Chapter 7: Too Big For Their Britches

It was less than five minutes later since many of the Hebis’soka staff and workers were getting dressed or ready. If anything, the small town’s saloon was mostly active through the shorter Denji’Kei days. With the shorter sleep cycles of the Itreans, the business, as with the other stores and homes, was only closed down for shorter time spans. There was no music at the moment as the local musician had just woken up as well.

Regardless, dawn had arrived. The starlight was illuminating much of the countryside of Jiqua’nyu.

In the main hub of the Hebis’soka saloon, Darin walked down the stairs slowly, being careful not to accidentally trip on his way down. The hangover remained present, but the man’s bearings were quite set. The cowboy knew that he had to be ready to face whatever opposition might appear.

By now, the distant motor sound from outside was gone. It sounded very much like a vehicle engine, most likely to power a large motorcycle of some sort. Darin could see that a number of townsfolk were already in the saloon, but not as many, being around seven Itreans in all. Natch and Feri’nita, already dressed, were sitting at a table near the bar counter. By the time Darin reached ground level, Czarek was not far behind the Captain. Darin turned to look up at the jump trooper, seeing him with his rifle in hand, climbing down the stairs with haste, dressed for the encounter that was yet to come.

“Well, Czarek,” Darin commented. “One can’t blame you for being vigilant. What’s the report?...”

“I saw them from the attic window upstairs, Cap,” Czarek explained, reaching ground level and being loud enough for everyone to hear. “It’s definitely the Shal’rein, alright. They parked outside the town and are heading to the town square. They’re taking their time, but they’ll be here any second.”

“How many?”

“Couldn’t tell too much from the angle and distance. There were eight, but I’m sure there’s a lot more than that, sir. Looked like they had a wagon and one of their motorbikes. I don’t remember what they’re called, but they’re unicycle-like vehicles that you can climb into.”

“Armed?”

“Oh, yeah, they’re armed. Didn’t see any wrap armor on them, though. I saw rifles, pistols, maybe even other things they can use to poke us. I don’t think they saw me by the time they looked, but...”

“It won’t take much for the Shal’rein to know that the Hebis’soka is the biggest building in Jiqua’nyu. They’ll naturally go here to mess with the town’s leadership, I reckon...”

Darin turned his attention to briefly look at Swi’ya. She was in her familiar dress, standing at the bar counter, gathering her courage for what was going to happen. A few Yutilians entered the Hebis’soka, naturally trying to seek refuge. The hint of fear or apprehension was evident on their faces. They went and took a seat at the various tables around the large room.

“Good job, Czarek,” Darin told him, patting his shoulder. “You might earn a good nap tonight for watchin over us, assuming we’re still standing in the next hour or so...”

“Where you want me stationed, sir?” Czarek asked.

“Nowhere but here.” Darin walked over to sit down in the small chair by Feri’nita and Natch.

“Ummm..., Cap. Shouldn’t we like ... get ready for cover or something?”

“I’d like to resolve this peacefully if we can, first. Remember that we need information on this sector. Killing them won’t gain us anything, unless we absolutely have to. Ya hear, partner?”

“ ... Yeah ... got it, sir.”

Darin and Czarek sat down at the table. Darin put his hand on Natch’s shoulder, seeing that he was quiet, his large body pressed to the small table. He noted that his triple-barreled shotgun was perched on one of the support frames of the building, ready for him to grab it at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, Czarek kept his riflebutt pressed to the hard floor as a symbol of strength for the newcomers.

“Is that why you left your rifle upstairs?” Natch asked him.

“More like forgotten to, Natch,” Darin replied. “I still got my shootin’ iron with me, though, if this turns out into an ol-fashion shootout.”

“We won’t last long if this does turn out to be a shootout.”

Darin sighed, still rubbing his head briefly. Feri’nita could see that the hangover was running its course. The cowboy would have to be as ready as he could.

And time was just about up. There was no more room for discussion, but to let the events unfold.

From the main saloon doors, the hint of something large was approaching. The swinging doors themselves were meant for Yutilians or humans at most, but the Shal’rein were a different breed altogether.

Darin could see a lone towering Shal’rein approach the Hebis’soka, reaching the deck. Being a typical anthro-shark, she was much bigger than any Itrean seen so far. She had yellow skin and dark gray spots and stripes on her finned arms and tail, a blend reminiscent of a tiger shark. Her fin-like ears were almost invisible due to her very long black hair that stretched over a large red and purple poncho. She wore a black hat, almost reminiscent of a sombrero, with cut holes for her fin-ears to stick through. The woman wore heavy black boots that rose to black pants. The way she walked made her boots jingle across the deck, most likely from the metal spurs she had in place. The vicious look of an angry alien woman was there for all to see.

With a simple push of her large four-fingered hand, the saloon doors swung open as the Shal’rein entered. This was followed by another Shal’rein that entered, one dressed in a smaller yellow poncho and purple pants, carrying a bident of some sort. This one had a yellow, hammerhead-like face and blonde hair that fell to one side of her head. The last of the three Shal’rein behind her was the more typical gray-colored one with black hair and a larger dress, almost reminiscent of Feri’nita’s dress, but much bigger. This one wore a thin cowboy hat and was armed with a heavy-duty Shal’rein assault rifle. It was so large that it could easily be something capable of firing .50 caliber rounds at full automatic, carried by women who were easily much stronger than typical human beings. If anything, the Shal’rein stood well above 7 to 8 feet in height, with the lead one being nine feet in height.

The lead red poncho Shal’rein seemed to be the most menacing, at least to Darin. She had to be important, the one who led the pack. The other Shal’rein remained outside, seeing that they were virtually uncontested and who would be. The shark women were an intimidating presence on the ground. Even without their wrap armor, they looked like they could easily bash a human to the ground, laying waste to all the Yutilians in the room. They were so tall that their hats virtually scraped the upper deck.

So far, the Shal’rein paid no attention to the humans, yet kept their gaze directed towards Swi’ya in the center. Darin, Natch, and Czarek were somewhat away from the counter enough that the non-wandering eye might have failed to notice. The cowboy kept his attention directed to the three. The one leading saw nobody as a threat. However, the bident-armed one remained close, safely protecting the one ahead of her. The one with the rifle was more shifty, constantly directing the barrel of her rifle to her left, watching the Yutilians closely. Anger was visible on her face and snout.

Not all of the Yutilians remained helpless. Some were already armed with their pistols, but it was more than obvious that the Shal’rein carried the better firepower. It was even questionable if they could truly hurt the Shal’rein with their smaller pistols. The standoff remained steady as the Yutilians and Shal’rein were ready to attack one another, but so far, nothing happened. Darin lightly lifted his hand to Czarek and Natch to see where this was going.