Impulse, page 11
part #12 of First Colony Series
“Shuno. I’m First Fist of this scout force.”
“What brings you here?”
Shuno cocked his head to the side, which was the Ovarrow equivalent of keeping their guard up. “I could ask you the same thing.”
Well, he’d asked the question, and he wasn’t surprised to have it turned back around on him. “We’re scouting the city here, looking for salvageable material.”
Shuno regarded Connor for a few seconds. “We are doing the same.”
“You’re pretty far from home.”
He knew this statement would irritate the Konus, but irritation went both ways sometimes. Throughout his interactions with Ovarrow on multiple worlds, he’d learned that there was a time and place for being polite. This wasn’t one of those times.
“What are you doing here?” Connor asked.
One of the other Konus said something that the drone’s microphone couldn’t detect well enough for the translator to provide a translation. Shuno inclined his chin toward the other soldiers, and they began walking back the way they’d come. After a few moments, Shuno followed them.
Connor sighed and killed the comlink. He passed control of the drone back to Specialist Weps. “Keep an eye on them,” he said.
“Yes, General,” Weps replied.
Diaz grunted. “Such a warm reception. He didn’t answer your question.”
“Yeah, I know. But at least they know we’re here.”
“General, do you think the Konus will be a problem tonight?” Sergeant Tui asked.
Connor wished he knew. “We’ll do a watch rotation.”
“Understood, General.”
Connor looked at Diaz. “Stop looking so smug. Let’s go see if the others learned anything from the data we got.”
As they were walking away, Urret quickly caught up with them. “General Gates, we’d like to help.”
Connor looked at the Mekaal soldier. “All right, coordinate with Sergeant Tui.”
“Thank you, General,” Urret said.
The Mekaal soldier gestured toward his companion, and they hastened over to Sergeant Tui.
Urret followed Connor and Diaz.
Diaz looked back toward the soldier for a second and then at Connor. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave? Maybe call in a few more squads at least?”
“If it comes to it, I will. I’m more interested in what they’re doing here.”
“You think he’s lying to us?”
Connor shrugged. “I’m sure they’re here to scout, but for what, I’m not sure.”
Urret quickened his pace until he walked abreast of them. “They could be searching for more of my people in stasis. There could be bunkers hidden in the area.”
Connor considered it for a moment. “It’s possible.”
“All we need is to get involved in a dispute between the Konus and Mekaal,” Diaz said.
“Calm down. The likelihood of a bunker hidden inside the city is remote at best.”
“How do you know?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent a lot of time looking for them over the years. They didn’t build bunkers in major metropolitan areas,” Connor replied.
“He’s right,” Urret said. “Cities were being destroyed. Bunkers would have been built in remote locations.”
Diaz blinked and looked at them. “What if this place is different? You can’t even agree what the name of it is.”
“All right, Juan, you’re right. We can’t rule it out. No one can, okay?”
Diaz inhaled and nodded.
Urret looked away from them in the direction the Konus were located. They couldn’t see them, not with remnant buildings and overgrowth in the way. Even if they climbed one of the taller buildings, Connor doubted they could spot the Konus. That’s what the recon drones were for.
They continued walking toward where Lenora had set up her equipment, and Connor caught snippets of conversation as they approached.
“There’s no way Connor is going to go for that,” Noah said.
“We’ll see,” Lenora replied. “Sepal, what do you think?”
Connor walked around a stack of equipment and saw his wife and the others speaking inside a tent. The walls had been rolled up, allowing the occasional breeze to come through.
Sepal looked as if he’d been scowling.
“Go for what?” Connor asked. “Did you find something?”
Lenora smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “We did. The same company logo that we’ve documented from the other sites. However, this time it was written into the software they used on the manufacturing line.”
“What’s so special about the logo?” Diaz asked.
“I’ll show you,” Lenora replied.
She opened a holoscreen and displayed the spherical logo they’d seen before. “Looks simple enough, right? Just a group of spheres, but check this out.” The grouping of spheres changed as if they’d been pulled apart, forming a model of the star system. “The analysis AI was able to determine the measurements of the spheres, and based on their locations, saw that they could be interpreted as distance measurements. They line up with each planet in this star system. Noah confirmed it for me.”
Connor’s eyebrows raised and he looked at Noah.
“It’s true. I’m having trouble believing it, but it’s true.”
“Could it be a coincidence?” Connor asked.
“That’s what I thought, too,” Lenora replied. “I thought the AI was just pointing out something that didn’t measure up.”
Noah nodded. “So, I put the data into a navigation program and it’s a match. Not just a match, but down to the actual distance from the star. There’re even hidden computational inputs to account for their orbits.”
Connor stared at the star map on the holoscreen. “Why put all that in a logo?”
“Wouldn’t that alert the Krake?” Diaz asked.
“That’s a valid point,” Connor said.
Lenora shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a calling card of some sort, which is why I want to speak to the Konus about it.”
Connor blinked several times and frowned. “You want to talk to the Konus about this?” he asked, gesturing toward the holoscreen.
“I do.”
Diaz grimaced. “Oh man that’s…” he muttered.
Connor didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but it also wasn’t something he could outright forbid. Lenora would just march right over and ask them herself.
“Help me understand why this is even a possibility,” Connor said.
Noah’s eyebrows raised and he glanced at Kara for a second.
Lenora shrugged. “They’ve been around a long time. They’ve explored more of the continent than we have. And there are more of them, which means there might be someone among them who knows more about who the Bhatdin were,” she said, gesturing toward the holoscreen.
Connor thought about it. She made some good arguments. “What do you think, Sepal. Have you seen this before?”
“I can’t recall it. I would need to craft a search of our archives,” Sepal said.
“Fair enough,” Connor replied. “We could go through diplomatic channels to see if the Konus are willing to cooperate.”
The edges of Lenora’s lips lifted and her eyes gleamed. Connor knew she wasn’t willing to wait.
“Or we can ask the Konus who are already here. It might be worth finding out what they’re doing here anyway,” Lenora said.
Connor snorted. He should’ve known better. “Okay, but let’s wait until morning,” he said and told them about contacting them via the recon drone.
He also wanted to know why the Konus had ventured so far from their home. Lenora’s query would give him an excuse to find out more.
Noah walked over and stood next to Connor. “So, Konus, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Noah tilted his head to the side.
“It’ll be fun. It’s all part of the package.”
Noah grinned. “I figured. Anyway, regarding the Bhatdin, I think you’re really onto something with them.”
Connor smiled. “It’s interesting. I wonder what happened to them.”
“Did they go into stasis? Did they go to another world? Did they all die? I wonder how many of them there were,” Noah said.
“Exactly,” Connor replied.
Diaz blew out a breath. “I’m glad you’re having such a good time.”
Connor glanced at Noah and they both shrugged. “I doubt the Konus came all the way out here to start a fight. Let’s just keep a level head.”
Diaz smiled with half his mouth. “I’m emotional, remember?”
Connor laughed, and Noah and Diaz joined in.
12
Shadows fell in sharp slants from all the tall trees and buildings, turning the remnant streets and sidewalks into bands of light and darkness, but the night passed by uneventfully. The Konus had set up camp just a few kilometers away.
Connor decided to take the direct approach. After a quick breakfast, they climbed into the rovers and began heading toward their potential rivals.
“How long until we get to Camp Konus?” Diaz asked, his mouth twitching with amusement.
“Shouldn’t take long,” Connor said.
Camp Konus… Leave it to Diaz to assign labels that would instantly cement themselves in everyone’s mind. Diaz had told Connor how he’d come up with the ‘Salty Soldier’ name for his restaurant on a whim and just went with it. Connor smiled a little at Diaz’s nickname for the camp because it had already stuck in his head. Even the others in their group were now referring to it by that name.
Connor drove the rover. Gnarled tree roots invaded the old city streets, which meant they had to take their time, but the terrain wasn’t anything the rovers couldn’t handle. Connor had firsthand experience at pushing the limits of the N-class rovers.
Diaz looked at Lenora. “I still can’t believe you want to talk to them.”
“Think of it like this,” she began. “If all our interactions with the Konus are through ambassadors and the CDF, then that’s the only basis they’ll have to interact with us. We’re more than that, and if we open communications to include efforts like this, maybe we can improve relations with them.”
Diaz pursed his lips in thought. “I hope you’re right. I really do.”
Connor smiled to himself. Diaz had no issues expressing his opinions, but with Lenora he’d always been more respectful. He often said she was the sister he’d never had.
The Konus had taken up temporary residence in one of the taller buildings, and Connor spotted a couple of scouts on the roof. He kept the rover at a constant speed as they slowly approached the camp and stopped about thirty meters from the building.
Connor looked at Lenora. “I’ll get out first, along with Tui and the others. Give us a few minutes and I’ll signal for the rest of you to follow.”
Lenora nodded. “We’ll wait here.”
Connor looked at Noah and Kara, and they each gave him a nod.
“Let’s go, Juan.”
Connor grabbed his rifle and stepped out of the vehicle while Diaz got out on the other side. Sergeant Tui and the rest of the CDF squad exited the second rover and spread out, staggering their formation. Then Urret and his squad of Mekaal soldiers did the same.
Connor looked up at the scouts and heard more Konus soldiers from inside the building.
“First Fist Shuno, I’d like to speak with you,” Connor called loudly while walking ahead of the others. He was exposed and he knew it. It was a calculated risk.
Konus soldiers walked out of the building and took defensive positions. They wore a pale green metallic armor that protected their chests and arms, and even though they didn’t aim their weapons at the colonists, they were ready for action should the need arise.
Shuno walked out of the building and regarded Connor. Irritation flickered over his face and was gone.
Connor walked toward him for a few paces and stopped. Diaz stood a short distance behind him to his right. Connor’s rifle hung from the straps with the barrel toward the ground, freeing his hands.
“We just want to talk. Are you willing to do that?” Connor asked.
Shuno walked toward him, and one of the Konus soldiers followed him. The rest stayed behind. Their armor covered parts of their bodies, but it appeared to be lightweight and suitable to quick movements—standard for scouting missions. Traveling with thirty soldiers put them at a platoon-sized deployment, and Connor thought it was a safe bet that a few Konus soldiers carried heavier weapons than the long plasma rifles the others carried. Only fifteen Konus soldiers had exited the building, but the two scouts remained on the rooftop. Where were the rest of them?
“General Gates,” Shuno said. The Ovarrow translator had given him a generic human accent that was easily understandable. “Are there more soldiers with you?”
Not the most tactful question, but Connor supposed the question was fair enough. Shuno was trying to figure out how much of a threat they were.
“As I told you yesterday, we’re here scouting the city. I only brought a small scout force with me, but as you are well aware, more can be here quickly if there is need,” Connor said and gestured skyward.
Shuno raised his gaze and then looked behind Connor when Urret walked up to stand next to Connor.
“Mekaal,” Shuno said.
The Ovarrow translator had been refined over the years to give an accurate conveyance of tone that implied the mood of a statement. However, Connor didn’t need a translator to understand that Shuno had made it sound like both an accusation and disdain at the same time.
“Konus,” Urret replied in what was more of an acknowledgement than any sort of terse statement.
“So, you’re servants of the colonists?” Shuno asked.
“No, we’re their companions.”
“Are you in command?”
Urret hesitated for a moment then said, “No.”
“They are here as my guests,” Connor said.
Shuno regarded Connor for a few seconds. “Are they free to leave? Would you allow them to join us?”
“If that’s what Urret and the others want.”
Shuno’s gaze flicked toward Urret. “You should join us. Only together can we be as we were.”
“That’s the problem. The Konus seek to rebuild a world that is gone. We seek to build a new world with new alliances,” Urret said and looked at Connor.
“You betray the sacrifice of the Mekaal by being subservient to the invaders. The Mekaal used to be strong,” Shuno said.
“Do you seek to test us?” Urret replied.
Shuno didn’t blink. “I would like that very much.”
The two Ovarrow glared at each other.
The exchange had been quick, and Connor needed to intercede before things got out of control.
“We’re not invaders, Shuno.”
Shuno turned toward him. “Not invaders? You come to Bhaneteran uninvited. You take what doesn’t belong to you. You manipulate my people to join you. And there are things that you do in secret—things that you think no one knows about, but we do. You brought the Krake here and nearly killed us all.”
Bhaneteran was what the Ovarrow called New Earth.
“We stopped the Krake and destroyed their homeworld. There was a cost that affected us all, but it’s the cost soldiers pay—yours, mine, theirs,” he said, tilting his head toward Urret. “We’ve bled for this world. Bhaneteran is as much our home as it is yours. We’re not going anywhere, and it’s time for the Konus to accept it.”
“We accept nothing. We’ve endured war with the Krake, and we can endure an occupation by humans.”
Diaz puffed out a breath and glowered at Shuno. “Was it war with the Krake that destroyed your cities? I thought you did that on your own.”
Shuno glared at Diaz.
Connor also looked at Diaz, and his friend simply stared back at him. “Shuno,” he said, turning back toward the Konus officer. “I don’t want to get into any kind of debate with you. I only wanted to discuss what we found here.”
“Never before have your kind wished to discuss anything with us.”
“For good reason—” Diaz began and then clamped his mouth shut.
Connor was getting irritated with the whole situation. He looked back at the rover where Lenora and the others watched them. They leaned forward and Lenora bobbed her head once. He sighed and turned back toward Shuno.
“We found something. We’d like you to take a look and see if you recognize it. That’s it. If you don’t want to do it, we’ll be on our way.”
Shuno looked at Urret and the other Mekaal, and then at the CDF soldiers before his gaze returned to Connor.
“Why would I help you?”
“Because you lost your world. You scout these old cities for resources, but I suspect you also search for answers.”
Shuno frowned in thought.
“You’re survivors of a holocaust. Don’t you want to know more about your own history?”
“It’s gone. It doesn’t matter anymore,” Shuno replied.
“How can you learn from it if you don’t study it? Would you repeat the same mistakes? What if your historians are wrong about the past? What if there is more to it than the Krake invading your world and manipulating your entire civilization?”
Shuno looked at Urret. “This is what you’re doing? You search for answers?”
Urret seemed to relax a little. “It’s how we can improve and become stronger.”
“Like them.”
“There is much we can learn from them.”
Shuno turned away. He stepped toward his companion and the two spoke softly.
Connor shared a look with Urret but didn’t say anything. They had to wait. Normally, he got a sense of the direction a given situation would go in most negotiations, but he didn’t have an inkling one way or the other in this one. He looked at Lenora and gestured for them to wait. He’d kept a comlink open so they could listen to what transpired.
Several more Konus soldiers joined Shuno and they spoke for a few minutes. Connor watched them, but he couldn’t hear what they were saying. The other Konus soldiers deferred to Shuno, which confirmed to Connor that he was the highest-ranking officer here. Shuno was getting feedback from the others, which they seemed to give in quick, straight-to-the-point responses. He and Shuno might be on opposite sides of multiple issues, but he recognized an experienced leader when he saw one.
