by S. H. Jucha
“Three,” Talsoma said. “Kasie and these captains will accompany you.”
“Weapons?” Lucia asked, looking toward the captains.
“Loopah weapons,” Jess replied.
“Don’t shoot any of my people,” Lucia said flatly. There was no humor in her voice.
Jess bristled. “Commodore, defenders are those who are proficient with Loopah weapons. It’s more likely that your people will shoot us, but you’ll notice that I didn’t request your people refrain from doing that.”
-7-
Friends
After Olawale and his companions had left the planet’s station for Talseseena, the Colony chose to launch a second pair of shuttles. The moon had a total of four shuttle tubes, one of which was now empty.
“Captain Tenard,” Lieutenant Sharon Reems, the SE traveler pilot on overwatch, called. She was tracking the fleet and saw it was sailing toward the moon.
“Yes, Reems,” Oleg replied via his ear comm. It was late in the evening, and he was moments away from retiring.
“Captain, the Colony has launched another pair,” Sharon said.
“Stubborn entities,” Oleg muttered. Then louder, he ordered, “Replicate the first action, Reems. Let the shuttles achieve some height. Then target one of them. Engines only.”
“Understood, Captain. Executing now,” Sharon replied crisply. She manipulated her helmet’s heads-up display with eye motions, zeroing in on a shuttle’s tail section. A few more eye movements directed the controller on a course. Then a tap on a panel near her hand executed the maneuver. The traveler accelerated, and at the controller’s command, the beam fired.
A small thrill shot through Sharon. She loved the Omnian travelers. On Earth, she’d worked extremely hard to qualify for the program. Then she committed herself to excelling against the hundreds of other candidates. When she was awarded pilot status, she couldn’t have been happier. She was perturbed by only one little thing. The Omnians controlled their ships via implants, and she dearly wanted one of those.
Sharon schooled herself before she reported to Captain Tenard. He wouldn’t approve of her celebrating the action. “Captain, a second shuttle has been sent shooting off into the dark. The other shuttle is returning to its launch tube. I’ve sent my telemetry to the Trident’s duty officer for tracking. The bridge was already on it.”
“Well-done, Reems,” Oleg replied. Immediately, he called Lucia and reported the action at Talseseena.
“Now we’ve two shuttle tubes to use as entry points,” Lucia announced to her fellow passengers. She shook her head at the Colony’s incomprehensible efforts.
“Another shuttle sent into the dark?” Patrice asked.
“Yes,” Lucia replied.
“You have to think of the Colony as more like machines than sentients,” Tacnock said sympathetically from across the aisle.
Kasie, Jess, and Tacnock had joined the visitors for the trip from the planet’s station to Talseseena aboard the traveler. Talsoma and Soshona had returned planetside, and Velsana continued his investigations into the deceased Colony members. The elderly scientist would enjoy rest periods nearer the station’s center, where the lesser gravitational force from the station’s spin would be easier on his aging body.
At Olawale’s request, the station personnel continued to feed and water the nine grays enclosed in the bay.
However, Soshona ordered the airlock locked off at both hatches and the posting of three armed defenders in the corridor at all times. Her last directive before departing was, “If a single gray facilitates egress in any manner from the bay, eliminate them all. I’ll make the apologies to Olawale.”
From the expressions on the faces of the defenders, Soshona surmised they had no problem with that order.
Lucia focused her mind on the upcoming event, the taking of the dome. “I’ve directed Lieutenant Reems, the traveler pilot on duty, to take up station over one of the empty tubes,” she said. “I want close-up visuals of the structure of those tubes.”
“Is there value to the simultaneous entry of two tubes?” Juliette asked Tacnock.
“The tubes are serviced by gangways that lead into tunnels,” Tacnock replied. “Cars service the tunnels and connect to a common ring. From there, it’s a short connection to the dome.”
“Airlocks?” Esteban inquired.
“At a gangway’s end before entry into a tunnel and at the dome,” Jess replied.
“And my question?” Juliette reminded Tacnock, who shrugged apologetically.
“What number of fully equipped team members can the gangway airlocks accommodate?” Lucia asked. She sent a quick request to Esteban, who extracted his holo-vid and displayed two fully outfitted security personnel. One was a New Terran, and the other was a Méridien. Both wore environment suits and possessed plasma rifles.
Tacnock regarded Jess quizzically.
“Your pardon, Commodore, it’s been annuals since we were in the domes,” Jess said, “and understand that when we were there, dome personnel operated the gangway airlocks with both hatches open, while passengers disembarked or loaded.”
“Best guess,” Lucia requested.
Jess and Tacnock put their heads together for a short argument. Finally, Tacnock pointed at the holo-vid display. “Three of each, but probably not six of those,” he said, pointing lastly to the New Terran’s image.
“I’d wondered if entry at two tubes would force the Colony to separate their numbers to repel,” Juliette offered. “Then again, the Colony could pull back beyond the central ring and negate our efforts.”
“Good point,” Lucia conceded. She grew quiet, while she considered her options, and the conversations continued around her.
“Esteban, are you controlling the holo-vid’s display, or is it receiving a projection from some other source?” Kasie asked. She sat next to Tacnock, and they were opposite the SADEs.
“I’m the source of the holo-vid’s display,” Esteban replied. “You view whatever I send it.”
“Is there a limitation to what you can send?” Tacnock asked.
“None,” Esteban replied. “Imagery can originate from me, a ship’s controller, or any Omnian in the fleet. Observe.”
Kasie saw her head and shoulders appear in the holo-vid projection, and she laughed joyfully and clapped her hands.
“What was that?” asked Olawale. A wave of pleasure had inundated his mind.
“Oops,” Jess remarked. He stared guiltily at Olawale. Then he turned a jaundiced eye toward his sister.
In turn, Kasie belatedly clamped her gates tight. Talsoma had asked her to refrain from broadcasting in the visitors’ company until more was known about them.
“Someone has a secret,” Lucia said accusingly.
“Our apologies,” Juliette said. Her comment could have been meant for Kasie or for everyone. “Esteban and I have been detecting extraordinarily powerful hi-beta brainwave frequencies from Kasie. When she got excited about her image in the holo-vid, those emanations spiked and were followed by a pulse of gamma waves. As SADEs, we can detect the frequencies and durations of these emanations, but we couldn’t have predicted the effect they would have on humans.”
“You know that my sister is an empath ... that she can sense feelings,” Jess explained, “and we’ve told you that we’re the descendants of Jessie Cinders and Harbour, the original explorers. Harbour was a powerful empath, and all her direct female descendants have inherited her capabilities.”
“But you just showed us that you can broadcast as well as receive,” Patrice said. She was in wonderment about the effect but concerned for what it meant to the expedition.
“Yes,” Kasie replied quietly.
“Are there other empaths in this system?” Olawale asked sternly.
“No,” Jess replied. “We would know if they were here.”
“Any emotion?” Lucia inquired, staring at Kasie.
“Any emotion I can generate,” Kasi
e said, which to Lucia meant any emotion.
“To what extent?” Lucia pursued.
“I don’t understand the question,” Kasie replied.
“The commodore is trying to comprehend your power,” Jess explained.
“Oh,” Kasie muttered. “I can affect individuals substantially up to about ten meters.”
“That’s distance,” Lucia objected. “What about power?”
Kasie glanced at her brother. Power was a relative thing. Receivers of an empath’s emanations experienced it differently than the sender.
Lucia saw Kasie’s appeal to Jess, and she focused on him.
“I’ve felt much stronger emanations from Kasie than that,” Jess admitted, “but they’ve always been positive emanations. We worked that out when we were young.”
The twins had indeed. Sharing of a positive emotion was fine, but a swat from Jess on his sister soon taught Kasie that her brother didn’t like her attempts to manipulate him.
Silence dragged on, and Jess and Tacnock exchanged uneasy glances. They could guess that the Omnians were engaged in an internal conversation.
“You’re worried about me accompanying you into the dome,” Kasie said, breaking the quiet.
“Yes,” Lucia replied bluntly. “The best option would be to leave you topside until we’ve secured the dome and neutralized the insectoids.”
“That’s a problem,” Jess stated unequivocally. “We can’t secure the dome until Kasie and the SADEs find a way to keep the Colony from arriving through multiple gates.”
“Elaborate,” Juliette requested.
“This is conjecture on my part, but the Colony has given us sufficient evidence of their methods,” Jess said. “When Kasie and I evacuated the non-alliance dome, the insectoids were arriving via a single gate. It’s possible that the Colony might have overtaken other connecting domes. In which case, they’d be utilizing multiple gates within this dome.”
“Where do the other gates connect?” Esteban asked.
“The other three Q-gates lead to alliance races,” Tacnock replied.
“You heard about the net the Colony reclaimed from the non-alliance dome we occupied, despite it overlapping the platform and draping on the deck,” Kasie said. “What you must glean from that story is the Colony has learned to override the console’s safety protocols.”
“So, you must gain a greater mastery over the console than the Colony,” Edmas said. He stood in the aisle with Jodlyne. They’d been listening to the exchange ever since Jodlyne and he had felt Kasie’s emotional surge of delight.
“That’s correct,” Kasie replied, looking over her shoulder. She thought Edmas was an attractive man in a rough kind of way. However, Edmas and Jodlyne’s mannerisms indicated that they were emotionally close partners.
“Can you counter what the Colony is doing without attempting to gain greater mastery?” Patrice asked. Technologically, she knew she was out of her depth, but she was determined to learn what she could.
“I don’t know what they’re doing,” Kasie said in exasperation. “The Colony is way ahead of us. What’s ironic is that the Messinants left instructions in plain sight.”
“Explain,” Esteban requested.
“The dome’s deck and the lower level corridor walls are engraved with glyphs,” Kasie replied. “They’re clustered in groups and represent instructions to be entered into the console.”
“Do you have imagery of these glyphs?” Juliette asked.
“I did have ... huge amounts of them,” Kasie lamented. “When the Colony invaded, I dropped my recorder, and I left my cumulative data below deck.”
“An interesting challenge,” Juliette commented, and Orbit and Esteban privately agreed with her. This was the sort of enormous analytical task that the SADEs desired to confront.
Olawale sent in reply, adding a recording of Alex’s booming laughter.
“Commodore, would you care to discuss the details of your plan to take the dome?” Jess asked politely.
“There are several options open to us,” Lucia replied, “and I’ve learned from Alex Racine that it’s smart to keep them open for as long as possible.”
“One or two tubes?” Jess pressed.
“Investigate one tube, but be prepared with two teams,” Lucia replied.
“Entry method?” Jess continued.
“Most likely gas. There’s little harm in trying it even if it’s not successful,” Lucia responded.
“Are the Earthers aboard the three Sol Enclave Tridents built like Olawale?” Jess asked.
Olawale and Lucia glanced toward Patrice, who wore a pained expression. The information about the makeup of the Tridents needn’t have been shared.
“No. They’re much slighter, similar in build to Edmas,” Lucia replied.
“Then I suggest we make a stop at Talseseena Station. I’d like to introduce you to two friends of mine, who I think might be helpful to us,” Jess said. He smiled conspiratorially, and Lucia couldn’t resist a tweak of her lips in reply.
Lucia sent an order to their traveler pilot to divert to the Talseseena Station. The pilot used the previous comms protocols with the packet squadron to contact the station and request a landing bay. In turn, the station director informed Tzeena of the inbound traveler and ordered a crew chief to again evacuate a bay full of loading skiffs to make room for the visitors’ ship.
Commander Tzeena greeted the traveler’s passengers as they disembarked, and he was briefed on the plan to take the dome. When that discussion ended, he said, “You probably already know there was a second shuttle launch.”
“We do,” Olawale replied.
“How can I assist your endeavor?” Tzeena inquired.
“Captain Cinders believes you have individuals aboard who can help with the taking of the dome,” Lucia stated.
Tzeena eyed Jess. Then he flashed his canines, as understanding dawned. “Yes,” he said, “and I know where they are at this moment. If you’ll follow me?”
The group was led through hundreds of levels of the massive station to a communal dorm room. As the door slid open, Tzeena stepped aside, and Jess and Tacnock walked through the doorway first.
The roar of Crocian greetings to the captains was deafening. It halted Olawale and Lucia in their tracks.
“Olawale Wombo, Commodore Bellardo, I’d like you to meet our friends,” Jess said, with a huge grin on his face. “Bortoth and Daktora are Crocians and members of the Logar clan. They were on their way to meet Kasie when the Colony flooded the Sylian dome.”
After Jess completed the introductions, Lucia asked, “What are your professions?”
“I’m a dome administrator,” Bortoth said, “and my clutch mate is a senior console operator.”
“Then you’re not trained as security,” Lucia ventured.
“Since the Colony invaded Talseseena dome, everyone has become a defender,” Daktora replied.
“What weapons?” Lucia asked.
“At a distance, Loopah weapons,” Bortoth replied, “but up close, we use these.” Then the Crocians held up their heavy black claws and snapped their long snouts shut with resounding smacks.
“Our friends might not be swift of foot,” Jess said, which elicited chittering from Tacnock and giggling from Kasie, “but their strength and scaled hides are great defenses in close quarters.”
Lucia eyed the formidable Crocians. They stood well above her, and each massed more than three times her weight. A clawed hand was nearly the size of her head, and thick, pronounced scales covered every centimeter of their hides. “Let’s
talk,” she said and indicated the long communal table with a hand.
“Authoritative,” Bortoth rumbled, referring to Lucia. It was meant as a compliment.
“What brings you to Sylia?” Daktora asked Lucia, when everyone was seated.
“That’s a long story,” Lucia replied.
“Our visitors believe they can take back Talseseena dome,” Jess interrupted. “I think they can, and I thought they could use your help.”
The Crocians rumbled in pleasure, and everyone felt the vibrations.
“It would be an honor to be part of this action,” Bortoth said. He opened his maw, and the rows of blunt, conical teeth were intimidating.
The Crocians were full of questions about the visitors’ origins, which Olawale, Lucia, and Patrice fielded. Then they wanted to know about the plan of attack. The more Lucia talked, the more excited Bortoth and Daktora became.
“We’ll join you,” Bortoth announced with gusto.
To Lucia’s ears, it sounded more like a fait accompli rather than a request. Staring across the table at the enormous, heavily armored Crocians, she decided to follow Alex’s advice and bank the odds in her favor.
“Welcome aboard,” Lucia said cheerfully, and the Crocians bellowed their pleasure.
* * * * *
Captain Lumley stationed the Rêveur in orbit around Talseseena. The Tridents surrounded the liner. Francis had engineering remodel two cabins to accommodate the Crocians. He’d received imagery of Bortoth and Daktora from Olawale, and he passed the data on to a bemused engineering chief.
When Olawale’s traveler left the Sylian station, it rendezvoused with the Rêveur. Cabins were assigned to the defenders. When gear was stowed, Olawale and Lucia assembled a group on the bridge.
Every Omnian and Enclave ship carried a team of six trained security. Lieutenant Sam Fleetfoot was New Terran and security’s only officer. At Sol, he and those aboard the Rêveur and Judgment had trained the Earther crews in the use of stun guns and plasma rifles. Afterwards, the teams had focused on tactics. It was helpful that many of the Earthers were militia and were well-known to Patrice.