Betrayal

by E. Wayne Stucki

  “I’ve sent a transmission to the Presiding Assembly of Queens requesting the assistance of their technology. In that message I pointed out that the Kthpok will be outnumbered when we return to face the humans.” He gave a shrug. “From the ships chronometers we’ve been in space for close to a millennium. That’s long enough for our enemy to’ve rebuilt the infrastructure damaged in the war and increased their population.”

  “That’s long enough for the humans to’ve spread worldwide,” commented P’Rig. “They breed rather fast. Only our…” The scientist’s untimely comment ground to a halt under the Run Point’s glare. P’Rig gave a respectful bob of his head realizing at last he’d interrupted the being who could easily order his death.

  S’Cinf bared his teeth at the scientist who shrunk further down onto his perch. “We will be outnumbered by the humans,” he repeated as he turned his attention back to the others. “To offset that deficiency the Kthpok military will need a technological edge. I’ve asked the Queens for permission to evaluate their weapons so Kthpok experts could determine how that technology could be exploited against the humans. Their reply is expected within the next several days.”

  The Run Point gestured once more to the scientists. “You’ll be sent out on those evaluation tours,” S’Cinf announced. “In preparation for that assignment the Fleet Admiral will instruct you on what information is needed. Keep that in mind as you check out equipment and inspect factories. That’s assuming our military is not allowed along. However, it is hoped that a pack comprised of scientists and officers from the Fleet will be allowed to visit all the facilities and ships currently in use. That’s our request. When these packs, regardless of their composition, return from their assignments they’ll be debriefed. We’ll use the information obtained to improve our systems while identifying the Iidx weaknesses.”

  A scientist down the table motioned with a hand to get S’Cinf’s attention. The Run Point was going to continue his instructions but noticed the movement. “Yes…?” he asked and let the question hang as he didn’t know the Kthpok’s name. “Do you have a concern with these instructions?”

  The Kthpok dipped his head in submission, starting to regret his impertinence. “I’m R’Gin, your Eminence. And no, there’s no concern with our role in the plan that’s been outlined. The challenge you’ve given us is intriguing. I only wish to contribute to our success.” The Kthpok leader bobbed his head in permission so the scientist continued. “When we go among the Iidx will we have an interpreter along?”

  The admiral stood and R’Min dipped his head even further. “With your permission Run Point?” P’Mar asked. After S’Cinf nodded his approval the admiral continued. “This scientist has raised an interesting issue, your Eminence,” he said and shrugged. “He’s also brought up another aspect of our plan. One that would have been introduced later. Still he deserves an answer now. We send an interpreter along, yes. But our chances of getting the information we need will be enhanced if the scientists can also understand the Iidx language.”

  An astonished muttering broke out among the Kthpok and the Run Point shook his head in ignorance. “If those who go to evaluate the Iidx tech learn the language why send an interpreter? Isn’t that redundant? A waste of our limited resources?” S’Cinf asked.

  “It is redundant, Run Point,” P’Mar confirmed, bobbing his head, “but not a waste. We expect the Iidx to be wary around any inspection packs which includes Interpreters. Now if the Iidx don’t know that all the Kthpok we send can understand their language and the interpreter just happens to be called away to assist elsewhere..,” he shrugged. “It’s hoped that the Iidx will converse freely amongst themselves while waiting for the Interpreter to return assuming the Kthpok with them don’t understand. As they do so our people may learn something the Iidx don’t intend. We’ll have recorders going the entire time we inspect as well. Those recordings will be useful for later evaluation.”

  The glow of understanding came into the Run Point’s eyes and he bobbed his head in agreement. “I see. That’s very good, Admiral,” he said. “It may take a little longer before we can start gathering the data we need but it may reduce the time required for the overall project.

  “I approve. Those who are sent out to Iidx facilities are to have language lessons. But they are not to use it with the Iidx.” A slight groan came from R’Min, who’d raised the issue. The other scientists glared at the Kthpok but kept their silence.

  A slight cough drew everyone’s attention back to the Run Point. “With this briefing you’re now aware of the campaign we’ve planned to secure this planet and system for the Kthpok people. It will take time to complete and has its risks. But if each of us faithfully completes our area of responsibility that risk is minimized. Remember this information is extremely sensitive and isn’t to be discussed with anyone else.

  “You have quite a bit of work ahead of you,” said S’Cinf. “I won’t detain you any longer from your preparations.” Without waiting for any acknowledgments the Kthpok leader stood and left the room.

  Chapter 7

  The Iidx had evolved in the hot, humid rain forests that covered most of Main Hive. In fact, only a very few areas on the planet weren’t covered by the rain forest. Those areas were the Polar Regions which had a thin coating of ice, moderate sized grasslands along the coasts of the five continents and a single large desert in the middle of the largest landmass of Paccu. Because of their preference for heat and humidity the Iidx tolerated the grasslands but avoided the desert and the poles if possible.

  Instead of being on the Swarm flagship in orbit Zelof was commanding Wartten, the only military base situated almost in the center of the planets single large desert. That was in addition to his duties of Swarm Master. The new posting had been announced as a policy change by the Queens. In the press release they explained that space battles were acknowledged to be very dangerous places and it wasn’t good policy for the individual who directed the entire Iidx military to be placed in unnecessary danger. Thus the reassignment was intended to benefit the Iidx people by protecting the Swarm Master. Despite the official announcement and regardless of what the general public thought everyone in the military realized the Swarm Master had been exiled to the ‘Big Dry’ for doing something wrong. As had those already posted there.

  Although he knew he was being punished for challenging the Presiding Assembly’s decision on the Kthpok Zelof had no time to worry about doing penance. There were measures that had to be taken for the protection of his people. And he was handling one of those measures right now as he was traveling to another. Clasped in his true-hands was an electronic pad that displayed the information he’d requested his Second prepare.

  The windows of the vehicle he was riding in were darkened to keep out the intense light and heat of the desert beyond. Although he’d never seen a desert before the rocks, sand and scrub brush of the surrounding terrain were ignored as Zelof was immersed in the contents of the pad.

  “Close but not quite what I’m looking for,” he muttered and keyed for the next record. This would be the eleventh candidate he’d reviewed. Or was it the tenth. Zelof shook his head in frustration. He hadn’t found an Iidx with the right level or type of experience for what he had in mind. Some were close to meeting his qualifications but there was always something missing. After a moment of scanning the next record he paused then reread the bio. His antennae began to quiver. Perhaps this was the Iidx he wanted.

  There was a lurch as the driver of the vehicle shifted gears and started up an incline. Zelof glanced out a side window to get an idea of where they were. It was obvious they were climbing a hill. Satisfied, it wouldn’t be much longer before they reached their destination he turned back to the pad. A moment later a shift to the left indicated a sharp turn but Zelof had attention only for what he was reading.

  “Now, this seems promising,” he said and called for more detail. Pictured on the small screen was an Iidx that had obviously experienced combat. The soldier�
��s exoskeleton had been abraded and burned, patched and scored in various places. It was discolored in several areas of the thorax from severe wounds that’d healed poorly. The vehicle moved to the right. As Zelof read the accomplishments and assignments of the soldier his antennae stopped trembling and began to bob as he thought. “He just might do,” he said and made an entry marking the record.

  After keying in the command to get the next record he saw that he’d gone through all the bios in the file. “Now that was convenient,” he muttered and tapped in the sequence to shut down the device. “The last bio was the best one. I wonder if Sesum did that deliberately to make sure I went through them all.” He gave his antennae an amused wave.

  The pad was just beginning to close down when the vehicle he was in lurched to a stop. Zelof glanced out his window again as the driver climbed out. He could see his destination was just as bleak and barren as when he’d gotten into the vehicle back at the main portion of the base. A moment later his door opened letting a wall of hot dry air rush into the cool interior. He took a moment to place the pad in a slot built in the seat next to him. A dim green light appeared on the device as the sequence to transfer the data to the main computer of the base some thirty miles away was activated. With that completed the Swarm Master left the vehicle.

  Streamers of sand rippled across the ceramacrete surface from the breeze that was blowing up the slope from the valley below. Only moments after he’d left the vehicle an itch began to develop in his thorax as the moisture was baked out of his shell by the sun’s intense heat. A quick glance around revealed that he was near the top of the medium sized hill on the eastern side of a large desolate plain that was the military’s gunnery range. The road they’d been on wound back down the slope and then crossed a small valley to disappear into the mountains beyond. His vehicle had parked next to a ceramacrete bunker that overlooked the range. Someone must’ve been watching for the Swarm Master’s arrival as the commander for Wartten’s Ground Forces left the bunker and moved towards the Swarm Master.

  General Sandendum stopped a yard from Zelof, came to attention and saluted. After the Swarm Master returned the salute the general gestured. “Welcome Swarm Master,” he said and motioned towards the entrance. “If you’d come this way. It’s not as hot inside. The exercise you requested is about to begin.”

  “Thank you, General,” Zelof replied and motioned for Sandendum to lead the way. “I’m very much interested in this test. The results here have ramifications for other projects that are still in the design phase.”

  Sandendum bobbed his understanding while moving from the Swarm Master’s vehicle towards the observation post. “We’ll see what we can do to get you the results you need, Swarm Master. As instructed our forces have been given their objectives for this exercise and are to determine their own course of action,” he said then repeated. “As instructed.” The general gave a slight amused shake of his antennae at the phrase. “That means my commander’s have brought in every artillery piece and gunner pod they could get their hands on and laid in the heaviest, most destructive shells short of nuclear they could find.”

  “That’s good,” Said Zelof. “That much firepower should give us the best readings possible.”

  By this time the two Iidx had reached the bunker’s entrance. Sandendum stepped off to one side and indicated that Zelof should enter first as protocol demanded.

  The Swarm Master took a deep breath of relief as he walked through the bunker’s entrance into its darker, cooler interior. He paused for a moment to let his eyes adjust and saw there were several Iidx in the room sitting in front of monitoring equipment. The soft hum of a humidifier could be heard coming from a corner near the entrance. General Sandendum followed the Swarm Master into the bunker and the hatch slid shut to keep the cooler, humid air inside. Satisfied he wouldn’t walk into anyone Zelof moved to the far side of the bunker where the observation port was situated. The General remained with his commander. Reaching into a harness pouch hanging from his thorax Zelof removed a set of scopes and used them to examine the Gunnery Range.

  The bunker was set atop a cliff that overlooked the plain beyond. Zelof noted that this observation post couldn’t have been better placed. He had a fantastic view of the valley that was spread out before him. Heat waves rising off the desert floor distorted the image slightly as Zelof scanned the area. He noted that in the middle of the sandy expanse below, about five miles distant, was a slight rise in the valley floor covered with dirt and bushes. From the précis for the exercise he knew that the rise was a camouflaged, hardened structure. That was the target his gunners were shooting for.

  “Very good,” Zelof said as he continued to look out at the range. “Everything appears to be in order.” He lowered the scopes to look at Sandendum who was standing next to him. “Have the construction crews confirmed they’ve completed their work and are out of the target area?” Zelof asked. The general nodded.

  “The telemetry from our equipment?”

  This time Sandendum turned to an Iidx who was at a nearby console. “Well?” the general asked.

  “All links are coming in strong, sir,” Lieutenant Injatum replied. “No difficulties, general.”

  “Artillery?” asked Zelof.

  “Artillery reports ranging shots loaded and targeted, Swarm Master,” Commander Canzen reported from his console.

  “All right then,” the Swarm Master said, “let’s get this the exercise started.”

  Sandendum saluted then turned to pass the order to Injatum. Other Iidx in the room bent over their consoles to monitor the progress and results of this exercise. A moment later explosions began appearing on the valley floor below then a distant, dull thunder was heard.

  Zelof raised his scopes once again to get a better view. “Targeting is off,” he commented. “Most of our shells are falling short and the shells they’re using appear to be of low yield. That’s the ranging shot.” A moment later his antennae began waving his approval. “There, our Spotters are correcting.” More flashes appeared in the valley coming in right on top of the target area. Rocks, sand and dust flew skyward. Then the heavy shells came in resulting in a series of mushroom shaped clouds rising into the air. The rumbling intensified and a trembling was felt underfoot.

  Zelof turned to Lieutenant Injatum. “Are we receiving telemetry, Lieutenant?” he wondered.

  “All transmissions from the target remain within parameters, Swarm Master,” came the swift reply. The Swarm Master grunted and turned back to watch. Flashes, smoke and dust obscured the view of the target and still the shells fell.

  After almost an hour of continual, heavy bombardment the explosions stopped. A short time later the rumbling ceased. “Status,” barked Zelof still examining the area.

  “Telemetry remained constant during the entire exercise, Swarm Master,” replied Injatum. “It’s still holding at optimum levels. There’s been no interruption.”

  “Investigation Pod is on their way to the target,” reported Commander Canzen who was sitting at the console next to the Lieutenant. “How soon they report depends on their ability to gain entrance.”

  Zelof nodded his understanding and shifted his scopes to see a vehicle moving towards the target. A dust plume marked its progress across the valley. “I need to know how well the target survived,” he said. “The results will show if we need to adjust our designs.” Then he glared at the Canzen. “I need those Iidx in there!”

  “Yes, Swarm Master,” replied Canzen and turned back to his equipment.

  “Now,” continued Zelof turning to General Sandendum, “about our artillery. The initial ranging was slightly off but our Spotters had it corrected quickly.” He gestured with a true-hand. “We have to get the ranging right the first time. That’s what the lasers are for. An enemy won’t give us time to correct before they begin counter fire. Have the crews spend more time in live fire exercises.”

  Sandendum saluted and hurried off to arrange for the Swarm Masters instruction to
be carried out. Sesum, who’d arrived in the bunker just as the bombardment ended, walked over to join Zelof at the observation port. “Are you sure that’s necessary?” he asked. “After all, we haven’t fought an actual enemy since the Amalgamation. And that was,” the Second paused to consider, “that was just over a hundred years ago.”

  Zelof looked at the Swarm Second, his antennae moving in surprise. He was tempted to ask why his Second had returned from his assignment early but thought better of it. Instead he chose to answer Sesum’s question and nodded. “Yes, this training’s necessary,” he replied. “You’ve got it right that we haven’t fought a real war in a century. And that makes our forces unprepared. Oh,” he gestured at the roof of the bunker and towards the ships in orbit with his antennae; “we have ships that are capable enough. And we’ve handled small uprisings. But our maintenance and live fire rotations have been reduced by the Queens to save on costs. Equipment is failing at an increased rate.”

  He put out both true-arms in disgust. “You’ve seen the reports. Our Swarm is formidable on paper.” Zelof shrugged. “But we don’t know how the crews’ll react in combat situations. Exercises like this are the best way we’ve got to have our people’s training ingrained so they can react properly in a stressful situation.”

  Sesum nodded. “I’ve seen the reports,” he confirmed. “And I’ve seen our budget figures. The Queens are not going to appreciate the expenses you’re incurring when we have no one to fight. Besides they’re going to want the funds you’re spending to pay for the assistance given to the Kthpok”

  The Swarm Master glared at his Second. “I’m not worried about funding the Kthpok! Their story doesn’t feel right. So I’m going to do what I can to get the Swarm ready if called upon to defend the Hives.”