by Scott Wale
Jandra and Alejade’s eyes met, but their focus was not on their visual input. Jandra had listened to Alejade’s request and then began to play back the flight in her own mind. The raptor remembered taking flight and soaring above Prominence. The walls, the cymutt patrols, the surroundings, all the images ran through the raptor’s mind. Then, faintly, the images began to materialize in Alejade’s mind. As Alejade clutched the aft crystal tighter the images became clearer until it reached the point that she was viewing in full clarity all the images flowing through Jandra’s mind. Jandra was circling Prominence and then looked down towards the cliff. There it was, the boulder that Tradok had mentioned. Alejade froze the image in her mind and broke her telepathic connection with Jandra.
“I have it, now let’s see if I can project it”, Alejade said. “Are you still there, Paleen?”
“Yes, have you better directions?” the Paleen replied.
“Tell me if this looks familiar”, Alejade responded focusing on the image she had retrieved from Jandra’s mind.
The Paleen sat confused for a moment about what exactly Alejade was trying to accomplish. Then the image of the boulder by the cliff formed in the Paleen’s head. The image began to rotate in the Paleen’s mind until it was oriented with the current position of the Paleen. The Paleen then took the image and superimposed his own knowledge of the different layers of rock between its current position and that of the boulder near the cliff. There were enough tunnels between the two points that led to a den not far beneath the surface where the boulder sat.
“I see now where I’m supposed to go, but what again do you ask of us?” the Paleen asked.
“Simply generate your ball of energy and we’ll do the rest”, Alejade answered.
XXIV.
Jandra impatiently circled the boulder near the cliff. She clasped the cyphon in her claws and kept an eye on the cymutt patrols below. It didn’t appear she was garnering any attention, which would hopefully make this stunt nearly effortless. Jandra had communicated with Nevit through Alejade about the possibility of Nevit’s cyphon not being returned to him. Once the hole was cut through the cymutt’s plating, the goal was to snatch the transponder and if that meant freeing up both talons by dropping the cyphon, then the weapon would simply be a casualty of the mission.
Below Jandra’s position, the Paleen had gathered in one of their dens not far below the surface. They awaited orders from Alejade that would set off the cycle of events. Alejade had already conducted a ready check twice with both the Paleen and Jandra. What she was waiting for at this point was beyond the reasoning of both parties.
“I know it’s just a few words, but it’s hard to give the orders that will start a series of actions, which endangers Jandra”, Alejade told the others who were all still back in the safety of the cave.
“The longer you wait, the more risk you are placing on Jandra”, Tradok reasoned.
“This is our best hope for ultimately stopping the cymutts and bringing safety to our people”, Fenrit said shooting a scowl in Tradok’s direction. Fenrit realized that in this moment Alejade needed comfort and reassurance rather than cold logic.
“You’re both right and it doesn’t make sense to delay this any longer”, Alejade replied staring at the aft crystal, which was still in her hand. “Jandra, are you still ready?”
Jandra cawed an affirmative and tightened up her circle pattern ready to alter into a deep dive at Alejade’s command.
“Paleen, form your ball and do what you can to generate a pulse”, Alejade commanded. “Once we have a cymutt’s attention you can return to the primary cave system.”
“Understood”, the Paleen replied.
“Ok, Jandra, they are generating their pulse now”, Alejade informed the raptor. “Please let me know when they’ve got the cymutt’s attention and I’ll send the Paleen back to the caves.”
Jandra fervently watched the spot where she had pictured the Paleen all balled up just below the surface. She wasn’t sure how long it would take for the pulse to form and then draw the cymutt’s attention. She was ready to act now. She was confident her motions would be swift and agile and she’d deliver the transponder to the group surprising them all about how easy the whole endeavor turned out to be.
A cymutt entered Jandra’s peripheral vision. It was well outside of its patrol route, which meant it had to be investigating the pulse. A second cymutt entered the raptor’s field of vision followed by a third. Jandra was taken aback as she had only planned on having to deal with one of the mechanical beasts. Plans rarely go as intended, but what is life without challenge Jandra thought to herself. It was time to pick her mark of the three and dive. She cawed her intentions with the assumption that Alejade could still hear her and then tilted to begin the descent.
Jandra’s dive accelerated quickly as she folded her wings in to minimize wind resistance. Her pupils were fully dilated to pull in the scraps of light available in the night sky, which predominantly came from Prominence. She kept a tight grip on the cyphon in her talons and carefully positioned it so it would function like a spear. The group had been concerned about generating enough force to penetrate the cymutt armor, but what they had not factored in was the velocity of which Jandra would be launching her ambush.
She had chosen the first cymutt that had entered her vision. All three had come over to investigate the area and now stood still as if trying to conduct research on what could be causing the electromagnetic pulses. Jandra pinpointed the left shoulder blade where Tradok had informed her through Alejade to strike in order to gain access to the transponder within. Jandra had told herself the striking motion wouldn’t be much different than snagging prey off the ground. The trick was spatial recognition and coordinating the brain, eyes and talons to function simultaneously despite their various positions on the body. Much like hunting prey, she had also decided to refrain from any sort of war cry. The first strike needed to be done with stealth, so she could react to the results faster than the cymutts to follow through with snatching the transponder.
Jandra reached the final point of her descent and grasped the cyphon so tightly that her talons began to ache. She began the pumping motion mere moments before impact. The cyphon collided against the metal armor of the cymutt and the reaction of two solids making contact slightly threw Jandra off balance. Jandra took a brief moment to peer below as the cyphon pierced through the cymutt coating. The freshly created hole was of significant size, but the raptor would have to make a second pass to capture the transponder within the armored plating.
Jandra had already made at least one mistake. She realized after stabbing through the armor that her speed was more than necessary to create a puncture. Jandra reassured herself that it had been an unknown variable. If she had gone in light, a second pass would have been required just to create a hole and then a third pass to capture the transponder. She may have been able to do it all in a single swoop, but two passes were more ideal than three. She continued to climb back up towards the sky to bring her velocity down and then she would proceed to come back around to snatch the transponder from the hole that had just been created.
The covert nature of the attack had been sacrificed, but the breech had been made. The cyphon no longer served a purpose, but Jandra still carried it in one of her talons. She would make a point to return it to Nevit as evidence that she was more than capable of being tasked with something of great importance. She began to decelerate as she glided upwards into the air and then turned her momentum into a swooping arc that rotated her body and pointed her back towards the ground. This time she didn’t fold her wings in as speed would have to be sacrificed for accuracy.
The cymutt that had been struck locked on to the raptor’s position. It was bound not to become the victim of another aerial assault. The other two cymutts put themselves in a defensive stance as well in case the raptor had intentions of striking at them. A cymutt’s jaws were its solitary weapon and the ideal defense would be to put its jaws between the
target and the rest of the cymutt’s body. They could leap a ways off the ground if necessary, but given the strike that had just occurred, it was preferable to let the target come back to them. The raptor was coming back towards them after reaching its apex from the follow through and it was apparent they would get their chance at retribution.
Jandra noticed that she had got the attention of all three cymutts. This would not be an easy task. She could clearly see the hole she had created in the left shoulder of her target cymutt, but the mechanical beast would likely move as she dived in for her second assault. The cymutt probably had no idea what Jandra was trying to accomplish, but nonetheless they would post up in a defensive position to ward off any future attacks. Jandra began to wonder if there was a better strategy for the retrieval. She told herself that if she avoided the jaws she’d get as many attempts at this as she’d like.
Jandra tilted and took a short nose dive towards the surface to pick up speed before leveling out and coming in parallel to the ground. She had put herself in more danger being that much closer to the cymutt’s jaws, but the boost in speed would hopefully be enough to catch the cymutts off guard and allow her to complete her mission. She zeroed in on one of the undamaged cymutts, who shrank down in response, before deking towards the intended target. The cymutt was ill prepared for the maneuver leaving it completely exposed. Jandra sailed by and reached into the gaping hole feeling nothing as she clasped her talons together. She began to wonder if she had reached down deep enough or if the hole hadn’t been bored in the right spot. She swerved and picked up altitude flying over the cymutt’s head and hoping to get a glance inside of the hole. She failed to see anything and then continued back up into the sky thinking about her next move.
Tradok’s information could have potentially been outdated. Perhaps the transponder was relocated to a different part of the cymutt. Maybe these particular cymutts didn’t have transponders at all or maybe it was simply that Jandra hadn’t reached deep enough. The group’s plan hinged on sneaking into Prominence and the only way they knew how was with a transponder. Was it prudent to continue dive bombing the cymutts until Jandra knew for sure whether she could retrieve a transponder? The raptor pondered these thoughts while circling the cymutts who anxiously waited below. These mechanical beasts may not have contained the life essences, but they emulated the barbaric nature of their masters unequivocally. They portrayed more devotion than most living beings could dream of. If they could replicate that, then Jandra told herself she would do her best to match. Jandra psyched herself up and then dived back into the anarchy bursting forth in a complete berserk mode.
Jandra rocketed towards one of the unmaimed cymutts. The cymutt leapt forward snapping its jaws shut trying to catch a piece of the raptor. Jandra veered off to the right to avert this attack and then abruptly landed on the back of the cymutt she had carved up earlier. The cymutt began to buck trying to shake the foe from its back, but Jandra held steady doing her best to hold her position and catch a closer glimpse of the hole as sticking her talon into the hole would be precarious. Nothing stuck out of the ordinary and with the cymutts getting all wound up it would be difficult to reposition herself for a better look. The third cymutt stood up on its hind legs and attempted to claw Jandra off the back of its comrade. Jandra lifted herself off the wounded cymutt’s back barely dodging the assault. She clasped the cyphon with both talons and began pumping it. The cymutt that Jandra had initially charged at was now beginning its attack snapping its jaws once again. Jandra anticipated another leap and when she saw the cymutt shift its weight towards its hind legs she countered by dropping to the surface. The cymutt began to sail over her and Jandra followed through by thrusting the cyphon up under the cymutt’s jaws and through its head. The cyphon didn’t penetrate as deeply as Jandra’s initial blow, but she was still able to withdraw the weapon easily enough. The cymutt landed several paces behind her and she took back to the air. She observed as the freshly damaged cymutt struggled to get back on all four legs and move about. It appeared her blow had done enough damage to cause it to malfunction. The cymutt fell to the surface twitching, but still alive if you could credit the mechanical beasts with life. The other two cymutts positioned themselves directly below Jandra waiting for her next move.
A boost of fury arose in Jandra. One was down with two to go. Just as she was about to act on the furor she remembered her ultimate goal. She wasn’t here to slay enemies. She was here to retrieve a vital instrument. She held altitude and began to fly along the canyon rim with the two functional cymutts in tow. She maintained a speed so the cymutts could keep up. After she had put a considerable distance between her and the battleground she plunged into the canyon losing her pursuers and followed the canyon back to the site of the attack.
The malfunctioning cymutt still twitched in the exact spot that she had last seen it. She landed on its back with caution and scratched its back and head with her talons trying to invoke any last spurs of activity it might have left. The cymutt helplessly continued its convulsions. Jandra lifted herself off the back of the cymutt and began pumping the cyphon. She plunged the weapon into the left shoulder of the cymutt and slid the weapon out of the casing she had just pierced revealing the cymutt’s innards. The twitching was not so severe that it disrupted Jandra’s investigation. Just like the previous cymutt she had flayed, she could not see anything of note while peering into the cavernous body. This time she had the opportunity to reach in with her talon and feel around. She reached in grasping at empty air until she was up to her thigh. That’s when she felt an object. She scratched at it and determined it was loose. There was only one way to tell if it could be ripped out. She closed her talons around the object, flapped her wings using all of her force and felt as the object slowly came up like prey that had tried to burrow itself underground. The object popped loose and Jandra jerked back up into the air. She examined what was in her talon. She had no idea what a transponder looked like, but this looked valuable enough to take back to Tradok. If nothing else, she could return to the malfunctioning cymutt for further scavenging.
***
“She has something”, Alejade announced to the group as she read Jandra’s mind using her newfound ability through the aft crystal.
“Is it the transponder?” Nevit asked.
“I don’t know, and I don’t think she knows”, Alejade replied. “She is bringing it back for Tradok to take a look.”
“If she dug right at the cymutt’s left shoulder, I’m not sure what other part she would have come up with”, Tradok reasoned.
“If it is the transponder, then what next?” Fenrit asked.
“I advise we enter Prominence as quickly as possible”, Tradok began. “First, it’s still dark, which gives us a little cover to get in the door. Second, the fact that there’s at least one cymutt running around without a transponder may draw some suspicion. If they managed to monitor any of the attack, it’ll hopefully look like a simple scuffle with local wildlife, which is more common than you’d think. Jandra was the perfect candidate for this reason. Still, I’d feel better if they had less time to think about it.”
Movement at the mouth of the cave drew everyone’s attention. Jandra deftly flew over to Nevit and stuck out her talon that contained Nevit’s cyphon. Nevit took the weapon and began to check it for damage.
“Looks good, thank you”, Nevit said impressed by the care that Jandra had given his cyphon.
Jandra cawed a response and then delicately flew over to Tradok holding out her other talon that contained the object she had withdrawn from the cymutt. She dropped the object into Tradok’s claw and then perched herself on a rock for a much needed rest.
The rest of the group waited in anticipation as Tradok stared at the item in his claw.
“Well, what is it?” Nevit finally asked.
“The key to Prominence”, Tradok answered.
XXV.
The side door accessed by the transponder led right into a cymutt receiving ba
y. The bay was a large open room with the receiving door in the middle of the wall. Far off to the left tucked in a corner was a maintenance area while off to the right was a ramp leading up to one of the few other doors in the whole bay. The eerie emptiness of the bay was compounded by the hollow contents of some structural metal beams, a few catwalks and storage racks. The beams were in a quincunx pattern with the four outside points a considerable distance inside the exterior walls and the center column being the clear load bearer. The only other items of interest were the inactive cymutts. A second look made one wonder if the voluminous bay was really as empty as it seemed or if an optical illusion was created when the small number of powered down cymutts was measured against the amount of available space. The bay was one of two that housed inactive cymutts that Tradok explained rotated in and out of service.
The group took a moment to gaze at all the inactive cymutts in disbelief. The cymutts had all shut down in random locations on the bay’s floor making it appear that all the inactive bodies were actually just part of a large junk pile. Tradok assured the group that a cymutt could be activated at any time, and would simultaneously be receiving its orders. This meant traffic flowed between the center of the bay floor, where most of the cymutts had congregated, and the door activated by the transponder.
The group decided not to linger in the receiving bay and took the pathway to the right, which led to Prominence’s interior hallways. The interior halls of Prominence were just like Tradok had remembered. Tradok’s logic from long ago had been that hallways which were dull and empty made for easier monitoring, thus better security. Long, expressionless corridors made up a seemingly simple network, but Tradok knew better. Without the intimate knowledge of Prominence’s layout one could easily get lost. Each corridor was pocked with doors leading to varying rooms and chambers. The corridors themselves were brightly lit and the off white color of the walls reflected the light to an almost blinding degree.
