Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (34 page)

“That is apparently our situation,” the Administrator
agreed. “However, I suggest we take stock of our supplies and formulate at
least some course of action.”

Toormis shrugged his shoulders and got off the table
and walked around the room. “It doesn’t seem like anything we do will avoid the
inevitable. Anyway, my ship is fried and if the transport ship is the only way
off this planet we will advertise that we are Irrimus citizens wherever we go;
that ship is custom Irrimus design,” Toormis said sullenly and stopped to study
a space chart on the wall but didn‘t really pay any attention to it.

“What do you intend to do Commander? To stay here is
certain death.”

“Yes I agree with that,” Toormis stated as if didn’t
matter. “You know, I’m so sick and tired of the Trigeals and the way they own
us, I just don’t care anymore.”

“Does that include Cassy,” the Administrator asked
sternly.

Toormis immediately got very angry. “
Listen
you Trigealian puppet. You’re only alive because I
allowed it. I don’t need you sticking your nose in my business and your life is
just currency for something I don’t know nor care about, prepare to be a
disappointment,” Toormis said in cold and calculated words and he instinctively
drew his blaster out in a flash.

The Administrator stood quickly and kicked a chair
towards Toormis, who avoided it easily but Toormis was now suddenly staring at
the muzzle of a mini blaster the Administrator had in his hand aiming at his
head.

Both men stood a short distance apart aiming a blaster
at each other. Neither considered the other as anything other than something
very dangerous and their eyes locked over the sights of their weapons set to
kill.

“So, was my rescue… some kind of accident? You never
intended for me to leave Ennack alive.
Unless I’m now a
hostage of some sort.
What is it Commander?” the Administrator hissed
between clenched teeth as he slowly circled away from the console, both hands
now on his blaster carefully aiming at Toormis. Toormis stood still but
followed the Administrator’s movements with his blaster’s muzzle, his face cold
and hard.

---------

Across the galaxy a Confederate Battle Cruiser entered
the sector where a distress signal was previously received. The Officer of the
Watch ordered scans and space analysis of particles filtered from the surrounding
area.

The Ship’s Science Officer came up from the laboratory
personally to deliver his analysis of the space dust. The Science Officer did
not want the findings made common knowledge with the crew without the Captain’s
permission.

The Science Officer ushered the Officer of the Watch
to a quiet part of the Bridge. “Sir, I request permission to personally deliver
the analysis of dust in this sector to the Captain. It is of a nature which may
threaten the safety of this vessel.”

The Officer of the Watch reacted quickly. “Of course,
permission granted,” he responded but quietly added. “What is it?”

“The particles are of a Confederate ship, but they
have an energy signature that is nothing I or anyone one else that I know of
has ever seen before. The ship exploded from the inside out.
As
though the ship itself absorbed some type of energy internally.
I don’t
quite know how to explain it. It absorbed the energy because, well, it wanted
to…”

The Officer of the Watch didn’t understand but the mystery
of it he disliked even more, he immediately ordered a tactical withdrawal from
the area in full defensive mode and summoned the Captain to the Bridge
immediately.

The First Officer ran to the Bridge with the Captain
pulling his jacket on a moment later. The two Officers were directed to the
tactical operations section where the Science Officer waited. “Captain,” he
said. “What I believe to be the missing survey ship has been located as space
dust. It exploded 2.11 time frames ago. But the energy deployment which caused
its destruction is beyond my understanding or anything recorded in any
Confederate database.”

“Are you sure about this?” the Captain asked.

“Checked the scans and results plus
chemical analysis three times.
All the same reading Sir.”

“First Officer.
Go with the Science Officer and rerun the tests. Be
absolutely positive of the results. Now go.”

“Yes Sir,” the two Officers said and ran from the
Bridge.

The Captain rubbed his chin and without further consideration
ordered, “Battle Stations!”

Crew members flooded into the tactical operations
sections as the ship went on full alert. Twelve Starfighters were deployed to
act as scanning relay stations in a large circle out from the ship and the
Cruiser’s defensive shields were at full power.

The Captain sent a coded message to Space Command
outlining the situation with the first set of test results of the space dust.

“Sir, your communication to Space Command was not
acknowledged.

“Resend.”

“I have Sir,” replied the Communications Officer,
“three times, all negative.”

“Run a systems check.”

“Yes sir… no response sir. The system is shutting
itself down,” the Communications Officer said frantically trying to get a
response from his console.

A siren sounded loudly as power drained from all
systems on the ship. Everything in the ship started
glowing
a dull yellow.

“Sir, the screen!
Shouted a crew member.
In
the dimming light of the Bridge all eyes focused on the main viewing screen. In
horror the Bridge crew saw the bright flashes as the Starfighters in space
around the ship exploded one by one.

“How many?” the Captain asked with a shaky voice.

“Ten sir.
The remaining two have vanished from our scans as
well as visual. They don’t exist anymore,” a startled crew member replied in a
shrill voice.

“Auxiliary power to all shields, set for jamming
frequency and shut down all non combat and non essential systems. Broad pattern
pulse phaser fire set at 360 degrees total sphere - FIRE!” the Captain ordered.

A brilliant series of flashes erupted from the Battle
Cruiser filling the space around the ship and then it stopped as the power
drained from the
weapon’s
systems.

“Sir, one phaser pulse deflected off an unknown ship’s
shield off the port bow. The ship is cloaked but its shield signature is
nothing I have seen before.”

Suddenly the Bridge crew disappeared in a bright
yellow flash along with the remaining Starfighter pilots onboard. What happened
next was that random crew members aboard the Battle Cruiser started
disappearing. Some with and some without their uniforms and various pieces of
equipment disappeared along with them. Panic spread among the remaining crew as
it became obvious essential crew members pertaining to the combat effectiveness
and essential engineering of the vessel were gone. The power levels of the ship
ceased completely and the Battle Cruiser drifted without power in complete
blackness.

A series of bright streaking flashes emanating from
space flew directly into the Battle Cruiser. The underside space port of the
Battle Cruiser suddenly flung open and three Trigeal ships unknown to the crew
rapidly deployed in a triangular formation and flew quickly away from the
Cruiser. A moment later the gigantic vessel exploded into billions upon
billions of dust particles.  

The Trigeal ships swung around at incredible speed
using the blast and debris from the exploding Battle Cruiser as cover and
formed an electronic beam that hissed between the three ships in a triangle. In
the formed triangle the outline of a black angular ship materialised as its
cloaking disintegrated as the electronic field crippled the ship’s systems. One
Trigeal ship clamped a tractor beam onto the ship and disappeared at light
speed with its captive vessel. The other two Trigeals ships flew in a widening
arc emitting a destructive pulse of negative isotope particles into space.

The remaining alien ships recovered from the surprise
and fired their energy weapons at the Trigeals but their energy beams dispersed
harmlessly when they collided with the Trigealian laid isotopes. The alien
ships retreated under a veil of scrambling plasma bursts before the Trigeals
could get a fix on their positions.

The Trigeal ships turned and flew at light speed in
the direction of their first ship. The three Trigeal ships and their captured
alien vessel flew with the secrecy of tactical light speed to the vast complex
of Irrimus Space Command engineering workshops on Irrimus.

Url
stood up, waved and shouted above the wind. Brakin
pointed up the slope and the small party diverted their course and laboured in
the knee deep snow. Teni looked up and grunted as dark racing clouds came in
from the west. “Seek shelter soon,” he shouted grabbing Brakin by the coat.

“Yes,” Brakin shouted back. “Keep an eye out for game.
Fresh meat would be welcome.”

Teni nodded agreement and pushed forward in front of
the others to reach
Url
first to inform him he was
going hunting. When he finally reached
Url
, he had a
roasted hare leg forced into his gloved hand. Teni smelt the delicious meat and
his mouth went wet with pleasure. He slapped
Url
on
the shoulder in welcome and devoured the meat.

“Plenty food, shelter there,”
Url
shouted as he pointed over the hill before them. “Snow bad soon,
get
others, go now.”

The five figures made their way over the rise and
along a small ravine. It was sheltered from the wind but small snow flurries danced
in mini spirals above them only to drop suddenly without warning.
Url
led them along a cliff ledge to a small clearing. At the
end of the clearing, a large overhang of rock sheltered a large area just high
enough for a man to walk under.
Url
had gathered
firewood and had a young moibla hanging from a nearby tree. It a short time
they had a fire going and the smell of roasting meat filled the area. All guns
were cleaned, reloaded and prepared within easy reach. After eating and resting
by the warmth of the fire the mood of the camp was relaxed. Brakin stretched in
front of the fire and turned to face the men huddled around the warmth.

“This is a good camp Url,” Brakin said looking round.
We will stay here until we can recover my daughter. Teni return to our village
after sleep to bring help. I do not trust the Beclin.” All the men nodded
except the Beclin boy who stared into the fire.

Sasra glanced at Teni and was about to say something
but he noticed
Url
was in deep thought.

“Url,” Sasra said. “Tell us, what is it?”

“
Url
know where Beclin
village. Followed three, their trails split three ways, leave valuable skins in
cave,”
Url
said and looked hard at Brakin. “Not like.
They no respect hunt, not go village first. Follow one, know where close village.”

Brakin’s face mirrored
Url’s
concern. He turned so the fire warmed his other side; he remained silent for
some time watching the trees on the other side of the clearing. He turned and
warmed his hands by the fire. “The Beclin are up to something. I can feel it,”
he said looking closely at the Beclin boy. He knew the boy either did not know
what his Chief was up to or was very good at keeping a secret. With panic
showing in his eyes every time
Url
payed any attention
to him he decided the boy was not a source of reliable information. Brakin
thought about the situation and decided to play it as safe as he dared. “To
make a mistake with the Beclin would be…” he said looking at the men opposite
the fire and by their grim nodding of their heads he didn’t need to finish the
sentence. “
Url
, as soon as the rest of our men turn
up, take Sasra and scout that Beclin village. Tell me exactly where you are
going to be and if there is trouble or treachery at the exchange I will get
word to you, or if you do not hear from me for two sleeps after exchange,
things went wrong. OK?”