Sikaris also began to turn away but was halted by Rebecca's desperate cry. "Sikaris! Please!" she screamed, nearly sobbing. Suddenly, Prin's words about being useful came to her mind. Grasping at anything that would convince Sikaris to help her, she shouted, "Please don't leave me! You need me to unlock the ship for you and speak to my people! You need me!"
Sikaris stared at her for a long moment with its unsettling eyes as she ran toward it. Making up its mind, it turned around and began running back toward her.
"Quickly climb onto my back," it said in English.
Relief flooded over her as she reached the creature's side. Breathing heavily, she mounted the great feline, the short fur protruding from its scale-like hide, which was feeling soft beneath her fingers.
Rebecca had barely situated herself when Sikaris lunged forward, moving quickly over the uneven ground despite her added weight. She hugged the alien closely, using her one good arm to keep her balance. They had not traveled more than several dozen feet when a large explosion was heard behind them. Turning around, she spotted smoke rising from a boxy shape far in the distance.
"Sikaris, this is Kyen'tir. I hit the transport and damaged two of the twelve wheels. That should slow it down enough for you to reach the mountain. However, the Vips have spotted you and are heading your way at full speed. I am on my way back."
Before the translated message had even finished, Sikaris changed course and began heading straight toward the gorge.
"What...what are you doing? Why aren't you following the others?"
"The Vips will catch us before we reach them," Sikaris said, panting from exertion.
"But you're taking us toward the gorge! I thought it was impassable."
Sikaris did not reply but simply smiled.
Sudden realization hit her. "You've gotta be kidding," she breathed softly to herself. Raising her voice once more, she said, "I'm too heavy. You can't—"
Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of machine gun fire erupted all around her. She ducked her head instinctively and clung desperately to Sikaris's back as the great alien suddenly began weaving back and forth to present a more difficult target to their attackers.
Despite Sikaris's evasive maneuvers, Rebecca managed to turn her head enough to see what chased them. Roughly half of a mile back and closing fast were several small vehicles that reminded her of go-karts with giant balloon-like wheels. The driver's bench was encased in a teardrop-shaped frame with no doors, ceiling, or any other type of body. The only other item of notice was the solitary machine gun projecting out of the tip of each vehicle.
"Sikaris!" Rebecca yelled to be heard over the constant drumming of gunfire. "It looks like five of them broke off from the main group to chase us. They're coming up fast!"
"Good," came the barely audible reply.
It was then that Rebecca received her first glimpse of Bratsche Gorge. Stretching out in front of them was a magnificent chasm at least a mile deep and several hundred yards across. The massive expanse stretched endlessly to the right but ended not more than two hundred yards to the left. The opposite side was many feet lower, causing the mainland at the end of the gorge to slope downward to bridge the gap. It was to this slope that the others had headed.
"Sikaris, I sure hope you know what you're doing," she said nervously as she watched the edge of the chasm draw nearer and nearer. The sound of bullets whizzing past her ears intensified as the alien vehicles pursuing them closed the gap. Rebecca risked another glance backward, once again hoping to gauge the distance between them and the Ryazan. "Sikaris! They're almost upon us!" she shouted. "If you're—"
Her last sentence was cut abruptly by the sudden unpleasant sensation of the world dropping out from under her. Instinctively, she tensed every muscle in her body, her arm clutching the alien beneath her in a vise-like grip. As hard as she tried, she could not help the gasp of fright that escaped her lips. For a split second, it seemed as if they were plunging straight down toward their deaths. Then just as Rebecca was about to give herself over to her fear, their course leveled out as Sikaris's skinfolds between its arms and legs caught the air currents.
It took her several seconds to recover. Slowly, she forced herself to relax her grip on her companion. As she did so, she gazed around them in wonder, her eyes watering from the stinging winds. They were suspended in midair over the gorge with only the mighty canyon winds keeping them aloft. Rebecca, with her fear of her pursuers momentarily lost, reveled in the freedom of flight, her body trembling from both the residue of fear and the newfound exhilaration.
"We made it." She breathed, releasing her anxiety and excitement. "You did it, Sikaris!" The stoic being did not reply, its concentration focused fully on maintaining their flight.
Once her initial reaction had subsided, she glanced behind her to see that the Vips had ceased firing and stopped at the edge of the gorge. With their prey having eluded them, they headed off in frustration to rejoin the main force at the west end of the chasm.
With her own immediate survival reassured, Rebecca suddenly remembered Prin and the others. Looking off to the western slope, she was surprised to see that they had just reached the far side of the gorge. Since they would have to turn east to go around the edge of the mountain, she and Sikaris were now ahead of them.
The great cat alien landed at a run, heading toward the rocky skirts of the mountain, which were now less than eighty yards in front of them. Suddenly, Sikaris stopped, causing Rebecca to nearly tumble off its back.
"What is it?" she asked in alarm, her senses instantly searching for some sign of danger.
Rebecca followed Sikaris' gaze just in time to see a large explosion light the sky near where Prin and the others were. Particles of rock and dust shot into the air, creating a small cloud that hovered over the entire slope. "What happened?" she said, concern evident in her voice.
"Good," Sikaris rumbled deep in its chest. "Prin used one of its weapons to explode some of the nearby rocks on the slope. Not only did that create a dust cloud to cover their escape, but it will also make it harder for the Vips to cross because of all of the debris."
As it spoke, Rebecca could see that several of her companions were heading toward them at full speed. Tarrsk was first, followed closely by Lohgar and Rysth-nuul. Behind them was Jorylk, who was running awkwardly and holding its abdomen as if wounded.
Rebecca carefully climbed off of Sikaris's back. Once on the ground, she took off her backpack and took out her binoculars. Holding them up to her eyes, she scanned the area. Emerging from the cloud of dust, she could just begin to make out Prin's form. Although its four arms and two legs were pumping hard, it was still far behind the others. Suddenly, the sound of rapid gunfire echoed off the mountain behind her, causing her to flinch involuntarily. The shots were coming from inside the dust cloud, firing wildly in every direction.
She watched helplessly through the binoculars, feeling a twinge of guilt wrenching her gut. Prin was behind the others because it had taken time to respond to her cries for help. Come on, Prin, she urged silently.
As the dust began to dissipate, at least a dozen small vehicles lined up in three separate rows came bouncing slowly over the rubble, the drivers being careful to avoid the larger boulders that were strewn about the area.
"It looks like Prin's idea worked," she said to Sikaris, who was now standing beside her. The seven-foot tall alien didn't reply but just stood motionless, watching the battle unfold. Looking back into her binoculars at her approaching companions, she noticed for the first time that Ch'ran was not with them. Scanning the area for signs of the diminutive creature, she finally caught the slight movement of a shadow on top of one of the boulders. She focused in on it with her binoculars just in time to see the armadillo creature leap upon one of the foremost Vips passing below.
The vehicle immediately began careening from side to side as the two aliens fought for control. The Ryazan pushed hard against the intruder, causing Ch'ran to nearly lose its g
rip. Regaining its precarious hold on the vehicle, Ch'ran whipped its tail around and plunged it into the Vip driver. The Ryazan's body convulsed briefly, then ceased all movement. Straightening out the vehicle, Ch'ran gave the dead Ryazan a shove that sent it tumbling onto the hard rocky ground. Grabbing the wheel fully, Ch'ran carefully navigated the Vip over the few remaining rocks to the open ground.
In the same instant, the five other Vips in the first row cleared the difficult terrain: four on Ch'ran's left and one between it and the gorge. The six small crafts shot forth simultaneously as if from the starting gate in a race. Immediately, Ch'ran veered to the right, slamming hard into the enemy machine. The driver, not expecting the sudden attack from one of its own, lost control of the vehicle and plummeted over the edge of the gorge.
In her mind's eye, Rebecca envisioned the look of triumph and glee on the mad creature's face. For a moment, she even thought she could hear its wild cackle of excitement in the distance.
The four other Vips began closing fast on Prin, firing wildly. The alien scientist ducked and weaved as it ran, slowing it down further. Suddenly, Prin's body jolted as one of the projectiles found its mark. The ferret creature stumbled several times, trying to keep its balance but to no avail. It fell onto its left side and skidded several feet in the dirt, raising a small cloud of dust.
Rebecca gasped as she watched from a distance, wishing she could do something for this alien that was the closest thing to a friend that she had in this place. She stood transfixed as the four small vehicles bore down upon their prey. Seemingly from out of nowhere, several sharp knife-like objects fell from the sky like hail upon the attackers. The falling objects sliced through the large balloon tires of two of the vehicles, sending them flipping end over end through the air.
Whipping her binoculars up to search the sky, she saw Kyen'tir pulling out of a steep dive. As she watched, the winged alien wobbled slightly in mid-flight as it adjusted to the recent loss of several of its feathers. As its balance stabilized, it circled around for another pass, but Rebecca knew that it would not be soon enough to save Prin from the remaining two Vips.
Just then, Rebecca felt her heart leap into her throat as Ch'ran's stolen craft came into view directly behind the attackers, its single gun ablaze. Attempting to avoid Ch'ran's attack, the Vip on the right swerved quickly toward its companion. Although the maneuver saved it from the gunfire, it also sent it spinning out of control. Clipping the back of the other vehicle, the two of them flipped and rolled sideways numerous times before finally coming to rest upside down several dozen feet off to the side.
To her utter surprise and amazement, the drivers' benches of the crashed vehicles suddenly began rotating clockwise on their axis to place the drivers in upright positions once again. What used to be the tops of the vehicles were now the bottoms. Yet because of the size of the balloon tires and the rotating bench, the two machines were immediately able to resume the chase.
Ch'ran, oblivious to the transformation of the nearby Vips, pulled its vehicle up alongside Prin's fallen form. The wounded alien slowly climbed to its feet, one arm clutching its right side. Even as Prin climbed atop the small vehicle, five more of the swift machines emerged from the dissipating dust cloud at the bottom of the slope. Behind them, Rebecca could see another five still slowly traversing the rough ground. Finally, the five that had chased her and Sikaris were now reaching the top of the slope, preparing to descend.
Not waiting to see if its passenger was secure, Ch'ran accelerated rapidly, which almost caused Prin to lose its precarious purchase atop the machine. Before they had gone more than twenty feet, more gunfire spewed forth from the nozzles of the two recovered Vips, now once again hot in pursuit.
The armadillo alien swerved and zigzagged evasively, but the Vip drivers doggedly followed its every move. Prin held on tightly with three of its claws and using the fourth free one to grope about on its bandolier. A moment later, a blue flash shot from its claw, activating the small explosive held in its grasp. Loosening its grip on the device, Prin let it fall to the ground, where it bounced several times before finally releasing its deadly energy in a blinding flash.
The explosive shredded the rear tire of the Vip on the left, sending the vehicle into a wild spin and its machine gun to tear into its partner. A moment later, both vehicles sat motionless on the open plain as Ch'ran and Prin headed off toward the mountain in the stolen vehicle.
11
Race to the Cave
ONCE IT became clear that Prin and Ch'ran were going to make it, Rebecca returned her binoculars to her bag. By the time she had finished closing up her backpack, Tarrsk and Lohgar had reached her and Sikaris, followed less than a minute later by Rysth-nuul and Jorylk, who was panting heavily and holding its lower abdomen, pain stretched across its abnormal features.
Sikaris looked briefly at the large spiked alien, who stared back in concern. "Later," was all Sikaris said, the simple word causing a flicker of relief to flash across Jorylk's face. "Do you know of any place we can hide?" Sikaris asked the injured being.
Jorylk nodded affirmative. "Modir Cave," it said sluggishly, pointing up the side of the mountain.
Rysth-nuul straightened in alarm. "What?" it hissed. "Are you crazy? Why do we not just give ourselves to the Ryazan and save a lot of trouble?"
Sikaris shot the snake creature a cold glare. "Go ahead if you want. As for me, I will take my chances in the cave. Unless you have a better idea."
Rysth-nuul backed off, muttering inaudibly, just as the Vip driven by Ch'ran came to a halt next to them. Prin immediately climbed off the top of the small vehicle, followed by Ch'ran, who virtually leapt on top of the scientist in its excitement.
"Whooo!" it whooped excitedly. "Did you see that? Sikaris, we need to steal some more of these. Of course, you would not be able to fit in one anyway. Too bad. They are great! A little on the bumpy side, though, but the speed is—"
"Ch'ran!" Sikaris roared loudly. The small alien immediately ceased its ramblings and looked around as if just waking from a daze.
"Yes, Sikaris? Did you want something?" it asked innocently.
The feline leader sighed and turned toward Prin, ignoring the devilish grin on Ch'ran's face. "How badly are you injured?"
Prin examined its side. "Not bad. The Dakkar-nil suit took most of the damage."
"Good. Then you, Rebecca, and Jorylk will go first and find the cave. The rest of us will climb up behind you and try to slow down the Ryazan. Kyen'tir, keep them busy as long as you can."
Without any further hesitation, the group began climbing up the steep rocky slope of the mountain as quickly as possible while still being careful of their footing. They had managed to climb a mere fifty feet up the face of the mountain when the sounds of gunfire erupted from below.
Looking down, Rebecca could see that the remaining fifteen Vips had reached the bottom of the slope, but their guns seemed unable to pivot vertically to reach their escaping prey. For a brief instant, the creatures simply waited inside their vehicles, almost as if they were going to give up the chase. Then one by one, the small three-foot aliens emerged from the Vips and began climbing the mountain with frightening rapidity and skill.
Her first sight of the strange aliens caused her to halt her ascent momentarily. The creatures resembled giant reptilian rats with scales in varying shades of gray. Although most of the Ryazan had two or three arms and legs, they were abnormally positioned in nearly every conceivable location: some had arms in the middle of their chests, some sticking out from their hips, and several of them even had claws on the ends of their tails. Yet despite their many appendages, they appeared to be carrying no weapons. Which doesn't mean anything on this accursed planet, she thought dryly.
Prin shoved her hard from behind, cutting into her thoughts. "Why are you stopping? Go! They are almost upon us. Yes, yes!"
Needing no further prompting, she climbed up over the next ridge until she reached a mostly flat path about twenty-five feet wide
that wound its way up the mountain.
"...Modir path...lead...cave," Jorylk said, its countenance lifting. The seven-foot alien began heading up the path with renewed vigor, although still clutching its stomach.
"Run! They are almost here!" came Tarrsk's frantic cry as it cleared the edge and landed upon the path. Even as the translation finished, loud shrieks of rage came up from below as Kyen'tir rained down several lethal feathers at the approaching Ryazan.
Rebecca ran on after Jorylk, spurred on by the pandemonium that was suddenly unleashed behind her. Sikaris,Tarrsk, Lohgar, Rysth-nuul, and Ch'ran threw their packs and carry bags onto the ground and turned to face the oncoming attackers. In the same instant, harsh squeals full of bloodlust filled the air as several of the small creatures came up over the lip. Yet, even before they had cleared the edge, a volley of rock pellets and bullets were showered down upon them. Despite the hail of projectiles, only two of the aliens were felled by the attack. The rest of the agile creatures dodged and swerved, advancing slowly toward the group.
Suddenly, a burst of light and heat from behind her caused Rebecca to turn around just in time to see a stream of flame billowing out from one of the creatures closest to the edge of the cliff. To her complete bewilderment, it was not aimed at Sikaris and the others but at the five advancing Ryazan in front of it, totally enveloping them in fire. As the stream ceased, the five attackers burned brightly, their entire bodies covered with dancing tongues of orange flame.
The burning creatures, however, instead of crying out in agony in the throes of death as she would have expected, leapt forward and closed the remaining distance between themselves and their prey, seemingly oblivious to the fire. The battle instantly dissolved into a free-for-all as each of the defenders broke off the joint ranged attack in favor of the one-on-one melee.
Rysth-nuul dropped to the ground, causing its attacker to miscalculate and leap over its prone form. In the same motion, it snapped its barbed tail at the flaming assailant as it flew past catching it squarely around its throat. Using the Ryazan's forward momentum against it, the snake alien pulled its tail in the opposite direction, snapping the unfortunate creature's neck. Before the rat alien's fiery body had even hit the ground, Rysth-nuul withdrew its tail to avoid being burned further.
Logic's End Page 14
