HADRON Emergent Read online

  Jasper replied as Johnny walked up. “Well, then we’ll just have to send the ape-man in first.”

  Johnny asked, “Ape-man first what? What’d I miss?”

  Chapter 3

  *

  The Targarian captain again contacted Jasper: “Sire, our ship near Earth is receiving a comm request from Malcom Stark.”

  Mace replied, “Patch him through.”

  Jasper scowled. “Scum has nothing to say that I want to hear.”

  “Well, I do,” said Mace. “Please have him patched through.”

  Jasper half frowned. “Accept.”

  An image of Malcom Stark displayed above Jasper’s arm. “You two just refuse to die, don’t you?”

  Mace said, “We’ve had enough from you. You’re now the enemy as far as we’re concerned.”

  Stark huffed. “I’ve always been the enemy. And your meddling had to come to an end. I’m sorry it had to end this way. Although I’m guessing you still have a dozen ships remaining. I suppose we should be looking forward to dealing with pirate raids now? Keep in mind, we will be setting traps for you. And your stealth suits and ships… well, they aren’t quite as stealthy as they once were.”

  Mace replied, “So you gave us up?”

  Stark smiled. “You showed me the way. The projectors at the cave… we determined how to defeat them with a simple EM pulse. It seems the projector gives off an afterglow when a pulse is encountered. That little discovery allowed us to search the logs of the UF ship factories. It took some doing, but we managed to gather the video evidence of you taking control of the CEO of the Knuttin Corporation. I take it Mr. Knuttin is no longer with us? You turned on your friend?”

  Mace shook his head. “Whether he’s still around or not is not your concern. And talking of turning, you must have done a number on the Karthians to get them to commit to that slaughter.”

  Stark nodded. “The Karthians were fools. They were desperate and refused to heed my warnings about the UF. They are now finished as an empire and a species. Their remaining colonies will be used for mining raw materials from their worlds until there is nothing left to take. They will then be moved to new mines or disposed of. I don’t particularly care either way.”

  “And I suppose you’ve come out of this smelling rosy?”

  Stark sighed. “It will be a long slow road to our salvation, I’m afraid. The Kohamians are not as easily manipulated as the others. I’ve been given control of several hundred older model cruisers and dreadnoughts. And a dozen Karthian support ships that surrendered. The value of those will only be useful as escorts for the transport fleet I have also been given.

  “We are now the soldier army for all external United Front engagements. Since they are currently not at war with anyone, I look at it as a time for peace and for continued growth here at home.”

  Jasper said, “Well, you better keep your sorry ass hidden. If I ever find out where you are I’m taking you out personally.”

  Stark slowly shook his head. “You won’t find me, Mr. Collins. I have teams of people keeping my identity hidden. And after my encounter with you at Terrex, being snatched away, I now employ a lookalike for most of my face-to-face meetings. It turns out the Karthians had some fantastic automated surgical equipment. I now have three associates who look identical to me in every way, with more to be added. They can even fool most DNA tests, although I won’t go into that here. Needless to say, Mr. Collins, you can kill me all you want now. Chances are high though that it will not be me.”

  Jasper scowled. “I have no problem killing off your flunkies as well.”

  Mace intervened: “OK, this conversation is going nowhere. Stark, did you just call to gloat or what?”

  Malcom Stark smiled. “There is undoubtedly some of that. I would rather say that I was merely sizing up the competition. The fact that the two of you remain breathing and functioning is both rewarding and frustrating at the same time.

  “On one hand, it shows the adaptability and determination of Humans, but on the other it shows my lack of ability to kill you off. My planning for this was superb, with every required piece firmly in place, and yet you still managed to somehow slip away. I would advise against giving me another opportunity, as I won’t miss again.”

  Johnny cut in: “You’re like a septic tank, Stark. You can put a lid on it, but the stuff inside still smells like—”

  Mace raised a hand. “I think this conversation is over. Stark, we will be gunning for you from now on. And as you said, we’re both adaptive and determined.”

  Stark again smiled. “I’ll be counting on it.”

  The comm closed.

  Jasper spit on the ground. “If I ever get my hands on him, there won’t be much left when I’m done.”

  “I think that’s the last comm we’ll be accepting from him,” said Mace. “While fascinating to know what he did and how, his goal was to see if we were still alive. We can’t allow him that information going forward.”

  Johnny nodded. “Keep him wondering. I like that plan.”

  Mace said, “Come on, let’s get everyone together.”

  A status was given as to where everything stood. The ship numbers and trained crews were far below what they had been. And their technology had lost its edge. A full accounting of everything Stark had told them was given.

  Mace said, “Now we have to figure out what comes next. Our people on Earth are out of danger for the moment. What does that mean for us? It means we can focus on our needs right here for a while. We can build those underground facilities we need.

  “And while the holo-projectors are now useless, our gatrellium copper paint is still effective against scanners, thanks to some trickery by Doc and Mr. Klept. Each of our ships was equipped with a nitric acid fogger. When a hull was compromised, the fogger filled the ship with the acid, which subsequently caused the copper to leach out of the paint applied to the interiors of our ships and to our battlesuits.

  The result was a pure gatrellium coating that was covered in an ultrathin layer of copper nitrate crystals. This still provides signal blockage when scanner signals are concerned, but there are key frequencies that are not blocked as a result.”

  Mace continued, “So what does this mean? It means we still have one advantage. Our bio-signatures aren’t visible, and our underground facilities here are still safe. All we will need to do is cover our entranceway. That still gives us a significant advantage for moving about. We’ll be visible to the eye and to the camera, but not through walls or by sensors. What I’m trying to say here is that we’re safe here, once we cover that cave entrance.”

  Jeff stood. “Well done, Mr. Hardy. An excellent layman’s explanation of the remaining technology.”

  Mace held up a hand. “Thank you, Doc. I have one more item to cover. If any of you at any time receive a comm request from Stark, ignore it. He’s only trying to gather intel on us. Log where it was that you received it and let us know. Maybe he slips up and we get lucky and can trace the comm back. Doubtful, but do it just the same. Doc… they’re all yours.”

  Jeff nodded. “I just wanted to report on our science and engineering progress. We are now entering the manufacturing phase for our thunder glove production. We should be turning out a dozen units per day by week’s end.

  “Also, there have been a number of complaints about the musty smell coming from our environmental systems. A solution for that should be coming online in the next day or two. It seems the prior inhabitants intentionally added that characteristic to the system, probably to mimic the odors of their home world. Anyway, that issue is being resolved.”

  Jeff sat.

  Mace said, “Doc? One more item?”

  Jeff stood and bowed. “My apologies. The wormhole device we have been working on for months remains in the testing phase. Young Zax Tretcher has been assisting me with a feedback issue that has been standing in the way of progress. We hope to have this issue resolved in the coming days as well.”

  Jeff again sa
t.

  Mace said, “Mr. Collins and his team will be focused on ship repair for the time being. When all ships are deemed to be back at full strength, we’ll have another meeting to discuss our next move. So go out and just keep doing the best at what you’re doing. That is all.”

  As the group dispersed to go about their given tasks, Mace pulled Jasper aside. “I need to borrow one of your shuttles. I want to head out to Promexa to fill Favia in on what’s transpired. If Stark has his way, he’ll be pushing for the UF to find where the Hoorka are and attack. If they can be prepared and show strength, that’s less likely to happen.”

  Jasper pointed to the landing bay. “Take number five. It’s in good shape and fully stocked.”

  Mace nodded thanks as he turned to face Jenny. “Want to go for a ride?”

  Jenny smiled. “With you? Always.”

  The shuttle departed and was soon in Hoorka space. After a quick inspection they were allowed to proceed to the palace. Mace walked into the throne room with Jenny just behind.

  Jenny looked around. “This is spectacular.”

  Favia met Mace at the bottom of the steps. “I’ve been hoping to see you. After our last engagement with the Karthians, I’ve been given full command of the military. No longer do I have to go through a committee to present a case for either war or defense.”

  Mace bowed before joining her, taking a seat on a step. “You don’t have to worry about the Karthians. They’ve been wiped out. But before you celebrate… I’m here to tell you of a new threat. The United Front now controls Earth and they are in the process of taking over the Karthian worlds. The Karthian fleet was destroyed, leaving them virtually defenseless. The UF will be making them all slaves until the resources of their worlds are used up. After that they will be disposed of.”

  Favia sat in thought for several seconds before responding. “I’ve recently come across some intelligence information about the Karthian Empire. They were said to be rich in gatrellium. Our spies were able to locate the sources of their supplies. I’ve had my war room planning out how we might take possession of those abundant assets, possibly curtailing their ability to fight.”

  Mace said, “If you know where those mines are and you have the ability to take control of them, I would do so. Gatrellium is the one thing the UF is in short supply of. We captured most of the Karthian supply just before their defeat. The UF fleets are desperately looking for those mines or wherever that supply was coming from.”

  Favia stood, clapping her hands. Her advisors scurried into the room.

  Favia said, “I want every ship we can spare sent to the Karthian mines, and I want every bit of ore that can be found removed immediately. We may only have days to make this happen.”

  The advisors turned and hurried out of the room, each speaking into their comms.

  Mace said, “I was thinking about something maybe a little more quiet. Like go in and take what we can before they get there.”

  Favia shook her head. “The Karthians knowingly attacked our territory. Lives were lost and property destroyed. This will be their payment for their transgressions. And if it deprives another hostile race of a mechanism for war, then all the more reason to do this.”

  Mace removed his helmet, rubbing his temples. “The problem gets more complex this time. The UF are in control of our people and they will be using them as their ground fighters for any engagements. I want desperately to not have my people killed. Unfortunately, we have a leader at the moment who has ambitions. And one of those ambitions is to grab power and control from those who have it. He wants to build the trust of the UF to the point where he can overthrow them.”

  Favia replied, “Yes, you’ve made me fully aware of your Mr. Stark. I will attempt to avoid ground confrontations. However, I cannot make promises. If I find it in our best interest to take action, I will do so.”

  Mace nodded. “That’s all I could ask.”

  The advisors returned to the room. “The admirals are preparing the fleet. A raid on the first gatrellium mining planet will begin in approximately five hours. The admirals estimate no more than an hour to overtake the defenses there. Our mining ships and crews will follow just behind. If our intel is correct, we believe the mine can be cleared in as few as five days.”

  Mace said, “Might I suggest multiple operations? If the UF learns what you’re doing they will send their entire fleet. As I said, they are desperate for gatrellium.”

  Favia turned to her advisors. “Have you planned for simultaneous operations? I’d like these mines cleaned out all at once if possible. Precisely how many are we talking of liberating?”

  One of the advisors replied, “Three major mines, one minor, and one asteroid.”

  Mace asked, “Can the asteroid be moved? Could you open a wormhole large enough to push it through to your space?”

  The advisor nodded. “It is possible.”

  Favia said, “Make that happen, Mr. Rieko. It can be mined later. Divert any resources that would have been used for that location to the others. Speed is of the essence here.”

  Mace smiled. “I wasn’t expecting this. You continue to shine as a leader of your people. You take away their gatrellium and the UF will be unable to conduct war. If I had ships I would attempt a raid on their current supplies. We could bring them to their knees.”

  Favia said, “Do you have the intel of where their supplies are kept?”

  Mace frowned. “We’ve looked. It didn’t show on any of our scans. Those were of their colonies. They must have a secret base or maybe a space-based facility that isn’t near a colony.”

  Favia said, “Then we will have to send spies to determine its whereabouts.”

  Mace shook his head. “Doubt you would find anything out. The Kohamians are a united people. Very patriotic. There are no other species mingling among them that are made to feel inferior.”

  Favia replied, “Then we will have to capture a few high ranking officials to interrogate. We have very effective methods for that.”

  Mace winced. “You’d have to grab someone from near the top of their command to—”

  Mace stopped and stood. “These techniques… would the individual be harmed?”

  Favia replied, “Not necessarily, although that negates some of our more effective techniques.”

  Mace smiled. “If you can promise me that no harm will come to a person under interrogation, I may just have the person we need. He’s a powerful businessman and very likely is involved in the mining or processing of this material, if not in the building of a storage structure for it. Chances are high that he would know.”

  Favia said, “If you can bring this individual to me, I will see to it that he is not harmed.”

  Mace walked toward the doorway where Jenny was waiting. “I’ll be back shortly, Favia… I mean, Your Highness.”

  Favia smiled. “No need for formalities when it is just us, Mr. Hardy.”

  Mace stopped and replied, “If that’s the case, then please call me Mace.”

  Favia gestured toward the door. “Hurry along, Mace.”

  Half an hour later the shuttle was setting down in the queen’s courtyard. Frado Knuttin was escorted into the queen’s throne room.

  “Your Highness, may I present Frado Knuttin. He’s a powerful and important businessman in the United Front Empire. I ask that your people treat him with respect during this process.”

  Frado said, “You haven’t told me… what is the meaning of this?”

  Mace replied, “I believe you know the whereabouts of the gatrellium stores of your people. The queen and her associates would like to liberate your people of their gatrellium burden. It’s only bringing you war and we’d like to end that for you.”

  Frado scowled. “Mr. Hardy, you expect me to give up state secrets? Even if I knew I would not divulge those. That would be traitorous.”

  Mace nodded. “I know that and you know that. Unfortunately that’s information we need. Your people are short on gatrellium. If we were
able to cut your supply, perhaps your leaders would be interested in returning to a peaceful path forward. So you can do this the easy way and just tell us, or the hard way, during which you will tell us anyway.”

  Frado returned an indignant look. “I’ll take the hard way.”

  Mace gestured toward two soldiers standing by the throne room doorway. “I thought you would say that. These gentlemen will escort you to where several others will be extracting the information. I’m sorry for all this, Mr. Knuttin. But our people are at war.”

  Word of the location of two lone facilities came back in less than an hour. The information was passed to the Hoorka war council, where a liberation plan was put forth and voted into action. A hundred twenty Hoorka warships fell on the unsuspecting handful of UF dreadnoughts that guarded the UF gatrellium bays. Their defenses were quickly eliminated and the storage bays containing the bulk of the UF’s gatrellium supply were sent through wormholes back to Hoorka space.

  Word soon came back of the successful raids on the Karthian mines. The remaining Karthian defenses were weak and quickly overpowered. The large asteroid being mined was stolen and pushed through a wormhole to a safe location.

  Favia said, “Outstanding, Mace. These finds will increase our holdings by almost 50 percent. And if what you say of the UF supplies holds true, this will go a long way toward stopping any major conflict between us before it starts.”

  Mace nodded. “I’m just glad you’ve been such a good friend and ally to the Humans. I’m hoping these losses will persuade the UF to release my people.”

  Favia clapped her hands. “Bring the Kohamian back.”

  Mace said, “Thank you for not harming him.”

  Favia smiled. “He will be returning to you without the knowledge of what transpired. As far as he knows, he was given a tour of the palace as a diplomatic gesture. He’s coming back to you without knowledge of what it was he gave up.”

  “Excellent. Thank you for that as well. He’s actually a friend and I’d rather he not feel he sold out his people.”