Commander Kazikami entered a particular cargo hold of the ocean-going freighter with the rather grandiose name of Triumph of Life. Anyone looking at the vessel from the outside would think it was just an ordinary freighter. If the Kthpok decided to board the vessel for an inspection they’d find the cargo areas full of items requisitioned by the Kthpok being transported to the Kthpok. Everything would be as it should.
He stopped for an instant just inside the hatch to look around the well-lit area. He could see stacks of boxes and piles of bales placed along the walls. In the middle of the storage area was the pod of six Iidx he’d trained pouring over maps or checking equipment. The Commander gave a wave from an antenna in silent approval at the activity then moved towards his Iidx.
“CO present!” yelled an Iidx and every soldier in the hold left what they were doing to move into formation and come to attention.
Kazikami grimaced. He’d wanted a few moments more to gauge the focus of the Iidx who were being sent out. Then the officer gave a slight shrug. Perhaps the recognition of their Commander so quickly after he’d entered the hold could be taken as a good sign.
The Mission Leader, Lieutenant Masiden, hurried over, came to attention and saluted. “We’re at your disposal, Commander,” he reported.
“Have your people stand easy Lieutenant,” said Kazikami after returning the salute. “This isn’t an inspection or briefing. It’s time.”
Masiden nodded then turned to Sergeant Booner who’d trailed the officer. “Our drop point is tonight, Sergeant,” the Lieutenant said. “Have our people close up. We’ve got several hours until dusk so they’re to rest until we’re ready to leave.”
Bonner saluted then swung around to carry out his orders.
The two leaders watched for a moment as Iidx broke formation to begin putting away equipment. Kazikami gestured at the soldiers. “Your people look good, Lieutenant. They’re ready.”
Masiden nodded agreement. “Thank you, Commander. It’s your training that’s made sure they’re ready,” he replied.
“We’ve received the latest orbital intelligence assessment,” said Kazikami ignoring the compliment. “Analysts have determined that the Kthpok are finished constructing their facility. Their defenses have been activated and patrol schedules along the base perimeter appear to’ve been cut back.” He shrugged. “While it can’t be confirmed I think their patrols over the island continue.”
Masiden nodded his understanding. “As we planned our insertion it was assumed the target would have its defenses fully activated. But you knew that, Commander.” The Lieutenant cocked his head to give an appraising look at his superior officer. “Is there something wrong?” he asked. “Or is this a soldier’s urge to be included in the action?”
Kazikami gave an amused wave of his antennae. “Do I want to be going with you?” he asked. “Yes, of course I do, but the Swarm Master’s decreed otherwise.”
The Commander took a deep breath then began again. “Masiden, the Kthpok are an unknown quantity and, although they’ve been here almost an entire year, we know very little about them or their culture. When the Kthpok come into our facilities they say very little, observe everything, then return to their island or a ship in orbit. Our people have just their promises of good faith and little else.”
“By anyone’s standards, Commander, that’s suspicious,” replied Masiden.
By this time the rest of the Iidx in the hold had packed their equipment and were leaving for their cells to get what rest they could before leaving ship. The two leaders started walking towards the hatch while continuing their discussion.
“There are suspicions,” said Commander Kazikami. “But that’s all we have. The purpose of your mission is to find proof, to determine whether or not they’re as peaceful as they say.” Both Iidx left the hold and Kazikami made the lights in the cargo hold were turned off.
After seeing the Lieutenant and the rest of the infiltrators bunked down Kazikami returned to his own room. He settled onto his bed to wait for evening and went over the mission in his mind.
There were several possible methods of getting his people onto the island. One was to jump out of an aircraft. But that option had been discarded as soon as it’d been suggested. The Kthpok were tracking all aircraft in the vicinity and any that intruded on their restricted airspace would be destroyed long before reaching the island.
Another option, which was also discarded, included the use of a submarine. The advantage to this approach was that the sub could deliver the mission close to shore. But the Kthpok ships in orbit would be able to spot something the size of a submarine, even if it was under water. And to let the Infiltration Pod leave the craft it had to surface where it could be seen by aircraft or spotters on shore.
The last option to get the Infiltration Pod onto the island, the one they were going to try, was to utilize the ships delivering supplies to the island. Because the Kthpok had ordered the supplies the vessel wouldn’t be as suspicious. Thus the Iidx could leave the cargo vessel during the night and make their way to the beach.
A disadvantage to this approach was that the Iidx had to leave the ship over a hundred miles from shore since the Kthpok refused to let any vessel approach the island during the night. Those making deliveries were expected to arrive near mid-day of the designated day, unload the specified cargo and leave before dusk. A ship was only permitted to stay in the harbor overnight if the cargo was critical and the unloading couldn’t be completed in one day. If that was the case the work would continue without stopping during which the entire harbor would be well lit at night and under guard. There’d be no chance for the infiltrators to leave the ship while in the harbor.
As Kazikami continued to go through the various scenarios of the mission and their ramifications he drifted off to sleep.
Just before dusk Berelin, the Triumph’s Captain, anchored his vessel at the location designated by the Kthpok. As most of his crew moved about to secure the ship for the night Berelin contacted Commander Kazikami who woke his Infiltration Pod.
Kazikami, Masiden, Bonner and the rest of the infiltrators assembled in the hold to get their equipment. Under their watchful eyes several crates were opened by the ship’s crew to reveal the vehicles inside. One by one, the three craft were confirmed ready, lifted out of the hold, swung over the side of the ship and set onto the water. These vessels or Skippers, as they were called, were large enough to carry a team of two Iidx each with their gear and had a range of four hundred miles. Special materials had been used in the construction of these craft which kept sonar, radar or magnetic instruments from detecting the craft. Tests with state-of-the-art technology had shown the Skippers were invisible.
In spite of the test results one concern that Kazikami had was that this stealth technology had already been given to the Kthpok. And if the Tails had experimented with the special composites it was possible they’d been able to develop countermeasures.
By the time the last sliver of sun was dropping below the horizon painting the sky in brilliant red and orange everything was confirmed ready. Kazikami looked at the sky without recognizing its beauty and nodded. It was perfect. The moons wouldn’t rise until the next day which meant it would be low tide when the pod reached the island. And there was a thin layer of high clouds. The reduced lighting would make spotting the skippers very difficult from orbit or shore.
On a barked command by the Captain a special climbing net was thrown over the ships side. On another command, this time from Masiden, the Iidx going on the mission began moving over the side in pairs.
Just as Lieutenant Masiden went to take his turn going over the side Kazikami stopped him for some last minute instructions. “Keep to your training,” he said. “Don’t let your people get careless. We don’t know what the Kthpok are capable of.” The Commander paused for a moment then spoke again, “or what they’re hiding.”
Masiden nodded acknowledging his superiors concern. “We’ll be very careful, Commander,” he said.
Kazikami waved his antennae in assent and patted the mission leader on the hard shell of his thorax. “You’d better get moving, Lieutenant. Your people are waiting and night’s coming. You don’t want to waste it.” By this time the sky had dimmed from the reds to purple.
In the changing light the Commander moved over to the guardrail and watched as Masiden finished climbing down the netting to settle into his vehicle. A moment later the noise of engines starting was heard and the trio of Skippers sped away in a spray of seawater.
Kazikami watched as the vessels sped towards Tarren Island and disappeared in the distance. He remained at the guardrail for another hour, staring in the direction his Iidx had gone, antennae stretched out trying to detect anything.
When stars began to appear in the darkening sky overhead the Commander took a deep breath and let it out in a long, slow whistle. There wasn’t anything he could do to help his Iidx that hadn’t already been done. And he hoped it’d be enough. He turned away from the view of stars glinting off the ocean and made his way to his cell in the dark. It was going to be a long wait before he’d find out if the mission was successful and his people were safe.
Lieutenant Masiden leaned forward on his saddle and laid his antennae down his back so they wouldn’t be damaged by the wind and salt spray. He quickly settled into the rolling motion of his Skipper. Spray flung into the air when his vehicle drove into the larger waves dropped into the open cockpit. While uncomfortable the special suits they wore in anticipation of this portion of the mission prevented water from getting into their breathing holes.
A quick glance at his instrument board confirmed they were on the correct heading for their destination and making good speed. Then he looked back to see if he could find the other vehicles. They were supposed to be a little behind his craft and on each side. The clouds that’d been present earlier had blown off letting more light in. Even with the increased visibility the only evidence to the unaided eye of the companion vessels were the momentary white splashes of foam when they hit an especially large wave.
He gave a snort of concern that was covered by the sound of his vehicle slapping into waves. While the darkness was helpful in keeping them hidden from the Kthpok, it also prevented the Iidx from seeing the shore or the reef protecting their landing point. Masiden gave a shrug. That wasn’t a huge worry right now since they weren’t expecting to make landfall until just before dawn.
Ensign G’Lan yawned; his tail stiffened out behind his perch and trembled. He hated having to stand watch over the scanning equipment during the night. There wasn’t anything to disturb the boredom and sleeping while on duty was frowned upon. The yawn finished he swung his tail back and forth, his head swung like a complimentary pendulum as he tried to stay awake.
Then he gaped at his scope. “What was that?” he asked and bent over the screen. “Nothing…but there was something there… wasn’t there? Or was I dreaming?”
Working his equipment G’Lan boosted power to the emitters and concentrated the scan in a particular sector. For a brief instant there was a return but it faded and didn’t appear again. Was there… or had there been something there? He went to boost the power again and stopped. The power was already at its maximum.
He glanced around, looking for someone to give him advice. But it was the middle of the night and there was no one else in the Scan Center. A glance at the clock showed it was still a couple of hours before dawn which meant there wouldn’t be a shift change anytime soon. So he was definitely on his own. Coming to a decision he took a deep breath then reached out and pushed a button on his console that had been set apart from the others. With his tail twitching he settled down on his perch to wait for his commander to show.
Moments later Lieutenant V’Rok came rushing through the hatchway. He glanced around the room then turned to G’Lan when it was apparent there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. “What’s the emergency?” he asked.
The ensign dipped his head, “I’m not sure, Lieutenant,” he replied. “There was something on my scope.”
V’Rok craned his neck to look down at the equipment. “The scope’s clean,” he said and glared at the other Kthpok. “You got me up here and sent an alert to the guard posts because of a clean scope?”
G’Lan shook his head. “It wasn’t clean, sir,” he protested.
“Then where is it?” hissed the Lieutenant and gestured at the equipment.
The operator shook his head once again. “I noticed something at this setting,” he said and worked the controls to reset his equipment. “I caught it on the edge of eye sight. It was in this quadrant.” G’Lan pointed at the area on the scope.
V’Rok nodded. “That’s, what, ten to fifteen miles out? In the open sea?”
“That’s correct, sir,” said G’Lan. “The interesting point is that it’s in between the island and the supply ship holding area. There’s a ship out there now waiting to come in and make a delivery.”
V’Rok nodded again, “go on.”
“The image was there for an eyeblink then faded,” said G’Lan. “At that point I boosted the power and concentrated the scans in the quadrant.” Once again the operator manipulated his equipment. “There!” he cried as a faint image appeared and then faded. The operator looked at the scope in surprise. “It’s moved! It’s closer than before.”
“It’s a sensor ghost,” announced V’Rok in disgust. “You dragged me up here for a sensor ghost.”
“No Lieutenant,” replied G’Lan dipping his head. “I was a tech in the vanguard of the fleet heading for Fairen after the humans rebelled.”
“So?” asked V’Rok. “You fought in the war like the rest of us. And that’s supposed to prevent me from punishing you for stupidity?”
G’Lan shook his head. “You’re misunderstanding me Lieutenant. When we were heading in-system the humans placed missile drones in our path and waited for our approach. I was on duty in Scanning and all we saw were sensor ghosts.” He gave a slight shrug of his tail. “No one was concerned with the ghosts so no alert was ordered. Then the missiles went active. Because we weren’t sufficiently paranoid the humans caught us by surprise and destroyed several ships.”
V’Rok paused then asked. “You think this might be an attack?” His tone was thoughtful.
“I don’t know what it is,” replied G’Lan holding out his hands. “But after the humans surprised us before we reached Fairen I vowed I’d send out a warning in similar circumstances.” He paused and nodded at his equipment, “even if it were a false alarm.”
“Your caution is good,” said the Lieutenant after a moment’s consideration and he moved to open a communications link. “I don’t think this is an attack but it could be infiltrators. We were told to watch for something like this. I’ll confirm your alert with the Watch Commanders.”
About twenty minutes from their projected arrival at Tarren Island the Iidx who were still asleep were wakened. Masiden flashed a shielded pre-arranged signal alerting the others to prepare for the landing maneuver. On the second signal all three vessels reduced their speed and moved into single file with the craft driven by the Lieutenant in the lead. Masiden thanked the shell that they were making this approach during low time. The low water revealed the dangers they faced.
Using special night vision headgear to supplement his eyesight the Lieutenant steered the small group of vessels through the gap in the protecting reef into a calm lagoon. In the east the sky began to change colors from black to dawns purple as Masiden led the Skippers into the mouth of a small river and pulled up to the shore.
“Hurry!” called Masiden as he climbed out of his vehicle. “Gear out and the Skippers hidden.”
“I’m getting out of this suit first,” groused Sergeant Gorunmet. He was climbing out of the vehicle that was beached to the left of Masiden. “Whoever designed these things believed in torture.” A chorus of laughter and comments came from the others but everyone made a point of removing the water suits and placing them in their packs before turning to the more serious work.
Two hours later Masiden moved through the foliage bordering the river. The sun had risen bathing the jungle in a soft morning light. Sounds of smaller animals trying to attract mates or food filled the air. The rest of his pod was spread out behind and to the right keeping watch for any sign of Kthpok patrols. Every so often he’d stop and scrutinize the area closest to the shore. A similar inspection of the beach where they’d grounded had already been performed. After the fourth stop the Lieutenant waved his antennae in approval.
Sergeant Bonner scuttled up causing Masiden to look back. “The pod’s done their job right,” the Lieutenant announced, “even though I know the general area I can’t see anything.” His antennae waved in amusement. “I think our biggest problem on this mission might be finding our transports so we can get out of here.”
Bonner nodded his agreement. “We’ve got capable people here Lieutenant,” he said. “Besides hiding the Skippers they activated the vehicles self-destruct. I checked each one personally. If the signal’s sent or if they’re tampered with the Skippers will be destroyed.”
“Good,” said Masiden and glanced at his timer. “Make sure everyone’s reminded there’s to be no electronics from now on. I don’t want the Kthpok to be aware we’re coming or that we’re even on the island.
“Now, we’d better scuttle off. Our cargo ride back home is due in fifteen days.”
“Three in,” said Bonner as he recited the mission briefing from memory. “One to find and copy, the rest to evade and extract.”
Masiden nodded. “That’s it!” he said. “Let’s do it!”
After checking a compass to make sure of the direction they needed to go the pod melted into the foliage. Being adapted to the jungles of Main Hive they were able to find a way through the denser underbrush and groves of trees. Overhead the canopy of leaves and vines blocked the sky and created a dark, green-tinted lighting effect. While the foliage prevented the Kthpok from spotting the Iidx from the air it also made navigation difficult. Every evening Masiden would climb a tree where he could get a fix using the stars and determine their location.
The trek to the interior from the beach took four days; a day longer than anticipated. They crossed streams, climbed ridges, dropped into valleys and pushed through dense clumps of bushes all while keeping watch for the Kthpok. On two occasions the Iidx had to hide in bushes where their green shells blended in with the rest of the surrounding area to let a Kthpok patrol pass. Once a Kthpok even glanced in their direction without seeing the Iidx when a small Retar was scared out of hiding by Monartin. There was no alarm, after seeing the Retar was no threat the Kthpok continued on.
There were a number of deep wide rivers which had to be crossed and that added to the delay. Rather than take the time to build rafts Masiden ordered his Iidx back into the special water suits they still carried. Then they used felled logs to float across the river. The Iidx were unaware of these obstacles because orbital surveillance satellites hadn’t been able to penetrate the thick jungle canopy to see the actual terrain below. Nor had the rivers been marked on what maps were available.
On the side of the low hills facing the interior plain where the Kthpok base was located the Iidx paused in their march so Sergeant Gorunmet could climb a tall tree to confirm their location. During the training the sergeant had exhibited a valuable ability to gauge distances and had very good eyesight. It would have been easier and more accurate to use a Satellite Positioning Device but there was a concern the signal would be detected by and alert the Kthpok of the pod’s presence on the island. That emphasized the instructions on no electronics.
Twenty minutes after going up the tree the Scout clambered back down to make his report. The rest of the pod saw him appear out of the branches and gathered around the Lieutenant to hear what he’d seen.
As Sergeant Gorunmet outlined his observations and the distances involved Masiden consulted his map again, confirmed their location, and tapped a position on the thin plastic. “We’ll stop in this area before infiltrating,” he announced to the surrounding Iidx. “It has good cover and, since it’s higher than the target, provides a vantage point where we can verify the layout.”
Sergeant Bonner gave an amused shake of his antennae. “Don’t trust the Intelligence division Lieutenant?” he wondered.
Masiden gave an amused wave of his antennae in turn as he looked at the sergeant. “They’ve been known to miss a few things from time to time,” he replied. The Lieutenant folded the map, stored it in a pocket of his pack then climbed to his feet. “Let’s go people,” he called. “We’ve got a ways to go yet. Bonner, you know where we need to be, take the lead!”
The Iidx put on their packs and followed the Sergeant as he led the way through the undergrowth. They climbed more ridges, dropped into ravines, slid through bushes and waded shallow streams. On occasion Masiden consulted a compass and sent Gorunmet up a tree to make sure they were heading in the right direction.
They’d been hiking all day when they climbed the last ridge and found a small clearing. Masiden called a halt. Sighs of relief were heard as packs were dropped to the ground and Iidx settled into clumps of thick, concealing ferns to rest. The Lieutenant walked over to Gorunmet and tapped him on the shell. “Find the tallest tree and climb it,” Masiden ordered. “I need to know how accurate our layouts of the Kthpok base are. Remember no electronics. The Kthpok can’t know we’re here.” The Iidx saluted and looked around the clearing. A moment later he disappeared up a nearby trunk.
Bonner came over to where the Lieutenant was standing looking up at the leaves of the tree Gorunmet had disappeared into. “You know,” he said in a voice low enough that no one else would hear. “If you keep warning us about not using electronics we might actually figure it out.”
The Iidx leader looked at the Sergeant for a moment then gave a quiet chuckle. “Message received, Sergeant,” he announced. “Now get some rest.”
As Bonner moved to find his own concealment Masiden dropped his pack into a clump of ferns and pulled out the schematic of the Kthpok base. The light plastic was unfolded and spread out on the grass. He traced the route he expected to follow along roads and between buildings and tapped the paper in two places. Those buildings were where he was told the Kthpok had placed their computers.
An hour later the scout returned and looked at the map Masiden had in front of him. “The layout of the target appears to match the mockups we’ve trained on,” he reported. “So we should have very little problem of finding our objectives.” The rest of the pod crowded around to see the map as well.
“The problem’ll be in finding the computers in those buildings,” commented Sergeant Blantree. “We don’t know the layout of the halls and rooms.”
“There’s also the chance of meeting a stray Kthpok,” added Monartin.
Masiden nodded his agreement. “We’re aware of and trained for these difficulties,” he said. “Our procedures and search parameters should make the difference.” He nodded for the scout to continue.
Gorunmet pointed in the direction they’d been walking. “The grass expanse leading to their fence is only a couple hundred yards away.”
“We’ll follow our original plan for entry,” the Lieutenant announced to his assembled Iidx. “Remember, our objective is to find the main computer and pull a data dump for our Analysts to examine. That means those who work the computer have to be protected at all costs.” He paused again and saw heads bobbing showing their understanding.
“Now, our mission requires that we are not seen. It cannot be known we were here. The Kthpok have announced that Iidx are not welcome here and the Queens have decided to honor, no…” he paused, “no, to obey that command.
“I know you’ve heard them so many times your shell’s are about to crack but I’m going to review some precautions anyway. As you’re aware a part of our equipment is an explosive device. If you cannot escape or are in danger of being detected use that device to erase any evidence.” He looked at each of his Iidx before continuing. “I can’t stress it enough: You cannot be captured! Is that understood?” Another series of bobs came. Masiden could see the somber sag of their antennae.
“You were selected because you’re among the best at infiltrating,” he continued. “You were trained by the best. If we keep to our training and work smart we’ll be able to get around any obstacle or difficulty.”
The Lieutenant glanced at his watch then looked up through the break in the surrounding jungle to gauge the light. “We still have a couple of hours before the onset of night. We’ll begin our infiltration two hours after that. After we begin I doubt we’ll get much chance to relax or rest so we’d better take advantage of this opportunity. Spread out, find a suitable hiding place and get what sleep you can.”
G’Bel fought his way through the dense underbrush that lined the banks of the river which led to a small cove. He’d been up and slogging through the jungle since dawn, swatting at bugs that wanted his blood and looking for something that probably wasn’t there. Keeping his weapon ready he ducked under a branch and stepped over a rock. His tail swung from side to side in his anger and frustration, sweeping through grass and bushes. It struck a rotting log knocking it apart. Small hard-shelled creatures skittered through the grass and undergrowth looking for a new haven. A few ducked under G’Bel’s feet causing him to prance and curse.
A few years…or was it thousands of years ago he’d been a promising farmer on Fairen with innovative ideas of how to increase the harvest. Then he and his nest mates were abducted in the middle of the night while they were asleep and placed directly into suspension.
Upon waking he found he was on a Colony ship in another planetary system heading for a new world. Rather than having him prepare to produce food those in charge placed him in the infantry. And now he was out here in the jungle getting eaten alive by alien bugs. Reaching up he keyed his communicator. “Remind me M’Ton,” he said, “why we’re out here?”
The answer came from his partner who was twenty yards behind. “Our brilliant, skillful scan techs in the Center saw something.”
“So if they saw something why don’t they know what we’re looking for and where it went? We started at the base and’ve been going through this jungle for days!” He glanced up at the trees. “If we don’t leave soon it’ll get dark and I don’t want to spend another night out here if I can avoid it.”
M’Ton snorted. “They didn’t ‘see’ anything,” he replied. “My sources in scanning told me there were two momentary blinks on a scanner. The operator took that eye blink of data and plotted a course for the island. Our illustrious leaders then ordered out search packs as a precaution.”
The lead Kthpok stopped, his feet sinking into a pool of stagnant water. A sulfurous smell of rotting plants caused G’Bel to snort and wrinkle his nostrils. He craned his neck back around to see M’Ton appear out of a clump of bushes. “You’re telling me we’re out here in this stinking jungle, getting eaten alive, because of a sensor ghost?”
M’Ton shrugged. “I’m not a tech so I don’t understand,” he explained. “All I know is that our orders came down from the top to search for Iidx or vehicles of some kind.”
“Vehicles!” snorted G’Bel. “I’ll bet the scanners picked up this worlds version of a bird. If the equipment isn’t calibrated right those hard shells will register.”
“You’re probably right,” replied M’Ton, “but we’ve got our orders. We’d better get moving or the sergeant’ll have our tails.”
“Orders,” repeated G’Bel and turned around. He pulled his feet out of the mud and resumed his search. “Those at the top order and wait in their comfortable nest,” he muttered. “But they don’t have to put up with the mud, the bugs, and the smell.”
M’Ton followed his pack mate, smiling at the continual stream of complaints and curses. He actually agreed with G’Bel but he wasn’t stupid enough to air his thoughts over an open communicator. That was always an invitation for worse assignments.
Two hours later M’Ton and G’Bel pushed through a dense clump of bushes and found an open space on a hill which overlooked a portion of the river and its shoreline. From there they looked towards the ocean beyond. Heat waves rising from the jungle caused the view to blur and sharpen.
G’Bel’s tail drooped. “Look at that,” he said, gesturing at the dense trees and bushes between where they were and the ocean. “It’s not getting any easier. Why do I always get the dirt assignments?”
Because you’re dumb, stupid and ugly, thought M’Ton. But once again he kept his thoughts to himself. M’Ton pointed instead. “Look,” he said.
“Look at what?” G’Bel asked. “All I see is water, jungle and bugs.”
“Yes, it’s jungle,” M’Ton replied. “But up until now the shoreline along the river’s been fairly uniform, smooth, not jagged.”
“So?”
“So, why is there a jog over there?” asked M’Ton and pointed again. “It shouldn’t be there. There’s something not quite right with it,” he added after taking a longer look. Without a work of warning he moved across the clearing to drop into the shallow water edging the river. “I’m going to look,” M’Ton called back.
With a snort of disgust G’Bel followed. “At least the water’ll cool me down a little,” he said under his breath.
The trek to the strange prominence took almost an hour and a half. The ankle deep water was easier to move through than the jungle but there were roots and rocks to contend with. Not to mention the occasional bug in the water that wanted to sample Kthpok. Careful not to slip on the mossy bottom both Kthpok edged around a boulder.
AS his companion continued ahead M’Ton paused for a moment to rest and stared. That’s it!” he called and ran past G’Bel heedless of the danger.
G’Bel stared at the running, splashing Kthpok for a moment then moved to follow. A moment later he saw M’Ton reach an outcropping of plants. Now that he was closer he was as intrigued as M’Ton. That thing must jut out into the river by a good two or three yards. No wonder that caught M’Ton’s eye.
“What is that?” G’Bel asked when he arrived at the prominence.
M’Ton didn’t answer but moved his head to one side for a better look. From the new angle it seemed like a rock covered with vegetation that jutted out into the water. He glanced up. Both moons were in the sky and high tide was on. Earlier when the tide was out where he was standing would’ve been… Acting on impulse he extended his head up and over the object so he could look down.
With a hiss that surprised G’Bel, M’Ton pulled his head back. Ignoring his pack mates questions M’Ton reached out, grabbed a handful of fronds and pulled. When he drew back his hand some of the plants were dislodged from the rock and fell into the water with a light splash.
A closer look at what he’d grabbed revealed that the bushes had been cut and placed where he’d found them. And the branches had been cut long enough ago to begin wilting. M’Ton looked back at the object to see most of the plants in front of him were wilting as well. In this heat that meant it’d only been days since whatever this was had been hidden. That’d be about the time of the sensor ghost.
Slinging his rifle over his back, he reached out with both hands and pulled. More bushes came out, splashing into the water. Taking a light from his harness he directed its beam into the gap he’d created and saw metal. “Oh, shells!” M’Ton muttered then began ripping the rest of the foliage away.
After he caught a glimpse of what lay under the greenery G’Bel moved to help. A moment later they had exposed one side of the craft. It was made of some material unknown to M’Ton and was a deep black; perfect for a night approach. Standing a little ways back he estimated its length to be about fifteen feet and had positions for a crew of two lying prone.
Gesturing at the craft M’Ton looked at G’Bel. “Get the rest of these bushes off,” he ordered. “I’ll call this in. I think this is what we’re looking for.”
After the call went out to the Control Center the rest of the search pack converged on their location. The new arrivals examined the craft for a moment and listened to what had aroused M’Ton’s suspicions. M’Ton held up some of the wilting plants to show the other Kthpok what to look for. Then Sergeant R’Ker sent the rest of the pack along the shore to see if there were any more vehicles.
Keying on looking for wilting plants amidst the regular jungle the pack found two more vessels hidden along the shore within a few minutes. That made a total of three. After an hour of searching with no further results Sergeant R’Ker activated his communications link. “We have confirmation,” he announced to Control. “There are intruders on three vehicles. Maximum count is estimated at six we’ve encountered no sentries.”
“Acknowledged,” was the reply. “Maximum is six with no one present.”
The controller continued. “Your instructions are to post guards at the vehicles and apprehend any Iidx. If they resist use deadly force. They are not to evade or escape. Do not attempt to board or examine the craft. Technicians are being sent to your location to defuse any self-destruct devices. We have your location confirmed. Acknowledge.”
“Guards are to be posted and apprehend or terminate any Iidx. Vehicles are to be left alone, experts coming. Go!”
“Confirmed. Out!”
The Sergeant closed down his link and turned to his pack who was gathered around. “Okay, people,” he called. “We’ve completed our assignment. As a reward, we’ve been given another one.”
Lieutenant Masiden looked around to make sure his people were ready. Special pigments to help his people blend in with the night had been applied to their outer shells. Night vision goggles were in place and secure. Everyone wore weapon harnesses that held demolition packs and carried rifles. Only those who were going to access the Kthpok computers had packs. Everything else was left behind to be collected on their way out.
Looking ahead he could see there were no lights illuminating the grassy area that lay between the jungle and protective fence. But the moons and stars provided ample light for it to seem like daylight with their equipment. A careful scrutiny revealed no sign of Kthpok sentries walking patrol.
Satisfied that everything was ready he rose, motioned for the others to follow, and left the dark cover of the jungle. As he moved forward Masiden stayed low, careful to keep below the level of the tall tropical grass. His movement and that of his Iidx was like a shadow of night moving with the wind. Nearing the fence he noted the grass had been allowed to grow even there. Only a swath, a yard wide, with the fence in the middle had been kept short. That was sloppy of the Kthpok but it would help his people. Turning, he looked at the Iidx who were behind him and nodded.
Sergeant Monartin came forward but was careful not to touch the fence. In their briefing before leaving the ship they’d been warned that this fence might be electrified. The reflected light of the two moons showed a line of dead animals following the fence into the distance on both sides. The Sergeant took that as proof the wires were charged and a clear testament of its lethal effect. At least on the lesser animals. He reached into a pouch and drew out an insulated probe. It was placed on a wire of the fence and instruments checked.
Masiden moved up next to Monartin and watched as the Sergeant worked his equipment. “Well?” the Lieutenant whispered after a few minutes.
The Sergeant waved his antennae in amusement. “We’re in,” he replied in a low voice. “The current the Kthpok have running through the fence is enough to fry small animals. But it isn’t enough to hurt us. We’ll feel a tickle in our internals but that’s it.”
“What about moving the wires?” Masiden asked. “Will the Kthpok know if they’re being moved?”
Monartin waved his antennae no but the Lieutenant wasn’t watching. He was looking around, searching for any sign of Kthpok. “That type of sensor works by sending an additional carrier frequency down the line,” whispered the Sergeant. “All I can detect is the current itself.”
“Then let’s get in there before we’re seen. Just make sure we don’t run into a patrol.”
Putting his equipment back in its pouch the Sergeant moved up to the fence. He hissed a command and Bonner took up position along the fence a couple of yards away. Then, after Gorunmet verified there were no Kthpok in the area, the two Iidx held the lower strands of the fence far enough apart to allow an Iidx to slip through. One by one, the infiltrators moved into the Kthpok base. When it was their turn Bonner and Monartin slipped in while the wires were held by two others of the pod.
Intelligence had narrowed the location for the Kthpok computer center down to two locations. One was placed in the middle of the base and the other on the far side. In order to cover both possibilities quickly the Infiltration Pod had been split into two groups of three Iidx each. Masiden took his group, designated as Team One, away from the fence and into the shadows. His assignment was to reach and evaluate the furthest target. Bonner, with Team Two, went off in another direction to make their own way to the nearest objective.
As Team One scuttled down a line of buildings, keeping to the shadows, a vehicle was heard moving nearby. Masiden gestured and his team ducked behind some nearby crates stacked outside a warehouse where the shadows were darkest. A moment later lights swept across their hiding place causing shadows to shift. A rumbling grew then diminished. The darkness returned.
Masiden inched an antennae around the crate he was hiding behind to test the air. Satisfied there weren’t any Kthpok around, that they hadn’t been discovered, he motioned to his pod. The three Iidx scuttled from their hiding place and hurried for their target building.
Fleet Admiral P’Mar swept into the Center Room of the ground base. “What’ve we got?” he asked cutting through the call announcing his arrival.
The officer-on-duty, Lieutenant T’Ron, left his post and hurried over to greet the Admiral. He gave a quick salute then reported. “As you know, Admiral, we’ve located the vehicles the infiltrators used to get onto our island. The vehicles gave us the information that we’re looking for six Iidx. Now, six have crossed the perimeter fence and split into two groups. We project their targets to be the false centers that’ve been prepared.”
P’Mar bobbed his head. With their betrayal the humans reiterated for the Kthpok the need for subterfuge and misdirection. Hence, the fake installations. “This is an opportunity we can’t miss,” he announced as he glanced around the Center Room at the Kthpok posted there. “Those facilities were constructed to be a useless target when hostilities begin. But some modifications have been added for infiltrators. Get the tech’s up. They’ve got work to do.”
“Yes, Fleet Admiral.” He nodded to the Kthpok in communications.
The call was going out as the Admiral continued. “Did the infiltrators cut the wires to get in?”
“No sir,” replied the OOD. “Our equipment recorded a sudden ongoing voltage drop in the line. It was like additional insulators had been added for a period of time. I ordered cameras activated and observed six Iidx enter. Two held the wires as the rest crawled through.”
“What was the level of the current?” the Fleet Admiral asked.
“We had the current at the specified level,” was the reply.
“How many Iidx were killed?”
“None.”
“Were they wearing insulated gloves or used insulated poles to separate the wires?” he asked.
Once again the Lieutenant responded in the negative.
P’Mar’s tail jerked in surprise. “Confirm that,” he ordered. “It seems those outer shells of theirs may be excellent insulators. And that may extend to radiation or chemicals.
“Route our people away from the Iidx. I want the bugs to reach those buildings. When the infiltrators enter their targets have our ground forces take post at all entrances. If an Iidx tries to leave I want it captured or destroyed. Not one of them is to escape!”
As the OOD went to carry out his orders P’Mar moved over to the security officer. “Are we tracking the Iidx?” he asked.
The Lieutenant replied without looking up from his equipment. “Yes, Fleet Admiral.”
“Good!” said P’Mar. “I want cameras following them every step of the way. Put each target group on a separate screen.”
A short time after giving the order the Admiral watched one group of Iidx moving in the direction of the building in the center of the base. Another monitor showed Iidx nearing the other facility that’d been prepared for infiltrators.
Lieutenant T’Ron walked over. “Your orders have been carried out, Fleet Admiral,” he reported. “The route’s been cleared and the techs for both buildings are here. Everything’s ready, as ordered.”
P’Mar nodded then pointed at the monitor showing three Iidx approaching the building in the center of the base, “Designate this group as Target Alpha. The other will be Beta. Let’s get ready to do a little testing.” He watched as Alpha entered the building and paused at an intersection. After a moment’s indecision they moved through the halls. “I want to know what it takes to kill one of those bugs.”
In the monitor tracking Alpha they watched the lead Iidx enter an intersection. A special indicator on the monitor marked the area as a booby trapped location. P’Mar snarled and barked a command. The tech for that building stabbed a talon down on a button and a moment later the Iidx skittered forward, the sound pickup revealed cursing. The tech glanced down at his equipment. “That’s very interesting,” he said. “If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“What?” asked the Admiral. P’Mar ignored the monitor as it showed the Iidx working out how to get around the electrified floor. They simply ran across.
The tech looked at his superior. “I ran twice the current necessary to kill a Kthpok or human through that floor, Admiral. As you saw all it did was make it dance.”
P’Mar gestured to the other screen. “We’ll try five times the current next time. Target Beta won’t expect a current.”
A moment later they watched as an Iidx of Beta entered another area which had been wired. Without waiting for P’Mar’s order the tech for the second building sent current into the floor. This time instead of skittering and cursing, the creature jerked and jumped around then collapsed. An instant after it collapsed an explosion went off.
The tech turned to the Admiral. “We’ve determined a charge that’s lethal for an Iidx, sir,” he said. “The explosion was not the Iidx being destroyed by the electrical current; not unless their innards are explosive. It had to be a demolition charge. It went off after the bug was dead.”
P’Mar nodded. “I expected that. They don’t want to leave any evidence. It’s obvious they know they’ve encroached on a restricted facility.
“We’ve established one means of killing a bug. Let’s find others.” The Kthpok of the Center Room Pack bobbed their heads and bared their fangs.
Masiden stared at the carnage in the corridor a short distance behind him. That had been the last of his Iidx, the one who was going to pull the necessary data from the Kthpok computers. The Lieutenant had been going first, testing for traps, to protect the tech but… He suspected that Blantree had died from a lethal burst of radiation and the demo pack had erased any evidence. An hour earlier Gorunmet had been electrocuted.
He paused to consider. If Blantree had died of radiation poisoning that meant he’d also been exposed. While he’d only caught the edge of that burst he figured it was only a matter of time before he felt the effects.
“This isn’t right,” the Lieutenant muttered to himself. “We’ve been in here for hours now, wandering the halls, poking into rooms, setting off two explosions. As far as I can tell there’s been no alarm and there’s no guards coming to investigate.”
Masiden gave a definite bob of his head and glanced back the way he’d come. “This mission’s blown and has become a trap.”
He made a quick check of the frequency on his radio then activated the link. Now wasn’t the time to worry about electronics giving him away. After the two explosions he was sure the Kthpok knew he was here. He gave a single click on the handset which was answered by two clicks. Bonner had acknowledged the pre-arranged signal and would withdraw to form up in the jungle.
Re-attaching the link to his harness the Iidx began to retrace his steps. Masiden hurried down corridors and past the two blasted areas where his Iidx had died. Since he knew the way he’d come and the dangers involved it wasn’t long before he faced the door leading to the outside.
The Lieutenant paused for a moment and took a deep breath. Although he hadn’t been able to reach the Kthpok computers the traps his Iidx had encountered was proof of the Kthpok’s hostile intent. And if his people were being killed he assumed that was happening to Bonner’s party. He just wished he could get that report back to Commander Kazikami and the Swarm Master.
Masiden took out his weapon and made sure it was ready. “The mission’s a bust,” he muttered. “But since I’m going to die anyway I want to take a Tail or two with me.”
He kicked the door open and erupted into the night. Floodlights flashed to life revealing stark shadows but Masiden didn’t hesitate. Shots fired at him exploded around his feet and hit nearby buildings as he ran for the fence and the relative safety of the jungle several streets away. The Lieutenant returned fire not knowing if he was hitting anything. He raced around a corner and skidded to a halt. The road was blocked with an armored vehicle of strange configuration.
Masiden fired a shot from his weapon at the vehicle and whirled to go back the way he’d come. But before he could complete his turn automatic weapons opened fire. The Iidx was riddled by blaster fire and the demo pack exploded.