Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 3 - New Shores (11 page)

Captain Narindestat and Steve led the others away as Ian and Rebecca stayed to talk with the Maveen. Dan gave Rebecca a long look and she flashed him a reassuring smile as the Maveen lead probe spoke again.

‘Firstly, note that we took many species off world, but we were forbidden by our directives from taking primitive humans with us to other worlds. We do not claim to be gods as that is against our prime directives for dealing with young biological sentient races. However we respect your free will if you still choose to revere or worship us…’

The mission team was now divided in four groups and each group was helped aboard a sneak ship. In moments they had been secured to the cargo hold sides with short cables, as heavier cables were then attached to the two damaged ships the humans now owned. The four sneak ships paired off as they previously had done and after a delay while the attachments were checked, the two pairs of ships had then lifted the damaged ships into the air before slowly flying across the twenty kilometres to Rat Island.

Steve pointed to a location to the east of the runway on the now deserted island and the two damaged ships were gently lowered down. The Trader crew landed their ships and recovered their heavier cables, and Steve placed a call to Jane Walker on HMAS Sydney, who answered immediately.

‘Steve, I can see four ships moving things to Rat Island, is that were you are now?’

Steve looked around and he could see Garendestat walking over to check the runway out as he replied.

‘Jane, we are returning to ferry across the other equipment we now own so the main ship can launch and not incinerate these items. After we finish this afternoon can you please send across a detachment to guard the items? They may get wet though when the main ship launches, but they should be safe enough from the exhaust plume.’

Jane and Steve talked for a few minutes more as the Traders finished their work. As they boarded the sneak ship again, Steve advised Garendestat of the arrival on Rat Island of a small amount of human soldiers at a later stage. Garendestat did not look concerned as he now informed Marenkestat, who was piloting the sneak ship. After several more minutes they arrived back on Middle Island and were met by several Traders driving waldo units and carrying the smaller trade items.

Steve looked across at the Maveen ships and noted that Ian and Rebecca were still in discussions with the lead probe. The waldo operators unhurriedly moved the guns, shields and generators into the holds of the four ships. With the items split amongst four ships there was plenty of space for the humans, and they filed back on board to once again secure themselves. Garendestat caught Steve looking at the water filtration system and at the ship hold once again before he spoke.

‘We had though about sending it through to the new colony by using the Maveen or we could leave it here on your planet?’

Steve looked around at the items in the sneak ship hold and replied.

‘We really should place some of these items on my own ship, as it is going to the colony at a later stage according to the Maveen. We should do the same with the filtration equipment if it can be divided up. Also we now have more food to transfer to the Illuria.’

Garendestat looked at the items in the hold now and gave instructions to Marenkestat. He then turned to Steve and replied.

‘We have duplicates of all the items so we will place one of each on your ship. We will hover over your ship and lower items from the ships as required. It will make the day a lot longer though to take across the filtration system and we will have a shorter amount of time for training.’

Steve got on the phone again and spoke with John Robertson to alert him of their arrival, and to get the Osprey off the rear helicopter deck so the first sneak ship could approach. He listened as John gave him the status of the Lotus Marai loading operations before he made a request to John.

‘So John you will have to clear decks forward but the additional equipment should fit aboard. We will go over the changes tonight.’

Steve finished the call and attached himself to the side deck of the sneak ship, and after several more minutes they were airborne again and heading towards the Aurora Discovery. He reflected on how small his ship looked from up here, when Garendestat looked at the Osprey as it took off and turned to Steve to comment.

‘Several of us are fascinated by your helicopters and the Osprey. Your race does seem to do things differently to other races.’

Steve watched as the Osprey gained enough altitude to swivel the wing forward and begin horizontal flight, before heading towards the mainland.

‘Well Garendestat, we are taking both types of aircraft to the new colony so you will see them when you get there. I will see about getting you a ride on one if you like?’

Garendestat enthusiastically agreed to the future offer as the sneak ship slowed to hover over the rear deck of Steve’s ship. Over the next two hours several items were lowered onto the Aurora Discovery from each the sneak ships in turn, and stowed in the forward section of the rear deck below the helicopter deck. A cargo net was stacked with several pallets of food and it was attached to the lifting cable, before the sneak ship lifted the net effortlessly into the air

Steve noticed that his ship now sat lower in the water, though he was not concerned, as John Robertson was a capable captain and would ensure the safety of his ship as required. The four sneak ships returned to Rat Island to unload the rest of their cargo. After another hour had passed they were back on Middle Island and had a break for a late lunch. Ian and Rebecca joined them thought the Maveen probes were now all absent. Ian took Steve aside and he spoke quietly once he was sure he had some privacy.

‘Steve, Rebecca and I had a good discussion with the Maveen and it has cleared up a lot of things. We will seal the records of the discussion on a need to know basis and you will have a copy of your own to take with you.’

Steve listened with a mixture of awe and horror as Ian briefly listed out the contents of the discussion. He asked Ian a couple of questions about what had happened in space nearby, before Ian again replied.

‘Steve also I think they are hiding something, even from the Traders, but I do not think whatever it is dangerous to humanity. Another reason I will seek to hide the discussion with the lead probe under the official secrets acts.’

Captain Narindestat now made his way over to them and they stopped talking. The captain looked at each of them and then spoke.

‘Thank you for the additional food, and I see you have had a chance to discuss with the lead probe the finer points of galactic politics. Do you both now know the galactic events that took place near here in your prehistory? So now you can understand my urgent desire to flee this world?’

The two humans answered that they in truth knew the whole story, and turned to regard the Maveen gateway hanging in mid-air east of the island.

                                                            ***

James Mudbury was starting to feel tired from his football training in the afternoon. He grabbed several pizzas from the delivery rack and Smokey gave him a ‘hurry up’ look as he moved towards the door. They were doing a roaring trade tonight with all the vehicles massed at the nearby Perth airport, after his fiancée Rachael and his sister Amanda had dropped him off at work much earlier. He had already been down Kewdale Road three times tonight to deliver several pizzas at a time to vehicles massed along Horrie Miller Drive. Sometimes he wished he was back at school up north and just kicking football around, or fishing and hunting with his mates.

On the last run he had even again met Rachael’s uncle, Vic Mitchell, and his four children, who were all somewhat older than James. James had admired the impressive white and green hull of the Mitchell’s sleek new yacht and he had asked if the yacht had a name yet. Vic Mitchell had looked at him for a moment and asked if he had a suggestion, and James thought for a bit as he admired the green and white paintwork before he replied.

‘Kulibari. It is a word which means turtle in many aboriginal languages.’

Vic looked appreciatively at the tall aboriginal footballer as he replied.

‘Well I like that name James and I have not heard of it before. Do you know the new colony has a lot of native animals not seen for many years? There will be plenty of good hunting and fishing to be had.’

James looked at the large selection of vehicles along the road and noted their contents as he replied.

‘Amanda and I would like to go, but I will not go without Rachael and Amanda will not go without me.’

Vic sympathised with James, even though Rachael’s mother was his more staid sister and would not leave Earth.

‘James if you do make it through then look us up, otherwise the best of luck.’

James had quickly shaken hands with Vic, his daughter and his three sons before leaving to drive back to the pizza shop. The amount of vehicles present around the marshalling point meant that the journey took ages.

James was brought back to the present moment as he loaded the pizzas in the small work car for his final run for the night. Two thumps sounded on the roof of the car and he straightened suddenly from inside the car. As he looked around nervously as he spotted two young men wearing their loud yellow striped hoodies, with one carrying a back pack, grinning in amusement at him. The slightly smaller man appeared somewhat glazed over and James knew he was often like that as the first young man spoke.

‘Ha Muddy, I got you going there mate, so have you learnt to kick that football yet?’

James suppressed a wise crack as he replied.

‘Ahmed, what are you and Raff doing over here? If any of the Banger Machine sees you around here you will be sorted out.’

James knew Ahmed well from football as they had both played colts football in the same side last year. James had then moved onward after being drafted by West Perth for the reserves just four months ago.

‘Take it easy man. The Bangers are probably fully out it by now. So are you going anywhere near Albany Highway tonight?’’

James suppressed another snort as he replied.

‘Ahmed, I don’t want to know what you have in Raff’s back pack and Smokey will skin me if he sees you in his car.’

Ahmed gave him a good natured grin, and joked with the still silent and glazed Raff about their ‘sometime mate James’ as a vehicle slowed and then sped up away from the pizza shop.

James watched the car accelerate way and now spoke urgently.

‘Ahmed! Raff! Get in the back seat and keep quiet. That could have been a Banger associate.’

Ahmed and Raff immediately quietened and quickly hopped into the back seat of the delivery car. James then drove them over to the other side of the railway line into Cannington and relative safety near the highway. He then did his last deliveries for the night, and as he returned to the pizza shop he braked hard at an intersection and heard a thump from the rear seat. Raff, obviously half asleep or worse, had left his back pack behind and Smokey would be expecting him back soon. James pulled the back pack into the passenger front seat in real annoyance as he drove and he heard a sharp metallic clunk.

James stopped the car in a driveway and a quick look inside the bag confirmed the presence of another striped hoodie, a packet of drugs, a silenced handgun and several clips of ammunition. James swore profusely as he started driving back to the pizza shop again, and he noted his own beat up four wheel drive was now back. He was surprised he could not see Rachael or Amanda, and as he had only been gone fifteen minutes was really surprised to see Smokey lying on the shop floor behind the counter with blood streaming from his face.

Jenny was tending to her husband as she requested an ambulance on the telephone line. James now rushed into the shop and noted two familiar handbags emptied out on the floor. Betweens shouts of pain from Smokey and sobs from Jenny he got the whole story. Four Banger boys had come looking for Ahmed and Raff after getting tipped off. They had bashed Smokey and threatened Jenny even as the two girls had returned in his four wheel drive from their nursing shift to pick him up. The men had robbed and then forced the two girls into their own four wheel drive before leaving only minutes earlier.

Jenny was beside herself with fear as she cried.

‘James, they are viscous raping mongrels and the girls have to be rescued. They also threatened to return and burn the shop with us in it if we report what happened.’

James quickly gathered his keys and most the girl’s belongings from the floor as he replied.

‘Get home and do not open the shop for a few weeks. I am going to get the girls back.’

A cold feeling of decisiveness came over James as he realised what he must do with brutal clarity. He gathered under his arm a few empty pizza boxes and raced to the small car to get the back pack. He then loaded what he carried into his four wheel drive before racing off to the large high walled compound he had delivered pizzas to on previous nights.

James did not try to think what would happen to both girls if he did not reach them soon. Both were tall and attractive, and his younger sister had even done some modelling last year. As James entered the street he made a real effort to slow right down. He drove to the gates and then spoke into the security camera. James was banking on the gate keeper not knowing the full story. A torrent of sound was coming from the club house as the Bangers were renowned heavy metal followers.

‘I have four pizzas for your boss and I am in my own car as I am then going home.’

A gruff voice acknowledged James, and the door to the nearby gatehouse opened to yet more noise as the gate itself was opened. James moved the car forward, and stopped halfway through the gate as he quickly pocketed his keys and then grabbed the back pack. A snort of indignation came from the Banger associate as he stormed over to James from the gatehouse.

‘Either stay the hell out or get the heck in so I can close the flaming gate.’

The Banger reached the window of his car; James lifted his right hand with the hand gun from his lap, and shot him in the face twice. James left his car and as he walked over to toss the back pack into the gatehouse, he spotted a handgun with a silencer and two clips sitting on a coffee table with a security card. After quickly swapping weapons and leaving the gatehouse, James then noted the four wheel drive parked in the driveway.