by Saxon Andrew
• • •
Borgt arrived at the small ship and marched Ryshana through the open port. He sent a signal and the micro-recorder melted and flowed out into the fabric of the Community Leader’s tunic. It would be washed away the next time it was cleaned.
He focused a moment on Borgt’s memories and then pressed a button on the wall control panel to the left of the port. The port closed, and he dropped his hand from her neck and put it around her waist. Ryshana straightened up, “I’m all right.”
Jab gently raised her chin and looked at her eye, “I want to do something about this, but I need the Elder to see you like this.”
“I can handle it; the pain is still being held at bay.”
Jab kept his arm around her waist as he headed toward the ship’s tiny bridge and Ryshana didn’t try to make him move it. She remembered the guard’s brutal strength, but she could tell by the easy way he held her up that this man was stronger…a lot stronger than the Law Enforcer. She wondered if he was being honest about not being an alien. Then she rejected the idea; he smelled different from the guard she killed, but it was still a man’s smell. Her sense of smell was keen, and she knew every person in the community by how they smelled. Working in the hot sun brought out their smell like nothing else could. She didn’t have to see someone to know if they were around her. This man’s smell was…she smiled, not bad at all.
Borgt helped her to the small bridge and sat down at the command chair. He lifted his hand and detected a hidden recorder in the ceiling. He pulled his index finger into his palm, turning it off; he closed his eyes for a moment to focus and began pressing buttons and flipping switches on the panel in front of him. Ryshana sat in the chair next to him and suddenly heard a high-frequency noise start and begin to grow in volume. Borgt pushed a lever slightly forward and the noise disappeared. He pushed the handle further and the small ship’s thrusters ignited and lifted the ship vertically. Jab was impressed with the Brotherhood’s ship. It was not using ten-percent of its power to lift and move quickly above the community. This small ship compared favorably with the technology being used by Earth and the Colonies. It still used hot gas thrusters instead of gravity thrusters but that was the only major difference. He turned the small ship toward the bright light over the horizon and kept his eyes trained on the viewport as he said, “I’ll need you to lay down on the deck with the injured side of your face up.”
“Do you need me to be unconscious?” she asked quietly.
Borgt thought about it and shrugged, “You can be moaning and acting like you’re out if you think it’s a good way to be for my meeting with the Elder.” Ryshana nodded and stood up from the chair, “You can wait until we arrive at the city,” Borgt said quickly.
“Do you know for sure they can’t see inside these ships?” Ryshana asked. Borgt’s eyes narrowed as he considered her question and then he shook his head. “Then I’ll go to the floor now.”
“Thanks for thinking about that.”
Ryshana went down to the floor, before responding, “You’ll get better as you get to know what’s happening around you. I just happen to know that the Brotherhood Leaders keep an eye on everything and everybody; always assume you’re being watched.”
Borgt nodded slightly and saw the city in the distance, “We’ll be arriving shortly.”
“You should contact the Elder now and have him meet you where you land.”
“Why?”
“Because I remember when my father used to bring me to the city there were guards on the building’s roofs and it will be easier if he’s there to get you through them,” Ryshana answered.
Borgt nodded and was immediately thankful she was there. He saw the giant tower ahead and he said, “I’m contacting him now. I’m also turning a hidden recorder back on so don’t say anything you don’t want them to hear.” Borgt turned a dial and pressed the button in the middle of it. After a few moments, the Elder appeared on the monitor on his panel, “How did it go?”
“Elder, there is an issue and I need you to meet me at my ship. I’ll be landing momentarily.”
“I’m on my way!”
Borgt landed the ship between two-identical ships, looked out of the viewport, and saw the Elder exiting an elevator fifty yards ahead of the ship; he wasn’t kidding about coming immediately. He pressed a button opening the entry port and heard the Elder enter. The Elder walked to the bridge and saw Borgt standing over Ryshana, “WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?!”
“Did you not send me to solve this problem?” Borgt asked.
“Yes, but this isn’t solving it!” the Elder stated emphatically.
“You know that if the community is surveyed by the Clerics, they will be asked if there are any troublemakers and are they being handled properly?” The Elder glared at him for a moment and then agreed.
“I could not eliminate this problem because her punishment did not allow me to do it. However, I forced her to be my mate.”
The Elder’s head went back, “You did what?”
“I forced her to agree to be my mate, which allowed me to take her out of the community and bring her here with me. Now the community will tell the Clerics that there are no troublemakers and that you have handled any issues in a timely fashion.”
The Elder looked down at Ryshana lying on the floor quietly moaning. He saw the entire side of her face was bruised and her eye was swollen shut. He looked up at Borgt with his eyebrows together…and then…he started smiling. After another moment, he started laughing. He laughed so hard he had to grab his knees and bend over to breathe. Finally, he gasped, “You are amazing! This is perfect! You are brilliant!”
Borgt kicked Ryshana with his boot and she screamed and curled up in a ball. “I’m not done training her, but she will learn her place, Elder.”
“Just eliminate her! You can do that as her mate here in the city!”
“Elder, just like you are watched by the Clerics, I am also judged by the Senior Law Enforcement Council. If they see that I quickly removed a woman I was sent to punish but not kill, they will challenge that I was trying to get around the punishment codes. That could lead to me being punished and removed as a Law Enforcer. I will have to wait until enough time passes so they don’t make that connection when I eliminate her.”
The Elder was still beaming a smile as he put his hand on Borgt’s shoulder, “You did this to support me and I won’t forget it! I hope that soon you will see a handsome reward in your account for making this sacrifice.”
Borgt forced himself to smile, “You’re going to be promoted?!”
“Removing her from the community almost insures it, Borgt! Take some time off to get her in line; I’ll use my other LEs to handle any punishments.” The Elder looked at Ryshana again and smiled, “You really did a number on her.”
Borgt glanced at Ryshana, as he replied, “That is my specialty, Elder. If I can get you promoted, I will only see a better life following you up the ladder. I’m willing to do whatever is needed to make sure you succeed.”
The Elder nodded and turned to leave, “Walk with me back to the tower.”
Borgt reached down and snatched Ryshana off the floor by the neck. She screamed and Borgt snarled, “BE SILENT, WOMAN!!” Ryshana’s scream was cut off instantly.
The Elder started clapping and cheered Borgt’s control. Borgt marched Ryshana off the ship as he and the Elder talked about the brilliance of Borgt’s plan. They walked up to the guards at the elevator and they came to attention as the Elder walked up. They remained at attention until they all entered the elevator and the door closed. Jab was thankful for Ryshana’s advice; the guards didn’t search his backpack with the Elder present. The Elder exited on the fiftieth floor and Borgt and Ryshana got off the elevator on the fourth floor. Borgt started rubbing her neck the moment he opened the door to his quarters, but she pushed his hand away before they made it through the door; he realized that she was telling him they were being watched. He knew he had no choice but to give her a means
of communicating.
• • •
Frank glanced at Gibbs and bowed his head, “That was a good job getting him in close, Sir.”
“You gave me a clear path to the planet, Frank.”
“Sir, I kept one of the scanners on his ship as he moved down to the planet’s surface,” Frank said in a whisper. Harmony rolled her eyes; Frank didn’t know how to whisper and his voice, even at low volume, carried.
Gibbs waited and finally asked, “And?”
“Jab landed in a forested area outside what must be the largest city on the planet. I detected a small Brotherhood ship land a short time before he did not far away, outside one of their primitive communities.” Gibbs noticed all his crew members were listening to the exchange. Frank asked, “Captain, why was he sent to that planet?” Gibbs thought about it and decided that they weren’t going anywhere until this mission was over, one way or another, and his crew wouldn’t have the opportunity to discuss it outside the ship.
The crew waited for his response, and Harmony spoke up, “Sir, we won’t discuss this outside of the Lincoln.”
“I know that, Lieutenant. This mission is State Secret and only six people know about it. Two of the six are the Chancellor and the President of the Colonies.”
Frank leaned forward, “Now I know you have to tell me!”
Everyone laughed, and Gibbs exhaled sharply, before saying, “Since we are staying here for the duration of the mission, I’ll tell you. However, this stays on the Lincoln.” Everyone nodded, and Gibbs said in a quiet voice, “Jab is going to determine if our coming confrontation with the Brotherhood is a fight to the death or not.”
“Sir, I’m not sure I understand,” Ensign Roland replied. “Isn’t every war a fight to the death?”
Gibbs tilted his head, “It is between the warriors fighting it, Lena. But in this case, if it’s determined that the war will be fought to the death, it won’t end until every living person that’s a part of the Brotherhood Civilization is dead. That includes every man, woman, and child on every planet they’ve settled along with everyone in their armed forces. No Brotherhood member will be allowed to survive.”
“But they’re human, Sir!”
Gibbs nodded and tilted his head, “Humans are the most dangerous species, Lena. Do you cure cancer by only removing part of it?”
Frank’s eyes were slightly closed as he pondered what Gibbs was saying, “Is this civilization that dangerous, Sir?”
Gibbs’s expression hardened, “The Brotherhood doesn’t have to answer that question, Frank, and quite frankly, they wouldn’t even consider asking it. Given the opportunity, they will blast every planet inhabited by humans who are not part of their religion down to the planet’s bedrock and leave nothing living behind. All you need do is look at the planet’s they’ve conquered, and you won’t find any of the former species that inhabited it remaining. Most of the planets still have the scars from the nuclear blasts used to eradicate the inhabitants.”
“Does Jab know he’s going to make this decision?” Harmony asked softly.
Gibbs tilted his head, “He does.”
“What happens if he dies there?” Lena asked.
Gibbs looked around the bridge, “Then we’ll have our answer, won’t we?”
Frank lowered his eyes to the floor, “I don’t know if I could make that kind of decision, Sir. Killing all of them including children and babies is…”
Gibbs interrupted him, “If someone can find a way to remove children and babies from adults determined to kill you, I’m open to hearing about it. All of you should know that before the Brotherhood was forced to leave Earth, they used infants and children as young as four to detonate bombs to kill non-believers.” Gibbs paused and then added, “Do you think the alien species they’ve killed didn’t have children and babies?”
“But we’re the same species, Sir.”
“Lena, you need to understand that unless you are born into the Brotherhood, their believers see you as evil incarnate and it is their mission to kill everyone in the universe, regardless of their species, if they’re not one of the chosen! And the damnable thing about it is, no one can join. You’re born into it or you’re not!” Gibbs replied harshly.
“You sound like you’ve already decided, Sir.”
Gibbs instantly turned to Harmony and shook his head, “I’m praying that Jab proves me wrong. His mission is the most important thing we’re doing in getting ready for the coming war. He will determine how we approach this confrontation.”
The crew looked at each other and their point of view changed when Frank muttered, “We must think about our own babies?” Gibbs could only nod his head.
Chapter Eighteen
Tal looked up from his console and glanced at Ka, who was focused intently on her monitor. He connected to her helmet, “I just heard from Captain Gibbons that Jab was dropped off just above the planet’s atmosphere.” Ka continued to focus on her monitor, but he saw her nod and continued, “He also reported that Jab apparently made it down to the surface without being detected.”
Ka without looking up replied over her helmet’s microphone, “Those new scouts are a huge step ahead in stealth technology. Captain Sager told me before we left that his scanners didn’t detect them at all before they initially landed on the Brazil. The colony engineers have outdone themselves in developing that scout. What does Gibbons say about picking him up?”
“He says he’s going to remain inside the ten warships holding station around the planet to make it happen fast if Jab needs to run.”
Ka shrugged and turned around to face him. Tal raised his eyes to the monitors on his console and heard Ka ask, “Is getting this close to Jee and Jan’s units a good idea?”
Tal turned back to her and sighed, “No, it isn’t.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
“I promised you that I would keep them safe. If either of them gets in trouble, I want my unit to be able to rush in and get them out,” Tal answered. He paused and then added, “You know that our unit is the best one in the fleet.”
Ka turned around to her monitor and he heard her say, “I love you for this, Tal. Thank you.”
Tal smiled and turned back to focus on his console. It didn’t take long for Jee and Jan to find alien warships all along the arc of the Brotherhood planets. They stayed far out from the range of the Brotherhood’s scanners and Tal spotted one formation of silver-colored warships attack a formation of Brotherhood ships moving from one of their planets to another. The ensuing battle was swift, violent, and deadly. Tal ordered Jee to assign a ship to follow the alien survivors and start recording their transmissions for the computers to start deciphering their language. Currently, six Sha Warships were going through that process with six different alien species. It was at that point that Tal ordered Jee and Jan to search for the largest alien fleets before assigning a ship to intercept their transmissions.
He had a thought and tapped the side of his helmet, “Indie.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Am I wrong in thinking that none of the aliens warring with the Brotherhood have more advanced technology?”
Indie hesitated before answering, “We’ve recorded numerous battles with Brotherhood warships and in none of those recordings were the alien warships more powerful. Some of them are close to matching the Brotherhood warships, but none of them are superior to them.”
“Why did you hesitate before answering my question,” Tal inquired.
Indie turned around to answer, “Sir, there may be other civilizations that are mirroring what we’re doing.”
“Explain!” Tal ordered.
“It’s clear that the civilizations currently attacking the Brotherhood were attacked and some of their planets invaded. There is still a huge part of this galaxy that the Brotherhood has not moved into…yet. There may be a more advanced civilization that is staying in hiding as it prepares to take them on in the future.” Indie paused and added, “Tal, the Brotherhood a
rrived about a thousand years ago and has developed their technology from that point until now. Andromeda is older than the Milky Way and the odds of older civilizations existing in this galaxy are quite high.”
“If there are more advanced civilizations, why wouldn’t they attack them now?” Tal asked.
Indie smiled slightly, “Sir, are we more advanced technologically than the Brotherhood?”
Tal thought about Indie’s question and answered, “Earth was destroyed by the nuclear holocaust and blasted back into a primitive society, but the Colonies continued to evolve their technology without interruption. They’re slightly ahead of the Brotherhood in numerous ways.”
“We aren’t taking them on,” Indie said with a shrug.
Tal hesitated before he replied, “We don’t have the necessary number of warships to do it.”
Indie tilted his head and added, “I suspect that any society that is not a conquering civilization would not have the number needed to confront them, Sir.”
“That could pose a huge problem, Indie.”
“You’re thinking that every civilization in Andromeda will lump us in with the Brotherhood because we’re the same species?”
“I am. I’m not at all certain the civilizations currently attacking the Brotherhood won’t do the same thing,” Tal answered. Tal turned his attention from Indie back to his console. He touched a monitor and Rachael appeared, “Admiral, where are you in scouting the gaps in the Brotherhood’s line of planets.”
“I only have three more to search, Sir.”
“Did you discover any more planets in the gaps you searched?”
“Seventy, Sir.”
“WHAT?”
“The majority of the new planets we’ve found are close to gaps that are located close to the first planet they conquered, Sir. That raises the total planets the Brotherhood has occupied to a hundred and thirty, Sir.” Tal sighed, and Rachael asked, “Is there a reason for your question, Sir.”