Aliens Vs. Humans (Aliens Series Book 4) (30 page)

She smiled big, dimples showing on each rad-tanned cheek. “Thank you! That flag would be the
Bratach na h-Alba
or Saltire, the flag of Scotland. Where my parents came from, before they migrated to the Belt.”

Jack thought some of the woman’s words were Scottish Gaelic, based on the Irish and Welsh Gaelic he had heard spoken by Maureen and Gareth. To have the flag of Scotland, of a people who had fought constantly for freedom from England until it was achieved in 2021, only to be overshadowed by the Unity Assembly flag, well, to Jack it fit. He met the eyes of his people. “Everyone, time to head back to the lander and head for Assembly Hall in Aricia Tholus. Good Cassie used her Spy talents to get me onto the agenda of this week’s opening session.”

Everyone smiled, a few chuckled and Agnes gave Archie a hug, a look that said much, then she turned and led the way out. She had been the first person of the institute to greet them. Now, she would convoy them back to the lowest level airlock room. Jack liked that kind of hospitality. He liked even more how it was a sign of loyalty. Now, the only thing lacking was a fresh beer.

“Agnes, before we leave, you got any Europa Light Ale hiding in some cooler somewhere? I’m thirsty. And I gotta grab my lifemate once she’s done her business.”

Laughter filled the room and warmed Jack’s heart. The future held surprises and dangers and challenges. But with these people at his side, he knew humanity’s future was bright.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A week later, in orbit above Vesta, Jack and his people were gathered in the Pilot Cabin doing a checkout of all ship systems. Maureen wished to make certain the Higgs Disruptor that had been added before their trip to the Megurk system now worked in complete synchrony with all other ship weaponry systems. He looked down at his Tech panel, above which floated the holo of Maureen. Who was in the Battle Module, hands hovering above her Fire Control panels. Two of them were for the antimatter and neutral particle beam emitters. A third had been added for the Higgs Disruptor, housed in a nodule attached to the belly of the
Uhuru
. Located ahead of the fusion pulse exhaust funnel, the nodule provided a full 180 degree firing arc for the emitter of the Higgs Disruptor beam.

“Maureen, everything properly linked up? Is the Higgs included in the ship’s Auto-Track and Defend system?”

Their Irish grandmother looked down, touched her three panels, scanned readouts, and looked up to the motion-eye that was located ahead of her seat and panels. Jack had a full-face view of the woman, whenever she bothered to look up from her Fire Control panels, from a combat simulation playing on her yellow datapad, or from cleaning the innards of her laser rifle. A thing she did as automatically as other women knitted while talking. Her black curls looked wet on her bullet head. She gave him a quick smile. “Just fine!” she said, her tone hearty and happy. Having new weapons to play with always pleased Maureen. “You children ready to toss out some spysats for my target practice?”

Behind him Nikola, Cassie and Blodwen chuckled. They did not mind the women’s frequent reference to them as ‘children’. Archibald was absent, working on the
Nimitz
as he, Matthias and Agnes finished the installation of her accelerator and the setting up of a Fire Control pedestal on Zhāng’s Command Bridge. Where Archie would be under the watchful eye of the woman’s Weaponry Chief. Matthias would return to his teaching post on Mathilde when the fleet left, having had enough ‘star gallivanting’ as the man had put it a few days ago. Perhaps the kidney wound he’d suffered in the second star trip was the cause of his sudden liking for solid ground. Which left Jack to check on Max, Denise and Elaine. All of whom were busy tap-tapping on their own function panels. It was up to him. “Combat Commander, we have no spysats beyond the six we normally carry. And our geo-penetrator rockets are for use against hardened structures. So, make do with your combat simulator.”

“Whippersnapper,” she muttered, using an antique English term that Jack had never before heard.

Elaine looked his way. “The
Bismarck
and her four destroyers are still holding defensive orbit around us,” she said calmly as she looked down at her NavTrack panel. “The
Dragon
and the six other ships of the First Belter Fleet precede us in orbital vector. All report themselves fully fueled, with all crew onboard. Uh, the
Badger
says it is willing to deliver some Vesta beer to us.”

Jack smiled. He knew that offer to be an attempt by Ignacio to spend more time with his sister. To whom the Basque was now lifemate Committed. He sympathized. If he and Nikola were on separate ships his mood would not be as upbeat as he now felt. All the congresses, assemblies and houses in Sol system had voted for the Declaration of War against the Arbitors. With Jack named as War Leader. Or a similar term, depending on the source of the resolution. “Thank you, sister and Pilot, for that information. Maybe we can take delivery later, after this systems checkout is done. Max, how are our engines?”

“They are oh so fine,” the man said wonderingly. Which was unusual for the normally calm Pole. Jack looked back. His buddy was caressing the grav-pull drive pedestal, which stood just behind the Alcubierre drive pedestal. He saw Jack looking and gave a guilty shrug. “Hey, I can’t help it if I see cosmic beauty in our ability to maneuver at right angles to our vector, to bounce around like a bumblebee, and to use that pyramid of tubes for straight-line acceleration without a drive flare. Local area ‘frame-dragging’ á la the Einstein-Lense-Thirring Effect is something I love to see happen!”

Jack could not blame the man. Their stealing of the grav-pull drive from the hulk of the dead Rizen starship had allowed them to make the fight against the Hunters gathered in the Kuiper Belt a real contest. With the old and new
Uhuru
ships giving a fine account of themselves in true space combat. “Understood. Though I would think you’d cherish the Alcubierre pedestal even more. After all, that Rizen thingie is what got us FTL star travel!”

Max smiled, looked up at the ceiling where the fusion pulse Main Drive module had lowered from the ceiling, then back down. His left hand had moved to caress the Alcubierre pedestal. “True, this thing is a wonder! And I love how its internal settings can be so easily adjusted with just a few specialty algorithms.” He frowned suddenly. “Though I cannot help but wonder at how the Arbitor uses the Alcubierre space-time modulus to erect a defense shield around its ship, and an Isolation Globe around an entire star system.” The man shook his head. “Both are clear variations of the Alcubierre space-time bubble, but neither involve spatial movement. It has me wondering about the equations which could—”

“Jack!” called Denise. “Got an incoming neutrino signal. Encrypted.” She paused and tapped on her Comlink pedestal. “The precursor ID says it’s from Captain Vigdis of the
Hawk
!”

Finally, the news he had wanted to hear. He had slept poorly over the last week, feeling anxious to hear from his distant ship captains. “Put it up on the front screen. And share it via Come-Back neutrino signal with the other fleet ships. Including the Belter and Mars ships on patrol elsewhere in Sol system. They deserve to know what Vigdis has found.”

“Going up front,” the young woman said, her tone firm, confident and engaged.

Which made Jack wonder at the effect of a twentieth birthday party. “Thank you, ComChief.”

The true-light imagery of Vesta’s crater-pocked surface, the fleet ships and distant stars vanished. To be replaced by the rad-tanned face of Vigdis, who was seated in her Pilot’s seat in the Pilot Cabin of her commerce raider ship. Behind and nearby were four Icelandic crewmates, two men and two women. All of whom were busy at their posts. Vigdis pushed blond bangs out of her eyes and fixed on him.

“Fleet Captain Jack, six hours ago we arrived at 40 AU north of the ecliptic plane of the Dakto Hunters home system.” She gestured aside to the woman who handled ComChief duties. “Melody will transmit to you our true-light images, our Sensor data and all we know about this system.” The woman grimaced. “The bad news is these Dakto Hunters are
not
the T-rex dinos we saw in the Melagun Arbitor encounter. Dozens of AV channels are coming from the fourth planet in this six planet system. The Aliens in them are disgusting. They look like giant earthworms with hands. And spiny teeth.” She looked down at a panel in her lap. “My NavTrack module says we are alone in space, with no Hunter ship anywhere close to us. Based on graviton tracks from the 43 grav-pull ships that are jumping around this system. Here’s the image of these Hunters. Try not to lose your lunch.”

A side split-screen pushed Vigdis’ image to one side. In the split screen there appeared a giant brown worm, one among many, who was lowering its white-toothed head/mouth into a bowl filled with small living creatures. Whatever the creatures were, they bled red. As they could all see from watching what seemed to be a cafeteria-style eating hall filled with scores of worms. Who wiggled disgustingly. A few worm pairs in the background were entwined around each other. Public sex? He shuddered and focused on the eating worms. Each worm had three pink eyes, two flexarms and a manner that resembled movies Jack had seen of rabid dogs from last century.

“Disgusting!” Denise said firmly.

“Well, it’s clear you do not need a body filled with bones to fly  starships,” Max grunted, his tone bemused.

“Jack, I’ve closed my eyes,” Nikola said. “If I watch that any longer I’m going to be sick.”

He waved a hand at the captain of the
Hawk
. “Thank you, Captain Vigdis. Did your other two Belter ships also arrive safely?”

The woman nodded quickly. “They did.” Her blue eyes scanned behind Jack to note his crewmates. “We have not used our grav-pull drives to avoid emitting telltale graviton pulses. My Weaponry Chief says there are no offensive weapons within detection range, based on her infrared sensor sweep of nearby space,” she said, her Icelandic-accented English sounding light and musical. The woman shook her head, her blond ponytail swinging lightly. “May our three ships return home? This voyage was long and tedious. Which made Max’s sharing of the settings for faster Alcubierre travel a goddess-blessing!”

“Yes!” Jack said. He empathized. At least
his
two months since the
Hawk
and her two sister ships had left had been filled with some variety, some danger and worthwhile Alien people like the Doomat. “If you can find an unoccupied system to refuel your deuterium and helium-3 tanks, stop off and refuel. Or come straight home to Sol. You can do it, now, in 12 days, thanks to your upgraded drive.”

The Icelander, who looked exhausted, her eyes bloodshot and bleary, the bags under them not visible thanks to the woman’s dark rad-tan, gave a deep sigh. “May Odin bless you! We will come straight home. Will you and the other fleet ships be there when we arrive?”

Jack bit his lip. “No, sorry to say. My fleet ships, plus the
Bismarck
,
Dragon
and the
Nimitz
, will shortly be leaving for the Megurk system to test out our Dark Energy weapon.” He enjoyed the woman’s look of surprise. “Our Archibald, with the help of the Vesta accelerator team, has created a machine able to project Dark Energy. We will soon be heading back to the Isolated system to test it there. Then we’ll head for a juvenile system to make contact and thereby set up a final confrontation with the Arbitor out near Sedna.”

“Good to hear,” the woman said, her tone tired but determined.

“Vigdis!” called Elaine. “Earth has launched our first colony ship to another star! No matter what happens with this Arbitor, humanity has spread to the stars!”

That news made Vigdis, Melody and their three other crewmates brighten up and look a touch less tired by their long-haul trip to a place located 489 lights distant from Earth. Which reminded Jack that Helena’s ship
Grizzly
had had a slightly shorter distance to travel. Why were they hearing first from Vigdis, who had to travel further?

“Captain Vigdis, safe voyaging home,” Jack said hurriedly. “I would chat more but I’m worried we have not heard from Helena’s ship. Her trip was just 478 light years. She should have contacted us before you did.”

Vigdis frowned. “Truth. We did spend six hours taking in EMF data so we could tell what kind of social carnivore Hunter lived in this system. Perhaps they are doing the same for the Usulungun Hunters?”

Jack hoped that was the case. “Perhaps. But I’m cutting this link now so I can contact them. Safe voyaging!”

“Thank you!” The native of Iceland, who’d emigrated to the Belt with her parents when just three years old, gave Jack a smile, a salute and then cut her link before he did.

He looked back to Denise. Whose pale face showed her freckles to strong effect. A sign she too was worried. Plus she was chewing on one of her red braids. “ComChief, put out an encrypted neutrino call to Helena.”

The woman’s left hand reached down to her neutrino pedestal, tapped on its control surface and then she squinted at the readout. “Signal has gone out. Receipt by
Grizzly
should happen about now. Hmmm. No reply back yet, so I will . . . wait! Incoming signal from
Grizzly
. Going up front.”