The Amelioration Expedition
Chapter 33
Chandler rode in the shuttle with Donte, Paden, Saar and Reyse in the morning when they left to take Gerk back to his people. Marlin said Donte had introduced Gerk to his troops as his faithful comrade, yet Gerk had told Donte he wanted to go home. Gerk knew he didn't belong with the colonists. He felt uncomfortable around them. Did Donte feel the same way? He certainly stayed away from the others unless he was invited.
Dr. Oriana had been the one who requested Donte, but she had said things lately that made Chandler wonder if she no longer thought of Donte as being human. Even Donte thought of himself as a Mascot, not a human. Chandler agreed with Marlin. It didn't matter. He liked Donte and trusted him. Obviously, he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Was that the way Donte felt about Gerk? All of them were primates. Then again, so were monkeys and apes. Sometimes he wondered which was the most intelligent. Of course, humans claimed to be. Maybe they had to be more technically advanced so they could escape the mess they made of their environment. The mascot rulers of Purlieu had maintained a pristine environment there. But then, humans had created the Mascots – and now Donte wanted to let the colonists rule themselves. How would that go? In a couple hundred years, would it be like Oriel? On to the next planet. What would Opus be like in a couple hundred years? He wouldn't have to worry about it, but Donte might.
His thoughts were interrupted when Donte's medallion beeped. He tapped it and identified himself. The voice responded immediately.
"Monomi, we have an emergency. The primates have taken captives."
Everyone looked at Donte with shocked expressions.
"How did that happen?" Donte's demeanor was calm but his choice of words suggested he was disappointed in his troops.
"They attacked from one direction, catching us by surprise. Rianne was getting everyone behind the wall on the other side when a little boy ran into the open. She ran to get him and four male primates came out of the tall grass. The colonists watched her fight them off. Apparently, they were waiting for us to do something. Rianne put up such a fight that the little boy was able to escape. Rianne couldn't fight back enough to defend herself because she was holding Gezant."
Donte's face turned pale. "They captured Rianne and Gezant?"
"Yes Monomi. We are still under attack. We want to go after them, but we dare not leave the station. We have our lasers on stun, but they fall down for a few minutes and then come after us again."
"Which direction did they take the captives?"
"North."
"We'll go after them. You use the shuttles to drive the others out into the open. I want as many captives as you can get, but I'm authorizing deadly force."
"Yes, Monomi."
Reyse lifted his brows. "Can you authorize that without contacting Fontalo?"
Donte gave him a level look. "They can object later. The lives of the colonists are at stake right now and I want these raiders to understand that we will not tolerate aggression. There must be dire consequences. They apparently think the lasers are only meant to discourage. It may take mortalities to convince them otherwise."
He tapped his medallion again. "Elimu, I need two airships down here immediately. We have at least two groups of primates involved in an attack on the station. Scan the area around the station and let me know what you find. I need some more troops as well."
Donte looked at Paden. "Let's head back toward the station. Keep the shuttle low. If we find anything, drop me off with Saar and go back to the station."
***
Things were happening so fast that Reyse was having trouble keeping up. "You're going after them with only one man?"
Paden glanced at Reyse and laughed without humor. "They won't know what hit them."
Reyse's mouth felt dry. "I should be present when you catch them – to make it official."
Donte glanced at Paden and Saar. "We will be moving fast and it will be dangerous. You'll have to do exactly what I say when I tell you."
It wasn't the kind of agreement he wanted, but if he didn't agree, Donte would go without him. He nodded. "I can keep up." Actually, he had no idea if he could keep up with two Mascots, but he was going to try.
"Why couldn't you use the scanners on the Spero airships to detect life on Opus when you first arrived?"
Donte didn't respond. His attention was focused on the trees below them.
Saar looked at Reyse as he responded. "I asked the same question. The airships on the Spero and the cargo ships are equipped for space use mostly. Their scanners will pick up objects in open space, but they aren't capable of scanning in an atmosphere with obstacles like trees. Even the airships on the Lyra wouldn't have found Donte and Marlin underground. If these people are hiding in the rocks or in a cave, we won't be able to detect them." He paused. "But Donte can."
Donte was oblivious to their conversation. His full attention was on the forest below them. He suddenly lifted his head and looked ahead of them. An airship swooped down in front of them and circled, leaving a white trail of vapor.
Donte's medallion beeped. "Monomi, we have detected five life forms in a group ahead of you and to your left."
Donte looked at Paden. "Set down at the edge of the forest up there, keeping the exit door on the side away from the primates. We'll get out and follow them."
Paden did as he was directed while Donte went to the back of the shuttle where the supplies were and found some cord. He tucked it in his back pocket and the three men climbed out of the shuttle. Gerk followed them. Donte looked at him for a moment before motioning for Paden to go. He directed them to lie in the tall grass while the shuttle lifted and turned toward the station. Gerk did as he was instructed without hesitation. They lay there for a while before Donte stood and motioned for them to follow.
Saar didn't speak and he followed Donte's motion commands instantly. Reyse kept his attention on Saar and imitated everything he did.
***
Marlin had been inside the station in a meeting with Dr. Oriana and her staff about their departure schedule when one of Donte's troops warned them that the primates were attacking. Rianne was watching Gezant, so Marlin and the others followed the procedure they had planned in case of an attack. They each ran to windows and closed the shutters.
"What about the colonists outside?" Traci asked.
"The troops are supposed to protect them," Marlin said.
Traci wrung her hands. "I wish Donte was here."
Marlin didn't say anything, but she secretly wished the same. No doubt Donte would be there soon. "His troops will be in contact with him."
It was quiet outside. Lasers made little noise when they were on stun. The colonists that had been inside when the attack started came downstairs to see what was happening. Marlin glanced around, looking for Rianne. Maybe she was keeping Gezant upstairs. That was a good idea.
Marlin's medallion buzzed and she tapped it. "We are being attacked from two directions." The trooper said. "We need to get the colonists inside the building."
As soon as he finished talking, someone pounded on the door.
Marlin opened the door and colonists flooded into the station.
One woman was crying and holding her toddler close. "They took a woman and a baby. She was trying to protect my son."
"What?" Marlin asked, gripping her arm. "Which woman?"
At that moment the conversation between one of the troops and Donte came through her medallion. Marlin gasped and looked at Dr. Oriana. "They have Gezant! I thought Rianne was upstairs with her."
They all listened to the exchange between Donte and the troops. Donte and Saar were going after them…and Reyse. Donte and Saar could handle the job, but did Reyse know what he was getting into? It surprised her that Donte agreed to let him go along.
Within minutes of Donte's request, they heard the first airship fly over them.
Donte was in control, but it still made her feel better when Paden and Chandler arrived. A few minutes later two shuttles full of troops arrived. It didn't take them long to round up the primates. They didn't say whether they had killed anyone and Marlin didn't care at that point. They had taken her daughter and Rianne. She approved of Donte's method to bring the hostilities to a rapid end – whatever he decided to do. The captives were taken to the corral like so many animals and tied to the log fence. She didn't know what Donte planned to do with them, but at the moment she didn't care if he killed them all.
Paden knocked on the door and when Marlin answered, he told her that the colonists could go back to their tents, but to stay inside the walls. Marlin looked at him.
"Have you heard anything from Donte yet?"
"Not yet. Donte will let us know when he rescues them."
"Aren't you concerned that he is outnumbered?"
Paden gave her a wry smile. "There are only four of them."
"I'm not sure how much help Reyse will be…"
"Ah." Paden nodded. "Donte wouldn't have let him go if he didn't think it was safe."
"How can it be safe when they are outnumbered two to one?"
Paden lifted a brow. "Donte, Saar, Reyse and Rianne – those are equal odds."
Once again, she had dismissed Rianne as a helpless woman. Rianne was the one who had faced 4 to 1 odds – and lost. She would know that Donte would catch up to them. She would wait for the right time and then become one of the rescuers. As for Reyse, he had been in the service too.
"And Gerk is with them," Paden added. "He hopped out of the shuttle when Donte and the others did. I waited, but Donte motioned me to go on."
It shouldn't have been a surprise, but could they trust Gerk? Donte seemed to think so. The bigger question was probably how much help Gerk would be. Maybe he would learn something he could teach his tribe about defending themselves against enemies like the Yora. She began to feel more confident. Donte wouldn't let anything happen to Gezant or Rianne.
Earlier she didn't care what happened to the hostile primates, but now she wanted Donte to bring back captives, not bodies. She'd like to face that primate leader in court and see if she could wipe the smirk off his face.
***
After the shuttle left, Donte lay still with Saar, Reyse and Gerk. The Yora had stopped. They were probably watching the shuttle to see if anyone got out. They must have decided they had not been detected, because they moved on. Donte could sense the presence of Rianne in the group. She knew he was there in the grass. It was something new between them – since he had been able to reach her on Purlieu. Was it an ability everyone possessed, but didn't know how to use?
Donte stood and motioned to the others to follow. He took off at a jog, glancing back to make sure Reyse and Gerk were keeping up. They were.
They jogged for a little while until Donte sensed the Yora were close. He slowed and when Saar came up beside him, Donte pointed ahead. He motioned for Saar to circle around to the other side. The terrain had become rocky and steep. Donte wanted to get ahead of the primates and the shortest route for him was probably the bluffs ahead.
Reyse went with Saar and Gerk followed Donte. Donte made his way up the low mountain, arriving at the bluffs before the Yora. The Yora were moving toward the bluffs. The Yora made their way to the base of the bluff and began making a camp. Apparently, they thought they had escaped detection by the shuttles. Rianne squatted close to the bluff, holding Gezant.
Donte watched as they gathered wood and grass. When they had a pile, one of them opened a pouch and removed what looked like a stone bowl with a lid. He stuck his fingers in his mouth before reaching into the bowl and pulling out what looked like an ember. He placed it on the grass and began blowing on it. A tendril of smoke rose from the grass. After more blowing, it suddenly burst into flames.
Donte and Gerk worked their way along the bluff until Rianne was about ten feet directly below them. At that point Gezant began to fuss. One of the primates snarled at Rianne, telling her to quiet the baby. He probably thought Gezant was Rianne's baby. When Rianne failed to quiet Gezant, the primate hit Rianne. That was when Donte decided to make his entrance. He took the laser weapon from his pocket, adjusted it and called to the primate who had hit Rianne. Gerk ghosted back into the trees. When the primates looked up, Donte leaped.
He hit the ground on his feet and rolled, coming up with his weapon aimed at the leader. At that point, Saar and Reyse stepped out of the trees behind him. Rianne put Gezant down behind a rock and stood.
Donte sensed a moment of futility in the primates. They looked at their leader, but he wasn't ready to surrender. He lifted his spear and advanced toward Donte. The other three primates lifted their spears as well.
There was a point at which a laser weapon was less effective. Close quarters was one of those times. Donte's laser was on stun, and that might not be enough. That was Donte's problem, but he wasn't alone.
The primates had their back to the wrong person. Rianne grabbed the primate nearest her around the neck from the back, choking him. She hooked a foot around his leg and dropped him expertly to the ground. He lost his spear in the fall and Rianne grabbed it. She shoved the point against his neck and told him in his language to lie still.
Her action distracted the attention of two others, giving Saar and Reyse the opportunity to take them down as well. Donte wasn't as lucky with the leader, but there was another, more urgent problem.
Donte looked at Saar. "Feline," he said as he looked behind the leader. For a moment he tried to remember what Gerk called the feline so he could warn the leader. The situation went critical so fast that Donte was faced with a choice. Fire at the feline before it attacked the leader, or fire at the leader before he released his lifted spear. As the feline leaped, Donte made his choice. He threw his body to the side and fired at the feline as he fell. The spear flew threw the air above him and the feline screamed. It snarled as it writhed in pain on the ground.
Gerk was suddenly beside Donte, holding the spear in a threatening way toward the leader. Donte quickly closed the laser cover so it could recharge. The primate divided his amazed attention between Donte, Gerk and the feline. For the first time, the leader's eyes expressed fear. No doubt he thought the laser wouldn't kill him, but the spear would, and Gerk had every reason to want him dead.
The feline finally stood and limped away. Donte pulled the cord from his pocket and tossed some to Rianne, Reyse and Saar. Gerk never took his eyes off the leader. They each tied the hands of their captives behind their backs. Gerk didn't let his guard down.
Donte clamped a hand on Gerk's shoulder and thanked him.
Gezant, abandoned, cold, frightened and probably hungry, began to wail. Rianne went to her and lifted her from the ground.
The leader kept watching Donte, his brows twisted with wonder. Finally, he spoke in his language. "Woman yours?"
Donte ignored him. How could he explain to these people that a woman only belonged to a man if she wanted to?
He tapped his medallion. "Paden?"
"Yes Monomi."
"We have captured the primates and we're ready for the shuttle. Tell Marlin that Gezant is all right – we all are."
Soft Science Fiction
