Chapter 38

More and more Imperial resources were being diverted to the planet. Eventually the story broke in the newsie corporations causing a shockwave of anger and revulsion throughout the Empire. Naturally many newsies wanted access to the planet, though as only Fleet were being allowed in and nobody else knew where it was, they were naturally frustrated. Not that there would be much for them to do except record the scenes. The Rogothi victims themselves were still extremely traumatised and few were talking coherently about anything. Nor had communications with those in hiding been fully established, though caches of food and water were being left and used by them. The planetary AI also had Ground Force leave a note explaining who the Imperials were and to let them know if there were any hidden mercenaries or other invaders in hiding and where they were. So far there hadn’t been any response, though the acceptance of the food was taken as a good sign. Attacks on Ground Force Troopers also slowed down in these areas particularly as the Troopers themselves, unlike the mercenaries, never shot back.

I did know my father and the other Cures were pretty much exhausting themselves dealing with the worst of the victims, even as Aunt Cass and the rest of the Healers were doing similarly in trying to keep the worst of the other survivors alive in order to be cured. We did manage to help some newly captured victims to recover quickly and were using them as direct translators rather than the AI translation service which caused pauses and occasionally frustration for both sides as the Empire struggled with a situation it was ill prepared for.

Amanda and I were out in the field with some Troopers who were merely keeping an eye on the perimeter of a site where Ground Force had discovered some almost intact buildings. These had been abandoned by the natives and I was there to record the images contained in what had to have been a school.

“I really hope we can find out who ordered this,” Amanda said into the silence with an unhappy sigh.

“So do I. Though from what we’ve been told, the mercenaries know nothing. They were simply ordered here to guard the place after the invasion and the ... facilities built,” I replied.

“The site AIs also self-terminated as well. All their records were expunged, though I doubt there would have been many clues there.”

“Wonder if it’s the same people doing the medical seal mimickers or some other group?” I asked, not really expecting an answer.

“I don’t know,” Amanda confessed. “But believe me we are never going to give up trying to find out.”

During our discussion a sub-Monitor warned us, “Perimeter sensors detecting movement out there.”

“Enemy or native?” Trusha asked.

“Native we think. No signs of the tech the mercs use.”

“Probably just curious,” Trusha acknowledged.

“Most likely. They often observe us when we’re out and about, though will retreat if we approach.”

“Probably don’t trust us.”

“Can’t say I blame them after what happened. We’re just some other bunch of armoured invaders to them.”

“Yep.”

“Approach detected,” the AI warned.

“Stay still! No sudden movements,” the sub-Monitor warned.

The Troopers froze in place as a youngish man and a woman came through the dense undergrowth, the woman carrying a child. Both the adults looked clearly very nervous though held their ground as we civilians approached, having decided we were less threatening than the Troopers.

“Our daughter is sick. Can you help?” the woman said desperately as she set the girl down.

“Torric?” Amanda requested.

“Serenissimé,” came the reply as Torric carefully approached and scanned with his wand. “Appendicitis and mild malnutrition are the main issues here,” he explained.

“Fix her please,” Amanda requested... “Appendicitis?”

“A colonic throwback, usually eliminated in those Imperial citizens having one by nanite absorption during the afterbirth checks, Serenissimé.”

“Right. Well, carry on.”

“Of course, Serenissimé. Already done,” he replied as he administered some drugs and a nanite compound.

As Torric did this I pulled out some nutrition bars and handed them over to the couple who still looked terribly afraid, though were a little more relaxed as the girl re-acted positively to her treatment.

“Why?” the male eventually asked.

“Er ... why what?” I asked.

“Why are you here? ... Who are you? Why us?” a torrent of questions poured out from the male.

“We came here to help after we found out what had occurred when we happened upon your starship,” I explained.

“You aren’t the same as the invaders?”

“No, though we suspect the ones behind it are criminals from our society.”

“So the food and water left aren’t traps?” the woman asked.

“No, just trying to help you survive as it’s clear you don’t trust us, nor have good reason to.”

“We were so worried that you’d take us, but Katlak was so ill...”

“She’s all fixed now,” Torric informed her.

“Thank you,” the woman gasped out as the young girl ran into her arms.

“No problem. If there are others ill, we’ll help.”

“We ... we were banished from our group when we said we would see you,” the man explained.

“You’re free to come with us and help,” Amanda offered. “You won’t like it when you see what the invaders did though.”

“They did not kill those they captured?”

“No, but many wished they had died,” Amanda explained, also giving a short history of what the invaders had done, making the couple look shocked, then ill.

“We have movement in the undergrowth.” The sub-Monitor warned.

“Let them approach, but use caution,” Amanda requested. “It might be those of their group investigating if they are alive or not.”

“Serenissimé.”

“Let’s move back to cover,” Trusha more or less ordered.

We all moved back to cover within the building and watched as the Troopers simply remained standing, not doing anything threatening, simply observing. A couple of rotations later a group of men charged out of the dense growth, many of them hurling spears at the Troopers, who simply ignored them as very little could pierce their armour if it wasn’t wielded by another Trooper.

“Diversion,” Liono stated.

She was correct, as the sensornet maintained by the AIs detected a smaller group sneaking into the buildings from a position where they thought they could not be observed.

“Let them approach, but be cautious,” Amanda requested of the bodyguards.

“Serenissimé,” Trusha replied as we were all wearing Guardian style armour, other than the helmets that Trusha had insisted upon before she’d allow Amanda outside.

“Quiet,” Liono commented. “Though I suspect they don’t quite know who or what they are sneaking up on.”

“Not surprising,” Amanda nodded. “All they will have seen is death and destruction caused by the Invaders and will likely view us as being the same.”

Our group and the three natives moved into cover, leaving only the two bodyguards exposed. They were looking directly at where those sneaking up on us would have to appear, with the AI giving constant updates on their positions.

“You may as well come out. We know you’re there,” Trusha stated in the native tongue via an AI translation.

There was no answer except for a mass of males charging out, hoping to overcome the two women. All were armed, in a sense, with clubs and, in the case of one of them, a spear. Unfortunately for them, they had no comprehension of the talents of Trusha and Liono who simply appeared to blur as they counter-charged the attackers, dealing with them swiftly and brutally, though not fatally. Seeing their mistake, several at the back of the group attempted to run, though were swiftly caught and knocked to the ground, unconscious, by Liono who had broken through the press of bodies to prevent any escapees. Once down the men were secured and Torric approached to scan and repair any injuries.

“Are they from your group?” Amanda asked the shocked looking man and woman.

“Yes,” the woman replied. “They had tried to prevent our seeking you out and potentially betraying the group.”

At this point several Troopers approached and picked the men up to carry them outside as we all followed.

“Any thoughts?” I asked Amanda.

“We’ll let them go when we leave,” she shrugged. “I can’t see any point in inviting them back with us.”

“We can question them,” Trusha offered.

“Very well, but no duress,” Amanda nodded. “These people have suffered enough.”

“Serenissimé.”

“You are more than welcome to return with us,” Amanda spoke to the couple.

“Thank you. We have nowhere else to go.” The man accepted.

Introductions were then made with the couple identifying themselves as Richa and Mayla, male and female respectively, along with their now slumbering daughter Katlak. The male group of attackers, though awake, were simply glaring at Trusha and Liono and otherwise remaining unresponsive.

“Not terribly friendly, are they?” I chuckled as I sketched them.

“They kept us alive during the invasion and its aftermath,” Mayla replied. “However they do not trust anyone not known to them, including our own people.”

“Hmm, yes, I can understand that, even if it could have cost your daughter her life.”

“We were desperate, but they would not listen. They simply thought we’d betray the group, either voluntarily or by coercion.”

“It was a risk you took. But fortunately we aren’t the original invaders and we’ll do our best to help get your people back on their feet, though it’s not easy, as most of you won’t approach us at all or accept the food we leave,” Amanda replied.

“There were tales of the invaders using food as traps to take people away,” Richa explained.

“Despicable,” Amanda sighed.

“We have finished scans of the site, Serenissimé,” the sub-Monitor informed us.

“Anything?”

“Checks out as an assembly site for the scientists and administrators who ran the main site. No sign of them now though.”

“Didn’t think there would be, but at least we know they are still planet bound.”

“You are talking about the previous group?” Richa asked.

“Yes, did you see them?”

“They had several flying vehicles that arrived from many directions, but they all left recently, heading in that direction,” he informed us, pointing.

“Interesting and better information than we had. Thank you, Richa.”

“I’ve informed Command,” the sub-Monitor told Amanda. “They will contact Fleet for a scan.”

“Thank you, sub-Monitor Vross.”

“A direction as well as a time limit too,” Verlig nodded thoughtfully.

“Yes, their refuge will be hidden, but we’ll find them,” Amanda replied in hard tones as a landing craft descended to collect us.

Richa and Mayla looked thrilled to be flying and little Katlak seemed almost glued to the viewing port, chattering away happily to all within earshot.

“Looks like the men who attacked us have been retrieved by the others of your former group,” I informed Mayla.

“They will no doubt try to move to somewhere else as they will think you’ll return,” she replied.

“So, what did you do before the invasion?” I asked.

“I was a teacher, as was Richa. We scattered into the bush with others after the first strikes and then heard over a radio from a few sources of the mass roundups of the survivors. We then discovered that the invaders could track electronics...”

“And then Katlak got ill?”

“Yes. I know they attacked you when we ran, but they aren’t bad people, just frightened of you finding them.”