Part 24
A.N. I have no idea if the little pods have weapons but for the sake of this story they do. (
Beka wished that the screaming would stop. She wasn't sure who was screaming or why they were screaming but she wanted it to end. It was several seconds before she realized the sounds were coming from her own mouth.
Tyr landed near the village and quickly made his way toward the row of cottages lining the street. He saw several villagers but they were all old people or women. There were no palace guards nor for that matter were there any able-bodied men from the village. He was sure that Dylan and Beka had not been brought back here. He paused for a minute to decide what to do. Should he head back toward the palace to look for his Captain or should he head toward the crash site where Harper and Rommie were trying to repair the ship? If he went to look for Dylan and Beka could he find them and save them on his own? If he went for help would he be too late to save them? Cursing the day he had met Captain Dylan Hunt, Tyr headed back towards his pod.
"Do either of you have any idea what they are up to?" Harper asked as he looked out at the villagers gathered at the edge of the woods. It had been over an hour since they had tried to run them off with the weapons fire. The men had since regrouped and seemed to be planning something but the crew remained in the dark as to what it was.
"I am unsure as to what they are planning but they seem to be gathering lots of tree limbs and small brush." Rommie said.
"Do you think they are going to go back to throwing things at us?" Harper asked.
"You would think they would realize that was a waste of time." Trance replied.
"Perhaps they do. I am detecting several of the men off in the distance. They appear to be cutting down small trees."
"Think they are making battering rams?"
"More likely they are planning to attempt to burn us out." Rommie answered somberly.
"Well that is just freaking great. We are stuck in here and they are going to turn it into an easy-bake oven." Harper said.
Rommie's prediction was proven true a short while later. The villagers began heaping the branches and brush around the clearing. They quickly lit the brush and began throwing the larger pieces of wood onto the flames.
Suddenly the hatch opened and Rommie rushed out firing both forcelances at the men. Several fell immediately and lay dead but the rest rushed at Rommie with swords and clubs. She continued to fire but it was obvious she could not take out all of them. Harper and Trance huddled just in side the doorway of the Maru. They had hoped to be able to make it to one of the pods under the cover of Rommie's fire but that had proven to be impossible. They watched in horror as the flames grew in size and crept ever closer to the Maru. They were even more horrified to see Rommie lose one of the forcelances as she took a spear in the shoulder. Harper jumped up to go and help her but Trance grabbed his arm and held him back. He angrily tried to shake her hold on him but she was stronger than she appeared. Just as Rommie was about lose to the superior numbers, the villagers began to fall. It took Trance and Harper a moment to realize they were falling dead from weapons fired from above. Looking up, they saw the pod that Dylan and Tyr had taken in search of Beka. Rommie continued to fire on the remaining men but those that could, quickly fled through the woods in the direction of the village.
The pod landed in the field beside the other two. Tyr quickly joined the others. They had retrieved fire extinguishers from the Maru and were dousing the flames that were attempting to reach the ship and the pods.
"Perfect timing Oh Great One." Harper said when the flames were out. "But you seem to have forgotten a couple of things you were supposed to bring back from your little scavenger hunt."
"If you are referring to Captains Hunt and Valentine, I have no idea where they are at the moment. We were separated at the palace and I lost track of them. I have no knowledge as to if they are even still living."
"So you just thought you would come back here and convince us to go on without them is that it?" Rommie asked angrily.
"No." Tyr replied just as angrily. "I came back here to…get your help in finding and saving them." He nearly choked on the last part of the sentence but knew it was his only option.
"Oh." Rommie said, clearly surprised at his admission.
"So where do you think they are?" Trance asked.
"I have no idea. I searched the entire palace and its grounds. They were nowhere to be seen. I also checked the village and it was practically deserted. I surmise that is because most of the villagers were here, trying to use the three of you as kindling for a bonfire."
"Yes, uhmm did we say thanks for rescuing us from that?" Trance asked.
"No."
"Well thanks." Trance said giving Tyr a big smile.
"Yeah, thanks big guy. I mean I like a good barbeque as much as the next guy but not when I am part of the main course you know?"
Tyr only growled at the two of them.
"We are wasting time." Rommie said. "We have to find Dylan and Beka."
"Agreed. Unfortunately the last time I remember seeing either of them was at the bonding ceremony last night. Tourk used some sort of energy beam to hold me in some type of stasis. When I awoke I was chained to a table. I was able to escape thanks to the ineptitude of the guard that brought in my breakfast but could not find a trace of them anywhere."
"Any ideas where they may be Trance?" Rommie asked.
"No, but if Dylan challenged Tourk and the challenge was accepted then the fight started well over two hours ago. We probably can't do much about that now. It is either over or will be soon. I think we should go back to the palace. If Dylan wins that is where the Palorians will take both him and Beka."
"And if he doesn't win?" Harper asked.
"Then we may still be in time to save Beka." Trance said hopefully.
A.N. I have no idea if the little pods have weapons but for the sake of this story they do. (
Beka wished that the screaming would stop. She wasn't sure who was screaming or why they were screaming but she wanted it to end. It was several seconds before she realized the sounds were coming from her own mouth.
Tyr landed near the village and quickly made his way toward the row of cottages lining the street. He saw several villagers but they were all old people or women. There were no palace guards nor for that matter were there any able-bodied men from the village. He was sure that Dylan and Beka had not been brought back here. He paused for a minute to decide what to do. Should he head back toward the palace to look for his Captain or should he head toward the crash site where Harper and Rommie were trying to repair the ship? If he went to look for Dylan and Beka could he find them and save them on his own? If he went for help would he be too late to save them? Cursing the day he had met Captain Dylan Hunt, Tyr headed back towards his pod.
"Do either of you have any idea what they are up to?" Harper asked as he looked out at the villagers gathered at the edge of the woods. It had been over an hour since they had tried to run them off with the weapons fire. The men had since regrouped and seemed to be planning something but the crew remained in the dark as to what it was.
"I am unsure as to what they are planning but they seem to be gathering lots of tree limbs and small brush." Rommie said.
"Do you think they are going to go back to throwing things at us?" Harper asked.
"You would think they would realize that was a waste of time." Trance replied.
"Perhaps they do. I am detecting several of the men off in the distance. They appear to be cutting down small trees."
"Think they are making battering rams?"
"More likely they are planning to attempt to burn us out." Rommie answered somberly.
"Well that is just freaking great. We are stuck in here and they are going to turn it into an easy-bake oven." Harper said.
Rommie's prediction was proven true a short while later. The villagers began heaping the branches and brush around the clearing. They quickly lit the brush and began throwing the larger pieces of wood onto the flames.
Suddenly the hatch opened and Rommie rushed out firing both forcelances at the men. Several fell immediately and lay dead but the rest rushed at Rommie with swords and clubs. She continued to fire but it was obvious she could not take out all of them. Harper and Trance huddled just in side the doorway of the Maru. They had hoped to be able to make it to one of the pods under the cover of Rommie's fire but that had proven to be impossible. They watched in horror as the flames grew in size and crept ever closer to the Maru. They were even more horrified to see Rommie lose one of the forcelances as she took a spear in the shoulder. Harper jumped up to go and help her but Trance grabbed his arm and held him back. He angrily tried to shake her hold on him but she was stronger than she appeared. Just as Rommie was about lose to the superior numbers, the villagers began to fall. It took Trance and Harper a moment to realize they were falling dead from weapons fired from above. Looking up, they saw the pod that Dylan and Tyr had taken in search of Beka. Rommie continued to fire on the remaining men but those that could, quickly fled through the woods in the direction of the village.
The pod landed in the field beside the other two. Tyr quickly joined the others. They had retrieved fire extinguishers from the Maru and were dousing the flames that were attempting to reach the ship and the pods.
"Perfect timing Oh Great One." Harper said when the flames were out. "But you seem to have forgotten a couple of things you were supposed to bring back from your little scavenger hunt."
"If you are referring to Captains Hunt and Valentine, I have no idea where they are at the moment. We were separated at the palace and I lost track of them. I have no knowledge as to if they are even still living."
"So you just thought you would come back here and convince us to go on without them is that it?" Rommie asked angrily.
"No." Tyr replied just as angrily. "I came back here to…get your help in finding and saving them." He nearly choked on the last part of the sentence but knew it was his only option.
"Oh." Rommie said, clearly surprised at his admission.
"So where do you think they are?" Trance asked.
"I have no idea. I searched the entire palace and its grounds. They were nowhere to be seen. I also checked the village and it was practically deserted. I surmise that is because most of the villagers were here, trying to use the three of you as kindling for a bonfire."
"Yes, uhmm did we say thanks for rescuing us from that?" Trance asked.
"No."
"Well thanks." Trance said giving Tyr a big smile.
"Yeah, thanks big guy. I mean I like a good barbeque as much as the next guy but not when I am part of the main course you know?"
Tyr only growled at the two of them.
"We are wasting time." Rommie said. "We have to find Dylan and Beka."
"Agreed. Unfortunately the last time I remember seeing either of them was at the bonding ceremony last night. Tourk used some sort of energy beam to hold me in some type of stasis. When I awoke I was chained to a table. I was able to escape thanks to the ineptitude of the guard that brought in my breakfast but could not find a trace of them anywhere."
"Any ideas where they may be Trance?" Rommie asked.
"No, but if Dylan challenged Tourk and the challenge was accepted then the fight started well over two hours ago. We probably can't do much about that now. It is either over or will be soon. I think we should go back to the palace. If Dylan wins that is where the Palorians will take both him and Beka."
"And if he doesn't win?" Harper asked.
"Then we may still be in time to save Beka." Trance said hopefully.