The Tetra War_The Katash Enigma

by Michael Ryan

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Gratitude is a sickness suffered by pets.

  ~ Admiral Slox

  We heard from Abrel when he was still a half click out.

  “I’m bringing back a prisoner and four pekasmok puppies. Warn everyone not to panic. The lizard is well secured and the pups are friendly.”

  “Um…roger.” I wasn’t sure what to think, but I trusted Abrel’s judgment.

  I relayed his message to Kevin, who explained the new situation to the group.

  “What are we going to do with a Dreki prisoner?” Callie asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “We’ll have to listen to Abrel’s reasoning.”

  “Maybe we can get intel on whatever forces are out there hunting us,” Mallsin said.

  “Perhaps,” I agreed, “but since when is intel obtained under torture reliable?”

  “I agree it’s dubious, but it can be helpful sometimes,” she stated.

  The returning party walked into view. The four small pekasmoks were tied to leashes, and the men were carrying the prisoner.

  “Those things are cute,” Callie said.

  She wasn’t wrong. I walked away from the group and met Abrel halfway. The pets appeared friendly. I didn’t see any immediate danger with keeping them, but I wasn’t sure what value they’d bring to our exodus. Sergeant Tunning and the private, who were carrying the bound Dreki guard, dropped him to the ground.

  “He’s got a few broken limbs, sir,” Tunning said. “He’s not walking for a while. Do you want me to take the binding off his mouth?”

  “Hold one,” I answered. “What do you think we can gain from interrogating him?” I asked Abrel via private comm.

  “I think we should get the muldvarp to question him,” he said. “At the very least we’ll see what lies he has to tell.”

  “Or not. We won’t even know if the translators are playing us honestly or not.”

  “You want me to kill–”

  “No, wait. I don’t want to act hastily. Versus, if we do this, we’ll separate the muldvarps. If they give us different translations, we’ll at least know which side they are on.”

  We pulled Callie and Mallsin away from the pups, with which they were playing a game of fetch.

  “We’re thinking of interrogating this lizard. But we won’t know if he’s telling the truth, and we also won’t know if the translators are honest.”

  “Separate the muldvarps,” Mallsin said.

  “Yes, we thought of that,” I replied, “but then we won’t know if the Dreki has simply changed his story. If he’s got any brains at all, he’ll know what we’re doing.”

  “We have three,” Callie said. “Have one muldvarp sit in on each session. We’ll ask him if the answers are the same, and we’ll throw in a constant.”

  “Like what?” Abrel asked.

  “Anything. We can ask the Dreki how many fingers someone is holding up outside the view of the third muldvarp. Then we’ll ask each of the interpreters for the answer. If they lie, we’ll know,” she answered.

  “I think they’ll be smart enough to figure out that ploy,” he said.

  “Maybe,” I agreed. “Let’s get a conversation started and we’ll see where it goes. It can’t hurt us as long as we remember not to trust anything any of these creatures says. We’re in the unfortunate position of not knowing if it’s better to sit tight and hope Command sends a rescue party, or continue to move.”

  “If the job was easy,” Abrel said, “anyone could do it.”

  “All right. Callie and Mallsin, grab two of those rodents and bring them here,” I ordered. I switched over to the platoon comm and explained our plan to Tunning. I ordered him to pick out a sergeant and get the remaining translator secured so he couldn’t hear or see us while we interrogated the lizard.

  I noticed a few of the Katash women were now playing with the pekasmok pups. “What’s with them?” I asked Kevin.

  “Let me ask,” he said. “But I’ll need one of the muldvarps.”

  “Make it fast.”

  We untied the Dreki guard, and I ordered the interpreter to explain who I was and what was going to happen.

  “I’ll do as you command,” he said. “I’m not a fan of the Grems. I’m only a slave, just like the others.”

  “You can prove yourself by dealing honestly,” I said.

  “Of course, sir,” he said.

  Kevin and the second muldvarp returned. “Avery, excuse me. The three Katash women were formerly slaves for a guard unit that kept the pekasmoks. They have experience training them. They did everything from cleaning up after them to feeding them and taking them for walks. Apparently, they’re little different than German shepherds except for when they start breathing fire.”

  “These can spit fire?”

  “No, too young,” he said. “But the women told me that if they’re properly trained, they never spit fire or bite their masters or their masters’ friends. Just like dogs.”

  “Okay, carry on. Ask the women if they can provide us any value. Maybe as guards to warn us or for tracking game. They’re cute and cuddly, but if we’re going to bother with them, they need to provide a real benefit.”

  “Sir,” he said, and left to speak to the women.

  “You, muldvarp, what’s your name?” I asked the second creature.

  “Yoro, sir,” he answered.

  “Your job, Yoro, is to listen to the conversation. But your back will be turned so I can test your answers against the other two muldvarps. If I think you’re lying, or your companions are, it’ll go badly for all of you. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” he answered. “I will deal with you fairly if you promise to take me with you off this planet.”

  “And if I can’t?”

  “I’d prefer you kill me,” he said.

  “Fair enough. You have my word that if you’re honest with us, I’ll do all I can to get you safely off the planet. I can’t promise what my superiors will do with you.”

  “Agreed,” he said.

  I knew for sure the value of having multiple interpreters was great. Command would rescue the muldvarps, but whether they’d be any better as taskmasters than the lizards, I had no clue. I was glad the muldvarps seemed to think so, and I hoped it meant they’d be truthful. For all I knew, the lizards and the rodents were allies.

  Stranger things have happened.

  An hour later we had no actionable intel. He’d reported that the Drekis knew we’d escaped with their prisoners. This seemed to be backed up by the fact he was out looking for us with the pekasmoks. But whether we were a priority, he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, answer. What was ahead of us, according to him, was only more wilderness leading to impassable mountain ranges.

  That was likely true, based on what we could see.

  But our maps were incomplete, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if we kept marching away from the factory, we’d walk right into a village. Or a military camp. The distant mountain peaks seemed to indicate that we’d be boxed in at some point, but topography is impossible to accurately assess from the ground unless you have surveying equipment and a lot of time.

  We tried to discover if the Dreki knew about the strength of our forces, but he only knew they’d retreated.

  That much was common knowledge.

  We asked if he knew anything about starships. He claimed he didn’t understand any more than any common soldier. He’d never heard of starships battling each other.

  It appeared likely to me that his statements were accurate.

  We switched out the muldvarp interpreters.

  The next round of interrogation seemed to validate that the prisoner was telling the truth, even if only for the fact he didn’t know anything. I was convinced that no towns or permanent bases were located farther into the valley. It had been repeatedly confirmed that the Drekis had come to this planet to mine resources and not to create settlements for permanent colonies. Details of the Dreki home world remained a mystery. />
  “Ask him where his planet is,” I instructed the second muldvarp. I didn’t expect an answer, but I was curious if he’d alter his answer from the first time I questioned him about it.

  Or if the interpreter would put a different spin on it.

  They talked for a moment, and the rodent explained, “He doesn’t know anything about space travel.”

  The answer was the same as the other interpreter had provided. “He says that even if he knew something, he’d allow you to kill him before he told you anything. But he insists that their leadership doesn’t employ astro-scientists and navigators as low-paid guards. He further states that you must be a fool for expecting him to know anything about the subject.”

  Fair enough.

  I didn’t know anything about intergalactic travel. If our positions had been reversed, my answers would have been identical to the Dreki guard’s replies.

  When Command sent us on a mission to a new planet, we climbed into starship drawers and fell asleep. When we woke up, we were in a different solar system. That was the extent of my knowledge concerning shift physics.

  I believed the lizard.

  I also suspected that he knew nothing about the plans to hunt us down. Why would his commanders give him anything more than he needed to know?

  I spent a few minutes talking to the third muldvarp and then called a meeting with Abrel, Callie, and Mallsin. “Well?” I asked.

  “We’re right where we started,” Abrel said. “Maybe this was a total waste of time.”

  “I think we should move out,” Mallsin said. “If they’re sending backup–”

  “Agreed,” Callie said. “Nothing good comes from sitting here any longer.”

  “Are we keeping the prisoner?” Mallsin asked.

  “I think Command would be happy,” I said. “So, yes. We’ll bring him along.”

  “And the pups?” Abrel asked.

  “Why not?” I said. “I don’t see any danger to it. Maybe they’ll guard us against whatever snatched that purvast during the middle of the night.”

  “Maybe they eat those wasp things, too,” Callie said.

  “Perhaps,” Abrel agreed. “Then it’s settled?”

  “They might be good luck,” Mallsin said.

  “Yes, it’s settled,” I said. “Give a ten-minute notice.”

  A week later we’d traveled about a hundred and fifty kilometers.

  Without a GPS it was difficult to track our progress precisely, but I estimated that of the distance we’d covered on foot, we’d only put about ninety kilometers between us and the place we’d taken the Dreki prisoner. During the weeklong trek, we’d lost one human and three purvasts. One death was from existing injuries, but the other three were the direct result of stupidity: a fall, a scorpion-like creature’s bite, and a purvast who’d walked off in the middle of the night and never came back.

  Whether the fatalities had been idiocy or bad luck was not always easy to determine. But I couldn’t understand why it was so difficult to stay in groups, check bedding for toxic insects, and not lean too far over steep drops looking for nesting birds.

  I created stricter rules for hunting forays in an attempt to keep us from suffering more losses.

  Not that I didn’t understand the desire for a hard-boiled egg.

  The Katashie seemed more resilient moving through what had transformed into a low altitude forest. Even the newborns appeared healthy, and the newly freed slaves seemed in good spirits.

  The four pekasmoks had attached themselves to their trainers, so I officially assigned the responsibility of them to the Katash women. I believe the pets probably saved a few lives. They’d raised the alarm at some point every night; it was apparent various local predators regularly stalked us.

  If the Drekis were going to send more lizards after us, they were taking their time. I suspected the mountain pass was indeed impassable. This apparent fact made their delay logical; we weren’t escaping, merely funneling ourselves to a point where we’d be easy to capture.

  The irony wasn’t lost on me.

  Around the fourth day, it had appeared the Dreki was going to die from its internal injuries. It was listless and seemed disoriented. We bled out small game animals into the beast’s mouth, and it swallowed the blood in spite of being only semiconscious. By the seventh day, the lizard was healthy again.

  We’d been feeding the creature the little rabbit-like animals the muldvarps called konjins, which the pups helped us catch for the group. It preferred the meat raw; the humanoids liked them roasted. It seemed that regardless of what precautions we took, we weren’t going to be hard to find, so I permitted small cooking fires in spite of the risk.

  In addition to refusing cooked meat, the lizard wouldn’t touch fruit.

  The humanoids seemed to do well feeding on the variety of wild fruits and berries we found. The muldvarps, who wouldn’t eat the gamey meat the humans loved, instead ate insects, as well as fruits and seeds.

  Staying hydrated ceased to be an issue as the terrain rose, and as we followed the small stream, the water became purer.

  On the morning of the eighth day, we reached the base of a steep rocky slope. We followed it upward. By the ninth day we reached a point where the incline turned into a steep cliff that rose several hundred meters. The base was filled with little caves and alcoves, which look liked they’d provide secure places for the unarmored to sleep.

  The sun was sinking into the mountains in the distance when I turned to Abrel. “I’m leaning toward setting up a base camp here.”

  “The cliff would at least ensure nothing could come up behind us,” he said. “And it’s only a twenty-minute hike to water.”

  “I’m not sure that continuing to climb gains us anything,” I said. We were ill-equipped to fight back against anything significant, but there was no point in being openly pessimistic.

  I called Callie, Mallsin, and Sergeant Tunning. “We’re going to set up a camp here. Get the squads to create a guard schedule, and tell Kevin to instruct the group to stockpile food. Instruct them to keep the fires small.”

  We fell into a routine that lasted for twenty-one days.

  At approximately noon of the twenty-second day, the Kuznetsov entered communication range and transmitted a burst, which contained unpleasant news.

  <>

  I selected Y and read the following:

  To: (acting) Captain Ford, Avery

  UNSN: AF-98o8-9oo876.rkl

  CIRO: Joint Forces Command Section Balsinitiven

  Captain Ford:

  Command Section Balsinitiven is currently under the command of General Balestain.

  Attached personal communique: <>

  Updated mission:

  Secure a defendable position and verify you are alive within twenty-four hours.

  Command will adjust mission parameters depending upon what assets – if any – you have managed to acquire.

  Be advised: Dreki-Nakahi forces are monitoring ground-to-starship bursts. Prepare to be concurrently attacked and rescued.

  End Message.

  S/Command Section Chief

  Lieutenant Colonel Calenstonial

  I shared the message with my subordinates, including the heads of each squad, and with Kevin.

  After delegating duties, I opened the message from Balestain.

  Avery,

  I have left the comfort of my command position on Talamz because of the importance of the tasks that lie ahead of us. I trust you’re alive and ready for the next phase of our war against the Drekis.

  There has been a general media blackout, so this information may come as a shock to you, but I trust it won’t be much of a surprise. The lizards have launched simultaneous attacks on Purvas and Talamz. My unconfirmed suspicion is that they’re trying to force both populations to evacuate to Earth.

  I further suspect this move is designed to make it easy for them to control the war’s progre
ss.

  My plans for you must be discussed in person.

  I will send for you once you’re safe aboard the Kuznetsov.

  Don’t unnecessarily risk your life.

  S/General Balestain

  Commander CS Balsinitiven

  Kuznetsov: Orbiting System CAT: ODY–277.4883.006

  The revelation wasn’t a shock, although it was unpleasant to hear. I’d hoped our assaults on the outer worlds would keep the reptiles busy. Everyone had optimistically believed that the tri-planets would be spared more wars.

  But looking on human history, such dreams appear silly.

  I didn’t share Balestain’s message. The last line was an indirect order informing me that everyone was expendable except me. I was sure the general understood I’d put my wife and friends on a rescue boat before I boarded, even if ordered to do otherwise.

  But there was no point in putting the thought that I required special treatment in the heads of the rest of my team.

  After consideration, I decided that the humanoids would be safer if the combination of a Dreki assault and a JFUA rescue attempt happened during the day instead of in the dark. I ordered the group to prepare for the event the following morning at one hour past the local dawn.

  I typed my report to Command and saved it for the next day.

  I typed a separate message to Balestain.

  S/General Balestain

  Commander CS Balsinitiven

  Kuznetsov: Orbiting System CAT: ODY–277.4883.006

  General Balestain,

  I was only slightly surprised by the news of your presence above Drekiland.

  As you have seen in my report to Command, I have an unusual mix of aliens and creatures among the group we rescued.

  The muldvarps are of special importance, as you’ve no doubt concluded. I’d like to advocate for an Alpha-Priority status for the Katash aliens as well. There’s something about their presence I can’t put my finger on, but I sense it may be more important than it seems at first glance.

  We’ve captured four animals the Drekis use as guard dogs. While it might seem that they’re a curiosity, I believe they can be put to good use.