WE HAVE CONTACT (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 12)

by Michael Anderle

  Turning around, she saw Coach and Adarsh pushing something past the cafeteria’s door and started walking that way. She waved good-bye to Kris who was working on something at one of the tables.

  Those two were always good for a laugh, and since she had no coffee, she needed something funny to help her mood.

  ReaLea was walking along the corridor and waved to Coach and Adarsh as she headed towards the cafeteria. She was about ten feet from the door when Bree came blitzing out of the room, headed after Coach with a look of determination on her face. ReaLea stopped, looked at the Cafeteria door enticing her to come and enjoy the food within and then back to her friends. She rolled her eyes and turned around to follow Bree, “This had better be good…”

  G’laxix Sphaea

  “Kiel, this is the bridge, the Captain says one solar hour, is your team ready?”

  Kiel clicked the microphone on his helmet, “Yes, we are doing last minute testing of our equipment, sir.”

  “Understood,” the click in his ear signaling he was alone with his thoughts again. Kiel didn’t want to screw up this mission. He had personal conversations with Royleen, and now he was getting excited about the possibilities for the discovery. Apparently, this species could mine in outer space and had capabilities that allowed them to live and survive. While Royleen was still unsure if they were lucky idiots or idiot savants, he did admit the early indications from the research missiles they had released while traveling around the system were looking good.

  They might have struck it rich in this system. It was out of the way, the Kurtherians weren’t here, so this world wasn’t previously claimed by the only other group that would make their King hesitate, and they could Annex it with first rights.

  As far as Kiel could tell, his Captain was honest and wouldn’t do something to lessen the crew's shares when they arrived back at Yoll. If everything went as it looked like it should, in less than a standard solar year he would be independently wealthy.

  The first of his family in total control of his destiny.

  Unless Captain T’chmon asked him to join another research/scout operation. If he did, Kiel would be the first to sign up.

  Life couldn’t get better than it was right now for someone of his caste.

  —

  Coach and Adarsh were locking the new data acquisition device down when Bree spoke over the group's comms, “Coach, update please.”

  “The same as three minutes ago, Bree. We are outside, in space. I have mere millimeters of protection between my ass and vacuum. If that doesn’t make a man pucker up, I’m not sure what will.”

  “Pucker up?” Adarsh cut in, “I thought that was a phrase for when a man asked a woman to kiss him?”

  Coach smiled as the laughter from Bree and ReaLea came over the group's communications, “No, Adarsh. Detroit did you say?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “I’ve simply got to see your neighborhood. In this case, it means my sphincter can’t possibly get tighter due to worry about losing atmosphere.”

  “Oh. Ok, I get it.” Adarsh said, then added, “might I add that is atrocious visual imagery you provided. I will not be able to erase that now.”

  This time, Coach joined in the laughter.

  Minutes later, the two were finished, and they started their trip back to the hatch to cycle through to get inside the station.

  Syria

  “Where are we going?” Hamza called out to Yasin. The two of them grabbed the poles around the bed of the truck when it dropped into a particularly bad hole in the poorly graveled road.

  Yasin moved back onto the wooden bench, his rifle between his legs, “Near the Syrian border. Someone is up there digging without an official permit from the Antiquities Division of the Diwan of Natural Resources.”

  “Why do we care if they dig in the ground? We have others to take care of.” Hamza asked, trying to cushion the ride with his legs as best as he could.

  “Money, it is always money at the end of the day, Hamza.” Yasin answered, “Don’t forget we cannot allow desecration in our lands, either.”

  “How did we even find out about this in the first place?” Hamza asked, particularly annoyed with having to make the trip.

  “Rumor has it the leaders were tipped off,” He turned to look at his friend, “they say there are Americans in the group.”

  Yasin’s eyes grew large in surprise, and then a grin split his face, “Yasin, why didn’t you start with that? To kill American dogs is what I have been asking to do for over a year.”

  Hamza lifted his hand up, “High-five brother!” The two laughed until the truck hit another pothole and both bounced painfully off of their seats. Yasin laughed at Hamza’s pitiful efforts to curse the driver of the truck and his ancestors.

  Outside Tal Ajaja, Syria

  It was getting close to sundown when Robert came over to Terry. He was helping Melissa review some of the items they had uncovered so far. Terry looked up, out of the pit they were in to his old friend who motioned for him to come up to speak to him.

  Terry turned back to call into the dark hole, “Melissa?” He heard her curse.

  “What?” she called back to him.

  He smiled, she could never remember to keep her head down. Even with the hard hat he tried to make her wear, she regularly hit her head doing something stupid. While she was insanely intelligent in almost anything archeological, she was field-dig-stupid. Seems the only time she had been out on digs, they had been open pits with tent poles and large coverings to protect them from the sun. Nothing inside of dark holes.

  “I’ve got to go up top for a moment to speak to Robert. Don’t do something stupid while I’m gone, ok?”

  “What the hell can I do stupid in a hole in the ground?” She asked.

  “Probably grab a rock that drops everything above you, crushing you to death comes to mind,” Terry replied.

  Her contrite “Oh” was the best he was going to get from the academic. Terry turned and used the ladder to get out of the hole. Close to the top, Robert held out a hand to pull him up the last two steps.

  Terry beat the dirt off of his pants and raised an eye when Robert didn’t say anything but waved Terry to follow him. The two of them went fifty feet away, then around an outcropping.

  “What’s up?” Terry asked, “We have unwanted visitors?”

  “I think so,” Robert admitted.

  “Think?” Terry said, “I thought they could count the hairs on a camel’s ass. Why are we qualifying if we have visitors or not? Dammit, Robert, we can’t be guessing on whether we are going to be up to our sweet puckering assholes in Islamic fundamentalists with attitudes and weapons here. What’s with the waffling?”

  “The government wag is saying that nothing is on the radar or the spy satellites.”

  “Is he right?”

  “Yes,” Robert admitted, “There are no large groups of vehicles coming in this direction. But, I saw a couple of images with groups of two and three from different areas heading in this direction.”

  Terry put his hand up to his face and wiped his brow, “You think they know the U.S. is involved?” Robert nodded, “Aw, fuck. I don’t know why the wags won’t learn the jackasses get sneaky as shit when we are involved.” Terry looked out over the land, “How much time?”

  “Based on what I’ve seen? We might have visitors as early as the morning.” Terry nodded as Robert continued, “What, if anything, do you need to do with your materials?”

  Terry took in a deep breath and sighed before looking at Robert, “I’ll have to make a call and ask. Look, if we are going down the shitter and you make the call we need to use my ace-in-the-hole, I will. Just remember I’ll be sent pretty far away because of it, alright?”

  “Down the river?” Robert asked, surprised.

  “Down the river, over the waterfalls, out to the sea and then drowned I imagine.” Terry grimaced, “No, it won’t be that bad, but I will have to get out of Dodge, get me?”

  Ro
bert nodded, “I’m sorry, but if we’re going to lose people, I’ve got to call it.”

  Terry smiled and shrugged, “I expect nothing less, Robert. No one needs to die if we can help it, but just make sure we need it, ok?”

  Robert nodded and held out his hand, “Once more we face Hell together, let’s be as successful as last time, ok?”

  Terry smiled and shook his hand, “Kill them all…”

  Robert finished as they shook under the waning sun, “Let God sort them out.”

  Yollin’s Force

  “Captain, we are on station, awaiting permission to start our flight.

  “This is Captain Kael-ven T’chmon - permission granted, Kiel, good hunting.”

  Kiel was surprised, it was rare for Captains to issue the authorization personally, “Understood Captain, Kiel out.”

  It was time to see what their ship had found. He had been at a table listening to those with more experience when younger telling a story about when they found a civilization that had backbone. The alien’s subjugation was glorious! The stories were still shared to this day.

  Perhaps he and his team would be able to come back with a story or two.

  —

  “Why are we rushing?” ReaLea asked Bree, both of them jogging to catch up to the two men.

  “Red!” Adarsh shouted over his shoulder as he followed Coach into his lab. Sure enough, as the ladies turned the corner, they noticed three different monitors had red symbols up on their screens.

  “SHIT!” Coach exclaimed as he dropped into his chair, putting his helmet aside. “Adarsh are we sure about these readings?”

  Adarsh set his helmet down and dropped into a chair behind Coach, facing the opposite group of monitors, “Give me a minute, Coach.”

  “We ain’t got a damned minute!” Coach snarled, “Give me your best guess in ten seconds.” Coach punched up Penn’s number.

  A second later, his voice came over the speaker, “So, Abbott and Costello made it back ok?”

  “Abbott and Costello think we are about to be under attack,” Coach shot back.

  “What?”

  “The new detector is saying we have an anomaly approximately five hundred kilometers away from us in the opposite direction from the Moon, and several small somethings are lying doggo between the two of us.”

  “Are you sure?” Penn asked, his voice getting calmer.

  “No, not yet.” Coach admitted. Barely finishing his answer before the station-wide alarm started going off.

  “What the hell, boss?” Coach asked, “I told you we weren’t sure.”

  “Time for a surprise station drill, Coach.”

  “Got them!” Adarsh called out, “And shit!”

  “What shit?” Bree asked.

  “It’s working, they’re real,” Adarsh answered.

  “Well, that cuts it,” Penn said, “Give me an idea of how long before the visitors arrive?”

  Adarsh answered behind Coach, “Two minutes, they just took off.”

  Coach heard the phone click and a second later Penn’s voice was speaking over the alarms, “This is Station Commander Penn, we are under attack. Repeat, this is Station Commander Penn, We are Under Attack. This is not a drill. All Guardians, suit up. All secondary personnel, acquire station approved weapons. All civilians, please move to escape containers nearest your location. This is NOT a Drill.”

  —

  “Interesting, Captain.” Scientist Royleen commented. He was up on the bridge of the G’laxix Sphaea watching, listening and available should Kiel need any recommendations of which of these species they should grab. Melorn had been able to provide plenty of images to the Scientist, so he was well versed in the alien’s physiology.

  “You are going to have to give me more to go on, than just interesting Royleen.” Captain T’chmon said as he hit two buttons on his chair’s armrest, changing the view of the hologram in front of them.

  “The readings in the lower right-hand corner are the vibration calculations. The station has vibrations now all over.”

  Captain T’chmon touched a button, “Kiel, something tripped them up. They are possibly aware of your arrival.”

  “Kiel here, we are almost there, Captain. They cannot possibly be prepared for us. This will be a smash and grab.”

  —

  “Cafeteria area!” Coach grabbed his helmet, turned and stepped around the ladies, “Stay here,” he told Bree and ReaLea as he stepped through the hatch out of his workroom.

  Adarsh grabbed his helmet.

  ReaLea turned to Bree, “Did he just tell the little ladies to stay behind?” Her eyes narrowed in anger. “As a previous officer of the law, I think I should be…”

  “These are aliens, they probably want females the most,” Adarsh said as he walked by the two, grabbing a knife on his way out.

  “They better not want this woman,” Bree said, “I haven’t had any caffeine yet, and I’m a real bitch without my caffeine.”

  “They always say,” ReaLea said as she started out of the lab, “that admitting your problem is the first step.”

  “What’s the second?” Bree asked, following her friend.

  “Grabbing a weapon and beating the shit out of anyone pointing out your problem,” ReaLea said as they headed towards the cafeteria.

  —

  Kiel’s craft slammed into the side of one of the containers, sealing the hole quickly with a gel which expanded and froze in the vacuum until it locked in place. The outer shell would jettison when they left, leaving the punctured area to close up, but slowly. Anyone in this area when they left could possibly die.

  The alarms went off in his helmet as the horrible metal screeching sounds occurred, their tools opening the puncture for them a little further. Royleen wasn’t positive at the proper speed to impale the fragile looking station without his people slamming out the other side in their craft.

  That would certainly mess up their mission.

  The alarms changed tones. It was time to go hunting.

  —

  John Jensen had been returning from a workout session, protective guards still on his shins and forearms when the alarm went off. He turned and ran back into the training room, grabbing a long staff and then taking the protective padding off of the tips with a quick rip. Turning around, he ran back outside almost slamming into Coach and Adarsh coming down the hall, “What the hell, Coach?”

  “They are attacking this area; we just don’t know where, yet,” Coach panted.

  “You aren’t up for this, Coach.”

  “I’ve been fucking up people since before you were born, John. Let’s see if I’ve got another couple in me, shall we?”

  Coach turned, surprised when another three of the Guardians came around the corner, going behind John who answered Coach’s unasked question, “They are grabbing weapons.”

  Coach followed the three guardians, “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN