Earthers

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Earthers Page 7

by S. H. Jucha


  The morning passed uneventfully. Then Jess halted the hunt and used the traveler to eat and visit the facilities.

  The Zistarians squatted on the ground and pulled food from their packs. As the smells from their midday meal wafted toward Jess and Lane, she sent,

  Jess sent in reply. He heard Lane chuckle quietly.

  After the meals were consumed, Jess distributed the Loopah weapons that Lane had gathered, and the Zistarians’ spearguns were piled in the traveler.

  Then Lane lifted to share the remaining Loopah weapons with Aputi and Tacnock.

  Jess spent the next half hour training the Zistarians on the weapons’ operations. Having carried and fired rifle-type weapons, they quickly caught on to the Loopah’s operations.

  It was the multi-dart drum that impressed and delighted the Zistarians. And, as opposed to the Packeoes, the locals were excellent shots.

  Jess decided it was time to expand the search technique. He knelt in the dirt and laid out routes for five teams — four shadows and five or six Zistarians to a team.

  Indersan nodded and burped his approval. Then he separated his followers into groups and assigned leaders to each of Jess’s dirt spirals.

  When ready, Jess sent four teams on their way, while he led the fifth group, which included Indersan.

  The new strategy allowed Jess’s group to cover ground quicker.

  Overhead, Lane returned to overwatch after delivering Loopah weapons to the others. He kept Jess apprised of his teams’ locations. Within three hours, his group had eliminated eight insectoids.

  When Zista’s star cast long shadows, Jess called a halt to the day’s hunt, and the travelers returned the Zistarians to the original encampment. Then the pilots collected the veterans and the shadows.

  During the flight, Jess linked with Aputi and Tacnock to describe his new strategy, but it was unnecessary.

  Aputi enthused.

  Tacnock added.

  Aputi sent.

  Tacnock sent.

  Jess returned.

  Tacnock suggested.

  At the encampment, the Zistarians celebrated. Twenty-five insectoids had been located and destroyed, including innumerable soon-to-be-birthed young, and not a Zistarian life was lost.

  Soon after the festivities started, females joined the males. They brought hot food and drink. It was obvious that the drink was a local favorite. Copious quantities were consumed, which allowed the Zistarians to relish the cycle’s triumph.

  As the storytelling and laughter died down, the Zistarians started to sing. It was an unusual blend of voices. The males delivered a percussive rhythm that had a hypnotic effect, and the females wove their voices through the beat.

  Indersan walked over to Jess and Lane, who sat on the end of a ramp, which had been left a meter off the ground. He offered a container of the favored sweet-smelling liquid to them, but neither human was adventurous enough to participate.

  “Will you hunt when Zomastrom rises and brightens our world?” Indersan asked.

  “Yes,” Jess replied, “Our ships confirmed that twelve of the enemy’s shuttles landed. We know that each shuttle contains at least twenty insectoids. That’s a minimum of two hundred forty adults that scattered across Zista’s surface. We eliminated sixty-three in the last two cycles.”

  “We killed eight before you came,” Indersan said.

  “The hunt will continue for another six to eight cycles to finish the rest,” Jess said.

  “We will hunt with you,” Indersan said determinedly.

  “You’re welcome to join us, Indersan. Your citizens did well,” Jess said.

  Indersan stood, turned to the others, and croaked loudly. His voice interrupted the singers, and the males rose, held their weapons high in the air, and chanted repeatedly.

  “They salute you, Captain,” Indersan said. His lips opened wide, displaying a broad flat tongue.

  Jess eased off the ramp’s edge, faced the males, and touched two fingers to his brow. The males and females celebrated the gesture, and Jess retired his weary muscles for the night.

 

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