Kuan’s insomnia was an old friend and a useful one. He sipped from a thermo-flask and observed the holo-screen displaying the encampment’s sensor net. Blinking dots showed the positions of each man in the platoon, some a neutral white, others bright orange for the guards on active watch. He checked the chronometer. Nothing had changed in the past three hours. It made him nervous. He eased the emotion away with a second, slower sip from the flask, letting the stim-liquid warm its way down his throat.
Still nothing… wait.
At first he thought he was seeing things. But there it was again. A brief, phantom blip of distortion at the very edge of the sensor. Kuan stared at the location for several seconds, then saw it blink in then back out of existence.
An intruder would have triggered the early warning system. Cloaking shields could mask most of the EM spectrum, but the sensor net was specifically tuned to the heat and bio-rhythms of living organisms. By all indicators, this was just an equipment glitch. But he was getting bored. And it would be good to keep the men alert.
He keyed his com. “Romano, Kelson, we got a system anomaly in Sector Zero-Five-Delta. Check the relay.”
Two replies of “Aye, sir,” came back over the channel. Kuan located the icons of the two Marines and brought up their helmet feeds in a split-screen display.
Both men were newer recruits, but their training showed. Kuan noted the way they held their weapons, their stances as they approached the destination, helm displays shifting with the subtle motion of their heads as they took in their surroundings, each taking care to provide cover for the other.. He felt his lip curl into a satisfied smile.
It took less than a minute for them to reach the relay. Kuan watched through Kelson’s feed as he put his weapon to the side and performed a maintenance check under Romano’s guard.
“Kelson to Base. Relay appears to be working fine.”
“Acknowledged, Private. Report back to camp for debriefing.”
“Aye, sir.”
It took a sharp ear, but Kuan caught the edge of annoyance in Kelson’s response. He frowned. Should he call him out over the channel? No. Kelson had obeyed the orders he’d been given and there’d been no outright insubordination. Better to make a note on the performance file and monitor his attitude going forward. If there was a more serious incident in the future…
Suddenly the holo-screen fizzled. Kuan blinked then spoke into the comm. “Romano, Kelson, do you read me? Just had some interference.”
“Ro—fzzzz—that—fzzzz—“
Romano’s display was flickering. Kuan leaned forward. “Kelson, Romano, you’re breaking up. Do you read me?”
“Kelson—fzzzz—base—fzzzz—“
Kelson’s feed suddenly went black. Kuan felt a buzz in his veins that had nothing to do with the stimcaf. “Kelson, repeat last transmission. Kelson, do you read me? Acknowledge?”
“Romano—fzzzz—base—Kelson—fzzzz—“
The audio filled with static. The holo-screen itself suddenly flickered and warped again, twisting its images into kaleidoscopic whorls of chaos. Kuan punched the manual override. Nothing. Then the tent lamps started flickering. He felt a flash of panic that his training suppressed. He cut the power. The room went black. He switched frequencies and re-engaged the generators.
The darkness lasted a split-second longer than it should have. Then the lighting returned. The holo-screen blinked back on. His surroundings filled with an electric hum. He was in control again.
“Romano, Kelson, do you read me?”
Both helm feeds were black. Silent. Kuan waited, his fingers tense over the input keys.
One of the feeds came back. “Romano to base. Acknowledged.”
Kuan felt himself relax. “Roger that, Private. What’s your partner’s status?”
Silence again. Romano’s feed shifted, the screen making a semi-circular sweep as he turned his head to take in his surroundings.
Kuan felt a pit open in his stomach. They were empty.
“He’s… gone, sir.”
