“Captain,” Nayar said, “We are ready to fill the chamber with Kinetic fluid. All systems perfect. Power is full.”
“Very good, Sergeant. Whenever you are rea―”
They were inside a drum. The percussive force squeezed Nina’s head like a fist for a painful instant. The chamber was filled with violet, red and orange flashes as everyone instinctively activated their energy sheaths.
“Report!” Nina bellowed. Another concussion.
“Attack! We are under attack!” Nayar shouted back, voice panicked.
“Well Move! Get us out of here! Launch!” Nina screamed, and before the word "launch," passed her lips, she was violently pressed into her flight couch. Nina thought the ceiling sensor image was down from the first impact, but the light was obliterated by a cloud of dust. Whatever hit them caused a major dust storm. The hull rumbled with hits. The weapon caused ejecta that was either falling back down atop them or they were slamming into it on the way up by Nayar’s insane acceleration.
Nina didn’t have to ask. She already knew who was attacking her. She didn’t know the weapon but was grateful it couldn’t be a heavy cruiser. There had not been a Queen’s fleet stationed in home system for ten thousand years. Some part of Nina thought there might be one soon, though. If Olthan was attacking the Seed Mission, it was nothing short of a coup. If the renegade general went this far, she would be very unpredictable.
“Why aren’t you talking to me! Report!” Nina shouted. They were all shocked, but Nina needed answers.
“Two ships attacking Captain,” Osae responded, and Nina was impressed that the Corporal’s voice was so calm. Their ship was already deep into the violent atmosphere. That might give them some hope. “I lost them in the atmosphere.”
There was another crash against the hull. They were hit with some form of directed energy.
“Well, they know where we are!” Nina shouted back. “Find them and hit them … with anything!” It was obvious also that this crew had far less experience in ship-to-ship fighting.
Nina looked over at Azin, who was surprisingly placid in her flight couch. Over her shoulder, kinetic fluid pooled against the rear bridge bulkhead. They didn’t even have time to fill the chamber with fluid. That would make it harder to do high-speed maneuvers. There was no time to calculate and deploy an inertia field around the bridge either. It was all bad news.
“It looks like you’ve been through this before,” Nina said. “Any suggestions are welcome.”
Azin said, “Yes.”
“Well do not hold back!” Nina urged.
“Sergeant Nayar,” Azin said in their shared thought channel. “On my command, extend the energy sheath twenty meters from the hull. Hold that for one full second, then cycle that configuration ten times. Also, change course in any direction you choose while increasing speed to maximum,” turning to Nina she said “They are tracking our energy sheath. This move might throw them off for at least ten seconds.”
“Are you ready?” Azin asked.
“Yes!” shouted Nayar aloud.
“Now,” Azin ordered with the same calm tone.
They were beaten by their couch harnesses as Nayar turned the ship hard. Nina could see the energy sheath push the violent atmosphere away from the ship. Each time the sheath extended, there was a surreal second of what appeared to be calm flight. Nayar pushed the ship hard, and they soon left the twenty-eight-kilometer-thick atmosphere.
“What did they hit us with?” Nina asked.
“Coherent X-rays in the second attack. They were trying to cook us. It also interfered with our navigation and made them harder to see. Not much got through the sheath, though,” Osae replied.
“Can you see them?” Nina asked. Nayar was busy piloting the ship. She could hear some unguarded thoughts as Nayar spoke to herself. The Sergeant was scared, but performing very well.
Nina saw the forward bulkhead display shift to the rear and offer a wide field. Osae highlighted two ships and labeled the distances for both. They had put twenty thousand kilometers between their attackers and were pulling away.
“Can they overtake us?” Nina asked.
“I do not know,” Osae answered, but Azin knew.
“They look like scout ships. They shouldn’t be able to catch us.”
Nina had a decision to make. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the ceiling. She contemplated killing her sisters. The thought made her ill, but the fate of an Advocate generation depended on this mission.
“What did they hit us with first?” Nina asked.
“Sonic cannon. Both ships were waiting just below the cloud ceiling,” Osae replied.
“Azin,” Nina asked, “how strong are weapons on scout ships.”
“Compared to ground units? Orders of magnitude,” Azin replied.
“Osae, how much did that first attack take out of us?”
“Our sheath was less than fifty percent.”
Nina opened her eyes. Two ships were in pursuit. They tried to deliver a fatal blow and did not back off. The best choice for the mission was clear.
“Osae, I want you to find an attack solution. Destroy our attackers,” Nina ordered.
Nobody replied. Azin stared at Nina with eyes colder and harder than normal.
“Their intentions are clear. They tried to kill us while we were most vulnerable. They knew our ship was not prepared,” Nina said in response to the apparent rebuke expressed by silence.
“You do not want to contact them first?” Azin asked.
“We already have contact, and their message is clear,” Nina replied coldly. Another reason for taking them out was to send a two-part message. Nina would do whatever was necessary for the success of the seed mission. Destroying them would also mean they would not have to deal with a conflict on Earth itself should the attackers follow them there. It was a safe bet that Olthan would need more time to send another mission. The move bought time and paid for it with Advocate lives. Nina did not set the stakes, but she wanted to show she was more than willing to play for them.
“I have the solution, Captain,” Osae reported flatly.
“I want this to be quick and decisive,” fire at will.
A humming sound filled the cabin in two long pulses. They felt it through the flight couches. The display turned completely white for several seconds. When it came back up, there were two glowing blue clouds of plasma evaporating into space. Nobody asked what weapon solution Osae devised. Whatever weapon she had configured wrecked both ships in a matter of seconds.
“How big is the crew on a scout ship?” Nina asked, her voice far away.
“Between five and ten,” Azin answered as she stared at the blue clouds on the bulkhead display. “They were not equipped for this kind of fight. They had one chance to kill us on the ground, and they failed.”
“Nayar. Resume course. Osae, I want you watching for any more signs of attack.”
Chapter 19: Earth, Strategy
Just when Rachel thought the Blackhawk could not go any faster, it picked up a jolt of speed and banked hard for the last two miles of their breakneck journey. They hurtled across a sparsely suburban landscape, cut across a two lane highway and flew across the research fields and nature preserve surrounding the USDA Agricultural Research Center.
“Hang on,” the pilot called over his shoulder before dropping down into the farmhouse field.
The helicopter’s nose was pointed at the tree line, and Rachel had a sickening sensation of weightlessness as the pilot dropped the Blackhawk recklessly down on the field. The two soldiers in the back of the helicopter were already opening the starboard door as the Blackhawk leveled out and they leaped out just before the wheels settled into the field. Four other soldiers ran toward the helicopter and van barreled toward the landing.
Chase grabbed a black canvas blanket that was folded under his seat, unfurled it and draped it over Ray’s head as the two soldiers unbuckled Ray and helped him to the ground. Ray flexed his elbows, and the soldie
rs locked their arms with his. They carried him into the open van, which turned around quickly and rolled to the back door of the farmhouse.
Donna, Chase, Charles, and Rachel left the helicopter at a far less urgent pace to cross the field.
“I still don’t like flying in human aircraft,” Rachel said.
“It still gives me a thrill,” Chase replied.
“That’s because you’re still a kid,” Rachel grumbled at him.
“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me in weeks.” Chase grinned.
Chase caught Donna’s eye and for the first time on this trip, and he thought she looked comfortable.
“Donna’s with me on this one. I can tell,” the General said
“This is true, General. It pains me to admit, but yes. That was exciting,” and they walked in silence toward the house.
Arnold was sitting in the kitchen with Mike and a glass of iced tea when the trees started a violent rustling. Even at twenty meters, the wind from the silenced Blackhawk rattled the antique windows. The dignitaries met the reported ETA nearly on the button. It was just a few minutes past midnight. There was another rush of wind as the Blackhawk took off and a moment later, a white van pulled up outside the kitchen door. Four soldiers hustled out to join the fully armed soldiers guarding the back yard. Two other soldiers quickly and carefully offloaded a small form with a black blanket draped over it. Arnold stood slowly with tingling arms and legs. This was it, he thought.
“The Ambassador,” Mike said, also rising from the kitchen table.
Lieutenant Conteh appeared in the dining room doorway. She was watching Arnold, not Ray’s arrival. She wanted to gauge Arnold’s reaction to the sight of Ray. She made sure to be on hand for first exo exposure whenever she could. Watching reactions taught her much.
The helicopter wind was gone. The van was turned off and parked near the kitchen door. There was only the sound of footsteps and the rustling of uniforms. Most other background noises ceased. When the first helicopter took off from the field earlier in the day, the sounds from the woods instantly resumed. A few cicadas sang to each other and birds chirped everywhere. Before Ray, the sound of crickets surrounded the house. But now from the woods, there was only silence.
“It’s quiet,” Arnold remarked.
“Yeah, that’s one of the weirder things you will notice about exos. Somehow, even the insects know. They all freak out for a while. The house will be mouse-free as well.”
“The house has mice?” Arnold asked.
“All farm houses have mice. But not this one while the Ambassador is here. They are probably leaving as we speak. We can’t use working dogs. They’d be going berserk right about now.”
And the soldiers mounted the three steps to the open kitchen door. They quickly carried Ray into the kitchen. One of them carefully removed the blanket from Ray. Arnold finally understood the phrase “jaw-dropping.” He caught himself holding his breath with his mouth hanging open. His face held this expression for exactly three seconds, but when Arnold noticed his mouth again, it felt thawed out.
The creature standing in the kitchen was about the height of an eight-year-old child. The being really did look like the popular representations of ‘little green men’ right down to the oversized, bulb-shaped head. Only this creature was a very uniform dark gray in color. The skin had very little texture and was not quite matte. Its arms were very long and slender. The tips of its four fingers hung almost to its knobby knees. As the being slowly, fluidly moved forward, Arnold noticed that the knees were double-jointed. The arm and leg joints looked like tennis balls stuffed into tubes. As the creature moved, Arnold didn’t see any muscles flexing.
The skin of the face was slightly translucent, giving the gray color a suggestion of depth. As Arnold stared at it, he could make out faint shapes that might have been veins. The creature moved toward him and passed through the dim light of the kitchen. And then the creature smiled. At first, it was difficult to tell the Ambassador had a mouth. There was no discernible opening below the nose. It had looked like a Halloween mask before a faint line appeared below a tiny, upturned button of a nose. The nostrils were large for such a small nose, but they became slightly larger as a faint line appeared beneath it.
“Thank you, gentlemen,” it said in a robotic voice to the soldiers who hustled it up the stairs. The soldiers were already dispersing while the creature slowly made its way into the kitchen. It spoke, but its moth did not move. Arnold managed to close his mouth again, but he stared and had not remembered to breathe until the being turned to them and spoke.
“Good evening Sergeant Skeates and Lieutenant Conteh. It is good to see you again,” Ray said cordially. “Lieutenant Triska, we have not met. I am called Ray,” and he slowly raised his right hand in that familiar human gesture.
His skin prickled as he moved almost automatically to take Ray’s hand. That was what one did, after all, when someone extended his hand. It was only polite. It was also obvious that Ray could read as he noticed Arnold’s name tag and symbols of rank. Arnold felt as if he was in a dream.
“Ambassador,” Arnold said, his voice seeming almost normal to his ears. “Pleased to meet you,” What else could he say, Arnold thought. He noticed that Ray’s voice came from a rectangular box attached to a collar strapped to his very long and slender neck. Ray held that strange version of a smile and slowly dipped his chin in acknowledgment.
Arnold looked down at the four-fingered hand gently gripping his. The skin was surprisingly cool to the touch. The texture was very smooth and soft, but the flesh beneath was firm. He got the impression of great strength from the contact. The fingers themselves were long, nearly twice the length of his own but only slightly thicker. The fingers had four joints of the same bulging type as the knees and elbows. The finger tips were bulb-shaped in similar proportion to Ray’s head. The finger pads were slightly concave, and Arnold noticed regular striations there that resembled fingerprints but with courser lines. Arnold realized he had been holding that hand with a slow, shallow shake for a good ten seconds. He released the grip and stepped back with a sheepish smile.
“I’m sorry, Ambassador. This is all new to me,” he said awkwardly.
“Not at all, Lieutenant Triska. I understand that protocol is to address me as “Ambassador,” but you may address me by my given human name should it make you more comfortable,” Ray said and turned away to move toward the living room kitchen exit. Arnold stood without words.
There was a sudden commotion in the dining room. They couldn’t make out the words, but only that many people were speaking at once with urgent tones. Lieutenant Conteh turned on her heel and brushed past Ray and into the dining room that was their command center. Mike and Arnold followed.
They found Major Spivey in the center of a circle made up of Colonel Balanik, General Breslin and an extremely bulky woman with light brown skin who was wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants. The major had one ear of a headset pressed to his right ear, and he held up a single finger to the rest of the circle. “Wait,” the Major gestured emphatically. The room sprouted several other laptop consoles since Arnold had seen it last and each one had two or more technicians huddled over it working frantically with information. Major Spivey nodded his head and walked around to a console on the opposite end of the table. He pointed at the screen and exchanged a few words with the technicians there. He took a deep breath and reported.
“European Space Agency is reporting anomalous X-Ray emissions thirty thousand kilometers from Venus. They lost contact with both their satellites orbiting the planet. They are currently processing optical data from that vicinity captured before they lost contact with their instruments. The emissions came in two massive pulses. Several terrestrial telescopes report flashes of light near Venus as well. Whatever is going on up there is visible from earth.
My team is aggregating science feeds now from NASA, the ESA and any private observatories we have access to. Our European counterpart is dispatching
a liaison to this station as we speak. The Fort Meade team is handling social media. But social media is the least of our worries.”
“Who’s worried?” General Breslin asked and covered the space between him and Major Spivey in two strides, said, “You have it handled, Major. Report any other major developments,” and the General turned to Rachel. “Colonel Balanik. Take Ray to the conference room. Gather whatever personnel and equipment you need,” then he looked around the room until his eyes rested on Arnold. “Trial by fire, Son. You are with me. Drafted. Time to earn your keep.”
The General turned to Lieutenant Conteh, asked, “Lieutenant, can you spare Sergeant Nichols?” The question was a formality and sign of respect, an order dressed as a question.
“My team will feel the loss, but, of course, General,” she said, and nodded to Sergeant Nichols, who stood surprised at the mention of his name.
“Lieutenant Triska, Sergeant Nichols,” the General said, then pivoted on his heel. Nichols and Triska followed the general from the dining room and up the stairs to the second floor where the doorway on the landing’s left was open. They followed him inside. Arnold looked back and saw Ray still climbing the stairs. He arrived in the room a few minutes later.
The second floor of the farmhouse was divided in two by a wall that ran down its middle. The door to the left of the staircase was its only entrance. A row of windows lined the wall opposite the entrance. Each wall to the left and right contained two evenly spaced doors that led to four bedrooms. The result was a large open area in the middle of which sat an oak conference table.
Sergeant Nichols immediately crossed the room and drew two massive curtains across the windows. The curtains were suspended by a cable and covered the wall from floor to ceiling. They provided light and soundproofing. Light in the room was provided by several desk lamps on the conference table and four floor lamps that stood at all four corners. The result was an illumination slightly greater than candle light. Ray entered the room with his plodding fluid gait and took a seat. Rachel followed a minute later along with the bulky woman and a young corporal with her arm in a sling. Arnold was surprised to see the small, young and wounded soldier. Rachel directed the Corporal to stand by the door.
The Genetic Imerative Page 28
