Chapter 44

We were only three subjective days out, when we came to the first Samutz system. Dasul was a beautiful planet of the Sardis system. It was the only planet and was in the comfort zone, almost 160 million kilometres from the primary. The name was from the early Tandra explorers, and the Earth name of the system was only some alphanumerics. The beauty was not marred by any large military ships. A small transport arrived with either supplies for the Samutz on the planet, or to take fabricated articles or meat away to market.

Water covered almost a fifth of the planet, in rivers lakes and narrow oceans. No heavenly body stirred the water, as it made its leisurely twenty seven hour rotation. The growth of bluish green plant life was very prevalent, growing along all the valleys, and up the sides of the low mountains. The records from Mom, and later from the Samutz, said that this planet could easily support Human life, though it was a little on the warm and humid side, like the coastal lowlands of Nam during the rainy season.

Most of the land was connected making the oceans look more like giant lakes. Four major, and many minor cities, were spread out around the globe leaving the polar regions mostly unpopulated, but still vibrant in plant and animal life.

Large areas had been under cultivation, but now looked to be supporting only trees, much like the abandoned land of my youth.

The cities were composed of buildings, not over fifty stories, and most under twenty. Onion shaped domes, crowned the pastel walls of most buildings. Many of the wide boulevards were overgrown, in a riot of different colours that looked untended since the Samutz came almost sixty years ago.

We sat in on the bridge, and watched the images sent back from the inconspicuous probes, and found nothing moving except the Samutz, as they went about their business. Tandra designed and probably made vehicles went up and down the streets. There was so little traffic, that they drove on any side of the street that struck their fancy. Most seemed to be headed for a large open area.

Looking from an almost horizontal perspective, the area looked like the Circus Maximus in Rome, but only much larger. When the probe managed to get close and look over the high stone walls, we saw a crowd of twenty thousand or so Samutz cheering on a thin and puny looking Samutz of one hundred kilos. He advanced on a group of thirty T'aut, as they huddled together for safety. Spears, clubs, shields and swords waited on the ground for their use, as the Samutz advanced and waded into the crowd, and killed young and old, male and female of the gentle lizards, to the cries of the exultant crowd.

Amy and Nema turned and hid their eyes in my stomach, to avoid the sight that was beamed to us. They knew nothing of the T'aut, but the thoughts of the wholesale slaughter, pulled at their hearts, and souls.

The rest of the spectators on the bridge and elsewhere, were similarly affected. A feeling of anger was making a tangible presence here, and I think that even the ones that a few days ago, considered returning to Earth, would now want more Samutz blood.

Nova asked, "What are your plans for this planet, and the Samutz on it?"

I spoke aloud, and Mom transferred my voice throughout the ship. "We have been working on a modified and long lived virus that will kill the Samutz, and mostly make the T'aut sick. There will be some casualties among the T'aut, and we estimate them to be around three percent. We are too few to take this planet back, and the virus will have to do the work for us. We know that the virus will live for three months after the last Samutz has died. Aid can be given, but I want the planet quarantined for at least a year, from the start of the operation.

The probes stayed, and fed their data to one of our small satellites. Carlton picked up many tons of contagion, manufactured in Cal's giant holds. It fell without notice on the cities and towns of the Samutz stricken planet. A great savannah with Samutz dressed in primitive gear, got some of the same treatment before we left. I wanted to wait to see them die, but time was now much more important.

Carlton emerged from the system and rendezvoused with Cal, as we headed to the next system in our planned course.

The girls and I worked very hard, and managed to get Cal up to a hundred and fifty three times his max of one thousand lights. Our strength was beginning to give out three hours later, as we approached the Keeren system. This was an important Samutz system, and had two habitable planets, out of a total of eight. Their orbit was very odd, because both planets were about the same size and orbited each other, at a distance of two point three million kilometres from the primary.

Vernt was a water world, with almost ninety percent of the globe covered with deep seas, and the rest was short mountains, that were periodically submerged by the effects of tides. The other, Roldas paradoxically was a desert planet. Rich green covered the deep valleys, and sunken river banks, that crisscrossed the almost barren planet.

The planet's desert surface had many refineries producing noxious gasses and effluent that would eventually run back into the water table. Large transport ships moved loads of raw ore, and finished products instead of land based methods.

Cal launched probes, and another stealthy satellite. The probes descended into the deep cuts in the planetary surface, and showed a city built into the granite sides of the river. Again Tandra craft, carrying Samutz left large openings in the wall, and flew up and down the rift valley.

Mom's reports said that both planets of this system were barren of intelligent life, but we saw a large transport carry equally large primate looking beings. Cal said that the Claw had stopped here many times, to get lithium, chromium and silver, or to deliver the Morg to the mines below. These were the products mostly in demand by the Samutz, and their war machine, and the products most abundant in this stratum.

The Morg were two metres tall, three hundred kilos, and as mean as anything met by the Samutz. They sported four arms and strong backs. They were useful miners but had a very bad disposition. Their IQ suggested that they were somewhere between a chimp and a Human, depending on the various species. Their home was over sixty light years away, and required about twenty four days for the journey. Even the Samutz were careful about fighting a Morg, if they were unarmed. Their numbers below must have been almost a hundred thousand, if the current mortality rate stayed in effect.

Carlton again went into action, and dispensed many thousands of virus laden probes, to infiltrate the ships on the ground, those in orbit, and to wait for others to come, while in orbit.

This would be good to watch, as the Morg finally found out, that the Samutz were dying out. The Samutz would have a hard time keeping that many angry miners in check.

We attacked four more outlying systems of the Samutz Empire, before heading directly for Samutzi. Any warning of our attacks, even if found out, would take much longer time to get there, than we would.

Samutzi was called Alpha Ophiuchi or the easier to remember Tandra name of Guulas, was a binary with thirteen planets orbiting the centre of attraction of the two stellar masses. The sixth planet looked much like Earth even to the moon orbiting about a half a million kilometres away. This moon was not tidal locked like Earth's and showed domes and a massive shipyard in orbit around it. Hundreds of warships were in this system, some orbiting barren rock or in Lagrange points, others at the shipyard, were waiting their turn to get needed repairs.

Mom told us that it was an old Tandra outpost, which had been used for ship building, and repairs but was very small, compared to the ones close to the Tandra home world. Its current status as the home world of one of the Samutz empires filled all of us with caution.

Small probes this time waited their turn to infect the ships, and even enter the domes on the moon.

Samutzi or Falm 6 as the Tandra called the planet once had a sizeable Tandra garrison and settlements. Its gravity was a little over three quarters of Earth's, and had a warm moist climate. Large clusters of the population were centred in the water. The amphibious Samutz race was equally at home in both environments. Tandra cities had sprouted up all over the globe, and Mom told us that they descended deep into the bedrock of the planet.

We were much more circumspect about our probes, considering that this would be the most heavily guarded planet, even though the Samutz had no known enemies, other than their own species, that could mount an attack.

We estimated that nearly two billion Samutz were on the planet. We found large cages holding large and small animals, as well as others holding many known species of intelligent beings, including Tandra. Large tracts of land were under cultivation, but I think it was used to feed their livestock in the cages.

Getting close to the city's tech and repair centres, we found a majority of Tandra, along with other races, doing the work under the watchful eye of Samutz overseers. Probes sent to the moon found the same thing happening there.

The royal wedding was not for four more days, and we waited far outside the system to plan, and make even more weapons.

"Mom, I have a problem and need your help."

"What is it, Admiral?"

"Mom, it's me, there is no need to get that way."

"Ok, Henry. What is bothering you?"

"This is the richest system I have ever seen, in terms of skilled help and assets, like the ship yards, ships, and large fabricators. The Tandra here, are as technologically advanced, as the Tandra are on Earth. If we take this system, I think the Tandra here will just take the ships and leave, or go back to the way they were, before the Samutz invaded the system. I don't want to have to fight the Tandra, for the ships or for their help. Do you understand what I am trying to say?" I said, as I opened my mind, the most it could go.

I wanted my reasoning to be seen and understood. It was indeed empire building, but not for my personal benefit. We needed a strong military presence, to protect these systems, and I could not trust Human motives and aspirations, in the crewing of these ships. Nor could I trust the lax manner that the Tandra had grown to accept.

Earth people would take a long time to bring around to the Tandra's traditional ideals. There would be much bickering about religion, when in actuality; it was power and greed that would be challenged. No country or group was innocent. What was needed was a Tandra educated and conditioned crew of mixed species, working toward a common goal.

Many of the species we ran across so far were unsuitable for this, because of their passive natures or violent and unreasoning tendencies. Humans seemed to fall into the latter category. Mom, had called Cal, and both had read my mind.

Cal said, "You always will have your family, and us to help you."

'Us.' That was it. "Mom, Cal, I know what to do."

"The Tandra have always kept the AIs to a minimum, and restricted their power and influence. Mom, you have told me many times about the obvious injustices that the Tandra law makes, on AIs, like both of you and the ones running systems and businesses. I want to convert if possible, the AIs on the ships, or install new ones, that will be loyal to the new system of justice, and help to get this new society off the ground."

Mom's sad voice followed, "I am sorry to say this, but that has been tried, many times before, and it has always resulted in war, and the AIs were destroyed, along with many biologicals."

"The difference this time, Mom, is that the Tandra Empire has collapsed, and our new one is going to take its place. There will be very little objections, from Tandra who have been born in the last few million years, or intelligent Tandra that can see that this way is the only way that will work."

Cal said, "You are mistaken Henry. Many times it was the fault of the AIs for the collapse. We are not as infallible as you might think. We live a long time, and make many mistakes, and most times think that biologicals are the same way, and learn from their mistakes. The sad truth is that you are doomed to repeat your errors. We just do it less often. I think the best place for us, is to act as your advisers, it is you, that must lead."

I thought for hours, trying to find an alternate plan. Many came to mind, but none exactly filled our needs.

The number of cargo carriers and warships within the system was staggering. From light destroyers like the one we first took all the way up to one other Theta class dreadnaught. The newer reports, given us from Epsilon Eridani, showed that the Tandra Empire had continued to grow after its disastrous collapse, and expanded till we assumed, it collapsed again. We found three carriers of a newer vintage, and large war ships, among puny seeming frigates, destroyers, cruisers, smaller troop carriers, and battleships. Supply vessels of every description went between the ships, and the ground, trying to fill the needs of the crews and guests. Thinking of weddings, if they were anything like Human affaires, there would be many late arrivals. Cal reported that thirty percent of all the Samutz craft he had observed, had not, or would not arrive.

Part of my plan hinged on the ships bringing supplies to the ships in orbit. Cal used probes and his decrypting software, to find, that many were customs boats while others were commercial deliveries. Two caught my eye, as some well placed Samutz, trying to curry favour, was delivering delicacies to the soldiers in orbit. One of the ships was almost Mom's shape, and three quarters of her size. We heard of a young officer that had rich parents. They were trying to help him advance within the military.

My old unit, and all the others, volunteered to come with Mom on this mission. She would make an image, like the hologram she projected to us, but of a large Samutz, a little too drunk to help, but able to do most of the talking. Similar images were used to disguise us, as we moved supplies into short range transmitters, so they could be delivered to the various ships.

Mom and Cal worked even more to develop some beer and spirits that would be donated by an up and coming officer that felt that this largesse would help him up the ladder of command.

The crew was drawn by lot, and left on the mission. Even I could not find enough of a reason, for a one-armed man to help unload beer.

A light cruiser was our first target, when we heard some talk in an unguarded moment. The first officer was angry at not being able to go to the world-wide party. Well we would take a party to him, and leave some presents. The ship was hailed, and given the offer of free beer, from Lieutenant Quorsh the purser aboard Talon. Everyone knew that the purser's duties allowed him to steal indiscriminately from everyone having any dealings with the ship.

Mom hastily pulled up beside the cruiser, and a large tank was transmitted a few metres across the gulf between them. One of the mercs joined in the strong and acidic brew, and his image wiped his lips on his sleeve in satisfaction as he left. Mom pulled away, and made more calls, as the ships around her, took notice of her, and eagerly accepted the gifts.

Before things got too hectic around the vats of beer, small probes detached themselves from the bottom, and poured out the lifting holes, to spread throughout the ship.

The deck crew on the larger ships, knew of the good lieutenant's gifts, and waited for their share. The crews were so large, that the beer and spirits were directed to the officers exclusively.

Surprisingly the warships and even some large bulk carriers accepted the free beer. Mom was still not able to get near the lunar base and all the ships with skeleton crews, waiting refits or repairs. Our break came when an admiral himself got into communication with the shipyard and asked that the good beer be distributed there too. He also demanded a larger supply for his own ship. This just happened to be the dreadnaught 'Strangle'.

Mom's cargo was thoroughly tested, this time, to look for poison or more likely contraband. When none was found, they grudgingly accepted the shipment, without any thanks or fanfare.

When all the larger ships currently in orbit, had been loaded, the timer on the remotes set them off, to spread the new contagion, that had no real noticeable effects, other than a slight weakness, and this could be attributed to many things. The real debilitating sickness would not begin for another twelve days, followed by death shortly thereafter.

New ships arrived daily, and many stops were made to deliver cargoes of fresh or living flesh. I forbade the younger girls to watch, for almost a quarter of the stunned captives were Tandra, and destined for the dinner table. Many Tandra were taken to open air markets, and purchased as intelligent creatures, and on occasion, their new owners wandered into a park and had a picnic lunch, of living flesh. Most Tandra entered open pens, like stock yards, that I had seen old photographs of. Ground transportation left the other side of the nearby buildings. All this was recorded in great detail, because in years to come, if we survived, somebody would surely criticize us for our wanton murder of poor innocent peace loving Samutz.

The entire crew was sick of the thoughts of all the innocents, now alive, that would form an integral part of Samutz cuisine, till Nova came up with an idea.

"Why can't we make a disease that will affect all of the intelligent beings, and suddenly make them very sick? Surely the Samutz will try to cure them, and if they can't, then they would wait them till they recovered on their own."

"I am sorry to say that won't work," Mom said. "They will simply kill all the infected people, hoping to control the outbreak, if it cannot be cured right away. If every intelligent person on the planet other than Samutz comes down with a strange disease, they will think that it is an artificially induced strategy, and look for someone that could possibly do it. Your best course is to let those few die, and try to save the rest."

I thought on Mom's words and calculated some of my own possibilities. Considering the large physical size of the Samutz, and their two billion population, they would eat at least four hundred thousand intelligent creatures in their festivities. The number of victims was so large, that the only crowd I could think of would be a capacity crowd at a major football game totalling only a hundred thousand individuals. Removing an equal number of victims to safety, from four games, would certainly arouse the Samutz curiosity as well.

Mom asked, "What do you have in mind Henry?"

"If we can take over the meat packing plants, then we will be able to hide or transport most of the Samutz's victims, till the Samutz die off. This take over will have to last eight days, so that the contagion will spread. There will still be problems from the small percent that are immune. Another few that may have their shields energized, and thus not susceptible or late in arriving. Then there is the problem when the fresh meat, is not delivered on time."