Emma’s eyes open wide, but before she can say anything, Cindy shakes her head and states firmly, “No. I am not having you go down and start some task you need ‘one more day’ to complete.”
Emma turns to Peter and pouts. Peter blinks in surprise at her expression and says defensively, “Hey, don’t think for one second I am going to pick sides.” Emma’s jaw drops open, then snaps shut. “I don’t expect you to pick sides Peter Ivanov. You’re supposed to support me!” She states indignantly.
No one on the bridge says a word. This is the first time some of them have even heard Peter’s last name, and Emma practically spat it out.
Emma gazes around, then huffs, “Fine!”
George steps from his suit and with a deep sadness speaks, “I never told you folks this, but the Gamin computer system is functioning, and has an active database which includes the Oglan’s lost technologies.”
Cindy frowns in confusion and asks, “What didn’t you tell us?”
George lowers his gaze as the unpleasant memories resurface. “Well...” he says slowly as he decides how to present what he knows. “The Gamin clan that subjugated this planet used the Oglans as guinea pigs for these bodysuits, as well as slave labor. Thousands died horrible deaths, and were then cremated inside that power unit they left behind.”
Cindy purses her lips and encourages George, “Go on.”
George sighs, then solemnly continues, “When the Regent of that clan was unable to get a prototype working, he ordered his fleet to bombard the planet’s major cities.”
Cindy’s jaw drops, “Did the Oglans do anything to entice this action?”
“Nothing,” George replies sadly, “they were as peaceful a people then, as they are now.”
Cindy sighs, then says, “John, George, Patrick, and Joe, go and see what you can do.” She taps the side of her chair then reluctantly adds, “Emma, if going back down will benefit your team, then go.”
“Yeah!” Emma cheers, then quickly gets up, adding, “Thank you.” She glances at Peter, huffs, then rushes out of the bridge to prepare.
Cindy turns to Robert and says, “You may as well go too, if you want.”
“I would love to,” Robert replies enthusiastically.
Joe puts a hand to his mouth and says, “That place even scared Radclyf.” He gulps, and then glances around nervously, but remains quiet.
Patrick suddenly has an idea, and gushes it out. “All those computers that Suzanne set up for Emma’s teams, they use a network. Right?”
Cindy grins, “Perfect.” She turns to George and says, “See if you can get the data to feed to the mainframe we left behind using one of your interface devices.” She turns to Patrick and says, “And I want you to show Jux how to use a tablet computer.”
Joe’s jaw drops, “Ah, it’s not that simple. We would need to create a program that Jux could use, and that would take...” He shrugs his shoulders and adds, “Who knows how long.”
Cindy grins as she declares, “Then it is up to you and Emma to convince Suzanne to write one, and fast!”
The selected group departs the Terran as soon as they are back in orbit. John lands the shuttle near the abandoned Gamin facility. After a short walk, they arrive outside the old Gamin door, which they left open during their last visit. The passageway no longer smells the same as they recall, but it is still musty.
George, who is wearing his bodysuit, leads them to the end of the passageway, then down the old stairwell. They all carry bright flashlights to illuminate the way, creating wandering pools of light as they walk along. At the base of the long stairwell they are greeted with another corridor. Fifteen minutes later, they arrive at the massive room, which George recalls quite vividly. The dome shaped cavern is huge. A Gamin Power Unit rests in the middle, appearing to be nothing more than an oversized dark brick.
George and Joe have no trouble interfacing with the console. Setting up a remote link, however, is a daunting task. They debate laying cable, versus a wireless setup, and then finally decide to go with both. The equipment Suzanne supplied is geared for either interface anyway.
Suzanne’s team works quickly and efficiently to create an application which can access the Gamin database. She follows George’s instructions to the letter and omits all access to anything not related to Oglan technology. The task of translating the data is relatively easy, and reveals that the Oglans were indeed quite an advanced race at one time. They had space stations which orbited their world, and a sophisticated space program in place.
Once done, Patrick assists in copying the stored data to the computers which are managed by Emma’s remaining ground teams. Whereas Suzanne is far too busy to review the omitted data, he is not. The more he reviews, the sadder he becomes. This sadness soon turns into a seething rage.
Patrick storms off, finds George, and practically shouts at him, “You never told us you knew which Regent did this!”
George’s response is slow and measured, “Knowing which Regent did this, thousands of years ago, does not change the way things are today.”
With his pent up anger threatening to boil over, Patrick leans closer to George and stares into his eyes. He suddenly blanches, and with the hair rising on the back of his neck says, “You already have a plan for this Regent Xasturz? Don’t you?”
George meets Patrick’s stare with fierce determination, and replies, “I have been searching the Gamin database for references to him.”
Patrick steps back and states with equal resolve, “We will make that Regent pay for what he has done.”
George nods in agreement and says, “We must also count ourselves fortunate that not all Gamin are the same.”
Patrick’s anger fades as the truth behind George’s words sinks in. He takes a few calming breaths, and then says, “I will find Jux and show him how to use the tablets.” Striding away, he locates John and secures his piloting services.
Jux is obviously surprised and excited to see the Terran’s shuttle land. He approaches cautiously, and even as the ramp is opening, says in his inquisitive tone, “You return so soon?”
Patrick steps down the ramp and repeats his planned speech. “Jux, you are the chief greeter to the sky people, and my friend. My leader offers you this gift in gratitude for your hospitality.” He hands a tablet computer to Jux, who simply stares at it, perplexed.
Patrick touches the pad turning it on. Jux almost drops the device. After Jux’s initial fears and concerns are calmed by Patrick, he begins to show Jux how to access the information. He smiles at the ordered way in which the data is sorted.
It will take the Oglans many years before they will be able to take full advantage of the knowledge, but with a heavy focus on reclamation technology, they will have a fighting chance. Patrick spends the entire day with Jux, teaching him, and all others that Jux approves, about the use of the devices. He leaves an entire box of tablet computers in Jux’s care. Each and every one utilizes the latest in solar powered technology, and will last a long time.
Patrick smiles and offers these parting words, “If you have any questions, ask Emma’s people. They will be staying here for a while longer, and will be happy to help you.”
Jux stares at the departing shuttle and truly smiles. He had a feeling that showing Patrick the before times was the right thing to do, and he was right. Jux waves at the distant shuttle and says, “Thank you my friend.”
Chapter Six - Are We There Yet?
Location:
Starship Terran
Open Space
The bridge crew has settled down into a casual routine as they travel away from the Oglan world, heading to the desolate world with the derelict spacecraft on it. After much debate, Cindy approves Joe’s request to activate the Navicon unit, and to leave it running. Almost immediately Gamin fleets appear on their expanded map, but none are within a thousand light years of them.
Cindy half expects Regent Voknor to appear on their main viewer with the unit’s activation, but he does not. She
is almost disappointed, but at the same time, also feels relieved. She, and others notice that George and Patrick begin to spend an unusual amount of time reviewing the Gamin fleets. Neither man will share with anyone what it is they are doing, but it is quite obvious they are up to something.
Down in the hangar deck, the Victory is also a busy place. Joe spends as much time as he can examining and studying their new spacecraft. He endeavors to learn everything he can about their latest acquisition. The Victory’s engine scanner is active, and its console is constantly manned. With its range limited to fifty light years, the standing orders are to immediately report anything that appears on its screen.
John has the Terran cruising at factor six point three once again. It would seem that this is the ship’s sweet spot, as the energy consumption closely matches the output from the pair of Gamin Power Units.
The days pass quickly, during which time the teams of Army Engineers prepare for the task ahead. Elsewhere, crew members have little to do, except wait.
Radclyf is one of those who have little to do, and is sitting alone at a table in the mess hall. He is deep in thought as he tilts his near empty mug of coffee back and forth. He stares at the swirling liquid, seemingly mesmerized by it. No one approaches him, but word of his brooding quickly spreads throughout the ship.
Robert has always had the ability to sniff out a good story, and today is no exception. Hearing of Radclyf, he wanders down to the mess hall, and finding him still sitting there alone, quietly joins him at the table.
With a clenched jaw, Radclyf bluntly states, “I am not in the mood for company!” His eyes remain locked on his swirling coffee, and yet, at the same time they seem to be peering far away.
Robert responds as if he were welcomed to the table, “What’s on your mind?”
“Go away!” Radclyf retorts hotly. His loud voice draws the attention of others in the room.
“You obviously have something on your mind, who better to tell than me?” Robert persists in a well-practiced tone.
“What would you know? You’re a reporter!” Radclyf responds with mild disdain creeping into his voice.
Robert feels a glimmer of hope, and ignoring the jibe, replies. “Make me understand then.” He puts a hand into his pocket, and turns on a small recorder.
Radclyf lifts his eyes away from his mug and stares fiercely at Robert. A few moments of tense silence pass, then finally Radclyf says, “Everyone thought Dog was just some stupid jar head. But you don’t get to live long in my line of business if you’re not smart.”
Robert slowly nods in agreement, but remains silent.
With a sigh, Radclyf continues, “This ship, this mission, our casualties; they all remind me of Jim, another man I owe my life too.”
Robert frowns as he tries to figure out what Dog and Jim had in common. All he can think of is that they were both military men, who died defending the Terran.
“Get me a fresh coffee will you. This bastard’s cold, and the kitchen hands won’t come near me.” Radclyf smirks at the idea of the kitchen hands being too afraid to approach him.
Robert nods at the unexpected demand, stands up, and then as he walks away asks, “How do you take it?”
“White with one sugar.” Radclyf responds as he intently watches the reporter walk away. He just wants his story, he doesn’t really give a toss about me. He thinks as he stares at Robert’s back.
Returning with two mugs of coffee, Robert hands one to Radclyf. He sits down once again, then enjoys a slow drink from his mug. He has found this strategy works well. It is a great excuse to remain quiet, and allows his interviewees time to speak.
“You just want something to write about.” Radclyf states indifferently.
“Yes,” Robert replies honestly. With a shrug of his shoulders, he adds, “It’s what I do.”
Radclyf had expected some half lie, and is momentarily caught off guard by Robert’s truthfulness. He sighs deeply, then realizing that he is being unfair, apologizes, “It’s not your fault.”
Robert frowns as he wonders what Radclyf is referring to. He stares across the table, then all of a sudden feels ashamed of his tactics. This man is my friend. He takes the recorder out of his pocket, places it on the table, and then turns it off.
The two men stare at each other for a few moments. Robert waits apprehensively, as he is unsure how Radclyf is going to react.
Unexpectedly, Radclyf roars into laughter, “My story is not that good!” He points to the device, and says, “Knock yourself out if you think my ramblings are worth recording.”
“Yes, it is true that I came down here for a story. But, I also consider you to be my friend, and that must come first.” Robert states with honest conviction.
Henry and Paul step into the mess hall, then walk toward the two seated men. Radclyf shakes his head and states, more than asks, “Can’t a man enjoy a quiet coffee in peace?”
Henry chuckles, then replies, “Well, we heard that you had barricaded yourself in here, and were shooting anyone who came in.”
The group of men laugh at the grossly exaggerated rumor. Radclyf motions to Robert and says, “He wants a story.”
Paul replies with a wide grin, “You’ve got plenty!”
Radclyf nods, then with a tinge of sadness, states, “I was thinking of the time we first met Jim, and how he saved our bacon.”
Henry smiles and states with pride, “Now, that’s a story.”
One of the young kitchen hands, mainly due to his growing curiosity, finally builds up his courage. He strides purposefully to the Radclyf’s table, takes the empty mug, and then quickly returns with two hot ones for the new arrivals. He sits at a nearby table and excitedly awaits to hear the tales of these combat veterans.
Radclyf notices the young man’s enthusiasm, then while smiling, slowly shakes his head. “If I had any idea that I was going to be this popular, then perhaps I would have brought weapons.” He feels much better now, and relaxes. He motions to the recorder, “You may as well turn that thing back on, if you want to, that is.”
Robert hesitates, then after a few moments of deliberation, smiles and replies, “Sure, why not.” He leans forward and presses the record button. He then takes out a small notepad and a pen from his pocket.
Everyone sits quietly as they wait for Radclyf to start talking. The tables around the group start to fill up, as more and more intrigued people sit down.
Radclyf clears his throat, then while his eyes rove around, begins in a low, steely voice. “This mission is still deemed as classified, but who cares!” He adds with a shrug of his shoulders.
After a brief pause, Radclyf begins. “As is often the case, we were on the wrong side of the border, and in trouble. Our Wildcat’s tail rotor had been hit by small arms fire, and we were going down fast. The dense jungle was no place to land, but we had little choice. I clipped a couple of trees coming in, but managed to keep her level. We were slowly spinning around when the tail rotor hit a massive branch, and was ripped clean off.”
Radclyf pauses to take a drink. People nearby creep closer and listen intently. He puts his mug down and continues in the same low voice, “That was when all hell broke loose. The Wildcat’s nose tilted down, just as about a dozen heavily armed guerillas came running into the small clearing I was aiming for. Our co-pilot, Jeffries, took a round to his chest at about the same time as our door gunner, specialist Davis, fell out. I tried to coax the main rotor to spin, but the engine had quit on me. We were dropping like a stone, down through the tree branches. The sound of branches breaking, along with the constant pinging of bullets was incredible.”
Radclyf absentmindedly rubs his left leg as memories of the day become fresh in his mind. “I managed to get out of my chair, just as a hail of bullets destroyed the front window and filled the cockpit. Sliding down a massive tree slowed us, but we still must have free-fallen the last twenty feet. The impact crumbled the nose, then miraculously, the Wildcat fell back onto her landing skids. We hi
t so hard, the slowly spinning main blades dipped, which instantly took out a couple of our attackers.”
Robert glances up in disbelief, but says nothing.
Noticing the doubtful expression Henry speaks up, “You’re right, it sounds implausible.” He grins and adds, “He is failing to mention, that even as we fell the last few feet, he was firing the door gun at those jungle fighters. It was quite a sight.”
“It’s my story!” Radclyf counters. “And I will tell it my way.”
“Then tell it right!” Henry states defiantly.
Radclyf waves a hand at Henry in feigned annoyance, then continues, “Okay. So we’re on the ground. There was Paul, Henry, and four specialists with us. We grabbed as much as we could carry, and got the hell out of there.”
Robert holds his hand up and asks, “Uh. What about the people who were shooting at you?”
“Oh, we checked them for gear as well,” Radclyf replies casually.
With a sigh Robert presses, “How did they die?”
“We shot them,” Radclyf states matter-of-factly.
Henry grins, then leans closer to Robert. While motioning to Radclyf, he replies, “He single handedly took them all out. The rest of us were still strapped in you see.”
“Whatever!” Radclyf states dismissively. He shakes his head and continues, “Anyway, we were about a day’s walk from friendlies, and still had a mission to complete.”
The room goes deathly quiet. No one can believe that he was still considering his mission. Surely no sane person would keep going.
“We were barely out of the small clearing, when the Wildcat blew.” Radclyf shrugs his shoulders, adding, “Paul and I may have set up a trap with some demolition charges, just in case there were more hostiles in the area.” He grins and adds, “I am not sure how many of them we took out. But we didn’t hang around to find out. We followed a trail through the jungle towards our target. Specialist Dan was on point, Mitch and Gary were covering our flanks, while Kip was bringing up the rear.”
Alliance (Terran Chronicles Book 4) Page 18