Titan Stand

by Max Jager

  "Keep it to yourself there are four solid gold nugget's in there. I haven't said anything to Roy or Almon but there is gold up there in the rocks. I found them about a month ago. I was out hunting stopped to drink from a stream. I saw something shiny and knew immediately what it was. I picked those four nuggets out right away but my buddies were calling for me so that's all I could grab."

  "Well don't take anymore; I don't know how Roy or the other's would feel about a big gold strike her in the Winding Stairs. I won't say anything either but this certainly presents a new problem. I may end up approaching Roy about it but not right away, anyway, I'll keep your name out of it."

  "Thanks, replied Mike. "Oh, before you leave I'll give you a list of spec's on the bow I want. Also if there's any money left over, use it to buy broad head points and inserts, arrows too."

  That night as he tried to get some sleep too much was rolling through his mind, foremost was his concern for Holliqua. Although he knew she could take care of herself, he was nonetheless very concerned. Then there was Mike Justice. He knew Mike had been on the outs with his folks when he left home but apparently time had not softened his feelings, he was turning his back against it all. Although their situations were different, Matt had no doubt that eventually Mike would become like Roy. He was awake when the others began to stir, so rolling out of his sleeping bag he was ready when Almon announced they were ready to go.

  Early on, he had noticed that Elves wore a lot of leather. However, unlike Indians they didn't go out for beads or symbolistic designs. A typical Elvin outfit generally consisted of leather moccasins which again were not like the kind Indians generally wore but more like civil war brogans sewn with stiff leather soles and upper flaps that tied. In cold weather, they would often add fur inserts or switch to shoes that were permanently lined.

  Their shirts were leather either pullover's or linen shirts generally with a leather vest. Therefore he was rather surprised to see Mike and Almon wearing leather trousers and loose fitting shirts with dark brown, yellow, and two shades of green leaf patterns stamped all over the clothing.

  "It was my idea," said Mike. I made stamps that looked like leaves then with stamp pads with colored dyes simply stamped them all over the clothes, pretty neat eh?" While not professional camouflage such as Matt wore, it certainly broke up the outline. The clothing also had dozens of small loops sewn in all over the shirt as well as the leather arming caps that were cut out for their ears.

  "I thought you guys wore leather hoods?" Asked Matt

  "We do…on occasion," said Almon, but when you're prowling through the woods, you don't want anything blocking your hearing. Well if everybody is quite ready we'll be off."

  He quickly learned that Elves didn't eat breakfast right away, especially hunting parties. They preferred to travel for a couple hours before stopping to brew tea and eat a quick bite.

  "This was the hardest part of Elvin life I had to get used to," said Roy in a low voice. "I grew up eating breakfast, and later, enjoying my coffee but I had to learn to get along without it." Matt snickered,

  "Well when we do stop, I've got instant coffee and trail bars to munch on, jerky too."

  They moved steadily over rocks and through forested areas. Three times, they spotted welks which were similar in size and build to pronghorns but they were always too far away.

  "They are too used to us moving around here," commented Mike, "We'll be coming back around them as well as the rest of the herd later on."

  As he moved along, Matt realized that this was really the first time he had really been out in the Endorian bush, and t

  hat this was an alien world. At a quick glance the trees looked like those he was familiar with back home but closer examination revealed that their leaves and bark was much different.

  Right on schedule, they stopped next to a clear running mountain stream.

  Mike then produced what Matt knew as a fire piston a device used to make a fire.

  "I made this using pieces from that ship that hit the mountain," he stated. "There were pieces lying all over so I scarfed up all sorts of little pieces and made six fire pistons. The elves had never seen anything like it, it's kinda what put me in good standing with them." Using the device, he quickly got a small fire started enough to boil water. While they waited for the water to boil Matt examined Mike's bow.

  "How is it holding up with everyday use Mike?"

  "Better than I hoped but if you can pick me up a new one I'll be happy, the cams on this one act a little weak.

  "Ever thought about a crossbow?"

  "Actually the elves have a few but they take too long to load, you need special bolts, and they are complicated, you can shoot faster with a good bow. So far everything we've encountered here can be taken down with a bow."

  Matt shared his instant coffee with Mike and Roy who sat on a rock sipping the hot brew.

  "Good stuff Matt, thanks. This really blows my mind though, sitting on a rock in the middle of nowhere on a planet a million light years from home drinking Folgers coffee. Hey maybe you ought to let 'em know, might be worth some free coffee. Here, you got your camera take my picture."

  Matt did as he asked. Promising to send the company the picture along with a note.

  Soon they were moving again with Mike and Almon out front. By the afternoon, Matt was really starting to feel it.

  He considered himself in good shape but the climbing stopping and starting was starting to wear on him. Looking over at Roy, he wondered how a guy his age could do it. On the other hand, Roy was constantly getting exercise, didn't smoke ate a junk-free diet a relatively healthy lifestyle. He certainly wasn't fat like men his age back on earth. Around late afternoon, Almon called a halt, then pointed ahead of them.

  "This wreck you seek is just ahead, watch your step the forest floor is covered with wreckage." The scene reminded him of pictures he had seen in magazines of WW2 aircraft wreckage in New Guinea, or on South Pacific islands. Mike had been right, junk was scattered all over and judging from the density of the forest had been here a very long time. One of the first things he did was mark the site using his wrist comm and the satellite circling the planet. Pieces of metal of all sizes and descriptions littered the ground now mostly covered by plant growth.

  "Over there is what's left of the engine or engines," said Mike, "The main body is about a hundred mecca's in that direction but be careful, something might have decided to den up in there."

  Matt continued to examine the ground when Roy cried out.

  "Goddamn! What did I just step on? What the hell is this?"

  "Looks like a over-sized pair of pliers," said Mike. Matt took the large tool and examined it, he now knew where this ship had come from.

  "I found a tool exactly like this on Ussen Ommo a while back. The Gri'Foda live there now all that's left of a race that completely destroyed itself and the planet over two hundred yeans ago, it's a ghost planet now. Hang onto that I may want to take it back, now I really want to b

  Get a look inside that cabin," said Matt.

  What had once been the main body of the craft was nosed into the ground now covered in vines and a tree growing up through part of the bulkhead.

  The hatch door was wrenched preventing it's closing,

  "How long have you been here?" he wondered. Carefully approaching the wreckage with his shotgun drawn with the others ready with arrows drawn, he shined the flashlight taped to the gun's magazine into the darkness. Nothing moved or jumped out at him so that was a good sign. Slowly moving deeper, he shined the light into every corner. Not apparent from the outside, it now looked as though all that was left was a rear chamber separated from the flight deck by an open hatch. Shining his light into the flight deck, he was surprised to see that whatever these people had used for glass while badly cracked had held, he could see the dirt through the battered windscreen. Training his light lower he let out a squawk at the skeleton still strapped into the pilot's seat. The others came rushing in as Matt point
ed to the large skeleton ragged pieces of clothing still clinging to it.

  "I'm okay that skeleton scared the crap out of me."

  "Big mother's weren't they?" Observed Roy.

  Matt forced himself to examine the skeleton still slumped over the consol in more detail, something around it's neck caught his attention. Using the tip of his knife, he gently slipped it under the blackened wire and gently lifted.

  "Looks like some sort of dog tag," observed Roy.

  "That's exactly what it is," he replied, "I found three or four on Ussen Ommo as well. He then gently lowered the wire.

  "I'm going to leave that there for now, I know some people who will want to examine this more closely." Shining his light around on the floor, he spotted something wedged under the consol. Pulling it out with his boot, he discovered it was a pistol still in it's holster.

  "I think I'll hang onto this," he remarked. Examining the rest of the mangled flight deck, Matt looked to where Mike pointed.

  "Is that a camera?" Looking closer, he replied,

  "Sure as hell looks like it, wait…well what do we have here?" there seemed to be a small access port which he pried open with his knife. Inside was a small red box with strange writing on it.

  "That could be some sort of flight recorder," said Mike, "Will it come out?"

  Matt tugged on it with his fingers, wiggling it until it came out. Examining it with his flashlight, he could see it had been connected to the camera by a triangular shaped plug.

  "Think I'll hang onto this as well," he muttered. They poked around a little longer with Roy discovering a small drawer that was locked.

  "Let me in there," said Roy, "Let's see if this works?" Taking the tool found outside, he worked the flat part of the tool behind the face of the drawer. With a quick movement, he popped the drawer open.

  "Well, well, what do we have here?" He exclaimed. Inside were two folding knives, along with what looked like a small book bound with what looked like a leather jacket. There were also copper colored coins the size of silver dollars, along with a couple data chips like the ones he found on Ussen Ommo. Along with all of that, was a single "dog tag."

  "Let's get outside," said Mike, "It's getting pretty close in here." Almon had chosen to remain outside stating that he was troubled by spirits he claimed infested the area. From his own experience, Matt knew Almon was justified in his feelings.

  Using a couple pieces of sheet metal, they managed to block up the door so animals didn't get in, and until an investigative team could be sent. Although it was getting darker, they continued on for a couple miles before stopping for the night. Roy and Almon quickly built a lean-to shelter while Mike and Matt collected firewood, and soft bedding materials. After eating as they sat around the fire, Matt offered the knives to Roy and Almon; however, the elf refused so he gave it to Mike instead.

  "I don't think they are jinxed but if that proves to be the case, don't toss it," he warned Mike.

  "Not hardly," replied Mike. "Even after all these yeans the damn thing is razor sharp."

  Matt examined the small book and pistol. The book cover and the holster seemed to be made of a material that looked and felt like leather, but wasn't. In the case of the holster, it would have been dried out and rotted had it been leather. The book was written in a strange language, some of the symbols matching those found on the red data box taken out of the camera. The paper, looked brittle, so he wrapped it tightly in a cloth before putting in in his pack. He decided to examine the pistol later when there was more light, This ship was certainly a major find, and he was hoping it would help in learning more about the people who used to populate Ussen Ommo before they wiped themselves out.

  That night as he slept Matt dreamed of Ussen Ommo and the time he, Kaitlyn and Bria and Drok had skimmed across the wasteland in wagons equipped with sails. As the dream progressed, it became more complicated, images of long dead Gri'Foda. He had dreamed of them before while on the planet but the faces had been unclear and out of focus. Now they were very clear. He was looking at beings who looked vaguely like Drok and the other modern Gri'Foda. However, the images he was seeing in his mind were harder looking, stark as though they were Undernourished. At one point the found himself standing on some high structure looking out over an incredibly vast city.

  As he looked out over the city, he felt like he knew where he was but just couldn't say the name. Suddenly the scene became a horrific tableau of terrible images. The sky became blood red, he became aware of incredibly loud explosions and the feeling he was falling. At that point, he woke in a cold sweat and shaking with everyone standing over him.

  "Matt! Matt, wake up buddy you had a bad dream," exclaimed Roy. The images he saw in his nightmare were still fresh in his mind as he came fully awake.

  "Are you all right now?" continued Roy, "You gave us all a start."

  "I'm sorry," he replied, "I had a bad dream about Holliqua, she was being attacked or something." He was telling a deliberate lie rather than the truth out of fear that Almon or possibly even Roy might destroy the wrecked spacecraft out of superstitious fear.

  Taking a long drink of water, he announced,

  "I'll be all right now, then looking at his wrist comm he saw that it was nearing four in the morning,

  "It will be dawn soon I can't sleep anymore so I'll boil some water for coffee; you guys try and get a little more sleep."

  As he waited for the water to boil in his pot Matt continued to think of all that he had seen in the wreck, and Ussen Ommo, however the thing that still sent shivers down his back was that he could clearly envision the face of the long dead pilot now only bones moldering away in the wreck.

  Just after first light they moved off, today would be the first day of hunting so he didn't have much time to think of the troubling images still floating around in his mind.