Tarnic & Sara

Tarnic slammed into the slope and felt the air forced out of his lungs.  He gave a grunt and tried not to wince too much as the pain ripped down to his stomach muscles.  Damn ‘phibian tea might stop the fever, but I’ll be glad when everything’s working right again, he thought as another burst of pain tore through his muscles.

He glanced back; Sara Lee was close behind, bending low to avoid detection.  Good, Tarnic grudged, she’s remembered that much at least.  Sara’s hand hovering over her hip, inches from her laser, with a gasp of air she crouched down by Tarnic. 

“There’s two of them, just past the stream.”  She whispered, “stunners, lasers, trapping nets, the works.  Scums’ carrying an entire armoury.”

“Tracking equipment?”  Tarnic twisted so he could see over the ridge.  Neither of the Core Military troopers were within sight.  Yet.

Sara shook her head.  “Nothing I could see. Flyer dropped them and turned back east.”  She teased one greasy lock back behind her ear.  “Flyer was small, eight seater maybe.”

“Four pairs then.  Have to assume maximum numbers.”  Tarnic calculated quickly.  “They’ll track wide.  Just because you couldn’t see trackers, we can’t assume they don’t have any.  One pair every quarter mile. Normally that would be a problem.  Even basic tracking equipment would pick us up that range, but with this heat?”  He waved a hand round at the swamp surrounding them.  “Heat and humidity, screw a lot of the electronics.  Thick vegetation’ll limit their signal beams and give us plenty of cover.  They aught to track narrow, six or seven pairs per quarter mile, but we know they don’t have the resources for that.  Not here.” 

“We need to get back to the Shadow.  We have no way of knowing how many of the crew are still alive.  We need to get the ‘phibian tea to them.”  Sara pulled the lock of hair back from behind her ear again and started playing with it, twisting the strand between her fingers nervously.

“Agreed, but we have a more pressing problem.  If they grid search this area, they’ll find ‘phibian track marks.  Lead ‘em right to the amphibians’ lair.”  Tarnic breathed out slowly, working out his next words.  “I don’t see how we can communicate the danger to the ‘phibians, much less explain how the flyer’s likely to come back and give air-support and recon.  Best thing would be to lure the troopers away from here altogether.”

“And loose how much time doing that?”  Sara could feel the familiar uprising of panic as she questioned the soldier.  Well, mercenary.  Same damn thing really.  She was still arguing back.  “Look saving the amphibians, it’s a wonderful idea.  We need to try, but our first priority is to the crew.  That tea could save them!  How many are dying right now because you want to play hero with the aliens?”  She choked back a sob.  “Our people are dying, Tam.  And where’s the ship medic?  Hiding from the damn Core.”  She put a over her mouth, trying to stifle the sobs that were coming thick and fast now.

Tarnic looked at her and felt helpless.  On the one hand, he wanted to just snap back that it was only because of the amphibians that they had any hope of saving the crew at all.  That without whatever foul herbs the bloody lizards brewed in that stench of a drink the remaining survivors wouldn’t be surviving for much longer.  Dammit he hated hysterics.  On the other hand, even Tarnic knew better than to push someone in this state.  He needed Sara calm and collect, like when she talked me through killing Brecca. The memory stung for a second, but the soldier in him thrust the thought away.  Every squaddie euthanizes a friend at some point.  It’s why you made friends.  So that when the time came, one of them would do it for you.

What to do?  Tentatively he reached out, giving her time to pull away if it wasn’t the right thing.  But Sara made no attempt to move away, so Tarnic pulled her in close to his chest.  Then, with a sudden gasp, Sara hunched into him and buried her face in his tunic, muffled sobs wracking through her.

Tarnic froze.  Now what?  What would Sooli, his impulsive extroverted sister do?  Talk. Talk about what?  Tarnic loathed small talk, mindless platitudes, chatter.  Talk to her.  Tell her it’s okay. Sooli’s voice echoed in his mind. But it’s not, Tarnic argued back.

You think she cares about that?  In his mind’s eye, Tarnic could see Sooli toss back her head and give that unladylike snort that showed he’d committed another social error.  She knows it’s not okay.  She just wants you to pretend it is.  So then she can pretend it is.  And if you both pretend hard enough, maybe it will become okay.  Like in the films.

Tarnic shook his head, trying to convince himself that he hadn’t just lost an argument with a phantom image of his sister.  Awkwardly he patted Sara’s back having some vague recollection of Sooli doing the same when yet another one of her girlfriends came round whinging about how evil all men where.

“Look, we need to draw the troopers away from the amphibians.  If Lok’yi can get word to his brood then it’ll only take a few extra hours.  The crew will get the tea.  I survived the fever for four days before getting the tea.  And that was deep down in the swamp.  We know the ship’s clearer of the fogs than the swamp, and if they’re inside the ship with the life support and no way for more vapours to get to them, then there’s no reason they shouldn’t live for weeks without the tea.”  Even as he said it, Tarnic knew it was poor comfort.  Maybe the words were wrong or his tone.  Sooli often pulled him up on his tone. Sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it.

Well, he was finally beginning to learn that.  Lok’yi still couldn’t understand many words, but the giant lizard certainly seemed to pick up on body language and tone.  After two weeks nursing Tarnic the ‘phibian could communicate the rudiments to him, but now, after meeting Sara (and within hours dammit) it could get quite sophisticated thoughts across.

Bloody aliens.  Even they seemed better at connecting than Tarnic.



Core Military were the best in the galaxy.  It stood to reason.  The Core had the financial and physical resources to fund and select only the very best.  And as a result they were the best.

His mother’s words flittered through Tarnic’s mind.  With both parents in CM, he had grown up practically worshipping the Military.  Even when his father was KIA in Krakosian orbit and when his mother later retired a well decorated major, even when his height (or lack thereof, he’d joke bitterly) prevented him from joining.

Core Military were the best in the galaxy.

Were they hell.

The trooper chasing Tarnic was out of condition.  Sure, yes, he was in a bio-suit (so the Core didn’t know about the tea then), but despite his aching muscles, Tarnic far in the lead.  He ran, jumping and ducking as the trooper tried firing after him.  Moron.  Can’t run and fire over this terrain.  Stop and aim.  Then run some more.  Stop and aim again.

Tarnic vaulted a fallen tree and splashed into the swamp water the other side.  Another half mile, then I’ll kill him.  Give him a chance to beam in; get the other troops over this away.  Then loop back for Sara.

Breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth, Tarnic re-gained his breathing.  Behind him, the trooper had made it to the fallen tree, the bio-suit hindering him as he clambered over.

Stupid, even a low level stunner could get you, galumphing like that.  Tarnic felt a twinge of annoyance.  You’re supposed to be the best.  Better than anything I’m supposed to be capable of.  He bit the thought off in disgust.  Any of his unit could have out run the trooper, and this trooper was the only one that had kept up.  Hell, Sara could probably have out run him.



word count: 1379

Sara Lee Profile  () Character Sketch for Sara Lee #1843572 by ~MM~