by Greg Sorber
TH3R continued the turn and made a complete circle. When they faced the original direction they wanted to go in, the pursuing vehicle was out of position and no longer blocked their way. He throttled up to full acceleration. All three of them were pushed into their seats by the force of the sudden acceleration.
“Woah!” Tala said. “That was crazy!”
“That was amazing, TH3R,” Sigrid said. “I’m glad you were driving. I don’t think I could have pulled that off.”
“That wasn’t precisely a Falco maneuver. I had to improvise there at the end.”
“You did great, Kuya!” Tala patted TH3R on the shoulder.
“We seem to have lost them for the moment.” Sigrid looked out of the moon roof and all the windows, just to be sure.
Tala looked at the communications console. It showed full signal strength. “We’re far enough away from the SPDR mechs that their jamming is no longer working. I’m going to send a message through right away.”
Tala input the proper codes and waited for a prompt for her to record her message. When the prompt signaled for her to proceed, she said, “This is Fourth Lieutenant Tala Matapang, of General Dirksen’s staff. I am with TH3R-0-P, her attaché mech, and a civilian contractor. We’ve been attacked and are being pursued by at least six SPDR mechs. We’re headed to the Hadin Xeno-Biological Preserve. Please send all available aid to assist. Fourth Lieutenant Matapang, out.”
Before she could send the signal, static and crackling overwhelmed the communications system. The SPDR mechs were back within jamming range.
“Damn!” Tala shouted and pounded her fist on the dashboard. “I was almost done.”
“Maybe they received it,” TH3R said.
Sigrid said, “In the meantime, lets get to the preserve. I’ll fill you in on what to expect along the way.”
Chapter Eight
As they’d hoped, the xeno-biological preserve was deserted. All the human workers had gone home for the day, and the only activity that remained was from the handful of security, maintenance, and construction bots working on the renovations. Most of the diurnal creatures were preparing to sleep, and the nocturnal ones were just waking up.
Sigrid had TH3R take the hover car as far into the preserve as he could before they had to abandon it. She hoped she’d get it back. It wasn’t a cheap car to maintain, with all the modifications that allowed it to pass regulatory inspections, and yet still had the functionalities she needed for her line of work.
She’d remembered attending field trips at preserves like this when she was a kid. Even her parents attended from time to time. Those were back when she had fond memories — before things got complicated.
She remembered the lessons well. Xeno-biologists studied life found on other worlds. In most cases, xeno-biologists preferred to go to the home planets of the species they studied to conduct fieldwork. In cases where travel to those worlds was impractical, or too dangerous, xeno-biological preserves were established to emulate the environments of those species. The larger cities on wealthier planets had more extensive xeno-biological preserves. Xeno-biologists had to be careful not to introduce species to worlds where they might inflict permanent damage to the ecosystem if they ever got loose.
Sigrid was dumbfounded when she saw the advertisement promoting the addition of a syrampa to the Hadin Xeno-biological Preserve. From her experience with the creature, it didn’t belong in the middle of a densely populated city. On the other hand, she only visited Hadin every once in a while, so it wasn’t her problem to deal with if it got out of hand. Now, the coincidence might just save their lives.
She’d spent some time learning about the creature. That was, after she’d recovered from her ordeal with the syrampa on the moon of Kador, and had gotten over her initial anger with Chruckariat. As her friend had mentioned, they were notoriously hard to capture and were difficult to keep healthy in captivity. They were volatile to handle, but if you kept them cool, they were more docile. Hence, the need for the cyro-alloy container to keep the creature sedate. The moon of Kador itself was a hot, humid, and smelly mess of a planet. Chruckariat had determined the syrampa she’d dealt with was more mature than he’d expected, and the settings on the cyro-alloy container had been optimized for a young syrampa, instead of an adolescent one.
There were a lot of problems with her plan, which Tala and TH3R were more than happy to point out as she explained it to them. But neither of them had a better course of action, and the xeno-biological preserve was as good a place as any to make a stand. The first thing that could be a problem was if the syrampa wasn’t on site yet. It had only been a few days since she’d seen Chruckariat, and although he said he was selling it to some scientists, there was no guarantee it was the ones on Hadin. But who was she kidding? There was no way there could be that big of a coincidence, could there? She was staking Tala’s and TH3R’s lives on it, as well as her own.
The second problem was, would they be able to make it to and enter the creature’s enclosure before the SPDR mechs overtook them? With his artificial body TH3R could make it, but she and Tala would have difficulty keeping up. That was why she had TH3R pull some illegal maneuvers so they could get as far into the preserve as possible.
The third, but certainly not the last problem, was this: would the syrampa respond to her coaxing, and attack the SPDR mechs instead of them? She didn’t emphasize that problem to Tala and TH3R. They’d find out soon enough.
The syrampas responded to sound as she’d witnessed before she passed out on Kador. She had an ear for sounds, and even pestered Chruckariat for the correct combination of notes to influence the multi-limbed beast. She enjoyed learning things like that, as one never knew when that knowledge might come in handy. Her current predicament was a perfect case in point. Sigrid had done some of her own research into the sounds and calls that syrampas reacted to, and was confident she could direct its attention to the SPDR mechs.
Despite their rushed and unusual entrance into the preserve, they arrived at the syrampa enclosure without being intercepted by security bots. They would come in time, but by then, between an active syrampa and menacing SPDR mechs, Sigrid, TH3R and Tala would be the least of their worries. She hoped the chaos between the three groups would give her and her friends the opportunity to escape.
They entered the exhibit through the standard guest entrance. They’d need to go through a pathway of syrampa trivia, videos, and pictures depicting the creature’s evolution and life cycle. When she was young, the exhibit would have fascinated her. If she had her life to live over again, maybe she would have become a xeno-biologist instead of a mercenary. However, in the current situation, she just needed to get to the damn box.
The enclosure was a sealed environment. There were security measures in place to prevent the syrampa and its native atmosphere from escaping. Those same measures prevented them from entering the enclosure. TH3R bypassed the security measures so they could enter and wait for the unsuspecting SPDR mechs. Sigrid cautioned Tala about what to expect when breathing the toxic air. She’d lasted a few days breathing the noxious atmosphere before and lived to talk about it. This scenario would be over in a matter of hours, if not minutes.
The same box Sigrid had seen — even sat upon on the moon of Kador — was placed in the middle of the enclosure. The lid was closed and a soft blue glow emanated from the display on the outside, showing the temperature settings. Sigrid approached the box and laid her hand on it. As expected, it was cold. There was no discernable movement from within. The syrampa was dormant. The air was still breathable. That was a relief.
Sigrid checked the display, and the settings matched what she’d researched. The settings were optimized to keep the syrampa dormant, unlike the settings Chruckariat had used during her previous experience. Sigrid adjusted the settings to warm the creature up, thus awakening it. She hoped it came to life at the right time, not too early or not too late. Either of those options could prove fatal for her and her friends.
For good measure, Sigrid popped the lid of the container open. That would hasten the creature’s awakening from hibernation. She signaled for TH3R and Tala to take cover behind a container. They just had to wait for the SPDR mechs to join their little party. As she watched the now opened container, she saw yellow and green fumes wafting into the air. She heard fans start, and more fumes spewed from vents spread throughout the enclosure. Sigrid took a deep breath. She nudged Tala to do the same. It might be the last lungful of clean air they breathed for a while.
Tala, TH3R, and Sigrid didn’t have to wait long for the SPDR mechs to catch up. TH3R spotted their glowing forms slinking their way through the preserve. The lanky black mechs covered the ground as quickly as possible. But since they didn’t know where their quarry hid, they had to conduct a thorough search of each enclosure before moving on to the next. The SPDR mechs had numbers in their favor. With six of them working together, they cleared each exhibit and enclosure faster than Tala was comfortable with. It wouldn’t take long for them to get the syrampa. Her eyes teared up and lungs burned as she inhaled the native Kadoran atmosphere. The upcoming fight would not be easy.
The nano-particle reaction still enabled Tala, TH3R, and Sigrid to see the SPDR mechs. Either the SPDR mechs hadn’t caught on to how they were seeing them, or they didn’t care. Tala hoped it was the former, but knowing their luck, it was the latter. The day started with them wanting to capture one SPDR mech. Now with six tracking them, they’d be lucky to escape with their lives.
Sigrid’s plan was crazy. It was just crazy enough, however, that it might work. Tala couldn’t come up with any other options. Their only other hope was if her message had made it through to Captain Ono. Even if her message got through, the question was, could help arrive in time to make a difference?
Tala and Sigrid aimed their Fenris compact assault rifles along the only path into the enclosure. TH3R held his Defender Series sidearm. He wouldn’t use his until the mechs got closer, as the sidearm’s range and power were limited. Tala had heard of SPDR mechs using sniper rifles during assassinations, but she’d seen no evidence of that now. This group seemed more focused on espionage than assassination. They’d shot at them from the cars, so they had some weapons, but from all their research and experience on Frangellan-7, SPDR mechs preferred to get up close and personal when they killed.
Without thinking, Tala removed one hand from her Fenris and patted the pocket where she kept the collapsible stun batons, and felt for the combat knife she affixed to her shoulder harness for quick access. If combat got that close and personal, she was going to fight hard and dirty. She wouldn’t go down easy.
Tala wished she still had her datapad. The program on the datapad allowed them to see the positions of all the SPDR mechs. Without the datapad, they could see the SPDR mechs with their goggles, but only if they were in their field of view. The datapad had given them a tactical advantage. Without it, they were on equal footing. Even worse was that the code to charge the nano-particles and disable the SPDR mechs was part of the datapad application. In the future, if they got out of this mess, they’d need redundancy in their plans to account for equipment loss or malfunction. They should have known better, and expected the unexpected. Lesson learned.
As the SPDR mechs entered the syrampa enclosure, they did something unexpected now. They disabled their stealth modes. Now, instead of being visible only through their goggles or specifically tuned ocular sensors, they could be seen with the naked eye. The Imperium SPDR mechs were eerie to look at. They were a little taller than an average human, but not enough to stand out. They were thin and skeletal in their design. But even more disturbing was their inky black skin. It was part of their active camouflage and stealth capabilities, but their skin was in constant motion. It was like the residual oil on a puddle after the first rain. So, even if the SPDR mech was standing completely still, and you were looking directly at it, you wouldn’t be able to get a good look at it.
Tala wasn’t interested in getting a good look at them right then. If they captured one, she’d examine it later. She blinked away tears caused by the fumes, stared through the holographic sight of the Fenris, and prepared to fire at the closest enemy. Her finger was on the trigger. She gradually increased the tension. She was just about to fire — then the SPDR mechs did something even more unexpected — they raised their hands.
Tala, TH3R, and Sigrid held their fire. The SPDR mechs lowered their hands and stepped forward.
“We wish to talk,” one said as it entered the enclosure.
“We have you outnumbered,” another said.
“If you tell us what we want, we will leave you alive,” added another.
“If you resist us, we will extract the information we need in the most painful ways possible,” said the one that was missing an arm.
Tala looked at TH3R and Sigrid. She shook her head. “They’re lying.”
“Obviously.” Sigrid didn’t take her eyes off the SPDR mechs.
“How long until your creature wakes up?” TH3R asked.
“I’m not sure.” Sigrid touched the crate, then shook it. There was no movement. “Just keep them talking.”
“I have an idea. Cover me.” The attaché mech raised his hands, stood up, and walked toward the six SPDR mechs.
“I’ll speak with you.” TH3R stopped just outside the reach of the SPDR mechs’ claws. It wouldn’t be enough distance when they attacked.
They formed a semi-circle around him.
“What the heck is he doing?” Tala asked.
“He’s buying us time,” Sigrid said. “Now do as he said and cover him. At the first inkling of an attack, open fire.”
“You got it.” Tala readied herself to provide cover fire for TH3R.
Then the box moved.
Chapter Nine
TH3R held his hands in the air as he walked toward the six SPDR mechs. He stopped when he reached a distance far enough away that he could still react if they attacked. His tactical subroutines flashed warning signals, but he ignored them. He would have to negotiate with the enemy if there were any chance he and his friends could escape with their lives. At the very least, the negotiations would buy them more time to find a solution to their problems.
The SPDR mechs formed a semi-circle around him. They left a respectable amount of distance as well. They were as wary of him as he was of them. Good. He would use that to his advantage.
“What is your designation, attaché mech?” one of the SPDR mechs asked.
They wanted to know his designation. Why was that? Should he give it to them? As a long-time member of General Dirksen’s staff, it was likely that they knew his designation. The question was, would it be more advantageous to keep his identity a secret, or to reveal himself? Which option bought them more time?
“It is a simple question,” another SPDR mech asked. “Why don’t you answer? Are your communication subroutines damaged? Or do you not wish for us to know who you are?”
They already seemed suspicious of his motives, so he’d have to go with the truth and see where that took him. “My designation is TH3R-0-P.”
The enemy mechs looked at each other in silence.
“I see you’ve heard of me.” TH3R stood tall. His emotional matrix registered what he could only consider as pride.
“Yes, we know of you,” one SPDR mech said.
“We also know the mercenary.”
“Which would make your other companion, Fourth Lieutenant Tala Matapang.”
“Your information is remarkably up-to-date.” Considering Tala’s promotion only occurred the day before, they must have monitored the ceremony.
“It is our business to know these things.”
“You and your companions may be of more interest to us than we expected,” the mech with the missing arm said.
“I won’t bother asking for your designations. I couldn’t trust what you told me, anyway. What else did you wish to ask me?”
The SPDR mechs turned away fro
m TH3R and communicated with each other using whatever secret method they shared, for they didn’t make any sounds. Then one looked back at him and said, “We know you’ve found a method to track us. Explain how you did this, and we will let you will live.”
TH3R did something he didn’t expect. He laughed. He laughed harder than he ever had before. It was shocking in that he couldn’t control it. Among his various subroutines, he had many that allowed him to understand, mimic, and even feel emotions, so it wasn’t like he’d never laughed before. But this? This was something else.
“You find our question amusing?”
TH3R shook his head. “No, I find it amusing that you expect me to believe that you’ll let us live if we tell you how we can track you. That is our only advantage.”
“It was a matter of expediency.”
“If you told us, we could be done with the matter and be on our way.”
“But we can have more fun poking around inside of your memory matrix and torturing your friends. That way we can learn all of your secrets. It makes no difference to us.”
The SPDR mechs lowered their hands and extended their claws. They crouched, leaned forward, about to strike when TH3R heard Tala shout, “Duck!”
TH3R didn’t hesitate. He flattened himself against the ground, making himself vulnerable to the attacking mechs. Instead of being slashed by their claws, he felt something massive sweep by, just centimeters above him, and smash into his enemies. He rolled over and hopped to his feet. There were tentacles erupting from the crate in the middle of the enclosure. The syrampa had awakened.
The first tentacle had hit the SPDR mechs and sent them flying. But the syrampa was no ally. Subsequent appendages not only sought the individual SPDR mechs, but TH3R, Tala, and Sigrid as well. Their only advantage was that they’d expected the beast’s attack. The SPDR mechs hadn’t. The advantage was short lived. Now they not only had to worry about the SPDR mechs, but the syrampa as well.