by Francis, Ron
Jaketh finally got the word that the passengers had survived the crash. He hated to mount the search campaign at night in the Pandaran jungle, but he couldn’t afford to let the pirates get too far ahead of him. He took thirty of his men into the jungle and prayed for the opportunity to even the score with Colonel Marcos. He knew it was likely to be at least a couple days before they found him. He was in for a long week. He also had to figure out a way to double cross the pirates. He knew they were planning to do the same, and he wanted the satisfaction of defeating both Marcos and Blade.
Jaketh didn’t like the Pandaran jungle. The brush was really thick; paths had to be hacked out for much of the journey. This meant that they would be able to find Marcos by the trail he was no doubt leaving. It also meant they would have to fight for nearly every step they took. The trees were tall and the leaves were large. Any number of deadly things could be under one of those leaves, especially the snakes. Thick vines hung like drapes throughout the jungle, and then there was the death brush. Death brush, as it is called, are pits that looked like regular ground which would leave you trapped and helpless for whatever beast decided you would make a good meal if the pit itself didn’t swallow you alive. All of that made Jaketh despise this jungle, but the worst thing was the tigers. They only hunted at night and anyone that strayed from his group would be killed by them. It was a near guarantee. They wouldn't attack a large group, but stragglers would be in serious danger. Even worse, there was something about the atmosphere of Pandara that incapacitated much of the different technology the military used. They would be unable to use ships sensors to find Marcos’ location. He knew they would have to track them the old fashioned way.
______
Reece finally made it to Golaran. As the boarding ramp opened, he took eight of the soldiers with him and left the other eight to guard the ship. Anyone looking at them would think they were professional mercenaries. Most people would not want to be in their way. Xanu was to stay aboard the ship and keep scanning the transmitter channels just in case Jesse had found a way to get a message out. Reece strode confidently into the city with the air of a man that knew he was untouchable. He burst through the door of the seediest drinking establishment he could find, and proceeded to walk in with his men behind him as if he owned the place. The soldiers were all following his lead. They ordered a round of drinks, and spread out to three tables located in different areas of the bar. The plan was to try and find out if anyone knew about pirates, soldiers or princesses. Basically, he wanted to find out if anything strange had gone on. As he sat there Holding the cold drink in his hands, he overheard a conversation between two disreputable looking thugs. He listened as he sipped the cool, slightly bitter, amber liquid.
“Jaketh was furious. His prisoner escaped torture and injured him in the process.”
“That’s not all,” The second man added. “I heard the Colonel was behind the kidnapping of that Hyperian Princess, and I heard she got away, too.”
Reece was starting to let hope build inside him as he thought about what he was listening to. Jesse could have escaped and saved the Princess. He continued to eavesdrop, hoping for more info and trying hard not to look like he was listening in.
“Yeah, well that scum didn’t get far. Word is they crashed on Pandara. Jaketh is there now,” A third man broke in. He looked up and noticed Reece listening to his conversation. “Is there something you need?” He asked, projecting toughness into his voice.
Reece stood up in agitation, and one of his men feigned holding him back. “Who do you think you're talking to?” He yelled. “If you want to keep your pathetic life, you better watch yourself.”
Several people were now looking at the brewing confrontation with interest as Reece continued to grow more agitated. “Every place we go on this rock, some thug has to open his big mouth. I’m sick of it.” He was walking towards the man now and the man was holding his ground.
“Why don’t you do something about it then, merc?” The man yelled back as his two friends stood with him.
Great, he thought, we are going to have to fight our way out of here. “Maybe I will,” he continued to yell, trying to sell the act and intimidate the trio into not fighting. It didn’t work. Five more men stood up from their drinks and began walking towards him.
The bartender began to nervously yell, “Not in here, take it outside, guys.”
Reece now had all eight of his men standing behind him, and it was an imposing sight. Some of the local man’s friends decided they didn’t want to brawl with the mercenaries after all.
“I wouldn’t, buddy,” one of the locals called out to his friend. "He’s got at least another ten down at the spaceport.”
Reece just stood there, staring death into the local man when the man finally turned away and mumbled, “It’s not worth it, guys, let’s get out of here.”
After the local thugs exited, Reece walked to the bartender, threw down a hundred chron coin and said, “We’re after some pirates, we heard they were in this quadrant of the Conglomerate. Have you seen any pirates?”
The bartender looked at the coin, looked at him and his men, and looked back at the coin. He picked up the coin and said, “I haven’t seen them personally, but I heard they were heading to Pandara to capture some people that escaped custody here. That’s all I know.”
“That’s good enough,” he smiled as he tossed the man another hundred chrons. They paid their tab, exited the establishment and he commed the ship. “Xanu, I have rumors from two separate sources that both Jaketh and the pirates have chased someone to Pandara. I believe Colonel Marcos was successful in rescuing Princess Rayelle, but something went wrong which caused them to land on Pandara. I know it seems like a long shot, but it’s our best lead. Have the ship ready for liftoff as soon as we arrive.”
He strode with purpose through the foul smelling, squat city. As he rounded the last corner before the spaceport, a blaster bolt hit him square in the chest of his battle suit. The suit took the hit and he looked up surprised to see the man he had confronted in the bar.
“That was the dumbest thing you have ever done,” he yelled as he pulled his own blaster. He fired twice, dropping the man, and all of his men were firing instantly. The local thugs were going down quickly, but there were a lot of them. “Xanu, we are about one hundred seventy-five meters northeast of the ship. We are under attack from some locals I angered while I was gathering intel. Please come out with the rest of the men, and be careful.”
“You’re outnumbered, mercenary. Surrender and we will only take your ship, weapons and money. Stand and fight, and we will take all of that plus your lives,” The thug yelled.
He couldn’t believe it. This stupid corrupt world, what kind of people would try to rob a large group of heavily armed mercenaries? He noticed there were still almost twenty-five men standing, but they were obviously not expecting his backup to arrive.
Xanu and his men took up position behind the local thugs without their knowledge. Reece looked at the leader and yelled. “There is no reason for you to die here tonight, let us pass, and we will not kill anyone else. Try to detain us in any way, and you will be killed.”
The local thug just sneered as he gave the order, “Kill them.” The thugs opened up, but Reece and his men were armored and carrying powerful weapons. Reece attacked from the front, Xanu attacked from the back, and they cut fifteen of the local thugs down in just a few seconds. Together with the initial thugs they shot, there were over twenty down, and all of Reece’s men were still standing. The remaining ten men threw their blasters on the ground and put their hands in the air.
Now Reece said, “Give us your money.” Xanu shot him a puzzled look, but he continued. “Not just your money, but the money from the guys we shot, too.” He looked at Xanu and said, “Take a few guys and collect all of their blasters.” The thugs were terrified as Reece’s men roughed them up, tied them up right there in the street and left with all of their weapons and money.
; “What was that?” Xanu asked. “We do not need weapons or money.”
“No we do not, but we do need them to believe we are hardened mercenaries and not gentlemen soldiers,” he explained. “No one in this sector would have left them with their guns and money. Most mercenaries wouldn’t have even left them alive. We can’t afford to have people not be scared of us before we find Princess Rayelle. I hope we find them on Pandara, but if they are not there, we will need to go to another planet and pretend to be mercenaries again. If these guys were to let it out that we had mercy on them, it would be open season on us wherever we go in this sector.”
Xanu nodded in understanding, “That actually makes sense.”
Reece smiled, "They don't teach you that in the academy. Do they, kid?"
His team boarded the ship and they lifted off inside of a minute. If anyone were to come looking for them because of what happened, it would take them a while to catch up to them. It wouldn’t take them too long to get to Pandara, but if both Jaketh and the pirates were already there, it wasn’t going to be an easy extraction. He was going to need a little time to come up with a couple contingency plans. Collin had let him know Endeavor was only two hours behind him. He told his friend to update the King, and then take Endeavor to Pandara. He was happy when the pilot of the First Stryke contacted him; he would take all the backup he could get at this point.
______
Suzy sat alone in her room, thinking about what a fool she had been. She was glad she had gotten in the recovery pod. This was the first time she had ever suffered wounds severe enough to warrant it. She still felt a little pain, but not nearly as much as she hurt inside. She had been such a fool. She almost lost Endeavor and the only chance the crew had of getting back to Earth over a schoolgirl crush. She had allowed herself to be completely played by the first good looking guy that flashed a smile her way. How could she ever look at her friends again? She might as well have betrayed them herself. She wanted to lock her door and never come out. She had been thankful for Reece’s insight; he really did save her life. Then, of course, there was the trauma of the attack. This was different then when the Pandaran had hit her. This was personal, this was someone she knew and thought she liked. This happened in the safety of Endeavor. Suzy fed Shadow and sat by her pet and cried. Shadow looked up at her sadly, and then put her head in Suzy's lap. She hadn’t felt so lost since her parents died. She really wished Jesse or Josiah were here. She needed some reassurance from her lifelong friends, but of course they were off being galactic heroes again. She couldn’t fault Jesse this time, though, because he had asked the crew if he should go, and would have abided by their decision if they said no. That was a big step in the right direction for him.
She heard a knock at her door. She quickly dried her tears and stood up to answer the door. When the door slid open, it was Bessa.
“Hi, Bessa, um, I’m not really feeling like talking right now. Could you come back maybe in the morning?” She asked, just wanting to be alone.
“Have you been crying, Suzy?” Bessa innocently asked. "Please, come have dinner with us, you have not eaten all day." She led Suzy out of her quarters and into the common room where Collin had prepared dinner.
“I’m not a doctor, but I know you need to eat,” Collin said in greeting. “I don’t think you should be alone right now, Suzy. You just went through a horrible ordeal, and I want you to know you are safe, and we love you.” He put a plate of food and a glass of wine in front of his friend. “How many times have you been there for us? Now it’s our turn to be there for you.”
Suzy just snorted a laugh, “Yeah, I almost lost us our home, and the only way we have of getting back to our galaxy. You should be kicking me off the ship, not serving me.”
“Suzy, Holt is a professional conman. He had us all fooled. He even fooled Jesse. Please, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Collin pleaded with her.
“He didn’t fool Reece,” she countered. “Somehow Reece knew. Why didn’t he tell me, Collin? If he knew, why didn’t he tell me?”
“Reece didn’t know, Suzy, he had a bad feeling. He told me he couldn’t even place it. He didn’t tell you because he was hoping he was wrong. He asked SAMMI to alert him if Holt did anything suspicious, but Reece didn’t know anything. He certainly didn’t think anything like this would have happened, because he would have never left you alone with Holt if he knew.” Collin looked at her and continued. “Reece told me you were his best friend. I know we haven’t known him that long, but he’s part of the team now. He almost told the King that he couldn’t go on the mission because he didn’t want to leave you. Suzy, please believe me when I tell you; no one could have known.”
“I feel like such a fool, Collin,” she blurted out with tears streaming down her face.
“Well, you're not, Suzy. What you are is the one irreplaceable member of this team.”
Collins words were helping her feel a little bit better, and Bessa also encouraged her.
“Suzy, you are the first person that ever served me. You bought me clothes and gave me food. You have helped me as I am learning how to be free. I owe you as much as I owe Jesse. Do not ever doubt yourself because one evil man took advantage of your good nature. He tried to take the best part of you away. Please do not let him.”
They ate dinner and drank wine. Suzy went back to her quarters to rest some more. She knew that when they reached Pandara she would be called on to help her friends again, and she vowed not to let them down.
______
In the depths of the Hyperian Palace, the shrouded figure was once again contacting his master. "How has Marcos managed to overcome Zendar's betrayal, Admiral?"
"Apparently, he broke free while being tortured, and then killed the torturer. He freed the Princess and stole a shuttle. We were lucky to hit them, forcing them to land on Pandara. We will have them back in custody soon enough, if they survive the jungle."
"This is going to ruin everything, Sir; if the King finds out she is free, he will not comply with any of our demands. He is planning serious repercussions as we speak."
"Get him to hold off, present our demands as if we still have her. We need him to meet our demands and vow no payback. We cannot afford to go to war with Hyperia. Tell me, how did he even find out it was us?"
"Marcos recognized one of the men he fought on Zenith."
"We have underestimated him from the start. Well, there is no way they will escape the jungle. You just keep the King occupied until we can parade his beloved daughter in front of a vid cam." As the transmission blinked out, the figure turned and strode purposefully back towards the lift, not knowing he was being recorded.
______
Camp had finally been set up for the night. Jesse was really impressed that they had made it twenty-three kilometers. It was eighty to the nearest city, but he was taking them on a longer route. He was hoping to exit the jungle in an unexpected place in an effort to avoid the soldiers he knew were already looking for them. They would have to travel almost thirty-six kilometers each of the next two days to exit the jungle in what he considered to be a safe location. He was still hurting from the fight, although he wouldn’t let on to anyone. He could feel his side was still bleeding; Kimi had patched him up, but he needed stitches. He had even been carrying his pack. Now, however, he was looking forward to some rest. He doubted he would get much sleep in the dangerous jungle, but he would at least be off his feet.
Josiah had been tasked with camp security for the night. He took a quick head count and noticed that Rayelle and Collette were not in the camp. He had told everyone not to wander off because the Pandaran tigers hunt at night. He had even made sure the camp was as compact as possible to discourage any visits from the big cats. He began to search the immediate area for Princess Rayelle and her friend. He had gone about twenty-five meters out when he saw them hiding, and they looked terrified. He turned his head and noticed one of the tigers stalking towards them. The tiger let out a frightening roar and began mov
ing quickly towards the women. Josiah took out his blaster as he charged the tiger, yelling to get its attention. He leveled his blaster, yelled and fired into the tiger’s side. The beast cried out, but did not go down. It had stopped its charge and slowly turned to face him.
“Get back to camp, now!” He yelled to Rayelle. She turned with Collette and ran, not waiting to see the outcome of the brewing showdown. The Pandaran tiger let out another roar and was now joined by a friend. He didn’t like his odds when suddenly Commando appeared at his side, growling in defiance of the tigers. The first tiger charged, and was met by Commando head on as clawed fury erupted. The second tiger looked at him and licked its lips as if in preparation for his next meal. Josiah held his blaster and drew his long knife as he awaited the inevitable attack. Commando was holding his own against the other tiger, but Josiah knew he had to end this quickly before either of them were injured.
The tiger charged and he held his blade fast. The big feline knocked the blade out of its path with the first swipe of its claws and knocked him into a tree with the second swipe. He lay on the ground, bleeding. The tiger’s claws had left three gashes across his shoulder and arm. He managed to hold onto his blade, but he left it by his side as the tiger leapt at him for the kill. He waited until the last possible second to bring the blade up to stab the Pandaran tiger right through its chest. The tiger let out a cry of pain that could probably be heard for kilometers. He fired his blaster into the wound while the blade was still in the tiger, killing it. He barely had the strength to roll the dead feline off of his body. He stood and looked at Commando, who was still engaged in combat with the second tiger. He mustered his strength, and ran towards the fight, plunging his blade into the back of the second tiger. The tiger bucked and nearly threw him, but he held on and fired his blaster again, killing the second tiger. Josiah stumbled to one knee and took a moment to rest. Jesse appeared through the brush with two of the King’s soldier’s, Tomra and Honus. Jesse looked at the two dead tigers, looked at Josiah and Commando and then looked back at the tigers.
