"No, it doesn't." Hernando frowned. "An outpost this large occupied by Earthmen doesn't make sense, either. Could they have smuggled in their workers through another Portal?"
Caveman stood in the aisle and raised his hand to speak. "Keep seated everyone, until I'm done. Not knowing who our hosts are, I think it wise that just a few of us disembark at this point."
"Councilor, shouldn't we go back?" a timid voice called out.
"No, we've come this far, and we need to know what's happening. We've been assured by our pilots that there's a return trip to Penumbra City within six hours, but if you want to leave at this time, it's understandable. We have enough airships. Some can stay the full visit and others can return right away. By a show of hands, how many are willing to stay the full six hours?"
Olivia raised her hand and turned about in her seat. About half had raised their hands while several others looked ambivalent. Only a small percentage appeared genuinely concerned.
"All right. More than I thought, but it's better only a few of us exit the airship first to see what we're up against before allowing the rest to follow." He looked about the cabin and nodded at his security personnel to stand. Olivia's heart plummeted. They were few in number.
"We can't allow Caveman and the ruling council to enter a potentially hostile situation with so few security guards," she whispered to Hernando.
"Agreed." They exchanged looks and stood. "We volunteer for security duty, Councilor."
Caveman nodded. "Thank you, Ambassador and Olivia."
Olivia tilted her head and winked at Hernando as they filed out behind Caveman's entourage. "You didn't ask me my opinion first, but thanks for speaking up."
Hernando winked. "You want to be in the thick of important things, don't you?"
"Definitely. One thing, though, neither of us has a weapon other than our wits."
"Perhaps it's the only kind we'll need."
Caveman cut down the number of the first group to ruling council members, their closest aides, and scientist advisors. The Clan Alpha leadership insisted they accompany the group as well. Caveman stroked his chin as he considered their request.
"If these people work for you, you might be useful, but if they don't..." Caveman shrugged. "You could become a target for ransom. Is it worth the risk?"
Moreau, as spokesperson for his kinsmen, nodded. "Yes, it's worth it. We are responsible for the safety of the entire planet. If we've been used by the Earthlings we trusted, then we demand the right to confront them."
"All right. Only verbal confrontations, however. We're not prepared to fight a war."
Before exiting the airship, Caveman confirmed departure details with their pilot and radioed the other ships to tell them to keep their passengers aboard until he gave the all clear signal. A security officer issued a baton to Olivia and one to Hernando. They hadn't been given permission to carry other kinds of weapons onboard the aircraft.
"Not a very hospitable bunch—no one has come to meet us yet," Hernando said, following Caveman and the others down the gangway. Once on the ground, they scanned the horizon, trying to decide the best direction to take to enter the base.
"No signs telling where to find their front office, either. It's like a ghost town, but that doesn't explain the vehicles we saw from above." Olivia frowned. "Something about this place isn't quite right."
"It's quiet—too quiet." Hernando turned about as they strolled toward what looked like a possible headquarters building. "We didn't imagine the movement we viewed from the air. Why isn't there any on the ground now we've landed?"
They walked on another few yards then Olivia froze in place. Hernando halted beside her. "What is it?" he asked.
"I don't know what it is, but I sense something." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "We're walking into a trap."
The others stopped as well. "The dark mass ahead... What is it?" Caveman asked his science advisor, an Overseer of advanced years named Krax who had managed farms for her Pure Blood masters for many decades.
"It looks like a large swarm of insects, sir. The kind one sees on Earth." She pulled out a text from her satchel and thumbed through the pages. "Here it is. In my study of Earth agricultural parasites, I believe they're called locusts."
Olivia gulped. "Locusts? We need to get out of here."
"Don't be so quick to go," came a deep male voice broadcasting from a hidden speaker. "We've been expecting you. Welcome to the first of many bases we hope to build on BloodDark."
"Who are you?" Caveman demanded. "What gives you the right to build any bases on our world?"
"I'm Colonel Alfred North, representing Earth's United Nations Space Agency. We have every right to protect our own world from the invaders you've lured into our part of the galaxy."
"Invaders?" Olivia blinked. The dark mass ahead grew closer. "You've got it backward, Colonel. The Pure Bloods have been trying to discourage the Kloog from coming to this area of the Milky Way. It's in their best interest not to be discovered."
"The Kloog? Interesting name. Our intelligence operatives didn't give the invaders' name, but they did inform us of how vast their fleet of spacecraft could be and how aggressive they were."
"It is true, they possess vast fleets, but our pact with Earthlings is a private one," Moreau interjected. "In exchange for technology and expertise, we of Clan Alpha promised to repel any and all aggressions by the... ancient enemy... toward Earth as well as BloodDark."
"Yes, it was a kind offer," North replied, "but human beings prefer to do things their way. Your people's track record of taking from Earth for centuries without asking permission first doesn't lend itself to trust, I'm afraid."
The details of the mass became more distinct as it came closer. Olivia gasped. She knew what they were now. They weren't actual insects, or Krax had termed locusts, but biomechanical ones.
"Are these your nanobots?" she asked Moreau.
He nodded. "Yes. They should obey our commands."
Moreau turned to his father, and they discussed the situation before his father pulled a palm-sized device from his travel bag and pointed it toward the swarm. Nothing happened. He stretched out his arm and tried again, shaking his head in disbelief. The swarm continued its march. The small mechanical creatures surrounded what appeared to be a driverless vehicle the size of small school bus featuring a large glass-domed top.
"It appears Colonel North wants us to take a ride in his shiny new transport." Hernando pointed at the oncoming vehicle with his baton. "Do we take him up on his kind offer?"
Olivia gripped the baton in her hand and gave it a nervous twist. "We're at his mercy. I've read my share of science fiction. He's probably got those metal locusts set to strip the skin off our bones."
"Please enter the vehicle when it comes to a complete stop," Colonel North's disembodied voice instructed. "It will take you to my location. Don't worry. It's safe."
The clear bubble top rolled back for them to enter the self-driving vehicle. No one moved.
"It's not the mode of transportation which worries us, but the owner," Caveman shouted over the growing din of the approaching nanobots. "How do we know we'll be safe when we reach wherever it is you are?"
"I give you my word you'll be quite safe once you're in the vehicle and once you're at my location. What I cannot guarantee is you'll be safe if you remain standing where you are."
The meaning in North's words became all too clear. Olivia screamed as a nanobot ran across her feet and then another and another...
Chapter Twelve
Within minutes, everyone stood knee deep in chattering mechanical locusts.
"Everybody into the vehicle!" Caveman cried. "Now!"
He helped the older members of the group get in and take their seats, then gestured for the security entourage to enter as well. Olivia exhaled a long sigh of relief as she hopped into the bus. The nanobots detached themselves from her legs and dispersed as the clear dome extended over the top and the driverless vehicle turned
about to take them to Colonel North's headquarters.
"I can see this becoming a ride at an amusement park back on Earth someday," Hernando quipped.
Olivia grimaced. She was still shaking from the experience. "It's not funny. We were almost crushed by multiplying nanobots."
"I know, I know." Hernando put an arm about her shoulders. Olivia relaxed. "Somehow, I have to make light of this situation for it to make sense to me," he explained. "Having spent time on both worlds, I think we can see how the misunderstanding began."
Olivia looked askance at him. "Misunderstanding? I'd say it's bigger than a simple misunderstanding. We have Earthlings terrified of a threat from outer space because the Alphans let slip they needed some help fixing a large weapon to protect their world from an invasion fleet."
You can't blame humanity for being suspicious of the Pure Bloods' true motives, either. They've abducted thousands of us throughout history.
True, the terrors of the past cannot be erased overnight. Healing will take time, Hernando acknowledged. "Whether or not there is an invasion fleet on its way or not, it's the lack of trust between humans and Pure Bloods in this time period which has caused this situation—a lack of trust over a misunderstanding of the actual threat."
"Say what?"
"The Alphans trusted Earthlings enough to share their dilemma but not their fellow Pure Bloods. By misplacing their trust and not trusting their own kind, they put themselves into a vulnerable position, even more vulnerable than suffering an actual Kloog attack."
"Once again I'm right." Olivia sighed. "Humans are more dangerous than any bug-eyed monster we'll ever encounter in the universe." She leaned closer to him and whispered, "How do we get this Colonel North and his people to believe the Kloog aren't the threat they've been made out to be and return to Earth?"
"Good question." The vehicle came to a halt outside a nondescript block building which appeared to be a bunker half-buried in the sand. "We'd better come up with a quick answer, because it looks like we've reached our destination."
The dome rolled back and all exited the vehicle. Caveman took the lead, insisting on being the first into the building. He tugged on his jacket lapels, reminding Olivia of many a great leader. It brought a smile to her face.
"Now, now, there's no use getting everyone killed or injured if this place is a booby trap, so I'll go in alone. I'm more than willing to risk my life and cause an interstellar incident at the same time." Caveman winked. "Just be certain to avenge me in a manner fitting the Chief Ruling Councilor of BloodDark."
"We certainly will, Councilor." Hernando winked back. Caveman grinned and headed toward the entrance. The jovial moment faded, and the group soon grew silent.
"Maybe we should go back to the city and retrieve an ancient exoskeleton weapon?" Olivia suggested to Hernando. "I recall how Caveman enjoyed stomping about in that giant suit of armor with built-in blasters. Maybe we could use them to stomp those nanobots into dust, too?"
"We'd need thousands of those suits to crush that many locusts." Hernando shook his head. "This place appears twice as large as what we were originally told by Clan Alpha. What is it with humans and thinking 'bigger is better'? A very small Portal device is capable of teleporting items across the galaxy, and it doesn't advertise itself to the competition, either."
"Stay small, stay stealthy?" Olivia chuckled. "As my mom says, 'The only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys.'" What would she say about this place? Overgrown boys acting scary to keep the bug-eyed monsters away.
You miss your mother. Hernando smiled. I miss her too—especially her apple crisp.
Will we ever be able to return to Earth after this? Olivia glanced about the maze of construction happening around them, all of it being accomplished by robots ranging from the size of a grasshopper to the size of a giant earth hauler in a strip mine. Has humankind made the biggest mistake in the galaxy by stealing the Pure Bloods' technology?
I hope not. We'll see.
The submarine hatch-like door of the bunker swung open. Caveman popped his head outside. "It's safe enough to come indoors. You might not like what you see, but it is what it is."
The group made its way into the bunker, single file. The security personnel dispersed throughout the crowd, and Olivia ended up near the front of the line and Hernando in the middle. They entered a long, dim passageway sloping downward. It reminded Olivia of photos she'd seen of World War II bomb shelters, and she supposed it was patterned after their design. The protective device sat on the surface, but its operators could huddle down far underground during an attack, safe and sound.
Caveman spoke the truth when he said they might not like what they saw. Olivia didn't. The command center buzzed with activity. She recognized several of the women officers working at consoles as having traveled to BloodDark with her and the other vampire mail order brides. She suspected other technicians accompanied the so-called "archeological expeditions" which had claimed they were going to dig near Penumbra City.
Perhaps the most telling were the cliff dwellers who ran the airships. She recognized their distinctive garb, a cross between North African and seventeenth century Caribbean pirates. They appeared to be a part of the family here. She watched several in Bedouin-like garb coordinating the transportation of parts and people from the desert's edge to the facility. It appeared there had been no need to bring many military technicians and scientists through the Portal from Earth since the robots did all the hard work and the locals cooperated as well.
A tall, broad-shouldered man with boyish good-looks exited a side office and crossed to the center of the large space. His auburn-brown hair and round, freckled face didn't fool Olivia for one second. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, she knew who he was.
"Welcome. Welcome to BloodDark Base One. I'm Colonel North. I apologize for meeting under these circumstances, but we were given very little notice you were coming." He crossed to Caveman and offered his hand. "You must be Charles Caveman of the Ruling Council. A pleasure to meet you, sir."
Caveman Charlie considered the offer for a long moment. The disdainful look he flashed at the colonel made Olivia think Caveman felt shaking North's hand could spawn another crop of locusts. She bit her tongue to keep from laughing. Their handshake was short and perfunctory.
"I suppose your contacts within the airship pilots aren't always as accurate as you'd hope?" Caveman's remark hit a sore spot. He chuckled at North's frown. "Well, it's to be expected. This is BloodDark, after all."
"Yes, it is. Contracts are handshake deals, we've learned." The colonel turned to members of Clan Alpha. "We've not met, but I've seen photos of your kinsmen who had dealings with Mr. Grundfest. I see the family resemblance." North offered his hand, but Moreau and his family members turned away instead. "Sorry to have offended you. It's nothing personal. I'm just doing the job my superiors set out for me to do."
Caveman crossed his arms. "What would your job be, exactly?"
"To make this weapon operational so it can protect both Earth and BloodDark."
"For some reason, we aren't allowed to protect ourselves or ask for help at a government to government level?" Councilor Kai asked. She tilted her head back and looked down her beak-like nose at North, frowning and harrumphing. "Why should we respect a child who steals sweets from the jar before meal time?"
The colonel forced a grin, but Olivia could tell Kai had hit another sore spot. "Earth may seem young to an old culture, such as the original one which colonized this world, but it doesn't mean we aren't capable and willing to go the distance to bring peace and security to our part of the galaxy."
"So, you're saying we're unable to take care of ourselves? We are to be treated as shamelessly as you've treated other Earth peoples whose resources you've coveted?" Moreau spat out his words like bullets. "What honor does a conqueror have who cannot keep a confidence?"
The mood in the command center turned frosty. The military technicians tried hard to look busy at t
heir desks and consoles, but Olivia could sense many didn't like everything they were doing here. The chance to travel to another planet might be a prime motivating factor for taking this assignment, but taking over another society wasn't.
Colonel North chuckled. "Let's not quibble over how we came to be here. We're here now, and we're your friends."
Caveman crossed his arms and leveled a long stare at the military man. "Funny way of showing you're our friends by attempting to crush us in those mechanical beasties."
North scratched the back of his neck and shifted his weight back and forth on his heels. "No worry, I've deactivated the nanobots. I swear our motivations are honorable. We want to protect you from the Kloog." The Pure Bloods in the group hissed and cringed. "I apologize. Did I say something impolite?" he asked.
"Those who mention the name of the ancient enemy bring shame and evil upon themselves," Hernando said, approaching the colonel. "I don't believe I've met you before at the U.N. My name is Ambassador Hernando of the Clan of Lost Angels." Hernando gave a polite nod, and shook North's hand. "Why did the Security Council not inform us of this incursion upon BloodDark?"
"You'd have to ask my superiors, sir. I'm only acting under orders."
"Are you sure your superiors aren't working for Roland Grundfest instead of the United Nations?" Hernando asked, point-blank.
North bit the inside of his cheek and shifted his weight back and forth on his heels again. It was obvious to Olivia the question made him uncomfortable. Nobody liked being put on the spot. Perhaps he could be forced into giving up more information if he were kept on his toes?
"Is Roland Grundfest your real superior?" Olivia tossed the question out in the awkward silence. "It makes sense. He has a lot to gain from taking over BloodDark."
"I'm a colonel in the United States Army working for the United Nations Space Agency," North said, flashing the fake smile again. "I'm not working as a private contractor for any individual or corporation. Now, if you'll allow me to—"
"We weren't working with your government or the United Nations Space Agency, Colonel North," Moreau cut in. "We had a business contract with a private individual. The only way you would have known about this site and our technology is through this private individual, Mr. Grundfest. The contract we made with him was quite clear. If he sold or divulged any of our information to another party, then our contract with him would become null and void."
Olivia's Decision Page 11