Harris chuckled. “You don’t want snide remarks, then don’t make yourself such an easy target.”
“Shut it and watch your cameras. I need some rest.”
Two hours passed before night began to fall on the Fireburg mine. The cameras switched to night-vision, almost as visible as day.
Harris tapped Tawn on the shoulder. “We have some activity out there. Tell me if you think these are squads.”
Tawn took the scanner display in her hand. “Two groups. And they’re heading back inside. Wouldn’t worry too much about it.”
“They’ve been doing that since just after you dozed off. Probably thirty of those guard squads. What concerns me is the officer giving orders. He’s doing a lot of pointing, as in pointing around.”
Tawn frowned. “Could be going through the dome and out another entrance.”
“If that’s the case, these hills might be flooded with soldiers. The diggers and conveyor are still down. Do we take this opportunity to leave until we know what’s going on?”
Tawn nodded. “Might not be a bad idea. You can bring in those cameras by the cables, but you’ll have to go out and smooth the tracks. Do that and I’ll break down the blind.”
The cameras were retrieved and the surrounding sand made flat and even. The folded-up blind was stored in Harris’ pack along with the cameras. Both Biomarines raked sand back into the hole.
As they turned for the path, a soldier was standing in their way. “Hold here for about two minutes,” he said. “Rumford sent me. My squad is already behind you. And just so you know, I could hear you talking from close to a hundred meters. Sound travels in this night air.”
After a short pause, the man turned. “Follow me.”
Three silhouettes moved between the dunes and rocks, heading away from the dome. The man held out a hand to stop their escape, then waved them to again move forward.
At a second stop, he turned. “Follow your dead trail back out. But keep your eyes open, and movement to a minimum. I don’t think we have any squads further out, but I could be wrong. Good luck to you.”
The man climbed to the top of a large dune before shouting down the other side. “Hey, wait up.”
The Biomarine sniper team made haste, keeping low, and always in constant movement. At the five kilometer mark, they slowed their pace.
Tawn let out a long breath. “That was a lot closer than we wanted it to be.”
“We could have waited that out.”
Tawn shook her head. “We could if you wanted to lay there in complete silence. I’m guessing those patrols will be a regular thing from here on.”
“Should we go back up on the ridge and observe for a bit?”
Tawn stopped, glancing back in the direction of the dome. “I think we’ve done all we can do here. They catch one of us and they catch us all. That includes our equipment. We’ll have to figure out another way to stop production.”
Harris chuckled. “That reasoning sounds like something I would say. Could be we’re spending too much time together.”
Tawn nodded. “I’ve been saying that since we met.”
The trek back to the APC took six hours. Another twelve hours had them on the path back to the main base. An hour into the journey they stopped beside a comm relay. A message was waiting.
“This is team alpha. We cut out yesterday after things got hairy over in our sector. This is for team beta: the other teams have turned back. Head for the main base. We’ll see you there. Good luck.”
“So we’re it, then,” said Harris.
“Pull that post and let’s go.”
The comm relay was retrieved and stowed. Tawn pressed the accelerator to full as a narrow but flat stretch of sand opened up.
Chapter 13
_______________________
The APC slid to a halt beside the others. Harris hopped out, joining the small group of snipers and their spotters. “What’s the ETA?”
“Just under an hour,” replied Emma. “Your timing is good.”
“I pulled all the comm relays on the way in,” Harris said.
“You saw trouble too?”
Tawn came up behind as Harris nodded. “Patrols were walking all around us. Our blind was stellar, but our voices were carrying. We got lucky and had help getting out. One of Baxter Rumford’s people helped.”
One of the other snipers said, “About her… I had a message for you from the colonel. He said to tell you he hasn’t talked to this Baxter person. Whatever they were telling you, they did on their own. And his connection in the DDI says she is not on their payroll and hasn’t been since the truce. Before that she was just an informant.”
Tawn said, “And now the Bax pendulum swings the other way. If she’s doing this on her own, she’s playing a most dangerous game.”
Harris winced. “She helped us twice. Why would she do that if she’s working for them.”
“Playing both sides? She’s making her fortune working there. Maybe she’s using us as a safety net, a way out should things go bad. With her you really can’t tell.”
The freighter popped over the horizon and settled beside the sniper units. Four APCS drove up a ramp into the cargo hold. The bay door closed as the ship lifted, speeding off toward where it had initially come in. At a point exactly opposite Fireburg on the planet Eden, it turned skyward, blasting up toward the heavens.
Harris and the others took the opportunity for sonic showers before changing into standard clothes and heading for the cafeteria.
Harris grinned. “Cooked food. I can’t wait to dig in.”
A crewman leading the group turned. “Oh, there’s no cooking on this ship. We are strictly fruits and salads.”
Harris nearly stumbled. “What? Who does that? Why?”
Tawn smirked.
Harris gave a half smile. “You put him up to that?”
“Couldn’t resist. I knew you’d be gunning for that cafeteria first chance you got.”
Harris sighed. “All the thanks I get for saving you out there.”
“Saving me? When did that happen?”
“When you tried to drive us off that cliff. Had I not gotten that truck back up top you’d have starved to death before reaching anywhere.”
“You’d have starved too.”
Harris chuckled. “OK, then I saved us both.”
The group turned the corner into the ship’s cafeteria.
Harris breathed deep in through his nose. “The sweet smell of cooked food.” He hurried ahead to an open buffet line. The four other slugs in the group hurried after.
Tawn laughed. “It’s like they think we’ll run out or something.”
A short rumble could be felt through the ship.
One of the stumps said, “Wormhole jump. We should be back in Retreat space.”
“How are the domes coming?” Tawn asked.
“Last one is almost complete.”
Harris hurried past with three full plates. “Watch it. Coming through.”
The meal was eaten while they shared stories of sniping. The freighter landed with Tawn and Harris heading to the colonel’s new residence inside dome number two. They turned the corner, walking into a bright new office. The colonel was sitting in his usual chair.
“Glad to see you back in one piece.”
Tawn replied, “Had a few close calls.”
“That crevasse. Hard luck on those two. Could you see the wreckage?”
Harris shook his head. “Was too deep. Even if they had somehow miraculously survived, we had no way of getting them out.”
The colonel frowned. “The risk we take in this job.”
Tawn said, “Domes are looking good. The green paint makes them blend right into this valley. That intentional?”
“Nope. Just like the color green. They all have the plating installed, along with the ion inhibitors. Half a dozen of the rail cannons have been delivered. They’re being set up and connected as we speak.”
Harris said, “Just noticed. Yo
u have the grav units working in here? Feels just over normal.”
The colonel nodded. “We’re sitting at 102 percent standard. Enough to keep us healthy and the regulars from complaining.”
“You’re letting regulars move here?”
“Just temporarily. We had jobs to do that were best done by skilled labor. Those people are regulars. With the grav units they can come out here to work. Temporarily.”
Tawn asked, “We have any new ideas about how to stop the Earthers?”
The colonel shook his head. “Nothing that has any meat to it. DDI says the Earthers will be upping their ship production in a matter of weeks as that titanium makes its way to to their factories.”
“Our efforts were only good for stopping them a day at a time. Baxter Rumford is getting rich as their supplier. She’s also been a one man army in that dome, pulling off one sabotage after another while pinning the blame on the locals.”
The colonel shook his head. “We have a man inside. There hasn’t been any sabotage of note. Her efforts have kept you snipers off the radar. That was all changing though. Which is why I called for the withdrawal.”
Harris chuckled. “Nobody can make me madder than that woman. At the same time though, I find her ability to stay in the mix fascinating.”
Tawn said, “He likes her.”
Harris cringed. “I most certainly do not. She’s like watching a fighter crashing across a flat plain in slow motion. Parts are flying off, there’s smoke and flames, but the pilot keeps riding along unhurt. Fascinating.”
“You said you had contact with her. How’d that happen?”
“She found us,” Harris said. “Somehow she knew where to look. She said it was because you told her.”
“Never talked to her. What do you think her angle was?”
Tawn sighed. “She said she was making a fortune off our destruction. I have no doubt she was. The only angle I can think of is her trying to set up a safe way out should the need arise. Had she shown up wanting a ride, both of us would have been obliged to give it to her. She really did save our asses out there.”
Harris laughed to himself. “Sorry. Thought just crossed my mind that she might end up as emperor someday. Not at the moment of course, because they don’t allow it, but before this is all done.”
Tawn said, “Which brings us back to stopping the Earthers. We need to head home to better work on this. When are the Bolemans due out here again?”
“Tomorrow morning,” the colonel replied. “I’ve arranged for two rooms for you that are about fifty meters from the dome one bar. You two need to take at least one evening of R & R. Unwind for bit. When we’re done here, a transport will be waiting in the docking bay to take you.”
Harris nodded. “I could go for a good head bashing. I think I might have lost a few kilos out there.”
Tawn chuckled. “You didn’t lose them. They just moved around back.”
Harris half smiled. “Are you saying I have a big tush? And if so, why are you looking at my tush?”
“You can’t miss it.”
The colonel broke into a roar of a laugh. “You two should take your act on stage someday. Would be a riot.”
Tawn scoffed. “A riot to get out of there maybe.”
“Regardless, take the night off. Enjoy and relax. All our worries will still be there to deal with tomorrow.”
The evening bar in dome one was packed with slugs and stumps. On several occasions song broke out with all parties participating. The now classic Biomarine ballads of “Into the Fray” and “Rosie’s got a Fox” were sung repeatedly. The beer and liquor flowed, appetizers were devoured, and cheer was spread.
Morning came early with a knock on Harris’ door. The grumpy stump attempted to block out the sound with a pillow over his head.
Tawn yelled. “Get up! It’s almost noon!”
Harris let out a long sigh, shouting back from his bed. “Give me fifteen more minutes!”
“OK. Just know they are about to close out the breakfast bar.”
Harris rolled his eyes as he sat up. “Not fair bringing food into this.”
Tawn laughed. “Get a move on. We have twenty minutes until they close for the lunch conversion and I don’t want to be listening to your complaints that whole time.”
Harris stripped and stepped into a sonic shower. Jets of air blew the loosened dead skin from his body. A fan sucked it into a grate at his feet. A quick wipe with an absorbent towel removed excess skin oil, leaving behind a clean but pleasant, smell. Skivvies were pulled on, followed by a jumpsuit.
Harris walked out of his room and into the hall. “Let’s go. I want some of those scrambled eggs and ribs this morning.”
Tawn scowled. “Still don’t know how you can eat that mess. Who puts barbecue sauce on scrambled eggs? Your plate looks like you sliced open the head of a bogler and are eating right out of its skull. Disgusting.”
“You like eggs?”
Tawn nodded. “Love them.”
“And you like ribs. I don’t see the problem.”
They turned the corner into the cafeteria. A line formed at the buffet, with bins of food being replaced almost as fast as they could be brought out.
Harris glanced up at a clock on the wall, then looked down at the time on his account bracelet. “Wait, it’s two hours earlier than what you said.”
Tawn smirked. “Yeah. I lied. I knew there would be no other way to get you out here. Besides, we have too much to do for you to be sleeping away half the day. And Trish, Gandy, and Sharvie are on their way in.”
Harris shook his head. “You’re lucky I’m hungry.”
“If that’s the case, then I’m always lucky.”
They wolfed down a hardy breakfast. The Bangor landed on the tarmac and the Biomarines hopped aboard. A grinning robotic pet greeted his master.
“Farker! Hey, boy!”
Harris looked up. “Did you miss us?”
Trish replied, “Up until now, yeah.”
“How was it?” asked Gandy. “The colonel told us nothing. And he ordered us to not go to the base there. Said it was too big a risk and we could get any info we needed from him. Then he told us nothing.”
Tawn nodded. “He had his reasons. The sniper mission was a success while it lasted. Unfortunately, they eventually wised up and chased us off. Unless Bax has figured out a way to stop the titanium shipments, that ore is flying to New Earth as we speak.”
“Bax?” Trish asked. “What does she have to do with this? She resurfaced?”
Harris said, “She has the arm and ear of the Earther general in charge there. She saved us a couple times, which leaves us a bit confused about her motives.”
Tawn smirked. “The lady knows how throw out a smokescreen. She does things you despise and then she ups and saves you. At the moment we really don’t know where she stands. She’s definitely in the in crowd over there.”
Gandy again asked, “So what happened?”
The next ninety minutes were spent giving a detailed account of the happenings on Eden.
As the Bangor settled on the grass outside the bunker, Tawn asked, “Anything new from inside?”
Gandy said, “Sharvie is up to the 1600s of Earth history. Trish and me are about seven hundred years behind.”
Harris chuckled. “Sounds like you haven’t been doing much.”
Trish stood as the hatch opened. “Not true. It seems the accounting of Earth’s history gets more expansive as time goes forward. There is so much to read and see. It’s fascinating to learn about because it seems like this whole other world and species, but it’s our history. It’s definitely us.”
Sharvie nodded. “It’s hard to not want to jump ahead to see what happens, but the AI in there dictates what we can see and read. Unless you soak it in and comprehend what was happening, you don’t move forward.”
Harris scowled. “There’s testing?”
“Yep. And it’s pretty in-depth at stages. You aren’t far enough along to have hit
any of those, but they’re coming, so pay attention.”
“Personally, I can’t get enough of it,” said Trish. “Earth was full of kings and emperors. There were slaves. And everyone fought against everyone at some point. Interesting stuff. And glad I wasn’t there. Most of the history reads as if it was a much harder life.”
Harris asked, “You make any visits to Jebwa?”
“No. We loaded up on food before you left. I did open a comm and order more equipment for my shop. Might be there by now.”
Harris gestured toward the controls. “Let’s make a run out for a check. When we get back we’ll talk about Eden and what we could possibly do out there.”
The Bangor settled on the tarmac just outside Haven. A delivery vehicle was waiting with the shop items Trish had ordered. A transport was taken into town.
Along the short ride, Harris said, “You know what I don’t see? Cats.”
The transport driver said, “The cat problem has been solved, at least somewhat. Stations were set up around the city and outside the farms and ranches. They emit an ultrasonic sound. The cats have been driven out of town.”
Trish asked, “What about the pets?”
“Each home was provided with a noise canceling system for that ultrasonic frequency. Our house-cats now enjoy a feral-free zone around their homes, and as an added bonus, they no longer wander off, as the noise picks up as they approach the edges of their properties. Was really quite the ingenious method to stop the ferals without using the suggested barbarous method of bringing in coyotes.”
“You said somewhat solved. There are still issues?”
The driver nodded. “It seems the feral cats, now out in the wild, are devastating our bird population further. Steps are being taken to study and preserve the myriad of species native to this planet. I just hope we’re not too late for some of them.”
Harris said, “I would have suggested bringing in dogs instead of coyotes.”
The driver huffed. “Dogs… such needy animals. They require constant attention. Whereas a cat can be ignored and they largely don’t care. They give attention when it’s asked for.”
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