Junkyard raiders, p.5
Junkyard Raiders, page 5
part #5 of Junkyard Pirate Series
“Chorda chased you?” the girl asked, her eyes wide and her small snout-like nose quivering.
“We have a few tricks up our sleeves,” AJ said. “Tog said he would stop, although I wasn’t clear on his answer about leaving us alone.”
“Tog means bull,” Purba said. “I am very lucky you saved me.”
“That’s not his name? He called the other guy Bosk,” AJ said.
“Challenger,” Purba said. “That male, Bosk, would have challenged Tog in next mating season. Tog is probably happy with how things went.”
“Fascinating,” Beverly said, wildly typing.
“How long have you been out here?” AJ asked, noticing her tattered clothes and dirty, grey skin.
“Six days,” she said. “I thought my hiding place was safe, but they found me. I owe you a life debt.”
“What’s her status, Doc?” AJ asked.
“Severe dehydration and borderline starvation. I treated her for a few parasites, but they weren't new. I don’t think Purba has had regular access to medical,” Jayne said.
“Have you been down to the compound?” AJ asked, turning back to Purba.
Purba glanced in the general direction of the walled grouping of buildings. “Doctor Kasic’s compound?”
“She is correct, AJ,” Beverly said. “The previous owner was a Vred scientist named Kasic who was last heard from ten years ago. His lease expired shortly after that and his whereabouts are unknown.”
Before AJ could acknowledge Beverly's information, Purba gently knocked her head with a balled-up fist. “Of course, Kasic. Are there other compounds that you know of? You should be called a Dumbo, not a Purba.”
AJ glanced at Lisa, who’d also heard the girl’s mutterings and was struggling to suppress a laugh. Lisa was the wrong person to look at if he wanted to keep a straight face. He choked back a laugh and looked intently at the girl.
“Stop, Purba,” Jayne said. “You are nervous and you’ve had quite a fright. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” The small Fimil looked at Jayne with nothing short of adoration in her eyes.
“Have you seen Doctor Kasic?” AJ asked.
“I have not,” Purba said. “I was very young when he lived above the plains.”
“Is that where you live? On the plains?” Jayne asked. “Your family must be worried for you.”
Purba’s gray face grew pale and her eyes rimmed with red. “I do not know if they survived. My village was attacked. I had been hunting and was just arriving at our camp when I saw them. I had no choice but to run. I heard the screams of my people. It was horrible. Please, you must allow me to die.”
“Baloney,” AJ said, irritation evident in his voice.
“AJ, careful,” Jayne said. “Purba is in distress. We need to tread carefully.”
“Purba evaded Tog and Bosk for six days,” AJ said. “She wants to live. Where is your home, Purba? We should look for survivors.”
“She’s in no position to travel,” Jayne said protectively.
“There’s no choice,” AJ said. “We need to get her on some fluids and get her up and going.”
“Yes,” Purba said. “Can we, please?”
“BB, if I put Greybeard’s vest on her, could you control the rocket pack?”
“It would not be difficult,” Beverly answered.
Jayne sighed. “What about Bosk? He’s down the hill.”
“Can you fix him up?” AJ asked.
“I’m not sure. His respiration was poor. I had to choose Purba or him.”
AJ leaned down and pulled Greybeard’s vest off. “You need to help Darnell and Lisa secure Kasic’s compound,” he said, stroking the back of the dog’s neck. Greybeard barked excitedly and slapped a wet tongue across AJ’s face. “Nice shot,” AJ acknowledged, wiping off dog spit with his hand.
Just then, a heavy footfall drew his attention to Darnell, who landed several yards away. The look from Darnell conveyed as much information as his words. “The good news is those Chordatile made so much noise, they pretty much ran off everything within a half a mile or better. We saw a few lizards and a couple of larger rodents, but nothing I’d consider an imminent danger.”
“Could you check on the downed Chordatile and then see about securing the compound?” AJ asked.
“Copy that,” he said, glancing at Lisa. “You coming?”
“Don’t get mouthy,” Lisa said. “I want to make sure Purba is okay.”
“AJ is right,” Jayne said. “Fluids and anti-inflammatories will keep Purba comfortable for a few hours. I’m not going to push her too hard, though.”
Lisa stood and nodded. “Okay, we can go now.”
“Purba, I need to slip this over your head,” AJ said, holding Greybeard’s vest out for her to see. “It will let us carry you more easily.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes.”
The girl was compliant and a few minutes later, she had a rocket pack vest over the top of her threadbare clothing.
“You’ll have to direct us,” Jayne said, lifting the girl into her arms.
“You cannot carry me all the way. You will tire too quickly.”
“We have technology to help us,” Jayne said, lifting from the ground a few feet and moving forward down the hill.
“I was told of such things,” she said. “But I have not seen them before.”
They moved down the mountainside and out onto the plains. After a couple of hours, Jayne’s arms did, in fact, tire. That Purba had become comfortable with Jayne and AJ made it easier for her to accept flying along without being held, even though she could not control her own flight.
“Ahead,” Purba said. “I see smoke from the great fire of our camp.”
AJ turned toward the pillar of smoke, but with Beverly enhancing his vision, he discovered they would find nothing good when they arrived.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, slowing their pace.
FIVE
COVERED BY FIRE
AJ scanned the settlement for activity and found nothing aside from small ash clouds lifted by unsettled winds. In the air was a smell he’d hoped to never experience again and for a moment, he was transported back to the jungles of Vietnam. He glanced at Jayne and they shared a moment of grief for the lives lost in this small village that smelled of burned flesh.
Initially frozen at seeing her home so thoroughly ruined, Purba became animated, struggling against the rocket pack vest that had inadvertently become her prison. “Maudma, Paudpa!” she called out, tears running down her face, her movements becoming violent and unpredictable. “Torga!”
AJ held the frail girl firmly by her shoulders until she settled. “Be careful of the ashes, they will be hot and your feet will be burned,” he said.
“Let me go!”
“Tell me you understand the danger.”
“What does it matter? My family! My people!” she argued.
“They would not want you hurt,” he said, unclasping the vest to release her.
AJ and Jayne settled to the ground, turned off their rocket pack vests, and carefully walked into the ruined village. “They were nomads. There were no permanent structures,” Jayne observed. “Almost like Native Americans.”
His eyes passed over burned bodies. “This wasn’t only an attack by a small group of semi-sentient rhinos,” AJ said. “There had to be a hundred people living here. They would have had defenses no matter how pacifistic they were.”
She crouched next to a pair of corpses and used a short instrument to prod at their bodies. “Look at this, AJ,” she said.
He didn’t immediately acknowledge her request but continued to scan the burned settlement. Like the calm that pervades the morning after a violent thunderstorm, Purba’s home was eerily quiet. He’d experienced the same quiet in the aftermath of war. It was as if the very land itself was paying final respects to the fallen.
“You’ve stopped moving,” Darnell’s voice stirred AJ from his momentary torpor. “Is everything okay?”
“Negative,” AJ answered. “We’re safe. Have Petey transmit visual images.”
Jayne looked back at AJ over her shoulder and caught his eye. He nodded and joined her next to the burned bodies. “I can’t get an exact age, but this looks like a young couple. They were killed before the fire.”
“A small mercy,” AJ said quietly.
“Heavy, blunt trauma,” she said, drawing his eye to shattered ribs and pelvic bones.
“The Chords did that?”
“I don’t know the particulars of the species, but neither Tog nor Bosk could have caused this kind of damage in a single strike. Maybe there’s a larger group of the Chordatile and in that group, bigger bulls.”
“How big would a Chord have to be to do this?”
“Maybe three times the size of Bosk.”
“That’s weird.”
Jayne raised her eyebrows and nodded. “I wish we had the equipment to help bury them,” she finally said. “This is horrible.”
“Do you want us to come out?” Lisa asked, over comms.
“I don’t think so,” AJ said. “There’s nothing here.”
“Well, you better bring that girl back with you. She has no family,” Lisa said. “She’s gonna have a tough time after seeing all that.”
“We’ll bring her back,” AJ agreed. He stood and found Purba, resting on her knees next to a large burned-out tent site.
“You be gentle with her, Albert Jenkins,” Lisa warned.
“I will,” AJ said. “Did you find the compound?”
“It’s a mess,” she answered. “But it has possibilities.”
“AJ, you should know; Tog, that second bull we took down, isn’t dead,” Darnell said.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s moving. I think he has a broken leg and some other trouble,” Darnell said. “I didn’t get too close. I could put him down, but I’m not sure I feel right about that.”
“Don’t,” AJ said. “He’s no threat.”
“I can’t leave him like that,” Jayne said. “We’ll need to go back.”
“You go. I’ll stay with Purba for as long as she needs,” AJ said. “Just stay high in the air, so you aren't jumped by any Chords. Darnell can provide security while you check out Tog.”
“You’re not mad that I’ll help him?”
“It’s who you are,” AJ said, watching the small Fimil as she mourned her family.
“Thank you.” She kissed AJ gently on his cheek.
AJ turned to watch her lift-off and sail to the mountains. He didn’t like the idea of her traveling alone, but she wouldn’t wait while there were injured to be treated.
Giving Purba space, he walked around what remained of the village. The fire had been almost all-consuming, with no structures or domesticated animals remaining. A hundred yards from the burned edge of the village, he discovered planted fields, their thin bounty undisturbed by the nearby violence. He counted twelve different types of leaves and wondered what the plants represented, suspecting medicinal for the smaller patches and food for the larger.
“Maudma was one of the tenders.” Purba’s voice surprised him, even though he’d seen her approach on his sensors.
“I was just wondering if these plants were medicine or food,” AJ said.
“There is no reason it cannot be both,” Purba said.
“I’m sorry for your family,” AJ said. “I can’t imagine what you’re feeling.” It was a lie. He’d lost both family and friends and knew well the sting of death.
“You should leave.”
AJ let the statement hang between them for a while and only responded when Purba finally looked up at him. “Only if you come with me,” he said.
“Why?” she asked, shrugging her shoulders simply. “I am the least of my family and one of the least of my tribe. I am more trouble than my value.”
“We value life,” he said. “You will come with me and we will keep you safe. You can make decisions about your life after you’ve recovered.”
“It is as if you are telling and asking at the same,” Purba said. “I am a simple tribal woman of the Gauder Plains. I do not understand why a powerful off-worlder would consider caring for the likes of me.”
“I’m not asking,” AJ said. “I don’t often force young women to do things, but you’re not thinking right, and it’s dangerous here.”
“The village has never been attacked by Chordatile before,” she said. “I don’t know why they did this.”
“Do they know how to start fires?” AJ asked.
“I have never seen it,” she said. “They are not very smart.”
“Are there large herds of them?”
“Yes. There can be groups with hundreds. They must have caught the elders off guard and stampeded for some reason. It is the only thing I can think.”
“Are there a lot of them that are bigger than Bosk?”
“Not many. He is a big one,” she said. “Why?”
“If there was a stampede, why would the garden be unaffected?” AJ asked. “Why the fire?”
“I see Chordatile prints in the dirt outside where it burned,” Purba said. “They were here. I do not know why the garden was undamaged. It is very good, though. I will salvage the roots and Maudma’s heritage will not be forgotten.”
“We need to leave soon,” AJ said. “It will be dark before we get back to camp. I’d prefer not to travel long while it is dark. I don’t know this world very well.”
“Why did you come, Albert Jenkins?”
“There’s an easy answer with harder questions that follow,” AJ said. “The easy answer is that a nosy Tok commander decided that we needed to come here. The harder question to answer is why.”
“You have met a Tok?”
“I’ve met a couple,” AJ said. “They’re assholes.”
“You should not speak so. They are very powerful.”
“So they keep saying.”
“Will you help me dig my mother’s roots?” Purba asked, taking a metal shovel from a nearby rack that held many similar tools.
“Sure,” AJ said. “Remember, we need to be able to carry whatever you dig.”
A tiny smile pushed at Purba’s lips. “We are nomads of the Gauder Plains. Traveling with small packages is something we are adept at. Find the coarse cloth in the next bin. I will teach you to wrap the desert plants correctly.”
For almost an hour, the pair worked in relative quiet, only speaking when necessary. As promised, Purba was both efficient and quick about her job of digging up the well-tended plants.
“What will happen to these others once we leave?” AJ asked.
“It is our way that when we leave, we open the fences and welcome our desert friends to feast on what they have only been allowed to look upon,” she said. “It helps them grow and become stronger, which also makes us stronger. I am ready to leave.”
“Do you want to bury your family?” AJ asked. “I didn’t know you had shovels.”
“My family are only ashes. There is nothing to bury,” she said, tears again staining her dirty cheeks. She snorted, which had the effect of making her small, trunked nose jiggle. If not for the somber moment, AJ might have found it funny. As it was, he felt no humor.
“Jayne, how are you doing?” he called, realizing it had been two and a half hours since she’d left. The system’s star had already passed over the mountain range and dusk enveloped the valley.
“I’ve been watching you with Purba,” Jayne said. “I love how patient you are with her. Thank you.”
“You’re safe then?” AJ asked, ignoring the compliment.
Jayne’s laugh was like music to his ears. “You don’t like to hear nice things about yourself,” she said. “I can see the lights of Big Max and what I think is the compound. I’ll need to get something set up so I can work on Tog. I hope he’s still alive.”
“You be safe,” AJ said. “Tog is a wild animal, even if he can say a few words.”
“A wounded physician can’t heal anyone,” Jayne said. “Or at least that’s what Nit is saying. She’s with you on this.”
“Good. Listen to her then.”
“Will you be leaving the village soon?”
“We’re just wrapping up,” AJ said, watching Purba tie the various bundles onto the handles of two shovels. When she was done, he saw how the design would allow someone to comfortably balance the weight on their shoulders.
“It’ll be dark,” Jayne said. “Be careful.”
“That’s the plan,” AJ said, helping Purba don the rocket pack vest she’d shucked when they arrived. “How defendable is our new home, Darnell?”
“We should be okay for a few days,” he said. “There’s been some rot, but it’d take a very persistent Chord to break in. I imagine we’d have something to say about the intrusion before they got too far.”
“You check that little girl’s bios before you get going,” Lisa said. “She’s too small to be taking any chances with her health.”
AJ grinned.
“What is it? I hear tiny voices, but I cannot identify them,” Purba said.
“You can hear those voices? That’s crazy,” AJ said. “Lisa said we needed to make sure you were healthy enough to travel. She’s worried about you.”
“Why?”
“Did you ever see your Maudma hold another woman’s baby?” AJ asked. “What was the look on her face?”
“Maudma and I love holding babies,” Purba said, smiling despite the circumstances. “They are so innocent and fragile … and they smell good. Who would not love this?”
“If that woman needed help, did you say no?” AJ asked.
“Of course not. It is an honor to hold another’s child.” The look on Purba’s face was indignant.
“Well, Lisa sees you as another woman’s baby in need of help,” AJ said. “You’re in more danger of being smothered than being turned away.”
Purba’s face was instantly filled with concern. “She will smother me?”
Lisa’s response was as quick as it was venomous. So much so that AJ tuned her out. “Sorry, that’s an Earth idiom. She’ll love you up so much that you’ll wish she would stop.”
