Xeno Core

Yosip runs past us, spear at the ready. Bullets ricochet from the stone wall, spraying Han and me with sharp chips.

Voices growl at each other farther down the tunnel. Their accent is thick, almost unintelligible to the translator, but I actually recognize a few vowel shifts and can make out a bit of their conversation. They aren't happy, obviously, and that they want to try the big something.

"Yosip, get down!"

I doubt he needs the warning, but Han yells the same thing as I. If nothing else, we draw some of the miners' attention. More bullets impact the walls in front of us. Han holds his laser ready, waiting for the attack to let up. As soon as it does he dashes forward, firing wildly.

One of the miners screams. The beam slices through his left leg, just above the knee. He topples, tangling up the others long enough for Han to make it past the intersection.

Their suits, much repaired and heavily modified, screech in protest as they chase us. Han, taking his own advice, then drops to the ground. He rolls to a stop before the next corner. A heavy cartridge careens off the wall and sails over him, white smoke trailing behind it.

Thick billows of the stuff fill the tunnel.

"Can you see, Han? The cameras are useless right now, but there may be something I can do to help."

"No," he answers. "There's too much smoke. What can you do, this isn't something you can shine a light through for me!"

Rather than answer, I release my hold on the cameras and focus outward. I can hear the nomads behind us, as well as Yosip farther ahead dealing with the other group that's been tracking us. Not well enough to give Han reliable directions, however.

The suits that they wear pulse with energy. Electrical current, magnetic fields, and thermal radiation. This I can work with. It is a small matter to manifest light upon the inside of his visor. The crudeness of the imagery causes him to cackle quietly, but it is enough to provide him a viable target.

Han's laser won't be of much use in the thick smoke, so he sets it carefully upon his back. That it covers the camera is of little concern. Through me other senses I watch as he retrieves a small cutting torch from a storage compartment of his armor.

The miners stumble blindly closer, swinging their claws through the thick smoke. Just the noise they make would make them easy prey for a more experienced warrior. I keep a sketch of their positions upon Han's visor, and he positions himself quietly. Even in the patchwork armor he wears he is nearly silent.

When one comes within claw's reach he strikes. The torch flares, but the light stops ubits into the smoke. The short but intense flame drills mercilessly into the complex shoulder of the scavenger. He drops his weapon, which I light up for Han as it bounces across the floor. Black smoke joins the white that surrounds us.

The other nomad fires his weapon at the noise. The thick smoke swirls around the bullets as they fly. I keep their trajectory indicated, to prevent the youth from dodging into them. He nods silently as he creeps safely around the spray of bullets.

Screams from Yosip's prey signal their defeat. Han, not wanting to be out done, dashes forward. His torch flares again right before impacting the right knee of the final miner. He goes down, yelling in agony.

Han retrieves their fallen weapons while the two writhe upon the uneven floor. When the smoke clears enough to see, Han stands above them, one of their own rifles aimed down at them.

Yosip runs from around the corner, blood dripping from his fists.

"Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. We're fine," Han replies shakily.

"Oh good, they're still alive," Yosip says with a scowl. The two Tserri are too concerned with their injuries to pay him any attention. "I was in too much of a hurry with mine."

"There's a third behind us," I add helpfully. "If he hasn't bled out already."

"Laser wounds don't bleed, Mos. Whose pet did you kill to deserve this kind of attention?"

That may be, but cauterized or not, when the miner's weight came down on the severed limb it tore through the burnt flesh. I can still sense the heat of the blood as it transfers into the slowly circulating air, if I concentrate.

Han looks up at the Supply-Master. "Some shit pile from one of the mountain tribes."

"And?"

"And," I say, "Han also got the owner of that awful creature arrested. The poor bastard is probably still digging ventilation shafts."

"It was self-defense. Donna said so," replies the youth, absently rubbing his leg.

Yosip drags the third of the injured Tserri back to us. The miner is unconscious. And bleeding from their stump. I decide not to point this out to the Supply-Master.

"Any idea where the other team is?"

"Sorry, Yosip. They're too far away for me to detect. If you can connect me to a better communication array, it would be possible to view through the cameras mounted in the other miners' suits."

He rubs his metal jaw with one hand while he thinks. "Not possible, at least, not right yet."

We still don't know how many more of the mountain tribe are still in the tunnels. Gelly and Bruen are supposed to be hunting intruders in a different segment of the twisting labyrinth. Unfortunately, Gelly's comm unit isn't working, thanks to a drained power supply.

We have a few options available. For one, we could simply stay put until the other team meets up with us, assuming they don't try the same thing. There's also the option of dragging the three captives back to the center. There they could be guarded by some of the casteless soldiers. Finally, we could leave them behind and continue toward the airlock. Once there we should be able to determine how many total invaders we're facing.

I personally favor the second option. Yosip evidently agrees, as he orders Han to assist him with stabilizing the injured before they die on us. In order to treat their wounds, the two strip them of their armor suits. It all goes in a pile with their weapons. We can send a soldier to retrieve the loot later.

We aren't carrying much in the way of medical supplies, but a few lengths of cloth torn from the captive's clothing make suitable bandages. Yosip directs Han in binding their arms together, all four of them. Not much is left of their tunics when Yosip and Han finish binding them, but the miners will survive a little embarrassment.

The miner with the missing leg goes over the Supply-Master's shoulder. Han keeps his laser on the other two from behind. They have no will to fight left, and allow themselves to be led back to our camp with only minor grumbling.

There we find Don Gelly guarding his own captives. They huddle together in the clear area next to the mess table, where Gelly sits, rifle in hand. Their gear is piled against the wall of the shelter. No one else is at the camp, not even Drev.

"Ye brought me some more friends, eh?"

"Why aren't you protecting Mos Bruen?"

"Oh, calm yerself, Denn," he replies. "This were his idea. He and Drev are leadin' different teams out to clean up the rest." He gestures with one hand, directing the captives to group together. "The furballs went crazy when they saw our friends, and Bruen thought they might be less skittish with meself to guard them."

Altogether there are seven prisoners. Yosip can claim four kills, and Gelly two. If the other teams return with around the same number of captives, we might not have to worry about any further reprisal. After all, how large could the mountain tribe be?