Hey there guys, I will apologize up front for the loooooooong delay in getting this chapter up for your perusal. Homework for school ended up being a heck of a lot more than I really expected, all of my concentration was bent that direction for the last month. I hope to be a little more attentive to my readers' needs now that I am out of the stress of my previous command, and on leave for the next thirty days! (YEAH!)
Happy hunting, please read and review!
Darwin
Chapter Thirteen: "Death begets…"
Gui'Yata caught himself asking "What now?" under his breath as a new sound filled the air. It was uncommon for him to ask such a question even to himself. He had always taken events as they came and did very little to think upon the future. This particular trip, however, had been filled with too many events that had not been planned for, and now many of his huntsmen were dead because of it. He knew that such was the cost of war, which this had certainly turned into. The Noa wanted the Soua dead, though a reason for such a motive was beyond him. There was always a certain animosity between the two tribes, skirmishes were common for food, for territory, for the spoils of the hunts. Now and again there was a senseless attack by the floor dwelling cousins, but never had they declared all out war on the Soua. It was going to be a war that the Soua were going to lose and soon, for the Noa population far outstripped their own numbers. He could not accept losing his life, nor the Soua losing their superiority to the backward, simple throngs of the Noa. They had come here expecting a small tribe of bandits, led by this human. What they found was a overwhelming population, one well prepared to fight off their attempt at rescue. He was upset by the thought that he would not be able to see Courtney safely away before his own death came.
The sound that had begun as a low humming soon filled the air, and ran through his body, much as the thrumming roar of the Habade, vibrating him down to his already raw nerves. He paused in his fight, because the Noa before him had done the same turning its sightless face toward a patch of sky somewhere behind him. Its clicking voice grew louder seeming to ask questions of the sound. Gui'Yata did not wait for it to recover its focus straightening and cutting the creature down. Only then did he look where the Noa's attentions had been focused, looking first at Gerard behind him, who was staring up at the sky as well.
Bursting over the scrubby trees came a shape larger than the Habade by at least three, and Gui'Yata's heart lightened considerably as he recognized it. Gerard looked back at him in confusion, and Gui'Yata met his gaze with a reassuring Soua smile, "The Calvary has arrived," Gui'Yata shouted over the din, coining a phrase that Courtney had often used. Gerard nodded slowly, then jumped back as a Noa rushed out of the darkness toward him. Gerard acted admirably, neatly flipping the sasa in his hand point down and jabbing it into the back of the Noa's skull. Gui'Yata nodded impressed by the display, and quickly tensed, knowing that the Noa would not be alone in it's attack. They had worked through the group in a matter of minutes, and again Gui'Yata looked back toward the ship now looming above them.
Gui'Yata and Gerard both shielded their faces as a bright, white hot bolt erupted from the front of the ship and hit the Habade bull square. The creature lurched heavily sideways, howling shrilly as the beam bit through its tough hide. Its head whipped to the side unseating the Noa still trying desperately to control the wounded beast. The Noa flew grandly through the air for about 100 yards before smashing with a sickening crunch atop one stunted tree.
Gui'Yata shouted for his warriors to clear, but those who remained were already on the move as the towering creature slowly toppled onto it's side. Gui'Yata braced himself, much as he would for a sink, widening his stance and latching his dewclaws firmly into the ground. It did him little good as the mass of the beast connected with the ground. It was as loud as a thunderclap and bowled any on their feet over for hundreds of yards. Gui'Yata landed heavily his toes aching from his vain attempt to keep his feet. Gerard had been thrown several feet by the concussion of the landing. Gui'Yata looked quickly around him noting the ship's descent toward the earth. It did not land, however hovering several feet from the mire.
Swarms of bodies flowed out of the many small passenger ports that dotted Quarta's surface, they came quickly undaunted by the grabbing mud below them nor the height from which they had to jump to meet the enemy. They were not of Taysa…though, as he got to his feet and helped Gerard do the same, he thought that they were from Doana, or Hosmara, or possibly both. He smiled grimly, Quona had been able to convince the Ot Eesan of the severity of their plight. When the last of the warriors had emerged from the ship, Quarta quickly lifted from its proximity to the fight. She circled around laying down a line of plamsa fire just at the edge of the forest cutting the supply of Noa warriors down, allowing them only a small window on either end from which to join the battle and giving their own fighters time to get ahead. The bottle neck created would also allow the Soua to pick off the Noa as they attempted to get through.
The Noa, Gui'Yata also noted, had seemed to forget that the two of them were here. The two of them were alone, surrounded by swamp empty of all but the dead and dying. The rest of the Noa had swarmed toward the newer and more critical threat of a fresh army of Soua. Gui'Yata looked around him once again incredulous of the luck Yanah had blessed them with. He turned his gaze to Gerard who looked to be as shocked about the sudden lack of adversaries around them.
"Yanah smiles on us, Gerard!" Gui'Yata said happily, thumping the human on the shoulder.
Gerard nodded grimly, "But Yanah is a fickle god," He said in Sou. Gui'Yata had started to move away, but halted abruptly looking back at the human with ill hidden surprise on his face. Gerard smiled crookedly shrugging, "When in rome?" Gui'Yata laughed loudly to be heard even over the sound of Quarta, as Gerard added, "Let's not look her bounty in the face for too long…Let's spring Courtney from this dump."
Mirth was still in Gui'Yata's eyes as he nodded and said, "Agreed."
Together they moved off toward the far opening in the wall of fire. Finally the stilted houses seemed to come closer, steadily growing as their feet found solid footing of their own accord. They had another rough patch of fighting as they reached the edge of the plasma fed fire obstacle. The Noa still in the city had gathered at the ends in a desperate attempt to join the battle with their beleaguered brethren. Plasma fire lanced past Gui'Yata's shoulder picking off Noa one after another. The young Soua twisted away as a Noa lunged at him bent on impaling him on a long spear surely tipped with venom. As he fell back and away he lit off his yoysa, watching with satisfaction as it tore through the first several of the backed up Noa before detonating and sending bone and flesh in all directions. Gui'Yata backpedaled to regain his feet getting a good view of just how skilled the human he had partnered with was. He was silently impressed, glad that he was not now the man's enemy. The Human had certainly been holding back from them all just what he was capable of. Finally regaining his footing he wheeled back around impaling another Noa that he found to be in his face, carefully avoiding the creatures gnashing teeth still trying to find flesh even as it died on his sraha. He paused a moment to get his bearings, noting the thickness of Noa's in the immediate vicinity. He turned to grab Gerard, but found that the man had thought the same thing and was already heading for the thicker trees to the right of the village. Gui'Yata nodded to himself, twirling in a calculated move, and firing at just the right time into the Noa that were intent on giving pursuit. As the Yoysa detonated he turned and zigzagged through the stunted bushes and trees surrounding the Noa home. Gui'Yata kept eyes on the running form of Gerard, quickly closing the gap between them.
Scrub faded from the landscape gradually growing taller as they inserted themselves further into their sheltering boughs. As Gui'Yata caught up with the man he grunted, "Into the trees Gerard!" He caught the man about the waist and leapt easily to the lower branch on a quickly closing tree. The statement had been as much warning as direction, so as not to get the brunt of an attack from his partner should he be mistaken for a Noa warrior. He bounded higher into the trees, Gerard now latched onto his large back, then moved forward through the surrounding trees, hoping to lose any who might have witnessed their escape. It was not long before they had circled around the opposite the fighting, now looking on the back of the village. He remained still as Gerard slipped from his back and knelt next to him. They were both silent for long moments just surveying the buildings. Gui'Yata scanned slowly seeing different heat signatures through the crudely built walls of each. Noa read very brightly compared to Soua, more so compared to humans, and they were easy to discern.
His heart leapt as he noted a Human heat signature amongst the brighter glare of the surrounding Noa. He nearly rushed down the tree leaving Gerard behind, leaning forward and preparing to make quick time down the bole. A disparity about the way it moved stopped his advance, however. Gui'Yata sat back on his heels again, watching more closely as the signature moved, seemingly freely through the other bodies, Noa bodies. Some fell in behind as it moved, following it as a favored pet would follow a beloved master. Gui'Yata's eyes narrowed, the Human Noa.
He continued to track the man as he moved quickly through the village heading for the largest of the structures. The human stepped out from between two of the buildings and Gui'Yata heard Gerard suck a quick breath beside him and whisper, "Thomas!"
Gui'Yata turned his attention to the man, "So he is known to you?"
Gerard nodded silently then met the alien's eyes, "He was one of my subordinates. No exactly a man who played with a full deck," Gui'Yata furrowed his brow, not understanding the inference. Gerard shook his head, "He had a huge inferiority complex, everyone picked on him, at least if you asked him. He by all accounts was a little bit crazy. In our line of work it helped," He looked down Gui'Yata and back up again, "No offense there big guy."
Gui'Yata straightened a little with pride, "We are fearsome, I understand the need."
"Anyway, he overreacted most of the time and usually violently," He shook his head and looked away, "he is not exactly one of the men I would have wanted to get a hold of the lead position of the Noa. I expect that his insanity is contagious."
Gui'Yata nodded even as he turned his attention back to the buildings before them, the man disappeared from Gerard's view, but not from Gui'Yata. He watched as the man skirted the large building in the middle of the village, then entered it. Gui'Yata leaned forward again seeing the second human signature stationary in the middle of the room.
Nudging Gerard, Gui'Yata pointed toward the structure and leaned closer, "She is in there," He whispered.
"How? How do you know?" Gerard asked in confusion, "you see something I don't?"
Gui'Yata looked incredulously at the man, "Did Courtney tell you nothing about us?"
He shook his head, "If she did I wasn't listening! What do you see?"
"We see in degrees of heat," Gui'Yata said evenly, "I am looking at her heat signature, and that of the human Thomas, and ten Noa who now stand inside the largest of the dwellings."
"Really?" Gerard said, "Amazing!"
Gui'Yata snorted shaking his head, humans were definitely fascinated by that fact.
"Jump on," Gui'Yata said, "Its time to get her out of there."
Courtney was unable to tear her eyes away from the scene, half obscured as it was through the slatted wall surrounding her. She blinked heavily as she was flash blinded by the Plasma beam that the Taya ship finally killed the Habade with. She was deafened by the sound of the Habade's impact and her arms protested painfully as her body lifted and then dropped heavily against the cutting bonds on her wrists. She watched with devilish delight as her guards fell heavily to the deck, stunned by the event. She turned her attention back to the battle outside, ignoring the creatures as they slowly recovered their footing. Their rasping voices grew louder and faster as they turned their sightless sockets toward the sight of the battle. They sounded confused… they sounded worried! That sent a jolt of delight through her.
Through tears resulting from the blinding flash, she continued to watch the battle, seeing a horde of Soua pour out of Quarta. It had to be Quarta, she was the closest Taya ship and one of the few that were still in operation after the series of Noa attacks on any close-by cities. They hit the ground running, slashing, and firing into the crowd of Noa now bearing down on the fresh warriors. Quarta lifted again and she watched as another beam lanced out and scorched the swamp. Her excitement grew as the battle continued. The Soua were finally gaining the upper hand. The reinforcing Noa were cut off from those fighters still on the battlefield by the fire, and the Soua were making good use of the break. The ones who had first come to this deadly field were renewed, the sight of the reinforcements energizing them to renewed fury against the Noa.
Silently she cheered them on, a small part of her worried about her bondsman, surely a part of the original party. She was too far from the action to see any of the Soua warriors in detail, yet she watched closely as the armies fought back and forth along the length and breadth of the swamp. She ignored the pain that started in her neck as she strained to one side trying to get a better view.
Her attention was drawn away from the ruckus outside by the sound of many footsteps approaching. The pit of her stomach fell out as the Noa guards began to stir…HE was coming. With some effort she turned away from the entrance continuing to watch the battle, intent on ignoring Thomas. She wasn't going to let him see just how much he got under her skin. If only she was free…she thought as her hands made helpless fists above her head, something she couldn't even feel except by the strain in her arm muscles. If she was free, if his guards weren't there to protect him, she would see who the better human was, just who had learned more from their respective host races. It was almost a guarantee what the outcome would be.
"You must be worth more than I thought," Thomas grunted as he stopped in front of her.
Courtney slowly turned her eyes back toward the unkempt man looking at him derisively. Blinking slowly she turned away pretending that he did not exist. He grabbed her face in a vice like grip and turned her to face him again, "Look at me when I am talking to you!" He growled.
"Why?" She whispered hoarsely, "You have nothing to say that I have any interest in."
"Why are you so important that they would sent an army to free you?" He yelled shrilly.
Courtney laughed in his face, "You think they're here for me? You are stupider than you look you know that?" She yanked her face from his tight grip, "You have woken the sleeping giant…don't you understand that? The Soua would have been happy to let the Noa circle their society, to nip at their heels to make them feel important.
Courtney shook her head sadly, "Maybe when the 'Brethren' returned they did something egregious to these people, something that was never righted, I will agree with you on that point. But they have been here for more centuries that can be remembered by the Soua, the trees are theirs, you cannot deny that they returned because they remembered their birthright, their home world, after so many years of being the lapdogs of these 'Masters'. The Noa sought no common ground with the Soua, because of what the Masters had done to them, because they no longer felt the same as the Noa, even though they were descended from the very Noa that live here. Both races are at fault for the rift that has been created here," He was shaking his head, "Both races!" She yelled.
"But you…in all your lust for revenge, you have convinced the Noa that they can overpower the Soua, that they have a right to something that they don't. To their folly they believed you!" She could see his face set with hatred for her, but now she didn't care, "You have brought the wrath of the Tribes of the Soua down upon you all.
"They will realize their mistake, you know, they will realize that you are not their Messiah, that you are not here to deliver them to their birthright, but to their extinction. Mark my words, Thomas," He had turned away from her now, "Your days are numbered!"
He signaled to the Noa nearest him, who bowed very low before him and then straightened now approaching her immobile form. Courtney was quick to understand what was about to happen, and it took all of her training to keep the fear that was roiling up within her from showing on her face. Anticipation hung in the air like a palpable entity as the other creatures first went silent and then a slow thrumming sound issued forth. It gained volume the closer the creature approached, Thomas had turned to face her and was watching with a smirk on his face. She wanted so much to rip that smile from his face and feed it to him. Her attention was divided between the Noa and her desire to kill the man in a slow and extremely painful manner.
The Noa was only inches from her skin, and it reached out to touch her thigh, clicking excitedly at the prospect of tasting her flesh. She was trying to control her breathing, but was still panting heavily. Her attention was again drawn away, to the entrance of the long hut. The sight greeted her eyes like a slow motion scene from an action film. Striding through the door came a hulking figure, to large to be any Noa, and Courtney's eyes widened in surprise. Leaning to the left and simultaneously drawing a long barbed sword the creature gracefully spun the weapon and decapitated the Noa to the right of the door. He left the sword in the wall as the smaller creature slumped to the floor. About the same time the Noa to the left of the door suddenly jerked forward as his face blew out dribbling viscera and milk of magnesia colored blood onto the floor. The smell of burnt flesh hit her nostrils and the sound of sizzling flesh assailed her ears as the Noa swung forward much as a felled tree hitting the floor stiffly before signals stopped being sent to its muscles.
Chaos ensued as other Noa rushed to the door to confront the bold interlopers. The creature that had approached her intent of melting her flesh had frozen twisted half around to face the disturbance. Thomas was backing away from the quickly falling guards, heading her direction.
"Gui!" She bellowed over the squealing Noa, relief welling up within her. The Soua only glanced up briefly smiling a little before returning his attentions to the swarming Noa. She was again reminded just how impressive his fighting was. He stepping into a rushing Noa's attack, throwing an uppercut with his Sraha and lifting the body of the creature completely off the ground. Another came at him before he could free himself of the first and he reached up with one large hand catching the Noa in the chin, his fingers firmly planted in the creatures mouth, ripping down before the jaws could close on his fingers. She winced as she heard the jaw crack and sagged from its face. By then Gui'Yata had freed his sraha from its fellow and lashed out with it. The Noa had raised its arm to block the blow, and the twin blades neatly severed his hand from his arm midway to his elbow. The creature screeched and leapt away from Gui'Yata. Gui ignored it stepping further into the place.
Even more of a shock was the other that followed Gui'Yata into the dwelling, picking off Noa as he went, firing what she recognized as Gui'Yata's Plasma Cannon and he was making it look easy. Any Noa who came within striking distance fell to a sasa that was nearly as long as Gerard's forearm. She could only goggle watching him, he had always been so withdrawn, seeming to want to avoid anything to do with fighting, that it never occurred to her that he could fight. Here she saw none of that, he looked to be relishing the melee that he was in and he showed skill beyond that of a mere grunt soldier she had always thought him to be. She saw what could only be some sort of special forces training, and again she wondered just what his standing orders had been the night they had stormed the ship so very long ago now.
Courtney glanced down as something bumped into her, to find Thomas huddled against her leg. His guard was now gone strewn in many dead heaps across the floor. The rest of them were occupied with the battle out in the swamp, he was now truly alone, and he knew it. She twisted pushing his dirty flesh off of her. He ducked from the act, glancing up at her with scared very rat-like eyes, all of his swaggering bravado had dissipated, revealing him to be a hollow shell of a man.
"Save me," She heard him whisper and both Gerard and Gui'Yata closed on the man.