by Dietmar Wehr
After a lot of wrangling by the Committee, the decision was made to finish the second craft, which was to be named Far Trader, and only then switch manufacturing to the needs of the re-activation project. Val Ky Ree chaffed at the delay and almost decided to head out on another survey mission to other Aesirian colony planets, but Ronson was able to convince her to stay in orbit around Vesta.
When Far Trader was finished, Ronson took it for a test flight and declared it ready for trading missions. By the time he returned to Vesta, the concern over Spearthrower’s return being overdue had grown into a full-fledged panic.
“She’s now 80 hours overdue,” said Andreason, “and that’s taking into account the leeway already built into her schedule. We were really expecting her back five days ago! Something’s happened to her, and the only thing I can think of is that somebody’s captured her. If that’s the case, then they know everything we know, including the location of Vesta, the Command Base, Aesir, Gunnir and a lot of Aesirian technology that we desperately need to keep a monopoly in, in order to even the playing field!”
Ronson kept his face from showing his disdain for the Committee Chair. Tensions were high enough without making things worse with interpersonal issues.
“Andreason is right, Troy,” said Val Ky Ree’s voice from the tiny transceiver in his right ear. “If Spearthrower has fallen into alien hands, then we must do whatever is necessary to recover her or, as a last resort, destroy her. Everything else, including re-activating the Command Base, will have to wait.”
“As it happens, Val Ky Ree agrees with you, although for different reasons,” said Ronson. “The Compact hasn’t seen Val Ky Ree yet. All they’ve seen so far is Spearthrower. I suggest that I take Far Trader on board Val Ky Ree’s ship, and the two of us will go to Citanor station. Val Ky Ree’s more powerful sensors should be able to find Spearthrower if she’s still in that system, and when we find Spearthrower, we’ll try to recover her and her crew.”
Andreason hesitated before responding. “All right, but Far Trader stays here. We’ve already lost one of those ships, and I don’t want to risk losing another one.”
“Ah, I’d like to remind the Committee about the arrangement regarding Spearthrower. She’s just on loan to us humans until we can build at least one of our own craft. Far Trader is definitely ours, but technically speaking, we haven’t lost anything that belongs to us except for Spearthrower’s crew, which I haven’t forgotten about. If Spearthrower can’t be recovered and has to be considered lost while on loan to us humans, then Val Ky Ree could legitimately claim that we owe her a replacement craft or at least the materials necessary for her to build a new one. As far as not risking Far Trader, what did we build her for if we’re not going to use her?
Andreason looked like he wanted to put his foot down, but he checked with the other members of the Committee in hushed whispers and then turned back to face Ronson. “A majority of the Committee agrees with you about taking Far Trader, but we’re not going to risk any more pilots aside from you, Mr. Ronson. And if you can’t recover Spearthrower and somehow manage to lose Far Trader in the process, then we believe that will balance the scales as far as owing Val Ky Ree for the loss of Spearthrower. Will Val Ky Ree agree to that?”
“Does ‘balance the scales’ mean that my debt to humans for losing Far Trader will offset their debt to me for losing Spearthrower, Troy?” asked Val Ky Ree.
“That’s what the Committee Chair is claiming, Val Ky Ree,” said Troy in a lower voice.
“It’s unfortunate that your Emergency Committee feels it necessary to negotiate with me when I consider myself to be a loyal ally of your people, Troy.”
Ronson sighed. Sometimes it seemed that Andreason and the Committee were deliberately trying to poison the relationship with Val Ky Ree. “I think that they’ll eventually see you for the loyal ally that you are, Val Ky Ree,” he said as he looked at the various members of the Committee in turn.
“Then you may tell them that I agree to the Chair’s claim of offsetting debts,” said Vallyree.
“Val Ky Ree agrees that if both craft are lost, the scales will be balanced,” said Ronson.
Andreason’s smile showed how much he was enjoying his tiny victory. “Fine. In that case, I suggest you and Val Ky Ree depart as soon as possible.”
Ronson didn’t bother to reply as he turned and left the room.
Ronson was on the Bridge when the ship dropped out of hyperspace at the edge of the Citanor Station star system.
“My long range sensors are not detecting Spearthrower, Troy. There could be several reasons for that. The most obvious is that Spearthrower is no longer in this star system, but another possibility is that it’s inside the station. The station hull, in combination with the distance between it and me at the moment, might be enough to block my sensors. The third possibility is that Spearthrower has been disassembled. Given the level of technology that the Trior seem to have, I doubt that they would be able to take that ship apart this quickly. How do you suggest we proceed, Troy?”
“Well…I want to keep your existence a secret from the Compact as long as possible because you’re our Ace-in-the-hole.”
Before he could go on, Val Ky Ree interjected. “What’s an ‘Ace-in-the-hole’?”
Ronson laughed. “It’s a poker term that refers to holding back a winning card when…” He chuckled again. “I’ve got to find a way to play poker with you so that I can teach you this stuff! What I meant by that phrase is that by keeping them ignorant of your existence, we keep the element of surprise as a major advantage.”
“The element of surprise is only an advantage if confrontation is inevitable. Wouldn’t it be better to discourage a potential adversary from initiating a confrontation to begin with? If the Compact Races know of my existence and capabilities, they will be much less likely to attempt to take advantage of humans, don’t you think, Troy?”
“Ah, yeah, when you put it that way, I guess I would have to agree.” He paused. “Well then, in that case, I think you should make a VERY close pass by the station so that there’s no way they’ll miss seeing you with their own eyes. Then we’ll give them an ultimatum about the return of Spearthrower, plus Corwell and Franklin.”
“How close would you like me to get to the station?”
“How close can you get and still be sure of not hitting it?”
“Is ten meters close enough, Troy?”
“Wow. I had no idea you could control this ship that precisely. Ten meters will make those station control people shit themselves when they see you. One thing though. It’s well known that Compact stations are armed. If they panic and fire on you, how well will your armor stand up to that?”
“My armor is a lot thicker than Spearthrower’s. Also, this approach angle means that any laser beam coming at me from the station will hit the armor at a very shallow angle, making it even less likely to penetrate deeply. And finally, I’m still emitting energy transmissions designed to confuse their radar. By the time I’m close enough for them to see me with their own biological eyes, I will also be close enough for them to see my weapon turrets and to realize that they’re not dealing with a small craft this time. By the way, my turrets are sufficiently armored that if they try to fire their laser weapons at them, the armor will last long enough for me to take counter-measures.”
“Well, you’ve convinced me that my fears are unfounded, but what about other space traffic? We don’t want another ship colliding with us.”
“I can still track every other ship even when I’m spoofing their radar. Is that the right word to use, Troy, spoofing?”
Ronson nodded. “I think spoofing can be used that way.”
“I’m glad. I like the sound of that word. If I see another ship on a potentially dangerous vector, I’ll have time to adjust my approach accordingly.”
“Okay then, let’s proceed,” said Ronson.
The trip across the star system took almost 377 minutes. By the time the ship was only a
few minutes away from Citanor Station, Ronson was back on the Bridge after a refreshing nap, shower and hot meal.
“Any sign of Spearthrower yet?” asked Troy.
“My long range scanners are detecting what could be Spearthrower; however, I can’t say for certain that the craft is here. The results I’m getting could be generated by something else. If the docking bay hulls on this station are thicker than on the Koron station, that might explain the anomalous data. What I can tell you for certain is that if Spearthrower is in this station, its systems are powered down. My remote telemetry system is not getting any positive feedback, which it would if Spearthrower was powered up.”
“How much longer before your spoofing is no longer effective?”
“It’s difficult to be precise; however, I estimate that they’ll have a clear radar fix on us no later than three minutes from now and possibly less than that.”
“Have you decided what to say to them when they do detect you?” asked Ronson.
“Yes, Troy. My response will be as we discussed, and I won’t mention you unless there’s no other way to recover the craft and Corwell and Franklin.”
“Very good, Val Ky Ree. The stage is set and the curtain is about to go up. May I see a tactical representation of the area?”
“Of course, Troy.”
Ronson saw a 3-D holographic image appear before him with the station in the center, various blue icons representing ships heading away from or towards the station and a single red icon representing Val Ky Ree’s ship. Each icon had a tail the length of which represented the ship’s velocity.
“Radar emissions have just spiked in intensity. I believe they’ve seen us, Troy. They’re now attempting contact via a low-powered laser. I’m not responding as per our plan.”
Ronson nodded but said nothing. This was Val Ky Ree’s ship, and she would handle the encounter. If she wanted his advice, she would ask for it. It didn’t take long for the tactical display to show a reaction. Ships that had been approaching the station were suddenly veering off very quickly. It was a perfectly natural reaction on the station’s part to warn incoming ships that an unknown vessel of considerable size was VERY close to the station and was not responding to hails. Ronson could tell from the display that Val Ky Ree’s ship was decelerating quickly.
“They’re warning that unless I respond to their hails, they’ll fire on me.”
“How predicable. Please let me hear what you say to them.”
“I’ll give you the translated version of course,” said Val Ky Ree.
“This is the Aesirian warship, Val Ky Ree. If you fire on this ship, that will be considered a hostile act by the Trior against the Aesirian Empire, and this ship will retaliate accordingly. We are here on a rescue mission. No further communication will be tolerated until this ship finishes its approach. There will not be a collision.”
“Very good, Val Ky Ree,” said Ronson. “How much time until the closest approach?”
“Less than 30 seconds, Troy. They’ve stopped their lasercom and EM transmissions. Radar is still scanning us. Here is the external view from my rear position.”
One of the larger wall displays lit up with a view of the top of the station and the antennae array projecting out from it. From the view, it did look as though the ship would hit the array and possibly the top of the station, and Ronson was certain that it looked that way to the station crew sitting in their control complex at the top of the station. They didn’t even need to use video cameras. All they had to do was look out the windows. While the station probably massed more than Val Ky Ree’s ship, the ship was much longer and wider and therefore appeared to be much bigger.
“Closest approach in five…four…three…two…one…now,” said Val Ky Ree.
Ronson gasped as the tip of the longest antennae passed by the camera so close that he felt he could almost reach out and touch it.
“They’ve just powered up Spearthrower, Troy! It’s responding to my telemetry signals. I’ve locked out the flight deck controls, and I now have sole control of that craft. Internal cameras show two non-humans, which I assume to be Trior, but no sign of Corwell or Franklin.”
Ronson sighed. “Disappointing, but not unexpected. Whenever you’re ready, Val Ky Ree.”
“Val Ky Ree to Citanor Station. You are in possession of a small craft that does not belong to you. It was under the temporary control of two humans. You will immediately return those humans to the craft and open the docking bay doors so that the craft can leave the station. Refusal of this demand is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. The humans are our allies and are under the protection of the Aesirian Empire. Hostile acts against them will be considered as hostile acts against us. Unlike the humans, who seek to join your Compact, we do not and therefore do not consider ourselves bound by Compact rules and prohibitions against attacking stations. We require your immediate response.”
Ronson found that he was holding his breath while waiting for a reply. After 22 seconds of silence, Val Ky Ree translated their response.
“Citanor Station to Aesirian Empire ship. The humans are being taken back to their ship as requested. On behalf of all Compact races, we Trior welcome contact with the Aesirian Empire and wish to be friends. The holding of this ship was due to a misunderstanding. It will not happen again. May we communicate with your Commander visually?”
“Val Ky Ree to Citanor Station. No visual communication will be allowed at this time. Friendship is a state that must be earned and will depend on how the Compact as a whole treats our human allies. Individual Compact races will not be given any special consideration from the Empire. You will all prosper together or suffer our wrath together.”
“Oh, that was a nice touch,” said Ronson in a low voice.
“Spearthrower’s external cameras are picking up Corwell and Franklin, Troy.” Another display lit up with a grainy image of two humans who were wearing environmental suits and who were being helped towards the hatch that Val Ky Ree had ordered Spearthrower to open. The two Trior had already left the ship.
“Jeez, they look like they’re in bad shape,” said Ronson. “They can’t walk under their own power.”
Val Ky Ree noticed the growing anger in Troy’s voice. She also was offended by the implications of the two human’s physical condition, but her training helped her remain calm. The Warrior who takes offense is just as guilty as the Warrior who gives offense. She believed in the Code whole-heartedly, but sometimes it was hard to obey!
Ronson watched with clenched fists as the two humans were almost literally thrown through the open hatch into Spearthrower. The hatched closed behind them.
“I’m pressurizing the interior, Troy. I think I can establish a com link. Try talking to them.”
“Troy to Corwell and Franklin. Can you hear me?” Ronson was aware that his voice was hoarse from the stress of the situation. He had to repeat the call before they heard Corwell’s faint response.
“We hear you! Not feeling so good. We haven’t eaten in days and the torture didn’t help either. I don’t suppose you could have gotten here any sooner, eh? They asked us all kinds of questions, but we told’em nothin! I don’t think we could have held out another day. I know we have or at least had food on this ship, but I don’t know if Chris or I have the strength to prepare it. Oh frack, I feel awful!”
“Hang on a little longer. Val Ky Ree can bring Spearthrower back to the ship. Why is that ship still in the docking bay, Val Ky Ree?” asked Ronson in a testy voice.
“The Trior are taking their time leaving the docking bay, and the doors are still closed. They’ve now left. No sign yet of depressurization.”
“Which direction is Spearthrower facing? Can it fire its torsion beam to create an escape hole?” asked Ronson.
“No. Spearthrower entered the docking bay nose first, and therefore the torsion beam is pointing at the station itself. And before you ask, no, there isn’t enough free space for Spearthrower to rotate within the docking bay. The ba
ck end of the craft isn’t as well armored as the front end. If we order the craft to try to force its way out by accelerating in reverse, it might become damaged. I have an idea.”
When no further explanation was forthcoming, Ronson turned his attention back to the tactical hologram. The red icon had stopped all forward motion and was now rotating 180 degrees so that the bow of the ship was once again pointed in the station’s general direction.
“Val Ky Ree to station. The ship will be moving closer to the station in order to make a demonstration. It will not collide with the station. Station control personnel are advised to watch the underside of our ship carefully.”