DOC:
"Doc, Gossard, Higgins," Rico was splitting us up again. "I want the three of you to scan this area. Something's wrong with the scanners so you're going to have to do it yourselves. Stay close enough to this position that if you need help someone can be there within a minute and vice-versa. Look out for anything that could be even remotely related to bugs and for the rest of the people that are supposed to be down here. If that's one of their buildings then they might be around here somewhere."
'Oh yeah, another Sandrine, that's just what Higgins needs!' I thought sarcastically.
"Rendezvous here in 20 minutes. If it's necessary or you find anything or anyone, radio," he ordered. "Understand?"
"Sir, yes sir," we barked in unison.
"Good. Move out."
It suddenly occurred to me what Rico's real reason for splitting us up again and just what the rest of them were going to be doing while we were gone. We were the guard dogs. The odds were we would see and know of any threatening activity and be able to at LEAST warn the rest of the squad before hand. Or if, somehow, we didn't see the threat we were still the hidden backup that could come tromping to the rescue 'within a minute'. The rest of the squad was going to go over the edge of that cliff to investigate the caves that 'weren't there'. It made sense, with reports of bugs everywhere and no nest in sight they had to be somewhere and under the ground was as good a place as any. And, if they were under the ground, there had to be a way for them to come out and, especially with no nest in sight, caves would definitely be the best option.
"Meanwhile our R 'n R time is gradually diminishing and at the rate we're going it's going to be long over before we can even get back up there," Gossard was saying.
"Whoever said war was fair was off his rocker," Higgins agreed.
"The phrase is 'EVERYTHING'S fair in love and war,'" I corrected, "Not 'war is fair'."
"Big difference," He grumbled.
"What? Between the two phrases or between love and war being fair?" Gossard asked and immediately looked as though he regretted it.
I winced at the look on Higgins face. 'Real tactful, Gossard!'
"Nothing's fair in either," Higgins growled, not something very common from him, but a growl none-the-less.
MAX:
Lieutenant Rico had paired us off as such: me 'n the skinny and Dizzy 'n himself. Big surprise. We were supposed to work our way along the right side of the cliff searching bit by bit for some sort of caves that the bugs could use to get in and out of the ground. To Rico's credit it did make sense.
"How far should we go before we start?" I asked.
"Here will do," T'phai replied, already stopping even as I asked the question.
"What happens if we do find a cave anyway?" I asked after a brief pause. "I mean, yay, great, we found an entrance, but then what?"
"Then we radio the LT and he will tell us what to do," T'phai replied patiently. "My guess is that we would wait for the rest of the squad and then proceed to search, carefully, within, or to wait and then try to track the tunnels from above."
"Oh," I nodded. "But, T'phai, what if the cave entrance is guarded?"
"The odds are it will be." His voice was so aggravatingly calm!
"Oh fantastic!" I muttered half to myself. "Not ONLY are we leaping over a cliff, but we're going blindly and, possibly, RIGHT into the enemies hands. Claws. Whatever."
"I suppose you signed up to sit on frilly pillows and be paraded around on an elephant's back while eating grapes or some other small fruit?" he retorted evenly, without even looking up.
I stopped short, staring first at my father's friend in surprise and then smiling cockily at T'phai. "Please! I expect to be hand fed those grapes by scantily clad women."
T'phai chuckled lightly, "You become more like your father every time you open your mouth. Are you ready."
"For an elephant ride? Sure, anytime."
T'phai shot the end of his lizard line into the earth at our feet which drilled snuggly in on impact. Looking up at me expectantly he waited for my lizard line's drill to snuggle into the ground as well before he gestured over the cliff, saying: "After you."
"Doc, Gossard, Higgins," Rico was splitting us up again. "I want the three of you to scan this area. Something's wrong with the scanners so you're going to have to do it yourselves. Stay close enough to this position that if you need help someone can be there within a minute and vice-versa. Look out for anything that could be even remotely related to bugs and for the rest of the people that are supposed to be down here. If that's one of their buildings then they might be around here somewhere."
'Oh yeah, another Sandrine, that's just what Higgins needs!' I thought sarcastically.
"Rendezvous here in 20 minutes. If it's necessary or you find anything or anyone, radio," he ordered. "Understand?"
"Sir, yes sir," we barked in unison.
"Good. Move out."
It suddenly occurred to me what Rico's real reason for splitting us up again and just what the rest of them were going to be doing while we were gone. We were the guard dogs. The odds were we would see and know of any threatening activity and be able to at LEAST warn the rest of the squad before hand. Or if, somehow, we didn't see the threat we were still the hidden backup that could come tromping to the rescue 'within a minute'. The rest of the squad was going to go over the edge of that cliff to investigate the caves that 'weren't there'. It made sense, with reports of bugs everywhere and no nest in sight they had to be somewhere and under the ground was as good a place as any. And, if they were under the ground, there had to be a way for them to come out and, especially with no nest in sight, caves would definitely be the best option.
"Meanwhile our R 'n R time is gradually diminishing and at the rate we're going it's going to be long over before we can even get back up there," Gossard was saying.
"Whoever said war was fair was off his rocker," Higgins agreed.
"The phrase is 'EVERYTHING'S fair in love and war,'" I corrected, "Not 'war is fair'."
"Big difference," He grumbled.
"What? Between the two phrases or between love and war being fair?" Gossard asked and immediately looked as though he regretted it.
I winced at the look on Higgins face. 'Real tactful, Gossard!'
"Nothing's fair in either," Higgins growled, not something very common from him, but a growl none-the-less.
MAX:
Lieutenant Rico had paired us off as such: me 'n the skinny and Dizzy 'n himself. Big surprise. We were supposed to work our way along the right side of the cliff searching bit by bit for some sort of caves that the bugs could use to get in and out of the ground. To Rico's credit it did make sense.
"How far should we go before we start?" I asked.
"Here will do," T'phai replied, already stopping even as I asked the question.
"What happens if we do find a cave anyway?" I asked after a brief pause. "I mean, yay, great, we found an entrance, but then what?"
"Then we radio the LT and he will tell us what to do," T'phai replied patiently. "My guess is that we would wait for the rest of the squad and then proceed to search, carefully, within, or to wait and then try to track the tunnels from above."
"Oh," I nodded. "But, T'phai, what if the cave entrance is guarded?"
"The odds are it will be." His voice was so aggravatingly calm!
"Oh fantastic!" I muttered half to myself. "Not ONLY are we leaping over a cliff, but we're going blindly and, possibly, RIGHT into the enemies hands. Claws. Whatever."
"I suppose you signed up to sit on frilly pillows and be paraded around on an elephant's back while eating grapes or some other small fruit?" he retorted evenly, without even looking up.
I stopped short, staring first at my father's friend in surprise and then smiling cockily at T'phai. "Please! I expect to be hand fed those grapes by scantily clad women."
T'phai chuckled lightly, "You become more like your father every time you open your mouth. Are you ready."
"For an elephant ride? Sure, anytime."
T'phai shot the end of his lizard line into the earth at our feet which drilled snuggly in on impact. Looking up at me expectantly he waited for my lizard line's drill to snuggle into the ground as well before he gestured over the cliff, saying: "After you."