by Craig Allen
~~~
Cody awoke the next morning to the sun, only to have it blotted out suddenly. The flying form reminded him of one of the bat creatures. He reached for his pistol, but as the creature dropped in altitude, he breathed a sigh of relief. The flier circled a few times and landed on one of the saddle rocks. Four other fliers hovered for a second, flapping gently before landing. Each then dropped from the rock, holding its wings out to glide down.
Everyone else was already up as the fliers glided in. The beetles had spread themselves all over the camp, covering the surrounding rocks, mostly around Deveau. He reached for them, and the beetles piled up on top of each other to touch his hand. “Guess they like me.”
“Lucky you,” Bodin said.
One of the fliers stepped forward. Its central limb reached out from its chest, holding open its circular hand. Cody stared, unsure what the creature meant. Finally, it dawned on him. He pulled out the viewer they’d handed to him the day before. The creature took it, placed it on the ground, and tapped out a message.
We will go with the rising sun on the right. It is far for you but we will make it. Ready?
“We will be soon,” Sonja said. “We’ll get chow first. Do you have an approximate distance?
The creature scribbled something and showed them.
Along the hill edge away from here staying in the valley. Far for you but not us.
“Gunny,” Bodin said. “I’m having trouble figuring out their poetry. Should we just use the skeeters?”
“When we get in the general area,” Sonja said. “Stay frosty. They’ll likely do patrols.”
The creature scribbled on the viewer.
No one goes there only those taken and no one leaves so they expect only those brought and allies who should not be. We don’t know why.
“‘Allies who should not be.’” Anne snorted. “What does that mean?”
No one helps them. They only take yet other peoples work with the threateners ever since new Provider.
“‘Threateners’ are the toad guys, right?” Deveau asked.
The flying creature just stared at him.
“The ones you showed us in the recording?”
It nodded.
“Who is this Provider?” Cody asked. “Is he a leader of these threateners?”
Another nod, and then it tapped out a message.
Eight seasons of cold since old provider taken by new provider who unites different peoples.
“Eight of their years,” Deveau said. “That’s how many standard years.”
Cody did the calculations in his suit. “Ten.”
“About the time the Kali disappeared.” Sonja frowned. “Christ, I hate mysteries.”
~~~
Cody decided that much of military standard operating procedure consisted of walking from one place to another.
After a quick breakfast, they broke camp and began their hike. They maintained the two-column, staggered formation they had used since leaving the hopper on the beach. The sun warmed Cody’s skin through his helmet even though his suit maintained a comfortable internal temperature. The flora had sprung up once more, but disappeared into the ground when the group came too close. When they passed a bush, it suddenly wouldn’t be there anymore. The beetles resumed their complex formations, circling the perimeter and sending patrols out farther than before.
The group walked for miles without saying a word before Cody broke the silence. “Do you think the Kali is still there?”
“Probably,” Deveau said. “If they have the Kali, we could be in trouble.”
“Why?” Sonja asked. “What could they do with it?”
“The Kali was meant to be in deep space for years,” Deveau said. “She has automated factories on board. If they were still operational—”
“No way they could figure them out,” Bodin said. “Advanced tech for these guys would be bows and arrows.”
Deveau glared at Bodin for a moment before continuing. “They could if they were taught how.” He manipulated the controls on his wrist. After a few seconds, a file downloaded to Cody’s system, and he pulled it up. It was a schematic of a spaceship.
“The Kali’s automated factories were designed to use raw materials to build complex components.” A large chunk of the schematic lit up. “About one third of the ship was devoted to this function.”
“Why do that?” Cody asked.
“As I said, the Kali was meant to function independently for years,” Deveau said. “It was one of five ships scouting for the Spican’s true home world.” He chuckled. “Once we figured out the Spicans weren’t actually from Spica, we backtracked from there to find their real home. We narrowed it down to twenty-two possible systems.”
Cody turned off the schematic and continued to listen.
“Five ships, including the Kali, searched these systems. All four ships returned, except for the Kali. The last we heard from them was a buoy equipped with a small Daedalus drive. It reached charted space a month after Kali’s last known check in. That buoy contained the coordinates of the Spican’s true home world. If the factory on the Kali is still operational, and the locals know how to use them, then they may have better weapons than we have right now.”
“You sure know a lot about the Kali,” Anne said. “Why is that?”
Deveau eyed her for a moment, saying nothing. She held his gaze firmly.
“Yeah, let’s talk about that.” Sonja walked toward Deveau. “You don’t act like a corporal. When Bodin tells you what to do, you look like…” She wrinkled her forehead. “You act like an officer when I tell him his plan’s going to get everyone killed.”
Bodin stood next to Deveau, glaring at him. Deveau locked his gaze with Bodin’s. After a moment, Bodin smiled. “You ain’t no corporal, are you?”
Deveau remained focused on Bodin for a moment then shook his head. “Commander Wallace knew. Some civilians in UEGov wanted it kept quiet. UEAF wasn’t happy about it, but they didn’t have much choice.”
“Choice about what?” Sonja asked.
“This mission was a cover,” Deveau said. “Oh, we suspected there were Spicans here. But the secret part of our mission was the Kali. Information, to which I am not privy, had surfaced regarding its possible location.”
“You knew?” Cody asked. “Why not just say so? Why cover it up?”
Deveau eyed him. “The Kali had access to other sensitive information. It’s a military vessel, after all. Once said information was contained, then we’d release the location of the Kali.”
“So, who are you really?” Bodin asked.
“My name really is Deveau, but I’m a major, not a corporal.”
Everyone was silent for a good minute. If he felt guilt or apprehension, Deveau—Major Deveau—didn’t show it.
“Biggest field promotion I ever heard of,” Bodin said. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”
“If we were rescued, then the mission could be continued,” he said. “I needed proof the Kali was here first.” He held up the orange globe from the Kali. “When we found the black box, I knew the mission was still on.” He shrugged. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment. I suppose I should have said something yesterday.”
“Goddamn right, you should have.” Bodin took a step toward Deveau. He was only inches away. “Are you even a marine?”
The beetles reacted immediately. They gathered around Deveau’s feet, all pointing their central claw at Bodin. Collectively, they made a vibrating noise, not unlike a growl.
Everyone, even Bodin, took a step back. No one looked more surprised than Deveau. He knelt, reaching for them. “Easy.”
The beetles backed away from Bodin.
“Little help from your friends, Major?” Bodin said. “You still should have told us sooner.”
“It wouldn’t have changed anything if I had,” Deveau said. “Whether you knew or not, the plan was the same. We need to get to the Kali to see if her transmitter is up and running. If so, then we retrieve what data we can
and send a signal to the bridge-sat. Then if the factory is functional, we destroy the Kali. If not, we retrieve data and destroy the Kali anyway.”
“What sort of data?” Anne asked, then added, “sir.”
“Potentially sensitive information regarding the Spicans.” Deveau held up his hands. “I know, a state of peace exists between our governments, but we want to know more about them in case they get twitchy again. They went from genocidal to complete grief over the billions of humans they slaughtered. If they have another mood swing, we want to be ready this time.”
“You want to spy on our allies?” Cody asked.
Deveau glared at Cody again. “We want to be cautious, Doctor. We don’t want another war, even if we could win it. But just in case, we need to be prepared.”
Sonja kept shaking her head as she spoke. “I understand, Major. But Bodin’s right. You should have told us.”
“I’m telling you now,” Deveau said. “I was under orders to keep it quiet until absolutely necessary. I didn’t agree with those orders, but you know as well as I, we don’t get to pick and choose which orders to follow.” Deveau turned to Bodin. “And to answer your question, Sergeant—yes, I am a marine.”
Bodin returned Deveau’s glare. Neither backed down until Sonja spoke. “So you want to take command, Major?”
Deveau stared at her a moment before answering. “By regulation, I’m already in command now that I’ve identified myself.” He took a deep breath. “But what I don’t want to do is micromanage. My main concern is the Kali.” He shrugged. “Besides, you’ve got things well in hand.”
“Fair enough, Major.” Sonja checked her rifle. “Let’s get to it.” She turned and left, followed by Anne and Bodin. Deveau stared at the beetles at his feet. They stood with their clawed stalks straight in the air. In unison, they curled their top arms into a salute. Deveau nodded, and they moved out, continuing their complex perimeter sweeps.
Chapter Seven
Cody stood next to Sonja as they stared across the rise in front of them. She, like all of them, seemed little more than a shimmer in the air while their camo fields were active, but the suits still kept track of their locations on the HUD. It didn’t fool the beetles, but he hoped it would hide them from any other locals who kept their distance.
The ridge on which they sat was a good five hundred meters up, higher than the surrounding hills. It gave them a great vantage point. With his HUD, Cody zoomed in on the landscape. A hill to the south had a cliff on the side that faced the village. He could make out the toad-like creatures in addition to several others. Behemoths, ridden by the same mantis creatures as before, stood along the cliff. A smaller hill, maybe fifty meters high, sat on the west side between the group and the village. A grove of satellite-dish trees stood a hundred meters east of the village.
To the north of the village was a hill unlike any of the other hills. It seemed darker than the surrounding reddish-colored landscape and was almost black in places. The rectangular structure appeared to have sunk into the ground on one side. A small opening rested at the base of the rectangular hill. The village itself also had a hillside on its west and a large cliff on its south. Only the east side of the village was wide open.
Large pits littered the center of the encampment. Toads drove creatures, including many of the blob-like creatures, into the pits. None attempted to fight back. A larger pool of stagnant water sat almost dead center of the village. Cody had no clue as to its purpose. The red reeds grew all around the village, but not in the village itself.
“Sure are a lot of them down there,” Anne said.
“Look at that one.” Sonja pointed to a toad that was easily twice the size of the others.
The giant toad pushed aside anything in his way, including its own kind, as he went to the pits. As toads dropped one of the blobs into the pits, the large toad grabbed it with its central claw, squeezing it so hard that it bulged at each end like a water balloon. The toad’s mouth opened wide, almost splitting its head in two, and clamped down on the creature. Pink pus spread over much of the area as the large toad ripped the creature to shreds and consumed it. When it finished, it turned and disappeared into a hole in the side of a cliff.
Cody went through his suit’s records and pulled up the most recent recording. He displayed it on his wrist projector and played back the scene of the larger toad. The beetles recoiled, hiding behind Deveau.
“Who is this?” Cody asked.
They lined up into a single word.
Provider.
They left the word sitting on the ground for a moment before dispersing again.
Still scanning the encampment, Sonja asked, “Major, do you see it?”
Deveau nodded. “Under that hill.”
“How’d they get it under the hill?” Cody asked.
“They put the hill on top,” Deveau said. “Look at it. It’s just dirt piled up and crushed down.”
“That’s not a good disguise,” Anne said.
“For them, it is,” Deveau said. “They may not understand how our sensor systems work, but visually, they’re hiding it, which is what matters.”
“Major.” Bodin’s voice had an edge of hostility as he spoke to Deveau. “Look at that, on the far side.”
Cody zoomed in on a black rock to the east of the village. Dark vines hung loosely over the irregular shape. The characteristic red was missing. After a moment of staring at the vines, the shape of the rock finally registered with Cody. “That looks like a hopper.”
Bodin nodded. “Mark Three, I’d say. They haven’t used those in a while.”
“They were in use on the Kali,” Deveau said.
“Think she’ll fly?” Anne asked.
Sonja shook her head. “Impellers are shot to hell. Even if the fusion plant’s intact, she’s going nowhere.”
“Too bad,” Deveau said. “We should consider that as an alternate location for contacting the bridge-sat, though.”
Sonja nodded. “If we can contact the bridge-sat from there, do you want to continue with your primary mission, Major?”
Deveau stared at the settlement. “We need more intel first. If we can contact the bridge-sat from the hopper, we can wait for help and hit the Kali from orbit.”
“What about them?” Cody nodded down the hillside behind them where the fliers waited patiently for the group to finish recon. “They’re expecting us to help rescue their people.”
“I’m aware of that, Doctor,” Deveau said. “We’ll do what we can, but there’s no point in it if we’re just going to get ourselves killed.”
Before Cody could respond, Deveau turned to Sonja. “Gunny, let’s send up the skeeters. We need more to go on.” He turned to leave. “I’m going to talk to our friends and see what they can add.”
“Yes, Major.” Sonja nodded at Bodin. “Help out Doc with his skeeters. Then coordinate with everyone else.”
Bodin nodded and turned to Cody. “Turn around, Doc.”
Cody did as instructed, and Bodin began to fiddle with the back of his suit. Cody waited until the others were down the hill before saying anything. “You don’t trust him.”
“He’s got a ways to go before he earns it.”
“He was following orders.”
Bodin nodded. “True.”
After a moment, a flap popped open on Cody’s suit. His HUD tracked the insect-sized machines flying up into the sky.
“Are we actually going in there?” Cody asked.
“We are,” Bodin said. “You ain’t.”
“Why not?”
Bodin laughed. “What? You want to go in?”
“Not really,” Cody said. “I just wanted to be useful.”
“Okay,” Bodin said. “We could use someone to maintain communication with the buzzards. They’re probably going to do recon for us while we move in.”
“Fliers.”
“Huh?”
“‘Buzzards’ sounds insulting. I’ve been calling them fliers.”
B
odin shrugged. “Fliers then.”
“Can’t you rely on the skeeters?” Cody asked.
“Yeah, but it’s always good to have a second set of eyes. Besides, the skeeters don’t think, but the buz—the fliers do. They can more accurately estimate the reactions of those toads on the ground.”
Cody raised an eyebrow and nodded. “This is all new to me.”
“Every mission is new,” Bodin said. “But there are still right and wrong ways to do them.” He nodded down the hill. “I got it from here.”
Cody nodded, realizing Bodin wasn’t calling him “clue” anymore. “Think we can do this?”
“We can do anything,” Bodin said. “Surviving it is another matter.”
~~~
An hour passed before they received telemetry from the skeeters, including visual, sound, and other data. While the group’s suits crunched information, Cody watched part of the raw footage they had collected. The skeeters darted in and out of the village. On occasion, smaller insect-like creatures approached, at which point, the skeeters flew away. Anne explained that the AIs in their suits controlled the tiny robots, and so could operate with some degree of independence.
At one point, a yellow cloud had descended upon a skeeter. The cloud consisted of thousands of tiny creatures, each with two sets of wings and a fifth wing that acted as a rudder. The bugs swarmed the miniature robot, creating small wind shears with their wings, as if they were trying to stun the skeeter by cavitating the air. In self-defense, the skeeter created an electrical field around itself. The shock caused the cloud creatures to retreat, moving like a single organism instead of millions.
“Guess the skeeters ain’t tasty,” Bodin said.
Cody nodded absently as he watched Major Deveau, who was not far from camp, or “the patrol base,” as Sonja called it. Deveau danced around the beetles. He would turn his camo on and move somewhere, then wait. The beetles struggled to find him, and did so easily if he was nearby. But when he moved farther away, they started searching the area in sweeping patterns to find him once more.
