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As we descend, a loud roaring sound drowns out everything else and the whole vessel shakes so violently that I worry it’s going to break apart. I swallow the scream bubbling up in my throat, and instead let loose with a mumbled string of obscenities.
It feels like we fall forever. At one point, it sounds like there’s a small explosion and my teeth rattle from the vibrations it causes. The room lists violently to one side and it feels like we are being tossed around in a stormy sea before it lurches again, and it seems like we’re falling faster. Fucking hell, I think we’re crashing.
I fight hard to keep my body from being moved around with the force of the descent. My fingers curl against the cold metal, clawing to find purchase against the slippery material as momentum tries to tear me out of the straps. There is a hard bump as it feels like we hit the ground and bounce into the air like a rubber ball, and a moment later the loud shrieking sounds of metal being sheared away.
We bounce again and I hear the ear-splitting screech of the walls being torn away. Tears blaze a path down my face and I screw my eyes closed as tight as I can. And then, just as suddenly as the freefall began, it ends with us skidding to a rough stop that jars my entire body and roughly throws me against the metal bowl of the toilet. I bump my forehead against it with a resounding crack, and blood drips into my eyes, blurring my vision.
And then everything is silent.
Chapter 5
Draggar
The black vessel streaks across the bright blue sky, a tail of fiery flames trailing out behind it. My ears twitch in curiosity at the loud roar that drowns out the normal sounds of the jungle as my gaze follows the path of the ship.
What is this fiery ship doing on Laedirissae?
It looks almost like an anuroi gracefully gliding down to land, but this is no feathered creature. Instead of landing effortlessly, the vessel crashes into the very tops of a stand of cupressi trees. The trees are massive and tower over the land and the creatures that call this planet home. Large tree limbs and pieces of metal tumble through the air before coming to rest scattered on the ground, but still the ship continues.
I watch from my vantage point on a hill as the vessel smashes into the ground, then bounces before soaring through the air for a few moments more, and finally coming to a stop with a deafening crash that sends a shudder through the ground beneath me. The noise startles a flock of psittas who were feeding nearby, and they take to the skies in a kaleidoscope of colors and earsplitting squawks of outrage.
I stand still, just as I would on a hunt, patiently observing and waiting to see what will happen next. I can feel my skin color change subtly until I blend in with the surrounding plant life. My ears swivel and perk up detecting even the most minute of noises and my nose twitches as it sorts through the many different odors around me.
A herd of scrof has been startled and are on the move, hurrying through the thick tangle of jungle nearby. An abandoned tiniio nest lies on the other side of the hill. The noxious scent of marca flowers flows by on the breeze and makes my nostrils burn. The blooms are fowl smelling but produce the sweetest of nectars that are prized by everyone on this planet.
Other than the large ship which just streaked into our atmosphere and crashed on Laedirissae, nothing else is out of the ordinary. After a few moments, the jungle around me settles until it is quieter than ever as if it is holding its breath, waiting to see what will happen next. I wait and watch just as I have been trained to do, knowing that patience is sometimes the best weapon a warrior can wield.
I am a Laediriian warrior after all.
We are keen observers, and we are fortunate enough to be born with heightened senses that allow us to identify threats. We spend years training those senses to be at their best. It was a lesson my father taught me from the time I was a young kitling barely strong enough to lift the wooden toy sword he placed in my hands. Through the years, that wooden sword became a spear to hunt with and then later a sword forged by the sword maker of our tribe.
The Laediriians on our planet are descended from the strongest warriors known to the galaxy, and my tribe is the strongest and bravest of them all. We are tribe Anuriix, so called because our founders slew a flock of anuroi that threatened our tribe.
Anuroi are large beaked beasts with rows of pointy teeth and talons sharp enough to pierce a warrior’s skull. Slaying an entire flock of the flying beasts was a feat we still sing songs about today, even though it happened long before my time.
There are other tribes on our planet, but only three have lands that border Anuriix territory. The Xeniiv named their tribe after the spotted four-legged furry creatures called xeno. They typically etch markings on their bodies in honor of the creatures. The Tussoll tribe was named by their first chief and in an act of self-indulgence, he chose his own name for his tribe.
Once, long ago, there was another tribe with territory near our own, but no one has seen them in at least a generation. Their village lies abandoned now, and it is rumored their tribe eventually became extinct.
Many generations ago, our ancestors came to this planet to seek refuge from their former home. They named this planet Laedirissae, in memory of the home world they reluctantly left behind. Our history tells us it was a time of great sacrifice and change for our ancestors, but they were united in their desire for a better life for our people.
We were all one people, then. Over time, tensions grew and disagreements erupted, and the unity which had bound our people so tightly together was fractured. Our ancestors decided to split apart into separate groups, and we became the tribes of Laedirissae.
The tribal chiefs led each of their tribes away from the original village near the Ancestor’s Ship to seek out new homes.
My tribe, the Anuriix, settled amongst the caves at the edge of the jungle. Over time, we used our skills and ingenuity to build a peaceful village that would make any warrior beam with pride. A village that is the envy of our neighbors, if the rumblings are anything to go by.
And now, the peace our village has enjoyed may be at an end.
Rumors have spread among some of the elders in our village that the Xeniiv and the Tussoll are preparing to attack. I have asked around and two of our warriors have reported finding footprints in the hills overlooking the plains on our territory. Could the rumors be true? Maybe the other tribes have sent scouts in preparation for an attack?
Grumblings from the tribe’s self-appointed seer, Jaran and his son, Vrok, that we should attack the other two tribes before they attack us have not helped ease the anxiety.
It is not hard to deduce Jaran’s motives. He is past the age of being eligible to seek the title of chief, but his son is not.
His son is only slightly older than me and the same age our current chief was when he obtained his position. My gut tells me Jaran would do anything to see his son installed as the new chief of our tribe, even cause dissent and discord among our tribe and push us into a war just to see it happen. Anything to suggest that Chief Daggir is no longer effective as a tribal leader.
Which is why I find myself today on top of a hill in a clearing in the jungle. I set out before sunrise this morning to see if I could determine if the rumors are true and if they are, why the other two tribes have decided to attack.
