then a small box spun through the air toward them, and Jaansma saw a tawny paw disappear behind a building. The grenade hit, and small insectlike creatures swarmed out and flashed toward the nearest man. He screamed, clawed at himself, and died.
“Musth!” Garvin shouted, fumbled a magazine from his pouch, loaded his blaster.
“Load ‘em up!” was his command. “For real!”
A
devourer-weapon
chattered, and finger-sized bullets thudded into the peat, close to a trooper.
“Stop shooting, you Musth!” Garvin shouted. “We’re not attacking!”
Another blast came from another direction.
“Cease firing, goddamit! We’re not your enemies,” Garvin called again, even as his fingers found a blast grenade. His thumb reflexively clicked its timer four times, and he straight-armed it at the building.
Four seconds later, it went off, and most of a wall exploded inward.
A Musth appeared in the gap, spray-pistol hissing acid toward al Sharif, and the ‘Raum blew the alien in half with his blaster.
“Go in for real,” Montagna called, and in shock, but ground-in reflexes taking over, Bravo Element started toward the complex, zigging, crouching, firing at the buildings.
• • •
Loy Kouro and Jasith Mellusin met at the rear of the temple, then moved toward the Leader, who stood below the podium, waiting, as the music rose once again.
A striker rose to throw a grenade, and a Musth came up, fired twice, and the man dropped as a round struck him, then began writhing as the
devourer-weapon’s
creatures came out of the cartridge and began eating the flesh around the wound.
The Musth was about to fire again. Garvin shot him down, then rolled twice as a grenade bounced and exploded a meter away from him. He waited for the stings, but the wasplike insectoids missed him.
• • •
“Wilt thou, Loy Kouro, have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after the Creator’s ordinance in the holy state of matrimony?”
“I will.” Kouro’s voice was firm.
“And wilt thou, Jasith Mellusin, have this man to thy husband, to live together after the Creator’s ordinance in the holy state of matrimony.”
“Yes,” Jasith said, and no one noticed the brief hesitation.
• • •
Garvin blew another panel open, diving through the ragged hole into the building. He heard shots from the next room, or bay, or whatever it was, ran through the door, past strange furniture, booted a doorway open, and the Musth turned, his pistol’s mouth sweeping toward Jaansma.
Garvin pulled the trigger twice, and the Musth fell forward, lay silent.
He heard more shots, a volley of them, a blast of two grenades, one Musth, one human.
“They’re down,” someone shouted, and another gunshot made him a liar, and more blaster rounds answered.
“He’s dead!” someone shouted.
“Are there any more of the bastards?”
Silence, then:
“No! We’ve killed them all!”
• • •
“O Eternal Creator,” the Leader said, “Creator and Preserver of all Mankind, send thy blessing upon these thy servants, and recognize the ring the man hath given the woman is a symbol of their eternal troth and the covenant between them.”
• • •
“What’s the count?” Garvin said.
“Three of ours dead … two more wounded,” Montagna said. “We have six dead Musth. No wounded. We tried to help one of them, and he shot himself before we could get to his gun.”
Her control broke, now that it was over, and she tried to keep tears back.
“God
damn
it, why’d they shoot at us? What did they think we were doing? We aren’t fighting them! What the hell’s going on, anyway?”
“When you figure it out,” Garvin said grimly, “be sure and let me know.”
• • •
“May the Creator preserve and keep you, look down upon you and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may so live together in this life that in the world to come you may have life everlasting.”
• • •
“Lance, this is Sibyl
“Musth!” Garvin shouted, fumbled a magazine from his pouch, loaded his blaster.
“Load ‘em up!” was his command. “For real!”
A
devourer-weapon
chattered, and finger-sized bullets thudded into the peat, close to a trooper.
“Stop shooting, you Musth!” Garvin shouted. “We’re not attacking!”
Another blast came from another direction.
“Cease firing, goddamit! We’re not your enemies,” Garvin called again, even as his fingers found a blast grenade. His thumb reflexively clicked its timer four times, and he straight-armed it at the building.
Four seconds later, it went off, and most of a wall exploded inward.
A Musth appeared in the gap, spray-pistol hissing acid toward al Sharif, and the ‘Raum blew the alien in half with his blaster.
“Go in for real,” Montagna called, and in shock, but ground-in reflexes taking over, Bravo Element started toward the complex, zigging, crouching, firing at the buildings.
• • •
Loy Kouro and Jasith Mellusin met at the rear of the temple, then moved toward the Leader, who stood below the podium, waiting, as the music rose once again.
A striker rose to throw a grenade, and a Musth came up, fired twice, and the man dropped as a round struck him, then began writhing as the
devourer-weapon’s
creatures came out of the cartridge and began eating the flesh around the wound.
The Musth was about to fire again. Garvin shot him down, then rolled twice as a grenade bounced and exploded a meter away from him. He waited for the stings, but the wasplike insectoids missed him.
• • •
“Wilt thou, Loy Kouro, have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after the Creator’s ordinance in the holy state of matrimony?”
“I will.” Kouro’s voice was firm.
“And wilt thou, Jasith Mellusin, have this man to thy husband, to live together after the Creator’s ordinance in the holy state of matrimony.”
“Yes,” Jasith said, and no one noticed the brief hesitation.
• • •
Garvin blew another panel open, diving through the ragged hole into the building. He heard shots from the next room, or bay, or whatever it was, ran through the door, past strange furniture, booted a doorway open, and the Musth turned, his pistol’s mouth sweeping toward Jaansma.
Garvin pulled the trigger twice, and the Musth fell forward, lay silent.
He heard more shots, a volley of them, a blast of two grenades, one Musth, one human.
“They’re down,” someone shouted, and another gunshot made him a liar, and more blaster rounds answered.
“He’s dead!” someone shouted.
“Are there any more of the bastards?”
Silence, then:
“No! We’ve killed them all!”
• • •
“O Eternal Creator,” the Leader said, “Creator and Preserver of all Mankind, send thy blessing upon these thy servants, and recognize the ring the man hath given the woman is a symbol of their eternal troth and the covenant between them.”
• • •
“What’s the count?” Garvin said.
“Three of ours dead … two more wounded,” Montagna said. “We have six dead Musth. No wounded. We tried to help one of them, and he shot himself before we could get to his gun.”
Her control broke, now that it was over, and she tried to keep tears back.
“God
damn
it, why’d they shoot at us? What did they think we were doing? We aren’t fighting them! What the hell’s going on, anyway?”
“When you figure it out,” Garvin said grimly, “be sure and let me know.”
• • •
“May the Creator preserve and keep you, look down upon you and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may so live together in this life that in the world to come you may have life everlasting.”
• • •
“Lance, this is Sibyl
Similar Books
