Sikaris merely looked at the ferret creature, its face showing no sign of anger. "Think what you want. We do not have time for this now."Turning away, it moved to join the others.
As much as Rebecca wanted to defend Prin, she knew that her help would probably not be welcome. Most of them already believed she was crazy, so anything she said would only make matters worse. In addition, like so many other things that had happened since her arrival, she found this fossil and Tarrsk's accusations disturbing. Tucking away her questions for further contemplation, she followed the others as they continued their quest, leaving Prin alone to say good-bye to its priceless treasure.
Angry and dejected, Prin followed behind as they continued down the passage. Rebecca walked on in silence, staring down constantly at her motion detector as they went. The machine eased her tension some, allowing her to lower her sense of alertness to bearable levels.
Then just as she had begun to relax slightly, the readout on the display screen began to twitch. She froze instantly, her heart beating madly. Oh no, what now? She forced herself to calm down and called out softly to the others. "Stop! Wait! I've picked up something."
The alien hunters froze instantly as the translation came through their earpieces. After a quick visual scan of the area, Sikaris moved closer to her, while the rest remained motionless and alert.
"What is it?" Sikaris asked quietly.
"I don't know," she replied as she worked with the controls on the tiny handheld unit. "I'm not getting actual movement, but there's definitely some kind of electronic signal bouncing off of the walls. It seems to be originating from around that corner up ahead of us."
Sikaris motioned to Prin with a wave of its claw. In a moment, the alien scientist joined them. After repeating her findings to Prin, it sat silently for a moment, deep in thought.
"We know these tunnels belong to the Modir, but we have never sent a hunting party this far into their territory," Prin said. "We do not know what kind of defenses they may have in place. We do know that their technology is based upon their physical abilities, so this could be some kind of weapon to defend their territory. Yes, yes. What kind of signal is it?"
Rebecca checked her display screen, glad to be on speaking terms with Prin again. "An electronic pulse set to a very high frequency."
Prin nodded its head. "Yes, yes, that makes sense." Looking to Rebecca, it explained. "Modir do not have eyes. They do not even have a head. Instead, they have a membrane that makes high frequency sound waves. These waves bounce off of objects and are then picked up again by the Modir's sensitive antennae. This allows them to 'see.'"
"Like a radar similar to bats," Rebecca said quietly in understanding.
The alien scientist only shrugged. "From what we know of their technology, it uses the same methods, yes, yes."
By this time, the others had begun to grow restless, their eyes straining as they stared into the darkness for any whisper of movement. Tarrsk, its concentration focused on the enveloping blackness around them, sidled slowly to where the three of them stood in hushed conversation. "Why have we stopped?"
Sikaris responded without so much as a glance at the lanky reptile. "We may have found the Modir's outer defenses."
"So what are we waiting for? Let us kill them and move on."
"It is not that easy," Prin interjected. "We are not even sure what the defenses are."
"So let us go look. What is the problem?" Tarrsk sneered at Prin in derision.
Sikaris put a restraining claw on Tarrsk's shoulder. "The problem is that if Prin is correct, any movement around that corner will be immediately 'seen' by their machines without light, even though we would not be able to see them."
The alligator alien was silent for a moment before offering a suggested course of action. "If I blend in with the wall, I could climb onto the ceiling and drop down on it from above. Even though my disease does not let me blend in totally, maybe the darkness will help hide me."
Finding its chance, Prin unleashed some of its pent-up anger and frustration that had been building since the beginning of the hunt. "You Drak slime! Go back to watching for the Modir and leave the thinking to those of us with larger brains, yes, yes!" Ignoring Tarrsk's threatening growl, the alien scientist continued. "This machine 'sees' with sound, not by light. Your ability to blend in would not help, and neither would walking on the ceiling."
Tarrsk's eyes revealed that it had made a mistake even while the mouth on its stomach formed a nasty snarl, revealing its broken, yellow teeth. "Then maybe Sikaris's roar could destroy its ability to hear. Have you thought of that?"
Sikaris answered before Prin could think up a retort. "I have to see what I am aiming at. Also, we do not even know what is out there or how far away it is. It could alert the Modir and kill me before I even see it."
Feeling foolish in front of Prin, Tarrsk became frustrated. "Then what are we going to do? We have not found any other passages."
"If you would leave us alone and stop asking stupid questions, we could think of a solution," Prin snapped, barely keeping its voice to a whisper.
Even as Tarrsk's muscular body tensed in preparation to strike, Rebecca suddenly spoke, diffusing the conflict.
"I think I have a solution," she said excitedly. Seeing that she had their attention, she expounded. "My motion detector operates similarly to the way Prin described the Modir's ability. It should be able to determine the frequency of the Modir device. I can set the motion detector to emit a cloaking signal at the same frequency, effectively making the person who carries it invisible. Since the Modir don't use light, that person could use a flashlight to locate whatever is creating the signal and destroy it, allowing the rest of us to follow later."
The three aliens stared at her momentarily in silence. Then slowly, a grin formed on Sikaris's strong features. As its violet eyes reflected the light from the electric lanterns, Rebecca noticed for the first time how symmetrical its features were. Every other creature she had seen on this planet had eyes, noses, arms, mouths, and other physical structures in odd places. Yet Sikaris's entire body showed no sign whatsoever of asymmetry. Her curiosity about this formidable alien deepened, even as the number of questions about it increased.
"Good," Sikaris said, its low voice growling deep in its chest. "Prepare the device. I will carry it with me and destroy whatever defenses they have."
"What?" Rysth-nuul said in shock as the translation came through its earpiece. Slithering across the cavern, it stopped in front of the alien leader. "You are going to put our survival in the hands of this crazy being that thinks it is from another planet? What is wrong with you? You gamble too much with our lives. And why do you always defend this...this...weak creature?"
"What do you think we should do, Rysth-nuul? Go charging around the corner, announcing to the entire mountain that we are here?" Sikaris shot back. "We have no other choice. The way behind us is blocked, and there are no other passages. Besides, what is the worst that will happen? I fail, and the Modir know we are here. That will happen anyway if we do not try something. Now let Rebecca work and just be ready to charge in case he is wrong."
Listening to Sikaris's explanation of what would occur if she miscalculated or erred caused her heart to leap into her throat. Mustering her courage, she set to work on the motion detector, being sure to triple check every step.
As she worked, she saw out of the corner of her eye that Prin was watching her intently. She resisted the temptation to look at the alien scientist but instead pretended to keep working. Although she was getting better at reading Prin's facial expressions, she still wasn't sure if it was looking at her approvingly or with pity.
Focus, Becky! she chided herself. Shutting out everything around her as well as all thoughts of the future, she concentrated on the task at hand. After several long minutes, she completed her work, confident that she had calibrated the machine properly. Here goes nothing.
Walking toward Sikaris, she handed it the device. The Grinathia
n leader stared at her as it accepted the motion detector, its eyes succeeding once again in making her feel uncomfortably weak and powerless yet strangely comforted. Without so much as a thank-you or good-bye, it secured the makeshift stealth device around its waist with a length of rope and set off.
The creature's fluidity and grace were incredible. Within moments, Sikaris had reached the bend in the passage without making a single sound.
Rebecca and the others stood alert and intent upon the retreating figure, their muscles taut and ready to spring into action, for they knew that their continued existence would be decided in the next several seconds. As they stood transfixed, Rebecca caught movement out of the corner of her left eye. Tearing her gaze from Sikaris, she saw Prin move up beside her, its eyes not even glancing her way.
Turning her attention forward once again, she watched in consuming fear and excitement as Sikaris's form disappeared around the bend.
In her mind, she could plainly hear a blaring alarm that shook the very ground beneath them. She was about to begin running for her life when the realization hit her that the others were not reacting at all. For a brief instant, she thought that they had been paralyzed by the sound, but when she saw Prin exhale and smile, she realized that the sound of the alarm was only a product of her overworked imagination.
"It seems to have worked, yes, yes! Good work, Rebecca Clan Evans."
Before she could recover enough of her faculties to respond to the compliment, Rysth-nuul hissed quietly behind them. "You fools! We have no idea if it worked or not. For all we know, the Modir may already be on their way here while we sit by quietly like tied-up Cronlets."
Prin turned and gave the pessimistic alien a disapproving glare. "But we probably would have heard an alarm."
"Probably," it said, edging closer. The smooth manner in which its muscles propelled its body forward sent shivers of queasiness down Rebecca's spine. "But what if the alarm sounds somewhere else? Or what if it makes a sound that only Modir can hear? We will not know for sure until they attack, and by then, it will be too late."
Rebecca found herself hating Rysth-nuul more and more each time the creature spoke. She hated it not only for being so pessimistic but also for having the uncanny knack for being right. Even if Sikaris returns, we can't be a hundred percent sure he was successful, she thought in frustration.
Even as this thought crossed her mind, they all tensed in unison as they detected movement from near the bend. A moment later, they released their collective breath as Sikaris emerged from the darkness.
"The way is clear," the feline alien said as it neared the group. "There were three machines guarding the corridor. I was able to deactivate them without being detected."
"How can you be so sure?" Rysth-nuul said, repeating its previous argument.
Sikaris did not seem the slightest bit affected by Rysth-nuul's doubt. "Because the six guns placed around the walls of the corridor and controlled by the three machines did not shred me to pieces."
The others stood in silence for a moment as they digested this latest bit of news. Finally, Tarrsk's guttural curse broke the stillness. "Kraktcha! If we had gone any farther..."
Sikaris nodded at Tarrsk's unfinished thought. Then turning to Rebecca, it handed the motion detector back to her. "Reset the machine and continue monitoring. Let us go. The longer we wait, the more chance there is of being found."
Without delay, they began to follow Sikaris. Rebecca had just finished situating her pack on her shoulder when she was suddenly shoved hard from behind. Throwing her arms out in front of her, she managed to prevent herself from smashing face-first into the floor. Jumping quickly back to her feet, she turned around to face the perpetrator. She immediately swallowed her pride and anger at the sight of the spiked alien towering over her. It did not offer any explanation but merely looked at her and headed off down the passage.
Dumbfounded, Rebecca simply stared after it. Suddenly, the annoying voice of Ch'ran spoke beside her. "That is how Joktans say, 'Good job.'"
Calling upon every ounce of willpower, she didn't shy away from the leering face that was staring up at her. "Nix and I say 'Good job' also. Maybe I will not eat you after all."
Not sure how to respond, Rebecca refrained from commenting and proceeded to brush herself off. Resituating her equipment, she headed after the others.
They rounded the corner that Sikaris had traversed minutes prior, their lights illuminating the path in front of them. After walking for several yards, they came upon the death trap that Sikaris had deactivated. The sight of the ominous weapons pointing threateningly at them caused the hackles to rise on Rebecca's neck despite the knowledge that Sikaris had successfully disabled them. This part of the cavern is so narrow and so far from the entrance we would've been torn to bits, she thought dismally.
Breathing more easily once they had moved past the deadly machines and into the passage beyond, they traveled several more minutes before encountering yet another bend, from around which a pale red glow seemed to emanate. Sikaris threw a questioning look toward Rebecca, and she immediately consulted the motion detector. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary in the display screen, she shook her head negatively. With a wave of its claw, Sikaris motioned to Jorylk, who proceeded to peer slowly around the corner. There was a moment of intense silence before it finally signaled for them to continue. Once around the corner, they found themselves facing a seven-foot rocky shelf.
Tarrsk climbed the shelf with practiced ease and looked over the edge. It did a quick perusal of the surroundings and then gestured for the others to join it. They spread out and climbed up enough to see over the edge the scene that lay before them. Nestled in a type of underground valley and bathed in hazy red sunlight that shone through a hole in the cavern ceiling was a Modir outpost.
14
The Garden
REBECCA'S MIND frantically sought to make sense of the bizarre sight in front of her. The outpost, for that is what her limited knowledge assumed it to be, stretched out across the area, the near edge of which sat roughly one hundred feet downhill from where she and the others were hidden. The high circular cavern that housed the outpost reminded her of a small domed coliseum.
Encircling the entire camp was an open pathway that was roughly twenty feet wide on average. Six other passages identical to their own led from the outer path into the mountain.
On the side of the valley directly opposite from their position, several stocky aliens were loading items into some sort of mining car. Although the reddish light provided by the hole in the ceiling was an improvement over their flashlights and lanterns, it still did not afford them enough light to make out many details.
What Rebecca could see, however, made the bile rise in her throat. Although the Modir had necks, they were not used to support heads. Instead, their necks ended in stumps that had a vibrating membrane stretched over the top, similar to a drum. The rest of their broad, barrel-shaped bodies reminded her of moles. But unlike the furry rodents from Earth, these creatures had no hair to cover their twisted, mutated bodies. Instead, their skin was similar to that of the Ryazan: dark and scaly.
Looking away from the bizarre aliens, she gazed at the surrounding area. It took her a moment to comprehend what it was that covered the majority of the cavern. Jumbled together in groups throughout the area were numerous twisted pillars of various heights, shapes, and sizes, each of which had crooked beams protruding from random places with no apparent purpose or pattern. Rebecca was further confused by the fact that the pillars seemed to be made of a material that resembled the reptilian skin of her companions. Moving around slowly underneath the strange pillars were the outlines of several different species of aliens, each shuffling along as if in a daze.
Rebecca inhaled sharply in sudden understanding. "An underground forest," she whispered aloud to herself.
Sikaris, its head peering over the edge of the rocky shelf next to her, corrected her assessment. "No. A garden."
Finally,
her mind fitted the remaining pieces together, the truth filling her with a mixture of awe and disgust. "You mean those are plants...I mean, Lirid...Lidr..."
"Lidrilian," Ch'ran offered, coming up closer on her other side. "And very tasty too!" Ch'ran's forked tongue flicked out of its twisted mouth and licked its dry crusty lips. "This is good! Not only did we find a way out, but we also found some food too! Rebecca, you have to try the offspring of the short purple ones. Oooh!"it squinted and crinkled its face into an expression of ecstasy as it squealed softly.
"Prin, what do you think?" Sikaris asked, returning the group's attention to their immediate circumstances. "Can we sneak by without being seen?"
"Why sneak by," Tarrsk interjected," when we can take them? I see only about ten or twelve Modir. The few Hran slaves they have harvesting the Lid offspring might help us too."
Prin responded before Sikaris could answer, thoroughly enjoying getting the intellectual upper hand on one of its antagonists. "The main Modir clan may not have found out that their machines are broken, so they will not come looking for us if they do not know we are here. But if we kill some of them and destroy their garden, they will probably not be very happy, yes, yes."
The alligator's head swiveled to glare at Prin, but if Tarrsk was sneering at it, Rebecca could not tell, as its lithe torso was pressed up against the side of the raised floor, covering its mouth. But even if Tarrsk had a comeback, Prin did not allow it the chance to speak. "However, to answer Sikaris's question, no, I do not think it is possible. If even one of the Modir points its vibrating sound producer in our direction, the Modir will know we are here. I think we have no choice but to attack them."
Tarrsk, surprised by Prin having agreed with it, remained silent. Rysth-nuul, however, took up the argument in its stead. "I agree, but the problem is, how do we murder all of the Modir without any of them escaping or calling for help?"
The group was silent as they pondered the question and studied the layout of the cavern. At first, Rebecca did not understand Rysth-nuul's concern. Then as she surveyed the area more carefully, she caught sight of three distinct groups of the odd-looking Modir.
Logic's End Page 18
