Intermission fic: Nature Trail
Wedged between her patrol partners, Issek growled quietly. “Is he still coming?”
“I think so.” Telrim twisted his long neck up and around the twisted, stubby tree at their back. He cocked his bladed head, peering into the endless blue haze of the valley floor. Strain his ears though he might, he could barely hear anything. But the enemy was close. Close and looking for them. “Only one.”
“They’ve split up,” said Corfiss, at the other end, digging his claws into the thin soil. They probably looked a bit comical, three full-grown Hork-Bajir huddling down in the lee of a pint-sized plant so the rebel wouldn’t see them. Of course, it was also painful.
“Sit still,” Issek snapped at Corfiss. “You are slicing my host.”
Telrim shifted, bracing his tail against the roots. They couldn’t use their Dracon beams here; the haze would reflect it right back into their faces. Blade to blade, then, one three-Yeerk patrol against who-knew-what. “If he gets close enough, we ambush him. Understood?”
They huffed soft acknowledgement, just as the faint thudding drew close enough to be distinct. Telrim glimpsed a shadow and drew his head back, keeping the motion smooth and slow enough to be taken for a swirl of mist. He held a claw up to the others: still just one.
The steps drew closer, methodical padding. Two-footed, heavy on the ground. Just a Hork-Bajir, then. Probably. Coming for them. If they could silence him they might slip away… or just even the odds a little.
Wipe out a resistance team. That would be something to go home with…
Telrim tensed as the rebel came closer, closer… thank the Kandrona that Hork-Bajir were even dimmer than the daylight down here. He didn’t skirt safely around the tree. He came right past it.
The Controllers closed around him, Telrim and Issek in front. Telrim swept a wrist-blade at the rogue’s throat, Issek lashing her tail at his face and darting back. They drew thick blood from arm and chest as the rebel blocked and backed away with a pained moan.
He backed into Corfiss as the third Controller pounced, blades slashing into him, cutting deep across his throat. The free Hork-Bajir gave a ragged howl of pain as he went down.
“They must have heard that.” Issek winced and backed up, staring into the mist. Telrim checked the Hork-Bajir was dead while Corfiss shook off his blades.
“Missed the trachea,” Corfiss grumbled. “Blasted alien anatomy.”
“Quiet.” Telrim’s eyes narrowed as he listened. There were distant, running steps… and among them, a rhythmic thumping. Bigger footsteps. Much bigger. The Controllers looked at each other, frozen.
“Jubba-Jubba,” said Telrim.
“They brought a monster?” Corfiss asked.
“Just run!”
They tore a trail uphill at breakneck speed. No point in stealth now: they picked the straightest line up and ran for it. Uphill, muscles straining, pushing their heavy-built bodies against gravity all the way. They had to get out above the mist. Had to stay ahead of the ravening giant at their backs. Get into the sunlight. Into the trees.
The Jubba-Jubba roared behind them. Telrim stumbled as the gradient abruptly angled steeper. His talons tore chunks out of the soil. A shove on the back, keeping him upright, and then Issek pounded ahead of him. Lighter host. Of course. Corfiss was panting beside him. They scrambled further up. The mist wouldn’t end. How deep in there had they been?
Pounding upward, the air even harsher in his lungs than before. The mist began to thin at last. Damn creature wasn’t slowing. Its masters kept driving it on. Any moment one of the others might get snatched up. He kept imagining the air press against his back as massive fingers swept for him. He’d have to stop. His host was tiring. Not meant to sprint on the ground. His Dracon beam was heavy at his side. He could see Issek clearly now, a fighter’s length ahead. If he had to stop- if he had to stop…
The mist drained away around them. The treeline was ahead, not so far. They might be able to get out of its reach while it squeezed through. Might actually make it.
Telrim felt wind on his back as it roared again. His hand dipped for his beam.
And then an answering noise- a guttural thrumming below the scream of air on hull. A Bug fighter swept over them to meet the monster, the wash knocking Issek off her feet. Telrim and Corfiss threw themselves against the blast of wind and staggered on. A flash of light from above reflected around them, the air above suddenly hot as the fighter’s Dracon cannons fired. The Jubba-Jubba bellowed in pain and staggered.
The ground shook. Issek was jolted unsteady again as her friends caught up. Telrim and Corfiss grabbed an arm each and hauled her with them. They flung themselves into the treeline as the fighter curved around again.
Just as they started to haul themselves up the nearest safe tree they paused and finally looked back. By then the Jubba-Jubba was a shadow of yellow hide retreating into Mother Deep. High above, the Bug fighter saw it off, and then peeled away above the blue expanse. Its engines burned a victorious red, its glossy hull glinting with sunlight as it made a triumphant half-roll.
“Smug idiots,” Corfiss panted.
“Lucky for us.” Telrim drew in a long breath, and then both of them stared at Issek. She was huffing with out-of-breath laughter.
“I’m going to miss this,” she said, checking the pack of wood cores strapped to her side, “if I get transferred to research. The thrill. The open field. Living on the edge.”
“And who’s going to keep the genetic aberrations off your back then?” Telrim wanted to know. He was already thinking ahead, how to report this to their superior.
Issek dug her claws into the bark, starting the long climb up to the tree-ways with a last too-happy chuckle. “We’ll see.”
“I think so.” Telrim twisted his long neck up and around the twisted, stubby tree at their back. He cocked his bladed head, peering into the endless blue haze of the valley floor. Strain his ears though he might, he could barely hear anything. But the enemy was close. Close and looking for them. “Only one.”
“They’ve split up,” said Corfiss, at the other end, digging his claws into the thin soil. They probably looked a bit comical, three full-grown Hork-Bajir huddling down in the lee of a pint-sized plant so the rebel wouldn’t see them. Of course, it was also painful.
“Sit still,” Issek snapped at Corfiss. “You are slicing my host.”
Telrim shifted, bracing his tail against the roots. They couldn’t use their Dracon beams here; the haze would reflect it right back into their faces. Blade to blade, then, one three-Yeerk patrol against who-knew-what. “If he gets close enough, we ambush him. Understood?”
They huffed soft acknowledgement, just as the faint thudding drew close enough to be distinct. Telrim glimpsed a shadow and drew his head back, keeping the motion smooth and slow enough to be taken for a swirl of mist. He held a claw up to the others: still just one.
The steps drew closer, methodical padding. Two-footed, heavy on the ground. Just a Hork-Bajir, then. Probably. Coming for them. If they could silence him they might slip away… or just even the odds a little.
Wipe out a resistance team. That would be something to go home with…
Telrim tensed as the rebel came closer, closer… thank the Kandrona that Hork-Bajir were even dimmer than the daylight down here. He didn’t skirt safely around the tree. He came right past it.
The Controllers closed around him, Telrim and Issek in front. Telrim swept a wrist-blade at the rogue’s throat, Issek lashing her tail at his face and darting back. They drew thick blood from arm and chest as the rebel blocked and backed away with a pained moan.
He backed into Corfiss as the third Controller pounced, blades slashing into him, cutting deep across his throat. The free Hork-Bajir gave a ragged howl of pain as he went down.
“They must have heard that.” Issek winced and backed up, staring into the mist. Telrim checked the Hork-Bajir was dead while Corfiss shook off his blades.
“Missed the trachea,” Corfiss grumbled. “Blasted alien anatomy.”
“Quiet.” Telrim’s eyes narrowed as he listened. There were distant, running steps… and among them, a rhythmic thumping. Bigger footsteps. Much bigger. The Controllers looked at each other, frozen.
“Jubba-Jubba,” said Telrim.
“They brought a monster?” Corfiss asked.
“Just run!”
They tore a trail uphill at breakneck speed. No point in stealth now: they picked the straightest line up and ran for it. Uphill, muscles straining, pushing their heavy-built bodies against gravity all the way. They had to get out above the mist. Had to stay ahead of the ravening giant at their backs. Get into the sunlight. Into the trees.
The Jubba-Jubba roared behind them. Telrim stumbled as the gradient abruptly angled steeper. His talons tore chunks out of the soil. A shove on the back, keeping him upright, and then Issek pounded ahead of him. Lighter host. Of course. Corfiss was panting beside him. They scrambled further up. The mist wouldn’t end. How deep in there had they been?
Pounding upward, the air even harsher in his lungs than before. The mist began to thin at last. Damn creature wasn’t slowing. Its masters kept driving it on. Any moment one of the others might get snatched up. He kept imagining the air press against his back as massive fingers swept for him. He’d have to stop. His host was tiring. Not meant to sprint on the ground. His Dracon beam was heavy at his side. He could see Issek clearly now, a fighter’s length ahead. If he had to stop- if he had to stop…
The mist drained away around them. The treeline was ahead, not so far. They might be able to get out of its reach while it squeezed through. Might actually make it.
Telrim felt wind on his back as it roared again. His hand dipped for his beam.
And then an answering noise- a guttural thrumming below the scream of air on hull. A Bug fighter swept over them to meet the monster, the wash knocking Issek off her feet. Telrim and Corfiss threw themselves against the blast of wind and staggered on. A flash of light from above reflected around them, the air above suddenly hot as the fighter’s Dracon cannons fired. The Jubba-Jubba bellowed in pain and staggered.
The ground shook. Issek was jolted unsteady again as her friends caught up. Telrim and Corfiss grabbed an arm each and hauled her with them. They flung themselves into the treeline as the fighter curved around again.
Just as they started to haul themselves up the nearest safe tree they paused and finally looked back. By then the Jubba-Jubba was a shadow of yellow hide retreating into Mother Deep. High above, the Bug fighter saw it off, and then peeled away above the blue expanse. Its engines burned a victorious red, its glossy hull glinting with sunlight as it made a triumphant half-roll.
“Smug idiots,” Corfiss panted.
“Lucky for us.” Telrim drew in a long breath, and then both of them stared at Issek. She was huffing with out-of-breath laughter.
“I’m going to miss this,” she said, checking the pack of wood cores strapped to her side, “if I get transferred to research. The thrill. The open field. Living on the edge.”
“And who’s going to keep the genetic aberrations off your back then?” Telrim wanted to know. He was already thinking ahead, how to report this to their superior.
Issek dug her claws into the bark, starting the long climb up to the tree-ways with a last too-happy chuckle. “We’ll see.”