And clearly that someone possessed a strange new power source that could potentially be used as a devastating, game changing weapon.
Terror reigned temporarily within the Caucus for a while and key components of the Grand Plan were literally changed overnight. Operatives like Bok were promptly dispatched to the frontier, serving on much larger, heavily armed battle cruisers designed to bring a much quicker end to the war. The other clans were no longer necessary and even the Yakiir would soon be more of a burden than an asset. What the Kuth needed to do now was to finish consolidating all of their resources around one sun so that they could begin implementing their next great Grand Plan. Once they had a strong, defensible foothold at the center of the Wasteland they would begin migrating some of their resources outward, to the hot, stable stars along the huge perimeter so carefully and meticulously shaped. Key planets, ships and resources would be shifted into position via the use of additional quashing weapons to protect the central foothold. New stars would receive habitable, healthy planets to orbit them, along with ships and colonists to protect these interests. All of the new star systems would be used to defend the key, central foothold against its enemies.
They would be used to protect and elevate the Caucus above everyone else.
As things turned out, the only prolonged, true terror that Bok himself ever felt occurred only seconds before his death. His decision to kill Captain Saj Barrek in the cargo bay was made based on uncontrolled emotions born out of frustration more than anything else. The ships he served on always WON the battles they fought against other vessels, and his mind was still whirling from the fact that they were getting soundly beaten by the Zaketh warriors from the Pyrhh. How a few surviving, lowbrow degenerates on the supply vessel had somehow managed to pilot the small ship, much less crash it into the sacred starboard side of the warship was something he intended to look into, AFTER he finished devouring his former Captain’s heart.
The soft cough that his extra sensitive hearing detected immediately alerted him to the fact that someone else was in the bay with them, and he dropped Barrek’s corpse long enough to zone in on its precise location. How had he missed the scent? Obviously, the Captain had distracted him far too much! Once he was certain there was an intruder, Bok simply covered his left arm with blood and flung it across the room. This proved to instantly pinpoint his unseen target’s position and he attacked, expecting that his enhanced strength and speed would prove to be the deciding factor. Colliding unexpectedly with something concealed – something totally invisible in fact – drove the initial surge of fear in his gut. The strange, bluish electrical crackling that followed did nothing to quell his fear, and it smelled oddly of ozone while sending a supernatural chill rippling up and down his spine. That was all he had time for, as the impact from his attack was somehow disbursed and he was flung backwards across the cargo bay. He watched his precious quashing weapons helplessly from above as he tumbled end over end, finally crashing into the wall and dropping to the hard metal floor.
Instantly he launched himself at his attacker again, this time with his claws outstretched and fully ready to tear into anything. In his mind, his memory brought up the faint image of a face that he had seen briefly during that strange surge of electrical blue discharges during his initial brief contact with the unseen opponent. The quick glimpse of it was right where he had snapped hardest with his jaws – at normal human head level, where he expected a neck and its vulnerable tendons to be. The visage was undeniably a HUMAN face that he had seen lurking behind that cloak of invisibility. Instantly his mind supplied him with the full truth of this unusual matter… a truth that was undeniable and fully embraced by his intellect even as he flew across the room toward his target.
The strange aliens in their technologically advanced ship were back.
Like the Wastelanders, they too were humanoid.
They could make themselves invisible.
He was about to die.
That was the last thought he had time for, right before Adam Roh blew two huge holes in his torso.
Adam woke from the dream with a confident smile on his face, convinced that he knew now how to beat them.
Aboard the Pathfinder…
“So, you’re back aboard with us already,” Noah chuckled amiably as he entered the conference room where Adam Roh and President Kaufield waited patiently. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he was talking to Adam or his wife. Noriana Roh had also returned from her shuttle mission and was seated next to her husband, holding his arm and – all in all – happy to simply just spend some time with him.
“Yes, we’re back,” she told Noah. “And Adam has news.”
“Good news I hope.” Noah eagerly poured himself a mug of hot coffee – an Earth beverage that the friendly alien was fast learning to love – before seating himself across from his friends.
“I’ve already got Thomas working on the software changes that we’ll need,” Adam was telling Kaufield excitedly. “The hardware enhancements will be minimal, since we’ve already got working models of everything needed.” He turned towards Noah with a confident smile. “I think I know how to end this war in one fell swoop,” he declared boldly, watching their otherworldly ally raise an eyebrow of surprise. “We can eliminate Caucus control of the Wasteland, and we can do it with a minimum of casualties.”
Noah laughed with amusement. “Have you been reading that tactical database hooked to your implant again?” he asked curiously, shaking his head. “I never should have shown that to Thomas, or let him enhance it with your own historical archives.”
“He’s not kidding,” Kaufield spoke up, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. “I like his ideas.”
“So do I,” added Nori with a sly smile.
“But you need my help.”
“Yes,” nodded Adam decisively. “In order for this plan to succeed, I need THREE things from you. If your people can supply all of them to me without restriction, we can eliminate the Kuth as a threat to the Wasteland without mass killings or additional wars. Your society as a whole can continue to be non-interventionist and an objective third party, which I’m sure they’ll approve of. But I need assistance from your scientists first in order for this plan to work.”
Noah paused, carefully considering the matter before continuing. He sipped tentatively at the hot coffee before setting the mug down to let the liquid cool. “Name them,” he replied, realizing as he did so that he was becoming more and more impressed with Adam Roh as his time in the Wasteland continued.
“First, I need you to identify this star system,” Adam told him, sliding the antique, silver watch across the table with its cover open. The star system etched on the inner side of the metallic shell was clearly visible. I believe it’s important, or David would never have left it behind.”
“The… Intelligent Designer?” Noah’s tone of voice was blatantly and purposefully mischievous, but he permitted himself the small window of opportunity to toss a little humor into the center of the discussion. After all, it was his help that Adam was seeking. “With all that has been happening, I confess that I forgot to follow up on this. I’ll prioritize it immediately and have someone look into it.”
“I honestly don’t know who that fellow was,” said Adam regretfully. “At times it seemed to me that he wanted to declare himself God outright, but he never quite got there. During other parts of our conversation he was extremely enigmatic… it was the most frustrating conversation I’ve ever been a part of. He asked me a series of questions that have baffled mankind for centuries, all of which might be true but most of which cannot be conclusively proven or disproven. Whoever he is, he likes to joust verbally and it takes him at least a half hour to make convey a simple message.”
“There aren’t many life forms roaming this universe that can outmaneuver my detection systems,” pointed out Noah with a wry smile. “This person did so easily.”
“Does that make you nervous?” asked Nori curiously. “Does
it make you uncomfortable knowing that someone might have a technological – or even divine – edge on you?”
“No,” Noah chuckled with amusement. “My people enjoy encountering other life forms. I wish I could speak with him also.” He flashed Adam a dry smile. “Even if it takes a half hour.”
“For the purposes of this discussion, let’s simply list his identity as David and let the rest of the mystery rest for the moment,” suggested Kaufield. “We need to know which star system is defined on the watch cover. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” Noah nodded slowly, sipping more aggressively from the coffee mug. “Second?”
“We’re going to have refugees,” continued Adam with a deep frown. “No matter how we do this, no matter how long it takes, there is no way to avoid the refugee problem. What we’re asking will be very similar to what you already helped us do on Earth – we will need you to secure a planet for Wasteland residents and assist us in evacuating as many of them as possible from the Kuth home worlds.” His mouth wrinkled with uncertainty regarding the matter. “We’re facing almost the same situation… some might only stay on a temporary basis, but more than likely this would be a permanent new home for most of them.”
“I’ve expected that contingency from day one and it won’t be a problem,” Noah agreed instantly, his response surprisingly swift and unexpected. “Habitable worlds can be found everywhere in the Proteus galaxy, so we’ll even make certain that clans are separated, at least by continents, if not by entire worlds. They’ll need the borders, at least for the immediate future, since the emotions from such violent, lengthy feuds will be difficult to move beyond.” He took a deep breath and really thought cautiously about the prospect. “What’s going to be toughest for them is the separation from homes they’ve known all their lives… the people in space will want to stay, but those who have lived on planets will want to go back to their home, just as many of your own refugees on Tranquility are hoping that someday they might be able to return to Earth.”
Kaufield shrugged his striped, uniformed shoulders. Upon resuming command of the Pathfinder it hadn’t taken long for him to ditch his President’s robes in favor of the uniform. “If we move to eliminate the larger, more immediate Kuth problem, then the long-term fallout and subsequent smaller issues can be handled much more efficiently,” he predicted. “You’ve always known that if we intervene in any way that there would be problems to deal with down the road. There’s no way to just wave a magic wand and fix all this, although I think we’ve come pretty darn close by any reasonable measure.” He cast an appreciate glance in Adam’s direction.
“My concern is for the refugees who are still living in that Kuth foothold system,” countered Noah. “We can set our Person-to-Point transit portals to screen out Kuth life signs, but we have to know which planets to open them on and – more specifically – geographically where to open them. Those kinds of details tend to get really messy, and the process will be slow until we resolve them.”
“I can help you with that,” replied Adam curtly, surprising Noah this time with his own alert response. “I possess many of Bok’s memories, remember? The vast majority of families on those worlds have long since been forced out into space, and they’re living on dead moons, asteroids or in ships the same way the loved ones of other clans live. The people still working in the Kuth cities or at military facilities are the true believers… traitors who will never change their position no matter what we do. Our targets will be the slave colonies on approximately three dozen worlds, which are generally well segregated and all located away from any town or city populated by more than a few Kuth. Those are the places where we’ll need to open transit portals, and we’ll do so once the military ships in space are properly distracted. I can give you those locations in advance.” He hesitated, thinking about Noah’s previous statement. “You’re certain you can filter out any Kuth who try to spoil a mass exodus?”
“Yes. If a human passes through a transit wormhole, they’ll end up relocated on a planet in the Proteus galaxy. If any of the Kuth try to follow them, their bio-signs will be recognized and they’ll simply pass harmlessly through the PTP barrier and emerge on the other side, still on their own planet. We’ll have to act quickly, because these creatures anger easily and will not hesitate to take that frustration out on civilians. On Earth we sent armed guards through and dared members of the Brotherhood to try and oppose us. A few did, but most respected our superior firepower and did not. I’m certain we can do something similar here.”
“Understood.” Adam turned to exchange a brief glance with Kaufield. “That just leaves item number three.”
“Which is?”
“It involves the things your people have already done in your galaxy… Thomas likes to write all kinds of papers about Proteus. He thinks that it is really cool what you’ve done – by basically embedding a man-made galaxy of hot, younger stars in the center of the Poseidon gravity river so that you can monitor the gravitational effects on time and space while observing the rest of the universe.”
“Yes,” mused Noah thoughtfully. “Poseidon also serves as a guidepost of sorts. Once your people discovered the heavier amounts of dark matter near the Wasteland, it didn’t take your astronomers long at all to determine that there was a huge gravity well somewhere in our direction. That’s one of the major reasons you headed out our way, and why we chose to settle where we did. Those who make their way out into the larger universe eventually detect Poseidon and find their way to us. As I stated earlier, we love the chance to meet new life forms and learn about their civilizations.”
“Thomas says that you have huge spheres of energy, kind of like force fields, that are scattered around the outer perimeter of Proteus. He told me that you use them to contain and store enormous quantities of gases and excess nebula dust, essentially the types of materials that are usually needed in order to refuel a dying star or build a new world to live on.” He interlinked the fingers of both hands together and rested his mouth on top for a moment, pausing. “Are these barriers impenetrable? That is, can they withstand any amount of pressure and contain anything we wrap one around?”
“That will depend on a few things young man. I would need to see statistics on just what you specifically intend to ‘wrap one around’.”
Adam pulled a pre-printed piece of paper out of his pocket and slid it across the table, allowing Noah a chance to open and examine it. “This is kind of what I had in mind,” he stated slowly, watching their Proteus ally examine the numbers carefully.
“How long would you need us to maintain this force field’s integrity?”
“Unknown.” Adam’s expression soured slightly. “But I would also need the ability to open and close small holes in this sphere, more than likely three or four dozen at a time. These holes would be carefully controlled by a piece of hardware that transits back and forth along the outer perimeter. Thomas and I have run some initial numbers, and we don’t believe that the entire process should take longer than a single Earth day.”
“That is definitely doable,” decided Noah, holding up the sheet of paper for emphasis. “Can I keep this?”
“Certainly.”
“The creation of a large, force shield bubble isn’t a problem for us. The barrier can actually be as large or as small as you want it to be. But I will need you to define some sort of a perimeter for us… for example, we’ll need to know specifically where you want the center point, the size of the sphere’s radius, that kind of thing…”
“That won’t be a problem, Noah. If you and your people can supply us with these three things, then I’m confident that President Kaufield and I can control the permanent cessation of this war using only additional resources from the Ali Rinai and the Pathfinder. If you agree to handle the refugees, all who want to come, in the same manner as you helped the people of Earth, then we’re prepared to end the Wasteland war.”
“I’ll speak with the representatives of my government,” nodded Noah in re
sponse. “However, I don’t see anything odd in your requests that would prevent us from assisting further. Let’s get this done.”
Adam’s expression tightened noticeably as Noah rose to his feet and left. Seated next to him, President Kaufield took careful note of it and smacked his friend on the shoulder. “Relax,” he stated bluntly. “Things are going to get pretty tense for a while, but we’re not there yet.”
“Easy for you to say,” said Adam intensely. “You’ve been through the military routine on many occasions. It’s probably second nature to you by now.” Seated next to him, his wife laughed in response.
“Yeah right,” scoffed Kaufield. “Besides, what are you worried about? You’re the person that took on a cargo bay filled with Kuth warriors. So how tough can a couple of planets filled with them be?”
“Try four hundred, twenty-five planets,” Adam reminded him. He winked at his wife. “Do you think my personal defenses can hold up against that?”
*
Thomas was seated in the Command Dome when Adam found him, busily tapping lines of code into a portable laptop. He glanced up with a sudden smile at the appearance of his brother, but continued to work steadily as Adam stopped right next to him and patted his brother affectionately on the shoulder. “I take it your plan was approved,” the younger Roh mumbled softly without looking up.
“It was.” Adam stood and watched him work, always a fascinating sight. Thomas literally typed as fast as he could think, and – barring the occasional misspelling here or there – he rarely needed to go back and correct things. It was an honor to work with someone so gifted, someone with a near perfect memory, and an even greater honor to call that someone a blood brother. “You don’t need to worry Thomas,” he said reassuringly. “I was extremely worried my first few days in the Wasteland, so much so that I thought I was going to develop ulcers. But you’d be surprised at how much confidence you can build when the technology that people give you works exactly as promised. We’re not only going to do this, we’re going to do it well.”
The Pathfinder Trilogy Page 73