by Russell Fine
Jeffery took off his watch and put on the new one. He said, “These things must have been programmed for us. Coplent does not use Arabic numbers. I’ll bet these are com units too.”
Debbie put on hers and said, “They seem to be a little heavy to just be a watch. We’ll have to ask Garlut about it.”
Opposite the bed there was a door. Debbie opened it and said, “We have our own bathroom! I wasn’t expecting that on a warship. I wonder what we do for clothes.”
Jeffery walked into the bathroom. Inside were the same two small doors that were on Brealak’s ship for the laundry system. There was also a shower, a toilet, and sink. Hairbrushes, combs, razors, toothbrushes, and a tube of toothpaste were on a shelf above the sink. Jeffery asked Debbie to come into the bathroom and he explained how the laundry system worked.
They relaxed in their room until it was time to meet Garlut again. When they walked out of their room into the hallway, Garlut was already there.
“Jeffery, do you feel comfortable enough with your Coplent language skills to skip using a translator?” Garlut asked.
“No, I don’t think my vocabulary is proficient enough for this situation.”
“I brought translators for everybody anyway.” He handed a translator to each of them. When Cathy and Sheila emerged from their room a few moments later, he gave each of them a translator as well. Then Garlut spent the next half hour showing them around the ship. Although the ship was enormous, only one quarter of the space was devoted to living quarters. During the tour, Garlut also explained how to use the combination watch/com unit each of them was wearing.
When the tour was over, Garlut looked at his watch and said, “We have a meeting scheduled with Commander Streb in point-one-hours. We should hurry.” He led them to a conference room with a large oval table and at least twenty chairs around it. Seated in one of them was Commander Streb, who said, “You are right on time. Garlut, it is good to see you again.”
“It is nice to see you again too.” Pointing at Jeffery, he continued, “This is Admiral Whitestone and his assistant and life partner, Captain Whitestone. He is the commander of the Earth ship; Star Rover and she is his first officer. Next to her is Lieutenant Carter and Lieutenant Roth. They were present on Procolt 2 when the attack occurred.”
“I read the reports but there was not much information in them. Was there any evidence that might indicate who was responsible for these attacks?”
Brealak answered, “No sir. We were in an unarmed vessel. After we rescued the three survivors from the mining operation on Procolt 4, we left as soon as we could. We were understandably concerned about the fate of the Star Rover crew members who were on Procolt 2. It appeared the attacks were launched from a great distance. None of the three survivors witnessed the attack on the mining operation because they were inside the mine. I am sure that is the only reason they survived.”
“Do we know what they were mining?”
“We cannot be sure, but the miners thought it was probably hirodim.”
Commander Streb was in deep thought for a few moments. Finally, he said, “I was concerned about that. If they were mining hirodim, that could jeopardize the positions of some of the planets in the trade group. I suspect Crosus would be the most concerned. They are always arrogant anyway, and if one of the other trade group planets discovered a substantial amount of hirodim they would consider that a threat.
“When we get to Procolt 4, we will examine the remains of the Torblit ship and the mining operation. Perhaps we will find a clue there. On a different subject, can someone tell me about these intelligent animals that were found on Procolt 2? I was there many years ago and I never saw any evidence of intelligent animals.”
Cathy gave him a brief description of how the squirrels were discovered. When she finished, Commander Streb said, “I assume Lieutenant, you and Lieutenant Sheila, want to return to Procolt 2 to continue your work with them. Is that correct?”
“Yes sir. Neither of us wanted to leave, but we were afraid if we stayed, we might put them in danger.”
“I agree. When we get to Procolt 4, I will have one of the smaller ships take you to Procolt 2.”
“Thank you, sir. I would also like to suggest that if you have the opportunity you should come to Procolt 2 and meet them yourself.”
“That sounds like a good idea. If I have the opportunity, I will do that. Admiral Whitestone, I would like to have you on the bridge when we arrive at Procolt 4.”
“Yes sir, I’ll be happy to assist you in any way I can.”
“Thank you all for coming. Please return to your cabins because we will be leaving shortly. We will meet again after we enter the wormhole.”
Jeffery and Debbie were comfortably seated on the chairs in their cabin and they felt the slight movement of the ship as its journey began. Then they heard an announcement: “In point-one-hours, the time stasis field will be activated. To prevent injury, all personnel must be seated.”
That was the last announcement Jeffery and Debbie would hear for six days. There was no sensation at all when the time stasis field was activated. Then they heard: “Our current velocity is fifty-one-point-three percent of light speed. We will be entering the wormhole in point-zero-two-hours.”
“That’s the third time I’ve experienced the time stasis field. I think it’s amazing. It’s hard to believe six days have passed,” Jeffery said.
“Actually, it’s your fourth time.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I forgot about the time it happened to the Star Rover. Let’s go get some food. After all, I haven’t eaten for six days.” Jeffery chuckled at his own little joke.
During the trip to the Procolt system, Jeffery and Debbie had two more meetings with Commander Streb. The meetings were not to gather information, but to get a chance to become better acquainted. Jeffery also spent time with Brealak, improving his language skills. For the last three days of the journey, Jeffery stopped using his translator. He had a few problems, but he was able to speak and understand the Coplent language in almost every situation. The only time he had any difficulty was when he got involved in technical conversations.
The ship stopped briefly just outside the orbit of the outermost planet in the Procolt system. Then it began its short trip to Procolt 4. The ship was parked in an orbit one thousand units above the planet’s surface. As soon as the orbit was established, they began scanning the surface of the planet. It didn’t take them long before they were looking at the site of the Torblit mining operation. There was now a small ship on the ground. It was slightly larger than a shuttle and was armed with both particle beam and plasma weapons. Scans of the planet and the surrounding space did not indicate the presence of any other ships.
Commander Streb asked, “Can we identify what type of ship that is?”
The ship’s security officer, Groset, responded, “We are working on it, sir. The ship design is somewhat unusual. Ships that small usually do not have much firepower. Also, it does not appear to have a wormhole drive system, so there must be a larger ship nearby.”
Jeffery, who was on the bridge, said, “I suspect the mother ship went to Procolt 2. I think we should go there as soon as possible.”
“I agree, but I want to send a ship down there first. Groset, please take fifteen of your people down to the surface and secure the area. Place anybody you find under arrest. Try to use minimal force, but do not hesitate to defend yourselves. Keep me informed.”
“Yes sir, I was anticipating this so I have fifteen people standing by waiting for orders. We will be off the ship in point-fifteen-hours. I will have someone here to take my place on the bridge immediately, sir.”
“Good. We will leave for Procolt 2 as soon as you are off the ship. Navigator, plot a course to Procolt 2. Put us in a ten-thousand-unit orbit.”
A few moments later, a woman came to the bridge and sat down at the station where Groset had been sitting. Commander Streb looked at her and said, “Lieutenant, we will be leaving for Procolt
2 shortly. As soon we are out of the wormhole, enable all the shields and begin scanning the entire area for ships either in orbit or on the surface. Make sure all weapons systems are charged and ready.”
“Yes sir.”
Jeffery asked, “You have shields? I thought that was just science fiction.”
“Yes, we do; but they draw a tremendous amount of power, at least five times the amount of power required by the wormhole generator. Because of their power requirements, we only use them when it is absolutely necessary. This is why we need your power modules.”
“I’m sure we can get you all you need.”
“Sir, Groset has left the ship and the shuttle bay door is closed.”
“Thank you, lieutenant. Navigator, take us to Procolt 2 now.”
“Yes sir, we will have to make two jumps to get there. It will take point-nine-hours.”
Upon arrival at Procolt 2, they immediately detected the presence of another ship. Before Commander Streb could take any action, the other ship opened fire on them. The ship shook a little, but there was no apparent damage.
“Weapons officer, set the power on the particle beam cannon to fifty percent and fire three times. Then hit them with a full-strength electromagnetic pulse. That should stop them.”
“Yes sir.”
There was a loud, high-pitched beep followed by a somewhat softer pop each time the particle beam cannon was fired. The electromagnetic pulse made no sound, but it did rock the ship slightly. The other ship appeared dead.
“Scan the ship for life forms.”
“Sir, the ship shows thirty-eight lifeforms, but no signs of any electrical activity.”
“Lieutenant, send an armed shuttle with four armed men to the other ship. I want to know who they are. If they resist, tell our men to use the stun setting on their weapons if possible.”
“Yes sir.”
The other ship was fifteen thousand units away from the warship. They watched the monitor as the shuttle approached. When the shuttle was five units away, the other ship exploded. The debris from the ship was traveling at a very high velocity. The shuttle could not get out of the way in time and was struck by several large pieces of the exploded ship. The shuttle didn’t explode, but the hull was breached in so many places the four men aboard most certainly died before they had time to react.
Commander Streb yelled something Jeffery didn’t understand, but from the sound of his voice, Jeffery was sure he understood anyway.
“I wasn’t expecting that. I cannot believe they would kill themselves rather than be captured.”
“Sir, did we get enough information about that ship to know where it came from?” Jeffery asked.
“Well, did we, lieutenant?” the commander snapped.
“I believe so, sir. The system said there was a ninety percent probability the ship is a Crosus design.”
“That is what I suspected. I hope my people on Procolt 4 have better luck. Is there any sign of a ship on the surface?”
“Not so far, but I will keep checking, sir.”
“Dispatch another shuttle to pick up the bodies on our ship.”
“Yes sir.”
The warship was in an equatorial orbit above the planet. As they approached the other side the officer manning the long-range scanners said, “Commander, I have detected a small ship on the ground with five humanoid life forms around it. It appears to be identical to the ship on Procolt 4. I will put the image on your screen, sir.”
Jeffery and Commander Streb looked at the monitor. The five people on the surface appeared to be removing the debris left when the habitat was destroyed. Jeffery said, “I would like to go down there with my lieutenant’s. We could land a few units away and walk to their location. I’m sure we could make a video of them removing the debris and their ship. That would enable us to positively identify who they are.”
“You can do that, but you must take some of my security people with you. You will also need a pilot.”
Brealak, who was also on the bridge, said, “Sir, I am fully qualified to fly the shuttle and would like to volunteer.”
“Okay, the four of you go to the shuttle bay. I will have four of my security people meet you there. Lieutenant, put us in a fixed position above the landing site.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jeffery went to his cabin. When he went inside, he discovered Debbie was taking a shower. He went into the bathroom and after explaining the situation, he asked, “We’re going to the surface. There’s a ship down there loading up the remains of the habitat. Do you want to go with us?”
“I do, but it’ll take me at least twenty minutes to get ready. I don’t think you should wait.”
“You’re right, I’ll get back as soon as possible.”
Jeffery went to the cabin shared by Cathy and Sheila and announced his presence. Cathy answered. “What’s going on?”
“We’re in orbit above the habitat. There’s a ship and five people cleaning up the remains of the habitat. We’re going down to the surface so we can spy on them. I assumed you and Sheila would want to go with us.”
“Of course, we do.”
“Okay, let’s go. Brealak will be piloting the ship and there will also be four security guards with us. The plan is to make a video of them and the ship if we can get close enough.”
“I have an idea. I’m sure I could show the squirrels how to use the video camera. They could easily get close enough without being noticed.”
“Do you think they’re still in the cave?”
“I’m sure they’ll still be there.”
When they arrived at the shuttle bay, Brealak and the four security guards were waiting for them. Everybody boarded the shuttle and left the warship. Brealak landed the shuttle 2 units from the cave where they had last seen the squirrels.
It took them a half hour to walk to the cave entrance. They were still at least one unit from the remains of the habitat, so they were not worried about being noticed. They were not using any communications equipment because they wanted to minimize the chances of being detected. When they were thirty feet into the cave Cathy called out to the squirrels, but there was no response. They walked a little farther into the cave and Cathy called out again. This time a squirrel responded from just ahead of them. It was so dark it was hard to see.
“Cathy, I’m happy to see you again. We all missed you and Sheila. Did you know there are people by the remains of the habitat?”
“Yes, we know about them. We think they’re the same people who blew it up. Have you been watching them?”
“Yes, but we don’t get too close. They smell bad.”
“That’s interesting. Anyway, we would like you to help us.”
“How can we help?”
“Do you remember the videos I showed you and the camera that made them?”
“Yes, I remember them.”
“We have a very small video camera. I’d like to show you how to use it and I want you to make a video of the people who are by the habitat. You have to hide so they don’t see what you’re doing.”
“Would they hurt us if they saw what we were doing?”
“It’s possible. We’ll be nearby and protect you if we think you’re in danger. Since you’re from this planet and they’ve probably already seen you, they won’t feel you’re a danger to them. I’m sure they have no idea you are sentient beings.”
The squirrel thought for a moment and said, “We’ll do this for you.”
“Thank you.”
Three of the squirrels, Cathy, and Sheila left the cave. Once they were outside, Cathy showed them how to use the tiny camera.
After the squirrels had practiced taking videos of each other, one of them said, “I think we’re ready. We’ll try to stay where they can’t see us.”
“Good. Please remember to take videos of the ship too. I want to go back in the cave and get Jeffery and the security guards. Wait until I’m back before you go.”
Cathy went back into the cave and cam
e out a short time later with Jeffery, Brealak, and their security. When she was close to the squirrels, she said, “Okay, you can go now. We’ll be right behind you. Please try to make as little noise as possible, and don’t talk to each other. If they hear you talking, they’ll be on their guard.”
“We’ll be quiet.”
The squirrels left and began walking through the dense wooded area to where the habitat was. The others followed a short time later. The woods would make it easier to remain unseen, but more difficult to follow the squirrels. Soon they reached an area where they could hear the people from the ship talking to each other. Jeffery quietly asked Brealak, “They aren’t speaking Coplent, are they?”
“No, I don’t know what they’re speaking.”
Suddenly there was a loud noise. It took Jeffery a moment to realize what it was. The noise he heard was the door to the unknown shuttle closing. Then they heard the unmistakable sound of the engines starting. The ship was leaving. The timing could not have been worse. It would now be up to Commander Streb to capture the ship.
Jeffery waited a few moments after the ship took off. Then using his communicator, he contacted Commander Streb. “Commander, the ship on the surface just left. I’m not sure yet how much we were able to capture on video. I think you should try to capture the ship.”
“We were watching the area and saw the ship take off. They apparently took most of the remains of the habitat with them. I suspect they will return to Procolt 4 and look for their mother ship. They will find us instead. We are leaving Procolt 2 now and will be back when this is over.”
“Good! We’re going to look around for a while and then go back to the cave. We’ll have one of the guards stay outside the cave so you’ll be able to contact us. Good luck.”
“Thank you, Admiral.”