Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (38 page)

The two men made their way to the dock. Cassy was
standing next to Toormis who had removed a panel from his Starfighter and was
running tests on the electronic circuits. Cassy handed him tools as he asked
for them. He finally got the board out he had been working on but it didn’t
take a technician to realise it was useless. The blackened and burnt holes were
easily seen. He threw it on the floor and sighed. “That’s just one board.
There’s over forty in there all in the same condition. This ship was lucky to
get this far.”

“Can’t you fix it? Cassy asked.

“No. It’s useless. There aren’t any spare parts here
for this type of ship anyway,” Toormis said patting the fuselage. “She was a
good ship.” He went to the rear storage panel and opened it. He removed his
light weapon and noticed the bag of credits and other things he had liberated
from the smuggler’s asteroid base. He threw a bag to the Administrator. “There
are a few things in there that might be of interest you.”

The Administrator caught the bag and looked inside. He
put his hand in and removed Norfian knowledge cubes.
The
Norfian symbol for learning plainly visible on the cubes.
His eyes
flickered. Even though the cubes also had some Confederate labelling the
ancient language of Norfis was written with dominance. He had learnt the now
illegal language as a child, passed down by his half Norfian relatives. He
looked at Toormis and very quietly but sincerely said, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome, maybe there’s something in there that
can help us get out of here,” Toormis replied and looked at Cassy who was grey with
worry. He placed his hand on her face gently and spoke soothingly, “It’ll work
out OK. Irrimus will be released from intervention. It has to be, we have the
best pilots in the Confederacy.”

Cassy tried to smile but her eyes welled up and she
ran towards the storage rooms. Toormis shrugged his shoulders in despair. “Her
father’s death and now her home and friends are gone.”

I’ll see what I can do,” Torquay said and walked after
Cassy.

The Administrator climbed to the cockpit and removed a
blaster and its carry bag from under the pilot’s seat. As he climbed back down
the ladder he noticed Toormis looking at him with his hand on his blaster. The
Administrator smiled, withdrew the blaster and handed it to Toormis. “I just
want the bag,” he said and strapped it around his waist and carefully put his
knowledge cubes securely in the bag. He had also removed a small holographic
player from the cockpit and put that in the bag also. He patted it and smiled
again at Toormis, “thank you,” he said again.

Toormis leaned against his Starfighter and looked
closely at the Administrator. “I actually know how you feel.” The Administrator
looked confusingly at Toormis.
“To have your home and history
taken away from you by the Trigeals.
I have respected every enemy I have
ever engaged, even the Volen, they just don’t know any better but now I have an
enemy I despise with all my being.” Toormis said and walked over to the
Administrator and stood directly in front of him. “Whatever is in the past
stays in the
past.
I’m sorry I drew my blaster and
pointed it at you… next time I’ll fire quickly”, he said and laughed. The
Administrator shook his head in disbelief but accepted the flask Toormis
offered and raised it to his lips. 

Toormis finished taking his personal gear and bits and
pieces from his crippled Starfighter. The Administrator looked around the
complex and something held his attention from the first time he saw the
schematics of the base in the operation’s room. It was more complex than he
first thought and went back to the communication’s room to use the bigger
screen. He had noticed what appeared to be an error when he first saw the plans
and it annoyed his Norfian sense of order and symmetry. There must be a lower
level as indicated by the plumbing and storm water chart but it is not shown on
the plans. He went back down to see Toormis.

“Toormis, have you ever been here before.”

“Couple of times on route to the
Belaxis
system.
Only stayed long enough for routine maintenance and a
communication’s check.
Why?

“There appears to be an underground level but it
doesn’t show on any of the schematics. A few plumbing pipes go downward which
are on the base plans not shown on the space dock schematics,” the
Administrator told him.

“I was unaware of that. One way to find out,” he said
and climbed the ladder into his Starfighter. He leaned out of the cockpit,
“cover your ears,” and upon seeing the Administrator put his hands to his ears
he flicked a switch. A short high pitched ‘PING’ resonated in the space dock. Toormis
leaned back out of the cockpit. “Yes, there is a cavity below us…” he looked
back at his monitors, “but more interestingly is that there’s something big
down there. Toormis indicated to his ears and the Administrator once again
covered his ears. ‘PING’ again sounded. “Well, I’ll be… he said leaning out of
the cockpit. It’s big and its metal, bet you it’s a ship. I’ve got a rough
image. Let’s take a look.”

The Administrator, Toormis, Cassy and Torquay searched
and searched but couldn’t find an entrance or door way which led down. “It has
to be from the outside,” Toormis said and went the huge dock doors. There was a
small one man doorway which led outside. He opened it and immediately ice cold
snow laden air rushed in. He slammed the door. “There has to be another way,”
he said shivering.

“I remember seeing something strange in the storeroom
over there,” Cassy said pointing. The four of them walked over and entered.
There were piles and piles of furs, all different colours, shapes and sizes.
There were almost countless boxes and boxes, some marked ‘powder explosive’ as
well as buckets of heavy little grey metal balls. There were axes, knives and
all manner of items made from leather and wood.

“What did you see Cassy?” Toormis asked.

Cassy walked over to a relatively clear spot on the
floor and pulled at a large skin laying there. She exposed the edge of a dull
coloured metal circle. Toormis and the Administrator rushed over and pulled the
giant skin away. There was a large metal disc imbedded in the floor. “I know
what this is,” said the Administrator and scanned it with his arm console. He
read the screen and started looking at the walls. The others looked at him
puzzled.

“Yes?” Toormis said.

“It’s a personnel access tube cover. Spiral type stairs
is a better description, there has to be a control panel here somewhere.

“Is that it? Cassy said moving boxes off a shelf.

“Indeed it is Cassy,” the Administrator said and
smiled at her. She briefly put her lips in a straight line trying to smile but
backed away from him.

The Administrator pulled the cover off and studied the
panel. He scanned it and once satisfied it wasn’t booby trapped he ran a small
code breaking program on his console. In three attempts the panel lit up and
the disc on the floor opened into the room. Toormis looked at the Administrator
and his arm console, “I will have to get me one of those,” he said, drew his
blaster and cautiously made his down the stairs. The others followed closely
behind.

They came to a door at the bottom of the stairs.
“Administrator,” Toormis called. The Administrator went forward to the door and
scanned it, ran the program and entered the code into the door lock. It swung
open and as it did the lighting in a large cavern flickered, then shone brightly.

The four of them stepped in and stopped. They stood
and silently stared, stunned beyond belief. There in front of them was a
streamlined, custom built Galaxy Cruiser with the Insignia of the Imperial Court
displayed on the fuselage. Its clean crisp lines were subtly broken by custom
modifications of the like Toormis has never seen. “Do you know what this is?”
he said out loud mesmerised by the magnificent space ship. Before anyone could
answer he stated. “It’s the Emperor’s private ship, the only one like it in the
Confederacy. I saw it once from a distance in the space dock at Irrimus getting
resupplied. Normally it’s cloaked,” he said as he slowly walked around the
ship.

“We could be arrested just being this close,” the
Administrator commented.

“I was onboard her not too long ago,” Torquay said.
The others, including Cassy stopped and stared at Torquay. Toormis tore his
eyes off the ship and came over to Torquay.

“Just who are you?” Toormis asked.

Torquay looked at the Administrator. “I think it’s
alright for them to know. Do you want to tell them?” Toormis and Cassy’s eyes
were now both riveted on the Administrator.

“He’s a private advisor to the Emperor and a member of
the Council of Scholars, also a Scholar of the Articles of Intervention. And if
I am bold enough to announce, he’s an ex member of the Temple of White
Priests.”

Torquay bowed and looked sideways at the Administrator
and whispered, “That’s bold enough.”

“Well, I’ll be,” Toormis exclaimed looking at Torquay.
“Cassy did you have any idea of the company you’ve been keeping? If the guys
back at squadron ever catch wind of this…” he stopped mid sentence as he
realised he didn’t have a squadron anymore and the smile faded quickly from his
face.

Cassy noticed the effect on Toormis and it captured
her attention. She no longer felt only her own pain and loss but felt a deep
sympathy for the handsome young Officer fighting to remain composed beside her.
Her heart suddenly felt warm and alive and she ever so subtly slid beside him
and gripped his hand. He looked down at her comforting eyes and a warm smile
grew upon his face as he squeezed her hand.

“Yes, well…” Torquay said feeling a little
uncomfortable and backed away from the couple in front of him. “Administrator,
allow me to show you the vessel’s communications. I am quite acquainted with
her layout,” and the two men walked closer to the ship.

“Wait!” Toormis shouted. “Don’t get too close. That
ship has security systems built in to it, trust me, it’s dangerous just sitting
there.”

The two men froze. “What do you suggest?” the
Administrator asked.

“Give me a little time,” Toormis replied. “There isn’t
a ship in this universe I can’t break into,” he said. “Cassy, I’ll need your
help.”

“We have things to attend to?” Torquay said urgently
to the Administrator.

The Administrator looked at the couple standing in the
middle of the hanger. “Yes, that’s a good idea.” The two men went back up the
stairs.

They went directly to the transporter. The android
pilot had earlier been deactivated as were all the androids on the base but the
Administrator had to reactivate the pilot so he could initiate the electronic
systems as they were needed to release the holding clamps and systems connected
to Johe’s body.

“All these androids will be a threat to our identity,”
the Administrator explained to Torquay as he deactivated the android once
again. “They have basic memory circuits which record all interaction with humanoids.
I can erase most things but the source of any new orders and instructions
becomes integral with them.”

“Ah, so that is why you destroyed the one at the
Academy.”

“Yes, and if we wish to remain anonymous and difficult
to track we must also destroy these and not activate any we wish to give new
orders.”

“I see,” Torquay remarked as he looked closely at what
the Administrator was doing with the android. “I do not have any experience
with this type of circuitry. The systems in a T334 are
not of
the same origins nor
technology, entirely different.”

The Administrator went to Peter’s capsule and sat on
it twirling an electronic tool in his fingers. He looked at Torquay, “are you
sure you want to wake this Earthman up? I’ve got my reservations having to
contend with alien humanoids waking up in someone else’s body.”

“We’ll just try to get the information and put him
back to sleep again,” Torquay said. “I’ll give you a hand with the cover.”

They both busied themselves undoing the many hold down
clips on the container. The top cover came off easily revealing the clear inner
lining. Moisture and a cloudy appearance indicated all was working as it should
be. Torquay manipulated the small control panel and the inner cloudiness
cleared revealing the body. “Please set your blaster to minimum stun
Administrator. We have no idea what response we are going to get when I lessen
the drug restimulation device around his neck.”