Superdreadnought 6

by C H Gideon

  Geroux, Reynolds commed the female. Do you have anything for Serifity while we’re gone?

  I’ve developed a directional beam, she replied. It requires individual targeting at this point. Jiya’s device uses a broadcast system, but that required too much power at this scale. The good news is, if they hit a ship with this beam, it will not only turn off the weapons they’re currently using, it will also load the virus and disable the others.

  She paused. If it works.

  Send the specs to Serifity Defense, Reynolds said. It’s better than nothing, and maybe their folks can get the broadcast working. We have a mission to complete.

  The Gate drive opened a wormhole into the Jeranth system. The Reynolds arrived exactly where predicted. “Nice work, team,” Reynolds told them.

  “No energy signatures,” Jiya reported. “The system appears to be uninhabited.”

  “Taneral’s database said Jeranth Four is a post-inhabited world,” Ria said. “That sounds bad.”

  “It could mean the sentient civilization migrated to the stars,” Maddox said. “Maybe it’s not a very nice place, and they left.” He turned to his console. “I see what appears to be the ruins of cities.” He whistled. “The whole place was inhabited at one point! It’s a carpet of dead buildings.”

  “You aren’t making it sound any better,” Ria complained.

  “And dead cities mean there’s no one to target,” Tactical muttered. “This trip is a drag.”

  “Maybe we’ll find some Terubine raiders to shoot,” Asya comforted the personality. “We’re weapons-free when it comes to them, remember.”

  “Better than nothing,” Tactical grumbled. “If they ever show up.”

  “Shoot them with my authenticator ray first,” Geroux reminded Tactical. “To see if it works.”

  Tactical groaned. “Shooting non-lethal ray guns? What am I, a preschooler?”

  “Enough,” Reynolds said. “You have your orders, Tactical. Geroux, Jiya, Maddox, with me. Taneral, you too, if you wish. Comm, have Takal and Ka’nak meet us at the Pod.”

  Taneral demurred. “I can’t help you find the polybdinum, and Jeranth Four is too cold for me.”

  Do you mind if Rohan joins us? Jiya asked privately. He wants to join a landing party.

  Is he any good on defense? Reynolds asked. I’m not putting my people at risk so your booty call can visit the planet.

  Jiya growled. If “booty call” means what I think, you’ll pay for that, Reynolds! I wouldn’t recommend him if he weren’t competent. I checked his records.

  “Comm,” Reynolds said. “Have a couple maintenance crew meet us at the Pod. Takal might need some help if this civilization was advanced.” He glanced at Jiya. “Get that Rohan fellow. He seemed to have a level head.”

  “Yes, sir,” Comm replied. “And he’s cute, too. Or so I’ve heard. If you’re into Larian males.”

  Jiya’s normally red face flushed even redder.

  “Sometimes, it’s like herding cats,” Reynolds said. “Or children. If I’d wanted to be a father, I’d have adopted.”

  “You kind of did adopt us,” Jiya said, following the AI off the bridge. “And with your vast experience, you shouldn’t be surprised you have to share your guidance. You might want to work on the fatherly tone of voice, though.”

  Reynolds ignored her.

  Takal, Ka’nak, Rohan, and another maintenance worker named Petro met them at the Pod. The team strapped in, and as L’Eliana flew them to the surface, Maddox briefed them.

  “Based on the scans, this planet was inhabited by a highly technological civilization. We don’t know why they left, or if they intended to come back, so we need to use extreme caution. Expect booby traps. Based on my experience of the universe, people don’t leave their stuff unprotected.

  “We’re looking for a material called polybdinum. It’s not a naturally occurring element, but the scientists on Serifity said their ships’ scans of Jeranth, many years ago, indicated a cache of it here.” He indicated a location on their heads-up maps. “We can’t land the Pod there since the buildings are unstable, and there’s no clear space. We don’t want to risk damaging the polybdinum, so we can’t just blast a crater. We’ll land here.” Another location glowed on the maps, and a dotted line indicated a path.

  “Keep helmets on at all times since we have no idea what we’re up against,” Reynolds put in. “I don’t want to lose anyone on what should be an easy in-and-out retrieval.”

  “We’ll have the maintenance bots carry the containment vessels.” Maddox pointed to a series of clear cubes at the rear of the Pod. “Three full vessels should be more than enough polybdinum, but we’ll take as much as we can carry. It’s heavy, so we’ll probably have to make multiple trips. It’s also unstable at room temperature. This part of the planet is quite cold, which is probably the only reason we can find it here.

  “Questions?”

  The landing team members exchanged looks and shook their heads. “Oh, wait, I have one,” Petro said a second later. “Are there any wild animals on this planet?”

  “Good question,” Maddox said. “We have seen life forms in other areas, but none near our target. As I said, it’s cold. Set your life support for extremely cold temperatures.”

  The Pod settled into a large plaza amid towering ruins. Low clouds blocked the sun, making the surface dark and gloomy. Puffs of snow billowed and the stones beneath the Pod melted, then froze again. “Watch your footing,” Reynolds said. “That’s bound to be slick. L’Eliana, stay here and keep watch. The rest of you, let’s go.” He climbed down the ramp and walked out into the plaza.

  Jiya followed Reynolds, while the rest of the team organized the bots. She stepped onto the plaza and her foot slipped on the ice, sending her head over heels. “Wah!” she cried, landing on her rear end. “Damn.” She reached down and activated the friction pads on her boots. “You weren’t kidding about the slippery part. How’d you make it look so easy?”

  Reynolds grinned. “I make everything look easy.” He turned to the hulking ruins as the team assembled. “These folks must have been tiny. Assuming those are windows, each floor is only a meter and a half high.”

  Maddox rubbed his lower back as if anticipating the pain of crouching. “Let’s stay outside as much as possible. Ka’nak, you’re on point. Petro, Rohan, and Jiya will guard our six. Stay alert, people.”

  “Are you sure Ka’nak is the best choice for point?” Jiya asked. “He’s too big to go inside any of these places.”

  “That’ll keep us outside as long as possible,” Maddox replied. “Move out.”

  Ka’nak flexed his knees and strode forward, weapon at the ready. He stepped into the narrow canyon between two tall ruins, almost disappearing into the gloom. Reynolds let him get well ahead before following. “Tell us what you see, Ka’nak.”

  “More of the same,” he replied. “Big buildings, tiny doors. Watch out for the crap in the street since some of these buildings have started crumbling. That one on the right is empty. The one on the left might have been a retail store. Piles of tiny stuff on tiny shelves.”

  As she passed, Jiya peeked through a window into the building he’d indicated. Although she couldn’t read the text, the plaque over the opening looked very much like the sign over a Larian clothier. She couldn’t tell what items were on offer, though, because of a thick layer of frost. Behind the rows of shelves, she saw a flicker of movement.

  “There’s something here!” she called, bringing her weapon around. “Something moved.”

  Rohan and Petro moved beside her. “Petro, keep watch out here. Rohan, you’re with me.” The two of them moved cautiously to the building.

  “Wait!” Maddox called. “Throw something in there first. You don’t want to trip defenses.”

  Rohan picked up a chunk of rubble and chucked it through the opening. “Nothing.”

  “Try again,” Maddox said. “Maybe there’s a delay.”

  Rohan tried again. “Still nothing.�
��

  “You go right, I’ll go left,” Jiya said. “Circle around to the back. This room isn’t deep.”

  The two ducked through the opening. The main room was tall enough to stand upright, barely. They crept through the debris and around the shelves. Light from the openings only extended a few meters inside, so Jiya activated her night vision. Another flicker of movement drew her forward. She placed her feet carefully, making as little noise as possible. Then she grimaced. They’d announced their presence with the rock-throwing, so no point trying to be stealthy. Aiming her weapon directly ahead of her, she leapt around the last shelf.

  “Hah!” she hollered.

  A small, furry creature standing on a fluffy footstool blinked up at her. It looked similar to the rodents they’d seen on Ipian, but this one had thick white fur and big blue eyes.

  “It’s just a squirrel,” she called to Rohan.

  The male stepped out from behind a shelf on the far side of the room. “It’s adorable!” he said, taking a few steps closer. “I had a stuffed toy that looked a lot like that when I was a kid. Aren’t you the cutest thing?” He leaned forward to look at the little creatures.

  “Don’t get too close,” Jiya warned.

  “Aw, he’s not going to hurt me. Maybe he wants something to eat.” Rohan patted down his armor where his pockets would be. “Sorry, little guy, I don’t have anything for you.”

  The rodent stood up. And up. And up. As Jiya watched, horrified, the fluffy footstool uncoiled into a three-meter-long monstrosity. Huge jaws hinged open, revealing massive pointed teeth. It swayed over Rohan for an instant, then dove at his head.

  Rohan screamed.

  Jiya unleashed her blaster into the monster. The stench of singed fur and burned meat overwhelmed the filters in her helmet, but she kept firing. The creature let out a horrible howl and collapsed, taking Rohan to the ground.

  “Rohan! Are you all right?” she gasped.

  “Jiya, what’s happening?” Reynolds’ repeated question finally registered in her brain. Behind her, Ka’nak, Maddox, and the AI burst into the room, plowing down the remaining shelves and reducing them to kindling.

  Rohan moaned and shoved at the bloody corpse lying across his body. While Jiya kept her weapon aimed at the creature’s head, Reynolds and Ka’nak lifted a section of the huge thing off the male’s legs. Maddox dragged Rohan free.

  “Are you hurt?” the general asked. When Rohan didn’t answer, Maddox shook his shoulder gently. “Anything broken?“ Maddox looked up. “Probably just shock. I’ll take him back to the Pod.” He hoisted the male over his shoulder and carried him away.

  “Are you okay?” Reynolds asked Jiya.

  “As much as I can be after watching a footstool try to eat my crewmate.” She kicked the carcass. “Maybe this is why these people left. Furry snow snakes are a nasty way to go.”

  “That little rodent decoy on his head is genius,” Ka’nak said, poking at the thing. “Creepy as hell, but genius.”

  “More likely a lucky adaptation than actual genius,” Reynolds replied as he ushered them out of the building. “Let’s get back to the mission. Jiya’s boyfriend will be fine.”

  Jiya shook her head. “Not my boyfriend,” she said. “Did you hear him scream like a little girl?”

  “To be fair,” Ka’nak replied, “I’d probably scream like a little girl if that happened to me, too.”

  “It wouldn’t happen to you,” Maddox said, rejoining the group. “You were smart enough to be wary of the rodents on Ipian.”

  Ka’nak smiled. “This ain’t my first creepy planet.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ka’nak took Petro and crept ahead of the group, weaving deeper into the canyons. Reynolds and the rest waited, alert for alien predators.

  “Why didn’t our scans pick up that thing?” Jiya wondered, pointing her weapon at the empty building. She’d killed the one, but that didn’t mean there weren’t more.

  “I ran a quick analysis on it and grabbed some samples,” Geroux said, poking her wrist computer. “Something in the fur blocks our scans. Defense mechanism. If this planet was as technologically advanced as we think, the wildlife could have evolved to hide from them.”

  “Send your data back to the ship,” Reynolds said. “A natural cloak that protects from scans like we saw on Lanteral is unheard of in our galaxies, yet we’ve encountered it twice in this one.”

  “There’s probably a common element here that we don’t have,” Takal surmised. “Having two different samples should allow us to isolate it.”

  We’re at the first turn, Ka’nak broadcast to the team. All clear so far. Proceeding.

  Roger, Reynolds replied. Don’t get too far ahead. Move out.

  The team trod cautiously into the city, guiding the bots carrying the containment vessels. They paused at each corner, checking in with Ka’nak and Petro. Maddox and Jiya trailed behind, guarding the rear.

  “Keep an eye out,” Reynolds said. “And Geroux, if there’s any way to unmask that cloaking effect, it would be useful. Now.”

  “Already working on it,” she replied. “But nothing so far.”

  They became more tentative, eyes darting from empty windows to dark shadows. Halfway to their goal, Reynolds called a break. “Ka’nak, what’s the situation?”

  “We’ll have to go in,” Ka’nak replied, pointing at a ruin. “The first building has fairly tall ceilings, like that store where Jiya discovered our furry friend.”

  Reynolds nodded. “Take a load off, Ka’nak. I’ll keep watch.” He clapped the big warrior on the shoulder and stepped in front of him.

  “You know, these buildings were beautiful once upon a time,” Petro commented. She pointed down a side street. “Look at the scrollwork on that cornice. Most of it’s eroded, but there are a few places you can still see the detail.”

  “Cornice? Scrollwork?” Ka’nak scoffed, lounging on the remains of a broken wall. “All I see are dangerous hulks full of potential threats.”

  “You’re such a romantic,” Petro said, shaking her head.

  “Romance doesn’t keep us alive,” he replied.

  “If you’re rested, let’s move out,” Reynolds said. “Ka’nak, Petro, you’re still on point unless your senses are fried. Can you stay frosty?.”

  “Like an ice block,” Ka’nak replied.

  Petro nodded, and the two ducked into the first building. The rest of the team waited while the vanguard explored.

  The doorways are all blocked, Petro called back. We’re going to see if there’s a way through.

  Roger, Reynolds replied. We’re holding at the entrance.

  Lots of paintings left on the walls, Petro commented. These are really lovely, at least the ones that aren’t covered in ice. Ka’nak, watch out for that—

  The signal cut out abruptly. “Ka’nak!” Reynolds called both aloud and through the comm. “Petro! Report!”

  Nothing.

  “Jiya, Maddox, with me,” Reynolds snapped. “The rest of you, stay here and keep guard.” He crouched and crept into the building, moving carefully across the wide and empty room. Maddox and Jiya followed.

  They made their way to a narrow hallway. The floor had fallen through in places. Stay back while I check, Reynolds said. He walked forward, pausing after each step to check his footing. Ice crackled, and the floor groaned under his weight. At the end, he peeked around the corner, then waved the other two.

  Hold here. Reynolds continued. Three doors. Two are blocked, so I guess they took the third. Let’s move.

  Maddox assumed a defensive position. Jiya and Reynolds stood on either side of the door. At a nod from Reynolds, Jiya reached out and squeezed the handle, then pushed on the door. It swung inward, and Reynolds darted a look inside.

  Ka’nak and Petro lay on the floor, and a lacy gray substance covered them completely. Reynolds stepped forward, but Jiya yanked him back.

  “Look at the floor,” she hissed. The entire surface was covered in the gray
lace, and as they watched, it expanded toward Reynolds’ foot. He leapt back.

  “Takal, Geroux, get up here!” Reynolds called. “Ka’nak! Petro! Can you hear me?”

  The two squirmed on the floor, muted noises coming from their speakers. As they struggled, the lacy stuff oozed and thickened over them.

  Jiya blasted the gunk near the door, putting a crater in the thick floor. The gray stuff spread around the hole and filled it. Then she tried her laser. The lace seemed to absorb the beam. She set her weapon to “flame” and unleashed a blast on the floor near the door. The carpet of freaky gray substance crumbled to ash, then more grew toward them at twice the speed. “Shit!”

  “What’s attracting it?” Reynolds stuck his hand into the room, but the stuff kept crawling toward his foot. He lowered his hand gradually, watching the lace. Even with his hand only a few centimeters above the floor, the creeping stuff continued moving toward his foot.

  “Not heat, then,” Takal said, still breathing hard from the run. “Maybe the vibrations of feet hitting the floor?”

  “But I haven’t moved my foot,” Reynolds said. “And it’s still coming.”

  Geroux skidded to a stop beside Reynolds. “Maybe the vibration gives it a location, then it keeps crawling until it gets there?” she suggested. “Try fire.”

  Jiya burned a trail from the door hallway to their captive comrades, but the gunk filled the gap as soon as she shut off the flames. “Not getting in that way.”

  “The good news is, it doesn’t seem to be able to penetrate their armor,” Geroux said, watching her wrist comp. “The bad news is, it’s covered their speakers and somehow impacted their ability to communicate via the comm.” She tapped her temple.

  “We need flying suits,” Jiya said. “Like that Iron Man guy. I could just swoop over there, burn them free, and yank them into the air. Or at least, I could if the ceiling were taller.”

  After she thought for a moment, Jiya tossed a rope over a light fixture and fed the free end down into the stuff. It surged around the cable, crawling upward. “It’s like an unstoppable fungus.” She blasted the rope, burning the gunk away. It filled in but didn’t crawl upward.