Narth’s voice said:
“No Eric please do not shoot. I have her now!”
TheOther carried the struggling man; he wore only rags and was barefoot. The tall Alien was in no better shape, almost completely naked, dirty and wounded. The weapon, some kind of rifle, was bent into a pretzel in one of TheOther’s other hands.
The man screamed in perfect Union Lingu:
“Let her go you bastards! Let her go! She means no harm! Let her go!”
Narth just looked in my direction and I nodded. Narth said:
“We mean you no harm as well. It was you who shot at us and I know you only did it to protect that female.”
The man stopped struggling and TheOther let him go. I said to the dirty man:
“No matter how fast you try to run, I am faster. So stay until we are done talking to you!”
The Alien being did not move, it simply hung in the huge fist, like dead.
The dirty man did not relax and eyed us with open mistrust:
“You must be Union: No other society in the Universe would poke through trash with million credit equipment and collect vermin.”
I said: “You appear human and you don’t speak Freezone Squawk, are you a Union Citizen?”
His head sank: “Not anymore, I did some bad things a few decades ago and fled to Sin 4.” Now he lowered his hands in a resigning gesture.
“I’d say take me. I would give up. I’d rather face charges at home as to spend another day in this hell, but I can’t, I must protect her and stay with my friends here.”
Narth said: “Captain, this girl has tremendous Psionic powers, almost on par with mine and she is in great danger to harm herself as she has no training at all.”
Our tiny Xeno scientist held out a Ration Bar to the girl:
“Are you hungry?”
Narth examined the tall thin Alien:
“He is seriously injured.”
The girl was incredibly filthy and her hair resembled the dirtiest mop in Midrill’s broom closet. Somehow she reminded me of Exa, but compared to this one, Exa was sparkling clean the first time I saw her. This girl was also very thin and meager, and looked malnourished. She had big blue and incredibly sad eyes.
She nodded at Specialist Dunns question but didn’t take the bar; instead she looked over to the man.
He said:
“Go ahead Alice take it. These are real Union Soldiers like I told you so often about.”
She took the bar and ripped it open and wolfed it down like an animal. I noticed the longing eyes of the man, so I opened my emergency ration compartment and handed him a bar as well. At first he tried to maintain some dignity but his hunger won and he too tore it open and literally inhaled the bar in two or three bites. They both got two more and finally he chewed slower and his eyes glowed with bliss. He said still chewing:
“Oh God in heaven, I never thought a RICE bar would taste so good.”
I was certain he was Union, perhaps even with military background as he knew the acronym for these Ration Individual Combat Emergency bars.
I said
“I think it is better we take you all to the ship, have our med officer check you out and get you a real meal. That Stik friend of yours really needs medical attention. I give you my word that if you want to leave you can. You are not under arrest.”
He nodded. “The word of a Union Captain is enough for me. I know you are Fleet even though you try to hide it, especially with the others calling you Captain and you having RICE bars with your equipment.”
I frowned and said: “Let’s make sure no one else comes to this conclusion. Let’s go back to the ship before someone else does pay attention to us.”
Narth asked the man holding up the artifact:
“Have you ever seen any artifacts that look like this Stik?”
The man looked at it and then nodded.“Yes Gothar the Dealer has four cases with the same markings standing in his store. There are little round crystal balls in them just like the busted one in that staff.”
Narth said to me: “We must return here, Captain. We must recover those cases. If I am right, then we have discovered a find perhaps more important than hunting pirates.”
This was a strong statement coming from my friend and I knew he never exaggerated before. I nodded: “Then return we will.”
We returned without further incident to the ship. While we thoroughly decontaminated the landing tank, the suits and ourselves, I thought about the words of the Xenobiologist concerning the decontamination process that previously was so routine I barely noticed, and it now become much more significant to me.
Cateria and her staff were ready and waiting. They transferred our three latest guests on Med Bot stretchers and began their work while on their way to Sickbay.
Narth went with them.
Shea came into the landing bay and watched as the scientists unloaded the specimen containers and other finds. She still wore her Sojonit Outfit but took off her mask and said:
“I have the blessings of the Mother Superior for our union and she has retired my name.”
I smiled, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and kissed her.
She then handed me a sealed package and said with slight surprise in her voice:
“This comes from the Mother Superior. The package contains a real Sojonit costume and she hopes you find time to visit her at the temple tomorrow.”
I took the package and said: “Then I will make the time if at all possible and we go and visit her.”
I checked in on the bridge and was briefed by Mao about the ship status and Elfi reported more communication intercepts between the Merchants Sorrow and the Red Dragon and the arrival of that ship was confirmed. Then I went to Engineering and found Circuit in the Main Engine room at a towering machine that had all the looks of Union tech but at the same time looked quite alien. A robotic arm had removed a large section of its cover and held it in place hanging from the ceiling and allowing me to see inside this contraption. Eight tubes of about one meter in diameter stuck out from a hexagonal shaped cube. The cube looked as if it was made of glass or some other transparent material and it looked as if bright red glowing liquid syrup was mixed and swirled with a milky, yellowish, thick liquid that also glowed. I saw a bushy tail sticking out from one of the tubes.
Circuit handed me a pair of dark goggles and said.
“Better put them on Captain, Three Four is out of his containment suit and he is brighter than a blue star.”
I pointed at the cube thing and said after putting on the goggles:
“How are things going?”
Circuit said:
“We got the leak fixed and we are running at 99.9998 percent efficiency and conversion rate.”
He pointed at the Cube:
“This actually is the chamber where we tap into the higher dimension and the swirling colors are what our senses make of what is actually there. Only Narth and Three Four can actually sense what it really looks like. We are pulling the purest form of energy from that Dimension and to use it we must convert it into all the different energy forms we need. We have never used it in its raw form in the Nose cone spine cannon and its use there has not been entirely tested either.”
Even with the dark glasses I was almost blinded as a bright ball of intense white light emerged from one of the tubes and slipped into the Uniform containment suit lying on the floor. It looked as if someone pumped air into the flat suit and Three Four the Non-Corp got up and saluted me.
“Hi Captain, everything is working fine now. The leak is patched and we now know why it happened in the first place.”
Circuit pointed at the bushy tail.
“Captain, I recommend Specialist Warner for a service medal. That little Holdian is working like a machine, and I mean that as a compliment.”
“I’ll have Har-Hi draw up the necessary documents and I will decorate him accordingly.”
Circuit made a gesture to the open hatch:
&n
bsp; “We should be done in about 20 minutes, but I would love to run the system one hour above red line.”
I patted his shoulder.
“You deserve a medal too my friend, and maybe after we have slain that Red Dragon we can cast off our disguise for a while and take our ship to the edge of what she can do.”
Like always I knew his mood and he was deeply satisfied saying:
“These engines are all the medals I need, that and your pat on my shoulders that is.”
--""--
Later that day, I went to the Den wearing my Captain’s Uniform. Har Hi followed holding the little box.
In the Den I asked Specialist Warner to stand on the table, so I could look him in the face. He too wore his Uniform and stood at attention, except his tail had other ideas and twitched back and forth.
I said to him: “Mr. Warner, I was told by your supervising officer that you perform your tasks above and beyond expectations. In recognition of your work and performance I am hereby awarding you the Golden Service Medal of Engineering Excellence and in lieu of the shore leave rights I am unable to grant at the moment, you have a full day use of the Virtu Chamber, and you will be the guest of honor at our next formal dinner.”
Har Hi handed me the medal chip and I swiped it over his ribbon display and handed him the actual medal.
“Well done Mr. Warner.”
If he would have been a balloon I was certain he was near bursting and so I nodded to Har-Hi who called every one present to be at ease and dismissed.
The little Holdian shrieked in excitement and shook my hand with both his paws.
“Thank you Captain, thank you! I am so proud!”
He then jumped off the table and showed his medal to the Golden and Circuit.
From the curtains that hung before the main door to the converted Hangar Bay emerged Cateria and with her came the man and the small girl we had picked up.
Both looked much more human now. The man wore a standard duty uniform without any insignia. He appeared to be in his late sixties and had silver gray hair that matched his now well groomed beard that framed his mouth and chin. He had hollow cheeks and looked very thin. The girl had long black hair that was parted in the middle. Her skin was not white as that of a Kermac but still appeared very pale. She reminded me of Galmy who was from Maltyr and one of my first year academy mates, but unlike Galmy the girl did not have black eyes, but large blue ones. She appeared almost like a precious little porcelain doll, like the one my mother had sitting on her vanity dresser. The girl now wore a black dress with white lace collar and I wondered why a little girl would want to look as somber like that. Her face had an expression of sadness.
Cateria held up a PDD and said while looking at it.
“I am surprised that these two are still alive. I have never removed so many parasites from only three individuals. The Man suffered from gastritis and from advanced lung cancer. Not to mention several festering, infected sores. I was able to treat all three and these two are as good as new.
The Girl is an enigma, she had only a few cuts and bruises and a nasty fungus infection on her scalp, but her immune system is exceptionally well developed. She carries human DNA, but also DNA patterns of a species unknown to the Computronic databanks. Her Heidelberg Psi Index is at approximately 14,000, considerably lower than Narth who exceeds the 35,000 mark but far more than any Saresii, Kermac or Human ever measured. To put that in relation, the average Kermac or Saresii talent hovers about 250-300. Alycia Lichfangh who is considered one of the most powerful is at around 7000. She is not telepathic and according to Narth her entire Psionic power manifests in telekinetic powers.
The strain of fighting Narth had caused severe cerebral bleeding and she was on the brink of death. She, too, is out of danger, but using her power now before she has completely recovered will kill her as certainly as a blaster shot to the head. I have her momentarily on a Psionic blocking drug.”
Both of them are severely undernourished. The Stik is also on his way to making a complete recovery. I doubt it happened on purpose, but the powerful hands of our Y’All friend augmented by the suit crushed his backbone to an unsolvable puzzle, so I am printing him a new one as we speak. He will be in the ReGen-tank for at least another two hours.” She lowered her PDD.
The man bowed before me and said:
“I thank you for your hospitality and for saving our lives. I knew I had cancer, I was quite sure of it and hoped I would survive long enough to see Alice grow and be safe.”
Elfi stepped in and handed me a printout.
“Ms. O'Connell ran his data through main CID at Pluribus and he is identified as Nestor Faller, born on Tillsquare Planet 78 years ago. He had a good education at Pluri-Tech University and became a very successful thief, cat-burglar and computronic manipulator and for a long time was only known as Fusionbeam.
His alter ego, Fusionbeam, gained quite some notoriety when he stole the Tear of Blood, the largest natural ruby in the known Galaxy, right from under the noses of Schwartz Security. It was said he coul infiltrate any system and steal whatever he wanted.”
The man listened to what Elfi said and nodded.
“Yes that is me. I was Fusionbeam. I never killed anyone or stole from anyone who could not afford it, but then my own wife, that snake Lisa, double crossed me and made my identity known. Those bastards at Schwartz Security hunted everyone down associated with me They didn’t turn them over to the law, they killed everyone; my family, my friends and that long after I had given back the ruby. That wasn’t enough for them, so I faked my own death and fled to Sin 4. But even here I found out I was not safe. So I became a Skaakh and completely vanished.”
He put his hand on the head of the girl and fatherly love glowed in his eyes and he continued. “Seventeen years ago I found her, dumped from a garbage flyer, a tiny baby girl wounded and barely alive. I did what I could to nurse her back to health and help her grow. If it wasn’t for my friend, the Stik, we would both never made it that long.”
Shea said: “I am certain I can arrange for Schwartz Security to cease all prosecution and have all charges dropped, expunge the files even and leave you alone.”
My redheaded Yeoman said, clutching her PDD before her chest as usual, when she didn’t carry coffee, said: “I checked into his case and since he was never convicted or stood before a court of law. I don’t see why he should not be able to return home. His Citizen rights can be restored, I am certain.”
Tears rolled down the man’s face as he said: “There isn’t a night I don’t dream of going back and being free and clean once again. Eat real food and sleep in a real bed, but my home is here now. The Stik are the true owners of this world and they are oppressed, slaughtered and enslaved while the Off-Worlders rape their planet, destroy everything and pollute it to death. They have never abandoned me and I will fight for them and live with them until I die.”
He then pushed the girl gently forward.
“However if you could take care of her I would be eternally grateful to you all. She has no future here and I know her talent can kill her. You could teach her and make her grow in a clean, healthy environment. She could go to Union school and then have a Galaxy of opportunities; here I doubt she will see another year.”
The girl cried. “I don’t want to leave you Dad!”
He knelt down to her and said with a choking voice said “Alice, I love you like my own daughter, but I am an old man on the dirtiest world in the Universe. Don’t you remember all the stories about the Union I told you? They are all true. You will never be cold, sick, hungry or thirsty again. Here you don’t have to fear anyone and the man in the black robe is a real Narth that can make your headaches go away and you will never have nose bleeds again. Alice if you love me you must go with them.”
She sobbed but nodded: “I love you Daddy.”
And as she said it blood trickled from her nose.
Cateria jumped up and Narth caught her collapsing body, saying with urgency in his u
sually so calm voice: “We must get her back in sickbay or she will cease to live.”
I nodded and he disappeared along with Cateria in a loud pop as the air rushed into the void he had just occupied.
Nestor looked helpless at the spot she had just been: “Will she be okay?”
I put my hand on the man’s shoulder: “She is in very good care and my friend Narth will teach her and make sure she will no longer hurt herself.”
“He really is a Narth?”
“Yes he is.”
“If only half of the legends are true of them then I have hope.”
I had everyone sit down and had coffee served. After about an hour Narth came in and said to the man:
“She will fully recuperate, but she is in a deep sleep right now. Our CMO has done a marvelous job in cauterizing the hemorrhages and I will teach her in small steps how to control her enormous potential.”
The mood improved after that and I had dinner served. Just as Nanjo Eeeryt served the main course, Elfi, who had the Conn at the moment called and said.
“Captain, I am sorry to interrupt dinner but three Togar warships just entered the system and intercepted comm traffic confirms they are searching for us.”
Thanks to our fast IST it took me little time to reach the command deck. I stopped by my quarters and changed into my leather outfit and then stepped on the bridge. Har-Hi was right behind me and Elfi vacated the Command seat.
“Three Monglar Class Togar Attack Cruisers dropped out of Quasi-space about eight minutes ago and are broadcasting a description of our ship and offering a reward of 500,000 Polos for anyone knowing where we are.”
“Sound General Quarters and open a channel to them.”
The rest of my senior officers arrived and took their seats, just as the klaxons blared through the ship and called everyone to their positions.
Elfi said:
“I have a connection to the lead ship.”
After a hand sign of mine she put me on and a brown furred Togar female Togar cat flanked by two male warriors of her species appeared on the screen. I said.
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 6 (The Galactic Chronicles Series) Page 111