There was a long silence, then Helkmid said, “I think we need to talk to a friend of mine. I have been thinking and we have been talking. He also thought I should not take sole responsibility.”
“We need some brain-storming on this one,” said Sarah slowly. “No one knows where the virus came from except a select few. Is there any way we can blame a faction of the Keulfyd? I don’t want to implicate another Race.”
“Yes,” said Helkmid. “That was his idea, and he is the expert on Keulfyd politics. He is the one who has been giving me all the information on the Keulfyd.”
“Now that’s a gift. Can your friend come up with a dissident political faction and manufacture some evidence?” asked Dai. “On second thoughts I know who can manufacture evidence.”
Sarah felt hopeful. The day was going better than she had expected, but it was late and now the meeting was winding down. She yawned and stretched then headed for her apartment, leaving them to it. Best to try to get some sleep. As she made her way to bed her mind was buzzing. They were as organized as they could be with the information they had. It was the information they didn’t have that would be the problem. But they had to come up with some evidence that would convince the Keulfyd that Helkmid had not made the virus. They could admit to all the other diseases, but not that one. She yawned again. So much, so crucial, the planning so fast, the Terran munitions factory not even here yet nor the other crucial war supplies. They were on a passenger ship, with refugees, breaking all the Rules of War and Audacity had had to be diverted.
Sarah pondered over how this virus could be explained and fell asleep thinking. She woke up during the night with the path to the solution. She eased out from under Dai, grabbed her notepad and wrote it down then cuddled back into him to sleep, much relieved.
That day’s broadcast was a little different. Sarah concluded with, “I have a request of all of you including all children who can read. We have been worried about why the Keulfyd originally targeted this planet. What were they looking for? What were they retaliating against? What was threatening them? We need to know if there is something here that can help us against them or that we can use as a solution. Maybe give whatever it is back to them. So I am asking you to collect and hand over every piece of paper or communication of any kind that is Keulfyd. Many of you figured out how to use their computers once the Loridsyl showed us how to get past the passwords. Look for Keulfyd writing. We will scan it using programs looking for key words. I will leave an example on the screen of their letters and math. Look for anything that looks like this on any form of communication. Most of their data is on those things that look like an Ereader. City leaders, please organize a search of all apartments the Keulfyd can fit into, which will narrow it down a little. Search offices and factories too, in every city.
“Surprisingly, we have information that the group possibly implicated are Keulfyd. Luckily, otherwise we would not know which Race to look for nor which group. Obviously, we have found out something but I can’t tell you what. Use all children over eight who can read. School for those over eight is to be suspended until this is done. The task is that important.”
Helkmid volunteered the Okme to search for what was retrievable of the Web and the data-storage buildings they had found. He said his friend could program in any keywords that would highlight any conspiracy, dissident political faction, divergent group, heretics, rival individuals, mad scientists, etcetera. Any potential Keulfyd scapegoat that might fit. He reckoned his friend knew the names of them all and the nicknames of most of them. He was confident he would find something useable.
Sarah would simultaneously get someone who could work with Helkmid’s friend to make up some plausible “evidence” as to who manufactured the virus. How to manufacture evidence was easy. The Ridianit lab materials could be transported to anywhere that Keulfyd had been living. Lab books could be forged, as could suspiciously high bank accounts of dead Keulfyd. A name search, Dai had said, could find every Keulfyd account and he could alter any account to fit.
“We had a good reason as to why we released the virus,” she said that night to Dai. “Bit of a pity if the Keulfyd don’t agree. Now let’s hope the Loridsyl plan works and we won’t have to explain ourselves. The silence of the fleet had me worried but under the circumstances it’s lucky. It has given us time. Their silence means we haven’t been asked any questions we have no answers for yet. But what will we say once the fleet gets here? We should have got working on this before. We should have had it finished and had a plausible scapegoat. I could kick myself!”
Dai grinned: these Terrans had such beautiful expressions. “We should have been prepared. If convincing enough, it might have stopped the war. Damn. Well, maybe next time. Like Helkmid, I don’t think the Keulfyd will give up if they lose this war.”
“Neither do I,” Sarah said, thinking that was why she had spent the money and gambled it. She signed in exasperation. “If we need a story by tomorrow we will come up short. Hopefully, we will have time to invent one but I doubt it.” She looked over but Dai was asleep.
The day the fleet arrived was eerily quiet as the skies emptied and all planes were landed. There had been so much activity and now it was so quiet. Alia, Ali, and their support crew of Niseyen, Terrans, and Loridsyl wandered around with nothing to do but worry and wait. Everybody waited, the control room tense, as they all tried not to stare at the screen and the frightening sight of the approaching fleet which was now coming in very slowly, still silent.
With Torroxell tantalizingly in sight, Kumenoprix was trying to think of something to occupy his mind. The last few hours were going to be the scariest, because this was when the Keulfyd fleet was most likely to open fire. Which is what happened. The noise, however, was muffled as the shield was hit again and again. He remembered what the woman had said: if the ship just rocks and the alarms don’t sound, don’t panic. But it was hard not to panic as the shield was hit again and again. But the Keulfyd were now hitting the Loridsyl shield, not their ship one. The Loridsyl shields were the best. The buffeting went on and on — then suddenly stopped.
Everyone looked at each other, then they heard the hum of the engines! They were under power! The relief was enormous. Everyone realized they must be off the tractor beam and then they heard the faint rustle of very thin air which meant they were entering the atmosphere. Better than that, it meant they were within the Torroxell planet shield. Better again. They were safe, for the moment anyway. It would take an awful lot to get through a planetary shield. Months of bombardment? He wasn’t sure. He wondered how their ship had got through the shield. Why had it not fired on them? Was it because they were under a Loridsyl shield at the time? Was it the Okme ID they were broadcasting? There was so much he didn’t know.
The Captain announced, “We are through the shield and going into orbit. We only got through because we were within a Loridsyl ship shield. Anything else, any other ship, would have been hit. The planetary shield is on. We will drop Kumenoprix off at Helkmid’s lab and then land at the capital city.
“Helkmid says any one who wants to work for him is welcome, or we can go to the city. For the future, the first Okme here can simply take over an empty Okme medical Center and run it. Four years’ labour — that means free treatment, folks — and we own it! We have a full complement of staff on board, albeit too many programmers. There is a center in one of the other cities that we could go to. We can have it, no charge, with whatever equipment our people left. The President says we can look around the planet to complete any equipment we need and there are some Niseyen here who can be our first customers. But the other oncoming ships have all been warned away. We were the last ship to land and were permitted to because of Kumenoprix. They urgently wanted him here. They say his contribution will be vital! I had a chat with the President. There were many ships in transit carrying Terrans and Niseyen heading here. They have had to divert to Niseyen worlds. And Kumenoprix, there is no charge for the rescue. The Loridsyl have taken
the Keulfyd ship in payment and Sarah said she would have paid anyway because she needs you. Popular fellow, aren’t you?”
There were general smiles and relief at that. A Loridsyl rescue using two ships could be prohibitively expensive, despite what the President said!
Three hours later the ship touched down. Kumenoprix was the only one to disembark. The others had all decided to start up a medical center and run it between them. They would have to retrain. All had decided they would learn one other job each.
Kumenoprix watched as the ship lifted off again and Helkmid and three others came out to get him. All Okme. He had now seen nothing but Okme for weeks. As Helkmid came towards him, something of Kumenoprix’s inner turmoil must have shown. Helkmid touched his arm as the others picked up his possessions. Helkmid guided him into the lab, saying, “Sorry we can’t chat but there is work to be done.” He headed for the main computer room. “You have to give us the keywords to look for. We are doing a web search for any dissident Keulfyd group that could have made the virus and would have had a reason to do so. Don’t worry about lack of finance, we have a tame bank that can ‘prove’ anything. We have a biological and chemical warfare lab and can provide anything technical. Try combinations of dissident groups.”
Kumenoprix stood there, horrified, seeing a seriously well equipped computer room within what was evidently a biological lab. Helkmid was saying this was a Biological Warfare Lab? With Okme running it? His friend Helkmid’s lab?
Helkmid said, “What’s wrong?”
“Did you develop that virus? Here?”
Helkmid realized he had better edit the truth for now. “This lab was owned and run by the Ridianit. The Terrans and Loridsyl kicked them out and Sarah asked if I would like to earn it. We are trying to find out what the Ridianit were doing but its main purpose now is to make the inoculations and vaccines for the Terrans and the Niseyen as they are susceptible to each other’s diseases. That’s how I am earning this lab for the Okme. But right now we have until tomorrow to come up with a believable story for Sarah to use to get the heat off us. To maybe stop this war before it starts.”
Kumenoprix sighed in relief and sat down. His normally alert, precise brain, now exhausted and confused by emotions, had failed to note that Helkmid hadn’t really answered his main question. Rapidly he started to list all the keywords of the main dissident groups and the names of any connected individual in his prodigious memory. He spoke for nearly three hours as he emptied his brain of hundreds of years of pertinent information. The computer added the search patterns containing the comparisons, shared motives, resources, locations, political affiliations, and all the other usual links.
This done, he started to list all the groups and describe them. As fast as he spoke into the computer, Helkmid’s prepared teams also separated out all the groups and analyzed them as others went through the Web with the key words and names and others analyzed the hits. Yet Helkmid ordered, “No other work is to be done except for essential tasks. All available staff are to work around the clock. We have to provide motive, means, method, material, finance, personnel and distribution. It has to be logical and plausible — and ready tonight in case it is needed. In case Sarah is asked questions she can’t answer. Not truthfully, anyway.”
The day slowly wore on towards evening, the silence unnerving. Once a day for the last eighteen days, someone had attempted to communicate with the fleet, with no success. They weren’t talking. Their screens were blanked. As the fleet neared, the Loridsyl on duty today once more checked the count, speed and classification of the fleet: “Twenty-three of the ships you call Flying Fortresses, twelve troop carriers, eighteen gunships and, several days behind them I am reliably informed, are the five resupply ships we were tipped off about. Overkill for what they anticipate. Their communications identify them as a fleet I have seen before. They are good. The resupply ships are going to be a massive problem if they follow standard procedure. Our plan needs to be slightly adapted.”
Sarah asked, “They have allowed for the shield having been reinforced?”
“Probably not, but no battle fleet wants to be depleted of weapons. They probably anticipate we will surrender, maybe after a brief show of force from them. Then they can resupply, send a small force down to hold the planet, and the rest head off to the next job.”
Sarah left the control room thinking, “Their job, a planet’s life.” It was too unnerving. The fleet was well within detection range of the shield, which should now be at full strength. The last incoming ship had arrived under cover of a Loridsyl shield. She stayed outside, looking up at the quiet sky: not a plane in sight. She shuddered and went back to the control room, picking up a Niseyen cloak and putting it on. She went over to the Loridsyl again as Dai came back in. Helkmid had provided her with a preliminary cover story for the virus. A hasty draft, she thought, as she reread it. Not to be used unless she had to, as it was full of holes. A work in progress. The Priskya were not here and Sarah had told the Cats to remain a mystery.
The screen suddenly lit up showing a room, bare except for a Keulfyd chair, which was empty. Something bustled about off-camera. Two can play at that game, thought Sarah, and headed for the “kitchen” which was concealed in a cupboard. She had given some thought as to how she would set this up. She knew the kitchen was not visible from their screen unless they had a fancy camera that could see around corners. Not impossible. She sipped.
A Keulfyd came into view and said, “Get your leader. The Commander awaits your surrender.”
That’ll be the day, thought Sarah, but she remained silent.
“She is nearby. I will call her,” answered the Loridsyl who was visible on the Keulfyd screens.
Sarah stayed where she was.
As previously instructed, the Loridsyl busied about for a few minutes and then said, “She is here,” and discreetly departed.
Sarah stayed where she was, off-screen, and waited. Ten minutes or so passed before a large Keulfyd strode into the room and sat in the chair.
Sarah put her drink down and walked over, saying as she came into range, “You will leave immediately, or I will instruct the Loridsyl to open fire.”
“You will surrender immediately!” thundered the Keulfyd.
“I will not!” snapped Sarah.
There was a long pause as the two glared at each other. Sarah thought she had been more nervous proposing to Dai. Now she was just angry. How dare he!
“I am Kedlijercylic and I speak for this fleet. Who are you and do you speak for the planet?”
“I am Sarah MacDonald and I speak for Torroxell. We do not surrender!”
“Why do the Niseyen wage war on the Keulfyd?”
“You have been secretly waging war on them for centuries, trying to annihilate them. I am not Niseyen. I speak only for Torroxell.”
“Our analysts say you are Niseyen and you are speaking Universal. Why do you deny this?”
“Your analysts are wrong and your Translators do not know my language.”
Kedlijercylix paused. “You are Terran?”
“Yes.” She had won that point, she thought.
“Why did you attack our Race with the virus?”
“We found the virus here and used it in self-defense. You attacked us! The virus was taken off world, to Oberterk, by one of your own people. Either he was sick with it or he had it with him. I don’t know which,” she lied sticking to the opening Helkmid had suggested and praying he asked no more details she couldn’t answer.
“I do not believe you. Why was the virus weaponized?”
“You will have to ask him. His name is Lidisihad.”
Kedlijercylic was off-balance and he didn’t like it. This woman did not know her place, which was under his foot. How did she know about Lidisihad? This information should not have got out! He had to stop this! The analysts continued to whisper into his ear. “You will surrender this planet,” he said. “Then will we talk. I may let you live.”
“If you attack thi
s planet, I will not let you live!”
Slightly off-camera Dai unconsciously moved at this threat exchange. The analysts noticed.
“Wait here,” Kedlijercylix said and left the room, going to the analysts next door.
“Report.”
“She is unknown. She looks Niseyen. All her conformation and coloring are Niseyen, but she could be Terran. She has the variety of accent we have detected in other Terrans.”
“What is her emotional state?”
“Anger.”
“Are you sure? Not fear? She is not afraid of me?”
“No. She is angry.”
Another said, “There is one behind her, a male Niseyen or maybe Terran by the shadow. We cannot see enough to identify him. He reacted at your threat to her.”
That was an idea. Kedlijercylix abruptly returned to the room. “I demand to see representatives of the other Races here.”
“No. You will deal with me. I am designated the leader.”
Furious, he had had enough. How dare she dictate to him! She needed to be taught a lesson. “You attacked my Race. I declare war on this Planet.”
“I declare war on the Keulfyd battle fleet threatening this planet.” Sarah turned and walked out the door leaving Kedlijercylix anding there, astonished.
Abruptly, overhead, there were flashes of light followed by thunderous booming. The war had begun.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The exchange between Sarah and Kedlijercylix was recorded and broadcast throughout space, beamed to nearby planets as per protocol. Thus was the war made official and legal. But Sarah had broken yet another protocol she did not know about: the conversation should have been restricted to the war. Both she and Kedlijercylix had said far too much. Too much had been revealed that should have remained secret. Kasthidill was furious and sent a despatch informing Kedlijercylix where he had erred.
Alien Backlash Page 31
