Hastelloy held up his hand to administer a call for silence while he gave the matter serious thought. He took two slow bites of food from his bowl while he debated the arguments in his head. He let out a sigh and roll of his head to vent his anger for not seeing this situation coming.
“Ah damn,” Hastelloy groaned. “It makes perfect sense for the Alpha to infect Pharaoh. He would have insisted on the Alpha fixing the river and relieving the suffering of these plagues. Since they’re not really gods, they of course couldn’t comply so they did the next best thing. They shut Pharaoh up and distracted his followers by making the man critically ill.”
Gallono cringed a bit as he saw where Hastelloy was heading with his analysis. “And then Pharaoh’s illness gave them the perfect leverage to speed up the pyramid construction so it would be completed before the worst of the plagues hit. They’d be long gone before these people finally came to the conclusion that their gods were really a couple of impotent whelps.”
“First things first. Tonwen, what sort of disease do you think we’re dealing with here? Could it be contagious and possibly wipe out a large portion of the population?” Hastelloy asked.
Tonwen looked at his captain in disbelief and said in all seriousness. “How should I know? It is not like I had my medical pack with me and took a sample of his blood or gave him an in-depth physical. Like Valnor said, I looked at him from afar for five seconds before I nearly had my head lopped off.”
Hastelloy mentally reprimanded himself for walking straight into that comment. His confidence was shaken by having his carefully conceived plan suddenly falling apart. He wanted all the facts for his next decision. Hastelloy was so focused on the problem, he neglected to give the matter any logical thought as to whether the facts were even possible to get. Assuming his science officer could identify a disease with only a passing glance was ridiculous. Command responsibility sometimes meant having to make decisions based on incomplete information. Hastelloy needed to accept that reality at the moment.
Hastelloy didn’t want his little brain fart to affect the confidence his crew had in him, so he affixed Tonwen with a stern glare and replied flatly, “I’m looking for a best guess here, Tonwen, not a smart-ass remark.”
“Of course, my apologies Captain.” Tonwen responded in an adequately contrite tone before continuing with a working hypothesis. “I am sure you have read about the bioweapon the Alpha deployed in the fight for the Gamma system. Within a week almost all of the colonists were dead and their remains showed similar swelling around the body’s immune system glands.”
“I read that report a very long time ago,” Hastelloy confirmed. “That incident led to the first face to face negotiation between the Novi and the Alpha for thousands of years. It was agreed that bioweapons of any kind were banned from use during the ongoing conflict.”
“The captain’s right,” Gallono added. “Everyone had such high hopes for peace with those negotiations, but all it really did was set up some civilized rules for us to go about annihilating each other by.”
Tonwen looked frustrated at his theory being challenged by both men. “You asked for my best guess and that is it. I suspect every Alpha ship still has a few vials of the contagion as a measure of last resort.”
Gallono finished the last bite of his food and tossed his bowl aside in frustration. “Of course, why would we expect them to honor the terms of a treaty they helped draft and signed? The council is so gullible.”
“Let’s assume you’re correct and this is indeed the Yersinia Pestis bioweapon used in the Gamma system. Is the entire planet going to be dead in another week as the disease spreads, or can it be contained?” Hastelloy asked.
“It should be contained. The disease is spread by eating the flesh of an infected organism. If the Alpha wanted to wipe out the planet’s population they would have started by contaminating the lowest level of the food chain, such as a rat. Rats will eat each other so it would spread, and other predators eat rats, which in turn are eaten by other animals. Fortunately Sigma species is the highest rung on the food chain on this planet, so all we need to do is make sure Pharaoh’s body gets cremated and the disease will not spread.”
“Hmm, I have that part covered, I think,” Hastelloy commented under his breath. Raising his voice again, “The real concern now is with the accelerated construction schedule. The pyramid is going to be finished in the next couple days. The Alpha will make their final move by installing the control equipment in the main room, so I need to pull together our final attack plan.”
Suddenly the fat guard trounced into the middle of their conversation circle, kicked the bowls out of each man’s hands and insisted they get back to work.
Hastelloy was the first to stand up to comply. He looked back at the profoundly rude guard and said with a smile, knowing full well the man wouldn’t understand a word he uttered. “The joke’s on you, pal. I do my best planning while working up a sweat.”
The guard regarded the Captain like he had two noses and Hastelloy simply shook his head, nodded to his crewmen, and went on his way.
**********
Dr. Holmes stopped writing in his notebook long enough to ask a few questions. “What ever happened with the disease Pharaoh caught? Was it the bioweapon Tonwen suspected? Were you able to prevent its spread? Has modern science devised a cure for it, or is there a ticking time bomb out there capable of wiping us all out?”
Dr Holmes wanted to push this issue of mass death and destruction as hard as he could to see how far the patient was willing to take it. If he carried the fantasy of death and destruction too far it meant Hastelloy had serious issues to deal with other than just thinking he was a 10,000 year old alien.
“That’s a lot of big questions, doctor,” the patient responded with a knowing smile that turned Jeffrey’s stomach when he realized the patient knew what he was up to. “Let me see if I can respond to all of them in just as rapid a manner.
“Yes, it was the bioweapon. We did stop it at that time. There is a cure now so that particular time bomb is a non-issue. However, mankind got to know the disease all too well, but that is an entirely different story for another session.”
Jeffrey let loose of a sigh of relief that Hastelloy’s issues didn’t grow more complex than they already were. “That will definitely make for some interesting listening in the near future, but the story being told in the here and now certainly isn’t lacking in entertainment value.”
Dr. Holmes opened his hand and extended it, inviting the patient to continue his story.
Chapter 36: Capping it Off
Throngs of workers, guards, and soldiers alike gathered at the Pyramid’s base just past sunset to watch the crowning moment. For over a year, every man woman and child in the city dedicated their entire existence to constructing the monument. Whether they hauled stones, engineered the pulley systems, cooked the food, or simply stood and watched while keeping the workers in line, everybody felt an ownership in the pyramid’s completion.
Atop of a massive sand ramp extending from the quarry all the way to the pyramid’s peak, four overseers pushed the cap stone into place. 200,000 people stood breathlessly waiting for the culmination of their efforts to be fulfilled.
Finally, a faint thump came from on high and was quickly followed by a resounding roar from the overseers closest to the stone. A great cry of pride and accomplishment rolled down all four sides of the pyramid and washed over the crowd below. The monument was complete and the city was positively jubilant over the feat.
Hastelloy was among the onlookers, but his gaze was affixed on something else entirely. He observed that the flurry of activity around the main chamber’s entrance into the pyramid was no more; only a few sentries stood guard. Hastelloy was chomping at the bit to get into the chamber and make the final frequency alterations to the control module, but there were too many people in the way to make his move - until now.
Gallono followed the captain’s line of sight and affirmed what the ca
ptain already thought, “The pyramid and its control room are finished. The slaves will now spend the rest of the night sweeping away the sand ramp to make ready the monument for tomorrow’s ascension ceremony. The only people we’ll need to deal with to get in there and finish what we started are the guards.”
“I know,” Hastelloy confirmed, “but that only leaves us tonight to act. I hoped for more time to observe their security routines. Moving in without knowing their exact timetables and protection levels is a formula for disaster, but I don’t see any alternative. Do you?”
“Nope. Ready or not, we need to attack tonight. The problem is I don’t think the four of us can pull it off on our own. Just giving our guard the slip will be a major undertaking. I wish we had more time and help.”
Hastelloy whole-heartedly agreed. While he pondered the next steps, he surveyed the crowd around them and saw a woman he knew he could count on for assistance. “I can’t do anything about the timing, but I think I can help with the second item on your list. You go talk to Mosa and enlist her assistance. While you’re doing that I have a favor I need to call in.”
Without another word, the two men parted company and Hastelloy maneuvered his way towards a young woman who was hosting a very large frog on her right shoulder. As Hastelloy stalked towards the woman, he was annoyed with having to constantly brush swarms of flies away from his face. He noticed, with great envy, the young woman had no such difficulties since her companion was extremely effective at snatching flies out of the air in front of her. He admired the resourcefulness.
Hastelloy cleared his throat and prepared to utilize his limited vocabulary of the Sigma language as he gently tapped her on the left shoulder. She snapped her head around in startled surprise and came face to face with Hastelloy. At first she donned an understandable look of confusion toward the total stranger, but slowly the furrow of her brow and the lines around her eyes softened and then a broad smile lit up across her lips. She knew exactly who he was.
Hastelloy sheepishly pointed to the frog on her shoulder and said in his best Sigma dialect, “Good friend, no flies.”
“Not half as good a friend as you.” She took his extended hand and smothered it between hers and brought the mess of fingers and palms to her cheek. Realizing her actions might draw unwanted attention she released his hand and paused briefly to look around and make sure everyone around them was still busy celebrating the completion of the pyramid. “My name is Hathor, and you never allowed me to thank you for saving me from that rutting pig of a guard.”
Hastelloy didn’t comprehend most of her words, but he did understand enough from her body language to know she was thanking him. “I must . . . require . . . you to . . . help . . . now,” he stuttered.
“Yes, anything,” she beamed with pride at the prospect of helping her hero possibly rescue others.
“Danger,” Hastelloy said while giving here a concerned look.
Hathor didn’t hesitate with her second reply as she leveled a dead serious stare at him, “Anything.”
The woman must have realized he was not good with the language because from that point on she only used one or two word responses while speaking with an elementary vocabulary. It was crude, but effective enough for Hastelloy to enlist her help.
**********
Your dedication to completing the task at hand is commendable,” Dr. Holmes said to his patient. “How could you even take your eyes off the cap stone placement on the Great Pyramid? I’d give anything to observe that moment, and you’re busy setting an elaborate plan into motion.”
“It all depends on your perspective, my dear Dr. Holmes,” the patient said completely devoid of any emotion. “To you it’s one of the crowning achievements in all of human history. For me it was the completion of an instrument that could lead to the death of twenty million soldiers under my command.
“If successful the Alpha would return to their home world and within hours be back with a fleet of warships bristling with guns and revenge. They’d instantly locate the Nexus, complete their victory, and then assimilate another world into their war effort.
“With that in mind, I ask you, why the hell would I watch some silly hunk of rock get pushed about instead of doing my duty?” Hastelloy concluded angrily.
With the patient’s reprimand, Jeffrey involuntarily lost his posture and sank down into his chair ever so slightly. A moment later Jeffrey caught himself and corrected the behavior, but he took note of the effect Hastelloy’s commanding presence had on people.
Jeffrey supposedly had the mental edge as the presumed authority figure in the room, and yet he felt like a child compelled to obey a parent. He couldn’t quite put his finger on the specific cause. Perhaps it was a number of things: the patient’s unflinching jaw, an unparalleled glow of confidence behind the eyes, or simply the knowing lines around his eyes and mouth. They all worked in concert to convey he was the boss. Dr. Holmes didn’t know where it came from, but there was no denying that when Hastelloy turned it on, the man’s commanding presence owned everything around him.
A loud grumble from Jeffrey’s stomach pierced the silence in the room. Hastelloy broke his stoic stare to convey an amused smile, “I do believe I just heard a lunch bell ring.”
“Loud and clear, “Jeffrey replied. “I don’t want to interrupt our session though, so let me have Tara bring us something from the kitchen.”
“You’ll get no argument from me; my stomach is on the verge of vocalizing its displeasure as well,” Hastelloy said.
With that, Dr. Holmes stood and walked over to his desk and pushed the intercom button on his phone. “Tara, can you come in here for a minute?”
Moments later, the lovely twenty-five year old woman entered the office with a cell phone held to her ear. “Right, everyone will be in there then when I get home? . . . Sounds good. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Tara folded the phone shut and looked up. “Sorry, I had some out of town guests show up early and needed to tell them where my hidden key was to get into the apartment. It’s all settled though. What can I do for you, boss?”
“Hastelloy and I are going to continue our session over lunch,” Dr. Holmes said as he headed back to his chair. “Can you have two meals brought in please?”
“As a tip for my services, can I order a third meal for myself?” Tara asked sheepishly. “I left my lunch bag sitting on the kitchen counter this morning.”
“That’s going to be a lovely aroma to come home to,” Hastelloy added.
Tara let out a soft laugh. “There’ll be a bit of a mess I’m sure, but it’s going to work out pretty well in the end. I happen to have a pesky neighbor I’m just dying to use the little stink bomb on.”
“Hell knows no fury like a woman’s scorn,” Hastelloy observed with a chuckle. “You’ll need to let me know how that turns out.”
“Tara’s always good for some interesting stories,” Jeffrey interjected. “Now, shall we continue with your own?”
Tara shut the door behind her as she left the room to fill the lunch order.
Chapter 37: Joining Forces
“The reactor section is approaching the probe,” Julie announced to the control room.
It took just over two hours to close the gap between the two spacecraft. During that time the tension level in the room declined dramatically. Some people ate lunch in the cafeteria. Others read a book or went to the gym to work off some of the stress. Upon hearing Julie’s announcement the room collectively tightened up again.
“Let’s see what we have,” Dr. Kranz said. “Can you bring the docking camera up on the main screen please?”
Mark was probably the only person in the room to notice the subtle change in Alfred’s demeanor. During all the commotion of the rocket launch and reactor startup the flight director was very short and demanding with his instructions. The man recognized a sharp, crisp leadership presence was needed during a time of panic.
Now that everyone had time to digest the events, a softer,
more collaborative and encouraging leadership style was required. Alfred’s orders were phrased more like requests, enlisting cooperation from his team rather than obedience. The loose leadership style encouraged thought and innovation, two critical elements at NASA. Alfred definitely knew how to lead people Mark concluded.
The display blinked for a few seconds and then the flight path diagram was replaced by an absolutely stunning image. The probe appeared as a small dark shadow in the foreground with a field of stars and a haze of purple red and blue gas as a backdrop.
Like most people, Mark envisioned outer space to be a black void with a few stars here and there; that’s how all the sci-fi shows portrayed it anyway. For the first time he realized the universe was alive with colors that were too dim for humans to see through earth’s atmosphere. Mark wasn’t one to stop and admire the scenery very often, but this was truly a masterpiece that demanded his attention.
“All right, show’s over. Can you change the camera to thermal mode please?” Alfred asked.
Suddenly the inspiring image got replaced by a completely black canvas with a small bright red, yellow, and blue flickering object in the middle.
“Can you zoom in on the probe please?” Alfred requested.
The colorful object immediately grew to take up the entire screen. Everyone in the room let out a collective groan when they saw the probe was not flying straight and level. Quite the opposite, it was spinning out of control on all three axes. Watching the chaotic motion up close made Mark’s stomach almost turn inside out. One of the technicians sitting in the front row of workstations didn’t have as much control of his abdomen as he bent over and vomited in his trash can.
Mark looked around the room to see virtually everyone looking away from the screen to alleviate the vertigo sensation. Mark glanced up at the image once again and wondered how in the world they were going to put the two pieces together with that much random motion. They’d be lucky to even hit the right side of the probe, let alone slip two docking collars together that needed to be within a quarter inch up down, left or right of each other.
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