Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [141]
Thanks to its highly elliptical orbit, Cjeldre experienced many months of winter. He wondered if the eager human colonists had known about the extreme cold temperatures before marching through the Klikiss transportals and naively erecting their settlement. They would have made the best of it, and worked hard to establish lives and homes for themselves. It was the human way. Zan'nh's whole attitude was beginning to change.
The Solar Navy warliners arrived like spectators over the snow-swept plains of Cjeldre. On an open channel Adar Zan'nh announced who he was and what he was looking for, hoping to avoid provoking the Klikiss.
When a flurry of small interlocking ships rose from the ground, like the ones he had encountered at Maratha, he knew immediately that the insect creatures had already come here. His heart sank. It was likely that the insect invaders had already killed any human settlers on Cjeldre.
The small component ships coalesced into a cluster, taking shape as a gigantic swarmship that loomed before Zan'nh's warliners, its copious pieces shifting like black static. Though the aggregate took no overt aggressive action, it was clear the Klikiss intended to block the warliners from proceeding.
His tactical officer said, 'Judging from the size of that swarmship, Adar, I doubt we can win a direct confrontation.'
'Then we should not engage in a confrontation. Make no provocative move.' He drew a deep breath, let out a long sigh. 'Give me a cutter equipped with ancient translation devices. While you stay here in full defensive posture, I intend to go down and speak to the breedex.'
'Will the Klikiss negotiate, Adar?'
The Klikiss are not comprehensible to me. Do they even understand negotiation? However, according to our records, hundreds of human colonists settled on that planet. If the Klikiss do not want them there, then it is our job to remove them.'
Seven small cutters crowded with soldier kithmen left the warliners, flew cautiously past the ominous swarmship without incident, and descended through the atmosphere. A cursory scan did indeed show human life signs, and Zan'nh took heart from that. Perhaps this would not be a futile exercise, after all.
After he landed on the snowy plain near the ever-growing
Klikiss settlement, Zan'nh stepped out alone into the biting wind, leaving his soldiers behind. He could see the ancient ruins and the new towers crowding the human prefab structures. Ice crystals and drifted snow gathered around the spires, collecting in cracks. Although the chill of winter must have made the Klikiss sluggish, the insect creatures had distributed thermal lanterns throughout their settlement.
Zan'nh marched into the cold wind, showing no fear. He would rely on the ancient translation protocols, and on his own wits. Even if the Klikiss understood his words, would they comprehend his meaning? If he made a terrible error and sparked a war, he doubted the already-reeling Ildiran Empire could survive. He drew a long breath of icy air and kept moving.
Zan'nh couldn't imagine what the human colonists must have thought when the Klikiss swept through their transportal. He could see tall resin-concrete barriers behind which shivering humans were being held. He lifted his automated translating device as Klikiss scouts scuttled toward him, chittering. He saw two huge domates.
He stopped, holding his hands at his sides to show he carried no weapons, and spoke directly to the domates. 'I have come for those who inhabited this planet when you returned.' Zan'nh waited for the translation protocol to finish. 'I would take them away.'
The breedex spoke through its domates. 'This planet is ours.'
'Yes, this planet is yours.' Zan'nh craned his neck to look up at the towering striped creatures. 'I do not dispute that. But you have been gone for ten thousand years. These humans did not know you would return.'
'We are