Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (51 page)

The Captain
found the armoury but was disappointed after he broke the code on the security
lock that the racks were empty. He took the few spare energy cells left and
some tools.

“Captain come
in?” sounded on his communicator.

The Captain took
his communicator of his belt and put it to his mouth, “yes Sir,” he said to his
leader in orbit above the planet.

Long range scans
just revealed a single ship just entered this sector but cloaked immediately
when it picked up our scanning signal. We have company and need to pull out
now. How is it going down there?”

“Good, no electronic
weapons but plenty of eyes, skins and antique guns.
Couple of
androids and lots of maintenance equipment.
It’s profitable but best of
all there’s a small transport ship here. I will get the co pilot to fly it
out.”

“Negative if
it’s an Irrimus ship. Too dangerous, any of the Houses will seize it on sight.
Just strip it quickly and get out of there.”

“Yes Sir.”

The Captain
entered the transport ship and hauled the android pilot out. His co pilot and
crew members had just finished their work and joined their Captain. With laser
and plasma cutters they systematically stripped all of the valuable
electronics.

“Hey Captain,
there’s a body capsule here and someone’s in it. By the control panel he’s been
in it for just over one time frame. There’s blood on the floor and on the
outside,” the crew member said.

“Is he alive?”

“Yes sir.”

“Probably
injured in the fight they had in the wooden room. Load him aboard, maybe he’s
valuable to someone, if not we’ll dump him in space, the life support capsule
is valuable.”

“OK.” The crew
member said, and with the co pilot dragged the capsule with Torquay outside and
loaded it in their ship. The orbiting ship above sent an urgent signal to the
land based ship to leave immediately. The Captain set an explosive charge on
the beacon transmitter. The beacon was required to get them airborne, and then
the ship in orbit above would take over their navigation to get them safely out
of Zion’s atmosphere. He set the timer just long enough for them to get out of
the atmosphere before it blew the transmitter.

“Lifting off…
NOW!”
The Captain radioed to the orbiting ship and gunned
his engines and flew directly upwards into heavy winds and snow. The ship
quickly picked up the magnetic beam signal from the ship above and its systems
went automatic. The Captain overrode the power setting and gave his ship
maximum thrust to compensate for the increased turbulence from a strengthening
storm front in the atmosphere above him.

The ship broke
through the atmosphere of Zion and smoothed out as it glided into the
weightless void of space. It joined its command ship and they both cloaked as
they reached cruising speed then drifted out of the sector. The leader of the
smugglers watched his monitor and when they were out of range of the satellite
he activated a switch and the signal blocking the Confederate satellite ceased
- the satellite then became fully operational.

A Confederate
Starfighter lost the Volens ships images on its long range scanner as they
cloaked but managed to plot that they were orbiting the planet Zion. The
Captain of the Starfighter shut his engines down and drifted while he processed
his scan data. When the scan data was analysed he restarted its engines and
proceed into Zion’s system.

“Did they spot
us Sir?” the Ensign asked.

“Probably, but
if my calculations are correct, those ships are smugglers. They will do more to
avoid us than investigate who we are,” the Captain of the Palace Guard replied.
“My instruments indicate the landing beam from the base of Zion is not
operational. Those smugglers probably turned it off when we showed up.”

“Can we land
without it?”

“No!” The
Captain replied now frustrated. “They probably have a method of controlling it
and unless we can get them to turn it back on our mission to recover the
Emperor’s ship is futile,” he said knowing their chance of survival would be
greatly enhanced with the facilities onboard the Emperor’s ship. I must get
possession of it, he decided.

“Orders Sir?”
the Ensign asked but had a good idea what they would have to be.

“Let’s go catch
them. I have calculated their possible vectors by eliminating where they won’t
go, too much Confederate Command presence in those areas of which we need to
avoid as well.” The Captain replied and gunned his engines in pursuit of their
only access to Zion.

---------

Peter sat and
listened to the Administrator talking to the three
tribesmn
of Zion. He allowed the Administrator to do the talking as he had a natural
ability to get the truth out of people plus he recorded everything on that arm
console of his, good to be able to go over it later he thought.

“Where get axe?”
Url
asked noticing the Old Warrior’s axe hanging off
Peter’s belt.

“Off the dead
Warrior Teni shot,” Peter answered him softly.

Url
nodded his head
slowly and looked at Teni. “Good hunt, Teni. You possess great spirit now.”
Teni made a small smile hiding the truth that he felt sick with worry sneaking
along the river and if the Warrior hadn’t stood up he would have walked into
his own death.

Url
put his hand
carefully to the cloth wrapped around his head. Blood oozed slowly through it.
Toormis walked over to him and knelt down and without asking started to
unwrap
the cloth bandage.
Url
drew
his head back but Toormis smiled and clamped a hand to his shoulder. He’s going
grey and doesn’t look good, Toormis thought. Toormis grimaced when he saw the
deep wound on the side of his head and pulled his waist bag around to the front
of his body and took out his field first aid kit he brought from his
Starfighter. He quickly loaded an antibiotic and pain killing shot in its
applicator and applied it to
Url’s
neck. Teni came
closer to look at what Toormis was doing.
Url’s
face
went blank and then was replaced with a puzzled look as the pain killer took
effect. Quickly Toormis wiped the wound clean with special gauze and stitched
the cut with an automatic stapler. He finished off with applying a spray bandage.

Url
tentatively
touched his head and smiled broadly, it didn’t hurt and he felt good. Teni put
his face very close to the wound inspecting it; he had never seen anything like
it.
Url
pushed him away, stood up and placed a hand on
Toormis’s shoulder, smiled and then grunted a thank you. 

Sasra ran up to
them almost out of breath, “no one follows,” he said picking up Deewa and
headed through the undergrowth.

“We must go
quick
. I will guide you to Trading Post when Deewa safe.
Must stop trade.
Beclin ambush my people, must warn,”
Url
said and took off after Sasra with Teni indicating to
the others to follow.

“Guess we need
to go with them until they can guide us back,” The Administrator said.

Cassy tugged
Toormis’s arm, “they saved my life we must go with them. We are safer with them
than trying to make our own way back. You said we can’t go back the way you
came.”

“Yes Cassy,
you’re right. Peter, let’s lend them a hand.” Toormis said looking expectantly
at Peter.

“OK. Let’s go.”
Peter said reluctantly and moved off after Teni.

Peter was
hesitant at first as he was becoming aware of the guerrilla tactics these
people used on one another. It was very savage and dangerous environment they
created for one another but his mood improved when he realised these men knew
what they were doing and it was all done for survival. A sense of camaraderie
grew quickly among the group and they were soon communicating silently and
effectively as they moved through enemy territory.

The effects of
the pain killer had worn off and
Url
started to
stagger as he head throbbed and he was weak with concussion. Peter noticed this
immediately and went to the lead and stopped Sasra.

“We need to
talk,” Peter said forcefully. “That man cannot keep up this pace,” he pointed
to
Url
gripping a tree to remain upright. Sasra looked
back with worry.

“Url needs rest.
Big blow on head.
I go forward and warn Brakin,” Teni
said.

Peter
instinctively took command. “You and I will go and warn your people,” he said
to Sasra. The rest will make their way to a known point. That camp you said
earlier under the overhanging rock, is that is a safe place now?

“Yes,” Sasra
replied, “safe.”

“Good, it’s
decided. Toormis take Cassy,
Drex
, the wounded man
and the child and follow
Teni,
he will guide you to a
safe camp. If I haven’t returned within say, one time frame Teni can guide you
back to the ship after he delivers the child to the safety of their own people.
I can meet up with you at the trader’s post.”

“No! You must
remain with us, we cannot separate,” the Administrator said urgently.

“The decision is
made. Sasra you lead,” Peter said pushing Sasra who hesitated but Teni waved
him on.
Url
was now kneeling in the snow, his head
spinning. Sasra and Peter started off at a run and soon disappeared.

Peter let Sasra
lead and kept up with him easily. Sasra was clearly nervous with Peter and kept
looking over his shoulder until Peter realised his comrade had more attention
on him than on the mission. He ran in front of Sasra and stopped him by
standing directly in his path.

Peter leaned on
his gun and had another slung across his back. “Look, our mission is to located
your people and tell them they are walking into a trap. If we are too late,
there will be a disaster. I need you to concentrate on the job at hand. Is
there some reason you keep looking back at me and not the trail?”

Sasra did not
expect to be questioned. He became more nervous and clutched his gun
defensively. Peter shook his head slowly and tried to come to terms with the
simple mountain man in front of him. He placed his gun in the snow and sat
down, motioning Sasra to do the same. Sasra hesitated but cautiously did so.

“Sasra.”
Peter said
softly. “I come from a different place than here but it is my business to make
sure I can continue to trade with your people. These Beclin attacked my Traders
and killed some of my people. They will get my revenge. Is it all right with
you if I kill some of them with your help?”

Sasra’s
expression changed and he became more serious. “You trade with Beclin?”

“Of
course.
We always have as it always has been but I need to kill those who have betrayed
that trust. Is that not the way?” Peter said making up a story he hoped would
communicate with this man.

“We go now. You
kill Beclin, Sasra help.
Meeting place not far.
Other
side of that ridge,” he said pointing.

“Good,” Peter
said and stood up. You go ahead and I will be close by. Do all Beclin have the
tuft on their hats?”

“Yes, it is
their custom.”

“Good, you lead.
Run fast,” Peter said moving to the right and going in an arc away from Sasra
who starting running.

A confidence
quickly developed in Peter. The mission was clear and precise. The unknown factors
were many but nothing that could not be instantly assessed and the correct
solution applied. His body moved swiftly and accurately through the terrain, he
noticed a herd of moibla feeding over five hundred yards away, counted nine;
one old buck, two younger ones, four does and two foals camouflaged in the
undergrowth. He heard the wind change pitch as it whistled through rocks
compared to tree foliage. He ran easily as one with the environment.