Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 3 - New Shores (15 page)

‘So Steve and Rick, can your equipment hold the heavier weight of a complete half housing for the middle section?’

A frantic discussion took place now as they estimated the weight of the housing and also checked the support ratings for the recessed upper cleats. Rick walked back up the engine compartment with his engineers for a few minutes, and they now shone their helmets upwards as Rick now spoke.

‘We just checked and there is no overhead access problems just this side of the hatch, so if we double up the lifting winches, slide it across and then lower in tandem, we should be fine. The middle section housings are a bit heavier than the end housings but we will be okay. The waldos can steady the lift at the hatch again. We can also use the same method to bring in the replacement housings.’

Garendestat shifted his arm sling and watched as the humans attached two chains to the base on either side of the housing, and then chained the upper sections of the housing to the lifting chains. The men avoided by convention chaining the broad curved shaft locating face of the housing, as they carefully raised the housing and slid it on the rigged overhead winches towards the hatch.

Once they it positioned the housing, it was slowly lowered through the access portal. The housing was lowered to the floor with the inside face upright, Steve led the other humans outside the engine as Halbindestat walked over again. Rick looked at the Trader engineer as he placed a gloved hand along the evident damage inside the housing before he commented.

‘Halbindestat, the internal fractures are in a radial pattern and would have occurred due to sudden pressure changes inside the hot engine as water found a way past a shield somewhere.’

Halbindestat looked at the human engineer with agreement as he replied.

‘We have never seen this type of damage before with our aero spike engines, but then we do not dive in oceans frequently either. I see we will have to improve the design of our engines over this problem and I want to increase their power as well. We are in your debt of course.’

After a short break the humans returned to the inside of the engine. Halbindestat sat an engineering console and copied the schematics of the aero spike engine to the upgrades folder. The engineer proceeded to annotate the schematics as he spoke to himself.

‘1. Add extra forward shields and redundant shields forward over the engine. 2. Improved access for crew. 3. Increase number of shaft housings to five. 4. Implement venturi grooves leading inside the housings to lower the chances of pressure or heat build-up.’

Garendestat considered Halbindestat’s efforts as he now turned to watch the humans continue their repair efforts. The chief was one of the best engineers at their home star base and much of the ship was of his design. Garendestat noted that other design changes elsewhere the Halbindestat was proposing included reducing the weight in the ship, reducing the number of hiding places in the hull, and a pest fumigation subsystem.

Admittedly the pressure changes were something different, but Garendestat felt they were still forgetting something, before he remembered how he had ended up in the ocean. He then discussed his concerns with the Halbindestat, and in moments they had several of the junior Trader engineers moving across the ship to check over the main hold door.

                                                            ***

The Cephrit station master checked again the heavy acceleration straps around his heavy chitin thorax and looked at the latest intelligence reports with cold calculation. The Tilmud had just brought a large fleet to an adjacent star system well inside Cephrit space unannounced, and no doubt sought to destroy or capture star base 31 nearby. He noted that all his bridge crew were attentively performing their roles and made a quick chirr to the junior officers also strapped to their consoles.

‘So the bestial Tilmud think we are ripe for the taking do they? Perhaps it has been too long since we last wiped out one of their fleets. Communications get me an encrypted link to all ships.’

The junior officers wisely kept at their consoles and only offered the short chirr of salute and acknowledgement, as they were already well aware of their new commander’s mannerisms. The station master, with his former senior naval background, had been pressed back into service as a cruiser squadron commander. The initial prognosis looked bleak as the Tilmud had amassed swarms of ships in this part of space. Their fleet consisted of legions of their powerful frigates backed by the powerful lifters and freighters they used to carry both supplies and their troops. The Cephrit commanders would not be giving the Tilmud the opportunity to land troops at any of their star bases. The station master considered the disposition of the Tilmud frigates and their distance from their nearest star base as he gave his orders.

‘The wing and centre cruiser sections are to stay with me and we will draw the frigates forward. The forward cruiser section is to flank and make high speed attack runs on the supply ships. Do not stop and fight as the Tilmud frigates will circle back on either side and pin you, and there is a lot of them. Once we destroy the supply ships we will withdraw.’

The cruiser captains now quickly voiced the few questions they had about the plan, which the station master concisely answered before the link was broken off. In moments the cruiser squadron had entered hyper space for the nearby system full of Tilmud ships.

                                                            ***

Omerio was observing the conventions of his race, by working at one of the consoles in the Barus flagship’s spacious common room when Gindane had set up to work at another console nearby. This was despite a genuine friendship between them over a great many years. He gave her a polite nod of greeting that she answered in kind and returned to his work. He looked over the notes and realised something important, but had the presence of mind not to show any outward signs of surprise.

Omerio also again noted that their end of the common room was deserted apart from themselves. The crew were polite but distant given their titled role as special guests aboard the ship. Omerio now looked around in Gindane’s direction, and gave a start as her large brown eyes regarded him directly from several metres away. She now spoke softly only for their benefit.

‘Omerio, you are up to something now, and indeed you have been up to a lot since we left the Cephrit star base. I have seen your mission report since then, but it only begs the question of what you were doing beforehand to get the knowledge about the Tilmud. I will know what you can tell me if we are to bring the matter of the Trader ship on Earth to a successful result.’

Omerio looked over at Gindane cautiously with a polite smile as he quietly replied. For he had prior experience with how the exiled lady of the court could exercise her sharp tongue.

‘Gindane, if you are satisfied that a successful result could include the Traders and the few Maveen with them to be allowed to leave Earth peacefully, then we would be in agreement. Note that I had no prior knowledge of the Maveen until I spoke with the Cephrit.’

Omerio knew that he risked little by implying that he would not discuss what he knew if Gindane only wanted to apprehend the Trader ship. He was hoping to get her strong analytical mind on his side, as he respected her research and command abilities. He gave her another polite but warmer smile as she now quietly spoke again.

‘A successful result is when the humans are not caught up in an interstellar battle near their own planet. I remember the obligations that the Vorinne second envoy gave me as my sentence too well. I can live with the Traders being brought to account at a later stage.’

Omerio looked thoughtful as he considered the information he had to hand. He decided that he actually was helping the Trader’s unknown original mission remain silent if he informed Gindane of his own role with the Traders earlier. He gave her a data drive and a quiet word of caution as Gindane in turn gave him a soft smile that made him lose the ability to think straight for several moments.

‘Gindane, as you now will know, I met with the same Traders even as you were being escorted back to the Cephrit star base. We traded several items of a very secretive nature and the data drive gives the overview of the mission.’

Gindane looked over the data and was amazed at what she saw in the information. She knew Omerio was working as a senior intelligence officer, and the audacity of his recent missions took her breath away. She could not imagine what it would be like to work for years alone in a lightly protected scout ship in the most dangerous parts of the sector. Gindane now quickly studied the cargo listing from Omerio’s meeting with the Traders and noted the specifications of the cruiser gun that he had supplied to the Traders.

‘The less I say about what you handed over the better, as the Vorinne second envoy would skin you if she found out, and I cannot be held to know anything. So old and good friend, what are we going to do about your very capable uncle and his plans for the Traders?’

Omerio recovered the data drive from Gindane, but did not take her views on the second envoy too seriously. He quietly spoke again for her sole benefit. At several times she looked at him with her soft smile, but he now managed to keep his reactions and responses fixed on the task in front of them.

The admiral sat in his office and quietly evaluated the information on his guests one of the crew had called in earlier. Both aspects of his plans for Omerio and Gindane seemed to be coming together, which was just as well he decided, as the fleet was due to arrive at the human solar system within three days.

                                                            ***

Captain Narindestat sat up in his bed and glared at Emeria in frustration. He had been amongst the slower of the second batch of Traders to recover from the emergency treatment and his agitation was now acute. The only bright spot for the Trader captain was that the humans had been successful in their efforts in repairing the aero spike engine. He now picked up a data tablet and noted the report with interest. For Garendestat had used his own initiative to identify a problem with the main hangar door after the main hold had flooded when he went overboard. The captain spoke now to Emeria in his calmest manner as he slowly manoeuvred his powerful legs to the edge of the bed.

‘Daughter, my place is on the bridge of my ship. If you assist me then I could get there after a little effort.’

Emeria calmly lifted his legs back to the centre of the bed and replied as he weakly tried to move his legs again.

‘Father, and captain I might add, I do not doubt your place on the bridge. However it will not be today and it is unlikely to be tomorrow unless you rest.’

The Trader captain bit back a retort, and Emeria was careful not to grin as the console communications light next to the bed now came alight. Captain Narindestat asked Emeria to activate the hands free mode and to please leave the room, and in moments he was speaking to the Maveen lead probe.

‘Lead probe, I understand your colony efforts are nearly completed, and my congratulations on your success.’

The lead probe did not pause as it replied.

‘Captain, I am now Earth lead probe, but I will still leave on your ship with the ships we discussed earlier as the orders are already in place. Now we are extending our efforts to colonise Barede as you are delayed in your departure, and the humans have a limitation we have not factored in our deal arrangements.’

Captain Narindestat was still in a dark mood, but his interest was piqued as he spoke again.

‘Earth probe, my congratulations on your promotion. No doubt we will work together again in the future. Now what are your expanded colony efforts and how do they involve my ship and crew?’

The lead probe ignored his congratulations as it replied again.

‘The humans are still using a carbon based model to generate a lot of their energy, especially for mobile transport. Indeed their technology under this model is reasonably impressive. However the new colony is on a constructed not evolved world, and there are no fossil hydrocarbons to base the colony resources upon. Your crew will therefore await our extra colony support efforts here and then take us to the colony. I anticipate you will be at the colony for many years to assist us in getting the human technology and infrastructure up to a sustainable standard.’

Captain Narindestat strongly resisted the initial urge to yell at the Maveen Earth probe’s presumptions, though he had though of several choice Trader invectives he wanted to hurl at the probe. No doubt they would have as much effect as a data tablet or blaster discharge, he thought acridly as he protested, with the protest getting more heated the more he spoke.

‘Earth probe our ship is nearly ready to leave and we are fully fuelled. Remember we need time to set the gate ships against the hull of the Illuria for launch. Once we reach the colony we do not want to stay too long as we need to return to our own home facility. We are not prepared to delay our launch for too much longer with the vassal fleets likely to arrive at any minute. Finally I absolutely refuse to commit to years of being on this remote colony!’

The Maveen Earth probe merely waited until he finished speaking before it replied in a forthright manner.

‘Captain, you have no choice if you consider how the galactic authorities view your landing on this world. I also invoke the absolute authority I am entitled to wield implicit to our contract. It is unfortunate, but I anticipate you will have to take a low profile for an extended period and this new colony is very remote. We will send a message to your home facility advising them of both your assistance and acceptance of our instructions. Please ensure that your own ships are loaded and your main ship is otherwise ready to leave.’

Garendestat walked up to Emeria outside his father’s quarters, noted how tired she looked, and gave her warm smile she returned before he softly spoke.

‘Father is busy I understand, though he should be resting.’