Kali's Fire by Craig Allen

Author:Craig Allen [Allen, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-11-12T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Sonja and Sinclair kept clear of jellyfish and dark clouds containing colonies of insects—both of which might have been working with the toads. They spoke on a coded frequency but still remained quiet when other hoppers flew past, like thieves quieting down when someone treads too close. Kali ships still hovered in orbit. Cody was certain there were more ships than could be seen on gravimetrics.

Cody noted that Sinclair’s hopper was broadcasting the same sort of transponder code they were. How they’d hacked it was the real question, and he wondered if Deveau had lost card games to people other than Bodin.

Poor Bodin. Cody’s mind raced, searching for some other way they could’ve detonated the nukes without killing Bodin. Nothing came to mind. He’d have had to know the future to save Bodin, and not even an admiral could manage that.

That didn’t make him feel any better, though.

Cody checked their course against their charts of the planet. They were headed for an island in the deep ocean, one of the many homes to the fliers. “We’re heading for the fliers?”

“That’s affirmative,” Sinclair said. “After we figured out that transponder trick, we ran into a few fliers that had a viewer and managed to contact them. We followed them here. Been using it as a base of operations.”

Cody let out his breath. “At least they’re still alive.”

“Last I saw, Doc,” Ensign Francis said. “They hid out in that cave of theirs when shit went crazy.”

Cody finally asked the question he’d been running through his head since they had met up with Sinclair and Francis. “So, how did you guys hack the transponders?”

“It wasn’t easy,” Sinclair said. “It took Francis nearly a day to get it. That’s how you did it, right?”

“Right.” Cody kept his expression as neutral as he could, as that didn’t feel like the right time to reveal they had a colonel’s access codes.

After a moment, the island appeared in the distance. Sinclair flew lower, and Sonja followed.

“Hang on a sec,” Sinclair said. “What do we have on gravimetrics?”

Cody himself checked, but Francis answered first. “The big boys are way above us, sir. No hoppers close by. We’re clear.”

“Good,” Sinclair said. “Let’s hurry. Gunny, we’re landing dead center of the island.”

“Won’t the fliers be upset?” Cody asked.

“Doc, they’re probably hiding in one of the caves on this island,” Sinclair said. “They’re tolerating us mainly because they understand we’re putting up defenses around the island. They keep asking about you, Doc. Guess you made an impression.”

The island appeared through the clouds. Cody didn’t see any fliers or anything out of the ordinary. They were well hidden, for which he was thankful, but caves wouldn’t protect them if the UET Council voted to nuke the planet.

“Follow my lead, Gunny,” Sinclair said.

“Yes, sir.”

Sonja angled the hopper for a landing. They approached quickly then slowed abruptly just before reaching the ground. Peering outside, Cody still saw nothing, as if the entire island had been abandoned.

A light flashed, and the view outside the canopy changed.

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