Reason For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 1)

by Adrian D. Roberts

  Darting suddenly forward, Valerie crossed the distance between them in moments. The Dragon hesitated and paid for it as her blades scored slashes across its face. Before the creature could react to her attack, Valerie retreated back to her original position. The slashes did not do any real damage and she had not meant them to.

  Roaring at her, the Dragon warned her to keep her distance. She smiled back and continued circling, waiting for her opportunity. The creature did not know what to do, it dare not run and expose its back and nor did it want to face her tooth to blade. Valerie could see this in its body language. It may have evolved on a planet alien to humans, but it still had the same rules. Never pick a fight you can’t win and never turn your back on a superior predator. The rules of the jungle were just as real here, as they were sixty-five light years away and a hundred thousand years ago, when her ancestors left the trees on Earth.

  Valerie feinted a move forward. The Dragon snapped at where she would have been if she attacked the same way as before. Now was the chance, now was the time to finish it. She charged forward and this time the Stone Dragon reared up on its rear four legs. With its head and neck too high for her to reach it slashed at her with the working front three legs.

  Bobbing, weaving and slashing, Valerie darted through them, leaving deep angry cuts on all three legs. Her target was the beast’s underbelly. Both knives dug deep into the flesh next to one another and Valerie pulled her arms wide, leaving two deep long slashes. Screaming in pain, the Dragon fell towards her, seeking to crush its tiny opponent.

  Leaping back, she barely got out of the way as it crashed down on the ground. Rolling clear she came to her feet as the beast snapped at her. Its teeth gashing her lower right leg, just below the knee and her blood flowed freely onto the rocks. As the beast drew her blood, she buried both of her knives directly into its eyes and watched as the life drained away.

  The greatest of predators on the planet Blaze whimpered as it died, knowing it had met something far nastier and deadlier.

  Slumping down next to the corpse, Valerie felt all the rage drain out of her and the tears came back. They started as a slow trickle down her cheeks and grew until she was sobbing quietly, arms and head resting on her knees. She stayed there for some time until she managed to take some semblance of control and raised her head slowly.

  Taking a deep breath, she wiped her eyes and inspected the wound to her lower right leg. It was a deep gash and only her armoured combat boots saved it from being worse. They had taken the brunt of the impact and prevented the Dragon from slicing her foot clean off. The fang glanced from the boot and scored across her shin, cutting deep into the calf muscle. Adrenalin and endorphins muted the pain to a degree. Now that she was out of danger, they were reducing and the pain was growing steadily.

  Reaching into one of the deep pockets of her coat, she pulled out a small bottle of Skinseal and a bandage she stowed there before setting off. The Skinseal slowed the bleeding and numbed the pain, the bandage pulled the wound together to allow it to heal. For anyone else Valerie knew such an injury would take weeks to heal. For her, she guessed she would be able to walk on it in a couple of days. She would need somewhere to lie up until she was ready to move on.

  Looking around the recent battle ground, she saw her pack still lay where she left it and using the Dragon’s shoulder she pulled herself up. Hobbling over carefully, she picked it up and then searched the ground for her pistols. Replaying the fight as best she could, she managed to find her right pistol fairly quickly. The left hand one was further away and had been knocked quite a distance out of her hand, so it was harder to find. Both were undamaged and slotted easily back into their holsters.

  She needed somewhere to lay down and rest her leg, some sort of crutch would also be useful. Designed for the harsh conditions of combat, her wristcomp came through the fight completely unscathed. It projected a holomap and Valerie studied it intently. Made in a fast sweep by the Spectre, it was light on detail and concentrated mostly on the rock formations. There was an area of Red Barks, the deep red, tall plants that were Blaze A’s version of Earth trees, marked about half a kilometre from the trail Valerie had been following. It might be a good place for her to hole up with water and cover while she recovered.

  Grimacing to herself, she considered the walk and was not looking forward to it. It was going to be slow and painful going. She could see nothing around here she could rig into a crutch, there was a real chance she would re-open the wound on the way. With no other option she squared her shoulders and set off carefully.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Unlocking the door, Arlene stepped into her dark flat. Normally the quiet left by her son Todd would affect her but not today. She didn’t bother putting the lights on as she made her way by memory and the dim light filtering in from the night outside, to the kitchen. In the fridge was a cold beer and she relished its taste as the amber liquid slid down her throat.

  “Hard day?” The voice came out of the darkness and Arlene spun. With the bottle forgotten in her left hand, she drew her small hold out Mag pistol with her right, aiming at the voice.

  The main lights came on, showing a tall, blonde woman with broad shoulders and not a gramme of fat on her. The short sleeved t-shirt she wore kept her powerful arm muscles visible. Unarmed, she held her hands up, but something about her told Arlene not to let her get close.

  “Who are you and what are you doing in my home?” Arlene demanded.

  “Do you mind if I have one of those?” The woman pointed to the beer in Arlene’s hand and then without waiting for an answer, walked carefully around Arlene to the fridge to help herself. Arlene moved with the woman, keeping her gun trained on her while ensuring she did not get any closer.

  “Ah. You can’t beat a cold beer.” The woman said with a sigh as she took her first swig.

  “Answer my questions.” Arlene couldn’t help the slight quiver that entered her voice. All the fear and uncertainty plaguing her in the month since Furioso, were taking their toll.

  “Billy sent me. I’m Julianna. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing.” Arlene’s eyes widened as the woman gave the code greeting only known to the highest levels in the Rebellion.

  “Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before.” Arlene gave the answer and lowered the gun. She felt her shoulders begin to shake. The woman didn’t hesitate and was instantly at her side. Gently she took the gun away and with a strong hand on Arlene’s shoulder she guided her out of the Kitchen, into the living area.

  “What is it? Has it been that bad?” Julianna asked as they sat down on Arlene’s sofa.

  “They’re all gone. I’m the only one left.” She admitted and now her voice quavered on the very edge as she struggled to hold it together. “We went to ground after Furioso, but that shook people up too much, especially after the Privileged released everything on Novajkovui. No one was safe and they began picking people off one by one, until it was only Bastian and me. I heard an hour ago they got to Bastian. He’ll be disappeared, like the rest.”

  “What do you mean? I only arrived yesterday.”

  “The bastards aren’t admitting they have anyone. No news coverage of the arrests, none of my intelligence assets can tell me what happened to them. They’re just gone.”

  “What about the network?” Julianna asked. “None of the normal contacts responded so I came here.”

  “I had to shut them down when it became obvious people lost faith in us. It was too dangerous for everyone involved.” Suddenly Arlene turned to the other woman. “You have to get out of here. If they have Bastian it’s only a matter of time until they come for me.”

  Shaking her head Julianna said. “They’re not here yet so we have time, but why are you here? You must have a safe house only you know about. Somewhere to lie low.”

  Arlene could only shrug at that. “Of course. I just didn’t see the point. It’s only me left.”

  “Not anymo
re.” Julianna stood up briskly. “Now there are two of us and we are not going to get caught. Billy needs to know what happened.”

  Looking up at the younger woman Arlene felt a sliver of hope. Julianna was right, she owed Billy that debt and she had to tell him the Rebellion had nothing to do with Furioso. Right now she thought she was the only one outside the Pantheon leadership, that knew Lance Corporal Rubin Novajkovui was being set up. The real question though, was why?

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The light of the rising sun woke her and Valerie lay on the thick bed of the Red Bark’s leaves, breathing deeply as the latest nightmare receded. They had not stopped or even reduced in intensity during her eight days convalescing. The first few minutes of waking were always taken up by tears and she let them flow unimpeded. They were her badge of pain in remembrance and she would not stop them even if she could. Slowly, as they always did, they lessened to a trickle and ebbed away.

  Her sleeping bag was done up tightly from the cold night. Already she could feel the sun’s warmth on her face. Her camp site was situated on the edge of the Red Barks facing the rising sun. Sitting up she contemplated the area and decided that it really was quite beautiful at this time of day, the sun’s light enhancing the many shades of red around her. From the burgundy thick trunks to the Christmas red of its leaves and the surrounding blood grass, named for its colour and no other reason, all shone in the light.

  Crisp fresh air filled her lungs. She breathed it in deeply as she prepared for yet another day of living without her family. Unzipping the bag, she rolled out of it dressed only a light t-shirt and underwear. A set of trousers and shirt sat just inside the top of her pack, where she left them the night before. They felt cold on the skin as she pulled them on and she ignored it, she knew it would pass quickly. Lastly she pulled on her boots and got carefully to her feet.

  Her calf felt stronger than it had since the Dragon injured her. It healed well in the last few days and it was time to move on. She packed most of her stuff away the night before, planning to leave as soon as possible in the morning. All that was left were her two sets of spare clothing she washed the day before.

  They hung out by the fire overnight so its heat, as it died, dried them and allowed her to pack them straight away. Normally it would not be possible due to the morning dew, here that didn’t happen. She didn’t know why and didn’t really care, it made her life easier and that was all that really mattered.

  Gathering her spare clothes, she packed them into her bag along with the sleeping bag and last few bits of equipment. A swift breakfast of cold Blaze Swallow, a reptilian type of flying animal native to this world she caught and cooked the day before, and she was ready to go.

  With her fully loaded pistols in their holsters, long coat on, body armour underneath and bag on her back, she headed out. Taking the same route she used to get to the campsite, she hiked back up to the trail she was following days before. Without an injured leg, it was much easier going and she soon came across the carcass of the Dragon.

  She could see various local scavengers had been using the corpse for food. A careful inspection of the ground showed no one else had been through here. Valerie was about to continue her journey out of the Ginormican range, when she found her gaze was on the beast’s maw. A mischievous thought occurred to her, one that seemed right in its own way.

  She drew the blade from her right boot and switched it on. It hummed, glowing slightly red and she carefully cut away the skin and flesh around the creatures maw, exposing the long fangs. She could see the one she sliced the end off and, with almost a smile, she eased out one of its whole brothers.

  Once freed, it was even more impressive in its size. Valerie could feel it had an edge that could match most metals. Unlike Terran animals, those native to Blaze had a high carbon content in their makeup. This made them much tougher and part of the reason for the Stone Dragon’s name. The fang would make a good knife, if her Thermal blades ran out of power, and as remembrance of a worthy opponent. Valerie considered herself a warrior in the oldest sense. Even now it was important to her, to honour a foe who fought well.

  Slicing several strips of skin from the carcass, she scrapped the flesh from the back of them and hung them from her pack. Once dried, she could cure them and fashion them into a grip for the Stone Dragons fang. Saluting the fallen Dragon with its own fang, she walked away down the trail.

  While her leg was better, it did not mean she was capable of the speed she used before the injury and she kept to a strong walking pace. A long striding, kilometre guzzling march she could keep up all day without straining herself.

  ***

  Time passed as it did before, walk all day, hunt before bed, sleep filled with nightmares, wake up and cry before walking again. Day after day she went through, one little different to the next bar her surroundings. This time she stayed alert, she had learnt her lesson and found a balance that allowed her to function, while still feeling the loss of her family.

  Six days and another forty kilometres later she slowed in the trail she was using. While it had not been made or improved, it was obviously used by humans. She did not see any actual people, but there were boot prints and the odd piece of discarded rubbish. No matter where you were in the galaxy, if another human had been there, there would always be signs. Mainly from items they didn’t need anymore, be it worn out clothing or the packaging of manufactured goods.

  This trail was in a gully with high steep sides that wove back and forth. Valerie heard the sounds of human voices ahead, around a corner and out of sight. Moving more carefully, her right hand on her pistol she crept forward. After several metres she stopped, took her hand from her pistol and raised her arms.

  Nothing moved for a moment and Valerie counted to sixty in her head slowly waiting. Just short of a full minute a cloth wrapped head appeared to her right at the top the gully. An upper body followed with a rifle aimed directly at her heart. She didn’t move and kept her eyes forward down the gully, watching this new person out of her peripheral vision.

  Three more appeared, so that there were now two on either side, all with rifles pointed at her. One on each side moved along the tops of the gully so they boxed her in. She wasn’t worried. Their rifles were old single shot cartridges for hunting. It was all the Blaze government would allow the Nomads and they were all pointed at her chest. Her armour could easily deal with any shots that landed.

  If they fired, they would all be dead in the time it took her to draw and aim her pistols. It could be over in moments so she waited patiently. If they wanted to kill her, they would have tried by now. She guessed they wanted to talk.

  Three figures came round the gully corner, all armed with the same rifles and their heads wrapped in Keffiyeh, even their faces were covered. The rest of their clothing was made up of loose robes and a cloak, all dyed in various stone colours to match the rocks of the Ginormican Mountains. Their clothes were so loose and bulky that Valerie could not work out if they were even male or female.

  The three came forward and stopped three metres from her, to bring the total number of rifles pointed at her centre of mass to seven. The one in the middle pointed their rifle at her pistols, then at the floor while the other two shifted nervously. The intention was obvious. They wanted her to disarm herself.

  Valerie looked at them calmly and shook her head. “No, I mean no disrespect and would like to ask permission to cross your lands, but I will not give up my weapons. I mean no harm to you or your tribe.”

  “Then put your weapons on the ground or we will kill you.” That was the one on the right, a male voice, young, probably no more than fifteen at most. For one so young to speak meant they were all children and Valerie would prefer not to kill children today. In all likelihood they were a hunting party away from the main tribe. They would also not be alone. There would be at least one senior adult with them to supervise and teach. Valerie had to play for time so that person would arrive and save their lives. She may not want t
o kill them, but she would in a heartbeat if they forced her.

  She smiled to try and reassure them and the three in front took a step back. It was the first smile she tried since that morning her life was so completely destroyed. She could feel there was no warmth in it, as there was none in her heart. What they saw, was the smile of the cold eyed predator that had faced and killed the Stone Dragon. It scared them.

  The three rifles shook and she could see the moment was coming. Valerie relaxed her body to lower the tension and in preparation to move. She watched their eyes, waiting for them to screw up the courage and see that faint flicker that meant they were going to attack. The one on the left would be the first, he or she was almost ready when a girls voice from behind and high to Valerie’s right called out.

  “Wait.”

  All three in front of Valerie looked up to the girl and took their eyes off the Major. If she wanted to it was the perfect moment to kill them all, she resisted and waited for it to play out.

  “On her pack, that’s the fang of the Stone.” The girl continued and Valerie realised what she was talking about. Her new knife was strapped to the side of her rucksack out of sight of most of these children.

  The three in the gully looked at her in clear astonishment. Now the one on the left spoke, it was a boy’s voice, older than the first, if not by much.

  “Where did you get that?”

  Valerie considered lying and saying she found it. The truth was less effort and it really didn’t matter, they either let her walk past them or they did not. She was walking out of this gully either way.

  “I met a Stone Dragon six days back, that way.” She pointed with her thumb up the tallest peak behind her. “I took the fang to honour its passing as a worthy opponent.”

  “You killed it?” The girl on the right side of the gully asked in astonishment.