Exploration (Galactic Neighborhood Book 3)

by Alexander Elliott

  “The house slaves are being carefully monitored, but were not judged to be in the same danger as you. We will not allow any harm to come to them, and they will be rescued in due time. The Silestri plan to attack the Sol system in two days, but you need not worry over the outcome. Our ships, personnel, and technology are far superior to theirs, and the victory will be ours.”

  Glynnis submitted a question of her own.

  “What will the Silestri do when they discover we and the men are missing? Won’t it put the house slaves in more danger?”

  The soldier did not hesitate, and actually seemed to have a response already prepared.

  “You have our word the house slaves will be continually watched and kept from harm no matter how the Silestri respond. We have plans in place, however, to give us a bit of breathing room. If they should choose to visit Hathor, their scans will show the men are right where they left them. We have seeded the caves they lived in with devices which produce artificial human life signs. They will only know the men are gone if they physically enter the caves to look for them, which, we have been told, has never happened before.”

  “As for you, we intend to provide them with something of a mystery. After you have been taken from here, we will plant evidence of your ‘kidnapping’ by the two Silestri who are with you each day. Since it is obviously impossible for you to escape, they will conclude you were taken by those who have access to your quarters. We know where they are, and we will make certain their scents are strong here, proving they took you for their own nefarious purposes.”

  Glynnis admitted there was a certain satisfaction to implicating Vezmew and their guard, considering their part in the slaves’ treatment. In the dark recesses of her soul, she wished she could get her hands on the Sub’ords who abused them and make them pay for their crimes. If the upcoming battle went as badly for them as predicted, she supposed she would have to be satisfied with their deaths.

  It was too bad those deaths would probably be clean and quick. In her mind they deserved something painful and gory. Most of the women in this room would agree with her, she was sure, but there was no point in stirring the pot right now. They would have plenty of time later on to deal with those demons.

  With the major questions answered, the soldier advised them to gather together anything they might want to take with them. The women scattered to collect the various things they had stashed away, and to change into their work clothes and out of their service outfits. Glynnis took the opportunity to draw the soldier aside for a private word.

  “I take it your people on the ship are listening to everything we have been saying down here?”

  The soldier answered affirmatively, and Glynnis continued.

  “We have known for some time the Silestri removed the cradle from the ship before they destroyed it. Recently, a few of us found out they have not only been producing animal life forms from the genetic banks, but have also been creating human fetuses to...to eat. You must find a way to stop them and get the cradle away from here!”

  The soldier listened carefully to her story, but did not respond with revulsion or concern. It seemed not to affect her at all, and then Glynnis remembered she was not a human being. After a moment of silence, the soldier finally surprised her with an unexpected response.

  “Captain Sorrell wishes me to convey the following message:

  “Those slimy sons of bitches are going to pay for this if I have anything to say about it. We already have a team ready to go in and remove the cradle, but I will make sure they have the information you just disclosed. There won’t be anything of Earth left for them to experiment with by the time we get done. You have my word. Rest easy, Glynnis, we’ll take it from here.”

  The next few minutes were spent getting ready to go, though the reality hadn’t really set in just yet. When it did, Glynnis knew all of them would need some serious counseling if they were to ever live any kind of normal life. The promise of medical care when they reached Pacifica hinted their rescuers were already aware of the need, and Glynnis was determined to hold it together long enough to see her charges safely into the hands of her own kind before she let herself fall apart.

  The group was instructed to gather closely together in the center of the room. Clutching their meager belongings, everyone joined hands and waited silently. When the soldier told them it was time to go, Glynnis held her breath and watched a warm golden light sweep through the room.

  A moment later, she and the others found themselves in a clean, glistening hospital ward, surrounded by an all female crew of medical professionals. Some of the women broke down in crumpled heaps, sobbing uncontrollably where they fell. They were gently scooped up and carried away with soothing words and knowing glances. Glynnis helped identify each of the women by name, rank, and age before she herself was escorted gently to a diagnostic bed. She felt herself succumb to blissful sleep before the darkness in her soul overcame the joy of her rescue.

  Chapter 12

  “...and the performance of the EMR’s has been nothing short of amazing. Ensign Hearst has been monitoring the events on Bastet since his ship returned from Hathor. At the moment, all the captives rescued so far are receiving medical and psychological evaluations. Several required stasis therapy and are resting comfortably. I am told it may take some time before they are able to join the rest of the Exploration crew.”

  General Dana McClure was asked to provide a status report for Admiral Perry and his staff. So much happened in the last few days, it was difficult to keep up with the rescue efforts and a constant stream of new data. He took charge of the hastily assembled information network, and could not have been more pleased with their performance. Between the Vingah, Hound Dog, and EMR teams, he had a crackerjack crew who continued to deliver.

  “In a few hours it will be dawn on Bastet, and we plan on making first contact with the house slaves. At the same time, we will be monitoring the reaction of Prime Yarmew to the news that her plan to eliminate the sex slaves has taken a curious turn. The palace is already seeded with buoys who are watching everything and everyone, including the remaining slaves. Their safety is our primary concern now, and if necessary, we can pull them out at a moment’s notice.”

  Admiral Perry looked as tired as the rest of his staff, but they hung on every word of McClure’s report. His people were working miracles, especially considering how little sleep they were getting. Thankfully, they only had one more day to wait until the Silestri returned to Sol and engaged his ships in battle. He was confident of the outcome, but was never one to assume anything when it came to the safety of his people. No, they would continue to glean every piece of useful information up until the last minute to give his plan the best chance of success. Perry leaned forward across the conference table.

  “General, can you tell us about the status of the Silestri fleet and the plan to recover Exploration’s cradle from Bastet?”

  McClure anticipated the request, and so needed no time to prepare.

  “Certainly, Sir. Less than an hour ago we observed the Silestri fleet practicing maneuvers in the inner system. We counted fifty eight battleships and cruisers, as well as thirty three scout vessels. Except for a couple of tugs and service craft, their ship ‘graveyard’ is empty. As expected, they have put every available ship back into service and are running round the clock drills. Our observations reveal their abilities are improving, but they must be running with bare bones crews who are sadly out of practice. Once you add in the fatigue factor, and no live fire exercises, we believe they will be no match for us on any level. Prime Yarmew is not only aware of the deficiencies of her fleet, but is working under the assumption they will, in fact, fail in their mission to destroy us.”

  The officers around the table were taken aback by McClure’s statement, engaging in murmured side conversations. Perry remained stoic as usual, lifting one eyebrow before rapping gently on the tabletop. The conversations stopped abruptly, allowing McClure to continue.

  “Ther
e is an additional concern, Admiral, which came to our attention earlier today. We listened in on a conversation between Prime Yarmew and Dromew, the Sub’ord chosen to lead the attack. Mention was made of something our translators could not decipher. I took the liberty of sending a copy of the conversation to Birmew on Pacifica, and asked him if he could explain it’s meaning.”

  “Apparently, there are events in Silestri ancient history which describe the practice of warring with honor, the ‘Tok Choh’. When a warrior was faced with certain defeat, he was expected to fight to the death in order to avoid the humiliation of capture and subjugation. From what Birmew could tell us, Prime Yarmew has invoked the ‘Tok Choh’ for tomorrow’s battle.”

  Surprise and dismay registered on every face, amid expressions of disbelief and words not acceptable in polite conversation. Perry leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, while he thought about the ramifications of what he just heard. The only thing worse than an unpredictable opponent, was a desperate one with nothing to lose. Once again, Perry rapped on the table to quiet the conversation.

  “If they will not allow themselves to be defeated or captured, we can expect a very unconventional and dangerous opponent. We are going to have to engage them more cautiously than planned if we are to protect our people. At the conclusion of this meeting we will address this issue and find ways to ensure victory without suffering unacceptable losses. We are grateful, General, for bringing this information to our attention. If you would be so kind as to finish your report, we may both get back to the business at hand.”

  McClure nodded in agreement and continued.

  “As you say, Sir. A separate mission to Bastet will be launched shortly, focused on the retrieval of Exploration’s cradle. The gruesome revelation shared by Glynnis White fits the data we have collected so far. If they are, indeed, manipulating human DNA for such...purposes, we need to make sure to locate all the data, samples, and completed experiments before we remove the cradle from Bastet.”

  “We are duty bound to make certain there will be nothing left for them to experiment with by the time this is all over. We owe it not only to ourselves, but to Exploration’s crew. It is our understanding only four of them are aware of what has been done, and we agree it would be best to keep the information under wraps. The salvage team will also be looking at the best way and time to extract the cradle, and how to deal with the Silestri personnel they encounter. The cradle holding facility being built on Pacifica is nearing completion, and they will notify us as soon as it is ready. We will, of course keep you fully informed.”

  ####

  The Colorado slipped through fold space and settled into orbit around Bastet. Once again, Cole Hearst and the EMR were aboard, though this time as part of the salvage team. The ship hovered directly above the large nondescript building, nestled in a far corner of the main spaceport facility. It would still be dark for at least another hour, giving them time to track down anything which came from or belonged to the cradle.

  Captain Bolitz and Dr. Norcross were briefed on what they could expect to find down there, leaving both of them nauseous and angry. Cole went white as a sheet when he was told, but Bolitz warned him he would most likely experience far worse. He was not unsympathetic to Cole’s discomfort, but his duty was to prepare new officers for the dark underbelly of things which was part and parcel of a career in the service.

  With Dr. Norcross’ assistance, Cole made changes to the buoy’s scanning parameters. Not only would they be looking for any DNA with an Earth origin, they would also search for examples of human technology. Anything and everything the Silestri stole from Exploration would be taken away from them. This became almost as important as retrieving the cradle itself, and the team was determined to succeed. Once the buoys were ready, the command was given and they spread out across the large city to see what they could find. Nothing was to be disturbed on this first run, only identified and tagged for location. After the city was searched, the buoys would make a sweep through every major settlement on the planet, and then every ship or installation in space.

  For this mission, Cole was set up in Captain Bolitz’ ready room, providing both operational security and space for he and Dr. Norcross. There were some decisions Cole was not authorized to make on his own, so having the three of them work together made better sense. Cole was, however, somewhat uncomfortable having others looking over his shoulder and listening in on his interaction with the EMR. He knew this mission required a different approach, but he preferred to work alone.

  Preference, however, would have to make way for the realities of teamwork and close quarters aboard ship – something else he needed to learn and accept. The shell hovered silently in a corner of the ready room, awaiting final orders. It amassed a great deal of experience and knowledge on the first mission to Hathor, and was now much more life-like when using its human persona. This time, however, it was more likely to appear as a Silestri, if it appeared at all.

  The majority of this mission would be conducted in stealth mode, not only for security, but because of the Silestri’s superior sense of smell. The EMR gave off no tell-tale odors or pheromones, and could, therefore, do its work without being detected. On the other hand, if the EMR appeared in it’s guise as a Silestri, true Silestri would immediately notice the lack of scent, which would therefore raise the risk of detection or suspicion. At this point, the plan did not call for the EMR to appear as one of the locals unless absolutely necessary. Cole finished reviewing the EMR’s newly added programming, sent to him by a very weary Bax shortly before they left Sol. Both Bolitz and Norcross jumped in surprise as they suddenly discovered a very convincing Silestri lurking in the corner of the ready room.

  Cole gave them a half hearted apology and then began a routine conversation with the EMR using the Silestri language. The translator automatically rendered the words in English as they listened in, and in Silestri as he spoke to the EMR. He also needed to test the EMR’s ability to growl, hiss, and roar, though he did warn Bolitz and Norcross first this time.

  Thankfully, the ready room was soundproof, or the security detail would have wondered how a large cat managed to get aboard. As expected, Bax did an excellent job of incorporating the new abilities into the EMR’s database. Unfortunately, there was no time for further improvements, but the EMR would pick up all kinds of vocal cues, gestures, and other common behaviors as it performed its mission. With a final command from Cole, the EMR vanished and set about obtaining the information it was sent to collect.

  ####

  Prime Yarmew’s audience chamber

  Dromew flinched inwardly as the Prime roared in anger, pacing the dais in front of her reclining couch. He stood back out of her way, and said nothing while she vented her fury. The report came in shortly after daybreak, but was not the message she was expecting. As her senior adviser, he was aware of the plan to eliminate the pleasure slaves before the battle with the humans took place. When a search of their quarters turned up nothing but the scent of their guards, it was obvious the two quietly absconded with the human females in the dark of night.

  Where they went, or why they were taken was still unknown, and no one claimed to have heard or seen a thing. Yarmew’s plan was to eliminate them completely, not simply move them to another location. The humans seemed to have very capable scanning technology, making it likely the females would be found if human ships were to ever come to Bastet. Dromew believed it was extremely unlikely, but Yarmew seemed to think otherwise.

  In her fury, she still managed to issue orders to check on the other groups of humans, just to be certain. The palace guard confirmed the house slaves were all present in their sleeping chamber as usual. The ship she dispatched to Hathor reported their scans showed the human males in the caves they were known to occupy. The news had a calming effect on Yarmew, though it was clear she was still extremely displeased. She finally quit her pacing and spoke.

  “They cannot have gone far. The city will be searched until they are fou
nd. Once the battle is over we can expand to outlying areas if necessary. This...distraction is vexing, especially on the eve of our most glorious battle. By this time tomorrow we will have crushed the enemy once again. What word of the fleet do you bring me, Dromew?”

  He approached her and gave a small half bow.

  “All will be in readiness for the assault, Prime, as you have directed. The Tok Choh has motivated my warriors. We shall not disappoint you.”

  Yarmew approached him, her eyes warm, purring softly.

  “You have given me much pleasure and many strong cubs in times past, Dromew. I am confident in your leadership and skill. When you have crushed the humans, you will return to my side once again.”

  She gently stroked the fur of his face and then turned and dismissed him. On his way out of the palace, he could not shake the feeling she was saying goodbye.

  ####

  Though the Silestri were unaware of it, Bastet was awash with human technology; collecting information, recording conversations, and monitoring ship movements. If every buoy, EMR and ship in and around the planet were to suddenly become visible, a panic would ensue. Prime Yarmew was content her plans to foil the weak humans would succeed, one way or another.