Earth II - Emergence

by Ray Jay Perreault

  “Captain, this is Veenor. I have spoken with those above me, and they have asked that you follow me to our home world, Ter. They would like to speak further with you.”

  “Excellent, lead the way, and we’ll follow,” she suggested.

  “Captain, I’m sorry, but your ship will have to remain here,” replied Veenor.

  “I’m sorry unless my ship makes the trip there won’t be a meeting.”

  That might blow some fuses, SIMPOC passed to her.

  Joan looked at him, not sure if he was kidding or being serious.

  “Captain Herl, perhaps there has been some misunderstanding. You’re able to make the trip in your ship,” Veenor finally announced.

  “Thank you, please transmit the coordinates and any other information necessary. We’ll follow you into orbit.”

  “Certainly, the information is forthcoming.”

  “Veenor, who am I meeting?” Joan asked.

  “Captain that information hasn’t been provided to me. I can inform you that we’re meeting at the Terr planetary headquarters. Captain,…” Veenor paused. “This is the Ter’s first meeting with creatures from another solar system. I have provided, many personal assurances that the meeting will be …safe…and productive.”

  Joan hesitated, thinking over the implications of Veenor’s statement.

  “Veenor, I’m sure the meeting will be safe and productive. Thanks for arranging it.”

  “The data has been transferred to your ship,” Veenor said, appearing to skip over the implications of the last few statements.

  Joan glanced at Beta-5 and received the appropriate head nod, indicating they had indeed received the information.

  “Estimated time to Ter?” She asked Beta-5.

  “Four hours and 26 minutes,” the Beta unit responded.

  SIMPOC, what do you think? Joan passed telepathically to her computer friend.

  It appears that we and the Terest, are both moving in an uncertain direction, SIMPOC responded.

  Drummond Taken to Etom

  It was obvious that things weren’t going as planned. She had been captured. Darlene Drummond didn’t know to do except wait, assuming that at some point someone would talk to her. The room that she had been locked in was obviously a cell of some kind. There was a flat place with some padding on it which was a bed or resting area. In the corner was a faucet with water that trickled continuously out of the spout into a bowl. There is also a device, or contraption that extended out from the wall. It appeared to be an alien substitute for a toilet. Not very comfortable to use, and she refused to try it out until absolutely necessary.

  Aside from being trapped in a room, she had no idea what was going on around her. BG and the Burlington might be in trouble, they might’ve been attacked, but obviously, the situation was becoming dire very quickly. There was a vibration that she was feeling through the ship’s structure which seemed to indicate that it was under power. The only logical assumption was that it was racing away from the area where she was captured. Possible BG and the Burlington had been attacked or destroyed, but if the ship was still functional, she was confident that BG wasn’t too far behind. There was no clock in the room, but her communicator told her the time. It was 3 ½ hours since her capture when she heard the door unlock. Her heart rate increased as she waited for someone to enter.

  The creature that entered was clearly an Izod although it was taller than Izary. The creature was wearing a tight-fitting set of clothing reminiscent of a uniform or suit. After it entered two other creatures wearing similar clothes walked in and stood side-by-side. All three of them stared at Captain Drummond and said nothing.

  Darlene was happy to see that they were carrying a communication device. So, the chances of being able to communicate with them was good. If they were going to talk then apparently it was up to her.

  “Why am I being held captive?” She asked.

  She didn’t get an immediate response, which irritated her a little.

  “I expect an answer; why have I been captured?” She demanded.

  The three individuals talked amongst themselves for a moment. Then they turned on the translation device.

  “My name is Nomat,” the tall one in the middle said.

  At least I’m making some progress, she thought.

  “Nomat, if you’re the one in charge, please explain why I am being held? I brought back Izary and the other Izod that were with him. There is no reason that I should be held like this.”

  “You are being held until we decide our best course of action,” Nomat responded.

  “Your best course of action?” Captain Drummond almost yelled.

  “There are many forces at play, that you are not familiar with. Izary and his people represented some of those forces. But there are others that we must deal with. Until we see how those forces relate to each other, you will be held captive.” Nomat said as he turned and headed for the door followed by his two accomplices.

  Lovely, thought Captain Drummond, what kind of mess have I gotten myself into?

  Darlene had nothing else to do while in captivity, except to sit, wait and sleep if she could. She could tell by the sounds and vibrations that the ship she was held in was under power, and her only assumption was that they were heading for a planet.

  She was laying on the cot, watching a dot on the ceiling when the motion of the ship changed. Instead of the smooth vibration, bumps and movement were becoming noticeable.

  Aerodynamic buffeting, she thought. We must be landing.

  Her assumptions were correct, and a short time later she felt the craft bump as it landed. She soon heard the door locking mechanism actuate, and she thought, Time for something to happen.

  BG Considers Options

  “Sir, the craft has approached the surface of the planet and landed,” announced Beta-3.

  “What kind of ships are in orbit?” BG asked.

  “Sir, there numerous ships in transit to other location or in orbit. There are four significant ships in orbit which appear to be military. They have changed their orbits to intercept our location,” responded Bet 3.

  “Take a geosynchronous orbit; I want to be looking down on them. Let me know if they change orbit.”

  “Acknowledged,” responded the Beta unit.

  “Do you have a specific location for where the shuttle landed?” BG asked.

  “We have pinpointed the location. By taking a higher orbit we can keep the location underneath us,” responded Beta-3.

  “Move our location over her location,” BG commanded.

  Now, what do I do? BG asked himself.

  “Beta-Prime, are all of our weapons online?”

  “Lasers are fully charged, and the rail guns are armed,” responded Beta-Prime.

  “Turn on the tracking systems and make sure that the sensors are full power. I want them to know that we’re watching them and aiming our weapons. Let me know if any of them make aggressive maneuvers.”

  “Sir, what aggressive maneuvers should we be looking for?” asked Beta-3.

  Good question, BG wondered.

  “If any of them approach us at high speed. Use our sensors to see if they are aiming their weapons, or charging them, or anything like that. Did we get data from the last Terest attack on the Chevesky?” BG asked Beta-Prime.

  “Yes, we have the full set of sensor data,” responded the Beta unit.

  “Good, use that and search for anything similar. If our sensors pick it up, then we’re under attack.” BG directed.

  “Beta-5, try to establish contact with anyone on this planet. Keep transmitting on any frequency until someone responds. Include this message in the transmission.”

  “A member of our crew has been taken by one of your ships. That person must be returned, or we will be forced to take aggressive actions. Respond immediately.”

  “Beta-3, survey the planet and identify targets that are best suited for Laser Cannon, and the rail guns. First, I want targets that minimize impacts to Te
rest life. I also want you to identify any targets that look military, particularly anything that might be a weapon and used against us,” BG ordered.

  “Acknowledged,” Beta-1 responded.

  “On second thought, do that, but also find me some targets that we can blow up without causing injuries. Preferably near where they’re holding Captain Drummond. We may need to demonstrate our weapons to get their attention.”

  “Acknowledged,” Beta-1 responded.

  “Beta-1, confirm that Tom Herl used the rail gun and laser during the last attack?” BG asked, already suspecting the answer.

  “According to his ship’s logs, he used the rail gun and Lasers to destroy the Terest ship,” Beta-1 said

  Okay, there is a chance they know about our weapons. I don’t want to show them too much too soon, BG convinced himself.

  Dans Tries to Take Over NY

  Dans wasn’t concerned that he hadn’t heard from Tobias. Sending him to Washington could accomplish a couple of things. First, it appeased the Mayor and his followers. Second, if Tobias found anything interesting, it might help Dans, and he could use the information to his advantage. If the Government was up and operating, then Dans would deal with them at the right time. If there was no Government, then Dans didn’t have to worry about them. Neither response from Tobias wouldn’t change his plans with regard to Hunt. In either case, New York would be his.

  Dans toyed with how to solve his ‘Hunt’ problem. It would be fun to take a group of his men, and with them just storm into the Mayor’s apartment and blow him away. But that was too easy. Dans couldn’t enjoy the moment fully unless he did it himself. Ending Hunt’s life with a group of soldiers behind him, wouldn’t be one-on-one. He wanted Hunt to know who was killing him and Dans wanted Hunt’s undivided attention when he did it.

  Dans didn’t want to murder Hunt in front of his staff. Again, he wanted to see the fear in Hunt’s eyes when the end came. In a room of screaming cowards, things might get out of control. One of them might decide to be a hero, and too many of them would have to be taken down along with Hunt. Dans didn’t like Hunt’s followers, but they could help provide reasonable control over the city if they had the proper leadership.

  Dans finally decided, he would do it himself, in Hunt’s apartment where he could enjoy it. With that decided, there is no time like the present, he said to himself.

  The evening was cool, and he was enjoying the view of the harbor. It was a short drive to the Mayor’s apartment, and of course, there was ample parking in front. Rules and parking restrictions no longer applied, and he had driven over the grass and parked in front of the East Coast Memorial. Now that he had decided what to do, the world around him cleared. He had a mission and goal, one that he was anxious to accomplish.

  Dans grabbed a small suitcase from the back of his car and stepped quickly towards the lobby.

  He knew that he would be welcomed, and no questions asked. He was a frequent visitor, and the worthless guy that sat by the door was of no consequence. Dans walked by the small desk, and the old fart picked up his phone to announce Dans’ arrival. Inwardly that increased Dans’ enjoyment. How better to deal with the Mayor than to have him expecting a social call and then be surprised?

  Riding to the penthouse in the mayor’s private elevator was refreshing. Now that his mind was clear, and he saw himself in charge, dealing the Mayor was just a minor inconvenience that he needed to deal with.

  The elevator was nearing the top floor, and Dans pulled the assault rifle out of his bag along with a pistol with a silencer. Generally, there wasn’t a guard in front of the Mayor’s apartment, but just in case there was he wanted to deal with him quickly. After all, he would be replaced with one of his men after the detail of the mayor was resolved.

  The elevator doors opened, and the Mayor’s guard raised his hand to welcome Dans. The look on his face turned to shock as Dans’ silenced pistol popped twice, and the guard fell back on the carpet.

  One down, one to go, Dans thought.

  Dans didn’t bother to knock. He walked in as he usually did.

  “I’m here in bed, come on in,” Hunt’s voice called out from the master suite.

  Dans walked in, dropping his bag on the couch with the pistol beside it. He didn’t need the pistol anymore, a job like this needed style. That was why he brought the assault rifle.

  When Hunt saw him, his eyes opened wider, and he brought up the covers a little.

  “What the?”

  “New York needs a new mayor, and I’m it,” Dans said as he swung the rifle up and pointed it at the man in the bed who was cowering behind a pulled-up blanket.

  “Jonas, can we talk about this?”

  “Nope, no discussion needed. You’re being replaced. You can beg me if you want.”

  “Is there a problem?” Hunt asked. “Can I do something for you?”

  “I’m the man in charge. I know what needs to be done. You’re weak, and New York needs a strong leader now.”

  Just as Jonas Dans reached the end of his statement, he heard a sound. For a second it didn’t register, then it did. It was the sound of a pump shotgun loading a shell into the chamber. As he was turning, he was caught with a chest full of #12 shot. The close pattern of pellets caught him in mid-turn and lifted him off his feet. He landed on the carpet next to the mayor’s bed with the assault rifle next to him. His eyes and mouth were still open as if he had something else to say.

  “I never liked the guy,” Margaret said with smoke gently wafting out of the single barrel. She casually pumped the handle again, loading the second shell, then she fired.

  Mayor Hunt was quiet, he just sat there, moving his eyes between her and the dead man on the floor.

  Drummond’s Interrogation

  For some reason, Darlene was hoping or expecting Izary to open the door. If he did, then she didn’t know if she would feel relieved because she knew him a little or pissed and beat the daylights out of him for kidnapping her.

  Regardless she didn’t have the opportunity to greet him or beat him up, the Izod that entered was not Izary nor Tomat. He was taller and heavier than Izary.

  The Izod entered the room with escorts on either side. He stopped and seemed to glare at Darlene. She wasn’t that familiar with Izod facial expressions, so it might have been some other emotion, but it sure felt like a grimace.

  Captain Drummond stood and tried to glare back at him a little. She knew that wasn’t one of her best facial expressions, but she didn’t want to seem happy.

  “Why have you abducted me?” Darlene asked as firm as she could. She hoped that there was a functioning translator in the room, but if there wasn’t, then he surely would get the right impression.

  He still didn’t answer. He just stood there.

  “I’m going to ask you one more time? Why have you taken me?” Asked Darlene with anger building in her voice.

  The tall Izod still didn’t answer.

  Darlene decided that it was time for her to bluff a little.

  “I have a powerful spaceship, that has followed me to this planet. If I’m not released, it will do a lot of damage to this planet and spaceships in orbit.”

  Finally, she got some reaction from him.

  “My name is Telorr,” the tall Izod said through the translator he held in his hand.

  Darlene stood her ground and looked back at him. Now, she was frustrated, and it showed.

  “You didn’t answer my question. Why was I taken hostage and brought here? She said with more volume and force.

  “I am responsible for the Illiod Corporation.”

  Suddenly she sensed arrogance and confidence. Perhaps some of her alien material helped her senses, she thought.

  Captain Drummond recognized the corporate name and remembered that Izary said that he represented that corporation. Then she began to put the full picture together. She had been kidnapped by one of the corporations and likely being held so they could have some kind of advantage over the other corporat
ions and local Izod Government. Dealing with a Government is one thing but dealing with a corporation that has a self-serving agenda is another.

  “You still haven’t answered my question,” she insisted.

  Again, he stood looking down at the female that was barely half his size.

  “There are many reasons why you are our guest,” Telorr said.

  There was something about him that Darlene didn’t like. If she didn’t know any better, she was sure that he was sneering at her.

  Captain Drummond decided to raise her bluff to the next level.

  “Telorr, do you have any idea, how much damage my ship can do to this planet?”

  He just stood, staring back at her. As she was hoping for a response, another Izod came into the room, and Telorr turned to him and turned off the translator.

  “Sir, this human’s ship has entered orbit and has its weapons charged,” he said in Izod.

  Captain Drummond was momentarily shocked. She was sure that he spoke in their native language, but she understood him. She almost responded then she held herself back. She remembered that the alien material that SIMPOC implanted in her would integrate itself into her and how it acted might be unique. Perhaps I can understand their language, she thought. What an advantage.

  “Sir, what should we do?” the assistant asked.

  “Have the Matarie contacted us yet?” Telorr asked.

  “No sir, they haven’t. What should I tell them when they do?”

  “Tell them that we have captured one of the humans and we need to confront our Government for a better contract.”

  “But what if the human’s ship attacks us?”

  “They won’t as long as we have her,” Telorr responded.

  Telorr’s assistant turned and left the room. Telorr turned towards Darlene and looked at her again.

  Darlene waited for him to turn on the translator then she said, “If you start a war it will cost you a great deal.”

  “Conflict has a cost, but it also has benefits,” he responded. Then he turned and walked out of the room.