orders, but her attention was focused on the thing that had attacked them. She moved closer, pausing just out of reach as Jerry came up behind her.
“Christ... is that thing...”
“Rock. It’s made out of rock...” Sorilla said in disbelief.
“There’s nothing on this world like that,” Jerry replied with an uncertain sounding voice, “Nothing around here anyway.”
“There’s nothing anywhere like that,” she responded, handing off her rifle to him. “Hold this. Keep it pointed at that thing.”
“What? Hey, wait a second.” his voice slightly panicked.
“There’s no safety. If it moves, just hold the trigger down,” She told him, drawing her knife from the sheath that crossed the small of her back along her belt. “I want a chunk of this thing to take home.”
He covered the beast as she carved into the stone with the molecular edge of her blade, eyes flickering to the jungle constantly. She got her chunk of stone, a sizeable hunk taken from its forelimb, and retrieved her rifle as two of Jerry’s people appeared.
“Mike? Trent?” He asked.
They shook their heads, causing Jerry to grimace, “Damn.”
Sorilla sympathized with him, she knew what he was feeling, but at that moment her mind was too caught up with the new information to focus entirely on him. The enemy had something new, something she could not fathom, and that was not acceptable. How could a rock move, let alone fight?
Jerry came up beside her as she was thinking, laying a hand on her shoulder, “We’ll start unloading...”
She nodded, “I’ll keep watch.”
Jerry stared for a moment, then nodded. “Alright.”
“From now on, no unnecessary talking,” She told him, “I’m on point when we leave, watch me for signals... Someone’s out here hunting us.”
*****
Nothing else accosted them on the return trip and they arrived back in the camp about halfway through the night, the binary moons high in the sky over top of them, the reflected light of the lunar twins visible occasionally through the jungle canopy as they walked.
Aida and the rest tiredly dropped their burdens into the main shelter and collapsed in exhaustion for the night. It was midday the next day before anyone saw the soldier appear in the camp, she simply appeared outside Samuel’s hut just after the midday lunch break, a tight tan tank top and matching pants her chosen covering. She carried a big pistol on her hip, a five cylinder revolver that made most of the automatics available to the colonists look like children’s toys by size alone.
Samuel nodded to her, once his heart had slowed to a normal beat, “Good day, Sergeant.”
“G’day, sir,” she replied, nodding to the papers he was looking at. “Better today?”
“Yes, thank you.” He nodded, “The rations will keep us in food for another month. Did you retrieve what you needed?”
She nodded, “Yeah. Now I just need to figure out what to say.”
“I’m not sure I can help there,” Samuel smiled, his eyes holding a tinge of sadness.
“That just makes us even, sir,” she sighed, pulling up a rough bench cut from the local wood and sitting down, “Nothing makes sense..”
“In what way?” Samuel asked curiously, pushing his papers away as he crossed his arms on the rough table.
“The invaders... enemy... whatever they are,” Aida responded, shaking her head. “They’re not right.”
“I could have told you that,” Samuel replied, eyebrow raised.
“Not that... I mean...” Sorilla shook her head, pausing often as she tried to find the right words to describe what she’d seen. “The weapons they use... all wrong. I’ve never seen anything that does what they do... And these stone... things.”
Samuel nodded, “Is that so strange, though? New technology comes around quite often.”
“New, yeah... but usually even new technology is just... faster, stronger... but basically the same.” Sorilla said, wrapping her hands around
“Christ... is that thing...”
“Rock. It’s made out of rock...” Sorilla said in disbelief.
“There’s nothing on this world like that,” Jerry replied with an uncertain sounding voice, “Nothing around here anyway.”
“There’s nothing anywhere like that,” she responded, handing off her rifle to him. “Hold this. Keep it pointed at that thing.”
“What? Hey, wait a second.” his voice slightly panicked.
“There’s no safety. If it moves, just hold the trigger down,” She told him, drawing her knife from the sheath that crossed the small of her back along her belt. “I want a chunk of this thing to take home.”
He covered the beast as she carved into the stone with the molecular edge of her blade, eyes flickering to the jungle constantly. She got her chunk of stone, a sizeable hunk taken from its forelimb, and retrieved her rifle as two of Jerry’s people appeared.
“Mike? Trent?” He asked.
They shook their heads, causing Jerry to grimace, “Damn.”
Sorilla sympathized with him, she knew what he was feeling, but at that moment her mind was too caught up with the new information to focus entirely on him. The enemy had something new, something she could not fathom, and that was not acceptable. How could a rock move, let alone fight?
Jerry came up beside her as she was thinking, laying a hand on her shoulder, “We’ll start unloading...”
She nodded, “I’ll keep watch.”
Jerry stared for a moment, then nodded. “Alright.”
“From now on, no unnecessary talking,” She told him, “I’m on point when we leave, watch me for signals... Someone’s out here hunting us.”
*****
Nothing else accosted them on the return trip and they arrived back in the camp about halfway through the night, the binary moons high in the sky over top of them, the reflected light of the lunar twins visible occasionally through the jungle canopy as they walked.
Aida and the rest tiredly dropped their burdens into the main shelter and collapsed in exhaustion for the night. It was midday the next day before anyone saw the soldier appear in the camp, she simply appeared outside Samuel’s hut just after the midday lunch break, a tight tan tank top and matching pants her chosen covering. She carried a big pistol on her hip, a five cylinder revolver that made most of the automatics available to the colonists look like children’s toys by size alone.
Samuel nodded to her, once his heart had slowed to a normal beat, “Good day, Sergeant.”
“G’day, sir,” she replied, nodding to the papers he was looking at. “Better today?”
“Yes, thank you.” He nodded, “The rations will keep us in food for another month. Did you retrieve what you needed?”
She nodded, “Yeah. Now I just need to figure out what to say.”
“I’m not sure I can help there,” Samuel smiled, his eyes holding a tinge of sadness.
“That just makes us even, sir,” she sighed, pulling up a rough bench cut from the local wood and sitting down, “Nothing makes sense..”
“In what way?” Samuel asked curiously, pushing his papers away as he crossed his arms on the rough table.
“The invaders... enemy... whatever they are,” Aida responded, shaking her head. “They’re not right.”
“I could have told you that,” Samuel replied, eyebrow raised.
“Not that... I mean...” Sorilla shook her head, pausing often as she tried to find the right words to describe what she’d seen. “The weapons they use... all wrong. I’ve never seen anything that does what they do... And these stone... things.”
Samuel nodded, “Is that so strange, though? New technology comes around quite often.”
“New, yeah... but usually even new technology is just... faster, stronger... but basically the same.” Sorilla said, wrapping her hands around
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