The noise-level diminished by half. Jason waited and, within the course of a minute, the ship became quiet.
“Thank you. Over the next few minutes I want you to pick one person, an emissary, who can speak on behalf of all of you. We can’t have you all screaming out at once, willy-nilly … it’s way too disruptive.” Jason gestured toward Dira. “This is Dira. She is the officer who will work with your newly-assigned emissary. Keep in mind, she will inform me if things get out of hand again, prompting me to return you to Halimar and the Gallopy arena.”
Dira leaned in close to Jason and whispered in his ear: “Am I supposed to feed them? Clean their cages too? Is that in my job description?”
She didn’t look happy and, truthfully, it really wasn’t fair to her. Jason turned to look down the aisle again and came to a decision. “As Ambassador of the Little People, Dira, you have the power to enlist as many subordinates as you deem necessary in accommodating our new guests. Maybe make up a revolving roster … I’ll leave that up to you.”
Dira chuckled, “That works. I know exactly who to start with.”
“As long as it’s not me, have at it.”
* * *
Jason joined Grimes in the cockpit. “Get us out of here, Grimes.”
The words had no sooner left his lips before she phase-shifted the Streamline into open space.
“We’re now in a low orbit around Halimar, Captain,” Grimes said, “but it won’t be long before we’re noticed.”
“That’s not likely,” Ricket said, coming up the aisle behind them. “Like both the Minian and The Lilly, Craing sensors will not detect the Streamline. The ship would need to be visually observed and … as small as she is, that is highly unlikely.”
“Then let’s keep as far away from other ships as possible,” Jason said. His attention focused on the holo-display before them. “Let’s take a look at the logistical layer.”
She brought up a wide, bird’s-eye view of the seven Craing worlds’ solar system, and then zoomed in on Halimar, and its neighboring planet, Terplin. Even though Ot-Mul’s Great Space initiative had begun in earnest, there were still thousands of Craing warships about, either waiting to be deployed, or permanently stationed on Halimar to provide ongoing security for the Craing worlds. In either case, the Streamline was far outmatched.
“Set a course for Itimus-four.” Jason turned toward Ricket. “What can you tell me about the Chrimguard compound? I know it was another life … but you’ve undoubtedly been there before.”
“Memories of a lifetime … prior to being a cyborgenic being … back before your father discovered me buried beneath the scrapyard, are almost non-existent … but not completely.”
Jason saw Ricket’s eyes lose focus as he mentally went somewhere else. When he finally looked back at Jason, he had a somewhat bemused expression. “I do remember magnificent surroundings, and an intensely bright orb, like a sun, hanging suspended from high up vaulted rafters. An important ceremony was in progress … there were priests in colorful robes wearing elaborate coned-shaped headdresses. I was very young … I was a different person.”
Jason didn’t see how that memory recall would be helpful to finding Ot-Mul, but nodded to his friend anyway. “Let me know if anything else comes to you, Ricket.”
“I will, Captain,” he said, turning away.
“Oh, Ricket?”
“Yes, Captain?”
“Is there any way to bring the small humans back to their original size? Perhaps in a MediPod?”
“Not in a MediPod … at least, not as they are configured presently. We would need to determine the exact conditions that brought about their transformation in the first place. Then I could explore a possible means to reproduce that same anomaly … but in reverse.”
“Well, let me know if you come up with anything.”
“Captain,” Grimes interrupted, pointing to something ahead.
“Itimus-four?” Jason asked.
“That and a fleet of seven dreadnaughts in orbit.”
“How soon before we’re within range to phase-shift down to the surface?”
“We’ll need to be in orbit first, Captain, as an intermediary step.” Grimes brought up a surface relief view. “Chrimguard compound is here. As you can see, it’s big … spanning several miles; I’m not able to get clear sensor readings on all of it.”
Jason saw it for himself as he studied the holo-display. Dab smack in the middle of the compound was a gray, almost perfectly circular area that was blocked out.
Jason had never before seen the Caldurian’s technology bested by another culture. But that certainly seemed the case here. Not good.
Grimes continued, “Not only are we unable to get clear sensor readings—perhaps they’re being blocked—I’m not sure but there doesn’t seem to be a way to establish phase-shift coordinates. There’s just no reference points, nothing, to lock on to.”
The implications were not lost on Jason. Whatever this new technology was, it could be a game changer in other ways. The ability to phase-shift into a Craing warship was one of their few advantages. If this new blocking technology was integrated into a heavy cruiser or a dreadnaught, they were in big trouble.
“Go ahead and get us into orbit. I want to get a better look at that compound … at least the aspects of it that are visible.”
Within five minutes, Grimes phase-shifted the Streamline into a low orbit around Itimus-four. Their orbiting position was at a midway point between two dreadnaughts—thousands of miles from either ship. Jason had Billy enter the cockpit and become part of their conversation.
“We’re above Chrimguard now, Captain.”
Live, three-dimensional feeds of the compound filled the holo-display. With its near-white sandy terrain, surrounding what looked to be structures of stacked stone, Jason was reminded of the Middle East back on Earth. The architecture was simple but elegant. Large archways and towering obelisks set among three sprawling azure ponds characterized the grounds in a way one would expect of a spiritual epicenter. “So, the inner grounds to Chrimguard and the Grand Sacellum are hidden,” Jason said.
“Looking at it now, it’s as if there is a dome surrounding the inner compound. I originally thought it was some kind of energy force field, but it may be more than that. It’s a force field, a shield, but it’s also physical. Look here.” Grimes zoomed in tight to one section of the compound. “See this area at the very edge of the dome? It’s a kind of lattice mesh laid over a rigid, dome-shaped, superstructure.”
Jason studied the dome and was pleased and concerned at the same time. Pleased, because the dome was not something easily retrofitted on a Craing warship, and concerned, because there seemed no easy way to get into the Grand Sacellum.
Billy said, “It looks like there are only three separate ways to enter the inner compound. All three lead beneath the dome, though … what are those? Armed guard posts?”
“Exactly. And each is equipped with a monster-sized plasma turret.”
Grimes brought up the logistical overlay, which indicated there were fifty or more red icons clustered around each of the three entrances. A large red icon passed over their zoomed-in area.
“What do we have here …? Looks like they have airborne security. Yep, there’s two gun ships, crisscrossing the sky overhead. That makes things even more complicated,” Billy said.
Jason wasn’t looking at the gunships; something else caught his eye. “Can you zoom in closer here?”
Grimes did as she was asked, bringing the image on the holo-display in tight on what looked like a conveyer belt. “I’m not sure what that is, Captain.”
“I think I know. Supplies. Not everything needs to enter through the three guard posts. Think about it … there’d be a constant roadblock of delivery vehicles blocking ingress and egress. No, this way small manageable items, like packaged goods, are placed on this conveyor belt and fed directly into the compound.”
“What are you thinking, Cap?” Billy asked. “I’
ll guarantee they scan every box, every item, for explosive materials going into that place. So, if you’re thinking about putting a bomb on that conveyer belt …”
“No … not a bomb. But if we could use this belt as a way inside to bring down whatever is powering that latticework dome …”
Both Grimes and Billy laughed out loud.
“Cap, sorry to burst your bubble of an idea, but there’s no way any of us would fit on that conveyer belt, let alone through the opening into the dome.”
“Are you sure about that?” Jason asked.
Billy’s forehead folded into a scowl. Then the light came on and he looked back toward the stern of the ship and the cubicle housing several hundred small humans. “Seriously?”
Chapter 38
The huge truck continued on through the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo parking lot and got back on Cheyenne Mountain Hwy, continuing to head south. Nan was keeping Mollie close to her, away from the truck bed—away from anyone who’d spent time inside a molt weevil cocoon. Unreasonable? she wondered. Probably. Especially since both she and Mollie had lived through that God-awful experience themselves.
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
“You just went a half-hour ago.”
“I drank a juice box,” Mollie replied, fidgeting on her mother’s knee.
“If she’s got to go, she’s got to go,” Gus said, not taking his eyes off the road ahead.
“Go and come right back. I don’t want you playing up there.”
“You think they’re going to turn into zombies. Don’t you?”
“I don’t know what I think, but it’s just safer if you do what I say.”
“But Reese is up there. Wouldn’t he protect me?”
Nan didn’t have a ready answer for that. “Just go … do your business and come right back.”
Mollie made a face and stood to leave.
“Bring me back one of those juice boxes on your way back … that is, if you don’t get eaten by a zombie,” said Gus.
“That’s not funny,” Mollie said.
Mollie was out the door and climbing the ladder when Gus glanced at Nan. “You know, there’s not much chance of that happening.”
“Who would have thought there was much of a chance any of this would happen? Have you taken a look at Cindy lately?”
“When we stopped a while back I went up to take a leak. Yeah, she’s definitely caught a bug or something.”
“Bug is right. Maybe I’ve seen too many old movies, but a part of me thinks there could be thousands of little molt weevils gestating inside her … when we least expect it, she’ll split open like an overripe cantaloupe and they’ll all come pouring out.”
“Now I know where Mollie gets her over-imagination from.”
Nan heard the familiar melodic tone in her head, indicating she was being hailed. She wanted it to be from Jason, but saw it was from her father-in-law, instead. She brought two fingers up to her ear. “Admiral?”
“Hello, Nan. How are you? How is Mollie?”
“We’re fine. We expect to reach the entrance to Cheyenne Mountain within the next hour. How are things in space? Is Boomer okay?”
“Boomer’s fine. Listen, I have something important to tell you.”
Nan sat up straighter in her seat. She hated it when someone said things like I have something important to tell you … like they were preparing you for terribly bad news—the worst news imaginable. Like Jason was injured, or even dead.
“It’s been confirmed. The president of the United States has been taken by the alien creatures.”
“Taken? What do you mean taken?”
“Washington has been completely overtaken. It’s been verified; the most recent underground bunker they moved the president to was breached late last night.”
“Verified how?”
“Video feeds. I saw them myself. Someone, an aide perhaps, opened the vault door and didn’t notice a molt weevil waiting high above. Anyway … it dropped down and got its tentacles in and around the door. It was inside the vault within two seconds. One by one, it went after everyone … the president, his family, several cabinet members … soon they were all wrapped up in those cocoon things.”
“You said he was taken.”
“That’s the other thing. Before, the cocoons were pretty much strewn about all over the place, but that’s not the case anymore. The creatures are now collecting them, organizing them into stacks … then bundling the cocoons together in mostly confined, dark areas. Hell, the Jefferson Memorial alone must have five hundred cocoons, all tightly-packed together in there,” the admiral added.
“That doesn’t mean the president’s dead, Admiral. I have first-hand experience in that regard. Some people survive when extricated. Mollie and I did. Others too.”
“I’ve heard the same reports. The problem is, nobody has any idea where the president, or vice-president, or any of the cabinet members, other than you, have been taken.”
“What about the speaker of the house?”
“No clue.”
Nan knew what the admiral was eluding to—even without coming right out and saying the words. As of then, as ludicrous as it sounded, she was the acting president of the United States.
“So what I do?”
Nan heard the admiral laugh. “Staying alive, for one thing, would be good. Avoiding being trapped in another cocoon would be good too.”
“This isn’t funny, Perry,” she said, reverting to his first name.
“Maybe not, but you have to admit, things couldn’t get much crazier.”
“I’m sure we’ll be safe once we reach the entrance to Cheyenne Mountain. Talk to me about space. The three Craing fleets and Jason’s mission to the Craing worlds.”
“Haven’t gotten an update from Jason in some time, but I’m taking that as no news is good news. As for the approaching fleets … they’re still coming and we’re still waiting for them. The good news is we have the Minian, which may not even the score but it certainly gives us a fighting chance.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Nan. I’ll be back in touch with you within the next few hours. There’ll be a packet of information waiting for you at Cheyenne Mountain. When I do make contact … you need to be real clear what our orders are.”
“Your orders?”
“Our orders. Not so long ago, with Jason’s help, our remaining Allied forces in space were moved under the purview of the United States government. Be prepared to make some uncomfortable decisions.”
Nan wrapped up her NanoCom communication with the admiral and cut the connection. She took in a long, slow breath and let it back out between pursed lips.
“Let me know if you need a potty break, Madam President,” Gus said with a grin.
“You heard?”
“Enough. Albeit, only one side of the conversation. I was wondering, since there’s an Air Force One for the president, would this be Dump Truck One?”
She offered Gus a courtesy smile and pressed the talk button on the walkie-talkie. “Reese, is Mollie still up there?”
“Um … yeah, looks like she’s just hanging out with Calvin on the couch.”
Nan’s first reaction was to have him send her back down. “Tell me something. Any of the people we’ve extricated from cocoons look sick?”
“With the exception of you and Mollie, they all do. Cindy’s been barfing over the back of the truck bed off and on for the last hour.”
“Terrific.” She hesitated telling Reese the latest news. “There’s something you should be aware of. The president and his family, all Washington, has pretty much been taken.”
“So you’re telling me you’re the acting president?”
“That I am.”
“Having sick people—potential carriers of who knows what—on this truck is a bad idea.”
“Probably. Throwing them overboard isn’t an option. I won’t do that,” Nan said. She waited for him to respond but only heard muffled sounds through the r
adio. “Reese?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m getting Mollie away from the others. She’s not too happy with me; you should see her coming down the ladder now.”
Sure enough, Mollie was climbing down to her right. Nan opened the cab door and patted her knee. “She’s here with me now … thank you, Reese.”
“I’ll be watching the others closely. Anyone who comes up here needs to notify me first and I’ll escort them to the bathroom.”
“Thank you, Reese. It’s too bad it’s come to this.”
“Better safe than sorry.”
She put the radio back on the dashboard and put an arm around Mollie.
Mollie squirmed her mother’s arm away and continued to pout.
“Don’t be mad, sweetie. Things are complicated. We need to be extra, extra careful from now on.”
“I’m sick of this stupid truck. I want to go back to The Lilly. I want to stay with my dad.” She stomped her foot and turned her face away from her mother.
“Hey, Mollie,” Gus said, “You should try to cut your mother some slack.” Mollie continued to silently stare out the side window. “How about we cause some trouble?”
Mollie turned her scowl toward Gus. Both Nan and Mollie yelped as the big front right tire went up and over a Cadillac Escalade, a Prius, and then a Ford Econovan. As each of the truck’s right side tires further flattened the vehicles, sounds of metal and glass crunched loudly below. Mollie and Nan laughed out loud, and seeing Gus maintain a blank expression throughout the demolition made it all the more hilarious to them.
Chapter 39
At a half mile out from the entrance to Cheyenne Mountain, the NORAD and USNORTHCOM Alternate Command Center, Nan heard Reese on the walkie-talkie.
“What is it, Reese?”
“You wanted to know if anything’s changed up here with those we released from the cocoons.”
“What’s happening?”
“Out of eight, half are sick and barfing off the back of the truck bed. The other half seem perfectly fine. Cindy, Calvin’s mother, is … I want to say unconscious, but her eyes are open … unblinking.”
The Great Space (Scrapyard Ship Book 6) Page 20
