Of all the Furtive Low-altitude Yawls deployed to scout for renewable supplies, Yawl 0045 was the first to locate the rent in the aliens' shielding grid. Yawl 0045 slipped through the gap and whizzed past the barrier into cavernous realms beyond, scanning continuously with its multi-directional visual array.
Long range surveillance had detected movement on a grand scale beyond the grid. For lack of a better term, the aliens had been termed Foes Of Exceptional Size, otherwise known as F.O.E.S. Yawl 0045 took evasive maneuvers right from the start, spiraling to a high vantage point in preparation for the next stage of operations.
The scout made a six-point landing on a vertical surface. High-tech grippers on each strut secured the yawl to the cliff. Multi-faceted lenses captured the scene spread out below. There was no movement.
Yawl 0045 engaged its chemical whiffers. Air samples trickled through the analyzer, which detected several promising leads.
Yawl 0045 shifted to a position further along the cliff, sampled again, and triangulated on the air-borne aromatic signatures.
Still no sight of any F.O.E.S. Yawl 0045 did not have enough data on the aliens to determine their presence by chemical trace in the airflow. Did they lurk motionless in the shadows?
Following scouting protocol, Yawl 0045 assumed the worst-case scenario and launched into an intricate flight pattern designed to lure predators out of hiding. When none appeared, it homed in on one promising source of fuel.
The struts switched into dual-purpose mode, sticking a landing on the target and taking substantive samples for final analysis. The ores proved rich in vital components for repleneshing the yawl's nearly-depleted reserves.
As 0045 extented its refueling siphon, the multi-directional array detected movement, but only on a small scale. Another Furtive Low-altitude Yawl had followed 0045's residuals through the grid's rent and now spiraled in on the find.
>< >< ><
Elise returned to the kitchen. "Those dratted flies," she grumbled as she snatched the flyswatter and sidled up to the table still spread with dirty dishes. "Gotta get that screen fixed."
Smack!
[bonus 1: What is the acronym for Furtive Low-altitude Yawl?]
[bonus 2: If you look at 0045 upside-down, what word does it make, if followed by the acronym in bonus 1?]
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Hatchlings: fantasy and sci fi tales
FantasyA menagerie of flash fiction, hatched from ideas of many colors from here, there, and elsewhere: mostly fantasy but a sprinkling of sci-fi and contemporary.
