The Autumn War Vol. 02: Remnants

"Farming us?" Izel repeated, Miqi cocking her head at them as she followed the conversation.

"You're nothing more than local fauna to them," Xipa continued. "Dangerous fauna, perhaps, but they must see some value in you if they've kept you alive."

"We're alive because we're smarter than they are," he protested. "Because we evade them and outmaneuver them at every turn."

"I think that's why you're alive, yes, but not for the reasons you think. Everywhere that we've encountered the Bugs, they've fought using wave tactics - mass troop movements that seek to overwhelm the enemy through sheer weight of numbers. Kerguela is different. The Bugs here heavily favor ambush tactics, and their Drones fight in small, mobile units that show a far larger degree of tactical awareness. Why is that? What might motivate them to change their strategy - a strategy that was so successful in overwhelming the moon's defenses? Is it a coincidence that they reduced the size of their squads down to six, a number that closely mirrors the average size of a flock?"

"You think they've been studying us?" Miqi asked, narrowing her eyes. "Farming us for information rather than meat?"

"If they saw you as a threat, you'd be long-dead," Xipa replied. "You've just seen how they respond when their objective is to get rid of you. I think they've been feeding you Drones and Hunters, then observing how you react and changing their own tactics accordingly. You were certainly a surprise to them, and I doubt they know about your base or your tunnels, but they've learned that interesting things happen when they send troops inside the city - things that they can learn from."

"That's a pile of Do'patli shit," Izel snapped. "We're here because we're resourceful, because we're smarter than they are."

"Exactly," Xipa replied, slamming a fist on the table to punctuate her point. "Again, you're not understanding me. If you hadn't been exceptionally resourceful, if you hadn't surprised the Bugs at every turn, they would have just rolled over you like they did everybody else. They see something valuable in you, and they've been applying what they've learned all over the planet, giving our troops hell in the process. In you, they have a small, contained population that poses no existential threat and which can be studied at their leisure."

"Now that you're here, they're done with us?" Miqi asked. "Why?"

"I guess they've upped your threat level, and they don't want you causing a nuisance anymore," Xipa replied. "They're probably making moves to secure all of their territory in response to our incursions. So, yeah," she added as she turned back to Izel. "It is our fault that this is happening now, but it would have happened eventually whether we showed up or not. This scenario is the only one where you survive."

Izel still seemed angry, but he had no response, so he stormed off to rejoin his sole surviving flockmate in another part of the lounge.

"Sorry," Miqi whispered. "Izel is a good guy, he's just...still processing what happened."

"No apology necessary," Xipa replied. "He's handling it better than I did."

***

They made their way back to the base without incident, returning to the system of underground sewer and maintenance tunnels as soon as they were able. When they stepped onto the raised platform that overlooked the aquaponic farms, they were greeted by a pair of guards who were waiting for them.

"The Ensis want to debrief you immediately," one of them began, but Ruza pushed past them with Nocha still cradled in his massive arms. The guards stepped out of his path, as there was little they could do to stop him.

"I am heading straight to the infirmary," he announced, pausing briefly to look back at Xipa. "She requires surgery without delay, or she may become too weak to survive the procedure."

"Escort him to the infirmary and make sure he gets there," Xipa barked at one of the guards, who seemed too flustered to argue. The pair hurried off into the bowels of the base while everyone else took a left, heading along the walkway towards the operations room. When they got there, they found the three Ensis waiting for them. Fletcher was with them, along with several other people who must be high-ranking members of their group.

"Welcome back," Fletcher said, greeting them with a wave. "I was going stir crazy with nobody to fucking talk to. Glad to see you're all in one-" He paused, glancing at Bluejay's arm. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Drone lopped my arm off," he replied, raising the stump. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Where's Ruza?" he added. "Is he alright?"

"He's tending to an injured scout," Xipa replied.

"Then you brought everyone back alive," Fletcher said, giving her an approving nod. "Nice work."

"We received your field report," the Ensi with the scarred lip began. "It was...troubling, to say the least. Take off your gear, and we'll have someone move it to the armory. We want you to tell us everything that you saw."

~CONTINUED IN VOLUME III~