Moira looked puzzled and pointed at the silver bar on her shoulder. “If it’s simply a foreign word, then why wouldn’t my Silver Tongue translate it for me?”
“I don’t know…I guess your fancy alien device can’t deal with the Apache language.”
“How can you be an Apache in this era? Weren’t they an archaic civilization from ancient Earth?”
Naiche rolled her eyes before answering evenly, “We still exist. We even reclaimed our language and many other traditions when we split from Uniterrae.”
“If you’re not part of Uniterrae, then why did you join its military?”
Deck was tempted to quibble with the term ‘military’ but didn’t want to get into the nuances. The real answer, ‘Because of my mother,’ would raise too many questions so she simply said, “It’s a long story. The short version is that both of my parents were in the UDC and I followed in their footsteps.”
“How strange that sounds – being with your parents like that. It is not our way.”
“Is that right?” Decker answered absent-mindedly while checking their progress on her scanner. “We need to pick up the pace. Come on.”
Finnegan grudgingly complied but returned to her subject as soon as possible, declaring, “I’ve only met my parents once or twice. We are raised with others our own age – in a nursey-collective.” Though Naiche made no response, Moira insisted, “It’s a wonderful system – I have so many nursery mates and we always had such good times together.” Her tone grew confiding, as she continued, “But they were jealous that I got chosen to go on the Aurora. As the time grew close for us to depart, it became more and more obvious. It was rather sad.” Moira proceeded to deliver an indignant monologue on her nursey mates’ childish resentment.
Her companion’s soliloquy faded to mere background noise while Deck remained alert for any signs of the Featay while also ensuring they stayed on the correct path. Suddenly, she became aware of Finnegan asking, “You know which Michael I’m talking about, right? Not the one who called my hair red, when it is so obviously auburn, that was Michael Tidwell. The one who said his height made him a better candidate, was Michael Lyderson.” When Naiche didn’t immediately answer, Moira asked, “Are you listening to me?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Moira stared at Naiche with pursed lips, then flipped her hair over her shoulder declaring, “You know what? I don’t think I like you. Not at all.”
“Well, that’s another heartbreak I’ll have to learn to live with.”
“What does that mean?"
“It means, that's a long list you just put your name on, kid.”
“You don’t care?”
“Not particularly.”
“You should!” When Naiche remained resolutely silent, Moira said, “It’s human nature to want people to like you. Why, if I thought someone didn’t like me, I’d simply die.”
Re-checking their location on her scanner, Decker muttered, “Wow, do I have some bad news for you.”
“What? You don’t like me?” Finnegan stopped dead and wailed, “What a horrible thing to say.” Deck walked back, intending to offer an insincere apology as the best means to get her moving again. Moira crossed her arms and looked away. “I would never say such a thing to you!”
“You just did!”
Finnegan tearfully protested, “But, I didn’t mean it.”
“Okay, neither did I. Now, come on – let’s go.” Moira was demanding further reassurances when Kay started growling, the hair standing up along the ridge of his spine. “Shhh.” When the girl didn’t listen, Naiche ordered, “Be quiet.”
Suddenly a heavy seed-ball, at least five-inches in diameter, exploded at their feet. The surrounding trees were full of the seed-balls but this one had definitely been pitched at them from a distance.
Moira blanched, causing the freckles to stand out in high relief on her fair complexion. “What was that? We’re under attack!”
Decker made no response, as she was too busy following Kay, who had taken off towards the source of the missile. When she caught up, the dog was barking furiously, his front paws up on the trunk of a tree. What exactly he was barking at, Deck couldn’t really see. She scanned the tree and got the chilling result of a possible Featay life-sign. She readied her rifle, while wondering why the deadly Featay had lobbed such a non-lethal projectile. There was only one possible explanation – she had walked right into an ambush.
Chapter 7
Never Through Me
“Am I a spy in the land of the living,
that I should deliver men to Death?
Brother, the password and the plans of our city are safe with me;
never through me Shall you be overcome.”
Edna St. Vincent Millay, ‘Conscientious Objector’
Decker signaled for Kay to be quiet and he obeyed much more readily than Moira had. She re-scanned her surroundings, looking for the additional Featay she knew were lurking out of sight – but no such result was obtained. She cautiously shined her wrist light up into the tree. At last she could discern the culprit – a miniature Featay clinging to an upper branch.
The sudden flash of light must have startled the youth because it plummeted out of the tree and landed with a thud and a howl of pain. Deck hurried over to examine the alien but the child attempted to crawl away, whimpering in pain or fright. Naiche assumed both when she noticed it couldn’t put any weight on the left leg. In a calming tone, she said, “Hey, it’s all right, I won’t hurt you, let me see. Maybe I can help.”
When she got close, the young Featay cowered in fear, batting at Decker and Kay in a futile attempt to drive them away. Naiche ripped off her daypack from her back and had the med-kit out by the time Moira caught up with them.
Finnegan screeched, “That’s a Featay – they’re the ones that attacked us!”
Decker ignored her, still trying to let the young alien know there was nothing to fear. She turned around and ordered Moira to hand over her translator. She complied and Decker clipped the silver bar to her own shoulder. When she repeated her assurances, this time, the little Featay appeared to comprehend. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you. Do you understand me?”
There was a chirping noise in response, which echoed out of her shoulder as a murmured, “It is so.”
“Score one for the Lignatians,” Decker said. “I want to help you, so I’m gonna have to examine your leg. I need to touch it and it might hurt a little but I have to get a better look to see if I can fix it. Okay?” She got another quiet affirmative and commenced her gentle examination. It confirmed her fear – the leg was broken.
When she turned back to her med-kit to ponder her choices, Moira hissed, “Why are you helping it? You should be capturing it or interrogating it – or something. They attacked us! And this one was throwing things at—”
“Because it’s a child. Can’t you see that? You don’t hold a child responsible for what its people do – or even for everything the child does. That’s humanity 101.”
Finnegan was chastened enough by Deck’s explanation to remain quiet, at least until she watched Naiche jump up and hack a small branch off of a tree. “What are you doing? I thought you intended to help that creature?”
While stripping the bark from the branch, Deck explained, “I do. I’m going to splint their leg.”
Wide-eyed, Finnegan exclaimed, “Why ever would you do that? Don’t you people have bone-welders?”
“Yeah, we do. There’s a micro-welder in my med-kit, but it was designed for humans. I have no idea what effect it would have on a Featay.” She paused to measure the branch against the child’s leg. “When biology is in doubt – you can always fall back on physics.”
While she worked on the leg, Deck kept up a steady stream of soothing chatter and praise of the bravery being displayed to distract the young Featay. Kay assisted by letting the child pet him and getting in a few gentle licks. A short while later, the young one cautiously stood on the splinted
leg. Decker handed over another branch and pantomimed its use as a crutch. Still in obvious pain, the Featay hobbled slowly away. Naiche was glad their path to the rendezvous point was in an opposite direction so that the child wouldn’t think they were following. She still waited until the young Featay had completely disappeared from sight before heading towards their destination.
***
“Decker to Kennedy. Con, do you copy?”
Con answered the hail with a smile, figuring Deck and Moira had to be pretty close, since his team had been cooling their heels at the meeting spot for twenty minutes. “Kennedy here. Where are you, slow poke?” When Deck gave him the coordinates, he hurriedly checked the map on his scanner. “That can’t be right – not unless you’ve been sitting still for over half an hour!”
Deck proceeded to fill him in on the encounter with the Featay child. She then advised, “You guys shouldn’t wait for us – not only is it gonna be dark soon, but I know Betang’s crew must be worn out from stress and exertion. Proceed to the Aurora without us and we’ll meet you there.”
“I’ll send them on ahead and double back—”
“Don’t bother. We’ll be fine. Go to the Aurora, hug your wife, and kick back. I’ll be there before you know it.”
Though he didn’t verbalize it, Kennedy was concerned that an encounter with a Featay child augured an impending encounter with Featay adults. “I will go to the Aurora, hug my wife, and relax – after I backtrack and meet up with you.”
There was a brief pause but Deck finally said, “Okay – if you insist. You’re the boss.”
“Damn right I am,” Con laughed. “Kennedy out.”
Croker, who’d been listening in, exclaimed, “They were attacked by a Featay? This is most concerning.”
Betang hurried over. “There was an attack? Are they injured – should we attempt a rescue?”
“I don’t think a rescue is necessary,” Croker said. “Decker wounded the Featay in battle.”
Kennedy waved his hands in a negating gesture. “Let’s set the record straight here. A child threw the Tolu equivalent of a pinecone at them and then fell out of a tree. Decker patched the kid up as best she could and sent them on their way. There was no ‘battle’.” Not wanting to add fuel to this fire, Con kept his vague fears to himself. “Just to be absolutely sure – I’ll double back to meet them while you two, Kapoor, and Quan get everyone else to the Aurora.”
“I’ll go with you,” Croker volunteered. Betang chimed in that she would as well.
To Con’s dismay, he wasn’t able to dissuade either of them from joining him. He was starting to count the last two days amongst the longest ones of his life. After Kennedy informed Kapoor and Quan that they were splitting up, he and the other two started towards Decker’s location at a brisk pace.
They’d been in the forest a short time when the sounds of weapon-fire drew their notice. Fearing an attack had been launched against Decker and Finnegan, Con used his hand scanner to survey the area. The data read-out indicated that the source was mere meters away. “It’s coming from the valley slopes,” he announced, while running out of the forested area, towards the coordinates.
Upon clearing the tree line, Kennedy was arrested by the sight of a peerazu flying low in the darkening sky. He immediately dropped down behind a boulder as cover. Peeking over it, he saw that several Featay, armed with guns firing dart-like projectiles, were fighting the creature off. Con was soon impressed by the combination of valor and marksmanship on display.
Kennedy heard an exclamation of, “Oh, no!” He glanced over to see Croker and Betang gawking at the battle – standing in full view of both peerazu and Featay.
In a low voice, he commanded, “Get over here.” After repeating the order several times, they finally obeyed. The three humans watched in amazement while the Featay skillfully countered the peerazu attack. “I thought you said their weapons were inaccurate,” Kennedy said to Betang. “They look pretty damn accurate to me.”
“I suppose this group has much greater skill than the one that attacked us,” she replied. “That would explain the disparity.”
Con wondered about the veracity of Betang’s account, as he watched the Featay expertly coordinate their attack, avoiding the acidic saliva while concentrating all firepower on the peerazu’s wings. Noticing dried blood on the wings, he mused, “It looks like the same one that attacked us.” He glanced towards Betang and Croker. “Are they usually this tenacious?”
“I cannot say. We only witnessed them the day we landed – and then the night we got stranded,” Betang answered. “Their appearance is always announced by the tremors, it seems.”
Croker said, “The Maykure did volunteer that they are the most vindictive of creatures. They claim peerazu are capable of bearing a grudge. Since we fought it off, it has perhaps decided to vent its fury on the Featay. The only way to stay completely safe is by avoiding their notice.”
“I guess that’s why the Maykure are so determined to remain hidden,” Con replied. The fight between the peerazu and the Featay raged on, with the Featay seeming to gain the upper hand. The animal’s flight pattern grew more and more erratic until Kennedy became concerned. “That thing’s coming down – we better be prepared to run if it lands anywhere near us.”
“I think you overestimate the Featay,” Corker replied. “I doubt their clumsy weapons could bring down so mighty a beast.”
Con was ready to argue the point but watching the peerazu start to falter, he saw it wouldn’t be necessary. Less than a minute later, about sixty-feet from their hiding spot, the creature came down with a thunderous crash. To his surprise, the Featay gave it a cursory examination from a safe distance and then ran off.
Eyes narrowed, lips curled in a sneer, Croker said, “They fear a dead thing?”
“They probably know something we don’t.”
“It is more likely the result of a superstition of theirs – primitives have many such backwards beliefs.” Croker stood up and started walking towards the fallen peerazu. “I have no such issues.”
“Where are you going?” Con demanded. “Stay away from that thing!”
With a laugh and a wave of his hand, Croker ignored him and kept advancing. Betang asked, “You believe there’s still danger?”
“I never bet my life on an enemy being dead unless I’ve blown their head off or they crumbled to dust in front of me.” He knew Betang wouldn’t understand but nonetheless added, “And not even then.”
Croker had gotten to within twenty-feet of the peerazu when Con saw some flickers of movement from it. “Son of a bitch!” Seeing that he was going to have to enter the fray, he hit his comm-link and hailed Decker. When she answered, he barked out a run-down on the situation, requesting immediate back-up.
Deck sang out, “On my way. But it may take a few minutes to reach you – can you hang back?”
While considering the question, Con’s worst fears were realized – the animal had lurched up on its legs and was moving, slowly but surely, towards Croker. Unfortunately, the man froze – seemingly immobilized by fear. Kennedy yelled, “No, I can’t, but I can hold it off ‘til you get here. Just hurry!” He then turned to Betang, asking, “You have a weapon, right?” When she produced a hand blaster identical to Croker’s, Con said, “Until Decker gets here, I want you to cover me while I ensure that idiot— uh, your crewmate doesn’t get himself killed.”
Con wasn’t reassured by how gingerly Betang handled her weapon but he jumped up and ran towards the peerazu anyway. Before he’d gotten a third of the way there, the peerazu had moved to within literal spitting distance of Croker. Kennedy motioned to Betang that she should join him but she was similarly motionless, her eyes wide and staring at the spectacle unfolding.
Out of better options, Kennedy rushed the animal and diverted it away from Croker with several blasts from his rifle. The distraction worked a little too well, as the peerazu immediately turned its full attention on him. The fury of being fired on se
emed to revive it; in a rapid stagger, it advanced on Kennedy. A stream of deadly saliva missed him by inches. While blasting away, Con risked a quick glance back towards Croker and Betang hoping they were coming to his aid but saw only their backs in full retreat.
***
By the time Betang and Croker made it back to the Aurora, Vania was starting to regret abandoning Kennedy, though Croker had been trying to convince her otherwise. “It is truly for the best that we got out of the way. Decker will aid him and we have no experience in a fight such as this.”
A few minutes later, Croker was presenting the same argument to Lindstrom and Maddox. Their captain was concerned at the news but Lovelace’s first officer was positively livid. Hands on hips, face growing redder every second, he glared down at them from his towering height. “You left Commander Kennedy to fight that creature alone!? What is wrong with you?” He immediately hailed first Kennedy, then Decker, but got no response. “I hope to hell they’re too busy fighting off the peerazu to respond.”
After summoning Quan and Kapoor, he turned back to snarl at the first mate, “I will tell you this, Croker – if Kennedy dies and Decker lives – well, may God have mercy on your soul.”
“And why is that, Commander?”
“Because she won’t.”
Maddox said, “I realize you’re angry, Lindstrom, but surely you would not allow Decker to harm—”
Lindstrom interrupted her with a bitter laugh. “I’m flattered that you think I have the power to stay the fury of Naiche Decker should she hold Croker directly responsible for the death of her best friend – but it’s not so. Not even close.”
Maddox twisted her hands, her eyes unfocused as she digested that information. Finally, she asked, “Is there some other member of your crew who…who does possess such influence with her?”
“Now that you mention it – there is one person. But only one.”
The Risks of Dead Reckoning Page 8
