by Ben Winston
“Sir, they went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and we had our questions answered. Yes, there was information they withheld, but they told us that there was and told us why they wouldn't talk about it. I don't trust easily, Sir. So I can't answer your question with a definite yes. However, I do think that, considering the circumstances, this is our best and safest option.””
Gerent looked at Arivan. “Do you have anything else to add?”
Arivan looked at the man. “I know we don't always agree, Captain. But that's what makes us the best advisers for Elrond. That being said, if you knew what we know, I'm certain you would agree that this isn't just the best option available to us, it's the only real option we have left. Yes, I do trust these people. I trust them not only with our lives, but with our future and our children's futures.”
Gerent looked at her for a long moment before nodding and turning around. “People. You have all chosen to follow us this far and we have done our best for you and yours. I for one, don't need to hear anymore and I don't think any of you do either.”
He was answered with several people nodding agreement. Jorga noticed that he was looking at certain people in the crowd. She was a little nervous when he turned back and looked up at Elrond.
“You said we had a lot to do; shouldn't we be getting to it, Captain?”
Grand Council Chamber
Command Pod Alpha One
25 Apr. 10266 CE (AD)
Sector 34871 - Great Inland Sea
Earth, Sol system
“I know it's getting late, folks, so please bear with me. As per our earlier agreement, I have ordered the relocation of the pirate enclave. We are setting up appropriate housing facilities for the refugees as we speak. I do not yet have a time line for this operation but I am told everything there is going very well.
“Neither of the two space ships will fit in the internal hangers of the base, but Mother has assured me she has the facilities to house them and keep them from being detected from the surface.
“However, we still have one remaining question before us, before we can call it a night. What to do, if anything, about the Ranger team. Currently, General Greenwold has located the Commander and can be set up to extend our invitation as soon as she arrives at the Great Falls site,” Ben replied.
“Councilor Brent Wemas of Pod four-three-six-five-alpha would like to be heard.”
“Thank you Mother, Councilor Wemas?”
“Thank you, Prime. Brothers and Sisters, I would advise great caution here. We are basing our decision on what we know of human nature. Commander Halst is human, yes, but she is as alien to us as the Hyclarion are. She is also duty bound to report us once she returns to her ship. By inviting her here and presenting our evidence to her, we are risking everything.
“We are hoping that she will see the wisdom of aiding us in our claim of this planet and of accepting the proof we have gathered about the Duke and the people called the Pirates. There is no guarantee that she will be inclined to do anything like that. She could simply call in a strike force and destroy all of us for aiding and abetting the criminals.
“This decision, more so than all the others combined, has the potential to end all that we have built here. We have had no dealings with this woman, or with the HRO. We have the assurances of both Captain Coir as well as Addson Dee that Rangers are fair and just. However, they must, first and foremost, uphold the laws of the Empire or they would be ineffective in their duties.
“I agree that we must do something and I have no alternative to offer you, but I can't help but feel this is a gamble we should not be taking. Perhaps if she were offered a meeting at a place other than one of our pods?”
“That would probably be better, Councilor, except we don't have another place other than our Pods, unless we use a military base, and I'm loath to let her see any of that just yet,” Ben replied. “However, I can understand your concern, Councilor. Does anyone have a suggestion for an alternative meeting place?”
“Councilor Carlyle wishes to speak.” Mother intoned.
Ben turned to that monitor, and nodded. “Do you have a suggestion, Councilor?”
“Aye, Prime, I do,” she replied and took a moment to gather her thoughts. “Seems to me that bringing her hither, would have been done through yon base anyway. 'Tis it not the only point of egress ye have?”
Ben nodded. “Yes, it is. If we brought her down here, she would have to come through the base to get here.”
“Aye, then she would be a seein' the base anyway, or at least the part of it you would allow her tah see. We are told that yon Rangers are very conscious of honor. Yet trust upon honor can be carried to extremes. I would put forth to ye that we bring her to yon base, but prevent her from observing the true bulk, whilst escorting her to a room where our plea can be presented while minimizing the risk to us as a whole.
“I grant that there is still considerable risk in this venture. Aye, Councilor Wemas has the right of it there. But, there is not much else available to us in the line of options nor is time on our side in this.
“Consider well, what yon great lizard will do when he learns that yon Rangers are departing without his dupes carrying out his orders? The safe retreat of yon Rangers will no doubt be a cause of worry to him. Perhaps he will do something rash that we are not prepared for,” she suggested.
Ben looked thoughtful, “Yes, that has been one of my concerns as well. He has to be getting very nervous by now. Mother, would you please relay a question to Jorga at the pirate base and ask if the Duke has tried to get in touch with Elrond?”
“At once, Prime. However, I feel I should mention that I have been monitoring their computer and communications systems. There have been several attempts by an unknown source to contact Elrond directly. These attempts are consistent with previous communications by the Duke of Cassius, however, until there is a connection, I have no way to isolate the origin.””
“Prime Council, This is Jorga Bedouin. Elrond has been notified that the Duke has tried several times to contact him. For now, he is simply ignoring them. He has asked me to inquire if he should treat them differently,” Jorga's voice issued from the hidden speakers in the room.
Ben looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes, if he would, have one of his lieutenants accept the communication and imply that Elrond is not available because he is out attempting to follow the Dukes orders. I imagine the Duke will make threats and generally throw a tantrum, but there really isn't much he can say if he believes that his orders are being followed. That should buy us enough time to get their people to safety at least.”
“That was one of his suggestions, too. I'll be there, so I can record the conversation into Mother's memory. Elrond thinks that since it won't be him - personally - making the connection, we'll be able to trick the Duke into giving his authorization codes, thus verifying his identity. It's a long shot, but it'll sure help as far as evidence goes,”” Jorga replied.
“Excellent. Thank you, Jorga. Be safe,” Ben said, dismissing her.
“And you, Prime, Councilors,” Jorga replied and clicked off.
“Okay, so we're going to invite the Commander here for a chat. We'll take her to the base, but limit her exposure to it. I'll speak to her, and I'll limit the information I give to her until I'm sure she can be trusted with it. Do I proceed?” Ben asked.
“Nay, you do not,” Councilor Carlyle said before the voting could actually begin.
“Excuse me?” Ben asked.
“Brothers and Sisters, please forgive my breach of protocol by speaking out of turn. However, I feel a major alteration to the Prime's suggestion needs to be made. It should not be himself that is exposed to this woman. We should choose a representative to speak to her on our behalf.
“My ken is that yon Prime is of far too much importance to our survival to risk in such a manner. He is our leader, and granted he is but one among many, however, we all know he is not to be placed in danger any more than the rest of us
. Aye, less than the rest of us I would wager, for 'tis this man alone that has full and complete knowledge of us and our new society. 'Tis this man alone that our people look to for guidance and stability. Aye, we are their leaders, but he is an icon to our people. One that must be protected.”
“I second this motion. You are too important to our people to risk in this manner, Prime,” Councilor Yoshi agreed.
“If not me, then who would you suggest? None of you are close enough to get here in time, and no one else has full knowledge of what's been going on,” Ben replied.
“The lovely Deirdre would be the ideal one. She has a unique ability to endear herself to her audience, and still manage to get the message across. I grant ye, that she isn't expendable either, but for this, I would say she is the right person for the job,” Councilor Carlyle said.
“If this is your wish, I will of course summon her immediately. However, if you feel that this task is as dangerous as you are implying, I find I am not willing to agree with you,” Ben looked down at his hands. “For the moment, I'm not speaking to you as Prime but as a friend. I love all of my family and would kill to protect them. If I lost any of them, it would devastate me. I do understand your concerns in this, but if I can't be protected in the middle of a military base, then I ask you all, where is safe?”
Chapter Six
“We got two Aces and a Lady, keep your eye on the Lady.”
- Con-Artist
Great Inland Sea shore
Sector 5634 (Delta Quad)
25 Apr. 10266 CE (AD)
Earth, Sol system
For a semi-tropical area, the breeze off the Great Inland Sea was brisk. Deirdre shivered and pulled her jacket around her closer. Of course, it could have been nerves for what she and Gail were about to do. She looked at her companion. Gail seemed to be calm and collected. Deirdre wondered how the woman could do it.
“Aren’t you even a little nervous, Gail?” Deirdre asked. Since it was only the two of them on the beach, it really increased the alien feel of the place even though it looked mostly familiar to them.
Gail smiled. “Of course I am; but I have the option to convert it into worry about you. If something were to happen to you, I don't think I would even bother to return to the base! Besides, I'm wearing armor; you’re not.”
“Is that why you don't feel the chill in the air?” Deirdre asked.
“Probably. This armor is pretty amazing. I wish we would have had it before the fall; a lot of my friends would have made it back,” Gail said sadly.
“Yeah, but isn't it always like that? I mean what having just that shuttle would have meant if we had it in World War II?" she indicated the craft sitting on the beach behind them. "I'm sorry for your loss and for the men and women that have died, but I can't help but feel if they hadn't, then we simply wouldn't be here. Life always seems to find a way to balance the scales in almost every situation.”
“That's very true. Even if we had this armor back then, someone would have sold the designs to someone else, so the enemy would have had it too. I remember watching an old movie before The Fall. In it, a strange 'storm' transported a 'modern' nuclear aircraft carrier back in time to December 6th nineteen-forty-one. Once they finally figured out what was going on, they launched everything they had against the Japanese fleets. Before they could engage and change the past, the storm caught up with the ship and her planes, returning them all to their own time. It was a pretty strange movie," Gail replied.
“It sounds interesting, I'll have to look it up when we get back,” Deirdre said. “Do we have any idea when the folks we're here to meet will be in the area?””
“Should be pretty soon. Mother said they were getting ready for departure when we left, so they should be getting to the Great Falls site anytime.”
“Are we sure that thing will get their attention?” Deirdre asked nodding toward the stubby looking rocket. “That site is kinda far away.””
Gail chuckled and nodded. “Oh yeah, if they have any sensors at all on that ship, this will get they're attention.”
“Without them thinking we're shooting at them?” Deirdre asked, concerned.
“It's totally benign. It's really just a modified signal flare. This one just happens to emit more than light. It'll pop up about a half-mile then stay there while it does its thing. Nothing to worry about,” Gail explained.
“Okay, will it get anyone else's attention?” Deirdre asked.
“Probably, but I highly doubt anyone else will even attempt to respond. Remember, the Duke ordered the Rangers killed. He'll probably think this is a trap for them. If he decides to respond, it'll be slow in coming. By then, we should have a pretty good idea about what's going on,” Gail replied.
“The patrol vessel is entering the target area, General. You may launch the missile at any time,” Mother said over the comm link.
“Thank you, Mother. Okay everyone, heads up; its show time!” Gail said and pressed the launch icon on her control unit.
A hundred yards down the beach the stubby rocket shot straight up so fast it was a blur. However, once it reached the distance Gail had mentioned, it burst into a bright light that rivaled the sun. Deirdre blinked and looked away.
“Vessel has changed course and accelerated; ETA now thirty seconds... mark,” Mother reported.
“Wow that was fast!” Deirdre said.
ER/SAR Command and Control ship Tiderius
Sector 3421 (5 miles south of the Great Falls crater.)
Terral III, Duchy of Cassius (Earth)
Hyclarion Imperial Consortium
“Task Commander! There is a flare in the sky near the shore of the Great Inland Sea!”
“Alter course for intercept, stand by to launch armed skimmers, ready the troops,” TC Warmake ordered.
Ranger Commander Jance was impressed with how quickly the crew replied to his orders. She had little doubt that elsewhere in the ship, the six armed skimmers were already manned and ready to launch.
Warmake turned to his companion. “This is an odd move. That flare has to be for us, since we are the only ones out here. Do you suppose the pirates want to talk?”
“Such an action would only get them to the gallows faster and they know it. No, I agree this is for us, but I don't believe it is the pirates. Either way, we are going to find out shortly. May I recommend a full spectrum scan of the entire area as we approach?” Jance offered.
Warmake nodded. “You may. I am leery of this; it feels like an ideal trap and we know the pirates have the weapons to bring us down. Somehow, I doubt My Lord Duke will respond to our distress call with all due haste.”
The big being then turned back to his console to issue orders and make the report back to his control base.
Seeing as the Task Commander was busy, the scanner tech, having finished her scan of the area, reported to the Ranger standing next to him. “Scans complete, Commander. A small, highly camouflaged armed shuttle that is unoccupied and two human females one of which is wearing a sidearm, standing on the beach. They appear to be waiting for us.””
“No other life signs?” Jance asked. “Weapons status on the shuttle?”
The tech shook her head. “Hundreds of life signs in the tree lines, Commander. Nothing unusual considering the area. The shuttle is powered down and the weapons appear secured. There certainly isn't any power to them.”
“Well done, thank you, Officer,” Jance replied.
The tech hesitated a moment. “I don't know if its relative, Commander, but the weapons on that shuttle are archaic and of a design not seen in centuries. However, the camo-screen on it is really good. I doubt we would have found it if we hadn't been meant to. The shuttle itself is of a design we can't identify at all.”
Warmake had been listening and raised his overly bushy eyebrows in question. “Just two humans and an unidentified, ancient shuttle? Now, I'm really nervous about this.”
“Very unusual, indeed. The question for the moment is; are these more pieces
to the puzzle, or will this help us fit them together?” Commander Jance replied. “Huh, they're not wearing breathers.”
“We are about to find out; either way, we have arrived,” Warmake said, getting up and heading for the door.
Great Inland Sea shore
Sector 5634 (Delta Quad)
25 Apr. 10266 CE (AD)
Earth, Sol system
“Well, it's too late to chicken out now,” Deirdre said, more to herself than to Gail.
Gail chuckled. “It was too late once they got into the area. They would have detected the shuttle leaving.”
Deirdre smiled at her. “Smart ass! I just hope this works.”
They watched the big ship maneuver into a landing on the wide beach; it was a tight fit. A ramp lowered from under the front of the ship and six people walked out. Four of them spread out as if guarding the other two. The two in the center, a woman in armor and what looked like a huge man, wearing different armor, were focused on Deirdre and Gail. Deirdre smiled as she noticed that the woman and two of the guards were wearing respirators. The woman would be the Ranger that Elrond was supposed to take to the Duke.
Addson had coached Deirdre to memorize the word 'translator' so when she held out the device the visitors wouldn't panic. Really, the device was just an open comm to Mother.
Deirdre and Gail advanced down the beach toward the newcomers so as to meet in the middle. Deirdre showed them the small device, and said what it was. After turning it on, she explained. “We have not yet learned the language you call 'standard', so I had to bring this device with us. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
Jance bowed her head in acceptance and made introductions. Deirdre introduced herself and Gail.
“How is it you do not know the common tongue?” Warmake asked.
Deirdre smiled at the alien, since it was now obvious he certainly wasn't human. “There is a long story behind that, but suffice it to say, we are not from 'here'.” She said it in a way as to make sure the word here was emphasized.