“Hi Susanna,” Mark greeted.
She pointed to her companions, “This is Brendereen, and, of course, Acarea.”
“Hi,” said Mark, with a smile. “I'm Mark. The ugly one is Ned.”
Bren and Acarea shook their hands.
‘It seemed the standard greeting gesture,' Bren thought.
“Oh, by the way,” he said. “You can call me Bren.”
“Fine. Now, shall we go and have a look at the crystals?” Ned asked.
When they reached the growing section, they were all mesmerized by the two crystals. Each seemingly suspended via four beams of purple light at the centre of its own machine.
They were greenish-blue in colour, with a purple centre that constantly pulsed, making it impossible to look at them. Their sheer radiance preventing the brain from presenting an exact visual image.
“I see what you mean, about, not being able to look at them,” said Ned.
“That's why we grow each one inside its ‘final’ casing. Of course, you really need to be in space to do that.”
“I've heard it drives you insane if you look at it too long,” Mark pointed out.
“True. But it's fascinating. See how the crystal is already trying to make a shift. That's why looking at it is so difficult, it’s because the crystal ‘wants’ to be somewhere else.”
“How will they move them to their ships?” Acarea asked.
“Easy, when you know how,” Ned replied.
“See those spherical chambers over there?”
“Yes,” Bren said, interrupting him.
“But from what you just said the crystal might not want to move.”
“It will,” Ned continued. “When the warp crystal stops growing, there’s about a minute when it’s dormant.
So, exactly at that time, you swing the bottom half of its designated chamber directly under the crystal.
Activate the chamber’s magnetic field. Then cut the beam, and hey presto, it's in the box. Clamp the top on, and the chamber's field will hold it when it comes to life, again.
“But, you said, you've only a minute. Is that long enough?” Bren queried.
“Well, lack of time is the downside. It’s tight. But, yes it can be done.”
“Come on! Let's get back to the desk,” Susanna said.
Ned looked at her sharply, wondering 'who put her in charge?’
‘Only for the general running Ned,’ she replied. Directing her thoughts deliberately at him.
He reddened, realizing, the transceiver implant links were being relayed through Drone 23, which was sitting outside.
“Sorry,” he said aloud.
They all looked at him, “OK. So, a man can talk to himself, can't he?” he muttered.
'Don't emphasise your thoughts if you don’t want anyone to hear, Ned,' Susanna said, directing her voice to him.
He suddenly felt ashamed. Then, shrugging it off, he and Mark started talking to the Crillon and Pavonisien scientists at the control desk.
“Bren, have you told your people about what's going on, and have you asked them not have a go at the Crillons?” Susanna asked.
“Yes, and I'm assured there will be no reprisals.”
“Good, that’s a relief. I wouldn’t blame them, but it could backfire.”
“Understood,” Bren and Acarea replied together.
The technical discussions, on the timing of the growth of the crystals. On where the drilling rig was, and so on, continued for about half an hour.
Finally, they were all finished at the first plant.
“Ned. How do you want to play it? Susanna asked. “We've got three more Plants to check as soon as possible.”
“OK. Well, we’re leaving the Crillon and Pavonisien to look after the crystal-growing plant.
We’ll also leave four Marines and one force-craft, security locked naturally.
Micky. One of my technicians can also stay to keep an eye on everything. I guess that’s all. So now we can move onto Marca, the next city. Right?”
“It is,” she said. “When you're ready then.”
Ned talked to Micky, his wiry, blond-haired technician, giving him his orders. Checked that the marine captain was leaving four of his men to guard the Crillons and the buildings. With the rest of them going back to their force-crafts.
Susanna smiled to herself, 'A bit of authority for Ned, should make him feel better,' she thought.
Moments later, they went outside and headed for their transports.
“I can't see your ship or the wreck above city Marca,” Acarea said.
“The wreck’s been pushed into a higher orbit. They’re moving Andromeda onto city Velcray next. In fact, it could be there already, but it's too far away for us to see.”
“I guess it is,” Bren said.
“Bren, you have finished talking to your people here, haven’t you?”
“Yes, we're done!”
“OK, then can you warn your people at City Marca that we’re coming?”
“We've told them already.”
“Good.”
Marca’s industrial compound was exactly the same as City Atreen’s.
So, thirty-two minutes later, when drone 23 and the four force-craft landed they found four Crillons already standing near a pile of their weapons, and eleven Pavonisiens clambering to talk to the newcomers.
An hour later, the Marines had checked the Crillons and their weapons, found their shuttle empty, and had scanned the building.
Brendereen and Acarea had also finished discussions with their own people and were now ready to go.
Ned had designated Harold, one of his two remaining technicians, to stay and work with the Pavonisien scientist and the four Crillons.
Harold was a bright young man with an olive complexion, wavy black hair, and stunning brown eyes.
The marine captain, again left one force-craft and four more of his men, to guard the building and the Crillons.
The rest returned to the three-remaining force-craft, and off they went. To the city of Velcray.
City Velcray's industrial compound design mimicked the other two. So, when the three force-craft and Drone 23 landed forty minutes later, a now familiar sight awaited them.
With two Crillons standing near their weapons, together with five Pavonisien’s this time, all waiting to talk to them.
Plus, a third Crillon and his Pavonisien scientist inside the compound working at the crystal growing machines.
Forty minutes later. The Marines had talked to the Crillons. Their shuttle was empty like the other sites, and the building had been scanned for any other Crillons or booby traps.
Bren and Acarea had also spoken with their people, about what was happening.
They had already seen the human’s golden ship, high above them and watched it pushing the Crillon wreck higher until it was out of sight.
Ned designated the last of his technicians to stay at Velcray, to help the Crillon and the Pavonisien scientists. Again, four Marines and one force-craft were also left behind.
They would need another technician for Vicrea, so Mark volunteered one from his weapons department.
Everyone was now ready to go to the last city, Vicrea.
The stealth drone lifted off first. Followed, some ten minutes later, by the remaining two force-crafts. The crafts, rising high into the air. With their small, fusion-reactor drives, pushing them rapidly towards the last industrial compound, twenty-eight minutes away.
Stealth Drone 23 would be there, long before they arrived.
Suddenly, just fifteen minutes from Vicrea, an urgent message came in from drone 23. It was advising them to take care when approaching the compound, as eight Crillons, armed with hand weapons, were barricading the building and holding hostages.
The drone hadn’t been able to establish what was going on inside. But told them the Crillons had moved their shuttle, to a position close enough to make their escape, when they had finished, whatever it was, they were planning.
> “That's all we need, “Susanna said. “We've only got four Marines with us.”
“We'll still win!” said the marine captain.
“Have we got a video screen on this craft?” She asked. “We need to see the feed that was sent from the drone.”
“Yes. I'll raise it. We don't usually have it up; it gets in the way, and besides there’s a reasonably good view of the outside.”
'Andromeda!' Susanna then thought.
'Yes, Susanna. I'm monitoring the situation.’
'Good. Can you spare a few more marines?
Oh, and we need to leave another technician here when we've finished. So, can you send Michael from the weapons department? Then, we’ll use the force-craft you send them in, to return to the ship. OK?’
'Agreed. I'm on it.'
Then, a few seconds later she added. ‘With you in thirty-one minutes.’
'That will be too late,' thought Susanna. Then asked. 'Can’t the Crillon Captain, Tripicac, do anything?’
'Sorry Susanna, he’s already reported that he’s tried to contact them, but they're not responding to his calls.
He's also asked to be able to watch through 23's camera link, so I've patched a feed to him.’
It seemed very strange to Bren and Acarea. That no words were spoken, but everyone could talk and listen, to each other. Even them.
'Then, we'll have to take them out’ replied Susanna.
‘Uh, uh,’ she thought, as drone 23 reported that some of Vicrea’s locals were being lined up in a row.
‘This is ominous. No option now.’
Bren, closing his eyes, concentrated his thought. 'We can't let them stop us.' Emphasising the words, he was thinking, to see if he was in the loop.
'We won't Bren,' came Andromeda's voice in his implant. He smiled to himself, and Acarea gave him a sharp jab.
“Ouch!”
Then Andromeda, immediately replying to Susanna’s last thought message said, 'Do what you must my dear. After all, you are the tactician.’
Susanna, let it go and looked at Ned.
“That went down like a lead balloon,” he said aloud.
But, before she could say anything, he jerked his head, listening intently. Susanna could hear Andromeda laying down the law to him.
Afterwards, he cheerfully said. “So, it's your call, Susanna.”
She looked at the marine captain. “Yes,” he said. “We all heard Ned's remark. What do you want us to do?”
Then, Frank's voice came in, overriding everyone’s transplants.
“Captain! There’s a problem. We've analysed the Crillon’s hand weapons, and, from the information gained. We firmly believe that if you and your marines run your body armour under stealth mode. Then the suits will not protect you.”
There was a pause. “But, with your suits set on field-assist mode; however, you would probably be knocked over, but you would survive.”
“Can you promise us?” the marine captain jokingly replied.
They were now only eight minutes away from Vicrea, and Susanna had worked up a plan
‘Andromeda had been right,’ she thought. ‘When she’d said that she was a tactician.’ Being in data analysis and writing programmes did give her insight into how to bend things around so that they worked in one's favour.’
“Drone 23,” Susanna said. “Receive activity code, Delta, one, sun, echo, omega, D T 9.”
“Wow, that’s long. What’s it for?” asked Mark.
“I've told the drone to deactivate the nuclear warhead on one of the torpedoes.
We need to destroy their shuttle without blowing us all to kingdom come.”
“That’s a good idea,” Ned said. “I apologise Susanna.”
“That's all right,” she replied, then thought for a while.
“Captain! Can we rotate both force-craft so that the highest field density is facing the Crillons when we land?” She asked.
“We need to be able to get out of the craft with the field’s exit portal, away from them. On the opposite side.”
The captain looked as if he was in a trance for a few seconds as he conferred with his craft's computer.
“Yes. We can.
Shall I instruct our craft’s computers to perform the manoeuvre?”
Susanna looked at the landing countdown chronometer; it read five minutes.
‘Andromeda, just checking. Can the crafts force-fields withstand the Crillon’s weapons?’
'Yes, they can, but, not, if the field’s exit portal is facing the weapons.'
'Understood, thank you.'
She turned to the captain again. “Sorry. Yes, give it the go ahead.”
“We heard,” he said with a smile.
“I'll do it now, he said,” looking as if he was far away, again. “OK. Done.”
Looking at the scene on Vicrea, from stealth drone 23’s video, he could see that it hadn't changed much, nor had the sound feeds. The eight Crillons, with their hostages tied up, were still barricading the building.
But their shuttle was far enough away to allow the drone to hit it when required.
Susanna looked at Bren and Acarea, “You need to be careful; you’ve got your Blasters, but you aren’t protected.”
“Neither are you Susanna, and you have two to think of,” asserted Acarea.
Susanna grinned while looking down at the chronometer. Three minutes to go.
“Captain. When I reprogrammed the drone, I also instructed it to destroy their shuttle when the drone see’s us coming around from the back of our craft.”
“Excellent, that'll give us a diversion just when we need it. My other force-craft will follow and land in front of us.”
“No! This is what I propose captain, replied Susanna.
“I think both crafts should land together. It will split the Crillons fire.”
“OK. But my way might have taken up some of their fire, and given you a bit more protection.”
“Thanks for your proposal,” she said, then continued.
“Right. Our objectives are, therefore. One, to destroy the Crillons. Two, save the Pavonisien.”
She then ordered SD 23 to zoom in on one of the Crillon’s so they could inspect him at close range.
“The Crillons don't seem to have any body armour. So maybe your marines should reduce the beam width of their weapons, to make it easier to miss any Pavonisiens, Captain.”
“No, I can’t do that. If one of my Marines needs to adjust his weapon during the action, it could easily result in his death.
I can let two of them reduce the beam width of their weapons, but the other two must have full-width beams.
Then, we’ll be covered for all eventualities.”
“Point taken,” said Susanna.
“Hopefully, their shuttle exploding will startle the Crillons,” she said. Then nodded her head and continued.
“All right, any Crillon with a weapon in his hand, take him out. No, exceptions.
Once the Crillons are all dead, place a temporary guard on the warp crystal plant.
But remember, there will be Pavonisien scientists in the building. Try not to get any of them killed.”
Through the mistiness of the craft's force-field, the Vicrea's industrial compound could be seen, growing ever larger as they rapidly approached it.
The floor chronometer now read fifty seconds.
No one said anything, as they watched the scene in real time via the drone’s video link. The Crillons still in their original positions. The floor chronometer, now reading fifteen seconds.
Chapter 26
Gateway One.
The two force-craft shot over the boundary wall of the industrial park, as the floor chronometer showed five seconds.
The Crillons ducked instinctively, as the force-crafts passed over them and came to a halt fifteen metres away. The force-crafts, immediately rotating to provide them with maximum protection.
The Crillons, recovering, fired their weapons at both force-craft, bu
t their weapons fire only flared against the crafts force-fields.
One last look at the images being relayed from the drones’ screen showed the eight Crillons firing ineffectually into the crafts force-fields. Aiming their weapons at the people, they could just see inside.
Within seconds of the force-crafts touching down, the field strength of their rear side exit portals had reduced. Everyone stood up, weapons at the ready. With the Marines, all switching their suits to field-assist mode.
Susanna, in her craft, tucked the bottom of her white loose fitting top into her dark blue trousers. Pulled her belt tight, emphasizing her curvy body, and drew her sidearm.
Her expression changing rapidly, to that of a hard and determined gunfighter.
She was feeding on the adrenalin.
Both force-crafts seemed to empty, in the blink of an eye.
The Crillon shuttle exploding, as the Marines charged around the side of their force-crafts, and straight into a hail of fire.
Two of the eight were knocked over by the fire, but to the dismay of the Crillons, they still fired back, and one by one the Crillons died.
Bren and Acarea stayed back, with their Blasters in hand, to protect Mark and Ned.
Susanna followed the Marine captain out of their force-craft, and they ran into weapon fire from a single Crillon.
Several flashes hit the marine, sending him sprawling backwards into Susanna, and crashing both of them to the ground.
“Go back, my field generator's gone!” He yelled at her.
“No way Captain!” She shouted. Then grabbed his side-arm, and pulled herself upright, swinging hard to the left, a gun in each hand.
The Crillon, only ten metres away, raised his weapon and fired at her. The shot, singeing her hair as the beam passed.
The Definitive SpaceFed Trilogy (SpaceFed StarShips Trilogy).: A thrilling, action-packed Sci-fi space adventure. (SpaceFed StarShips Series Book 8) Page 34
