Carinae Sector: 02 - Admiral's Fury - Part 1 - Purple Blood (2 page)

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2100 AD A secluded star system 100 light years from Earth

Altarebe looked across at his father Delprebe patiently as the older academic awoke and came online. The two ancient males had been escorted from their old refuge by their massive new ally many years previously, and Altarebe had later carefully helped his father down onto a new and remote ice asteroid to continue his repairs. The Sspol cruiser had vanished after a short period, but it returned periodically and patrolled the new star system just to let the two ancients know it was still around.

Altarebe still waited as his father ran through his diagnostics before he then spoke.

‘Son, I still have serious problems and will be here for many years yet. After further detailed thought on what you told me, we have to relay the Sspol initiative to the Maveen and it is a long journey.’

Altarebe suppressed a sense of frustration in further delays as he knew he would be the one to relay the peace initiative, though he did voice a partial objection to his father’s statement.

‘I am concerned about any delays in reaching Earth, and at this stage we have no idea on how to land undetected on the world.’

His ever-patient father gently admonished Altarebe in his reply.

‘Now Altarebe, we need to think laterally about this problem and if the queen is there she will not be leaving soon. I really think the Maveen could help you with the technology you need to land on the human world. I do hope the queen has at least one daughter otherwise our efforts would be in vain.’

Altarebe continued to talk at length with his father before he went to sleep again, as he wanted to speak with the Sspol ship before he left. Patiently he kept watch during the long months and created more fuel for his father as he awaited the return of the Sspol cruiser.

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2100AD Barede Colony

James Mudbury, still spry at seventy-two, carefully shaped the transom brace for the wooden hull he was helping his students to build. Around him, several young students watched as the brace was shaved down to the pencil mark James had made earlier. James handed the brace to a grateful student and reminded him again, of what he was seeking as he held up his fingers for emphasis.

‘Slow and careful, you are not in a race and the spoke shave has a keen edge. See I still have all my fingers. After you learn with the traditional tools we will progress to the various laser knives.’

The student thanked him and then climbed the several metres back into the large hull. James let him go, as he was not interested in climbing into the hull again at his age. The student team leader now raised her arm, James walked over to inspect the bulkhead template the student had quickly built, this time using modern tools, and he was generous in his praise.

‘Good work Sarah as the template includes the recesses for the deck beams and the stringers. Go ahead and cut your layers but mind your access when later fitting the bulkhead.’

Afterwards James took a late afternoon walk towards the nearby marina from his boat yard. The aboriginal elder crossed the marina car park, and quietly noted that several of the newest models of the colonies’ electric cars were present as he walked out onto the largest jetty. He could see several large sail and solar powered ketches going past in both directions, either with cargo or with fish from down river, or fresh produce from upriver. He also watched as swans and pelicans paraded along the edge of the river, and a kookaburra called from a tree high over the riverbank.

James knew several of the boats well as he had built many of them by hand, even as he helped Rachael raise their five children many years ago now. Rachael was away for the week visiting their latest great grand child, as the Barede colonists had not wasted time in increasing their numbers. James continued to watch the river and quietly think, he watched as every half hour or so a plane would take off from across the river from the New Perth airport bound for one of the other colony cities. He then watched as the rising crescent of Arana, the innermost of the two moons, rose from the East to join the moon Alkina already overhead.

Towards the north east horizon, James could see three contrails from the spaceport at Greene’s Crossing, and as he had done for many years, he marveled and gave thanks for his full life on this new world.

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Simon van Essen considered the formwork for the new section of roadway with tired satisfaction. He was nearing fifty-five and though the humans had the help of a Maveen gate ship, the new road was tiring work in a long day. A fair amount of work was still involved, even if Simon’s team only had to survey and clear the road path, before laying a thick ungraded layer of ground basalt.

The abilities of the Maveen were something Simon’s late father Troy had seized upon four decades earlier for civil engineering works. He now watched from a safe distance as the Maveen gate ship slowly came down level on the ground basalt and activated the powerful wide beam lasers in its belly. The shields already were notched and Simon watched as the ground basalt was liquefied and leveled to a road worthy surface as the gate ship moved slowly forward.

A young trade assistant on his first day started to walk towards the new road surface, and Simon had the presence of mind to quickly race after him, and then called out loudly.

‘Robert isn’t it? Please stop still immediately.’

The young man stopped, and Simon picked up a length of old wood as he walked over and started speaking again.

‘The radiant heat from the road will go shortly, but now watch closely Robert….’

Simon tossed the piece of wood onto the new roadway and it promptly burst into flames. Robert flinched as he watched the burning wood and Simon continued to speak again.

‘Even with most of the radiant heat gone the wood still burns and so would have you Robert.’

The younger man was sweating nervously as he thanked his new boss. Simon ensured the younger man was then shown around the hazards of the nearby construction area.

Another Maveen gate ship was constructing three storied pull up walls of liquefied basalt in the construction area using the same method of shaped lasers and shields. The two men watched the gate ship from a safe distance, and Simon wondered to himself how the humans in the colony would cope once the Maveen eventually withdrew their assistance.

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Captain Narindestat considered the elderly human with polite concern as Steve Greene, the former founding governor of Barede, slowly lowered himself back into his high backed chair. The four metre tall Trader sat down nearby on the proffered stout bench, and regarded the fine view from the large verandah for a moment.

In the far distance over a tree-covered ridge, a human lifter the size of one of the Trader sneak ships, but with a delta wing, climbed effortlessly from the launch pad at Greene’s Crossing. Human and Trader both watched the climbing lifter until it was lost from view minutes later and Steve commented about the view.

‘I never get tired of watching them take off and to think we went direct to space with no conventional rockets in just over forty years.’

The Trader captain knew that he was rehashing old points of view when he replied.

‘Well both us and the Maveen wanted the colony not to go back to traditional staged rockets like Earth, though it did slow you down ten years to get into space.’

The two friends fell silent as Samantha Greene now rejoined them; slowly wheeling a food trolley herself as one of her maids carefully watched her progress. Steve glanced across at his wife fondly, as she now slowly took her own high back chair and the maid served them all drinks before returning inside the house.

Steve was now ninety-one and Samantha was eighty-five, and they had five children, the twin sons Narind and Garen, and three daughters, Rebecca, Rachael and Andrea. They also have a current total of eighteen grand children and eight great grand children. Steve looked at his old friend and noted that he looked little different to when he first met him on Earth fifty years ago, he also noted that he looked even more stoic than usual and he ventured a question.

‘Narindestat, it will be fifty years next week since the colony founding, are you finally thinking of leaving the colony? Narind is commanding the new base on the moon Alkina, and he reckons we will not be ready for many years yet.’

Narindestat sipped his drink quietly and answered calmly as his eyes now took in the ordered fields before the distant tree covered ridge.

‘Well Steve we have been ready for years and the Illuria has been heavily refitted after our landing on your home world. However, until the Maveen release me from my orders we remain here to assist and guard the colony. I was hoping to help during the amnesty to destroy the Voorde infestations, but this has since expired after other ships completed the task.’

Steve knew that Narindestat did not really mind staying at the colony as his wife and daughters had arrived after several years on another large Trader ship, and his son Garendestat and Emeria now had four children as well. The Traders had settled on a large offshore island, aptly named Trader Island that was now one of several spaceports scattered around the colony. The number of Traders had increased until they numbered several thousand in the colony. He knew there numbers had increased sharply as the glimmer tattoo illness had eventually spread throughout their remote space facilities.

Narindestat now confirmed something that Garen, Steve’s other son and now the colony governor had surmised earlier.

‘Actually, we are dismantling our most central facilities and bringing them out to this part of the galaxy. Sure we have to make even longer trips to trade, but the Cephrit-Tilmud war still flares up from time to time so that impacts on our trade efforts. Both the Barus and Cephrit are no longer trading much with us either.’

Steve was still sharp of mind even if his last term as governor had been over twenty years ago, and his next words again confirmed Narindestat’s high opinions of his abilities.

‘So that could also mean that the Barus research efforts, both at Earth and nearby systems, would still be non-existent. Also I would assume that the Tilmud are not patrolling near Earth, let alone further out into the galaxy?’

Narindestat took another sip of tea and reflected for a moment on the beautiful colony they now shared with the humans. Already there were calls amongst the Traders for them to change their way of life to allow for a home world. The captain was also aware that the Traders wanted to chart their own destiny and he knew that at some stage they would leave Barede.

However, he merely expanded on his earlier comments to Steve.

‘The Maveen have asked me to take the Illuria and make another sweep around the adjacent star systems from the colony. We will be taking some of your space fleet personnel with us of course, they will of considerable value and we will be gone for several months at least. The Maveen are implying that we soon will have to settle suitable nearby worlds, however I maintain that the colony still will not be ready for many years yet to start newer colonies.’

Steve gave a wry grin at a politely quiet Samantha before replying to Narindestat’s comments, as obviously the Trader captain had visited for at least two reasons.

‘Well I am expecting a visit from the Maveen Earth probe next week, so I will mention my own concerns of course. Garen has invited Samantha and me over for a meal about the same time, and we will discretely broach the matter then as well. Now as for both of us, we have had a good life, but we are getting old by human standards. Basically if we are still here when you get back it is a bonus, otherwise let us just enjoy this afternoon together.’

The long-lived Trader reflected on his own one thousand year plus life span for several moments, before Samantha got him talking about the latest antics of his grandkids. The three of them spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying each other’s company and reminiscing about their lives at the colony.

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2100AD Earth

Commander Tony Everson reviewed his cockpit checklist for the final time and gave an acknowledgement to Kennedy Space Centre, who responded with the take off authorization and a message of good luck. Tony and the pilot, Jim Wales, a taciturn Australian lieutenant, were taking the first of the new shuttles, the Intrepid, into space in minutes.

The fourth generation shuttle was three times the length and five times the mass of the original space shuttle, and sat on massive landing skids at the end of the main runway. The powerful delta winged ship was covered in shield technology obtained from the Trader landing fifty years earlier in Australia, and possessed several special shields tightly wrapping the pressurized contents of the fuel tanks. The new shuttle represented a distinct improvement, as the previous third generation of shuttles had made use of shields to protect themselves from high reentry temperatures for the last twenty years, but they had no aero spike engines and also still landed like a conventional airplane.

Tony radioed mission control they were ready to launch and gave Jim a tight grin as he issued the take off order.

‘Jim, we have green across the board and mission control has cleared the take off, take her up into orbit please.’

Jim pressed the launch button on his steering joke, and the Intrepid rose on pillars of fire from her thrusters to a height of three thousand metres, before she quickly transitioned to forward flight. The twin aero spike exhaust plumes rapidly lengthened as the Intrepid accelerated towards space. In twenty minutes, the launch was over and the new shuttle was on course towards the international space dockyard in orbit four hundred kilometres above Earth.