Roddy and Martin came running up from exploring the tunnels, having sent our remaining floater drones along promising escape routes. Upon seeing our visitors, they stopped short, mouths agape.
I waved a hand at Roddy, who was moving to pull his mini-20. “Hold! These are friendlies. Get the others. It’s time to move out. We have some locals to guide us through these tunnels.”
But there was no need notify the others as Para came running up with the whole crew, except for Tee. Roll was looking a little better, though still sedated, winging along on a stretcher suspended a few feet off the ground with four lift drones. I was about to inquire after Tee, but the roar of his beloved .50 cal. told me he was buying us some time. At least someone had saved some ammo.
Para smiled at the Krill and the Krill smiled back, dancing excitedly when she bent over for a closer look, her long hair almost touching the cave floor. “Hi, I’m Para. Glad to make you acquaintance. I hope you have a way out of here.”
The main Krill speaker moved to Para, smiled up at her like he was in a trance, rubbed a locket of her hair between two fingers, and took her hand, trying to get her to move down the tunnel.
Tee called over the comms. “Move out, I’ve got you pinned to my pid. I’ll be right behind you.”
And we were off, running with the Krill.
Para took lead, jogging in an easy stride with half of our guides. The other half were with Steve. We really need to get him into an exercise routine. I slowed up a bit to run alongside Steve in the back row. The Krill rear guard were taking turns pushing on Steve’s backside, trying to move him a little faster.
It was all I could do to maintain my composure and not fall to the ground in a fit of hysterical laughter. “Hi, Steve. We did it!”
Steve took an extra hard puff to manage a couple of words. “Did what?”
I pointed at our new friends. “We’re running with the Krill, just like you promised.”
Steve managed his version of a smile as he huffed and puffed. “Not. Quite. What. I had. In mind. Was thinking. More fun. And mischief. Less. Running.”
I slapped him on the shoulder. “Our run is just getting started. I’ve got a feeling we’re about to cause all sorts of mischief.”
***
Tee had just caught up with us as we turned down a relatively narrow side tunnel, and the Krill called a halt to our flight, ushering us into yet another side tunnel. As our group moved into the new passage, the five Krill forming our rear lines moved off to the side and tugged at the tunnel wall. The echo of Gall boots and a growing glow of light around a bend in the tunnel told us we were running out of time. Tee unslung his .50 cal. Then, a section of the tunnel wall began to move slowly, the Krill tugging and grunting in exertion.
Steve and I moved over to help. One of the Krill smiled up at me, and gently took one of my hands, directing me to a small indented area barely large enough to fit two of my fingers. Another directed Steve to a similar handhold. With our help, the concealing panel moved easily across the narrow tunnel to block and hide the way from the main route. The workmanship of the panel was amazing, duplicating the rock structure, solid, with no discernable seam. The Krill relaxed a bit when we had moved further down the tunnel to a large room, halting for a rest, and a meeting.
One of our benefactors, seemingly the spokes-Krill, bid us to sit, while the rest disappeared into one crevice or another. Some returned with wood, others brought water jugs, ornate pottery cups, an assortment of food items. One must have opened a vent, a slight air current rising to draw the smoke up through a hole set high in the ceiling. A rock shelf soon filled with platters of nuts, dried fruits, and some type of mushroom. A feeling of cheerfulness tried to take hold before I managed to crush it with the weight of my concern for Rock and the other captives.
Steve made a point of taking one of each item and eating them, exclaiming how wonderful they tasted. Then he gave the humans a thumbs-up sign and declared the food safe. We had eaten the same type of nuts and fruit on Turkskee, though the mushrooms were something new. The platters made their way around the group, most of us looking on while Para sliced off a bit of mushroom and ran it through her bio-sweep. When she popped one in her mouth, we wolfed our snack and gave our thanks.
Only then did the Krill sit down on their haunches, scattered as they were here and there among the humans.
I was starting to like the little guys, but we had people to rescue. Four of our friends remained infested of the Gall. And Rock suffered as a prisoner. I had been praying in earnest since they took him, hoping they hadn’t harmed him, or done worse.
Tee took a deep calming breath. “Thank you, friends. You have saved our lives from the Gall, and stunned us with your hospitality. It is my hope we can repay you some day. Now, I fear, we must concentrate on saving our people taken by the Gall.”
The Krill leader’s eyes conveyed his compassion. “Have they all been stung by the Blighted? By the Gall?”
“The Gall breeders stung four of our people. One, so we hope, has not, though they have taken him captive.”
“Did this all happen near your camp, in the flats below this... cavern?”
“No, the location is quite a distance. Do you know of the portal gate?”
“Portal gate? We know of a gateway to the stars, or so some claim.”
“Yes, the gateway to the stars. A huge round ring? Yes? Four were stung near the gate, the other taken prisoner in a cavern system near the gate.”
“Ahhh. The cavern filled with machines of knowledge and equipment of war. We can take you there quickly, if that is your desire.”
I couldn’t hold back any more, hoping against hope the Krill might possess a higher level of technology than it seemed. “Yes, it is very much our desire. But the distance is great. It would take days to run there. Perhaps you have a machine for rapid transportation? We have little time.”
Leader Krill shook his head. “It will not take long if you are... brave.”
The entire team shouted, “Hoorah!”
The Krill looked startled, but took it for a yes. Knowing us to be in a hurry, the dishes were merely stacked on the rock shelf. Then they formed up again, four moving forward into a side tunnel. Four more moved to the back of the room to form the rear guard. It didn’t quite add up. By my math we were missing a couple of Krill.
I was about to say something when one of the missing Krill squeezed out of a crevice with ten thin rods that looked very much like 2-foot wands with a large crystal on the end. He handed out the rods, one for each Krill, the crystal glowing brightly for a moment, then powering down. The last Krill popped out of another crevice to receive his rod, and to declare our transportation would be ready by the time we arrived. Transportation. What would that be, I wondered, as we moved out.
The glowing crystals sparked my overactive imagination. I could almost see us rounding a bend in the dark tunnel and entering a brightly lit, ornate central station, with modern hyperloop tubes pushing out in all directions. That would be wonderful, along with a nice pastry and a cup of coffee to enjoy on the ride. A chill in the air brought me back from my reverie, returning my thoughts to freeing Rock and the others.
***
The slope of the tunnel steepened, a mist increasing the chill, and making our pathway slippery. I could hear a distinct roar coming from just ahead, growing ever louder. We rounded a bend to a scene far removed from my imagined hyperloop station. There were torches burning, reflecting their light on a fast-flowing river. Several rectangular channels had been excavated perpendicular to the river. Those were filled with boats, some of a size to accommodate a Krill or two, some larger, almost the size of a canoe back home.
The spokes-Krill climbed up on a ledge so we could hear him over the roar. “The Krill use these waterways for transportation. This river will bring us near the cavern where the Blighted took your friend. We hope our cargo barges will hold all of you.”
Roll decided it was time to wake up and do something. �
�We need to get to Rock. He should have escaped and ported to us by now. They must have done something to him. I can port us-”
He fell to his hands and knees, shaking his head. Dizzy. Then he passed out, his tormented face telling he was struggling to regain even a woozy wakefulness.
The mini-20 blast had mangled Roll’s helmet, the amazing equipment absorbing most of the shock. But his head had still taken enough of a beating to cause his brain to swell. The medic expressed her concern, saying only time would tell if there would be a full recovery. Roll allowed Tee to settle him back on his stretcher, with Para stepping onto a barge to ride with him.
That left five barges for the rest of us. Most would ride three to a barge, with the most experienced of the group accepting the role of boat pilot. Steve and I were the lightest, so we were in the special barge, party of four.
Thankfully, the boats had rudders for steering, as we careened into the river current from the side channels. The swift current threw me back, leading me to suspect this trip was going to be worse than a Rock and Roll capsule ride, threading the needle at Jupiter. Our Krill guides rode two per canoe, skillfully managing the raging river, paddling back and forth between the barges, smiling their encouragement. We were moving very fast.
The Krill leader paddled to the middle of the group, pitching his voice to be heard over the roar. “Be ready. The water will soon move rapidly for the rest of the journey. You must remain single file. Keep your hands and feet inside the cargo vessel at all times. Watch for a channel on the right. We will hold our staffs high and embrace the light when we draw near. Follow us to the right, this side, where there is a wide channel with calm water. If you do not, you will meet the Falls of Doom.”
I couldn’t help laughing at the one part of his speech. Keep your hands and feet inside at all times. It sounded way too much like the attendant at a raging river theme park back home. Maybe this whole thing was a stupid dream. Then my brain caught up to the reality of the situation. The water will SOON move rapidly? We were already moving rapidly! Falls of Doom? The tunnel narrowed, causing the flow of water to increase in speed. I could only agree with Steve when he announced, I should have used the rest room before the boat ride.
It wasn’t long, maybe 20 minutes later, when the tunnel lit up with bright light from the staffs of the Krill. The background roar grew thunderous, announcing the approaching Falls of Doom. We moved off to the right, into a channel leading to a lake. Our guides directed us to a series of docks and a crowd of Krill. They cheered as we climbed out of the boats.
The lake was large, though I could see to the far side on my left in a low night vision setting. To my right, extending far into an enormous cavern, were ornate, colorful doorways uniformly set into the cavern wall. The cave apartments rose five and six levels, reached by sturdy ladders attached to entry platforms also serving as beautiful porches with low walls and decorative carved furniture.
There were tables set up along the docks piled with food.
Our lead Krill hurried to someone of obvious importance, the mayor I supposed. They had a brief conversation. The mayor nodded his head understandingly, clapped our Krill on his shoulders, then called out to the people of Krillville. First, he introduced Steve, a Son of Crimson, a Child of Turkskee, of the First Colonists. Word spreads fast around here. The town-folk already knew about Steve, as evidenced by several banners, each with a skillfully painted portrait of Steve, naming him a Child of Turkskee.
The mayor then explained our situation to the Krill, adding that our group would move on to the Cavern of the Blighted Ones to free our friends. There could be no celebration until we liberated the captives. Then he called for volunteers willing to help, to set the captives free, especially Rock, the dear friend of a true Son of Crimson.
It almost brought me to tears! Every single person in the crowd, and everyone I could see watching from the porches, were waving their arms in the air and stomping their feet. We had an army. Even the mayor seemed surprised at the zeal of his people. After a while, he raised his hands in a gesture to silence them, which was no easy task.
Finally, there was enough calm for the mayor to call out some commands. The people looked somewhat dejected when he thanked the town-folk, then officially charged the town militia with the task. We would move out in five minutes.
***
Fifty Krill formed up in a large lot near the tunnel which would take us to the Cavern of the Blighted. They were all dressed the same, though I couldn’t tell if it was a uniform or a uniformity in design of sturdy cloaks and boots. Each had the usual staff with a crystal.
The mayor unrolled a detailed parchment map showing the tunnel system near our cavern destination. There were different color representations for the tunnels providing data such as approximate tunnel size. Most of the tunnels had an X-shape where they intersected with the Cavern of the Blighted, which showed the Gall had found and blocked them. Two hidden tunnels, little more than cracks, had not been discovered. Only a Krill might squeeze through one of those.
A larger tunnel access, near the area where the Gall had taken Rock prisoner, would be the best human route, blocked or not.
I couldn’t help wondering how the Krill had managed to remain hidden, so close to the Gall installation.
Tee pointed to his chosen infiltration site on the map. “Would it be possible to break through this blocked tunnel?”
The mayor’s head circled, maybe a kind of shrug. “The Blighted have blocked it with poured stone. It is quite thick, half my height.”
A foot of concrete. No problem. A dialed-up satchel charge would do the trick. Tee explained and cautioned no Krill should be near that area of the cavern when the explosive detonated.
The mayor nodded his understanding, bobbing his head. “We understand.”
But he seemed hesitant, stretching up to his full 2-foot height. “The Krill understand these Blighted. Perhaps we should all go together, that you might be under our protection.”
Tee was antsy to get going. “I’m sure we will be fine.”
The mayor didn’t look so sure. “The Blighted are formidable.”
It was good to have Krill help. But we had our own way of operating. Without extensive cross training, it would be best to engage the enemy separately. We needed an effective means of intercommunication. Trying a pair of ear buds on one of the Krill hadn’t worked out as planned.
Something had to give, but the mayor wasn’t budging.
Tee bit his lip. “Sir. Perhaps a demonstration.” He motioned to Roddy. “We call this a Longarm. It is a very high capacitance laser rifle. Is there something strong that will serve to show the destructive power of this weapon?”
The mayor pointed to a dock, anchored perhaps 200 yards from shore. Now I could see it actually was a platform for target practice. Maybe their staff weapons? That seemed quite a distance for the little wand device, even if it was some sort of weapon. The platform had a target of sorts, with a frame and backing which looked sturdy.
I noticed Tee chose a wide setting at maximum. He wanted to be done with all this. Otherwise, I’m sure he would have mentioned the entire structure would be destroyed. Many of the Krill jumped back when, sure enough, the entire platform erupted in a caustic plume of destruction.
The mayor did his version of a shrug. “The Blighted have these as well.”
Tee shook his head. “Sir, we really need to move along.”
The mayor folded his arms in a very human gesture of stubborn resistance.
Even if the map was still accurate, Krill help within the twisting caverns leading to the Gall stronghold would be a wise move. “Para. Viz. Show them your stuff.”
Yikes. That would probably violate several Solcom Directives, given our informal and limited partnership with the Krill. Still, Tee is an undersecretary. Perhaps that would help in the inevitable inquiry. As we hurried to our demonstration, I couldn’t get the sound of a ticking clock out of my head. Tick Tock. Time is running out. Liter
ally, I could hear it, reminding me once again of my earlier fall, and the potential for a mild concussion. Should I tell someone? For goodness sakes, it’s just the mayor’s staff ticking away while we walk.
Our short walked ended at a yarding area, with a few huge tree trunks on the ground. The Krill must have gone through a lot of trouble bringing those in. Door and porch material, I suppose. Para ran over to the largest log and gave it a pat. Roddy used to have a side job in the logging industry, so I looked over to him. He shrugged and mouthed, at least two or three tons, call it 2,500 kilograms.
Para moved to the middle of the log, inverted, and bent down to pick it up, but not before a couple of dozen Krill climbed aboard, chittering up a storm. She adjusted her stance and easily lifted the log over her head. The Krill danced away merrily, having the time of their lives. Para gently set it down.
I moved to the log to take center stage and cloaked. That brought more excited chittering. Para walked into my cloaking field, adding to the mystery. She walked out. The Krill stamped their feet and waved their hands in applause. Then one of them ran into the cloaking field and back out. He repeated the act over and over, while the Krill squealing in glee, stomping their feet more each time, little bells on their boots ringing with their joy.
I wasn’t paying attention to the runner, captivated as I was by the sheer happiness of the people, while they played along with the stage-struck child. They achieve full size very early in life, these Krill. But when I finally looked more closely, I saw the little trouper wasn’t a child at all. It was the mayor himself scampering in and out of my cloaking field. Calm down, Viz. Despite my counting to ten, the mayor was coming very close to a good tongue lashing.
The whole thing was so crazy. Concussion? Some sort of anxiety dream? Then I wondered about all those mushrooms I ate in the cave. They were tasty, but you’ve got to be careful with mushrooms. No, all this was really happening, but I decided it was past time to end the nonsense, and begin our rescue mission.
Invasion: Journal Three (Shockwave Book 3) Page 8
