Lieutenant Rodgers was working on her jammer. The android was still in communication with its force, also allowing Major Barnes to conduct his decryption tests.
After I sat back down to continue my talk with the Colonel, Ashley joined us.
Ashley spoke. "The elevators are out, which buys us some time. I think we need to send a team to monitor those shafts. If the Colossuns are coming up them, we want to know. And if not, we need to know if we can get close enough to the bottom to gather intel on what is waiting for us down there."
The Colonel replied, "I’m guessing that you want to lead that team?"
Ashley replied, "Yes, I do. This is the type of work I was good at, Colonel: the information game."
I spoke. "If she goes, I go."
Calder replied, "I would expect nothing less, Mr. Grange. See Sergeant Hallard for a squad to take with you and for any gear that you think you might need."
We were soon opening the maintenance doors on the large elevator. The shaft beyond was two kilometers deep. As a warning to us, several gravity pulses impacted the ceiling above our position. The Colossuns knew we were beginning to probe the shaft.
I spoke. "It looks like the mechanism for moving that thing is those gear tracks on either wall. If you look about three-quarters of the way down the shaft, you can see the damage from whatever it was that happened. There is a large section of that track missing on the right, and a smaller section on the left. It looks like they have crews working on repairs."
Ashley replied, "Maybe we can bring their progress to a stop with a few ion bolts."
I replied, "Can’t do that. Those are Grell down there doing the work. If we kill them, they will just bring more, and we are currently trying to fight for them. We need something that will clear everyone out of that shaft."
Several minutes later, we got word that Lieutenant Rodgers had a working jammer.
I raised her on the comm. "Rodgers, tell me the good news!"
Rodgers replied, "Well, Sir, I have a jammer working, but it is limited in its range. I can jam their signals with noise in our test room or even in the main bay, but it loses a lot of its punch if it has to go through any walls."
I thought for a moment and then spoke. "Bring it over to the main elevator shaft. I want to give it a try on the Colossuns who are down at the bottom of it. That shaft is a couple kilometers in depth; will your jammer reach that far?"
Rodgers replied, "Over the free air, we should be able to jam out to several kilometers, Sir. I will be there in a minute."
When Rodgers arrived, she was wearing a helmet and carrying the jammer helmet in her arms. "Where’d you get the extra helmet?"
Rodgers replied, "We have crates with spare equipment we brought on the transport. Thankfully they were unloaded before they took off. Although we do have an alternative with our casualties, Sir: if you have hit the end of the line, so to speak, your equipment goes back into the pool."
I spoke. "Now, look down that shaft, but not for long, or they will take a shot at you. Those Colossuns down there—we want to drive them out of the shaft. Can we do that with this?"
Rodgers shook her head and replied, "Sorry, Sir, this is just a jammer. We can disrupt their communications, but nothing more."
Ashley replied, "If disruption is the best we can do, then we’ll take it. Get us set up, Lieutenant, and get that gear turned on."
Lieutenant Rodgers tied a rope to the helmet and hung it over the ledge. A signal was then sent to the helmet from her own headset. We watched for the Colossuns' reaction.
I spoke. "They are moving… that looks like confusion down there. And they are leaving one by one."
Ashley replied, "Those are AI systems down there, Don. It’s possible that if they lose communications, they try to move to an area where they can reestablish a link."
Two minutes later, the base of the elevator shaft was devoid of Colossuns.
Ashley spoke. "Well, that’s half of them. What
After I sat back down to continue my talk with the Colonel, Ashley joined us.
Ashley spoke. "The elevators are out, which buys us some time. I think we need to send a team to monitor those shafts. If the Colossuns are coming up them, we want to know. And if not, we need to know if we can get close enough to the bottom to gather intel on what is waiting for us down there."
The Colonel replied, "I’m guessing that you want to lead that team?"
Ashley replied, "Yes, I do. This is the type of work I was good at, Colonel: the information game."
I spoke. "If she goes, I go."
Calder replied, "I would expect nothing less, Mr. Grange. See Sergeant Hallard for a squad to take with you and for any gear that you think you might need."
We were soon opening the maintenance doors on the large elevator. The shaft beyond was two kilometers deep. As a warning to us, several gravity pulses impacted the ceiling above our position. The Colossuns knew we were beginning to probe the shaft.
I spoke. "It looks like the mechanism for moving that thing is those gear tracks on either wall. If you look about three-quarters of the way down the shaft, you can see the damage from whatever it was that happened. There is a large section of that track missing on the right, and a smaller section on the left. It looks like they have crews working on repairs."
Ashley replied, "Maybe we can bring their progress to a stop with a few ion bolts."
I replied, "Can’t do that. Those are Grell down there doing the work. If we kill them, they will just bring more, and we are currently trying to fight for them. We need something that will clear everyone out of that shaft."
Several minutes later, we got word that Lieutenant Rodgers had a working jammer.
I raised her on the comm. "Rodgers, tell me the good news!"
Rodgers replied, "Well, Sir, I have a jammer working, but it is limited in its range. I can jam their signals with noise in our test room or even in the main bay, but it loses a lot of its punch if it has to go through any walls."
I thought for a moment and then spoke. "Bring it over to the main elevator shaft. I want to give it a try on the Colossuns who are down at the bottom of it. That shaft is a couple kilometers in depth; will your jammer reach that far?"
Rodgers replied, "Over the free air, we should be able to jam out to several kilometers, Sir. I will be there in a minute."
When Rodgers arrived, she was wearing a helmet and carrying the jammer helmet in her arms. "Where’d you get the extra helmet?"
Rodgers replied, "We have crates with spare equipment we brought on the transport. Thankfully they were unloaded before they took off. Although we do have an alternative with our casualties, Sir: if you have hit the end of the line, so to speak, your equipment goes back into the pool."
I spoke. "Now, look down that shaft, but not for long, or they will take a shot at you. Those Colossuns down there—we want to drive them out of the shaft. Can we do that with this?"
Rodgers shook her head and replied, "Sorry, Sir, this is just a jammer. We can disrupt their communications, but nothing more."
Ashley replied, "If disruption is the best we can do, then we’ll take it. Get us set up, Lieutenant, and get that gear turned on."
Lieutenant Rodgers tied a rope to the helmet and hung it over the ledge. A signal was then sent to the helmet from her own headset. We watched for the Colossuns' reaction.
I spoke. "They are moving… that looks like confusion down there. And they are leaving one by one."
Ashley replied, "Those are AI systems down there, Don. It’s possible that if they lose communications, they try to move to an area where they can reestablish a link."
Two minutes later, the base of the elevator shaft was devoid of Colossuns.
Ashley spoke. "Well, that’s half of them. What
Similar Books
