Harry walked over to Rasmus. “I meant to ask, have you had any training in the use of the EVA suit you’re wearing?”
Rasmus grinned. “Nein. But I think I am about to learn very quickly.”
Harry frowned. “I fear it might be a crash course if we are not careful. Allow me to assist you.” He entered a set of coded instructions into the control panel on the suit. “Very good. Now, it should only be necessary for you to press the enter command, and the suit will lift you. Once airborne, you will need to emulate our actions.” He attached a long tether. “This will allow us to keep you in our wake until we can teach you to fly the suit yourself.”
Rasmus was not impressed. “So, you do not trust me to do this myself?”
“On the contrary.” Harry tried to be diplomatic. “It’s just that we do not have time to show you properly. This is merely a temporary fix. I will ensure that you are given the proper training as soon as we are safely away from here.”
Rasmus laughed. “Okay, tow me away, Mr. Heron.”
Harry grinned in relief. “Thank you, Rasmus.” To the Coxswain he said, “Very well, Swain, let’s get airborne.”
Almost a hundred miles to the north of their landing position, Harry spotted what he hoped would be a shelter they could use. The plume of smoke that marked the destruction of Delta Two Four had long since faded from view. “There, Swain.” He pointed. “Follow me down.”
The small party made a slow descent onto a wide ledge that sloped toward an opening in the shoulder of a steep ridge. Below it, a long steep slope of broken rock stretched down toward a gentler incline dotted with low-growing bushes. A stream poured itself over a series of steps to the left of the opening, which Harry investigated with careful attention. It showed signs of having been occupied at some time, but there was no indication of recent habitation.
“Move our people into the cave, Swain. This planet is subject to sudden and very violent storms according to what little I managed to learn of it. This cave has water and a good vantage point, both of which are necessary while we establish where we are and what we can do about it.” He glanced at the men. “Get our equipment under shelter. I want a sleeping area set aside and somewhere we can cook and work.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” The Coxswain grinned and threw up a salute.
Harry returned it with a smile then spoke to the scientist. “Rasmus, I think you’ll have to take charge of our food supplies and the cooking.” He grinned. “I know — it is not your normal line of work, but I fear we will all have to learn some new skills very rapidly if we are to survive this scrape.”
Rasmus shrugged. “I shall try not to poison anyone. Maybe my skill with chemical concoctions will come in handy making a stew of some sort.”
Harry grinned. “Good. Sounds like you’ve got that under control. I’ll trust you to it.”
“I’ll give Mr. Rasmus a hand, sir.” A TechRate named Turner interjected. “I can cook some of the basics anyways.”
His companions laughed. “You? Cook?”
The Coxswain returned. “I suggest that we shut down all our electronic gear, sir. The enemy will be able to track us if we use anything electronic in any location where they don’t have settlements or patrols. It’ll be a dead giveaway.”
“You’re right.” Harry gave himself a mental kicking. “I should have thought of that. Shut down everything electronic immediately.”
Aboard the Vengeance, Admiral Hartmann checked her messages again. “Contact with the Daring has been lost. Do we have a plot on her last known position?”
Danny Gunn’s heart skipped several beats as he listened.
“Yes, sir. Her last contact position was at Sigma Sol. She left there a week ago in transit to the Peiho system, her destination being Planet Lycania. She was due to send her Mission Completed Report two hours ago. Her location beacon went offline as per standard procedures when entering enemy space, and we can’t make contact.”
“What have we got in that area?” The Admiral was brisk as she got out of her Command Chair and made for the huge display that showed the dispersal of her forces.
“Nothing within less than a month, and most of it small stuff.”
“Damn. Very well, order the nearest ships to do a sweep of everything along the line she would have taken.” She paused to consider her next decision. “Order Task Group Bravo to get underway to Sigma Sol, and get my Command Team in here immediately. I’ll want the search extended. If the Daring has run into a superior force, I want to know where and why. That area is supposed to be only marginally occupied — no traders, no bases — so what are we missing?”
“Er . . . sir?” Errol Hill, TechRate First Class and Weapons Specialist, sounded concerned.
“Yes, Hill?” Harry looked across to where the TechRate stood staring out at the cavern that was their temporary home.
“We have company, sir, non-human, and I think they may be hostile.”
“Don’t show any weapons. We don’t want to provoke them. Everyone stay as you are, but be ready to respond if they attack.” Harry moved to stand beside the sentry. Glancing about and seeing nothing, he asked quietly, “Where away?”
“Over there, sir.” Errol Hill indicated a rocky outcrop. “There’s two at that outcrop and another four or five lower down the slope.”
“Ah yes, I see them, but I don’t see any weapons.” Harry grabbed his ranging optics and surveyed the strangers. He could see that they carried packs of some sort and what appeared to be rather sophisticated metal tools, which could also be used as weapons.
The creatures stood on two feet, but that was the limit of their resemblance to anything human. Their forearms were longer than a man’s and much thicker, joined to wide shoulders and a thick neck. A distinctly canine head topped a heavy body supported on short powerful legs. They were clothed head to toe in garments that had a rubbery appearance, blue-black in color and form fitting like a scuba suit. It was apparent, by their mannerisms and the obvious sophistication of their clothing, that they were intelligent despite their somewhat primitive appearance.
Harry watched as one gave a signal to the others causing them to retreat into cover.
“Stay here and don’t make any threatening or sudden movements,” he said to TechRate Hill. Stepping forward several paces to the lip of the ledge, Harry kept his hands clearly in view. He eased down and unbuckled his weapons belt, and placed it on the ground beside him. Moving his hands to where he could put them on his knees, he nodded his head to the leading alien. Behind him, he could hear the Coxswain telling the others to keep still but be ready to move in Harry’s defence.
“Is he mad?” Rasmus whispered.
“Absolutely bloody certified, sir, but I’d rather work with him than some of the others I’ve had to serve under. He’s mad in a very intelligent way, and gets it right most of the time.”
“I know he led a crew that brought back a captured freighter about a year ago,” said Rasmus. “There was something about him and Ferghal using swords to attack the ship’s crew.”
“That’s the story, sir.” The Coxswain’s voice was taut. “And if he can keep us out of the jug here, I reckon we might be in for some interesting times.” He tensed. “Be ready, people — the leader’s moving this way.”
Harry tensed as the leading alien approached. As it got closer, he could see just how powerfully built it was. It moved with the stiff-legged motion that a dog or perhaps a wolf might use when approaching an enemy. Full of menace, it conveyed the impression of being ready and willing to respond without hesitation to any threat.
In that moment, it clicked into Harry’s memory: he had read about these creatures known as the Canids, and now he understood why that name had been chosen to designate them. They reminded him of very powerfully built dogs, or possibly wolves, that stood and walked upright. When he made that correlation, and remembered that they’d been nicknamed the Rotties after the fierce, powerful breed of dogs known as Rottweilers, he knew
that he needed to approach them with a great deal of caution and respect. The record said they were nomadic, unsophisticated and possibly a degraded remnant of a more advanced species.
As the leader approached, Harry forced himself to relax, his artist’s eye recording details of the Canid’s clothing and physique. It was obvious these beings had access to sophisticated materials and tools. The thought crossed his mind that he and his men might benefit from this, or better yet, gain access to the uniforms, suitably adapted, of course, to human physiognomy, to help them survive in this alien environment.
The Canid leader stopped a few yards in front of him and sniffed the air. The upper lips curled back baring the tips of a powerful set of teeth. He appeared uncertain, and Harry knew that uncertainty could lead to a sudden and dangerous response, so he turned his hands palms up to show he had no hostile intent — praying that these creatures would understand the gesture.
Now that he could get a better look at the tool belt, he noticed it had a manufactured appearance. Nothing suggested a primitive species. He wondered whether the report was wrong, or worse, if it had been deliberately falsified.
Harry’s tension eased when the Canid’s lips relaxed and closed over its teeth, but he tensed again when the massive creature moved closer.
“We mean you no harm,” Harry said in a calm, steady voice, just as he would use when speaking to an animal whose instincts were on full alert. “We seek only shelter from our enemies.”
The Canid fixed him with its gaze, and Harry had the feeling that he was caught in a weapons sight as the eyes locked onto his. A series of growls and what sounded like a whine responded to his speech. Then, with a gesture to his companions, the leader backed away. When he had put some distance between himself and Harry, he turned and joined his fellows. Minutes later the entire group dispersed into the scrub.
Rasmus and the Coxswain walked over to Harry when it was safe to move from their positions.
“That was certainly an encounter of the unusual kind,” Rasmus remarked. “Do you think they’ll be back?”
Harry replaced his weapons belt. “I should think we might see them again. I do not think they are as primitive as the record suggested, and we will need allies if we are to survive on this planet until we’re free of this place. We must find a way to communicate with them.” He looked along the valley below. “I rather think they will watch us closely until they make up their minds whether we pose a threat. In the meantime, I want no one to make any threatening move should they return — unless, of course, they attack us.”
“Cut a section around this area.” The scientist indicated the area he wanted removed. If he was right, a specimen from one of the buildings on Lycania might reveal the technology that was concealed on this planet. “It appears to be some sort of node,” he added as he watched the extraction. “Steady there . . . if we can remove it intact, we can make a detailed examination of it in the lab.”
The Consortium soldiers watched with bored disinterest. These tech geeks seemed to think they were superior to everyone, and this detail was a major pain in the ass, especially when you had to fight off the Rotties so these nerdy berks could poke and pry looking for their ‘hidden tech,’ whatever that meant. It got damned unpleasant if the Rotties got close enough to go hand to hand. The buggers were powerful and could bite a man’s arm off when threatened, and the knives they used in close combat were serious weapons. An ‘exciting adventure on an intriguing planet’ as their orders had described it — yeah, right! This was a lousy detail, no matter what these boffins thought it was worth.
Firing up the laser cutter, the technician stepped forward and applied the laser. Smoke erupted, and a stench of burning flesh filled the room. The stench caused the operators to make a rapid retreat, but not fast enough. The opening sealed shut, and the walls began to contract in the manner of a foam that filled the space and engulfed the scientists and the soldiers guarding them.
Desperately the Captain tried to contact his superiors. “Alpha Leader, we’re trapped in location Delta 5. Do you hear me?”
Silence greeted him. He repeated the call. Nothing.
The foam enveloped him, and everything went dark.
Chapter 8 — Consortium Ascendant
“We’ve recovered all the survivors and bodies from the Daring, plus our own casualties from the Sirte Global.” The Colonel reported to Brigadier Newton. “The only unexplained bit of debris is a crashed launch. It came down around fifty miles beyond the life pods. It’s a remote area of little interest to us, occupied by the Rotties. There is no sign of survivors, but there is also no trace of human remains in the wreckage.”
“Have you had the area searched?”
“Yes. It turned up a couple of groups of the Rotties, but nothing human. There were some tracks around the wreck itself, but we found nothing to indicate who or what made them. We’ve done an aerial scan covering everything in a five-hundred-mile radius, but there is no sign of any survivors and certainly no sign of anyone using any of the tech that humans need for communication, transport, food or weapons.” He paused. “Of course, it’s possible that the launch crashed after being ejected from the wreckage, but we’ll keep looking.”
“Could the Canids be hiding them?”
“It’s possible but unlikely, especially since our research team tried to cut out a section of a building, and found nothing in the process.” The Colonel glanced at the Chief Scientist who held his peace for once.
“Excellent work. I see the list includes Daring’s Exec, Commander Nielsen, three Lieutenant Commanders and most of the Lieutenants and junior officers, plus quite a crop of Rates and Warrant Officers. Yes, very well done.”
Colonel Rees gave a curt nod to acknowledge the compliment. “Thanks, ma’am, but it’s a pity the CS Sirte Global was almost destroyed. Daring’s Captain Maia stayed aboard the wreck and rammed her into the SG.”
“I knew her at one time, a brave and determined officer of the North European Confederation Fleet and a damned good commander. Not like her to get caught the way the SG did.” The Brigadier shook her head. “You recovered the Daring’s beacon and relocated it as I ordered?”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s been shipped to the Ceti system and reactivated. They’ll not be able to track it back to here.”
“Good.” The Brigadier hoped this would give them time to crack the secret of the technology that seemed hidden in the cities. The first research teams had failed and been replaced by the much more aggressive Johnstone Xenoarchaeological Research Group, experts at extracting and adapting alien technologies.
Their arrival had coincided with Brigadier Newton taking command of this garrison and the signal interception unit, and marked a new phase in relations with the Canids. Up to this point, the Canids had largely ignored the human presence, satisfying themselves with compelling anyone who tried any physical action inside the structures to vacate them as fast as their legs and vehicles would carry them. That changed with the JXRG team’s demand that at least one of the sites be secured and their workers protected.
What the Canids lacked in weapons and protection, they more than made up for in determination, strength and aggression, which they used as and when needed. Each attempt to secure a site had been bitterly contested and cost a lot of casualties on both sides. This convinced the JXRG chief scientist that the technology to be gained from the Canid cities must be acquired at any price.
“Then all that’s left is to hope our military forces on this and other planets, and the blockade of resources can bring about the surrender of the North European Confederation and the World Treaty Organisation.”
The Chief Scientist cleared his throat. “Before that happens, Brigadier, I want the guard and escorts provided to my teams doubled. We are very close to getting our hands on this technology. It is of immense importance — far greater than perhaps you military people appreciate. We can’t afford to waste time, especially after what occurred the last time
my team tried to take a sample from one of the buildings.”
Brigadier Newton frowned. “What happened to your science team is not the sort of response I’d expected, given the casualties we’ve inflicted on the Canids in pursuit of this tech. It doesn’t mean any runaways won’t get something similar either. Have we scanned them?”
“The tech in these cities interferes with our scans.” Colonel Rees glowered at the Chief Scientist and added, “And the researchers haven’t found anything that will do it. Before you took command, they tried to tame the Rotties and train them as one would a pet dog, a laughable attempt considering these creatures are most definitely not dogs. Obviously, the effort failed.” The Colonel laughed. “I doubt a bunch of Fleet flyboys would have much chance of survival. They won’t be able to communicate with these Canids, and they could well end up on the menu.”
“Hmm.” The Brigadier nodded, her attention focussed on a map. “Keep a watch on this area, please. If anyone has survived and is roaming around out there, I want them found and brought in. I don’t like uncertainties, and I don’t like the thought of Fleet personnel roaming free just waiting to cause us problems when we least expect it.”
She turned to the Chief Scientist. “What progress are you making? What did your other team find in the city?”
“We’re still working on it. Part of the problem is it wipes all the data on any equipment we take into the structures. Some instruments are literally fried in there. The samples we got are silicone based, rather like a fungus. Trouble is, it decomposes very rapidly as soon as it is removed from the original. It resembles some sort of nanotech. That’s all we’ve determined so far. I’d like to try occupying one of these buildings as soon as we can figure out how to disable its defence mechanism.” He paused. “We think these are not built cities in the usual sense, meaning they weren’t constructed. Rather, they appear to be a sort of life form, one we’ve not encountered before, and from its response to us, it has a form of sentience. We plan to examine that more closely.”
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