Deep Space Intelligence : Complete Series

by Gary Weston

  ‘Got it, Sir,’ said Warner.

  Millet stood by Warner’s side, watching the images sent by the whirring shiny ball. ‘Take it over the hull. I want to inspect for damage.’

  During the hammering, the hull exterior had been heavily pummelled. Fist-sized dents could be seen liberally over much of the surface.

  ‘That doesn’t look good, Sir.’

  Millet said, ‘The good thing is, I don’t see any breaches in the marsillium coating. It held up better than I expected.’

  ‘For now,’ agreed Warner. ‘Another battering like that, the coating would probably split in places. If we could get out of atmosphere, do you think we would fly?’

  ‘Space wouldn’t be the problem. Re-entry through atmosphere back home could be another issue.’

  ‘Sir. Getting the probe back through the vent would be impossible. It’ll just get smashed up and damage the vent. We could take the probe out a little, around the ship. Take a look around.’

  Millet said, ‘Might as well. Keep close to the ship, then gradually work out from there.’

  Warner followed the profile of the ship, just one yard out. Then, one yard at a time, increased the distance from the ship. They saw nothing obvious, which was what they expected. Then, the probe reacted to something, sending the images on the screen in the case completely haywire.

  ‘We hit something?’ Millet asked.

  ‘No. Something hit the probe.’ The image flickered back on the screen and Warner still had control. He took the probe up high.

  ‘Release the dye,’ said Millet.

  Warner pressed the control to blast out the red dye. Nothing happened for a moment, then a fine mist shot out under pressure. The sight they got back lasted only a second, but they had the clear image of a very unfriendly looking face staring right at them from the screen, then a clawed hand a split second before the image was lost for good.

  ‘Well, we know there’s at least one for sure out there, Warner.’

  ‘Shush, Sir.’ Warner pointed at the airlock door.

  They listened carefully and they could hear the blood-curdling sound of claws scraping along the airlock door. Whatever the creature was that made those hackle rising noises, was no more than two feet away. Then it started. Thud! Thud! Softly at first, the sound of a fist smashing into the hull. That creature could sense the humans inside, just out of reach. The pounding continued. Using hand signals only, Millet got Warner to close down the case of probes, as he opened the inner airlock door. The airlock sounded like a huge kettle drum, until the inner door closed in the muffled the din.

  The invisible creature outside the airlock door wasn’t alone. Everybody on board hardly breathed as the drumming started all over the ship. It was probably for only a few minutes, but it seemed to go on for an eternity. It was a sound none of them would ever forget for as long as they lived. Louder and louder it got; every inch of the ship vibrating. They could feel those vibrations through the soles of their boots, jangling every nerve in their bodies. When it reached screaming point, the noise stopped dead.

  Chapter 266

  Shorty, Casey, Thorne and all those on the other ships, listened to the open radio transmission from General Millet to Boss. The man Shorty loved was a strong man, both physically and mentally. She could still hear the anxiety in his voice as he tried to control his emotions and report his situation, calmly and professionally.

  Millet said, ‘It was hard to determine how many were hitting the ship. Perhaps a dozen. They were…they were all over us. From. Hmm. Excuse me. Hmm. From what Science Officer Warner and I could see before the probe was destroyed, the marsillium coating had not been compromised. That, however, was before this latest attack. I seriously doubt the ship’s capability to do an atmospheric re-entry, even with the marsillium coating intact. I’m against even attempting to take this ship out of this planet’s atmosphere. Our priority, as always, is the safety of the crew. I…’ There was a long pause as Millet gathered his thoughts. ‘Hmm. I am not sure how much more punishment the hull can take. If the coating fails, we would be vulnerable to the acid attack. I wish to state publicly and openly just how damn proud I am of each and every one on board this ship with me. That’s…That’s all I have to report, Boss.’

  D S I Agent Tilly Jordan spoke next. ‘Boss. Jordan here. I totally endorse everything General Millet has said about the men and women on this ship. They have and are behaving with the exemplary professionalism we have come to expect of the D S I Military. General Millet continues to have my full and unconditional support. Shorty. I know you’ll be listening in. Your husband to be is an exceptional man.’

  There was a few minutes delay before an unusually emotional sounding Shorty Armstrong spoke. ‘General Millet. Frank. You just hold it all together, people. We’re pushing these ships to the max. Just a few more days. We got a plan and we know we can get you all off that damn rock. So, just sit tight, and we’ll be right with you.’ There was a pause as Shorty fought back her tears. ‘I love you, Frank, and I don’t give a crap who hears me say it. I’m on my way, you big ox.’

  Another couple of minutes of static followed, then Raven spoke.

  ‘Frank. As usual, Shorty said enough for everybody. It can’t be easy down there, but hang on tight. Shorty said she’ll come and get you, and nobody would dare argue with Shorty. I’ve put extra beer on ice. Boss, over.’

  Chapter 267

  Troy Warner stared at the screen. He had one of those feelings that he was staring at something obvious and missing it. First, was the image of the obelisk with the original hieroglyphics. In front of it the pit he and Shorty had fallen into. Crude, but effective. To the side of that image, the same obelisk with the English letters and words. Our One For Us Is. All Is One. Us Is One. For All Of One. Then the Image of the hieroglyphics on the ship. Before and after translation.

  Beware Us.

  Ok. What was he missing here? Us. Us. The obelisk seemed like a permanent dedication to some deity. So, which was the god? One? Or Us? Our One (god) for Us Is. That kinda made sense. If Us was the god? Our one for god is. But then the next line. All Is One. One is the god and he is everything? All Is God? Us Is One. That’s what was tripping him up. If One was their god, saying, Us Is One, would be assuming god-like status. Us Is god. A bit presumptuous, thought Warner. Then the line, For All Of One. If One is the god, For All would probably mean themselves and that these beings revered One, their god.

  To Warner, that made more sense. More…humble. And befitting of a religion. Moving on. He knew the writing on the ship was by another sentient being, invisible, or possessing the ability to become invisible, should the need arise. Beware Us.

  Did that mean beware the ones who wrote on the ship? Or did it mean, hey, dude’s those guys who built the obelisk are out to getya. If the Us on the ship meant the beings who wrote the obelisk, that contradicted his theory that the makers of the obelisk were not god or One. It would mean that the ones who wrote on the ship were warning about the god. The other dudes god. Or, it could mean us in the literal sense. Or…

  Theories were swimming around in his head, One contradicting another. What else did they know about these creatures? It was creatures plural, for sure. The difference in the writing was one clue. And at the time of the acid attack and the rookie and shooter had been killed, they had gotten at least a glimpse of the two beings, and they had looked quite different. They also seemed to hate each other.

  So. Maybe the one being was saying, “watch those pit-diggers. They can be real nasty”.

  It made sense that the beings evolved in much the same way, both developing the invisibility thing. To defend themselves from each other?

  That didn’t make sense, either. They might be invisible from everything not invisible, but they would need to see their own kind. And if that were so, it made sense they could also see the other invisible beings. They were more likely to be invisible from predators that lived in the jungle. Scans hadn’t revealed much that looked like
a predator. The strange, armour-backed “slug” didn’t look capable of taking on one of the beings, invisible or otherwise. Something else lived out there. Something as yet not encountered by the visiting humans.

  ‘Great,’ Warner told himself. ‘Not only do we have two large invisible beings to contend with, there’s a possibility of something nastier out there. Something that hunts down the invisible ones.’

  He turned off his computer.

  Chapter 268

  It was on a toilet trip that Millet noticed the smell. He also noticed Sergeant Jonah Cratchet. Depending on what job Cratchet was on, had a huge difference in what the maintenance engineer smelt like. Most D S I Military doubled up on duties. Not only were they expected to throw themselves willingly and eagerly into battles, they were assigned other duties when on a mission. Cratchet was proficient in plumbing, so he had drawn the short straw for maintaining anything and everything with the ship’s sanitation.

  ‘A bit strong in here today, Cratchet?’ said Millet, wrinkling his nose.

  ‘Yes, Sir. Stuff isn’t getting away to be processed like it should be. I think when the electrical shorts happened, it caused the pumps to play up and create a blockage. It’s just an ammonia smell. Can’t stop nature, Sir.’

  ‘But you are working on it, Cratchet?’

  Cratchet held up his long rubber gloves. ‘I certainly am, Sir. Once I’ve fixed the problem, I can neutralise the ammonia.’

  ‘Good. If it got any stronger, my eyes would be watering. Right. You just carry on…’ Millet stopped in mid-sentence. ‘Cratchet. You are a genius.’

  ‘I am? Well, yes, Sir. I knew that.’

  ‘Do not touch a thing. And stay right here.’

  Millet soon found Warner. ‘We might have something we can use against the creatures, Warner. Urine.’

  ‘Sir. Are you taking the…Ah! I see where you’re going with that. It will help neutralise the acid.’

  Millet said, ‘Exactly. I know enough about how the ship’s sanitation unit works to know we have quite a supply of urine. It is collected, processed and then put back into the system. All solid waste matter is collected and compressed for disposal later.’

  Warner was recalling his chemistry. ‘We could even distil the urine to concentrate the ammonia.’

  Millet grinned. ‘Even better. Cratchet will be delighted when I tell him that. Hey. Couldn’t we concentrate the ammonia even more? We do have some caustic soda. Not a huge amount, but we could use it.’

  Warner shook his head. ‘Cratchet’s pretty immune to quite a lot, Sir, but mixing caustic soda with ammonia I’m pretty sure would create a poisonous gas that would finish even him off.’

  ‘Hmm. Pity. Just distillation it is. I’ll go break the good news to Sergeant Cratchet.’

  Cratchet was elbow deep in an ‘S’ bend removing something unpleasant into a container.

  ‘Remind me never to shake hands with you, Sergeant. Are you winning?’

  ‘It’s just plumbing, Sir.’

  ‘And you’re very good at it.’

  Cratchet extracted his arm and sat on the floor with his back against the cistern. Being a student of human nature, he knew when something unpleasant was heading his way.

  ‘You have a job for me, Sir?’

  ‘A very important one, as it happens, Cratchet.’

  To the hapless sergeant, this was sounding worse by the minute. ‘Sir?’

  ‘You put me onto it. We have a creature spraying us with acid. We have a supply of ammonia we can maybe use to neutralise it.’

  Cratchet sighed. He was about to scratch his head when he remembered where his hand had just been and resisted the temptation. ‘Right, Sir. So you want me to collect it and fill a few spray units with it?’

  ‘Once you’ve distilled it, yes.’

  This was getting better by the minute, thought Cratchet. ‘You want me to distil our urine?’

  ‘I knew you’d get the bigger picture. Anything that helps us fight back becomes a priority. Carry on, Sergeant.’

  ‘Yes, Sir. Err. Thank you.’

  Chapter 269

  Commander Gordon said, ‘I suppose it makes sense, Boss.’

  ‘All the ships crews are busy distilling their urine. That’s one for the training manual, I suppose. “When faced with invisible acid hurling creatures, fight back with urine.” And Frank came up with that one?’

  ‘Apparently. The other ships are doing the same and they should have a few gallons of the stuff by the time they reach the planet. They intend to transfer it all to the rescue ship before they enter the atmosphere.’

  Boss said, ‘And only two more days to go. I’ll be glad when we get everyone back here safely.’

  ‘The canvas tunnel is almost finished, according to Zena. Just applying the last of the liquid marsillium.’

  Raven said, ‘Damn versatile stuff, that.’

  ‘As long as we don’t go trying to turn it into weapons, like they were going to do on Earth that time.’

  ‘Not on my watch,’ said Raven. ‘We’re due a delivery from Mars, next month. That new deposit they found under the northern ice cap will keep us supplied for a hundred years. I’m long overdue a visit there.’

  Gordon said, ‘You could go on the next scheduled freighter, if you want.’

  ‘Not just yet. I want to take Joy and Dixon when Dixon’s a little older. Perhaps next year. And talking of my family, I have to be getting home.’

  ‘Have a nice evening, Boss.’

  ‘You too, Felix.’

  Raven went straight home, and it was hugs and kisses all round.

  ‘I had to smile when I heard everyone on the mission is saving their urine,’ Raven said.

  ‘Glad I’m not on that trip. Dixon creates enough stinks for me right here.’

  Raven said, ‘I mentioned to Felix about the three of us going to Mars next year. You’d be up for that, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘Something to think about. I never got to Mars.’

  ‘A great planet, these days. We’ll have a serious think about it once this mission is over.’

  * * *

  Zena Morrison said, ‘Shorty. You’re getting more marsillium on you than the tunnel.’

  ‘Decorating was never my forte. Not to worry. I could do with a new suit. This one’s been patched up too many times.’

  ‘That’s it,’ said Zena Morrison. ‘If we coat the suits, that will stop the acid.’

  ‘Damn,’ said Shorty. ‘So bloody obvious. How much have we got left?’

  Zena picked up the last container of liquid marsillium. ‘Not a lot. Used carefully, maybe enough for a couple of suits. Three at the most.’

  ‘We’ll have to leave a gap on the visors to see through,’ said Shorty. ‘It takes a few hours to set. I want to talk Frank. Make sure we are making best use of it. I’ll go do that now.’

  General Millet was happy to take any good news he could get. ‘A pity we don’t have any liquid marsillium here, Shorty. Thinking over the plan, the most critical time is when we are fitting the tunnel to the airlocks. The interiors of the ships will be exposed. There’s no marsillium coating on the inside. We’ll need at least two people at both airlocks to fit the tunnels to cover the open doors. Those will be the most vulnerable, for a minute or two, at least.’

  Shorty said, ‘We think we can stretch what we have left to cover three suits at a push. My suit being one of the smallest will be one. We can send the container over on a rope for you to use on two suits.’

  ‘No, Shorty. It will take too long to dry. We can’t leave the tunnel exposed to being trashed by those creatures.’

  ‘There has to be a way,’ said Shorty. ‘Wait. Of course. We can coat two suits here for you. Then they’ll be ready for when we get there.’

  Millet said, ‘See? Not only beautiful, brilliant as well. I’ve missed you so much, Shorty.’

  ‘I’m not letting you out of my sight from now on. No more attacks on the ship?’

  ‘Not since that
last one. The ship’s a right-off. Just one of those things, I suppose.’

  Shorty said, ‘You just hang on in there, Frank. We’re less than two days away. As soon as we’re in orbit, we’ll get the tunnel to the fighter and we’ll be landing right after that.’

  ‘Good. You’re all doing a great job. I love you, Shorty.’

  Shorty laughed. ‘You do know everyone heard that?’

  ‘I don’t care who hears it.’

  ‘In that case, I love you, Frank.’

  Chapter 270

  The time had come to get things ready and the two fighters and the freighter joined Mario Luppino’s ship in space, directly above the grounded ship.

  Shorty said, ‘Just you, Mario. Your two shooters, me and Zena Morrison. The rest of your crew go over to the freighter, out of harms way.’

  ‘Agreed, Shorty. They’ll give you a hand getting everything on my ship and then they can go. The other two fighters can by on standby to come to our assistance if we need them.’

  ‘Is everyone suited up, Mario?’

  ‘Yes. We’re ready when you are.’

  ‘Opening airlock door.’

  The door of the freighter’s airlock gaped wide. The inner airlock door remained closed. Shorty fitted the rubber missile into the line extender. The loose end of the line was secured to the anchor points on the airlock wall. The airlock on Luppino’s ship opened and Shorty could see three of Mario’s crew waiting to take the line. Taking careful aim, Shorty shot the line extender and the rubber missile shot out of the barrel and it carried the line across and into the airlock where it was caught and secured by one of Luppino’s crew. Shorty fired again and the second missile carrying the other line across was also secured.

  ‘We’ll bring the small stuff over first,’ said Zena Morrison.

  The heavy containers of distilled urine lost their weight once they were in the airlock, and it was a simple matter to loop them over the lines. The same was done with the spare spray units and the marsillium coated suits. Shorty secured herself to the second line and using her back-pack jets, propelled herself along, pulling the items easily to the other airlock, where the three crew took everything and stowed it all in the storage lockers in the inner airlock walls. As they were doing that, Shorty was already on her way back to help Zena with the huge tunnel. It would have been much more difficult for the two women to have even lifted the tunnel in gravity. It was still cumbersome, but not heavy. It had been collapsed down to a width of two yards. It took three long minutes to manoeuvre it between them to the waiting arms of their colleagues in the other ship.