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The Defender`s sudden appearance above their heads caused the people of Genesis to head for safety, leaving space for the ship to land. With all the alterations to its shape, that were necessary to incorporate all of the Heliot technology, it resembled a large angry dragonfly. One that had short stubby wings from where landing struts descended to make for a more stable landing, and newly installed powerful Heliot thrusters for manoeuvrability within the atmosphere of a planet.
"I will go and greet the people of Genesis first with Caroline, Colin Ryan and Charles Bragg, I am hoping that by including Caroline in the initial landing party that it will soften the first impression the locals get of us. Paul, will you warn the engine room to be ready for a quick take off, if we should find that the natives are not as friendly as they say they are. Appolon, Tryon I want you both to be ready to come to our aid along with Colin Freeman and Richard, should it become necessary. Ok let`s go." Tyler ordered.
"Tyler it is cold out there, the temperature is only ten degrees centigrade, you had better put on extra clothing if you intend staying out there for long." Colin Freeman advised. Following this advice, the landing party all donned heavy coats to shield them from the cold of Genesis.
Tyler led the way out through the airlock and down the steps that unfolded out of the Defenders fuselage and onto Genesis. The local town`s people all moved forward, proclaiming their thanks for their coming in answer to their distress call. After introducing themselves, Tyler got down to the reason that they were there.
"Please tell me who attacked us and why they are attacking you?" Tyler asked grimly. A tall aged figure of a man stepped forward.
"I am the colony`s leader, my name is Anderson, and if you would like to come to my offices we can talk in comfort."
"My ship is just here, why don`t you come aboard her, and we can talk there." Tyler replied.
"Of course Sir, if you would prefer to talk aboard your ship I am quite willing to talk there. I can quite understand your reluctance to trust us fully yet, having been fired upon by someone on this planet. Perhaps my two friends could also join us?" Anderson indicated the two people that stood just behind him.
"This is Joyce Sanders and the young man beside her is Robert Groves."
Groves was younger than Anderson, who looked to be about seventy years of age, was tall and almost bold; he had an intelligent face that was showing more lines now due to the stress that they had endured since their people had been attacked, but his grey eyes were still showing an alertness that was missing in his colleague. Groves was about forty-eight years in age, and so Tyler assumed that referring to Groves as young was probably a long running joke between the two men. Groves was quite short with a thin face and a receding hairline. The Orionists followed the three locals back aboard the Defender who were greeted by Appolon and the others all brandishing powerful Phasers. For a moment, Anderson thought that they who were in danger, but Tyler soon put his mind at rest.
"It`s all right Appolon we have decided to talk about the problems faced by the people of Genesis aboard the Defender. We can talk in the galley, which is about the only place large enough on the ship to accommodate us all." Tyler explained to the locals.
"From the size of your ship I would have thought that there would be ample room?" Groves said, just a little puzzled by what Tyler had said.
"I am afraid that most of the ship is taken up with machinery, apart from the ship`s hold the galley is the only space available for us to talk." Tyler explained to their guests, not mentioning that the machinery powered the Phaser, a defence shield, a cloaking device and a superfast hyper-drive engine, all taken from the broken Heliot fleet.
No one noticed as Appolon and Tryon slipped away to talk with the local population while Tyler entertained the colony`s leaders.
"Now tell us about your problem." Tyler said.
The three locals looked at one another for a moment before Anderson told their story.
"Our colony`s main power source used to be the hyper-drive engine that brought us here from Earth almost two hundred years ago. Unfortunately, its extreme age must have finally caused it to break down. We were then left with the solar and wind power plants that were set up almost as soon as the first settlers reached the planet. They were fine to begin with, but two years ago our sun began to enter a period of cooling which has now triggered a mini ice age here on the planet. Robert here is a scientist of great ability, and he designed and built a power system using components taken from our starship. It is operated using Dylithium crystals, ones only recently discovered by one of our more colourful colonist`s, there is a plentiful supply to the east of us. I suppose that this is old hat on Earth, I imagine that you now get all of your energy requirements from Dylithium crystals. However, when our people left Earth, scientists were still trying to find out how to harness the immense power held within these crystals, so we were very excited by Robert`s discovery. Anyhow, we ran into trouble, for as soon as we attempted to travel to the site to start mining, energy bolts rained down on our vehicles, killed, and injured many of our people, and stopping our attempt to operate our new power generator. Without it our attempt to keep us in the modern age, and not one more akin to the medieval age of Earth, is finished." Anderson stated sadly.
"Could you not simply move to a warmer part of the planet?" Charles Bragg asked.
"As a newcomer you have not had the chance to see our planet. Unfortunately, most of it is either mountainous, or rolling hills covered in woodland, it is only on the flatter land that lies to the south of the mountains that farming is possible without a great deal of manual work and equipment, equipment that we do not have. It is on the western side of this land that we have managed to clear away some of the trees, and here the soil is suitable for farming. We now have much of it under cultivation, and of course, it is where we have built our township. The Dylithium mine is just about in the centre of the continent and it was discovered as our people began to explore the eastern side of the continent. We have calculated that the solar minimum period that our sun is currently going through will soon be over. In maybe fifteen years the planet will return to its warm state, but until then we need power to grow our plants so that we can feed our animals and of course our people." Anderson explained. "And this is why we need your help." Anderson stopped now, as tears came to his eyes following his impassioned plea. "Joyce, would you like to add anything?" Anderson said looking across at his colleague.
"Only that all of this food that John mentioned is to be grown in the underground greenhouses that we have built because of the mini ice age, but they need to be powered by a powerful generator, we need the Dylithium from the east of the planet." Joyce Sanders explained. She was a woman of twenty-five years, she was tall and willowy with blonde hair and blue eyes, she had not taken her eyes of Tyler since they had met, and Caroline decided that she was not to be trusted at all.
"Also since the planet began to cool, the atmosphere has become much drier, now we have to pump water long distances to irrigate the few crops that will still grow here, and also to let our farm animals have a drink. All this takes electrical power, of which we are now in very short supply." Joyce said looking pleadingly at Tyler, much to Caroline`s annoyance who saw something else as well in Joyce Sanders` eyes.
"Well now we know your problem tell us of your attempts to meet with the people who are obviously your enemies." Tyler said.
Just then, Colin Freeman entered the Galley. "Everything is quiet, nothing at all coming from our attacker." Colin said. What he had in fact told Tyler was that Colin had scanned the township and found nothing out of place with a small colonial town, and that all was quiet.
"Thank you Colin. Mr Anderson, you were going to tell us what steps you have taken so far in dealing with your problem."
"We have tried to approach the area from where the energy bolts are coming from, but each attempt has provoked a further attack on our people and they have had to return unsuccessful."
Anderson replied.
"Then it is time to return to the bridge of our ship because Colin Freeman has been busy compiling a 3D picture of the area where all of the attacks originated from, and we will be able to see it much better on the large screen set on the wall at the front of the bridge." Tyler then got up and led the way back onto the bridge.
"Colin, are you ready to show us today`s feature film?"
Familiar with Tyler`s twenty first century way of speaking, Colin turned on the large view screen, and on it the locals got their first view of the eastern part of the continent that they lived on. The planet was similar to Orion in that there was only the one main landmass, but there were many more islands dotted amongst the large blue ocean, some of them quite large. Also the land mass itself was much larger than the one on Orion, but it was much more mountainous.
"Is that the remains of a city, my god there used to be a civilisation on the planet, but why haven`t we seen any signs of it before?" Anderson said. "I realise that our attackers must live somewhere to the east, but we believe that they are newcomers to the planet, like ourselves, and that they may well be attempting to colonise this planet." Anderson explained.
"From our scans the city is of an extremely old age, and any other signs of civilisation would have been covered by the natural processes of your planet. The city is still visible because of the amount of energy that it uses to keep nature at bay." Colin Freeman said. "If you look closely at the screen you will also see a light energy field some fifty miles from the city, I think this is a sensory field and it is the reason why your people have never been able to approach the city unseen. With our ship fully cloaked, we should be able to penetrate it and land close enough to the city to allow us to approach it un-noticed. However, that sharp line that circles the city is a powerful force field and we will have to breach that to be able to actually enter inside the city and speak to whoever or whatever controls it. I would be surprised to find that there is anyone still living inside the city, as my scans haven`t been able to find a sign of any living creature inside of the force field."
"So we could be up against a computer that was left behind by the city`s original builders for whatever reason, Colin?" Tyler asked.
"Yes Tyler that is what I think we will find if we succeed in getting through the force field." Colin replied.
"A computer that is still able to operate after so many years, maybe centuries, if Colin here is correct. I find that hard to believe." Joyce said.
"You may be correct, but we will only find out if we can get through the force field." Colin said.
"Do you have the technology to enable us to get through the force field Mr Anderson?" Tyler enquired.
"No nothing at all, we are a small colony of about ten thousand people and we have not needed such technology. And please call me John, we are I hope, to be friends." Anderson asked.
"That is what we also want, John, your lack of technology could have presented problems to your people, but for your enemy to the east who probably destroyed any passing space pirate, and so you might be in his debt. Some of your nearest neighbours have been visited by them, and we have just stopped one such attack on a small colony." Tyler said.
"But down to business, how much day light is there left today?" Tyler asked.
"This is our winter so maybe four hours, then it will grow dark quickly." Anderson replied.
"Then at first light tomorrow we will start operations against your unfriendly neighbour." Tyler declared.
"Tyler would you and your crew like to be our guests at a party given in your ship`s honour?" Anderson asked.
"They are my friends rather than my crew, but to answer your question yes, we would all enjoy a break from action, although not all my people will be able to attend together, some of us we will have to stay on watch at all times." Tyler replied.
"Surely you are not still worried about us?" Groves asked. "If so I think that it is a slight on the three of us, and our community." Groves appeared to be very angry and was about to continue when Tyler interrupted him.
"Robert, it is not because I fear an attack on us from you or your people, it is because I have learned to be cautious first and last. We are near to an enemy with powerful weapons, and Joyce has stated that she thinks that your assailant is more likely to be a humanoid rather than a computer, and she might be correct. If so I feel that it is better to be prepared for anything rather than to be sorry after the event." Tyler explained, however, Caroline thought that while what he said might be part of the reason behind his words, Tyler was of the twenty first century, and he had often told her how much he distrusted all politicians, and even more religious politicians. Caroline suspected that Tyler still had a smidgeon of doubt about the colonists in his mind, especially after his dealings with President Michaels and Archbishop Collingswood.
"I am sure that Tyler trusts us Robert, now we should be arranging tonight`s festivities, so we should leave Tyler and our other friends for the moment. Until tonight then Tyler, see you then Caroline, Charles, Colin." With that, the three locals left the Defender to its crew.
"Right Paul, Richard, I don`t believe that the natives are unfriendly, but for this first night on Genesis I want to have a minimum level of security operating. I would like you two to miss the first part of the party, also I will arrange for someone in the engine room to stay. I do not think that we will encounter any trouble; I just want to be careful for tonight. I want you to keep the shields on their minimum level so as not to attract attention, but enough to foil any plans anyone might have. Keep a watch on the sensors, both near and far. Don`t allow any of the natives aboard the ship."
An hour earlier Appolon and Tryon had slipped off the Defender and walked along the town`s streets talking to the colonists. Tryon of course had relived their past adventures, telling how Tyler was a general without par, and painting his wife Caroline as an Amazon princess who was more dangerous than any ten warriors, for Tryon had always liked to embroider his stories. He told how Appolon had fought a Trigon single handed with only a knife as a weapon. The Trigon he said was bigger than the lion of Earth and fiercer than the tiger, only a warrior as strong as Appolon could have come through such a battle unscathed.
The locals felt that they too should tell tales of their own people adventures to their guests, as Tryon knew they must, and so he got their story without ever having to ask for it.
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