Authors: Sara King
He doesn’t understand,
Jer’ait thought.
Of all of them here, only the Human and I understand.
They’re sending us back until we’re done being useful. Until we’re dead.
The Human glanced at the
Ooreiki with obvious irritation. “Because we’ve got a job to do.”
“But we killed a
prince
,”
Galek insisted, his trunk-shaped body stiffening. “Two of them, now.”
“All the more reason to
send us back.” The Human glanced at the others. “Everyone’s chips working?”
Jer’ait was not watching
the others prepare their gear for the next battle. Unlike the others, he had
nothing to prepare. All he needed was an array of patterns and his own body.
Instead, he was watching
the Human’s left hand.
The Human had been trying
to hide it, keeping it closed around his weapon or buried in his pocket, but
several times, it broke free and trembled like a dying Takki before the Human
got it back under control.
Interesting.
“All right,” the Prime
said as the shuttle settled. “Same drill as last time. Daviin lurks, Jer’ait
scouts, Flea leads. Scarab, first hint of a fight and you get out of sight,
you hear me?”
“Yes, Commander.”
The Grekkon’s eyes remained focused on the far wall, utterly motionless.
“Let’s go!” the Human
shouted as the door opened. Jer’ait ducked out the door and gave his
zora
the pattern of a Jikaln. He began running even as his body morphed, becoming
four legs, teeth, and nearly-invisible, camouflaged speed.
Jer’ait slipped into the
dense, jelly-like foliage and began weaving back and forth in front of the
advancing party, clearing the path for the others.
He found his first Takki
crouched in the brush, facing the direction his party had used for their
ambush. Jer’ait sank his teeth into the Takki’s neck and twisted, tearing a
chunk of purple flesh away from his victim’s throat. As the Takki died at his
feet, Jer’ait crouched, eying the area where his companions were to appear,
disturbed.
The original plans had
set them to make their incursion from the opposite direction. Keeping in mind
the last Dhasha’s advance knowledge of their attack, Joe had altered the plans
at the last moment, bullying the pilot into changing course in mid-flight and
landing them on the other side of the entrance. The shuttle engines had been
shielded, completely silent. So how had the Takki known from which direction
they would come?
A coincidence. It had to
be. Perhaps they had unwittingly landed in some other groundteam’s drop zone.
But with only four
hundred groundteams covering an entire planet, how likely were the odds of
that?
Jer’ait twisted and
lunged deeper into the forest.
The next Takki was also
facing the same direction.
Unnerved, Jer’ait eyed
the path his companions were to take.
They couldn’t know.
Not unless the Human had warned them…
Jer’ait remembered the
Prime’s shaking hand and he grew cold. He was turning, running back to the
shuttle, when Joe materialized in the brush in front of him. “Where do you
think you’re going?”
Jer’ait glanced at the Human’s
hand. It was no longer shaking.
His fears dissipated.
Your
days on Morinth have left you paranoid.
“Thought I heard something in this
direction.”
“You did.”
The Human flicked its
hands, a swift, practiced movement, and Jer’ait felt a sharp sting in the chest
of his Jikaln pattern, directly beside a major fluids exchange. Jer’ait did
not have a chance to isolate the poison before his body went limp. He dropped
into the sticky foliage, only able to watch as the Human moved toward him and
crouched beside him. “That was easier than I thought it’d be.” The Human’s
hand reached out and touched him firmly on the side. Another sting.
As his eyes widened with
understanding, Jer’ait was lost to darkness.
#
“
Jer’ait, where the hell
are you?
” the Prime demanded.
The Human and the Ooreiki
were crouched around the Grekkon’s burrow, searching the forest with their
rifles. They had not heard from the Huouyt since they left the shuttle.
“
This sooty pile of
bones is pissing me off,
” Zero said.
“We saw the bodies. He’s out
there somewhere.
”
“
Maybe his chip’s
malfunctioning,
” Flea suggested from his position on a branch above.
“
Should we go look for
him?
” Galek asked.
“
This is PlanOps, not
grade school,
” their Prime snapped. “
He can take care of himself.
”
He switched frequencies. “
Team Two, Team Three, this is Team One. You make
it in?
”
Silence answered him.
Those standing around the
Grekkon’s burrow tensed.
“Damn it,” Daviin heard
the Human whisper under his breath.
Even as he said it,
Daviin sensed something in the woods behind them. “
Movement.
”
“
Where?
” The
Ooreiki did not bother to hide its fear.
“
Two hundred rods to
the west. Large enough to be a Takki.
”
“
Go check it out.
”
Daviin slipped between
the trees, gaining more and more contact with his target as he closed the
distance between them. Once Daviin judged he was within twenty digs of his
target, he pinged the area.
“
It’s a Takki.
”
“
Bones,
” Joe
muttered. “
You gotta get it.
”
Daviin coiled, preparing
to spring.
“
Before you kill it,
”
Joe said, “
Find out if it knows where our Huouyt is.
”
“
What if he’s got a
chip?
” the Ooreiki asked. “
Won’t that give away our position?
”
“
They already knew we
would be here,
” Daviin said. “
One would assume they know our position,
as well.
”
“
That’s furgsoot,
”
Joe snarled.
“I changed coordinates. Only an ashing Trith would’ve seen us
coming.
”
“
Then the Vahlin uses
a Trith,
” the Grekkon interrupted. “
We need to continue with the
mission before they find us.
”
“
No, screw that,
”
Flea said. “
If they’re using a Trith, then they already know where we’re
going and we’re dead anyway. Joe, we should go looking for him.
”
“
What’s a Trith?
”
Daviin snapped. “
You want me to kill the Takki or not?!
”
The Prime hesitated.
Then, “
Question him. If they got Jer’ait, they already know we’re here.
”
Daviin lashed out,
knocking the Takki to the ground. As it strained to rise, he wrapped three
coils around it, rendering it helpless.
“Where is my companion?”
Daviin demanded, remaining cloaked.
The Takki never flinched,
never showed a flicker of fear. “It appears my chip isn’t working, after all.
I thought you were all dead, as I’ve heard nothing since I took Jikaln form.”
Daviin released the
Huouyt and uncloaked, irritated. “
It’s Jer’ait. His chip didn’t activate.
”
“
Mothers’ ghosts.
Goddamn government sootwads. I’m gonna give those medical furglings an
earful. Charge us eight turns for something every Congie should have installed
for free, then it doesn’t even burning work.
”
Daviin cocked his head,
frowning. “
They charge eight turns for a chip?
”
“
Either that or eight
hundred grand. But who’s got that kind of money?
”
“
I’ve got that kind of
money,
” the Baga said cheerfully.
“
Who paid for my chip?
”
Daviin demanded.
“
I did,
” the Human
said. Then, privately, “
Can’t have you swearing as my Sentinel and then
expect you to shell out eight hundred thousand credits, could I?
”
“
I’ll pay you back,
”
Daviin said, feeling a rush of irritation at the Human’s presumptions.
“
Don’t bother,”
Joe replied.
“I figured eight more turns on my contract isn’t gonna make
much difference. Not when they’re going to make us tunnel crawl until we’re
dead.
”
Daviin’s talons dug into
his palm as he tightened his fist.
“
Get him back here,
”
Joe ordered over the public channel. “
As the Grekkon keeps reminding us,
we’ve got a prince to kill.
”
“Follow me.” Daviin led
the Huouyt back to the main party.
As soon as Joe saw
Jer’ait, he cursed. “It’s a goddamn ripoff. We gotta pay for something that
we need to do our job. Bones!” He frowned, indecisiveness written plainly on
his face.
Daviin understood why—the
Huouyt was their information-gatherer, the one who required constant contact.
Without it, he was all but useless to the team.
“Daviin did it,” Joe said
finally. “You can, too. Next time I see those sooters at medical, though,
they won’t be able to sit for a week. But Mothers’ ghosts, why didn’t you say
something back on the shuttle?!”
“I didn’t realize you
were talking,” Jer’ait said meekly.
Their Prime took a deep
breath, steadying himself. “Fine. We can still do this. Daviin, inviso-mode.
Jer’ait, get down there with Scarab. You stay with us when he breaks through.
I want you within hearing range at all times until we get down there and figure
out a plan. Got me?”
“Yes, sir.”
Daviin gave the Huouyt a
startled look. He’d never heard Jer’ait refer to the Human even half as
respectfully. Perhaps his little solo jaunt through the woods—and Daviin’s
coils—had rattled him.
They climbed into the
tunnel, the Human and the Ooreiki staying behind to cover their trail. Up
ahead, Daviin heard the Grekkon pause, then reverse. He hurried to catch up.
When he reached them, he
found the Grekkon sunk into the wall of the tunnel, spear-shaped appendages
aimed outward, ready to skewer anything that got in its way. He’d broken
through to a small slave tunnel. The Baga and the Huouyt were gone.
Daviin moved forward to
inspect the tunnel, pinging tentatively. With the size of the tunnel, he
didn’t have to be afraid of a Dhasha hearing him.
“Where’s the Huouyt?” he
asked the Grekkon.
The Grekkon’s voicebox
kicked in softly. “
Scouting.
”
“The Human told him to
stay.”
The Grekkon said
nothing. Its black eyes continued to stare at the wall opposite it, utterly
motionless.
Behind him, the Human and
the Ooreiki caught up.
“
Where the bones is
Jer’ait?
” Joe snapped. “
Flea, he with you?”
“
He went the opposite
direction,
” Flea replied.
The Ooreiki immediately
got down and flashed his light down the tunnel. “Jer’ait?” he called, as
loudly as he dared.
The Huouyt did not
respond.
“
Should I go after
him?
” Galek asked.
Joe said nothing.
“
Sir?
” the Ooreiki
called. “
Should I go first?
”
Silence.
“
Sir?
”
The sour smell of fear
sweat assailed Daviin’s senses. Daviin dropped his energy level so he could
see the Human’s face. He immediately wished he hadn’t. The Human’s face was
pale and the smell was coming from him. He was staring at the tiny tunnel they
had breached. His hands were clenched on his weapon. He was shaking.
“
Yes,
” Joe said
finally. His voice sounded strained. “
Flea, how’s the way up?
”
“
No one so far,
”
Flea called back.
“
Come on back. See if
you can find us a bigger tunnel.
”
“
A
bigger
tunnel?
This one’s perfect. There’s no Dhasha on the planet that could get in here.
Just big enough for Daviin and the Grekkon…even the little ones can’t—
”
“
Find us a bigger
tunnel!
” the Human snapped, a little too loudly.
The Baga sped past, a
sulking whir in the darkness. The Ooreiki ducked into the tunnel to follow,
the Grekkon after him. Daviin took the rear, waiting for the Human to crawl
into the tunnel in front of him.
As soon as the Human got
onto his hands and knees and began pushing his weapon in front of him, Daviin
touched his shoulder. “Something wrong, Joe?”
Joe glared up at him from
where he lay on his belly. “Just go.”
Daviin frowned, but obeyed.
The Baga found them a
bigger tunnel, and after half an hour of crawling, they were able to straighten
somewhat. The Ooreiki killed two Takki and the Grekkon buried them in
side-shafts that they disguised with holograms.
All the while, the Human’s
face grew paler.
Daviin took his first
Dhasha by accident—the creature came up behind them and was actually straddling
Daviin when he struck.
“We need to get out of
the main tunnel,” Daviin growled as they dragged the Dhasha out of sight.
“We’re caged Takki here.”
The Human stiffened, but
did not object. Galek found them a slave tunnel he said led to the heart of
the place, so they took it, the Baga leading the way. Once more, Daviin and
the Human brought up the rear, though when the Human hesitated upon entering
the tunnel, Daviin grabbed Joe by the shoulder and dragged him out of earshot
of the others.
“Commander,”
Daviin said on the private channel,
“Is
everything all right?”
“No,”
the Human
replied, clenching his fist. His voice cracked.
“We need to do this fast.”
“
What is it?”
Daviin insisted.