*
Jade smiled in the dark, feeling a little calmer. The girl was coming along well, settling into the pattern of real survey work and starting to shake off the inflexibility of her boot-camp training. She had been working hard, the past few days, mentally as well as physically.
Out in the field, they did things a little differently. Out in the field, nobody knew what would happen next, so the cast-iron Survey Authority Regulations of boot camp became malleable guidelines. Field surveyors always served the central goal of completing the mission and reporting back, but they understood that sometimes "unnecessary" risks were an essential ingredient of success.
They had been discussing just that while they prepared to go out and monitor the grazer migration passing through the area. Alenn had argued that they should stay behind the sonic fence and use remotes, especially for the area verging on Ice badger territory. Jade and Donly had spent far too long trying to explain just why in-person observation in addition to remotes was the most valuable approach. Eventually, Jade had to pull rank and tell Alenn to take it up with her superiors when they returned.
Jade's smile faded as she considered her current situation. Surveyors straight out of boot camp did strange things sometimes. Technically correct things that no one who wasn't carefully conditioned would even consider.
She worked her face more urgently, and finally her painfully dry eyes opened. Blinking several times, she suppressed her relief as carefully as the earlier panic. She still didn't know where she was, or why, and all her newly reclaimed vision told her was that it was someplace dark, with a faint light shining in the distance. A cave?
She tried to sit up, but her body didn't obey. It was numb, insensate, cold. With concentration, her fingers twitched, sending shooting pain and burning pins and needles up her arm. She winced, but persisted in wiggling fingers and toes, then hands and feet, and then finally pushing herself up into a sitting position. Deep shivers racked her body as soon as she was upright, almost knocking her down again.
It was cold. Far colder than she had realized, when she first woke up.
There must have been an accident. If she fell into this cave, she could have hit her head. That would explain why she couldn't remember how she got here, at least. She could remember walking through the forest looking for a good spot to set up a hide, and it was possible that she could have stumbled into a hidden cave mouth.
But Donly wouldn't have left her if the only danger was a fall. She rubbed her sternum, and felt the reassuring bump of her tracker, but the com on her wrist was as cold and dark as the cave, evidently broken.
Maybe they're just looking for a safer way down. Even as the thought crossed her mind, though, she rejected it. She had been out for a while, or else she wouldn't be almost too cold to shiver. Plenty of time for them to have found a safe way to recover her, or at least to be working on it, audibly.
The essential question was why weren't they, and she was afraid that she knew the answer.
If helping Jade had a chance of endangering the rest of the team, of making them not report back, a Junior Surveyor straight out of boot camp would follow No Hazard to the letter. And if Donly argued, or tried to save her on his own, Alenn was trained to shoot him with a tranq and get them both back to safety, away from whatever danger had struck Jade.
It went against every human ideal and impulse, but any instinct could be overcome with sufficient conditioning.
Jade and Donly had had years to learn the importance of following the spirit, rather than the letter, of the Survey Authority's regulations. The mission always came first, but most of the time the mission was better served by a full team than a partial team trying to cope with the preventable loss of a friend.
Alenn, though... Alenn had only a few days of practical experience. She might mourn later, but she wouldn't hesitate to leave Jade to die.
A piercing whine rose up from the darkness, sending her lurching to her feet. The sound of purring paused, then intensified, punctuated by the gut-wrenching cries of an animal in desperate pain. Soon, they faded to a whimper, and then nothing but the purring remained.
Jade peered into the darkness, blinking and trying to see something - anything - that would tell her what she was dealing with. By the sounds, an animal had just died, and she had a strong feeling that it wasn't the first - that something similar might have been what originally woke her.
Suddenly she wondered if the others might have been right to leave her here, and avoid the mysterious purrers.
If she had stumbled upon something that was a threat to all of them, then they had a duty to warn the Agency, and make sure that any colonists who decided to risk their lives on Ice were prepared for… whatever it was. Lives would be saved, just not her life.
Not unless she could save herself.
She crouched, tapping the ground lightly. Going on hands and feet would hopefully keep her from turning an ankle or falling down a pit on her way towards that tantalizing patch of light. Once there, and able to see, she would have a better chance of evaluating the best course of action.
Her too-numb fingers couldn't tell much about the surface, except that there was some sort of fibrous growth covering it. It felt like coarse grass or some sort of dry cave fungus, and the ground was strangely soft beneath her feet. She filed that thought away for later consideration, and focused on moving slowly and carefully.
Then her hand plunged into something slimy and wet, pulling her up short with a blast of adrenaline. Water? Slime mold? After catching her breath, she tested it again, finding a soft but solid surface covered in something wet.
The ground beneath her heaved as she prodded it, and she froze in place. Not ground, the objective, survey-trained part of her mind observed, even as her stomach turned. Flesh and fur, and blood.
She backed away, moving off the unidentified animal and finding herself on top of another, trying not to get tangled in its legs. It lay still, but when she found its neck by feel, she could detect a faint pulse. Alive, but unresponsive. Intact, as far as she could tell, which meant it wasn't injury that had put it into that state. By the horns, it was one of the forest grazers they had observed moving through the area in a seasonal migration.
But what was purring?
Curiosity tugged at her, but training and common sense both told her to follow No Hazard in full this time. Sparse information returned to the Hub, along with her living, breathing self, was far more valuable than complete information that no one would ever see.
Especially to her.
Unfortunately, the purring echoed so much that it seemed to be coming from every direction. Jade picked her way blindly over more legs and bodies, wondering how long the ground underneath her would remain soft, furry, and breathing. The first body passed underfoot quietly, but others jerked and shuddered under her touch. She moved on as quickly as she could.
A low moan sounded, echoing from the cave walls and growing higher pitched and more urgent by the second. She continued her slow progress, listening while it faded into sporadic grunts, punctuating the unabated purring. It sounded like the dying animal was to her left, but how long would it take its killers to finish it off? Could they see her, moving in the darkness?
There was no way to know, so she kept moving, tensed for an attack.
If she could only get outside, the others might have left a station-keeping remote to monitor the cave. She knew Donly would talk Alenn into helping her if she could get clear of the immediate danger. They could bring the hover over, and drop a rope from well out of range of any land-based predator.
She just had to get outside.
More animals passed underfoot, some entirely insensate and others struggling to move. The light was closer now, bigger.
Something fluffy brushed against her arm, and she froze.
Brush.
Brush.
Moistness. Was it a fellow victim? Or one of the mysterious purrers?
She was steeling herself to r
each out and touch it, when pain shot through the arm that had been licked. Teeth!
A fresh surge of adrenaline brought her to her feet, arm swinging out in full extension.
Something surprisingly light rode her arm up, and then went flying away as the violent motion flung it off.
Jade didn't wait, or think - she just dashed for the light, picking up speed when she passed the last of the piled bodies and felt firm ground underfoot at last. Moments later she ran across bare rock into the sunlight.
She paused, gasping, to watch the cave behind her. She almost wished her attacker would follow, so that she could get a good look at it, but a growl dragged her attention to the outside world instead.
A full-grown Ice badger stood glaring at her from an outcrop about ten meters away. Not really a badger, or a bear, or a cat, it was still over a hundred pounds of muscle, claws and teeth wearing a mottled gray-brown pelt that blended perfectly with the surrounding rock. She wouldn't even have seen it if it wasn't growling at her.
Jade eased her field knife out of its sheath, wondering whether it would do her any good.
According to Tad's work with the remotes, Ice badgers were omnivores, hunting the rabbit-like lapins and opportunistically eating carrion, insects, and fruit with equal relish. They didn't appear to hunt anything as large as humans. This one shouldn't have been interested in her as long as she didn't literally stumble over it, like Tad had.
Unless…
She glanced at the cave, then back at the Ice badger that was slowly advancing on her, growling all the while.
Jade had watched the footage of a hunt, mainly to make sure the remotes had captured a complete record. She knew how fast an Ice badger could move when motivated, and that they generally preferred to catch their prey by surprise and stun them in a single burst of speed and violence. There hadn't been any behavior like this. It was almost as if it was trying to herd her back into the cave.
She took an experimental step back, and the Ice badger paused, still growling. Another step, and it stayed where it was.
In top condition, she might have tried running for it. Ice badgers didn't seem to go in for long chases, so she just had to outlast that initial sprint, but right now she was shaky just walking, let alone trying to run flat out.
Instead, she retreated back into the cave.
Not too far, though. Just far enough that the growling outside stopped, but not so far that she couldn't see by the light from the entrance. She set her back to the cave wall, angling so that she could watch the Ice badger guarding the entrance.
Ok Jade, she told herself, time to stop reacting and start thinking. First step: identify resources.
There was her field knife, of course. For the moment, she resheathed it, noticing with the motion that her arm was running with blood from her earlier encounter.
Kittens, she thought. The purrers must be the Ice badger's kittens, otherwise it wouldn't have driven me back into another animal's larder.
It seemed like an odd way to feed one's young, especially since the Ice badgers were at least superficially mammalian, but she had seen stranger things on survey.
For now, she filed away questions of the Ice badgers' lineage and behavior to consider later, and dug into her belt pack for the first aid kit, thankful that it was still fastened at her waist. On the way to the kit, she found an energy bar, and gnawed off a piece to chew on while she worked.
Antiseptic sealer stopped the bleeding, and she wrapped her forearm to protect the wound from reopening. She hesitated a moment over the three caf ampoules, thinking that she might need them more later, then popped one between her teeth. If she didn't survive now, there wouldn't be a later to worry about.
Her belt pack was stocked as usual, mostly with specialized survey tools too small or fragile to use as weapons. There was the first aid kit, of course, now depleted to a half-tube of sealer, some more wrap, a tiny razor, three pre-threaded needles, three pills each of pain killer and anti-diarrhetic, and the two remaining caf ampoules.
She stared at her spread out resources, trying not to feel hopeless. A field knife, after all, was not much of a weapon to use against a predator as big and well-armed as an Ice badger. She could probably kill the kittens when they came for her again, but that would only delay her death rather than averting it, and piss off the mother too.
Add to that the fact that she'd never once broken the No Kill regulation, aside from swatting biting insects. Not once in the past six years had she killed a member of the indigenous fauna on a world she was surveying. She wasn't sure if she could honestly bring herself to kill baby animals, even if they were trying to eat her.
Much better to escape if she could. Or maybe fend them off long enough that they left, and took their mama with them…
That seemed like a thin hope to pin her life on, but what else could she do? She let the empty pack fall to the ground, running her hands through her hair and racking her brain for some more likely way out.
It landed with a thump, knocking some of the sampling tools against each other.
Empty fabric and cord shouldn't thump, the still-analytical part of her mind pointed out.
She stared at the empty pack, teasing at the tantalizing hint of memory it summoned until a slice of the past opened up in her mind's eye.
"Every piece of Survey equipment has been designed for maximum utility."
It was a classroom, from the first week or two of boot camp. Her trainer, a massive man known only as Red, was in full-on lecture mode, and she was staring at the sunlight refracting through her eyelashes, not even pretending to pay attention. The girl next to her was snoring softly, and she wasn't the only one. Everybody knew that as long as they were in their seats and out of the way while the next practical was prepared, no one in charge cared about classwork.
Red went on stoically, as if he hoped that someone somewhere might actually be paying attention. "As you can see, each field pack is equipped with an intrinsic survival kit, so that if you become separated from your team, you will have the highest possible chances of returning to report."
Try as she might, she couldn't remember a more detailed description. She knew there hadn't been a practical demonstration, or else she would have studied it, excelled in it, and remembered it, just like every practical skill and challenge. There was a reason she was ranked top in her graduating class.
Still, it couldn't be that hard to figure out.
For a moment, she felt angry at the Survey Authority for relegating something as basic as survival gear to a background lecture during the unofficial nap-time. Cynically, she found herself wondering if personal survival when separated from the team was considered to be a non-value add. After all, if she survived, there was more temptation for her team to break No Hazard to help her.
Jade shook her whole body and pushed the thought away.
The mission comes first, she scolded herself. My first loyalty has always been to Survey and the mission, and now is not the time to question that. I will focus on personal survival for the moment, but only because doing so benefits the mission more than anything else I can do. I will contribute extra data based on this experience, and I won't put my teammates in danger in the process!
Suitably chastened, she picked up the empty pack and edged closer to the cave entrance, watching for any change in the Ice badger standing guard outside. As close as she dared, the light was still too faint to reveal fine detail, but she held the pack close to her face while she examined it carefully with her fingers.
The side meant to ride against her body was stiffened, which she had always assumed was to keep oddly shaped, occasionally sharp tools from bruising the wearer. Now that she was looking though, she could tell that there was something else too - the faint impression of objects, inside the lining.
She tugged cautiously at the seams, looking for hidden fastenings. Reaching inside the pack, she found it - a tiny flap that let her pull away the entire inner back lining, and re
veal a molded surface with several objects embedded in it.
The sparker caught her attention first. If… no, when she got free, she could build a fire to warm up with, and to draw the team's attention. The remotes would detect that sort of temperature variation from miles away.
There was also a magnetic compass, and a short loop of wire that she puzzled over for a moment before scratching herself on the tines and realizing it was a flexible saw blade. A longer coil of non-serrated wire was probably intended for use in constructing shelter, and beneath was a silicone water bag - heat and cold resistant and big enough to cook with over an open fire. If the team was delayed in coming for her, she'd be able to cut wood, build shelter, and boil water. Or she could use the compass to keep her bearings, and make her way back to them on her own. She smiled, imagining their expressions when she walked into camp.
First things first, though.
She shook away the daydream, and chewed off another bit of energy bar, grateful for the way it made her mouth finally moisten, and for the growing alertness that food and caffeine had granted. Unfortunately, there was no water. With the hover along for their expedition, she had seen no need to carry the extra weight herself.
After the pack, there wasn't much to inventory. Clothing and flex-boots, of course, though her all-weather jacket was torn at the shoulder. The borders and straps could be unraveled into several meters of high-test twine. That resource she was familiar with, having used it on many occasions for field repairs, and to tie up extra samples after they ran out of binders. Her gloves were missing, though, as well as her tranq gun.
Not much to work with, against an Ice badger.
She couldn't stay in here, though, not with baby Ice badgers eating their way through a larder of live meat that was supposed to include her.
Live meat…
Jade reassembled the pack, tucking the remainder of the energy bar away for later and careful not to leave anything behind. Then she felt her way deeper into the cave, wishing she had packed some sort of emergency lighting.
At the first inert body, she paused, examining it with her fingers. Another grazer from the forest, by the horns. A sharp jab to the gut summoned a faint groan, and its limbs spasmed weakly.
She manipulated its legs manually until they moved more freely, trying to ignore the frantic noises that the terrified animal made under her hands. No doubt it was suffering the same sort of burning sensations that she had.
When it kicked her, she moved away and pressed herself against the cave wall, glad to escape with only a glancing blow.
The sound of purring, and the accompanying whine of another poor creature dying, seemed louder than ever as she waited. Either the grazer would rise, or she would have to feel around in the dark for a more responsive animal, and risk running straight into the Ice badger kittens.
A snort made her jump, but then a large shape rose up to block the light from the entrance, and she had to hold her breath against the urge to cheer.
Go on, she thought. Go towards the light!
The silhouetted grazer just stood there, though, head hanging and body swaying lightly.
No, she thought, holding herself up against the wall as despair made her dizzy. Should she slap it? The grazing kick from earlier still ached, and those horns could easily kill if it caught her with them. She could shout, but that might just draw the kittens' attention to her.
Fire, said the analytical part of her mind. She nodded and slipped a hand into the pouch where she had stashed the survival kit supplies. Holding the sparker tightly, she eased up behind the swaying grazer.
All right, you poor bastard, she thought. I'm sorry… but you were dead anyway.
She took a deep breath, held it, and then triggered the sparker straight into the grazer's hide, yelling wordlessly at the same time.
It lurched away and fled toward the entrance. A bad stumble brought it to its knees and she nearly ran right into its rear, but the grazer regained its feet in time and surged away as if its life depended on it.
Jade lingered a moment in shadow while the grazer ran out into the sunlight, long enough for it to plow straight into a very surprised-looking Ice badger.
The two creatures tumbled over each other, but she didn't wait to see which came out on top. Instead, she ran as fast as she could force her trembling legs to move, away from the cave and toward the tree-line.
Her speed wouldn't have impressed a snail, but she forced herself to keep going, even when cramps slowed her to a limping walk. She didn't look behind - she needed all her energy and attention just to keep moving forward, and her imagination provided all the motivation she could want.
Every second, she expected the Ice badger to bring her down and crush her throat. Maybe it would eat her right there, or maybe it would just knock her down and drag her back to be eaten alive by its young. Spurred on by such images, she pushed herself as hard and fast as she could go, even when she wanted to cry with dismay at the weakness of her body.
Before, she could have covered the distance to the tree line in a matter of minutes and barely felt winded, but now it was an agonizing trek that felt like it took hours.
Then finally! Finally, she reached the first pine, and leaned her whole body against it, gasping for breath.
Nothing attacked, and eventually she looked back the way she had come. She spotted the grazer's body, lying crumpled on the rock. After a bit of searching, the Ice badger's camouflaged form came into focus where it was sunning on a rock a few feet away.
She was safe.
She puzzled a bit over the fact that it was neither feeding, nor dragging the body back into the cave, but decided that she didn't have the brainpower to spare right now for that puzzle. She would make sure it went into her report, and the desk-jockeys at home could decide whether it was important.
In the meantime, the sun was high, and her flight from the Ice badger had left her warm enough to start sweating. A fire was unappealing, but the river should lie only a couple of kilometers to the south. Once there, she could drink, and then follow it all the way back to camp, if Donly didn't come for her first.
Suddenly, finding water seemed like the most important thing in the world, and she pushed herself away from the tree with fresh determination.