Starsgard used the radars available to him to paint the sky around the ship in case he needed to target any missiles. His finger hovered over the defensive jammer, considering that his first line of defense.
Cain had both shuttles loaded with a squad of heavily armed Marines, just in case they needed to deploy. He expected that they’d be cramped in the shuttles and end up not going anywhere. He’d seen it in all the manuals and in many of the movies. Reducing reaction time was the best way to win any battle.
“What are their names again?” Cain asked, not for his edification, but for the others in his shuttle.
“This little gem is called Penelope,” Stinky said, petting the kitten who stood on his lap and preened.
“And he is Hortense. I call him Tensy,” Stalker stated as the kitten batted at the Wolfoid’s hand-paw.
“Is there any reason why we’re bringing children on a combat mission?” Cain asked casually.
“We couldn’t leave them behind!” Stalker exclaimed.
‘Leave it. You’re not going to win this one,’ Brutus cautioned.
‘I know that, but I want them to think about what it’s like fighting with ‘cats. You make me better. Will your kittens make them better? Will those two little furballs kill someone if need be? Can they? So many questions, Brutus. They need to have all this in mind before they get distracted and somebody gets killed.’ Cain descended into a funk. He’d already seen too many people die.
‘I’ll keep them with me when the time comes, but it’s not going to be today. We’re going to be stuffed into this box and forced to smell Wolfoid for the next few hours before we walk out through that hatch right there and back onto the ship. I need to poop,’ Brutus told him.
Cain shook his head, certain that he was being punished, but he knew Brutus was right. Having two shuttles manned was overkill. They could not reconfigure quickly enough if they needed to tailor the mission.
“Jolly, patch me through to the other shuttle, please,” Cain said.
“Ready, Major Cain,” Jolly’s disembodied voice replied.
“Listen up, people! Corporal Spence. You and your squad will remain on the shuttle as we’ll keep one in ready-to-deploy status at all times. We’ll rotate through two hours each. The on-call squad will remain near the weapons locker, ready to tailor their load-outs based on the expected mission. In the interim, we’re getting off and third squad will move into the standby position. Thanks, Jolly, sign us off.” Cain looked at Stinky and Stalker.
“Between you two and Pickles, I need one of you on board the ready shuttle. Leave a place for me and if there’s time, I’ll join the team. My intent is to go first no matter what, even if I have to sleep on the hangar deck,” Cain said as Private Abhaya popped the back hatch and his ‘cat Petey jumped out. The rest of Bull’s squad disembarked.
Brutus disappeared. Cain didn’t want to know where he went.
Stinky and Stalker nuzzled each other before Stinky joined the other shuttle’s squad. They had more room, but they also carried a couple heavy weapons, the newest creations from Jolly: rocket launchers.
He handed the kitten to somebody within and climbed aboard. The hatch shut behind him. Stalker and Tensy looked sad, but they soon turned and intercepted Cain.
“If we go, I want to be on that first shuttle, too,” she told him.
“We’ll see what we can do. Maybe we’ll be able to leave the rockets behind and we can all go. I like your spirit, Night Stalker, you’re a good fighter, a good Marine.” Cain studied his platoon sergeant. They had chosen her because she stood out from the others.
She had been the right choice.
“Is your ‘cat ready to fight?” he asked. The little man bristled, arching his back, hackles up, and slashing the air before Cain with a small orange paw. “Uh-huh.”
“He will be when the time is right, until then, sir, he’ll stay behind me,” Stalker declared. The ‘cat edged forward and slashed into Cain’s pant leg, burying a claw in the major’s ankle.
Cain kicked the ‘cat away. “Listen here, you little rat. I have three rules for combat. Duty first, we fight to win, and the only fair fight is the one you lose. Remember these, and you’ll take your place in the history of the Cygnus Marines.”
Brutus reappeared, joining Cain as they left the hangar deck and headed for the stairs. Cain stopped in the corridor outside, envisioning the scorch marks which had long since been repaired, and the people who died there.
“Never again, Brutus,” Cain whispered.
‘Never again, my friend,’ Brutus replied.
‘The kittens stay behind. It is non-negotiable,’ Cain insisted.
‘I’ll tell them,’ Brutus said softly.
***
“Nothing. A big bucket of nothing with a heaping helping of nothing on top,” Rand said. “Four days of nothing.”
“We have passed over the entire surface area of the planet, twice. I don’t think there are any people down there and it begs the question, is this the right place?” Pace asked.
Pickles turned his head and spoke over his shoulder. “We are most definitely in the EL475 system and this planet is Heimdall as long as the data from Graham is correct. There should be a burgeoning population of colonists after some ten thousand were delivered here three hundred, fifty years ago,” Pickles reiterated.
They’d already had the conversation. The Lizard Man didn’t understand how the others seemed to keep forgetting, although they didn’t forget, they just did not believe what they were seeing.
“New assumption,” Commander Daksha started, “there is no one left alive on the planet. Find me the ruins of the biggest city and we’ll launch Cain’s people to recover what information they can find. It seems like The Olive Branch will be conducting an archaeological mission.”
Pickles sent a note to Chirit and Tandry, delivering the commander’s new orders. They’d already been collecting the data, but discarding anything that looked like a structure as they dug for lifeforms, specifically, humans.
The data was already there, so Jolly was well ahead of them. In less than a minute, Pickles had his map with the settlements and estimates of population. Jolly calculated that the people had disappeared approximately one hundred years prior.
The deterioration of the high-tech buildings suggested a civil war of the type experienced on Vii.
“People never learn, do they?” Rand asked no one in particular.
“Major Cain,” Master Daksha requested. When Jolly confirmed contact, the Tortoid continued. “I shall accompany you to the planet surface. We’ll take the shuttles to the largest of the three identified cities and see what we can find. Food for a week and whatever personal weapons you think prudent, but there are no people down there.”
The Tortoid’s vocalization device made him sound resigned, forlorn. Master Daksha had human DNA, as did all of the genetically-engineered creatures, making the loss of an entire colony catastrophic and weighing heavily on his soul.
He couldn’t get his head wrapped around the loss of life--tens of thousands of human beings, gone.
He thought it was worse than making first contact. He’d only met a new group once before and although it didn’t go well, he learned a great deal and wanted to put those lessons into practice, have a better first contact, and make new friends without having to kill anyone first.
‘It’s okay, Boxy. We’ll help you down there to find whatever will bring you peace about what happened,’ BJ said in his maturing thought voice.
‘That’s very kind of you to say, my little friend,’ Daksha replied, having reconciled himself with the fact that the ‘cat was always in his head. At first, it concerned him, but now, he found it comforting. He saw how Cain could have such a relationship with Brutus where the two would throw down, drawing blood, but then be best friends moments later. ‘I know we’ll find answers. I can only hope that they are to our questions.’
***
“You need an engineer down there and B
riz doesn’t leave the ship,” Ellie said, hands on her hips.
Cain couldn’t pull rank. He couldn’t argue. He couldn’t just walk away. He looked at her with a blank expression.
“Well?” she demanded.
He surrendered. “Fine, I’ll tell the commander, but what if Briz can’t let you go?”
“Briz? Really?” she replied. He hung his head in shame, briefly, before coming back to his senses. “Be ready in ten.”
He turned and walked away. “I’m ready now.” She ran to him, grabbing his hand and holding it as they left engineering. When the hatch closed behind them, Cain pushed Ellie against the wall and kissed her fiercely.
“Damn it, Ellie, I love you and don’t want you in harm’s way!” he cried into her ear. She bit his neck before pushing him to arm’s length.
“It’s not your job to protect me. You don’t think I worry about you? That last action on Concordia, you right in the middle of it all. The first shuttle arrives with your dead and injured, and you expect me not to worry?” She looked as if she was ready to take a swing at him, her eyes glistening with half-formed tears. “It’s not my job to protect you, either, but we’re better together, Cain. I know that, and you know that.”
“I do,” he admitted, unclenching his jaw. She massaged his temples to help ease the tension.
He pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly.
“Your harness is digging in,” she said as she leaned back against the bulkhead. He traced a finger along her cheek and gently caressed her lips with a fingertip.
“You are beautiful,” he whispered, then looked down the corridor. “And we have to go. You need a pack with food. Jolly! Make it so and have a bot drop it off on the hangar deck.”
Cain grabbed Ellie’s hand and ran toward the stairs, almost yanking her arm from the socket. “Sorry,” he mumbled as he slowed and let her catch up. She laughed, eyes sparkling, no longer from tears.
Landfall
The shuttle settled to a soft landing in an open field to the southeast of the city ruins. The second shuttle landed simultaneously to the southwest.
“Comms check. Lieutenant Black Leaper, can you hear me, over?” Cain said into his collar, where a small device had been clipped. After the first visit to Concordia, Cain wanted a comm system that didn’t have to go through Jolly, to use as a back-up.
“Loud and clear, Major,” Stinky replied. Cain pointed to the others in the shuttle. Ellie shook her head as she hadn’t been fitted with one, having been a last second add to the roster. But she had Carnesto with her and between the ‘cats, Cain and Ellie could always communicate.
The others in the shuttle gave a thumb or a paw up to show that they heard. Ascenti bobbed his head.
“Ascenti, you’re first out,” Cain said. He always sat next to the hatch. On the ship, the hatch faced aft, but on the planet, the shuttle was vertical and the hatch was on the floor. There was a ladder built into the deck between the bench seats. Getting off the shuttle once it landed was everyone’s priority since it was so uncomfortable sitting sideways, laying on whoever happened to be sitting next down the line. Those in the cockpit area were most comfortable as they laid back in the pilot and co-pilot chairs.
Bull was up front because he took up too much space in the passenger area of the shuttle. Ascenti stayed up front along with Master Daksha.
When the hatch popped and as the ladder started its descent to the ground, the Hawkoid dropped, falling between the Marines and through the hatch before snapping his wings out and gliding away. Brutus dug his claws into Cain’s harness and the major headed through the hatch and down the ladder.
Bright sunshine and an eerie calm greeted him.
The grasses in which the shuttle sat were long, but not excessively so. Cain raced down the ladder, hit the ground with a heavy grunt, ran toward the nearest cover, a small hill, and threw himself to the ground. The others poured out of the shuttle and dispersed in an array around the ship.
Ellie waited until last and then she climbed down the ladder, while Daksha slowly descended, floating alongside. She and the commander were the only ones of the group not armed.
The squad knew about Cain and Ellie’s relationship and that nothing was to happen to her. Cain didn’t have to say a thing.
Carnesto clung to Ellie’s pack and leapt to the ground when they were close enough. He crouched below the level of the waving grasses, disappearing as he ran off.
‘Brutus, are you sensing anything?’ Cain asked.
‘Small game, nothing bigger than a fox, and that’s it,’ the ‘cat replied.
Cain expanded the neural implant window before his eye. ‘Ascenti, what are you seeing?’
The Hawkoid shared his view with the entire group. One hundred years of growth obscured the vast extent of the ruins, but the outlines were there and after figuring out where the roads were, the rest came into focus. Ascenti climbed higher and angled to the southwest where he spied the second group, spread out in a circular defensive position around their shuttle.
Ascenti swooped low and circled the second ship, flying casually over the avenue of approach that the Marines had selected to get them to the city. He made it to the center and then turned and traced the approach to the first shuttle. He saw no major obstructions on either route. He backwinged to a soft landing on the nose of the shuttle.
Cain found lying on the ground to be tolerable. When he stood, the heavy gravity of the world tried to pull him back down. It wasn’t as bad as their final days of training on The Olive Branch, but there would be no break from the extra weight until they left the planet.
Maybe he’d be used to it by then.
Ellie hadn’t physically trained for the extra burdens. She was barely able to stand and walked like her legs were plastic prosthetics. The ‘cats seemed unaffected.
‘Bull, tactical formation, movement to the city. Let’s go find out what happened here,’ Cain ordered over the neural implant.
Bull was up first and to his position, pointing with his lightning spear in their direction of travel. The rest of the squad formed up on him. Dark Forest took the lead, dropping to all fours and sniffing carefully, before walking forward. Cain fell in ten meters behind Bull with Ellie at his side. Daksha swam along beside her. Cain had a short rope in case the Tortoid needed to be towed.
Cain realized that they probably wouldn’t move too fast. The one point five times Cygnus-normal gravity meant that everyone was half again as heavy. Factor in the same amount for what they carried and it made every step a struggle.
‘You let us know if you sense anything, BJ,’ Daksha told the ‘cat riding inside the padded area atop the Tortoid’s shell.
‘There’s nothing out there,’ BJ replied.
Cain took Ellie’s pack from her. She looked like she wanted to argue, but thought better of it and nodded. She gasped for air as if she was running a marathon.
Daksha swam serenely along, joining the ‘cats and the Hawkoid in being seemingly unaffected by the heavy gravity.
The Wolfoids found traveling on all fours to be the best way to combat the effects. The humans suffered the most as the weight wore them down, putting too much pressure on their backs and their joints. Cain watched Ellie struggle and it broke his heart, but as she said, it wasn’t his job to protect her.
He already knew to never say “I told you so.” He’d have to find a way to communicate with her where his legs didn’t feel like jelly.
He grinned against the extra weight and checked in with the Hawkoid who was circling lazily overhead.
‘I don’t see anything, Major,’ Ascenti reported. ‘It’s clear sailing.’
‘Lieutenant Leaper, report,’ Cain ordered.
‘Making progress in the move to our first objective. Nothing else to report,’ Stinky replied quickly.
The bigger planet took longer in its rotation. Not only was the gravity heavier, but the days were thirty-four hours long. Cain was already tired. He could see the same thin
g on the other humans’ faces.
First squad had three human Marines: Abhaya and his ‘cat Petey, Trilok and his ‘cat Thor, and Ogden. With Ellie, that made five human balls and chains, as Cain saw it. Second squad had two humans and a Lizard Man in addition to the two Wolfoids. Fickle was in second squad, but he didn’t deploy with the others as Ascenti took his place.
Since Lieutenant Black Leaper had come, there was no place for Lieutenant Peekaless. Fickle and Pickles filled key roles on the ship, so they weren’t able to deploy except in critical situations. Commander Daksha and Captain Rand knew that they needed more data collection and analysis. Both Fickle and Pickles had skills that would come in handy on board.
And this deployment wasn’t critical.
Besides the heavy gee, it was supposed to be a walk in a green park with perfect weather.
They’d landed on the outskirts of the ruins. Cain had a hard time estimating distance in the different gravity and bright daylight. On the ship only using the graphics, he worried that they were landing too close. Now that he was on the ground, he was worried that they had landed too far away.
He pulled up the map showing their location. Without the satellite system in orbit, he was counting on Jolly to triangulate their position and compare that to the map to determine each Marine’s location, determine speed of travel and distance covered.
Cygnus Arrives: Humanity Returns Home (Cygnus Space Opera Book 3) Page 7