by Ken Lozito
“Dash, can you and the others reach Ian? He's in the other ATV,” Connor said.
Dash’s reply came through so garbled that Connor couldn’t make sense of it, but the ryklars were gathering around his ATV, building up for another charge. He couldn't stay there.
“Dash,” Ian said, “stay inside. There're still too many out here. Only half of the pack followed you, Connor, and the recon drones are showing more on the way.”
Connor cursed. This was a big alpha pack with over fifty ryklars, but there could be many more spread throughout a five-kilometer zone. He’d seen ryklar packs form a temporary alliance before, and if fifty were already there, then more could be coming. The only thing Connor could think to do was to keep driving around, hoping Dash and the others would get a chance to reach Ian in the other ATV. Since only half the ryklars had followed Connor, he’d have to go back and try to get more to follow him. But the ryklars were too smart and would soon divide their efforts, coordinating their attacks.
Connor glanced around and saw Ian driving around the building, attempting to draw off the ryklars as well, but the ryklars stayed in formation, one group tracking Ian in the ATV while others watched the building. Connor shook his head. They were in trouble. They needed help, and for the first time in a long while he wished he had the CDF at his disposal.
Connor raced back toward the building, kicked his ATV door open, stuck out his hunting rifle, and shot blindly as he made a pass while being careful not to hit the NEIIS building. He made a second pass, but the ryklars wouldn’t chase him very far.
“How many of you are in there?” Connor asked.
“There are four of us in here, sir,” Dash said.
Connor flinched. They had to get them out of there.
“Sir,” Dash said, “we’re running low on ammo and they keep coming through the roof. There's a doorway through the vines on the south side that we can get through. We’re gonna have to make a run for it.”
Connor glanced at the NEIIS building and saw where the ryklars had fallen on the south side of the building. They knew about the entrance, which was why they seemed to be sticking to that spot.
“Wait! That's where they're gathered. Give me a chance to force them out of there,” Connor said.
“We're dead if we stay here,” Dash said, his voice sounding thick.
Connor heard the sound of someone else screaming over the comlink, but there was nothing he could do. They'd have to take the chance. Connor swung the vehicle around and barreled toward the southern entrance, seeing Ian do the same. The ryklars formed a line and only got out of the way at the last second as he came to a stop right outside the hidden entrance. The ryklars swarmed the vehicle, rocking it back and forth. Connor tried to peer out the window and could only see the thick protrusions of the creatures' cheekbones, ending in stubby tentacles.
“You kids stay there!” Ian shouted.
“We can’t!” Dash screamed.
Connor put the ATV in reverse and slammed on the accelerator. The ATV lurched backward and crashed into a tree. Next, he threw the gear shifter into drive and went forward, rocking back and forth, using his ATV as a weapon as much as he could.
Connor heard Dash scream and he glanced at the entrance but couldn't see anything. Ryklars were scrambling up the wall again.
Without warning, a high-pitched squeal sounded overhead as a CDF Hellcat came to a hover right over their position. A heavy, 180 gauss cannon unleashed its fury as the soldiers targeted the ryklars all around them, tearing through the creatures as if they were nothing but fleshy sacks of meat. Within seconds, a dozen ryklars were down. The remaining ryklars scrambled to avoid the Hellcat’s weapons.
A comlink opened to Connor's ATV.
“Vehicle ID AC-218, this is Captain Jack Fletcher of the Colonial Defense Force. We have you covered. If you can head away from the building, we’ll continue to take out those vermin.”
Connor released his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel, blew out a breath, and slammed his foot on the accelerator. He glanced at a drone video feed and saw a soldier sitting in a gun nest on the Hellcat, mowing the ryklars down.
The ryklars weren’t foolish; they knew when they were overmatched. With so many of their numbers dead or dying, they quickly abandoned the NEIIS building. Connor saw the spotted predators running off deeper into the forest with the Hellcat in pursuit and watched as several ryklars attempted to shield others from the Hellcat's fire. The soldier in the gun nest didn’t stop firing the heavy gauss cannon despite the fact that the ryklars were fleeing.
“Captain, they’re in full retreat. There’s no need to wipe them out,” Connor said and brought the ATV to a stop.
There was no response and Connor gritted his teeth as he heard the heavy gauss cannon firing in controlled bursts, followed by a hearty roar from the soldier. Connor felt bile creep to the back of his throat and shook his head, then turned the ATV around and drove back to the NEIIS building. He didn’t have far to go and arrived just as Dash and the others were pushing their way through the vines. They looked badly shaken. Two of them were wounded and being helped by CDF mobile infantry. Connor checked both the IR and sonic wave detector on the recon drone feeds, which confirmed that the ryklars had fled the area.
Ian stepped out of his ATV, first aid kit in hand. Connor climbed out of the vehicle and did a quick assessment of the four-person survey team. Dash wouldn’t meet his eyes. There were all young, hardly more than students.
“Are you guys alright?” Connor asked.
They were in shock. Connor looked at the other young man, who had a long gash down his arm. “What’s your name?” Connor asked.
The young man looked at him as Ian checked his wound. “Jim Tucker, sir,” he said and then winced as Ian began cleaning the gash. “Field Ops,” he said after a moment, as if he needed to validate why he was standing out there over a hundred kilometers from the nearest colonial location.
Connor looked at him with flinty eyes. “You want to try that again, son?”
“I’m interning at Field Ops,” Jim said quickly.
Connor glanced at the two girls. One of them had ryklar blood splattered on her jacket, with multiple scratches on her hands and arms. There was gray medipaste on her wounds, which had staunched the bleeding.
The young woman met Connor’s gaze. “Merissa Sabine, and this is Selena Wilson, sir," Merissa said.
Connor nodded. “Just sit tight. A medic will be here in a minute,” he said and swung his gaze toward Dash, waiting for the young man to look at him. After a few moments, Dash glared at Connor.
“What are you doing way out here?” Connor asked.
“We were doing a survey. This is one of the locations we'd seen in the NEIIS data we found at Sanctuary,” Dash said.
Connor didn’t reply right away, preferring to let Dash’s flimsy reply sink in for a few seconds. “And you thought you'd come out here, just the four of you?” Connor said and looked over at the other three kids. “Hardly a survey team equipped to be a hundred and twenty kilometers from Sanctuary. And you left your ATV in the middle of the canyon.”
Dash narrowed his gaze. “It's not like we knew the ryklars were in the area.”
Connor drew in a breath to reply, but Ian gave him a warning glance. Even in the face of almost dying, Dash wouldn’t take responsibility for his actions.
The CDF Hellcat flew back over and landed nearby, deploying the mobile infantry squad inside, all armed to the teeth in their CDF green uniforms representing the ground forces. The high-pitched sound of the Hellcat's engines powered down as the captain walked down the loading ramp. He was a pale man with reddish hair. The captain’s gaze swept the area, doing a quick assessment, but when his line of sight came around to where Connor was standing, his eyes widened.
“I’ll be damned. General Gates, I had no idea you'd be here. I’m Captain Fletcher, CDF Mobile Infantry, sir,” Captain Fletcher said and extended his hand.
Connor shook the ma
n’s hand. “Captain, your timing is pretty damn good.”
“We received a distress beacon from one of the recon drones and hightailed it over here. Coupled with the earlier ATV distress signal report we received from Fields Ops, it was enough to know there was real trouble in this area. I’m glad we were able to make it here in time,” Captain Fletcher said.
At the mention of Connor's name, one of the soldiers' heads jerked in his direction. He had dark hair and sported several days of stubble on his face. Connor met his gaze, but the soldier quickly looked away and went off to check the area.
A CDF medic came over and began checking the others. When the medic glanced questioningly over at Connor, he gestured back toward the two injured kids. He had no injuries other than bouncing around in the ATV. With that thought, he glanced back at the ATV and noted that the ryklars had really done a number on it. The vehicle looked beat-up, with puncture holes in the armored plating that made it look like Swiss cheese.
“Your ATVs look the worse for wear. I’ll radio in for a transport to get you guys back to Sanctuary,” Captain Fletcher said.
Connor looked back at the CDF captain. “I appreciate that, Captain. I really do. You guys just happen to be patrolling way out here?” Connor asked.
Captain Fletcher was about to reply when one of the soldiers fired his weapon at a ryklar that had been struggling to rise from the ground. There were several more shots as the CDF soldiers made a sweep of the area and systematically made sure the ryklars were all dead.
Connor heard another ryklar snarl as it tried to crawl away. One of the creature’s legs had been blown off by the gauss cannon and Connor couldn’t imagine the pain the ryklar must have been in. He saw that the ryklar was trying to reach a dead companion that had fallen near the NEIIS building, but a CDF soldier brought his weapon up and took it out with ruthless efficiency. The ryklar collapsed to the ground with one of its arms stretched longingly toward another of its kind. Connor had never seen such an outward show of loyalty between ryklars before. The shooter sneered down at the creature and kicked it, hard.
“This one isn’t getting up again,” the soldier said.
Captain Fletcher gave him a grim nod. “Lieutenant Maddox, make a quick sweep of the area, then report back to me.”
Lieutenant Maddox acknowledged the order, but his gaze lingered on Connor for a moment. The lieutenant looked as if he wanted to say something, but instead he turned away and started giving orders to the rest of the squad.
Connor glanced at Captain Fletcher and pressed his lips together. “I appreciate the help, but the use of force here was a bit excessive. Once the ryklars realized they couldn't get these kids, they were in full retreat. Why did you continue to pursue them?”
Captain Fletcher was about to reply when he was cut off.
“We just saved your ass and you want to question our methods?” Lieutenant Maddox said with exasperation. “A little show of appreciation would go a long way.”
Silence took hold of everyone. Even the medic who was tending to the kids' injuries stopped what he’d been doing. Dash’s eyes rounded as he glanced at the CDF soldier.
Connor’s brows pushed forward and he glared at the lieutenant as he reminded himself that he was no longer in the CDF, but there was still a decorum to be followed when addressing former generals of any army.
“I didn't say I didn't appreciate what you did, but the way you go about executing your duties is a clear statement about how this unit is run,” Connor said.
Lieutenant Maddox sneered and his eyes glinted dangerously. “Perhaps we should’ve just left you for the ryklars. Tell me, how was the 'driving around in circles' plan working for you?”
Captain Fletcher stepped in front of Connor. “You secure that shit, Lieutenant,” Captain Fletcher scolded. “You’re addressing General Connor Gates, founder of the CDF!”
Lieutenant Maddox's eyes became chips of ice. “My apologies . . . General,” Maddox said. “I’ll continue my sweep of the area, sir.”
Maddox stomped off and Connor noticed that Ian was keeping a careful eye on him as he walked by. The field geologist’s hand inched toward his rifle.
“Sorry about that,” Captain Fletcher said quietly.
“He seems wound up pretty tight,” Connor said.
Captain Fletcher gave him a long look. “He's a good man. He just lost a lot of people in the war with the Vemus.”
Connor nodded. “I understand, Captain. The war is over, but not for all of us.”
Captain Fletcher regarded Connor for a moment. “And not all of us got to retire,” he replied.
Connor’s shoulders stiffened. He almost couldn’t believe the stones on this guy and his subordinate. “I’m afraid I didn't have much choice, Captain. The circumstances around my retirement are a bit more complex than what people were led to believe,” Connor said. He wasn’t about to discuss those circumstances with just anyone, and certainly not a captain in the mobile infantry. That information was classified, but the reactions of both the CDF captain and lieutenant made Connor wonder what other CDF soldiers had really thought of his retirement.
Captain Fletcher nodded. “I figured there was more to it than simple retirement, but still, it was tough on the mobile infantry units when you stepped down. Meaning no disrespect, General, but you were the figurehead of the CDF. And sir, I'd be remiss in my duty if I didn't tell you that more than a few of us feel as if you abandoned us.”
Connor glanced away and noticed Dash and the others watching them. Abandoned the CDF?
“The CDF is more than just one man—even if that man is its founder. It has to be. The CDF is all of us,” Connor said.
Captain Fletcher regarded Connor for a moment, considering what he’d said, and then nodded.
“How is the mobile infantry these days?” Connor asked. He didn’t like where the conversation had been heading and thought it best to redirect it to more common ground.
“Well, this is a good squad made up of select soldiers who’re having trouble coping with the end of the war. We do largely remote reconnaissance and support work, sir. These men have been through a lot.”
“I understand and I really do appreciate the help from you and your squad. We wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for you, but there’s a fine line that needs to be walked by people like us. You go through what we’ve gone through and you think you’re fine, but you’re really not. Some days end up being worse than others,” Connor said.
Captain Fletcher nodded. “Normally these survey missions are a walk in the park, but we've had a couple of reports of ryklars moving south again. We were part of a larger mission tasked with reclaiming materials from abandoned forward operating research bases. That’s really why we were in the area—at least, within a few hundred kilometers.”
Connor frowned. “Must be a recent thing. We didn't have any ryklar alerts from Field Ops this morning.”
“It's pretty new, but we didn’t know they were in this area, and a ryklar pack of fifty or more is definitely a force to contend with, though perhaps not with CAR-74s. I’m sure a request by you to the weapons depot in Sierra would give you something with more stopping power, as well as something to throw on top of those ATVs,” Captain Fletcher said and then frowned. “What were you guys doing way out here? This is pretty remote, even for Sanctuary.”
Connor glanced at Dash and the captain followed his gaze.
Dash walked over.
“Captain Fletcher was wondering what brought us all the way out here. Care to shed some light on that, Dash?” Connor asked.
“We found a working NEIIS console inside the building. There's a map in there that has new locations we haven’t seen before. We were able to film it with my PDA, but during the attack the console became damaged so we’re not sure what other information is on it.”
“A map?” Captain Fletcher said and rubbed his chin, considering. “Seems a far-off place for a random map.”
Dash licked his lips for a seco
nd. “Well, it doesn't match up with what we have so far. This is a NEIIS map, but the land looks like it was in a different position from when the map was created, meaning the landmarks didn’t match up. We’ll need to study it further to be sure. We didn't get a chance to see it for long, but there were other locations out there beyond where we’ve ever surveyed before. Some of the locations had NEIIS symbols that are akin to the identification we’ve found at Sanctuary. So there could be other major cities. The possibilities are really promising,” Dash said.
Connor noted the excitement building in Dash's voice. “This is hardly something to be celebrated. You and the others almost died. Do you really think it was worth it?”
Dash looked away, embarrassed.
Captain Fletcher cleared his throat. “I can have my engineers remove the console and bring it back to Sanctuary so you can study it,” he offered.
Dash's eyes lit up and he looked at Connor with a hopeful glint.
Connor frowned. He almost wanted to refuse the request, but that would have been foolish. He wanted to find a way to drive the point home that what Dash had done was wrong, but at the same time, if they returned to Sanctuary without the console, Lenora would read him the riot act—at least in private. Then he’d be back out here to retrieve the console in a few days’ time. “I think that would be good, Captain. I’m sure Dr. Bishop would like a closer look at this console.”
Captain Fletcher nodded and began issuing orders for his engineers to go inside and retrieve the console and any other NEIIS tech they could find in the small building.
Connor walked back over to Ian, who handed him a canteen filled with water. They leaned against the ATV.
“This bunch is a bit uptight. I wasn’t sure what that lieutenant was going to do,” Ian said quietly.
Connor nodded. “Yeah, they’re a bit more intense than I expected.”
“At least it’s good they showed up when they did. Otherwise, I don't know how many of us would've gotten out alive,” Ian said.
