A World for the Taking Ch. 04

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Some good news and a lot of bad.
7.2k words
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Part 4 of the 9 part series

Updated 06/08/2023
Created 01/23/2018
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RipperFish
RipperFish
2,508 Followers

Some folks are still wondering about 'Storm World'. I tried to explain as plainly as I could, but I will give it another try. At this time I have lost interest in writing the story. I see a whole lot of mistakes throughout and I see a bunch of stuff that adds nothing to the plot and could be removed to make the story move more quickly. I found myself forcing scenes rather than letting them flow. That is a ham-fisted way to write and not satisfying to me. I will be deleting the story in the near future and when I feel up to wading into the mess I created I will rewrite it to completion and repost it, perhaps with a new title. If that is the case I will make a note of it so readers will know what is going on.

I also received a message asking about Sgt. Carter and his wives. I do have a plot for them in mind. It may be the next story I work on, but probably not. I need to flesh things out considerably before I begin that project. More likely I will be writing a different story first. I have two in mind that both interest me and are related, though independent of each other. Both take place during the war between the jZav`Etch and CP.

To ask questions and read answers, please use the forum thread I created for that purpose. Just copy and paste the following link.

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1346444

*****

A World for the Taking

Chapter 4

F`reet `du Hom took T` Emmi's extended hand and allowed the girl to lift her to her feet. T` Emmi drew her towards a ladder that led up to some sort of platform above the animal stalls. She hesitated, casting a glance over her shoulder to be sure the Humans were not following them. Once on the platform she saw heaps of loose plant material and a row of blankets and mats obviously intended for sleeping. Was this the household bed chamber? Did T` Emmi expect her to rest? F`reet `du Hom knew little about riding beasts of any sort, but it seemed to her sleeping above them with their smells and noises would be unpleasant at best. She looked around this platform, noting how it wrapped around to the other side of the building. Was this whole structure made from wood? Either it was a very expensive building or a very crude one. She could not be sure.

The young dTel`Qohar did not linger at the ladder once F`reet `du Hom was standing on the platform. She simply went to one of the sleeping mats and rummaged in a bag next to it. Soon she drew out some tightly folded cloth and held it out to the pilot.

"For me?" asked F`reet `du Hom, indicating herself with her thumbs. The girl nodded and shook the cloth invitingly.

F`reet `du Hom crossed the platform. The wood under her feet was smooth and evenly cut, suggesting care had been taken in the construction of the building. It was unlikely this was some rude little household residence, after all. These people had some pride in their home, no matter how primitive it might look. Reaching T` Emmi she took the proffered cloth and examined it.

"Clothing?" she asked the girl. The girl looked inquisitive but did not reply. "Can you really not understand me?"

Again, the girl said nothing.

Looking down at herself F`reet `du Hom grimaced. She really did look ridiculous in only her pressure suit. And it was not functional for a survival situation. She had not had time to take a uniform when she and Del `uTrect had escaped from the Dusig. And then they had been recaptured. She recalled little of what had transpired afterward. The image of her captain being beheaded by renegade Dusig right in front of her was indelibly burned upon her memory, though. Somehow she had broken free and dragged his body aboard the first scout craft she could reach. Things were hazy. She had been hit in the head at some point, either before or after their initial escape, and just could not remember more. Perhaps it would come to her in time.

Shaking off these memories she brought herself back to the present. She looked down to the ground floor and stepped a few paces back from the platform's edge until the Humans could not see her. The cloth unfolded into two garments very similar to what T` Emmi wore. It seemed probable these clothes belonged to the girl. This was confirmed when she saw how the trousers were made to accommodate a tail. The two of them were very close in size and the clothing should fit well enough. Setting the clothing aside she opened her pressure suit and pulled it off. F`reet `du Hom was aware of the younger jZav`Etch's attention and noted her surprise at seeing the under clothes she wore.

"No," she said to the girl, amused. "We do not go naked beneath our uniforms."

Briefly she examined the shirt, noting the odd flap on the neckline that seemed to serve no purpose and the old fashioned fasteners that ran up the front. The material was thick and felt as though it would be warm. That was a good thing. The weather on this planet was chill and though she could have endured it, it was better to be warm. The shirt also had a strange pattern of vertical and horizontal green and black stripes that might have been intended as some sort of camouflage. Her gaze lingered on the pockets and she wondered if they were placed there to draw attention to a female's breasts. Glancing at the girl's shirt, she remained uncertain. Pulling it on she was pleased to discover how well the shirt fit, though her breasts did push the front out more than the girl's would have.

"That ought to get the males' attention, eh?" she said ironically, indicating the material stretched smoothly over her chest. The girl laughed, her tail snapped and her ears lay out to the sides just as any jZav`Etch girl's would. "Not so different from me after all."

Next came the trousers. They were of a dark blue material with large pockets on the thighs and rump. Thankfully the waist fastened much as her uniform trousers did. Some sort of snap button was used instead of friction tape, but they were easy enough to manipulate and seemed to hold strongly.

"How do I look?" she asked T` Emmi, holding her hands out to her sides, palms up.

T` Emmi nodded, apparently understanding the intent of the question.

"Well, you've fed me and given me that incredibly savory drink," F`reet `du Hom said. "What now?"

T` Emmi said something in the barbaric tongue of the Humans and waved her hand as if beckoning her to follow.

"Wait," F`reet `du Hom said, stopping the girl with a hand on her arm. She pointed over the edge of the platform and asked, "Who are they? Did they take you prisoner? What is the rest of your name?"

T` Emmi narrowed her eyes as if trying to comprehend but could only shake her head in the negative.

Pointing over the edge again F`reet `du Hom carefully pronounced the alien race name, "Humans?"

Surprised, T` Emmi nodded. She glanced over the edge and then looked back at the pilot. Pinching up her mouth she pointed back and forth between them and said, "dTel`Qohar."

"You've heard of us?" F`reet `du Hom said, pleased. She nodded vigorously.

"jZav`Etch," said the girl again, obviously pleased with her effort.

"That's right!" the pilot confirmed. "We are jZav`Etch! Yes."

"Yes?" asked the girl.

Nodding in an exaggerated, almost theatrical manner, F`reet `du Hom repeated the word.

T` Emmi frowned in consideration and pronounced the word as if she were savoring it. A slow smile of satisfaction spread over her lips and her tail flicked.

"Who are they?" F`reet `du Hom asked again, pointing down to where the Humans were gathered. She repeated the question making hand gestures she hoped would convey the meaning of her words.

The girl seemed to understand. Her eyes brightened and her tail snapped. Stepping a little closer to the edge she pointed to the older female with the dark brown skin and black hair. She said a word. It sounded less strange than most of the others and F`reet `du Hom tried to imitate it.

"Mho`tHer?" she said carefully.

Nodding the girl pointed to the oldest male, the one with the creamy tan skin and brownish hair and said another word that sounded very similar to the first.

"F` atHer?" the pilot asked uncertainly. "But who are they?"

T` Emmi frowned in thought for a bit and then her eyes brightened once more. She bent down and rolled a blanket into a tight little bundle then cradled it against her chest and rocked as if she were comforting a small child.

"Forger and Builder!" F`reet `du Hom exclaimed in astonishment. "They are your parents? Mho `tHer? F` atHer? Parents? Mho `tHer? Mother? F` atHer? Father?"

The girl grinned and said the words, pointing to each of the older Humans in turn.

From below the older male, T` Emmi's father, called up, sounding alarmed. The girl called back reassuringly and said something else. The Humans milled about a bit with wondering expressions and then waited expectantly.

"How did you get here, I wonder?" murmured F`reet `du Hom. "Who are your real parents? I wish I knew the rest of your name."

T` Emmi listened but only shook her head, unable to understand. Such questions were, for the moment, beyond resolution. There were Dusig to deal with and these people seemed to have been attacked. That could lead to a war with the Humans and the Hegemony was not yet ready for that. Within a few cycles, likely, but not yet. And certainly not because of a mutinous subject crew. She had to stop the Dusig if she could.

*****

"Well, that's some progress, at least," Deborah said once Tammy had explained what she and the alien pilot had been doing in the loft.

"We've burned up almost all of the morning, though," groused Bob, pacing with his hands behind his back and biting his lower lip in thought. "We need to get moving. Need more information. If these Dusig characters have been shooting down flyers and spinners, what else are they going to do?"

"They knocked out the uplink tower and we think they disabled the orbital station," said Mike.

"With OS1 out of the loop, sir, how are we going to find out what's going on?" Yoshi asked. His voice was small and uncertain.

"Well, we've got our pads," Roy pointed out. "They aren't really designed for unassisted communication, though."

"Never thought we would need long range gear with the station and the towers," Deborah sighed.

"Maybe F`reet's ship has a radio or something like it," suggested Jean.

"You need to use her full name, Jean," said Tammy.

"Why?" her sister asked.

"Because it's an insult not to," Tammy explained.

"Good to know," said Bob, pausing in his stride and looking seriously at the jZav`Etch pilot. "Anything else we should know about them, Tammy?"

"I don't really know that much, Pa," she said. Her ears twitched as she considered. "I can tell you there are supposed to be more females than males in their culture. And they seem to have very distinct gender roles. I'm not sure what that tells us."

"We can't go walking on eggs," said Mike. "Might end up spending so much time trying to not offend her that we screw up anyway."

"Just keep an eye on her," Bob said judiciously. "We all know Tammy. We know when she gets angry and what it looks like. I figure this one will have the same sort of tells."

"Um..." Yoshi began. "I don't know Tammy all that well. I mean, I never saw her get mad or anything."

"Just don't interact with the pilot," Roy suggested. "Don't ignore her. Just don't talk to her or do anything that might provoke her."

"Okay," said the younger boy.

"Pa, what about a radio, or something like one, in her ship, though?" Jean persisted.

"jZav`Etch have got to have some way to communicate between ships in space," Deborah agreed.

"They've been communicating with CP ships ever since they encountered them," Bob said, nodding. "Let's try to ask her."

More time was eaten up using images on the pads and pantomiming until F`reet `du Hom understood the question. Then it was her turn to pantomime and gesture and all but scream that her ship's communication system had been gutted.

"Damn it," grumbled Bob. He was growing impatient to be on the move.

"What do we do?" Yoshi asked.

"What if we climbed up over Simmons Pass?" Jean asked. Simmons Pass was the nearest route into the next valley on the far side of the eastern hills.

"Even if they haven't been targeted the same as this valley, it would take us until tomorrow mid-day to get to the top of the pass. And that's if we rode all night," Mike said in disgust. "Might be a waste of time and we'd have twice the journey just to get back over here."

"We can't just sit around!" Jean snapped.

"We can't just go running off all over the place either!" Mike snapped back.

"Stop it!" Deborah barked. "Both of you. It's not helping."

"The sensors," Bob said thoughtfully. "Deborah, the sensors are programed to detect fire."

"Sure. How does that help?" she asked, clearly interested. "We can't access them from here with the uplink tower down."

"They form their own network, though," said Bob. "One sensor will relay to the others all the way back to our place. We could find out where the fliers went down. Should be able to track the movement of fliers by air displacement, too. Remember how I tracked those geese last fall?"

"You had to make a bunch of fine adjustments to do it, though," she countered. "I guess it would still be worth having a look at."

"Better than being blind and deaf," he said. His expression went quickly from contemplative to intense as a thought came to him. "And maybe there's something else to try. We need to..."

At that very moment a thundering noise came from high overhead to the south. Without thinking everyone dashed for the open door, but F`reet `du Hom tackled Tammy, pinning her to the floor. Roy instantly reversed himself and snatched the pilot from his girlfriend. Shoulders bulging, he hauled her bodily into the air above his head and looked as if he were about to hurl her into one of the stalls. F`reet `du Hom squalled and kicked, but she could not break free.

"No!" Tammy cried in alarm. "Don't hurt her!"

Roy, over balanced, had to drop the squirming jZav`Etch unceremoniously to the dirt. She rolled away and came up with her teeth and claws bared. Tammy sprang between them as the rest of her family came up behind Roy.

"What's going on?" Tammy demanded of the pilot. She moved between her boyfriend and the angry jZav`Etch.

F`reet `du Hom snarled something at Roy and then spoke quickly to Tammy, shaking her head and pointing to the open door.

"I think she does not want you to go outside," Yoshi said.

"But why?" wondered Deborah.

"The ship!" Mike said. "She's afraid of the ship, Pa. Roy, back down. She doesn't want them to see Tammy."

"What?" demanded Roy. He was red in the face and panting, keyed up for a fight the way Mike had sometimes seen him when other boys had needled him about his red hair or his freckles.

"Tammy is jZav`Etch, Roy," said Mike instantly.

"Holy shit!" Jean barked. "Right! If she goes outside and the Dusig see her, they might come down here and try to kill her."

"Makes sense," Deborah said, nodding. "But watch your language, young lady."

"Sorry, Ma," said Jean humbly.

From the door Yoshi called, "I can see it! Them! I can see three of them. Coming up the valley. They're just about over Big Lake."

Bob and Mike rushed to him. Yoshi handed his binoculars to Bob and pointed.

"It looks like the same kind of construction as the small one last night," said Yoshi excitedly. "Not the same kind of ship. These are bigger. Same style, though."

"Big bastards," Bob growled. "Thirty, maybe thirty-five meters long. About ten meters wide. Lifting body design, but they have to have some kind of null-G gear. They're moving too slow to be flying otherwise."

"Are they armed?" Deborah asked. She was still behind Roy, ready to pull him back if he should go after the alien pilot again.

"Assume they are." Bob handed the binoculars to Mike and crossed to where his daughter stood between Roy and the pilot. "Back down, son. She was trying to keep Tammy from harm. Not her fault she can't speak English."

Roy glanced at him and relaxed. His head bowed for a second and then he drew himself up and nodded.

"Sorry," he said to F`reet `du Hom, extending his hand palm up.

It took the jZav`Etch woman a moment to comprehend the big red haired boy was apologizing. When she did she relaxed and stood erect. She looked from his face, open and plain, to his hard calloused hand and reached out to lay her palm on his. A sign of peace if there ever was one, though her tail jerked and snapped with her anger.

"Pa, they're still coming but slowing a lot," Mike called from the door.

"Something that big can't land at Waimea, can it?" Jean asked incredulously.

"The CP has all sorts of ships that can," Yoshi said. "I saw a cruiser come into the spaceport on Albion once."

"But Waimea's port is meant for shuttles," Jean said. "There isn't any room for something larger."

"They're probably military ships," said Bob, having to raise his voice above the sound of the oncoming ships. "They'll be able to land on unimproved surfaces. Maybe they can float above the ground on impulsers*. We don't know."

The thunder of the ships' engines was increasing by the second, spooking the steelies in their stalls and making it hard to hear anything else. The light dimmed as their shadows passed over the barn and dust fell from the rafters. It felt as if the barn was going to collapse, but the ships passed them by, continuing on up the valley.

"Jesus Christ!" swore Bob, taking his hands from his ears once the ships had passed.

"Motherfucker!" cursed Deborah, wiggling her fingers in her ears with a grimace. Everyone stared at her. She realized it an instant later and blushed. "Sorry."

"You've been hanging out with Dan too much," said Bob teasingly and kissed her cheek. He strode outside and looked north, watching the ship's progress up the valley. "Slowing down to a crawl. Looks like they're going for town after all. I guess Ferret Doom was right."

"F`reet `du Hom, honey," Deborah corrected him. "Try harder."

"My mom and dad!" cried Yoshi. He rushed back into the barn and grabbed up his saddle, making for Little Gertie's stall. Roy darted after him, grabbing the smaller boy by the shoulders and spinning him around.

"You can't go running off!" Roy shouted.

"My mom and dad!" protested Yoshi, dropping the saddle and flailing wildly at Roy. "They're going to get killed! Let me go!"

"Yoshi!" shouted Bob. His voice snapped like a whip, silencing both boys. "We'll all go. Roy, you and Mike saddle the stock. Tammy, Jean and Yoshi, pack everything. Load the baggage on the carry pack. Rations, water and weapons on the saddles. Make sure everyone has medical kits. Deborah, come help me try to explain things to Fret doo Hum." He clapped his hands sharply. "Let's go!"

*****

"Um... Where are we?" asked Yoshi. He had been fairly quiet since leaving Dodge Station and apparently had not been paying much attention.

"We're still south of Kitt's Hole," Tammy told him. Realizing the off-world boy might not know the geography of the valley well enough to orient himself, she said, "See that high hill over there across the river and a little south of here? That's Kelvin Ridge. That saddle in the hills north is where the Postlethwaite homestead is. Kitt's Hole is roughly between them."

"I don't see it," he said, trying to look between the trees.

"That's because there are some low hills in the way," Jean said. She leaned over and patted his thigh in a comforting manner. "It's there. And Transit Bridge is an hour or so north."

"Okay," he shrugged. "But what are we doing here?"

"You awake back there, Yoshi?" Bob asked as he dismounted. "I need you with me. Maybe you can help."

"Sure, Mr. Mackey," the boy said and slid down from his saddle, handing his reins to Jean. "What can I do?"

RipperFish
RipperFish
2,508 Followers