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Desperate Pursuit
Grenz Lozich lived with his wife and three children in a shack on the north shore of Pogo Island. There were few inhabitants on this part of the Island and that was one reason Grenz chose to live there. He’d been separated from his family at an early age when the slave traders captured his father and mother and transported them to Shisk to be sold at auction. His elder brother and a sister, who’d been away when the traders raided their seafolken village, provided him some comfort and protection while he was growing up, but Grenz pretty much raised himself.
At age fourteen Grenz joined the TGA and served on a battleship for six cycles. During that time he became a master seaman and soldier. When his tour of duty was up he went to Shisk to try to find his mother and father. He searched for half a cycle before he finally faced the reality that he’d never see his parents again. Although they had been taken to Shisk to be sold at the slave markets, he realized their buyers could have taken them anywhere on Tarizon.
During his search for his parents he met a seafolken girl named Drina working in a tavern. She was seventeen and as pretty a seafolken maiden as he’d ever seen. Unfortunately, she was one of the tavern keeper’s slaves. Part of her job was to entertain the customers, so Grenz found himself returning often to the tavern just to flirt with Drina.
One night their flirtation went a little too far and the tavern keeper told Grenz to leave and never come back. Grenz couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing Drina again so he went back the next day and waited across the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of her and to get her attention. When he finally did see her, he was appalled to see she’d been severely beaten. He rushed over to her, anger welling within him with each step. For the first time in his life he really wanted to kill someone.
“Did your master do this to you?” he questioned.
“Yes, but leave him alone. If you hurt him they’ll arrest you and put you in prison.”
“But I can’t let him get away with treating you like that.”
She laughed. “Why not, I’m just a slave girl.”
“Slavery is wrong. The holy man Sandee said so and the Supreme Mandate forbids it.”
“Yes, men are free but we are seafolken.”
“So what? We’re just as human as any pure blood.”
“So, why do you care so much about my honor that you’d risk the freedom you hold so dear?”
“Because I love you,” he blurted out, surprising even himself.
Drina gave Grenz such a tender smile that he nearly melted right there on the spot. They embraced and kissed passionately. “I love you, too,” Drina said excitedly. “When you go back to Pogo will you take me with you?”
“Yes, I won’t leave you here to be mistreated and beaten.”
“But if we’re caught they’ll likely kill us.”
“Then we can’t let them catch us. We’ll leave tonight after your master goes to bed. That will give us three kyloons to get to the docks. I have friends in the navy who will help us get on a ship to Pogo. Once the ship takes off we won’t have anything to worry about.”
Drina agreed and that night snuck out of the tavern and joined Grenz who was waiting across the street. They walked to the nearest tram station and took a tram to the west entrance to the dome. Soon they were stowaways on a freighter bound for Pogo. When they got there they were mated and Grenz and his family and friends helped him build a little house on the beach far away from any authorities who might be looking for him or his bride.
To combat the growing slave trading business, Grenz formed the Dark Sea Defense League and enlisted seafolken from all lands adjoining the Dark Sea. He trained them to attack slave ships, free the seafolken slaves, and kill the slavers. The slave ships were either sunk or refitted for use by the Defense League to pursue slave traders.
When Videl Lai became Chancellor Threebeard requested they join the Loyalist movement and take part in the campaign to rid the world of the Purists who would kill or enslave all seafolken. Of course, they were aware of the Prophecy, and when Peter Turner came to Tarizon and was identified as the Liberator, they waited anxiously for his call to arms.
It first came when they were asked to help drive out the TGA in Lortec and later there were the very successful raids on Gallion. But today Grenz and his soldiers had been called to help in the most important operation of the war. They were advancing on the capital city of Shisk to find and arrest, if possible, the man who’d ordered that all seafolken be taken as slaves or be killed, the tyrant Videl Lai. If they couldn’t arrest him, so he could be tried for his crimes, then he was to be killed but under no circumstance could he be allowed to leave Shisk.
The seafolken, who could swim at sea as fast as any man could run on solid ground, were big and strong and made great soldiers and seamen. The average TGA soldier was no match for them in hand-to-hand combat. In the past they had managed to subdue them with bullet bombs. A simple bullet couldn’t penetrate the tough seafolken skin, so they developed a bullet that stuck in the seafolken skin and then exploded. The TGA had been expecting their attack from the sea, but Threebeard had told them to land north of the city and transportation into the city would be provided.
They came to the shores of Soni, most by ship, but some straight out of the water. When they were all gathered together they were transported by nearly a hundred copters to a staging area just outside the northwest entry into the dome. When the 3rd Army launched its massive attack from the south and the fireworks began, the seafolken silently took out the sentries and entered into the city undetected. During the night they were taken into mutant homes and kept out of sight. Then at dawn, they regrouped and headed in three columns for the Capitol Building from the north.
When Grenz saw several huge buildings fall along the corridor the 5th Army was supposed to be advancing, he knew he and his men were the only ones left to find Videl Lai and prevent his escape from the city. He communicated this information to his platoon leaders and told them to let him know immediately if they saw any TGA transport vehicles moving through the city. Just as he hung up his GC, it buzzed again.
“DS1 here,” he responded.
“DS1, this is R1. Did you see the buildings collapse?”
“Yes, what happened?”
“Three buildings were taken down, presumably to block the 5th Army’s attack. We’ve found a way around the rubble, but I’m afraid we’ll be late for the rendevous. Your men are going to have to find Videl. It looks like he’ll be heading for a space shuttle that’s just landed west of the dome. It shouldn’t be that far from your position. Find it and make sure Videl doesn’t escape!”
“Yes, sir. You can depend on us. DS1 out.”
Grenz hung up the phone and swallowed hard. He knew it was all up to the seafolken now. He was glad that they’d have the opportunity to avenge the death of so many of their fellow seafolken and to kill the man who had ordered their extermination. God is just. He heard barking and was surprised to see a half dozen rhutz coming toward him. He concentrated and made contact.
“You can call me Riddle,” one of them said to him silently.
“And you can call me Grenz,” he thought.
“There are six of us and you have three columns. We’ll split up in pairs and scout ahead for each of your columns.”
“Your assistance is accepted. Take your positions. I’ll inform my platoon leaders. We must not let Videl escape!”
The rhutz ran off to take their positions scouting ahead of each column. Tam had informed Riddle of the space shuttle’s position so he led his column straight in that direction and told the other rhutz leading the other two columns to veer to each side to box Videl in when he arrived. Suddenly Riddle looked up. He could hear fast-moving transport vehicles approaching. He concentrated on Grenz.
“Videl is on the move. He’s on Avenue West which leads to the dome’s due west exit. If your th
ird column takes the next street left they can intercept him. We’ll meet you there.”
“Thanks, Riddle. May God and Sandee be with us.”
Grenz ordered his left column to take the next left and move double time to Avenue West. When they arrived they could see the Korstar 7 surrounded by several escorts coming at them. They hid behind PTVs and in between buildings until the escorts leading the procession had passed by. Then they stepped out and opened fire. The seafolken were armed with old rifles they’d stolen from slave traders, but a few had lasers they’d stolen from fallen TGA soldiers. The bullets bounced off the fortified vehicles but the lasers disabled the first PTV. The second one smashed into it. TGA soldiers jumped out and began returning the fire. Then there was copter noises above and two TGA copters landed, dropping dozens more TGA soldiers to help defend the Chancellor.
While the battle was raging the two rhutz had singled out one of the government vehicles and disabled it. A TGA soldier fired on one of the rhutz with his laser and the rhutz whimpered off and fell to the ground. Before the soldier could turn to fire on the second rhutz, it was at his throat and blood was gushing out the neck of his uniform. He staggered and fell to the ground.
The door to the vehicle opened and Videl Lai and two bodyguards dashed out toward one of the copters that had just dropped off troops. The rhutz came after them and tried to leap on Videl but one of the bodyguards got between them and they went down hard. The seafolken began firing on the two fleeing men, but their aim was poor and soon the men had reached the copter and climbed aboard. The rhutz wiggled out of the soldier’s grasp, ran to the copter but it was too late. It took off quickly and disappeared between several buildings.
Grenz and the other two columns of seafolken had continued toward the west gate where they encountered several TGA platoons. They battled for several loons before they were able to make it outside the dome. As they left the city they saw in the distance the lights of the huge space shuttle. Both columns moved swiftly toward it, hoping they weren’t too late. As they took up their positions around the craft they heard copters approaching. Grenz knew it must be Videl Lai as he’d gotten a report from his platoon leader that Videl had gotten away in a copter.
Grenz knew this was his last opportunity to get the revenge he so wanted. He called his platoon leaders and told them to try to shoot the copter out of the sky as it went by, but if that didn’t work to attack it just as soon as it landed. He didn’t want to give Videl Lai an opportunity to even step out on the ground.
When the copter finally flew overhead the seafolken opened up on it but none of their fire connected and the copter proceeded to land near the spacecraft. As they had been commanded, the seafolken opened up on the copter. Bullets and laser blasts flew over the copter and Grenz just knew one of them would have to connect, but none did. Suddenly, the ship’s giant laser guns emerged from behind sliding turrets and began blasting the seafolken positions. There were screams and cries of agony from the soldiers who were felled. Grenz raised his fist in anger and frustration as he feared Videl Lai was about to escape! He’d failed in this most crucial mission and now how many thousands would pay the ultimate price for his incompetence?
Tarizon, Civil War, Tarizon Trilogy Vol 2 Page 17
