STAR HOUNDS -- OMNIBUS (32 page)

To: Captain Tars Northern

FROM: Dr. Michael Mish

Subject: Walthor/Pax Industries

Timestamp: 24281122T04:20:43+10:00

Per your request, I’ve assembled a brief outline of information concerning our destination, the Federation activities there, and the information accidentally culled from Laura Shemzak’s memory nodes stocked with decrypted information concerning Jaxdron infiltration of Pax Industries.

The planet in Federation Exploratory Charts AB 40 was discovered 153 years ago by a survey expedition mapping the fringes of the nearest Federation-controlled sector (see links sent to your inbox). Second planet of six orbiting primary Beta Theta; sensor readings indicated it as a perfect world for biotechnological ecoforming into a top-secret prison, utilizing prisoners for biotech experiments and as special factory workers for construction of questionable items for various purposes (further details, use retinal ID for access).

In short, it is a place few members of either the Federation or the Free Worlds know about, yet it serves as a detention place for criminals, a laboratory world, and a manufacturing world for specialized products.

Walthor itself, with an 86 degree axial tilt and a regular orbit, combined with a high water-land ratio, is a planet lush with flora and fauna and natural resources. Three separate species of intelligent alien life—all agricultural/hunters, all preindustrial—have been subjugated in various ways by the Federation for use in exploiting the planet. None of this has been through military means, though a military security force is stationed on the planet, but rather by the anthropological/cultural socialization that has been so successful not only on many other planets, but on the Federation’s people themselves (see inbox for more links and background information).

The planet’s computer network and central operational building lies within what is simply known as the Block. It was here that Laura Shemzak was sent to test the strong security measures against outside infiltration. Her mission was successful and she tapped into the Heart Computer, stealing a large amount of information. Immediately following this effort, she learned of the capture of her brother by the Jaxdron, and shipped back to Earth. Apparently in the confusion, her superiors neglected to debrief her properly and wipe away the recording she had taken in breaching the Block’s security.

During the removal of the implant which forced her to shoot her brother, this memory node was tapped into. Analysis indicates direct reference to Jaxdron infiltration of Pax Industries—and possible manufacture of devices shipped throughout the human universe for purposes of subjugation and conquest. It is possible that through these means, the Jaxdron discovered not only the nature of the work being performed upon Mulliphen, but the nature of Cal Shemzak’s activities, and thus thought to kidnap him for their own purposes.

However, the actual details included in the decrypted material were scanty.

In working out the possibilities, I am convinced that rather than pursue the Jaxdron blindly to a place they apparently want us to be (most likely a trap), further information might be obtained by having Laura Shemzak once more infiltrate the Heart Computer and determine exactly the nature of Jaxdron activity there.

As to how this will be done, that would be left up to Laura Shemzak, since she has the full knowledge of and contacts on the planet.

T
hey landed just outside a small alien village in a clearing of the jungle by the side of a river.

Laura was distracted by the unusual cargo in her rear hold. The compartment in the rear of the vessel was designed for supplies and souvenirs, not a full grown human being.

Her consciousness folded back in on itself slowly as she began to disengage herself from her interface with the blip-ship, satisfied that the vessel was on solid ground and wouldn’t sink into quicksand or slide into the river.

“Can I get out now?” said Captain Tars Northern, his voice muffled within the compartment. “I feel like I’ve been buried alive!”

“Told you it wouldn’t be long, though, didn’t I?” said Laura, fighting the disorientation that always came when she changed from blip-ship consciousness to normal human consciousness. “Besides, you were the one who wanted to come along! Let me tell you, you might want to lose a few kilos. Your extra weight was a true headache!” Laura leaned over behind her and released the catch. The hatch sprang open, revealing Captain Tars Northern securely harnessed into a horizontal squat.

“Any length of time is too long for a claustrophobe!” growled Northern.

“You didn’t tell me you were a claustrophobe, Northern!” Laura said as she pushed the buttons that released the harnesses.

“I think I am now!” he said and grinned, getting out of the cramped space.

“Phony phobia if I ever heard of one,” Laura shot back. “You just like to complain.”

Northern would have followed her down to the surface of Walthor but for one problem: the intense security measures that surrounded this world. Patrolling ships, radar—you name it and this place had it. A shuttle would have set off all the alarms, but Laura’s XT Mark Nine was specially fitted with a cloaking device able to easily hide its activities. Besides, after spending over a month here on her Federation mission, she knew the systems of Pax Industries very well. If anyone could penetrate this planet’s security measures—again—it was Laura Shemzak.

The problem, as Laura readily pointed out, was that as good as the blip-ship was, it could not remain undetected if it landed on the Block or its nearby spaceport. Some other route had to be taken.

“You’re sure we’re in the right place?” Tars Northern said, looking doubtfully around at the cornucopia of foliage as Laura secured the hatch on the XT. “Looks like a three-dee set for one of those old Tarzan pictures.”

“Oh, yes, this is the place all right. I know you couldn’t see it with your limited view, but we passed over the M’towi village I mentioned. I’ve got a pretty good memory of that village, believe you me!”

“Right then,” said Northern. “If you say so, I believe you.”

He wasn’t kidding. A trust had grown in Northern for Laura’s word, and it touched her deeply. She felt a sudden impulse to kiss him, but uncharacteristically, she held back.

No, she thought. You can’t let this guy have a centimeter that way. His roguishness was charming, his trust ingratiating, but a gal could definitely get in trouble falling prey to the physical expression of any kind of affection with this cad. Still ….

“Glad to hear that, Northern. Got your equipment and your gun? Good, ‘cause you’re going to need it.”

Under the hot sun Laura saw a trace of perspiration growing on Northern’s brow, and smiled. “Oh. Did you bring your deodorant? You’re going to need that too.”

“Umm … well, actually … might I borrow yours?”

“Automatic, Captain. Cybernetic control. You spend weeks cooped up in that little ship, you’ve gotta have some arrangement.”

“How peculiar,” said Tars Northern. “Well then, you’ll have to excuse me.”

“I’ll just stay upwind, okay?” She winked at him. “C’mon, let’s get going. If we’re lucky, we’ll catch a couple of my pals on siesta.”

“Seems like a good thing to be doing about this time.” Northern said. “I wonder if they’re sipping nice cool drinks. Compatible metabolisms, Laura?”

“Oh yes. They’re the most humanoid of the three sorts of intelligent life on this planet. So compatible, in fact, that at first they developed a taste for human flesh. The Federation cured them of that soon enough.”

“What a pleasant bit of news, Laura,” Northern said.

“I thought you should be fully informed.”

They struck off through the jungle, following a trail Laura vaguely remembered from her last circumspect visit. True, she had not smuggled herself in quite in this manner: she had presented herself as a skilled technician from the planet Romulos who had been hired for basic peripheral computer work in the field. From this base she had to learn about the Block and what techniques she needed to infiltrate its core, testing its security systems. But in her work with the myriad extensions of the controlling computer, she had done some fieldwork, encountering this particular M’towi tribe only kilometers away from the Block when their communications array went down. She spent a whole day there, trouble shooting the system quickly but stalling long enough to get to know the people of the tribe.

“They really are quite interesting. I visited them once again before I got into the core, just to say hello,” Laura said as they bashed their way through a troublesome collection of frondlike vegetation overhanging the trail.

“And so that’s why we’re here now?” said Northern in a griping tone. “To pay a hello call to a bunch of your alien pals?” Already, perspiration was streaming down his face.

“No, Captain,” said Laura. “I told you, this will be the fastest and easiest way to sneak into the compound.”

“I took your word for it then, but I didn’t know we’d be traveling through a steam bath!”

“It will sweat some of that junk you drink out of your system, Captain. Get you in shape!”

“I’ll have you know I work out, I stay in shape—it’s just damned hot and sticky here,” Northern replied, trudging gamely after her. “So tell me this plan again. Mish gave it his okay but I was too busy to go over it.”

“Blind trust, eh?” Laura remarked, but inside she was touched that Captain Northern had developed this much faith in her.

“Hardly blind, Laura. You’re one of the best operatives I’ve ever seen. A simple, empirically proven fact.”

Her eyes shone as she stopped a moment and looked back at him. “Thank you, Captain. Now this is very simple. This M’towi tribe regularly visits the Block compound to deliver various fruits and vegetables and other supplies they sell to the people there, in addition to the normal work they’re assigned. It happens that I dealt with the M’towi in charge of this daily delivery, and I’m sure I’ll be able to revive our friendship. Believe me, he has no love for the Federation. He was one of the rebels who was put down years ago.”

“Ah yes—very good. But exactly what are the details of this infiltration?”

She halted in a muddy patch, reached back, and tweaked his nose. “Just you wait and see!”

T
ars Northern spoke as though he expected the native village to be a primitive collection of grass huts complete with boiling pots and tribal dancers. When the trail opened up into a clearing containing something entirely different, he could not hide his surprise.

Amidst the greenish sun’s pounding heat stood a cluster of multilevel structures of subtle architectural design. Beyond, stretched a few fields of indeterminate nature. A group of dark-skinned humanoid aliens wearing white pantaloons and wide-brimmed hats stood on the steps to a building, talking to each other in a strange language containing numerous clicks and hums.

“Do they speak Standard Galactic?” Northern asked doubtfully.

“A few words.”

“But how are you going to speak to them?”

“You forget that I am a highly resourceful ex-secret agent of the Federated Empire, Tars Northern.” She pulled up the left sleeve of her shirt and completed a series of coded pressure points. “You also forget my cyborg components.” A length of synthetic skin rolled back and she dialed in a number on a control face. “There. I can now approximate the M’towi speech. How do you think I communicated with them in the first place?”

“My amazement is unbounded, O mistress of the starways.” Northern beckoned her politely to proceed with her intentions.

“Stay here a moment, out of sight,” she said, then struck off toward the talking natives. None of them was her friend Xersi, so she hoped they might tell her where he could be found.

The aliens stiffened at the sight of the human in their midst. “Who are you?” asked one, his double proboscis twitching—a sign of nervousness amongst the M’towi. “We are not scheduled for a Federation meeting this day!”

Laura opened her mouth and her mechanical implementation immediately cut in to her speech center, allowing her to speak their tongue. “Hello. Perhaps you remember me. I was here last season. I seek Xersi, whom I dealt with before.”

The aliens murmured amongst themselves, their long, delicate fingers moving languidly, like seaweed in a slow current, their eyes darting back to Laura suspiciously.

“Do not be concerned,” said Laura holding her hand up in a M’towi sign of loyalty to tribe and conspiracy. They blinked with surprise that she knew this gesture. “Xersi and I have shared gloc tea and have sung to the sun in harmony. We both are not friends to the Block.”

The aliens nodded their heads—not a native gesture, but an affectation they’d learned from human beings. “In that case, there is no harm,” one of them said. “Come with us and we will bring you to his gloc time. He’s due to emerge from trance soon.”

“One moment. I have brought a companion with me. We both must speak to Xersi.”

The aliens shrugged and one spoke in Standard Galactic. “What the hell. The more the merrier!”