by GARY DARBY
“Yes,” El’am replied. “And let us hope that we speedily and safely find those we seek.”
“Amen to that,” Dason whispered to himself.
Turning, he made his way through the airlock and down the landing ramp, followed by El’am who joined him at the incline’s base.
This planet was gravity-locked to its giant neighbor, much as Luna was to Earth. However, because of its rapid rotation around its mother planet, no side remained in the dark or in the light for long periods.
Dason sniffed through his nose and found the moon’s air to be cool and a little on the tangy, almost metallic-tasting side.
With a slight wave of one hand, Dason indicated the general direction they needed to go. El’am took the lead and pushed through the waist-high foliage, carving the way for Dason like an icebreaker through thick ice floes.
Holding his LifeSensor in front, Dason could see that this moon had animal life to go along with its plant growth.
What registered on his sensor was on the low end of the mammalian scale and seemed to be on the very edge of sensor reading. For several minutes, they waded through the brush when Dason abruptly got a spike on his LS signaling a life form was nearby.
He reached out to stop El’am and muttered, “To our right, there’s something in that deep brush.”
For several seconds both held still and peered intently in the direction of a thicket of tawny-colored brush whose vines seemed to wrap themselves into a tight curtain.
Abruptly, the brush began to shake as if someone had grasped the vines and shook them vigorously enough to make several leaves fall to the ground.
From his crouching position, El’am gestured and whispered, “Something moves!”
Whatever it was moved through the sagelike brush into the adjacent waist-high grasses. Using his LifeSensor, Dason tracked the thing through the ground-concealing foliage.
The tops of the sea-green leaves jerked back and forth before they stopped swaying and then a nearby bush jostled back and forth. Dason could hear a distinctive grunting sound from the unseen creature.
Dason’s LS display blinked several times, warning him of more creatures nearby. He took a sideways look at the swaying brush before reaching up and pulling El’am around.
He motioned toward the waving leaves where like a ship’s bow wave that moved through a sea of green, several creatures headed straight for Dason and El’am.
Neither said a word as they both drew their weapons and trained them on where the leaves shimmied in the foliage.
With loud grunts, the animals shuffled closer, before the nearest stopped. For several seconds, the brush remained quiet and still. Then, with a loud clacking sound, the lead beast veered away, drawing the remaining animals to follow in its wake.
“I guess we weren’t on the menu,” Dason muttered as he and El’am holstered their weapons.
For half an hour, they pushed through the vegetation until they came to where the ground seemed to split wide open. Peering down into the yawning rift valley, Dason observed, “From what I could tell from the data on the Gadion ship, this looks like the place.”
He pointed down to where a stream flowed away from a tiny nearby waterfall that cascaded over white, chalky cliffs. “We need to get down there. From the coordinates, the Faction base is somewhere in this valley.”
They stood close to the gorge’s almost arrowlike tip, and could see that the valley widened out until it was almost a kilometer wide. Unlike the plateau above, the narrow basin’s floor didn’t have a thick growth of vegetation, giving way to more stalky trees than brush.
El’am grunted and drew Dason’s attention to a series of nearby ledges that ran from the gorge’s top almost to the bottom. “Perhaps we can use those,” he said.
“The vines may be strong enough to provide handholds. I see nothing else unless we walk along the rim seeking a better way down.”
Dason considered the idea of using the shelflike outcroppings and braided vines that twisted their way down the cliff side. “I don’t like the idea of walking the lip,” he frowned. “Someone in the valley could spot us too easily. Let’s try those ledges.”
El’am led them over to where the first stony projection jutted out a meter below the valley’s rim. “Human Dason, I will go first. That way, if the rock gives way under my weight, then only I will fall.”
Dason lifted one corner of his mouth in a half smile and patted the Sha’anay on his shoulder. “El’am, I like the way you think.”
Grabbing several vines in his large paws, El’am tugged hard. Seeing that they would hold him, he eased himself over the sharp lip and dropped to the first rock sill.
Slivers of stone splintered off the craggy side and fell to the valley floor, but the ledge held the big Sha’anay and he waved for Dason to follow.
Unlike nimble and sure-footed mountain goats who would make short work of such a cliff, it took El’am and Dason almost a half hour to work their way down the precipice.
At the bottom, Dason leaped the last meter from the rocky face to land with a hard thud on the valley floor. He stood on rubbery legs and glanced back up the whitish rock wall. “If it’s all the same to you, I vote we find an easier route on the way back.”
Adjusting his sword scabbards, El’am muttered, “My hope is that there is a way back.”
Dason nodded in understanding as he surveyed the landscape. Pointing, he said, “Following the stream would make for an easier trail, but I think we should stay close to the cliff, better concealment.”
“I agree,” El’am replied and with long strides led them close to the rock facing.
With a wary eye out for anything that would mark the Faction hideaway, they trudged with silent footsteps alongside the cliff.
Unlike on the flat ground above, the valley life seemed to lean more toward avian creatures. Several times Dason spotted tiny winged things that wheeled and darted just overhead.
The gorge widened until it seemed as if the ground itself had had a violent cataclysm that ripped it apart, leaving the two sides several kilometers distant from each other.
They had just topped a small knoll when El’am grabbed Dason and pulled him back against the rock wall. “Look!” he hissed.
Dason eased around El’am and with narrowed eyes stared at the scene just a short distance away. He pulled out his micro binos to take a closer look.
Two needle-nosed space cruisers sat in a small clearing. Without warning, one vessel seemed to quiver, and then lifted off the ground. Gaining speed, it tilted its bow up and headed spaceward.
Just then, several figures emerged from a dark tunnel. El’am’s growl was low and threatening, and he leaned forward as a tiger would before it pounced on an unsuspecting quarry.
Two of the figures were Sha’anay, and it was evident that they were the hostages of the three humans who herded them toward the craft.
The Sha’anay stumbled across the uneven ground, their captors pushing and shoving to make them move faster.
“A’kan, and Mo’sar!” El’am’s voice was low and menacing. His hand was like a vise on Dason’s shoulder, hard and fierce in its grip.
Dason shrugged off El’am’s biting grip. “C’mon,” he whispered, “we don’t have much time!”
He scrambled through what little brush and vegetation grew alongside the cliff side that he could find, hoping that it would be enough to conceal them from those that made for the cruiser.
His goal was simple; get close enough that he could use his L-gun on the humans and free the Sha’anay.
He spotted what looked like a good hiding place that would get them within stun range. He turned to show El’am but found that he was alone.
El’am had disappeared!
Dason scanned the surrounding foliage, but there was no sign of the Sha’anay warrior cub. Annoyed that El’am would part company without a word, Dason decided that he couldn’t just sit there and wait.
It was evident that the humans were driving
their captives onto the ship and within minutes, it too would lift and head skyward.
Creeping forward as fast and as stealthily as he could, Dason reached a pile of crumpled rocks at the cliff’s base.
The human captors’ loud and harsh words reached Dason’s ears, and he cringed when two of the men shoved a Sha’anay so hard that the big alien stumbled and fell to one knee.
The fallen Sha’anay was on the ground only for an instant before one of the men crashed the butt of a laser-rifle into the extraterrestrial’s back. The Sha’anay arched in pain before he pushed himself up and spun on his attacker.
With a cruel grin, the man brought his laser up and aimed it at the Sha’anay. Whether he would have fired or not, none of them would ever know, for just then, El’am’s laser shot caught the man full in the chest.
He flew backward, arms and legs splayed over the sandy ground, a smoking fist-sized hole in his torso.
Before Dason could even get a shot off, a hurtling brown body crashed into the remaining two men, driving them to the ground in a vicious assault.
Dason raced from around the rocks to help El’am but it was over within seconds. The men’s bodies jerked in wrenching spasms before they exhaled their last breath.
Halfway to El’am, Dason heard shrieks and screams coming from within the tunnel and skidded to a halt.
Without hesitating, he cut away from the Sha’anay and raced into the dim opening. Coming to a side passageway, he slowed his pace, unsure of where the cries of terror were coming from.
Dason’s head jerked to one side at the sound of a blaster coming from a tunnel just ahead, followed by yells of anguish and pain. Without thinking, Dason sprinted forward and dashed into the rock corridor.
The short passageway led toward what looked like a large cavelike room. Dason stopped when he saw in the cavern’s bright lights the outline of a man holding a blaster, its barrel directed over his head at the cavern’s rocky ceiling.
In a slow arc, the man brought the weapon down to bear and fired.
A female screech followed the shot, followed by someone yelling and cursing. The man holding the blaster laughed and called out something before he brought the weapon up over his head again.
Dason’s stun shot caught the man full. He teetered for a second before crashing to the ground. Sprinting through the arched opening, Dason held his weapon out and aimed in case he needed to send a second shot into the man.
He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when someone blindsided him so hard that his stunner went flying through the air. Rolling away from his attacker, he started to reach for his knife when a vicious kick from a boot sent him spinning across the room.
Dason pivoted on one hand and sprang to the side to escape his assailant. He whipped out his knife to hold it tip first toward the shadowy figure and set his feet, ready to take another charge from his opponent.
From the gloom stepped his adversary. The man aimed his blaster straight at Dason’s midsection. For just a second, he stared at Dason before a small, twisted smile wrinkled his mouth.
He glanced at his blaster and then slid it into his hip holster. He reached down and brought out a thick, cruel-looking blade from his ivorion scabbard.
“Remember me, kid?” he rasped, “I told you that it wasn’t over between us, and it’s not.”
Tossing the knife from hand to hand, the murderer’s lips stretched back in a leer. “I’m going to kill you so slow that you’ll be begging me to finish it quick before I’m through.”
His smile widened. “Feel free to beg all you want, but it won’t help.”
One hand went to the ugly purple bruises on his face and neck. “No, laddy-buck, I’m going to make you pay for what you did.”
He rose up on his toes and flicked his tongue over his lips, like a snake seeking the scent of prey. His strike was almost blinding fast, the knife flashing through the air.
With a loud, metallic ring, Dason’s knife caught the assassin’s blade but the man’s forceful charge bore Dason against the rock wall.
Pinned, Dason struggled against his foe’s brute strength, but the man pushed Dason farther and farther down until he had him wedged between floor and wall.
Knowing that he had Dason beat, the man brought his face close. With heavy breaths, he said, “I’m really going to enjoy this.”
A slight movement caught Dason’s attention and his eyes grew wide. He gasped out, “Actually, I don’t think you will.”
The slashing blow from a booted heel caught the killer on the side of his head, and he spun away. Before he could grab his blaster, a brutal uppercut under his chin sent him sprawling unconscious on the floor.
Breathing hard, Dason’s rescuer stood upright and said, “You know, after what he tried to do to me that actually felt quite good.”
Turning, the lithe woman held out a hand to help Dason up. “Well, Scout Thorne,” Star Scout Captain Bianca Ruz said with a wide grin, “I think that just about makes us even.”
Chapter Fifteen
Star date: 2443.081
On the Moon of the Gas Giant Planet
Rushing his words, Dason finished his report to Bianca with, “After we found the coordinates to this moon in the Faction ship, we made our way here, hoping to find Elder Tor’al.”
Pausing, he said in a small voice, “And praying that I was wrong and he wasn’t in Faction hands.”
Sweeping a hand at the empty cavern, he sighed wearily, “Obviously, we got here too late.”
Bianca laid a hand on Dason’s shoulder. “Not your fault, scout. That you were able to find this place at all is nothing short of a miracle.
“And don’t forget that you did manage to save the elder’s companions, both here and on the Alpha Prime planet. That says something in itself.”
Dason accepted her praise with a little nod and then said, “Thanks again for saving my hide, a few more seconds and—”
Bianca waved a hand while saying, “I’m just glad we spotted that cruiser taking off; led us right to you.”
She gave him a faint smile and wagged a finger at him. “I suggest you pick your fights more carefully in the future. That’s one honcho I wouldn’t want to take on by myself unless I had a platoon of Space Marines backing me up.”
Her eyes narrowed and her voice grew grim. “He has all the earmarks of a Gadion assassin and not one to be taken lightly with or without a knife in his hand.”
Scratching at her head, she said, “You’ve been a busy scout while the rest of us have been the guests of the Sha’anay. Though, we haven’t exactly been sitting idly around ourselves.”
Dason nodded in agreement. After Bianca had explained what had happened to them after the Sha’anay had “captured” the scouts and taken them to the A’Gesi, Dason had told his story.
She had listened with an intent air, asking questions now and then to clarify points as Dason explained everything from the time of their separation until the events that led to him and El’am being on the moon.
Bianca had been particularly interested in Dason’s conversation with Tor’al and his pronouncement that Mongans could teleport organic matter.
She was a bit skeptical at first, but agreed to be open-minded about the possibility, once Dason pointed out that not only could the amazing technology explain Shanon’s and the others disappearance but the Nav crew on the Argos as well.
When Dason recounted the treachery of Romerand, her expression had turned hard, her lips a thin, tight line in her face. However, her expression had softened at Alena’s change of heart and Dason’s subsequent rescue by his uncle.
As Dason started to describe the vicious Mongan attack on the Imperium forces on the Alpha Prime planet, she held up a hand to say, “The Sha’anay had a ringside seat and I saw most of it on one of their holo-imagers as a recording.”
Softly sighing, she murmured, “We took a real beating all the way round, Star Scouts, the Marines, Navy, and SciCorps. I suspect it will be a while before we can mount
a sufficient force to counter the Mongans.”
She gazed sadly at Dason and said in a wistful tone, “If only the Sha’anay who captured us had had a sensator with them, or it hadn’t taken so long to get back to their ship before we were hooked up to a sensator and learned their language and they ours.”
“If only . . .”
Her voice trailed off and Dason swallowed hard, knowing that she was thinking that if things had gone just a little different, such as the Sha’anay having a sensator with them, then Shanon, Sami, TJ, and Nase wouldn’t have been lost.
Rising from her sitting position, she murmured, “We lost a many good scouts from the Mongan’s attack, including your uncle and I’m sorry for your loss Dason.
“I never knew him, or of him, but if he’s anything like his nephew, then I know he’s a good and brave man.”
Dason gave her a little smile and ducked his head. “Thank you, ma’am, I sincerely appreciate that.”
Lifting his head, he asked, “Uh, ma’am, you said that the Sha’anay showed you a hologram of the battle. Do you know how many of our ships were able to get away?”
Bianca shook her head in answer. “It was a long-range record of the fight. I could see the losses, which were astronomical, but not the Nav ships that got away.”
Pausing, she stated grimly, “If any.”
Changing the subject, she was quick to say, “It's a shame you didn’t have time to test your hypothesis that your teammates are still alive.”
She leaned a little closer to mutter, “But you’re convinced that the Mongans used some sort of teleportation device on your teammates aren’t you?”
Dason nodded in a firm manner at her question. “More than ever, ma’am.”
Eyeing him, she questioned, “Is this one of those Scout Thorne’s ‘intuition’ specials by chance?”
Shaking his head, Dason gave her a wan smile. “No ma’am, it’s more like a Scout Thorne believing Elder Tor’al about the Mongan’s ability to teleport matter from one place to another.”
“Only he didn’t know how?” Bianca asked pointedly.
“No,” Dason answered honestly. “He only knew that they could.”
