»Touch down in … five … four … three…. two …one …!« Bulkin counted. A slight tremor went through the Hawk as it touched the ground.
»The Hawk has landed!« she commented loudly.
She throttled the ship’s systems to standby mode .
Petrow observed the area with a 360- degree camera, saw nothing threatening – and no reactions from the Globusters.
»No welcoming committee, no Globs! Everything’s quiet here. There’s nobody on the landing field!« Meyer remarked and shrugged with a weak grin. »Nobody seems to object to our presence.«
Beautiful and very intelligent
A security officer stopped Arkroid, Vasina and Fosset at the hotel entrance.
»The hotel is closed for ordinary patrons. Please find alternate accommodations,« he announced.
The man was dressed in military fatigues with a Fosset Company flash on his left chest. He made a halt gesture with his left hand, while his right rested on the pistol at his hip.
Arkroid looked at him surprised and waited until Vasina and Fosset had caught up.
»You’re not a member of the Colonial Police, or the Union Fleet Shore Patrol. You’re trying to stop us from entering the building to take possession of our rooms with a weapon. Do we need to call the authorities to get in?« Arkroid addressed him harshly.
»I’m a member of Fosset Security. My weapon is registered and I’m here on orders of my company. The entire hotel was booked by Fosset Enterprises. There are no rooms available!«
»You’re mistaken, Mister!« Arkroid snapped. »We’re Union Fleet Inspectors and we have reservations. I advise you to let us pass or you’ll find yourself in deep trouble!«
The security officer hesitated, spoke into a small microphone mounted to a mini-headset and whispered some hasty words, but still blocked the entrance to the hotel.
»Do you want me to disarm him?« Paafnas asked via the team’s secure comm-channel.
»No, that’s okay. We’ll solve this little problem differently. Try to get around the security guard and look around inside the hotel, but be very cautious, please,« Arkroid whispered back at Paaf. »We don’t need a hunting party chasing an invisible intruder.«
»What did you just say?« the security officer barked, irritated.
»My colleague just asked me if we should inform the Colonial Government to resolve this situation!« Vasina lied. »Your boss may find he has some questions to answer!«
»I’d say definitely!« Fosset added loudly.
Arkroid sent a warning glance at Fosset.
»We wait!« the security officer stonewalled, keeping a hard eye on the team.
The ancient-looking revolving door at the hotel entrance began turning unexpectedly, as if pushed by ghosts. Arkroid held his breath. He thought Paafnas had entered the hotel through the revolving door. However, a moment later, a tall, well proportioned, dark-skinned beauty left the hotel and approached the group.
»Naomi!« Fosset whispered. He obviously knew her. She threw an estimating look at the group with her dark, impressive, ever-so-slightly slanted eyes as she came closer.
»I am Naomi Borga and represent Fosset Enterprises on Mars. How may I be of assistance?« she introduced herself.
»I am Union Fleet Inspector Nemo,« Arkroid replied in a friendly tone. »We would like to see our rooms after a long journey through space. There seems to be a misunderstanding.«
»Your reservation was canceled at the last moment. It seems that the hotel forgot to inform you.«
»That’s not acceptable! We had absolutely no idea!« Fosset cried loudly. He presented his special Union Fleet ID. »Maybe we still need to consult the Colonial Administration. This would never have happened if Hugh Fosset were still around!«
Naomi’s eyes widened in surprise .
»You knew Hugh Fosset?«
»As a matter of fact … yes, my dear!« Fosset replied under his mask. »He was not a man who’d deprive other people of their accommodations.«
Naomi Borga twitched slightly and studied Fosset, alias Franko Lubini, with an undefined look.
Arkroid clenched his fists behind his back and threw a warning glance at the philanthropist. Hugh Fosset was about to endanger their mission, the way he was acting.
»Don’t worry, Sir. I’ll take care of this … little mishap, I’ll have it rectified,« she said with a sweet voice and a broad smile, displaying her white teeth, which formed a perfect contrast to her full, red lips. The slight twitching at her mouth’s edges when she was speaking made her irresistibly sexy.
What a woman! Arkroid thought, impressed. Beautiful and very intelligent. She knows her job well. Fosset, you’re a lucky bastard to have her in your company!
»Please, allow me to make up for the inconvenience. Follow me,« Naomi invited the team.
Vasina threw Arkroid a brief, scornful, almost jealous look, as she saw how he ogled Naomi for a moment when she turned around, her hips swaying like a model on the catwalk, and walked back to the hotel.
The security officer stepped aside and made way for the team. Arkroid noted the presence of at least eight security people in the hotel lobby.
»Our new company director places high emphasis on security and discretion. It was at his request that the hotel was closed to the general public. However, I’m sure we can find a way to make an exception for you,« she said warmly .
»I’m at the front desk!« whispered Paafnas via the comm-link. He must have found a way in to the building when Naomi came out of the hotel to talk to Arkroid. »There’re security people everywhere in the hotel. They’re even surprised themselves at the tight security; they don’t know the truth about McCord.«
»Where are you exactly, Paaf?« Arkroid asked.
»I’m about 10 meters above you to your right, on the ceiling! I’ll look around some more and report back.«
Naomi returned from the reception desk. It had taken her less than two minutes to make the arrangements.
»Please, allow me to be your host. Fosset Enterprises will gladly pay for your stay in this hotel. I’d only like to ask you to refrain from entering the second floor. Our security staff would just be all over you, asking questions,« she remarked with an apologetic smile.
»We’ll remember that, and thank you for the invitation!« Arkroid replied with a friendly smile, looking into her dark eyes.
He quickly looked around, forcing himself to break eye contact with this very attractive woman. He made out at least two ID scanners and neuronal computer assisted recognition systems, which could identify and classify any visitor. Arkroid trusted that Nok’s department specialists had done their homework and that their special IDs had been entered into the data base.
Naomi briefly touched her left earlobe. She was obviously wearing a tiny comm-device!
»I’m sorry, but I need to leave you now … our boss will arrive in about an hour. His private spaceship has just docked at the orbital port.«
»The Princess?« Fosset asked, louder than he’d intended.
»That is … correct,« Naomi smiled timidly at Fosset and stared at his eyes. Was there also a hint of insecurity in her voice? She faintly slanted her head, as if …
Arkroid, who was intently observing her, didn’t miss this glitch. Now, he was really worried!
A robotic luggage carriage arrived with the team’s luggage, while Naomi handed each team member a holographic access card.
»I hope you’ll enjoy your stay,« she nodded quickly at the team, then turned and swiftly walked toward the reception counter.
»She was always very loyal to me,« Fosset remarked. »I made her CEO of our Mars branch. I can’t believe she’s involved with McCord’s plans. She’s doing her job as usual, trusting McCord!«
»I realize you’ve known her for a long time,« Arkroid whispered. »I wonder if she sees through your disguise. She seemed pondering at times, like she’d recognized you. We need to talk about it after we’ve checked into our rooms and made sure there are no bug
s in the rooms. Now, please, control yourself!«
Vasina nodded slightly.
»Yes, let’s talk about it. You were acting rather foolish for a moment, Fosset.«
Slowly and without haste, they followed the robotic luggage carriage to the central elevator.
Get used to it
Igor Petrow jumped onto the surface, knees bent to limit the impact. He jumped from a height of two meters, but the impact was very soft in Sedna’s low gravity. Shortly behind him followed Nadja Bulkin, Alexander Drustev and Mark Meyer. All team members were issued spacesuits with flat backpacks and integrated oxygen supply – more than enough for a few hours – and sensors. Part of the gear included the miniaturized recording equipment to document the incursion. The team also carried a newer version of the Globusterfist, which lent them a bit of self-confidence; now they could defend themselves against the Globs in close combat.
They paused on the surface for a moment, looking around, trying to penetrate the dark scenery with their eyes. It looked a lot different than on the scanner screens. The team had difficulty orienting themselves under the deteriorated lighting conditions.
»Helmet lights on!« Petrow ordered. He knew the risk and decided that it wouldn’t make much difference anyway. They could still switch to infrared if they had to.
Breathlessly they observed their surroundings. The Globs had built an impressive installation. Considering Sedna’s small size, the installation stretched beyond the horizon, making the base even more gigantic looking. Pyramid-like building structures surrounded the landing field and dominated the rear view. The starfish-like building towered over them, obstructing their frontal view. Petrow estimated that the bulk of the installation was built underground. Ten meters ahead in the direction of the starfish building was the ramp leading into the subterranean sections of the base. Petrow saw a shining energy barrier at the end of the ramp where it seemed to vanish under the building’s edge.
He signaled to activate their communication equipment.
»… exactly like on Quaoar!« Nadja remarked.
»Not quite,« Petrow rebutted. »I studied Quaoar’s records thoroughly. This base is way better organized and structured, not like on Quaoar … a burnt hole in the ground. This complex could have been built by Human architects. The way the landing field and the complex were designed runs contrary to Globuster methodology, if I’m not mistaken. This base has an entirely different signature …«
»… uh … sorry, Igor, I wasn’t talking about the base,« Nadja Bulkin interrupted. »I meant the radio frequency absorption shield. We can communicate inside the sphere, but we’re cut off from the outside. Just look at your display …«
»Chyort vozmee!« Alexander Drustev cursed in Russian. »We lost the SPS carrier!«
The SPS – or Solar Positioning System – enabled spacefarers to determine their relative location in the solar system. Now, the reference signals and the carrier had disappeared.
Petrow looked up to the towering wall before him. He was used to the size of Union Fleet cruisers, but here he needed to take a deep breath.
»Unbelievable, very impressive!« he mumbled to himself.
»The hull of the Globuster Tender is at least a hundred meters tall!«
»I’m dreaming!« Drustev shouted. »It’s even larger than I’d expected. How is it possible to build such a monster? Can you imagine the size of the shipyard?«
»It’s possible, or it wouldn’t be here!« Petrow replied dryly, following, with his eyes, Nadja’s hand as she pointed at a group of smaller spaceships on the landing field.
»Look! Hundreds of Globuster ships are surrounding this object!« she remarked. »This must be their main base.«
Petrow looked over his shoulder as much as his spacesuit allowed him.
»Yet, no trace of the Globs! Strange … «
»I’m not really that eager to make their acquaintance!« Alexander Drustev whispered warily. »Fine with me if they never show their ugly faces!«
Mark Meyer grinned and shook his head inside his helmet.
»You’re not getting the commander’s point,« he intersected. »There should be some Globs laying on the landing field. The Stinger’s destruction came without warning for them. We should find Globs suspended in stasis. Even the Globusters with ships in the Neptune System were affected by the cessation of their guidance signals from the Stinger. Lucky for us,« he added. »We collected their ships like ripe apples.«
»Exactly!« Petrow agreed. »That’s why I expected to see some of them laying around here in the breeze. The ships are, though, neatly arranged. No Globs on the tarmac, no destroyed or damaged ships – at least not that we can see from this angle.«
»Maybe those ships weren’t involved in the attacks against us and there was no need for anybody to be out here in the open?« Nadja fished for an explanation.
»Let’s go in and take a look around!« Petrow decided. »It looks to me as if that ramp was made for people to walk on. The shining energy field shouldn’t be a problem for us.«
»I really like the way our commander is always in the lead!« Nadja mocked.
»Assume v-formation!« he commanded and took the lead. The other specialists followed behind him and slowly they entered the ramp. The team held their weapons ready. They couldn’t forget that they were venturing into enemy territory, whether they saw any Globusters or not.
»I think you’re right, Commander,« Meyer acknowledged. »The Globs used a different, organic compound for this installation. The builders of this base used material found in the neighborhood, just like we would do. We’re walking on steps possibly made of molecular tempered rock – again, as we would do it.«
»Agreed,« Petrow replied.
The stepped ramp led 50 meters below the surface, then stopped before the energy shield.
»Looks like a hangar entrance without an airlock,« Meyer speculated. »What’s behind the shield?«
Petrow grinned faintly.
»Let’s find out,« he commented and reached into the energy shield..
Drustev jumped forward to pull Petrow back, but Petrow just smiled.
»Don’t worry, Alex, it’s safe. You only feel a slight resistance when you pass through it. It’s a bit ticklish, that’s all! These force fields were designed to seal the rooms beyond from the outer environment, but they let you pass inside with no problems.«
»Why can’t those monsters use normal airlocks?« Meyer inquired loudly. It was obvious that he didn’t like the shield.
»Get used to it, Meyer … and welcome to the future!« Petrow remarked and stepped through the force field. After a slight hesitation, the other team members followed.
I don’t understand
»What were you thinking, Hugh?« Arkroid asked for the second time. »Naomi’s smelled the bacon! Was that necessary? Your comments were way too provocative.«
With Paafnas still scouting the hotel, Vasina, Fosset and Arkroid were cooling their heels in Arkroid’s suite.
»Take it easy, Toiber. What can happen? I’ve known Naomi for years. We should actually tell her about McCord and ask for her help. She can do a lot for us … help us get close to him!«
Vasina frowned.
»We don’t know her relationship to McCord, or how she’d react to your sudden re-appearance. Toiber’s right – it’s too risky,« she put in.
Arkroid was rubbing his nose. His disguise had begun to itch after wearing the mask for several hours.
»We’ll keep a low profile and let Paafnas check out McCord first. That was the original plan and we’ll stick to it.«
»What are we going to do if your suspicions are true, Toiber?« Vasina asked worriedly. »What’s our plan, if McCord’s coming to Mars to launch an attack against your people … or the colony, or even the outposts?«
Arkroid squinted.
»If he’s going to attack Mars, and we can prove it, then we’ll take action and take him out!« Arkroid said determinedly. »The lives of my people and the peopl
e of this colony have the highest priority!«
»Why don’t we just arrest the bastard before he can do any more harm?« Fosset asked angrily. »Using my enterprise as a cover! I’m fuming mad, Toiber!«
»Calm down, Hugh,« Arkroid warned him. »We still need to find the real agitator. Whoever it is must be in touch with McCord or one of his other agents. We need to trust Paafnas’ abilities and play it by ear for now.«
Vasina stood before the large window and observed the central dome as well as the associated sections of the colony. Movements in the distance caught her eye.
»Several shuttles are landing at the colony’s spaceport. One of them could be McCord’s!« she announced.
Arkroid nodded briefly.
»Paaf, can you hear me?« He decided that Paafnas must be inside the restricted area reserved for McCord by now.
»Loud and clear, Toiber,« the alien replied. »I’m in McCord’s suit. He’s clearly feeling persecuted. I’m waiting for him – I’ll begin my analysis as soon as he arrives!«
»He should be there soon, so be careful! As soon as you learn anything, sneak back here!« Arkroid warned him.
»The disguise shield works perfectly. Nobody can see me!« Paafnas replied. »Getting through security and their scanners was no problem. I’ll learn McCord’s plans for you … I owe you that much for my rescue from the portal world!«
»Okay, Paaf,« Arkroid answered, feeling embarrassed. »Let us know as soon as he shows up at the suite.«
»Understood, Toiber!«
Fosset was pacing before the window, touching his mask nervously.
»This damn mask is as big a pain in the ass as McCord,« he complained, cursing. »The bastard betrayed me!«
Vasina turned around quickly.
»You’re wrong, Hugh!« she scolded him. »Don’t you understand? McCord has been changed, it’s not his fault?«
»I know, I know …,« Fosset stopped his pacing. »He’s working with our enemy and plotting to scoop up Earth in the meantime!«
»We’ve gone over this, Hugh,« Arkroid was beginning to lose his temper. »Your friend is long dead! The crystals killed him and replicated his brain. What we face is just his shell. He might still feel like McCord, but he’s a different being. He’s no longer your bodyguard. It’s a crystal intelligence mimicking your friend. Morgotradon and the crystals brought him into the Dark Brotherhood.«
NEBULAR Collection 3 - Morgotradon: Episodes 12 - 16 Page 18
