Earth Vs. Aliens (Aliens Series 1) (29 page)

“We’re heading home?” cried Denise, sounding surprised.

“Not if I know my brother,” Elaine said, letting go of his head. She snapped shut the aid kit, then headed for her own station.

Jack sat back in his Tech station seat, gingerly letting his head fall back against the seat’s head-rest. He saw the recorded imagery now had them gathered in the elevator tube. “Tech panel, stop AV display and store entire digital record in the Ship’s Library.”

“Complying,” said the program, using the exact same tone of voice it always used.

There oughta be an algorithm that could tell it to vary the tone and tempo of its language. But he had more important things to do. Jack tapped his Tech panel and had the front screen show the fleet’s formation, location above Sedna, the colony ships location and ship-to-ship traffic, like the Lander arrival they had just done. Squinting, he saw that half the orbiting ships were being visited by small craft, perhaps the landers they had seen parked just outside the Entry Dome. It seemed their escape from the deep ocean hangout was being copied by many other species

“Denise, please send a Come-Back signal to the other captains.”

“Yes Captain Jack.”

In seconds the top of the front screen showed the images of his six comrades in arms and in fate. From left to right he saw Ignacio, Minna, Akemi, Júlia, Aashman and Kasun.

“Captains, hello. Stage One begins shortly. Captain Minna, your ship lacks a third of its body. And the particle beam weapon pod. Are your vac seals holding? Are Elie and Alaric in good shape?”

Minna nodded abruptly, her golden braids swinging loosely. “The
Wolverine
is fully operational. Maneuvering thrusters work just fine for NavTrack orientation. As we demonstrated on the trek out here to Sedna.” She paused, then fixed her tough look on him. “Thank you for our concern, Captain Jack.”

“Acknowledged,” he said, glad that she had not taken offense.

“Captain Jack?” called Ignacio. “The
Badger
is likewise vac secure. We may have a few extra stripes on our hull, but we of Euskal Herria are eager to fight!” The man’s swarthy face inspected Jack. “Uh, is your
boina
being repaired, my captain?”

Damn!
“No, my ally. Just resting.” Jack reached down to the fannypack he had carried in from the EVA hold, grabbed the black beret, and put it on his head the way he had seen his Basque brother wear it. “To the fight!”

“To the fight!” Ignacio said, smiling widely.

Jack looked back to Denise. She seemed sobered by the images of blood and violence down on Sedna. “Hey redhead! You ready to piss off some Aliens?”

The woman grinned, her emerald eyes flashing. “Anytime!”

“Good.” He turned back to face the front screen. On it were his fellow captains plus the StratTac disposition of their ships, the Alien ships, Sedna and space so dark and cold it was a kissing cousin to absolute zero. “Denise, activate the screen’s motion-eye. And broadcast what I now say out on Charon Standard Channel Four.”

“Ready, Captain Jack.”

He looked at the motion-eye. “Alien visitors to Sol system! You know by now that we humans have defeated Challenges in combat from the Rizen, Yiplak, Nasen, Gyklang, Hackmot and Krisot competitors. But half of you have not faced us. Since Manager Menoma expelled us from the Gathering Hall, I hereby declare this orbital space to be a new Challenge venue!”

The holo of Maureen popped to life just above his Tech panel. The Belter veteran gave him an old-fashioned thumbs-up sign. Fixing on the motion-eye, he completed Stage One. “We of the
Uhuru
and our allied ships offer Challenge to the winner of open battle between the 29 ships now in orbit above Sedna! Whomever among you defeats the other competitors, that winner will face us in the competition to claim Earth and Sol system as part of your territory!”

“Look!” Elaine cried out, pointing at the front screen.

Jack saw 29 ships all go to grav-pull drive. Gravitational distortion showed about each ship’s hull. Then they blipped. Clusters formed, ranging from three ships to five. However, a group of two ships was moving out of orbit, aiming for the colony ships on Sedna’s far side. Now just who could that—

“Incoming AV signal!” Denise said, her tone excited.

On a side panel of the front screen there appeared an image of a wolf-giraffe, its lanky body showing bands of red and yellow. The Alien fixed yellow eyes on him.

“Captain Jack Munroe of the ship
Uhuru
, we Nasen choose to Hunt in another star system. We go to join with our colony ship.”

“Hunter of the Nasen, you show wisdom,” Jack said, thinking quickly. “Our Challenge is ended. Perhaps in the future the predators of Earth can pursue trade with the predators of Nasen?”

“Perhaps,” the Alien said in a throaty snarl. “When you achieve star travel, you may find us at our home system of Zeta Serpentis. Bring elk meat. And more games. Departing now.”

“A moment, Hunt leader.” The Nasen maintained its AV signal. “Shortly we will . . . give the other colony ships a reason to return home. If you transmit a carrier tone on this channel, I will ensure our actions do not harm your colony ship.”

The Alien’s gaze grew intense. “My identity is Hilok of the Northern Pack, Jack Munroe of the Humans. The signal will be emitted. Departing now.”

The AV image vanished. The two Nasen ships went to fast blip jumping.

“Jack,” called Max. “Does that mean the Nasen will be an ally when we get out to the stars?”

Would they?
“The Nasen are predators like everyone else here at Sedna. But they seem to understand Trade. So, not an ally. But someone we can deal with profitably, yes.”

“Jack, check the screen,” Elaine said urgently.

On the front screen the 29 ships had sorted themselves into eleven clusters. Green laser flashes shot out from one cluster toward the nearest cluster. In less than a second green laser flashes filled the screen as ships fired, blip jumped, fired, blip jumped . . . or blew up. The blue of neutral particle beam weapons now showed, lances of pure energy that reached out to inflict final wounds on other ships. Just what he had hoped Stage One would achieve.

“Good. It’s time to—”

“Incoming AV signal,” Denise said hurriedly.

In the side panel there now appeared the cheetah-leopard image of Howler. The Alien’s yellow whiskers flared. “Human Jack Munroe! You violate the rule of the Watering Hole! There is to be no violence among ships in orbit above Sedna!”

“There is now,” Jack said calmly. “We will be adding to the violence very shortly. You and Menoma may wish to depart the Gathering Hall. If you emit a fluctuating tone on Charon Channel Four our fleet will refrain from attacking your ship. If you are heading out-system!”

The Alien’s pale brown lips opened, a pink tongue slid quickly over white canines, then it shook itself bodily. “No one challenges the HikHikSot! Not you. Not another competitor. This is
our
base and we choose to remain here!”

Jack showed his teeth. “If you remain, you die. Goodbye.” He waved at Denise to cut their AV broadcast.

“My captains,” he called to the six who had heard all he spoke on their Come-Back laser link to
Uhuru
. “We leave orbit now. Make for the colony ships on the far side. Stage Two will commence once we arrive within strike distance! Captain Akemi, emit the timelock so our blip drives move in sync!”

Each captain acknowledged his orders. The fleet circle moved out the way they had arrived at Sedna, with Akemi and the
Orca
leading the way.

“Jack, we’re in grav-pull blip jumping now!” called Max as the front screen images hazed with gravitational lensing effects, then disappeared as the scope was shut down by Elaine.

“Thanks Max!” Jack looked down at Maureen’s holo.

“Did you dial up the yield on the torp in our ejector tube?”

“Yes, to the max,” she said, her tone matter-of-fact. “Jack, how do you think the Unity politicos will react to what we’re doing?”

“Pissed off to the extreme,” he said. “We are doing, while they are talking. We are acting, while they are whining. I expect a Unity heavy cruiser was sent out our way to check on the thermonuke explosion at 1999 DG8. Which is why we cannot delay further. Is our whiptail ready?”

“Yes!” Maureen grinned, her eagerness to fight a wonder to behold. “Oh, I sooo hope a few Alien ships survive your round-robin competition! I need practice!”

Jack grinned at the woman whose cheek showed the Krisot gash covered by a pale brown patch of sprayed-on Fake Skin. “Gal, you’re too much fun. And you are likely the kind of woman my Mom warned me to stay away from!”

That drew a brief smile from Maureen as she looked down at her Weapons Systems panel. The fine wrinkles on her narrow face bunched up, then relaxed. “You’re too young for me. Your Grandpa Ephraim, now, he was
quite
a man!”

“Jack,” called Elaine. “We will end our blip jumping in five seconds. Estimated range to the colony ships runs from fifteen hundred to three thousand klicks.”

“Thanks sis!” He looked down at his Tech panel, which showed all systems aboard the
Uhuru
. Max’s Main Drive fusion cylinder was at Hot and ready for Pinch mode if he ordered it. The Lander was securely locked down. Nothing loose showed in the Food Refectory, Med Station and Rest chambers. The Compact Fusion Reactor was at full multi-megawatt output. The dual railguns on the ship’s spine were each loaded with a barrel of ball bearings. The HF laser pods on either side of the ship were targeting active. And Maureen’s Battle Module, which resembled a giant version of the ball turret globe from the ancient bombers of World War Two, moved smoothly on its magfield pusher controls. The module’s neutral particle beam projector swung through a full 320 degree arc up, down and sideways. He looked back.

“Denise, set up a Come-Back laser link to all fleet ships as soon as the grav-pull blipping stops!”

“Yes Captain!” she said, her red braids swinging in the ship’s one-gee.

Jack looked forward just as the live light scope image showed black space with the infrared glow of the twelve colony ships. He saw the Nasen colony ship pulsing with its Channel Four carrier tone. It lay at the far end of the ship cluster, a full three thousand klicks from where
Uhuru
and the fleet now moved. Images of his six captains showed atop the screen. Ignacio, Minna, Akemi, Júlia, Aashman and Kasun all focused on him.

“Stage Two will commence—”

“Captain Jack!” interrupted Minna. “I claim the right to fire one of my torpedoes! For my lost crewman Anneli Korhonen.”

He should have known Minna would want more vengeance for her lost drive engineer. “You know my intent in Stage Two. Have you dialed up the power on your torp?”

“Yes, Captain Jack.”

The slim, tough Finn woman sat stiffly in her Pilot cabin cushion seat, as if ready for a refusal. She should have asked for her ship to take the torp lead when they were in the elevator tube. Then again, wound repair before vac suit donning was their primary focus at the time.

“Approved. Set your torp’s thrust to achieve Earth escape velocity. Timed detonation at five hundred klicks from the nearest colony ship. Eject your torp when I complete my AV statement.”

Minna’s steely blue gaze softened. “Thank you, my captain. The
Wolverine
will comply with all elements of your Stage Two plan.”

He scanned the other five captains. “Anyone else have a comment, question or suggestion before I make the broadcast?”

Four shook their heads. But Akemi of the
Orca
raised one slim palm.

“Captain Jack, I suggest our ship ring move from horizontal to vertical against the ecliptic. The new orientation will allow for maximum offensive fire in all dimensions, should some Alien ship blip into our area and attack.”

“Excellent suggestion. Carry it out via our laser link.” Jack looked right to Elaine.

“Sister, Pilot, be ready for a NavTrack in any vector. Those ships now fighting each other above Sedna could grav-pull jump onto our butts within a minute, if they choose.”

Elaine adjusted her headband to keep her brown bangs out of her eyes. Then she laid both hands on her Pilot panel and looked forward. “NavTrack computer is active, tracking our current outbound vector and I’ve loaded in five optional vectors just in case Akemi’s laser link is lost.”

“Good. Denise, broadcast me on Charon Channel Four, starting in one second.”

“You are live now, Captain Jack.”

He fixed his gaze on the motion-eye at the top of the front screen. “Aliens of the twelve colony ships now in high orbit above Sedna. You saw my earlier broadcast to the predator ships. While I await the results of their competition to meet us, I order you to leave Sol space immediately! Whatever happens above Sedna, no human will allow any competitor to colonize Earth or any other place in our system. We will prevent such attempts using weapons such as this thermonuke. Observe. And depart quickly.”

“Minna’s fired her torp,” Denise said softly.