Tee slapped his face, hard. “Roddy? EMP generator. Roddy!”
Roddy turned to look at Tee from his watch position at the doorway to the cavern, but continued to flick the safety switch on his Longarm methodically, on and off. “Uhhh. Maybe back in the munitions cart?”
Tee just stared at Roddy.
The mayor grabbed Tee’s hand and shook it, then lifted his feet off the ground to swing back and forth. “Mr. Tee! What is EMP?
Tee finally looked down at the mayor. “EMP? Yes. Big pulse, destroys electronics. Like that gadget on Rock. It is stopping him. He can’t port. No magic rides.”
That got the mayor jumping up and down. “Make our minds touch. Hurry. Tell me of EMP. Hurry!”
I didn’t seem to be as bad off as the others. Maybe my dose by the boulder had given me some immunity to... the Breath of the Blighted. The sound of Longarm discharged was diminishing, though the Krill we still crackling away with their lightning bolts. It was only a matter of time. We were trapped without a teleportation option.
The mayor was still holding Tee’s hand as I took his other hand and shook it. “Grandad, you need to focus. Delve the mayor.”
Tee had a vacant stare as I shook him all the harder and grabbed the mayor’s other hand. “Grandfather! Delve or we die!”
The thoughts of three minds flowed freely through my consciousness. I’ve been delved before, but this was more like a firehose than the little garden hose I had experienced. After a very deep breath, I concentrated and explained the function of an EMP generator. Then I imagined the bolts of lightning from a Krill wand striking and frying a circuit board. That must have triggered something in Tee’s memory as a detailed flood of technical information, including exacting specifications for a portable EMP generator in the planning for Communal. Communal? It was Communal in a military spec housing. Planning something, Tee?
Mr. Mayor pulled away so hard that he landed on the ground. After a well-deserved, if somewhat violent, shaking of his head, he ran to his son and half dragged him to Rock. There was a very quick exchange of chatter, and they ran behind Rock, who had managed to remain in a rocky seated position, though it didn’t look like it would last. The mayor requested I pull Rock’s shirt back to reveal the Gall device. He nodded in his way toward his son and they touched wand crystals, followed by a moment of concentration. The crystals glowed, blinked in synch, then flashed.
Rock stiffened and let out a yelp, then collapsed, looking stone cold dead. Rock!
I ran to him, then, to say my goodbye, to pray for him, to let him know I hoped to see him soon. Stubborn agnostic Rock. I hoped to see him soon, if that were only possible.
Then his eyes fluttered, he groaned, and sat up, the Gall gadget clattering to the floor. “Does anyone else smell almonds? We should probably get moving. But, where?”
Tee was out cold on the floor. We needed his pid plot map to help Rock port us to Krill-town. Had he pushed to pid plot to Rock? A quick look had Rock smiling. It was past time for a coordinated retreat. The Krill were being hard pressed, and only three of our guys were in a condition to engage the enemy. I hurried to the mayor to work out a quick plan to disengage and clear out.
As we hurried through to our best option, I was actually more concerned with how to gather my people together. Half of our guys were out cold, and the other half were woozy or worse. When I turned back to manage the collection crisis, to my surprise everyone was gathered in a couple of piles. Para! She had been busy despite her droopy eyes.
Four fast ports had us all on the parade ground of the little Krill town. We left the two bundled Crimson Gall thrall back with their kin.
I like the Krill just fine. But the long day was wearing on me. How long had we been on Crimson? Too long. Everyone seemed to have the same sentiment, including Tee. At least the effect of the Breath of the Blighted was short lived once we were out of the cavern.
Tee was about to make a QuIM call to see if arrangements had been made at Oort Base, to quarantine our people when Para spoke up, wanting to know more about the infestation before we took our infested back home. That the infestation was from a parasite rather than a microorganism hadn’t settled her concerns. Tee decided to give her some leeway.
Para squatted on the ground in the manner of the Krill. Actually, the position was natural for her. Over the years we had sat in that position for long stretches, a part of the Karate Dojo experience. She called to the mayor who obligingly ran to her, standing tall to meet her gaze, though he still had to look up. We gathered around to listen.
Next came her bright smile and the double blink she does when she is intent on gaining cooperation, even if she won’t admit it. “Sir, would you help us decide what to do with our friends? We want what is best for them, but we don’t want to put our world in jeopardy.”
The mayor stroked the side of his chin, looking thoughtful. “The Krill have always enjoyed a quiet life. We like to... mind our own business. Yet, with this, you must listen. You have little choice in the matter. The Krill must also accept the difficult decision, on behalf our newfound friends. Look here, you have me chattering like a Gindrel
Tee was sitting nearby, on a log. “Please explain.”
The mayor glanced his way, barely able to see past the wall of human legs, then looked back at Para, and received another double blink. “Yes. As I said, there is nothing to decide. These must go to the Clerics of Hope. It is the only way.”
Para took his little hand and looked at him intently. “Why the Clerics of Hope?”
He shuffled his feet as if he might make a run for it. Para let go of his hand, deciding she may have gone too far in her persuasions. But he took her hand in his once more. “If you take these to your world, it will end as it did with the Karrin, those who once ruled the surface of Crimson. They thought to overcome the Blight. Hear me now. Even the worms, they are clever. Just a few. We fear, a few worms could infest a world.”
I wasn’t convinced. “It was pretty easy to fry the worms a few minutes ago.”
The mayor let go of Para’s hand, and walked over to me as he shuddered, just a little. “I am certain you did not... fry... all the worms.”
We had left a few crawlers behind to monitor the enemy. Fierce was watching over the crawlers, interrupting their surveillance pattern if he saw something interesting. He was listening to the conversation, so he knew what I wanted when I cocked my head at him and raised an eyebrow in query. He sent a crawler into the room with the fried larvae, pushing the images out to our Ivees.
Sure enough, at least three of the beasties had hidden themselves and were now wriggling their way toward the Gall thralls. Someone had removed their hoods and hacked away part of the mesh restrain to allow the larvae access. A gooey smear on the floor, near one of the thralls, was likely the remains of another larvae monster that had lost the battle with a boot. It got me wondering if an accidental larvae death resulted in an inquiry on Crimson. I attributed the random thought to my minor concussion.
The mayor had a point about the sneaky larvae. Another glaring point was fallen Crimson, a highly advanced world which had succumbed to the Gall.
Someone had pushed the imaging to a nanocloud so the Krill could look on, which they did, until the mayor once again focused his attention on little old me. “Now, you see.”
I saw. “Yup, clever little beasts, I really thought I fried all of them.”
The mayor patted my hand. “The worms can plan and will make individual sacrifices in their drive to infest. Worms will escape to infest your world, if you bring your friends home. It is different with the mature Blighted who have taken your friends as host. They are more easily imprisoned. Yet, those will not suffer containment. They will die, taking your friends with them. It will not be long. Even now, they may be near the place of decision.”
Tee called to remove the head bags, only from those infested of the mature Gall hosts, then turned to the mayor. “What of the Clerics of Hope?”
&n
bsp; The mayor looked sad, more so than could be explained by his semi-hopeful message. “With the Clerics, your friends will have hope. They will remain infested. None but the Blighted can change that. With potions and prayer and devotion, your friends will regain control. They will have a measure of peace.”
Tee seemed to understand, perhaps an echo from the delving. “The Krill watch over the Clerics. Turning our people over to their care will bring danger to all of you, from the Blighted.”
The mayor’s demeanor changed, I’m serious, to the look of a stoic. “Yet, it must be done.”
Tee nodded. “You have our thanks. Now that we can port again, let’s have a look at the... facility... managed by the Clerics.”
Roll saw a chance to get involved. “I’d like to be port-tech. I’m feeling great.”
Para looked at the medic, squinting an eye at her, making sure she would spill the whole truth.
The medic, Albertson, nodded her reassurance. “Roll is fine. The swelling is gone. It could be the natural course of things, though the Krill gave him what they claimed was a soothing tonic. They suggested the tonic just before you moved out.” The unfortunate medic was withering under Para’s glare. “I guess I should have cleared it with you, Para. Uhhh, Steve was there and gave his okay to the juice.”
Para eased up a bit. “Well, next time, you run it by me, got it?”
She got it. But allowing Roll to port around so soon after an injury like that would be a tough call.
Tee gives people every chance to push themselves. “Okay. Roll, you’re up. Para, Fierce, Roddy. You’re with us.”
Steve jumped up, about to protest. “Oh, and Steve of course. Viz, I’ll keep you linked via Ivee push.”
The team gathered up with their gear and moved to Tee. “Viz, you’re got command. Set a watch. Floaters out. Oh. Just one left? Okay, floater out. Everyone! We’re not out of this yet. Be vigilant.”
Tee couldn’t stop a smile when he called the mayor over, the sprightly gentleman jumping up and down the whole way, with no hint of his earlier mood. “Yes. You can come along. First, we must have one of those delving talks with Roll, so he can teleport us to the Clerics.”
One more jump and the mayor tugged on Tee’s leg to turn him around. “The Clerics of Hope, and those to whom they minister, they are just across the lake, on the other side of the two hillocks.
“We will still... port... yes, yes?”
Tee looked across the lake, probably zooming in with his Ivees. “Yes. Roll, let’s port to the path leading between the two mounds. Everyone, stay close. We port back at any hint of trouble.”
The team untangled just across the lake and hurried along the path leading to a village surrounded by a fence looking very much like razor-wire. There were guard towers set at regular intervals. When Tee zoomed his Ivees to focus on the far side of the village, it seemed odd that every guard was looking outward. The imaging was clear using a low night-vision setting, the cavern ceiling in this section giving off a muted glow, typical of our experience thus far. It seemed the guards should have their attention focused inside the wire in case one of the infested tried to break quarantine.
There was a Krill perimeter guard set at the village path entrance, that moved aside to allow the team through. The mayor tossed each of them a shiny trinket, bringing out their smiles, though only for a moment. As they moved inside, the mayor took the lead to a nearby patio area set with colorful paving stones. A table held refreshments and six chairs. At the head of the table sat a Cleric of Hope. He was technically Gall, though his demeanor invited an identification as one of the Karrin of ancient Crimson.
He rose when the team approached, bidding them to rest from their labors, and partake of the refreshments. I was definitely nervous for the team, sitting at table as they were with an Infested of Gall, watching through a feed from Tee. There were introductions, along with a polite nibbling of nuts and dried fruit. I’m sure no one could blame our team scrolling on their Ivees, scanning for any hint of larvae.
Tee asked about the tower guards, curious that their attention was focused outside the village, rather than inside, to manage the prisoners.
The Cleric smiled at the suggestion. “Friend, there is no need to guard the villagers. The Krill, in their kindness, are watchful for those of the Blighted, who would take them from us.”
He smiled at the mayor. “The Blighted have never found us. It is true of the other Villages of Hope as well. For that, we are ever thankful. Yet, the dear Krill insist on maintaining their watch, even after all these years.
“Come. I understand the situation of your friends. You will want to see the village and accommodations. And the people who now rest in hope. As we walk, I will tell you briefly of our people.”
The Cleric told of a wise man, one who came to Crimson after the Blight had taken hold and the world of the Karrin was in chaos. He was a mysterious traveler, not of Crimson, though he chose to stay. It was he that developed the serum, though the Blighted rewarded his compassion by killing him in their rage.
We are all still infested, as you can see. The serum puts the monsters to sleep, be they immature worms, or the mature cruel-ones. In this way, we keep control of our minds and hearts. Of a truth, even with the serum, there is a struggle. The Blight ever tugs, bidding us give way to the passions, and to embrace the desires of these invaders, to be our lords. They always tug at us, calling us to chaos.
The community is here to help when one of us is weak. And we are ever willing to help those from the outside. Alas, it has been a very long time, hundreds of cycles since anyone has come seeking our help. The Blighted have changed over the long years, though not for the good. They nurture grand schemes, as they bring to life the machines of the ancients. The ways of evil lights their path.
One thing didn’t make sense. It had been hundreds of cycles since anyone new had come to the village? Tee had a grasp of time and distance among the Krill, from delving the mayor. A cycle of the Krill was a Crimson year, very close to an Earth year.
Tee looked at the Cleric with a puzzled expression. “Your cycle must differ greatly from that of the Krill.”
Now the Cleric looked puzzled. “No. It is the same.”
Tee shifted in his seat. “How could anyone in your village be alive after hundreds of cycles, if, as you say, there have been no new visitors?”
The Cleric understood. “Yes, I see. It is a condition of the Blight. The infested live for a very long time. And so, too, we live on and on. It is not a desirable situation, not with the constant battle in our hearts and minds, pushing to choose that which is evil. Even so, we have a measure of joy, and hope.”
He was quiet for a moment, deep in thought. “The wise man who gave us the serum was also a philosopher. Those of us following his ways have no fear of death, only the slavery of the untreated Blight. A time will come when this terror of the night draws to a close. He spoke of it often, though in his time he admitted it would be far in the future. Many of us feel the day draws near. In fact, your appearance here could be one of the signs. May it be so!”
Steve was quiet during the tour, but now turned to Tee. “Most of my people may still be... alive. In Villages of Hope. Or, trapped as Gall thralls. But alive. We need to help them, Tee!”
Tee was too moved to speak. He looked at Steve with a reassuring nod.
Steve brightened up with that. “This talk of signs from the first cleric. I recently read through a book collection, trying to get a better understanding of human history. It wasn’t an easy read, but it was interesting.” Steve grew quiet, lost in thought.
Tee couldn’t help but wonder. “Got you thinking. And?”
That brought Steve back from his muse. “It starts with a great king who gives the first humans a nice garden to live in and only one simple command to keep, with fair warning of the punishment for disobedience. But something definitely not human lived in the garden. Or, maybe it was from another place, perhaps another world. That made the
most sense to me. I don’t know. It reminded me of an evil beast my grandmother used to scare us with. Anyway, this intelligent creature talked them into breaking the simple command. That brought all kinds of trouble.”
Tee nodded. “The serpent.”
Steve nodded. “That’s him. Didn’t seem like he was from Earth. There were other non-humans as well. Mostly... angels? Some of those must have been similar to humans since they took human wives. At least that’s what some of your scholars say the text means. That was interesting and got me into some research about human DNA and some interesting genetic puzzle pieces. Toward the end of the collection, I read of angels taking part in a tremendous interstellar war.”
Tee gave a smile of encouragement. “You’re probably thinking of the war in heaven. Does Michael sound familiar?”
Steve remembered. “Yes. Michael. Angels fighting on both sides. The story gave the feeling of immense angelic... is that right? Angelic? A war of powerful beings. There were other hints of angelic warfare as well. Mixed in with all that, about you guys, humans, being judges of angels. At some point humans would become royalty, or something like that.”
Tee thought a bit of clarity might help. “Those who turn from rebellion against the King.”
Steve looked confused for a second, then seemed to understand. “Oh. Right. The broken command and all. Sin? Rebellion. I don’t remember anything quite like that command in the history of my people. Maybe you guys are special in some way. I’m glad you’re finally out here. The universe wouldn’t be the same without you.”
While we chatted, kind Karrin hands administered the serum. We cautiously removed the restraints and hoods, knowing the effect of sedatives we had given them would soon subside. As our friends awoke, they looked all around with... hope. And clarity of thought. There was also an admission they could feel the monster inside, seeking to break free. It was clear to each of them this village was the best option for now. Here, they would be among those able to understand their circumstance and offer the most help. They also knew Solcom would not abandon them. This place would be best, for now.
Invasion: Journal Three (Shockwave Book 3) Page 10