...and they are us 3: HiveWorld

by Patrick McClafferty

  “Yes sir.” For thirty minutes the sky was filled with small exploding flashes of light. Chunks of the cruiser burned and flared as they streaked through the Eacrorth night sky. “Creednax cruiser and nanites eliminated.”

  “Let’s go help our scouts then.”

  LOLA’s laugh was light. “Check the blue dots on your Tactical Display, Zed. The scouts are on their way back. Mike let me know that their mission is accomplished and they’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  “I’ll be damned.” He looked around the bridge. “Good job folks. This could have gotten ugly, but we were lucky. Mike and Caithlexa did a hell of a job.”

  “Shall I pass that along to them?”

  “Please do, LOLA. Meanwhile, we need to talk to the government and put a stop to this asinine war. You might as well turn off our cloaking now.” He studied the Tactical Display as the saucer glided closer to Eacrorth. “How are those Eacrorth frigates doing?”

  “One will re-enter the atmosphere in fifteen minutes, Zed. The others will re-enter somewhat later.”

  “Grab that first one immediately, and put all three into a stable orbit. Then send a shuttle to begin ferrying crews to the ground. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.” Zed rubbed his eyes. It had been a very long day. “Could I get a cup of coffee please, LOLA?” A steaming cup appeared at his elbow, and he breathed deeply of the hot brew made from the finest Columbian beans, or so LOLA’s synthesizers told him. To him it tasted identical to the real thing. Good! “Thank you, LOLA.”

  “You’re welcome, dear one.” Zed blinked. It was the first time she’d ever used THAT particular phrase. He took a sip, savoring the rich flavor.

  “Put me on the Eacrorth Command Net, LOLA.” She gave him a nod. “Eacrorth Command, this is Zed Yates, Skipper of the TFS Bellerophon. If you’re not familiar with the name, we’re the little saucer that cleared your skies of the Creednax. Now, I’ll take your surrender and put an end to the asinine war you’ve had with the Tildan.”

  “This is Nofar Crax, the Head Prelate of Eacrorth. Now wait a minute, young man. You can’t just…”

  “Which of your unscorched cities are you willing to lose?” Zed interrupted. “You have nothing to stop us. Your frigates are dead in the water, and your planetary defense fighters are a joke. You don’t have a choice.” He glanced over his shoulder as Caithlexa and Mike entered the bridge, and gave the young woman a wink. “This is Caithlexa Tall, a former Lieutenant in the Tildan Defense Forces. Tell the man what happened on your planet, my dear.”

  Caithlexa blushed prettily as she faced the camera. “The TFS Belepheron came into our system and systematically destroyed all the Creednax warships that were attacking our world, including one Creednax battleship. When Zed Yates found out we were still involved with a petty war with you, he put a stop to it. Our Chancellor refused to cooperate at first, but Zed destroyed a Tildan corvette as easily as he destroyed the Creednax. My Uncle, Fleet Commander Jafral Blinx, surrendered what remained of the Tildan fleet to Zed in order to avoid further bloodshed.” Caithlexa sniffed, and when Zed glanced her way he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. The woman was a born actress, and very very dangerous. “The Chancellor turned the planetary computers over to him. Zed simply removed a small percentage of the military budget for the Bellerophon, and divided the rest between veterans’ programs and starship research. He did, however, retain control of the computers, for auditing purposes of course.” She looked up, giving the Prelate a wide-eyed innocent gaze.

 

 

 

  On the view-screen Prelate Notar Crax seemed to deflate. “Since there is no longer a threat from Tildan to worry about, I surrender control to you, Zed Yates, Skipper of the TFS Belerophon.” He gave Zed a curious look. “What is a Skipper, if I might ask?”

  Zed slumped. “It means the same as Captain.”

  The man nodded. “Very good.” He turned and said a few words over his shoulder. “You should have computer access now.” LOLA gave Zed a short nod.

  “We do. Thank you. Now, perhaps you have a scientist who can tell us what you know about the Creednax.”

  Notar Crax shuddered visibly. “Porro Bibblie is our chief scholar regarding all things Creednax. He can help you.”

  “Excellent. We’re in the process of shuttling down the crews from your incapacitated frigates. Porro can catch the last shuttle back here. We have excellent conference facilities, comfortable rooms and good food.”

  “But Porro doesn’t like to fly…”

  “That’s nice. The last shuttle will be ready to pick him up in an hour.” LOLA cut the connection.

  Mike and Zed sat at a small table in the Lounge, sipping beers and staring out through the view-screen picture window at the war torn planet below them. Fires still burned. Neither man spoke much. The meeting with Porro Bibblie had gone about as expected. The thin man was excruciatingly nervous, but when he began to warm to the subject, neither Zed nor Mike nor LOLA nor Caithlexa could shut him off. It seemed that, just as with the Tildan, the Creednax had been raiding Eacrorth shipping for years, stealing shiploads of people or even, if the ship were small enough, entire ships full of victims. Nobody seemed to have the slightest clue of what the Creednax would want the hostages for. Zed had an idea, but he kept it buried deep, never daring to take it out and expose it to the light of day, for fear it would prove true. In a similar manner, nobody knew where the Creednax homeworld might lie, except that it was out there… (finger pointing in a general direction) that-a-way, from one to a thousand light years. That’s where Katherine and the rest of the women were.

  Porro had politely refused Zed’s accommodations, but had accepted an automated shuttle to take him back to the surface of Eacrorth after the meeting adjourned. LOLA informed the thin scientist that the smoke, ash and radiation from the bombardment should dissipate in two to three years. Zed tilted his beer to discover the glass was empty.

  Mike set his own empty glass down. “So, my friend, when do we leave? Time is flying by and we aren’t getting any closer to finding our loved ones.”

  Zed stared out the view-screen. “Tomorrow, mid-morning. We’ll give the crew a chance to sleep in. LOLA can still follow the trail of those destroyers. One day, more or less won’t matter.”

  Mike looked up. “Speaking of LOLA.” LOLA, wearing a bright pink sleeveless dress today, and sporting green hair, pulled up a chair. Zed averted his eyes as she sat, the short dress hiking up to astronomical heights. She gave him a wicked little grin, while across from her Caithlexa, wearing a skin tight blue jumpsuit, pulled up her own chair. It was the same outfit, Zed thought with a pang that Sindiix had favored; one that showed every single dimple on her very well put together body.

  “I thought we might find you two here.” LOLA’s voice was surprisingly serious. A beer sparkled and appeared before her, and another before the young Tildan woman. She took a small sip, considered the taste for a moment, and then took a longer swallow. “Nice beer, but you two shouldn’t be drinking alone.”

  Zed chuckled. “We’re not alone; I’m drinking with Mike and Mike is drinking with me.” Mike gave him a bleary nod.

  “Two lonely men, sitting together and drinking alone.” LOLA summed up. “You should be dancing.”

  Zed gave her a flat ugly look. “We can’t decide on who will lead.”

  “Oh bother.” She stood up and took his hand, pulling him to his feet. “Get up, we’re dancing!” She snapped her fingers and Unforgettable, sung by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole was playing as she led him to the dance floor. The lights were dim and the Lounge nearly empty. Shadows from the fireplace flickered on the ceiling and the air smelled vaguely of pine.

  “This dance floor wasn’t here a moment ago.” He frowned down at the wooden parquet flooring.


  “So. Is it a problem?”

  “The floor isn’t, but you’re a bit short for me to…” She was looking him directly in the eyes. “You make me dizzy when you do that. Either I shrank or you grew… Alice.” She laughed and snuggled into his arms, her feet moving fluidly in time with the music. He felt her small hard breasts pressing against him through his thin shirt. She was more than comfortably warm and smelled faintly of lilly-of-the-valley. “This is nice.” He finally got out, in a slightly hoarse voice. He blamed the slightly breathless sensation he felt on the beer.

  “There.” LOLA murmured in his ear. “Now you’re forgetting your problems for a while.”

  “But Mike…”

  “Mike has his own armful to take his mind off things.”

  “But…” He began again.

  “Hush.” Her breath was warm on his cheek. They both shut their eyes and danced.

  Chapter 4

  THATAWAY

  It was pushing noon, and the TFS Bellerophon floated serenely against the war-torn backdrop of the planet Eacrorth. The planet was safe… for the moment.

  Zed leaned back in his seat. He felt better than he had in some time, even if it was only the result of a few dances with LOLA. “Ship status, LOLA.”

  “There seems to be a small problem in Engineering, Zed. Perhaps I should let our Head of Engineering explain.” Zed caught the small underlying snigger.

  Billie Clarke on the far side of the bridge cleared his throat and looked nervous. “Well, it’s like this guv’ner.” Billie tended to backslide to his native Yorkshire accent when pressed. “The drives are jest a wee bit out of alignment.” He swallowed nervously. “Jest a wee bit. Ye can still git te cruise speed, no problem. We jest need te make a few minor adjustments. Ah hour or two at the most, Skipper. Then yell have yer full speed back.”

  “We can still travel at normal cruise?”

  “Aye, Skipper. That be no problem at all.”

  Zed let out a long breath. He’d been an engineer for long enough, he knew a stall when he heard it. “Very good Mister Clarke. I’ll hold you to that two hours.”

  “Very good sir. Thank ye sir.” Billie wiped his brow.

 

 

 

  It was LOLA’s turn to chuckle.

 

  He cleared his throat. “How is the rest of the ship doing, LOLA?”

  “Everything is 100 percent Skipper. Even the magazines in the scout saucers have been completely replenished.”

  “And you still have the course for the destroyers we were following?”

  “Yes Zed, and the course is set.”

  “What are we waiting for then? Set shields and sensors at maximum.”

  “Engaging drive for standard cruise, Skipper.” Beyond the view-screen the stars blurred.

  “Since we’ll probably be poking along for a few hours.” Mike gave Zed a look that left volumes unsaid. “I think that we’ll just get a little more training in the scout saucer.” Amazingly, Mike’s cheeks turned slightly red.

  Putting on his best poker face, Zed replied. “It’s a good idea. Things are quiet enough here so that it won’t be a problem. When will you go?”

  “If you don’t have something for me to do, I’ll leave right now.”

  Zed gave his friend a grin. “Have fun.”

  “Thanks buddy.” Mike stood and turned for the lift, and as he entered, Caithlexa slid in beside him. Nobody else on the bridge moved. Nobody else had the courage to meet Zed’s eyes. Soon a single saucer dropped from the ship and disappeared into the black.

  Zed stared at the screen.

 

  Zed floundered.

 

 

  In his mind he felt LOLA smile.

  Zed felt his stomach tighten.

 

  Zed felt his blood pressure rise.

 

  Zed shut his eyes.

 

  He growled deep in his mind. Zed sat and watched the stars flow by. No more than an hour later the small saucer returned. Never meeting Zed’s eyes, Mike slid into his own seat. Entering the bridge a few minutes later Caithlexa looked rosy-cheeked with a cat-ate-the-canary smile on her beautiful face. Her uniform was significantly more wrinkled than when she had left, Zed noted. He reached over and touched Mike’s arm, speaking for the other man’s ears alone. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Mike stared unseeing at the view-screen. “So do I, my friend.”

  “Well, since you’re back. You have the con, Mister Flaherty. I’ll be in my quarters.”

  Mike took a deep breath and looked up. “Thank you for not passing judgment.” He said softly.

  “Who am I to judge, Mike?”

  “You’re a good man, Captain, and my friend; that’s who you are. I have the con.”

  As he passed her, Zed glanced down at the seated Caithlexa. “Just a comment in passing, my dear. Your clothing seems somewhat… rumpled. A change of uniform might be in order.” Zed stepped into the life and was barely able to hold his laughter in until the door slid shut, cutting of his sight of the furiously blushing young woman.

  The door swung shut behind him as Zed glared at the paperwork stacked on his desk. He had eighteen performance reports out of thirty yet to write. He considered disintegrating the whole lot.

  “What’s the problem?” It didn’t matter if he locked the door to LOLA.

  “Just tired, I guess. I hate paperwork.”

  “What paperwork? All the reports are done, and everyone got an Outstanding, except your Chief Engineer. He merely got an Excellent, and that was for lying to his Captain.”

  Zed chuckled. “I think there’s something illegal about doing it that way, or at least immoral.”

  “Oh bother.” She took his hand. “We’re going home. You need to go for a swim.” Zed’s eyes widened as he recalled the Olympian pool. They took a single step.

  They called it a pool. Zed called it a small lake. Roughly kidney shaped, the ‘pool’ was 75 meters long by 40 meters wide with a towering 15 meter waterfall at one end. At its deepest Zed guessed that it was 8 meters. The water was a clear blue that faded to black at the deepest spot, and once or twice as he swam, he thought that he caught a glimpse of small fish. The air was a comfortable 28 degrees Celsius while the water was a comfortable ten degrees cooler. Currently he lay sprawled on a small island at the far end, letting the warm sunlight melt away his tension as the green grass tickled his stomach and filled his nose with the scent of growing things. The rushing sound of the waterfall was lulling him to sleep. Beside him he could hear Athena’s slow breathing. On his other side he knew LOLA reclined in the sun. He stared at the blue sky and seagulls. He wore Hawaiian print board shorts. Athen
a and LOLA wore their skin, and nothing else.

  “So, where is Cybele?” He asked in a husky voice.

  “She is preparing Thal’ark Station for the journey back to the planet Cybele.” Athena replied in a soft, sleepy sounding voice. “She donated 1000 settlers to Callidus, for which I’m eternally grateful, and she was intrigued by your suggestion of assigning one colonizer to bring colonists from Dramul and Chamdar to Cybele, while the other handles the Earth Callidus run.”

  “And Boadicea?” A splash at the other end of the pool answered his question and he heard strong even strokes grow closer. Suddenly he was getting pelted with drops of cool water.

  “Dia dhuit, Zed.” She murmured in her fluid Gaelic “It’s good to finally see you here; we missed you. You should come more often.”

  “Dia is Muire dhuit, Boadicea.” He replied in the same tongue. “Work has been…” His eyes took her in — standing over him sans clothes. “Oh brother…” His eyes struggled back to the seagull. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her smile.

  Gracefully and slowly she sank down until she was sitting on his hips. Board shorts, he discovered to his dismay, were thin defense against a warm body. Her smile widened. “Well now.” Her green eyes sparkled. “Is that something in your pocket, or are you glad to see me?” Zed gasped a reply. Boadicea’s face began to register alarm, and then amazement as a flush rose from her thighs, up her belly to her breasts and then on to her cheeks. “Oh my!!” She put her hands to her burning cheeks. “What is this??” Her muscles could be seen to ripple from her knees to her neck. She stood in a fluid motion, and dove into the water.

  LOLA laughed. “It’s called an orgasm, sister. Try turning down the neural feedback a bit.” Zed followed Boadicea into the water, and began doing laps. After a rapid two dozen lengths of the large pool he was cooled down enough to hold an intelligent conversation. Pulling himself out of the water he was relieved to find the three women modestly attired in classic Grecian robes. Since he personally found the Greek attire a little loose, Zed stuck to his more familiar Judo Gi.