Dark World (Undying Mercenaries Series Book 9), page 32
“Hold still, or we’re both dead!” I told him.
Smiling, I took an empty juice-pack from my ration pouch and held it high. “I only have to crush this trigger, or damage it in anyway, to kill you all.”
“An explosive? You claim to have an explosive device?”
“That’s right. I’m the high officer in charge of this military force. See these bars on my shoulder? That’s a double line. That means I’m the primary leader of this entire attack.”
“You do not act as a high officer. A true leader slinks unseen behind his minions.”
I laughed at him. The snake-bones clicked, but I had no idea how it might translate laughter.
“That’s only in your decadent culture,” I said firmly. “My people are warriors. We believe in the supremacy of bravery, sacrifice and blood-letting.”
The Rigellian looked around the chamber.
“Your recent actions do uphold that part of your claims,” he admitted. “However, you must surely realize that any action on your part that threatens my person—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, bored already. “Of course your big dumb bugs will tear me up—those that live through the blast. But you won’t, and I probably won’t either. So, I don’t care about such consequences.”
“Hmm…” the bear-thing said. “Perhaps I’ve misjudged the situation. Your species might be too feral to be contained. We’d hoped not to have to commit resources sufficient for your expungement, but your actions here today have convinced me I was in error.”
Sometimes, translations weren’t perfect, but I thought I got the gist of what he was saying—and I didn’t like it.
“Expungement? As in—removal from the cosmos?”
“Precisely. You represent a dangerous species. Feral, skilled, relentless… We can’t have beings such as you interrupting our flow. Sadly, this will be expensive…”
I began to get a creepy feeling. Nothing this shaved critter had said so far had concerned me much as I was generally beyond fearing death. But talk of committing resources to Earth’s removal? That grabbed my attention.
I’d seen their fleet, after all. Ours was out there too—somewhere. If the Rigellians only had the hundred or so ships I’d witnessed, well, we’d be pretty evenly matched. But if they had more—lots more—Earth was doomed.
Suddenly, I felt the weight of my situation. Meeting the alien had started off as fun and games. A way to tweak my captors and maybe even escape them through trickery—but now things had taken a darker turn.
The bear-dude was working with his snake now, and it was clicking like there was no tomorrow. I got the feeling he was texting somebody—maybe making a report.
“Hold on,” I said. “We should talk.”
He paused in his clicking of artificial bones.
“Talk about what?”
“This is the first time two leaders of our respective species have met in person, I believe. This could be a golden opportunity.”
“I fail to understand your reference to rare metals. Are you offering a ransom for your life?”
For about a second, I did some hard thinking. Some people say I’m a gifted liar, but really, that’s not exactly so. I’m a man with a highly flexible mind—a man who can form his own version of reality on the spot. Usually, I did my best work in moments like this, when the stakes were high, and I was completely winging it.
“No,” I said firmly. “I’m not offering you payment for my life. That would be dishonorable to my people. As I said, we don’t mind sacrificing our lives in battle—we enjoy it.”
“What then? I grow impatient with your discordant mind-utterances.”
“Uh… okay. I’ll hurry up, then. What I’m suggesting is that we make an exchange. We each give the other something of value and then return to our own people.”
“What can you possibly possess that would interest me?”
I waggled my juice-box, and I was gratified to see him wince a little.
“I’ll give you this. That will end the threat of death between us. You, in turn, can give me that snake-bone thing you have slung around yourself.”
After a moment of confusion, the Rigellian touched his translator.
“This is my interlocutor,” he complained. “Without it, I’m cut off from everyone of importance.”
“But you can get another one, right? From your ship, or something?”
“It’s possible, but inconvenient.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I nodded. “I understand. I’m bored with all this talk as well, so I’m going to blow both of us up.” As I spoke, I lifted the juice-box on high. A single droplet fell and splattered in the dirt. “It was nice communicating with you and all, but—”
“Pause a moment,” he said, lifting his own slightly hairy appendage.
It was like a paw, but it had a fine down of fur even on the palm. For some reason, I found that disgusting.
“Allow me to communicate your offer to my superiors,” he said.
I agreed grudgingly, and he worked his snake. His claw-tipped fingers rattled over the length of it like a pro. He reminded me of a dexterous saxophone player.
At last, he looked up. “As you are the leader of the enemy ground forces—”
“Hero,” I said, interrupting him. “I’m called a Hero. That’s my official title.”
“—ah, ‘Hero’ then,” he said. “As you are the Hero of Earth’s ground forces, you will be released when this trade of technological objects is made.”
“That’s not good enough,” I said.
The creature blinked at me. “But our described arrangement—”
“I also require my servants. They’re in the chamber above us right now. I require them, or I’ll be uncomfortable.”
“The collection of hostiles?” he asked, and I thought maybe the gargling voice was a little put out. “That group of humans is scheduled for slaughter. We were planning on using the biomass to feed these larvae as they hatch.”
“Well, you’re just going to have to feed them Vulbite carcasses instead.”
The Vulbite guards around us shifted and clacked their mandibles unhappily. Could they be listening in and understanding our discussion? That possibility hadn’t occurred to me previously.
The Rigellian made a cautioning gesture. “It would be best if you restrained your disgusting suggestions of cannibalism. This nest has suffered enough at your ape-hands. I can’t be responsible for their actions if you insist on fomenting a group rage-state.”
Clearly, his translator was having problems, but I caught the gist of it.
“I would no more sacrifice my servants than I would ask you to sacrifice yours,” I said.
Making a broad gesture, I indicated the disgruntled Vulbites. They shifted around us and clacked irritably.
“An acceptable condition,” the Rigellian said. “Now, give me your device.”
“Nope. Not until my surviving troops, gear and all, are gathered together upstairs.”
The Rigellian considered and consulted his bones. At last, with the air of someone doing something unpleasant, he led the way up the shaft.
As we marched, I called out to any survivors to join me or be permed for good down here. A few did manage to struggle to their feet and follow.
Graves wasn’t among the living, and for that, I was grateful. He hated it when I pulled stunts like this, even when they benefited him personally. He might even blow the whole thing by insisting he was in charge.
After a long march, I nearly shit a biscuit as I rounded the last bend and walked into an ambush in the upper chamber.
Snap-rifle rounds clattered against my breastplate and the wall behind me.’
“Hold your fire!” I called out.
After a quick recognition ceremony, the legionnaire guards let us pass. They stared at the bear-thing and the hulking Vulbites in disbelief.
When I approached Winslade from behind, I heard him admonishing a crew of techs.
“You’ll get that thing focused and working, or I’ll—”
“Sir?” Natasha said, pointing over his shoulder.
He turned in irritation and saw my delegation.
“McGill?” he demanded. “Have you made yourself another alien girlfriend?”
“Winslade,” I said in a loud, commanding tone. “This is the enemy leader, a Rigellian. I’ve made arrangements for us to exit this place. The queen is dead, our mission is complete.”
“Oh, really?” Winslade said, putting his hands on his hips. “Adjunct McGill strikes again, hey?”
“Silence, servant,” I said.
Winslade blinked in shock. I kept talking loudly, outlining the situation. He finally caught on when I got to the part about his prescheduled slaughter.
“And so the appropriate term for you is ‘Hero’… Did I hear that rightly?”
“Yes,” I said loudly. “Adjunct, another synonym for Hero, is difficult for their translators to interpret properly.”
“That’s just excellent, Hero McGill,” Winslade said sarcastically. “What do we do now?”
“I think we can make the exchange, and be on our way.”
With a formal air, I turned and handed my juice-box to the wary Rigellian.
“It’s very light.”
“And delicate,” I warned him. “Don’t jar or jostle it unnecessarily, or you’ll go up in a flash.”
The Rigellian handed me his collection of metallic snake-bones, and he took exaggerated care with the juice-box. The rest of my Varus people looked at each other in bewilderment.
I was almost glad Cooper had bought the farm down below. He was the kind of young man who had trouble keeping his mouth shut at moments like this.
Unfortunately, Carlos had survived. As a bio specialist, he was our medic. He hadn’t gone down into the egg-chamber to fight, as his duty came afterwards during the clean-up.
He turned to watch the retreating delegation of aliens and released a dirty laugh.
“McGill, you lying sack,” he said. “These aliens must be the dumbest I’ve ever—”
That was as far as he got, because I’d backhanded him one across the mouth.
The delegation of aliens paused. The Rigellian turned and stared at us, studying the interchange.
“Don’t speak to your Hero!” I admonished Carlos, standing over him. “Unless you’ve been commanded to do so!”
“What the fuck—?” Carlos growled, but I put a boot on his throat to quiet him.
“Wait until they’ve gone… hold on… yes… Okay, now, you may speak.”
I let him back up.
He came up sputtering. “You’re just like that Rigellian!” he said. “Except instead of being a shaved bear, you’re a dumb, shaved ape!”
“Sorry if I ruffled your feathers,” I told him. “But I couldn’t let him hear you. He bought my line of bullshit hook, line and sinker. We have to keep it that way until we can get out of here.”
“I get that, you retard, but the violence was totally unnecessary.”
I almost hit him again. If I hadn’t been feeling a bit sorry about stomping on him, I would have.
“McGill,” Winslade said. “Ortiz is right.”
“What? How so?”
Winslade lifted up the chain of silvery snake-bones that adorned my shoulder. “You said this was his translation device. Once he gave it to you, he couldn’t understand what any of us were saying.”
I stared and blinked, once, twice—then a third time.
“Oh,” I said. “I’m sorry, Carlos.”
“It’s okay. We’re still breathing—for now. But I wonder how long it will take that idiot to figure out he’s carrying around your garbage like it’s the Holy Grail. I almost wish I could be there to see it!”
Carlos walked away, shaking his head and laughing.
I looked after him, and then I stared up at the ceiling of the chamber. The surface was at least two kilometers straight up—it was going to be quite a hike.
Looking around, I saw plenty of wounded. There was no way in hell they could march double-time uphill for hours.
How were we going to get out of this hole?
-47-
As was too often the case when I engaged in shenanigans, my latest trick was about to backfire on everyone.
I could only imagine the rage that would surely overtake a high-and-mighty character like my friend from Rigel, once he realized I’d made an utter fool of him.
To brainstorm a solution, Winslade and I held a quick, intense meeting.
“McGill,” he said, “you’ve outdone yourself this time.”
“Why, thank you, sir. That’s mighty kind of you to say.”
“It was not meant in any way as a compliment. We’ve been guaranteed safe passage out of this anthill, but I don’t see how your ruse will hold long enough for us to escape this trap.”
“I hear you sir, and I’d like to commend you on taking leadership at this point.”
“What’s this? What are you talking about?”
“I’m all ears, Centurion. I’ve done what I could. I bought us some time. Now, I’m turning things back over to you. How are we going to spend our final, invaluable moments?”
Winslade’s mouth compressed into a tight line. He was a smart boy, and he got my message loud and clear. “You’re right. There’s no time for recriminations—that will come later, if we’re lucky enough not to be permed in this hole. As it happens, I have Natasha working on a solution.”
Turning, I took a look at the girl. It was true, she seemed intent on something technical. I recalled that when I’d first returned with the Rigellian, Winslade had been hassling her about something.
“What’s she working on?” I asked.
“The jump-gate.”
I shook my head. “That won’t work. Nostrum was destroyed.”
“I know that, you cretin. I’m talking about redirecting it. If we can connect directly to Earth—”
I brightened suddenly, catching on. “We can step through and reach home in minutes!” I exclaimed. “I didn’t know such a thing was possible.”
“Normally, it isn’t. She’s trying to hack it.”
“Hmm…”
Leaving Winslade to pace a circle in the dirt on the cave floor, I walked over to check on Natasha.
“Not now, James,” she said immediately, showing me the palm of her hand. “I need to focus.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I think I’ve got it working, but every time I send a buzzer through, it doesn’t return.”
“Huh…” I said, eyeing the pink-gray haze doubtfully. “So… you’ve got no idea if it really works or not?”
“None.”
“Before, when you sent buzzers through to Nostrum—”
“Yes, I know, but this situation is different. The buzzers aren’t trying to deliver a message. They’re just stepping through and coming back. That’s all.”
“Hummm…” I said, thinking over the problem.
At last, I heaved a sigh. “How many buzzers do you have left?”
“Three. I’m sending another in about a minute—after making what I hope are improvements to the software.”
“All right, I’ll watch.”
She released a tiny metal crawling drone. It quickly scuttled into the field and vanished.
Rocking back on her knees, she sighed and waited. A minute passed, but nothing happened.
“Where’d it go?”
“I don’t know! It could be that the jump-gate I’ve sent the buzzer to is still attached to a third location. Therefore, if the bug goes through and comes back, it won’t return here, it will show up somewhere else.”
“Uh… I don’t get it.”
She sighed. “What I’m trying to say is there are three gates. Two of them connect to each other—but I’ve add a third one, that only connects to one of the two. A computer scientist would call it a directed graph made up of three nodes and pointers, but in this case one of the nodes is unreachable—our node.”
“Uh…” I said. If anything, I was more confused than before. “Okay… I guess it could be that. But it could also be that something is destroying these drones the second they go through, right?”
“Yes… That’s possible. It could be that this gate teleports the drone somewhere I have no control over. The interior of a star, for example. Or the bottom of an ocean trench.”
I thought about that for a few seconds.
“How much dirt is between us and the top of this mound?” I asked, studying the ceiling doubtfully.
“Two… maybe three kilometers. Uphill every step.”
My math wasn’t stellar, but I figured we’d take hours to reach the surface. I didn’t think we had that kind of time.
“Send me next,” I said, “instead of one of your last buzzers.”
Natasha turned to me. “Trying to earn your title, ‘hero’?”
“Nah, I figure I’ve already got that locked up. But the buzzers just aren’t working. You can’t go, because you’re the only one who has a chance to fix things if this escape hatch isn’t working right. On the other hand, I’m pretty much useless at this point.”
“Not so,” she said, but she smiled. “All right. Step through—but I’m not going to watch.”
“Give me a kiss, first.”
She looked startled, then guarded.
I stepped closer then grinned. “Come on, for luck! I’m about to perm myself to prove your haywire setup doesn’t work.”
Standing up, Natasha leaned close to peck at my cheek. I encircled her with my long arms and gave her a nice kiss.
After a moment of resistance, she relaxed and went with it. We’d had some fine moments in the past.
“Thanks,” I said. “I feel better about this already.”
“And I feel worse. Come back safe, all right?”
“I’ll be fine, I can just feel it,” I lied. “Don’t worry for a second.”
Stepping close to the jump-gate, I hesitated for a last look-around. Could this be my final moment as a whole and breathing man?
Deciding it was best not to think about it too much, I squinched up my eyes and stepped into the field. A whispery sensation traveled over my body, and I vanished.
