Mission of Mercy

By Charles Nuetzel

CHAPTER ONE
I saw the girl immediately upon cresting the low hill. The tall purple grass swayed against the soft breeze of the Torshi plains, whipping the trembling legs of my mount. The talio I’d been riding was exhausted from the long, unbroken days of riding. It was the fastest stallion in my father’s stables. High—pitched scream of hopeless terror brought on my instant burst of speed as I had directed the mount up the grassy hill. Even in enemy territory a man of Hamton will honor a female’s cry for help.
There was no time to consider the mission, the Spacers or my people—who now shifted to second moon. The scene before me was of horrid beauty: a startling and vivid statement of hopeless bravery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Haldolen
• Release date: Feb 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301133710

Charles Nuetzel

Charles Nuetzel was born in San Francisco in 1934, and writes: “As long as I can remember I wanted to be a writer. It was a dream I never thought would materialize. But with the help of Forrest J Ackerman, who became my agent, I managed to finally make it into print. “I was lucky enough not only in selling my work to publishers but also ending up packaging books for some of them, and finally becoming a ‘publisher’ much like those who had bought my first novels. From there it as a simple leap to editing not only a science-fiction anthology, but also a line of SF books for Powell Sci-Fi back in the 1960s. Throughout these active professional years I had the chance to design some covers and do graphic cover layouts for pocket books & magazines.” Much of his work in covers and graphics are a result of having had a father who was a professional commercial artist, and who did a number of covers for sci-fi magazines in the 1950s and later for pocket books—even for some of Mr. Nuetzel’s books. In retirement he has become involved in swing dancing, a long time lover of Big Band jazz. But more interestingly world travels have taken him (and his wife Brigitte) across the world, to Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico, Kenya, Egypt, Peru, having a lifelong interest in ancient civilizations. His website is full of thousands of pictures taken during these trips. Check out his website: http://Haldolen.com

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MISSION OF MERCY

by

CHARLES NUETZEL

Published by Haldolen at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 by Charles Nuetzel

Discover other titles by Charles Nuetzel

at Smashwords.com or Haldolen.com

CHAPTER ONE

And, lo, on the island of banishment, the planet of violent death, you shall struggle, sweat upon the surface dirt, feeding upon one another like beasts of prey. Honor will come only with the joining of hands, with the higher purpose of mercy for your enemy; so go forth on a mission of mercy and face death with honor, for there lies total salvation.

—From the Voices of the Torshi

I saw the girl immediately upon cresting the low hill. The tall purple grass swayed against the soft breeze of the Torshi plains, whipping the trembling legs of my mount. The talio I’d been riding was exhausted from the long, unbroken days of riding. It was the fastest stallion in my father’s stables. High—pitched scream of hopeless terror brought on my instant burst of speed as I had directed the mount up the grassy hill. Even in enemy territory a man of Hamton will honor a female’s cry for help.

There was no time to consider the mission, the Spacers or my people—who now shifted to second moon. The scene before me was of horrid beauty: a startling and vivid statement of hopeless bravery.

Striking the huge pointed head of the talio, I felt the wind god breathe down my body as we shot toward the now prostrate form of the girl, desperately attempting to fend off the hungry beak of a giant Haki-bird, using only a thin needle sword. Those huge monstrous devils of the sky have the habit of diving from so high up that it would seem they drop from the heavens. They are a dreadful challenge for the strongest and most skilled warrior. One will hear the whistling of wind fluttering through their multi-colored feathers just moments before an attack.

The slender girl couldn’t have been under the Haki-bird for more than a few moments, and it was as certain as the fact Qui travels around our world seven times a day that she couldn’t last much longer. That I hadn’t seen the bird’s drop was caused by my mental pre-occupation upon the mission that had brought me this far.

The talio loped awkwardly down the hill like a leaping boulder falling off the side of a cliff. I jerked the long thick broad sword from its scabbard, pressing the activating stud on its hilt of gold, aiming my first electronic bolt at the huge, gnarled flapping wings of the Haki-bird.

A jagged crackling fire-beam of blue electra-arc slashed out like lightning across the air, sputtered low, close to the scrawny body of the feathery monster, sparks fountaining like a spray of volcanic blue lava around the helpless girl.

A high-pitched scream, a crackling thunder insane laughter, cut the eerie silence that had surrounded the deathly battle scene. The Haki’s narrow blue beak slashed madly at the gaping black cavity of charred feathers and flesh in its side.

In the moment of hesitation, as the effect of my unexpected interference froze the death battle, my throat shouted the Hamton battle cry and my knees frantically directed the tired talio into close quarters. I had time to release but one more blast of crippling blue fire. There was only one remaining charge left in the blade’s battery cell, and this I saved for the right moment, for otherwise it would do nothing but irritate this huge creature of the Five Moons—as the Jolli natives call it—that stands three times taller than a big man.

Swinging the huge blade, I aimed at the bird’s long leathery yellow neck, but cut empty air as the beast snapped upwards with a