Alliance (Terran Chronicles Book 4)

by James Jackson

  Peter stares at the tank, nods at the lasers and asks doubtfully, “Cutting lasers?”

  “Well sort of,” the commander replies, “They will cut through Gamin armor, which is why we brought them.”

  “Ahh,” Peter replies, then adds, “You guys plan to cut holes in the hull, which will allow teams to have easier access to the ship.”

  “Got one better,” the tank commander replies with pride. He points to dozens of large crates stacked near the tanks. “We plan to build walkways to the holes, and seal them off.”

  “Ambitious,” Peter replies, glancing at the tanks again.

  The commander grins then says, “We’ve loaded tons of building materials.”

  Peter nods and says, “Good luck comrade.” He walks off, then slows down as he recalls one of the commander’s comments, retrofitted! He glances back at the mammoth tanks, I have never seen anything like them before, he thinks as he continues on his way to the bridge.

  The night before the Terran is to launch, Radclyf sleeps fitfully as he tosses and turns in his bed. His vivid and horrific dreams finally wake him up. Staring at the walls of his quarters, his body drenched in sweat, he tries to gather his thoughts. He swallows hard while his panicked eyes dart around the room. He rises, and in the soft light stares in disbelief at his shaking hands. Although it is extremely early in the morning, he quickly showers. He dresses, and then almost runs to the bridge. Arriving, he finds John is the only person present, which further adds to his peculiar morning.

  John yawns, then glances around to see who is entering the bridge, “Are you okay?” He asks curiously.

  “I need a ride, but wanted to clear it with Cindy first.” Radclyf stares at the empty bridge stations with darting eyes.

  “Well, you’re in luck, I am heading out to pick George up again in a couple of hours.” He stifles another yawn and says, “This mission is so damned exciting, I slept like crap last night, thinking about it.”

  Radclyf pauses, checks to be sure they are alone, and then says in a near whisper, “My trip is of a personal nature.”

  John stops everything he is doing, opens his mouth to speak, then closes it. He has never seen Radclyf so out if sorts, not even when he lost one of his team thousands of light years from Earth. He glances around, taps on his console, stands and then finally says, “Right. Let’s get you to wherever it is you want to go.”

  “Thanks,” replies Radclyf solemnly.

  The pair makes quick time walking to a shuttle. At Radclyf’s direction they fly toward England. Once there, they skim across the English landscape, Radclyf’s watches as familiar moors, villages, and farmland stretch out beneath them. Finally Radclyf spots what he is looking for, and says, “There, take me down there.”

  John lands the shuttle near a small cluster of houses, then asks, “Do you want me to wait for you, or come back later?”

  Radclyf pauses as he ponders the question. He replies with a doubt filled voice, “I don’t know yet. Just hold on for a few. I don’t even know if she still lives here,” he adds almost to himself.

  John stares blankly at Radclyf, but says nothing at his mention of a woman. For all he knows it could be his mother, or sister. It suddenly dawns on him that he knows all of Radclyf’s family, and none live here. The hairs raise on his neck as he realizes that during all of their talks, this place never came up.

  Radclyf walks haltingly to a small cottage, glances back at John, and then softly knocks on the door. The knock is almost a timid tap. His heart races when footsteps approach from the other side of the door. A latch slides, then with a creak the door slowly opens. His mouth goes dry as he waits.

  John watches as a small woman with long brown hair steps from the house. She appears to be in her late thirties, and even from this distance he can see that she is quite attractive. The woman stares silently at Radclyf, then suddenly lunges at him, and hugs him. John blinks in surprise at the sight, then fights back an unexpected tear. He had no idea that the hardened warrior, Radclyf, had any feelings for anyone.

  Radclyf speaks in a polite and humble tone, “Polly, would it be inappropriate for me to visit for a short while?”

  She answers with a coy tilt of her head, “I’m not married.” She shrugs her shoulders, then gazes into his light brown eyes and says, “I just never found the right one, after...” She lets the words trail off.

  Radclyf’s return gaze wavers as a wash of guilt rushes over him. She lifts a hand to his face, runs her fingers down his cheek and says, “You can stay as long as you wish, handsome.”

  He smiles sheepishly and says, “You should have found a good man, you deserve that.”

  She stares back and says, “I did, he just happened to be a soldier, one whose duty to our country outweighed everything else.”

  Radclyf stares at the ground in abashed silence. Polly gently lifts his chin with her hand, nods at the waiting shuttle and says, “So how long can you stay this time?”

  With a twinge of regret, he slowly replies, “We launch today.”

  “Oh, I see,” Polly replies in disappointment.

  Radclyf frowns as his mind replays his disturbing dreams. He turns to the shuttle, and as he waves John off, yells, “I will contact you when I need to be picked up.”

  John waves back and shouts, “No problem.”

  Polly puts an arm around Radclyf’s waist as they watch the shuttle depart. She gazes up at him and says, “So what’s on your mind?”

  Radclyf gazes at the homes that make up the small village and says, “Of all the dangerous missions, and close calls in my life, I never felt as though I was going to die.”

  Polly frowns at him, deeply concerned. She fearfully asks, “So what’s different this time?”

  He sighs and says, “When I think about you, I wonder whatever became of you.”

  “Don’t change the subject Mister,” Polly chastises firmly.

  Radclyf gulps, then replies, “I am being selfish coming here.” He stares at the cloudy sky for a few seconds, gathers his thoughts, and then says, “I just don’t think I’m coming home from this one.”

  Polly frowns, then tugs on his arm and says, “Well come inside then. I shall prepare some tea and crumpets.”

  The hours pass quickly for some, and slowly for others. On the bridge of the Terran, Cindy taps her fingers on her chair’s armrests and says, “John, did Radclyf give any indication when he would be contacting us?”

  John cringes, then slumps his shoulders. He had only told the bridge crew the barest of facts, and now reluctantly relays everything he witnessed.

  While Cindy ponders the news, the bridge speakers activate, “Ah, Terran, this is ground control. When are you departing? We’re all waiting.”

  Cindy sighs, then replies, “I am a man down, so we will wait.”

  “A man down,” comes the confused reply, “can’t you just leave without him? What difference can one man make?”

  “We will wait,” Cindy replies bluntly. She turns to the bridge crew and says, “if he needs time to say goodbye, then he gets the time.”

  George smiles at Cindy’s words. He knows she has a soft side, and has also benefitted from her understanding.

  Hayato shrugs his shoulders as the rest of the bridge crew glances at him. He says defensively, “Don’t look at me, I had no idea he was leaving the ship.”

  John lowers his head a little and remains quiet, all the while feeling Cindy’s eyes boring into the back of his head.

  With little else he can do, Joe rechecks the ship’s power systems, then throttles everything down to a low output.

  Cindy considers what to do, then comes to a decision and taps her chair’s small console activating the ship wide communication. With a confidence she does not feel, she says, “All departments stand down from launch test preparation. This is your last chance to requisition supplies for the mission. Bridge out.”

  Throughout the ship rumors quickly spread about the test launch. A few people actually do place
some final requests for additional supplies. The night drags on, and still there is no word from Radclyf.

  The following morning, shortly after breakfast, John receives word that Radclyf is ready to be picked up. He quickly gets to a shuttle and wastes no time in locating the small hamlet.

  The second they step on the bridge Radclyf opens his mouth to speak, but stops when he spots Cindy’s raised hand. She smiles kindly and says, “Is everything okay? Or do you need more time?”

  Radclyf stares at the bridge crew then smiles at their warm reception. His smile broadens as he recalls Polly’s parting words. ‘You just come home and retire. You deserve a life too!’ He nods respectfully to Cindy, then while staring outside at the Australian desert, says, “I thank you all for indulging me.” He acknowledges each of the bridge crew, then adds, “I am ready now.”

  Robert McKnight stares at Radclyf with the keen interest of the reporter he is. He knows there is a story or two about the man, but will press him at another time. Robert feels the excitement building and begins to record the day’s events. He smiles inwardly as he thinks of the five other reporters on board, each one assigned to record events as they happen in various parts of the ship during the launch.

  Cindy stands, then says, “Let’s go and make history.” She taps her console, activating the ship’s internal speakers, and says. “Attention all crew. Today marks the beginning of our new mission. We are to study the Oglan farming world, and to investigate the derelict Gamin spacecraft for technology that may benefit our exploration and colonization efforts.” Her excitement builds as she orders, “Prepare for launch.”

  Sitting down again Cindy motions to John and says, “Get us off the ground, and into space where we belong.”

  “Yes ma’am,” John replies happily as he expertly taps a number of symbols on his console.

  Joe begins to monitor the ship’s power levels and proudly reports, “Fifty-two percent capacity, more power than we will ever need.” He contacts reactor control on his private channel and then says, “We should not require the reactors, but get your crews ready, just in case.”

  “Understood,” comes the simple reply.

  George and Patrick connect their suits to wall panels and begin to monitor the ship’s systems. The two men give each other a thumbs up, and wait.

  Peter and Emma exchange a quick glance and smile. While Emma monitors the ship’s life support systems, Peter sits back and does what he does best, he observes his surroundings.

  Radclyf and Hayato, dressed in full combat gear, occupy their usual seats. Their men are surreptitiously stationed in crucial parts of the ship. Henry is in the upgraded medical facility, his weapon at the ready. Paul stands near reactor control, while Chokichi stands guard near GUS. David with his sixty-one mercenaries cover every level that accesses the hangar deck.

  Cindy considers Peters seemingly paranoid defensive posture, then recalls their issues in the past. Gazing forward she watches the landscape fall away as the Terran rises up from the ground. The lift off is even smoother than their landing, further proof that the additional power unit was needed after all.

  John lifts the Terran vertically, then activates whole banks of thrusters to propel them forward. They climb through the clouds, then quickly rise above them. The bright blue skies soon give away to a star filled view. Five minutes after launch the Terran is in orbit above Earth.

  Hayato and Radclyf exchange whispered words, then Hayato stands up. He surprises everyone when he says, “Cindy, I want the crew to assemble in the hangar deck, all except for those in reactor control, GUS, and the medical bay.”

  Cindy stares at him for a moment as she recalls their private conversation from earlier, then replies questioningly, “Now?”

  “Correct,” he replies, then adds, “None of us want any surprises this time.”

  Cindy nods in agreement, and taps her chair’s small console, “Attention all crew, we are now in orbit, and require everyone to assemble in the hangar deck.”

  Just as the pair exit the bridge Hayato points to Joe and says, “Get ready to close off sections of the ship.”

  “No worries mate,” Joe replies automatically.

  Peter stretches, then activates the cameras which are mounted on every sentry gun throughout the ship. He glances at Radclyf and Hayato as they leave the bridge, then begins to monitor the numerous cameras.

  Cindy glances to Joe and says, “Seal the bridge.”

  Joe tap his console. They all stare in silence as, for the first time ever, the doorway to the bridge closes off.

  Robert watches the bridge crew’s reactions with interest and says, “I didn’t know it could do that.” Based on their stares he can see that most of them are equally impressed.

  Joe replies with a grin, “During the ship’s refit, I spent some time learning more about these consoles. I had been reluctant to test opening and closing sections while we were in space.”

  Robert replies with a confused frown, “Why would you be worried? They’re all internal panels. Right?”

  Joe scratches his head and answers slowly, “Well, for starters the ship was never finished by the Gamin, all we did was patch up the holes.” He shrugs his shoulders as if that were a sufficient answer.

  Robert stares at Joe with narrowing his eyes. The reporter in him knows there is more. He points to the metallic wall that blocks the bridge, and with mild concern says, “But this room was finished. Right?”

  Cindy stands, then steps toward Joe. Putting a hand on his shoulder she replies for him, “The longer we’re on board this ship, the more we learn, besides I am glad Joe waited until we were on Earth to test the opening and closing of the ship’s panels.”

  Wanting to change the subject, Joe looks down at the floor near his feet and finds what he is looking for. He picks it up, turns around and says, “George, you can have this back.”

  Joe stands, walks to George and hands him the three pronged claw that is a replica of a Gamin hand, and says, “I had no idea that this has actual live cells.”

  “It is amazing what these bodysuits can craft,” replies George with admiration.

  “Well, thanks to you, we have a new security system for the doorways into both main engine rooms.” Joe states with pride.

  George shakes his head and replies, “You give me too much credit. You’re the one who figured out how to install a console which accepts our hand prints instead of this.” He holds up the replica of the Gamin hand and waves it around.

  Joe shrugs his shoulders, smiles, and asks, “Apart from the bridge crew, who else do you think should have access?”

  “I think that is enough, for now,” George replies, “besides, we can always add more people later if we need to.”

  “Oh another thing,” Joe adds with a grin expanding across his face, “we can conduct the engine calibrations from the bridge now.”

  George’s eyebrows lift in surprise as he asks curiously, “How did you do that?”

  “We have always had the ability to, we just didn’t know where to look,” Joe responds earnestly.

  George frowns, then says, “Or perhaps Regent Voknor is still helping us?” He glances around and says, “Because I have trouble believing that both of us did not notice that feature before.”

  Joe stares at George in stunned silence for a moment, and then slowly says, “All the bridge stations have a series of utility icons for sealing off sections, life support, gravity systems, and the engine controls.”

  George nods, and says, “I am pretty sure the engine controls were not there before.”

  Joe blinks in surprise at the revelation, and then says, “You think he is still helping us?”

  “Well, he seems to like us,” George says, then adds, “He did make sure we got this ship back!”

  Cindy listens with mounting curiosity, then returns her focus to the task at hand. She contacts reactor control and speaks to Paul, one of Radclyf’s men. “Is the area secure?”

  Paul replies almos
t instantly, “All forty controllers are here and accounted for.”

  “Understood.” Cindy replies, “Sealing you in.” She turns to Joe and says, “Close off reactor control, and isolate all other reactors.”

  Joe lifts an eyebrow, then taps on his console as he complies. Less than a minute later he turns back and says, “The reactor rooms are sealed.”

  The bridge crew, under the direction of Radclyf and Hayato, continue to isolate the Terran’s vital systems. One by one they seal off the command levels, the super computer GUS, and the medical facility. Next, the twenty levels that access the hangar deck are closed off one by one.

  Radclyf contacts the bridge and says, “We are in the hydroponics area, seal us in Joe.”

  Within thirty minutes the bulk of the ship becomes an isolated tomb.

  Cindy sits back in her chair, then activates the internal communications but she does not speak, instead she listens to the microphone feeds from the areas which are sealed off. She glances at Joe and says, “Reduce life support in all vacated areas to fifty percent.

  Hayato grins as he makes his request, “Joe, I want you to shut the lighting off to all levels in the forward section of the ship, then slowly extend the blackout towards the hangar deck.”

  Six young men and women not only find themselves having difficulty breathing, the lights in their hideout go out, leaving them in the dark. One of the young men says in alarm, “Oh crap. I never thought they would conserve power by shutting things down.”

  One of the women shouts out in fear, “Hey! There are people in here.”

  “Shhh,” says another of the young men, “We don’t want to be found do we?”

  The first woman is almost hysterical as she shouts back, “I would rather be found alive, than dead, you moron.”

  Cindy smiles at the comments that feed through to the bridge speakers. She grins as she says, “Hayato was correct, we do have stowaways.”

  Joe isolates their location, then grins with pride, “Got ‘em!” He busily taps on his console for a moment, then says proudly. “Forward section level five, there is not much there. GUS, the mess hall, the medical bay, and reactor control, are all on level four. The twenty reactors extend through that level, but they still leave a lot of vacant space.”