Chapter 5

More about the P'OTP, which roughly translated means "People of the Plains". For identification purposes in this written account, when the language of the P'OTP is used it will appear thusly; "[xxxxx.]" The language of the P'OTP shows the dominance of the males or hunters, thus the capitalization of male names and of predators like the Tugrole. Women's names and prey are not capitalized. The language of a people can show a lot about them and their culture. Women, which make up ninety percent of the P'OTP, are second class citizens and have less value than the males. They are like the grel, a grass eating animal that the P'OTP and Tugrole feed upon. They are prolific too, like the grel. Another way the P'OTP women are like the grel, they can survive on eating just the grass (The mature women can then provide a rudimentary form of liquid nourishment for the men).

P'OTP hunters can actually own the women of their race. This privilege is only given to the royalty of the P'OTP, like P'tor who own the four women in their group. Where did that leave Sergeant Kelley? After all, she was the ranking Earth soldier on planet and in charge of negotiations with the P'OTP. Events proved fortuitous for her though, as we shall read.

Roc and T'sar were walking point in the group. T'sar stopped and bent down in the endless field of grass. He motioned Roc to bend down also. "[These are tracks of the deadly hunter that roams these plains, the Tugrole. The Tugrole are the Hunters of the Plains. Our people have to guard against them. They usually prey on the grel, but they will take one of us too. There is a Tugrole in the area, we must be on guard.]" Roc gripped his blaster, narrowing his eyes and panning the still grass, looking for threats.

Mary walked with the alien women for two reasons; one, because she was the rear guard for the group and two, because only the alien women would talk to her. The rest of the scouts/hunters, armed with bow and arrows, and the two privates, armed with laser rifles, guarded the flanks. T'sar spread the word that he had found some fresh Tugrole tracks, so everyone was a little jumpy.

The wind started to blow bending the tall grass in waves like the ocean. T'sar and the other P'OTP stopped advancing and assumed defensive poses. They knew that a Tugrole liked to use this for cover to get close and attack. Nothing happened for the few moments they waited, so T'sar signaled the advance once again.

There was a loud shriek and a flurry of motion just in front of T'sar. He managed to get an arrow off and was then holding the attacking Tugrole at bay with his bow held out in front of him. The Tugrole had taken the bow in his jaws and was trying to chew through it. At the same time it was trying to overpower T'sar, who was holding his own. This caused the Tugrole to rise up out of the grass, giving Roc his first view of the predator.

The Tugrole was the same color as the grass and its skin was mottled providing a camouflaged look. It was low to the ground moving in short spurts of great speed on its eight short legs. It looked like a cross between a tiger shark and an alligator, only with large, clawed paws used for ripping its prey to shreds.

Those paws were moving fast, trying to rip into T'sar's bare chest, as he held the beast at bay with his bow thrust sideway in its gaping maw. The Tugrole was raised up almost vertical in its continued attack. Roc saw that T'sar could not hold out much longer. The Tugrole was too close to T'sar for a blaster shot, so Roc reached in between its whirling paws to its defenseless under belly and flipped it end-over-end onto its back. His shot now clear, Roc blasted the middle of the Tugrole, effectively cutting it in half. In the same instance he heard a cry over the emergency channel and the screams of at least two more attacking Tugrole.

Mary heard the cry over her radio, but before she could react she heard the scream of an attacking Tugrole close behind her. Mary spun around leveling her laser rifle. The Tugrole was upon her, Mary's finger automatically tightened on the trigger. The last thing that Mary remembered was the cauterized halves of Tugrole slamming into her before she lost consciousness.

Mary was having a wonderful dream; she was lying naked and a handsome eunuch was bent over her massaging her pert breasts. Mary gave a lustful sigh and reached for the hands pleasuring her smallish tits. This was not a dream; she felt the hands on her chest. Mary's eyes popped open and she beheld the grinning face of Roc leaning over her while his grubby, large fingers squeezed and fondled her breasts. "[See, I told you this would work, T'sar.]" "Welcome back to the living, Sergeant."

Mary was beside herself with embarrassment. Here she was, in charge of this mission, and she was half naked with her corporal feeling her up in front of the alien leader. Mary sat up and pulled the sides of her camouflaged blouse together, covering her heaving chest. "What in the name of all that is holy, do you think you're doing corporal? Roc's expression changed from one of joy to one of confusion. "At attention corporal, and explain yourself."

As Mary buttoned her blouse, Roc stood at attention and tried to keep his eyes staring through the distant horizon. "I was just following procedure, Sergeant. I was following the procedure on page 27, section 4, paragraph 2b of the Field Emergency Care manual. 'When a fellow soldier has received a non-fatal blow causing momentary unconsciousness, vigorously rub/massage various soft, fleshy appendages.'", said Roc quoting from the manual.

Mary was not amused. "Does it say 'tits' anywhere in the manual, corporal? Appendages are arms and legs, not tits. Where did you get the idea that you should maul my breasts in from of T'sar? How is he supposed to respect me as a soldier, never mind a leader?"

Corporal Roc was verbally back pedaling, trying to get back in Mary's good graces. "Don't worry Sergeant, I asked him before I started. He said that he didn't mind and he said that he was very grateful to you for protecting his herd ... erm the women against the Tugrole. I remembered what a good affect it had on you in the shower, so..."

Mary's face turned red, Roc couldn't tell if it was with embarrassment or anger. T'sar stepped forward, "[Thank you for your heroic actions female Warrior Sergeant kelley. Are you going to use the carcass of the Tugrole? You see we use it for making useful things. Naturally, since you killed the beast, you control the destiny of its final use. If you will, may one of my warriors attend to the disposition of the Tugrole?]" Mary could tell that it took a lot for T'sar to talk to her and her mission was also one of diplomacy, so she bowed her head in agreement and respect to him. This apparently was a correct thing to do, because he nodded his head to her and told one of his hunters to proceed with field dressing the beast.

Mary turned to face Roc as T'sar went to his herd ... erm the women of his tribe. "Report Corporal, what happened while I was unconscious and where the hell did this other Tugrole come from? It was my understanding that they hunted alone."

Relaxing his posture Roc thought for a moment then said, "Yes that was part of our briefing. Actually four of the Tugrole attacked from four different directions, you and I each killed one, the hunters killed one on the left flank and the Private on the right flank, number 3001232, was taken. His body has not been discovered. The Hunters told me that the body is gone, probably eaten by now. The group has stopped here to harvest the bodies of the slain Tugrole. That is my report Sergeant, if you have no questions I will be standing guard on the perimeter."