the crashing rumbling sounds around her. Fearful that she might get caught up by another closer explosion she walked towards the source of the one that had injured her, reasoning that another wouldn’t happen in the same place, so it should be relatively safe.

  She made slow progress across the broken landscape of uprooted trees and shrubs, shattered rocks and churned up soil, and every few minutes more small rocks and pebbles fell around her, but nothing big hit her. It seemed her guess that it was safer the closer she got to the source was correct. The rumbling continued around her and the air thickened with so much dust that it began to block out the sun and the mid-morning sunlight faded to twilight.

  The ground became so broken with large, freshly smashed pieces of rock with sharp edges, and piles of uprooted trees and bushes that Sah Lee was making little progress scrambling across it. She was having problems breathing with all the dust in the air. It was like the fall dust storms they sometimes had, when the wind whipped across the plains picking up the dust from the great expanse of the dry soil and carrying it in a huge brown storm lasting for days, blotting out the sun and turning day into night. They couldn’t hunt in such conditions, so they all stayed inside their dwellings with woven cloth over the door which let some air in and kept most of the dust out.

  Sah Lee took shelter in an overhang from a broken boulder She had no woven cloth to filter the dust out of the air, so she pulled up her soft leather tunic over her mouth and nose, which kept some dust out. She closed her eyes to protect them from the airborne dust and grit and after a while, fell into a shallow sleep.

  Chapter Twenty

  The Abomination

  Sah Lee woke with a start. It was pitch black, with no sun, moons, stars or even the glimmer of light from the ring of icy chunks that encircled the planet, the Necklet. She couldn’t tell if it was day or night. The strong breeze was cold against her skin. The dust was thick in the air, but she could smell rain, which was almost unknown in this season on the plains. Rain came to the plains in the winter, not at this time of the year, early summer. At least the thunder sounds had stopped now, the only sound was the wind.

  There seemed no point staying where she was. Feeling her way, she moved carefully to the west. She remembered the orientation of the rock she had sheltered under, so she was confident of which way she was going, but after a few minutes, she had lost track of the direction she was moving. It might have made sense to sit it out and wait for it to get light, but Sah Lee was in no mood to sit patiently and wait for something to happen. It wasn’t in her character.

  Soon after, she felt a smattering of big, cold raindrops, then the shower turned into a torrent. Within moments Sah Lee was drenched. The soft leather of her tunic and breeches soaked up the water until it was drenched and had turned cold and slimy-feeling against her skin.

  Sah Lee gritted her teeth and kept moving. Her moccasins became slippery on the rocks beneath her feet, so she took them off and carried them, which made it more difficult to feel her way with just one hand across the uneven and broken landscape in the pitch dark. Hoping she was still moving west, Sah Lee trudged on, careful not to slip. Eventually, the sky began to lighten. There was just enough light to make out where she was going, but the sky was so thick with dark cloud and dust that the sun wasn’t visible. She still couldn’t get her bearings, but at least she could make better progress now.

  She struggled onward, making slow headway and was so cold that her teeth were chattering. Her soaking tunic and breeches clung to her body, hampering her movements and drawing out the remaining heat from her limbs. There was little shelter on the plains, except under some of the rocky outcrops, where over millennia, the wind had eroded away soft rock from underneath a layer of hard rock. These had once been used as shelters by vulpen packs, but they had been wiped out by the Aarnth centuries ago. The only vulpen left now were deep in the great northern forest. Sah Lee couldn’t believe she swallowed Sor Tan’s story about a vulpen pack near the city, but she had no reason to doubt her then.

  In the gloom, she saw a large dark irregular shape ahead and moved toward it. It was a massive piece of a shattered boulder that was part buried in the ground where it had landed with a terrific force. Sah Lee took shelter on the leeward side and huddled up as tightly as she could, shivering violently.

  Still cold and wet, Sah Lee soon stopped shivering. Thinking that she needed to be ready to defend herself in case the demons came for her, she reached behind her for her hunting knife. As she drew the blade from its sheath she fumbled and dropped it. Turning around to pick it up she knocked her head against the rock. She was so tired, she just wanted to go to sleep, but forced herself to pick the knife up and keep her eyes open. She sat, waiting, though she didn’t know what she was waiting for. It was difficult to think clearly and her mind kept drifting back to her time hunting in the heat and sunshine of the plains.

  A light appeared in the sky. As Sah Lee tried to focus on it, it appeared to be moving. As she peered at it, trying to keep her mind clear, she realized that it was coming towards her. She struggled up into a crouching position, but her legs had been curled underneath her for too long. They had become numb, and she felt weak and tired and couldn’t stay in a crouching position. She stood up and banged her head again on the outward sloping edge of the boulder. The pounding headache from the injury that Sor Tan had inflicted on her had come back and she was having trouble standing up straight. She had to hold herself steady against the rock with her left hand, holding her knife in her right, which was shaking. She felt sick and dizzy and realized that she was almost panting, breathing in short, shallow breaths. Her wet clothes were cold and sticking to her body.

  She saw a flying machine coming straight towards her, slowing as it approached. She didn’t know what was wrong with her but knew it was time to die. Even if she was well, she couldn’t defend herself against the demon’s stick weapons. Like this, weak and shaking uncontrollably, she doubted she could defend herself even if they were unarmed. But she wasn’t going to end like a coward. She would die facing her enemy, knife in hand.

  The flying machine had a bright light pointing down at the ground that lit up a level area nearby, which it landed on. As the light went out, Sah Lee could see that this flying machine was different to the others she had seen. Instead of being completely black, through the gloom she saw this was white with a thick dark stripe running from front to back.

  A hole in the side of the flying machine appeared and a ramp silently slid to the ground. Sah Lee watched in horror as an abomination of a creature, like something out of a childhood nightmare, surely a demon, stepped onto the ramp and descended to the ground. It had a black, elongated, segmented body at least twice as long as Sah Lee was tall, and walked on eight legs, each of which ended in a pincer like claw. The front of its body tilted upwards and had a pair of arms with three-fingered hands. Topping off the body, a blocky head with two big black eyes on the sides. The bottom of the head held a pair of large serrated mandibles which looked big enough to clasp Sah Lee around her waist. The thing’s abdomen ended in a long, segmented tail which curved up over its body ending just above the creature’s head. Its tail ended in a sharp curved stinger.

  As the nightmarish creature moved towards Sah Lee, she heard a strangely accented voice: “You are safe now. The Ants have destroyed the outcasts. I have come to rescue you, so we can attend to your needs.”

  “Stay away demon. Go back to Maaren where you belong. Do not come any closer, I am armed, and I know your kind can die!” Sah Lee replied.

  “I can see you are carrying a knife. Please put it away and come with me. You have nothing to fear from us, your enemies are all dead now.”

  Sah Lee shuddered in disgust and fear as she looked at the demon. It was similar t
o the small creatures that lived under rocks near water holes that jumped out to pounce on unwary flies. She didn’t like them, and this monstrosity terrified her.

  “Keep back demon, if you come any closer, I will kill you or die trying.” Sah Lee knew that in her weakness and with her soaking clothes hampering her she wouldn’t stand a chance against the demon. But she would die like the proud hunter that she was.

  The creature reached behind it and pulled out a stick like weapon which it pointed at Sah Lee. “I am sorry, but we don’t have time for a discussion.”

  There was no sound from the weapon, but Sah Lee felt something hit her in the chest. Everything went black.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Awakening

  Sah Lee woke from a dream she couldn’t remember. Her headache had gone, and she was warm and comfortable. She drowsily opened her eyes and saw a brightly lit gray ceiling above her. She smiled. She was safe. She turned her head and saw a tall lizard-like creature dressed in a white one piece suit standing next to her. Suddenly fully awake, Sah Lee tried to leap up but her hands and feet were secured and a strap across her waist held her down. She struggled frantically, hissing and spitting, trying to break free.

  “Please be calm, you are safe here. Please stop struggling.” the lizard said.

  Sah Lee found that her strength had returned to her and she could think clearly now, and struggled even more, baring her teeth and straining to reach the creature to bite it.

  “I am sorry, but I must sedate you, otherwise you will injure yourself.” the lizard told her and jabbed a small silver tube at Sah Lee’s neck, narrowly avoiding being bitten.

  Sah Lee felt the tube hit her neck and moments later fell back, feeling like she was in a strange dream where it was normal to be tied down and have a demon standing next to you.

  “I know this must be frightening to you, but we are here to help you and the survivors of your race. You are safe now. You were very ill when we found you, you were suffering from hypothermia and had a severe head wound. Your blood sugar was low, so I guess you haven’t eaten for a while. From what we understand from the biomedical readings we are taking, you were also chronically fatigued. You are rested now, we have repaired the wound to your head and you are fully nourished. As far as we can tell, you are now in perfect health. Do you understand?”

  Sah Lee smiled and nodded. “You look funny.” she said. “You look like the lizards that skitter amongst the rocks. Do you skitter amongst rocks?”

  The reptile pulled its lips back, showing a row of sharp cutting teeth. Sah Lee frowned. “You’re scary.” she said.

  The reptile tipped its head back and made a series of sharp coughing sounds. “Sorry, you’ll get used to me. I was smiling - and that was me laughing. My race are meat eaters, predators and hunters like you, but I don’t eat meat anymore, so you are quite safe.”

  “You don’t eat meat anymore? Poor you. That must be horrible. We eat roots and leaves sometimes, when we can’t get fresh meat, but I don’t like it. Can I have something to eat please?”

  “Not yet. You shouldn’t need to eat anything for a while, but I will get you food later. My name is Touren Ud Sen, you can call me Touren. What is your name?”

  “I am Sah Lee. I am a hunter.”

  “Sah Lee. Do I call you Sah or Lee?”

  “Sah Lee. I am Sah Lee. That’s what people call me, Sah Lee. Why don’t people call you Touren Ud Sen?”

  “I don’t know,” Touren smiled again, “I suppose, because it’s shorter.”

  “What happened to the demon that attacked me?”

  Touren tilted her head back and coughed again. “That wasn’t a demon, that was Arrussmer. She is my friend. She said you seemed scared of her.”

  “Your friend? Really? You’re friends with a demon?”

  “She’s not a demon.” Touren reiterated with a smile. “She’s dedicated her life to helping people in distress. People like you. She’s a good person. Granted, she doesn’t look very cuddly, but you won’t meet a kinder, more caring person.”

  “But she attacked me, with a stick weapon. I felt it hit me.”

  “She was worried. The remote scan we were taking of you showed that you were dying from hypothermia. If she hadn’t tranquilized you and brought you in, you could have died out there in the cold.”

  “Oh, I see.” She paused, then said, “What does tranquilized mean?”

  “She fired a dart at you that made you go to sleep, so we could take care of you. She saved your life.”

  “That was nice of her.” Sah Lee smiled, still feeling she was in a dream. “Where am I?”

  “Given your society’s technological level, this may seem confusing. The people who attacked you were outcasts, but not from your world.”

  “No,” Sah Lee said knowingly, “they were demons from Maaren.”

  “Not quite. They aren’t demons and they don’t come from Maaren. There are a lot of planets with people on them, some are reptiles like me, some are insectoids, like Arrussmer - she is an octopedal decapod, and some are like you, mammals. There are a few other strange ones as well, but you won’t meet any of them for a long while.”

  “She’s a what-apedal whatapod?”

  “That means she walks on eight legs and has ten limbs. You and I are bipedal tetrapods, which means we walk on two legs and have four limbs.”

  “Two legs are plenty to walk on. Why does she need to walk on eight of them?”

  Touren smiled. “It’s just the way she is. Now, if I release your bonds, will you try to attack me?”

  “No, you’re my friend.” Sah Lee smiled, which showed her elongated, predatory upper cuspid teeth.

  “We’ll see.” Touren said.

  The straps holding Sah Lee’s wrists and ankles and the strap across her waist opened and retracted into the bed she was laying on. She sat up and swung her legs over the side to stand up. She staggered as her legs took her weight. She felt very weak and not fully in control of her body. Touren caught her and held her steady. The gray sheet that had been covering Sah Lee slid off, and she stood naked, leaning against the reptile who was quite a lot taller than she was.

  “You are all right, the tranquilizer will make you feel weak. Would you like to get dressed?”

  “Yes please. Are my clothes dry now?”

  “Lean against the bed, I’ll get you something to wear.” Touren walked to the wall where a panel slid open. She reached inside and brought a pair of breeches, tunic and moccasins to Sah Lee.

  “They are clean. And you’ve repaired the tear in the back of the breeches.” Sah Lee examined the breeches carefully. “How did you do that? I can’t see any stitches, it looks like new.” She sniffed the leather carefully. “They smell new too. Where did you get these?”

  “I had them made for you. They are the same size as your old clothes, but these should fit you better. Are they all right?”

  Sah Lee quickly pulled the breeches and tunic on. She slipped the moccasins on and they felt as though they moved slightly to fit her better. “They’re comfortable and fit well thank you. You have good craftspeople here wherever we are. You were telling me where we are…?”

  “We come from other planets, around other stars. You are in the craft, or ship we came in. Do you know what a ship is?”

  “Yes, we use them to trade with other countries and to fish with, I’ve never seen one. But you said other planets, around other stars? Aa is the first star and the giver of life. The Makers made other stars to worship Aa and make the sky beautiful. Did Aa make the other stars, or did the Makers make the stars and Aa gave them life?”

  “It doesn’t really work like that Sah Lee. You have much to learn. The ship we are in is very big. We have learnt from others we have rescued that you measure distance in how long it would take a hunter to run it. This room is small, but it would take you two days to run from one side of the ship to the other side.”

  “You must have got that wrong.” Sah Lee told her. “I can run
across our city, Aa Ellet, in a twentieth of a day.” Sah Lee laughed. “You couldn’t build a ship forty times bigger than Aa Ellet! Is this your ship or does it belong to Amuss… Assur… the other one?”

  “Her name is Arrussmer. No, the ship doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to one of the People, called Ker Din Ser Forn.”

  “One of which people? Your race, or the people like Assurmer?”

  “Her name is Arrussmer, but neither. His race is known as the People. They are the most powerful race in the galaxy. They have immensely powerful, terrifying weapons and they have huge ships that they can transport billions of people in, if they need to. This ship is carrying all the people I work with. There are twelve hundred of us, seven hundred and sixty eight Ants and the 24 heavy bombardment platforms they used to kill the outcasts on your planet as well as all the survivors of your race that we could rescue and as much of your planets biosphere that we could recover.”

  “All the Aarnth? It can’t possibly hold all of us. I learnt at university that if you count all the Aarnth across Aarn, including everyone from every nation, there are over two hundred and fifty million of us! And what do you mean ‘as much of the planets biosphere that you could recover.’?”