jeriendhal | Shadow of Her Sins, Chapter Six (concluded)

She had her guns back at least, that was comforting.

Ali walked slowly along the dirt path that led from the stream towards the pirate encampment, five meters behind a Marine scout and ahead of Blacksailor and a trailing line of Marines and CP's with military experience. Greenholme had triple moons, but all three were tiny, barely more than fast moving dots in the might sky, leaving the forest between the stream and the box canyon exceedingly dark. After careful consideration, her little armed company had taken an inflatable raft with an electric motor up the stream, leaving the noisy drop shuttle at the spaceport, the better to take the pirates by surprise in the midnight hour.

Ali adjusted her night vision spectacles, the false color low light vision rendering everything various shades of green. She carried her usual heavy stunner, augmented by a plasma rifle sitting slung over her back, strapped to the clam shell armor protecting her torso, all underneath a spoofer cloak guaranteed to render her invisible if she stopped moving and drew its hood over her head. All the gear didn't help damp down a feeling of apprehension. The dark forest was a far cry from the tight, brightly lit ship's corridors she'd was used to fighting in.

The Marine scout raised a paw and the line of soldiers and CP's stopped moving as he consulted the comp strapped to his forearm. “The entrance is fifty meters ahead, ma'am,” he said softly, after waving Ali up to report to her. “There's a fallen log we can use as cover for the first fire team, and a pair of boulders on the opposite side for the second team. It'll make a sweet crossfire to greet anyone trying to storm out of the entrance.”

“Thank you, Corporal,” she said. She waved up the Marine lieutenant in charge of the military half of the contingent, and Sgt. Longwalk's deputy, in charge of the CP half, the sergeant himself staying back at the colony to mind the store and keep an eye out for Lady Salli in Ali's absence. She had the scout repeat his report, then told them both, “CP's to the right, Marines to the left. Commander Blacksailor and I will go right up the middle.”

“Yes, ma'am,” the lieutenant and deputy both echoed softly. They padded off, and a few moments later each fire team, consisting of a pair of rifle bearers, took their assigned positions. Once they were in place, Ali flicked her com on to report.

“Milady, we're almost in position,” she said. “Just give the word and we'll proceed.”

“Very well, Alinadar,” Salli said over the com, safe back at the Governor's Mansion. “Proceed as planned. Do not take any unnecessary risks, do you understand? No improvising.”

“Yes, milady.” The remaining four Marines, including the scout, proceeded to circle around the canyon to take up position at the northern end, to snipe at any pirate foolish enough to come out of cover and start shooting. While she waited for them to reach their assigned position, Ali slipped a stim pill out of her belt pouch and swallowed it dry, to bring herself to full alertness.

“You all right?” Blacksailor asked softly, as they waited for the remaining Marines to arrive at their assigned position, the CP's staying close to Ali and her brother.

“I'm fine,” Ali said. She let her voice grow astringent. “This isn't my first combat action y'know.”

“Ah, right,” he replied, looking sheepish.

“How many have you been in?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her irritation.

“Not counting training?” Blacksailor clearly his throat briefly. “Um, this will be my first.”

Ali stared at him. “What? You're a combat newb? How's that possible?”

“I've had training,” he said defensively. “It's just that my assignments have been with the Patrol's investigative and liaison branches. Most of my work has been picking through ship that had already been hit by pirates, trying to find clues as to who did the dirty deed and which way they went once they were done.”

“Cold and Dark,” Ali cursed softly. She fought the urge to slap her forehead. “Look, just stick with me and try not shoot anything Foxen shaped, all right?”

“Fine, fine.”

“Scout team reporting in,” Ali heard over her com. “We're in position at the northern end of the canyon.”

“Very good,” Ali replied. “Any heat traces?”

There was a brief pause. “Nothing,” the scout finally said. “The truck is cold, and I'm not getting any infrared traces even close to the overhangs.”

Blacksailor frowned, ears flicking back in concern. “Shouldn't there be something? There ought to be at least a little radiation leaking out, even if they're under cover.”

“Yah,” she was forced to agree. Dammit, the whole operation was starting to get a disturbing stink to it, but she couldn't see anything to do except proceed forward. Over the general com channel she called, “Everyone stay sharp, I'm going to light up the area.” From a belt pouch she pulled out a short flare stick. She held it out and flicked the trigger, sending the flare arching over the canyon mouth, its red light bathing the area as it began to float down on a small parachute. She then set her com for projection and called out, her voice amplified as Ali shouted, “This is the Greenholme Civil Protection force and the Foxen Naval Marines! Lay down your weapons and surrender peacefully!” She counted to ten and then repeated the demand.

A full minute passed with no reaction from the direction of the canyon that Ali could see, a fact that was confirmed when she double-checked with the Marine scout.

“What the frell?” Blacksailor muttered. “They couldn't have left, not without the truck. Why would they leave without the truck?”

Ali ears pricked up in concern. “I don't know.” She called to the scout, “Send in a micro-drone. Let's see what's down there.”

“Yes, ma'am. Relaying the image to your com.”

A vid display popped up in the corner of her spectacles, relayed from a palm sized drone launched by the scout. She watched as it floated over the canyon, dropping down into the cut, the angle of view panning back and forth to reveal the remains of a little encampment, made of crude lean-tos constructed from branches and silver emergency blankets, and blackened circles of rocks to mark the cold remains of cook fires.

“If there are no heat traces even from the cook fires, they must have abandoned this place almost a day ago,” Blacksailor noted.

“That doesn’t make any sense. They would have had to have left almost immediately after bringing the truck here,” she said. Ali called to the scout again. “Bring the drone close to truck so we can examine it.”

“Yes, ma'am,” the scout replied.

The drone began to make a low pass over the truck, flying a couple of meters above the cargo flatbed, neatly pirouetting and coming to a halt facing the cab's windscreen.

“Hu, what's that?” she muttered. A scrap of paper was taped the windscreen of the cab, just above what appeared to be a remote camera, a little thing less than the size of her palm, obviously torn from the truck's sensor package and re-wired to be mounted in its current position.

“What's written on that note?” Blacksailor asked.

“I can't make it out. Scout, focus in on it,” she ordered.

The image telescoped forward, focusing on the note. Written in Galactic Basic were three simple words.

I SEE YOU

The drone's feed abruptly disappeared in a field of snow static as Ali was nearly blown off her feet as the truck suddenly exploded, sending a fireball rising above the canyon walls.

“What the frell?” Ali shouted. “Scout team, fire teams, is anyone injured?” When she was assured by all three teams that they had been uninjured by any flying debris from the explosion, Ali immediately switched channels back to the colony. “Milady Salli, this is Ali. There's no sign of the pirates, but they booby-trapped the truck! No injuries to report, Mother be praised.”

Ali's initial feeling of relief abruptly twisted into one of gut-wrenching terror, as the reply over the com came not from Salli, but from a desperate sounding Sgt. Longwalk.

“This is Longwalk! We're under attack! A team of pirates just hit the drop shuttle with a missile while it was on the ground and there's another charging the Governor's Palace! Get your tails back here now!”

TBC