Chapter 340 (2/2)

Palgret saw the Mantids all ready their weapons and grabbed his rifle, pulling it around and putting his fingers on the safety lever.

”Um, apparently a hatch opened and ripped into the ground. I might, and I mean might, have just torn off part of what looks like an nCv cannon,” the human said.

”Well don't just stand there looking at it, tear the rest away before it fires it and kills us all,” the black mantid that had been mostly silent said.

”We've got out access point, get the local troops up here,” the human said, triggering the beam. ”Wow, silicon, iridium, palladium, all kinds of good stuff.”

The black Mantid activated his helmet, it covering his triangular head quickly. ”Get ready,” he said.

Palgret took cover behind a large chunk of ferrocrete. One of the green mantids moved next to him, crouching down and unlimbering a tiny rocket launcher. The two black mantids took cover, while the other green one climbed on the human's back.

”There, I just ripped up the chamber. Wow, they use snub-nose barrels, it's barely thirty feet long. There goes the feed mechanism,” the human said. He clicked it off. ”I think I hit a maintenance space.”

The green mantid on his shoulder jumped off, deploying little wings from the back of the armor. It spiralled up into the fog filled hole.

Palgret tensed, feeling this thumbs cramp up slightly.

After a few long minutes the green mantid came gliding back down in a spiral, landing on the human's shoulder.

”All right, 528 tossed a couple dozen mapping drones up through the maintenance access. Let's get a good map of this sucker,” the human said.

”Don't you have maps from other ones?” Palgret asked.

--not all same-- the little greenie at his feet transmitted onto his visor. --different factories-missions-designs--

”Oh,” Palgret said.

--always asky ask question-- the greenie said. --only dumb query is query not queried--

Palgret nodded slowly. Over the last few days he had come to appreciate just how intelligent the green ones were. They weren't savants, or caste workers with minds full of nothing but their bred-in jobs, but highly intelligent creatures, just focused.

He'd gotten used to intense focus after being around the Terrans for a few days.

”Damn, this one's a big one,” the human muttered over the local talk channel. ”Looks like the maintenance bots are busy somewhere else. Maybe engine damage? Not detecting stable power in the cabling in the walls either.”

”Platoon coming in,” Palgret's Platoon Leader, Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u said over the channel. The Lanaktallan sounded stressed.

Palgret held position even after the rest of the platoon came jogging up. They had another human with them, this one followed by a half dozen drones easily big enough for another human to hide inside of.

Palgret's squad leader knelt down next to him. ”Anything?” he asked.

Palgret shook his head. ”The Terrans ripped right through fifty feet of armor like it wasn't there then sent in mapping drones. Said it's a big one.”

”Got a manufacturing bay. Everything's thrown everywhere, looks like it was building assault vehicles. No repairs going on, no power,” the human said. ”Lots of smashed junk, I'm pretty sure this one crashed.”

Palgret could feel the tension in the air and recited the mantras he had been trained in. He doublechecked his gear, including the Terran additions, and waited, still crouched down behind the piece of ferrocrete. Most of the platoon was gathered up in a group, chatting among themselves while the Lieutenant stood next to the Terran, who was still crouched down.

”Get your men into cover,” one of the black mantids grated out, unfolding his helmet so he could light another cigarette. ”Never know when a clanker is going to jump out at you.”

”Excuse me?” Palgret's squad leader asked, standing up and turning around to face the black mantid, who was putting his cigarette lighting device away. ”I think...”

Palgret would never be able to explain exactly how he knew, only that he somehow knew what was about to happen next.

He reached out, grabbed the back of his squad leader's equipment belt, and yanked him down.

The HV round missed Palgret's squad leader by fractions of an inch, the ZWEEP-KRAK! and bright yellow line close enough to bubble the top layer of the laminate of the squad leader's helmet.

”CONTACT!” the Terran yelled, turning toward where the wall of the tunnel was collapsing. ”MULTIPLE CONTACTS!”

The tunnel erupted in the thunder of gunfire.