CHAPTER 22
ONWARD!
Airline travel is hours of boredom interrupted by moments of stark terror.
- Al Boliska
It was yet another major disaster for the Ra. Of the three Warren ships, only the lead ship carrying Ren'Ca and Twi'Na had survived an attack from an Earth amusement park. The single remaining Ra Warren Ship, seriously damaged, was undergoing emergency repairs by the Mother Ship crew. Dow was pacing furiously around his debriefing room, attended by the seemingly emotionless Renson and two very nervous aids.
"This is incredible!” stormed Dow. "In the last Earth century of Ra intervention on Earth, we had not a single casualty! Now in two days we have lost more than two Warren! None have been revenged, AND we remain frustrated in our mission! WHAT IS THE EXPLANATION?”
"Perhaps we underestimated the humans," ventured an aid, tentatively. She should have known better. Dow strode over to the hapless female and stooped to place his snarling face nearly in contact with hers. Even without the enhancing aid of Ca, the hate emanating from the Ra Master psychically was felt in the entire Mother Ship. For the poor aid it was overpowering.
"Is that what you propose that I tell the Hierarchy?" he thundered.
The aid, suffering emotional overload, fainted. Dow spat on the fallen crewmember and again paced the room. "Does anyone else have a useful comment or suggestion?" he demanded vehemently, scowling at the remaining aid, and then, at Renson. After all, Ren'Ca had led the ill-fated mission, the mission that would surely be the downfall of Dow! Ca'Ra or no, Dow was incensed, and he now directed much it towards the Priest.
The Ca'Ra turned his head slightly and looked for a moment into the eyes of the Na'Ra Master. The tiniest cruel smile appeared on the human face he wore, and his black eyes flashed blood red. What was projected momentarily by that look, and the empathic message that accompanied it, was too dark to be called simply hate. It was the essence of evil, pure and strong. With it came a perfectly intelligible telepathic message. "You too are expendable, Na’Ra! I will instruct you now alone," ordered the Ca'Ra, cutting through Dow's mind with such intensity that he feared that the top of his skull had been ripped off!
Dow staggered back, away from the Ca'Ra. Any doubts that Dow had about whom and what he was dealing with were gone. Ren’Ca was a Level One Ca'Ra, there was no doubt! Dow had never felt such power before! He was certain that this Ca'Ra could easily kill him instantly with merely a thought. And, he also realized how dangerous it was for him to even know such a thing about such a one as Ren'Ca, for all Ca’Ra were highly secretive.
Dow quickly decided then that he wanted to continue living, somehow. To do so he would have to remember to pay the closest attention to the Ca'Ra that stood impassively before him. He struggled to shake off the pain and regain his composure, and then quietly dismissed the others by having Twig and the remaining aid carry out the aid that had fainted. They left gladly, having sensed the sudden fury and power of the Ca'Ra, and their Master's resulting pain and fear.
Now that he had put the Na'Ra Master in his place, Ren'Ca coolly presented his 'suggestions' to Dow. "The humans we seek have doubtless left the Enterprise by now, so revenge of our brethren on the Enterprise must be put aside, at least for now. All humans will be destroyed very soon anyway. The priority must remain with apprehension of the fugitives. From the Mother Ship we have not yet detected them, though we will continue to try.
“Since we cannot detect them, we need to anticipate their next moves. There are two places they may go that we know of. One is Arizona. Melberg is there already, looking for Janet Garb. He has paid human lackeys to help him. That must be sufficient coverage in Arizona for now, unless the fugitives are actually detected there.
"I will go alone to the second location and point of greatest ultimate danger: the asteroid impact point. In any case, when the fugitives are detected, all resources, including this Mother Ship, must be used to keep them from reaching the impact zone. They are to be immediately destroyed. And of course this ship and all Ra except for me must stay away from the impact zone.” The Ca'Ra again fixed Dow with his icy stare. "Do you understand?"
"Yes Ca'Ra, I understand and will follow all your instructions to the letter!” He dipped his head low, indicating a position of full servitude relative to Ren'Ca. However, Dow was very confused on some points. "Ca’Ra, I have concerns that I feel you should know about. If the Mother Ship should have to engage directly in the pursuit, our jamming of Earth news signals may be disrupted, and the Galactic League alerted."
"That is a secondary concern, but one that I will soon remedy by establishing a jamming ground-station near the impact point, exactly as you cleverly suggested earlier," responded Ren'Ca. "Keep in mind however, that your primary concern is to stop the humans, and to at all costs prevent them and anyone else from visiting the impact zone. Period.”
"Yes Ca'Ra!” Dow responded, as he again bowed low. Dow knew better than to press the point further. What he didn't understand, Ren'Ca was apparently not going to tell him. He had the uncomfortable feeling that Ca’Ra secrets that he didn't know would still probably kill him, but if he knew them himself he would be dead for sure. Further, he suspected that the longer the Ra remained on Earth, the less the chance that any of them would ever leave and return safely to the Ra home planet.
"I will leave as soon as the Warren Ship repairs are complete" said Ren'Ca. "Keep me informed.” The Ca'Ra strode from the room.
He left a deeply troubled Na'Ra Master. Ren'Ca had clearly assumed full command, and yet now the Priest was immediately and inexplicably abandoning it to place himself, and himself alone, at the asteroid impact point. Why would the humans want to go to the Dannos impact point, and why would Ren'Ca want to prevent at any cost humans or any Ra other than himself from doing so? Dow had thought that the Dannos impact point was arbitrary, since impact anywhere on Earth would kill everyone. Somehow that assumption was not correct. Why, he didn’t know, and he knew better than to ask the Ca'Ra.