The Curanian Dominance: The Linda Eccles Series - Volume Three

by Robert Woodard

  After taking a sip of the coffee, and being satisfied with it, she took a seat next to Sylvia and set the cup down. She then said, “I guess we will find out in a few minutes what this secrecy is all about.”

  “One would think,” Sylvia replied.”

  “I was thinking about this detour, and I may know what it is all about,” Linda said.

  “Do tell.”

  “Ever since we left Kracks there has been no communication with them. It’s possible that Admiral Litton wants us to report what we found while we were there.”

  Sylvia nodded her agreement. “That makes about as much sense as anything. However, he sure could have done that through regular communication channels when we returned to Earth.”

  Linda shook her head, and said, “Nope. Philip isn’t one to wait for anything. He probably wanted answers the very moment we arrived at Kracks, and he had us rerouted here just so he’d get them first.”

  “I don’t think he is going to like what we have to tell him,” Sylvia said.

  “I’ll bet you’re right.”

  It took twenty minutes and another cup of coffee before the Admiral finally made it aboard and up to the briefing room. Captain Roger Murphy was with him, along with his adjutant Paula. Linda liked Paula. She was a sharp and strong-willed woman, and Linda suspected she had to be to put up with the grumpy old bear of an Admiral. And on top of all that, she was such a lovely woman, too. Smiling to herself, Linda could just hear her mother saying something like Paula being the complete package.

  “Thanks, Captains, for taking the time to meet with me. I know this was inconvenient, but it was also important that we reroute you here,” Philip said as he took a seat. Roger sat on his left and Paula on his right.

  Linda had to bite her tongue not to give him a snide response. Instead, she kept quiet and let Sylvia represent the ship, as was her right. While it killed Linda to remain silent, she was, after all, only a guest aboard the Auspicious.

  “I’m sure you had your reasons, Admiral,” Sylvia replied, and Linda thought her response tactful.

  “The destroyer captain reported his observation of the destruction of the Kracks’ space defenses, and of the destruction on the planet,” Philip said. “He reported that their ships and docking station were destroyed, and a scan of their community showed it in ruins. Did you see any evidence of the Kracks themselves?”

  “No, Admiral,” Sylvia answered. “We were not getting any energy readings or life signs within their village. Once we saw the destruction, we made all haste to get the ship and get out of there. I have no doubt whatsoever that the Curanians returned at some point to seek their revenge on the poor Kracks. They must have been helpless to prevent it.”

  Linda could detect the sincerity in Sylvia’s voice for what may have happened to the Kracks. As backward as the creatures were, she had come to respect them, and perhaps to admire them a little. They were simple creatures with a strange curiosity.

  “Did you get any readings at all of any other ships in the area?” Roger asked.

  “We did extensive scans of the area,” Sylvia answered. “If there was a ship in that system, it was well out of our sensor range. I would have to think we would have been out of their range, too. We did pick up some readings within the space debris, but it was chalked up as residual power output from propulsion and drive units in various stages of decay.”

  Philip looked at Linda, and asked, “Did you scan the area with that alien ship? It might have had far better scanning capability.”

  “Sorry, no. I didn’t even think to ask the TR17 to do a scan,” Linda said. She now wished she had thought of doing that on her own. Her fascination over the ship had overridden any thought of performing such tasks.

  “Too bad, but there isn’t much we can do about that now,” Philip said.

  Linda thought that the last few years had really aged the Admiral. His fully grey hair was leaving his head at an accelerated rate, creating more balding areas than she remembered seeing before. Wrinkles dominated his face to give him a weathered and worn look. His face also carried red streaks and brown patches of age spots. Looking down at his hands that rested on the table, they carried them too.

  Shifting her eyes to Roger, he looked as handsome as ever. His dark-brown hair was neatly trimmed, as always, and his blue eyes seemed to reach out to capture the details of the room. When they had walked into the room, Roger had towered over the much smaller Philip and Paula. While Linda was sure Roger was in his mid-thirties, he looked younger.

  Finally studying Paula, who seemed to be studying Sylvia, she was her stunning self. She had a figure that could cause a man to become distracted enough to walk directly into a wall. In every encounter Linda had with her, she only seemed to wear skirt suits. Linda supposed if she had her legs, she would keep them on constant display, too. The thought made her look down to hide her smile.

  “You are probably wondering why I had your ship routed here,” Philip said. “It was definitely more than just asking a few questions. Entering Kracks space created a huge risk. Even more so now that we know the Curanians did, in fact, return. They are a destructive species seeming bent on pushing their will onto others. We can never give them the opportunity to locate Earth. I had you routed here in case you were followed. It’s only a precaution, but a necessary one.” Philip pulled his hands off the table and leaned back.

  “Is it even possible to track a ship in Warp?” Sylvia asked.

  “We don’t know,” Philip answered with a shake of his head. “That’s why we took this precaution. Without knowing what capabilities these aliens have, we can’t take risks. It would be an inconvenience to lose Rapatine but imagine what a disaster it would be to have them attacking Earth.”

  The reality of their concern struck Linda. They were right in worrying that the Curanians could have returned and been waiting for someone to show up. Isn’t that what happened to her with the Kracks in that first encounter? She suddenly felt fortunate to have gotten in and out of that system without incident.

  “So, give me your detailed account of exactly what you saw while you were there,” Philip said.

  Sylvia cleared her throat and took an intake of air. “The docking station was completely destroyed, along with what we believed were all the Kracks’ ships. We also noticed that a larger section of the minefield had been eliminated. The opening was at least three times wider than it was when we left after the battle. The launch platforms were destroyed, too. There was so much debris floating around that it was hard to tell what all was in it.

  “The rock structures that made up the Kracks’ village were blasted into rubble. We found large craters on the surface that were clearly from blast impacts. What really took us aback was the damage to one of the hillsides that surrounded the Kracks village. It looked like someone was trying to flatten it right down to the ground.”

  When Sylvia went quiet, Linda added, “It looked to me like they came back, pounded the Kracks from space, and then left again. We have to assume the Kracks were caught off guard and out in the open. They may have been completely wiped out.”

  “I guess there isn’t much we can do about it now,” Roger said. “We can’t risk going there to offer any aid, even if there were survivors. If there are any Kracks left, they will have to fend for themselves.”

  “That’s about all there is to tell you. We extracted the alien ship and got out of their as fast as we could,” Sylvia said.

  “Okay, I think I have what I came for. You will get authorization to depart for Earth as soon as I give Rapatine Control the word to do so. Have a safe flight back.” Philip then got up, as did Roger and Paula.

  Linda rose along with Sylvia. They watched as the three of them left with Sylvia’s XO providing escort. When they were out of earshot, Sylvia said, “I suspect that after what we told them, Kracks’ space will be made off-limits for all time.”

  “And for good reason,” Linda responded.

  Sylvia nodded agreement, a
nd said, “Yes. I would hate to see that same level of destruction placed on Earth because we got careless.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Klickest felt useless as he sat in the council chamber with the other Masterlords and waited word on the progress. He wanted to be doing something to help, but he had to sit and wait instead. When Overlord Ridnig finally came into the chamber, Klickest was glad to have some kind of update.

  “Council Leader, we had to abandon the main tunnel. It is too unstable to work in any longer. I have redirected the Overlings to dig sideways to see if we can connect with one of the other tunnels.”

  “That was good thinking, Overlord. Return to overseeing the work,” Klickest said.

  “Yes, Council Leader.” Ridnig turned and walked out of the chamber. Klickest thought he looked tired from the stress.

  With Ridnig out of earshot, Klickest said, “Freeing ourselves from this rugg may prove more difficult than first thought. If it was not for the fact that one of the air vents survived their bombs, I am not sure we could free ourselves before our air ran out.”

  “I still think we should try to use that air vent to work our way out,” Masterlord Triff said.

  “We already discussed this, Triff,” Masterlord Wiskum chimed in. “That vent bores through pure rock. If we try to expand it to make it large enough to exit, we could collapse the whole thing. Without that vent, we would all suffocate down here.”

  “I agree with Masterlord Wiskum,” Masterlord Bolard said. “The risk of losing that last vent is too high to attempt it. Besides, digging below the rock layer is the only way to get out. We can’t waste claw trying to dig through rock.”

  “It could take forever to dig out of this Rugg sideways! We need to go up!” Triff argued. His volume level increased significantly.

  Klickest knew he needed to stifle Triff before the council members exploded into heated disagreements. “It took Overlord Jeftrick nineteen planet cycles to dig that main tunnel, and he had to use explosives to get through the rock. While that rock layer saved us from the weapons the invaders tried to use, it now prevents our digging upwards to get out. I agree with Masterlord Bolard that the only way now is down to get below the rock and then outwards. We know that Jeftrick ran some of the false tunnels for quite a distance. If we can connect to one of the outer tunnels it gives us a shorter distance to freedom.”

  The chamber went quiet again, which was what he hoped to accomplish. As the other Masterlords returned to their own thoughts, Klickest did the same. He knew they were extremely lucky to have survived the heavy bombardment. The rock over their heads had held firm, but cracks in it were apparent just about everywhere.

  Klickest ran the fleshy pad of his hand over the council table. He could feel the chips where the smooth surface had been damaged when two of the side columns had crumbled and come down on top of it. The table proved tough by not splitting apart under the weight.

  There was no real pressing need in rushing to get out, Klickest figured. The one vent would allow air to flow in, and the food chamber carried enough to keep them fed for many more planet cycles. They would get out he felt sure of that. They would dig until they burrowed right through the very hillside to reach the valley. He just hoped the invaders were not out there somewhere waiting for them when they did.

  ◆◆◆

  Plon worked his way through the glass tunnel to reach Kold’s square. It seemed to him that the closer one got to Supreme Kold the more it sucked the very life out of one’s soul. She was like a void that drew in all life in an attempt to fill it.

  Exiting the tunnel, he spotted Kold standing before her windows. Plon found it interesting that whenever he entered her square, she was always standing there looking out over her domain. What did she find so fascinating out there that needed her attention all day? It was a question he would never dare to ask.

  Plon stopped and waited. One did not address a supreme, so he would have to wait until she addressed him. He knew she could see his reflection in the glass. Why she always chose to make him wait was a mystery.

  He noticed that she wore a flowing dress that contained a mixture of light and dark purples. The bottom of the dress ended just as it lightly brushed against her matching shoes sporting the same dual purple coloring. In a rare occasion, her hair was tied back at her neck with a matching purple band containing a perfectly match purple flower. Below the band, her shiny black hair flowed freely until it seemed to stop to kiss the floor. She remained perfectly still, as did her hair. Plon was thankful because when her hair flowed with her movement, he found it disturbingly enticing.

  “You asked to see me, Plon?” Kold finally asked. Her slow, fluid speech spilled out each word in perfect pronunciation.

  “I have good news for you,” Plon responded. To add just a hint of rebellion, he waited for her to ask him for the information.

  Kold turned to her right and began walking along the transparent wall. Plon had become so used to her habits now that they didn’t have any effect on him anymore. He knew she was watching him through the reflection as she walked. It seemed to be a mental game she liked to play. While he played a dangerous game with her, he refused to allow her to intimidate him.

  Much as he expected, her hair slowly, softly swayed back and forth as if beckoning him toward her. The long slits in her dress allowed her legs to appear and disappear with each step she took. Plon figured that if she was going to put herself on display, he would take advantage of admiring the scene.

  Plon realized that the dual color of her dress made it almost shimmer during movement. The way it hung snug against her waste only added to her deliberate enticement of anyone unfortunate enough to seek her audience. It seemed to him that she wanted her subjects to desire her while knowing she was off limits. No one Plon knew seemed to be able to understand Kold. Plon decided that included him, too.

  Kold slowly turned to face him. Her typically soft expression had hardened slightly, leading him to believe he had won this first round by annoying her. Since he would be heading off planet shortly, he could risk her displeasure. At least, he hoped he could. The mental picture of Nage’s body, now removed, hanging from a pole on the lawn outside her square became an instant reminder of the Supreme’s power to inflict her own form of justice.

  “Are you deliberately making we wait for the information or have you mentally forgotten what you came here for?”

  Plon realized he might have pushed her a bit too far. “My apologies, Kold. I wasn’t sure you were ready for me to present my information.”

  “Yes, I am sure that is the case.” In a rare change of form, she did not move to her couch to sit. Instead, she remained standing by the window. She produced her faked smile and said, “I am now ready.”

  “We have made contact with the species we desire. Leaving a rebounder in the debris worked exactly as planned. I have the Kero trailing them at this very moment. We should know shortly where they came from so we can face them on our terms this time. With your permission, I would like to move my combined fleet into position to take immediate advantage of whatever the Kero is able to uncover.”

  “That is good news, Plon. You have pleased me with your forethought to track any movement, and in quickly acting upon it. You have my permission to take whatever advantage you can with this change in fortune. I am trusting in your abilities to pacify these creatures and bring back technologies to make the Curanians an even stronger culture. Before you go, though, I would like to know what finally brought those interesting creatures into that system again. Do you have any idea why they waited so long to make an appearance?”

  Kold moved closer to him, but she came up behind her couch to lay one hand lightly upon the top of the couch back. She looked down at herself. Noticing her hair had worked its way across her shoulders, she used her other hand to flick it behind her with her fingers. Seeming satisfied she was in perfect order again, she looked directly into his eyes. Her black eyes that seemed to compete with her hair for which was
darker bore into him. Plon could almost see the manipulative calculations going on behind them.

  “Only two ships appeared in the system. One was recorded previous from Nage’s encounter with them, and the other was of a known classification of military ship. They appeared to be performing a quick extraction mission. They maneuvered to a predetermined location above the planet and brought up a small ship of an unknown class and type. The ship carried a technology that defeated our rebounder’s ability to classify it. After pulling it into one of the two ships, they departed.”

  “That ship must hold an important value to these creatures. For that reason, I must have it, Plon. You now know what ship carries it, so you are to disable that ship and bring both it and its contents here. That is your top priority.” Kold’s tone clearly stated that was his obligation to fulfill. Her expression hardened again. Plon could tell that she was signaling him that failure was not an option without bothering to say the words.

  “Yes, Kold, I will do everything in my power to fulfill my duties. With your permission, I will remove myself to see to the preparation of my fleet for departure.”

  “Be on your way, Plon.”

  Kold turned away from him to return to her routine of staring at her perception of a perfect world. Plon turned away from her to leave. As he passed through the tunnel made from clouded glass, Plon came to a realization he had never noticed before. While she could watch him depart as a shadowy image, he could not see her. It made him realized that she would always be able to see someone coming toward her square, but they would not see her or know where she was until they cleared the tunnel. Plon suspected it was designed that way so no one could ever sneak up on a supreme.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Denc tapped her foot on the floor as she stared through the front portal of the control deck. They had been chasing after the two ships for quite some time now, and she was beginning to think they would never stop. Giving the time display a study, she calculated the time of their travel. They had been trying to hunt down their target for over thirty Curanian planet rotations already. She was growing tired of it.