Alien Backlash Page 3

  The second day, the pilots again went out but brought back no one. On the third day, between them they rescued five Zeobani. These extras were assigned as food gatherers until Sarah could think of another use for them. They told her they had found some edible plants in the forests so she sent them off, hoping the plants would be non-toxic to Humans too and, preferably, palatable.

  The following day Miyuki reported to Sarah: “Our plane was attacked when we were going down to assist some refugees of mixed races. Luckily, the idiots attacked before we came to a halt and Mayling was able to take off. Take off in a plane with anti-gravity is rather different and very fast. The refugees hanging on fell off. We were somewhat lacking in sympathy. All of us had practiced fast take-offs not so much because of the possibility of attack but more from the possibility of landing somewhere that would not take the weight of the plane. Remember when Mahmoud landed on what looked like grass but was probably a swamp?” Sarah nodded.

  “When he switched the plane off, the anti-gravity disengaged and the plane started to sink. Mahmoud’s fast reflexes got him out of that one but it was a lesson to all of us.”

  “I’m not a pilot so I am having some trouble here,” said Sarah. “In a world with anti-gravity, why do some planes still have wheels?”

  “I spoke to Az about that. Most of the bigger planes have legs and all the huge ones. But they can only land on level ground or they’ll fall over. The smaller planes have wheels which means they can land away from the regular airports and on uneven ground. Different skills are used to take off and land each type. We stuck with familiar wheeled ones which we felt more comfortable with and which tended to be the smaller ones. But they are still equipped with anti-gravity.”

  “Oh, I see. But another puzzle is that I remember Az saying in planes with an autopilot, it won’t engage under five thousand feet, while our planes can take off and land on autopilot.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s a nuisance. Kaz told us it’s because of cyber attacks at airports crashing planes on landings and take off and it’s much easier to do via the autopilot. Also the pilot has less time to do anything.”

  “That’s awful!”

  “Yeah, cyber attacks are apparently the preferred form of warfare in this galaxy.”

  Sarah shuddered, wondering how many victims there were of that and then she thought of the cyber attacks which had ended the emergence of computer-driven cars soon after they had started to become popular on Earth. The commercial extortion threats had been ruinous.

  That night, Sarah reported to everyone what had happened to Miyuki. “We will do no more rescuing except of single Aliens or maybe two. No groups until some help arrives. And I’m sorry, kids, but the pilots have found none of the Avian Clets or Hoekfyds. The Cats tell me many of the Avians died early on and they don’t know of any still alive but are passing the word to keep looking. In the city containing five hundred-odd People, they report there are quite a few Zeobani but no Niseyen. They delegated the Priskya to contact the Zeobani as some of them were fishing daily. We are trying to organize a rescue away from the city.”

  It took some co-ordination but that was accomplished and they were joined by an extra twenty-three Zeobani. But as Sarah quickly discovered, these were students and tourists, and not one pilot or space crew among them. As one explained, “We were passengers on a spaceship that had been about to take off when all the communication failed. The crew at first said first they just assumed there was a glitch or a hack but then it became obvious communication was being jammed. Next all communication went down. Not receiving any permission to take off, the pilots shut down the engines and stayed put. The minutes dragged on. We were later told usual procedure under these circumstances was that someone would come out and tell them what had happened. It’s happened before. But for some unknown reason this did not happen.

  “After an hour, the spaceship crew sent someone out to see what was going on. She returned at a run to say ships and planes were being shot down all over the planet and there was chaos. Security fences and the huge security gates had apparently been closed to stop mobs getting onto the port but the mobs were outside the fences and trying to find any way off planet. But there was no escape. The crew told us Torroxell was under attack but there had been no Challenge or Declaration. This looked like a pirate attack, the worst possible scenario. With no Air Traffic Control and no communication, many airborne ships and planes were trying to land, unassisted, and several had been heading for this port. Whether or not they had been shot down was unknown. All ships trying to leave the planet had not been heard from and the Air Traffic Controllers said they had disappeared off the scanners in a manner suggesting they could have been shot down. There were several large spaceships with no ID orbiting and there were also a huge number, thousands, of objects in the sky and in space that were small, with no ID and unauthorized. Judging by their huge quantities and behavior, it looked as if hunter/killer orbiting satellites had been launched. Whatever was interfering with communications could also be coming from these satellites.

  “The crew made a fast decision. They thought the spaceport would not be safe with desperate crews trying to land ships without communication or permission. So they lifted off, without permission, and moved to the other side of the city, landing in a park. We stayed very low. As we landed, many People outside mobbed the ship. That was what saved us. We were too frightened of the mob to open the doors and were still aboard when the gas ships came. Of course, we were breathing recirculated air. We watched as all the People around the ship just keeled over and died. Even though we saw it, it was still so hard to believe what was happening.”

  It fell silent. Another Zeobani continued, “The crew originally hoped to try to escape but decided against this when they realized the planet was being attacked. They didn’t know who was involved as all attacking ships and planes visible had no ID, gas was being used and then we saw another ship shot down. The scanners showed large amounts of debris in the sky. That was sobering but not surprising. It decided the crew that all the rumours were true. There is nothing like seeing something to be convinced. We stayed on the ground and in the ship. That night, after the gas had dissipated, the crew advised us all to scatter into the surrounding area because when the attackers came they would head for the ports and kill anyone still alive. If we were still in the ship, we would be trapped. So we all left, walking through a city of dead People. Some of the passengers tried to persuade the crew to take off and try to escape but the crew refused, saying they could not outrun missiles and would be shot down. Being Amphibian, we stayed close to the sea but the next day we went down the coast well away from the city and we all stayed together. We survived the initial gas attacks by going under the water.”

  “Yes, so did we,” Sarah said.

  “The other People remaining in the city posted lookouts and ducked into buildings that they frantically sealed. I guess our survival was due to the crew taking over and organizing us and the fact that the city had only been gassed twice before the slaves came to pick up the bodies. We all stayed out of the city while the slaves did that job.”

  Sarah decided to break the somber silence that followed. “Can some of you Zeobani be food gatherers and the rest join the extra flights looking for small numbers of survivors, please.” She watched as they drifted off. Such cute little critters. Kaz had told her they were originally marine mammals but were now amphibian and lived on land. They looked a little like large grey octopi. Octopi that walked on four tentacles and used the other four as arms. Tentacles with retractable “fingers” and “toes.” They appeared happy to help and grateful at being rescued.

  But Sarah was frustrated at still not finding any potential crew. She realized sadly that there would have been a great deal of useful occupations among the slaves but none of these survivors were ex-slaves. Az and Kaz had told them that all the slaves would be dumped into the oceans’ depths just before the mopping up of survivors started, and the Priskya had reported tha
t this had been done. These Zeobani were all very upset when Sarah gently informed them that Oberterk had fallen to the unofficial Keulfyd/Nashi Alliance.

  However, there was one consolation, Sarah thought. There were now more People in the dining room in the morning to be assigned work. And it looked less empty.

  Once the Defense System was up, Kasjeindid needed to report to the new owners. It was very curious. The Priskya had had to designate these Terrans to run the system. Just as well. It had not come with a control room water breathers could use. This was because the now-dead Ridianit Race had been supposed to run it and they were Terrestrial.

  Kasjeindid now reported in person to Sarah. This was the first time they had seen each other up close and personal. Sarah was intrigued. Kasjeindid was a Loridsyl, as were most of those that came with the Defense System. She couldn’t help staring. It was a weird-looking creature, something like a green-and-grey walking shrub with four brush-like appendages it used as hands. It was about four feet tall and three feet in diameter. Sarah wondered how it could manipulate things with a brush. How could it pick anything up? She had no idea what form of life it was but it was not a shrub. She never did discover how it walked. It moved as if on legs and could get up steps. It had its own Translator so its’ voice came through as Human. Every voice came through the Translator as the voice of the creature being spoken to.

  Sarah knew that the Defense Systems were a major income source for the Loridsyl. She’d had a long conversation with some of the Priskya, who were upset and now angry that their security had been compromised. It was very suspicious. The Loridsyl took their systems very seriously: according to Kaz, Kasjeindid had been upset by Pickdaa’s challenge. Sarah wondered how he could tell, as it was impossible to read body language from a walking shrub.

  She had been thinking how she could use its embarrassment to her advantage, so she said, “Kaz told me you have offered to help us with the prisoners and that you have offered to run this Defense System for a year for us. That is a huge relief to me. However, I have a few concerns. If your organization has been compromised to this extent, could the system itself be compromised? Could someone have paid to ensure it will not work properly?”

  “I do not believe this to be true but I will ensure this system is well checked. You understand that we must ensure people have confidence in our systems. If one does not work, it undermines the value of our product.”

  Sarah didn’t know whether to be exasperated or amused. “You are worried about your marketing and reputation? Shouldn’t you be worrying about your life? You will die too if the Keulfyd or anyone else attack and this planet is wide open! I want to know if this system will repel an attack. Helkmid thinks one is likely.” Like Mathew, she thought Helkmid knew an awful lot more about politics and warfare than a medical researcher should.

  “Is it possible it will not work, or will not work properly?”

  “There are no indications of this.”

  “Can you be certain?”

  There was a long pause. “I cannot.”

  “Is there a way you can check for such things as sabotage that may not be apparent until it is working? My worry is that the Keulfyd know something about this system that I don’t. I would presume that as a minimum they will know its strengths, weaknesses and power.”

  “This is a good system.”

  “I understand from the Priskya that it works by being mostly a shield but it is also armed with weapons of some kind. So its weakness would be in the capacity of its weapons, running out of them, and the power source maintaining it. Correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Since there was obviously communication between someone in your organization and the Keulfyd, at the very least, they are probably aware of the capacity of this model both in offense and defense.”

  There was another long silence. “Yes.” Kasjeindid was perplexed. How did this creature, so new to space, know all this? This creature looked like a Niseyen female but many of those with it did not. This system was indeed one of the smaller planetary models. One got what one could pay for. And they were prohibitively expensive. Justifiably, though. They were so far ahead of the technology closest to it. The Loridsyl made more money from updates, maintenance, and add-ons than from selling new models. Their systems were designed to be upgraded and added to. They were modular. Not so well known was that there was a huge market also in second-hand parts. And no one could activate them except the Loridsyl: there was only one back door to their programs. Kasjeindid knew that many systems covering buildings and islands were ninety percent bluff. Or hidden and not meant to be known about. A huge number of these systems went to those whose business was not exactly legal, so they often did not advertise that they had one: law-enforcement agencies would be curious. One does not want curious law enforcement agencies if one is engaged in illegal activities. But any authorized and open system had to work. It was often run, permanently, by the Loridsyl — and was not wholly guaranteed unless they were running it. But there were other degrees of guarantees. A Defense System had to work.

  This Sarah creature constituted a problem for Kasjeindid. It was worried. This creature was expressing legitimate concerns that it must deal with. Furthermore, Kasjeindid was the one who should have made these conclusions, not this customer. Or customer’s designated agent.

  Sarah went on, “I assume that the Shield would be weakened by a sustained attack and that its capacity could be bested by a sufficiently large force. How many of these Flying Fortresses would it take to overcome it?”

  “I am not authorized to tell you that.” Kasjeindid was flabbergasted. What a cheek! This was top-secret information!

  “Should the customer not know the capacity? If I was the purchaser, I would want to know that! But my other concern is that I believe the Keulfyd would know.”

  Kasjeindid didn’t know what to say. The capacity was, of necessity, a closely guarded secret. It would be a problem if aggressors knew what it would take to overcome the Defense System. She was probably right. If it was being honest, it could delete the “probably.” They were badly compromised. This was embarrassing, to say the least. Customers were supposed to be grateful, appreciative and dumb. Especially when they were fish. They were supposed to think this solved all their problems. Kasjeindid was not used to being challenged like this. It had come expected to be dealing with the Ridianit. It had now been challenged first by fish and now by this creature. The fish, encouraged by this creature, it suspected, had now put in an official complaint. This was a serious matter, especially since it was probably justified.

  Kasjeindid didn’t like it. It had trouble with understanding that fish could think. These fish did not know their place. Fish belonged on the dinner plate. “I will contact my unit,” it said and removed itself from the presence of this creature who thought so much.

  It went unhappily to talk with its friend, the Controller. “What should we do? This Sarah creature asks too many questions and knows far too much. I don’t know how she knew to ask these questions. She asked about power drainage and weapons capacity, but these Terrans have only rudimentary space flight and are new to space. How did this Sarah know all this? I’m sure the fish didn’t. There is really only one solution — the system will have to be replaced by one with double the capacity. I know exactly what it will take to overcome this Defense System and the Keulfyd easily have the capacity with just one fleet. Will they risk it? Will they declare war? It will have to be an open attack now. Surely not! They will risk having the Niseyen and Okme infuriated at them.”

  “Sorry, you’re wrong there,” said the Controller. “There are now no Niseyen on this planet. Legal ownership needs official presence. I wonder if this Sarah knew that the Niseyen can be legally wiped off their share of the ownership of this planet now that none of them are officially here. Most importantly, the Treaty signers for the Niseyen aren’t here. At the moment only the Okme have any knowledge of these systems and our obligations. So the Okme are still i
nvolved but they only have one planet, apart from part-ownership in this one.” The Controller thought hard. “If the Keulfyd attack now, they will have to answer only to the Priskya and the Okme. The others don’t count. And politically the Priskya are unaligned and insignificant.”

  Kasjeindid shuddered. “You are right. The situation is perilous. I have been thinking about the communication I will have to make to management. It will have to be couched in the strongest language. This planet is extremely vulnerable. And it is our responsibility to keep it safe or we die with it.”

  “ Actually, we will die first,” said the Controller cheerfully, “ being somewhat nearer to any attackers and their weapons.”

  Kasjeindid glared at its friend who was so flippant. “It will take months for another system to be built to cover a planet of this size. They aren’t exactly in storage.” It paused for thought. “But the design of these systems means a Shield could be constructed using the spares. It would strip the warehouses but it could be done and very fast. A new system could be here in months.”

  “Remember our contracts, Kasjeindid. Employment law says that contractors like ourselves must not be left in jeopardy if there is an acceptable solution.”

  “So this makes several problems I can claim on: a badly compromised Defense System that might have glitches; a too-small system for the job it may soon have to do; recent enemy action; a smart customer asking too many embarrassing questions. A weak, unaligned, fishy, smart customer, and even smarter Allies of said customer asking even more embarrassing questions. A pissed-off enemy that might look to get even, especially to avoid being seen as weak by their rivals, specifically the most powerful enemy in this galaxy!”

  The Controller cheerfully replied, “And don’t forget, we have no space force, no air force, no army, no navy and no cops either. In fact, no defense except for this Shield which might have been sabotaged. Plenty of planes out of the Flying Fortresses but probably very few pilotss to fly them. And all the planes and spaceships originally on the planet have been disabled.”