by S. H. Jucha
Jess continued to regard Homsaff, who added, “Yes, better communications on my part will improve our coordination. Apologies, Captain.”
12: The Hunt
Homsaff paused, listened, and then said, “A trail has been found, Captain.” Then she loped toward the traveler.
“I hope we don’t have to keep up with the Dischnya,” Sam remarked, watching the queen swiftly disappear.
“They can run. We’ll take the traveler,” Jess said.
Phette thought that was funny, but he noted the captain wasn’t smiling.
“Here, Captain,” Hessan said, pointing to a thicket of brush. “See where the smallest branches have been bent or broken.”
If the squad leader hadn’t identified the subtle change in the shrubs, Jess believed he’d never have seen the path. The grass hid the leg strikes in the ground, and the width of the opening was less than a third of a meter.
“We can’t follow the insectoids through there,” Menous declared.
Before anyone else could speak, Phette shot through the opening and was gone.
The team waited the better part of two hours before Phette returned.
“Three grays, one red, and many juveniles,” Phette said, breathing hard from his exertion.
“Where? How far?” Jess asked.
Phette attempted to supply answers to Jess. He drew in the dirt, describing memorable trees and rock piles in detail. After a while, Jess gave up trying to understand how they could follow Phette’s directions. Then he had an idea.
When Sharon lifted, the ramp was down.
Jess sat with his legs over the edge of the ramp. He held Phette in his lap. Sam sat behind Jess and gripped his harness. He’d glanced once at Lucia, who held on to a cargo strap connected to the aft portion of the hull. The look he’d received caused him to grip Jess’s harness with both hands instead of one.
Sharon slowly flew the traveler aft first.
Lucia had positioned herself where she could see Phette, who scanned the ground for familiar landmarks.
Phette signaled changes in directions with his hands, and Lucia relayed port or starboard turns to Sharon.
They overflew the split-trunk tree, the tilted pile of boulders, and the fast-moving stream that Phette had drawn in the dirt.
Finally, Phette raised both hands, and Lucia ordered Sharon to halt.
“Where?” Jess whispered.
“See the rocks, Captain, the five big ones?” Phette replied, pointing.
“Yes,” Jess acknowledged.
“There’s a gap at the bottom. The insectoids have dug a hole,” Phette explained. “I saw adults go in there. Then the young followed.”
“How many juveniles?” Jess asked.
“Moving too fast to count, but many,” Phette replied. “They’re new ones ... small.”
Jess had Sharon, via Lucia, circle the area, while they scanned for signs of other insectoids. They saw none.
With too many trees and boulders in the vicinity, there was no place to set down the traveler. However, Sharon had brought a cargo ship that had been used to assault the domes by way of the shuttle tubes.
The veterans had harnesses, but the Dischnya didn’t. Jess and Lucia set the tripod and line, and the veterans descended the line to the ground.
Choosing not to be left behind, Homsaff directed Sharon over an area of small trees. Then Sharon dropped the shuttle down until she bent the treetops. It left five meters to the ground, and one-by-one the warriors leapt off the ramp.
Jess watched the Dischnya maneuver. They hadn’t bothered to roll on hitting the ground. Their powerful hocked legs absorbed the harsh impact, as if they’d stepped through a hatch after the traveler had landed.
“You will need us, Captain,” Homsaff spoke softly in Jess’s ear. “You heard Phette. He said many young. Your weapons won’t be of any use against them.”
The veterans quietly took up positions to the sides of the opening and waited and waited and waited.
Annoyed at the delay, Lucia signaled Sharon to search for a fire ignition tool. Sharon checked the emergency survival kit, found what Lucia needed, and tossed it off the back of the shuttle into the waiting arms of a warrior.
“A signaling laser,” Lucia whispered to Jess, careful not to make physical contact with him. She needed him focused.
Jess dug through the kit, located the laser, and used it to light dried grass that the Dischnya had gathered. The pile was transferred to the tunnel’s opening, and the warriors fed it. The fanned vests of several warriors were used to blow the smoke into the rocks.
As the first slugs flew out of the hole, the warriors leapt aside. Their tongues hung out of their mouths, as a warrior displayed two holes in his vest. The enemy was engaged, and they couldn’t have been more thrilled.
Juveniles flooded out of the hole first, scrabbling through the smoking pile of grass.
Homsaff’s warning hit home for Jess. The young were too small to hit with darts. The veterans fell back, and the warriors pounced.
As quick as the juveniles were on their multiple legs, the Dischnya were faster. The warriors evaded the snapping pincers and snatched the young by their tails. They snapped the insectoids like whips, breaking their necks. Then they threw them aside.
After the juveniles were dispatched, fanning the smoldering grass proved problematic. The red kept firing the occasional shot through the opening.
The warriors fed the dying embers with more grass. When a blaze caught, they added twigs soaked in water. The smoke turned dark and thick.
Eventually, a gray made an attempt to escape, and Tacnock killed the insectoid. The choking smoke forced the other two grays and the red to rush out for fresh air. All three were woozy from smoke inhalation. They’d remained in the den too long. It enabled the veterans to easily eliminate them.
The Dischnya had their opportunity to identify the different scents of the reds and the grays, which they required.
Jess sat on a boulder and eyed the scene.
“Problem, Jess?” Lucia asked.
“The Norsitchian night raptors, sotters, must have eliminated a lot of young,” Jess replied. “Look at them all,” he added, gesturing toward the scattered juveniles.
“I know we couldn’t have done what the Dischnya did,” Sam remarked. “They were so quick, grabbing the young before they could strike.”
“These juveniles aren’t the females’ first batches. They must be their second, third, or even fourth,” Tacnock commented.
“I wish we knew what the gestation period is for the insectoids,” Lucia added.
“It makes future estimates of our adversaries impossible,” Daktora said. “There are nearly thirty young here. Did they come from one, two, or three of the grays?”
“That was something we failed to ask Velsana at Sylia, when he examined the dead insectoids,” Bortoth said. “Also, it would be helpful if we could externally identify males from females.”
“We’re attempting to eliminate the remaining approximately sixteen thousand adults, and we could have three or four times that number of juveniles approaching fertility age,” Jess lamented.
“Are we saying the battle for Pimbor is lost?” Phette asked, from his perch on a large boulder.
“It’s obvious, Phette, that when the Colony reaches a critical mass that they will be unstoppable by hand weapons,” Jess replied. “So, we hunt the adults in the manner we’ve been using to eliminate the breeders. But we need to find a better way to deal with the entire Colony ... the adults and the juveniles.
* * * * *
Two days after the Dischnya had scented their specimens, Mickey’s engineering teams finished enlarging the landing enclosure.
Jess had considered canceling the extra fencing, but he didn’t want to chance the insectoids discovering their vulnerability and attack. Besides, the juveniles seemed to operate on base instincts — attack, kill, and feed.
Jess spoke with Simlan and Hessan to identify the Toral-expe
rienced warriors. Then he assigned the thirty-one Norsitchian troops with the thirty Dischnya warriors and Homsaff. The other nineteen troops doubled up with the experienced warriors. The Sylian veterans filled in the gaps, focusing on the untested warriors.
Sam and Yousef were also assigned to Homsaff.
“You believe I need three minders, Captain,” Homsaff had said, when the two Omnians and the Norsitchian reported to her. She was indignant at the presumption that her skills were deficient.
“Homsaff, I’ve just met Alex, but I’ve learned that you’re important to your race and to Omnia,” Jess had replied. “If you think I’m going to risk my relationship with him by not taking proper precautions with your life, you’re not thinking straight. If I could spare the individuals, I’d send ten bodies with you.”
Homsaff had chortled at Jess’s explanation. “It’s good to be valued,” she’d said, before marching off to gather her plasma rifle.
There were a few other assignments, which resulted in four individuals to a team. Lucia and Tacnock formed one pair, and Jess and Lizzie were another.
“Captain,” Lizzie greeted Jess. “Sharon is our pilot. Fenero is our warrior, and Chosmous is our Norsitchian trooper.”
“Status of the teams and pilots, Lizzie?” Jess asked.
Lizzie connected to Juliette, who was maintaining the ready list.
“Pilots are in their ships, Captain,” Lizzie reported. “Teams are still forming.”
Tacnock approached Jess. The two clasped forearms and separated without a word.
After Tacnock left, Lucia closed on Jess. She lightly slapped his cheek with her fingers. “Be safe,” she said sternly.
As Lucia walked away, Lizzie regarded Jess with raised eyebrows. “How is it that the closer the two of you get, the scarier she appears to the rest of us?” she asked.
“Must be the effect of my charming personality,” Jess riposted.
“Then turn it off, Captain, before the rest of us run away and hide.”
Jess and Lizzie grinned at each other. The banter eased the tension about the upcoming encounters with the Colony.
Fenero and Chosmous joined Jess and Lizzie. Moments later, Lizzie informed Jess that the teams were ready.
“Let’s go hunting,” Jess ordered.
The entire action, from boarding to landing, was coordinated via comms, implants, and controllers. The alliance personnel had to rely on the Omnians, who possessed the advanced tech.
To locate his ship, Jess was dependent on Lizzie, who knew which traveler Sharon piloted.
Then Esteban and Julien coordinated with Franz and Reiko to spread the travelers along two lines at the edges of the grid. After the teams disembarked, they were led by those with implants, who could manage the progression toward their opposite members on the other line. The plan was to have the two lines cross the grid toward each other.
The one thing the tech couldn’t do was locate the camouflaged insectoids, although the juveniles had yet to adopt the technique to disguise themselves.
Fenero walked slightly ahead of his minders, to give his plasma rifle a clear field of fire. He constantly sniffed the air, often taking a knee to get near the ground. Several times, the squad leader shifted direction, until he issued a barely audible growl.
Hearing Fenero growl, Jess, Lizzie, and Chosmous quietly rechecked their breeches and closed the distance to the Dischnya.
The foursome eased their way through a thicket. When the shrubs gave way to a clearing, they paused and knelt. In front of them, two reds, five grays, and many juveniles were feasting on a forest herbivore. They’d devoured half the carcass and were intent on finishing the rest.
Fenero realized he’d failed to power his weapon after they’d left the traveler. He winced, as he signaled the rifle to energize.
Faces swung Fenero’s way at the sound of the rifle’s initiating hum. The noise alerted the insectoids. The grays scattered, but the reds whirled to collect their weapons, which they’d shed to gorge on the feast.
“Fenero, the reds,” Jess yelled, while he targeted a gray.
Fenero’s second mistake was to forget he’d set his beam too tight, and he only eliminated one red with his first shot.
The second red managed to hoist a slug thrower and sight on Fenero.
Jess tackled the squad leader, hoping the plasma rifle didn’t discharge.
As slugs tore overhead, Lizzie put the red down. “Clear,” she cried out, and Jess scrambled to his feet.
Two reds and two grays had been eliminated, but the other grays had gotten away. Ironically, the small juveniles had ignored the brief fight and were intent on feeding.
Jess helped Fenero to his feet, and said, “Hit the carcass and burn the young.”
Fenero adjusted his beam and turned much of the small clearing, the dead herbivore, and the young insectoids into ash.
“Despite your mistakes, Fenero, you’ve been fortunate to survive an insectoid encounter,” Jess said sternly. “Learn from it. You’ll live longer.”
Before Jess’s team resumed the hunt, they heard the whining sizzle and resulting blast of a plasma rifle off to their right.
“Two grays crossed in front of the team over there,” Lizzie reported, pointing toward the sound they’d heard. “They’re probably two that ran from us.”
Jess and his team skirted the burnt clearing, worked their way through a shallow ravine, and climbed onto a set of huge boulders.
Fenero paused again. He looked around in bewilderment and sniffed the air repeatedly. Then he walked around the top of the boulders, sniffing the spaces between them. Swiftly and quietly, he returned to Jess. He whispered, “They’re in the rocks.”
Jess gazed at the field of heavy stones. The insectoids had chosen a well-protected place to hide. If Fenero tried to shoot down between the boulders from the top, the back blast would likely kill him.
Whispering softly to Fenero, Jess directed him back to the start of the rock field. Then he signaled Lizzie and Chosmous to follow him.
At the far edge of the field, Jess spread his meager forces out. When ready, he hand signaled Lizzie, and she linked with Fenero. They could hear the focused whines and blasts of the plasma rifles, as Fenero sent the white heat flicking between the giant boulders.
By Fenero’s seventh shot, insectoids were streaming out from the far side of the rocks into the fire of Jess’s group. Loopah weapons eliminated five adults and three large juveniles. The rest of the insectoids managed to evade the darts and reach the trees beyond.
At Lizzie’s signal, Fenero ceased firing, worked his way around the cooler rim of the boulder field, and joined the others.
“As many got away as we dispatched,” Chosmous told Fenero, who, up to that point, had been thrilled to see the number of dead.
Early disappointments by the teams about the number of Colony evading them slowly turned around, as the day wore on. Jess’s plan began to have traction.
The insectoids ran from the approach of the teams toward others. Realizing they were caught between two lines of adversaries, who were closing on them, they either tried to hide or slip between the lines. Those caught in the open were often betrayed by the traveler pilots, who watched overhead, or by the sounds of their bodies against brush, which keen ears heard. If the insectoids hid, the Dischnya rarely missed their scents.
When the lines met and the travelers recovered their teams, Jess requested the numbers.
Lizzie reported the insectoid counts first. It had been a good hunt, but teams admitted that there had been a significant number of escapees.
“How about our troops?” Jess asked.
“One Norsitchian trooper and one of the new Dischnya warriors. Slugs ... both of them,” Lizzie replied.
At the compound, Jess huddled around the holo-vid with the SADEs, Lucia, Homsaff, Phette, and some of the other veterans.
“To my mind, the density of insectoids was unexpected,” Jess said.
“That occurred to
us also, Captain,” Esteban said. “We analyzed the latest telemetry, which the fleet has provided. There are vast areas of wetlands, grasslands, streams, lakes, and some large seas. We estimate that slightly more than sixty percent of the surface offers unacceptable hiding places for the insectoids.”
“The Colony is choosing to hide in forests, heavy brush, and rocks” Juliette added. “That’s what created the denser numbers that you encountered, Captain.”
“We had a good day, but we missed significant numbers,” Jess said. “Most of those who got away were juveniles, and many of them were large. We can’t leave the Pims out on the borders. That part of the plan won’t work.”
“Do we continue the hunt?” Homsaff asked.
“Yes,” Jess replied. “The sooner we destroy the adults, the faster we slow the Colony’s population growth.”
“It’s essential that we prioritize our targets,” Tacnock said. “Reds first, grays second, and the largest juveniles next. That will give us more time to find better solutions to Pimbor’s infestation.”
“Agreed,” Lucia added.
“This action might take years,” Sam said.
Jess regarded the faces of those around him. They didn’t think a ready answer to the Colony’s rapid growth in numbers was possible. Jess offered the only hopeful thought that occurred to him. He said, “I’ll be interested in what Renée de Guirnon discovers at Sylia.”
13: Talk to Us
When the Pimbor ground forces prepared for the start of their hunt, Alex had walked Renée to the bay, where her traveler waited. In the corridor, he hugged and then kissed her before she joined the others in the airlock.
Renée, Kasie, Salsinona, Z, and Luther cycled into the Freedom’s bay.
The traveler deposited the group aboard Darius Gaumata’s flagship Trident, the OS Prosecutor. When Renée signaled her readiness, Darius ordered the command to exit the system.
The Tridents and accompanying freighters cleared the system’s gravitational forces, and Z, who had dispersed the star coordinates to the fleet’s controllers, initiated the transit to Sylia.
