Alien Manifesto (25 page)

“
No, I heard it too,”
purred the feline in agreement.

“
Me too,” chimed in the
Irishman.

Seeing that the entire joke rested on
me, I hesitated, then answered, “I thought I heard that too, or was
it just a bunch of static?”

Looking around, his hands on his hips,
Snarth considered his answer. Knowing it would be useless to try
and wiggle out of kp, scowling as only he could he said "Ok ha ha
ha. Very funny. ssSSlice, I sssee your handiwork all over thisss.
Jussst remember, I have a long memory, lotsss of money and lotsss
of time to get even,” he hissed.

“
Challenge accepted,”
whispered an amused SSlice, the rest of the team struggling to keep
a straight face.

“
Azsss for the ressst of
you, mount up, we have an entrance to find,” Snarth hissed. It
occurred to Snarth that the reason they found the lost city in the
last search quadrant may not be an act of chance after
all
. I will speak to SSlice about it
later. I know that spinners play elaborate practical jokes but he
must have his reasons for the delay,
Snarth mused as the others headed for what appeared to be a
large opening in a huge cliff face, following SSlice’s
readings.

It was indeed the entrance they were
looking for, a huge tunnel leading down into the bowels of an
extinct volcano. It was obviously not a natural cave. The angles
were far too precise to be naturally occurring.

Snarth signaled for the team to land
on the massive ledge that jutted out from the entrance. “Make camp
here. I am going back to the ssship and bring it here. Ordinarily I
would jussst call the mech captain but thisss isss a tight fit and
I want to land the ssship myself,” Snarth hissed.

“
Now that is what I call
cheating,” said Rowl, “Using the ship to get out of kp. Although I
must admit I like a nice soft bed over the cold hard ground any
night,” he added hastily seeing Snarth’s grimace of
annoyance.

“
Rowl, you and the
Irissshman mount up and sssee how far in we can take the bikesss.
ssStay in conssstant contact with each other. Do not take any
chancesss and report back immediately if you find anything,” Snarth
ordered.

“
Yes sir,” the pair
answered in unison, Rowl already regretting his earlier
comment.

“
Massster feline, you and
Tom will stay here at camp in ressserve, jussst in cassse Rowl and
the Irissshman need ressscuing,” Snarth added. Seeing the angry
glare from his friend, Rowl was now doubly regretting his comment,
knowing it would be hours before his friend would even speak to
him. “ssSSlice, you will come with me, I want to be sssure it isss
sssafe to move the ssship,” said Snarth as he mounted his cycle and
put on his helmet.

~

They were almost back to the ship when
Snarth finally broke the long silence between him and SSlice. “How
sssure are you about your disssruption of the sssensor platform
ssscansss?” Snarth hissed.

“
I will not be 100% certain
until I access the platform’s main computer. I have to do that from
the ship. However I am quite sure we have not been detected as of
yet. Before we try to move the ship, I want to rerun the subroutine
again just to be absolutely certain. Now is not the time for
mistakes,” SSlice whispered in typical spinner fashion.

“
ssSo tell me, how long did
you know the entrance wasss in the lassst quadrant?” Snarth hissed
at SSlice.

“
I strongly suspected it
after the first day. I was not certain until the beginning of the
second day,” answered SSlice unapologetically.

“
I am sssure you had your
reasonsss for the delay in telling me. Now if you would be ssso
kind azsss to explain it to me I would be ever ssso grateful,”
Snarth hissed sarcastically.

“
As old as you are, Snarth,
I am amazed at how obtuse you are when it comes to social dynamics,
especially when it is right in front of your face,” SSlice
began.

“
What are you talking
about?” hissed Snarth, demanding an answer, puzzled by SSlice’s
cryptic answer.

“
I am of course talking
about the team. The delay was necessary to cement the budding
relationship between Human Tom and the feline master and the team’s
commitment to each other in place,” whispered SSlice. “Or did you
intend to just send them on their way with an enormous fortune and
no guidance? Finding anyone they could truly trust will be
impossible once word of their fortune gets out. You and I both know
it will get out, bringing hordes of beings that want something for
nothing and think they are entitled to it or worse.”

SSlice’s words put a fine point on
some private thoughts that had been worrying Snarth for quite some
time. “You are right, old friend, and you are a much wissser being
than I am. I am thankful I have your friendssship and guidance,”
hissed a humbled Snarth.

“
Not just my friendship but
the friendship of all the spinners,” whispered SSlice “After all it
was your unrelenting quest for the truth about the spinners that
saved my world from destruction by the Galactic fleet after the
Ones were defeated. A debt we can never repay.”

“
No repayment isss
necessssary,” Snarth hissed. “Azsss far azsss I am concerned, that
debt hasss been repaid many timesss over, my friend.”

That is for we spinners to
decide,
thought SSlice to himself as they
arrived at the ship.

“
ssSSlice, run your
sssubroutine while I bring the ssship’s main enginesss online. Let
me know what you find out right away. I want to be back at the
entrance before the dark cycle,” hissed Snarth as the pair boarded
the ship.

Snarth busied himself on the bridge,
running a systems check in preparation for bringing the main
engines on line for the short trip to the entrance of the
underground city. There were no entries in the ship’s security
log.

However, main engine plasma was down
almost thirty percent for some unknown reason. There was still more
than enough to get back into space and for the return trip to
Snarth’s estate. Snarth was concerned, for thirty percent was a lot
of power to lose. He ran a more detailed systems check, trying to
find the cause.

Despite his best efforts, Snarth was
unable to come up with a reasonable explanation for the power loss.
The ship’s main computer said it was a series of small power drains
that had increased in frequency and severity, then stopped just as
mysteriously as they had begun. However, that was impossible as all
of the ship’s systems had been on standby with the exception of the
security systems and the cloaking device. Neither of which would
have drained that much power. Perplexed Snarth called SSlice to the
bridge to see if he could find out where the power drain was coming
from.

“
The good news is that we
have remained undetected and my subroutine is working perfectly,”
explained an equally perplexed SSlice. “The bad news is that the
power drain is external and not a ship’s malfunction. To make it
even clearer I do not have a clue as to the cause. I suggest we
move the ship to the entrance and set up a sensor perimeter around
the ship as a precaution,” SSlice suggested.

“
What are you thinking?”
demanded Snarth impatiently.

“
I cannot be sure, but we
may be in great danger if what I think is happening is actually
what is happening,” whispered SSlice with a typically cryptic
spinner answer.

Hearing SSlice’s warning Snarth
immediately got on the com link to the rest of his team. “Team 1,
report,” he hissed into the com-link.

The Irishman immediately answered
“Team 1 reporting all clear.”

“
Have you had any power
lossss on the cyclesss?” hissed Snarth.

“
No sir, not that I have
noticed,” answered the Irishman. “I will run a diagnostic on both
cycles immediately. I will get back to you once it is complete.
Team 1 out.”

“
Team 2, report,” Snarth
hissed once more into the com-link.

“
Team 2 here,” I answered.
“All clear sir, we were just about to start our search of the
tunnel.”

“
Run a diagnossstic on your
cyclesss firssst,” hissed Snarth. “I need to know if there hasss
been any unexplained power lossss. Report your findingsss
immediately,” hissed Snarth.

“
Yes sir, team 2 out,” I
answered.

When the control board finally read
all green, and when the main engine was at full power, Snarth
lifted off, setting course for the entrance to the underground city
and the rest of his team. He would be setting the ship down about
the time the team finished the diagnostics on the cycles. SSlice
was being tight lipped about his suspicions for the power loss,
which worried Snarth.

As the ship neared the
entrance, both teams reported in, no power loss found. This eased
Snarth’s concern just a little. As the repulser lifts spun down and
the ship settled down on the landing struts in the tunnel entrance,
Snarth made a decision. Not only would he arm the ship’s defensive
systems, he would post a guard outside the ship for the
night.
This may not set well with the
team, but I did not live this long by being reckless. Well, perhaps
not for the last couple of hundred years anyway,
thought Snarth wryly.

As the team happily boarded the ship,
glad for a good bath and fresh food, Snarth was waiting for them in
the forward lounge.

“
My friendsss,” he began,
“there hasss been an unexplained power lossss on the ssship while
we were out sssearching for the entrance. We have more than enough
power reservesss to get home,” he hissed. “However, we may have to
cut our search short and head for the nearest repair facility if it
continues. As a precaution I want a guard outside starting at the
dark cycle. Irishman, you have the first watch,” Snarth
ordered.

Seeing the pained expression on his
friend’s face, Rowl spoke up: “You go ahead, get cleaned up and get
some rest, I will take the first watch.” The look of gratitude on
his friend’s face was more than enough payment for Rowl. Not being
one to let an opportunity to get one up on his friend pass, Rowl
added. “You do owe me one however.”

“
Ok then, Rowl, I want you
to carry a blassster rifle while on watch azsss well azsss your
ssswordsss. The sssame goesss for all of you. I do not expect any
trouble, but no one will come to our ressscue ssso I do not want to
take any chancesss,” Snarth hissed. “ssShoot firssst, asssk
quessstionsss later, remember where we are. Thisss isss the home
planet of the mossst feared warrior race in the hissstory of the
galaxy. Isss that understood?” hissed Snarth.

“
Yes sir!”
echoed through the forward lounge as each team
member acknowledged Snarth’s orders.

“
Good,” hissed Snarth.
“Tom, you have sssecond watch followed by massster feline, and the
Irissshman hasss last watch. ssSSlice will be monitoring the
ssship’s functionsss and communicationsss from the bridge.
Disssmissssed.”

“
Snarth,” purred the feline
master, pausing as the others filed out of the lounge, “With your
permission Tom and I would like to take the bikes into the tunnel
and have a look around.”

“
Permissssion granted,
however I would caution the both of you to be extra careful. I
alssso want you both to carry blassster rifles on the bikesss and
blassster sidearmsss azsss well azsss your personal weaponsss.
Again, I warn you: take no chancesss, ssshoot firssst asssk
quessstionsss later. Report back immediately if you run into
trouble, or better yet, find sssomething.”

As my new mate and I mounted our
cycles, blaster rifles at the ready, I asked her: “Are you sure
this is a good idea?”

“
What’s the matter my love,
are you scared?” she teased. I was not sure if she was serious or
just teasing. Before I could answer, she put on her helmet with a
giggle. Now I knew for sure, she was teasing.

“
Quaking in my boots: I am
glad you are here to protect me,” I quipped in response to her
teasing as I put on my helmet and started my bike.

At first, the tunnel ahead was arrow
straight with a slight downward slope. The sides were perfectly
straight, machined through solid granite, with a rough finish, the
dimensions exact. That in itself was a remarkable feat of
engineering, however in my excitement to find the treasure I hardly
noticed. After almost a mile of tunnel, I did notice the change in
the wall surface. It went from rough to worn smooth on all sides
including the ceiling, as if millions of feet had worn them smooth
from eons of use.

That is when we found the passageways
leading straight up and away from the main tunnel. The sensors on
the bikes said they went up for at least a half mile, branching off
in many different directions, creating a complex maze of passages
lined with hundreds of uniformly sized rooms, for lack of a better
term. There was still no sign of any technology, ruins, or bodies,
just tunnels and empty rooms.

After another mile of sloping down,
the tunnel suddenly ended without warning, dropping into a huge
cavern. What was on the cavern floor was certainly cause for alarm,
ships, hundreds, maybe even thousands of what appeared to be single
man fighters bristling with armament. That was just what we could
see, as the vast cavern stretched far past what our bikes’
headlights’ limited range could illuminate.