“If necessary, just before we begin the assault, I can send shuttles down to evacuate our personnel,” commented P’Mar then paused. His tail began to twitch with excitement and he gave a bare fanged smile. “In fact, that would be plausible if Decoy is activated. The Iidx’ll see the leader of the last of the Kthpok going out to battle with their mortal enemy.”
A feral grin crossed the features of the Run Point. “I would enjoy being aboard to observe the destruction of the Iidx people.”
Chapter 15
Swarm Master Zelof’s antennae drooped with boredom after reviewing some of the many reports required to run the Greater Swarm. In an attempt to shake off the lethargy that’d started with the eighteenth report and grown with each succeeding document he lifted from the saddle he’d been resting on and moved away from his desk. He’d found long ago that pacing renewed his energy and gave him a chance to ponder. This time, as he started moving around his office in Refuge, his thoughts kept reviewing what he’d learned.
After going over the twenty-fourth report it was a wonder that he needed to get up and move around at all. In fact, his blood should have burst into steam by the time he’d finished reading the first page. But it hadn’t so here he was pacing and thinking.
Since the Kthpok swarm had returned from its exercise in the outer system frenzied activity had been observed. Missile factories run by the Kthpok had been operating at full capacity for almost twenty days. Iidx Analysts had determined that with this kind of output the Kthpok ship armories should have been full five days ago. Of course, that conclusion assumed the armories had been empty to begin with.
Zelof shook his head. The Kthpok had to be building reserves. “They’re getting ready to act,” he murmured and made the turn which completed his first circuit around his office. “But what are they going to do?” He waved his true-hands. “Who are they going to attack? Is it really the humans?”
Besides replenishing their missiles, the Kthpok were going over their ships. From what his people could see every shipboard system was being checked for any sign of a fault. That was another indication the Kthpok were preparing for war. Other reports said inventories of spare parts were overflowing. And there were foodstuffs. Again the Kthpok were stockpiling.
Zelof made the second turn of his third trip around the room. A path was starting to be worn in the carpet from this and many previous circuits. All this, everything they had pointed to the Kthpok Swarm being readied for combat. Zelof stopped and stared at a picture placed on a credenza that showed a mountain lake surround by a thick forest of evergreens. But who were they going to fight?
The problem for the Swarm Master was that all the preparations made by the Kthpok fit with their stated intentions. From the time his people had arrived at Main Hive years ago the Kthpok Run Point maintained that his goal was to wrest control of the Kthpok home planet from the invading humans. More recent, a day after returning from their exercise in the asteroid belt S’Cinf had arranged for an audience with the Presiding Assembly of Queens. Zelof had been present for that event as an invited guest of the Queens and heard the Run Point declare their exercise a success. At that time S’Cinf had loudly proclaimed the intention of the Kthpok people to return to their home nest and evict the usurping humans. He’d even specified a date and time for their departure.
The Swarm Master shook his head in disbelief. It was just what the Council of Queens wanted and expected to hear. He still remembered when Queen Desrin, the Presiding Queen of the Assembly, turned to give him a look of smug satisfaction at the announcement. It was very obvious she hadn’t forgotten his earlier concerns about how trustworthy the Kthpok were.
Since that audience Kthpok had been all over Main Hive overseeing the outfitting of their Swarm and communing with government officials. The Iidx leader walked back to his desk and looked at some date on a pad. They still had five days to go before the Kthpok were scheduled to leave.
Despite all the reassurances made by the Run Point Zelof felt an uneasy sensation between the antennae. The Swarm Master replaced the pad and turned away from the desk to resume his pacing. He knew the Kthpok were lying! He knew the Kthpok were a danger to the Iidx! Zelof’s pacing picked up as if speed could beat out his frustration. His problem was finding conclusive proof to show the Council of the Queens before it was too late.
The Swarm Master paused once more to glance back at his desk from across the room. He was tempted to place another call to the specialists who were working to decode the data Kazikami’s people had obtained. The information contained in those memory cubes would either give him the evidence he needed to convince the Queens the Kthpok weren’t to be trusted or would calm his frayed nerves.
Before he could put his thoughts into action a chiming broke into the Swarm Masters train of thought and the office door slid open without permission. Zelof swung around to reprimand the officer who’d entered his office without permission. He stopped when he recognized Commander Shunshin, the Office on Duty, and the heightened state of anxiety in the Iidx. “What’s wrong, Commander?” he asked.
The officer hurried over to where Zelof was standing, stiffened to attention and threw a quick salute. “Swarm Master, we’ve received word from Deep Scan that a large force has reached our system,” Shunshin announced.
“How large?” barked the Swarm Master without returning the officer’s salute. “Composition!”
“At least as large as the current Kthpok swarm,” was the immediate answer and the commander dropped his salute. “The distance is such that Deep Scan cannot break down the composition.”
That last bit of news was not unexpected. His people in Scanning hadn’t been able to determine what comprised the Kthpok Swarm when it was first detected. Zelof thought for a moment sorting through the options available before asking, “location and course?”
“The new swarm we’ve detected is in the location of space where we noticed the Kthpok when they first arrived and is on the same course,” Commander Shunshin replied.
“Interesting…,” said the Swarm Master then his antennae began waving in jerking movements. “Do the… are the Kthpok aware of this sighting?”
“The report is being passed to them by your Second now, sir.”
Before the Swarm Master could ask something else the door to his office opened again without warning and Sesum walked through the entrance. Although he was glad to see his Second this business of visitors entering his office unannounced and without permission was getting to be a habit. He’d have to speak with his receptionist about this - or get a new one. “Well?” the Swarm Master asked Sesum. “What did the Kthpok say?”
The Second shrugged his antennae. “First, I was thanked for the information,” he said. After that they said they had to confirm the sighting before they could issue a determination.” He held out his true-hands. “It seems they’ve a very small opinion of our abilities.
“Since they don’t have the assets in place that we do they’ve been given access to the detection grid.” Sesum paused for a moment as he pondered. “There’s an interesting thing though,” he said. “While they’re working to confirm the existence of another Swarm in the system there seemed to be some confusion among the Kthpok. It’s not confusion…, really. It seemed more like concern. Or even fear.”
“Fear?” asked Zelof. “Do the Kthpok know fear?”
“Apparently,” replied Sesum. “The feeling I got while talking to Fleet Admiral P’Mar is that he’s worried this is a human force looking for the remnants of the Kthpok.”
“Humans!” exclaimed the Swarm Master. “Is it possible to follow someone over that distance?”
Sesum shook his head. “That’s way outside my pay grade, Swarm Master,” he said.
“It was a stupid question, anyway,” said Zelof making a throw away motion with his true-hands. “The fact they crossed interstellar space says something about their capabilities. The more important question is: Has the Swarm been ordered out?”
The
Second looked more comfortable in answering that question and gave an emphatic nod of his head. “As soon as the scans came in your contingencies were activated, Swarm Master. The Council has confirmed the deployment orders. Your shuttle is being prepared and will be ready to take you to the flagship in an hour.”
Zelof looked around his office then at the piles of pads on his desk. His antennae began to wave in satisfaction and he gave a little chuckle. “At least I won’t have to worry about doing any paper work until I get back.”
An alert tone caught everyone’s attention. It seemed Zelof’s receptionist had started doing his job, however belated. The Swarm Master moved over to his desk, pushed a button and answered.
“The Master of the Data Analysts is here requesting to see you, Swarm Master,” announced the voice of the receptionist over the speaker.
Zelof looked at Sesum who shrugged his ignorance. “Can it wait?” the Swarm Master asked still looking at his Second. “The Swarm breaks orbit within a few hours and I have to be with it.”
There was a slight pause as the receptionist queried the Analyst. Then the Iidx called back. “I’m sorry, sir. Captain Sinemota says it cannot wait. It involves the Kthpok data base and current events.”
“Very well,” said Zelof with a sigh, “send him in but his time will be short.” After cutting the link with the receptionist he faced the other two Iidx. “It seems it’s either feast or famine,” he commented.
Turning to Commander Shunshin who’d been waiting patiently he said. “Thank you, Commander, for notifying me of this sighting. Return to your duties. Contact me immediately if the new Swarm changes course.” The Commander gave a sharp salute and whirled around to leave the room.
“Now, Swarm Second,” Zelof said. “Keep the preparations for the Swarms departure going. Our personnel are to be on alert. I want all our ships and orbital defenses ready to respond to any provocation regardless of where it comes from. Come get me when it’s time to go.”
As Sesum left to carry out his orders he passed Captain Sinemota who rushed in to hand another data pad to the Swarm Master. Without waiting for permission or giving a salute the Master Analyst began his report. “As ordered, Swarm Master, we’ve scanned the memory cubes you provided, broken the encryption and developed a translation.” Zelof looked down at the pad and activated it as Sinemota continued. “We’ve created an index for your ease of use.”
“What about a summary?” asked the Swarm Master looking up. “I don’t have a lot of time here.”
“There are a lot of mundane items in that database, sir. Things like power consumption, maintenance schedules and the like. With that in mind and using the parameters you specified we moved certain items to the front of the report.” He gave a pleased wave from his antennae and nodded at the pad. “That’ll be items one through ten. I think you’ll find the information we’ve indicated enlightening and applicable to today’s news.”
With a few deft strokes the Iidx leader called up the data Sinemota had indicated. It took only a few minutes of reading for Zelof to become engrossed in the contents. He stood motionless in the middle of his office, moving only to advance the page.
The Analyst stood patiently waiting to be dismissed so he could return to his work. He looked around, wondering what he should do. His antennae began a bored wave. When five minutes had gone by Sinemota issued a polite whistling from his breathing tubes to get the Swarm Master’s attention. He saw no response other than the shifting of pages. Occasionally Zelof would go back a few pages to review something he’d read earlier. Sinemota tried again, louder, with the same response. At last he gave a shrug of his antennae and left the Swarm Master’s office.
Zelof didn’t even look up when the office door slid shut behind the captain. He remained in the middle of his office reading, almost forgetting to breathe. Suddenly Zelof’s antennae stiffened. Uttering curses under his breath the Swarm Master hurried back to his desk and keyed the link to Communications. “I need to speak with the Presiding Assembly,” he called when the officer responded. “Now!” Without waiting for a reply he cut the link, reset his pad and began reading again.
Moments later the Communications officer called back. “Sir, the Presiding Assembly refuses to accept your call. They’re busy with the arrival of a possible hostile human fleet. They’re receiving critical communications only.”
“Try again, Lieutenant,” ordered Zelof. “Tell the Queen’s receptionist this is critical! It has a direct bearing on the arrival of the new Swarm.”
There was another short wait before the officer called back. “The Presiding Council’s cleared their schedule for your call, Swarm Master,” he said. “They want you to be concise as the time allotted for the call is short. I’ve sent the link to your console.”
The Swarm Master cut the intercom and settled onto the saddle behind his desk. After taking a deep breath to further organize his thoughts he pushed the button to establish contact with the Assembly. Seconds later the blank screen of his monitor flickered to life and the head of a Queen appeared. What distinguished her from other Iidx and identified her as a Queen was her lighter green coloring and large, fluffy antennae.
“Well, Swarm Master.” Zelof winced at the voice of Desrin, the Presiding Queen. From the tone he could tell she was upset at the interruption. “What news of import do you bring at this time of crisis?” she asked.
Careful to keep his tone respectful the Swarm Master replied. “Your Majesty, I have reason to believe the sighting of another alien swarm is a hoax.” He hoped that was concise enough.
There was silence for a moment then Desrin spoke. “You suggest our scanners are malfunctioning? Or confused perhaps?” She paused then spoke again. Sarcasm colored her voice. “I know, the operators of the scanning equipment are incompetent.”
“No, your Highness,” replied Zelof, “I have every confidence in our people. They are well trained and highly motivated. Something is out there but it’s not a hostile human fleet. Its decoys designed to mimic the readings of ships.”
“I see,” said the Queen. “Who would be responsible for this ‘ruse’?” She held out her hands. “What would be their purpose?”
“The purpose is to induce us to assemble our Swarm and move to intercept,” replied the Swarm Master. “In doing so our main defensive force will be headed for the outer system leaving Main Hive protected only by our orbital defenses. “
He paused as if a thought had just come to him. Zelof looked at the Queen’s image on the screen with intense concentration. “Queen Desrin, may I ask what the Kthpok will be doing while our Swarm makes the intercept?”
Desrin’s antennae gave a slight shiver and began a slow wave. “Upon verifying the sighting the Kthpok Run Point requested permission to travel with the Swarm,” was the reply in frigid tones. “After careful consideration the Presiding Assembly asked the Run Point to keep his Swarm in orbit around Main Hive. Although his desire was to meet and destroy his enemy he agreed to comply with our wishes.”
“No!” Zelof’s objection burst out before he could stop himself.
The Swarm Master’s protest was ignored as Queen Desrin continued speaking. “We’ve been told by the Kthpok and your people, Swarm Master, that human scanning equipment and their operators aren’t any better than ours. Therefore they cannot distinguish details around Main Hive. They might be able to see the ships in orbit but that’s it. The humans will assume any ships in orbit are ours and will hesitate to come further in system.” She nodded at the screen. “As you know from preparing our contingency plans, the objective is to convince the humans the Kthpok aren’t here. With that accomplished we can send the invaders back to where they came from without bloodshed. Having the Kthpok along where their ships could be recognized would make that impossible.”
“That leaves a hostile force in orbit over Main Hive while our Swarm is off chasing a dream,” said the Swarm Master. This time all attempts to hide his disgust were forgotten and his voice was colored wi
th derision.
The Queen’s antennae started to quiver as she worked to suppress her emotions. For a few moments there was a tense silence then the Presiding Queen spoke. “A hostile force?” Her voice was cold as the northern ice fields. “That is a serious accusation to make of a people who have been among us for several years, Swarm Master. Particularly when there hasn’t been any indication of hostile intent.”
She glared out of the screen at him. “What is the basis for this accusation Swarm Master? Do you have any proof of this ‘hostile intent’ or is this the same paranoia you expressed when the Kthpok arrived?”
“I have proof, your Majesty,” replied the Swarm Master and took a deep breath to get his own emotions under control. He had a good idea what was going to happen next but he had to try. “Your majesty, earlier you asked me who was responsible for the fake readings,” he said. “It’s the Kthpok.
“We’ve obtained partial copies of the Kthpok data base straight from their computers.” Zelof gave a nervous chuckle. “It’s taken sometime but our people have broken the encryption and developed a translation. The data base we’ve obtained includes details of the Kthpok plan for the conquest of Main Hive.” He held out his true-hands. “Queen Desrin this is the first stage of their plans to seize Main Hive.”
Zelof nodded at the screen to emphasize the importance of his message. “Your Highness, our ‘friends’ intend the eradication of our people. If you wish I can have the memory cubes with the raw data, the transcript, the officer who obtained the copies, and the analysts who performed the translation brought to the Governing Hive.” He took a quick glance at the clock on his monitor. “We can be there in just under two hours. Until you’ve received and reviewed this information do not order the Swarm from orbit. However Majesty, if you feel our forces have to be dispatched to the outer system, allow the Kthpok to go with us.”
Betrayal Page 23
