Chaotic futures, p.14
Chaotic Futures, page 14
On the bridge level, Mila passed Salus, who was settling the imperator in a cabin.
Anticipating the reason that Mila was on this deck, Salus, who was a member of the Liberation, linked to Juno and Kelley. Quickly, he summarized the event, and Mila’s present destination.
Juno offered her thanks, and she connected with Ticnikrok. she sent.
Ticnikrok replied.
Juno replied.
Ticnikrok requested.
Juno sent.
Ticnikrok surmised.
Juno sent.
While Ticnikrok spoke to Juno, he’d signaled Mila to sit. Noticing her straight posture and nervous eyes, he was acutely aware of the reason for Juno’s protective attitude. It was curious to him that a SADE had adopted such maternal instincts. He considered that her care extended to every Helgart resident too.
After the conversation with Juno, Ticnikrok hastily revised what he would have said to Mila. Now he thought to temporize, but that seemed disingenuous.
Ticnikrok started.
Mila surmised.
Ticnikrok affirmed.
Mila sent.
Ticnikrok noticed that, despite being seated, Mila’s posture was ramrod straight. It appeared as if she was prepared to be struck. he asked.
Mila sent, trying to hide her relief.
Ticnikrok asked.
Mila admitted.
Ticnikrok emphasized.
Mila sent.
Watching Mila’s posture finally relax, Ticnikrok decided it was a good time to end the conversation. he said by way of dismissal.
Mila said, extending her hand to the diminutive Jatouche.
Ticnikrok’s sharp teeth flashed, as he shook Mila’s hand. He noticed that her traveler’s SADE had waited outside the stateroom. Connecting to Salus, he sent,
Salus replied.
Ticnikrok considered that aspect of the Naiads. As new human colonies hadn’t been discovered in three centuries, it was something to keep in mind. Then his attention was swiftly turned aside.
Kelley inquired.
Ticnikrok returned, chittering.
Kelley replied.
Ticnikrok linked to the Liberation’s controller to examine recent conversations.
Planetside, the SADEs had tracked the Radag squads’ positions via information gathered from one of the Imperium transports.
Kelley connected to a squad’s comm system. he sent.
Kelley and those on the conference heard a distinct growl.
Gaylene remarked.
Kelley attempted to connect to another squad who was stationed about sixty kilometers away. There was no response to his message there. Every attempt to reach another squad was met with a growl, a hiss, or silence.
Gaylene grumped.
Juno replied tersely.
Examining close views of a squad, Juno, Kelley, and Gaylene recognized something they’d feared.
Juno queried rhetorically.
Kelley sent.
Mila, who had left Ticnikrok’s Trident, had been listening to the conversation. she sent.
Gaylene sent.
Salus, who sat beside Mila, interjected.
Juno requested.
Mila replied.
Gaylene sent privately.
Mila thanked Gaylene. Then, on the conference, she sent,
Kelley queried.
Mila replied.
Juno queried.
Mila prefaced. Not having the vocabulary to describe what she saw, she located some imagery and shared it with her companions.
Kelley explained.
Mila reasoned.
Juno asked.
Mila replied. She waited for the laughter, but it didn’t come.
Kelley sent.
Mila pleaded.
Gaylene sent.
Juno sent, targeting warriors camping near huge fields, some of which had been recently burnt. she added.
When the connection ended, Salus sent to the SADEs aboard the Liberation and Mila, She included a diagram with specifications for her plan.
After landing aboard the Liberation, the pair didn’t have long to wait. Soon, the SADEs were installing a huge bladder in the aft end of the traveler. A pump and hose arrangement would fill the bladder at the top, and a second hose with a nozzle was connected to the bladder’s lowest point.
Residents watched the strange material being outfitted on the traveler, and they queried the reason for the odd arrangement. When they heard it was to dissuade the warriors from resisting the directives to board travelers, they clamored for views of the operations.
Salus promised the residents that he would broadcast every moment to the Liberation’s controller. Then he communicated to Captain O’Hara to ensure the action was shared around the ship. It was an unnecessary step. Derry had already been informed of the unusual tactic by Kelley. He had every intention of letting the residents see the warriors’ humiliation.
When the equipment was ready, Salus signaled the ramp closed, and Mila exited the traveler from the bay.
After reaching the surface, Mila skimmed toward the glacier lake.
When the traveler hovered above the lake, Salus dropped the ramp, extended the intake hose, and signaled the pump’s activation. The pump’s delivery capacity was powerful, and the bladder was filled within minutes.
Then Salus stopped the pump and retrieved the intake hose. he sent.
Mila snickered at the name, but it was nothing compared to the noise heard round the flotilla and aboard the Liberation.
Mila headed for the coordinates of the first squad. Salus had shared with her the height that she must maintain to ensure that the hull could absorb a rifle’s energy.
Mila reasoned.
Salus replied.
The squad leader alerted his warriors to a shuttle high above them. The Radags growled and hissed, as they grabbed their rifles. Combat with the invaders excited them.
Several warriors fired prematurely, and the squad leader ordered them to wait until the shuttle got closer or landed.
Without warning and with clear sky overhead, it rained on the warriors. Not just any rain but icy cold. The warriors howled and tried to escape the downpour. Several fired uselessly at the culprit, the ship atop them. However, their rifles’ energy blasts were dissipated by the water pouring down on them.
Aboard the Liberation, the residents applauded the warriors’ discomfort.
Mila maneuvered the traveler to give Salus access to the fleeing Radags. When several disappeared from her infrared view, she was directed to a temporary enclosure.
When the traveler was in position, Salus pointed the nozzle straight down and twisted the tip to produce a tight stream. Quickly, the water’s impact tore through the flimsy roof, and the warriors poured out of the enclosure, seeking relief.
When the bladder was empty, Mila headed for a refill. When she returned to the squad’s encampment, a Radag waved his arms overhead.
“Lay your rifles on the ground,” Salus directed in a booming voice.
When the Radags complied, Mila cautiously lowered the traveler so that Salus could converse with the individual, who they discovered was the squad leader.
“No more cold water,” the drenched leader requested of Salus. “We’re prepared to board your ship and be taken to a Krackus vessel.”
Throughout the flotilla, applause was offered for the clever manner in which the warriors had been forced to surrender, and Salus shared the applause with Mila.
A second traveler arrived with SADEs aboard to manage the transport of the squad to one of the freighters, which would soon be emptied of its purloined goods.
Mila headed for a second squad, but her tactics had been shared among the squad leaders. Salus and she found a leader waving his arms at them. The warriors’ weapons were already on the ground.
Another traveler arrived to collect this squad.
Gaylene shared with Juno and Kelley.
Kelley replied.
A disappointed Mila flew toward a third location. Having spent months with the residents, she wanted to exact a measure of revenge on the warriors. Squads quickly capitulating after the first squad’s surrender weren’t satisfying her desire.
The third location did represent a challenge, which lightened Mila’s mood. The squad occupied a small building, and when Mila and Salus arrived, they’d abandoned their exterior posts and taken shelter inside.
Salus saw a head and torso peer at them from a doorway. she sent.
Mila queried.
Salus retorted.
The noise throughout the flotilla was deafening, and Mila was laughing so hard that she had a spate of hiccups.
Salus examined the top of the two-story building. she sent, directing Mila with a captured image.
Mila replied. Then she edged the traveler into position, using the controller to set the parameters between the ramp’s tail edge and the vent.
Salus opened the nozzle in a jet position, and he quickly knocked the vent top from its pipe.
Immediately, Mila signaled the controller to move the traveler to the second position. Then Salus proceeded to drain the bladder into the building via the air circulation system.
Inside, the Radags discovered ice cold water flooding out of the air vents. There was no place to hide from the chilling spray that soaked everything.
The bladder’s size required approximately eight minutes to drain with the nozzle shooting the water in a jet. For the Radags, the spray seemed unending. Then again, a soaking by icy water will do that.
It required half of a second bladder to flush the Radags into the open.
Salus opened the nozzle to produce a spray, which negated the warriors’ energy weapons.
Soon, the commander was waving an arm, while trying to protect his face from the glacier’s cold water.
When another traveler landed to take the squad into custody, Salus beckoned to the commander to join him.
Mila lifted and turned the traveler to let starlight flood the ramp. Through Salus’s sensors, she saw the commander attempt to shake the water out of his fur.
“We need you to contact the other commander and let him know that your squads are surrendering to us,” Salus directed.
“He has independent control over his four squads. I’ve no authority to order him,” the commander objected.
“Try,” Salus advised. “Where is the commander located?”
The commander watched a display of the nearby area bloom in front of his face, and he stared wild eyed at Salus. The word bot occurred to him, but he kept that to himself.
“Use your fingers,” Salus directed, demonstrating how to move the ground image.
The commander examined the surface, oriented himself, and slowly moved the display. As he did, the ship sailed in that direction. Anxious to be away from his captors, he moved the display faster and was taken aback that the ship kept pace.
After crossing nearly a third of the planet, the commander located another two-story building. Indicating the structure, he said, “The second commander will be resident here.”
Salus located the nearby comm signal that communicated on the Radag frequency. He connected to the squad’s device and told the Radag beside him to speak.
“I need your commander,” the individual beside Salus requested.
“The commander and most of the squad are dealing with an outbreak,” a warrior replied.
“Where?” the onboard commander requested.
Directions were relayed, and the commander moved the display to locate the problem.
A field was burning, and local inhabitants were encouraging the fires. They kept retreating to stay away from the Radags’ energy weapons, but it was obvious that a few had failed to do that.
Mila sent hurriedly.
Then the traveler shot for the lake. Filling the bladder and returning was completed as fast as a SADE and a human could manage.
Salus soaked the Radags first, which made them abandon the fight. Then he doused the flames, which enraged the locals. However, one of the locals calmed the others and pointed at the retreating warriors.
There was sufficient water left in the bladder to harass the Radags.
The ground commander caught sight of his peer standing on the tail of the invaders’ ship. He called to his warriors to halt and appreciated that the cold rain stopped.
A quick conversation ensued between the commanders. Soon after, the ground commander climbed aboard Mila’s ship, and another traveler landed to take in the accompanying squad.
Mila flew to the other squad locations, and the newly boarded commander ordered them to throw down their weapons. He told them that ships would land to transport them to Krackus vessels.
Afterward, Mila flew to the freighters, dropping a commander aboard each one. Then she returned the bladder, pump, and hoses to the Liberation.
Mila suggested to Salus, as she prepared to launch her traveler.
Salus replied.
Mila offered.
Salus responded.
Mila inquired.
Anticipating the reason that Mila was on this deck, Salus, who was a member of the Liberation, linked to Juno and Kelley. Quickly, he summarized the event, and Mila’s present destination.
Juno offered her thanks, and she connected with Ticnikrok.
Ticnikrok replied.
Ticnikrok surmised.
While Ticnikrok spoke to Juno, he’d signaled Mila to sit. Noticing her straight posture and nervous eyes, he was acutely aware of the reason for Juno’s protective attitude. It was curious to him that a SADE had adopted such maternal instincts. He considered that her care extended to every Helgart resident too.
After the conversation with Juno, Ticnikrok hastily revised what he would have said to Mila. Now he thought to temporize, but that seemed disingenuous.
Ticnikrok started.
Ticnikrok noticed that, despite being seated, Mila’s posture was ramrod straight. It appeared as if she was prepared to be struck.
Mila sent, trying to hide her relief.
Mila admitted.
Mila sent.
Watching Mila’s posture finally relax, Ticnikrok decided it was a good time to end the conversation.
Ticnikrok’s sharp teeth flashed, as he shook Mila’s hand. He noticed that her traveler’s SADE had waited outside the stateroom. Connecting to Salus, he sent,
Ticnikrok considered that aspect of the Naiads. As new human colonies hadn’t been discovered in three centuries, it was something to keep in mind. Then his attention was swiftly turned aside.
Ticnikrok linked to the Liberation’s controller to examine recent conversations.
Planetside, the SADEs had tracked the Radag squads’ positions via information gathered from one of the Imperium transports.
Kelley connected to a squad’s comm system. he sent.
Kelley and those on the conference heard a distinct growl.
Kelley attempted to connect to another squad who was stationed about sixty kilometers away. There was no response to his message there. Every attempt to reach another squad was met with a growl, a hiss, or silence.
Examining close views of a squad, Juno, Kelley, and Gaylene recognized something they’d feared.
Kelley sent.
Mila, who had left Ticnikrok’s Trident, had been listening to the conversation.
Mila thanked Gaylene. Then, on the conference, she sent,
Gaylene sent.
When the connection ended, Salus sent to the SADEs aboard the Liberation and Mila,
After landing aboard the Liberation, the pair didn’t have long to wait. Soon, the SADEs were installing a huge bladder in the aft end of the traveler. A pump and hose arrangement would fill the bladder at the top, and a second hose with a nozzle was connected to the bladder’s lowest point.
Residents watched the strange material being outfitted on the traveler, and they queried the reason for the odd arrangement. When they heard it was to dissuade the warriors from resisting the directives to board travelers, they clamored for views of the operations.
Salus promised the residents that he would broadcast every moment to the Liberation’s controller. Then he communicated to Captain O’Hara to ensure the action was shared around the ship. It was an unnecessary step. Derry had already been informed of the unusual tactic by Kelley. He had every intention of letting the residents see the warriors’ humiliation.
When the equipment was ready, Salus signaled the ramp closed, and Mila exited the traveler from the bay.
After reaching the surface, Mila skimmed toward the glacier lake.
When the traveler hovered above the lake, Salus dropped the ramp, extended the intake hose, and signaled the pump’s activation. The pump’s delivery capacity was powerful, and the bladder was filled within minutes.
Then Salus stopped the pump and retrieved the intake hose.
Mila snickered at the name, but it was nothing compared to the noise heard round the flotilla and aboard the Liberation.
Mila headed for the coordinates of the first squad. Salus had shared with her the height that she must maintain to ensure that the hull could absorb a rifle’s energy.
The squad leader alerted his warriors to a shuttle high above them. The Radags growled and hissed, as they grabbed their rifles. Combat with the invaders excited them.
Several warriors fired prematurely, and the squad leader ordered them to wait until the shuttle got closer or landed.
Without warning and with clear sky overhead, it rained on the warriors. Not just any rain but icy cold. The warriors howled and tried to escape the downpour. Several fired uselessly at the culprit, the ship atop them. However, their rifles’ energy blasts were dissipated by the water pouring down on them.
Aboard the Liberation, the residents applauded the warriors’ discomfort.
Mila maneuvered the traveler to give Salus access to the fleeing Radags. When several disappeared from her infrared view, she was directed to a temporary enclosure.
When the traveler was in position, Salus pointed the nozzle straight down and twisted the tip to produce a tight stream. Quickly, the water’s impact tore through the flimsy roof, and the warriors poured out of the enclosure, seeking relief.
When the bladder was empty, Mila headed for a refill. When she returned to the squad’s encampment, a Radag waved his arms overhead.
“Lay your rifles on the ground,” Salus directed in a booming voice.
When the Radags complied, Mila cautiously lowered the traveler so that Salus could converse with the individual, who they discovered was the squad leader.
“No more cold water,” the drenched leader requested of Salus. “We’re prepared to board your ship and be taken to a Krackus vessel.”
Throughout the flotilla, applause was offered for the clever manner in which the warriors had been forced to surrender, and Salus shared the applause with Mila.
A second traveler arrived with SADEs aboard to manage the transport of the squad to one of the freighters, which would soon be emptied of its purloined goods.
Mila headed for a second squad, but her tactics had been shared among the squad leaders. Salus and she found a leader waving his arms at them. The warriors’ weapons were already on the ground.
Another traveler arrived to collect this squad.
A disappointed Mila flew toward a third location. Having spent months with the residents, she wanted to exact a measure of revenge on the warriors. Squads quickly capitulating after the first squad’s surrender weren’t satisfying her desire.
The third location did represent a challenge, which lightened Mila’s mood. The squad occupied a small building, and when Mila and Salus arrived, they’d abandoned their exterior posts and taken shelter inside.
Salus saw a head and torso peer at them from a doorway.
Salus retorted.
The noise throughout the flotilla was deafening, and Mila was laughing so hard that she had a spate of hiccups.
Salus examined the top of the two-story building.
Salus opened the nozzle in a jet position, and he quickly knocked the vent top from its pipe.
Immediately, Mila signaled the controller to move the traveler to the second position. Then Salus proceeded to drain the bladder into the building via the air circulation system.
Inside, the Radags discovered ice cold water flooding out of the air vents. There was no place to hide from the chilling spray that soaked everything.
The bladder’s size required approximately eight minutes to drain with the nozzle shooting the water in a jet. For the Radags, the spray seemed unending. Then again, a soaking by icy water will do that.
It required half of a second bladder to flush the Radags into the open.
Salus opened the nozzle to produce a spray, which negated the warriors’ energy weapons.
Soon, the commander was waving an arm, while trying to protect his face from the glacier’s cold water.
When another traveler landed to take the squad into custody, Salus beckoned to the commander to join him.
Mila lifted and turned the traveler to let starlight flood the ramp. Through Salus’s sensors, she saw the commander attempt to shake the water out of his fur.
“We need you to contact the other commander and let him know that your squads are surrendering to us,” Salus directed.
“He has independent control over his four squads. I’ve no authority to order him,” the commander objected.
“Try,” Salus advised. “Where is the commander located?”
The commander watched a display of the nearby area bloom in front of his face, and he stared wild eyed at Salus. The word bot occurred to him, but he kept that to himself.
“Use your fingers,” Salus directed, demonstrating how to move the ground image.
The commander examined the surface, oriented himself, and slowly moved the display. As he did, the ship sailed in that direction. Anxious to be away from his captors, he moved the display faster and was taken aback that the ship kept pace.
After crossing nearly a third of the planet, the commander located another two-story building. Indicating the structure, he said, “The second commander will be resident here.”
Salus located the nearby comm signal that communicated on the Radag frequency. He connected to the squad’s device and told the Radag beside him to speak.
“I need your commander,” the individual beside Salus requested.
“The commander and most of the squad are dealing with an outbreak,” a warrior replied.
“Where?” the onboard commander requested.
Directions were relayed, and the commander moved the display to locate the problem.
A field was burning, and local inhabitants were encouraging the fires. They kept retreating to stay away from the Radags’ energy weapons, but it was obvious that a few had failed to do that.
Then the traveler shot for the lake. Filling the bladder and returning was completed as fast as a SADE and a human could manage.
Salus soaked the Radags first, which made them abandon the fight. Then he doused the flames, which enraged the locals. However, one of the locals calmed the others and pointed at the retreating warriors.
There was sufficient water left in the bladder to harass the Radags.
The ground commander caught sight of his peer standing on the tail of the invaders’ ship. He called to his warriors to halt and appreciated that the cold rain stopped.
A quick conversation ensued between the commanders. Soon after, the ground commander climbed aboard Mila’s ship, and another traveler landed to take in the accompanying squad.
Mila flew to the other squad locations, and the newly boarded commander ordered them to throw down their weapons. He told them that ships would land to transport them to Krackus vessels.
Afterward, Mila flew to the freighters, dropping a commander aboard each one. Then she returned the bladder, pump, and hoses to the Liberation.
