“Gentlemen,” I said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea we go to Earth.”

  While saying that, I felt a longing in my chest. I wouldn’t see Earth for a while. I was going to stick with these guys and see it through. This was a two-step solution. I was going to try to get these guys mates. What a primeval, what a basic thing, and yet that was what I’d promised. It was more than just a promise. It was the life of these Neanderthals.

  If I failed, an entire race would be wiped out. Perhaps Neanderthals would live as slaves at the Institute, but the First Folk might work them to death, just like how the Spanish conquistadors had worked many Indians to death in the New World in their gold and silver mines.

  I had a promise to fulfill. These guys were my friends, my comrades. They were human after a fashion. No, they were as human as I was, just of a different species, I suppose, like how a German shepherd is different from a Beagle. If I had a Neanderthal girl, I’d produce a child that could also reproduce. So that was closer than a horse would be to a donkey. Would that work the same way for the Neanderthals on Saddoth?

  …I hadn’t thought out that part. I didn’t know the answer. Were the Neanderthals on Saddoth similar enough to the Neanderthals on Garm?

  “Let’s go back, gentlemen, I’ve seen enough.”

  We turned around and headed for the mine.

  I had a lot to do, as so much rested on me. What would the coming weeks, what would the coming months bring? I’d have the escape valve of running to the obelisk and going back to Earth, or maybe attempting to go into the Vega System.

  Maybe I’d scout and take a look at Saddoth, though that seemed risky.

  Maybe that would be the way I’d have to do it, though. I’d have to take a small company of Neanderthals armed with phasors, and we could roam and raid. Would we take off all our clothes and go naked in order to fool the Ophidians? That had been a gamble last time that had barely paid off for me.

  As I trudged back, I began to tell Skarl and Krull about Bok and the people there, how I’d befriended them and how they fought against the Ophidians. I still left out the part how those Neanderthals were different.

  Skarl and Krull listened closely, interested.

  “These are the ones you wish to help?” Skarl asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “You are a friend of the Neanderthals,” Skarl said. “I, for one, appreciate it.”

  “And I, Jake Bayard, will stand by your side,” Krull added.

  “Thanks,” I replied. “I really appreciate that. It means a lot.”

  Yeah, I was the Galactic Marine. Perhaps even more important, I was the Knight Errant. This was a worthy goal. It would make the difference to many lives and to those on two planets.

  Should I let the Ophidians continue to eat another intelligent species? I’d hated that for a long time. I hadn’t thought about it; I hated it so much because it bothered me too much.

  We headed back for the mine, and I began to plot and think. How could we do this? How could I keep my word, and how could I get the Garm Neanderthals some mates they loved so Garm would be a populated planet?

  That was my goal, and I’d make every effort to ensure a successful outcome.

  THE END

  From the Author: Thanks Reader! I hope you’ve enjoyed NEANDERTHAL PLANET. If you liked the book and would like to see the story continue, please put up some stars and a review.

  -VH

 

 

  Vaughn Heppner, Neanderthal Planet (The Traveler Book 5)

 

 

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