stopped crystallizing planets, anyway.”
“Yes, there was that ,” Siella clicked. “I hope I don’t offend you, sir, but you have to admit, it was an incredible way to terraform.”
“Oh, it was outstanding!” Cort laughed. “No offense whatsoever, Siella. Believe me, if I had been on that side, I would have fought just as hard for the Cuplans as I do for us. The point is… Hell. I don’t know the point anymore. I guess I just had a gut feeling your people would be good allies. Or maybe I just loved Heroc too much to wipe out her people.”
“I was not born during her time, but from what I have studied of our history, your friendship with her changed both our peoples.”
“No. That’s not right, Siella. She alone joined our peoples, and made us one. Heroc’s Law will never be broken. Laypa has already confirmed it, so it is now in effect for hundreds of years, thanks to your new, longer life spans. If her successor confirms it, it will bind our people forever.”
“It is unfortunate we lost the crystal technology,” Siella mused. “It might have served you well on the other side of the wormhole.”
“Perhaps, but it’s better forgotten.” Cort remembered a conversation with Heroc when she told him she had destroyed the technology and that its secrets would die with her. “She knew that, so she made sure it was lost, and the galaxy is a better place because she did.”
“Do you really believe that, General?”
Cort looked up at Siella, then back at the planet below them. “No, but I would be a better person if I did.”
Cort heard a beep and Siella clicked, “Prima... Governor Siella. Go ahead.” After listening for a moment, “Very well, we will join you in a few minutes. When we take your station, you are to assume ours. Siella out.”
“That was my ship, General. There is activity on the dark side of the planet.”
--
The Kalashnikov ’s shuttle descended slowly. Cort, Siella, and a mixed squad of security people were on board, along with Cort’s dire wolf, Bane. In the last hour, the Ares ships had watched the land below them come alive. The cities were still empty, but every farm was active. There were low power lights, and hundred of people working every section Cort could see.
“They’ve been hiding,” Cort said to no one.
“Sir?”
“They are hiding from something, Siella. It all makes sense. Their proximity to the black hole. Their abandoned cities. They only come out at night. They shield the planet with magnetics. They are hiding from the black hole.”
“Of course! The black hole targets Earth using a tachyon carrier wave. The magnetic field prevents the wave from forming properly.”
“I don’t know about all that. I’m just beginning to understand basic physics, but you can bet your ass they are hiding from the same people who are taking humans. Send a message to Solitude. Tell them to put up some sort of magnetic field around earth. They can use ships or coil guns. I don’t really care about that. Just tell them to put a magnetic field around Earth at least as powerful as this one. They can fine tune it later, but I want that field up before the next abduction. And get my invasion force here now.”
“Yes, sir.” Siella moved away from Cort and started rapidly clicking into her comm.
Cort looked at his flex pad. The drones they had deployed since beginning their entry into the planet’s atmosphere picked up enough weak signal radio broadcasts that the language and translation database had enough information for basic communication and its library of the language was growing rapidly. By the time the shuttle landed, they would have the ability to easily speak with the species below them.
Looking at a holotable that was projecting the land below them, Cort ordered the shuttle pilot to set down behind a large abandoned building near a farm that was being heavily worked. As the
“Yes, there was that ,” Siella clicked. “I hope I don’t offend you, sir, but you have to admit, it was an incredible way to terraform.”
“Oh, it was outstanding!” Cort laughed. “No offense whatsoever, Siella. Believe me, if I had been on that side, I would have fought just as hard for the Cuplans as I do for us. The point is… Hell. I don’t know the point anymore. I guess I just had a gut feeling your people would be good allies. Or maybe I just loved Heroc too much to wipe out her people.”
“I was not born during her time, but from what I have studied of our history, your friendship with her changed both our peoples.”
“No. That’s not right, Siella. She alone joined our peoples, and made us one. Heroc’s Law will never be broken. Laypa has already confirmed it, so it is now in effect for hundreds of years, thanks to your new, longer life spans. If her successor confirms it, it will bind our people forever.”
“It is unfortunate we lost the crystal technology,” Siella mused. “It might have served you well on the other side of the wormhole.”
“Perhaps, but it’s better forgotten.” Cort remembered a conversation with Heroc when she told him she had destroyed the technology and that its secrets would die with her. “She knew that, so she made sure it was lost, and the galaxy is a better place because she did.”
“Do you really believe that, General?”
Cort looked up at Siella, then back at the planet below them. “No, but I would be a better person if I did.”
Cort heard a beep and Siella clicked, “Prima... Governor Siella. Go ahead.” After listening for a moment, “Very well, we will join you in a few minutes. When we take your station, you are to assume ours. Siella out.”
“That was my ship, General. There is activity on the dark side of the planet.”
--
The Kalashnikov ’s shuttle descended slowly. Cort, Siella, and a mixed squad of security people were on board, along with Cort’s dire wolf, Bane. In the last hour, the Ares ships had watched the land below them come alive. The cities were still empty, but every farm was active. There were low power lights, and hundred of people working every section Cort could see.
“They’ve been hiding,” Cort said to no one.
“Sir?”
“They are hiding from something, Siella. It all makes sense. Their proximity to the black hole. Their abandoned cities. They only come out at night. They shield the planet with magnetics. They are hiding from the black hole.”
“Of course! The black hole targets Earth using a tachyon carrier wave. The magnetic field prevents the wave from forming properly.”
“I don’t know about all that. I’m just beginning to understand basic physics, but you can bet your ass they are hiding from the same people who are taking humans. Send a message to Solitude. Tell them to put up some sort of magnetic field around earth. They can use ships or coil guns. I don’t really care about that. Just tell them to put a magnetic field around Earth at least as powerful as this one. They can fine tune it later, but I want that field up before the next abduction. And get my invasion force here now.”
“Yes, sir.” Siella moved away from Cort and started rapidly clicking into her comm.
Cort looked at his flex pad. The drones they had deployed since beginning their entry into the planet’s atmosphere picked up enough weak signal radio broadcasts that the language and translation database had enough information for basic communication and its library of the language was growing rapidly. By the time the shuttle landed, they would have the ability to easily speak with the species below them.
Looking at a holotable that was projecting the land below them, Cort ordered the shuttle pilot to set down behind a large abandoned building near a farm that was being heavily worked. As the
Similar Books
