The Szuiltan Alliance (The Szuiltan Trilogy) (10 page)

Only the Controller seemed calm and unworried. This was of his engineering and he was pleased with the situation. He knew that Loadra was angry, that was to be expected, but the High Priest had also been left in no doubt as to the Controller's equal anger at his unsanctioned actions in ordering the raid on Milos IV. As for Lichfield? The man was a good soldier, he hadn't lied in that, and he would no doubt do well in the bodyguard. Other than that, the Controller had no interest and no feeling for the man. What he had done was foolish and unforgivable in military terms, and the only reason he was not now heading for his death was that it suited the Controller's plans to keep him alive as a constant and living reminder of his dissatisfaction with Loadra.

He dismissed the High Priest and the Lieutenant with a wave of his hand. There were more important matters to concern him now. The Treaty was fast approaching. It would not be long before the fleet reached its destination. He had much to prepare.

Chapter 17

The Seven Deadly Sins shuddered, seemed almost to cough, and lifted slowly away from the great launching gantry it had rested on for the past hour. As it tilted into its angle of ascent, the main motors kicked into action and it rumbled towards the stars.

Jack Holt watched the spaceport buildings shrink beneath him. Ghost-like flashes across the viewing screen and they were through the clouds. Smiling, leaning back in the co-pilot’s seat, he enjoyed the adrenaline rush, the excitement of knowing he was back in action, an active field agent of the Trading Inner Council. It had been a long, frustrating time.

"Feeling homesick already?"

Steve Drake entered the control room drying his face and upper body with an old towel. He wore nothing save a pair of dark blue shorts. His feet slapped wetly on the floor.

Jack laughed. "You took a shower while we launched?"

"There's nothing else to do,” shrugged Steve. “The computer takes care of the ship."

"What if there had been an emergency?"

"You're here aren't you? If you're coming along on this trip I'm going to take every advantage of the extra hands."

He threw the wet towel towards the washing portal where the intake tube sucked it into the bowels of the ship's automated laundry.

"I just wish the air-dryer thing worked. It's so inconvenient and long-winded and
old
to use a towel."

He sat himself in the pilot's seat, pushed it into 'recline' position and closed his eyes.

"Tell me a bit more about this Szuilta we're going to."

Jack smiled. One of the most comforting and reassuring things about having Steve Drake as a friend was how little he had changed over the years. He never bothered to read the detailed information supplied before a trading mission left Sellit.

"Well, from what I've picked up from the limited data available to Sellit Control,"
and filtering some of the information given me in my T.I.C. briefing,
"no-one knew Szuilta even existed until about eight years ago. They contacted one of the ex-colonial worlds out on the rim, not so much to make friends as to instigate trade. Seems they knew of us even though we didn't know of them. They'd basically kept out of our way but now they needed supplies they could no longer provide internally, or something like that. The reports seem a bit vague. It all caused quite a fuss in the media at the time. First truly alien race found in all our years of colonising worlds."

"Spare me the history of mankind's expansion through the galaxy will you? I'm not completely ignorant. I watch the news."

"You spent more time touching up Sharon under the desk during history than actually listening to the teacher if I remember rightly."

Steve laughed. "So I wasn't a good student. Who gives a shit? I've picked up more since leaving college and doing this job than I ever did back on Earth, and I know enough about our colonisation history to get by so, do you mind? Just stick to Szuilta. Thank you."

"Philistine."

"I also know enough ancient religious history to know that the Philistines were actually highly educated and the use of them as an insult is misguided, so I take that as a complement."

Jack joined the laughter. Steve hadn't changed. There was an educated mind behind the almost caricatured image of the rugged, ignorant Space Trader. Steve just chose not to let it surface too often.

"Szuilta, right." said Jack, glancing at the documents on the desktop before him. "Not much else to tell really. There are no pictures of the Szuiltans, they seem averse to that, but reports have it that they are definitely non-humanoid. All of our trading with them has been done through some sort of communicator and translator globes and a humanoid lifeform called, as closely as it can be interpreted into our language anyway, Bosens. These seem to be slaves of the Szuiltans and, by all accounts, are pretty much brainless followers of orders."

"Pictures?" Steve opened his eyes and sat up in the chair.

"One coming up on your screen..." Jack tapped a code into the keyboard inlaid into his desktop, "...now."

Steve stared in silence at the image. It showed a basically humanoid creature covered in thick, matted black hair. The facial features were indistinguishable, but even through the hair it was obvious that the creature was muscular and, no doubt, very strong.

"There's no scale on this thing."

Jack checked the notes. "They stand on average about seven foot tall."

"Great Larn! I wouldn't like to piss one of those off."

"And that's it really. All the rest is about the previous trades completed with them and some geographical and astrological data."

"Anything out of the ordinary?"

"Says here that Szuilta is basically land-locked, with one exception. One large mass of water dubbed in the reports as The Great Sea."

"Another loose translation?"

"I would guess so. Anyway, there don't seem to be any rivers running into or out of it, just this Great Sea stuck in the middle of all this land. Takes up about a fifth of the surface area of the planet apparently."

"It's either got some major underground rivers or it’s the biggest disease-ridden stagnant pond ever found. Either way, it’s not our job to investigate it." Steve pushed himself to his feet and stretched. "Summary?"

"They keep to themselves. They seem to pay on delivery without much fuss. If they weren't alien you probably wouldn't give them a second thought."

"Makes you wonder why the other traders were so reluctant to take the trade doesn't it?"

Jack said nothing.
Does Steve suspect the truth? That the trade was deliberately re-routed away from the normal channels?

"I'm going to get dressed. You better settle in for a long trip. This ship is not exactly the fastest thing going."

Steve left the control room, his bare feet slapping down the corridor as he went.

Jack relaxed. It had just been a casual comment, he was certain of it. Steve would have said more, would probably have confronted him directly if he were truly suspicious.

He skimmed over the notes on the screen in front of him one more time. What was missing, of course, was the T.I.C. data regarding the Szuiltan's interest in the Aks-Earth war and the possible involvement of Suzex. All rumour and conjecture at this point. Hopefully this trading mission would give them some more concrete information.

Chapter 18

After the initial introductions, Suzex, who was intimidating even when smiling, had fallen into a scowling silence, studying the illuminated display of the small computer he had pulled from his jacket pocket. The angle allowed Mayor Lane to see that words were appearing on the display but made them unreadable to him. He had to resist the urge to lean over and look. He didn’t think that Suzex would take kindly to such rudeness.

Sand still clattered against the outside of the hotel, although the storm had subsided since its initial fury. The sound was eerie in the empty silence of the room, like the rattling of falling soil on a coffin lid. The Mayor shuddered at the morbid imagery. He was not prone to creating such dark comparisons in his mind and this one caused him to shift uncomfortably in his seat and clasp his hands together tightly. It unsettled him. This meeting, this hotel, this man unsettled him, pushed his mind down grim avenues he would rather not explore. He thought of himself as a positive man, able to see the possibilities in the direst situations. He had ploughed his way through the political minefield by taking advantage of those possibilities and this had seemed another one, perhaps the one he needed to make that final political jump from Mayor to Leader.

He hated the treaty, this supposed diplomatic triumph by Carlton that was dragging them towards a peace with the hated enemy. Yet even there, with Larn's help and guidance, he had seen a possibility, a chance to turn the disaster of the treaty into victory for the true Larnian faith and the destruction of the corruption that was Earth and its priesthood.

"The public, Mr Mayor."

Suzex spoke suddenly, his voice booming, shocking Mayor Lane out of his thoughtful meanderings.

"I'm sorry?" The Mayor's voice was weak and crackling with the dryness in his throat. He coughed and spoke again, this time more clearly. "I don't understand."

"The great Aksian public, the common people. The mob if you will." Suzex smiled, an underlying viciousness even in that outwardly friendly expression. "Is it fair to say they view the coming treaty with mixed feelings?"

"There is some support for Carlton, more for the man than the policy, but there is also a growing resentment, a gathering of discontent and rebellion..."

Suzex waved his hand dismissively, cutting the Mayor off in mid sentence.

"Save me the speech Mr Mayor. We both know that despite the grumblings it's all very disjointed. No organisation. No leadership."

"I would gladly step forward, but open rebellion would be crushed by those loyal to Carlton in the military. There would be no point..."

"You need a guarantee," interrupted Suzex.

The Mayor swallowed nervously.

"I'm not afraid..."

"Of course you are Mr Mayor," grinned Suzex. "You'd be a foolish man if you weren't. Coming forward with no military backing would be tantamount to political suicide, perhaps actual suicide should Carlton be sufficiently pissed off at your actions. That's why your spies contacted me."

Mayor Lane closed his eyes, gathering his conviction that the Earth's twisted corruption of the Larnian faith was an abhorrence, an evil to be stamped out by whatever means necessary. Personal political gain, while agreeable, was not the reason for his actions. His purpose was pure. Others would see that.

"Talking of spies," continued Suzex, "your enemies have infiltrated your office."

"What?" Lane was stunned, outraged. "Who would dare? If Carlton..."

"Not Carlton. Much worse."

"Earth? But how... who..." The Mayor fell into speechless fear and anger. What could they have found out? How close to him was the spy?

"Don't concern yourself Mr Mayor," smiled Suzex. "I have spies of my own. It's all being taken care of. For the moment there are more important things to discuss."

"What could be more important..."

"You've heard of Szuilta?" interrupted Suzex. "It's a planet, a planet populated by true aliens."

The name sparked some distant memory in the Mayor and he struggled to calm himself, to push the worrying thoughts of a spy, a traitor, in his own office to one side. He had to concentrate on the larger picture. The spy was simply further proof that Earth could not be trusted.

"There's was some fuss about it in the news when contact was first made I believe."

Suzex nodded. "The only intelligent alien race we’ve so far discovered."

"What has this planet got to do with Aks?" Mayor Lane was confused but too wary of this man to use anything other than a polite enquiry.

"The Szuiltans have a hatred of Earth that surpasses even your own. They would do anything to destroy that planet."

"Why? What possible reason could they have for their hatred? Ours is historical and religious, but what of theirs?"

The Mayor's voice rose in pitch as he spoke, an element of panic lacing the edges, a tightening in his chest forcing the words out hurriedly, shakily. He felt increasingly edgy. A premonition perhaps, although he did not believe in such things, or maybe just the feeling that he was losing any semblance of control over the situation.

Suzex continued to smile, apparently amused by the Mayor’s discomfort.

"I have spoken with the Szuiltan President and he will provide what you need." Suzex paused, watching Mayor Lane slowly assimilate the information. When he spoke again it was slowly and, for a man with his large voice, quietly, almost conspiratorially.

"Szuilta is willing to ally itself with Aks towards the ultimate destruction of your common enemy, Earth. That will be all the backing and support you need…
Leader
Lane."

Chapter 19

Ursa Mirram lived in central Suburb 12, an address that demonstrated her favourable employment without flaunting it and risking the anger of the increasingly militant gangs of the outer suburbs. Her house was modest, a basic box design much favoured by the cost-conscious Aksian builders, and a sloping roof that was a further indication of the good location. This close to central Aks there was regular rainfall, much of it induced by the weather satellites in geo-stationary orbit above the business and government sectors. In the outlying Suburbs, where the desert pushed its way into every corner and crevice, the residents had to beg for each drop of rain given them. There was no natural rainfall that far into the desert. She had heard the representatives of those suburbs beseeching Mayor Lane, as Senior Administrative Officer, to allow a subtle change in the weather satellites' orbit, to give them regular rainfall, but always the answer was the same, a collection of well-used phrases and pseudoscientific 'facts': delicate balance of nature, the possible harm to the eco-system, the necessity of smoothly run business and government interests. She herself chose to believe a more cynical reason - keeping the common populace under control and pampering those with money and power.