When the Devil Dances

The explosion was the antithesis of spectacular. There were a few puffs of smoke and the concrete and steel bridges dropped into the stream.

“That’s it?” Kitteket asked.

“That’s it,” Ryan answered, packing up the detonation circuit.

“I just expected lots of smoke and fire and the bridge going sky high,” she said with a sigh. “We did a hell of a lot of work for a few puffs of smoke.”

“I am a master,” he said haughtily. “The essence of mastery in blowing things up is minimal force and I have blown up a lot of bridges in the last few years. Since we also have minimal explosives, I consider it to be a good idea all around.”

“Sure, sir.” The specialist laughed. “What next, O Great Master?”

“Next we are going to blow up a road,” he answered. “Right after we see what these Posleen are going to do about the bridge.”

The first wave of Posleen milled around aimlessly as the lead God Kings lifted up on their saucers and flew over the river. They quickly came back, though, and as new forces joined them the units were spread along the riverbank and the individual oolt’os spaced out.

“Jesus Christ,” Ryan said, shaking his head.

“What?”

“They’re spreading them out to reduce the damage from artillery. It would be better to start digging in, but I guess they haven’t quite gotten that far.”

“That’s bad,” Kitteket said. “Right?”

“Oh, yeah,” the major mused as the first Lamprey crossed the river and disgorged its troops. It quickly lifted off and took on a new contingent, beginning a continuous shuttle back and forth. Once on the far side most of the units took up the chase after the fleeing humans, but a few spread out as on the near side, in this case fanning out widely and ensuring that there were no humans in the immediate vicinity.

“And now they’re establishing a perimeter,” Ryan said. “Why are they establishing a perimeter around the bridge? The former bridge.”

“They’re going to hold a cookout on the remains?” the specialist asked. “Uh, Major, it’s getting dark and those Posleen that aren’t establishing a bridgehead are headed up the road. Towards us.”

“But the landers aren’t moving,” Ryan said as if he hadn’t heard. One of the other Lampreys had joined the first in shuttling troops, but the other two Lampreys and the C-Dec were on the ground, spread out, as if waiting for something. “What are they doing?”

“Sir, maybe we should wonder someplace else?”

“Ah,” the major answered with a grunt. “There’s some movement.”

The Posleen forces had been backing up into the valley, spreading out in a disciplined manner that Ryan still found disturbing, and now the centauroids were moving off the road to let another group through to the front. He focused the binoculars on the formation in the last light and shook his head.

“Tell me those aren’t what they look like,” he muttered.

“I dunno,” Kitteket grumped. “You’re the one with the binoculars.”

He handed them over and shook his head. “Where in the hell did they get them?”

“Sir,” Kitteket said with a gasp. “Are those… ?”

“Indowy.”

* * *

Orostan folded his arms and lowered his crest, the better to keep from frightening the little green one. Tulo’stenaloor had already had one Kessentai killed who had permitted the death of one of the “engineers”; the little creatures had been purchased and transported at great expense and they were a very finite resource. But dealing with them was very difficult.

He pointed to where the bridge had been. “There was a bridge,” he said in a hash of Posleen and Galactic. “There must be a new one. If there is a new one, everything will be well. If there is not, your clan will be reduced.”

The Indowy sidled around him and went over to the demolished bridge. The supports of both spans had been blown down and the metal girders had been blown in several places. What was left was a tangled mass of pulverized concrete and steel. He examined it for a moment then looked around at the materials in view. Last, he sidled back over to the Posleen commander.

“I will need hands, more hands than we have,” the Indowy said diffidently. “Fortunately, there is a source of materials right here. We will not try to reconstruct the bridge, but will make new ones nearer the water level. This will be quicker. It still will take until morning. We cannot work miracles.”

“You will have all the oolt’os you need,” Orostan said. He gestured to forestall the question. “They will be controlled by their Kessentai, I will pick the ones to work with you. You may order them in these tasks as you will; there will be no damage to you.”

“It will take time,” the Indowy pointed out.

“It must go as swiftly as possible,” Orostan warned. “No delay.”

“We shall start immediately.”

* * *

“Son of a bitch,” Ryan said, getting out his notebook computer.

“What, sir?” Kitteket asked. “They’re… doing something.”

“They’re replacing the bridge,” Ryan said. “This is going to get interesting.”

“So what are we doing?” she asked. “And there are Posleen moving around down in Brendleston.”