Robyn stares at the lunchbox sized computer in awe, and replies, “But if George can replicate these, why didn’t he build a new super computer for the Terran?”
“George is able to replicate the Kord implants,” Cindy explains, “but he is still having difficulty replicating their computer technology. The version that most of the crew uses has limited functionality. It can only converse in known languages.”
Robyn frowns, and then stares at her unit. She cannot tell if it is a copy or not.
Joe quickly speaks up, “Don’t worry, you have a genuine unit. They are able to learn new languages. Once we have the translation matrix, we can update the copies.”
Robert shakes his head, and then with a hint of sarcasm, states, “So, they look the same as the originals, they just can’t do the job.”
Cindy turns to Robert and slowly replies, “Correct.”
The elevator abruptly stops, effectively ending their discussion. Joe stares at his console and is baffled for a few moments. All of a sudden, he understands what he is seeing, and excitedly relays his findings. “An oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere is forming outside, and it’s breathable.”
With a mixture of excitement and trepidation, Cindy orders, “Open up the hatch. Let’s go meet them.”
Stepping out of the shuttle, they all immediately notice the heavier gravity associated with Gamin spacecraft. The first few tentative breaths reveal that the air smells and tastes tropical. There is the barest hint of a strange fragrance, but it is not an unpleasant one.
Peter quickly and efficiently examines the landing bay. The area is large enough to store four shuttles, but is currently devoid of anything, save themselves. The only door to the room is in a side wall, nearest them. Unexpectedly, it opens with a soft swoosh.
Four short aliens stride purposefully into the room. They are all roughly the same height, with the tallest of them only coming up to Cindy’s shoulder. Their large blue eyes are wide open, making them appear as if they have an astonished expression on their faces.
Cindy smiles, steps forward, and says, “It is my pleasure to present to you…” She stops talking when the aliens begin to fidget, and start talking to each other. She frowns as she hears their odd sounding voices, and yet cannot understand a single word they are saying. She turns to Joe and while shaking her head asks, “What’s going on?”
Joe frowns for a moment as he ponders their dilemma. After a few moments he begins to chuckle. He shakes his head as he answers, “The Gamin computers translated their language, and we never updated these portables.” He shrugs his shoulders, and then quickly adds, “If we can keep them talking, our translators, along with the Kord units, will hopefully learn their language.”
Keeping the blue eyed aliens talking is not a difficult task. They do not shut up as they hotly debate what to do with the strangers who are now on their ship.
Cindy’s unit beeps at the same time that her earpiece translates a few words, “Strangers… big ship… Harthos be…”
Cindy smiles and then says, “I am Cindy Klein of the planet Earth. This is my crew, Joe, Peter, Robert, and Robyn.” She listens to the odd sounding language as her translator attempts to relay her words.
The alien called Brett stares at Cindy for a moment, and then turns his attention to her translator. He taps his chest and while pointing to his colleagues, speaks. Cindy grins as her translator relays some of his words, “Commander Brett… Dave… Larry… Tom… Pythos.”
Cindy excitedly points to each of his crew and repeats their names. Brett’s eyes widen in excitement as the translator becomes more effective. Once the basic linguistics are figured out, the rest seems to fall into place quickly.
Joe points to the spot behind his ear and says, “Most of us have translators implanted, which allow us to understand you.” He points to the bulky unit that hangs from his shoulder and adds, “These units translate our words, so that those without implants can understand us.” Joe suddenly feels an odd chill as a thought comes to mind. Jux, and many of the Oglans, seemed to understand us just fine, and I don’t recall having translators with us all the time.
Brett’s face changes expression while he listens to Joe. He turns to his colleagues and begins talking in hurried whispers. After a few moments he asks, “How do they work?”
Joe grins as he replies, “The implants translate known languages.” He pats his unit as he continues, “While these do all the initial work of learning new ones.”
“Can we get some of those?” Brett asks out of the blue as he points to Joe’s unit.
Joe’s eyebrows raise up in surprise as he replies cautiously, “Well, that would be up to Cindy to decide.”
Cindy purses her lips as she debates what to do. Finally she responds, “Sure, why not.”
Brett’s eyes widen excitedly as he exclaims, “Harthos be!” He quickly continues, “Thank you. Now, let me show you our ship, Artemis Two.”
Their guide, Brett, proudly leads the group from compartment to compartment. Along the way, they meet many of the ship’s crew, and discover a number of fascinating similarities, and differences, between the Terran and Artemis Two. Unlike the Terran, this ship’s hydroponics bays utilize soilless technology. Cindy is impressed, and almost wishes she had brought Emma over so that she could see the system.
Another surprise is the small reclamation facility. A room, barely large enough for them all to stand in, has a simple looking chute against the wall. Joe’s jaw drops when he identifies the same tool that exists in the bodysuits, partway down the chute. The device is clearly being used to absorb any and all waste material. Gazing at the side of the unit, Joe can see where it is connected to the power grid.
The tour continues, taking them past a bank of Gamin Power Units. Joe feels a twinge of jealously at the power surplus they must have. He glances at Cindy, but says nothing. The group arrives at the ship’s single main drive. The engine and controls are identical to the Terran’s, but not sealed behind any doorway.
Joe closes his eyes for a moment and tries to visualize the internal decks. He frowns in confusion and asks, “Brett, I have a question. Your ship has a Gamin command section, a single engine, plus the elevators you customized, but it’s unlike any Gamin ship I have ever seen. Did you build this ship yourselves?”
Brett nods with pride and replies, “A few years ago there was a massive battle over our planet between two alien races.” He frowns as he realizes that he should start at the beginning. He takes a deep breath, and then explains in greater detail, “Actually, it all started a few years before that. A race of ugly green skinned aliens showed up. They demanded raw materials, and insisted we continue to stockpile more. They left, then the next year, their fleet came back, picked up the supplies we had collected, and then they left again. But, the next time they came, another spaceship was waiting for them. We never saw who they were, but that one ship had lots of space-fighters, and chased the ugly aliens away.”
Cindy turns her head to Joe and quietly comments, “Atlans!” She then looks back at Brett and tells him, “You got lucky.”
Brett tilts his head in confusion, and then replies with a smile, “Yes. We were slaves to the green skins, and the others drove them off.”
Joe’s eyebrows lift up as he mumbles to no one in particular, “Well, that’s one way to look at it, I suppose.”
Brett glances from Cindy to Joe in confusion, and feels as though he is missing something. He asks curiously, “You like the green skins?”
Joe gulps, he had not expected Brett to hear him.
It is Cindy’s turn to take a deep breath before she explains, “We were also visited by the Gamin, Regent Voknor to be precise, and…” She stops talking when Brett’s group all turns and stares at her with extremely wide eyes.
“You know that one!” Brett exclaims a little fearfully as he takes a few steps backward.
Cindy chooses her words carefully, and then slowly continues, “Regent Voknor is the leader of a clan. The Gamin h
ave many. He came to our world, and our people had to supply the Gamin a variety of resources. After his fleet left, we found a spaceship. It wasn’t finished, but we were able to complete its construction. Since then Regent Voknor has actually helped us. We’re not allies or anything, but if it were not for his assistance, we wouldn’t be here today.”
“You don’t look like them.” Brett says, stating the obvious. He then asks, “So why would they help you?”
“I believe that Regent Voknor’s decisions were based on our actions,” Cindy replies, slightly baffled by the way Brett posed the question.
Brett replies with a wide grin, “Well, the others, whoever they were, helped us, and we can see that you folks are alright.” He is clearly pleased with the way things turned out for his people.
Cindy purses her lips, and although she wants to reply, she remains quiet. It suddenly dawns on her, Brett only invited us on board because we look like them. She glances around apprehensively. What began as an amazing thrill, is fast becoming a nervous experience for all of them.
Tensions are relieved when Brett says, “Come and look at our command module.”
Cindy smiles, glances briefly at Peter, and then replies, “That would be great.”
The group silently walks along. Both ships’ crews ponder over the others as they stride purposefully along. Neither side feels threatened, but, what began as delight, has turned into mild uneasiness.
The Command Center is similar in size to the Terran’s, but with a few obvious differences. The single command chair which rests upon a centrally located raised dais is an expected sight. The layout of the workstations is different though, there are six in all, of which two are manned. These are in front of the command chair, with two more against each side wall. The main viewer looks identical to the Terran’s, and currently displays a few distance specks of light.
Robert glances around the bridge and comments, “You have a fine ship. What’s its crew? Two hundred?”
“Three hundred, plus our command staff,” Brett replies proudly.
Joe motions to one of the consoles in front of the command chair and asks, “May I?”
Tom turns his head to Brett and stares at him for a moment, but he says nothing. Peter notices Tom’s quick reaction and ponders, Security?
Brett seems to ignore Tom and replies happily, “Sure.”
Joe walks over to the console, and while Dave and Larry watch with curiosity, he examines it intently. The pair are impressed with how fast Joe taps on icons and brings up information on the display. Joe reviews the ship’s many systems and is impressed.
Tom moves to where he can see what Joe is doing, and observes intently. Peter approaches Tom and, without blocking his view, strikes up a conversation. The two men have a lot more in common than either expected, and within a few minutes Tom relaxes. The pair quickly form a special rapport with each other. Both men have led secret lives, and now enjoy a special status on a spacecraft far from any old enemies.
Cindy and Brett discuss their respective missions, where they are from, and what they plan to do next. Both of them chat freely. Cindy speaks of their experiences on the Oglan world, the dangers of the Effen Raiders, and of their plan to strip a Gamin derelict. Brett talks about his mission to find habitable planets for colonization. He goes on to invite Cindy and her crew to visit Pythos anytime they are in the neighborhood.
Robert does his best to follow all the conversations at once, while Robyn, who feels left out, decides to watch Joe. As she walks over to the group she notices once more how short the aliens are, even shorter than her.
Joe interrupts all of them when he exclaims loudly, “Wow. You guys did a fantastic job of putting this ship together!” He glances around and says, “Sorry. But they really did. I bet this ship could do factor seven without any issues.”
Brett frowns and asks curiously, “Factor seven?”
“Yeah. The Gamin controls go all the way to eight, but with only one engine you are limited, even though your power-to-weight ratio is amazing.”
Brett puts his hands together, then as he opens them says, “If we go too fast, the floor shakes.”
Joe grins and replies, “Same with us mate.”
Peter interjects questioningly, “What about where the sections are joined together? Don’t they buckle?”
Brett waves his hands, motioning around him, and says, “We haven’t had to fix anything, yet.”
Joe nods his head, and with admiration states, “Well, you guys really know how to build them!”
Brett does not know how to take the complement, and humbly replies, “We just got a piece from here, and a piece from there, and put ‘em together.”
“How did you join the sections together?” Joe asks with deepening curiosity. While he waits for an answer, he becomes more excited. If we could figure this out, then perhaps, we can resolve our problems with the Liberty program.
Brett glances around as if he does not know the answer and says, “We have builder suits from the green skins.”
Joe turns to Cindy and say excitedly, “Gamin bodysuits!”
“Makes sense,” Cindy replies.
“But that is not what is impressive about this ship.” Joe adds with mounting excitement. He explains, “The only computers in use are in the various Gamin systems.”
Cindy frowns, “No interface system?”
“Nope, No GUS. Instead this ship has dozens upon dozens of Gamin consoles spread throughout its various sections.”
Brett steps closer to Joe and asks, “What is, GUS?”
Joe stares at Brett blankly for a moment and then says, “We use an independent computer system in addition to consoles like these.” He waves his hands to indicate the Gamin consoles on the bridge.
Brett stares at Joe and asks, “Why?”
Joe takes a deep breath and then explains, “When we found the Terran, it only had consoles on the bridge, one in life support, and those in the engine rooms. It was also missing power, and did not have enough gravity plating installed to launch. We had to add our own power plants, along with a bunch of booster rockets, to get her off the ground.”
Brett stares at Joe as if he did not understand a word he said, and replies, “Artemis Two was assembled in space. There is still so much debris around our planet, it forms a ring.”
Joe feels a sudden chill run up and down his spine. He turns to Cindy as a thought crosses his mind. GUS doesn’t control anything anymore, not since we added the Gamin Power Units. I wonder what would happen if we disconnected it from the bridge consoles?
Cindy casts her gaze around the bridge and then says, “Joe, I don't see a navicon unit.”
Joe slaps a hand to his thigh and says, “That’s why this ship doesn’t show up on the Gamin fleet lists!”
Brett waves his hands around and asks, “What’s a Navicon?”
Joe walks from console to console and then responds, “It’s a special console that allows you to locate other Gamin ships, but more importantly, it provides accurate navigational data.”
Brett turns to Joe and says, “You make it sound as if this ship is missing so much stuff, it shouldn’t be able to fly.”
Joe quickly stammers, “No, not at all. I am impressed that you have been able to figure out the Gamin technology so well.”
Brett smiles, as he says, “We had so much junk floating around, it was pretty easy to put this ship together.”
The group relaxes, and begins to share more information about each other’s home worlds. Robert records as many notes as he can about Pythos, and its people. He is most perplexed by the very human sounding names that the others have until it dawns on him that these are translated names. The more he listens to the short aliens, the more he likes them.
“Harthos be!” Brett exclaims in surprise.
Robert glances from Cindy to Brett in confusion. He completely missed what was said prior to Brett’s comment.
Dave stares at Cindy and says, “We had no idea there were
that many spaceships flying around.”
Cindy nods and replies, “We were as shocked as you when we found out.” She then adds, “Not only are there thousands of Gamin ships, there are Effen Raiders, and Atlan carriers to watch out for. Plus who knows what else.”
They talk for hours about many things, until finally Cindy realizes that they must head back. She smiles and then says, “If we find ourselves near Pythos, we will drop in to visit.”
Brett makes an odd gesture and replies, “I hope we are home when you do.”
The group walks back to the shuttle bay where the Terran’s crew get back onboard their shuttle. Once inside, Cindy locates two translators, copies made my George, and gives them to Brett.
Brett stares at them for a moment, and then realizing what they are says enthusiastically, “Thank You.”
“Our pleasure.” Cindy replies, genuinely happy to be able to give them something that will assist in their travels.
Once the ramp lowers them into space, Robyn flies them back toward the Terran.
Joe looks at Cindy and says, “You know, we never did give them the implants.”
“That’s okay.” Cindy replies, “I am not sure if they really wanted them, or if they thought the idea was a good one.”
Once back on the bridge, Cindy takes one more look at Brett’s ship, and then says, “John, resume our course for the derelict.”
“Yes ma’am.” John replies happily as he swings the Terran around, and away from the other spacecraft.
Location:
Hawking
New Earth
General Walker stands next to Barbara in an open field, one that is a long way from the city of Hawking. With them is a handful of soldiers, along with a dozen scientists. Before the entire assemblage rests the small alien craft on a makeshift concrete pad.
Barbara glances around at the vast open plain, and with concern asks, “You don’t think it’s going to blow up, do you?”
“Not at all,” Walker replies while shaking his head. “but, at the same time, we have no idea what’s inside, and I would hate to release... something,” he finally adds while shrugging his shoulders.
Alliance (Terran Chronicles Book 4) Page 21