Chapter 32

"Mr. Shaw, am I correct that the lander's communications equipment has capability across the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum?" asked Igwanda.

"Yes," replied Shaw, looking at the colonel in puzzlement.

"It would have to be somewhere there, there is nothing else in our physics," said Igwanda cryptically. "Zo, I wish you to begin a full scan across everything that equipment can read. Start at the low end and move up. Report anything you find, even if it seems meaningless."

Shaw shook his head sadly. "Colonel, you won't find anything, they're way too primitive to have even basic radio. When we did it on the Gardener the only thing we got was some low-level static at—"

Igwanda's head snapped around to glare at the first officer. "You got what?" he barked.

"Just low-level static," Shaw repeated. "Line-of-sight radio frequency." He gave it.

"I asked that all phenomena be reported to me. There was a reason this was not?" Igwanda's glare was even more penetrating.

"It wasn't worth bothering," protested Shaw, shifting uncomfortably. "It was just static. We even ran it through the computer to look for any patterns that might suggest communication, but there was nothing."

"Did I ask you to make such a judgment?" demanded Igwanda. "Did I not say all phenomena?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then why?"

Shaw shuffled his feet. "Well, Colonel, that was back when you were being so super-cautious about landing, and we—I mean the technicians and I—thought you might make a big deal out of even this kind of natural emission—"

"Mr. Shaw, there is no known 'natural' source of low-frequency radio waves!" Igwanda said coldly. "What did you think this was coming from?"

"It's another planet—" Shaw began to protest.

"The laws of physics are universal, sir," Igwanda cut him off. "If I had known—"

He was interrupted in turn by two almost simultaneous explosions, as Ahlia and Dzenda fired their blasters at the groups of natives that abruptly appeared at both doors. The debris had barely subsided when they had to do so again against new crowds pressing to force entry—and then, in turn, a third wave.

"But why—" began Igwanda, his laser out to cut down the few natives who made it through the doorways. His eye fell on the small group of wounded aliens in a corner. "Oh, shit," he said to himself.

"They're getting smarter," Ahlia called out. "They're slipping in between rounds. And we'll have to reload soon."

"Shut up, Ahlia," snapped Igwanda. Over the communicator he asked, "Zo, do you have it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Begin transmission immediately on that frequency," he ordered urgently. "White noise. Blank that signal out!"

The two troopers were having to aim their blasters dangerously near the doorways now, threatening to bring the whole structure down on their heads, as the natives appeared to be grouping just out of sight and then attempting to dash in. Igwanda and Meiersdottir were backing the fire up with their lasers, but the crowds were so dense they couldn't hit every one. Two had already succeeded in grabbing a struggling Lee, and another was swarming on Heisinger; the repeated rushes had wreaked horrendous havoc among the aliens, but they appeared to be winning.