A few of the staff laughed at Rambling's word choice. Rambling noticed. "I'm sorry Captain, I may have overstepped my linguistic bounds here. My apologies."
Two of the three women present smiled; they both knew Rambling.
Keane chuckled. "If the ladies can't stand a bit of rough language they have no business on my ship."
"Thank you, sir," Rambling said, then continued a bit uneasily. "Sir, I still want us to bring back all the hostages if we can. My staff and I are putting together some new techniques we hope will help. We want to try, anyway, and if they don't work we can always take our lumps, then back out and let you take care of it."
"Thank you, Major Rambling. And now I'd like to hear what our ship's new Science Officer has to say," Keane said. He looked down the table to Harriette Juenne. He had removed Aguilara and appointed Harriette to the position despite her youth. She had proven her mettle already.
"Sir, I agree with you and Major Rambling, but I believe that the data we have is so vital that we have to think very seriously before taking any chances with the
Santa Cruz
. I believe we should send her back, given that we have to reconsider our ideas of what we'll be facing at Xanadu. That's unless you're pretty damn certain she will be safe. Otherwise we run the risk of losing both ships when we approach the planet.
"Also, they may even have ships coming our way since the courier ship undoubtedly went directly there. It has surely taken a warning, and perhaps even weapons' intelligence data. These Worms, along with their very advanced robots, apparently have no desire for normal intercourse with humans. We've also come to the conclusion that Xanadu and the other Worm-inhabited planets of the Bolt Cluster represent
colonies
, not their main civilization. Further, the majority of the scientific staff has come to believe they may look on humans as we would cattle. In light of all that, I think we should destroy the city, sir, before it's too late for humanity."
"
Too late?
What are you talking about Professor?" asked Keane.
"I mean we should wipe out every Worm and robot in the Bolt Cluster," she said flatly. "Destroy everything they've touched in the cluster, then use the technology we've picked up to help as we begin to prepare Earth for a war to the death."
Ms. Aguilara, the previous science officer, who now worked strictly on alien communication, spoke icily: "I think that might just be a little bit paranoid, Professor. They'd need massive ships, a whole armada of ships to conquer us and our colonies. I seriously doubt it could be done. After all, we seem to be holding our own, or even more, defeating them when we choose to fight. Personally, I don't think we did a very good job at communicating with them. All we did was attack their planets. I would like to propose we try talking with them again, to see if we can set up alien race relations."
Rambling, shocked, accidentally spit out some water he was sipping. "
Alien race relations?
Jesus Christ ma'am, these things took our people hostage, they turned them into slaves, they've made no attempt at communication despite our every attempt. They've made
slaves
of humans. They've had a chance to communicate. Despite my protests, Captain Keane intends to try again as we approach Xanadu. What in hell else do you want? I'm more in agreement with Harriette. The only race relations I want is a good nuke after getting our hostages back."
"What! That's genocide," shot back Aguilara.
"That's what they have in store for us lady," replied the Major, looking quite annoyed.
"Ladies and gentleman, I think everyone's opinion is important, but fortunately or unfortunately I get the final say. And I happen to agree with the Major. Ms. Aguilara, can you please return back to your communication work and go over our previous contact protocols? I'll accept your recommendations for any changes to them since what we've broadcast so far has drawn no response. I would like that report by 0600 tomorrow. Understand?" Keane looked pointedly at her and she got the hint.
"Yes sir, 0600," she said, entering the order and time due in her TekPad. "May I be excused now so I can get to work on this?"
"Certainly. Good luck. Despite what you may think, I sincerely hope you succeed. I'd much rather talk than fight." Keane sipped some coffee and looked over at Rambling. "Major, you say you have some special plans for fighting the robots. Tell me your ideas and how we can assist because I've made my decision. We're going to Xanadu to bring back our hostages and take out the enemy if necessary. All in the room in agreement?"
Everyone present nodded affirmatively.
"Good. I suspect you have something creative in mind, because unless Ms. Aguilara succeeds, we're going to be fighting."
"I do sir," Rambling said. "But not that much. Basically I've got teams setting up simulations and devising methods of taking down the robots quickly. From our recordings taken during the fighting, my techs believe the robots are the key to success. We need to take them out as quickly as possible every time we run across them. It's going to cost some casualties and I hate that, but unless the Worms and robots are present in overpowering numbers I believe my marines will prevail, and in the process maybe develop enough intelligence to figure out this fucking enigma. That assumes, of course, that you can provide the conditions to get us to the surface safely and continue to provide air support."
***
It was a good two weeks before Doug got a chance to escape from his regular menial tasks and do some more exploring. It was a frustrating wait, knowing he now had a chance to gain more knowledge that might be useful to the underground and possibly to a ship if-no, when-one returned. One morning he saw Frang and all his family traipse past his
Wah
, one of their periodic overnight trips which he thought were probably for classes of some sort they had to attend. The trips were most likely on orders from the small robots, if his theory that they were the ones actually running the city was right. Frang brought up the rear as was customary when Sinchik families traveled together. The alpha male always trailed behind. Frang stopped at his
Wah
for a moment.
"Toug, clean
Welshass
rooms. Begin now."
"Jah! I obey!" he responded, thinking as usual that he must look and sound somewhat like a Nazi reporting to a superior officer. And it would have felt as demeaning as usual but not this time! With the whole family gone he could do a quick job cleaning their quarters and still have many hours to go exploring. This time he would have a purpose. He wanted to try going further underground. Somewhere down in the maze of tunnels he felt there must be a central command node that governed all the city, Sinchiks and robots included.
He gave the Sinchik quarters a good cleaning then slept the afternoon. He waited until nightfall before going out, knowing there would be few Sinchiks about in the darkness. He easily got to the spot where he had made the last turn before discovering the horrid laboratory. At that location he turned in the opposite direction and began hurrying along a tunnel, all the time looking ahead for one of the alcoves where he could temporarily hide. He stopped at each one, carefully inspecting what was ahead of him, listening for any sounds before dashing quickly down the tunnel for the next alcove, and then another, each a reasonably good hiding spot, waiting a moment again before proceeding. It was tense, dangerous work, but he made himself go on. He had already contacted the underground and passed on the intelligence collected during his previous unintentional excursion, so he felt willing to risk his life.
It had already been a good hour since he'd passed the human testing laboratory-or more accurately, Auschwitz-type experimentation prison. He'd run into robots and had to take a roundabout route until he finally found another ramp leading down. After a long two hundred yard dash into a newer section, Doug peeked out from the alcove where he was hiding and saw in the distance that the tunnel terminated in a tee.
Even with no indentation for concealment, he decided to chance it. He ran to the tee and looked hurriedly in both directions, hoping for an alcove. None was in sight but he noticed that this new tunnel was made of smooth polished metal rather than the regular indifferently molded walls. It was illuminated with an orange lighting system. He thought this tunnel might to be important simply because it was built differently. He took a chance and tapped the wall with the handle of his Swiss army knife he'd managed to hold on to all these years. It gave back a solid
thunk,
indicating more strength than the usual metal. He became aware of a faint smell, like that of something new and fresh. Perhaps it had been recently built or reinforced? He hurried along and at last found one of the standard alcoves. He stopped to rest and think for a moment.
He decided to proceed rather than turn back. A chance like this might not occur again for weeks. He moved out of the alcove and began walking again. According to the twinges in his calf muscles he thought he was still heading down. Another five-minute walk and the tunnel again branched in a tee. He went back over his route in his mind so he would be sure to remember how to get back. One leg of this tee was definitely built at an upward slope. He thought for a moment and took it, mainly because a short distance ahead he saw a brighter light. He walked forward and found himself standing in an archway leading into a brightly lit room.
He felt the excitement of a major discovery because in the middle of the room were three large gravitic coils. He recognized them although they were a different, and obviously a more advanced, type of coil. So far as he knew, Earth's technology hadn't advanced to the stage of tractor beams powerful enough to capture a ship, but this had to be what it was. Next to the coils were long gold rods that exited through the roof. He thought they must be feeds to up the gravitic capacitors providing power to the focusing mechanisms near the surface. Jackpot! With knowledge of this location, a ship from Earth could possibly disable the tractor beam before it could be activated. Or maybe the underground could sabotage it. It would take something on the order of a penetration missile from a ship, armed with a powerful warhead to disable this apparatus, especially since the room looked to be well buttressed and armored. Sabotage would be best and it would be a huge blow to the city's defenses. This type of giant apparatus wouldn't be easy to replace.
What he needed to do was set up a plan for some of his troops to bring explosives and blow the damned thing up at the first sign of a new ship from Earth arriving. The task of exactly
how
to disable the cannons was something that his technicians could figure out later. Someone in the underground must know and the resistance did have some improvised explosive devices. He was sure it could be done but first he had to get back and inform the team.
Doug also knew he needed to contact Clemmie and not just to be sure she got this information. He thought he had fallen in love with her and hoped they'd somehow be able to be together again. He had a radio, and so did she, and they had picked one time per cycle of Xanadu's larger moon to call if it was warranted. The next cycle was one day away. Doug left the gravity generating room and headed back to his
Wah
. He needed to get back before his owner returned. Suspicions would not be good, and he could not let this find go to waste.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Here are the Formulas
I've been ordered to take you down to the bridge. Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they ask me to take you down to the bridge.
Call that job satisfaction?
'Cos I don't.
-Marvin the robot
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Just prior to the last conference before exiting hyperspace into the Xanadu system, Keane was speaking with Major Rambling in his cabin and finalizing the plans for taking on the major alien city. The formula was very simple: neutralize the Xanadu's air and space defenses, land the marines, fight their way into the city, find the hostages, get them back to the
Doc Travis
and blow up the city with the thermo-nuke after obtaining all the intelligence possible, and do all this without risking the ship. Afterward, get the hell out and back to Earth to tell them they had an interstellar war to fight.
"Sir, I've been really concerned that the robots, now that we know how advanced they are, might try to hack into our communication systems. Would it be possible for the ship to change the crypto codes? We could use an older, but very secure transmission methodology my intelligence officer has worked out with
Eve
. She says it will probably be more secure than what we have now and she's also willing to tack on a safety feature, a firewall if you will, that'll make certain it's us talking to her rather than an imposter."
Keane chuckled. "If
Eve
tells you it's okay, who am I to argue. She's probably a hell of a lot smarter than both of us put together."
"Ah, if only she ...no, that's daydreaming. Besides, I have a girlfriend. Also sir, we've worked out on the sims a better method of fire support from the ship."
"Tell me about it."
"Yes, sir. Basically, I want my XO to man an assault shuttle and get in close to the planet for pin-point bombing. It will be kind of risky for her but she's willing and it won't take much to work up one of the shuttles for her to use. In fact, the job is almost done. We think, and the sims show it, that it will be more effective than trying to control fire directly from the ship. She'll be closer and can see the action better but the most telling part is her experience. She's a damned fine marine with lots of background. Matter of fact, the sims show she's the best one for the job. Of course she'll relay her requests directly to your fire control officer. All we need is your approval."
Keane rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Steel, I always like to try to give the guys on the ground anything they want where combat is concerned, since I know I'm not anything near as competent in it as you and any number of other marines. In this case though, are you sure you'll be better off with Cindy in the shuttle rather than working with June on fire control from the control room? Isn't there anyone else qualified?"