The only significant drawback was that all the teams were comprised of CoDevCo’s Optigene troops. The clones were not even Aboriginals, really. They were simply Wildings: the pristine genelines from which their template was drawn had been artificially constrained and culled, but without the refining, expert touch of a Breedmistress. Unfortunately, the clones had deficits beyond the typical low-born decrements in speed, agility, strength, senses, autonomic muscle control, heightened vascular trauma resiliency, and secretion modulation. They were also utterly without the capacity for innovation, at least so far. Having been recently awakened, they had not acquired any significant diversity of experience, much less consequent skills in problem solving.
According to the fear-reeking low-born Kozakowski, these clones were in fact less responsive due to the tight controls that the Ktor had put upon their training and exposure to unplanned stimuli. The clones knew little beyond obedience yet, but all data suggested that this would change rapidly, and it was unlikely that any of this first group would be safe to leave uneuthanized. The perversities of their early training would scar them, leave them asking too many questions and resentful of the narrow limits of their existence.
That concept, the narrow limits of one’s existence, struck home as Jesel’s gaze drifted back across Suzruzh, whose face suggested that he was waiting for his fellow ’sul to commence the predeployment briefing. The two of them had narrow existences, as well. Although no direct mention had been made of it, all of the Ktor knew precisely why such an important mission was being entrusted to a pair of ’suls whose sires had been low-breed jur-huscarls. It eliminated the risk of a postmortem analysis of an Evolved genecode. Although both Brenlor and Nezdeh asserted that failure was impossible and that the Aboriginals would not inflict any significant casualties upon the strike force, the two Srinu had clearly not deemed such outcomes wholly unthinkable. Consequently, if the entire strike team was lost, no Elevated cell samples would fall into Aboriginal hands: hands that might, given time and sufficient resources, begin to understand the genetic changes that ensured the innate superiority of the Ktor.
The same kind of precaution had informed the combat team’s equippage. Rather than being issued the vastly superior Ktor weapons which had decimated the Aboriginal resistance aboard the Arbitrage, Brenlor Srin Perekmeres had decreed that the only weapons, armor, and support systems to be used in the assault were those from the Terrans’ own stocks.
This was not merely disappointing; it was utterly depressing. The best weapons in the Arbitrage’s original armory, nine-point-two-millimeter Jufeng dust-mix battle rifles manufactured by the Developing World Coalition, were among the most rudimentary of their kind. There were only four available, and the three Ktor leaders of the raid were grim in their gratitude to have at least that much offensive firepower. The clones themselves were armed with either their ubiquitous Indonesian Pindad caseless assault rifles, or TOCIO’s copy of a widely licensed automatic shotgun designed by a firm called Heckler and Koch. Jesel wished he could have jettisoned every single one of the primitive firearms out the nearest airlock. They would not have been satisfactory as reserve training arms, back home in the Creche Worlds.
Well, Jesel accepted as he once again became aware of the twenty-six duty-suited troopers sitting in the fuselage of the shuttle, there’s nothing to be gained by putting off the briefing. “Attend my words.”
It was a largely unnecessary call for their attention; none of the clones had been speaking or looking anywhere other than directly at Jesel.
“We shall enter the atmosphere of the target planet within twenty minutes. We should be over the target zone within forty minutes. Our first pass will be to seed quadrotor sensor platforms that will scan the surrounding area for vehicles the enemy might be using to leave the target zone.”
Suzruzh frowned. “I thought we had acquired a fix upon the targets’ position.”
Jesel shrugged. “Nezdeh received a signal from our agent among them. However, this signal carried no data regarding the composition, status, or numbers of the target low-borns. So it does not necessarily follow that all the targets will be in one location. However, during our final approach, there will be a radio signal upon which we shall orient and so, find an optimal landing zone.”
Suzruzh lifted one shoulder in a resigned shrug.
Jesel nodded toward the pilot.. “Pehthrum, you shall seek to flank whatever positions the Aboriginals have adopted. Once Suzruzh’s skirmishers have pinned them down, you shall release the upt’theel.”
The most freshly reanimated clone, a replacement for one among the first batch that had proven dangerously intractable, cleared his throat. “Commander, I am unfamiliar with this term, upt’theel.”
“The upt’theel is a sinuous and unrelenting carnivore that is not strictly a carbon-based life-form: it is incredibly rugged due to various silicate hardenings. It has highly alkaline body chemistry and is perpetually ravenous in our environment in order to maintain a body temperature in excess of forty-five degrees centigrade.”
“And how does it know to distinguish us from our enemies?”
“Your equipment, and you, have been liberally doped with a chemical which the upt’theel find unappetizing. Also, since they have rudimentary intelligence, they associate that scent with handlers.” Jesel smiled. “However, that loyalty association does not endure beyond the first unsatisfied growlings of an upt’theel’s stomach. So, while you have no reason to fear the upt’theel, you should not be careless about them, either.
“Many of you will recall training with light armor. That is not available to us.” True. “But nor is it desirable in this environment.” More lie than not. “Although the plant growth in the target area is not uniformly thick enough to be called a jungle, areas of it are. We must expect the targets to take refuge in those areas. Consequently, matching their speed and elusiveness is better protection than full composite armor. Your ballistic cloth chest and groin protectors are optimal for this operation.
“We must also operate without remote tactical communications. The entirety of the radio bandwidth is being jammed. We must rely upon hand and voice signals. So, in order to maneuver effectively, we shall remain close.”
“Very close, when we enter the areas that resemble jungles,” Suzruzh added.
Jesel nodded, not overly annoyed at his distant cousin’s timely addition. “However, we are more prepared to meet the challenge than most of our targets. From what data we have of them, they overwhelmingly lack any military training or wilderness experience. Their lack of radio communications will be far more detrimental to them than it will be to us. Lastly, our in situ agent’s signal duration indicated that either steps have been taken to ensure that any military gear aboard the shuttle was compromised or that no such gear was present.”
The clone labeled Gamma-Twelve stirred slightly. “Leader, what if the Slaasriithi have provided the targets with better weapons?”
Jesel shook his head. “From what we know of Slaasriithi physiology, it would be surprising, almost inconceivable, that humans could operate their weapons. It is equally improbable that the Slaasriithi would take the risk of providing them: they are an overly cautious species, more so than the Arat Kur when it comes to sharing technology. Are there other questions?” No responses. The deck tilted and shuddered slightly: Pehthrum was easing the armored shuttle into the outer reaches of the atmosphere. He glanced at Suzruzh. “Any additions?”