Hero of the Confederacy
Chapter 8

The jungle ended abruptly. Towering above the exit from the jungle were the tall vine festooned spires of the city. Huge blocks of tumbled masonry lined the street either side of the causeway that carried on into the city. From the edge of the jungle I could see the rear end of a tracked ground vehicle. I raised my hand signalling for the squad to halt and couched down behind a fallen block of stone. Silently I signed for Alpha to move in on the vehicle and for the other two fireteams to stand ready. I watched as Vorra and Bacare stalked ahead their weapons ready. We waited then moved onwards as they waved us in. The vehicle was an old MREV with the missile turret removed and converted for civilian use.

I recognised the sloping sides of the hull. Just seeing it brought back a chill. I’d thought I was over Anoxi but the memory of the place still haunted my dreams. Here was the same make of vehicle as I had destroyed on Anoxi in my thirst for revenge. The source of my fall from grace when I hit the bottle. There was a hatch at the rear normally for reloading of missiles. But from the looks of it the opening was used as the main hatch into the vehicle. Bacare gave us the all clear and we moved up. As I approached I could see the hatch was currently open. Bacare stood by the side of the hatch and from the sound issuing from the interior Vorra was inside looking around.

“Report Bacare?”

“Engine’s cold major, been here awhile?”

I glanced around eyeing the tall structures that surrounded us. “Looks like this was as far as they could get,” I didn’t like the way some of the buildings were leaning over, “best we follow their route?” I said pointing to a set of markers. Small posts with a fluorescent flag on the top.

“Right you heard the major move out,” Tutor ordered.

Carefully we followed the trail left by the archaeologists. Taking their assigned route even when there seemed to be a safe path ahead. Occasionally we heard the sound of a shuttle. Clearly the Terrans were still looking for a landing spot. I worried about encountering the Terrans. I hadn’t planned on their being here. If it came to a fight I was sure we would prevail. We continued over trek through the ruins ever alert for the Terrans or the archaeologists.

The smell of burning assaulted my nose while the sounds of flames filled my ears. We turned a corner and stopped. Across the path was the wrecked Terran shuttle. An almost unidentifiable twist of metal and burning plastic buried beneath tons of stone. Flame lapped the edges of the shuttle and a dense foul smelling smoke obscured the view. I felt my eyes watering wishing that I was in armour and not having to endure the stench or be blinded by the smoke.

“God!” Sarah uttered, “no one could have survived that.”

Bacare crept over to the shuttle. “Hey there’s someone here?”

He remarked pointing to a pale green gauntleted hand and part of armoured arm poking out of the rubble.

“There might be survivors,” Sarah said reaching into a pouch on her harness and pulling out a medikit.

He glanced to Sarah. “Stand down Vanwasshova,” he said pulling at the arm. He straightened up the hand and arm in his hand still dripping blood. It had been ripped off a body at the elbow. “I can’t see that anyone walking away from that,” he remarked as he placed the arm back down gently.

Sarah spun around and shoved her kit back in her pouch.

“You going to be ok?” I asked Sarah. I could see that from the set on her shoulders she was taking it hard, glad that I couldn’t see her face. “We can do nothing further here. If we have time when the mission is over we’ll come back here and repatriate the remains. We still have a job to do.”

“Yes major,” she replied reluctantly, “you never get used to seeing death it is part of being in the Marines, but this seems oh so senseless.”

I couldn’t answer that after Anoxi glad that she hadn’t seen what I had. “Alpha take point, find us an alternative way past the wreck,” I said with a nod to Tutor.

Skirting down a rumble-strewn alley we eased ourselves around the wreck I scanned our surroundings aware of the danger we were in. In some places the only thing holding the walls of the buildings up were the vines wrapped around them. Finally we found a route through back onto the path the archaeologists had left. I signalled for a stop as I tried to get my bearings from the map on the datapad we had taken from the archaeologist’s base.

“Lottie would be of no use here,” I muttered to myself.

“Sandra you called,” Lottie responded to my voice.

“I don’t suppose you know where we are?” I muttered back almost jerking in shock on hearing her in my mind. Aware of the danger we were in I quickly stopped myself.

“Your guess is as good as mine at the moment. I could link into the relay but it may give away your position to the Imperial Cruiser in orbit.”

“The Terran’s are that close?”

“Yes. So if you don’t mind I’ll take myself offline for a while.”

“Do so,” I pressed my fingers behind me ear in pretence as I glimpsed Tutor staring at me. “I was checking the position of the Terran warship. Lottie was giving me an update,” I lied.

“You can do that?” Vorra interrupted.

“Not without giving away our location. I’ve ordered Lottie to monitor the comms relay.”

“Are you certain it’s a 227?” Vorra seemed to be querying my words.

“I paid for that and nothing else.” I turned to Tutor. “Head out LT.”

“Right major but which way?”

“This way follow me,” I said sounding more confident than I actually felt. Several streets later I was felt relieved certain that we were heading in the right direction on seeing a line of florescent flags. Suddenly the street opened out onto a bridge that crossed a circular lake about a hundred meters below. Two waist high rails ran either side of the bridge.

“Look!” Vorra said pointing to one of the rails.

I could see that one of the rails had been crushed and was almost blackened. From the marks it was recent. “Damn?” I muttered, “the Terrans got here ahead of us.”

“How can you tell?” Shawna asked.

“Scorch marks from a shuttle’s under jets.”

“Damn risky but from what we’ve seen they seem to be into taking stupid risks,” Tutor replied looking to me.

“Alpha move out across the bridge. Beta and Delta cover the approach,” I said taking up position against one of the railings. Anyone crossing the bridge would be exposed to enemy fire. I watched Vorra and Bacare cautiously cross the bridge. As they reached the broken rail and scorch marks I saw Bacare look over the side and wave to Vorra who looked as well then continued on. Once across they signalled us to come over.

“Delta next,” I ordered, “I’ll follow with Beta.”

Tutor and Vanwasshova crossed next their pace faster than Vorra and Bacare. Once they were over we headed across. I never bothered to look at what Bacare had seen I concentrated on getting across, fully expecting the Terrans to have a team holding the far side of the bridge.

“LT?” I asked as I knelt down next to him. He was talking to Vorra and Bacare his voice low.

“Major?” his voice sounded worried.

“Problems?”

“God knows what we’re dealing with but whoever is in charge has no respect for his men.”

“How so?”

“Bacare spotted two bodies on a mud bank at the bottom of the bridge.”

“They fell?”

“From what Bacare tells me? They were just left where they fell.”

I felt sick to my stomach. No one in the Confederacy would have treated his or her troops with such a callous regard. “This true Bacare?”

“Yes major. At first I thought they had fallen but on closer inspection I’m not so sure now I reckon they might have been pushed.”

“If they do that to their own what the hell are they going to do to civilians?” Sarah remarked concern heavy in her voice.

“Get going!” Tutor remarked. “Alpha take point and for God’s sake be careful.”

“Aye, Aye Lieutenant.”

Pushing on past the bridge we headed further into the ruined city. The streets sloped downward seeming to twist and turn in an illogical manner. Climbing over a fallen column I heard the sound of a scream followed by the whine of a coil gun, an angry shout and the sounds of a handgun. From the sound it an old-fashioned cordite projectile pistol of some type. Immediately we hit the ground weapons at the ready.

“Alpha flank left, Beta flank right, Delta shadow me. No firing unless I order it or we are fired upon. And try not to hit any of the civilians.”

“If they’re all dead?” Kriaeusus asked, “what will you do with the Terrans then?”

“I need at least one breathing. I will ask them to surrender.”

“You sure about that?” Tutor remarked his eyes on me.

“Whatever happens here we are Confederacy remember that?”

I heard the sound of more coil gun rounds and an accompanying bark of projectile weapons. Some of the archaeologists were still alive and fighting back.

We crept forward alert and ready to fight. The street we were on dropped into a dip finally opening up into semi circular amphitheatre surrounded by broken columns. Stepped stone seating dropped to an amphitheatre floor over two hundred metres in diameter. The overhang from girders would have made impossible for any shuttle to land. I could see a squat building squashed hard against the far wall of the amphitheatre. In front of the building was a number Terran soldiers in of pale green armour.

Alpha and Beta teams took up positions on either flank finding cover behind jumbled rubble and broken columns. Our luck held the Terran troopers were concentrating on the building and hadn’t noticed our approach. I halted behind a fallen column close to the Terran lines. Cautiously I peered over the top of the column. I froze as a chill ran through me. Between the Terrans and what I could discern as some sort of bunker with narrowed slots for windows was the body of a woman. One of the archaeologists I guessed. I noticed she had brown almost brunette hair just like our target. Blood pooled out around her from a gaping wound in her chest. Standing nearby was a couple of armoured troopers.

“Oh no not Broaden!” I gasped ducking back behind the column. That was it, our mission had failed. I wasn’t about to give up and go home. The sound gunfire echoed around the amphitheatre. It looked like the remaining archaeologists still were putting up a fight. “Damn it!” my hands shook thoughts of Anoxi washed through my mind. I jerked my mind back to the present.

“Major?” Shawna asked sounding concerned as she flanked my side.

“They got Broaden.”

Shawna looked over to the body. “It’s not her.”

Suddenly I felt relieved and more than a little angry at myself for being relieved that an innocent had died.

“Orders major?” Kriaeusus voice whispered in my earpiece, “I count at least nineteen Terrans. No problem for us.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and clicked the safety off on my coil gun and dropped my harness it would only slow me down if I needed to move quickly. I saw Shawna and Kriaeusus do the same. Raising myself I leaned over the toppled column and sighted down my weapon at the leader of the Terran soldiers clearly visible with a red stripe down his helmet. The leader seemed to be ordering a number of cowering troopers around. I thought this looked odd noting Shawna and Kriaeusus take aim.

“Pick your targets. I’m bagging Red Stripe,” I told them.

“Alpha in position,” Bacare’s voice sounded on my comms unit almost a whisper.

“Delta in position,” Tutor responded in the same low tones.

“Fire on my say so,” I spoke over the comms my voice imitating their quietness, “Red Stripe is mine, pick your targets hit anyone that doesn’t respond to my surrender offer.” I had a thought. “Vorra can you block their comms I don’t want them calling up reinforcements.

“Can do major,” Vorra replied, “done?” I was surprised at Vorra’s speed.

It was time I checked my weapon and took a deep breath. I would give them one chance to surrender after that it was on their heads. “Confederacy! You are surrounded, drop your weapons and surrender!” I yelled in Terran.

Several things happened all a once. Some of the Terrans dropped their weapons; others stood there dumbstruck while a hard core including Red Stripe raised their weapons. The hesitant troopers raised their weapons on the urging of their commander. I doubted he was going to surrender easily. Time slowed I saw Red Stripe’s finger curl around the trigger of his weapon.

“Fire!” I yelled in Galactic and fired at Red Stripe.

I heard the whine of my coil gun and clearly saw my shots hit my target. He seemed to jerk like a rag doll my rounds punching holes in his armour. The Confederacy AR 32 honed on the battlefields of places like Hyren Shai and Anoxi against battle hardened enemies like the Orsini was capable of punching through most armours. It cut through the Terran armour like it was made of paper.

I saw the whole thing played out in slow motion. “Cease fire!”

I surveyed the carnage we had wrought. Five of the Terrans including Red Stripe were dead. Several were wounded their cries echoed through my skull. I shook as ghosts of Anoxi came back to haunt me. I swayed feeling colour drain from my face. The touch of Shawna’s hand to my arm brought me back to myself. For an instant I almost lost myself in the past. I wondered how long was Anoxi was going to plague my mind and even if I was cut out for command.

“You ok major you went quite pale I thought you’d been hit?”

“Yeah I’ll be ok,” my eyes flicked to the remaining Terrans their hands above their heads their weapons on the floor. “You move over to there!” I barked in Terran waving my weapon indicating the furthest direction away from the bodies and the entrance of the bunker. Well I assume it was a bunker. I turned my comms unit on. “Alpha keep a bead on the prisoners.”

“On it major,” Bacare answered.

“Delta?”

“Major?”

“Tutor take Delta and secure the weapons.”

“Right major.”

I watched both teams move to their assigned tasks there was no sign of the archaeologists. “Harms, Kriaeusus with me.” I changed clips and climbed down the steps to the floor of the amphitheatre.

By the time I reached the bottom the archaeologists started to emerge from the bunker. I saw a young brown haired woman race over to the body of the similarly aged woman on the floor of the amphitheatre. I recognised her as Elspeth Broaden the one we had come all this way to find. I altered my direction towards Elspeth Broaden. As I closed in on her I heard her weeping.

“Oh Jeanne why did you do it?”she was saying to the body of the woman she had cradled in her arms.

“Elspeth Broaden?” I called out in Terran strapping my weapon to my chest to look less threatening.

“Please leave her for the moment,” a voice interrupted me I realised it was an older woman and she was speaking Galactic.

I turned to face her. The older woman was looking at me directly her dark hair streaked with grey her face weathered. I guessed she must have been a looker when she was younger. A number of men followed her only one looked older. Her coveralls were faded and dusty she had a sidearm belted to her hip.

“You are?” I responded in Galactic my eyes on the prisoners by a broken column being searched by Bacare.

“Professor Joyce Neilson, along with Reed Walters we head the excavation of the ruins,” she indicated the older man sunburnt and wrinkled faced almost bald. Clutched in his hands was an old fashioned bolt action hunting rifle the type that used cordite projectiles. “I wish to thank you for your timely rescue.” She said still speaking Galactic.

“Not soon enough to save you all,” I replied trying hard to keep the bitterness out of my words.

“Major want me to talk to her?” Shawna enquired indicating Elspeth Broaden.

“Best leave her. I’ll talk to her later she’s a bit distraught at the moment,” Joyce said.

“Are there any other casualties?” I asked.

“None but there were a couple of close calls,” she glanced to the Terran wounded, “I know they were shooting at us could you please see to their wounded?”

“Sergeant swap with Vanwasshova get her to see to the Terrans?”

“On it ma’am!” Shawna saluted. Kriaeusus headed over to the Terran wounded with Sarah. I wasn’t sure how much they could do since they didn’t speak Terran.

“I not sure if they’ll take our help my squad doesn’t speak Terran and I doubt any of them speak Galactic.”

Joyce turned to one of the other men, younger than her and as equally dirty. “Parker go help you have medical skills.”

“Yes Prof,” I could hear the reluctance in his voice.

“Just do it Santard!” the older man called Reed ordered. He glanced to Elspeth and the dead woman cradled in her arms. “God I hope she’s going to be ok. Damn stupid girl.”

I was confused as to whom he was referring to. “Pardon?”

“Jeanne saying she was Ellie. When that arrogant bastard called her out.”

“I don’t understand why did they do this we’re from Earth?” Another of the men protested.

“How up are you on recent events?” I spoke directly in Terran.

“We get the occasional messages from home when the supply ship arrives. The ship is due in a couple of weeks that’s the reason we’re camped out here.”

“When was the last ship?”

“About six months ago?”

“So you haven’t heard the latest news. You are connected to the Comms Net?”

“Connected no but it’s never been a problem,” Walters glanced to one of the other men. “Someone left our comms unit behind didn’t we Abe?”

The man indicated coloured. “I did offer to go back and get it.”

“So young woman what’s this news you want to tell us?” he spoke to me in an emotionless voice.

“The Confederacy was attacked by the Terran Empire.”

“What!” several voices called out at once the archaeologists stared at each other in shock.

“Constantine would have never done that,” Joyce remarked her eyes on Elspeth.

“Constantine is dead he was replaced by someone calling himself Augustus II. We’ve been at war for over two months.”

“God help us all!” Reed muttered, “Joyce go speak to Ellie, she’s going to take this hard.”

“What hard?”

Reed just glared at me. “None of your damn business.”

“It is!” I retorted, “I could have you arrested as spies here and now!”

“But you won’t do that will you?” Joyce said thoughtfully, “you never came all this way for nothing we’re only archaeologists and no threat to the Confederacy?” She sighed. “I’m not your enemy major?” Her eyes flickered in confusion. “I'm sorry we never got your name.”

“Major Sandra Locke.”

Her eyebrows raised at the mention of my name. “Major Locke, please I need to help Ellie would you let me go to her.”

I nodded. “Go ahead.”

I watched her walk over and bend close to Elspeth she seemed to be talking to the distressed young woman.

“Please, major is it? Do you know why our own people attacked us? We’re only archaeologists none of us have ever been involved in politics?” Reed said I noticed him glance to the two women.

“Can you tell me exactly what happened?”

“We’ve been digging all morning. Jamie was cataloguing our finds.” He nodded to a shorter blond haired man who hadn’t said anything yet.

“Cataloguing finds?”

“Yes sir er ma’am we found some interesting pottery finds in the pre-Rhosani strata.”

“Jamie, the major doesn’t want your life story?”

“Sorry Professor Walters.”

“Ok Jamie,” he frowned, “we came back here for lunch it’s the most stable building in the ruins. We hauled all of our equipment and supplies here.”

I pointed to the rifle he had cradled in his arms. “I didn’t know archaeologists needed weapons?”

“We’ve had problems with a few of the indigenous life forms, some of the larger reptiles. The sound of the rifle normally scares them away but it was best if we all went armed.”

“Larger reptiles? There was nothing in the briefing about reptiles.”

“A new discovery Jeanne was handling that she was a biologist,” he glanced to towards Elspeth and Joyce, the younger woman seemed to be more aware of her surroundings and was staring in my direction. “We had just eaten when we heard shouts outside someone calling for Ellie. Jeanne thought that it would be a joke to say she was Ellie. So she went outside the next thing we heard was her scream and…” he waved at Jamie, “went to see, I heard him shout and fire his weapon then all hell broke loose. We didn’t realise that was you until it was all over.”

“Major?” Bacare called to me.

“Bacare?”

“Can you come over the prisoners are becoming fractious I can’t understand a word they are saying.”

“We’ll speak again,” I said to Reed Walters.

Crossing over to where Bacare and Vorra stood I passed Elspeth Broaden and Joyce on the way. They both looked up as walked by there was something familiar about Elspeth’s face something about it reminded me of my father but I was at a loss to explain why.

“What’s the problem Bacare?”

“I’m trying to get them to sit down they’ll be easier to manage that way.”

“Please sir what are you going to do to us?” one of the Terrans asked.

“Sit down!” I ordered in Terran, “all of you, and you better answer my questions.”

“Please sir?” another asked, “I don’t want to die.”

“What will happened to us?” a third added.

“Sit down and shut up!” I roared, “I will ask the questions here!”

Immediately they sat I could see them shake. Whoever they were, they were really scared and that had me worried they weren’t acting like soldiers it was almost as if they were frightened school kids.

“Please sir?” a voice asked sounding to me like a woman.

“It’s ma’am to you!”

“Please ma’am can I take my helmet off.”

“Yeah take it off,” I barked I was in no mood to put up with their antics.

She removed her helmet I heard a sharp intake of breath from Bacare. I found myself staring the woman if I could call her that couldn’t have been more than seventeen. “How old are you?” I demanded then felt a bit of a heel seeing tears trickle down her cheeks.

“Seventeen and a half,” she said her body shaking, “I don’t want to die.”

“And you won’t if you follow my instructions.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“What will happen to us?” One of the males asked taking off his helmet. Like the girl he didn’t look old enough to be in uniform let alone fighting on an alien world.

“You will be taken to a detention centre and there you will stay until the end of the war.” I wasn’t certain about that but it seemed logical, then we had never taken prisoners while fighting the Orsini they preferred death to capture.

“War?” another asked just as youthful as his fellows.

“How long have you been out here?”

“I don’t understand. We were three months on board the ship.” The girl who had asked to take her helmet off told me.

“That means you started out before the war began. The Empire attacked the Confederacy just over two months ago. You are now Prisoners of War.” I was confused they started out before the war. It didn’t make sense to come all this way for one woman. The time frame didn’t fit with our hunt for the Rhosani. They had started out before the Rhosani hit the Ocato system. The thought of it made my head hurt I would have to ask Lottie to look into it later. I turned my attention back to the Terrans.

“You are not going to kill us?” another youthful male asked.

“The Confederacy believes in treating POW’s correctly and that means clean bedding and food.”

“That’s not what Captain Phillips told us.”

I jerked my thumb back to the dead Terran’s. “The one with the red stripe on his helmet Phillips?”

“Yes ma’am.”

I was curious about their training since some of them didn’t look old enough to shave. “How long have you been in training?”

“Two weeks. That was before we boarded the ship,” someone said.

“Didn’t you get any training aboard the ship?”

“No sir all we did was drill and play cards.”

“That the same for all of you?” I had a sinking feeling it was.

Most nodded their heads in agreement not wanting to say more.

“Damn it major,” Bacare remarked taking off his helmet, “I didn’t join up to be fighting children.”

I was aware of the sudden silence from our prisoners. They were all looking at Bacare. I realised that if they had come from one of the great metropolises on Earth then they would have never seen a live T’Arni. Only images on a vid or holo. Hells if they stared like that at Bacare I wondered what they would make of Vorra.

“Please sir?” one of the male Terrans asked his voice hesitant and sounding terrified, “you aren’t going to eat me. I’ve got a wife and baby on the way?”

Bacare just stared back not understanding what he was saying.

“He’s thinking that you are going to eat him,” I translated to Bacare.

“What!” Bacare looked stunned.

“This is the Confederacy we don’t eat people not at any time ever!” I told the Terran my eyes on the others, “what idiot told you this crock of bullshit?”

The Terran pointed to the body of their commander. “He did?”

“Watch them,” I said to Bacare and stalked across to the dead Terrans. Their captain was lying where I shot him a pool of blood sprayed out from behind him. Kneeling down I wrenched the helmet from the corpse’s head coming face to face with pale skinned man his eyes open and staring. “Not even a looker?” I said to myself. Apart from the scar above his eye he looked rather plain to me. It was when I was about to place his helmet down that I noticed the comms unit in his helmet not a standard device by any means. “Hey Vorra make of this what you will?” I remarked tossing the helmet to her. She caught it easily.

“This is very interesting major. It’s a recording device and there seems to be a recording inside give me a minute I could get it going.” Vorra sounded keen I was just glad she wasn’t looking at me I was finding that too disconcerting.

“Do so,” Vorra was too engrossed in her task to notice me. “Kriaeusus relieve Vorra.”

“Yes major.”

“Major.” Tutor called me over.

“LT?”

“Weapons secured, half of them hadn’t even been fired!” I could hear the anger in his voice, “bloody children! What the hell is the Terran Empire thinking.”

“That I don’t know but I sure as hell going to find out.”

“Right major.”

“Major!” I heard Kriaeusus’ voice.

“Yes?”

“Wounded are patched up,” I noted that Kriaeusus and Sarah with the help of Parker had bandaged the wounded Terrans.

“They ok to move?”

“Four are but the fifth I’m not sure if she’s going to make it through the night. I just don’t have the equipment nor does the archaeologists, well not here but back at their camp,” Sarah said.

“Make her comfortable.”

“Aye major.”

“Lottie?” I asked, “did you get all that?”

“Certainly Sandra.”

“Do you know what’s happening in space we need to get off this planet?”

“I have been monitoring comms traffic. It appears your Captain Yanik is more elusive than I first thought.”

“Not my Captain Yanik,” I snapped back.

“My feeling a little tetchy are we. Shawna did offer a massage to ease your tension I’d suggest you take it.”

“Not today please Lottie I haven’t the strength to argue with you. Just tell me what you know?”

“The Havok has drawn the Terran Empire ship away from the planet. It will be some time before the Havok can send the shuttle. The Terran Empire ship can’t launch its shuttles until it knows it destroyed the Havok. They are not sure what they are dealing with. Its captain has already messaged the late Captain Phillips several times asking if he needs a pick up.”

“Damn we could be in trouble.”

“I’ve managed to convince the Terran Empire ship that Captain Phillips is still searching.”

“How did you do that?”

“That would be telling,” abruptly her presence was gone from my mind.

I growled annoyed but there were still things we had to do. I walked back to the prisoners. “I want you, you, you and you. To come with me?”

Pointing to the four Terrans who had the most to say. Three boys and a girl.

“Please ma’am what are you going to do with us?” the girl asked.

“Burial detail. You’re not going to leave your fallen to rot in the sun,” I put it as bluntly as I could. I saw their faces blanch, “Come along we haven’t got all day.”

Hesitantly they climbed to their feet. I saw the girl was about my height and shape. I had an idea not strictly within regulations but needs came first. The need to have some sort of armour been me and danger weighed heavily on my mind. Looking around I noticed Elspeth Broaden and the body of her friend had disappeared.

Joyce walked towards me a frown upon her face. “Major Locke keeping busy I hope,” She said giving the Terrans a disgusted look.

“Where’s Miss Broaden?” I replied.

“Preparing Jeanne’s body for burial. She wanted a T’Arni funeral.”

That surprised me coming from a Terran. “Buried, seated to face the morning sun with the tools of her trade in her hands?”

“Exactly. You seem surprised by that.”

“I never thought you Terrans would do that?”

“Us Terrans?” Joyce sounded thoughtful and a little annoyed. “With that accent I’d thought you’d come from the West Coast of America?”

“My father was from Earth originally,” I admitted.

“That explains the fluency of your accent,” she gave the four with me another of her looks, “where are you going with these?”

“Burial detail. But we need a place to bury the dead.”

“There’s a place over there you can bury them in it’s safe enough from falling masonry and the grounds are dirt under the slabs I doubt there’s anything of significant archaeological interest to us.”

“Best I get them underground before they attract night predators,” I said to Joyce.

“Night predators?”

“I mean the reptiles, the ones Reed Walters told me about?”

She looked puzzled. “So Reed mentioned our other finds. Jeanne was handling that we’ve discovered several undocumented large reptiles that have made their home in these ruins. They are a pain but they don’t like loud noise.” She made a gesture. “Alphonso, Abe get you butts out here and bring some shovels and pickaxes.” The two men answered her summons instantly. “Go with Major Locke and help her watch over the prisoners while they dig graves.”

Under my directions I had the four carry the bodies of their fallen up out of the amphitheatre to a spot not far away. I watched as they prised up a number of paving slabs and began to dig.

“Major do we have time to do this?” Tutor asked bringing the rest of the uninjured Terrans with him.

“I’ve got Lottie monitoring the comms relay I did tell you that before. Captain Yanik is leading the Terrans on a merry dance. It will be a while before they can do anything. The Terrans don’t dare launch a retrieval mission until they find and destroy the Havok.”

“So we’re stuck here for a while,” he waved his hands at the Terrans standing meekly behind him, “they wanted to help but I think they’re frightened we’ll do something to them.”

“Oh?”

“Specialist Vorra scared the hell out of them by taking off her helmet. Like you said I don’t think they’ve ever seen a live Ezaran either.”

“Right you,” I spoke in Terran, “get over there and help your friends. And hurry we haven’t got all day.”

The Terrans hurried to the others and began frantically digging.

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