The Sakkara (The Adventures of Christopher Slone Book 5) by Donald Nicklas

Author:Donald Nicklas [Nicklas, Donald]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-06-08T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8 – A Can of Worms

The Mary Rose descended down to the surface of the fourth planet. They were coming into the atmosphere above the science base. Since the planet had an abundant atmosphere with a great many clouds, it was difficult to pass through it without causing a disturbance, yet Tavia managed to avoid most of the clouds and they landed on a plain ten kilometers from the Saltic base. After they were down, Alaya asked Raul, “Anything on the scanners, Raul?”

“No captain. The plain appears to be free of Saltic life forms, though there is a great deal of indigenous life present.”

“Ok, everyone but the bridge crew with me. Tavia you’re in charge. If there are any threats to the ship, get out of here and come back for us later.”

“Understood, captain.” Tavia said and then turned to Hatch, “Hatch, keep us invisible.”

Alaya’s mixed human/serpent crew was all trained as scouts and Special Forces. They were the best of the best when it came to getting things done that required small units of highly skilled personnel. The humans suited up in the lightweight scout armor favored by the Special Forces and the serpents applied steel tips to the ends of their tails. The humans closed the visors on their helmets and Alaya opened the hatch at the bottom center of the ship. They exited the ship and they were immediately hit by a blast of wind. There was a lot of heat in the atmosphere and this resulted in the high winds. Alaya hoped the winds kept the Saltic inside. This would decrease the risks of dealing with larger numbers of Saltic outside their base. When all were out, Alaya pressed a button next to the door and it slid shut. They found themselves on a large plain covered with scrub brush and wild flowers. They could sense movement in the vegetation, but the indigenous life forms were very secretive and kept moving away from anywhere the Romani went. The Special Forces aboard the Mary Rose were commanded by a serpent with the Romani rank of Optio with a human and a serpent Decanus, each commanding half of the unit. Once they landed, the Optio was in command and she sent out scouts and flankers. Since the ship was in the rear, no rear guard was needed. The ship’s artillery would act as a rear guard.

They crossed the plain as quickly as possible and scaled the low ridge that separated the landing zone from the area in which the outpost was built. When the scouts signaled all clear, the rest of the group went to the top of the ridge and the humans dropped down on their bellies and pulled out their binoculars. The serpents changed their scales to match the surrounding vegetation and vanished to the naked eye. Since serpents were chameleons and had the power to alter their scales to match any background, they were masters at remaining undetected. Alaya scanned the plain and saw that the outpost consisted of five geodesic domes covering areas of housing.

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