infection.”
Sorilla nodded tiredly as the nurse began to treat her, catching something in the woman’s eyes. “What?”
“Could I... Would you mind if I used this?” Tara asked, holding up the medical gear, “There are some people...”
“By all means,” Sorilla said, nodding with a weary smile. “That’s what it’s there for.”
*****
In the morning, Samuel Becker looked up as the shadow fell over his table, and smiled as he recognized the newcomer to their little jungle hideaway. “Sergeant Aida, good morning.”
“Morning, sir.” She responded, coming to a stop near his makeshift desk slash table.
“Please,” he said, still smiling, “We’re not formal here. Call me Samuel.”
She just nodded, looking down at the things he had spread over the table. “Inventory?”
“That’s correct,” he sighed, “We’re low on supplies. We’ve been living off things taken from the outlying farms... there’s nothing in the jungle that we can properly digest, you see.”
She nodded, that had been in her briefing. “There was a series of supply drops made just before and after my team’s insertion. Some of them might have made it down.”
He looked up, hopeful, “You think they weren’t hit like...”
He winced, and she nearly did too, but she just tilted her head as her eyes chilled slightly.
“It’s possible. I made it down, after all.”
“How can we find them?”
“I have a variable strength riff system,” She replied, hesitant.
He caught her hesitation, his own face darkening. “Do you think that’s safe?”
She shook her head, “I’m not sure. I think maybe it is... When I reached the jungle line, whatever it was that attacked me seemed to lose track of me. It might be that they’re confined to the colony sites.”
“I understand. I’d really like the supplies but I’m not sure that we can afford the risk.”
“Sir, we can minimize it if I go with a team and we hike some distance from the camp before I use the riff pulse. If it’s picked up, it won’t lead back to the camp that way.”
Samuel thought about it for a moment, slowly nodding. “Do it, please Sergeant, and thank you.”
*****
“You’re one crazy b... lady, you know that right?”
Sorilla didn’t look up as she finished the final check on her armored suit, “Go with your first instinct, Jerry... it’s more accurate.”
“Christ, you barely limped in here last night under your own power!” The pathfinder growled, digging his right foot into the ground with a sharp kick, “You’re never going to heal if you don’t take a couple days...”
“Don’t have them.” She replied, “Fleet’s not going to wait forever. I’ve got to get to those supply cases, if any made it down, just as badly as you and your people do.”
“What could possibly be so important??”
“Each case was packed with a backup long range laser transmitter,” She replied, “we left retransmission satellites in orbit around your second moon...”
“We’ve got tight beam radio transmitters!”
She shook her head, “Won’t work. This planet is a black hole right now, except for light. The fleet tried all their active and passive scanners before my mission got the green light... There was nothing but visuals coming off the entire planet. No radio, no Casimir radiation from the FTL transmitter, there wasn’t even any radiation from the particulate belts in orbit.”
Jerry, the jungle biologist turned pathfinder blinked, practically crossing his eyes. “Is that even possible??”
“No.” Sorilla shook her head, “Which, combined with the insanity at the colony a couple nights ago, makes me very anxious to contact Fleet.”
“I see,” he sighed, “When are we going?”
“Now,” She replied, pulling a section from the vest front of her armored suit, tucking it into a pouch on her vest.
*****
For Sorilla the next three hours of hiking out and away from the camp, heading
Sorilla nodded tiredly as the nurse began to treat her, catching something in the woman’s eyes. “What?”
“Could I... Would you mind if I used this?” Tara asked, holding up the medical gear, “There are some people...”
“By all means,” Sorilla said, nodding with a weary smile. “That’s what it’s there for.”
*****
In the morning, Samuel Becker looked up as the shadow fell over his table, and smiled as he recognized the newcomer to their little jungle hideaway. “Sergeant Aida, good morning.”
“Morning, sir.” She responded, coming to a stop near his makeshift desk slash table.
“Please,” he said, still smiling, “We’re not formal here. Call me Samuel.”
She just nodded, looking down at the things he had spread over the table. “Inventory?”
“That’s correct,” he sighed, “We’re low on supplies. We’ve been living off things taken from the outlying farms... there’s nothing in the jungle that we can properly digest, you see.”
She nodded, that had been in her briefing. “There was a series of supply drops made just before and after my team’s insertion. Some of them might have made it down.”
He looked up, hopeful, “You think they weren’t hit like...”
He winced, and she nearly did too, but she just tilted her head as her eyes chilled slightly.
“It’s possible. I made it down, after all.”
“How can we find them?”
“I have a variable strength riff system,” She replied, hesitant.
He caught her hesitation, his own face darkening. “Do you think that’s safe?”
She shook her head, “I’m not sure. I think maybe it is... When I reached the jungle line, whatever it was that attacked me seemed to lose track of me. It might be that they’re confined to the colony sites.”
“I understand. I’d really like the supplies but I’m not sure that we can afford the risk.”
“Sir, we can minimize it if I go with a team and we hike some distance from the camp before I use the riff pulse. If it’s picked up, it won’t lead back to the camp that way.”
Samuel thought about it for a moment, slowly nodding. “Do it, please Sergeant, and thank you.”
*****
“You’re one crazy b... lady, you know that right?”
Sorilla didn’t look up as she finished the final check on her armored suit, “Go with your first instinct, Jerry... it’s more accurate.”
“Christ, you barely limped in here last night under your own power!” The pathfinder growled, digging his right foot into the ground with a sharp kick, “You’re never going to heal if you don’t take a couple days...”
“Don’t have them.” She replied, “Fleet’s not going to wait forever. I’ve got to get to those supply cases, if any made it down, just as badly as you and your people do.”
“What could possibly be so important??”
“Each case was packed with a backup long range laser transmitter,” She replied, “we left retransmission satellites in orbit around your second moon...”
“We’ve got tight beam radio transmitters!”
She shook her head, “Won’t work. This planet is a black hole right now, except for light. The fleet tried all their active and passive scanners before my mission got the green light... There was nothing but visuals coming off the entire planet. No radio, no Casimir radiation from the FTL transmitter, there wasn’t even any radiation from the particulate belts in orbit.”
Jerry, the jungle biologist turned pathfinder blinked, practically crossing his eyes. “Is that even possible??”
“No.” Sorilla shook her head, “Which, combined with the insanity at the colony a couple nights ago, makes me very anxious to contact Fleet.”
“I see,” he sighed, “When are we going?”
“Now,” She replied, pulling a section from the vest front of her armored suit, tucking it into a pouch on her vest.
*****
For Sorilla the next three hours of hiking out and away from the camp, heading
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