The Solarian Celebration: Book 3 of the Alliance Conflict

by Jeff Sims

  Clowy: “They took a secret route.”

  The second said, “Of course they took a secret route. What is the secret route?”

  Clowy was slightly rocking and shaking, as if her extremities no longer belonged to her. When she spoke next, her words came out slowly and seemed slurred. She was absently tearing from one eye.

  She said, “Only the little blue people know the secret route. The blue people programmed the navigation system. No one else was allowed to look. I asked bluey to tell me the route, but he refused. Only the little blue people know the secret route.”

  Clowy started swaying back and forth in the chair. She started babbling incoherently in a mixture of Altian and Alliance basic. The first looked at her and said, “The Altian is blanking out.”

  Carank interrupted, “That is because you gave Lorano an overdose. Two vials was way too much. You won’t be able to question the being any further.”

  The second thought for a moment and replied, “It doesn’t matter because we have our answer.”

  He pulled the beam weapon out of his pocket and stunned both Carank and Clowy. They carefully pulled them out of the chairs and gently laid them on separate couches. They tucked a pillow under their heads and made them as comfortable as possible.

  The pair exited the room and the second used the pass key to mark the room as ‘out of service’. This designation locked the door and disabled the palm pad on the inside of the door. The only way to open the door was to place one’s palm on the outside palm pad.

  The first asked, “Why don’t we just let them go now?”

  Second responded, “Our employer specifically ordered us to keep them here overnight in case we need to question them in the morning. Let’s go. We need to file our report.”

  ………..…………

  Carank was startled by a noise and woke up fully alert. He leapt off the couch and scanned the room for threats. Nothing had changed, well inside the room anyway. He looked out of the window and saw daylight. Carank realized that several hours had passed. They must have slept through the night after they were stunned.

  Carank felt refreshed and energized. He grudgingly admitted that he had just had one of his best nights of sleep in a long time. He made a mental note that getting stunned was an excellent sleep aid. However, he really didn’t recommend it.

  He scanned the sky and located the sun. He saw that it hadn’t yet reached its apex. Carank reasoned that it must be a couple of hours before noon. He looked over at Clowy. She was starting to move, but looked very sluggish and groggy.

  Carank ignored her for the moment and walked to the exit. He placed his palm on the palm reader. Nothing happened. Carank repeated the process; this time leaving his hand on the pad for several seconds. Again, nothing happened.

  He placed his ear against the door. He heard what sounded like a marching band sneaking down the corridor. He looked just below the palm pad and saw the door had soundproof rating of STC.12.50. He could yell all day and no one would hear him.

  Carank began searching the room for an alternate exit. He finished almost immediately after he began. There were no other exits. There was one other door in the room, but it led to the restroom. Carank went back to the palm pad and tried a third time. It didn’t open.

  Frustrated, Carank began searching the room for anything that may prove useful. He searched the desk and the chairs. Nothing. He searched the two couches. Nothing. He searched the bathroom. Nothing.

  Clowy was relatively awake now and capable of talking. She said, “What’s wrong?”

  Carank replied, “We are trapped inside the room.”

  Clowy responded, “Press the palm pad.”

  Carank replied, “I tried. Our captors disabled the palm pad.”

  Clowy said, “Break the window. Maybe we could crawl out.”

  Carank checked the window. It was high grade, semi-healing, durable glass. He didn’t have anything in the room strong enough to break it. He needed a glass cutter or a beam weapon to break through. Unfortunately, he had neither.

  Carank responded, “Good suggestion Clowy, but the window is too strong.”

  Clowy looked down at the pile of clothes their captors had used to cover their bodies. She said, “At least I hope they packed me a decent outfit.”

  Carank searched the clothes for a moment and exclaimed, “Clowy, you’re a genius.” Once again, the item he needed was in the exact last place that he looked for it.

  Clowy said, “What?” She thought for a moment and said, “What did you find?”

  Carank held the item up for inspection and replied, “It’s a Model 542.26.19 label maker.”

  Clowy responded somewhat dismissively, “Oh, I like the Model 20 better.”

  Carank thought about several different sayings that he could put on the label. After a few minutes he settled on one, printed it, and showed it to Clowy.

  She said, “Do you think it will work?”

  Carank replied, “It has too. We have no other options.”

  Carank slid the label under the tiny gap in the bottom of the door and shoved it as far into the corridor as he could. He looked at Clowy and said, “Now we wait.”

  They waited for many long minutes. Carank kept his hear pressed to the door and announced when he thought someone was walking by. He thought that there was an unusual amount of traffic for a hotel, but didn’t begrudge it. He certainly didn’t want to be left trapped in the room all day.

  Carank thought that he heard someone stop outside. Carank held his breath, hoping that the being on the other side of the door would help them. A moment later the palm pad blinked.

  Success!

  Carank pressed the palm pad and the door slid open. He looked out into the corridor and saw that it was completely empty. He didn’t see who rescued them. Carank gathered up his clothing and personal items and helped Clowy do the same.

  They left the room together. Once in the hallway, Carank bent down and picked up the label. He said, “I knew that someone wouldn’t be able to resist pressing a pad that says ‘Do not push’.”

  They exited the hotel and walked back to their own hotel. They dropped their clothing in their respective rooms. Remembering the clutter law, they folded and organized their laundry. Once complete, Clowy contacted Lexxi, Ella, Lorano, and Admiral Solear and told everyone to meet them in atrium.

  Carank and Clowy were the last to enter the atrium. Carank whistled softly, clearly impressed. He hadn’t seen the gathering room since Fletcher Birdsong had painted it. Carank looked around the room and finally announced, “It is certainly different.”

  Ella responded, “Thank you. The painting style is called a fresco. My father started by removing the protective coating on the walls. Then he painted very quickly, allowing the paint to soak into the wall before it dried. You can see that it gives added depth to the painting and creates a natural three-dimensional effect.”

  “How did he pick this particular subject?” Carank asked.

  Ella said, “He wanted to paint something to honor the rediscoverers of Old Solaria. I think it is rather cute.”

  Carank replied, “Your father captured our likenesses very well. I think the portrait of me is phenomenal. However, I am a little surprised at the subject matter.”

  Carank looked at it again. On one wall Clowy was dressed in a traditional Altian wedding gown. She was standing next to Lorano, who was dressed in a human inspired tuxedo. There was a stark contrast between their outfits. Both looked good, but they didn’t match. But, somehow they did match at the same time.

  He scanned the next wall. Admiral Solear was wearing an Alliance Navy uniform and holding an Altian urn and an Advranki sea moss square. Both items were traditional wedding accompaniments.

  The third wall showed Lexxi wearing a Solarian style wedding gown. She was smiling and seemed genuinely enthused to be there. Carank was dressed in a traditional Advranki groom’s outfit and was standing next to Lexxi.

  When taken in total, the sc
ene depicted a double marriage; performed while honoring four vastly different cultures. Carank summarized, “Well, it is certainly … something.” Carank hoped that Ella didn’t notice the pause.

  Ella smiled brightly and responded, “He named the masterpiece Double Wedding.”

  Carank said, “What do you think about the fresco Admiral?”

  Solear responded, “I agree with your assessment Carank. I couldn’t have summarized it better.”

  Carank described their harrowing kidnap, questioning, and escape. He summarized with, “We were lucky that they didn’t kidnap Lorano and that they didn’t question me.”

  Lexxi replied, “Why, do you know the secret route to Earth?”

  Carank replied, “No. Neither Lorano nor I know the route. However, we both have the starting coordinates memorized. If the bad guys knew the starting point they could probably deduce the rest.”

  Clowy asked, “Where is the starting point?”

  Carank replied, “I’m sorry, it’s a secret.”

  Ella asked, “Do we know who the bad guys are?”

  Carank replied, “No, we don’t. It was obvious that the two Solarians that kidnapped us were working for someone else, but I wasn’t able to determine who.”

  Ella offered, “The Hiriculans.”

  Lorano chimed in, “Possibly. It could also be an Alliance Senator, a highly ranked Alliance Naval officer, or the Solarian government. We just don’t know.”

  Carank looked directly at Lorano and said, “We have to be very careful. We know the location of too many planets. Plus, the bad guys won’t make the same mistake again.”

  Ella replied, “Speaking of Alliance Senators, what do you think about Senator Figur’s murder?”

  Everyone stopped and stared at Ella. Ella replied, “It has been on the news non-stop for the last hour or so.”

  Everyone continued staring at Ella. Frustrated, Ella said, “Computer, display the news broadcast on the monitor in the atrium.”

  …Now playing…

  They watched the entire 26 minute loop. The broadcast included an overview by a news anchor, several views of the dead body, and Alliance Senator Frank’s impromptu news conference. The anchor then reappeared and provided a quick recap.

  The broadcast then switched to a 4-panel view of psychologists describing the impact of the situation. The first gave his ‘expert’ opinion on the matter. “The murder stemmed from watching too many Human television shows. I warned everyone last year that if Solarians continue to watch these shows, then we will experience an increase in violence. Now, a murder has occurred. We need to ban all Human television shows and strictly enforce it.”

  The program switched to the next expert. He claimed it was a secret plot by the Hiriculans. The third psychologist was convinced that it was a secret plot by the Advranki to discredit the Hiriculans and make them look bad. The fourth, meanwhile, professed that the killer was simply defective in the head.

  Carank spoke first, “Clowy and I were trapped a mere 3 rooms away from the murder. The commotion from the rescue workers woke us.”

  Lorano replied, “I find it hard to believe it was a coincidence. Perhaps they interrogated Senator Figur as well and something went horribly wrong.”

  Lexxi said, “Or you two were next in line for see-through holes in your chests.”

  Lorano said, “The next big question is whether or not we report this to the authorities.”

  Carank replied, “I don’t think that we should report it. However, we need to take precautions to ensure that they do not kidnap us again.”

  Lexxi said, “Well, we are stuck here as guests of honor for another 10 days. We can’t leave or cancel any of our personal appearances. It will look too suspicious.”

  Lorano said, “Hopefully, they are satisfied that with the answer that Clowy gave them and won’t bother us again.”

  Clowy asked, “Who are they?”

  Lorano replied, “I’m sorry Clowy. We just don’t know.”

  Carank said, “We need to warn Victor and Crista. They are certainly our kidnapper’s next target.”

  Clowy composed a secret message and sent it to Victor. She cleverly worded it so that only he would understand it.

  Chapter 12

  Kolvak sighed loudly and walked slowly toward the Sunflower. He noted that he had stopped walking entirely and restarted, but at a slower pace. He sighed again. At this rate he wouldn’t reach the ship until tomorrow.

  He sighed again, and started walking a little faster, but not much. Kolvak knew that he was being punished. Further, he knew that in essence he deserved it. During the press conference announcing that there were humans in the Conron system, Kolvak loudly proclaimed that he hoped that the Navy would send the humans to his station.

  He remembered saying, “I’m not scared of them! Bring them here and I will teach them how to properly fix a ship.” He remembered saying it primarily because it had been recorded and replayed to him on four separate occasions.

  Kolvak, and Advranki, was a lead engineer at the Conron Shipyard and Naval Depot. His little speech had been in front of several other engineers and even the station commander. He had made the boast to try to attract the attention a particular female.

  Well, the Navy had in fact sent the Sunflower to the Conron Naval Depot. In hindsight, there really was no other logical place for them to send it for refurbishment. Also, they had assigned the humans to the station until the Sunflower was repaired. In hindsight, there really was no other logical place to house them.

  The boast didn’t impress the female. Or perhaps the female in question simply wasn’t impressed by him. Either way, the aforementioned female found him unimpressive.

  However, the boast did seem to impress the station commander. The station commander took Kolvak at his word and put him in charge of making the Sunflower space-worthy and teaching the human crew how to fly it.

  Normally, the station commander ignored him. Kolvak was surprised that the station commander even heard him this time.

  Or, more than likely, someone had replayed the message for the commander. He wasn’t naming names, but if he was naming names, there were several names that he would in fact name. He changed his mind and went ahead and named a few names for posterity’s sake.

  The delay allowed Shole (pronounced sho-lé’) to catch him.

  (Yes, two syllables – sho-lé. However, if you prefer to pronounce it shol then I suppose you’re allowed.)

  Kolvak asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Shole smiled, brushed her hair out of her face, and responded, “I signed the confidentiality agreement, didn’t I?”

  Kolvak thought, I don’t know, did you? How was he supposed to know whether or not she signed it? It was after all confidential. That was the point of a confidentially agreement.

  He answered, “Everyone who volunteers to work with the Humans has to sign one. They even have a secret code name for it, Project Civilization.”

  Kolvak awaited her response to his joke. He didn’t receive one so he said, “Project Civilization – Because this project is to try to civilize the Humans.” He looked at her expectantly. He hated explaining jokes.

  Shole replied, “I got it. I’m just not sure what to do with it.”

  Kolvak said, “Switching subjects, why do you want to work with the Humans?”

  Kolvak expected her to say something like she enjoyed working with less enlightened species or she was a teacher at heart or some other platitude. However, her answer surprised him.

  Shole said, “There are too many mysteries surrounding the Humans and I want answers.”

  “Like what?” Kolvak questioned.

  Shole: “The Alliance government said that the Humans have been in Conron this whole time, yet we haven’t seen or heard from them until now.”

  Kolvak: “They were hiding them in secret. Secretly. If they were hiding them in public like they are doing now, then it wouldn’t have been a secret.” Kolvak shook his head
.

  Shole continued unabated, “I spoke to a friend stationed on the Dandelion. She implied that the Humans have been on the Sunflower the whole time.”

  Suddenly interested, Kolvak stopped and turned to face her. He said, “Implied?”

  Shole answered, “She wasn’t allowed to discuss it. Apparently, the entire crew of the Dandelion was sworn to secrecy concerning the Humans.”

  Kolvak: “You keep saying Dandelion. I thought we were discussing the Sunflower.”

  Shole: “Exactly. After the battle in Hepitila, commander Arean was promoted to captain and he and the entire crew of the Sunflower transferred to the Dandelion.”

  Kolvak was getting slightly frustrated. Shole was clearly trying to tell him something, but either she wasn’t being clear or he was being dense. He replied, “Okay, so the existing crew was reassigned after the battle. Who replaced them?”

  Shole said, “I asked. The response was a group of Solarian volunteers.”

  Kolvak replied, “I didn’t think that there were enough Solarian volunteers to fill a…” Kolvak’s brain engaged at the exact same time his mouth disengaged. He finally understood what she was implying; the humans have been on the Sunflower the whole time.

  They walked the final few paces and entered the flight deck. The edges of the hangar were packed with equipment. There were 40 brand new fighters parked in 10 perfectly spaced rows of 4 planes each. They approached the nearest one and stopped.

  Kolvak asked, “I wonder why they need 40? Further, why aren’t 20 of them being stored in the hangar?”

  “There are,” came a mystery response from nowhere. An actual living, breathing human stepped out from behind the fighter.

  Both Shole and Kolvak jumped backward. Kolvak recovered and stared at the being in front of him. The being was huge. He was at least a head taller and much broader than any Advranki. The human female at the press conference was bigger than everyone around her, but not that much bigger.

  Kolvak had dismissed the stories that a human could kill an Advranki with a single punch. Now he rapidly reassessed them. It was clear that the stories were true. The being was huge.