Part 37 (1/2)
”I could try talking to them on the radio,” Hudson said excitedly. The realization drove home. His scalp crawled. The fleet was back!
Hudson noticed Doworn.o.bb flinch and subtly adjust his posture.
”Yes, you could,” came a powerful voice-Longo's. Bareheaded, but wearing a burgundy Genellan suit, the officer cantered into Hudson's camp. Four soldiers armed with blasters and wearing full combat suits trailed behind. ”But I would rather you did not.”
Hudson tried to think. Why not? he wondered. It was the nightmare he had been warned of. He swallowed and stared Longo in the eyes.
”Good afternoon, most excellent Colonel,” he said. ”Of course, as your guest I would be at your pleasure to communicate with the, eh...” He could not come up with the correct konish word. ”With the, eh... not known... s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.”
”Your cooperation is appreciated, Master Huhsawn,” replied Longo, inadequately civil. ”The, eh...unidentified s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p will be contacted at the appropriate time. We will certainly call you to a.s.sist us. For now I request that you remain in our dome. I leave soldiers to keep you company. I am sure you understand my meaning.” He turned and departed without waiting for a reply. The soldiers deployed to the entrances. s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p will be contacted at the appropriate time. We will certainly call you to a.s.sist us. For now I request that you remain in our dome. I leave soldiers to keep you company. I am sure you understand my meaning.” He turned and departed without waiting for a reply. The soldiers deployed to the entrances.
Kateos and Et Silmarn had quietly followed Longo into the agricultural dome. Kateos bowed her head and lowered her eyes, as was expected. When Longo was comfortably by their position, she cast an overtly obscene gesture at his receding form, much to the surprise and poorly concealed delight of Et Silmarn.
”My mate!” Doworn.o.bb begged, looking nervously at the sentries. ”Do not antagonize authority. Your disrespect will be reported.”
”I apologize, my mate,” Kateos said. ”Of course you are correct. I will harness my feelings.” She checked that Longo's sentries were out of hearing.
”I am happy for you, Hudsawn,” she said. ”They will rescue you.”
”I wish I were as confident.” Hudson walked over to the dome and stared out at the wintry view. ”Colonel Longo may have other ideas.”
”Wha' do-ah weee do-ah nex'?” Et Silmarn asked. ”One of us needs to get to a transmitter,” Hudson said.
COMINT alarms sounded. Something had been intercepted, something that qualified as intelligent communication. Quinn jerked awake at her station and watched G.o.donov move to the monitoring system and disable the alarm. He cleared the system and began interrogation. Quinn's intuition screamed. She floated over to watch. She was frightened.
G.o.donov turned so quickly they collided.
”Contact!” he yelled. He returned to the console. ”What tha- ? It's just a series of pulses. I wonder what the computer thinks it is? I need to pull the logic a.n.a.lysis.” G.o.donov paused for several seconds, staring at the output. ”Would you look...It's Morse code!”
”What does it say?” Quinn asked, her stomach fluttering.
”I'm running it through a conversion. I can't read ditty code.” He punched his keyboard, and the screen changed format. Quinn was afraid to look. She closed her eyes and prayed. An eternity pa.s.sed.
”What does it say, Nes? What does it say?” she cried. G.o.donov hit keys. The decoded message raced across his console: EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION-REMAIN Pa.s.sIVE-YOU ARE STANDING INTO DANGER-SEVENTEEN SOULS HARRIER ONE CREW ALIVE-CHECK LAt.i.tUDE FOUR THREE DASH FIVE FOUR NORTH AND INTERSECTION OF BIG NORTH SOUTH RIVER-HUDSON TLSF ”Nas.h.!.+” Quinn whispered.
”Commander?” G.o.donov asked.
”Nashua Hudson. My husband's second officer. Anything else?” she asked briskly. She moved to her console; her fingers trembled.
”That's all. It was repeated a dozen times and then nothing.”
”Patch the message to Commander Carmichael. Have him maneuver to optimize coverage of the reported lat.i.tude, and tell him to drop to low orbit. Get the rest of the survey team up here.” Quinn felt bitter panic welling within.
Doworn.o.bb finished running the program that generated the peculiar sequence of dots and dashes. He had expected Longo' s soldiers to be guarding all radio access, but it had been ridiculously easy to transmit the radio message. He strolled nonchalantly from the planet's surveillance center. Colonel Longo and a squad of soldiers loped down the corridor toward him. Doworn.o.bb swallowed and kept walking. It made no sense to run; there was no escape. He made an effort to pa.s.s in the wide hall, but one of Longo' s flunkies stepped in front of him, pus.h.i.+ng him against the windowed wall. The thick gla.s.s vibrated with the force of impact.
”Scientist!” Longo said, his voice venomous. ”What were you doing?”
”Huh.. .I was, eh... I was-,” Doworn.o.bb struggled to invent an alibi.
”He was reestablis.h.i.+ng a datalink to our photo satellites-on my orders,” Et Silmarn shouted from behind the soldiers. ”I am updating our research. We have many scientific projects underway, as I am sure you know... most excellent Colonel.” The n.o.blekone elbowed his way through the crowded corridor. Kateos meekly followed him through the soldiers.
Longo gestured impatiently. A soldier stood to attention.
”Sir, the transmissions are not satellite commands,” the soldier barked.
”Ah... because the link was malfunctioning,” Doworn.o.bb stammered, trying desperately to support the n.o.blekone' s thin excuse. ”I ran a narrow portion of a subroutine used to reset parameters within our internal program. The program is not related to actual satellite mechanics, so it is unlikely your technicians would be familiar with the program calls.” Doworn.o.bb continued with a tirade of technical jargon until Longo held up his hand. Longo stared at his technician.
”Well?” Longo demanded.
”Sir, I am only a communications technician. The scientist speaks of matters that I cannot comment upon. What I understand seems reasonable.”
Longo dismissed the technician. He turned to Et Silmarn.
”I will not dispute this thin rationalization, Your Excellency, but it was specifically ordered that no one was to use the radios. I am annoyed that you have seen fit to avoid cooperation. To ill.u.s.trate my irritation, I am placing Scientist Doworn.o.bb under official arrest. He will be confined until I decide what to do about this.”
Kateos burst forth, ”But you have no right. He has done noth-”
”Arrest the female, also. I have had enough of her bad manners.” Longo turned his back on the unfortunate kones. ”Take them away.”
”Excellent Colonel,” Et Silmarn said, his emotions held in check with obvious effort. ”I remind you that those two scientists have the most experience in dealing with the aliens. You have need of their services.”
”You are too modest, Et Silmarn,” Longo replied. ”I have her translation computer. I have you. You are obviously intelligent enough to understand the consequences, whereas your impetuous comrades do not. And you forget-the alien! The alien speaks our tongue extremely well. So you see, I have absolutely no need for those ill-mannered intellectuals. I may suggest...Your Excellency, if you wish them to remain-shall we say-in good health, it would be prudent for you to cooperate with official policies. Do you understand, Your Excellency? Now take them away.”
The soldiers moved. Doworn.o.bb was shoved to the floor and kicked.
”Thugs! Unspeakable savages!” Kateos screamed, and she rushed toward her mate. A soldier pushed her roughly to the ground.
”No, Kateos! Nooo!” Nooo!” Doworn.o.bb bellowed, twisting to help his mate, but the appalling crunch of a thudding truncheon obliterated his consciousness. Doworn.o.bb bellowed, twisting to help his mate, but the appalling crunch of a thudding truncheon obliterated his consciousness.
”Exalted One, Colonel Longo reports the presence of unidentified s.p.a.cecraft in orbit around Genellan,” announced one of Gorruk' s subalterns.
”What?” Emperor-General Gorruk snapped, looking up from his meal.
”Colonel Longo reports with certainty that the aliens have returned.” The underling kneeled and dropped his forehead to the floor.
Gorruk jumped erect. ”The alien fleet has returned! How many s.h.i.+ps?”
”Colonel Longo confirms three s.h.i.+ps in the vicinity of Genellan, Exalted One. He categorizes the s.h.i.+ps as escort vehicles and not interstellars. He has not located the enemy fleet yet, but he has provided us with likely sector information. Colonel Longo has launched two probes and expects to provide final vectors for planetary defense interceptors within the next moon cycle. He recommends the first interceptor wave be launched towards Genellan immediately.”
The alien invasion fleet had returned! Gorruk had no choice but to convene the global defense organization. The defense of the planet was governed by treaty, although, as leader of the largest konish military power and as a general officer in the Planetary Defense Command, he could initiate defensive activity. Sustaining the attacks would require the authorization of the Planetary Defense Senior Command-a neutral staff appointed and approved by all governments of the planet. The thought of having to deal with the international body gave him indigestion, but they were unlikely to obstruct his efforts. The racial memories of the first invasion weighed heavily on all kones.