Belain's side. "But this close to water, it's probably a good-sized one."
They had gone another ten meters, and Lorne had just caught sight of the matted reeds and splintered bones that marked a spine leopard way station, when they were attacked.
The spine leopards came in two groups, the first consisting of four males leaping from the tall grass beside a big obsidian rock, the second group of three males half a second later coming from beneath the edge of the drop-off beside the creek bed.
Lorne snapped his hands up, his eyes tracking through the sudden deluge of laser fire coming from both the civilians and his fellow Cobras. The first group of spine leopards collapsed to the ground, the black stitching of laser burns along their sides and bellies. Apparently, Belain's weapons were holding their own. Lorne shifted his attention to the second group, targeting one of the as-yet-untouched predators.
He had just fired a volley from his fingertip lasers into the creature's head when his enhanced hearing caught a soft rustling from the reeds behind him.
Instantly, his nanocomputer took control of his body's network of implanted servo motors, breaking off his attack and throwing him into a long slide-leap to his right. He rolled half over onto his back as he hit the ground, twisting his head around just in time to see another pair of spine leopards slice through the space he'd just vacated. He twitched his eye to put a targeting lock on the nearer of the two and fired his antiarmor laser, his body twisting awkwardly around as his servos brought the weapon to bear.
The laser flashed, cutting into the leopard's flank. Without waiting to see if that single shot had done the job, Lorne shifted his eyes to the second predator, who had hit the ground and bounded out into a second leap toward the party. Before he could fire, another antiarmor laser blazed across the leafy background, taking the spine leopard's head off at the neck.
Lorne rolled up onto his feet, his fingertip lasers again held at the ready as he rapidly scanned the impromptu battlefield. But the only ones still on their feet were the humans.
Minus one.
He hurried over to the group crouching or standing guard around the fallen civilian. "What happened?" he asked as he took a spot in the defensive circle, sparing a single glance at the writhing body Ishikuma and de Portola were hunched over.
"Same as always," Randall said bitterly. "The guns all targeted just fine, only they all targeted the first wave, three of them alone on the first spine leopard who poked his nose into sight. By the time the computers disengaged and retargeted, it was too late to shift to the second wave."
Lorne nodded grimly. And without a Cobra's servos and programmed reflexes to protect them, the civilians had been sitting ducks. If they'd been out here alone, all four would probably be dead now.
He looked at Dr. Belain. The other was staring down at the injured man, his face pale, his jaws tight, his hands gripping his rifle as if it was a magic totem.
Lorne turned his attention back to the woods around them. When would they learn, he wondered. When would they ever learn?
"That's all we can do here," Ishikuma said briskly, getting back to his feet. "Broom, Sumara—get him to one of the transports and take him to Archway. Be sure to call ahead and make sure they've got a trauma room prepped."
"Yes, sir," Sumara acknowledged for both of them.
"And when you've done that," Ishikuma added, his eyes boring into Lorne's face, "you, Broom, are to get yourself out of my jurisdiction as per my previous order. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Lorne said.
"Then move it," Ishikuma said, his voice marginally less severe. "And give them both my best wishes."
"I'll be there," Jody Moreau Broom promised into her comm. "Bye."
She closed the device and put it away. "Well?" Geoff Boulton asked anxiously, his eyes flicking back and forth across the display screen in front of him.
"Merrick says they're
They had gone another ten meters, and Lorne had just caught sight of the matted reeds and splintered bones that marked a spine leopard way station, when they were attacked.
The spine leopards came in two groups, the first consisting of four males leaping from the tall grass beside a big obsidian rock, the second group of three males half a second later coming from beneath the edge of the drop-off beside the creek bed.
Lorne snapped his hands up, his eyes tracking through the sudden deluge of laser fire coming from both the civilians and his fellow Cobras. The first group of spine leopards collapsed to the ground, the black stitching of laser burns along their sides and bellies. Apparently, Belain's weapons were holding their own. Lorne shifted his attention to the second group, targeting one of the as-yet-untouched predators.
He had just fired a volley from his fingertip lasers into the creature's head when his enhanced hearing caught a soft rustling from the reeds behind him.
Instantly, his nanocomputer took control of his body's network of implanted servo motors, breaking off his attack and throwing him into a long slide-leap to his right. He rolled half over onto his back as he hit the ground, twisting his head around just in time to see another pair of spine leopards slice through the space he'd just vacated. He twitched his eye to put a targeting lock on the nearer of the two and fired his antiarmor laser, his body twisting awkwardly around as his servos brought the weapon to bear.
The laser flashed, cutting into the leopard's flank. Without waiting to see if that single shot had done the job, Lorne shifted his eyes to the second predator, who had hit the ground and bounded out into a second leap toward the party. Before he could fire, another antiarmor laser blazed across the leafy background, taking the spine leopard's head off at the neck.
Lorne rolled up onto his feet, his fingertip lasers again held at the ready as he rapidly scanned the impromptu battlefield. But the only ones still on their feet were the humans.
Minus one.
He hurried over to the group crouching or standing guard around the fallen civilian. "What happened?" he asked as he took a spot in the defensive circle, sparing a single glance at the writhing body Ishikuma and de Portola were hunched over.
"Same as always," Randall said bitterly. "The guns all targeted just fine, only they all targeted the first wave, three of them alone on the first spine leopard who poked his nose into sight. By the time the computers disengaged and retargeted, it was too late to shift to the second wave."
Lorne nodded grimly. And without a Cobra's servos and programmed reflexes to protect them, the civilians had been sitting ducks. If they'd been out here alone, all four would probably be dead now.
He looked at Dr. Belain. The other was staring down at the injured man, his face pale, his jaws tight, his hands gripping his rifle as if it was a magic totem.
Lorne turned his attention back to the woods around them. When would they learn, he wondered. When would they ever learn?
"That's all we can do here," Ishikuma said briskly, getting back to his feet. "Broom, Sumara—get him to one of the transports and take him to Archway. Be sure to call ahead and make sure they've got a trauma room prepped."
"Yes, sir," Sumara acknowledged for both of them.
"And when you've done that," Ishikuma added, his eyes boring into Lorne's face, "you, Broom, are to get yourself out of my jurisdiction as per my previous order. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Lorne said.
"Then move it," Ishikuma said, his voice marginally less severe. "And give them both my best wishes."
"I'll be there," Jody Moreau Broom promised into her comm. "Bye."
She closed the device and put it away. "Well?" Geoff Boulton asked anxiously, his eyes flicking back and forth across the display screen in front of him.
"Merrick says they're
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