Page 80 of The Warrior's Oath
“Yes,” he said, rising to his feet. “I should help Halvax prepare. A little distance for now would likely serve us both well.”
With that he reluctantly pulled away and joined his friend in the preparations. It was a good idea, and with the two of them working together a basic harness apparatus was rigged in under an hour.
While quick for what they were doing and with the lack of equipment they were doing it with, it was still far longer than either of them would have liked. Every minute they were not moving forward was an added risk to their safety.
“The injured first,” Korvin directed the survivors. “I will cross and receive them. Halvax knows what to do on this side. Follow his instructions and all will be fine.”
Korvin didn’t wait for a reply, instead turning and leaping into the air above the gorge, swinging across on his hand-braided rope with ease. He landed softly on the far side and pulled the rope to him, then threw the unsecured end back across to his partner.
Halvax quickly tied it tight and slung a makeshift pulley into place. The injured human was already in the harness, which the alien tied into place securely. He gave a nod to Korvin who then pulled him across, his arms and back flexing from the effort, much to Nyota’s distraction.
The system worked as intended and the injured man made it to safety soon enough. Halvax then reeled back the harness for the next passenger.
“Would have been so much easier if we did it this way the last time,” Nyota mused.
A strange sound hummed in the skies above. The trees were protecting them from being seen by the naked eye, but who knew what sort of scanning equipment was on board the craft.
The two warriors shared a look.
“Next in the harness,” Halvax urged the others. “We must move quickly.”
No one was about to argue that, each strapping in and crossing in turn. Upon arrival, they would then move down the trail a little bit, creating room for the next person’s landing.
The whole process went relatively quickly, but a few hiccups were to be expected, namely, the improvised pulley jamming on a few occasions. Fortunately, a little elbow grease on Korvin’s part freed it up and helped the poor passenger dangling over the gorge reach the far side safely.
Nyota was the second to last to cross, a surge of lust flooding her as she reached the safety of the dark soil, sliding blissfully into her lover’s arms. He pushed his own feelings aside, quickly unfastening the harness and untying the rope, the end sliding over the edge.
“What about Halvax?” she asked.
“What about him?” he replied as the chunk of wood tied to one end sailed through the air and lodged securely in the crook of a tree branch.
A moment later Halvax soared across, quickly taking down the rope he’d just played Tarzan on and coiling it as they walked. “All accounted for,” he said. “A bit spread out though. More than I would like.”
Korvin glanced down the trail. He had told them to move ahead a little to make a safe space for the others to land after crossing the gorge, but they seemed to have kept on walking, and with his attention focused on the people dangling over certain death, he had somehow missed that.
“I will get to the front,” he said, picking up the Raxxian rifle.
A cry rang out before he could even take the first step.
“Dohrags!” one of the alien survivors shouted.
Korvin and Halvax didn’t hesitate, sprinting toward the sound of conflict rather than away from it. In no time they saw the cause of their predicament.
A small clearing, not large enough for a proper ship to set down in, had a small contingent of Dohrags in it. Apparently, their transport was just small enough, and it had dropped down through the branches to surprise their quarry. The injured human was already incapacitated and bound, his inert body being rudely thrown into the craft.
“We have to stop them!” Halvax blurted, firing the Raxxian hand weapon while charging the Dohrag forces.
Korvin would have urged caution in this instance, but the ball was already in play, so he ran after his friend, firing the rifle from a full run, not even slowing to aim.
The Dohrags, though superior in number, had apparently not been expecting that sort of firepower, and when they realized it was Nimenni warriors coming for them, they made a quick decision. Take the one they had already captured and flee. There would be time to come back for the others with more men and firepower.
“They’re taking him!” Nyota cried out as the Dohrags piled into the ship and sealed the hatch.
“Korvin, their communications equipment!” Halvax shouted.
For the first time Korvin stopped in his tracks. But he wasn’t scared or confused. He was prepared.
In one motion he pulled the Raxxian rifle tight to his shoulder and cranked the weapon’s power to full, taking careful aim as the Dohrag ship lifted off, hoping their shielding wasn’t too robust. Gently, he squeezed the trigger, letting out half a breath as he did to steady his aim.
