Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 22

Author's Note: Getting very close to the end. This is not the last chapter. There will be at least one more, perhaps two. However, this is a good long one and should satisfy the cravings of those wanting "moar".

As for a sequel or another story in this particular universe, I am undecided. I have two other projects I need to devote some serious time to and there are the usual concerns of real life I must attend to. This was fun and surprisingly rewarding, but making a living does come first (as do some home repairs).

Thanks to everyone who left comments and sent messages. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I will post the next when I have finished my real life tasks and have more time to edit.

"These don't look like the med kit you've been using," Liam observed, pulling one of the jZav'Etch kits from his musette bag.

"No," M'pel E'kmel acknowledged. "Mine was specially issued. I took it from my bunk before we abandoned the ship."

"Do zJav'Etch use stims?" he asked.

"Not habitually. Why?"

"You and Tem'Ma'tel are both tired," he said. "Me too. We can't go into a fight dragging ass."

M'pel E'kmel took the kit from him and considered it seriously. She removed the hypo injector, loaded it and rolled it back and forth in her fingers thoughtfully.

"After all of this, what if she's dead, Liam?" she asked softly.

"Then I'm going to hurt them, Commander," he replied in a deathly cold voice. "I'll hurt them and break them and hollow out their souls. I'll kill them. All of them."

She regarded him earnestly for a heartbeat then nodded before pressing the hypo to her wrist.

"I'll help you," she said and began stuffing ammunition magazines into a collection bag.

The two of them retraced their path through the trees, burdened by the weapons and med kits. Liam had decided to leave the food behind. If they lived through the fight one of them could return to collect it. The hike back was long, but they broke out of the trees before they even realized they were approaching the edge of the forest. Liam had to look around for a moment before he sighted the hunters and Tem'Ma'tel. They had lain down in the grass, their landstriders standing with drooping heads and flicking tails. A guard challenged the pair as they approached and instantly the whole company was aroused.

"It's us," Liam called and switched on the light on one of the deq'istles. "We made it."

Tem'Ma'tel bounded from the camp and threw her arms around him, giving him a kiss before letting him go and wrinkling up her nose.

"SarJ'ant stink," she said with a frown.

"It's the purge foam," he said. "The smell will go away in a day or two."

Tem'Ma'tel looked doubtfully at him, but she turned to M'pel E'kmel and gave her a hug also, before relieving her of the deq'istles.

"Thank you," M'pel E'kmel said gratefully, though the breach of discipline surprised her. "How did you fare in your instruction of our new recruits?"

"They did well, Commander," Tem'Ma'tel replied. "Very smart, these males. A couple of them may even hit what they shoot at."

"That's very good news." M'pel E'kmel handed off the rest of her load to one of the Fauns as the hunters came to help them.

"You must rest," Tem'Ma'tel said. "SarJ'ant, rest."

"No time," Liam told her. "Get these weapons distributed and make sure they know how the safeties work. I don't want any accidents. We're on a tight schedule. That marsh is a fair distance and we still don't know the exact location of the ship."

"There is not enough light for us to see by," M'pel E'kmel pointed out as she took Tem'Ma'tel's wrist and injected her with a dose of stimulant. "How will we find a track? We could come across a deep ditch or a creek or even a stream we cannot ford."

"We've got to risk it," Liam insisted. "Clot'ilda might not have time for us to waste. I'll lead. My scopes should be enough to keep us out of trouble. Just keep everyone close."

Tired as they were the Fauns mounted up and were more than willing to follow. Sore and aching Tem'Ma'tel and M'pel E'kmel climbed back into their saddles and followed Liam's lead. They rode southwest until the land became soggy. Small pools began to crop up in their path and eventually there was a splash of water or the squelching of mud at every hoof fall. Liam reined in, allowing the rest to catch up to him.

"Why have we stopped?" M'pel E'kmel asked.

"There's something moving out there," he said tensely. "It's pretty big."

"One of the enemy?" she asked.

Liam zeroed in on the animal with his lowlight scope and smiled.

"It's Rover," he said.

"Rover?" M'pel E'kmel laughed in spite of their dire errand. "With all the confusion and rush, I forgot about him. How did he get all of the way out here?"

"He's following the stream," Liam said. "I guess I'm right about how they were moving so fast."

"So it would seem," she said and settled back in her saddle. "I'm very glad of that. Can we catch up to him?"

"Sure. Just stay close," he said and urged his bull into a slow canter.

***********

Rover trotted along at a steady pace. He'd been moving along the bank of the stream since the monsters had taken the little female and Rover refused to stop. Never before had he experienced fear. When the monsters had attacked the kraal, though, he had run for cover and hidden himself. Blade-beasts, hyena-frogs and curveclaws had never made him run. They'd found his size and long quills too much to deal with. A few such predators had learned the hard way just how sharp a plainswalker's claws could be and how powerful Rover's jaws were. These massive black monsters, though, were alien and strange, stinking of weird fish and throwing lightning. He couldn't stand against such things and had sought shelter. When the little female had run to attack them, Rover had forced himself to follow. He had been too late to help, but he would not give up now. He would rescue her if he could.

Throughout the day he had maintained his pace, conserving his strength for the battle to come. There had been food and water along the way and he had paused only long enough to sate his needs. Time and again he lost the scent on the bank of the stream, always picking it up further down. The monsters left their taint in the water and where the stream flowed less swiftly the taint clung to the mud and plants at the water's edge. Several times the creatures had been forced to exit the stream to climb over large stones or work their way through shallow points and in those places Rover had smelled them most strongly. He now knew their scent well, though it told him nothing of their nature.

A familiar sound behind him made Rover prick his small ears and listen. It came again, two sharp notes of a distant whistle and he slowed, turning his head just enough to see over his shoulder. Behind him in the night were riders. He saw them only by star and moon, but he knew them. Rover slowed to a fast walk, allowing them to catch up, but he never lost the scent on the bank of the stream.

***********

"He seems intent on his errand," M'pel E'kmel said to Liam as they came up behind the big plainswalker.

"I figure that's a good sign," he replied and checked his HUD. It displayed the lay of the waterlogged land with a wireframe overlay. Ahead of them and to their left was a staggered line of low hills that had been small islands centuries ago. To the north of the hills ran the stream. Another display showed a winking red light indicating the location of Clot'ilda's radio. It lay somewhere on the far side of the hills. "Looks like he's following the stream."

"He must have seen the enemy go into it after the attack," she said.

"Probably," Liam agreed and double checked his HUD. "The signal from Clot'ilda's radio is still in that direction and it stopped moving."

"How far?" M'pel E'kmel asked.

"A little more than four kilometers," he said.

What neither of them mentioned was the possibility that the enemy had discovered the radio and discarded it. Or they might be using the radio to lure Clot'ilda's companions into a trap. There was no way to know for certain except to follow the signal and find out.

Rather than dismount and tell Rover what a good boy he was, Liam rode up next to the big beast and looked down on him. Rover snorted and went back into his trot, following the scent on the bank of the stream. Liam waved his troupe onward and together they pursued the enemy.

The ground became ever marshier and uneven. The hillocks could be seen as dark shadows in the dimness of the moonlit night, rising among the water plants and sparse, stunted trees. More and more the ground leveled. It seemed that once, ages past, this area must surely have been an inland sea or gigantic lake. In the rainy season, perhaps it was inundated again and resembled its former grandeur.

Liam finally held up his hand, signaling the troupe to stop, and whistled to Rover. Reluctantly the big plainswalker slowed and looked back. Seeing the bipeds had come to a stop he looked back and forth between them and the source of the scent. Making up his mind, Rover returned to where Liam sat astride his mount and dropped to his haunches in the wet grass.

"Are we close?" M'pel E'kmel asked.

"Close," Liam confirmed. "Wait here. I'll be back in a minute."

Liam turned his mount and rode to the base of the nearest hill. He dismounted and climbed to the top, going prone in the grass and crawling the last few meters. Once at the crest he poked his head over the top and checked his scopes, scanning across the marsh for the source of the radio's signal. A little more than two kilometers away he spotted an oddly geometric shape which stood out from the uneven background of marsh and fen. Liam had never seen a vessel like this except in ancient history texts. The hull was smooth and long, laying on its belly in the soft ground. From the top of the machine rose what had to be a sensor or communications array. A large dish angled towards the sky dominated the strange arrangement of antennae.

Once he confirmed the signal was coming from the ship Liam returned to his party.

"How close?" Tem'Ma'tel asked, bringing her landstrider up next to his.

"You can see it from that hill," he said. "If it weren't for these hills I'd guess they would already have spotted us."

"If we are that close, can you be certain they have not?" M'pel E'kmel asked.

"No," he admitted. "They've got their array pointed up, though. Do you think they have satellites deployed?"

"Unlikely," she said. "This is an infiltration team. They haven't used satellites in their other missions. Our intelligence branch believes they do not wish to risk one of our ships detecting them. They are here simply to reconnoiter and then get out. They'll have a carrier lingering, ready to pick them up when they signal."

"A carrier?" Liam asked.

"These scout vessels do not have interstellar capability," M'pel E'kmel replied. "As I told you before, I was not fully briefed. However, my data packet included general information on these infiltration teams. If my crew were going to encounter any of the enemy, one of these teams would be the most probable."

"Makes sense," he grumbled and scratched in his beard.

"What now?" Tem'Ma'tel asked.

"We'll hug these hills and move closer," said Liam. "Come on. Everyone stay close and keep quiet. Sue, quiet."

"Quiet?" Sue asked in the dark.

"Quiet," Liam repeated.

"Warrior wishes us to be quiet," Sscuha said to Ssteilssniq.

"Are we near the prey?" the hunter asked.

"I do not know," she said. "I cannot see in the dark."

"Who can?" one of the other hunters wondered ironically.

"Warrior has a magic eye in his headdress," Chhal said in a stage whisper. "He has allowed me to look through it. From on top of the Old Place I could see what went on in the kraal as clearly as if I were standing in front of our old hut."

A murmur of speculation ran through the Fauns at Chhal's words, but Warrior hissed at the hunters to silence them.

"All of us must be quiet," Ssteilssniq said. "We do not wish to alert the prey. They came upon us in secret and killed our friends and our chief. We will pay them in kind. Now be silent. It is wise."

Liam shook his head and gritted his teeth in mild aggravation at the Fauns. He didn't have time to handhold them throughout the attack. Thumping his mount with his heels he started the company forward, skirting the hillocks and keeping the stream to their right. His intention was to get in close and surveil the enemy ship before attacking. With good luck, and if the Fauns would stay quiet, they should be able to make the short journey and get under cover before the enemy knew the troupe was even there. They would be able to do that provided the enemy wasn't monitoring their surroundings too carefully or hadn't bothered to lay a broad perimeter alert system. Inwardly Liam shrugged. They had to risk it.

"How long until dawn, Sergeant?" M'pel E'kmel asked sotto voce.

"Nights are getting longer," Liam whispered. "Probably three or four hours. Hard to say."

"Will we attack before dawn?" she asked.

"Can't," he said. "I doubt the Fauns are good enough to shoot at night, even with lowlight scopes. We'll have to wait until the sun is rising. Let's stay quiet for now. We don't know how sensitive their equipment is."

It took them more than an hour to weave their way through the marsh, the last few hundred meters being the easiest as the ground rose to meet the hillocks. The channel of the stream resolved itself once more, curving around the northern side of the high ground before turning south towards the ship. With considerable relief the party dropped from their saddles, stretching their legs and enjoying the brief respite from the long forced march.

"Sue," Liam said in a low voice, coming up to the little female. She and her son stood close to the lead hunter and Stolkchiq. "Wait. Rest. Quiet."

"Rest?" Sscuha asked softly.

"Wait. Rest. Quiet," Liam repeated. He waited for her nod before gathering Tem'Ma'tel and M'pel E'kmel to go to the top of the hill.

"Warrior wishes us to rest," Sscuha told Ssteilssniq quietly. "He said wait, rest and quiet."

"Stolkchiq, see to it the landstriders are hobbled," Ssteilssniq ordered in a low tone. "You other hunters, find good places to lay down and sleep if you can. We do not know how long we will remain here. Sleep while you can. I will remain on watch."

At the top of the low hill the three castaways looked out over the sodden land below. Liam didn't really like what he was looking at, but he knew it could be much worse. One of the armored forms stood near the ship, unmoving. It did not appear to be active, its energy readings hardly registering on his scope as if it were shut down.

"Do you have any idea how sensitive their sensors are?" he asked M'pel E'kmel.

"Our intelligence branch estimates their technology is roughly one hundred years behind our own," she replied. "Their biological science is far more advanced, however. The creatures they use as probes, the creature you and Tem'Ma'tel killed for instance, is something we could not create. There is no knowing what sorts of biological weapons they might have."

"Well, I don't see any external guns, at least," he said and turned his attention to the lay of the land.

"Movement," Tem'Ma'tel hissed. She had been looking at the ship through the scope of her qui'istle.

Liam and the commander both focused their attention on the ship as a large shape appeared on the top through a hatch that seemed more like a lift. The creature did not stand like the armored giants had, but it was huge. Tentacles writhed as it pulled itself along the surface of the hull and down the steeply sloping side to the ground.

"Jesus Christ, Allah and Budda," Liam swore softly.

"Revolting, aren't they?" M'pel E'kmel observed. Her ears twitched and her tail lashed once.

"I wasn't expecting that," he said with a disgusted grimace. "Looks like some kind of mutant octopus."

"They do not move over solid ground very well, Commander," Tem'Ma'tel said. "It appears to be doing something to the armor."

"Yes," the commander agreed. "Perhaps it is doing maintenance or repairing it."

"Why not do so inside the ship?" the younger dTel'Qohar wondered.

"The ship is small," M'pel E'kmel mused. "It may be that there is not enough room inside. After all, it is only a scout vessel."

As the three watched, the creature activated the armored suit, causing a large panel that made up most of the torso to open like a clamshell. Small lights could be seen inside the suit which was clearly not occupied. The creature lifted several cables from the sodden ground and attached them inside the armor. Once this was done the enemy scout pulled itself across the ground. It paused to examine something in the mud and moved on to another point, pausing again.

"What is it doing?" M'pel E'kmel wondered.

"Looks like it's checking some sort of perimeter system," Liam told her. He watched the thing through his lowlight scope, paying special attention to the locations of the devices it was examining. "Whatever those things are, they don't look mechanical or electronic. They're sending out low band transmissions, though. Not very powerful."

"The creature you killed had a kind of organic transceiver in it," M'pel E'kmel said. "Perhaps these are similar."

Tem'Ma'tel switched her scope from lowlight to heat sensing and examined the ground around the enemy ship. Small objects stood out from the cooler background of the marsh. Each one had long tendrils extending through the grass and mud as if the creatures were the hubs of sensor nets. Here and there, tendrils from one creature overlaid those of another, thus connecting the network.

"SarJ'ant," she said to Liam. "Look with heat scope."

Liam adjusted his scope and saw what she had seen. M'pel E'kmel did the same.

"It's a very small perimeter," the commander observed.

"Yeah, but it's big enough." Liam nodded. "Seems like they aren't expecting much in the way of an attack, though."

"They may have assumed there were no other survivors from our ship," M'pel E'kmel speculated. "They would not need a wide perimeter to warn them of the Fauns."

"Scan further out from the ship," Liam said. "Do either of you see anything?"

"Nothing," the commander said.

"I see nothing," Tem'Ma'tel confirmed. "Sensors no near stream, SarJ'ant."

Liam looked. She was right. The sentry creatures extended their tentacles, or whatever they were, towards the stream, but they did not reach its bank.

"Well, it looks like that's our route in," he said.

"You cannot blow that hatch with the scuttling charge," M'pel E'kmel said.

"Take a close look at the antenna array," he told her. "A panel slides back to allow it to deploy. I'm willing to bet there isn't much armor under it."

"That doesn't mean it will allow you access to the interior of the ship," she argued.

"There has to be a way for them to service the array," he replied. "I don't think even a scout ship would require them to hang on the outside while they fix something damaged in a fight. I'll blow it and get inside."

"Their ship is flooded with water," said M'pel E'kmel. "And we know there are at least five of these creatures on board. You can't defeat all of them."

"That's why I brought you and the Fauns," he replied grimly. "The hunters can cover ground faster than any biped I've ever seen. They're faster than you by a lot."

"You will send them to their deaths," she said seriously.