Jape and his escorts moved straight to the entrance. They cautiously stepped inside, craning their heads around, looking for trouble. After a few moments, the head enforcer gave the signal for everyone to move up.
Anneliese did so, putting herself at Salno’s side as the group converged on the entrance. Jape’s voice rang in the helmet she continued to wear. “There’s no sign anyone is home. Keep your eyes open as we sweep the hive. Don’t touch anything that looks strange. You’ve got your assignments. Anneliese and Salno, you stay with my group. We’re going to head for the portal chamber, checking the labs for survivors as we go.”
They moved forward, trading the perfumed aroma of the golden grasses for an oily smell that was almost as puke-inducing as the flying pattern that had gotten them there. The group first passed a room that had once been filled with machinery. Anneliese remembered it from leaving and entering the hive before. Now many of the components were missing, leaving gaping voids in the racks where they’d once been. Jape’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at Salno.
“The power room’s been partially stripped.”
Her brow drew in, wrinkling over her nose as she looked the room over. “They left just enough to keep the hive running. Maybe enough for the portal too. Strange.”
They kept going, their footfalls echoing down the featureless metallic corridor. The squads peeled off to investigate the three levels of the hive. As Anneliese’s group continued down the lab and portal level, more units separated from her company, investigating corridors and various chambers.
The labs she passed were empty, showing no signs of recent use. Like the power room, they’d been stripped of tools and machinery. Nothing attacked. The only Risnarish they saw were the bodies of the dead, each confirmed to have been killed during the last drone takeover.
Jape’s face was an unreadable mask that grew more still with each corpse they passed. “Leave our brothers for now. We’ll honor our fallen as soon as this is over.”
Anneliese grew more anxious as they neared the portal chamber, where she’d been dragged from Nex. What if she found him dead too? Laying there, left behind as if carelessly forgotten?
She concentrated on breathing slow, on holding her nerves steady. She would not believe it until she saw it. Until that horrific moment, when hope could not be kept for another second, she would count Nex as being alive.
At the end of the corridor, half of their remaining number, seven counting Salno, entered the chamber while the other half went on. Anneliese instantly looked to the place near the portal where Nex had fought. His familiar olive and brown body wasn’t there. He wasn’t anywhere in the room.
There were too many familiar faces among the dead, but Nex’s was not among them. Her knees felt wobbly as she exchanged a relieved glance with Salno.
Jape stared at the lone saucer waiting at the portal entrance. His thoughts were impossible for Anneliese to guess at. The look on his face was intense, but she couldn’t decide if he looked anxious or angry.
Those sent on to the stasis chamber returned. Their leader reported to Jape. “No dead. No one has been stored. Except for a few animals, it’s empty.”
Jape nodded. His gaze met Anneliese’s. “Several people who didn’t get out are missing. We’ll wait for the squads to report in before we determine they’ve been taken alive to another hive.” He nodded to Salno. “This room is secured. Start your procedures.”
Salno nodded and stepped up to the control panel. She plugged her unit in and began giving it orders.
Anneliese wished she could relax. Nex was not there. Hope remained that he lived.
Salno spoke up as she stared at the tablet she’d connected to the computer podium. “This saucer has not been used since we escaped. The other that was used in the attack went to the site on Earth that we suspect to be involved with Monsuda movements. From there, its power trace shows it went on to the Yitrow hive.”
Anneliese scowled. “Why?”
Salno cocked her head. “Why what?”
“Why was this saucer left here if they were going to quit this hive for good? Couldn’t they have used it elsewhere? Or at least destroyed this one so we wouldn’t have it?”
Insaf said, “The Monsuda don’t think as we do. Who knows what goes on in their buggy heads?”
Anneliese persisted. “They abandoned just enough power modules to keep the portal running and the lights on. The labs and chambers we saw are empty. It makes no sense to have left the saucer behind.”
Jape stepped away from the collection pod, looking at it as if it might jump off its pad and gobble him up. “She’s right. This smells like a trap to me. Salno, go over everything and ensure the portal is safe.”
Salno went to work on the computer. As she ran her diagnostics, squads began to call in to Jape. He listened to his captains and told them to stand by. The big man paced back and forth, obviously concerned. “No sign of Nex or several others. Dead left behind, so we have to assume those men were taken alive. Meanwhile, most of the chambers have been emptied of parts and machinery. This is feeling worse all the time.”
Salno’s calm voice halted him. “It should. My sensor grid detects a charging mechanism attached to the outside of the pod. It is powered.” She started toward the saucer.
Before Anneliese could warn her off, Jape did so. He put himself between the saucer and Salno. “I’ll take care of it. Where should I look?”
“On the aft section, just below the rim, where it would be difficult to see.”
Jape headed around, going behind the ship, his silvery eyes searching. Anneliese followed, curious. She watched as he muttered something under his breath and reached under the rim that protruded like a ledge around the circumference of the saucer. He fumbled for a few seconds and pulled free a small charging unit.
“Isn’t that a Risnarish device?” she asked as he continued to search, though Salno had alerted him only to the one item.
“We’ve been using them here during our occupations,” he answered. “Easier than configuring the Monsudan devices for our needs. Salno, I can’t find anything else foreign on the pod.”
“Nor do the sensors, but I’ll do a physical check.”
Jape tossed Anneliese the charger. She turned it over in her hands. It was little more than a receptacle to plug various tools in to. From what Anneliese had learned, it was charged through solar means and was powerful enough to run the entire village of Cas for half a day. She found the small box device amazing for that, but the reflective rectangle didn’t appear impressive in the least.
She said as much to her friends. “It hardly looks dangerous.”
Salno wasn’t just looking at the portal ship; she ran her hands over the parts of it she could reach. “Even something as low in power as that would destroy the ship and the portal entrance—possibly the entire hive, if the door is left open. You cannot have anything powered go inside the portal itself without devastating results.” She finished her inspection. “I detect no other devices on the ship, Jape.”
He nodded and spoke on his communicating device. “Attention, captains. Once everyone has determined their sections are cleared of hostile forces, check for any traps. Also look for any mechanisms that may have served as gateways for the drones to make their short-distance ’ports. I don’t want a repeat of the last attack.” He looked to his troops in the portal chamber. “That’s our mission in this room too. We had a number of drones show up in here, so start looking for their path in.”
They got to work. Anneliese wasn’t sure what it was she looked for, but she’d been around both the Monsuda and the Risnarish long enough to have an idea of their different manufacturing designs. The Monsuda also tended to put a lot of symbols on their mechanics, Egyptianlike hieroglyphics. The written language of the Risnarish consisted predominantly of dots and lines.
After a few minutes, a man held up a spindly,
spidery device. “This is emitting a power boost field for no discernable reason, Jape.”
Salno hurried over with her tablet and scanned it. “Confirmed. It’s Monsudan and it’s sending out a signal.”
Anneliese said, “I’d destroy any found throughout the hive at the same time, just in case the drones are supposed to return if they discover we’re on to their tricks.”
Jape gave her an approving look. “Excellent plan. Everyone, keep looking to make sure there aren’t more of these around. I’ll send a visual to the other squads so they know what to look for.”
The search went on. Anneliese tried to restrain her impatience at the delays. The need to search for Nex was driving her crazy, but they couldn’t rush things. Too much was at stake, especially the village of Cas. She concentrated on being a good soldier and did her job of remaining alert in case they came under attack.
Reports from the squads came in as searches throughout the rest of the hive were completed. The five teleportation boosts found within the portal chamber were piled in the middle of the corridor outside the chamber, along with the charger they’d found on the ship. At Jape’s signal, boom cannons went off throughout the hive, destroying all boosts at once.
They waited at the ready for a minute afterward, listening to the thudding echoes of the blasts die off. After those seconds ticked by and all remained quiet, Jape drew a deep breath. “With any luck, we found and destroyed all access into the hive.”
“Our containment is up and surrounding the site,” Salno reported. “No weaknesses in the barrier are noted.”
“That leaves the portal itself as the final weak point in defenses,” Anneliese noted.
Jape looked around at everyone. Some of the warriors who were to take the trip had gathered in a loose circle around him, waiting for his next command. “It looks like we’re as prepared as we’re going to get. Ready to go for a ride, Salno?”
“Ready.” Her demeanor was steady, as if she contemplated taking a pleasant stroll through the garden.
He spoke into his communication device. “Squads Two and Three, report to the portal chamber for transport to the Yitrow hive. All other squads, remain on standby for deployment.” Not waiting for any response, he tapped a key on his device and spoke again. “Cas is a go. Repeat, Cas is on its way in approximately two minutes.”
Jape slipped the communicator into its pouch on his belt. He gestured to the saucer. “We came to kick Monsudan ass, and by the All-Spirit, that’s what we’re going to do. Load up, everyone.”
Salno triggered the hatch to open. The group began to board just as the two other squads arrived.
Jape called out, “Anneliese, station yourself near the edge so you can examine the Earthling site and report your observations. Remember, you’re only getting a few seconds to reconnoiter.”
“Yes sir.” Anneliese moved into position.
Moments later, the attack force was packed tight. It was a damned small number, no more than thirty-five warriors and Salno, who manned the computer podium at the center of the saucer. It was all the pod could handle, however.
Looking more enthusiastic than he had since losing several of his men, Jape called, “Take us to the party, Salno.”
Anneliese peered through the portholes. All at once, the view filled with seething golden fire. There was the slightest hint of motion under her feet.
Salno confirmed what her senses told her. “We are en route.”
At last, she was going to Nex. Anneliese concentrated on her breathing, on settling herself for the deadly mayhem she was sure was coming.
Less than a minute later, the golden fire cleared and the saucer came to life, powering up to set gently on a landing pad just beyond a metal circle. Anneliese leaned close to the window before her, taking a long look at the room beyond.
At first glance, Anneliese thought they’d returned to the Cas hive portal chamber. The similarities between the place they’d left and where they’d arrived were striking. However, there were no Risnarish bodies lying on the floor. More importantly, half a dozen uniformed humans suddenly charged in, standing before the portal entrance and pointing automatic weapons at the saucer.
A man wearing the rank of a captain shouted, “Attention, arrival! You are not expected and you have not been cleared for this unscheduled transport!”
He went on to warn them to identify themselves, or they would be treated as a hostile force. Anneliese forced herself to examine the room they’d arrived in and the men confronting the ship.
As her initial glance had affirmed, the room was close to identical to the chamber on Risnar. Even the computer podium set off to the side looked Monsudan. There were a couple of extra tables and some office chairs. A telephone and laptop computer on one table were familiar denizens of her world. It was an Earth installation, all right. A few placards on the wall and the uniforms of the tense soldiers spelled out the rest of the story, as did the captain’s accent.
Her heart throbbing painfully, Anneliese made her report to her current commanding officer. “I can confirm that these are my world’s—my country’s military, Jape.” She looked over her shoulder to face him and the other warriors. “I’m sorry. I had no idea we were involved with the Monsuda in any capacity.”
She tried to console herself with the soldiers outside not being her branch of the military. They were Marines.
At least none of the striped Risnarish faces looked at her with accusation. The man standing behind her patted her on the shoulder, as if to console her.
Jape’s expression was—expressionless. Whatever he felt in that moment, he kept to himself. “We’ll figure it out later, Anneliese.”
“Final warning!” the captain shouted, unaware he addressed an attack force. At least it wasn’t going up against his men.
Anneliese fought off a feeling of betrayal as Jape called, “Let’s move on, Salno.”
“Coordinates set,” responded the calm, cool voice.
Anneliese flinched with the other warriors as the soldiers outside fired on the saucer. No projectiles got through the hull, however. Thudding sounds, like heavy drops of rain on a tin roof, were the sole effect of the attack. They ceased with a sharp cry from the commanding officer when the portal’s golden fire lit.
The floor beneath Anneliese’s feet shifted, and the Earth-side portal chamber disappeared.
She drew deep breaths as she engaged her containment belt while the striped skin of the men on either side of her rippled, hardening into armor. She brought her shooter to the ready. She couldn’t rid herself of the anger rising like hot bile in her throat, but that was okay. She’d channel it into the coming fight with the Monsuda and their drones.
Salno called, “We’ll be through in five seconds.”
“Take your places. Ready the booms.” Jape’s order to get into position was for Anneliese, who had been set in front to take stock of the Earth situation.
She turned sideways in the formation made tight by the cramped cabin. As the warrior behind her stepped forward, boom cannon positioned on his shoulder, Anneliese slid to her place in the middle of the company.
The warriors closest to the hatch aimed their cannons. Once again, the saucer emerged in a portal chamber much as the two before, but it alighted next to another pod already on the launch pad.
“Chamber’s empty, but it won’t be for long,” Jape called. “Exit fast!”
Salno’s hands danced over the computer podium’s surface. “Hatch opening.”
“Go!”
The first dozen warriors were out and ready when spindly-legged drones raced into the room. Boom cannons thundered, dispatching the meter-high mechanisms as fast as they came. The Risnarish advanced, and Anneliese marched in formation. She left the saucer, ready to move forward and fire when the cannons quit and she was needed. The drones kept attacking, and scatter-shot peppered the air,
though none hit Anneliese. The big Risnarish, with their armored skin, shielded her for the most part, and she was confident in her belt and vest for the start of the fight.
She knew the last of the group had gotten off the ship when she heard it leave, taking Salno to safety. Anneliese breathed a sigh of relief that her friend was out of the fight.
“Quickly now!” Jape yelled from the front of the squads. The warriors broke into a trot, entering the corridor.
The fighting got real for Anneliese. The boom cannons in the front and rear cleared large swaths of the drones, but more waited to take their places. Anneliese had been brought to a hive numerous times to be experimented on, and she’d fought her way out of the last one, but she’d never seen so many of the mechanisms before. The word “horde” came to mind as the unfeeling creations dashed over the ones that had fallen, waves before a storm growing larger and larger with each surge.
Despite the heavy resistance, the Risnarish kept moving, guided by Jape’s orders. Corridors on either side put the shooters into play, and Anneliese was soon moving into position to fire at the enemy. She fought the endless sea of black-lensed drones until her firing cartridge was empty. Then she moved to the middle of the group to reload and wait for her turn to fight again.
The oily smoke from drones burning up from the shooters’ plasma bullets grew thick. The gray fog rendered the scene more claustrophobic, more confusing, more frightening as the Risnarish company fought down the corridor. They pressed ever forward with enemies in front and behind and sometimes all around.
When they passed labs, Anneliese didn’t dare try to peer through the haze into them. She couldn’t for fear of seeing Nex pinned helpless to a table while horrific tools cut and drilled and took their samples. If she spotted him, she’d break ranks to help him. Right now, the mission had to take precedence. Anneliese loved Nex. To save him, she had to do her job and continue going toward the power room to shut the hive down.
She judged they’d battled halfway to their objective when the boom cannons began to fall quiet. Depleted of their power, they were dropped, and the captains brought out their shooters.
Worlds Apart (Warriors of Risnar) Page 27