by neetha Napew
That suggested a sensitivity in the big Catteni most unusual for his species. Or was Humanity contagious? She knew he admired Mitford, too. Or had he and Mitford discussed a putative father of Kris Bjornsen’s compulsory child? Which she doubted.
Mitford wasn’t that sort of man. And she couldn’t really see the sergeant and Zainal exchanging man-o’-man topics.
He returned with a bowl of steaming soup and a watchful expression on his face and, oddly enough, sympathy in his yellow eyes.
“Thanks, Zainal,’ she said, spooning up soup and blowing to cool it. ‘I did over-react there, I think.” ‘I love you, you know,’ he said in a sort of off-handed manner which would have exacerbated her already jangling nerves if her remnant of common sense hadn’t realized that such an admission was also very un-Cattenish. He covered her free hand with his. ‘It is not an emotion I thought I would live as a man to have.” And that caught her hard, right in the guts. She dropped her head to his shoulder, weeping as quietly as she could. She knew he had had two children; even the chosen had the right to produce heirs on Catten. But he’d never said a word about the woman, or women, who had borne them. So he had not allowed himself to love? Because he knew he was chosen and would not live long ‘es a man’?
“Why do you cry . . . now?” He was utterly puzzled.
“For you. Because you can love me.”
“It is not hard to do.”
She could hear the ripple of amusement in his voice and, dashing the tears from her eyes, looked up at him with as good a smile as she could present.
“Eat your soup. We have work to do soon,’ he said very gently, and she loved him even more deeply than ever.
l
The Eosi Mentats had deliberated; had examined the reports from both satellites with infinitesimal attention to detail. With each fresh review, their agitation grew. Two separate concerns were identified: firstly, the Eosi were not, as they had assumed, the only highly intelligent species in the galaxy, and why had they never encountered the Others when they had been assiduously exploring this arm of the Milky Way? Secondly, how did the Others arrive at a technology so far superior to their achievements, and how soon could they match and then surpass it?
Mentat Ix called to their attention the brief glimpse his shell had had of a comunit. Logically, an investigation should be made of the extant equipment for insights into the construction of the machinery situated on the colony planet.
Mentat Ix was assigned, with two younger Mentats which had technological skills and inventiveness, to inspect and analyse the installations. The warship AA 1 would take them there and also provide guards against any demonstrations by the indigenous population, who were known to be volatile.
As the superb new warship reached the ionosphere of the subject planet, its new propulsion system developed a fault, an oddity indeed, which resulted in a shock wave passing over the vessel from bow to stern. Gauges on detection equipment went off-scale for a nano-second, then returned to normal positions, and the engines resumed operation as if they had never faltered.
System analyses were run and damage reports undertaken, but no fault was found in any department of the AA 1. Even the Ix Mentat was confounded. It liked that no better than the other shocks this wretched back-water system had given it.
The captain activated every safeguard provided by this latest example of Eosi/Catten engineering and technology as he continued into the atmosphere of the third planet. There were no more life-forms detected than there should be, according to the numbers of prisoners sent there and the numbers Of lesser creatures previously assessed.
There were 2003 fewer humans than the records of removal, but there would have been some casualties both in transport and since landing.
The Eosi had stipulated that they land at the point where most of the Drops had been made, easily identified by the wrecked transport vessel.
Teams of guards trotted out of the AA1, to make a quick surveillance of the immediate area and the wreck, and were halfway across the field when they were suddenly attacked by aerial creatures.
Shot down with the accuracy for which such crack troops are famed, these were identified as indigenous life-forms, previously recorded by the original survey team.
Reaching the wreck, they reported signs of intense heat and fire damage in the propulsion section. That, of course, was consistent to the reports from both the Drassi in command of the transporter and the rescuers who had subsequently lost their lives in the second accident.
“Third,’ Mentat Ix corrected the captain.
‘lord?” the captain asked nervously.
“The scout ship also disappeared after landing on this planet.”
“My pardon. I didn’t know of that incident, Lord.”
“I do.” And that was that.
skiff, which was commodious enough for three Mentats and necessary crew. They saw nothing impressive in the facilities built into the cliffs, or in the machines that dutifully awaited the timely resumption of their pre-programmed duties. In fact, the machinery was almost depressingly simple in design and function when compared with the orbital and the massive ship that had stunned the Ix on its first trip to this solar system.
“None of this suits our purpose or forwards an understanding of the mentality of the makers,’ Mentat Ix said, although it found no fault with the sun nor the freshness of the air. ‘When the colony is established, I may even take control of this planet.” Mentats Co and Se exchanged discreet glances and followed their senior back into the ship. Despite the failure to find anything of technological significance, Ix did not issue any immediate orders, but retired to its own quarters to meditate.
Eventually Ix sent orders to the captain that the skiff must be readied for a second exploratory trip. It took the other Mentats with it, showing the pilot where it wished to land. It also required the pilot to hover when the glyphs carved into the hillside were noticed.
“The message is in Catten,’ Mentat Co said.
“Yes, the renegade Zainal was here.” The Ix Mentat gnashed the teeth in its host’s mouth in a most unusual fashion, then peremptorily gestured for the skiff to be landed where once, as Lenvec, it had settled to remind a brother of duty owed.
There was nothing on the site, merely more fields with hedgerows; nothing certainly that would have accounted for the chosen’s escape.
And only faded traces of where the scout ship had landed. The Ix Mentat turned its head in the direction from which the humans and Zainal had come.
“Take us there!” and it pointed.
The skiff took off and shortly came to the deep ravine which, at a low hover, showed not only visible evidence of human occupation but easily detected a considerable number of life-forms in the intricate cave system. Several emerged to observe the aircraft. The skiff’s detection equipment picked up the use of comunits, but on a frequency which could not be directionalized before the signal cut off abruptly.
“They have more of those hand units,’ the Ix Mentat said superciliously.
“Does the Mentat wish to land and speak to the humane?” the pilot asked, as more emerged from the caves.
“I have no interest in pests.” But the Ix had been more closely observing the signature of the humans than anyone realized.
Primarily it searched for the unmistakable signature of a Catten life-reading, and that was not visible outside or inside the caves.
Deep inside the Ix’s mind, one pathetic whimper trembled.
“The humans appear to have moved about a great deal,’ said Mentat Co, ‘if these,’ and it flicked a long nail at the screen where more clusters showed at different locations, ‘are indeed human pulses.”
Ix Mentat regarded Co with some interest. ‘Moved where?”
“On the smaller continent adjacent to this one. Many human life-signs registered there as we overflew it.” ‘Return,’ Ix Mentat said and sat back, impatient to reach the ship and order it to the second continent, where the Catten signature might b
e found among the other conceritration of humans.
As the AAI lifted, having left a substantial declivity across most of the field with the weight of its visit, the Ix Mentat entered the bridge and stood behind the officer responsible for the life-form detection.
“Set for Catten sign,’ the Ix said, clicking its long nails together in a tattoo that had the Catten of fleer cringing with nervousness.
The AAl made the next continent in a shallow curve. It had not yet reached even the intended altitude when the screen gave off a brief blip - registering the presence of a Catteni. It vanished so quickly that the duty officer wondered if it had been a legitimate sighting, but the Mentat was taking no chances and ordered the vessel to circle the point, a prong of land extending into the narrow channel between the two land-masses. But again nothing registered on the screen.
“An anomaly, perhaps,’ the Co suggested blandly after
sufficient time had elapsed to have done several orbits about this wretched planet.
“Perhaps,’ the Ix replied irritably and signalled to continue across the water.
The greatest concentration of the lesser, human signatures was found around the northern bay. ‘They’ve infested the place,’ the Co remarked as the ‘babble’ was screened for any sign of Catten.
The Ix pondered a long while as the AAI held its position, using great quantities of fuel to do so. Then, with an abrupt gesture, the Mentat Ix ordered the captain to return with all possible speed to Catten.
The captain wished to do so as well, anxious to be rid of his Eosi passengers, and he gave the necessary orders . . . and was nearly bounced from his command chair as the forward Notion abruptly ceased.
The engines were still running, their pulse beginning to reach up to a whine of frustration as the ship met an impenetrable obstacle.
“There’s some sort of barrier, captain,’ the helmsmarr said, looking at the opacity which held them motionless. ‘It’s all around the planet.” ‘Destroy it,’ the Ix ordered with an agitated wave of its long arm.
The captain ordered a full barrage of all forward weapons, certain his fire power was sufficient for the task. The ship rocked and crewmen covered their eyes at the resultant flash-back.
“I see a lessening in the opacity directly ahead,’ the navigator said, trying hard not to think how futile this brand-new ship’s much-vaunted artillery had been.
The captain called for more power and the ship moved slowly, slowly, slowly, pushing through the barrier it had been unable to destroy. Then, all of a sudden the ship plunged forward through the obstacle, knocking to the deck many who were not holding on to something, including all three Mentats.
Although several officers sprang forward in an instinctive effort to assist, the Mentats snarled away any help and slowly got to their feet, glaring around them.
“Turn!” the Ix ordered the captain. ‘I want to know what that barrier is and how it could impede this ship.” The captain gave the order to the coin-board to switch to the stern view screen. Nothing happened.
“I asked for the view astern,’ he roared but, while the communications officer cringed from his captain’s anger, all his attempts to access the rear views came to nothing.
“There is no response,’ he said.
“Damage report,’ said the engineering officer, ‘indicates problems with the arrays, sir. It is an external problem.” ‘Fix it!’ the captain said, bringing his fists down on the armrests.
Orders were forwarded, and the Ix rattled its long nails with far more irritation than the captain dared show.
“Well, then, turn the ship around so that the forward viewscreens can enlighten us. I must examine that obstacle,’ Ix said, making a small tight circle with one finger.
In getting free, the full power of the AA I ‘s engines had carried them a considerable distance before that manoeuvre was completed. The captain muttered unhappily when he saw how far they were from the misbegotten bubble, and an unhappy silence ensued in the bridge until they had returned close enough to examine the phenomenon.
During that time, a damage report suggested that every protuberance of more than twenty centimetres and all the more delicate arrays had been snapped off.
And indeed, as they neared the opaque bubble, it was obvious in the forward view-screen that every last one of the missing parts was embedded in the bubble, outlining the less fragile silhouette of the AA1. And the bubble completely enclosed the planet, just short of the two satellites. The orbital continued its programmed circuits, but there would be nothing on its tapes but an endless view of the bubble.
“It admits sunlight,’ said the science officer, relieved to find something positive to report for he had to add that its composition was totally unfamiliar.
“Examine it thoroughly,’ the Ix said, looming over the technician, expecting answers.
The Catten, one of the top men in his branch of the service, used every technique available to him at a station that was supposed to be the latest improvement for its duties, but could find nothing further to report. Finally he spread his hands to admit defeat. He dared not look above his head at the Mentat, so he did not see the blow that crushed his skull like a melon.
The Ix stormed from the bridge with its juniors behind it, and the captain told the helmsman to return to the original course back to Catten. Then he gestured for the corpse to be removed from the science station.
“Hell, I don’t know what it was,’ Marrucci told the others gathered in the bridge of the KDL. ‘Never seen anything like it pushed all the gauges off-line and it looked . . .” he paused, ‘for a split second, as if deep space got lit up.” ‘Now let’s not lose perspective here,’ Scott began and then stopped.
Beverly whistled under his breath. ‘I know it can’t be technologically possible,’ he began slowly, ‘but then a lot of stuff we’ve been seeing recently is so far beyond what we’d generally consider science-fictional that maybe we can stretch that little bit further and think that it’s possible to put a barrier around an entire planet.” “There’s something out there now that wasn’t there earlier,’ Scott said, leaning on the edge of the scanner board and staring at it.
“Even if it only shows up like a mist or a veil or an opacity.” ‘There Alas a Star Trek episode I saw as a kid,’ Marrucci remarked almost apologetically, ‘called the “Tholian Web”, and it was building a lattice to keep the Enterprise in.” ‘So how did the Enterprise get free?” Beverly asked without a trace of irony.
Marrucci thought for a long moment and then shrugged. ‘I can’t remember. But I can see the web being spun around it, and they knew they only had so much time . . .” he trailed off.
“So, are the Farmers keeping us in? And why did they let the Eosi ship in and then out?”
“It blew a hole in the web and got out?” Marrucci asked,
looking around the bridge for any other explanation. ‘That might explain that flash, the Eosi blowing it open.” ‘There’s no hole in it now,’ Scott said, standing up again but not taking his eyes from the screen. ‘And why was the Eosi ship here in the first place?” ‘Looking us over?” Fetterman suggested. They’d all been alerted by the Deski sentries here at Retreat Bay when the ship had over-flown them. Then the group at old Camp Narrow had informed them that the ship had landed in the Drop Field.
Discreet observation had followed, and reported, every move, including the skiff arriving at the abattoir and the subsequent removal to the field near Camp Rock, and Worrell had reported the skiff hovering over Camp Rock. And, in detail, what he had seen in the skiff.
“I saw three . . . giants . . . in the skiff,’ worry said, his voice shaky. ‘They were staring down at us, and I’ve never seen such nightmares. They were . . . sort of Catteni, but no Catteni is that big and glows. The heads are all distorted and the features sort of caricatures of Catteni. Not even Catteni deserve that sort of fate.
I’m glad Zainal missed out if that’s what he was avoiding!” ‘I concur with what Worry says
,’ Leon Dane came on line.
“I’ve never seen anything like that, not in Sydney nor in any of the material that we commandeered during our operations in Australia.
There’s a disease - elephantiasis - that causes something that looks similar. But the gross enlargement of the head isn’t at all like an encephalic abnormality . . . No wonder ordinary Catteni are frightened by the Eosi. They scared the shit out of me just now.” Shortly after that report, the warship was seen to pause just over the channel, where it circled for a long time. But time enough for those at Retreat Bay to complete the camouflage around the KDL and Baby, which were now housed in the big cave.
“You don’t think they’ve been looking for Zainal, do you?” Mitford asked. ‘He’d’ve been about there,’ and the sergeant pointed to the area that had attracted the Catteni hover, ‘in the Tub.” ‘What effect does several fathoms of water have on Catteni detection scans?” Marrucci asked those around him.
“Zainal might know, but let’s not call and ask him, huh?” Mitford said.
No-one could, anyhow, since that was when the Eosi warship met the immovable opacity and the brand-new worry about whether they were sealed in or others sealed out.
Having completed its programmed task, the bubble-drone assumed its monitor facet and observed the approach of a small spaceship which had just taken off from the subject planet. It had, of course, observed the arrival and landing of the same craft earlier but, as it was not programmed to take any action at that point, it continued its primary assignment, extruding the material that would form the protective barrier. However, when the spaceship did not heed the initial resistance of the barrier, it accessed its emergency instructions. In that brief period of time of adding scope to its activities, the space-craft displayed force which had to be disseminated quickly through the barrier to diffuse the effect. The further efforts of the space-craft to pass its confines weakened the barrier. Then the instructions were available and the barrier assisted the expulsion of the hostile craft. The substance of the barrier caught on and held protuberances and smaller exterior parts of the exiting body. But the overall integrity of the bubble remained intact and the subject planet was now safe from external dangers, of which the space-craft could now be considered one.
