They were deep into enemy territory, surrounded, lost, and at a massive disadvantage. They were in the valley, their enemies had the hill and it was breezy, though the breeze blew away from them. They could use the sleep powder the havenworlders had invented for their insomnia-riddled human friend, but the climb was steep and they'd get noticed. Then the human had an idea. They made black string and took long strips of black sheets of matte plastic, and then put it together with sticks. At the same time, they told their friends to start, carefully, putting the powder into easily broken cloth pouches.
"Only way we're escaping my friends, is to have some fun flying kites." -- Anon Guest
As Human Tor said, it was definitely a three-AM idea. Equal parts sleeplessness and inspired desperation, and perhaps a little influence of the stims she was taking to maintain alertness on the field. They had tried to take Tor's stims away, but she had ways of finding things that would act as stims anyway.
Fact: The Havenworlders in the party were very light. Fact: They had materials to fly a payload of a certain amount of weight units up to the same level as the forces who had kettled them into the valley in the first place. There, with an instrument made by Human Tor, a sufficiently light Havenworlder could launch breakable packages of Tor's sleep aid at the enemy forces.
"We all know my stuff hits like a truck," said Human Tor. "These guys are at a lower level than your average Human and my tolerance is high. I think we can knock a hole in their kettle and zoom out like a melon pip." Tor made a motion like squeezing an invisible seed and added an expulsion of air between tongue, teeth, and lips for emphasis. "The wind is with us, I'm jazzed as hell, and I have zero flakks to give right now about these flakkers. We can do this."
They picked Juji, who was avian, and could glide in case their kite "went tits up" as Human Tor put it. Not that it was likely. A combination of superior engineering and tensegrity[1] made for a very light weapon of war that none of the enemy could plausibly see coming. Human Tor had been using the weaving of local fibres as a means of dissipating their nervous tension for weeks, now. in combination with the light local wood and some manic rigging, they had an interesting hybrid of box kite and hang glider. The fact that most of it was made of string was only slightly alarming.
The wind was on their side. Juji knew how to launch the projectiles at the enemy camps. Once aloft, he could plausibly hit as many as four camps from their vantage point.
They launched at night, while Human Tor had her night-vision goggles on to see how the flight was going. Since they made the structure under heavy cover during the day, the enemy would not be looking for a flying vehicle, powered or not. The lack of engine noise was to their benefit.
As expected, the enemy camps were not even looking down the valley to figure out what they were up to. Juji aimed with the help of an app and Human Tor's spotting via picture-in-picture. In that, the campfires were a great help. Not just the flames, but the smoke assisted in wind speed and direction.
Centre first. Edges later. That was the rule. That way, if they ran out of ammo, there would still be a gap in the 'kettle'. The bad news was that they had a fifth camp that Tor hadn't spotted. It was still in range, so Juji used what he had learned and took a chance.
It might have been a million-to-one shot, but the payload landed square in the middle of the camp, effecting all those who had been in the middle of dinner around the campfire.
Juji loaded the last of their ammo in the launcher and announced, "All-clear. The word is go."
Human Tor reeled him in as they moved. It was a zigzag path, but it was right through the middle of the stricken forces. They were out and free before Juji was within range to safely hop down and join the running. Elementary safety protocols were automatic by now. Carry any loaded weapons unprimed unless the enemy was in sight. Loaded, yes. Primed to fire, no. And at all times, point away from friendlies.
They made it clear, and to the pickup point. Where Juji did not unload his sleep-launcher. The Havenworlders in the team kept their livesuits on by silent agreement.
"We're clear," said Human Tor, taking off her helmet. "Why's that loaded for?"
"This is for you," said Juji. "You really need to sleep." They aimed at the floor by Human Tor's feet.
"Oh you little--" By then, it was too late. Human Tor had breathed in her weapons-grade sleep aid. They caught her before she could hurt herself. When she woke in Medical, she had her team waiting for her. "Yeah. All right. I did need that."
[1] Tensegrity: a seemingly impossible structure that derives its integrity from tension, hence the portmanteau.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / magicleaf]
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