Yuen-Mong's Revenge by Gian Bordin

"How?"
            "My father told me that when they discovered flight on Old Earth in
the 20 th century, the machines they used — I think they called them aeroplanes — these machines were all controlled mechanically by the pilot."
            "Yes, but these machines have blades to propel them and they need
air to fly. There are still some in use on Palo for sports and amusements."
            "He also told me that they later developed jet propulsion similar to
your shuttle and the first ones were also mechanically controlled. He
thought that it should be possible to get a shuttle into orbit by controlling
the propulsion and steering thrusters mechanically."
            Atun seemed to ponder this and then shook his head. "I doubt it. It
would be the surest way to get killed."
            "True, but then little on Aros is without risks." Survival depended on
being able to cope with risks, in fact, being willing to take risks. She
decided to drop the subject. She had planted the seed. All she could do
right now was to hope that it would germinate.
          "Let me have a look at your shoulder," she said.
    He removed his top and she carefully inspected the scab formed by the
root gum. The cut had closed completely. It was safe to peel it off. She
lifted one end. It only revealed an angry pink scar. Slowly, she peeled it
off, coming from both end. "Be careful you do not bump it for a few days."

 
    * * *
     
    Early one morning while there was still only a hint of dawn, they set off
for the mountains to find rods suitable for making a bow for Atun. Although Yuen-mong could have made it there and back again by nightfall,
Atun had not yet achieved the stamina to run for extended periods, therefore the need to allow for two days. He had in fact asked whether it was
a two-day trip at her or his pace. Staying overnight meant taking extra
gear along since they would have to climb sufficiently high to get above
the habitat range of the night scavengers, and it cooled down quite a bit
at those elevations. The other aspect that worried her was that they would
have to cross through the territory claimed by one of the clans of savages.
Any confrontation could delay them or force them to make a detour.
          She was actually looking forward to getting into the mountains. It was
a completely different world there, with different plant life and more
variety, but also different birds and insects, and she loved the views over
the forests with the blue sea at the horizon.
          They made good progress. Her ability to sense the presence of other
living beings allowed them to avoid any encounters with savages. Most
of the time, they walked or ran in silence to conserve their strength.
Twice they had to cross open craw hunting areas. The first time, she
sensed a craw pair that was sailing silently above. She put her index on
her mouth to tell Atun to be absolutely still. When she felt that they had
passed overhead, she whispered: "They have extremely keen hearing.
They are flying away now. Come see how majestic they are."
            They carefully stepped outside the forest edge, still partially under its
canopy and saw the two predators, wings completely stretched, float
away a hundred meters above the ground.
          "Impressive," he whispered. "What do we do now?"
            "We run." And she was off, dashing into the opening. She felt Atun
close behind her. When they were about halfway across, she heard the
birds shrill screams. "Quick," she cried, briefly glancing over her
shoulder, relieved to see Atun right behind her. By the time the birds had
turned and were zeroing in on them, they were safely under cover again.
The creatures vented their frustration with angry screams.
          The second time, she chased a wader into the open, and the craw went
after that prey, allowing them to get across at a trot.
          By late afternoon they got above the tree line and the habitat of the
night