Aliens Vs. Humans: Aliens Series, #4

CHAPTER ONE

Jack! called Max from the Uhuru.

He looked up at the slim, shapely body of his lifemate, Nikola Rádsetoula, as she rode his erection cowgirl-style, lifting her hips up, then slowly lowering them to his groin. She had hold of his shoulders, bracing herself, as they both groaned in ecstasy. Jack held a breast in each hand, relishing the feel of her fullness. It was long past midnight and this was their first night alone in a week. While four months had passed since their return from the last interstellar trip, their time together had been limited by the frantic nature of their jobs as they worked at stabilizing Earth while building up their Belter fleets for protection from the Hunters of the Great Dark. This was their special time, in the torus habitat inside the Dock Cavern of Mathilde asteroid. He was not about to interrupt their love-making.

Captain Jack! yelled Max loudly over the habroom’s comlink speaker. We’ve got a neutrino comlink call from our Melagun allies. Our buddy Benaxis insists on talking with you!

Max should be in bed with Blodwen, Nikola said softly as she arched her back and sighed deeply. "I thought that was why they set up housekeeping in his roomsuite on the Uhuru."

Jack shifted his hands to caress Nikola’s smooth back even as he thrust upward with a deep yearning, aching for release. He did. Was. I mean Blodwen is likely asleep. Which left Max free to fiddle with new control algorithms for the Alcubierre drive module in the Pilot Cabin. Once an engineer—

Always an engineer, Nikola said, her tone musical and sounding bemused. She lowered herself down until her breasts pressed against his chest. Her legs gripped his hips. You should answer him. We can finish this later. With a sigh she lifted off and laid next to him on their waterbed.

Jack groaned with unresolved arousal. He had so wanted them to reach orgasm together. As they had shortly after their return. That wondrous time had left his Czech partner pregnant. Her happiness at the Commitment Ring he had given her on their return had been exceeded only by the news that she would become a mother. And that they would have a family in the traditional manner, a family beyond his crewmates on the Uhuru and his fleet allies in the two Belter fleets and the Mars fleet. That joy had shown brightly in her pale blue eyes. While she had resumed her work as Chief Astronomer for Mathilde with a new Big Eye reflector scope built by mechbots, Nikola’s devotion to him and to their future family had made long-time friends comment on her happy glow. That glow had led to their evening loveplay. Which was now being displaced by duty. He pulled the green silk sheet up over the two of them and spoke to the ceiling comlink node.

Max! It’s three in the morning! Can’t this call wait until Nikola and I are up?

The wallscreen next to the slidedoor entry to their bedroom illuminated. Filling it was the middle-aged face of his Polish buddy. The man’s gray eyes swept over the two of them. He grave Jack a quirky grin. You guys remind me of the times Blodwen and I spend hiding away in a corner of the ship. His stocky, broad-shouldered friend turned sober serious. "Benaxis says he has to talk with you now. Not later. Says a Hunter of the Great Dark has come calling on Tau Ceti. With a message for you and all humans."

Crap. Jack rubbed weariness from his eyes, pushed back his unruly locks, sat up and fixed on the man from Lodz. Guess that six-legged hippo wouldn’t use the neutrino comlink we left them unless it was really important. And the arrival of a Hunter is just why we created the Freedom Alliance. Though I wish we had had a year before the first crisis arose for us and our Alien allies. Put through his call.

Max, who sat bare-chested in his Drive Engineer seat in the Uhuru’s Pilot Cabin, gave him a thumbs-up. Putting him through. I’ll monitor the signal until it closes from his end. Then we can decide what to do about this new crisis.

Jack nodded agreement. As if they did not have enough crises in Sol system already. Their Chinese allies on Mars had grumbled at receiving just eight of the 18 grav-pull ship drives they had salvaged in their last star trip to recruit ‘juvenile’ and ‘subject people’ Aliens to join their Freedom Alliance. The Brazilians on the Moon had groused at getting only three grav-pull drives. Which had left just seven grav-pulls for Jack to hand out to new Belter ship captains who had arrived at Mathilde wanting to join his and Gareth’s two fleets. As yet there were no Belter-made grav-pull space drives despite Archibald’s efforts to create enough WIMP particle Dark Matter for insertion into their newly built grav-pull frameworks. And if jealous human allies were not enough trouble, Earth’s devolution into competing nation-states had left nine billion humans unsettled, argumentative and hungry for foodstuffs that did not arrive as quickly as under the Communitarian Unity. And war had returned to Earth as the central states of old America now fought the ground forces of  the East and West coast socialist elites. His grandpa Ephraim’s home state of Tennessee, along with Texas, were leading hover-tanks and mechanized infantry into battle against the remnants of the Unity armed forces that had been based in the North American Cooperative. Everyone on Earth wanted the Asteroid Belt, and Jack Munroe in person, to solve their problems. Well, fuck them! He had a family to support, two wild sisters to manage as they connived with Nikola to drive Mathilde’s Citizens Council crazy, and nineteen year-old Denise to watch over even as the young woman romanced a series of unattached young men.

Here’s the live signal.

Max’s image disappeared to be replaced by that of Benaxis, captain of the Polar Ice spaceship in distant Tau Ceti system. The member of the Melagun species fixed two large brown eyes on Jack even as the Alien’s neck collar of tentacle hands flared out in a body sign of intense worry. The red, yellow and black stripes that ran the length of the hippo-like Alien were dim in the low light that was normal to the Melagun world of Home. Benaxis stood on the Command Bridge of his ship, free of hold-down straps. Which told him the Polar Ice now had a working grav-pull drive with its secondary benefit of creating artificial gravity in whatever ship it was placed. Benaxis opened his wide mouth and spoke.

Captain Jack, five hours ago this ship responded to a hailing call from the Predator Alert satellite you left on the edge of the Outer Rock Fields, said his first friend among the Melagun as other hippos moved in the background. When we arrived we saw this ship holding station near the satellite. Jack’s wallscreen split into two images, one of Benaxis and a second image of black space in which floated a ship that resembled two pyramids joined at their bases, leaving pointed apexes at the north and south poles. The red-hulled ship had blinking lights on its north and south halves, along with a line of portholes in the northern section. Upon our arrival, before we could signal the ship occupants, we received the following transmission in colloquial Melagun infrasound.

The hippo’s image was quickly replaced by a new image.

Shit! muttered Nikola as she sat up beside him. That’s a fucking scary Alien!

Filling the screen was a creature with the teeth of a great white shark, the tail of a stingray, the flaring neck hood of a black mamba snake and the body shape of a T-rex dinosaur. Red and yellow bands suggestive of a coral snake pattern covered its scaly hide. A pair of small arms sprouted from its upper chest. It fixed two dark red eyes on them. The giant mouth opened.

Melagun people, your system is claimed by a Hunter of the Great Dark species known as Humans, the creature said in a harsh snarl, its Melagun speech converted to English by Denise’s SETI translation algorithm. I am here because of a claim of violation of the Rules of Engagement that govern all predators who travel across the Great Dark. That claim was made by a Boolean amphibian as its species lost control of the Bizzdaw system. Competition for Hunt territories is not my concern. The claim of a Rules violation is. It seems your Humans contacted you before your species reached your outer planet, and they failed to offer you a Challenge to Combat. Yet your system is claimed as part of the Human Hunt territory. The Alien paused, a long red tongue licking out against its jagged white teeth as it caught its breath. The Alien stood in a circular room filled with glittering wall panels, Control pedestals, and yellow-glowing ceiling panels. Behind it were two other dinosaurs who used their black taloned hands to manipulate pedestals in the rear of the room. Contact your Human rulers. Tell them to come here immediately to answer this Rules violation claim. And tell them the Human with the name sigil Jack Munroe must appear before me. Its name sigil has been reported to me by the Rizen, Yiplak, Gyklang, Krisot and Hackmot Hunters of the Great Dark. While their loss of Hunt territories to your Humans is normal, this contacting of juvenile species such as you Melagun is not normal. I require a response. This demand is given to you by MakMakGor of the Arbitors. Advise me of the Human response.

Shit! Jack muttered under his breath.

Yeah, grunted Nikola as she reached over and gripped his left hand, squeezing it tightly.

The Arbitor’s image disappeared. The image of Benaxis reappeared.

Captain Jack, these Arbitors occupy a single ship, the red-robed Melagun said. Should we attack it on behalf of the Alliance?

No! Jack yelled, then licked his lips. They had gone dry during the long speech-talk of the T-rex Alien. Who was an Arbitor. Or belonged to the Arbitor species. A species unknown to him. Signal back that we humans will arrive in seven days. Earth days that is.

Benaxis blinked slowly. But it takes just three Earth days for you to reach Tau Ceti using the Alcubierre stardrive. Which we have now installed on three ships of the Melagun Protection Force, along with three grav-pull drives built by Atarksis of the Yellow Robes. The Melagun ship captain paused as another hippo lumbered up to him and offered a black plate that functioned like a datapad. He glanced down at the plate, then looked to Jack. My Defender says the Arbitor ship is armed with four laser nodes at its equator, plus two neutral particle beam emitters at the north and south apex nodes. This ship could be dangerous. What do I tell the Arbitor if it insists you arrive here sooner?

Plans and schemes and worries swirled in Jack’s mind as he recalled how close to Sol system lay the Tau Ceti system. Advise the Arbitor we will arrive in seven days due to a delay caused by Human mating rituals. Surely it will understand how sex can cause delays. Assuming it mates with its own females.

Benaxis hooted low in a tone Jack knew indicated dry humor. It must. Otherwise it would not be a Hunter of the Great Dark interested in spreading colonies to other star systems. It will be done.

Good. What else to say? Benaxis, tell your Chief Guide on Home that other ships may arrive before we do. I will ask our Freedom Alliance allies to each send a ship to your system. So the Alliance itself will be represented. While the ChikHo and Bizzdaw people are too distant to arrive in seven days, you may see ships arrive from our Nuuthot, Mikmang, BooMak and Niktoren allies.

The hippo’s six tentacle hands curved forward in the sign of agreement. Understood, it bugled in low infrasound tone. "We will welcome any Alliance ship that arrives. They can refuel and seek food and rest at our orbital Refuge above Home. Meanwhile, the Polar Ice and two other ships will practice space combat maneuvers. Using our grav-pull drives. In case we must fight this Arbitor ship."

Good decision, Jack said, waving at his friend who still amazed him at its ease of movement in a three gee gravity field. Thank you for this message. My fleet and other ships will arrive within seven days. Call me if any problem develops.

It will be done, Benaxis said in a low rumble. Departing.

The Melagun’s image disappeared, to be replaced by Max’s frown.

This Arbitor demand sounds like trouble, good Jack. His friend’s gray eyes squinted in thought. Uh, what do we do in the four days before we leave for Tau Ceti?

Jack let go of Nikola’s hand and reached out to pull her closer. "We two have personal matters to attend to. The mating rituals I mentioned, you know. Max gave him a wry grin, then nodded at Nikola. Who sat beside him with nothing covering her from the waist up, thanks to the silk sheet falling away when she had reacted to the appearance of the Arbitor. Put out a Come-Back call to Admiral Hideyoshi. I think his Bismarck is returning from a patrol run to Titan. And to Gareth. I think the Dragon is in orbit above Earth, monitoring the land battles in the North American Cooperative. Tell them both to get here ASAP! We need to hold a fleet battle conference. Uh, what’s the status of the other ships in our Belter fleet? How many are close by?"

Max looked down at the Drive panel that he pulled over from his seat’s armrest. He tapped on it to draw up NavTrack data. "The Wolverine, Badger and Orca are here in the Dock Cavern, not far from the Uhuru. The Caiman is in orbit above the Moon. Júlia’s visiting her cousin at Copernicus Crater. The Mongoose and the Leopard are both orbiting above India. Aashman and Kasun are down-planet visiting relatives."

Vibe them for me, Jack said as Nikola lay back and pulled the sheet up to her chin. She was scanning her yellow datapad. "Tell them all to get back here damn quick. I want to hold that battle conference by this evening, in the Admiral’s Mess of the Bismarck. Meanwhile, maybe you can vibe my sisters, grandma Maureen, Archibald, Denise and Blodwen to return to the ship. Are you fully fueled? Is the new Higgs Disruptor module operational? Are the thermonukes on board?"

Max gave him a wry grin and sat back in his cushioned seat. I’ll vibe them. And the ship has been fueled and ready for combat since we got back here from that trip out to Sedna. Setting up the Contact Base there for visits by Alliance allies was a simple job. Which is why Blodwen is sleeping and I’m here at my Drive station. Trying to figure out some way to increase our Alcubierre drive speed beyond the four light years per day allowed by its current design. Makes it hard to plan any long trips across the Orion Arm when you go that slow.

Jack gave his genius engineer a mock salute. Max, you and Archibald did wonders in reverse-engineering that first Alcubierre drive pedestal from the Rizen ship hulk. And in refitting salvaged gravity-pull drives to our fleet ships. Plus, you are loved by your dear Blodwen. Be happy!

His buddy shrugged heavily muscled shoulders. You’re right. She’s a blessing to me that I thought would never happen again, after the loss of Monique. The only other survivor of the original Uhuru comet survey ship looked away from Jack and fixed on the fusion Drive Module that had lowered from the ceiling above him. Still, I don’t like limits. The grav-pull drive’s limit of eighty percent of lightspeed within a star system bugs me. The Alcubierre stardrive’s speed limit of four light years per day frustrates me. He sighed and looked back to Jack. I’ll make the Come-Back and vibe calls. See you two whenever you show up.

Jack waved goodbye.

An elbow poked him in his left side.

Jack, there is no Arbitor species listed among the 113 Hunters of the Great Dark in the Nasen star holo, Nikola said, her tone distracted as she scanned her datapad. Maybe you could give Hilok of the Nasen a neutrino call. Ask him what he and his daughter know about these Arbitors.

That’s a good idea, he said, lying back down. He tapped the metal wall above their headboard, causing a soft yellow light to illuminate their waterbed and its rumpled sheets. Nikola put down her datapad and eyed him. He grinned at her. But, mother-to-be, don’t we have a ritual to finish?

She giggled, pushed brown bangs away from her eyes, and gave him her Woman Superior look.

We do. In exactly the way I decide. You ready?

A silly question, as she quickly discovered by laying her hand atop his groin. "You ready?" he asked.

Musical giggles preceded their return to tender love play.

CHAPTER TWO

Later that morning Jack sat in his Tech station seat in the Pilot Cabin of the Uhuru, surrounded by his crewmates at their own stations. Max’s vibe call had brought in everyone. The Drive Engineer had informed them about the neutrino call from Benaxis and their need for more info on the Arbitors. Or Arbitor. He nodded to their combat veteran Maureen O’Dowd. The black-haired woman was still slim, dynamic and totally deadly even at 78 chrono years. Which was why she occupied the Combat station seat to Jack’s right and managed the rear Battle Module of the Uhuru. The Irish woman fixed gray eyes on him.

Well? Did you expect this Hunters of the Great Dark system to just fall down because we humans kicked a few Alien butts? she said, her tone sardonic. Killing a few billion HikHikSot Aliens does not put an end to a 3,000 year-old system of apex predators ruling over other Aliens as if intelligent people are just a herd of cattle in the African savannah, ready for culling by a pack of lions.

I know that. They all knew it, thanks to the Animal Ethology lessons shared by Denise Rauvin over the last year of star roaming and space combat with social carnivore Aliens. But he had hoped the Hunter system could be subverted. After all, the pattern of an Alien predator species seeking new Hunt territory by their solo efforts, rather than in alliance with other Aliens, had given him hope he could overcome the Hunters system. Which was why they had spent the last interstellar trip making an alliance of common interest with juvenile and subject people Aliens. The Freedom Alliance now existed. In a small part of the Orion Arm. But none of the predator Aliens we met and overcame ever mentioned these Arbitor people. Not even Menoma of the HikHikSot, just before he was killed.

Denise slapped her Comlink station armrest. Which is why we need to do as Nikola suggested. Give a call to your buddy Hilok of the Northern Pack of the Nasen.

We will. Soon.

Jack looked around the cabin, hoping someone else would take the lead. His sister Elaine sat calmly at her Pilot station, just beyond Maureen, her manner calm and confident. As befit a woman who had piloted a transport ship for years before joining Jack’s anti-Alien crusade. Plus she was a medoc on the side. Elaine had spent a good part of the last four months aboard the Badger with Ignacio Aldecoa, getting to know the man she loved and learning about his ancestral Basque culture. She had used the excuse of Ignacio’s injured leg, but Jack knew better. As did everyone else in the cabin. Elaine adjusted the yellow headband she used to keep her brown bangs out of her eyes, then caught him watching. Shrugging, she looked down to her NavTrack panel, tapping to bring up something. He looked back to the middle and rear rows of function seats.

Max Piakowski was tapping on the Alcubierre stardrive pedestal located between his seat and Denise’s Comlink seat in the middle row, while Nikola sat behind Jack at her Chief Astronomer station. Her boot was thudding against the back of his seat, prompting him to stop putting off the obvious. He ignored her and checked out blond-haired Blodwen Llywelyn, who sat behind Max at her Sociology station. The Welsh lass was chatting softly with Archibald Wheeler at the professor’s Physics station. Blodwen wore the yellow diamond necklace given her by Max upon their return from the last trip. He suspected the two would become lifemates like he and Nikola, but they’d said nothing yet. Twisting in his seat he saw the last back row occupant. Playing a vidgame was Cassie, his ex-Spy sister who at 22 was far too knowledgeable of the ways of the world. Of humanity. And of duplicity. She looked up and winked at him. Sighing, he came back to their redheaded teen. Denise might be 19 going on 30, but she had proved her mettle by her creation of an Alien language translation system, in collaboration with the ship’s smart-ass AI. A software creation they all called Anonymous. As if any human would admit to bringing the collection of super-smart algorithms to near self-awareness.

ComChief, send out a signal to Hilok. Might as well see what that hybrid of a wolf and a giraffe has to say.

Sure. The teen’s red freckles shone bright on her pale white face. Unlike everyone else in the cabin, she was not rad-tanned from constant exposure to Sol rads, thanks to wearing a transparent bubble helmet and vacsuit most of her life. She had grown up on Pluto’s moon Charon, at the science base where her French parents had worked. A base that had employed Jack and Max as crew on the comet hunter incarnation of the Uhuru. Which was how humanity’s First Contact with the Rizen Aliens had come about. Denise blinked her emerald green eyes, gave him a sharp nod and reached down to the Comlink panel on the armrest of her seat.

Initiating modulated neutrino comlink call to Hilok of the Nasen, she said, tapping in the unique call sign of the Alien who had accepted Jack’s offer of a Trade encounter during their first interstellar trip.

Jack waited for the front wallscreen to fill with the image of the Nasen. It took a few seconds for the neutrino signal to travel through an adjacent dimension and then emerge in the Zeta Serpentis star system, some 75 light years from Earth. Max and Archibald understood the subatomic thingies involved in the interstellar comlink system. He had no clue. Nor did he wish to study stuff that made his head ache. The front screen image of the Dock Cavern disappeared to be replaced by an AV image originating far, far away.

Hello Pack Leader Jack.

A wolf-like Alien stood in a yellow, stone-walled room. Reclining nearby on floor pads were Hilok’s two adult children, the impetuous son Sator and his astronomer daughter Nalik.

Greetings Pack Leader Hilok of the Northern Pack, Jack said, as he again felt amazement at the bioshapes of intelligent life that occupied their corner of the galaxy.

Hilok did indeed resemble a wolf standing on four long, giraffe-like legs. The Alien stared at him with two yellow eyes arranged on either side of a large brain case. The head was carnivore-long, canine-filled and purple-lipped. A pair of flexarms emerged from the wolf-giraffe’s broad chest. His friend’s short-furred body was covered in contrasting bands of red and yellow that ran the length of his frame. An aposematic coloration that signaled ‘danger’ to anyone nearby. When the Nasen moved forward, his legs flexed like a recurved bow. The Nasen wore leather body straps that supported tool loops, glittering devices and a jeweled strip that ran over his shoulders and under his two flexarms. A white tufted tail was lifted alertly. The Alien’s two furry ears angled forward. Hilok blinked long black eyelashes.

While it is enjoyable to view your form and that of your lifemate and siblings, is your fleet nearby? Are you visiting for Trade?

Jack recalled that exiting from the Alcubierre stardrive did not emit a graviton signal that could be detected by gravitomagnetic sensors. While it allowed a stealth approach to unknown star systems, he had no wish to worry his Trade friend. No, I call from my asteroid home in Sol system. With me are my crew, all of whom you know from our visit to your Contact habitat. We have a puzzle that needs resolving, We hope you and your daughter can help us solve it.

Hilok glanced back to his two offspring. Nalik, attend! he snarl-grunted. Looking back around, Hilok’s four-fingered hands gripped his bejeweled chest strap as his smaller daughter moved to his side. What is your puzzle?

Jack gestured to Denise, who knew it was time to transmit the AV record of his Melagun friend’s call and the demand of MakMakGor. Earlier today I received a neutrino call from my friend Benaxis of the Melagun people. They occupy the star system we call Tau Ceti, which is close to our Sol. The record of that AV call is now being sent to you. Jack paused long enough for Hilok to pull out an oblong device from a pack hanging from his left flank. The Nasen glanced at it, nodded, and touched a round knob on his jeweled chest strap. Multiple light beams shot out to form a holo to one side. It seems an Arbitor person who goes by the name MakMakGor recently arrived at the outer edge of the Tau Ceti system, found our Predator Alert satellite, understood we humans claim the Melagun system as part of our Hunt territory, and now demands that we humans come to a meeting with it. To answer for some action of ours that it says violate the Rules of Engagement.

Hilok, who had been watching a speeded up version of the neutrino comlink call, gave a low groan. This is not good.

Jack unlocked the restraint straps of his seat and stood up, moving to stand front and center. He looked at the motion-eye above the front screen. What is not good about this contact?

The contact itself, Hilok’s daughter Nalik whinnied low. No Hunter of the Great Dark ever wishes to be visited by the Arbitors.

Hilok’s son Sator now came up to stand beside his father, watching the AV imagery of the neutrino call. Hilok turned away from the holo and faced Jack.

Pack Leader Jack of the Human species, you must travel to meet this Arbitor, the Nasen grunted in a deep bass. Hilok touched the holo knob, causing the imagery to disappear. When you meet this Arbitor, answer truthfully its questions. Accept whatever judgment it renders. Obey whatever commands it gives you.

Fuck, muttered Maureen from behind him. I’ve got a bad feeling about this Arbitor creature.

Jack leaned forward. Hilok, what is this Arbitor that you show it such . . . obedience? Its species is not one I have ever encountered. Nor is it listed among the Hunter species on Nalik’s star map of predator Home stars and Hunt territories in the Orion Arm.

Both Sator and Nalik lowered their heads and gave a full body shiver that made the color bands on their hides move like something alive. Hilok reached out one flexarm to pat the back of Sator’s head while laying his white-tufted tail across the back of Nalik. The Nasen blinked slowly.

"Their home system is unknown. Little is known of the Arbitors. What is known is fearful. The Alien paused, touched his chest strap knob, waited for the AV to reappear, and gestured to the image of the Arbitor spaceship. When disagreements happen between Hunters of the Great Dark, one party can call upon the Arbitors to come, attend, hear the issue and make a judgment. Compliance with the judgment of the Arbitor means you never again see