by Tim Marquitz
While the “anything” used to be Culvert City and the balboran pens, that was no longer the case.
Now, the Wyyvan outpost and a mass of lizards who had yet to see the yearly migration of the great beasts stood directly in their path.
Taj and her crew used to ride the Thorn out every year—Cabe’s precious windrider, long since destroyed in their first encounter with the Wyyvans—and steer the trrilac away from town and the herd of balborans.
Today, their job was different.
It was to make sure the creatures went straight at the outpost without veering off.
The crew ran at the far edges of the herd, firing stun bolts into the air to keep the creatures moving in the right direction.
The effort seemed wrong to Taj, in defiance of what she’d done since she was a kitten, but there was something satisfying about doing it.
The trrilacs had long been a difficulty the Furlorians had to surmount every year, the stubborn old Grans unwilling to move Culvert City out of the path of the creatures.
They’d believed it built character to have a regular challenge to surmount.
Taj thought that was stupid, but who was she to argue?
Now, the curse that had haunted them every year during the spring was now a blessing.
As the herd cleared the end of Everon’s Canyon, something they hadn’t done in over fifty years, they gathered speed. Giant wings strained to carry their weight, which was a big part of their threat.
The creatures would eat everything in their way, feeding in a frenzy and storing their food in their bellies for the continued trip northward. For the first few days, however, the trrilacs were too bloated to fly.
They would drop down on the city and balboran pens and chase every source of food they found, gorging until they could barely move.
That left a horde of giant carnivorous beasts that weighed tons.
They nestled in the wreckage of homes and barns and defecated everywhere, squirming in their filth and spreading it around until they regained the energy to fly again.
Then the whole herd would fly on, moving across the desert and disappearing until the next year.
“Oh, this is gonna be one gack of a wakeup call.” Torbon laughed as he ran alongside Taj. “I hope there are ferion spider sacks all over these guys.”
“Me too,” Taj said, unable to stop grinning as they pushed the herd onward, shooting muted bursts of energy at their backs.
“Sucks that we’ll have to clean up the mess these things make,” Cabe said, “but I think it’ll be worth it.”
The crew slowing, having accomplished their mission. Taj went over to Cabe, wrapped her arm around him, and pulled him close.
It was the first time since they returned to Krawlas that they’d had a moment to melt into each other’s arms. She rested her head on his shoulder as they trailed the trrilac herd, anticipation building.
The Wyyvans had settled into the outpost much like they had before, but with no mining going on, they had taken to scavenging.
After the total loss of contact with their commanders, the lizards were on their own, and they’d been on the planet long enough to know how harsh it was.
Like the rebels out in the desert, they knew there was a long, slow death awaiting them once they ran out of food.
At least it would have been had the trrilacs not swept through.
Alarms erupted in the morning air just before the creatures reached the outpost.
That was when the lizards regretted following their admiral’s command of disabling the artillery units so they couldn’t be used against the Wyyvan forces again.
Now they couldn’t be used against anything.
Unable to hear the screams from a distance, Taj stood stoically and watched through her advanced optics as the trrilacs crashed down heavily across the compound, crushing anything and everything in their way.
Dozens of the giant creatures circled above, swooping down in thunderous arcs to pluck Wyyvan snacks from the ground. Taj was glad she couldn’t hear the crunch of their armor as they were devoured, but there was no hiding the black blood that coated the trrilacs’ lips and sharp teeth.
“We’ll have to comb the tunnels under the compound to make sure we get all the lizards the trrilacs don’t eat, you know?” Cabe said.
Taj nodded.
She suspected that task would be much easier once the herd of trrilac had finished their feast and moved on.
With all that weight atop the already uncertain shelf of ground, she figured there’d be a number of holes before the crew got there to clean them out.
Realistically, they could simply empty the Toradium-42 chamber that Galforin’s soldiers had started, then have Jak and Rat blast the tunnels to dust and avoid going hunting altogether.
Either way, they had time now.
Taj chuckled at that.
They’d been under the gun since they’d arrived, and now they had all the time in the world to finish chasing the Wyyvans from their planet and rebuild.
In a few short days, Krawlas would be theirs again.
Memories of Gran Beaux and Mama Merr struck her, and she smiled.
No matter what losses the Furlorians had sustained, Taj knew the couple would be proud of her and proud of their people.
They had come home at last.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Life was different on the new Krawlas.
It had been two years since the Furlorians had come back to their home world and stolen it back from the Wyyvan invaders.
None of the original settlers would recognize it now.
Where Culvert City had been was an open expanse of desert, a line of yellow tubes cutting across it and running all the way back to the eastern side of Everon’s Canyon. The tubes were Lina’s invention; a system of spark-cannons that could be triggered remotely that would guide the annual herd of trrilac away from settled land without anyone having to risk their lives to chase them away.
Taj missed that part of living on Krawlas, but that was really the only part.
The rest of the changes made life so much better.
Dent had resurrected a hundred of the Dandrinite’s best and brightest using the information and techniques he’d kept secret ever since their extinction.
They embraced the idea of living alongside the heroic Furlorians and immediately started creating a better world for all of them.
It incorporated aspects of the old, rustic Krawlas that the Furlorians had grown up in, but there was a modernization to almost everything that amazed Taj even after all she’d seen in her travels.
With functional Gate technology and nearly endless resources, the Dandrinites were limited only by their imaginations—and sometimes not even that.
A sprawling metropolis of gleaming silver stood alongside the sleepy single-story town that was the new Culvert City, the two species co-existing without strife.
“I still can’t believe how quickly they built all this,” Taj marveled as she stared at the towering skyscrapers a short distance away from her porch.
Dent had made sure that none of them cast their shadows on the new Furlorian town.
She sat in the sun, baking under its heat and sniffing the air.
There were new scents since the Dandrinites had joined them, but they complimented the dry, dusty desert climate.
She could see the glimmer of a new lake that had been created in the Maladorian Plains, sunlight reflecting like diamonds off the surface.
“I can’t believe I’m here to see it all,” Rat remarked, her chair creaking as she eased it back. “I figured for sure that Jak and Malcolm would cart us off and we’d never set foot on this planet again.”
“You people spent a long time here, slaving and working the land,” Cabe replied from his chair alongside Taj’s. “That makes it your home, too.”
Rat smiled.
Once Dent had released the rebel destroyer from his control, ensuring it was far enough away to avoid being damaged
by the Decimator’s explosion, Jak had ordered the ship to return to the planet.
He and his people assisted in the cleanup after the trrilac herd had swept through, destroying the outpost and killing almost all of the lizards in their path.
They captured the remaining Wyyvans and had given them a choice.
To a lizard, they had chosen to surrender rather than face extermination. Taj had held them hostage for a short while, treating them far more kindly than their own commanders had. They were given an ultimatum when S’thlor arrived.
The blind Wyyvan had taken those willing to stay and be productive members of society under his wing.
Those who were less obliged were packed into shuttles and launched in the direction of Belor Prime with enough fuel and supplies to get there and a dire warning to never return.
The Furlorians on Corzant had come back with S’thlor, a message relayed to the Federation and the station by the rebels in the one remaining destroyer.
That was also something that had changed.
Culvert City bustled with activity, Furlorians flitting back and forth, Dandrinites and Wyyvan among them, along with the various races that had made up the rebels. Taj was at peace.
One of the first things the Dandrinites did when they awakened was protect the planet from hostile forces.
A great barrier encircled Krawlas now, advanced warships floating in orbit to reinforce it should it be necessary.
So far, it hadn’t been tested, and Taj was grateful for that.
“You think they’ll ever come back for the Toradium-42 again?” Rat asked.
“Let them,” Cabe answered, chuckling. “I’d like to see them get past the Dandi shields and weapons systems. Besides, now that we’ve offered the Toradium-42 to the Federation, I’d like to see them try. I can’t see General Reynolds letting them off as lightly as we did.”
“I hope they don’t,” Taj mused, staring at the sky.
She’d had enough violence and bloodshed to last her a lifetime.
A couple of lifetimes, as a matter of fact.
She patted her swollen belly and smiled at the sudden flutter of movement inside.
Taj eased back in her chair, thinking about her past and her future. She remembered wanting all the excitement of traveling through space and battling strange, evil aliens once upon a time.
But that wasn’t who she was now.
She had dreams of being like Mama Merr these days. She could rule from home, help raise her people, teach them how to be honorable, and let her children grow up to have the adventures and travel the universe.
This was their world now.
She had done her part to bring peace to it, and as long as that reigned, she would be content to sit back and watch her children grow and prosper.
But Rowl forbid anyone ever dared to harm them.
She kept her armor and weapons in a case beneath her bed, and Taj would rise up in a heartbeat to defend her people and kids.
She might not have been born a warrior, but she’d become one over the last few years.
Both she and her crew both.
And should anything ever threaten their world, there’d be no more running. No, Taj, Cabe, Lina, Torbon, Krawg, Dent, and all the rest would suit up and take the fight to it.
No force in the universe could stop the crew if they were determined to do something.
And if the Federation ever needed them…they’d be there!
Besides, she still owed General Reynolds a pair of lizard-skin boots.
FINIS
Author Notes - Tim Marquitz
January 4, 2019
Hey Folks! I appreciate you hanging out and reading this last book (and all the others, of course), and it’s weird knowing we’ve come to the end here. At least of the current Furlorian saga. Thanks for sticking around and watching the cats battle their way toward better lives.
There was some discussion that they’d hadn’t grown as much as some people believed they should have, but I’d always had it in mind that Taj and the others were always meant to be true to themselves. Taj wears her emotions on her sleeve, and this story arc was as much about the cats defying the odds as it was about remaining true to the nature of the characters, however flawed they might be.
While they would do what needed to be done, they were never going to be hardened warriors. They’re cats! Independent, stubborn, and proud, they were always going to do it their way, for better or worse.
I appreciate the opportunity I’ve been given to share their story. I couldn’t do this without the great folks at LMBPN, Craig, Michael, Steve, Lynne, and the JIT team. Most importantly, I couldn’t do it without you, dear readers. You’re what makes this journey possible, and I’m forever grateful.
While we might have come to the end of the Enemy of My Enemy saga, I suspect you haven’t seen the end of the cats, or of me, so I hope to see y’all around soon. Thank you so much for your support.
Tim
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Written December 20, 2018
Thank you for reading! Once again, all the way to the end and beyond! I’m glad you liked this latest iteration of Enemy of My Enemy. Michael is not a cat guy, but he wants to be. He wants to retire to Cabo San Lucas where he can surround himself with the world’s greatest hunters. Maybe not, but he’s not opposed to cats, as long as they aren’t climbing on him, unless they are.
It’s not yet Christmas, but I have a heavy travel schedule over the next three weeks and don’t want to forget these. Steve can be merciless in his kind reminders that the book is missing author notes and a blurb. At least we have a great cover by Tom Edwards already finished with typography by Jeff Brown. Together, they combine to make something that looks great. I hope it activates your imagination and juices your soul. There’s such a great story in here. I hope you liked it.
Cat people! When Tim and I talked about this series over a year ago, I liked the idea of cats. They wreak havoc on our homes on the best of days and on the worst, Tasmanian Devil levels of destruction!
I don’t have cats anymore. Turns out I was allergic, but I shall always remember those that graced my life for about 30 years. Lots of examples to choose from. If you have something on the edge of a table or desk, odds are better than 50/50 that they’ll knock it off. If you try to stop them, odds increase to nearly 100%.
War is hell and costly, but when there’s something worth fighting for, we love seeing the heroes emerge. They will put themselves in harm’s way for their fellows. It’s how heroes are made. There is no other choice for them. The logic is irrefutable.
Tim is a great co-author! Although this series is wrapping up, Superdreadnought will continue and who knows, we may see something new from the fertile imagination of Tim Marquitz.
If I were Michael, I’d be sitting here enjoying a Coke and checking how the plan to take over the publishing world is coming along. Probably pretty good, judging by the breadth and depth of great publications that are already available as well as what is coming.
Thank you for staying on board. It is a great ride.
Peace, fellow humans
Craig Martelle
Books By Tim Marquitz
Also Available from Tim Marquitz
The Demon Squad Series
From Hell (Novella)
DS1 - Armageddon Bound
DS2 - Resurrection
Betrayal (Intro short to At the Gates)
DS3 - At the Gates
DS4 - Echoes of the Past
DS5 - Beyond the Veil
DS6 - The Best of Enemies
DS7 - Exit Wounds
DS8 - Collateral Damage
DS9 – Aftermath
DS10 – Institutionalized
To Hell and Back - A Demon Squad Collection (books 1-3)
The Blood War Trilogy
Dawn of War
Embers of an Age
Requiem
Clandestine Daze Series
Eyes Deep (novella)
Standalone Fantasy
Dirge
Witch Bane
War God Rising
Sci-fi
Excalibur
Dead West
Those Poor, Poor Bastards
The Ten Thousand Things
Omnibus 1
Horror
Prey
Serial
Skulls
Heir to the Blood Throne: Inheritance
Collections
Tales of Magic and Misery
Non-Fiction
Memoirs of a Machine – w/John MACHINE Lober
Grunt Style: The Blue Collar Guide to Writing Genre Fiction
Anthologies
Blackguards (Ragnarok Publications)
Unbound (Grim Oak Press)
SNAFU: Survival of the Fittest (Cohesion Press)
SNAFU: Hunters (Cohesion Press)
SNAFU: Future Warfare (Cohesion Press)
SNAFU: Black Ops (Cohesion Press)
In the Shadow of the Towers (Night Shade)
Neverland’s Library (Ragnarok Publications)
At Hell’s Gates 1&3 (Charity)
American Nightmare (Kraken Press)
Corrupts Absolutely? (Ragnarok Publications)
Widowmakers (Charity)
That Hoodoo Voodoo, That You Do (Ragnarok Publications)
Books By Michael Anderle
