Harris followed on his belly.
Tawn asked, “How’d you know we were here?”
“Didn’t know exactly. Just the area. only a dozen hilltops out this far can see that operation. You’re on the second one I visited. Got your coordinates from the colonel. He was reluctant, but my CO talked him into it.”
Harris shook his head. “What’s going on? Who are you with?”
Bax nodded toward the bottom of the hill. I have two friends with me, but don’t worry. They’re on our side.”
Harris scoffed. “And what side is our side?”
“Domicile, you idiot. I risked coming out here to tell you there’s a big sweep coming tomorrow. Every hilltop within five clicks of that mine will be poked, prodded, and photographed. After the sweep, hi-res images will be taken from the top of the dome on a daily basis. If any spot shows more than a two or three centimeter change, they’ll be sending out a patrol to check it.”
Tawn winced. “Five kilometers. Won’t be able to hit jack from there.”
Bax nodded. “You’ll have to make your blind collapsible. Pop it up to take your shots and keep it down for the remainder. Not ideal, but it should buy you more time. You know where the motorpool tent is?”
“Near the south dome entrance?” replied Harris.
“Yes. Wait about ten minutes after you take a shot. If you see a squad forming up by that tent, you better haul ass. They’re coming this way.”
“Why are you doing this?” Harris asked.
Bax laughed as she pulled him in for an awkward hug. “Because I’m on your side, dingbat. You destroying my mine gave me the opportunity to get in tight with the general running this operation. I’ve had him chasing spies for weeks now. They’ve executed sixteen of their own people. I’m starting to run out of easy targets. My team is the best at planting evidence.”
Harris pushed back. “Please don’t do that again.”
Tawn said, “You’re telling us this sniping has been a success because you’re misleading the Earthers?”
Bax smiled. “I seem to be an expert at manipulating people, but I guess you two already knew that. Anyway, I’m making a small fortune off those conveyor motors. Feel free to take out as many of those as you like.”
“Tawn had you in her sights the other day,” said Harris. “Could have taken you out, but I talked her out of it.”
“You did no such thing. I told you popping personnel was outside our mission scope. You grumbled.”
Harris looked at Bax. “See what a sensitive person I have to put up with? Some people just don’t have the temperament to be snipers. Not sure how she made it.”
Tawn sighed. “Are you done living up to the stereotype she’s already pegged us with?”
Bax said, “You two can sort this out on your own. Remember, tomorrow morning comes a big sweep. You best be far away by then.”
Tawn asked, “Hey, you know what time of day they’ll be snapping their pics?”
“Wish I did. They’ve held that close. Might even be planning to do it every hour for all I know. They said once a day, but that could be misinformation. Take care of yourselves out here and maybe I’ll buy you both a drink sometime when we’re back home.”
Bax scurried down the hill to her waiting associates. The three spies hurried off into the dunes.
Tawn turned back toward the blind. “Come on, we’ve gotta move quick.”
“Where we going?”
Tawn slithered into the blind, opened the flap, and held up her rifle. “First I’m taking out that motor. Next we’re packing up and hustling back to the APC. We have team one’s last broadcast and their coordinates. We’ll have to get there before tomorrow to warn them.”
Tawn took her shot. Harris slid out the back of the blind before collapsing it and pulling it from its sand base. Once over the edge of the hill, he began to break it down as he walked toward the bottom. Tawn cleaned up their tracks.
“Hurry it up. We need to be running.”
“Doesn’t that increase our visibility from above?”
“It does, but we’ll have to live with it.”
Harris slid the folded-up blind into his pack, slung it over his shoulder and cinched it tight. “Good to go.”
The fifty kilometers was covered in eight hours. The APC was powered up before the duo sped off toward the northern coordinates. A twelve hour run placed the vehicle at team one’s base camp.
Tawn jumped out. “Meathead, get a move on. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”
Harris stepped out onto the sun bleached sand. “You lead, I’ll follow. Just keep in mind we have to make the same trip coming back.”
Tawn shook her head. “We only need to get past the five kilometer mark going out. We make that and we can slow our pace the rest of the way.”
Progress over the dunes and sand covered rocks went as fast as could be expected. The Eden sun was just above the horizon and rising when the target coordinates were reached.
Tawn crawled to the top of the most likely peak, turning back to whisper to Harris. “Don’t see them.”
Harris replied in a hushed voice: “Why are we whispering?”
Tawn chuckled before responding with her normal voice: “OK. I guess we don’t have to.”
Harris yelled out: “Tanger! Costa!”
Three meters in front of Tawn, the ground moved. “Make a move and you get blasted.”
Tawn said, “Relax, it’s team beta. We’re coming to pull you out. We have news.”
“Awful lot of activity down there today.”
“They’re coming to look for us. You need to pull back your blind and clean your area. We need to go. They have plans to scour every square meter out to five kilometers. All that activity is coming this way. Nice blind, by the way.”
Connie Tanger was the first to slither out. Emma Costa collapsed the blind and pulled it behind herself as she raked over any semblance of tracks.
“Where’d you get this info?”
“One of our spies down there in the complex. They’re planning a sweep of all the high points surrounding the dome.”
Connie pulled her scope and turned. “I’m not seeing anything that looks remotely like that. The activity I mentioned is mining related. They have twice the personnel out there as usual. I’m assuming that was you who took out the conveyor motor yesterday. Have a look. It’s already back up and running.”
Tawn held the scope up to her eye as she looked just over the top of the ridge. “She did it again, Harris. Have a look.”
“No scout patrols. And ore is moving through that plant.”
Tawn shook her head. “All she did was scare us off that ridge.”
Harris removed his pack and dug inside each of the outer pockets, pulling out a tracking bug. “She worked us. And now she knows where you are too. Must have slipped it in with that weird hug.”
Tawn let out a long sigh. “And she knows where our base camps are. Come on. We have to get back.”
Harris asked, “What do we do with this thing?”
Tawn took it from his hand and dropped it on the ground. She pulled her Fox-40, aimed, and vaporized the tiny tracker.
“Let’s go.”
The two sniper teams moved at the fastest pace possible. The trek back took six hours.
As the teams moved within three kilometers, they came to an abrupt halt. There, hovering a hundred meters above their two APCs, was a large Earther ship.
Tawn gestured for the others behind her. “Get down!”
Harris crawled up beside her as she peered over the crest of a dune. “Bax?”
Tawn shook her head. “Don’t know. They’re just sitting there.”
Harris turned, scanning the horizon. “Wait… I show another of those at forty kilos. And another back this way at the same distance.”
Emma Costa moved up beside them. “I’ve seen one of those before. It’s a transport. Carries about fifteen hundred soldiers. Was a new ship just as the war ended.”
/> Harris nodded. “This is the sweep Bax was talking about. I’ll bet anyone a hundred credits those ships all converge on that five kilometer mark. They plan on surrounding that mine and then working their way in.”
Emma replied, “I would go with that. Anyone attempting to run would be driven back toward the mine.”
Each of the ships began to move at once. The two sniper teams watched intently as the ring of Earther transports moved in, encircling Fireburg.
Chapter 11
_______________________
Harris was the first to arrive at the APCs. “They look intact. I think that hover was just a staging point.”
Tawn replied, “You know what this means… Bax was telling us the truth.”
“And yet she slipped that tracker on us. It was that awkward hug she threw on me. She stuffed it into my pack.”
Tawn sighed as she stepped up into the APC. “She had to know we’d find it.”
“Yeah, but not before revealing our base camp. And we led her right to team one.” Harris pulled the hatch shut.
Tawn walked to the front of the cabin. “We have an incoming message from the main base camp. It’s live. This is team beta…”
“Major Hughes here. Was sorry to hear about gamma. The location of that crevasse has been updated on our maps. I have two new units heading your way. Do you have any strategic updates for us?”
“We do,” said Tawn. “Alpha has been able to halt production on their own. Our addition along with these other two teams will be more than enough personnel to accomplish our goals here. At the moment the Earthers are flooding the perimeter of that mine out to about five kilometers. When their search is complete we plan to return.
“All teams should also be advised that the Earthers will be taking hi-res photos of the area and will be doing daily comparisons for any differences. Blinds should be flat to the terrain unless under immediate use. Patrols will be sent out to investigate any anomalies.”
The major nodded. “Good to know. Is anyone in need of supplies?”
“Alpha mentioned they are starting to run low. I would suggest they stay a few hours with the new teams before allowing them to deploy. Following that, alpha should return home.”
“I see. I welcome that kind of feedback, Miss Freely, but I can’t promise that will happen.”
“As I just reported, two teams can more than handle the mission here. Any additional personnel increase the risk of us being discovered. I would recommend two teams max.”
“Consider your request taken under advisement. What is your current deployment schedule?”
“With the commotion today, we’re staying away. Tonight we’ll redeploy. Probably on a two day rotation with four to six hours at the vehicle. We have several targets we can hit that stop all production. Our inside source says they’re pinning most of the damage on Earthers who are subsequently being executed for it. They want to suspect snipers, but so far have no evidence.”
The major nodded. “I’ll pass all this back to the colonel. In the meantime, keep your heads down and do exactly what you’re doing. Expect a message with further instructions by the time the new units arrive.”
Harris stood. “I’m heading next door to check on supplies. We have food for another five weeks.”
Tawn followed. A knock on the rear hatch had the alpha APC open.
Harris asked, “What supplies are you in need of?”
“Matching spray. And maybe a few days food. That will give us another week before we have to head back.”
Harris replied, “I can give you three cans of match and a week’s rations.”
“Fair enough. Any suggestions for a new deployment location?”
“Can you pull up a map?”
Emma complied. “Anywhere but over here. Dome blocks too many of the critical targets.”
Tawn stood looking over her shoulder. “How about this hill? One of us here and the other down at this one. It’s a twelve hour drive around to this location. Sixteen to this one.”
Emma nodded. “This far one looks good. Will give us a new set of targets as compared to being up north.”
“That hill sits low. You may not have an angle on the diggers in these two pits.”
“Sounds like something you’ll have to cover then.”
Harris asked, “You ever see an unusual figure walking around down there with red boots?”
“Yes. Was wondering the significance of those.”
“That’s our spy. Try not to shoot her.”
“We’ll do our best.”
Tawn moved back toward the hatch. “I guess that’s it, then. Will meet you back here in a week. Could be your time to head home.”
Emma shook her head. “Not needed. New supplies will keep us going for as long as it takes.”
Harris said, “A swap to back home means you get to train new teams, as well as consult on strategies.”
Emma laughed. “Big whoop. Would rather be out here in this scalding heat where the action is.”
Tawn smiled. “Hard to give up, isn’t it?”
“It’s what we know. Back home we struggle to just be normal. Even at the Retreat. Give us a fight and we’re as happy as one could be.”
Goodbyes were exchanged and the two armored vehicles parted ways.
As Tawn drove she made conversation. “Those two aren’t much different from us.”
“How you figure?”
“Would rather be out here fighting for the cause than back home building a life.”
Harris chuckled. “I’ll tell you where I’d rather be: in a bath at the hotel on Chicago Port with a room service attendant bringing me plates from the Emporium Buffet.”
“I could have guessed that exact scenario. Had I left you to your vices back there you’d probably tip the scales at three hundred kilos by now. You’d probably be sitting in that tub you just mentioned, licking the rib sauce off your fingers.”
Harris stood.
“What’cha doing?”
“Getting one of my last rib meals. Was hoping to save them for something special, like another conveyor motor kill or something. But you’ve got me all hungry now.”
After heating, Harris attempted to eat his ribs as Tawn drove. While taking his first chomp, a hard swerve of the APC striped sauce across the outside of his cheek.
“Was that necessary?”
Tawn chuckled. “I call it a morale booster. Good to keep the troops entertained when they’re performing menial tasks.”
“Well, please stop. You’re wasting vital sauce.”
Tawn laughed. “Vital?”
“Yes. Vital to my enjoyment of this meal. And unless you want me to be a miserable sod and a bother for the next week I’d suggest you let me eat without purposeful incident.”
Tawn sighed. “Very well. Have at your precious ribs.”
Harris’ eyes rolled back in his head as he took a chunk of meat off the bone in his hand. Mmm, that’s a taste I don’t think I’ll ever tire of.”
Tawn shook her head. “You’re a strange bird, Harris.”
“Just how I was built, that’s all. My DNA donors must have been rib people.”
“Not sure that’s something that gets passed on with DNA.”
Harris took another chew. “How else would you explain it, then?”
Tawn frowned. “Fine, you can have it as an inherited trait if you want. Don’t think anyone has interest in disputing that.”
The APC rolled up on banks, climbed dunes and overcame rocks before pulling to a stop after a twelve and a half hour run. “Looks like a good spot.”
Harris checked the external camera views. “I’d say so.”
They packed their gear and set out on their fifty kilometer trek toward Fireburg again. As the duo reached the five kilometer mark, Tawn scrambled up a dune to high ground.
“What are we looking for?”
“Anything that moves or looks Human. Looks clean—wait. Check that… at three o’clock. Meter-high post beside t
hat rock.”
“Got it. What do you think it is?”
“Some kind of sensor. I wonder if these hills are full of them now. Get out your scanner.”
“What are we looking for?”
“Any type of transmission signal. If that’s a sensor it’s probably reporting information back to the dome.”
Harris pulled the scan device from his pack. “How do we get around it?”
“Not sure we can. You get anything off it?”
“Yeah. Earther comm channel.”
Tawn zoomed in with her scope. “Definitely a camera. I’d say line-of-sight limited.”
“If I had Farker here we could crack into that comm and see what they’re sending.”
Tawn looked over her shoulder. “See that bluff back there about a kilometer?”
“The dark rock?”
“Yep. We need to get up there. We’re gonna have to spend some time identifying every camera they placed out here. We do that and we might be able to pick a path in closer and find us a hill to shoot from. I have to believe there’s blind spots out there.”
Harris returned the scope to his pack. “Lead the way.”
A twenty minute jog, followed by a precarious climb up the far side of the ridge, saw the two Biomarines sliding on their bellies up to the edge.
“I just thought of something,” said Tawn.
“You couldn’t go before we left the truck?”
“No, you idiot. Pull out that scanner. You should be able to identify every camera out there. They would all be broadcasting.”
Harris nodded. “Good thinking. Let’s see… wow. On wide-field I count forty-two comm broadcasts within five kilometers of every direction. Just about every kilometer. Almost in a grid pattern except they’re all on hilltops.”
“Anything look like a dead zone?”
“Give me a sec. I’ll see if I can add line-of-sight to the mappings.”
Harris programmed the scanner while Tawn looked over the landscape with her scope. “No activity, just those cameras. Patrols must have finished their searches.”
“Hmm. Got it. That was easier than I thought. Areas in red are covered by a camera. The green are hilltops with a view of the mines.”
“Let me see.” Tawn studied the map. “Crap. One spot. Four hundred fifty meters from the mines. That’s cutting it way close.”
ARMS Jebwa Atrocity Page 10