Book 2: Chapter 45: Aftermath (2)

Book 2: Chapter 45: Aftermath (2)

USD: Thirty minutes after entering Szizsielias Hive

Location: Nu Crateris System, Dedia IV, Near Tifara, Szizsielias Hive

Elis paused at yet another intersection. Her acoustic imager had been feeding her back miles and miles of tunnels that seemed to snake out like long strands of angel hair pasta. Shit, Alexs food craze was starting to invade her thoughts.

They all seemed to converge toward one central point, but that section hadnt shown up on the map yet.

What had caused her to stop was the fact that they had already moved deep into the system. They had passed multiple intersections with no contact. The mucus lined walls dripped slime quietly in every direction. She had left mobile Sentri turrets and a few defense bots at each intersection, but a growing unease and continued to bite at her.

She raised a hand and signaled a stop to her robot companion.

I dont like this. Lets pull back and exfiltrate.

An agreeing Boop from Booper echoed through the cavern.

They didnt make it to the previous intersection before a sudden litany of red markers lit up on her seismic sensors.

Fuck, it is a trap! Booper, pick up the pace.

The command was superfluous. The robot was actually slowing itself down to keep pace with her, even though it had to sometimes duck slightly when the tunnel ceiling lowered.

Ahead of them a Sentri turret blared out rapid-fire bursts, the motorized servo whirling angrily as it twisted and turned to point down the multiple entry points to the area.

Elis could read the red dots, a biting realization that they would not make it out. She dialed her comm, punching a high-powered comm packet out, detailing their distress and requesting backup. It was questionable whether it would reach anyone with so much rock overhead.

As they reached the intersection, Boopers miniguns blasted the Rexxor that had just reached the turret. The large shells blew holes in the smaller doglike creatures, sending them hurling away in a mess of gore, but then a spike slammed into the turret, silencing the gun completely.

Looking at the map, there was no way they were going to make it out the way they came. Elis realized they must have hidden in the walls, staying silent and waiting the entire time they had been exploring.

Booper, AM mini-charge, max power. Collapse the tunnel.

Broooop?

She could barely hear its response through the head pounding racket of the guns blasting away, but she was grateful to see the robots central chassis prop open and then fling a round orb into the chamber.

Elis didnt wait. She began running back down the tunnel, deeper into the cave system. Ahead, a thin line of the red dots appeared, but it was still much thinner than what was behind them.

Stretching her legs, she ran as fast as she could in her power armor, but Booper quickly caught up. She reached up and grabbed one of the miniguns and pulled herself up to ride along.

A spike coming from behind impacted the ceiling near them in a cloud of exploding rock and dust, but before she could turn and return fire, the AM charge went off.

A massive overpressure wave washed over Elis and Booper, and the bot staggered and nearly tripped. Booper caught itself, though, and they continued to careen down the tunnel. The mucus in front of them had caught fire as the oxygen was rapidly consumed and her MK4B suit switched to internal reserves.

Multiple small Rexxor tried to jump out at them randomly, and Elis had to switch to assisted aiming while firing her rifle one handed while Boopers free minigun blasted anything that appeared in front of them.

She lost track of time and everything else in their desperate charge. She realized shed gone through an entire rifle magazine when her gun spurted out-of-ammo warnings at her.

Soon after Boopers minigun clicked empty as well, and she barely flipped herself around to set herself on the now empty arm to allow the bot to continue clearing the way.

Booper was flinging them down the tunnel as fast as it could, and the jarring gait threatened to dislodge her. More than one Rexxor had gotten close enough to try to claw out the robots legs, but powerful steel kicks sent the smaller ones flying.

The servos in her suits arm straining, Elis clicked her rifle into its slot on her front before doing her best to reach a liquid feed line on Boopers back. She slipped, almost falling off and being left behind, but recovered by grabbing another handhold lower down.

Her legs were dangling as she claimed the feed line, and one of the doglike creatures bit at her ankles before receiving a booted foot between the eyes, sending its charge to a bumpy, rolling stop.

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Swinging herself back up the chassis when Booper leaped over a crack in the floor, she secured a foothold. Then she plugged the liquid feed line into the back of Boopers empty minigun just as they entered the threshold of a massive cavern.

Opening her nesting cocoon, she slid out and exposed herself to the cooler, dry air of the hive for the first time since she had dug the first tunnel of the hive hundreds of cycles before. She was much larger now, towering over her own triumvi as her clitters lifted her majestic form and carried her forward.

All her children turned and bowed to her as she passed through their number. Szizsielia came to a stop before her angry triumvi, which had watched its brother be beaten. She pressed a feeler on its head and stroked it gently, urging it to calm.

Then she did something entirely alien to her. She bowed to the hard-shelled soft-skin and carefully sent out her own thought tendrils in an attempt to see if it could communicate.

USD: A short time later

Location: Nu Crateris, Dedia IV Orbit, Tears of Fire, CIC

Alex replayed the distorted fragment of a message that they had received from Elis and Booper for the fifth time. She had Nameless doing everything he could to boost the signal and clean up the garbled mess, but it wasnt working.

The only thing she hadnt ordered was for the ship to break orbit and fly down to the surface.

When she had learned that the militia had sent Elis into the cave, she wanted to murder them.

It had been almost an hour since they had gone in.

Alex chewed on her fingernails.

[Notice: The 31st Air-wing has finished a mission prep and has launched two bombers toward the last known coordinates of crewmember Elis and Drone #3131. ETA: 38 minutes. Intelligence Analysis indicates bunker busting munitions.]

I thought they couldnt fly in the ash.

[Informative: It is highly likely the air units will require extensive maintenance and repairs. A single short duration flight will be possible.]

Alex pulled up the map to see the bombers flight path. It ended right where Elis had gone into the caves.

They were going to bomb her before she got out. Whether they thought she was already dead, or just didnt care about blowing up Elis, Alex didnt know. She didnt care. She stabbed the comm console key with a finger and dialed Brigadier Taverson.

Blue-Star to Oaktree, get me Oaktree Actual, over.

Oaktree to Blue-star Actual, one moment.

Alex waited. For thirty seconds.

Nameless, can we target those aircraft with our lasers from here?

[Notice: Severe degradation from ash storm will reduce laser effectiveness. However, a sustained volley of laser fire would provide lethal damage in several seconds.]

I want a tactical analysis on everything around us that is armed with any ship mounted weapon or that might pose a threat.

[Affirmative: Performing tactical analysis. Results will display on the main screen with targeting priorities.]

Alex watched as the map populated. The space elevator, most of the freighters, and even a few shuttles that were ferrying supplies all turned red. The Iron Horse was marked in a vibrant orange as the most heavily armed ship nearby.

Oaktree to Blue-Star Actual. The Brigadier is busy at the moment. Can I relay to him for you?

Yes. Tell Taverson Im about to shoot down his two birds while pin cushioning everything the colony has in orbit that could shoot back at us and if they somehow drop their ordnance on my people anyway, I will glass Dedia Prime and whatever bunker he is hiding in.

Uhh. Ill inform him directly, Blue-Star. Wait one.

A second comm light lit up.

Alex? Alex? Do you read me? This is Elis. We have a situation on the ground, over.

Alex bit her lip, relief and agitation warring in her voice, We have a situation up here too. Whats going on?

Eliss voice crackled on the radio sounding unsure. Uhm, the Rexxor Queen seems to have agreed to a ceasefire. Or at least its not eating us and they stopped attacking?

Alex blinked in confusion. What?