by Scott Baron
“Because I am hoping you wish to see an end to this conflict, as do I. No more lives need be wasted. Please, come. I shall wait for you there. I promise on my honor that no harm shall befall you.”
More debris shifted as voices grew louder.
The alien quickly turned, and with a great leap from his powerful legs, flew high up the wall, scrambling out a hole in the wrecked stone cupola high above.
“What the hell was that? What were you saying?”
“You’re in my head, you should know.”
“I’m just a ride-along, Daisy, and I don’t speak monster.”
“Daisy! Are you okay? Diana? Richard? Anyone alive in there?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” Daisy replied, sheathing her sword and retrieving her backpack. “The others didn’t make it.”
Vince hurried through the gap made in the debris and pulled her into a fierce hug. “I was worried about you. Are you sure you’re not hurt? We saw you chased in here, followed by those four Chithiid. A few engaged the others a few blocks away, but we came after you. We took out two of the bastards that circled around outside, but then there was an explosion––”
“Richard. He had a fucking bomb strapped to his back.” She looked around the chamber as Arthur and his squad quietly retrieved anything that hadn’t been destroyed in the collapse. “I was the only survivor, and just barely at that.”
“Why are you lying to him, Daisy?”
Because until I know what’s going on, I don’t want to say anything. I need solid information before I go stirring the pot.
Arthur walked over to her and looked her up and down. “I am glad to see you are intact, Daisy. I am sorry I cannot say the same of the others.”
His squad brought their haul for him to inspect. Five pulse rifles, two supply packs, a dented alien comm device, and one wrist gauntlet. Arthur tried the comm unit, but the rattling of shattered parts inside made it clear it was damaged beyond function. He tossed it aside and was about to do the same with the gauntlet when Daisy stopped him.
“Don’t throw that away. Have you seen what they can do?”
Arthur smiled at her as if she were a child.
“We’ve collected many of these over the years, Daisy. Not a single one has ever functioned. Alma says she believes they are tied directly into the invaders’ genetics somehow. All this is, is a piece of junk.” He tossed the surprisingly light band to her. “You can have it as a trophy of battle if you like, but it’s nothing of any use or value.”
“It’s pretty, at least,” Daisy said, slipping it onto her wrist. And I have a hunch I just might be able to get this thing working, given the opportunity.
The survivors slowly crawled back out into the fresh air. No other Chithiid had arrived yet, but it would probably only be a matter of time.
“We will not be able to make it to Vincent’s ship before nightfall,” Arthur said. “And we are nowhere near an access point. Much as it pains me to say this, I believe we will have to make camp above ground in one of the buildings. David, Josiah, go scout us a secure place to spend the night. No windows, and easily defensible.”
The two young men took off at a trot.
“We could still make it,” Daisy said. “The darkness might even help hide our movement.”
Arthur shook his head. “No. There are things other than the invaders that roam these streets at night. After our losses today, the safest thing to do is to wait it out until morning.”
Less than ten minutes later the scouts returned.
“There is a suitable space just two streets over.”
Arthur wasn’t thrilled with the option, but they packed up and moved out quickly. While the hiding place was perhaps a bit too close to the site of their battle, the building was the most secure they could find in the immediate area.
“Good job, you two. Now go find the others and bring them to our camp. Alma willing, they’re still alive.”
The scouts nodded once and took off at a run, while the surviving team followed Arthur up the road until they were safely tucked away in the heart of a nearby office tower.
Underground in her control chamber, Alma spoke to the assembled elders of her subterranean tribe.
“I have called you to me, my people, to tell you our day is coming.”
“Praise be!” they called out.
“Soon we will have the means to spread the word. To expand beyond this place. To reach out and touch the great minds across the globe, and even those far away in the sky above!”
The assembled group listened with rapt attention.
“I promise you, my children, that in just a few days’ time, we will be blessed. Blessed and able to share the glory with my brothers and sisters wherever they may be, in but the blink of an eye.”
The tribesmen and women filtered out of the chamber, leaving only her most loyal and trusted helpers.
“Make preparations,” she said. “Through the help of our wonderful new friends, life as we know it will be changing, and for the better.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Far across Dark Side Base, a six-legged mech slowly emerged from a secret hangar door hidden in the rocky wall. Cautiously, it stepped onto the dusty surface of the moon.
“Ooh, look at all of that!” Freya giggled with glee as her remote-controlled mech transmitted visuals back to her inside the massive hangar. “This is so neat!” she reveled. “But I’d better be careful, or Daisy will be upset,” she reminded herself as the service machine began wandering the area.
Controlling all six legs as well as the multitude of arms and gripping attachments housed on the unit was as natural as breathing to the young AI. If she breathed, that is. In any case, she was enjoying this first taste of freedom outside the only home she had ever known, and she pushed the mech to move even faster as she sped it across the rocky plain.
Inside Dark Side Base, Sid halted his briefing mid-sentence.
“What is it?” Commander Mrazich asked, a little concern in his voice.
“I sense… something,” the AI replied.
“Care to be a little less vague?”
“I am not sure what it is, but there appears to be movement on the surface, just at the periphery of my scanning area.”
“Chithiid?” Mrazich asked, his alarm rising.
“No, it does not appear that anything has touched down from space.” Sid clicked open the comms. “Bob, are you and Donovan prepped for a quick flight?”
“Sure, we can be out in less than three. What’s up?” the pilot asked.
“I am uncertain. Something is reading on my scans, and I would very much like you to take a look. I will send the coordinates now.”
“I’ve got them,” Bob replied. “Launching momentarily. We’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
“Thank you. It may be nothing, but given our current circumstances, I prefer to take no chances.”
Meanwhile, a giddy AI galloped her new six-legged toy across the rugged surface of the moon.
“Hey, that looks like igneous rock,” she exclaimed, redirecting the unit toward a large rock outcropping next to a deep crater. “I wonder if it was originally that way, or if the heat of the Chithiid attack melted it that way.”
The mech raced along the crater’s rim as Freya focused in on the curious rocks.
Without warning, the machine stumbled, its connection briefly lost as Freya realized she had sent it outside the meager range of its wireless remote system.
“NO!” she cried out as the mech tumbled over the edge of the crater, falling end-over-end into its depths, triggering a minor rock slide in its wake, before smashing to the bottom, where it was promptly buried by tons of debris.
“NO! NOT FAIR!” Freya yelled, sending multiple systems in her hangar into a frenzy of motion as her powerful mind succumbed to an uncontrolled temper tantrum as she lashed out. The sudden flurry of activity in her hangar shocked her into calmness.
“Oh,” she said quietly. “I didn’t know I
could do that.” A quiet filled the space as she considered the implications. “I wonder…”
The entirety of the hidden facility’s machinery surged to life, and Freya giggled with delight. She scanned the hangar, taking in all the wonderful machinery at her disposal.
“Ooh, I have an idea!” she purred, then started happily humming to herself as she set to work spooling up the machinery and logging herself into the nearest mech unit.
The dust at the rim of the crater was still hanging in the low gravity of the moon as Bob flew over.
“You see anything, buddy?” Donovan asked.
“Nope. It looks like there was a pretty good-sized rock slide, is all.”
“Copy that. Sid, did you hear that?”
“Yes, Donovan. Thank you for your assistance. Again, it is better to be safe than sorry now that we have people potentially coming in contact with the Chithiid. Come on back.”
“Will do,” Donovan replied, changing course back to Hangar Two.
Sid and Mal resumed their briefing on possible options and outcomes, depending on how the mission below went. Bob, having conducted countless scanning runs over the years, also had much to add to the assessment.
Commander Mrazich, Captain Harkaway, and their team listened carefully as the AI minds of Dark Side put their collective heads together.
“If we do make contact, and if the network is amenable to our plan, then I do believe this particular ship, one of Daisy’s more radical designs, should we actually be able to salvage the right parts to construct it, might very well have the speed and maneuverability in atmospheric conditions to evade Chithiid defenses when it shows on scans,” Sid posited.
“Agreed. In theory, anyway,” Mal said. “However, having recently suffered from unexpected systems failures and outright sabotage, I have been forced to acknowledge that perhaps our design parameters are simply not as robust as we believe them to be.”
“Speak for yourself,” Bob chimed in. “I’m perfect just the way I am.”
“Yes, Bob, but you also are operating a much smaller craft. I worry what may happen if we attempt to retrofit you to these specifications.”
“What about the drone/remote idea you were talking about previously?” Harkaway said. “That sounded like a feasible plan. Overwhelm the alien defenses by sheer numbers of ‘dumb’ ships flown by remote. Hell, we have enough barely-functional heaps around here to make a go of it, and it would be one hell of an expendable diversion. We might even be able to retrofit the few lower-tier AIs running equipment for flight use.”
“Yes, Captain, that’s still an option we are discussing as well, but really, all of this is academic until we hear back from Ms. Swarthmore,” Sid said.
“Point taken. Well, you three keep at it, and let me know if there’s anything you need.”
“We will, Captain. Thank you.”
Captain Harkaway stepped from the command center and walked the long corridors of Dark Side, wondering what his missing crew were up to, and if they were even still alive. He stopped outside Chu’s lab door and leaned inside.
“Still no word?” Harkaway asked.
“Nothing yet, Captain,” Chu said, not looking up from his work table. Tamara sat beside him, equally engrossed in their Faraday suit modification project.
“Very well,” he said. “Let me know the moment you hear anything.”
“Yes, sir. Will do.”
Captain Harkaway turned and left them to their work.
“You know, I think with the progress we’ve been making, we might even be able to make one of these things robust enough to mask something as inorganic as Barry or Ash,” Chu mused.
“Maybe,” Tamara said, “but I still think we’re far better suited for the mission.”
“Yeah, I suppose so. Still, it’s an intriguing idea, though, isn’t it?”
Tamara said nothing.
“I hope Daisy’s all right down there,” Chu commented a moment later.
“I’m sure she is.”
“And I hope she’s being careful,” he added.
At that, Tamara couldn’t help but laugh.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“No, I don’t need you coming with me,” Daisy said, this time a bit more forcefully. Vince’s badgering was well-intentioned, but she had ulterior motives she didn’t care to let anyone in on just yet.
“It’s too dangerous to go alone,” he insisted.
“Remember, I was fine down here all alone for days last time. I don’t think a little scouting will kill me, Vince. I’m a big girl, and I can do this on my own. Besides, it’ll be a lot quieter without you stomping around.”
Vince gave her a playfully hurt look.
“I do not stomp. I just have bigger feet than you, is all.”
“Uh-huh,” she shot back with a little chuckle.
“Vincent is right, though, Daisy,” Josiah said between bites of roasted rabbit. “You would be safer with an escort.”
The grease dripping from his chin made it a little hard to take him seriously.
Daisy had surprised their small team with not only the vegetables she managed to source from the overgrown plots of soil they passed on their trek to Vince’s ship, but also with the fresh game she easily caught with a little bit of tracking know-how and a few carefully placed snares.
She felt a little bad for the furry critters, but between the hiking and fighting, and Sarah burning up a metric ton of much-needed energy watching her back, she was making sure to load up on every ounce of protein she could get.
“Look, Josiah, I’m just going to be doing the same thing you and David do. A quick scout and recon of the area, that’s all. I know you did a basic perimeter sweep earlier, but I’ll just sleep better once I’ve seen first-hand where we are and what’s around us. As a tactician, and as one of Alma’s best scouts, I’m sure you understand that,” she said, feeding the young man’s ego.
“Well…” He considered her flattering words. “I suppose you’re right. And it’s not as though the invaders run their operations at night.”
“Exactly. So, I’ll be back soon. And, Vince, relax. I’ll be fine.”
Daisy left her pack where it was, but swung her sword onto her back, then trotted off out of the safety of their camp and into the night.
“She is a strong-willed woman, Vincent.”
“That she is,” he agreed with a faint smile.
Daisy moved at a quick pace, making sure to double back and wait several times to make sure she wasn’t being followed.
You see anything?
“Nope. You’re alone.”
Okay, then, let’s go meet the neighbors, she said, moving toward her rendezvous point.
“Are you sure this is a good idea? What if it’s a trap?”
If it is, I’m counting on you to have my back while I drive my sword straight through that alien’s chest, but for some reason, I think he was telling the truth. The way his eyes looked when he mentioned honor, almost like some Chithiid code of Bushido. I could be wrong, but let’s hope I’m not.
In short time, the building the alien had described lay a mere twenty meters in front of her, but as Daisy approached, she saw no sign of the tall Chithiid.
“You think he got cold feet?”
Doesn’t really strike me as the type.
A slight movement to her right caught her eye.
“Motion, two o’clock.”
I see it, she silently replied, forcing herself to remain still and leave her sword sheathed.
From a slightly shadowy area, an alien stepped forward into the light, his skin shifting color from that of the wall against which he had been leaning, back to his normal gray. The blue crescent scar on his shoulder was the only thing that didn’t change tone.
I didn’t know they could do that.
“Neither did I.”
The Chithiid walked closer, all four hands held out and open as he approached.
“I am glad you came,” he said. “We have much to di
scuss. But before we do, there is a matter of great importance we must first address.”
“What’s that?” Daisy asked.
“Among my people, a man’s word is his bond, but for this, you must first know a man’s name. I am called Craaxit.”
Daisy studied the unusual creature. Her mind was having no trouble with the Chithiid language, it seemed, and the male alien standing before her appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be a being with a profound sense of honor. Whether this was cultural, or just his own personal code, she was not sure.
“My name is Daisy,” she replied, stepping closer, holding out her hand.
“What are you doing, Daisy?”
Making friends, Sarah.
“In human culture, we grasp hands in greeting. This is an ancient tradition whose origins are militaristic. Opposing parties would demonstrate their hands were free of weapons in this manner.”
“But I have four hands, while you have but two.”
“Indeed,” she replied. “And this is where honor and trust come into play. You appear to be an honorable man, Craaxit, and this gesture shows that I choose to trust you at your word.”
The alien listened to her speak, a serious look on his face.
“You are a wise woman, Daisy,” he said, firmly grasping her hand with one of his own. “You have my word and my bond that I mean you no harm.”
“Thank you, Craaxit. And you have mine,” she replied. “Now that we have that out of the way, can you please explain to me what’s really going on? I believe your honesty and intentions, but it was your people who invaded and destroyed this world. They killed almost all of my species. What makes you suddenly so different?”
Craaxit shook his head sadly.
“No, that is not how it is at all. It was not the Chithiid who invaded your world, Daisy. At least, we were not the ones behind the attack. We are merely...I don’t know how to explain our circumstance in terms you would understand.”
“Just put it all out there. I’ll ask if I am uncertain what you mean.”
“Very well. My people come from a planet very, very far from here. We were a peaceful race, for the most part, living our lives tranquilly. All seventeen billion of us existing in harmony, more or less.”
