The facility was surrounded by a high wall, which was topped with Concertina wire. The perimeter contained a dozen structures, ranging in size from four or five room buildings to the six-story tall command center.
The jungle was right up against the wall, like water against the side of a pier, threatening to lap over it.
Cavalier sat down on the outpost’s lone landing pad. It was mossy, the paint faded. The ship’s boarding ramp came down. The crew departed.
Eli carried his pump-action at the ready. One of Tarl’s bodies walked beside him, sporting a little backpack and his lever-action carbine. Gami went with her standard loadout: sword, silenced pistol, and SMG.
They entered the nearest structure. Shelving units, stacks of containers, and a pair of forklifts parked in one corner indicated that it was a warehouse. A thick layer of dust covered everything. The group activated flashlights and looked around, keeping their eyes peeled for prints in the dust and any other signs of habitation.
Other than a pile of scat and a few animal bones there was nothing. They looked around, opening any unmark containers. They skimmed through manifests. Nothing useful was found, so they pushed onto the next building.
***
Anara and Savaa followed one of Tarl’s bodies out of the toolroom. He led them to the cargo hold. On the way, they saw one of his other bodies inspecting one of the ship’s subsystems. Anara carried the scanner, a device of Sad’Daki origin, baring their unique, and ghastly flair.
They entered the cargo hold. A table and chairs were already laid out. A metal tray sat on the table. In it, there were a number of surgical tools. There was a long line of syringes beside the tray.
Savaa removed his shirt. His back and chest were covered in scars of all kinds. It was clear that he had been whipped and beat many times. The scars were rough and flat against his skin’s natural glossiness.
There were pairs of matching holes on this shoulders, back, chest, and elbows. They were gnarled, making Tarl and Anara wonder if they had been sites used for forced injections or IVs. But then they noticed that the tips of his fingers had similar marks, although these were thin slits.
On the back of his neck, there was another tattoo, a type of sigil, circles connected by orderly lines. The circles enveloped symbols that represented punishment of the wicked and the duty of the just to oppose evil. The sigil itself encircled a birthmark, a little patch of discolored skin that formed a puffy U shape.
Savaa took a seat. Anara started by scanning his head, running the device along the surface of his hairless dome.
“You can see the display?” Savaa asked.
“Yes, the sensor pulses can pick up variations of light. I can perceive colors with them.”
Anara worked her way down his head, to his neck. Then she checked his upper torso. When she started scanning his waist, Tarl frowned, wondering if this was an exercise in futility. She reached his left ankle and stopped, “There it is,” she proclaimed, “Lets get it out of there.”
***
The explorers poked around a dormitory.
“Tarl, what kind of research did they do?” Eli asked.
“The signal identified it as a survey of the local ecology.”
“Did they say why they abandoned the place?” Gami inquired.
Tarl grinned, “Something about hostile wildlife.”
“Great,” Eli proclaimed, “Everyone keep your head on the swivel. Tarl, why didn’t you tell us?”
“It didn’t seem necessary. They probably couldn’t get much research done because of the danger, so they bowed out. No big deal.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” Gami mused, “When I was in the jungle hunting, I didn’t see any predators, or even any signs of their existence.”
“Strange. Maybe it was something else. Territorial scavengers or maybe something like the warring primates that we had on Earth.”
“Or it could be a lie,” Tarl suggested, “Maybe they just made it up as an excuse. They could be hiding something here.”
“Not another treasure hunt,” Gami objected, but there was playfulness in her voice.
***
Savaa handed his Egan to Tarl. The fuzzy being used it to scan the UPCs that were etched into the sides of the syringes. On the seventh try, he found one that was compatible with Savaa’s physiology. Tarl returned the Egan to Savaa, who put his leg up on the table. He barely reacted when Tarl injected the anesthetic.
Anara took up the scalpel and began to slice.
***
“Don’t look,” Gami said calmly, “But there was someone watching us in the control tower.”
The tower loomed over them. Against the pure blue sky and the surrounding jungle, it looked out of place.
“You get a good look?” Eli asked.
“No, I didn’t want to give away that I had spotted them. All I got was a quick glimpse of a face, something with two eyes and a lot of teeth. It wasn’t a species that I’m familiar with.”
“Alright. Let’s clear that tower. Maybe we can get some answers.”
***
Anara placed a finger against the opening she had made. A trickle of green liquid ran out of the slit and down his leg. Tendrils rose out of the surface of her finger and moved into the cut.
***
Cloaking system activated, Gami moved around the tower silently, orbiting Eli and one of Tarl’s bodies as they made their way up the structure. Each room was methodically cleared. The rooms had been tossed. Cabinets and lockers had been emptied, the doors left wide open. There were no signs of life.
***
Anara moved her finger away from the incision. A little silver object was stuck to its tip, a tiny dot. Tarl injected the cut with an Iredell.
Anara held the dot up to the light. The trio looked at the object.
Savaa spoke, “That’s it. It is identical to the one that was implanted in my neck.”
Anara sat it down in the surgical tray, “Amazing how such a small thing could send a signal so far.”
“It could be magikal,” Tarl proclaimed.
Savaa stood back up, “Do another scan.”
“Do you really think that we need to double check?”
“Yes,” he insisted, “Check it again, and Tarl should check it again after that.”
