Merkiaari Wars: 01 - Hard Duty (15 page)

“It’s plain to see, Brenda. She never could see what was right under her nose,” Janice confided to James.

James grinned.

Brenda spluttered. “I so can see what’s under my nose!”

“Well then, you should have worked it out by now. The bloody navy waltzes in and kidnaps a dozen pre-eminent scientists from the fields of xeno and exobiology among others. All their work is stolen; all their possessions are packed up. It’s simple.”

“Janice,” she growled. “Just tell me will you?”

Janice beamed. “The Merkiaari are coming back.”

James inhaled sharply in surprise, but before he could demand an explanation, or a source for Janice’s shocking reasoning, Freylin returned to the lounge with another man in tow. Brenda recognised him instantly, as did most of the people in the room. It was Admiral Rawlins. Rawlins was First Space Lord, which meant he was responsible for everything that was wrong with the military. She scowled. His presence could only mean things had gone from bad to worse.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Freylin announced as he led Rawlins toward the podium and the microphones set up at the front of the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you would all kindly take your seats, the explanation I promised will now be forthcoming.”

“Admiral?” Janice yelled over the hubbub. “When are the Merkiaari coming?”

There was a stunned silence as everyone turned to Rawlins to hear his answer.

“My dear lady,” Rawlins began, but Freylin leaned in to whisper her name. “Professor Bristow, you’re not here to study the Merkiaari. They’re old news and let us hope they remain so. You’re here at my invitation to see something I hope will be a boon, not a bane to the Alliance. Now, if you will take your seat, I will get started.”

Janice grumbled and Brenda grinned.

Rawlins waited until everyone was seated. He glanced briefly at a compad, and began an obviously prepared speech. “Ladies and gentlemen, the Alliance needs your help. I apologise for the manner in which you were brought here, but secrecy is important. A while ago, one of our deep space survey vessels received a transmission coming from ships of unknown origin. An investigation was undertaken, and it was discovered the transmission originated from an unexplored system.” He turned to Freylin. “The first slide please.”

The room darkened and a picture was projected upon the wall. The room erupted into excited whispers as first one slide then another was shown.

“Two of them!”

“Absolutely unheard of!”

“Both inhabited do you think?”

“Probably. Look at that atmospheric ratio… pollutants indicate industries.”

“My God, she’s right.”

Rawlins raised his voice to calm their excitement. “I’m sorry for the primitive method of displaying this information, but time is short and the lounge is not equipped with a holotank. You can view everything we have aboard ship should any of you be interested.” He grinned and received laughter in return.

“Interested he says. My God, this is the greatest opportunity this century!”

“For the last two centuries.”

Rawlins nodded. “It’s a great opportunity, and a great responsibility. I’m sure you all realise why I can’t let you tell anyone outside of this room about the Shan.”

“Shan,” the name was whispered throughout the room.

Brenda squeezed James’ hand and grinned at him. He looked stunned, as did many in the room. The news was fantastic. “Can you believe this?”

James looked down at her hand in his and shook his head. “No.”

“The fools would panic…” someone was saying behind them.

“People can handle it surely? We’ve known for centuries that we aren’t alone.”

Rawlins broke in before the whispers became a full-blown debate. “I can’t take the risk. The President has decided to keep this information secret until the Shan have been contacted. I want you to journey to their system to learn all you can about them. We have much to tell them, not least, we must warn them of the Merkiaari. If we could find them, then so can the Merki.”

Brenda cursed under her breath. Rawlins and the bloody navy were going to screw it up again. “You would infect the Shan with Humanity’s prejudice regarding the Merkiaari?”

Rawlins frowned. “I hardly think one could call it prejudice, Professor?”

“Brenda Lane.”

“The Merkiaari are dangerous, Professor Lane. They attempted genocide in their war against us. Is it fair to leave the Shan ignorant and perhaps in danger? Do they not have the right to decide for themselves whether the Merkiaari pose a threat to them?”

“I suppose so,” she said unhappily. “As long as it
is
their decision and not one forced on them by us.”

“I have no intention of forcing the Shan to do anything. I want them to be our friends, Professor. For that to happen they need to learn to protect themselves. Every day that passes, their ships are broadcasting the whereabouts of their homeworld. That has to stop before the Merki find them. We all know what will happen if they continue as they are.”

“That is a militaristic point of view. There are those among the scientific community that support the idea of communicating with the Merkiaari. I’m of the opinion that they can be reasoned with, and should be.”

Rawlins’ smile was condescending. “That’s your opinion Professor, but I could find billions who would disagree with you. I do not have the luxury of taking such chances with the lives of our people. If the Merki want to talk to us, they know where we are, but I will not go to them when doing so risks lives.”

Brenda would have argued, but the majority of her colleagues were more interested in speculating on the best method to communicate with the Shan.

“Now then,” Rawlins said and silence descended once more. “We come to the point where you have a choice to make. You can volunteer to join the contact team we are sending to the Shan, or you can go with Commander Freylin where you will have all knowledge of the aliens wiped using hypno.”

“Outrageous,” Janice spluttered.

Brenda agreed. How could he justify such a thing as mind wipe, when it was only ever used in the most heinous of criminal cases? It was more than outrageous, it was an unthinkable misuse of the legal system.

“Not at all,” Rawlins continued smoothly as if unaware of the shock he had caused. “I cannot allow news of the Shan to leak out. You will not be harmed, I assure you. Hypno is a well proven technique. Those of you choosing to go, please rise and walk through the door behind me. You’ll be met and shown to the shuttle. Those choosing mind wipe, please remain seated and you will be attended to.”

There was a moment of silence before everyone stood and trooped out to the shuttle on mass. Rawlins looked insufferably pleased with himself. Brenda stood and began to follow Janice to the shuttle, but then she realised James was not with her. She turned back to see what was keeping him. Janice stopped by the door and waited for her to catch up.

“Come on, I want an aisle seat.”

James remained sitting and looked wistful. “I’m not going.”

“Of course you are. Come on, Janice is waiting.”

“You go on. I’ll wait for the hypno people.”

Brenda frowned uncertainly. “You mean it. Why not come… is it me?”

James snorted. “Of course not. Look, I’m here by accident, Brenda. You’re the reason I’m here, not my expertise. I’m not needed for the mission. If Rawlins knew, he would have barred me from his presentation. There see, here he comes now.”

Brenda turned to find Rawlins heading her way. She took James’ hand and pulled him to his feet. “You’re coming even if I have to drag you there,” she hissed under her breath.

“Is there a problem?” Rawlins said.

“There’s no problem, Admiral, I’m not—” James began.

“Feeling well,” Brenda burst out. “Nothing to worry about. I’m sure it’s just the excitement.”

James began to protest, but she elbowed him in the ribs to shush him. Rawlins was frowning. He turned to Freylin and raised an eyebrow at him. Brenda begged Freylin with her eyes not to say anything.

Freylin cleared his throat. “Hmmm, I’m sure
Invincible’s
doctor will screen everyone aboard ship, sir. Captain Monroe was briefed thoroughly on our current thinking regarding first contact procedures.”

Rawlins wavered. “May I?” He took James’ arm and queried his wristcomp. It reported no health warnings. “We can’t possibly risk contaminating the Shan. If he’s ill, and his bots haven’t taken care of it…”

She nudged James and whispered. “Please?”

James looked doubtful, but he nodded finally. “It’s just butterflies, Admiral. I’m feeling better already.”

“Very well.” Rawlins turned to Freylin. “Signal
Invincible
. I want a full medical workup performed on him the moment she’s secure from jump.”

Freylin nodded. “I’ll see to it, sir.”

“Good.” Rawlins turned back to Brenda. “The shuttle won’t wait forever. I suggest you hurry.”

She took James by the arm and dragged him toward Janice where she waited near the door.

“What was all that about?” Janice said as they hurried to the gate.

“Nothing,” Brenda said. “Everything’s fine now.

* * *

Aboard ASN Invincible, uncharted space

Professor James Wilder ambled along the decks of
Invincible
feeling sorry for himself. Why had he agreed to come along? Hypno wasn’t so bad. He knew the rumours about the government turning people into loyal robots was just paranoia. It was used for more things than punishing serious crime. It was commonly used in medicine for one thing. Hell, anyone watching the latest release of Zelda and the Spaceways was agreeing to be submerged into the action via hypno.

Hypno didn’t worry him, but Brenda did. She would be more than a little annoyed if she knew how he worried for her, but that didn’t change how he felt. As a student of history, he knew the past wasn’t all that rosy, but he couldn’t help thinking that the days when armoured knights fought for a lady’s favour were better than today. He might have been a lady’s champion. He certainly fantasised about it enough, but instead of charging the foe, he was on a mission where his area of expertise wasn’t even needed.

Women can be so intimidating at times.

He stepped around a maintenance detail working on a section seal. He eyed the circuitry hanging from the access port as he passed by, and stepped over the power feeds lying on the deck, but none of it meant anything to him. A crewman—crewwoman? Whatever, she scowled at his nosiness and he raised a hand in apology.

“Sorry,” he said backing away.

They were strong, women were—independent and career orientated. Where once they would have waved from the battlement as he rode to war, now they went to war, and he waved instead. He grinned at the image of Brenda standing over the gates of some castle waving, and shook his head. She would be galloping at the head of the army not awaiting his return.

James turned a corner oblivious to his surroundings and those who populated it. He had let Brenda think she had talked him into coming along with her enthusiasm for meeting the aliens, but his fear for her was the real reason. The thing was, the data now seemed to show there was not the slightest chance of any danger from the Shan. Unlike the Merkiaari, they were civilised beings. He was sure they would be open to reason. So then, he was redundant twice over. Brenda didn’t need a protector and wouldn’t accept one even if she did, and his expertise was useless here. He was feeling out of sorts—bored and restless. Hence this little stroll, which was becoming a habit of his.

He was so distracted by his melancholy thoughts that he found himself confronted by a sealed hatch without realising where he was. He laid his palm over the scanner hoping it would open. Fleet was extremely security conscious for obvious reasons. Wherever this hatch went—Fleet called doors hatches for some reason—it was not sensitive. It slid aside, and he stepped through.

“Oh!” James said in embarrassment. “I didn’t know…” he said backing up and preparing to flee.

“That’s all right, sir,” a crewwoman said sitting on her bunk and watching a game of chess in progress.

“Yeah, come on in. You don’t play chess do you?” another said.

He nodded. “As it happens I do. The name’s James—James Wilder?”

“Yeah I know,” the chess player said. “I’m O’Malley—Trish to you. The big ugly one is Sam Lundquist, but we just call him Swede.”

James nodded at the man on the upper bunk. He was a truly huge example of a Swedish hero out of legend. Bulging muscled arms stressed the material of his uniform to bursting point even while relaxed. Good thing Fleet uniforms stretched to fit all types.

“Good to know you, Swede,” he said with a polite nod.

“Likewise,” the giant rumbled.

“You’re from Earth then?”

Swede shook his head. “Kalmar.”

“Kalmar… then why do they call you Swede?” The worlds of the Kalmar Union were on the periphery of explored space.

“My folks settled on Kalmar from Earth,” Swede explained. “The locals called us Swedes because of the way we looked, and the name stuck. I kind of like the image you know?”