by S. H. Jucha
Luther and Minimalist calculated the rate of material clearance against the speed with which equipment was being replaced.
There was a moment of quiet. SADEs, Crocians, and others were confused that Minimalist had uttered such a facetious comment. Then the comm channels were crowded with the sounds of siren blasts, horn blares, metal clashing, Crocian roars, and Earther laughter.
Luther laid a hand on Minimalist’s shoulder. Privately, he sent,
Three cycles later, the posts were exposed. They had been sunk ten meters below the deck into the moon’s surface.
To the surprise of many, a single traveler lifted the entire deck and posts from the pit.
Minimalist organized the spacers. He marked the new dig sites for the posts and set them to work.
While the spacers were removing regolith, a Trident arrived from dome one. A group of security personnel led by Major Fleetfoot had arrived in that dome with a bulky crate of plasma rifles.
Jess and Lucia had heard Luther’s calculations about the post excavations. After a consult with Mickey, they chose to send additional units. At the time, it wasn’t known whether they’d be replacement units for the carrier troops or whether they’d be used to fuse the regolith in the new location.
When the new footing holes were dug, the pilot of the traveler, which had held the deck and posts aloft, carefully lowered the structure.
Near the holes, Minimalist signaled movements to the ship’s controller and eased the posts into their new homes.
The deck was checked to ensure it was level, which it was. Then again, SADEs had overseen the depths of the holes.
There was cheering and roaring over the comm channels, and a clapping of hands in the airless environment at the achievement.
Bortoth and Daktora stood on the edge of the crater, admiring their success.
Then Daktora commented,
17: Envoys
The envoys’ team efforts with the Loopah were an immense success. The techniques were swiftly shared among the other consortium members. The majority of future work was to be shouldered by the Jatouche, the Sylians, and the Norsitchians, who were best suited to offer the expertise.
The Norloth, the Crocian Supreme Council, noted that their race wasn’t included in the initial selection of envoys. On the one hand, the council members were content to be part of Mickey’s dome investigations. However, the Norloth intended to approach Commander Cinders and request their envoys be part of the rotation.
“I would have you wait until the next opportunity,” Talsoma, the Sylian monarch, said to her eldest daughter.
“Am I not qualified as an envoy?” Tamtoma asked.
“You know that you are. Don’t ask rhetorical questions of your ruler,” Talsoma retorted.
Tamtoma was tempted to sketch an elaborate obeisance to her matriarch, but she kept her temper in check. Instead, she said evenly, “I’m aware that the Packeoes represent a unique challenge.”
“They’re a foreign and duplicitous lot,” Talsoma declared. She disliked arguing with her eldest daughter, who could exhibit greater patience and cleverer logic.
“Yet, they’re one of three of the outpost commander’s top preferences for support,” Tamtoma pointed out. “Should you show contempt for the commander by sending a lesser-qualified team to protect a royal family member?”
“My intention is only to substitute one team member,” Talsoma said, believing that she’d scored a verbal victory.
“Have you communicated your intentions to the other members?” Tamtoma asked quietly.
Talsoma fumed, realizing what Tamtoma had done. Her daughter would have planned a response if Talsoma removed her from the team. More than likely, the entire envoy team would request to be excused and wait for the next rotation.
Sylia possessed new gates, which would enable dynamic growth in the planet’s economy and profits for the citizenry. Talsoma knew her race owed the outpost.
The Packeoes were the Sylians’ first envoy assignment. Any misstep would mightily embarrass the race. If it became known that the envoy team hadn’t been Sylia’s best, then Talsoma would bear the brunt of the criticism.
“You may lead the team on one condition,” Talsoma said, straightening to her full height and her bright blue eyes riveting her daughter.
Tamtoma stood silently, allowing her matriarch to make her point. She’d won and could afford to be considerate.
“Commander Cinders knows this race well,” Talsoma said. “You will only visit the Packeoes with him leading your team. Furthermore, if he leaves before the envoy team has established solid communications with the Packeoes, then your team must exit too.”
There were several points that were wrong with Talsoma’s directives, but Tamtoma chose not to point them out. “Agreed,” she replied.
“Then, as the Omnians say, good fortune, my precious daughter,” Talsoma said, and cuffed her lightly.
Tamtoma tipped her head and made a quick exit.
What Talsoma had failed to recall was that the Packeo vessels, their battleships and their shuttles, were destroyed by the Omnians. They were isolated on the Quall planet in retaliation for their path of destruction in alliance space.
Talsoma sent a cube to the Triton dome. She notified Commander Cinders that she’d lead the envoy team to support the Packeoes. He replied with a start date and that he would gather her team at the Quall dome.
When Tamtoma arrived at the imperial shuttle, her team was waiting aboard for her. Despite being a youthful group, they possessed some of the brightest minds of their age. They also had one characteristic that a more seasoned team might not share.
The Packeoes were thought to be an abominable race for their rampage, which included the wanton destruction of a freighter. They had attacked Usaana. Although they were defeated, they’d killed many alliance citizens.
This was the impression that many Sylian elders held. It wasn’t one that Tamtoma and her team felt. They believed in the outpost and the consortium. If Commander Cinders wanted the Packeoes supported, then the race was worth helping. It was as simple as that.
This wasn’t to say that Tamtoma and her team hadn’t their concerns. But, if Jess Cinders was going to lead them, then that was all the protection they needed.
When the Sylians arrived in the Quall dome ensconced in environment suits, Tamtoma scanned the dome’s exterior and was delighted to see a traveler hovering over one of the shuttle tubes. She waved at the ship and led her team down the ramp and through the tunnels.
At the open blast door, outpost security waited for the Sylians. They handed out harnesses and instructed the envoys on the use of them. One by one, Talsoma’s team hooked the line to the reels of their harness motors and rode the line to the outstretched arms of more security personnel.
Tamtoma looked around the interior and her bright expression faltered.
* * * * *
When Je
ss neared the planet’s surface, he directed the pilot to cruise over the two gated cities that were of interest to him. The first was the enclave held by Leader Stasnich, some of the battleship captains, and many of their loyalists.
The first thing Jess noticed was the blockade at the entrance to the enclave was destroyed. Bits of furniture and other material were strewn across the roadway and toward the interior.
The enclosure had been breached by the insectoids.
The pilot overflew the buildings and roadways within the enclave. Here and there, vermin fed on the remains of Packeoes and Colony young alike. The carcasses of adult reds and grays were nowhere to be seen.
Jess shook his head in disgust. Stasnich and his crews could have bolstered the numbers of Gregich, the wedge’s senior captain, who held the second enclave. The Packeo leader had sacrificed his crew members for no gain.
The Dischnya and the Norsitchians had remained on Quall to support the Packeoes. These forces hunted to clear the planet of the adult insectoids.
Unfortunately, the Colony had been resident on Quall for a long time. That meant the planet was saturated with all ages of young.
When the Resistance forces exited the planet, Queen Homsaff filed her final report.
Jess had read that adult and three-annual and older young had been virtually eliminated. The queen had been careful to note that there was fresh evidence of one- and two-annual young who had come to sentience, which made them difficult to hunt.
The report made Jess nervous about what he’d find at Gregich’s enclave where the majority of the crews were encamped. Early training had showed the Packeoes to be abysmal at protecting themselves, but Jess and other Resistance leaders had persevered, and the Packeoes had responded.
As the traveler approached the walled enclave, Jess and the pilot noticed crop fields.
Packeoes working the fields raised their heads to the ship. Then they waved energetically. Two individuals ran toward the enclave.
By the time, the traveler landed and Jess disembarked, Captain Gregich was striding toward him. He was accompanied by two more of his race, and all three had slung Loopah weapons.
None of the Packeoes wore ear comms, which Jess had anticipated. They’d have no means of charging the devices. Jess held out several ear comms to Gregich, which the Packeoes quickly distributed.
When the ear comms registered, Gregich said, “It’s good to see you, Commander Cinders.”
“And I’m pleased to see your race prospering, Captain,” Jess replied. “Although, I no longer command troops in the field. I’m commander of a peacekeeping station. It’s called Outpost One: Resistance.”
“An appropriate position, Commander, for one of your caliber,” Gregich said. “What brings you here?” The captain’s tone offered a measure of hopefulness.
“As the outpost commander, I’ve formed an agreement with many of the races who are part of the Resistance,” Jess explained. “In exchange for what was delivered to them, I’ve required that they supply me with envoys to help less fortunate races. I’ve selected your race to be one of the first to be helped.”
The eyes of the three males glistened, and one of them snuffled.
“We’d expected to be abandoned for centuries until we regained space travel and made the dome,” Gregich said, wiping at his eyes.
“It won’t take anywhere near that long,” Jess said. He was angry with himself that he’d taken this long to bring the Packeoes help.
For how the Packeoes had treated alliance space, they’d been damned. But it was one thing for others to think of a race who’d they’d never seen. It was another thing to fight alongside that race against a dangerous enemy.
“We overflew Stasnich’s encampment,” Jess said.
“The ravaging young found them,” Gregich said. “We still fight the older insectoids with darts,” he added, patting his Loopah weapon, “but we must preserve them. We’re running low. In time, we expect the young that we miss will achieve adulthood. Then they’ll begin producing prodigious numbers.”
“That will be corrected too,” Jess said. Then he signaled the shadows aboard the traveler, and they raced out to surround their commander.
Packeoes had stopped work to watch the discussion between Gregich and Jess Cinders. When the shadows streamed out of the ship, they crowded close to observe them.
“These are my protectors. They’re called shadows,” Jess explained. “I’ll leave them here to hunt for you. They’re exceptionally efficient at removing the young.”
“The gesture is appreciated,” Gregich said, “but they have a lot of territory to cover and not much time.”
Jess held up a finger. Then he connected to Lucia.
Lucia hinted.
When Jess didn’t reply immediately, Lucia added,
“More shadows are on the way,” Jess told Gregich, and he could see the visible relief in the faces of the three Packeoes. “Let’s retire. You can educate me about present conditions, and I’ll tell you about your envoys, who are members of the Sylian race.”
“I don’t believe we’ve met that race,” Gregich said, as he turned and gestured toward the gates of the enclave.
“No, you haven’t,” Jess replied. “You should know that the leader of the team is the daughter of the Sylian monarch.”
“We’re honored,” Gregich said, tipping his narrow snout.
Two cycles later, Jess received a signal from a traveler pilot, who was inbound. The pilot had the coordinates of Jess’s ship and was targeting that location.
Turning to Gregich, Jess said, “We must return to the enclave. The envoys are arriving.”
Gregich nodded, and Jess and a group of Packeoes climbed a riverbank and began retracing their steps home.
Jess signaled the shadows that were working the surrounding terrain.
Gregich had been right to be concerned about the immediate need for help. On the trip from the enclave and while they walked along the river, the shadows had eliminated nearly two hundred young.
By the time Jess and the Packeoes returned to the enclave, Tamtoma’s traveler had landed.
As Jess approached the rear of the shuttle-style ship, he sent,
While Jess was trying to puzzle out the lieutenant’s message, the ramp dropped, and thirty shadows raced out of the traveler to surround their commander.
Gregich regarded Jess
and gently sucked his teeth. “You’re frowning, Commander, but aren’t they a good thing?” he asked.
“For your citizens, it is, Captain,” Jess replied. “Apparently, my partner and I have some communication issues to resolve.”
Gregich and the other Packeoes suddenly understood what had transpired, and Jess heard their wheezing form of laughter.
About that time, Tamtoma led her team off the ramp. While most Sylians’ coats of whites and cream appeared overly bright in Quall’s afternoon starlight, Tamtoma’s snow white coat nearly hurt the eyes.
“Your Highness Tamtoma, may I introduce Senior Captain Gregich? He leads the Packeoes within this enclave,” Jess said after the Sylians’ ear comms updated.
“A pleasure to meet you, Captain,” Tamtoma said. She noticed the Packeoes flinched at her flash of canines, and she sent a message to her team to avoid the display.
“We’re pleased that such an august person as you would deign to aid us,” Gregich replied.
This time, Tamtoma caught the commander’s frown, and she chose to eliminate the issue entirely. “Captain, I’m here as an envoy. If you must use a title, that’s an appropriate one as any. Otherwise, you may call me Tamtoma.”
Gregich tipped his muzzle. “And you may call me Gregich.”
Then Tamtoma introduced her team, and Gregich did the same for the other captains.
Then Jess introduced the Jatouche medical team.
“What is the purpose of these three?” a captain asked.
“If you wish, the Jatouche techs are here to collect samples from males and females,” Jess explained. “Jatouche medicine is highly developed. They can create tiny changes in thousands of the genetic strings. Using these preparations as an alternative to your normal conception process will add diversity to your rather limited population.”
“Is this a necessity?” the captain inquired.
“Not at all,” Jess replied. “The medical techs will be here for the duration of the envoy’s first visit. If at any time, you wish to take advantage of their services, please communicate to them.”
