Deep Space Intelligence : Complete Series

by Gary Weston

  Only one didn’t stand inside the rim of the crater. A little girl named Shannon, who had been accidentally jostled and had lost the yucky, oily cloth from her head. Stopping to pick it up, she couldn’t see Elizabeth, but hurried on following the others to the crater, awkwardly trying to put the silly old cloth on her head as she stumbled along. Then the pain hit her. She knew that pain, but this was worse than anything she had felt before. Her mind became a pool of darkness, and she could no longer think for herself. As the others stood safely inside the crater, their heads covered by the cloths, unprotected little Shannon Thorne was walking towards the sea, at the control of the Masters.

  D S I Agent Tilly Jordan had seen the girl.

  ‘Casey. They have her under their control.’

  ‘I see her. No. Look there.’

  As Shannon walked along the shore to the edge of the red and green sea, hundreds of stunned, injured and dying Masters were crawling out onto the sand, heading straight towards the girl. Shannon stood like a puppet, unable to move.

  ‘I’ll use the cannon on them,’ said Jordan.

  ‘You’ll hit the girl.’

  ‘Ok. Open the airlock and get me over there.’

  Using just the landing thrusters to hover just a few yards in the air, Casey banked and tapped the sensor that opened the main airlock. On her screen she could see the Masters crawling closer to the girl. The closest was no more than twelve feet away, its tongue flickering out, its long snout open to bare the rows of teeth, saliva dripping off its face onto the sand beneath it.

  ‘Jordan, hurry.’

  Jordan tied the safety line in the airlock to her belt, the other end on a metal fitting attached to an anchor point on the wall. She lowered herself over the edge of the airlock door and hung outside on the safety line. She could see the girl, just a few feet away, but the Masters were as close as she was.

  ‘Hey, Kid. Come here. Hey kid.’

  Shannon couldn’t see or hear anything, totally unaware of the huge freighter only a few yards above her head, or the hundreds of Masters wanting one last feed of human child before they died.

  Using her helmet radio, Jordan said, ‘Casey. Can you hear me.’

  ‘Just about.’

  ‘Move forward a few feet.’

  It would take the slightest of movements with the controls for Casey to do that, but that’s what she did. The ship moved forwards, and Jordan dropped down, grabbing the girl in one arm, wrapping the line around her own other arm. Masters were snapping and clawing at Jordan and the girl, one clawed hand ripping Jordan’s suit, and the flesh below. Jordan lashed out with her boot, smashing the nearest Master hard in the face, dislodging one eye so that it swung from the socket on bloody tendrils.

  As it screamed in pain, Jordan yelled, ‘Casey. Get us out of here.’

  The landing thrusters blasted the sand and the great ship went higher in the air, Jordan hanging outside on the line with one hand, holding the girl as tightly as she could with the other. Casey took them a mile away from the sea, then gently lowered the bird so that Jordan could let go of the girl and drop the few feet to the ground beside her. Jordan scrambled to her feet and gathered the child up in her arms, and stumbled a few yards away from the freighter as it landed.

  General Millet had his fighters leave the sea, and there on the sand were the crawling Masters. A few tried to make it back to escape into the sea, but the best laser cannon shooter the D S I had ever trained, Gaganjot Singh, emptied her cannon at them. The slaughter took Singh, grim faced and determined in her turret, just three minutes to turn the sand blood red, only shreds of flesh remaining.

  ‘Oh, yeah,’ said Singh when it was finally over.

  All the ships landed together, including the one piloted by Captain Mabel Syrup. The airlock opened and Thorne was first out of the ship, racing along the sand.

  ‘Daddy!’

  Shannon and Sam Thorne ran to each other, father taking daughter into his arms.

  ‘Are you ok, Shannon?’

  ‘Yes, Daddy. That nice lady saved me.’

  Thorne carried Shannon over to where Casey was applying a dressing to Tilly Jordan’s leg.

  ‘You two saved my daughter,’ said Thorne. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Believe me,’ said Casey. ‘The pleasure was all ours.’

  ‘You’re Karma Casey. That was a great piece of flying. Fantastic control of a big bird like that one.’

  Casey finished the first aid and went over to Thorne and Shannon. ‘Only a captain knows the small manoeuvres are the hardest. You’re Captain Thorne.’

  ‘Yes. Sam Thorne. D S I pilot. And this little princess is Shannon.’

  ‘She’s a very brave little girl.’ Casey looked at the battle field of slaughtered Masters. ‘Seems like this is finally over.’

  A voice said, ‘Not quite.’ It was Captain Mabel Syrup, still with an oily cloth on her head.

  Thorne took it and said, ‘Nice hat. But we don’t need them any more.’

  ‘You’re forgetting the little matter of those nasty critters polluting my ship. Time for them to join the rest of their kind in hell, I reckon.’

  Chapter 240

  Thorne insisted he was the one to unseal the door to the tank. A plan was discussed between himself and General Millet. Wearing a freshly oil and sand impregnated cloth to protect his mind from intrusion from the Masters, he set to work. First he welded a heavy metal ring fitting to the lower half of the door of the tank, and a strong high-tensile line was securely tied to it. Then came the slow and tedious job of melting away his original welding. It took well over two hours to get that right.

  Whilst Thorne was doing that, the D S I medical officer was checking out the two thousand survivors. There was insufficient room even cramming all the ships, to get more than half of them home. The women, children and those who’s health had suffered the most, were going to be the first to be taken. Millet had already informed Boss of the situation and other freighters were being commandeered to collect the remainder of the survivors.

  Teams were sorting out what food, bedding and clothing that could be spared and left behind.

  The ships were being filled with those selected, people saying their farewells to each other, knowing it wouldn’t be long before they were to be reunited.

  ‘Ready,’ said Thorne. ‘One good pull on this line, that lot comes gushing out.’ A deep well had been dug in the sand where the contents of the tank would flow into, including the last remaining Masters.

  ‘Just one minute,’ said Millet. He went up to Shorty Armstrong. ‘I picked you for a reason, Shorty. These creatures are unarmed, sentient beings, no matter how evil they are. But I want you to focus on this. They are responsible for killing many hundreds and thousands of humans on many planets. They have eaten our kind. They have eaten our children. Shorty. When those slime-balls come tumbling out of that ship, remember they took away your right to be a mother. And they killed my son.’

  ‘General Millet, Sir. I’ll not only destroy them, I’ll enjoy doing it.’

  Millet kissed her then adjusted the cloth on her head. ‘Ok, Thorne. Let them out.’

  Away from the airlock, Thorne put all his weight into heaving on the line. Nothing happened, then he dug his heels in the ground and heaved again. The lower door gave way and out poured thousands of gallons of thick green liquid, and one after another, the hissing, snapping Masters tumbled out of the airlock, and Millet and Shorty sliced them into hundreds of pieces with their laser rifles. From the well in the sand, the last of the Masters raised a defiant clawed hand before Shorty blasted it off and drained her rifle into what was left of the monster.

  Thorne stepped up next with the water hose and washed out the ship, checking that nothing still lurked behind in the drained tank. It was empty. Every last Master had been destroyed.

  From a distance, Captain Mabel Syrup, Su Kane and Steve Crocker had watched the bloodshed, feeling not the slightest remorse for the slaughtered creatures. To them and the r
est of the human race, it was merely pest control. They went over to reclaim their ship.

  ‘That’s a pretty sight,’ said Syrup with scowl, staring at the remains of the Masters.

  Millet said, ‘We’ll put your ship back together the best we can. You’ll be taking three hundred people back home with you.’

  ‘It’ll be the fastest flight home this bird has ever done, I can tell you that for nothing.’

  Chapter 241

  It was time to go, and nobody was sorry to leave. Only sorry to leave behind those they had befriended or were related to. Captain Karma Casey had her own freighter to take home, filled with the weakest of the survivors. She wasn’t alone on the flight-deck. Captain Thorne was there to share the burden of the long flight home with her. A happy Shannon Thorne skipped in and out of the flight-deck, telling the other passengers in no uncertain terms, exactly how life was going to be from now on. It was the pure image of how life should be from a child’s perspective. The adults, relieved to be going home alive, were happy to let the little girl display her theatrical talents. After all, the children were the future. Then, Shannon would bound back into the flight-deck, wrap her arms around daddy, and regale him with her latest performance. But, as with all small children, she was all fizz and super-fast burnout. She fell asleep in her father’s arms.

  ‘Karma. You spared me my baby. I owe you her life. Mine, too.’

  Casey looked at the way this man held his daughter, the love for her in his caress and in the shine of his eyes. The survivor Thorne had gone, the loving father now there for all to see. But there was more than that. Shy, shared looks between them; a man with his daughter, missing a partner and a mother. Shannon, glued to her father’s chest, dreaming of a new life together. This was a love Casey hungered for, but had never found. Sam Thorne kissed Shannon’s forehead, but was looking at Casey when he gave that kiss.

  Casey had to look away, fiddling with switches and sensors that didn’t need fiddling with. Something her mother would approve of, was stirring deep inside her. His eyes, and the love that shined out of them. This man had put it all on the line for his little girl. But there was something deeper than that. Perhaps it was just the tingling sensation she felt when he looked at her; the stirring of feelings deep within her. If ever she believed in “chemistry”, some alchemy was at work here; a crucible of emotion was bubbling like a cauldron of desire.

  It could wait. Casey had but one mission. Get everyone safely home. The professional captain was only too aware; this was just one of many facets of the gem of life.

  Chapter 242

  As soon as each ship landed, every survivor was taken to the hospital to be examined and cared for. Most were free to leave and arrangements were made to have them transported to their various planets at a later date. Commerce began again with freighters coming and going with the goods finally on route to the customers. A much happier Boss sat in the antique green leather chair as if he had been Boss all his adult life.

  ‘Sorry I can’t persuade you to join the D S I, Karma, but at least you’re back flying again.’

  ‘I won’t be alone this time. Sam and I have formed a business together. The Casey Thorne shipping company. We have our first contract signed up for a delivery to Varlindra.’

  ‘And you’ll be going together?’

  ‘Yes. With Shannon, of course. Until she’s old enough to go to school, she’ll be with us.’

  Boss beamed. ‘Excellent. You have a family and a great future to look forward too. I’m delighted for you. Will you be back for General Millet’s wedding to Shorty?’

  ‘I’ll be back before that.’

  ‘Good. With Shorty, it should be fun. She ducked out of going on that scientific venture with Troy Warner to the planet with those invisible creatures. She told Millet she had better things to do, like plan their wedding and have a dress made.’

  Casey said, ‘Shorty in a wedding dress I just can’t wait to see.’

  ‘Oh. Excuse me. I have a call. Boss, here. Right. On my way.’

  ‘Everything ok?’ Casey asked.

  ‘That was the hospital. Joy’s just gone into labour. I have to go.’

  * * *

  Raven ran up the steps to the hospital front doors, and dashed to the reception.

  ‘Joy Dainty has just been brought into the maternity ward,’ he gasped breathlessly.

  ‘Down that corridor and take the first left.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Raven hurried to the delivery room, to be stopped by a nurse.

  ‘Boss?’

  ‘That’s me. My partner has just been brought in. She’s a week early.’

  ‘Eager to come into the world by the look of it. Come on.’

  The doctor at the end of the bed hardly gave Raven a glance. Raven went to the side of the bed and took Joy’s hand. Her fingernails dug painfully into him as she yelled and groaned.

  ‘And push,’ urged the doctor.

  ‘This is all your doing, Tagg Raven,’ growled Joy.

  Raven laughed. ‘I think we both had a hand in it.’

  ‘I’ll get you for this.’

  ‘Just do what the doctor told you and push.’

  More yelling, screaming and cursing accompanied the pushing, for another five minutes, then it was done.

  ‘A perfect little boy,’ said the doctor, handing the baby to Joy.

  Raven wiped away tears of happiness at the sight of their first child. ‘Am I forgiven?’

  ‘Yes. I forgive you. Who knows? There might even be a brother or sister for him in a year or two.’

  Raven thought what great timing it was, the galaxy now a much safer place to be a human in. That was what his life was all about, making sure babies could grow up safely, with love, not fear. And there on the bed, mother and baby, his future. It was good to be human and alive.

  The End

  Deep Space Intelligence : Invisible

  Chapter 243

  Deep Space Intelligence Agent Tilly Jordan was on the fighter on Warner’s mission to study the invisible creatures. The ship, in the capable hands of Captain Dorran, was racing through space to that strange planet. Tilly placed her hand on the hand of D S I Military General Frank Millet.

  ‘It doesn’t seem the same without Shorty by your side, I’m betting.’

  ‘And you’d win your bet. Amongst other things, Shorty’s my good luck charm.’

  Tilly said, ‘She’s a lot more than that, Frank.’

  Millet smiled. ‘I was deluding myself thinking we could keep our relationship just to ourselves. They say an army marches on its stomach. I say it marches on its stomach when everything is seasoned with gossip and rumours. Shorty’s an amazing woman.’

  Tilly nodded. ‘What you see is what you get, with her. Aren’t you a little nervous, you here on a ship whilst she’s planning your wedding?’

  ‘Nervous? Heck, no. Terrified, more like it. Her sense of humour can be a little wacky. Oh. Warner. Come and join us.’

  Science Technical Officer Troy Warner took his juice over to the table and sat next to Jordan.

  ‘I think I’ve finally unravelled the hieroglyphics. Most of it, anyway. Care to see what was written on that obelisk?’

  ‘Very much so,’ said Millet.

  Warner pushed the plates and beakers to one side to clear a space on the table. From his tunic breast pocket, he took out a three dimensional image projector. Placing the cone on the table, he pressed the tip. A dozen images were displayed, floating in the air in an orbit around the projector.

  ‘It’s a little too bright in here,’ said Millet. ‘Computer. Dim galley lights fifty percent.’

  The lights dimmed and the projections appeared clearer. Warner touched one and the others disappeared. He touched the single image twice and it grew until it was a foot tall and eight inches wide. It was the obelisk found by Warner and Shorty on their first visit to the mysterious planet.

  Warner said, ‘These are the original hieroglyphics. This is the transl
ation.’ Warner “stroked” the image along one side. The obelisk remained, but the hieroglyphics changed to English letters and words.

  Our One For Us Is. All Is One. Us Is One. For All Of One.

  Warner said, ‘It’s open for interpretation, of course. It could be religious. It was certainly significant enough for them to create an obelisk and protect it with a pit.’

  Tilly said, ‘It’s quite poetic, in a way.’

  ‘It makes me nervous,’ said Millet. ‘The word protective, comes to my mind. They make the obelisk, then dig a pit to protect it. Just how protective are they likely to be?’

  Warner said, ‘With us invading their planet, you mean?’

  ‘Precisely. Troy. That writing on the ship before we took off. Have you translated it yet?’

  Warner said, ‘No. Not yet. I’ll go and work on it now.’

  As Warner went away with his projector, Millet said, ‘Tilly. You saw poetry. The hairs on the back of my neck rose up when I read those words.’

  ‘That’s easily resolved. Get a haircut.’

  Chapter 244

  ‘I could sleep in my office,’ said Raven.

  Joy Dainty paced the bedroom floor, baby Dixon Dainty in her arms. ‘You don’t get out of things that easily, Tagg. Babies cry. Get used to it.’

  Raven looked at the soft yellow numbers on the clock. Three in the morning. A time like that was neither one day or the other. Sleep, once again, was going to be something he used to do. He got out of bed and without even donning a robe, went to the kitchen. Tea. With tea, there was always that slim possibility of slipping back into the world of dreams. He passed one to Joy.

  ‘Are you sure we can’t replace him with a quieter model?’

  Joy frowned. ‘Are you determined to make your son psychologically damaged?’