Chapter 12 S&R Phase 2
“Just ahead,” Flapjack shouted as he pointed to the arroyo, “that's where I was hiding when I saw your crew being attacked commander.” The ground leading to the arroyo was pancake flat and rock hard with a fine layer of dust. The arroyo penetrated about 30 meters from the canyon edge on the right before it tapered to a point and rose to meet the uneroded ground of the canyon rim. At about 2 meters deep at the canyon edge, the arroyo was adequate for cover but not much else. Nonetheless, Adams decided the party would swerve left to avoid the drop.
“Keep your spacing, we're going to drift left.” Adams yelled as the party slowly advanced with Alta at the point. “Wallace, anything on the satellite?” the commander asked speaking into the com-link. Wallace had a direct feed to the port communications center and was monitoring the north and west rim of the canyon on the main view plate.
“Nothing sir.” Wallace replied as he repeatedly scanned the target area. “The abandoned rover is still there commander.”
“We can see it now.” Adams said as they came up on the point of the arroyo. The rover was just where Flapjack said it would be, about 200 meters north. “Halt!” Adams yelled. He raised the magnascope to his eyes and focused on the rover ahead at 4 power but could see nothing unusual. The canyon was warmer than the surrounding terrain and Adams could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead onto the magnascope by way of his eyebrows. The sweat clouded one eye as he paused to wipe his brow and crank up the magnification to 12 power. Still nothing unusual to see. “Forward and watch your spacing. We're bunching up a little.”
About 100 meters from the rover, every com-link started squawking with the same message, that something had been sighted at the north end of the canyon and was rapidly moving southeast along the canyon rim. Adams, Martin and Dugan were getting essentially the same message from their respective headquarters. The duty officers were zooming their attention and satellite cameras to the north and trying to focus on a group of moving objects.
Adams could hear just enough of each conversation to understand they were all getting the same report. In a very loud voice he yelled “Listen up!” as he gave an arm signal to circle. The left and right wings of the V formation drew in until all were within easy listening range. “Colonel, sheriff, we got the same message. Something heading our way. Tell your people to stand by and Lt. Wallace will coordinate the reporting. They should be tuned on his com and feeding to him. Wallace, did you get that?”
“Aye aye sir.” Wallace replied over the open com-link channel. “We have six distinct objects in view moving as a group. Estimated speed is, damn, uh, 120 miles per hour. Range about 16 miles. They will be on you in about 8 minutes sir.”
“Keep us up to date Wallace” the commander said, looking at Martin and Dugan, both close enough to have heard Wallace's report. “Let's close the circle a little and Alta, please move to the center.” Adams looked around, satisfied everyone was properly located and dispersed, then spoke again “Keep those sidearms holstered.” Everyone was facing outward and looking, and waiting, and sweating.
“Commander, the Krell signal has changed. I cannot interpret any of the new signal.” It was a peculiarity of Robby's voice that it always sounded as if it was issuing a command regardless of the actual intention. It was no different now.
Adams was not surprised and in fact expected there might be a change. “Alta,” he asked, “are you getting any kind of signal, feeling, communication, anything?”
Before she could answer, Wallace was back on the com- link. “Commander, the objects are cylindrical, about 2/3rds of a meter in diameter, standing about two meters high and now moving at 160 miles per hour, and accelerating. We can't get any other type of reading from them on any energy band. They will be on you in about 4 minutes, probably less if they increase the rate of acceleration.”
“Keep us updated” Adams said, then turning back to Alta and softly saying her name with the inflection of a question, “Alta?”
“Yes John, not exactly a feeling but that is probably the best description. It's telling me not to worry, that I will be fine and with friends in a very short time. I really don't like this kind of intrusion into my thoughts, or feelings, or wherever they are coming from.” Alta's voice was breaking from calmness to anger.
“What the hell is she talking about?” Dugan asked.
…
“We are going into a situation with very little information. Exactly the kind of job marines were trained for, right?” barked Commander Martin.
Eight voices of the men gathered in the ward room barked back in perfect unison “Aye aye sir.” Discipline, training, unity, all on display in a single response. Martin was justifiably confident in his men.
“The kicker on Barnard's may be the presence of alien life.” the commander continued. “Our experience doesn't go that far. Most of you have been involved in operations against rebels and pirates. We have yet to find any evidence of alien life anywhere the UP has explored, so we may have to write the book on this one because there is