Chief Radvar (The Chieftains of the Majuri Book 1) Read online

  Chief Radvar

  The Chieftains of the Majuri Series

  Book 1

  by Crystal Dawn

  2015 Copyright by Crystal Dawn

  Cover by Cynthia Lucas Fantasy Covers

  Edited by Eagle Editing

  Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly a coincidence. The content of this book is completely based on the imagination of the author.

  Dedicated to our future, may it be all we hope for.

  Prologue

  When the downfall of Earth was finally upon us, it wasn’t robots or self-annihilation that defeated us as so many had expected. We were caught in a war between two alien races that were fighting over us like two dogs with a bone. One wanted to bleed us dry for resources while the other just wanted to use us as resources then take everything of value from the planet leaving it a hollow husk. We would do what we had to in order to survive so we took the lesser of two evils.

  The flagship of the Majuri fleet was on a routine patrol looking for their enemies the Dramites when both the Dramite ship and the Majuri’s was sucked into an anomaly and sent hurtling through time and space so far from home that odds were good they would never see home again. That was how they came to be here orbiting our planet like a giant predator.

  The Majuri kept their word and chased off the Dramites, a fearsome reptilian race that was like the scavengers of the universe or at least they had been before they’d lucked into technology that now made them a major predator second only to the Majuri who kept them in check somewhat. The Majuri were humanoid. In fact the only obvious differences seemed to be their slightly larger size, the fact that all of them seemed to be muscular and well, perfect in appearance, and their superior technology.

  Now that the Dramites were gone, everyone waited with baited breath to see exactly what the Majuri would claim for the service they had performed. Would they want massive amounts of gems or precious metals? Would they require food stuffs, fuel, or raw materials? No one knew and everyone was afraid that whatever they took, it would be something impossible to replace and valuable beyond belief.

  Chief Radvar

  Chapter 1

  The Majuri

  Radvar looked below at the blue and white ball hanging in space. They might be their salvation or their downfall. It was possible that Earth would supply everything they needed or it might just be a planet in need of protection that gave little or nothing back. He was known for his luck as well as incredible skill, but where had that luck gone now? He wasn’t sure where they were. Oh, he had a suspicion but he hoped by the two goddesses of luck that he often prayed to that he was wrong. Luckily, he had the best crew there was and they had made it to this planet that was full of potential mates just here for the taking. Unfortunately, it was no longer their way to take what they wanted. Those times were long gone and even in this desperate situation they would deal in diplomacy not raiding. His mind drifted back to a year before when their lives had changed and their existence had been in question.

  “Collin, where is the enemy?” he asked his third.

  “I can’t find them on the screen. The anomaly is interfering with my data. We are blind,” he replied.

  “Is it possible they have created this thing?” Radvar asked as he looked at the twirling colors that seemed to surround what he could only describe as a tunnel.

  “Only if they are far more advanced than any beings we know. This seems to be natural. It could even be a rare type of black hole or tear in space. We are caught like a turtle bug in honey,” Collin said.

  “Thank you for your poetic description, Third,” Radvar said with a hint of sarcasm.

  He called his people by their names most of the time, but his top five were sometimes referred to by number which was two through six since he was number one. They were the ones he was closest to. They were like brothers to him and number two actually was one of his eight brothers. He had one sister on board but she had a softer bent. Not that she couldn’t skin a Dramite in less than five minutes, but Talai was chief medical officer and because of that, she had no war rank. She was an advisor, but only in peaceful matters. This was not one of those times.

  “I see the Dramite ship, Chief. It is being pulled into the anomaly in front of us,” Collin exclaimed. Collin’s description of their situation was not entirely accurate. They couldn’t break free of the pull the anomaly exerted, but they could influence how fast or slow they entered, but enter it they would. The anomaly was pulling them in slowly because the engines were at full reverse. It was like swimming against the tide. They were fighting against it but it was slowly sucking them in.

  Radvar knew he was excited because both they and their enemy were being pulled in and that the Dramites would be on the other side ready to shoot them once they were pulled through.

  “Suggestions?” Radvar asked.

  “Since there seems no way to avoid this thing, I suggest instead of fighting it, we go full speed ahead of them and get there first to take them out once they appear,” Collin said.

  “I concur,” Rasmun who was number four said.

  “Do it!” he ordered.

  Better to go through under their own steam than to be dragged through kicking and screaming as the Dramites appeared to be. They shot past the alien ship and he was sure they were receiving more than one puzzled look. Let them worry and figure it out. There had been two choices- go through by choice or go through unwillingly. Being forced wasn’t the Majuri way. They took control and made things happen. The trip through was fast and there were no ill effects from their passage. The only problem was they didn’t recognize the area they ended up in. No stars were familiar.

  “Shit!” Collin said. “The Dramites were spit out two sectars away. “Should we pursue?”

  Hating having to make logical choices when all he really wanted to do was destroy the enemy, he knew his crew depended on him to act in their best interests. If they gave chase, it was unlikely they would catch them when they were already so far away. First they would resupply since they were low on everything because they were due to be off patrol soon.

  He saw a solar system nearby and once he got confirmation of two livable planets, they headed there. Both had primitive creatures that might advance someday. Giving his males a big shopping list, he sent several squads down to the planet. Food and water were no problem and surprisingly the raw material needed for making parts and fuel were there but they needed to be extracted. It wasn’t a problem, but it was time consuming.

  “No, we have to figure out where we are and find some resources before we continue the battle,” Radvar said.

  They spent a couple weeks between the two planets and his warriors got some relief from their aggressions by hunting various game which would be used as food. The Majuri wasted nothing; it wasn’t in their nature to let resources go unused. Once the ship was well supplied, they headed out in pursuit of their enemy. They played a game of cat and mouse, stopping every two to three lunar cycles to resupply. They had no trouble finding planets that supported life and many had creatures on them already fighting their way out of the primordial ooze. Those that survived would become higher lifeforms. A few already had language and some even had basic math skills. Under different circumstances he would have left a team to observe the development of these beings.

  Their priority after surviving and making sure their enemy didn’t survive, was, getting back home. The Dramites ran like the cowards they were and though their ship wasn’t any faster than Radvar’s, they seemed to be creative at finding ways to run and places to hide. They had only managed to directly confront them once and the D
ramite ship had gone directly into warp speed from nearly being at a standstill. It was something his third, who was his engineer, had in the past assured him would result in their ship exploding. If the Majuri couldn’t do it, why had the Dramites managed and survived? His third had no answers and Radvar wasn’t happy.

  His aggression was reaching new highs and he knew he needed to work some of it off. It was almost time to resupply and he would lead the next hunt. A planet had been spotted, two days away. They were now almost nine lunar cycles into their adventure after barreling through the anomaly. This would be their fourth stop for supplies. He knew his men were losing hope that they would find a race that wasn’t primitive. There was nothing he could do to aid that search, so he would do what he could to lift the spirits of his men. He would allow a fifth of his warriors off the ship and break out some of the spirits they carried for celebrations. A good drunk would help his men release their aggressions and they would feel better in a few days. It was just what his warriors needed.

  With the Dramites hiding their cowardly asses somewhere, it was safe for his males to live it up a little bit. They deserved something for the lunar cycle they had just completed full of chasing a cowardly enemy and living off the planets they had come across without female company. It was time to give a reward to his males and to hell with all their worries for a couple of spans.

  Two days later the planet loomed below. It had purple seas, blue plants, and yellow clouds. He was assured that even though those things were all unusual, the air was breathable. It wasn’t ideal, but portable filters built into their helmets would filter out anything less than desirable. They shuttled down to the surface dressed in their battle gear. It would be foolish not to take precautions on this strange world or any other unexplored planet.

  It was different, but they’d been on many worlds that were just as different in other ways. The plentiful vegetation gave them hope that there would be many animals of all sizes to hunt. Wishing he knew more about the creatures of the planet, he took comfort in the fact that he and his men were predators. They would be careful, but they would also be successful. He was a little nervous, such a rare feeling he hadn’t even recognized it at first, but he would deal with things as they came.”

  “A great hunt awaits,” said Darin, number two and his brother.

  Darin was his youngest brother and had stayed with him instead of seeking a sub chief position. It was not a problem, Darin was still young and had plenty of time and the things he would learn from Radvar would be priceless. Their political system was easy to understand. He was Chieftain of all and he had gotten his position through a combination of heredity and battle. The position had been in his family as long as anyone could remember and as far back as the time their recorded history covered.

  He’d gone on this mission because he had missed the action of his glory days. His father had gone into the mist at a young age leaving Radvar as his heir to take up the mantle of authority before he normally would be called upon. It was their custom to protect and preserve their leader at all cost. Radvar had flaunted custom, ignoring his first responsibility to protect and serve his people sure that he would be alright.

  Obviously he’d been wrong and made a mistake because regardless of his brother’s ability to rule, the Majuri would no longer have the best leader, the prize warship of their space fleet, or the best crew that had ever been assembled. It worried him because sometimes good wasn’t good enough and battle with the Dramites had always been hard won. There was also the matter of how his crew would deal with being in this strange new world if they never made it home.

  The next position of authority was sub chieftain. Those were used to cover their world and the worlds they controlled in whatever capacity was needed. All these positions were not equal with some having more power and wealth than others. Some governed worlds while other commanded spaceships. The positions were many and varied. All his brothers except the youngest had attained sub chief and three ruled worlds. Below sub chief the military ranks or supervisors were in charge. They held whatever power or authority their sub chiefs allowed.

  The Majuri were everywhere and he had led his people to a time of great prosperity. His brother, Evener, would continue to lead them along the path that Radvar had set. He not only had complete faith in his brother’s abilities, but he had no doubt they would grieve the loss of him, Darin who was his brother also, and all those warriors with him since he had the pride of the Majuri with him. Every clan in the empire was represented on his ship by at least one, if not more, crewmembers.

  He’d worked through his guilt eventually, but for now there was a hunt to begin. They pulled out their air bikes and loaded their weapons. They skimmed along the land not really touching and moving at incredible speeds. The seats formed perfectly to a warrior’s ass to give a comfortable ride and make maneuvering easy. The handle bars were designed to be easy to grip and spaced perfectly so a warrior held them with a minimum amount of effort and a maximum amount of control. Once they got near their prey, they could turn the engine down to a slower speed where they could hear above the sounds it made.

  A proximity alert would let them know if they closed in on any creatures, alien devices, or transportation. The size and aggressiveness of the prey would determine what weapons they used and each air bike was outfitted with a full set of weapons. The excitement of the hunt began to rush through him and he was ready to begin. A few of the females, including his sister, had come down to the surface to sample the plant life to see if any of it might be edible or useful in other ways. A small group of the males guarded them while another group of males fished the waters for samples of ocean life.

  They would only be here two days and they had much to accomplish. Even now, the engineers were scanning the planet for any metals or energy sources that might be useable. Everyone knew their job and he had faith in his crew. He nodded to the male in charge of protecting the females acknowledging his expectation that he would protect them with his life. The male returned the nod. Now it was time to go and he revved his bike then put it in gear. The hunt was on. They headed for a large plain a few miles away where there was plenty of food for grazing animals.

  He was certain they would find a variety of animal life there to hunt. They would get one of each kind and take them back to be tested for safety. Once assured they were safe, they would come back and get their fill. He saw animals similar to others he had seen elsewhere. This planet seemed to have an abundance of reptilian species. Not the semi-intelligent kinds like the Dramites, but the primitive ones that had a cagey intelligence but worried only about the basics of life. Some ate the grasses, the leaves, or even certain other plants while others ate only other living creatures.

  He saw a variety and if they were safe for his people to eat, they would be well supplied in no time. Once they had what they needed, his males would get the opportunity to eat, drink, and celebrate before they once again headed out in pursuit of their long time enemy. They had split onto groups of six, like the squads they had for military purposes. He and Darin were in the lead, one on each side of the herd of reptiles that were about equal in size to them, but the reptiles walked on four legs and their bodies looked denser.

  The next two riders were about twenty feet behind them and the last about forty. He pulled his crossbow and took aim at an animal ten feet away. The arrow flew true and went through the back of its head. The animal dropped instantly and if he wasn’t mistaken, it was dead. Darin took aim at a smaller animal with a crossbow half the size of the one he’d just used. What a showoff. It had been a mistake, he missed and the arrow flew past embedding in the side of a larger animal. An animal that was pissed and ready to rampage.

  Radvar reloaded his crossbow and took a shot, hitting the animal’s head just like he had the previous one he’d shot at, but the result wasn’t the same. This creature, driven by pain, fear, and anger just kept coming. He swerved to avoid its attempts to charge him and some of his men had also t
aken shots that had hit it. Finally Darin pulled a laser gun and took it down. It had been necessary to end its suffering. No creature should have to die in pain.

  At this point all the other animals had scattered and it was time to take a break. A shuttle came up beside them and they all helped load their bounty for testing. They would kill no more of any animal that wasn’t safe for them to eat. The shuttle went to where ever his sister was. She would be in charge of testing to ensure the safety of whatever they harvested. The water had already been shown to be safe and all their water tanks were now full.

  He listened to the chatter as his people indicated what was testing edible waiting to hear how the animals turned out. Several of the fish and some of the plants had passed muster. The shuttle had just arrived with the carcasses to be tested. Talai immediately went to the shuttle to do the testing knowing many hunters would be waiting for the results. Darin may have missed his shot at the smaller creature, but one of the others had bagged one. It would be tested and if it was found safe, Darin would have a chance to redeem himself.

  Talai tested the big lizards and found them acceptable as long as the heads were removed as quickly after death as possible since their saliva was poisonous. Several of the other animals tested safe and only two weren’t. The little creature Darin had missed turned out to be safe. It was mammalian and would be more popular with the crew than the much larger lizards.

  The two found unsafe to eat wouldn’t be hunted since they were only after supplies. They went back to the hunt taking down several large lizards and dozens of smaller mammals. It was obvious the hunt had calmed his males down. Even those fishing seemed relaxed and happier. So far this restocking was turning out to be the best one ever. The only thing that would make it better was if they could find compatible females to attend to their needs.