Zara’s Return (Caveman Chronicles)

The Index -|-

Kpleeb sighed. Above him, a complex maze of machinery was suspended in place inside a large, roundish hole. The light from below lit its innards revealing layers of parts, some small, some large. A few of the parts moved in their own gentle rhythm. The hole was on the bottom of a large plane of yellow stone that stretched in all directions just past the length of his body.

He chastised himself silently [How have I never thought of this before now? in order to stop this defender, I will have to disable it completely with fire.]

The machine above him purred with precision and focus. Each interlocking part was perfect, the result of so much research and work. He had built it from scratch and knew everything about it, and it was like a child to him.

[But it’s not Zara. I only have one daughter, and I have many of these defenders.]

He reached up and patted the surface above him.

“Kpleeb!”

Kpleeb quickly tried to sit up, and bumped his head on the flat surface above.

“What, Xir?!” he yelled gruffly.

There was a pause before Xir replied. “Distant vessel comes.”

Kpleeb scooted on his back toward the edge and after a moment finally stood and brushed dirt off his back. With his fists in the small of his back, he stretched and looked toward the west. The sky was empty. “Where?” he asked.

Xir pointed. “There. It go down.”

The trees toward where Xir pointed began rustling and bending in a violent tempest. A whine rose with the tempest as his defender detected and prepared itself. Then the ground erupted to the left of the trees with a roar. Kpleeb ducked instinctively. When he looked up there was a large angular object plummeting through the wall of energized debris. Stones, trees, and dirt ricocheted off of its surface. Kpleeb recognized the shape of a Xi vessel similar to the large one that he had brought down over a month ago.

“No!” he cried. “I’m too late!”

Another roar, this time on the right as a new arm of furious clods rose from the forest floor. The ship was not there, and it dodged, dipped, ducked, dived, and dodged forward toward the village. Kpleeb began to run. Ahead of him, another pair of violent attacks erupted into the sky as other defenders detected the fast-moving vessel.

Kpleeb was breathing heavily when he arrived at the village. There, in the green meadow outside the wall, the ship had landed and a large gap in its side was beginning to open.

A ramp also protruded out below the gap, and then from the darkness, Zara appeared, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Kbleeb’s heart leapt. [She has grown so much!]

Kpleeb began to cry as he ran up the ramp toward his long-lost daughter. She stood and waited for him with raised arms. He gratefully fell to his knees and enveloped her in a deep bear hug.

“Da,” Zara said through her sobs. “I missed you so much.”

“Me too, my love. With your Ma gone, you’re all I have.” Kpleeb pulled back and looked at Zara closely.

He knew she was older, but her childish face, while still small and round had gained some kind of maturity.

[She must have gone through hell.]

“You’ve grown so much,” he said with a tearful smile. “I’m so proud of you, and I’m glad you survived the defenders.” He looked back the way he had come. “Your ship cannot fly here until I find a way to make them ignore you.”

Zara wiped her face and gave her Da a kiss on his hairy cheek. “My defenses on the Hsstak helped us get through, but also, I analyzed your defender’s attack patterns. Do they always attack one side and then the other?”

Kpleeb lifted his chin instinctively in the way of the Ganix before nodding. “The first blow causes the ship to dodge, and the ship should head right into the second blow. He rocked back to his heels in thought. It is predicable.”

“Yes,” said Zara. “The Xi will recognize the pattern after a short time.”

“Come,” said Kpleeb. “I have built many things, but your brain and knowledge of Qon will be a big help.”

“There are things I must show you, Da. But first, I have Xi here with me. They serve me.”

“WHAT!?” Kpleeb stood and looked at the gap in the Hsstak, and he noticed that a group of Ganix trotted closer to ramp and seemed ready to pounce. The small corridor he could see ended only a few paces into the depths of the ship.

Zara put her hand in his. “Da, they serve me. I have killed those who did not. I also have a friend, someone who was captive like you and Mama.”

Kpleeb looked down at Zara and tears began to well up in his eyes again. “Did they hurt you?”

Zara lifted her chin slightly. “The overseer of the Hsstak was a cruel Xih, and it tortured me and mapped my brain and put me through many tests. It is dead now as are any Xi who served it.”

Kpleeb cried harder and swept Zara up into his arms, her legs dangling as he straightened. “I’m so sorry,” he said with a broken heart.

Zara cried too, and after a long moment, Kpleeb put Zara down. “I suppose we should have the Xi come out then,” he said. “I won’t kill them unless they harm someone.”

Zara raised her hand and spoke into a small device that was attached to her wrist. “Viinox, bring everyone out.”

The inner wall in the airlock quivered and then slid upward creating a doorway, and Viinox stepped out followed by Oiitr, Tiirw, and finally, Kanta in her helmet.

Zara gestured to her companions. “Viinox, Oiitr, and Tiirw. These Xi have helped me and continue to serve me as Overseer. Kanta is a friend. She was a captive of the Xih and has asked to stay with us.” She turned and faced her Da and the Ganix who warily watched. “I have learned much about the Xi, what they have done, and how we can fight them. You saw the ship come. The Greki was hunting us, and we are probably alive because of your defenses.”

Kpleeb smiled. “We must talk about this Greki.” He pointed. “The ship is over there, and though we entered it and killed the Xi inside, the Ganix remain nearby in case the ship is still dangerous. If we can all visit the Greki together, perhaps we can be certain that it is safe.”

Zara lifted her chin. “There is much we should do. First, I want to see Jial and the village.”

Kpleeb looked at Xir. “You always have a warrior near these,” he said with a gesture toward the Xi.

Xir lifted his chin and grunted quietly.

“Come on, my child. Let’s go discuss everything. Maybe I can convince Jial to make cobra tacos tonight.”

Kpleeb placed his big, hairy hand on Zara’s curly head and smiled gratefully.

[The work I must do will be so much easier with Zara. Together, we will be able to do more than merely sit here and defend ourselves.]