"They're all deserted," mused Raan as the whine from the ship's engines slowly died to silence.
"Let's hope this is the right place," began Starfire, peering through the forward windscreen into the greenish distance, "there's nothing else here."
"Where is everyone?" asked Erion.
"The port authorities are asking us to lower our main ramp," stated Delta Ten.
"I don't like this," said Erion. "Wait on that order, Del, until we find out what is going on. This place is utterly deserted."
"I have another ship approaching," said Raan, looking down into his scanner."
"Hal?"asked Erion.
"The ship knows our call sign, Major," he said. "It's probably the trader. He's coming in to land."
"Where are all the people?" asked Erion again.
"There are no people here," stated Hal.
"What?" she snapped.
"Hal's been here before," supplied a helpful Starfire.
"Well for frag's sake, why didn't you say somethi……. Oh, never mind," sighed Erion. Hal continued as if she hadn't spoken.
"There are no people," repeated Hal as if explaining to a child. "They left long ago. This place runs on automatic." As if to clarify Hal's statement, a rumble sounded; so loud they could hear it inside the ship, and two massive cargo doors trundled aside at the front of the largest building. The crew looked down as huge auto loaders hovered forward to wait at their main hatch.
"Del, who are you talking with?" asked Erion,
"I am communicating with the port authority computer."
"Ask it what happened to our contact," ordered Erion, "the man we are supposed to meet here,"
"It says there is no contact," answered Del. "It demands identification."
"All right, ask it who is in command," stated Erion. A moment later, the android answered.
"It is in command. It requests direct link up with our main computer."
"Access denied," snapped Erion.
"Look!" said Starfire. The other ship had landed beside their own and already its ramp was lowering to receive the large auto loaders.
"The port computer insists on direct communication with our main computer." said Delta Ten, calmly.
"What the hell is going on?" muttered Raan under his breath. The crew looked towards Erion.
"Where is the computer housed, Del?" she asked.
"In an underground silo, deep below us," answered the android. The buildings you see around us are no longer occupied."
"There must be somebody in charge," mused Erion.
"Wait," called Hal. He swivelled his chair towards the Delta Ten. "Android, ask it what happened to Forsta." Erion caught the robot's eye and nodded quickly. Del stared into space for a few seconds.
"It says the Aurian Forsta no longer functions and wants to know who asked the question."
"Tell it my name," ordered Hal. Delta Ten did so, and a moment later the comlink burst into life.
"Greetings, Hal. It has been many cycles since you were last here. I trust you are recovered from your wounds?" The sultry voice was unmistakably female.
"Wounds?" asked Starfire.
"Another story," muttered Hal.
"Is there anybody in this galaxy who doesn't know you?" asked Erion.
"There's a few I guess," he answered. "You can open the hatches and go outside, it's safe." When they didn't move, he added, "well don't all run out at once!"
"A few answers might help," suggested Erion. Hal gave a weary sigh.
"The computer's name is Vermillion."
"Con Tranter's Vermillion?" cut in Starfire. She remembered the name from a previous adventure.
"Yes, Con Tranter's Vermillion. She runs the last working port on this planet and co-ordinates everything around here. Between you and me it would not be wise to piss her off. She's very old and getting a bit cranky."
"There's nothing here to co-ordinate that I can see," pointed out Raan.
"A good deal of trading goes on here that the Federation doesn't know about." began Hal. "The machines take a cut and are able to be self sufficient."
"That's amazing," said Starfire, "a whole planet run by robots."
"I find it quite interesting," put in Delta Ten, "I would like to converse directly with this computer."
"We haven't the time, Del," said Erion.
"And Vermillion likes to get the business over and done with as soon as possible," added Hal. "It attracts less attention to this place."
"I agree," said Erion. "Is the air safe, Del?"
"A little high in trace elements but breathable."
"Let's get loaded and refuelled then," she ordered. They rose to leave the pilot section but Hal lingered behind.
"You hear all that?" he asked to the empty cockpit."
"I heard," answered Vermillion, "and I thank you for not betraying our secret."
"I gave my word at the time," said Hal curtly, "I won't go back on it."
"And I am grateful."
"Just get us loaded and out of here as quick as you can. That's all the thanks I need."
"It is already being done," answered the machine. "Hal?" the disembodied voice stopped him at the hatch. "If I did not know you so well and owe you so much, I could take exception to the terms 'old' and 'cranky'."
"I'll give your love to Thirty Seven when I see him." A warm, genuine smile spread across Hal's face. It transformed his features but unfortunately there was nobody to see it and by the time he left the aircar, his grey eyes were cold and showed bored indifference again. He eventually strolled down the rear ramp and surveyed Manta. It hadn't changed much since he was last there, although the greenery did seem to be a little more invasive. The tops of the huge, fern-like trees disappeared under a thick blanket of low cloud and the air was warm, damp and smelt of wet grass and sulphur. The concrete was wet and a thin film of slippery, green moss covered it, making walking difficult.
There was a hive of activity at the rear of the Grennig as large auto loaders trundled from the alien ship, carrying large crates to deposit them in its cargo hold.
The trader, a tall, stick like creature with dull, grey skin and a face breather, surveyed the busy scene with Raan. Their shuttle, the Little Dragon, had been moved to the front of the cargo bay to make more room. There was a small front loading ramp in the Grennig that would just about take the Little Dragon, but it would have been virtually impossible for them to navigate inside it while moving at speed.
Raan and the trader conversed briefly through a hand held translator while Erion, Del and Starfire supervised the placing of the cargo. The alien accepted the data crystal from Raan with reverence and placed it in a small bag slung over his shoulder. Raan called up the others.
"That's the last of the cargo from the other ship. How's the refuelling going?"
"About half way," answered Starfire, glancing at her comlink. "Del, keep an eye on it for me will you," she began, "I'm going for a look around."
"I'll come with you," said Hal from behind her.
"Do you have to creep up on people like that?" she gritted as they walked away from the ship.
"Just naturally sneaky I suppose," he answered. They stopped outside the huge concrete tower block and Starfire peered inside.
"It's empty."
"What did you expect?" he asked, "a Valasian band playing 'Welcome Home'?"
"Very funny," she retorted. "You're hiding something in that tricky little bounty hunter brain of yours." He grinned and shook his head. The damp wind blew a thin covering of green seed pollen and grey ash into the huge, dark cavern and Hal pressed the control to send the large sliding metal doors closed.
"Let's go back," he suggested. "Time we were gone."
"Sure," she answered. They walked in silence for a few seconds and then she said, "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"Nope."
"Well it was worth a try." Raan and the alien were both touching the pad of a computer tablet as they approached. They nodded to each o
ther and the alien stepped back, clutching his receipt in skeletal hands. Without another word, he turned and loped steadily up the ramp into his ship, happy that Raan had signed the order that would guarantee his payment. Raan met them at the pilot section.
"We're all loaded up and ready to go."
"So let's go." said Erion.
"Katraia here we come!" grinned Starfire and gunned the massive engines of the big ship into life.
Chapter 6
A warning chime heralded their entry into normal space, and the crew on board Grennig responded with more than their usual interest on reaching a new planet. Although remote, the little system looked well balanced, and Katraia was pleasing to the eye from space; a blue and green jewel, covered with clouds.
"It looks like Auria," stated Erion.
"Plenty of vegetation, nominal pollution." called Raan. "Nice looking little planet."
"I am in communication with the local port authorities," began Delta Ten. "We are bid welcome and cleared to land. They wish to know if you are on board, Erion."
"Tell them, yes," she answered.
"Here goes," sighed Starfire, easing the heavy ship down onto a large, flat rock plateau that seemed to jut out from the side of a ragged mountain.
"How far up are we, Del?" asked Raan.
"One hundred and eighty six linears above ground level," answered the robot, scanning his monitor with calm deliberation. The plateau appears to be the result of volcanic slippage. You can see where the side of the volcano was blasted away during an eruption and the rock slid down to form the shelf. The rock floor seems to have been smoothed out by lasers to give us this landing platform.
"A hundred and eighty linears," muttered Raan. "It'll be a long haul down with this lot."
"Not our problem," said Hal flatly.
"You're in the wrong business," smiled Erion sweetly. "You should have been a social carer."
"I was too nice even for that."
"Lowering main ramp," called Starfire and they felt, rather than heard the rumblings of the massive servos that opened the huge, rear cargo bay ramp. People began to appear and they could be seen waving upward at the direct viewing ports with gaily coloured scarves.
"Happy looking lot," noted Raan. "Girls look pretty too."
"How can you see if they are pretty from up here?" asked Erion. Raan turned around in his seat, a pair of laser binoculars strapped to his eyes and a wicked smirk on his face.
"I give up," sighed Erion.
"Let's go and meet your loyal subjects," suggested Starfire. They used the internal aircar to reach the rear cargo bay and walked down the ramp towards the bright sunlight. Raan took Erion's arm and steered her towards the waiting people below. Greetings were called in Standard Aurian, which was only slightly accented. Erion and Raan waved back and a tall, dignified Aurian stepped forward wearing richly coloured heavy robes and held out his hands towards them.
"Greetings! I am Estrada, Adviser to King Lendus. He sends his apologies, but he cannot meet you in person as the mountain steps would be too much for him in his poor health."
"Looks like we're welcome, anyway," mused Erion as they walked towards him.
"Maybe," drawled Raan softly. Erion threw him a quick look.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I don't know, Major," he muttered out of the side of his mouth, vainly scanning the crowd, "but something doesn't feel right."
"I don't see anything," began Erion, then Starfire and Hal stepped from the shade of the engine array and into the sunlight. The smiles of the crowd changed to amazement and the cheering stopped. Silence descended and Starfire leaned to one side.
"Hal, they just love you," she whispered out of the side of her mouth. Hal threw her a black look, not enjoying the attention. Erion had reached Estrada and she bowed and said, politely,
"Thank you for this warm welcome, My Lord. This is my assistant, Raan, this is my pilot, Starfire and my champion, Hal. Estrada's smile wavered a little, then he rallied, bowed low, took Starfire's hand and kissed it. The crowd clapped politely, then the cheering started again.
"Will you all accompany me to the Palace?" he asked. "The Prince is away at present, but the King will want to welcome you himself. Our villagers will help with the unloading of your ship. You are doubly welcome, as our supplies are sadly depleted since the accident."
"The ship's master will be able to handle it," stated Erion. She raised her wrist. "Del, can you supervise the unloading and then meet us at the Palace?"
"Yes, Erion," he answered, gravely.
"Your companion will be shown the way when he is ready," smiled Estrada. He turned and waved them towards the cliff face to their left, as if he was herding chickens. "Come!" Erion and Raan walked with him and Starfire and Hal followed behind like poor relatives. As they neared the stark, black face of the dead volcano, they could see various doors and windows cut into it. There were obviously rooms behind the openings but they were led to a dark archway cut into the stone. A steep spiral staircase, hewn out of the rock and worn by the passage of many feet, disappeared below them. High on the curved stone walls, torches burned in metal baskets, casting flickering shadows across their faces. A rope handrail followed the course of the stairs and Erion slid her hand along it as she struggled to keep up with the excited adviser. The stairs were quite narrow and they had thinned into single file for the downward trek. The noise was deafening as the happy chatter of the villagers behind them bounced off the walls and echoed around them.
"Fighting your way out of here would be near impossible," muttered Raan to Starfire, who was behind him.
"Let's hope we don't have to find out," she answered. The slope of the staircase became less steep, and as they rounded a shallow bend, daylight shafted in through the opening at the bottom. Even more people waited there and Erion was greeted with clapping and cheery smiles. Children waved little Katraian flags and bunting was strung in the blossom trees that lined both sides of their route.
"They sure don't look like a people who have just lost their entire trading strength," mused Raan.
"Perhaps they don't know about the Golden Bearmyl yet?" suggested Starfire. The ground levelled out and wide shallow steps led to a cobbled street where two liveried footmen stood at the side of an open topped carriage. They saluted at their approach and one hurriedly opened the door while the other helped Erion up the little steps. She sat at the front with Raan and Estrada, while Starfire and Hal squeezed in at the back where the luggage was supposed to go.
"What on earth are those?" asked Erion, pointing to the four legged robots which stood patiently in harness at the front of the coach. There were four of them, silver in colour, and each metal leg was jointed at two points, giving the robots a graceful gait. A long, arched neck swept upward to carry an equine head with a long thin snout. Their wide backs carried a heavy cloth with some sort of red and gold heraldic livery on it.
"You will soon get used to them," said Estrada. "They are called Robograzers. These are the largest ones, used for pulling coaches and carts. Almost every family has at least one." The two men had climbed up onto a little bench at the front of the coach and one took the reins and flipped them. The four graceful robots started off in perfect unison and the coach rolled forward, heading down a slope. Erion was fascinated by the robograzers and missed much of the rustic beauty of the countryside as she watched the machines. Estrada noticed her gaze and spoke again, "They are based on a wild species of grazer that used to be common on this planet many years ago. Sadly, few remain, and they are now a protected species. We find them perfect for our mountainous terrain." The coach turned with the road and headed towards a thick, stone wall with two massive open gates supported on stone pillars. The gates were made of very thick wood and leaned inward slightly, obviously not in use. Climbing plants and vines obscured much of the gates and the surrounding stone walls. Once through the gates, a picturesque town could be seen. The houses were small and neat, and sported thatched roofs
. Smoke could be seen dribbling out of a few chimneys, and a few women sat in little front gardens, spinning or sewing.
"What a lovely place," gasped Starfire. "It's like something out of a story book."
"It is the way we like to live," answered Estrada simply, and it was clear from his voice that he told the truth. The little cobbled streets, although narrow and winding, were perfectly flat, and to the passenger's surprise, the robograzers slowed suddenly and locked their legs into stiff upright positions. Little wheels dropped down from dainty hooves and the straight legged machines rolled steadily through the town. "We designed them that way." explained Estrada. "The joints last longer."
They were through the town now and crossed a stone bridge that spanned a wide, dark, slow moving river. The robograzers dropped a gear and began to climb the winding road. It cut a wide path through a dense wood and they came out into brilliant sunshine to see a stone castle with stained glass windows, festooned with turrets and balconies. There was a round tower with a conical roof at each corner and coloured pennants fluttered in the warm breeze. A high, stone wall surrounded it and again, large wooden doors were open and unused at its entrance. The coach continued on its way along a wide avenue, flanked by tall, leafy trees. It slowed as it pulled into the paved courtyard, and rolled to a gentle halt at the foot of a marble staircase. Gilt edged railings swept upward to another pair of massive doors, covered by a Plexiglas porch, richly decorated with gilt carvings and brass flowers. Standing in the doorway, looking very small by comparison, was King Lendus. His long, wavy hair was almost grey, with only a few strands of its once copper colour. He wore rich, heavy robes of red and gold and a round red hat, edged with gold, embroidered leaves. As Erion climbed the stair case on Estrada's arm, the old king held out his hands to her.
Starfire and The Planet Killer Page 8