First of the First Read online

  “One moment.” Mark said, holding his finger up and stood silently for several seconds. Then he spoke: “My ships sensors have detected a small fleet of armed spacecraft taking cover behind your inner moon. My ship will monitor their movements and communications. A surveillance net is being put in place around Herassan Federation space to intercept any communications regarding this action.” Turning to the First Minister, Mark said, “Do not concern yourself First Minister. You will be protected against any aggression from the Herassan Federation.”

  “Can you really do that?” the First Minister asked.

  “Yes, pay attention to what General Sally told you. I presume you have sent Major Bryd Sa Dett word that Mike has arrived here?”

  “I’m afraid so.” the First Minister said, looking worried, “He left a communication device and said he would come back here and attack us if I didn’t. Thousands would have died.”

  “You did the right thing First Minister. You were put into a position where you had no choice. Sally, do you have a plan?” Mark said.

  “Yes Mark, when the Swift is available, would you send it to collect two members of my personal team please. I have alerted them and they are ready to leave immediately. Colonel De’Nesh is going to organize an expeditionary force with support ships. We will collect them and deliver them here as soon as they are assembled.”

  “Two members of your personal team? You mean Simon and Orange?” Mike asked.

  “Yes, who else?”

  “By the two headed, star swallowing, galltalon beast of the lost sector! I thought we’d got away from them!” Mike exclaimed.

  “Is that a real thing?” Mark asked his AI.

  “Of course not!” his AI replied.

  Sally smiled at Mike. “I know you’ve been missing them.”

  “Yeah, like I’ve been missing having my arm chewed off by a rabid dran!”

  “Is that a real thing?” Mark asked his AI again.

  “Yes, they are equivalent to Earth rats but four times bigger, and they infest spaceships.”

  “Are there any on the Swift?”

  “No.”

  To Sally he said: “Send me their coordinates and I’ll get them picked up.”

  The First Minister spoke up. “Excuse me, it’s not that I don’t appreciate what you’re doing, but we don’t have the resources to supply and maintain your army. We’re only surviving by being kept fed and sheltered by the Boran Medical Emergency and Recovery Group.”

  “Don’t worry First Minister, we’ll be self-sufficient, but if you can make some unused land available it would be helpful.”

  “There are plenty of devastated battlefields from the war on the Southern Continent, which is my country’s territory. You can take your pick from them.”

  “That’s settled then. We’ll return to the Swift. My expeditionary force commander will contact you when they arrive. Thank you for meeting with us, First Minister.”

  Chapter Eight

  The Team Assembles

  The Swift blinked into existence 100 kilometers from the army headquarters habitat. Having received acknowledgment of its arrival, the main AI instructed the navigational AI to take up position two kilometers from the main dock. Moments later, a lander left the habitat and crossed the short distance into Number One Dock on the Swift. As soon as the solitary passenger disembarked, and the lander was clear, the Swift blinked out of existence.

  The Swift blinked into existence again, just three meters from a standard sized peoples ship, which is a featureless, black disk, one hundred kilometers across, just under two kilometers high at the edges and rising to thirteen kilometers high at the center. It dwarfed the Swift, a mere twenty eight point six kilometers across and three point six kilometers high at the center. Dock doors on both ships slid open with energy fields keeping the atmosphere in. A figure dressed in a black jump suit walked out into what looked like open space. Tubular extensions to the energy fields on both ships extruded and met midway. The figure in black walked straight through the tunnel created, into the Swift. As soon as the figure was inside the smaller ship’s energy field, the Swift blinked out and instantaneously appeared back into orbit around Gnn’Ath. The entire journey, which took the Swift one third of the way across the galaxy to collect its first passenger, then close to the galactic core to collect the second, then back to Gnn’Ath took less than twenty minutes, that was the time for the two passengers to transfer ships.

  They boarded a lander on the Swift, which descended to the planet’s surface.

  The lander settled in the square in front of New Government House where Sally, Mark, Mike, Touren and Bekkreshan waited for it. The ramp slid down and the passengers walked down to join them.

  “You missed us then.” Simon said as he approached.

  Mike bent her knees and dropped into an attack stance, drawing a short sword from the sheath strapped to her back. She pulled her thin lips back in a snarl, exposing her sharp, white teeth and flicked her long, forked tongue at him. Simon stood still and folded his arms. Mike took two running steps and leapt at him; sword poised ready to slash at his throat. Simon raised an eyebrow, but otherwise remained unmoving as she flew towards him. At the last moment, Mike dropped her sword and flung her arms round his neck and her legs round his waist.

  Grinning broadly, she said: “I bet you’ve missed me.”

  She dropped to the ground and ran to Orange, crashing into him. As she rebounded off him, she said, “Weren’t you bored being with the Tolen and Ants, you big orange freak?”

  Looking across at Sally, Orange said. “Has Mike had a heavy blow to the head recently?”

  “No,” Sally replied, “but it’s only a matter of time before she gets one from me. She seems to have entered a second childhood since we left.”

  Mike turned to face Sally and said, “I’m free and safe! You’ve no idea how long it is since I’ve either been a soldier or looking over my shoulder all the time, wondering who’s going to get me first - the Empire or the rebels. Now, I’m living on a People’s ship with a Friend of the People as my personal bodyguard. I can relax at last.” She fell backwards with her arms out and Orange caught her.

  “I am not your personal bodyguard!” Mark said.

  “You said I would be under your personal protection, didn’t you?”

  “Well, yes, but…”

  “There you are. My personal bodyguard.”

  “Just a minute, you were under Sally’s protection when you were in the army, was she your personal bodyguard?”

  “I was under Sally’s protection,” Mike answered languidly, still propped up by Orange, “not her personal protection. Do you see the difference?”

  “I’m not your bloody bodyguard. You’re just a guest on my ship. And if you remember, you invited yourself, so you’re not even a welcome guest!”

  “Yeah, OK, whatever. Now, go get me a drink.”

  “Get it yourself.” Turning to Sally, Mark said: “I have an idea how to defuse this whole situation. We’ll hand Mike over to whoever gets here first, the Empire or the rebels.” He paused a moment. “That sounds like Star Wars.”

  “Star Wars?” echoed Simon. “I missed that. When was it?”

  “It was a series of movies, on Earth. It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.”

  “No it wasn’t. Earth is pre-emergent, so you couldn’t have gone there, and your tech is way too primitive to have detected it.” Simon said.

  “It was an entertainment. Fiction. Just for fun.”

  “There’s nothing fun about an interstellar war, however far away or long ago.”

  “No, you’re right Simon. No one went to see it. It was very unpopular. I didn’t like it.” Mark said, unwilling to get involved in a discussion about one of his favorite movie franchises.

  “So, what do you propose we do next with our, - my AI just suggested the phrase - damsel in distress?” Sally asked.

  “If you won’t let me shoot her, throw her out of an airlock or ha
nd her over to someone who actually wants her, I’d better consult with Alan to make sure I’m not going to break any of the People’s rules, then I’ll speak to the Tolen, just to be polite.”

  “Sally,” Touren said, “is this their usual banter or do you really need a team who can help with people who have cognitive deficits?”

  “I’ll keep the offer in mind, but for the time being I’ll do my best to keep my soldiers in check.”

  “I’d just remind you, General,” Mark said, “I was never in your army, and I’m still not.”

  “And I’d just remind you of my last comment about our ongoing physical relationship.” Sally said.

  “Awaiting your next order, General.” Mark answered.

  “I have resigned from your army and as we’re not having sex, you’ll have to ask me politely if you’d like me to do anything.” Mike said.

  Sally walked over to her and said: “Do you really want to piss me off?”

  Mike stood up. “No boss.” she said, with a smile.

  “Good answer. And I don’t know what you’re grinning at, Simon.”

  “Your bark is worse than your bite Sally. At least it is with us. You know we would all follow you into the mouth of hell without hesitation, although having seen Mark in action he’d probably run in before you.”

  “I’ve got my People’s phase shift protection to keep me safe, so I probably would.” Mark said.

  “And that was so helpful when you met Tk'ng Dach Rm.”

  Mark shrugged. “Alan is on an archivist assignment on Chookli'ch, so I need to set up a VR meeting with him, then another VR meeting with Bob, leader of the Tolen. I’m going back to the Swift. Are you coming with me or staying down here for a while?”

  “We’ll go with you up to your ship.” Bekkreshan said. “There is nothing to do here.” She looked around to make sure none of the Gnn’Athians could overhear her. “This is a shitty little planet that had nothing going for it even before the war. I can’t wait to get off it.”

  Chapter Nine

  Meetings, Meetings, Meetings.

  Back on the Swift, Mark blinked into a room with no doors that he had flagged as private so no one could disturb him. He took a seat and waited for Alan to join him in a virtual reality meeting. After a few minutes, Alan appeared, sitting opposite him.

  “Are you back on Mother?” Mark asked.

  “No, I’m lying in a muddy puddle. What you are seeing is an image created by my AI.”

  “What are you doing in a muddy puddle? Did the natives get fed up with you and throw you in it?”

  “No, I am bonding with them. It is the cool season on Chookli'ch, they have these heated muddy puddles, or pools, all over their cities. The Chookli'chians are ectothermic amphibians…”

  “Like Mike.” Mark interrupted. “Ectothermic that is, she’s not an amphibian of course.”

  “I have never seen her lying in a muddy puddle.” Alan said.

  “Nor have I. Not when she’s been sober anyway.”

  “What did you want to see me about Mark?”

  Mark quickly explained the situation and then asked, “So how far should I go in protecting Gnn'Ath and Mike?”

  “You should do everything you can to support Sally and her army to protect Gnn'Ath. The Herassans have breached the established protocols by threatening a pre-emergent civilization. When I say support, that means the kind of support that I gave during the war on Gnn’Ath. It would be against the People’s ethos for you to take a leading role using People’s technology. However, as you are a warrior, it would be unreasonable to expect you to not get involved on the front line. But try to just use your implants and avoid using any more advanced technology.”

  “That’s what I thought, thanks.”

  “As the Gnn'Athians have no way of recompensing or rewarding Sally’s army for their intervention, they will effectively be clients of the People. We will sponsor the army. I will consult with my peers to determine what would be a suitable gesture of our gratitude.”

  “Uh, who was her client for the war she fought against Tk’ng Dach Rm on Gnn'Ath?”

  “She didn’t have a client or a sponsor. There was no obvious advantage to her for that action, not in the expectation of any kind of reward, although there was a substantial gain in kudos and reputation. Your subsequent success in putting an end to Tk’ng Dach Rm led to the massive and overwhelming growth of her army. It is now the only independent army in the galaxy, apart from the Ants and a few small groups who are in fact no more than small bands of well-meaning vigilantes. I will propose to my peers that we do something to upgrade Sally’s army’s infrastructure to help support the increased number of people in the army.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. It’s a great idea. Should I mention it to her?”

  “Yes, if she approves, contact me. One other thing, if you need additional logistics support, ask Sean. He would welcome a break from the shipyard.”

  Sean wasn’t his real name; he was one of the People. His real name is Shen Ghan Prab Khor. Mark had assigned the name of Sean as an alias with his AI, so that when the name Shen Ghan Prab Khor was said, Mark would hear the name Sean, and when he said Sean, others would hear Shen Ghan Prab Khor.

  “I’ll contact Sean to give him the heads up. What do I do about Mike?”

  “With Mike, it’s different. She is under your personal protection, so you should do everything within your personal power to ensure her wellbeing. That means that you may not use your craft’s weapons for anything other than protection. However, you can of course use all your personal technology that is implanted within you. The Swift, as you call your craft, is your personal transport and should serve your every need. So, apart from weaponry, it is yours to do with as you wish, providing you do not break any of the Peoples protocols, which I know that you won’t. You may find it difficult to separate Mike’s wellbeing from the Herassan Federation problem, but I am confident that you will use your judgment wisely.”

  “Right. I understand. Alan, I know that this is a difficult subject for you, but I am considering asking the Tolen to provide backup military support if I need it.”

  “You are right, it is a difficult subject. I do not approve of their presence in this galaxy, but it would be foolish to ignore an asset if you really need them, and prudent to speak to them first. But whatever you do, don’t agree to join them. If you do, you will be cut off from your friends and never able to leave.”

  “Like the Hotel California.”

  “Ah yes.” Alan said. “You won’t be able to leave. Very appropriate for the Tolen. The song was popular in the late nineteen seventies on Earth. Aren’t you too young to remember that?”

  “The nineteen seventies? That long ago? That was years before I was born! My grandmother used to play it a lot and I really liked it.”

  “You were very close to your grandmother, weren’t you?”

  “Yes, she was my best friend when I was growing up.”

  “So you did have one friend on Earth?”

  “Yes, but she died. Did you have a good relationship with your grandmother?”

  “That’s complicated. One last word of advice Mark, not every problem needs to be resolved with violence. There is a human saying which is very apt, ‘if you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail’. You are a warrior and you have an army and powerful weaponry at your disposal. That doesn’t mean they need to be used. Diplomacy and negotiation should be the first resort in this situation, the threat of violence can be inferred and only made explicit if talking is getting you nowhere. Now, if you don’t have any more questions or need more advice, I must return to my Chookli'ch hosts. I appear to be dozing to them, but they will want to move on shortly.”

  Alan’s image disappeared. Mark sat for a few minutes, then blinked to the command center, where he found everyone waiting for him.

  “We could do with somewhere we can all meet and relax.” Mark said.

  “We can do that later. What did Alan s
ay?” Mike asked.

  “He said you are a pain in the arse, and I should throw you out of an airlock if you become too much of a nuisance.”

  “He’s gone up in my estimation.” Simon said.

  “We need a plan.” Mark said. “Orange?”

  “I’m a tactician Mark. You need a strategy. That’s Sally’s territory.”

  Sally responded, “Yeah, it is. Mike, come up with some ideas for places we can meet and relax. We’ve got plenty of room available to us. Touren, Bekkreshan, Simon, Orange, settle yourselves in your quarters, then get your heads together and decide what training facilities we need here. Mark, you’re with me - in our quarters.”