The Curanian Dominance: The Linda Eccles Series - Volume Three

by Robert Woodard

  Peggy stepped into the snow and bent down to pick up a handful. When she tried to form it into a ball, the overly dry snow simply fell back to the ground in a shower of loose flakes. She took what was left in her hand and tried to throw it at Linda, but it only sent a shower of snow that failed to reach her.

  “Nice try,” Linda said while smiling. She turned and looked along the walkway that led from the pad to the side of a building. The black wall looked like it was made from the same material as the ship. “Come on, let’s go find someone.”

  Leading the way, Linda soon covered the distance to stand before a solid wall. Looking down and around her, she said, “It doesn’t look like anyone has been outside today. There are no tracks in this snow.” She then turned to validate that the two of them were leaving tracks, and they were.

  “Maybe it’s an alien holiday or something,” Peggy said.

  “Perhaps, but who leaves their control center unmanned?”

  Peggy sighed before saying, “Maybe they weren’t expecting any ship traffic today.”

  Staring at the wall in front of her, Linda wondered it if worked the same as the ship’s hull. Testing out the theory, she placed her gloved palm upon the surface and let it rest there. The section of wall around her hand shimmered and melted away. The solid white interior now appeared through the hole in the wall large enough for them to pass through.

  “Here goes nothing,” Linda said as she stepped inside.

  After taking a few steps, Linda stopped, and was promptly run into by Peggy. “Sorry, I was looking around and didn’t see you stop. Hey, check this out.”

  Linda turned to see Peggy pointing down at the floor behind them. They had left small clumps of snow from their boots that slowly dissolved into the flooring. In practically no time at all, not the slightest trace remained.

  “Who needs to clean when the house does it all for you?” Linda asked jokingly.

  The room looked as sterile and simplistic as the inside of the ship. Each wall contained a passage leading into more rooms. Missing was any wording, alien or otherwise, that directed those within to what each room meant.

  “Well, Peggy, do you want door number one, two or three?”

  “I’ll take what’s behind door number two, Linda.”

  Despite the tension of being in such a strange place, Linda laughed. Peggy’s return chuckle was picked up by her helmet’s mic and transferred into Linda’s speakers. Linda’s laughter quickly died as her pounding heart and tightening stomach reminded her that she was the first human to ever step foot on this planet.

  Even though Peggy had been joking, Linda chose the opening directly across the room, which would have been door number two. The place was so quiet that her sensitive helmet sensors failed to detect any sound whatsoever, other than Peggy’s labored breathing as she fought to control her nerves. Linda suspected her own breathing was probably creating the same sounds for Peggy.

  The rubbery feel to the flooring failed to react to the tiny metal discs in the bottom of her boots as she walked. It only added to the creepiness of having no sound to focus on. Knowing the metal discs could be activated to create contact with a metal deck, they would do her no good in this non-metallic environment. Fortunately, she wouldn’t need it.

  Taking slow, deliberate steps, Linda entered the next room. A long console ran along the right wall, and four chairs grew up from the floor like flat-topped mushrooms. The rest of the room was empty. Walking over to the console, its white surface looked as dead as the place felt. She reached out and pushed on the chair closest to her. It felt solid.

  “I dare you to sit on it,” Peggy said.

  The sudden loud noise of her voice made Linda flitch. She looked back to give Peggy a blank stare. She then looked down at the stool-like chair and decided it couldn’t do any harm to try it out. Sliding in front of it, she sat lightly upon it. The chair seemed to sag under her weight, and Linda lost her balance to land fully atop it. The chair reacted just like those on the ship to form around her and provide a comforting position.

  Linda was looking down at the chair when the face of her helmet reflected blue light. Looking up quickly, she could see a holographic image of the planet and everything around it appeared. It also showed the Brontum sitting on the landing pad. Nothing appeared to be moving anywhere around the planet, which confirmed what TR17 had noted.

  “TR17, can you hear me?” Linda asked, but she received no reply. Turning to look at Peggy, she said, “I suspect our signal is being absorbed by the building's walls.”

  “That’s a very likely theory.”

  Turning her attention back to the display in front of her, Linda tried to determine what the purpose of the holographic presentation meant. “Do you think this is the control center that TR17 was trying to communicate with earlier?”

  “That would be my guess,” Peggy replied.

  The detail within the holographic image was absolutely stunning. Linda leaned forward and lightly touched their ship’s image with a gloved finger. She had expected it to shimmer from the disruption of the projection, but instead, the touch created an instant listing using strange symbols that didn’t make any sense to her. Even though she couldn’t read what was displayed, Linda knew she had just activated a characteristic readout of the ship. She touched it again, and the readout disappeared. She hit it a couple more times while feeling like a child playing with a light switch.

  “Are you having fun,” Peggy asked.

  “For the first time since I stepped off the ship, hell yes.” Linda looked over at Peggy, who was shaking her head at her from inside the helmet. Linda smiled, and added, “Never stop acting like a kid, Peggy. The moment you do you’ll start feeling old.”

  “I’ll try to remember that.”

  Linda focused on the readout again. She tried to make sense out of it, but it was hopeless. It was just too foreign for her mind to comprehend. She did notice small squares that ran down the right side of the display that contained strange images within them. While hoping she wasn’t about to fire on her own ship, she pressed the first square.

  “Whoa!” Linda yelled out in surprise.

  The entire hologram changed before her eyes that now showed only the Brontum. It looked like a large model floating before her eyes. More alien readouts appeared all around the outside of the ship, and the same squares ran along her right, just below the ship.

  “Well, I guess we know what the first one does,” Linda said.

  The image of the ship provided compartmentalized sections, so Linda touched one of them. It enlarged to display what resided within that section. She could not have gotten a better view if she was standing within the compartment itself. The section that enlarged was where all their belongings were housed. She could see the plastic containers, the portable toilet and their food container. Pressing on the compartment again returned the projection back to the entire ship.

  “I’ve got to try this,” Peggy said, touching the next square in order.

  At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then they heard someone speaking. The tone was familiar, but the words were undecipherable.

  “TR17, is that you?” Linda asked.

  “Yes.”

  “TR17, I’m in the control room right now. There is no one here. Would the Kuracks ever leave this station unoccupied?”

  “This device does not contain that information.”

  “TR17, if I leave this option active, will we be able to communicate through it to keep in contact as we move around the building?”

  “Yes.”

  “TR17, please monitor this frequency in case we need to contact you,” Linda said.

  “TR17 will comply.”

  Feeling she had pressed their luck far enough by messing with the alien controls, Linda got out of the seat and headed for the opening at the opposite end of the room. Just as she reached it, she stopped.

  “TR17, are you able to track our moments within this building?” Linda asked.

 
“Yes.”

  “TR17, if we need your help finding our way back out, can you provide that support?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well that’s comforting,” Peggy said.

  Smiling at Peggy’s words, Linda stepped into the next room. It seemed more like an atrium. The wall before her ran in a long arc from the left corner to the right corner. The half circle was completely transparent and gave her and Peggy a wonderful view of a large area that looked like it was meant to be a green space. Most of the plants were covered in snow, hiding their colors within. Those that had been protected either by larger trees or the partial covering of the buildings’ overhanging roof provided a bluish-green color.

  Stepping nearer to the rounded wall, she gave the plants a closer inspection. They almost looked waxy, as if fake. The fact they were outside in the elements caused her to believe they were real, but it was hard to know for sure.

  Peggy leaned close to the transparent wall and said, “This coloring is representative of an acid-based soil. They may suffer from a form of acid rain, too. That waxy coating may be a natural defense against it.” She then turned her palms up to look at her gloves. “It’s probably a good thing I had these gloves on my hands when I picked up the snow. If I’m right, it may have irritated my skin.”

  “You don’t think it would burn through our suits, do you?” Linda said. The sudden concern caused her to look down to study her boots.

  “It wouldn’t be that strong of an acid, otherwise these plants would have more red in them. I think it would be more like handling lye or bleach. These plants seem to thrive in it.”

  Having reached a dead end, Linda decided they needed to backtrack to try another opening. “Come on, let’s see what else we can find.”

  “It might be wise to send the TR17 flying around to see where everyone is,” Peggy said. “It can cover the surface of this planet while we tour this place.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Linda said. “TR17, I want you to take the Brontum into a search of the planet for where the Kuracks are currently residing. Report to me as soon as you find them.”

  “TR17 will comply.”

  Yeah, you better! Linda smiled at the response she wanted to say but held back. One of these days she was going to sit down with that device and teach it more ways to respond so it wasn’t as repetitious. Yes, Captain, you gorgeous hunk of womanhood you, sounded like a good start. Linda stifled a chuckled that would have carried over to Peggy.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Plon looked around at the other Controls that had been recalled from their fleet activity to meet with Supreme Kold. With the coming of the Supreme Blossom Celebration, it was the only time that each fleet gathered at the same time. The event was a time-honored tradition where a Supreme would shower her subjects with gifts for their service and present herself for all her subjects to admire. If a Supreme was ready to pick her future successor, it was always done during the celebration. Plon doubted if that would happen this time since Kold was so young. He figured she was closing in on thirty-five seasons now.

  The special square within the Supreme Complex used for meetings was packed with all seventeen fleet controls. Each of them looked eager to get this meeting over with and be on their way again. Plon couldn’t blame them either. No one really wanted to be in the same room with a Supreme any longer than absolutely necessary. As he continued to scan the faces, he wondered what Kold had in store for them now.

  The arrival of Kold brought Plon’s attention onto her. The room quickly went quiet in respect of her status. In her typical style, she arrived wearing a full-length, burgundy-colored, dress. The dress ran from her ankles to her neck with the slit up one side that ended just above the knee. There was no doubt in Plon’s mind that she was all business this day.

  They locked eyes as she passed, but Kold failed to show anything other than recognition he was in the room. She quickly passed by him to take up a spot at the head of the long, rectangular table. In her usual grace, she sat lightly upon the chair.

  With a single slow and elegant nod, Kold indicated to the others that they may be seated. The room filled with the sounds of chairs rolling across the hard floor when they were pulled away from the table. It didn’t take long before everyone was sitting quietly to hear what Kold was going to request of them. Plon knew it would be a request because a Supreme would not have called them all together just to play host.

  “Welcome.” Kold slowly nodded her head in recognition of everyone as her eyes swept the table. “I am thankful that all of you have returned safely to partake in the celebrations tomorrow. It gives me great pleasure to award your crews for the wonderful work they do each and every day to bring greatness to all Curanians. Your sacrifice that takes you away from your homes is never taken for granted.”

  Plon glanced around the table. Everyone looked at Kold with expressions of attentiveness, but he suspected there was mass criticism going on in hidden thoughts. Not a single one of them would be foolish enough to think that Kold gave a klidspit about any member of their crew.

  “I have called each of you here to discuss your next assignment once the celebration is over. Plon has discovered an outpost for the species that so badly mauled the Ciat and her support ships.”

  The fact that Kold deliberately didn’t mention Nage’s name wasn’t lost on Plon. It made him wonder if she recognized that her making an example out of Nage had not sat well with the other Controls. He felt she was trying to avoid letting that mistake slip into the minds of the others.

  “The technological capabilities of this species offer the Curanians great growth. It is because of this that I am redirecting each of you to separate sectors around that outpost to find the location where they truly reside. We will use the might of our Curanian fleets to find them, and when we do, we will strike with such a force unlike anything ever witnessed in Curanian history.” Kold again swept her eyes around the table to study the reaction of each person.

  Plon wanted so badly to ask her why they didn’t reach out to them and offer a partnership, instead of spilling more Curanian blood, to take away what this other species produced out of their own creativity. It would have been suicide to do so, unless he got lucky enough for the other Controls to speak up and support him. Fat chance of that happening. He knew that the memory of Nage’s body dangling from that pole outside Kold’s square would remind them all not to cross a Supreme.

  “Your assigned areas will be sent to your ships shortly. All fleets are to depart at first sun following the celebration. The search will continue until we find them. Are there any questions?”

  Heads all around the table looked back and forth to see if anyone would speak. The room remained quiet. There wasn’t really anything to ask. The Supreme had given her orders, and the Controls would carry them out. What was left to ask? Maybe the real reason why Supremes were constantly attacking helpless cultures and stripping them of everything they can offer.

  Plon had been looking down at the reflective surface of the table as he worked over his thoughts. When he looked over at Kold, he noticed her studying him. The sight made him hope that he had not carried his disgust on his face. He had already faced her ability to manipulate him once for her pleasure. He sure didn’t want to face it to feed her displeasure. Who really knew what evil resided in the hidden squares in this very complex—other than the Supreme herself, of course?

  Giving Kold a nod as if agreeing with her decision, he watched her look away to glance around at the others. Whatever thoughts she carried remained hidden behind her emotionless expression and steel eyes.

  Kold got up slowly and gracefully. She nodded to the group as a whole and then left the room in a slow pace. Plon watched the others admiring how her body seemed to flow with each step. He could see their eyes dropping to stare each time her leg popped out from the slit in the side of her dress. Yeah, you should see what the rest of that body holds for anyone lucky enough to place eyes upon it! Plon felt a wicked smile come to
his face.

  Once Kold left the room, the noise level picked up as side conversation ran wild. Plon had no stomach for it and left. He had a sudden urge to get up to his ship and out of the reach of the Supreme. If she did detect some reservation in his expression, he surely was not going to remain in the complex where she could get her hands on him. There was safety on his ship, and he couldn’t get there fast enough.

  Exiting the square, Plon tried to make a quick departure, but he didn’t get very far. Standing off to one side was Kold. She had her arms folded across her chest. “Plon, I would like to talk with you before you leave. Please follow me.”

  The desire to turn and walk away ran strong, but Plon knew he wouldn’t get far, and he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing him cower in fear. He was a Control, and as such he would face whatever was about to come with dignity. When Kold turned to walk down a corridor, Plon dejectedly followed her. The dire feeling of the moment overshadowed any pleasure he could obtain by watching her figure in motion.

  As he looked back, he could see the others filing out of the square. None of them seemed to notice him disappearing down one of the many corridors that defined the maze that made up the entire complex. Turning back, he just avoided running into Kold, who had stopped. She ran her hand over a hidden sensor that he couldn’t see. A door that he never knew existed opened inward to expose a stairwell leading upward.

  Kold grabbed a handful of dress and pulled it up to expose her feet and lower legs. She then ascended the stairs without fear of tripping. When she reached the top, she released the material and the dress fell back into place. She ran her hand across another hidden sensor, and the door opened to her personal square. The sight made him wonder if that was how she disappeared and reappeared in her sleeping square when his troopers showed up.