The Autumn War Vol. 02: Remnants

"What kind of activity were they investigating?" Xipa asked after pausing to translate for her companions.

"We have sentries posted all around the city," Miqi explained. "Usually at choke points where insect patrols are likely to pass through, or at paths that lead to entrances to our underground tunnels and safehouses. How do you think we detected you when you breached the wall? If we spot a patrol that's getting too nosy, we usually dispatch a team to deal with them. For the most part, we have a live and let live policy. As long as they aren't interfering with a salvage op and they don't look like they're going to stumble across a supply cache, we let them pass through unchallenged. This time, they were dangerously close to both a stash and a safehouse."

"So, you sent Indigo to take them out," Xipa mused as she leaned over the map. "How many Bugs were there?"

"The sentry said six," she replied. "One squad of Drones with no heavy armor shouldn't be an issue for one of our teams, but whatever happened, it can't have gone well. The absolute best-case scenario is that they were driven to ground and had to hole up somewhere. The worst-case...well, you know what the insects are capable of as well as anyone here."

"If you were able to make it here alive, then you already know that discretion is of the utmost importance on these kinds of operations," the scarred Ensi added. "The more of a fuss we cause, the larger the insect response may be. You will need to move to the last known coordinates of Indigo and Cyan undetected, ascertain their situation, and respond accordingly. Returning them home is the priority."

Doubly so for Miqi, Xipa thought, giving her a sideways glance. Cyan was her flock, based on what she had told her earlier. If Xipa and her team hadn't arrived when they had, Miqi would probably have been with them when this had all gone down.

"Where is the alien with the robot arms?" another of the Ensis asked, searching for Fletcher in the small crowd.

"He's injured," Xipa explained. "He won't be accompanying us on the mission, but rest assured, my team remains effective."

"Do we really want to bring the big one?" one of the cloaked scouts asked, craning her neck to glance up at Gustave. "When I think discretion, I don't imagine whatever the fuck that is."

"You'll be glad to have him if we end up in a shootout," Xipa replied. "He's practically impervious to small arms fire, and I've seen him walk straight through a carbcrete wall. That cannon he carries is usually mounted on battle tanks."

"We may need a tank if there's something out there that took out two teams," another muttered.

"What's a tank?" another whispered.

"Commit the route as well as the locations of all nearby caches and shelters to memory," Miqi added, stepping away from the table. "Unless there are any questions, we need to get moving. If there was a firefight, there could be injured, so every minute counts."

"Ruza is a trained medic, and he has equipment hundreds of rotations more advanced than anything your people possess," Xipa added with a gesture to the towering feline. "He can tend to any wounded that we find."

"He could probably carry them back, too," one of the women said as she appraised him. "So, is the whole Galaxy bigger than we are, or are all the smaller species piloting the ships?"

"There will be time for idle chatter when our people are safe," Miqi said with a terse flutter of red. "We need to get moving."

***

The team traveled below ground for as long as they could, using the network of dingy, damp sewer tunnels as cover. Red mosses and clusters of mushrooms had colonized the glistening stonework, and the water was knee-deep in places, but whatever effluence had once flowed through here had left little evidence. There was no foul smell, no trace of waste after so many decades of fresh water flushing them out. There were small mammals and amphibians, too, the occasional splash of water announcing their presence as they slipped away before the flashlight beams could reach them.

Even for a Valbara'nay, memorizing the layout of these sewers would be a tall order, but Xipa noticed that there were color-coded markings painted onto the stone at each junction to help the survivors navigate. There were certainly more covert exits, but they eventually made their way to street level through a collapsed portion of road that had broken open one of the tunnels, as it was large enough for Gustave to make it through. The asphalt formed a sagging ramp that was easy enough to climb without the need for ropes or other equipment.

Miqi and her scouts hurried up first, fanning out to secure a perimeter while Xipa's team followed behind. She still felt kind of strange without Fletcher around - they had relied on him so much during their journey to the city - but she had to show the survivors that she could command. Why would they trust her to organize an evacuation if she couldn't even organize a rescue party?

She felt the suns shine on her scales through her open visor as she emerged into the light, looking up to see the auroras raging above the tall, white buildings that surrounded her. They had surfaced in the middle of a street in the industrial district. Those carbcrete structures with their weathered, white facades had once contained the city's indoor farms, factories, and offices, keeping them hidden from outside view.

Like the other areas of the city that they had explored on their way in, the elements had taken their toll on this place. There was nary an intact window in sight, water damage had streaked the pale facades with trails of grey, and all manner of flora had overrun the street. Tree roots broke up the sidewalk, exposing soil where smaller plants and shrubs sprouted, their autumn leaves creating a sparse canopy in shades of red and brown overhead. Clusters of mushrooms filled every dark, damp corner, and many of the alleys were crowded with tall spires of fungi. Where the asphalt had been cratered by old plasma fire or had eroded due to neglect, it had filled in with rainwater to create shallow ponds that played host to aquatic weeds. No matter how many times she saw it, it never got any less surreal.

Xipa took a moment to spot Miqi and her people. They had moved to the edges of the road, using their camouflaged cloaks to blend into the environment so effectively that she had to look twice to pick them out among the shrubs. They were wearing their makeshift masks and rigs now, wielding old laser rifles and captured Bug weapons.

Miqi stepped forward, lifting the scratched visor on the old city guard gas mask that she was wearing. It was the same one that she had worn when they had first met, with a pair of large, square filters that hung off the end of the snout. She had a bandoleer draped over her shoulder that was loaded with grenades, and she was carrying a Bug plasma rifle that was a blend of metal and chitin.

"This is the closest suitable exit to our target," she explained, keeping her voice low as she glanced up at the innumerable broken windows above. "Stay close, and try to move quietly," she added with a pointed glance at Gustave. "Keep any emissions to a minimum. That means no radio, no wireless, nothing that might send out a signal that the insects could pick up on. It's a bit of a walk, so follow us."

She signaled to her scouts with a flash of feathers from the sheath on her forearm, giving them a silent order to move out. Her people slunk off, stalking down the street silently, keeping their arsenal of mismatched weapons at the ready.

"So, they use their feathers like hand signals?" Bluejay mused as he matched pace with Xipa. "The Marines have something similar, albeit simpler, I'm sure."

"It's a throwback to my people's distant past when we were hunter-gatherers," she explained as she followed behind Miqi. "The feathers on our forearms are thought to have been functional at one point in our evolutionary history, but they were later adapted for communication and social displays, aiding in hunting and interaction. Our feather patterns can convey a lot of information very quickly, and they're still used for signaling during military operations today. Particularly in Commando squads. It's the reason our suits and our vehicles have LED color panels."

"It must convey a hell of a lot of information if it's faster than talking," Bluejay chuckled. "You guys sound like a recording being played back at double speed."

The survivors moved through the city like ghosts, meticulously checking every corner and alley, peering into broken windows at street level as they passed them by. Xipa and Bluejay matched their pace, and even Ruza was stealthier than Xipa had given him credit for. The large, fleshy pads on his paw-like feet cushioned them, making him almost inaudible. Gustave, on the other hand, was too large to be very stealthy at all. He waddled along the middle of the street, hefting his massive cannon. At least if someone saw them, they'd probably shoot at him first...

After a couple of hours of walking without incident, Miqi guided them into an abandoned store that had been mostly overrun by fungi. Two of the scouts watched the windows, peering out into the street through the empty frames as the rest of them took a break. The aisles were all empty, coated in a layer of thick dust, and Xipa couldn't even tell what had once been sold there.

"We're coming up on the last known coordinates of Indigo team," Miqi explained. "The last time they checked in was in this area, and their target was in the next district over. Another half-hour, and we'll be right around where the sentry saw the enemy patrol."

"What about Cyan?" Xipa asked. "Where were they last seen?"

"We're not entirely sure," Miqi replied with a worried flash of purple from her forearms. "We have to assume that they encountered trouble in the same area, because they went dark too."

"So, what's the plan from here?" Xipa asked. "It would be a mistake to just walk into that district one team after another like a herd of Gue'tra to the slaughter."

"Agreed," Miqi replied, waving a couple more of her scouts over. "My suggestion is that we skirt the edge of the district and check all the safehouses that are marked on our map. That's the first place a team would go if they were in distress."

"And, if they couldn't flee?" Xipa asked.

"They would have taken shelter wherever they could," another of the scouts added, her voice muffled by an old welder's mask. It had a thick hose that trailed beneath her cloak, patched with electrical tape in places. "Abandoned buildings, lounges - anywhere that might provide cover."

"How many safehouses are there nearby?" Xipa added skeptically. "I saw three on the map, if I remember right."

"Yeah, three," the stranger confirmed. "There aren't many lounges in the industrial band - most are confined to the commercial districts. That narrows down the number of places we'd have to search."

"Can we afford to spend time doing that?" Xipa asked. "What if they're hurt or in trouble?"

"We can plot a route that takes us past them with minimal detours," Miqi replied.

"This would be a whole lot easier if they could just switch on a distress beacon," Xipa grumbled.

"On Kerguela, that would have the opposite of the intended effect," Miqi chuckled dryly. "Their only hope of rescue is for us to find them."

"Remember that Bluejay can sense insect pheromones and other scents that you and I might miss," Xipa added with a gesture to the Jarilan. "He should be able to track this enemy patrol if they passed through as recently as a day or two ago. We won't be walking in blind."

"I'll take your word for it," she replied, sparing the insect a disapproving glance. "There are two safehouses on this side of the district, so we'll check those first."

***

After a little walking, they turned into a narrow alley that was barely large enough for Gustave to make it through without scraping his shoulders against the walls. Judging by the overgrown neon sign outside, Xipa could guess that there was another disreputable hookah lounge hidden down here. There were the usual clusters of spire-shaped mushrooms and clinging vines that bridged the buildings above like sagging, red electrical cables, the towers of fungi releasing clouds of dark spores as Gustave pushed through them carelessly.

They came upon a large panel that was leaning up against the left wall next to an old recycling chute, the wood draped with more red vines that camouflaged it against the backdrop. It was obvious to someone who knew what they were looking for, but less so for an errant Bug that might wander through.

"Hey, big guy," Miqi said as she pointed to the panel. "Mind making yourself useful?"

Gustave didn't speak her language, but her gesture was enough for him to get the picture, and he lumbered over to her side. He slid the heavy panel out of the way with ease to reveal a recessed staircase that led down to a door. Xipa had been right - it was another lounge. The door was marked with a painted symbol, another identifying feature that would mean nothing to a Bug in this city filled with alien symbols.

"Wait here," Miqi said, readying her rifle. "Keep watch while we check it out."

Xipa directed her team to guard the alley as Miqi and a pair of her scouts made their way down the short flight of steps, the door creaking open on rusted hinges. After a brief check inside, they reemerged from the shadowy interior.

"I don't see any signs that anyone came through here recently, and none of the supplies have been taken," Miqi said as she helped push the panel back into place. "Onto the next one."

"Bluejay, you picking anything up?" Xipa asked.

"Nothing yet," he replied, his feathery antennae waving in the air. "I'll let you know when I have something."

They continued on through the ruined streets, skirting around partially collapsed buildings and patches of impassable forest. It made what should have been a quick walk far longer than Xipa would have expected, and she began to understand why there were so many markings on the map back in the operations room. The layout of the city must be changing continuously as it gradually deteriorated.

As they rounded the rusted hull of a disabled truck that was blocking the street, the vehicle seeming to blend into the surrounding shrubs and trees due to the carpet of red mosses that had claimed it, one of the scouts flashed her feathers in a signal for them to stop.

They raised their rifles, scanning the dense foliage that lined the street as the woman crouched to brush her gloved fingers against the ground.

"Footprints in the mud," she announced, standing up again. "Valbara'nay boots, heading that way," she added as she gestured past the truck. "We're on the right track."

"How old?" Miqi asked.

"No more than a day," she replied. "I think this was Cyan."

"I'm picking something up too," Bluejay said, walking over to the footprints. The scout stepped back as he crouched over them, keeping her distance from him, but he paid her no mind as he waved his antennae in the air. "Yep, I got a scent. It's fresh enough to follow."

"He's picked up a scent trail," Xipa relayed to the scouts. "It's your missing people."

"I thought it only smelled pheromones?" Miqi asked with a suspicious head tilt.

Xipa relayed the query to Bluejay, who chuckled in reply.

"She walked me through their entire base, and she's asking how I can recognize their scent? That's a dumb question."

Xipa translated for Miqi, though she omitted that last part, and it was enough to convince her.

"Very well," Miqi replied, giving her team another flash of colored feathers. "Have your insect lead the way, and we will follow."

As Bluejay took point, Xipa noted his change in body language. He had been so unsure of himself in the base, almost cowering, but he was in his element here. He stalked through the undergrowth with palpable confidence, his eyes scanning every branch and window, his XMR sweeping the street. This was what he had been bred for.

He led them around a collapsed area of the street where the asphalt had given way to a massive sinkhole, then down an alley between two buildings, winding through the urban jungle. They emerged onto another street, this one thick with trees whose spreading roots had churned up the road like the blades of a plow, forming a dense canopy overhead that made Xipa feel like she had been transported back beyond the wall. Bluejay raised a fist in a gesture for them to halt, Xipa quickly relaying the meaning of his hand signal to the scouts.

"Did you catch another scent?" Xipa whispered.

"No, but check that out," he replied as he pointed into the trees ahead. It took Xipa a moment to see it, but there was another shimmering web of fibers strung between two of the gnarled trunks, only visible when it caught the light that filtered through the leaves above. "It's another one of those sticky nets. There's a sniper Bug somewhere around here."

"You encountered one of those creatures before?" Miqi asked after Xipa had pointed out the trap. "I'm amazed you made it out unscathed. Those things are lethal if they get the drop on you."

"Not exactly unscathed," she replied. "Fortunately, it decided to focus on the largest target, who happens to be functionally bullet-proof. Still, it almost managed to best our team in a straight fight. I noticed that some of your people carry rifles that you must have claimed from them."

"We call them Hunters, and they're all over the damned city," Miqi explained as she turned her eyes to the towering buildings that loomed above them. "The insects seem to deploy them almost like living landmines in the hopes of ensnaring the unwary, so there's not much logic to their movements. They make their way inside the city, then just wander around until they find a suitable place to hole up. The things can go into a kind of hibernation and sit completely still for weeks until someone disturbs them."

"Could it be one of those that took out Cyan and Indigo?" Xipa asked.

"Unlikely," Miqi replied. "We're used to dealing with them, and they don't seem able to call in backup like the Drones can. Honestly, they almost seem engineered solely to be a nuisance."

"How does one deal with a Hunter, exactly?" Xipa added. "The last fight we had with one came down to the wire, so I can't imagine just living with them as a fact of life."

"They're easy enough to spot if you know what to look for," she explained. "Their webs are like tripwires, and as long as you avoid coming into contact with them, they'll generally stay asleep. When they attack, they fire from high vantage points, so taking cover inside buildings will usually force them to come down and engage you on your terms."

"You really are used to them," Xipa muttered, shouldering her XMR as she advanced behind Bluejay. They avoided the curtain of sticky webbing, keeping careful watch for more cleverly hidden traps.

"We should be coming up on the second safehouse soon," Miqi said as they rounded another bend in the overgrown street. "The insect is leading us in the same direction, so perhaps they stopped there to rest."

Ahead of them, a collapsed maglev line blocked the street, the magnetic rail sagging down onto the asphalt where its supports had been melted by plasma fire. Unlike the last downed line they had encountered, Xipa was surprised and somewhat alarmed to see a row of rail cars that had been flung from their track. The line must have collapsed while it was still in use, and the next train that had come barreling along it had been launched into the adjacent building like a bullet, digging a jagged hole straight through the carbcrete on the fifth floor. Some of the trailing passenger cars had followed after it, but those at the tail-end were lying in a heap on the street, piled up like the links of a giant chain. Like everything else, their white paint was chipped and stained to reveal rusting metal, and Kerguela's plants had made the gutted carriages their home.