Julia took the hint and looked straight at the boy, “We will not hurt you if you tell us the truth and answer all of our questions.”
Heinz visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Slone felt sorry for the boy, since he was plucked from his home by strangers from the sky. Slone had never come across a human settlement that was not space capable, but a brief check with the teachers before the meeting revealed the boy was illiterate and completely ignorant of space travel. Everything coming from the heavens was divine and he never questioned the need for his family to be sacrificed to the Saltic, though he did fear what that meant. Now he was going to question this innocent child and hoped he knew enough to help them deal with the problem of recovering this lost human colony.
“Heinz, do you know that you are on a ship and no longer on your home world?”
Heinz looked at the captain and said, “Yes, a sky ship, like the ones the Saltic minions of the Navigator have.”
“The Navigator does not have anything to do with the Saltic. The Saltic are our enemies and are using the Navigator’s image to make you do their bidding and sacrifice to them.”
Slone could see that this came as a shock to the boy and he let it sink in a bit. He then continued. “Who is in charge of your people and what do you call where you live?”
Heinz looked at Slone, “We live in Heimat and the High Priest of the Navigator is our leader.”
“What is the name of your High Priest and where can we find him?”
Heinz sat up a little straighter and acted as if this was a quiz given him by divine beings. Slone had the impression this is what they learned in school. “He is High Priest of the Navigator Eugen Ebner and he lives in the Cave of the Navigator.”
“Is the cave in Heimat?”
“Yes it is in the mountain next to where we live.”
“Thank you, Heinz.” Slone said and nodded at Commander Hammond.
Julia Hammond took the hint, “Heinz, you have been a great help to me and I will go down and speak with the High Priest. You will stay here in the sky ship with our children.”
“Thank you Navigator. I do not want to be sacrificed to your minions,” Heinz said and stood to bow to Julia Hammond. He then left with the teacher and returned to the children’s area.
Slone waited until the boy was gone and then addressed the meeting, “I think we have all we are going to get from that boy. This non-spacefaring, human colony appears to be under the thumb of an alien race called the Saltic. Before we go on, I would like to introduce you to the Saltic.” Slone ordered Tom Garner to activate the abbreviated logs of the SS Hayden, and the SS Dragon’s Claw. For the next half hour, the meeting attendees watched as the horror of the final voyage of the Hayden played out holographically above the table. The logs ended before reaching the part concerning the fate of Purgatory. Some at the table had seen the logs before, most had not. There were also those at the table who had lived through the incident and even more than a decade later, it was still raw. When the log ended, there was silence around the table. Even the serpents realized how despicable the Saltic were and knew that any species could become part of their brain collection. Though their faces did not have recognizable emotion to humans, they were affected when they saw the large chamber filled with human brains in preservation solution. All present also realized there would be no mercy from the Saltic and they planned to show none in return.
“Alright, now that everyone here knows what we are dealing with, we have to make plans,” Slone continued. “As I see it we are dealing with three distinct but related issues. Firstly, the humans on the planet below are part of us. They should have been part of the Romani, but they were lost out here. Now they have reverted to a more primitive situation and they somehow became a source of computer brains for the Saltic. I have no doubt that the sacrifices to their Navigator god are related to giving brains to the Saltic for their uses. Since the Saltic are not permanently here, and the humans on the planet are primitive, I have hopes that those marked for sacrifice are still alive and being held on the planet until the arrival of the Saltic to collect them. That brings me to the second issue, the return of the Saltic. I have no idea when they come but we have to be ready to either deal with them or evacuate the planet before they arrive.” Slone paused a moment to let that sink in and then went to his final point, “And that brings us to the final issue on which all of the others hinge, the wormhole drive. If we can’t get it going, we will have to find a place to live until we do. We cannot stay in this system as long as the Saltic know humans are here.”
Slone let everything sink in for a moment then asked for recommendations about how to deal with each issue. Since the Saltic were not in system, they would deal with them the way they dealt with any other enemy when the time came. All agree that getting the human colony off the planet and on the ship was paramount. No matter how tight the fit, they would have to get them off the planet. Sensors indicated that the colony did not number more than three thousand. It would be tight, but they would have room for that many if they did not have to travel too far or if they could use the wormhole drive to jump back into Nova Romae space. However, first things first, they had to convince the inhabitants to evacuate the planet. They would have to use a ruse for that purpose. If they chose to believe Julian Hammond was a god, they could use that. Paul McMann and the engineers would continue to work on the wormhole drive while the Slones and Commander Hammond went down to the planet in the Mary Rose to make contact with the High Priest. Slone wondered what his reaction would be to meeting face to face with his god. As the Mary Rose descended to the town below, Hatch kept them invisible. This was unknown territory, but Slone decided to land in the middle of the square, which was surrounded by the dwellings of the inhabitants. It was midday, but the planet was bathed in the dull red light from the red dwarf star. The Romani had no idea where the humans got their food from, but there was no indigenous life on the planet other than non-edible vegetation. Even though there was a breathable atmosphere, the red dwarf made it impossible for life to progress to higher forms. When the scout ship was a kilometer above the square, Slone ordered Hatch to make them visible and told Tavia to switch on the external lights and light up the landing zone. Instantly the Mary Rose appeared and flooded both the square and the town with bright light as the ship slowly descended to the ground.
The sudden appearance of bright light where there has always only been twilight, caused panic in the people walking through the square. The Romani had discussed the best way to bring about the evacuation and it was decided to first awe the inhabitants to convince them that the Saltic were not the only force with ‘sky ships’. Once landed, a limited number of humans would exit the ship and the scout would then lift off again and move to the valley they were in before. At that time, the serpents of the scout crew would move out and take up positions around the town to be ready if things went sideways. The Mary Rose landed in the square and the Slones, Tavia and Julia Hammond exited the ship, which then took off, shut off its lights and vanished. The Romani now stood in the center of the square and waited until the people came out of their hiding places. Slowly the inhabitants began to return to the square and Julia Hammond said as planned, “People of Heimat. I am the Navigator who brought your ancestors here many centuries ago and I have now returned to bring you back to them. Where is your High Priest?”
A man stepped out from the crowd. He was of medium height and had graying, curly hair with a full beard. He carried a heavy staff and wore a heavy looking costume covered with mixed religious symbols from old Earth along with embroidered representations of Saltic symbols. On his head, he wore a cap that had a bivalve peak. The whole gave the impression of ostentation. He walked to the center of the square and stood opposite the four Romani. “Who are you who claim to be the Navigator? If you are indeed the Navigator, where are your minions?” His voice was a bit gravelly and he spoke in a singsong manner, as if what he said was more as a chant than a statement.
Comma
nder Hammond looked at the High Priest and she said, “Are you then Eugen Ebner, who we are told is the High Priest here?”
“If you were truly our god, then you would know this.” Ebner then turned to a group of men and women standing behind him and shouted, “Seize them.”
The group ran forward, grabbed the Romani by the arms, and took their short swords. Oddly enough, they did not remove their armor or the pistols in their holsters on the armor chest plates. One of the guards looked at Alaya’s pistol and touched it but did not take it. From the quizzical look on her face, it was apparent the guard had no idea it was a weapon. Swords they could understand, since they used knives to cut their meat. Other than their short swords and daggers, nothing was taken from the Romani. The High Priest led the way as the guards moved the Romani into a cave. The Romani had hoped to be taken to the cave of the High Priest, though they had not considered they could be prisoners. It had been hoped that the presence of Julia Hammond would awe them, but it was clear the High Priest was not in awe. However, the same could not be said for the rest of the population and much discussion was had in the square about the sudden appearance of the Navigator and her accompanying humans. Many of the residents were concerned that the High Priest was mistreating their god and all would suffer for it.
On the way to the cave, the Romani were led through the town and gawked at by the populous. Of course, that also meant the Romani could examine the state of affairs in this lost colony. What they saw did not look good. There was squalor in the housing and the people looked fed but not overly so. It appeared that the amount of food available was just enough for the population and the source of that food was a mystery. Scans from orbit did not reveal any farmsteads or other areas of habitation on the planet. There were also no animals large enough to serve as a food supply. This was not just a puzzle to be solved out of idle curiosity. One of the missions of the landing party was to discover how much food was available for the inhabitants. The Tempestas was already down a quarter on its food supplies. With the addition of the colonists following evacuation to the ship, what was left would run out faster than predicted. This would result in the earlier loss of all hands, along with the colonists, if a new home or a way back could not be found.
They were taken into a small cavern with an extension in the rear that extended into the mountain. The extension was not natural and as they were led in, they could see that there were cells and this was a prison. A quick count revealed the presence of a dozen prisoners, none appeared older than forty years and many were children. Alaya wondered if Heinz’s family could be among them. The Romani were placed in a cell and left there. After the guards departed, Alaya turned to the other prisoners. “Are any of you related to a young boy named Heinz?”
A woman and two girls raised their heads. A man with them wanted to stop them from responding, but the woman was too fast, “What do you know about Heinz? He is my son and ran when they came for us.” As she was speaking, she caught sight of Julia Hammond and recognized her as the Navigator from her statue in the temple. She suddenly shouted and fell to her knees, “Navigator, it is the Navigator. Please don’t sacrifice us.” As the others began to recognize Julia Hammond, they all dropped to their knees and began to wail. Soon the sound became so loud that the guards returned with clubs and started banging on the bars to quiet them. When they came to the cell with the Romani, they stopped and were not certain what to do, since there was nothing for which to punish the Romani. They finally went over to the cell and ordered the Romani to stand back as they slid some food trays under the door.
“The High Priest took pity on you and sent this food for you. There’s water from the tap on the back wall.”
Slone moved to the front of the cell and looked directly at the guard who was talking and appeared to be the leader, “Tell the High Priest that we wish to see him before the Saltic arrive to collect their sacrifices.”
“I’ll tell him, but you’ll meet them soon enough, since you will round out our number of sacrifices.” The guard leader signaled and they left the prison.
Slone turned to the others. “They did not know that our pistols are weapons, which indicates they have not had contact with anyone military other than the Saltic. When the Saltic arrive, if they do before we can convince them to evacuate, they will know these are weapons. Transfer all of your pistols to the back of your belt, out of sight. Let’s give them a surprise when those worms show up.” They all nodded and transferred their pistols from the holster to the back of their belts.
The Romani looked at the food that was given to them and they saw that it consisted entirely of meat. However, where did the meat come from, since sensor scans did not pick up any nonhuman life larger than vegetation? Slone turned to Tavia, “Tavia, before we eat anything, I want it analyzed to check for drugs. If they want us compliant, I would not put it past them to drug us.”
“Yes, Captain,” Tavia said. She reached into a pocket in her armor and pulled out a small electronic device that she placed directly on the meat. As soon as she pressed the button, the analyzer began to take samples of the food. When it was done, it projected the results above the analyzer. The group was shocked as they saw that the meat was human. Slone went over to the bars between the cells and spoke with the other prisoners.
“Where does this food come from?”
The woman nearest the bars answered, “The Navigator should know, it is her minions who bring us the food in return for the sacrifices and they never bring us enough food from one visit to the next.”
Julia Hammond now came over to the bars and flatly stated, “I am not a god, I am the person who sent you here and that is a great regret of mine. The Saltic are not my minions, they are using your belief in me to control you.”
The woman then dropped to her knees, “Please forgive me, Navigator. You’re testing our belief and loyalty. I should never have questioned your actions.”
Commander Hammond could just shake her head and responded, “If you truly believe in me, then know that the Saltic are no longer my minions. They have disappointed me and I have abandoned them. There will be no more sacrifices to them.”
The last statement was met with cheers and the other prisoners all fell on their knees and started praising her. Commander Hammond returned to the rest of the Romani. Just as Julia moved towards the Slones, Christopher’s comlink activated. “Slone here.”
Paul McMann’s voice came on. He was the second in command and captained the Tempestas when Slone was not aboard. “Captain, sensors are picking up the formation of a wormhole half way across the system. I assume at some point a ship will come through.”
“Stay invisible and monitor the situation. Await my orders as we discussed. Let all departments know we will do as planned. Also tell the Mary Rose to remain near the town and be ready to deal with any problems when ordered.”
“Yes Captain, Tempestas out.”`
Out in the system, away from the planet with human habitation, the distinctive, pale green vortex of a wormhole began to open. After it was well formed, a Saltic vessel having a cylindrical appearance with rounded ends came out and set a course for the planet the colonists called Heimat. Transit time for the vessel would be just under five hours and the Slones were made aware of this. Christopher ordered the ship to stay in rest mode until the Saltic ship was an hour out and then both the Tempestas and the Mary Rose were to go to general quarters. While Slone was taking care of this situation, Tavia ordered ten Serpent Special Forces aboard the Mary Rose to move to the outskirts of the town and wait to be called. Everything was now in place to reveal to the colonists that the Saltic were not gods or the minions of a god.
“Guard,” Slone shouted, “Guard.” He kept shouting until one of the guards came in to silence him.
“What do you want, prisoner?”
“I want to see the high priest. Tell him we know the Saltic are in the system aboard a sky ship and will be here soon. If the High Priest does not see us, we will destroy th
e Saltic vessel and you will have to deal with the consequences of that.”
Slone had raised doubt in the mind of the guard and that caused him to call over the other three guards and open the Romani’s cell. “Follow me, all of you,” the guard leader said and the Romani fell in line with the guards. More guards then entered the cell area and took the locals to the temple for sacrifice. As the humans passed the Romani, Julia Hammond reminded them that no one would be sacrificed anymore. The guard captain then leaned close to Julia Hammond and said, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Now move,” and he shoved her forward.
They were soon brought to the mockup of a freighter that served as their temple. The Slones knew that inside was a statue of the Navigator with Saltic statues standing on either side. The Slones knew there was no way human brains could be removed there so the Saltic must take the victims with them in their ship to a larger vessel similar to the one they encountered in the Andromeda galaxy. The Romani were taken to a small cave near the temple. Within was the High Priest and he was dressed in his regalia and holding his staff, only now there was a bright light at the top of the staff. Since it was the only electrical light the Romani had seen in the town, Slone assumed it had something to do with the Saltic. As they were led into the presence of the High Priest, he came over to them.
“I don’t know where you came from or where you got a sky ship from, but the Saltic will soon be here and take you off our hands.”
“We are aware that the Saltic are coming and will be here in just over four of our hours. When they arrive we will reveal that they are not gods and you will lose your grip on your people as surely as the Saltic will lose theirs on you.”
The priest came over with great intensity in his eyes. “How dare you come here and question our way of life?” He then looked at Julia Hammond, “You do look like the statue of the Navigator, but if you are her, then it is you who sent us into this existence with the Saltic. The book says that those who are sacrificed will live for eternity in a land of bright light and have great power.”
The Sakkara Page 9