The Wounded Warrior

by Jim Laughter

  “So, I assume you’re ready to do a bit of hiking?” Anna asked after they had served themselves and started eating.

  “Of course,” Leatha replied between bites. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I was thinking about taking on one of the shorter trails so you can get oriented,” Anna answered. “Say about three miles all told.”

  “That short?” Leatha asked.

  “What?” Anna asked back in surprise. “Would you like something longer?”

  “Is there a way to show me the landmarks and such on a longer hike? I feel like working out some hospital kinks.”

  “If you feel up to do a good, long hike, we could go up to Balder Ridge,” Anna answered. “It’s a two day hike up there and another two back. We can take tents and camping gear. Take our time.”

  “Sounds intriguing,” Leatha admitted. “But what about my orientation?”

  “There’ll be plenty of time for that before the next group arrives,” Anna answered. “Personally, I could use a good stretch too. It’ll be nice to have someone to do it with.”

  “You don’t go alone, do you?”

  “Not usually,” Anna confessed. “And it has been rare lately to have someone to take a long hike with. I’m usually tied down here with clients.”

  “How long has it been since you went up to Balder Ridge?” Leatha found herself asking as she took another bite.

  “A couple years at least,” Anna admitted. “It’s pretty wild country up there,” she continued. “No one lives up there because of the preserve. We’re the farthest bit of civilization around here.”

  “Sounds like it’s just the ticket!” Leatha replied with some enthusiasm. “I’ve needed to get away from things for a while.”

  “Well then, let’s make it a four day hike,” offered Anna. “We’ve got the time before the next group gets here.”

  “I thought they were coming at the end of the week?”

  “They were. But I received a message this morning saying they’re postponing for another week. That gives us plenty of time to really stretch our legs.”

  “What about the camp? What about all of the equipment?” Leatha asked as she scraped the last of the scramble off her plate.

  “I’ll just put in a call for a caretaker while we’re gone,” Anna replied as she finished her meal. “As for equipment, I have my own pack always ready. I’ll check out a standard client pack for you. We can be ready to go within the hour.”

  “That would be great!” Leatha agreed, getting caught up in Anna’s excitement. The fresh air would do her good, perhaps even clear out some of the mental cobwebs she knew had clouded her mind. Then it hit Leatha how quickly this was all coming together.

  ∞∞∞

  Rose Sharon read the report a second time. Leatha had arrived safely on Sharpton and caught the shuttle to the camp. As far as she knew, there had been no incidents on the transport after leaving the hospital. Sharpton was a secure, neutral planet light years away from any known Red-tail locations. She should be safe. Rose hated to think what would happen if Leatha were to encounter the enemy now.

  Rose pushed the report folder aside and tried to envision the camp. Rustic, isolated, perhaps even a little boring. Most importantly, it was quiet. It would give Leatha a chance to gather her thoughts and perhaps even make a new friend, something she desperately needed.

  Picking Leatha’s personnel folder back up off her desk, Rose read the pages outlining Leatha’s personal life. Orphaned as a young child, abducted by Red-tails and transported to an enemy farming planet only to escape by risking her life to aide in the escape of hundreds of other people, including herself. No formal schooling, yet proficient in math, physics, and the natural sciences.

  One footnote caught Rose’s attention that she didn’t remember reading before. Captain Mordon shows an obsessive tendency to be overly aggressive in regards to Red-tails. She doesn’t just see them as the enemy. She hates them. She is very dangerous.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Leatha looked intently across the fire at Anna. It was obvious to her that Anna was holding something in that she desperately wanted to say.

  Once the decision to go had been made, getting the necessary gear together for their hike had not taken long. Anna opened the equipment room where they stored the packs and equipment and they got busy. Working together, they augmented the standard client pack Leatha would use as well as Anna’s personal one. They laid both packs on a large worktable between them. While they worked, Leatha asked questions and Anna filled her in on the areas they would traverse.

  “How far is it to Balder Ridge?” Leatha asked as she inventoried her client pack. On shelves and in different bins lining the walls of the equipment room were stacks of extra supplies and devices for different types of hikes. Hanging from pegs were even extra ropes and rappelling equipment for scaling cliffs. A glance by Leatha at the ropes and harnesses was answered by a quick shake of Anna’s head.

  “Well, if we take the easy route, day and a half depending on our pace.” Anna pulled out extra trail rations and piled them the table in two stacks.

  “And if we take some other way?” Leatha asked, suggesting she would rather take on something challenging.

  “We could go up the western approach, but that takes three or four days,” Anna answered. She grunted as she stuffed a package of freeze-dried something into her pack. Leatha couldn’t tell what it was, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

  Anna continued. “That trail is rarely used anymore because of the difficulty.”

  Leatha thought this over for a minute and then decided to throw out her own challenge. “Are you game?”

  The older woman stopped what she was doing and looked back hard at Leatha.

  “Are you suggesting that I might be too old, space jockey?” Anna shot back. Both women laughed.

  “So what might we expect out there?” Leatha asked. They continued to check their gear and stow it in the packs.

  “As I said, it’s wilderness up there,” Anna said. “There are no habitations north of here, and when I checked with Preserve Management, they said there had been no one up there in months. We’ll be the first party this season, so the trails will be a mess.”

  “Sounds like a fun little trip,” Leatha said. “Will we be doing any repair work on the trail?”

  “Not this trip,” Anna answered. “We’re to mark any problems or damage we find and the preserve will send a repair crew up by flitter later in the month.”

  “Since we’ll be the only ones up there, how will we stay in touch if we need help?” asked Leatha, cinching up a side pocket on her pack. Anna double-checked the medical supplies in each pack.

  “With this,” Anna said. She pulled a small palm-sized responder out of her equipment. “It will link us directly to one of the communications satellites and through to the preserve office. If we really need help, they can fly in with a flitter.”

  “That’s twice you’ve mentioned flitters in the last couple of minutes,” Leatha noted. “But to get here, the pilot of the flitter that brought me said he had to land at town where I’d go the rest of the way by ground transport. How come I couldn’t just be flown here?”

  “Because the Preserve is what they call a Wilderness Area, and except for emergencies, no over flights are allowed, even at high altitude.”

  “They take things a bit extreme, don’t they?” Leatha remarked. “I mean, over flights and a few flitters landing wouldn’t cause any harm.”

  “Just between you and me, I agree,” Anna admitted in a conspiratorial whisper. “But that’s not the way certain folks see it. To them, the thought of looking up into a pristine sky and maybe seeing a flitter is unthinkably vulgar. The same goes for landings. Even in emergencies, they have to get special permission to land.”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Anna said. “I know of one flitter pilot who was threatened with the loss of his license when he attempted to make
an unauthorized landing to pick up a hiker with a broken leg.”

  “What!” Leatha exclaimed. She stopped what she had been doing. “Don’t tell me they expected an injured person to hike out?”

  “In essence, yes,” Anna said with some disgust. “I ended up on the team that had to hike in twenty seven hours to carry him out.”

  Leatha shook her head. Anna continued. “There was a big stink about it, but Preserve policy prevailed.”

  Leatha snorted in disgust. “Let’s just hope we don’t need help.”

  “Besides,” Anna joined in, trying to lighten the mood again. “I don’t think the two of us could carry all the paperwork we’d have to fill out.” Leatha smiled.

  In short order, the two women were packed and ready to go. It was only mid-morning, so Anna thought they could reach a meadow she wanted to camp in that night. After securing the camp, they headed out.

  The trail was fairly well maintained and relatively level for the first few miles. Anna explained that this was what most of the tenderfoot trails were like. There were even mile markers along it for reference. Then they came to a junction. At least that’s what Anna called it. Leatha did not see much evidence to support the claim and said so.

  “You’re sure this is the trail?” she asked, referring to the map Anna had provided her for the trip.

  “Definitely,” Anna said. “Note the angles of the reference points east and north of here.”

  Leatha pulled out her pocket compass and matched coordinates against the map. This was different from using her star charts aboard the Aurora. After a minute of checking, she confirmed the junction.

  “Besides,” Anna continued, “you’re forgetting something.”

  “What?”

  “These are my woods, space jockey,” Anna said with just a hint of tease in her voice. “You may be able to find your way across the galaxy, but mess with me and I’ll hide behind a tree and leave you to the bears.”

  Leatha consulted the map again and found the first landmark. “Ok, I’ve got it now,” she announced to Anna. “I stand corrected.”

  “I’m glad to see you figuring it out,” Anna observed. “Most people usually don’t get it.”

  “We did something like this in service training,” Leatha admitted. “But I’ve gotten a little rusty. It’s been a while since I’ve been on an assignment that required me to use wilderness skills.”

  After stowing the map and compass, Anna started them off on the overgrown trail.

  “Bears, huh?” Leatha asked. “You got an old boyfriend stashed out here somewhere you’re not telling me about?”

  “Honey, if I had a man stashed somewhere, do you think I’d be out here traipsing around these woods with you?”

  At first the trail was just as level as the tenderfoot trail they were leaving. Except for being overgrown, Leatha saw little difference except this trail headed due north rather than northwesterly like the previous trail. Then they rounded a bend and she saw the climb they had ahead of them. Anna seemed undaunted and kept the same distance-eating stride she had set for them earlier. Bracing herself for the climb, Leatha fell in behind.

  It was approaching evening when they finally reached the meadow that Anna had set as their goal for the day. They had traversed several ridges in the process and gained a couple thousand feet of altitude. The relief Leatha felt was palatable.

  Climbing that first cross ridge had not been too hard until they reached the top. It was then that Leatha realized it was but the first of several. Going downhill to cross the valley below had been easy except for knowing they would have to regain the lost altitude. So with appropriate rest breaks, they conquered each ridge in turn.

  Now they were settled for the night. Setting up camp had not taken much time and Anna had a small fire going to cook their field rations. Evening had given way to night and that was when Leatha realized with amazement that Sharpton had two moons, something she had not noticed on the shuttle flight here from Alpha Two. And for some reason, noticing the two moons made her feel uneasy. But she mentally dismissed the uneasy feeling when she noticed the way Anna was acting. Something was bugging her. Leatha decided to end the suspense.

  “Anna?” she began as she took a stick and stirred the small fire. “Something is on your mind. You mind sharing?” Leatha felt a little awkward asking this way but she was too curious to let it go.

  “Oh, nothing much,” Anna said, doing a poor job of dissembling. “Just some things I have been wondering about.”

  “Like what?”

  “Just stuff I’ve been aching to ask you?” Anna admitted.

  Leatha cringed at the thought. Now she was sure Anna knew or thought she knew all about her problems. When Leatha didn’t say anything, Anna decided to continue.

  “I’ve just been wondering what it’s like out among the stars,” she said, pointing up at the star-studded night sky. Leatha tried not to show the relief she felt. Here was a subject where she was comfortable.

  “What would you like to know?”

  “Do you ever feel... I don’t know... lonely out there?” Anna asked hesitantly. “I mean, it seems so empty.”

  “It can be at times,” Leatha admitted honestly. “But usually you’re too occupied to notice. The service keeps us pretty busy. Have you ever been out there?”

  “No,” Anna confessed. “I’ve never left Sharpton. I grew up on the edge of our one big city. I’ve worked out here in the field ever since vocational training.”

  “To me, this would be lonely work,” Leatha offered. “So far from other people most of the time. I would be bored pretty quick. I’m a person of action.”

  “I am too,” Anna agreed. “And there is plenty of action here. It’s just a different kind of action. Here it is more of dealing with nature. What kind of action do you have out there in space?”

  “Well, I assume you know about Red-tails,” Leatha began. Anna nodded. “That takes up a lot of time and effort. Patrols are long and can wear a person down.”

  “Are you fighting all the time?” Anna asked. “From the news, that is the impression I get. That you are always fighting them.”

  “It’s far from constant,” Leatha corrected. “Some people live their whole lives without ever seeing one, much less fighting one. But when it does happen, it is fast and furious.”

  “Are the battles big?” Anna asked. “I hear reports of hundreds of ships being involved. Whole fleets, in fact.”

  “Truthfully, most aren’t,” Leatha stated, thinking of her own skirmishes in space. “Single engagements between two ships are more typical. That alone could turn your hair gray if you had time to think about it. But you don’t. It’s usually over in a matter of seconds.”

  “If it’s so sporadic, why do we hear about it all the time?”

  “Because what you’re hearing is the combined situation over whole sectors,” Leatha answered. “Most people assume that what they’re hearing about is just their own local star system. That is a false impression. What the news reports is action. If there isn’t much locally, they’ll reach out farther in quest of what sells their services - active news events. Remember, a battle report, even if it’s far away, is more newsworthy than everyday normal happenings.”

  “So why doesn’t the Axia change things, make them report more accurately?”

  “Because that would stifle all reporting,” Leatha answered. “What would be more effective would be to contact your local news service and praise them when they do a story closer to home. Just like any business, they’ll respond to their customers.”

  Leatha realized she was starting to sound like some of her instructors back in Advanced Training. She shook her head to clear it. Taking a breath, she looked intently at Anna.

  “I want to get back to your original question,” Leatha said seriously. Anna nodded her agreement. “You were wondering about what it’s like to live in space. Let me answer that with a question. What is it like to live way out here where the only people you
see most of the time are those you have to shepherd along? What’s in it for you?”

  Anna thought for a minute. “First off, I love it out here. Always have,” she said. “My job here is somewhat of a compromise between that and having to make a living. It’s the only way I could stay out here except for the two week permits by the Preserve.”

  “Fair enough,” Leatha agreed, nodding her head. “That actually puts us both in the same camp,” she went on. “I love the freedom of traveling in space. I get to go places and see things most people never will.”

  “But you didn’t know that when you went into the service,” Anna countered. “Only a very few go from the service into flying a ship. So I suspect your reason for going into the service, and later into Flight School, was something else; something deeper.”

  Leatha frowned. She didn’t like the direction this conversation was taking, not one bit!

  “True,” she admitted. “I applied to the service for another reason.” She lowered her voice a bit. “It was to fight Red-tails. I hate them and would kick them out of our galaxy if I could. When I had a chance for Flight School, I jumped at it. It would give me a way to take the fight to them.”

  Leatha stopped talking and fought to regain some composure. She was surprised at her own vehemence. An uncomfortable silence grew between them. Anna didn’t respond immediately.

  “I won’t ask,” Anna said in a quiet but firm voice. “And I respect your reasons, whatever they are.”

  The silence grew wider between them. The only sound was the crackling of the fire and the occasional hooting of a night owl.

  Anna watched the younger woman carefully but managed to mask her concern. Clearly, Leatha was wrestling with something that troubled her. Anna hadn’t meant to put her finger in it but now the deed was done. She could only hope that whatever it was, Leatha wouldn’t hold it against her.

  After a time, Leatha spoke. “I don’t know how much you know about me,” she said. “For that matter, I don’t really know everything about myself. Parts of my past are blurry, even disconnected in my mind. A lot happened when I was young, and very little of it was good.”