Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Jeff had been relentless in the push to finally reach their ranchland and the spot where the supplies had been delivered and dropped.
He knew his team and the civilians were exhausted, as he was, but he had the strong feeling every minute counted in this race to find Melly and rescue her.
Finally Cody reported his drones had spotted their homestead and the various shipping crates and modules were waiting as expected.
A few hours later the APC’s were pulling up to the spot and Jeff was the first one out.
He took a deep breath of the clean highland air and slowly pivoted in a circle, studying the horizon. “We picked a beautiful spot,” he said.
“We sure did,” Cody replied, clapping him on the shoulder.
“This is prime ranchland,” Tamsyn agreed as she exited the APC and came to stand within the circle of Cody’s arm. “What in the seven hells is in all those containers?”
There must have been twenty or so huge containers scattered in a loose circle.
“The housing and barn modules,” Jeff said, pointing them out. “A flyer, partially disassembled. Gear. A lot of useful items I’d hoped not to ever need but now I’m grateful I pushed to get them.”
“Orders, sir?” Cody asked as the others gathered around them.
“We’ll make camp. You’re sure there are no infected in the vicinity?”
“Positive.”
“All the way out here, where it’s so isolated?” Devora asked.
“We ran into one on the remote acreage of my ranch,” Tamsyn told her. “Infected can be literally anywhere, anytime.”
“Wel for now anyway it’s all clear,” Cody assured them. “I’ll keep my drones scanning of course.”
“Everyone should be armed at all times,” Jeff said.
“Except Jenny of course.” He forced himself to smile and the group chuckled a bit.
“After we’ve established camp, I’m going to initiate the house module to self build.
By tomorrow noon sleeping under the stars will no longer be a necessity and we can move in.
I’ll give us all a break tonight. Rest up because tomorrow we’re going to be unpacking, assembling the flyer and getting ready to go find the enemy wherever they might be and get my wife back. ”
The house module was a top of the line colonial model, six bedrooms, four bathrooms, big kitchen, an office and other amenities.
Jeff had insisted on the premium options for everything when his superiors gave them this mission.
It was the least the Sectors could do for his men, after sending them out here to this remote planet for an indefinite assignment undercover.
He’d argued the extravagance was believable as their cover involved being five veterans pooling their resources to start a ranch.
He’d wanted each man to have his own bedroom, plus one for guests and plenty of room in the house for whatever the future might bring.
He’d been thinking in terms of hosting meetings of whatever disgruntled clandestine organization they eventually were recruited into—if the basic mission had succeeded—but now it was going to be a blessing with three married couples and a child already, plus the three remaining bachelors.
The module, as well as the barn and the garage, had been delivered to precise co-ordinates, based on the geography of the site.
The other cargo containers were more haphazardly parked here and there within a tight radius.
Jeff grabbed a nutrition drink and walked over to the huge module, which at this stage presented as a blank sided box, with a small control panel behind a locked cover.
While the others busied themselves getting out the tents and making camp, he unlocked the panel, which was coded to his DNA and read the instructions the module’s AI projected into the air as a scrolling holo for him.
He’d trained on it before they ever left their base but the operation was simple, intended for any colonist to operate.
With a deep breath he clicked the big INITIATE button and waited. For a moment there was silence but then a soft chiming sound told him he’d been successful. Deep inside the container there was rumbling.
“Please step back to the minimum safe distance,” said the AI. “The module will begin expansion and deployment in three minutes.” It then commenced a countdown verbally and in flickering blue letters in the air.
Jeff obliged, retreating as ordered. Most of the instructions actually involved the safety of the humans while deploying the house, with an emphasis on not trying to enter it too soon.
It was all modular, including the limited furnishings and if left alone would be functional by tomorrow.
He waited until the first part of the container slid aside, lengthening as the foundation began to build itself and then he walked to the APC’s.
“Make sure Jenny doesn’t get close to the house,” he told Devora. “Or you either,” he said to Mike.
“I can’t believe it’s going to be a house,” Devora said.
“My ancestors had a similar, more primitive structure at the heart of the house at the Double Comets,” Tamsyn told her.
“Technology’s come a long way since the Wendovers were First Landing settlers though.
It’s going to be a mansion,” she said to the captain.
“Our house grew over the centuries but yours is starting out big.”
“Five guys need a big house,” he said with a grin.
“Never mind we’re used to living in a barracks,” Trent teased from where he was putting the finishing touches on a tent.
“I’ll get used to this fast enough,” Zach assured them as he walked by with an armful of sleeping bags.
Dinner was simple fare, eaten by the light of handlamps, and the group retired to their various sleeping arrangements fairly early.
Anticipation was high for the next day when the house would be ready and the group could start unpacking the other containers.
A lot of work lay ahead to make the site habitable and get at the gear Jeff wanted.
He couldn’t sleep, thoughts preoccupied with Melly and what might be happening to her.
He tried reaching out to her again with the subaural com even though he knew there was no chance she was in range and then kicked off his covers and rose.
He holstered his blaster and made his rounds of the camp.
Trent was on guard duty and they exchanged a few quiet words before Jeff activated his enhanced night vision and walked into the field where all the cargo containers sat like unopened presents.
He found the one he wanted and wasn’t surprised to find Cody already there.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” he asked as he walked up.
“I want my heavy duty tactical drones up and flying tomorrow,” the cyborg said with determination. “I can initiate a search pattern in the vicinity of the offworld signal we keep getting flashes of on the scanners.”
“I appreciate the support,” Jeff said. Cody had work lights rigged up so he joined in with the methodical unloading of the container until he reached the items he was seeking.
Pulling out the crate with a victorious grunt, he carried it to where Cody sat working on the drones and unpacked the contents.
“Command isn’t going to send reinforcements,” Cody said after he glanced over and saw Jeff’s prize was their interstellar coms unit.
“I realize that but I need to let them know what the true situation is here on Randal Four,” Jeff replied, examining and setting aside various components of the modular system.
“And maybe give us some intel, tell us who we’re dealing with here once I upload the language fragments Melly found and the data you gathered after hacking the Glastine network.
” He worked in silence for a few more minutes then said, “I wish I’d never taken her there.
I shouldn’t have involved her. If I hadn’t dragged her along, she’d be safe here tonight. ”
Cody set aside his drone to give Jeff his full attention.
“Hey, man, don’t beat yourself up. Doc wanted to go, she volunteered to go and if she hadn’t been there, Tamsyn couldn’t have gone in and planted my bug so I could hack them.
We learned a fuckton from your undercover mission.
I’m as worried about her as you are but we’ll get her back, I promise. That’s what we do. That’s who we are.”
Jeff clenched his jaw. “I will never forgive myself if anything happens to her. She isn’t a soldier, she’s not trained for this kind of thing and I didn’t protect her.”
“Doc’s smart and she’s fighting for her planet and her people.”
Jeff gazed into the night. “You know what I want to do right now? Instead of assembling this damn com and sending in a report? I want to go over there to crate fourteen, crack it open, put the damn flyer together with my bare hands and fly off to find her.” He switched his focus to Cody, staring at him.
“Yeah, I know it’d be a fool’s flight right now since we don’t have any idea where the enemy took her but I need to be in action.
Not sitting here on my ass while she’s in enemy hands. ”
“I feel you, brother. I’d be the same if it was Tamsyn. We’ll find her and when we do, whoever the bad actors are won’t know what hit them. Need any help with the com?”
“I’ve assembled this same model about a thousand times, as you know, so I’m good.” Jeff kept his attention on the task and after a moment Cody returned to his new drones.