Hammer's War 1: Forging the Hammer (25 page)

This was the break Thad needed.  He slammed his head into the Untor’s nose and with a sickening crack, the nose shattered.  Blood and tears blinded the Untor
.  He dropped Thad to the ground, to hold his wounded face.  Thad picked up both stone clubs, swinging one at each of his opponent’s knees.  The hits made the Untor buckle and fall onto his back.  Thad then dropped one of the weapons, rounded the big Untor’s body, and stood at his head. He lifted the stone club and held it ready to deliver the killing blow.  He stopped, and the crowd fell quiet awaiting the end, the death of their champion.  Thad stood there long enough to be sure he had everyone’s attention. 

“I will not kill this Untor.  I cho
ose to spare his life to show to the Untor people we wish you no harm and we will not shed your blood,” Thad yelled to the crowd, then lowered his weapon slowly, and broke the handle over his knee.  He tossed the two halves away.  The crowd went crazy with yelling and clapping.  Thad walked around to face the injured Untor.  He extended his arm.  The Untor champion looked at him for a few seconds then grabbed his arm.  Thad helped him back to his feet. The Champion then shook his arm.  Together, they held their arms up in triumph.

The champion spoke for the first time, “Un-Flar, thanks you.”

Thad said, “You’re welcome.”

The door opened and Un-Tark marched in to the center of the dome.  He lifted his staff to quiet the people.  “The challenge has been offered and met.  The challenger has chosen to spare the life of Un-Flar, which is his right.  The law has been fulfilled
, let it be spoken.”  The crowd cheered again.  “Let it be spoken, from this day forward, death challenges are banned to the end of time.”  Again, the crowd cheered.  “Also from this day forward we will no longer put to death sky walkers who come to us, without a trial of their crimes.  We have much to learn from this people and it is time we let the past stay in the past, and the present be a gateway to a better future!”  The noise from the cheers of the crowd lasted for many minutes.  When the noise level diminished to the point where Un-Tark could talk again he said, “Let it be spoken the law of our people can change as needed and these people are to be known as Un-Takar’s, or friends of the Untor people.  For as I have spoken, let it be done!”

After that day, Thad and the girls became close
r to the Untor people.  They lived, hunted, fished, and laughed with the people.  After a month of learning their ways, they were made a part of the tribe.  Eve started a school and taught the people English, math and other subjects.  Thad taught the people medicine and other practical knowledge.  The twins spent much of their time teaching the females how to do makeup and hair.  They even started to work with the clothing makers to design new clothing. 

The Untor people chose to integrate many of the things Thad was offering into their culture without losing any of their ways in the process.  Two more months passed by and Thad almost wanted to give up their quest to stop Thorne and his organization, but something deep inside of him would not let him quit.  He could not live out his life knowing the cost in lives and knowing
, if not stopped, Thorne would do the same to many more people.  As tempting as it was to stay here and live with these wonderful people, he knew they needed a way to get off this world.

Meanwhile, in his newly remodeled office, Thorne sat reading over field reports when the com beeped.  “Yes,” he said without looking up from his reading.

A female voice came over the speaker, “Sorry to bother you
Sir, but you have a call.” 

“It
’s okay.  I have been expecting it.  Put her through,” he grunted.

A hologram of the Council Woman flashed to life, “George.”

“Helen,” he replied, still not looking up from his reading.

“Status report please,” she looked annoyed.

He sat down the tablet he was reading, “Let’s see.  Our asset has been in place for a few months now, and has complete trust of the target.  She is ready anytime, just waiting for orders.  The other operations are progressing as planned.”

“And what of your little rogue asset problem?”  She asked.

“No activity in months, it seems he has fallen completely off the grid.  So, he either thinks he got us and is not worrying about us anymore, or he has thought better of it and gone into hiding again.  Either way it seems he is no longer a threat to our operations.”

Helen placed her holo-hands on her holo-hips, “Hope so
. I would hate to think what could happen to us all if anything goes wrong.”

“Not to worry, Helen, nothing will go wrong
.  We have done hundreds of these kinds of operations before,” Thorne tried to reassure her.

“Yes, but when was the last time that you
assassinated the Emperor of one the largest governments in the galaxy?”  She asked.

“Touché,” he said.

“Just make sure it happens without any complications,” the hologram blinked out.

“Well goodbye to you too, bitch!” 

Helen Sexton stood in her office, satisfied for the moment things were on track.  She walked to the window to look out over the city.  It was late at night on Earth, where she was, as she watched the lights from hundreds, if not thousands of vehicles flying around the busy streets.  It may be late but New York was still New York, and it never sleeps. 

“I hope everything is ready,” said a voice from somewhere behind her.

Not expecting anyone else in her office this late, she let out a short high-pitched squeal when she heard the voice.  She spun around to see a hooded figure behind her.  He stood almost ten feet tall and had to bend over to keep from hitting his head on the vaulted ceiling.  “My God, I hate it when you do that,” she said. 

“I don’t care
whether you care for it or not, I just need to know that the plan goes forward.”  The mystery giant said in a very deep voice.

“Yes my
Lord, all is prepared and ready for the return of your people.  We await your command,” Helen said as humbly as she could. 

“Good, the time draws near, but not yet.  I will consult the others
.  When you see me again you will know it is time,” he said. 

The strange hooded giant faded away into the darkness as Helen bowed, “Yes my Lord.”

Thad was hiking with two of the younger Untor’s when Fiona came running up to them.  Out of breath she said, “
A…,” she placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath.  “A ship has passed over.  It appears to have landed near the edge of the forest.  Un-Tark sent out scouts, but they have not come back.  He is worried something may have happened to them.  He sent me to find you and tell you to meet him near the site.” 

“Okay, you two,” he pointed to the Untor’s with him, “Get back to the village.”  The Untor’s nodded then took off at a run.  Fiona and Thad took off with Fiona leading the way to the meeting spot.

A few minutes later, they were up in a tree next to Un-Tark.  Looking down at a clearing on the edge of the forest, Thad used the zoom function on his eye implant, and what he saw made his blood run cold.  Of all the off worlders who could come to this world, the ones he was looking at were the worst.  If not dealt with they could undo all the work they had done in the last few months, changing the attitudes of the Untors.

“What are these creatures I’m looking at?  I
’ve seen many aliens, but nothing like these,” Un-Tark was amazed at the aliens who had landed.  They were about five feet tall and looked like lizards, but lizards with weapons and armor. 

Thad sighed, “They are Ralnai, and they the worst
!  We have to stop them from reporting back.”

Fiona had heard
of them, but never had any dealing with them.  She asked Thad what Un-Tark was thinking, “Report back?”

“Yeah, these guys are just scouts.  They have no doubt scanned for life forms, and have found the village.  They will raid it and take a few slaves back to show to the rest of their tribe.  They will then come back in greater numbers to enslave the rest of your people,” Thad said.

“Enslave us?  Never again shall my people be slaves!  We will rise up in arms against these Ralnai!”  Un-Tark said proudly, shaking three of his fists.  “We will make goods from their hides!” 

Thad took Un-Tark by the arm, “My friend, I know the Untor’s are
a great and proud race, but those lizards down there are your worst nightmare.  Ralnai are born with extremely bad attitudes.  I’m sorry my friend, but the Ralnai are far more than you can handle.”

“So what would you have me do?  Run
, leave our homes?”  He asked.

“No, I want you to go back the village and make sure that all your women and children are well protected.
Leave the Ralnai to us,” Thad said.

Not understanding, Un-Tark questioned Thad, “But how my friend, you have no weapons other than the ones we have given you.  How are you to beat them if they are as dangerous as you say?”

Thad turned him around and said, “I have few tricks up my sleeve still.”

Now really confused
, Un-Tark said, “How can you have tricks up your sleeve when the garment you wear has no sleeves.”

Thad laughed, “Come my friend.  Let’s go prepare a surprise they will never forget.”  They headed back to the village as fast as their feet would take them. 

Once at the village Thad went straight to his backpack, and pulled out a small black tablet about the size of a twentieth century smart phone.  After retrieving this, he returned to the common area of the village, where a group of warriors were gathering, weapons in hand, ready to fight.  Un-Tark was barking out orders and warriors were running back and forth as fast as they could. 

Thad worked out the most likely approach to the village.  Luckily
they were familiar with the forest, while the Ralnai were ignorant of it.  It was, much to the misfortune of the Ralnai, far too thick to allow jet belt use in most places 

Ralnai were lazy and that would be their undoing.  They wouldn’t walk around to a better approach.
They would rather use their jet belts to cruise down the easiest approach, which just happened to be a fatal funnel.

Thad selected a spot carefully, and pushed on the screen of the DDSD.  He selected what he wanted, then tapped the screen. 
A few seconds and one green flash of light later, a brand new twin heavy cone machine gun mounted on a tripod materialized.  After that he rendered up a whole lot of ammo for the guns, Thad noticed that it had gone completely quiet.  He looked around and saw that everyone was staring at him.  “What?”  He said as he shrugged his shoulders. He was so caught up in his plan that he forgot what he had just done, conjuring things out of thin air, must have looked like magic to the Untors.

Un-Tark smiled at him, “Ah!  I see now how you can have tricks up your sleeves with no sleeves.  You are full of strange magic, my friend.  Truly you are unlike any sky
walker I have ever met.”

Eve strolled up next to Thad and before he could answer, she answered for him, “Yep
that is our Thad for you, truly unlike any other sky walker in existence.” 

The Untor’s stood mesmerized as Thad continued to make things appear out of thin air with nothing more than his black box and a green light.  After Thad had everything he needed he
instructed Un-Tark to keep his people back and out of the way.  “You will know when the ambush starts because it will get really loud.”

A small Untor girl
, no older than seven, came running up, “They come.  The strange flying lizards, they are hopping this way.”

“It’s time get everyone to their positions,” Thad said as he picked up his .50 cal sniper rifle.  Within seconds, the village was deserted.  The only people around were Thad and the girls.  “Eve you have the big guns, but don’t use them unless they get past us,” Thad said. 

Eve nodded. He turned to the twins, “You two know what to do, and remember if they get past the ambush then you two shoot and move, cover each other, and don’t wait for me, got it.”

Freya said, “But honey we can take these walking hand bags.  I don’t see why we need to pull back if one or two get through.”

Thad kissed her on the forehead, “Oh my silly little wife, I love your confidence, but one really pissed off Ralnai could tear through this whole village bare handed.  So when I say pull back, you pull back, okay?”

She grabbed him
, pulled him tightly to her, and kissed him deeply on the lips, “Okay.”  Fiona said nothing, just took her turn to kiss him before they ran for their positions amid the tree houses in the village.  Thad smiled as they disappeared into the canopy of the trees.  He too would now take up his sniper hide. 

He no longer had a personal cloaking device so today he would rely on the ancient practice of camouflage.  He slipped on a
ghillie suit over his black body armor.  The last few minutes before the Ralnai came into sight he spent covering himself in the local foliage.  Once he was in place, you couldn’t tell what was tree and what Thad was.  He blended in perfectly.

The thing about Jet belts is, if you use them right, the enemy never hears or sees you coming until it is too late, but in the case of these Ralnai, they were using the jet belts to glide over the ground a few feet then to bounce high and come down on you.  This was a mistake that made it easier for Thad to deal with them.