The Alpha Choice (66 page)

Tala shook the hand of the President and smiled. She then walked around to the other side of the desk where she removed, from her jacket a disc similar to that shown to Hugo Black in his office, so many years earlier.
 

Hugo looked at the President, the man he had trusted to make the right decision…

Δ Ω
 

Most people in the signing room had never seen a disk like the one Tala produced after the ‘signing’. In fact, it was so small many still did not see it. Addressing all present, she announced. ‘Behold, your planet!’ She threw the disc into the space in front of her, where it stopped in midair. Closing her eyes, a holographic image appeared above the disc showing what was taking place above the Earth. At first the scene was an inky blackness then, slowly from the left of the hologram, appeared a segment of an enormous crescent, growing larger as it advanced further into the blackness. This was the Earth as seen by the Te, and it was the camera or whatever recording device they were using, not the planet that was moving. Within a couple of minutes the movement ceased.
 

Even though Jon had seen the Sun from
Jane’s
observation room, this was still very impressive. As with a myriad of other pictures he had seen in magazines and on television, the Earth was predominantly blue, with large white areas of cloud and irregular green and brown segments. What was different to anything he had previously seen, was the sense of being there, it was as though he was floating in space, above his planetary home. He lost any sense of being in the room, or part of a group. Everything faded away until there was only him, the Earth and the vast blackness of space. His feelings were not only of awe, as he looked out towards the almost limitless expanse of space, but also of comfort, to know that the breathtakingly beautiful planet below was his home.
 

He had no idea how long he had been ‘lost,’ when the image appeared to recede and became, once more, a hologram. Diminishing to passive observer, he ceased to be part of what he saw. Certain this effect was intentional, he looked around and could tell his experience was not unique. Immediately, his attention was drawn back to the floating hologram. Three yellow flashes appeared, against the blackness
 
- exiting weft space had been honed over the last three thousand years - and when they were gone, three ships floated in their place. He had no way of determining their size, as they were totally without markings of any kind. They were elliptical in shape and seemed to have no windows, turrets or protuberances of any kind, they were completely smooth. Just as the Earth reflected the light of the Sun, they shone with a yellow gold lustre.

Of course, Hugo had seen the like before, when he was shown a recording of Te’ath by Tala and Beron. He knew that if they were of a similar size to the ship he saw landing, they would be over three kilometres long, and dwarf any structure on Earth.

Tala opened her eyes, looked towards the President and smiled. Her smile denoted genuine pleasure. The President returned the smile and bowed his head slightly, to acknowledge the gesture.
 

The Te’an representative, who had laboured for so long to arrive at this moment spoke, not only to those in the room, but the entire, watching planet. ‘These ships will seal our alliance…’ she paused long enough to look around the room, meeting the eyes of each person, in turn, saving the cadre for last. Returning to the President, she held his gaze longer than any of the others, and if anyone had cared to look at him they would have seen a flash of uncertainty flicker across his face, before she added, ‘…and your fate.’

Tala, once again closed her eyes, and when she opened them the image within the hologram had changed. Floating in front of her was the image of the man Hugo had last seen when the President pleaded for Te’an assistance, the same balding, thickset man. His name was not known to any there, save Tala, it was Garnoth.

The image spoke. ‘You have done well Tala. Be ready to receive final instructions from Commander Darl.’

Garnoth looked directly to the President. ‘You really ought to have listened to your injured friend,’ he indicated to Jon, and smiled. ‘He was quite right. Now that you are a member of our alliance you are subject to our absolute dominion,’ the infuriating smile remained. ‘I appreciate how melodramatic that must sound, but it seems to be the appropriate expression to cover the situation in which you now find yourselves,’ he stopped, taking in the confused looks of those assembled and sighed, as though forced to realise his audience were not quite as quick on the uptake as he had hoped. ‘Let me explain. Because of a code of conduct forced upon us by others, we were unable to directly invade your planet, it is not permitted. There is, however, a way around the code, which necessitates infiltration of a society by subterfuge. What the drafters of the code failed to appreciate, for all their sophistication and power, was that if a civilisation such as yours, of its own free will, joined with us for mutual protection, all decisions concerning safety and well-being reside with us. We are entitled to interpret these concepts subjectively. Particularly, where your continued well-being conflicts with our own. The consequence, unfortunately for you, is the destruction of all Tellurian life on this planet and for the avoidance of doubt, by Tellurian we mean you.’

The reaction from the small crowd was one of complete disbelief. Some hoped it was part of an elaborate hoax, a rebuke for the appalling accusations made against the Te by the stranger with the injured arm. After a few minutes the incoherent mutterings of the crowd ceased.

Throughout those minutes Garnoth was silent, and as the silence stretched on, any hopes the crowd may have harboured, faded. All the while, the smile of the harbinger remained, but his eyes reflected no warmth, no humanity.

Hugo looked at Tala as the image pronounced sentence, and saw the merest hint of regret in her face,
that doesn’t make any sense,
he thought.

The projection of Garnoth disappeared as swiftly as it had appeared, to be replaced by the image of a distinguished looking man with greying hair and aquiline features. Those in the gathering who still had their wits about them, guessed this was Darl. Speaking in a languid voice, he said. ‘Tala, you and Beron are to return immediately. It has been decided to proceed with the sterilisation of the planet sooner than originally planned. The timescale has been reduced from a month, to six days. We still believe that will be ample time to remove all we consider worth preserving. Your reports, and those of Beron were most impressive and have been thoroughly analysed. They have saved us weeks of valuable time.’

He spoke with no apparent regard for the Tellurians in the chamber. ‘Only Tellurian life is to be extinguished, at least for the time being. Shock troops will be deployed to remove the articles of value and eradicate any remnants.’

The impact of what had been said hit almost every Tellurian, although the effects differed: some began to sob, one fainted. Most, however, simply looked with expectation upon the face of the man they earnestly believed could, and would save them.

During this time the President had taken on the look of a man thirty years older than his actual age of fifty-four. The look he gave Hugo as much as said.
‘What have I done?’
 

The stark realisation that the President did not have the answer brought home the true horror of what was going to happen, hitting the little group as surely as if Te’an shock troops had actually entered the chamber.
 

So it was, no one noticed Beron entering the room. Evidently, the guards outside the door had not proven a hindrance.

Ω

When the image of Tala had faded from view, Garnoth sighed and turned towards Darl. ‘You know the Tellurians will use force in an attempt to stop us,’ it was more a statement than a question, although Darl misread it when he replied. ‘I would be surprised if they did not, but you have no cause to fear the out…’

‘Fear the outcome!’ interrupted the spymaster. ‘Don’t be absurd Darl. We
need
them to attack us.’ The commander’s face began to redden, he was unaccustomed to being treated as a fool.
 

Garnoth continued, seemingly oblivious to the discomfiture of the man opposite. ‘I am concerned at the loss of the ships we gave them. They are a valuable resource. Of course, they will have to be destroyed.’ In this statement there
was
a question, for while Garnoth knew as much about the firepower of Eclipse, as its commander, he dared to hope the military man’s combat experience might offer up the slimmest possibility the hybrid ships could be captured intact.

On this occasion Darl understood exactly what was being asked. ‘Regrettably, the ships are too small for us to target areas that will simply immobilise them. Even the darts will not assist. The hybrid ships do have the ability to mount a sustained attack, causing severe damage to us, and so we cannot take the risk…’ the spymaster simply walked from the commander’s ready room. Darl felt compelled to look at the Avatar, but the machine regarded him with no hint of emotion whatever, before breaking eye contact and following its master. Unaccustomed to fear, Darl was nevertheless unnerved at the thought of the machine thoroughly scanning him, and determining with some accuracy what he was feeling. He was grateful it was unable to read his thoughts!
 

He turned his attention to his ship. The anticipated attack would come within minutes. The darts were ready for launch with their pilots at battle readiness. The information imparted to him concerning the Tellurians, suggested they would seek to modify the weaponry they had managed to reactivate. He hoped that was correct, otherwise the imminent encounter would be very short, indeed. Darl had no doubts concerning the outcome, but wanted his young pilots to have some bragging rights upon their return home. He had no intention of letting Garnoth know when the engagement had begun. The Avatar would know, and relay the information to its master.

Ω

Within moments of leaving Darl's ready room, Garnoth was in his own stateroom, addressing Tala on a secure channel.

Ω

The image in the hologram once again became Garnoth. ‘This is a secure channel for your ears only, and of course Beron, who has seen fit to join you.’ A palpable chill coursed through every Tellurian present. Garnoth continued to speak as though they did not exist or were of no consequence, because they would soon cease to exist. He looked at Beron. ‘Where is the girl?’

Beron’s reply was hesitant. ‘There was an accident.’

Tala arched her eyebrows.

Garnoth pressed him. ‘A fatal accident?’

‘Yes.’

The smile from Garnoth’s last
appearance
was replaced by a frown. ‘Are you certain it was an accident?

‘There is no doubt,’ Beron replied.

‘Then our plans are not derailed. Before her death, did she say who assisted her?’

‘No, it happened too quickly and her death was instantaneous,’ the frown on Garnoth’s face darkened.

‘But,’ Beron hastily added, ‘Hugo Black has since informed me that he had help.’

Garnoth’s smile returned. ‘Perhaps all is not lost,’ looking now at Tala. ‘Either the girl, or her friends were able to infiltrate our systems. One of them has admitted to receiving help, and it is reasonable to conclude this may provide the best evidence yet of the rebel faction.’

Tala interjected. ‘You think they might have had direct contact?’

‘My dear,’ Garnoth replied, ‘most of what we deal in is rumour and conjecture. The contact may have been indirect, but the link may still lead us to the wellspring of the rebellion. Bring Black and the injured Tellurian with you, there is no need for niceties, they will die either on board, or when you send them home.’

Tala looked at Beron who immediately walked over to the injured man, took his good arm and held it fast. He then steered Jon to a point midway between the door they had all just filed through and Hugo, effectively blocking the latter’s exit. To escape using the other door, he would have to pass Tala, not that Hugo had any intention of escaping. The spirit within the room was such that no one attempted to stop Beron, not even the Secret Service.

Without waiting for a response the image of Garnoth was gone and the hologram returned to a view of the ships above them.

Δ

President Conway recovered some of his composure. He looked to the displays on the wall, and each of the grim-faced leaders nodded. Moving his gaze to Tala, he leaned over to the intercom, pressed a button and spoke into it: ‘General Fitzsimmons, this is the President, divert all defenders to confront our visitors…this is not a drill.’ Through the speaker on the intercom was heard the reply. ‘Very well, Mister President.’
 

All eyes turned to the hologram floating above them. Within moments thirty-six sleek, silvered ships came into view. They travelled in an inverted ‘V’ formation, but as they approached the three waiting Te’an ships, the formation changed to a three dimensional, four-pointed star and the reason soon became apparent. Lines of energy flowed from each of the smaller ships, connecting them in a lattice of light.

The official fitting of the ships had been carried out by TeCorp, and Hugo had inspected them often enough in the construction hangers, so he knew they were each half as long again as a transatlantic jet, with a compliment of thirty-six crew members. Yet, next to the Te’an warships, they were dwarfed. Each of the invading ships was forty times the length of the Earth vessels, presupposing they were of the same order of magnitude as the ship he had first been shown, they may have been even bigger.

The President addressed Tala. ‘We will defend ourselves. Ask your ships to leave, or we will be forced to fire upon you.’

‘With the ships we gave you? The ships with disabled weaponry? That was not very trusting.’ She had, of course diverted considerable resources to ensure that she was kept up to date with the work done by the Tellurians to restore the weaponry, and knew they had been successful, but intelligence was sketchy when it came to the extent of their success. Accomplishing anything so advanced as conjoined energy weapons, surprised and impressed her.