Space Trader (Galactic Axia Adventure) (20 page)

“So the Horicon hid from the Red-tails,” the professor commented sadly. “I would have thought the Horicon could have countered the threat somehow.”

“Unfortunately, no,” Ert agreed. “Even with their advanced technology, they could not stand up against that frightening tide of savage warfare.”

Chapter Eighteen

What am I doing?
Ian wondered.
I’m a trader, not a combat vessel!

The front glassite windows of the
Cahill Express
displayed space streaming by in a colorful panorama, belying the indifferent hazards of the cosmos. Although it was what would be night watch on a fleet ship, Ian found himself more comfortable out in the control room rather than in his cabin. He could hear Lyyle snoring in his auxiliary cabin.

Since discovering the Red-tail courier and the possible bases it had revealed, Ian had been heading for the nearest Axia base for the help and firepower needed to deal with the problem. And although the
Cahill Express
had the advantage of the Optiveil, Ian did not want to try taking on an unknown force of Red-tails alone.

This has been one interesting trip!
Ian thought with a quiet chuckle. Finding a hidden planet had been understandably unexpected. He’d experienced more than his fair share of odd events in his life as a trader but that one topped them all. And now his ship was equipped with technology that made that feat possible. From a tactical viewpoint, the advantages the Optiveil would give a ship in combat would be enormous. He was also starting to consider the advantages it might give him in a trade situation. More than once he’d been forced to watch his back from duplicitous customers.

I wonder what Tyrone would think?
Ian thought. Having a ship suddenly appear undetected at his landing pad would be quite a shock, even to an experienced spacer like Tyrone. The stir it would create at an Axia spaceport would be something else. Although he was tempted to make such an entrance when they arrived, he decided to make a more conventional approach.
No need to upset friends unnecessarily
.

Scanning his sensor display, Ian was pleased to see no signs of Red-tail ships in his vicinity. Even veiled from detection, he had no desire to go into combat right now. He knew he would have the advantage against one ship but such a fight would not only attract other nearby Red-tail ships, it would reveal the advantage of the Optiveil as well. There was no telling if the Red-tails might figure out a way to detect a veiled ship. It would help them considerably if they knew to look for one.

Leave that problem for the Axia to solve,
Ian thought as he scanned his instruments again.

Deciding that he could relax a bit, Ian double-checked his autopilot and sensor systems. All were operating within parameters. Smiling to himself, Ian settled back and closed his eyes. At their current rate of travel, they’d make the Axia base tomorrow. The double surprise of a veiled ship and news of a Red-tail incursion should make for a rather interesting day.

∞∞∞

Ert pondered his conversation with Professor Angle, and though the evidence they’d discussed concerning human and Horicon interaction was fairly obvious, there was more on the ancient computer’s mind. Ert felt inwardly guilty for misleading the professor concerning the humans deciphering Horicon technology. In truth, the possibility was highly unlikely. Personally, Ert suspected some outside influence had facilitated the transfer of technology but he hadn’t voiced it to the professor.

While considering the implications of such an exchange of information, an incoming signal caught his attention. The Jibbah ship was sending a signal as prearranged earlier. Pleased to see that it was following the designated flight plan, he knew its small pilot was now downloading the information Ert had requested.

It only took a matter of seconds to record the data and then the Jibbah ship sent a request for further orders. Ert pondered his options and then replied to the query. The orders sent, Ert then turned to the data he’d just received.

First was the Jibbah pilot’s report on his encounter between a human and Red-tail ship. Ert noted that the Jibbah had been as surprised as Ert had been when first witnessing such an encounter. That this human race had the courage and ability to fight the red scourge was heartening. Neither the Horicon nor the Jibbah had been so fortunate, so they had undertaken a policy of hiding from the threat. Ert was chagrined that his creators had not applied their considerable intelligence and technology to stop the menace they’d helped unleash on this galaxy. And now the Horicon were gone.

Feeling vicariously responsible, Ert was determined to try to right that wrong. But he couldn’t do it openly. In his estimation, it was necessary for optimal results for the humans to be the primary instruments in fighting the Red-tails. He could indirectly provide help but the humans would have to do the work.

Then there was the mystery of that missing ship. Once, briefly, Ert had tapped a sensor signal that showed the ship near the location in space where it had earlier disappeared. But then like before, it vanished completely. On a hunch, Ert tapped into a wider net of sensors of Axia bases in that region. He hoped to find new information that would eventually reveal its fate. Add to that the ongoing mystery of where an entire planet had gone. This was beyond any experience or record that Ert possessed.

What few records Ert had on the missing planet had shown a human colony but that had been eons ago. At that time, the Red-tails were just starting to sweep through that region. But that was all he had. If they had decimated the planet like they had so many others, there would be a scorched orb or debris field as evidence. Even destruction of the planet by natural or unnatural means would have left some debris as testimony of its fate.

Another sensor tap alerted Ert’s monitoring program. Analyzing the information, he determined that a small Red-tail fleet was penetrating Axia space. He extrapolated its location and determined that it was probably the cluster the Jibbah pilot had observed emerging from a transit tube. Tweaking the sensor system, Ert was pleased to see that the enemy fleet still carried the ionic signature from its transit through the distorted wormhole. He added this new data to the compilation of information he was making, hoping to find a way to turn this into a positive advantage.

∞∞∞

 “What’s on the agenda today?” Lyyle asked as he ambled sleepily into the main cabin of the
Cahill Express
.

Ian noticed that Lyyle’s ever-present coffee cup was in his hand. He had come to doubt that his friend could exist without the liquid stimulant.

“Glad you could join me,” Ian quipped at his passenger. “We should be coming up on the picket line soon.”

“They have one this far out?” He sat down at the auxiliary console. “From what you had me study, it seems like a redundant precaution.”

“When you’ve tangled with Red-tails, nothing is redundant when protecting yourself. Drop your guard and there’s no second chance.”

“I would think the Axia would have cleared this region of space by now,” Lyyle commented. “Vogel didn’t have problems with incursions when we were still part of Galactic Axia.”

“There have been more than a few years since then,” Ian said as he sent out an identification signal. “And for the last decade or so, there have been a rash of these transit tubes popping up in the most guarded places. One minute space is empty, and the next you find yourself in a swarm of Red-tail ships.”

“I hope the Optiveil can help,” Lyyle said. “It sure has protected Vogel all these years.”

“I hope so too.” His communications board came to life. “Ah, there they are,” he added. He adjusted his transceiver to the incoming frequency.

“
Cahill Express
,” the speaker squawked. “Follow the beta vector for approach.”

“Acknowledged,” Ian responded while he tuned to the specified signal.

“Not much on courtesy,” Lyyle commented.

“They are a bit abrupt,” Ian agreed. “Something must have them on edge.”

“Let’s just hope it’s not Red-tails!”

“You spoke too soon!” Ian snapped. “I just picked up a dozen traces on my sensors!”

“Where’d they come from?” Lyyle asked anxiously as he buckled in. Ian was too busy powering up weapons to respond.

“There they go!” Ian said when a squadron of Axia ships appeared on his detector screen. Lyyle looked on his screen and saw the picket ships also racing to confront the incoming red ships. The lead elements were already starting to tangle with the lead enemy ships.

“Are we going to help?” Lyyle asked.

“In ways they can’t possibly imagine! Activate the Optiveil.”

Lyyle immediately powered up the Optiveil equipment and within seconds the
Cahill Express
disappeared from the sensors of all the other ships. Ian heard one of the picket ships comment that the
Express
must have been destroyed but they were too ensnarled in the fight to concern themselves with it.

“Looks like traffic is getting a little thick around here,” Lyyle observed, looking at his screen.

“Let’s take some heat off our team,” Ian said. He shoved the throttle forward, and in response the veiled
Cahill Express
shot toward the thickest of the fight. Swinging around for an effective pass, Ian moved his thumb over the trigger stub for the main heat ray.

“Is the Optiveil stable? We’re taking it into combat.”

“Steady and strong,” Lyyle said, excitement coloring his voice. Ian smiled. This was Lyyle’s introduction to space combat.

Targeting a Red-tail ship, Ian pressed the firing stub for the main heat ray. Immediately, its deadly beam shot out, neatly torching the enemy vessel.

“Good shot!” Lyyle exclaimed. His screen showed the red ships scatter. Having one of their ships unexpectedly torched had rattled them. Ian immediately swung the
Express
around and aimed at another red ship. As soon as he had target lock, he fired again.

“Scratch another Red-tail!” Lyyle whooped. Now even the Axia ships seemed confused by the events unfolding around them.

“Axia ships,” Ian said into his mic as he twisted his course to follow one of the fleeing Red-tail ships. “This is the
Cahill Express.”

“Where are you?” one of the picket ships responded. “Some weird things are happening around here!”

“I’ll explain later,” Ian replied. “Just don’t worry about what you’re not seeing,” he added as he torched the third ship.

“Roger that,” the picket answered.

“If you’ve got it here, we’ll break off and continue our approach,” Ian said when he saw the picket ships neatly cornering the remaining Red-tail ships.

“I still don’t see you, but go ahead,” the picket leader broke in. “I look forward to your explanation later at debriefing.”

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!” Ian said with a smile.

Chapter Nineteen

Piaffè looked out through his forward port. Hanging there in space was a gigantic human ship, what the Horicon had told him they called a mothership. To Piaffè it looked more like a moon rather than something constructed. Out of its docking bays, Piaffè watched scores of ships come and go in what seemed like an endless stream.

As to why the Horicon had directed him here, Piaffè was still unable to discern. Obviously, these humans had a strong and formidable presence in space. Having watched them in action against the Red-tails had given much hope and comfort to the young Jibbah, which was quite a difference from the flee-and-hide policy of his own race. But then the Jibbah had nothing with which to match the red ships in battle. Virtually every contact the inquisitive Jibbah had with the Red-tails had been fatal to the little explorers.

Swinging his tiny ship around on its new vector, Piaffè’s sensors suddenly activated. Looking at the readout, it indicated the soon emergence of one of the distorted transit tubes. To his great surprise, Piaffè didn’t see the actions of the humans change in reaction to the coming threat.

Is it possible they can’t detect the strange effect in the ether?

Within seconds, the exit of the tube appeared and red ships swarmed out of it. The galvanizing effect on the human ships was immediately apparent. Any ship outside the mothership swung sharply toward the invaders and attacked. Clearly, they were trying to protect the larger vessel.

But in spite of their effort, the surprise attack of the red ships allowed a dozen of them to streak through the forming defensive lines. Piaffè cringed while he watched one red ship swoop toward the mothership with its deadly ray firing. To his surprise, Piaffè saw the ray stop just short of the skin of the ship in a shimmering barrier of radiance. To confound the little Jibbah pilot further, the large ship started firing back. It cheered him to see these humans so full of fight!

The battle unfolded before him as ships of red, silver, and black twisted and fought. Occasionally, there was the flare of a dying ship, and to his sadness, Piaffè saw that it wasn’t always red. Clearly, the element of surprise had worked in the invader’s favor and to the detriment of the humans.

All too soon, the battle was over. The remaining red ships fled into yet another transit tube and were gone. The only ships left in the arena of battle were the humans. Piaffè saw that the mothership appeared to be unscathed, but many smaller ships had been damaged or vaporized by the vicious attack. Contrary to his nature, Piaffè found himself wanting to aid in the fight against this red scourge. However, as his little ship headed undetected along its new vector, nothing Piaffè could think of could have helped in the fight.

∞∞∞

Ian sat in one of the lounge chairs while Lyyle looked around the room. They had been waiting for the Axia brass to arrive. Fortunately, the wait turned out to be shorter than he’d expected. The door to the base lounge opened and a string of officers and enlisted personnel entered the room.

“Captain Cahill?” the base commander, a major asked as he approached them. “I’m Major Armada, base commander.”