CHAPTER 31: Alexander, the Galactic Spectacle

The sharp intake of Nazeera’s breath was clearly audible in the Assemblage chamber. She glanced around to see if her colleagues noticed her attention. No, all eyes were on the huge screens that showed Alexander retreating back into the trap that was the Tyrannosaur’s canyon and attempting to hide under the waterfall. Only one set of eyes, bright with malignant intent, watched her; the sneering glance of her husband, Bureel.

“It seems that my challenge may go unfulfilled after all,” he leered smoothly.

“You’d like that wouldn’t you, Bureel,” she whispered. “It would be too dangerous for you to face him alone and on equal terms.”

“Careful, my dear wife,” he told her. “My patience is short. It would be a severe blow to my heart if I thought your interests in the Terran were greater than those of Chem. I would have no choice but commit the sad duty of exposing you before your peers.”

“If I connect you to last night’s assassination attempt you’ll join Alexander on Pantrixnia; and woe to you if he finds you before the scavengers do!”

“Hardly likely, seeing as I’m in charge of the investigation,” Bureel smiled. “Don’t worry, Nazeera of the Triumvirate, I’ve already got some suspects in mind—peaceniks, desperately trying to halt your push to war and glory! Have no fear, even should they succeed I will carry your banner forward.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Bureel.”

“Any risk is worth the prize I’m after,” he told her, and then his eyes turned to slits of displeasure as her brother approached them. “Well, well, if it isn’t Nazar. Your service in the government’s counter-terrorism corps apparently went unnoticed by the assassins—how fortunate for Chem.”

“Meaning you didn’t expect me to interfere with your little scheme, Bureel?” Nazar whispered, nodding to several of his peers.

“It seems they, whoever they are, miscalculated,” Bureel noted. “I’ll make sure they don’t do it again—try to deprive Chem of you or your inestimable sibling, that is.”

“Bureel, you cold calculating worm I never thought even you were capable of such a despicable act!” Nazeera trembled in cold rage.

“Why Nazeera, I’m shocked insinuation. It is doubtless your concern for the Terran’s trials that has you upset. Things have grown rather stale for the moment on Pantrixnia, and there is an alarmingly small amount we can gleam from things. I shall leave you to calm yourself.”

Nazeera fumed and Bureel slunk away with an evil smile. Nazar put a finger to her lips, “Careful Nazeera, don’t worry yourself; I’ve put my people on his people. We should have ample warning the next time he tries something.” Nazar turned to the screen to watch the Tyrannosaurus bathing in the pool. “How are things going? Is the day so uneventful that the Assemblage is watching a carnivore take a bath?”

“He’s behind the waterfall, Nazar.”

“Alexander? Oh my, how did he get there?”

Nazeera explained the sequence of events to Nazar, who could only shake his head. Suddenly a gasp and a rumbling murmur in the Assemblage caught their attention.

They turned back to the screen. The images came directly from the automaton, which was hovering overhead unobtrusively. Now it buzzed the resting Tyrannosaurus, flitting about its head. The carnivore blinked in irritation, and followed the path of the little metal ball. With a groan it rolled its heavy bulk out of the water and shook.

“What’s going on?” Nazeera wondered.

The ball’s commentary explained it. “Apparently the Assemblage is curious to see how the Terran is reacting to this stressful situation. By order of Nazeera of the Triumvirate we are going to get a look at the Terran as he attempts to elude the greatest carnivore the galaxy has ever known!”

“What? Who dares usurp my name,” Nazeera breathed, and all eyes of the Assemblage turned to her, including those of the Elder. She fought for self control, and just about lost, when the soothing voice of her husband announced his return.

“Your pardon, my dear wife,” he whispered venomously. “I felt it necessary to insulate you from your own emotions; you’ve been far too open with them thus far. Members were beginning to talk. Bringing our friend’s hiding place to the attention of the carnivore was genius. It should quell any rumors of a soft spot in your heart for this enemy of Chem. Don’t you agree?”

Nazeera shook with an absolute and helpless rage. Her nails dug into her own fists, and blood dripped to the floor. Bureel turned with an amused smile and left his wife with images of murder filling her beautiful head.

Nazar touched her and motioned to the screen. The automaton floated behind the waterfall for a moment, capturing the furious face of Alexander. His eyes burned like green witch fire. There was a palpable silence in the Assemblage. Then the automaton drew back through the water and rose into the air with the comment, “I don’t think the Terran appreciated our curiosity, and you can see why!”

As the automaton withdrew to its former position the Tyrannosaurus stalked to the waterfall and poked its head through. The Assemblage gasped, and again all eyes turned to Nazeera. She stood stone faced as the automaton said, “That looks like it will just about do it. A disappointing end to a noble effort, I must say.”

#

“Why the cold blooded bastards,” Admiral Augesburcke exclaimed. He was watching the pirated Chem broadcast in the CODOTS chambers at the United Nations building. “It wasn’t enough that they put him in that infernal place, but now to goad a Tyrannosaurus Rex after him. My god! Who is this Nazeera of the Triumvirate? I’ll remember her name to be sure!”

Augesburcke’s swarthy visage creased into furrows of disdain as he witnessed Alexander’s plight. He pulled at his thick mustache and directed his remarks at Doctor Hashimoto.

“It is certainly not consistent with a “hands off” approach to experimentation,” Hashimoto said. “I don’t know how they expect to get accurate results if they’re manipulating things.”

“They’re not looking for results,” Augesburcke told him. “The damn thing’s a spectacle, it’s purely for entertainment. If this Alexander fellow does well enough they’ll probably want to use Terrans as gladiators down there!”

“Many of us wouldn’t fare so well,” Doctor Hashimoto said.

“I can’t disagree with you there, Doctor.” Augesburcke turned to his aid, and asked, “Colonel Sandberg, any luck on who this fellow is?”

The Colonel responded in the negative.

“Keep them working on it,” he said brusquely, and then he moved on to the next item on his mental agenda. “Have we gotten the hourly updates yet? Let me have them.” The Admiral almost tore them out of the Colonel’s hands. He scanned the reports, muttering aloud, and turning through the pages with a vengeance.

“Superluminal trials with the Missouri completed this morning, out to Alpha Centauri and back in a little over three days. What would Nimitz have thought? He took the Jap surrender on that deck, and now it goes out to Alpha Centauri and back!”

He looked up; belatedly realizing his comment attracted the attention of his colleague, Doctor Hashimoto. Two weeks past he might have made the same comment on purpose, but today he said, “My apologies, Doctor, the reference was uncalled for. I suppose we all have some growing up to do.”

“No need, Admiral,” Doctor Hashimoto replied, “I believe we all, as you say, have some growing up to do before we can properly be called “Terrans.” Concerning the gunnery trials, everything checked out surprisingly well on the Iowa, engines, scanners, and weapon systems all performed up to or in excess of specifications.”

“Excellent! I especially enjoyed the video feed of the blaster tests. Now that is what a broadside should look like!”

“I’m afraid the astronomers won’t be very happy,” Doctor Hashimoto said. “We left some good sized holes in Charon, Pluto’s moon. We got good pictures though.”

“This makes all the difference in the world. I’d much rather defend Terra in open space than from the ground. It’s amazing that this crazy scheme of ours is actually working. Who would have ever thought a salt water navy could fly, not to mention go into space? Crazy idea,” Augesburcke shook his hoary head in wonder, belying the fact that he’d originated the idea.

“Still, it looks as though folks are getting the hang of this. We expect three more launchings today, five tomorrow, twelve the next, and so on. We’ve got enough equipment for three hundred ships, and if we can get the Scythians moving we could add another twelve hundred, if we had the ships.”

“The Scythians assure us that another convoy is on the way,” Doctor Hashimoto told him.

“Yeah, like I really trust those bastards,” Augesburcke mused, and then his aide handed him a file. “We have something? Is this our boy? Excellent, let’s see here, Alexander Thorsson. Here’s something you don’t see every day: he was an NFL nose-tackle, then an Air Force pilot, and now he’s an airline pilot. I should say he was an airline pilot. What do you call what he’s doing now? I suppose he’s the poor sidekick on some form of galactic “Wild Kingdom,” but I’ll be damned if he can expect Marlin Perkins to lift him out of there! This would be a helluva thing to put on a resume. What else has he done?”

Augesburcke perused the record, and a frown spread across his face. Eventually he put the record down. “I can’t figure this, Colonel. This man had an outstanding record. Why did the American Air Force let him go?”

“Didn’t make the next rank,” the Colonel told him. “Though from what I saw there was nothing in his record to warrant that.”

“No, looks like a damn fine record,” Augesburcke said. “Typical military; kick out the good people to make room for the ass kissers. Well, what’s our boy up to now? Has the dinosaur eaten him yet? I haven’t been watching.”

The television showed nothing but the Tyrannosaurus standing under the waterfall. “No, as far as I can tell he’s still under there.”

“What’s he doing, taking a shower with it?” Augesburcke remarked as if there was nothing whatsoever which could surprise him.