Allied enemies, p.30
Allied Enemies, page 30
In the lab, the engineers and techs backed away to stand against the far wall.
“Relax,” Gestasish said. “There’s no danger from our visitors.” Then to the conclave members, she said, “This is where we developed the mechanisms by which the probe generates its energy.”
“How does the probe operate?” Kreus requested.
“No,” Kahtar exclaimed. Then he regretted his outburst and ducked his head.
Gestasish approached the display table and activated the projection. She selected an image of the probe’s interior. Glancing at the SADEs’ intense focuses, a thought occurred to her. “You don’t need any explanation, do you?” she inquired.
“We have the information we require,” Cremsylon replied.
“All of it?” Gestasish queried.
“Everything on your systems,” Cremsylon replied.
“Strong and fast,” Ferteret commented admiringly.
“Now, the important questions,” Kreus said. “We know what happened to your first probe. Did you manufacture any more of these weapons?”
“Partially,” Ferteret replied, and Kahtar winced.
“Be more specific,” Samuel requested.
“Supplies have been short,” Ferteret explained. “We were hoping the peacekeeper that you chased away would have delivered more of the materials we needed to meet our goals.”
“Let’s start from the beginning,” Lisa interrupted. “How many probes are fully assembled, and how many can you complete without more material?”
“Four are completed, and we’ve sufficient supplies to assemble another three,” Gestasish replied.
“Where are the four located, and where are the dangerous parts of the three found?” Lisa continued.
“Everything is at the test facility, the far building,” Gestasish responded.
Samuel activated his holo-vid and displayed the overview.
“This one,” Ferteret said, pointing at the outlying building.
“Why are there deep ruts on this road?” Gat’r asked, enlarging the view and indicating the road between the main campus and the building Ferteret touched.
“We’ve only one way of reaching the far structure,” Gestasish replied. “It was placed out there for safety’s sake.”
Ferteret gurgled darkly. “Safety’s sake,” he repeated and gurgled again. “The greatest predators hunt during this time, forcing us to travel at night. However, traveling at this time is still dangerous. Soon after the test facility was completed, the herbivores took to sleeping on the road at night. Disturbing sleeping behemoths is problematic, at best.”
“We’ll need to secure any dangerous probe materials that you possess,” Cremsylon said.
“That trip isn’t advised,” Gestasish warned. “Our vehicle can only hold a single probe. You’d be making, at least, five or six trips.”
“According to your probe’s specifications, our traveler can hold the four assembled probes,” a SADE said. “There will be room to tuck the unassembled weapons materials around them.”
“The design of that far building, please,” Kreus requested.
Ticks of time after Gestasish displayed the schematics, the SADEs knew where the data was held, and they downloaded it.
“Do you wish to accompany us?” Cremsylon inquired.
“In the traveler?” Gestasish asked excitedly. When Cremsylon affirmed it would be the method of travel, Ferteret and she simultaneously replied, “Yes.”
“What are you going to do with the probes and the nuclear material?” Kahtar asked.
“Your star appears a little malnourished,” Shoya commented. “It’s probably best that we feed it while we’re here.”
Kahtar’s associates couldn’t help the gurgles that escaped them. In truth, neither of them liked the idea of creating the weapons. At the same time, neither of them wanted to receive Imperium decrees for failing to cooperate with the executors’ directives.
“I choose to stay here,” Kahtar said.
“I’m sure my companions and I will be grateful for that,” Lisa remarked tartly. “Considering we’ll be loading the traveler with mini-nova devices, we wouldn’t want anyone around them that might be antithetical to our goals.”
Cremsylon briefly communicated with a SADE. Then to Gestasish and Ferteret, he said, “I suppose we must retreat our steps to the entrance platform.”
“That will be the process,” Ferteret acknowledged.
Kahtar was content to let the visitors leave him in peace. That was until he noticed that a SADE stood behind him. “Your companions are leaving,” he said to the SADE in dismissal.
“That they are,” the SADE replied. “When they return with the probes, I’ll depart with them.”
“Then I guess you have the run of the place until I return,” Kahtar said and made to exit the lab. Partway to the hatch, he stopped and stared at the SADE who’d followed him.
“I don’t need an escort,” Kahtar said acidly.
“If you haven’t noticed, Director Kahtar, we don’t trust you,” the SADE remarked. “I remain here to ensure that you do nothing to endanger my companions’ safety.”
“What could I possibly do?” Kahtar replied dubiously.
“That’s not a question that needs be considered,” the SADE replied. “My job is to monitor your actions. I’ll prevent you from doing anything that I estimate to be treacherous.”
“Well, I’m going to get something to eat,” Kahtar said. He attempted to stomp off, but his webbed feet and lithe frame made his efforts comical.
At the tube, Gestasish held out her arms to the SADE who had carried her earlier. He smiled, as he picked her up.
When Lisa was safely in Samuel’s arms, she sighed contentedly.
As before, the SADEs went first across the tube, and Gat’r and Shoya glided after them.
When the group made the entrance platform, Cremsylon connected to Azure.
A tech reached for the panel, but the massive interior hatch moved before he could touch it.
The SADEs and suits hopped off the platform onto the decontamination floor. Then they helped Lisa and the directors down.
As the inner hatch closed, Gestasish and Ferteret experienced anxious moments. Neither of them had been outside except for those brief moments when they transferred the short distance between shuttle and transport.
As the huge outer doors parted, Samuel and the SADEs scooped up their charges. When there was a minimum of space between the doors, the SADEs slipped through the opening and raced up the ramp.
With three of the SADEs occupied, the other two SADEs, Gat’r, and Shoya provided protection. Practicing Samuel’s tactic, they leapt to intercept the aerial creatures and swatted or punched them in the breastbones.
With the ramp closing, Azure wasted no time lifting to clear the atmospheric layer where the flying beasts roamed.
The directors were too excited by the rush to board to notice that none of the visitors strapped into their seats. They chatted with the conclave members about their technology, while they waited for instructions before lift.
The time passed quickly for the directors, who found that they could receive answers to any question. However, when the ramp dropped, they panicked.
“It’s safe,” Shoya quickly assured the directors. “We’re aboard our Quadrant, the Freedom. If you’ll step off, we need to remove the seats to make room for the probes and other material.”
The directors’ feet stumbled as they made their way out of the traveler. They eyed the bay, astounded that they could be so far in space with no sense of motion.
“You travel this way all the time?” Ferteret asked Shoya.
“We do. She doesn’t,” Gat’r interjected and dodged the swat Shoya aimed his way. “You’re talking to one of the best fighter pilots in the conclave.”
“What type of ship do you fly to fight?” Gestasish inquired.
“This one,” Shoya replied, as she guided the directors away from the group of engineers and techs who had entered the bay.
Gestasish and Ferteret exchanged amazed glances, and the pair sought to understand how the vessel could be both shuttle and fighter.
In short order, the traveler’s seats were removed and placed in storage spaces along a bulkhead.
“We can board again,” Shoya said, ushering the directors into the ship.
“Now to our testing facility?” Ferteret asked.
“Yes, another short flight,” Shoya returned.
As Azure approached the outlier building, Kreus displayed imagery from the traveler’s sensors for the directors.
“Our decontamination doors are located there,” Gestasish said, poking two fingers into the display to enlarge it.
“What’s the purpose of the large hatch near the top of the building?” Samuel inquired.
“We use it to test engines and flanges,” Ferteret added.
The SADEs and suits considered the choices and selected the top hatch, a decision relayed to Ferteret.
“I must communicate with my research team,” Ferteret replied.
Samuel connected to the building’s comm system. “Speak to them, Director,” he said, which confused Ferteret.
Gestasish nudged Ferteret. “Digital sentients,” she reminded him. “Just talk.”
Ferteret started to lean close to Samuel, as if he would need to speak into a device, but Samuel’s raised hand and eyebrow stopped him.
“Huh ... this is Director Ferteret calling from an inbound ship. I require the test equipment be removed from the hatch. Then the test room must be evacuated except for one individual who’ll remain. When I give the command, that engineer or tech will open the hatch. Our visitors will make entrance through the opening and provide protection against the aerial creatures.”
“Message understood, Director,” came from Samuel’s open mouth.
Ferteret’s beak hung open, as he gawked at Samuel. In contrast, Gestasish gurgled delightedly.
“Nicely organized,” Samuel complimented Ferteret, which mollified the director.
When Gestasish saw Samuel lift Lisa, she hopped into her SADE’s arms.
Ferteret shrugged at his SADE and was swept up too.
Gat’r and Shoya took positions at the traveler’s aft end. They would be the primary protectors.
“We must warn you,” Gestasish said. “The young flyers haunt this building. Many have been burned by our engine tests, and their bodies are fodder for their kind. These young are hungry, which makes them aggressive.”
“Understood. Thank you for the warning,” Gat’r said, before his mask-helmet slid into place.
“Ferteret, order the building hatch aside,” Samuel said, which the director did.
Azure matched the ramp’s drop to the pace by which the hatch opened.
Gat’r and Shoya quickly discovered the truth of Gestasish’s warning. The ramp was barely halfway down before a young flyer tried to stick its head in the opening.
Shoya swatted the sharp beak, which didn’t deter the hungry creature. Amplifying the suit’s force, she backhanded the beak, catching it against the ship’s shell. The force of the blow snapped the beak in half, and the flyer screeched and backed off.
Linked to Shoya, Gat’r was aware of what he had to do, and he didn’t hesitate to attack the flyers with the suit’s full force.
Watching the mêlée at the ramp, the SADEs didn’t wait for the ramp to drop fully. Four of them ran and leapt over the ramp and through the hatch’s partial opening.
Kreus remained at the ramp to help Gat’r and Shoya.
In the building, Lisa and the directors were quickly set down. They joined Cremsylon at the room’s rear, while Samuel and the other SADEs defended the hatch opening.
Simultaneously, Gat’r, Shoya, and Kreus jumped for the open hatchway, and Azure applied full power to the traveler.
Six flyers didn’t clear the traveler’s path and were downed.
Immediately, the swarm of aerial creatures dove for their fallen comrades. Plentiful food had been provided.
Even as the building’s hatch closed, the SADEs and suits swatted and kicked at the youngest flyers that couldn’t compete with the larger of their kind devouring the fallen.
When the hatch finally closed, Lisa regarded the directors.
“We did warn you,” Gestasish said in their defense.
“For us, the engine blasts keep the area clear,” Ferteret explained, and he pointed at the massive hatch.
The hatch’s interior side was blackened by the heat of the engine tests. The engineers had often triggered the hatch’s closing before the firing was shut down.
“To work,” Cremsylon reminded everyone.
Attention focused on the four probes that sat along the far wall.
“We’ve a problem,” Shoya commented.
“Truth,” Gat’r added. “We need more resources.”
“Three cargo travelers should assist us with the recovery,” Samuel said, and he shared his concept.
“Order them,” Cremsylon replied. “Ensure that the pilots see the fight that’s taken place.”
“What’s happening?” Gestasish asked.
“It’ll require four SADEs to carry a probe,” Shoya explained. “We can’t move the probes into our ship and fight the hungry beasts at the same time.”
“In the meantime, where is your nuclear material kept?” Cremsylon inquired.
“Do you need to take all of it?” Ferteret asked.
“How much do you need for your engine tests and other operations?” Cremsylon responded.
Ferteret beckoned to the engineer, who’d remained in the test room. The Krackus ran some calculations and sent the answer to Ferteret’s device.
“Twenty percent of the stock is the minimum,” Ferteret replied. “Twenty-five would be gracious of you,” he added hopefully.
Cremsylon smiled at the director. “The conclave is nothing, if not gracious,” he replied. “You may keep your twenty-five percent.”
Two SADEs followed the engineer out of the room.
Cremsylon noticed Gestasish staring at him. “Do you have a question, Director?” he queried.
“Why don’t you fight? Is it the age of your avatar?” Gestasish queried. She heard the chuckles of Cremsylon’s companions.
Suddenly, Cremsylon leapt into the air, performed a double somersault, and landed lightly behind Gestasish. “This is a fairly new model,” he said. “I don’t fight for two reasons. First, after more than five centuries, I’ve developed a strong distaste for harming living things. Second, even if I wanted to join a fight, my companions would prefer that I don’t engage in it.”
“How long can you live?” Ferteret asked.
Cremsylon laughed. “Technically, there is no limit for SADEs,” he replied.
“Is that why the conclave engages in these conflicts?” Gestasish inquired.
“If we’d had a different reception, it needn’t have become a conflict,” Cremsylon replied.
“But you invaded our space,” Ferteret objected.
“Whose space?” Kreus interrupted. “I was governor over nearly two thousand dissidents who were sentenced to Imperium decree because they objected to domination by your race. The citizens of the vast majority of settled worlds across the empire’s space will welcome the conclave. As far as we’re concerned, the Krackus can either cooperate with the conclave or be annihilated.”
Samuel placed a hand on Kreus’s shoulder, and the SADE stepped away. His heated words had backed the directors against a probe they’d built.
The two SADEs who’d accompanied the engineer returned carrying four squat cylinders containing small amounts of nuclear material.
Azure directed the three cargo travelers that accompanied her. Their aft ends were positioned above and to either side of the building’s hatch. Then Azure backed her traveler into the enclosed canopy and lowered her ramp.
Due to a traveler’s aft end curvature, the box wasn’t entirely secure. The flyers thrust their heads through the openings. While they couldn’t gain entry to Azure’s ship, their long, pointed beaks posed a danger for SADEs and biologicals alike who would cross the ramp.
Azure set the controller to hold its position. Then she left her cabin to defend the ramp’s port side. She eyed the beaks that poked through, hunting for something to spear.
The hatch slid aside, and Gat’r and Shoya attacked the beaks hunting on their side of the ramp.
When the way was relatively clear, Kreus, Samuel, and the two other SADEs carried a probe across the ramp and into the front of the main cabin.
Beaks that struck the probe’s metal casing created indignant squawks from the aerial creatures.
On the SADEs’ return, they dropped into crab positions and used hands and feet to scuttle into the building. That technique kept them out of range of the beaks that hunted through the creases for the tempting prey that passed just out of reach.
Three probes later, the nuclear material was also deposited aboard the traveler.
The passing of the SADEs back and forth across the ramp had created a feeding frenzy. Many more beaks searched through the travelers’ slots for an opportunity to grab a feast.
As fast as Gat’r, Shoya, and Azure eliminated one creature’s jab, others pierced the nearby space.
