Aliens Vs. Humans (Aliens Series Book 4) (33 page)

“That’s young,” Denise said. “Fascinating that planet two had enough time to evolve its early atmosphere to oxy-nitro, develop oceans and grow complex life. I’ll bet its Animal Ethology is really complicated.”

“Why would that be the case?” called Cassie from the back.

Jack thought he knew the answer. But Denise had the training. And the insight.

“Because on Earth, the first life was prokaryotic single celled life floating in iron-rich oceans,” Denise said assertively. “It showed up 3.6 billion years ago. Then cyanobacteria began producing oxygen by way of photosynthesis at 3.4 billion years ago. Complex multicellular life showed up two billion years ago. But only in the oceans. Which is also when Earth’s air changed over to oxy-nitro. Animal life didn’t show up until 542 million years ago. Primates first appeared maybe 65 million years ago. The first humans showed up maybe three million years ago.” She tapped on her Comlink panel and a Table Of Life appeared to the left of the true-light image of star and planets. “So, for all that to happen in less than two billion years means there had to be a lot of parallel life evolution. With animals galloping through time faster than on Earth.” Their newly minted twenty year-old hummed deeply. “Jack, I would guess this star’s young age means life on planet two has gone through lots of violent extinction and evolution events. Sooo, let’s be careful when we approach the local Aliens.”

“Good points all,” he said. “Shouldn’t you now have lots of AV broadcast channels showing up?”

“Oh!” She sounded embarrassed. “I theorized while real life happened. One moment while I search for the strongest signals. Got, uh, 237 AV channels.” She went silent. “Oh. My. Goodness. Strongest AV signal going up front.”

The front screen image of the star and planets vanished to be replaced by an image of savagery that reminded Jack of tales told about the Roman Coliseum.

Creatures who looked like a two-legged tiger chased each other on maglev plates that sped across a metal-floored amphitheater. When one tiger got close to another, they slashed out at one another with black-taloned claw-hands. Red blood spurted from gashes cut in golden fur. Tiger mouths roared loudly, showing long white canines. One tiger jumped onto another tiger, biting and clawing at the other. Other tigers did the same as their maglev disks bumped each other. Yellow eyes gleamed as each bit into the shoulders of the other. Claw-feet tore into the legs or belly of the opponent. Watching this spectacle were thousands of tiger people who roared, barked, howled and screamed. A harsh-sounding voice-over narrative talked about what was happening. Did the SETI translation algorithm have enough visual-audible cues to make the—

“—competitors in this year’s Battle For Control are 322, hailing from all four continents plus seven stations in the Field of Metal Balls lying between our world and the gas world of Stripes,” said a harsh, coughing voice. “Today’s competition takes place in the planetary lair of Clan Sharp Claws. Which gained the right to an extra combatant as a result of hosting fighters from 14 other clans. Controller Full Belly is reported ready to retire rather than challenge this year’s winner of the annual battle, unlike prior years when he personally vanquished each year’s top fighter. At 70 years since birth survival, Controller Full Belly has stated the desire to expand his clan to the starfuel refining station that orbits Stripes. It is rumored Full Belly is constructing a starfire ship able to reach our outermost planet, though the Mothers Guild has called such a trip a waste of resources better spent on expanding nurseries in each clan’s domain.” The scene of tiger men tearing each other apart changed as a new image became inset above the field. It showed a tall tiger biped whose golden fur was marked with black stripes. Her claw-hands were held out as if ready to fight, but the look in her yellow eyes was thoughtful. “Clan Mother Smart Cubs says she would insist on being aboard such an exploration ship, citing ancient times when Clan Mothers joined Clan Fathers on the rafts that sailed to other continents on our home of Tasty Meat.” The image changed over to one showing a green, brown and blue world, with white clouds drifting over it. “In other survival news, the starfire ship
Biter
reports it has destroyed an incoming comet that would have hit the Southern Ocean and caused massive wave destruction. Its efforts have gained its clan the right to send another fighter to next year’s Battle For Control. Two other starfire ships from competing clans report they are heading out to planet Stripes and beyond in search of similar threats.” The image of the planet Tasty Meat changed to one showing a spike-like spaceship moving on yellow-orange fusion flames. Ahead of it was the gray-white ball of a small comet, which showed a gas haze around it. A black beam shot out from the ship and hit the comet. Which exploded into a plasma ball that quickly became nothing. “Clan Good Metal says its ship
Claw
also has—”

“Stop!” yelled Maureen from her holo above Jack’s lap even as Max said the same. “That was an antimatter beam!”

Jack agreed. This image changed everything. To date only humanity had antimatter beamers. That weapon, plus the Higgs Disruptor beam, were final destruction weapons not possessed by any other Hunter of the Great Dark. Except for the Arbitors, he thought. Now, this juvenile species had antimatter!

Denise had shut down the sound from the AV but left the imagery up. He waved back to her. “ComChief, put this broadcast into record mode. Replace it with Nikola’s Big Eye image of the system. Also put Elaine’s Sensor imagery at right and nearby space on the left side.”

“Replacing,” the young woman said, her tone sounding worried. “Now up front. All AV inputs are being recorded and also retransmitted to fleet ships.”

In the image strip above the front screen, Jack noticed how Hideyoshi, Zhāng, Gareth, Ignacio, Akemi and Minna all looked deeply concerned, while Aashman, Kasun and Júlia were grimacing. They understood the implications as much as he did. He looked back to his ComChief. “Denise, explain what we are seeing, why these people are behaving this way and whether you think it is possible to have a peaceful First Contact with them.”

The woman gave him a scowl. Then she looked down at her Comlink panel, which doubled as her data source for Animal Ethology, Behavioral Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. “First the obvious. These people, who . . . who call themselves the Celabeen, which translates to The Survivors, they are clearly carnivores. Aggressive, competitive, violent and ferocious social carnivores, which is what we all just saw in that coliseum.” She paused, looked up, then down. “They are also highly Tech capable. Not only do they have 12 fusion pulse drive spaceships, which they call ‘starfire ships’, but they have also figured out how to create antimatter. Which means each of those spike-like ships has an internal particle accelerator just like we do in our fleet ships.” She frowned. “Which says to me they are likely to have neutral particle beam and laser directed energy weapons. In short, they are nearly as well-armed as our fleet is. Cept they do not have grav-pull or Alcubierre drives. Nor do they have the Higgs Disruptor or the Dark Energy Projector.”

“Denise?” called Blodwen. “If I may assist? Our ComChief’s observation about evolution on this world of Tasty Meat being violent over time and being driven by continuous survival challenges is totally on track! Why would any species call themselves The Survivors? Unless this world of theirs was frequently hostile to the survival of any lifeform. My guess is they survive the way we just saw because only the most ferocious, bloody-minded and dangerous Celabeen individuals survived to have offspring. Which they care for in nurseries, which sound like communal crèches.”

“Which means,” Denise piped up, her tone assertive, “these people know how to cooperate communally, but the price of individual survival may be these annual competitions to see whom among them is going to be the dominant predator. Of a family, a clan, or the entire world. Clearly they are the apex predator of Tasty Meat!”

“Not nice,” muttered Elaine. His sister twisted in her seat and looked back at Denise. “ComChief, does this mean we have to fight and kill some Celabeen in order for them to listen to us?”

“That is likely,” Denise said, looking to him. “Fleet Captain Jack, we now lie outside the zone of the outermost planet. Maybe we do not have to gamble on First Contact with these Celabeen, if we first go to the cometary belt and destroy the three grav-pull ships located there. That looks like a single species outpost, next to a comet, versus the fifteen species hanging out in Sol’s Kuiper Belt.” She looked down at her panel. “Since killing fellow Hunters is not a violation of the Rules of the Great Dark, perhaps we should kill the grav-pull ships, then blip jump in to the gas giant Stripes. We broadcast our battle, warn them about the other Hunters, then head for home. Our broadcast will be detected by the Arbitor’s Sentry probe. Which will cause the Arbitor to head for Sol. Which is what you want, right?”

Jack nodded agreement. “That is what I want. But on our terms and on our timing.” He looked back to the front screen with its orange star and five white crescents. “Folks, if we can add these people to our Freedom Alliance, rather than have them join the system as full-fledged Hunters, that would be best. Captains, let us head for that cluster of three grav-pull ships.” He looked down at the face of Maureen, whose expression during the whole discussion had moved from upset to deadly. “Combat Commander, I give you first attack opportunity. With Captain Akemi next. After that, we all fire on anything that survives.” He looked up. “Fleet, let’s kill us some Hunters!”

Cheers sounded from the other ship captains, but Zhāng raised a slim hand. “May the
Nimitz
be the third ship to fire on these Hunters? My Weaponry Chief is eager to confirm that the addition of the Vesta accelerator to our hull did not harm our fighting ability.”

Jack grinned at the woman’s subterfuge. Her ship’s directed energy weapons had been test-fired before they left Vesta orbit. As was normal naval practice before putting to sea. Or to space. Still, she and her crew had put up with Archibald and Agnes. They deserved a reward. “Fleet Commander, yes, your ship may be third to fire. After that, we all fire on whatever is left. And be alert for a blockhouse on the comet’s surface. That needs taking out too.”

“Me!” yelled Ignacio as his brother’s Basque cousins filled that ship’s cabin. “We proved our mettle in the Kuiper Belt battles and elsewhere! Let the
Badger
sink her teeth into any blockhouse!”

Jack reached up and pointed to the
boina
he wore inside the bubble helmet of his vacsuit. “Every ship in this fleet has proven itself! But yes, my brother, you may strike at any cometary blockhouse. The rest of us can handle whatever comes from the three grav-pull ships.” He looked back. “Max, set up a laser time-lock with the other fleet ship drives and take us in on Alcubierre. No need to use grav-pull and let these Hunters know they are being Hunted!”

Maureen grinned wolfishly, gave him a nod and looked down at her Fire Control panels. “Antimatter, particle beam and Higgs beamer, my, what a joyful weapons feast I have before me!”

Jack wondered at the woman’s constant ferociousness. It was out of the ordinary for a human. But just right for impressing these Celabeen tiger people.

Up front, the stars went jagged, then hazy, then disappeared as Max took them all into battle with three unknowns.

♦   ♦   ♦

“That was fun!” Maureen said three minutes later as they all watched the thinning clouds of vaporized metal that had been three Yiplak ships.

Jack smiled at the woman’s upbeatness. The ships had belonged to the Yiplak Hunters, who were hyena-looking bipeds with a focus on Big Mother, the largest ship. Two grav-pull sources were droplet ships in convoy with a giant black-and-white teardrop ship. They had arrived within 9,000 kilometers of the ship cluster that orbited above a 200 kilometer wide comet. Maureen had used her neutral particle beam to carve into one end of Big Mother while she used the antimatter beam to vaporize the opposite end. Both beams had moved to the middle. Akemi had shot the
Orca’s
blue particle beam at one of the fast but small droplet ships, causing it to vanish in a burst of plasma. Zhāng had fired two green HF laser beams at the second droplet ship, causing it to melt into a metal globule. Which her gunners then vaporized with their antimatter beamer.

“Blockhouse dead!” yelled Ignacio, his black mustache spreading wide with his happy smile.

The man had fired two explosive-tipped geopenetrator rockets at the yellow blockhouse that served as the Yiplak’s home habitat while they waited for the Celabeen tiger people to send a ship to their outermost planet. Which resembled a larger Pluto.

“Congratulations to everyone,” Jack said as the
Uhuru
floated above the frozen water, nitrogen and methane snows of the comet. Like Sedna this distant comet was reddish-brown from rad impacts, and likely hosted tholin hydrocarbon sludge deposits. He looked up at Elaine’s Sensor image view of the Celabeen system. It showed one green fusion pulse ship orbiting above the world Stripes, a second ship nearby but not in orbit—likely the ships
Biter
and
Claw
—while eight ships moved through the asteroid belt, or Metal Ball Field, that lay between planets two and three. Or Tasty Meat and Stripes to use the Celabeen names. Which left two ships in orbit above the world of Tasty Meat. That world’s two moons, based on Nikola’s infrared readings, orbited close to the Celabeen home world. Not as close as Deimos and Phobos orbited Mars. But clearly close enough to cause some kind of tides in that world’s oceans. He looked back to his lifemate. “Nikola, give Elaine the coordinates for us to arrive between the innermost moon and the world of Tasty Meat. Uh, try to get us close to the innermost moon. So we have some distance from those two fusion ships.”