Waking in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 2)

by D Patrick Wagner

  For an hour the four remaining Federacy officers sat and strategized, trying to create some kind of counter-attack out of whole cloth. The First Sergeant returned and snapped to attention.

  “First Sergeant Boulos reporting.” Boulos knew he currently walked on dangerous ground, not having reported obvious criminality in the ranks.

  “What’s done is done, Sergeant. No one is going to get punished. We need every able body we have. At ease. What have you found out?”

  First Sergeant Boulos snapped his legs shoulder width, clasped his hands behind his back and responded. “I was able to locate and approach one of the disaffected marines, sir.”

  “Who?”

  “I’d rather not say, Captain. However he did reveal the location of the cache of weapons. This soldier does love his country and planet, sirs. He is just wrong-headed. Let me handle the problem.”

  “It stops here. This little revolt stops now. Understood, First Sergeant?”

  “Understood, Commander.”

  “The location?”

  “A sheltered cave in these mountains, about twenty kilometers from here.”

  “Rest. Tomorrow, oh-six hundred, you and your team will scout out this cave, inventory the stock and report back. Two days.”

  “Understood, Commander. My squad is a man short. Do I have permission to recruit a replacement, sir?”

  “Permission granted. Dismissed”

  After the sergeant left, commander Toma turned to his three remaining officers and asked, “Who wants to bet this recruit is our rebel marine?’

  No one took him up on his bet.

  Oishi Scout Team

  The militarized chameleon suits which Taketa and Juro wore easily withstood the brush, brambles and briers of the arid flatlands as the two Nightshades skulked through the prickly, chest-high scrub. With their chameleon suits currently set to ‘normal’, the heat-trapping, odor-masking and light-bending capabilities remained inactive, allowing the two to travel in comfort, as though wearing simple outdoor attire. They kept their gloves and hood within easy reach, stored in the predesigned belt pouches. Still wearing their obscuration shoes, the two deadly killers shuffled through the field of dry bushes, leaving no trace of their passing.

  For five days the two never spoke. For any needed communication, Taketa and Juro used quick military signals or regular, civilian sign language. For four nights the two dry-camped, no fires, no tents. They ate their pre-packaged rations or stripped edible leaves and berries from the plants they passed. When they would discover a rare prickly pear cactus, they broke off its pads, removed the spines and chewed on them, sucking out the needed moisture and satisfying their hunger.

  Throughout the trek, Taketa periodically powered up his personal pad, activated the application that accessed the thirty-nine surveillance drones not under his control and analyzed their feeds. Still controlling the fortieth one, he would constantly verify the safety of their route and destination.

  The fifth day brought the Sousui and his Mappai over a small mountain range and to an elevated lake. With more water, less sand and more fertile soil, the mountains boasted tap-rooted evergreens, more lush ground cover and a plethora of life. Carefully avoiding the cones which the conifers dropped, the Nightshades made their way to the shore, arriving at an upcropping of granite.

  Still using sign language, still never speaking, Taketa signaled, “We set up here.”

  “I’ll set up against the boulders, run my canvas off the rock. I’ll scatter scree across its surface. It will appear as part of the boulder.”

  “Excellent concept, Juro. I’ll set up between those two smaller boulders, using my canvas as a canopy.”

  After bringing his surveillance drone down and landing it under trees, Taketa and Juro set up their homes for however long they would be landside.

  With the bivouac established, Juro approached his Sousui and signed, “I haven’t had a good meal in five days. Mind if I catch some dinner?”

  “Off course not.”

  “I’m thinking fish.”

  “If there are any. I’ll get mushrooms, berries, whatever. Set some traps.”

  Staying clothed in his chameleon suit, Juro pulled on his waterproof coveralls, strapped on his rebreather and grabbed his spear gun. After wading into the lake, he quietly and wavelessly submerged then began his hunt for food.

  Shaking his head at his Mappai’s love of water, Taketa pulled out and assembled his specially-made crossbow then grabbed a handful of quarrels from their storage bag. Switching his own chameleon suit to active, he blinked out and stealthily entered the forest.

  Chapter 9

  Aboard the Star Killer

  The captain of Star Killer stood with contentment as he watched the soft skin dreadnaught flee away from the gate leading to this Federacy headquarters. The direction puzzled the Mortek captain. He very much wanted to pursue and destroy this alien ship that had succeeded in destroying his entire fleet. But War had given him very explicit orders. To follow them was to die.

  “Communications. Do you have the coordinates for the soft skin headquarters gate?”

  “Yes, Captain”

  “Fire the signal scramblers and wave dampeners. All but one quarter of them.”

  “Firing, My Captain.”

  “Pilot, head for the soft skin headquarters gate. Full speed.”

  “As you order, My Captain.”

  “Sensors, didn’t two soft skin ships enter the gate?”

  “Yes, My Captain. The large one, which is fleeing and a smaller one. Heavily damaged.

  “Set scanners. Full active half-circle forward scan.”

  “Yes, sir, My Captain.”

  “If the damaged ship made it through, I want to find it, destroy it. To many of our hive mates have died because of these soft skins. I want retribution.”

  “Yes, sir, My Captain. If it is in our path to the soft skin headquarters, I fill find it.”

  Aboard Skadi

  “We are nothing but two black asteroids passing through black space.” Captain Young stated this almost as a prayer as he sat in his command pod and watched the incoming data from Skadi’s passive sensors.

  “It’s coming fast, Captain.”

  “How fast, Mr. Parker?”

  “The full point eight SOL, Captain.”

  “Well, they won’t have much time to find us, then. That’s the good news. When will they reach us?”

  “Five minutes”

  “Snug in the wreck. I want it tight, obscure our silhouette, Mr. Lewis.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir,” the weapons specialist replied as he powered up the synching cables and reeled in the alien derelict, pulling it just within a body-length of the broken Skadi.

  “Has the signal drone been launched?”

  “Not yet, sir. The Vice-Admiral wanted us free and clear before we launch and send.”

  “That’s for the best, Lieutenant. Let’s wait until those monsters pass and we get to the asteroid field. We can guide the drone to open space and fire off the Intel then.”

  Turning to his first officer, Captain Young changed is train of thought. “Mr. Reyes, how are our engine room people doing?”

  “Mice in the night, Captain.” Reyes almost whispered his response, as though not talking normally would somehow help to hide the broken ship from the monster dreadnaught.

  “Good. Let’s all keep it that way. We are just two big rocks floating through space.”

  All of the bridge crew repeated the same prayer.

  Aboard the Wisdom Seeker

  “Shall we begin?” Everyone understood that the question from King Kaporine actually was a command. They all took their proscribed seats, activated their tablets and faced Princess Analyn.

  “We formally open negotiations between Elonia and Humankind. What are your requests?”

  “As much as we can get, as soon as possible, Princess.”

  That outburst drew Mack an icy stare from Captain Marston.”

  “So
rry,” he mumbled.

  “Our needs and desires are simple, Princess Analyn. We wish to go home. Preferably with treaties and trade goods for the advancement of relations between our two species.”

  “Understood, Ambassador Suzume.”

  All other participants looked on, watching the play, counter-play and formality. King Kaporine watched his daughter with pride, observing, analyzing her pose, posture, speech, everything which made a good negotiator. Prince Daruke’s look contained an air of frustration and anger.

  Conscious of her audience, Princess Analyn practiced everything she had been taught over her young lifetime. “Our desires are primarily the jump drive and its technical specifications. Also, we would like the light-bending technology of your chameleon suit.”

  “To show our good faith and trust in your word, I wish to present you with a gift. A gift without obligations or commitments.” Keiko also practiced her lifetime of training in the art of diplomacy.

  “Buster?”

  As previously arranged, Buster brought forth a simple container and placed it in front of the Princess. Sir Mahajani tensed as he watched.

  “Our chameleon suit. With a crystal containing all technical specifications, Your Highness.”

  “Thank you, Ambassador Suzume.” The Princess pushed the container towards Chief Engineer Varrini, who quickly seized it, placed it in front of him and forced himself to not immediately delve in and explore.

  “I also have a gift of friendship. Vidhee?”

  Vidhee quickly froze and unfroze. Suhashi, the box-like worker android, walked in on its six legs, its storage container open and filled with a cylinder one and a half meter tall and three-quarters of a meter in diameter. Reaching up and back, Suhashi grasped the cylinder with its two utility arms, lifted it out and placed it on a wheeled cart which it had dragged in.

  “Thank you Suhashi.”

  The worker android bowed its body to its princesses, about faced and left.

  “A gravity manipulator. A backup of the one which runs our elevators. Also a gift without obligations or commitments.”

  Mack needed to grab the table to stop from bolting to the cylinder, grabbing it and dashing to his work room.

  “Also technological specifications on a crystal, translated to the human language. English, I think you call it.”

  “What is this jump drive?” Prince Daruke interrupted.

  “It is what allowed the Humans to travel the great distances to reach our star system, Son.”

  “I thought they were inferior to us.”

  “Not inferior. Less technologically advanced. But not inferior. Now let your sister continue.”

  Prince Daruke sulked as he ended the outburst.

  “Thank you, Father.” There was no gloat in Princess Analyn’s voice as she continued to practice proper decorum.

  “Now the crux of the matter. You want your ship repaired so that you can go home. We want the jump drive. But you can’t return home without the jump drive. Does that sum it up?”

  “Very succinctly put, Princess Analyn. We solve the double needs of the jump drive and our negotiations will be a success.”

  “Do you have any thoughts on this?”

  “First a question. Do you consummate trade agreements with permanent documents?”

  “Yes, we do.”

  “Between your clans, how are they created, consummated and enforced?”

  “Honorable Vidhee?” The Princess addressed her synthetic subordinate and friend in the role of Judicial Counsellor.

  “The first step is the creation of the agreement by the interested parties. At this point, the agreement has no status or recognition. A temporary arbitration board is assembled, made of governing individuals from the involved clans. Once the agreement is approved by the arbitration board, it is submitted to the Monarchal Legal Court. We pass judgement on the document’s legality and if it falls within the framework of the Elonian Constitution.”

  “What is the punishment if the agreement is broken?”

  “The punishment is extreme and permanent. It is carried out against, not only the perpetrators, but also their clan.”

  “Under the Elonian Constitution, are we four natural humans and one synthetic human a clan?”

  “A non-citizen clan. But, yes, a clan, protected by The Constitution and its non-citizen bylaws.”

  “As such, is any agreement we sign protected by the Elonian Constitution and its enforcement?”

  “That is correct, Ambassador Suzume. Any agreement you make that is ratified by the Monarchal Legal Council is binding and protected.”

  “Thank you for that clarification, Honorable Vidhee.”

  Krag sat silent and flabbergasted. He had no idea of the extent of Keiko’s knowledge and grasp of diplomatic interactions.

  “Princess Analyn, after discussions among all of us, here is our proposal. One: Elonia repairs Griffin, complete with the installation of the gravity manipulator. Two: Elonia places a flight crew on Griffin. Three: Griffin is flown home, complete with all humans and the Elonian flight crew. Four: upon safe arrival at our chosen destination, we turn over Griffin to the Elonian flight crew and they fly it back to Elonia.”

  Princess Analyn paused and thought. Her ears flicked multiple times, sometimes in sequence, sometimes singly. Her tail alternately rose, curled and flicked as she processed this new concept.

  “That is a proposal that can be worked with.”

  “What’s to stop them from killing the flight crew and keeping the ship?”

  “I do not believe that these Humans would do such a thing.”

  “Father, these Humans are not Elonians. Why can’t we just seize the ship and jump drive?”

  “You heard the Honorable Vidhee. These humans are recognized for their sentience and clanship. As such, they are protected. We cannot forcefully remove any of their possessions against their tacit approval.”

  “But, according to our Constitution, we can take action under the Extreme Circumstances clause.”

  “That is true, Son. But these are not extreme circumstances. If we don’t get the jump drive, life will go on. If we do, then life will still go on, only better.”

  “You could pass a Royal Decree to declare Extreme Circumstances.”

  “Yes. But then I wouldn’t be a very good king. That is not a cave we wish to explore.”

  “The Senate could vote a Congressional Decree.”

  “They could, if they knew about the jump drive. But they don’t. And, do not forget, I have passed a Royal Decree that no one outside of this group is to learn of it.”

  The Prince grumped back into his silence.

  After listening to the exchange between royal father and son, the group went back to pondering the solution to their dilemma.

  “I agree with my brother on one point. We need monitoring, some way to insure nothing will interfere with our final agreement.”

  “And, from our point of view, we need to insure our own safety.”

  “Then we have reached our first negotiation point. It is agreed that you fly Griffin home, turn it over to us and we fly it back. Is that correct?”

  Keiko looked at Krag. With a forlorn nod, he approved.

  “Yes, Princess Analyn. We agree to give up our rights to Griffin upon our safe return to a destination of our choosing.”

  “Honorable Vidhee, please take note of this mutually accepted point of agreement.”

  “It is recorded and distributed to the Counsel, Princess Analyn.”

  “May I, Ambassador, Your Highness?”

  “Of course, Captain Marston.”

  “Our destination is an asteroid, a ship repair depot. As such, there is no military contingent. Only typical personnel for building and repairing star ships. If you would put in your agreement that, upon our approach, no military personnel or ships be in the vicinity, would that help to assuage your worries of any external intervention?”

  “That would greatly help us reach our mutual solution
. What is the name of this destination?”

  “Gregor Ship Yards.”

  “My Pa runs the place, Princess. So, I guess, you got a royal hostage of sorts, me.”

  “So, you are a son of a clan leader?”

  “Kind of, Your Majesty. Say the son of a second-in-command clan leader. The Gregor clan. Mr. Gregor runs that one. My Pa answers directly to him.”

  “And you are all members of this Gregor clan?’

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Thank you, Captain Marston. Do you also only answer to Clan Leader Gregor?”

  “That is Correct, Your Majesty.”

  “Ambassador Suzume, who do you answer to?”

  “Currently I answer to Captain Marston. As an independent contractor, I hire out to many different clans and businesses.”

  “And what would happen if you broke faith with Captain Marston or with one of these other clans?”

  “At the least, I would never work again. At the worst, I would be dead.”

  “Then everyone here, with the exception of Mrs. Benton, has a great deal to lose if the agreement is violated.”

  Everyone turned their attention to Sue as she nervously chewed on her lip and looked at her lap.

  “Actually, Your Majesty, Mrs. Benton also has a great deal to lose. She has a son, currently working at the Gregor Ship Yards.” Keiko didn’t know if that were true, but she knew that Hank, Mack’s father, had been tasked with getting Sue’s son to the asteroid.”

  “With this new knowledge of the importance of our human guests, I believe that there is a workable counter-proposal. This new counter-proposal is that I accompany this journey to the Gregor Clan shipyard.

  “Absolutely not!”

  “Father, think. Ambassador Suzume is the daughter of an interplanetary ambassador. Captain Marston is a star warrior who answers only to Clan Leader Gregor. Mack is the son of a second-in-command and a ruler of an asteroid large enough to hold a ship depot. These three are very important people, almost royalty. We need to prove our trust and commitment. This is the only way.”