Chapter 10: Stirring Up Trouble
"Take the axe and hunting knife we got from those Afrikaners and stay behind me, Victor," John Koenig said as he dropped from the opening in the spaceship to the ground, shotgun in hand. "If they survived, Luke and Anna should be here, but we don't know if there is anything else."
The scientist nodded and followed his Commander. The men stood at the ship for a few moments, taking in the gnarled, dead vegetation around them and listening carefully, but except for a light breeze rustling some brown leaves, all was quiet.
"I'm heading in the direction the ship is pointing, Victor. Stay here until I signal," Koenig explained. "Then join me and carve a notch into a tree, on the opposite side of the ship so we can follow it back here later."
"Right, John."
"And let's not make too much noise."
Koenig set off away from the ship, the shotgun ready in his hands. They had tried mind-flying the ship like on earth, but found it would not budge. Both men had concluded that for whatever reason the intergalactic council had landed them on Arkadia, they were meant to explore on foot. When he reached a tree about a hundred meters away from the ship, he signaled his friend.
"Carve the notch here, Victor," Koenig whispered. "I'll explore the next area. Wait for my signal."
Professor Bergman started carving a notch into the dead trunk while Koenig crept quietly through the bush, swinging the shotgun from side to side. The dead vegetation was dense enough to provide some cover, but not too dense to prevent progress. The two men leapfrogged this way several times before Koenig stopped dead and held up his hand. He signaled for Victor to approach, but very quietly.
They were on a small ridge looking out into a shallow valley, and several hundred meters away sections of a familiar spaceship could be seen through the trees.
"What is that doing here?" Koenig breathed.
"Probably the reason we are here," Victor whispered.
"Let's slip down this ridge but stay parallel to it. I want to approach the ship from the far side." The Commander waited until the Professor had carved his notch before the men made their way slowly down the ridge, where he carved another notch before they set off parallel to the edge of the valley. From time to time they stopped to carve another marker and eventually Koenig decided that they had traveled far enough and could head towards the big ship.
"I'll go first, like before," John whispered. "Stay hidden until I signal. And not a sound."
Victor nodded solemnly and crouched down while Koenig set off perpendicular to their route. Both men were listening for telltale sounds, but all they could hear were the slight rustling of leaves made by their own movements. When the Commander gave the signal Victor crept towards him. Koenig pointed at where they could begin to make out sections of the big ship before signaling for his friend to stay put. Shotgun ready Koenig resumed his trek to the ship.
Eventually the two men found themselves concealed in the trees with a full view of the vessel resting quietly on the dry surface. They had not seen or heard anybody. John leaned close to Victor before whispering: "I knew the entrance was on the far side, that's why this approach." Both men stared at the open port in the side of the ship as Koenig made his decision. "I think there is no one here. Let's go!"
They rushed straight at the ship and within a few seconds leaped inside. The Commander had been correct, there was no one in the first cabin, but it resembled little of the ship that had left Berg about two years ago. The room was messy, cluttered with empty storage containers, pieces of clothing and equipment. To their great delight a corner was piled with laser canons and both men headed there without a word.
Koenig grabbed a canvas tote from the floor of the huge Superswift. "Before we do anything else, Victor, let's get some of this equipment safely back to our ship. I think you're right: the reason we are here is Luke and Anna may be in Bannion's clutches. We need to arm ourselves and think of a strategy."
They loaded up with laser cannons, stun guns; and found flashlights, commlocks, binoculars and a few scanners. With their tote filled up they retraced their steps back to the top of the ridge from where they had first seen the Superswift. On their stomachs they investigated the terrain ahead of them. The big vessel was visible through the trees roughly at their two o'clock. Slightly further away to their left was another rocky ledge where the vegetation appeared greener. With their binoculars they could also make out the white of an Eagle between the vegetation.
"I think that's the area where we first found the cave and the Sanskrit inscription," Koenig whispered. "That must be where Luke and Anna decided to settle."
"And that's no doubt where Bannion and his people are too," Victor whispered back. "But how did the Superswift end up here when it was programmed for earth?"
"Let's take the equipment back to our ship while we talk," Koenig said. Following the notches in the trees they made their way back to the intergalactic ship, this time carving markers on the other side of the dead trees. "It makes sense in a way," John explained. "We passed by Arkadia on our journey on the moon, so this would be part of the reverse plot from Berg. I'm just wondering why Bannion and his people would choose to land here."
"The state of that ship was not good," Victor added. "Looks like they may have had some trouble on board. They may have needed help."
"Except their way of asking for it was probably not friendly. So now it is Luke and Anna that may need help."
They had reached their ship and climbed inside. "Let's take two laser cannons, two stun guns, flashlights." Koenig rummaged among the items they had received on earth for the water bottles, which they filled up from the large barrel the men from Klaarstroom had loaded on board. "Water and a few things to eat. I'll take one pair of binoculars." The men were dressed in their black silky pants, vellies and khaki shirts. The shorts were just too much for them, but the belts now came in handy for their stun guns.
"From what I remember it doesn't get too cold here at night," Victor said. "Should we take those jackets?" The men on earth had included some clothes in their gift, among which were two bulky camouflage jackets.
"Let's take them just in case," John said. "No point in taking the commlocks, they'll have to be reprogrammed first." They packed a small backpack each, slung the water bottles around their necks and armed with their laser cannons stepped back onto Arkadia. The shotgun was staying behind but they had packed the axe and hunting knife.
"I want us to head back to that ridge," Koenig said as they made their way between the trees again. "This time we'll veer towards the Eagle, but I want us to approach it the same way we did the Superswift; from the far side. Going into that cave is suicide, even armed. No doubt Bannion and his people are armed in there. Perhaps we can find a vantage point and hope someone will come outside; someone we could talk to and find out what's going on."
Feeling like commando units the men made their way back to the ridge. This time they veered left along the rim of the valley, traveling quietly, still carving their markers into the trees. The light seemed to be fading, and they smelled smoke on the slight breeze. Koenig stopped to comb the valley with his binoculars.
"I can see where the greener vegetation starts," he whispered, but suddenly froze. They could hear voices clearly: far away, but voices without a doubt. Both men stood frozen but the voices remained in the distance. "Let's go," the Commander finally said. "Let's be as quiet as we can. I want us to try reaching that Eagle before dark."
The men moved in a large ellipse, coming around the back of the eagle. By the time they had reached the familiar shape it was almost completely dark. "Stay behind this tree, Victor. I'm going to take a look." From time to time the sound of voices drifted towards them between the trees but they had not encountered anyone during their journey.
Koenig approached the Eagle stealthily and disappeared from view for a few minutes. Finally he signaled once with his flashlight, facing the light away from the cave and the voices and the Professor made his way over to the Eagle.
The passenger cabin had been stripped almost bare. The seats had been removed as well as the table by the computer console. Some of the paneling had been taken out, but the control module was still intact. The storage compartment was empty.
"Let's sit in the cockpit," Koenig said. "It should shield our voices." Both men were tired from the long day's walking and gratefully sank into the pilot seats, keeping their laser cannons and backpacks close. "What do you think, Victor, approach them in the dark or wait until daylight?"
"Hmmm… that's a tough one, John. They're more familiar with the terrain, which is to their advantage. But they're unaware of us, so if we could get closer in the dark to listen, it may be helpful?"
The men ate some dried fruit and biltong in silence. "If we go in the dark," John said thoughtfully, "I'll feel better if one of us stay here at the Eagle. But, it may be risky. Perhaps we should rest here best we can and see what the morning brings."
"Yeah. Explore the area more thoroughly and find somewhere to wait. It would be good if we can get hold of Luke or Anna first."
"We'll have to have a plan in case we do. When someone comes up missing it will be noticed." Koenig got up. "I'm going to close the Eagle doors. It will give us warning if someone comes. Let's use the evening for planning and get some rest."
By early morning the men found themselves concealed on a deep ledge from where they could see the cleared area in front of the cave well. Though not comfortable, their rest in the Eagle had been without interruption, and after a breakfast of dried fruit and a hard, biscuit-like cake they had both forgotten the name of, they had made their way up the back of the ridge above the cave and found themselves in a good position from where to observe.
The first people who came out of the cave, arguing loudly, was a bearded, bedraggled looking man and a woman they recognized as Ann Coulther. Their voices were raised as they faced each other with aggressive postures, and bits of the conversation drifted up to the men on the ledge.
"… back to our original journey…." The woman.
"… provisions… the baby… Bannion… crazy…" The man, whom they now realized was Pete Johnson.
"… wasting time… let… stay…" She was obviously very agitated and finally turned away from Johnson, her arms folded defiantly. Both were distracted and looked towards the entrance of the cave where another bearded man appeared. Johnson pulled his stun gun.
"Get back," he ordered loudly.
"… crops… check…" The man was now fully visible, and it appeared to be the tall figure of Luke Ferro. But as Johnson advanced on him, he retreated back into the cave. Shortly more people came out, the men all bearded, all armed. They formed a group and had a discussion, their heads close together, before heading back into the cave.
"Let's go, Victor," Koenig whispered. "While they are inside." They made their way quietly and carefully back up the ridge and around to the Eagle. "Luke and Anna are obviously in some sort of hostage situation," John continued once they were safely inside the Eagle. "Looks like our group of mutineers are still fighting. I heard something about a baby, and Bannion. Perhaps they were trying to get extra provisions and thought Luke and Anna had some."
"Not for 21 people," Victor sighed. "They should still have plenty on the Superswift if they were careful."
"I doubt they were. We need to somehow try and get Luke Ferro or Anna Davis and find out exactly what is going on. Or try capturing one of the others and bringing them here."
"Luke said something about crops. The planted area is somewhere directly ahead of us, between the cave and the Eagle. Perhaps we can wait there and hope someone will come check on the vegetables."
"That's probably our best option," Koenig agreed. "But we'll split up. That way, if one of is discovered, the other can still come up with some kind of plan."
They moved stealthily ahead until they could see the area cleared for the vegetable patch between the trees. The vegetation was green in the area and provided good cover. Koenig indicated a well leafed area for the Professor and he took position closer to the crops behind a big rocky outcrop. The plan was that if Luke or Anna came, he would approach them first; if they were accompanied by one of those from the Superswift, Koenig would stun that person first. If either of them were taken, the other would retreat to the intergalactic ship since the area was bound to be searched then, and try to come up with a rescue plan.
They waited as the morning grew warmer, shifting slightly from time to time. Suddenly Koenig signaled to his friend to be still; they could both hear voices approaching. As the two figures appeared in the clearing, Koenig had his stun gun out at the same time he whispered: "Anna, don't be afraid…" He felt momentarily guilty as the second person was Ann Coulther from the Superswift group, but he had stunned her while at the same time stepping up to Anna Davis.
Her stunned surprise at seeing John Koenig here on Arkadia worked in their favor, because she just stared without a sound. "We need to talk, Anna," Koenig whispered, taking her arm. "We know you are in trouble and we are here to help. Let's go to the Eagle."
Victor led the way, with Anna following and Koenig bringing up the rear, Ann Coulther swung across his shoulder in a fireman's lift. They could not dare leave her to be discovered or raise the alarm yet once she recovered. Once they were inside the Eagle both men relaxed for a moment. They were vastly outnumbered and realized they had been lucky this time.
"Watch her, Victor," Koenig said, placing Coulther in the cockpit, taking up position in front of the Eagle door himself. "Anna, please tell us what's going on."
She had found her voice and took a deep breath. "It will have to be quick. They have my babies if I'm not back soon. I'm supposed to check and water the crops."
"We'll help with that," Koenig said. "And I know you have questions, but we've been brought here to help… so tell us what's going on?"
"We saw that ship," Anna started, "… and Luke thought it looked like an earth ship, so we thought finally people were looking for the moon… but when they landed and all those men came at us with weapons we were terrified. We eventually recognized some of them; they had all been on Alpha with us."
"Why did they land here?" Koenig asked.
"There had been fighting on board. They had two bodies, a woman about to give birth, and they were in a bad way cooped up in that ship… They remembered leaving us here on Arkadia, and when their computer told them they were passing, they decided to land…"
"Bodies?" Koenig exclaimed, alarmed.
"Yes, two men killed in the fighting. Some want to go on to earth, some want to turn back to your planet and some now want to stay here… they are very angry at each other."
"Can you accept more people in your community at this point?" Victor Bergman asked from the door to the cockpit.
"Luke and I have worked very hard. We have two boys now, and we are getting better at producing extra food. We could probably take two or three extra, and the additional help will be useful, but we don't need people who are constantly fighting. We want people who are willing to work just as hard as we do."
Koenig nodded. "Well, Anna, we of Alpha have recently come to the attention of the intergalactic council… a body almost like the United Nations… and the Professor and I are in training to join them. We think they sent us here to help you. So… we would somehow need to negotiate with Bannion and his people…"
Victor swung around, his stun gun aimed at Ann Couther who was staggering from the Eagle cockpit. "Stop!" he said. But the amazement at seeing the two Alphans was enough to freeze her.
Koenig too aimed his stun gun. "Ann, we're just talking to Anna here about the problems you are creating for them."
Ann Coulther slid down against the wall of the passenger module with a sigh, and hung her head. "I'm not proud of what we have become," she said. Both men could not help but notice her haggard appearance. "I won't give you any problems, Commander. But Pete will be getting suspicious if we don't get back. They are terrifying her children and Luke."
"How could we negotiate with Bannion?" Koenig asked. "He was your leader wasn't he?"
Ann's face filled with sadness. "Irving killed Terry." Her voice was barely audible, her hand on her stomach. "My child will grow up without a father."
John and Victor looked at each other, realizing that the problems they were facing with the group of mutineers from Berg could be far worse than they had imagined. And now that they had revealed themselves, they had to move forward. They could not rely on the two women to keep their presence secret.
"Let's go water your crops," Koenig said, "while we think. Victor, you stay here and watch Ann. We'll be back soon."
"Commander," Ann Coulther appealed. "I know we did a terrible thing to you on Berg, but I will not give you any trouble now. We had no idea what we were getting into when we took the Superswift and started this journey, and it was a big mistake. I know you let us go to get rid of the seed of hatred we carried, and I don't blame you. But if there is anything I can do now to help, I will…"
"Victor?" Koenig faced his friend. The Professor nodded.
"Let's trust her, John. We are vastly outnumbered and will need help."
"OK. But keep her covered just in case." The four of them started back to the vegetable patch. There was still no one else around and Anna Davis showed them the system of irrigation ditches that linked up to a small stream trickling from the rocky ledge.
"We've not had rain in a long time," Anna said. "But Luke and I found this stream always has some water, so we irrigate from here."
"We noticed it was very dry," the Professor added. "It could not have been easy for you and Luke."
"It has not been easy, Professor," she said, bending to lift one of the irrigation sluices, "but Luke and I have loved every moment."
"Then we'll have to make certain that we can talk these people into leaving Arkadia in peace," Victor mused, looking at John.
"Could we get everyone outside the cave somehow?" Koenig asked. "I'd hate for children to be caught inside that cave if things get rough."
"Mandy and Joan are keeping the children, Commander," Ann Coulther offered. "I can go in and bring them out… under the pretense of taking the children for a walk."
John looked at Victor. "If we can do that, and you can bring the children to the Eagle… protect them in here using the door as a choke point… or even better, take them to our ship, with Anna…?"
"That would leave you here by yourself, John," Victor said.
"I won't give you away, Commander," Ann Couther said. "You have my word."
"So if we can somehow get the children out… and Anna… and get them somewhere safe so you can return, Victor," Koenig mused.
"I think we better get back," Anna said. "Someone might come looking."
"She's right," Ann confirmed. "Wait by the Eagle, Commander, and I'll bring the children, and Anna, if I can. It might take a while, but I'll do my best."
The two men had no choice but to hope the plan would work. They took up positions inside the Eagle with their laser cannons in case they were betrayed and settled in for the wait.
Many hours later the door to the Eagle slid open. "It's us, Commander, Anna, the babies and I," Ann Coulther whispered as the women climbed on board. Anna had a baby in her arms and Ann was leading a toddler, a stun gun lowered in her other hand. "I had to take the gun to give the impression I was guarding her."
The two Alphans admired the baby for a few seconds and the Professor ruffled the toddler's hair. "It will be dark soon, Commander," Anna Davis said. "If we are gone too long, they are bound to get suspicious, but we have a plan."
"Rough me up," Ann Coulther offered. "I'll give you a few moments to make your getaway, then stumble back to the cave and say Anna surprised me when I was distracted with a child. She overwhelmed me and ran away with the children."
"They'll search the area but not for long," Anna added, "since it will be dark soon. That way we can get to wherever your ship is."
"Will you be OK though, Ann?" Victor asked. "They won't hurt you further?"
"No, I'll be fine. I'll try to get word to Luke that he is not to worry about Anna and that help will be coming."
"Sounds like a plan," Koenig said, thoughtfully. "We can return in the morning but leave Anna and the children in safety."
"I'll find a way to meet you at the Eagle in the morning, Commander," Ann Coulther said.
"They might resume their search for Anna though," the Professor interjected.
"That could work in our favor," John said. "If we accost single members of their party, we could stun them and reduce their numbers in our favor a bit."
"Beat me up a bit, Commander, then you have to go quickly. Irving is the paranoid one and he might get suspicious if we are away too long. It's him you have to worry about."
Koenig looked at the woman for a few seconds before muttering and apology and knocking her down with a quick swipe. She smiled sadly.
"Not enough, Commander." She rolled around in the dirt and smeared some more dirt on her face. "Now, you must go!"
The two men and Anna Davis started moving away from the Eagle. Anna carried her baby, and Victor piggybacked the toddler, leading the way while Koenig brought up the rear, his laser cannon ready. Anna whispered urgently to her eldest son to be very quiet, as the boy was enjoying the piggyback ride and giggling occasionally. They walked as fast as they could back to the ridge; once they had made their way to the top, both men breathed a sigh of relief as they had heard shouts drifting through the trees during the last part of their journey: men searching for Anna and the children.
"Not far now," Koenig whispered. "Victor you take them there as fast as you can, but quietly. I'll hang back a bit just in case someone comes up this ridge."
The Professor nodded and set off again, Anna beside him. He showed her the marks on the trees, as it was getting dark, but they did not want to use the flashlights yet. A light can be seen a long way in the dark.
Finally after a long, stressful walk they reached the intergalactic ship. Anna froze, staring at it in amazement. Victor Bergman dropped the toddler beside her. "I'm going to check it out, just in case." He pulled his stun gun and approached to opening in the hull. Like before, the inside of the ship was giving off a faint glow, but the vessel was empty and there was no sign that anyone had been inside. "It's safe," he stuck his head out, gesturing for her to come inside, reaching to help the two-year old inside. "I have a son too," he smiled at her.
She looked around the strange vessel. "How do you fly this?" she asked. "There's no cockpit!"
"We don't. The intergalactic council takes us where they want," he grinned. "It has been quite an experience."
Now her eyes on him were huge. "A son? You said you have a son?"
"Yes," he smiled shyly. "Thor. He was six months old when we left. I'm not sure how long we have been gone now."
"Well," Anna squatted and hugged her eldest to her. "This is John. Named after the Commander, of course. And the baby is Luke. We adore them."
"I hope we can get these people away from Arkadia so you can continue your work here, Anna." He had filled some enamel mugs with water, offering it to her and the boy. We have just come from earth, where we had a task to perform, and the earth people gave us those things." He indicated the bundles and baskets in the rear.
"Earth? But those people said earth was destroyed…?"
"There are pockets of survivors," Victor said, moving towards the door as he heard rustling. But it was just John Koenig.
"No one followed up the ridge," Koenig said. "They probably didn't think Anna would climb with the babies. Hopefully our presence is still secret."
"Thank you, Commander." Anna said. "You've been nothing but good to us, despite the way we left Alpha."
"Those things are all in the past, Anna. Let's get something to eat."
The men rummaged around in the baskets of provisions, bringing out some dried fruit and biltong. Victor found some jars and studied them. "Hey, John, this looks like that salad thing we had. And look, these seemed to be jarred peaches or something. Those people really went out of their way for us."
There were a couple of spoons and a fork or two, so they simply passed the jar of peaches around. Little John was delighted at the fare and ate happily.
"He's named after you, John," Victor smiled at his friend. John Koenig looked very pleased and proud.
"Tell me more about your planet?" Anna asked as they shared the meal.
"We found two planets," Koenig answered. "In a small solar system we named Alpha Nova."
"New Alpha!" Anna smiled, tears in her eyes. "That's beautiful!"
"We all eventually settled on one of the planets, which had been named Berg. When we left, we had already established two communities: Uzazi, meaning 'birth' and Kukua, meaning 'growth'. We have several children, our own and three of the children who had survived on the Superswift."
"Yes, some of those people told us the story about the ship coming to your planet, and earth having been destroyed. But the Professor said you found people on earth."
"Yes, no doubt there are many pockets of survivors. We found one group, and would you believe, our Eagle pilot's brother was in that group!"
"Johan Burger," Victor mumbled; his mouth full of onion salad.
"The intergalactic council obviously orchestrated it so we could give him the good news that his brother is alive and most of us on Alpha survived the nuclear explosion. Conversely we got the good news that there are survivors on earth doing well."
"Who is this intergalactic council?"
"It seems to be a body of aliens overseeing cosmic affairs," John answered, watching Victor make two pallets out of the clothing they had been given. "This journey they have sent us on is to train us to join them, we think, something like the twelve tasks of Hercules we have to complete," he added with a grin.
"Sleeping arrangements are not very luxurious," Victor said as he joined them. "You can have that seat we use while traveling in this ship." He indicated his seat. "It should be sufficient for you and the baby, and your boy can sleep on those clothes."
Anna placed her hand on Victor's arm. "Thank you, Professor," she said gratefully. "You have not told me… who is the mother of your boy?"
The Professor glanced at John Koenig, who just smiled and nodded.
"Helena," he replied softly. Anna too looked at John Koenig with surprise.
"Victor and Helena have a long history," John smiled reassuringly, putting his arm around the older man's shoulder. "I could not be happier for them."
Anna nodded. "Well, I'm so grateful you are here, Commander, and Professor Bergman. I feel hopeful we'll get the situation with those people sorted out now before they cause more harm."
"Yes, we still have a lot to discuss," John said. "We need more information from you about their numbers and their weapons, and then come up with some sort of plan for tomorrow. We'll talk for a bit; then you and Anna get some rest with the little ones. I'll keep watch just in case, and wake you when I get tired, Victor, so you can take the next watch."
"Sound plan, John," Victor nodded.
"Tomorrow you and I will head back and see if we can negotiate with their leaders. Hopefully we can get this issue resolved so we can continue our journey and eventually get back to our home, and Luke and Anna can continue their destiny here on Arkadia."
(To be continued…)