Greyla and her grandfather, De'Marc, set up some targets on the island and spent the afternoon teaching the Raemolles how to handle the rifles.

"Won't this draw attention to our camp?" Danlea asked.

"Can't be helped," De'Marc replied. "This is more important. I doubt there's anyone within earshot."

"It may draw attention, but they'll think twice about crashing in uninvited," Greyla said firing off another round and nailing her mark.

Danlea had a good natural aim and was soon hitting with reasonable precision. Raemolle was already a good shot and only needed to be familiarized with the new weapons.

"I for one, have had enough of this swamp," De'Marc said afterwards. "We're heading back to the Sea Grinder, Greyla. In addition to collecting specimens, catch us all something to eat if you can."

Greyla sained the dark waters for fish. She netted a few crabs and fish native to the area along with one turtle. She put them in the portable tanks set up in camp. By evening she could barely make out the Sea Grinder anchored in the channel. A thick fog was moving in. The swamp was alive with sound and yet eerily quiet at the same time. She had the overwhelming feeling of being alone.

She pulled up a small table by a stump and sat to jot down notes of the day's activities. It reminded her of the journal she kept as a child after her parents were killed in the war. Her journal was the only possession she managed to salvage from the rubble of her home after the battle of Casgora. Greyla's grandfather, De'Marc, searched for her in the ruins, never giving up hope.

Greyla was only eleven years old when De'Marc found her alive. They managed to escape to the sea. Raiding was the only life she had known for the next couple of years until they met Halston Medantos. Hal was searching for a seasoned captain who could handle an old sailing vessel he had restored. Her grandfather was the perfect man for the job.

She and Hal were friends from the start., but Greyla fell in love with the daring leader of their expedition, Jejliard Castonea, who treated her as a daughter. Greyla grew up, but Jejliard never stopped mourning his deceased wife. Now it was time for her to see the truth. Her pencil stopped moving as she let her mind drift back to more carefree days on Novaland.

"You're missing Hal," she told herself. "Not a luxury you can afford." Her thoughts were disturbed by the sound of the dingy motoring toward the camp. Raemolle jumped out of the small craft and tied up to a log.

"Hi. Any luck?"

"Some. Nothing exciting."

"I hate to tear you away from all of this, but Danlea said it's time to eat."

"Gladly. Help me close everything up if you would. I have a few edibles for the stew pot tomorrow."

They secured their equipment and tied the tent flaps securely before leaving.

When they got to the dingy a flurry of activity boiled up from the boat. Several furry bodies swept over the side and ran away.

"What the hell was that?" Raemolle asked.

"Probably rats of some kind looking for food," Greyla said. "This fog is giving me claustrophobia."

"Likewise. I want to at least be able to see what manner of beast is roaming about camp."

"Or crawling," Greyla said. "Let's go."

Back on the Sea Grinder, she was relieved to sit in the cheerful lighted galley with the others to enjoy one of Danlea's fine meals.

***

Everyone had settled into a card game after dinner when they were interrupted by the ship's radio.

"Strange time of night to be calling," Danlea said getting up to answer. "Not that Koutou gives a damn."

She ran up to the chart room and picked up. "Sea Grinder, over."

"Monkey! You're still awake," Widhbo called out.

"I am. It's a lot later where you are."

"I never sleep anymore," Widhbo said.

"Sorry to hear that," Danlea replied. She propped her elbows on the desk and sighed. "So did you call because you're bored?"

"Not at all. To tell the truth, I stay bored, but not tonight. Things have been busy here. I have something of interest to you."

"Okay."

"Who's on guard tonight?"

"No one in particular."

"Protocol, Monkey. You need to stick to protocol."

"Why? You don't."

"I'm not the one in danger at the moment."

"Has something happened to Jejliard or the others?" Danlea asked, suddenly concerned the call might actually be important.

"Not yet, but our friend Colberton isn't."

"Isn't what?"

"Our friend," Widhbo replied. "I'm afraid there may be some excitement in your future."

"Could you be a little more specific?"

"Ambush, Monkey. Kindly tell the others to be on guard."

"Thanks for the heads up. I will."

"If I were to hazard a guess, I'd think Catspaw would be the most likely place."

"We didn't have any trouble when we refueled there a few days ago."

"Obviously not or we wouldn't be having this conversation. But more to the point, if I were planning an attack, Catspaw would be much more convenient than to come looking for you in the middle of that slime pit."

"You think the General is up to something?"

"Yes, and I might have information confirming it. I'm on your side, Monkey, but my wager would have to be on Colberton to win."

"Well, on that we agree," Danlea said. She felt a tingle of fear along her spine as his words sank in.

"Give my regards to the captain. I'll miss the old goat. The rest of you too I suppose."

"Well, I suppose I'm flattered that you might."

"Watch your back, Monkey. Must go. Koutou out," Widhbo said and signed off.

Danlea could hardly believe what Koutou had just said. She went back and related the warning to the others.

De'Marc mulled over the news before responding. "I could pull out farther from shore, but we are less likely to be spotted here. We can't outrun or out maneuver a modern ship at any rate."

"What then?" Raemolle asked. "Are we just going to sit here and let them come after us?"

"We don't have many options when it comes to going up against the Beldorian Security forces," Greyla said.

""Why would Colberton want us out of the picture?" De'Marc asked. "That's what I want to know."

"The only threat we pose is in what we know," Greyla said. "This has to be about the spaceship and the alien. He wants it kept secret."

"What of Jejliard, Tajlon and Hal?" Raemolle asked.

"He needs them," De'Marc said. "They're the only ones capable of developing a weapons program fast enough, not to mention reverse engineering the alien ship."

"And when they've finished?" Greyla asked.

"Exactly."

"You put a lot of faith in your friend Koutou, Captain," Danlea said.

"In the all the years I've known Koutou, he's never once been wrong."

* * *

"The plan was to seed these waters with radiation detectors and seismic meters," De'Marc said. "It would take several weeks to cover the area. If this whole mission was a ruse to get us out of the way, we should ditch it and run out early."

"And go where?" Greyla asked.

"Anywhere they don't expect us to be."

The table was quiet as everyone considered the danger ahead.

"We should leave tonight. If our luck holds, we can refuel at Catspaw before they know we're onto them," Greyla said.

"Let's get the equipment first," Raemolle said.

"We don't need it anymore," Greyla argued. "The last thing I want is to go back there at night."

"Who knows what we'll need. We don't even know where we're going. The generator alone is worth going back to shore."

"Let's move it then," Greyla said heading for a dingy.

Danlea started to join them.

"No. Somebody needs to monitor the radio, Danlea," De'Marc said. "That's your primary duty until this is resolved."

"I'll just toss a sleeping bag in the chart room then," she said.

"Do it."

They went back to camp, took down the tents and released the inedible specimens Greyla had collected back into the brackish waters. De'Marc was pushing off with the last load when he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his left ankle.

"Damnation! I'll be glad to leave this hellish swamp."

"What's the matter?" Raemolle asked.

"Cut my leg on something. No matter. We're done here."

They finished loading and started the big engine and backed up in the channel until there was enough room to turn around. De'Marc opened up to full power when they reached open water.

"Do we have plenty of fuel?" Danlea asked.

"We do. I can probably make Catspaw on this same tank," De'Marc replied. "William, take over the helm if you would. I need Greyla to check my leg."

Greyla helped remove his boot and exposed a swollen wound with a central laceration oozing some blood.

"This looks like a bite of some sort. I never saw a snake leave marks like this."

"Danlea, take over the wheel for a moment. Let me have a look at it," Raemolle said. He pulled out one of the charts he'd picked up from the fisherman in Catspaw.

"This place got its name from a creature called the rassel snake. Its not truly a snake at all, but an aquatic rodent with a poisonous bite. I thought of it when we saw all those rats running from the dingy tonight."

"Well, that's just grand. I'm guessing my wound fits the description," De'Marc said.

"Sorry, but it does."

"So, what's the treatment for one of these?"

"It says to draw out the poison before it gets into your blood stream," Raemolle said.

"How?" De'Marc asked.

"By opening the wound and applying a poltice we don't happen to have."

"We've got salt pork," Greyla said. "It'll have to do." She ran to the galley and sterilized a knife blade with the flame from a stove burner before returning with the pork and cloth for bandaging.

"This will hurt."

"Just get the poison out of me."

Greyla made a first incision on the wound while Raemolle held the leg steady. De'Marc flinched and stifled a yelp as the pain hit.

"Sorry, Grandpa."

"Not as bad as the bite. Go ahead. Finish it."

She made a second incision as rapidly as possible and covered the wound with the salt pork before bandaging it up.

"Stay off your feet and lie still," she said.

"Like I'm going anywhere," De'Marc answered.

"You know what I mean. How do you feel?"

"Lousy."

"I'm really sorry, old man," Raemolle said. "If I hadn't insisted, we go back to the camp, this wouldn't have happened."

"Forget it. Not your fault. We'll be glad for the generator."

The radio blared with a request to pick up.

"William!" Danlea shouted for assistance.

Raemolle went to the helm so Danlea could take the message.

"Sea Grinder, over,"

"Scramble one-oh-seven," Koutou's voice came through.

"What?"

"Look at the code book, Monkey. I made a copy for your voyage. It's in the chart room."

"Oh, so that's what it's for. Got it."

"Write this down carefully. I'm in a hurry here."

"Well, so are we. Go."

Widhbo proceded to rattle off several lines of code so fast Danlea could barely keep up.

"Good luck, Monkey"

"The same to you," Danlea replied.

"You're going to need it more than we will, but I appreciate the thought all the same. Over."

"Koutou?"

"I hate goodbyes Monkey," Widhbo said. "Once is enough. Out."

"Sea Grinder,out."

Danlea set upon the coded message and soon had it deciphered. She read it to the others as they listened in stunned silence.

"Nuclear attacks on Turodey in two days. You must reach these coordinates by then. Rendezvous with Solar Wave. Proceed to destination below water. Do not surface for any reason. We are leaving Beldora on the Sora. Hope to return. Date indeterminate."