Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 02

Liam decided to chance one more active sensor sweep, finding nothing in range. He switched the sensors off and then activated his low light vision array. It was a passive sensor and nothing he knew of could detect it unless the jZav'Etch did a broad band energy sweep. That was possible, but unlikely. They were hunting him, after all, not an energy source. Given how dim things were in this area, the lowlight would provide him a better chance to spot movement and heat sources.

As it turned out he did not have to wait long after that. The small jZav'Etch loped up his back trail, pausing from time to time to sniff or scan the area. Liam zoomed in on the creature with his scope. He was surprised to find it weaponless. Why was it out here hunting him unarmed? He debated putting a round through it, but the jZav'Etch wasn't close enough for his liking. And if he were to be honest with himself, he didn't like the idea of ambushing an unarmed foe. He might regret it later, but Liam allowed the small cat to pass him by.

He continued to lay quietly, alert for any indication the small female was coming up behind him. Several minutes later a hissing scream issued from up the trail and the bush down his back trail exploded to life. One of the large jZav'Etch soldiers burst into the open and called in a similar, though throatier, voice. The larger one was at the extreme edge of Liam's EP 12s. He couldn't risk a shot. If he missed it would alert the enemy to his location. Instead he used his scope to zoom in on the new arrival. As he had suspected it was a large male. It wore the standard issue fatigues of a jZav'Etch marine and carried one of their bizarre ferro-plas rifles. A very cold knot resolved itself in Liam's stomach. He was way out gunned and outnumbered and now his enemies were positioned in such a way that they could close in on him from separate angles.

Suddenly there was another flurry of hissing calls between the two hunters and the large one turned and sprinted back the way he had come. Were they giving up the chase? Or had they realized what Liam had done? He dare not risk an active sweep as it would pinpoint his position if they had their sensors running. It would be very like the jZav'Etch to send out a pair of hunters to frighten him into using his equipment while the third scanned the area for its signature.

Liam swallowed in a dry mouth and took out his second pistol. He scooted back into the trunk of the tree to shield himself from passive sensors and braced his back against the rotting wood. With the pistol in his right hand pointing at the upper opening and the one in his left pointing at the lower, Liam was as prepared for an attack as he could be. If he left the shelter of the trunk now he would only give himself away. He listened for any sound that might tell him what the jZav'Etch hunters were up to. The forest had gone eerily quiet. He swallowed again and went through the mental exercise taught to all marines that would calm him. He slowed his heart rate and focused his attention on his surroundings. Everything became much more clear, and then from the tail of his eye he saw movement at the lower end of the trunk.

Liam snap fired with the pistol in his left hand. Two shots tore fist-sized chunks of rotted wood from the inside of the dead tree, spraying a cloud of debris over the smaller jZav'Etch. He was already rolling to a new position when the large one dropped into the opening and lunged for him. Liam turned both pistols on the creature, but before he could squeeze off a round the brute slapped the weapons aside and slammed his fist into Liam's ribs. The armored breastplate absorbed the blow, but the force of it threw Liam for a tumbling roll down the inside of the trunk. He'd lost his pistols but came up in a fighting crouch and met the next charge bare handed.

The jZav'Etch was fast and strong, but Liam had fought them like this before. He dug his boot clamps into the rotting wood and caught the creature about the waist. The cat rained blows down on Liam's armored head and shoulders. Liam locked his arms around the creature's waist and drove forward like a linebacker pushing a tackle dummy. The jZav'Etch went over and onto his back with Liam on top of him. The marine let go, reared up and slammed his fist into his enemy's muzzle. A howl of anger and pain blasted from the cat's lungs and he threw Liam off with a mighty sweep of his arm.

Liam rolled and again came up in a fighting crouch to meet the onrushing creature. Instead of catching the cat this time Liam used an ancient judo move and flung the jZav'Etch three meters up the trunk. He'd bought himself just enough time to draw his knife before the furious cat was on him again. It hadn't seen Liam draw the blade, though. Cool under pressure, the sergeant of marines took the first blow on his upraised arm and drove in under the attack. He was close enough to smell the feted breath and the musky stink of its glands. His knife was long and sharp and he buried it to the hilt in the warrior's side.

Surprised by the shocking pain the jZav'Etch leapt back but Liam was on the attack now. Though not as strong as a jZav'Etch he was in excellent condition and remained unwounded. Liam drove a fist at his enemy's face and slashed his blade across the creature's belly, opening a deep wound. Again the creature howled in outrage and pain, but Liam wasn't going to let up. He drove forward again, slamming his armored forehead into the cat's muzzle. A hard stomp on what would have been the instep of a human foot forced the creature to stumble. It raked at Liam's face with its claws, drawing blood with a couple of talons.

Startled by the pain Liam missed his next stroke and the jZav'Etch lashed out with a vicious kick, throwing Liam back several paces. When he looked up Liam saw the jZav'Etch retreating toward the opening, clutching his side. It was now or never and Liam reacted on instinct.

He took four lumbering strides and tackled his enemy, riding him out of the opening and into the leafy cover on top of the giant log. He struck the jZav'Etch again and again with his knife until the cat lay still and quiet. Instantly Liam was on his feet. He glanced around for any sign of the smaller one before dashing back into the trunk to find his pistols. Through his lowlight screen he saw them laying a few meters from where he and his attacker had struggled. He was about to lean down to pick them up when movement at the lower end of the trunk caught his eye. Without thought he dove and rolled, snatching the nearest EP 12 as he did.

There was a thunderous blast of energy that tore a gouge four meters long from the rotted wood of the floor. It missed Liam by no more than a hand's breadth, but this was not Liam's first shootout. He raised his pistol and sighted on the small enemy. In that instant he saw something he had not expected. The little cat dropped the barrel of the huge rifle to the floor, raised her chin and stuck out her chest, defiantly inviting the shot that would end her life. Liam held his fire, strangely reluctant to kill her. He didn't move, waiting for his enemy to break the stillness. She remained in her pose. It was as if she had accepted her fate.

"Ka' chasck!" Liam shouted at her. It was the jZav'Etch command to surrender. He didn't know what the literal translation was, but it was a phrase taught to all marines along with a few others. The little cat lowered her chin and stared at him, eyes narrowed. He shouted again, "Ka' chasck!"

She cocked her head as if she were puzzled by this command. He repeated the words firmly and she seemed to finally understand. She dropped the rifle, which was obviously too heavy for her to use properly, took two steps into the trunk and took off her fatigue trousers and the odd shorts she wore under them. She tossed them closer to Liam and then turned around raising her hands above her head, her stumpy little tail twitching from side to side.

Liam eased up out of his kneeling position and side stepped to his other pistol, picking it up. He licked his lips, still holding his weapon on her. What the hell was she doing? He'd never seen one of the enemy take off their clothes when surrendering. Slowly he crept to her clothes watching as her tail continued its twitching rhythm. He saw her glance over her shoulder at him and then quickly turn away. Her tail continued twitching.

Liam gathered her fatigues and shorts with his left hand. He flattened them on the floor and quickly searched the pockets. There were a few small items he stuffed into a cargo pocket on his armor, but there was nothing like a weapon. One item caught his attention, an electronic book or pad of some kind, its screen blank. He would examine it more carefully later. For now he had to deal with this jZav'Etch and decide what to do with her. His best option was probably to kill her while he had the chance. Two to one odds were far better than three to one and he felt confident that the male he had just killed had been the most dangerous of the four. The other large one that had gone down when he'd fired earlier might even be dead. Probably it was wounded as he had not been aiming to kill.

Liam tossed the bundle of clothes next to the little cat and stepped closer to her. She made a rumbling noise that sounded nearly identical to that of a house cat, though a little deeper. Her tail's twitching increased in speed and her fingers seemed to tremble in anticipation. He felt sure she was nervous. Liam had never been taken prisoner, but it was easy to imagine the kind of uncertainty that would run through his mind.

Coming up behind her he tapped the back of her knee with his boot hard enough to force her to drop down. She made a surprised sound and shot a look over her shoulder. When he did the same to her other knee she repeated the sound and went to all fours, thrusting her rump into the air. The rumbling noise increased in volume and her tail rose, exposing her sex. Liam blinked. jZav'Etch anatomy was not something he had studied in depth so it was surprising to see how similar to human females this little cat was. She looked over her shoulder again, giving her head a roll that seemed suggestive. Her claws raked lightly into the rotted wood of the floor.

Liam moved in closer and ran his fingers through the fur on her sides, back and belly, just in case she had something hidden. While he did this she leaned her weight into his gloved hand as though she enjoyed the contact. The rumbling sound increased in volume. She was definitely purring! When he stood and stepped away she dropped to her elbows and hung her head down, further exposing her sex to him.

"That's enough of that," he told her firmly. "Put your clothes on."

The purring noise stopped abruptly and she looked questioningly at him. He kicked her fatigues closer to her. She looked at them and frowned then stuck her rump back into the air raising her tail again.

"Quit that," he snapped. "Put your damn clothes on."

She looked at him uncertainly then slowly rose to a kneeling position. Her tail twitched a couple more times. When he nudged the fatigues with his boot she seemed to understand. With a very girlish huff she spun around to a sitting position and glared at him, seemingly disappointed. When Liam didn't move she took her clothes, pulled on the shorts and glanced up at him resentfully one more time before pulling the trousers on. She shot him a final look before fastening them and then just sat there as if she were sulking.

"Qui'muowl," Liam ordered her to get up.

She blinked and after a long pause she stood facing him.

"What now?" he wondered aloud. He couldn't have her free to cause trouble so from his pack he took a pair of straps normally used to secure loose gear and slipped them around her wrists, fastening them behind her back. As he did this she began to relax and her purring started up again. Was that a mischievous gleam in her eyes? What was she thinking?

Wait.

She.

A female prisoner. And he had just captured her and ordered her to surrender. Had she been thinking they were going to have sex? Her body posture and reaction to his touch during his search of her strongly suggested that was exactly what she had expected.

Liam shook his head, amazed. Sure she was a pretty little thing, but a jZav'Etch and a Human having sex? It wasn't... What? It wasn't right? It wasn't natural? He knew of other races that had sex with humans and nobody made a big deal of it.

Those thoughts stirred something in his loins and he smirked. It had been too many months since his last shore leave and he sure could use a quickie. Inwardly he mocked himself. This was a jZav'Etch, even if she was a small one. More than likely she would wait until he was really getting into the act and then tear his throat out. Besides, she was a jZav'Etch. It would be like... Like what? He stopped himself. There was no time for philosophic conjecture. He had a job to do if he were going to stay alive.

Liam stepped away from the cat, lifted the alien weapon from the ground and holstered his pistol. The jZav'Etch rifle was larger than the equivalent marine weapon, but it fit his grip well. He knew these weapons as thoroughly as he knew anything in the CP inventory. Marines were trained to handle enemy equipment in case they had to resort to using it. He thumbed the safety on then gestured with the barrel indicating the cat should start walking. She frowned at him again, sighed and moved in the direction he'd indicated.

"Do you understand English?" he asked in a low voice.

"I... Learning," she said in a rippling accent. "Words. Few sentences."

"How many of your crew survived the crash?" he asked.

"Crash?" she asked, not understanding the word.

"How many jZav'Etch are on this planet?"

"Three," she said. Then thoughtfully asked, "You take me?"

"I am," he confirmed with a nod.

"Two jZav'Etch," she ammended.

"What?"

"Two Human," she replied. "Two jZav'Etch."

"You just said there were three jZav'Etch," he said confused and wondering if there was another survivor from the transports or perhaps it was one of the fighter pilots. He realized he was having a harder time making sense of things because his bell was still ringing from the beating the big male had given him.

"You take me," she said. "Two Human. Two jZav'Etch. You take me."

Holy shit. She thought he had claimed her or something. Did she really think she was now Human? Was that the way their minds worked? Or more accurately, was that how their culture worked? He put that aside for the moment.

"There are two with your ship?" he asked.

"Two," she said with a firm little nod.

"Wounded?" he asked.

She looked at him, puzzled.

"Injured?" he tried again. "I shot one of the large ones earlier when you were tracking me."

"Shot?" she said softly.

"With my weapon," he said patting his pistol. "I fired four rounds at the two large soldiers that were trying to close me in."

"Shot!" she said with a firm nod. "One shot."

She turned sideways in front of him and hopped on her right leg shaking her left limply.

"Shot," she said again.

"I hit him in the left leg?" Liam asked. That was good news but not as good as he had hoped.

"Him no," she said. "Him killed. Him at tree. Him killed."

"Him?" Liam breathed, trying to understand. "I killed the male at the tree. The one I shot is female?"

"Male? Female?" She shook her head.

"You are female," he said gesturing at her.

"Female?" she asked. "You female?"

"No," Liam said with a smirk.

"You him?" she asked more puzzled.

"Him is male," he said. "I am male."

She spun and glared at him. He raised the rifle but she ignored it.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Why what?"

"Ka' chasck!" she spat. "Male? Ka' chasck. Take now? You take me?"

"You're my prisoner," he said, not lowering the weapon.

"You male," she said. "Male take!"

With that she dropped to her knees and struggled to get her trousers open with her bound hands. She began forcing them down with the clasps and seals still fastened and it looked like she meant it. Liam smacked her lightly with the back of his hand to get her attention. She looked up startled.

"Stand up," he ordered. "On your feet. We're going to see about the other two."

"No!" she insisted. "You take! Male, take me! Male, take!"

"Not now!" he growled and hauled her up with one hand. She couldn't weigh more than forty kilos. She glowered at him, her eyes turning a deeper shade of grey like a gathering thunder cloud. He warned her, "Get moving or I'll bind your legs and leave you here."

"Male?" she asked softly, her eyes flickering with confusion. "No take?"

He spun her around more confused than he had been. It must be a cultural thing when female jZav'Etch surrendered. Maybe he would have to fuck her just to shut her up. Time to figure that out later. His head was starting to hurt and he really needed to deal with the other cats before it got dark. With one wounded and the other in unknown condition he had the advantage and he wasn't giving that up for a fling with a fuzzy strumpet.

It wasn't long before they found the place where Liam had shot the female soldier. A large spray of blood had attracted a cloud of some kind of winged bug and he steered clear of them. For all he knew they were dangerous to Humans and jZav'Etch alike. He had no trouble tracking the wounded soldier's progress back to the site of the crash. Apparently she had tried to stay on her feet for a short distance but had fallen and crawled from there.

He briefly looked over the enemy ship, noting its size and general construction. It strongly resemble one of the enemy's bombers with a large hump on its dorsal side. What looked like sensor pods were secured on the stern section in six nacelles, one of which was crushed beneath the fuselage and anther appeared to be completely missing except for a stump. Probably torn off during the crash and smashed into unrecognizable junk in the debris field.

"A survey ship?" Liam asked his prisoner.

"Ship," she nodded, recognizing one word at least. "jZav'Etch look at planets."

"A scout ship," he said with a nod. "How many crew?"

"Crew?" she asked, not understanding.

"How many jZav'Etch were on the ship?" he rephrased, speaking more slowly.

She started to reply and then screwed up her face in a frown. "Twe... Six and six?"

"Six and six?" he asked. Then guessed, "Twelve?"

"Twelve!" she said and smiled. "Twelve. Four after. One shot after. You shot one. Now two shot."

It didn't take much figuring to understand that she meant one had been injured during the crash and then he had wounded one when they had tried to capture him.

"Are they in the ship?" he asked pointing. "jZav'Etch there?"

She shook her head and looked to the right of the crash. That was the direction the wounded soldier seemed to have crawled. He gestured with the rifle and she set out ahead of him down the broken trail. They came to a narrow open space in the forest and she paused, kneeling behind a fallen log. Liam knelt next to her.

"There," she said.

In the shadow of a large tree was a sort of lean-to. Liam used his scope to zoom in and inspect the structure. There were two figures inside. One lay on the ground while the other seemed to be wrapping a bandage around her leg.

"What weapons do they have?" he asked indicating the rifle in his hands, knowing she could lie to him easily enough.

"Three qui'istle," she said nodding at the rifle. "Five deq'istle."

He considered his options. From this range the rifle could probably kill both of them with one shot. Again, though, his conscience pricked at him. Shooting injured enemies from concealment was not to his liking. It went strongly against his grain. It also bothered him that he might be stuck on this world alone for months or even years. Of course they might turn on him and then he would be dead. Or it might be a jZav'Etch ship that arrived first. In which case he would become their prisoner and he had no idea how the enemy would treat him. Nevertheless, he decided to give them a chance to surrender.