Chapter 47

At nineteen hundred hours ship time, the small probes now onboard the capital ships began to dump their cargo of silent death. Hours later we saw a great commotion on the planet's surface; vehicles left the city and headed for the outlying districts or for space and their ships. Cal's sensors said that all the ships had suddenly powered up to leave the system. I had cut it close, for the time taken to get this procedure completed, would allow the computer virus to dump all air and shut down.

All eyes were on the monitors as the 'Disembowel' moments after taking its auxiliaries onboard, vented to space and all activity ceased.

While the planet died before my eyes, I knew it was time to return to Samutzi, for there was no way I would have enough help to search either it, or Zindor for any survivors. The slaves here would have to wait a while, till we were able to come back or work their own way to freedom. At least on Samutzi the dying would have mostly been completed.

We left many warning buoys, telling of the disease, and how a cure was found. The message said we would return periodically to dispense this mythological substance, if they had enough suitable, and living, food animals to make the substance. A recorder would keep track of any and all ships that entered the system.

The girls were anxious, and quickly got into their seats, and we made the trip back. Four hours to get past the Mardaf Limit, then only just over an hour to make it to the outskirts of King Tinsu's system. We used the Samutz code still in Cal's memory, requesting information, and offering help, but none was forthcoming. All we heard were emergency beacons, from all over the system, automatically requesting assistance for crew, that we hope, no longer required any. Cal produced a Samutz simulation of the previous captain, and it seemed to be for nothing.

Four and a half hours later, we were in orbit around the planet, with our shields at maximum. The plague had run for six Earth days, and there would be very few survivors, especially after using multiple strains of the virus.

Just as Mom was getting ready to descend to the planet below to rescue any being other than Samutz, a short range communicator came alive. They were asking for help. It was from the moon of this system. The data came quickly, telling of only a few hundred survivors, in need of evacuation.

Four ships, we were told had been quickly repaired, and left to warn other planets of what had happened. Some Tandra and other tech support had gone with them, leaving the majority here. I imagine many Tandra had been killed in anger by the overseers, for the survivors they were talking about, were Samutz.

"Cal, tell them we need healthy food animals to produce an antigen to fight the disease." The message was sent, and the Samutz in charge said he would comply with our request.

"Ask the commander to get them into a ship, and our tractors will pull them up. Then inform the Samutz to get into another ship, so they can be brought aboard. Warn them, that they would not be allowed to mix with our crew, and needed to stay segregated. It would be more believable that way."

An hour was enough to get this completed. All the living techs were brought onboard, along with the ship. The ship was greeted by Tandra in environmental suits, and both men and Tandra in combat suits. The slaves had no basis to understand what had happened to them. Some had started to cry, and the rest were too stunned to even do that. The 137 Tandra onboard went with the former slaves, and we helped them to a place prepared for them. They were locked in rooms to keep them out of trouble, because most were not nearly as mentally stable as they could be. The previously freed Tandra stayed with them, to show solidarity.

A total of almost eight thousand had now been freed. I saw on monitors how a party was going on, the likes of, I had never seen before. Here the Tandra acted much more like Humans, than I would ever believe possible.

The next ship's company was composed of 246 Samutz. They marched out of the ship, once it was docked in our bays. They found an empty bay to greet them. Cal ordered them into a room where the stasis field was energized. Our troops were ready to charge the ship, and take out any tardy Samutz, but Cal assured us that it was empty. I ordered the soldiers in anyway, for practice and to make doubly sure.

In the mean time, Cal had spotted fourteen ships in orbit, waiting for instructions on what to do. Others had already left the system, to spread the warning to others.

John remembered the customs inspections, and suggested that we take over this duty, as if trying to track down the enemy, that killed most of the Samutz, on the planet below.

Ship after ship came forward and opened its ports to our inspectors. There was little they could do, when matched against our speed and weapons. The men made short work of the crews, because they were ordered to be unarmed in a place of our choosing. Very few died, because a compound was released into the air that put all of them to sleep. The ships were put back into orbit, as if awaiting their next instructions.

A buoy was placed in orbit, telling any ships that wandered into the system to wait because we had manufactured an antidote. The treatment required many living slaves, for more to be manufactured. It would be fabricated and dispensed on our return.

Looking at our scanners, I saw literally thousands of ships, many of them capital class. The dreadnaught 'Strangle' remained soundless. All noise that would indicate the crew attempting repair was missing. Battleships of various eras and condition were nestled among destroyers, frigates, cruisers, troop carriers, and even some old civilian passenger liners. Everything was here, except the three carriers that were here before. All were quiet, except to a small effort here and there. This could be do to the Tandra on board doing repairs on their own.

I could tell there were many Tandra trapped aboard these ships, and all needing help desperately. From every location, I could hear the mental sound of misery and despair. From the thousand or so ships, only the larger ones had slave techs to keep the systems going, but the shear number of these capital ships, told me that the number of techs was enormous. It hurt when I thought of their plight, against the freedom I enjoyed.

Even with the great value tied up in the ships, and their ultimate measure in protecting both humanity and the Tandra. I was prepared to risk losing them, to continue killing Samutz, till the element of surprise was no longer a deciding faster.

The decision in this set of occurrences depended on current data. Part of it was the value of tonnage gained, against the amount of time I had to infect more Samutz systems. Even here, I was prepared to lose all these ships except, that the number of Tandra aboard the ships, might tip the scales, if they could crew these ships for me.

I had jobs for many of them, if I could get the important ships away from the Samutz and keep it that way. There were still many to be taken in King Sook's capital, and on the major systems of both monarchs. There were many small kingdoms that had to pay homage to either of the two kings, but would be like piranha, when they found that all this territory was now up for grabs. We had vague references to even larger Samutz groups, closer to the galactic core.

I had 600 large crystals. Cal and Mom had already placed programming into them, this time; all of them were to have slightly different personalities, to keep the AIs happy, if they met another of our new brood.

I had many Tandra techs now, and all very unsure of their present status. Their lives had hung by a thread before, and it could be cut by any of the Samutz, at a whim. I had just taken them from their old masters, and told them they were free and safe. I realized now, that this was a lie. I wanted their services very desperately, and if I did anything wrong, they would die right beside me, and if I did everything right, they still might die.

Most were even more helpless than babies, in many respects, and I may not be able to pull this off, without Tandra help. Luckily, some of the techs were from newly conquered territory. Their minds had not been completely overwhelmed by the rapacious attackers. I had set most of my hopes on these few.

When the Tandra were at their height, the number of good crew was still a small proportion of the total population. To get around this bottleneck, ships would fly in convoy. This would allow one crew to manage many ships, and at least travel at the rated multiple of the slowest ship in the group. With the advent of faster computers, and more efficient artificial intelligences, even the base rate had improved.

The only hope of completing this mission was to divide our forces. And this would take my most valuable ally from me.

"Mom, I have a job for you."

"What is it, Henry?" She said in a much too feminine voice.

"There are almost a thousand recently freed Tandra here that could assist in securing this system. I want you to take them, along with half of the crystals, and secure these ships. You have to begin production of the new ship killers, virus, and delivery systems. When you can, I want some ships to take the virus to some of the systems; I will not be able to reach."

"That is a difficult job. I can think of very few approaches that would stand even a possibility of success. Which way do you recommend?"

"Take the 'Strangle' first and then proceed to the other major ships. Get their fabricators to make what you need. Some of the crystals would have to be set aside for the planet-bound defences and government. I want you to take Secric with you, so that she is seen as a Tandra and as a Human too."

I heard a mental gasp, as I said the last, and turned to see Secric being deposited on the deck, from the now functional matter transmitter. "Why are you doing this, Henry?" She asked.

"Who else would I trust to carry out the job, as quickly and efficiently? You have a much deeper link to Mom, and the new Tandra need to see a Tandra in charge. Look into my mind, and see all the reasons."

She did look, and saw my estimation of her abilities, along with my need for this system to remain ours. If we lost a system like this, then we would certainly loose Earth as well.

Mom and Cal discussed the best way of implementing what I wanted, and orders went out to the recently liberated Tandra. They were stunned at this development. They simply thought they would be taken to a safe place, and released.

Some Tandra that were suited to the job, donned combat suits, and took up weapons. Some of Cal's auxiliary ships, transported techs to various ships starting with the 'Strangle'. Work commenced right away in changing the AIs. Mom would take up her old job, and proceeded to rearming the system's defences with our new weapons.

In the boat bay, I held Secric tightly to me. I had a feeling, that I might never see her again, but hid this from her. I don't know what I would do, if this were to pass. All possible precautions had been taken, but some risks just had to be accepted, or our whole initiative would collapse into chaos.

Secric walked down the line, and was kissed by each of her sisters. Well wishes were given, and I could detect some resentment at my orders. Most knew little of war, and just hoped that everything would return to the way it was.

She parted finally, and walked over to Mom's hull, and was whisked aboard. I stood with the rest of my family, as the hull rose and slowly pushed its way through the field. We all seemed to stay and watch the craft get smaller and smaller.

I called out, "Goodbye Mom, and keep yourself safe."

"I will Henry," she said, as we accelerated as fast as we could out of the system, and after our quarry.

We left in the direction the fleeing ships had gone. We caught up with the slow ships that had managed this escape. All but one heeded our call to stop, and be boarded. We did this in the now usual way, and took all of them prisoner. The one exception was crewed by dead Samutz. These dead actually served as hosts for the virus, as we did our best to give the bodies a semblance of life. This would generate even more of these little warriors, for I planned to take out, all of the Samutz planets we could possibly attack. The incredulous Tandra from the ships joined their mates.

As we picked up speed, we found the three derelict Omicron class battleships, that left with the groom and all were open to space and drifting lifelessly. The wail of their transponders grating on our ears. There was nothing we could do, or was there?

"Cal, offer any survivors on the ships a lift, and tell them that we are looking for living Tandra, Softay and others to make our serum."

The three ships did have some survivors. Their normal complement was 100 to 150 thousand each, and now stood at only 93 total for all ships. We took all the survivors onboard. The Samutz went into stasis, and 135 technicians went to join the other survivors.

There had been monitors set up, to keep our new guests apprised of our progress. Cal had been watching them very well. Roughly 25% of the old total was fit for duty. All but 43 were in the former class.

Their mindspeak was subdued, mainly because the Samutz had insisted that, that be the case. None of them had gotten over their imprisonment, and in some cases, this was a sentence since birth. These might be the hardest to deal with, for they were partially educated, but had none of the Tandra culture. Some I saw had actually accepted the Samutz, as their lawful masters.

There were a few that had been newly captured, and chose to collaborate instead of being eaten. These were not the strongest ethically, but the ones that had been best able to deal with their incarceration. These I called out, and ordered them to stand. They did after a fashion, and I got them transferred to another room to meet the rest of their team. Sula the girl I first met on this ship, was my first choice as a leader of the Tandra contingent.