The Soldier: The X-Ship

by Vaughn Heppner

  Cade halted, breathing hard, mopping sweat from his face. He scanned back, but could see no signs of pursuit.

  Blue-feathered birds soared behind him, their wings three meters across. They had bare heads and thick hooked beaks. He wondered if that indicated a type of vulture or scavenger. A herd of heavy bison-like creatures with dark brown hides moved less than a kilometer to his right. They walked and tore at the grasses. Did that mean they would ruminate on the substances later?

  He’d passed a pond earlier, filled his canteens and dropped a purification tablet in each. He now unlatched a canteen, unscrewed the top and took a swig. Despite the tablet, it was sweet tasting. He would have liked to drink more, but he would wait until the sun went down. He would simply sweat it out if he drank too much now. This was just to rinse his mouth and raise his spirits.

  At times, he ran at a steady pace. He would walk afterward, switching out in order to keep up his stamina while covering as much territory as he could.

  He’d seen a pride of predatory beasts earlier: three-meter-long, tawny monsters with savage sets of shark-like teeth. They had slunk with feline grace. Fortunately, for him, they had left him alone.

  He used the zoom function of his sunglasses, but did not pick up any indication that bipedal wolf aliens were following.

  By now, the sun was edging toward the horizon. Given its rate of travel across the blue sky, he estimated he had another hour and a half of sunlight.

  Rechecking his compass, he saw that he had another hundred kilometers at least before he reached the crash site. A smudge on the horizon indicated hills or mountains. He had a feeling the woman’s ship had crash-landed in those smudges.

  Did bipedal wolf aliens live in the mountains or hills? Why had Rohan Mars suggested that humans lived on this world?

  He had so many questions. Answers would come with hard work and luck.

  “A man makes his own luck,” Cade muttered.

  He rose from his crouch and began loping. He did so for thirty minutes. By the end of that time, he was panting and had sweated far too much. The sun had sunk toward the horizon faster than he’d anticipated.

  Hmmm… It was time to decide where he would sleep for the night. He eyed a stand of huge tropical trees, most of the leaves high up on top. Would there be monkey creatures over there? He hadn’t seen any sign of such.

  He turned toward the trees, walking, setting the spear against a shoulder. He would make his decision at the trees. So far, he kept away from them.

  He reached the seven towering trees as the sun ballooned in apparent size, half in the horizon. A large furry type of squirrel lived in the trees. Four of them stared down at him.

  Cade set the spear against the craggy tree trunk. It had to be a hundred meters tall, the first branches halfway up. The trunk of this tree hadn’t grown straight up, but slanted.

  He drank water and settled everything on him for climbing. He would leave the spear behind. He donned a pair of gloves and started balancing on the slanted trunk, climbing.

  The ground dropped away, and the huge squirrels started chattering at him in rage. He paused, wondering if they would attack. If they did, he would have to start down as fast as he could. Otherwise, he risked losing his balance and hitting the ground with a splat.

  The giant squirrels kept their distance, however.

  It took work and balance until he reached a branch. It was big and straight enough for him to lie down with a meter on either side of him.

  He lay there, the last tip of the sun sinking into the horizon. He’d made fantastic progress today, having started in his smelly drop-suit in orbit. He could probably reach the crash site two days from now, provided nothing got in his way. It surprised him that the bipedal wolf aliens had given up so easily. He had been sure letting the other two live had been a mistake. Now, he was glad he’d let them go. Why needlessly kill?

  He drifted off to sleep, waking several times as animal roars or screams startled him. Each time, he looked around before closing his eyes again. He should be safe up here—

  Something instinctual woke him again. Had he been dreaming? A dire feeling caused him to turn and peer down—his nape hairs rose. In the starlight, he spied one of the feline three-meter-long predators slinking up the slanted tree-trunk. It kept sniffing the bark, its tail lashing. The obvious conclusion was that it smelled his scent.

  Cade drew his hand cannon. Should he shout at it?

  “Hey!” he yelled.

  The predator’s triangular head snapped up. Its luminescent green eyes peered up at him and the tail straightened. The beast had lion-like claws. It began to race up the trunk at him.

  Cade drew a bead and fired. A gout of flame shot from the barrel. A gaping hole appeared in the predator’s head as the heavy slug blasted through. That checked its race up the tree. The glowing green eyes shimmered and seemed to wink out. A moment later, the great beast plummeted from the tree, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

  Nearby tree-borne squirrels screamed protest. Somewhere farther out on the grasslands beasts roared as if with rage. It was as if they understood that something unnatural had occurred, and they hated it.

  There was something else, though, and the soldier had trouble pinpointing it. The stars glittered brightly in the heavens, and metal, or something reflective, shimmered from the throat of the beast below.

  That made no sense.

  Distant horns began to blare. The soldier recognized the sound. He sat up, squinting into the distance. He saw it then: points of light. The pinpoint lights—torches, hundreds of them.

  The soldier’s heart beat faster. In another man, that might have indicated fear. In him, it meant he had to decide—and act.

  He muttered a curse under his breath, holstered the Magnum and donned the gloves. It was time to leave.

  In the starlight, he began negotiating his way down the trunk. It was harder than climbing up. The squirrels were chattering instructions or mocking him; he didn’t know which. Finally, he let go and dropped, landing in a crouch.

  He grabbed the spear and used the flint tip to prod the beast. It was huge, but it did not stir. It must be dead. It had to be dead. The soldier used the tip to prod the neck, finding a leather collar around its throat. He inched closer, seeing shiny tiny objects sewn to the leather collar.

  He heard the horns again. Could they be closer than before?

  He nodded. It was more than possible. The collar indicated the beast was a hunting animal for the bipedal wolf aliens. The horns agreed with his analysis. The torches—

  Cade exhaled through his nostrils, turned away from the line of torches and started trudging across the dark grassland. This was likely a terrible risk. Being treed by more giant predators would be worse. The wolf aliens were clearly hunting for him.

  He should have slain the last two. Showing mercy had come back to bite him in the butt. He couldn’t change what had happened, so he wasn’t going to worry about it. He’d had a rest and felt better.

  “You’ve been resting for seven days. Now, it’s time for some work.”

  Resolved, mentally shoving aside possible regrets, Cade determined that a host of primitives wasn’t going to stop him from reaching his destiny.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Cade took several questionable chances that night. He waded through a nighttime pond, the WAK Magnum aimed at the murky waters swirling around his thighs. He expected an aquatic predator like a crocodile to make a strike at him. Watering holes were always dangerous. He waded along the rim and finally reached stony ground. Climbing out, he hurried from the depression, using stone until he reached the regular grassland again. That might hinder wolf-alien beasts, and the wolf aliens themselves, from sniffing out his trail.

  He kept the revolver holstered after that, determined to use the spear for defense. The gun’s report would give away his position. Surely, the bipedal wolf aliens had canine senses, which included excellent hearing.

  The next dare was a shambl
ing beast like a cave bear. It had shiny claws in monstrously wide paws and saliva-dripping fangs. Cade could see that clearly by the light of an intense moon.

  This moon moved faster across the night sky than normal, which troubled Cade. Could one of the orbitals be doing that? Was the orbital searching for him? He hadn’t seen any moon before this. What else could the bright light be?

  The shambling beast roared from behind. It was a frightful sound. It had been following him for some time. Now, it charged but still in a shambling manner. Certainly, Cade could have drawn his Magnum and fired. He refused. If he couldn’t kill it with the spear, he would die to the wolf aliens anyway as they pinpointed him through the blast.

  To that end, Cade dug in a pocket, removing several stones he’d collected at the pond for something like this. He turned around and threw the stones one after another at the beast’s face, striking it each time, goading it to greater effort.

  The huge cave-bearish monster roared with rage.

  He was doing this for a reason. How did one kill such a predator with a stone-tipped spear? Cade did not believe he would have time to make several deep jabs with the spear as he attempted to dance around it. A single cast from the side would surely drive the flint into flesh, but ribs would block it from biting deeply enough to slay the creature. He had to kill it with a single deep thrust.

  Cade knelt with one knee on the ground, holding the stout spear as if he was a medieval pikeman facing a mounted knight. He planted the blunt end of the spear against the ground, placing one of his boots on it. Then, he angled the spear at a slant, ready to receive the stone-enraged beast. Holding the spear with both hands, knowing he could easily die, Cade shouted a last challenge, both to goad the monster a final time and bolster his courage.

  The bear creature crashed upon the spear like a landslide of muscle, bone and fur. Cade felt the solid wood shiver in his hands. He held on, and the great weight of the beast drove the spear deeper. Realizing he couldn’t fling himself away in time, Cade dove forward, the slashing claws and snapping teeth barely missing him. Then he rolled onto his back as the alien beast crashed on top of him like an avalanche. Cade grunted, the breath driven from his lungs. The stench of the beast made him dizzy, and the weight driving down upon him—

  Moving his hands, straining against the smothering fur and flesh, Cade sipped horrible tasting air. He gagged, sipped again and endured the wretched stench.

  The monster shivered, and shivered again. Cade groaned at the strain, unable to breathe when it did that. Finally, the monster lay still, and Cade was able to wrestle another sip of air.

  Wetness seeped upon his garments. He was pinned under the mountain of unmovable flesh. By the slightest of degrees, he wriggled, stopping often to sip air. He sweated and strained, wriggling centimeter by centimeter. It was an exhausting job, and he paused twice, restarting when his stubbornness had time to kick in. The glorious moment arrived at last. He pushed his head into the open and sucked down air in great gobs. He dragged himself further from under the dead beast, finally jerking his feet free. He collapsed on the ground, drinking air in heaving gasps, utterly spent.

  Once he’d regained a modicum of energy, from where he lay, Cade felt his torso and limbs. Nothing appeared broken, but his body was badly bruised and already stiffening as he lay here. His jacket was soaked with the beast’s blood.

  Cade allowed himself a few more minutes. He just wanted to sleep. Instead, he repositioned himself and used the carcass to climb to his feet. The flesh was still warm. How long until nighttime predators came to feast upon the corpse?

  Closing his eyes, Cade marshaled his will. This time, it was difficult. Maybe he should have used the gun. Well, he hadn’t. Thus, to make the best use of what had happened, he needed to move.

  Cade pushed off the mountain of inert fur and almost tottered into a heap. He kept his balance and started walking. His eyesight was blurry from the new exertion. He kept seeing pinpoint lights, a distant line of them—

  He muttered. He was going the wrong away. Turning around, he went in the right direction, passing the dead monster. To make sure, he took out the compass. It was a good thing he did. He made a thirty-degree change and continued walking. He staggered from time to time, almost tripping and falling.

  That hadn’t been smart. The thing could have crushed him, bruised organs. It could have broken ribs. He’d gotten lucky. A smile hurt his face. Well, he couldn’t worry about that. He had to jog for a time. When he tried, though, he found that a walk was the best he could do for now. It was likely a normal person would have died from the crashing monster. His heavier bones, sturdier muscles and faster reflexes had saved his life.

  “Enough,” he told himself. There was no sense dwelling on the incident now. He’d won. That was it. To survive, he needed to exploit the fact that he hadn’t given his position away through gunfire.

  “Move,” he said to himself.

  This time, he broke into a shambling jog. He grunted at the worst jolts, but the running started to loosen up his sore, spent muscles.

  A half hour later, he felt better. He wasn’t whole again; he just wasn’t a zombie anymore.

  For the remainder of the night, he continued switching off, walking and running. He had great stamina and would have possessed even more but wasn’t in top condition to begin with. He didn’t bother thinking deeply. This was a race. He took out the compass and made course corrections as needed.

  Once, two dog-like creatures trailed him. These possessed stilt-like legs, meaning their lean bodies were above the grass. He kept glancing back at them, trying to spy collars. He couldn’t. Finally, he turned, drawing his boot-knife, deciding to slay them in hand-to-hand combat.

  The two creatures closed on either side of him, growling, sniffing—they both stopped and cocked their heads at practically the same moment. One of them whined. The other sniffed again. Both of them retreated, soon trotting away.

  Cade straightened, surprised by the reaction. Could it have been the bear-monster’s blood? Maybe they smelled the bear creature’s stink on him and that had frightened them.

  With a shaking hand, he slid the knife back into its spot in the boot top. This was the planet of his destiny. If he needed further proof of that—

  “No. I know it now.”

  The idea buoyed him even as total exhaustion began to seep in. He refused to countenance the idea of quitting, however. He had a purpose in this future time. He had a task. He liked that, as he needed and wanted purpose.

  Doggedly, he continued to trot through the grassland. Who had given him his destiny? Cade didn’t know. He couldn’t remember if he was religious or not. The woman—he had to find her. She had risen—woken—from a stasis unit. He had woken from one, too.

  Thinking about it gave him a surge of strength—just in time.

  Horns sounded behind him. He looked back and could see bobbing torches. They were closer than before.

  “No,” Cade said. He increased his trot, picking up speed. Through fierce resolve, he kept that up until he panted gutturally. He was sweating too much. This was a killing pace.

  Before he collapsed and ruined everything, Cade slowed to a walk. He looked back. The torches seemed farther away than last time.

  Could he keep up this pace until he reached the crash site? He didn’t shrug. He could no longer afford to waste any energy. He would find out if he could or not by trying, not by thinking about it.

  He walked. The horns blew. The wolf aliens followed him. He was beginning to think they would never give up. Why hadn’t they sent more of their collared beasts after him?

  Cade continued the grueling pace until the sun began to rise. The dawn light changed the grassland back into the beautiful garden. Cade could see the clotted blood on his jacket. He could see the blood caked under his fingernails. Likely, his face was black and blue.

  As he walked, he took a canteen and found it dry. The other one was the same. He needed to drink.

  A half ho
ur later, he found a stream. He groaned as he crouched by it. Each canteen took a dunk as air bubbled from it. He dropped a purifying tablet in each, gave them time to do their task, and then drank deeply. That might have been a mistake, waterlogging him, but he was too thirsty and exhausted to care.

  Finally, a lifetime later, he clenched his teeth so he wouldn’t cry out. The short rest to his muscles had stiffened them. It was painful standing, but he did it. Looking around, he did not spy any wolf aliens or their giant feline pets.

  Cade began tottering in the correct direction. The smudge in the distance had grown from last night. He almost smiled. He adjusted his hat, took out the sunglasses and walked at a steady pace for an hour. It was getting hotter, but he wasn’t going to stop. He would force his way to the mountains, to the crash site. Surely, there—

  He stopped. Why did he think the wolf aliens would leave him alone there? Slowly, Cade shook his head.

  A horn blared from behind.

  With a start and a twinge from a muscle spasm, he turned. What he saw caused him to groan and sway. By force of will, he refused to let his knees unlock. They almost did anyway. After all his hustle—

  He would not complain. Instead, he would fight to the very end. That meant he needed to catalog what he saw and come up with a plan.

  A long line of wolf aliens approached. They were half a kilometer away, no more than that. He estimated four hundred of them or more, possibly four-fifty. Several leashed three-meter-long predators sniffed at his trail.

  Would the handlers release the beasts to attack him?

  Cade removed the sunglasses and rubbed his gritty eyes. Putting the sunglasses back on, he studied the approaching warriors. They were much like the ones he’d seen yesterday. They had lean furry bodies, loincloths and each carried a spear. No, he took that back. A few carried bundles of javelins. There were a few with more clothing, jewelry, he guessed. Were those alien medicine men or the chiefs?