targeting capabilities on top of it,” Lorne agreed, notching up his opticals’ magnification a little and studying the nearest of the dead spine leopards. Instead of the massive laser burn he’d expected to see there was a figure-eight pattern of perhaps twenty smaller burns across the predator’s head, neck, and chest. Three or four of the shots had hit kill points, but the others had done little but burn more or less uselessly through hide and muscle.
“Regardless, I think we can safely scratch off that way station for the moment,” de Portola said, throwing a lingering look at one of the other spine leopards before turning back to the Marines. “Next likely spot should be about half a kilometer up the road. You coming?”
“No, and neither are you,” Khahar said briskly. “We need to get back to Archway. Colonel Reivaro wants to see you.”
“We’re not done with our shift,” Lorne pointed out, impressed in spite of himself. So Reivaro had come all the way out here in person? Clearly, Lorne’s plan of drawing attention away from Jody had worked. Possibly too well. “We can’t put the citizens here at risk.”
“Point accepted,” Khahar said calmly. “Fine. Your buddy de Portola can stay here on patrol. The rest of us can head back in our flitter.”
Lorne felt his throat tighten. The last thing he wanted to do was get into an aircar alone with these jokers, especially with Reivaro waiting at the other end of the flight. Out of the corner of his eye he saw de Portola lift a finger. “I suppose I could do that,” Lorne said, rubbing his forehead. Under cover of the movement he flicked a look at de Portola.
One more, the other mouthed silently. One more.
“Or we could compromise,” Lorne continued, dropping his hand back to his side. “Let’s check the grove de Portola mentioned, and then all four of us can head back together.”
Khahar’s eyes narrowed. “The colonel doesn’t like being kept waiting.”
“And we really shouldn’t press their luck,” de Portola offered helpfully. “Just because they survived one attack doesn’t mean they could get through another one. You go ahead, Lorne—I can handle the rest myself.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Khahar ground out. “Just show us where they are.”
#
The second encounter was pretty much a repeat of the first. Lorne tried hard to stay on his feet this time, hoping to see first-hand how the Marines’ combat gear worked. But the attack had barely started when his nanocomputer once again threw him out of the way of a charging predator, and he spent the rest of the fight leaping and dodging and rolling on the ground.
De Portola didn’t have it any better. In fact, he had it worse—at one point Lorne spotted him flat on his back, holding off a spine leopard that had somehow gotten past his lasers and was going for his throat. He was still flailing around, and Lorne was trying to get a clear shot at the animal, when Khahar killed it.
Naturally, the sergeant’s back was to Lorne at the time, which meant he got nothing but a silhouetted view of the man’s head and torso against a quick-stutter of blue laser fire.
Sometimes, he thought sourly, he could practically hear the universe snickering at him.
He made one more effort to persuade the Marines to tackle another way station, but Khahar would have none of it. He announced in no uncertain terms that he and Chimm were heading back, and that Lorne was riding with them.
Which gave Lorne the small satisfaction of watching the sergeant’s face heat up when both Cobras politely but firmly told him that they would be riding together in their own car.
Given the still-early hour, the parking area at the Cobra command center should have been nearly deserted. It was therefore a disquieting surprise when de Portola rounded the corner and Lorne saw that there were already four cars in the lot. They hadn’t been sitting there for long—a check of the engines’ infrared signatures
“Regardless, I think we can safely scratch off that way station for the moment,” de Portola said, throwing a lingering look at one of the other spine leopards before turning back to the Marines. “Next likely spot should be about half a kilometer up the road. You coming?”
“No, and neither are you,” Khahar said briskly. “We need to get back to Archway. Colonel Reivaro wants to see you.”
“We’re not done with our shift,” Lorne pointed out, impressed in spite of himself. So Reivaro had come all the way out here in person? Clearly, Lorne’s plan of drawing attention away from Jody had worked. Possibly too well. “We can’t put the citizens here at risk.”
“Point accepted,” Khahar said calmly. “Fine. Your buddy de Portola can stay here on patrol. The rest of us can head back in our flitter.”
Lorne felt his throat tighten. The last thing he wanted to do was get into an aircar alone with these jokers, especially with Reivaro waiting at the other end of the flight. Out of the corner of his eye he saw de Portola lift a finger. “I suppose I could do that,” Lorne said, rubbing his forehead. Under cover of the movement he flicked a look at de Portola.
One more, the other mouthed silently. One more.
“Or we could compromise,” Lorne continued, dropping his hand back to his side. “Let’s check the grove de Portola mentioned, and then all four of us can head back together.”
Khahar’s eyes narrowed. “The colonel doesn’t like being kept waiting.”
“And we really shouldn’t press their luck,” de Portola offered helpfully. “Just because they survived one attack doesn’t mean they could get through another one. You go ahead, Lorne—I can handle the rest myself.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Khahar ground out. “Just show us where they are.”
#
The second encounter was pretty much a repeat of the first. Lorne tried hard to stay on his feet this time, hoping to see first-hand how the Marines’ combat gear worked. But the attack had barely started when his nanocomputer once again threw him out of the way of a charging predator, and he spent the rest of the fight leaping and dodging and rolling on the ground.
De Portola didn’t have it any better. In fact, he had it worse—at one point Lorne spotted him flat on his back, holding off a spine leopard that had somehow gotten past his lasers and was going for his throat. He was still flailing around, and Lorne was trying to get a clear shot at the animal, when Khahar killed it.
Naturally, the sergeant’s back was to Lorne at the time, which meant he got nothing but a silhouetted view of the man’s head and torso against a quick-stutter of blue laser fire.
Sometimes, he thought sourly, he could practically hear the universe snickering at him.
He made one more effort to persuade the Marines to tackle another way station, but Khahar would have none of it. He announced in no uncertain terms that he and Chimm were heading back, and that Lorne was riding with them.
Which gave Lorne the small satisfaction of watching the sergeant’s face heat up when both Cobras politely but firmly told him that they would be riding together in their own car.
Given the still-early hour, the parking area at the Cobra command center should have been nearly deserted. It was therefore a disquieting surprise when de Portola rounded the corner and Lorne saw that there were already four cars in the lot. They hadn’t been sitting there for long—a check of the engines’ infrared signatures
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