Stowaways

by Matt Phillips

  "We have to warn Dad before the last of the cargo is unloaded," Daniel said to the group.

  “We are going to be in so much trouble,” Ernie moaned.

  "How are we supposed to do that?" Ani asked helpfully.

  "We have to adapt to our surroundings," Daniel said with a smile.

  Masquerade

  Fortunately, the shuttle had doors on both sides. Daniel's heart beat fast as he stood next to the shuttle's starboard door. Nathan and Ernie watched their father and the other officers on the shuttle's opposite side. As long as the crew stayed focused on the cargo activities, Daniel's plan might work. On the other side of the shuttle, Ani surveyed the area where the Kappaquillians had set their robes. It was quiet and empty.

  "Ready?" Daniel whispered.

  "Dad and the XO are watching the last container land now," Ernie said watching the shuttle's left side

  "There's no one on this side," Ani said, watching the right.

  "Okay, I'm going."

  Daniel took a deep breath. He'd never felt his heart beat so fast. He pressed the green button on the panel by the door, and it slid open. There was no time to lose. He dashed onto the surface of Kappaquilla, ran toward the rocks, and snatched up as many hats and robes as he could grab. Then he turned and sprinted as fast as he could back to the safety of the shuttle.

  "Hurry up," Ernie whispered. The third cargo container was being placed carefully on the planet's surface. Ernie watched his Dad and the XO inspect it. He could not hear their conversation, but he saw them looking back at the shuttle.

  "I think Dad's coming back," Nathan said.

  "They are coming back," Ernie said louder. He looked back at the access panel, as Daniel tried to shove the large pile of robes through the hole. But the robes were made of thick material and they did not fit easily through the access panel. Ernie looked at his Dad again as the officers walked several steps toward the shuttle. "Come on, Daniel, hurry up!"

  Ani and Nathan began pulling the robes from inside the cargo area, to help.

  Suddenly, Dad and the XO spun around. A tall thin human, with wisps of gray hair, thick gray eyebrows, and a bushy gray mustache stepped from the walled compound. Ernie had never seen the man before, but he knew it was the Ambassador.

  "It's okay," he whispered loudly. "They stopped to talk. I think they are talking to the Ambassador."

  They finally got the robes through the hatch. Daniel came through after them.

  "Quick, put these on," he said pointing to the pile of robes on the floor. He grabbed one, holding it up in various ways to determine how to wear it. Finally, after several tries, he found the head hole and pushed his head through. Ernie was donning a second robe, and Ani a third. There were only three, although Daniel had tried to grab enough for everyone. He saw the disappointed look on his little brother's face.

  "I'm sorry, Nathan," he said trying to ease his brother's disappointment. "Someone has to stay here. It's important. If something happens, don't let Dad leave without us."

  Disappointed, Nathan nodded his understanding and turned back to the window. While his father and the Ambassador talked, the Kappaquillians continued unloading the containers.

  "I can't get my head through this one," Ani said. She tugged and pulled on the beet red material before finally taking it off. "The head on this one is too small for all my hair."

  "My head fits, but this is way too short," Ernie said, frustrated. Daniel looked at the other two. Ernie was right, the robe was far too short for him. They needed to blend in long enough to tell their Dad what Nathan heard. Ernie held up the red robe that Ani had already tried. It was just as short. Luckily, the one Daniel now wore was from one of the taller Kappaquillians and fit him just fine.

  "Okay," Daniel said. Only one idea came to his mind. "It will fit Nathan. Nathan, you get your chance after all."

  As excited as Daniel had been to visit Kappaqilla, the most joy he would feel on that trip came from the smile on Nathan's face.

  Strange Little People

  Daniel and Nathan stepped from the shuttle out of sight of Dad, the XO and the rest of the unloading activity while Ani and Ernie watched in the cargo hold.

  "Just follow me," Daniel instructed in a whisper. "Keep your head down. Try to use your hat to block your face."

  The two brothers walked past the rocky area where Daniel had stolen the robes. He hoped the owners did not come looking for them anytime soon. They moved deeper among the broad yellow leaves before Daniel turned to circle the shuttle. The dense yellow foliage helped to hide them as they walked. Nathan was nervous. He walked so closely behind Daniel that they continually bumped against one another.

  "Don't walk so close," Daniel whispered. He stopped and craned his neck for a better view of the cargo unloading process. The third container held a large tripod with a contraption on top that reminded him of something like a telescope.

  "What are we doing?" Nathan asked.

  "Looking for Dad," Daniel whispered. The XO, the cargo officer, and Dad appeared from behind the large cargo containers, evidently inspecting them. "There he is. Come on!"

  Daniel and Nathan walked out of the trees and slowly shuffled toward their father. The Kappaquillians were having trouble getting the tripod out of the third container, and soon more of the small aliens showed up to help. As Daniel and Nathan shuffled directly toward their father, the Ambassador reemerged through the gate.

  "Let's go! Let's go!" the Ambassador yelled at the Kappaquillians. "There is no time to lose! We must get everything into position."

  Daniel knew he could not explain everything to Dad while the Ambassador was standing next to him. It was too dangerous. At the container, the Kappaquillians whistled at each other while the Ambassador, joined by Mr. Mann, shouted directions. Daniel did not know what was happening and he did not care. His only thought was focused on explaining the whole mess to Dad. But to do that Dad had to be alone.

  Dad noticed the two wandering Kappaquillians that seemed to be loitering near his shuttle. The XO and the Ambassador noticed as well.

  "What do you think that's about?" the XO said aloud.

  "I don't know," Dad replied as he watched the Kappaquillians walk behind his shuttle.

  "I would not worry about it, Captain. The Kappaquillians are strange little people," the Ambassador said dismissively.

  Daniel and Nathan walked quickly around the shuttle and out of sight. Daniel knew Dad would be shocked to suddenly find his children on an alien planet standing next to him. He also knew that they could not reveal Nathan’s secret in front of the Ambassador. Too much was at stake.

  "That was close," Nathan whispered. Daniel turned around to face his brother. Nathan looked funny in the long, heavy robe. His hat was too big and drooped down one side of his head. The hat Daniel wore was tall and skinny. The green material shimmered against the surrounding yellow plants and gray smoke.

  On the other side of the shuttle, Dad and the Ambassador spoke again.

  "This is taking too long, Captain," the Ambassador said impatiently. "The timing of my experiment is of critical importance."

  Both men watched the Kappaquillians removing the final section of the tripod from the cargo container. Amidst a series of whistles and shrill squeals, the small men disappeared into the Ambassador's compound.

  “Well, that's the last of it Ambassador," Dad responded. He tried to remain polite but the Ambassador was beginning to annoy him. "I am sure you will get set up in time."

  "I would prefer if you and your ship left at once," the Ambassador replied. "I need to see the final preparations."

  Ambassador Lineus shook hands curtly with Dad and the other officers then returned to his compound as the large gates closed with a definitive thud.

  Dad and the XO looked at each other.

  "He is not the friendliest person, is he?"

  "Hundreds of millions of miles from home, you would think he'd be happier to see some humans. Maybe even offer us some tea," the XO said,
rolling her eyes.

  Dad looked at the shuttle again. He could see the top of a Kappaquillian hat on the far side of the shuttle. It was a tall, narrow hat made from a shiny green material. "Why do you suppose those others aren't helping with the unloading?" Dad asked.

  "They do seem to be acting unusual, even for Kappaquillian standards," the XO agreed. Dad lifted his left arm and tapped his wrist comp: "Mildred report the status of all systems for the return trip to Earth."

  A three-dimensional projection of the ship appeared above Dad's wrist.

  "Two cargo handling pods are still on the surface. All systems are nominal and ready to respond. Based on the orbit of Kappaqilla and Earth, the most efficient trajectory through space requires us to leave in nine hours."

  "Thank you, Mildred," Dad responded. The display above his wrist disappeared.

  "Captain, I'm going to catch a ride with the cargo tug," the ship's cargo officer said. One of the cargo handling tugs landed nearby. Dad nodded and the officer climbed into the back of the tug. When he was aboard, the tug silently ascended into the evening haze.

  Dad was distracted. He could not stop watching the shiny green hat that just barely stayed in view over the top of his shuttle. For reasons he could not explain, his instincts told him it was something he should check out.

  "Wait here, XO. There is something curious about those two..."

  Nathan watched Dad and the XO through the shuttle's front windows. He saw the cargo officer leave and urged Daniel to warn Dad.

  "Daniel, Dad is coming!" he whispered loudly. Daniel moved toward his brother, shuffling under the weight of the heavy robes. Their hearts beat rapidly as Dad approached. Daniel knew there was no turning back. Dad was about to find out what they had done.

  Dad walked casually around the shuttle. He did not expect to find anything wrong, but he was curious why two Kappaquillians would be sneaking around his shuttle. He guessed these were the Kappaquillian version of slackers, avoiding the work that the others were doing for the Ambassador.

  Nathan stood next to Daniel, with his head down, allowing the hat to hide his entire face. Or so he hoped.

  Daniel also looked down his face twisted into a grimace at his next duty. Lives were at stake he reminded himself – Mom's life.

  Daniel saw Dad's boots as he stopped in front of him. Dad's boots were coated with the gray dust of the planet's surface. Daniel had imagined a speech, a desperate plea to overlook what they had done and stop the Ambassador's experiment. But instead, he just looked up, into his father's eyes.

  "Hi, Daniel," Dad said instinctively. Daniel watched his father's face twist and contort in confusion. It took almost three full seconds for Dad to register what he was seeing. The idea of finding his oldest son, dressed like an alien, on an alien planet, hundreds of light-years away from Earth, was so unexpected that his brain had trouble understanding what his eyes were seeing. "Well...wha...what?"

  "Hi Dad," Daniel said.

  His Dad stammered for a few seconds more. "I don't understand," he finally said. "What are you doing here?"

  "Hi, Dad," Nathan said, peeking around his oldest brother.

  "Hey kiddo," Dad said to Nathan. The tone was the same as any day on Earth, and Nathan smiled. But Dad's face quickly turned angry as he realized that another of his sons was also on the alien planet.

  "Are you kidding me? Did you bring Nathan? How did you two get here? What were you thinking?" He was beginning to yell.

  "Dad, there's no time to explain," Daniel said. "The Ambassador is planning some sort of experiment. If it goes wrong, it's going to blow up Mom's lab back on Earth!"

  "What are you talking about?" Dad's face was turning red.

  "It's true," Nathan spoke up. "I heard him and Mr. Mann talking in your cabin."

  "My cabin? When were you in my cabin? You two are in a lot of trouble," Dad said angrily. Daniel did not remember ever seeing his father turn red with anger before.

  "We just wanted to visit the ship," Nathan said. "We didn't know you were leaving the space station."

  "Never mind that," Daniel said. "Look, Dad. You can ground us later. But you have to stop the experiment!"

  Dad's lips clenched together and his face was still red. He looked back and forth between Daniel and Nathan. He stepped back to peer around the shuttle. His XO was tending to some documents projected from her comp into the air in front of her.

  "Okay, tell me exactly what you heard," Dad said keeping an eye on his XO.

  Nathan repeated what he had heard as close to word for word as he could remember. Dad listened intently. The redness drained from his face, although Daniel suspected it would turn red again when he found out Ernie and Ani were there, too.

  Dad opened his wrist comp and switched between several different files and maps, and then cleared an area where he could work out some mathematical calculations.

  "I guess it is possible," he mumbled to himself as he performed more calculations. He turned off his comp and looked around the shuttle again.

  Daniel watched his father closely as he considered Nathan's story. He wondered what his Dad would do now that he knew the whole story.

  "XO, would you please come here," Dad finally said, as calmly and casually as possible.

  Lieutenant Commander Hondak closed the documents on her comp and walked briskly toward the shuttle.

  "Yes, sir?" she said as she passed the front of the shuttle. She stopped dead in her tracks when she recognized her Captain's oldest son.

  Challenging the Ambassador

  Lieutenant Commander Hondak had only met Daniel once, very briefly. But she had spent countless hours planning and executing deliveries across the known galaxy with her Captain. And pictures of his family were always visible around his room. Her mouth hung open as she looked between Daniel and Nathan. She murmured to herself then gave her Captain a quizzical look.

  "I know XO, I have as many questions as you do," Dad assured her. "But before we get into all of that, and we will get into that..." His face was getting red again as he leaned toward Daniel. "Before we get into that, did you learn anything else about the Ambassadors experiment?"

  The XO considered the question for a few seconds before she shook her head. "No, sir. Nothing more than we knew before. I asked Mr. Mann, but he either doesn't know or won't say."

  "Yeah, the Ambassador was the same way," Dad agreed. "These guys... that is, my kids...heard, umm... Nathan, just tell her what you told me."

  Nathan repeated for the XO what he had already told his father. He spoke slower now and more deliberately. The XO took in every word, nodding occasionally as Nathan spoke.

  "What kind of experiment could he be running?" the XO said when Nathan had finished. She and Dad looked at each other, then at the walls of the Ambassador's compound. "Perhaps we should ask a few more questions before we depart."

  "I agree, XO," Dad said. He looked directly at Daniel. "You two get in the shuttle and stay there. And take off those robes!”

  Dad and the XO walked around the shuttle again. Daniel and Nathan opened the door to the shuttle and stepped back inside. They removed their Kappaquillian hats and sat down in the shuttle's main cabin. There was no need to hide in the back anymore. Nathan sat down next to Daniel as they watched their father through the shuttle's front windows.

  "Does Dad know?" Ernie whispered as he poked his head through the access panel looking at his two brothers.

  "Yes, he knows," Nathan said. "They are going to confront the Ambassador now."

  Without another word, Ernie and Ani scrambled through the access panel and joined the others in the main part of the shuttle.

  The stowaways watched as their father seemed to be calling out to the Ambassador at the walled compound's large gate.

  "I wish we could hear him," Ernie said.

  "We can!” Daniel exclaimed remembering something he'd read recently. "These shuttles have external audio receivers." Daniel scanned the shuttle's control panel for the appropriate secti
on. With a flick of a finger, the shuttle filled with Dad's voice.

  "Ambassador Lineus? Mr. Ambassador?"

  The tall Ambassador appeared at the gate, his expression bordering between annoyed and angry.

  "Yes, Captain? I thought you were leaving? Did I not make it clear that I was very rushed for time?"

  "I understand, sir," Dad said politely. They needed answers quick. If he was conducting a dangerous experiment, Dad did not want the Ambassador to think they knew about it. So he tried a friendlier approach. "We will be out of your hair after this. We just...um..."

  "We need more information to close out our report," the XO jumped in. "The ESA requires a lot of detail, even for basic cargo delivery. You know how it is," she said with a smile.

  The Ambassador looked even more annoyed. "Okay, get it over with then," he said.

  "So it was scientific cargo that we delivered today," the XO said. She opened a logbook on her comp and pretended to take notes. "What types of experiments will you be running?"

  The Ambassador's face turned angry.

  "It is time for you to leave," the Ambassador told them. Mr. Mann appeared from inside the tall walls and stood next to the Ambassador.

  "Yes, yes, leave before there is real trouble."

  "We just need to see how you've set up the equipment we delivered," Dad said trying to sound reasonable. He walked past the Ambassador toward the large gate, but the Ambassador grabbed his arm.

  "Let go of my arm!" Dad demanded.

  Mr. Mann emitted a series of whistles and trills that no one ever heard a human make before. All at once, ten Kappaquillians surged from behind the gate and surrounded the two ESA officers. They pointed strange-looking Kappaquillian weapons at Dad and his XO. The Ambassador grabbed the wrist comps from both officers and backed away leaving the security detail between them.

  "I told you to leave before there was trouble," the Ambassador said without any sign of remorse. He tapped one of the wrist comps.

  The face of a young officer appeared. Based on the scene behind her, it was clear she was on the bridge of ESAS Glenn. "Officer of the Deck," she said brusquely.