Titan Stand

by Max Jager

  Without stopping for breakfast, he headed over to the foreign ministers office where Kaitlyn was waiting along with his long time friend Slavek. After a warm greeting, with his friend, Slavek warned,

  "Got to be careful Matt, my father hates tardiness." He was still ten minutes early so he wondered why Slavek was so concerned. While he waited, Matt fussed with his clothes. He hated alien clothes and clothing styles, he was always uncomfortable whenever he had to dress up and this was certainly no exception.

  Finally, the door opened, with the Ruddorian counsel Palko Jalkas beckoning everyone to enter. Slavek's father was the foreign minister to whom Matt had met a few times before. They did the palm greeting which reminded him of the Vulcan greeting on Star Trek then he indicated that everyone should sit.

  "Welcome Matt, it's been some time since we last visited, I trust that things are going well for you?"

  "Well they could be better," he replied, "But we're doing all right. We've got a big distillery project in the works." This seemed to interest the foreign minister who continued to ask more about it.

  "Brand Ti'Korvo and a consortium of tavern owners have discovered that their customers are very fond of liquor from earth and have sent two missions there to bring back as much of the stuff as they can carry. Well as you know my homeworld is incredibly far away, and these trips are extremely expensive. So they got the idea to build a distillery on Endor based on those found on earth, even to the point of bringing in technical people from various distilleries on earth to help them construct this distillery. Right now, they are trying to find a place to grow the corn, wheat, and barley needed to make the stuff, along with someone who can build the proper equipment needed, stills and the like."

  "About this grain?" asked Roikas, "Can it not be grown on your planet?"

  Matt frowned and shook his head.

  "Unfortunately not, our soil isn't very good for that, right now they are talking to Denedra about growing it."

  "I see," replied Roikas "Tell me Matt might we be considered for the raising of these crops?" Matt looked at him in surprise.

  "If those grains will grow here then yeah. We brought a couple tons of seed back with us on the last trip. Thing is, these are earth grains we have no idea if they will even grow in soils found out here, they sure won't grow on Endor. Since Denedra is mainly an agricultural planet, and reasonably close, Brand is trying there first, but if you guys want to give it a shot get hold of him plant some test crops and see how they do."

  "That is an excellent idea young fellow," exclaimed Roikas, In fact, I think I'll send you home on one of our ships along with our trade and agricultural ministers."

  "Well they will have to talk with Brand; I really don't have much to do with the project except offering a building site and hooking them up with the right people back on earth."

  "Well truth be told, there is some available land here on Ruddoria, along with one of our newly discovered planets that looks to be prime agricultural land. Very well, then I'll see that they speak with Mr. Ti'Korvo."

  Then he asked Matt,

  "I understand you were on your way out to the uncharted zone what were you planning on doing out there?" Matt shrugged,

  "No sense lying," he thought.

  "Well sir, I'd been pestering my girlfriend to take me along on one of her missions. Well it seems her partner didn't care much for me an made her an offer she couldn't refuse. In the end, I got tossed."

  "What exactly were they planning on doing out there?"

  "Looking for someone charged with murder and extortion or something like that I guess." The foreign minister smiled and nodded.

  "Your Malhazar friends are always charging off seeking perpetrators of wrongs real or imagined they believe were committed against them. However, it's probably just as well, you aren't accompanying them, we have agents who report to us from out that way. Apparently a low level war has broken out in a couple sectors out there,"

  "I believe on the planet Xonus as well as Glypso-Odd," added Jalkas." This woke Matt immediately,

  "I don't know about this Glypso place but Xonus was one of the planets my girlfriend thought this Rizor-Ard guy they were looking for might be on."

  "A very nasty and disagreeable fellow," replied Jalkas, "We know who he is. Well Mr. Grainger, I certainly hope for your sake your friend knows what she's doing, if not, that part of space will simply suck her up never to be seen or heard of again."

  This was very disconcerting news to him, Holliqua was flying into a war zone.

  Gradually the meeting tapered off then ended. Although he tried hard not to show it, Matt was terribly worried over Holliqua's fate but he had an idea.

  When he told Jezang the news, she was equally concerned but counseled caution.

  It was then he told her of his plan.

  "I'd like to send you and Amber, out there to snoop around, if they have run into trouble I'm hoping you could rescue them."

  Jezang thought about it for a moment then replied,

  "I will have to think about this, make some inquiries Matt, if things are as bad as the foreign minister says they are we could very easily be walking into a trap. I like Holliqua very much, but I'm not going on a suicide mission."

  "Nor would I expect you to," he replied. "Please, find out what you can and if it looks bad just forget it, I know it's my girlfriend we're talking about, a sentient being, and I know it sounds cold but I simply couldn't afford to loose you or Amber."

  Jezang studied him for a moment then replied,

  "I do not believe I have ever heard a sentient being such as yourself ever express those feelings before, I am simply astounded."

  "I'm really up against it here Jezang," he replied, "I love her very much, it took me a long time to realize it but I owe you and Amber so much more. Hell, I don't know, maybe I've been spending too much time around droids and am starting to think like you. Both you and Amber, Gandric too, are very valuable assets I extremely fortunate to have you, I could never have gotten this far without you. You guys may only be androids but to me you are way more than that. Look, just check around do what you have to do okay?"

  Nothing more was said as they flew home on a diplomatic shuttle. Brand was definitely interested in what the ag minister had to say sending along one large bag each of corn, wheat, and barely, along with Justin Saylor and Meghan Cook to make sure the seed was planted properly and to test the soil. Before she left, Matt told her,

  "Well Meghan, this is where it begins, you're off on an adventure. You and Justin will like Ruddoria. Don't forget, if you get lonely for human company, Kaitlyn, Dave and Patricia are already there."

  "Well I certainly hate leaving here for so long," she replied,

  "I know, but you two know about growing corn and wheat know the proper soil, and can make sure the seed actually grows and doesn't mutate or something," he replied.

  "Don't worry Matt, I've already spoken to Justin who knows his corn, wheat and barley as well or better than I do, we'll be fine."

  Later, in talking to Brand he was told,

  "As if we didn't have enough problems we're having a bit of a problem locating someone to build the specialized still and distilling equipment I'm told we need. I've already spoken with Gandric but they're so tied up building other things on Xandrus he doubts they can do the work, my partners will scream if we have to return to earth."

  "Well," replied Matt, "If you end up having to do that you'll have to get yourself one hellava transport, I've seen pictures of distilleries, and most of the equipment is big and bulky." Brand frowned and shook his head,

  "I know, I'm really starting to worry. Matt patted him on the shoulder,

  "Have faith Brand, things will work out. One more thing, have you ever been out in the uncharted zone?" Brand gave him a puzzled look,

  "Many times, why?" Matt then told his story, and the more he told the grimmer Brand became.

  "If it was anyone else I'd say their chances of coming home were zero to non
e, very bad business out there, I was nearly killed out there several times. You tell me there's some sort of war taking place on Xonus and Glypso-Odd? I've heard nothing, but it's quite possible someone has unified the desert people and if so, whoever is their declared enemy will wish they had never started trouble."

  "Well could you do me a favor and keep your ears open or ask some of your friends what's going on out there," replied Matt, "I'm really worried for Holliqua."

  "As well you should be," replied Brand, "However promise me one thing,"

  "What's that?"

  "That you will never go out there thinking you are going to save Holliqua, there is so much you don't know. Please my friend, do not be tempted to go there, you will never come back."

  Two weeks went by without any word from Holliqua. He was tempted to contact her family but he wasn't sure how much they would know and might get pissed if they knew that he knew, Malhazars were funny like that. Shortly thereafter Jezang approached him.

  "I have made inquiries and the situation in the uncharted zone is much worse than originally thought. However, I have talked it over with Amber and Rekton. We will go there and attempt to find your friend. However I warn you Matt, if we find her but the situation untenable we won't make matters worse by trying to rescue her, and while Rekton's ship is heavily armed we will not tempt fate is that clear?"

  "Very clear," he replied, "Thank you Jezang, I will owe all of you big time."

  "Phaa," she replied, "You will owe us nothing, we do this out of friendship. Right now we are waiting on an informant, once we have the proper information we will leave."

  "One thing Jezang," he added, "If you want to take any of my weapons, you know they won't be able to detect them just ask." She shook her head,

  "Thank you, but an operation such as this is best done quietly without anyone's knowledge, as you know Amber and I were built for this very purpose."

  "Boy, talk about an understatement," he thought, "Two terminators on a silent killing spree," it boggled the mind. Their conversation ended with,

  "Thank you Jezang, thank you for Holliqua."

  Two days later they were gone, now the waiting game began. Liam and Ilmi did their best to reassure him. Someone got word to Roy VonDran who invited him down to Dinocki for a hunt.

  So, with Holliqua's fate weighing heavily on his mind Matt Flew down there hoping a change of scene would take his mind off his troubles. That evening he spent with Roy, Hinald, Captain Black, Ellen and Jenna who had become fast friends. He learned that Dinocki was thriving, many females were with child and people were happy.

  "We are doing what we like to do," said Hinald. "There is much game and we never tire of exploring. Which reminds me, my friends have reported finding several wrecked spacecraft one which the crew must have survived but later died, they found their camp nearby."

  "Any idea where these places are? Asked Matt. Hinald shook his head,

  "All I know is what I was told you'd have to talk to the individual hunter."

  "Well maybe they could point Zyndon and his people in the right direction and they could check these places out?"

  "Yes, we could do that," came the reply.

  "So, he asked to no one in particular, "What's up with Mullein?" He was speaking of Mullein Shade the witch sent to Dinocki by queen Breca.

  "Speaking for myself," replied Dr. Black, "I find her simply amazing, and while I doubt we'll ever become close friends, we seem to have developed a mutual understanding,"

  "I think she's pretty cool," added Jenna, "She lets Ellen and I go with her sometimes on her collection trips."

  "That's right," said Dr. Black. "The girls go out with her collecting all sorts of plants and leaves. Until I saw it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it, there's a virtual drug store out there. I'm currently working on a research paper dealing with the plants out there and their various healing properties. I probably shouldn't say anything, it's really too early to be sure, but there is a plant growing along the streams out there Mullein calls "Keepsa." It's like a miniature orange colored bush she says will only grow next to very cold running water, hence the mountain streams. We had a time with the translations but I've gotten much better with my Elvin but Mullein claims the finely ground leaves from this bush will slow, and in some cases cause remission in cancer. However before you get too excited, she tells me that the leaves cannot be more than an hour old or whatever the active ingredients are in the leaf die and the leaf is useless. Add to that the bush is only found along fast running mountain streams. Needless to say, I'm very excited about this however I have much research to do here and I simply don't have the proper equipment to perform the tests required."

  "Well the way things are shaping up over this distillery thing," he replied, "Another trip back to earth may be in the works although it might be Liam going this time. Draw up a list of equipment you think you will need and I'll see that Janson gets it." The doctor shook her head,

  "I'm afraid it isn't as easy as that Matt, the kind of equipment I would need would require some very expensive and complicated computers along with specialized testing equipment. I don't know if you realize this or not but this planet has flora and fauna that is tossing everything we ever learned in biology right out the window."

  "She's right," added Jenna, "We naturally assumed everything would be more or less like on earth. I think we all feel a little like Darwin finding plant and insect life for the first time, much of it kike nothing we've ever seen before."

  "Ah but don't think that's going to stop us," added Dr. Black, "We are up to the challenge."

  "One thing," replied Matt, I'm not without friends and connections, let me make some inquiries, you've only seen their computers, the Selantrian's, and the Lyskandan's have stuff you can't even imagine. Normally we only see their low and mid level stuff but I've seen things…well let's just say I feel like someone from the sixteenth century looking at a computer or one of those DaVinci robotic surgery machines. Ilmi's parents are scientists I'll ask her to talk with them; maybe they will come up with a solution."

  As they were enjoying the evening in the tavern, Matt caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Coming in the door were the two renegade Neistrians Bris and Ceari Rerjem. They didn't acknowledge him or his friends but proceeded to a far table where they sat down next to Dully Amro the blacksmith. He watched as the waitress brought them two mugs of ale.

  "What about them?" He asked Roy. VonDran shrugged,

  "They come in here two, three times a week, we don't bother them, they don't bother us. Dully and Nisiek seem to be the only ones they talk to."

  "I'm sure they won't say anything to me," added Hinald "Is because I'm such a good friend of Roy here."

  "Well that makes sense," replied Matt, "They seem to hate humans." Just as he said it, both Neistrians got up and walked over to the table Matt and his friends were sitting at with Bris addressing him.

  "It is our understanding that our former home has been turned into a massive tavern is that true?" Matt stared up at him,

  "So, what of it, it's proving to be quite a successful operation. You people clearly abandoned it."

  "I suppose the buildings were completely gutted and everything disposed of?"

  I have no Idea," replied Matt. Then knowing he would get a rise out of them added,

  "Go ask Clath, he was in charge of demolition and re-modeling."

  Bris sputtered something Matt's translator couldn't pick up.

  "That "Pijok" exclaimed Bris, "He isn't fit to lick my boots."

  "Better not let him hear you say that," snickered Matt, "He just might show up here and beat your ass." Bris laughed,

  "Clath is a coward human, we do not fear him." This was getting old very quickly as Matt stood up to look Bris square in the eyes stating,

  "Look Bris, I'm tired of this, we are not your enemies, Clath isn't who you make him out to be. He happens to be my friend; you could be too if you would just give up this unwarranted hat
red of us. Like it or not this isn't Z'ha'dum anymore your people are gone never to return, you are now an Endorian deal with it."

  Chapter 171

  Titan Stand, Chapter 171

  Bris and his wife continued to stare at Matt who wasn't having all this attention.

  "Look you two," he exclaimed, "I know you've got a chip on your shoulder about something but whatever it is get over it. For one reason or another, you didn't go with your people. That's not my fault, and it's not Clath's fault. I'm extending the hand of friendship but for some stupid reason you refuse to accept it. Clath hasn't told me much about your race and I don't pry, but I'd certainly like to know more.