Alien Cradle, Jeff Inlo [graded readers .txt] 📗

noticed a coded message cross his portable. "That's got to be the order. Yup, ships are moving in now. This time artillery rovers are going to pulverize the continents and then the melees and blitzers will move in to complete the task."

Heavily armored ships moved forward with an orange burst from their tail thrusters. Large, ominous vessels encircled the planet as if it was some kind of wounded animal unable to escape, but the closer they came to the atmosphere the smaller they appeared in comparison, as if it was the planet that was inhaling the attacking ships. Some of the smaller vessels disappeared from sight, lost in the darkness of space or absorbed by the brilliance of the planet surface.

Rath watched the scene from his scout. Silence filled the cockpit as the front viewshield faced Semele. The initiation of the assault was obvious enough. He could see the blight flashes indicating catapult from the rovers. He didn't know what ordnance they were carrying, but it made an explosion on Semele's surface large enough to witness from space.

For the most part, Jack watched his portable screen, but he allowed himself a quick glance at the spectacle from the viewshield. He found a good deal of exultation in the display.

"Did you see that? Now that's power."

Power wasn't the word that came to Rath's mind. Devastation. That seemed more appropriate. Destruction on a planetary scale. Maybe it did signify power, but the scout felt more remorse than awe.

"I'm getting a report that the rovers have destroyed all surface defenses," Jacks stated almost giddily. "Launchers and pads are out of commission. They'll focus on the complexes and hangars now."

Targeting systems pinpointed all structures on Semele, both above and below the surface. Hundred ton canisters of augmented explosives fell like rain from the sky. The detonation left craters larger than small moons.

From space, the view was frightening. Rath could see land masses ignite with bright yellow and orange flames. Staggering.

Jack pointed out the obvious. "Now, do you really think anyone is going to survive something like that? I don't care how deep the bunker is. Anyone down there is going to be dead before this is over. It's only a matter of time before... there it is. A direct hit to the main complex. The mark is gone. You can say good-bye to Angelo the marauder."

Not gone, eradicated. Rath stared at the planet. One person was so insignificant in size - from where he sat, the space a single body would occupy was a hundred times less than a spec of dust - yet, a good deal of trouble was spent in assuring that single individual's death. He only met the pirate once, he really didn't even like Angelo, but the process in which this man was obliterated was more than unsettling. It was like God striking down a heathen, and that kind of power shouldn't have been in the hands of a person like Jack Lasonelli.

"What about his wife?" Rath questioned downheartedly.

"Oh, she was probably killed in the same explosion." The coordinator spoke as if Opal was nothing more than an insect. "Or killed before, or will be soon enough. We didn't mark her, not worth it, I really can't say for sure if she was in the building. But no one's left the planet since the fleet arrived. I guess if she left earlier, she's still alive. Not that I care. What can she do? Spread the word about the Fenrites? Already done. Like I said, not worth it."

"And what about me," Rath asked, "am I worth it?"

Jack closed up his portable before responding. He eyed the scout with obvious distaste, something akin to the way a person looks at spoiled food. "I don't know what you're worth, but I know what you deserve."

"What I deserve?" A flood of anger rushed from the scout. "How about what you deserve. You're killing a whole planet, and you seem to be enjoying it."

"A planet of pirates and thieves," Jack countered. "You almost toppled a whole society, the good as well as the bad. So don't point fingers at me. It's quite a mess out there. The public is calling for a complete shake up of Regency. They want an end to these councils and the power they derive. When I think about that, I really would like to kill you. This isn't just a little discontent; this is getting close to anarchy, a near complete overthrow of a government that's kept control over an empire that's growing in interstellar terms. Do you have any appreciation for what that means? All of this because you ran to the wrong place."

The accusation didn't sit well and the scout shouted out his own charge "No, all of this because a few scientists tried to deceive the public! Isn't that the real truth?!"

"Not all of it. It was the start, but you were the catalyst."

"And maybe Angelo would've figured it out for himself. You heard what he had to say. He had more information than what I gave him. I didn't know that you created the Fenrites. I just knew they weren't always there."

"Look, I'm not going to argue this with you." Jack stated firmly. "If you don't want to stand up and accept responsibility for some stupid decisions, that's your problem."

"And what about you? You blameless?"

"No, I should have had you killed rather then wasting time trying to convince you that you missed the Fenrites."

The statement carried a ring of conviction, something Rath could understand.

"A mistake you'll correct now, I assume."

Surprisingly, Jack disagreed. "Actually, no. I've got nothing to gain by killing you at this point. In fact, more to lose. You're a link to all this, the one factor that can be traced all over the galaxy to prove that the Fenrites were not an alien but a creation of our own scientists. Some media people are already trying to drum up accusations that the Fenrites were, in fact, an extraterrestrial organism. They want the public to believe we destroyed them out of fear. That's a charge that's worse than the truth. And that's what's going to keep you alive."

Rath wasn't ready to become optimistic. He stole a glance at the decimated planet, a tribute to what Regency could truly accomplish.

The coordinator noted the reluctance. "I'm going to offer you an alternative. It's a simple deal, one you can keep."

"And what about you? I see how you kept your last deal." Rath scoffed as he nodded to the viewshield. "Seems like I remember some promises you made to Angelo. You know, about leaving him and his planet alone?"

"Angelo tried to blackmail me. Now, are you ready to listen?"

Rath didn't answer, but he waited silently.

"Good. Now this is all you have to do. You return to your life as a scout. You don't hide and you don't run. You go back to the way things were, but there are going to be questions, and when they're asked, you answer with the truth."

Rath raised an eyebrow, but the coordinator cut him off before he could make any sarcastic remark.

"You tell everybody - media people, local jurisdictions - everybody gets the same answer. No pointing fingers. No trying to place blame. Just tell them what happened to you."

"Including you, how you lied to me, how you tried to trick me into believing my scout's sensors malfunctioned?"

"I said everything. Just say it as it happened. If you think that's going to get me in any trouble, think again."

Rath shrugged. "Just following orders, right? Blame some dead scientist and everyone else gets off for free."

"Yeah, sure," the coordinator replied with his own sarcasm dripping from every word. "All of Regency is just going to go back to the way it was. There won't be any discontent, no backlash. You're a fool, Scampion. We're facing open dissension. Outer rim planets are already composing documents of secession. We're facing a civil war because of this and we need to bring everyone back together. If some reputations get hurt, even mine, that's no big deal. Besides I don't answer to the public, I answer to Regency."

"Maybe that's the problem."

"Don't like it? Tough. Try to get cute, that's what you'll get." The coordinator pointed to the planet with a jutting finger. "We're not playing games anymore, especially not with you."

Rath heaved a heavy breath. He considered the arrangement and decided to make one additional demand of his own. It wasn't a risk as much as it was a test, a test to see how far the coordinator would go.

"What if I make one extra request?"

Jack frowned, but entertained the appeal. "What is it?

"I want a new engine for my scout. The kind with the emeralds. If I'm going to remain a scout for long, I have to be able to compete. It might look bad if I suddenly drop out of the business."

Jack almost laughed. "You don't need a new engine to compete, but I don't see the harm in giving you one. It'll get you around faster, and as long as you don't disappear, that's probably for the better. Bring us back to Janus and I'll sign the requisition." The coordinator paused, and then lowered his voice to the cold tone of an unveiled threat. "Take one last look at that planet, Scampion. That's why I brought you here. I want you to understand something. Angelo tried to hold something over Regency to get his way. He thought he could a scare a few individuals with threats of exposure. Regency is bigger than a few councils. We went public with this embarrassment to keep Regency alive. We're destroying Semele to send a message to other planets thinking about rebelling. Don't miss what the message should be saying to you. The Fenrites are gone, that mistake has been erased. You made your own mistake that landed you in this mess, don't make anymore. Yeah, maybe we're using you, but you get to live. Try to keep it that way. You can return us to Janus now. I don't expect we'll have to talk again."

The coordinator lifted his tall body from the chair, stooped through the cockpit portal, and left Rath behind to contemplate the final scene of destruction.

The scout watched for only a moment more. He saw the tiny flares of a massive melee and blitzer response. He hardly believed they were necessary at this point. The deluge of artillery canisters certainly leveled the entire planet surface. This was more like overkill, or perhaps indeed a display, a display of what the Authority, of what Regency, could do if another planet got out of hand.

Rath ripped his focus from the viewshield. He set the navcom with precepts for Janus and ignited full power to the Boscon props.

A Place of His Own

With a new beryl-based Boscon engine, Rath added a new dimension to each of his scouts. Before he would return to Janus or any other Regency controlled planet, he would head out beyond the outer rim. He found a small planet deep in a cluster of stars beyond the scanners; a place which no one knew existed.

It held everything he needed; water, fuel, minerals. He would scavenge emeralds and heliodors, bring them back to controlled space, and sell them to wholesalers on different worlds throughout Regency. He used the funds to buy fake identification slots and fund accounts. He then bought equipment which he would bring