Genesis

by Lawrence P White

  Brice ran a hand through his hair as he reread the message. “Good call,” he said to the lieutenant. “Send the following tightbeam message to all ships: ‘Head for home. Speed is not important. Cannot take you aboard. The Fourth Race might have developed a cloaking device, so assume they are still observing this system. Execute a minimum of two jumps in any direction away from Ariall and conduct a detailed search for followers before turning for home. Do not lead the Fourth Race to Ariall. End.’”

  Nobody had said it would be easy. He hoped the Harbok noticed the cloaked Fourth Race ship. He couldn’t be certain, but he suspected that life was going to get a lot harder on Haldor.

  * * * * *

  Brice’s return to Ariall sent shock waves through the Alliance. Experts studied Aldebaran’s recordings, and they reached the same conclusion—one Oort ship had indeed been using a cloaking device.

  Had Ollie’s fears come true, Greg wondered? Ollie had said, “One side or the other will make a breakthrough, then the tide will change. Until then, stalemate.” Had the Oort broken the stalemate?

  He had to assume they had. In Captain Brice’s opinion, it was pure luck that he had stationed a ship in the right location to detect the lone ship. He doubted if any Harbok had been close enough, or unoccupied enough, to notice the single ship that had appeared only briefly. It was even possible that other cloaked Oort ships were still stationed in Haldor’s system.

  He had to inform the Harbok, but Greg wanted to do more than just tell them. He wanted to help them. He wanted to take the first step toward bringing the Harbok into the Alliance.

  “I have a proposition to make,” he said to his Executive Committee. “One of our prime objectives is to convince the Harbok to join us.” Heads nodded. “To that end, we’ve saving up certain processes and products that might be helpful to them. We plan to use those things as bargaining chips.”

  He looked around the table at each of his friends and associates, knowing that he would find disagreement with his next words.

  “I want to give them—free and clear—the technology we’ve developed to combat the cloaking device. Specifically, I want to give them the laser tagger with no strings attached.”

  “Of course you will, Greg,” the Atee, Jemara, responded. Everyone else spoke simultaneously, all of them in agreement.

  The response shocked him. “Just like that?” he asked incredulously. “Surely someone objects. Admiral?” he asked, looking to Grayson. “I’m talking about giving away one of our best protective devices.”

  “I have no objection,” Grayson responded. “We always hoped to use it against the Oort, not the Harbok. Besides, we won’t have an ally to join with if the Harbok succumb. It’s not really a choice, Greg.”

  It was that simple. Greg had anticipated long discussion and having to force agreement from them. What a wonderful group they had become.

  He turned to Doctor Tessle. “You have to speed things up in the test area.”

  “How much time do you think we have?”

  No one spoke. Greg finally broke the silence. “I haven’t a clue, but I know who does. I’m going back to Earth.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The prime ship approached Earth on a high-speed trajectory. There was no need for stealth this time—Greg wanted to attract Ollie’s attention, and Ollie claimed he always knew about arrivals anyway. Three Harbok fighters raced out to intercept them, but Greg managed to open a communications channel long before any fighting started. Ollie's voice came through clearly, though the Harbok software for the visual part of the transmission did not interface with the An’Atee equivalent.

  “It’s me, Ollie,” Greg stated.

  Ollie responded immediately. “You’ve returned in force. Why?”

  “I do not come in force,” Greg responded just as quickly. “This ship will not enter atmosphere. I’m sending down two scouts, both of them unarmed.”

  “I repeat. Why?”

  Greg answered in the Harbok language, his skills much improved since his previous visit to Earth. “I have information vital to Haldor’s survival, Ollie. Escort me if you want, but give me clearance to land.”

  Ollie replied in the gruff Harbok tongue, “What can you possibly have that we need?”

  “This is not a joke, Ollie, it’s an emergency. Give me your trust—for Haldor’s sake.”

  When Ollie replied, Greg breathed a little easier. “Should we meet at your sister’s?” Ollie asked.

  “No. We have serious business to discuss. Let me follow you to your base.”

  Ollie’s eyes narrowed. “You ask too much, Earthman.”

  “I know.”

  “I will not permit your ship to come to my base.”

  Greg held a hurried conference with the bridge staff, then he returned to Ollie. “Come to me. I’ll take you aboard, and we’ll talk here.”

  Ollie exploded. “You want me to surrender my ship to you?”

  “No, I do not. It can leave immediately. Come on, Ollie—your people need you to trust me. Would you rather put on a space suit and float across?”

  “Did I tell you I’m afraid of heights?” Ollie growled. The frequency remained mute for a time. When Ollie next spoke, he said, “Open up the belly of that beast. I want to see how you live.”

  Greg, remembering the An’Atee’s last invitation for Harbok to come aboard, passed the word that normal protocol was suspended—the Harbok ship was not to be sterilized, nor was Ollie when he stepped from his ship.

  The “beast” swallowed Ollie’s ship. Greg and Arlynn waited on the hangar deck and watched as a huge, disk-shaped ship entered through the force field with its hull steaming from the rapid temperature change. A ramp lowered, Ollie stepped from the ship, and the ship left.

  “This is crazy,” Ollie hollered across the space separating them.

  “No, it’s just unexpected,” Greg called back as he and Arlynn walked toward the giant. A few An’Atee cowered behind ships and supplies lining the walls of the hangar, but none of them stepped out.

  Greg reached out a hand to Ollie, and Ollie took it gently and shook. He repeated the process with Arlynn, then Greg led the way across the hangar floor toward a corridor. “Thank you for trusting me, Ollie.”

  Ollie’s peg leg thumped on the deck as he followed, his body lurching with each step as his peg leg and cane worked in concert. His eyes never stopped moving as he took in what he could see of the ship. “I always suspected you had a soft life,” he scowled.

  “The An’Atee did not build this to be a fighting ship, Ollie,” Greg rebutted. “After what I’ve learned about your battles, I think ours are meant to last a lot longer than yours.”

  “What do you know about our battles?” Ollie demanded as he thumped along beside Greg and Arlynn.

  “All in good time,” Greg responded.

  They reached a corridor and Ollie stopped in surprise. “I don’t even have to duck down, even in the hatchway,” he said.

  “You don’t spend long periods in space feeling cooped up, Ollie.”

  “We do. So much waste here. It’s unbelievable.”

  “Different needs. Will you do me a favor and be respectful of the An’Atee you are going to meet?”

  “Why should I be respectful when I don’t respect?”

  Greg took Ollie’s arm and brought the giant to a stop in the middle of the corridor. “Because in their eyes they’ve taken a huge risk just coming here. They’re here for your benefit, Ollie, not their own.”

  Ollie shrugged off Greg’s arm and thumped ahead down the corridor. He stopped after a few steps and turned to back to him. “Come on. I don’t know the way.”

  When they entered the bridge, Ollie growled deep in his throat. He reached out and grasped the door frame firmly.

  “What’s the problem?” Greg asked him in the Harbok language.

  “Do the others speak my language?” Ollie asked as he took big gulps of air.

  “Only Arlynn and one other.”


  “Where’s the rest of the ship?” Ollie asked through clenched teeth.

  “Your control rooms are not like this?” Greg asked.

  “Definitely not. We have floors and walls and ceilings and such. You know!” Ollie exclaimed.

  Greg nodded grimly and turned to Captain Brower. Speaking in the An’Atee language, he said, “He’s got a problem with the view. Can you turn all of this off for a while and bring the walls back?”

  Brower looked stricken. “Out in space? I don’t know!” Then he looked shocked that he did not know. He made a hurried call to Engineering, received instructions, then he set the crew to shutting down the screens. “This is dangerous, Greg,” he said as he worked. “We’ll be completely blind, and we’re surrounded by Harbok.”

  “Their commander is on board. It won’t be for long. Ollie just needs a little time to adjust.”

  The screens suddenly went dead. Dull black walls surrounded them. The bridge appeared shockingly empty to everyone, including Ollie.

  “Where are your instruments, your screens?” Ollie growled.

  “The whole room is one big screen, Ollie. We’re blind as a bat right now.”

  “What? Are you crazy! You’ll get us all killed. Turn it back on.”

  “Captain Brower’s sentiments exactly. Give us a minute.” Greg turned to Brower and asked, “Can you put us in the simulator mode and make us feel like we’re on the ground somewhere?”

  “I like that a whole lot more,” he replied with a sly look. “Are we going to do a little training?”

  “If you’d be so kind. Kannick, would you like to run this show?”

  Kannick pursed his lips in a hard, thin line as he introduced himself to the first Harbok he had ever met, though he spoke in Ollie’s language. He led Ollie to a seat, a seat that Ollie had to force himself into since it had not been built to hold a Harbok.

  As the screens came back to life, Ollie choked. The ship appeared as if it were sitting right outside his base. The entrance to the base was open, and one of his ships slowly maneuvered its way outside. The picture froze while Kannick explained the situation and the controls to Ollie, then he instructed Ollie to follow the ship. Ollie’s movements were aggressive, and the ship slued all over the sky, but he eventually got it under control. They angled higher and higher behind the UFO until they reached the edge of space. The view outside darkened as stars began filling the void. Soon, they were completely out in space, but Ollie’s discomfort did not return.

  Kannick had him slew the ship around until it faced back toward Earth, then he convinced Ollie to stand up.

  Ollie was enthralled with what he had done. “I feel like a cadet learning to fly all over again,” he confided to Kannick.

  “I wish we could all go back to being cadets for a while, but we have work to do.”

  Ollie looked around the bridge at the spectators, really looking at them for the first time. Greg sensed his embarrassment and discomfort. The Harbok looked down on the An’Atee, making his position of weakness unacceptable to him.

  Kannick came to his rescue. “Should we bring your ship back and let you give us flying lessons?” he queried with a smile.

  “You have a sense of justice,” Ollie replied sheepishly. “Thank you.”

  Greg stepped in to make introductions, explaining to Ollie that everyone here spoke English but not Harbok. Ollie’s discomfiture was not completely understood by the crew, and Greg did not explain.

  Ollie reverted to English as introductions went around, then he spoke a few words of greeting. “I hope you realize just how wonderful this ship is and how lucky you are. I sense the power of your people here in a way I had never imagined. I hope you stay alive long enough to enjoy it. Thank you for welcoming me aboard. Sadly, I cannot reciprocate.”

  Kannick looked at Greg with a look of pride. “Do we have another Greg Hamilton here, making speeches that say just the right thing?”

  “I told you that you’d like Ollie,” he replied with a grin. “Will our plan work? Will you be his mentor?”

  “I’m hoping he’ll be mine. If our plan works, I’ll be spending a lot of time with him.”

  “What’s going on?” Ollie growled.

  “We’re honoring you, Ollie,” Kannick answered. “Way, way more than you realize. We brought frightening news, and time is of the essence for Haldor, so we should get down to business.” His gaze shifted back and forth between Ollie and Greg. “I’m thinking that a demonstration might be more convincing to you than pure discussion. You did a nice job of flying this ship. Clearly, you’re a quick learner. A competition between your ship and one of our fighters will be more effective than plain old discussion. What do you say? Are you willing to pilot my fighter in a mock fight with one of yours?”

  “For what purpose? Your ship would not stand a chance.”

  “Is saving Haldor purpose enough? I’m serious, Ollie. Humor me.”

  Ollie completely failed to understand, and he turned to Greg. “These ships are not toys. It could get dangerous.”

  “We’re willing to take the risk. Are you?”

  “Let me talk to my ship. I don’t want them getting carried away if I’m the target.”

  Arlynn interrupted, looking to Ollie as she spoke to Greg. “I should get going, Greg. If I am to arrive before sunrise, I have to leave now or wait another day.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ollie demanded.

  “I want to visit a friend. We don’t get many opportunities to come here anymore.”

  Ollie pursed his lips. “This is all so strange. No one uses a ship for a private visit to a friend. What is your real purpose?”

  “One of the attributes of us An’Atee,” she said carefully, “is that we never lie. Ever. Do not ask a question you do not want the answer to.”

  “I have a job to do, Arlynn. I am responsible for Harbok interests here. What is your mission?”

  Arlynn locked gazes with Ollie. “It’s not a mission. On our last visit, we brought a very sick child home with us. She is now well. Greg and I are her new parents. I would like her to visit her real parents for a little while. She will not stay on Earth.”

  Ollie sucked in his breath. “I left instructions that you were not to interfere with the people here. You violated those instructions.”

  “She’s a child, Ollie, one small child. In my heart I believe you would have made the same choice. Earth is not at risk from one small child. Please do not deny her and her parents this favor.”

  If a Harbok could look exasperated, that’s the way Ollie looked. “Open a line to my ship,” he ordered the room at large. “I will allow safe passage, for you and the child only.”

  “You have my word, Ollie, and my thanks. We will bring one extra pilot. The ship will return immediately without us. Greg will pick us up when he completes his business with you.”

  Arlynn and Emily departed within the hour. The fighter dropped them on the farm just outside Minneapolis, and they made their way on foot through a freshly planted cornfield to the farmhouse. Nancy shrieked when she opened the door and engulfed Arlynn in an embrace.

  President Rhodes made hurried arrangements for a military jet to take them to Andrews Air Force Base, and from there a helicopter whisked them under tight security to Camp David where Emily’s remarkable journey had begun.

  Emily’s mother, Jackie, met them with open arms and some disbelief. The President was busily clearing his schedule and would arrive later that afternoon. The homecoming was everything they had hoped for. Seeing Emily’s wellness first hand, and more important her happiness, erased years of anguish and stress from her parents’ faces. Knowing that Emily could not stay long dampened the homecoming, but only a little. Their daughter had received a new lease on life. They would not ask for more.

  “Where’s all my stuff?” Emily demanded, stomping back from the direction of her room. “My computer and all my posters are gone.”

  Jackie rose from her chair to take her in her arms once a
gain. “Sorry, Em. You know you don’t exist on paper here any longer. We packed everything away. I’m sorry, but you can’t contact your friends.”

  “I know, Mom, but I wanted to bring some posters back for my new friends to see.”

  “We might be able to help there without arousing suspicion. Let me make a phone call.”

  When Arlynn saw the posters the next day, her spirits fell. Many looked threatening and violent, though to Emily they just reminded her of the music and television she had grown up with. Emily tuned them all out for a time as she walked around the house and sat on her bed with earphones and memories.

  Dave understood Arlynn’s discomfort. “Not exactly setting the example for the home of the Chairman, is it?” he observed dryly. “We dealt with the same issue here. We haven’t liked all her choices, but we chose our battles carefully. Being a president’s daughter is hard enough without creating unnecessary roadblocks to her fitting in with her few friends.”

  “She has gained acceptance among a large group on Ariall,” Arlynn replied. “Some may become close friends, though she has had almost no time to develop friends where we live. Her friends come from all over the planet.”

  “All over the planet?” Jackie asked, surprised. “How can that be?”

  “I’d better back up and let you know what she’s been up to,” Arlynn said with a troubled smile. “Things haven’t gone exactly as we expected. We’ve been traveling . . .”

  Jackie and Dave were speechless when she finished. “I hope you’re not upset with our choices,” Arlynn asked gently, afraid of the answer.

  Silence met her query as they digested the story of Emily’s new life. Dave and Jackie looked at each other with silent thoughts passing between them, and they turned as one to Arlynn.

  “I’m not sure what to think,” Dave said thoughtfully. “It’s impossible for us to visualize what life on such a ship is like. Most amazing is that, though she is the foster child of famous and important leaders, she’s been able to live without all the security we needed here. In spite of our best efforts, it was impossible for her to live a normal life here. We’re not going to second guess you on this stuff. How has she responded to her freedoms?”