Vorpal Blade

by John Ringo

  "TWO-GUN! TWO-GUN!"

  "Say again, Brain!"

  "Allied Grapping SPACE MARINES! Oorah!"

  "All hands! All hands! Prepare for maneuvering. Next stop, 61 Cygni binary system!"

  "Clear the compartment, Space Marines," the first sergeant said. "Lock it down. PFC Bergstresser, if I could have a brief moment of your time . . ."

  24

  "From the Forest Moon of

  61 Cygni Alpha Five"

  Doesn't Scan

  "Stable orbit around 61 Cygni Alpha established."

  "Last stop, sir," Bill said, sighing. "And I don't expect to find much, here. Binary star system with Cygni Beta about a light-year and a half away. Since that right there would suggest not much planetary formation and given that they're both dwarfs . . ."

  "Got to look," the CO said. "I'll be in my office while what's left of planetology does its thing."

  "Well, looky there," Runner said, nodding.

  "What?" Kristopher asked. He was watching the take from the secondary telescope.

  "Two gas giants," Runner replied. "Sending coordinates. Zoom in on the one marked Alpha. I have a feeling."

  "And your feeling is confirmed," Kristopher said after a moment. "Lots of moons. Outer edge of theoretical life zone, though."

  "Yep," Runner said. "But look at the spectra. We've got peaks at four hundred thirty, four hundred eighty, six thirty, and six seventy-five nanometers. All the chlorophyll peaks. It's green everywhere! Zooming in on scope one."

  "Damn, Steve," Kristopher said after a moment. "Now that is the forest moon of Endor."

  "We got us a name for the planet," Runner said, picking up the comm. "Dr. Beach, planetology. We have a live one."

  "Jesus Christ, I refuse to make any predictions anymore," Weaver said, examining the large moon the ship orbited. "What did we overlook? We passed up a couple of binary systems."

  The gas giant the moon circled was a super-massive Jovian, right on the edge of being a red dwarf and, thus, with its own radiated heat. In fact, the "planet" almost argued for the Cygni binary system being some sort of dwarf cluster.

  But the moon was a treasure. The spectral analysis indicated that the biology was Chloro Alpha, the same as Earth and different from the Adar Chloro Bravo. Tectonic with limited but apparently deep oceans, the moon looked not unlike Earth with a bit less water and more land. There were clouds, oceans, mountains, and arid zones. But most of the moon appeared to be covered in massive forests. Of course, so was the Earth before it was cleared.

  It looked, remarkably, as Earth must have looked prior to the late middle ages before humans got to clearing land on a wide scale.

  "It sure looks inviting," the XO said. "Let's just hope it doesn't have any of those damned crabpus."

  "Again, not going to make any predictions, sir," Bill replied. "Nothing is weirder than reality."

  "Conn, Planetology."

  "Go, Planetology," the XO replied.

  "Got something interesting on the ground scope, sir," Runner replied. "Set screen to Scope Four."

  The XO hit the keys and then shook his head.

  "Jackpot."

  Clear on the screen was a city that straddled a river not far from one of the smaller oceans. It wasn't much by modern standards but it had some streets paved with stone and some large buildings. The resolution of the scope was high enough that they could see beings and vehicles, apparently pulled by animals, on the screen but that was about all they could get. There was no detail of the beings moving on the streets except that they appeared to be wearing thick coats.

  "Somebody had better alert Miss Moon that she's up," the XO said. "I need to call the CO."

  "This we have an SOP for," the XO said, setting down a thick manual.

  "I've read it, sir," Bill said. "I actually was on the committee that recommended against using it, but that's besides the point."

  "Why didn't you want to use it?" the CO asked curiously.

  "Mostly because it's too restrictive, sir," Bill replied. "If they'd given just the outline, I wouldn't have an issue. But they tried to imagine anything that could possibly happen and have an SOP response. We've already gone way beyond anything in that manual. Among other things it does not cover tickling a giant crabpus to let the ship go or it would have recommended having explosives on board. Face it, sir, we're going to be the ones writing the manual. I'd suggest going to the section on preindustrial contact, look at the outline and ignore the appendixes. Later, when we've got an idea what we're actually doing, we can write an appendix that isn't the dreamings of some NASA egghead."

  "Preindustrial, preindustrial, N-O . . . ," the XO muttered. "They don't have a chapter on preindustrial contact."

  "Low-tech?" the CO asked.

  "Nope."

  "Savages?" Spectre added. "Barbarians? Slope-heads?"

  "Nothing, sir. Wait! What in the hell is 'developmentally challenged technology?' "

  Bill sighed. "You begin to see my problems with it, sir."

  "The outline has six items," the XO said. "Planetary space survey, cultural analysis, initial ground survey, limited communications contact, primary contact and a chapter on inter-tribal diplomacy."

  "Check out the planet and what you can find of the cultures from space," Bill translated. "Check out the planet on the ground, find some savages cut off from your main contact to sell beads to, then find the main contact and establish communications. Don't get involved in a war. Unless it seems strategically useful to us."

  "Do we have any beads?" the CO asked.

  "Yes, sir," Dr. Beach said. "As well as other cultural exchange items."

  "There's a big warning about cultural contamination," the XO continued. "Do we have a reg on that?"

  "None written," the CO said, glancing at the manual. "That's a supplementary recommendation, not a reg. Commander Weaver?"

  "Somebody's been watching too much TV, sir," Bill said, sighing again. "They don't want us teaching the locals to make gunpowder or whatever. If we make contact, cultural contamination is impossible to avoid. Short-term effects can be devastating to lower-tech cultures, especially very stagnant ones. Long-term effects are usually progress to a level superior to their prior condition, but the PC crowd likes the cultures just the way they are. The noble savage and all that. And the intermediate consequences can be bad: wars, famines, disease. But the life of the average Japanese, today, is a hell of a lot better than under the Meiji. It's a big philosophical argument."

  "We're going to need more guidance," the CO said. "In the meantime, let's get cracking. Drop two satellites in a ball-and-twine orbit and get started on mapping this planet to a fare-thee-well."

  "Yes, sir," Dr. Beach replied.

  "You're aware, sir, that we might have already made contact," Bill interjected. "Depending upon their tech level, they could have telescopes capable of detecting the ship in orbit."

  "Oh," the CO said. "How very . . . glorious."

  "There," Journeyman Agoul said, stepping back. "It's against Sumar. The shadow moving across the Belly."

  "I see it," Master Jadum replied, his hands rubbing together rapidly. "Fascinating! Do my old eyes deceive me, or does it appear to be made of metal?"

  "I believe the same, Master," Agoul said, wrinkling his nose. "It does appear to be made of metal. And I believe I can see some formations on it that are very strange. I hate to even suggest this, but I believe that it may be . . . made."

  "I cannot believe that such a thing could be made without it being heretical," Jadum said, stepping back and working his hands again. He rubbed at his nose, rapidly, then shivered. "I must take this finding to the queen, but if it is a made thing, the priests will be most unhappy."

  "My fears as well, Master," Agoul replied. "Do you wish me to take the word to the Court? Better my head than yours, Master."

  "No," Jadum said, twitching his ears in negation. "I doubt that the queen would allow the priests to kill me simply for finding such a thing. You, on th
e other hand, they might and think nothing of it."

  "There is another question, Master," Agoul said. "Could it be the Demons returning?"

  "I'm sure many will think that," Jadum said. "We can only hope that it is not so. It has been centuries since the last Demon attack. Let us hope it is not they."

  "Or that they bring them, Master."

  "How we doing on comestibles, XO?" the CO asked.

  "We're getting low on water and O2 again," the XO said. "But if we can get down to the planet any time soon, that's not an issue. And we're getting hot. But same thing."

  "Miss Moon?" the CO asked. "Have you completed the cultural survey?"

  "I'm not sure that it'll be done any time soon," Miriam replied. "Probably not in my lifetime. But I've identified several civilizations. I can't get much of an idea of borders, if this society even has those, but there are basically five large civilizations on the planet. Two of them seem to be about the same technology level and might be in contact. But there are large gaps that look undeveloped between them. The other three are separated from those two, and each other, by big oceans. We've gotten some looks at their boats and the COB said he didn't think they could go across oceans. Based on Earth history, I'd say we should contact one of the two groups that is close to each other on the big main continent."

  "After initial survey and limited communications group contact," the XO pointed out.

  "Agreed," the CO said. "Commander Weaver, recommendations on initial survey?"

  "There is a group of islands in the temperate zone of the planet," Bill replied. "One of them is quite extensive and has what appears to be a stable zone near both a river and an ocean. That is on the southeastern tip of the island. While a scan of the island did show some fires on the northern portions, the southeast appears clear of natives. There is one anomaly, though."

  "What's that?" the XO asked.

  "There is a high level of neutrino emission on the planet," Bill said. "And it's concentrated in the 'civilized' areas. But the emissions are all over the place. I'm not sure what's causing it, but it seems as if something down there is a neutrino emitter."

  "Neutrinos are what drive the warp," the CO said, puzzled. "They're only generated by a nuclear reaction normally, right?"

  "Yes, sir," Bill said. "Fission or fusion. We get them from generating mesons out of the boson particle in the cannon. But in nature they're fairly rare and only generated by stars or nuclear reactors. Slippery suckers, too. Until the Adar came along the only detectors we had were massive. But you don't even get this sort of emission with really massive radioactive ores. As I said, sir, I'm not sure what's causing the emissions."

  "But there's no apparent hazard?" the CO asked.

  "It may indicate a high local radioactive background, sir," Bill said, shrugging. "But my guess is that the only way we're going to find out what's causing it is to go down there and find the emitters."

  "Very well," the CO said. "Let's get cracking."

  "I'm going to let Chief Miller handle the brief on this one," the first sergeant said. The reduced company had gathered on level two, missile compartment, at word of a new habitable planet. "Mister Miller?"

  "It's another moon," Miller said. "Pretty much Earth size, gravity a bit higher 'cause it's denser than Earth. Tectonically active, deep oceans. Cold but not frozen solid. Earth standard biology type, so there might even be stuff we can eat, sort of. And it's inhabited."

  "What?" Guppy asked.

  "At ease!" Staff Sergeant Driscoll snapped. "Warrant officer is speaking!"

  Golupski had definitely drawn the short straw on the cruise. Not only had the rest of his team been wiped out but in the reorganization he'd gotten Driscoll, who after all had nothing better to do, as his team leader. The XO's RTO, Charles "Chuckie" Seeley had been brought in to round out what was now Second Bravo.

  The CO had reorganized by combining the remains of First and Second into one platoon, designated Second. The company was based on teams and the only team that had been only partially wiped out was Guppy's when Summerlin and Chandler were eaten by the ship-eating crabpus. All the other teams had lost all three members or been unscathed. Gunny Frandsen had been moved to Ops sergeant, Lieutenant Berisford and Gunny Hocieniec had absorbed the survivors, Alpha Team from First, and the unit moved on.

  But it meant, among other things, that Driscoll was now a team leader and Guppy had to put up with him.

  "Sorry, Staff Sergeant," Guppy said balefully.

  "We don't have much of a read on the inhabitants," Miller continued as if there had been no interruption. "We don't have that resolution. But they're down there. Most of the indicators say that they are very low-tech but there are a large number of strange particle emissions from the planet. They may simply seem low-tech. The command group is working on a plan for survey and contact. That's all I've got."

  "Basically, sit tight, do your missions and wait for the word," Top said. "That's all. Get back to work. Staff Sergeant Driscoll, if I could have a moment of your time . . ."

  "Jacks locked," the COB said.

  "Initial scans show no major life-forms in the area," Tactical reported.

  "Deploy the security team."

  "So how come we always have to be first?" Hattelstad asked.

  "Just lucky," Jaenisch replied as the elevator reached ground level. "Now shut up and watch your sector."

  "Got nothing, so far," Bergstresser said as the trio moved forward from the elevator, weapons swinging from side to side. "Small life-forms. Lots of those. Nothing big."

  "Hold it up for full spectrum scan," Jaenisch said.

  "Security, hold in place," the radio crackled. "We're getting a weird reading from the woodline."

  "It just popped up," the tactical officer said, pointing at the screen. "Neutrino emissions. A lot."

  "Commander Weaver, your input at Tactical please," the CO said.

  "I've got the same thing, sir," Bill replied in a puzzled tone. "And it's a moving emitter. If I didn't know better, I'd say somebody had an active boson. Or maybe a nuclear reactor. But all I'm getting is neutrinos. And I think it's multiple sources. This appears to be the source of those strange neutrino emissions we saw from orbit. Whatever it is. I'd advise holding the security team in place. Other than neutrinos, I'm not getting anything else. And neutrinos aren't hazardous."

  "Very well," the CO said. "Security team. Hold your position."

  "Oh . . . wow," the TACO said a moment later, looking at the picture on the main viewscreen.

  "Now that is . . . odd," the CO admitted.

  "Go figure," Bill replied.

  "Holy Hanna," Jaenisch muttered.

  "What?" Bergstresser asked without turning around. "I'm getting lots of neutrino emissions from your direction and now there's some baryons. What the grapp is it?"

  "Go ahead and take a look," Jaenisch replied. "This you gotta see."

  Flying above the grass was a group of, presumably, locals. They were rotund and either wearing fur coats or covered in fur in a wild variety of colors and patterns. As they approached, Jaenisch confirmed that they were, in fact, covered in fur. The base color was mostly a light brown with darker patches on the shoulders and face but that was only a median. Some of them were nearly white with random spots of black or brown, others were nearly black with patches of lighter patterns.

  Physically they resembled bipedal rodents with long snouts and small ears. Their hands were undersized and tucked in close to their bodies but they had massive hindquarters, possibly designed for hopping.

  He wasn't sure how they "walked" because each of the group was riding something that looked like a broad surfboard, colored brilliant gold, that was jetting along over the ground. They weren't at equal heights, either. Some were just over the grass while others were floating along ten meters over the seed-tops.

  As the group approached the armor-clad Marines it spread out, the riders hefting spears and shaking them at the trio. The spears were simple in the extreme
, nothing more than long sticks with sharpened points.

  "Okay, this is grapping weird," Hattelstad muttered. "Giant crabs I can handle. Giant acid-spitting crabs even. But I'm not real sure about giant spear-wielding, surfer hamsters."

  "Command, Security Team One," Jaenisch said. "Orders?"

  "They're so cute," Miriam squealed as the elevator descended.

  "They're six-foot tall, spear-wielding hamsters," Weaver reminded her. "And just because we have a brief truce doesn't mean they won't fill you full of spears. Please be careful."