Chapter 28: Rescue

The transport bumped against the gunship's hull, followed by muffled clangs as locking clamps engaged. The pilot turned to Mark. "The pressure is equalized, good luck."

Mark nodded. "Thanks." He picked up his kitbag and walked through the airlock to the other ship. As he entered a rough looking officer met him.

"You the new replacement?"

"Yes, sir"

"Put your thumb here." The officer held up a portable scanner and Mark placed his thumb against it. The officer nodded and read the details on the screen then smirked. "Humm, Zartac Surack, nasty bastard aren't you. Well remember you are the new boy here, just follow orders and we will get on fine." The officer smiled, but Mark noted it did not reach his eyes. "Cross me and you're dead, understand? There are no second chances here, Surack"

Mark saluted. "Yes, sir."

"Right, follow me then."

Mark followed him through the small ship to a bunk room. "That's your bunk. Leave your kit there." He indicated a narrow ledge with a personal locker against the bulkhead. Mark noted there were twenty-four other bunks that ran along both walls.

"The team is in the mess room for a briefing, so come along now."

With a grunt, Mark threw his kit on the narrow bunk and followed the officer to the mess room. As he walked in behind the officer, fifteen faces turned to glance at him. He chose an empty chair and sat down while the officer continued to the front turned and faced the seated group of mercenaries.

The first thing he did was indicate Mark with his hand. "That is Zartac, he is a last minute replacement for Garos." One or two turned back and nodded to Mark, most having seen him walk in ignored him.

"We going to be paid less now he is here, sir?" one asked.

"No, your pay for this easy job will be the same, Tarkan, it's a fixed payment for each of us."

"That's fine then," the one called Tarkan answered. There was a murmur of agreement.

"Quiet!" the officer snapped and glared around the room. Silence fell immediately and he continued. "Right, this is a quick snatch job. There are two females, one - a sharp tooth - we kill, the other we deliver to our employer."

"If they look good can we fuck 'em first?" a voice from the front row asked.

"The sharp tooth you can do what you like with the other one no, she is to be delivered unharmed and untouched or we won't get paid."

Mark clenched his fists and vowed to himself the one in the front and the officer would be the first to die.

"Why do they need us just to pick up two females?" another asked.

"Because they are considered dangerous, having already killed eight of our client's bodyguards, five in hand to hand and three in a firefight. Also, the snatch is to be in a sensitive area, so we have to be in and out fast. The world we are going to is Tarsillas." A couple whistles of surprise echoed in the room.

"What's a sharp tooth doing there?" someone else asked.

"That's the reason she gets terminated," the officer replied. "And why we go in, make the snatch and get out fast. We have details of their rough location and route they are taking when they were last detected, so we should be able to put down within a mile or so of their present location." The officer looked at his watch. "We land in six hours, be ready." The officer turned, and to various comments of easy money, hope they are fuckable and I want to be first, he walked out of the main door.

Mark's mood darkened at the comments as he rose and acknowledged several greetings before returning to the bunk with his kit, where he removed his weapons and sat to dismantle and clean them. Less than an hour later the ship jumped, and as soon as it arrived he sensed both females. His sister he was used to, but for a moment Varna's presence caused him to gasp. Several of the others in the cabin looked up at him so he covered his slip with a cough.

Five hours later, fifteen mercenaries and two pilots sat in the forward end of the ship. The jump engines and living quarters would be left in orbit while the front control section doubled up as a troop carrier to take then to the surface. Less than an hour later the ship came to rest in a broad wooded valley, with foothills giving way to mountains in the distance. It was early afternoon when they had landed and the weather was bright and sunny. Wild flowers and ferns grew in the open areas, grasses and shrubs between the trees. As the valley rose in front of them the trees thickened into ever denser woods. The abundance of animal life made it impossible for them to locate their targets so the officer ordered them to spread out across the valley floor, and the first one to spot the females was to summon the rest for backup before tackling them.

As they moved off, each took up their designated position. Mark was thankful the trees soon hid them from one another, so after a short while he was able to double back and walk up the open ramp of the ship un-detected.

"What are you doing back here," one of the pilots asked as he turned from his console.

Mark didn't bother replying, he just shot them both in the head, carried them out and dropped them behind a large bush on the opposite side of the clearing from where the others had left to begin the search. Now the hunters become the hunted. He smiled to himself as he set off after the remainder of the mercenaries. With his superior senses and speed he had disposed of five before the cry went up that the targets had been located. He took a deep breath and, abandoning any attempt at concealment, raced towards where they had been spotted.

Varna felt a presence that caused her heart to miss a beat and her whole body trembled. She stumbled, stopped, and turned back to Nora, who was following her down a hillside to a broad valley that opened out below them.

Nora looked at her, an expression of surprise on her face. "Mark!" she gasped.

Varna nodded and automatically looked up, causing Nora to smile. "He is close, I can feel it!"

"Yes, he is on a ship that has just jumped into this solar system," Nora replied. She closed her eyes for a moment. "He is tense, there are others with him who plan to cause us harm."

"Ancestors, Nora, what should we do?" the emotions that caused her body to tremble overwhelmed her ability to make a decision.

Nora stepped forward and took her hands. "Varna! Take a breath and calm yourself."

Varna took a shuddering breath as she had been told, nodded and pulled her hands free to run them through her hair. "Sorry, I was not expecting such a strong connection to happen so suddenly."

Nora smiled. "You'll get used to it over time, but for the moment we should keep going. Mark will find us."

"If there are others with him he might need help, I wish we hadn't decided to send your deecrets away now."

"It was for the best, Varna, they drew too much attention. You were right, even if it did take me a while to see it." Varna noticed a wistful expression cross her face for a moment. "Perhaps we can come back for them one day when this is all over."

"Yes, I hope so," Varna replied.

"Come on then, let's keep going, my brother will come through for us."

The two women resumed their way down the hill towards whatever awaited them in the valley below.