by G. E. Stills
“I found the queen’s chamber, actually there are two of them with two egg laying queens in each.”
“Damn, two targets. I had hoped they would all be in one.”
“We haven’t found them before because they are underground. One is located here.” He pointed to the location on the map screen he brought up. “The other is here.” He pointed out another location a thousand kilometers distant. More bad news scrolled by on the screen. “Damn,” Marshal said, “There never less than forty bug attendants and drones in the chambers.
Rho’naa closed her eyes and rubbed them with her fingers. Four queens means two thousand eggs per week. We have to destroy all of them. She gazed into the flickering fire lost in thought. The discovery of two different egg-laying locations and their being underground added new complications to an already difficult mission.
One way of attacking is to split the team, but that will mean five people will face forty bugs.
“And you won’t be there to help one team,” Drago supplied.
“I don’t need that reminder. These are my people and I feel responsible for each of them. To make things worse since they are underground, we can’t recon the layout of the chambers ahead of time so we’ll be going in blind.”
“That is unfortunate.”
Rho,naa tightened her lips in frustration. “In using the other option, we risk losing the element of surprise when we attack the second chamber.”
“There is something else to consider, you have four canisters for dispensing the chemical agent. If you attack simultaneously using two teams, you double the time needed to saturate each chamber with it. We do not know how large the chambers are and therefore do not know how long saturation will take.”
“Point taken.”
“I recommend keeping the team together as one unit.”
“I agree, we go as a single unit and attack the chamber under the most populated bug location first.”
For the first time in her brief career, she doubted her leadership ability. Am I making the right decisions? She jolted back to her surroundings when Tylee placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Something is troubling you. Don’t doubt yourself, Rho’naa,” Tylee whispered.
“Damn are my feelings that transparent? That is not a good sign.”
Their hushed conversation continued.
“I don’t think others can see it, but we grew up together. I know you better than almost anyone, certainly better than anyone here. We are close friends, almost sisters, I can see it, sense it in you.”
Rho’naa swallowed hard and fixed her gaze on her friend, but said nothing.
“Provided that chemical cocktail we have to use on the bugs is effective, our mission will be a success.”
“I notice you avoided saying that all of us will survive.”
Tylee shrugged her shoulders. “And you, as well as I, know that the probability not all of us will survive is high. We are military and on a dangerous mission, each of us has accepted that risk. It is almost time for us to go. Be yourself, our leader.”
Rho’naa nodded. “Thank you,” she murmured and crossed the room to Marshal.
“A piece of good news,” he called out. “I just found out that all but seventeen of the eighty-three ships in orbit above, left yesterday.”
“That is good news. All right, team, let’s get the mission done so we can go home. I’ve decided we will take the chambers as one team.” She explained the plan, then they gathered their equipment and assembled in the center of the room. The four members carrying the chemical canisters she placed in the center and the rest of the team circled them facing out. Each member armed themselves. Those with the teleport ability took the hands of those without.
Rho’naa glanced around the circle one last time and made certain each member had their breather in place. “Let’s do this….now.”
She didn’t think she’d ever get used to the momentary queasiness of her stomach and vertigo that surged through her each time she teleported. She didn’t have time to think more about it when seconds later they blipped into being in the bug chamber. She hastily scanned the interior. It was a round cavern about thirty yards in diameter she estimated. The team had materialized near one wall. The bugs were taken by complete surprise, but reacted quickly. The beam weapons of the team lashed out cutting the nearest bugs to pieces. As a unit, her team backed against the nearest wall and shifted into a half circle and prevented the bugs from attacking them from all directions.
She glanced across the chamber at the two large and hideous creatures who faced each other there. This was the first time any human had viewed a queen. Their heads were larger than those of the drones or workers. They had six legs like other bugs, but they appeared to be too small to support their large size. The rear section of the creatures were largest. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat at seeing an egg covered in sticky green slime slide from the bloated abdomen of one of the queens. One section of the cavern was stacked high with eggs.
Two workers carried smaller creatures from the room through a large door. The door slid closed behind them and one of her men reacted quickly welding it closed with his beam weapon. His actions wouldn’t keep reinforcements out of the room for long, but she hoped for long enough.
The members of the team carrying the aerosol dispensers stepped up behind them and began spraying the chemical into the air and in the direction of the queens. When the chemical settled on them, the bugs went mad, charging toward them insanely.
Their beam weapons swept the chamber laying waste to everything they touched and even so, a few of the enemy managed to limp forward to close with them. As the beam from her gun sliced the bug attacking her to pieces, Rho’naa glanced up and in satisfaction saw the hard skeletal structure of all were melting and green blood oozed from them in multiple locations and to her satisfaction this included the queens.
While the two teammates covered him, one man concentrated his fire on the stacked up eggs. Shell after shell cracked then erupted spraying the chamber with their green and yellow contents. She directed her firing to the ceiling above the entrance and smiled as the rock gave way to tumble down and further seal the doorway.
Although her breathing mask muffled and distorted her voice, her order was clear. “Shift…now.”
Madra grabbed her hand and an eye blink later they were in their own cavern. Rho’naa quickly counted heads in the circle seeing that all team members were there and standing.
“Next shift,” she shouted.
They appeared in the second chamber. Fast as the transition had taken place, the bugs were alerted here. A hail of projectiles slammed into them and although they did not penetrate, several of her people were tossed from their feet. Others of the team grabbed them and pulled them along as they backed up to the wall. Bugs scrambled over each other to reach them.
This chamber was similar to the first including the position of the queens. This time the door was open and bugs crowded through the entrance. With her long knife in one hand fending off the bug near her, she aimed at the arch above the door with her pistol. It crumbled sealing the chamber and preventing bug reinforcements. Chemical spray began to fog the chamber.
A bug leg, with its tip as pointed as a sword and hard as iron pierced the chest of the man fighting beside her. Rho’naa severed the bugs head and appendage. The man fell to be dragged away and covered in an avalanche of bugs. A bug leg pierced her thigh sending a surge of pain lancing through her. She sliced through the leg.
A bug leapt from the bodies of its fallen comrades to land on the four team members in the center spraying. The creature was quickly dispatched, but one of the team didn’t get back to his feet. Tylee grabbed the dispenser of the fallen member and aimed the nozzle at the queens. The fine mist coated the bugs nearby and the queens.
Another of her team fell with a bug sword/leg th
rust through her neck. First one then the other chemical dispensers sputtered and died, their contents exhausted.
“Close ranks, gather the dead and wounded and shift,” Rho’naa ordered. She knew her team needed a little time to comply with her orders. She intended to give them that time. “Drago, fight mode,” she screamed mentally.
She holstered her gun, drew her second knife. The pain lancing though her vanished and the familiar surge in strength and speed poured through her. Fast as the bugs moved they appeared to be in slow motion to her heightened senses. She blurred into action becoming the biological killing machine she was trained to be. Her arms and legs became a whirlwind of action. The knives in each of her hands flashed and thrust in a blur of reflected light. Her increased strength allowed her to toss bodies three times her size away as if they were bits of paper.
Bug heads, appendages and other body parts sailed through the fogged air as she twisted, pivoted and leapt among them. Fierce as her opponents were, they drew back in awe for a moment at the raging fury she had become. The body of her fallen comrade became visible. Rho’naa stooped quickly and tossed his body over her head knowing her teammates behind would catch him.
“Living, wounded or dead, no one is left behind,” she growled more to herself than her comrades.
Their awe ended and the insects surged forward once more. They concentrated their attack on this mad animal that had been loosed on them. Rho,naa backed toward the wall her arms moving faster than any human should be capable of. The knives she held flashed in the light and green blood slung from them. From the corners of her eyes she watched members of her team disengage then vanish from the chamber in pairs or trios. She took two more steps back, but instead of feeling cold stone on her back, she bumped into a human body. Arms went around her and Madras muffled voice reached her ears.
“Relax, Rho’naa, we are the last. Everyone else is gone.”
They tumbled backwards under the press of bugs leaping on them. The next instant they were lying on the floor of their cavern behind the waterfall. Rho’naa rolled from on top of Madra and sprang to her feet. She glanced around and seeing no threat, sent a mental order to Drago. “Fight mode off.”
Her tensed muscles relaxed, leaving her with a washed out feeling. The stab wound in her thigh suddenly made itself known, nearly causing her to fall to her knees in pain. She needed rest, but not before she learned the condition of her team. Three of her team lay on the floor unmoving. Tylee and another man knelt over three more. She noted Tylee was holding one arm to her body.
Tylee glanced up at her approach. “How bad?” Rho’naa asked.
“Three dead,” Tylee answered nodding toward the still bodies. Stan is among them. These three are seriously hurt. The rest of us have injuries that are less severe.”
Tylee shifted her gaze to the blood running down her thigh. “Looks as if you need some healing too.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Sure you will. Now be still and stop being so stubborn.” Tylee grinned and smoothed her hand over her thigh. The bleeding stopped and the wound scabbed.
“Your arm?” Rho’naa asked.
“Broken above the elbow, but the wound is healing and the bone is knitting. So did we kill them?”
“I think so, but I don’t know for certain. I wish I could verify.”
“The situation was a little volatile to stay around,” Tylee said.
Madra joined them. “I know a way.”
Rho’naa shifted her attention. “What is your idea?”
“You and I could teleport to the chambers long enough to make certain all there are dead. We would need to go right away though, before the bugs can open the doorways again. I’m willing to risk it, Rho’naa, are you?”
“Tylee, you’re in charge while I’m gone.” She grabbed Madra’s hand. “Let’s go.”
In the first chamber, all were dead. In the second, one bug moved feebly when they arrived. Rho’naa viciously cut its head off before they checked the others. Madra teleported them back to their cave.
“Okay, we know the bug spray works, now we need to see if the queens are indeed the command and control. If they were, then we should be able to see a difference in the way the bugs act.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Rho’naa sat next to Marshal staring at the computer monitor. To their surprise, communication over the net had increased dramatically over the passing days since destroying the queens.
Marshal’s fingers flew over the keyboard as he sifted through the growing number of messages. He stopped on one and read the content. “Bingo,” he said. “That’s why we are getting more traffic here. First, we have confirmation that the queens are indeed dead.” He pointed to one paragraph. “The unexpected bonus is without their presence, mental communication has been severely disrupted.”
He switched to another message. “Look at these instances of erratic behavior. Two of the ships orbiting above have moved to outer parts of the solar system and powered down. They’re just drifting there and don’t respond to messages sent to them. And here, a military convoy headed out into an uninhabited area then the bugs abandoned their vehicles. The individuals headed out on foot in all directions. A number of aerial vehicles have crashed.” He scanned a new message. “There are reported instances of individuals and groups fighting among themselves.”
Rho’naa’s lips spread into a humorless grin. “Things are coming apart. Good.”
More days passed. She thought of the four new graves in the wooded area near the cave. Three of her team had died during the skirmishes, the fourth had expired here in the cave from wounds received. Almost half my team.
“Videos,” Marshal’s voice rang out.
Rho’naa was by his side in seconds.
Cameras monitoring the egg laying chambers had recorded them. “So they know the attacks were made by humans. I’m surprised they aren’t scouring Nest 1 looking for us.”
“The drones have tried,” Marshal said. “But their attempts to form an organized search have failed. Clearly, a critical link in the chain of command is missing. There have even been instances where the soldier bugs turned on the drones and killed them.”
“Looks as if we’ve accomplished our mission. Continue to monitor Marshal and I’ll check with you in a little. I’m going to step outside if you need me.”
“Drago, try to get in touch with the Silencio.”
“Will do.”
Rho’naa strolled from behind the waterfall and sat down on a rock next to the pond.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I contact one of the Silencio’s computers. It may take some time,” the AI said.
“I know.”
Snapping twigs alerted her that someone approached. Her muscles tensed as she readied to burst into action.
“Care if I join you?” Tylee asked.
She relaxed. “Not at all.”
“I’ve been thinking about our time on Sto’kan and how the bugs there never seemed to become disoriented like they have here, even though there was no queen there.”
“I’ve been thinking the same. I have only one answer.”
Tylee’s eyes grew wide. “There has to be queen and we did not find her.”
“Yes and there are thousands of unarmed civilians on Sto’kan rebuilding the planet. They won’t stand a chance if a swarm of bugs attacks.”
“I feel so helpless. We can’t even warn them.”
“I’m arranging for our extraction and as soon as I can, I’ll send a dispatch to Keish’ar. That’s the best we can do.”
Rho’naa stood and hugged Tylee, then the two returned to the cave.
****
Two days passed, the erratic behavior of the bugs continued to increase. Even the most seriously wounded of the team were again mobile because of the abilities of the healers. Rho’naa paced the cave in f
rustration and made frequent trips outside remaining under the cover of trees to prevent observation from the air. Fuckin’ hurry up and wait. The curse soldiers have dealt with through history.
Tylee became her constant companion. Tylee even talked her into a refreshing swim in the pond. Rho’naa broke the water’s surface and swam toward shore. She had to admit swimming had relieved some of her stress even though she knew the condition was temporary.
“I’ve established contact with the Silencio,” Drago said.
Rho’naa finished wading ashore. “Good. Are they ready for my report?”
“Yes, I will relay. Even though it is doubtful the bugs could intercept my communication with the ship’s computer I will encrypt anyway. Go ahead.”
“Have the computer standby, I need to find a place of solitude where I will not be interrupted, because I have a lot to report.”
“I understand and will wait.”
Rho’naa faced Tylee. “I’m in contact with Silencio, I need to be alone without being disturbed while I transmit my report.”
“Go, I’ll make certain you aren’t disturbed,” Tylee said.
With her hair still dripping from her swim and impervious to the fact she was nude, Rho’naa trekked into the forest and sat with her back braced against a tree. She closed her eyes and Drago began relaying her report. When she stood hours later, her hair was dry and her muscles stiff from sitting in one position. As she dressed in the cave, Tylee joined her.
“Well?” she asked.
“I’ve relayed all the information. The Silencio is sending a shuttle to extract us tomorrow.”
“A Shuttle? Is that wise?”
“Risky even with the bugs in disarray, but we need to get off Nest 1. We need to get back to human space so I can send warning to Keish’ar.”
She and Tylee strolled back into the cavern and she told her team to pack up and be ready to depart the next day.
“Marshal, I know you have a huge amount of data you’ve retrieved that we can’t understand. Make certain you bring it along for the experts to study.”
