Chapter 10: Preparing for the fleet

Everyone was more than happy to see me. They had been listening to the Cariss signals and cheering each time I led them into trouble. The women pulled Dawn aside and I went to rest. For the next three days I stayed with the colony and the fleet sent a signal burst that broke through. It was encrypted and Mr Harris began decrypting it by hand.

He finally looked around at everyone waiting, “The fleet will be here within a day.”

Everyone was cheering but I was thinking of the welcome they could expect on the ground. I knew fleet and they would destroy the Cariss warship in obit before coming down. The Cariss left here would attack the shuttles as soon as they saw them. I turned to slip away and saw Mr Perry watching me. I shrugged and headed down to the tunnels.

I was looking at the power ovals for a Tron glider when he found me, “what are you planning?”

I smiled as a plan came to me, “A surprise for the Cariss. When Fleet lands they are going to fight to the last man.”

Mr Perry nodded, “Fleet can...”

I shook my head, “I can sneak back and plant some of these power ovals set to over power and explode to distract the Cariss so Fleet can land safely before they have to fight.”

He frowned but finally nodded, “what do you need?”

I looked around, “A way to carry them.”

Mr Perry grinned, “Give me a couple of minutes. We have a couple of Croclin skin packs. You should be able to use one.”

I waited and thirty minutes later he was back with a large pack. It already held several rations and a couple of skins of water. I added a dozen power ovals and closed the pack. I walked to the glider I had used and put the sling over my shoulder before nodding to Mr Perry and turning it on and climbing on. The glider came out of the tunnel fast and I banked sharply.

I dropped to the tree tops and opened it up to go as fast as it could. I stayed low the whole way and turned when I got close. I circled to the north and the cliffs. I slowed and landed in a clear space. I slipped off and removed the power oval before hiding it. I climbed down the cliff as fast as I safely could and moved into the brush.

I moved carefully and silently until I reached the landing pads. I checked the time before carefully moving around the burnt and ripped apart area where landing pads had once been. I knelt beside the stump of a tree and waited. The Cariss had already repaired and set up several landing pads. As it began to get dark I went to my stomach and crawled towards the nearest pad.

At the edge I stopped and pulled out an oval. I looked at it and touched it in the middle where it lit up. I used a small twig to poke into the tiny hole that appeared. I pushed it under the edge of the pad before crawling towards the next one. When I finished with the last one I crawled away. Along the path to the colony I dropped more ovals until I ran out.

I slipped away and as soon as I could started running. I reached the cliff in the darkness and hesitated before starting to climb. I barely slipped over the top before the night was shattered by the exploding power ovals. I turned to watch and then glanced at the comm I had left on the glider as it went off, “come in Simon!”