Awakening Threat Page 15

  “Yeah, I was wondering about that, sir. I guess it’ll be hard-edge stuff then—if we can get close enough.”

  By Harry’s estimate, the party had penetrated a little over half a mile into the strange ship. Everything around them raised new questions. Much of the structure of the ship appeared to be a form of living tissue, but other parts seemed to have been reconstituted or even adapted from something else to serve a new purpose.

  “Let’s spread out a bit as if we’re working on something. Warrant Pilot, take a position in that alcove, and try to look as if you’re waiting for instructions.”

  “Got you, sir.” The Warrant Pilot chuckled. “Awaiting command input, sir,” he added, faking a robotic voice.

  Harry grinned. “Command input will be forthcoming.” He signalled the Sergeant. “Ease a little closer.” He looked around for Regidur and bit back a curse. The big Canid was sauntering toward the group of soldier creatures.

  “Regidur! Have a care. Do not get too close to them.”

  The Canid’s translator responded. “Do not fear, Leader. They will not trouble me. You wish to know more of them. I am recording them.”

  Harry watched the group around the captive, noting the apparent strength in their limbs. Their heads reminded him of giant ants with several black eyes.

  “They’re leaving, sir—coming this way.”

  “Let them pass—we don’t want to attract their attention. Everyone, keep absolutely still.” Harry held his breath as the strange beings scuttled past. He noticed that all the other creatures moved aside to let the warriors pass.

  “All clear, sir. Shall we see if we can retrieve Mr. Du Bois and get out of here?”

  “Yes, Warrant, remain here. Warn us if any of those soldier beings come this way.” Harry followed the sergeant, noting that Regidur was already at the alcove. “They may have set some device to warn of any attempt to escape. Have a care before we attempt to move him.”

  “There is no device, Leader. He is bound and appears paralysed.”

  Harry joined Regidur. Du Bois stared at them through the visor of his suit, a look of terror frozen on his face. “Can you hear me?” Harry asked.

  The man blinked very slowly.

  “His suit is damaged, sir. Look, something penetrated the joint at his shoulder.”

  “Damn. See if it can be sealed, then cut him out of that cocoon.” Harry studied the cocoon. “This seems to be some sort of web. Be careful—it may well be adhesive.” He was too late; one of the Marines had already discovered this and was rapidly tangling himself in the sticky cords as he tried to free his hands of them.

  “Take Mr. Du Bois as he is, lads. Seth, Dusty—carry him. Pavel, stop trying to get it off yourself—we’ll deal with that later. Let’s go!”

  The party made it to the launch without challenge, but now faced a new problem.

  “How do we get clear, sir?”

  Harry frowned. “Give me a moment, Pilot, I’m trying to think that through.”

  “I don’t want to rush you, sir, but some of those ugly bastards are examining the entrance to this tube.”

  “Stand aside.” Regidur’s translator managed to convey his growl. The Canid tossed a cylindrical object toward the group of creatures clustered at the ship end of the corridor, and then he stepped back and operated the hatch mechanism. “Pilot, prepare to launch.”

  A moment later, a concussion rocked the launch with such force that it fell away from the dock. The Warrant Pilot and his TechRate sprang into action, firing the manoeuvring engines and then the pods. The launch shot away from the hideous ship, so massive that it blotted out the light from the star as well as a large section of the planet. A brilliant flower blossomed from a position beneath it, and Harry watched in fascination as it grew and then vanished, as did the alien ship.

  “Regidur, what did you throw at them?”

  “One of your weapons, Leader—the type you created for use against your enemy on Lycania.”

  “A grenade? But where did you get it?”

  “I have many, Leader. Do you need some?”

  “No, thank you.” Harry gazed at the big Canid with a puzzled expression. “Does Captain Kretzmann know you have them?”

  “Possibly. He did not ask, and your council granted my people and me the right to carry our own weapons.” Regidur settled into his seat and regarded Harry through his visor. “These grenades are our weapons now as much as any of those we had before you taught us how to make them.”

  Harry considered to the best way to respond. “I understand, but please warn me if you intend to use one again.” He was about to order the activation of the agreed signal when the mysterious voice interrupted him.

  “The pack leader acted as instructed. The Niburu will not trouble you for some time now. Recall your ships.”

  Chapter 16

  Breathing Space

  “Well done, Harry,” Commander Polen said jovially, fairly beaming with pleasure. “These recordings you got are invaluable. They’ve certainly shut the LPSL people up for the moment.” He frowned. “I think Siddhiche not only wanted you to see the people taken from the Jellabah Khan—they also wanted you to see what has happened to them.”

  “Yes, sir, I had that same impression, though I think there’s more. I think they wanted us to see the other creatures that I can only describe as workers.” He hesitated. “I regret that Mr. Du Bois managed to disobey my instructions, sir. When some of the creatures passed close to us, he used that as a distraction to evade the Sergeant.”

  “Not your fault. The surgeon tells me that Du Bois is fully aware of everything around him, but it’s as if his brain has been disconnected from his body. Only his autonomic functions are still connected.”

  “Aye, sir. A most distressing state to be in.” Harry grimaced. “The Johnstone people tried a similar drug on me at their facility on Pangaea. My body obeyed their instructions, but it heeded none of my own wishes and desires while I was under the drug’s influence. I fear Mr. Du Bois may suffer a similar condition.”

  The Commander nodded. “So it seems. Well, thanks to your team, we now have a lot of material to study on these Niburu. We need to know who they are, and what or who the other species are. Palmer and his people say there are over two dozen distinctly different species in the recordings.”

  “That would accord with my own observation, sir. Regidur disagrees with me, though. I feel the warrior creatures may be the Niburu, and he thinks we have not yet seen the real Niburu. According to him, we would have done so had Mr. Du Bois not made his foolish attempt.” Harry let a moment pass before he added, “I’m afraid Regidur’s opinion of Dr. Palmer’s people is now even lower than it already was.”

  “I wouldn’t have thought that possible. By the way, did you know he had those grenades with him?”

  “No, sir.” Harry shook his head for emphasis. “His people’s interpretation of the Council’s invitation seems to have been very literal. Where did he keep them?”

  “In his cabin. The Captain has persuaded him to place them in the weapons storeroom. The oxygen level on that alien ship must be extreme. I take it you’ve seen the scorch marks on the launch. You were lucky to get away with just that!” He hesitated, his eyes on Harry. “Of course, Dr. Palmer is making a fuss about it. The use of a device like that on a sentient species, as he calls them, is a clear breach of the Protocol. The fact that it’s a Canid weapon hasn’t made him any happier. He insists we should have prevented it.”

  “Has he a suggestion as to how we should have escaped, sir?” Harry tried to keep his anger from showing. The fact the doctor seemed more concerned about Harry’s having damaged the alien ship than he was about Du Bois annoyed him.

  “Of course not.” The Commander’s smile was rueful. “His knowledge of such things is based in idealism, Harry, not practicality.”

  The work on the surface of Galapagos K-4 absorbed the Beagle’s resources with each discipline engaged on tasks specific to their expertise. Har
ry joined Dr. Phil Bamford and his archaeologists in one of the unusual buildings they were examining.

  “Hello, Harry! Don’t tell me you’ve come to drag us all back to the ship.”

  “Not yet.” Harry grinned. He got on well with the sturdy archaeologist, and enjoyed the painstaking examination of any site, and the careful manner in which everything was recorded exactly as it was found, where it was found before being removed for further study. “Actually, I’m goofing off, as Roberta is fond of saying. I have some time off watch. Kallie Oosthuizen is keeping the cultural people happy, and I thought I’d see how you and your people are coming along with your work. I find it all very fascinating.”

  “If you stand around here long enough, we’ll find you a job—probably a dirty one.”

  “For shame! Do you treat all your visitors this way?”

  “Only those who show interest and are unlikely to take their revenge by using their authority against us in some creative way.” The archaeologist grinned. “Admiral Heron was here yesterday. We were tempted to get him to explore that small shaft Armin is using the climbing unit in.” He indicated a member of the team currently struggling with the controls of a robotic device somewhere up a small shaft.

  Harry laughed. “I suspect he would have leapt at the chance. My former guardian loves a challenge.” He looked around the chamber they were in. “Have you discovered anything that suggests what technology the builders had?”

  “Yes and no. There was certainly some technology here. There are marks where installations were removed or destroyed, and there are indications of cables of some type, but it’s all missing.” He waved a hand toward the street outside. “The paved surfaces show the typical marks of having borne a considerable amount of vehicular traffic, but we haven’t found anything even remotely like a vehicle.”

  Harry frowned. “A puzzle indeed. From what little I have managed to glean from Dr. Palmer’s team, they assume an advanced civilisation, probably hierarchical, with a developed ability in decorative arts, but they have found no key to the written language.”

  “That’s true, and the necropolis is empty of remains. We’ve done a quick sample of all the burial sites we can identify at several other towns, and it’s the same everywhere. We can’t be sure that the remains Martin Borner and his team are working with are those of an inhabitant, though it seems likely.”

  Harry nodded. “I learned from Martin that the DNA is unique. It doesn’t match any of the traces we brought back from that ship either, so it may be a native of this planet. I believe the DNA samples they have tested from other sources here suggest it probably is.”

  “We’ll just have to keep looking then until we find something.” Phil Bamford hesitated. “Has there been any improvement in the condition of Anton du Bois?”

  “I believe the surgeon has found something that may be helping, but the progress toward a recovery is very slow.” Harry caught sight of Sci’antha. “Hello, what brings you here?”

  “You, Navigator. A launch from the flagship is here, and you are summoned.” She stepped aside, revealing his old friend and shipmate Danny Gunn, grinning at how successfully he’d surprised Harry.

  “Compliments of the flag Captain, sir,” said Danny. “The Admiral would appreciate your joining him aboard Vengeance, sir.” His salute was textbook perfect.

  Returning the salute, Harry glanced down at his dusty working uniform and noted the traces of mud on his boots. “Very well, Mr. Gunn, but I’m hardly dressed for it. Has the launch any facilities in which I might make myself a trifle more presentable?”

  “Oh, aye, Mr. Heron, sir. The Captain sent his gig, and I picked up a clean uniform for you on the way.”

  “Excellent.” Harry smiled. It was good to see Danny again. “I had better not delay, then.” He turned to Phil. “Allow me to present another of the fossil team: Midshipman Gunn, formerly a powder monkey on HMS Spartan and now my adopted brother or some such. My Great Aunt Niamh and her husband formally adopted us all in the year we arrived in the twenty-third century straight from the gun deck of Spartan in the nineteenth.”

  Phil accepted the handshake. “Ah, yes, I recall hearing of your extraordinary journey, one moment running powder to the guns on a ‘wooden wall’ sailing ship battling the French during the Napoleonic wars, and the next moment fending off Marines on our Fleet ship Vanguard using firefighting foam. I would’ve loved to witness that escapade!” He grinned.

  Danny laughed. “It was quite an experience, sir. You should’ve seen how frightened we were of the magical doors that slide open and shut. We thought we’d landed in a modern version of Aladdin’s cave.”

  Everyone laughed at that remark, and Phil added, “Well, I’ve dug in the dirt of many caves, but not Aladdin’s—and I don’t normally deal with fossils I can talk to, but it makes a nice change.” Phil paused. “Sorry—my mistake—probably shouldn’t call you a fossil, as you’re clearly alive and well!”

  Danny chuckled. “Not a problem. Being called a fossil is preferable to the other name thrust on us at times.”

  “Oh?” Phil glanced from Danny to Harry, the question plain in his expression.

  Harry laughed. “Ah, yes, the good old lab rat designation. I’ve not been called that for a while now. Have you been pegged with that one too, Danny?”

  “Only once. I got stoppage of leave and a thorough dressing down for breaking the fellow’s nose, but it was worth it.”

  The group joined the laughter as Harry said, “Ah, a touch of the Ferghal treatment, but it does have its satisfactions.”

  When the laughter died down, Harry said, “Well, I suppose we should get moving.” He glanced at Sci’antha. “Are you remaining, or do you come with us?”

  “I am summoned as well, Navigator.”

  “Right, then we’d better get going. Where’s the launch parked?”

  “In the big square near the control pod, sir. She’s ready to go.”

  The visit to the flagship proved to be for a briefing for the Fleet Commanders on Harry’s observations aboard the alien ship.

  “We need everything you can tell us about these creatures and how they operate, Lieutenant.” The Flag Captain indicated the interior of the alien ship in the holographic display. “Talk us through your impressions, please.”

  Harry gathered his thoughts. “We observed several rather strange things, Admiral, ladies and gentlemen. The warrior creatures appear to operate independently yet collectively in the manner of soldier ants that protect a termite mound, or perhaps foragers away from a nest. These creatures move very rapidly when they are required to do so, and it is my impression that they respond immediately to anything they perceive as a threat.”

  “What makes you think so?” The question came from a senior Captain in the front row.

  “The manner in which they responded to Mr. Du Bois’s attempt to communicate, sir. He rushed toward them brandishing a translator unit. The nearest of the creatures used some device to destroy the translator, and another one struck him with what appeared to be a stinger attached to a tentacle.” He paused. “None of the creatures he passed in evading our Marine escort paid any attention to him—indeed, they appeared to be incapable of responding to any stimulus. Only the group we thought of as soldiers responded.”

  “That raises a further question, Mr. Heron. You say the majority ignored you completely. Can you give any insight into that behaviour?”

  “I’m no xenobiologist, sir, but they all appeared to have some form of optical receptors, as the biologists on Beagle call them. They seemed to be in a trance-like state, rather like the condition Mr. Du Bois was in when we brought him back aboard.”

  “So you’re suggesting they might be under some form of mind control.”

  Harry hesitated. “That is possible, sir. We did observe smaller creatures that seemed to be escorting the others, but we had no opportunity to study them or their charges.”

  The Flag Captain intervened. “I think most of those questi
ons are for the scientists, gentlemen. You mentioned in your report that the oxygen levels in the ship were above twenty-four percent. According to the recording, you warned the Sergeant not to use his plasma weapons. What alternative did you have?”

  “None, really, sir. With the oxygen level that high, I knew any flame or ignition would be likely to explosively engulf us as well, as I think must have been the case when Pack Leader Regidur used his grenade.”

  The questions continued for some time, with Regidur also drawn into the discussion. Finally, Beagle’s Surgeon Commander gave a full report on the research and treatment of Anton Du Bois.

  “What are the Siddhiche after, sir?” A Commander responsible for data maintenance directed his question to the Flag Captain. “We have a number of things they seem to have planted, but how do we know it’s good data?”

  Flag Captain Valerie Petrocova glanced at the Admiral, her eyebrows raised. She caught his nod. “I think we can assume it to be good. They have, for reasons of their own, helped us in the past. Lieutenant Heron has had a couple of encounters with them through that link of his, and so have one or two others. Thanks to them, we had advanced warning of the attempt to ambush us at Pangaea at the start of the Consortium war.”

  The Admiral picked up the lead. “I can tell you the science teams on the Beagle are trying to decipher a number of things the Siddhiche have deposited in their databanks. Once they do, we may have a much better idea of what we are up against and what assistance they are prepared to give us.”

  “If I may, sir,” Harry interjected. “At present we do know that the Siddhiche have warned us that this race they call Niburu are a threat to all the races and species they encounter.” He hesitated. “I have been trying to assist Mr. Du Bois’s recovery. Using a cranial cap and my link to the ship’s AI, I have managed to communicate with him. It has been difficult since he is seriously traumatised, but it does appear to confirm that the Niburu enslave races useful to them, and use as food any creature or race they cannot adapt to their needs. Mr. Du Bois is convinced that the crew of the Jellabah Khan are kept alive to provide fresh food for their captors.”