Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (69 page)

“This ship has a couple of shuttles. I saw them when I
got the smaller flying platform. They look like a type of fighter. The Earth
people would love to get their hands on a piece of dangerous looking equipment
like that; especially if it crashed in their own back yard. They’ll take it
immediately to the most secure facility they have and start to count their
lucky stars but instead it detonates and takes out the underground facility and
hopefully the nuclear weapons. Even better if we hint it is a Volen ship that
had come to trade with them. They will never quite trust the Volen again. You
understand we will be using the exact same mechanism which got them to build
the bombs in the first place. Better to use their greed and insanity against
them than raw blatant force, they live by force and expect it… Well?”

Toormis was speechless and turned to look at the
Administrator. Cassy walked slowly onto the Bridge and stared at Peter who
looked inquisitively back at her. She walked up to Toormis and took his hand
off his blaster.

“Well, while you make up your mind I’ll get another
drink. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted sometime quite so warming before,” Peter
said and went back to the stateroom.

Toormis and the Administrator followed him into the
stateroom and both stood in front of Peter, who seemed very relaxed. “The
Administrator believes we should leave this sector immediately. I’m not sure I
can do anything to that base under the mountain. Earth has four Trigeal
satellites in its orbit and many roving relay probes. It is highly improbable
that I could approach the planet undetected.  Your plan is workable to the
degree that it does not matter if they see it enter the atmosphere or not. They
will have to think it is a Volen space craft; it may fool them long enough for
the shuttle to crash and be recovered by Earth security. How did you think of
it?” Toormis asked.

“I wish you two would stop asking me questions I can’t
answer. I have no idea why I thought of that. It just seemed the simple thing
to do,” Peter replied.

“Simple hey?”
Toormis said but couldn’t withhold a smile spreading
across his face. “Sorry about the disagreement earlier, I’m a bit jumpy at
times, so Cassy reminds me, but the delivery of the shuttle will not be
‘simple’ as you put it. Especially if we want to make it look like a legitimate
crash and avoid the Trigeal satellite. The auto pilot on those craft will be
unpredictable when it operates in a gaseous atmosphere, winds will upset its
accuracy.

“Oh, I don’t know. One of the tactics in that Norfian
Starfighter course was that at tactical manoeuvring speed it is possible to
have two Starfighters in tandem. The second one is locked onto the first by
tractor beam and is cloaked with no engines so there is no fuel signature while
the first one manoeuvres directly toward the enemy, which eliminates positive
scan detection. When the weapon’s range to target and speed is optimum with the
shield defences of the target being at their most vulnerable they split and
attack from two different directions at once. Couldn’t we modify that a little
to suit our purposes so the shuttle won’t have to be on auto pilot at all. The
Starfighter just remains cloaked and directs the shuttle by remote from the
atmospheric rim and flies home when the shuttle crashes. Boy this spirit warms
you up,” Peter said feeling the effect of the neat spirit and poured another.

“That course should be banned!” Toormis said amazed,
realizing that the manoeuvre just might work.

“It is,” the Administrator cut in. “Peter, I would
take it easy with that stuff if I were you. It can make you very sick.”

“It can?” Peter said and looked at the spirit swirl as
he poured another and drank it. “It gives me ideas though and seems to make
Earth a more agreeable place. You want one?”

“No thank you,” the Administrator replied worried
Peter may get even more unpredictable if he got drunk. “Well, are we doing it
Toormis?”

“Can’t see why not.
We won’t have to land on the moon I just put
Traveller behind the moon away from the monitors and we’ll commence operations.
It won’t take long and we’ll leave the area immediately upon my return. I will
get to work on the shuttle immediately. Administrator, would you take the
explosive heads out of a couple of thermal torpedoes in the armoury; which
should be enough to melt that mountain from the inside out.” Toormis said and
walked up to Peter. “Thank you Peter, you are one of the finest tacticians I
have ever met. I look forward to working with you in the future,” Toormis said
and clasped his hand on Peter’s shoulder briefly, turned and left to ready the
shuttle.

The Administrator took a step toward Peter, “please
take my advice and don’t have any more of that,” he said pointing to the spirit
bottle. “It’s poison in large quantities.”

Peter smiled and was a little unsteady on his feet. “I
hear you
Drex
and I wish to thank you for your kind
remarks earlier. Earth isn’t such a bad place; it’s got a management problem
that’s all.” Peter said starting to slur his words as he took another sip of
spirit. “You’ve got work to do, bye
bye
.”

The Administrator gasped in disbelief but knew he
could not persuade Peter to do anything he didn’t want to do. “I’ll check on
you after I help with the shuttle,” the Administrator said and left.

Peter suddenly straightened up and looked carefully to
see that the Administrator was gone and when satisfied emptied the bottle into
a storage
bin and placed it on the floor. He picked a
comfortable chair, sat down and leaned against the wall, closed his eyes and
drifted off.

It didn’t take long for Toormis and the Administrator
to prepare the shuttle. Toormis sprayed out the Imperial Emblems and roughly
sprayed a red V, being the standard for the House of Volen. The Administrator
placed the thermal explosive heads in the ship’s hold along with a large number
of used negative matter fuel canisters that will increase the explosive
temperature of the thermal heads into the small cargo hold and set a remote for
manual initiation. “Here you are Toormis. Be careful with this.”

“Thanks. That going off in a confined space should
generate enough heat to melt rock for quite some distance. Even if they find
the explosives they won’t have any idea what it is. Did you secure it down with
security cargo straps?” Toormis asked as he walked in the shuttle to check
himself.

“Yes I did.” The Administrator answered.

“Good. I would think it would take them quite some
time to work out how to cut their way through those. Well I’m ready to do this,
I’ll just go and see Cassy and I should be back in time for…
who’s
turn is it to cook?”

“Yours!
So don’t be late.” The Administrator said smiling.
Toormis grimaced but soon laughed and went over to the Starfighter. Cassy came
into the space dock and saw Toormis climbing into the Starfighter’s cockpit.
She put on a brave face, walked over to the ladder and climbed it. She leaned
half in the cockpit and Toormis was in the rear seat adjusting some circuit
boards.

“When are you leaving?” she asked.

“Not long. Just as soon as I finalize this ship for
flight and set the Bridge controls to monitor the mission.” He replied
concentrating on the delicate task of setting switches on power level circuit
boards to give the tractor beam access to as much power as it needed to control
the shuttle through the rough entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

“I’ll miss you Toormis. Please don’t let anything
happen to you?” she said almost in a whisper.

Toormis stopped what he was doing and looked over the
pilot’s seat into her sparkling eyes. He saw his own reflection in them and
smiled. “There’s plenty of room back here in the cargo bay. Why don’t you come
around the side and climb back over here and keep me company,” he said
playfully and leaned back patting the empty area of the cargo bay. Cassy
grinned, looked quickly around and saw the Administrator leave the dock area
and enter a passageway and disappear. She quickly walked over the wing and
climbed into the space behind the rear seat and crawled into the cargo bay.

Toormis laughed as he lunged beside her. “There is
always something to check up on back here,” he said as he wrapped his arms
around her in the confined space and kissed her. She rolled him over and half
leaned upwards unzipping his flight suit. His hand sought the controls beside
the rear seat and the clear see through canopy darkened as Toormis set the
glare control to dim.

“You know we are probably the last two free Irrimus
citizens,” she said. “I think we should act like
it
.”
she said as Toormis gripped her passionately.

The Administrator looked into the Stateroom and saw
Peter asleep in a chair against the wall and noticed the empty bottle. He left
quietly closing the door behind him. He made his way to the Bridge where Toormis
and Cassy were sitting beside each other at the navigator’s station entering
data into a computer.

“All systems are functioning and ready for flight,” he
told Toormis.

“Understood.
Where’s Peter?” Toormis replied.

“Out cold.
He had too much white spirit I’m afraid. You’ll be
back before he wakes up,” the Administrator said sitting in the co-pilot’s seat
and initiating the tactical computers.

“We’ll leave him be. All systems set for shuttle
automatic deployment off the port side.
Initiating now!”
Toormis said and a faint vibration was felt through the ship as the space doors
opened and the shuttle flew slowly into space, stopping off the port side. The
space doors closed and the inner doors to the space dock opened.

Toormis stood and walked over to a viewing port and
saw the shuttle sitting exactly where it was supposed to be, “It’s nearly
time
. Just a few minor setting and I’ll go,” he said as he
sat in the pilot’s seat and began adjusting computer settings on the control
panel.

Peter stood up and looked around him. He moved in one
fluid motion, opened the door and slipped out. He walked quickly down the
passageway but stopped outside Torquay’s cabin. He entered and stood beside the
bed. He moved his right hand and grasped Torquay on the shoulder. Torquay
opened his eyes and looked at Peter.

Their eyes locked. “You know don’t you?” whispered
Torquay.

“Yes,” Peter answered. “I am going now. You must leave
this sector immediately and not return for any reason. The Trigeals will be
here before this time frame is over. I wish you well, please look after the
others. They do not comprehend the peril they face.”

“I will Peter, I promise you,” Torquay said quietly.
Peter took his hand off his shoulder and went to the door.
“Johe?”
Torquay asked.

“Johe cannot communicate for reasons he doesn’t
understand but he did get a message to me for you – you are almost right, don’t
stop – that is all he told me. Good bye” Peter said and left the cabin.

Toormis finished his programming and put his flying
gloves on. “It is time, Administrator the Bridge is yours. As I said earlier,
any troubles get out of this sector immediately. I have programmed an escape
route and a few suggestions.”

The Administrator stood up, “a quick death to good
enemies,” he said and saluted. Toormis returned the salute, and then turned to
Cassy who was now standing beside him.

“Just come back to me,” she said and reached up and
kissed him quickly but passionately. “Now go,” she ordered and pushed him
towards the passageway.

“I love you Cassy,” he said and walked smartly toward
the passageway and disappeared. Cassy sat in the navigator’s seat and
concentrated on the instructions left to her by Toormis.

Toormis hurried down towards the space dock and went
down the ladder to get below. As he turned suddenly all the air left his body
by a very solid blow to his mid section. He buckled over and another blow hit
him on the back of the head, he fell unconscious to the deck.

Peter bent over him and removed the remotes he had in
his uniform and rushed to the Starfighter. He climbed the ladder and was
quickly in the pilot’s seat. He initiated the flight procedures and pressed the
switch to close the inner doors which automatically opened the outer space doors.
The engines vibrated as they settled into their space displacement mode then
smoothed to a silky purr.