"Do we need to find a replacement for her?" interrupted Neasterum, in his usual haughty sauropsid manner. Members of this race were not particularly noted for being tactful, and Neasterum was perhaps even less so than the norm for his kind. "She is a Lycan with limited experience, is she not?" He managed to say "Lycan" as though it were something you scrape off the bottom of your footpad.
"She is," said Naift, "but replacing her during this delicate period in the interaction of the two species might be a bit premature."
"I adamantly oppose any such action," said Joroaster, coming to the defense of his fellow Lycan. "Her work as Regional Guardian has been exemplary."
Neasterum responded with the Sauropsid equivalent of a shrug. "I merely make a suggestion," he said haughtily. "If we should decide such action is necessary, I have an excellent candidate to replace her."
"An experienced Sauropsid, no doubt," said Sub-queen Sithia, managing to make "Sauropsid" sound like something that tasted unpleasant.
"Councilors, please," said Naift, "We have strayed considerably from the topic. Continue if you please, Helspar."
"Thank you, Your Honor. Guardian L'Proxa has been instructed to remain alert to the possibility of Custodian activity."
"Has any evidence of such activity, beyond unfounded rumors, been forthcoming?" asked Neasterum.
"Nothing so far, my distinguished colleague, but we shall remain vigilant." Helspar looked around the chamber and said, "That is all that I have, Your Honor."
"Very well, you may step down," said Naift. "Joroaster? Proceed with your report on the Humans, if you please."
"Thank you, Your Honor," said the Lycan as he got up and made his way over to the podium. He was perhaps the most eloquent speaker of any of the councilors, Chief Councilor Naift included, and his confidence was obvious. "As Helspar reported, the two races should have interacted by now, and I expect a report from our Regional Guardian sometime very soon. Meanwhile, rumors of Custodial meddling continue to crop up from many places in the fourth Quadrant. We are pursuing all of them, even if they seem to be trivial."
"A waste of time," said Neasterum.
"It may indeed be," said Joroaster, "but the consequences of ignoring them are too great. By the way, Guardian L'Proxa was top in her class at University and, in my considered opinion, is more than qualified for her position."
"So we shall see," said Neasterum.
"That is all that I have, Chief Councilor," said Joroaster.
Naift gave his Sauropsid colleague an exasperated look before announcing, "With that, I will entertain a motion to adjourn."
"So moved," said Sub-queen Sithia.
As the members of the Council were leaving, Joroaster approached Helspar. "Could I have a word with you, please?"
"Of course," replied the Hylidian. "How can I help you?"
Joroaster glanced around the Grand Council chamber, "Not here. Please accompany me in my groundcar. I know a place where we can speak without fear of being monitored."
Grand Amalgamation of Galactic Civilizations Botanical Gardens,
First Quadrant of the Milky Way Galaxy, October 14, 2676.
A half hour later, Joroaster's private groundcar dropped the two Councilors off at the executive entrance to the renowned Amalgamation Botanical Gardens, a preserve holding a collection of plant life from all over the planet Eirene, location of Amalgamated headquarters.
"Walk with me, old friend," said Joroaster. "I have something to show you."
The two councilors meandered down a pathway winding its way through all manner of exotic and exquisitely beautiful plant displays. The time of day and the day of the cycle meant the two of them had the gardens virtually to themselves.
"I do not know why I have never been here before," said Helspar, after they had strolled in virtual silence for perhaps five minutes. "It is a place of great beauty and harmony, so quiet and peaceful."
"That it is," said Joroaster, "but like anything worth preserving, it requires a great deal of upkeep and care," he paused meaningfully, "much like maintaining a civilization."
"So true, only I expect this is considerably less work."
"Indeed."
After they had wandered for perhaps another ten or fifteen minutes, stopping frequently to admire the displays, they came to a section of the gardens shaded by tall, dense, overhanging plants that, except for their dark blue foliage, greatly resembled terrestrial trees. It was dark within the overhead canopy, the light and radiation from the nearby star blocked by the dense, moss-covered vegetation. The air was cool, humid and heavy, and many of the plants were dripping with condensation. Helspar looked around in wonder.
"This is very like my home planet," he said. "Perhaps you should not have brought me here, I may wish to stay permanently."
"I knew you would enjoy this enclave, that's why I wanted you to see it."
"But that is not the only reason."
"No, unfortunately, it is not."
"What is it that is troubling you?"
"Reports from the fourth quadrant indicate a great deal of Custodian activity, perhaps far more than usual. Guardian L'Proxa reports two incidents where there was direct Custodial interference, one involving the Humans and their Sentinel Key, and the other concerning the first contact meeting between them and your Hordea."
"That would constitute a clear violation of the Ancient treaty," said Helspar, his semi-iridescent crest beginning to fan out. "Why was I not informed?"
"I'll get to that in a moment, but first there is more you need to hear," said Joroaster. "She also claims to have direct evidence of collusion between Custodial agents and unscrupulous Humans in positions of influence."
"Those are some very serious allegations."
"Serious, yes, but I fear they are more than mere allegations."
"What do you suggest we do?"
"I do not know. That is part of the reason I wished to speak with you."
"You can expect no help from Neasterum. He seems determined to block any attempt at even discussing the topic of Custodians."
"With that in mind, I have saved the worst news for last."
"As though what you've told me so far isn't bad enough?"
"I wish that it were so."
Joroaster paused to collect his thoughts before continuing, "I mentioned Custodial interference with the first contact meeting between the Humans and the Hordea."
"As I said, a very serious development."
"It is indeed, but that presents us with a profoundly disturbing situation."
"And that is..."
"The Custodian's knew the time and the place where the meeting was to be conducted. The Deimos AI assures us that none of the human Representatives or Guardians had any opportunity to communicate this information to anyone else. The same is true on the Hordean side."
"Only Guardian L'Proxa and the members of the Supreme Council had that information!" exclaimed Helspar, aghast at the implications. "That means the Guardian was corrupted or..."
"Or that someone from the Supreme Council leaked the information. That is why you are hearing this from me, old friend. Guardian L'Proxa contacted me directly, I was the only one she felt she could trust completely."
Helspar's iridescent crest, which up till now had been alternating between relaxed and partially deployed, sprang fully erect."
Chapter 45. Alien Autopsy.
Sol System, in orbit near the Martian moon Deimos. October 14, 2676.
The following morning, Lenin's shuttle with Kozloff, Sergei, Won, Gertrude, Nuriyev and the three Belgrade fugitives on board, lifted off from Deimos and headed back to Lenin. Along the way, they made a stop at Helianthus to pick up Betula. Symantia, who needed to be on her way to other parts of the Quadrant again soon, rendezvoused with the courier in her scoutship. The assembly was met in Lenin's rear cargo hold by Lieutenant Grasmik and Sergeant Zlotnik. Symantia joined them after docking her scoutship with Lenin. She was introduced with little fanfare, the crew of the couri
er having been host to so many aliens in the last few days that such an event was becoming routine. The entourage then made their way down to Lenin's brig, where they were met by Corporal Pasternak, who had just started his shift on guard duty. After Pasternak opened the door, everyone crowded into an area small enough it would not have accommodated even a single additional being.
"Have there been any changes in the captive alien, Lieutenant?" asked Kozloff.
"None sir," replied Grasmik. "There is really nothing to report. It has remained lying on the deck on its back since it went into spasms almost a week ago. Since then, there hasn't been any movement at all, not so much as a twitch. We're pretty sure it really is dead."
Symantia looked the creature over in fascination, sniffing the air in the small chamber. "I had thought they were larger than this."
"The creature is exactly the way we found it," said Zlotnik.
"May I approach the Custodian?" asked Betula, through the translation device he was wearing.
Kozloff looked over at Grasmik who responded to the unvoiced query with a shrug.
Kozloff took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I think we're going to have to do something besides look at it before too much longer," he said. "Sergeant? You and Pasternak go into the cell with Betula. Keep your weapons at the ready, just in case this turns out to be some kind of elaborate trick."
"Aye aye, sir," said Zlotnik, drawing his sidearm and motioning with his head at Pasternak. The Corporal entered a code into a touch pad on the bulkhead outside the cell. The rectangular door slid open horizontally and disappeared into the wall.
The cell containing the Custodian now stood open.
Zlotnik and Pasternak slipped into the cell with weapons drawn.
"Be very careful, Sergeant, but give it a prod with your foot," said Kozloff.
Zlotnik lifted his right leg and prodded the prostrate creature with his boot. It rocked back and forth slightly but did not respond in any other way.
"It really does seem to be dead, sir," said Zlotnik. He bravely reached down and touched one of the unburned arms with his hand. "It's also cold to the touch. It was at least as warm as a man when we brought it in. I think it's safe for Betula to come in and examine it."
The Hordean, who was the shortest of any the humans had interacted with yet, glided smoothly into the cell and stopped about a meter away from the creature. He then bent forward and reached out towards the Custodian with two of his manipulator tentacles. Before making contact with the creature's body, the ends of both tentacles flattened out into boat-shaped paddles, each about the size of a human hand. He carefully touched the Custodian with the paddles, placing one at the top and the other at the bottom of the creature's upturned "underbelly." Upon making contact, the paddles began to quickly branch out into smaller and smaller tubules, creating net-like structures each covering a roughly circular area about twenty centimeters in diameter.
Betula stood very still, the webs on the ends of his tentacles pulsating almost imperceptibly. After perhaps two minutes, the webs began to retract into the paddles and the paddles themselves disappeared, restoring the ends of the tentacles to their normal appearance.
"The creature is most emphatically dead," said Betula. "The chemistry is very foreign, and therefore somewhat confusing, but I sense it succumbed to a toxin created internally. It appears this creature was responsible for its own death."
"Suicide before giving up any secrets," said Grasmik, "just like any other spy would try to do. We won't be getting much information from it, I'm afraid."
"On the contrary," said Betula. "We can learn a great deal about the chemistry and physiology of these creatures from it. We can, perhaps, find out what their weaknesses are, and devise methods to kill or neutralize them."
Kozloff looked at his science officer. "Are you up to the task of examining this creature, Ensign Nuriyev?"
The ensign's blue-gray eyes grew wide, and she swallowed before answering, sure in the knowledge she was being offered the project of a lifetime, but experiencing some healthy and justifiable self-doubt at the prospect.
"If Betula will help me, I'm willing to give it a go."
"I would be very disappointed if I was not able to participate," said the Hordean.
Kozloff called the ship's doctor and ordered an antigrav gurney brought to the brig to transfer the dead Custodian to the lab bench in Nuriyev's small, but well-equipped laboratory.
"Sergeant Zlotnik? I still want you to maintain a two-man guard on this creature at all times. It's probably dead, but we have no idea what will happen when Nuriyev starts to cut into it. I'm not taking any chances."
"As you wish, Sir."
"Babkin?" said Kozloff. "Come with me, I need you to take a look at the alien's quarters. There are modules of some sort and other strange devices in there. We need to find out what they do."
"I would like to stay longer," said Symantia, "but I have pressing business elsewhere in the quadrant and must be on my way. Besides, it appears as though you have things well in hand here." Leaving the others behind in the brig, Grasmick escorted her back to the rear cargo hold and bade her farewell.
Chapter 46. Destination Sol Three.
Deimos Common Room, October 14, 2676.
After the others departed for Lenin, those remaining on Deimos set about making preparations for the journey in-system to Earth.
Ariane turned to Holger, who had remained behind when the others left for Lenin. "While we were visiting Midgard several weeks ago, you said there was a shuttle that makes runs down to the planet."
"Keeling's Shuttle Services," replied Holgar, "owned and operated by Cyrus Keeling. He's got a big base in orbit around the planet and a fleet of shuttles runnin' back and forth between there and the surface."
"Is there any way we can get on one of those shuttles?" asked Ariane.
"Probably," said Holger. "We just need to check with him."
"How often does he go down to the planet?" asked Zack.
"A couple of times or thereabouts every week, he keeps a pretty loose schedule. When we tell him what you need, I'm sure he'll give you a ride. Hang on a sec, I'll have Erik get ahold of him."
Gertrude used her personal tablet to contact Erik on Warbird Three with her father's request.
"I'll call you back as soon as I hear something," replied the Viking pilot.
"Roger that," said Gertrude. She turned back to Zack and Ariane. "Keeling should be getting back to us within the next ten minutes or so."
"Thanks, Trudy," said Zack. He looked at the group around him. "Now, who all is going?"
"Not I," said Arnold. "I'd just be in the way. Besides, I'll be needed here to help decipher the new material on the pyramid and to interact with the other Representatives."
"You and I for sure, Zack." said Ariane. "That way we'd have two people who can operate the homing device." She thought for a moment. "I don't know that we need to take too many people. The more of us there are, the more attention we'll gather. We need some more good fighters, maybe a team of five to eight people."
"Let me see if I can round up a few of my best men," said Holger.
"Hold on a minute, Holger," said Ariane. "Kozloff has a team of Marines on Lenin. They're highly trained and used to working with each other. I wonder if he could spare some of them."
"Good idea," said Zack.
Gertrude's tablet chimed, indicating an incoming message.
"I got ahold of Cyrus," said Erik. "He said he'll wait for us to get there before he makes another run."
"Thanks, Erik," said Gertrude.
"We should like one of us to accompany you as well," said Quercia.
The request took them all by surprise, and Zack needed a moment to collect his thoughts before replying. "Are you sure? This trip could be pretty dangerous."
"Our temporary exo-shields provide excellent protection," replied the Hordean, "and we would like very much to examine the flora and fauna of your home planet."
"What do you think, Ariane?"
"We'll be a pretty heavily armed group, and all of us will be in battle armor," she replied. "If their shields are as strong as he says they are, I think it should be okay. Which one of you would be coming with us?"
"Malus, the one who has been on Capri learning from your engineer. He is one of our top scientists and, because of the time spent on your ship, he already has experience interacting with humans."
"Ariane? Are we okay with this?"
After giving the matter some thought, she nodded her head. "We're supposed to be demonstrating that our species can work together. This looks like a good opportunity to do just that. Nobody ever told us there wouldn't be some danger involved in the process."
"Okay, he can come," said Zack, though he appeared to be only partially convinced. "I hope we don't live to regret this. Will you see to it he's informed, Quercia?"
"He will be ready."
"Now that we've got that out of the way," said Ariane, "let's contact Captain Kozloff and see if he can spare two or three of his Marines."
After a brief exchange with the Soviet commander, Kozloff offered the services of three of his Marines, Sergeant Zlotnik, Corporal Pasternak and a young and very gung ho private named Yashkin.
"We have an expedition," said Zack. "I see no reason why we shouldn't get going right away."
"We can transport you to Keeling's station on Warbird Three," said Gertrude. She paused briefly before adding, "If you don't mind me butting in, I think you want to take Erik with you, he's been down to the surface more than once and has some idea of what you're getting into. Not only that, he's damned good in a fight, if it comes to that."
"You are one of the Representatives," said Zack. "You can 'butt in' whenever you want to. We'd be happy to have him."
The Archeon Codex: Guardians of the Galactic Sentinel Book 2 Page 23
