13 Degrees of Separation (84 page)

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The
Selkies and otters killed a few foolish pirates who were lured onto river ice.
A quick scoring of the ice from the underside and when they stepped on it down
they went into the drink. If the weight of their clothes and gear didn't sink
them an otter or Selkie was usually around to help finish them off. Almost
overnight the pirates learned to avoid the ice on lakes and rivers.

The elder
noted the enthusiasm and victories as a two edged sword. She was blooding her
people, training them to fight a superior armed opponent, but also teaching
them to kill humans. Teaching the humans that there was something dangerous out
there. Something to be aware of, something to fear. The pirates began to take
steps to counter the growing insurgency, immediately enforcing a buddy system
and periodic radio check.

If Moira
noted that she was no longer on the front lines she didn't comment about it.
She'd done what she'd set out to do, spur her people to action. Now they were
eager for the fight, eager to hit back and to keep her out of the line of fire.
Some were just eager to prove their bravery to potential mates. Ah how they
could be so foolish, she thought with a pang. They took foolish risks. Some
survived and learned, others were injured, a few killed. But they kept fighting
and she was proud of them for that.

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The neo
chimps and gorillas who had once been citizens were now fleeing into the wild.
Many were at first hunted down with contemptuous ease by the pirates. The
pirates made a sport of it, hunting them, letting them get just far enough to
let them think they were safe and then pouncing on them to force them to run
again. The terrible things they did to those who surrendered or were caught
were broadcast for all humans to see. But a few, a lucky few primates found
themselves picked up by a hunter in the night and hidden in a cave or nearby
hide out. Many joined the resistance once they recovered from their initial
ordeal.

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James
Paterson, the Horathian commodore and commander of the expedition began to
react to taking casualties as reports came in. What they had thought would be a
cake walk was turning into something else entirely now. It was getting to the
point where he couldn't allow his people out of the camps and towns without a
heavy over watch. Casualties had shot up twenty percent over the past two
months. It was still under what the planners had expected, but he didn't like
it.

“Resistance,”
he muttered, realizing it for what it was. Oh they made it look good, made the
early encounters look like animal attacks but no polar bear or other animal was
interested in taking a gun or supplies. No, it was resistance. And not human
resistance either, not from the animal signs. Or not only human, he thought
acidly. Neo's had to be involved with them he thought, lip curling in disgust
at such a pack. The vermin would be rightfully extinguished, his people would
purge them from the records, purifying this world, he vowed. He quickly barked
orders to get that done with as soon as possible. With any luck it would enrage
the freaks into doing something stupid, thus letting him wipe them out.

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The
resistance as the elder called them received grim news, most of the neo dogs on
the southern continent had been gathered up and exterminated. More than one
Neo's ears were flat, fur bristled at that news. Some who were afraid for their
lives and their future gathered their young and fled further away from the
packs and danger. Others though, some who hadn't come forward now did, knowing
that they had no recourse, they had to fight to survive.

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Word from
the towns spread to them slowly through the net of listening posts. Towns
people were occasionally sent out to gather wood and materials. Ever fearful
after hearing what had happened, they did it as close to the town as possible,
thus cutting back on the cover around the perimeter of the town over time. A
few however were deliberately encountered by a lynx who encouraged them to go
further afield for their materials. When they did so they found a neo there to
debrief them quickly as they exchanged goods and intel for gathered wood and
supplies.

The
gatherers warned them of the pirates efforts to reeducate the surviving
population. The young and able bodied were being shipped as time permitted to
the coast to reeducation camps. Those that fought the pirates were killed. All
weapons were banned. Anyone too old or sick were either killed or left to die
alone. Any who were caught helping them were severely punished.

The
resistance recruited a few humans native to their world. They were cautious,
only exposing themselves to those they knew were native to the planet. Whenever
possible Cali or Moreta vetted them. They found that many were too scared to
fight back, but some weren't, they'd lost friends and family and were grimly
determined to avenge them. Cali had a couple teenage friends from other posts
who came in and joined the cause. Others stayed in place but funneled back
information and materials. The Elder cautioned them, “I'd rather grow to trust
these humans slowly. It is too easy for one of their number to be taken
hostage. Be on the alert for that.”

“What do
you mean grandmother?” Blizzard asked slowly.

“If the
pirates get wise they may try to recruit one to lead them to us. Or they may
take someone's family hostage and force a human to lead them to us.” She
cautioned, looking her students in their eyes. “Smell each for signs of fear or
strange devices. Do not lead any to a base, stay only as long as you must and
no longer. Move quickly, but wisely. Remember we are the hunted as much as the
hunters here.” The resistance members nodded their heads or flicked their ears
in acknowledgment.

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Sabu, a
snow leopard was eager to hit the enemy. They'd strafed his mother killing her.
He'd yowled in frustrated rage over that. His kit sisters weren't so eager to
get revenge at first, but when they found that the elder was teaching them the
old ways, the ways of technology, they had reluctantly started to participate.

Leopards
had the rare ability to cloak. It was a great advantage in the stalk, but it
took its' toll on the user. Only a handful of Neos had the ability, none did it
as well as the black wolf clan did. However they had decided to disappear into
the forests instead of helping to fight in the resistance.

Shanti,
his sister, was nearly an adult, and now eager to prove herself better than her
older brother. Their good natured rivalry in their youth had been fun but now
it was time to set aside such things and work with maturity to a better future.
Shanti of course didn't see it that way, she chafed at his over protective
attitude and his desire to protect her and their young sister Rah.

Sabu's
ears flicked in annoyance. She didn't understand he wasn't just protecting her,
he was protecting them, their people. Not just Neos but leopards. They were
sparse now, with mother gone there were even fewer leopards on this world.
Their clan was a dying one, their grandmother had warned him. Already his
sisters had mates. He had been told, but he refused to tell
them
that.
Heaven help him when they found out... and if they ever found out he was
complicit with the decision... His claws flexed into the bark of the maple
tree. It was a sugar maple and it's sticky sap clung to his claws.

Irritably
he flicked at them, then licked trying to get the sticky sap off. The fur
around his fingers would be matted and irritated if he didn't. He picked at it
for a while with his teeth and almost missed the pirate patrol passing nearby.

They were
getting better, he thought, sitting still. His breath slowed as he
concentrated, readying the cloak in case of need. He was perfectly camouflaged
in his hide, but if they had the hated heat detectors he could be in trouble.

Sure
enough one brought them up and started to scan around them. By the time he
looked at Sabu's tree Sabu had entered cloak. He held it, holding his breathing
as the man methodically checked and then checked again. After a long moment of
staring at a moose off on the other side of the creek he stopped and put the
device down. “Nothing,” the man said, waving his soldiers on.

Tiredly
they trudged on, moving with fatalistic movements. They'd forgotten their fear
as annoyance at being cold and wet had penetrated their thoughts. When they
were gone the leopard smiled a Cheshire grin and then pulled out a mirror to
signal a report of their passing.

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Moira was
taking more and more time training and refining her tactical training. She
singled out some students for additional training, sometimes the quicker witted
ones to take on new tasks... and sometimes the slower ones who were having
trouble with even the simplest tasks set to them. Those that had trouble she
taught to either run gear for the others or had them placed in other supporting
roles.

Several
times their noses found tracking devices in goods they stole. They turned this
to their advantage, setting up several ambushes. After the second ambush though
the enemy commander got wise and just strafed the tracking devices location.
After that they immediately crushed the devices the moment they found them.

Teaching
her smarter students entry tactics was difficult in the woods. She'd tried to
game out a room with trees but her brethren just didn't have the imagination to
understand. Fortunately, Cali had come to the rescue. She and Blizzard had
woven sticks and branches to form loose walls and doorways. She'd also
encouraged some to try the shooter games and watch replays in the shuttle.
Bridging the gap in understanding was the catalyst needed the elder realized,
grateful again to the little human.

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The elder
watched her people become more comfortable and familiar with the captured
weapons and technology over the ensuing weeks. She made sure some of the
hunting weapons were sent out to help bring food for the fighters. She was
amused about how they loved the hunting rifles. They were difficult to handle,
after all they were built for humans, but the scope and range were great things
to many of them.

Keeping
up with the maintenance of them would be tricky with their hand paws though she
realized. Cali and Moreta were frequently asked to help clean the slide and
tricky areas where the Neo's couldn't reach. Cali was ever patient, showing
them tricks to get into tight areas. She and Moreta found make up tools and
distributed eye liner brushes and other tools to help clean hard to reach
areas. The packs had bows and slings, but the rifles were a step beyond them.

She's just
glad their aim was improving, they would need it soon enough.

They
still used the bows and sling shots when silent kills were needed. It
apparently frightened the Pirates, not being able to pick up a weapon, the
silent death that stalked them whenever they left the safety of their
perimeter. They made certain to hide their tracks and remove the bodies, saving
the precious arrows for later.

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Cali
helped where she could, studying, gathering intel, interpreting, vetting new
people, creating maps, cleaning or repairing weapons and technology, or most
importantly... teaching. She felt exhausted and exhilarated all in one. She
didn't get a chance to be on the front line but she was doing many things she
realized were just as important. Susan was held back. She went with the cubs
and helped manage the crèche in a nearby system of caves. Cali tried to visit
her sister periodically but knew her heat signature going to and from one
location or another could give things away so she was ever cautious and tried
to limit her visits.

Cali's
lessons on technology helped immensely. She was ever patient even when her
students weren't. She carefully drilled them on how to open locks, use tablets,
and use the weapons. Most of her students didn't know how to read, but over
time they could recognize basic symbols. A few of the quicker students picked
up on how to read a map and how to use sensors.

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Moreta
convinced the elder to let her walk to the town the pirates were using as their
primary base. Reluctantly the elder agreed. The girl dressed in a borrowed
parka and trudged through the snow up the main road. The plows hadn't plowed
it, the pirates had killed the oxen used to clear the roads. The equipment sat
there, rusting under the slowly melting snow. She shivered, not from the biting
wind but from suppressed fear as her eyes noted the guard stations.

The
guards were bored, blowing on their hands, slapping themselves to keep warm.
They were angry at being outside, fearful at what was killing their fellows.
Being exposed was a necessary evil, but one they didn't have to like. A tall
male challenged the girl. The girl gulped and begged for food and medicine for
her ailing brother. She rubbed her belly, padded to make her look pregnant. The
man shoved her, gruffly telling her to move on, they had no charity here. She
turned, stumbling away into the snow pretending to cry as she moved. She was
careful not to move her head as her eyes darted to the slightly open hangar. A
man came out, stomping his boots and cupping his hands around a lighter and
cigarette in his mouth. She turned away so he would hopefully not take an
interest in her. Her turn was fortuitous, her roving eyes found the drainage ditch
that led to the battered farm building.

When she
returned to their lines she was shivering. Not from the cold, but from fear of
what could've happened. But when Blizzard looked at her she smiled a feral
smile.