Regenis 4 Chronicles
Book 2
The Invisible Foe
Steve Simons
Copyright 2009 Steve Simons
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INDEX
Chapter 1 - Visitors
Chapter 2 - Patterns?
Chapter 3 - Catching Up
Chapter 4 - Guilty Or Just A Coincidence?
Chapter 5 - On Duty
Chapter 6 - Encounters
Chapter 7 - Appearing On The Arrivals Board?
Chapter 8 - A Lot Packed Into Two Days
Chapter 9 - What Goes Around Comes Around
Chapter 10 - Where Is The Captain?
Chapter 11 - When Friends Meet in Space
Chapter 12 - A Captain's Decision
Chapter 13 - What Nothing More?
Chapter 14 - The Invisible Foe
Chapter 15 - Announcing The Arrival Of
Chapter 16 - Determination
Chapter 17 - Trouble
Chapter 18 - Getting Acquainted
Chapter 19 - From Bad To Worse
Chapter 20 - Support
Chapter 21 - Life As Normal
Chapter 22 - Hard
Chapter 23 - Battle Stations
Chapter 24 - The Pull
Chapter 25 - Am I?
Chapter 26 - News
Chapter 27 - Regimented
Chapter 28 - Presence
Chapter 29 - Common Ground
Chapter 30 - Listen To Me, To Us
Chapter 31 - Tipping The Balance
Chapter 32 - What Use Is A Crumbling Empire?
Chapter 33 - So Where Do We Go Now?
Chapter 34 - Endings
Chapter 1 - Visitors
The Air sleeker glides effortlessly towards the family dwelling, Ed is glad to see it again, but rather confused to see a vehicle parked outside. They hardly ever got visitors. Hark at him, here he is arriving home unannounced. These days he was away more than at home, but then what could he expect taking up a career as a commercial pilot, flying passengers between planets often took weeks if not months. Some routes can even take a couple of years, although Ed was glad he had done none of those as yet.
Ed was hoping that the presence of another vehicle outside his parent's dwelling didn't indicate trouble. Ed was worrying now at that thought, but decided that it was pointless worrying about it as he could do nothing until he arrives anyway. He had already decided that to make his arrival a complete surprise, that he would park the Air sleeker behind some rocks to the north west of the dwelling and then walk home, as there are no windows on that side. He never fathomed out why that was. There was no reason to change his plans, even with the strange vehicle parked outside his parents dwelling.
It seems strange to be creeping into his family dwelling, rather than walking confidently in as he would usually do, but Ed was worried about that unknown vehicle and who was inside the dwelling, were they friend or... what's the word? Ed just couldn't think of the actual one he wanted, but 'enemy' came to mind and it would have to do. Ed listens carefully as he walks slowly up the corridor towards the entertainment room. He can hear muffled voices, none really recognisable, although the good sign was that there weren't any raised or angry voices, it all seemed quite calm.
Ed wondered if the security cameras were on, he could quickly dart off to his room to find out. He decided for safety sake that he would do just that. Ed wonders if his brother Paul is around, although the answer to that one was probably not. Since he'd entered his last year of the Academy, he seemed to spend more of his time actually at the Academy, he used to be such a home loving chap, until Ed had left to take up his new career as a pilot. Paul seemed a much more social animal now that he no longer existed in the shadow of his elder brother, he seemed to have found his own level and place in Academy living. For all Ed knew, Paul may even have a dwelling point at the Academy by now. Ed reflects on the fact that when he was still at home the two of them used to be so close, now neither knew much about the other and what they were doing. 'Such is the nature of modern day living, I suppose', thought Ed to himself.
Having reached his own room, Ed pauses a moment, wondering if everything would be the same, or had his mother taken the room over as a sewing room or something like that. He need not have feared, everything was exactly as he remembered it. Ed fires up the screen and logs into the dwelling secure-net. Ah the cameras are still on. There are three people in the room, no four, but Ed can't quite see the face of the fourth person. Three he immediately recognise as his father, mother and uncle Richard. Well, well, well it has been ages since they had heard nor seen anything of uncle Richard. Ed thinks that Richard is looking quite well considering, he;s probably still rushed off his feet with all that spy work that he does.
The group that he can see on the cameras seem quite relaxed, although they don't look very happy to see each other, perhaps uncle Richard has brought some bad news, perhaps he wants their Dad to help him out again. Ed tries to get a better image of the fourth person in the room, but whoever it is, hasn't taken off their outdoor clothes and their face is shielded by a hat and the shadow it casts over their face. As Ed gets the camera to zoom in, he realises that the fourth person is a woman and from the few pieces of clothing showing through the gaps in the overcoat, she is quite fashionably dressed by all seems. Ed has seen such garments on advert screens at some of the places that he has visited. So she is an off-worlder, but what would she be doing here and with his uncle Richard? Is this Richard's girl friend? Or is there something more to this visit. Ed decides that he isn't going to find out anything by staying in his room.
The group of four are quite startled as Ed breezes into the room full of confidence, issues forth the greeting, "Sub Zero each, hope you are all well." He swings up on the palm of his left hand, swivels in a controlled manner to land in the nearest available chair, like a well practised circus performer. Well he was in a way, he had done this impressive manoeuvre many times before whilst living at home.
No-one says a things for a short while, still stunned by Ed's entrance and performance.
Ed decides to break the ice, remarking, "Sorry have I interrupted a private chin wag?"
Richard is first to speak as he says, "Er no.... just amazed that you are here, your dad thought you were out on a long flight."
Ed smiles as he replies, "To put it in the technical space transit speak, the flight was cancelled, hence I have nothing to do apart from visit the nearest and dearest, i.e. mama and papa and it is a delight to also find you here."
Maria, now recovered from the shock of her son suddenly appearing like that, gets up, approaches Ed and holds her hands out for a hug. Which Ed is only too pleased to oblige with.
Ed asks, "So to what do we owe the pleasure of a visit from uncle Richard to?"
Richard smiles and replies, "Ever the suspicious one eh Ed? Actually I'm here on business as well as to see my brother and family."
Edward
says, "Yes the business element of Richard's visit could involve you."
"What he wants me to join the family business again?" asks Ed.
Richard picks up the thread with, "Well kind of, there have been incidents that I believe your family may be able to help me with."
"What kind of incident are talking about here?" asks Ed
Maria starts crying and Ed just can't understand why, nothing has been said to upset her, at least nothing whilst he has been here. Ed wonders if it is connected in some way with the fourth person in the room.
Richard assures Maria that they will get to the root of the problem.
Ed asks, "And how does your colleague here figure in this matter?" He walks over to the visitor and holds out his hand and says, "I am sorry my uncle is such a poor host, we have not been introduced, I am Ed, the eldest of the two sons of Edward here." Ed nods towards his father.
The stranger, lifts her head, her face still in shadow, she remarks in a rather nasal accent as if she have a severe cold, "Perceptiveness you have the appearance to attain, but how much have you, we shall see. Interest we in you, but we see how much you could continue to do so."
Ed replies, "Feg-no-qui-est, you come from Fegnoquiest, you are an important representative of your peoples and have come here seeking help as something has gone missing from your world and you suspect that uncle Richard here can help you find.... not it, but them. Your own people have tried their best to solve the mystery but now have to resort to teaming up with others who also seek an answer to their own disappearances."
The stranger now removes her hat and reveals their oval face with no eyes, a small circle of a nose , more like a small crater, where a humans mouth would normally be. No sign of hair as such, but a purple tinge to the skin colouration across the top of the head and down the sides. The remaining skin is a sort of dark brown. The stranger replies, "You fail.... not to impress we, progeny of the one called Edward. How make you such deduction?"
Ed smiles and replies, "Your wanting to stay in the shadows, indicated that either you were super sensitive to the light, or you wanted to hide your facial features. The moment you spoke I recognised the pattern of you language and the very nasal sound of your voice, the peoples of Feg-no-qui-est do not have mouths like humans, instead sounds are made behind the breathing apparatus and transferred through it, as a consequence you don't have the frequency range of a human."
The visitor somewhat impatient says, "Yes, yes, that is simple, what of the other?"
Ed pauses again, then continues, "Easy, why have you come all this way from your home land, if it was not a journey of importance, the Feg-no-qui-est peoples do not do tourism, they haven't got the curiosity or patience, meant with no malice I assure you, just stating the facts."
The stranger replies, "A given, no....the wordage escapes our grasp, ah yes, offence not taken by us, simply fact."
Ed continues, "The importance of your visit could be triggered by what? Trade - no we already have good trade relations between us, in any case that would not involve my uncle as an expert in imports and exports he is not. This leaves us with the possibility of war, as there have been no declarations of war, unless they are secret ones and it can't be a declaration between our two peoples otherwise what would you be doing in this humble dwelling? Therefore it has to be something of importance to both our peoples and you know that we have suffered the same change in circumstance that you have, it could be something economic, but uncle Richard was unlikely to be involved in that, as again its not his specialism. Therefore we are left with something or someone special has disappeared, been stolen or worst. When I mentioned something has gone missing, your head gave a slight nervous twitch and at the same time there was a glimmer in my uncle's face that gave indication that I was onto something. His face changed to reflect a deal of concern when I mentioned his name, indicating that we were dealing with people, not just objects. I suspect that it is the disappearance of a space craft or crafts in your part of the galaxy."
The stranger's face has change in colouration somewhat now as she replies, "You Ed are to us most impressive in your perceptiveness. We see that our choice has been wise to come amongst the grouping of Richard."
It is Richard's turn to ask, "How did you know about the disappearance of the space craft?"
Ed replies, "Have you forgotten I am a commercial pilot and when craft go missing the word kind of gets about and we wonder if one of ours will be next."
Maria starts crying again and hugs her son, as if a prophesy had just been spoken to the effect that her Ed was going to be next on the list of missing pilots.
Ed reassures her, that he has no intention of being captured by whatever or whoever is doing this. Then he asks his uncle, "How do you think that we can help out? Surely your lot have the best brains in the business working on this one?"
Richard replies, "Well they think they have, but I know differently, I think the best brains exist in this family and if there's a solution to be found to this mystery it is us who are going to find it."
Maria asks, "What a retired intelligence man and his two boys? What can we do?"
Richard replies, "Don't put yourselves down Maria, in your time you and Edward were the best that the agency had."
Maria protests, "Yes precisely Richard, we WERE, in case it has escaped your notice we are old and retired now."
Edward objects, "Hey less of the old Maria, retired yes, but old no. I still feel young and my brain is as sharp as it ever was. It seems to have rubbed off onto young Ed too, did you see how quickly he worked all that out and with little to go on at that."
Maria says, "Edward, no matter how much you hanker after the old days, you have to face it, they are gone now, you cannot use our boys to regain your youth again. They have their own lives to live."
Edward replies, "I am not doing that Maria, our boys have their own talents and it is entirely up to them if they want to use them to help out here. Ed is perfectly free to do as he wishes. He knows I couldn't make him help out."
Ed suggests, "Look I have a few days off and if I can help uncle Richard and his friend out, I'm more than happy to do so. Its probably in my best interest anyway, I don't want to sit back and see this whatever or whoever is grabbing these ships continue to get away with it."
"That's the spirit!" encourages Edward, but curbs his enthusiasm as he sees Maria's disapproving look.
Ed asks, "OK uncle Richard what have we got here, what do you know about the situation?"
Richard is somewhat relieved that he has the full support of Ed and Edward and possibly he can sway Maria, goes on to say, "Well I have a data pack here with all the recorded disappearances in it. Our techno bods have been unable to make out any patterns behind the disappearances, I wondered if that was our starting point?"
Ed looking somewhat disappointed says, "But our resident analyst genius isn't here."
Edward exclaims, "Oh Paul, he's due back any minute isn't he Maria."
Maria forgetting her objections to the project looks at the wall time display and agrees, that yes he was due back in the next fifteen or so minutes. He has been out with Elcesior and a visitor called Carina.
Ed asks, "Not Jeristican's daughter?"
Maria replies, "Oh yes, I didn't think about that connection, it could be, you know Paul, he didn't mention a family name. But yes Jeristican's daughter was called Carina wasn't she?" Then Maria suddenly says, "Oh dear I had forgotten that I said she could stay over the night, I was going to put her in your room and now you are back. What am I going to do now?"
Richard replies, "Don't worry about us Maria, we weren't planning on staying anyway, I have rooms booked at the Sparfield Hotel and we have already booked in before coming here to see you."
Maria much relieved, settles on the idea that Carina will be able to stay in the guest room.
They settle down to wait for Paul and his friends to return. Richard strikes up a conversation with Ed, he is
curious to know what planets Ed has visited thus far in his line of duty as a commercial pilot.
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Chapter 2 - Patterns?
It was considerably longer than the expected 15 minutes before Paul and Carina walk in. Carina, still with long chestnut coloured hair and looking as attractive as ever. Paul and Carina still seemed to have that same magic bond that they had when they first met. It was a few years back now, to think they had not seen each other in all that time and yet, here they were still chatting away like old friends. It had not escaped Ed's notice that they were also holding hands.
Ed smiles to himself, as he thinks, 'So their friendship has blossomed somewhat. They must just have a natural chemistry to have bonded like this. It seemed strange that Paul had not attempted to contact Carina in all this time, then suddenly she turns up out of the blue and hey they are best friends all over again."
Maria is her usual mother self, fussing around Paul and Carina to make sure they are alright and have had a good evening. She wants to show Carina her room and get her settled, whereas Paul and Carina want to stay and chat with Ed and Richard, plus find out more about Richard's guest.
Richard sensing Maria's unease, suggests that she could quickly sort out Carina's room and that she would soon be back and they could all catch up on the chat then.
Maria whisks Carina off to the guest room, after asking Paul to fetch her overnight case. As they leave the room, Ed looks around the room, his eyes settle upon his father's face, he cannot fail to notice that there's a look of fear in Edward's eyes, his complexion is also somewhat pale. Surely he can't still hold it against Carina that her father was part of the plot that they had foiled? After all, he was still in jail serving his time for that crime and Carina had nothing to do with that.