Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 1 - Alien Flight (6 page)

                                                            ***

The navy bus had halted at the gangway to HMAS Perth just after 8am and the first passengers now left the bus. The tall blonde Army reservist quietly cajoled her charges into a line, and headed for the foot of the gangway. The petty officer standing with two ratings that studied her group with detached interest, but they all quickly came to attention and acknowledged her rank.

‘Buffer, Lieutenant Samantha Edwards reporting to board ship with my medical aid team. Also several truck loads off medical supplies are following shortly, can you please organize a detail to load and secure these supplies when they arrive?’

The petty officer sketched another quick salute.

‘Lieutenant, welcome aboard, I am Buffer Rogers. I will take care of the supplies after I show you aboard.’

The buffer turned to the two ratings and he ordered one to stay at the gangway, and the other to trail the medical aid team onboard so that no one was lost. Lieutenant Edwards thanked the buffer for his assistance, and further queried him about the ship status and when the team would get to meet Lieutenant Commander Greene. The buffer smiled at the lieutenant briefly as he politely replied.

‘We are waiting to swap helicopters and additional spare parts with the laid up HMAS Adelaide. Lieutenant Commander Greene would be the best person to answer your questions after the medical team is settled into their quarters.’

The conversation continued between them, and the buffer learnt with growing respect that the lieutenant and her medical team had already spent two years treating the epidemic in Asian refugee camps.

                                                            ***

Gindane slowly paced her bridge in abject exhaustion, for a further two years her crew had monitored the effects of the pandemic on the humans since the journey to replenish her ship at the forward research base. Professor Elysius had led the initial investigation at the Dradfer forward research station and had decided that the incident was an act of a lone terrorist. The matter would have ended there, but Gindane knew that due to the extreme death toll, senior galactic officials would be conducting a formal trial at a later stage. Yet again she though dark thoughts about what she would like to do to the senior engineer that had unleashed this disaster.

Gindane coolly read the last message from Professor Elysius and reviewed with considerable unease the formal orders attached to his message. Her ship had been finally ordered back with the rest of the research fleet to Cephrit station 31, hundreds of light years from the disaster at Earth. Specifically the orders from Barus foreign affairs had been counter signed by Barus high level military commanders.

The orders explicitly stated that her research ship was remaining in lockdown for the extended return voyage, and that the now long frozen remains of the dead technician and his belongings be guarded at all times. The research commander now knew that a board of inquiry would be eventually called in line with galactic edicts, and would be convened under the control of the Cephrit Station master.

Gindane now broke out into a cold sweat of fear. The board of inquiry was in reality a trial that had the power to try and execute her, and her crew, if any breach of galactic edicts stated in the scope of the inquiry was proven. The commander was initially worried about who else would make up the board of inquiry, with real concerns that an aggressive Tilmud Admiral could be involved.

Gindane assured herself that the impartiality of this inquiry was not her concern; the Cephrit station master would ensure proprietary. She then also read two further messages that mentioned that the Barus themselves would be conducting their own investigations, both civil and military, subsequent to the board of inquiry. The Barus female considered that she and her crew would have to first defend their lives in the board of inquiry. Subsequently they would spend a protracted period defending their ruined professional reputations.

Bleakly Gindane contemplated her situation yet again, before quietly issuing instructions to her section chiefs to ensure compliance with the contents of her own orders. Over the long days it took to return to first the research fleet and then the Cephrit star base, Gindane would spend many long hours yet again going through the research information on Earth.

                                                            ***

The four senior members of the medical team were lead into the wardroom on HMAS Perth by Buffer Robertson after they had first briefly gone to their quarters to doff their kit bags. The team leaders had then ensured that the three dozen junior members of their team were allocated bunks correctly. The buffer briefly introduced the medical team to lieutenant commander Greene and five of his lieutenants.

After the requisite salutes and handshakes were completed, he was excused from the meeting by the lieutenant commander, who returned to his initial conversation with lieutenant Edwards. The buffer closed the door and returned topside to organize a detail for the medical supplies due shortly. Steve Greene invited all present to gather a coffee and take a seat so that the mornings briefing could begin. He regarded the medical team members with respect and made friendly eye contact with each of the members, as he asked further after each of their responsibilities.

A hardly noticeable smile came to his eyes as he asked lieutenant Edwards to lead the briefing with an overview of the medical team mission in terms of previous results and further goals in Malaysia. Steve was well aware of the team’s reputation for excellence in supplying medical aid in Asian refugee camps. After Samantha finished, she knew from the reactions of all present that her medical team was highly valued amongst the highly skilled and professional naval officers present. She was also impressed with both the sincere interest of the ship’s captain in her team’s efforts in South East Asia, and with the quiet efficiency he led his officers.

When she had first glanced into his eyes she was aware that those eyes had seen a lot especially over the last five years. Briefly she considered the burnout rate amongst her own medical team in the last three years. The briefing continued with the regular officers giving short overviews of their concerns before the frigate could again sail. With orders specified to the appropriate officers, the briefing closed with an invitation for all officers present to have dinner with the lieutenant commander that evening.

The guests and officers on the frigate began to come together as a professional team that night. Selected stories were exchanged over dinner about the cataclysmic events of the last five years, and the effects of the events on their lives as naval officers and as people. The bonds would be reinforced further over the next five years of aid missions.

                                                            ***

Chapter 3

2050 AD - In a star system 600 lights years distant

The Barus trading ship travelled cautiously towards a series of asteroids. The sole occupant, a young male Barus called Omerio, anxiously scanned the surrounding space for signs of activity. Even in his haste, he remembered to use passive scans rather than powerful active subspace scans that could signal his presence from several star systems away. The galaxy was largely at peace and the independent races ignored the Barus trading and research ships. But he knew that this peace meant nothing if a patrolling Tilmud frigate discovered him alone and unprotected in a remote part of the galaxy. Especially if they learned of the tightly crammed contents of his ship’s hold, the Barus trader thought grimly.

The current journey had begun innocently enough when Omerio had docked his fast trader at a Cephrit Star Base 31, over one thousand light years away several months ago. He had been expecting a few weeks of relaxation on the large cosmopolitan station after having made his ongoing trading arrangements earlier. However the second part of his most secret and long term covert operation had been urgently brought forward.

Omerio’s Cephrit contact had taken lengthy pauses and began using sharp clicks when discussing the operation, and he was well aware that this was a sign of high anxiety amongst the Cephrit race. Within hours the Cephrit Station manager had his ship refueled and replenished, and a briefing was also awaiting his attention. He watched as several anonymous, but familiar crates of varying sizes were quickly crammed inside his small ship. A ludicrous amount of funds were forwarded to his private account, and he was encouraged to quietly leave for deep space in discrete haste.

Omerio rubbed the plain brown fur on his shoulders, a vassal Barus trait, as he angled his trading ship towards the shadow of the second largest asteroid. A schematic of the star system showed the sole gas giant across the other side of the system, then his current location amongst a scattering of asteroids. Closer in towards the common M class star orbited two terrestrial sized planets, the first was a charred cinder close to the star, and the next planet was on the estimated outer edge of the habitable zone.

He noted that there was a very faint trace of a larger ship having visited this system previously in the last few months. But he noted that the signature of the ship did not match a known design. The Barus trader was about to disregard the trace, then he noted that the trace would have allowed planet-fall on the second planet. Omerio then briefly scanned the second planet, a chilly world only half the size of a habitable planet. He realized that a respirator and thick clothing would be required for even a short journey onto the surface.

‘Likely I will not need to land there thankfully.’

Omerio thought about the nature of the independent race that was to turn up at his location shortly. The trading ship slowly edged into the shadows, and Omerio stopped the engines when the ship was still well away from the asteroid. The skilled pilot swiftly powered down all non essential ship systems, before ensuring the stealth system was fully operational. Satisfied with his ship’s status, he then launched a stealthy mini-probe to remain behind the shadow of the asteroid.

Omerio knew that even with his heavy cargo, his ship could easily outrun the slower Tilmud frigates with their heavier shields and over gunned weapons. The danger would be if two Tilmud ships could get close enough to drop his weak shields and stop his ship’s engines before his ship could outrun them. He now hauled up the schematics of star system again as he set warning alarms for the scanners. He then deployed a second stealthy mini-probe with orders to passively scan the second planet and surroundings.

Omerio finally gave the ship’s tactical computer a challenge to nominate six different high speed escape routes from the star system. The challenge was based on the event of two Tilmud frigates entering the system from the populated part of the galaxy, so it did not involve the whole outer section of the star system. As Omerio set the console timer for several hours sleep, his eyes briefly took in before closing the ornate 3D puzzle by his console, a gift that he had received many years earlier from Gindane.

                                                            ***

‘Omerio, I have had to leave to join Professor Elysius’s expedition urgently. A planet near the expedition’s current location – Sol 3 or Earth – has been sending radio signals for many years now. As the ship is leaving shortly I am unable to accept your request for a further meeting. Please accept this gift as a token of my admiration and affection for you.’

The short dispassionate video from Gindane had given nothing away and was well within the social norms of the Barus race, as they had a reputation for providing intellectual challenges to one another. Omerio knew with sadness that the subject of an actual relationship would be skirted around for many years yet. This was a given due to the fraught changes to Barus biology that had taken place since the Zronte had assumed control of the Carinae sector so long ago.

Omerio now had resigned himself to further years of careful work, officially as an itinerant scout and trader in a small ship, and un-officially as a secretive high level Barus operative. He had known Gindane since they were both cubs over two hundred years ago, when both of them were still young. Gindane had never bred as far as he knew, so he was hopeful as he was the only suitable suitor for many dozens of light years. However she had devoted herself to her studies of alien races in remote sector regions, as had many of the Barus species in their devotion to their life’s work.

Omerio eventually feel asleep, and his dreams were of an improbable but peaceful life. In his dreams there were swarms of brightly striped Barus cubs running around the legs of adults quietly performing home duties. He knew when he later awoke alone that this was far from the actual reality of near barren Barus vassals controlled by the edicts of merciless alien overlords.

                                                            ***

Just after breakfast, Commander Steve Greene considered the two messages further, together with the ships reports that made up so much of his day. A brief skirmish with pirates and smugglers a week ago had generated much of these reports. The ship had then resumed their goodwill and aid visit to second Indonesian city.

Steve had been promoted to commander in 2046 after the nine months as acting captain of HMAS Perth. At that time Steve had allowed himself a quick mental note of delight in finally being promoted. The ship and crew had since then deployed several additional medical missions into South East Asia. Now after another four years of hectic naval life with little leave, it was all he could do to ease to the ongoing sense of weariness he was experiencing.

The first message was a brief note authorizing the return of HMAS Perth to Fleet West at the naval base for a refit and extended leave. Steve knew that the Perth needed extensive dockside work, as the missile targeting system had problems, and the portside turbine was still a cause for concern. The orders to return were pursuant to the demands of the second message, and Steve summoned a rating to organize yet another meeting of officers in the ward room. As the rating chased down the senior officers, Steve quickly brought up a map of Malaysia, and an un-accustomed, but well hidden knot of both concern and fear spread through his features.