Exploration (Galactic Neighborhood Book 3)

by Alexander Elliott

  “Based on the animal skins they wear and the primitive weapons and shelter, these men have existed with virtually nothing. I must assume they have undergone some type of life extension or anti-aging therapy, since the images show them to be much younger than I would expect after almost seventy years. Based on their organizational structure and posted guards at the cave entrance, it seems likely these people are familiar with military protocol.”

  “This would fit with Lieutenant Duran’s assumption they came from Earth ships involved in defending the planet. Wherever they originally came from, I believe a rescue operation should be carried out as soon as possible. It is likely they have information which could answer many of our questions, and their safety may now be at risk given the current tension between us and their captors.”

  “Frankly, Admiral, I am most concerned about the women captives on the home world. The data shows two groups of women, being held in two different locations at the heart of their largest city. Based on the unique architecture, I believe it to be their governmental center or perhaps a royal palace of some kind. Having the women separated from the men, and then keeping them confined this way, suggests terrible things to my imagination.”

  “The passive scans showed only their presence, without revealing their true situation and condition. Perhaps the men know something which may help us understand what has happened, but I believe those women are our top priority. Their captors must have realized by now we would react badly if we knew they were keeping human prisoners. We must find a way to rescue them before the enemy decides to make them...disappear.”

  Anger and concern registered on every face in the room, and Perry himself felt a cold chill as Arlington’s words registered in his heart and mind. What would his response be if it were his own wife or children in enemy hands? He would do anything to get them back safe and sound, and once they were, he would make the enemy suffer for their crimes. With a soft knock on the tabletop the others quieted down to hear what he had to say. Perry stood to face them, indicating they should remain seated.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot properly express my feelings in this matter, other than to say we will do everything in our power to rescue those men and women as soon as possible. At the same time, we need additional information to plan our response to a future attack. I believe we can address both of those priorities without tipping our hand to the enemy, though the method I have in mind is just a bit unorthodox.”

  “General Arlington, you will coordinate our forces and safeguard this system as we have already discussed. You will be provided with any additional information gleaned about the enemy formations, weapons, tactics or timing which may enable you to better defend us against attack. General McClure, as I stated earlier, you will be responsible for overseeing the information network team.”

  “Use the Hound Dog personnel as your core, with operations aboard the Vingah vessel. We will be adding new team members and responsibilities very shortly, so be prepared for some changes. You will be fully briefed first thing in the morning. This has been a very long day, and I realize we are all in need of a good night’s rest. We will reconvene when more information is available. You are dismissed. General Moreland, please remain behind.”

  The others filed out of the stuffy conference room, heading in different directions. Whether or not they would get a good night’s rest was another question entirely. Moreland, who never tired nor needed sleep, could plainly see the exhaustion on his friend’s face.

  “You look strung out, Chris. Are you going to take your own advice?”

  Perry raised an eyebrow and allowed a brief chuckle to escape.

  “Homer said, ‘There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep’. As soon as I’m out of words, I will consider it. I believe it’s time to put our pet project to the test, unless you have an objection.”

  Moreland’s expression changed to one of enthusiastic interest.

  “I have been thinking the same thing since yesterday, but was hesitant to suggest it until now. Should I send for them?”

  Perry simply nodded and rose wearily from his comfortable chair to stretch his legs while he waited.

  Ten minutes later, Prescott delivered Bax and Cole through the conference room door and closed it quietly behind them. As usual, Bax spoke first.

  “You sent for us, Admiral?”

  Perry and Moreland seated themselves side by side at the table, and gestured to the chairs opposite them.

  “Have a seat, gentlemen. New information regarding our enemy has created a unique set of circumstances. Humans have been discovered on the two planets under enemy control. We need to find out who they are, how they got there, and the best way to rescue them. How quickly can you prepare two EMR’s for separate missions?”

  Cole looked surprised by the request, but Bax leaned forward and smiled.

  “Once we know the specific mission parameters, we can have them ready within an hour. Will they be going in independently or with support?”

  Perry ignored Bax’s question for the moment and glanced at Cole with narrowed eyes.

  “You seem concerned, Ensign Hearst. Are the units not yet ready?”

  Cole blushed hotly and looked away before answering the question.

  “Excuse me, Sir. I suppose you caught me off guard, since the testing has not yet been completed. From a hardware standpoint, the EMR’s are ready to go. My concern stems from possibly sending them in without any support. I would not recommend it at this time, Admiral.”

  Perry considered his comments for a moment, and then turned to Bax.

  “Do you concur, Ensign Young?”

  Bax glanced over at Cole and then answered the question.

  “Yes, Sir. As much as I would love to see how they perform on their own, I believe Cole is correct. Once we see how they perform this first time, we will have the data needed to try a solo mission with more confidence.”

  This was not the scenario Perry envisioned, but since the mission was time critical, he was willing to be more flexible. He turned towards Moreland.

  “General, I will need two of your best battlecruisers for this mission. One will be sent to the enemy homeworld, with Ensign Young aboard, while Ensign Hearst will be sent to the second planet. They are to be given full support while in enemy territory, and I want them both, along with the EMR’s, safely returned to the Sol system as soon as they have the information we need. The ships will remain stealthed at all times, and if anything goes wrong, the mission is to be aborted immediately. I will leave the three of you to work out the details and complete the programming and then get some rest. You will launch at dawn, local time.”

  Chapter 10

  It was still dark when the PSF battlecruiser, Colorado, slipped through fold space and into a low orbit around the beautiful, mysterious planet. As per orders, the ship remained in stealth mode and did a quick, deep scan of the system. Though expected, it was still a relief to find no other ships or satellites in orbit. Using coordinates obtained by the buoy, they trained their sensors on the human settlement, a collection of interconnected caves deep in the foothills of a barren mountain range. Before it spread a calm grassy plain, home to nothing more than a winding stream and a few scrubby bushes. A long curtain of leafy vines cascaded down the face of the cliffs, effectively hiding the main entrance. There was no activity at this hour, except for one man on watch, and Cole decide to wait until they were all up for the day before sending the EMR down.

  Dawn was just beginning to chase away the night, but there was still enough time for Cole to provide some last minute instructions. They assigned him a small communications alcove just off the main hanger deck. It was somewhat cramped, with only enough room for

  one operator at a time, but it was private and secure. The EMR shell rested just outside on the hanger deck floor, waiting for Cole to activate its systems.

  At the moment, he was monitoring the movements of the group, waiting to see if they would venture out o
f the cave this morning. He wanted the EMR to monitor them in stealth mode for a while, in order to give him a better idea when to reveal its presence among them. He didn’t want to frighten them unnecessarily, but he needed to earn their trust and cooperation quickly. He was going to have to play it by ear, using his own imagination and some very general guidelines.

  Sensors showed they built a fire, so presumably they were eating breakfast. After a few more minutes, a group of four men exited the caves and took up outside watch stations in the waist high grass which seemed to surround the caves and spread out in every direction. Each of them carried a large branch with which they beat the ground in front of them. Curious. Scaring something away which lurked in the grass? It made sense, and he was glad to be safely aboard the ship and far away from whatever was hiding down there. More men began to emerge from the cave until there was a group of about twenty. Cole touched a key on his panel.

  “Deploy the buoys, please.”

  Three stealthed buoys emerged from a small exterior portal in the ship, and made their way to the surface. One hovered just above the cave entrance, while the other two remained further off, awaiting more specific orders.

  ####

  Once he could hear what the men were saying, it was clear they were planning to hunt. Perfect! Now was the time to activate the EMR. Cole left the communications alcove and walked out onto the deck wearing the special headset and microphone which was created especially for this mission. Laying next to the shell were the EMR’s weapons and a filled backpack. Cole activated the headset and spoke calmly into the microphone.

  “EMR - Alpha, Charlie three, zero, seven. Enable.”

  The EMR materialized in the form of a PSF soldier, dressed for warm weather mission. It stooped to collect the weapons and settled the pack over its broad back. If the men were former military, they would be more likely to recognize and respect a typical looking soldier, rather than someone dressed as a diplomat or officer. Cole continued.

  “We have reached the insertion point. Review mission parameters and respond.”

  The EMR spoke in a normal human voice.

  “Review complete. Ready for insertion. Observe only, and maintain stealth mode until directed otherwise. Awaiting fold space translation.”

  “Begin.”

  The unit disappeared, and by the time Cole made it back to the communications alcove, the EMR was already in place, moving silently and invisibly alongside the hunting party. He settled in for the task ahead, wondering exactly how it was going to play out.

  ####

  Lovett and Birmew led the group, just behind the beaters, as they approached a watering hole frequented by both deer and boar. The men said little as they walked, keeping to their practice of silence while outside of the caves. There was a noticeable change recently, as not a single Silestri hunting party was observed arriving. It was possible they were simply hunting farther away, but both Lovett and Birmew were concerned something strange was going on.

  Regardless, it didn’t change the fact they still needed to eat and therefore had to hunt. When they advanced far enough, Birmew stopped and held his right arm in the air. The party formed a tight circle, with everyone facing outward, and beaters spaced evenly throughout. Here they would stay until Birmew, who did virtually all their hunting, returned with a fresh kill. As soon as they were in position, the Silestri silently left the group and carefully approached the watering hole.

  The beaters kept up a constant back and forth sweeping motion, protecting the group from any Viperheads which may be lurking nearby. They waited patiently, knowing it would not take long for him to make his first kill. Soon Birmew could be seen making his way back, dragging a large buck. Once delivered, he returned to try his luck at another while the men field dressed the animal. It was a messy process, which would have been much simpler with proper knives.

  Unfortunately, all they had were stone axes and elbow grease, which didn’t win them any prizes for neatness, but it did get the job done. By this time, Birmew brought in a doe, and they repeated the whole process once more. Two large nets made of fine vines were spread out on the ground and an animal was rolled onto each of them. The men gathered around each of the two nets, grabbed ahold of the edges, and lifted the deer off the ground to carry them back to the caves.

  The beaters cleared the way as usual while the rest of the group followed. They were only about a third of the way back when the beaters stopped in their tracks. The tall catnip grass made it difficult to see much, but Lovett noticed they each raised a hand in the air with index finger extended. Viperheads! A lot of them, apparently. This time of year, they often formed mating boils, a swirling mass of sexually crazed creatures which was to be avoided at all costs.

  Nothing frightened them, nothing stopped them, and nothing got in their way. The only thing the group could do was backtrack and go around. The bloody animals they carried were sure to attract attention, and Lovett considered leaving them as a distraction and making a run for it. Waiting it out was not an option either, since the boils were known to last for hours at a time. With hand signals, he directed the men to reverse course and then swing around to the right towards the stream. It would take longer to get back, of course, but from there it was a relatively short dash across to the caves.

  Cole listened and watched through the EMR’s ‘eyes’, but he was uncertain why the men suddenly stopped and then backtracked. They seemed genuinely concerned about avoiding a particular area, and so were evidently trying to go around it. Since the EMR was still stealthed, its sensors were set for passive scans only, and told Cole nothing. He directed the nearest buoy to focus on the grassy plain the men were walking through, and gasped when the frightening looking creatures were revealed.

  There were hundreds of them nearby, and they were heaped together in two distinct groups. Unfortunately, the men were unaware they were now walking straight towards the second mass of creatures. Before Cole could act, the beaters reached the frenzied swarm of animals, and the group of men were attacked.

  Panic stricken, they dropped the deer and tried to run, but several men were down already and there was nowhere to hide. Cole acted quickly. Almost simultaneously, he instructed the buoy to surround the men with a shield bubble and spoke clearly into the microphone.

  “Engage!”

  The creatures flung themselves against the invisible barrier, trying to continue their assault on the defenseless humans. The men were bleeding, confused and frightened, but disbelief overtook other reactions when a soldier simply appeared among them out of nowhere. Birmew roared and leaped at the stranger in their midst, only to slide off his shield and land in a heap at his feet. He growled and slashed at the soldier with this claws fully extended, but it was like pawing at thick glass. Lovett stepped forward.

  “Birmew, stop! I don’t think he intends to hurt us.”

  With the EMR’s programming engaged, he could sit back and observe, only interfering if the unit ran into a problem. The EMR approached Lovett cautiously.

  “I mean you no harm. The shield surrounding us will keep the creatures out. I have been sent to gather information, but some of your men are injured. Allow me to help them first, and then I will answer your questions. Agreed?”

  Lovett nodded curtly.

  “Agreed.”

  Though Birmew was still growling, he joined Lovett and the EMR as they walked together to the nearest injured man. He was in obvious pain and bleeding profusely from two different bites, though both creatures were already dead. The EMR reached out to remove them, but Lovett tried to stop him.

  “Be careful! Their teeth are very sharp, and you have to pry open their jaws to get them off.”

  The EMR smiled at him.

  “Do not be concerned. I will not be injured. Are the creatures poisonous?”

  “We don’t believe so. Aside from the pain, the biggest dangers are blood loss and infection.”

  They watched as the soldier effortlessly pried open the jaws of the d
ead Viperheads as though it were nothing at all. He flung them to the side and then placed an open palm over each wound. The injured man quickly sighed in relief and then lay still. The soldier removed his hands after ten seconds, and not only did the bleeding stop, but the wound began to close before their eyes. Lovett was astonished when the man stood up, acting normally as if the injuries never happened. Lovett inquired how he felt.

  “Just fine, Sir. The pain is gone, and the bites just feel a little warm and tingly. I can’t believe it!”

  The soldier moved on to the next person, and the next, until all five were treated and on their feet. The men were grateful but wary, having never experienced anything like it before.