The simplicity of the spy hideout made Calen want to laugh. Of course the informants were on an island, the last place a race with thriving underwater metropolises would think to look.
Calen had watched as her suspect headed toward one of the larger masses of land before veering off to give him a wide berth. She would have to land a fairly good distance away in order to avoid raising suspicion. Dipping the Oboi beneath the waves, she piloted the vessel away from the island for nearly ten standard minutes before looping back toward what her calculations said would be the side of the island opposite where the suspect landed.
She hoped her calculations were accurate.
Tracking prey on land was one thing. This whole tracking prey in a water environment seemed to be testing every skill that she had. The hunter in Calen thrilled at the challenge. This was exactly why she had left her home planet. She wanted to be a legend. To achieve what no other scarlati had ever dreamed of.
Calen pulled her vehicle to a halt a few meters from shore and flipped on the autopilot to keep the ship from drifting. A vessel sitting on land would be more easily spotted than one sitting in the water. Opening up the cockpit hatch she jumped into the water and swam the rest of the way to shore.
She immediately removed the helmet on her environment suit and took a deep breath of fresh air, flicking her tongue out to test for smells. Her prey was close. Closer than she would have liked but she couldn't smell any fear so he obviously still had no idea he was being followed.
Calen checked the charge on her cloaking device. Half charge. Enough for her to get close and make her kill.
The island was littered with small trees and rocks. Not much in the way of cover but Calen would make do. Sticking close to the larger boulders, Calen darted to and fro with the silent stealth of a highly experienced hunter. To move without being heard was something the elders taught all scarlati from a young age.
Calen had already learned the hard way that these zelenca were highly sensitive to their surroundings while underwater. She was unsure how many of those senses carried over to land but she was not about to make the mistake of underestimating her prey. A hunter unable to learn from her mistakes was as good as dead.
Climbing up a large cluster of rocks, she peeped over to get a feel for the lay of the land. Her target was about 400 feet away working at a small transmission station. Calen tasted the air again. Still no fear. Her target must have operated like this for years without incident, lulling him with a false sense of security. Perfect.
She activated her cloaking device and pulled her knife out of her boot. She made short work out of sloppy prey.
No comments:
Post a Comment