thought. We're friendly! Three-Spot must have told you. Right?
The spider took another step towards me. I held my empty hands out in front of me, trying to think peaceful thoughts. But what if-
I turned just in time to see Harper raising his rifle and gave him the sternest Lieutenant Look I could muster while jabbing a finger at his rifle and then the ground. Disbelieving, he lowered his barrel.
I held one hand up to tell Harper to stay, then held my other empty hand towards the spider, now only twenty feet away. Please stay back! If you get closer, my friends may not stay calm. Friendly!
It took another step forward. As did twenty other spiders emerging from hiding in a ring around the landing zone.
I grabbed the barrel of Juan's grenade launcher just before it got target and pushed it back down, giving him a blistering look and shaking my head. He barely saw me- his eyes were huge, watching the ring of spiders close around us.
I looked back at the first spider in desperation. Stop! We are friendly! Three Spot sent us!
They were all around us, moving forward at a slow steady speed, like a stalking cat.
I tilted my shoulder to let my rifle strap slip off and let the weapon clatter to the ground. See! Friendly!
The spider stood just fifteen feet in front of me, legs coiled to pounce. All the other spiders took one step closer.
"Sir..." Telson squeaked, shaking. His finger started reaching towards his trigger. I gave him a Look but he was trembling, still bringing his rifle barrel up. He was too far for me to reach in time.
Then Zazlu was there, grabbing the back of Telson's neck with one hand and pushing his rifle barrel down with the other. He squeezed harder and harder on Telson's neck until the kid's hand left the trigger area. The ring of spiders stepped closer again.
I stepped forward too, one hand up to stay my men, one hand up to the spider, now looking into his four eyes from just ten feet away. My pulse was pounding in my ears. I could barely form thoughts through the adrenaline.
Peaceful! We do not want to fight you! Peace!
The spider stopped.
"Three-Spot said your thoughts would be muddy," he spoke into my head, the voice like sharp claws sliding over each other, where Three-Spot's was like tumbling gravel. "But I was not prepared."
Yeah, neither were we, I thought back. Things happened quickly. Please tell your clan to back up! My men are nervous.
"You are very close to our caves."
I'm sorry-
"Close to our females and children. Your metal-spitters could do much harm to them."
I turned back to Zaz, snapped my fingers and pointed for him to take his hands off his rifle. He didn't want to.
"Sir-"
I held a finger in front of my mouth.
Zazlu frowned at me, then slowly let his rifle go, to hang from his shoulder strap.
I turned back to the spider. Where Three-Spot had his yellow dots, this one had a red stripe on its skull. Red-Stripe, see! We mean your families no harm! We just need to stay here for a while and then will go away.
"For how long will you go away? The others always come back."
See, that's the thing - I started to think, before I noticed Juan was freaking out.
"This is crazy," he hissed. "We're just staring at them-"
I bared my teeth at him. "Shut UP Private!"
"What's going on out there?" Sergeant Major Hughes's voice barked, crystal clear, into all our ears. "Give me a sit-rep!"
"Whoever that was, clear this channel!" I hissed into my mike. "We are maneuvering to contact in the field. Get off the radio, you asshole!"
Any chance I got to call Hughes an asshole with plausible deniability, I would take. The radio went silent. Then I snapped my fingers at Zaz and pointed to Juan. My Second Lieutenant put his hand on Juan's shoulder, whispering in his ear. I could see Juan's finger slowly untensing from the trigger. But he was still too nervous.
Red-Stripe, we NEED you to back up. You are scaring them.
The large Hell-Spider took one step back toward the treeline. The others did
The spider took another step towards me. I held my empty hands out in front of me, trying to think peaceful thoughts. But what if-
I turned just in time to see Harper raising his rifle and gave him the sternest Lieutenant Look I could muster while jabbing a finger at his rifle and then the ground. Disbelieving, he lowered his barrel.
I held one hand up to tell Harper to stay, then held my other empty hand towards the spider, now only twenty feet away. Please stay back! If you get closer, my friends may not stay calm. Friendly!
It took another step forward. As did twenty other spiders emerging from hiding in a ring around the landing zone.
I grabbed the barrel of Juan's grenade launcher just before it got target and pushed it back down, giving him a blistering look and shaking my head. He barely saw me- his eyes were huge, watching the ring of spiders close around us.
I looked back at the first spider in desperation. Stop! We are friendly! Three Spot sent us!
They were all around us, moving forward at a slow steady speed, like a stalking cat.
I tilted my shoulder to let my rifle strap slip off and let the weapon clatter to the ground. See! Friendly!
The spider stood just fifteen feet in front of me, legs coiled to pounce. All the other spiders took one step closer.
"Sir..." Telson squeaked, shaking. His finger started reaching towards his trigger. I gave him a Look but he was trembling, still bringing his rifle barrel up. He was too far for me to reach in time.
Then Zazlu was there, grabbing the back of Telson's neck with one hand and pushing his rifle barrel down with the other. He squeezed harder and harder on Telson's neck until the kid's hand left the trigger area. The ring of spiders stepped closer again.
I stepped forward too, one hand up to stay my men, one hand up to the spider, now looking into his four eyes from just ten feet away. My pulse was pounding in my ears. I could barely form thoughts through the adrenaline.
Peaceful! We do not want to fight you! Peace!
The spider stopped.
"Three-Spot said your thoughts would be muddy," he spoke into my head, the voice like sharp claws sliding over each other, where Three-Spot's was like tumbling gravel. "But I was not prepared."
Yeah, neither were we, I thought back. Things happened quickly. Please tell your clan to back up! My men are nervous.
"You are very close to our caves."
I'm sorry-
"Close to our females and children. Your metal-spitters could do much harm to them."
I turned back to Zaz, snapped my fingers and pointed for him to take his hands off his rifle. He didn't want to.
"Sir-"
I held a finger in front of my mouth.
Zazlu frowned at me, then slowly let his rifle go, to hang from his shoulder strap.
I turned back to the spider. Where Three-Spot had his yellow dots, this one had a red stripe on its skull. Red-Stripe, see! We mean your families no harm! We just need to stay here for a while and then will go away.
"For how long will you go away? The others always come back."
See, that's the thing - I started to think, before I noticed Juan was freaking out.
"This is crazy," he hissed. "We're just staring at them-"
I bared my teeth at him. "Shut UP Private!"
"What's going on out there?" Sergeant Major Hughes's voice barked, crystal clear, into all our ears. "Give me a sit-rep!"
"Whoever that was, clear this channel!" I hissed into my mike. "We are maneuvering to contact in the field. Get off the radio, you asshole!"
Any chance I got to call Hughes an asshole with plausible deniability, I would take. The radio went silent. Then I snapped my fingers at Zaz and pointed to Juan. My Second Lieutenant put his hand on Juan's shoulder, whispering in his ear. I could see Juan's finger slowly untensing from the trigger. But he was still too nervous.
Red-Stripe, we NEED you to back up. You are scaring them.
The large Hell-Spider took one step back toward the treeline. The others did
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