Carinae Sector: 02 - Admiral's Fury - Part 2 - Hidden Menace (19 page)

Thatak’siema was later aware both that the shuttle had launched and that Temeroth had not spoken at any stage. She had several anxious moments as the shuttle raced back to Malang’troh’s cruiser, for she feared the Zronte ships would destroy the shuttle. The second envoy quickly gave instructions to the shuttle pilot as she fought off the first wave of shock.

‘Pilot, you will inform Lord Malang’troh that I am alive but injured, so I require urgent medical assistance. You will pass on my formal instruction that he is to immediately leave this system with his cruisers after only transmitting a standard vassal compliance signal to Lord Temeroth. No other actions or further dialog with the Zronte are to be contemplated.’

The pilot acknowledged her instructions and Thatak’siema tried to get comfortable as the shuttle engineer came into the hold with the shuttle’s limited medical equipment. The second envoy only worried for a few moments about the outcome of her meeting with the Zronte lord, before shock took over and she blacked out.

                                                                     ***

The Cephrit fleet master acknowledged the bow of the more junior station master as he strode across one of the main hangar bays in his star base. The station master now paced alongside him as his mate of record, the assault leader, felt back behind them the five steps required by protocol. The fleet master spoke softly, for there was always the risk of spies amongst the many races who worked amongst the ships in the hangar bay.

‘We had a uniquely productive meeting and the goods are deemed most suitable. Our friends volunteered interesting information before resuming their own journey. Much of our fears can be discounted as a result and we can return our attention to rebuilding our fleets.’

The station master calmly replied for he noted that at least two of the suspected spies aboard the station were observing them both from the shadows.

‘The Tilmud now cower in terror at the thought of us enacting revenge on their colonies. The humans have held up the Jerecab and inflicted a series of small defeats upon them, and that makes up most of the local news.’

The fleet master had picked up the inflection in the station master’s voice and he kept quiet as no doubt something had occurred which was not local in context. After several minutes they were all in secure quarters devoid of any bugs and the station master handed the fleet master his data tablet. The senior Cephrit male took in the new and rasped his rear plates in exasperation as he spoke.

‘Surely the matriarch cannot be serious, as it is one thing to tweak the Zronte lord’s tail from hundreds of light years but quite another to spirit away Quixxe refugees from both the Vorinne and the Zronte. Also we have to organise a fleet to go to the former colonies to protect the humans, not worry about the presence of Quixxe runaways.’

The station master merely took back his data tablet and then highlighted the next section of the message for his superior to consider. The fleet master read the details of the Quixxe family aloud and again grated his rear chitin plates in frustration.

‘The matriarch clearly states that one of the young females is a variform soldier capable of breeding and that she should be hidden on my station. So how are we going to do this station master? We could end up being charged with treason and sent to the overlords in chains for the compost heap.’

The station master was ready with a reply and he merely hauled up a request from within the station itself for his superior to read. The fleet master again read out the information before giving a concise order.

‘Our two young Vorinne fugitives are seeking Quixxe artisans to serve them in their quarters. I will supply them the family, minus the larger young female, as servants not slaves and the two young Vorinne will be grateful for the privilege. The young female variform can hide in the Tilmud quarters as I now forbid them access to this station. The Traders have also given me information that will allow the Quixxe to be smuggled away to the outer frontier at a later stage.’

The fleet master knew that keeping the Tilmud away would again increase tensions with them, but he wanted to also rebuild his fleets without the risk of sabotage from the Tilmud. The station master gave a chirr of understanding as he took in the logic of the fleet master’s order, before he then added an embellishment of his own.

‘We will take our time in supplying the Quixxe artisans and they can be spying on the Vorinne for us in the process. The matriarch may reconsider her requests to us in the future as a result of our assistance.’

The two Cephrit chirred in mirth at this thought, as the matriarch was regarded in private as the supreme puppet master in this part of the galaxy. To actually leave her alive as an ally and trump her own gambits was intensely rewarding to them both. The assault leader now entered the room and they all had a meal together followed by several bottles of fine Barus wine. Much later the assault leader slept in her usual place at the foot of his sleeping mat, as the fleet master considered quietly the recent news of the plight of the humans.

                                                                     ***

Altarebe patiently held the repaired sled as the Maveen probe performed a last minute visual inspection of their earlier repairs. He knew that the repairs should hold, but he was also aware that the probe could not return for later repairs after meeting with the humans. Seliandre was off to one side and she was going through her own mental checklist as the probe took his time looking over the sled.

‘Probe three, we have covered the colonists, the sled is repaired, the warnings to the humans are specified and your operational limits are agreed to by all of us. Now you will seek out the human we suggested you try and find?’

Probe three kept silent for several minutes as he completed his inspection and again positioned himself on the sled. Altarebe noted that the four bottom sled sheets were secured for fitting on dry land later, and that his own smaller laser welder was also onboard the sled. Seliandre patiently waited to one side for the Maveen’s answer as she was well aware of their obdurate nature. She watched as the probe activated the sled’s cloak for several seconds only and then tested the atmospheric speed brakes on the sled. Probe three turned off the diagnostics on the sled and powered for transit from the ocean, before finally speaking to the two ancients.

‘As per the agreed limits I will not cloak or use active scans whilst in view of the humans. I will also be mindful not to be destroyed as the Queen will later need me back in one piece. I understand Robert Seville to be on the Abrolhos Islands but I will not ask for him by name of course. Otherwise I will travel to the human city of Fremantle and seek him out at their research institute. I will attempt a cloaked return to Earth as soon as possible after the battle.’

Altarebe and Seliandre now wished the probe luck and now stayed still as the sled circled them at increasing speed. Probe three then dove the sled towards the distant seafloor for several seconds at over eighty knots before he turned towards the surface and fired all engines. A powerful pulse buffeted both ancients as the sled rocketed from the water and clawed for speed in the atmosphere, and the probe soon levelled off the sled at one thousand metres altitude and now flew slowly south east.

Altarebe kept silent as he followed Seliandre down to the sea floor, and she picked up his mood as she chose a deep canyon for them to enter. They had spent the last three days only occasionally flirting with words or brief manipulator caresses when the Maveen probe was off elsewhere testing the sled. Seliandre paused in the deepest part of the canyon and he gave her a soft subsonic call that she answered with one of her own. He moved slowly forward and by instinct extended all his manipulators. Seliandre extended her own larger manipulators and he was slowly drawn against her breeding mantle. Instinct took over and the two of them remained joined for many long hours in their lengthy lives.

Probe three held his speed below the speed of sound and kept the altitude of the sled constant. The rear monitors were showing a diminishing cloud of steam trailing the sled as the water inside the electronic areas of the sled drained across the repaired power conduits and was flash heated to steam. He was thankful that Altarebe had provided the drainage for the specialised equipment bay; otherwise the pressure change alone would have destroyed both the cloaking mechanism and the weapons he would be relying upon later.

                                                                     ***

Robert Seville was enjoying a break on what was supposed to be his last day on the Abrolhos Islands, when a commotion near the landing field caught his eye and he wandered over. Sam Rhodes saw him coming across and he waved before crossing towards him at a dead run.

‘Robert I have been trying to ring you for the last ten minutes, there has been a development over the Indian Ocean you need to know about.’

Robert took his satellite phone from his back pack and turned it on as Sam spoke again.

‘A small ship with no identification codes is headed this way and will be here shortly. I have suspended our filming this afternoon and ensured that all our replicas are landed and inactive here on Gun Island.’

Robert felt a chill that raised his hackles in the warm sunlight as he read the first news bulletin reports on the strange ship. He wordlessly followed Sam into the nearby producer’s office tent as he considered what this development could mean. In moments they were both standing in front of a large view screen watching live footage of the approaching ship.

Eve Lowry was trying to garner enthusiasm amongst the mixture of tourists aboard the MV Southern Explorer, for this was her third overnight cruise from Geraldton this week and she now wanted to just go home. The tourism director looked across the mixture of grey nomads, singles and young families that made up their passengers. She noted that several of them were just either sitting quietly, or quietly looking out at the ocean on both sides of the ship, though two young boys with model Trader space ships were following her every word as she spoke again.

‘Middle Island is of course the landing site for the Trader ship Illuria one hundred and fifty years ago. The island is now closed to public access due to safety concerns, though we have our own private cameras installed on the island as part of our charter licence. To the north we have Gun Island, and the filming of the latest re-enactment is now drawing to a close. We will move across to Gun Island shortly and watch the last scenes involving the replica Maveen probes…..’

A commotion from the few passengers on seaward side of the Southern Explorer interrupted Eve’s presentation, and she turned around in confusion to see a black space ship fly slowly past. Eve turned to follow the ships’ flight and noted that it looked different in many ways to the replicas she had seen many times previously. The probe appeared to be joined onto a larger delta winged sled, and the whole object radiated menace and power as it slowed further near Middle Island.

Eve brought up her binoculars from around her neck and now looked towards Gun Island. Taking a deep breath and trying to soothe a sudden case of fright, the tourism director counted the shapes of the six Maveen replicas on the island and noted that they were not operating. She counted the replicas a second time before regaining her calm and making an announcement to her passengers.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, the Southern Explorer will be withdrawing from today’s tour shortly. We have to leave as it appears that an actual Maveen probe has made an appearance after one hundred and fifty years.’

The parents of the two boys shot her a look of reproof that Eve ignored as she joined the passengers filming the now stationary Maveen probe. She noted that the sled appeared incomplete or damaged in some way, as the passengers continued filming and a pair of navy lifters slowly flew over from the south east.

                                                                     ***

Probe three ignored the nearby civilian human transports as he approached the former landing site for the Trader ship. He remembered vividly the long journey to this world, the tragic battle to the south west with the human fleet, and then their long days on this island. The probe stopped for several minutes and did a full passive scan of the island, and he noted the large plinth ringed by a series of cameras. The Maveen started to move after first identifying two small lifters slowly flying in from the south east.

Probe three sent the lifters the standard non aggression and ceasefire clauses by radio waves as he moved slowly north-ward towards Gun Island. He then sent brief microwave signals to six landed objects to confirm that they were only Maveen replicas and could be safely ignored. The probe knew that the misdirection towards the humans was necessary and he felt no conflicts in his programming as he approached and opened his communications visor. The Maveen introduced himself with his false identity as he approached several humans standing at the southern end of the landing strip.

‘I am scout probe eleven and I have been sent to your world to relay an urgent warning to your planet’s leaders. I was damaged when I was attacked as I earlier entered your planet’s atmosphere. Note that according to our earlier agreement, humans are not to attack Maveen or their allies, though I will treat my incurred damage as an accidental attack. Now listen carefully as the Jerecab are sending a large armada of ships to conquer your world and they will be here within weeks. So do any of you hold the positions of authority required to speak with me?’

A very surprised Robert noted with amusement that the Maveen probe was focussing his attention on the young actor in the old Australian naval uniform, and he also noted the brusque tone of the alien. But Sam was quicker on the uptake and quietly placed his hand on Robert’s shoulders to gently push him forward. Robert looked around to glare at Sam, and spotted the fact that the actor was quickly getting out of his uniform jacket as Sam piped up nervously.