Read Online Space Chronicles: The Last Human War by Dean Sault - Free Book Online

indefinitely in these hills.
    There it was . Only a few dozen meters into the dense undergrowth, a Topi tree, its branches bowed under the heavy weight of ripe fruit pods.
    Simon wasted no time working his way to the food source. To his surprise, the vegetation he saw from the path above was actually a canopy, covering a vibrant ecosystem. Even soft mulch below his feet felt the same as on the Central Jungle’s floor.
    He broke off several large branches of seedpods to add to his stash. As he headed back to his cave, he delighted in his discovery. Strategically placed stores of food could extend his range of exploration. He smiled at his good fortune.
    Loaded down with fruit, Simon reached the fork and turned up the path leading to his small shelter. Crunching noise in gravel behind him caught his attention. He looked over his shoulder, expecting to see one of the hoofed mountain animals. A golden-haired hicay looked straight into his eyes. It was walking right in his footsteps less than a hundred meters behind.
    He dropped the fruit and ran. Wedging himself deep into his narrow crevice, he grabbed a Topi branch in one hand and a fist-sized rock in the other. His heart pounded. Nothing happened.
    Did the hicay lost sight of me when I rounded the bend?
    Minutes passed when the hicay sauntered into view on the path below the dark hiding place. The beast was in no hurry. After sniffing the air, it glanced directly into Simon’s cave and took several tentative steps up the slope toward the crevice. The predator dropped to its belly and extended both sets of upper legs as far as they could stretch along the rock. Claws rotated out from under thick fur and scraped deep ruts into volcanic pumice. The terrifying animal sat back on its haunches and stared into the cave.
    Simon barely breathed.
    The hicay saw something further up the trail and made several throaty groans. It cocked its head to one side, and intermittent groans became a prolonged moaning sound. This was nothing like hunting screams he had come to recognize.
    “ It’s okay. C’mon out. She won’t hurt’cha.”
    A human voice . Simon could not believe his ears. The long shadow of a man moved across the entrance to his crevice.
    “Honest, c’mon out. She’s my friend.”
    A male human leaned into Simon’s view. His head cocked sideways, as he tried to see into the dark cave.
    The hicay came up to the strange man and gently nudged him with its enormous head. The human took the hicay by its ears, and , while rubbing his forehead against the side of its menacing jaw, he introduced himself to Simon.
    “I’m Tai. What’s yer name?”
    “Uhhh, I’m Simon, boomer on Striker Twelve. I’m afraid of hicays.”
    Tai turned to the hicay and made two hand gestures. The beast looked into Simon’s crevice one more time, before ambling away, again in no great hurry.
    “That better? She’s gone. You can come out now.”
    Simon wiggled out of his safe haven, cautiously looking both ways before fully emerging.
    Tai hugged Simon as if they were old friends, before stepping back to look up and down the human plow worker.
    “Good ta meet ya . Gonna be dark soon. We gotta get going.”
    Sensing urgency in Tai’s voice, Simon turned to retrieve his water pouches and fruit.
    “Leave it. We got plenty.”
    “We?” Simon asked.
    “Boy, y ou’re in for a surprise! I remember my first time. I wuz like you. Couldn’t believe my eyes. Dunno what shocked me most—friendly hicays or free humans. Let’s go. We gotta cover ground.”
    Tai started up the path at a brisk pace. Simon was in good shape but was surprised how fast the young man moved over uneven terrain. When the second sun disappeared below the horizon, total darkness engulfed the two humans. Tai paused to produce a small light that barely lighted the path ahead.
    “You okay, fella?” Tai asked.
    “I’m thirsty , but I’m okay for now.”
    Tai handed Simon a skin pouch and instructed him to drink from a narrow