I studied the pairings, now visible in the screens as the skimmers faced each other.
The Scientist, Zome, and Kor shared one skimmer. Because the Scientist was inexperienced, Kor would probably be controlling both the steering and the weapons. Well, if any Tzen could do it, Kor could.
Zur and Hif were teamed in the second skimmer. I supposed Hif's color-sighted ability made her a logical choice over the more experienced Vahr. Also, if they weren't included on assignments, how would the new Warriors gain experience?
"The team reports nothing unusual in the appearance of the boulder, Commander," came Zur's message. "It seems to be a rock; nothing more."
It occurred to me that if indeed our target turned out to be a rock and nothing more, we might be indulging in one of the most massive overkills in the records of the Warriors. If it wasn't, however...
"Proceed with the investigation, Zur."
"Acknowledged, Commander."
The skimmers were moving now. The craft with Zome and Kor moved to a position forty meters from the boulder and settled facing it. Good! They would act as a fixed position covering the other craft. Not having to control its movements, Kor could devote her full attention to handling the weapons. When Kor concentrated on weapons, I was confident she could handle two boulders, unknown or not.
Zur's craft, probably with Hif piloting, moved off to a distance of some hundred meters. It waited until Kor was in position, then darted forward. Taking care not to pass between the boulder and Kor's guns, it swept past the target at top speed, almost brushing it as it passed. Carrying by, they turned the skimmer and swept by the target again.
There was no apparent change in the boulder... Or was there? My eyes darted from screen to screen. Had it quivered? Or was the movement I detected due to the shifting of the view-input units?
Zur's skimmer was approaching again, slower this time. I could see them in the View Screens relaying Kor's input units. Zur had his flex-mace out. Apparently he had joined the ranks of Warriors who shunned the swivel-mount guns.
Suddenly it happened, with such speed that only later review enabled us to sort the action out. The boulder exploded into life, pouncing on Zur's craft with a leap that defied description. A spider.
A monstrously huge Spider.
The screens showing Zurs display flashed a sight of the ground, then blanked out. My eyes jumped to Kor's screen, just in time to see the spider turn and start in that direction. It was incredibly fast, swelling swiftly in the screens to blot out all view of anything else. Quick as it was, though, Kor was quicker. We could see the cold-beams lance out, striking the spider repeatedly as it moved, but with no apparent effect. The view started to shift, and at first I thought Kor was attempting to maneuver the craft. Then it jarred to a halt, displaying a bush and an expanse of grass, and I realized what had happened. Two skimmers down, visual contact lost.
"By the Black Swamps!" Horc exploded, echoing my thoughts. "Whoever designed those skimmers should be killed, if I have to challenge them myself."
"What's wrong with those cold-beams, Technician?" Tzu interrupted. "Can't your team even maintain existing equipment?"
"Nothing's wrong with them," Horc retorted. "The beast's natural defenses stopped them."
"Ridiculous. Those beams will cut through-"
"See for yourself. We'll recall the sequence from the memory-"
"Use another screen," I said.
"But Commander, another screen would-"
"Anyone who interferes with the current monitor display answers to me. I want to see this as it happens, not out of a memory recall."
"Forgive my asking, Commander," Horc inserted with quiet politeness, "but see what?"
I realized he was right. Staring at a picture of a bush was not going to give me any additional information. I also realized that despite our height differential, I was staring up at him.
Slowly I forced my head up to its normal level.
"Leave it," I said, but more calmly.
"Zur here, Commander."
I held up a hand to the other two as I replied to Zur's beamed message.
"Report, Zur."
"Situation is in hand, Commander. Our assailant has been eliminated."
"What is the condition of your team?"
"Hif's arm is broken... No casualties beyond that."
As I received the message, the view of the bush changed as the downed skimmer was pivoted to point back at the scene of the recent action. Zur was apparently beaming as he turned the skimmer; we could see the other three team members in the screen. Kor was working to right the other skimmer. Hif was assisting despite her broken arm. Zome was apparently examining the body of the dead spider.
"Both skimmers seem to be operational," Zur's report continued, "though my own flyer seems to have sustained some surface damage in the nose area."
"Confirmed, Zur," I replied. "The view-input units on your skimmer are inoperational."
I noticed Tzu was trying to get my attention.
"What is it, Tzu?"
"With your permission, Commander, I'd like to communicate some instructions to Zome."
"Certainly."
I had no hesitation in yielding on this point. Zur had given me his assurances the situation was in hand. Details could wait until their return. For the time being, it was more important to let the Scientists proceed with their work.
"Zur," I beamed, "pass your booster band to Zome."
"Acknowledged, Commander."
"Horc," I said as I passed my booster band to Tzu, "a word with you?"
"Certainly, Commander."
We retired to the far side of the dome to avoid distracting Tzu at her work.
"You made a comment just now I would like to have clarified."
"About the cold-beams?"
"No, about the skimmers."
"Oh, that. My apologies, Commander. It was an unforgivable outburst. I would ask that you recall we Technicians are unused to viewing combat firsthand."
"Actually I was interested in your implied criticism of the design of the skimmers. I was under the impression the Technicians considered it a masterpiece."
"You are confusing the Technicians as a caste with the individuals who compose it."
I waited, but he did not continue. I fought a brief battle with myself over conduct befitting a Warrior, but this time curiosity won.
"Explain, Horc."
"Commander?"
"The differences you referenced. I would like them clarified...for my information as Commander of this mission," I added hastily.
"I am unsure as to the necessity of an explanation. Surely there are differences of opinion within the Warriors' caste? Why should you expect the Technicians to be any different. Regardless of caste, we're all still Tzen."
I considered his answer. It was logical, so logical in fact I was surprised it had never occurred to me before. "I had never considered it in that light before, Horc. The Technicians always seemed a very united, stubborn caste to me, both in attitude and opinion."
"That is not unusual, Commander. Do you recall my question about the duty of the Warriors' caste at the conference on the Ants?"
"Yes."
"Well, until then I had considered the Warriors to have a caste identity: effective, but swaggering and arrogant. Zur's admission of the limitations of his team forced me to view the Warriors differently than I had previously. Perhaps our difficulty is that prior to this mission, we only dealt with the lower echelon of each other's caste. I have observed that the lower individuals stand in their caste, the more fiercely they will defend it."
I suddenly realized I was being drawn into a much more thoughtful discussion than I cared to partake in.
"Returning to my original question, Horc, what is your opinion of the design of the skimmers?"
He hesitated before answering.
"Normally I would not criticize a project I was not working on, just as you would not criticize a campaign you had not fought in. Howev
er, as in my moment of weakness I let my feelings be known, I might as well clarify my position.
"The skimmers were modified from the water darts. That in itself indicates the High Command was concentrating on other priorities. When you modify a design instead of devising a new one, inadequacies and shortcomings are inevitable. Then you modify the modifications. The result is the kind of sloppy performance you just witnessed. In short, you invest a lot of time and effort to produce a device of dubious value. I personally would rather see the work put in on something specifically designed for the situation it will be used in."
"Then you agree the skimmers are poorly designed?" I asked.
"To a point I was surprised the Warriors accepted them."
"We didn't. Our formal protest was turned down by the High Command."
"Really?" He sounded surprised. "My respect for the Warriors is strengthened knowing that."
I decided to seize the opportunity while it presented itself.
"Realizing we are in agreement on this point, is there a chance your team could design further modifications to the skimmers?"
He thought for several moments.
"Possibly," he said at last. "Though after watching the actual performance of the craft, I would be more inclined to discontinue it completely. We could disassemble them and perhaps use the parts in another design completely."
"How long would it take for such a project?"
"I obviously can't commit to a specific time span, but with the team I have here-"
"Commander."
Tzu was beckoning from the View Screens.
"Zur wants to confer with you."
Something was wrong. Zur wouldn't need my counsel unless there was a major change in the situation.
Breaking off the conversation, I strode hurriedly to the screens, accepting the booster band as I went.
"Rahm here."
"Commander, I'd like your advice on this."
I hurriedly scanned the operational screens. They displayed a view of ridge and brush, but nothing noticeably unusual.
"Explain, Zur."
"The clump of brush by the dead tree. Examine it closely."
I did. At first I saw nothing, but as I used far-focus I saw it. An Ant.
"Kor just noticed it, Commander. It seems to be observing us."
"How long has it been there?"
"Unknown. It may have been there through our entire skirmish with the spider."
I studied the Ant, but my mind was elsewhere. Mentally, I was reviewing the briefing we had received from Tzu: intelligent...capable of understanding machinery...able to communicate with the nest.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Surprisingly enough, the Scientists did not seize upon the incident to renew their arguments for a closer study of the Ants. If anything, their efforts in that direction slackened. They even abandoned their covert monitoring of the view-input units by the anthill, leaving the View Screens unwatched for unprecedented periods of time. Instead, they pursued the mission with renewed, almost frantic energy. Not that there wasn't enough to occupy their time: there were countless specimens to collect and observe. Also, there was the spider.
After they had realized they were being observed by the Ants, the team had cut short their field studies. Instead; they had transported the spider's carcass back to the fortification, intact. This was accomplished with no small difficulty by draping this spider across one of the skimmers and piloting it back. This involved actually crawling under the body and peering from between its legs to steer. I was quite proud of the nerves of the Warriors who performed this task. It is not pleasant to spend a prolonged period of time in such close proximity with the body of an Enemy, particularly one that has come close to killing you. Still, they carried out the assignment without falter or complaint. It did cause quite a stir when they hit the defense network, though.
Zur had beamed ahead that they were coming in. He neglected to mention the spider. The Warriors on guard had not taken cover and were caught in the open when the team burst into view. When you are expecting to see a teammate, the sight of a huge spider coming out of the brush at you can be unsettling, particularly if it is skimming the ground at unnatural speed.
Only the fact that the second skimmer, unadorned, was clearly accompanying the spider averted disaster. If a Warrior is startled, he tends to react with his weapons.
I was disappointed when I learned the Scientists had almost immediately dismissed the spiders as being unsuitable as a natural enemy for the Leapers.
"Rahk, Zome, and myself all concur, Commander," stated Tzu, as if it were both a unique and final statement.
"While it will be interesting to study the exoskeleton, which was impervious to our cold-beams, and its poison will give us a definite advantage, the spiders cannot be considered a serious candidate for the desired natural enemy."
"Explain."
"First is their hunting pattern. They appear to be primarily ambush hunters, remaining in one place until a victim wanders in range before striking. This method is far too random and slow for a species we want to exterminate the Leapers.
"The size of their digestive tract also indicates a light hunter. It gives every indication of a creature which feeds only occasionally, taking long rest periods to allow the food intake to digest. Again this is unsuitable for our needs. What we are looking for is a creature or plant with a high metabolic rate, one which is driven to feed constantly and gluttonously.
"With the displayed hunting and feeding pattern, it would require capturing and transporting them in vast numbers if the tactic were to be at all successful."
"What about egg masses?" I interrupted.
"Also out of the question."
She stooped and picked up a fist-sized rock at random from the ground.
"Is this a spider egg mass?" she asked.
"No," I responded immediately.
"We Scientists are not so sure. The clusters of rocks we first observed around the spiders are actually egg masses, camouflaged like the spider itself. They are produced in a variety of sizes, apparently depending upon the feeding habits of the adult, and adhere to the sides of the female before dropping off. As I have said, they are extremely well camouflaged, to the point where we are unable to differentiate egg mass from rock until we attempt to break it."
To demonstrate her point, she picked up a second rock and smashed it against the first. The rock split open at the impact, and she examined it out of habit. "It seems you were right, Commander," she said letting the pieces fall. "It was just a rock. However, had it been an egg mass, we would have destroyed it performing that test."
"Couldn't you devise some other test?"
"Possibly, but there is no point in designing one."
"Why?"
"Because whether transported as adult specimens or as egg masses, the number of spiders necessary for the campaign would exceed safety limits."
"Safety limits?"
"As you recall, Commander, we encountered some difficulty in securing the specimens we have. While it is unlikely we would fall within the Spider's natural diet, it is obvious they will attack Tzen if provoked. We would therefore not only be spreading an Enemy for the Leapers, but one for ourselves as well. What is more, to effectively deal with the Leapers, they would also constitute a threat to the empire. The last thing we want to do is replace one Enemy with another, and particularly not an Enemy who is immune to our cold-beams."
"Speaking of that immunity, Tzu, what is the possibility that the Ants may have a similar exoskeleton?"
She considered for a few moments before answering.
"Unknown, Commander. The Scientist team is currently praying to the Black Swamps we never have occasion to find out."
This surprised me, as it seemed contradictory to the curious nature of the Scientists.
"Explain, Tzu."
"The time to investigate the Ants would have been before they knew about our presence. Now that they know we are here, it is only a matter o
f time before they act on that knowledge. As such, the Scientists feel it is in the best interest of safety to complete our mission in the shortest time possible and depart. Our position here is tenuous at best, and it becomes more so with the passage of time."
With that, she turned and strode away.
While she had given me much to think on, I postponed such activity until later. There were other, more pressing matters demanding my time currently. To that end, I sought out Zur.
"How is Hif's arm?" I inquired.
"Fine, Commander. The Scientists injected her with a compound to speed the bone mending. She should be ready for light duty in time for the next guard shift, and for full duty by tomorrow."
"Good. Has Horc spoken to you about the skimmer design?"
"Yes, Commander."
"What is your opinion?"
"While it was enlightening to learn a Technician shares the Warriors' opinion of the skimmers, I declined his offer."
This answer was unexpected.
"Explain, Zur."
"Although obviously unstable, the skimmers are still the fastest means of ground transport available to us. As the mission progresses, we will be forced to canvass farther and farther afield seeking specimens for the Scientists. To accomplish this efficiently, we will have to cover great stretches of ground as fast as possible. While the flyers can serve to a certain degree as spotters, actual observations and capture can only be effected at ground level."
"It has been observed on numerous occasions, Zur, that the instability of their design all but negates the use of weapons. Do you not agree that the skimmers are apt to place you in potentially dangerous situations, while at the same time stripping your team of their ability to deal with those situations?"
The Bug Wars Page 14
