On the Edge of Now: Book III - Redemption, page 7
Rose smiled. “I’d be disappointed if you weren’t . . .”
In their worlds, it would have been the equivalent of suppertime of the third day and, after a careful sweep of the massive forest, they finally caught a break. A soft breeze provided pleasant background noise as they made their way—it also covered the sound of voices drifting through the forest until the Travelers were almost upon them.
Startled by the suddenness of their find, they dropped immediately, each trying to determine the direction of the voices. The conversation echoed slightly, making its location difficult to pinpoint, but, after a few moments of listening, Tag knew the direction they should choose. He gestured, indicating their path. Devin nodded acknowledgment, and backtracked thirty yards to provide cover to their rear in case of attack from that quarter—it also left open an avenue of escape should they need it.
Rose held the central position, covering their flanks on either side.
Tag inched forward, taking fifteen minutes to cover a thirty-second stroll. He calculated correctly, and he heard clearly—a resonant, deep voice with a musical lilt spoke a language unfamiliar to him. Although he didn’t understand, the voice was pleasant—almost comforting and, as Tag listened, the speaker stopped and there was a slight pause. Then, a soft, female voice repeating sounds she just heard. Recognizing the voice, Tag was alarmed to hear Claire’s enunciating speech in an alien language!
He low-crawled on his belly for the last few feet, gently parting the leaves of a bush providing him cover. He had a perfect view of Claire seated with her back against a tree, legs stretched out in front of her with her bad ankle apparently braced by some type of device. Opposite from her—sitting cross-legged and leaning forward listening as she recited the alien words—was the largest individual Tag ever saw.
Just as he started to size him up, the alien shifted his gaze directly to his location, and they locked eyes. Claire stopped speaking, aware of a distraction.
At first, no one moved.
Then—everyone did.
CHAPTER NINE
Ranj rose, reaching for the sidearm holstered on his belt. Claire awkwardly struggled to her feet and, when she looked up, Tag was emerging from the treeline headed for Ranj at a dead run. Without thinking, Claire hobbled in front of Ranj, pulling down on the arm which held his weapon. In his language, she managed to blurt out, “Ranj! No shoot!”
Oblivious as he zeroed in on Tag, he swept Claire aside, causing her to stumble and fall onto her back. In horror, she watched as he raised the weapon to a firing position, his forefinger squeezing the trigger. The problem was Tag diverted to his left at the last instant, spinning on his planted left foot to build up momentum. The result was a powerful flying kick—his right foot whipped around, smashing the handgun from Ranj’s grasp at the precise moment of discharge, its projectile slamming harmlessly into the trees.
Stunned, Ranj glanced at his fallen weapon which landed out of reach. Then, he sized up his opponent who was considerably larger than Claire. But, compared to him? Tag didn’t stand a chance.
He moved into the attack.
The slight delay by the alien afforded Tag the opportunity to draw his own handgun—but, in that instant, he chose not to. The large form loomed over him as he let the other launch a powerful strike toward his head. He brush-blocked the massive fist and arm while sidestepping to his left, retaliating with a series of three strikes to the body and head. The head shot lost power due to the height differential, as well as his needing to stretch upward to connect. After the series of blows, he backed away, his hands—hardened from years of karate blows—hurting. Holy shit! It’s like hitting a friggin’ tree! He eyed the large alien who didn’t show any apparent ill effects from his counterattack. While keeping eye contact, Tag noticed in his peripheral vision the anatomy of the alien had a commonality with his own—a vulnerable knee joint. Although the sheer size of the limb seemed a challenge, it was possible a series of kicks might wear it down.
Ranj paused after the initial flurry of activity, amazed by the speed of his opponent. I may be a lot bigger, he acknowledged, but this alien moves in ways I’ve never seen before! And, I can’t match his speed—I absorb his blows, yet they still hurt.
As the two of them were about to launch into another round of combat, a fourth person entered the clearing commanding their attention. “Okay, Godzilla—don’t move!”
Ranj glanced to his right where another alien female— taller and whip thin like a smaller version of Pa’la—held a weapon in two hands, aimed directly at his head. He didn’t understand the invective exactly, but he got the message clearly enough.
“Move—and you’re dead!”
Ranj deemed it unwise to test the limits of her marksmanship since they were only about ten paces apart. He stopped in place, hands falling to his sides, trying valiantly not to look aggressive.
“Please! Don’t shoot him!” Claire implored. “He’s been nice to me!”
“I don’t plan on it, unless he tries something stupid,” Rose advised.
“He’s not stupid!”
Still standing, Ranj concentrated on what they were saying in their alien tongue, realizing he understood the gist of the words. It was the compliment from Claire as well as the plea for protection which made him accept she wasn’t playacting as they spent time together over the past several days.
Just then, Devin entered the clearing at a run, pulling up at the sight of the imposing alien. Then, he spotted Claire and ran to her, wrapping his arms around her sturdy frame. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” He looked over her head at the alien who matched his stare.
She partially wiggled from his grasp. “I’m fine! Ranj managed to save my ass from the clutches of the evil Sub-Commander of their team—she wanted to waste me, I’m sure . . .”
Ranj listened, not catching all of the nuances of her statement, but he managed to grasp the fact she wanted to convince the male—whom he guessed was her mate— he wasn’t a bad sort. To his surprise, the male nodded in apparent thanks.
He offered a smile in return.
The female with the hand weapon still aimed at his head. He looked at her, then at Claire. “Tell the skinny one not to shoot me,” he requested in English. The shock on their faces from hearing him speak their language gave him a measure of satisfaction.
“Rose, please—put the gun down . . .”
“Weren’t you his prisoner?” Rose didn’t move as she asked her question.
“Well—technically—yes . . .”
“Then, why should I be nice to him?”
Claire walked over and stood between Rose and the oversized alien. “Because, despite the rocky start we had, he is my friend—Ranj helped me when I really needed it. And, look! He fixed my ankle!” She pointed.
Slowly, Rose lowered her weapon and, as it reached her side, everyone in the clearing felt their tension diminish.
Claire turned to Ranj. “I have to go with my friends now—thank you for your time with me, and for teaching me your language.” She spoke slowly in English—despite her intellectual brilliance, he managed to master her language better than she had his.
Ranj nodded. “I understand—is your ankle good enough to walk far?”
She smiled. “Yes—you fixed it well.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Ranj, do you know I’m not your enemy?”
He nodded.
“My friends aren’t your enemy, either—please tell your team we mean no harm . . .”
The large alien glanced at the four humans. “I can tell them, but some choose not to listen . . .” Ranj observed each of her three companions. “Which of you is the leader?”
Without thought, all three looked at Tag.
“You move fast, but in strange ways. Maybe you and I can test each other . . .”
Tag smiled. “You might be too big for me to win!”
“Perhaps . . .”
The Travelers were about to comment when they heard a faint shout through the trees.
Ranj looked at Claire. “My friends are looking for me— you must go.”
“Will you get in trouble?”
“Yes . . .”
“What will they do?”
“I’m not sure, but, they are afraid of me . . .”
He moved toward Claire, and everyone subconsciously stiffened. “They may order me—next time, I might not be a friend to you.”
Claire’s expression fell as she craned her neck to look up at her friend. “I know—but, whatever happens, I’ll remember my friend in the forest . . .”
He examined the small human for several heartbeats. “Yes—I will think of my tiny friend in the forest . . .”
“Claire! Let’s go—now!” Tag’s voice was filled with urgency.
Within moments, the Travelers moved to the west side of the clearing, and Ranj stood alone. Only slightly moving branches were a testament to the humans’ presence, and he thought it best to sit next to a tree, allowing his team the time to find him.
It was the least he could do for his friend in the forest.
****
They moved quickly. Tag instructed Devin to keep an eye out behind them—separation from the opposition was most important. Rose walked close to Claire, keeping her company after the captivity ordeal as well as to make sure her friend could keep up with Tag’s pace. Fortunately, her injured ankle was up to the task, thanks to Ranj.
Tag pushed his group for several hours and, when it reached the point of failing light, he searched for a suitable campsite for the night. They soon located a small creek with a nice backdrop of a rocky outcropping providing cover— trees were great for breaking up their outlines, but solid rock was a protective shield.
During their trek, they didn’t feel like talking since everyone was intent on keeping up. It wasn’t until they settled behind the rocks they had the opportunity to eyeball Claire.
“Are you okay? I mean, really okay?” Rose didn’t take her eyes off of her friend.
Claire tenderly rubbed her ankle. “It’s holding up, but, it’s getting sore—Ranj did a great job of treating it.”
“That’s nice—but, I’m not talking about your ankle.”
Claire paused before responding. “I know—really, I’m fine. It got a little hairy when they were discussing my fate, and that bitch, Songa, wanted to fry my ass. I’m not sure what would have happened if Ranj hadn’t leaned on the leader until they backed off. After that, they headed off looking for you guys—that left me alone with him . . .”
“He didn’t try anything, did he?” Devin couldn’t think of anything worse.
“Sure—we got it on,” Claire snapped. “I’m due to have an alien baby any time now . . .”
Devin held up his hands. “Okay! I’m sorry I asked— I guess that was pretty stupid . . .”
“You guess?”
“Claire—take it easy!” Rose glanced at Devin. “We spent three days looking for you, and Devin’s been a wreck the whole time . . .”
Claire took a deep breath, taking her time with the exhale. “I’m sorry—I guess all of us are on edge . . .”
Devin managed a crooked smile. “I’m just relieved you’re alright. Sorry, if I crossed the line . . .”
Claire hobbled to Devin, carefully sitting beside him. “I get it—you were worried about me. And, you know damned well I’d be pissed at you if you weren’t!”
Rose was itching to hear all about her friend’s experience. “I want to hear everything—what happened?”
Claire shifted to a more comfortable position. “Well, behind that massive, rugged exterior is a fine brain. As you could tell, he learned enough of our language—through intensive immersion—to communicate. I managed to grasp the fundamentals of their lingo to understand the simplest concepts.” She paused, thinking about her lessons with Ranj. “Actually, their speech is straightforward to learn—he’s further ahead with our more complex system because he’s better at it than I am . . .”
“Why are they after us?”
“Good question—I asked him . . .”
“And . . .”
“He said they come from a militaristic, hunter society. His kind is hardwired to chase anything that runs which, in this case, is us. When we first saw them and withdrew, they took it as an aggressive maneuver to get away, or to place ourselves in an advantageous position to attack them.” She paused again. “By ambush, or whatever . . .”
“That’s ridiculous!” Rose protested. “They came on as the aggressors, and we simply were reacting to them!”
Claire shrugged. “Well, for them the flip side is we somehow appeared to be hostile, and they went into defensive mode—which then morphed into our being pursued.”
“So—how do we change their attitude about us?” Tag didn’t want to spend any more time looking over his shoulder.
Claire considered his question. “I’m not sure if we can— from what Ranj told me, the Sub-Commander is rabid for running us down. Apparently, the Commander is a little more constrained—but, not too far behind.”
“Well that’s just perfect, isn’t it? We’re hunted, simply because that’s what they like to do, and we happen to be available.” Devin shook his head in disgust.
Rose glanced at her companions. “What can we do to counteract it?”
“We either run, and keep on going,” Tag suggested, “or, we take the initiative away from them.”
“You mean attack?”
“Yep . . .”
Devin stared at the ground, considering the prospect. “I’m not shy about a fight, but, look at the size of that alien dude we just left behind. Short of gunplay, he’s going to be hard to bring down . . .”
Claire shot him the look. “You are not going to shoot Ranj!”
“Well, then—how about the other three?”
****
It was at least one half of a time unit before they found him. After three days of fruitless searching for the aliens, Goran and the rest of the team weren’t in the best of moods— looking for Ranj only magnified their frustration.
“Why didn’t you respond to our calls?” Goran demanded. But, before Ranj could answer, the leader scanned the clearing. “Where’s the prisoner?”
Ranj slowly rose, and stood next to Goran. “The captive got away, and I felt too ashamed to answer your calls.”
“How did that little thing manage to disappear?”
“Maybe she overpowered him,” Songa chimed in with a nasty tone.
“Silence! I don’t need any help from you!” It took some doing for him to stay in control before his temper exploded. Goran motioned to Ranj. “Explain.”
Ranj stole a quick look at Pa’la who was standing off to the side, watching the event. She subtly raised an eyebrow.
“I spent three days learning the basics of their language,” he explained, focusing again on Goran. “And, a short time ago, her companions came and took her with them.”
Songa immediately went to a hard boil as her temper escalated. “You let them come in here, and take her away?”
Before she could continue, Ranj moved directly in front of her, staring. “There were three of them, and they had weapons . . .”
“Did you fight back?”
“Yes.”
Songa uttered several expletives particular to their language. “I’ll bet you tried real hard to stop your little, favored pet from leaving,” she muttered.
It was his turn. “Well—if you did your job correctly and found the quarry, it’s pretty clear I wouldn’t have faced three of them at once . . .”
Songa started to reach for her weapon when Goran took two strides, knocking her hand away. “Leave us now, and, get yourself under control . . .” His voice was level, yet impatient. When she didn’t move, he bellowed at full volume in her ear. “Now!”
Anyone witnessing the exchange could see Songa’s battle for self-control. Finally, she turned, stomping off into the trees.
Goran waited until she disappeared from view. “Was that really the way of it?”
Ranj made certain he made eye contact with his superior when he answered, “Yes—I saw all three of them up close. Their leader is a young one—he and I fought for a bit before another pulled a weapon on me.”
His comment piqued Goran’s interest. “What was that like? How did he fight?”
“I reached for my weapon, but he moved like the wind. The next thing I knew, my weapon was on the ground, out of reach—he struck me three times, then he moved away.”
“Did you strike him?”
Goran’s soldier chuckled with admiration. “I never had the chance—his strikes hurt, but, I could absorb them. We were sizing each other up for another go ‘round, when a female of their party had me looking at the wrong end of her weapon. If she hadn’t interfered, it would have been interesting—I noticed the tall one studying me for weak points . . .”
“Could you have taken him?” Goran’s interest was strictly professional, and he found such a match of strange opponents fascinating.
“Probably—if he were stationary. But, I don’t think he would have obliged me—actually, I asked him the same thing.”
“What did he answer?”
“He admitted he wasn’t sure—but, I could see he wouldn’t hesitate to try.”
“So,” Goran pondered, “it may be a question of our mass and strength versus their speed and technique.” He thought about his observation for a moment. “Interesting . . .”
Ranj eyed his Commander. “What’s more interesting is he had a weapon, and he could have easily pulled it on me before I could retrieve mine. However, he chose to close on a much bigger target and fight hand-to-hand.”
“Is he merely foolish?”
Ranj considered his Commander’s question briefly, then discarded the idea. “No, I recognized intelligence in his eyes—he made a tactical decision, and I think he has a strong sense of fair play.”
“A weakness?”
“Unknown . . .”
Without a word from his Commander, Ranj watched him wander into the woods, presumably back to their camp. He turned to face Pa’la who stood silently looking at him.
