Читать книгу Bieber's Finger - Craig Nybo - Страница 16

Chapter 8

Meanwhile, Somewhere On Planet Hull...

The Ice Beetles left the collapsed caverns. A company of excavators recovered a handful of wagons to carry supplies and the wounded. The strong helped the weak on their march. Nichang chose a patch of high ground on a bluff nearly a half-day’s travel away to set up camp. By nightfall the second day most of the Ice Beetles slept under cover. A smattering of shelters woven from knife grass harvested along the way protected them from the elements. At least Tyche the God of Ice had granted them favorable weather. Nichang sent up a prayer of thanks for the sun and for the lack of storm clouds.

Colonel Chi of the Shreevers and the Second Infantry Unit established outposts and wandering sentries surrounding the encampment. Without the security of the ice caverns, constant RECON would be necessary. The jungles were full of creatures who harbored more than a casual taste for Ice Beetles.

Nichang assembled three emissaries, the minister of agriculture, the minister of geography, and the minister of engineering. The four of them convened under a knife grass awning near the top of a rise to discuss the colony’s next move.

“There is plenty of food,” the minister of agriculture said. “We can forage. But I recommend that we feed in zones. If we allow families to go anywhere they want, our scent will draw shrank cats.”

“We’ll garrison an area for foraging,” Nichang said. “Can you organize harvesting crews who can gather food without leaving a trace?”

“There is always a trace,” the minister of agriculture said. “But I will do what I can.”

Nichang turned to the minister of engineering. “Have you compiled a report of the damages?”

“We can not recover the ice caverns. The Voles’ new weapon is quite thorough. There might be habitable caverns deep beneath the surface, but it would take years to excavate.”

“We don’t have years,” Nichang said. He turned to the minister of geography, “Are there any ice caverns nearby where we can hole up?”

The minister of geography spread his top two rakes in a shrug. “It’s no secret that there is no love lost between our colony and the Sini colonies up north.”

“They’d just as soon the Voles kill us all,” the minister of engineering said.

“We know they won’t harbor us,” Nichang said. “But are there any other caverns within a reasonable distance?”

“There are the Wasteland Caverns,” the minister of geography said.

“Those caves are cursed,” the minister of agriculture said, “And the nearest food source is a half-day’s travel.”

“Other than the Wasteland Caverns,” the minister of geography tapped his spicules on the table. “We are in for at least a month’s travel overland to get to the nearest options. Even then, finding a cavern large enough will be monumentally difficult.”

The quartet of Beetles went silent, feeling the weight of what lay ahead heavy on their shoulders.

Nichang spoke up. “Here’s what we are going to do.” He addressed the minister of geography. “I need you to organize an expedition, no more than eight Beetles. We need them to find a network of caverns suitable for the entire colony. When they do, order them to send half of their expedition back with the best travel route and supply lists.”

“In the meantime, where will we live?” the minister of agriculture said.

“We have no choice but to go to the Wasteland Caverns.”

“The colony isn’t going to like it,” the minister of engineering said.

“If we stay overland, we will be dead within days,” Nichang said.

The meeting went silent.

Finally, the minister of geography spoke up. “I will assemble search parties. But this is a long shot.”

Nichang nodded, knowing that he wore the same drawn expression as he saw on the other Beetles’ faces. He ended the meeting with a few words of encouragement.

As the ministers left the knife grass awning, Nichang prepared himself mentally for his next meeting, a meeting where he would ask a few of his closest friends and the most elite among Ice Beetles for the ultimate sacrifice.