"Mahz! I ordered you to cover the tunnel!"
"I stopped that thrust, Commander. They broke off the attack after I burned the first ten as they emerged."
I burned another Ant.
"Cover it anyway."
The Ants had spent a lot of time building that tunnel. I couldn't believe they would abandon it so easily. Too many battles had been lost by assuming a retreat.
"Incoming from your right, Commander," came Hif's voice, and a moment later she appeared.
"The north group?" I queried, blasting at a group of Ants by the burning tree stand.
"Eliminated. Apparently it was only a feint"
"Zome?"
"Helping Zur and Krahn," she replied.
"Change places with Krahn," I ordered.
"But, Commander..."
"I need a Technician over here." I gestured at the tree stand. "Their extinguishers are putting out the fires we need for light."
"Understood, Commander."
She moved off. I glared at the fires as they flickered out. We'd just have to rely on the firebreak to prevent widespread ecological damage. Right now we needed that light.
"Status report on the shuttlecraft?" I beamed to Mahz.
"On the way, Commander."
"Incoming from your right, Commander! and Krahn appeared. She was wobbly, but apparently taking to combat better than Ihr had.
"Do you know the exact location of the extinguishers you planted to the West?" I asked, sweep-burning three Ants that were attempting to flank us.
"Yes, Commander."
"Start burning them out with your blaster. We need those fires."
"Commander! came Mahz's voice.
"Rahm here."
"Strange readings on the tunnel. The hollow indicator shows it's lengthening, heading for the fortification, but there are no digging sounds. "
"Cold-beam! Cold-beam in the tunnel!" I broadcast.
"I'll handle it, Commander," came Hif's voice.
"Shuttlecraft is down, Commander. Twenty meters due south. "
"Evacuate at once!"
The shuttlecraft was unarmed, and I did not want it overrun.
As one, Krahn and I left the trench and began sprinting for the shuttlecraft, burning Ants as we ran.
I saw Hif by the tunnel opening. She dropped a minigrenade down the opening, stepped back to avoid the explosion, then jumped in herself, blaster at ready. She knew as well as we did there would be no returning from the tunnel, but now our withdrawal was covered from that direction.
Zur and Zome were waiting by the shuttlecraft, pouring fire into a group of Ants pressing them hard from the Southeast. Apparently the Ants had taken up the bulk of the battle after the Leapers had been eliminated.
"Where's Mahz?" I asked, turning to train my weapons on the Ants pursuing us from the West.
"Still in the gun turret, providing cover fire as ordered," replied Zur.
That had not been my intention.
"Mahz!" I beamed.
"Here, Commander."
"Set the destruct mechanism on the fortification, then put the turret gun on auto-target and withdraw."
"Confirmed, Commander."
"Shuttle pilot!" I beamed.
"Here, Commander." I was surprised to hear Horc's voice.
"Stand by for immediate takeoff when our last member reaches us."
There was a hesitation before he replied.
"Confirmed, Commander."
I realized he had been expecting to pick up a larger force than was currently in evidence.
"Concentrate cover fire for Mahz's withdrawal," I called to the rest of the team.
We could tell when the turret gun went on autotarget: It began swiveling randomly back and forth, choosing its targets by Network-triggered priority.
Mahz appeared a moment later. He had to blast his way through several Ants who apparently realized a lone Tzen was an easier target than our group by the shuttlecraft.
We concentrated our fire on the other Ants moving to block his retreat, but as so often happens with uncoordinated group fire, we missed one:
The Network was set to ignore Tzen, and it did. The turret gun swiveled and fired on the remaining Ant, coldly unheeding of the fact that Mahz was in its line of fire as it triggered the beam.
BOOK THREE
CHAPTER ONE
I paced restlessly around the confines of my private quarters. Though theoretically solitude was supposed to aid the thought process, I found it disquieting.
I was not accustomed to solitude. In my entire career, from early training into my combat experiences, I had been surrounded by other Tzen. Even in deep sleep I had shared a rack or a bay with other Warriors. Any moment alone had been both fleeting and coincidental.
Now I and all the other Candidates on the colony ship had been assigned private quarters until we had completed our analysis. Although it was a direct order from the High Command and doubtless for the best, it made me feel uncomfortable.
My tail thumped against the wall, and I realized it was beginning to lash uncontrollably. This would not do. Mental agitation was acceptable only if it did not adversely affect my performance. It was time to curb my wandering thoughts.
I considered eating, but rejected the thought. I was not really hungry, and an intake of food at this time would only make me sluggish.
Sleep was another possibility. We were now required to devote a certain percentage of our time to sleep, whether in regular small allotments or in periodic long slumbers. I also rejected this thought. I had not progressed sufficiently with the analysis for my satisfaction. The sooner I completed my task, the sooner I could leave the isolation of private quarters. I would sleep while my analysis was being reviewed.
Clearly, the best plan of action was to return to my work. I turned once more to my work station, viewing it with mild distaste. There were several racks of data tapes as well as multi-screen viewer, which crowded the small confines of the room.
The tapes were sorted into five groups. The first group was the accumulated data on the Ants, both confirmed and speculative, though carefully labeled to distinguish between the two. The second group contained the Technicians' report on the equipment that would be available for this campaign. The last three groups dealt with specific data on three different Ant-held planets.
The task confronting me and the other Candidates was to devise battle plans for assaulting each of the planets. The High Command's review of these plan would determine which of us would be assigned as Planetary Commanders in the upcoming campaign. There are no guaranteed assignments in the Warriors. Many of my fellow Candidates in this exercise had been Planetary Commanders in the last campaign. They would have to reprove their analytic abilities if they were to retain their rank for this campaign. Also, it was common knowledge that there were many Warriors who had previously been Planetary Commanders who were not included in the current list of Candidates.
There was a rasp of claws on the door. I positioned myself in the doorway and triggered its opening. Zur was standing outside in the corridor holding a small box in his hand. I stood aside to show my willingness to accept his company, and he entered.
"I saw your name on the list of Candidates, Rahm," he stated without ceremony.
"That is correct," I confirmed, "though by the Black Swamps I don't know why. My progress with the assignment thus far verifies my original impressions that I am not qualified for this type of work."