“Eh, just hold on one damned minute!” Master Sergeant Thompson angrily shouted and tried to get to Sam, who was now being led out of the chamber by Morann and one of the robots. Declan the android grabbed Thompson’s arms to restrain him.
“I should not do that, Master Sergeant. They are not ordinary robots, they are Fianna battle droids,” Declan told him.
“What the hell are you talking about, Declan? Fianna battle droids? What the hell are they?” Thompson turned to glare at him. “And get your hands off me!” Declan had never laid hands on him before. As far as Thompson knew, Declan like all androids had an inhibitor implanted, which wouldn’t allow an android to carry out this action, or for that matter any other action, which might harm a human. Something wasn’t right here.
“They’re certainly advanced military robots, Master Sergeant,” Specialist Roskilly, an earnest looking young man, with slightly longer hair than was normally allowed in the military, answered. He was the SATCU’s computer whizz kid and an expert on most things and he had seen a damaged battle droid before at Area 51, which had apparently been excavated in the Egyptian desert from the wreck of an ancient Deltoid. “I don’t know who, or what, the Fianna is however.”
“The Fianna were the guardians of the High King of Ireland,” Sergeant First Class Kelly, who prided himself on his fourth-generation Irish ancestry, answered the question.
“Well even I know there ain’t no King of Ireland anymore,” Sergeant Pascoe retorted angrily. “So, what the fecks going on here!”
“You will now be silent and remain so and accompany us to your temporary quarters,” one of the battle droids addressed them all. “Do not think of resisting this instruction. You would be very foolish not to comply.” Even though the voice sounded robotic, there was more than a hint of menace in it.
The tranquillising drug administered in a micro-mist spray, in the teleportation chamber when they had first arrived on board, was now taking affect however and all of the crew of Hosken’s Deltoid, even including the Master Sergeant, after a moment or two’s hesitation eventually complied. When they arrived at the brig all the crew went in, apart from Declan, who headed on up the corridor towards the bridge. None of the battle droids attempted to stop him.
Chapter 26
Earth Orbit, The Nemhain’s Command Deltoid
Tuesday 13th September 2005
“The Deltoid’s vanished, commander!” One of the Nemhain’s crew suddenly called out.
“What do you mean? It’s vanished?” Fionnuala demanded to know.
“I started to do the teleportation sweep that you ordered, Nemhain and it was blocked,” the crew member explained. “I tried again and found that there was nothing whatsoever to lock onto. The Deltoid has vanished from that point in space and I can’t locate it, even on a long-range scan.”
“Could it have done a time jump?” Fenella questioned.
“Time jump equipment wasn’t detected when I scanned the Deltoid, commander,” another crew member told her. “But they’ve completely vanished.”
Fenella thought long and hard. Their attempt to teleport the crew had been blocked and then Deltoid had vanished. There was no-one Fenella knew who had the capability to block a teleportation sweep, then her heart sank, oh yes there was. She shook her head. It must have been the Fianna. So, what in the name of the Morrigan’s sacred crows, were they up to now? More importantly why hadn’t Oisin shared that technology with her.
“So, Fenella, I think you’d better tell me what’s been going on whilst I was imprisoned,” the Nemhain interrupted her thoughts and Fenella saw that look that the Nemhain had when she was suspicious of something. “How did we get this equipment from the Fianna and more importantly, how did we become friends with them again, after all they did to us?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fenella told her everything and to her surprise the Nemhain hadn’t exploded in anger as she had feared, but had quietly listened to all that she had to say. Joshua too she noticed, had listened intently to what had been said and at times had intervened, putting a hand on the Nemhain’s arm, when the Nemhain had looked ready to interrupt her.
“Hear her out, Fionnuala,” he had softly said and to Fenella’s utter amazement, the Nemhain hadn’t rebuked Joshua for laying hands upon her person.
“Just let me see if I have fully understood what you have just told me,” the Nemhain said when Fenella had finished. “Fionn Mac Cumhaill helped both you and the Morrigan in Waiting escape from those who imprisoned me.” Fenella nodded. “You’re also saying that the Fianna have supplied you with this advanced technology,” the Nemhain continued. “Which in turn they obtained from VarTech, which you tell me is the advanced technology Corporation that is owned and run by the Varn’s Ceannaire, my mortal enemy. Also, you tell me that the Fianna, led by Fionn Mac Cumhaill, who was once my friend, until he betrayed me and you and all of the Aos Si, are now our allies again, “ Fionnuala paused momentarily, “well your allies, not mine. Can you explain Fenella, why you have by this act betrayed me!”
“Nemhain, I have not betrayed you! I am your loyal warrior, now and always!” Fenella fervently declared. The Nemhain shook her head and then to Fenella’s surprise turned to Joshua.
“Joshua, I do not know what to do. This world I find myself in now, has changed beyond all recognition. I never thought I’d see the day when my oldest and most loyal comrade-in-arms would turn against me.”
“Fionnuala, Fenella is saying that she hasn’t betrayed you. There must be more to this situation than you think.” Joshua turned to Fenella. “There must be a reason that you allied yourself to the Nemhain’s enemy, Fenella.”
“There is, Joshua,” Fenella then turned to Fionnuala. “Nemhain, we found out that both we, the remainder of the Aos Si Imperials and the Fianna and the Varns have a more dangerous enemy to face. We needed to unite to fight them and so in your absence I pledged our forces to the cause.”
The Nemhain looked at Fenella in surprise.
“Who is this enemy?”
“The Andromedan assassin, JT, Nemhain. It was he who killed the Morrigan and severely wounded the Badhbh, who would surely have died had not Oisin rescued her.,” Fenella explained. “JT also killed the Varn Ceannaire, John Trevaskis Senior and was hunting you my Nemhain. He would certainly have killed you had he found the pyramid that you were imprisoned in.”
“Then we must find and destroy this creature, with or without the help of the Fianna,” Fionnuala replied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earth Orbit, Fianna Command Deltoid, The Beagalltach
Wednesday 14th September 2005
Sam Hoskens had been taken by Morann and two of the battle droids to a cabin. There he had found a man with brown hair and a bushy brown beard waiting for him, seated behind a desk. The man indicated that Sam should sit in the chair facing him on the other side of the desk.
“Thank you, Morann, that will be all,” the man addressed the woman who left the cabin. The battle droids remained; however, Sam noticed. He too had known what they were, having also seen the damaged battle droid at Area 51.
“I am Sceolan, second in command of the Fianna and you are Colonel Sam Hoskens of the United States Army, Special Alien Threat Containment Unit,” the man told him. “You are also an Aos Si descendant and one who I believe is beginning to question his President’s intentions, particularly with regards to the Sol 3 Agenda. Am I right so far?”
Sam just knew that his mouth must have fell open at the revelation made by Sceolan, but he was a good and loyal soldier and gave the standard reply for anyone in his particular situation.
“All you’ll get from me are my name, rank and number.”
“Very well, that is of course your prerogative, but I’d advise you to think back to the situation that you found yourself in, whilst serving your country in Bulgaria. It was in Pleven wasn’t it?”
Sam thought back to an event that he would never forget. He’d been up in Pleven, a town in Bulgar
ia, near to the border with the Soviet Union, running a listening post. This was monitoring a secret Soviet air force base in Romania, on the other side of the border, which Washington for some reason unbeknown to him, was very interested in.
One-night Sam was walking back to his accommodation when he was jumped by three men, who had set about him. Sam had managed to knock one of them out, but the other two were armed with knives and one of them had stabbed him in the ribs several times. Fortunately, they were disturbed before they could finish him off, when a stranger came to his rescue.
Sam never found out who the stranger was who had saved his life. Sam was bleeding out, but the stranger managed to stop the bleeding and had then carried him to the local hospital before disappearing without trace. What Sam hadn’t known was that the stranger was a member of the Fianna and had used medical nanobots to save his life.
“You were attacked by three men, who would have killed you if a stranger hadn’t come along and rescued you,” Sceolan continued. “I know that you never did find out who that stranger was.” How does he know all this, Sam was thinking? “He gave you something I believe and said some words you were to remember.” Sam now looked at Sceolan in disbelief. He couldn’t possibly have known that.
Sam had never told anyone about what had happened. He had made a rapid and miraculous recovery from his wounds and left the hospital a few days later. Rummaging about in his pocket, Sam found the badge that the man had stuffed into his hand, before leaving him at the hospital and took it out. Sam vaguely remembered the words that the man had said to him at the time.
“Dord Fiann,” Sam said, putting the badge face up on desk. Then Sam’s eyes widened as the man leant forward to pick it up and in doing so, Sam noticed the emblem on Sceolan’s emerald green tunic. It was exactly the same emblem as that on the badge that Sam had been given.
Sam Hoskens looked again at the badge and then at Sceolan.
“It was you; you were the man who saved me and took me to the hospital,” Sam said. Sceolan nodded. “So why have I and my crew been brought here?”
“Because I believe that you and your crew wouldn’t want anything to endanger the Earth and its people and that you Sam, for a very long time have been secretly questioning your President’s motives.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Sam agreed.
“What would you say if I told you that Mona McBeolain isn’t an American, but was working as an agent for another alien race?” Sceolan then announced.
Sam looked at Sceolan first in disbelief and then something in Sceolan’s eyes told him that the statement should be taken seriously.
“You’re saying that the President isn’t an American and is working as an agent for another alien race,” Sam repeated. Sceolan nodded in confirmation. “Then for what purpose?” Sam asked.
“To exploit the Earth’s natural resources, enslave, or exterminate its people and to change the climate of the planet so that in about ten years’ time, it will be suitable for its new population, which are on their way to Earth as we speak.” Sceolan said and Sam saw nothing in the Fianna’s second in command’s eyes to disbelieve him.
“So, who are these invaders, and how can we stop them?”
“They’re Andromedans, who suffered terrible harm, almost total extinction, in the war that the Aos Si Imperials and the Varns fought 14,000 years ago. You know of that war of course.”
“Yes,” Sam answered soberly. “It was the reason that my ancestors came to this planet. They were against the war and came here to try and escape it. So, are you saying that Mona McBeolain is working for the Andromedans?”
“She was, albeit unwittingly. Mona McBeolain is a descendant of Aos Si dissidents who like your ancestors came here to escape the war. She had no idea that it is the Andromedans that she was working for and thought the man who recruited her was a Varn. You see, the Andromedans are a parasitic worm, which over billions of years developed into an intelligent lifeform which can inhabit and control any form of life. Their preferred hosts are humans and other intelligent bipeds. JT, the Andromedan who recruited Mona McBeolain, your President, took he leader of the Varns as his host to do so. Fortunately, Oisin, the acting Ceannaire of the Fianna is at this very moment enlightening Mona as to who JT really is.”
“So, what happens to me and my crew?”
“Well Sam, I can call you Sam I hope,” Sceolan looked at the young Colonel. Sam nodded. “I’m hoping that you and your crew will join us in defending the Earth.” Sam again nodded.
“So, who are the Fianna?” Sam asked.
“The Fianna are an elite military unit of the Aos Si, the personal bodyguard of the Triumvirate of the Morrigan, Nemhain and Badhbh which rules our race,” Sceolan explained. “The problem we have, however, is that the former commander of the Fianna, Fionn Mac Cumhaill took most of our warriors and Deltoids into hiding, somewhere in the galaxy at the end of the war and we don’t know where they went to. Oisin, his son and our present commander searched for him for over thirty years, but didn’t find him, so at the most we’ve got what, less than twenty interplanetary Deltoids and this interstellar one to combat a force of what could possibly be hundreds of Andromedan craft.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Oval Office, The White House, Washington DC, USA
The same time, the same day
Mona McBeolain was still anxiously waiting to hear news of what had happened to Hoskens and also from King as to what was happening at Haddon Hall, but as yet had heard nothing from anyone. Suddenly the phone on Mona’s desk rang. Mona snatched up the hand set.
“It’s Marcus King, madam President,” Gail announced.
“Put him through!” Mona snapped. “What have you to report King!”
“Mr King is indisposed at present, madam President, but he should make a full and rapid recovery. As for Terry, or should I say JT’s pet cyborg, I’m not sorry to say that he’s demised,” voice disguising technology was being used and the person’s voice sounded very mechanical.
“Who is this? Who am I speaking to!” Mona demanded to know.
“The man who JT wanted assassinated,” a voice she knew only far too well announced, the voice cloaking technology no longer being used.
“Oisin?”
“Yes.”
“Oisin I can explain everything!” Mona anxiously declared.
“I’m sure that you can, and you will in all good time, but at present I have other priorities. Put me on to JT.”
“He’s not here, Oisin. As far as I know, he’s gone back to his private island in the Bahamas, well that’s where he said he was going.”
“Well that’s perhaps as well. I don’t think the American people would have appreciated the White House being destroyed.”
“You’d have done that?” Mona shocked to the core interrupted.
“If necessary. So, do tell me all that you know about the Sol 3 Agenda?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Oisin!” Mona protested.
“Oh, stop playing silly games. It’s me, Oisin that you’re talking too. You’ve had a very nice time playing at being the President of the United States of America, but it’s not a game anymore and your associate JT and his Andromedan friends must be stopped from carrying out their plan to invade Earth.”
“What! What are you talking about Oisin! JT and the Andromedans! Invading Earth?”
“JT’s an Andromedan. Oh dear, you really didn’t know. You really thought that he was John Trevaskis Senior, the leader of the Varns. Look, perhaps it would be easier if you came to me and I explained it all to you. Some old friends of yours would love to meet you too, I’m sure.”
“Yes,” Mona McBeolain just about managed to reply, stunned by Oisin’s revelations. “I think I’d better do that, Oisin.”
“Then you’d better turn your defence screen off, so that I can teleport you out to my command ship.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Fianna Command Deltoid, The Beagalltach,
/> Later that same day
“So, Oisin is your father, John,” Kate said turning to look at Oisin, who really didn’t look old enough to be anyone’s father. Oisin had shaved, had his hair cut and changed into his Fianna uniform. John was surprised to see how young his father looked, even younger than John could ever remember him looking before. They were all sitting in Oisin’s cabin and John had told Kate all that had happened at Haddon Hall and why he’d been unable to tell her where he was going.
“Yes, Kate, I am John’s father and probably like John, you’re wondering why I look so young.”
“Yes, I do,” Kate answered. “If that was you in the pub in Trentbury, you looked a lot older, more like you were in your fifties than late thirties.”
“Yes, that was me Kate,” Oisin answered. “I was in disguise and had deliberately altered my appearance so that I looked much older than I would normally appear. I am Aos Si and an Imperial and as you may know by now, the Aos Si experimented with genetic engineering after the Infertility Plague affected our race. A result of that was that we managed to arrest our age in normal circumstances, when it reached the late thirties.”
“We knew a little about it,” John replied. “Does that mean that the Aos Si are immortal?” John questioned.
“Not quite John. We can still be killed like any other living being and if we wish, we can painlessly terminate our own lives. Also, although we have extended our lifespans, our bodies do start to deteriorate after about 350 years and then very rapidly. The body’s organs start to fail and although medical intervention can still maintain life, most of the Aos Si decide to end their lives with dignity, at a time and place of their choosing surrounded by friends and family, who can say their last farewells to them.”
“Catherine Penrose has aged beyond her late thirties,” Kate commented.
“Yes, normally she wouldn’t have, but as you know she was close to death when I found her. The new medical nanobots she’d developed however, have arrested the ageing process and in time she may even look younger than she does now, as they repair the damage caused to her body.”
The Sol 3 Agenda Page 29
