Outpost Aurek
"Drums? Are you sure?"
Vhetin nodded. "That was the only useful thing the man had to say. He claimed that every time these creatures attacked, he could hear war drums from the canopy."
Ranger-Commander Che'daje rubbed at her chin. "A scare tactic, perhaps. Psychological warfare intended to make our men slip up?"
Norac Benz chuckled. "Your men are pretty skittish if the sound of drums makes 'em wet their pants."
The Cathar ignored him. "If they're using war drums, it obviously means they're sentient. We'd considered the possibility, but we've never come across such a species in the jungle. If they're declaring war on us—"
"Maybe they're not," Benz interrupted with a shrug. Everyone looked to him, expecting an elaboration, and he raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What? It's possible."
"Do you have an idea?" Captain Tervho said. "Or do you just get off on contradicting people?"
"Communication," the Berserker clanmaster replied. He rapped his palms against the hard chest plates of his armor, hammering out a quick beat that sounded similar to Dha Werda Verda. He then shrugged again and said, "My people use it sometimes when we're hunting in the forests up north. Can't risk letting something know we're coming, so we use drum beats instead. That way, the prey doesn't know who or what is hunting it. It's an old Mandalorian practice called dadita."
Che'daje narrowed her eyes. "So you're saying these things are hunting my men?"
"Looks like it, doesn't it? If you're at war, you leave the bodies out in the open – you're killing the enemy, and you want their allies to know just how well you're slaughtering them. But the fact that your Rangers haven't found any leftovers from battle suggests that these things have a different motive."
"Makes sense." Tervho nodded. "They're scavenging the dead. Taking their weapons, armor, and technology. Basic strategy when you're fighting a guerrilla war against a superior force, but don't want to be seen."
"I wouldn't go so far as to call the Rangers superior," Benz said with a haughty chuckle. He hooked his thumbs into the loops of his belt. "Seeing as how this Vasser girl and her team got torn to shreds in seconds. Idiot girl probably didn't even know what hit her."
"That's enough, Benz," Vhetin interjected harshly. "Show a little respect for the dead."
"The… the dead?" Jay murmured. "What do you mean?"
There was a hard steel in Vhetin's voice that she knew all too well. It was the tone he adopted when he'd been given bad news and was attempting to hide how much it had affected him. She'd only heard it in his voice once before: when he'd informed Jay that Brianna had left him. She had never seen her partner so upset, and her heart sunk with worry to hear such an air return to his voice now.
Her partner took a deep breath, his entire body tense and his clenched fists shaking dangerously.
"The survivor we interviewed… he said Tamai didn't make it. Said that one of these things attacked her and killed her. He said he heard her scream as he was running from the attack. Then nothing."
The Ranger-Commander folded her arms. "That doesn't mean anything. Maybe she fled or fought back."
Benz raised a skeptical eyebrow. "If that's true, why hasn't she regrouped with your Rangers? Why hasn't there been any contact? Face it, aruetii: she's dead just like all the rest of your men who went skipping off into the trees."
Tervho tapped her fist against his chest plate; an old Mando gesture for him to shut up. "Back off, Norac."
The Berserker clanmaster shrugged with a sneer at Che'daje. "Just so long as we're on the same page. The sooner you Rangers accept that your men are gone, the sooner you'll wise up and stop sending more people into the jungle to look for them."
Tervho thumped her fist hard against Benz's chest plate now. "Norac! Enough."
Vhetin, meanwhile, had stepped away to stare out toward the perimeter fence, arms folded across his chest. Jay glanced at the others, then followed after him. She wrung her hands as she approached and looked out at the loud and chaotic treeline.
The conversation behind them seemed to fade out to a dull drone, and Jay could feel the tension radiating off of her partner's body. She usually knew better than to approach him when he was in such a state, especially since the last time he'd been so upset he had torn a heavy punching bag from its housing with a single punch. But if she were in her partner's shoes, the last thing she'd want to be is alone.
So she licked her lips nervously, then cleared her throat. "Hey… Are you okay?"
No answer.
"Cin… I'm so sorry. I didn't know Tamai, but I could tell how much she meant to you"
His shoulders slumped, but his voice was as hard as iron when he spoke again. "It doesn't matter. We still have a job to do."
"What?"
His voice broke, but only slightly. "We… we have to find whatever is attacking the patrols. We have to stop these Kar'ta Epar'e before they kill others like they killed Tamai."
"Is it possible," she said slowly, "that she survived?"
He shrugged. "The Tamai I knew was strong and resourceful. If anyone could have survived, it's her. But… but Benz is right; if she made it out alive, she would have tried to link up with the rest of the Rangers and warn them about what's going on."
"You can't lose hope, Cin. Not when—"
"Jay," he interrupted, "I can see what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it. I really do. But chances are good we're never going to find Tamai. Every Ranger team before this has been decimated. Why should Tamai's group be any different?"
"Because… I don't know. Because she's your friend? You don't have a habit of befriending idiots, Cin."
His voice was little more than a whisper. "Can I… can I just have a moment? I'll rejoin you and the others by the time we're ready to head out."
Jay nodded and squeezed his shoulder. "All right. Just know I'm here if you need me."
He nodded bleakly. "Thanks, vod'ika."
He stepped away from her, heading off toward the center of Outpost Aurek. After a few moments, he ducked into the Ranger's barracks and didn't emerge again.
She sighed and turned away to rejoin the others, but instantly jumped back with a startled cry when she found a woman standing right behind her. The new woman watched her coldly with her arms folded across her armored chest. Her gear was a patchwork collection of camouflage-painted plates, leather pads, and ammunition belts, and a rough cloth turban covered her face. Through the short gap in the turban, she regarded Jay with cold yellow eyes – far too large to belong to a human.
The newcomer cocked her head, her voice muffled behind the cloth of her turban. Her voice carried a thick, slurred accent that was surprisingly similar to that of Ranger-Commander Che'daje.
"Who the kriff're you?"
Jay blinked, heart pounding as she panted, "I could ask the same of you."
"I'm not the newcomer," the other woman hissed. She looked Jay up and down. "And you are definitely not a Ranger. From the look of things, you're not even a Mandalorian."
Jay rested a hand on her hip, narrowing her eyes. "How can you tell? I'm wearing the armor."
"But you're very obviously not used to wearing it. You don't carry yourself like a Mando'ad."
She suddenly stepped forward and leaned close, those pale yellow eyes blazing. She sniffed the air next to Jay's cheek, once, twice, while Jay recoiled in surprise and discomfort.
"Hmm," the woman growled as she drew back. "You don't smell right either. Like soap and perfume. Too clean. Not enough sweat and blood in your scent."
Jay's lip curled. "That's… really creepy. Could you stop?"
Those large yellow eyes blinked slowly. "I'm not going to ask again: who are you?"
"I'm a member of the auxiliary reinforcements from Keldabe," Jay said. "Shysa sent us to help search for the missing patrols."
The woman laughed; a sharp, hissing sound. "Did he now? I should have known he wouldn't listen to me. We don't need your help, City Girl."
She hefted a large sword into her hands, cradling it like a mother would cradle her baby. "Want my advice? Stay out of that damned jungle. It's been the death of warriors far more experienced than you."
She sniffed the air again. "And rub some dirt in your hair or something. Your scent's too strong. It'll draw the echo snakes."
The woman turned to leave, but Jay called her attention back. "Wait! Just who are you? What makes you so special?"
The woman chuckled, turning that yellow gaze on her again.
"Hish'ka Che'daje," she introduced herself with a short and sarcastic bow. She placed her palm against her chest and lowered her head. "First Scout of the jungle patrols."
She straightened once more and threw the sword over her shoulder. "I'm the one in charge of finding the missing Rangers. I'm your tracker, and that means that when we head into the trees, I'm the one who's going to keep you alive."
Later
As soon as the Ranger-Commander gave the order, the search-and-rescue Rangers gathered in the main plaza of Aurek. They formed an orderly column in front of the great statue of the ancient Mandalorian, their spears and swords at the ready. The auxiliary forces assembled in a rough semi-circle behind them, with Norac Benz and his Berserkers prowling back and forth as they waited to get to work.
Vhetin and Jay stood near Captain Tervho, who was watching the proceedings with folded arms and an unreadable expression. The sluggish, humid jungle breeze tugged at Jay's hair, carrying with it the heady scent of fresh rain and untouched woodland.
Thunder rumbled high above and a few errant droplets of rain began to patter against her shoulders and forehead. The Rangers had informed them that a storm was moving in and would be upon them by nightfall. Despite this news, Ranger-Commander Che'daje had given the order for the search party to assemble for their final briefing before departure. More than just the search party showed up, though; many Rangers not selected for jungle patrols were also present, as were several Imperial representatives and several squads of stormtroopers.
No doubt they all felt a sort of camaraderie this far from civilization; the Rangers obviously knew each other very well and had to place their lives in others' hands on a daily basis. And the Imperials, though they had never had a stable relationship with the Mandalorian people, depended on them now for their very survival. That must have bred some sort of solidarity between them, however slight.
Akh'shi was pacing in front of the assembled search party – around twenty in all – with her arms hooked behind her back. Her sister, Hish'ka, stood nonchalantly at the head of the column, regarding all the soldiers with those fiery yellow eyes peeking out from behind her tightly-wrapped turban.
"I don't need to remind any of you what we're doing in the jungle," Akh'shi was saying as she paced. "Nor do I have to remind you how important our mission is. If we can't hold the border patrol, we may as well throw ourselves to the echo snakes right now."
She gestured to the column and the auxiliaries fidgeting behind it. "Assembled here are Rangers, Mountain Clan men, foreigners, and Cuy'val Dar. Men and woman from all walks of life. But today that doesn't matter. None of it matters."
She gestured to the distant tree line with an accusatory finger. "There is something out there in the jungle that thinks it can kill our people without consequence. That is more than just an offense to Mandalorians or aruetiise. That's an insult to the Rangers, and that cannot stand. For three hundred years we've held our post here in Aurek. And I'll be damned before I let some jungle beast with half a brain muscle us out!"
The Rangers showed their agreement by pounding their fists against their chest plates. The resulting rumble drowned out the thunder overhead and Akh'shi nodded with a sharp-toothed grin. The Cathar soldier looked through the ranks of her men and continued.
"Now we're heading to the site of the nearest attack, where Ranger Vasser and her team went missing. Many of us knew Tamai personally; she was a talented scout and an exemplary Ranger. If she or any of her men are alive, it is our duty to find them. But priority one is figuring out just what happened and who is responsible for these attacks. Am I understood?"
A single thump against the chest plates from her soldiers, signifying agreement.
"Good. Auxiliaries! You have any problem following the orders of an aruetii?"
Several of the Berserkers sneered at the Cathar or grumbled between them, but Norac Benz called from the front of the group and answered for them. "We're signed on to this mission, Fuzzy. We're loyal to the mission, even if we're not loyal to you."
"That'll have to do. Mount up and move out!"
The tight cluster of Rangers spun about-face and began marching toward the perimeter. Norac circled his fingers in the air and signaled for his own men to follow. Jay fidgeted nervously before she followed after them as she shouldered her loaned rifle – one of the few high-tech weapons the Rangers had to spare.
"So…" she murmured as she fell into step with the Rangers. "Are you as nervous as I am, Cin?"
Vhetin, walking at her shoulder, shrugged. "If I said yes, would it make you feel better?"
"I dunno. Maybe we can find out?"
"Then yes. I am. I haven't heard good things about this jungle, and the Ranger briefing didn't exactly set my mind at ease."
Jay could believe that. Before heading out, the Rangers had provided the newcomers with a briefing of the dangers the Werda Kurs had to offer. It didn't paint a pretty picture: there were massive serpentine echo snakes prowling the waterways, packs of ravenous and venomous kalo wolves stalking the jungle floor, and Jai'galaar shriek-hawks in the canopy. And those were just the most common threats. If these Kar'ta Epar'e were as bad as everyone seemed to think, there was more in those jungles than even the Rangers knew.
She sighed. "Watch my back out there, yeah?"
"Always," her partner replied. "I came here to find a friend. I won't lose another in the process."
"Aww, so touching," Norac Benz said from ahead of them. He looked back over his shoulder with a sneer. "Just don't let this lovey-duvy partnerly devotion get in the way of our job. I don't intend to wind up in the belly of an echo snake just because you two are trying to dodge some fire."
"We may yet surprise you," Vhetin said.
"Yeah," Jay pitched in. "We've faced down Sith Lords, you know."
"Wow, so you've gone toe-to-toe with the Bathrobe Brigade. Good for you. But a Sith isn't a beast. A Sith is just a man with a glowing sword. He won't attack you with mindless abandon, won't pin you to the ground and tear you apart with claw and fang."
He traced a finger down a long and ropy scar that stretched behind one ear. "See this? Got it from a shriek-hawk while on a jungle run of my own a few years back. And that was way in the north, where the snows still come every winter and the people are as dangerous as the wildlife. The Werda Kurs is a whole different meshgeroya field entirely."
Jay scowled at the man. "I'll take my chances. I'm not the kind to back out on a contract. Not now."
"Hold on to that sentiment. See how long it lasts you."
"It'll last longer than you think," said a familiar voice to their right. Jay turned to see a familiar-looking suit of slate-gray armor. Ranger Lee hefted a heavy-looking spear over one shoulder and shot her a crooked grin. "Trust me. Sometimes the only reason a Ranger comes back from a patrol is because of the paycheck waiting at the end. You have even more than that."
He shrugged and waved a hand in Vhetin's direction. "Well, at least he does."
Norac sniffed, but said nothing, turning back to the path ahead. Lee made a face at the back of the Berserker's head and rolled his eyes. When Benz didn't move to respond, he glanced at Vhetin and Jay. "Don't worry about it, you two," he said. "The first jungle walk is always a breeze."
"I'll hold you to that," Vhetin said.
Their group finally reached the perimeter fence, where the duracrete buildings of Outpost Aurek sharply transformed into the untamed wilderness of the Werda Kurs. The massive perimeter wall towered over them, a giant dull gray barrier holding back the wilderness, topped with lines of razor wire. The Rangers manning the guard post on either side of the exit gate saluted to the search party as the jungle-bound Mandalorians passed through the gate. The held their hands over their hearts, then gestured to the passing soldiers with calls to their bretheren leaving for what could very well be the last time.
"Oya, vode an," they called.
"Ni ke'gyce gar, oya'karir pirusti."
"Demagolka'e drar'cuyir darasuum."
Jay leaned over to her partner and murmured, "What are they saying? I don't recognize some of the words."
He sighed and returned a curt nod to a guard that gestured to him. "They're giving us our orders. I command you, hunt well. Even monsters aren't invincible."
"Eerie." She shivered as she passed under the gate. One of the gate guards nodded to her and called out to her.
"Strength be with you, aruetii."
Then he was gone and she was swallowed up by the jungle. The ground dropped away from the sharp duracrete of the outpost and into the damp, soggy undergrowth of the Werda Kurs. She felt the atmosphere change almost the instant they passed into the shadow of the trees. The air was tense, carrying an almost audible hum over the breeze and the hooting calls of animals and birds. Shadows seemed to jump and twist around her like sinister puppets on strings. She found herself almost immediately wishing she could turn back.
In Outpost Aurek, it felt as if she were in a bubble under the sea; a precarious safe place in the middle of a vast and treacherous world she didn't know the first thing about. And now, willingly stepping out into the wilderness… it felt like popping that bubble.
Thunder cracked overhead again as they continued their march. It wasn't long before Outpost Aurek was lost from sight behind them, swallowed up by the jungle at their backs. Her world was overwhelmed by a jarring symphony of animal hoots, bird calls, rustling leaves, and groaning tree branches. Her surroundings transformed into a waving ocean of foliage; leaves, bushes, and grass all waving in the warm tropical wind. Bugs buzzed chaotically around her head and flocks of bright, multicolored birds raced through the branches of the canopy high above. She saw lizards resting lazily on the branches over her head while a quizzical monkey-like creature cocked its head from its perch on a tree stump as the Rangers passed.
She felt Vhetin's hand fall on her shoulder. "It's okay. I know it's kind of overwhelming at first."
A shaky laugh fell from her lips. "Am I that transparent?"
"No. Your eyes are the size of dinner plates, though."
"I can't help it. I'm a city girl at heart. All this… it's a little hard to swallow."
"You'll get used to it," Lee grinned at her. "We all do. Welcome to the jungle, City Girl."
Werda Kurs, undetermined location
They marched at a brisk pace for just over two hours before stopping for a break. Jay could not be more thankful. She took pride in keeping herself in shape, but by the time they broke for rest and rehydration her legs were aching and her clothes were soaked with sweat. She thought hiking through the jungle to the attack site would be easy, especially given how slowly they had progressed, waiting for the Rangers at the front to hack a path through the foliage with their heavy beskar blades. But as their group climbed steep rocky hills and waded through waist-high marshes, she began to realize that slow pace or not, she would be feeling this walk tomorrow morning.
Now her hair was plastered to her forehead and she was breathing in short gasps while she greedily gulped down her water rations. The other Mandalorians had broken up into rough groups – mostly Rangers with Rangers and Berserkers with Berserkers. Jay, as the only aruetii present, felt a little out of place and had found a secluded area near a rocky outcropping that served as a nice place to rest her weary legs.
Damn my stupid sense of pride, she thought as she continued to gulp at her water. 'I go where my partner goes…' I've got to learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes.
"Easy there," Lee piped up from his rocky resting place nearby. He had his spear cradled between his arms while he watched her, a humorous glint in his eye. "Don't want to down that water ration too quickly. Overhydration is almost as bad as dehydration out here."
"But it tastes so good…"
He laughed. "Always does after a long slog through the muck. How're you holding up?"
She glared at him. "Let's just say I've always taken public city transports for granted. How close are we to the attack site?"
"A good two hours of a hike yet."
"We're not even halfway?"
"Cheer up aruetii," he chuckled, tossing in the slur in such a way that it didn't sound quite like an insult. He spread his hands, gesturing to the jungle around them. "Just lose yourself in the beauty of nature and let it soothe your troubles away."
Jay swatted at the bite of a persistent pest that had been buzzing around her head for the past fifteen minutes. "Yeah. It's downright lovely."
"You're a city girl. City people can't appreciate nature the way we Rangers can."
"I'll take your word for it." She looked around, squinting through the sheen of sweat that hazed her vision. "Have you seen Vhetin anywhere? I lost him about a half-hour ago. I'm assuming he didn't fall behind."
Lee gestured vaguely to the front of the group, where Ranger-Commander Che'daje was debating with the other Rangers about the quickest route to the attack site. Her sister, the tracker Hish'ka, was standing at her shoulder, her sharp gold-hued eyes darting between Vhonte Tervho and Norac Benz.
Jay had learned only after their march began that the tracker had more than just her sword as a weapon; she had transformed the rough prosthetic that replaced her left hand into a lethal-looking bladed weapon, the fingertips of the mechanical appendage sharpened to razor points. Jay had watched the Cathar woman slash through the foliage with her fingers alone, tearing apart creeper vines and even tree branches with ease. Now she was sharpening those fingers with a handheld whetstone, the dull scrape of rock against metal echoing through the makeshift camp.
If Jay craned her neck, she could just make out Vhetin's dark armor at the head of the group. He was talking with one of the forward scouts and kept gesturing out into the jungle; arguing with them about whether to search for Tamai, no doubt.
Jay glanced back to Lee with a curious frown. "You… you don't really think Tamai is dead, do you?"
"Me?" Lee paused from his inspection of his spear's bladed tip. "No. I've known Tamai for a long time. Trained with her, fought with her. She's a good woman and an even better Ranger. I don't think anything in this jungle – from echo snakes to Kar'ta Epar'e – could take her down."
He tapped his spear against the rock, the weapon letting out a dull thud as he did. "What about you?"
She shrugged, returning her water bottle to its place in her pack before she could drink any more. "I don't know her. I'm only here because it's important to my partner."
"That's a hell of a bond you two have. You two married yet?"
"What?" she sputtered. "W-what are you… no!"
"Oh, so it's like that," he grinned. "Have you even told him how you feel?"
Jay scowled at the man, blushing furiously and scolding herself for doing so. "Y-you don't have any idea what you're talking about. I have a boyfriend back in Keldabe, for your information. Cin's just a friend."
Lee cocked his head at her. "Then why the hell are you all the way down here? Seems more than just friendly concern."
"Because he… he needs me for things like this."
"Why?"
"He gets…" she sighed, running a hand through her sweaty hair. "He's not exactly a people person, all right? So sometimes he needs a cooler head with him to make sure he doesn't make a mess of things."
Lee snorted. "That's still no reason to cart your ass down to the bowels of the planet on the off chance that you find a missing scout who probably doesn't need rescuing in the first place."
"Look…" Jay shook her head, scowling at the ground at her feet. "Cin's given me a lot over the years. I owe him a lot. He's always been there for me when I needed him to be. What kind of friend would I be if I walked out on him now?"
Lee shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe you ought to try it sometime and see."
"What are you suggesting?"
Lee shrugged, staring off into the jungle. "We Rangers don't work with partners. Not for long, anyway. It's effective, but also dangerous. Eventually, partners begin to rely on each other a little too much. If you take one away, the other one crumbles. That's not efficient."
"But the whole point of having a partner is making it so that one doesn't have to be taken away."
Lee smiled, a little sadly. "That's not always up to you."
Jay was about to say more when a shout rang through the trees. Everyone present looked up at the sound. In the minutes since their break, the jungle around them seemed to have grown unsettlingly quiet. Even the leaves seemed to have stopped rustling.
"Perimeter trackers," Tervho called, her voice calm but with a steady not of caution. "You got anything on the motion scanners?"
"Nothing, Captain," came the dutiful response.
Jay reached over and grabbed her rifle, staring in the direction of the cry. "Then what was that?"
Another cry, this time met with the crash of branches and twigs snapping. Something was smashing through the trees not far from camp. Something big.
"I don't know," Lee said, grabbing his helmet from the rock next to him and securing it over his head. "But it doesn't sound friendly."
"Sound off!" Akh'shi Che'daje said, pulling on her trooper helmet. "I want IFFs on my display ASAP! Show me who's screaming!"
Weapons were instantly raised across the makeshift camp. The Berserkers hefted their heavy beskar shields while the Rangers leveled their varied swords, spears, and rifles in the direction of the commotion. Jay pulled her own scaled-down Mando helmet over her eyes and watched the HUD light up the jungle around her. Tiny green diamonds sprang to life over the heads of all nearby friendlies; a little over twenty in all.
But one diamond showed up outside of camp, in the trees: Chi'tairo Kamashi was the Ranger's name. His diamond was flickering yellow, showing that he was fighting with someone. Another scream rang out from the bushes, followed by a massive and unearthly screech that made Jay double up and cover the audio receptors over her ears.
"Shit," she heard the Ranger-Commander say. She broke into a jog, drawing her sword from her belt. "Fan out! You know the drill! Keep those swords up and get ready to move! Now!"
"What?" Jay asked as the Rangers burst into action all around her. The Berserkers looked to Norac Benz for guidance, but the clanmaster just signaled them to be ready. Jay felt strong hands grab her arm, looked over to see Lee pulling her toward the nearest tree. "What? What is it?"
He grimaced and pulled his spear tight to his chest, motioning for her to fall into place at his side.
"Echo snake."
Jay's eyes snapped back to Kamashi's IFF in the trees just in time to see it rip to one side, far too fast for him to be running. The motion was met with a tortured scream from the bushes, then the flashing yellow diamond was yanked the opposite direction. Then it reared up into the sky while Kamashi's screams pierced the jungle air.
"Come on," she heard Lee murmur, "come on, we can't just leave him there."
All eyes were on Ranger-Commander Akh'shi, who was staring into the trees with her sword held in a steady two-handed grip. Jay knew that it would take her signal for the Rangers to attack. Norac Benz paced behind her, battleaxe in hand and one fist raised to give his own signal to the Berserkers.
Her signal never came; seconds later, Kamashi's blue-green form erupted from the bushes, propelled through the air by a monster the likes of which Jay had never seen.
It was a massive serpent, easily the length of a starship. It was colored a mottled brownish-white and spiny fins rippled along its scaly back. But where a normal snake's eyes would be, this creature only had fleshy mounds where eyes used to be, like they had sunk deep into its head and grown over. It was holding the flailing Ranger in its powerful jaws, tossing its head back and forth like a Kath hound with a piece of meat.
The Ranger-Commander struck, sprinting forward and stabbing her sword deep into the beast's scaly neck. The creature reared back, tossing the helpless Ranger through the air as it let out a warbling, clicking screech. Kamashi flew through the air and slammed hard into the trunk of a tree before crumpling to the ground. On her head's up display, Jay saw his heart rate flat-line.
Jay raised her rifle to shoot, but Lee shoved it down and threw an arm out in front of her.
"Stay back!" he shouted over the din while Ranger-Commander Che'daje ripped her sword free and stabbed again. "No guns! These things hunt by sound. You shoot, and it instantly has a bead on you."
The echo snake let out a series of deep and resounding clicks, raking its nonexistent gaze over the area. The Rangers rushed forward before it could attack again, thrusting their spears in its face and shouting. The din of screeching and screaming was overwhelming, but thankfully it seemed to be confusing the beast; it didn't know where to attack first.
"Drive it back!" Ranger-Commander Che'daje shouted, yanking her bloodied sword free and falling back before the echo snake could strike at her. "Back toward the river!"
The massive serpent had other ideas. With a screech, it lunged forward and captured a Ranger in its powerful jaws, roiling on the ground as it threw its massive coils around the man's body. It began to squeeze, the muscular brown-white body curling around the Ranger's armor with steadily-increasing pressure. The man caught in its clutches choked and squeezed his eyes shut as the serpent squeezed harder and harder.
"Shit," Lee muttered, then sprinted forward to help his compatriots. Jay was left standing helplessly to watch, at least until Norac Benz appeared to her left and tossed her a heavy battleaxe. Her rifle clattered, forgotten, to the ground next to her.
"What're you waiting for?" the man roared. "Get in there and help kill the monster!"
He turned to his men and gestured at the snake, roaring, "Akaanir!"
At his command, the Berserkers charged forward with a bloodthirsty battle cry. The echo snake looked up at the sound and made another warbling series of clicks and chatters with its tongue. Then it released the Ranger and slithered through the ground, pouncing on Norac Benz as soon as it was close enough.
But the clanmaster would not be made a meal so easily. Before the serpent could wrap around him like it had done before, he slashed with his massive two-handed battleaxe, carving deep into the echo snake's scaly hide. Dark black-red blood sprayed from the wound and Benz' Berserkers let out a triumphant roar to support their leader. One of the Berserkers rushed forward with an overzealous attack and the serpent whirled to face him. It struck blindingly fast, sinking its fangs deep into the spaces between the Berserker's armor. The man shouted and staggered back, but the snake struck again and he fell with part of his arm missing.
The echo snake reared as the rest of the Berserkers rushed to help their comrade. Norac Benz hurled his battleaxe through the air, the head of the weapon embedding itself in the snake's belly. Two other Berserkers charged forward and began hacking away with swords and axes, raising their shields to avoid the serpent's powerful bites or angry swipes from its scaly, armored tail.
The Rangers took the time to regroup, dragging their wounded away. The echo snake seemed fixed on the shouting and shield-pounding Berserkers, so Jay took advantage of the chaos to sprint forward and join the fray.
She didn't make it far before a hand roughly grabbed her shoulder. She turned to find Vhetin holding her back.
"What do you think you're doing?" he shouted over the commotion.
"What do you think?" she shouted back, yanking her arm from his grip. "I'm trying to help!"
"Don't be stupid. This is too dangerous for you Jay."
"Bullshit!" she shot back. "I'm not going to stand on the sidelines while you risk your lives!"
He looked like he wanted to debate the matter with her, but he obviously knew it was not the time nor the place. Eventually his shoulders slumped and he cursed. With a muttered string of curses in Mando'a, he reached behind his back and pulled something from his belt.
"Fine," he snapped. "But if we're going to do this, we do it my way."
He held out his hand. Resting in his palm was a smooth, cylindrical hilt of polished durasteel. Buttons and status lights were scattered across the device, and several intricate runes were carved into the leather handgrip.
Jay's eyes widened as she reached out and took the weapon from her partner's grasp. "Are… are you sure about this?"
He nodded, grabbing his pike from the sling across his back. "I guess I'll have to be. Now let's kill this thing before it manages to slither away."
She pressed the activation key on the side of the hilt and a pulsing blue bar of plasma erupted from the emitter with a very familiar-sounding snap-hiss.
"Just do me a favor," Vhetin said, activating his own lightsaber pike with a flourish. "Don't lop your own head off. I trained you better than that. I'd never live it down."
Then he charged after the others. Jay took one more moment to stare at the weapon in her hands, then sprinted after him.
The echo snake was even bigger up close. It towered over her, flailing and hissing at the assembled warriors trying to bring it down. It was bleeding from what looked like a hundred different wounds on its face and body, but it seemed no closer to falling than when it first emerged from the foliage.
Its tail whipped out and caught a Berserker in the chest, sending him tumbling head-over-heels through the grass until he fell and did not rise again. Another Berserker was caught in the serpent's tooth-studded maw and lifted bodily into the air. The snake bit down once, hard, and Jay heard the sickening crunch of bones. Norac Benz roared and smashed his battleaxe against the snake's armored belly and the dead Berserker fell limp from the beast's jaws.
Vhetin sprinted forward, leaping over a strike from the creature's tail. He pivoted as the tail struck again, then swung his pike down and severed the appendage in a single clean stroke. The lightsaber blade hissed with a shower of sparks as it carved effortlessly through the echo snake's armored hide. The cauterized stump of the tail fell to the jungle floor, still twitching and smoldering. High above, the serpent reared and screeched, its sightless head cuing in on the telltale hum of Vhetin's lightsaber.
Jay struck while its attention was diverted, swinging her own saber like a bat and carving away a deep furrow of armor with the stroke. She pivoted on one foot and stabbed the blade forward, sinking it hilt-deep into the echo snake's side. The snake recoiled and Jay ripped the blade free before it could attack her. Massive jaws snapped shut where she had just been standing and she hopped away before bringing her weapon down in a powerful two-handed blow across the creature's snout. There was a shower of sparks and the snake recoiled, a smoking black scar now marring its mottled white nose.
"That's the way!" Norac Benz bellowed, crashing his axe against the surface of his shield. The snake instantly snapped at him with a vengeful hiss, but he threw his shield up and the snake's teeth only scraped against the metal surface of the barrier. Benz shoved forward, smashing the hard surface of his shield into the serpent's nose, then swung his axe in a vicious uppercut that sunk into the underside of the chin.
The Rangers were rushing again, pinning the snake in from the rear. With its tail severed and its attention focused on the warriors in front of it, it had nowhere left to go. It let out a high-pitched shriek as the Rangers slashed and stabbed at it from behind, rearing back and coiling around itself defensively. Jay spotted the turbaned figure of Hish'ka Che'daje opening fire on the creature with two heavy combat pistols while her sister stabbed her sword deep into the beast's back and dragged it down in a torturously long slash.
"We have it on the defensive!" Vhonte Tervho shouted, ducking a bite at her shoulder before firing a full magazine at point-blank range into the echo snake's open maw. The beast slithered back, knocking over a group of Rangers as it frantically tried to retreat.
"To the river!" Ranger-Commander Che'daje shouted. "Drive it back to the river!"
Jay hadn't even known they were near a river, but the Rangers obviously knew the terrain far better than she did. They all regrouped to one side of the snake, thrusting at it with their weapons and pushing it deeper into the forest. The Berserkers quickly caught on and joined them, herding the beast away. The giant reptile hissed and snapped at anyone that was nearest, its cauterized stump of a tail lashing through the undergrowth.
But it was falling back. Slowly and surely, the bleeding and wounded monster was retreating toward the safety of the river. Jay could see it now; a large waterway that peeked through the trees behind the roiling coils of the snake.
The echo snake had one last trick up its sleeve, though. It struck, fast and low, and snatched one of the attacking warriors by the leg before slithering back as fast as it could, determined to get at least one meal from the attack. Rangers and Berserkers both tried to grab at the man's arms, but he was yanked away too quickly.
It was only when Jay saw familiar black-gray armor and a lightsaber pike falling from the man's grasp that she realized just who was being taken.
"Cin!" she screamed, sprinting after her partner.
He was struggling and shouting as the beast dragged him through the foliage, but the echo snake's hold on his leg would not loosen. Without his lightsaber, he was all but defenseless against the gigantic beast.
I have to get in there, she thought as her feet carried her through the muck after the creature. I can't lose him. Have to do something that will—
Someone strong caught her around the waist, pulling her back. She heard Norac Benz's rough voice growl in her ear, "Leave it, girl. If it's got a decent meal, it won't come after us for days at least. A week even if it has to digest all that armor."
"That's my partner!" she shouted, struggling against his iron grip. "Let me go!"
"Stay with the group," Benz hissed. "And maybe you won't get—"
She didn't let him finish, twisting in his grasp and punching the Berserker square in the nose. His head flew back and his grip loosened; more from surprise than anything else. Jay took advantage of his distraction to rip free and sprint after the beast, deactivating the lightsaber in her hands and drawing her pistol instead.
As soon as she was close enough, she leveled her weapon and fired at the creature's head. Her aim was as true as it always was, and the bright yellow blaster bolt exploded against one of the creature's vestigial eyes. It flinched and released Vhetin, spreading its jaws and letting out a deafening, screeching hiss. Vhetin tried to crawl away, his left leg soaked with blood, but the snake quickly caught him, latching onto his shoulder to pull him upright before wrapping tightly around him.
Jay fired again and her bolt popped against the echo snake's throat. It shrieked at her again but didn't release her partner, as if daring her to make another move.
The others had caught up to her now, but were wisely keeping their distance. The echo snake was fixated on Jay, its tongue lashing the air as it released another series of sharp clicks, using the sound to sense her location. Jay stepped slowly to the side, her aim never leaving the beast's head.
"Let him go!" she shouted, though she knew the serpent wouldn't understand her. A vicious hiss was the only response she received.
She fired three more times, hitting her target in the face, nose, and neck. It shook its scaly head, more irritated than hurt. Vhetin groaned as it began to squeeze around him tighter and tighter, cutting off his airflow. He was almost lost from sight amid the massive coils of the snake's body.
Jay was at a loss; her pistol was all but useless, and she couldn't attack the creature head-on without it killing her partner. There was no way she could safely free Cin without getting herself or the both of them killed in the process. She glanced back at the group. Ranger Lee only shrugged helplessly; he was just as lost as she was.
But before she could decide her next course of action, a voice rang out from the treetops.
"Keep it distracted! I'll finish it off!"
The snake instantly spun toward the sound. Jay hesitated for a fraction of a second, also looking for the source of the call. But she quickly tossed aside her curiosity and opened up with her pistol again. "Hey! Hey, over here!"
The giant serpent was drawn to the sound and its nonexistent gaze found her once more. It bobbed its head back and forth, no doubt preparing to strike. Jay took a cautious step back and rested her weight on her rear foot, ready to jump away at a moment's notice. On a tree branch high above the beast, she saw a dark figure creeping from the foliage until it was almost directly over the snake's head.
She had to hold its attention for a few seconds more. She had to give this mysterious newcomer time to get ready. She gritted her teeth and fired at the snake again, watching her blaster bolt pop harmlessly against its thick hide. But her attack had the desired effect; the snake finally lunged at her, teeth that were half the length of her arm snapping shut only inches from her shoulder.
The figure in the trees sprang into action and leaped out into open air. Jay saw the orange flame of the jungle sunset glint off the blade of a drawn sword. The new figure plummeted through the air before landing hard just behind the snake's head, using the momentum of the fall to sink her sword deep into the beast's skull. The snake stiffened, jaw stretching wide as if in shock. Then a great shudder went through its body and it fell to the ground with a heavy thud, its tightly-wound coils going slack. A slow hiss escaped its mouth before it fell still, its severed tail twitching sluggishly.
Vhetin fell free of the creature's embrace, falling to the ground with a desperate gasp for air. He quickly scrambled away from the body, letting out a string of curses in Basic, Mando'a, and even Huttese. He tried to rise to his feet, but collapsed into the muck again.
Jay was instantly at his side. She put a hand on his shoulder and rolled him onto his back.
"Are you all right?"
He threw her a weak thumbs-up and managed to choke out, "Never been better…"
He groaned and held his side, but a quick examination showed that he wasn't badly hurt; even his cut and bleeding leg was in passable condition. A few bandages and he would be as good as new. She squeeze his shoulder and grinned in both relief and jubilation.
"You'll be okay," she reassured him. "I'm not going to let you go and get eaten that easily."
"Trust me," he grunted, rolling over and rising to his hands and knees, "that wasn't in my playbook. Stupid kriffing schutta caught me by surprise, hitting me that low."
She helped the bulky Mandalorian back to his feet before turning back to their mysterious savior. A massive thank you was in order.
It was a woman, standing with one boot on the echo snake's head while she wrenched her blood-soaked sword free. Her armor was dinged and pockmarked by years of weathering, and almost every inch of it was smeared with mud, blood, or leaves and other jungle debris. The few patches of her armor that were free of such grime were painted a deep blue, with dull yellow shoulder pads and knee plates. A thick cloth poncho was wrapped around her shoulders, though it was dirty, stained, and torn. Blood soaked her left arm and there was a fresh slash wound down her side that was still bleeding.
She was breathing hard, struggling to catch her breath after her fall and she quickly ripped off her helmet, releasing a cascade of dirty blond hair. Like the rest of her armor, her face was smeared with mud, though this time it looked deliberate – concentrated around her eyes until it looked more like war paint.
"You should thank her," she said. "That woman just saved your life."
She hauled her partner up from the ground, scraping mud from his armor. The other members of the patrol were similarly recuperating from the Echo Serpent attack, helping the wounded and setting up a perimeter while they had the chance. Hish'ka Che'daje was walking throughout the group, checking on everyone. Vhetin, though, had eyes only for their mysterious savior.
"I don't believe it," she heard him mutter. His hands were hanging limp at his sides.
The woman was similarly affected. She had finally turned away from the corpse of the echo snake, but as soon as she saw Vhetin's black-gray armor her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She slowly straightened, sheathing her sword. Her voice quivered as she whispered, "Is it... no, no it can't be."
She suddenly scooped up her helmet and stalked away into the brush without another word. Vhetin started and reached after her. "Wait! Don't go!"
To Jay's surprise, he jogged after her into the underbrush. She glanced back at the others, making sure they weren't going to be moving any time soon, then cursed and ran after her partner. The jungle was no place to wander alone; the echo snake attack had only proved that. She ducked under a low-hanging tree branch and disappeared into the jungle in search of the black-armored Mandalorian. She caught sight of him just ahead, struggling through the undergrowth in pursuit of the blue-armored woman.
"Cin, slow down."
He didn't listen to her. He just ran faster and called, "Hold on a second!"
After a few terse and uncomfortable moments of trekking, he almost caught up to her in a small clearing. He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder when she suddenly wheeled and punched him hard in the throat. He let out a shocked gurgle and sank to his knees, clutching at his neck. She followed up with a knee to the helmet faceplate, a blow that knocked him to the jungle floor.
The blond woman placed her boot on his neck and bent over him, face pulled down in a furious scowl. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"
Vhetin's response was too strangled for Jay to make out, but the woman scowled even deeper. "I don't need your help! Go back to camp, get back on your ship, and go back to Keldabe before I have to snap your neck like you deserve."
Jay had heard enough. She drew her pistol and sighted in on the woman. "Get off my partner, lady. I'm not going to ask twice."
The blond woman held up a single finger, signaling her to wait. She glanced at Jay and said, "I'll deal with you in a second."
Jay lowered her sidearm, taken aback by her reaction. She couldn't help but hesitate; of all the responses to being held at gunpoint, this one was new. Unsure what to do next, she was forced to simply watch as the woman crouched over her partner again and hissed, "What, you thought I wouldn't recognize you just because you repainted your armor? Covering up with black and gray isn't enough to hide you from me, Cin."
"Repainted?" Jay couldn't stop herself from asking. "He hasn't repainted his armor."
The woman pointed at her again. "What did I say? Step back, shut up, and let me talk to my friend."
"Your friend?" Jay scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "I'd hate to see how you treat your enemies."
"Kriff off, aruetii," the woman sneered. "The big kids are talking now."
She turned back to Vhetin, stared at him for a few moments, then finally released her hold on his throat. She stepped back and folded her arms across her mud-streaked blue-gray armor. "So what the fuck-shab are you doing down here?"
Vhetin clambered onto all fours, massaging his throat. "I heard... you had gone missing in the forests. I didn't like the information I was told. I decided to come help out…"
"Oh, so now you decide to come rescue the damsel in distress?" the woman snarled. "Like I said, I don't want your help!"
"I know," he said, finally getting to his feet again. "You made that… abundantly clear. But I decided to come down here. I... I was worried about you."
She threw her head back and laughed. "You? I thought we went decided to go our separate ways? What was it, four years ago? Five? I believe your exact words were, It's better if we don't see each other again. But then you get worried about me and come rushing to help? Kriff you, Cin. And kriff Brianna too, while you're at it."
"Look," Jay said, taking a step toward her, "we're not here to-"
The woman whirled on her and lashed out with a devastating punch that caught Jay square in the nose. Jay cried out, falling onto her back and clutching her face. Through watering eyes, she saw Vhetin erupt into a blur of motion. He leaped forward and grabbed the woman's gun arm, twisting it painfully behind her back. The blond woman let out a grunt of pain and Jay heard Vhetin hiss, "Don't you dare do that again."
"So the plot thickens," she hissed. "Who's the new girl?"
"My partner," Vhetin said tersely, not releasing her arm.
That seemed to take the woman by surprise. She blinked a few times, then said, "So... you're partnering up with people now?"
"That's right," Vhetin said. "And if you lay a hand on her again, I swear I'll break your arm. Then I'll probably shoot you. "
The woman hesitated. Then she slowly nodded. "All right, deal. Don't touch the new girl."
Vhetin stared at her for a few moments, then nodded and released the woman's arm. She quickly stepped out of his reach, rubbing her twisted shoulder while continuing to glare at him. "You really came all this way just to find me?"
"The jungle is dangerous," Vhetin said, rubbing his throat. "And the reports coming back from the Rangers didn't exactly leave me with much optimism."
"You never had much optimism to begin with."
Jay rose to her feet again, rubbing her aching nose. "So… everything's good? No more punching?"
"No more punching," the woman sighed. She glanced at Vhetin and jerked her heat in jay's direction. "You going to introduce us, or do I have to do it myself?"
Vhetin nodded. "This is Jay Moqena, a fellow bounty hunter. I trained her, and we've been working together for about a year and a half now. I trust her with my life."
Somehow, Jay got the feeling that the last part was more a title than a fun fact. Mandalorians were slow to trust, and such a display of bonding was no doubt very important. She found herself blushing a little at the praise.
Vhetin gestured to the muddy blue-armored woman. "Jay, allow me to introduce Ranger Scout Tamai Vasser, hero of the Vertaichen Seige and niece of Mand'alor Shysa. We go way back."
Jay nodded, her nose still a little too sore for her to be too friendly with the newcomer. "And by way back, you mean…"
"We used to be a thing," Vasser said brusquely. "A long time ago. Past is the past and all that."
She hesitated before she held out a hand. "It's… interesting to meet you, Miss Moqena. Stripes isn't much for partnerships. It says a great deal about you."
"Thank you. It's good to find you alive. The stories the Rangers tell weren't all that positive."
"There isn't much that's positive in this jungle," Vasser growled.
"And just what happened to you?" Vhetin pressed. "We picked up a hunter in the jungle. He was frantic, terrified. But he said he saw your team get attacked."
"That yellow-pants son of a bitch made it back alive?" Tamai scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Te jate'kara are strange indeed…"
She sighed and rubbed at her weary eyes, then reached down and secured her mud-splattered helmet back over her head. "Take me to whoever's in charge of this expedition. I have intel they're gonna need."
"Ranger Vasser," Akh'shi Che'daje said as they returned to the group. "Word was you were dead. I should have had faith you were tougher than that."
"With respect, Ranger-Commander," Tamai said, "yes you should have."
"So what happened?" Tervho inquired. Her arms were folded across her chest and her long red hair was stirred slightly by the tepid jungle wind. "You aren't with the rest of your team. I can only assume…"
Tamai's shoulders slumped, though her helmet betrayed no emotion. Knowing her, she probably wanted it that way. She folded her hands in front of her. "They're all dead. Killed by those… those creatures in the trees."
Vhetin felt his heart sink at the news. Tamai had always treated relations with her fellow warriors with the utmost respect and importance. To lose them in such a fashion must have been devastating.
"So it's true?" Tervho pressed. "You were attacked by these Kar'ta-Epar'e?"
"I… can't say. It was dark and storming. Visibility was low. I couldn't see what was attacking us."
"That's no help," Hish'ka said through the cloth of her turban. Her eyes were cold, showing no sign of welcome toward Tamai. "We need something; their armaments, physical makeup, tactics, anything."
"They were… they were big," Tamai said. "Six feet at the shortest. But most were lanky; they're runners, built to be quick rather than overwhelmingly strong. They travel using the trees and only descend to the forest floor to attack. They have yellow eyes with enhanced binocular night vision and they wear their hair in dreadlocks."
"And their weaponry?"
"Swords and spears from what I could see. But bow sets – recurve and rudimentary compound – aren't out of the question. Nothing I saw suggested they have blasters."
"And thanks to your undersupplied Rangers," Norac Benz drawled from his position lazing against a tree trunk some distance away, "they still don't have any."
"Way to look on the bright side, Norac," Tervho scowled.
"And there was no reason for the attack? No demands?"
Tamai shook her head. "I'm not sure these things speak Basic. If they do, they didn't deign to speak to me. They just… killed everything in sight. They were tracking that coward hunter. Killed his team just like they killed mine."
"That would support our earlier theories," the Ranger-Commander said. "If they're as territorial as we believe, they could be acting out of defense."
"Makes sense," Tamai grunted. "Don't really care. I owe it to my men to take gra'tua for their deaths. I owe my soldiers six scalps, whether the beasts are Kar'ta Epar'e or not."
Tracker Che'daje bowed her head. "An honorable pursuit."
"These things," Tamai said, "they're more than just beasts. They're smart and they're angry. They kill without hesitation or remorse. And they're more than capable of taking down entire groups of Mandalorians with ease."
"So," the Ranger-Commander said slowly, "just how did you escape?"
Tamai raised her arm and with a flick of her wrist ejected a hand-length dagger from the housing of her right gauntlet. It wasn't dissimilar to Vhetin's own gauntlet blades, though this was rough and looked like it was self-made; definitely not MandalMotors craftsmanship.
Tamai raised the blade. "These things are savage, but I still have a few tricks of my own. I stabbed my attacker under the ribs and he went down. They're tough, but they're not invincible. After that, I ran as far and as fast as I could. Smeared my body and armor with mud to mask my scent and have been keeping on the run ever since. I didn't know I was so close to Ranger bases until I ran across a Kelborn patrol yesterday."
"The Kelborns are out and about?" Hish'ka said, raising an eyebrow. "Surprising. They've reported more missing people than anyone else the past few months."
"And they're pissed about it. They're saying the same thing as you, though: Kar'ta Epar'e."
"Well," the Ranger Commander said, "until we know better, let's assume that's what they are."
Norac Benz chuckled from his tree stump but said nothing. Tervho glanced at him warningly, then said, "So what did the Kelborns have to say?"
"They know this jungle better than anyone and even they haven't seen the Kar'ta Epar'e before. The legends have always floated around, of course, but it's always been local myth. They're determined to find out what's going on."
Jay nudged Vhetin's arm and murmured, "Potential allies? I've heard good things about these Kelborns."
"The Kelborns are staunchly isolationist, even when dealing with other Mandos" Vhetin said. "I doubt we'll find any help from them."
Meanwhile, Tamai continued, "The Kelborns pointed me toward Aurek and I've been making my way back ever since."
"It's been almost a week."
Tama shook her head. "This jungle isn't exactly travel-friendly. And I had to take it slow; I'm pretty sure the Kar'ta Epar'e were following me."
Tervho raised an eyebrow. "You're sure?"
Tamai gestured to the jungle around them. "According to the Kelborns I met," she said, "all of this is their territory now."
"Shit," the Ranger-Commander hissed. "Then they're expanding their territory faster than we thought. That makes our mission all the more important."
"Our mission?" Tervho said. "I thought our mission was to find the missing teams."
"And you found them," Tamai said, gesturing to herself. "The Kar'ta Epar'e don't leave survivors. You won't be finding those other teams."
"Then our mission has changed," Hish'ka Che'daje said. She adjusted her heavy turban before folding her arms. "New priority transmission from Shysa. We're to make contact with the Kar'ta Epar'e and attempt to negotiate peace."
"Peace? Odd order considering these things have been killing our men."
"If these things are as skilled as you say, Ranger Vasser," Akh'shi Che'daje said, folding her camouflage-painted arms, "then we don't have the men or firepower to hold them back. We need to find out why they're so aggressive with us and attempt to get them to calm down."
"An ambitious plan," Benz said. "I'd just kill 'em all myself. And I get the feeling our prodigal Ranger shares that sentiment."
Tamai nodded. "These things aren't exactly negotiators, Commander. They don't care about us and they don't care for our reasons for being here. They just kill. They'll do the same to you, and the Rangers can't afford to lose your leadership."
"The Rangers will endure as they always have," the Ranger-Commander said dismissively. "It's our way. But these things represent the greatest threat to the Werda Kurs outposts that we've ever seen. If they sweep over Aurek, how long before Dorn or Xesh outposts fall too? How long before the Kelborns and the Vasuur and all the locals are left alone? We can't let that happen."
She glared at the assembled men and women. "Shysa is right. We need to make peace."
"That's all well and good," Benz said, "but in the meantime, we have the dead and wounded to take care of. I lost three men fighting that big-ass snake and I don't have any inclination to lose more."
The Ranger-Commander nodded. "Set up camp for the night. We'll cross the river tomorrow at first light."
Author's Note: Super long chapter this time, mostly because there was so much ground to cover in this one! I hope it was exciting. More will come soon; we're just getting into the meat of the story now.
Also, a warm welcome to Tamai! She'll be quite an important character in the overarching series from this point on, and it's good to finally see her take the stage. She's been waiting for too long. :D
As always, faves and reviews are always appreciated. Until next time!