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

The message probe raced away from his ship and cloaked before it could be detected by the frigate. The probe rapidly closed the frigate and hovered a close distance behind the ship for several seconds as it began to enter hyper space. Within milliseconds the probe had fired its own hyper drive engine and then taken a course directly through the space still occupied by the Tilmud frigate. The probe dropped out of phase from hyper space directly inside the fusion generator for the frigate, and resulting explosion blew small fragments of the frigate directly into the forming hyper space window. Omerio gave a sigh of relief before opening a communications line to talk to the strange alien ship.

‘Thank you for your assistance. Please know that I mean you no harm and value you assistance. So what race are you?’

There was a moment's silence and Omerio was starting to consider the possibility that alien could turn on him now. However the strangely accented Barus voice again spoke through his speakers.

‘My name is Altarebe and you must not make a recording of my presence, as it will surely lead to the Vorinne killing you. I am an Ancient and I am the ship you see in front of you. I have been seeking others of my kind for many centuries via mutual friends. I wish only to repair my cloak and leave peacefully.’

Omerio was stunned by what he had just heard and it showed in his reply to the ancient.

‘But your race is supposed to be extinct, at least in this galaxy. Also you are supposed to be dangerous to all vassal races and not be capable of being dealt with peacefully.’

Polite amusement was evident as Altarebe replied.

‘Omerio, I admit our larger females can occasionally be quick to fight, not that I have seen any for many years. The rumors of our warlike nature are just an effort by the Zronte and Vorinne to describe us in a negative manner to their benefit. I myself was looking forward to an academic career before I started this search.’

Omerio now considered the status of his own ship as he continued to speak with Altarebe.

‘I will need several days to repair the power conduit fault affecting my ship. Unfortunately the power conduit runs externally immediately forward of the third engine and I will have to make a space walk to repair the damage.’

The speakers on his ship radio were silent for several seconds as Altarebe considered the information and scanned Omerio’s ship.

‘Omerio, I can do better than that, I will help you repair your conduit using my manipulators, as I can see the damaged locations. Can you ensure you drop all power to the conduit? Also can you tell me exactly why the Tilmud were seeking to destroy you?’

In moments Omerio had the power conduit isolated and proceeded to tell Altarebe of his mission tracking the three Tilmud ships. He supplied navigation data of the course the three ships had taken, and the ancient asked several questions about any stops the three ships might have made. Altarebe then asked how Omerio happened to first discover the malicious actions of the Tilmud, and the Barus Trader had no hesitation with trusting the ancient as he replied.

‘Altarebe, I have direct knowledge that the Tilmud instigated Voorde infestation led to both a Jerecab lifter and a Trader ship being infested. The Jerecab ship was later destroyed, apparently by the Tilmud, and the Trader lifting wing landed on an ocean planet in an attempt to eliminate the Voorde.’

Omerio was aware that the ancient’s efforts to fix his ship had stopped momentarily, before the voice in his speakers calmly spoke again.

‘It is a pity the Jerecab ship was destroyed, as they once showed so much promise so I am told. Now you are sure that the Trader ship is one of their heavy armed freighters with sneak ships? Also have you encountered any Maveen recently?’

Omerio considered the question with interest as he gave a lengthy reply.

‘The Trader ship is indeed one of their massive armed lifting wings. I know nothing of any Maveen in this area of space. I was actually on my way to the Dradfer research mission to join other Barus ships to report the actions of the Tilmud ships before I then head to Earth. I surmise we will attempt to get the Traders to surrender as they have landed on a haven world populated by a race nearly ready for galactic contact. However there is a complication caused by one of our own research ships earlier.’

After several further probing questions Altarebe was aware of the inadvertent epidemic unleashed by Gindane’s research vessel, the Dradfer research, the original meeting between Omerio and the Traders, and the cargo he had transferred.

‘Omerio, my apologies to you for all these questions, as for obvious reasons I do not keep up to date on what is happening. Do you have a specification of the cruiser guns you transferred to their ship?’

Omerio gave a pause as he considered the question and he cautiously replied.

‘The gun design is the latest Vorinne offering and offers a real decrease in weight versus firepower. However I do understand that they have had some reliability problems with the gun.’

Altarebe considered how few Trader ships were in this part of the galaxy as he now cautioned the Barus trader.

‘Omerio, the Traders risk the fury of the Vorinne as do you. Now remember the fate of the Dradfer colonies and you should highlight the risks of their research to your leaders. I think that you can attribute this information to a senior race like the Cephrit.’

Altarebe resumed work on Omerio’s ship as he continued to talk.

‘Also you should ensure you disable your long range sensors, your recording computer, and your cloaking device for now until you return to the other Barus ships. I did not repair your cloak and have jury rigged a repair to your third engine. You have fifty percent thrust in that engine and that should allow you to remain out of trouble. To explain your own survival, just say that the Sspol took an exception to the efforts of the Tilmud and destroyed the two frigates after they cornered you.’

Omerio looked with disbelief at the ship clock as he heard this news, before he gingerly accessed the diagnostics of the now working third engine. He nervously spoke a heartfelt reply to Altarebe.

‘Thank you so much for your assistance as this repair would have taken me days to perform. Can you be more specific as to the risks of the Dradfer research that I can attribute in turn to the Cephrit?’

Altarebe had no trouble in providing this information and an additional warning, with Omerio coughing in distress as he took in the dire details. Altarebe then switched the conversation back to what Omerio had mentioned earlier.

‘Omerio, can I have full copies of all the information we discussed on the Traders, your deal details and this world called Earth?’

Omerio readily agreed and the information was transferred as he began preparations to leave this star system. He now in turn asked two questions of the ancient.

‘So can you make your own repairs to your cloak effectively? And how can I contact you if I discover more information?’

The accented Barus voice gave a hearty chuckle as Altarebe replied.

‘Omerio, thank you for your concern, as I will make the limited repairs I need before I leave this system in a few hours. I will find you when the time is right and you can help in this by monitoring the remote worlds visited by the Tilmud lifter.’

Omerio liked the nature and merit of the reply, and made his gratitude known again as he piloted his ship to the edge of star system.

‘Altarebe, I am in your debt for the rescue, the repair and the information on the Dradfer. Stay safe and no doubt I will encounter you in a remote system in the future.’

After the Barus trading ship left the star system, Altarebe returned to the shadows of the large asteroid and considered the information carefully as the automated systems in his body repaired the cloaking mechanism. Due to the interleaved nature of the new information he made to the only decision available to him and prepared to leave the system. As he left rejoin his father, a massive silver globe two kilometers across rose from the atmosphere of the star systems’ gas giant planet and leisurely followed Altarebe out of the system.

                                                            ***

Chapter 2

Steve ordered that the helicopter deck be cleared, and Mark piloted their helicopter over to the Lotus Marai, even as the aircraft carrying the Australian prime minister approached his ship. He earlier had enough warning to done his old naval uniform, as his bridge crew had earlier received the flight details of the unique aircraft now lining up to land on his ship. Samantha reached over to straighten the corner of his uniform jacket and flash him a nervous smile, as he turned his attention back to the approaching plane slowing over his ship.

The plane was a third generation model of the V22 Osprey now produced under license in Australia. The latest Osprey featured two smaller five bladed finer progressive pitched propellers developed by Australian engineers. The changes allowed the newest Osprey to fly both faster and safer than the original US version that had utilized the two larger three bladed course pitched propellers. Steve watched as the Osprey seemed to fill the helicopter deck of his ship before the pilot shut down the engines. The side door opened, he braced and held a salute, as Ian Ridge led three other people from the Osprey towards Steve and Samantha.

‘Sir, welcome aboard the Aurora Discovery. This is my wife Samantha.’

Ian looked Steve in the eye as he shook hands with the both of them. He quietly spoke in reply as he now took in the ship and his surroundings.

‘At ease Captain, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you and your wife. I will have a short meeting with your entire mission team before we go across to meet the aliens.’

The Australian prime minister introduced his assistants, and then reached into his pocket. He handed Steve two sets of captains’ epaulets to replace the commanders’ epaulets now on his uniform. Steve pocketed the items, thanked the prime minister and led the visitors towards the large meeting room and the other team members.

                                                            ***

Captain Narindestat sat back in his command chair with mixed feelings. He felt relief that he could stop looking at the various ship reports, but that was now mixed with consternation about what Emeria was telling him.

‘Captain, the humans were correct about the effects of the nitrogen gas on Garendestat as he surfaced in his space suit from deep water. My own initial tests on volunteers using a small airlock have been promising. I need your authorization to do further tests with one of the reinforced small cargo holds, as I need to get the test pressure just over four Trader atmospheres for an extended period.’

The captain looked at the data tablet his medical officer handed him and noted the test results as he gave his agreement.

‘Emeria I hope you are careful as we both know that oxygen at five atmospheres for an extended period is fatal to us. Otherwise you have my permission to go ahead, and I want the most affected personnel treated first.’

Emeria glanced around the bridge at the crew, who were making studious efforts to ignore her report.

‘Captain, I can give the crew a mixture of drugs so that the onset of any fatal pressure sickness is slowed. However I have to avoid invalidating the benefits of the pressure chamber process. Fortunately we are reasonably well equipped as a species to handle this treatment as the humans by comparison find oxygen fatal at two of their atmospheres.’

The captain now changed topics after Emeria brought the humans into the report.

‘Emeria, can you contact the Barus ship overhead as I have a request of them.’

Emeria listened with growing interest as the captain outlaid concise instructions about what he was seeking, and what limited information was to be revealed in return.

                                                            ***

Steve again drove the lead runabout, with Ian Ridge aboard, towards the landing beach and the awaiting Traders. He saw no merit in changing the routine and using either the helicopter or Osprey to journey to the crowded island, though he noted the absence of several Maveen ships. As the small human boats came to rest on the beach, several of the waiting Traders called out greetings to the humans they had been working with during the previous days. A crew member pulled the runabout to one side, and both Ian and Steve stepped directly onto the beach at the waters edge. The others in the boat held fast for a moment as Steve led Ian over to the tall form of Captain Narindestat resplendent in his ornate jacket.

‘Captain Narindestat. It is my privilege and honor to introduce my countries’ Prime Minister, Ian Ridge, to you.’

Captain Narindestat gave Ian a polite but tight smile, and gave a formal bow as he replied in his deep Trader voice.

‘Prime minister, it is a privilege and an honor to meet with you today. Thank you for the effort in getting to this island.’

Ian Ridge returned the bow, as he could see the problem with offering to shake hands as he replied.

‘Captain, it is good to meet you and your crew at last. We should all find some shade as I have news that will be a relief for you to know.’

The rest of the humans got out of the boats, and captain Narindestat led them all into the nearby awning covering the ramp of the Trader ship. Ian looked first at the massive winged ship that dwarfed the island then around at the landed sneak ships. He also gave the two landed Maveen probes nearby a long glance. In moments they were all under the awning and the Traders waited for the prime minister to speak again. Steve looked around at the Traders as Ian began to speak again.

‘Captain Narindestat, I have been instructed by other world leaders to formally accept both the Trader and Maveen offers. However we attach three conditions of our own that we feel you should agree to as they are not onerous.’

The Trader captain felt a sense of elation and he could sense the relief of his crew as he replied.