relieved sigh when the system responded with the comforting chirp directly fed into her inner ear through her implant interface. The military station keeping relay was still in place, and she was linked in. She checked the time on her HUD reflexively, noting that she had another half hour before the orbit would bring the satellite out of range.
She only needed a few seconds.
She uploaded her report in a pulse, then waited for the confirmation to report that it had been received. When that came back, there was an info-dump along with it. Sorilla signed off the satellite and quietly packed the system away as her processor checked the dump and confirmed that she had all the decryption sequences required to access it.
Days on Hayden’s World, a dozen lost lives, and it all came down to less than one minute to send back her report.
No, she shook her head. Not that easy. Her report was only the first stage, there was a lot more work to do. She checked the chrono again, and did some mental calculations. Fleet would have her report in about fourteen hours, if they were still holding station at their scheduled location. After that, well it would depend what they made of the situation on planet.
For her, the job was just starting no matter what else was now set in motion.
She closed up the kit, hefting the transceiver in her left hand as she headed back to her shelter. There she put the electronics away, and lay back on her cot, eyes glowing green as she stared at the ceiling without seeing and read the Fleet info-dump.
FLTCOM FLASH TRFFC
TO :
All Operators, Operation Jungle Savior
FRM :
FLTCOMSOL
SUBJECT :
Intel Update
MAIN BODY FOLLOWS :
Long Range Scouts have detected ship movements in range of Hayden’s World. Unknown ship configuration, unknown propulsion system. Operation Jungle Savior is suspended, all Operators are to shift to stance beta and commence Operation Jungle Wind. Secondary objectives green lighted, new intel attached
.
SIGNED :
Jorgen Sweet, VICE ADM, Commanding USV Task Force 2
Sorilla sighed, closing her eyes as she continued to read the attached files. Jungle Savior had been a straightforward operation, basically a short term mission assignment with the goal of preparing for a fleet landing on Hayden’s World. Jungle Wind was... something else.
Things were likely to get messy now.
She briefly reviewed the data, then deactivated her ocular displays and shifted until she was comfortable. She might as well, after all, she was here on Hayden’s world for the long haul now.
*****
The morning light was filtering through the jungle canopy when Samuel looked up as the shadow fell across his table, nodding to Sorilla as she pulled up the roughhewn bench and straddled it with a serious look on her face.
“Problems?” He asked, sighing as he pushed his work aside.
“Maybe.” She said, not giving much away, “Tell me something Samuel.”
“If I can,” he replied laying down the old fashioned stylus.
She looked down at the ground for a moment, then back at him, “You’ve got how many people here in camp?”
Samuel frowned, looking at her, “Why do you ask?”
“It’s pretty basic intel. My processor estimates between four and five hundred. Is that right?”
He nodded, “Yes. We have a current population of four hundred and twenty eight... we had four hundred and thirty before...”
Sorilla nodded, knowing that they had lost two men to retrieve the supplies and locate the bodies of the two members of her team. She pushed that aside for a moment, and moved on to more important things for the present.
“What was the population of the colony?”
Another moment of silence hung between them, but Samuel finally spoke up, “Just over five thousand at the main site. The rest of the planetary population is spread out among the continental masses.”
She nodded, and spoke succinctly. “Where are the rest of the people from the main camp?”
Samuel sighed, “A
She only needed a few seconds.
She uploaded her report in a pulse, then waited for the confirmation to report that it had been received. When that came back, there was an info-dump along with it. Sorilla signed off the satellite and quietly packed the system away as her processor checked the dump and confirmed that she had all the decryption sequences required to access it.
Days on Hayden’s World, a dozen lost lives, and it all came down to less than one minute to send back her report.
No, she shook her head. Not that easy. Her report was only the first stage, there was a lot more work to do. She checked the chrono again, and did some mental calculations. Fleet would have her report in about fourteen hours, if they were still holding station at their scheduled location. After that, well it would depend what they made of the situation on planet.
For her, the job was just starting no matter what else was now set in motion.
She closed up the kit, hefting the transceiver in her left hand as she headed back to her shelter. There she put the electronics away, and lay back on her cot, eyes glowing green as she stared at the ceiling without seeing and read the Fleet info-dump.
FLTCOM FLASH TRFFC
TO :
All Operators, Operation Jungle Savior
FRM :
FLTCOMSOL
SUBJECT :
Intel Update
MAIN BODY FOLLOWS :
Long Range Scouts have detected ship movements in range of Hayden’s World. Unknown ship configuration, unknown propulsion system. Operation Jungle Savior is suspended, all Operators are to shift to stance beta and commence Operation Jungle Wind. Secondary objectives green lighted, new intel attached
.
SIGNED :
Jorgen Sweet, VICE ADM, Commanding USV Task Force 2
Sorilla sighed, closing her eyes as she continued to read the attached files. Jungle Savior had been a straightforward operation, basically a short term mission assignment with the goal of preparing for a fleet landing on Hayden’s World. Jungle Wind was... something else.
Things were likely to get messy now.
She briefly reviewed the data, then deactivated her ocular displays and shifted until she was comfortable. She might as well, after all, she was here on Hayden’s world for the long haul now.
*****
The morning light was filtering through the jungle canopy when Samuel looked up as the shadow fell across his table, nodding to Sorilla as she pulled up the roughhewn bench and straddled it with a serious look on her face.
“Problems?” He asked, sighing as he pushed his work aside.
“Maybe.” She said, not giving much away, “Tell me something Samuel.”
“If I can,” he replied laying down the old fashioned stylus.
She looked down at the ground for a moment, then back at him, “You’ve got how many people here in camp?”
Samuel frowned, looking at her, “Why do you ask?”
“It’s pretty basic intel. My processor estimates between four and five hundred. Is that right?”
He nodded, “Yes. We have a current population of four hundred and twenty eight... we had four hundred and thirty before...”
Sorilla nodded, knowing that they had lost two men to retrieve the supplies and locate the bodies of the two members of her team. She pushed that aside for a moment, and moved on to more important things for the present.
“What was the population of the colony?”
Another moment of silence hung between them, but Samuel finally spoke up, “Just over five thousand at the main site. The rest of the planetary population is spread out among the continental masses.”
She nodded, and spoke succinctly. “Where are the rest of the people from the main camp?”
Samuel sighed, “A
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