[GZG] [GZG Fiction] The Watcher 4 of 4 - Judgement

Finally the Huu'Mon must have decided she was dead or gone or of lower
priority than some other target. The sounds and stink of the air tank and
To'Vo retreated back into the general farrago of the Huu'Mon column moving
back and fro across the steppe, between the coast and the battles inland.

She waited a little longer than rose and picked her way around to the rear of
the Huu'Mon, who had also moved into the more rugged and enclosed terrain of
the rubbly ground and high tussock grass. This position placed her back
between the main press of the Huu'Mon and the toovo, but it meant she was not
approaching from the direction they were likely to be concentrating most upon.
She knelt amongst the tussock watching the Huu'Mon. They had fallen back to
signaling with gestures rather than with sound. Their scents and the glow of
their krans showed they were still agitated, but much less so then before
their little chase had begun.

Cocking her head Si'Buk focused hard on the toovo, concentrating on the
movements of its susi. In one susi it held its weapon, the other it was
holding tipped on one end, keeping it solid as if it had no division into
tususi. Pointing at one of the other Huu'Mon it then swept the susi up and
down pointing off to one side; then it repeated the movement for the other
Huu'Mon, pointing to the other side, as if they were to envelope where they
thought she might be. Then the toovo turned its susi, spreading its tususi and
pointing at its upper face cover; Si'Buk wondered if it were actually pointing
to its eyes underneath. Then it turned its hand flat again sweeping flat
across the front of the torso of toovo as if it were cutting something flat.
Si'Buk was building up a dictionary of these signals, guessing at meanings.
Based on what she knew this meant the toovo and its keo'Kon would move out and
try and find her, if they did they would attack. Simple and direct. She
approved.

Keeping in behind them she followed their advance. She tried to steer clear of
the tussocks, in case the brush of her passing alerted the closest Huu'Mon. It
would be easier for her to interact with the toovo if the others were not
present. She judged that the Huu'Mon closest to her would fall from sight of
the others briefly due to the crest of a small rise and a stand of taller than
average grasses. Si'Buk starting closing the distance between them, not all in
one sudden push, she still didn't want to give herself away, but she needed to
be close enough to catch him alone when they reached the blind spot. She began
matching her steps with that of the Huu'Mon, even placing her prints over the
top of
its. The Huu'Mon must have some stalk-sense as she could see his krans
flushing again, its head turning further than if it were only scanning
ahead. Kev-tu to the crest, the icy tingle of early Ro'Kah flooding her
body, the moment came. Now.

Si'Buk shot forward in a burst of speed, drawing her Ti'Lns so there would be
no report of weapons fire. Her suit must be leaking worse than
she thought, or maybe the Huu'Mon stalk-sense is strong, or maybe she
was just unlucky, but the Huu'Mon fired wildly as she hit him. Again it was
only glancing blows across her upper torso, but it was enough. Ducking
instinctively from the wild shot she mistimed the strike and her Ti'Lns stuck
fast in the Huu'Mon armour. No choice but to fall back and
re-evaluate her status.

Si'Buk moved back into the thicker tussocks. She could still smell and hear
the screaming Huu'Mon and its keo'Kon coming to assist it. Keeping those
senses keen to the scene beyond the wall of tussocks, she checked over her own
wounds. Nothing fatal, but enough to ruin the front of the Rns'krans. The ice
of Ro'Kah would keep the sting of the injuries from her Ano'Fah, but she would
have to be careful it did not overwhelm her either, see her charge like a
Doo's. She spent a moment concentrating hard, setting her boundaries and
fencing out the urges.

A few riosh slipped past, the situation calming. Si'Buk slipped back to the
edge of the tussocks. Now she could hear the distant pulse marking the
approach of the air tanks and To'Vo. This time she could not afford to wait
out their passing. She had to get moving. By the smear of the sound they were
approaching from both flanks, from one side the assault
forces, from the other the lower hum of a Huu'Mon wound-carrier. Their
role marked by the great red gashes on their side, which was contrasted
sharply with the pale field below, maybe to represent krans? Interesting the
Huu'Mon should use such direct symbols to indicate role.

With approaching Huu'Mon forces to both sides and the bulk of the Huu'Mon'Kon
to her rear, Si'Buk had a single route relatively clear, back past the toovo.
She swept her head side to side carefully forming a picture of the look and
smell of the group she would need to pass. The first was bent over the wounded
one, which was screaming and thrashing around. This worked in her favour, it
made it harder to hear her. The toovo was flat amongst the rocks looking for
her in return.

She stared hard at the toovo, focusing down on it. Estimating what it would
take to get past it, versus the mounting pressure of the thwump of
the closest air-tank. A scream from the wounded Huu'Mon and a bark from
the one tending it momentarily drew the toovo from its task. It turned its
head to look to them, the disadvantage to visual preference. Almost without
thinking Si'Buk burst forward, dashing straight at them, jinking at the last
moment and leaping over the toovo.

She should have picked a safer route around them through the maze of tussock,
but with so little time her Vao'Fah had obviously judged this the best route.
Now her Ano'Fah had to make good on it, as she could hear the toovo pounding
after her. The extra thrill of it making the edge of Ro'Kah sharper still, she
could taste the sweetness of her own exudates.

Si'Buk was actually a little surprised the toovo was chasing her. Huu'Mon of
that caliber typically showed more caution, would have sat and protected the
keo'Kon. Maybe her closeness or her treatment of its doo'Kon had insulted it,
thrown down some challenge. Or maybe Huu'Mon did feel Ro'Kah after all, just
in smaller amounts or after greater periods.

For the first riosh she cared not for her tracks, moving as fast she could she
let her desusi tear up the ground, her body bend the tussocks as she raced
past. Now boulders were joining the tussocks, making the path one that is
harder to create and more the kind you can simply only follow.

She was making good time and the distance to the wounded Huu'Mon was opening
up. With each turn in the maze, she could hear the toovo getting closer.
Kra'Vak had speed, Huu'Mon greater endurance it seemed.

Suddenly she was forced to a halt, a wall of rock faced her. With little time
to decide she leapt back and to one side. Pulling in behind some
scrubby bush that fenced the front of a mid-sized boulder. She had to
keep low so she wouldn't sit out above the cover, maybe the slight elevation
would make it be harder for the toovo to locate her. The toovo also stopped in
its tracks when it reached the wall. Spinning one way and another looking for
her, sweeping the tip of its weapon up along the boulder line, before backing
up to it to cover the direction from which it had just come. It whispered some
message, probably a call to its keo'Kon. Its krans was glowing vividly now;
contrasting strikingly with the darker Kon'krans.

This was it, the end moment of Xi'toovo. As the Huu'Mon turned to scan the
other way Si'Buk leapt, bringing the Huu'Mon down and knocking its weapon off
into the base of the tussocks. This should make it hard for the toovo to reach
the firearm even if it could still see it in the dark. She could feel the heat
of its body against her head as they rolled over, wrestling and hammering at
each other. The twisting strikes of the toovo, in combination with its armour,
making it hard for her to grip it or puncture the weak spots she had
determined from experimenting on carcasses left from older missions.

The toovo was on her back, stabbing madly with its Ti'Lns, she could feel it
slicing into her side. For now the Ro'Kah and organ duplicates would see her
through with no drop in performance, but she did not have long to rectify the
situation and depart. She would live, but she would most likely need to call
upon a Kon'Kr'Lat. Pushing up she slammed the toovo against the wall. Reaching
behind her to turn and drive the toovo Ti'Lns into its torso. Turning Si'Buk
held the heaving Huu'Mon body against the wall of rock.

She could hear the thud of approaching Huu'Mon, running toward them, calling
out to the toovo. The scent was of a single Huu'Man coming down the same path
they had used, but she knew it would not be long before others joined it.

Si'Buk leant into the toovo, she could feel the warm stickiness of its wound
dripping over her susi. She was close enough to hear the rasp of the cover of
its mandibles, rattling with its rapid breathing. She ran her own mandibles up
around the front of the head of the toovo. The salt of the scent of his
closeness reminding her of the nectar of the Ki'Ses, which filled the plains
around her home in Yu'Roas. She stopped so her eyes were even with the cracked
covering over its upper face. The covering had been knocked half of its face.
She looked hard in through the torn casing. She could see the toovo staring
back, unflinching. Its eye was as alien as the rest of it. No natural armoured
ridges, except for the cage around the single set of organs and the smooth
case of the head; coloured rather than clear internal fluids; large auditory
openings; no secondary respiratory tendrils; and this eye, two toned, not a
single solid colour around the central light collector like her.

Si'Buk could hear the other Huu'Mon closing in on their position, the rasping
breath of the toovo, the heat of its body and salt up in her face. Their eyes
were locked. The toovo was still, it was not that it had given up, it was as
if it were testing her too. Waiting to see what she chose to do before it
responded, marshalling its strength. Her decision was made. These Huu'Mon were
not swarming infestations sullying the birthing lands. They may or may not be
the Vh'Kra'Vak, but they were worthy opponents. Not all were of the quality of
the toovo, but not all Kra'Vak were to her standard.

She brought up her free susi and prodded it in the shoulder. It winced but did
not cry out. The frantic call of the other Huu'Mon was getting
closer, as was the press of the air-tank and tinny scent of the To'Vo.
She rolled her head judging how close the others were getting. Apart from a
furrow forming between its eyes the toovo did not react, it was no doubt
making the same estimates.

She wanted to give it a message, but she knew she could not make all the
sounds of the Huu'Mon, she had spent many riosh practicing in slow times, but
she could not reproduce them. She had tried to learn by saying over and over
again the terms she had heard them use during the many missions she had been
on, the sounds that had been captured by the Kra'Vak To'Vo. It was just not
possible. She kept silent, but she noticed the eyes of the toovo had gone
wide. Now she was out of time, could not find out why. She stepped back and
leapt onto a mid size boulder, from there stepping up to the larger boulders,
clearing the wall and racing away, a burst of gunfire sweeping the spot she
had just been.

She threaded her way through the boulder field and out on to the plain. She
could feel her injuries starting to take their toll and decided against
heading back to the Ko'Ns, choosing to return directly to Ns'Kra'Vak'Fe'Les
instead. She imagined the reaction her Va'Kon would have to her returning
empty handed with only a personal report about the effectiveness of the Doo's
Kon'krans. She would skip over some of the details of how she had obtained the
information. They would have their suspicions, but would not ask. They would
no doubt also have the request for her vote on the Yu'Zan, lead matriarch of
the Xia'Zan council. Return to the Kra'Bna and the Vak'Huu'Mon could not save
her from politics it seemed. Not all Do' participated, others had different
lexicons and political traditions, but currently the most powerful ones were
part of the Xia'Za, including hers. Each phase of life had its trials and for
her the greatest trial of Sho's was her required participation in political
votes. After the Tia'Vak that broke out after the previous votes she knew it
was a serious topic, if an aggravating one. One that was going to occupy her
much of the way back to the Kon'Kr'Lat.