New Pangaea 52-62

Day 2

The day was to start with more events that I have to understand. The Holding is up and now fully contained ninety nine inmates. The Warden had four watch towers build on the four corners of the walls facing the yard. He had on them the twin mounted metal projectile rapid load guns named Scout Rapid as supporting fire power. He also had a couple of these on the platform facing the Holding; guess he has faith they will try to escape.

Today, the Warden asked the penal inmates to joined in the building of roads, and they protested and had sitdown in the yard. I was not to be involved, but I happened to pass by.

‘Commander Bent’, I heard my name called, and I tried to ignored it, but the hollering became more intense with more of them shouting my name. I walked over the entrance of the Holding and was joined by Warden Tomas. He told me everything and I just smiled. It was then the instigator walked up to us.

‘Commander Bent, I would like you to explain our rights under the Convention that we cannot be forced to work in conditions which are dangerous. We do not feel safe out there with these guards. Please explain to the Warden.’ I looked at the man who is known as the leader.

‘Warden Tomas, there is a rule in the exploration manual that says everyone on the colony has to work for their survival and that includes meals. If they do not contribute in the joint efforr they may be banished or not allowed to share the produce of the colony. I expect to see your team do their worth in the works or we will forced to withhold supplies and rations. You may hunt if you want, but we do not provide the weapons or tools.’

The protest will not dispersed so we close the gate.

I rode over to the Village, and met the people there again. The place is ready but there is work to be done. The external wall is up and they are building the inner wall. They are putting priority so that the colonist can be safe. I see they have also plans for some watch towers to be manned by the military. And some of the folks has started the farm.

Maybe things will do well after all.

Or I am counting my eggs before they hatched.

‘Commander, you are needed at Outpost Five. We need you to see this.’ I was there in ten minutes on the bike. I met Sargeant Kabe at the entrance and he is pointing to the horizon. Its the Spinosaurus’ and they are back but they are not on good terms with each other. Both of them circled each other and then squared off with their shrieks. They swung the necks and stepped over the ground, but they did not pounce on each other as yet. But the unexpected happens, a T-Rex came on the scene. It probably wander in by mistake or on curiousity. The pairs of Spinosaurus saw the new arrival and took a change of course. They went for the T-Rex as its their rival in this world and its also meat.

‘Did you bring the wine, Sargeant? We got ringside view.’

But the fight was intense, and the Spinosaurus took turns to attack the T-Rex. The two Spinosaurus differs slightly as one is bigger and has scra streak on its front right leg. It was the one who attacked the T-Rex by lunging for it but the T-Rex evaded the move by moving sideways. The other Spinosaurus then took its turn to attack the tail fo the T-Rex causing it great pain. Teh T-rex tried to turn its back to faced the Spinosaurus but the predator held on to it firmly. The older Spinosaurus then lunge again and the T-Rex has feint off that attack with is own sizeable jaws.

In its rush to fight the scarred Spinosaurus, it managed to pull free its tail. It saw its oppotuniy and ran to the far side to nursed its bites. Its a game of unfair numbers bout, and soon the T-Rex weigh the odds and was smart to run for its live. It run with its tail and part of its left thigh bleeding but it managed to run away. The two Spinosaurus now looked at each other and for some reason, it also decided to leave in different directions.

‘Let me know if you get a re-run as I will be here in a jiffy.’ The Sargeant was too confused to reply, but he soon saw my exhaust as I rode off.

I was up the ramp into the Cavern when I got the call from Doctor Tanaki. He wanted to see me urgent in Big Boy. I walked over there and met him. He refer me to the screen he was looking. I told me that since the last flooding of the cavern, he has been doing tests and survey of the place. He found out why the water seeps out from the cave bottom to the side of the slope.

‘There are little tunnels in near the bottom side which drains the water.’

‘So they are or the water would had accumulated here. Tell me something my military mind cannot understand.’ I was to turn my back to him when he said his next line.

‘Its looks aritficial. Its probably made by man or machine. We are not the first here.’ That stopped me and I wondered if the day can get any more easier to be understood.

And more came on to my load.

‘Commander, we have a situation at the farm area. One settler may be bitten by a Pachyrhachis.’ I did not have to asked, as the good zoologist was kind to explain. ‘Its a form of ancient descendants of snakes that dwells in the rivers and this one took liking to the lower calf of the colonist. She will survive, and she asked for you. Her name is Susan Bent.’

I think I am going back to BASE to sleep the day over.

But the good zoologist was not over with his explanation. ‘ We think that the farm due to its proximity to the river may posed some issues on the colonists. It was an unexplored area before we initiated the farm, and now that we are clearing it; I think we have a better idea of the creatures that dwells here. I found what maybe signs of a Titanoboa or Sanajeh; big nasty snakes that can grow up to fifty feet in length and has a big appetite for meat. They bite hard and deep, and the former is known to feast on T-Rex, or claimed to be. I am suggesting we delay the farming until we survey the place throughly. It could be an archaeoloagist dream or a medical nightmare.’ I am sure the good doctor took his breathe now that he has complete the long explanation.

‘Okay, recall the colonist and get them to concentrate on the housing and perimeter. And get Doctor Leong, to provide them a BBQ feast to set their mind off. Get me Sargeant Kabe. I want a recon on the are up to the river upstream and downstream by five clicks. Give me the report on who’s who there. And be careful. I don’t need to lose more men.’

I wanted to go back to BASE but family committments called.

‘Hello Susan. How’;s your leg?’ I looked at her sitting on the medic bed at the medic unit in the Village. She looked gloomy and I managed to picked up some chocolates from the store. ‘I thought this will prep you up, Its good dark chocolate.’ I know its taste like crap as its chemical blended chocolate as we do not have any more fruit trees in Earth.

‘Hello Scott. I asked for you as I need you to take care of dad. He is too old to be prancing around the yard and yanking cables. Could you do it for once? I can’t move much in the next two weeks. And its not the first injury I had which made me bed ridden.’ I know she is thinking of the past and its her way of giving me the guilt on my lack of family attachments. I have my family’ its the military and I loved the life there. I agreed I did not see them as often but I did send messages and vids, but no one cares for it, except to see you breathing down their nexk or sharing a meal on the same table.

‘Okay, I will. You take care of yourself.’ I turned to walk away and she stopped me. ‘Not with your command to some junior to hold his hands. He wants yours and he ain’t got many years left. He is getting old and these last years he needs you.’

I looked at her and gave her my famous smile, which is a slight movement of my upper lips. ‘Okay, but he has to be alone at times as I need to do work. He can bunk in with me at BASE.’

‘No, Scott. You stayed over with him at the unit in the Village. Be a son for once.’

Day 3

I sat down on the table with my control console to review my work. Its not the same as in BASE where I can walk into the Command Centre, and I get my coffee served and report ready. Here I need to make my own coffee and called up the report by the console.

Current roster list as follows:

Outpost One / Tip’s Nest; Corporal Micheal and three specialist. Travel time half an hour.

Outpost Two / East Ends; Corporal Saidin and three specialists including recruits. Travel time ten minutes

Outpost Three / Wide Plains; Corporal Duffy and five specialist. Travel time thirty minutes.

Outpost Four / Cavern; Sargeant Keefe and nine specialist including recruits, with four at the ramp. Travel time ten minutes to the vertical cave.

Outpost Five / Southern Belles; Sargeant Kabe and seven specialist including recruits. Travel time is forty five minutes.

Village: Coporal Simone and four recruits. Travel time is one hour.

I have eleven of them including Major Feeley at BASE. I normally assigned three of them out on patrol to around the outposts. There are called the ‘three stooges’ as their jobs is fun. Just drive and watch, chased an occassional predator and then come home for supper. They are Specialist Melon, and the Jessie’s sister or Furies Trio.

I am always short of manpower.

‘Long report of things to do, huh?’ I looked up at the older man who now sits himself at the table. I offered him my coffee but he declined. He said he would drink his own drink later, which I know is a glass of alcohol added concoction. My dad is an alcoholic and he cannot do anything about it even with three sessions in rehab and one time ‘cold turkey’ treatment; he will still bounce back. But he is a genius in the field if he is not intoxicated. He started right after mum’s death and never looked back.

‘Nothing special. Usual stuffs I read daily.So what is your plans today?’ I looked at him for an answer although I already know the answer. He is due to teach the colonists on how to install in the air turbine to generate the water pump to raise water from the underground stream.  But he told me nevertheless including his chess game with the youngster’. He also told me to get back to work and leave the man alone. I did as I know if I stayed on we would had argued by now.

‘Sargeant Kabe, I am joining you on the survey patrol.’

During the trip up and down the river, in the LTV, we came across many more breeds like the Byronosaurus, a ET lookalike if not for the upright large body of almost five feet. This one did wished us to go home, but would had us for their dinner. We did see some vegans’ as in honor of Major Shaw request like the Agilisaurus and the Anatotitan. The former is a smaller breed which runs around the banks and the connifer tress, while the later also dwell there eating at the higher branches of the connifer trees as the Anatotitan as its name indicate is a big dinosaur in size to rival that of the T-Rex.

We saw the long gigantic Titanoboa as it grapples with the Agilisaurus. The snake like reptile can grow up to fifty feet and weighs a ton is matched against the Agilisaurus which is only four feet in average which is only four feet in average. Its an unmatched fight as the snake grabbed its foe by the left thigh and its fangs ahs sank into the flesh. The herbivore screeched out in pain, but the creature could not do much as it was dragged down and its body curled by the snake around it. Its an unmatched fight between the two creatures as the former is know to even attack bigger preys. Recruit Jimmy wanted to assist in the fight but I told him no. This is the way of survival here.

The next issue is how to do we protect the colonist from these intruders. We can’t be installing in defense walls everywhere they are present. I had no answers then.

We went further down river and then we came to a real surprise. A waterfall right in the front of us and its partially hidden by the trees and surrounding folliage. Its a deep drop of over fifty feet and its narrow at the start but wide when its falls down into the bottom to flow in three smaller streams. Its a scenic place and picturesque to an avid visual expert. Just as its covered by the jungle, its also teeming with creatures that seeks it shelter there. We saw some regular inhabitants creatures here but they do add spendour of colors to the place. I seen such falls before in the data files of sinkholes that became waterfalls.

It was then we came into our first look at another possible  civilisation here. They looked like ruins of a lost city in the jungle with overgrown undergrowth on the ruined structures. We hacked at the overgrown greens to get an image of the so called structure. As it was getting dark, I had the patrol returned to Outpost Five.

‘It's an indication that New Pangaea is permeated with an extensive system of fractures and faults. On Earth, we did find this type of fractured area; fractures from intersecting systems named as jointed craters. They do look square and some cases rectangle or grooves. They are possibily earlier impacts that took place a long time ago. We seen this on other planets in our explorations. But you could be right on the other option?’ That was the answer of our geologist who may be mocking me for my earlier alarm on the discovery.

It's a question that goes to the heart of this planet origin.Or earlier origin of other visitors.

Day 4

We had a settlement on the penal inmates; eight nine decided to go to work while ten including the leader decided to continue their strike. The Warden marched them out for the road details, while he left three guards including Senior Guard Kim Toh to takeover the small resistance group in the Holding.

That was one hour ago.

Report from Penal Guard Officer O’Neal

Day 4 Week 12

834hr

I was on guard with Officer Sean and Senior Officer Kim Toh overseeing the ten penal inmates in the yard. It was then Convict 10207 complained of a stomach ailment that required some medication from medic aid. Senior Officer Kim Toh offered to escort him there and adminisiter the medication. Both Sean and myself were left to the guard duty. Suddenly we had PP10233 Mongol fighting with two other inmates, and a ring was formed. Officer Sean offered to break the fight with the use of his PDW and the truncheon. He pushed his way into the ring while I stood guard. As he was pushing himself in, he was mobbed by the group and I called for help. But he was overpowered and I find him held hostage by the group. At that time, Senior Officer Kim Toh came running towards us with PP10207. I saw Senior Officer Kim Toh and PP10207 carrying two heavy bags, and PP10207 was armed with a PDW.I turned to shoot at PP102007 but I was shot by someone in the group on the side of my left forearm and right ribs. I remember falling down and soon some inmates on my body kicking and removing my weapons. It was then I blacked out from the blows and injuries sustained.

Report from Recruit Jonah

Day 4 Week 12

056hr

I was on duty at the Ramp when I saw a group of inmates led by Senior Guard Kim Toh heading for the jungle. I tried to stop them but they fired at me with their PDW. Those men are all armed and they have just stepped into the jungle.

I ran down to the Holding and saw the guards lying on the yard. I radioed for assistance and tried to help the guards. One of them was dead but the other was unconscious and bleeding badly.

Guard Sean Meath was shot in the head and died immediately. His weapons are missing and so was Guard O’Neal. Senior Officer Kim Toh is believed to have engineered the escape with PP10207, and they also took weapons from the armory. The list compiled reported a loss of ten PH762 PDW and five PH350 in addition to some cases of ammo, and grenades, plus some medic aids and comms units. The above does not include the Guard’s personal weapons, which is two PDW and PH350.

The Warden declined a man hunt as he felt that the escapee will either die out there or returned soon. I was concerned on the colonist and my men. I got Command Centre to track their transceiver and they are said to about five miles from the camp. I lead an assault team of eight men including the three who just got in from patrol. We went off in one ATV and LTV.

We came to the location which the transceiver was transmitting.

I looked out from the ATV viewer and saw the place is actually a clearing in the thick jungle. I instruct the driver to drive on through the thich undergrowth and onto the clearing. The thick and wide tyres of the ATV crunched its way through the thick undergrowth and bushes. The vehicle went over the roots and bushes to land on the clearing. I shift the viewer to infra and scan the area. I could not see anything that resemble a group of armed men.

I instructed the opening of the back door and five personnels’ ran out and took firing cover. I joined them as the ATV scan the are again. I walked up to to the signal spot and noticed the bunch of transceivers on the grass clearing. The inmates has removed it by some crude blade and left.

I picked up the bloodied transceivers and got back into the ATV. I recalled the men and we left for BASE.

‘New orders from Commander Bent. All escaped inmates are deemed to be dangerous and will be shot on sight. Signed Commander Bent.’

That evening we buried another man’s remain in Boot’s Hill.

Day 5

The work detail went as scheduled but no inmates wants to escape. They need not try as the carelessness of the guards cause one of the inmates to be mauled by a raptor when he was working. Apparently the guards did not see the creature coming as they were having a break on the side. The raptor came out of the trees and pounced on PP10245 Richard when his back was turned. PP10245 survived the attack but he will be limping for a long time. I have no comment on the incident as emotions was high due to the latest events.

I saw my dad in the Village when I arrived. I did not come back the last two nights but I am here now. He told me he is fine and he understands that I am a busy man. Just like I am here for a reason. One of the colonist went out to the farm and did not come back. His name is Simon Bone, a farming engineer; and father of three. He went out this morning as we stopped the farming two days ago. He left at 0600hr and he is armed with PDW.

I got the Furies Trio with me on two LTV. We reached the farm at 0823hrs. I am looking at a large clearing with all the trees and undergrowth uprooted. There are the six W-Bots in the fields trampling and making trenches. I can see Heavy Metal parked there on the far end. Now I got to find my man in this clearing. I have the other LTW carrying the Jessie’s to take one section while I was on the other with Melon. We cleared the bumps and humps like a beach buggy drive as seen on the vids when there was beaches to do so. I could had missed him if not for the shot which hit the side of the LTV.

‘The treelines on your left.’ Melon turned the wheel without a thought of us dying under the weight of this thing on top of us if we crashed. She pulled on the handbrakes and stepped on the pedal while turning. We sprayed dirt onto a nearby W-Bot. She righted the LTV and we are moving towards the treelines. We hit the treelines just as Simon came running out with two raptors on his tail. I raised up my PH925 Short Barrel Recoil Rifle and gave him some safety distance as I brought down a raptor with a three shots burst.

‘Thanks, guys. I thought I was a goner there.’ I slammed him with the butt stock of the PH925 on his jaw. He was knocked cold and we drove back.

‘I was out there to collect some samples of seedlings I saw earlier. How was I know that I needed permission to be out there. I thought it only applied to farming. I did go out prepared or I would not had outrun those predators. So am I under any detention or free to go back now.’

I enlisted him for latrine works for three days. He can dig up all the soil there.

‘Commader, this Command. We got a trace on our escape inmates. We found one of them in the jungle and he is barely alive from the cuts and bruises. But we can’t move him.’

Its called a checkmate position. He is dead in either move in the trap. Thy have wired to him a grenade with the pin removed, but its held back his restraint ropes around his waist. Its only tighten enough if he does not move much or it will dropped off and explode. The man in that precarious situation is PP10267 Ben Oswald; trader in designer drugs to kids, he deserved to die but we live in a fair world. He is sitting by the trunk of the tree and its almost noon.

And they have shot one of my men who tried to approach the convict at the tree. Guard Stone was shot dead when he walked out there by someone in the jungle with the PDW.

‘PP10267, this is Commander Bent.....’

‘Get me free, please. I cannot hold on too long. Please.’ I can see the man fidgetting and if he moves anymore he will set the grenade off. I took out my K2 Blade and was to crawl out to him when I saw the T-Rex barging in. It went for PP10267 and bit the head off him. It was so fast that we did not react with our weapons. The deadly bite also caused the grenade to dropped off its restraint but the creature was taking its second bite. That when the grenade exploded and the T-Rex called out in pain and ran off with a  chunk of PP10267 in the jaws.

All of us was stunned and soon we cleared off Guard Stone’s body before we left the place. I turned back when we leaving on the ATV and I can see the scavengers came in by the droves to picked at the pieces of flesh on the clearing.

“Bastard,’ that was what someone muttered out and I can agreed.

That evening I sat down with the Warden and Major Feeley to discuss on our next plan of action. The escapee’s are still nearby and they may target some outpost soon for supplies. I am proposing a man hunt to capture, kill or to chase them out of this land.

We agreed that the land is to be free.

I will take a ten man manhunt team consisting of four from the Guards. I have Corporal Pedro as my scout, with Sargeant Kabe and Furies Trio. The guards will be under the command of Guard Stowe. We will take the ATV and two M-Bots and one LTV. We will take provisions for three days and it will be done.

Major Shaw offered to fly recon from the air on Bubble.

Day 6

The manhunt begins. We named it Mission Fugitive.

Nine penal inmates and defected Penal Senior Guard; ten desperate men with weapons.

Orders are shoot to kill, unless they surrendered. Three exceptions; PP10207, 10233 and the ex-Senior Guard; its shoot then verified status.

We went north from Outpost Five. I reckon they will always run for north first. We will cover north and then west to south. PP10267 was in the north of Outpost Five.

We set off at 0800hr and the atmosphere was tense. The cannons are programmed to shoot at anything above five feet in height and not wearing a transceiver. Maybe its our mood or the vibes we are emitting, but the carnivores are keeping their distance from us. Even the every inquisitive raptors are not seen that morning. We hit the terrain with our large wide wheel on the ATV while the LTV followed our rear. I was in the ATV but Pedro wants to sit in the LTV as its easier to get off than the ATV.

It was about an hour of driving that we got our first clue.

‘Looks like smoke in you sector, bearing north east 2 clicks. I am moving away east to avoid detection. Coordinates send via comms.’

Fire and smoke are the habits of us and not the local residents, so we could be on them. I signalled Pedro and he instruct the driver to veered to the west to run some distance off then run parallel with the ATV. My driver is Sargeant Kabe, and he gunned the ATV over the terrain like a crazed driver. He was the ‘Terrain Driving Champion’ in 2406 to 2408 before he retired by rules for being the champion thrice. Now he is getting his chance to show the skills here.

‘A bit rusty, Sir. But we will get there soon.’ I loved the man for his enthusiam in the field. Guard Stowe manned the guns, we may need to fire it. Stowe jumped into the seat next to the driver and took the gun stick for the forward guns. I signalled the rest to follow me.

We came close to the coordinates and stopped the ATV. The four of got off the ATV; me and three guards. I comms to Pedro and he confirmed that he is position over to the west with the ladies. Melon is holding the LTV for any runaways. Pedro and the sisters will take firing position in five.

I nestled the PDW close to my chest and reach back to feel the PH900 slung on my back. Its a secondary backup incase I need to shoot hard thick skins. I can hear the usual sounds of the jungle in the background; shrieks of predators and prey, plus the whispering of the trees to the bushes hymn of cries. The four of us spread out in a row and moved forward in stealth mode. Every pace is watched before we stepped on it. We do not want to attract any noise if we can. I saw a Diprotodon or told to me as the giant wombat by Doctor Leong; he cannot resist educating me with his knowledge of the creatures. I seen those in the jungle and also near the outpost. They are herbivours and  beside being a ‘big-assed’ bad boy on the road, they are bearable in the jungle. This one just walked past us and its dropping its feaces as it did. I wanted to say some profanities but I am on a mission here.

I saw them all; sitting huddled over the small fire and smoking a creature they must had caught. They have not learned how to eat raw meat like us in the military; its called survival. I can see that each one is carrying a PDW on their back, but the leader and his henchmens’ also wears PH350. Two of the fugitives as we called them now are standing guard at the perimeter. They seemed to be arguing on some matter, and the leader is getting agitated. I count again the numbers we are up against and came short of one; PP10233 has just slipped away.

‘Mongol. Where is he?’ I can hear the leader asking his fellows fugitives. I looked at where I last saw Mongol and he is not there. I comms the team to be on a lookout for Mongol; he could had seen us moving in.

Report from Specialist Pedro

Day 6 Week 12

1034hr

I saw the large man moving into the jungle.I recognised him as the one they named Mongol. He was headed for the Commander, so I rushed over to intercept. I caught up with him mid way to his objective. He was armed with a crude pick made from a raptor claw on the end, and his PH350. He may had discarded his PDW for the fight. He saw me standing on his right and he looked over. I still this guy has an uncanny sense or its killing instinct helps him He gave me the look that says ‘lets do it right’. And I like just that. I unslung my PH900 and dropped my gun belt while he does the same with the pick and PH350. We circled each other with our focus on the point to hit. It was then we heard the shots and I was distracted by it. He took the opportunity to lunge at me with his spread out hands, going for a bear hug.He got me in his arms and raised me up. I could feel the pressure of his large forearms around my waist. I raised both my hands and clapped them with my fingers against his pressure point behind his ears where there is a hollow point. My training in the arts helped me with the strength to hurt him. I felt his arms released the holds and I stepped back to do a low kick into his groin with my shoe toe cap.

That got him to reach back in pain, and I was out of his holding lock. I stepped back and did high front kick into his lower jaw and almost knocked him back. It was then I rushed forth and did the Kao Loi move or jumping knee technique from Muay Thai on his jaw again. The power of the kick is generated with the velocity of the jump. The Kao Loi can catch the fighter off guard and end the fight quickly. But not this one; Mongol staggered back further and hit the tree trunk with his back. He is swinging his head to clear his pain but he is not down as expected.

I moved in with a sidekick on his solar plexus or lower body but he still stands. I did a round house kick with my right leg but he managed to block it this time. He is still in pain but he is lashing out now in anger. His wild swings with his punches is not getting me but its also preventing me from getting near him to end the fight. It was during one of his swings that he caught my left wrist and he swung me across to hit the tree. I got up to see him still half crouched and nursing his pains. It was then I heard the whistle sound and Mongol paused on his next move. Mongol got up and turned around to pick up his weapons. He then ran into the jungle while I struggled to get up. The last blow of his hit some wounds of mine on the chest and its acting up now.

I got slowly and picked up my weapons to rejoined the others.

It was the Guard on my left who shot the first shot. Darned idiot took the surprise away, and the fugitives soon returned fire onto us. The others folowed suit and we brought down two of them fugitives. For a while, it was a stand off between us and them until the leader gave out a shrill whistle sound and his men starts to withdraw into the jungle. I wanted to chase but I decided to let them run so we can chase them off. They did leave their meal behind and I went to confront the guy who first shot the PDW.

But he is dead, from a shot in the head, probably one of the random shots fired by those fugitive. We load up the body onto the LTV and left the BBQ for the scavengers. I send the LTV back and arranged for it to join us later. Coporal Pedro had then joined me and we proceeded on foot to track our fugitives with one M-Bot named MB5. The ATV will wait for the LTV and then catch up with us later.

We followed their trail until nightfall and we decided to camp by ourselves. The ATV and LTV are about two miles away but we will camp separately. Pedro improvises a wooden shelter and we took our covers there with MB5 on duty.

Day 7

A day of rest for some, but we are out here on a manhunt. Or so we thought.

‘Commander Bent, good morning. This is PP10207 Mathew Burns. I want to say thank you for following us in the dreadful planet. Its sad that we; the discard of society are now sent to served our sentences here. Not only as penal inmates, but as colonist later. Its a form of banishment for us from our rightful place in the place we choose to call home. We did not come here by choice; we were selected by machines. Made by people like you, Commander. You picking all this.’ He was calling me on the comms units, and its awfully early in the morning.

‘Mathew, you just spoiled my morning coffee. So cut the crap. We are here to hunt you like the way we hunt the creatures. So stay off my comms and let me make a new cup of coffee.’ I never did like my morning coffee from those ration packs.

The shots went off around the shelter. It shattered some of the branches that Pedro took to make the side. But we were cleared of any shots. The M-Bots got the most of it; its metal shell was dented and one of its arms is hanging loose. Its revolving its upper body but it cannot detect the threat.

‘We got you surrounded and we got this little gadget that plays wonder on your guard. It blocks their scanner from working. Your other men will need more than ten minutes to get here. So we can talk for now.’ I heard of such gadgets that used by us in some rogue M-Bots situation. How did he get that is not an issue now but how do we get out the trap. I been blind to these inmates who are resourseful as well as devious. Pedro had grabbed his PH900 and is lying prone on the ground scanning the area. He has on one of his thermal googles and he is looking for them. I grabbed my PDW and watched the rear of the shelter. A few more shots came and the M-Bot is dead as in malfunctioned. They knew where to shoot and its circuit is fried.

‘Mathew, give it up or move out. I am giving you an option. Move north and out of our land. There is a river about one week walk from here. Get there and cross it. Walk for another week and we will call it square. Thats your land and we will not harass you unless you come back.’ I don’t know why I offered him that but I want them out of the colonist’s way.

There was silence.

And there was total silence if you ignored the sounds of the jungle and its creatures.

Until the ATV came barging in along  with the LTV.

Both Pedro and myself walked out of the shelter. We know the inmates are gone. Sargeant Kabe came out of the ATV and walked towards us.

‘Permission to hunt them, Sir.’

‘Negative, Sargeant. They have their home now. If they come back, we will hunt them, even to the end of the New Pangaea. Its a truce for now. Lets go home. Bring that scrap back for the Cheng’s.’

Once a writer wrote in his book these lines; "Where is it I've read that someone condemned to death says or think, an hour before his death, that if he had to live on some high rock, on such a narrow ledge that he'd only room to stand, and the ocean, everlasting darkness, everlasting solitude, everlasting tempest around him, if he had to remain standing on a square yard of space all his life, a thousand years, eternity, it were better to live so than to die at once! Only to live, to live and live! Life, whatever it may be!"
- Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment, Ch. 13.

Those are condemned man in the eyes of the society. But they deserved also their high rock if they can find it. Just as man has confined himself to the high structure they called home in the planet called Earth. Now they await our call for them to move onto a new rock soon.