Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 2 - Maveen Offer (15 page)

Omerio somberly continued to evaluate the data and plan his next hyper drive jump destination. To review all the information, he automatically set the navigation view on the computer to show several star systems he had already visited. The screen also was showing his current system, and the likely destination systems of the three Tilmud ships.

Omerio looked at the screen for a moment and gave a start. He altered the view again to show the nearest habitable stars used by galactic races, and then swore a strong oath. It was all right in front of him, and he just needed to see enough star systems to work it out for himself. Numbly, he now worked through the views and highlighted the differing relevant sets of information. He soon found that it all fitted his new understanding of what was happening perfectly.

Omerio feverishly completed the coordinates of the new drive jump and sat back to consider what he had just discovered. He wondered if the Vorinne second envoy would, after looking at this information, just stop at taking the head of the Tilmud fleet admiral.

                                                            ***

Tilmud squadron commander Tanuldesec sat back on his command couch feeling nonplussed, as he asked his nephew to repeat himself, which he did without a complaint.

‘Sir, a Barus light research destroyer has uncloaked in a geosynchronous or high orbit around the third planet. The ship matches the class and designation of the research ship commanded by Research Commander Gindane of the Barus Science Institute.’

Lieutenant Giruldesec considered further information arriving into his console from the ship's sensors.

‘They have hailed us by tight beam laser with the standard fleet protocols, but now have gone silent.’

Tanuldesec was almost relieved, the presence of the Barus commander here complicated his own mission, but if anything went wrong he could possibly assign the blame to the Barus commander. After all the crew of the research ship had already decimated half the population of the human planet. He also knew that his older brother, the admiral of the Tilmud fleet in this area of space, was especially aggravated by the fact that Gindane and her officers were still alive. Tanuldesec sat back and thought about the turn of events, before he vented a sharp comment or two around the bridge.

‘They only observe the forms of galactic etiquette and little else. They want to play a waiting game then, these sanctimonious Barus academics and their fancy research ships, so be it.’

Tanuldesec slouched on his acceleration couch, and considered what really worried him at this stage. So if he was a Trader lieutenant, and he was in charge of a hyper drive module of cruiser strength, then in which part of the system would the cloaked module be hiding?

                                                            ***

Gindane sat back in her command chair and thought through her actions again. After over a day in geosynchronous orbit over Earth, the commander had ordered the cloak to be shut down and for a formal fleet greeting, but nothing else, to be sent to the Tilmud commander. She could imagine the Tilmud response to her terse observance of the formalities. But at the moment she had far greater priorities to work through and survive. She turned to the lieutenant at the communications station and issued the order she had been troubled over for hours.

‘Send the recorded messages of our greeting, who we are, and what we have done here previously, and of course our apology. Our last message is to inform that we will go live from sending our recordings in six hours time. Make sure that you send down the messages to all channels and that they will receive it correctly.’

Gindane had made the decision early on to avoid any mention of the landed Trader ship. She knew that the act of discussing the Traders would be moot unless she could get the humans to listen to her. She looked again at the map of the planet and considered further what her ship could do to discover any additional information about the Trader ship. After a quick calculation on her command console, Gindane sat up and issued a further pair of orders.

‘Take us further around in our high orbit and keep us stable over the position of the Trader ship. I then want the best possible images of the ship to establish their level of damage and state of repairs. I want facts and figures on the Traders as soon as possible.’

The bridge crew set about their tasks with renewed vigour. The now visible research destroyer moved forward several thousand kilometres in the high orbit, before decelerating using short series of bursts from forward thrusters.

On the Earth, the television broadcasts, already covering the landing of the Trader ship were interrupted, as the recorded messages from the Barus research destroyer were played again and again. Once again the world had changed, and in the political offices of many countries, the world leaders began a series of telephone conversations to each other, and to their military officers.

                                                            ***

Steve had moved off with the other humans to one side of the island. They all inspected a makeshift frame that Trader engineers had earlier set up with a huge water tank fed with seawater via a massive hose. From what Steve could tell, the tank in turn connected to another huge tank filled with a series of screens hung into the water. Another pipe led from the second tank to the side of the main ship.

The material on the screens in the water was electrically charged, and a suited Trader engineer would routinely remove and replace screens that were still charged, but had turned white with salt. The whitened screens were carried down to a work bench in the shade. A second Trader engineer would remove the charge pack on the used screens and then carefully scrape the accumulated salt away. A quick scrub in a tub of salt water and the refurbished screens, with recharged power packs, were sent back to the top of the tank for eventual use again in the filtration process. Steve turned to Garendestat as he watched the whole process and asked a polite question.

‘So you are obviously using filtered sea water to produce fresh water, and in turn oxygen and hydrogen. How well are your refuelling attempts proceeding?’

Garendestat paused for a moment before replying to Steve. His instructions from the captain had been quite specific, and he again wore the standard tunic of a Trader lieutenant around his sling.

‘Well we think we need three or four days, as the salts in your sea water have delayed our preparations.’

Steve considered the amount of water being passed through what was obviously a jury rigged and fair sized electrolysis installation.

‘When you leave our world, can you leave this facility here as it would interest out scientists?’

Garendestat looked at the facility and thought about the weight of all the panels that had gone into making the rushed project work. Halbindestat, the chief engineer, was already thinking of leaving anything not essential behind to lower launch weight.

‘Steve, I will ask the captain later, but I see no problem with your request. Now it is the middle of the day and we will take a break to have a cool drink and meal.’

Steve nodded in agreement, and Garendestat led him back down to the ground and a nearby awning. As they walked inside, Steve noted that several Trader engineers were engrossed in stripping down and refurbishing strange pieces of Trader technology. Samantha walked over as they entered and handed Steve a hat.

‘Steve you have to watch the sun today, as you are already going red.’

Rebecca and Dan walked over as well, with Dan taking a rest from his recording efforts. Dan quickly gave a brief report, as Garendestat had then moved off to join to both Emeria and the Trader captain for a moment.

‘Steve, the ship reports no big news near us, though there are several messages on your satellite phone for us when we clear these shields. Also there is some media flap going on about new messages being received from space or something.’

Steve acknowledged Dan’s information as he replied.

‘Dan, we can only deal with what we have in front us now. I will deal with all that when we return to our ship.’

Garendestat had now returned and offered further questions. Steve had now donned the hat, even under the awning, as no doubt he might forget to wear it.

‘So are humans vulnerable to the sun light? Is it the visible light, UV light, or some other component of the sunlight?’

Samantha answered the question, as Steve had not been asked the question directly.

‘Garendestat, we suffer skin burns and associated long term illnesses if we get burnt too often by the sun’s ultra violet light.’

Rebecca, with her darker complexion, cheerfully chimed in with an observation.

‘Well some of us are from different parts of the Earth and that means we can have better protection under the sun. I am a descendant of the Aborigines, the first inhabits of the continent to the east.’

Garendestat asked another two questions, this time of Rebecca.

‘So do you still have to be careful? And are their any other differences between you and other humans?’

Rebecca retained her happy disposition as she replied, but Garendestat observed that the other three humans now looked uncomfortable for a moment.

‘Yes I am still careful as I have a white ancestor. Also the sun’s ultraviolet light is not filtered by our atmosphere as well as it once was. As for your last question we are all the same biologically from your perspective, but there are cultural differences amongst us.’

Garendestat was happy with the answers and soon lead the humans over to the large table, now covered with food and drink, in the corner of the awning. Captain Narindestat still conferred with Emeria as they approached and he greeted them.

‘My friends, we invite you to join us for a meal. We have some of our own food here for you to try. We of course are looking forward to seeing for ourselves what you brought over.’

As the four humans looked over the contents of the large table, Garendestat went over to speak quietly to a junior engineer for a moment.

‘Can you please give me a flux reading for the ultra violet light in full sun? Also can you check the level of industrial pollution on this planet by a side scan laser? Now I want the results supplied to me later please in a discrete fashion.’

The junior engineer nodded his understanding and quietly moved away to carry out his new orders. Lieutenant Garendestat then rejoined the humans and other Traders all now gathered at the main table.

                                                            ***

Chapter 8

Ian Ridge was feeling both tired and frustrated in what was a momentous week in human history. There had been an outburst of anger over the RAN disabling a media boat and the killing three people in the process. But the outburst had already begun to subside as new reports came in of space ship now in orbit around the Earth. Ian viewed the set of photographs from the old space station and several satellites.

Apparently the space ship was about the three times the weight of an Anzac frigate at around fifteen thousand tons. The space ship was also about one hundred and eighty meters in length. The aliens in the space ship were a race called Barus, and they were obviously different to the Trader species now on Earth. Already the latest media reports were concentrating on the admission by the alien commander that a rogue member of her crew was responsible for the recent pandemic. The reports also highlighted that the Barus were merely sorry that the mass deaths had had taken place.

Ian wanted to know the significance of the Barus turning up now and their relationship with the Traders. As he looked again at the initial report and considered the lack of real information, Gregson hurried to his desk.

‘Prime Minister, the US President is on the phone wanting to speak with you again.’

Ian was careful not to let any of the tiredness or pressure show in his voice, as he picked up his phone and took the call.

‘James, how are you today? Yes I am viewing what information we have available on these new aliens, and I assume you would have additional information available from your defence department. Yes, I understand the Barus explanation exonerates your country of the pandemic, and let me congratulate you on that exoneration.’

Ian then suppressed a start of consternation about what he then heard from the US president. He listened for several minutes as President Whiting outlaid what was being planned internationally in response to the message for the Barus. As the US president got around to asking for his opinion, Ian was constructing a diplomatic reply.

‘James, remember that we do not know yet of the relationship between the Barus and the Traders. For all we know what you are considering could cause a battle between humanity and the Traders on our soil. We are still awaiting a report of the meeting between the Traders and Steve Greene’s small group that is currently taking place. Now I understand you are not constrained by my opinion here, as the Barus are not in Australian territory, but perhaps you could request they land somewhere and submit themselves to our justice.’

Ian listened with limited patience, as James went through a series of reasons why that would not take place. He thought that some of the reasons had merit, but was concerned about the logic behind other reasons, and he stated as such in his reply.

‘James, I know you would not want to tip off the Barus, and I understand the rationale. However to link your response to them, and then how we should treat the Traders if we succeed, is something I think we should consider carefully.’

The two men talked for several more minutes, before again agreeing to update each other with any new information or decisions. Ian hung up the phone, glanced at his watch and called in Gregson again.

‘It is getting late on the Abrolhos islands. So have either of my two messages been answered yet?’

With the answer negative, Ian Ridge sat back and looked out the darkened window. He needed to think further about this complex situation involving three sets of aliens on or nearby to the planet.