These characters appeared in Far Stars (#156)
They'd had an unusual run of quiet for the last four days. Cara mistrusted it, and that made her mistrust every stranger she saw. She was even starting to give Shane odd glances, as though they had not worked together for months now.
"You are making me nervous, Cara."
She sighed and looked away, hiding her smile. While being a Port Guard had not been her first choice in a career, it had gotten her off Pleasant (the world did not live up to its name) and gave her something exciting to do. Except for some days --
Shouts rose down the street.
"Finally," she said and started that way ahead of Shane. "I thought with the five ships in today, we ought to have some --"
Shane tackled her and dragged her off to the side of the street, up against the closest building. She had already seen why and didn't fight.
A howdone stalked its way down the road. The thing was huge and grey, covered in uneven thick scales that even lasers had trouble penetrating unless the howdone stood still. The legs were more vulnerable, but there were ten. She'd only seen the creatures in videos and found herself shocked at how large it was. This one moved at a sedate walk for a howdone. It could run faster than any human.
You did not draw their attention.
But a crowd of fools was gathering behind it and yelling. And someone shot at it --
Shane lost his temper before Cara did. She'd never seen him lose his temper before, but he gave a shout of anger and rushed out into the street just as the howdone began to turn back on the others.
The creature turned on him instead.
Cara yelled, and it wasn't polite, and it wasn't about the howdone, either. Then she charged out to join her idiot partner.
It occurred to her that they might be able to confuse it. Howdones moved by some sense other than sight. Some scientists said the beasts had sensors in their feet.
With that bit of 'maybe' information, she turned her attention to shooting the thing's legs -- and then the smaller feet if it lifted a wounded leg.
Shane looked at her for two shots and then got the idea. Good. Cara wasn't sure anyone else in the world had read that report.
And the fools were still coming on. One belligerent woman with a laser pistol in hand came close enough to wave the weapon at Cara.
"This was our kill. You Port Guards don't get --"
"Watch out!" Shane shouted. "She's going to shoot you!"
Cara thought that statement a little ambiguous since she had pointed her own weapon at the woman just out of frustration. The woman did have a laser of her own, though. Shane might have thought the fool was going to shoot her.
Take no chances. Cara shot the woman in the foot, too.
"Fine," Shane said. "You get her out of the way."
The woman was easier to handle since she was in shock. But Cara knew they didn't have much time. The minute these off-world fools began to shoot at the howdone, everyone would be in trouble.
The ground already began to tremble. Even the rest of the drunken fools took note.
"Get to cover!" Shane shouted. "Go!"
They listened to him this time. In fact, they disappeared faster than Cara expected, and they hadn't taken the woman with them.
The first howdone was down. Shane managed to get close enough to shoot through the vulnerable edge of a plate beneath the head and fired upward. It collapsed.
Then he came to help Cara, first taking the woman's laser. They were barely up against a shoe store window when a herd of six howdones charged into town.
Six might not sound like much, but they were like huts on the move. Just their walking broke glass, and when they saw their downed comrade, the bellowing was enough to wake the dead.
It did get the attention of their companion.
She made a keening noise. Cara slapped her lightly on the cheek, and she looked at her, eyes wide.
"Quiet," Cara said, barely loud enough to be heard over the racket.
She clamped her mouth shut and said nothing. Cara wasn't sure she was ever going to talk again.
"Help on the way," Shane said. "Listen."
Cara was too busy trying to get a good aim at howdone feet to listen to anything -- but the sound came to them. Airbikes?
Hunters.
They swept in over the newer, taller buildings and lined up in front of the Far Stars Saloon. That was where most of the fools had retreated to, and they were not coming farther than the big double doors.
The hunters looked the situation over and talked to each other via hand signals. Cara could see that they had made a decision. Not too soon, either. The howdones were getting louder and more belligerent.
The Hunters were quick, at least. They flew close over the howdones, drawing their attention. Then four, in perfect symmetry, circled around, dropped hooks into the dead howdone, and dragged it off through the rest of the creatures and off toward the end of town.
The howdones galloped after them.
And then we had silence.
"Well, that was more fun than I wanted tonight," Shane said. He looked at his commlink. "And we're off duty. The Hunters will be back in about an hour. Let's go buy them a round."
"We still have one problem," Cara said and nodded to the woman.
"Ah." He pulled out his commlink and called in a medtech. Once she arrived, they headed down to the saloon. Things were tranquil, at least until the Hunters arrived. Cara watched the group for a while.
She might have found her next job.
And she wasn't surprised to see Shane eying them in the same way. Well, they did make a good team.
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