The Flint Knappers - Chronicles [Episode #7]

Name: Newman Smith
Mission Date: d+333

After the death of the young Vanara cub my lust for vengeance reached a fever pitch. One way or another I intended to solve the problem of the Rakshasa. My first step would be to capture one alive so we could study their biology. Astrid, Katherine and Vijay all had more experience in that area than I did so their skills would be invaluable.

My job was to formulate a plan for the capture and I started with the desired end result and worked my way backwards. Say we did manage to capture one, what the hell do we do now? Their physical strength and size were incredible so any enclosure would need to be incredibly strong as well. To complicate matters further it had become clear to us that they possessed some form of telepathy that allowed them to both appear to you in whatever form they wished and it also seemed to allow them to communicate with others of their kind. Unless I could figure out how to block that sort of thing then we would be foolish to keep them anywhere near the village. It could draw the rest of them right to us!

I realized eventually that they couldn't engage in telepathic activity if they were rendered unconscious. If we could sedate them somehow we would have a brief window in which to perform our tests. Once we had the data we could just throw the bastard in the volcano before it woke up. The Vanara had a toxin they used for hunting that was a powerful paralytic. It was derived from the flower of a particular plant that resembled the "Angel's Trumpet" back on Earth. That plant produced the notorious drug "burandanga" and I suspected our local variety was very similar in it's chemical composition. The next problem was how to introduce it to the bloodstream. The Rakshasa have skin thicker than a Rhino so the small darts used by the Vanara would have no hope. I considered poisoning their food tribute but that wouldn't be quick enough. We would have to go into their back yard to retrieve the body.

I hit on the right idea when I realized that the best tool for the job would be a modified at'latl. The modification would be simply making it larger so as to fully utilize the awesome strength of the Vanara warrior. In it's human sized version it is capable of delivering a massive amount of kinetic energy to a focused point on your target. I was highly confident that it would be enough to penetrate the iron hide of the Rakshasa. We didn't have to deliver a mortal blow, just get the toxin to the bloodstream. I began immediately training the Vanara on it's use and in only three or four days they were able to consistently hit their target at a distance of more than forty meters. To test the penetration my Vanara friend Angada fired at a tree with a circumference of about 15 inches. It penetrated all the way through to the other side and is still stuck there today.

Their recipe for the toxin was already highly concentrated so I didn't feel that it would need improvement but we still wanted to be sure to deliver a good dose. To that end I fashioned a special obsidian point with a serrated edge. With a razor sharp cut and super fine point these beauties looked like they could stop a tank. I worked around the clock on them until I finally had twenty. I decided that should be enough for two volleys. Any more than that and we would have likely lost the element of surprise and the plan would be a bust.

I chose a good spot for an ambush about half way to the Rakshasa territory. After two days of training the Vanara on the specifics the warriors were ready and we set off on our hunt.

Everyone took up their positions and two scouts prepared to run ahead and try to taunt one of the beasts. The plan was simply to run back towards us and we would open fire once it was in the kill zone. Two groups of five were arranged at 4 O'clock and 7 O'clock on the trail and I stood directly between the two groups so the Rakshasa would see me but not the others.

The scouts moved out and we all waited nervously for any signs of movement. After about a half an hour we heard a distinctive howl coming down the trail. Our eyes strained for a target and soon we got what we were looking for. The scouts came running at full speed and almost ran right past us. The Rakshasa behind them had been toying with them like a cat with a mouse. One of the scouts was bleeding pretty bad and it was obvious he had been batted about. The Rakshasa upon seeing me stopped dead in the middle of the trail and stood fully erect with both arms outstretched. I stood my ground and yelled my best profanities at him while shifting my footing back and forth. He must have thought it was pretty funny because he started chortling and snorting in a way that I was pretty sure was his way of laughing. My heart was racing and I suddenly felt alone as I didn't see the Vanara as I glanced about. Had they decided to flee? Oh shit!!! Then I saw one of them and realized they were just so well hidden that they had become practically invisible in the undergrowth.

The Rakshasa was just out of optimal range so I continued to taunt him and sure enough he lowered his head and charged like a bull. I did my best to aim for center mass and let it fly. The Vanara fired their coordinated volleys with perfect timing and eleven obsidian tipped spears all found their target. Of the eleven 6 managed to penetrate and the Rakshasa howled in pain as it stumbled towards me. Knowing the toxin would take a few minutes to reach full effect we immediately disengaged and fled back down the path in the direction of the village. The beast had been seriously wounded and we could only hope the poison would do its job.

Fortunately it was wounded enough to slow it down or it may have caught up with us. The rush of the battle would speed the toxin through it's blood and it didn't take long for it to fall behind and eventually stagger to a complete stop where it lie silently, it's breath rustling the leaves where it's ugly head came to rest on the ground. We immediately bound him up with rope in a classic hog-tied pose and cheered as we hoisted him onto a large pole. The Vanara wasted no time in carrying him to a nearby clearing where Katherine, Astrid and Vijay were already waiting with their gear.

We estimated having a half an hour tops before it regained consciousness. More time would have been wonderful but we had to make sure he was in the volcano before waking up. I did consider trying to build some sort of cage but the amount of iron required would have taken months to prepare. And we still would have that telepathy problem. So, we would have to make the best use of our time. Every examination had been thought out in advance and we were able to complete about 80 percent of what we had hoped for.

It would take time to analyze the data but we knew our understanding of the enemy would be expanded greatly. We packed up our gear as the Vanara carried the beast and tossed it unceremoniously into the nearest caldera. With a little luck we would be ready soon for a full on assault against their home base. I didn't come to this planet looking for a fight but if a fight were inevitable I would be the one to strike the killing blow.

To be continued...

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