"Captain, launch the black nest. Give them that things last know location, order them to kill it and bring me back that creature, now." Vapade cringed at Thargoan's whisper.
"But my Lord, surely all seven would be over kill. We dare not risk all seven, if they're lost we will never get them back."
"Captain, my orders are clear, are they not? I don't care if we lose ever single one of them. My father grows impatient, maybe I should let you talk to him during our next chat? What would you say to him when he asks why this mission seems to drag on and on and on?" Thargoan smiled from behind his huge wooden desk.
"No my Lord, that will not be necessary, your orders will be carried out." With a sharp bow Vapade whirled and almost ran from the Princes stateroom.
"Oh, and Captain, it's come to my attention that some of our, shall I say, more overzealous troops on the ground fired several plasma artillery rounds at our quarry?" Vapade stopped, how had the Prince learned of the incident so quickly?
"Yes my Lord, it was from one of our brigade commanders. His brother was on one of landing craft whatever that thing is took out." He stopped at the door and turned.
"Then I will take it in good faith that he will be suitably reprimanded Captain?"
"It will be done my Lord." Before the Prince could say another word Vapade slipped from the room.
Running the claws of his right hand over the deep purple wood that made up his state room table. Thargoan sighed, the huge table had been carved from a single block of ultra dense wood of the Hagquara tree, which grew only in the Hagtha peninsula of his home land. The desk had been in his family line for over twenty generations and now it was his. No it actually belonged to his father, it was only on lone to him. It would be his upon completion of this mission. Thargoan never liked wasting assets, but he needed more data on whatever this new foe was. Once a weakness could be found another obstacle would be over come, and that would place him one more move towards victory.
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"We should be about a day away from the nearest of the mining shafts." Malachi leaned back against the small tree he was using as a back rest and sighed. "If we get moving early tomorrow morning, we should make it there before dark."
"Oh just relax and get some sleep. You said we're about a day ahead of any Rougarian forces, so calm down." Tamar rolled over to face him and asked. "Why aren't we inside? I've kind of gotten used to sleeping on a bed."
"Get some sleep," he said changing the subject. "I'll keep watch."
"What's the matter this time?" Tamar was beginning to be able to read him, as much as he tried to keep her from doing so.
"Nothing." He answered.
"Ha, nice try. Your head hasn't stopped moving since we got here. Something has you spooked, what?" She asked propping herself up on one elbow.
"Fine," he gave a heavy sigh. "There's something out there. How do I know that? Have you heard a bird, a squirrel, not even a chipmunk. Something is out there, and I'm not going to sleep until I find out, I can't."
"Why not?"
He looked at her as if she'd grown another head.
"You're not safe, and I won't rest until you are."
"Ugggg!" Tamar let herself flop back over onto her back. There he went again, the whole tall dark hero. When was he going to stop?
"You're in no shape to be protecting me. You almost killed yourself trying just two days ago. What are you trying to prove, anyway?"
"Nothing, I have nothing to prove." He answered, his head still pivoting from side to side.
"Then why are you doing this? I'm not all that important, you could get your information from anyone, why me?" Tamar flipped over onto her side to look at him again and their eyes met.
"Because you need it. You might not know it, you might not want to admit it and I will not push, but somewhere inside you know you do."
Tamar threw herself over onto her back. She had to do anything she could to escape those eyes, his eyes. They seemed to look right through her, laying bare her soul with a glance. Shuddering her body began to warm, whether she like it or not his comment had ignited a spark in her heart and another piece of her armor fell away.
The next thing she heard was a savage growl and the sound of metal on metal. Looking up she saw Malachi's red blade deflect a small metal dagger into the branch above her head. The weapon had been aimed at her.
Snarling, she lept to her feet and began to scan the area.
"Told you I did." Malachi looked down at her.
"Very funny."
"Get down, there's seven of them, and they seem very intent on getting to you." He told her, his blade singing so close to her she could feel its passage. A trio of dull thuds heralded the deflection of three more daggers.
"But why, what do they want with me?" Tamar flattened herself on the ground, giving her attackers the slimmest possible silhouette.
"I have no idea. Although if you don't want to find out, I would suggest you stay down." His voice stopped and out of the darkness stepped six Rougarians, yet to Tamar they seemed different than those she was used to seeing.
Each wore armor that seemed to be made from a single piece of crystal. It flowed and moved with them so that each looked a bit out of focus at any given time.
With a flip of his wrist, Malachi took the offensive first. His blade spun from his hand so fast end over end it morphed into a blood red disc as it shot off into the darkness. A split second later, a wet squelching sound could be heard off in the dark. All six of the alien heads swiveled in that direction, then back at Malachi, hate burning in their eyes. Almost too fast to see the blade sang through the air to land with a solid thud back in his palm.
"One head down," he brought it to guard. "Six to go."
"Human," a guttural voice came from the nearest of the six. "We have no quarrel with you. Your fate is not in our hands. Give us the furred one and we will leave you in peace. Oppose us and we will feed you to our pets."
Malachi began to pivot to his right, sliding his feet over the ground, one step at a time, inscribing a circle. Forcing the Rougarians to match his movements or else get caught from the side.
"You see, that's not going to work for me." Tamar's breath caught. "You see, she's mine. You can not have her. No one can have her. You want her, you'll have to go through me first." He set himself, his hands shimmered and in the place of one blade he now had one in each hand. He flourished them in the air in front of him and they left smoke trails of red energy where ever they passed.
A single barked command was answered by all six, and the battle was joined.
Tamar didn't want to look, yet she couldn't look away. The way he'd said it, "She's mine." Should have sent her into a towering rage. She belonged to no one, yet to hear him say it pealed another block off the armor around her heart. Tamar hated and loved it at the same time. He wanted her, wanted to protect her. Beyond that she wasn't sure. Yet for now, it was enough.
So there she was, looking on a fight she wanted desperately to not see, only she found she couldn't look away from.
They pressed him hard, all of them attacking at once, never giving him time to counterattack. Tamar could tell these warriors had been trained to fight as close as possible to a single unit. They flowed over and around one another like one interconnected unit. It was all Malachi could do to keep from being cut in half. The strikes came in such a bewildering mix of styles he couldn't pin any of them down.
Then Tamar saw it. She realized why Mal was having such a hard time with these things. He wasn't using half the weapons he'd used during the lander attack, he couldn't. For the last couple of days, he'd be hiding something, and now she knew what. He was far more hurt than he'd led her to believe. But what could she do about it? These things would cut her in half without blinking.
She stood from where she was hiding. Not they wouldn't, if they'd wanted to they would have already done it. For whatever reason, they wanted her alive. Tamar pushed that thought out of her head. She didn't want to know. For now, though, she could use that fact to her advantage.
"Hey, you want me? Come and get me." She screamed over at them and bolted into the woods.
Tamar heard a loud grunt before looking over her shoulder to see three of the blue tinted purple beings giving chase.
Gathering herself, she launched herself into the nearest tree and scrambled up until she was in the thin branches. The first of the Rougarians to reach her got a face full of claws for its effort. The claws on her toes connected with the creature's face plate but did no real damage. So she decided to try something different.
Standing out from the thin truck of the tree, she mimed letting go and then jumping. The Rougarian's eyes went wide, and she knew she had them. They had to get her back alive, so if she killed herself, they'd be in serious trouble. Besides, all she had to do was keep these guys busy until Mal got finished with the other three, which should be right about now.
The nearest warrior stiffened as if it had touched a live wire. Then with a crunching of armor and bone, a black fist burst from its chest, splattering Tamar with gore.
"The lady does not like to be touched." A voice growled.
Tamar lept onto him without thinking, then bounded down the tree. The two aliens went for her, not even staying and fighting with Malachi. Hitting the ground at full speed, Tamar tore off into the woods, sliding around trees, slapping aside branches and sticks she did her best to stay in front of her two attackers. Then there was one. From above, a silent shadow descended on the closest of her pursuers. There wasn't even a scream, only a sudden crack and the lifeless body tumbled into the leaves. At the same moment the last of the Rougarian warriors sprang and took Tamar to the ground.
They rolled over and over, a ball of slashing claws and biting fangs. Tamar managed to gain a hold of its head and tried to sink her fangs into its neck. They drew no blood, being held at bay by the armor around its throat. Before she knew what was happening, a hand clamped around her throat and she was lifted off the ground. The Rougarian shook her so hard she saw stars. Then it was saying something she couldn't make out.
"If we can't have it, no one will." The creature spat at Malachi, raised a wickedly curved knife, and plunged it to the hilt, into Tamar's side.
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