Seers of Verde: The Legend Fulfilled: Book One (3 page)

6

“How many people are left on ship, Captain?” Lar asked as soon as he was back on the
Colonia Nueve
.

“Almost six hundred counting the ship’s permanent crew,” Hector answered. “Both landers are docked. Between them they will get our remaining people to the planet.”

“Barely, Captain. They will be full with all our people on board. What if we have to outrun the Tanlians to the planet? We still have equipment to move to the surface, too,” Lar said, shaking his head.

“We have the scouts, too,” Hector reminded him. “We can carry any overflow in them.”

“Taryl Bryann tells me she feels the Tanlians are growing impatient. Those scavengers may not wait much longer if they want to catch us by surprise.”

Hector shook his head. He was uncomfortable in putting his trust in a Seer — someone who could feel others’ emotions and see through their eyes.

“She told me what she … saw,” Lar struggled to explain something he did not quite understand. “The Seer described the console and the viewer the Tanlian was using. She claims to see through their communicator. He is monitoring all messages between our ship and the planet. Taryl was telling me what was going on with our people before they reported to me. Everything was accurate.”

“I believe you Lar, but it is just such a strange talent. If she was a machine, I could understand how she worked.”

“She was born in a machine, as was I,” Lar reminded the captain.

“It makes no difference to me whether you are a clone or natural born,” Hector said. “You have nothing to be ashamed of being a clone, Lar. I wish all the so-called ‘naturals’ were as trustworthy and honorable as you.”

“You would be surprised how many clones are on this ship and who they are,” Lar said.

“I don’t understand her talents. I am wary of trusting her, but we have no choice as I see it,” Hector shrugged.

“You always have treated the clones equally as you have the naturals among the crew,” Lar said. “I trust Taryl. I have looked into her eyes. My instincts tell me she believes what she sees. There is no other way to explain why she can see what she does.”

¶ ¶ ¶

Taryl Bryann felt very alone after reporting her experience to the security officer. She sat on a hill watching the other colonists rush to build temporary shelters from the ship’s supplies.

She was only twenty-three when she left the Siriusian shipyards on the
Colonia Nueve
. Today her natural age was thirty-four. Yet physically she had only aged three years, thanks to the slow aging of transport sleep.

The first connection with the Tanlians had startled Taryl into breaking the mental contact. Her heart had raced so hard her chest hurt. She blinked, trying to refocus from her waking dream.

Realizing what she was seeing, Taryl calmed herself and allowed her mind to open back up, searching for the connection she had just made. For several minutes her mind wandered, then she could “see” inside the Tanlian ship again. This time she was able to slip into the “sight" with greater ease.

She had connected to someone named Ossor; he appeared to be a communications specialist. He was monitoring all their transmissions from the planet and the mother ship.

Fear gripped her again, but she forced herself to relax, take deep breaths, and not break the connection. Taryl found herself fascinated by the experience. It was almost a sensual voyeuristic sensation.

After several minutes, though, the dangerous situation crept into her consciousness. Taryl forced herself to leave the Tanlian. Trembling again with the realization of what she had seen she went to find Lar Vonn.

Taryl felt relieved the security chief trusted her. She did not need her talent to read him. It was obvious from his expression and tone of voice that he believed her. However, his parting words frightened her even more.

“Stay with these Tanlians. What you find out may warn us about their intentions and save all our lives. The safety of the colony may depend on what you learn from them. You are better than a weapon,” he said taking her by the shoulders and looking straight into her eyes. “Through you, we can react to them as soon as they make a move.”

Lar then took out a communicator and tuned it to a secure scrambled frequency. “This is a direct comm to me. Our link can’t be broken,” he said, then paused as if unsure of himself.

“I understand,” Taryl assured him. “The comm will be my link to you. Do not worry about my ‘sight.’ I will be concentrating on the Tanlians.”

7

Hector did not like the conclusion he had arrived at. After speaking to Lar Vonn, he knew the remaining people on the Colonia Nueve were in great danger. He was sure the landers could not outrun or outmaneuver the Tanlian raiders for long. Their only hope was to land quickly and get the people to safety.

The captain also did not like the idea of leading the Tanlians to the Fourteen-hundred colonists on the planet who were scrambling to safety and making security preparations. Lar had left two hundred men and women of his well-armed security force on the surface.

Hector doubted the Tanlians would want to engage in a bitter fight with colonists equipped with laser rockets and energy-pulse weapons. From what he knew about the raiders, they liked surprise attacks, grabbing what people they could before the fighting got too fierce.

However, the problem remained how to get the last six hundred colonists and ship’s crew to the surface. Every option Hector considered always led to the same answer, which made him sick.

Hector called Lar to his cabin to tell the security chief of his decision. Upon entering, Lar could tell Hector was troubled. The captain offered no greeting. The usual smile was replaced by stone-faced formality.

“Captain, you have orders for the crew?” Lar asked.

“Yes,” Hector said, unable to keep from frowning. “Gather everyone not on ship’s duty to loading dock one. I want to talk to them.”

The security chief, who was normally unflappable, felt his throat tighten in nervous anticipation. “Yes, Captain. Most are gathered at the landers, getting ready to go.”

As the door slid shut behind the security chief, Hector signaled Geologist Wald Bergmann.

“Yes, Captain?” Wald responded, surprised at being hailed. He knew Hector was doing his duty by cooperating with him. His company, Universal Mineral, was helping to fund the colonization mission.

The two had a mutual understanding: The captain would drop Wald’s equipment and workers where he requested, and the geologist would ask no further assistance from the ship’s crew.

“Geologist Bergmann, I want to commend you on your fine work of securing safety for the colonists,” Hector said with false cheeriness, hoping Wald would recognize the formality code.

Wald paused, not sure how to respond. Not having military experience, the geologist only concerned himself with ship business or security worries when they affected his interests. The captain’s formal tone told him something was wrong.

“Thank you, Captain, just doing my duty. The, umm, colonists are settling in fine,” he responded, growing more nervous with every passing second.

“I hope you made enough accommodations,” Hector said enunciating each word. “We seem to have a few stragglers up here who seem to think they need safe, secure living quarters.”

The reality of what the captain was telling him sent a shiver down Wald’s spine. For some reason the ship was sending him the last batch of colonists and they needed protection.

How many colonists? Protection from what or whom?
he thought.
Tanlians?
The word exploded in his brain. What else would cause the captain to ask for his help?

“Of course, Captain. We have plenty of room here for the last of the colonists. Nice safe accommodations, just like home.”

Hector nodded after hearing Wald’s response. The geologist understood. “Very good. The colonists are looking forward to getting down to the planet and seeing your handiwork. Oh, and don’t worry about the scientists on the other side of the mountain. They plan to camp there to study the wildlife. A scout will bring them to the colony when they are ready.”

Hector hoped Wald had enough time to scout those caves. They may be the only hope for the remaining colonists.

After signing off with the captain, Wald wasted no time. He signaled the heads of his working crews on a scrambled frequency.

“We need to make secure preparations for possibly …" Wald paused.
How many?
He took a wild guess. “. . . several hundred colonists. Mark those caves in code and prepare yourselves for an attack. Lives depend on you. Get to work!" he shouted.

¶ ¶ ¶

The gathered colonists waited quietly in the loading dock of the
Colonia Nueve
. There was none of the usual good-natured chatter as they stowed gear and readied themselves to be ferried to the planet.

It was unusual for the captain to address outgoing flights. While friendly when speaking one-to-one, the captain tended to shy away from large groups. He was content to let one of his junior officers make speeches.

Hector looked out over the faces of the colonists. They represented all the races of Earth. However, there was something else familiar about many of them. He shouldn’t have recognized many of them by name, but he did.

The realization shocked him — clones! Almost half of those looking up at him were the gene-alt clones. Their telltale blue-green eyes gave them away.

Damn the official colonization protocol
, he thought. Disembarking to a colony was regulated by strict rules. Those with “important” duties were first — the engineers, biologists, geologists, chem experts, med teams, surveyors, and a security detail to protect them.

Hector looked at Lar and now understood why the security chief had not objected to bringing his elite security team back to the ship. They felt a loyalty to their fellow clones.

The people before him had signed on knowing full well the dangers of being colonists. They were adventurers, willing to risk their lives for a dream. By pure chance, the fate of this group may suffer a different fate from their counterparts on the planet. Drawing strength from his anger, Hector addressed the crew.

“Thank you for your attention. You soon will be heading to the planet, but we have had to change our landing site.”

Standing next to the captain, Lar could see Hector was struggling with his emotions. The captain held his arms behind his back. His clenched hands were turning white.

Seeing their worried and anxious looks made Hector pause.
No need to cover up the reason with political double talk. These people deserve the truth
, he told himself. “Crewmates of the
Colonia Nueve
, we believe Tanlians are observing us. We need to get you to the surface as quickly and safely as possible,” he said.

Some of the gathered colonists gasped. A few sobbed. All gazed up at him.

“All the other colonists are on the surface, getting ready to defend themselves. They may not be able to hold off an attack. We need to draw the Tanlians away from our people on the planet. The landing site has been changed to Universal Mineral’s valley on the other side of the mountains. We hope to get you down safely before the Tanlians attack.”

To his amazement, none in the group shouted objections. This last group consisted of hunters and agrists. Making sacrifices and living with plans that changed at a moment’s notice were nothing new to them.

“Captain, an observation if I may?” Riss Nels, one of Lar’s security force, broke the silence.

“By all means,” Hector said, looking at the young lieutenant. Lar started to reprimand the young officer, but stopped when the captain held up his hand.

“I grew up in a hunter/agrist family, sir,” Riss said. “There was an Earth bird called a kildeer that acted wounded to protect its nest. It would draw danger away. Is that what you are asking of us?”

Hector smiled at Riss. “Yes, Lieutenant, that is what I am asking this brave group to do — draw the danger away from your fellow colonists, and then fly to safety when you get the chance.”

The gathered colonists were silent, thinking about their predicament. After about a minute, a man with curly red hair stepped out of the crowd. Hector recognized him as Neb Klinfer, another clone.

“Captain, I am a hunter. Will we get a chance to defend ourselves?”

Hector nodded. “You have my word. I will do everything I can to get all of you safely to the planet. It may be up to you after that.”

“Thank you, Captain. That’s all we can ask,” the hunter said. He bent down, picked up his equipment and strode toward the waiting lander. Without another word, the colonists all turned and headed toward their assigned ships.

8

Lar Vonn did not mask his vigorous objection to his captain’s plan.

“Be careful, security chief, or I will . . .” Hector stopped when he saw the grave concern on his friend’s face, knowing whatever threat he issued would be worthless.

“Throw me in holding?” Lar finished Hector’s sentence, flashing a smile that quickly disappeared. “You can’t do this Captain. There’s got to be another way. We can outrun them to the surface and then make a stand there. Everyone gets an equal chance that way.”

Lar’s face flushed with anger when he’d heard Hector’s plan to stay on board the
Colonia Nueve
to divert the Tanlians from the escaping colonists. A half-dozen loyal crew members volunteered to stay with the captain to help with defenses, communication and navigation. This plan was contrary to all of Lar’s instincts to protect the crew —
everyone
in the crew, especially the captain.

“If all goes well, my friend, we will scatter their raiding landers and chase the mother ship from the planet,” Hector said, feigning bravado.

“And if it does not go well?” Lar snapped. “You will be a big target for the Tanlians. Another prize.”

“Under no circumstances will the Tanlians capture the
Colonia Nueve
,” Hector vowed. “I promise you that.”

Only then did Lar grasp Hector’s plan — divert the Tanlians at any cost, even if it meant losing the
Colonia Nueve
and those manning it. He stared at Hector, but could manage no words.

“Let me finish the job I swore an oath on, Lar,” Hector whispered, grasping his friend’s shoulders.

“I swore to do everything in my power to safely deliver the colonists to the planet,” the captain said with conviction. “That is what I intend to do. I need you to do what you swore to do, too, Lar. Protect the colonists from all harm. I want to give you the best opportunity to do that.”

The security chief nodded and offered Hector his hand.

“May we both do our jobs well and live to tell stories about our victory,” Lar said. He started for the door, but turned in the entry, snapped to attention and saluted Hector.

“Captain, it’s been an honor.”

Hector returned the salute. “You are the guardian of my grandfather’s dream, now. May all of Earth’s gods be with you.”

Lar nodded, turned and walked away. The door swished shut behind him.

¶ ¶ ¶

Ossor Vallon tapped his ear plugs, shook his head, and then pounded on his console. Listening intently, he looked at Yermak Halpan.

“Well, what is it? What are the Earthers chattering about now?” the Tanlian commander growled at his comm operator.

“Nothing commander. They are silent. No contact between the ship and the planet. Very strange.”

Yermak’s eyes slit in thought for a moment and then he shouted at Ossor. “Launch the collectors! The Earthers are leaving!"

Before Ossor could relay the order, Yermak opened his comm link to his brother who had been waiting with eagerness to lead the four collector ships to the planet.

“Rolid,” Yermak barked, “it’s hunting time. Follow those Earthers to the surface. Launch.”

¶ ¶ ¶

Lar’s voice crackled over the comm system. “Captain, Taryl Bryann says the Tanlians have launched.”

Hector looked at his comm operator. Startled that a human had detected the ships before his scanners, Yoshi Watanabe confirmed Taryl’s warning. “Yes, captain. It’s four small ships and a larger vessel. It must be the mother ship.”

Surprised that the Tanlians hadn’t waited for the
Colonia Nueve
to make the first move, Hector ordered the landers to launch. “Give me an open frequency,” he ordered.

When Yoshi nodded he had one, Hector began, “To the commander of the Tanlian ships. I urge you to call off your ships. We are prepared to defend ourselves.”

Hearing the message, Rolid signaled his brother. “What are your orders, Commander?”

“Keep pursuing those ships. I will deal with that mother ship,” Yermak barked. “Let’s see what this Earth captain is made of. Direct link me to that ship.”

Once the link was established, Yermak spoke again. “Earth ship captain, this is Commander Yermak Halpan of Independent Tantalum 2. I order your lander ships to set down at the first available site and surrender. If there is no trouble, we may leave a few of your pathetic colonists alive. You will stand down from that seeder ship, captain, and be prepared to be boarded. It will make a fine addition to the Tanlian fleet. Offer no resistance, and we will return you and your officers to an Earth colony after the proper reward has been paid.”

Hector looked at Yoshi Watanabe. “Did we expect anything else from these bastards? Let’s see how bad they want us.”

Yermak watched in disbelief as the
Colonia Nueve
turned away from the planet.

“Commander? Our fuel supplies are low. If we chase that ship . . . ” Ossor didn’t get a chance to finish.

“Intercept her,” Yermak yelled. “They are trying to trick us. Tell the collectors to find the colonists on the planet. There may be no one on board those landers.”

Hector watched with grim satisfaction as the Tanlian mother ship turned to follow his departing vessel. “Whoever said divide and conquer better be right,” he told his crew as they waited for the inevitable.

¶ ¶ ¶

Sitting apart from the other colonists as they scrambled to safety in the large valley, a frightened Taryl Bryann broke from her trance and spoke into her communicator. “Lar, two of the Tanlians have broken away and are headed toward us.”

The security chief winced as he flew the first lander full of colonists toward the planet. He had hoped to get his cargo safely on the ground before the Tanlians followed them in.

“Taryl, is someone with you? One of my officers?”

“Yes. Lieutenant Navrakov is here,” she said.

“Lieutenant, you may get a good shot at one of the Tanlian ships. Make it count,” Lar said. Uri Navrakov was an efficient and competent military man who would do his duty to the death.

“That second ship will be the problem, we don’t know what kind of weapons they have. If they spot you … ” Lar stopped, knowing he did not need to say more.

Lar had one last order for Uri. “Lieutenant, you must trust Taryl completely. I have full faith in her. She may be your best hope for survival.”

“I will, Security Chief,” Uri said, looking at the frightened young woman. A twenty-year veteran of deep-space missions, the lieutenant had been skeptical about heeding the advice of this strange Seer. However, he did not question Lar, whom he respected without question.

“We will defend the colonists,” Uri answered. “Good luck to you, sir. You have your own Tanlians to worry about.”

“We’re entering the atmosphere. I pray we all survive this. Good luck,” Lar signed off and concentrated on getting the ship to the ground.

“I wish I knew when we could expect the Tanlians,” Uri said, as he turned toward the colonist encampment.

“The Tanlians estimate arrival in eight minutes,” Taryl murmured, her eyes closed.

Uri spun around, his mouth open in shock and then remembered Lar’s words. “Are you sure, Seer?”

“Yes,” she answered as if in a dream. “One of the pilots just signaled his crew.”

Uri clicked on his comm and spoke to his waiting troops. “Two raiders arriving in less than eight minutes. Let’s prepare to welcome them. Battery one, we may only get one shot.”

¶ ¶ ¶

As expected, the first Tanlian collector crested the mountain top and headed toward the valley. It streaked by the false encampment the colonists had built, hoping to decoy their enemy.

“Wait for him,” Uri whispered into his comm. “He should scout it two more times before he lands.” True to Uri’s prediction, the Tanlian collector screamed over the encampment two more times.

“Send the runners now,” the lieutenant ordered. Over a dozen troops dressed as colonists bolted from enclosures and ran for “safety.” The Tanlian collector hovered near the encampment and started to land.

“Fire!” Uri shouted. Two laser-guided missiles shot out from their hidden launch pads on the mountainside. The Tanlian collector exploded in a bright flash. Nothing was left except for small bits of metal.

Uri turned toward Taryl. “And the other?”

“They are watching from above,” she opened her eyes gazing at a tiny silver dot in the sky.

Uri followed her gaze with his power scope and spotted the other ship. “That one won’t make the same mistake. Get everyone to safety.”

As he spoke, two energy-burst rockets slammed into the mountain, destroying the two launchers that had shot down the first Tanlian collector. A series of energy rockets splattered over the mountain, causing small avalanches.

“We can’t take too many of those hits,” Uri warned. “We’re not equipped to handle bombardment.”

“I can see the pilot’s controls,” Taryl said, relaying the numbers she saw on the Tanlian control panel.

“You can see the panel readout?” Uri asked in amazement.

“Yes,” she answered. “I have been trying to … divert him.”

“What? Explain,” Uri said.

Taryl hesitated. “I, ah, can change what he sees. He has had to recheck his console many times. I have tried to confuse him.”

Uri stared at the small innocent-looking woman gazing at him. “Can you tell me what he sees as he is flying? Can you hear me when you are, are …" he fumbled for the right words.

She nodded. “I can see what he sees and hear you, yes.”

“Listen very carefully, Taryl and tell me what you see. Will you do what I tell you to do?”

This stunned Taryl. She broke her trance and stared at Uri,who returned the gaze. Seers were not accustomed to taking orders. They often were left alone and offered advice when asked. A shudder ran through her body. What did he want her to do? “Yes, lieutenant,” she whispered.

He nodded, clicked his comm on. “Tanlian ship, we surrender. Don’t fire, we have suffered too many losses.”

Taryl gasped, but stopped when Uri held up his hand.

“Bring your people out into the open, so we can see them,” snarled a voice over the comm in broken Universal Anglo.

“So you can slaughter us? No,” Uri said not masking his anger. “Those bursts nearly wiped us out,” he said, hoping his lie was believable. “My people are afraid.”

The Tanlian laughed. “You should not have fired on us. We can defend ourselves, too, Earther. We do not want to kill you — at least your women.”

Uri and Taryl watched as the Tanlian collector descended on their position. Knowing the ship would be ready for another missile launch, Uri waited for the right moment.

“Eight thousand meters,” he counted as his mag-scope gave him the information. “Seven thousand. Six thousand. Come on,” he whispered as Taryl gazed at him.

“Five thousand. Fire,” he yelled to the remaining batteries. Two more laser missiles launched out of a higher point in the mountain and raced toward the Tanlian ship. Reacting quickly, the invader shot higher into the sky, heading toward the mountain peak in an effort to lose the missiles.

“Now Taryl, tell me what the pilot is seeing,” Uri said.

The Seer, already watching through the pilot’s eyes, repeated what she saw on his chronometer. “Nine thousand meters, ninety-five hundred meters, ten thousand meters…" She kept counting.

Uri interrupted her. “Make him see Nine thousand five hundred meters.”

Taryl twitched but kept her focus. “Nine thousand, five hundred.”

Seconds later, the colonists watched as the remaining Tanlian ship slammed into the mountain, hundreds of meters from its peak. Only Uri heard Taryl shriek in terror then faint as she watched the Tanlians die through their eyes.