by Paul Phipps
“Bloodhound Control, this is SF-003 reporting in.” Pilot Wilson called into the Bloodhound that was hanging in Very Low Earth Orbit seventy Five miles above them.
“Go ahead SF-003.” The feminine voice of the watchstander came back.
“Roger Control, Alpha and Beta Probes have entered the complex via Tunnel #3. Telemetered sensors have been placed within the facility. Attached file has the required information for the probes.” At that announcement a file with all acquired data and necessary frequencies and encryption protocols was transmitted to the Bloodhound.
“SF-003, we have the file. Ratter requests that you find a nice place to blend into the background and stay on site for the next twenty four hours.” Bloodhound control told them.
“Roger that Control. We’ll contact you at our next scheduled time. SF-003 out.”
“Bloodhound Control, out.”
“You heard the Lady, recommendation for in or out of the water?” he asked the two crewmembers in front of his station.
“We might get more data if we park around here, pilot. But I would feel better if we were masked and sitting above a beach nearby.” Petty Officer Van Nells said.
Petty officer Williams nodded her head in agreement with Van Nells.
“Right!, Find me a good spot then.”
Nearly twenty minutes later they were in masked mode over deep jungle terrain that also was directly above the chamber that the Beta Probe had placed its monitoring equipment. There were no visible buildings or even humans within a mile of their position. It was like the people of the island instinctively shied away from the location.
“Pilot! Beta Probe’s Seismic and electrical field monitors report an object coming down the rails to the chamber.
“Can we get a visual?”
“Yes Pilot, visual coming up. Feed is also going to Bloodhound Control.” Petty Officer Van Nells said quietly in the SF-003’s command capsule.
The crew of SF-003 watched in fascination as a wide bodied platform moved slowly into the chamber. The bow wave from the submerged platform made a large wave across the chamber. Partially submerged on the platform was something that looked like a brain coral in shape yet appeared to be mostly flesh and not calcified material. As it moved slowly across the chamber it eventually reached the center of the pedestal and the sensors registered the sound and activity of clamps engaging to hold the platform securely.
Now that it had stopped moving it was evident that there was a slow pulsing of the object. Timing revealed a three minute and five second cycle. By this time Ratter had informed Lt. Commander Fuller who had in turn had informed Admiral Webster and Seeker that they might have found the ‘Mother’. All of them were watching the feed of the sensors the SF-003 had planted in fascination.
A movement along one wall captured their attention as a young man around the age of fourteen walked slowly into the cavern. He had a vacant look to his eyes as he walked along. As he moved across the room a look of pleasure and then ecstasy appeared across his features. He stopped and swayed gently, as the watchers continued to monitor it was apparent that the young man was visibly losing body mass. His face grew gaunt and then as he crumpled to the floor he rolled on his side and turned quickly into a pile of dust within the loose robe he had been wearing. A few minutes later an older woman came in with a broom. With quick efficient motions she pulled the robe from the pile and shook it out and then swept the pile of dust into the pool where the ocean life milled around and appeared to consume it.
On board the SF-003 Petty Officer Van Nells was clutching his head with both hands. He was moaning, “There it is again! That Scream, the kid knew what was happening and he couldn’t stop it. He’s gone forever… There’s nothing left of him for another chance at life.” He moaned in agony.
* * *
In the Chamber of the Mother she felt a disturbance… it felt like someone was watching her! Then she felt a wave of disgust and repugnance as the child in the chamber was fully consumed. She opened up her inner eyes once again and ‘looked’ closely around her. There was only the view of the caretaker leaving the chamber with the robe the children wore when they were fed upon.
With an effort she looked out farther, the energy she consumed doing this would rapidly use up the life force she had just acquired, her energy reserves were precious, they had been husbanded for the effort of taking this world. Her perceptions detected nothing of note, just the usual life forms in her pool and on the surface of the island above her.
‘One last look’, she thought and opened her perception even further than usual. AHHH! There they were, above her hidden home. It was one of the vessels of the Humans called the Terran Space Navy. With a little more effort she spied one of them who appeared to be a sensitive. With a contemptuous thought she created a mind bomb and blew up his brain. The sudden release of Life Force fueled her next efforts and the other two were dealt with the same.
Now to enslave the Artificial Mind… It was so easy to do… twist here… Insert there… and it was hers. With an order to land and bring her children aboard it and her task was done. As she removed her mind’s perception from the vessel she saw it remove its shield against human sight and start downward, it broke off the trees as it forced its way to the ground.
Just before the vessel landed, it paused. The shields snapped back on and it faded from sight. As she pushed her perception back into it she felt the vessel moving away on an erratic course. Before she could determine its direction of movement it was beyond the range of her perceptions. She expanded her range rapidly but was quickly overwhelmed with feelings and thoughts of the Humans around it. And the vessel was gone!
Rage filled her mind and she welcomed it and reveled in it. Her children cowered in fear for a hundred miles around her home. Even the Humans felt it and were afraid. Slowly she regained her calm and thought and thought about what she had discovered…
* * *
The Bloodhound’s Command A.I. and Seeker were conferring over the data streams and what had happened on board the SF-003. The data was consistent when it came to Petty Officer Van Nells head exploding like a balloon filled with red and gray paint. However the interference was so bad that they could not be positive about the remaining human crew on board. The Command A.I. of the SF-003 appeared to have been subverted, but how they had no clue.
The Bloodhound’s own Sensor data was of little use either, the SF-003 appeared to be landing and its masking shields were off and then… nothing. Their only hope was that the Escape and Evasion program had gone active. If it had, then there was a chance at recovering the SF-003. There had been four designated locations for the E&E program to use for its final destination. Each had an equal chance of being utilized. Now it was time to wait as they waited to see if the E&E program had gone active and had done its duty.
* * *
The E&E program on the SF-003 was indeed only a mere program, a very good one mind you, but it was not sentient or sapient. That was both good and bad in this situation. The heartbeat monitor that had awakened it to full operation indicated the Human Crew was dead. The Command A.I. was subverted and the E&E program following its instructions had removed all power and I/O connections to it.
All sub-systems appeared to be functioning, in accordance with its instructions all non-vital systems were shut-down and all transmitting equipment was sealed tight until the proper conditions were achieved.
Navigation was directed to take evasive maneuvers in a totally random manner with the exception of any direction that would bring them closer to the position where the crew was killed. At twenty three minutes into their initial evasion maneuvers the E&E program chose at random a location from its approved rendezvous list. Navigation informed it that they would reach the M1 Moon Base in seventeen minutes from their current position.
* * *
TSN M1 Moon Base
The watchstanders in the Moon Base’s Command Center were doing routine monitoring of the sequestered humans that were ther
e involuntarily from the IUR and the ACT-NOW and DHS people from the United States. All was normal, there were no new complaints other than from the former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. She was officially dead along with several of her top regional directors in a most unfortunate aircraft mishap. But that didn’t stop her from demanding to talk to her attorney at least once a day.
Petty Officer First Class Yoder was monitoring the synced crystal communicator when he straightened up from his slouched posture and looked extra attentive.
“Commander! The Bloodhound is announcing that one her Scout-Fighters has been attacked and the crew is dead.” He paused and they others in the room could hear him say. “Bloodhound, please repeat your last.”
The Commander and the rest of the watchstanders waited as he listened to the report.
“Roger that Bloodhound, I’ll pass that on and we’ll keep a watch out for him, M1 out.” At that point he turned to look at the Officer of the Deck commanding the watch for that shift. “Commander, the Bloodhound reports that while conducting surveillance on the apparent location of the Quarn Mother the SF-003 was apparently detected and attacked. Method of attack is unknown at this time; they have only one clear image set of one of the crews’ head exploding. There was major interference at that point and all communications were lost.
Analysis of the Bloodhounds sensor data seems to indicate that the Command A.I. of the SF-003 was taken over or subverted. After that the Escape and Evasion overwatch system appears to have taken command of the vessel and is executing its programmed orders. We are one of four designated rendezvous points and we are directed to keep a watch out for it.
The Bloodhound has passed along the proper challenge and response protocols that the E&E program will acknowledge so that we can approach and enter the vessel.”
The Watch Commander acknowledged the report, he confirmed that Maude had a full transcript available and he then contacted the M1 Base Commanding and Executive Officers and informed them of what was occurring.
The M1 Moon Base was now at a heightened alert status. There were three Search and Rescue configured MARS units either on the pad or in lower lunar orbit. Now it was only a matter of waiting until they or one of the alternate E&E locations reported the presence of the SF-003.
“Captain Yang, the SF-003 is trying to contact you via low power laser comm.” Maude’s motherly voice announced softly in the Command Center.
“Thank you Maude.” Captain Yang told her. With a mild glare at the communications section she asked them to connect to the SF-003. With deeply chagrined faces they did so and once the proper challenge and acknowledgement phrases were exchanged the SF-003 dropped its masking field and protective shielding. It hung in lunar-synchronous orbit above the M1 Moon Base. There was no visible damage to the vessel so perhaps the interior was fine too.
One of the SAR units moved in and with a hard contact transferred fully space suited personnel to take care of the crew’s remains and to find out what had occurred. They reported with shock at the scene they discovered in the command capsule of the Scout-Fighter. The three crewmembers heads had appeared to have violently explode from internal forces. The real stunner for them was that the bodies were appearing to very slowly dissolve into… dust.
Using their personal initiative they gathered up what remains were still viable and hurried to the on-board Med Center. The only good news was that the Advanced Computational implants appeared to be still whole and working. Perhaps something could be retrieved from them.
* * *
The SF-003’s Med Center now held the remains of the three human crew members in a time field stasis, which accounted for most of the energy usage on the Scout Fighter. The Command A.I.’s Quantum processor and integral Memory storage had been removed and also placed in a time stasis field. The Scout-Fighter’s hard memory crystal storage was accessed and the contents were transmitted to Seeker and the other interested parties, primarily Lt. Commander Fuller and the Elizabeth Rich.
The SF-003 was then brought on-board the Super-Heavy Assault Transport Chesty Puller for transportation to the Elizabeth Rich’s current location beyond the Heliopause.
There were many questions being asked, hopefully the Specialist’s on board her could answer some of them.
* * *
Mousehole, Wales – Council House.
Command Master Chief Sarah Cavendish was sitting in the formal dining room of her favorite restaurant in the small town of Mousehole. Her two companions were also members of the TSN, Corporal Van Tranh and Petty Officer Second Class Sowell also of Wales. Together they were enjoying an Afternoon Tea with finger sandwiches and tarts. They were going over the delivery of Sarah’s powered wheelchair back to the Mousehole Council as they had requested of her.
“I loved how that officious arse’s eyes bugged out of his head when you came striding into the council chambers!” P.O. Sowell said with a throaty chuckle.
“Yes! And I had all I could do to keep from laughing,” The Corporal said merrily, “when that council member asked the Chief here to identify herself properly. And the Chief said “Harold! You know damn all who I am, you kept asking me if I really needed a cottage that big for one old crippled lady and no, for your information, I don’t need one now!” She said in an almost perfect accent.
At that point the front door to the restaurant opened up with a tinkle of brass bells and an impressive lady in a gray tweed business suit with a companion carrying a briefcase came in. She started to peer around and then once she spotted the three TSN members in their distinctive black one-piece uniforms she strode over.
“Sarah, do you mind if I join you?”
Sarah in turn gave a brilliant smile and with a graceful motion rose out of her chair and bowed to the lady. “Certainly Dame Meredith, please join us for some tea?”
A servitor who was watching carefully from the corner of the dining room quickly brought over two more sets of dishes for the Tea.
After all of those present were properly introduced to each other and they sipped at their tea, Dame Meredith came to her reason for inviting herself to their tea break.
“Sarah, I’m pleased to see you once again. When you disappeared from your flat I was nearly frantic with worry. It wasn’t until I received the notice from the Council that you had enlisted in the Terran Space Navy that I started to relax. And NOW, just look at you!” She gushed, “You’re back to your old self and even better I can see.”
“Yes I am, Dame Meredith. There are times when I am still surprised to find myself where I am. But the work is wonderful and I am doing fine.” Sarah said with some pride.
“So what is it that you do in a ‘Space Navy’?”
Sarah just chuckled and gave an enigmatic smile and then said. “Oh, this and that…”
Corporal Van Tranh on the other hand spoke up, “The Chief here is the Commandant of the basic training program. I believe you had what… one hundred and forty thousand recruits this last week?” She finished up looking at the chief.
“It was a little more than one hundred and forty two thousand, Corporal.”
“I see.” Dame Meredith murmured. “So if I ask you a question you might be able to answer it for me?”
“That depends on the question Dame Meredith.” Sarah answered her.
“Very well then, I have been tasked to go to Indonesia by the agency to investigate reports of large scale children disappearances there, particularly in the orphanages. A report came across my desk last week that one of your ships had picked up an orphan from there for a visit with your apprentices I believe?”
“That would be Harum and yes she’s currently staying with us on Asimov City.”
“Good, good, would it be too much trouble for me to interview her before I fly off on my mission?” Dame Meredith asked.
“It’s possible, when do you leave?”
“Tomorrow at five o’clock from Heathrow.”
“Hmmm,“ Sarah thought quickly to herself and
then contacted Albert.
Command Chief Cavendish/ Comm Mode: “Albert Are you available to talk to me?”
Lt. Commander Fuller/ Comm Mode: “Yes Sarah, what is it?”
Command Chief Cavendish/ Comm Mode: “Albert, I recall a report from you about a Dame Meredith. Do you?”
Lt. Commander Fuller/ Comm Mode: “Wait one… Yes! Here it is, it’s from an e-mail intercept from a British Quarn-Slave. She’s supposed to go to Indonesia and has been drugged and compromised.”