“Oh, dammit, Kaiden what did you do?” Flynn asked as he closed his gun’s vent with a snap.
“Do I look like I have a damn clue?” Kaiden scowled. “If I had known something like this would happen, I would have mentioned it.”
“Who even has the means to send a Sauren after somebody?” Raul wondered aloud. “I don’t see any merc symbols. Is he a bounty hunter?”
“I doubt it. War chiefs are something like a soldier-king in the Sauren culture. They lead a colony of people in life and war, so I don’t think they take private contracts.” Jaxon looked as confused as the rest of them.
“Why do you want me?” Kaiden asked belligerently.
In response, the Sauren stretched its claws and leaned low to the ground. “I grow bored of this talk.”
“Wow, already? They really don’t like talking,” Flynn muttered.
“I have not come to converse, but to battle. Now either prepare to continue this fight or surrender.”
“Well, if he’s here for me, I certainly ain’t going to simply lay down for him,” Kaiden asserted grimly. “I can’t imagine that my situation would be improved if I went anywhere with him.”
“You have me doing the craziest shit, mate.” Flynn chuckled despite the situation. “Fighting space dinosaurs…thought I left stuff like that behind as a kid.”
Raul was silent for a moment before he shook his head and raised his gun. “Drinks are on you next time we go out, Kaiden.”
“I will not abandon you,” Jaxon assured him. “But we need a plan.”
“I can charge one of these guns to full power, but I will need some time and assistance.”
“Gotcha.” Kaiden nodded. “Flynn, Raul…help Genos out with whatever he needs.”
“On it,” Flynn acknowledged, the three of them backing away.
“Sorry to drag you into this with me, Jax, but you seem to know the most about these things. And with our guns useless, it looks like we’ll have to get up close with this guy.”
“I understand.” Jaxon tossed his gun to the ground. “How should we approach this?”
“You in good shape?” Kaiden asked
Jaxon stretched and flexed, then nodded. “I am recovered enough.”
“You got a battle suite?”
Jaxon nodded, removed a visor from the back of his belt, and placed it on his head. “Of course.”
“You know kung-fu?”
The Tsuna turned to him, staring at him for a moment before turning back. “I do not know that specific style, but I do know how to fight in close combat.”
“Works for me.” Kaiden smiled, tossed away his own gun, and put up his fists. “Ready?”
As Jaxon took his own stance, his arms close to his chest and legs apart, the Sauren roared and charged.
“Activate Battle Suite,” they both commanded almost simultaneously.
The world slowed. Kaiden and Jaxon moved faster now, their steps and actions almost in sync. The Sauren reached up to grab both of them, but they weaved out of his grasp. Kaiden grabbed the attacker’s arm and using his momentum, he flung the beast over his shoulder. He landed on the mat with a loud thud.
Jaxon ran up to him and delivered a kick to the Sauren’s temple as he tried to recover. The monster snarled as it clawed at him, Jaxon dodging each blow as if taking part in a violent dance.
Kaiden grasped one of the weighted bars on the floor. He rammed it into the back of the Sauren’s left arm, just below his shoulder, a weak joint in their physiology. The monster yelled in pain, his arm flailing wildly, and Kaiden spun around and slammed the bar into the bottom part of its chest where one of its two hearts were located.
Those talents were paying dividends now, he realized with an almost surreal satisfaction.
The Sauren sputtered and hissed for a moment before reaching out for the bar. Kaiden released it as the reptile pulled back, swinging the bar in a wide arc. Jaxon maneuvered underneath as the Sauren spun around and he leaped onto its back again, this time digging his fingers into its eyes.
The bar fell, and Kaiden caught it. As the beast emitted another loud roar, Kaiden jumped up and slammed the metal into its nose. The massive jaws snapped shut, the long teeth biting into its tongue. It bellowed again, blood pouring out of its mouth. The Tsuna leaped off, and Kaiden saw the focused, predatorial look in the alien’s eyes had been replaced by pure rage.
As Jaxon landed, he began to run away to get some distance, but a leather strap wrapped around his insulator and pulled him back. Kaiden saw the Sauren using the leather bindings around his arms as a whip to haul the Tsuna towards him. He used the bar to sweep the back of the alien’s left leg, but the monster raised its leg before the bar connected and slammed it down in mid-swing, causing it to bend.
Kaiden let go and dodged the Sauren’s arm as it reached out to claw him. He saw Jaxon disengage his insulator to escape the beast’s grasp. Without that device, a Tsuna would not last more than a few minutes on Earth. Kaiden could feel the strain of the suite getting to him, his own vision blurring and his muscles feeling heavy.
They needed to end this.
“Genos! How much longer?” Kaiden demanded.
“It is charged,” he confirmed in response.
“Look out,” Raul yelled. The Sauren had tossed the bent bar at the group. They moved out of the way, but the bar clipped Flynn in the leg, sending him sprawling on the floor and clutching his tibia in pain.
“Kaiden, take it,” Genos shouted, tossing him the charged rifle.
Kaiden caught it and aimed at the Sauren’s head. He focused the center of his head in his sights, preparing to press the trigger as the beast roared at him.
“Halt!” A loud cry froze them all in place. Kaiden recognized the voice and turned to see Wulfson at the door.
The Sauren looked to the officer. “Where have you been, Wulfson?”
Kaiden kept the rifle trained on the alien, but he looked slowly between the alien and Wulfson, trying to figure out what was going on.
“I left to deal with something in the main offices. I asked you to stay out of trouble while I was out.” Wulfson glared at the Sauren.
The reptile spat out some blood in response. “This is hardly trouble.”
“I still need to work on your definitions.” The security officer sighed as he walked into his compound and surveyed the damage.
He looked at the students on the floor, grimacing at their condition, then turned to Kaiden. “Now, what the hell is this all about?”
Chapter Seventeen
“Thanks, mate.” Flynn sighed, taking the ice pack from Kaiden. “How are the others doing?”
Kaiden looked at their companions strewn around the central mat. Luke tried to sit up, but every time he managed to get a few inches off the mat, he would wince and then lie down again. Silas had a slightly easier time of it and now sat back-to-back with Raul to steady himself. Marlo was able to get back on his feet, but he’d worked his shoulders and neck nonstop since he recovered. Genos was looking over Jaxon’s infuser, making sure it was installed properly and that nothing was damaged.
“On a scale of ten?” Kaiden considered the reality and shrugged. “Looking like a seven or eight?”
“They don’t look that good to me,” Flynn replied, placing the ice pack on his shoulder and holding it in place.
“I was talking level of pain,” Kaiden admitted.
“Oh, then that’s about what it looks like to me.”
Kaiden looked over when he heard a door open. Wulfson and the Sauren stepped out of the back office, the security chief holding a chest in his hand.
“You boys feeling any better?” he asked, placing the chest on the console table.
“It’s only been twenty minutes, Wulfson. We’re gonna need a bit.” Kaiden glared, making his point.
Wulfson chuckled and pointed a thumb at the Sauren. “Heh, my friend is putting you to shame. He’s already back to full health after that beating you gave him.”
&nbs
p; “I’m not sure if I would call it that,” the Sauren muttered, running his repaired tongue along his teeth.
“You nearly bit that thing off, and it’s already back together?” Kaiden exclaimed.
“The Sauren heal ridiculously fast,” Wulfson explained as he opened the chest. “I’ve seen some torn to literal shreds and then watched as their skin and muscle repaired in real time, so they were back in the field in a little over an hour.”
“As long as our hearts beat, we cannot be felled.” The Sauren growled what might have been a challenge.
“Next time, go for removing the head or destroying the hearts. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time and theirs.” Wulfson snickered.
“You make them sound like they’re zombies or something.” Flynn moved his ice pack to his other shoulder.
“With the added accessories of retractable claws that can tear through steel, almost as many teeth as an alligator, and a hide that breaks most blades,” Wulfson pointed out.
“While I find your little biology lesson nice and all, if you could tell me why he’s here and why he wants me, I would appreciate it.” Kaiden grunted with a meaningful nod at the Sauren.
“Ah, right getting to that.” Wulfson walked over to Kaiden. “Have a hit of this first,” he suggested and handed him a small vial.
Kaiden looked it over, a smile plastered on his face. “This is Dr. Soni’s serum,” he declared enthusiastically. “I thought she said she didn’t have anymore.”
Wulfson handed vials to the other soldiers. “I asked her to give me a few vials to have on standby after that time you ran into the dumbbell rack.” Wulfson went back over to the desk, “Thought I might have accidentally killed ya with that one. Figured it was best to have a couple around in case you take enough damage that I need to treat ya with something right away.”
“Why is it so small?” Kaiden inquired, looking at the tiny tube which contained maybe a third of the usual amount.
“I only had three vials and had to split them to give to your buddies.” Wulfson leaned against the console and crossed his arms. “Plus, you need to start weaning yourself off the stuff. That’s a diluted mix that can be drunk instead of injected, and it’s enough to get you through the pain.”
“You guys are really messing with my supply,” Kaiden mumbled, downing the shot of serum.
“Nice to see where we land on your priority list,” Silas retorted, swallowing his own portion.
“Right, now let’s get started on the introductions,” Wulfson began. “Wish I was here to do this from the beginning. It could have spared me the cleanup—or you guys a cleanup, seeing as no one is leaving till this place is tidy again.”
The soldiers, with the exception of Jaxon, groaned at the news. “Shut yer traps. You’re lucky I’m not adding punishment drills on top of that. But considering that all of you, with the exception of Kaiden, are first-timers, I’ll let you off the hook.”
“Keep offering them perks like that, and I’m sure they’ll come running back,” Kaiden jeered, sitting down next to Flynn. “All right, so who’s your scaly friend here?”
“This here is War Chief Ran’ama Aboren Zin’til Arcquini. He lets me call him Raza for short,” Wulfson announced, nodding at the Sauren. “He and I have been good friends for many years now.”
“Where the hell did you two meet? At an underground gladiator tournament?” Flynn asked.
“I learned of your head officer when he was a sergeant in your planet’s military,” Raza related, his voice more collected and hushed than before. “When my people first made contact with your race, the various weapons and technology we discovered made us believe you were a worthy conquest.”
“Wait, we were at war with you guys?” Marlo questioned.
“In the beginning, we had prepared for that,” Raza answered.
“Raza was chosen to lead the initial hunting party and check us out. He and fifty of his best warriors raided Station Zappa. My company happened to be there as we were charged with transferring some supplies from Stockholm to the station.” Wulfson leaned his head back as he reminisced. “My God, was that a thrilling battle. My company was comprised of one hundred and eleven men, and we had over three hundred guards in the station’s security forces. We had the numbers advantage, but it didn’t matter. It didn’t seem like there was anything we could do to stop them until we got the clearance to use heavy weapons and explosives.” He looked at Raza with a wry grin. “That finally got your attention.”
Raza returned the officer’s look for a moment before turning to address the others. “I had my warriors stand aside, and I challenged any one of the humans to face me in combat ritual.”
“Combat ritual?” Kaiden asked. “Is something not translating correctly?”
“It’s called the Mai’kolo, or something like that. It basically means a singular fight to decide the fate of a large battle,” Wulfson explained.
“How did you even know what he was talking about?” Flynn asked, “Could you translate the Sauren language back then?”
“We had a Sauren dictionary that the Tsuna had given us. Had a couple of the techs use their EIs to help make sense of it all,” Wulfson recounted. “It was pretty broken. We could only do so much in real time with a completely new language and everyone on edge. But I got the gist and stepped forward.”
Raza brought out his claws, flexing them for a moment as he remembered the fight. “The battle was long and ferocious. I gained a new respect for your kind that day. There was at least one among you who could fight with the cunning and wrath of the Sauren.”
“After three days, both of us were at our limit. These tenacious bastards got endurance like you wouldn’t believe. But even they start feeling it after a while.”
“Three days?” Silas stammered.
“Good God, man!” Flynn exclaimed, dropping his ice pack.
“How were you able to keep going for three days?” Kaiden asked.
Wulfson chuckled. “One of the crates in the shipment contained an experimental stimulant. After two days of chasing the bastards through the station, I was getting pretty soft. I took one to keep myself going, despite a few annoying techs and science idiots telling me it was dangerous.” Wulfson whistled at the memory. “Let me tell you, those things made the blood in my veins damn near go nuclear. I was running around like my armor was on fire. It was a good thing these space dinosaurs can regenerate like they can because I swear, I would have been looking for other things to kill when they ran out. I probably accepted the match to keep my body moving just as much as I did to have a good fight.”
“So you won?” Kaiden asked. “And you guys are friends now?”
Wulfson chuckled again, shaking his head. “Nah, I dropped. When that stuff finally got out of my system, I was worthless. Eight of my men had to carry my big ass to the station’s med-bay. I detoxed for days and couldn’t move a finger. It’s why I try to stay away from experimental serums and the like as much as I can.”
“So what happened to you?” Flynn inquired, looking at Raza. “Why did you let him go?”
Raza stood tall, placing his claws on either side of his chest, where his hearts would be. “My people are the greatest hunters and warriors in this universe, but we are not savages. Honor, respect, and tradition are always paramount to us. Wulfson proved to be a worthy challenge and an admirable fighter. I was at my limit, too. As a war chief, I represent the elite of the Sauren, and he still fought me to a standstill. It was enough for me to see that you humans were potentially more than merely game. We returned to our alpha ship and began to discuss our next move when one of the Tsuna delegates contacted us and told us that they had already made contact with you. We made a temporary agreement to halt our hunt and engage in discussion with your people.”
“So you are our allies?” Silas huffed his lingering indignation. “Got a weird way of saying hello.”
“Actually, the World Council has a bounty contract with them,” Wulfson corrected. “Th
ere was a pretty strong desire to fight on both sides. Some members of the WC wanted to retaliate for the Sauren’s attack and the Sauren… Well, we did kill some of their guys at the station, but they like a good war from time to time. So there was too much tension to really make a treaty, but the Tsuna found a loophole for us.”
Kaiden gave Wulfson a confused look. “We contracted a planet? How does that work?”
Wulfson closed the chest next to him, and then shrugged his massive shoulders. “It’s an exchange agreement. The Sauren are interested in our tech and weapons and the like, and we want to know as much about the universe as we can. So, in exchange for some of our tech and weapons, they bring back specimens and artifacts from the various planets they find.”
“And they are less likely to kill people that are a boon to them,” Jaxon surmised. “An impressive workaround indeed.”
“We do not take many contracts. We are hunters, not mercenaries. But no honorable Sauren would kill a patron. It is against our code,” Raza declared.
“And everyone abides by that?” Raul questioned. “You don’t have rogues or traitors?”
“I’m sure every species does. We are no exception.” Raza’s voice deepened, a snarl escaping after every other word. “But those that turn away from our code are no longer considered Sauren. When they are caught, they are stripped of their armor and left to rot.”
Flynn rubbed the back of his head. “What, you take off their leather bindings and throw them in a prison or something? I would think that breaking this code would make you do something a bit harsher than that.”
“That’s another translation error, kid,” Wulfson stated. “Those leathers are decorative at best. Sometimes, they use them to help carry things or as whips, but that’s not their armor.”
“Then what is—” Flynn began before Kaiden nudged him sharply. Kaiden pulled down a jacket sleeve, exposing skin that he ran his finger across before pointing to the Sauren.
It took Flynn and the others a moment, but they all seemed to get it at once as their eyes widened. “So you skin them and leave them to bleed out and die…” Flynn croaked.
Animus Boxed Set 1 (Books 1-4): Initiate, Co-Op, Death Match, Advance Page 45
