Chapter 4 - Things that don't go bump in the night.

Had Jill not been fast asleep in her tent, the amateur astronomer in her would probably have gazed in awe at the spectacle that was the rising of the magnificent halo which encircled the strange world to which they had been brought.

Slowly and silently the halo rose from the horizon. For a few minutes one part of its rim became silhouetted as it crossed the face of the yellow full moon, which now hung low over the planet's horizon. The halo passed the moon and continued to ascend relentlessly towards the zenith.

Other eyes, however, didn't sleep. Their attention wasn't directed towards either the halo or the moon. Their interest was in the little group of tents nestled in the moonlight.

Valk released his wings' suction grip one by one from the roof of the cave allowing himself to drop to its floor. In doing so he landed deftly beside Gyp.

"Do you see them?" asked Valk.

"Yes." answered Gyp.

"Do you think they are the ones?"

"Possibly. We need to take a closer look. I was thinking of flying down there while they are asleep."

"Shouldn't we send a few drones first?"

"There is no time. I am prepared to take the risk. Are you with me? I shall go alone if necessary."

"Very well." Valk conceded, adding. "God grant us the strength necessary to be able return here."

Gyp was no believer. He left Valk's words unanswered.

The two bat like Hedra shuffled their weakened and ungainly bodies into the gaping mouth of the cave.

Summoning as much strenth as they could, Gyp was the first to launch himself into the moonlit darkness. Valk followed, praying that this would turn out to be the long awaited help he'd heard would one day arrive.

*

Inside their separate tents Vincent and Holden simultaneous became aware of the approaching Hedras' ultrasonic pulses.

They both emerged from the tents into the moonlight at the same time. A guarded smile passed between the brothers.

Vincent pressed a button on what looked like his wrist watch to activate its short range beacon.

"Over there!" he whispered to Holden, pointing to a spot a short distance away from the tents. "We have positive confirmation."

*

"Welcome to Galactia Sixteen." said Gyp, offering his bony hand in friendship to first Vincent then Holden. "I am Gyp, this is comrade Valk."

Valk was obviously having some difficulty recovering from his flight.

"Is he alright?" asked Holden. "Maybe you should have one of these." he added offering Valk an energy bar.

"You're ... very kind." panted the breathless Valk. "It's ... not food I need. Rather ... a healthy pair of lungs."

Holden put the food back in his pocket. He was wondering if Valk's problem was self inflicted, but didn't like to ask.

"Comrade Valk was gassed in the early days of the invasion." Gyp explained, adding (with thinly veiled anger). "It was wholesale slaughter. Those of us who survived did so by taking to caves high in the hills.

Valk had recovered somewhat. He continued Gyp's explanation.

"Since they completed the halo ... they think they can leave what remains of us to die of ... er ... natural causes."

Gyp took over the explaining once again.

"However, we have been developing our own equivalent of their 'halo' - but what we are making is not in outer space. It is underground."

"Indeed." interrupted Valk. "You have already experienced part of what we are developing."

Vincent and Holden looked puzzled.

"You remember the windowless building into which you were emerged when you came out of the the wormhole?"

(Vincent and Holden were hardly likely to forget such a 'Tombraider-esque' experience.)

"Well," continued Gyp. "that building represents our only hope of rescuing what's left of this planet from the clutches of ... the Covenant! "

Vincent and Holden looked at each other. They gulped simultaneously.

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