Time Commander (The First Admiral Series) (30 page)

With his heart hammering in his chest and his breathing becoming more and more laboured and shallow, Thripval felt his mouth suddenly become very dry. This was the most dangerous part of the operation. Crouching down under the third bench, Thripval slid a small access panel downwards to reveal a row of six red lights and a small square aperture. Drawing a long cord from a spring loaded spool, from the top of the Binary Code Interface Device, he fitted the small square fixture at its end into the aperture. Quickly, the six red lights indicated that he had achieved interface with the main Binary Code Memory of the Time Warrior ritual computer.

With a deep breath, Thripval pressed the switch on the left of the Binary Code Interface Device twice. From the bench above his head, a large, round, indented groove appeared in front of a holographically projected oval screen.

The snowy effect on the screen indicated that no video signal was currently being pushed through from the main computer. As the screen image was projected upwards, the square-topped stool rose from the bare white floor. With one deft movement, Thripval perched himself on the edge of the stool, and slotted the rounded base of the Binary Code Interface Device into the round indented groove on the bench. The round base to the Binary Code Interface Device fitted the bench groove perfectly, and operated the signal from the main computer to the holographic monitor.

Within moments the screen began to show a rapidly scrolling series of “1”s and “0”s.

“
Right. We’re in...” Thripval set his fingers against the four indentations at either side of the Binary Code Interface Device.

From the moment the square interface socket had been plugged into the main computer, Thripval knew that he had exactly six minutes to complete his task before a silent alarm was tripped in the Main Computer Control Centre. Engineers and Technicians were constantly checking the physical circuitry of the Binary Code processors and memory, so a special protocol de-activated the alarms to allow the work to continue more rapidly.

Six minutes
, Thripval thought to himself, and watched thousands of the binary characters flash past his eyes every second. Quickly, and, yet, deftly, his fingers operated the indented grooves on the side of the home-made Binary Code Interface Device. As he input the code sent by General Kallet, Thripval considered that he was doing his duty for the greater good of the Empire.

The fact that he was sabotaging the programme with coding that would inevitably lead to the death of the Universal Alliance’s First Admiral, William Caudwell, was of secondary consideration to the thought that the Ganthoran Empire would be ruled over by an alien. The concept of an alien Emperor on the Crystal Throne of Ganthus was just utterly intolerable to Signals Captain Thripval Branthus. The Ganthoran Empire should only be ruled over by full-blood Ganthorans; that was just the way of things, according to his father. Any alien ruling over the Ganthoran Empire was, by definition, not in the best interest of the Empire and its subject peoples. Any alien Emperor would be first and foremost loyal to their own particular species, which would inevitably put the Ganthoran people in second place. That was the unacceptable part to Thripval Branthus, and that was why this flame-haired alien had to fail in the Time Warrior Ritual.

So, with his fingers, almost a blur, Thripval’s fingers fluttered rapidly over the indented keys of the Binary Code Interface Device. Quickly and with deadly efficiency, he set down the code within the main computer memory that would sabotage the chances of First Admiral William Caudwell succeeding in the Time Warrior Ritual. His eyes and attention entirely focussed on the rapidly scrolling code that sped down the holographic screen, Thripval felt the excitement begin to rise inside him. At first, he had been anxious and frightened; the penalty of interfering with the Binary Code Programming of the Time Warrior Ritual was summary execution.

However, Thripval Branthus had overcome his original fear. Now Thripval Branthus felt the excitement of what he was doing. Now that he was in the very depths of the Time Warrior Computer Control Centre, he was no longer afraid.

His breath still came in shallow, rapid gasps. His hands felt sweaty, his chest felt tight, but his head was spinning with the excitement of it all. Looking at the time keeping mechanism on the holographically projected screen, Thripval could see that he had used the equivalent of four of his six minutes, and there was still a considerable amount of code to download.

It’s going to be close
, Thripval thought to himself as he watched the thousands of characters flash past his eyes as the screen scrolled downwards.

Once again, his fingers a blur, he downloaded more and more of the malicious coding into the main computer. In his minds-eye, he saw the images of himself that he had dared to dream since being told he had been chosen for this secret and, highly dangerous, mission. One day, when a Ganthoran Emperor sat on the Crystal Throne, he, Thripval Branthus; a lowly Signals Officer in the Imperial Guard, would be recognised for his heroism and patriotism. He would be awarded the highest orders and distinctions for bravery that the Empire could give.

He would be promoted to a General’s rank in the Imperial Guard, and be allowed to stay within the Imperial Precinct. That was where the wealthiest and most respected people in the Empire kept grand residences.

Somewhere in between his images of grandeur, he would marry Glinya. He had promised that one day he would return from his adventures and they would be together always. The thought of Glinya, the beautiful daughter of his father’s neighbour, with whom he had grown up made Thripval smile for a few moments. Then he quickly realised that he had been distracted from the mission he was risking his life to undertake. Quickly glancing at the time keeping mechanism, he watched the numerals counting down into the last minute of his undiscovered intrusion.

Cursing himself for allowing his mind to wander, Thripval realised that he would never be able to download all of the malicious code on time. He would have to leave out the really big file, which made all of the alien First Admiral’s enemies focus on killing only him. It was a clever piece of coding. The Zulus, whatever species they were, Thripval considered, would be focussed entirely on killing the Caudwell alien. However, he would be able to include the coding which made the holographically projected Zulu warriors ignore all of the ‘self-preservation’ protocols built into the programme. Thus, they would sacrifice themselves in huge numbers to kill Caudwell.

Smiling wickedly, Thripval Branthus lodged the final piece of malicious coding into the Time Warrior programme and realised he had just over thirty seconds left. An
s the final piece of code was downloaded, Thripval yanked the cord connection from the aperture in the computer, with two seconds to spare. He hadn’t quite managed to download all of the malicious code that he had been given, but here was more than enough to sabotage this Caudwell’s chances of being Emperor.

Calmly, and efficiently, Thripval disconnected the holographically generated screen and de-activated the Binary Code Interface Device. As he arose from the square-topped stool in front of the bench, the stool slid slowly, and silently, back into its housing in the starkly white floor. Then, it was simply a case of disassembling the Binary Code Interface Device, and slipping the two parts into his uniform pockets. With a quick check of the white, hexagonal room, Thripval Branthus made one final check to ensure that he hadn’t left any traces during his unauthorised visit to the Interface Room. Once again, he tripped the security lock of the Interface Room and stepped back out into the soothing calm of the light blue corridor.

After re-sealing the security lock, Thripval took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The feeling of relief that surged through his body made him feel lighter and calmer. It was finally over. He had done his duty for the Empire. All he needed to do now was establish his alibi.

Calculating his every move, Thripval cautiously walked ten steps down the empty corridor, removing one half of the Binary Code Interface Device from his uniform pocket. Whilst crouching down, he activated what had become a Signal Resistivity Detector. The Signal Resistivity Detector was a device that tracked signal radiation behind walls and bulkheads, and was indicative of faulty circuitry that could reduce the effectiveness of the signal to the Time Warrior Arena. Thripval knew that when he activated the Signal Resistivity Detector, the low power detection field would trip a silent alarm in the Main Control Room of the installation.

Crawling on his hands and knees along the wall towards the Programming Interface Room, Thripval was aware that the Security Detail would be watching his every move on the closed-circuit video monitors. The observers would see absent-minded Signals Captain Thripval Branthus being his usual careful and diligent self, making sure that there was no loss of signal from the Programming Interface Room and the main computer to the Time Warrior Arena.

At a distance equivalent to four steps from the door of the Programming Interface Room, Thripval stood up again and made a great show of entering some data onto his Reading Device.

Looking up from his Reading Device, Thripval Branthus raised a hand in greeting and acknowledgement to the Security Detail on the monitors in the Main Control Room before rising to his feet. The small, spherical video-scanner blinked red when in operation, and Thripval could see that the scanner was following and monitoring him. Then, turning on his heel, he walked slowly to the end of the corridor and turned the corner, out of range of the video scanner.

Once out of view of the Security Detail’s prying scanners, Signals Captain Thripval Branthus smiled to himself and carried on with the remainder of his duties.

Too easy
, Thripval thought to himself.

Too easy
.

Billy Caudwell dressed in his Anglo-Zulu War uniform as he hunched, head-down, behind the forward windshield of the Fleet Infantry Hover Bike. Beneath the large circular anti-gravity plate of the vehicle, the crisp and pristine blue-white sand of Chronos slipped by for kilometre after monotonous kilometre. Through the emptiness of the desert of Chronos, the Hover Bike sped carrying First Admiral William Caudwell towards whatever fate awaited him.

For two days he had been alone in the depths of the desert of Chronos, undertaking what the Ganthorans had called The Contemplation. He had refined his plans for the battle he would have to fight in the Time Warrior Arena. For two days, he had honed and practiced his skills with the Earth weapons that were a century out of date, according to the Earth calendar. The heavy pistol sat in the holster at his right hip, whilst the antiquated replica rifle was down amongst the bundles of equipment that he had brought for The Contemplation. This was the morning of the third day. In a few minutes, he would be presenting himself at the Time Warrior Arena to undertake the Ritual that would, hopefully, lead to him claiming the Crystal Throne of Ganthus, and averting a long and costly war.

As the Hover Bike sped over the flat, featureless desert, Billy Caudwell saw what looked like a small birthday cake emerging from the blue-white shimmering horizon. This was the Time Warrior Arena; the brilliant white and pink confection of a building that grew increasingly larger against the horizon. Slowing the Hover Bike down, Billy was able to see that the building was similar in architectural design to the great Coliseum in Rome. However, this brilliant white and pink building dwarfed the Roman amphitheatre by a factor of at least one thousand. The Time Warrior Arena, unlike the legendary Roman counterpart, was pristinely clean. It sparkled and shone almost painfully in the glaring light of the twin suns that seared and baked the surfaces of both Chronos and Ganthus.

Stopping for a moment, Billy Caudwell marvelled at the magnificent circular building that the Garmaurians had placed here for the entertainment of their garrison soldiers almost two thousand years before. Like a huge, circular, birthday cake that had been covered in icing sugar, the building was built in tiers with ten white plain wall layers set between twelve layers of pink columned arcades. Whereas, the Coliseum was open to the elements, the Time Warrior Arena was windowed and covered to protect the spectators from the harsh heat of the Chronos days.

To Billy Caudwell, it was the classic Garmaurian design that he had seen scattered over vast swathes of the galaxies he had visited since inheriting his mission from Tega Samarasa. When the Garmaurians had built large scale public monuments, they had gone into epic scale, and this Time Warrior Arena was no exception. Judging from the size of the building, Billy estimated that, like the Great Amphitheatre on New Thexxia, this monster could accommodate over half a million people in its rows and tiers of seating.

Anyone who was anyone in the Ganthoran Empire would be crammed into the seats of this Arena. The rest of the Empire would most likely be glued to the Vide-Broadcast monitors in their homes.

Well, those that could afford them would. Just like the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth the Second, back on Earth, families would be crowded round the Vide-Broadcast monitors to witness the fate of Billy Caudwell and the fate of the Ganthoran Empire.

In many cities throughout the Empire, huge Vide-Broadcast monitors had been installed in large, open spaces to allow the less well-off members of society to watch this momentous event. All told, there were likely to be around one hundred billion people watching what happened to Billy Caudwell. Hovering in a wide sweep around the pink and white building, Billy was flagged down by an Imperial Guard Officer with a squad of twelve Guardsmen with him. With his left hand, the Officer indicated that Billy should enter the building beneath a broad arch that was patrolled by several dozen more Imperial Guards. With a nod, Billy slowly inched the Hover Bike into the cool darkness of the building beneath the arch, and drew to a halt in front of Grand Adjudicator Bellor and a further twenty Guards.