The Circle and Star

by John Foster

  Amal ran to West, crouched down and lowered her arm to him to help him to his feet, “We don’t have much time now, before another one starts to fire upon us. I surprised that last one by running out of cover. She must have recognized my uniform but I doubt that will keep them away for long.”

  West looked at her outstretched arm, took hold, and pulled himself up. They both ran to the Soshi ship with Amal partially supporting West. As they got close to the ship they could see the flames were slowly going out and the smoke dissipating.

  They reached the overhang of the ship and crouched down gasping for air as they rested, both looking at each other. She looked at his arm and his gaze followed seeing a gash on his arm where the blood was freely flowing. He put his hand on the spot to apply pressure and with his other hand fumbled with a spot bandage which covered most but not all of the wound. A small trickle of blood continued to course down his arm and fall in small drips on the scarred ground.

  “Thanks for the rescue,” said West a little half smile forming.

  Amal looked to him and could sense the underlying humor and said, “Well met Terran.” They could see the fighter planes disappear into the distance.

  “They are probably communicating with their mother ship,” said Amal.

  As they rested for a moment in the shadow of the ruined ship, Amal turned to West and said, “You make a funny little grimace with your teeth and mouth. Why is that?”

  West looked at her, his arms resting on his knees, and smiled.

  “Yes, that is the expression, what is that?”

  “Well, we call it laughing and smiling,” said West, “It’s our way of showing our happiness, usually.”

  “Well, it is foreign to our people, but it seems to be a good thing to communicate.”

  Amal then proceeded to flex her mouth in various positions and looked to West for his judgment.

  He smiled, and looking at her contortions said, “That’s pretty close, it’s sort of a half-smile and very nice.”

  “I shall work on it.”

  One of the fighter craft flew low and slow over the wreck site, but wasn’t firing. “They’re wary there are survivors now and probably won’t fire again,” said Amal looking up to watch the sky above them.

  West looked away from the sky and turned to face her, “It’s the word ‘probably’ that is the operative point that I’m not interested in testing,” said West. Amal gave her little smile and West could see the tiny little teeth she had sparkling a phosphoresce, bright blue in the dim light.

  “We have to find Volkum. The last time Curt saw him was over by your ship.”

  Amal crouched and pointed along the ship and said, “That way then.” She led West in and around the edges of the ruined ship and scorched vegetation. “He must have been around here,” said West looking at the ground spying a foot print and moved to examine it. “This is his Terran army boot print,” said West pointing to the impression on the ground.

  “Looks like he was going this way,” said West following an irregular track in the soft ground. Amal followed watching the sky above for signs and sounds of approaching aircraft.

  “He was running at this point and then turned towards the trees over there,” said West pointing to a spot in the trees a short distance away.

  They moved out into the open clearing hesitantly, then with West following the ill-defined tracks, moved faster as he could see that Volkum had been digging in his toes as he ran with blaster divots about the area they were crossing.

  “Must have been close,” said West.

  They turned at the sound of an approaching fighter and watched it slow to almost a hover and drop something from the bottom of the craft. They heard a sharp report of a boom and saw a flash of light shoot down from above the fighter and slice through the air. The fighter suddenly accelerated in a wild jerking maneuver seeking to flee from whatever was attacking it from above. West and Amal ran for the surrounding trees and watched as they saw a couple of black fighters swoop in firing at the Soshi ship which was continuing its frantic maneuvering to avoid the onslaught.

  “Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, those fighters show up,” said West.

  “They could hear the roar of more thrusters firing and Amal looked up and then at West,” It just got worse,” said Amal pointing up at a Sovar troop ship landing next to the Soshi wreck.

  The thrusters eased the troop transport down beside the smoking wreck of the Soshi ship. Dragaan stood unmoving as the ship settled in to the final landing spot which came with a gentle bump. There was immediately controlled chaos as the storm troopers burst out of the transport in three directions taking up battle positions, weapons leveled, the entire squad of 20 personnel were in a perimeter around the transport. Dragaan strolled out in a battle helmet that would allow him to communicate with this elite attack squad. The troops were outfitted in heavy armor with desert camouflage but the colors quickly blended with the surrounding terrain as the uniforms camo particles were able to absorb the light and then redirect it outward in a blended pattern. Dragaan’s outfit remained in black. The squad leader approached Dragaan and saluted.

  “Find them, kill all the men and aliens, and capture any females. Do you understand?” said Dragaan in a voice that did not countenance any failure.

  The squad leader saluted and tapped his helmet and three parties spread out looking for the humans that the scanners had indicated were present with the leader going with the main group towards the river. The second group started to investigate the ship and dead Soshi laid out next to the wreck. The third group headed straight towards the trees where West and Amal crouched.

  West pulled Amal’s arm and she flinched away, her teeth showing and lip curled. She pulled her arm back and West looked baffled and said, “Suit yourself but I’m getting out of here.” West moved off away from the troopers who were moving fast across the open field in a spread-out line.

  Amal looked back at the troopers and then at West moving away and then ran in a crouch after him.

  West could hear her moving after him and decided to veer right hoping to circle back on to the ship to try to find Volkum. He had also seen the second group moving off towards the river and hoped that Cesar, Curt, and Madison had gotten to a good hiding place.

  West moved off the trail, his bandage on his arm snagged on some grass stalks causing it to open and bleed again, and West pressed the compress tighter and turned to his right amid thick tall grasses which prompted Amal to hiss at him. He turned to her and tilted his head in what he hoped was a questioning look. She pointed to the way they had been going, the thickening jungle of brush and trees along the trail where the cover would be better, but West shook his head and pointed in the direction he had turned off on. Without hesitation West went into a lower crouch, his back bent over and his hand touching the ground and moved off on the line that he thought would put some cover between him and the approaching patrol. He could hear Amal following behind him. He hoped the enemy squad would follow the main trail that he had just left but wasn’t sure they would be so easily fooled. If they had any pathfinder experience West and Amal would soon be dead.

  The brush was chest high and West dropped lower to his hands and knees to keep from being seen. He realized that if they doubled back to the troop ship they would probably make the pursuers believe that any tracks they might find were older and give up, otherwise it was going to be a short day. Amal was making angry growling sounds as she followed after him and he wanted to schuss her but didn’t dare make any noise.

  The lead soldier, a gnarled veteran sergeant, of the third patrol stopped along the path they were following. He raised his hand and his troops dropped into various alternating positions along the trail providing fields of fire around him. Sergeant Putin was a career naval marine but had not fought many battles in space much less any on the ground. There had been several incidents among some of the mining colonies that had necessitated the use of Marines to restore order but all of tho
se conflicts had been in space and several had involved ship boardings in which Putin had excelled. Running around in a forest was novel to him and slightly disconcerting since he and his squad trained in weightless scenarios and their tactics were devoted to that environment. Seeing a second new path in some tall grass Putin walked down it for a few feet considering whether the Terrans had used it. His heavy hooded eyes looking over the broken strands of grass seemed to be leading back to the Soshi wreck and the troop carrier. He doubted that the Terrans were smart enough or stupid enough to double back to the Sovar troop ship as a means of eluding him. Putin was tempted to send one man down the newly made path but didn’t want his people running around here by themselves. His men were fine commandoes but weren’t encouraged to take the initiative on the battlefield. He looked down the broken grass path and saw that the vegetation got shorter as it neared their carrier and felt that any humans wouldn’t allow themselves to be that vulnerable. He looked back up the path and saw dense brush and trees and was convinced that that was the path he would take if he were fleeing. Satisfied, he stood up and moved forward along the trail, not noticing that a drop of blood had fallen on his boot, red and shiny with its freshness from the grass stalks along the second path.

  West and Amal continued to crawl through the tall grasses to the wreck of the Soshi ship and the Sovar troop transport. West wasn’t all that certain what he was going to do if they ran out of cover other than to follow the edge of it around the meadow. He knew the compromise that he was making by giving up speed also sacrificed distance away from possible pursuers. He had to find Volkum and soon. He could feel his heart racing as the sounds of the troopers searching the Soshi wreck became clearer and louder.

  West took a chance to look ahead and could see the tail of the Soshi ship still smoking which he could use as a marker when he crouched down. The second party of troopers were obviously finished searching through the Soshi wreck and were hauling out equipment and other items and searching through them next to the troop ship. They had also found one body within the wreck and had dumped it unceremoniously on the ground near debris from the wreckage. Amal saw this and West could feel her tense next to him but he looked back at her and gave her a warning glance. Amal was a definite military type who didn’t believe caution and fighting were in the same language. None-the-less, she restrained herself. They continued moving towards the far side of the wreckage to find cover there from the Sovar troopers. West hoped to find Volkum hiding in the same area and he knew that the man would not have gone too far from the wreckage site as it was the only point of reference and ultimately the only means of reuniting with the rest of the team.

  The dense jungle along the river had numerous trails that appeared to be used by various animals and creatures that inhabited this area. Sergeant Artyom of the second squad scanned about him, his deep-set eyes trying to penetrate the foliage, looking for clues of the Terrans in the nearby trees and bushes. The utility of the infrared was diminished by the cool temperatures near the water so their ability to detect the Terrans was reduced. None-the-less, the scanner had indicated that the enemy had gone in this general direction and Artyom could appreciate the sound judgment of the act since there was so much cover and so many places to hide. The air was humid but fresh and smelled faintly of the acrid spices from his boyhood. He watched his point man, Checkov, approach to give a report.

  “Sergeant, I have found caves large enough to hide in forward about 100 feet in the bluffs to the right,” said Checkov pointing back over his broad shoulders to a cliff face that was some distance from the nearby river.

  “Very good, take two men and approach with caution. Determine if we can seal off the area with our squad or if we’ll need additional support,” said Artyom.

  Checkov nodded, beckoned to two troopers standing nearby, and ran up the trail followed by the soldiers.

  Madison, Curt, and Cesar watched the Sovar forces from the river shallows hidden by plants, flotsam, and adjacent bushes along the river edge. The water was cool, moving slowly, and providing enough sound to cover their conversations as they watched the search proceed. Madison was holding on to Curt’s arm as they floated next to the overgrown bank. Cesar was watching the soldiers with keen eyes.

  “You think they’ll fall for the bait?” asked Curt to Madison.

  “I hope so, it’s an obvious place to hide but the question that remains unanswered is whether it’s too obvious?”

  Curt nodded his head. They had left a food wrapper a few feet within the cave partially buried as a lure. A hand grenade had been placed on the ceiling of the cave among crevices with a remote detonator that Madison could trigger from within a quarter mile.

  Checkov watched as his two men fanned out, carefully checking the dense foliage in the immediate area for any signs of the fugitives. Satisfied that the area was cleared, the team approached the cave entrance in a V formation with his men on each side but several steps back. The corporal stopped and peered into the cave, adjusting his helmet vision for the low light. Checkov signaled the man on the right to approach the side of the cave, several steps in advance and then gave the same signal to the man on his left. Once the men were in place Checkov approached and moved forward again. Dropping down in a crouch, Checkov peered at something on the ground. Putin’s head set buzzed with a message from Checkov, “Food wrappers on the ground partially obscured by a rock. Instructions?”

  Artyom considered this a minute and wondered why the Terrans wouldn’t have hidden the wrapper better rather than haphazardly leave it lying about. It was the word “partially” that worried Artyom. If you were hiding from someone you wouldn’t leave a wrapper partially hidden. Perhaps, if you were in a hurry? Were surprised? Artyom didn’t know and scowled.

  “Checkov, send one man to scout the cave, make sure the others stay well back in case it is a trap,” said Artyom.

  “Request permission to advance myself, rather than one of the men,” responded Checkov.

  Artyom smiled at the obvious concern in the young man’s voice. “Proceed as ordered, out,” said Artyom in reply. Checkov would have to learn that leaders sent soldiers to die.

  Checkov hesitated, looked at both men in turn and gave the man on his right the order to proceed into the cave. He then withdrew with the man on the left to the cave entrance where they waited.

  Madison watched in frustration as the two soldiers withdrew and only one proceeded in. If all three had entered, then 3 out of 10 would have been injured or killed and that would have evened the odds considerably. Neither Madison nor Curt nor Cesar knew how far back the cave went and it was quite a while before the scout returned. He practically ran out of the cave startling Checkov and the other soldier who had raised their weapons as the man scampered back. The unlucky soldier was covered with moss like materials and had dropped to his knees with his chest heaving with exertion. Checkov cleaned off the man’s helmet in what looked like an attempt to reestablish contact with the man. Eventually, the bent over man looked up and was nodding his head apparently in response to Chekov’s questions.

  “I wonder what he saw in there?” said Madison.

  “Whatever it was, he didn’t like it,” said Curt.

  West and Amal continued to move around the wreck, staying on the side opposite the Sovar party, searching for any sign of Volkum. The wrecked Soshi ship towered over them and hid them from view from Dragaan and his men. There were large tears in the side of the ship from internal explosions and West and Amal peered into them trying to see any evidence of the missing man or Soshi survivors. They were able to see the enemy transport through holes in the ship walls and were careful not to show themselves. They moved cautiously among the wreckage which was widespread at the center of the ship where the central fin stabilizers had dug into the ground and buckled the ship bursting its seams. West moved along with Amal crawling behind him, and saw a large rip in the ship where a soft glow was emanating. West turned to Amal, pointing to the area of the glow, “What’s
that reddish glow?”

  Amal looked to where West was pointing and said it was the fuel rods of the engine. She continued to look about unconcerned. West was processing this information, his intuition warning him that there was danger here. Amal didn’t look worried and she would know if the fuel was dangerous.

  West growing increasingly concerned asked, “What kind of fuel?”

  Amal looked at West and seeing his concern looked again at the glowing area, shrugged her shoulders and said, “Regular fuel, what we use for space flight, nothing dangerous or of concern.”

  West didn’t look satisfied and again asked, “What kind of fuel?”

  Amal thought for a moment trying to find the right word, “Nuclear,” she said, hoping that would put West at ease.

  West’s eyes grew larger, gasped, then moved rapidly away from the side of the ship. Amal puzzled at this sudden reaction, followed, watching West closely as if he were having a fit of some sort.

  “What’s wrong with you, its only fuel?” asked Amal.

  “That fuel will kill humans,” said West.

  Amal looked unbelievingly at West, shaking her head, “How is that possible? It’s relatively harmless.”

  “Not to us, a little bit of it will kill us within days or if enough of it touches us or we’re exposed to it, then possibly hours.”

  Amal looked skeptical but nodded her head. This was good information to know. Possibly a new weapon against the Sovar.

  “I know it doesn’t affect your race but it really doesn’t bother you?” asked West.

  Amal considered her answer and decided to be direct and truthful. She had grown to start trusting this human and considering how helpful and forthright he had been she felt she should reciprocate.

  “We can get ill from too much of it but our bodies absorb it and then can process it and make it harmless. We shield our engines to prevent long exposure during spaceflight but for the most part it doesn’t affect us.”