A shiver of pleasure ran up his spine as he thought of the riches they were harvesting. When they established the next compound, eight hundred miles to the west and closer to the sea, they would double the take. If he was named overall supervisor of the entire planet, his take would set him up for life. The experts thought they could harvest this planet for two or three centuries before it played out. After that? What would the people do who wanted that bounty? Who were addicted to it? He shook his head at the thought. He’d be dead long before then, and like most in the Syndicate, he cared little for the future that stretched beyond his death. The Universe could die a heat death the day he died, and it wasn’t his concern.
“Get up!” yelled the voice of one of the overseers, swinging his whip of agony onto the back of an abo who was lying curled up on the ground.
The Kalagarta screamed, hugging himself and squirming as the whip hit. No matter how many times the overseer struck, the native stayed on the ground. And even worse, more of them were standing and staring at their fellow.
Can’t have this, Jillor thought, pulling his pistol from its holster and storming over to the native. Stopping a couple yards from the native, he took careful aim and put a beam into its head, burning through and into the ground in an instant. Tinted steam came rushing from the hole, the vaporized remnants of the creature’s brain.
“Back to work!” the boss roared, glaring at the other natives, then turning his gaze on the overseers. “Keep them working. Any slack in production will come out of your pay.”
Every one of the overseers went into frenzies of activity, plying their whips, keeping the shocked aborigines moving. No more fell to the ground. A quick glance at the body of their fellow, lying where it had been killed, reminded them that the tactic wasn’t one that would help them.
A pair of guards walked up to remove the body of the being Jillor had just murdered.
“Leave him!” he yelled, waving the guards away. “Let him remain as an example to the rest of them.”
“He’ll start to stink up the place,” said one of the overseers, keeping his eyes averted from his leader.
“You can deal with the stink for the day. Tonight you can dispose of him.”
“And if the Xlatan want the meat?” another overseer asked.
“Then they can damn well wait!” the boss roared, rounding on the frightened employee. “I’m sure their stomachs can handle a little bit of gamey food.”
The thought of the Xlatan increased the anger that had risen over having to kill one of the workforce. Not that one abo was that important, but one dead native meant they had to break another one in. The Xlatan could be another problem. They were a very loyal species. That was the problem. Their loyalty was to their own kind, and if he had to do something to their commander, he faced a possible revolt from the rest. Unless he killed them before they could react, there was a great chance they would overwhelm the rest of his guard force. Even if he killed them all, others of their people might seek revenge.
The boss looked over at the large round hut. The occupant never came out, and food was brought to it. Otherwise, everyone in the compound stayed clear of its quarters. It was his ace in the hole, the ultimate weapon. With a shudder, he walked toward the hut. As much as the occupant disgusted him, maybe it was time to try and bond a bit more. If that was possible with a creature such as it.
* * *
“My God!” Sandra Clemenceau exclaimed, stepping up beside her commander on the ledge overlooking the massive cavern.
My God indeed, Jonah thought, shaking his head. He was sure the god he believed in had nothing to do with the one she invoked. His god wasn’t the creator of the universe. No, his deity was satisfied to do his work on Earth. If it even really existed, which he doubted, just as he doubted the God many people of Earth worshipped existed, either.
But the sentiment was well placed. He was looking into a cavern that would have stood up well amongst the greatest underground passages of Earth. Carlsbad Caverns, Mammoth Cave. It seemed to stretch off into the distance like a world of its own. Huge pillars of rock rose from the floor or fell from the ceiling to join together. Some were tens to hundreds of yards wide, while one in the distance looked to be just under a mile. It was narrow to either side, but widened quickly. A slight glow illuminated the cavern, while the thin air made the view almost as clear as it would be in vacuum.
“This one cavern must cover at least twenty square miles,” Charley said, staring out into the distance, “and that’s just what we can see. Look at those openings over there. And there. There could be a dozen of these caverns connected down here. More.”
“And we’re almost at the level of the mid-section ecosystem,” said Ivan Zhukov, who, as a born and raised hunter, was the closest thing the team had to a biologist. “We were coming down pretty steady along the last couple of miles.”
“Beats having to climb down a cliff,” Joey said, interrupting.
“The point is,” Zhukov said, giving the young Sioux a sideways look, “if we’re on the same level as the mid-section ecosystem, these caverns might open up on it.”
“Could it continue down into the canyonlands?” Sandra asked, her eyes narrowing in thought.
“It might,” Charley said. He was their greatest expert on geology, having taken some classes in the last couple of years. “But don’t get your hopes up. I’d be satisfied enough if we’re able to get onto the midlands.”
The midlands were what they were calling the twenty- to thirty-mile-wide plateau/ledge that ran around the walls of the canyon, unbroken for thousands of miles. There was one on the other side of the canyon as well, though slightly lower. It was Terra Incognita to the team, and they had very little information on it. Much lower than the high plateau, it still had an air pressure slightly less than the top of Everest on Earth, with a temperature to match.
Forty thousand square miles of ecosystem, about the size of the island of Cuba. The only things they knew about it were that the animal life was more closely akin to that of the canyonlands, while the vegetation was a hybrid of high plateau and low river system.
“We should be able to make our way through that terrain with enough cover to stay hidden,” Achilles Antonopolis said, nodding, “and have our pick of spots to descend into the lowlands.”
“First we need to get through this cavern,” Jonah said, glancing over at the Greek. “What do we know that might call this underground world home?”
“Not a damn thing,” Kabir said, his left hand stroking the barrel of his grenade launcher.
“Exactly,” the leader agreed, “which means we need to stay close and alert.”
“And we’ve got another problem, Colonel,” called out Asuka Yamashuri, running beside Hotaru as they came up from their position in the rear, where they’d been listening to the small transmitters the team had left in the tube. “We’ve got company coming our way, and I don’t think they’re going to miss us this time.”
* * *
“Well,” said Lrator, the sergeant who was their medic and the closest thing they had to a scientist among the Xlatan, “it’s not water. In fact, I’m not really sure what it is. Only that it takes much longer to freeze than water.” The male was looking at a sample through a portable molecular scanner that was giving him a good look at the now refrozen substance on the wall. “Its molecular structure would absorb heat like nothing I’ve ever heard of. We might be able to make some serious credits if this stuff could be processed as a coolant.”
“Never mind that,” Mmrash growled, glaring at the trooper. “So you think this stuff might have melted from the heat the Humans generated in this cave, then refroze hours after they left.”
“Probably,” Lrator said.
Again Mmrash was frustrated that they were all wearing head coverings that obscured their ears. Without that signal, he really couldn’t tell how much conviction the other male had in what he was saying.
“It looks like something producing heat was s
itting over here, sir,” called out another soldier.
Mmrash hurried over, his six-footed walking stance giving him more than enough headroom to move quickly.
“Right here. It looks like something heat-producing was sitting here for some time.”
Whatever machine they’re using to concentrate breathing gas, the commander thought. Looking at the spot where the liquid had melted, then frozen again, he could get a general idea of the size of the machine. Not that large, but obviously big enough to give all the Humans in the party enough gas to last them through the day. Of course they’d have to have such a machine, or carry an inordinate amount of gas cylinders with them.
“How many people do you think that thing could supply?” he asked Lrator, who had moved over to have a look.
“With Galactic tech, a hundred.”
“But they wouldn’t have had Galactic tech,” Mmrash said, staring at the area where the supposed machine had sat. “So maybe twenty?”
“Sounds reasonable,” Lrator said. “That might be the upper limit, which would match the size of their shuttle. But we can’t assume the upper limit.”
No, we can’t. But I’m thinking we’re going to be facing at least ten of the creatures. Maybe twenty. That was a number his group should be able to handle. Unfortunately, from what he’d read about these Humans, they were elite special ops, experts in stealth and the silent dealing of death. He couldn’t assume anything if he didn’t want to get a bunch of his people killed.
The commander ground his teeth as he thought. He needed to send enough people down the pipe to the side cavern they’d located by drone, but he also needed to keep enough with him up here to continue the search, in case that wasn’t the path they’d taken.
“I want you to deploy two squads, Lrator. Climb down there and go into that cavern. Follow them all the way, but be cautious. These people have already shown themselves to be very good at what they do.”
“They were shot down easy enough,” the other soldier said.
“What they do well doesn’t include aerial maneuvering,” Mmrash shot back. “Don’t take them lightly. From what I understand, their leader, this Colonel Jonah, killed a Besquith in hand-to-hand.”
Both of the males showed startled reactions at that. Xlatan thought they were the best warriors in the Galaxy, but none of them wanted to tackle a Besquith in one-on-one, hand-to-hand combat. Any being that could do that deserved respect.
“Well, get to it. Bring plenty of climbing gear, and enough rations for several days. And plenty of comms relays. I want to know what’s going on down there.”
“Yes, commander,” Lrator said, dipping his head in respect, then turning to hurry from the cavern.
If I’d paid attention the first time I came in here, Mmrash thought, still staring at the spot the machine had sat through the night, we might already have caught them, and we could be safe and warm back at the compound.
As he left the cave, the thought struck him that there could have been another outcome to an earlier meeting. Such as he and half his team dead in an ambush.
* * * * *
Chapter Eight
Jonah felt the sweat rolling down his back as he followed the path through the cavern. It was still cold as hell outside his protective coverings, but walking and carrying the loads they were forced to deal with was heat-producing work.
“How far?” he asked Ivan, who was keeping track of their progress, mapping their course on a hand comp.
“Well, taking into account the mile and a half we had to double back after coming to that wall,” the scout said, looking intently at the comp, “I’d say five miles.”
“So we’re what?” Charley asked, walking beside his friend and leader. “Six miles ahead of the pursuit?”
“About that,” Ivan replied.
“Then maybe it’s time to set up some surprises for them,” Charley suggested, a smile in his voice. “Just to let them know we care.”
“Good idea. And this would be a good time to call a halt for ten.”
The team stopped where they were in the line, most taking a seat on the rock, some continuing to stand and watch, while a few more started setting mines at strategic places. A flock of creatures that looked like pale bats fluttered in and flew around their heads. Mercs swatted at them, and after a few minutes the creatures flew off, probably deciding the new things were not a threat, and definitely not food.
They’d seen some other animals along the way. Nothing larger than a small dog, and most were rodent-sized, all with thick fur. Something that resembled mushrooms grew here and there. One of the coolest finds was a spindly plant that grew pods containing almost pure oxygen at pressure. They discovered those when one of the pseudo-rodents was seen biting off a pod and swallowing it whole.
As long as those things are around, we won’t run out of air, Jonah thought, sitting with his back against the cold wall. They hadn’t checked the animals yet. None, with the exception of the bat creatures, had wandered close enough to catch, and he hadn’t wanted to fire a weapon lest the pursuers home in on it. However, he had no reason to believe they weren’t edible, since they seemed to be similar to the wildlife in the lowlands. Those were known to be compatible with Earth digestive systems, so why not these?
“Okay,” Charley said, sliding to the ground to sit beside his friend. “We’ve got some gifts hidden for them. Now, if only they’ll cooperate.”
“That’s the rub,” said Ivan from the other side of Jonah after he had taken a seat. “The bad guys never do what you want, do they?”
“Well, often enough that it’s still worthwhile trying,” Charley said, nodding. “And if they set one off, it’ll take out a few, and make the others watch their step.”
“We ready to go?” Jonah asked, forcing himself to his feet.
There were groans all around, but everyone got up, some faster than others.
“Just think of the Yamashuris while you’re moaning and groaning,” Charley said in a voice loud enough to carry to the entire party in the thin air. “While you were copping a squat, they were running on ahead to check out our path.”
That had been Charley’s idea after the last dead end. Send a couple of scouts ahead to make sure the path was clear. As long as they could see the larger cavern, there was always a way up and over any obstacle. If they walked any distance down a tunnel and faced a dead end, there was nothing for it but to backtrack.
“Those fuckers are superhuman,” called out one of the mercenaries, eliciting laughs from the others.
Not really, Jonah thought, stifling his own chuckle. But the pair were the best conditioned soldiers he had ever served with, which was saying something, considering the general level of conditioning of the Fierce Eagles. He hadn’t been surprised when they’d volunteered to scout, though they’d just played rear guard for some hours and deserved a break. He felt better with the sharp-eyed pair running on ahead, though, so he’d accepted their offer.
“Move out,” he ordered, waving his hand to motion his people ahead. There was no telling how far they’d have to walk before they were back out in the open, or even if this route led to open sky.
Only one way to find out, he thought as he started trudging after the person in front of him. The only problem was, it would be his decision that put them into a position they might not be able to get out of. That responsibility weighed heavily on his mind as he slogged ahead.
* * *
Lrator didn’t like this place. Hells, he really didn’t like the entire planet, which smelled wrong, tasted wrong, and just plain felt wrong. But this enormous enclosed space, so unnatural, made his fur stand on end.
“How do we know we’re still on their trail?” asked Krassh, the other squad leader on the mission. “I haven’t seen sign of them in over a mile.”
Lrator thought about that for a moment before answering. He was considered one of the more intelligent of his species, soon to be raised to officer status. Because he was intelligent, he too
k his time with decisions that didn’t need to be made instantly.
“Do you have a better path for us to take, Krassh?” he finally asked, not having the answer himself and willing to admit it.
“No. But perhaps if we spread out.”
“Commander Mmrash ordered us to stick together, and for good reason. With two squads, we can put down a base of fire and maneuver an element into the enemy. With fewer? Well, we might find ourselves shoved away by a stronger enemy.”
“What enemy could be stronger than we are?” asked the other sergeant, his tail swishing back and forth in his environmental suit, an indication of outrage. “We are Xlatan. Nothing is stronger than we are.”
You don’t really believe that, do you? Lrator thought, glad for the moment that his ears weren’t visible. His people weren’t very proficient at lying, since their ears and tails gave away their emotions. Wrapped as they were, that was not true at this time. Lrator didn’t want to lower the morale of the troops, but as a medic, and trained as he was in biology, he knew better. There were many species stronger than Xlatan. There were also many species smarter than they were. Fortunately, there were very few who were both stronger and smarter. He didn’t know which category the Humans fell into, and he wasn’t about to take any chances.
“We’ll keep moving the way the commander ordered. Just make sure your warriors keep a close eye out for any sign of the enemy.”
“A damned waste of time, if you ask me,” the other sergeant said. “I…”
“No one asked you.”
“What about initiative?”
“I’m in command of this formation,” hissed Lrator, moving into the other male’s personal space and leaning his snout in close to the face of the lesser sergeant. “While I am in command, only my initiative counts. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” Krassh said in a surly tone. “I understand.”
And now I have an enemy, thought the senior of the two sergeants. There had been other males present when he’d dressed down the other, and the warrior had lost face. Face he would be anxious to regain by doing something back to his detractor.
When Eagles Dare Page 8
