Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (68 page)

“OK,” Cassy said still looking concerned.

“Why don’t you and Peter
go
wake up Torquay, it’s about that time. You know how to administer a serum shot.
You’ve had enough yourself. The Administrator and I will take care of the Earth
situation. I’ll be right here if you need me, OK Cassy?” Toormis said
soothingly.

Cassy brightened up. She had become fond of Torquay
and remembered how calm she felt after talking with him. “Come on Peter, let’s
go wake him up,” she said looking at Peter.

Peter glanced at Toormis who strained a quick smile
back at him. Peter understood what was being asked of him and led Cassy away.
Toormis waited until Cassy was gone and leaned over toward the Administrator.
“Why so much security for a planet
like
that? That’s
no ordinary satellite and there are four of them.”

The Administrator face showed intense concentration.
“I’m afraid the Almanac is proving itself correct. Earth recently had a global
war where fifty five million beings were annihilated. Most died by primitive
organic based explosives, high velocity metal pellets and pestilence but a one
sided nuclear attack ended the conflict. The Trigeals must have been monitoring
this planet very closely. If the surveillance system on that moon is Volen it
just verifies they are involved with the Trigeals.” The Administrator said but
turned to face Toormis directly. “I think we should leave this sector at once.
The Trigeals have set up a security system around this planet to stop anyone
else from getting their hands on those weapons. Did you know Earth is the
training ground for T334 pilots and Johe now Peter was one of them? It is a
certainty that there are T334’s down there and if their Pilot Transfer Systems
pick up Johe as Peter we could have a real problem on board this ship. I notice
you carry a mini blaster at all times as well.”

Toormis sat back, felt slightly sick and the colour
drained from his face. He stood up and walked around the Bridge. He looked out
of the view port into space. Millions of millions of stars sparkled and he just
stared at them. A low toned beep emanated from the command console. Toormis
rushed over and sat down. “Do you believe it!?” He said out loud working his
instruments. “It’s a space craft leaving the moon and heading to Earth and
wait… it’s got a Volen engine output signature. That finalizes my decision
Administrator. I am going to get that base and that ship. There is no other
reason that ship is on its way to Earth except per the Almanac. Do you agree?”
Toormis said with determination.

“Yes I…” the Administrator half said and out of the
corner of his eye noticed Peter standing at the entrance to the Bridge. “How
long have you been there Peter?” the Administrator asked not knowing how much
he had heard.

“Not long,” he replied. “You two have been requested.
Torquay has asked to see you both.”

The Administrator stood up and felt uncertainty grip
him as he had no idea if Peter overheard him talking about him being a T334
pilot or not. He let his Norfian composure settle his wits and smiled. “Great,
come on Toormis. We can spare a quick hello.”

The three men went to Torquay’s cabin where he was
propped up in bed with a thick bandage around his head eating out of a steaming
bowl. He lowered his bowl when he saw Toormis and the Administrator and smiled
broadly but his eyes told the true story of his health, they were puffy and
watery.

“Welcome my friends welcome,” Torquay said weakly. “I
have much to thank you for, please, please come in.” The Administrator and
Toormis entered the small cabin.

“It’s good to see you Torquay,” the Administrator
said.

“And you too my friend,” Torquay replied and then
looked at Toormis. “Thank you Toormis. Thank you all for saving my life. I have
much to catch up on according to my pretty nurse here,” he said placing his
hand on Cassy’s hand.

“How are you feeling?” Toormis asked.

“Like someone hit me with a gun butt. That’s the last
thing I remember but I’m sure we will hear more of that…” he said and gripped
his head and moaned. “Oh the pressure,” he said weakly and leaned back to lie
down. Cassy just caught his bowl in time before it spilled. She waved the men
out of the cabin and settled Torquay to lie comfortably.

The three men returned to the Bridge. “He won’t be
much good to us for a while,” Toormis said.

“At his age to have a fractured skull, it’s a wonder
he’s alive at all,” the Administrator stated but added, “he’s one tough being,
he’ll be back to normal quicker than you think.”

“I agree,” Peter said then stood close to Toormis. “I
believe you have located the enemy. What are your plans for engaging them?” he
said expecting an instant reply.

“I need to do a reconnaissance first,” Toormis replied
and walked over to his console and soon had a bright image of Earth on the main
screen. “This is the flight of that Volen craft to Earth.” The image showed a
dotted line of the flight path and the image zoomed in closer and closer until
they saw the actual craft still in flight just as it entered Earth’s
atmosphere. The ship glowed golden yellow and then white as it burnt its way
through. Toormis plotted its course all the way until it landed on a broad
continent in the northern hemisphere.

Toormis sat down and worked his control panel. The
main screen divided into four sections. The first was the vessel’s flight
through the atmosphere and the next was to the country of destination. The next
was a closer image of the landing zone and the last was a high resolution image
of the landing site.

“Damn!” Toormis swore as he studied the last image. He
magnified it to fill the full screen. He stood up and walked over to it for
closer study. “They have their base under a mountain. My scans show its buried
deep under solid rock. I could blow the entrance but for sure they would have
alternate entrances.
Probably cloaked so we can’t see them.
Not an easy objective.
Administrator, any ideas?”

“I don’t know Toormis. We don’t have the ship
resources to launch any sort of sustained attack and if they expected one,
well... I would bet the Trigeals would have thought of that. We would never get
within effective range without being blown out of the sky,” the Administrator
answered.

“We could try a series of long range of torpedoes. At
least we could seal that entrance and possibly any others at the base of that
mountain and for some distance around it.” Toormis suggested.

“What about local inhabitants,” The Administrator
asked aware of the consequences of a space attack on a primitive planet. The
resulting panic would be catastrophic.

Toormis looked at his monitor. “It’s in a country
called the United States of America and a region called Nevada. Oh! It’s one of
their political states. The civilian population around the base is virtually
zero. There is some sort of military garrison at the base. US Rang I believe
they are called.

“US Rangers is their name,” Peter said.
“A section of the Army.”

Both Toormis and the Administrator looked at Peter who
was staring intently at the image of the mountain and the surrounding desert
country. “Are they dangerous Peter?”

“They will kill you a little quicker than most.” Peter
answered and asked, “Show the map of this country up on the screen.”

Toormis quickly had a map of the United States of
America. Peter walked up close to it and something stirred within him. His eye
travelled up the west coast and stopped at a place called Oregon. “I know this,
I don’t know why but I just know this place!”

Both Toormis and the Administrator remained silent.
They didn’t know how to respond. They waited quite some time and finally Peter
turned smartly and walked to the stateroom and made himself a drink of neat
white spirit and drank it in one gulp. He returned to the Bridge and confronted
Toormis.

“How sure are you that those weapons are located in
that mountain?” he demanded in a harsh voice taking Toormis by surprise.

“As sure as I can be when Volen are
involved in anything.
That race of people have
been nothing but trouble not only
for Irrimus but also for my ancestor’s ancestors. They were the ones that
raided Zion and stole the trade stores for the Shihone. The data I’m operating
off came from a Volen smuggler’s ship. I’m not sure of anything Peter. I don’t
have a home or even a place to go. In fact much like you if I’m not mistaken. I
just have a couple of enemies that has caused me a great deal of grief,”
Toormis said starting to feel very angry. “If that is your home down there,” he
said loudly pointing a finger at Earth. “I don’t care too much for a race that
would traffic or use weapons that scar and poison a being for the rest of
eternity.” Toormis’s temper getting the better of him when confronted by Peter’s
very piercing look.

Toormis stood squarely facing Peter and rested his
hand on the butt of his mini blaster. Cassy was frozen staring from the gangway
leading to the Bridge and had heard every word of what Toormis said.

The Administrator stood up and moved behind a computer
module and had drawn his mini blaster and set it to stun.

Peter remained unmoved. His facial expression was
unchanged and he took a half step closer to Toormis who wrapped his fingers
around his mini blaster. His thumb told him his weapon was set to kill.

“An enemy can come in any uniform,” Peter said calmly.
“It is true I have
no home nor
anywhere to go, I can’t
remember a thing of my past but have more time for the Beclin than what I do
for what I have seen of your civilized Confederacy. I have no doubt they are no
different down there on Earth. All I asked was how sure you are that nuclear
weapons are in that mountain?” Peter said quite calmly and unaffected by
Toormis’s temper or aggressive stance.

Toormis had never met anyone that confronted him in
such an easy manner. He took a step back but kept his hand on the butt of his
blaster. Peter didn’t move.
“As I tried to tell you.
I’m as sure as I know that the Volen ship is a smuggler and is entering
Trigealian restricted space.”

“Well, I have a plan to blow the base inside that
mountain. I just wanted to be as sure as I could that we weren’t going to make
a mistake here; people are going to die down there. I just don’t like that!”
Peter said with more feeling.

Toormis relaxed a little and noticed Cassy staring at
him. “It’s all right Cassy. Peter and I had a disagreement that’s all, that’s
all it is, wasn’t it Peter?” he said looking back at Peter.

“If it appears to you that way, it was,” he replied
with no facial change, unnerving not only Toormis but the Administrator as
well.

“OK. What is your plan?” Toormis asked with a hint of
sarcasm.

“These Earth people must be run by ruthless unthinking
governments. If they just allowed tens of millions to die in a global war and
then ended the conflict with the use of nuclear weapons that threatened the
annihilation of the rest of the planet. That gives us an advantage.” Peter
said.

“It does? How? Replied Toormis wondering how there was
an advantage in insanity.

“They are lethally competitive but above all
secretive, and will do anything to gain the upper hand on their opponents. The
Administrator said that Volen is trading advanced technology for the nuclear
weapons. That is right is it not Administrator?” Peter said directing his voice
to the Administrator he knew was behind a computer.

“I believe so, yes,” the Administrator said stepping
around the computer after holstering his blaster. “A lot of Earth’s advances
one can assume, especially in the field of electronics and advanced mechanics
have come from Volen traders.”

“Well let’s give the people who made that mountain
base some advanced technology. Something so wonderful and mysterious to them
they will hide it away immediately. Even hide it from the Volen personnel if I
understand the non trusting nature of those who care nothing about the welfare
of others.” Peter said.

“Like what?” Toormis said now beginning to see what
Peter was talking about.