Vostor paused a moment and then tapped his pad to activate the playback of the recording.
The video showed grey and black streaks as the mapping ship passed through the wormhole, with the streaks appearing to be coming straight at the viewer. After a minute, the fork in the wormhole came quickly into view.
They could see that the mapping ship tried to veer into the left-hand fork, but was stopped by an object that was orange in colour and ovoid in shape.
On seeing the object, everything became clear to Tripicac, Arans and Tarcan, as they realised the object belonged to the Solverons.
“Then the Solverons must be at the other end of that fork,” Arans said. “We’ve seen that orange thing before. It was on the recording the Humans gave us. This means the Solverons are more widely spread than we thought.”
“So, the Solverons must have had the same shock as we did when the natural wormhole collapsed,” Vostor added.
“I’m sure of it,” Arans agreed. “So now we know who uses the fork. But they obviously don’t need to use it all the time.”
“Vostor, have you received anything yet from the mapping ship at our defunct wormhole?” Tarcan asked.
“There have been a few tremors, but nothing else and that was ten days ago,” Vostor answered.
“But it takes considerable time to map a large area like that. The instruments are so sensitive and finely tuned that any slight tremor means starting all over again.”
“Can we check on it now?” Tripicac asked, knowing it would be a waste of time as he had already done that recently. But at least, it would serve to see how efficient the Navy was.
“I’ll run an interrogation on it, we should get an answer within seven minutes.”
“Good,” Tripicac replied. He was pleased that, at present, the Navy were co-operating with them.
“You’ve all seen the human’s recording on the Solverons. Is there any way of sending a message to them using moon Tapin’s monitoring array?”
Vostor thought a moment. “We picked up that garbled thread from a collapsed wormhole when Commander Bovonivo of CS 14 met his end. If that thread has gone, then, no.”
“That’s not quite right Vostor,” Arans said.
“What are you talking about Arans, no thread, no link possible? It’s as simple as that.”
“I see where you’re going with this Arans,” Tripicac joined in.
“Commander Bovonivo had only made one jump before being attacked. So I can see that the Humans could have received it.” He paused to let that sink in.
“But he didn’t create another wormhole, so there wouldn’t have been a thread. But what I’m asking you Vostor, is how did you receive the information?”
Vostor shifted uneasily, stuttering as he answered. “I’m not sure Commander Tripicac. The connection should be impossible.”
“Are you telling us that you and your scientists can’t work it out?” Space Marshal Trendor snapped.
“Err,” Vostor stuttered. “It’s that thing at the fork. That’s the problem. Am I right Tripicac?”
“Yes, Vostor. I believe the Solveron’s sphere is a relay or hub for hundreds of wormhole threads. Which provide the Solverons with good communications between their planet and their ships,” Tripicac stopped speaking and looked around at everyone.
“It sounds plausible to me,” Vostor replied.
”During the attack on Commander Bovonivo, we tapped into a link which we now know must be a connection to the Solverons. So, if we can find the Solveron’s signal again, we might be able to piggy-back it and send a message to the humans, and vice-a-versa,” Vostor then suggested.”
“You should have been keeping a data log on all interceptions,” Trendor scornfully said.
“Yes sir, but it was a ‘weak’ signal, and we may not have been able to acquire its make-up anyway.”
“Rubbish Vostor, we give you billions of credits each year. You will find the link.”
Vostor didn’t reply; he just sat quietly. Suddenly, his technical pad beeped. “Ah, the mapping ship’s report.”
“Well, at least, you’ve done one thing right,” Marshal Trendor said. “Now display it.”
Vostor’s fingers danced across his pad, and the image appeared on the side screen.
The display simply showed rows and rows of cascading numbers, then stopped, and revealed a single picture of a rift. It was about ten kilometres in length, with its width seeming to vary all the time.
Vostor looked positively ecstatic. “See, the rift is there. Once it becomes four or five light-years deep, it will start folding back, and the wormhole will re-establish.”
“But it will have to do the same at the other end before the entire wormhole can be used, won’t it?” Tarcan asked.
“Yes,” Vostor replied. “But it will happen eventually. The space fabric is already starting to warp.”
“Then your human friends may come, Tripicac.” Marshall Trendor pointed out.
Tendor queried. “What if they are hostile to us?”
“We are confident that the humans will be here to help. Not to fight us, as our Navy always tries to do,” Arans replied, with a hardness in his voice.
“That’s not right Arans; things have changed,” Trendor corrected. “You know we had to fight you or become extinct.”
“Ok, let’s not get into a fight. So, how can we play the cards we’ve got?” Tarcan asked.
“We need time,” Vostor said. “At a guess, I think it could be another month before we can send a mapping ship through the wormhole. Agreed?”
They all nodded yes.
“In the meantime,” he added. “My division will try to use the Solverons own network to see if we can send a message to the humans. We’ll also try to see where the Solverons were going when they left us so hurriedly.
“What about the new ships Tendor?” Tripicac asked.
“Delayed a little due to the attack by the Solverons. But we’re catching up. The six are nearing completion on Tapin’s moon. However, it’s the next batch of ships that will suffer the worst delay.” They all nodded in agreement.
“And new weapons?”
“Have patience Commander Tripicac. It’ll be months before we can come up with something really new.”
“But we haven’t got months Tendor, a week or two maybe.”
“Then we’d better set up a progress meeting, on moon Tapin,” proposed Space Marshal Trendor. “Say in four days’ time, at 11 in the morning. Is that Ok with everyone?”
“Yes. We’ll be at the meeting Marshal. Most helpful sir,” Tarcan agreed.
“It’s good to be working together on this,” Arans said.
They all rose from their seats, and Tripicac, Arans and Tarcan each, in turn, clasped their arms around the naval officers in the usual Crillon gesture.
After the Navy, men had left. Tripicac turned to Arans and Tarcan, “Do you trust them?” He asked.
“Not entirely,” Arans said. “I’ve never been able to trust the higher-ups.”
“I don’t trust them either,” Tarcan grunted.
“I think we should be careful, Tripicac.”
“Agreed Arans.”
“OK, we need to check out the wormhole, then talk to Kasosko,” Tarcan finished, and they made their usual farewell gestures and left.
Chapter 11
Insight.
Frank watched the approach of the three, large blue globe-shaped Solveron ships with trepidation. Holding his breath as he waited.
He saw the little flashes of light, as their three stealth-drones created tiny wormholes.
Then each of their drones fired its complement of two miniature nuclear-torpedoes into its newly created wormhole, sending the torpedoes on their two-second journey right into the centre of their targeted blue globe Solveron ship.
Suddenly, a subliminal flash registered in his mind. Something had shot away from one of the ships as all three exploded in a violent, vaporising nuclear storm.
All the Earth ships were momentarily blinded by the flashes of the detonation of six nuclear weapons, together with the resultant electromagnetic pulse.
Frank breathed a sigh of relief, only to be rattled by the intruder alarm sounding in all transceiver implants.
The alarm’s volume lowered as Andromeda’s voice came through.
“Frank, our force-field’s strength dropped for a few seconds with that EM pulse. Something might have come aboard so it might be wise to put your emergency suit on.”
“OK. “Suit.”
“Here sir, step into me.”
He turned to see his emergency suit behind him. Its entire front including the headpiece had swung open to reveal a clean interior, no wires. Frank chuckled at the image.
“You can control me with your thoughts, sir. I use your implant.”
“Thank goodness,” he said moving backwards into the suit.
The suit’s front swung closed with a loud thump, and he could hear a hiss for a few seconds as the air-pressure increased inside the suit.
“We are secured now sir, where do you wish to go?”
“Nowhere, until you connect me with Andromeda.”
“OK, I can hear you now Frank, and we’re on top of the situation,” Andromeda said. “We have a metre-wide breach in the hull, but it’s contained.”
“What caused the contact alarm to go off?”
“That’s the strange part. There’s nothing there, except a hole.”
“Could it have been that something passing by hitting us?”
“Possible, but the hole is round.”
“What size is it?”
“Not big enough for a Solveron sphere. The droids have already put a temporary seal over the hole.”
“OK. Can I get out of this thing now?”
“No Frank, better wait until we are sure. Let the suit take you for a walk,” she joked.
“All right if I must,” he replied, slightly amused at the suggestion. “But, keep your link with me open.”
“Of course.”
‘Come on mate, let’s get out in the corridor,’ he thought, making sure he directed his ‘thought’ at the suit.
‘Yes, sir.’
He walked to the door in his suit, and as it opened, Frank felt his suit wobble. ‘Have you finished your acceptance period?’
‘No, sir, I’m on it now.’
‘What?’ Frank was flabbergasted.
He stepped into the corridor. There was a bang, as his suit collided with something rushing past.
Frank cursed as he was jarred. Then his view, through the suits face plate, whirled around, as he thumped backwards onto the floor.
“Get up suit,” he demanded, speaking angrily.
The suit didn’t respond.
“Get up damn you.”
Still no response, so he pushed his forehead against the face plate, causing the separate head protection assembly to part and fall away.
Looking up, he saw a Marine, with his battle armour energised, looking down at him. The armour had that very ‘weak blue glow’ about it, indicating that its field generator was working.
“Please help me up?” he asked.
The Marine just looked at him, his face obscured behind his helmet. Then he lifted one leg up and rested it on Frank’s emergency suit, just above his pelvis. The blue glow around the marine’s foot intensified.
He felt a tingle, which increased as a pulsating electrical charge built up underneath the marine’s foot.
“What the hell are you doing? Stop that,” he snapped, unable to move.
The pulsating electrical charge was now creating heat, and he realised he had an involuntary erection.
‘He’s going to cook me,’ he thought.
“Get off,” he yelled at the Marine, as he looked for a way out. Finding he could move the suit’s arm, he pulled it around as far as he could and swung it back, hitting the marine’s leg from under him and sending the Marine to the floor.
The heat went away, and so did his erection. He knew he was still at the mercy of this marine.
‘But why?’
A gold gender crest, just below the neck rim caught his eye as the marine unlocked the helmet’s seal and let it pivot backwards. The helmet shrank, and disappeared into a smoothly raised compartment that stretched across the width of the shoulders.
The marine extended ‘herself’ as much as her armoured suit would allow, then pulled her blond hair out from the neck ring, and shook her head to loosen her hair.
Just as he had seen her do it before.
“Jenny,” he gasped.
She moved, so his face was looking down past her head into her armour. He felt her black steel hand encompass his head. Fear flooded in. Her suit was in power mode, and she could crush his head with one squeeze.
“Here let me help sir,” came the voice of a man hurrying towards them along the corridor.
Jenny looked up sharply, her expression full of hate.
As Jonathan approached, looking bewildered. Jenny stood up, then bent her head near Frank’s.
“I will ‘have’ you Earthman,” she said. Then turned and walked swiftly away, without looking back.
“Jonathan, there’s a latch at the bottom of this suit somewhere.”
“Found it.”
The front opened and he got out.
“Thanks. Thought I was going to be cooked.”
“Was that really Jenny?”
“Yes. Something’s not right, though.”
“I’m sure there was nothing in the suit, at the instant that I first saw you,” said Jonathan.
“Andromeda.”
“Ah, you’re there. I was going to send a Marine to find out where you’d gone.”
“You mean, you lost me?”
“Yes, I thought the EM pulse disrupted the suit’s comms.”
“Where is Jenny?”
“Let me check. Yes, her battle armour is in her cabin.”
“Send some marines to arrest her. Now!”
“Yes, Frank.”
“Kill her if she resists. That’s an order.”
Jonathan looked worried.
“Andromeda,” Frank said. “You need to scan that entry point for a stealth escape pod. There’s got to be something we’re missing.”
“Yes, Frank.”
“Jonathan thinks Jenny’s suit was empty. But I saw her. She was definitely trying to cook me,” he added.
“I’m sure I saw something leave one of those ships. It only just registered in my mind, like a subliminal message would.”
“Could have been someone small, or in a stealth suit, perhaps?” Jonathan suggested.
“The Marines are at Jenny’s cabin Frank,” Andromeda informed him. “Are you going there?”
“Yes, I’m on my way,” he confirmed.
Going back into the control room, he took two weapons from a locked drawer.
Outside again, he handed one to Jonathan, then sealed the control room door.
“Come with me Jonathan,” Frank ordered.
Then they both went off down the corridor, stepping over Frank’s now defunct emergency suit.
“Andromeda carry out a cabin to cabin, stereo strobe scan and turn the air feed off when you do it.”
“I know the drill. I’ve locked down all critical areas. I’m also deploying my security droids to protect my physical units.”
“What security droids?” He asked as they approached Jenny’s cabin.
“The ones I had commissioned for just such an event.”
By the time, they reached the cabin, two Marines and Andromeda’s three security-droids had joined them, and Susanna was already there.
“Tom’s inside Frank,” she told him.
“Thanks, Susanna. You’d better stay out here with a guard.”
Inside the cabin, Jenny’s battle armour lay dumped in a heap on the floor. A medical droid was looking at Jenny, who was laying on the bed, still clothed.
‘So, obviously no
t ready to get into her armour,’ Frank thought.
She was laying on her side, with her legs pulled up, and her head resting on a doughnut shaped object that gave off an orange glow.
Frank didn’t notice Professor Tom White from Geo; who stood in as ship’s surgeon when needed until he stood up from behind the bed after surveying the doughnut-shaped object from a different angle.
“Hi, Frank.”
“Tom. What do we have?”
“The droid thinks that Jenny’s been drugged, with something like the Exofloriner 227 drug.”
“Never heard of it.”
“We found some at one of the manufacturing plants on Pavonis. Basically, it puts you to sleep and acts as a truth drug.”
“So, is it a Crillon drug?”
“Could be, or the Crillons got it from the Solverons.”
“Will Jenny be all right?”
“Yes Frank, I’m sure. I’m also sure that ‘thing’ there,” he said pointing to the doughnut-shaped object. “Is using Jenny’s implant to access her memory.”
“That’s how this Solveron ‘thing’ operated the battle armour suit, then?”
“Yes, and possibly a lot more while this ‘thing’ is still in place Frank.”
“Can’t we just lift Jenny off it, Tom?”
“It may be all right now, I’ve finished my part anyway, so I’ll ask the medical droid,” he said and talked to the droid.
“He’s happy. Right, Jonathan can you help us? You seem a bit lost.”
Jonathan tucked his hand weapon under his belt, and both he and Tom gently rolled Jenny onto her back and stretched her legs out. While one of the droids took the object off the bed and placed it into a steel box.
Jonathan looked at Jenny, then realised that he wanted to see her later, maybe date her.
‘Frank,’ came Andromeda’s voice in his transplant. ‘We’ve found an escape pod. A neat little thing but our pulsed stereo strobe worked well.
The escape pod couldn’t maintain enough stealth coverage from two angles so that accounts for Jonathan not seeing Jenny for a second or two.’
“Where’s the pod?” he asked out loud.
“Surprisingly, in cabin eight. But it’s been made safe.”
The Definitive SpaceFed Trilogy (SpaceFed StarShips Trilogy).: A thrilling, action-packed Sci-fi space adventure. (SpaceFed StarShips Series Book 8) Page 50
