by Ken Pence
Andrew leaned forward and started to list his objections but Brad cut him off. Kyger set the glass down too fast and sloshed some over. “See what you’ve done,” Brad said while looking for a towel and mopping up his spilled drink. Andrew looked consternated. Brad continued. “See…distracted you from building a head of steam. You have no choice Andrew. The Council of the World Government is funding this wagon train and they get to say who goes along.” Andrew started to say something again but Brad held up his hand…after sipping more bourbon. “Phillips brought us, indirectly, the medical tech to extend human life. He is an acknowledged expert in setting up Earth-style hotels and restaurants and they are raking in money. He, again indirectly, came up with the Earth pavilion idea to lure tourist trade here.”
“You know that was my idea,” Andrew said.
“Sure – sure, but we get the rake off from hospitality and Earth electronics – our expertise…so to speak.”
“Fine, but why make him richer?” Andrew asked.
“The World Government get the controlling interest in any new ventures. They get the lion’s share of profits,” Brad said.
“So we are supposed to stop along the way on this expedition and do what?”
“You take a large contingent of Phillips people and drop them off so they set up enterprises along-the-way. You will also have some émigrés accompanying you.”
“Lord…this…just gets better and better. So Phillips gets to report whatever he deems as profit and we provide security and transportation. These colonists? They waltz right in to a new planet that we have hardly surveyed…if at all and they set up shop. How big do you plan this clusterf#@k of ships?” Andrew asked.
“We are looking at around one hundred ships,” Admiral Kyger said matter of fact while leaning forward on his desk and twirling his glass in both hands. He sat looking at Andrew over his glass waiting for his statement to register.
Andrew sat there stunned. “Fuck it Brad…that’s a damn fleet,” Andrew said and pointed at Brad’s glass and indicated he wanted some too. “Damn…how many military…how many other?”
Brad pulled some ice out and dropped it in a glass. He then poured in more Jack Black. “Sixty from your auxiliary fleet and you take all the coated ships. You’d get the recovered planetoid too.”
“God. Of course no planet would feel intimidated when we came calling with a damn war fleet.”
“We are going to send scouts ahead. They’ll jump close and use the screening method Rett figured out for the last ten parsecs. You’ll be within communication range. By-the-way…Shuma figured out a way to use the quantum communication system with multiple transmitters and receivers so you can get audio and slow frame rate video…he is something,” Brad said.
“Lord. We are so screwed,” Andrew said and raised his glass to Brad.
“…To being screwed!” Brad said and they clinked glasses.
***
Scout ship Captain Ranjit P. Ratnaike IV was from a long line of physicians and entrepreneurs in Australia. Ratnaike was sharing his post with Ensign Ballie DiCarlo, who also came from a long line of distinguished physicians. They both agreed their current mission was beyond the realm of what they had imagined for adventure. They were to scout out a route for a huge expedition. Their small ship would have to rely on speed and stealth. They had one weapon of last resort that had been reverse engineered from an Allung research facility. They didn’t have the luxury of torpedoes or lasers or much anything else. They were to be one of the teams of advance scouts for the lumbering ships of the civilian expedition.
Their ship could fly faster than a shuttle and it could jump great distances but it couldn’t jump short distances like the larger ships of the fleet. It didn’t have the weapons or defenses of the larger ships and it. The scout ship also lacked the goods or expertise of the large ships. Its job was to look for indigenous populations on any planets they surveyed. DiCarlo was very liberal in attitude and Ratnaike was conservative as hell – he was suspicious of everything. They made a good team.
***
Xilatoi, the Toi knowledge master liberated from the Allung was talking with Captain Rich Darby who had been in charge of training all the liberated races for the Auxiliary fleet commanded by Commodore Williams.
“Captain, I have 1,000 liberated troops and I understand you have 2,000 of the Progeny, the Ylee reconstituted clones plus ERF forces.”
“It’s Lieutenant Colonel Darby now,” Darby said.
“So your people are promoting for subjective time in service now…congratulations Colonel.”
“Thank you, Xilatoi. They hit me up with the promotion after I trained all the freed Allung prisoners and several classes of ERF troops. I guess they liked the way I did it plus they wanted me to go on this expedition.”
“Ah…you are expendable. They don’t expect us to all survive so it is not necessarily a vote of confidence.”
“Come on, Xilatoi. Don’t be so cynical.”
“I am cynical about most situations but it is hard to keep up here,” Xilatoi said with a twisted grin learned from humans.
“We’ll have an additional 8,000 ERF personnel along with us. Phillips has committed about 4,000 civilian security contractors,” Colonel Darby said.
“We should have enough to start several skirmishes then?” Xilatoi said sarcastically.
“We have already launched five scout ships to survey our route. We need to get the remainder of our supplies and materiel loaded. I have recalled all troops on leave. We should be ready in the next two days. Your people?”
Xilatoi paused to check his Dex. “We should also be ready by then. My people have enjoyed this planet and are ready to get back at the Allung.”
“You realize that the Allung are scattered and we may be facing everybody but the Allung do you not?” Darby stated.
“We understand. Your people are against slavery and we will fight that anywhere. We are grateful to your people.”
“I have been in the military my whole adult life Xilatoi. We may have to fight where the intent is not so clear cut.”
“How so?” Xilatoi asked.
“Conflict is often political or a result of political decisions of trade or culture. Battles often start due to misunderstandings – traveling to other parts of the galaxy will put us in conflict with other ideas and cultures. We may be fighting for ideas other than the freedom from slavery.”
“I think I understand. Your people have had ideas consistent with freedom for the most people.”
“I hope we live up to your expectations,” Darby said realizing that rationality is not the hallmark of conflict – quite the contrary – rationality was almost always at odds with reality.
***
Captain Ranjit P. Ratnaike and Ensign DiCarlo directed the scout ship Hasta to Omega Sagittarii – a G type star about 78 light years from Earth. They emerged about 8 parsecs from the star and set up the front field to shield themselves as they drove at 1,300 lights toward the planet. This was near the top speed of 1335 lights with their lamlee-upgraded drive with the stealth screen developed by the alien Tros, Rett. They could not be detected directly ahead of their path but neither could they see in that direction. The front screen prevented an exit burst that was detectable if they had jumped. They approached to a bit more than 5 light years – their shortest jump distance but within the sensor range.
They exited over five light years from the star and their passive detection system showed a huge volume of space with a six-parsec radius. Ensign DiCarlo surveyed the results.
“Six planets, Skipper. Don’t see any drive field activity except at the far edge of the quadrant – and they are headed away from us. Several moons – one small planet with two moons in the liquid water sweet spot. Computer says a stable orbit. What say boss?”
“Let’s have at it Di – how close can you put us?” Captain Ratnaike asked using his pet name for his partner.
DiCarlo looked at her instruments. “No electromagnet
ic emissions. Hell, Skipper. I can put us in orbit but how about we emerge on the far side of large moon. Sir?”
“Far side of the moon then Ensign. Let’s do it.”
“Here we go,” DiCarlo said as they jumped to the far side of the larger moon.
They merged and started examining the planet beneath them. “Damn,” said Ratnaike.
“What, Skipper?” DiCarlo asked.
“See there…in the southern portion…lights…not bright and not many… but lights.”
“Shit, Skipper. I’m getting some electromagnetic signals. Just bursts of non-random transmissions – all low power but definitely non-random. Prime directive sir?”
“What the frig are you talking about? We don’t do that BS. See if the computer can make any sense of that and let’s see what we can see before we do that take me to your leader crap.”
“Monitoring, Skipper…sorry for suggesting thinking first.”
“K…Di…just wasn’t what I expected,” Ratnaike said. “I am still getting over the fact that we aren’t alone and others are all over this for millennia before us. Sorry.”
“Is ‘K Boss. ‘Magine we’ll see a ton of this. Report to headquarters?”
“Let’s try it. Give them what we’ve got.”
“Aye…aye…Skipper,” DiCarlo responded and sent a burst through the new comm system.
***
“Skipper, we got a burst back and it didn’t take long. You’ve gotta see this…” DiCarlo said incredulously.
Ratnaike motioned her to read it off.
“Contact at your discretion. Get as much info as you can. Do they inhabit all landmasses? See if they’re hostile. Determine if colonists or hotels and trade possible. It’s why we trained you…your call.” DiCarlo threw up her hands. “Well?”
“Sounds like they want us to do our job, they trust our judgment and want us to get on with it. Do we have the scans of the surface of the other land masses yet?”
“Skipper, we have three orbits. Appears to be arboreal animals on the other continents and herds on the plains. No signs of habitation except on this continent, which is separated from the other continents by large bodies of water. There seems to be a lot of large creatures in the water though. The inhabited areas are away from the coasts – which is odd. We have interpreted forty five distinct patterns in the radio messages but have no understanding of their meaning yet.”
“I’ve ascertained that they travel on hard packed trails of fixed width,” Captain Ratnaike stated.
“Ascertained? So you’ve seen they have fixed width trails…and…?”
“I can’t interpret what I’m seeing. They appear to have markets but there is so much tree cover…it’s hard to tell…even with infrared.”
“So we need to go look, bag a local and train him, her or it up to Trade language. Then we ask questions. You have a location?”
“Yes, Di. It looks like there is some type of complex outside the main city that is different from all the other building and that’s the site for most of the transmissions. I think we ought to try near there. There is a large enough clear area for the ship near by.”
“Let’s do it then, Skipper, after we get some rest. Early in their morning?”
“They’ll probably never even know we’re there,” the captain said.
“You wish…” DiCarlo said sotto voce.
Omega Sagittarii III Friends
The ship landed silently in a large clearing in full stealth mode. The ship was practically invisible except when very close at visible and infrared frequencies and there was still a mist over the open pasture like area.
DiCarlo and Ratnaike had the ship collecting air samples looking for spores or pathogens that might harm humans. There was a trail about a meter wide that went right through the woods near the clearing. The Earth suits were on full invisibility mode and were sealed against the planet’s atmosphere. The captain bent over to closely examine the trail.
“It’s a composite of sand and tar…quite sophisticated and artificial. We may be in luck if any of the inhabitants use this path this early in the morning.”
“Captain, I have a heat source heading this way fast. Get off the trail Captain. Captain…now,” DiCarlo shouted to her partner but it wasn’t fast enough.
A large bipedal brown creature was tearing up the path and ran right into the invisible Captain’s shield and suit. It let out a squawk that could be heard blocks away and then stepped back and turned right to where Ensign DiCarlo was standing pointing her weapon in preparation to fire.
DiCarlo and the Captain were stunned. The creature could sense them somehow even though they could not be seen. It held both hands forward of its body and open so all four fingers(?) were visible. It looked more like two fingers and two opposable thumbs and very strong looking, bare arms. The creature somehow folded its legs underneath and sat down in the middle of the path. It made some soothing sounds and closed its eyes.
Ballie DiCarlo had never seen anything like this but he didn’t look threatening so she holstered her weapon.
The Captain had almost wet himself when the creature had run into his field but at half strength – he had felt no impact. Gravity on this planet was a bit more than Earth normal but the air was oxygen rich if the instruments were correct. The mottled brown skinned creature wore a simple harness around its waist and curved under, between the legs with a rough cloth triangle. A strap across the chest and shoulder held a container of some sort.
The creature reached up and slowly – carefully removed the container and pried off the stopper and drank some of the fluid and then poured some in its hand. The liquid ran off the hand onto the path – it looked like water.
“Guess I might as well turn visible since I’m certain it can sense us somehow. Cover me,” he said and became visible.
The creature looked up at the Captain, let out a little yelp and then indicated for the Captain to sit in front of him. The captain did so. The creature then turned to where DiCarlo was standing and indicated she should do the same…which she did and then turned her suit visible.
Captain Ratnaike opened his case and pulled out the language trainer unit – micro-miniaturized on Earth. He retracted his helmet (removable helmets were so last year now). The creature let out a little yelp and blinked its large, black eyes. It had no nose except slits and had no lips. It had bulges where ears would be. It had a wide face that could never be mistaken for human.
Ratnaike put the three arms of the translator against his head and closed his eyes. He then handed the three-armed headset to the alien and indicated that he put it on. The creature reached out and took the headset carefully – it looked more like he thought it was fragile than being scared of it. The creature examined the movable arms, the hinge – hefted the weight – smelled the material and then opened its mouth and bit into one of the headset arms. The Captain started to retrieve it but the creature held out a palm in a clear indication for the captain to wait.
The creature put the headset on its own head and closed its eyes. Captain Ranjit Ratnaike wouldn’t have been more surprised if the alien had started spouting Shakespeare. He turned on the training device and the alien sat quietly with its chest hardly moving as the program ran its course. The program ended and the alien removed the headset and held it out for the captain to take. It then lowered its arms and sat waiting for some response from the silver suited beings.
“We are from another planet. Can you understand me now?”
“…of… korse u rrrr. Hard speek…crude meffod…underrrstan when u think speek,” the creature said haltingly like it had a bad taste in its mouth. “U wan wish meet others,” the creature said and rose straight up gracefully, turned and started walking back down the path.
Captain Ratnaike sat there just for a moment and then they both hopped to their feet and started following the rapidly walking alien. “I’ll be teetotal damned,” the captain said.
“Probably…” Ensign DiCarlo responded and fol
lowed.
***
The creature walked briskly along the path and straight toward a series of beautifully crafted buildings that blended with the surroundings. It approached a door and waited for them to catch up. If the situation hadn’t been so bizarre, they would have enjoyed the walk through the edge of the forest. The creature opened the beautifully finished wooden door and they entered. The inside was very open with a small fountain inside and an eight or ten meter high ceiling. They were led to a room with a ramp leading to a stage – obviously an auditorium – it was designed like any small auditorium on Earth.
The creature indicated some odds stools to sit on and then said, “You wan speek wiff others. Others cum ask.”
Ratnaike and DiCarlo sat quietly as a gaggle of creatures came into the hall. They were generally dressed in robes of subdued, woodland colors similar to greens, browns, and tan of Earth. One creature brought an additional robe and handed it to the being on the stage.
DiCarlo was surprised that she could become so accustomed to the creatures so rapidly. Their appearance looked less odd even though they had reptilian features.
The creature on the stage with them turned toward them and said, “I am…kall me…” he closed his eyes for a second, “Rex…Yes appropriate. You haff naming?”
“I am…you are speaking English — not Trade!” Ratnaike declared. He turned to DiCarlo. “You have the Earth cylinder.”
She pulled out her translator trainer and inserted a second cartridge. He handed the small unit to Ratnaike. The Captain indicated that the creature…Rex… should put on the headpiece again and he did. The audience sat there, eerily silent as they waited for the program to finish. Rex took off headpiece and handed it back.
“That is much better,” he said in clear English though there was a little lisp. “Why are you here? It has been years since we have had visitors from off-planet but they were not shaped like you,” Rex asked.