Only the lack of refraction from the moonslight gave the vehicle slight dimension. It looked vaguely elliptical and rode the current effortlessly.
Sage identified the sled as a Phrenorian Tonbel -Âclass submersible that was equivalent to the Terran Navyâs Sea Shadow. The Sea Shadow served as armed transport craft that ferried men and materials in shallow water for assault and support. Like tank crews, the Sea Shadow only carried four personnel on board: a commander, pilot, gunner, and loader. The cargo space was small, but the armament packed a serious punch. It wasnât designed for sustained firefights, but the presence of the boat indicated that the Phrenorians had more muscle at their fingertips than otherwise believed.
A hatch swung open upward and a faint hint of light issued forth. Sage guessed the light source was infrared or something in a band that Phrenorians could see that humans couldnât because the area remained dark to him.
One of the guards nodded to Zhoh and he boarded the vessel without a word. The door closed and the submersible slipped back into the river and vanished.
The guards stood there a moment longer, then returned to the base and disappeared within.
Tensely, feeling exasperated, Sage hunkered down against the tree and kept watch. The Phrenorian base was there, just as Jahup had said it was, but no one knew what purpose it was supposed to serve. The structure was a ticking bomb waiting to go off.
Minutes passed and Sage put his emotions to one side to concentrate on the exfil from the area. He had some information, not everything he wanted, but enough to initiate a more informed investigation into the matter. He just needed to return with it.
The sec drones settled into a patrol pattern that was different from the previous one. Guards walked the area too, but they had to work hard not to be seen as well, so they didnât venture far.
Sage signed to Jahup, nodding to the nearest sec drone. When that one disappears behind the tree line, we go.
Yes. Impatience tightened Jahupâs eyes and turned his mouth into a hard line.
Slowly.
Jahup shot Sage a disgusted look and signed back. Iâm more worried about you than any mistake I might make.
If the situation had been any less tense, Sage might have grinned at that. But it was the truth.
The sec drone cut back behind the tree line thirty meters away and Jahup led the way into the jungle. The young scoutâs eyes were better than Sageâs, more used to the environment and operating at night without HUD assistance.
The young manâs ease with the jungle made Sage realize that he needed to incorporate some training with his soldiers in the brush without the AKTIVsuits. The Phrenorians depended a lot on technology, but they hadnât gotten away from their roots as independent fighters. Still, Makaum wasnât a home twenty for them either, and they tended to rely on their tech onplanet. Learning to operate, if necessary, without full military gear on assignment behind enemy lines might give the Terrans an edge at some point.
Sage stored that in the back of his mind and concentrated on moving through the jungle without making a sound or drawing attention from the drones or the local predators.
Submersible Ituri
Yeraf River
West of Makaum
5071 Akej (Phrenorian Prime)
Aboard the submersible, Zhoh kept his anger under control. The boatâs commander wisely elected not to stick his passenger in the cargo section and instead let him ride up front in the control section. That affront, if it had come, would have resulted in someoneâs death.
Outwardly, Zhoh appeared calm. His position as a captain in the Brown Spyrl would allow nothing less. But since the birth of his defective offspring, only disrespect had come his way. If it were not for his familyâs standing with the Phrenorian primesâÂif not for his standingâÂhe would have already been dead.
Lieutenant Yuburack had already
Sage identified the sled as a Phrenorian Tonbel -Âclass submersible that was equivalent to the Terran Navyâs Sea Shadow. The Sea Shadow served as armed transport craft that ferried men and materials in shallow water for assault and support. Like tank crews, the Sea Shadow only carried four personnel on board: a commander, pilot, gunner, and loader. The cargo space was small, but the armament packed a serious punch. It wasnât designed for sustained firefights, but the presence of the boat indicated that the Phrenorians had more muscle at their fingertips than otherwise believed.
A hatch swung open upward and a faint hint of light issued forth. Sage guessed the light source was infrared or something in a band that Phrenorians could see that humans couldnât because the area remained dark to him.
One of the guards nodded to Zhoh and he boarded the vessel without a word. The door closed and the submersible slipped back into the river and vanished.
The guards stood there a moment longer, then returned to the base and disappeared within.
Tensely, feeling exasperated, Sage hunkered down against the tree and kept watch. The Phrenorian base was there, just as Jahup had said it was, but no one knew what purpose it was supposed to serve. The structure was a ticking bomb waiting to go off.
Minutes passed and Sage put his emotions to one side to concentrate on the exfil from the area. He had some information, not everything he wanted, but enough to initiate a more informed investigation into the matter. He just needed to return with it.
The sec drones settled into a patrol pattern that was different from the previous one. Guards walked the area too, but they had to work hard not to be seen as well, so they didnât venture far.
Sage signed to Jahup, nodding to the nearest sec drone. When that one disappears behind the tree line, we go.
Yes. Impatience tightened Jahupâs eyes and turned his mouth into a hard line.
Slowly.
Jahup shot Sage a disgusted look and signed back. Iâm more worried about you than any mistake I might make.
If the situation had been any less tense, Sage might have grinned at that. But it was the truth.
The sec drone cut back behind the tree line thirty meters away and Jahup led the way into the jungle. The young scoutâs eyes were better than Sageâs, more used to the environment and operating at night without HUD assistance.
The young manâs ease with the jungle made Sage realize that he needed to incorporate some training with his soldiers in the brush without the AKTIVsuits. The Phrenorians depended a lot on technology, but they hadnât gotten away from their roots as independent fighters. Still, Makaum wasnât a home twenty for them either, and they tended to rely on their tech onplanet. Learning to operate, if necessary, without full military gear on assignment behind enemy lines might give the Terrans an edge at some point.
Sage stored that in the back of his mind and concentrated on moving through the jungle without making a sound or drawing attention from the drones or the local predators.
Submersible Ituri
Yeraf River
West of Makaum
5071 Akej (Phrenorian Prime)
Aboard the submersible, Zhoh kept his anger under control. The boatâs commander wisely elected not to stick his passenger in the cargo section and instead let him ride up front in the control section. That affront, if it had come, would have resulted in someoneâs death.
Outwardly, Zhoh appeared calm. His position as a captain in the Brown Spyrl would allow nothing less. But since the birth of his defective offspring, only disrespect had come his way. If it were not for his familyâs standing with the Phrenorian primesâÂif not for his standingâÂhe would have already been dead.
Lieutenant Yuburack had already
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