The object was more squared than either of the first two Foresights, but he made out the spines resting flat against the hull and the shape of the forward hatch below a wedge-shaped face.

  His and Caleb’s Foresights weren’t the first to arrive on this planet. There was at least one more. And if there were three, who could guess how many more versions of the same ship had slipped into range of this planet before them and been drawn in by the recorded message. For that matter, how many more might arrive in the future?

  The airlock hatch that sealed off the hold had obviously been closed when something tore a gaping hole straight through it. Too small to be an armored trife. Too large to be the tentacled alien. A nervous chill settled over Nicholas. Did that mean there was at least one more threat waiting for them out there?

  “Swarm, investigate the interior,” Nicholas ordered.

  As the microbots passed through the destroyed hatch into the dark interior, their feeds shifted to the grayscale of night vision. Moss and lichens clung to every surface of the lower deck, completely covering the bulkheads. Further back, the ladder showed signs of pitting and decay, eaten at by one of the microbes growing on its surface.

  The Swarm drifted upward to the main deck, and the chill running down Nicholas’ spine immediately intensified. Three decaying corpses rested on the floor surrounding the ladder, all wearing USSF Marine fatigues, all with rifles in hand, all with holes in their chests similar to the hole in the hatch. Two more corpses had fallen on either side of the holotable, killed in the same manner as the others.

  Passing onto the flight deck, the microbots discovered one final body, still strapped into the pilot’s seat. The tag on the G-suit had his name on it.

  Another dead Nicholas Shepherd.

  Foresight Three wasn’t a starship anymore.

  It was a tomb.

  From the looks of things, the alien had attacked them the moment they touched down. The outer hatch had bought the Marines, who he had to assume were the Vultures, enough time to grab their guns, but not enough to armor up. They had tried to stop it, retreating to defend the main deck, but it had broken through and slaughtered everyone.

  Where was the attacker now?

  Dead, hopefully. Foresight Three had been here for at least a century. Probably more. How long could any of these creatures live?

  That the ship was so close to the current LZ concerned Nicholas. At the same time, if that alien was still out here, it could have hit Foresight Two just as hard. Since it hadn’t, he had to assume the creature was gone, if not dead.

  “Swarm, check out the rest of the ship. Open the supply cabinets and determine if there’s anything worth taking.” Not that he wanted to rob from a grave, but after what he had already seen, if there was anything on board that ship that might upgrade their chances he would take it.

  He kept an eye on the LZ while also watching the Swarm explore. Small, furry creatures scurried out of sight as one fragment entered the kitchen. The metal cabinets had long been chewed through, and boxes of MREs were spilled on the floor, only the wrappers remaining. In the hold, the Swarm pushed away the moss to open each of the compartments, revealing more combat armor, plasma rifles, and other ordnance that might be worth taking.

  “Captain Shepherd,” Jennifer said, returning to her seat. “Is that…?”

  “Foresight,” Nicholas replied. “A third Foresight, about three hundred feet south of our LZ. I assume the clearing was larger at one point.”

  “This is really strange.”

  “It was already strange. To be honest, I don’t think this makes it that much stranger. It kind of makes sense.”

  “It does?”

  “How many dimensions might there be? One? One hundred? Infinite? If they’re all relatively similar, it stands to reason that each one has a Grimmel who sends a Foresight through a slip that brings them here.”

  “I don’t know,” Jennifer replied. “How could every other dimension reach this dimension?”

  “Maybe it can’t. Maybe that’s why the planet isn’t completely covered in Foresights. Or why the message is still going out.”

  “Well, however many Foresights came before us, if the message is still active then…” She nearly choked at the end of her sentence. “...none of them survived.”

  The truth hit Nicholas at nearly the same time, but rather than unnerve him, it gave him strength. “We’re already doing better than Foresight Two and Three did. Maybe they all didn’t survive, but we will.”

  He hoped.

  Chapter 15

  Caleb was awake by the time Nicholas landed Foresight and returned to the hold, leaving Jennifer on the flight deck with orders to be ready to both lift off from the planet’s surface and use the spines at a moment’s notice. The teenager didn’t flinch at the directions, continuing to handle the situation with strength and composure. Her attitude left him to wonder what might have been in the future if she and Luke, already friends, had boarded Pilgrim together.

  Another what-if that would probably never be. Even if they found a way to a second chance to save Luke, he was beginning to think the outcome wouldn’t be everything he wanted it to be.

  Reaching the bottom of the ladder, his eyes passed from Macey, where she leaned against the bulkhead, to Caleb, who had already put his bodysuit back on and was about to unwrap a candy bar somebody had given him.

  He snapped to attention instead. “Captain Sheperd.”

  “At ease, Caleb. No need for strict military protocol considering the situation.”

  “Yes, sir.” He relaxed. “Force of habit, sir. My Captain Shepherd insisted on proper military decorum, even on board ship.”

  “Really?” He looked surprised. “That doesn’t sound like me, not that I don’t demand to be treated with respect.” He glanced pointedly at Macey, who looked a bit embarrassed before promptly peering down at her feet. “How do you feel?” he asked, turning his attention back to Caleb, who hadn’t missed the exchange judging by the slight smile on his face.

  “Sore,” he replied, rotating his left arm and bending his elbow to test it out. “But overall, a lot better than expected. The machine said the damage is stable, and should be fully repaired within forty-eight hours.”

  “Two days to heal broken bones?” Nicholas said. “That’s impressive.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “We touched down about two klicks out from your Foresight. I’d like you to lead a group over to begin transferring supplies, if you feel up to it.”

  “Yes, sir,” Caleb said. “I expected you would.”

  “There’s something you should know. I found another Foresight.”

  Caleb didn’t seem shocked. “That makes three.”

  “Yes, but this one is a little different. It’s more wedge than almond-shaped. A slightly different design.”

  “Do you know what happened to the crew?”

  “Unfortunately. Something knocked a hole in the forward hatch and forced its way into the ship. It killed them all before they could even try to reach the location of the broadcast.”

  “What do you mean, something?”

  “Whatever it was, I doubt it’s still around. Foresight Three looks like it’s been here for at least a hundred years, probably more.”

  “We can’t completely rule out that whatever it was is gone.”

  “No. It is another threat we need to keep watch for.”

  Caleb nodded. “Anything that can punch its way into one of these ships is something I’m pretty sure I don’t want to meet.”

  “The rest of the crew should be joining us in a minute,” Nicholas said. “We’ll do a full briefing then.”

  “Of course, sir. Should I finish suiting up?”

  “Yes.”

  Caleb walked over to where Gills had left the outer layer of the combat armor and began putting it on. Nicholas turned to Macey. “How are you feeling?”

  “About what, Cap’n?” Macey asked.

  “About your decision to tag along, for one.”

  She smiled. “Dunno. Some definite drawbacks. But some benefits too. It’s been a long time since I had anyone to look out for or take care of. The raggies didn’t want me for that. And Dag is like my surrogate kiddo, you know?”

  “He seems to like you,” Nicholas agreed. “As much as he can like anyone, I guess.”

  “Maybe it sounds stupid, but what I missed the most was being part of a family. I know we’ve only known each other…I can’t believe it’s not even a full day Earthwise, but I feel like you blokes are me family, you know.”

  “We’re all in this together, that’s for sure. And we do need to look out for one another. In that sense, since we aren’t really military, I guess family is the next closest thing. Just please try to hold back some of your personality. Place and time, remember?”

  “Right. I’m sorry Cap’n. I’m trying. Really. It’s a bad habit, especially when I’m nervous. And everything about this has made me nervous.”

  “I understand. I think we’re all a bit on edge. I appreciate your effort.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Nicholas glanced over at Caleb, who had put back on everything except his helmet. The leader of the Vultures gave him a curt, approving nod before his attention shifted to the others as they came down the ladder, led by Yasmin.

  “Knights of the Round Table reporting as ordered,” she said as she approached him.

  “Not you too,” Nicholas replied.

  “Knights of the Round Table?” Caleb questioned.

  “I dub you, Sir Sexy-a-lot,” Briar answered, turning beet red before she could slam her hand over her mouth. Nicholas glared at her, and she lowered her head. “Sorry, Captain,” she mumbled behind her hand.

  “We need to call ourselves something,” Yasmin continued. “You put me in charge of the crew when you’re on the flight deck, and that’s what we settled on. For now, anyway.”

  Nicholas looked them over, remembering what Macey had just told him about family. “If that’s what you want, I guess there isn’t any harm in it. Caleb, Macey, join the others.”

  “Yes, sir,” Caleb said, crossing the hold to stand beside Yasmin. Macey did the same.

  “As you all know, our plan was to make our way to Foresight Two and retrieve as much of the equipment there as we can. That plan is still intact, but I’m adding an additional objective. As I’ve already shared with Sergeant Card, I’ve discovered a third Foresight buried in the vegetation a short distance from here.”

  He paused to allow the others their moment of shock and surprise before continuing.

  “The Swarm already explored the ship, and we’ve discovered another nearly full store of military supplies on board. Animals have been in the food, but there are guns, ammunition, and armor we can use. Considering we still don’t know the full extent of what we’re up against out here, I believe it’s in our best interests to acquire as much equipment as we can stow, which is still quite a bit more than what we have. With that in mind, I’m going to split us into two teams. Sergeant Card will lead team Bravo to Foresight Two, where you’ll load as much gear and food as you can manage onto the Swarm and carry back, with a primary emphasis on the MREs. Sergeant, I expect you can organize the process for maximum efficiency.”

  “Yes, sir,” Caleb replied.

  “Macey, Gills, Scott, you’re on team Bravo. Briar, Yasmin, you’ll be with me and Dag on team Alpha.”

  “Yes, sir,” they said.

  Yasmin put up her hand.

  “Yes?” Nicholas said.

  “If Foresight Three is closer and is well stocked with weapons and armor, shouldn’t we hit it first as a single unit, upgrade our protection, and then head to Foresight Two?”

  “That’s an excellent question,” Nicholas replied. “The problem with that scenario is time. We’d need to get everyone fitted and trained in the use of the equipment when we might not even need it. The less time we spend out there, it lessens the chances of us running into trouble.”

  “Understood,” Yasmin said. “Though I would still argue that it would be safer to send our full complement to the closer Foresight so we have better protection for the longer trek to Caleb’s ship. We can run into trouble at any time.”

  “That’s true. The crew of the Foresight Three was killed inside their ship by something that penetrated the forward hatch, but...” He pointed a forefinger at Yasmin to quiet her when she opened her mouth. “...that happened over a hundred years ago. There’s no indication that whatever killed them is still out there.”

  “But it could be,” she argued. “Who knows how long these creatures can live.”

  “Look…” His voice took on a harder edge. “...the faster that we can move and get this done the better.” He used his finger to drive his point home. “Even if Bravo only recovers the food from Foresight Two, Alpha can have all of the armor and ordnance from Foresight Three loaded and back here before Bravo gets back. I appreciate your input. But that’s our play.” He dropped his hand but his firm look brooked no more argument

  Yasmin’s eyes narrowed slightly, her lips thinning with anger. “Yes, sir,” she forced out.

  “Uh, Cap?” Scott broke the heavy silence that ensued. “Do you have any idea what this something that killed Foresight Three’s crew might look like?”

  “No,” Nicholas replied, turning his attention to Scott. “Only that it was strong enough to breach the ship and fast enough to catch the crew unprepared. With any luck, it was the same breed of monster that attacked Caleb’s team, which means it’s probably long dead and gone.” His eyes flicked to Yassmin and then he turned his attention to Caleb. “Sergeant Card, gear everybody up. We head out in five minutes.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Nicholas stepped back, leaving Caleb to open the compartments and begin passing out equipment, trusting the Marine to outfit them as well as possible with what they had.

  “Nick, can I have a minute?” Yasmin asked, approaching him.

  “Okay,” he replied hesitantly. “As long this isn’t about my plan.”

  She shook her head. “No. Well, yes. But not in the way you think.”

  Nicholas walked all the way forward with her, standing there silently, waiting until she spoke.

  “I’m sorry. You know I hate being wrong. I gave you shit back at Fort Hood for not trusting me. I didn’t want to leave you with the impression that I don’t trust you here and now. This is just so important to me because of Luke.”

  “I know.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. “You don’t have to explain.” He said the words softly, against her ear. “We’re making progress, Yazz. We just need to keep moving forward.”

  “We will,” she agreed, standing back and smiling up at him.. “I’m so proud of who you are, Nick.”

  Nicholas met her eyes with his. “I’m proud of who you are,” he replied. “I know this isn’t easy, and you’re handling it like a champion.”

  “Thanks. I needed to hear that.”

  “Let’s get ready and head out.”

  Yasmin’s eyes glowed lovingly. “Yes, sir.”

  Chapter 16

  Nicholas, Caleb, and their squads departed Foresight together before splitting off from each other and heading for the two other starships. Jennifer lifted Foresight off the ground the moment Caleb cleared the ramp, the boarding ramp retracting as the ship lifted off.

  “I’m monitoring the area,” Jennifer said through the comms. “I’ll holler if I spot anything.”

  “Copy that,” Caleb said. “Bravo, with me. Stick close. Weapons hot.”

  Macey, Gills, and Scott formed up on Caleb, staying with him as he ran to the edge of the landing zone. The Swarm laid back but shot forward as fragments, quickly overtaking him and adding their visual and sensor data to Foresight’s just as they ducked into the trees.

  Dag did the same for Nicholas, Briar, and Yasmin, leading the way through the heavy brush to the long-abandoned third copy of Foresight. The small bot leaped over roots and slashed through branches and vines with his blades, his body language suggesting a measure of joy as he chopped through the overgrowth.

  Nicholas wanted to share in it. At the same time, he knew it would be foolish to indulge in even momentary distractions. The evidence proved that whatever had attacked Foresight Three, it had done so with speed and ferocity, and he didn’t want to be caught flat-footed if he was wrong and that menace was still around. Especially not with Yasmin out in the field with him.

  If he didn’t need her to help carry back supplies he wouldn’t have brought her along at all. But the sooner they made the transfer of hardware, ammo and food supplies, the better for everyone. Besides, he couldn’t afford to be seen playing favorites. Maybe the others would understand right now, but if things went sideways they would start to resent the preferential treatment.

  As if Yasmin would accept it anyway. She wasn’t a delicate flower to be left planted in a safe spot. Not with a black belt in kung fu and plenty of experience at a rifle range.

  The short distance allowed Alpha squad to reach Foresight Three well ahead of Bravo’s expedition to the second. Dag had already ducked inside the hole the ship’s attacker had made by the time Nicholas and the others arrived. The torn opening in the hatch wasn’t especially large and the damage had left it jagged.

  “I’ll duck inside and start passing equipment through,” he said. “We can pile it out here.”

  “I should go in,” Yasmin countered. “I’m the smallest one here. Besides, you need to stay out here just in case we have trouble.”

  Nicholas didn’t really want her climbing through that jagged hole, but he didn’t have any reason to argue either. “Be careful. Pass the equipment through to Briar. I’ll keep an eye out for trouble.”

  “Yes, sir,” Yasmin said, smiling at him. He watched as she paused in front of the hole, figuring out her best way to enter before picking up her left leg and placing it through and then she turned gracefully around on her inside foot and pulled her other foot through.