Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Shaw wearily sank down onto a crate, taking in Rosaro’s report of the alien attack on the platoon. “So they attacked your position, took Commander Veranda, and left?”

“That’s right,” Rosaro replied, sitting across from Shaw. “We think it was some kind of recon mission, they must want someone to interrogate.”

Shaw shook her head slowly. “Interrogate? They don’t even know our language. I think they wanted a live human to study, to find our weaknesses.”

“Either way, they have your officer now. As much as I’d like to try a rescue mission, we don’t know where she’s being held.”

“Nor do we have any transportation,” Shaw said bitterly. She motioned to Laurants and Thornton, “We were on our way to find the ExoArmors and use their firepower to even the odds.”

“General Wallace has ordered all ground units to assemble at Alligator Bay for a counteroffensive,” Rosaro replied. She took a sip of water from her canteen before continuing. “Honestly, Captain, even if I could help you, I’m not sure I would. Those mountains are dangerous, I already lost one man trying to climb them. If we did survive the climb, it could take days or weeks to find the ExoArmors, and from what you’ve said, they may not be operational.”

“That may be true, but we need the firepower, otherwise the aliens will roll over us. You must see the tactical advantage the ExoArmors provide us.”

“An advantage that is eliminated by the time we waste in crawling through treacherous terrain. By the time we found these machines, the rest of our troops could be destroyed.”

“Do you think one platoon will make a difference?”

“No, but as I said, we have orders from General Wallace. I bent the rules by coming here instead of straight to Alligator Bay, but turning back for the mountains would be desertion.”

“I would take personal responsibility…”

“I’m sorry, Captain, but you have no authority on the ground. General Wallace is the commander of all ground assets, including my platoon. He has given us an order and we have to follow it whether we like it or not.”

Shaw sighed, nodding to Rosaro. “You’re right, Lieutenant.” She looked around at the Explorer crewmembers that were assembled around her. As she looked at them, she noticed most of the crewmembers turned away from her gaze, giving her a sense that they agreed with Rosaro, that climbing the mountains was too dangerous and probably a waste of time. “I want you to take my crew with you.”

Rosaro cocked an eyebrow in puzzlement. “What about you?”

“The ExoArmors are the most advanced technology Earth has to offer. Someone has to make sure that they do not fall into enemy hands. I’ll go alone and destroy any units that may have survived the crash.”

“Captain, that’s suicide!” Thornton blurted out.

“That may be, but if we can find the ExoArmors, so can the aliens. If they do, then they would know our true weapons capability. It’s my responsibility to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“According to who?” Rosaro demanded.

“Alliance Command. They directed me to make sure the ExoArmors do not fall into enemy hands, no matter the cost.”

Rosaro nodded slowly, then stood up. “If you’re going to go, let me give you my climbing equipment and a weapon to at least give you a fighting chance.” Rosaro took the equipment from her backpack, then handed Shaw a compad and one of the alien weapons the platoon had captured. “This is all of the data I gathered on the mountains during the few scans I got in. The alien weapon works pretty much like ours, but I’m not sure how much power is left in it. Good luck, sir.” Rosaro saluted Shaw, a gesture quickly repeated by the rest of the platoon and Explorer crew.

Returning the salutes, Shaw began to don the climbing gear. “Good luck to you, Lieutenant. Take good care of my crew.” Shaw finished putting on the equipment before turning and slowly walking away.

***

Laurants watched Shaw fade from view, vaguely hearing Rosaro order, “OK, everyone, let’s pack up this stuff and get going.” The platoon and Explorer crew immediately set to work packing up whatever supplies they could carry. Laurants felt his fists clench, an anger building within him. They were just going to let Shaw go off on her own to die alone. I can’t stand by and let that happen! He glanced briefly at each member of the platoon, easing his way over to Private Cromwell, who was sorting out supplies away from everyone else.

Laying a firm grip on the soldier’s shoulder, Laurants said quietly, “I want your climbing equipment and a weapon.”

“What? I can’t do that…” Laurants tightened his grip, the look on his face indicating that he would not accept no for an answer. Cromwell finally nodded, bending down to retrieve the gear from his backpack. He handed Laurants his rifle, shaking his head sadly. “I don’t know what you’re doing, pal, but it’s suicide. My best friend died trying to climb those mountains, what chance do either of you have?” He asked while Laurants donned a helmet and thermal coat.

“I won’t just leave her behind to die,” Laurants replied, snapping shut the face shield of his helmet. Then, before anyone else could notice him, Laurants sprinted away from the escape pods towards Shaw.

Laurants heard Thornton call his name, but he did not care. At the very least, he wasn’t going to let Shaw die alone up there. He quickly closed the distance between the captain and himself, Shaw coming to a stop as he approached. “Did Lieutenant Rosaro decide to send an escort?” Shaw asked quietly.

“No, sir, I came of my own free will.”

“Then you’re a fool, Ensign. Turn back and go with the others.”

“I can’t do that, sir. As you said, someone has to make sure those ExoArmors do not fall into enemy hands. The odds of our mission being successful are twice as good if there are two of us. That way one of us can continue the mission if the other is incapacitated.”

There was a tense moment of silence, Laurants wondering if Shaw was going to force the issue. Finally, she nodded wearily. “Point well taken. We haven’t got much time, so we’ll have to be quick.”

“Yes, sir.”

Shaw sighed, the expression on her face indicating that she had reluctantly come to a decision, “Ensign, we’re going to be alone on this mission for who knows how long, I think we can get rid of the formality. Just call me Lisa.”

“Yes, sir…um, Lisa.”

Shaw smiled for a brief moment, patting Laurants on the back. “You’re a quick learner, Jack. Let’s go find those ExoArmors.” Laurants nodded and fell into step behind Shaw, noting that for just a moment he had seen the life return to Shaw.

***

S’Tallen watched his experiment being hauled away on a commandeered ordinance cart, rubbing the spot where S’Olonny’s S’Zai had grazed his neck. The outburst of violence did not surprise S’Tallen, he had known for years that the captain was unstable, but it did serve as a reminder that time was running out. He had to get this experiment right, or else there may not be another chance. The time had come to try something different and hope that the gamble paid off.

Looking around the hangar, S’Tallen could see soldiers scurrying aboard transports that would take them to the surface. This was, S’Tallen knew, the perfect time to get a fresh blood sample without being detected by S’Olonny. S’Tallen searched for a likely victim, his eyes stopping on a young soldier waiting at the end of the line to board a transport. Checking to make sure no one was spying on him, S’Tallen eased over to the soldier, who nervously came to attention at S’Tallen’s approach. “Director S’Tallen, is there something I can help you with?” The solider asked.

S’Tallen made a mental examination of the trooper before him. In his previous experiments, S’Tallen had used the blood of adult males, but with time running out he decided to try a juvenile male in the hopes that the younger DNA would provide superior results. From the dark green color of the soldier’s skin, S’Tallen could tell that this young male had yet to shed his preadult skin. “What is you name, soldier?” S’Tallen asked, putting as much authority into his voice as was possible.

“S’Amleng, sir.”

“S’Amleng? Well, S’Amleng, I have a very important mission for you. Follow me.”

“But sir…”

“There is no time to waste, I have already cleared this mission with your commanding officer.” S’Amleng relented at the last part of S’Tallen’s statement, following the scientist out of the hangar and into the corridor. “We’ll start here,” S’Tallen said, motioning for S’Amleng to enter an unmarked door.

Looking around the dark room, S’Amleng asked, “Sir, this is a supply room…” Before S’Amleng could finish, S’Tallen held him down and jabbed a needle into his side. S’Tallen felt the juvenile soldier fight back, but he managed to pull out a syringe filled with S’Amleng’s brown blood.

S’Tallen shoved S’Amleng to the floor, trying to look as menacing as possible. “Tell no one of what happened here or you will risk countless lives,” S’Tallen hissed then disappeared.

He hurried towards his lab, examining the blood, as though his eyes could someone detect if it would provide the spark he needed. S’Tallen doubted that the young soldier would say anything to his commanding officer or S’Olonny. Like many of the juvenile troops, S’Amleng seemed to have an innate fear of authority figures, that would serve S’Tallen well in this case.

The doors to the laboratory hissed open, lights coming up as S’Tallen entered the darkened room. Lying on a flat bed, held down by thick metal straps, was the prisoner. Above the prisoner’s head was a monitor that kept track of its vital signs. S’Tallen checked the readings, wondering if the numbers meant that the creature was in good health or not. He pressed a button on the machine, a dim blue energy field surrounding the prisoner. The energy field slowly began to map the prisoner’s body on the molecular level, which would allow S’Tallen to diagnose the results when his work was finished. He went to a cooling chamber, where a larger syringe was already partially filled with a clear gel dancing with rainbow-colored lights. He added S’Amleng’s blood to the bio-energy in the large syringe, then put it back in the cooling chamber. After the door was closed, he pushed a button that spun the syringe around until its contents had become one uniform mixture. This was the catalyst for his experiment, what he hoped would be his last.

Having fully prepared for the experiment, there was only one thing left to do. S’Tallen sat down at his computer terminal, which came alive to his touch. Entering the code given to him by the Grand Council, S’Tallen quickly gained access to all of the ship’s records. After a moment of looking through the most recent records, S’Tallen found what he was after. He watched in fascination as the message received from the enemy ship played in both audio and visual formats. After months of trying to decipher the language of this alien culture, the visual message provided him with the last piece of information he needed.

S’Tallen knew that he didn’t have much time before someone on the bridge realized what he was doing, so he worked quickly to edit the parts of the message that would be of use to him. He transferred those parts of the message that remained to a special database he had been working on for nearly twenty years, a database that would allow him to translate the alien language.

Leaning back in his chair, S’Tallen waited for the computer to add the selected bits of the message to the database. Once the translation process was complete, S’Tallen would be able to communicate with his prisoner, to explain to it not only what would happen, but how the experiment would save S’Tallen’s people for all time. The computer signaled that it had finished with the operation, bringing up the translation program. S’Tallen read over the words on the screen, straining to pronounce each word in the alien tongue. While it was difficult, S’Tallen knew that the pain was necessary for his experiment to truly succeed. He went through the program nearly a dozen times, until he decided that he had finally mastered the alien pronunciations. Grabbing a small device of his own design, S’Tallen downloaded the program, then spoke a few words to make certain that it was working.

S’Tallen looked across the lab to where the prisoner lay, awaiting the moment when the alien would wake up so that he could continue with his grand work. It would be hours before his experiment regained consciousness, but S’Tallen could wait. Like the pain from learning a new language, S’Tallen was willing to endure the agony of waiting if it meant that he would finally succeed.

***

“I don’t think we should have let them go,” Davis said to Rosaro as they marched across the hard, gray terrain.

“What choice did I have?” Rosaro asked acidly. “She was going to go no matter what I said. Would you rather I had her shot?"

“No, but between you and me, joining up with Wallace is suicide. What kind of counteroffensive will we be able to muster?”

“I don’t like it either, but we have orders from the general, we can’t just disregard them.”

“We’ve disobeyed orders before, why can’t we now?”

“Because lives are at stake. If any counteroffensive is going to work, it will need the most experienced platoon in the Alliance.”

Davis smiled, shaking his head, “I shouldn’t have doubted you, Manny. I’ll pass along what you said to the others, I think they’ll understand.”

“That’s all I ask, Al.” Rosaro looked behind her at the rest of the small column. “How are the Explorer people holding up?”

“They’re a little tired, but seem to be doing all right.”
“Good. I don’t know what will happen to them when we get to the bay, they don’t have the experience to put onto the front lines.”

“They can probably stay back to guard our camp or something.” Rosaro nodded, lost in thought for a moment. “Don’t let what happened with Shaw get to you too much, Boss.”

“I’m trying, but they always told us not to leave anyone behind.”

“It’s like you said, we have to follow our orders.”

Rosaro shook her head bitterly, “I can say that, but inside I still don’t believe it. Pass the word that we’ll take a rest once night comes.”

“Sure thing,” Davis replied, taking the hint from Rosaro, he left her alone to ponder her situation. Telling herself that her hands were tied did little to ease her pain at letting Shaw and Laurants leave the group. She had been taught all her life, from the street gangs she had run with during her childhood in Mexico City to her training for the Alliance military, that a good soldier does not leave a comrade behind to die alone, but that was what she had been forced to do.

Even worse, while she tried to be angry at Shaw for leaving, Rosaro knew that she had done the same thing only hours before when she had made Davis leave the rest of the platoon at the base of the mountains. Rosaro had thought that she was doing her duty, protecting her troops from harm, but in the end had she done more harm? Perhaps Caustillo would still be alive if she had allowed him to come with her, instead of forcing him to go against his instincts, instincts that she shared. Rosaro tried to fight down the grief, there would be plenty of time to grieve later, if she and the other members of the platoon survived. Keeping them alive is my top priority now, Rosaro thought. Shaw and Laurants are on their own. I just hope they fare better than Reekie did.

***

Staring up at the sheer face of rock rising into the sky, Laurants was more than a little daunted by the mountain. “It’s just as bad as Rosaro said,” he breathed.

“Well, there’s no going back now,” Shaw replied, trying to keep the fear from her voice. She attached her climbing claws and secured her rifle to her back, then dug the claws on her feet into the rock. Carefully she plunged the hand claws farther up into the mountain, feeling the claws grab hold she pulled herself up to the handholds, making another set above her head. “Come on, Jack, we don’t have all day!”

Laurants took a deep breath, wondering for the thousandth time why he had insisted on coming with Shaw. He had often climbed the mountains near Wolf Bluff in British Columbia, but none of those mountains were as big as this one. Still, he could hardly back down with Shaw already climbing up the face of the mountain. As he began his ascent, Laurants thought about the subtle change that had come over Shaw since they had started their journey to the mountains. She was still grim, still looking defeated, but there were brief moments when she let herself be human. Always, as though she realized that her mask had slipped, she returned to her melancholy state. The trek to the mountains had passed in near-total silence, Laurants had not been able to put his thoughts into words. He didn’t know how to tell her that he could understand how she felt, not without sounding patronizing. Instead, he said nothing and focused on the mission at hand.

Thornton had called the mission suicide, and Laurants suspected that she was right. Even if he and Shaw found the ExoArmors, by then it was very likely that the aliens would have killed every other human on the planet, making any resistance all but pointless. Instead, he knew that Shaw’s objective was to simply destroy the ExoArmors to deny them to the aliens, after which she and Laurants were expendable.

Continuing the climb, Laurants tried to focus on the art of moving up the face of the mountain. He had to admit that it was tricky, but once he had a rhythm it became easier. He could see that Shaw had also gotten the knack of climbing, moving with a grace that Laurants could not imitate. “If you don’t mind my asking, do you have much climbing experience?” Laurants asked Shaw, hoping that he didn’t snap her concentration.

“I used to go climbing when I was a teenager. My mother was stationed in San Diego, so I’d go up to the mountains during summer vacation from school. Of course, those mountains weren’t this hard,” Shaw grunted as she hauled herself up then carved out another handhold. “It’s just like riding a bike.”

“I guess I didn’t figure you for the outdoors type.”

“I did a lot of things when I was young,” Shaw replied. “I was always willing to try anything once. How about you, Jack?”

“I guess I never had time to do too much, with school and hockey to keep me occupied. I only had about two months off a year, I’d usually spend those fishing or hiking. There wasn’t anything too exciting ever happening in Wolf Bluff.”

Shaw stopped climbing, taking a brief rest. “I would have liked to live in a small town, but my parents were always on the move until I entered the Academy. I hated having to make a new set of friends every year, so I guess doing things like mountain climbing was just a way to make the best of the situation. Before I was twenty I had probably seen more of the world than some people ever do.”

“Is that why you decided to leave Earth?”

“Maybe a little, but I always enjoyed staring up at the stars. They were so beautiful, so alive, I wanted to be up there with them.” Shaw chuckled coldly, “So here I am, back on the ground.”

“It’s not your fault, Lisa, there wasn’t anything that you could have done.” How false that sentiment sounded to his own ears!

Shaw’s voice was tinged with barely-suppressed rage, “You might be right, but it doesn’t change anything. The crews of the Pioneer and Explorer were my responsibility. No matter the circumstances, their blood is on my hands. It always will be.” Shaw tore her claws into the mountain furiously, tearing away a large chunk of rock. Shaw hauled herself up, leaving Laurants to curse himself for saying something so stupid. He slowly followed her, wishing that there was something he could do to take away the guilt that Shaw was feeling, but he of all people knew that there was nothing that could be said to take the pain away.

***

“What have you to report?” S’Olonny asked his second-in-command.

“We have tracked the craft launched by the enemy vessel before its demise, to various landing sites across the planet. Our sensors are tracking several groups of the enemy across one of the planet’s continents,” S’Segar reported.

S’Olonny stared at the sensor display, following the movement of the enemy. “How many of them are deployed on the planet?”

“Our readings cannot determine a precise amount, but our estimate is two to three hundred.”

“A formidable force, but it is not nearly enough. Can we determine where these groups are heading?”

“Not yet, sir, should I order transports to begin collection procedures?”

“Send one platoon and one collection group to eliminate each group of the enemy,” S’Olonny tapped S’Segar on the shoulder. “We will make them pay for their mistake in revealing themselves.”

“Yes, sir,” S’Segar nodded..

“You said our readings can not determine the foe’s exact numbers?”

“Yes, sir, our sensors might have incurred some residual damage from the attack.”

“Then I want you to have all of our scouting teams deployed to the surface. They are to track down any trace of potential bio-energy, we will not to waste anything on this mission, is that clear?”

“I understand, sir.” S’Segar hurried off to relay the orders, leaving S’Olonny to stare at the sensor readings. Whoever was in charge of the enemy had made a grave mistake in their planning. S’Olonny would see to it that they paid for the error in judgment.

***

Rosaro signaled for the entire column to halt as the humans came upon a dried-up riverbed. Large boulders lined the banks of what had been a mighty river, but now was only hard-packed gray dust. “This is spooky,” Davis whispered to Rosaro. “What happened to the river?”

Rosaro shrugged, “Who knows, there could have been an earthquake or something to change the river’s course. That’s not our concern now.” Rosaro looked around the area then ordered Davis, “Take a team up ahead and secure the opposite bank, make sure no surprises are waiting for us.”

Davis nodded, motioning for Private Ramirez and Corporals Cromwell and Hoffman to follow him. Thornton and the Explorer crew crouched behind boulders, watching the four Fifth Platoon members cautiously begin to cross the riverbed. Davis suddenly signaled for the scouting party to stop, an eerie silence hanging over the dried-up river. Thornton watched in nervous fascination as Davis seemed to cock his head to one side, his face a mask of concentration. Thornton tightened her grip on the pistol in her hand, feeling the sweat building up on her palms and noting the worried looks on the other Explorer crewmembers.

Davis raised his left hand in the air and then took a step backwards, the other men in the scouting party following suit. Carefully, the scouts began to back away towards Rosaro and the rest of the platoon. Thornton could see Rosaro motioning to the rest of her troops, then the Fifth Platoon rose up as one and opened fire towards the opposite bank. The scouting party turned and ran as the shots sizzled through the air. At first Thornton could see nothing on the other side of the river, then she saw at least a dozen red helmets pop up over the rocks.

Thornton wanted to cry out, to give some warning, but she could only watch as the alien warriors opened fire, shots tearing into two backs of the fleeing scouting party. Hoffman and Ramirez dropped to their knees, Hoffman remaining still while Ramirez slowly tried to crawl forward. Davis and Cromwell spun around, Cromwell firing a steady stream from his rifle while Davis gathered up Ramirez in a fireman’s carry and dashed towards the safety of the riverbank.

Rosaro and the rest of the platoon continued to provide cover fire, most of the shots going harmlessly overhead or being absorbed by the heavy boulders the aliens were using for cover. Davis charged through a gap in the rocks, gently laying Ramirez on his side just a few feet from where Thornton and the other Explorer crew members hid. “Do you know first aid?” Davis asked Thornton quickly.

“Some,” she replied nervously.

“See what you can do for him,” Davis said, tossing Thornton a medical kit.

Ramirez opened his eyes, looking up at Davis he rasped, “Sarge, am I going to make it?”

Davis patted the private gently on the shoulder. “Of course you are, Deivi. No one leaves this outfit without my say-so.”

Ramirez smiled, a tired smile coming to his face. “Thank-you, sir.” Davis nodded then slowly made his way over to Rosaro, staying under the protection of the rocks to avoid being a target for an alien soldier.

Thornton examined the wounds in Ramirez’s back: two shots had burned clean through the private’s body armor and torn deeply into his flesh. After removing Ramirez’s armor, Thornton scanned the wounds with a compad, her expression turning grim. One of the alien shots had hit Ramirez in the left lung, causing internal bleeding that there was no way to contain without cutting the young soldier open and performing surgery. Thornton’s training had covered only minor injuries, there was no way that she could repair the damage.

“How bad is it?” Ramirez asked, coughing up a glob of blood as he spoke.

Thornton knelt down in front of Ramirez, not wanting to see the look in his eyes, but knowing that she had to. “It’s bad, very bad. I’m afraid that you have internal injuries that…that we can’t repair. I’ll give you something to make you comfortable, but…I’m sorry,” Thornton’s voice faltered, tears running down her cheeks.

“So I’m going to die?”

“Yes,” Thornton answered, not knowing what else she could say.

“Oh God,” Ramirez moaned, his breathing becoming shallow. Thornton filled a syringe with painkillers and injected it into the young man’s arm, hoping that the medicine would at least allow Ramirez to die without suffering. “Tell…tell my mom that I’m sorry,” Ramirez coughed, trying to get more out, but it only came out as a wheeze.

“I will,” Thornton replied, taking Ramirez’s hand. She could then only watch helplessly as he slipped into unconsciousness and the last breath escaped from his body.

***

“Hoffman’s down, Ramirez is in bad shape,” Davis reported to Rosaro.

“Damn!” Rosaro cursed. “We walked right into an ambush.”

“They must have some way to hide from our sensors,” Davis replied, checking the charge in his rifle.

“Right.” Rosaro looked her platoon over and sighed. “This is going to be a stand-off unless we can flush them out. You and Dougie use the missile launchers and see if you can’t take out those rocks. If we can take away their cover, they’ll be ours.”

Davis nodded, moving down the line to find Private Flanders and enact Rosaro’s plan. Meanwhile, Rosaro had Cromwell communicate to the others to hold their fire until Davis and Flanders destroyed the rocks, there was no sense wasting ammunition that they might need later.

Davis and Flanders loaded and armed the missile launched with learned practice, steadying themselves so that they could absorb the recoil of the weapon. Davis counted down from three, then both missile launchers opened fire, the two missiles turning a pair of boulders into fragments. Rosaro opened fire before the dust had cleared, unsure if she had hit anything, but when the dust finally settled, six alien soldiers lay still on the ground. A barrage of lasers hit the boulder Rosaro was hiding behind, she could feel the rock begin to warm from the energy. Once they had reloaded the missile launchers, Davis and Flanders fired again. Another five alien bodies were sprawled in the dirt, the remaining alien warriors, realizing that they had no other option, charged towards the human line. The Fifth Platoon, and even some of the Explorer crew, began to pour on the fire until the last aliens were put down.

“Cease fire!” Rosaro shouted and moved down the riverbank to where the alien bodies lay. After making sure that none of the enemy still lived, Rosaro trudged back to the other humans. “Let’s salvage what we can and get out of here. We’ve got to make another twenty klicks before morning.”

Davis made his way over to where Thornton knelt next to Ramirez’s corpse and put a hand on her shoulder. “You did the best you could under the conditions,” Davis whispered.

“But it wasn’t enough,” Thornton spat back angrily. “If there had been a real doctor, he could have made it.”

“It’s not your fault…”

“I know that!” Thornton snapped, rising to her feet. “It’s their fault!” She motioned towards the red-armored alien bodies in the riverbed. Before Davis could say something, Thornton stomped away, tears still staining her eyes. Once the humans moved out, Davis could see Thornton staring at the makeshift litter bearing Ramirez. There was a haunted look in her eyes, causing Davis to shake his head. She shouldn’t be here, he thought to himself. Someone so young, so innocent, doesn’t belong here.

The humans finally reached the relative safety of a forest nine hours later. The ground had turned soft as the wastelands gave way to the marshes and swamps near Alligator Bay, allowing Ramirez and Hoffman to finally be laid to rest. There were few words spoken, just a short prayer before the weary Alliance soldiers moved on another kilometer to camp for a few hours.

Rosaro sank down against a gnarled old tree, glad for the chance to rest her aching body. More than physical fatigue, she felt the mental fatigue at having lost two men. Even though twenty of the enemy had been killed, Rosaro could not help but feel that the battle had been anything but a victory. The aliens could afford some attrition, with their ship overhead they still had access to more troops, weapons, and materiel while she was cut off from the other human units and had no replacements for her casualties.

Even if her platoon made it to the rendezvous, the situation would be little different. The humans had no reinforcements, no reserves, and no capability to resupply. The enemy could bide its time, sniping at the Alliance forces until there was nothing left. For the hundredth time she wondered if Wallace’s plan was sound, if perhaps more guerrilla tactics would not be more effective. She refused, however, to believe that Shaw’s plan had been the answer. Chasing after ExoArmors that may or may not be functional through deadly mountains would only whittle down her platoon even further.

Davis approached Rosaro, fatigue showing on his face as well. “I’ve set the watch for two-hour intervals. I’ll take the first watch with Charlie, I reserved the last one for you, since I know what a morning person you are.”

Rosaro cracked a weary smile, “Thanks, Al.” Then her expression turned serious once again. “Do you think we’re doing the right thing here?”

Davis shrugged, “I don’t know. There’s so much we don’t know about these aliens. We can’t determine the size of the force they can put in the field, what kind of air support, if that ship in orbit can blast us from orbit. Without that kind of intelligence, we’re completely blind, so there’s no way to know if we’re going about things in the right way.”

“Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but you’re right. Good-night Al.”

“Good-night Manny.” Davis disappeared in the darkness, leaving Rosaro to try to get some sleep. It was times like this, when it was absolutely silent all around her, that Rosaro almost missed the buzzing of Mexico City twenty-four hours a day. Even the sounds of gunshots and wailing sirens were better than only the sound of her breathing. The first month of basic training, Rosaro had nearly gone without sleep because she could not get used to the silence of the barracks. In the run-down homes, alleys, and even sewers where she had sought refuge growing up were always filled with noise, until it had become a sick lullaby to her.

Perhaps the noise was just a reminder that all around there was still life, or maybe that there was much more out there than she could see. She had never known her parents, as an orphan on the streets of Mexico City the only way to survive was to join one of the many gangs. The one that had “adopted” her, Los Serpientes, or “The Snakes” had been relatively lenient in allowing her to go to school and have other outside activities. The major gangs operated on a more severe philosophy, forcing their members to work solely for the benefit of the “family”, as the gangs liked to call themselves. For that reason, almost every night there was a border skirmish, a new offensive, or a payback raid that kept the night air humming with the sounds of guns, screams, and sirens.

This planet, however, was so eerily silent. Other than the trees, plants, humans, and aliens there was nothing alive here. Not a single bird, a single animal, not even a single insect buzzing through the air. Rosaro had only been to a swamp once, during maneuvers in Louisiana, but she knew that they were a breeding ground for all sorts of creatures. That there was currently no sound, except for the snoring off a few of her soldiers, attested to the lack of life all around. Rosaro did not have the opportunity to think about it earlier, but as she tried to sleep, she could not help but feel unnerved by it. If no indigenous animals could survive on the planet, what chance did humans have? It was a long time before Rosaro drifted off to sleep.

***

Thornton was having trouble sleeping as well. A white fog was starting to roll in from the bay, the darkened tops of shadowy trees rapidly being rendered invisible. The foreboding scene characterized Thornton’s mood as she thought back to the battle. The image of Ramirez dying, his eyes pleading for her to do something to help him, was burned into her mind.

Ramirez was just another person she couldn’t help, it seemed that was the story of her life. Her entire childhood had been spent in snobby boarding schools, shut away from the real world. Once she ran away to the Academy she thought she would start helping people, to stop living such a selfish existence, but it hadn’t worked out that way so far. Despite the praise she had received, she had done little to help Laurants and the Gibraltar. She had taken the wounded from the Explorer to sickbay, but she doubted any of them had made it to the escape pods. Later, she had stood idly by while Dumas died and Laurants convinced Shaw to get in the escape pod. Staring into the fog, Thornton knew that she had done nothing to help anyone in her life.

Tears started to come, but she did nothing to try stopping them. She felt so out of place here, so powerless, so useless to everyone. There were real heroes like Laurants and Davis, who saved lives, who made a difference. Thornton stripped off her uniform jacket, staring at the garment for a long time. It was covered in dirt, soot, and blood, a testament to all those she had failed to help. Wadding up the jacket, Thornton hurled it into the fog, then buried her face in her hands.

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and heard Davis whisper, “It’s all right.” She looked up at him and saw the concern in his eyes. It was concern, she knew, for whether or not she could keep going, or if her spirit was broken.

“I’m sorry,” Thornton replied, wiping her eyes.

Davis sat down next to her, holding his rifle upright between his legs. “You’ve been through a lot today, it’s okay to cry.”

“It’s just that…I keep thinking there was something I could have done.”

Davis shook his head, “I saw the wound, there was nothing any of us could have done, not without getting him to a field hospital. Even then it would have been tough.” Davis took off his helmet, and for a moment he and Thornton just sat in silence. Finally, he said, “I’ve been soldiering for almost twenty years now, and it never gets easier to lose somebody. I knew Deivi pretty well, I even met his mom a couple of years ago, but I can’t let his death destroy me. There’s still a job to do, and plenty of time to grieve when it’s done.”

“I guess so,” Thornton sniffled.

“I know you won’t feel much better in the morning, but try to get some sleep anyway. It’s going to be another busy day tomorrow, I’m sure,” Davis groaned as he got to his feet, heading back into the fog from whence he came.

“I don’t think I can make it,” Thornton called to his back.

Davis turned around, a sad smile coming to his face. “The first week Lieutenant Rosaro was put in charge of the Fifth, she said the same thing to me. Sometimes we don’t know how strong we are, until we’re tested.”

Thornton watched Davis disappear, then closed her eyes and tried to sleep. The sergeant’s words did little to ease her mind, but she eventually fell into a fitful slumber. She woke up just before dawn, her body drenched in a cold sweat. In her dreams she saw Ramirez, Dumas, and Laurants being torn apart by giant alien warriors while she could only stand by and watch. There was another hour or two before the humans would set out once again, but Thornton knew that she couldn’t go back to sleep. In her dream, just before she woke up, she had looked down and realized that it was not the aliens killing Ramirez, Dumas, and Laurants, but herself that had ripped them to shreds. Instead of trying to sleep, Thornton just stared into the fog for a long while, wondering if she would be able to ever go back to sleep again.

***

“Our attacks were largely successful,” S’Segar reported to S’Olonny on the bridge of the alien ship. “Only in one instance did our forces not completely wipe out the enemy.” S’Segar pointed to the location on the map where the Fifth Platoon had driven off its attackers.

“If our attacks were so successful, why did one unit fail?” S’Olonny asked.

“We have not been able to determine that yet, sir. There were no survivors from that platoon.”

“Perhaps they have some kind of weapons we have not seen yet. I want them closely monitored.” Examining the map, S’Olonny asked, “Anything from our scouting parties yet?”

“No, sir. The scouting teams are still being transported to the planet.”

“Very well, then. Contact me the moment that any of the scouting units report. I will be overseeing the collection process.” S’Segar nodded, watching S’Olonny stride from the bridge. S’Segar, like most of the crew, always breathed a sigh of relief when S’Olonny’s intimidating presence left the bridge. The captain’s temper was legendary, although S’Segar respected his commander’s passion and dedication to the search for bio-energy. Moreover, as much as S’Segar feared S’Olonny’s violent outbursts, he had to be grateful for S’Olonny saving him from life as a foot soldier. Only a select few hatchlings were taken to be trained as crew for the mighty collection vessel, fewer yet were groomed for work on the bridge. The highest praise S’Segar had been given from S’Olonny was to be made second-in-command of the ship, a testament to the captain’s silent faith in him.

Despite that, S’Segar knew there was a growing rift between he and S’Olonny. It was due in large part to S’Segar’s refusal to practice the old warrior religion that the captain still clung to. Belief in warrior gods and the proper use of a S’Zai had all but died with the launch of the collection vessels. Yet S’Olonny still believed, and had expected his protégé to believe as well. Like most of his generation, though, S’Segar found it hard to believe in gods who would strike their creations with such a cruel fate. With that thought in mind, S’Segar stepped over to the communications station to get status reports from the scouting parties.

***

For Master Scout S’Revlar it was just another of an almost countless number of scouting missions. He had served three tours on collection vessels, visited dozens of worlds, and tracked down hundreds of alien creatures. During any bio-energy collection mission there were always beasts that could not be captured by an ordinary military action. Which meant scouts specially trained to locate and capture anything that contained potential bio-energy were needed. There was, however, no scout as knowledgeable or experienced as S’Revlar.

Examining the sensor readings from the collection vessel and from the transport, S’Revlar had yet to discover any sources of bio-energy that were not already known. “Take us down lower!” S’Revlar commanded the pilot of the transport.

“We are approaching mountains, I dare not take us down any further!” The pilot responded.

“You will do as you are told,” S’Revlar hissed, causing the five other scouts in the transport to flinch. If there was one thing that S’Revlar would not tolerate it was disobedience. Scouting was a dangerous business, those who did not follow orders ended up dead. “Or you will not live to see the end of this day.”

The pilot slowly lowered the transport in closer to the surface, the transport beginning to shake violently from high winds. S’Revlar ignored the rocking, concentrating on the sensors. Even as the pilot of the transport nearly lost control of the craft, S’Revlar focused on his work, finally tapping a section of the sensor map with a claw. S’Revlar pulled out a communicator to contact the collection vessel. “Commander S’Segar, this is Master Scout S’Revlar. I may have located potential bio-energy in the mountains of the northeast continent.”

“How certain are you?” S’Segar asked curtly.

“The reading is faint, but I have detected some sort of metallic alloy. It could be one of the craft that fled the alien warship. I will investigate and report my findings.”

“Very well, Master Scout. I will inform the captain of your mission.”

“Thank-you, Commander.” S’Revlar ended the transmission, tossing the communications device to his second-in-command. “Pilot, you will find a suitable location in these mountains to drop us.” The pilot, already knowing the consequences of protesting the order, began to look for somewhere with enough clearance to land the six scouts.

S’Revlar strapped on his black armor, tightening his helmet for the landing. The armor was heavy, carrying all of the supplies S’Revlar would need to survive for days on the ground, but S’Revlar was used to the weight. The other scouts similarly donned their armor, checking each other to make sure that nothing would come loose. The transport continued to be buffeted by high winds, but S’Revlar easily made his way to the airlock. The pilot fought to steady the transport in the winds, the ship just a few feet above a snow-covered cliff. S’Revlar opened the airlock, looking down at the cliff to find the best spot to land. Struggling to maintain his balance, S’Revlar waited for the transport to stabilize just a bit more, then jumped from the airlock. Tucking his feet against his chest, S’Revlar hit the ground like an armored ball, quickly stopping his momentum by bringing out his arms and legs to drag himself to a stop. Scrambling to his feet, S’Revlar watched the other scouts land without incident. As soon as the last of the scouts had jumped, the transport roared upwards, fighting the winds to gain altitude.

S’Revlar looked around to gain his bearings then headed in the direction of where the sensors had detected a faint bio-energy signature. A map of the area was displayed inside S’Revlar’s helmet, guiding him towards he location indicated by the sensor readings. S’Revlar ignored the cold leaking in through the seams of his armor, concentrating on the mission at hand. Whatever is here, I will find it, he thought. Nothing will stop me.