To The Stars (The Harry Irons Trilogy) (43 page)

"You already know, Harry. I told you before we left. I want to travel among the stars. I want to explore and make discoveries, the same as you. Unfortunately, true space exploration is severely limited by two factors. First, the Corporation dictates where a survey team goes and what they do. The dictates serve the Corporation's purposes and no one else's. In our exploration of the universe, we find ourselves making the same mistakes and carrying the same attitudes as those who first explored and plundered Earth. The more things change, the more they remain the same. You've witnessed the power and strangeness of the aliens we've encountered. After your experiences, do you really think humanity has a chance to broach communications with the savagery we've encountered?"

Harry shrugged.

"You're good at what you do, Harry, you're probably the best linguist I've ever seen, but you still had no chance at conversing with them. There's just too much difference between us and them. From what I've seen, they've got no qualms about killing anything that gets in the way. I think they're not only capable of it, but inclined to it. They like to kill. I don't know why they haven't killed us all already."

"Secondly, we're limited in our exploration by our technology. The discovery of the wormhole was a boon, but we're still limited in regard to choosing our destinations."

"What are you up to, Edward? What about our people who are trapped over there?"

"I'm trying to tell you..."

"We've got people trapped over there!"

"I want to save Kathleen and Bart as much as you do. Afterwards, if everything goes all right, then you'll see. Do you trust me on this?"

"No, I don't. How can I?"

"Harry, my first concern is for the crew and getting everybody back to Earth safely. I need your help to do that."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to lead an armed EVA to the alien ship. It's the only way we're going to get Kathleen and Bart back."

"And the aliens? Are we going to try to fight them?"

"We'll deal with them just as they've dealt with us. It's a matter of survival."

"But Edward, this is our first encounter with an advanced species, don't we owe it to humanity to do everything we can to establish peaceful relations?"

"Sure. Now tell me how without getting ourselves killed."

Harry didn't have an answer for that one.

"You don't have a stock answer, do you? It's because you know what we're up against. Are you with me or are you against me?"

"All right. I'm with you, especially if it means getting Kathleen and Bart back. I'm just having problems about how we're dealing with the aliens."

"I understand, Harry. Believe me, I share your concerns. I want you to know if we go back to the alien ship, we're going to face the full fury of these things. Understand, they aren't suddenly going to turn around and ask to be friends. They've displayed their hostility. I can't count on Parker to watch my back. Nadine wouldn't even consider leaving the ship. I need Bonner to stay on the Magellan to run the systems if something happens to us. That leaves the two of us. Can I count on you?"

Harry grudgingly agreed. "I still don't know your motives."

"You don't need to and I would appreciate it if you kept this conversation between us. Now, let's talk strategy."

*

Afterwards, instead of sleeping, Harry wolfed down some food and went up to the bridge.

Nadine swiveled her chair around to face him. "Well, hello stranger. How are you feeling after your adventure?"

Harry smiled. "I'm fine. How are things up here?"

The woman took on a serious expression. "Pretty tense up here, honey. We've got sure signs of pre-nova activity and we got hostile aliens hanging in space about..." She looked at her instruments. "...four hundred and seventy-three meters starboard. I told Fagen we should just leave, but he won't listen to me."

"I know what you mean. The man's headstrong, for sure."

Nadine leaned toward Harry and conspiratorially lowered her voice. "He's more than just headstrong, if you ask me. Harry, we've got everything we came here for..."

"Except three of the crew."

"It's Kathleen, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Oh c'mon, Harry, I know you were taken by her. She was sweet, I liked her, but we've got to face up to it. She's gone and there's nothing we can do to bring her back. We should be thinking about ourselves. And our families. You came from the blocks. So did I."

She snickered. "To tell you the truth, if it wasn't for a Corporation affirmative action program, I wouldn't be here. But now that I am, I want to make something out of it. I don't want to lose it all when it's so close. You feel the same way, I know you do."

"Maybe," said Harry, "but I already told Fagen I'd EVA back to the alien ship with him."

Nadine leaned back in her chair, mouth open in disbelief. "What are you? Crazy? Don't you understand? We can leave now and everything will be cool. It's as simple as that."

"Not quite. There're still two people who may be alive over there."

She sniffed and smirked. "Yeah," she said, "your girlfriend and a wirehead."

"I'm sorry, Nadine, it's been decided. We're going. The
Magellan
will be here for at least another day. I'm sure Fagen will give you a run-down."

Nadine turned back to her console. "I'm sure he will."

Chapter 38

Something prodded Kathleen in the ribs. It wasn't painful but it annoyed her and eventually roused her to wakefulness. She was still wrapped inside the cocoon: warm and soft and sleep-inducing. She fought the grogginess and was aided by more jabbing at her side.

A sudden tear allowed light to pour into the cocoon. A familiar, pungent smell reached Kathleen's nose and she turned her head toward the ever-widening tear. Her legs were exposed and she felt small, strong hands grip her by the ankles. More hands tore at the fluff around her head and chest and succeeded in exposing her face.

Although she knew she was held captive, she felt no sense of fear. After all, if they had wanted to kill her, they could have done it long before. Still, she was too relaxed, like being drugged. Maybe in the material in which she was wrapped, she reasoned.

When the cotton was completely removed, she saw that two of the aliens attended her. They worked with methodical precision, peering and prodding with delicate instruments that were attached by wires and flexible tubes to the walls of the ship. They didn't hurt her and there was no pain, even when they inserted a long needle directly into her abdomen and took a fluid sample.

It wasn't a lengthy examination. When they were done, a tube dropped and inserted itself into her mouth. She tried to struggle free, to turn her head from the invasion, but found herself held firmly. Water was squirted into her mouth. Kathleen accepted it and drank deeply. It was nice to know that whatever they'd planned for her, dehydration wasn't part of the program.

They released her feet, head, and hands, and using gestures, urged her to sit up. Warily, she did so. She was in a small compartment atop a heated, metallic table. Wires and tubes hung from the ceiling surrounding the source of light: a suspended flat disk. The rest of the room was covered with half-shadows which only partially hid more machines and unfamiliar instruments.

Kathleen gripped the edge of the table with both hands and watched the aliens. They offered no threat and worked silently at their unknown purposes. One finally held a hand out to Kathleen, offering to help her from the table. Kathleen took it and stood up. She was still dressed in the scanty animal skins.

The alien tugged at her hand and led her to a seam in the bulkhead. It passed its open hand over it and the seam opened. The alien wriggled through and pulled Kathleen after. The creature held onto Kathleen's wrist with surprising firmness as it dragged her along. They passed through another seam into a larger, circular chamber. Like the others, it was dimly lit. Unlike the others, it was empty, save for what appeared to be open cells lining its edges.

Kathleen was led to the center of the room and released. The creature turned away and stepped to one of the cells. As Kathleen watched, it climbed inside. Moving with lifelike precision, tubes dropped down and attached themselves to the alien. The entrance to the cell shimmered and suddenly went opaque, completely concealing the alien within.

Standing unfettered in the middle of the room, a shiver went up the young woman's spine. She couldn't help it, the whole scene was too eerie. She was tired of being afraid, tired of not knowing what would happen next. A sucking sound came from the wall to her right and she jumped.

As she looked, another seam formed and began to split. Carefully, she approached the wall. The seam opened far enough to reveal another tunnel. Kathleen hoped the aliens had changed their minds and were allowing her to go free. She climbed through the opening into the tube beyond.

The seam resealed and she moved up the tunnel. A few steps later, Kathleen stood before yet another seam. She passed her hand over it as she had seen the aliens do and, to her satisfaction, it began to open. When there was enough room, she stepped through to the control room.

Bart looked as though he waited for her. Somehow, he had found a way to look comfortable in the tiny chairs. He leaned back and brushed a cable from his face.

"Hello Kathleen. It's so nice to see you again."

"Bart? Is it really you?"

Blane held up a forefinger. "Listen," he commanded.

Can you still hear me, Kathleen? I can hear you. As soon as you came aboard, I knew.

Where am I?

You, my dear, are aboard a true starship. Property of a race of creatures who call themselves the True Ones. A bit pretentious, I think.

How did you get here? What's going on?

I contacted their computer. We're friends, sort of.

With who? The aliens?

No, the computer. The TO's are ethnocentric. They don't make friends. However, the computer is most willing to exchange information. That is, it was until I allowed Harry to escape. Now it's cut me off from any control circuitry.

Harry? Harry was here?

Yes. He's aboard the Magellan by now.

How can I get out of here?

Blane shrugged.
I don't know, but I am working on it. We really need to get you out of here.

What do they have planned for me?

You don't want to know.

They let me in here to talk to you. They can't be too concerned about any threat I may pose.

You're right. They don't see you as any kind of threat. To them, you're a lower life form, an interesting specimen. Had you been male, you wouldn't be alive.

So what do they have planned for me?

They will examine you at their leisure. After they've run their tests, they'll remove an egg from you, impregnate it with their own DNA, and implant it within your womb.

Kathleen's eyes widened.

When the child comes to term, it will be surgically removed. If you survive, they will repeat the process.

"Over my dead body!"

No, they've tried dead bodies before. It doesn't work.

"Bart, you've got to get me out of here!"

"I'll do what I can, but frankly, it doesn't look too good. Fagen and Harry killed one of them. That got their attention. They now see the survey team, you included, as possible opponents. That's why they're so interested in your DNA."

"Great! This is just great!" Kathleen stamped her foot like a frustrated child. She faced Blane. "What am I going to do?"

For the first time in his life, Blane was out of answers.

"Why did they let me in here?"

"So you could talk with me, I suppose. To make you feel more at ease."

"Well, I don't feel any better."

"That's some outfit you're wearing," observed Bart. "New style you picked up on the surface?"

Kathleen looked down at the scanty skins. "The primitives took my jumpsuit and gave me this in return."

"I think they got the better part of the deal."

"Yes well, I didn't have much of a choice."

You look good.

I look like Jane in a Tarzan movie.

A sucking sound came from the bulkhead where Kathleen had entered. She looked and saw that the door-seam had reappeared and once again had parted.

"They want you, Kathleen. You have to go now."

She edged away from the open portal. "No, I don't want to."

"You have to, there's really no other choice. If you don't cooperate, they'll kill you. That's all there is to it."

"I'm not going," she said adamantly. "They can kill me now."

As if answering her defiance, an alien appeared in the open portal and stepped through onto the bridge. Blane couldn't have moved even if he wanted. The cabling that ran from his head to the control consoles made movement impossible.