Alien Backlash Page 23

  He reached the meeting room early and found himself a place near the front. He settled to wait. It was nearly an hour before the screens lit up and the Commander’s face looked at them. Kedlijercylix was as old as his father, maybe older. Like Lijfomid he was wily, experienced, listened to others, used a great deal of espionage, but he apparently stayed within the law, a character flaw from Odisekint’s perspective. He listened with half his mind as Kedlijercylix addressed the officers and sergeants. So far, nothing he didn’t already know or hadn’t anticipated. He was getting impatient when he heard, “This action is skidding close to the law and I am still unsure precisely which side of the law it is on. Torroxell was entitled to defend itself but not to continue to attack us on other planets. In law the original attack was a pirate action and our Race as a whole should not have been endangered as a consequence. Who has been involved in spreading this virus is still conjecture but several Races are implicated, namely the Niseyen, Ridianit, Okme, Nashi, and possibly others. All deny this but the Ridianit are still the prime suspects. It was their planet. Our mission is to find out who made the virus, who was involved in spreading it, to get the anti-virus, and punish those who participated.

  “Information to hand indicates that the pirate attack on Torroxell interrupted, possibly coincidentally, a planned attack on our Race. An alternative theory is that the pirates knew about this danger and that this was the reason for the attack, but I doubt that. I think it was coincidence but very lucky for us. I think this was meant to be an all-out attack on our Race and the attacking Race had to strike before it was ready, which is why it is not well coordinated. But their recovery is superb, especially as it is likely that all or most who were on Torroxell died in the original attack. The resources being used are immense, the expenditure is vast. This is impressive given that the war must have decimated their manpower. The logical conclusion is that Torroxell was where the virus was being manufactured but, because of the speed of recovery, was not the central organization. Once knowledge of this virus was out they had to move fast. However, there is also a theory that there is more than one strain of this virus. By that I mean at least two which have been weaponized. We anticipate that Torroxell will surrender. If they do not, this indicates they are hiding something. It also indicates resources and preparation out of character with what should be there. If they refuse to surrender, the Defense Shield will delay us only by a few weeks. The virus, as of today, is on eighteen of our planets and at least eight others.”

  There were various reactions to that news ranging from distress to anger. He waited for a moment then continued grimly.“It is that serious. However, our medical organizations are now getting control. Anyone planning this must have at least anticipated that it would spread, as trying to confine it would be problematic. We therefore assume the worst — that this is an all-out attack on our Race. We arrive in twenty-one days. That will be all.” The screen blanked.

  Odisekint turned to his officers sitting behind him. “Was that true about getting medical control?” asked his Navigator.

  “Yes and no. We now have a vaccine but it will take years to make enough and treat enough of the population to stop epidemics. We continue to use raw plasma because we have no choice but the incompatibility is causing millions of deaths. We have found a combination of anti-virals that helps but it is only partly effective and has some bad side effects.”

  “Who cares about side effects?”

  “We all do,” answered the Chief Medical Officer. “Blindness, deafness and virtual inability to move due to vertigo. Destruction of the function of the ears and the balance control. We don’t know why any of this happens. We are frighteningly vulnerable militarily if our enemies ever find out the magnitude of the problem. The success of the latest vaccine and its relative safety of less than two percent adverse reactions is the best news I have had had in months. Ignorant people assume the problem is under control. It isn’t. It will be years before it is.”

  “Oh.” The Navigator wisely decided to shut up about that. “I get the point. It’s just the fact that none of us have access to anti-viral, vaccine, or plasma which makes stepping onto Torroxell something I don’t want to do. Blasting the whole planet from space is the favoured battle plan of the fleet personnel. I agree with that plan.”

  “The fleet has other orders,” snapped Odisekint. “Intel is needed. Since no one has ever been able to question the dead, that effectively rules out your favoured battle plan.”

  The Navigator regretfully had to agree. She didn’t know how to interrogate the dead either.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Twenty days before the fleet arrived, the replacement shield was installed. Sarah was informed next day that it was already functioning and detecting the incoming fleet. The original shield was slaved to it, the replacement shield taking over control of both in case the original had been sabotaged. The Loridsyl told her not to worry: the shield would stop them, they would guarantee it. The humour of that situation was not lost on Sarah. Somewhat like an ad she had once heard, “We stand in front of our brake jobs.” She thought of Steve who had spluttered with laughter when he told her about the outside holds on Defiance not being insurable.

  The Defiance was incoming, at full speed, with its cargo of refugees and settlers. A breeding population. Steve had said there were over twenty-five thousand on board and more being born. Despite the deaths, the ship’s population was increasing. The Niseyen were flabbergasted. On any long Niseyen voyage deaths greatly exceeded births, which were generally zero.

  Steve had told Sarah, “We had a vote on board. I told them their choice was; the chance of a war to defend new homes that they will earn by defending the planet versus returning to Terra and the refugee camps. I gave them your offer of freehold after three years of unpaid labour but with keep provided. They know everyone is to work but there is to be no money paid. I told them your offer is an official contract. There is money on Torroxell but you committed it to defense.”

  Sarah nodded. Dai had located and consolidated all the available finance for her and she had already spent it, secretly, quietly.

  Steve continued, “The majority of those on board want Defiance to continue on to Torroxell, so it will. I did not offer the choice of another planet. I am uneasy at the lack of any official communication from any Niseyen planet. I’ve been talking to Kelly on Petislay and she’s getting apprehensive too. The people treat them as heroes but the institutions and government don’t even acknowledge them.”

  “Yes, I know. We’ve been talking too.”

  “As a consequence, I could not offer a Niseyen planet as a third option. Any who asked I simply told that the ship’s population was considered too large to cope with. But the simple truth, Sarah, is that no one on board wished to have refugee status anywhere. Those born on the journey are to be counted as Torroxell citizens already. In the manner of ships on Earth they will be registered as born in the world to which they are going, Torroxell.”

  He assured Sarah, “The refugees are all set up and organized for a quick unload. Everyone is counted, detailed records are available on every colonist, all their qualifications, training, talents, all pertinent information about every person. And I promised some of the refugee camp and medical staff that I will return them to Terra, if possible, if we can unload in time. I intend to keep that promise. We need some fuel and minimum reprovisioning. Just a few supplies given only about a thousand are going back and some haven’t decided yet what to do.” He paused to think. What else? “The Niseyen crew have decided en masse to go back to Terra with us. They know there are now a lot of Niseyen on Torroxell and they want no one questioning their origins or recent past misdeeds. Are you sticking to your declaration that they are still prohibited from living on Torroxell despite the impending war and their change of status?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Then it’s risk a trial and prison from their own people, or stay on board. They know that their own people would not
respect your pardon even if you gave them one. We also decided that all the imprisoned, mostly men, that are locked up on board here should go back to the refugee camp. I backed the Niseyen in that decision.”

  “OK. I’ll leave decisions like that to you. And Dai is organizing some exports for you to auction off on Earth to raise money there for things we need.”

  Eighteen days before the fleet arrived, per Sarah’s orders, Alia hailed the fleet. There was no answer and their screens stayed blank. This contravened regulations and confirmed that they were hostile, not that anyone was really in doubt.

  That afternoon Dai told Sarah, “A fleet of six Okme settler ships has arrived but one Okme ship is incoming at full speed, well behind Defiance and just ahead of the fleet. It’s trying to make it in time.”

  “Helkmid told me that he was worried. His friend Kumenoprix is on board. Other incoming ships have had a tough choice to make. Come or scram?” Sarah asked. “There are several ships incoming from Niseyen worlds, Ali tells me, almost all deciding to come. I do wonder at the quantities that are coming despite the threat.”

  “We told them. You remember De Arc arrives this evening with fourteen thousand Niseyen. It’s the third settler ship to arrive in as many days. I have allocated a thousand to each city. Some will start up local businesses, and others are experts qualified to run the utilities.”

  “Helene had her list and has done her recruiting well,” noted Sarah. “She said De Arc was rather overloaded given the size of the Niseyen and almost all of them adults. But she also bought a precious cargo of registered and experienced crews. Enough to crew five ships legally, or ten if going between Terra and Torroxell where no rules or regulations apply. And that doesn’t count those qualified on smaller ships or freight ships. I don’t care about such niceties as passenger service license, ‘qualified for deep space only’ or qualified for different-sized ships. If they say they can fly them and are prepared to go to Terra, they can take a ship and go!”

  “I hope you want some standards here!”

  “Dai, if you think they can fly them, they can go.”

  Dai grumbled as he looked at the list. Trust her to put the responsibility on him for this! But he had to admit she was right. He and his mates had always grumbled at regulations being too finicky. The regulatory bodies were considered income gatherers and empire builders. Trouble was, he mused, people could think up good safety reasons for all the regulations but many were pernickety and unnecessary. And they added to everyone’s costs while making jobs and a lot of money for bureaucrats.

  But what was he going to do about the Terrans? So many of them were training in the simulators and now some were grumbling because he wouldn’t let them take a spaceship and fly it to Terra! What were they thinking? But his main problem was not finding crew, it was the time needed to fly to the ships (since he had used up all the local ones), check them over, get them spaceworthy and refuel and provision them. Each one had to be taken up individually to check it was spaceworthy. He had 53 Niseyen crew with which to accomplish this plus a few Zeobani’s and a few Terrans.

  Meanwhile Sarah asked Helkmid, “Can I leave it to you to deal with the incoming Okme?

  He told her, “Two ships, the biggest ones, hold all settlers and the third a few. Since they are high-tech people, I have directed them to go to the cities, many to run the Okme Healing Centers as per the Treaty. With the arrival of De Arc and Defiance, there will finally be enough work to keep us busy. Everyone who can afford the time and money for treatment will get treated with no waiting times: mostly Niseyen.”

  Seventeen days before the fleet was due, Ali became aware of a ship broadcasting what the Loridsyl told him was a Ridianit ID. Although it was still six days out, he contacted Sarah. She suspected it was coming to see if any of its people were alive and to check on the biological and chemical warfare lab. Sarah took over from Ali on the communicator, telling them, “You do not have permission to land as I cannot guarantee your safety. Also, there are none of your Race left alive on the planet except for employees of the Loridsyl.”

  “We must land. We will be in peril otherwise. We hear you have a shield. We will be safer on the planet.”

  “You do not have my permission to land. I am warning you off.”

  “You can’t do this! There are other incoming ships. You have not warned them off!”

  “They are Treaty ships, this is their planet. They may land. You may not. This is no longer your planet. If you are unhappy with that, speak to the Keulfyd, they’re that big fleet behind you. We are very busy here resettling our own. We do not want tourists.”

  “We are not tourists!” came the indignant reply. “We have property here.”

  Sarah decided to be blunter. “You do not own any property or anything else on this planet. You know the Rules of War. Complain to the Keulfyd if you are unhappy with that. And by the way, we found your lab. We know what you were doing there. We know it made weapons for both chemical and biological warfare. You will leave now, or I will order the Loridsyl to make you feel very unwelcome. Torroxell out.” Sarah switched off the communicator.

  She watched for several minutes but their course did not change. She said to the Loridsyl on duty, “A shot across the bow seems indicated.”

  “You are ordering me to shoot but miss?”

  “Correct. A near-miss. Shall I warn them?” she asked.

  “If you prefer.”

  Sarah switched the communicator back on. “Torroxell Control to Ridianit ship. Since you seem somewhat disobedient, I am going to use you for target practice. Please do not deviate from your present course. It would be most unwise.”

  Ali was grinning widely and staring at the screen. He loved the screen: it was the coolest part of this awesome Loridsyl technology. To be able to look at the whole ship in one view and the oncoming ship’s control room in another view! He whooped as the shot was indeed a close miss and the Ridianit ship rocked. He laughed in delight as the ship abruptly changed course, away from both the planet and the oncoming fleet.

  “Good shot!” murmured Sarah, delighted. “Ali, you and Alia have my permission to do likewise if he comes back. Or if any foreigners try the same trick. But you need my permission to shoot to damage or kill. Understood?”

  Ali caught on fast. His eyes lit up. “Shoot to warn off any that are not Treaty ships?”

  “Yes. If they ignore a verbal order not to land.” Ali seemed very happy with his new powers. Alia was going to hear of this in some detail, Sarah had no doubt. She left smiling, nodding to the Niseyen man who was really in charge of the shift. Ali and Alia had enjoyed their jobs and refused to leave when they were replaced by experienced Niseyen. However, the Niseyen had simply and tolerantly absorbed them and sped up their training at the children’s pleas. Sarah had failed to allow for the scarcity of children among the Niseyen and had wisely given up.

  Fifteen days before the fleet was due, Dai reported to Sarah, “Three big Niseyen civilian passenger ships have arrived, capacity varying from four to six thousand passengers each, mostly settlers, some coming wanting treatment and hoping to leave before the fleet arrives. There are quite a few women among the settlers. As per my instructions, they are tightly organized. The settlers are heading a thousand or so to each of eight cities. The crew are splitting up into ten separate crews, taking the three big passenger ships that are provisioned and waiting plus four others we are provisioning. As soon as their own ships are refueled and loaded all ten will leave for Terra. They hope to leave in three days, four at the outside. Another lot are hoping to get treated, buy a ship from you and return to Niseyen worlds. I hope that is OK with you?”

  “Yes definitely. Charge them market rate or a little less. The ones going to Terra, they’re happy to do all this for free?” asked Sarah. “I haven’t agreed to pay them for the trip. I can’t.”

  “They’ll be very well paid,” Dai murmured. “By the way, I notice your account is empty. I am curious as to where all the money
has gone. You have sold some ships as well. Were you intending letting the Niseyen have any of those? They count as part of the spoils of war and some should be coming our way.”

  “No. The Niseyen are all going into cities while many of the Terrans are going to be moving into much cheaper accommodation, some of which is coming with them, and many are going to be building their own homes. So I decided, to make this equal, that the Terrans will own all the boats, ships, planes, and ground transport. Seems fair.”

  “You decided?” Dai’s eyes unfocused. His calculator-like brain whirled away for a few minutes. He had done his homework. He knew roughly the value of the real estate on Torroxell, minus the value of the properties allocated to the Okme, minus the city delegated to be owned by the Cats. He already knew the type and number of the spaceships and planes on the planet and had therefore estimated their value. He added an estimate for the ground cars. He dismissed the boats — no Niseyen would want those. “The portion of the real estate allocated to us is worth less.”

  “The real estate is an appreciating asset while the ships are a depreciating asset. Take that into account and I think you will find it is a fair exchange. I have noticed that the Niseyen are moving into the larger, more luxurious apartments. This seems unfair. Terran families are much larger. Your people are being greedy. They outnumber Terrans two to one and are getting in first.”

  Dai decided to shut up while he was ahead. And it was nearly three to one. She hadn’t mentioned the inequality in the respective numbers on their planets because, of course, more Niseyen were able to come to Torroxell. They had spaceships. She still had not told him where the money had gone but he had a suspicion. Also, the Niseyen didn’t need the ships and the Terrans desperately did.

  Kudales had come in during this discussion and grumbled to Dai, “Some of our people have been doing a great deal of whining and seem to want everything. Many have simply taken over multiple apartments and a couple have even tried to charge rent for extra apartments they don’t own and have no right to! And they are filling ‘their’ apartments with the best of all the possessions from other apartments as well as their own. Some have collected huge amounts and are setting up shops to sell their stolen goods. It’s getting so our people are huge thieves and the Terrans little thieves, but the Terrans are getting the label and our people aren’t.”