Gholss studied his Commander carefully, wary of any signs of rebuke. He found none, but that did not mean something was not coming.
“We may be able to turn the incompetence of the Kelgar 7 station’s commander to our advantage,” Sslolg said.
“How might that be?” Gholss asked, his trepidation overcome by curiosity.
“By manipulating politics. Diplomacy is also a weapon, when used properly. I have instructed our intelligence branch to issue a false report that this Human Captain is a criminal who was hired by the BJP Empire to deliver mercenaries to infiltrate Reptilian business concerns. The actions of this Captain and the BJP operatives play right into this cover story.
“We can use this as a pretext to openly bring military vessels into the trade lanes. Our diplomatic wing is even now filing multiple complaints with the Trade Union Council.”
Gholss said nothing.
“You don’t approve of this strategy?”
“I neither approve nor disapprove. It’s just that…” Gholss trailed off and turned his eye stalks to the stars that began to lengthen into streaks as the ship accelerated to nearlight speed. “I am not accustomed to such tactics.”
“I see. You see methods such as subterfuge and spying as beneath the honor of pure warriors such as you and me.” The angle of Gholss’ eye stalks told Sslolg that was precisely what the First Officer believed. “This is why our empire has grown weak. It is not wisdom to adhere to principles when those principles are no longer effective. Time is the great changer that changes all things. Honor of the past sometimes becomes the vice of today.”
“You are talking as if there is no bedrock,” Gholss shot back, heedless of the risk brought by his unbridled comment. “The core principles of the Reptilian Way are not relative. They are the constants that define who we are.”
“Of course, there are constants. I am only saying that there are very few. Everything that does not bring us closer to success is not one of those constants.”
Gholss thought about this for a moment, said, “I do not understand, but you are my leader and you choose to share your glory with me, as well as your confidence. This is a constant that earns you my undying loyalty.”
“And there you have it,” Sslolg said. “You do indeed understand.”
***
General Blevins showed up in the Royal Palace Complex unannounced. His doing so brought an even greater degree of shame to the Nautiyal family. The move was designed that way. Surrounded by a fully armed, fully staffed guard, the General called Abhay into the public square to strip him of his rank. A select group of reporters was present to document the proceedings.
“Abhay Nautiyal, of the former rank of Colonel, for the crimes of insubordination to the law of Civilian Rule, I hereby strip you of all rank and privilege. You are no longer a member of the Sacred BJP Military. My charge will now present you with your dishonorable discharge papers.”
On that cue, an officer stepped around the General's guard. The officer’s face was only vaguely familiar at first. As the man stepped forward with a face ashen and drawn, Abhay recognized Madhuk. His old friend looked terrible. For the general to order a member of Abhay’s former guard to serve severance papers to his former commander was simply sadistic. From the look of Madhuk, that power play was not the only psychological battering administered. Abhay locked eyes on Madhuk until his eyes rose, then gave a hidden smile. Madhuk smiled back fully, in spite of himself. Abhay needed his friend to know he still cared. It was Malik who betrayed them, not Jabir or Madhuk.
Abhay almost saluted when he took the papers, but remembered himself. That gesture was no longer valid for him. He received the papers from Madhuk’s hand and turned on his heel. Abhay held his head high as he pushed through the crowd made up of fellow politicians and their families. He did not bother to read the faces there. What difference would it make? He had work to do, and it didn’t involve taking readings on his popularity with the Political Caste.
He was still a Royal Senator, after all and, as this was the middle of an election cycle, his position was still relatively solid. He would not have to worry about reelection for another few years. There was a lot he could do in that time. He ignored the staring eyes that tried to plaster him to the corridor hallways as he hurried back to his apartments.
When he stepped through the doors once again, he stopped short on seeing his mother standing in the foyer. He had not seen her since the news broke. She did not come to his defrocking. Seeing her there made him realize that he had not thought of her much at all during the entire ordeal. She stood there in the middle of the foyer and she smiled, which was almost a bigger shock than his fall from grace.
“So, my son,” she said a discordant air of amusement, “you have met with defeat. I am proud to see that you bear it well, almost as well as the unbroken string of success up until this point.”
Was she mocking him? His furrowed brow grew warm and prickly.
“Mother, you have never been more confusing than you are right now.”
Parveen’s smile broadened, and she led him by the hand into the courtyard. He was shocked when his mother reached into the secret compartment in the potted palm and activated the secure comm system.
“Who do you think had this system installed?” she said.
Abhay stood rooted in place, blinking rapidly. “What is going on?”
“Ah, you are such a smart child, but not so smart in other ways. Some things, you just don’t get…” she trailed off into a sigh, then continued. “I’m sorry that General Blevins was so hard on you. He really didn’t want to be so, but I insisted.”
“You insisted...“ Abhay stumbled into the courtyard, mouth agape.
His mother’s laughter was as rare as rain in the desert continent in which they lived. She finished adjusting the anti-surveillance system, then sat down on a stone bench. She motioned him to sit beside her.
“Mother, what have you done?” Abhay asked.
“I’ve saved your skin, and provided you with your only chance of saving billions of lives.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Your weakness has always been your reliance on your friends. I’ve warned you about this since you were a child. Your big heart is an asset, but also a fatal flaw, as we have seen in this case. You were blind to Malik, and now he has damaged you.”
“Malik will not be a problem for long.” Abhay said. If his eyes were cutting lasers, the stone planter in front of him would be vaporized.
“And you are often blinded by rage. We need Malik alive. He is our cover now.”
Abhay shook his head, “I am so confused,” he confessed.
“Of this, I am certain.”
“Then explain it to me, and stop with the barbs!” Abhay bellowed. His mother’s smile softened and she rested her hand on his shoulder.
“Very good. You are finally standing up to me. Took you long enough.”
“I’m sorry, mother, to shout at you, mother.”
“Nonsense! I just told you...“ Parveen lost her words and replaced them with a raised hand. “Ah, my beautiful boy. I love you so much and I’m so grateful for your respect. But treating me like a carved figure won’t help us much at all now.”
“So you would have me yell at you? Is that why you prod me?”
“No, Abhay. I would have you treat me like a person. This is the family business that I am handing over to you. Adulthood has many stages, and you are passing through one of them right now. I have to tell you that I could not be more proud of you than I am in this moment.
“At the same time, you need to catch up. This is the first time in your life you have met significant failure. You are reeling. It took so long for you to fail that when it finally came to you, it arrived as a cataclysm and not a mere bump in the road.”
“Do you have to rub it in?”
“That is not my intent. The pride I feel comes from the way you met this defeat. I was not expecting you to put Madhuk and that spy in
place so quickly. My counsel was to be that very move. Of course, Madhuk was an entirely lucky stroke. I did not see that coming either. I thought him the weak one who would follow the strongest leader.”
“Madhuk has always been the strong one. You don’t know them like I do.”
“I can see that now, dear. Trusting so much in friends and not family carries great risk, but you have also reaped great benefit from your friends. I confess that I don’t understand this, but I respect how it seems to work for you.”
“So tell me about this scheme of yours with General Blevins.”
“Of course, dear. In due time. We will have three days to discuss this on our journey.”
Abhay threw up his hands in frustration, “OK, I guess I’m just along for the ride now. But why are we in the courtyard if you aren’t going to explain your whole scheme?”
“We are waiting for a Diplomat, a Forest Child. He is part of my scheme. You will see. All in good time.” Mother Parveen leaned to her right, reached into the planter box and gently bent the stem of an orchid to smell its flower.
23
“Lord in heaven, but that thing does stink!” Sergeant Ethan Jones said as he rose with stiff, jerky motions from the makeshift surgical bed. He waved his hand to dispel the cigar smoke, but it closed in around his head again.
“Sorry,” Samuel said, and held the cigar away. He tried to guide the Sergeant back to a supine position, but Jones intercepted his hand and turned it into an awkward shake.
“Thank you, doctor,” Jones said. His words were slurred by his wound, laced with pain and muffled by the bandage. The new skin forming beneath the bandage didn’t do much good for speech either. He struggled with his condition carefully and earned the victory of sitting upright.
As a combat medic and doctor of many years, Samuel had intimate knowledge of the pain Sergeant Jones felt as he struggled. Samuel winced and said, “Now, there is absolutely no need for you to be up and about right now. You’ll heal better if you rest.”
Jones shook his head and winced. Involuntary tears formed in his eyes. “If you’d be so kind to adjust the pain dampeners in the active bandage, I certainly would be grateful, Doctor.”
“Soldiers,” Samuel said, clamping his teeth down on his stogie as he tapped some icons on the medical scroll fastened to the shuttle bulkhead.
Jones tried to say “Thank you,” but the words came out hopelessly garbled as if he were completely drunk.
“Side effect,” Samuel said, “If you want less pain, the nerves that work your mouth need to sleep.”
Jones nodded his head briskly. Samuel’s face pinched together in reproach.
“Hey! You listen to me, now. No sharp movements. Lack of pain means that you will damage my work if you are not careful. So, while the pain dampener is at full, you do not try to talk and you keep your head as still as possible, you got me?”
Jones almost nodded his head, but blinked his shocked eyes twice instead.
“That’s excellent,” Samuel said more gently this time. “I got my eye on you. If you look like you’re hurting yourself, I will put you out in a heartbeat and you will spend the rest of your healing cycle in deep sleep. Don’t think that I won’t.”
Jones refrained from smiling. Instead, he very slowly and carefully stood at attention and gave Samuel a slow-motion, but very crisp, Federated American Marine salute. Samuel puffed on his cigar and smiled in spite of himself.
“Go,” Samuel said, “Go do your soldiering.”
Reggie was careful to vent smoke away from Dewey as Samuel moved closer to him. The insectoid was resting on the table with his arms dangling over the sides. Samuel rigged his body so that the wing stump was held at a very specific angle by active bandages. The problem was that the bandages were not designed specifically for healing Insectoids. Samuel had to draw on all his medical knowledge to adapt them to Insectoid biochemistry. While DNA was DNA, the ways in which it formed living creatures was very different.
“I am monitoring him very closely,” Reggie said, noticing Samuel’s concern. “He is not healing as well as he should.”
“I see that too. He is stable, but his infection indicators worry me.” Samuel cocked his head. “But when did you get so concerned about ‘meat units’?”
Reggie paused, said, “It’s my programming, I guess. I wish it were otherwise.”
Samuel was beginning to have doubts about the Reggie’s gruff exterior.
“Well, I am grateful for your help. Dewey would be dead without your quick thinking. By the way, can you make some extra replacement fluids for more Insectoids? I have a feeling we will need a lot more.”
“I will do that, Doctor. I’ve sent your request to the main me.”
“Speaking of which, how far are we out now?”
“We should catch up to Fleetfoot I in another day or so. Mumlo has ordered velocity increased right to the edge of C. He could go to blinkpoint right now if he ordered it.”
“Why did you let him do that?”
“Unfortunately, he is the acting Captain. My programming only allows me so much leeway to be a bastard.”
“Huh,” Samuel grunted. “I learn something new every day. I almost feel like your confidant now.”
“Don’t push your luck. There are still enough ethical gaps in my system to make your life hell.”
“Of that, I have no doubt,” Samuel said with total honesty.
Samuel finished checking Dewey’s bandages, unfastened his medical scroll from the bulkhead and took a seat on a bench fastened mid-cabin. While he waited from word from the rest of the Reptilian boarding party, he pulled up medical journals relating to Insectoid physiology and studied them.
***
Back on the pirated Lizard ship, Tara and Huey finally rounded up the last ten members of the Reptilian crew who somehow managed to avoid passing out from lack of oxygen. The Insectoids were fortunate that the Lizards were disoriented, scared and confused. They appeared to be junior crew members. Very few officers were left aboard, and those who remained appeared to be second-string soldiers.
These were not merchant astronauts, but soldiers trained to fill that role. These were combat personnel, which would explain why they behaved so aggressively at the loading dock. It also explained why the ship was stripped to a skeleton crew: to focus manpower on the hunt for Drexler and his crew.
By the time the Reptilians realized Drexler was no longer on the planet, Reggie had already punched a hole in the side of their disguised warship. They tried to send shuttles to intercept the boarding party, but by then, the remaining crew was already in pursuit of Fleetfoot I. It appeared that every Lizard in and around Kelgar 7 was so eager for battle that they missed every opportunity for common sense. In this situation, the Reptilians rushed every strategic decision and paid for it with stinging failure.
Drexler contemplated this while puffing on yet another cigar. He had never smoked this much tobacco before. He understood its addictive qualities now. The tobacco seemed to help his stress levels and calm his nerves as he thought. Drexler had a lot to think about.
It was obvious that the Reptilians planned to attack the Trade Union. Drexler was no military man, but it was an easy stretch of deduction to understand that Kelgar 7 could not be the only covert Reptilian military base. He wondered how many more installations were out there like Kelgar. How many ships were death machines hiding in plain sight?
“Damn it,” Drexler said aloud, “I’m a businessman, not a fighter.”
“I don’t know,” Darzi said. “You seem to be a pretty good fighter.”
Drexler turned around, startled, said, “I didn’t see you come in.”
“I just got back from rounding up the last of the Lizards.”
“Did you separate the officers from the crew?”
“Yes, we did. Just like you asked. Like I said, you have a head for this stuff. Honestly, I should have thought of this.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. Not everyone is as antis
ocial as me,” Drexler replied, puffing smoke rings. He studied her under the guise of his wry smile and wondered if she detected his appraisal. He still didn’t trust her, but she proved exceedingly useful. The way she spoke to him now seemed to indicate her guard was down. Her words certainly had less edge than before, but in business, Drexler was always cautious. He did see what he was doing as the most critical negotiation. He was maneuvering for his own life and the lives of his crew.
Darzi smiled back, and Drexler thought he detected a veiled edge beneath. At this point, he could not be sure. His mind churned so many possibilities that this reasoning began to pace in circles. It was time to make some more moves.
“Gajrup,” Drexler said aloud, opening a channel to engineering.
“Yes, Captain?” came the quick reply.
“How are we looking down there?”
“Excellent, Captain. These systems are amazing. This fusion reactor is like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s beyond fifth-generation tech. It’s an iron burner and incredibly dense.”
“Iron burner? You mean that reactor fuses iron instead of hydrogen? How is that possible?”
“Heavy duty containment. The downside is that if this thing goes ‘boom’ it really goes ‘boom’ in a major way. That’s why the Union doesn’t use iron burners.”
Drexler shook his head. Playing out the facts, he also knew that the Reptiles must also know how to conceal the specifics of their ships from the Union. Technology like this should not be allowed in the Trade lanes. Drexler knew how to hide his own unauthorized engines, but the Lizard craft was a completely different animal. He had no idea how this technology managed to hide in plain sight. Something else much be involved here, beyond technical deception.
“This thing is a lot smaller than Fleetfoot I. I’ve ordered Reggie to reconfigure the holds. When we catch up, we’re going to dock this thing, and you can study it all you want. In the meantime, I need you to squeeze everything you can out of it.”
“Aye aye, Captain,” Gajrup said. Drexler grinned at the ancient reference to Human seafaring days.
Fleetfoot Interstellar: Fleetfoot Interstellar Series, Book 1 Page 20
