[“Haven’t enough stars in this spiral arm already gone bye bye?”] His tone was just a little bit sarcastic.
[“I know you’re a compassionate man, and you don’t like to see death or destruction,”] Nori spoke up. [“Trust us honey, there is nothing of any significance in either of those systems. No life, no major planets, moons, asteroids… nothing. We’ve checked everything over pretty thoroughly and they’re just two more standard yellow stars in a huge spiral arm filled with them.”]
[“I can’t…”] his thoughts trailed off into a chaotic haze of confusion. [“I don’t think I can do that.”]
[“Sure you can,”] responded Kaufield confidently. [“Remember where your new home is. Noah’s people can rebuild and ignite stars out of the universe’s leftovers. Hell, they constructed an entire, custom made Proteus galaxy filled with standard yellow stars. On a long-term basis, the citizens of the Proteus galaxy can rebuild that entire area, if we can first successfully find a way to deal with this Caucus and put an end to the fighting out there.”]
Adam took a lot longer to respond than either of them expected, proving that he was in fact seriously thinking matters through. [“Okay, suppose we use this ship and destroy the star,”] he said finally. [“Then what? We change course and destroy target number two?”]
[“Then we use THIS Science lab to watch what happens by using your implant,”] Kaufield told him. [“If Thomas’ analysis is indeed correct…”]
[“It usually is.”]
[“Your dream has all but confirmed it. The Kuth have a Point-to-Point ‘bridge’ linking two universes together. They destroy stars and use the resulting outburst of energy to power the transit technology. At least one ship should come through from the other side. Your former Captain’s orders, if successful, are to escort whatever comes through directly to target number two. Once that star is destroyed, another ship – or convoy of some sort – will also arrive and link up with you. At least one of those ships will have coordinates to one or more of the home worlds, and that my friend is the information we need to obtain next.”]
[“How would a ship from another universe have coordinates to home worlds in this one?”] asked Adam.
[“The quashing weapon is also a communications device of some sort, and we’ll be able to eavesdrop on the exchange of electronic messaging. It’s an opportunity to learn things about what conditions are like on their side of this ‘transit bridge’. I am seriously considering having Thomas modify one of the Pathfinder’s canary probes… he can build an invisibility screen around it and we can deliver it to you for use once the star explodes. That will allow us to gather all the data we need covertly, all the while giving the appearance that your newly acquired warship is still under Yakiir control.”]
[“I like that idea,”] decided Adam, his mood perking up a little. [“What about inter-ship communications? Won’t we give ourselves away if I don’t check in with the home base once in a while?”]
[“Nori tells me you’re planning to speak to your new crew. Once you’re finished, return to the Command Center. We’ll upload a few data packets for you to save into the warship’s communications console. It’s an AI-type artificially intelligent software program that will read through the history logs and assist you with keeping up appearances. You should be able to simply let it handle the routine traffic, and will only have to worry about chance encounters with other ships that are still under Yakiir control.”]
[“Watch out for those Zaketh and Yakiir,”] cautioned Nori firmly. [“I wouldn’t trust any of them.”]
[“The Crasel are trustworthy, Vasten’s men not so much. At this point, I don’t know what to expect from the Yakiir, but Vasten tells me that my ‘performance’ has left them somewhat spooked.”] Adam frowned at the thought of another betrayal. [“I will keep an eye on them and we’ll manage.”]
[“Have you thought about what you’re going to tell your new crew?”] Kaufield wondered.
[“Yes,”] Adam replied instantly. [“This is what I’m going to say…”]
Starboard Mess Hall, aboard the Ali Rinai…
For the purposes of his speech, Adam stood behind a small podium next to the Mess Hall’s serving table. All but critical crew members were in attendance, but Snee Vasten and the four Crasel stood up front, at Adam’s side. The Crasel continued to invest more faith and confidence in Adam with each passing day. It did not escape their attention that he continued to wear the same worn, dingy, yellow-striped uniform that had been his attire when they first met him. It did not escape the attention of the other soldiers either, be they Yakiir or Zaketh. The new Captain of the newly christened Ali Rinai was wearing the uniform of one of the smallest clans in the Wasteland. The visual message was undeniable and very, very powerful.
Even so, he did not begin to speak until several of Vasten’s men brought in the body and head of Bok, the former undercover operative. His severed head and body were set on the serving table so that everyone could see what had been hiding in plain sight among the Yakiir crew, serving as its executive officer. Those sitting and standing or basically just waiting around were talking up a storm, and the room was filled with speculative conversation right up until the point when the Kuth’s body showed up. Everyone in the room fell silent almost simultaneously, unsure of how to react to the creature that most of them – until now – had only heard stories about. The creature’s bestial appearance was still frightening to behold, although somewhat less so now that it’s body was nearly completely drained of the pussy, dark green blood.
And yet Vasten’s men weren’t done. They disappeared out into the corridor for a moment and then returned with a plastic body bag. Heaving it on to the table next to Bok’s corpse, one of them unzipped the bag and pulled it back so that everyone could smell the former ship Captain’s dead body. Smell it, and see for themselves precisely what Bok had done to him. It was quite clear, even to those in the back that a major part of his torso was missing because it had been torn away in large bites and eaten. The bulging white eyes of the dead Captain and the fear and horror of his expression were frozen into place. It was extremely difficult for Adam to look upon these two bodies again, the experience triggered more flashes of color and jagged details from the part of Bok’s memory that was now solely his.
“These creatures have used all of us,” Adam began, pointing at Bok’s corpse. “They hide among you, waiting and watching and manipulating, keeping the clans fighting each other. Until now, no one but the Yakiir suspected their presence and lived to tell the tale. These Kuth are very careful – they have used the clans to gain footholds within the Wasteland while those Yakiir who serve them willingly are allowed a life free from war. But fall from grace, even a little bit, and you end up out here on the front lines in the middle of the clan wars. They have used you, detonating quashing weapons to destroy stars, planets and other precious resources while the power from those dying suns brings more and more of them here from someplace very far away. I know this to be true, I have verified this for myself and it is why I share the information with you. All of you have fought for your lives and those of your families. You have fought for your clan brothers and sacrificed much. But if you continue along that close-minded path, your fate is sealed.”
“The war draws to a close, which is why the Kuth are now solely backing the Yakiir. Other clans are no longer needed, so they are systematically being eliminated. All of you know this to be true. Your fathers and your grandfathers killed other clan warriors, but now factions are locating and destroying even civilian families. Their intent is obvious, to leave the Yakiir as the sole surviving clan, a puppet for them to continue to control now that they have moved the bulk of their own population into the Wasteland. Many of you have seen the body of the Kuth warrior I killed in combat, but I wanted all of you to see it, to know what they truly are beneath all of the color changes and shape shifting and covert operations.”
“Bloody hell mate,” gasped Arte Kasik, holding a hand to his nose.
“Can’t we zip that bag back up? The smell of the dead in here is staggering beyond words…”
“No,” Adam replied, shaking his head negatively. “Look upon your future.” He pointed now at Kasik and the other Crasel. “These men belong to a small clan that is already beaten… they struggle only to survive so that they can feed and clothe their loved ones. And yet Yakiir ships would still attack them on sight; I have seen those very orders recorded within this vessel’s command computer.” He shrugged his shoulders. “What harm can they do you now, so beaten and small in numbers? Is genocide really necessary to achieve a military victory? Is there somehow not enough room for everybody in the Wasteland?” He shifted his pointing finger to the Zaketh, all grouped together on one side of the room. “Your clan is stronger, but also slowly dying by attrition. Even so, there might be Kuth hiding among you too, making certain that your Captains retain a barbaric attitude and do not become soft.” He knew instinctively that the memory of Captain Saou would be fresh in their minds.
Lastly, he pointed toward the other side of the room, where the Yakiir stood watching and listening. “When the other clans are gone, do you think these demons will disappear from your midst or their efforts to control you will somehow cease to exist overnight?” He paused, watching their faces closely. “I tell you they won’t. I wanted the Captain’s body here to show you just why they have chosen the Yakiir as the clan that will prevail.” Again he trailed off for extra emphasis before adding, “Because they like the taste of your meat, and plan to use you as slave labor… and as food.” Watching the men in the room react to his words, seeing all of their soft whispers and religious gesturing – it only confirmed to him yet again that supernatural fears had been deliberately cultivated and stoked among the warriors of the Wasteland.
“I have heard that many of you do not get along,” continued Adam with an expression of deep determination. “That is okay. Many of you mourn for friends, colleagues and family lost to other clans, and emotions such as those are not left behind overnight. But you must all make a conscious effort to focus on the true enemy.” Again he pointed at Bok’s motionless body. “We must work together and expose these creatures to all clans, so that the fighting ends and the true enemy is ultimately defeated. You might not like each other… in fact you may truly despise each other. But I ask you to follow my orders and work with my officers for one week. That is all the time it will take to bring true and lasting change to the Wasteland. You may not believe me, you may not think we can succeed, but after forty-six thousand years of fighting, aren’t my ideas worth a shot?” He watched their faces carefully, his gaze drifting from one to the other, expression grim.
“Trust me for one week and then make your final decision. If you haven’t seen enough to believe for yourself that things are truly changing, then this ship will be returned to the Yakiir and the Zaketh, Crasel and I will return to our respective homes. My colleague, Snee Vasten, is compartmentalizing operations to make things easier on you – so that most members of one clan do not have to work directly with another. Simply follow orders as you usually do while serving out here in the depths of space, and all will go well.” A small smile crossed his face. “I have been told that there have already been some fights between Zaketh and Yakiir. Be certain to hold your temper in the future, for those who cause trouble will lose their freedom and go into our detention areas, where there is no compartmentalization and even less supervision. Clans intermix freely with each other in this ship’s brig, and the rest of us do not have the time to break up fights there. If you want to fight, help us fight the Kuth. But if you want to continue fighting people from other clans, you are simply aiding the Kuth and that will not be tolerated on this ship.”
“What will we do? Where will we go?” one of the Yakiir standing behind the front row of tables asked.
“This ship will transit to the perimeter of the Wasteland, where strong suns still burn fiercely in space. There we will find the star that this ship was meant to find, and when we do we will quash it.”
The next question from the crowd was plainly obvious. “Why?”
Again Adam smiled at the dozens upon dozens of hard-worn faces comprising his new crew. “Because I believe it’s time that all of us get to see for ourselves what happens next.”
He knew that he wasn’t going to get a standing ovation just yet, but the sight and smell of the dead bodies guaranteed that everyone would be interested to see if he could deliver. And that was all Adam needed, a chance to prove that his claims were true. Satisfied that his message was delivered, he turned and left the room. Snee Vasten and the four Crasel followed soon after.
PROJECT WASTELAND
Pathfinder Series: Book Two
Chapter IX: Paroxysm
Aboard the Ali Rinai…
Adam showed up in the Command Center shortly after his speech, knowing that Thomas was due to take over the Sentinel duties back at Tranquility Base. It was clear to him that the Ali Rinai was on a priority mission for the Caucus Intelligence leadership that controlled most of the Yakiir’s decision making. She was also a vessel that had been out of contact with her home base for far too long now, so he found himself anxious to get the new communications protocols up and running. He dismissed everyone else on duty in order to guarantee himself privacy as he installed the software upgrades that would slave the communications process to a functioning Artificial Intelligence. If it worked as well as the other gifts from his friends back home, the AI-program would practically guarantee that the warship’s abrupt change of ownership would remain undetected for quite some time.
It took him only minutes to install the upgrades and then he simply stood back and watched as the new software functions activated and immediately began searching through the vessel’s communications history. Adam’s eye HUD activated and he was suddenly looking at a new overlay on the back of his eyelids… a soft blue set of function options and statistics that allowed him to see patterns in the communications. Mere seconds later, a recommendation also appeared, scrolling across his right eyeball while blinking for attention. A ship out of contact for too long will draw suspicion… suggest sending immediate sitrep. Nodding in quick agreement, Adam mentally selected the option to proceed. The newly functional AI leaped directly to the next step, creating and issuing a long-range message: [“Damage taken in battle with Zaketh vessel Pyrhh. Mission not compromised, and enemy vessel was destroyed. Proceeding as scheduled to priority targets one and two.”]
Without warning, the ship shuddered violently as though a large hand suddenly reached out and began shaking it. Vibrations that threatened to rattle teeth reverberated through the deck plating, the sound of the ship’s superstructure shrieking in response to an exterior force. [“Good grief brother of mine,”] Thomas stated unexpectedly through the mental link. [“What is going on? Are you under attack again?”]
Adam smiled as his brother’s presence linked in with his own thoughts. [“No, no attack to worry about,”] he replied reassuringly. [“After my meeting with the crew, Snee Vasten and I discussed the best way to go about removing that supply ship from the starboard hull. At first we were going to use Yakiir fighters with grappling cables to pull it out, but that would requiring us trusting too many new people. So we settled for placing a pilot back in its cockpit and firing up its reverse thrusters. We’ll have to seal off a few more compartments over there, but the damaged areas are nowhere near the cargo bay.”]
[“I read the text of your speech, by the way,”] noted Thomas informatively. [“Do you really think you changed everyone’s hearts and minds?”]
[“Maybe some, certainly not all. We’re working on establishing a ‘circle of trust’ but it’s difficult and will probably end up taking more time than we have.”] The grinding and groaning noises from the ship’s overstressed hull plating continued in the background. [“I like this communications AI a lot… it’s showing me all of the communications patterns and recommending how often to check in with other vessels.
Apparently this Caucus gets kind of paranoid if it doesn’t hear from all of its member vessels on a regular basis.”]
[“I’m not so sure,”] his brother thought back at him with obvious trepidation. [“Why did it choose to lie about the status of the Pyrhh? If that Zaketh cruiser runs across the Yakiir again, they’ll know we lied.”]
[“That, oh innocent one, is what is commonly known as a calculated risk,”] admitted Adam. [“Part of the message I just sent to ‘Yakiir Central’ included copies of all communications that were ‘overheard’ during the battle. The Caucus would know we were being deceptive immediately if we named another vessel, because they apparently have code breaking specialists and the Pyrhh’s electronic fingerprints are all over their message history. Rest assured, we’ll survive long enough to get to the first star and detonate one of those warheads we’re carrying. I hope you folks are ready, on your end, to study the aftermath.”]
Removing one of the Command Center’s portable transceivers, he activated it and began loading data files from the main communications console into its memory. Snee Vasten’s bald head appeared suddenly in the port hatchway with a grim smile on his face, causing a temporary interruption of their private unheard conference. “It took some doing and we mangled a few more compartments, but the supply ship is finally free.” He removed a thick pair of work gloves and entered the Command Center. “The only remaining question is simple. What do you want us to do with it?”
“Are you kidding?” Adam raised an eyebrow at his new First Officer. “That ship is loaded with food, water, fuel and ammunition. We’re going to keep it, of course.”
Chuckling, Vasten shrugged with indifference. “Okay. Where do you want it?”
Thinking the matter over carefully for a moment, Adam decided to choose the easiest option. “Dock it on the dorsal hull for now, where one of those three shuttles used to sit. None of them are coming back, after all.” Vasten responded with a firm nod and turned to go, but Adam held him back. “Vasten,” he stated bluntly.
The Pathfinder Trilogy Page 56