by Bill Nolan
Robert dropped off the cargo they had brought for the bases on Janakara and also dropped off Angela, the new whale biologist. Then he set out with Shanna to see Jane. They took four days to get there, as there was no point in stressing everyone by jumping too often. Serena was orbiting an Earthlike planet. Jane invited Robert to come over and accompany them to the surface. Rather than leave Serena in orbit and take a skipper or aircar to the surface, Jane just had Serena take them down. “I like having her nearby, just in case.”
Once on planet, Jane and Robert exited the ship. Shanna was about 75 miles directly overhead, providing overwatch. Jane walked over to a table and chairs which had been set up at the edge of the clearing where they “landed.” Serena was not actually touching the ground. After they sat down, Jane started to explain. “This planet, which I haven’t named, is, as you can see, quite Earthlike, except that the atmosphere is somewhat thicker than Earth’s, and the gravity is about 30% less. That’s an odd combination, so we are still working out how that is happening. One of the main effects, though, is that flight is easier here. OK, here they come.”
Robert looked toward the forest lining the clearing, in the direction Jane was looking. The trees were huge, rising several hundred feet into the air. As he watched, three creatures flew out of the upper canopy directly toward them. In a few seconds they arrived at the table, hovering above the table top and then lightly landing. Robert was shocked.
“Pixies? You discovered Pixies?” His description was fairly accurate. The creatures did indeed look like miniature humans, except for the wings, and they were about nine inches tall. Unlike the pixies in the movies, these weren’t wearing any clothes, so it was obvious that all were female. They did wear a belt, with various objects attached.
Robert heard one of them speaking in his mind. “Greetings, mate of Jane.”
Robert thought back at them. “Greetings. To which of you am I speaking?”
One of the females walked closer and he heard, “I am sssisiisi.” The name sounded most like a hiss.
Robert replied, “It is with joy that I make your acquaintance. I have never before had the honor of meeting any of your species.”
The creature made a sound which Robert took to be a laugh. “Of course not. You have never before visited our planet, and we do not travel among the stars. Our planet mother provides all that we need. Why would we leave. We are sorry that the deficiencies of your mother force you to travel so far.”
Robert replied, “Thank you for your sympathy. Our planet mother was destroyed by evil people, and so we had no choice. We still grieve for her.”
An expression of profound shock came over the face of the creature, and her mouth literally dropped open. “How can you still care to live? I would not want to live if our planet mother was destroyed.”
“I understand, but it happened a very long time ago, and we have learned to live on our ships among the stars. Our grief is old, and we have managed to live in spite of it. Thank you again for your concern.”
The Pixie turned to Jane. “You and your mate must come to our village. We will have a feast in remembrance of your planet mother.”
Jane said, “We would be honored. Will you show us the way?”
“Of course.”
Jane and Robert returned to Serena and got two floaters. These platforms are about two feet square with a railing on three sides. They got on the floaters and prepared to follow the Pixies to their village. They couldn’t pronounce the actual names, so they just fell into the habit of calling them Pixies. They certainly did look like Pixies.
As soon as they entered the forest, they were met by another group of the Pixies, and these were obviously armed, although how the weapons functioned wasn’t immediately apparent. The whole group then proceeded to the village. The village was high in the trees, about two miles from where Serena had set them down in the clearing. Robert was immediately reminded of the Ewock village in Star Wars, except that there were no bridges connecting the tree houses, and they were small, as expected since the creatures were less than a foot tall.
The village covered a substantial area, and even though the trees were huge, there was only one treehouse in each. To Robert, it seemed as though the treehouses were all exactly on the same level. After flying through the village for a while, they came to a platform suspended by ropes or cables – it was hard to tell which – from several trees. The platform was easily 50’ across, and it seemed to be their destination. They set their floaters down on the platform. There were Pixies fliting about everywhere. They had clearly been notified to prepare the feast. Robert wondered about the rank of the three Pixies who had met with them in the clearing. Since they communicated via telepathy, the actual leaders, if they had any, could be here in the village or halfway around the planet. Robert and Jane had no idea of the range of their telepathy.
The feast itself was quite a production, and it lasted several hours. The food scanned as suitable for humans, and the variety was impressive. There were several kinds of meat, fish, insects, and also a variety of fruits and vegetables. Mushrooms were also featured. The beverages seemed like mostly fruit and vegetable juices, although one tasted a lot like coconut milk. Everything was tasty and well-seasoned.
As the banquet ran down, the female who had spoken with them in the clearing approached. “It has been decided. We will treat you as friends. Also, we will build a house for you in a tree near the clearing where your ship has landed. We know you will not live there all the time, but it will be available for your use whenever you visit. I am told it will be ready in four rotations of our planet mother. Now, get your flying devices and I will lead you back to Serena.”
Once at Serena, they quickly rendezvoused with Shanna, and Robert called a ship meeting. A contact with a non-human intelligent race was a very big deal. They had already met three in the two little galaxies, but they were all cold races. This race occupied a very Earthlike planet. In the entire known history of the Milky Way galaxy, humans had encountered only one other race which was intelligent. They had also found archeological evidence of two others. Robert was keeping in mind that the Milky Way contains roughly 200 billion stars, while the Large and Small Magellanic clouds contain 30 billion and 3 billion stars respectively.
The race they were calling the Pixies had a number of unique features. They were much smaller than any other known intelligent race, and they could fly. Another oddity was that they seemed to have no interest in technology. Robert and Jane had seen no signs of anything they would describe as technology. In addition, they were telepathic, and were the first race other than the Potriem to use telepathy as their main form of communication. All of this made them very unusual. They also seemed quite friendly and were even building a house for Jane and Robert.
Jonu absorbed all of this, and then asked, “So what’s the down side. Nothing is this perfect.”
Well, Robert replied, “We are traders after all, and they seem to have nothing we want, while we have nothing they need. We will have to do some more research, but I don’t currently see how we can trade with them.”
This caught everyone’s attention. It was sort of a standard assumption of the To’Ach’an that they could do business with anybody. In this case, the assumption might not hold up. The obvious next question was whether the Pixies had any knowledge which they could share, and which would prove useful. The complete lack of any technology didn’t make that seem too likely. Maybe when they got to know them better, something would come up. That’s when Robert got a big shock. He heard one of the Pixies speaking in his mind.
“Don’t worry, Robert. We both have much to learn from each other. Some of your technology is interesting, and we know ever so much more than your people about what you call ecology. We will both find the other useful.”
Robert thought back. “Where are you? Are you speaking to me from your home planet?”
“Don’t be silly. I came along. I wanted to see your ships and meet more of your people.
Plus, we had to know whether you might turn out to be hostile. If you were a problem, we would have had to act. We’ll talk in your office later.”
After the ship meeting concluded, Robert and Jane went back to his office. When they entered, the Pixie was there waiting. As they entered, she said, “I am sssisiisi. We spoke on our planet. I am sorry I snuck along, but I wanted to just observe your people. You are a warrior people, and we were concerned that you would bring war to our home. I see now that I need not worry about that. You actually got rid of the people who were invading – well, Jane did.”
Robert responded. “So how did you hide from our ships? I would have bet a lot of money that both Serena and Shanna would have detected you. How about that, Shanna? What happened?”
Shanna actually sounded contrite. “I am sorry, Robert. I failed you. She seems to be able to become invisible to my sensors, and only appears when she wants to. I would have bet with you before.”
Jane said, “You do have technology, don’t you? It just isn’t obvious.”
The Pixie laughed out loud. “Of course, and we have had advanced technology for a very long time. Our starships are much smaller than yours, though. Also, like Jane, we always know where we are, so our people have traveled all over your Milky Way galaxy. We have even visited Earth several times.”
Robert said, “Well, that probably explains a lot of the legends about Pixies, fairies, and the like. I guess they were pretty accurate.”
“Yes,” the Pixie replied. “As soon as you used that word I knew where you were from. I don’t mind it, by the way. You can’t pronounce most of our words anyway. We found the myths to be useful. That way, if somebody saw us, they didn’t think ‘space alien.’ They just assumed they got lucky and saw a Pixie.”
Robert’s next question was, “How many planets do you occupy, and are they all in the Small Magellanic Cloud?”
“Yes, they are, and we occupy seven planets. We keep a low profile, so, if scanning from orbit, you won’t detect we are on the planet. We would know you were there, though.”
“So, are you done studying us now? Are you going to need a ride home? Jane can take you whenever you are ready. In the meantime, you are our guest. Please don’t hide from my ship. She won’t like it.”
Shanna answered. “Don’t worry, Robert. I got her to inhale a marker. She won’t be able to hide from me anymore.” You could practically hear the laughter in her voice.
The Pixie looked startled for a moment. “Good one, Shanna. I think the two of us are really going to get along. I underestimated you. I will try not to do it again. Now, I guess, you should show me to my real quarters. Oh, and by the way, I had a couple close calls with your dog, Roughneck. I think he can both hear my wings and smell me. He almost caught me twice. I like him.”
“OK, Shanna can show you a room. Let her know what you need. We will talk more tomorrow.”
Chapter 15, Trouble
After the Pixie left, Robert called a meeting of his usual advisors in his office. Once they arrived, he began. “While we were finishing the ship meeting, I found myself, rather unexpectedly, speaking mentally to one of the Pixies. It seems she stowed away on Serena and then came over to Shanna when I did. Neither ship was able to detect her. After we finished with the ship meeting, she met Jane and me in my office.”
Jonu quickly answered. “How did she hide from the ships? That’s crazy. I don’t see how that could happen. She could have done anything, and we wouldn’t know.”
“Very true,” Robert replied. “Shanna thinks if she had tampered with anything, she would have detected that. Right now, she is looking at the history to see if there was anything she missed. So far, she has found nothing. Also, Shanna shot a jet of marker gas toward the Pixie, and she breathed it in, so Shanna will be able to keep an eye on her easily for the next few days. By the way, it turns out that they do have starships. They have been to Earth several times in the past, so they really are the Pixies of Earth legend, and a lot of other planet’s legends as well.” That created a buzz.
Podara spoke next. “I wonder if I could detect her mentally. They use telepathy, so they may have defenses. I probably couldn’t detect them if they had shields up, but if they didn’t, that would be another way to keep track of them. I will say that the ability to hide on a To’Ach’an warship – well, two ships actually, is impressive. We have to find out how she managed it and fix it.”
Just then Shanna broke in to the conversation. “Robert, we have an urgent message from Maria at the clinic in Tucson. She says she needs you right away. Her message was cut off before she could say why.”
Jane jumped to her feet and ran for the door, calling out, “Serena, departure now for Earth. Calculate highest possible speed.” Serena was docked with Shanna. Jane got there three minutes later and ran aboard. The ramp shut behind her. When she got to the control room, the Pixie was there waiting. “What are you doing here?”
The Pixie replied mentally. “I want to come. I can help. Let me.” It was too late in any case. Serena was already in space and had started jumping. The jumps to Earth were precalculated and she executed them every five minutes.
Jane said, “I hope you don’t get jump sick. We are doing some distance.”
The Pixie said, “No, I don’t. Like you, I always know where I am. Can I message my people?”
Jane only hesitated a moment. “Serena, let her message after the next jump.”
The Pixie pulled a small device off the belt she was wearing. Between the next jumps she hissed into it for about 20 seconds. Then Jane heard her in her mind. “All done. Go.” Serena went.
Back on Shanna, they had calculated and executed their first jump. Unlike Jane they had to wait between jumps. Jane would arrive a few hours ahead of Shanna.
Meanwhile, Serena was doing what Jane had ordered. She arrived in the Earth system just over an hour after leaving the Large Magellanic Cloud. She arrived into the middle of a system swarming with Empire ships. They opened fire right after she came out of jump. Serena went to full auto combat mode. In milliseconds all three shields were up and she started jumping and shooting back. In less than 10 seconds, she had destroyed 7 Empire ships. That’s when the Pixie spoke mentally to Jane. “Get out of here. There are too many, even for a warrior and ship of your caliber. We will have help soon.”
Jane told Serena to jump clear of the battle. Serena jumped back to her last jump point outside the solar system. Then Jane spoke to the Pixie, out loud so Serena could hear. “What help?”
The Pixie replied. “When I messaged my people, I told them to send help. May I message them again to check the status?” When Jane gave permission, the Pixie pulled out her belt communicator again. This time the hissed conversation went on for about two minutes. When it was over, the Pixie told Jane, “OK, there will be 11 of our ships meeting us here in about an hour. Also, they were about to warn me when I messaged them. We have ‘observers’ scattered over the Milky Way. There is a revolt underway. The Empress has fled. A lot of the Empire seems to be on the other side. So far, your fellow To’Ach’an are staying out of it, at least that’s what my people are saying.”
Chapter 16, Traps and Battles
Jane thought for about 15 seconds. “Serena, fill Shanna in on what we know about the situation. Now, Pixie, tell me about these ships. How capable are they? I need to know right now just what I can expect.”
“I understand. Our ships are much smaller, about the size of one of your skippers. Each has a crew of 10, and is shielded – not as well as Serena, I would guess. Their weapons are very strong. Your ship has an advantage, though. Ours are not autonomous. They have to be operated by my people. We are good at it, but Serena is better. Still, 12 ships total will give those Empire ships a real black eye.”
“Got it. Serena, how many of those Empire ships were there in the Earth system?”
“I was a little busy, so I wasn’t really counting, but about 300, give or take a few dozen.”
“Y
eah, they didn’t send that many to attack Earth. They were waiting for us, and for Shanna, too. With the rest of the To’Ach’an sitting this out, they could concentrate on us. I smell a deal. We’ve been sold out by our own people, but at least they are staying out of it. Serena, keep Shanna informed.”
Serena said, “They replied while you were thinking. Robert agrees with you. He thinks we are on our own in this one.”
“Not exactly,” Jane replied, “because they don’t know about our Pixie friends.” She turned to the Pixie. “Are you going to be with us on this? It could get rough. I’m not sure why you are helping us. Also, what is your rank, if any, among your people?” She spoke out loud, knowing the Pixie could still read the words in her mind, and she wanted Serena to hear.
Her new Pixie friend gave her a sly sort of look. “I am the queen of my people. At the end of the banquet, I told you we would treat you as friends. Like your people, I keep my word. Plus, I believe the whole area will be better off if the current Empress stays in power.”
Jane stared at her for a moment. “You are speaking Galactic, out loud. Is there anything else I should know?”
Her new friend gave her another sly look. “Hey, a girl has to have some secrets. I speak a few languages. Also, if you want to quit calling me ‘the Pixie,’ a name I used on Earth a few hundred years ago was Glenora.”
Jane started laughing. “I had always heard that Pixies were sneaky, conniving little wenches. We should get along just fine. When your ships arrive, I think we should make a few raids. We jump into Earth’s solar system, kill a few ships, and jump out. Then we do it again, and again, until they crack. You can only watch your friends die for a little while and still keep your nerve.”