Tyroldor phrased his next instructions carefully, using the Imperative mode of address that tolerated no question of the superior giving the order. It was used to send warriors to probable death for clan advantage or honor, when they were not permitted to submit to a superior force. Warriors with breeder level status were assured that their frozen seed would spawn a new generation bearing their genes. A novice simple sacrificed their blood.
“For the Path and clan, submerge all of the dead in the marsh muck for the worms to eat and leave no trace. Return to the transport and go to the edge of the jungle where the shuttle will join you. We will hunt together.”
“I salute our clan.” was the reply. The only sort honor allowed.
Pitda had joined him in the cockpit, and was fingering a shard of bloody rock he had casually pulled from the back of a novice in passing. He deserved an explanation since his high status and honor were equally on the line if this hunt blew up in their faces.
“The hunt ends if humans kill any of our warriors, but it ends only if I confirm that a death has happened. It is an honor agreement formed with humans for a reason I do not understand. But this has been agreed to by the leaders of the Clans controlling Koban.”
Pitda now understood why Tyroldor had stopped the dig for human survivors in the cave. “Tindak must face them alone in the dark. He will kill them all.” Confirming that he understood why his leader could not allow a probable dead warrior to be found in the rubble.
“The Path demands more of our warriors in the marsh?” Pitda asked, proving he had heard the instructions.
“The second in status of those warriors reported that all three humans were dead.” He knew Pitda fully understood what that implied in the chain of command, and he had also heard the instructions given to them.
Ignorance is bliss was a human term for this quandary, not that anyone had asked one.
Kimbo’s honor demanded they complete the hunt, and to prove they deserved a place alongside the Great Clans in the coming war. Humans might prove to be the worthy foe the Path had needed them to find after so many years, despite their puny appearance.
They lifted to fly towards the jungle to hunt there.
****
Sitdok, now the senior in status at the marsh, instructed Motgar to help him submerge the four bodies in the pits where the humans had hidden. “Tyroldor has ordered this for the Path and our clan.”
Motgar had to listen carefully. Her only good ears were on the left side of her now scarred head, and she had reduced hearing in those because of two nearby explosions.
She had largely been below and to the side of the blast that had sent small pellets by the side of her upraised head, tearing through her right ears. They passed over her prone body as they cut down the marsh grass around her. Almost over, she amended mentally, because the ones that didn’t quite miss she had extracted from her posterior with a few talon picks afterwards. The particles were almost as small as the tip of a talon, and she saved them for debriefing.
It was the second explosion that had knocked her down and caused deeper damage on that same side. She wasn’t sure if natural regeneration would restore her hearing on that side, though the ears themselves would surely regrow. The deeper punctures would heal at the surface, and her body should eventually push out the painful fragments. If not she would need to endure their being cut out. It didn’t feel like any organs had been seriously damaged, or at least enough to impair her ability to fight for the rest of the day.
The two of them were halfway back to the truck when Sitdok heard splashing behind them at the three pits. The eels they had seen when charging the humans were probably fighting each other for larger shares.
Replenishing their ammunition from the cases in the transport, Sitdok drove them towards the jungle, while Motgar, whose nose was undamaged, checked the air for fresh human scent while riding in back.
****
In the dome, Jake repeated what the warrior in the marshland had reported. Then the orders they received from the octet leader.
Maggi was confused. “Thad, we’re new here. Explain this to me. The leader hasn’t acknowledged a loss of a warrior in the cave, but Jake heard him radio to a warrior that never answered. Then he called three warriors by name to return to the shuttle. Therefore, if there are four in the shuttle and three in the marsh, one is missing. I thought they were honor bound to halt a hunt if we killed one of them.”
“I may have outsmarted myself at the cave Maggi. I assumed they would dig out any warrior that tripped the explosion. I’m afraid I made it possible for them to pretend they don’t know he’s dead, if they won’t actually look under the rocks.”
Noreen asked, “What do you make of the exchange between the leader and the three in the marsh? They said they killed the three people there, but what he ordered them to do after that seemed odd to me. Why hide the bodies? I thought they left bodies where they fell unless they wanted a trophy to bring back?”
“Noreen, I’ve never been able to listen in on them before, and I sure don’t know their customs. But our immediate problem is that they have abandoned the ridge area, where we wanted them. All of them are headed for the jungle. If I warn the people there it will confirm that someone is actually there, since that’s the only target at the moment.”
Maggi was torn. “I hate to trade Tet and Dillon’s group for the folks in the Jungle, but we need to draw them back, make them think someone is on the ridge to fight. Tet has a lot of traps set but the rats all went somewhere else.”
“Perhaps we can get them back by setting off a couple of explosives,” Noreen suggested.
Thad thought for a moment. “We want them all to go to the ridge to ease the risk to our people in the jungle. That means we have to wait for them all to join up as the leader ordered.”
Maggi noticed Thad’s use of “our people,” for those in the Jungle. Something he had not been saying since they first met him. He had blamed all of the Primes for the loss of his friends.
Intending to get a rendezvous time from Jake, Thad asked aloud, “All of us here want to know how long before the three Krall in the truck will meet with the shuttle near the jungle.”
This was Thad’s first attempt to ask a question that would include everyone with him in on the answer. He was tired of having to repeat things. As usual with the literal AI, they heard more than they expected, but not more than they needed.
“Yes Sir. The shuttle could arrive near the edge of the woods by the dirt road in four minutes if that is where they will meet. The area normally defined as jungle is several miles deeper in from where the first trees start. I must ask you to clarify where the truck is with three Krall in it. I can only detect one truck with two Krall present, and it appears it will reach the woods in eight minutes and twenty seconds at its pr…”
“How many Krall did you say?” interrupted Noreen. She was more familiar with the AI’s precision and long answers.
“There are two Krall in the truck leaving the marshland, I do not detect another…” he was interrupted again.
“Damn!” Thad swore, cutting the reply off. “They left a warrior behind at the marsh. One that’s probably dead. If injured the other two could carry a wounded warrior with them. The leader told them ‘for the Path and clan,’ which sounds somewhat patriotic, like we might say ‘for God and Planet,’ to invoke a sense of duty to our soldiers. He told them to shove the dead into muck and leave no trace.”
“Thad, you’re saying they’re cheating?” asked Maggi. “I thought they had a bizarre honor code that prevented their doing that when they have an agreement.”
“This ass wipe is skirting that code! He can deny that he knew of any deaths of his warriors based on what he has allowed to be seen or broadcast. Nothing fixes a partial failure better than a final victory. He isn’t going to leave anyone alive out there if he can find them. The only way we’ve ever had survivors is when they called off a hunt. They’ll cover the entire area before the day is over
, even if they hunt all night.”
Noreen had an idea. “Can we talk to Telour? Tell him warriors are dead?”
Maggi, more adept at politics than Noreen shook her head. “No. He’ll wait to prove the deaths after the hunt is complete. He doesn’t care about the humans, only that his own plan to improve our fighting skills is working. That will look just as successful no matter when it’s discovered we managed to kill one or two Krall.
“Besides,” she reminded them. “We don’t want Telour to know exactly how we know what’s going on out there, listening to and understanding their radio calls. We are helping our people from here, which for all I know is a violation of some other damned honor code.”
“Here’s a long shot we can try. Tet also gave us control of the remote actuators, so I propose we trigger a few in places where the Krall apparently aren’t going to go anyway. The top of the ridge has some mortars we were saving to draw warriors from the valley to the ridge. The claymores up there were also just to catch them as they took likely routes down to search the terrace caves.”
“Won’t Tet’s team wonder what’s going on when we do that?”
“Maggi, they will figure we are drawing the Krall to the ridge. As we were prepared to do,”
“I think the greater risk,” he added, “is of the Krall leader suspecting a trap. We surprised them in the valley, and that shot Gladys made that accidentally drew them into the marsh might seem like another lure, particularly if we bloodied their maws with weapons they hadn’t expected.”
Noreen had her own mind made up. “Well, it’s what Tet and Dillon planned for, and I know what their decision would be if they thought they could save the people in the jungle.”
“The activation codes can be sent from here. Our friend can use the dome repeater, so it won’t appear to involve the ship. I’ve already used my helmet com to send a warning, so I can take credit for the signals if they detect them. I have immunity anyway.”
“So did the two men you challenged, Thad.” Maggi pointed out. “You can be challenged the same way.”
“Life’s a bitch, and then you die. If I have a hand in killing any more of these bastards I will have had some payback for my other friends. How close is the truck and shuttle now?”
“Sir, the only truck I have detected is about one minute from reaching the shuttle, which has landed next to the dirt track farther from the trees than I first estimated.”
Thad gave Jake instructions on which devices he wanted to use, and in what order. They all watched the monitor screen with the long-range video image. The shuttle could barely be seen beyond some tall brush, but the truck was kicking up dust that drifted in the slight breeze, clearly marking its progress.
As the truck neared the shuttle, the rear hatch started to lift, but none of the warriors appeared at the opening to get out.
“They may just be picking the other two up. I want their attention before they get inside and can’t hear the explosions. The noise has a long distance to travel.”
“Jake,” Noreen ignoring their usual com security for speed. “Trigger the mortar that Thad selected so that it’s firing and impact sound will reach that shuttle just before the truck reaches the shuttle.”
Jake replied immediately. “I have just fired device number nine, the mortar that Colonel Greeves selected as the first one to be used. The time for the launch of the round may arrive at the shuttle location five to six seconds after the truck arrives. The sound of the impact explosion depends on how long the projectile takes to hit the ground and the distance it travels. I will…”
“Stop.” Noreen cut the AI off.
“I never even thought about having the computer do that for me. Thanks. It was almost too late to try.”
Maggi was looking out the window. “I saw a puff of smoke on the ridge top, I think.”
They watched as the truck slid to a stop perhaps fifty feet from the open shuttle, and two figures, moving like typical Krall, rushed towards the craft. They both entered and the hatch began to lower.
“Crap. We were too late. We need to try again when they land nearer to the forest.”
Suddenly the hatch reversed itself, and a warrior could be seen stepping out, looking east in the direction of the Ridge.
“Mortar impact detected,” said Jake.
Maggi pointed out the dome window. “I can see a column of smoke and dirt rising above the trees out there, but I doubt it will rise higher than the ridge top.”
Thad agreed. He told Jake to fire one of the claymores that were aimed up the rock face at a cleft, where they had hoped a warrior might climb down.
Noreen stayed focused on the Krall outside the shuttle, still looking towards the east. As Jake acknowledged he had fired the mine, the Krall instantly darted into the shuttle. In seconds, the dark gray clad octet leader emerged with a warrior, possibly the first one, and both were looking east.
Jake spoke. “I estimate the sound of the mortar impact should have reached the shuttle.”
Simultaneously Noreen shouted, “They ran back into the shuttle and the hatch closed!”
The craft lifted, and immediately sped towards the ridge.
39. Spider and Fly
Tyroldor waited impatiently for the truck to reach the shuttle. He planned to place his warriors along an arc to the south of the thinner part of the forest, to check for a fresh scent trails. Then if they found any, they could follow them into the heavier jungle in the interior, where prey as clever as this one would surely go for cover.
He raised the hatch as the vehicle approached. His eyes immediately saw the discoloration of the side of the head of the female warrior standing in the back of the transport. She was turning her muzzle, properly sniffing the air for human scent, but the right side of her head was not the same as the left. Whatever had prevented his ranking novice from this set had perhaps also damaged her.
He needed to learn what weapons the humans used, but could not permit the inexperienced warriors to tell him anything he must not hear, such as evidence proving how lethal the weapons could be. He may have to debrief each of them alone, to “sacrifice” them if necessary in the coming combat, to retain Kimbo clan’s honor with their silence.
As the transport slid to a halt, the two warriors leaped out while it was still moving, as the urgency of the hunt required. However, Tyroldor’s experienced eyes saw dried blood on multiple small wounds on the driver’s arms, legs, and muzzle, and probably on the torso under the black uniform.
The female had abraded and missing skin on the left side of her head, and had surely lost her ears there. She moved with more caution than expected of a Kimbo novice, and had multiple small wounds on her left side. These were too small to be from explosive pistol or rifle rounds, he thought, but there were many hits, as if from the multi-pellet rounds. These punctures were too spread around to be from those almost useless and ineffective shells.
He used a talon click to start the hatch closing just as the warriors flashed through the opening. He thought he detected a distant thump sound as the hatch lowered, and Sitdok instantly crouched to try to look out under the closing hatch, clearly sensing the same sound.
Pitda said in confirmation, “I sensed a distant explosion. Sitdok did you see the source?”
“It was east but I did not see where.” He answered.
Tyroldor tapped to reopen the hatch, and Pitda stepped out to look to the east. He returned quickly to say he saw a small white cloud rising above the ridge. The octet leader rushed out with him to observe for himself.
The white smoke was dissipating, but his infrared vision told him it was warmer than the surrounding air. He watched for a moment to see if it would repeat, when the sound of a more powerful explosion swept over them. It came long after the original sound and from the same direction as the ridge.
“The humans from the cave may have survived and are making an opening to escape,” suggested Pitda.
“We will see.” Tyroldor raced back to the cockpi
t. “These humans draw us to them. They are not stupid, and they have weapons we did not expect. Like at the cave and in the marsh, this may be to call us to where they want us. We will scout from the air before we land to seek another trap.”
Flying over the ridge, they saw no humans, but a still warm small object was concealed within bushes at ridge top, where they had seen the smoke. Down in the valley, a pillar of dust was drifting in the wind, away from a small crater not far from where the transport had been parked.
Had this been a clumsy effort to destroy their empty transport? It made no sense to Tyroldor for them to have failed, because it was not defended. It had no value anyway.
He could see the collapsed cave was the same as when they left it a short time ago. If humans hiding near the ridge crest were waiting for them with the unknown weapons, he was not going to provide targets. From the dome, Telour could easily see the ridge, and might observe a novice make a Kimbo style sacrifice charge. The humans on the ridge responsible would die before a confirmation ended the hunt, but he knew his reduced octet burned with hatred to kill every human out here.
He spoke to Pitda. “I will land on the other side of the ridge from before. We know in the valley the animals have set traps and led us to them. Take our warriors to form a perimeter around the shuttle, except for Motgar. I need to learn from her the nature of the human weapons before we destroy these animals in the most painful way possible.” He snarled.
Pitda responded with a snarl of his own, and offered a left hand salute, talons extended. He too wanted their prey’s blood drained from many wounds while they still lived.
They scouted the steep side of the ridge from the air, and the evidence that many shuttles had previously landed behind a large boulder was easy to see. The location gave good shelter from the ridge and its terraces.
Koban Page 53
