The Cold Wind (Ch 08 - 10)
#8 of The Cold Wind 1
Chapter Eight
After rendezvousing back at the shuttle, they quickly stowed their gear. Stowing the two unconscious humans proved to be more problematic. It was Tusker who first realized the issue. "We should tread carefully. These humans are fragile and they have both been damaged already. This one is bleeding all over me," he gently nudged the smaller, lighter-colored body with one hand, the talons folded back on his fingers so as not to injure it further, "and that one appears to be broken," he rumbled softly, indicating where the more solid, darker-colored human's right leg now bent in one more place than the left. "We no longer have time to acquire new specimens. These, damaged though they are, will have to suffice," Fleet-Of-Foot responded, disinterested. "Your precious medic should be able to heal them on our return, anyway." "Understood. However, might I suggest you limit the G-forces of our launch, hrrr? I suspect they are incapable of withstanding the same forces we can." Slash-To-Kill swung his head around and briefly examined the two humans being held by Tusker and Fleet-Of-Foot before snorting. "Very well. Are we secured, hrrr?" When Crater snapped his jaw shut in affirmation, the warrior powered up the small singularity generator. While waiting for it to spin up to operational velocity he turned to the engineer, his eyes narrowed and a worried expression evident on his craggy features. "We have yet to see any evidence of their military technology. Were you able to obtain any relevant information regarding this?" Crater snapped his jaw shut again and pulled out his datapad. "I was able to connect to some sort of primitive planet-wide information network. A lot of the information is incomprehensible to me without further study. However my preliminary threat assessment is low, providing we are able to avoid any of their atmospheric defense vehicles. This vessel's defensive capabilities would be insufficient to protect us against weapons carried by such vehicles." "Understood." The singularity generator was finally up to speed so he fired the retro-rockets to get them airborne before activating it. Creaking and groaning, the small shuttle blasted upwards setting off radar alerts across a wide swathe of the hemisphere while it gained altitude_._ A great deal of interest was shown by the staff at a nearby Air-force base as they tracked its path through the sky, thinking that some sort of unauthorized launch of one of their own missiles was to blame. And, once it had departed from orbit the shuttle was tracked. The ripple of interest created by the launch soon resulted in the discovery of a much larger vessel parked in a Lagrange orbit out past the Moon. And it was not any recognizably human vessel, either. Massive defense networks were activated, top secret phone numbers were dialed and important people were woken up. "I presume you were successful, hrrr?" Swift-Death rumbled, leaning against a bulkhead when Slash-To-Kill stepped from the airlock of the small shuttle after it had docked and the hangar re-pressurized. "Indeed. You had doubts, hrrr?" Slash-To-Kill inquired, his voice all sweetness and light but doing little to conceal the hint of menace underneath. Swift-Death knew better than to fall for that little trap. He hadn't been made pack-leader because he was pretty. He dismissed the warrior with a warning look and waited for the others to exit. Next from the airlock were Fleet-Of-Foot and Tusker carrying their human burdens. Two-Talon, who had arrived at the docking bay shortly after being summoned by Swift-Death, quickly studied at the humans and then turned back at the two warriors with a questioning look on his face. Fleet-Of-Foot stopped and turned to the medic. "They put up a struggle and had to be subdued. They have accidentally become damaged and may require your assistance." "Accidentally. I suspect that is stretching the truth -" "Are you accusing me of, hrrr lying, medic?" Fleet-Of-Foot interrupted, glaring at Two-Talon in a threatening manner. Two-Talon was not in the least intimidated, standing a full third of a meter taller and weighing considerably more than the warrior. He had on many occasions actually been mistaken for a warrior due to his size and musculature, even when wearing the distinctive blue medic's skinsuit. Dropping his satchel full of equipment he fronted up to the warrior with his talons extended. "That is exactly -" he began to snarl furiously, but was cut off by the pack-leader. "That is enough, both of you!" he roared while roughly shoving them apart. During the struggle, Fleet-Of-Foot had unceremoniously dumped Tainui's body on the deck. Swift-Death crouched down and scooped the human up and thrust it at the medic. "Fix it. Fix them both if necessary. Remember, we require them alive." He then turned swiftly to the warrior and poked him in the chest with one taloned finger. "These miserable aliens weigh a fraction of what you do. I do not believe for one second that you would have any difficulty in subduing them. If either of those two creatures dies, I will execute you both. Understood, hrrr?" Both Fleet-Of-Foot and Two-Talon glared at each other but tilted their heads back and exposed their necks to the pack-leader in a display of submission and respect. Satisfied, Swift-Death stormed from the shuttle hangar with a cowed Fleet-Of-Foot following a respectful distance behind him. Tusker had been standing silently in the shuttle hatch, watching with mixed alarm and bemusement at the altercation between his bond-mate and the other warrior. He jumped down onto the deck, carefully cradling his human charge to prevent any further injury then lumbered over to Two-Talon. The human's clothing was now quite soaked with its bright red blood and the sticky fluid had become smeared over his own arms and skinsuit. The smell of it was faintly metallic and sweet, making his stomach rumble with hunger. "This one is injured, also, hrrr?" Two-Talon rumbled with disappointment. "Very well, please bring it to the medical section." Collecting his bag full of equipment and carrying his own human baggage, he led the way with his bond-mate following close behind. When Crater finally managed to heave the sacks full of supplies free from the storage lockers inside the shuttle, he found himself abandoned and alone in the shuttle hangar. He dumped the heavy sacks to the deck beside the shuttle and swore loudly. "May those lazy spawnlings become impaled on a rutting Rank-Beast's cock," he ranted, spitting and cursing. Ignoring the sacks, he stormed off to the bridge, muttering obscenities under his breath the whole way. On entering the medical section, Two-Talon gently laid the unconscious human on an examination table and indicated for Tusker to do the same. "I do not know the first thing about human physiology," he muttered while activating the table's scanning function and waiting impatiently for the results. "My presence is unnecessary here. However, I will be located nearby if you require me," Tusker stepped around the table and stood beside his bond-mate, staring down at the humans. "When you have finished with these two creatures you will accompany me for a meal, hrrr?" The medic turned to him and smiled, forcing himself to relax a little after his confrontation with Fleet-Of-Foot. "I am relieved the mission was successful for you and that you returned to me without injury." He leaned over and licked the side of Tusker's face. "I just regret that you had to harm the humans to such an extent. They do not deserve to be treated this way." Tusker looked decidedly uncomfortable. "I did not mean to injure this one," he rumbled contritely, leaning over he examined properly for the first time the human he had captured. "They appear to be a weak species and prone to injury." "Perhaps. However, you should be wary of making assumptions, lover. Assumptions have an unpleasant tendency to snap their jaws shut on your posterior when you least expect it. I will attempt to heal them to the best of my abilities. Indeed, it would be pleasant to share a meal with you. I will contact you when my duties here are complete." "Very well. Until then." Two-Talon looked up from the table and watched with affection while his bond mate lumbered from the room and closed the hatch behind him. He sighed and returned his attention to the table, snapping his jaw shut gently when the table finished its preliminary scan. Examining the results on his medical datapad, he blinked in surprise. Some of the human physiology was similar to that of the Vanguard and a few other species he was familiar with. Other parts...not so much. They had a very simple bone-structure and it appeared that the function of at least some of the organs was familiar in function if not in form. The darker colored human was largely undamaged apart from a complete break in the upper bone in its right leg and some severe surface bruising. The other, smaller human had only superficial damage, but a fair amount of blood-loss. Working quickly, he stripped the clothing from them and decided that the one losing blood was his first priority. Closing his eyes, he pressed his hands lightly over the puncture wounds and concentrated. All external sensations slowly faded from his consciousness until all that was left was the feeling of the life-form beneath his hands. With only a little effort on his part, he felt the reassuring tingle in the sensitive nerves in his fingers when they extruded through his skin and into that of the body beneath him indicating his healing ability was working correctly. Although it was unfamiliar, he felt the nerves in the human's body sluggishly respond to the energy he was transmitting through his own. The damage began to heal; slowly at first, but when he concentrated and became more familiar with the alien nerve signals the process began to speed up. After only a few minutes, he slowly opened his eyes and waited until the nerve tendrils had fully withdrawn back into his skin before he removed his hands. Where there used to be deep puncture wounds, there was now fresh, pink scar tissue that would quickly disappear over the next few days. He licked at the bright red blood on his fingers, analyzing the taste of it. Iron. Curious! One of the base elements of human blood chemistry was Iron. Vanguard blood chemistry was based on Manganese. It was a small difference, but one that had certain implications when it came to their diet. Thankfully it seemed that their bodies were based on similar proteins and amino acids to that of the Vanguard. While it was likely they would be able to metabolize at least some Vanguard food, they would also definitely require dietary supplements to keep them healthy. Turning his attention to the other slightly larger and darker human, he realized that unless he was mistaken they were both males of their species. Exposed, external genitalia was a strange evolutionary development! However, if their procreation followed 'standard' models then they were not a breeding pair being the same sex; their pack-leader would be disappointed. Dismissing the thought, Two-Talon carefully realigned the bone in its - his - leg. The Vanguard healing ability only worked within a few centimeters of the skin's surface, so fixing the break posed a bit of a problem. Thinking quickly, he laid his hands on the human's thigh and concentrated, deadening all the nerves in that section. Flicking out one of the long, razor-sharp talons on a forward hand, he carefully cut deep into the muscle along a section several centimeters long, careful to avoid the major artery that he had sensed was there. Holding apart the exposed muscle with the fingers on his rear hands, he slipped the fingers of his forward hands deep inside the bleeding gash and closed his eyes, concentrating. Healing bone was a lot trickier than skin, flesh, or soft organs. And a lot slower. But again, the humans surprised him - they appeared to heal at a much more rapid pace than any Vanguard under the influence of his abilities. It also helped that, unlike in the Vanguard, human bone was mostly hollow. Once finished, Two-Talon closed up the large cut he'd made and healed it over. The accelerated healing process would continue for several minutes, even after he had ceased all physical contact. Although the human would have a sore leg for several days, he shouldn't be too much the worse for wear. Again, he sampled the blood by licking his fingers clean. Slight, subtle differences from the smaller human, but otherwise much the same. When the smaller one groaned softly, he realized it was time to secure them before they regained consciousness. Hunting around quickly, he located some anesthetic gel which he slathered on the worst of their remaining cuts and bruises before gently picking them both up. Cradling them in his arms, he departed the medical section and loped smoothly down the corridor toward their temporary prison. Stares-Into-Space was waiting for him inside the converted storage area that she and a few other of the crew had been feverishly working on for the past couple of hours. They had made good progress, having installed a basic cleaning-pool in one corner of the room as well as removing most of the other fixtures and retro-fitting a substantial and lockable hatch to the bulkhead. Two-Talon laid the two humans onto the sleep-webbing that had been fixed to one corner of the room and stepped back. The engineer lumbered over and briefly examined the humans, taking one sniff before snapping her head back and wrinkling her snout in distaste. "Hrrr, they reek." "You would also if you had been through what these two have," Two-Talon responded, annoyed. "They are recovering and will shortly regain consciousness. We should depart before they do so." "Very well. Their...accommodation is not comfortable. But with such short notice to prepare, it will have to suffice." Snapping his jaw shut the medic waited until the engineer and her crew had departed before hunkering down beside the sleep-webbing. He pulled out his medical datapad and scanned them one last time to make certain he hadn't missed anything. Satisfied, he pocketed the datapad after a minute or two, then turned and walked out, securing the bulkhead hatch behind him. He was surprised to see the pack-leader waiting in the corridor outside. "They should recover shortly," the medic told him, turning and walking back toward the medical section. Swift-Death accompanied him down the corridor. "Have you altered the gravity in this section? It feels lighter than normal." The pack-leader was enjoying the increased spring in his step while he lumbered around. "Indeed. Gravity on the human planet is approximately half of what we are used to. Our atmosphere is also thicker than theirs. However given time they should be able to adapt. I will return gravity back to normal settings over time as they become used to it." Two-Talon halted and turned to the pack-leader. "What will become of them on our return to the colony, hrrr?" Swift-Death's expression was difficult for him to read while he continued down the corridor without stopping. The medic hurried to catch him up. "Interrogation and mind scans, most likely. The information we have gathered on this trip, coupled with whatever we get out of the humans, will decide the fate of this species." "After they have been interrogated, what becomes of them, hrrr?" "I would imagine they will be delivered to the military medics for detailed cellular analysis, threat assessment and then the remains disposed of once they no longer serve any useful purpose." The pack-leader hesitated for a moment, looking vaguely disgusted if Two-Talon read the expression correctly. "That, or served up for some Elder's decadent, exotic meal." Two-Talon stopped again, struggling to conceal the horror he was feeling. Had he really been that naive to think they would not be experimented on and treated as little more than primitive animals? "Hrrr! They are intelligent aliens. I do not believe this is a civilized course of action for -" "Enough, medic! The Elders have made their decision and it is not our place to question them. You will obey my instructions as I obey theirs." Swift-Death took a threatening stance, glaring at the medic. "Is that understood, hrrr?" Two-Talon raised his head and exposed his throat, closing his eyes in submission. Swift-Death snorted, apparently satisfied. Turning, he stalked away without a backward glance. Shaking with fury at himself for being so stupid and feeling a deep, burning humiliation, Two-Talon stormed back to the medical section. Pulling out his datapad he hurled it at a bulkhead where it shattered, showering the room in sparking pieces of high-tech wreckage. It took him several minutes to calm down enough for his anger to simmer into merely a black depression instead. He held his forward hands up to his snout, tentatively sniffing at them. 'My talons are for healing, not harm,' he thought sadly to himself while inspecting the razor sharp talons on each hand. By healing the two aliens' injuries he would now be responsible - at least partially - for the torture and death that was in their short-term future. Although he still had a lot to learn about these strange little creatures, the sense of wrongness about what they were doing was something that weighed heavily on his mind. That they posed little in the way of a threat was obvious - unless they possessed some sort of hidden abilities that his preliminary scans hadn't picked up, which was highly unlikely. Given the recent unrest in the colonies when it came to the more immediate and likely danger from the Arbiters, this abduction was completely unnecessary - humans were not the enemy to be feared here. Rightly or wrongly, Vanguard civilization was based on strength. The Strong Lead the Weak; this was the basic tenet of their entire society. Two-Talon would not - could not - challenge Swift-Death (and by proxy the colony Elders) on his decision, but he certainly didn't have to like it. And, while he couldn't reverse the decision to take these aliens, he could at least do his best to protect them. His mind made up, he began thinking about how to accomplish his goal. An hour or so later Tusker walked through the hatch carrying the satchel full of 'treats' from the human planet that he'd recovered from the shuttle docking-bay. "I thought you may desire to examine some of the items we acquired on our recent mission," he rumbled, emptying the satchel out onto an examination table and rummaging through the items while taking tentative sniffs of some and studying the exotic packaging on others. Two-Talon huffed happily and walked over to the table. "I am pleased you returned. You are off duty already, hrrr?" He stood behind the young warrior, wrapping all four of his arms around his chest and holding him tightly. Tusker turned his head and licked his bond-mate's face affectionately. "How are our guests doing, hrrr?" Two-Talon indicated a nearby monitor, which showed the two humans huddled together on some sleep-webbing in a corner of the converted storage room. "They only recovered consciousness a few minutes ago. Physically, they appear to be in good health after I healed the worst of their injuries. What damage remains is superficial and should heal in a matter of days. How they will cope with their ordeal however, I prefer not to speculate. They are probably terrified." The warrior watched the monitor for a few moments. "That is not surprising, I suppose. Weird looking creatures; I pity them, half blind and with only two arms - how do they get anything accomplished! Have you ascertained whether or not they are a breeding pair, hrrr?" "I do not believe so, they are both males if my scans are correct. From my understanding of their physiology they are both only a little older than spawnlings. Actually, I believe they are not too far off our own age." He looked back at Tusker, sighing heavily. "Hrrr, I must share something with you, however I suspect you will not enjoy what I have to communicate. Taking these aliens from their home-world is a mistake. Even if they were a breeding pair, they will never have that opportunity now. My bond-mate, this is just not right." Tusker pulled away and regarded him suspiciously through narrowed eyes. "Is that what your disagreement with our pack-leader was about, in the corridor earlier, hrrr?" "You heard that exchange then. Correct, he did not share my viewpoint," Two-Talon said, a wry smile on his face which quickly faded when it was clear that his bond-mate was less than amused. "Why are we doing this, hrrr? We have gathered enough information from other sources, without the requirement of abducting specimens. You realize they will be experimented on and then terminated once any useful information has been extracted from them. Does that not trouble you even a little, hrrr?" The warrior blinked at him, his expression stony. "We are under instruction from the Elders to do this. You may not like it - hrrr, I may not like it either, however it is not our place to question their decisions or motives." "This should have been handled differently! The Ancestor-cursed Elders are not always correct! Age does not automatically grant wisdom." Tusker glared at him, upset that his bond-mate was even saying such things to him. "Right or wrong that is not our decision to make," he growled, talons on his hands unconsciously splaying out in an aggressive manner without his conscious control. Two-Talon lowered his head and stared forlornly at the pile of stuff on the table. "You sound just like Swift-Death," he rumbled quietly, which was exactly the wrong thing to say. Snarling, "The strong have always led the weak - it is our way!" "Because someone is stronger it does not make them superior!" he snapped back with his lips curling up to expose more of his teeth. Although he knew this was heading into dangerous territory, Two-Talon was on a roll, his emotions getting the better of him. The argument was making Tusker furious; questioning his beliefs and testing his loyalty to his pack-leader wasn't the sort of thing he expected from his bond-mate. Especially now. "Enough!" he roared. "You speak treason! You know very well that could get us both executed." Staring into his bond-mate's eyes, Two-Talon suddenly realized he'd stepped way over the line and quickly attempted to back-track. "Hrrr, you are right. That was a foolish thing for me to say." He gestured at the jumbled pile of goods on the table, hoping to defuse the situation. "I appreciate you obtaining these items from the planet. They appear quite fascinating. Can you assist me with sorting through them?" Tusker just gave him a cold stare and stormed toward the hatch instead. Shaken, Two-Talon quickly followed and reached out a couple of hands to his shoulder to prevent him from leaving. "Please! Do not abandon me! Accept my apologies, I did not consider my words appropriate when I spoke," he pleaded. "You should have considered that before you spoke, especially when you already know my feelings on the matter. Hrrr, I am late for duty." Brushing off Two-Talon's hands and closing the hatch, he stormed away.
Chapter Nine
Tainui awoke to the mother of all headaches, a sore, tingling leg and only a vague recollection of what had happened. He tried to recall something about large monsters chasing them...Andrej! Looking around he was relieved to see the boy lying next to him, although he was now completely naked. Some bastard had taken off with his clothes as well, he realized. There were some bruises on Andrej's chest and what appeared to be a mostly healed burn that was covered in something wet and sticky. But he appeared otherwise unharmed. Reaching out an arm he wiped at the sticky goo with one finger and brought it to his nose and sniffed it, recoiling slightly at the peculiar smell. He quickly wiped his finger against his leg and winced at the movement - it felt like he'd been run over by several burly rugby players. Gingerly rubbing at the sore spot he felt more of the sticky muck on his leg, right where it felt the sorest. Sitting up and looking around he felt a little strange; he was having difficulty breathing because the very air itself felt thick, warm and almost syrupy. He also felt like he suddenly had put on several kilos. They were in some sort of cube-shaped room with dark gray metallic walls, floor and ceiling. A sturdy looking metal and frosted-glass door set in one side completed the decorations. No five-star hotel then... The sound of running water caught hi's attention next and he hunted around for the source. In one corner, opposite the door, there was what appeared to be a small pool. Water flowed from a vent on one side and disappeared into a grate on the other. Curiosity temporarily sated, he dragged himself off the spongy hammock he was lying on and staggered to his feet with difficulty. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he staggered, leaning with his back against the wall for a couple of minutes until the spell passed. Using the wall for support he walked slowly over to the door. "Hey! Is anyone there?" There was no response to his call. Unsurprisingly, the door didn't move when he pushed at it. There was nothing in the corridor that he could see through the partially translucent material. Frustrated, he carefully walked over to the pool and examined it. As with the air the water was warm but appeared otherwise normal. Still wondering why he felt so heavy, he knelt by the pool and scooped some of the tepid water into his mouth. It tasted flat and metallic but it was still palatable at least. Tenderly rubbing his aching head, Tainui made his way back to the unconscious boy and tried to rouse him. Andrej groaned and opened his eyes blearily, blinked a few times then sat bolt upright. Or tried to - he quickly lay back and began convulsively swallowing, desperately trying to stop himself puking his guts out. Tainui was looking at him with a worried expression on his face. "What's going on, Tai?" he managed to mumble. "Where are we?" "Not sure, bro. Some sort of prison I reckon. What's the last thing you remember?" "Uh, I went outside for a piss. Then...Oh shit! Big creature/monster things? Man, was I dreaming that shit up? What the fuck, man? What the fucking fuck?!" Tainui smiled ruefully at him. "If you were dreaming those as well, then welcome to my nightmare. You okay?" "Yeah, I think so. Oh god, what's up with this place? I feel so weird." "Dunno...air conditioning is broken, I think." Tainui struggled to his feet again and shuffled over to the door and examined it closely. There was no obvious handle or lock, although there was a large, rectangular plate recessed slightly into the wall beside it. Shrugging, he pressed it and, as he expected, nothing happened. Bunching his fists, he hammered at the glass portion of the door. "Open the goddamned door, motherfuckers!" he screamed, adding a kick for good measure. There was no visible response to his tirade. "We're in trouble...aren't we?" He turned and saw Andrej hunched up on the hammock-thing, pale and shaking with fear. He moved as fast as his unsteady legs could carry him back and gingerly sat down, drawing Andrej into a tight embrace and holding his head against his chest as if he could protect the boy from whatever danger they were in. "Whatever happens I'll protect you. Okay, bro? You have my promise. Nothing bad is gonna happen to you while I've got anything to say about it." That elicited a small smile from the shaken boy. "I'm a lean, mean, ass-kicking machine -" Andrej nudged him gently in the ribs with his elbow. "You had me with your first sentence, Tai. The rest is just overkill," he laughed weakly. Smiling with more bravado than he actually felt, the Maori ruffled his hair and rubbed his cheek against Andrej's. "We're in this together, anyway. I'm sure we'll figure something out." Several minutes later, they heard some muffled sounds outside the door. It sounded like someone was approaching, heavy footsteps ringing against the metal floor. Exchanging a nervous glance with Andrej, Tainui got to his feet and walked a couple of steps toward the door. Staring through the frosted glass all he could see was a dark shape moving toward him. It was only when the shape got close that he could see what it was. He stepped backward with a dismayed curse. It was one of the monsters, about three metres tall and looking like a special-effects reject from a crappy sci-fi TV series. Instinctively, Tainui positioned himself in front of Andrej. The creature slapped at a pressure pad on the other side of the door and waited impatiently for it to rumble open before stepping into the room. It stared at them for a minute or so then snorted as if it found them distasteful. Without a word, it departed just as swiftly as it had arrived, the door rumbling shut behind it. "Holy shit!" Tainui realized he'd been holding his breath the entire time and let it out with a rush, sitting down hard on the hammock-thing. When Andrej grabbed him from behind and wrapped his arms around his chest, he almost jumped out of his skin. "What the hell is that thing?" "I dunno. Has to be some guy in a costume. This must be one of those moronic 'reality TV' shows where you're being punked or something," Tainui struggled to put a note of confidence into his voice that he didn't actually feel. Whatever the hell was happening, it wasn't any TV show, that was for damned sure. "If I had any undies I'd be shitting them right now," Andrej muttered. Despite the Maori's show of bravado, he could see the fear in his eyes and his own statement was actually not far from the truth. But the smile it had brought to Tainui's face was worth it. There was something very, very wrong with what was happening here, the violence of the attack made a mockery of the whole 'reality TV' idea. However both of them freaking out certainly wasn't going to help matters. Whatever these creatures were, he had no doubt it would end badly for both of them. His first thought on seeing the creature in the light for the first time was that it was some kind of demon. But although unpleasant, the room they were trapped in wasn't exactly hellish. And he didn't really buy into the whole religious concept of heaven and hell anyway. Men in suits? If someone was that keen on abducting him, why go to all the bother of such ridiculous costumes? And that left... Aliens? When Tainui turned to look at him he realized he must have snorted out loud. He had read and watched a lot of science-fiction growing up. But he was also aware of the reality that aliens would likely have very little reason to visit a planet that was primitive like the Earth. Faster-Than-Light (FTL) travel was impossible according to scientific theory, so making a trip all the way out here to the Galactic rim would take an awful long time for not a lot of reward. If an alien race did invest all that time and energy, they certainly wouldn't muck around kidnapping people from bands - or their roadies for that matter, either. Most visitation theories postulated by knowledgeable people stated any alien species would generally only have one reason to make a trip like that: Elimination of a potential threat. Suddenly Andrej found himself desperately hoping for men in ridiculous costumes. It wasn't long before the creature returned. It stood for a couple of minutes in the doorway and appeared to study them intently. They backed into the corner of the room, clambering over the hammock and as far away as they could get from it. Given that this thing likely outweighed him by several hundred kilos, Tainui was sure it could rip him to shreds without thinking twice. Like Andrej, he also had serious doubts about the men in costumes theory, however the jury was still out on exactly what the thing is. One thing was for certain however; he wasn't about to let it get at Andrej without a fight. Crouching in a defensive posture he waited for it to attack but all it did was stand motionless by the door, staring at them. It looked for all the world like some sort of mutant, upright, raptor-like dinosaur. Only, unlike a dinosaur, it had four muscular looking arms - one pair in front of the other, slightly larger pair, set in very broad shoulders. Each arm ended in stubby hands, with wickedly sharp looking talons on each finger. Four large, jet-black eyes, two on each side of its vaguely equine looking head were protected by bony looking ridges. The short snout was rimmed with short, sharp teeth. Midway along the lower jaw, two curving tusks jutted outwards and upwards, one on each side lending the already demonic looking visage an extra slice of vicious it didn't really need. Although dwarfed by the horns adorning the top of its head the tusks were the size of a fish-knife and obviously just as lethal. Tainui was reminded of some of the Maori tribal carvings of Taniwha, the guardian spirits carved into the wooden panels adorning the meeting houses from back home in New Zealand. If someone mashed the head of a dinosaur, horse and demon together, it would probably look something like this he guessed. Whatever the creature was it was obviously made for fighting; its tail, descending down the back and between its thick-set legs looked like it was used to partially counter-balance the heavy, muscular upper body. The fine, light-gray colored scales reminded him of those of a snake. The creature wasn't naked, however. It wore a kind of black, skin-tight outfit, similar to what an Olympic wrestler would wear... if an Olympic wrestler had four arms, a tail and came from someone's fevered imagination, that is. After observing them for a couple of minutes it moved across the room and hunkered down on its haunches while using its tail for additional support. Still looking at them it blinked its eyes occasionally but did nothing further. Perhaps it wasn't hungry? 'Yet,' Tainui thought, relaxing - just a fraction - and waiting for its next move. After several more minutes of tense eye-balling it reached into a pocket for something. Both he and Andrej tensed however the object it pulled out turned out to be fairly innocuous, resembling some sort of tablet computer. When the creature pointed it in their direction he tensed again. What was it up to? Abruptly, it began rumbling and hissing in a very deep and guttural tone with occasional snaps of its jaw and shakes of its head and waving of arms. It stopped speaking and the device in its hand chirped into life, speaking in a clipped monotone with a very strange accent. "You human. We Vanguard. Relocate home, specimen human acquired. Request confirmation. You threat. You negative threat. Understand you, interrogative." Once it had finished speaking the creature pointed the device at them and sat there waiting patiently, blinking its four eyes occasionally. Exchanging a confused look the two of them just sat there staring back at it, too afraid to move or speak incase the creature decided to fly into a psychopathic rage and eat their faces off or something. Eventually it must have got bored of waiting and barked out a short, sharp noise, its eyes narrowed slightly in a gesture that they were almost certain indicated annoyance. "Communicate," the device snapped out in its artificial monotone. "Communicate? What do you want us to communicate with you? That we understood whatever garbage it was that machine of yours was spewing at us?" Andrej raised an eyebrow and looked at Tainui with nervousness tinged with respect. The Maori had balls (and oh, what balls...), he'd give him that much. "Tai, I dunno if it's good idea to piss this thing off, y'know?" he hissed. Given the strange situation he was now almost dead certain these were not men in suits. Everything about the creature appeared quite real. The way it looked, sounded, behaved was very organic, fluid in its movements in exactly the sort of way a human in a suit wouldn't be. Having grown up on a diet of trashy sci-fi and fantasy he knew that was definitely no make-up or fancy costume it was wearing. So, definitely scratch men in suits. That left demons and aliens. Demons were an imaginary human construct and very much a mystical type of creature that had no need of and would likely distain technology if they existed. That left the worst-case scenario. The device was obviously quite sensitive because it made a chiming noise shortly after Andrej had finished speaking. The creature looked down at it then quickly back at them, cocking its head. Rumbling and hissing again it spoke for a few seconds and stopped. The small device, obviously some sort of electronic translator, spoke again. "Request confirmation. Understand you, interrogative." Looking back at them, the creature appeared to be waiting for a response. Gripping Tainui tightly Andrej responded. "No, we don't understand you." It closed its eyes and uttered a short purring noise that almost sounded reminiscent of a sigh while it studied the screen on the translation device. Slower this time, it spoke a short sentence and slapped its chest with one of its forward hands balled up into a fist. "This one Vanguard. Understand you, interrogative." It then went silent, clearly waiting for a response. "You...things are called Vanguard?" Andrej asked, realizing the tactic it was attempting to use: K.I.S.S - Keep It Simple, Stupid. He still clung to the Maori tightly despite feeling slightly comforted by the fact that it appeared more interested in dialogue than eating their faces off... At least for the moment, anyway. The creature grunted and slapped its chest again before snapping its jaws shut with a loud «crack!». "Vanguard. Correct," the translator device simply said. Andrej sat forward, interested despite himself. "Now we're getting somewhere," he muttered. "Vanguard is its name or the name of its people you reckon?" he quietly asked Tainui who merely shrugged at him. "I don't care what its fucking name is, just ask it where the nearest exit is!" he hissed. "We've gotta get out of here." He was becoming concerned that Andrej was beginning to think that this was all some sort of challenge or game. They were in serious trouble here. The Vanguard closed its eyes for several long moments then reached up with its two fore arms and ran its taloned fingers along the length of its impressive tusks. It barked out a short word or sentence - it was hard to tell which - however this time the translation device remained silent. "Uh, bite? Eat? Teeth? Fangs?" Andrej began spouting off words. Tainui looked at him as if he'd suddenly sprouted two heads. "What the hell are you doing?!" "Just play along, it might buy us some time. I think it's trying to tell us its name. Just think of it like a game of charades -" "Dude, I suck at charades," Tainui interrupted him, wide-eyed. "For both our sakes, just try, okay? Oh, I know...tusks!" Andrej said, almost happily. At this the Vanguard's head perked up and it studied at him with obvious interest. It snapped its jaw shut more gently this time and waved all four of its arms at them in a somewhat universal gesture meaning 'your turn'. "I am Andrej." "Tainui," Tainui said, repeating the creatures movements of slapping his chest with a fist and stating his name. "Me Tarzan, you Jane," he whispered quietly to Andrej, who cracked a brief smile. The creature made a guttural croaking noise, paused, then repeated it a few times before they realized it was attempting to say their names. After several attempts it gave up, growling deep in its throat then slapped quickly at the translation device when it began to speak, cutting it off before it had even said one word. It lay the device on the floor in front of it and stared at them with what appeared to be frank curiosity. Surreptitiously glancing past the Vanguard, Tainui confirmed that the door was still open behind it. He inched toward the edge of the hammock-thing and when he got there he slowly stood while being careful to make no sudden moves. He turned his head back to Andrej and smiled with confidence he still didn't feel. "Speaking of games, bro. You know about the game called 'I distract the Taniwha while you run like hell'? It's a great game, you'll love it," he whispered. He failed to notice the Vanguard's shell-like ears perk up behind him. "I don't think -" "Just do it! And don't look back," Tainui growled at him quietly. Nodding reluctantly Andrej also slowly and carefully stood up beside him. He reached for Tainui's hand and squeezed it briefly then released it. The Maori closed his eyes briefly and smiled at him before turning to the Vanguard. "So, you big dumb eho. How about you show me around your whare, eh? Whaddya say, lizard-face? Say, wouldn't you make a fucking fantastic pair of woman's shoes? And what about a matching handbag with those shoes, huh? Skin you like a snake," Tainui talked loudly while shuffling along the wall and away from the door. He waved his arms around in a dramatic manner which made the Vanguard lurch to its feet, rumbling in an unmistakably menacing tone while it turned its entire body to follow his movement - its thick neck and upper body did not appear to be particularly flexible. Andrej waited until the creature's back was to him then nodded to Tainui who made a sudden dash for the pool on the opposite side of the room from the door. He made it about half-way when the Vanguard roared and swept toward him in a lightning fast movement. At the same moment Andrej, who was no slouch when it came to sprinting, made his break for the open doorway from behind. He quickly found himself being collected by the creature as it effortlessly tucked a squirming Tainui under its arms and swiveled, leaping over and snatching him up off the floor when he tried to skirt around it. They both found themselves being flung, with surprising accuracy, back onto the padded hammock-thing. The Vanguard rounded on them while they lay there winded and gasping in shock. It loomed over them huffing loudly despite the fact that it did not appear in the least winded. It then spoke at them in its deep, guttural voice but without the translation device, ineffective though it had been. There was no way they could understand it. Thankfully it hadn't deployed any of its razor-sharp looking talons when capturing them and in fact it had handled them in a surprisingly gentle manner, all things considered. Abruptly it turned and in one fluid movement had sprung toward the doorway, grabbing the translation device off the floor while it did so. Slapping the pressure switch with one of its rear hands, the Vanguard slipped through the opening and disappeared down the corridor before Tainui could give so much as a nervous twitch. Damn, the thing was bloody quick! The door slid closed behind the creature when it exited the room before either of them thought to try and make another escape attempt. "Maybe it's gone to get an anal-probe," Andrej joked weakly, quickly dropping his smile at the serious look on the Maori's face. Staggering to his feet he made his way over to the pool in the corner of the room, gingerly lowering himself to his knees by the edge and cupping his hands in the water to drink. Despite his dark foreboding about their immediate future and the shaky aftermath of the adrenaline rush, Tainui couldn't help but admire the youthful body on display in front of him. The muscles moved lithely beneath the boy's pale skin. And that ass; that deliciously hot, tight ass... He was a little shocked to discover that he was getting quite turned on. His body obviously didn't have the same concerns about demons or aliens that he did...and perhaps his body was right. Although things were grim, he suspected they were not in any immediate danger; if it intended them harm it would have done something already rather than just shutting them away in some alien jail. If they were going to die then he wanted at least one more go with that ass before they were eaten or chopped into bloody chunks. The hardness between his legs at the thought surprised him. Now, of all times? Strange the way the body and mind worked when faced with imminent death... With this in mind, he made his way over to where Andrej was crouching, wrapping his arms around the boy's chest from behind. Andrej leaned into him and sighed. "You didn't have to do that, you know. I can't believe you were willing to risk yourself like that for me. Just, well...thanks, Tai." He leaned his head back against the Maori's shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here with me." "Aww shucks, Ma'am. 'Tweren't nuthin'," Tainui joked, shutting his eyes and trying to pretend that they weren't in such an awful situation. "Anyway, if I didn't have someone here to play Prince Charming to, I'd probably be curled up in the corner of that hammock with my thumb in my mouth, bawling like a freshly spanked toddler." "So, I'm your damsel in distress, am I?" "Mmmmmaybe," Tainui purred into his ear. Freeing himself, he slipped into the water and pulled Andrej in after him and held him close. "So, does my distressed damsel want something to take his mind off things?" "Only if that means Prince Charming is gonna shut up and fuck the damsel's brains out," Andrej smiled back at him, meeting the Maori's urgent hardness with his own. "Damn, this damsel's got a dirty-bitch mouth on him," Tainui laughed, their troubles temporarily pushed to the back of their minds. This turned him on something fierce. Any further words were smothered when the boy attacked his mouth hungrily with his own, their tongues wrestling for supremacy. Hooking his arm's over the Maori's shoulders Andrej hitched himself up slightly and, buoyed somewhat by the water, wrapped his leg's around the Maori's waist. Taking the hint, Tainui guided his cock until the tip of it was resting against the boy's hole. He broke the frantic kiss and looked deep into Andrej's dark brown eyes questioningly. "That thing might walk back in here any second. Hell, they might be watching us right now. You sure you wanna do this, bro? Here and now?" Andrej just nodded and relaxed, letting his own weight push him down, slowly impaling himself on the Maori's hard shaft. Unlike the first time several hours prior in the trailer, this was much more slow, gentle and relaxed. Andrej set the pace, riding Tainui over several long minutes and milking his cock with his tight, clutching ass while the water sloshed around them. He lowered his head and bit at Tainui's shoulder, tasting the salty tang of his sweat while the Maori pushed rhythmically into him. When Tainui thrust his tongue into his mouth with every push of his cock, it almost felt like he was being fucked from both ends. His breath getting ragged, Tainui wasn't far off from unloading into the boy and to try and prolong things he slowed down the thrusts slightly. Andrej thwarted him by squeezing him, milking him and this pushed him over the edge. His hands around the boy's waist, he pulled him down hard, making the boy grunt in surprise when his cock pulsed deep inside him. He shuddered, moaning into Andrej's mouth, almost losing control of the muscles in his legs while he struggled to stop them slipping deeper into the warm water. "Oh, man. That was intense," Andrej sighed with disappointment when he felt the Maori slowly withdraw, leaving him feeling empty, stretched and pleasantly sore. The warm water was quickly soothing away the ache, however, while they clung together. He was surprised that Tainui had much left in him after already running him ragged, twice, in that earlier session back in the trailer. Reluctantly, he pulled away and waded over to the side of the pool, where he clambered out and sat on the edge, leaving his legs to churn the water slowly. His own cock, still rock hard and oozing, demanded attention. Andrej gripped it with one hand, intending to finish himself off. Not wanting to waste an opportunity, Tainui waded over and lowered himself until he was on the same level as the cock in front of him. "Let a real man take care of that for you," he whispered huskily. Licking from the boy's tightly drawn up balls, to the tip, he then wrapped his lips around the head and went for broke. When Andrej closed his eyes and laid back, moaning, Tainui knew the boy wasn't far off in blowing his load. While not equipped to quite the same extent, Andrej was more than a mouthful. So when the boy grabbed his head and pushed him down while coming, he struggled to cope with the deluge. Half of it dripped from his mouth and down his chin. Licking it off Andrej's balls and thighs afterwards wasn't such an unpleasant chore however. After mucking around in the pool for a few minutes and cleaning up, they both clambered out and made their way back to the hammock-thing. Andrej lay against Tainui's chest and rested his head on the Maori's shoulder. He looked around the room again. "Damn, I'm getting hungry. I hope those monsters are going to feed us soon." "Feed us? Mate, after that little performance, I hope they're going to pay us!" Tainui chuckled appreciatively. "We make a good team, don't we?" "Damn straight we do, bro."
Chapter Ten
"Your translation database requires significant improvements," Tusker rumbled when he entered the bridge and lumbered over to where Crater was working at one of the consoles. "It appears to mangle the verbal communications output." He handed his datapad to the engineer who just grunted and took it, giving it a cursory inspection. "That is a version 1.0," he said, tossing it back to the warrior. "It is inaccurate and primitive." Opening one of the many pockets in his skinsuit, Crater pulled out a small, translucent, black disk and handed it to the warrior while continuing to tap away at the console. "Use this instead. It is one of the old communications disks I modified to operate like a translator. I have upgraded the language database since we have had the opportunity to study the humans for longer. I even managed to tap into their satellite communications network and am in the process of accessing their information networks. Hrrr, now desist from taking any more of my time. I have much to do and little time to accomplish it." Snapping his jaw shut quietly in thanks, Tusker turned to depart but was halted by the pack-leader before he passed through the hatch. "I believe we have obtained enough data for the Elders to make an informed decision regarding these human vermin." Tusker snapped his jaw shut in agreement, while Swift-Death continued. "So once the repairs are completed we will depart this system." With this last comment, he swung his craggy head around and glared at the senior engineer, Stares-Into-Space, working nearby. Returning his attention to the warrior, he resumed speaking. "Although I believe the humans are incapable of intercepting us, we will not take any chances. If it appears that we are in difficulty, you are to terminate the humans we have onboard. Any evidence of their existence on this vessel is to be eliminated. Understood, hrrr?" "Understood." Swift-Death returned his attention to his personal control console, waiting until the young warrior had departed. Once Tusker had gone and the hatch sealed behind him he turned to Slash-To-Kill. He had watched the argument that Two-Talon had with Tusker earlier on one of his security monitors. Swift-Death was not a happy pack-leader. "Observe him closely," he rumbled. While he trusted that Tusker took his role of being a Vanguard warrior seriously, Swift-Death also knew how powerful the persuasion of a loved one could be to bend such loyalty. If push came to shove, would the warrior break his warrior vows - that were supposed to be above and beyond those of any personal relationship - or would he remain steadfast? Slash-To-Kill snapped his jaws in acquiescence and departed not far behind the younger warrior, a dangerous little smirk on his face.
* * *
Working feverishly away at a nearby console, Stares-Into-Space swiveled her ears back to a forward position and frowned. She had suspected for some time that there was trouble brewing with the outspoken medic and the pack-leader. Actually, that was a bit of an understatement. Ever since the medic had been assigned to the mission, the pack-leader had almost been going out of his way to antagonize him, pushing him into doing or saying something ill-advised. She had deliberately minimized her contact with Two-Talon, despite the fact that she actually agreed with many of his sentiments. Unknown to anyone else on the crew, she belonged to a pro-independence faction that was beginning to gain a lot of popularity and notoriety on many Vanguard colony worlds. Although their identity was not known, it was even rumored that one of the Tau Ceti colony Elders was one of the senior faction leaders. The faction's reasoning was simple: The 'great' Vanguard Empire was corrupt, decadent and worst of all, faltering. They had to return to the traditional Vanguard values that had made their species so successful in the first place. And key to that was balance; each of the different castes contributing to the success of the whole. Strong clans lead to strong worlds and made the endless conquest and expansions unnecessary. Thanks to their technological superiority over most of the other species in this Galactic sector, the Empire had grown vast, bloated and spread much too thin to be properly sustainable. Colonies were being bled dry to provide resources for a civilization that relied much too heavily on its warrior-might to sustain it. That most of the Empire was run by and for the warrior caste was also something that was highly resented. Many in the faction could see Vanguard enemies waiting (im)patiently in the wings for any sign of weakness. The decadent and failing Empire was dangerous for their entire species. Stares-Into-Space didn't really care all that much for the humans or their potential fate, but she had grown fond of the medic and occasionally found herself feeling jealous of his relationship with the young warrior, Tusker. Burying that feeling of resentment she continued with her work while growling quietly, but also keeping half an eye on a small display of the observation cameras set around the ship. Her role was to quietly observe the mission and report back to her faction contacts on their return to the colony; pining after someone who was unavailable to her was not part of that brief.
* * *
Lumbering back down the corridor to the storage area, Tusker was disturbed. Terminated without a second thought if there was any sign of trouble? After they had gone to all that trouble of obtaining the humans in the first place, not to mention constructing a suitable habitat on their vessel...that would seem like a terrible waste. Was what Two-Talon had said about their torture and eventual destruction true also? 'Hrrr! They are just strange little aliens. What do I care,' he thought to himself while striding down the corridor. Halfway back to the human's enclosure the lie came back to haunt him; if he didn't care, then why was he even thinking about going back to talk with them? Why even have this conversation with himself? The few minutes he'd spent with the two small creatures had been entertaining; he'd even managed to begin basic communications with them. They were obviously intelligent creatures, although he suspected they weren't quite up to Vanguard levels in that respect. He'd even discovered that he was quite amused at their badly botched attempt at escape, the silly little creatures had so seriously underestimated him. And, although he hadn't understood what they were saying to each other, the diversionary tactics the darker one employed were quite transparent and laughable... When he'd stood there laughing at them and telling them this, he realized that the interaction had been strangely enjoyable. Stopping in the corridor, the cold, hard reality of his situation blind-sided him. They were aliens and as such they were expendable - his Elders and by extension, his pack-leader had decreed as much. They were not pets that he could afford to get attached to! He growled out loud, alone in the corridor, becoming angry with himself for his indecision. So why was he going to see the Ancestor-cursed little creatures again? 'Because you are not willing to confront your bond-mate, you pathetic coward,' his own thoughts berated him. 'Anything to avoid a confrontation? Go on...distract yourself with your little alien play-things...' "Desist!" he cried out before clamping his jaw shut, hoping that he hadn't been observed talking to himself by any of the Victorious-Hunting crew. Now in a filthy mood he stormed down the corridor until he reached the turn-off for the storage section. Instead of taking that path, he turned instead toward the medical section for a long overdue discussion with his rebellious bond-mate. He loved Two-Talon with every fibre of his being - the medic had saved his life once a few years back and had been the only one to ever show him any kindness and love. This despite his various physical deformities, one of which was responsible for his name. However, he also took his role of being an Empire warrior seriously and it had been ingrained into him from a very young age that his loyalties lay to the Empire above everything else, including his very life. This wasn't the first time that he and Two-Talon had argued about these fundamental differences in the way they looked at the world. But, was it right to put your duty before the ones you loved? 'Arrrgh! That Ancestor-cursed medic has infected me with his crazy ideals! I am a warrior. I have fought hard to get where I am now and should not be second guessing myself. I follow my pack-leader; he follows the Elders. It is the way of things; it has always been this way for good reason.' Tusker snapped his jaw shut in determination. 'Perhaps I should end things with that crazy medic, for both of our sakes. How dare he argue with our pack-leader! I should march right in there and execute him for sedition!' Increasing his pace, Tusker ground his teeth together in irritation. When he neared the medical section, memories from the past flashed through his mind. That first time, when they had gone rank-beast hunting together in the mist-shrouded forests of Two-Talon's home-world... In the end it was he who had been hunted that day; the sex had been hard, fast and intense. No quarter given or asked for. Another time, attending as his partner to the medical training clan festival. The envious looks of the other Vanguard when the two of them had turned up together. Two-Talon had been so proud of him... "No more!" he roared out aloud in frustration, slashing his hands against a bulkhead, his extended talons sending sparks spraying across the metal. 'Get a grip Tusker! You are an elite warrior, so begin acting like one! Do it now - end it! One way or another, you should end it!' his thoughts screamed at him. Unbidden, more memories surfaced, now of the time he had taken Two-Talon to his home clan gathering for their bonding ceremony flashed through his mind and he clutched at his chest, feeling the slight parallel ridges of the bonding-scars under his skinsuit. The validation he had felt when the clan Elders had smiled their approval of the union. While their bonding would never provide offspring it still brought great honor to his clan. Half blind from bloody tears of anger and confusion, Tusker thundered past the medical section hatch back towards the storage section, the conflicting feelings tearing him apart.