***** ***** ***** ***** CHAPTER THREE ***** ***** ***** *****

Darnethlil was not happy, and feeling himself angered made the situation all the more upsetting. He had spent entirely too much time with the creature and was nearly late for the rendezvous with his clan members. While he wished to help the creatures needs, the needs of his clan, where paramount.

Moving as fast as he could, his broad shoes barely touched the ground as raced down the side of the hill. His wings spread out, aiding his speed and balance, as he made short gliding hops. While large and impressive visually, his race had long ago lost the ability of total flight, and quick hops across the ground where about all the functionality that was left in them, at least, as far as flying was concerned.

Picking up his pace, he leaned forward to climb up the soft grassy slope of the next hill in front of him, hoping his clan-mates would wait for him. After spending more than three days healing and nursing his guest, he had neglected his other duties to the resistance.

Such a strange word to use he thought, resistance; It seemed an absurd idea to wage war when everything you knew, everything your people knew, and had lived by for thousands of years, held the act of violence as something never to commit. Even under such circumstances, with his world held hostage, he dreaded the very notion of killing another. The teachings of his faith and the words of the “Hashnaya” would mark him as being no better than the Empire should such a thing take place.

Tonight, all of this would be put to the test. After a few timid, anonymous acts of vandalism and thievery, tonight would be their first act of bodily violence. He knew that during the day, a task force of Imperial soldiers, Qwintoni, had established a forward survey camp in the next valley. Tomorrow another group would arrive with electronic equipment, equipment that could detect radio signals and could even detect gamma radiation. Darnethlil would could ill afford such a thing, especially now. He would have to act tonight, and would have to be successful.

Coming over the crest of a hill, Darnethlil saw the camp bellow and the few lights that where still active. A few solders where outside, most where inside. In his mind he could count them all, identifying each ones presence, before locating those of his clan-mates. They where ready and waiting for him.

From far away, yet clear in his mind, he could make out each of those who had attended tonight. He conveyed his thanks at their arrival, and patients in waiting for him, at such a distance he did not expect to be able to convey full thoughts, or hear any for that matter, he was glad to be wrong.

"Greetings and welcome to you Darnethlil! I am honored to be here to serve the leader of the Lonti, as are all of us!" Darnethlil heard suddenly in his mind over the great distance; looking out over the hills suddenly surprised, he felt for a while, and with no mistakes, knew it was Mekal who had contacted him. He meditated for a moment before sending instructions, knowing now he would be heard.
"Thank you for your greeting Mekal, I am pleased you chose to join us, it will be useful. Inform the others to use the weapons only if absolutely necessary, and than only in non-vital areas. Though off-worlders, these are people who spent their lives learning to kill, we must not forget that they shall be more relaxed in battle then we." He bespoke as clearly as he could. Using the time waiting for the response to pray for his actions. Soon a response came.
"Of course I will remember your warning, Toranth agrees, as do the others." Darnethlil was glad Mekal had come, that he wished to participate. The youth was talented far beyond his years and could coordinate the thoughts of others farther then anyone he knew. Under such circumstances it was much easier to bespeak orders by thought than using clumsy tools such as radios.
“Mekal, since you are here, you know what is wished of you, the vessels of gas they use for fuel, once they are away from it, send it aflame, we shall need such a distraction. Darnethlil relayed as he surveyed the tanks of hydrogen used for their fuel-cells, knowing with Mekal, the spontaneous ignition of them would provide a perfect cover if they needed it.
“Of course Darnethlil! I have longed for such a night! Let us go let us go!” Mekal relayed almost excited at was about to happen as everyone suddenly concentrated. A moment later the collective minds of the Qwintoni solders bellow cried out in pain as they ran from they camp. It was an act Darnethlil would try again and again to justify.

“For the Clans!!!” He screeched as from atop more then forty Trathalans winged down the steep valley cliffs. The short, brutal, mental attack upon the Qwintoni warriors was enough for them to close their distance without a shot fired. But it was all the time they got. Even Darnethlil was surprised at how quickly the twenty or so solders recovered, and even those that didn’t where driven by the will to fend off what had attacked them. The sounds of gunfire rang out and in an instant Darnethlil knew how foolish the whole idea of a bloodless war was. He would not let it stop him.

As he watched the first of his people fall to the bullets of the solders, Darnethlil returned the gesture as he brought forth a dagger and pierced the shoulder of the first solder he met. Long practiced on dummies with stolen body amour, he knew the exact spots to which a blade could pierce, and did not hesitate to drive his blade forward.
Ripping the assault riffle from the injured warrior, Darnethlil watched, as others seemed to be swept up in the moment. Two and three of his clan members would be upon one of the faceless solders, driving forth a blade and disarming them. Even as he counted off the number of his clan-mates who had dropped from wounds and worse, he knew this battle was already his. And then he turned to see himself about to be shot.

The solder he had first pierced had recovered his gun, the knife wound bleeding furiously, it seemed to phase him little as he had removed his long conical helmet. Darnethlil saw has face, the face of someone he had tried to kill. Until now, he could dismiss them all as agents of evil, all as faceless, soulless solders, each one alike. He could comfort himself in this, and worry about such things as their families and friends later, but not any more.
He saw the long muzzle of the Qwintoni, his teeth snarling, his lips curled back, the large pierced ears atop splayed down as blood matted his short fur. The gun he held was pointed directly at Darnethlils face. Darnethlil simply froze.
“He is going to kill me, he will shoot me and it will be over, and in this moment I cannot bring myself to stop him, how could I have tried this?” He thought in the single instant they shared between them. A moment later he heard a noise, but not the one he expected. The tanks of Hydrogen exploded suddenly as Mekal let out a shout. The explosion sent out shrapnel in all direction as many fell near by. By the time Darnethlil gathered his wits, he realized the Warrior was dead, apiece of aluminum embedded in his head.

After that things ended quickly. Those solders that had been disarmed where bound and restrained, those that had been wounded where sedated by several others. A tall figure walked through the billowing smoke toward Darnethlil, seeing him, he began to make a tally.

“Kalinpel, Relinpel, Malthran and Kretha have serious wounds. Tedal has a broken wing and Oplum, may not live the night.” A stern, imposing Trathalan said as he walked directly up to Darnethlil, throwing aside an assault rifle he has just used to his disgust before looking down.

“And, it seems we have killed now four of these beasts. Was it worth it Darnethlil?” Darnethlil looked at Toranth, his friend, his deepest ally, and the one most dubious about his actions. He couldn’t bring himself to look into his eyes, but could not force himself to look down, at the face of the dead Qwintoni.

“It is never worth it, never. We have done what we had to do, and no doubt set into motion things we shall all regret till our last day. But that is what we must do. We sacrifice ourselves so our world may live.” He said impassioned as the two fell silent for a moment before Darnethlil turned away.

“Where is Mekal?” He asked as Toranth turned away now.

“Coming to terms with what he has done.” He said as he led Darnethlil away. The two watching as a line of rather shocked and perhaps humiliated warriors where led away. Looking to a group of in the middle of healing the wounded, Darnethlil suddenly leapt forward.
Mekal lay on the ground, his wings curled around him as he rocked back and forth, muttering incoherently. Toranth caught up to Darnethlil as he sighed.

“He became like that moments after forcing the gas vessels to erupt. One moment he shouted you where going to be killed, the next moment he began to scream that he had killed. Darnethlil, my clansman, my trusted one, we should not have used him for this.” Darnethlil looked down and tipped his wings in agreement, yet realized had Mekal not acted, he would surely be dead.

“Come Toranth, it is time we took stock of what we have set into motion. The off-worlders will surely suspect our people, and there will no doubt be repercussion. We must be ready to be responsible for them. “ He said as he began to walk away, Toranth following behind him as the others departed, carrying wounded and dead from both races.
Darnethlil watched it with disgust. No amount of meditation and pray would relieve him or the others of this, yet it was all they had to try and subdue their own emotions over such actions. Reading a full volume of the holy Hashnaya would not begin to calm his nerves. But it would be a start.
As they left, a flash illuminated the area from atop a hill.

“A Crossgate? I wonder if it is a sign.” Toranth spoke softly as he watched, Darnethlil turning to him.

“Toranth, do you ever wonder what lays beyond them?”

“Beyond? Who has not wondered of such a thing? Perhaps the Inferno, perhaps the Paradise, it is something our people cannot enter though for it would only bring death.” He said as he began to walk on, Darnethlil behind him.

“Perhaps, if we cannot enter, what if something else exited?” Darnethlil spoke under his breath.