Tapu's Story

The Aschen had gotten the drop on Kahl and the other Mira, but they had overlooked the main hunting party that edged its way through the jungle at the sound of gunfire. Mira were seasoned hunters and had survived worse than guns in their Aeloran homeland. They knew how to make themselves scarce, and how to move unseen. It was this talent that they employed today as they lay in wait to assess the situation. Among them was Leonis, the Shief of the Ra'shak clan that made its home here in the Veshrac Jungle. He knew the Aschen's knack for detecting their presence before they could get into visual range, and so he would need a suitable distraction before his people could move in to retrieve those captive.

He knelt down beside the young Shamana, Ryth, with his greataxe slung over his shoulder, but even on one knee the Mira Shief's bulky form towered over the child at his side.

"Just like in practice," he told the lad quietly. His voice was a hushed whisper so as to not carry through the dense foliage. "And remember, don't think it, feel it. The spirits will know what to do."

To an outsider, bringing a child to the staging ground of an ambush was a grossly irresponsible act, but for the Mira, it was a right of passage they had all endured in their homeland of Aelora. One had not the luxury of being coddled.

Ryth looked up at Leonis, his bright green eyes wide but determined. He nodded in understanding. He knew what he had to do. The child turned back to the scene unfolding in the clearing, and focused his gaze upon the trees and other foliage near to the Aschen soldiers. He raised his hand towards them, faintly glowing wisps of light forming around his clawed fingers.

---

Meanwhile not far from where Leonis and the rest of the tribe lay in wait, two figures crept their way ever closer to the trio of Mira being held at gunpoint by the Aschen soldiers. Tapu knew well that the Aschen had powerful weapons, and so speed and surprise were more valuable here than strength. And that's where Achack came in. Achak was an Edgewere Swampcat, native to Aelora, and with its Aeloran heritage came all of the speed, prowess, and physical fortitude of Aeloran predators. As large as a horse, but as light footed as a leopard, the feline maintained a perfect balance of stealth and power. Its thick mane of fur held vibrant hues of greens, blues, violets and crimsons that shifted and blended beneath the rays of sunlight that made it down through the thick canopy and it was right at home in a tropical environment. Swirling stripes of black on bluish-grey fur added further to the camouflage.

They chose their approach from the trees overhead with Tapu laying flat atop Achak so as to make it harder to distinguish the pair from another - easily leaving them mistaken for nothing more than a wild animal should any of the soldiers take note of them in the thick canopy.

Tapu's hands gripping the thick mane of fur beneath him, and there was a tenseness to both of them; it was a poised readiness that threatened to break free of its reigns, but both waited with brimming anticipation for the signal to move in.

With an almighty creaking of wood, ancient bark began to shift and bend. The great trees of the jungle contorted, their branches flexing and twisting as a new life was breathed into them. Thick vines shot from the ground and the treetops to wrap themselves around the soldiers, tearing guns from hands and pulling their legs out from beneath them even as the trees themselves pulled their roots free and swung heavy branches at the intruders. From the grass that stretched upwards in an attempt to tangle and trip the steps of the soldiers, to the thorny bushes that slung their irritatingly spiked appendages at any exposed flesh they could find; it seemed as though all the flora in the area was converging upon the Aschen. That said, it did not appear that even the mighty trees sought to kill in their assault. They were satisfied with knocking the soldiers from their feet, to pin them with thick roots or vines and leave them incapacitated.

Over the explosion of splintering wood and snapping vines came the exhilarated cry of, "Woop!"

A shadow passed overhead as Tapu and Achak leaped from one writhing tree to another, skidding down a length of bark to launch themselves down into the midst of the fray. Claws tore into soft bark and the weight of the pair left the branches creaking dangerously, but they moved with the seasoned grace of hunters.

As they neared the four captives, Tapu leaped from the back of Achak and caught a loose hanging vine. "Yahoo!" he bellowed as he swung down to land among the trio of captive Mira.

He had a wide grin upon his face as Achak touched down beside him in a spray of dirt and mulch from the forest floor.

"Starting the fun without me?" he asked Kahl before shoving Achak towards the wounded Mira. "Go on, get him out of here, Achak."

The great cat shoved up against Kahl's side to get him back on his feet.

Meanwhile Makya grabbed hold of Jada's arm and started pulling her away as the opportunity for escape presented itself. "Come on, we need to get out of here!"

---

“Go on,” Ryth murmured under his breath, as though his allies within the clearing would be able to hear, though it was not the case. “Run now!”

Leonis grunted his approval as he rose back to his feet.

"Get the Shamana back to the village," he told one of the Mira at his back. "The rest of you with me."

“Leonis!” Ryth protested, turning to look sharply back at the older Mira. “I can still help! What if there are more?”

Leonis and the rest of the Mira warriors were already moving off into the jungle though. Ryth growled with irritation, staring after them for several long moments before the warrior who had been left behind coughed to garner his attention. The Shamana turned to him with a scowl, "Fine." he muttered, turning to follow the other Mira away back towards the village.

The Aschen men began to move in, weapons at the ready to finish off the rest of the group, but suddenly the trees, the foliage and everything else began to come to life. Crackling and moving around them causing confusion among the soldiers.

One was suddenly swept off his feet with a loud shout he hit the ground, struggling against the foliage and shouting. This started chaos among the men as the trees moved in.

A branch wrapped around the feet of the Corporal, and he unleashed his weapon, a series of deafening pops followed as the Men started shooting at the trees, splintering them and setting them ablaze with their weapons.

The Sergeant was separated from his rifle, and branches had tangled themselves around his legs. He withdrew his pistol and fired up at the trees, blue bolts of light splintering their thick oaken trunks into fiery splinters that shot out in all directions. A fourth hurled a plasma grenade at one of the trees, which detonated and splintered the trees and set the nearby ones ablaze. But eventually they were overwhelmed and restrained by the branches. One of them however was not.

"Tango-Two One Seven, requesting Air Support on grid four nine seven carom one one nine!" He called out into his radio, struggling against the thorny branches that ripped at his flesh.

"Acknowledged Tango-Two One Seven, Apollos en-route for napalm strike." The Radio message was loud enough for all the Mira in the area to hear, and anyone familiar with modern weapons would have a very good idea what was about to come next.

Kahl gripped the fur of the mighty cat and hauled himself vertically over the beasts back. The knee would take time to heal, but his pride was hurt beyond what time could heal. "Shut up." The hunter muttered, shaking his head and giving a brisk laugh. "Good to see you."

The wounded Mira patted Achak. "Good to see you too." and then he slumped himself over and gripped on for dear life. Kahl was going to kill that sergeant and his men, they would pay the blood price for what they had done to his pride and his knee, this was his new goal, his reason for being.

Vengeance.

When everything went crazy Baako retrieved his weapons and grabbed his kill. There was no way Baako was going to leave his kill behind. He had worked hard for it. Once Baako had gotten out of the fray. He joined up with Leonis and the rest of the party. Baako felt the the worst of the day was over. Baako had his kill and his weapons and all was well.

Baako hung at the back of the group as he usually did. He wondered what became of the human woman with her strange skin and staff. The Bakko heard something about Napalm. Baako wasn't one hundred percent sure what napalm was but he was pretty sure it had something to do with fire. Fire wasn't good. Baako looked to Leonis to see if he understood what the Napalm meant. Baako didn't want to tell everyone to hightail it out of there if Leonis was going to. Leonis was the leader after all.

As soon as Kahl was securely in place, Achak was off at a swift lope with Tapu not far behind. It would seem the Mira had no intents for more than a hit and run as the tribe scattered back into the jungle.

It was moments only before Kahl and Tapu came face to face with Leonis who growled out his ire as he took note of Kahl's condition. The temperamental Mira could be a handful at times, but he was one of Leonis' best warriors. An injury like that could well change that.

"They called in air support," Tapu warned Leonis. "We have two maybe three minutes."

"That's long enough. You two get to Naia, everyone else regroup at the river. Move."

With every second counting, Leonis wasted little breath on further words. Fortunately when it came to vanishing, the Mira were little more than ghosts. The dense undergrowth that might have left others hacking their way clear proved little obstacle to the local tribes who knew every nook and cranny of the jungle, and where the undergrowth became too thick to traverse they took to the trees with the same ease as they did the ground - that is if you weren't burdened with the company of a human.

In the routine fallback, no one took note of the absence of one young Mira.

The Aschen Sergeant had already ordered a retreat, and the Aschen were making it a point to clear out before the Apollos got in.

"Clear out! Let's go get free and clear out!" The Sergeant called out, while his men scrambled to get free of the roots and tree limbs and away from the whole area.

It was then a shriek could be heard. It was a deafening roar that was increasing in pitch and volume.

--

"Command this is Sierra One Seven Niner, approaching target." The Pilot said as he angled his Apollo to the right, six more of these angular fighters followed suit.

"All wings we're aiming for wide dispersal, maximize your area of effect." He said, and from below, one could observe the fighters as they split up in all directions, swooping around in a broad circle.

Suddenly, it was as if out of nowhere, the heat of a thousand hellfires engulfed the jungle in towering brilliant flames which began to spread violently in all directions. They were rumbling, roaring and pulling in a hot wind from all around, sucking in the oxygen and making it difficult for anyone caught in the blaze to breathe.

Trees began to crackle and splinter and the flames continued to spread while the Fighters burned away. A broad circle of fire engulfing and consuming everything around them.

As quickly as the fighters came, they had fled.

‘Thor unit coming on grid. Officer on grid.', relayed EGO.

[Evaluating current situation…] 'Scanning enemy units and terrain. Dispatching SITREP to SOL STAT. Awaiting orders from on grid commander. Lieutenant Commander Amen Omari taking command.’ EGO relayed and displayed across multiple HUDs. The frigate sized MBC, Mobile Battle Center descended from the clouds to hover over the firestorm. In high orbit fifteen Varden ships remained to assist the TNG. They had been there for months now without incident. For the most part the Varden had let the TNG handle their own affairs. They had not gotten between the Cybran and Volaria though it would remain to be seen if they did involve themselves. Likely it would depend on the actions of the Terran Government.

'Relay a request to Aschen SOLCOM ask them if they are responsible for the strike. The fighters are not marked. If they confirm ask them to cease and desist their attack on the jungle and the indigenous peoples at least until the TNG can respond.', Omari thought and EGO obliged. "Aschen SOLCOM this is EGO in stead of Lieutenant Commander Amen Omari of the VEF requesting confirmation that it is Aschen forces assaulting the jungle. If so we ask that you cease and desist your attack on this jungle location and the indigenous peoples located herein until the TNG can respond and investigate.", EGO broadcasted.

Commander Magus sat silently aboard the AHSC Chariot of Fire, grabbing the railing as a Lieutenant turned. "Incoming Transmission from the Varden." He reported, and Magus sighed and growled slightly, as the Reverence was now over northern Hafirjan.

"Patch a reply through." He said calmly, picking up the communication phone.

"Lieutenant Commander Amen Omari, this is Commander Bryn Magus of the AHSC Chariot of Fire, Couple of things. Neither the Aschen Government, nor SOLCOM ordered any kind of attack on any jungle. We have reason to believe it was Hataf militants and Aschen settlers." He said, making a face. "We're en-route to investigate the nature of the Fire in the jungle, but to brazenly accuse us of a hostile act without any proof flies in the face of our fragile peace." He said, then he turned to his Executive Officer, Colonel Athena Truesdale.

"Set Condition Yellow." He said, clasping his hands behind his back, while the lighting shifted from violet to yellow, and an alarm began to blare.

"All hands, Action stations!"

Omari grumbled. 'Ladar, magnetometric, gravimetric, and radar all confirm that those fighters are returning to dock at AHSC Chariot of Fire source of the transmission just received.', EGO relayed. 'Alert Admiral Apis.', Omari thought. 'Admiral Apis is currently monitoring the situation.', EGO relayed. 'Deploy Thon unit one and two. Create a firebreak. Deploy APDs to get these fires under control and search for survivors.'

Two interceptor drones detached themselves from the underside of the MBC and started to pinwheel away as six APDs descended into the flaming jungle to search for any survivors. Moments later the deafening sounds of 30mm repeating blaster cannons filled the air as the drones created a twenty-five meter firebreak around the blaze. Modulating and inverting their hydromagnetic shielding the all-purpose drones started to snuff out the accelerant fueled blaze. Cutting lasers were used to fell some trees to save others. These drones swam through the flames, floating above the ground to complete the task commanded of them: Stop these fires and search for survivors.

The platoon on board the MBC were already prepared for deployment in their PDS, weapons locked and loaded. Heavy equipment was manned and prepared for a fight. 'Transmit to AHSC Chariot of Fire that we read them.', thought Omari. "Commander Bryn Magus of the AHSC Chariot of Fire this is EGO in stead of Lieutenant Commander Amen Omari. We read you."

'Transmit to Captain MacDuff of the Diomedes the location and current situation. Ask for assistance and advisement', thought Omari. "Captain MacDuff of Diomedes this is EGO in stead of Lieutenant Commander Amen Omari of the VEF at location, containing blaze, and searching for survivors. We request assistance. Please advise.'

Leonis and the Mira hunting party made their way back to the Mira village without further incident, though more than a few had cast wary glances over their shoulders at the thick plumes of smoke and fire that had tore through the jungle in their wake. They were clear of the worst of the heat that wafted through the jungle as they traveled upwind from the area of the bombing, but even from here the destructive nature of the run was clearly apparent.

They Mira were apt to traveling in small scattered groups and frequently left little trail for pursuers to be led back to their villages and today was no different as extra care was taken to cover their tracks and to ensure they did not betray their tribe with a careless misstep.

Meanwhile back at the village dozens of men, women and children had gathered outside of shanty shacks and tree-houses with watchful looks and mutterings among one another. They had all heard the jets fly by overhead before the sounds of the napalm bombing had shook the rainforest, and their words of conversation seemed caught between wishes to stay and await the returning hunting party, or to move out. Without a clan second in Shief Leonis' absence, there was some confusion over who should make the call.

Fortunately the decision would be stayed as signal whistles broke out from the surrounding wood. In their homeland of Aelora such measures were ingrained into every Mira until they were second nature, and each whistle had a distinctive meaning; the system of communication almost serving as a language of its own. The Mira were a semi-nomadic people and with dozens of villages scattered through the rainforest, an early warning was all that was needed for the Mira to have a village evacuated and the tribe moving on to another before it could be taken by the void that had once served as enemy. These days their enemy came in a different shape and form - but old lessons remained strong.

Today though the whistles were not a warning, but rather they served as an announcement of the hunting party's arrival. It would be another fifteen or twenty minutes yet before the returning Mira reached the village and the uneasy bantering shifted to speculations of just what had transpired out there in the jungle while small groups of excited children exchanged bets and declarations of just how many of the human aliens their favorite hunters had no doubt slain. Of course a child's imagination and reality were not often hand in hand, and on this day it would seem there were no casualties to be spoken of for either Mira, or the ever encroaching Aschen.

Tila's attention was wrapped up in staring towards the village's entry as she, just like the other Mira there, impatiently waited for some sort of sign or signal. Up in the higher tree house, she sat on the edge of the walk with legs hanging down while leaning against the loose rope that served as a guard rail. That stub of a tail twitched anxiously as her ears suddenly perked to a sound in the jungle. It was a signal - though she couldn't remember what that particular signal meant. Ohh! Why didn't she pay attention during communication lessons!

At least it seemed it wasn't a signal to evacuate. All the same, the teenage Mira slid back on the planks and stood to get a better look down at the paths below. The hunting party was coming in and among the hustle, Tila scrambled to start her decent to the path. When she got down one level, she paused to look for her friend, Makya. Usually he was up towards the front, preferring a spot in the lead, but Tila could see the first few of the hunting party and there was no Makya. Was he injured?

Knowing that she would lose her good vantage point by going lower, she looked before taking in a deep breath to call out.

"Makya!" Though her smaller voice was easily drowned out in the large group. "Where's Makya..." she muttered to herself, crooning her neck out for a better look. Her hair was given a strong toss to get out of her eyes when she cried out once again.

Tapu led Achak and Kahl well through the thick of the jungle, pausing only briefly to look overhead as jets passed them by. A moment later the trees shook from the napalm bombing that swept through the distant trees in a fiery inferno.

"That can't be good..." Tapu remarked.

What came next was staggering as the heat of the distant inferno tore through the jungle to engulf the trio in its suffocating grasp. They were downwind from the fires and the smoke and fumes of the burning foliage mingled with the distinctive stench of ozone left Tapu catching himself against a low hanging tree branch to cough into his arm. The fires in the distance were swallowing up the oxygen and leaving the air suffocatingly thin.

"Nothing like a summer stroll, eh?" Tapu asked before he quirked a grin.

The mischievous Mira never did seem to lose spirit.

"Come on, this way," he added before he redoubled their pace to lead Achak deeper into the jungle away from the stifling heat that licked at their backs and left the pair of them panting heavily.

Despite his apparent light-hearted remarks, there was a pinch of worry to his eyes.

Kahl propped himself up to see the forest burning, the fire glinting in his eyes. The wounded hunter could only resign himself to praying that his fellow Mira weren't harmed by the sudden inferno. Kahl dragged himself further up on his perch upon the great cat, propping his knee up to probe at it with his fingers, biting his cracked lips.

The wound was unlike anything he'd ever seen, the weapon had burnt his wounds closed and there were hints of broken bone, sinew and other unsavory thoughts under the singed fur. "There isn't going to be a rope long enough to hold the trophies." Kahl muttered, quite the contrast to Tapu's remarks.

"Where are we going, Tapu? The Aschen are that way." That was Kahl, foolhardy and hungry for vengeance even with his knee beyond the brink. Kahl even gave Tapu an intrigued look, this wasn't familiar forest territory to him, not that he could tell with all the flames behind him.

"The Shief said to take you to Naia," Tapu replied.

He cast Kahl a side-long glance. "You know as well as I do that they'll have cleared out by now. There's no fight left to go to. Next time, eh?" he asked with a grin.

"For now let's just get you walking again."

Tapu didn't come out this way often. Most of the Mira didn't, though they all knew how to get to where they were going. Naia's glade served as a sanctuary of sorts - a place hidden in open view. One could search this area for months and fail to find that which was right in front of them.

The occasional totems and talismans marked the way for those who knew what to watch for, but for those who didn't, they would lead you astray just as quickly. There was a definite sense of something mystical about this place that was watched over by the ancestral spirits of the shaman that made her home here.

"Not far now."

The trek through the jungle had left the worst of the heat behind them, and up ahead one could almost make out the shape of a hut in the distance.

Kahl let his head fall back on the cat. "Naia." Kahl huffed, he was a hunter from Aelora, he'd heard about this healer who'd come with them to this place, she was a guide to one of the young ones and a great ally as some of the other clan had told him, but she wasn't Mira.

Kahl shook his head and spun his one good leg over Achak's side and onto the soft grass beneath their paws and puffed himself up. A good hunter would not let himself appear meek to anything. "It better not be far, Tapu." Kahl leaned down and gave the cat a scratch behind the ears. "Thanks, Achak."

Kahl limped and put a hand on Tapu's shoulder to steady himself. "You sure she can be trusted? She isn't one of our kind." Kahl whispered, grunting with the effort to keep himself upright.

Achak gave a rumbling pur of contentment as he shoved up against Kahl's side roughly before padding on ahead.

Tapu chuckled lowly as he and Kahl continued towards the hut.

"She's Aeloran," he answered. "That's close enough to one of us for me."

The dense foliage had thinned out enough to ease Kahl's progress, but every cluster of ferns and tree roots proved a painful experience. The clearing itself proved easier to traverse as the low growing foliage gave way to to lightly packed earth. Further totems encircled the clearing and a simple stone table and large hut claimed the area.

The hut was of a humble nature not too dissimilar to Mira construct with its timber walls and thatched roof. Unlike Mira buildings though, this hut was built outward across the ground rather than up into the trees as the Mira typically preferred. No door was present upon the building but rather a large open archway covered with animals skins provided entry into the hut.

"Naia?" Tapu called out.

As he was met with no answer Tapu left Kahl with the stone table for support as he headed over to the hut. Pushing the skins back he called out again. "Naia?"

"I'm here," a woman's voice replied from the nearby jungle before a nimble centaur stepped cautiously into the clearing.

Her delicate build and the graceful curve of the horns from her head left the woman looking more akin to a hine than the more commonly known horse-like centaurs of the grasslands of Aelora.

Kahl turned around, gave the hut a quick look over and sat down on the table. This could be the end of him if it wasn't healed, it put a lot of things into prospective, mostly that a hunt would be impossible with his ruined leg. Kahl shook his head, thoughts of prospective were for the Shief.

Kahl eyed the centaur. "Naia." Kahl greeted grimly.

"Hey," Tapu greeted as Naia made herself known to the pair. "Mr. brawn over brains here got himself into trouble." He winked mischievously to Kahl at the light jab. "Is there anything you can do?"

"Let me see," Naia replied as she approached.

When she reached Kahl she slipped a leather satchel from her shoulder and lay it down upon the stone slab and as it tipped onto its side an assortment of fruits and plants she had been out harvesting spilled out onto the table. Gently pushing them aside she gestured for Kahl to shift around so his leg was up on the table where she could see.

The disruptor shot had destroyed much of the leather covering that had protected his knee, along with the flesh and fur beneath. Sinew and bone were both damaged extensively, and if not for Le'thorian's blessing still residing over the Mira he would likely have lost the leg in its entirety. Naia's expression turned grim at the extent of the damage visible.

"What happened?" Naia asked. "I have never seen an injury like this before."

Naia like the Mira was native to Aelora and had yet to experience these weapons of a more advanced era.

Kahl groaned and shook his head at Tapu, grunting as he lifted his leg to comply with Naia's gesture. "Aschen. Men with guns, shot me in the knee, thought he was being a big Shief." Kahl lifted a hand to his necklace and whispered something under his breath, whiskers trembling as he examined his wound again.

Kahl was never comfortable with relying on others to help him and the entire clan knew it, preferring to work alone had given him a jaded reputation with most of the other hunters, it was his skill and some form of pull with the Shief that stopped him from getting into trouble with most of the other members, Kahl would go to the extent at trying to heal himself whenever he injured himself in Aelora.

"Is it fixable? Will I be a cripple?"