Peacekeeper Pathogen (Galactic Alliance Book 6)

by Doug Farren

  Tom’s jaw uncontrollably dropped as he turned to look at Lashpa. Although Rouldian facial expressions were not as prominently visible as that of other races, he could clearly tell she was smiling. Her tail was gently swishing back and forth with contentment.

  “It makes sense,” Lashpa said. “We are the first gragrakch made up of two separate species. How better to instill in the mind of a Terran what gragrakch means than to explain it using us as an example. I’m honored.”

  “Thank you for accepting my invitation,” President Leonidov said. “I not only wanted you to present your findings concerning the Purist facility to the World Congress, but I also wanted to express my deepest thanks for preventing the destruction of Cleveland.”

  “You’re welcome,” Tom said, his brain still reeling from learning that his relationship with Lashpa was now part of a standard instruction course on interstellar customs.

  “There are others who should be thanked as well,” Lashpa said. “Boris Kazapov told us how to remotely disable the weapon and the Mayor of Cleveland gave us the means to do so. Tom and I were not the only peacekeepers involved in the assault. There’s also the engineers who- - -“

  “It was a team effort for sure!” President Leonidov interrupted. “But you’re responsible for finding the facility and, like it or not, you’re the face people will associate with this event.”

  The President reached behind him and picked up a tall glass that was sitting on his desk. After taking a sip, he set it down and said, “I’m also aware that the Purists were developing a pathogen that could also have become a serious threat to the Alliance. Apparently, this pathogen is already wide-spread but has remained dormant. Because of the sensitive nature of this information, none of the members of the World Congress are aware of this fact.”

  “We will not mention it during our address,” Tom said.

  “Based on the reports I’ve read, the Purists came dangerously close to being able to actually carry out their threat,” the President said, the tone of his voice indicating concern.

  “That’s the opinion of some of the researchers we captured,” Lashpa replied. “There’s no way to know for sure just how close they came since all of their research has been destroyed.”

  “Still,” the President replied, running the palm of his hand down the front of his face, “It’s a frightening thought.” There was a moment of stressed silence before he added, “I must confess that there’s another reason I asked you to address the World Congress.”

  “And that is?” Lashpa asked.

  “The word of a peacekeeper carries a lot of weight these days,” the President replied. “Now that the Alliance Grand Council has decided that Safa is a colony of Earth, it’s up to us to bring it into alignment with the rest of humanity. Despite their past actions, my decision to replace the government of Safa is being opposed by a few members of Congress. Not enough to force me to reconsider, but enough to cause some concern among the general population. Even though you’re not here to argue that point, your past experience with the Purists will no doubt influence how you talk about them. The members of the World Congress and the press will pick up on that.”

  Tom nodded his head and smiled, “A true politician.”

  President Leonidov chuckled. “Well said and true. Having a hidden agenda is rooted deep in human politics.” Looking up at the wall clock, he straightened up and said, “We should go.”

  The President gave Tom and Lashpa a few pointers as to how to address the World Congress as they headed for the assembly room where the leaders of Earth’s nations were gathering. The low rumble of a large crowd could be heard as they approached the general assembly hall. They ascended to the large stage overlooking a cavernous room filled with the representatives and aides of the nations of Earth. Tom and Lashpa remained behind a thick wall as the World President continued to the marble speaker’s platform.

  The rumbling subsided. Leonidov called the assembly to order and made a few introductory remarks outlining the purpose of the meeting. He then gave a very brief summary of what happened in Cleveland.

  “Despite being injured during the battle,” President Leonidov continued, “Peacekeeper Wilks and Peacekeeper Krish weren’t satisfied with just having saved the lives of several million people. They joined the team of experts combing through the facility in an effort to uncover who was ultimately responsible for its construction. They are here today to present their findings to you. I am honored to introduce Peacekeeper Krishtom Lashwilks.”

  Following their cue, Tom and Lashpa walked out from behind the wall and approached the speaker’s platform. The hall was filled with the noise of clapping as they received a standing ovation. The World President stepped aside as Tom and Lashpa reached the platform. The clapping continued for a few minutes then slowly died down as the delegates took their seats.

  “I am honored to be here today,” Tom began. “I’m not one for long speeches and I prefer to focus on why I’m standing here before you today.”

  An architectural diagram of the Purist facility appeared on the giant screens to the left and the right of the upper platform. This same image was duplicated on the desks of the highest-ranking delegates seated in the room.

  “This is the facility we discovered underneath the offices of Gen-Perfect,” Lashpa said. “Gen-Perfect itself is a law-abiding company that had no knowledge of what was going on only a few meters beneath them. The entrance to the facility was through a secret door in the building’s loading dock. The entire cement block of the dock’s platform was designed to tilt and then slide underneath the building.”

  “The first level,” Tom continued, as the upper-floor of the facility was highlighted, “is devoted to air-handling equipment and storage of food and supplies.” A red border appeared around one of the rooms not far from the entrance. “This room is the primary armory. We found a significant number of heavy weapons stored inside. Four auxiliary armories are strategically positioned on the other levels. Just down the hall, is a security booth where a dedicated security force could monitor the activity in the loading dock as well as every room in the facility.”

  “A key feature found on this level,” Lashpa continued the narrative, “is a connection between the underground facility and the building above.” An outline of the Gen-Perfect building appeared with a red line running through its middle all the way to the roof. “We discovered a forced-air exhaust line running from the facility to a dispersion head located on the roof of the building. We’ll disclose its purpose in a moment.”

  The building faded away and the second level was highlighted as Tom said, “The second level as well as the third, house a combination of biolabs and living quarters. The facility’s kitchen with an adjoining dining room are located on this level. A small fusion reactor and a water treatment plant are located on the lowest level, enabling the facility to isolate itself from the outside world if needed.” A small room on the third level became highlighted in red. “This is where we discovered the weapon the Purists threatened to detonate.”

  The still image of a man bending over a missile appeared on the screen. “This is Franklin Csepegi,” Lashpa said. “He was in the process of attempting to detonate the warhead when we found him. This is what happened when we attempted to take him into custody.”

  Franklin Csepegi’s frozen image came to life and the scene leading up to his suicide played out in front of the leaders of Earth. The image froze at the point where the room was engulfed in the fire of his suicide vest.

  Tom let the image sink in for a moment then said, “We’ve confirmed that the missile was fully functional and armed with a 30 megaton warhead. If Csepegi had succeeded in detonating it, the city of Cleveland would no longer exist. The trigger he used to detonate his suicide vest also set off a number of prepositioned incendiary devices in a bioweapons lab also located on the third level. The intense fire that resulted, destroyed the lab along with the research they were conducting. For the last ten days, we’ve b
een combing through the facility and interrogating the scientists and have uncovered what they’d been working on for years.”

  Lashpa looked around the room, her tail swinging gently in the air behind her like a snake looking for a target to strike. “The city of Cleveland was not a random choice,” she said. “The Purists chose the location of this facility with great care. They needed access to advanced medical equipment as well as samples of non-Terran tissue and a large population. The nearby Cleveland Clinic with its extensive non-Terran medical facilities provided them with everything they needed to test their products. Because of their hatred of non-Terrans and their conceded belief that only humans be allowed to exist on Earth, the Purists embarked on a program to create a biological weapon that can kill all non-Terran life. They also realized that many humans would oppose this insane plan of theirs and so decided to create a bioweapon to strip the Earth of all life. Their plan was to release it into the atmosphere via the diffuser we found on the top of the Gen-Perfect building.”

  “We discovered a similar distribution connection leading to the city’s water supply,” Tom picked up where Lashpa left off, “This disease was to be designed to have a very long incubation period, allowing it to spread from Cleveland to all inhabited areas of the globe as well as to other planets where Terrans traveled. The only people possessing the cure would be those loyal to the Purist cause. Our review of the data found in the facility as well as what the captured scientists have told us has allowed us to conclude that the Purists were very close to perfecting their bioweapon.”

  The bloody face of Frank Csepegi appeared on the monitors. His upper lip was curled up in a sneer. “This is the face of a terrorist,” Lashpa said, emphasizing her words by pointing an accusing finger at the screen behind her. “A terrorist armed with a nuclear weapon and actively working on finding a way to murder anyone who does not believe in his cause.”

  The face of Supreme Sultan Muhaajir Hadi appeared next to that of Franklin Csepegi. “This is the man who provided the financial support Mr. Csepegi needed to reach his goal,” Tom said, raising his voice slightly. “These two men have been friends for many years. Our investigation has obtained conclusive evidence that Supreme Sultan Muhaajir Hadi was directly involved in the creation of the facility in Cleveland. The belief that allowing the Purists to govern themselves on their own planet would temper their terrorist activities is false. The Purists running the government of Safa have their eyes set on Earth. They will stop at nothing to get it and they will kill anyone who stands in their way. Their past actions are proof of this.”

  Lashpa put her one arm on Tom’s shoulder. “We stopped them this time. There’s no guarantee we’ll be able to do so in the future. The peacekeepers became involved because the Purists represented a threat not just to Earth, but to the entire Alliance. Safa is a colony of Earth. How you handle what they’ve done is up to you.”

  Tom had not intended to speak out in support of removing Safa’s government but had been about to. Sensing what Tom was most likely going to say next, the Orion’s AI issued a stern warning pointing out that he was coming dangerously close to interfering with the internal affairs of a sovereign world.

  The World President stepped up to the microphone. “We owe these two peacekeepers a great debt,” he said. “The decision has already been made to replace the government of Safa with one that is more in line with the political views of Earth. I’ve requested help from the peacekeepers to ensure this is done as peacefully as possible. The Galactic Alliance Grand Council has agreed to this request and Peacekeeper Lashwilks has agreed to join us in this operation. A full disclosure of all findings associated with the Purist facility will be released to the members of this congress as soon as it’s finalized. All unclassified information will be released to the press at the same time. Thank you for your time.”

  Chapter 32

  “I saw your speech the other day,” Doctor Jenkins said as she examined the area around Lashpa’s attachment ring. “Everyone’s been talking about it and everyone I’ve talked to agrees with the President’s plan. Can I ask when you’re leaving or is it a big secret?”

  “Tomorrow morning,” Lashpa replied.

  The doctor took a step back and put her hands on her hips. “You healed well,” she said. “You can have your arm reattached. Be careful out there.”

  “Thank you,” Lashpa said. Tom was waiting for her in the waiting room. “Let’s go get my arm,” she told him.

  “You’re in a grumpy mood today,” Tom said as they walked down the hallway.

  “I don’t like being well-known,” Lashpa replied.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” Tom asked. “You’re okay about all the attention you get as a Rouldian peacekeeper walking around among Terrans who’s first thought is that you’re some sort of armored, wingless dragon, but you’re not okay with being on the news for a few days? That just doesn’t make any sense!”

  “I’m used to the stares and the questions,” she replied, stepping into the elevator. “What I’m not used to is being recognized and addressed by name by every stranger I meet. I don’t know them, but they know me.”

  “Believe me, I know what you mean. Before I became a peacekeeper, I had a horrible memory for names. I think everyone on the Komodo Dragon knew who I was but I could never remember the names of the entire crew. The best I could do was to remember the dozen or so people I interacted with on a regular basis. I called the XO ‘Sir’ for almost a year because I could never remember his name. I don’t think he noticed either.”

  “How is it you can remember the moves I made in a chess game two weeks ago yet you can’t remember someone’s name?”

  Lashpa got out of the elevator. Tom held the door open for a service technician then joined Lashpa in the hallway.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Someone once told me I had something called partial face blindness. It’s actually quite common. If you introduce me to two people who look similar, I can’t tell them apart. Orion has standing instructions to present names to me so I don’t look like an idiot in conversations.”

  “I’m amazed,” Lashpa said, holding the door to the cybertech office open, “that after all the time we’ve spent together, I’m still learning things about you.”

  “The only way for you to know all about me,” Tom said, stepping aside so Lashpa could approach the desk, “would be for you to have lived my life. We might be gragrakch, but we are still two bodies.”

  Cybertech Heflik looked up from his desk and said, “I figured you two heroes would be walking through my door today.”

  Lashpa turned to Tom and said, “See what I mean?”

  “Doctor Jenkins has cleared you to receive your new arm,” Heflik said. “Come on back.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Lashpa reappeared. As soon as they were out in the hallway, she said, “I didn’t think he was ever going to let me leave. I didn’t have to do that much testing when I got my first arm back at the academy.”

  “He is thorough,” Tom replied. “I’d like to see King Syan before we leave.”

  “Agreed.”

  “I wonder why the Supreme Sultan hasn’t said anything concerning the plans to have him replaced,” Tom said as they walked.

  “Perhaps he knows it wouldn’t do him any good,” Lashpa replied. “I don’t think he’s going to willingly step down though.”

  “That’s been worrying me. He’s had a long time to prepare.”

  “I’m not too worried about any resistance he might put up,” Lashpa said. “I’m more worried about the state of the research into T11-N106. Although the Purists weren’t able to decipher the Gwon language, they were slowly figuring out how to use their medical equipment. If that information was being shared with Safa on a regular basis, they might be able to continue the research there.”

  “Let’s just hope they haven’t figured it out yet,” Tom said.

  “Hope is a good thing to have,” Lashpa said. “But I would rather deal in fact
s.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Peacekeeper Wilks!” a familiar voice yelled from behind. Turning around, Tom saw Biomaster Flothir hurrying to catch up to them. “I saw your presentation the other day. You did a wonderful job.”

  “Thank you,” Tom and Lashpa simultaneously replied.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Flothir said. “I have some wonderful news for King Syan and you should be there when I tell him.”

  “What is it?” Tom asked.

  “Come on,” Flothir said, taking the lead. “This is the kind of news to be shared.”

  King Syan was nowhere to be seen when they entered the observation room. Since the king was destined to live in the isolation ward for a long time, it had been outfitted with all the comforts of a small apartment. The bed had been moved into a corner and was neatly made. A chair sat in another corner. Nearby was a shelf filled with Mowry books and a small refrigerator had been put into the room. He’d even been provided with a television. The visitors waited and a few minutes later King Syan exited the restroom.

  Smiling, he walked up to the glass separating him from the rest of the world. “I’ve been hearing very good things about you two,” he said, pointing at Tom and Lashpa. “This must be a special occasion to bring all three of you here at once. It’s a shame I cannot offer you some food to share.”

  “I didn’t know they were coming,” Flothir said. “But I’m glad they’re here. I have some potentially wonderful news for you.”

  The king’s ears twitched. “Please, tell me.”

  “I’ve been going over some of the research the Purists were doing on T11-N106,” Flothir explained. “While trying to turn it into a weapon, they learned quite a bit about the organism.”