The Black Planet (34 page)

Chapter 75

Steven wasn’t happy.  He had been invited to the negotiations.  Their supreme commander seemed to be a little too anxious to please for Stevens liking.  He was sure the Albany were up to something and he wanted Charlie at his side but Charlie and the rest of his companions were already on Earth in the process of reforming their Battalion.  Steven also realised the request to bring Charlie here at this time would seem strange to many and could even compromise Charlie’s secret.  The answer had come from another source. 

Orlath had contacted him directly a few days later.  He too suspected the motives of his former race and offered his help.  After discussing it with the rest of the negotiation team they all agreed to Orlath’s help.  A few days later he was slipped into the community on mars posing as a lowly tech captured from a battle cruiser early in the campaign.   He posed as the only survivor from his crew.  It hadn’t taken him long to get the information they were wanting and it mortified him.  Many of his companions were only too eager to tell him how stupid the humans really were.  In the dead of night Orlath had activated his hidden beacon and an hour later he was back on Board Babes.

Orlath told the committee members what the Albany were attempting to do and they were horrified by how close the human race came to destruction.  Steven and a team of experts studied the Balang treaty for days before they discovered a possible answer and put a plan into effect.  As Steven set of to accomplish the difficult task the committee set too delaying any signing of the treaty.  For six months they were able to hold out against the inevitable with Orlath’s help.  In the end it was as though they bowed low to universal pressure from the Albany home world and their allies.  The leader of the Earths council signed an electronic copy of the treaty and the prisoners were scheduled to be removed from Mars to Earth within a few weeks.

Chapter 76

The supreme commander found his quarters to be lavish as befitting a person of his status.  He strode through the large central building looking for fault but finding none.

‘These quarters are adequate,’ he told his human host.  The lowly captain held out the digital form for him to sign saying he was content with his quarters.  All his officers were receiving the same treatment.  Those few family’s that had survived were also receiving similar treatment while those who were single were put up in military type barracks.

The supreme commander followed the humans outside.  His last remaining news crew were touring the facilities and reporting directly back to the Empire.  The school buildings were inspected, family quarters.  Quarters for higher ranks and quarters for the few single females that survived.  The supreme commander had already picked out the one that he wished to spend his captivity with and she greeted him with a signal from her eye lashes.  They would have to survive the next few days to be safe.

The tour with the humans and the news crew continued.  A small river flowed through the forty mile long valley.  The water was cold and clear.  Downstream some of the men released from duties were already enjoying it.  Sounds of pleasure and merriment reached the group.  Others could be seen running through the pastures of long grass; some of which had already began to turn golden.  Here and there a head could be seen through the long grass as someone sat down and stripped the heavy seed heads bare.  The commander felt the heat of the sun on his upturned face just as a breeze picked up.  This was some kind of Heaven.

The formalities took a few more hours before everything and everyone had signed off on their new home.  Even their own emperor seemed impressed with the trouble the humans had gone to, too accommodate their prisoners.

Just as the sun was setting the human transport came to pick up their people.  Admiral Baxter alighted from the transport.  The two adversaries bowed to each other and went for a small walk.

‘Is everything to your taste supreme commander?’

‘Indeed it far surpasses our expectations Admiral Baxter.’

The human took a good look around.  ‘You have a valley in west Africa all to yourselves, no predators.  It is seventy miles long and twenty wide surrounded by mountains.  You will not be able to travel farther than that.  To do so will be to violate the conditions of your surrender.  There are security measures in place to make sure your people do not wonder outside this area.  These security measures are automated and will lead to the death of anyone trying to leave the area.  No humans will bother you.  Once we leave this will be considered a no go area for humans.  Your command centre contains a direct link to your own people and one to ourselves.  If you need anything simply call and we will do our best to accommodate you.  Beyond that hopefully you should never see another human during the duration of your captivity.    

‘No guards at all Admiral.’

‘None supreme commander.’

‘That is rather strange.’

‘There is nowhere for you to go.  You are light years from home.  On that note every home has a communications device they can call home from.  As have each barrack block.’

‘How long will this captivity last Admiral?’

‘My superiors tell me that will depend on our acceptance into the Universal family.  Until then we have no intentions of entering negotiations with your people.  By your universal standards they would be pointless.  Until we have Universal status your people would not be obligated to fulfil any treaty that they make with us.’

‘You humans learn fast.’

‘It is a gift we have.’

They wondered back to the landing area and a short while later the humans took off.  For the next few days he was nervous, expecting the humans to return at any time.  As the days passed his confidence grew.  He began to call together his commanders.  Men were sent out to explore the immediate surroundings.  For the most part all were content.  It may have been a cage but it was a gilded one.  His emperor began to get impatient with him but he had ulterior motives for waiting.  The female he had been keeping his eye on was coming into season early.

The night she came to him it was raining.  Everyone was outside enjoying the warm downpour.  The first many had felt on their skins for years.  He had caught her eye and they had sneaked away.  She had squeaked and squealed trying to fight her own desires.  Nature however had eventually overcame her reservations and she had prostrated herself for him.  He had taken her with wild abandon, bellowing with triumph every time he reached his zenith.

In the morning she lay exhausted and fast asleep.  He had taken himself to the stream and washed himself down.  As he gathered his commanders he watched the tendrils of water vapour lift from the ground into the air.  Within an hour every one of his people who had carried a vial was gathered.

‘Today we strike a blow for all our fallen comrades.  The conditions are perfect for releasing the pathogen.  It will bond with the moisture and be born aloft to be spread by the wind.  We should have a few days grace before the humans discover what has happened and seek revenge.  You all have stores enough to last a week.  It is time to leave and hide.  Now put on your masks and release the pathogen.’

He put on his mask and tore at his uniform.  The small deadly vile was released into his hand and with little ceremony he placed it on top of a rock and smashed it with another.  The blue liquid began to evaporate quickly and he walked quickly away.

She was waiting with their packs.  He slung his on and grasped her hand.  Some of his men had dug a shelter for them ten miles from the centre.  They had plenty of time to reach it before the humans discovered their treachery.  But as the admiral had pointed out, with no formal treaty no one in their universe would give a damn what they did to the humans. 

She squeezed his hand.  He could see by the look in her eyes she was coming fully into heat now.  She was a rare beauty this one.  He could see them ruling this planet as king and queen, maybe their children would one day challenge their own emperor.  He smiled to himself, tomorrow was the day for making plans, today and tonight was the time for passion.  He considered taking her there and then in the long grass, he looked around but could still see others as they spread out into the wilderness.  He returned her gesture; there would be plenty time later.

As he marched he noticed that his body seemed to feel lighter.  He put it down to his euphoria but when she squealed and stumbled he discovered she was becoming weightless.

‘What is happening Avar?’

‘I don’t know my love.’

In a few minutes both began to float free of the ground.  The clouds above began to vanish and the sky turned red.  A loud blaring noise began to resound from all around them.  The red glow in the sky pulsated, when the light dimmed he could see a strange honeycomb shape appear above it.  A feminine voice vibrated through the air. 

‘Warning, a deadly pathogen has been detected in the air.  All citizens of the planetoid bio dome the West Africa should return to their homes immediately.  Emergency procedures have been implemented.  Your homes will be locked down and decontaminated.  You will be safe indoors.  The bio-dome emergency procedures will purge the atmosphere out into space.  Please remain within your homes.’

The message began to repeat again and again.  His shocked mind began to unfreeze.  Every member of his community were now floating free all around him.  The female clinging to his arm began to scream.  A loud boom caused him to look up.  The honeycombed roof began to break up and they began to accelerate.  Her screams were drowned out by the shriek of escaping air and his last words were a lowing of fear.

A short distance away Admiral Baxter watched the spectacle.  Beside him the Modloch ambassador swallowed back the bile that came into his throat.  ‘Is this what you called me up to witness Admiral?’

‘Aye, pretty much Ambassador.’

‘I thought you just liked having me around.’

Baxter laughed, ‘as a matter of fact I do Ambassador, however we thought that it might be prudent to have an independent off world witness to events as they unfolded.’

‘What just did unfold Admiral?’

Baxter nodded to one of his men who played back the mornings events for the Modloch Ambassador.  When it was over he turned to Baxter, ‘you knew they had bioweapons planted on their person?’

‘Yes we did, that is why we built this bio-dome and before you say anything more the use of a bio-dome for an enemy that frequently uses biological agents is perfectly  within the laws of the  Balang treaty.’

The ambassador shook his head, ‘I won’t but you can be sure there are many that will.  The question they are bound to ask is why were they put in a bio-dome in the first place?’

‘Don’t worry about it Ambassador we have covered our tails.  They had scientists amongst them capable of reproducing said weapons if they got their hands on the materials etc etc etc.  It is all in the treaty.’

‘I will take your word for it Admiral.  So what’s for breakfast?’

‘I thought you would never ask Ambassador.’  Baxter turned to the Captain of the ship, ‘have the gravity turned back on captain and see if you can get all that trash back on board the habitat.  Once that is done fire up the retros and send it into the sun.’

‘Yes sir.’

The Ambassador nudged Baxter with an elbow.  ‘You shouldn’t do that you know.’

‘Uh!  Do what?’

‘Send your trash into your sun, you should have more respect.  They aren’t immortal you know and you can severely damage a sun by dumping garbage into it as many races have found out to their cost.’

‘This is a one off.  We just want to make sure none of the pathogen survived.’

‘I hope so Admiral, although if you consider the fact your people have already unloaded tons of the bloody stuff from the city ship, I think it is more of a symbolic gesture.’

The admiral thought it over for a moment then shrugged, ‘you may well be right.  By the way a consignment of those mushrooms you like, the ones that grow on silage arrived today.’

The Ambassador’s eyes lit up, ‘really, they are a real delicacy.  I can’t believe your people find them, poisonous.’

Baxter laughed, ‘aye well believe it.’

Chapter 77

A few hours later the Modloch Ambassador found himself under the inquisition from his own emperor.  The emperor was pacing back and forth in an agitated manner while the ambassador was trying to figure out how to look over the emperor’s shoulders and into the far flung distance over a screen.

‘Will you stop rolling your bloody eyes around all over the place,’ the emperor snapped at him, ‘just look at me directly.’

‘Sorry sir.’

‘Sorry, is that it!  Do you expect us to believe these casualty figures?’

‘It is what I was provided with sir.’

‘No war ships destroyed, only a handful of landing craft and fighters.  The human dead only amount to a few thousand, how is that possible?  They eradicated a city ship with millions on board.’

‘I believe they do not charge and lock horns as many races do in mortal combat sire.  They hide themselves away and do this ambush thing.  When the enemy charges they hide behind cover and slaughter them at a distance.  I have seen many of their war movies, they are very adept at it.  They were also able to cut off the oxygen supply to large sections of the city as well killing millions that way.’

‘That is not an honourable way to do battle.’

‘They were fighting for their very existence sire, I don’t think they gave a shit about honour.’

The emperor fixed him with a glare and the ambassadors eyes began rolling again.  ‘So the humans had an Albany spy; and with this spy they managed to find out the Albany intentions?’

‘Yes sir although he was made a member of the human race months before the final battle.’

‘I see and this has been ratified by the Universal council.’

‘I believe so sir.’

‘You have to be the worst damn ambassador I have ever had the misfortune to own.  You saw absolutely none of this coming did you?’

‘No sir.’

‘I knew it. Bloody useless.  Still you will be glad to hear that I am putting forward a professional team from your own home world to take your place once you reach the great barrier.’

‘I am relieved to hear it sire.’

‘I bet you are, and you will be dismissed immediately after the handing over ceremony.’

‘I am relieved to hear that to sire.’

‘I’ll bet you are you little shit.  Still I am not displeased by the way you have handled yourself and you will be rewarded in the manner befitting a real ambassador on retirement.’

‘That is too much sire.’

‘Don’t argue with me.  Now what state is my new ship in?’

‘It has thousands of holes in it and it is beginning to reek with the smell of the dead, but the engines are sound.’

The emperor rubbed his long snout, ‘the engines are sound.  Do you hear yourself really?  Well I am glad you like them ambassador, get familiar with them because I am going to make that city ship my very own command carrier.  In it I shall visit every corner of my empire and make damn sure no one else try’s to rebel against me.  As for you, you shall be chief engineer.’

‘You do me a great honour sir.’

The emperor groaned again, ‘only an idiot from your planet could consider a demotion of such a monstrous size a reward.  Never mind, what do you propose to do now?’

‘Cleaning up operations are still ongoing Sire.  Once they have remove the dead they will hand the city ship over to me in its entirety.’

‘Will they help you with repairs?’

‘Only if we wish it sire.  The humans believe it is a wonderful opportunity for their engineers to work in such an environment and if we let them come on board they will foot the bill for all of the repairs.’

‘I see.  You will have full control over the ship and its systems.’

‘Yes sir.  If I wish the humans will even recover the outer rings of the ship for me.’

The emperor strolled up and down for a bit, ‘yes, have them recover the outer rings and make as much repairs as possible.  I don’t want them repairing the main armament, we will do that ourselves with weapons of our own choice.  What will be your priorities?’

‘Fix the shields sir, then the auxiliary control rooms that have been damaged.'  The ambassador got carried away and the emperor let him rattle on for a while.

‘It looks like I have picked the right man for the job,’ there was a touch of sarcasm in his voice.  ‘So tell me, what is your opinion of the human race now?’

‘They still frighten me sir.  That’s a fact.  I have gotten over my fear of being eaten at any moment though.  They have never shown any sign of wishing to consume me.  Neither have I came across any sign of them trying to ingest any Albany.  They most certainly aren’t a direct threat to our universe, yet they are a deadly adversary.’

‘Of that Ambassador the whole universe is aware.  Or at least they are now.  Go on,’ he encouraged. 

‘For all my initial fears and worries I have made some great friends amongst the humans sire.  In fact I have to admit to likening them very much.’

‘Do you think your diminutive race could beat them in battle?’

‘Not a hope in hell sire.’

The emperor began to pace some more, ‘who will help you crew the ship until it reaches my dominion.’

‘I asked Captain Gordon, the one who captains the Builders ship to help me and he has accepted, along with his mate and her crew of the other ship.’

‘Good, you said he himself fought in the battle?’

‘Yes he did sir and from what I hear he fought with great distinction.’

‘A good choice then.   I wish a report from you every month until you reach home ambassador.  I will be in touch.’

The ambassador bowed so quickly he smacked his snout off the table in front of him.  The emperor just groaned and waved a hand, the screen went blank.