The Venetou

by Philip R Benge

  Strom may not have believed their story, however he always covered his butt, so just in case there was any truth in the story told by Kramer, he had ordered the planet`s bio-hazard team to pump the ship full of a powerful toxin, this would kill any alien presence aboard the starship, real or imaginary

  Kramer and the others did not see the sealing of the tunnel, in fact it only happened five minutes later, and unbeknown to everyone, it was only after the two Venetou had also left the ship. They were still dressed in the uniforms of the two of the dead crew of the Galileo, they had found that it helped them when they used their powers, to be dressed as the locals, in case they became distracted and their cloak of invisibility dropped. They had simply walked on by the single security man who was standing idly by and waiting for the rest of his team to return, he never even noticed anything when they stood next to him for a moment and breathed in the scent of his life-force. The other members of his team had gone in search of the seal, for they had forgotten it when they had moved the security tunnel out of storage and connected it up between the ship and the building. It was part of their standard procedure, to bring it whenever the security tunnel was required, however, this was the first such time that the security tunnel been required, and they had forgotten it.

  Kramer and his crew were about to have yet another surprise, they were about to be arrested. During their wait aboard the Galileo, the head of the planetary council on New Caledonia had been contacted by Strom. On telling him about the current emergency, and of Kramer`s story, he also told him of his own scepticism regarding it. The councilman immediately ordered that the surviving crew members were to be arrested, they were to be held until after the full planetary council had read the logs and the ship had been searched by the bio-hazard team. Only then would a decision be made by the planetary council as to the truth behind this incredible story.

  They had just entered into the main reception area of the isolation wing when Strom and his men formed a circle around them. “Captain, you and your people are under arrest by the order of the planetary council. If you would please surrender your weapons, our security will ensure that you and your crew are well protected.” Strom demanded. Kramer looked at the security men gathered around his team, they had all taken their Phasers out and were pointing them at his team. With a look of disgust he passed his weapon to Strom, and after just a seconds hesitation the other three survivors followed suit.

  “Just what are you charging us with Mr Strom?” Kramer demanded to know.

  “The planetary council wants to investigate your story Captain, before allowing you and your crew to leave the security wing, let`s just say that they find your story a little hard to believe.” Strom answered with a supercilious smirk upon his face.

  “Mr Strom as soon as your people board our ship you will have all the evidence that you need, assuming that you have indeed dealt with the alien creatures aboard the Galileo.” Kramer demanded to know.

  “Do not worry about your aliens captain, as I told you earlier the ship has been pumped full of a toxic gas.” This was not quite true, it would be fully five more minutes before the bio-hazard team would arrive at the spaceport with the supply of the toxic gas, in the meantime the Venetou, who were no longer anywhere near the Galileo, were waiting for everyone to vacate this area so that they could proceed further into the building. The security team that Strom had detailed to prevent anything or anyone else from leaving the Galileo having failed miserably on their duty, and as for Kramer and his crew, they were simply too exhausted to push any more.

  Kramer, thinking that all was well as far as the alien menace was concerned decided to endure this other madness for as long as it lasted, they would be released as soon as the dead creatures were found aboard his ship. He now took a moment to look around the reception area, there was an office to one side, while on the other side were two white doors, in front of him the corridor hit a junction and went off in two opposite directions, his inspection was now brought to a quick halt.

  “Ok, Captain you and your team must change into the uniform that you will find through either of these two doors, do not worry it is only necessary because of the body scan which you must pass through before we can allow you to enter the main part of the building. If you have any personal effects, they should be left within the blue bags that you will also find within the changing rooms. As with your clothes these items will be returned to you later in the day.

  “Body scan, what the hell is all this crap, you are treating us as criminals, we have not done anything, I demand to see someone in authority before I move another step.” Kramer declared loudly enough to scare Strom who immediately raised his Phaser weapon and threatened him.

  “Captain, please follow our instructions, or one of you is going to get hurt.” Strom advised grimly. Kramer looked at the security men around them and noted the Phasers that they all held, and all of the weapons were pointing at him and his crew.

  “What the hell, have your fun.” He shouted at Strom in disgust.

  With that he turned, and opening the right hand door entered the changing room, he was closely followed by the two men while Maria Alejandra entered the other room. On the wall they found a pair of bright red cotton trousers and a matching jacket, they could all be forgiven for thinking they had been put in prison rather that a medical quarantine unit, which is where they thought they were, unfortunately they were in error.

  Suitable dressed, their way now led them to the body scanner that Strom had mentioned, this would ensure that they were not bringing anything other than themselves into the main part of the isolation wing of the spaceport building. Following the scan they were asked to wait for a moment in the forward reception area, it was a large room that they had to themselves, and being exhausted they fell asleep sprawled out upon the benches. Francis Strom had guards posted at the door to prevent them from leaving, however, he did not wake them.

  Twenty seconds after the four survivors had left the room containing the body scanner, the unit had automatically operated twice more, but unfortunately there was no one in the room to take note of it.

  The full council had been quickly assembled, and after they had read the contents of the two ship`s logs, they too found that they disbelieved much of what was written in them. They confirmed that the four survivors of the Galileo must be held until after a full investigation had been completed.

  It was one hour later that Francis Strom entered the forward reception area and woke them. They assumed that they would now be released, however, there was another surprise in store for them, the four survivors were not released, instead they were taken to the security section meant for undesirable aliens. In different circumstances Kramer would have found this to be supremely ironic. At the security section each of the four people was led towards a different cell, and now Kramer really complained.

  “Mr Strom, I demand to know why you are putting us into what I can only presume is the prison section of this facility, just what crime are we supposed to have committed?” Kramer asked his voice raised in anger.

  “I have been instructed to place each of you in confinement while your individual cases are looked into by the ruling council of New Caledonia. There are some amongst the members of the council who are querying parts of your story, let us just say that they find it hard to believe. Now if you will all step inside your rooms, I can then concern myself with assisting them and so ensure that your release is all the sooner.”

  “Mr Strom, when are your people going to board the Galileo, to check that the alien creatures are in fact dead, as that will then prove that everything that we have told you is true?” Kramer asked angrily.

  “As soon as it is thought to be safe to go aboard her, in the mean time you will all have to be patient. Now please enter your rooms.” Strom replied with his security team standing close behind him, and still with their Phaser pointed at their four prisoners. Kramer surrendered, to do anything else was pointless and could mean some one being h
urt. He walked into his cell, for it definitely was not a room, and his three crew members followed suit and entered theirs. As soon as they stepped within the cells they were all locked electronically by one of the security operatives from within the main security office.

  Kramer was crushed by all that was happening to them, and he looked to have aged twenty years since stepping on to the planet New Caledonia. It was five hours later that their personal possessions were returned to them, but their clothes were still withheld by the authorities, as was any information regarding the search of the Galileo.

  **********

  Later that day Strom was contacted by the commander of the bio-hazard team that had pumped the Galileo full of the toxic gas, they informed him that after carrying out an exhaustive search they had found no sign of the aliens, invisible or otherwise, anywhere aboard the survey ship.

  This was just about what Strom had expected, the story told by the survivors of the Galileo was a tissue of lies. He now passed this information onto the planetary council who agreed with his assessment of the report.

  It was one hour after this that Kramer and the others were told that the planetary council wanted to ask them a few questions to help clear up a misunderstanding, this information cheered the four survivors, for they hoped to then be released from their confinement.

  Kramer was the first to be questioned, he was taken to a small room which led off the main security room. It had one table and three chairs inside of it, and this furniture took up much of the available space, on the far wall was a large glass mirror. If Kramer had not already known that there was still a chance that they were suspected of being behind the deaths of the other members of the crew, he did now, but even so seeing the large mirror sent his spirits nose diving towards the floor. Obviously his interrogation, not interview which was all he had expected when first landing on New Caledonia, was being recorded, and probably more people stood in the room behind the mirror, listening in to his version of events, and they would use whatever he said against him.

  Inside the room with him were Council man Valik Balsam and Council woman Carole Masters who both sat opposite him, behind them Council man Eric Swanson stood glaring down at Kramer. He now told these three council members of their invisible enemy, one that had killed ten of his team. Initially the council members did not believe a word of his story and were trying to decide whether he was lying to them or was just insane.

  “Captain Kramer.” Balsam said. “Can you explain to us why no alien bodies were found upon the Galileo, when your whole story revolves around them?” Balsam looked rather smug when he smiled at his two colleagues.

  “What do you mean that there were no alien bodies aboard the Galileo, there must have been, you killed them, or your Mr Strom said that you had killed them.” Kramer stated forcefully, his blood pressure rising and his anger now about to explode.

  The interview was halted here, for the council members feared that Kramer was about to get violent. They however, said that they wanted to discuss what had been said and Kramer was taken back to his cell protesting loudly. The council now decided to interview the other three survivors, however, the other three members of the survey team backed up his story.

  The council now had to decide which of three possible options was correct. The first option was that the four survivors were lying for reason or reasons unknown. The second option was that the crew of the starship were all suffering from some dangerous form of space sickness, an option that seemed to fit the known facts, although they had not been seen by a doctor, or a psychiatrist as yet. The third and most scary option was that the crew of the Galileo had brought back to New Caledonia, creatures only dreamt of in their nightmares, and that these creatures had somehow escaped. Thankfully, they told themselves, the chief of the planetary security, Mr Strom, had ensured that any alien creature had been killed when he had arranged to fumigate the inside of the survey vessel.

  The council arranged for a doctor to meet with the crew in the morning, and so the meeting was adjourned until after they had received the medical report. The survivors had all been returned to their cells, here they talked about the interrogations and how they thought they went. Outside Lydia Mann who was on night duty at the security facility recorded all of their conversations for her superiors to hear in the morning.

  **********

  A massive thunder storm woke Chief Engineer Karl Mayers early the next morning from his deep sleep, still feeling exhausted from his ordeal, he turned over onto his side to try to get back to sleep. It was now that someone pushed him face down onto the bed, his mouth buried into the pillow muffling his protests. His attacker now sat on his back and shoved his mouth and nose deeper into the softness of the pillow. He attempted to struggle but found that in this position it was difficult, especially as his attacker held him firmly down in a grip of iron. Soon he began to lose consciousness and then Sarai, the male Venetou, turned him over onto his back and drove his fangs deep into Mayers` neck, while covering his mouth with a hand. Mayers was barely conscious, but he still attempted to scream, such was the pain, however, the hand muffled his screams, and so no one came to check on him. The toxin acted fast, first it had attacked his vocal cords before moving onto the rest of his muscular system. He did attempt to renew his struggle against his attacker, but to his ever growing fear he found that he was unable to, because of the toxin. It was now that the form of Sarai shimmered into sight, amid a bright flash from the electrical storm that lit up the room, Mayers would have cried, had he been able to, for he knew that even after reaching New Caledonia the creature had got to him, and that he was about to die.

  Charlie Milano died just a moment later, he was in the next cell, Talia, the female Venetou was sitting at the end of his bed, satisfied from her meal and thinking of other things, she knew the time of mating was upon her, she was well fed and her mate was strong. The Bora of this new place would provide her with the necessary strength to feed her child while it was growing within her, as well as after she had given birth.

  **********

  The capital city of New Caledonia was built around a large bay that formed a small part of the larger Atlantic Ocean, another name chosen by its first settler to make him feel even more at home. A wide river ran to one side of the small city, the river was hemmed in between the western edges of the city and by the high granite cliffs on its far side. The other two sides of the city looked out upon the trees of the large northern forest that had at one time stretched for a thousand miles to the high mountains which stopped its march to the northern coast of the main land mass of New Caledonia. Now much of the land had been ploughed up and the new farms now provided the food for the people of the planet. It was a delightful planet to live on, the problems of Earth long forgotten by its people, unfortunately their quiet life was about to experience a terrible evil, something that the people thought they had left far behind them.

  **********

  A tall well built man stood outside of the isolation wing of the spaceport building, he reached out his hand and pressed the buzzer to alert the security person on duty that the day shift had arrived. Roge Revere had worked here for the last five years, it was not much of a job and he would have preferred something better, but at least it paid the bills he thought wearily. Inside the security room of the isolation wing Lydia Mann yawned, she reached across her desk and opened the security door using her touch screen computer. Revere entered through the now open door and walked into the security section of the spaceport building. He smiled at the officer who had been working alone on the night watch, and who was thinking how great it would be to finally get to her bed.

  “How are you today Lydia, did you enjoy the electrical storm?” Revere asked pleasantly.

  “I am fine Roge, it takes more than a little lightning to scare me.” Lydia replied as she smothered another yawn, she would be glad when she was back on days so that she could get her life back to normal.

  The two security officers walked thr
ough to the only four cells currently in use to check on their charges, they froze immediately they saw two of their charges laying half in and half out of their beds, it was obvious that they were dead from their staring eyes. It took a moment before Revere noticed that each man had a hole in one of his eyes, and the fear now biting deep inside of his guts was immediate as he recalled the tale told by their prisoners. He turned to Lydia who was looking pale, and it was obvious that she felt very sick at the terrible sight before them.

  “Lydia, do not attempt to enter either cell I will explain why in a moment.” He now rushed back to the main desk to raise the alarm.

  However, Lydia Mann had been brought up to date regarding the prisoners as soon as she had commenced her night`s duty, so she had no intention of entering either cell, and Revere was too well trained to do such a stupid thing.

  Roger Revere called the senior security man Francis Strom at his office in the planetary council building and told him about the two deaths. Francis Strom also felt a twinge of fear biting deep within his insides on hearing of the death, sweat broke out everywhere as he went over all that he had done yesterday to prevent this very thing from happening. He was reminded that Revere was still on the phone when he heard his name called.

  “Ok Revere, please ensure that no one enters those two cells until I get there.” With these instructions given he immediately put a call into the man who led the colony, Councilman Valik Balsam.

  “Councilman you had better get down to the security section of the spaceport building, we have trouble there, two of the crew of the Galileo are dead.” Strom said grimly. Fear is contagious, even down a telephone, within the supposed safety of his home Balsam thought over all that Kramer had told them, and fear now gripped him as he thought about his family, and then his planet.

  “I will be there in ten minutes, you had better put in a call to Doctor Kamdar and Constable Poulson, if there really is an alien creature and it gets loose from the centre, then Poulson will be one angry man if he only learns about its escape after it kills one of his precious colonists.” Balsam said and then attempted to smile. “Why leave the good constable in the dark, let him be part of this growing nightmare.” However, the smile on his face never made it to Balsam`s eyes and it soon faded from his face to be replaced by worry bordering on fear.