Chapter 8

One of the things about living on an uninhabited world that I never really thought about was the lack of weather prediction and forecasting. The Queen North had exterior temperature sensors, but they were more for making sure that the hull wasn’t overheating during reentry. The same for the air speed sensors ... they were only used for landing. The survival computers all had a sensor package with them that measured air temperature, speed, and direction, as well as humidity and pressure. The sensor package just mounted to the hull and sent data to the survival computer, and mounting it was one of the first things I did after landing. The computer could tell you current conditions, as well as making basic predictions about the forecast. Modern weather forecasting utilized an array of sensors and satellites to predict weather patterns by tracking conditions as they moved across the surface. If a cold front was moving west, its speed could be observed, as well as its effect on the temperatures, and a prediction could be made about when it would get colder in your city. On Teldar II, we had a single sensor point and a small array of satellites that could read cloud cover and surface temperature, but that was about it. The survival computer’s forecast ability was only accurate to about a few hours. Sometimes it said it would rain, but the most we had received was a few light sprinkles. It had been a very dry summer, and I neither knew, nor cared, if this was normal.

Over the past three months, I had been experimenting with Thivkari’s seasonings, trying to find which ones worked well together and what tasted good to both of us with the local game. The additional cold storage units meant I was able to brine and freeze more meat, too, and this process used quite a bit of salt. We were getting low, so I suggested that she put her studying of the Queen North’s engineering systems on hold and make the trip to the salt deposit with me. I had noted that over the past week, the weather had become more mild, with highs in the upper 20’s and a cool breeze when there was wind. When we set out in the morning for the salt deposit, we noted dark clouds to the north-east, in the direction we were headed, but didn’t think anything of them.

Around 1500, we were almost at the salt deposit when the wind started picking up and blowing cold. The ambient temperature started to fall, and by the time we reached the deposit, it had fallen 10 degrees. Thivkari and I went to work chipping salt out of the deposit and bagging it. By the time we had filled our bags, the temperature was in the teens, and we began to hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. We worked together to set the tent up next to a rock face near the deposit to help shelter it from the wind, and anchored it to some nearby trees with extra paracord. A cold rain began to fall as we were tying off the last lines, and I sent Thivkari into the tent with our packs to keep everything dry. I managed to grab some kindling before it got soaked and retreated to the tent after it.

“This is the first real rain I’ve seen since arriving on this planet.” I pulled out my survival computer. “Wish this damned thing could see rainfall,” I said, looking at the satellite map of where we were. The approaching cold front was massive, but it wasn’t bringing freezing temperatures with it. “No idea how long this storm is going to last.” I switched views a few times, then noticed something odd with the infrared. “What the fuck is that?” Thivkari peered over my shoulder. About 40 klicks east-north-east of our position was a heat signature. I zoomed in. Now, the satellites were good at picking up game, and I knew what each edible animal looked like on infrared from orbit. These were nothing I had seen. A group of 6 heat signatures, each about the size of a small horse, except they weren’t shaped like horses, were milling around.

Thivkari gasped in horror. “Yishkak! Those are bugs!” They looked to be huddling in a shelter. I bookmarked the position on the map, and moved the view to the gunship’s crash location. There was a camp next to the crashed ship, with several shelters constructed. Thivkari pointed out features. “They’ve built a nest. That’s food storage. There’s where they sleep. That’s where they expel waste. And that ... that is where they’ve laid eggs.” She looked at me. “If they started reproducing after they crashed, they will have a creche of young hatching about now. In about a year, they could have 20 to 30 extra soldiers.” She looked me in my eyes. “If they find us, they will kill us.”

I shook the survival computer. “We have something they don’t. We have eyes in the sky. We can monitor what they’re doing.” I returned the view to the group that was nearby. “We need to track where this group is heading. They’re probably looking for your ship. They might be looking for mine. Luckily, we have enough munitions to take care of the problem, but it won’t be easy.”

We ate a dinner of field rations, heated with the flameless heaters, in relative silence. The fact that so many Yishkak survived being shot down was disconcerting. After eating, I went back to watching the Yishkak party. “Can you tell if they’re armed?” Thivkari asked.

I shook my head. “Not unless they’re carrying the weapons. I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t be, though.”

“Promise that we’ll kill them.”

I turned to look at her. “I’ll kill them.”

She shook her head emphatically. “Ils!” We. She pointed at herself, then at me. “Together.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m a Marine. It was my job to kill people. Taking on a group of six armed enemy soldiers is dangerous. I need to do it.”

She stood up. “No! They killed my clan! I need to kill them!” She put her hands on her hips. “I need to do this, and I need your help because I’m not a warrior.”

I couldn’t stand up inside the tent, as it wasn’t tall enough. Her ears were flattened against the top of it as it was. I gestured for her to sit back down. “No, it’s too dangerous. I won’t risk you.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Ju giped rabouwid. I don’t care. I need to do this. It was my clan. Please.”

I shook my head again. “No. I can’t let you. It’s too dangerous!”

“Why not? Do you care so little -”

I cut her off. “Because you’re my wife and I love you! I won’t let you risk your life.” She sank down into my arms.

“Irm jy rafune ju, jy aswel ju. If you love me, you’ll help me.”

“That’s not fair,” I said. “If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself...”

She took my face in her hands and kissed me. “I need this. I have nothing to offer that I haven’t already given you. I am yours, Luke. Completely. I beg you, let me avenge my clan. I’ll follow your orders and stay safe, but I need to do this.”

I looked back at the survival computer. The six Yishkak were clustered in a stand of trees near a clearing. I sighed. Maybe I was being stupid, trying to take on six soldiers on my own. With a second gun, we could catch them in a crossfire. “I ... I need to think. I can’t risk you.” I kept looking at the clearing they were near. A plan started to form. I scrolled the satellite view. Storm clouds obscured my view, but there was stored terrain data that I could overlay. After several long minutes, I said, “I might have an idea.”

She kissed me again. “After we kill those six, we’ll need to kill the others.”

I held up my hand. “My idea depends on a LOT of things going right.” She nodded eagerly. “We can’t control how the enemy acts in war. I can’t promise that ... well, if things go right, you’ll get to kill some. If things go wrong ... I want you to run.”

“I won’t leave you.” I shook my head and started to protest, but she stopped me. “No! You are sporrm fune.” She poked me in the chest and threw my own words back at me. “You’re my funed and I love you! I won’t leave you!”

We sat in silence for a long moment, listening to the rain patter on the tent. “Okay,” I finally said. “Okay. Here’s my plan, but it depends on what direction they’re travelling in.” I showed her the map. I laid out my plan.

Thivkari nodded. “It’s a good plan. You should check for other areas, though, in the case that they move in a different direction.” I nodded, and started scrolling the map.

“We need to get some sleep. We need to break camp and head back to the ship at first light.” It was only 1900. We zipped our sleeping bags together, stripped off our clothes, and climbed in. Thivkari shivered. I held her close to warm her up. We made love tenderly, cleaning up with a towel that we had brought. “Ju rafune jy, Thivkari. I love you.” I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but the thought of bringing her into combat tied my stomach in knots. I had fallen in love over the past few months.