by Chris Burton
She saw the pain and then the anger in Harrington’s eyes. She knew he wanted her; but he was not stupid. He had no choice but to back off now.
The remainder of the journey to the Kryl Mother ship was uneventful. Carla stayed by the window and Harrington moved back to the seating area. As they neared the vast gateway to the innards of the Queen’s ship. Harrington finally approached her. He had obviously calmed down.
“I am sorry Carla. I have allowed my feelings for you to cloud my judgment. Can we just return to being friends?”
“Yes, of course.” She smiled and they turned their attention to the spectacle in front of them as they entered the cavernous hanger bay. She looked at Harrington. Okay, he had backed off, but she did not trust him. She would have to be very watchful in the days and weeks that lay ahead.
* * * *
One hour later, the two senate diplomats entered the Queen’s Sanctuary and began the long walk to the Queen’s throne, escorted by two Kryl drones.
As they neared the center of the room, the guards backed off and the Kryl Queen stepped forward from the darkness beyond the brightly lit throne area. She was wearing a full length black cloak with a tightly fitted black and red body suit which accentuated her slim, but powerful figure. Her face was as ashen as other Kryl, but her lips were bright red.
“Colonel Harrington, Major Stevenson. The diplomatic protagonists who helped bring forward our agreement. Welcome.”
Harrington stepped forward, before he replied.
“Your highness. It is indeed a pleasure to meet you. May I enquire to what name you would ask us to call you?”
“I am not your Queen and I would not expect you to treat me as such. I am however the ruler of the Kryl, which of course should demand your respect. It is important you remember that Colonel as your visits to me will be formal. I want you to act in an official capacity as link between Earth’s Government and the Kryl. You will do this alone, Colonel.”
“I see. Yes, of course. What about Major Stevenson? We come as a team and usually act together.”
“I have other plans for the Major. You can leave now Colonel.” The Two drones stepped forward, but Harrington stood his ground. He was certainly not going to leave without Carla.
“Major Stevenson should return with me. I am not sure what form your other plans will take, but given recent history, I must insist that we return to Earth together.”
“Your stance is heroic Colonel. But do not mistake my good nature now for the way you can expect things going forward. I am aware of the “recent history” to which you refer and I am also aware of your affections towards Miss Stevenson. However, you will leave now voluntarily or you will leave with the life extinguished from your body.”
Harrington looked hesitant, but Carla ushered him towards the Drones.
“Go. I am more than capable of looking after myself. I will contact you when I leave this ship.”
Again he was hesitant, but it was clear he had no choice. Reluctantly he followed the drone guards away from Carla and the Queen.
The Queen waited until Harrington was out of earshot. Carla was anxious. She did not know what to expect
“I know you are eagerly awaiting what I have in line for you Carla. May I call you that?”
Carla was scared. The Queen appeared to know everything and that must mean this had something to do with Jake. She tried to maintain her decorum and remembering that she was here in a diplomatic capacity; she managed to pull herself together and replied.
“Of course…what should I call you?”
“I am Trieste. I hope our relationship will be such that you will comfortable calling me this. Your thoughts betray you, Carla. You look scared and you are quite correct I do know everything. I know about Jake Carter, who of course I have already met, your fraught but intimate relationship with Colonel Harrington and that Alpha plan a resurgence to take back control of Earth.”
Carla was astounded. How had she managed to grasp so much from just a single thought?
“Both your conscious and your unconscious thoughts Carla. There is so much more behind the veiled cloud. I can probe so deep, your very memories become mine…in time, you will learn to control this; but my ability to enter your mind is so much greater than anything you have ever encountered before.”
“I am sorry…I don’t know what to think now.”
“Think nothing. It makes no difference. I can see you are concerned about this and I don’t want that. I want us to be close and for you to feel comfortable talking to me about things and not reliant on my extracting your thoughts. It is important you understand I knew who you were before we even met and that Jake Carter is your chosen one. It is of no surprise to me that Alpha is building an attack force either; our intelligence techniques are way beyond your capabilities. What does surprise me is your relationship with Colonel Harrington. You have succumbed to his advances. Yet you are not attracted to him.”
By now, Carla’s mind was a mess. She consciously tried to block her mind as she had tried before with Winterburn; but this was so much more.
“Ah…of course, your relationship with Navalion, or Winterburn as you knew him. Jake came to rescue you and then murdered him. We will save that for another day. Now tell me more about your relationship with Harrington?”
Carla realized there was little she could do but be open, at least about personal issues. There was little point trying to hide it.”I was drunk and allowed him to take advantage of me. I don’t find him attractive I just allowed it to happen and I let myself down…I love Jake.”
“Of course you do. But with alcohol, you become a different person. A curious thing this drug splitting your personality and relieving you of your inhibitions. You fucked him but now regret it.”
“He fucked me. He did all the running. I was careless and it will not happen again.”
“Unless you take alcohol again.”
“No…I have been drunk since and stopped myself from succumbing again. It will not happen again.”
Carla was curious she actually felt comfortable talking about this. She needed someone to talk to, to get this off her chest. The Queen was the last person she expected…
“What of Jake now? You feel guilty…why?”
“Because Jake is the one I love. He does not deserve me. I have cheated on him.”
“Cheated. Why? It was only sex. Why can you not have multiple partners?”
“Humans are monogamous. Our society expects us to be and between two people who love each other; they don’t want to share that person with someone else.”
“Jake Carter is not here with you. He will not know. He cannot probe your mind.”
“No, but I will know.”
“I can see that this is distressing. Would you like me to do something about Harrington to prevent his further advances?”
“No!”
She was forgetting where she was and who she was talking to. She needed to be professional.
“I am sorry; I did not mean to shout. I am in control of this. I would rather talk about something else.”
“Like what?”
“Can you tell me more about what you expect of me? What form our future meetings should take, the frequency, why you have chosen me?”
“Of course. I want this communication to be both ways. It is important you gain a greater understanding of our people and of me. I would like you here with me at all times. I want to understand the human race better.”
Carla was not going to have that. “I am sorry, Trieste. I cannot stay here with you. I am happy to visit you frequently, but not all the time. I need time for myself.”
“Of course. Then we will find a frequency and time that suits both of us. Let me tell you about myself…”
Carla was warming to her. How the hell was she allowing
this to happen? She’s the enemy goddamn it!
The Queen listened to her now, rather than reading her thoughts. Was this out of respect or was she now better at blocking the Queen’s penetrative mind merge?
“You need to understand why we have come to your planet and why we need to feed. We are not monsters. We are here because my people need to feed, but we respect you as people and want to look after you. I want your race to prosper; you are curious and divisive and yet thoughtful and intelligent. Your people have advanced very quickly and your ability to learn and adapt makes you a powerful force in this galaxy. Others have every right to be fearful of you. You have only just started and yet, already you threaten to control the galaxy.
“My people feed just as you do, but we also need sustenance from you to allow us to survive and to enrich our lives. We will only ever take what we need though and in time the numbers we are taking now will reduce markedly.”
“Which ever way you try to justify it, no one will ever accept it. I don’t see us as a power in the galaxy now. Will we ever be again or is this it now. Will the Kryl be here forever?”
“I am fond of you already, Carla. The way you turned that into a direct question. There aren’t many like you. We will be around for as long as the need remains; but as I said the numbers will reduce in time.”
“Do you think humans will just continue to accept this?”
“No. Which is why I am not surprised that Alpha continues to exist in its fullest form and that it is planning Earth’s salvation. You will not be successful. Others have tried before.”
“But you are not with the others. What happened to them? Are they all dead?”
“Mostly; but because they sought to challenge us and we responded; not because we consumed them. Let’s move on. Has Jake told you what I said to him?”
“Yes. You will see him again one day.”
“Do you think it is a coincidence that I have chosen you as my personal advisor?”
“Is that what I am? No. It is definitely planned. When, and if, Jake comes here and I am here with you; you think he won’t kill you in front of me.”
“No. Jake Carter will not kill me. I would have foreseen that already. We will have to wait and see what happens.”
“Do you know when?”
“No…although I assume it will be a while, which will give me a chance to get to know you better Carla. By the way, did Jake tell you that he had intimate thoughts about me?”
Carla could not believe it. She was not worried about Jake. She already knew and understood the power that the Kryl could exercise over you. She realized the Queen was toying with her and that this was an opportunity to return the favor.
“Trieste. I thought you were trying to be my friend? Jake would never have acted on those urges.”
“Yes, he would; as indeed would you if I pushed you still further.”
“Me and you! I am strictly a man girl!”
“As am I, but I am not averse to a little playing. Think about it, Carla. You are intrigued, you would enjoy it.”
Trieste was trying to influence her mind but she knew how to divert it.
“Girl on girl never and girl on Kryl never too. Look Trieste, I am here as an “advisor”. We are going off the point.”
The Queen acknowledged Carla was stronger than she looked.
“Very well. Perhaps we will address that matter again, some time in the future. For now, I think this first session has gone well and I am tiring. As you have opted to leave, rather than reside here, I believe a shuttle is waiting for you. I expect you back here tomorrow afternoon. Do not let me down, Carla. Others will suffer.”
Carla left quickly with the Queen’s final statement echoing through her mind.
Who did she mean by others?
She was grateful when she finally boarded the shuttle and it was clear of the Queen’s ship. Yet still she felt the Queen’s presence in her mind. It was only when the shuttle had rounded the Earth moon side that the Queen’s vice like grip finally let go and Carla felt free again. Free to work out what the Queen was up to and indeed what she had meant by her closing statement. Of course, she would be there tomorrow, she wanted to know more and yet it scared her. She already tried to reconcile how the Queen managed to probe her mind so deeply. The thoughts about Jake were at the forefront, but Harrington; he was being pushed further and further to the back of her mind. It was a moment of weakness, when she first arrived in the Queen’s chamber, that allowed her mind to be entered so deeply. She even rationalized how the Queen knew so much about Alpha. This information could not possibly have come from her.
Then she thought about Jake again. Was the Queen correct? Would he enter the Queen’s chamber once more and would he do so under her influence? So many questions. All she knew is that she missed Jake and wanted him here now. Yet, no amount of wanting made the slightest difference. She would just have to wait.
Chapter Twenty-One
The Dead Ship
Jake Carter was thinking about Carla too. For once he was off shift and he had some time for himself when sleeping was not the only option. He just finished drafting his latest comm.link message and was contemplating whether to take a stroll or head straight to the mess hall. His thought process was interrupted.
“Lieutenant Carter. Wesley Smith. I just wanted to run by some of the calculations for the tow. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Of course commander. Shall I come to you?”
“Yes. Join me and Lieutenant Chadwick in my ready room. We have light now too.”
The irony was not lost on Jake. The Pantheon had power, but only because the Patrol ship’s limited resources were being squeezed to the maximum. Chadwick did not like it and he did not like Jake’s plan to tow the Pantheon to the destination moon. This would be an interesting meeting.
Chadwick was already seated when Jake arrived. Jake saluted and then took his seat alongside his CO.
“Glad you could join us. Let’s keep this informal I think. My engineers have been looking at your schematics. They agree that providing velocity and cohesion is maintained, your ship should be able to tow the Pantheon and both can be encapsulated within a temporary phased bubble shield. The main issues, being protection against third party forces and what happens when we get to the moon. I would value your input at this point.”
“Thank you, sir.” He was hesitant. His CO had already made it clear to Jake privately, that he did not want to risk the Patrol ship. But the idea was already in the open and Commander Smith was the senior officer.
“The bubble shield is the critical issue. It will help the cohesion and reduce the effective towing mass of the Pantheon. It will be slow, but not least because you need to protect your bulkheads. The only real issue being setting down on the moon. If we can power up your reserves your thrusters can take over once we attain gravitational pull; but we will need to pull up quick or face being forced onto the surface when the Pantheon’s gravitational weight increases. The sums need to be checked and double-checked, but it should work.”
“I agree. The risk is clear and the gravity is a real issue, but we can work through it to mitigate the issues. What do you think, Bill?”
The patrol ship’s CO looked pensive. It was clear to Jake he was about to disagree with his colleagues opinions.
“Commander. I feel the risk we will be placing on both ships and critically both sets of crew is too great. I am sorry to be the spoiler here.”
Smith looked incredulous.”Have you looked at the figures? You realize that preserving this ship will provide safety to my crew and once the ship is repaired another significant force in Alpha’s arsenal. Surely the risk is mitigated.”
“My job is to preserve my crew and my ship. Your crew would be safe on the moon surface in the short term until a rescue can be arranged.”
&
nbsp; “If this Patrol ship is destroyed without passing on Intel to fleet, all four hundred and fifty people on the moon will be lost. Bill, the plan works. We just need to get the sums right.”
“Who will pilot the Patrol ship—especially during the landing phase. It is going to take something special.”
Jake interrupted,”Me, of course. Unless anyone has any better ideas. I am the only qualified Jump Pilot on board.”
“My understanding is that, as commanding officer, I have to give permission for specific operational procedures; particularly ones which affect the livelihood of the crew. I am withholding my support.”
Jake was furious, but he remained silent. Wesley Smith though, already made up his mind.
“Lieutenant Chadwick. Since you are keen to quote chapter and verse, perhaps you would like to finish the sub-section you were quoting from. I believe it goes on to say, unless those operational procedures affect the fleet or group of ships as a whole, in which case, the decision to deploy rests with the Fleet or Group CO. That is not word for word, but it is near enough. To be clear, we will do this with or without your support.”
This was it for Bill Chadwick. It was decision time. Would he stand up for himself or continue the path he chose every time confrontation reared its head?
“I see that I am in the minority. Very well Jake you can proceed with setting things up at this end.”
With grudging acceptance now in place, the meeting broke up and Jake set about coordinating his plan to tow the Pantheon to the destination moon. Three hours later, the shield harmonics were adjusted correctly and the “virtual” tow commenced.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Chasing Fleet
All five Patrol ships were dispatched and on route to their rendezvous with their specific target remote comm.relays. The Halo 7 and the other ships in the chasing fleet were more than half-way to the Styros Cluster. This was deep thru space. There were no planetary systems within ten light years in any direction. It was quiet, dull and monotonous. Keeping the crew motivated was always going to be difficult, particularly because each kilometer that went by, was one further kilometer away from Earth and the crews loved ones. It been more than eight weeks since they had communicated with Earth and no one knew how their fellow humans fared. All they could do, was continue their journey and await the responses from the Patrol Ships.
