A Galaxy Unknown 10: Azula Carver (25 page)

"They are not blue-green monsters. You come from the same bloodlines. I realize they don't look like us, but that's been attributed to mutations resulting from the inadequate radiation-shielding in the spaceships their ancestors built to take them away from here. If they were working on your sterility problem, the chances of finding a cure would be increased. Internally, they are closer to you than to me."

"No, Christa. I will never, never, never forgive them."

"Are you the same Madu Ptellewqku who said to me at the hospital, 'I would gladly give my life for a cure to our problem,' and 'I would have done anything, and I mean anything, anything, anything, for a cure?' Or was that another Madu Ptellewqku? So you'd do anything— except forgive decent people who had nothing to do with committing the act?"

~     ~     ~

After receiving word from HQ that the engineers had been unable to extract any pertinent information from the Denubbewa memory module data they'd sent, the
Ares
resumed its patrol route. It had hardly traveled a light year before the tac officer announced an anomalous reading off starboard. It was second watch, and Commander Joshua Gates was in the command chair.

"All stop. Maintain the envelope. What is it, Tac?"

"Unknown, Commander. It could have been almost anything. It was at the extreme edge of our DeTect range, and we only saw it for an instant. But whatever it is, it doesn't belong there."

"Helm, take us back, but no closer than twenty-five thousand kilometers."

"Aye, sir," the helmsman said as she turned the ship and applied power to the envelope generator.

Seconds later, the
Ares
was sitting twenty-five thousand kilometers off what appeared to be a freighter with no freight containers.

"It looks just like the
Lina Algocoldo
," the tac officer said. "I mean the hull condition is the same. The basic ship design is very different."

Gates tapped a contact point on the monitor by his right hand and said, "Sorry to disturb you, Captain. It appears we have another dead freighter. We're sitting twenty-five thousand kilometers off."

"Yes, sir," Gates said a few seconds later and leaned back in the command chair to await the arrival of the captain on the bridge as he said, "Com, sound GQ."

Instantly, the GQ horns through the ship began blaring with the well-known general quarters sound, followed by a message that it was no drill. Crewmembers began throwing anything loose into lockers and using the provided straps to lock equipment and supplies down to the deck. In quarters, the third watch crew was jumping out of their rack and pulling on clothes as they ran for their GQ stations.

Captain Gavin arrived less than a minute after receiving the call. He was still straightening his tunic as he entered the bridge.

Gates jumped out of the command chair and climbed into the XO chair.

"I have the bridge," Gavin said. "Have we completed a three-sixty, Commander Gates?"

"Negative sir. I was waiting for you to arrive."

"Let's do that now, then. Helm, take us around."

"Aye, sir," the helmsman said as she applied power to the sub-light engines and performed a slow circle around the derelict freighter while maintaining a distance of twenty-five thousand kilometers.

"The damage appears like that of the
Lina Algocoldo
," Gavin said. "Tac, do you confirm?"

"Aye, Captain."

"XO?"

"Aye, Captain, I confirm as well."

"Just what in hell is going on out here?" Gavin said. "Who's attacking these freighters?"

~ June 15
^th
, 2289 ~

"Who's up on rotation, Tac?" Captain Gavin said.

"Lt. Commander Mandera, sir."

"Have him report to my ready room."

"Aye, sir."

"XO, you have the bridge," Gavin said as he climbed out of the command chair and headed towards his office.

"Aye, sir, I have the bridge," Gates said. Expecting the captain to return after Mandera was briefed, Gates remained in the XO chair.

~

In what seemed like a reenactment of the investigation mission commanded by Eliza, Mandera piloted the shuttle to the derelict and stopped outside the emergency airlock because there was no way to enter the freighter with the maintenance section missing.

As with the
Lina Algocoldo
, the hull had been punctured by numerous small missiles tipped with a nuclear charge, and the freighter's corridors were filled with bodies. This time, however, the dead were Arrosians, the diminutive relatives of the Selaxians. Head space was limited in the freighter, and the Marines and engineers hurried to complete their tasks. But it wasn't only the limited headroom that made them hurry. They didn't want to be caught outside the
Ares
if whoever had attacked the freighter returned.

As soon as the logs were transmitted and the DNA collected, Gavin ordered Shuttle-04 to return. Mandera breathed a sigh of relief as he shut all systems down once the shuttle was parked in the bay aboard the
Ares
.

~

"The freighter was the
Wipuls Vos
, Captain," the tac officer said to Gavin in the captain's office as the
Ares
continued to slowly circle the derelict freighter. "It apparently means Space Queen Seven in the Arrosian language. It was reported missing in November of last year. The cargo was ten kilometers of unprocessed ores."

"About a month before the
Lina Algocoldo
," Gavin said.

"Aye, sir."

"But no Denubbewa bodies this time?"

"Not according to the Marines or engineers who went aboard," Lt. Commander Mandera said. "And I never caught a glimpse of anything on my monitor."

"I don't think that other Denubbewa died aboard the
Lina Algocoldo
, sir," Gates said.

"That seems to be the general consensus," Gavin said. "The head wound wasn't consistent with a fight aboard the ship. It was more like that Denubbewa had been too close to an explosion, which would be more in line with the theory that it had been found floating in space and used to throw us off the scent of whoever is doing this. But we still have no idea who's behind these attacks.

"Nothing we can do here. Make sure the logs and DNA information are sent to HQ, and take us back to our original patrol route course, Commander. Dismissed."

The three officers left the captain's office and returned to their duties. Gates climbed into the command chair and announced he had the bridge. The helmsman had temporarily had the command, and Gates expected the captain to return to his quarters.

Gavin didn't immediately head for his quarters, though. Instead he moved to the informal furniture in his office and laid down on the sofa to think. No Space Command captain liked mysteries such as these. They tended to keep them awake, and then they felt tired all the next day.

~     ~     ~

Word reached Aliana Shanara that the Dakistians had declared they would never again do business with TGP. The response was expected. If that idiot Soroman hadn't already been turned into pet food, Shanara would have seen to it personally. She had already dispatched undercover operatives to Dakistee to learn where the central repository of information such as the cloning data was now located. They had discovered that the new executive branch offices, temporarily housed in what was intended to be a museum, were impossible to penetrate without the highest of security clearances. It was the most likely location for the storage of the data, but no one knew for sure. The people who would have known were all dead from Soroman's assassination explosion. The only one left was the original target, and gaining access to her now was almost impossible without being a member of the Dakistee government or Space Command.

Thinking of Space Command made Shanara think of Christa Carver. It didn't make sense that she could have survived those three lattice wounds, but she was still among the living. Shanara shook her head to clear it before she started thinking up ways to kill the Carvers. If she tried that again, there would be no mercy from the Upper Council. Unless they didn't know she was behind it.

~     ~     ~

"Your Grace," Captain Pwuhvasqu said when Jenetta picked up the line, "We've received a landing request from the captain of a GSC admiral's barge."

"An admiral's barge? Which admiral?"

"He said Admiral Evelyn S. Platt."

Jenetta's face lit up. She liked Admiral Platt and immediately looked forward to seeing her. She was surprised that Evelyn hadn't given her advance notice, though it might be an impromptu visit.

"Of course she can land, Captain. Have her flight crew set it down next to my barge. I'm going out to meet her."

"A security detail will meet you at the palace gates, Your Grace."

Knowing it would take fifteen to thirty minutes for the barge to set down, even if it had already been in the upper atmosphere, Jenetta took her time. When she arrived at the palace gates, six security people were waiting. They surrounded her as she walked to where the barge would land, maintaining a discreet distance that still allowed them to offer maximum protection. Without a moment's hesitation, all of them would use their bodies to block fire from an attacker. The greeting party was further surrounded by the four adult Jumakas. The cubs would have come also, but Jenetta told them to stay and play in the garden with Arturo and Berl. She didn't want the welcoming to appear like the circus was in town.

Jenetta and her entourage remained near the compound walls until Admiral Platt's ship was down and the power was cut.

As a ramp extended from one of the half-wide containers supporting the ship, Jenetta moved forward, followed by the security team. She waited there until Admiral Platt appeared in the hatchway, waved, and then began to walk down the ramp. Jenetta moved to a spot just short of the end of the ramp.

"Jen, it's wonderful to see you see again," Admiral Platt said. "And you're looking so well." With a smile she added, "And so large."

"And it's wonderful to see you, Evelyn. You look great. The AB moving to Region Two seems to agree with you."

"My life has sure been a lot less hectic since the Board moved. The seat that must be occupied by the fleet commander in the region where the AB meets is now Brian's responsibility, since as Deputy Fleet Commander of the Second Fleet he naturally took over your duties while you're on LOA. I've been able to buy tickets to operas and never worry about having to cancel them. But enough about me. Tell me about you. When are the babies due?"

"If you assume a normal delivery, in November."

"You're not assuming a normal delivery?"

"The doctor aboard the
Vancouver
said the fetuses were in a stage of advanced development. I don't know if that means they'll come early or not."

"A stage of advanced development?"

"We're assuming it's because of the testing the Raiders performed on me. For a long time I was afraid to have children, but Hugh really wants kids, and so do I, despite my worries. Evelyn, let's get out of the sun and into the house."

As they reached the main gate and entered the palace grounds with the entourage still around them, Admiral Platt said, "You call this a house? It's bigger than the Palace of Versailles."

"Versailles was originally intended only as a hunting lodge for Louis VIII in 1624 and then steadily expanded outward to accommodate the royal court. From the beginning, this structure was intended as the home of the royal court when the king and queen visited Obotymot, so it was built upwards like a modern hotel. It's a bit large, but you get used to it. The Jumakas and the kids have plenty of room to run around."

"Kids?"

"My nephews."

"Oh. Is your family visiting?"

"No, not visiting. They live here. This is officially listed as the Family Carver Estate, and we have plenty of room. The entire family can enjoy the comforts of the palace and still never get in anyone else's way. It's possible to live here and never even see anyone in the family if you stay in your apartment and don't come to the family dining room at mealtime. We have enough room here for generations of Carvers."

"Does that mean you won't be returning to Space Command?"

"Not at all. It simply means that Carver family members have a place to return to when we need a break from roaming around the universe."

"The universe? We haven't even explored the galaxy yet. And God only knows how many hostile civilizations we'll encounter by the time we do. Have you heard about the Denubbewa attacks in Regions Two and Three?"

"No. What's happened?"

"Perhaps we should wait until we have a bit more privacy," Admiral Platt said as they were about to enter the palace.

"Of course. Let's go to my office. I'll give you the tour later."

Jenetta's butler was standing by just inside the main foyer as they entered, so she asked him to bring coffee and light desserts to her office. The security team had not followed them into the palace, and Jenetta told the Jumakas that she and Admiral Platt were going to her office to discuss Space command business. She suggested they go to the garden and play or relax. The four Jumakas turned almost as one and raced away.

"That's so amazing. It's like they understood every word you said."

"They did. We recently learned that the Jumakas are actually a sentient race. I've had long discussions with them and learned a great deal about their history."

"Excuse me? Long discussions?"

"I've long known that my girls could understand me when I spoke to them, but after acquiring Thor I discovered that they appeared to be talking among themselves. To me, of course, it only sounded like growls or mewls. So I hired a wildlife expert who had devoted his life to working with wildlife on Taurentlus-Thur to see if he could develop a sort of alien dictionary so we could understand what the different sounds meant. He modified an alien translator device and began working with my Jumakas here at the palace. What he learned was staggering. They actually communicate with one another just as we do. Their larynx is simply incapable of vocalizing anything we'd understand. It's sort of like the situation with dolphins, but Jumakas are significantly more intelligent. Anyway, each of them now wears a collar, and I wear a small translator. It's keyed to their collar microphones, so when they activate their collar, just as we can activate our CTs, their words are transmitted to my CT."