The Sakkara

by Donald Nicklas

  “Yes, sir.”

  “All we can do now is wait and hope we get a wormhole drive out of this we can use.”

  The Slones stayed on the bridge and watched as the troops returned with Primary Centurion Marshal, after assigning two squads to protect Commander Gardner. The Tempestas stayed in a synchronous orbit next to the captured ship and above the research colony. Slone was kept apprised of the questioning of the prisoner and he now knew there was nothing to fear from the Saltic colony. It consisted of scientists and their families with no military protection other than the ships they destroyed. There were armed guards in the science base, but they had no ships with which to leave. The ship they captured was an unarmed science vessel. This explains why they so quickly abandoned the captured ship; they were defenseless civilians. Slone would withhold opinion on their culpability when it came to using human brains until he knew more about them. As it turned out, the prisoner was more forthcoming than they thought he would be. Tavia asked permission to do the questioning, in her constant quest to know all she could about alien races, though this was only the second, non-human, race she and the Romani had come across. She had not been part of the Hayden expedition. Though she knew what happened from seeing the video logs of the mission, she found it hard to think that all Saltic were as evil as the ones they came across. Perhaps they did not know they were killing humans for their brains. This feeling was dispelled when she began to realize that they did know why they were collecting humans and saw no problem with it. It soon became evident that to the Saltic, all sentient life was inferior to them and available to them for exploitation. Hatch was always at Tavia’s side and she could see the Saltic prisoner staring intently at the serpent.

  “You don’t need to be afraid of Hatch; she won’t harm you unless we want her to.”

  “Is this creature sentient?”

  “Yes,” Tavia replied.

  “Someday we will find where they live and see if their brains are better than yours.”

  This statement of the Saltic prisoner effected Tavia more than she was willing to admit. Even when she just met her first serpent, Sly, she never saw serpents as the threat these worms appeared to be. Later that day, when she was off shift and with her husband, she told Bill Marshal of her questioning of the alien and how unfathomable she found their attitude towards other sentient beings. They were invited to join the Slones and some of the bridge crew for dinner that night and she expressed her concerns. Diana Garner was present and reported on her progress with the captured ship’s drive. Thanks to questioning of the prisoner by Julia Hammond and Captain Shegai, they discovered that the drive module they called the Sakkara was only a partial drive dedicated to bringing ships to the location of the human colony. In essence, it was a live trap for humans and it would not get them back home. The prisoner was also very forthcoming because he felt the humans would not leave the area alive, but did not elaborate why he felt that way. However, when all was said and done, the prisoner could not help them because he was not a navigator and claimed not to know how the wormhole drive worked.

  At dinner, the Slones discussed these problems with their bridge crew and Julia Hammond. Also present were Captain Shegai and Eugen Ebner. They had left the High Priest of the Hammond cult alone since leaving the Heimat system. They wanted him and his people to be fully acclimated before bringing him into any of the discussions. Since there was no longer a Hammond cult, Slone addressed him as a civilian.

  “Mr. Ebner, I hope you and your people are being well taken care of?”

  Eugen Ebner was resigned to his new position and his people knowing he had shielded his own family from the selection process for choosing the sacrifices. They were a lot more forgiving than most, but Slone was not sure if they knew the full extent of the suffering their relatives were condemned to. “Captain, we had no idea humans were so advanced,” Ebner said. “We have been deceived by the Saltic into believing they were the most advanced civilization. When I think how little my people know of the universe, I realize how much we have been deprived of. Thanks to your educators, not only our children but all of us adults are starting to learn what we have missed.”

  Slone could see how much despair was in the voice and manner of the former High Priest and leader of the Heimat colony. “I called you here because, if we can’t get our hands on a working wormhole drive, we may all be stuck here. I need your expertise and the expertise of any of your people to find a navigator to tell us how the drive in the ship we captured works.”

  “Once, early in my Priesthood, one of their ships broke down and they pressed some of our people into helping them. They kept some as sacrifices, but a few were let go. They are the only ones who ever entered one of their ships and returned to us.”

  “Do you know if any of them saw the navigators controlling the drive?” Slone asked.

  “Only one still lives. Let me get her for you.”

  Eugen Ebner left and soon returned with an old woman in her sixties. She was stooped over and suffering from many ailments that could now be easily treated. Slone had been told by his medical staff that some of the colonists suffered from ailments they thought long out of the human gene pool. The old woman was helped into the conference room by Eugen Ebner and she sat down with great effort to find a comfortable position. Slone’s heart went out to her. The medical staff was doing their best to reverse some of the health issues the colonists had and they would eventually get to this poor woman. Slone made sure she was given food and drink. He then asked her name and if she was being treated well. Though she was old and her face showed the weariness of life, her eyes were clear and intelligent, as she looked straight into Slone’s face. “My name is Helga and your medical staff has taken away pains I forgot I had. For that I am grateful, but I am not grateful that I lost my home.”

  Slone let his wife take care of this situation. He knew when he was on thin emotional ice. Alaya took the old woman’s hands into hers across the table as she moved to the seat next to her. “I am so sorry you had to lose your home, but in all good conscience, we could not leave you to the mercy of the Saltic. However, we will all be at their mercy if we cannot get out of here. The former High Priest tells me you were aboard one of their ships and helped them when they had a problem.”

  “That was in my youth. I’m the last one left from the group they called aboard to help them. It is hard to remember back that far and I was very scared.”

  Alaya continued speaking to her in soft, non-threatening tones, “I know it may be difficult, but did you see anything different about the way the navigators on the ship dressed or looked?”

  The old woman thought about it. “We were all afraid of the Saltic and thought we would be taken as sacrifices. They needed us to help move some heavy objects that fell against their drive. We did not know that is what it was but that is what they called it when they spoke with the High Priest through the necklace.”

  “Then you and the others were in their drive room. Did you see who was working on the drive and did they look any different from the others on the ship?”

  Once again, Helga was lost in thought. So long this time that Slone was not sure if she was still mentally with them. She suddenly spoke and it startled Slone a bit. “Most of the Saltic in the drive room, as they called it, wore yellow material over their bodies. That is all I remember standing out with them.”

  “Thank you Helga that is all we needed to know. You have done all of us a service.” Alaya then indicated that she could return to her people and continue with her medical treatments. The High Priest turned her over to a medic, who had accompanied her.

  He then turned to the Slones, “Did you get what you needed?”

  Slone turned to Julia Hammond, “Well, did we?”

  “If we assume the clothing is some kind of uniform indicating rank, then we should have what we need, provided they don’t expect us to capture some of their navigators.”

  “I agree. Since they all wore the same garment and these
seem to be military operations, it’s a safe bet those are the Navigator uniforms.”

  “I’m not sure if anyone noticed,” Captain Shegai said, “but the statue of their god, the Navigator, besides looking like Julia Hammond here,” and she nodded in Julia’s direction, “the statue’s clothing was colored yellow.”

  Everyone at the table who had seen the statue realized that to be true and a confirmation of the color worn by Saltic navigators. The rest of the meeting involved the logistics of capturing a navigator alive and getting him to tell them how the drive worked. They also planned to remove the drive from the captured ship and install it on the Tempestas, before more Saltic ships arrived. All of this was a tall order, especially since there was no telling how much time they had. The mission was assigned to the Mary Rose with the addition of Eugen Ebner, Captain Shegai and Commander Hammond. When all were aboard the Mary Rose, Hatch made them invisible and they lifted off and exited the flight deck force field.

  Chapter 8 – A Can of Worms

  The Mary Rose descended down to the surface of the fourth planet. They were coming into the atmosphere above the science base. Since the planet had an abundant atmosphere with a great many clouds, it was difficult to pass through it without causing a disturbance, yet Tavia managed to avoid most of the clouds and they landed on a plain ten kilometers from the Saltic base. After they were down, Alaya asked Raul, “Anything on the scanners, Raul?”

  “No captain. The plain appears to be free of Saltic life forms, though there is a great deal of indigenous life present.”

  “Ok, everyone but the bridge crew with me. Tavia you’re in charge. If there are any threats to the ship, get out of here and come back for us later.”

  “Understood, captain.” Tavia said and then turned to Hatch, “Hatch, keep us invisible.”

  Alaya’s mixed human/serpent crew was all trained as scouts and Special Forces. They were the best of the best when it came to getting things done that required small units of highly skilled personnel. The humans suited up in the lightweight scout armor favored by the Special Forces and the serpents applied steel tips to the ends of their tails. The humans closed the visors on their helmets and Alaya opened the hatch at the bottom center of the ship. They exited the ship and they were immediately hit by a blast of wind. There was a lot of heat in the atmosphere and this resulted in the high winds. Alaya hoped the winds kept the Saltic inside. This would decrease the risks of dealing with larger numbers of Saltic outside their base. When all were out, Alaya pressed a button next to the door and it slid shut. They found themselves on a large plain covered with scrub brush and wild flowers. They could sense movement in the vegetation, but the indigenous life forms were very secretive and kept moving away from anywhere the Romani went. The Special Forces aboard the Mary Rose were commanded by a serpent with the Romani rank of Optio with a human and a serpent Decanus, each commanding half of the unit. Once they landed, the Optio was in command and she sent out scouts and flankers. Since the ship was in the rear, no rear guard was needed. The ship’s artillery would act as a rear guard.

  They crossed the plain as quickly as possible and scaled the low ridge that separated the landing zone from the area in which the outpost was built. When the scouts signaled all clear, the rest of the group went to the top of the ridge and the humans dropped down on their bellies and pulled out their binoculars. The serpents changed their scales to match the surrounding vegetation and vanished to the naked eye. Since serpents were chameleons and had the power to alter their scales to match any background, they were masters at remaining undetected. Alaya scanned the plain and saw that the outpost consisted of five geodesic domes covering areas of housing. The weather must be very variable for the Saltic to dome their outpost. Either that or they were too fragile for this type of climate. The more contact she had with the Saltic, the weaker they appeared to be. They were all technology and no stamina. The winds across the ridge were very strong and suddenly it began to rain heavily. The domes and the rain were going to make this a much more difficult operation than the Romani envisioned. Fortunately, the body armor of the humans sealed them entirely from the environment. Not as completely as a spacesuit, but they did keep the rain off. The serpents had no problem with the rain. In fact, there was very little environmentally that affected them, as long as the atmosphere was breathable. The domes were transparent and magnification showed various Saltic moving around inside. They were all clothed in different colors and some had two-tone clothing. Alaya only hoped the old woman was right and the colors were uniforms. Alaya could see that Eugen Ebner was suffering a bit in the rain, since he refused to wear armor. At least it was not cold. Alaya and her ground commanders conferred and decided to enter the dome with the most yellow clad Saltic inside. If they could, they would try to capture two of them but planned to come out with at least one. The Optio signaled for the group to continue and Alaya was glad for the sudden, heavy rain, since it made them much harder to see in the open area leading up to the domes.

  They moved quickly but stealthily across the plain to one of the geodesic domes. They stayed far enough away to not be seen in the rain soaked environment, yet close enough to make sure they saw some yellow clad Saltic. There were several in the housing area just beyond the wall of the dome. The Optio sent one of the serpents forward to examine the transparent triangles forming the dome. They were fitted into hard, metallic frames that formed the lattice of the dome. The serpent reported that there was no way to remove the glass quietly. They would have to use explosives. This was not good and the nearest door to the complex was on the other side of an adjacent dome. This meant they would have to get in and out as soon as possible. A tall order when they were entering a small city, having no idea of the internal layout of the structures. This mission could be anything from a quick smash and grab to a room-by-room fight until they found a navigator. They also had to leave time to interrogate any Saltic dressed in yellow to make sure they were indeed navigators. The more Alaya thought of this mission, the more impossible it seemed to be. If their very survival did not hinge on it, she would have abandoned the idea. The Optio signaled to one of the Special Forces troops to take out the window. Fortunately, the rain was now coming down so hard that it covered the sounds of the tech outlining the window with explosive cord. After the explosive was set, each of the humans pulled out their pistols and attached silencers. When all were ready, Alaya nodded to the Optio who signaled the explosives tech. The push of a button on the detonator and the triangle of glass shattered. There were two Saltic near the point of entry. The humans pointed their guns into the dome and shot both of them. They all entered the dome, one by one and bolted for the nearest dwelling. The serpents kicked the door open and the unit moved in. The former High Priest was dripping all over the floor thanks to his insistence on keeping normal clothes on. As a result, the humans had to be very careful not to slip. When they entered, they saw three Saltic, two of whom were wearing yellow clothing. Part of the squad stayed near the door while the rest pushed the unlucky Saltic deeper into their dwelling. The fear of the Saltic could be felt, even if there was no way of reading an expression in their piggish face. They were indeed all technology and physically much weaker than the humans, let alone than the serpents. When the mission was put together, it was decided to let Eugen Ebner do the talking with the Saltic, since he had experience dealing with them in the past.

  “Mr. Ebner,” Alaya began, “ask the Saltic if one of them is a navigator.”

  Ebner pushed a button on the medallion around his neck and began to speak. “I am the High Priest of the Navigator, have you heard of me?”

  One of the Saltic began to rub his mouthparts together to make the squeaking sounds that constituted their language. “I have heard of you. You do not belong in this system and I do not know how you got here or who these aliens are with you.” He was referring to the serpents in the force.

  “I am here because the god Navigator brought me here and she is standing here with me.
” Ebner indicated Julia Hammond.

  The Saltic looked at her and seemed startled. “How can this be? She should have died 800 years ago.”

  “Ask the Saltic if one of them is a navigator, like I am?” Julia said.

  Ebner did so and the Saltic in yellow both identified themselves as navigators. The Saltic were unarmed and seemed terrified of the humans. Alaya thought they should look terrified after what they did to humans. Arabella Shegai, who had done many covert ops as part of the Romani spy service, reminded everyone that they had to get out of there as soon as possible.

  Alaya looked at the Saltic and ordered them to come along. As the translator converted human standard to the Saltic language, she could see the Saltic pull back a little. She realized getting them to come with the humans was going to be a problem.

  “We will not go with you. You are in our city,” One of the Saltic in yellow said. This one appeared to be the leader among the three in the dwelling.

  “Well, at this point I would hit one over the head and carry him out,” Alaya said. “Does anyone know where the brain is so we can knock him out?”

  “I have an idea,” Captain Shegai said. She then pulled out her pistol and shot the Saltic not wearing yellow clothing. He dropped like a stone and the other two became agitated with fear.

  “I will come along with you, please don’t kill us.” The translator responded to the agitated speech of the Saltic.

  “Well that was a lot more effective than I would have expected,” Alaya said to Captain Shegai. Then she said to the group, “Optio, get us out of here and bring both Saltic. If they won’t move, pick them up.”

  “Sss. Yes Captain Slone.”

  They moved towards the entrance when the serpents guarding the opening let out a low whistle and signaled that they were getting company. The aliens coming to check out the bodies they dropped outside the house spotted one of the serpents at the door and fired a pulse of energy. Their aim was good and before the serpent could react, the energy pulse hit her head and it exploded. As the body of the serpent dropped across the threshold, the other serpent pulled back. The Optio immediately ordered, “Sss. Serpents blend, humans take cover.”