This will be the last update of Lux until December. All of November will be dedicated to cranking out my NaNoWriMo…thing. Hopefully, with God on my side, this'll be the last sprint I'll have to run through. Wish me luck, and thanks for reading.
Chapter Eight: Courtesy Call
Low clouds hung over the canyon of Nyleve's Falls, hiding the two suns and their midmorning brilliance behind a thick, dark gray shroud. Light rain misted the rust-colored hull of the Vortex Rikers, pooling in its metal seams and running off the engine bell to form a skinny fall of water onto dry land far below.
Chak'ti stepped heavily out of his surface skimmer and squinted up at the bulk of the alien ship embedded in the rocky canyon wall. What an ugly piece of machinery, he thought with a sneer. It's a miracle that this thing even flew to begin with.
He glanced behind him irritably, staring at the entrance to the Rajigar Mine. The Brutes that had been put in charge of this particular mining operation were such stupid creatures that they hadn't even bothered to investigate the crash site themselves. It would have saved him a lot of trouble and nagging from the General. Indeed, he would catch hell from Shas when he returned, considering it had taken him a solid two weeks to reach the site from when he was first dispatched.
From what he could remember, this particular vessel crashed about a month before, and regular shipments of Terrans had arrived at various Skaarj strongholds throughout the surrounding quadrants. There was even a report of a group of humans spotted near the Sunspire, which was ten quadrants to the north of this particular crash site, but then again, he wasn't sure if the Terrans were from this ship or from the one that crash-landed five months previous. It's all a matter of failed communication, he decided as he irritably made his way down the rubble slope behind the spacecraft, looking for an entrance. Even Shas doesn't know what he wants me to look for in this hunk of junk.
On the other side of the ship, a side panel had been kicked out of the hull; the opening was too small for him to fit through. He thrummed in frustration. Was he going to have a blow a hole in this ship to get into it?
Straightening up from examining the hole, he paused, his body tense. Cautiously he sniffed the air a few times, and then narrowed his eyes. Did he smell…smoke?
--
849 picked at her broiled biterfish, pulling its white flesh off of its skeleton and nibbling it carefully. Ash and Myscha exchanged quick glances, but decided to leave her be. She hadn't been…right…since the Brute's attack several days prior. It was all they could do to get her to wake up in the mornings; watching her at least attempt to eat on her own was pitifully heartening.
Ash pulled out his translator and laid it on the table, activating its voice-to-voice function. "Myscha, do you know if any Terrans have made it off-world before the Vortex, er, 'sky chariot', crashed?"
Myscha kept staring at 849 for a moment more before he spoke. The voice that the translator played his words back in had a comically British accent. "I heard stories that another sky chariot had been overtaken by the sky demons, and that Terrans were being captured and put into slavery like my people. None were allowed to escape. But since your chariot crashed, I have been unable to return to my home, and so I do not know more information. I am sorry."
"I actually have thought about that a bit," Ash said around a mouthful of fish. "You're the only Nali in this whole valley. You live on one meal a day and have no family around. What's the deal with that?"
Myscha blinked. "Deal?"
"He means," 849 interrupted in a dull voice, "why are you here by yourself, surrounded by enemies?"
Myscha looked down at the fish bones on his plate. His eyes grew sad, but he regained his composure and said, "My family lives very far from here, in the village of Harobed. I was a priest there, but my son assumed my position when I received a vision from the great river god Chizra about another sky chariot destined to fall from the heavens. It took many days and nights to travel here, and frequently I feared for my life, but Chizra commanded that I come here and wait for your arrival."
Ash cleared his throat. "And, ah, why did Chizra want you to wait for us?"
Myscha turned his golden eyes to the prison guard. "There is a prophecy that has been passed down from the time before even the sky demons came to Na Pali," he said quietly. "It is said that the messiah of my people will arrive in a strange star chariot, in a shower of fire and lightning, and rise up against the scourge of Na Pali and restore peace to the world."
The silence which filled the room was only punctuated by the spitting and hissing of the wood on the fire. After a moment, 849 pushed out of her seat and grabbed another log from the pile in the corner and threw it into the flames. The room brightened; ruddy light danced on the walls.
Ash swallowed the chunk of fish he had been chewing. "So, what you're saying, is that humans are your messiahs?"
"There is just one messiah," Myscha corrected. "The prophecy clearly states that a warrior princess will come from the stars and liberate my people."
Ash pushed his lower lip out. "So, you don't know who exactly this 'messiah' person is, then."
Myscha nodded. "Unfortunately, I don't. That is why I must make sure of the survival of as many humans as I can. Sadly, you two were the only ones I found near the crash site that were still alive."
"So your job was to come here and wait for us. You did that. What now?"
Myscha opened his mouth, and then closed it. He seemed at a loss for words and looked down at the floor, fidgeting, wringing his hands in his lap. "I do not know," he whispered. "I have received no other spiritual messages from lord Chizra. I fear the gods are upset. The messiah could be anywhere, and if we haven't rescued her yet, all could be lost."
849 turned her back to the fire, arching her shoulders to allow the warmth to soak through her flight suit. "So why aren't you just going around rescuing all the females?" she asked. "Wouldn't that save you some time?"
"The messiah is but one of a large and sacred race," Myscha said solemnly. "Our priorities rest on serving the warrior princess, but we cannot ignore one of her male servants if we find them in distress."
"Male servants," 849 giggled. Ash cast a sideways glance at her, his lips quirked upwards. It was the first time she had smiled in days.
"Anyway, I was thinking," he said loudly, just to break the somber mood, "that we should start moving to avoid detection. To tell you the truth, our proximity to that Mine has been creeping me out. If any more Brutes come at us any time soon, we'll be out of ammunition in a second. Two Enforcers are not going to protect us in any sort of attack. I mean, the Vortex Rikers is bound to draw attention soon. It's been, what, a month since the crash?"
"Ash, we don't have the supplies to go waltzing around Na Pali," 849 said irritably. "How far did you get before you came crying back here with your tail between your legs?"
"That was different," Ash insisted. "I was chased out by a Skaarj scout. I'm talking, we take all the ammunition we have, both Enforcers, and as much food as we can carry, and we make it through the Mine in a day or less. I don't know what's on the other side, but at least we won't be cornered. You can try to take us to your village—Harobed—can't you, Myscha?"
The Nali tilted his head to the side. "While it is true that I am capable of taking you to my village, I have not yet been ordered to leave Nyleve's Falls. It would be foolish of me to leave my post if Chizra has not decreed that I go. I am willing to supply you with directions, should you so desire to sojourn there, but I cannot evacuate."
"But what if the Skaarj or the Brutes find out about this place?"
Myscha's answer was simple. "Then I shall die."
The two Terrans exchanged glances. "That…isn't quite the answer we were hoping for," Ash said with an unsure smile on his face. "I mean, sooner or later, you'll need to leave, and 849 and I want to be sure you get back to your village safely. We can't just abandon you out here."
Myscha's thin lips curved upwards. "You will not be abandoning me when you leave. You are meant to go out into the world and rescue my enslaved brothers. Your stay here, while most welcome, has been longer than I anticipated."
849 chuckled. "You're sick of him already, huh, Myscha?" she asked, smiling over her shoulder as she basked in the warmth of the flames.
"I was referring to the both of you," the Nali answered, puzzled at 849's attempt at humor. Ash couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"That's right, you tell 'er," he said, getting up from the table and taking their empty plates in his broad hands. "Thanks for dinner; it was wonderful, as usual, Myscha." He nudged 849 out of the way and scraped the remains of the fish bones into the fireplace. "Can you go outside and wash these, 849?"
The prisoner looked at the brown clay disks with an unreadable expression before clasping them in her fingers and standing up from her seat. "They're made of dirt; they don't need to be washed," she muttered as she made her way towards the door. Ash frowned at her.
"They are not made of dirt. It's just unfired clay. Honestly, I know more about domestic economics than you do, woman."
849 pushed the door open with her foot. "Watch what you say to the warrior princess," she smirked, and kicked the door shut behind her.
--
Chak'ti cautiously approached the lip of the sheer cliff that plunged down to the Nyleve River. He could see an exit shaft of one of the Rajigar mine tunnels in a clearing far below. His eyes followed the line of dry land until he caught a glimpse of a peculiar square of light thatch. A roof. The roof of a hut. Smoke curled lazily up from its single chimney.
He hummed a low growl, his tail twitching. Found you.
--
The river was calm, for which 849 was grateful; she didn't particularly want to be any more wet and cold than she already was. She pulled one of her sleeves over the palm of her hand and scrubbed at the rough surface of Myscha's plates. "Guy's gotta get some better china," she muttered. "No wonder all the food tastes gritty."
A fish jumped out of the water nearby. Seconds later it nearly threw itself onto the bank, scales streaming. She paused in her cleaning, staring at the commotion, noticing a dark shadow trailing the little biterfish wherever it swam. A split second later, the shadow flickered; the biterfish did not resurface.
849 resumed her cleaning. "It must be lunchtime for everyone."
When she finished her task, she stood up and stretched, trying to wring out her sleeve with one hand. A rumble of thunder wound its way through the clouds. The prisoner looked up, sighing.
Ash wants to leave in this kind of weather? I don't know about him, but I'm happy here. And even if we do go to Myscha's village, who's to say that there are still Nali there to take care of us?
There was movement behind her. 849 tensed and then rolled her eyes. Ash, most likely; trying to push her into the river or something just as childish. The ground was wet and sloppy; he probably had a handful of gunk that he was preparing to chuck at her backside.
"I know you're there, Ash," she said loudly, putting her hands on her hips. "And if you don't want to get a faceful of plate, then I suggest you back away and put the mudpie down."
No answer, save for the quiet rain. 849 furrowed her eyebrows. "Ash?" She turned.
Definitely not Ash.
Its scales glowed an iridescent green hue in the rain, sparkling as it stalked up behind her. The claws that tipped its feet and hands looked like smooth ivory, sharper than daggers. It lacked any sort of armor, but circular metal braces were clasped around its wrists. She had to tilt her head nearly all the way back to even see its face. Yellow eyes started back down at her, the pinpoint irises fixed on her unmoving body. Its carriage was freakishly similar to a human body, save for the wagging tail.
A Skaarj?
No Brute was this. It looked like it had the reflexes of a cat. Even as it was standing in front of her, it had raised itself up on the balls of its feet and had was bobbing up and down slightly; the movement of the dim light on its scales was hypnotic, and she became rooted to the spot. She was too surprised to be terrified, too taken aback to scream. She merely stood there, accepting its presence, but not believing it. The rain was coming harder now, and water streamed off both of their bodies. The muddy ground sucked at her shoes.
--
Chak'ti stood in front of the motionless Terran, flexing his muscles and trying to be as imposing a figure as possible, but somehow the small creature wasn't affected by his display. It just stood there dumbly, not even bothering to call for help, eyes transfixed on his. He hissed. The Terran still did not move.
Well, isn't this a precious sight, he thought, taking a step forwards. It's trying to stand its ground. As he had expected, the Terran took one step back. Any further and she'd be knee-deep in the swiftly-rising river.
Shas wants me to harvest females, he mused, but it would be quite fun to drown this one. With this idea in mind, he took another step forwards—
--and was immediately knocked to the side by a blow that seemingly came out of nowhere. He staggered but regained his footing on the slippery ground, immediately clenching his fist and drawing forth his Razik blades. He dropped to a crouch, bracing one hand in the mud, and spun to face whoever had had the nerve to shove him out of the way.
In front of him, visibly shaking but standing with hands clenched, was a Nali. He was positioned protectively in front of the Terran, glaring as hatefully as he could at Chak'ti, staring him dead in the eyes. Chak'ti couldn't suppress the snarl of contempt that bubbled out of his throat. Worthless slave—he had the nerve to touch me?
He broke into a run, making a huge dive at the brown-skinned creature, the force of their colliding bodies driving them both into the ground. His claws sunk into the paper-thin skin of the Nali's chest; he dragged his hand downwards, exposing pulsing internal organs. The Terran shrieked and backpedaled out of the way. Chak'ti raised his arm for a decapitating blow from his Razik blades--but he was driven back by three sharp pains in his chest. Blood began spurting out from beneath his scales. The Nali scooted out from underneath him, stumbling to its feet; it collapsed a few feet away. Looking up in surprise, he saw a second Terran—a male—holding a gun with the barrel pointed straight at him.
So, they want to play war with me, he thought, approaching the Nali again. Let's see how fun this gets.
--
"849, get Myscha inside," Ash said from between clenched teeth. "You need to hurry, now. When you're inside, lock the door and don't come out until you hear me say so."
The prisoner inched towards the fallen Nali. "What if I don't hear you say so?" she whispered shakily.
"Then don't come out." She heard the barest hint of a smile in his terse voice. She knelt down, keeping her eyes on the Skaarj that crouched mere feet away, and put her hands underneath Myscha's torso. He lifted easily off of the ground. She supported him against her shoulder and began limping towards the hut. She heard the Skaarj shuffle behind her and started; Ash was quick with the trigger and drove the alien back with a barrage of bullets. She practically fell into the hut and slammed the door shut behind her.
Myscha groaned, crumpling onto the mat in the corner of the room. 849 remained by the door, wringing her hands. "Myscha, I need to help him," she said hoarsely. There were sounds of a louder scuffle outside; Ash let out a short cry of pain. It was all she needed to hear. For the moment, her fear dissipated and she flung the door open, her hand going to her hip, where her Enforcer's holster was kept. She withdrew the gun, feeling its familiar weight in her palm. She had to trust herself to aim correctly. She couldn't have another panic attack; it would cost Ash his life if she fucked this up. I won't miss. I can't miss.
The Skaarj and Ash were moving gracefully around the clearing, drenched to the bone, each anticipating the other's moves with alarming accuracy. The Skaarj would start forwards just as Ash aimed his Enforcer; both would jump back, and the attack would begin from the beginning. 849 gently closed the door behind her and dropped to a crouch beside the wall, trying to still her thundering heart. She slipped her index finger over the trigger and said a quick prayer to whoever might be watching over them on this hunk of rock.
Her aim, for the moment, was true; the bullet connected neatly with the back of the Skaarj's head. It spun on its heel and snarled, pointing its arm straight out. A brilliant flash momentarily dazzled her eyes; an electrical shock filled her body with extreme pain a split second later. She cried out and fell back against the side of the hut, gritting her teeth. What did it just do to her?
"849! Get out of the way!"
Ash's voice seemed to be coming from very far away. Disgruntled, but determined not to become a burden to her companion, she held the Enforcer up again and fired directly in front of her, hoping that the Skaarj was coming directly at her. Fortunately, it was, and her shots met their mark. Not so fortunately that the Skaarj easily knocked the gun away and landed a fierce punch directly into the side of her head. She flew several feet in the opposite direction, landing directly on her back, the wind knocked out of her. Her fingers clutched at thin air; she had lost her grip on the Enforcer. She couldn't find it even if she tried, what with the stars swimming in her eyes.
As soon as Ash saw 849 go soaring through the air, he knew he had to act quickly. The Skaarj looked entirely capable of taking both of them down, and he wasn't sure that he had enough bullets to kill it. Running towards the alien as it stalked towards the fallen prisoner, Ash leapt and landed on its back, pressing the muzzle of the gun to the back of its head and firing as many shots as he could before it shook him off. A pair of jagged silver blades came hissing out of the metal rings around its wrist and, without warning, the Skaarj launched itself towards the prison guard, swiping with the blades, aiming for Ash's neck. He barely danced out of the way, firing desperately the whole time. Half of his shots were missing. When is this thing going to die?!
The Skaarj chased him around the clearing; Ash could barely keep his balance has he backpedaled and tried to aim at the same time. All of a sudden his foot knocked against something heavy and hard. Dodging another swipe from the Skaarj, he chanced a glance down at the ground. It was 849's Enforcer; he could see the prisoner's prone body a few feet away.
Ash feigned to the side; the Skaarj spooked and leapt backwards. He took the chance to snatch the gun up from the ground and fire with double the ammunition, holding both Enforcers out in front of him, aiming as best as he could for the Skaarj's head. He could see the blood coating its emerald-green scales, but it didn't seem to be slowing down or weakening. In fact, its attacks increased in ferocity with every shot that connected.
Another leap forwards, and the Skaarj was right in front of him.
How does it move so fast--!
This time Ash didn't have anywhere to go, and all he could do was hold his hands up and try to protect his head as the Skaarj's blades rammed right through his chest. He choked, tasting blood, and bit back a scream as his body was lifted into the air as if it weighed nothing. The Skaarj was staring up into his face, its head tilted, and flexed its arm, preparing to throw him. Ash summoned his remaining strength, and, as quickly as he could, brought both Enforcers up and fired, point-black, right into the Skaarj's eyes.
Its death was rather anti-climactic. There was no noise; just the quick slice of bullets through eye and brain tissue; its legs crumpled; the body followed suit. Ash landed on his side, staring at his dead assailant, with the Razik blades still embedded in his chest wall. He coughed, spitting blood onto the ground. "849," he whispered to the prone figure somewhere behind him. "…849?"
She didn't answer; she had probably been knocked unconscious. It was just as well. She'd be useless in this situation, anyhow—would probably panic like before and lock herself in the cabin with Myscha. Which reminded him—was the Nali still alive? He hadn't come out of the cabin—but then again, he'd sustained pretty horrible wounds.
Ash tried to sigh, but his lungs constricted painfully, and his vision blurred with the new wave of pain. He tried moving his arms, trying to remove the blades in his torso, but it was useless. His blood made a crimson pool beneath his body.
So this is what dying feels like.
To be honest, he really never expected to get off of the planet's surface. The horrors he had seen, just in the Rajigar Mine alone, had proven to him that the planet was as hostile as any, and it would require a huge amount of ammunition, strength, courage, and, hell, luck, to be able to survive. He had seen a whole group of men slain by just one of the Skaarj, and he considered himself lucky to have lasted as long as he did against this one.
But now he was dying. Wasn't he just planning to leave the cabin with 849? And who was going to take care of 849 when he was gone?
I will live!
That's right. She promised him that she would, hadn't she. He could only hope that she'd try her best, and, if she failed, that her death would be painless.
He hadn't even gotten to ask her for her name. Unfortunate.
He looked over the Skaarj's hulking shoulder, at the two crystal waterfalls that were bars of silver mist in the rain, and listened to the rain falling fast on the bloody ground.