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Chapter 12: The Price of Sanctuary

Kilape wakes in a dark and unfamiliar room covered by a thin sheet of lightweight material. 'Where am I?' she thinks as her eyes dart around the dark room, her nightvision is able to make out vague shapes, but not colors in the dimness that surrounds her. 'The fight,' she remembers as her hand strokes the fur of her abdomen to find a bare patch right where she had taken the bolt of light that would have killed her Majoi. "Where are my clothes," her voice croaks from a sore throat.

"Ugh," she groans, holding her abdomen and trying to suppress the pain as she forces herself to a sitting position despite the ache in her abdomen. As the thin sheet falls from her torso to pool in her lap the lights in the room gradually brighten at her motions so as not to blind its occupant. She blinks at the lights and examines the small chamber around her. Clean white walls, obviously of human construction, human style bed made of alien material that is unnatural, yet soft and conforming to her body.

At a soft beep she turns her gaze to the door and sees her Majoi enter in his black human armor when the door slides open. Jim gives her a slight nod and doesn't even blink at her nude breast on display, "It is good to see you awake, how are you feeling?"

Kilape bows her head to Jim and keeps from making eye contact, "I am still breathing Majoi. That is the only thing that matters as the other option tends to cancel any other actions or conditions."

Jim chuckles, "Well said, well said indeed Kilape." He taps a button on the wall and sits on the seat that unfolds next to the bed, "Now, how is the pain?"

She lowers her ears, "It hurts Majoi, but it is not the worst pain I have felt."

"That's probably thanks to the medicines we gave you," Jim says as he reaches a hand out to stroke the thin medi-patch adhered to the shaved spot on her shoulder. "Our Menders finally determined what medicines we can use to alleviate pain and suffering. Just because you aren't feeling the pain as you normally would doesn't mean you've healed fully yet."

The large Rathac female nods, "I understand Majoi, and I wish to thank the Menders for their efforts."

Jim sits back, crossing his arms over his chest as he continues, "You were brave and very selfless in your act of taking that shot that was aimed at me, it almost cost you your life."

She refuses to raise her eyes to him and just continues to look into her lap as one hand strokes the furless patch on her belly where she had taken the hit, "Yes, Majoi."

He leans forward and cups her chin with a gloved hand, "Look at me." As her gaze lifts to look him in the eye he continues, "Thank you. That was a full powered shot that could have punched through even my armor." He leans back and smiles without showing his teeth, "I think you are learning the true calling of a protector in my culture and the code of honor we live by. As you took a shot for me, you must look in my eyes and understand that I would take a shot for you too without a second thought."

Kilape wets her lips with her tongue, "I understand Majoi, and as I look back on your actions I believe you would gladly take a shot for anyone to protect them."

Jim nods at her words, "You are learning, perhaps you will not be a Kilpe much longer, but a full member of the Rathac warrior caste again with a proper name returned to you."

She bows her head once more casting her gaze downward, "It is pleasant to hear such words Majoi. When can I remove myself from this bed and resume my work by your side?"

Standing Jim grips her shoulder, "Give yourself a few days to rest. The Menders will be keeping an eye on you, both Human and Rathac, for the next few days at least. Your injuries were severe and we want to ensure that you have fully healed from the trauma before you strain yourself again."

"Majoi," she asks as she looks up, "What about those who attacked us and the others in the flitter bay? Did they escape?"

Jim hesitates before responding, "Some did, and others were detained and are being interrogated." He hesitates again before he tells her, "I personally killed the one who injured you, by reflex rather than intent."

"Do you regret having killed one of your own?" she asks with a quizzical expression.

He shakes his head, "Self-defense has long been an acceptable reason for violence in our culture. Deadly force was being aimed at me and my personnel, which includes you, so I responded in kind. I will never get used to killing, but I will do so again to protect anyone under my protection or who stands beside me to face the challenges that life throws in our path."

She nods with understanding, "My thanks for visiting Majoi. I will take your instructions and rest," she says as she lies down again with a wince of pain and pulls the thin sheet up to cover her nude figure.

Jim strokes her short hair back from her forehead and smiles down at her, "I'm sure the Menders will be in to check on you shortly, but until then rest."

Pressing the button to retract the seat he had used he also turns the lights down as he exits the small emergency ward and leave Kilape to rest.

In the hall outside he encounters Yamoti and Vorga waiting for him in their armor and talking quietly in their native language. At his appearance they stop and turn to face him.

"How is she?" asks Yamoti.

"Still hurting despite the medicine our Menders gave her. I told her to rest, she's not completely healed yet and I know the Menders want to keep an eye on her."

Vorga scratches an itch behind one ear, "Did you tell her?"

Jim frowns, "That she might be sterile now due to the damage from the blaster bolt?" He looks down for a moment before he again makes eye contact with Vorga, "No, because we don't know for sure yet if the damage will be permanent. Your Menders said she may recover with their aid, it's not unknown to happen from serious injuries before. The only reason they are cautious is because they have never dealt with such injuries. Before we arrived, the worst injury your Menders had seen was a longfang injury which is bad, don't get me wrong, but nothing compared to the damage a blaster can do."

Yamoti shakes her head, "We'll known when we know. The Menders should be able to tell us soon. The damage to her reproductive organs was extensive, but they were still in one piece and not obliterated by the powerful weapon."

Jim nods, "And if our own Menders need to, they can try to clone new organs too."

Vorga tilts his head, "We do not understand this "clone" term, but anything that can restore lost organs is truly a gift of the spirits."

Jim bows his head to the pair of Rathac, "If you'll excuse me, I need to check with my people and see if anything has been found out about the honor-less traitors who started this incident."

Yamoti waves a shoulder tentacle, "Please let us know if there is anything we can do. We will be visiting the injured from the battle and checking on Nisitha, the young warrior who appears to have learned some of your Human tongue."

Vorga bows to the Commander and Ambassador, "The Menders informed me that the young warrior was isolated to prevent any Republic loyalist from harming him."

Jim nods, "Yes, he's still in a room monitored by security, but it's one of the emergency wards like the one Kilape is in." He taps the screen on his left forearm and nods, "Yes, he's in room E-49." He holds up the screen so they can see what it looks like in Human script, "That would be down the hall, second left and look for a door with this number. There will probably be a guard on duty outside."

He taps the screen a few more times, "I've sent authorization to the security team to let you enter without question. You should have no issues seeing the young hero."

Yamoti gives Jim her charming closed lip smile, "Thank you Jim, we will not hold you up anymore." She flicks her tentacle to her Honor Lead as she turns and follows the directions.

* * *

Jim stands on the observation deck of the Command Crawler and examines the lush river valley the human refugees are starting to call home with the deployment of prefab structures within the protective ring of Crawlers. 'Soon, settlers will establish homesteads, farms, trades, and businesses,' he thinks as he enjoys the bustle of productive people. His eyes fall on the familiar shape of an unmanned scout drone returning to the command crawler and his mind remembers that the world isn't as peaceful as he wishes it was.

His mind races with many thoughts, most of them too jumbled to make much sense, as he thinks about the series of events that have tested his fellow Humans since their arrival on this lush planet. Life and death have both been at his fingertips, he feels as if he has stared death in the face more times in the last weeks than he has in all the years previously on the security team of the Maiden's Voyage while it traveled the void between stars.

At the soft hiss of the hydraulic door opening behind him he speaks without turning his head, his oddly enhanced senses having already told him who's approaching, "Hello Captain."

Captain Long steps up to the railing beside him and clears his throat, "Huhmmm... Hello, Jim. Scouts report they found two of the three missing hoppers, or what's left of them, about thirty miles north of here. We sent a couple of the Thunderstorm hoppers to check with a transport and a squad of security, thought you should know."

Jim squints as he glances at the crushed vegetation marking the path of the train of massive crawlers as they made their way here from the last resting place of the Maiden's Voyage, "And the last one?"

Captain Long frowns as he shares what little he knows with his Ambassador to the Rathac, "Indications of a rough landing, but nothing more according to the team who examined the site. We suspect it is still in play, but Jim, we got another, bigger, problem."

Jim casts a sidelong glance at his superior, "Bodies?"

The Captain nods, "We suspect they were ambushed on the ground after setting down to tally their haul. Suspicion is that raiders from the Republic probably got them while they were on the ground or just as they were landing. The pilots report that twenty bodies are accounted for, they were stripped by their attackers and left to rot, and at least half of the cargo appears to have been taken from the two damaged hoppers, we suspect mostly weapons and generators for charging the power packs. The bodies are showing signs of decay, so they were taken out probably the first night after they absconded with the hoppers. They left behind most of the food, water, and settlement related materials. We suspect the Republic now has some of our weapons and technology and probably a few survivors who know how to use it well enough."

Jim closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose with a gloved hand, "Captain, I looked over the list of missing personnel and I didn't see any of the remaining engineers or scientists on the list of defectors, what are the odds the Republic could duplicate our weaponry without knowledgeable technicians?"

"According to every technician I've asked, low probability due to the special alloys and silicon based plastics which the locals have shown no knowledge of yet," he states as he turns to address Jim directly. "The personnel still unaccounted for are junior personnel who have little knowledge of such items other than how to use them. The Rathac Alcamis are talented, but their tech base is along an entirely different track from our own resembling what we would call alchemy rather than science, but that's the problem, the answer isn't a definitive 'no'."

Jim looks the Captain in the eye, "We need to get those weapons back." He tilts his head and gives a hard grimace, "Raid?"

The Captain gives him a knowing smirk, "We're looking for them now; we suspect a small group of flitters from the raiding party and the cargo hopper are still out there, and not far off. Couldn't be more than that or they would have taken more from the wrecked hoppers, and any high altitude flights would have been picked up by the micro-sats we've deployed to orbit and flying low among the trees is a very inefficient way to move the cargo hopper. We have patrols, drones, and our allies spreading wider as we speak to locate them with active sensors since we know the Republic would have no idea how to avoid such things."

He grips the railing and leans forward to study the scene around them, "There was a bit of luck, it appears the raiders didn't grab the larger generator used for charging the hoppers, only a small easily portable one. The hopper should be low on power as it didn't get a full charge before they blew their cover in the hanger and flew off. If they've been trying to push it, which I suspect they have, there has been little time to charge the pack with the small portable generator they have with them. They will have to set down to let it recharge, and we both know that is a slow process taking multiple days if they drained the power cells completely which the raiders are likely to have insisted on."

Jim nods in agreement, "Chief Jenson is good at planning raids. He's got a mind well trained in tactical situations and solving the problems involved therein. He went with me on more than one raid when we had to take down violent offenders on ship or break up illicit drug rings."

The Captain nods in agreement, "But we were wondering if our allies might want to get their hands dirty too when we find the culprits since one of their own was so badly injured."

Jim nods as a wicked grin crosses his features, "I think they just might at that, sir."

The Captain turns to Jim with a twinkle in his eye, "Oh, and the Chief is wondering if you'll do him the favor of joining the raiding party when the traitors are located?"

Jim's grin widens further as he nods with agreement.

* * *

Lieutenant Rachel 'Joker' McCormick glances at the readout on the corner of her HUD and smiles with a predatory grin, "Command, this is Joker, I have a strong power source at grid November-6. Looks like we might have found the missing hopper, and they're trying to charge it. Readings indicate the generator is probably being pushed past its limits, the power bleed is what my sensors are detecting."

The flight controller on the Command Crawler calls back, "Confirm, you have found the missing hopper?"

The stingray shaped Thunderbolt hopper flips through the darkening sky as Joker rolls her craft to the side and spots a badly hidden campfire and the glint of the red flames off the hull of the large cargo hopper. "Confirmed, hopper is grounded at grid November-6."

Her radar starts to beep with alerts and she notices the small contacts rising from the darkened landscape, "And I can confirm hostiles. I have some of the alien flyers launching. Radar counts six bogies rising from the trees."

"Joker, this is Chief Jenson, we have the ready Thunderbolts launching and an assault carrier will be following with a full squad in ten minutes. Can you lead the hostiles back towards the encampment to shorten the intercept time for the Tunderbolts?" another voice asks on the radio.

Rachel pours on the power and lets her high-tech flying machine leap away from the hostile craft as she sees the flashes of the alien railguns firing at her and the sparks of a few glancing needles deflecting off the armor of her hopper. "I think I can keep them at bay, I'll try to lead them back, but I don't know how far they're willing to go from the cargo hopper and the rest of the raiders. I'll try to keep them interested in me with a few shots."

"Copy that Joker," Chief Jenson responds. "Three Thunderbolts will join you in ten minutes minus. They're pouring on the power and breaking the sound barrier to reach you before any of the hostiles can get away. Assault carrier will be twenty to thirty minutes to take on any ground troops and capture the cargo hopper if possible."

Rachel grins as she flips her Thunderbolt like a flapjack in midair as the banks of blasters concealed in the stingray like wings are exposed to release a rapid-fire rain of light, heat, and death resulting in the explosion of a Republic Raider. "Understood Chief, they better hurry or they'll miss the fun," she says as she starts to laugh at her opponents while the small primitive craft try to avoid the rain of death that pours forth from her Thunderbolt.

* * *

Chief Jenson and Ambassador Ward walk towards the assault carrier as they settle their weapons into their assault harnesses. Behind them the unmistakable pair of Commander Yamoti and Vorga follow, their eyes sharp as they review the fellow warriors joining them on this assault to seek revenge and justice for the deserters who had caused so much pain and disruption with their unprovoked attack and departure. The Republic raiders were a bonus for the two alien feline warriors.

Jim stops and motions for the pair of Rathac to board the assault carrier with a slight bow as the rest of the assault team boards and starts strapping into their drop harnesses, "Come my fellow warriors," he purrs at the two plate armored felines in their native tongue. "Today we battle for honor and justice."

Yamoti gives him her typical half grin and a polite nod while Vorga pauses to grip his shoulder and roars, "For honor! We fight as one people today!"

'Yes,' Yamoti thinks as one of the human warriors helps her strap into the drop harness she was instructed in the use of by Jim. 'Today, we fight as one people, a Human and Rathac alliance.'

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All characters unless otherwise stated are the intellectual property of Chris Gilman [aka. Goliath Wildcat] Story © Copyright Christopher Gilman 2014 all rights reserved tell me what you think