A scro platoon officer strode with efficient precision through the doorway and into the broad office, his black leather armor squeaking pleasantly. Stopping well across the room from the desk, the only piece of furniture present aside from the general's thick wooden chair, the sergeant raised a black-gloved fist, forearm vertical and upper arm straight forward, the back of his fist directed at the general. A thick red spider emblem was clearly visible on the back of his glove.
"The Tarantulas remember!" the sergeant shouted, his flat, porcine snout raised with pride. He spoke in perfect Elvish. "Almighty Dukagsh hail my general!"
General Vorr grunted. "Speak." Tell me something different and new, he added mentally. It was time for a change. Fate would be his guide.
"Sit," said the sergeant crisply, switching to the scro's Orcish dialect. "Sergeant Hagroth bears news from Admiral Halker, who reports the sighting of a large flying vessel of unknown type approaching the camp along Victory Highway. The ship has signaled a desire to talk. We have scorpion-ship escorts with it now. The base is being brought to half alert. Admiral Halker requests your attention within the hour to meet with representatives of the intruders, dealing with them as is deemed best."
Fate actually listens to me, General Vorr thought with mild surprise. Tell Fate that you are weary with boredom, and it sends a cure. Was I better off being bored?
Vorr let his hand drop from the grip of his concealed weapon and looked down at the green-skinned humanoid standing at attention across the room. Sergeant Hagroth's black armor was cleaned and polished; the steel studs on the leather gleamed in the orange light from the tall windows. A scro marine's marine. The armored scro showed nothing but supreme confidence.
Far away, the elven voice arose to a shriek-then silence filled the room instead.
"Describe the intruder, Sergeant." Vorr had seen more than his share of unknown ships; it couldn't be too weird.
"Sir, the ship is built of stone blocks in the shape of a ziggurat. There are no visible doors or openings. It has four triangular sides and a square bottom, which it keeps facing the ground as it flies."
Fate was being too generous. The description fit the design of the pyramid ships used by certain undead human wizards, the sort that brought nothing but trouble. General Vorr abruptly shoved back his chair and stood to his full eight-foot height; Sergeant Hagroth barely reached past his chest. He carefully sorted and put away his papers, his well-oiled armor making no sound.
"Sergeant Hagroth," he said, "tell my staff to bring all the marines to full alert, but in secret. Show no outward sign of our preparations. I want the Fifth Leg Battalion in assault gear at once, war priests in the lead. Attach two wall-breaker ogres to each company." He paused, considering. "Battle bonuses and honors to the first company to get inside the pyramid, if it comes to that. No attacks are to be made unless I give the order. Death to anyone who fires before then. Inform Admiral Halker of my plans. Anything more?"
Sergeant Hagroth's face twitched as he fought to contain his excitement. He, too, must have felt the lash of boredom for far too long. "Sir, nothing more," he said, then stepped back one pace and raised his black-gloved fist in a final salute. "Vengeance is ours!" he shouted in Elvish.
"Get on it," returned the general in Elvish, looking down again at the stacks of paper on his desk. He heard the door shut and the faint sounds of someone hurrying away, then silence. He hesitated for a moment, wondering what was wrong. Oh, he thought, no screaming. The elf must have died already. That was odd because they usually lasted much longer than that. Vorr wondered what the elves thought when the scro administering the ritual tortures spoke to them in fluent Elvish; it must be torture all the more. The orcs and scro had remembered the victors of the Unhuman War too well for the victors' own good.
General Vorr had just finished stacking his reports and was preparing to leave when another knock sounded. He looked up, wondering what Fate could possibly be cooking up for him now. His hand again fell below the desktop and clutched the weapon's grip. "Enter!" he barked.
One of the steel-and-oak doors across the room opened gently. An emaciated Oriental human in flowery silken robes stepped through, a serene smile half hidden behind wisps of a white beard. A withered hand covered by paper-thin skin carelessly pushed the weighty door shut behind him. The old man appeared relaxed and calm.
"Greetings, General," said the old man in a strong voice, bowing once. His dark, almond-shaped eyes gleamed. "I pray that I am not disturbing your work."
Vorr eyed the intruder speculatively as his hands relaxed and let go of the weapon's grip. "We have visitors, Usso. I trust you've heard."
"Yes. When the gates open, the flood comes through." Without explaining the remark, the old man approached and raised his right hand as he reached the desk. Where his hand had been empty, a sheaf of papers now soundlessly appeared as if by magic-which, of course, it was.
"My spies have been busy," Usso said, almost cheerfully, setting the papers in a neat stack on the desk and turning them around to face the general. "I trust their reports will make entertaining reading." The old man's hands pulled back, then began to fingerspell words rapidly against the desk's surface. The general appeared to study the new reports while reading Usso's message.
Elf and human guerrillas here. Three groups. I have waned unit commanders. Some seek you.
General Vorr considered the news soberly. "Nothing interesting here," he growled, thumbing a report page absently. He kept up the charade in case the guerrillas had the ability to scry on their meeting with spells, magical mirrors, or crystal balls. "Any other news?"
"The pyramid ship has halted two miles outside the base's northern gate. It shows no sign of hostility. It is also invulnerable to scrying, so I cannot say more about it." The frail old man looked toward the windows and grinned mirthlessly. "We should be so fortunate. The air is itself a window for the ants, if not for those insects that fly."
We're being magically spied upon by the intruders on the base and possibly by the flying pyramid's inhabitants, Vorr interpreted. "Do, um, the ants and bees travel together these days?" Vorr asked. He felt foolish trying to speak in riddles so those scrying on him couldn't make out his intent. Usso was so much better at deception, making it an an.
Usso pointed a narrow finger at the top report. "The answer lies here," he said, and his fingers began working again. No. Pyramid from other world. Elves from Spiral. Bad timing. I go. Stay alert.
Vorr sighed heavily, his huge hands resting on the cool stone desk. Then he straightened and busied himself with filing papers in a desk drawer. "Work to be done, then. I will see to greeting our visitors from the pyramid-and I'll be watchful."
"I shall stay watchful as well. A little fresh air would not hurt you, so I'll leave your door open."
Usso meant for reinforcements to get to the general rapidly if necessary, Vorr knew. A closed door would not stop magically armed commandos. "Fine," Vorr said, still storing papers. "I'll be on my way in a minute."
The wizened man bowed formally, though the general ignored him, and turned to walk back to the closed doors. "Call if you need me," Usso said as he left-but his voice had changed. It was now a very feminine one, seductive and young. After opening a door and motioning for Gargon to leave it ajar, Usso was gone.
Vorr had most of the paperwork put away in a wall safe behind his chair and was about to take the last of it with him when a loud thump came from the double doors. He turned around. The door that had been open was now closed. After a startled pause on the other side came the sounds of heavy, pounding fists, followed by regular body slams against the wood and steel.