The Commander

by Kevin Groh

  »I’m afraid it’s too late for that ...«, he whispered into his microphone.

  The sound was enough for the creature to locate him, and it jumped towards him. Carter felt the adrenaline sharpen his senses and fired a salvo at the creature. It just missed and the noise made the beast angry as well. It jumped at him and he screamed in shock and breathed excitedly. He heard the razor-sharp claws scratching his armor and a rather smudging sound. Four of the legs stood on him, while the foremost two struck at him. He resisted by defending with his rifle. The animal’s saliva dripped into his face and its stinking breath was disgusting. It growled and roared and the noise echoed unbearably loudly from the walls and ceiling. He feverishly thought about how to approach the beast. He fumbled at his side. Since the creature had no eyes, it could not be blinded. The rifle was good for defending, but it also prevented him from shooting. He wouldn’t be able to fight the power and speed of the beast forever.

  Finally, he squeezed his hand past the creature’s paw. He pulled the pistol and fired eight bullets at close range into its chest. The creature staggered down from him but didn’t seem to want to give up yet. It struck out and he was catapulted away. He could roll out of the way in time before the beast landed on him again. The thing roared and threw his head back and forth, and Carter gave him a good punch with the rifle that he carried like a club. Then it jumped again, but he ducked out of the way so that it crashed against the wall. He shot several times, but the creature was fast and made a set up on a raised surface. There it remained with a whipping tail and listened. He knew he was gasping too loud to be able to hide, so he aimed and shot it in the hind leg. But that hardly did anything and he was caught with two paws. From his helmet, Carter heard the others shouting something, but he couldn’t pay attention now.

  He got up and threw himself against the beast so that it was thrown a bit away. He picked up a sharp-edged stone and when the creature threw itself at him again, he rammed the tip into its side. He had aimed for the throat but had been too slow. Swearing, he squatted and waited to see what the monster would do next. It seemed tired, as his usual prey probably didn’t fight so hard. That gave him courage and he shot again with his pistol. The following attack of the animal tossed it out of his hand. He had to jump out of the way. Unfortunately, he ended up in a narrowing of the cave from which he could not get out since the beast was already standing in front of it. Carter wanted to retreat to the back wall, but then the monster launched again. He realized he couldn’t go anywhere, so he just ducked and hoped to be without pain for a few more seconds.

  Fortunately for him, there was a sharp rock behind him that had impaled half of the creature, saving his life. It slipped down, struggled to get up and growled maliciously at him. He pressed the barrel of the rifle directly onto its forehead and fired at least ten projectiles. That was finally too much for it and it died. Carter breathed deeply and mumbled: »That’s what you get for messing with me ...«, then he giggled like a lunatic and sat down next to the carcass. The others had listened to everything on the radio and ran to help, but Carter had preceded by a good click and it would take them a while to get to him. »I’m so relieved that you made it!«, Kelly shouted over the mic in complete disarray.

  »Ask me ...«, Carter laughed. He looked at the beast. It was made to kill and he had defeated it. He reached for the mouth, broke off one of the fangs and pocketed it. He felt a terrible pain in his side. He reached there and felt a tear in the armor. His glove was full of blood. »Fucking cheap armor!«, he cursed.

  Fortunately, the recruits had suffered injuries in the course of martial arts many times before and subsequently learned the basics of first aid from Jazzir.

  Carter pulled out the medicine from a side pocket and then took off the armor on his upper body. Since it was a simple standard piece of equipment made of flexible fabric, it was a cumbersome and painful act. A tear in his side gaped there and bled heavily. »Guys ... I killed this thing, but it also got me pretty bad. I’ll try to stop the bleeding.«, he stammered into the microphone.

  Leena reported: »Hold on, Carter! We’ll be with you in a few minutes.«

  He didn’t exactly remember the correct procedure for an open injury. He took a portion of SaniGel, a semi-liquid gel with disinfecting and closing effects, and sprayed it into the wound. The burning of the disinfectant was like a shock and he growled. »Fuck!«, he shouted out as it started to burn.

  After a while, the pain eased again and Carter was able to apply a cover pad, a special adhesive patch. Then he waited for the others to arrive. First came Urma, who had achieved nothing with her climbing tour. The rocks were too high and sharp-edged to get over. So she had climbed down again and joined Carter. She kept her eyes on the way forward until the team arrived. When they did, Kelly hurried over to him and looked at the wound. The SaniGel had served its purpose and stopped the bleeding. Once they were in a base, it would have to be sealed, but until then it had to work. She put the armor back on him and just said it was absolute shit and useless. Now that he was no longer fully operational, Leena sent Tim with Urma to scout ahead. They looked at the carcass.

  »Damn it, Carter! How did you survive that thing? That looks monstrous! Led alone the claws!«, Jane was amazed.

  Kelly looked horrified. Rod, on the other hand, was more impressed. Leena said: »We have to go on. If we still want to achieve something today, we must not rest. Can you walk?«

  Carter stood up supported by Kelly but felt quite normal. The cover pads released a narcotic so that wounded soldiers could get to safety. »Should work.«, he just said.

  They made their way through the tunnel. The creature seemed to have been alone. The exit quickly came in sight, but that didn’t make it any brighter. They walked almost three hours over more or less flat terrain. At one point they had to sneak a bit crouching because another of these creatures was stalking nearby. If it had had eyes, they would not have escaped, but since it seemed to orient itself by sounds, it simply ran past. Since they couldn’t see far through the endless fog, they didn’t talk much in order not to draw attention to possible dangers in the surroundings. Carter didn’t notice much of the wound thanks to the anesthesia but moved cautiously to avoid risking further damage. If one did not feel his injuries, one tended to be daring.

  »What time is it?«, you could hear Jimbo ask.

  »Hard to say, but according to the bracelet, it’s afternoon. Soon we should think about where to sleep. I don’t want some orange fucker dragging me out of a tunnel.«, Urma radioed back. Tim reported: »I think I found something here. The NavPoint is still a bit further outside, but I’m standing at a gap. Depth unclear. But I hear something mechanical. I’ll walk along the edge and look carefully. I’ve made a mark on the edge so you don’t almost fall down like me ...«

  Leena said: »Urma, where are you right now?«

  »I left Tim half an hour ago when we were at a junction, but my way was a dead-end into a valley full of these beasts. I came out undetected and now I’m catching up with Tim.«

  »Very good, he shouldn’t explore that noise alone.«

  After another ten minutes of walking, Tim came back.

  »Okay guys, I found something. A way across the abyss, but I’m not sure it’s our best choice. Here’s some kind of conveyor belt or elevator. A cable car with platforms held by steel ropes on which boxes, barrels, and carts are placed. The whole thing is automatically controlled from a console.«

  Leena replied: »That sounds like a good opportunity. Why shouldn’t that be a good idea?«

  »I am the son of a miner. If there is a fully automatic goods transport system, then there is also something on both sides from where loading and unloading take place. I haven’t discovered anything here on this side yet, but they don’t transport crates into nowhere. I’ll take a look around.«, Tim said.

  In the meantime, Urma had arrived at his position and they heard the live report via comms how the two found a narrow entrance to a quarry. Several con
struction machines and crushers were operated by workers in protective suits. Inside, suction systems seemed to keep the fog out so that the dimensions could be seen. Due to the huge area of the quarry, no one noticed that the two scouts were squatting and looking from the edge. Apparently, every half hour a load of stone and metal ore was loaded onto the cable car and sent over the abyss. From this, they concluded that there had to be a facility on the other side for further processing. If they had wanted to transport the material by shuttle, they could have done so from the mine. The group reached the cliff and then moved towards the wire rope hoist. It seemed to fall down a little. They gathered nearby, but out of sight.

  »Okay, how are we supposed to get down there unnoticed? Up here they have a timed schedule and if we follow it, we can get to one of those platforms unnoticed. But we don’t know what it looks like below. I don’t want to ride down there on one of those things completely unprotected.«, Nambur thought. Leena said: »We have to send someone ahead and have the situation investigated. But I can’t make a plan if I can’t see what’s going on. Without image transmission, I guess that means I have to go myself.«

  While she was thinking about how to do this, Carter had a suggestion.

  »These platforms are fastened with ropes. They join at the top. Directly below the transport cable, they are connected to the fastening mechanism. Up there is a small maintenance disc on which you can stand. If two people lay down there left and right, they could go along unnoticed. From there you can see what’s going on down there.«

  They looked up and saw the named platform that each transport unit had. The sleeping equipment included a small tent for one person, which was equipped with pegs and plenty of rope if needed. So Carter suggested using a curved herring as a grappling hook to get to the top. That was a good idea and after waiting for three workers to load a batch of ore onto a platform, Leena and Rod sneaked there. The linkage moved permanently and as soon as the material was on its way, an empty platform arrived.

  The workers had left and used the improvised hooks to pull themselves up. There they lay flat so they could no longer be seen.

  »Okay, we’re up. This is an optimal observation position. Except you can’t get down so fast from here.«, Rod said. While the two of them slowly drove over the gap, the others waited sitting down for the report. The workers were too close for conversations or comfort breaks. It only took about fifteen minutes for Leena to report.

  »We see something now. There seems to be some sort of ore processing plant here. Directly at the winch is a subcamp with heaps of cover, but there are workers everywhere. It should be almost impossible to get through here unnoticed, especially not twelve of us.«

  Rod added: »The building itself is reasonably large, but it stands on a flat surface and is surrounded only by simple low fences. Apparently, the predators are afraid of the place because of the noise. In addition, the unloading point is designed so that the entire structure is supported by a thick, high steel wall, which practically blocks the view of the loading platform. Only the workers who unload can see the cargo. If we take them out, you can just stand in the elevator and come down.«

  »We’re not killing innocent workers!«, Gina protested.

  Rod said: »By taking out, I didn’t mean killing, but knocking out. We have electric sticks.«

  »But unlike up there, the workers are standing here all the time and there are two of them. Silently is difficult from up here when there are two of them.«, Leena noted. »Team, wait for the next load and then take the platform afterward. Me and Rod, we’ll figure something out so you won’t be spotted.«

  As soon as the loaded platform docked at the unloading station, there was a loud rumble and one of the workers stopped the cable until it was unloaded. The small area where Leena and Rod lay was now connected to a low maintenance hatch. She knew they could come down there unnoticed, even though this was too slow for the whole team. She opened the shaft and they crawled into it. Through small holes in the floor grid, they saw the unloading process underneath them. One of the workers said to his colleague: »How long do you think it will take these recruits to get here? We were told we wouldn’t have to work overtime for that!«

  »When did the military ever tell the truth?«

  »They should have been here a long time ago ... until now, those guys were always faster.«

  »Maybe they’re smarter than just walking into the middle of the plant without thinking. But I really enjoy pressing the alarm button and waking up the robot guards in the crates. Do you remember how the last group was completely frozen in fear when they came out of the boxes all around them?« The two laughed.

  Leena immediately told the others: »Warning to all: The workers here have been warned by Banes that we are coming. They’re supposed to summon robots when they see us. So don’t let them see you at all. Me and Rod, we’ll get out of here.«

  They waited until the others reported that the unloading station was in sight and then sneaked down the maintenance ladder. The two workers stood loosely at the railing and waited for the next load. Just as they were discovering people on the platform behind it, Leena and Rod were taking them out with targeted electric shocks. They pulled them into a dark corner and waited until the others got out. Now they were all down at least, but on the enemy territory without reconnaissance. Carter sneaked to an edge and glanced around the corner. Tom did the same on the other side. The many workers were scurrying around and there was hardly a chance to move between the next barrels unseen. As soon as an opportunity arose, Carter threw himself out of cover and rolled behind a large crate, from where he had a better perspective. He could hand signal the team when a time window opened. But that didn’t happen at first. The others became more and more impatient and then it happened as it had to happen.

  One of the workers shouted at his three colleagues: »Where are these two idiots? Fell asleep at the post again, huh? Come on, we’ll unload ourselves so we can get done for today!«

  Thereupon four men set themselves in motion, with the unloading station as their target. »Fuck!«, Carter hissed and reported it to the others. They looked around helplessly, but there was no way out. He looked around and his gaze got stuck on a hover cart. Such wagons could float above the ground in spite of heavy loads and be moved easily. All you had to do was press the appropriate buttons. Several barrels were lashed lying on this special cart. Leena saw that and gave him a quick instruction. Carter sneaked between a few loosely standing boxes and activated the device. He set the speed to full power and then pressed forward. The cart shot off and crashed into the middle of a high pile of crates at some distance. He took advantage of the noise and roared loudly and painfully so that even the last worker ran to the scene of the accident to help. »Go! Go! Go!«, he hissed and the others scurried along behind the barrels to the fence and swung over. Carter followed them and dropped to the ground. They hurried ducked into the safety of the fog. As soon as they could neither see nor hear the installation, they took a break.

  »That was a brilliant idea, Leena! You saved us!«, Henry praised enthusiastically. Also, the others were relieved by her obvious ingenuity. She said to Carter: »You are a true treasure for any commander or tactician. You can never plan for all eventualities, so you need people who can react quickly in such cases. I bet you’ll be a really successful soldier if you want to.«

  After their rest, they continued in the direction of the signal. Their bracelets showed that it was almost evening, but they wanted to continue a few more clicks before camp. It wasn’t long before they met an apparently busy road leading away from the processing plant. Shortly afterward, they found a rather high barricade, a wall of light metal. »A fucking roadblock?«, Kelly asked in disbelief.

  Rod said: »Looks more like a checkpoint to me. That means guards and means of communication. So it’s better not to be discovered.«

  Henry spotted a small path in the fog that led steeply and narrowly up the rock that limited the way. So they would qu
ietly come further up and approach the wall sideways if they couldn’t even bypass it completely. But this hope vanished when they were close enough. The barricade had a pylon right in the middle, which reached into the sky and had a laser sensor there, which monitored everything for miles along the wall. They gave up searching for a way to pass through a tunnel right away. Rod pulled his rifle and looked through the scope at the railing on the upper wall. »Looks like we’re dealing with robots here. They appear to be simple watch bots with light weapons. Does anyone know anything about that?«

  Gina stared through her visor: »Droids. They’re much better than plain watch bots. I don’t see an antenna on them, so they’re probably not controlled by a central VI, but have their own programming.«

  »That means you can’t just wreck the central computer and be done with it.«, Jane said annoyed.

  Gina smiled: »But on the other hand it also means that the others don’t notice when we switch off one or two of them. These things don’t look well armored, but our weapons aren’t exactly quiet. I think we should try the electric sticks.«

  Leena said: »It would be stupid if we all approached together. Gina, you and Henry go in and look around. Take out every droid you meet. See if there’s a way to get through unnoticed.«

  The two of them nodded and sneaked off. While the others waited mostly in silence, Rod kept his eye on everything with his rifle, as best he could with a simple scope and through the fog. Carter was already annoyed that they would only get better weapons at the end of their training.

  Gina reported that apart from the actual main gate on the road there was a smaller passage below the mast through which one could overcome the wall. However, it was sealed and there had to be a console somewhere to open it. »Such panels are usually in a central computer room or control center. And this is the best-secured room in such a place.«, Leena stated. Rod watched as Gina sneaked up on a droid and pushed the electric stick to a connection point, whereupon it went down slightly smoking. »Three droids less.«, she reported. »The upper area is clear.«, Henry added and waved Rod. Leena led the group to look around. They entered the rampart over a plank and saw the three fried guards. The passage was a simple door that was tightly closed. One could have simply walked around the door if it hadn’t been for the red laser wall that triggered an alarm at the slightest touch. Henry reported that he and Gina had found the door to the control room one floor down, but it was flanked by two droids. They couldn’t take her out unnoticed and one shot would alert everyone else. Leena thought about how to tackle the problem. She and Carter looked around and at the same moment noticed the small boulder on the cliff not far from the wall. They looked at each other and he nodded to her. After an order, Tom sneaked back onto the rock and approached the boulder. He pushed and rolled him to the ledge above the path. Leena to the two spies: »Watch out, we’ll provide a distraction. Then you can strike.«