The Vampires of Antyllus Page 9

  "Hmm...You two wrote these dissertations while asleep?"

  "No. We were allowed to awaken for twenty-four hours to write those."

  "You wrote these in a day?" Doctor Bristol pulled the glasses from her face; she was amazed.

  "No," Cassie replied, "we each completed our papers in seven-and-a-quarter hours."

  "Seven-and-a-quarter hours…by God that's amazing. What did you do with the other fifteen hours?"

  "Doctor," Cassie smiled, "we are newlyweds."

  "Oh…really, you can…ah…I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were able to—" The doctor was clearly flummoxed. "Why is it you two are not PhD's?"

  "I'm afraid," Cassie replied, sitting back in her seat, "the microchip from which we were provided this education was not produced by an accredited university. It was a work of the IIEA."

  The Doctor's eyes continued to scan the monitor, only occasionally shooting glances at Mitch and Cassie. "You can go out into the environment without wearing survival gear?"

  "You mean an ess-cep suit? We don't need them. We're shielded, and we don't breathe."

  "Now, I envy you." She looked hard at the two of them a moment, then took another deep breath. "To be honest with you, I expected IIEA robots after I was informed I was getting two SUBs. But I see you two really are in love, you anger, and are obviously independent thinkers. You are people like any other people, and therein lies our problem. You see…I'm not a people person. I seldom make good judgments as regards character. However, I have a positive feeling about you two, so I'm going to extend my trust to you.

  "As time progresses, you'll come to appreciate just what a leap this is for me. You will also come to realize the situation here is a bit more complex than appearances belie."

  Chapter 6

  Conspirators

  "Complex?" Cassie asked. "Complex, how?"

  Doctor Bristol sat back and took another breath. "There is a great deal of animosity here between the IIEA, the military, and the scientific community," she explained. "The military thinks the scientists are in league with the IIEA and the IIEA think the military and we scientists are in bed together, and we think the military and the IIEA are the ones conspiring together. No one is feeling the love."

  "Good grief, is the colony in danger of failing?" Mitch asked.

  "The IIEA thought it was worth an investigation. However, I see where the investigator was killed on the trip here. What is truly remarkable is that the colony is not failing. As you can see, the construction of the habitat is complete, at least phases one and two, more construction is planned as the colony grows.

  "Our interaction with the Umarraw people is the only stumbling block right now. And, thus, our main mission here, exploration of the planet, is at a standstill."

  "You called them people. Mr. Wilmington went to some length to explain that they are not people; he called them anthropoids, human-like, resembling human beings, but actually creatures who have taken to—"

  "Eating us?" Doctor Bristol interrupted. "Did he compare those of us with compassion and a better understanding to pet owners?"

  Mitch and Cassie's faces betrayed them.

  "Yeah…it's one of his favorite analogies. Let me tell you about those…creatures. They have a very complex culture. They speak an advanced language whose nuances are still a mystery to us. They once built cities of stone here, massive places with plazas and temples. To this day, family units live in well-built stone dwellings, some tribes live in caves that they have altered into what we would call condominiums, with individual family dwellings and communal rooms. They build separate places for their unattached males and females; yes, they have a moral code."

  "So how advanced are these people?" Mitch asked.

  "They have no knowledge of metallurgy so they work solely with stone tools. But they have developed a calendar, they have a rather complete understanding of visual astronomy, and their place in this stellar system. They have mathematics, and a rather advanced form of geometry."

  "Doctor, you are describing an advanced race of humanoids. Where does Wilmington come off with calling them creatures?" Cassie asked.

  "We human beings have a habit of dehumanizing that which threatens us."

  "Yeah…we’ve experienced that," Mitch noted.

  The doctor continued. "We reduce a potential enemy to less than human status in order to make it less difficult to engage in war with that enemy. I cite as an example the various epithets used to describe enemy soldiers; Kruts, Yanks, Nips, Amies, Derks, and many more far worse. This phenomenon is systemic throughout all armies in every recorded conflict on Earth.

  "Wilmington and the IIEA are promoting this kind of bigotry here. This leads one to believe they plan some violence against the indigenous population.

  "The IIEA doesn't want the colony to know the truth about the Umarraw so our work is censored and we are forbidden from talking about our findings outside the confines of our offices. Perhaps it's all guilt-driven."

  "Guilt?" Cassie asked.

  "It seems we gave the Umarraw a little gift from Earth, some disease that killed a lot of them at first. The IIEA will not release the numbers, and now they are trying to cure them. They round up several dozen periodically and treat them in a special clinic outside the colony. In the last few years, relations have become hostile, the Umarraw no longer come willingly to the treatment center so they are abducted, and taken there. It's no wonder they have become hostile.

  "The IIEA no longer allows the lab coats, as they call us, outside the colony. We came here to explore and study this world, a world that is now our home for better or worse, and we scientists are forbidden from doing our work! It's outrageous! Wilmington and the IIEA clowns running this place are entirely responsible for this unacceptable situation!" Her voice had climbed as her anger increased. Then she rose and looked at a mirror on the wall opposite her desk. "That's right Indra, I said clowns. Now, tell Wilmington."

  The Doctor looked back and forth between Mitch and Cassie who were clearly confused. "It's the mirrors. Indra has sensors hidden inside the mirrors. You'll find this place is like a fun house with mirrors everywhere. Also, the fire and atmospheric monitor housings are all Indra sensors. There may be more—we're watched all the time, it's like 1985 here."

  "This situation is totally unacceptable," Cassie declared.

  The doctor looked hard at the two of them, then she took another deep breath, "Okay, you two are in. I'll have some people bring you up to speed on what research we have thus far."

  "Doctor," Cassie asked, "is your research on a computer? We can read it faster than you can brief us."

  She studied them a moment, and squinted her eyes. She rose and circled around her desk to stand between them so that her back was to the mirror. She squatted between them and whispered, "Some of our data is on the computer. Anything we put on it is instantly known to Indra. So, most of our findings are hand-written in journals. If I give you access to them, will it become known to Indra?"

  "No," Cassie replied quickly. "We are not part of a collective consciousness, nor will we betray your trust."

  "All right then, come with me." Doctor Bristol rose and led them to a maintenance closet where a large wooden cabinet was stored. In this small cubicle, Indra had no eyes. The doctor then removed a set of old fashioned keys from her pocket. She unlocked the cabinet's doors and then unlocked all of the drawers inside. She began to remove several journals. Then she reached back inside and removed several more. She opened another drawer and removed still more journals. When she was done, there were five hundred twenty-seven hand-written journals lying on the table next to the cabinet.

  Mitch nodded. "Is that it?" he asked.

  "This represents the last three years. We have them back eighteen years."

  Cassie opened several of the journals and looked them over. "I see they are written in several different hands. The format fortunately is the same. I estimate it will take us three hours to absorb this information."

&
nbsp; ○O○

  Kathy reported to her new commander's office, as she had been directed by Indra. The outer office was quite spacious with a number of chairs. It reminded her of a doctor's waiting room. There were two young soldiers working reception. Kathy was struck by their age. They were perhaps twenty years old. Kathy had already learned that every soldier here was a volunteer and each understood they were assisting in settling a new world and there would be no return to Earth.

  There were two doors one on either side of the reception booth. One was identified as "Command Group" the other as "Brigadier General Otto Steinherz."

  Kathy approached the reception desk. A pleasant young man with the rank of specialist greeted her. There was no identifier above his head. "Yes, ma'am, how my I help you?"

  "I'm Major Selina, I've been ordered to report to the CG."

  "Yes, ma'am, if you'll take a seat, someone will be with you in just a moment."

  Kathy sat in one of the simple, austere chairs in the waiting room and over Ismay called up the biography of—

  Brigadier General Otto Steinherz.

  National origin: German.

  The general was selected for the Antyllus assignment by the UN due to concerns that the preponderance of military personnel on the new world were Americans.

  He is known for his loyalty, particularly to his men.

  He is the author of a book on the world's military and their collective responsibility to Humanity.

  He holds degrees from the University of Berlin, and Cambridge. He is a graduate of the War Collage at Fort Leavenworth, and holds a PhD in International Political Studies from the French military academy, École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr.

  He is the recipient of several highly respected decorations from Germany, France, The United States, and the IIEA. See appendix A.

  He is currently the commander of all military assets on New Roanoke, collectively known as the Colony Defense Force, or the CDF. The CDF includes an air wing with both combat and transport aircraft.

  The ground detachment is, as of this writing, the equivalent of a reinforced Battalion of soldiers.

  There are several military occupational skills represented, but all soldiers are qualified infantry.

  Despite his age, the general remains in good health and is solidly in command on Antyllus.

  Kathy had read the biography in two fifths of a second. Then she just sat quietly for six minutes until two officers entered through the door from the Command Group.

  The senior officer approached, offering her a warm handshake. "Major, we are all very pleased to see you. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Fisher the XO, and this is the general's aide, Captain Scott. Please follow us." Both men were Bios; Kathy noted that Captain Scott was from the UK. Though everyone was in the special uniform of the CDF, each individual sported his nation's flag on their right shoulder.

  They entered into a small conference room and closed the door. Kathy noticed there were no mirrors in the room, and before they began to speak, the captain turned on a device in the center of the table Kathy recognized as a sound wave inverter in order to prevent anyone outside the room from overhearing their conversation.

  As they all sat, Kathy asked, "I take it you don't want Indra listening."

  "No, Major, we don't."

  "Why is that?"

  "Neither the IIEA, nor the lab coats, need to know everything we do."

  "Surely, Indra knows we are conducting this private conversation?"

  "Absolutely, there's nothing he can do about that, but we can stop him from eavesdropping. We in the CDF must be very guarded as to what we say, where we say it, and to whom we speak.

  "We have a few quick questions before you join the general. Have you spoken to anyone about Antyllus or your assignment here?"

  "Sir, I've only been here three hours and I don't know what my assignment is."

  "Since your release from the reception center, have you spoken to anyone about anything?"

  "I've spoken to an NCO with whom I shared the trip. We worked together to repair the ship after a hull breach."

  "Did you speak of anything—"

  "Sir, am I correct in assuming the CDF are in the loop about…SUBs?"

  "Yes, Major, the entire command group are in the know. SUBs are vital to our survival here. You'll find the CDF has a lot of SUBs in its ranks. We are also aware that you are a SUB, and have been anticipating your arrival."

  "Okay, then you'll understand when I tell you that I became aware of Indra's ability to see me, and to hear me, over Ismay. I spoke to the other party over our COMde's."

  "You didn't speak of anything classified?"

  "Of course, not. We discussed our mutual suspension. What's all this about?"

  "Who is the other party?"

  "I have a few questions myself, you know?"

  "Major the situation dictates—"

  "Colonel, I think you better bring me up to speed on the situation before I say anything else."

  "Major Selina—" the colonel took a deep breath. "There is something happening here we don't understand. We know either the IIEA or the lab coats, or both of them, are involved. If we are correct in our suspicions, then we are in a very difficult position."

  "What's going on?"

  Just then, the door to the room opened and the general entered. The captain jumped to his feet and shouted, "At-ten-tion!"

  "As you were," the general called out as everyone rose. "Sit back down, please." The general spoke English without the trace of an accent.

  Everyone resumed their seats and the general sat across from Kathy.

  The general reached across the table and offered Kathy his hand, "First, let me congratulate you. You were promoted Light Colonel three years ago, while you were in route. Not that it'll mean much to you right now. I am going to place you in command of all the SUBs for use as a task force as I need you. That will have you commanding not a Battalion as befits your rank, but a force about the size of a Company.

  “By the way, Lieutenant Colonel Selina, Colonel Amar, and Lieutenant Colonel Bruckner, from your old group on the Moon send you their congratulations as well.”

  “Oh, do you know them, sir?”

  “No, they vetted you for me, they vouched for you. Now, let's get to it. As the official security unit here, law enforcement falls under our purview. That said, something is being shipped off-world back to Earth and there is no record of this activity, either here at its source, or at its destination on Earth. Hell, we don't even know what's being smuggled off. It sounds just like the drug running problem Earth had back in the twentieth century.

  "No one here admits to any knowledge. As a matter of fact, we get denials all around. At a minimum, the IIEA is involved, because whatever it is goes back on the Demeter. We also suspect the lab coats because we believe whatever the mystery cargo is, it is housed at the clinic to await the arrival of one of the ships.

  "Before this trip that brought you here, the only four ships capable of reaching us had been rotating. While one was here offloading, another was at Earth uploading, one was in route another returning. The arrival of a shuttle here had been every Earth year and seven months or so. But because of the large number of, let's call them employees…to transport this trip, they grouped three ships together for this one voyage. This, of course, has thrown the shuttle rotation off.

  "Because of the use of the clinic, and the large number of indigenous we see going in there frequently, we had suspected some collusion with the local tribes.

  "Then we intercepted a report by the lab coats that the indigenous populations are leaving this sector en masse.

  "Because the Indigs have made it too dangerous to go outside, the lab coats had to deduce this from satellite telemetry. On top of the exodus, they tell us the indigenous population of this continent has decreased significantly. The mystery disease we are supposed to have given them is blamed, and for all I know, that's the truth. Point is, I no longer suspect the Indigs, though there a
re those on my staff who disagree.

  "My own intelligence assets tell me the indigenous population is preparing a military campaign against us. Understandable really, we show up on their world and they start dying. No doubt their witch doctors have told them that if they kill all of us the illness will go away. But others on my staff think that they are demanding a bigger piece of the cut from whatever is being smuggled off world, and are threatening war to get it.

  "Regardless, should they attack, we can withstand it, but we can't continue to do so for generations. We are but a few thousand and it is estimated there are about two billion of them on the planet. Attrition will eventually doom this colony. We must find a way to live in peace with these people. However, the IIEA seems to have no interest in establishing relations with the people of this world and have forbidden me from making any attempt. I know. Unbelievable, isn't it?

  "Compounding this problem are those employees the IIEA have sent here. They're a large mercenary force, answerable to the IIEA exclusively. I suspect, and mind you this is entirely my own personal opinion, but I think the IIEA wants war. The mercs will follow the orders of the people who sign the checks without regard to legalities or morals.

  "My mission, my obligation, is to the people of this colony—to ensure their survival and, thus, the success of the colony. How do I do that with my hands tied, and the IIEA working against me?

  "Now I ask you, Lieutenant Colonel Selina, does any of that sound kosher to you?"

  "No, sir, it does not."

  "All this is internally classified. The IIEA could, we believe, get an officer assigned in my chair that is one of theirs, and thus end our investigation.

  "Because of the scope of what we suspect is an illegal smuggling operation we feel sure the conspiracy must reach into the upper echelons of several member governments of the IIEA, and that includes yours and mine.