“My home colony of Athena is an asteroid colony much closer to Jupiter’s orbit and we are part of the Jupiter Alliance. Athena has spearheaded the technology research, and it appears we have a spy in our midst in Athena.”
Luke looked at her. “A spy?”
“The JAS Shrike was an exploration cruiser,” Leonessa continued with a nod. “Moderately well-armed, but designed for wormhole exploration. The colony of Athena also plans on escaping Sol like New Alamo. There is a wormhole within range we thought was promising, and the JAS Shrike, the first of our class, was sent to investigate. The Caliphate has somehow stolen or developed their own technology because they followed us through the wormhole with a small fleet. They attacked us and we fled through another wormhole and ended up here in this system where they caught up with us.”
“Is the wormhole to Sol stable?” Luke asked.
“Yes,” Leonessa said. “It appears to be. It was almost undetectable, but we are working on moving Athena through it, the goal was to move within the month. We would rather escape Sol sooner, rather than later.
“Isn’t that what happened to New Alamo?” Leonessa asked.
“For the most part,” Luke said. “We came through the wormhole into a somewhat unpopulated system, a system they called dark but it was also a warzone. The Topa contacted us and said we would not last long in that system and then they MOVED us to another system called Argal Iota. The system they moved us to is more populated and we have more opportunities there for trade and research.
“We are still trying to figure out how and why they did that, but now we are left alone. The Conglomerate is complex and they aren’t expanding. I think there is a galactic decline because the populations are shrinking.”
Luke pointed at the surrounding city. “It has been occurring for hundreds, or thousands of years. Stagnation maybe, I don’t know, but aliens are just not expanding or exploring and most populations are in decline, especially in the older worlds like this one.
“The Caliphate hasn’t torn itself apart yet?” Luke asked, tiring of talking about the Conglomerate.
Leonessa shook her head. “No, they are too busy trying to subjugate the Jupiter Alliance. They believe their Mahdi will come when we have been destroyed or subjugated.”
“So, they haven’t changed,” Luke said. “Still Caliph Riyasat?”
“Same old butcher,” Leonessa said. “They have slowed down since New Alamo disappeared, but are regaining strength. We believe they have had numerous riots and rebellions on their planet due to food shortages.”
“Chinese still fighting?” Luke asked.
“Not for about thirty years,” she said. “The Caliphate has conquered all the nations on Earth. Except for some hold outs in remote parts of the world, the Caliph owns it.”
“Shit,” Luke said. “How’s the Jupiter Alliance holding out?”
“We focused on war and defense,” Leonessa said. “We have the resources but not the people. The Caliphate has the people but not ready access to resources. There is a move in the Jupiter Alliance toward consolidation and the current Secretary General is James Abbot of the Jupiter Alliance Socialist Party, from Europa.”
“How is the war going?” Luke asked.
Leonessa scowled. “The Jupiter Alliance is losing, and it is inevitable, unless we render Earth uninhabitable. The Jupiter Alliance birth rate is abysmal and the Caliphate birth rate is not. Not that the people of the Jupiter Alliance will admit it.”
Luke was silent as they walked back.
With contact re-established with the Sol system this would change everything.
“Is it safe for us to remove our helmets?” Leonessa asked and Luke shook his head.
“No,” Luke said. “My crew and I have been augmented. Our immune system has been boosted, our lungs have special filters keeping out dangerous contaminants, even our eyes have been modified. Our stomach and digestive system have also undergone transformation so we can survive on more types of foods. The Conglomerate has some very impressive biotechnology and membership in the Conglomerate gives us access to some of that technology.”
“Why?” Leonessa asked. “Are you still human then?”
“Definitely still human, just hardier. I think it is because it is easier to modify people than to terraform planets. Increasing a person’s ability to live on different worlds is more efficient than making more worlds fit for a specific species. It also allows the different races to mingle more easily, which in a way reduces the conflict and violence, a little.”
“A little?” Leonessa asked and Luke glanced at her and smiled.
“Yea,” Luke said. “There is still conflict and violence. The Conglomerate only tries to minimize it, not eliminate it. Considering how much fighting has been done most Conglomerate races really suck at it too. From what I have seen, some species will never get along with other species, but they are generally less violent than humans are.”
“So how do the Topa do it?” Leonessa asked.
“A big stick,” Luke said. “Sort of. They have military forces called the Tal that are technologically advanced and absolutely ruthless in combat. I have never seen them called out, but there are examples throughout history. The Topa also manage the banking system and they license technologies to individuals and races.”
“License technologies?” Leonessa looked at Luke wondering what would keep a race from reverse engineering the technology.
“Yes,” Luke said. “Sometimes they allow a race to access a certain technology, for a cost or for no cost. Sometimes they license it to specific people. A Conglomerate manufactory is like a three-dimensional printer that will print anything you have a license for as long as it has raw material. If there is a cost associated with the item, it is deducted from your account. My ship has several of them.”
“But can’t the technology be reverse engineered?” Leonessa asked.
“Sometimes pretty easily,” Luke said. “But a lot depends on the license. Violate the spirit or terms of the license and you will find your bank account smaller or the Tal may come after you. If you are licensed for something, the manufactory is much easier and quicker to use. In some cases, the manufactory tracks what it makes and pays appropriate license fees.”
“They don’t throw you in jail?” Leonessa asked.
“No,” Luke said. “They kill you. The Conglomerate does not have any jails, or prisons, or courts. You break Conglomerate laws then Conglomerate forces kill you.”
“That’s serious,” Leonessa said. “Don’t they make mistakes?”
“Yes,” Luke said. “And they don’t care. They are ruthless and brutal but you would be amazed at how much people don’t want to break the laws. The different races go to the extreme sometimes to adhere to the Conglomerate laws.”
Leonessa stared at Luke and Luke wished he could see more of her face.
“How do they know who you are?” Leonessa asked.
“Everyone in the Conglomerate gets an identity scan,” Luke said. “We aren’t sure how they do it, but they can scan individuals and enter the data into their system. An individual’s identity cannot be faked either, but you need an identity scan to interact with Conglomerate systems.”
Luke didn’t miss Leonessa’s shudder.
“It seems bad,” Luke said. “But I have not seen, or heard of, any Conglomerate officials abusing the system, I’ll let you guess the penalty for that. The Conglomerate does a magnificent job in banking transactions and in network security. Hacking is near impossible on Conglomerate networks because of the identity and privacy controls.”
“Couldn’t you get the identity of the Tonkan that attacked us then?” Leonessa asked and Luke shook his head.
“I wish it were that easy,” Luke said. “But the Conglomerate takes privacy seriously. One of those Tonkan would have to initiate a connection with me before I could learn their identity and even then, I would only get the minimal information needed to complete the transaction.”
; Leonessa shuddered.
“I will find out where they are from though,” Luke said. “There are ways that are legal.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Grav Tanks
“Wow,” Leonessa said looking at the grav tanks. They were large flattened cylinders tapered at one end. On top of it was a massive turret, half the size of the lower half. The turret had a smaller cupola on top and two massive plasma lances. In the back of the main cylinder, it was flat where the ramp would drop. In the front, just below the single pilot, was a mass driver tube. Various sensor pods and point defense arrays studded the rest of the vehicle. A missile battery also hung on the side of the turret and could be swapped out for a mortar array. It looked more heavily armed than most small warships.
“They are big, beautiful and covered with guns,” Leonessa said staring at them.
“They are Luke’s design,” Musashi said. “Somehow it all works. Even so, they are overpowered and I don’t think they have ever been used to their full potential.”
Luke smiled. “Multi-purpose grav tanks. They each can carry a platoon of infantry droids, the main guns can touch ships in orbit, they have an extensive sensor arrays, and they have space to ground to space transport capability. They are my all-purpose mercenary transport. Heavily armored and shielded too.”
“Brita can you give her a tour while I coordinate things with Gray?”
“Be glad to,” Brita said and led Leonessa away to show her the interior while the rest of the crew was loaded on.
Luke met with Gray.
“So,” Luke said. “I plan to evac everyone to the Ultio and keep a detachment here in case the Soma shows up.”
“I’ll stay,” Gray said. “Let me keep two platoons and their tanks and I will establish a base.”
Luke nodded. “Sounds good. The Tonkan might come looking for revenge though.”
Gray smiled, “and we will be ready for them. I’ll keep Alpha Company on standby.”
“I’ll go up and help coordinate the search for the lost crew,” Luke said looking around at the stretchers being unloaded and the exhausted crew being helped onto the tanks.
Luke took off his helmet and headed over to the tank with Brita and Leonessa. Inside it still smelled nasty and unpleasant and he was sure his nanites were working overtime, but it was not anything they could not handle.
“Um sir,” Lieutenant Daley asked. “What is the status of that?” he said pointing at Felix.
The creature was sitting by Leonessa watching the surrounding people. Unobtrusive and quiet. Easy to forget about.
“Shoo!” Luke said motioning for it to go back outside. It looked at him and then yawned. Revealing numerous sharp teeth.
Leonessa gave it a push, but it pushed back. It either did not understand it was on a transport or it intended to go with them.
“Gray,” Luke said. “Do a biological workup on it. See if it can survive in our atmosphere.”
“Working on it,” Gray said.
Twenty minutes later, it was still following Leonessa around and Gray opened a link.
“Well sir,” Gray said. “It certainly isn’t native to this planet, and it looks like it can withstand a lot of different environments. Maybe even vacuum.”
“No shit,” Luke said surprised and looking at it. “Nothing in the database about what it is?”
“No sir,” Gray said. “Nothing concrete. Might be some genetically engineered organism but I have no idea what the base organism was. No trace of it.”
Leonessa smiled up at Luke. “Can we keep him?”
Looking at it Luke wanted to, but taking it away from its home might not be the best solution. Did it understand it would be leaving? It seemed unconcerned with all the surrounding activity, following Leonessa around like a pet dog. He wondered if it would behave differently when people took off their armor. Maybe its behavior would change. It seemed mellow and passive now but Luke knew it could be dangerous.
Luke stared at it. “Sure, but that oversized mass of scar tissue is your responsibility.”
Reaching down to run her hand along its head Luke could see her smile in the corner of her eyes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Return to the Ultio
Most of the crew was awake and peering out the ports, watching the screens as the three grav tanks made orbit and landed in the port side bay.
Luke was busy watching the crew and glanced at an external screen. What he saw made him do a double take. There were three red carpets and rows of warbots wearing the Ultio’s formal colors. Black, red stripes and chrome. They were standing there in parade formation and Luke lost sight of them as the grav tank swiveled around to point the ramp at them.
Rushing back Luke made it in time to see the ramps drop.
“Attenhut!” Jeremy yelled and all the warbots snapped to salute with their weapons. The grav tanks had landed their ramps on a red carpet. The Jupiter Alliance anthem played as the crew of the JAS Shrike stared out at the landing bay of the Leonis Ultio.
Amanda, Jeremy, Nelson and Jeeves stood at the end of the red carpets in dress uniform looking sharp.
The ramp finished descending and Leonessa moved up beside him.
As Luke was about to step off with Leonessa at his side, she grabbed his hand. At first it felt natural and then he remembered who it was. He didn’t want to let go but then she must have realized who it was and let go. She looked away in probable embarrassment but Luke wished she hadn’t.
“Sorry,” she said embarrassed and turned back to the waiting officers. “This ship is impressive.”
“Thank you,” Luke said stepping off, trying to conceal how rattled the brief contact had left him. His eyes were not looking at the bots around him as he thought about her hand in his.
“Present Arms!” Jeremy yelled.
“Commodore arrives,” the ship piped out over the intercom. A fine mist fell over the ship and people. The mist, composed of nanites, would sanitize, disinfect and sterilize anything dangerous to humans.
Once he was out, he stepped aside and motioned Leonessa on. This dog and pony show was for her and her crew. The rest of her crew were right behind her walking tall, some were weeping. Jeeves and Nelson waited for them and Nelson rendered a parade ground salute when Luke and Leonessa approached.
“Welcome back Commander,” Nelson said. “And welcome aboard Lieutenant Ferraro”
Luke came to a stop and with Leonessa beside him rendered a sharp salute of his own.
“What’s with this buffoonery and pomp?” Luke transmitted to Nelson as Leonessa returned the salute.
“Jeeves recommended it,” Nelson transmitted back. “He IS your protocol officer.”
“This is a circus,” Luke transmitted and dropped his salute.
“It is fun,” Nelson transmitted back, dropping his salute and smiling.
Nearby Amanda and Jeremy stood smiling, each facing their own line of rescued crew coming out of the tanks. Behind them were numerous sentient droids making the hanger feel crowded.
“Lieutenant,” Nelson said addressing Leonessa. “Allow us to show you to your quarters. I’m sure you want to get out of your suits and into some clean clothes. You may take off your helmet if you like. It is now safe.”
Leonessa took off her helmet and Luke could smell her, it was not pleasant. Luke did not want to know how long she had lived in the suit but it had been a while, he remembered the smell. Hopefully the suit was not as uncomfortable as he remembered. He remembered what it was like with the ‘specialized’ plumbing and waste disposal system of long-term space suits. They melded to the skin with dirt, sweat, grime, and blood.
With her helmet off, she did not look familiar at all. She was beautiful though, with strong Italian features and sun kissed skin. He liked her eyes, and he wondered if she would replace Brita in his dreams. Felix walked beside her, completely unaffected by the new atmosphere or change of scenery.
“You are a commodore?” Leonessa asked glancing at Nels
on and the others.
Luke nodded.
“I wear many hats,” Luke said and smiled. “In the NADF I’m a commodore, In the NADF Marines I’m a colonel, as a Conglomerate agent I am a Shoka and as a mercenary I am a Commander. Among my crew I’m a dumb deckhand.”
“A lazy meat sack,” Musashi corrected. “We don’t think you are dumb.”
Luke gave Musashi a twisted smile and glanced at Brita.
“Usually I’m the only human in the fleet,” Luke said and shrugged. “But enough about me. You need to relax,” Luke said, seeing the exhaustion and pain in Leonessa’s face. “You are now safe.”
“I’m still missing crew,” she said and Luke nodded.
“We will find them,” Luke said. “Bizzen is a big place and I’m willing to pay for information. I will take this freaking planet apart building by building if I have to. I give you my word of honor. Now YOU need to rest and recover. When we find them, I will personally lead the assault to rescue them.”
“Take me with you,” Leonessa said. Luke could hear desperation in her voice.
“I won't take you with me if you can’t survive on the planet,” Luke said, unwilling to endanger her further.
“Please?” Leonessa said. Luke stared at her. If he had lost people, he would have demanded to be there. It was his duty. Any good leader would know, so it came as no surprise to Luke that Leonessa would not take no for answer.
“With your permission, the medical facility can prepare you,” Luke said. “It can give you the ability to live on Conglomerate planets and eat most Conglomerate foods. I can also get you a Conglomerate identity and upgrade your cybernetics so you can interface with Conglomerate technology.”
Leonessa looked back at her people, “I can’t afford anything like that.”
“There is no cost,” Luke said. “But you will not leave the safety of this ship otherwise. I will not risk you or your crew.”
The Return: The Conglomerate Trilogy (Volume 1) Page 21
