Chapter Twelve
It was the moment that Lisa had been waiting for. The aliens began pouring into the tunnel. Laurants was at her side and they were standing in the middle of the city’s main street, waiting nervously. When the aliens were at the end of the tunnel she signaled that it was time for their grand performance.
“Where the hell are the Glan? They said that they’d be here!” Laurants shouted, hoping that his plan worked. Lisa had tried to assure him that it would, but he still had his doubts. It was such a simple ruse, even the aliens might see through it.
“I don’t know, it’s not my fault! They must have left us. Oh no, it’s the aliens!” Lisa shouted and pointed. They both feigned surprise as the first aliens emerged from the tunnel.
“Let’s make a run for it, we don’t stand a chance!” Laurants shouted and they both took off, running for dear life. Lisa turned and defiantly shot off a short burst from her pistol. The aliens shouted in anger and joy and then charged to take the hapless prey. The humans turned a corner and waited. The aliens followed and found themselves surrounded by buildings. Suddenly the Glan appeared from everywhere and brutally assaulted the invaders.
Gethol charged out from behind a building, waving his pipe in the air. The surprised aliens were taken aback, but the Glan were upon them before they could retreat or even really realize their folly. It was a slaughter right from the start. Unable to raise their weapons, the aliens were forced to fight hand‑to‑pipe. The heavy pipes easily smashed the alien armor and Lisa watched from a distance as the Glan easily swept through their attacker. Laurants was running to Glan Point, getting it ready just in case. He rode the service lift up to the top and then looked around from the building. He saw the battle, but then he saw something else.
To his horror he saw a white figure and a horde of red‑clad aliens emerging from near the river and heading straight for the battle. He hurried and grabbed his make-shift bombs, knowing that they were the heaviest weapons he had. He hurled all three out the window in quick succession and watched them explode, obscuring the troops in dirt and debris. He waited for the dust to clear and to his horror saw the red tide still streaming through the city and towards Lisa and the Glan. He cursed and knew there was little else he could do, except to grab one of the long‑range rifles and pray. He took a few shots at the aliens and a couple fell, but then the aliens dispersed and began moving along the buildings, looking like red ants from his vantage point. He slammed the wall in frustration, knowing that he was too late.
***
Terraz emerged from the dark tunnels and saw a vast sea. She smelled salt and sunlight poured down. She helped Garren into the light and he smiled slowly. Then she saw the dark stains on his uniform and remembered to check his wounds.
“Sam, find a way to get some water and firewood. I’ll need fresh water to clean these wounds,” she commanded and he obeyed. He took Garren’s helmet and rushed off to fetch the water. She held him close as Sam playfully dashed into an oncoming wave and took a helmet full of water. He scurried back and handed Terraz the helmet. Garren groaned as Sam brought back a few twigs. Terraz searched for something to light the fire with and found a blood‑stained lighter in Garren’s breast pocket.
“Gave up smoking a long time ago, but I kept that...just in case,” he coughed and shivered; she could tell that he was weakening. They needed to give him some food and clean clothes. They lit the fire and a small stream of smoke rose into the air as Sam held the helmet over the fire. After several minutes the water began to boil, and Sam gingerly removed the hot headpiece. He gave it to Terraz, who ripped away another strip of cloth from her own uniform and began soaking it in the water. Sam stripped Garren’s clothes off, and for the first time he saw a naked human. He admired Garren for a few seconds, until the soldier gathered enough strength to shoot him a dirty look. Sam backed away, but Terraz couldn’t help but laugh.
She began dabbing the cloth at the wounds, hoping that nothing had already been infected. Garren sighed and his eyes closed, and for a few moments she thought that he was dead, until she heard him snoring softly. She set him down in the sand, trying to make him comfortable by the fire. Then she walked away and looked out at the steel‑gray water.
It reminded her of Earth, and she had always loved water. But she had loved space even more and that had led her here. The ocean was beautiful, but cold. Off-shore was a small island that looked insignificant from the distance. As she wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm she heard the sound of approaching engines.
Escort Ship 17 hovered into view of the beach and the co‑pilot pointed out the smoke and the figures that looked vaguely human. The pilot swooped down for a closer look and saw a human standing by the water. Then he saw the smoke from a fire and two figures, one of which looked like one of their people.
“Arming weapons systems,” the pilot said and the co‑pilot smiled. They were going to see some action now. He tightened his straps as the pilot began firing the ship’s laser guns. Below, the humans near the water scattered and he turned to pursue it.
Terraz ran down the beach, hoping to draw the alien’s fire. She had left her own weapon behind, and then she stopped for a moment. The beach was running out, and there was nowhere for her to go, except into the sea. She ran towards the water and dove into it, instantly feeling cold. She swam with all of her might and the alien ship followed. She heard a splash and for a brief moment she saw Sam following behind her. She kept going, seeing the island looming before her. She felt numb and swam more slowly. The water around her heated up as the alien’s lasers hit all around her. Steam rose and she wearily plunged onward. Still, she was going slower and slower, and knew that she wouldn’t make it. Water began boiling in front of her and she floated through a cloud of gas. Her lungs burned and her arms wouldn’t move. With one last effort she paddled forward and then she began to sink. The world turned gray around her and water stung her eyes. Then she felt something solid beneath her. It was soft yet firm and her brain told her that it was sand and tried to nudge her forward.
Her exhausted and numb limbs responded slowly and she pulled herself onto a rocky beach. She coughed and shook and then Sam was at her side. The alien ship was hovering nearby, a ramp lowering. There wasn’t much time, and she forced her freezing body to move. The island was rough and there was a tiny passage leading up from the beach to the higher ground. They stumbled up, Sam’s body moving more quickly than Terraz’s. Aliens shot at them, but sharp rocks protected them and they continued to climb. The aliens were moving up the passage now, and Terraz knew that they were done for. Then she stopped in her tracks as she saw a large object looming before her. It was a crate and it had markings in English. She smiled and ran towards their only hope.
***
All over the alien ship alarms sounded and red lights flashed. Manny and S’Tallen went unnoticed in the corridors as aliens rushed about, looking for the intruders. They were on the level of the holding cells, and Manny felt a little nervous as she thought of the odds of getting her men out alive.
“What’s going on?” She asked over the raucous.
“An intruder alert. I’m not sure why, though,” S’Tallen replied, trying to be as helpful as possible. They entered the holding area and a guard rushed forward. He recognized the scientist and glared suspiciously at Manny. “Who is that?” The guard asked.
“This is an assistant of mine. Captain S’Olonny directed me to take a human for experimentation.”
“Where are your orders?”
“I have none. This is a private, top secret matter. You are not supposed to know that I am here.”
“I see. Mind if I confirm these top secret orders?” The guard reached for his comm and Manny sliced his hand off with her S’Zai before he hit the button. She quickly slashed his throat and he dropped noiselessly to the deck. S’Tallen looked wide‑eyed at her.
“You bloodthirsty animal! There was no need to kill him!”
“He was going to betray us, I had no choice.” She shoved him forward and put the bloody S’Zai away. There were no other guards around and Manny stepped over to the first door and hit the release button. It asked for an identification code and she nodded to S’Tallen. He reluctantly gave his code and the door opened. He went inside and she heard him gasp. She followed him and saw two bloody, decomposing alien bodies on the floor. She looked around and drew the sword from her belt. The glow of the crystal showed her the blown open air shaft. She smiled at the human innovation.
“It’s obvious that at least one of your human friends is running loose. Probably why they called an alert,” S’Tallen said and Manny agreed. At least one, but were there more? She quickly jogged out of the cell and had S’Tallen open the next one. She went inside and found the weak bodies of two Explorer crewmembers. They groaned and struggled to stand. Manny helped them up and she saw the fear in their eyes.
“It’s all right, we’re going to get you out of here,” Manny told them soothingly.
“No, you’re just lying to us! This is just another alien trick!” One crewman whispered wildly.
“That’s not true, we’re here to help you.” The crewpeople went with her uneasily and she began the slow process of releasing all of the prisoners. They were all in the same shape, even the battle‑hardened veterans of her platoon. They were weak and paranoid, but the stronger ones could at least toddle along on their own. Getting them out was definitely going to be a challenge.
“Before we leave, there’s something that I need to get,” S’Tallen said.
“What’s that?” Manny inquired warily.
“I need to get some supplies...food. My digestive system isn’t compatible with human nutrition supplements. I’d die if I ate your food, it would be like taking poison.”
“Fine, better to have you alive than dead, but make it quick. I’m not sure how much longer we have.” They slowly headed for the supply room where S’Tallen had built up a stash of bio‑energy for his personal consumption.
***
The tube that they were crawling up led to another security post. This was unmanned also and they took a brief rest. Arsa wanted to activate the computer to see exactly where they were, but
Again bits and pieces of a life she no longer recognized floated by her. She couldn’t latch on to anything and she felt lost and afraid. She wanted to know who she was, what kind of life Commander Arsa Veranda had led. She knew now that there was really no way to restore her life to what it had been, she was too changed. Scientists could change her appearance back to that of a human, but there was no way to really restore her memory. Things that she had once felt and experienced would now seem like just cold, distant events. Still, she needed to know what her life had been like or else she would lose her identity forever. Her name would lose meaning because she would never really know who she had been. As images floated by she reached out her hand and seemed to latch onto one. But just as she did,
“No time to sleep, we’ve got to move,” he told her and she stood wearily. She had been so close, she had almost latched onto a memory. If she could grab one, then others would follow, or so she believed. She just needed that first one. She trailed
There was a good chance that they could find the explosives, but the ship was abuzz with activity now, and security around the containers was sure to have been beefed up. It might not be possible to set the explosives even if they found them. That left him with a choice. They could continue with their present mission, or they could try and find a way off of the alien ship and try to make it to Earth. There was a high risk involved with either option, but he knew that even if they did make it to Earth, there would still be little that they could do. They had to try to take the aliens down now. Besides, they had already gone this far, why turn back?
“Let’s go,” he said and continued going forward. They stopped at a hatch and Arsa looked at the map.
“This is it...the forward weapons room,” she announced. He nodded and then he tried to open the door. It refused to budge and he tried frantically to open it. Arsa shouted and he turned to see guards approaching. Angrily he pulled his gun and shot the door controls. It yielded a little and he used all of his strength to push the doors open. Shots hit around him and he pulled Arsa through the door with him. The weapons room was dimly lit, but he could see racks of weapons everywhere. The door hissed shut behind them and Arsa punched an emergency seal button that instantly locked the door. She helped him look for explosives.
Racks of armor and weapons hung all around them, but there didn’t seem to be what they were looking for.
***
S’Revlar shot the furry thing at close range and it fell to the street of the city. The Glan were easily being pushed back now, yet a few foolishly fought on. The rest were retreating deeper into the city and S’Revlar knew that it was now a simple mop‑up operation. The humans and their allies had foolishly taken a gamble, and they had lost. The last opponents on this world would be annihilated, as would their homeworld as soon as it was located. The end of a pathetic little race that had dared to take on the vast, superior forces that faced them. He nearly laughed out loud, but instead snapped the neck of a wounded Glan that had tried to grab a fallen weapon.
He would soon be home again, to see his family. Only this time when the ship docked he wouldn’t have to board it again. He would stay home forever. He shook away these hopeful thoughts, trying to concentrate on the battle. He was the leader, he was expected to be paying attention. He sighed and then pulled aside some of his unit commanders. His men were pursuing the humans’s allies, which gave him time to plan his next moves.
“All right, the humans and their friends are falling back farther into the city. Our men are pursuing, but I’m going to call them back soon. There are probably traps and other things set for our troops and I’d rather save my men for the attack on their pitiful homeworld. Therefore, we’ll pull all forces back to this point and see where the humans retreat to. Then scouting parties will clear the area of any traps or surprises. Questions?” S’Revlar ordered.
No one had any, as he had anticipated. The pursuit was called off and soon the soldiers were gathering and the scouting parties were being organized. Since he was the leader, he couldn’t go scouting, as much as he wanted to. Instead he went inside a building and sat down, waiting for reports from his commanders. He smiled and thought of going home.
Lisa and the remaining Glan straggled into Glan Point, tired and blood‑stained. Lisa took the lift up to the top floor with as many Glan as could fit. The door opened and an ashen‑faced Laurants stood and looked at her, surprised that she was still alive.
“You’re alive! I thought that they had you for sure,” he said and she wearily sank into a chair as the Glan took the lift down a level. She wiped sweat, grime, and blood from her forehead and sighed.
“They almost did have us, we were lucky that at least some of us got away,” she replied gravely, her face without emotion. He wanted to take her hand and reassure her that everything was all right, but he couldn’t. Instead he looked away.
“There isn’t much we can do now but post guards and wait for them.”
“Yes, I know. I’ll take care of it.” She got to her feet and he could see how tired she was. She had been in the middle of the fight, hitting, kicking, and shooting whenever she could. It had been a whirlwind nightmare that she wished she could just forget. Blood, screams, and death were everywhere. She gripped the back of the chair and for a second she closed her eyes and tried to push these horrible visions from her head. When she opened them Laurants had an arm wrapped around her shoulders.
“No, I’ll take care of it. You get some rest.” He led her over to a cot he had set up in the room and she lay down without protest. Her eyes closed and he pulled a blanket over her. He knew that it was the last time she would get to sleep for a while. Then he turned away and went to the lift and took it down to where the Glan had gathered. Using his compad’s translator, he was able to give out guard assignments. He took charge of watching over Lisa while she rested, cradling a pistol in his hands and waiting for the enemy to come.
The scouts had cleared all the traps and blockades leading to the building where the humans had taken refuge. Someone pointed it out to him on a map and he nodded. It looked like a defensible place, but it could be easily breached.
“We will launch a full frontal assault on their base. When we get inside I want to search the entire building for humans and their allies. I want them all dead. Let’s move out,” he grabbed his weapon and went outside. A column formed behind him and the alien force marched towards Glan Point, intent upon destroying it. It took several minutes to get there, but when they did S’Revlar saw how imposing it looked. Still, he had to destroy the humans, and that meant breaking their pitiful defense. He gave a cry and charged the main entrance. He threw his shoulder into the door, but it didn’t budge.
He signaled a couple of soldiers forward and they heaved themselves into the steel door all at once. It finally creaked open and then S’Revlar motioned for them to move in. He followed them, weapon ready for trouble. It was dark and hard to see even with night‑vision sensors. He listened for any sounds but heard nothing. He went through a door at his right and heard a loud twang. He ducked just in time, before poison darts could have stabbed him through the neck. He motioned a pair of soldiers forward and they searched the room, finding nothing. He had to admire the humans for their cunning trap. It had come very close to killing him; in the future he would be more careful.
Two of his commanders told him that they had swept the floor and found nothing. S’Revlar nodded and began to look for a way up. The lifts were down and inoperable. The stairs were blocked. There seemed to be no way up. Then he noticed a tiny passage off to the left. It was some kind of access corridor, large enough for one person to fit through at a time. He led the way and the others followed behind. The corridor led to a service lift and S’Revlar smiled. The humans had just made their first mistake.
He punched the lift button and the doors opened. Inside were three Glan, wielding their bloody pipes. They leapt upon S’Revlar and he threw them off. The other soldiers quickly shot them all and S’Revlar stood and brushed himself off. Some of the sticky blue blood had stained the gleaming white armor. He stepped into the lift with twenty of his best men. The rest would wait until the lift came back down. He knew that this was a strategic risk, but he had no time to find another way around. The humans had to be destroyed expeditiously and without fail. He was confident that twenty could take the humans out. If not, the rest of his troops would have to find a way up. The lift rose and S’Revlar fingered his gun’s trigger nervously. It stopped on the second to last floor and the doors opened.
Glan guards were waiting and the first five soldiers out of the lift felt the sting of their pipes. S’Revlar waved all of his troops out and they rushed the guards. The Glan fought valiantly and more joined them as they awoke from a short rest. S’Revlar was still in the lift, the doorway being blocked by the embattled warriors. He barked for two soldiers to join him and then the doors closed and the lift rose again. He hadn’t seen the humans in the fighting, and he suspected that they were somewhere else. He wanted to find them. The lift stopped and the doors opened.
Laurants turned to see three aliens in the lift. He raised his weapon, but the aliens were quicker. He ducked down to the floor as shots flew over his head. At the sound of fighting Lisa sprang from the cot, ready for battle again. She threw herself at the two soldiers while S’Revlar headed for Laurants. Laurants scrambled to his feet and saw the white‑clad alien coming for him. He fired a shot, but it was hurriedly aimed and went wild. S’Revlar began firing and Laurants dove to the floor. The alien broke into a run and jumped on top of the startled human.
Meanwhile, Lisa was entangled with the two other aliens. She grabbed one’s helmet and slammed it against the floor. The helmet shattered but the soldier reached up and got a hold of Lisa’s neck. His fingers closed around her windpipe and she gasped for air. The other soldier got to his feet and kicked Lisa in the side. She groaned and the other alien let go of her throat and she rolled onto her stomach, wheezing. She heard one of them laugh and she tried to get to her feet, but a boot slammed into her ribs. Then one of the aliens grabbed her and hefted her to her feet, clutching her shoulders. The other, the one with the smashed helmet, removed his helmet and smiled as he punched her in the stomach. She groaned and then a fist smashed into the side of her face. Blood streamed down her cheek and then the fist hit her in the jaw. She could feel herself weakening, plunging into unconsciousness. In a desperate attempt to get free she kicked at the alien hitting her. Her foot struck him in the midsection and he staggered backwards. This gave her the opening she needed to elbow the other one in the chest. She could feel his grip loosen and then she burst free. She dashed past the other alien and then from the cot she grabbed her gun. She whirled and fired, cutting first one and then the other alien down. Then she dropped to her knees and darkness claimed her.
Laurants struggled to free himself from S’Revlar. He vaguely saw Lisa fighting the other two, but there was no time to help her. The alien grabbed him by the collar and yanked him to his feet. Laurants wasted no time in whipping around and smacking the alien commander in the face. Surprised, S’Revlar relinquished his grip on Laurants and took a step back. Before he could recover, Laurants’s shoulders slammed into his middle. S’Revlar hit against the wall and swung down with his fists, striking Laurants in the back. Laurants groaned and fell to his knees. S’Revlar kicked him in the ribs and he shouted in pain. He fell to the floor and lay, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. S’Revlar was ready to finish him off, reaching for his gun. Seeing his dead troops and Lisa he snarled in anger and turned his weapon towards her. Laurants hefted himself to his feet and charged wildly.
“No!” He screamed and tackled the alien. They both hit the floor, but this time Laurants was quicker. He got to his feet and socked S’Revlar in the face, energized to save the woman he loved. Then he looked for the fallen weapon, but it was nowhere to be seen. S’Revlar was already recovering and Laurants knew that he didn’t have much time. As the alien stood up groggily, Laurants rammed him in the midsection. They both fell backwards and punched through one of the fortified windows. For a moment Laurants was suspended in midair with the alien, but then they began falling. Laurants reached for the window and his right hand just caught the ledge. The white form of S’Revlar fell towards the ground and Laurants hung on for dear life.
S’Revlar saw the human catch the ledge and resigned himself to the fact that he was going to die. Of course, had he been wearing his scouting gear he could have cut in his jetpack and saved himself. But he had to wear this stupid white armor. He fell quickly, not flailing about, but instead he was as stiff as a board. Before he impacted upon the ground he had just enough time to think of his family and how he would never see them again. Then he slammed into the street and his world went forever black.
***
The crate was huge and Terraz studied it for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to open it. Then she saw a touchpad on one side and she pushed a green button. The touchpad lit up and she pushed a button that told the crate to open. It demanded an access code, which she didn’t have. She swore and punched a few more buttons, trying to override the code.
“For Christ’s sake, this is an emergency!” She shouted at it and then she heard Sam firing at the aliens below. She gave up on the pad and looked for a way to pry the crate open. She saw a crack that had formed from the impact. She used her gun to hammer at the crate, widening the crack. The crate was laserproof and there was no way to blow it open. The crack finally split into a hole just wide enough for her to fit herself through. She scrambled inside the huge crate and instantly dim red lights flicked on.
The crate was really more of a mobile base for the ExoArmors. She looked around the volumous crate and saw bulky spacesuits hanging on racks. There were helmets and large laser rifles hanging by each one and she knew that these were the ExoArmor suits. She felt one of the spacesuits that was made of a cold, hard material that felt almost like plastic. She climbed a small ladder up to the top of one of the space suits and saw no way in. Then she saw near the rear a little opening that was just big enough for a person to crawl through. She slid through the opening, feet first, and then stood. The suit fit around her loosely and she wondered how maneuverable they were. Then she raised a bulky, gauntleted hand and grabbed the helmet. She used both hands and managed to put it on. Instantly displays inside the helmet lit up and she heard a hissing sound. The suit contracted until it fit tightly around her.
She reached up for the laser rifle and found that now the suit reacted a lot easier and that her movements were much more precise. She held the rifle and heard the sound of fighting close by. She remembered Sam and stepped forward. She reached the bottom of the crate and then raised the rifle. A green crosshair showed on her helmet display and she pulled the trigger. A thick red laser fired and she took a step back, a little surprised at the firepower.
Sam was behind a rock, firing desperately. The aliens were closing in and he was sure that he was going to die. Then he heard a loud boom and the crate burst open in a hail of debris and smoke. The aliens stopped their attack, and a few seconds later a turquoise thing that resembled an armored spacesuit appeared, carrying a large, smoking rifle. Sam cheered and Terraz stepped forward. She fired and the aliens ran. There was an explosion of rock and dirt and screams of the aliens. Sam saw that the aliens were all dead and shouted with joy.
“Climb into one of the suits and let’s go,” Terraz shouted over the ExoArmor’s speakers. Sam nodded an ran inside the crate. Terraz knew now that they had a chance to beat the aliens; they had found the weapons!
***
Manny herded the former prisoners and the alien scientist down the corridor. They were still moving slowly, but S’Tallen’s presence had allowed them to go unnoticed. They finally stopped in front of a small room and S’Tallen opened the door. He rushed inside and she followed him.
The prisoners seemed to be gaining strength with every new step. Some were even able to run now, their fear and weakness draining as they realized that they were free. The effects of the alien’s torture were leaving them, and soon she would be able to count on them to help her steal a ship. She watched S’Tallen open a crate and take out a bag filled with something. Then she saw him stuff a little clear bag full of bright, multi‑colored ooze which she knew was bio‑energy, into a pack. The same kind of bio‑energy that had brought her back from the dead. She felt a chill run down her spine as she thought of her near‑death. It still seemed unreal to her, yet she knew that it had happened. For a moment she closed her eyes and again saw her bloody and broken body lying there on the container. Then she opened her eyes and the scientist looked at her strangely. She motioned for him to move forward and he turned around. They emerged from the room and then heard a huge explosion. Manny raised her S’Zai and they began to move as fast as they could, expecting the aliens to catch them at any moment. Manny knew that it was time to give up subtlety and just take a ship. “Which way to the hangar?” She demanded. S’Tallen pointed and they hurried towards their one chance at escaping.
Before he could stop her she charged at whatever she had seen, and
“
“Manny? What the hell happened to you, you look like shit,” he said half‑jokingly.
“It’s a long story, so let’s get out of here.” He nodded and saw that Arsa was still grappling with an alien.
“Arsa, stop it! He’s a friend! We’ve found the others, let’s get out of here!” Arsa stopped and she looked at Manny and the others. She stood and flipped up her helmet visors, sniffling and moaning. “He’s...he’s the one. He hurt me,” she sobbed and leaned against
“I know, we’ll make him pay, when we get to Earth. Let’s go,” he spoke softly and she nodded. Manny helped S’Tallen up, but Arsa still stayed away from him.
“Is that Commander Veranda? What the hell happened to her?” Manny whispered.
“It’s an equally long story,”
“Stop or he dies!” She screamed and the aliens lowered their weapons. They knew that S’Tallen was someone important, S’Olonny would kill them if they killed the scientist. They watched the humans go past them and into the hangar.
S’Tallen directed them to his personal shuttle and they moved towards it. Mechanics stepped back and let them past. The procession of humans moved quickly and Manny stood at the ramp of the ship with S’Tallen until all of the humans were aboard. Susan Sanders, the Explorer’s former helmsman, and Ensign Jerry Klein, the ship’s navigator, took the helm of the shuttle and the engines revved up. Then Manny pushed S’Tallen up the ramp and it closed behind her with a clang. “Can you fly this thing?” Manny asked Sanders and Klein.
“We can fly anything,” Sanders answered confidently with a smile. The hangar doors opened and the pilots took off, gunning the engines. The shuttle shook and Manny threw the alien into a seat and strapped in beside him. The shuttle shot out into open space and a cheer went up from the ex‑prisoners.
***
A relief watch technician on the alien ship watched his console with disinterest. He was monitoring the probes that had been sent out all over the galaxy, trying to find the human’s homeworld. Nothing had happened for all six hours of his watch so far, and he was looking forward to the end of it in another two hours. He leaned back in his chair and saw that the other bridge officers were monitoring the battle that was being fought on the planet below. He had heard that it was a success so far.
Something beeped and he turned to his console. The deepest probe had found something and he told the computer to give him clarification. Suddenly a small world appeared on his monitor. From the readings it was mostly ice and had one tiny moon. The probe was picking up lifeforms in the proximity of the planet’s orbit and he commanded it to match the lifeform scans with all races stored in the computer’s databanks. This took a few minutes as the computer took the data and tore it apart, comparing it to everything in the library.
The results were shocking. The lifeform scans from the probe identically matched the basic structure of humans. There weren’t any on the planet, so it couldn’t be their homeworld. But still, they were close. He ordered the probe to do a long‑range scan of the star system. This would take hours and he copied the original report to a pad and then left the probe to scan by itself.
The technician gave the report to S’Olonny. He read it and smiled. They had at last found the humans, or at least a colony of theirs. In time they would find the rest of their race, but for now they would have to go after this new clue.
“I want all forces on the surface to be immediately recalled. We’re leaving as soon as they are aboard,” S’Olonny commanded.
“Yes, sir!” The technician scampered away to relay the orders. Just then an officer approached the captain.
“The humans have taken S’Tallen’s shuttle. Should we let it pass?”
“Of course not. Destroy it at once.”
“Sir, the scientist has been taken hostage aboard the shuttle.”
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