Adventures of a Greenie Green Marine Vol 3 Chapter 4 Betrayed
- 4 years ago
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“My ship?” Roy repeated the question.
The Wurgus made the confirming gesture again. “Yes, Masterun. The All Patriarch has gifted you a Pod ship. You can’t be a Patriarch without a Podship.”
Roy sighed. “You Wurgus value honesty right?”
“Yes, above all,”
“We humans like to be asked about things like that. This should go both ways you know. I want to become a Marine and I don’t need a ship or want to make a career out of becoming a surrogate Wurgus. I think you guys are very nice and go out of your way to accommodate me, but I like to be asked.”
Roy gestured around. “No one asked me if I want to be here.”
“Do you resent this? You are an integral part of this development.”
“Resend? No of course not, but it feels so much bigger than me and out of proportion and there is the fact, I just started Marine training. I mean I did not even complete my second week.”
Roy made a crooked smile, quite certain the facial expression completely lost to the Wurgus. “How long do you think I am going to be here?”
“I can’t tell you that for certain. Our All Patriarch made you Patriarch, you are the very first non-Wurgus ever so honored. The Wurgus think that you should learn a little about Wurgus society.”
“That could mean I am here for years.”
“We will do our best to do this as fast as possible.”
Sam and Martha had successfully boarded the Silver Swan before the liner was leaving Harper’s Junction for its next leg, which was Spindlar, the system named after the Union member civilization that originated from its third planet.
The Spindlar were one of the very early Union members, and thus about as well developed and connected as all of the core space members. Like all of these systems, it was connected to the Space Train network which offered the fastest cross Union space transportation. Both of their intended destinations were connected to the Space Train Network.
Neither Martha nor Sam decided to book passage on the A Deck. Especially not for just a short trip of just two days. C Deck accommodations were just fine.
A Porter-bot had shown them to their accommodations and while they were taking temporary possession of their cabins, a soft and melodic gong sound struck three times and was followed by an announcement that the Silver Swan had suspended all dirt-side activities and would soon be space-born. The announcement came with the usual push for the onboard restaurants, shops, and recreational options. Casino gambling was suspended until the ship reached Quasi Space. There was of course an announcement regarding the ETA to the next port of call. Which was a few hours less than two standard days and since the Universal Time Reform of 4880, time was no longer directly linked to Old Terran Time, an hour lasted 100 minutes and a day 20 hours. Martha had heard that only the Union Navy was still insisting on the age-old sixty minutes per hour and twenty-four hours a day scheme. Computronics of course had no problem keeping the time in both systems, even though it was a mystery to Martha why the fleet insisted on such antiquated things.
To Sam, who had his cabin right across the corridor of hers, she expressed her desire to freshen up, call her friend and then retire early. The recent developments had stirred her emotionally more than she realized.
Sam smiled at her and his face signaled to understand. Again she kissed the dark-skinned giant on the cheek. Even this fleeting kiss turned out to be a little more than the first one, and for some reason, she managed to siphon some of the man’s unfathomable strength and unapologetic masculine strength along with it.
As she closed the door to her cabin, she wondered how different her life might have been if she met Sam instead of Paul.
She sighed as she dismissed that fantasy. Back then she was not interested in Marines or anything associated with the military for that matter.
She pushed the thoughts regarding Sam aside and first tried to call Sister, just to make sure her most unusual friend was still safe. Martha used the last contact she had. “System, connect me with Tria Cinolone. She should be on my recent contact list.”
The image presented was that of a uniformed female. “Good Fifth hour, Dr.Masters, just the person we wanted to talk to.”
Unlike the call, she received from the Ranger, this time she was well aware that Sister had done something very bad, perhaps even committed murder. Her rational mind urged her right away to be truthful and assist the authorities in any way she could, this was after all part of her Union Citizen commitment. But another side in her remembered the time they had spent together; the promises they made and she of course remembered that Sister called her for help.
Martha was not simple-minded and instantly recognized the uniform of the woman on the other side as one worn by the Army and not Union Police.
“Who are you? You are not Tria.”
“We are investigating...” The uniformed woman was interrupted in mid-sentence as a new image replaced hers. A similar uniformed man appeared and if Martha recalled her Union school lessons correctly, the rank insignia on the man’s shoulder applets displayed those of a General.
“I am sorry to interrupt, but when I heard famous Dr. Masters herself is calling, I simply had to take over the conversation.”
“I fail to see why I am wasting my time with Army officers. You are not Tria either.”
“Uh, Tria is no longer able to answer Com requests. May I ask what you two have discussed earlier? You and she had a previous com, right?”
“That is none of your business, Sir.”
Martha disconnected and was thinking hard. Something else was going on. This was not Union Police, but that Sister did something to Tria was quite certain to her.
Martha nibbled on her fingernails, staring towards the door, wondering about Sam. He was the best help she could ask for, but he was a Union soldier and a law-abiding citizen. He would have to turn Sister in, that was his duty.
Just as she was contemplating, her Com Unit blinked with a missed call. This time it was from public GalNet terminal on Earth itself, it was a Charge accept call. But the connection was not made even after she accepted the charges. The system told her, that the other user was no longer there. A recorded message confirmed it was from Sister, but lasted only a few seconds. “Martha, help.”
The system was able to tell her, that the call came from a place called Paris, Earth.
General Warwick scolded the Lieutenant. “Don’t jeopardize our situation! It will take all cloud I have and then some to keep the idiots of the Union Police of the trail. It can’t be helped that they are involved.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Just then a Union Police detective stepped away from the smashed and destroyed heap of twisted metal and broken Dura-Plast that one was an integral part of an ancient Saresii machine. A machine the General put great hopes in, ever since he had learned of its existence from his NAVINT contact.
A man now accused of killing his own life-partner in the most gruesome fashion.
The Union Police investigator was still slowly shaking his head. “I simply don’t understand all this.”
“I told you, detective. Since the missing woman was Army, you could leave the whole investigation to Army CID.”
“You said so before General Wamprick, but this is not exactly up to me or you, Sir. You see, this lab facility was not Army, but leased by a private research company from the Union Navy. Now somehow this entire facility disappeared over twenty years ago from the regular City plans, I am sure by pure accident or some easily explainable glitch. All this appears quite coincidental, would it not be for the fact that our missing Dr. Ruhtkamph listed as a Tubeworm researcher, shares all academic credentials with Dr. Ruhtkamph, a renowned neurologist.”
“Detective, does that not tell you that you might have stumbled upon a military sensitive operation here, and it would be a wise thing to let professionals take care of this situation without making this a public affair? By the way and I am General Warwick, not Wamprick.”
“Ah, I am always glad you military types explain things to us simple civilians like that. I mean who would not let the Army take over, fewer reports and headaches?”
“Yes indeed.”
“You see, General Wardick, this is the Union and we go by the law and not personal favors. Unless my supervisor presents me with a written order signed by the Justice Council I am on the case. We found blood, bits, and pieces of flesh and gore but no bodies. We have a very disturbing partial recording of a home security system and two missing citizens. That brings me to my next question, why are you here?”
Sister managed to leave Ceres, hidden in a freight crate. The robotic handling system loading vaccu-packed Tube-Worms and Astro Shrooms from an automated conveyor system was truly antiquated, mostly because of the low priority intersystem freight logistics with virtually no security.
While every fiber in her body screamed to kill everyone within the range of her inhumanly fine senses, she was very aware of the fact that she could not keep leaving a trail of death and mayhem without being discovered by forces that could oppose her successfully. While she was cramped in the small box and the conveyor system pushed her box inside the intersystem tram car, not in the least curious why there still was a box leftover, she had time to think.
She had successfully thrashed and hopefully destroyed the physical copy of the Re-Animator, for some reason she could not explain she felt it was important that this technology would not be controlled by the wrong hands. Perhaps to re-unite with the rightful owners or users od that technology was the purpose of her existence. Sister knew that the secrets of that system were somehow hard-coded into her core, where it could be retrieved and recreated easily.
She was disturbed by the fact that the machine had not restored all her abilities. She could not trust her memories, mostly because she did not know which of them were hers, associated to her true, yet to be revealed or discovered purpose and which were not; however the machine or at least the version that had been built in that sub-surface laboratory was unable to graft whatever new identity she was absorbed more permanently. As soon as she had absorbed the matter and mind of a victim it has begun to deteriorate as if rejected and pushed away from her own core.
Most of her mind was driven to accomplish something fundamental to her existence, she had no moral objections to use everything and everyone in her disposal. The strong voice in her included Martha and Geha. They were only tools to be used to advance her true agenda of which she currently knew nothing about, or at least could not remember. However, there was a small voice that felt more familiar than all the others, who wanted to rebel against the others. No, not to use Martha and Geha as tools, but reunite with her friends.
A fool you are! The strong voice accused her. They fear you and will destroy you if they can.
Something deep inside the forbidden Experiment was weeping in utter sadness because she could never escape her destiny. Either to be destroyed or to destroy everything in her wake to accomplish whatever she was driven to accomplish.
The automated in-system Space-Tram system, a much smaller version of the same technology that enabled the Space Trains to bridge vast distances in a very short time, transferred a load of cargo boxes from Ceres to an equally automated distribution system. Here robots and sorting conveyors decided what cargo box went into what standard container which subsequently ended up in the Cargo Bay of a space-born freighter to be shipped anywhere within Union space to whatever customer ordered Ceres raised Tube-Worms or Astro-Shrooms.
Sister had left the cargo box behind, luckily the receiving sorting robot lacked the curiosity to ask why Ceres transferred an empty box. For about an hour she had been hiding in the noisy warehouse, which was quite busy but void of any sentient beings. Neither the fast-moving conveyors nor the scan codes gave her any clue to where the individual boxes were sent.
Uncertain as to what to do next she observed a human technician enter. While the sorting robot lacked the curiosity to ask why there was an empty box with different weight and product code than expected. It did raise enough curiosity in the supervising system to call a live technician.
The recipients of the ordered Ceres Tube Worm -Fresh 88-455666-366, a community of Snofuur would be very surprised to find the remains of Cargo Technician Steve Leclerc instead, but that was not to be very soon, as that particular cargo-box was about to begin a journey of over 2.6 million Lightyears, clear across the Bridge and deep into the Andromeda Galaxy.
Without the actual machine, Sister could not absorb most of the physical aspects of Steve, but the small portable device she had retrieved of a hidden compartment, the human owners of the old system didn’t even know existed.
Steve, was not to be missed until the end of his shift and perhaps even a little longer.
Using Steve’s memories she managed to take a TMT to Earth. Steve resided in a place called Paris, Sister did not want to go to his home and be forced to kill again. Not very far from the TMT alcove, affixed to a stonewall, a blue printed sign reading: Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy.
Much of the fabulous ancient city of lights had seen more activity, but even during its most crowed times, this early morning hour saw virtually no traffic. Sister wanted to call Martha and then find a place to hide until her friend could help her to get away.
Tilo Taros had spent the last days in seclusion and while he was conducted research. He had the resources and access to a wide-spanning network of sympathizers and fanatics that adhered like him to the old cult of the Necros.
He knew he would not be able to find out more from his secluded cloister, important to the Thauran religion of the Blessed Blue Virgin, yet utterly unimportant in terms of galactic importance.
With a sigh, he got up and drew back the heavy velvet curtains he had pulled before the arched stain glass windows of his sanctum. The local sun had set about two hours ago, and neither of the three small moons of this world reflected enough light to make any significant difference to the almost complete darkness surrounding the old walls of this cathedral. The rain-heavy clouds obscuring the usually bright stars eliminated most of whatever light was left, but darkness meant little to Tilo, or anyone else dwelling between these thick stone walls.
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The Admiral was gone, and so was the Devastator so the Silver Swan was once more on her way to its next destination. Roy was back in his suite, Cara sat next to him on his balcony. They had both watched the Devastator accelerate and go to trans light in a flash. Even though there was no sense of size in deep space as there was no reference. The immense ship had dwarfed the Silver Swan to insignificance hanging next to her and then as the most famous ship of the entire Galaxy accelerated they...
He did not know how long he had cried and he must have fallen asleep. This time there was no dream of his mother. He was certain he imagined things but there was a warm heavy arm on his shoulder and as he looked up a man sat next to him, the energy curtain was gone and the marine that mocked him stood there with a black eye and with a face of pure fright. “Everything is going to be alright, Roy.” The man next to him wore an all-black uniform, his calf-high boots polished to a mirror shine....
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Roy returned to the hotel to find Cara in the sitting room of their shared suite. She was lounging in a comfortable chair with her legs up gathered in a feminine fashion. A field screen displaying apparently local news floated before her. Cara had her long silvery hair open and wore something soft caressing her curves. To Roy, she had always been an exceptional beauty of exotic grace, but now his mind compared her to his Tanya, and in his mind, no female could compare to her. Just as he was...
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“Nice to meet you, Sir. I have to tell you my mother is dead. She and my father were killed in a pirate attack, a little while ago.” The alien creature paid no attention to what Roy had said. “I am a very old Bellebee and I still get confused using the Avatar technology. This is why I wanted to meet you like this, young Masters. Let Cara and Ukdu talk while I show you a few magnificent sights.” Roy carefully adjusted the thrusters and slowly followed the huge being. “Alright, Mr. Moke-Die....
Celyciia Paydhal and Sergeant Ruddick sat on a picnic blanket in the soft ankle deep grass of North Africa Park, the largest Terran style park of Reckno City. The capitol of Recksnostal Colony. Ruddick said after he devoured another sandwich. “This is how I dreamed police work would be, before I ever joined the force.” Celyciia smiled. “Having a picnic in the park and eating while on duty?” He shook his head. “Of course not, I eat all the time on duty or not. No I mean us listening in on...
Roy had learned that the ship he was on was a Saresii Courier and officially operated under the charter of the Science Council. It was a Henjiitah Class cruiser and 600 meters long. It had the outer appearance of an elongated bulbous plant leaf and reminded him of the thick water filled fleshy leaves of the Glow bush. The ship was not green however but had an iridescent color of pearly pale orange. The ship was called the Gayimeera and since it was not a Union Fleet unit it did not carry the...
The trip back to Belle Station was eventless and so was boarding another long-range shuttle to the outermost planet of the system a few hours later. The intersystem trip would take only 35 minutes as the shuttle did have FTL engines and would bridge most of the six light hours in Quasi space. Sobyr did not even bother finding a seat and went straight to the shuttle’s small lounge for a burger. Roy was too excited to eat or feel hungry, so he opted for a cup of water. “What are they doing...
Siebzehfie, a high ranking Wizard in the Ministry of Information just finished consuming a detailed intelligence report and then looked up and noticed a new participant just taking a seat at the perfectly round, white table at the top of the Ministry of Information tower. There was a shocked hushed silence because it was the Supreme Wizard himself. No one knew how to react, this was unprecedented. The Supreme leader of all Kermac was accompanied by two other Kermac. The one to his right was...
The ship must have gone trans-light, so far they had not spaced anyone. Roy and everyone else had been left behind in one of the destroyers cargo holds. As Cara walked by Partner he saw something his four-legged friend has never done, he flashed his formidable teeth and growled deeply at the Saresii woman. From his animal, he received emotions of confusion and anger towards Cara. She hissed at Partner. “Shut up, stupid beast.” Then she walked out the door. Partner had always liked Cara,...
There were those who doubted the Union could win this war. The Galactic Council led and controlled by the Kermac, was a powerful entity, with hundreds of Thrall species, massive fleets and many millions of warriors. The Larkami were no exception, difficult to control but tremendous fighters. Ninsibfiv, the High Wizard of the Military himself had traveled to Lark, the homeworld of the Larkami to coordinate. He planned to use Larkami manned Kermac warships to counter-attack several Union...
Space bus travel was subsidized and tightly regulated under the Travel Assistance Act of 2224. Union Citizens took this service for granted, as it connected virtually every possible destination within Union Space, but the envy of so many other societies. Roy had his head turned to the viewport on his right, rather than using the field screen he could have activated. The local sun was settling behind the distant horizon and sent its last rays of light over a sprawling orderly Union city....
Cara and Roy had left their seats for a ight meal in the main lounge. Partner insisted to be there as well. While the huge black animal never wanted for any sort of food, it was happily consuming the leftovers and wrappers Roy tossed its way. Cara had finished most of her Muuhn cakes, which were a traditional Saresii lunch item. She educated him, that these vegetarian-based air baked protein dumplings were considered spicy on Sares. He tried, and to him, it was as if eating something...
Paul no longer looked like a slave. He was clean, well-groomed and wore a loose-fitting, light brown colored shirt and pants combination underneath an open seamed dark brown dust cloak, that was so common on Alvor’s Cove. The belt pouch contained an Alvor’s Cove resident license, officially purchased and verified. The colony officials selling these and a host of other permits and licenses only cared about the Iridium chips or the Fullweights they charged and did not ask any questions at...
Kukur Nurop found himself covered with bruises from a severe beating and completely naked in the lizard scat composter. His hands tied to his back, it took him quite some effort to get his head over the lid, only to receive a shovel load of more of the revolting greenish lizard poop into his face. He yelled and cursed on the top of his lungs and his racket alerted an Oghr overseer. “What have we here? Trying to escape by hiding in the shit box? Couldn’t handle the stench eh?” I am Kukur...
The Unth had reached Bhrama Port and rested against the long mooring arm. Groghr nu Trrmphka, the Togar shipmaster stood by the open passenger hatch, accompanied by his Kakth Oghr mate. He watched the tall human debark. “Have a nice time on Brhama, Human and thank whatever gods you may worship that we actually made it.” Sam turned. “I noticed the alarms, but it seems you mastered the situation, whatever it may be.” The Togar shipmaster brushed over his whiskers. “Turned half my fur gray,...
Nijaii plaza was just like everything else, a perfectly groomed, perfectly clean open space multi-leveled space connected with sweeping two or three-step stairs. Interconnected with water features, gurgling fountains and more of those artistic shaped, but not very natural-looking trees. There wasn’t a single leaf on the ground, no one walked or sat on the carpet like grass. Some of the grass was not even green, but pink and peach-colored. The TMT Gazebo centrally located on that plaza had...
Martha and her new friends did not run into anyone as they made their way to the hangar deck. While the Union scientist would have never found anything on this alien ship. It was evident Geha did not have the same problems. She unerringly used elevators and corridors as if she had been raided on this Karthanian. Geha said as they emerged from an elevator shaft. “I wonder where the rest of the crew is. I am sure there are more than the dead goons up in Command and Control.” “There aren’t...
The subject of that angry interchange inside the hidden chamber beneath the tower of Wizards was strapped into his command seat, a good 60,000 Light year distance. Einulsiebzwe was a Kermac, and like the current Supreme Wizard Zwhehzwheneu he could trace his roots all the way back to Koken and he was proud of his heritage. As his T-cruiser, the very latest of its kind with the finest and best technology the Galactic Council had to offer, was accelerating to punish that impudent Union Police...
Two hours just weren’t enough to find a man who knew this rock and did not want to be found. Sam knew the Bennett’s were quite serious about their warning. Even with Charles, he could not win. This wasn’t an open planet where he could hide in the wilderness somewhere. This was a closed environment with areas not accessible to him, and with too many eyes and ears. He had asked all the usual sources and while they all knew something about Dimon, no one really knew where he was. Sam did find...
Roy found himself waking in a huge bed, Tanya snuggled close to him, Partner behind them both like a giant living pillow. The window across the bed provided a vista over a green mountain meadow. It took him a moment to get oriented and remembered taking a shower and crawling more tired than he realized he was into this bed. A glance on his Wrist-com told him, that was six hours ago. The enormous bed, greatly expanded to accommodate Partner was part of this uber-lux master bedroom. The window...
This was the first time Supreme Wizard Zwhehzwheneu noticed that the seven xenomorphs in their hidden chamber right beneath the Tower of the Supreme Wizard were not as arrogant and aloft as they usually acted. It almost seemed the seven were disturbed and perhaps even afraid. They had summoned him and he of course obeyed. “I have heard your call and here I am.” “Our assets, the eyes we have developed within the society known as the Union disappear at an alarming rate. We lost contact with...