Cygnus Arrives: Humanity Returns Home (Cygnus Space Opera Book 3)

by Craig Martelle

  The major side-stroked quickly to catch up to the kitten. Everyone in his family were accomplished swimmers. Maybe it was genetic, but more likely it was because they simply enjoyed swimming.

  Cain deftly caught BJ from below and supported the ‘cat as he kicked backwards toward the shore. The kitten scratched his wrist again and again as he sought to support himself.

  “Stop that!” Cain yelled at the little fuzzy face.

  The major’s foot hit something like a rock sticking up from the lake’s bottom.

  Cain continued to swim, watching in horror as the water domed and a massive head appeared, half-submerged, with large fish eyes focused like a laser on Cain. With a single heave, Cain threw BJ over his head toward the shore. The kitten splashed short of land. Ellie reached in and pulled the kitten to safety. She jumped back and looked for a weapon, but she had given her blaster to Cain. He still had it.

  And he was struggling to pull it from its holster while continuing to kick away from the immense fish seeking to make Cain its next meal.

  It surged forward, and Cain stopped kicking. The creature opened its mouth to eat Cain, but he caught its upper jaw in one hand while bracing his boots against the lower jaw. The giant fish powered forward, expecting the human to get swept inside.

  The blaster came free. Cain shoved it into the thing’s mouth and fired upward. The narrow beams exploded through the skull, sending the fish’s brains spraying into the air.

  The tension on its jaws instantly stopped as did the drive toward the shore. Cain fell backward, away from the dead creature. The fish rolled over, but remained floating. Cain grabbed a handful of fin and swam alongside, pushing it while looking at the water to see if there was another.

  Cain forced the dead fish until it impacted the bank. Sometimes you are the predator and sometimes you are the prey, Cain thought.

  Brutus’s eyes grew huge as he looked at Cain’s kill.

  ‘Come to papa, little friend!’ the ‘cat said, licking his lips.

  Cain drove a stick through the fish’s lip and into the ground to hold the creature in place. He sat on the shore next to it, his feet still in the water as he gasped for air. “Stinky?” he called over his comm device.

  “Yes, sir.” The reply was immediate.

  “Have Jolly direct you to the lake where we are. Bring the boys, all of them. We’re going to have us a barbecue,” Cain said between breaths.

  Shuttles Prepped and Ready for Launch

  “The major is one righteous dude!” Zisk proclaimed, having eaten a gross amount of the fish including its entrails. He laid back and reveled in letting his digestive system work. The major had been accommodating in letting the Lizard Man dig into the raw and more disgusting bits.

  “What language is that?” Spence wondered.

  “You need to spend more time with the movie library, Corporal,” the Lizard Man replied.

  The Marines within hearing laughed at the friendly banter.

  “You come here to refill a flask and end up killing a fish the size of an Aurochs by shooting through the roof of its mouth. I swear, Cain, you are a piece of work,” Stinky teased.

  Ellie stayed close to Cain with Carnesto, Brutus, and BJ. The kitten had dried out by laying near the fire they made to cook the fish. He now looked like a fuzzball with his hair sticking straight out. He hadn’t said anything since the incident. Brutus stayed close to his son, assuming the protector’s role over his previous tough-love approach.

  Cain had given the ‘cat an earful after climbing out of the lake.

  Everything seemed back to a new normal, almost the way things were before, except that the adults were more mature.

  Cain and Ellie held hands and made cow eyes at each other.

  Stinky and Stalker laid next to each other, always touching. Tobiah stayed close to Spence, letting the small human rest his hand on the large ‘cat’s back.

  Abhaya had taken charge of cooking the massive fish. He thought it was a large-mouth bass, but a hundred times the size of those back on Vii. He kept repeating “these are good eating,” while he cooked great fish steaks using an ad hoc spit.

  Trilok and Tracker helped Abhaya, while the others lounged. Even Daksha had joined them with Ascenti firmly held within the padded attachment on the Tortoid’s shell.

  Daksha enjoyed strips of the fresh fish, too. “Almost as tasty as a good beetle,” he told them.

  Dark Forest had taken the responsibility of feeding Ascenti. The Hawkoid wanted uncooked bits, of which there were plenty. The Wolfoid let Ascenti stand on a hairy, outstretched arm. His half-wing hung at an odd angle and caused him pain when he moved. Cain and Ellie made a sling from a fibrous weed that grew on the lake shore. They tied it around his body to take pressure off the wing root and the damaged joint.

  Ascenti thanked everyone for saving him, especially the commander and Billy Joe. But the Hawkoid was glum and Cain knew why. The captain had gone through the same thing.

  Cain asked Jolly to patch Captain Rand directly to Ascenti so they could talk about what it was like to lose a limb. With Jolly’s help, the two disappeared into a long conversation.

  “Major Cain,” Jolly said over the open communication channel. “There appears to be a fox heading into the field where the shuttle is located.”

  Everyone stopped what they were doing as they contemplated the implications. The body bags had not yet been loaded into the shuttle. Brutus jumped up. ‘I’ll take care of that,’ the feisty orange Hillcat told everyone over the mindlink.

  ‘Like hell,’ Carnesto replied. The two bolted from the clearing by the lake, joined by all the ‘cats. BJ ran after them, losing ground quickly to the bigger ‘cats. Petey, Thor, and Tobiah followed. Tobiah slowed his pace because he had gorged too much. He ran alongside the kitten, then stopped to let the tired little guy climb onto his back.

  ‘He’ll never toughen up if everyone keeps carrying him…’ Brutus suggested.

  ‘He’s a tiny kitten, you moron!’ somebody replied. Brutus didn’t answer the attack.

  “That fox doesn’t have a chance,” Cain said, nodding and smiling. “Stand down, Marines. Our people are in good hands.”

  Trilok barked a hearty oorah, then the others joined him.

  Today is a good day, Cain thought. Today is the day we go home.

  ***

  Carnesto raced into the clearing, a black shining streak. Brutus had fallen behind. He was a scrapper, but in an all-out run, the bigger ‘cats were faster. Thor and Petey had both passed Brutus, too.

  The fox was at the shuttle’s struts, sniffing at the body bags. He saw the movement and watched the incoming creatures, frozen, as the fox had not seen another predator for nearly a century.

  Thor angled left and Petey went right. The ‘cats did not intend to let the fox go. The red-furred creature decided that it didn’t want what was in the bags nearly as badly as the newcomers, so it turned and started to run.

  The chase was on. Carnesto cut a straight line toward the fleeing fox while the other two tried to flank it.

  The fox found speed it didn’t know it had, but it wasn’t enough. It veered to the left, but found Thor closing fast. It ran straight toward the ‘cat, dodging at the last second, and the two passed each other. Carnesto continued after it.

  Brutus emerged from the woods and found himself closest to the now terrified fox. He tried to head it off and it veered again, looking to find cover.

  Tobiah ran past the last trees and nearly head-first into the fox. He tackled the animal and hooked his front claws into its shoulders. Both went down and BJ went sailing through the air, having lost his grip at the abrupt change in direction. He hit and rolled, coming up at the feet of his father. Brutus looked down on the kitten, then picked him up and patted his behind.

  ‘Get in there, Billy Joe!’ he encouraged.

  With a mighty roar, the kitten charged. Tobiah had the fox by the neck, shook it once to dispatch it, then held the carcass for the kitten to practi
ce his attack. BJ didn’t realize the fox was already dead.

  The other ‘cats gathered around and cheered him on as Tobiah played the fox back and forth, making the kitten dodge and slash. Finally, BJ sunk his fangs into the fox’s neck and Tobiah declared victory, letting the fox drop as BJ continued to growl and shake his head.

  Each of the adult ‘cats licked the kitten’s blood-stained face, welcoming him to the warriors of their clan.

  ***

  “Take your combined squad to the other shuttle. Jolly will show you the way. We will take care of things here,” Cain told Corporal Spence. The small man inadvertently looked at the body bags before acknowledging the major’s orders.

  The two men shook and Spence limped off, leaning heavily on a Wolfoid spear, his leg held firmly within a pneumatic brace. Trilok thought it was broken and chose to stabilize it until they were back on board The Olive Branch, where Spence could receive proper medical treatment.

  Three humans, three Hillcats, two Wolfoids, and a Lizard Man headed into the bush. Cain and the others watched them go.

  “How much longer, Jolly?” Cain asked.

  “For what, Major Cain?” the AI responded.

  “Until we leave,” he replied.

  “Four more hours. Corporal Spence should reach the second shuttle in half that time. I understand that you want to launch shuttle two, and then shuttle one. You will be last off the planet once you are sure that the other shuttle is safely headed into space.”

  “Exactly, Jolly. It’s almost like we’ve talked about this before.” Cain looked at the area. Brutus was lounging in the sun, having declared his work for this trip at an end. BJ was curled up against Brutus and sleeping soundly.

  Cain hung his head and looked up from shaded eyes. “Shall we?” he asked Stinky and Stalker. They both nodded. Cain climbed up the ladder and entered the shuttle. He swung out the loading arm from its recess in the bulkhead, lowered the hook, and Stinky connected the body bags.

  One by one, Cain winched them inside and tied them under the seats. Stinky climbed in and helped Cain manhandle Bull’s bag into the co-pilot position since he wouldn’t fit under the seats. They took extra care strapping him in.

  Cain looked at the live bot, but Ellie shook her head.

  “No way to know if it has a homing beacon of some sort. We don’t want that thing on our ship, shining a spotlight into the universe calling for mom and dad!” she yelled toward the open hatch.

  Cain gave her the thumbs up, and he and Stinky did one last check of the straps to make sure their brothers-in-arms were secure.

  Once that was done, they climbed down the ladder. The Wolfoid went slowly, but he was getting better at ladders. When they hit the bottom, Cain looked at the shuttle’s exit and called Ellie over. Stinky and Stalker stood idly by, watching curiously.

  “Ellie. What do you think of flat steps here that rotate as the ladder comes down, making them much wider, more accommodating for Wolfoid feet or paws, or Lizard Man feet?” he asked.

  “If we modified this part in here, as the ladder extended, it would flatten out. They could rotate back as the ladder retracted. It could be one hundred percent mechanical. No need for powered actuators or anything like that.” She started to sketch in the air while looking closely at the steps.

  Cain had no idea why, but seeing her solve an engineering problem turned him on. He held her from behind and started nibbling on her ear. She playfully pushed him away while continuing to work on the problem. She gave up quickly, though, as she realized that she wanted to celebrate being alive. She wanted something personal and intimate after her second trip to an alien planet.

  She could sense the same from Cain. They needed to feel alive, never knowing what the next day might bring. Cain and Ellie didn’t want to miss their chance to live in the moment.

  “I think there are some flora samples we need to take back with us,” Cain said without looking at the two Wolfoids. “We’ll be back in a few.”

  They didn’t think they were fooling anyone as they ran off, hand in hand, laughing.

  Black Leaper and Night Stalker had the same thought. Time was something they could never get back once they wasted it.

  Stinky and Stalker dropped to all fours and raced toward the woods in the opposite direction than Cain and Ellie had taken.

  Daksha floated serenely, understanding but not knowing. He and Ascenti waited in the shade of the shuttle as the hum of the gas compressors continued unabated.

  ***

  The comm system crackled to life.

  “Spence here. We are at the ship, and all is secure. This shuttle is showing ready for launch,” the corporal reported. “What are your orders, Major Cain?”

  Cain and Ellie were still naked and lying on a patch of moss under a low tree. He pulled his shirt to him and held the collar close to his face.

  “Jolly, what is the status of the first shuttle?” Cain inquired.

  “Just under an hour until it has sufficient fuel, including the safety margin,” the AI replied.

  “Sounds good and thanks, Jolly. Corporal Spence, kill a half-hour and then load up. Launch about ten to fifteen minutes before us. We’ll be right behind you. I hear they’re going to have steak tonight to welcome us home.”

  “Hot chow on the objective, aye, aye, sir,” Spence replied. “After all that fish, I’m not sure I’ll need to eat for a while. I’m just saying…”

  Cain put his shirt down as Ellie caressed him afresh. “How much time do you think we have?” she asked with a glowing smile.

  ***

  The second shuttle blasted off and angled into the sky. The party standing by the first ship watched the light arc upward and disappear as it headed into space.

  “Load up!” Cain shouted, although everyone stood close by. Ellie rolled her eyes when Cain assumed his ultra-manly Marine persona. She knew that sometimes he couldn’t help himself, feeling that he was always on display for the troops.

  Daksha headed in first, floating upward with Ascenti and BJ hanging on. The Wolfoids went next. Stinky stopped and turned when he was halfway up the ladder.

  “Wide steps would be greatly appreciated, Ellie. If you could make that happen, we would be forever in your debt,” he said through his vocalization device.

  “We’ll take care of it. Between me, Jolly, and Garinst, the next time you use the shuttle, it’ll be like taking a walk in the park,” she said, smiling.

  Stinky nodded. He didn’t think it would be like walking in the park, but accepted that it would be easier on his canine feet.

  Then Ellie grabbed the rungs, with Carnesto wrapped around her neck. Cain provided an unnecessary helping hand on her backside as she climbed. She swatted at him with one hand, but almost lost her grip.

  Cain felt bad instantly and steadied her as she regained her grip. She gave him a stern look, before tossing her hair and continuing her climb. Cain looked around the ground below the shuttle to make sure they didn’t leave anything behind--equipment, people, or refuse. Before he climbed the ladder, he took one last look at the bot debris field.

  He stepped out of the view of the hatch and lifted his middle finger. “That’s what you get for messing with us,” he told the dead. “You gave us a bloody nose, and we handed you your ass!”

  Cain gave the bots the finger one more time and then returned to the shuttle ladder where Brutus waited. Cain lifted the ‘cat onto his shoulder, and they climbed aboard.

  Once firmly in his seat, the ladder retracted and the hatch closed. Jolly started the countdown and within ten seconds, the engines ignited and the shuttle powered skyward. The acceleration pressed them into their seats, but it wasn’t anything excessive.

  They continued through the stratosphere, the mesosphere, and into the thermosphere, the largest of the atmospheric layers surrounding a planet. The shuttle reduced its exit angle and its acceleration as it gained altitude. The sky darkened to a winking star field when the shuttle traveled into space.

&nbs
p; Jolly adjusted the flight plan and slowed the shuttle by turning it one hundred and eighty degrees and firing the engines. The small ship settled into a matching orbit with The Olive Branch, easing closer and closer, flying in under the main decks toward the spindle.

  Lieutenant Pace had stopped the ship’s spin to make it easiest to bring the shuttles aboard. The second shuttle had already been recovered and the hangar bay doors were still open.

  Jolly landed the first shuttle with equal precision. The ship started to spin, establishing artificial gravity as the hangar bay doors closed. Breathable air was pumped into the bay and the shuttle hatches released. Cain stood first, hitting his head as he jumped into the ceiling. The gravity near the spindle was half a gravity, while Heimdall was three times that.

  Ellie giggled, but did the same thing as soon as she removed her harness and took her first step.

  “I feel shorter,” Cain said, trying to stretch his neck and back. Stinky unharnessed and pushed off. He flew past Cain and out the shuttle hatch, landing face first on the hangar’s deck. Stalker stepped lightly, nodding as she tiptoed past Ellie and Cain.

  Two kittens waited near the airlock for their Wolfoid pair. They meowed relentlessly, while giving Leaper and Stalker a big hairy what-for for being gone so long. They suggested that would never happen again.

  Daksha floated near the cockpit, waiting for the way to clear. Carnesto and Brutus helped themselves out of the shuttle, wary of the theatrics that might involve them. They jumped out and darted away.