Guerilla Read Free

permanent. Nobody in, nobody out would make spotting ­people coming and going difficult.
    Even if the Phrenorians in the base were living off the land, which they could do on Makaum, there still had to be information and critical supplies going into and out of the area.
    Moonslight gleamed on the water and Sage suddenly realized how the Phrenorians could move through the area relatively unseen. He shifted the spyglass and tracked the flow downriver, watching as the tributary widened a little before disappearing around a bend in the valley.
    At the same time, Jahup dropped a hand onto Sage’s shoulder, drawing his attention immediately.
    Sage slipped back out of sight and glanced at the young scout.
    Slowly, because quick movements drew attention in the dark, Jahup pointed upriver toward the cliffs where the waterfalls spilled down onto a tumble of broken rock.
    Tiny figures stood skylined against the night for a moment, dark shadows blocking out the starlight. Then they made their way over the rise and down into the valley, occasionally masked by the silver spray of the falls.
    Cautiously, Sage traded places with Jahup and brought up the spyglass to his eye again. He peered at the figures and only made out glimpses of the small group walking through the trees, but he identified the Phrenorians easily.
    On average, the Sting-­Tails stood taller than humans. The chitinous exoskeletons, four “lesser” arms, and segmented tails gave them more than a passing resemblance to Terran scorpions. The primary arms that came out from the shoulders ended in huge pincers big enough and strong enough to crush a man’s head. Generally their exoskeletal coloration ran the gamut of blue and purple, the preferred colors of the Phrenorian elite, but there were greens and dark reds mixed in. They wore little armor because their chitin was as tough as any AKTIVsuit, and oftentimes only a little less dense than shielding on the Army’s heavy combat powersuits. Only bare latticework featuring yellow and red plates protected their abdomens and provided a tactical platform for weaponry and supplies.
    All of the Phrenorians carried weapons, rifles and sidearms, and they looked alert. Several anti-­grav “mules,” floating flat cargo carriers, transported heavy loads strapped aboard them.
    Sage wondered if the polymer crates carried supplies or equipment. Either way, it was a lot of material.
    A door on the blister irised open as the new arrivals approached. A dozen Phrenorian warriors stepped out, fanning into position on either side of the opening. Another Phrenorian, this one colored deep blue and purple, stepped out as the supply train came to a halt.
    Evidently a conversation took place, then a PAD glowed briefly, revealing the alien features of the Phrenorian officer. The Sting-­Tails’ heads narrowed as they went from shoulders to forehead. Three pairs of oily black eyes gleamed above the Phrenorian’s slash of a mouth. Chelicerae , tiny arms that resembled the Sting-­Tails’ lesser arms, surrounded the razor-­slit mouth. Another pair of eyes, not seen at the moment, was set into the back of the warrior’s head.
    One of the newly arrived Phrenorians stepped forward and pressed a lesser hand against the PAD. In that brief instant of pale light, Sage recognized the warrior.
    Zhoh GhiCemid was, according to Terran military intel, a high-­ranking warrior in the Phrenorian Empire. Information experts had tracked GhiCemid at the scenes of several major battles in the Khustal System. The Pagor System had fallen and the Sting-­Tails were making a major push into new territory. The Loki System that contained Makaum was only a short distance out of the way for them.
    No one knew what Zhoh GhiCemid was doing on Makaum, but everyone knew the stakes had been raised.
    Silently, Sage watched Zhoh GhiCemid and his warriors disappear into the blister. When the door irised closed again, he leaned