Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 3 - New Shores (17 page)

James had then placed his equipment several hundred metres back under a tree and gone on a leisurely perimeter scout to check for additional predators, before cautiously heading back upwind towards the dead goanna. James had slowed and remained stationary as he looked from the edge of a clearing at the collection of animals two hundred meters front of him. He dared not breathe as he took in the massive six metre bulk of an adult goanna tearing into the goanna he had shot, as several striped brown forms kept out of reach of the adult lizard. He first though the smaller animals were dogs until he took another look and gaped in amazement. The animals were actually Thylacines or marsupial tigers! James had then quietly put some distance between himself and the predators as he silently moved back to his equipment.

James was brought back to the present by a loud cough and a screech from the trees as he calmly finished filling the second water bottle. It sounded like a possum, but was much deeper as he left the small stream and moved carefully again to reclaim the rest his equipment. After several more minutes of travel he had selected from a distance a tree that offered real protection from the lizards.

The tree was stout enough to avoid being knocked over and it had several thick branches that would resist being climbed into by a lizard. He was about to go climbing into the tree when he noted several large scats and a pungent odour at the base of the tree. James then looked at the scratch marks that were two metres up side of the tree and wisely decided to go elsewhere. He now looked into trees as he went, but felt some relief when the animal called again now several hundred metres away and across the stream he had used earlier.

                                                            ***

Gavin Lewis could now see two of his troopers escorting a lone older woman on foot, with her back pack being carried by one of the troopers, towards his command post. He again tried to get the journalist’s attention back to their current circumstances.

‘Cameron, the traffic has stopped coming through the gateway. You should gather your news crew and leave immediately.’

The cameraman and the sound technician both glanced at the gateway and the sound technician even tapped Cameron on the shoulder. Cameron scowled as he again spoke without taking his eyes from Gavin.

‘None of that from you two as I think we are onto something here. Now Gavin will you please answer the question, as many people in Australia and elsewhere are concerned about how law and authority will be managed by the new colony.’

Gavin looked at the older woman being escorted over by troopers and decided something was familiar about her. He also noted a sole drone had come through and hovered several metres in front of the gateway, and he was frantic as he again spoke to Cameron.

‘The sole probe hovering is the signal Cameron…’

But Cameron spoke again quickly, as he now turned to regard the approaching older woman and the two troopers with a searching look.

‘Oh come on Gavin, we know that there has been some talk of an initial military governor, surely you must know something?’

Gavin did indeed know who it was, and he was not going to tell Cameron as he was saving the announcement for later in the day. However his delay in answering only encouraged Cameron.

‘It is rumoured and likely to be Steve Greene, the largely unknown former naval officer at the Abrolhos islands. Though there is more senior military officers from many nations already present in the colony.’

Gavin actually knew Steve slightly and was in agreement with the selection as he valued Steve’s abilities highly. However he was determined to not give the game away as he tried to give an informed but neutral reply.

‘Cameron, an interim military governor is not dependant on rank, as you should know if you studied the settlement of our own country nearly three hundred years ago now.’

Cameron was beside himself with mocking indignation as he again spoke.

‘A noble heritage of democracy from Earth and we give so much power to a sole unelected military man in the new colony. I cannot see that sitting well with so many of the colonists we have on this world.’

Gavin now noted that the Maveen probe had stoped hovering and now had passed back through the gateway back to Earth. He hoped that Cameron would now take his news crew and leave, but that hope was quashed as the older woman reached his command tent and immediately announced her name.

‘I am Mary Ellery and I have come to find my daughter, Rachael, who came to this world with James Mudbury a few days ago.’

The mention of James Mudbury had an immediate effect on Cameron Bates, who had just started back to his nearby four wheel drive with his news crew. As his crew attempted to enter their vehicle he called them back without even looking at the gateway.

‘Back here boys, we have a new development on the story. Cameron Bates, Mrs Ellery, when you have a moment I would like to talk to you please.’

Gavin kept Cameron and his news crew outside the ropes as he led Mrs Ellery to a fold up chair in front of his canvas desk. A SAS trooper came in with an urgent message and Gavin carefully evaluated it. After several minutes of fruitless discussions with Mrs Ellery on the whereabouts of her daughter somewhere in the massive camp, he was interrupted as a loud altercation now occurred outside the tent.

Gavin walked out to see two of his larger troopers keeping Cameron and the sound man on his news crew apart after they had come to blows. He then noted that the gateway was now closed and he pocketed the message as he turned to regard the news crew. The sound man collapsed to the ground and started to cry.

‘My wife on Earth is pregnant with our second daughter, my first daughter is two, and you strand me here forever on this world you arrogant bastard!’

Cameron for his part looked ashen faced as he took in the now empty section of field.

Gavin asked the two troopers to escort the news crew away, and he voiced sympathy for the sound man’s plight, but he was not sure what he could do for him even in the light of the message. He looked at the message again and tried to parse the meaning of it correctly. Apparently there would be further human arrivals on this world, but that did not necessarily mean he would be able to return anyone already on this world. As he looked around the command post he realised that Mrs Ellery had taken the opportunity to quietly leave and begin her own search for her daughter.

Gavin briefly considered and then discarded the option to find Mrs Ellery and bring her back, as he simply did not have the man power and he already knew roughly where she was headed. He got onto the radio and spoke with the commanders at the other gateway locations and the message was the same. The gateways had all closed within seconds of each other. He now started preparations to establish a presence on the west coast of this world as ordered by the new colony governor.

                                                            ***

After a few hours of scouting around, James had selected a stand of trees well protected from the wind and obviously free of animal droppings. He then picked out a suitable tree in the centre he could use for sleeping. James now quickly climbed the tree with a rope he had tied to his equipment below.

A loud cough and growl had come from one of the trees nearby. James had immediately frozen four metres from the ground, as a powerful cat like form had streaked from a nearby tree and fled like golden lightening towards another stand of trees. He got a good look at the animal as it had paused for several seconds two hundred metres away and offered a series of growls. The large animal had a gold and white coat that was studded with black spots and stripes. He briefly noted the strange blocky shape of the muzzle before it turned again and vanished silently in the trees. James was not sure but he thought it could be a Thylacoleo or marsupial lion!

James was worried because he had not even spotted the animal before he surprised it, and he felt fortunate that the animal had then fled. He quickly went as high as he could in the tree and then pulled up his equipment behind him. He soon tied off his equipment before he had a quick meal from the dry rations and water. Now concerned about what might come calling he set up a series of trip ropes below him, before grabbing some well earned sleep. Tomorrow he decided he would edge back to the main field to see if the gateway had closed yet. He had decided that the goannas, let alone marsupial tigers and the marsupial lions, were too much of a risk to his safety to be out here by himself.

                                                            ***

The Cephrit station master strained against his acceleration harness and looked at the battle status reports with evident satisfaction. The Tilmud had sent most of their frigates forward to encapsulate and destroy his ships. He had merely ordered his cruisers to turn and accelerate away once the enemy frigates had closed to over half the distance to his three cruiser sections of twelve ships.

Over ninety frigates now slowly closed the distance to his cruisers for the Tilmud ships were renowned for being sluggish. The station master waited until the dozen frigates closest to his ships were in range and then he gave the order to turn across the front of the frigates and open fire with all batteries. Solid beams of light struck out from the Cephrit cruisers at the small and heavily built Tilmud frigates. The frigates were designed for heavy combat and managed to keep their shields up for several minutes if they were only assailed by one cruiser.

The station master was aware of the Tilmud strengths though, and had given specific orders for three cruisers at a time to team up on the same frigate. The tactic bore immediate results as the combined cruiser firepower quickly defeated the regenerative abilities of the frigate shields. A series of several heavy explosions occurred as the frigates exploded. He now gave another order as a legion of Tilmud ships bore down on his cruisers.

‘Communications signal the three sections to turn together to the exit point. We will use our speed to keep them out of range for as long as possible.’

 In response all his cruisers now turned and accelerated at full speed out of the star system with the remaining swarm of frigates in hot pursuit. The station master was now aware of the forward section of his cruiser squadron engaging the Tilmud lifters and freighter well to the rear of the Tilmud frigates. He gave a comment to the bridge he did not expect answered, unless there was a flaw in his plans.

‘Our diversion is working, now the forward section has a clear run at the supply ships, as long as they do not take too long about it.’

The station master continued to watch as the battle continued. The Tilmud frigates continued to follow the diversion and close his cruisers, and the rearmost ships were now under heavy attack.

He could see that the earlier tactic of concentrating firepower was largely negated, as his cruisers did not have enough power in their rear batteries to take down a frigate unless five or six of his ships concentrated on a sole Tilmud frigate. A slower rate of explosions occurred as his fleet dropped more of the pursuing frigates, before he noticed the Tilmud breaking off their attack. An anxious scan of his display amply illustrated the reason for the Tilmud altering course and he wasted no time issuing further orders.

‘Forward section leader, break off your attack and head for your own exit point immediately. The bulk of the frigates are now headed for your position.’

The station master looked at the numbers of frigates heading back into the star system with real panic for several moments. He could lose the isolated forward cruiser section of four ships very quickly, and that would be a high price to pay for their attacks on the supply ships. However the four larger blue ships on the display broke off their attack, and started to withdraw with the masses of enemy Tilmud ships still some distance from them.

The Cephrit considered for a moment the tempting target offered by the frigates turning their backs on his position. But he knew that the war was very much in the opening stages, and it would be many years of pitched battle before the Tilmud were convinced of their folly. He looked at the outcome of the battle with real relief, for his ships had been battered but remained intact. He made another comment and gave further orders.

‘We did very well today as over two thirds of the enemy supply ships were destroyed, and they lost one fifth of their frigates as well. I want damage reports from the rearmost ships as they will dock immediately upon our return to Star base 31 for urgent repairs.’

The Cephrit cruisers reached their exit points and brief coronas of light engulfed their ships as they fled the star system. The star light from the local star lit the battle scene where the Tilmud lifters and freighters had been attacked and destroyed. Hoards of squat and spined Tilmud bodies floated in the airless vacuum of space, many of them still laden with the assault weapons they had carried when their ship’s hulls had been breached. The remaining Tilmud frigates slowed near the carnage to recover what they could from the bodies and wreckage.

                                                            ***

James Mudbury slept fitfully for a couple of hours at a time, and had ensured that the rifle and torch was both tied off to his body securely. He also had a digital camera on a cord around his neck as he had an idea that might work. His third short session of sleep was interrupted as it now started to rain steadily, and in his hurry to remain safe his poncho had ridden high and a stream of water flowed down the back of his jeans.

James quietly adjusted his poncho and his position, as he was also stiff from being in the one spot most of the night sitting on his back pack that was tied across a large branch. A loud cough from the ground made him freeze and he could hear a couple of snorts also as the animal cast around near his tree for a scent. There was silence for several minutes in the slowing rain and he remained perfectly still.