“Any other questions?” Tobias asked.
Again silence.
TJ and Sammy moved closer to Voice 3 and sounded like they were settling down to enjoy the Black Label for a while.
“Hey, you really messed up those kids,” pointed out TJ.
“They didn’t do what I wanted,” responded Sammy. “Besides, that tall one won’t give me any shit again.”
“Want another two-fingers?” asked TJ.
“Sure, nothing else to do,” answered Tommy.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“LL, they’re loading up and looks like they’ll be heading out again,” whispered Ruth.
“Gotcha,” responded LL.
“O, time to relieve Marty and Ruth,” LL said to O.
“Roger, tell them I’m my way,” responded O as he grabbed his gear and left the area.
“Michael, Ruth is on her way back,” LL said to Michael as he was coming back from the head.
“Okay, I’ll go meet her,” Michael responded.
LL knew that it might be a while before the two of them came back to the team area. It was unusual to have a married couple on an advance team, but they were professional, and he had no doubt that they would do what was necessary when it was required. If they took a few extra minutes to return, it was understood. They needed time together.
Sunday, November 5, 2051
BG Rescues Drummond
“Sir they are remaining motionless in space,” pointed out Beta-Prime.
“Yes, I see that,” snapped back BG.
“Telorr, this is the Burlington. I am offering you a solution. Return Captain Drummond, and there will be no damage done to either ship,” BG transmitted.
“Carot, you heard the translation that we sent, was it clear?” BG asked his alien guest.
“Yes, it was clear enough. If I may, I’d like to make a suggestion?” Carot asked.
BG turned in his chair and glared at the Izod for a second then said, “Okay, go ahead.”
A moment later the ship’s translator program responded with Carot’s suggestion.
“We are negotiators. Threats are merely a style of negotiation,” the Izod diplomat said.
BG had to think for a minute to understand how to apply the Izod’s suggestion. Then he smiled a little.
“Beta-3, open the transmitter.”
“Frequency is open,” the Beta unit responded.
“Izod ships, this is the Captain of the Burlington. You have a human that we want. Perhaps there is something that we have that may benefit you? I suggest that we meet and discuss our mutual needs.”
BG didn’t have a clue what he had that they might be interested in, but he was willing to take the chance and see what opened up.
“Sir, there is a transmission from the smaller ship,” announced Beta-3.
“Translate it,” responded BG.
“Captain, this is Telorr. We accept your proposal. Prepare for us to enter your ship.”
A little terse, BG thought to himself.
“Tell them, that it’s okay to approach our ship and to board. Give them the necessary instructions.”
BG nodded to Beta-3 and watched the 3D display as the smaller craft approached the larger ship then entered.
“Beta-Prime, keep an eye on their other ship if it tries to move any closer tell me. I’m not sure what the range of their weapon is, and I don’t want to find out.”
“Acknowledged,” responded Beta-Prime.
“Captain, if I may provide some additional information,” Carot passed through the ship’s translator.
“Negotiations with Izod have a certain amount of pomp.”
BG thought, great. How the hell do I do that? I have no uniform or trumpets to blow. Then he looked around the command area and had a thought.
“Beta-Prime find some orchestra music that has a strong beat and play it in the shuttle bay. Also, I want four of the Beta units to come with me. You stay here and keep an eye on the other ship. Let me know if it does anything.”
The shuttle landed in the shuttle while BG stood watching with four Beta Units standing behind him.
“The shuttle bay is at full pressure,” announced Beta-4.
BG opened the pressure door and the four units passed by into the shuttle bay.
When the shuttle door opened, four of the Burlington robots were standing by the door with two on either side. Telorr stood in the entry, and BG got the impression that it was an issue of prestige to stand in a defiant manner.
BG stood on the other side of the pressure door looking through the porthole to see the response of the Izod guest. He stopped, looked at the four Beta units then appeared a little shocked by the music. After a second, he seemed to adjust and even took on more of a formal air. BG didn’t know if “76 Trombones” was the best choice, but it seemed to do the trick.
It was time for him to make his entrance and he opened the pressure door and stepped into the shuttle bay. He tried to walk like a General or Politician, but it felt a little weird.
BG walked towards the four Beta Units as Telorr passed through them.
Telorr was considerably taller than BG and a little intimidating, but BG knew that he had to meet him as equals and not to let him feel that he had an advantage if they were going to negotiate anything. BG didn’t expect to shake hands with Telorr, so when they were face-to-face, he spoke slowly so the ship’s translator could keep up.
“Welcome to the Burlington, my name is Commander Boggs,” BG said with as formal an air as he could. He and Darlene had never discussed rank. She was the Captain, and he was her deputy, or partner or whatever. Besides he was the only other human on the large ship.
“Follow me,” BG said as he turned and passed through the pressure door.
The large Izod acquiesced and followed, having to bend over to pass through the door. The four Beta Units that made up the welcoming party followed and then turned and took their positions at their control stations.
BG was still a little uncertain of how to deal with the Izod, so he kept his back to him and just walked into the small conference room and sat down. He noticed that Carot had already sat at the table and he rose as Telorr entered.
When Telorr saw Carot, he stopped. Carot took a step closer to him, and they spoke in Izod. To BG’s dismay, their voices were too low for the ship translator to pick them up. But BG did notice that Beta-Prime was close enough to hear their voices and hopefully to record them. BG made a mental note to check with Beta-Prime later.
Telorr and Carot finished their short discussion, and they sat at the table. BG was starting to get a little frustrated with the entire discussion, and since the large Izod hadn’t said anything, he decided to push a little.
“You have a human and I want her. What do you want?”
That statement seemed to strike a chord with the Izod.
“What is it that you offer?” responded Telorr.
For some reason, BG took an immediate dislike to the Izod. There was something about him, that really irritated BG. Darlene was likely in the ship that he had in his shuttle bay, and here he was negotiating with this jerk.
“I tell you what I have to offer. I offer to let you and your shuttle leave this ship after you have released our Captain. In addition, I will offer not to destroy the other ship.”
What BG said felt good; he was starting to get a feel for this type of ‘negotiating.’ He was a little surprised though. It was naïve to think that he could read another alien, but the reaction on the faces on both of the Izod was clear in any language. They were shocked and didn’t have a clue how to answer. BG had violated all the normal negotiation protocols.
BG felt a surge of confidence and added, “Is there something about my offer that you don’t understand?” BG said with a little emphasis on the word offer.
“Where is Captain Drummond?” BG asked with some frustration.
Telorr merely waved his hand behind him, indicating that she was still onboard the shuttle.
>
BG didn’t like that, and he was a little worried as he stood and walked towards the shuttle bay. Slowly, Carot and Telorr got up and followed.
Darlene was still strapped in one of the seats, and she was smiling from ear to ear. BG glared at the two Izod guards who were standing on either side of her. He looked back at Telorr with a clear expression on his face. Telorr nodded to the guards, and the straps came off quickly. She stood, and they hugged, then they kissed. It was a long, pleasurable kiss.
“Boy am I glad that you’re okay,” BG whispered in her ear.
“So am I,” she said before they kissed again.
They were standing in the hatch entrance during their embrace and when they turned to exit it was obvious that Carot and Telorr had turned their backs on them.
When they approached the pair, Carot turned to them and said, “That was a disgusting display of intimacy. Please don’t do that again.”
“Who the heck are you?” Darlene said, “That is how humans show affection for people they love.”
BG reacted by hugging her closer.
“We are still appalled. Females are not allowed to have physical contact with their partner in public. We find it repulsive,” responded Telorr.
BG dropped his arm from around Darlene, and she stood tall putting her hands on her hips saying clearly, “Telorr, as you have said. There are differences between how we act. We must all accept those differences and deal with them. Judging us by our differences will accomplish nothing.”
“We have some talking to do,” Captain Drummond said. “Who is our guest?”
“This is Carot. He says that he represents the Izod Government,” BG said as he introduced Carot.
Carot showed definite reluctance to acknowledge Captain Drummond.
“Your Captain is a female?” he asked.
“Yes, I am. Now we must talk. Follow me,” Captain Drummond said as she ignored the slight and walked through the pressure door into the command area.
BG just shrugged and pointed for Telorr and Carot to follow her.
When they were sitting down in the small conference room, BG suggested, “Carot said that the other ship is from the Illiod Corporation. I suggest that we include them in any discussion.”
Captain Drummond looked at him with a little uncertainty, and he explained, “The Izod Government and multiple corporations seem to have a balanced relationship. They each have roles to play and likely should be part of any meaningful discussions.”
That information seemed to fit with what she had sensed from Telorr, so she added, “Yes, get the captain from that ship to attend. Carot, would you please talk to him?”
“Tell him that we want to include him in our negotiations,” BG added.
The call was made and surprisingly easily agreed too.
“Captain, can we speak for a minute while the other Captain is coming here? BG asked.
Captain Drummond nodded, and they walked into the command area and walked to a corner away from the conference room.
Captain Drummond and BG took the short time to update each other on what they knew. Negotiating was such a key part of how the Izod conducted business; it was a good idea for them to be coordinated.
Darlene was still reluctant to tell BG about the alien material that SIMPOC had implanted in her. She wasn’t sure how he would respond. That was a bridge that she wasn’t willing to cross yet.
“I should tell you that I’ve told them I was a commander and you were the Captain of this ship. I thought that I needed a rank in order to deal with them.”
“Gave yourself a promotion, did ya?” Darlene asked with a grin.
BG just shrugged as she asked, “Okay are we both on the same page,” she asked BG.
“I think so,” he responded.
Captain Drummond and BG walked back into the small conference room.
“Carot, Commander Boggs explained the relationship that the Izod Government has with the corporations,” Darlene said as she glanced at BG when she said the word commander.
“Yes, Captain. We have a balanced society. Our Government has a role to play, and so do the corporations. We work together to benefits our society.”
“That is an interesting relationship. In our society, the Government is responsible for the people, but our corporations fill roles within our society that are defined by the Government.”
Carot looked at her in an odd way, and Darlene sensed he was confused. He was confused to the point that he was at a loss for words. It took a few seconds for him to put a sentence together.
“Captain, you said that our society is strange to you, but the society that you just explained doesn’t make sense to us. How can your government know what’s right for all the people? It is our corporations’ responsibility to provide what the people need; after all, they are best to know what those needs are.”
“Captain, an additional shuttle is approaching the shuttle bay,” Beta-4 transmitted over the ship’s speaker system.
“Open the doors and let them enter,” responded Captain Drummond.
The discussion stopped as the entire group rose to greet the new arrival.
BG caught Beta-Prime’s attention and said, “Have the four Beta Units to go through the same scenario that they did for Telorr’s arrival. Also, include the music,” Captain Drummond looked at him with some confusion, and he responded with a ‘trust me’ look.
The Beta Units positioned themselves in the same way and greeted the arrival with the same pomp.
When the music began to blare, Darlene looked at BG and asked, “76 Trombones?”
“Don’t ask, I’ll explain later,” BG whispered in Darlene’s ear.
As the arriving Captain passed through the four honor guards, BG thought, Boy do I have to find some better music.
BG popped the pressure door, and the entire entourage passed through the door to meet the new arrival.
“My name is Captain Drummond, and this is Commander Boggs, she squeezed BG’s hand as she said, commander. “I welcome you onboard the Earth Defense Fleet, Burlington. You will notice that this ship will translate our words so we can understand each other.”
“Thank you, Captain Drummond, my name is Captain Loloy,” he said a little hesitantly as he adjusted to the echo and timing of the ship’s translations.
“Please come with us, we have much to talk about,” Captain Drummond said as she turned and led the way to the conference room.
Each of the Izod looked at each other, as it was very unusual to follow a female.
They filed into the conference room, and BG and Captain Drummond just sat down. They thought that was the best way to establish dominance. Why stand around looking at each other waiting for the other to sit?
After a moment of hesitation, Telorr, Carot, and Loloy seemed to maneuver each other around the table trying to find the best place as defined by their perspective.
After they were seated, Captain Drummond knew that she needed to take the lead. “Let’s be honest. Our first meetings together have not gone well,” Captain Drummond said as she opened the conference.
“Putting that all aside, we need to find common interests on which we can communicate.”
There still seemed to be a certain level of discomfort as she addressed her guests. She decided to address the ‘elephant in the room.’
“This may be difficult for you, but females are often in positions of authority in our world. I know that may be uncomfortable for you, but that is the reality you must deal with,” Captain Drummond let that statement hang for a second before she proceeded.
“In the early discussions that were had when your representative, Izary entered our solar system, it was stated that you wanted to mine one of our outer planets for rare elements. Let’s find a way to work towards that and let these misunderstandings become part of our past and not let them affect the future. Can we agree on that?”
With some reluctance, the three Izod agreed.
“I don’t know what we
can do about the mining request. I’ll have to talk to my leadership. We came here to bring Izary and the others back to this system. Beyond that, we can’t agree to anything else. But we should be able to agree to continue these discussions. I accept that Carot is speaking for the Izod Government, and you two are representing one of the largest corporations, so can I have that agreement?”
Again, there was a reluctant agreement among the Izod.
“I’ll start, by introducing myself. My full name is Darlene Drummond, and I am the captain of this ship. We are from a planet named Earth. One of our ships took a short trip to some of the other systems in our vicinity and passed through the Terest system. They saw conflict occurring, and they were attacked. A ship from the Terest system followed our ship back to our system, and we met their representatives. A short time later one of your ships entered our system, and as an act of good faith, we met them. We were both attacked by a Terest ship that had followed your ship.”
Darlene wanted to clear the air, so they’d understand Earth’s perspective before they were too much further.
“I was tasked to return your representatives to your system, and I was kidnapped.”
She hesitated for a minute hoping that the word kidnapped was translated properly to the Izod language. Judging by the offended looks on their faces, it was translated well enough.
“Captain, I feel the need to clarify our actions,” Telorr said.
“There was no hostile intent. We were merely negotiating from a position of strength. Which is a typical approach for Izod discussions.”
“In my culture, holding someone against their will is not negotiating in good faith. It will not happen again. Am I clear?”
The three Izod sat with a strange mix of looks on their faces. Telorr summed it up by saying, “We have a lot to learn about each other.”
“Indeed,” responded Captain Drummond.
Chinese Take Control.
The evening was falling, and Lee ordered the majority of her troops to eat and get some rest. She knew the next hours would be up to Chang to perform and her men needed to rest when they could get it. It was just starting to get dark inside Chang’s work area, and he was using flashlights and lanterns to light as he unloaded and hooked up his equipment.
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