The Helavite War (10 page)

Jake was practically bowled over by Sarah
when she recognized him.

"Did you see my partner?" Jake asked, as he
extricated himself from her grasp. "He's a young man. Big, blue cat
eyes." He said describing Arr. "Red/gold hair."

"When the smoke came they took all of us out
except him. They left him in his cage. He's still in there." Sarah
said in an aggrieved tone.

Jake caught sight of pilot's wings on one of
the captives. "Can you start shuttling the people up to the
cruiser? I've got to go in for my partner."

"Gladly," she said with a mock salute and a
winning smile.

*****

The leader of the Hydras sensed the
deception when there was no fire only smoke. When he heard his
comrades dying he realized that the being they left behind in the
cage was not alone. The Hydra retreated back to the cavern.

*****

Jake and Kay-o moved slowly through the
smoke filled tunnels. When they reached the cave, the Hydra and Arr
were waiting.

The Hydra had strung Arr up by his shackle
chain from the ceiling. The kid hung with his feet about a foot off
the floor. He had obviously struggled. The shackles cut deep into
his wrists. Blood oozed down his arms almost to the elbow. He had a
gash on his forehead above the left eye. The blood dripped down his
face and off his chin. The left eye was swollen shut. His nose was
bloodied and his lip was cut. He was unconscious.

The Hydra was waiting for Jake. It had two
weapons of a type Jake had never seen before. One was trained on
him and one on Arr. The weapon looked like a metal stick with a
flat tip on it. There was a grip with buttons and Jake didn't have
to wait long for a demonstration. The Hydra stuck the weapon up to
Arr's side and squeezed the grip. Arr screamed and writhed in pain.
Without removing the weapon he pointed at Jake, he hit another
button on the weapon he had pointed at Arr and shot at the
cauldron. The cauldron and a big portion of the rock floor beneath
it disappeared. He put the stick back to Arr's side. The Hydra
motioned for Jake to clear the way. The demonstration was over. He
would kill the boy if Jake did not let him pass.

Jake wished to God he left Kay-o outside
with the captives. He could have attacked the Hydra as it emerged
from the tunnel. Unfortunately, Kay-o took the lead when they came
back in. Now he was further in the cavern then Jake was.

Jake motioned for Kay-o to move to one side
to let the Hydra pass. The leader grabbed Arr around the waist
eliciting a groan from Arr and a growl from Kay-o. The Hydra stuck
his weapon under Arr's chin, then he raised the other stick he had
pointed at Jake to disintegrate the chain above Arr's head. Arr
slumped loosely in the Hydra's powerful grip. The thing grinned
mockingly as it passed Jake at the cavern entrance. It proceeded to
back its way out the tunnel. Jake and Kay-o were close behind.

*****

The pilot had just landed. She was about
ready to take another load on for the cruiser when she saw the
Hydra backing out of the cave's mouth. Her instincts and good
training snapped her to attention. She aimed and fired the pod guns
at the Hydra.

Jake saw the Hydra's head explode. Arr
slipped safely from its grasp. The reflexes of the Hydra did not
have a chance to squeeze the weapon. Thank God!

Arr awoke in his cabin aboard the cruiser. He had
the fleeting thought that maybe it was a bad dream, but the ache in
his head told him differently. He started to lift his hand to touch
it. With difficulty he raised his inordinately heavy arm only to
see the shackles on his wrists. A hand came out of nowhere to grab
his arm.

"You're gonna be all right kid," a familiar
voice said soothingly.

Arr couldn't see anyone sitting at his side.
In fact, he only now realized he couldn't see out of his left eye.
He angled his head for a better look coming face to face with a
concerned Jake.

"Take them off, please," Arr pleaded holding
his hands up.

"They would have been off three days ago if
I'd had my way. The only thing I've got strong enough to do the job
would take your hand off with them." Jake managed to bandage the
bleeding wrists beneath the shackles. He gave Arr's upper arm an
affectionate squeeze. "We'll reach Daily's in another 72 hours.
He'll be able to round something up to take them off you and Sarah
both."

"She was there?" Arr tried to raise his
head. The effort sent a pain so intense through it that he thought
he'd pass out.

Jake saw the grimace of agony cross the
boy's battered face. "None of that now." He coached patting Arr's
shoulder. He wrung out a cloth from a bowl by the bed, placing it
on the kid's brow. "Yep, she was with them! We were lucky this
time." He leaned forward checking the bandages on Arr's face. "You
hungry?"

"No. Just tired." Arr's eyes fluttered shut
and Jake heard a deep sigh as he fell off to sleep again.

"Fine. You just rest." Jake placed Arr's
hands on his chest and pulled the covers up under his chin. He was
glad the kid regained consciousness. He didn't mind saying he was
worried. Arr took a good beating. He should have known the kid
would bounce back after the way he observed his seemingly
miraculous healing from Kay-o's bite.

Another three days and Andrew would have
Sarah back and all the rest of the throng of people crowded aboard
his ship could get back to their homes. When Jake sent a message
earlier to Andrew that he had Sarah and would bring her home as
soon as possible, Andrew offered to help. He would assist by
notifying the captive's relatives and arranging their
transportation home from Madelor. He wanted Jake to come straight
home with his beloved Sarah.

Jake rose from Arr's bedside, turning to go
check on his passengers. Sarah was standing in the doorway.

"He speaks," she said in almost respectful
awe.

"Better English than you or me any day."
Jake took her by the arm guiding her out into the corridor. The kid
needed as much rest as he could get.

"I didn't know what he was when they dragged
him in the cavern. He was dressed like a spacer, but didn't talk.
When they started to put the shackles on him he was like an animal,
absolutely vicious." Sarah craned her neck to see past Jake's bulk
to the fascinating alien.

"He doesn't like being bound. Kind of a free
spirit," Jake said, as he propelled his curious ward farther down
the hall back to her place with the other passengers.

The next three days Sarah quizzed Jake endlessly
about Arr, his people, his home planet and how Jake met him. By the
time they made Madelor Jake was tired of the girl and her infernal
drilling.

Andrew was as good as his word. He arranged
for the other captives. Most of their families were either waiting
for them or transportation was arranged. It took just a little less
than two hours to sort everyone out and put them on their way.

Jake believed Arr would even have felt that
it was worth it all after seeing the greeting between father and
daughter. Andrew invited Jake to join them at dinner that night.
Jake explained Arr was injured, though he was on the mend he didn't
feel he should leave him alone. Andrew continued to press Jake to
join them in their little celebration. Finally, the mercenary
relented. He took the factory worker Andrew summoned to remove
everyone's shackles up to the ship to relieve Arr of his. He saw
that the kid was fed and comfortable. He continued to fuss around
until Arr called him a doting dar-dolf mother and threw him
out.

The meal was delicious. During dinner Sarah
caught Jake up on the condition of the newest acquisitions to her
menagerie. While she was away the servants did well taking care of
them. This subject brought her to her favorite, Arr. She was
anxious to know how he was faring.

"Fine," Jake answered icily, searching
desperately through his mind for a subject to take them away from
this over explored topic.

Andrew leaned forward in his chair. "Sarah
has spoken of little else, but this Arr of yours since her return.
I do feel he has even taken precedence over her adventure with the
Hydras." He smiled affably, as he held out his glass for the
servant to refill. "She tells me he speaks English. He didn't speak
when he was here."

"If you remember correctly you didn't give
him much of a chance." Jake accepted the refill of his glass as
well.

"Well perhaps.... She tells me he can be
quite vicious," Andrew continued, sipping judiciously at his
wine.

"He is as civilized as I am. She was
speaking of an extraordinary set of circumstances," Jake said a bit
defensively.

"I'm glad to hear that. Now that I have my
lovely daughter back," Andrew winked at Sarah seated next to him,
"I would not want to buy her something that might hurt her." He
pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

"I don't think I heard you right," Jake
snorted in disbelief. His brow wrinkled into a frown. "You didn't
just say you were offering to
Buy
Arr, did you?"

"I can assure you I will make you a fair
offer." The ever present servant leaned forward offering Andrew a
light. He accepted inhaling deeply, then exhaling through his nose
in a relaxed fashion. "Sarah tells me he is one of a kind. I know
that alone will raise his value."

Jake planted his shaking hands on the table
and pushed himself to his feet. He was so angry he couldn't speak.
The gall of this man. Arr had almost got himself killed helping
rescue the man's 'beloved daughter' and he wanted to buy him like
just another animal for Sarah's menagerie.

Jake set his jaw, turned a steely glare on
Andrew, and said the only thing he could get out without cursing,
"He's not for sale."

Andrew looked at the control Jake was
mustering to keep from doing God only knew what. Well, he had told
Sarah he would try. He was not going to risk alienating Jake. He
was too valuable. Jake had proven that once again.

"Very well, if you should change your mind,
you know Sarah would make him very comfortable here and the price
would be right."

"If you will excuse me, I should be getting
back to my ship." Without waiting for leave, Jake headed for the
door.

Sarah ran after him and caught his arm. He
turned and his piercing look made her drop his arm and think twice
about making a further plea for Arr.

"I should have left you with the Hydras,"
Jake said through clenched teeth.

It happened around this time every year. Jake
received an urgent summons to a battle. He knew there wasn't going
to be any confrontation, but he always played along. It was really
an invitation to a surprise birthday party. His surprise birthday
party to be exact!

His dad always made a big deal of birthdays.
He said they were the only day that was really, truly yours. He
always got all his fellow mercenaries together and threw Jake a
party at one of the Outposts.

The first year after Jake's dad's death he
was pretty low. He received a communication to come to Outpost #4
for a possible job with good money and low risk. When he arrived
all the gang was there. Tim took over for Jake's dad. He arranged
it all. Jake remembered it fondly as one of the best days of his
life.

Now every year an urgent message would
demand his immediate attention at some Outpost about this time of
year. He would go to find them all waiting for him with their broad
silly grins and rude gag gifts. He would always act surprised. They
would always act like they believed him. It truly was a day to look
forward to all year long.

This year though, Tim screwed up. He called
Jake to Outpost #37 for an urgent battle on Gligula. Jake was there
less than two years ago and cleaned up that mess permanently.
Course, Tim didn't know that or had forgotten. Otherwise, he would
have picked a different planet for the trick. All the same, Jake
would act surprised and Arr could get his first glimpse of a pure
earth tradition.

He asked Arr when his birthday was when he
told Arr the story of these 'Surprise' parties. The kid said he
didn't know the date. They all celebrated their birthdays together
at the Spring Festival. Dates were not important to the Henu
culture.

Jake pointed the cruiser toward Outpost #37
with great anticipation.

They had been lying in this slime for the last two
days. Even with his nose plugs Arr could hardly stand it. He swore
he thought he could taste it when he breathed through his mouth.
There really was a call for a battle on Gligula. Jake cleaned it up
and then the factory came in to process this slime into a gas that
when mixed with un-breathable air, made it breathable. They hadn't
felt the need for a security team, or any kind of protection for
that matter.

The Narnon just re-grouped, re-equipped and
moved back in eight days ago. They brought reinforcements,
Tuldavian Swamp Lizards. The big suckers were busy building their
mud traps just below the surface of the slime all over the place.
It was like a damn mine field. If you fell into one that was
unoccupied you went in at least to your waist and needed someone's
help to get out or you would be permanently stuck and eventually
lizard bait. If you had the misfortune to fall into an occupied one
you didn't get out, or at least your bottom half didn't.

Jake hadn't wanted to bring the kid to this
so soon after the episode with the Hydras. Sure he was healed up as
good as new. The kid had incredible recuperative powers. Jake hoped
they would have another short rest before going into action again.
He wasn't trying to kid himself. He was looking forward to the rest
too. Hell, he thought, this was going to be a birthday party.