U.N. or some other group, we'll see."

They were within a few yards of the surface now. Olivia observed crewmen tossing lines out of hatches and sliding down the ropes to the ground.

"Three, two, one, touchdown," the pilot announced over the speakers. "Give us a few minutes to ready the gangplank and then you can disembark. Thank you for flying the friendly skies of BloodDark Air Transport."

"It's almost like flying on Earth." Olivia shook her head and frowned. "How odd. These airship pilots appear to have copied Earth airlines' customs. Where did they learn the patter? It doesn't make sense if they've been living like hermits in the cliff caves for several centuries."

"No, it doesn't." Hernando frowned. "An outpost this large occupied by Earthmen doesn't make sense, either. Could they have smuggled in their workers through another Portal?"

Caveman stood in the aisle and raised his hand to speak. "Keep seated everyone, until I'm done. Not knowing who our hosts are, I think it wise that just a few of us disembark at this point."

"Councilor, shouldn't we go back?" a timid voice called out.

"No, we've come this far, and we need to know what's happening. We've been assured by our pilots that there's a return trip to Penumbra City within six hours, but if you want to leave at this time, it's understandable. We have enough airships. Some can stay the full visit and others can return right away. By a show of hands, how many are willing to stay the full six hours?"

Olivia raised her hand and turned about in her seat. About half had raised their hands while several others looked ambivalent. Only a small percentage appeared genuinely concerned.

"All right. More than I thought, but it's better only a few of us exit the airship first to see what we're up against before allowing the rest to follow." He looked about the cabin and nodded at his security personnel to stand. Olivia's heart plummeted. They were few in number.

"We can't allow Caveman and the ruling council to enter a potentially hostile situation with so few security guards," she whispered to Hernando.

"Agreed." They exchanged looks and stood. "We volunteer for security duty, Councilor."

Caveman nodded. "Thank you, Ambassador and Olivia."

Olivia tilted her head and winked at Hernando as they filed out behind Caveman's entourage. "You didn't ask me my opinion first, but thanks for speaking up."

Hernando winked. "You want to be in the thick of important things, don't you?"

"Definitely. One thing, though, neither of us has a weapon other than our wits."

"Perhaps it's the only kind we'll need."

Caveman cut down the number of the first group to ruling council members, their closest aides, and scientist advisors. The Clan Alpha leadership insisted they accompany the group as well. Caveman stroked his chin as he considered their request.

"If these people work for you, you might be useful, but if they don't..." Caveman shrugged. "You could become a target for ransom. Is it worth the risk?"

Moreau, as spokesperson for his kinsmen, nodded. "Yes, it's worth it. We are responsible for the safety of the entire planet. If we've been used by the Earthlings we trusted, then we demand the right to confront them."

"All right. Only verbal confrontations, however. We're not prepared to fight a war."

Before exiting the airship, Caveman confirmed departure details with their pilot and radioed the other ships to tell them to keep their passengers aboard until he gave the all clear signal. A security officer issued a baton to Olivia and one to Hernando. They hadn't been given permission to carry other kinds of weapons onboard the aircraft.

"Not a very hospitable bunch—no one has come to meet us yet," Hernando said, following Caveman and the others down the gangway. Once on the ground, they scanned the horizon, trying to decide the best direction to take to enter the base.

"No signs telling where to find their front office, either. It's like a ghost town, but that doesn't explain the vehicles we saw from above." Olivia frowned. "Something about this place isn't quite right."

"It's quiet—too quiet." Hernando turned about as they strolled toward what looked like a possible headquarters building. "We didn't imagine the movement we viewed from the air. Why isn't there any on the ground now we've landed?"

They walked on another few yards then Olivia froze in place. Hernando halted beside her. "What is it?" he asked.

"I don't know what it is, but I sense something." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "We're walking into a trap."

The others stopped as well. "The dark mass ahead... What is it?" Caveman asked his science advisor, an Overseer of advanced years named Krax who had managed farms for her Pure Blood masters for many decades.

"It looks like a large swarm of insects, sir. The kind one sees on Earth." She pulled out a text from her satchel and thumbed through the pages. "Here it is. In my study of Earth agricultural parasites, I believe they're called locusts."

Olivia gulped. "Locusts? We need to get out of here."

"Don't be so quick to go," came a deep male voice broadcasting from a hidden speaker. "We've been expecting you. Welcome to the first of many bases we hope to build on BloodDark."

"Who are you?" Caveman demanded. "What gives you the right to build any bases on our world?"

"I'm Colonel Alfred North, representing Earth's United Nations Space Agency. We have every right to protect our own world from the invaders you've lured into our part of the galaxy."

"Invaders?" Olivia blinked. The dark mass ahead grew closer. "You've got it backward, Colonel. The Pure Bloods have been trying to discourage the Kloog from coming to this area of the Milky Way. It's in their best interest not to be discovered."

"The Kloog? Interesting name. Our intelligence operatives didn't give the invaders' name, but they did inform us of how vast their fleet of spacecraft could be and how aggressive they were."

"It is true, they possess vast fleets, but our pact with Earthlings is a private one," Moreau interjected. "In exchange for

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