Aliens Vs. Humans (Aliens Series Book 4) (3 page)

Hilok glanced back to his two offspring. “Nalik, attend!” he snarl-grunted. Looking back around, Hilok’s four-fingered hands gripped his bejeweled chest strap as his smaller daughter moved to his side. “What is your puzzle?”

Jack gestured to Denise, who knew it was time to transmit the AV record of his Melagun friend’s call and the demand of MakMakGor. “Earlier today I received a neutrino call from my friend Benaxis of the Melagun people. They occupy the star system we call Tau Ceti, which is close to our Sol. The record of that AV call is now being sent to you.” Jack paused long enough for Hilok to pull out an oblong device from a pack hanging from his left flank. The Nasen glanced at it, nodded, and touched a round knob on his jeweled chest strap. Multiple light beams shot out to form a holo to one side. “It seems an Arbitor person who goes by the name MakMakGor recently arrived at the outer edge of the Tau Ceti system, found our Predator Alert satellite, understood we humans claim the Melagun system as part of our Hunt territory, and now demands that we humans come to a meeting with it. To answer for some action of ours that it says violate the Rules of Engagement.”

Hilok, who had been watching a speeded up version of the neutrino comlink call, gave a low groan. “This is not good.”

Jack unlocked the restraint straps of his seat and stood up, moving to stand front and center. He looked at the motion-eye above the front screen. “What is not good about this contact?”

“The contact itself,” Hilok’s daughter Nalik whinnied low. “No Hunter of the Great Dark ever wishes to be visited by the Arbitors.”

Hilok’s son Sator now came up to stand beside his father, watching the AV imagery of the neutrino call. Hilok turned away from the holo and faced Jack.

“Pack Leader Jack of the Human species, you must travel to meet this Arbitor,” the Nasen grunted in a deep bass. Hilok touched the holo knob, causing the imagery to disappear. “When you meet this Arbitor, answer truthfully its questions. Accept whatever judgment it renders. Obey whatever commands it gives you.”

“Fuck,” muttered Maureen from behind him. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this Arbitor creature.”

Jack leaned forward. “Hilok, what is this Arbitor that you show it such . . . obedience? Its species is not one I have ever encountered. Nor is it listed among the Hunter species on Nalik’s star map of predator Home stars and Hunt territories in the Orion Arm.”

Both Sator and Nalik lowered their heads and gave a full body shiver that made the color bands on their hides move like something alive. Hilok reached out one flexarm to pat the back of Sator’s head while laying his white-tufted tail across the back of Nalik. The Nasen blinked slowly.

“Their home system is unknown. Little is known of the Arbitors. What
is
known is fearful.” The Alien paused, touched his chest strap knob, waited for the AV to reappear, and gestured to the image of the Arbitor spaceship. “When disagreements happen between Hunters of the Great Dark, one party can call upon the Arbitors to come, attend, hear the issue and make a judgment. Compliance with the judgment of the Arbitor means you never again see this starship. Oppose that judgment and your star system is put into Isolation by such a ship.”

“But, but, the call to this Arbitor person was made by a Boolean ship captain who was mad at us for taking over his subject people in the 55 Cancri system,” Jack said. “Which as you heard is not a matter that concerns this Arbitor. And why does everyone obey? It’s just a single ship. Even if this Alien can call in a fleet, you have heard about the power of our fleet. We have weapons which no other Hunter of the Great Dark possesses.”

“It matters not,” Hilok said in a low snarl. “My daughter can tell you why. Nalik?”

The smaller Nasen looked up. She looked past Jack. “Nikola, lifemate of Pack Leader Jack and honored Stellar Authority, did you not wonder why there are only 113 Hunters who claim Hunt territories in the vastness of the Orion Arm?”

Nikola came up to stand beside Jack. “Yes, I did wonder why there were so few Hunters when there are 14,317 juvenile species who have not yet reached the outermost planet of their home star system. It seems more Hunters could be supported by the unclaimed star systems.”

Nalik nodded sharply, her furry ears flaring back. “Exactly so. While there are hundreds of subject people species in the Hunt territories of we Hunters, and thousands of juvenile species known to us, there are so few Hunters of the Great Dark for several reasons.” The female Nasen held up a four-fingered hand. She lifted one claw-finger. “First, Some Hunter societies collapse due to the strain of supervising strange peoples in distant star systems.” Another claw-finger lifted. “Second, some Hunter systems are conquered by other Hunters, as you Humans defeated the HikHikSot Hunters.” Three claw-fingers were now raised. “But the main reason there are so few known Hunters is due to these Arbitors. Disobey any order of the Arbitors and your Home star system is put into Isolation.”

Jack did not like what he was hearing. “What is this Isolation you speak of?”

“Just what the word suggests,” Nalik whinnied in a tone that sounded sorrowful. “One Arbitor ship is all it takes. A ship like the one waiting outside Tau Ceti can enter a star system, plant an Isolation Globe next to your star, then exit. After which the probe activates. Once it does, no starship may leave your system and no outside starship can enter your system. It is as if an invisible wall surrounds your system.” She touched a knob on her own chest strap and a new holo appeared to one side. It showed a yellow star with white planet crescents. The next image showed nothing but blackness even though the background star pattern was the same. “While an Isolated people can survive within their home system, they will no longer have any contact with other Hunters of the Great Dark. Or any part of our universe.”

Shit. Double shit
. “Humanity possesses dozens of well-armed starships. Our Higgs Disruptor beam can destroy any solid object, while our negative matter beam can break up a moon. Our fleets will stop any such entry by the Arbitors.”

Hilok cantered forward, leaving his two offspring behind. “It matters not your weapons or the size of your fleet. That ship of the Arbitor cannot be harmed. No energy weapon and no solid weapon can reach it. The Arbitor ship possesses a . . . a shield against all forces of this universe. Even a supernova could not destroy it.”

Jack felt his heart hammer in his chest. He did not want to believe what Hilok and Nalik were saying. Perhaps they were wrong. Or misinformed. “Where is the home system of these Arbitors? If they harm Sol system, we will attack their system. As we did the system of the HikHikSot.”

“As I said earlier, the home system of the Arbitors is unknown,” Hilok said in a high-toned snarl. “All that matters is that the Arbitors exist and they handle all disputes between Hunters. The fourteen Hunter systems that disobeyed their judgment are absent from this universe.” Hilok blinked slowly, his manner subdued. “Pack Leader Jack, there is a reason the Hunters of the Great Dark social pattern has existed for 3,000 cycles. It is a system that works. It gives predator species like ours a means of colonizing other star systems. It provides rules for the treatment of subject peoples. And it makes clear juvenile people will not be disturbed by a Hunter until they reach the outermost planet of their star system. At which time they will face a personal Challenge to Combat.” The Nasen’s hands gripped tightly his chest strap. “You Humans survived the Challenge mounted by the HikHikSot. You Humans proved you are a predator species worthy of your status as a new Hunter of the Great Dark. A fact that the Arbitor noted. Accept this status and you will find a useful place in this part of the galaxy. But if you defy the Arbitors, you Humans will be cut off from contact with other star systems. You will be Isolated.”

“Hilok,” called Nikola. “Is this Isolation ever lifted by the Arbitors? Even we humans do not put our criminals into cages until they die. We offer them a time at which they may go free.”

The front screen image showed Nalik and Sator moving back to recline on their floor pads. As if the puzzle of the Arbitor presence was settled. Hilok’s tail whipped from side to side.

“Isolation is never lifted. Or so we have heard after several generations of Trade contact with other Hunters.” The Nasen let go his chest strap, licked his white canines with a purple tongue, then grunted loudly. “Pack Leader Jack, you Humans are a powerful predator species. Expand your Hunt territory by taking over subject peoples now controlled by other Hunters. That is how we Nasen gained our subject systems. It is how other Hunters gained their subjects. Make Trade with other Hunters, as we have done. While your weapons technology is powerful, other Hunters have unique technology for trade. Like the mind-talking we Nasen do with our devices. Accept the reality of the Hunters system and you Humans will become a feared predator of the Great Dark!”

Jack felt a cold shiver run up his neck. Was the Hunters system truly a permanent fixture of the Orion Arm? Was it impossible for non-predator Aliens to travel star-to-star? Was the Freedom Alliance just a silly helium dream? He didn’t know. But his Grandpa Ephraim had taught him the vital importance of never giving up on your dreams.

“Thank you Hilok and Nalik of the Northern Pack. Your council has been heard by me, by my lifemate and by my crew,” Jack said. He turned and went to stand beside Nikola. Softly he caressed her long brown curls. “My lifemate expects a cub soon. We will share that good news with you and your family when it happens. We will also travel to meet this Arbitor and do our best to obey its judgment. For the sake of humanity and our family.”

Hilok curled his tail over his striped back. “May your pack continue to increase in numbers and in riches. You, your mother-to-be and your crewmates are welcome to visit our home on Hunt Forever. We have need of more elk steaks, more sauces and more interactive combat games. My Sator plays your games every day, until his mother and I give him lessons to learn. As we did when you visited our Contact habitat on the comet Hot Blood. Until we meet again.”

Jack waved with his free hand. “Until we meet again.”

The front screen went blank, then filled with the true-light image of the interior of the Dock Cavern of Mathilde. A place busy with the six other ships of his fleet, visiting transport ships, and automated cargobots delivering supplies to ships floating in the kilometers-wide space of the cavern.

“So we surrender to this Arbitor?” Maureen said from her Combat station, her tone disgusted.

Shifting his hand to Nikola’s shoulder, he turned and faced his crewmates. “Shit no we don’t surrender! We figure a way around whatever this Arbitor wants. We call in ships from our Alliance allies. And we figure out some way to make our contacts with juvenile species sound like they fit into the Rules of Engagement.” He caught the gaze of their Sociologist. “Blodwen, I know you’re not a lawyer or solicitor. But you’re the only person I know who can help us figure out a way to subvert this damnable system while pretending to comply with its Rules. Will you work on this?”

The lanky woman crossed bony arms over her black leotard. She fixed pale green eyes on him, her lips lifting in a half-smile. “My professors always said I could verbally tie them in knots. I’ll work on this. We have seven days before we go face-to-face with that ugly T-rex dino.”

“Good.”

Maureen gave him a sour look. “And if fancy words don’t work? How do we defeat this Arbitor and his ship?”

Jack smiled at the woman who never let a battle opponent have an even chance. “Well, then I kick the butts of Archibald and Max. This shield thingie sounds like something up their line of work.”

“But Jack,” called Elaine from her Pilot station, her look concerned. “If these Arbitors have been running things for 3,000 years, it sounds as if no one has figured out how to defeat this protective shield.”

“True.” He headed for the back wall hatch leading to the Spine hallway of
Uhuru
, pulling along Nikola. “But humans are problem solvers. Look how far we’ve come in the year since First Contact with the Rizen. The difficult we do today. The impossible we manage tomorrow. Anyway, I’m thirsty. Nikola, you want a Europa Light Ale? Or a glass of
cabernet sauvignon
wine?”

His lifemate’s chuckle as she followed him into the hallway said she might claim both types of drink. In limited quantity, considering the baby she carried.

Behind them restraint strap locks unsnapped and Jack knew his fellow crewmates were following his lead.

His prime recruiting tool had been the offer of steaks, cigars and good booze. It seemed those three items were equally good for raising the morale of his fellow humans. Plus he was hungry and thirsty and not willing to wait for tonight’s dinner with Hideyoshi and the other fleet captains in the Admiral’s Mess on the
Bismarck
. Anyway, his new motto was eat now, booze now, pass out for a few hours, then get up and take on the universe!

CHAPTER THREE

“And that is what we face,” Jack said as his allies finished watching his neutrino chats with Benaxis and Hilok. He looked aside to the crewwoman dressed in Mars red who stood beside an AutoChef device in the Admiral’s Mess. “You got any booze? I got a feeling we’ll all need some before we eat dinner.”