Storm World Ch. 10

On the far side of the camp, more movement! Were they surrounded? The other females called in alarm. Chep `Urt vEss moved to support them.

"Hold your fire!" shouted Benjamin. From his pocket he took a lamp and shone it down into the brush. "Fuck! That's a big one."

"Dangerous?" M`peth qHo asked, sounding anxious.

"Fairly, yeah." Benjamin, with his oversized pistol in one hand and the light in the other, stepped over the bug zapper cable and edged down the slope.

"There is another moving toward you!" she warned.

"I know," he said, holding up his pistol and waggling it in an irritated gesture. "Relax a bit."

Relax? Relax? She felt the Human's madness must have returned. How could she or any of them relax with dangerous creatures that size so close? Even as she was about to call another warning Benjamin turned his weapon on the other animal and fired. A bright streak of red and a sharp crack lanced through the night followed almost instantaneously by a loud slap of impact.

"They followed us!" she hissed.

"What?" Benjamin asked, puzzled by the seeming inane statement.

"Those creatures followed us," she said.

"Not unless they somehow got lost," he replied, almost casually. "Tell Chep Yert veez to put the other one down. I'll need his help when he's done."

"Commander!" called Liat `del Qha in a distressed voice.

"Kill it!" M`peth qHo called back. "Kill it now!"

A jeq`istle* barked twice and something else thrashed in the bushes on the far side of the camp. Chep `Urt vEss stepped over the cable and fired a third shot and the thrashing stopped.

"They did follow us," M`peth qHo growled as Benjamin rejoined her and TaH `Kiy mTh.

"Oh for Christ's sake!" Benjamin grumbled. "These did not follow us. We left whatever those things were kilometers behind. These didn't follow our scent on the ground, you idiot. Either they were just traveling this way or they smelled us from a long way off."

"How do you know?" she demanded, not satisfied.

"The wind is blowing that way." Benjamin gestured to the south east which was the side of the camp the two creatures had approached from. The party had been traveling from the south west all day.

"What about the other one?" she asked, less hostilely.

"I don't know, Commander," he said with a shrug. "There's a big old dead tree down that way to the east. It probably skirted around that and came up over there. More or less, it was coming from the north, regardless."

"What are they?" she asked, casting a doubtful glance at the dead things. Her HUD did not indicate any other large creatures nearby, but several Jiq'a* out were more things, not as large as these.

"Roly-polies," he said. "You know those little things down near the shower room you wanted to eat? This is a close relative. A lot like a crab or a prawn. These are primarily scavengers. Not fast enough to be real predators, but if they'd caught us unaware, it could have been bad. Nice work, kid." Benjamin slapped TaH `Kiy mTh on the shoulder and looked to Chep `Urt vEss. "Hey! Chep! Come on."

The big dTel`Qohar scowled at him, but crossed the camp.

"Chep `Urt vEss," he growled in irritation, but did not sound as if he were particularly offended.

"Chep `Urt ves," Benjamin tried again.

"Chep `Urt vEss," the jZav`Etch said, almost sounding patient. Perhaps miracles did happen.

"Chep `Urt vEss," Benjamin said slowly, enunciating each syllable carefully.

The gunner nodded and then gave the Human a questioning look.

"He wishes you to help him in some way," M`peth qHo said. "I believe the situation is safe for the moment. There are no other large animals on my HUD."

What Benjamin wanted was help in dragging the beasts away from the camp.

"It's too late in the night to pack up and go," he explained as he and the gunner rolled the first onto its domed back. It rocked and slid down the slope a bit. "If we can drag them a little ways off the big scavengers should go to them rather than trying to come and eat us."

M`peth qHo explained what was going and sent TaH `Kiy mTh to guard them while they worked. For her part, she was glad things had not gone worse. Frankly, she was surprised TaH `Kiy mTh had even known the beasts were near. After all, his suit's sensors were not designed for planetary expeditions and hers had not picked up the creatures until they were so close. Perhaps he was a better hunter than she had estimated. His aim had certainly been accurate enough to kill the beast with a single shot.

The remaining watches of the night passed without incident. Sounds came from the vicinity of the carcasses, but no other creatures approached. None of the cats slept particularly well and Benjamin decided to take over until daybreak.

Day two of the expedition: The Jungle

As dawn turned the eastern sky gray and thunder rumbled in the distant west the expedition rose to break camp and have a meal. Benjamin cut a V notch into a thick vine and held his water collection bag under it for several minutes. Through the purifier at the bottom of the bag he refilled all of their canteens and dumped the excess on the forest floor.

When Ima` Nef`Tn examined the vine he smiled and said, "Plummer vine. It carries particles through the vine to its stomach. Mostly they grow where the rock is like this. It is another one of those plants that is not a plant. We are actually drinking its digestive juices."

"Disgusting!" she said, peeling back her lips and sticking her tongue out between her teeth.

"You told me you enjoy blood pudding," he said with a shrug. "It is not as if we are eating its shit or drinking its piss. The filter removes all the garbage and leaves us with clean water."

She looked uncomfortable and made another face, shuddering.

"It is the idea of it, I suppose," she said, her Japanese had improved much. She looked at her canteen, hesitated and then thrust it into the pouch on her belt.

The others also briefly considered their canteens, though none had understood what Benjamin said. Ima` Nef`Tn's expression had told them enough.

The new day brought somewhat better progress than the first. In spite of the close call with the giant roly-polies, the cats were much more comfortable and did not require Benjamin to warn them away from so many plants. They did encounter a serious threat in the form of two very large poly-pods feeding on the carcass of a kill. Chep `Urt vEss wanted to shoot them, but Benjamin reminded everyone that killing one creature meant others, potentially more dangerous, would come to investigate. Hurriedly, they bypassed the grotesques down wind and returned to their base heading with little delay.

"If things continue to go this well," Liat `del Qha said when they stopped for a midmorning break, "perhaps we will arrive at the beacon tomorrow."

"You are forgetting the marsh, Pilot," M`peth qHo reminded her. "I do not know how we shall cross it. Though Benjamin says there are ways, he also says there is no certain path and we will need to be warry of many more hazards."

"More?" asked the Pah`Tht. Her ears lay back in a disconcerted expression.

"Much of the way will be through water," the commander told her. "Benjamin normally takes his canoe. We will need to watch for holes and pits. There will surely be predators like the centipede he killed. Only he can guess what we might encounter. I am glad we did not leave our environment suits behind."

"Ben `Jamin did not bring his," Liat `del Qha pointed out.

"His is far bulkier," M`peth qHo said. "You saw it. In some ways it is much like old fashioned battle armor. Definitely military grade."

"Yes. I suppose so, Commander."

"And Benjamin knows more about this environment than any of us," continued M`peth qHo. "He has been trained to survive on worlds like this. Perhaps on worlds even less hospitable."

"I do not wish to know this world as well as he does," Liat `del Qha said with feeling. "I wish there was no war. I want to return to our own kind. I want to go home and walk the hills. I miss the feel of snow under my feet. I miss skiing. I miss midwinter festivals among my friends, and the harvest celebrations."

"Harvest is my favorite time of year," purred M`peth qHo wistfully. "When I was much younger we would go to the sun gardens where we could strip off our clothes and play upon the lawns. I did not care for the organized games so much as tag and Chase the Ball."

"Chase the Ball! Oh yes!" laughed the Pah`Tht. "My brother was the only one who could catch me. And did you play the ring game?"

"No," M`peth qHo said smiling. "That is a game you Pah`Tht play often, though. Not just at gatherings."

"But it is more fun with a larger group of people," said Liat `del Qha. "And at Harvest we have prizes for the winners."

"Do you also have bonfires?" asked the commander.

"At every festival we have them," Liat `del Qha said and sighed. "And spiced cereal cakes, and minced pudding, and pickled fish. You should come and visit my father's home with me. You would be welcome, Commander. And you would be quite popular with the males."

"Really?" laughed M`peth qHo. Pah`Tht were known for being outwardly prudish and overly proper, but scratch the surface and there were no people more randy in all the universe. And a Thahn`Den would certainly be an attraction to the much shorter male Pah`Tht. Size, after all, was a desirable trait in their culture, ever since the dTel`Qohar had marched on their mountain homes many ages before the first jZav`Etch sailed beyond the sky.

"I am sure it would take no time at all to sew you a proper apron for the dances, you are so slim," Liat `del Qha continued happily.

"I would be honored to visit and be a guest in your father's home, Liat `del Qha," sighed M`peth qHo. "However, we must escape this world, first. I am sorry it is so."

"Yes," agreed the Pah`Tht with a sigh. "So things are and so we must carry on. Shall I call Tem l`eth tong?"

"Do so, please," M`peth qHo said and activated her HUD to have another look at their progress.

Liat `del Qha heard the pip of her transmission twice before she heard a response in her ear.

"Tem l`eth tong, go ahead," said the veteran engineer.

"Liat `del Qha," said the pilot. "What is your progress? Is all well?"

The veteran made her report with a pleased note in her voice. She asked how the expedition was getting along and listened.

"We are all quite well, Engineer," Liat `del Qha said. "There was a minor issue yesterday and we had a run in with some animals last night, but everything is going much better than I had feared."

"And how is Ben `Jamin?" Tem l`eth tong asked teasingly. "Is he walking any better today?"

"His tail does not drag," chuckled the pilot.

"Does anything else?" laughed Tem l`eth tong.

"No, and he is able to walk a straight line," the pilot snickered. "I saw his wounds yesterday when he stepped aside to relieve himself, though. You really must clip your claws before you spend time with him again."

"I could not help it!" Tem l`eth tong sighed mockingly. "Just wait until it is your turn. You will see!"

"I hope so!" the Pah`Tht laughed, but cut it short. "I must report to the commander. Is there anything else?"

"Only that we are making good progress with the motor and the power pack is nearly at full charge," said the engineer more soberly.

"Keep up the good work and well done. Liat `del Qha, out."

"Tem l`eth tong, out," replied the engineer and signed off.

*****

As morning passed the air grew much warmer and the sky became more overcast. Everyone was feeling sluggish, including Benjamin. He had used his filtration bag twice already to refill their canteens from pools or streams along their route and it was not yet mid-day. At the moment they were diverting to a spit of higher ground on which Benjamin said it would be safer to rest and eat. Still and all, things were going well. M`peth qHo had checked her HUD and knew they were closing on the beacon more rapidly than the day before. They had been threatened by none of the wild animals and no one had thus far been stung or bitten by anything. They had not been cut on unseen stones when crossing the shallow pools that lay in their line of march. Nor had any tripped or turned an ankle.

When the party finally reached the high ground just before noon M`peth qHo said to Benjamin, "I had the impression this island was somewhat more dangerous."

"Says the woman who almost got eaten two days ago," he replied smoothly. "Commander, just because nothing has jumped out and said 'Boo!' doesn't mean we're safe. You haven't forgotten the animals that followed us yesterday or the ones that came to the camp last night."

"I did not mean to offend, Benjamin," she said with a brief bow of her head. "And I have not forgotten those encounters. However, it does seem as if we are traveling mostly unchallenged over this island. We are even partaking of some of its natural bounty. The danger seems less out here than I had expected."

"Why do you think that is?" he asked, dropping his pack.

"I do not know," she said, dropping her own pack.

"Would you hand me a length of that vine over there, Commander?" he asked mildly, indicating a thick green and purple growth with small hair-like bristles.

"I thought you said never to touch that sort of vine," she replied, frowning in puzzlement.

"I did," said Benjamin with a sly smile. "And you've been listening. What about stepping on that leaf?"

"You told us never to step on one of those because they are not leaves," she replied, casting a warry eye on him. "Some sort of crustacean with venomous spines or something."

"Not venomous," he said. "They jab you and inject a load of eggs. The eggs stay under your skin..."

"And burst out when they are mature," she finished. "I see your point. We are not encountering danger because we are warned against it."

"Praemonitus, praemunitus" Benjamin said succinctly.

M`peth qHo frowned and asked, "What does that mean? It is not English."

"It's Latin. A language that was ancient when Old Earth was still young," he told her. "In English you would say 'Forewarned is forearmed'."

"Ah! The Teachings! Chapter three of Ka`al De`ept. The Wisdom of the Armored God," she said, sounding surprised.

"I don't know, but it's been one of the mottos of the Planetary Scouts ever since the organization was formed," he said and opened his pack to get some food. "We should all rest a bit, Commander. I would be glad to discuss philosophy with you later."

"What was that about, Ben `Jamin?" Ima` Nef`Tn wondered when he settled on the ground next to her.

"I am not sure," he said. "I think she was trying to suggest something, but I do not know if she knew what she was trying to suggest."

"That is strange," she said and bit into one of her ration bars. "I am growing tired of these."

"Emergency food is meant to keep you going, Babe, not taste good."

"Ours is supposed to have some kind of flavor to it," she grumbled. "And this does, only I have grown tired of this flavor."

Benjamin leaned over and sniffed at the bar. He grimaced and said, "Smells like dead fish."

"It is supposed to." Ima` Nef`Tn flicked her ears and took another bite. "I will make a report when we return home. Perhaps the Quartermaster Council will be so good as to include spices with the emergency rations."

Benjamin brightened and dug in his pack. After a minute he finally came out with a tube no longer than his little finger.

"Try some of this," he said, offering her the tube. "I thought I ran out of it. This was in the pocket of my tunic. I have not worn it in a long time."

Warily she took the tube and removed the cap to give the contents a sniff. Her whiskers vibrated and her eyes watered as she blinked.

"What is that?" she demanded, holding the tube at arm's length and glaring mistrustfully at it.

"The last of my habanero sauce," laughed Benjamin. "Now, now! Do not spill it! Burn a hole right to the planet's core and then where would we be? Just try one dash on that so called food bar."

"How much is a dash?" she asked, glancing uncertainly from him to the tube and back.

"A drop. A small drop."

Resignedly she tipped the tube up with the same caution one might use cutting a wire to disarm a bomb. The drop gleamed a dull green as it slowly spread over the end of the food bar. She sniffed again and found the scent less provocative. Benjamin took his tube back before she took a bite. Chewing, Ima` Nef`Tn blinked several times. Her nose began to run, but she smiled. She chewed more, as if reluctant to let the flavor go from her mouth. Finally she had to swallow and when she did she turned bright, if slightly watery eyes on her lover.

"Better than I thought it would be," she croaked. "May I have more?"

"Anything for you, Babe," he said and kissed her.

*****

Liat `del Qha was just about to take a bite of her own ration bar when her earpiece chimed. She was surprised. As a security precaution Tem l`eth tong was not supposed to call her unless there was an emergency of some kind. Quickly she tapped the earpiece to activate it.

"Liat `del Qha, go ahead," she said quietly into the mic.

"Tem l`eth tong, Pilot," came the other's voice in her ear. "Go to secure channel and put the commander on."

"Is something wrong?" Liat `del Qha asked. The veteran engineer did not sound distressed. Tense, perhaps, but not distressed.

"Pilot, go to secure channel and give your headset to the commander," growled the engineer, frustrated.

"This is M`peth qHo. Go ahead," said the commander when the pilot had done as she was bidden.

Liat `del Qha saw M`peth qHo's expression and posture change from curious to tense. The commander reached out and took the strap of the bag containing the modified transceiver from the pilot's shoulder and stepped away a few paces, listening intently to whatever the veteran was telling her. The commander placed her hand over the mouthpiece of the headset and spoke too softly to be overheard. Her tail flicked and slashed the air and her ears pricked forward sharply. Liat `del Qha could not be sure what was wrong, but the commander was obviously unsettled by whatever news she was being told.

After a Taq`a of this M`peth qHo signed off and handed the radio set back to Liat `del Qha. The pilot looked very curious and concerned, but dared not ask for the details lest the others overhear.

"She has come across something unexpected. Something I must think about, Pilot," the commander finally whispered. "I will discuss it with you later. Though, perhaps not until I hear more from Tem l`eth tong. Do not overly concern yourself."

"Very well, Commander," Liat `del Qha said, though she did not feel in the least mollified. She noted how quiet M`peth qHo was throughout the midday break and that she was no more talkative when they resumed the march. It was not until much later, when Benjamin signaled a halt, that the commander spoke more than a few words.