Dysea looked at the small radio in stunned surprise after hearing Martin's threat. She glanced up to Walter.
"I see we are not the only ones who care deeply for you Holy One." She said. "He threatened me."
Walter smiled as he got to his feet. "He is stubborn and brash. And he absolutely hates to lose." He told her. "You will like him."
Dysea felt the smile cross her face. "I think I just might." She said turning to where Leland looked at her. "Quickly, Leland lead us out! We must get to Traverse Peak within an hour!"
Tareif led his Dragoons onto the platform high above the city. They were all heavily armed and wore full body armor. He spied his daughter as they sprinted from the elevator lift and he headed for her.
Tarifa had changed into her own combat uniform with full body armor, but she now wore a K12 holstered to her thigh, and was holding an HK74. She had tied her raven colored hair into a tight pony tail that came around her left shoulder to curl under her throat. Tareif came up to her, a confused look on his face.
"Tarifa what is happening? Radama said the Holy One is in danger." Tareif spoke.
"Yes papa." Tarifa answered. "Martin received a transmission from the Holy One saying he and a small group of Wood elves were fleeing from Alliance troops. They are in High Elf territory! We are going with him to rescue the Holy One."
"Hunter received this transmission?" Tareif asked, "Where?"
"That is not important." Tarifa answered, looking at the Dragoons as they approached. "The Holy One has requested our assistance. There will be at least six Wood elves in his company. They are currently fleeing from what appears to be a company of Alliance troops, probably Alliance Cadre Assassins. The Wood Elves are not to be considered hostile, and you will treat them all with respect! Is that clear?"
Tarifa saw the nods from all the Dragoons. "Our weapons will be ineffective against Alliance Assassins daughter." Tareif said softly. "You know this."
"Our weapons yes, but not the weapons that Martin had made for us." She replied. "When we board their flying craft, we will be given weapons that are very effective against Alliance assassins. I have seen them myself."
"Tarifa… I understand you trust this man." Her father said. "But I still have my own suspicions child. We need to…"
"Tarifa we go in two minutes!" Martin yelled to her from where he knelt with Danny and Julie and the others in his team, as well as Radama and Endith.
Tareif's eyes went wide when he heard Martin use her name so casually, and he went from looking at Martin to where Tarifa stood quite proudly and completely unashamed. "I have no suspicions Papa." She said softly. "And you should trust me on this."
Tareif watched his oldest daughter turn and head back to where Martin knelt. He looked at his Dragoons who also had heard Martin speak so familiarly. "This goes no further!" He snapped. "Speak to no one of what you heard or will hear. If you do I will kill you myself. Is that clear?"
The Dragoons nodded instantly. Their heads turned as they heard the low roaring come from beneath them, and suddenly one of the black insect looking ships called Raptors appeared menacingly from the side out of the clouds and slowly settled to the platform.
"We go now!" Tareif yelled over the roar, and he and his men followed Martin and the others into the belly of the Raptor.
Anja walked along the center of the Raptor's main aisle among the elves and Martin's team. "…cut two of these ugly bastards open!" She was saying. "They are hard to kill… but not impossible. The HKs will take them down like anything else, but if you get in close it's another story." She looked at Tareif and the other elves. "They are stronger than you, so don't try to go one on one. You have the advantage of speed regardless of what you think. Your reflexes will save you. If you get in close to them, switch to your bladed weapons." She held her hand out to the nearest Dragoon soldier motioning for the large knife at his side. He removed it from the sheath and handed it to her. Anja held it up. "Your bladed weapons are finer than anything any of us have ever seen, we all agree on that, including Martin, and trust me when I say he has used almost every bladed weapon known to man. If you get in close, find a way to get behind them and strike for the back of the head. Their armor is weakest there, and any of us could drive a blade into their skulls. Hit them there and they'll drop like sacks of shit!"
Anja saw many of the Dragoons look to where Martin was standing near the front of the Raptor looking at the monitor with Danny and the Master Chief. She handed the knife back to the Dragoon soldier with a nod.
"You are human." The Dragoon said his statement not a question.
Anja nodded. "Yes I am."
"You will fight beside us on the ground?" He asked.
"I will fight right next to you." She replied. "All of us will."
"Why?"
Anja looked at him, "Because it's the right thing to do." She answered.
"War Master Tareif!" Martin spoke from the front.
Tareif turned and saw Martin motion him forward. Tareif looked at his daughter as he got to his feet and they both moved forward to where Martin was standing.
"You know this area?" Martin asked, "this encampment?'
Tareif nodded. "Very well." He answered.
"We have two teams and your detachment of Dragoons War Master," Martin told him. "Walter… the Holy One… they are at the encampment and digging in. What is the best way to spread our forces out for maximum defensive capabilities?"
Tareif looked at the map on the large monitor and fell immediately into his role as a commander of troops. "The east side is the most heavily fortified. Tell the Holy One to move his group to the bunker there." Tareif spoke confidently. "I recommend we put one force down on the south perimeter and one in the northeast. The heavy weapons will cover each corner, and we can move to reinforce the east from either position."
Martin nodded. "Ben!" He spoke into his implant. "Have Raptor Three put down in the northeast of the encampment! Deploy north and south from there!" Martin looked at Tareif as he spoke and saw the man nod in agreement. "Take us in right over the south end."
"Copy that Marty," Ben's voice sounded.
Martin looked at the Master Chief. "Spin it up Master Chief. It's time to bust some heads." He spoke.
Tony and Danny grinned, "Aye Skipper!" He turned to the back of the Raptor. "Pablo! Spin it up!"
Tareif turned and watched the dark skinned genome get to his feet and reach behind him to a panel. He flipped some switches and Tareif winced quickly when music began to blare from speakers situated all around the interior of the Raptor.
Tareif and his daughter watched with smiles slowly creeping across their faces as the Genomes in Martin's team began to move with the beat of the music as they prepped for the mission. There were no vocals to the music, but the tempo and pitch of the instruments indicated it was a song meant for heading into battle, which was what they were about to do. Tareif watched his Dragoon soldiers as they simply viewed the genomes prep their equipment, all of them moving in sync with the music. Soon he saw their own bodies begin to soak in the high pitch rhythm and loosen up. Some of his finest troops began to move their heads in tune to the music, smiles forming on their faces as they carefully inspected and got familiar with their new weapons.
Tareif turned to Martin who had a very large smile on his face. Martin met his eyes and bobbed his head. "This is our war cry!" Martin told him.
Tareif turned back to look at his soldiers and he saw Anja going to each one of them, issuing out injectors, explaining to them and pointing to their ears and jaws. He turned again when the attractive dark skinned genome female tapped him on the shoulder. She held out the injector to him and one to Tarifa.
"These are microscopic communications implants!" Julie spoke loudly. "The receiver is for just inside your ear, the transmitter for your jaw. They are painless when injected. It will allow you to communicate with all of us. We'll be using channel ten for this op! Just speak out loud and tell it what channel and you will go to that one automatically."
"Is this necessary?" Tareif asked.
Julie looked at him, her eyes bright. "When we go to war sir, we move fast and hard. Anyone in our way gets cut down, and anyone who can't talk to us gets left behind." She smiled. "I can remove them after the mission if you want sir, but you might be surprised."
Tarifa did not hesitate and took the injector. She lifted it to the inside of her ear and pressed the trigger. There was a slight hiss and her face winced quickly, but then it was gone. She loaded the transmitter and then did the same, with the exact same results. Tarifa looked at him, "Papa?"
Tareif sighed and then did exactly as his daughter had done. In ten seconds the small communications implants were inside his body, and his eyes opened wide as the voice traffic on Channel ten came into his ear as clear as if he was standing next to every one on the Raptor. He could hear his troops talking and he could hear the genomes as they prepped. He looked at Tarifa who wore the same amazed expression as the rest of his troops and himself.
"Papa… this is amazing." Tarifa echoed as she stood next to them.
"War Master… our command channel is nineteen." Martin told him. "That is reserved for you and I alone."
Tareif looked at him. "All I need do is speak the channel number and it will change?" He asked.
Martin nodded. "Yes sir, pretty neat uhu?" Martin waited for Tareif to turn back around and he stepped up close behind Tarifa and bent next to her ear. "Our channel is twenty-six, you delicious tasting she-elf you."
Tarifa smiled at Martin's words and felt him step back as her father turned around to face her. He saw the smile on his daughter's face and glanced at Martin's back. He gently took her arm and pulled her off to the side. "You have told no one he speaks our language Tarifa. Why?"
"I didn't feel it was necessary." Tarifa replied.
"He called you by your name Tarifa." Her father spoke softly. "You are Queen of the High Elves child…you can not have a relationship with this man."
Tarifa looked at her father as her eyes narrowed. "I will have a relationship with anyone I choose father." She said firmly. "Martin… Martin and I enjoy each other's company. There is nothing wrong with that."
"Tarifa… I… I have already promised your hand in marriage," He stated bluntly. "His name is Telan, and he is an officer in my Division. He is a fine young man Tarifa and he has risen up through the ranks quite easily. His family is one of the more powerful families in Pacifica. You will like him."
Tarifa looked at her father, her eyes wide and suddenly becoming very angry. "Papa you had no right!" She exclaimed in as low a voice as she could.
"You are my oldest daughter!" Tareif hissed. "I had every right. It has been the custom of our people for centuries. He will be arriving in Mountain City tomorrow to greet you."
"I will not allow you to do this Papa." She stated.
"You have no choice!" Tareif spoke. "You may be Queen… but you are still my daughter, and you will abide my authority in this."
"Does Mama know what you have done?" She asked.
"Your mother knows our customs and will abide by them as well." Tareif told her.
"I will not…" The bouncing of the Raptor caused Tarifa to stop talking and turn.
"Six minutes people," Martin called out.
Tarifa turned back to her father. "This discussion is not over with War Master Tareif!" She hissed mightily at him, surprising her father with the venom in her words.
Tarifa turned her back to him and walked to where Martin stood viewing the monitor. He looked down at her and smiled warmly, and she returned the smile.