A World for the Taking Ch. 05

"Is she saying they're going to surround the ship?" Jean asked.

"Something like that, I think," Roy said and squatted down by the sketch in the dirt. He held his palms up the way Tammy had earlier when the jZav`Etch pilot had understood the question about the coming and going of the Dusig ship.

F`reet `du Hom pointed around at all the teens and then scratched a curved line a couple of dozen centimeters off to one side of the ship, jabbing the stick in the dirt at four different spots.

"Those are us?" Roy asked, indicating the spots and then gesturing at himself and his friends.

The pilot nodded exaggeratedly. She pointed the thumbs of her left hand at her chest and jabbed the stick into the dirt a hand's breadth from the nose of her ship. Pulling her oversized pistol from its holster she pretended to fire several shots and then quickly scratched a squiggly line away from ship. Spreading her hand over the twelve Xs she moved it just above the dirt as if the Dusig were chasing the squiggly line.

"That might work," said Yoshi.

"Maybe," agreed Tammy.

"Wait," said Jean. "Is she saying she wants to get them to chase her?"

"That's what it looks like," said Roy. "And it might work if she knew the territory and could ride better."

"So, what? She gets them to chase her and we go in and grab the transceiver?" said Jean.

"We don't know where it is," said Yoshi. "I mean, I don't even know what it looks like. We could grab the wrong thing."

"You're right," agreed Roy. "And she doesn't know the territory. She can't ride worth beans, yet, either."

"And what's to say they won't just come right back?" said Tammy.

"I'll do it," said Roy. "She needs to stay with you."

"Roy! You can't!" gasped Tammy.

"She can't!" countered Roy, shaking his head. "It's the only way it would work."

The two young lovers bickered back and forth, each giving reasons the idea would or would not work. Jean joined in ineffectually, not knowing who to support. F`reet `du Hom tried to get them to see it her way, but given that she spoke no English she was at a serious disadvantage. Finally Yoshi threw in his two cents, shouting to get their attention.

"Roy!" he said when they all looked at him. "At Mike's cabin I saw a box of explosives. Were those for clearing stumps and boulders?"

"Um... Yeah. Pugh 36*. Why?"

"How much was there?" the off-world boy asked, squatting down by the sketch in the dirt.

"About four kilos," said Roy. "Why, Yoshi?"

"This just reminds me of something I read about a war on Old Earth way before the North American Event." Yoshi frowned and rubbed his hairless chin. "You might not have heard of it, but it was a big deal at the time. They called it the Vietnam War. It was a really big mess. The opposing sides were mismatched. One was the United States which was a big industrial nation. The other was a local Communist government trying to get control of the whole country."

"I never heard of it, but get to your point," Roy said, cutting him off.

"Right. Sorry," the boy apologized. "They had these weapons called claymores."

Yoshi went on to explain how the weapons worked and then outlined his plan. Again, they all went silent as they considered it.

*****

This was so uncomfortable. She had no training for planetary operations. Survival courses were required, of course, but this was not survival. This was combat and her specialty was piloting an interstellar ship. She had not bathed in she did not know how long and her borrowed clothes, already soiled from two days traveling through the forest and sleeping on the ground, were now soaking through with dew. But this was combat and she could not allow herself to be distracted. She only wished she more fully understood the plan these children had come up with.

F`reet `du Hom crawled on her belly through the undergrowth of this strange planet with its two moons just starting to rise above the treetops. Behind her followed Yo`Shii and in the lead was jZeen`. Why was the youngest female leading? Was Yo`Shii that inexperienced? And where were T` Emmi and Rddoy?

She had attempted to argue with the children, but in the end F`reet `du Hom had given in. She had wondered why they wished to divert from their course so far, but at the farm, or so she assumed it to be, the adolescents had collected explosives. She had not understood what the red box contained until Rddoy had pantomimed an explosion and even made noises she recognized from her younger brother's toy battles. (Humans and jZav`Etch really were alike in so many surprising ways.) Using drawings in the dirt they had explained what they would do. She thought it was madness for Rddoy and T` Emmi to act as decoy. That was the role she had intended to play when she proposed the plan. In the end, they had forbidden it. As far as she understood them, their reasons were good, logical and practical. Regardless, it did not sit right in her mind. She was the one with the military experience and she was the adult. And yet...

Through the dimness F`reet `du Hom saw jZeen` come to a stop behind a large fallen tree. Its leaves were wilted but in the scant light she saw they were still green. Could this have been thrown here during her landing? The tree had been tall and stout and its trunk had not deteriorated. It might provide sufficient protection from a few blasts of ferro-plas*. Perhaps enough for them to escape back into the little gully where their mounts were hidden. F`reet `du Hom glanced over her shoulder to be sure Yo`Shii was still there. Thankfully he had not gotten lost. That was surely due to the goggles Rddoy had loaned him.

When she crawled up next to jZeen`, she edged along the thick trunk to a point where she could look between two large branches and froze. They were too close! The Dusig must have detected them! In her fright she almost called out a warning to the young Humans. She held back only because she realized the Dusig were not scrambling for weapons.

"What in the name of the Armored God are they thinking?" she murmured under her breath. "No sensors? Only one guard? And why is their fire so large? Why do they even have a fire?"

She felt a tug on her trouser leg and looked to find jZeen` pressing a finger across her lips vertically in a gesture that had to mean she wanted silence. F`reet `du Hom flicked her ears in annoyance. The girl was right, though. This close any noise might give their position away. She nodded and went back to examining the camp below.

*****

"I still don't like this, Tammy," Roy complained. "I can do it alone. Just go up the slope. When they follow me you can go help Yoshi and Jean."

She leaned out of her saddle and kissed him, long and deeply. Roy gasped when she finally broke the kiss.

"I can see in the dark better than you can," she said. "And we already decided to go together."

"If you get hurt..."

"If I get hurt, you'll be with me," she said and kissed him again. "Now let's stop talking. I'm nervous enough."

"Nervous?" he snorted. "I'm scared shitless."

They sat in the darkened forest on the trail one hundred meters down slope of the crash site. The trees grew so thickly they could hardly have seen the ship in full daylight. Fortunately the Dusig had been courteous enough to light a fire so they knew exactly where they were. They could even see the occasional figure pass in front of the flames.

"Don't seem to be using any kind of sensor," murmured Roy.

"Maybe they just aren't very smart," Tammy whispered back. "Is it almost time?"

"Pretty close," he said, licking his lips. His mouth was dry. He really wanted a drink of water. Beer would have been even better. Or whiskey. Whiskey was what all those cowboys used to drink in all those stories from Ancient Earth. Roy flexed his numb fingers and wondered if that was from the chill of the spring air. The temperature might also explain why his knees were shaking, but if that were the case, why was sweat trickling down his back? He shifted in his saddle and hunkered down to wait.

From a great distance came the sound of heavy guns firing and then an all mighty explosion. Their mounts jumped at the unexpected noise and in the camp every enemy soldier rose and rushed to look northward towards the town. Roy clapped his heels into Gamble's ribs. The big stud sprang into a bounding lope. Tammy followed on Boudi, her pistol in hand. The Dusig were caught completely off their guard. The first shots from Roy's pistol actually put one on the ground, though he could not tell if the enemy were dead or only wounded. Tammy fired wildly at the group, some of her bullets ricocheting off the hull of the jZav`Etch ship. As soon as they were certain the enemy understood what was happening the teens hauled on their reins and spun their mounts around. Behind them they heard the howls of their pursuers.

*****

"That's done it!" barked Yoshi, rising from his hiding place with his bow in hand, an arrow knocked on the string. He was immediately jerked back to the ground by F`reet `du Hom. She lay beside him and Jean, looking over the thick log that shielded the three of them.

"Stay down, Yoshi!" hissed Jean. "Not all of them are following Roy and Tammy."

"We need to get going!" he said urgently, pushing his borrowed NVGs back in place.

F`reet `du Hom smacked him across the back of his head and hissed softly, pressing her hand to his lips. Yoshi squirmed and finally pushed her hand away. He scowled in the darkness and picked the NVGs from the dirt, but he kept quiet.

Below, three Dusig remained near the fire. One was on the ground. The other two were frantically tending to his wound. Some distance down the trail they could hear gunfire. F`reet `du Hom crept silently over the log and down through the trees and underbrush, making not a sound. Yoshi rose again with his bow. He was no match for the jZav`Etch's stealth, but from where he knelt he had a clear line of sight to the enemy by the fire. Jean slid her Buller 30 across the log and narrowed her eye through the gunsight. They had been warned to keep their attack as quiet as possible so Jean would hold her fire unless there was real danger to F`reet `du Hom. The jZav`Etch got into a position she liked and waved her arm as signal.

"Now, Yoshi," hissed Jean.

The arrow flew from the bow and struck the nearer Dusig in the back at the base of his long neck. He screamed and thrashed, pitching forward over the one on the ground. The other soldier looked up, his lizard-like face bewildered. Yoshi was knocking his next arrow, but F`reet `du Hom attacked first. She leapt five meters through the air and struck the Dusig full on, bowling him over. The jZav`Etch was back on her feet in an instant and sprang upon her victim with teeth and claws bared. Yoshi lowered his bow, not knowing what to do and Jean grimaced as she watched through her scope.

The Dusig soldier never stood a chance. F`reet `du Hom had taken him completely by surprise and his weapon had been lying in the dirt. She slashed his face to the bone and kicked, sending him sprawling on his back. The Dusig proved to be fairly tough, though. He shrugged off the lacerations and reached for his pistol. Yoshi was about to shoot again and Jean's finger touched her trigger, but F`reet `du Hom pounced into their line of fire. Her slashing claws drove the soldier back and another kick broke his knee. He dropped with a howl of agony and she dropped atop him. With his own knife the jZav`Etch pilot slit the soldier's throat.

*****

"Roy!" cried Tammy. "They aren't following us!"

Roy chanced a look over his shoulder and saw she was right. Gamble grunted and squealed when the big red haired boy hauled back on the reins, but the stud obeyed and skidded through the leaf mold to a stop. Tammy on Boudi shot past them even as Roy was turning his mount around. The girl gaped, not understanding his plan and it took her several seconds to bring her large mare to a stop.

Roy strained to see through the night as Gamble galloped under the trees. It was nearly too late when he spotted the darker forms on the trail ahead, already turning back for the crash site. Once more he hauled back on the stud's reins, firing a dozen shots even as the beast spun. One of the figures grunted and fell. The others turned and brought up their weapons. Roy waited for them to begin firing again before thumping Gamble in the ribs. He did not let the stud have his head this time. Instead, Roy kept him at a slow lope, glancing back and firing every few meters to be sure the enemy did not lose interest. Their shots came close a dozen times, some flying off into the woods and starting small fires, but Roy was never hit.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Tammy demanded when he thundered around the curve of the trail.

"Run!" he yelled and slapped Boudi in the rump as he passed.

Boudi reared and skittered and started after Gamble. Looking back, Tammy's eyes went wide and a lump of ice formed in her belly, but she did not freeze. Her pistol barked out half a dozen rounds and one of their pursuers sprawled his full length upon the dirt. Boudi was already moving so Tammy had only to let her go. The big mare snorted and shied from the snarling blotches of light that streaked by. Tammy's pistol barked again and then she was passing Roy.

"We're nearly there!" he called.

"Good!" she shouted as more of the weird Dusig rounds streaked past them. She fired over Boudi's haunches again and charged down into the narrow gully they had scouted earlier in the evening.

Roy held Gamble in place, firing his pistol as if he would make a stand and offering the enemy a target to encourage them. He waited for Tammy to get a few lengths down the trail before breaking off and following her.

"There's the boulder!" Tammy cried as Roy caught up to her. She aimed and fired three shots and Boudi was on the move again. Howling strange ululating war cries the Dusig leapt into the defile behind them.

Roy galloped past the large, mossy stone just off the path to a thicket of saplings around an old fallen trunk. Gamble leapt the trunk and Roy dismounted so quickly he nearly fell on his face. He fumbled getting his rifle off the saddle, but had it ready by the time Boudi bounded over him so close her hind claws brushed his hair.

Tammy dismounted far more gracefully than had Roy and her rifle was next to his an instant later. The Dusig rushed pell-mell around the curve in the path and were met by a blast of light and stone fragments when Roy triggered the explosives. Stunned, the survivors dropped to the ground and cried out to one another. Roy and Tammy opened up at less than thirty meters with their long guns.

Roy's first round smacked into the lead soldier's helmet sending fragments of armor and skull flying through the night. Tammy killed the next with a clean shot just above the breastplate and below the creature's long chin. Viridian bolts impacted on the trunk. Splinters flew. Tammy squeaked in surprise as one sliced through her ear. Roy glanced to be sure she was okay, but the girl was still firing. He returned to pulling his trigger, silencing another of their foes.

Through his scope Roy saw the last two edging back up the gully. Without thinking he leapt the splintered log and charged. The Dusig in the rear heard him coming and turned, bringing his rifle up. A round from Tammy's Johnson Big Bore hammered through his breastplate and dropped him in a spray of blood and gore. The last Dusig shot a glance over his shoulder and poured on more speed. Roy was young and angry and had lived a life among these trees. He covered the ground between them like a storm on the wind and hammered the butt of his rifle into the creature's helmet. The Dusig sprawled his full length in the dirt, rolled and came up snarling with a knife in his hand. Roy was bringing his rifle to bear when a huge body knocked him off his feet and slammed into the Dusig soldier with an audible crunching of bone. Roy's vision swam but he made out the form of a very large steelie rending the Dusig. Ten centimeter long claws raked, tearing away armor plates and the flesh beneath as the soldier screamed in pain and terror.

"Gamble!" Roy cried over the terrible noise. "Gamble, no! Off! Off!"

But Roy was too late. With enough force to cut through one centimeter carbon steel cable Gamble's teeth bit into the Dusig's neck, crushing the vertebrae. The screaming stopped. With a final stomp Gamble chuffed and snorted and looked about, seeking other foes. Only the dead were to be seen.

Shock passed and Roy looked back at the carnage he had inflicted. He began to shake all over and suddenly his belly heaved. He vomited on the trail and collapsed to his knees, voiding the remaining contents of his stomach. When his head stopped spinning he ran a shaking hand across his mouth and looked up to find Gamble standing close, his mouth still dripping blood.

"I wanted him alive, damnit!" Roy swore hoarsely. He did not discipline the beast, though. Gamble had acted to protect him and Roy knew the steelie could not understand what was happening. Weak in the knees and still shaking the teen rose to his feet and took Gamble's lead strap in hand. "It's alright, boy. Come on. Let's get back to Tammy."

They found her sitting on the ground behind the dead tree with her face in her hands and Boudi nuzzling her gently. Roy scrambled over the trunk gracelessly and knelt beside her.

"Are you hit?" he asked, fearing the worst. "Tammy?"

She cried wordlessly and started smacking him with her open hands.

"Tammy!" he barked, thinking she must have mistaken him for a Dusig.

"What were you thinking!" she screamed. "What were you thinking?"

"Tammy! Tammy, calm down!"

"You could have been killed!" With a strength that surprised him, Tammy wrapped her arms around Roy and dragged him to her. "You could have been killed!"

"I'm alright," he said more gently. She wept on his shoulder and took a nip of skin between her teeth, holding it firmly but not drawing blood. "We did it, Tammy. I'm okay, baby."

Roy soothed her and Boudi rubbed her muzzle on the girl's back, trying to comfort her. Finally, Tammy calmed herself and released Roy. She sat back, the fur on her cheeks wet with tears. She slapped Roy across the cheek one more time and then drew him into a fierce kiss. Confused urges ran through her. Fear and anger and excitement boiled and she knew not what to do with it all. She clutched her love desperately and kissed him again until Boudi intruded her big head and shoved Roy back.

"Boudi!" protested the girl, but she latched onto the mare's head and kissed her on the muzzle affectionately. "Oh Boudi. You good girl."

"Tammy," Roy panted, a flickering smile spreading on his lips. "I think she's right. We need to get over to the ship."

"Ouch!" Tammy barked and pulled away from her steelie, clutching her ear. "Oh fuck! I'm bleeding! Roy, I'm bleeding!"

In an instant Roy had his flashlight out and shining on her head.

"Move your hands, babe. Boudi, get out of here. I'm helping. Tammy, I can't see. Move your hands."

Fingers shaking, Tammy let Roy inspect her injury.

"It isn't bad," he said soothingly, getting his med-kit off his belt. "It's just a notch in your ear."

"A notch?" she gasped. "A fucking notch?"

"Would you stop!" He pulled her fingers away. "It isn't bad but there are a couple of small splinters still there. Hold still."

With care he removed the splinters and applied a coagulant to stop the bleeding. A spray of antiseptic combined with a numbing agent eased her pain. Finally he applied some gel to keep dirt out of the wound.

"There," he sighed. "You're okay. All fixed."

"Does it look bad?" she asked.

"No," he lied. Had the splinter been a couple of centimeters further to the right she would have lost her ear. "About time you got a scar instead of me."