Earth Song: Etude to War (66 page)

“Could you please deactivate it while I explain so you don’t accidentally make a very expensive mistake?”

She rolled her eyes but shut it down nonetheless. Ted took it back and sat it on the work bench under a scanner. “I spent quite a while looking for the network entries on these. I had two problem.

“One, I went with the assumption if was a PCR, which proved erroneous.”

“Right, are you going to explain that?”

“In time girl. Second, it wasn’t on the Tog data network at all. I found it in the pilfered data you and Pip stole all those years ago.”

Minu nodded. She’d long since given Ted and Bjorn copies of all that data. She’d found some fantastic things in there. Most of it beyond them, but some quite useful. Apparently this was one of them.

She gave a ‘well?’ gesture and he continued. A display came alive and there was an alien species she’d never seen before. It reminded her of a bipedal dog, but there were no canine species in the Concordia with huge fangs like that and horns growing behind their ears.

The being had one of the clear crystal PCR on a planet. He activated it and did something she couldn’t see before sitting it down and taking a step back.

“What the,” she started to say, and then the rod morphed into a full size portal. “What?”

“What you have here, young lady, is a portal initiator. Fifteen of them, to be precise.”

“I didn’t know they existed.”

“No-one did. At least, no-one here on Bellatrix. I suspected they might exist. I did a few careful inquiries in the second hand black market out there where we’ve gotten ‘controlled goods’ before. The only response that I got which could even be considered an acknowledgement of their existence was a ‘you willing to trade your world?’ from a certain character on the frontier. They are likely unbelievably expensive.”

“Maybe we can use a couple to fund our defensive plans?” Minu wondered aloud. Making the contacts would prove difficult at best. Ted was waging his finger from side to side and she put her hands on her hips.

“More.”

“More?”

“Yes, lots more.”

“Can you give me some kind of idea?” she asked, her frustration growing.

“He asked if we were willing to trade our world, Minu. He thought we wanted to buy an initiator and the price was
an entire planet!
”

Minu’s jaw dropped open and he reached out a finger to push it closed. A leasehold? No, they meant a deed. You own the world, free and clear. Leaseholds cost taxes to the Concordia. Depending on the condition of the world, a shitload of taxes. A world like Herdhome with its stable biosphere and good growing season was ten times more valuable than Bellatrix.

“We could buy a couple colonies,” she said excitedly. Her dad had indeed left her the keys to the store.

“We don’t dare?”

“What? Why?”

“Minu, without starships you have to invade a world through its portals. They’re naturally defensible bottlenecks. We’ve buried all of ours under forts and the planet is all but secure from invasion now.”

He held up the initiator and put it under a delicate scanner. The device registered nothing. “Slip this into your pocket, go for a diplomatic visit, get a moment by yourself, and poof. Let the invasion proceed.”

Minu’s eyes got big as she fully grasped the implications. Of course, this was the big gun. Even landing from orbit had risks, especially with higher order species. Troop transports were vulnerable, you had to protect them, and an invasion was impossible to hide. Drop one of these in a quiet corner of a world and you could move a hundred thousand troops onto their world before they even knew you were there.

“They must be rare, even to the higher orders,” Minu surmised.

“Lost technology, I’m sure. If these Weavers you discussed are involved in all the portals,” he held up the one he’d been scanning, “then this is Weaver under glass. I wonder how hard it was to make these?”

“Not very easy,” she said with a certainty. Negotiating with a Weaver was like arguing with a cat.

“Lock these away,” she ordered him.

“They’re secure here.”

“No, I want them in the deep command bunker.” He cocked an eyebrow but nodded. “Who else knows about these?”

“You, me, Bjorn, that’s it.”

She debated telling Dram then put off that decision for later. First she would get Aaron back, and deal with this later. “Good job. See to the transfer to the command bunker down below yourself. These do not leave your hands.”

He nodded then she thought and took one. He raised a hand and she shook her head.

“I want one of these where I can get at it if I need be,” she said and slipped it into her pocket. It felt almost warm against her leg. “You never know when you might need something special.”

He looked skeptical but shrugged before locking the box. “And email me the links to all the references you found on the initiators?”

He said he would. She needed to study up on them. It wouldn’t do any good to need to use one and not know how.

She said her goodbyes and headed for the parking lot. She was gone before Ted locked the box. She didn’t notice him take one of the remaining fourteen and place it in a secure place under his desk. A short time later, he carried the box down to the bunker transport tube.

Chapter 80

September 24th, 534 AE

Planet Coorson, Traaga Leasehold

The portal building was new since Minu had last been on Coorson. That wasn’t to say it was a new structure, she didn’t think there were any new structures on the planet. It was, however, newly commissioned as the planet’s outworld portal. The old building had been all but destroyed in the abduction of her husband.

Minu waited with her nearly omnipresent squad of Rangers several buildings down from the portal building. It was raining, as was pretty much the normal for the Traaga’s dismal world. The streets were empty of the locals, which was very much not normal for the only city on the planet. She could hear the sound of their chattering only blocks away, but this place was quiet. She would have been confused, if she didn’t already understand.

Right on cue, a pair of armored Tanam emerged from the portal building. They cradled massive beamcaster rifles tailored to their four arms with casual deadly familiarity. High tech combat helmets fed the warriors data on their surroundings, causing them to instantly turn towards Minu and her twelve Ranger escorts. Alien eyes regarded the twelve modestly armed human warriors. A moment later, a highborn Tanam stepped out.

“You agreed on minimal escort,” the highborn called down the muddy street. She, unlike her warriors, appeared unarmed.

Minu glanced around her at the steely eyed Rangers who were eying the Tanam. “This is my personal guard as First among our Chosen, much like your own.”

“You are nervous, human.”

“You’ve given me reason to be,” she replied and moved down the street. Her guards fanned out and let he move ahead, though not far ahead. Veka did the same, her two guards staying a few meters back.

“Have you brought the agreed upon goods?”

Minu gestured to one of her men who used his tablet. A second later a squad of crabbots appeared all carrying large crates on their backs.

“And my sister?”

Two of the Rangers gestured and another crab-bot came into the street, this one with a neutral gravity field generator and a forcefield. Inside the field floated a very unhappy looking Seela.

“Are you well, sister?” Veka asked.

“Well enough,” the other highborn replied.

“Enough of the reunion,” Minu said. “Where’s our person?” she asked as the bots came to a stop abreast her position.

Veka looked around as if she could spot Aaron standing around waiting for her. Of course, he was nowhere in sight. “You see human, things have not worked as we planned.”

“Explain,” Minu said, crossing her arms.

“Your soldier’s ship was ambushed in deep space.” Minu’s eyes narrowed. “It was destroyed.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“The human did not survive.”

Minu took a half a step back, reeling as if she’d been struck a hammer blow to the head. The mask of her calm slipped, then slipped again. Aaron was dead?

“If this is some sort of a trick,” she mumbled. Some part of her was aware that Seela was roaring something inside the floating zero gravity ball. The shielding allowed no sound to leave.

“No trick, human. The traitorous beings who attacked us have been a nuisance to our ships before. Lately, they’ve become worse. You will likely find out as well.”

“Your father is dead,” she said through the link with Lilith untold light-years away.

“I heard,” came the reply. Her voice was strained. It was almost the most emotion she’d ever heard from her daughter.

Seela continued to scream for attention, unheard and unnoticed. Though she couldn’t be heard outside the field, she’d heard it all inside, and she knew who this soldier was that Veka casually mentioned was dead. She also remembered all too well what they faced.

Minu felt the pain solidify and settle around her like a cloak against the world, and transform. She looked down at her hands and turned them into fists, one with five fingers one with four. “You need to leave.”

“Give us my sister and we will complete the deal.”

“The deal died with… the deal is dead. We will meet you on Nexus to discuss the matter with the war council.”

Veka looked at her sister only a few meters away and snarled, cocking her head slightly at the look on the other highborn’s face. What was she screaming about?

“Is this the way you wish it to go, human?”

“This is the way you forced it to go.”

“As you wish. NOW!”

From all along the street a dozen beamcasters flashed, each a carefully aimed shot at the heads of the human Rangers. Each shot was dead on target, and each one splashed against the humans’ shields, the energy cleanly absorbed.

“Sergent,” Minu barked, “plan beta.”

“Yes commander!” Seela replied.

Minu nodded her head, reached behind her back and drew her combat knife, and charged.

Veka hadn’t expected the humans to all be wearing rare and expensive miniature shields only deployed by specialized elite soldiers of higher-order species. She was caught completely flat footed when the ambush failed and didn’t react for crucial seconds. They were seconds that Minu used to her effect.

Ten of the dozen Rangers broke for cover, seeming to scatter in every direction as Seela and another Ranger took flanking positions behind Minu, their shockrifles rotating forward on their slings and raising them to shoulders.

Veka roared in rage as Minu and her two men raced towards her, then hissed as she realized her position. Shock rifle fire snapped and cracked, striking the soldier to her right multiple times, clean through her shield. The Tanam fell with a surprised roar as the other guard drew both her beamcaster pistols and fired bolt after bolt.

The energy beams hit mostly nothing. The three humans moved swiftly and erratically, presenting nearly impossible targets. One shot scored a glancing blow on Minu’s shield and another on the corporal. Both were easily absorbed by the Lost tech enhanced shields.

Veka snatched one of the beamcaster pistols from her fallen guard’s holster, turned, and dove through a moliplas window in a decrepit storefront.

“Get back here!” Minu cried and turned to follow. The Tanam guard moved to intercede, leveling both guns at her. Minu dodged slightly, planted one booted foot, pivoted and leaped with enhanced muscles.

The Tanam fired twice at the small radically moving target, and missed both times. Minu flipped over the hulking felinoid’s left shoulder, slashing down as she passed. The molecularly hardened dualloy blade, its leading edge barely a molecule thick, gave almost no resistance as it passed through armor, then flesh, bone, and armor again.

Minu hit her feet and hoped through the window as the head of the Tanam soldier behind her fell away with a slick plop.

A single Tanam warrior was inside a shop filled with unknowable merchandise. Minu dodged the surprised being before she could raise a weapon and remained in hot pursuit of her quarry, Veka. She was dimly aware of Selain and his corporal firing on the alien as Minu spotted a rear doorway still moving slightly and went for it in a shot.

Something made her stop at the doorway, using her right elbow to arrest her motion on the doorjamb. Outside was Veka, rushing to get behind a wide line of almost fifty Tanam warriors.

Minu snarled like a predator denied a kill as Veka pointed at her and barked orders. Minu flicked the shock rifle selector and sprayed the enemy line with a half dozen shots before spinning and diving back into the shop.

“Incoming!” she screamed to the two Rangers who’d just dispatched the warrior she’d passed. Minu cleared a counter full of merchandise and rolled into a ball as Selain joined her just as the building was riddled with beamcaster fire. The corporal was similarly under cover on the other side of the shop.

Particle accelerator beams shattered displays, splintered wall panels, and exploded unknowable merchandise as Minu sheathed the sword and accepted the extra shock rifle Selain had carried, automatically thumbing the weapon alive and verifying the power charge.

“How many?” he yelled over the fusillade of energy fire.

“Fifty or more.”

He nodded and checked his own weapon’s charge before deciding not to switch power packs. On the optimal power setting the shock rifles were capable of more than one hundred shots before depleting the magazine. “About what you expected?”

“Yep.”

He nodded again and checked the corporal was okay. Both veterans of the battle for Planet K, this was nothing they hadn’t experienced before.

“Ready when you are, commander.”

Minu braced herself, waited for the fire to slacken, and popped up with her shock rifle to shoulder, firing as fast as she could. Selain and the corporal acted with her in perfect coordination.

The wall was already half destroyed and she was able to pick some targets. Outside the surprised Tanam either dodged for cover or fell to the three humans combined fire. They all wore personal shields and were unused to having no defense against another being’s weapons.

“The Tanam highborn prisoner is secure,” Minu heard from the Ranger squad delegated to that responsibility.

“Acknowledged,” she said as she brought down another warrior. “Begin to withdraw.”

Not far away, a pair of Lancer fighter/transports lifted off with the majority of the Rangers, and their captive aboard. A flurry of energy beams traced their paths, all easily dealt with by the power craft’s shields. In a moment they were beyond range over the Traaga city.

“And now, we’re in it deep,” Selain said as he watched the Lancers roar away.

Losing the advantage against the humans in the ambush, then losing her sister was too much for Veka, and she drew her hole card. Minu watched on her small virtual battlefield as it lit up with threats, hundreds of them. She smirked at the numbers quickly climbed to battalion sized. An amplified cat yowl rang out.

“You can come out now human,” Veka’s translated voice rang. “You may still have my sister, but now I have you.”

Minu let her shock rifle hang by the sling, raised her hands and stood in the smoldering remains of the shop. After being sure they weren’t going to try and gun her down, she gestured her two men up who rose and joined their commander as she walked out to the street.

All along the roofs of the dilapidated buildings dozens and dozens of Tanam hung over the sides, beamcasters trained on the slowly walking humans. Veka was just emerging from between buildings a dozen meters away. Minu couldn’t read cat body language but pissed was what she guessed.

I sure hope this plays out as advertised
, she thought.

“Now what?” she asked Veka, still roughly holding her hands above her head.

“Now I take you home and we see what your people will pay for their First among the Chosen.”

“And the Traaga?” Minu wondered.

“What of the scurrying insects? Who would concern themselves with such lowly creatures?”

“Everything is below you, isn’t it?”

“It is the way of the universe. The sooner you humans learn this, the better.”

“I don’t think such things should stay the same,” Minu said. “And I don’t think I want to go with you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And I suspect the Traaga have a bone to pick with you for twice bringing down a firefight in their city.”

Minu didn’t know if she was amused that there would be any concern of the Traaga’s feelings, or the fact that she considered this a city, but either way the Tanam let out with an unmistakable chuckle. And then a Traaga appeared, the first one anyone had seen.

The starfish shaped being skittered out into the street between Minu and Veka, its telescopic head popped out and regarded the highborn feline with insectile eyes before speaking. “We are aggrieved by your actions.”

“Why should I care?”

“She cares,” the Traaga said and pointed at Minu with a limb. “The humans have treated us well. Lucrative work contracts, fair negotiations, even trades.”

Veka snorted and spat into the muddy street. “Humans can afford to deal with child species like you in such a way, they are little better than yourself.”

“The human leader said you would respond this way. They offered us means to settle with you.”

“Did they,” Veka said. “And what makes you think we would be interested in offering you anything of value for a few burned buildings and a couple of dead peasants.” She gestured and the damage around them, which was not insignificant. “You are helpless, disorganized, clueless animals from where I stand.”

“Clueless and disorganized we may be,” the Traaga agreed, “no longer helpless.”

The streets of Coorson usually swarmed with thousands of the arboreal creatures. Things had been quiet since their arrival. With a cacophonous explosion of sound, the Traaga returned in a swarm. Veka appeared almost amused, for a second. All the time it took he to realize that the Traaga, every single one of them, was armed with a beamcaster.

In moments there were three Traaga for every Tanam, all armed and pointing their weapons at the felines. They skittered along walls, the swung from power lines, they leaned out windows, they flitted down alleyways. And everywhere they watched the Tanam, their aim never wavering.