“Yes, yes. It’s all attached to my suit, Lieutenant.” He indicated several items mounted on the pack and attached to the helmet. “I hope we can get a good look at them. It will make a massive difference to our understanding of their culture and needs.”
“Quite. Very well, board the launch please. Marine Bryson will show you where to sit and how to secure yourself properly for launch.” He glanced to where the Canid stood. “Pack Leader Regidur will brief you as we go in.”
“Oh, great. I’ve wanted to talk to him for a while now, but never had a chance. Is it okay to ask him some questions?”
“I have no objection, but he may choose not to answer you. Please respect his wishes.” He waved the young man toward the launch and then followed.
As the senior officer, Harry boarded last, the hatch closing behind him as he took his seat behind and between the helmsman and the pilot.
“We’re clear for launch, sir.”
Chapter 15
Predator and Prey
“Beagle and the others have entered transit, sir.”
“Good.” Harry drew a deep breath. “Now we wait. The Siddhiche expect these Niburu to return, and will guide us from there. Hopefully we will see them, but they will not see us.”
“With you on that one, sir.” The Warrant Pilot looked over his shoulder to where Du Bois and the large Canid were apparently in conversation. Behind them sat four Marines, all evidently asleep in their EVA suits, though the helmets were open. “Wish we knew how this shield works, sir. My instruments can’t detect it. We just seem to be sat here in plain sight.”
Harry nodded. He’d had the same feeling. “I think we just have to trust the Siddhiche, Warrant. Are you ready for when they appear? We may have a very narrow window for this.”
The Warrant looked dubious. “Ready as we can be, sir.” He hesitated. “What do you think these people are after?”
“I don’t know, Warrant, but I’m wondering if they have had something to do with the disappearance of the inhabitants of Kepler Four, and of that one where we found the underground city.” Harry paused. “If they have, then we need to know if they are the aggressors or the victims.”
“Didn’t like the look of the feller they got on the probe camera, or the one on Surveyor Two, sir.” The helmsman jerked his head toward the researcher. “Hope he isn’t planning on trying to get to know one up close, like.”
Despite himself, Harry grinned. “If he is, he’d better think again. I rather think Mr. Regidur will have something very forthright to say about that, and so will I.”
They stiffened as a light flashed on the console. “Hell, that thing must be huge, but I’m damned if I can see it.”
Harry studied the readouts on his console. “It must be practically on top of us. Look at the gravitometer. It’s registering less than half of what it should be, and the seismometer is registering changes in the moon’s crust far beyond the normal upheavals in this phase of the orbit.” He braced himself. “Activate your suits. Our visitors have arrived.”
“There it is, sir, rising just above the horizon.” The Warrant Officer let slip an expletive. “F*ck me. I hope they can’t see us.”
A voice came from the headphones of Harry’s helmet.
“Trust us.”
The familiar pressure behind his eyes formed, and Harry leaned back. “Lift us off, please, Warrant. It’s time to see who they really are and what we face here.” He turned in his seat. “Mr. Du Bois, are you recording this? You might want to link your recorders to the launch’s sensors and displays.”
“On approach now, sir,” said the Warrant. “F*ckin’ ’ell! Sorry, sir. Look at that thing!”
“Watch your heading, Jan, and your mouth!”
The Warrant Pilot manipulated his controls. “Where do you want us to go, sir?”
“I’m not sure, but it will become apparent. Keep us close to its underbelly. I expect it will launch something to board the derelict. When it does, I will know where we must go.”
“This is fantastic!” Anton Du Bois said gleefully, grinning like a kid on a theme park ride. “Look at the way it seems to have accreted so many different elements, and the size of it! Who could build such a massive ship—and how? It’s magnificent! We have to find out more so we can prevent anyone from exploiting them.”
The Warrant Pilot gave Du Bois a look that spoke volumes, and Regidur growled in agreement. Harry cut in quickly. “I rather think it is we who might be in need of protection if these ships are hostile, as the Siddhiche seem to be trying to tell us.”
“I’m sure you’re wrong, Lieutenant,” argued the over-eager researcher.
Harry didn’t like his patronising tone, but only his stone-faced expression conveyed his displeasure.
“Why should we assume they’re hostile?” Du Bois continued. “We have no evidence to support that at all.”
“No evidence?” Harry said, his tone a bit more aggressive than he intended. Remembering the Commander’s admonishment to maintain self-control, he paused to take a deep breath, watching as several unusual craft detached themselves from a section of the giant and veered away in the direction of the derelict. “Steer us closer to where those ships dropped away,” he said to the Warrant Officer. “Let’s get a closer look at their docking arrangements.” He turned back to Du Bois. “I’m not sure I’d agree with you on the evidence. The complete absence of all large life forms, and the inhabitants of the cities on Galapagos K-4 and at DWR 1477-Vogon, both seem to be linked to these ships in some way.”
“But it doesn’t prove anything. These ships could be the survivors of a catastrophe.”
“True. And they could as easily be the cause of it.” Harry stopped as the launch lurched.
“Something has just grabbed the hull, sir. We’re being pulled toward that…thing…whatever it is.”
“It’s an entry port. Cut propulsion.” Harry pondered the situation. “Curious. They seem to think we’re one of theirs.” He adjusted his view and watched as the device drew them toward the other ship. “It looks almost like some great tentacle.” He registered something else. “Strange. There seems to be a very thin atmosphere around us.”
“This is a violation of the Protocol, you know.” Du Bois sounded almost triumphant. “We’re interfering with an alien culture we don’t know or understand.”
“True, but we could also argue that they have interfered with us.” Harry was getting tired of the researcher’s excitement. The man simply didn’t seem to understand that they were in trouble with or without their precious Protocol. “Sergeant, we’re about to dock. I don’t think we’ll have to fight them because they seem to have accepted us as one of their own for some reason. When we disembark, I want everyone to stay together. Is that clear?”
“As a bell, sir,” said the Sergeant. The others chorused their assent as the launch came to rest with a slight bump.
Harry watched as a strange extrusion extended itself from the main hull and explored the launch. When it found the access hatch, it spread itself and covered the opening, then adhered completely to the hull.
“This is the part of the plan I am not particularly happy with,” Harry said, “and I suspect we now have little choice but to see what awaits on board.” He eased out of his seat and moved to the hatch, and as he did so, he felt the pressure behind his eyes again, as the voice in his earphones declared, “They will see you as their own, but do not attempt to engage with them. I will guide you to what you must see, and then you must withdraw.” Harry blinked in an effort to regain his thoughts, slowly becoming aware that Du Bois was talking to him.
“I said, I insist on being the first off this shuttle! I must record everything before any of you interferes with them.”
“No!” Harry snapped. “You will stay with the Sergeant, and you will not do anything unless I tell you to do it. The Siddhiche have brought us here for a reason. We will not attempt to engage anything we meet, nor will we touch anything or take anything away.
Is that clear?”
Du Bois opened his mouth to protest, but the Sergeant cut him off. “The senior officer is always last to board and first to disembark, mister—no exceptions. That’s the Fleet way, see. The Lieutenant knows what he’s doing, an’ that’s a heck of a lot more than I can say of your lot so far.”
The warrant pilot joined Harry at the hatch. “Right behind you, sir. We’ve got your back.” He glanced at Harry’s face through the visor. “Had another message from them Siddhiche, sir? You look a bit shaken, if you don’t mind me saying.”
“Yes, to your question,” Harry said. “They want us to see something, and they say that we’ll be seen as the creatures that crew it. How did you know?” He stood aside as the Warrant operated the hatch. When he saw a pair of Marines bracketing Du Bois, he gave the Warrant a knowing look and a slight nod as if to say good thinking.
The Warrant brought his helmet into contact with Harry’s. “Sorry, Lieutenant, but I don’t want to use the link. Twice now you’ve gone funny like, and both times we’ve had a surge in the comms circuits.”
“Ah. I wondered.” Harry stepped back as the hatch swung inward, then ducked awkwardly in his suit to peer into the tubular tunnel that extended from the launch. It sloped upward, and the light was low. He couldn’t see what lay at the other end, partly because of the light. He bit his lip. Well, he thought, I don’t seem to have a choice. “Here we go then. Stay close, and remember, no attempts to engage anyone we meet, and definitely no contact with them.” He glanced knowingly at Du Bois then directed his command to the Sergeant. “Remember the Protocol. It forbids any interaction with any new species we encounter, and this is a new species.”
“Understood, sir. We’ll cover you, and we’ll look after Mr. Du Bois, sir.”
“Then here we go.” Harry ducked through the hatch and stepped onto a surface that felt spongy underfoot. The tunnel walls had a slight sheen. He moved forward with caution, aware that his crew were following. “Mr. Du Bois, make sure you get video of everything we meet, please. I believe it will be extremely important to have that information in our report.” He didn’t add that he’d already had the researcher’s video recorders linked to Beagle and to the launch’s recorders so there could be no skulduggery.
“You can be certain of that, Lieutenant.” Du Bois sounded petulant, but Harry chose to ignore his tone.
“Thank you. I’m relying on you to make a complete record, Mr. Du Bois.”
At the top of the curve in the tunnel, the party stopped, as they were now facing a large compartment that put Harry in mind of the interior of the great mounds built by ants. The bulkheads contained multiple cells and curved on both sides. A large wide passage led forward, which seemed the logical direction to take, so they cautiously entered it, joining a number of other creatures moving along it. At intervals, other tunnels opened to the right or left, each curving upward with a slight incline. The light was dim, and it seemed to come from the walls themselves.
Harry pointed out a group. “Have you videoed these, Mr. Du Bois? There seems to be more than one species present.”
An exclamation caused him to turn his head in that direction. A group of much larger creatures advanced across the space with disciplined precision. Harry heard his companions’ sharp intakes of breath and felt his own stomach twist. These were the creatures they had glimpsed on the now destroyed probe camera and on the video drones placed on Surveyor Two.
“Oh sh*t!” The exclamation came from TechRate van Doorn.
“Watch your mouth, Jan.”
“Sorry. Jeez, what are they?”
“Soldiers of some sort. Come on, let’s follow them.” Harry began to move, and the others, after a moment’s hesitation, followed.
“I hope like hell your Siddhiche have us covered, sir, or we’re in so deep.”
“So do I, Warrant. So do I.” Harry could feel pressure in his head, but it was different in some way. “Keep close. Try to behave the way they do.”
“These Niburu are fascinating.” It was Du Bois, practically at Harry’s elbow in his eagerness. “We must try to make contact.”
“Under no circumstances!”
“But...”
“No. Remember your Protocol. We are here to see something specific, and when we have seen it, we will find a way out. We are not here as diplomats, or to collect samples, or to fight, or to do anything to alert them to our presence.” Harry’s mouth set in a grim line.
The creatures appeared to be armoured, or they possibly had an exoskeleton of some sort. They walked on four multi-jointed legs and had four upper limbs. The head had the most hideous mandibles Harry had ever seen and was crowned by what looked like a number of compound eyes.
In silence, they followed as a tight group, though Du Bois broke rank several times in an attempt to record the features of some of the other strange creatures they passed.
“I’m not sure who or what these creatures are, much less which of these are the Niburu.” Harry glanced at a group they were passing. “These seem to be unlike any of the others we’ve seen.”
“You’re right, Leader, and none of them show signs of awareness.”
“Good observation, Regidur.” Harry studied a creature that emerged from a side tunnel and marched mechanically toward them on six legs. It paid no attention to them at all and gave every appearance of being under the control of some other agent. Ahead of them, the armoured soldiers stopped. One advanced on an alcove just out of sight. Extending its upper limbs, it manipulated something, and then the others advanced. Tentacles lashed out and dragged new figures into view. These were clearly human in shape but wrapped tightly in cocoons of some silky material.
Du Bois darted forward with his video camera capturing the entire scene. The boss is gonna love this, he thought with a wild-eyed grin.
“Get back here, Du Bois!” Harry commanded. “Damn that man,” he muttered under his breath.
Before Harry or anyone else could move, one of the creatures turned, its malevolent mandibles twitching in anticipation, and a long tentacle lashed out and seized Du Bois.
His blood-curdling screams seemed to go on forever as they jammed the comms.
The other creatures turned and advanced methodically toward the group.
“Marines! Ready.” The Sergeant’s voice was calm and level. “Twelve to four. Make them count.”
“Hold your fire.” Harry spoke with more calm than he felt. “Try to act as if we’re the same as the creatures we passed. Don’t draw attention.” He watched the advancing figures. “We should move about aimlessly, as if we’re confused, but make for the opening over there.”
“That’ll be a challenge for your lot, Mike,” the Warrant Pilot quipped. “Off a drill ground, your natural state is confused!”
“Should come natural to you then, Rijs,” The Sergeant’s tone was light.
Regidur said, “They stop, but they take Du Bois with them.”
“We’ll have to recover him, but they have more of our people in those cells. We have to consider what we can do to retrieve them.”
“All clear, sir.” The Sergeant had his men in the side passage.
“Very well. Regidur, can you see where they’re going?” Harry paused as a strange voice came through his headphones.
“Follow. He must be retrieved. Leave the other captives. They are beyond your help.”
“Very well, but I have a request. Please allow the others to hear you as well. It is very difficult for them to simply believe that I am hearing directions from someone I cannot see and they cannot hear.”
“They hear us now.”
Harry took a quick look at his companions. “Sergeant, did you hear that last message?”
“We did, sir. Who is it?”
“It seems the Siddhiche have found a way to communicate. I think it is one of them.” He indicated the main passage. “They want us to retrieve Mr. Du Bois, but they say we can do nothing to rescue the other people they’ve captured.”
Harry made an observation to the Warrant Pilot. “There is something strange about the behaviour of these creatures. It is as if they are controlled by some mind other than their own.” He shuddered as he recalled the experiments in mind control performed on him in the Johnstone Laboratory on Pangaea. If this was something similar, all these creatures were aware of their surroundings and everything that was happening to them, but they were unable to resist any instructions they were given.
“They give me the freaking creeps, sir,” said the Warrant Pilot. “What do you reckon’s wrong with them?”
“I think they must be under some type of mind control, but I don’t wish to speculate on that—or to find out.”
The pilot shot a glance at Harry. So some of the stories about his treatment at the hands of the Consortium researchers must be true, he mused. “As you like, sir. What do you want us to do?”
“Let’s just follow them for now. Sergeant, watch our rear, please. We may need to withdraw, and finding our way back to the launch could get tricky.”
“In hand, sir.”
Something moving among the other figures caught Harry’s attention. It was smaller than the creatures in its group, and it seemed to be leading them. Harry noticed other groups moving in the same direction or at work in the side chambers, and he realised similar creatures were with each party, but they were not with the soldiers.
“They turn aside.” The voice of Regidur pulled Harry’s attention back to the soldier group.
“Very well. We’ll walk past the turn and see where they go. If they continue on a new passage, we’ll follow. If not, we’ll see what they do. Perhaps we will have an opportunity to retrieve Mr. Du Bois.”
“Have you noticed the oxygen levels, sir? They’re the highest I’ve ever seen. Any fire in here will be spectacular.”
Harry checked. “Thank you.” He cursed silently. “Sergeant, using a plasma burst in here is likely to cause an explosion. We’ll have to be careful how we defend ourselves.”
Awakening Threat Page 14