by Ken Lozito
Corporal Lasky approached and waited a short distance from them. Maddox waved him over.
“What is it, Corporal?” Maddox asked.
“Sir, one of the long-range recon drones has detected a small group of colonists walking toward the city,” Corporal Lasky said.
“Colonists!” Sergeant Flint said. “How’d they get out here?”
Maddox glanced at Sergeant Flint. “Sergeant, I’d like you to oversee Specialist Stackhouse’s work with the NEIIS console. Make sure he has what he needs and keep them on task.”
Sergeant Flint paused for barely a second. “At once, Lieutenant,” he said and stalked off.
Maddox turned his gaze back to Corporal Lasky. “Corporal, I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything. I’m your man, Lieutenant,” Corporal Lasky said.
“I like to think that I can count on you. The news of Captain Fletcher’s death is going to affect certain members of the platoon in different ways. I want you to keep an eye on a couple of them for me. I just want to know if they start acting strangely. That sort of thing. Can you do that for me?” Maddox asked.
Corporal Lasky’s eyes narrowed with grim determination. “Absolutely, Lieutenant. Do you have anyone in mind?”
“A few people, but before we get to that, where exactly are these colonists you saw?” Maddox asked.
Corporal Lasky shared the drone’s video feed with him and Maddox's eyes widened as he recognized them. This was the very same group they’d rescued the week before. He pulled up the name of one of the young archaeological students from the report they’d filed—Dash DeWitt, an expert in NEIIS technology and an expert in engineering.
“I’ll take it from here,” Maddox said.
Corporal Lasky saluted him and left.
Maddox studied the video feed. Perhaps he'd be able to get Specialist Stackhouse a little bit of extra help, but he’d need to use people he could trust for what he had in mind. The colonists were still over an hour away, more than enough time to herd them in the right direction. Hearing a group of men resupplying at the arms locker on the other side of the Hellcat, he began to form a plan in his mind and circled around toward them. A squad of six infantrymen was gathered around the supply cache. They stopped what they were doing when they saw him approach and saluted him.
Maddox strode over to the squad commander. He was a bear of a man, despite the smooth features of his young face. “Corporal Winston, I need you and your men for a field mission,” he said and glanced at the rest of the squad. “How would you boys like to join me on a little excursion?”
Corporal Winston grinned. “Ready, willing, and able, sir. Just point the way and we’re there.”
Maddox had started his military career as an infantryman. They were a no-nonsense bunch and he knew they had no love for ryklars.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Connor woke up on the cold, hard ground of the NEIIS outpost. The padding they’d used for bedding wasn't nearly as comfortable as his own bed that he shared with Lenora. His back was stiff and he stretched his arms overhead, a slight groan escaping his lips.
Lenora woke up at the same time and looked at him from within her sleeping bag. “What are you smiling at?” she asked.
Connor hadn’t realized he’d been smiling. “I was just thinking I’ve gotten used to sleeping in a bed. I think our home at Sanctuary is the longest I’ve ever spent in one place.”
Lenora’s eyes softened and she reached her hand out from her sleeping bag to give his a gentle squeeze. Her hand was warm compared to the chilly air.
Yesterday, they’d spent a few hours studying the outpost and the two consoles. It hadn’t taken them long to find the updated map and it was a safe bet they knew exactly where Dash and the others had gone, whereas they’d only had a vague notion before. Connor regularly checked their comms system looking for some kind of update from Dash, but there was none.
They packed up their camp within the hour. Connor found Lenora standing just outside the outpost, frowning at her PDA.
“Still no word from Dash?” Connor asked.
Lenora shook her head. “I really expected he’d have contacted us by now.”
Captain Ramsey came over. “There hasn’t been any distress beacon detected at those coordinates. You don’t think they disabled their C-cat’s communication systems, do you?”
Lenora shook her head immediately and glanced at Connor.
“It wouldn’t make much sense now,” Connor said finally. “He’d have no reason to at this point and I don’t think he would have anyway. He sent the initial update because he wanted us to know where they’d gone.”
Captain Ramsey nodded. “So I guess we’ll keep going then, unless you have any objections.”
“I really wish we had some kind of update from them by now. The fact that we don’t could mean they’re in trouble, or at the very least that they have a damaged comms system,” Connor said.
“Well, let’s stop wasting time and get going already,” Lenora said and hastened aboard the ship.
Captain Ramsey arched an eyebrow at Connor.
“She’s worried about them,” Connor said.
Captain Ramsey nodded. Sergeant Hale called for them to get aboard and Connor noted the urgent tone of her voice. They hurriedly climbed in and Sergeant Hale immediately lifted off even before the loading ramp had completely closed. Connor followed Captain Ramsey to the cockpit.
“What’s with the hasty departure, Sergeant?” Captain Ramsey asked.
“Sir, there are ryklars in the area,” Sergeant Hale replied.
“Can you put it on screen?” Connor asked.
Corporal Bennett brought up the recent scan on the heads-up display and Connor’s eyes widened.
Connor pressed his lips together. “There are hundreds of them heading right for us.”
“They’re still half a kilometer outside the drone’s patrol area,” Captain Ramsey said.
The scan showed the ryklars closing in on the outpost, but they were moving at what could be considered a leisurely pace for a ryklar.
“Sergeant, we need best speed to our target coordinates. Is that understood?” Connor said.
“Yes, sir. Best speed,” Sergeant Hale replied.
Connor closed his eyes for a moment and looked at Captain Ramsey. “Sorry. Old habits.”
Captain Ramsey shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize to me and we can’t get caught up with who’s in command. I know you’re retired, but you haven't been retired that long. And besides, the future mayor of Sanctuary would be our boss anyway.”
Connor snorted. Captain Ramsey was a practical man, which was one of the reasons Connor got along with him so well. “We’ll see about the mayor part, but thanks.”
If the ryklars were this far south and east, there was a good chance they were also at the city Dash and the others had gone to. Whatever assumptions they’d previously had went right out the window.
Connor returned to the passenger area and sat next to Lenora, quickly filling her and Ian in about the ryklars.
“So many of them,” Ian said.
Connor looked at Lenora, who had gone rigid at the news. “Dash and the others are a resourceful bunch. They won’t get caught out in the open again. We’ll get to them in time.”
Lenora nodded and moved to check her PDA again. Captain Ramsey joined them and they started planning their next move.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dash and the others hiked through the wilderness on their way toward the NEIIS city. He’d had the drones scout ahead and had spotted a path that looked to have been a road many years ago. One of them was always on drone-monitoring duty as they walked so their progress was a little bit slower than he would have liked, but that was the price they paid for safety. No matter how they sliced it, they were exposed, and if they encountered a large group of ryklars, they’d be in trouble. There were other creatures to be watchful for on New Earth that ranged in size from berwolves to the sn
ake-like hybrids that lived in the thick treetop canopies. They heard the long calls of a furry squirrel-type creature that had long fins on their backs. Those animals kept to the trees, running among the high branches and occasionally stopping to peer at the colonists.
They spoke in hushed tones and kept their passage as quiet as possible until they emerged from the forest. As they caught their first close-up look at the NEIIS city, their meager comms system detected another NEIIS broadcast.
“The signal is definitely being broadcast from the city,” Brad said.
Dash brought out the NEIIS version of a personal digital assistant. Brad had managed to use a small battery to power the device, but he was adamant that he wasn’t sure how long it was going to last. Dash swiped his fingertips across the small mesh screen and the PDA came online. The NEIIS had a symbol the colonists had come to associate with the ryklars. Colonial linguists referred to the symbol as “protectors,” but Dash didn’t think the meaning was entirely accurate. Perhaps in some circumstances the ryklars could be seen as such, but they were much more than protectors.
“I think this PDA is detecting the signal. It definitely has something to do with the ryklars, but I’m not sure what these other symbols mean and I can’t work on it while we walk,” Dash said.
“I’d rather not stop here. Are you sure the signal has nothing to do with that attack protocol?” Merissa asked.
Dash shook his head. “It’s the protection protocol, but I know what you mean. And no, it’s much more complex.” He placed the NEIIS PDA carefully back in his pack and glanced at Selena. She’d calmed down since they’d left their C-cat behind.
They quickened their pace, eager to reach the NEIIS city. Dash brought out his own PDA and captured an image of the city. It was built in the old architectural style, with rounded buildings—some with long, finger-like spires on top. The outer material was a form of molded concrete that was still smooth, showing little signs of wear. Tall monoliths towered above the cityscape, the largest of them centrally located and appearing to form a circle. Once they were closer, Dash would send a drone on ahead to confirm.
“Isn’t it odd that the NEIIS didn’t use any kind of vehicles?” Jim said. “We couldn’t build a city like this without machinery. Surely they must have used the same. Why wouldn’t we have found anything like that yet?”
Dash gestured toward the city with a wide smile. “Look at it. According to my PDA, it’s almost eight kilometers wide. This is the biggest NEIIS find ever. If we hadn’t been so preoccupied with preparing for an invasion, we would’ve explored a place like this already. But we’re here now, and we’re about to get a lot of questions about the NEIIS answered.”
“Someone’s a little excited,” Merissa teased.
“You think?” Jim said with a grin. “We better get moving or he’ll run off without us.”
“Very funny,” Dash said, quickening his pace.
They closed in on the city. There was no distinct boundary between the thinning forest and the actual city because one gradually gave way to the other. A main thoroughfare stretched out in front of them and they began to walk down it. Dash stopped and squatted down, gliding his fingers across the pavement. The streets had once been smooth but now were cracked, with some sunken sections of old pavement looking more like small craters. The clear dividing lines between the sheets of intact pavement must have been a sight to behold. Dash wasn’t sure what material they were constructed from.
“Hold up,” Jim said, peering down at his PDA. “There are other drone signals here.”
Dash sent out a broadcast on the drone communications network and received a reply. “It’s using CDF protocols,” he said.
Brad glanced at him in surprise. “How’d you know?”
“Connor Gates showed me once,” Dash said and felt a slight satisfaction at knowing something Brad didn’t.
“Good,” Selena said. “That means we’re not alone here.” She cupped her hands around her mouth and started to shout, but Merissa quickly stopped her.
A CDF drone flew overhead and hovered above their position. Dash glanced up at it and waved. The drone slowly flew away from them, going down the street toward the central part of the city, and then stopped twenty yards away.
“I think we should follow it,” Dash said.
The others agreed, and once they started following the drone, it kept a steady pace. A few minutes later a small CDF squad met them.
“You guys are a bit far from home, aren’t you?” a soldier asked.
He had dark hair and Dash could see the muscles bulging under his uniform. There were five others with them and they looked familiar.
The soldier who had just spoken smiled with what might have looked like a friendly smile except for his eyes. There was something off about the way the man was looking at them.
“We didn’t expect to see anyone else here,” Dash said.
The soldiers were well armed and seemed to be watching the area around them as much as they were watching Dash and the others.
“We’re so glad you found us,” Selena said.
The CDF soldier nodded and looked back at Dash. “You’re Dash DeWitt, right?” the soldier asked.
Dash’s eyes widened and he wasn’t the only one. He nodded quickly. “Who are you?”
The CDF soldier frowned and his gaze narrowed for a split second. “You don’t remember me? The ryklar attack last week. We’re the squad that rescued you.”
Dash smiled uncertainly. “I thought you looked familiar. I just didn’t expect to see any of you here.” He nodded in greeting to the other soldiers. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember your name.”
The soldier waved off his apology. “I’m Lieutenant Maddox. And I’m actually glad you’re here. There’s something we could use your help with.”
Dash glanced at the other soldiers, who kept a steady watch on them.
“We're so glad you’re here,” Selena said excitedly. “Something happened to our C-cat and we’ve had to hike here.”
Lieutenant Maddox’s eyes widened at this. “What happened to your C-cat? And what were you doing way out here?”
“We found a map at that first NEIIS outpost where you helped us with the ryklars,” Dash said and Lieutenant Maddox nodded. “The map contained previously undiscovered NEIIS sites, but we had some trouble with the equipment we recovered. We took a C-cat and found another outpost about fifteen hundred kilometers south of here, and that one was much more intact. We accessed the consoles there, which pointed us here,” Dash said with a shrug. “That’s the long and short of it.”
“And you were able to decipher the information on the NEIIS console?” Lieutenant Maddox asked.
Dash glanced at the others. “It was a team effort.”
Lieutenant Maddox nodded appreciatively. “Very impressive, but what happened with your C-cat and why didn’t you call for help?”
“Our C-cat was damaged by some kind of energy-beam weapon,” Dash said, and Lieutenant Maddox nodded for him to continue. “At least, we think it was an energy weapon. Something took out our comms antenna, which caused the failure with the C-cat’s main power supply. We tried to fix our communication system, but the range wasn’t enough to reach any colonial settlement. We thought our best chance to call for help was to come here, climb one of those monoliths, and hopefully send word back to Sanctuary. Our updates are overdue by now.”
“You’re right about satellite communications being spotty in this area—yet another thing the colonial government failed to address in their rebuilding efforts,” Lieutenant Maddox said and shook his head. Then he arched an eyebrow, his gaze intent. “So, your updates are overdue. That means someone knows you’re out here this time.”
Dash didn’t know why, but he felt like there was something off about the lieutenant, as if he was moments away from lashing out. “That’s right. They know we’re out here and they have our coordinates,” he said and hoped the others wouldn’t overreact to him bending the tru
th.
Selena was about to speak, but Merissa cut her off. “Excuse me, sir,” Merissa said, giving Selena a pointed look, “were there any ryklars in the city when you got here?”
Lieutenant Maddox moistened his lips and glanced at the area beyond them. “You better believe there were. We had to clear some out, but we have measures in place to keep us safe—in the encampment, at least, but they’re still out there,” he said and glanced at the weapons they carried. “Too many for those rifles. You’re lucky one of our drones alerted us to your approach.”
“But you do have a way to leave here?” Merissa asked.
“Of course,” Lieutenant Maddox answered.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what brings the CDF to an unknown NEIIS city? How did you guys find this place?” Dash asked.
“We should start heading back to base camp and I’ll tell you about it on the way,” Lieutenant Maddox said.
Two soldiers walked ahead of them and the rest brought up the rear. Dash glanced behind at them and noticed that they were watching him and the others almost as much as the surrounding area. What did they expect?
“You were saying, sir?” Dash prompted.
Lieutenant Maddox glanced at him. “You’ll have to forgive me, but we’ve experienced a tragedy just before you arrived. Captain Fletcher, our commanding officer, died of ryklar wounds.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Dash said and the others echoed the same. “I didn’t really know him, but he seemed like a good man.”
Lieutenant Maddox narrowed his gaze. “You hardly recognized us. Would you have remembered him if you’d seen him?”
Dash’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment. Lieutenant Maddox’s angry glare was unyielding, and for moment Dash thought he was going to strike. Then it was gone.
“I’m sorry,” Lieutenant Maddox said quickly. “Captain Fletcher . . . He and I had served together for a long time. He was a good man and shouldn’t have died.”
Dash swallowed uneasily and nodded.