Part 28 (2/2)

”Look who's talking about cheek!” he exclaimed, throwing up his hands as if in defense. He shot a quick glance at Rojer, who merely smiled at Asia. ”I should never have encouraged him to court you.” He laid a hand flat on his chest and appeared wounded to the core. ”Serpent to my breast.”

Asia only laughed, and putting a hand on Rojer's arm, hauled him in the direction of their cabin off the Talents' lounge.

”Remember,” Roddie called after them, ”we have to report in four hours and . . . ten minutes.”

As the surface party's shuttle touched lightly down on the designated spot, Rojer could sense Asia's excitement as she darted glances out the porthole. Kwan Keiser-Tau gestured authoritatively at his sergeant to lead out the scouting party for a quick look around.

”Nothing's stirring, sir,” the sergeant said.

”Not even the dust,” came a low murmur.

”Can it!” the sergeant ordered. ”Found what seems to be a man-made . . . excuse me, unnatural formation. Spread out there, Monks, see how far it goes. Might be the opening to the underground.”

”Check for anything resembling a ... manufactured remote or spotting device.”

Rojer peered past the wiry, shorter security major and then jumped to the ground . . . holding up his hand to silence Kwan's protest.

”Ain't no one here but us chickens, Major,” Lieutenant Rhodri Eagles observed as he dropped beside the Prime.

Rojer hunkered down to push a finger into the obviously manufactured seam, looking along its length until he saw the scout reach the end and hold up his arm. The man pointed south, indicating the perpendicular direction of the seam.

”This is it, then. There's enough s.p.a.ce to send an optic down.” Rojer indicated the opening.

The major snorted, but beckoned to one of his technicians, who promptly came forward swinging the equipment pack from his back to a ready position. Kneeling by the crack, he inserted the optical wire, pus.h.i.+ng it down, then kept his eyes on the dials and the small screen.

”Nothing down there but dust, and some sort of equipment stacked against the far wall. Over there, underneath us,” he said, pointing to well beyond the parked shuttle.

Tell Captain Soligen, Flavia, that the stable's empty and the barn door's still locked, Rojer said.

Do I repeat exactly what you tell me, Rojer? There was a ripple of laughter in Flavia's tone.

Whatever. She lifes a good laugh now and then. We'll move out now, Kwan ever vigilant, to the nearest facility, about two kilometers from here, I'd say, Rojer added, adjusting the glare by darkening his helmet's visor. ”Can we move out now, Major?” he asked politely.

”To the target area, Captain?”

”That's the idea, Major,” Rojer said, controlling his impatience with the methodical officer, and beckoned for Asia, Mialla Evshenk, Yakamasura and Wayla Gregorian to exit the shuttle.

Nice touch that, though, Asia said, grinning up at her spouse, reminding you that you may be a captain in the Talents' lounge but he outranks you on the ground.

Roddie was carefully walking the very straight line of the hatch, did an abrupt right-hand turn with military precision, a hundred meters to another right turn, to the other end and around back to them . . . leaving a straight line of boot prints to mark out the underground garage.

The rest of the surface team exited the shuttle, and at Keiser-Tau's gesture, some trotted out to the perimeter, heads turning from side to side in careful survey. Others bracketed the specialists. When his scouts reported in that all was clear, the major signaled them to return. Once his team had rea.s.sembled, Keiser-Tau raised his arm and led them at a jog trot up the slight incline from what had been the queens' landing field.

The terrain altered abruptly into lush green vegetation, obviously cultivated, neat tamped-down earth marking well-used paths.

”They sure do keep a tidy garden,” murmured one of the troopers.

”Maintain silence,” the major said, a scowl in his voice and probably on his face. He stopped at the edge of the cultivation, looking this way and that.

”The queens do not, I repeat, do not see or hear us, Major,” Rojer said.

”If they could hear, the patter of booted feet on an empty chamber would have roused some reaction,” Roddie added.

”As you say, Lieutenant.” Kwan awarded the T-3 a bare turn of his head in acknowledgment.

”Nor should we trample down the fields of corn,” Mialla said, pointing to the neat, well-used paths. ”We can easily stick to them. There's certainly nothing else moving. Major,” she added deferentially.

”Keep to the paths. Sergeant, take the point.”

Mialla used his momentary distraction to s.n.a.t.c.h a leaf from the nearest plant and was stowing it away in a specimen container before Keiser-Tau could protest.

”Need to a.n.a.lyze everything cogent to the project, Major.” Her remark was not an apology. When that crop ended and a new, feathery plant was visible, she also took samples of that variety.

Following the paths, they came to a T-junction.

”And leading directly to our target too,” Yakamasura said.

The security officer grunted, but despite his scans of the surrounding fields, nothing moved save the top leaves in a light wind.

So quiet you can hear the leaves growing, Asia said to Rojer.

A grunt from the major had the sergeant and two others jogging up the track to a distant pyramidal structure, the slope to its open side plainly visible as a black maw.

”We can move out now.” Keiser-Tau s raised arm gave them a needless direction.

Both Mialla Evshenk and Yakamasura paused long enough to gather botanical and soil samples on their way, a patient rear guard stopping as they did so.

I didn't thin*(a Hiver world would loof(so grand, Asia confided to Rojer. There was just enough room on the path for her to jog beside him.

That's because you've only seen the ruined ones before. Xh-33 is , . . was like this, he said, shaking his head. The Columbia had received copies of the Xh-33 ma.s.sacre. Rojer had been particularly horrified by the slaughter, since he remembered his probes across the orderly landscape now ruined by war.

Major Keiser-Tau halted them twenty meters from the slope into the facility. He sent the sergeant to the vantage point of the top of the pyramid and the man adjusted his visor for distance, turning slowly as he searched for movement. He paused, stiffened and pointed. The major adjusted his helmet, but he had to join the taller sergeant on the structure to see what had alerted him.

”A group of inbound workers from the look of them,” he said. ”Up here, everyone. We'll let them precede us. Some appear to be carrying leaves and things.”

Without haste, the specialists joined the major and his troopers, where they too could see the advance of swaying backs.

”All in step too, looks like,” someone murmured.

”Worse'n boot camp,” another anonymous voice added.

”Silence.”

Roddie twiddled with a setting on his helmet. ”MAYDAY! MAYDAY!”

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