by Jeff Kirvin
“I have a heat source!” radioed Private Ahiga. “Two hundred meters north of my position. It’s big, and it’s moving, north by northeast.”
“Roger, we’re on our way.” Jack called up a map of the area showing the relative position of his men. Ahiga was almost five hundred meters east of him.
Waving his Marines on, Jack took off in a powered lope towards a position north of Ahiga, his armored strength carrying him more than ten meters a stride. Bersi and Shimura followed.
Jack reached Ahiga. “Report,” he said.
“There, sir,” Ahiga said, pointing northward. “150 meters.”
Jack looked where Ahiga was pointing and froze. The thing was huge, larger than Bersi’s estimate. And it was heading their way.
Jack noted that the rest of the strike team had joined them. “Here it comes, Marines,” he said. “Fire at will when it comes into visual range.”
For a moment, the jungle was silent enough for Jack to become aware of the sound of his own breathing. Then, the creature appeared.
Bersi had been right about the head; it did resemble a Terran tyrannosaur. The rest of the body was different. It had four limbs, the front two being large and powerful enough for it to walk as either a biped or a quadruped. The tail was short and stubby, and the creature leaned against it as it reared up on his hind legs. The skin was smooth, and bright orange on the back fading to a pale cream underside. As soon as it saw the men, the creature let out a terrible bellow, a scream no human had ever heard before.
“Fire at the body!” Jack shouted. “I want the head for study!”
On Jack’s order, the men opened fire with their plasma rifles. Superheated streams of hydrogen enveloped the creature’s torso, which burst into flames even before it died.
Once it was down, Jack and the men surrounded it. “Stay clear of the mouth,” Jack warned, “until we’re sure it’s dead.”
Upon closer examination, the creature looked less like a monster and more like what it was: an animal looking for food. Jack felt a certain pity for it, and was even more convinced that this was the wrong planet for Envoy to colonize.
“Sir!” called Jabari. “You’d better take a look at this.”
Jack trotted over to where Jabari was standing, the flank of the beast. “What do you have, Sergeant Major?”
She pointed to some strange markings on the creature’s right thigh. “That. We didn’t do that. Is that what I think it is?”
Jack studied the strange symbols scarred into the creature’s flesh, then it hit him what he was looking at. His mind flooded with images he’d seen in school as a child, a textbook of the American west. “Shit.”
“Sir?”
“It’s a brand. This creature belonged to someone. Or something.
“Let’s cut down some of these trees and make some kind of harness to drag this thing back to camp. Then I have a call to make.”
***
Chenzokov and a few scientists came down in the first shuttle just over an hour later, and Jack was there to greet them as they came off the shuttle ramp.
“Good afternoon, Captain,” Jack said, guiding Chenzokov towards the dropship. “I think there’s something you need to see.”
As Jack walked with Chenzokov behind the dropship, he heard the older man gasp. The carcass of the creature was laid out alongside the dropship, and between the plasma burns and the jungle’s heat, it was beginning to get a bit pungent.
“The first thing I want you to take note of,” Jack said, dragging Chenzokov to the front of the beast, “is the head. Note the teeth, both their size and number. These are the same teeth that ripped open one of my men, while he was still wearing his armor.”
The Russian gagged, but said nothing.
Jack nodded. “And while you are thinking about that mouth attached to nine tons of muscle, let me show you something else.” Jack guided Chenzokov to the rear of the creature and pointed out the brand.
“Notice anything strange about this marking?” Jack asked.
Chenzokov coughed. “It is an odd shape and placement for scar tissue, I’ll admit—”
Jack threw up his hands in disgust. “It’s a brand, Captain. Proof of ownership. Someone or something tried to domesticate this animal.
“We are not alone here.”
“I—I see no proof of this,” Chenzokov sputtered.
“Captain!” Jack exclaimed. “You can’t still believe—”
Chenzokov straightened and looked Jack in the eye. “I believe you and your men found and killed a predator which attacked one of your men, a creature that bears a curious, if random, piece of scar tissue. Nothing more.
“We are here, Major, to establish a colony world for the Terran Republic. This planet is as close to perfect as we are going to find, and I’ll not let you chase us away from it with your wild and unfounded speculations!
“A brand. A barbaric practice we abolished centuries ago! To think a starfaring race would still … No, you are wrong, Major. There is no danger here other than the wild animals of this ecosystem. To that end, you will set up a defensive perimeter large enough for the colonists. And I will hear no more of your paranoid theories!”
With that, Chenzokov turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Jack to ponder the strange symbol on the creature’s thigh.
Volume 3
The Story So Far: After landing on the first extrasolar world discovered capable of supporting human life, Major Jack Killian and his group of Terran Republic Marines encountered a creature, a multiton carnivore that killed one of the Marines. Upon closer inspection of the beast, Jack discovered a brand, evidence of domestication. Jack showed this evidence to Vladimir Chenzokov, captain of the exploratory vessel Envoy, who dismissed it as coincidental. The colony world, now dubbed New Eden, was human property, and Chenzokov would hear no talk of aliens.
***
Major Jack Killian paused in his work, stopping to remove his helmet and wipe the sweat from his brow. Despite the armor’s strength and climate control, he was dripping.
It had been a busy three weeks. Shortly after dismissing Jack’s concern about the branded creature, Chenzokov had the colonists begin shuttling down. Jack and his men had the perimeter fences up just as the last shuttle came down.
Chenzokov called an assembly and gave a stirring speech that Jack knew must’ve taken the old Russian half the trip to write. Chenzokov talked about the noble ideal they were living, and the great responsibility of founding humanity’s first extrasolar colony. He finished by naming the planet “New Eden” and calling for a celebration that lasted well into the night.
The next morning the colonists began ferrying down materials to build the first human settlement on New Eden. Despite the use of prefab materials and plenty of powerloaders, unarmored civilian construction versions of the military powered armor suits, Chenzokov insisted that Jack and his men “earn their keep” by helping with the construction. Jack had been building parts of the compound ever since.
Jack knew the real reason for the order, of course. While the security team’s powered assistance was valued, the real reason Chenzokov wanted them working was so Jack wouldn’t have time to pursue his “paranoid theories.”
All that was about to change. Jack and some civilian workers were just putting together the last building now. Once that was completed, Chenzokov would have to let Jack conduct “security patrols”; to do otherwise would call undue attention to himself. Chenzokov wasn’t a politician himself, but he answered to politicians, and there were lots of VIPs in the colony that would be quite upset to discover that the captain had placed them in possible danger.
Jack looked around the colony to appraise his handiwork. The first settlement on New Eden was a sight to behold. It was a frontier outpost, to be sure, and inefficient compared to the arcologies, but they’d done a damn fine job putting it together. The gleaming white buildings covered almost a square kilometer, several of them two or three stories tall. Everything the colony
needed was present, much of it transplanted from the Envoy. They had hydroponics gardens, dormitories, labs for biochemistry, zoology and the other ecosciences. Each building was a marvel of modern architecture, self sufficient and self contained. The roofs were composed of high-efficiency solar cells, and each building could be hermetically sealed if the need arose. Around the complex was a four-meter tall perimeter fence, ample protection from anything smaller than the creature that killed Rodas.
But Jack wasn’t concerned about wildlife. He was still convinced the mark on that creature was a brand, and that the colonists weren’t the only sentients on New Eden. And now he had the opportunity to test that theory.
Jack strode across the compound, looking for his Marines. He found Sergeant Major Eleanor Jabari and Corporal Horatio Shimura in the barracks.
“Suit up,” he said from the door, his armor-amplified voice ringing off the prefab walls. “We’re going on patrol.”
***
Jack and his patrol started off to the north, the same direction the creature had come from. The rain forest made for easy travel, sparse tree trunks dotting the landscape under the high, interlocking canopy of foliage. It was quiet, peaceful, and it gave Jack the creeps.
“You looking for anything in particular, Major?” asked Jabari.
“Yeah,” Jack said. “Whatever made that brand. If there’s another sentient species on this planet, I want to make sure they’re friendly.”
“We didn’t see any signs of settlement from orbit,” Shimura said, “or on the way down. What makes you think they’re still here, sir?”
“I don’t, necessarily. It’s possible they just left that creature behind by accident. But I have to be sure.”
They continued on for a few hours, moving at a slow enough speed not to overlook anything, and keeping chatter to a minimum. This was no nature hike and they all knew it. If they didn’t find anything within fifty klicks, Jack had decided to turn around, and they were fast approaching that boundary.
“Sir?” Shimura said.
“Yes, Corporal?”
“I’m reading several heat sources two klicks north by northeast, in a small valley. A few of them look…”
“Look what?”
“Artificial.”
Jack didn’t see anything on his own sensors, but he probably wouldn’t. Since their original scout got eaten, Shimura had drawn scout duty. His suit was lighter than the others but it had greater range and a better sensor array. The heat sources he saw were beyond the preset range for this patrol, but they were exactly what Jack was looking for. “We check it out. Carefully. This may be a first contact situation. We go in stealth, and try not to startle them.”
“Aye, sir,” the two Marines answered in unison. They all turned and began walking the direction Shimura advised, but they began walking slowly, taking great care not to make any excess noise.
Not long after they came upon the source of the heat readings. It was another base camp, but nothing like Jack or his Marines had ever seen. The artificial heat sources were machines, hulking bipedal walkers with reverse-articulated legs. The lines of the walkers were sleek and curved, and they appeared to be made a dull pewter metal. There were five of the walkers, two small ones and three that were much larger, the big ones dotted with menacing arms and what Jack presumed were weapons pods. Jack thought they were not unlike the legged, all-terrain tanks the Terran military sometimes used on rough worlds like Mars or Europa.
As interesting as the walkers were, they were nothing compared to the natural heat sources in the valley.
The creatures were also bipedal, and demonstrated a mix of avian and reptilian characteristics. They each had two arms and legs, horizontal spines, long tails and long necks that ended with heads featuring huge braincases and large eyes. Their mouths were long and filled with sharp, curved teeth, except at the end, where the mouth terminated with a bony protobeak. They had three digits on each limb, each ending with a sharp and hooked claw. Their skin was smooth on the back and sides, with a thin layer of down along the underside. Wattles hung from their necks, reminding Jack of Terran turkeys.
The larger type was red in color with yellow stripes and a thick crest of white feathers running from the top of the head down to the shoulders. They also wore gleaming body armor and carried rifles of some kind in addition to vicious bladed weapons.
The smaller type, and the type apparently in charge based on their actions, was dull green with red stripes and no crest. They wore no armor or clothing, but each had some kind of necklace bearing a metallic symbol, which Jack thought had to be some kind of rank insignia. Some of these green aliens were piloting the walkers while the others busied themselves with complex electronic equipment or ordered the red aliens around. Their vocalizations consisted of screeches and twitters, similar to Terran tropical birds, only much deeper in tone.
Jack and his men crouched down, doing their best to remain undetected.
“What do we do now, sir?” Shimura asked.
Damn good question, Jack thought. “We make note of this location and return to camp. The next step is Chenzokov’s call, not mine.”
Slowly, carefully, Jack and his Marines retreated the way they came.
***
Back in camp, Jack proceeded to the Administration building without bothering to remove his armor. Chenzokov had taken up residence in the Colonial Governor’s office, and it was there that Jack found the big Russian.
“We have to talk,” Jack said, closing the door behind him.
Chenzokov looked up from his computer and studied Jack’s armored form. “Finally staging your coup, Major?”
“We found XTs,” Jack said, ignoring Chenzokov’s jibe. “We counted at least a dozen individuals, and there are probably more. Their technology is at least as advanced as ours, and they appeared to have war machines.” Jack continued to explain, in detail, exactly what he and his men had seen.
“We have to leave,” Jack concluded.
Chenzokov leaned back in his chair. “Nonsense,” he said. “We will do no such thing.
“Major, assuming I believe you, assuming this isn’t another one of your attempts to sabotage our mission, your news still means nothing. We found no evidence of a sentient civilization on this planet, which means the aliens are likely just visitors, and will leave shortly. Furthermore, we have no reason to believe their intentions are hostile. Any race advanced enough to achieve starflight is going to be civilized enough to communicate with. For all we know, the aliens’ presence here could be the greatest fortune to ever befall mankind! If we could forge an alliance with a more advanced race, the benefits and advances we could acquire would be unimaginable!”
Jack stood silent for a moment, then said, “In the course of human history, contact between an advanced society and a less advanced one has always been disastrous for the lesser society. Ask any of the Amerindian or African or Australian tribes wiped out due to European expansion.
“I’m putting my men on full alert, and readying the shuttles for a quick evacuation. When you come to your senses, let me know.”
Jack walked from the room, leaving Chenzokov in silence.
***
Chenzokov stared at his office door, his mind racing.
Aliens! He knew that they were statistically possible, even likely, but he never expected to meet any. Habitable planets in the galaxy were just too hard to come by for alien species to cross paths with any frequency.
Major Killian didn’t understand that. The same rarity of habitable worlds that made XT contact so unlikely was the same reason humanity couldn’t afford to give up New Eden just because another species might and there was still no proof of this have gotten there first.
Killian never seemed to appreciate the enormous pressures Chenzokov was under. The Envoy Project was the single most expensive undertaking in human history, and backers on Earth expected results. More specifically, they expected habitable worlds, places where humans could live without atmospher
ic domes or expensive and time-consuming terraforming. If those were acceptable options, there would have been no reason to leave Sol.
Chenzokov turned and looked out his office window, marveling at the alien sun shining through it. No, New Eden was a human world now, and they were there to stay.
Aliens. He couldn’t wait to meet them.
***
That night Robyn O’Reilly wandered the complex, looking for her boss. Jack hadn’t been seen all afternoon, and Robyn was starting to … not worry, so much, as Jack was more than capable of taking care of himself, but Robyn was starting to wonder where Jack was, and if it had anything to do with the news.
Robyn found Jabari on her way back from the mess hall. “Sergeant Major!” she called out.
The older Egyptian halted her stride and approached Robyn. “Yes, Lieutenant?”
“Seen the Major?”
Jabari tilted her head. “Not recently, ma’am. Have you checked the perimeter?”
Robyn slapped her forehead. “No, I haven’t. Thanks, Sarge.”
Jabari smiled and Robyn trotted over to the security fence encircling the compound. She should have figured it out before. Robyn had known Jack since Mars, and when he was troubled, Jack got meticulous. Given Chenzokov’s afternoon announcement, Robyn should have guessed that the first thing Jack would do would be to check the defenses.
Robyn followed the fence almost halfway around the complex before she found her friend and superior officer. Robyn could see Jack’s armored silhouette leaning against the northeast side of the fence. It was not lost on Robyn that northeast was the side closest to the alien camp. Illuminated by the floodlights from camp, Jack’s figure almost blended right in with the dark shadows of the forest beyond.
“Heard the news, then, I take it?” Robyn called out.