by G. P. Hudson
“Good. Let’s assess damages and then get underway.”
“As you wish, Admiral,” said Tallos, and his face disappeared from Jon’s display.
Jon considered what had just transpired. Tallos seemed trigger happy with those nukes of his. He had used them in the Juttari system, resulting in the return of the Erinyie’s return. He decided he would need to keep a close eye on Tallos.
It wasn’t that he thought Tallos would betray him. The Great See’er had assured Jon of Tallos’s loyalty. Jon was more concerned about this apparent ruthless streak. Given his past, Jon was no stranger to ruthlessness. While sometimes effective, it needed to be controlled. Was Tallos susceptible to losing control? He didn’t know, but he would need to pay closer attention, just in case.
Chapter 12
It had been six days, and over a thousand light years. They had passed through countless systems, each with a plethora of planets, but had not encountered life. There was much that warranted study, but that would be left to future science expeditions.
They had come across habitable planets, and noted their potential for colonization, making sure to take the time for detailed scans of these particular systems. Now that the UHSF was no longer beholden to the jump gate network, there was no reason why their people couldn’t expand further out into the unexplored regions of the galaxy.
In fact, they took the time to conduct scans after every jump. There was no point in wasting the opportunity, and the scientists back home would be glad to sink their teeth into the data.
“Scans are complete, Admiral,” said AI.
“Thank you, AI,” said Jon. “Commander, let the battle group know that we will be initiating our final jump before recharge.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson. “Relaying information to all ships.”
Their next jump would be their fourth and final fifty light year jump of this cycle. It would deplete their jump systems, and a twenty-four-hour recharge would be required. This was the sixth time they had to recharge the jump system, totaling one-thousand-two-hundred light years traveled.
“All ships are reporting jump ready, Sir,” said Henderson.
“What is our jump status?” said Jon.
“We are jump ready as well.”
“Are all ships’ jump systems still synced with our own?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Very well. Initiate jump.”
“Jump complete.”
“Contacts!” announced Ensign Petrovic, the tactical officer. “Reading multiple ship signatures of unknown origin.”
“On screen,” said Jon, wondering where this last jump had taken them.
On the viewscreen an arid planet appeared. The multiple ships in orbit around it did not appear to be warships. They appeared to be various types commercial vessels going about their business.
“Sir, the planet is hailing us,” said Henderson.
“Patch through to my command console.”
A display lit up with the visage of an imposing, almost humanoid creature. But the deep blue skin, jet black eyes, and lack of hair, seemed quite alien. It wore some sort of uniform, indicating that it was a planetary official, or a military officer
The alien barked something unintelligible at Jon, then waited for a response.
“AI, what is it saying?” said Jon.
“Unknown, Admiral. None of it relates to any language in my knowledge base. It will need to continue speaking before I can begin to decipher its language,” said AI.
“Greetings. We are strangers here, and are unfamiliar with your language. Can you understand me?”
The alien seemed slightly confused, before barking something else at Jon. Its tone was bordering on hostile.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” said Jon. He made sure to exaggerate his hand gestures in a feeble attempt to communicate his lack of understanding and peaceful intentions.
The alien seemed to grow more agitated. It pointed a long blue finger at Jon, and announced its disapproval. When again Jon attempted to respond, it began shouting, its voice growing even louder as the beratement continued.
“AI? I could use some help here,” said Jon.
“I have developed a basic algorithm for interpreting their language. It will become more refined as it encounters more language samples.”
“Good enough. Plug it into the translator.” Every so often Jon found himself thankful for the simple technologies that usually went unnoticed. The average comm device doubled as a translator. It would translate all known language into the wearer’s language of choice. And if the other half of the conversation required these capabilities, it could adapt the wearers speech to facilitate communication. It worked seamlessly and in real time. And he sure as hell needed it now.
As AI’s algorithm came online, Jon began to comprehend what the angry official was saying.
“All ships entering Dvorkan space must pay the required fees. This is your last chance. Will you pay the fees, or suffer the consequences?”
“Yes. Yes. We will pay. I apologize for the misunderstanding. We are not from this region, and had trouble with our translators,” said Jon.
The official seemed to calm, if only slightly. “I do not recognize your species. Where are you from?”
“We are from a distant star system known as Sol.”
“I have never heard of such a system.” It furrowed its hairless brow. “Trying to deceive a Dvorkan official is not wise.”
“This is no deception. You do not know of us because we have never visited this region of space before.”
The Dvorkan grunted. “This your first visit to our system?”
“Yes.”
The official folded its large blue arms in front of its chest, studying Jon for a moment. Finally, it shrugged. “Your ships are clearly armed. There is an extra charge for bringing warships into Dvorkan space. Under no circumstance are you permitted to fire your weapons while in this system. I do not care if you are the aggressor or the defender. If you need to settle an argument, you will do so outside this system. Is that understood?”
“Yes. Of course. Rest assured our intentions are peaceful.” Jon wondered if he sounded convincing enough.
The official snorted. “Use of cloaking technology is also not permitted in system. Since you did not disengage your cloaking device on approach, a penalty will be levied and added to your fees.”
“Cloaking technology? I don’t understand.”
“Do you mock me?” said the official, growing angry once again.
“No, of course not.”
“You appeared inside our system without warning. The only way to do so is by cloaking your ships. Should I treat this act as a sign of aggression?”
“No, we mean you no harm. My translation device made a mistake and I misunderstood. That’s all. We will refrain from any use of cloaking technology while in system.”
The official scowled, but seemed to accept Jon’s explanation. “The fee is forty thousand credits. How will you pay?”
“I’m not sure. As I said, we are not from here. What are the options for payment?”
“Empire credits through secure transfer is the accepted form of payment.” The official narrowed his eyes, leaning forward before continuing. “We will also accept hard goods as alternative payment. Which do you prefer?”
“I’m more comfortable with the hard goods option. What type of hard goods do you accept?”
“I will transmit a list of approved assets, along with our current Empire credit exchange rate for these assets. You will need to transport the goods to the surface yourself. You will be sent coordinates for delivery. Failure to do so immediately will result in additional fines. Is that understood?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Note that any trade conducted on the surface, or in this system, is subject to Dvorkan taxes. I strongly advise that you do not conspire to evade any of these taxes, as punishment is harsh and swift. It is also illegal to carry any sort of firea
rm in our cities.”
“I understand.”
The official leaned back in his chair. A satisfied expression spread across his face. “Excellent. I hope your stay is a profitable one.” And with that, the official vanished from Jon’s screen.
“Sir, we are receiving a transmission from the surface,” said Henderson.
“It’s their hard goods list. Send it to my console.” The file appeared on Jon’s display. As he looked over it, his amazement grew. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Chapter 13
“The Dvorkan hard goods list is based around precious metals, weapons, and ammunition,” Jon said as he sat in the Freedom’s conference room, in front of a wall screen displaying each of the battle group’s commanders. “Unless I am mistaken, none of our ships are carrying any precious metals, so we have only weapons and ammunition to trade.”
“Why bother trading with these fools?” said Jonas, his long gray unruly hair obscuring part of his scowling face.
“If I may, Admiral?” said Tallos.
Jon nodded.
“We do not know anything of these beings, or this region of space. This is the first step in potential diplomatic relations between this race, the UHSF, and Diakus. Paying their fees shows good will on our part. And is a good position from which to begin dialog. If we begin with aggression and deceit, however, it will forever mark us as hostile and untrustworthy.”
“I agree with General Tallos,” said Bast. “Our fabricators can easily create the weaponry and ammunition required. We lose nothing by paying the fees, and may potentially gain a new friend.”
“Agreed,” said Jon. “I would like to try and arrange a meeting with their leader. The more friends we can cultivate out here the better. Even without a meeting, I want to go down to the surface and look around. More knowledge is always beneficial, and I could stretch my land legs a little.”
“Admiral, I do not think that is wise,” said Bast. “You may put yourself at risk on the surface. My men can easily take the payment down. They are prepared for anything that may come up.”
“I agree with Colonel Bast,” said Tallos. “Although I should be the one taking the shipment to the surface. My men can deal with any hostilities, and I am more than qualified to deal with the diplomatic aspects of the mission.”
“How about you, Jonas?” said Jon. “Don’t you want to throw your hat into the ring?”
“I have no interest in engaging in diplomacy, or in paying these aliens. Let the Chaanisar and Diakans go down to the surface,” said Jonas.
Jon smiled. “I understand each of your positions, but I have made up my mind. I will go down to the surface in person. I will take a combined Chaanisar and Diakan force with me.”
“What about the Reivers?” Jonas said angrily.
“I thought you weren’t interested?”
“I was happy to let the Chaanisar and Diakans deal with payment. But if you are going down yourself, I have to send some of my people with you. If anything happened on the surface and there were no Reivers to protect you, I could never face my daughter again.”
“Then it’s settled. We go down with a combined force of Diakans, Chaanisar, and Reivers. I’ll see about arranging a meeting with their leader.”
Chapter 14
As they flew down to the planet surface, Jon was struck with how desolate the place was, all sand and rock, with no signs of water. Nothing else, as far as the eye could see. Why would anyone live here?
Approaching the main city, great domes came into view, sitting on the ground like floating bubbles. From this altitude, Jon could see that the domes were linked together to create a massive complex that could easily house millions. It was truly a staggering sight.
The immensity of the domes became even more apparent as the shuttles began their descent. They rivaled even the tallest skyscrapers Jon had ever seen. The entire structure a marvel of engineering.
As their shuttles drew nearer, they were instructed to approach one of the smaller domes in the complex. When they did, the exterior lit up, directing the shuttles towards a specific point on the side of the dome. The shuttles flew in as close as possible before hovering in front of the designated location. They waited for further instruction.
“Why are you stopping?” came the voice of the air traffic controller.
“To avoid collision with your structure?” said the pilot.
“Did someone club you over the head?”
“What? No, my head is fine.”
“Then how did you become so stupid?”
The pilot glancing over at Jon, was clearly becoming agitated. Jon gestured with his hands for the man to stay calm.
The pilot took a breath. “Is the structure permeable?”
Laughter came back from the comm. “Of course it is permeable, you fool. Do you think we would open our domes to the poisons of the atmosphere?”
“Understood, requesting permission to enter dome.”
“You already have permission. You are an odd race. It’s a wonder how you ever made it to the stars.”
The pilot simply frowned in response. He began to navigate the shuttle through the dome as indicated. The second shuttle followed close behind.
They entered what seemed to be an immense spaceport. It was a bustle of activity, with ships of varying size coming and going, and more of the blue aliens milling in and around them. The shuttles were guided to their designated landing pad, and came to a stop. The hatch opened, and Jon exited with his contingent.
They were immediately approached by a blue alien wearing the same uniform as the one they’d encountered on the ship’s viewscreen. Following close behind, carrying side arms, were several more of the blue creatures. These donned different uniforms, and eyed Jon’s group warily.
“I am here to verify payment. You must remain here until verification is complete.”
Jon was struck by how large these Dvorkans were in person. Jon was not a small man, but these creatures towered over him. Each one easily surpassing seven, if not eight feet. They were giants.
“Payment is in that shuttle.” Jon pointed to the second craft. “We will submit ammunition as payment. Go ahead and have a look.”
The official scrutinized Jon with a look of disdain, then walked into the shuttle without another word. Jon wondered if it was its physical size, or its office that caused the air of superiority. Probably a mix of both.
He sized up the group with the sidearms accompanying the official. Their uniforms were completely black, and in a clear military style. They must be some sort of police force, authorized to carry firearms, which were otherwise illegal it seemed.
Sending a surface team without even a sidearm was a risk, but in the interest of diplomacy they had no real choice but to comply. But the official had not prohibited other types of weaponry. So he and his men had loaded up on as many blades as they could carry.
Jon considered his team’s chances against these giants, if they had to fight. The Dvorkans could be taken by surprise at first, not anticipating the augmented strength, and speed, that Jon and the Chaanisar possessed. Without firearms, though, how far would they get on ability alone? He decided he didn’t want to find out. This would be a peaceful first encounter. No drama. No firefights.
“Payment is in order,” said the official. “You are now permitted to enter the city. These men will take you to your meeting with the Dvorkan Consul.”
“Thank you,” said Jon.
The official sneered and waved his long arm to the armed Dvorkans. The armed men turned and walked away with an effortless speed, their long limbs taking great strides. By Jon’s estimation, he needed to take two steps to match each one taken by the Dvorkans, leaving him and his group trotting just to keep up.
Jon was a little surprised at the ease with which he had arranged a meeting with the Dvorkan leader. Word had travelled fast and inquiries into his ships had already been made. It seemed new races weren’t common in the Dvorkan system. He wondered ho
w often they encountered alien battleships, though his concern appeared not to be shared by the Dvorkans he’d met so far. They seemed solely concerned with getting paid.
Outside the space port, they piled into a waiting craft. Its spacious interior easily carried both the Drvokans and Jon’s team. The craft quietly powered up and lifted off the ground. They crossed into what seemed to be the main dome, and sailed over a dynamic, sprawling city.
This planet had clearly been colonized at some point, but where had these blue aliens come from, and how did they get here? Early scans had indicated that there were no other habitable planets in this system. So they had to have come from somewhere else. They seemed unrattled by the strange appearances of the Humans and Diakans in their team. They had no qualms about interacting with foreign species which Jon found even more puzzling.
Their craft came to rest on a landing pad behind an ornate building. When they’d all stepped on the tarmac, the armed Dvorkans headed toward the structure without a word. Shrugging, Jon followed, with his escort in tow. Inside the building everything was larger than life, ornate and expensive. Whoever this Consul was, he, or she, liked to live in style.
They passed a group of Dvorkans, this time not in uniform. They stared at his group with a mix of curiosity and confusion. Jon found them just as interesting, despite their differences. Their anatomy appeared very much like humans.
“Wait here,” said one of the armed Dvorkans, gesturing to some large chairs and couches.
“Thanks,” said Jon, choosing to remain standing. He did not relish the idea of sitting like a child, feet dangling in the air. He imagined this was also the reason his team chose to remain on their feet.
They didn’t need to wait long. A door slid open and a Dvorkan woman stepped out. “Who is your leader?” she said.
“That would be me,” said Jon, stepping forward.
“Your name?”
“Admiral Jon Pike.”
She tilted her head to the side, as if she found his name odd. Eyes like black opal looked down at him in scrutiny. “You will follow me. The rest must stay here.”