Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 3 - New Shores (16 page)

Emeria looked at the closed door and flinched before she replied as she heard something, possibly the meal tray, being hurled into a wall at great force.

‘Garendestat, the captain is speaking with that Maveen probe again and we both know how much of a negative effect the probe has on him. I suggest we leave for a meal and return later.’

Garendestat wisely agreed with his wife and they silently left the passageway for the officer's mess three corridors away. As they walked away Garendestat talked to Emeria on the events of the day, and both ignored the loud harsh language now coming from the captain’s quarters.

‘The humans have been a great help in fixing the damaged engine, and the diagnostics have just been completed successfully. We should ready to leave within a day at most. I also understand that Samantha and Rebecca have been helping you.’

                                                            ***

Steve was tired to his bones as he sat at the head of large table in the meeting room aboard the Aurora Discovery. He had led an emergency team of human engineers and sailors aboard the Trader ship that had worked two twelve hour days affecting the difficult repair of one of the huge aero spike engines.

The now recovered Trader engineers seemed tired, but were very grateful for the assistance of the humans after informing him that Captain Narindestat was still recovering in his quarters. Even as Steve returned with the engineers to his ship, Samantha had gone off again with Rebecca to help look after the last batch of Traders recovering from the pressure treatment. Steve sat up straight and asked for Ian Mitchin to please repeat his earlier comment, as he was not sure he had heard him correctly.

‘The Maveen have estimated that we have three more days available to colonise the world, and the Trader ship will not be ready until tomorrow. The Maveen are establishing larger marine gateways to allow the passage of our surface ships to the colony.’

Steve framed a question as he considered the changes the Maveen had now implemented to the deal.

‘The Maveen were told the crews of the ships at these islands are going to the colony, but they have interpreted the arrangement to include the ships themselves. So why can they not just gateway the main Trader ship to another location?’

Ian Mitchin looked around the room at the patient looks on the mission team members as he replied.

‘The planet bound gateways will only allow ships up to ten thousand tonnes to pass through due to mass restrictions, and if they were larger they would be damaged during transit due to their greater mass. The Maveen also state that the Trader ship is at least fifty times too massive to pass via a planet bound gateway.’

Steve took in the limitations of the Maveen gateways and he indicated his concerns.

‘Ten thousand tonnes is not a big ship. We should send through as many smaller ships and larger boats that we can manage. Also we should ensure that several sailing boats go through as the lack of fossil fuels at the colony now really does concern me.’

After a moments silence, Ian Ridge now took a turn to pass his own information around the room.

‘As you were busy over the last two days, I have already contacted the relevant leaders and advised them of the extra efforts the Maveen are going to take on our behalf. The countries involved are amassing fleets of smaller ships to journey through the new marine gateways, and they will include sailing ships given what we learned about Barede.’

Steve now looked at Dan who provided his own update.

‘We can have the Lotus Marai loaded shortly, to take with the Aurora Discovery and both HMAS Sydney and HMAS Melbourne.’

Steve looked at Ian Ridge as he replied to Dan.

‘Well we do not want to militarise the colony too much, but a frigate or two would be useful if we can power them.’

The prime minister was already was aware of the other world leader’s concerns as he answered.

‘The other leaders did initially insist on the three ships here being sent over so the decision will stand. Australia is seen as a friendly nation by all of course, so the frigates should do well. We will refuel and change out the crews as required, but you will only get minimal crews on these ships.’

Steve considered the subject of taking the ships to the colony as he continued.

‘The frigates will be able to source additional personnel from the new colony at a later stage. We also need to ensure we have a selection of fixed wing aircraft sent along as well. Also the Lotus Marai could take several times the recommended load from the fish farm and just unload it all in the Barede Ocean on arrival.’

Dan now spoke again and Steve could tell he looked perplexed.

‘The Maveen actually mentioned the nearby fish farms, and they want to take the whole sea pens across one at a time from the fish farm. Also I think that some of the Maveen ships we have seen around the world have been exporting our plants and animals off world. There have been numerous reports of strange bright lights in game reserves in Africa, South America and Asia.’

Steve looked at Dan and noted the consternation of the mission team members around the room as he replied.

‘Well I can talk to the Maveen lead probe in the morning and establish how we are going to deal with that discovery. For now we should concentrate on the new marine gateways to the colony.’

Ian Ridge looked at Steve with quiet appraisal that Steve found to be confronting as the Australian prime minister now spoke again.

‘We now need to consider the new colony, as the Maveen have supplied a map of Barede, and various gateways leading to the colony are scattered over the west coast of a large continent. We all assumed that the Maveen would either put us all close together or at least put the same nationalities close together. This is certainly not the case and we are very concerned on how we are going to manage the colony as well.’

Steve looked down at the simple draft map of the colony for a few moments and around the room, and noted that all eyes were now on him as he replied.

‘I understand that there are several senior officers and politicians of various nationalities amongst the colonists. Surely we can get a consensus occurring after the Maveen leave the colony?’

The prime minister spoke as if to the whole room, however his eyes never left Steve’s.

‘The various leaders want a leader on the colony that is a military officer, has had experience with the aliens and understands the principles of western democracy. The Russians and Chinese were overruled on some of the points and now also the Maveen have offered their own strong opinions. Note that they are not leaving us alone and unsupervised on one of their sanctuary worlds, as they class the Barede world.’

Steve looked around at the members of the mission team as several of them met his eyes, and they smiled in understanding as he offered another question to Ian Ridge.

‘So can you set aside your prime ministership and come with us sir?’

Ian Ridge gave a hearty chuckle at Steve’s question and gave him a fixed, but warm smile as he replied.

‘No I do not have the military background to carry it off. We are seeking a suitable military governor for at least five years, and as you know our own Australian history, you will know how that works for officers of any rank.’

Steve looked back around the room in consternation around the room at the mission team, as Ian Ridge stood and walked toward Steve, and now spoke with a warm smile.

‘Well Steve, with the agreement of the Maveen, you are to be the founding governor of Barede. I can see that I will have no trouble convincing you, and yes Samantha agrees. Also the mission team is to be the initial governing council of the colony. The instructions have been sent to the gateways as we speak.’

Steve was speechless for several moments, but he then warmly shook hands with Ian and a procession of mission team members walked around to congratulate him. He wondered what Samantha would make of this process he had not had a say in, and then he realised that she had seemed satisfied with something before she had left for the Trader ship with Rebecca. The only comment she had uttered was a brief one before she kissed him and quickly left in the runabout.

‘Hear them out Steve, for there have been developments elsewhere. I love you.’

Undoubtedly the prime minister and Douglas Stoneham would have convinced her of the necessity earlier while Steve was still on board the Trader ship. Ian Ridge looked around the room at the mission team with an air of satisfaction as they returned to their seats.

‘Now Steve, or Governor Greene, I recommend some directives from your new governing council, as we need to get the colony organised. Also the Maveen had been quite direct about what we can and cannot do to the ecology on our new colony.’

The new colony council continued to work into the night as dozens of Maveen probes and gate ships converged on offshore marshalling sites around the world.

                                                            ***

Troop commander Gavin Lewis considered the report from Perth Airport with relief. Apparently the number of people being sent through was slowing dramatically after four hectic days, and the Maveen had informed the major that they would be closing the Perth gateway shortly. Cindy and their girls had been rushed through on the evening of the second night, and they were now under close guard towards the centre of the field with the other families of the SAS troopers. Gavin promptly ordered the clear distance around gateway to be increased and doubled the numbers of soldiers guarding the gateway.

Gavin now had fewer soldiers to command as several of the SASR and US Seal team members had returned to Earth. He also just gave strict instructions to anyone not staying on the colony that they should leave immediately. Indeed he was hoping that a particularly annoying individual would take the hint and leave so he could get his work done. As if to drive home the fact that this individual was still present, a senatorial voice rang out from outside the ropes he had forbidden the individual to cross.

‘Commander, if you will I wish to find out some additional information.’

The speaker was the rude journalist from the first night, Cameron Bates by name, who had already managed to get two of his junior cameramen killed by a giant lizard after he ordered them to get support footage from the area surrounding the field. Gavin did not think that Cameron did it out of malice, as it was only that the man had blinkers on for common sense when there was a story to be had. Gavin drew himself up to his full height, and knew he looked every inch of the formidable warrior, as he looked down at the senior reporter and sternly repeated a few points.

‘Cameron, you know that the gateway is closing and you have to be going immediately. You and your crew risk being left here with us forever if you do not leave. Also we have given you unhindered access to our efforts and you repay my generosity by haranguing my junior officers for even further information.’

Well he might as well been talking to the gateway itself as far as Cameron was concerned. The senior news reporter was fixed on getting the most professional mileage out of the most momentous event in his life, as he again peppered Gavin with questions after taking no interest in his concerns.

‘I am sure we have more time to return than we think we have as vehicles are still coming through. Now Gavin I want to know how the search for the young footballer and his family is progressing. I understand that several police officers are seeking him through the bush west of here for the last two days before they returned to Earth.’

Gavin gave a despairing sigh as he looked at the gateway three hundred metres away, and noted that the only occasional people on foot or a single vehicle or two came through and was checked off. He had some sympathy for what the man had done as he had seen the horrors of war during two deployments in two Middle East countries. He carefully answered as he did not want to increase the journalist’s interest in the situation any further.

‘We have some idea were he is located, but he is a young and fit man of the land and even our best troopers are having trouble finding his trail. His immediate family is being hidden amongst sympathisers in the huge tent city. Frankly I have better things to do with my day.’

Cameron did not take his eyes off Gavin as he asked the leading question he wanted to maintain the story. He was hoping his story would make a main current affairs program on the following Sunday, and he would then be accredited as a respected guest reporter for the prestigious show.

‘But surely Commander you know that this new colony must live by laws that are fair and honour all men, even dead criminals back on Earth?’

Gavin was not buying into the question as he noted that no traffic as now coming through the gateway. He pointed this out to Cameron, who did not even look around.

                                                            ***

Chapter 8

James Mudbury filled one of his two water containers silently with one hand, and never took his eyes from the dense bush nearby as he held the rifle in his other hand. A noise had James placing the water container on the stream bank and nervously cradling the rifle. He watched as two large wallabies had come out of the bush from fifty metres away, before cautiously eyeing him for several moments and then bounding away. There was certainly plenty of game around he decided as he had seen emus, wallabies, and even a few very large short faced kangaroos.

James had left the bulk of his equipment nearby, so he could move faster near the water and he would prepare a tree hide well before nightfall to pass another night safely. The water container quickly filled and he now started on the second container as he remembered the events of the morning. James had been seeking water, and he had already killed a half grown goanna three meters long that had rushed at him from a dense thicket shortly after he had come down from sleeping in a large tree. The supposedly rare goannas seemed to have no fear or knowledge of humans, as per the reports he had earlier obtained in the camp. He had pumped three rifle bullets into the goanna as it rapidly crossed open ground towards him.