by T. R. Harris
“Then please, lead on.”
Lila took off at a slow sprint—slow for her—until she disappeared behind the huge central pillar of the large open-air underground section of the M-2 pyramid.
“Lila! Wait!”
Adam’s daughter returned a moment later, grinning from ear to ear.
“You will not believe what I have just found.”
Chapter 14
The M-2 pyramid was approximately two kilometers on each side, so a hundred-meter long starship fit quite inconspicuously in the vast shaded area below the structure. Out of convenience, J’nae had placed it close to her private elevator, so the team had been lucky in that regard.
Other things about the ship and its location weren’t so lucky.
First of all, there were guards positioned outside the ship, although Panur and Lila made short work of them. Yet if was when they went aboard that they discovered their true challenge.
J’nae had stripped off nearly every covering panel for all the equipment systems, both on the bridge and in the twin engine rooms. She had dissected entire stations with little regard for their eventual reassembly. She was out to learn, not to preserve. Once she understood the operation of the ship, she could build thousands of them, so the Najmah Fayd was expendable.
“Can you put it back together?” Arieel asked Lila. She and the two mutants were in the portside engine room, while the Humans and Benefis were surveying the starboard compartment.
Lila deferred to Panur for the answer. He moved among the loose cover plates and stuck his head into dim recesses. “Of course it can be reassembled. The question is how much time do I have, and if any serious damage has been caused which will require off-site replacements?”
“Then we destroy it.”
Heads turned to the source of the comment. “That may not be necessary, Adam,” Panur said.
Adam and the other two Humans stepped up to the confusing mass of wires and engine parts, many of which were scattered about the deck. “It’s the same on the starboard side, a friggin’ mess. Still, we can’t risk leaving it in the hands of the Sol-Kor, not even with the Queen gone.” He shrugged. “And although we may have possession of J’nae at the moment, you know how slippery you mutant aliens can be.”
“Remember, Adam, although we may be mutants, from our vantage point you are the alien.”
“So I’ve been told. Just give it to me straight. Can you get this thing going before the Sol-Kor start missing more dead guards and send in about a million reinforcements?”
Panur looked at the huge mass of the portside engine. “I might have an interim solution.”
“Go on.”
“J’nae appears to have been concentrating on learning the secrets of my trans-dimensional drive, virtually ignoring the standard engine components. It will be fairly simple to bypass the TD-drive and return the ship to conventional power.”
“The Najmah Fayd never was a conventional ship,” Riyad pointed out. “She was the fastest thing in the galaxy, even before you started messing with it.”
“For the time being, we don’t need TD capacity—although eventually we will,” Sherri added. “How long to make the bypass?”
“With Lila’s help, under an hour.”
“Get working,” Adam ordered. “Benefis and Arieel will help if you need them. The rest of us will erase any trace of the little skirmish that took place outside. Keep it quiet and we’ll act like no one’s home.”
********
“There has to be something else we can do,” Sherri was saying.
“Seal up the leaks, keep more of the liquid inside?” Riyad offered.
“That will help…I hope.”
The three Humans were standing around the shiny armor suit that contained J’nae, looking at the numerous points where wispy clouds of white gas were erupting, mainly at the joints. The armor was never intended to seal in the occupant, just to protect them from the harsh environment of Silana. Now the pressure gauge on the backpack nitrogen canister was in the red.
“We only have to keep her on ice until we get into space,” Adam said. “After that we can chain her to the outside of the hull to keep her cold if need be.”
There was a hose attached to the blast hole in the chest of the suit, held there by the Sol-Kor equivalent of duct tape. Now the three of them set out searching the Human starship for the real thing.
“I know there was some here,” Riyad said, “or there had been. No telling what those alien bastards did with it.”
“Got it!” Sherri called out. “But only one roll.”
“I have an idea,” Adam said. “Lay her on her stomach with the legs and arms hanging over the side of the table, then seal those up real good. That way the liquid will pool around her hands and feet. Even if the rest of her warms, I doubt she could do much without them.”
“That still doesn’t help with the cold-ass liquid supply problem.”
“Just make sure the extremities stay covered,” he said to Sherri. “Riyad, come with me back to the bridge. Fill me in on the defensive capabilities of the ship. If Panur’s estimate is correct, we still have forty-five minutes to keep the wolves at bay. I’m betting that won’t be possible.”
********
“I’m sorry I’m not much help, but I never had to get into any real detail about the finer workings of the ship,” Riyad said. He and Adam were scanning through the operating guides for the Mark IV starship on the ship’s computer. At first, the processor was offline, having been toyed with by the Queen. Lila broke away from her work with Panur to take a look at it and twenty seconds later the computer was working again and she rushed back to the engine room without a word.
After a brief moment of embarrassment, the two men set to work learning all they could about the ship in the brief time available.
“Here it is…planetside defensive measures,” said Riyad. “Looks like the standard stuff: electroshock, four projectile ports…that’s about it.”
“I wonder what would happen if we activated the shields while on the ground?” Adam asked. He couldn’t hide the smile on his face. Riyad joined in.
“That would be…something. I don’t know what, but…something. Can it even be done? Aren’t there safety measures and overrides?”
“I don’t know. Even if they could be activated, it couldn’t be a full array, maybe just port, starboard, forward, and aft.”
“The shields are much taller than the ship itself,” Riyad pointed out. “Wonder what that would do to the building?”
“Rip it apart, I hope,” Adam said.
“Not until we’re clear, my friend.”
“What are you two talking about?” Sherri asked, entering the bridge. She stepped up to a monitor and turned it on. After typing something on the embedded keyboard, a surveillance image of the Queen’s form-fitting prison appeared. “She’s all tucked in, for now.”
“Good,” said Adam.
“Why the smiles? I didn’t know there was anything about our situation that warranted smiles.”
“We were just wondering what would happen if we activated the shields.”
“On the ground?”
“Uh huh.”
“Do we have enough power?”
“Power’s back to full,” Riyad reported.
“Then maybe we should find out.”
“It could cause a pretty big mess outside. Might even collapse this part of the building.”
Sherri continued to look past the two men, toward the forward viewport. “Well, that may be the only chance we have of saving ourselves from…that!” She pointed.
Around the side of the large central pillar outside, a two-tracked tank of alien design was just coming into view. A support squadron of a dozen rifle-armed Sol-Kor flanked the vehicle. Another tank appeared from around the corner.
Adam and Riyad dove for the weapon’s station; Sherri beat them to it. She pressed the shield activation button a split second before the lead tank released its powerful bur
st of plasma energy.
What happened next was unexpected, for both sides of the conflict.
For the Sol-Kor, the powerful cannon blast was absorbed by a glowing blue wall of crackling energy, sending spiderweb-like lines of white electricity streaming away from the contact point. Even though the tank fired a much more powerful bolt than any portable flash weapon, it was still woefully weak when compared to what a space-based cannon could fire. So the tank’s first bolt, along with its second and third—as well as those added by the second tank—were easily absorbed and dissipated.
For the other party involved, namely those aboard the Najmah Fayd, the effect of lighting off the shields on the surface was much more…pronounced.
Without thinking, Sherri had activated the entire shield array, surrounding the ship on all sides with wide panels of counter-electricity. Unfortunately, the ceiling was only ten meters above the highest point of the starship, while the floor was four meters below the hull, which rested on six landing pads.
Both upper and lower shields radiated from their projectors outward—until they came in contact with something solid. In the micro-second that the lower shield met the floor, and before the upper shield contacted the ceiling, the starship was hurled upward, riding the lower blue-tinted electromagnetic panel. This caused the upper shield to impact the ceiling with a tremendous surge, sending a sonic shock wave rippling into the building above. The wave impacted six floors before losing strength and fading away.
The side shields were also taller than the underground structure, so large swaths of floor and ceiling were shoved aside by the intense energy fields.
What followed was a rainstorm of building debris, deflected by the shields in places, yet able to penetrate where the shield breaks came. The cascade of metal and stone striking the hull was deafening.
Panur was on the bridge in a blur. “What did you do?”
“We activated the shields,” Adam yelled above the din of the falling debris. “Can we move the ship?”
“By chemical power only.”
“Good!” Adam fell into the pilot seat, grasping the control stick while flicking the switch that activated the chemical rockets. These were used primarily for landings and take offs—never for maneuvering under gigantic pyramid structures.
Adam channeled the primary exhaust to the forward jets, sending the Najmah Fayd racing backwards on its metal landing skids. The rain of debris ceased suddenly, replaced by the blinding glare of desert daylight flooding through the forward viewport. Twisting the stick, the ship turned tail to the building, aiming directly for another huge pyramid straight ahead.
“Look out!” Sherri yelled.
The stick bent to the left, and the black and silver starship skidded toward a wide, mostly-deserted avenue. The few transports nearby were unceremoniously crushed or cast aside by the huge craft speeding along the thoroughfare, between one, then two of the inner triangular rows of buildings.
Looming ahead was the ten-meter-high stone wall of a spaceport.
Adam channeled the fiery exhaust to the underside of the ship, sending her skyward. Theoretically, orbit could be reached on chemical drive alone, and with the light gravity of Silana, that was possible. But without star drive they would be easy targets for the Sol-Kor. Instead, Adam nose-dived the Najmah Fayd, aiming for a narrow pass in the low-lying mountain range to the north of the pyramid complex.
The dry, volcanic hills were striped with red rock, little to no vegetation growing on the barren slopes. Adam took a sharp left after clearing the pass, traveling this course for a full thirty seconds.
“Where are you going?” Riyad asked, as he squinted into the bright sunlight.
“There!”
Directly ahead was one of the few blue-water lakes on the surface of the planet. It lay near the poles, and as the ship drew closer, everyone on the bridge noticed that the lake wasn’t that blue after all. It was brackish, with vast areas near the shore crusted over with deposits of salt crystals. They soared over lake’s surface, not knowing how deep it was, and near the center, Adam pulled back on the stick and set the Najmah Fayd down on the reddish brine.
The viewport was immediately covered as the ship sank under the surface. It continued to drop lower before coming to a slow stop in a deep layer of thick goo at the bottom of the lake.
Sherri was at the viewport, looking up. “Fifty, maybe eighty feet deep would be my guess. How tall is the ship?”
“Maybe forty,” Riyad replied, joining her at the window. “Not much cover. We should be visible from the air.”
“The dark and cloudy nature of the lake should help,” Panur said. Adam had forgotten the mutant was on the bridge. “However, we shall indeed be visible. I believe it should be a priority to make sure the Sol-Kor do not destroy the ship. I shall need a communication station.”
Chapter 15
“Are you positive?”
“Yes, Callos Fran. All areas of M-2 have been searched. The Queen cannot be located.”
Edei Fran was one of ninety members of the Sol-Kor Applying Council. He had tested highest for intelligence and aptitude, and had been assigned to his post, as there was no such thing as elections in Sol-Kor society. Within the Colony, each individual was assigned to his most beneficial position based on ability. Edei Fran was the most proficient of the Queen’s offspring—the Eternal Queen—making him the head of the Council with the title of Callos.
With the Queen missing, he suddenly found himself the de facto leader of the Colony—again. There had only been the briefest time before—after the assassination of the Eternal Queen and her Zygotes—that the Colony had been led by a male. Edei was that male then, as he was now.
In most other societies, beings reaching this level of achievement usually welcomed the opportunity to either serve or rule at the pinnacle of power. For the males of the Sol-Kor, they desired neither. The present situation was so unique, so unexpected, that no male could have ever aspired to such a position.
“She must be in the alien ship,” Edei pronounced. “It has been tracked?”
“Quite easily. It now rests at the bottom of Unikis Basin.”
“Of its own free will, or was it shot down?”
“It landed there.”
“Take caution. If the Queen is aboard, we cannot risk harming her.”
High Noslead Mortis Fre frowned. Sensing his concern, Edei Fran continued. “I, too, have been told of the Queen’s immortality—much like Panur’s. Yet I have not seen it demonstrated. At this moment, the risk is too great to act recklessly.”
“Panur is aboard the alien craft. He is requesting communication with you.”
“I was informed, yet I would not accept his link without guidance from my Queen. Now I will accept. Create the link, Mortis.”
The link was established visually, even though interference with the water of the lake caused the image to waver at times. Panur was seated, alone, at a console in a dimly lit control room. If others were aboard, he did not reveal them.
“Callos Fran, how does it feel to be in charge of the entire Colony?”
“I do not lead. My Queen leads. I am told she may be aboard your vessel.”
“That she is, and that is why I have insisted on this communication. My cargo is much too precious for you to risk attack.”
“Like you, the Queen cannot die—”
“Who told you that?” Panur interrupted, laughing.
“It is true. She is immortal.”
“Councilmember, I created J’nae, and I assure you with full measure that the Queen is as mortal as—well, as you. I am the only creature who cannot die. Even our beloved Eternal Queen was not so eternal in the end. Please do not trust in rumors and superstitions. The risk to the Colony is far too great.”
Edei looked at his aide, High Noslead Mortis. Both were confused, and if a Sol-Kor could ever be termed nervous, these two would qualify. “What you say is contradictory to other information I have received, yet I agree, the risk is t
oo great. What is it you want for the return of my Queen—your Queen as well, if you still consider yourself part of the Colony?”
“I am still of the Colony. After five thousand years the bonds are much too strong to break.”
“Then return the Queen.”
“That I cannot do, not without compensation.”
“Compensation?” Edei was shocked. Panur was as much a part of the history and development of the Colony as had been the Eternal Queen. Together, they had shaped and guided what the Sol-Kor had become. Now this mutant was…was what? Holding the Queen captive for gain? There had to be a word for it, yet for all his intelligence Edei was unable to think of one.
“All I seek is safe passage from Silana,” Panur continued. “You have ample assets to see that the craft I’m in is destroyed. And although it is true I cannot be killed, the prospect of spending thousands of years drifting through space as a frozen lump of immortal flesh is not that appealing to me. Also, the Queen would die. Allow me to pilot the ship to a distant location. I will leave the Queen there with communication equipment to contact you. After that, you will never hear from me again.”
“If I grant your terms, you will leave Silana with my Queen. How can I allow that to happen? In the eyes of the Colony, I would be aiding in your crimes.”
“On the contrary, you will be assuring her survival, which is what we all wish for J’nae.”
“And yet you have placed her in extreme danger by your actions.”
“That was necessary so I could achieve my goals. Edei Fran, the resolution to this crisis is being offered to you. With the Hal’ic war to contend with, you do not need this complication. Allow me to leave, and in a day or two you shall have your Queen back, safe and unharmed.”
“You have left me no choice.”
Panur smiled. “The fact that you can see that is a testament to your intelligence. You are indeed a worthy leader of the Applying Council.”
Edei had to fight the urge to be prideful over the mutant’s compliment. In all the time he’d known Panur, never had he given a compliment, to him or to anyone. He knew it was simply a negotiating tactic, yet it did not alter the fact that Edei really did have no other choice in the matter.
