Vast Mantis

by Jim Henderson

  “Greetings. We again apologize that we took one of you back with us, but we feared you might all be killed if we did not.”

  “It is theft, but we were treated well, and others returned that which you took. It is in the past. We will now show you the station that you may better understand.”

  They then led the crew through the same areas that had seen the last time they were here – vacc suit room, restrooms, bedrooms, dining room, Operations, cryo chambers, flight deck/maintenance bay, and cargo bay. The rooms were the same, but most looked quite different with bright lighting and activity. Now there were a half dozen gray men eating while floating at all angles in the dining room. Most of the cryo chambers were empty, the flight deck contained several small ships, and the cargo bay had far more cargo and a bunch of grays moving stuff about. The Operations Room was particularly active, with grays working at several terminals. What the crew saw confirmed most of their suppositions from previously examining the room. Throughout the facility, all the grays looked industrious and most seemed barely interested in the visitors.

  Several KSF scientists in vacc suits observed the activity in the Operations Room and seemed confused to see Ximon and crew. Ximon just nodded and waved at them and followed the grays.

  The same gray spoke, “You see that we are alive and functioning. We thank you for killing the //untranslatable// and for freeing friends from the //untranslatable// tree. We have killed the tree host and cleansed the infection.”

  Ximon assumed these untranslatable bits referred to what the crew had called the vampire spider and the vampire tree. That had been some weird stuff. They had killed the vampire spider and detached several grays that were being held captive by the vampire tree.

  That gray left and another one led them down into the tunnel area they had not previously explored. A brief tour showed them some mining areas and gas collection. This station was doing enough that it could be a substantial waystation for the grays.

  The gray then led them fairly quickly back to the entrance. “You have had the tour that gratitude requires. We will return to work now. Safe journeys.”

  Ximon nodded. “We thank you and wish you safe journeys.”

  It then walked away.

  Ximon signaled the crew. “I guess that’s our cue to leave. Not the friendliest guys but it was interesting to see.”

  They headed back to Mantis and took off.

  Ximon signaled the KSRV Hjort. “Hjort, this is Mantis. We will get out of your way now. The grays just gave a short tour.”

  The captain of the Hjort seemed somewhat surprised and a bit angry. “We’ve only gotten to see some areas. Can you give us some of your information?”

  Ximon had to laugh at the seeming gall of that request. “Hjort, you were telling us to leave just an hour or so ago, but sure we can share some video and imagery. Most of it is the same as when we visited before, but with lights and without monsters. Our data is on its way. Good luck, Hjort. We won’t rain on your parade any further. Mantis out.”

  Ximon had Mantis send some of their video of their tour to the Hjort as they headed for a jump point. From here, they hit Qurusetia just long enough to refuel and then crossed into the Aluderus Sector. Three jumps took them across the Aluderus Sector with very little activity. They had to skim surface water in both the 754-390 and Oneryt-7 Systems and in the latter, Ximon exchanged greetings with a few stations.

  During this time, he finished reading both books, sometimes reading on his tablet, sometimes having them read them to him. The first book was pretty good, though quite long and had too much detail in some areas. Ximon flagged things to come out and highlighted areas where they’d definitely need to get approval from crew members, the KSF, or specific passengers. He also flagged all the stuff on this most recent series of missions as having to wait until he got feedback from Robatham Associates. He asked Mantis and Euclidia to get input and/or approval from Elsbeth, Shao, Raiza, and Peter.

  The second book was quite good, though it highlighted far too many tenets or principles and discussed a few somewhat differently than he would have. Ximon selected fifteen key principles to focus on and redirected the focus on a few.

  “Mantis, Euclidia, I am impressed with the books thus far. You seem to have gotten my tone pretty well in most areas. How did you do that and how did you pick the principles in the second book?”

  Euclidia chimed up with the answer. “Captain, we did an exhaustive review of all of your written reports and messages for the last several years, as well as a few that were on file with the KSF from before our association with you. For the principles, we analyzed data from 37 books and 61 articles of this type that seemed most related, picked items that seemed to fit with your leadership style and ones that could be well demonstrated by recent ship and crew activity. I apologize that we didn’t more precisely match your desire and were more verbose than you would wish. Thank you for taking the time to review and provide feedback.”

  “Thank you. Those could be interesting books. By the way, did you make any progress on legal opinions of KSF making any claim since much of the work was done by a computer that is largely owned by the KSF?”

  Mantis spoke up there. “Captain, I researched that point rather exhaustively and could find no precedent for that, except for one case where the ship’s captain used the ship computer for personal gain to such a degree that ship operations were seriously compromised. I hope you do not feel that our operations have been compromised here.”

  “Not at all and I don’t think anyone could make a case they have. Thanks.”

  Finally, after Oneryt-7, they jumped to Kirfal in the Tixaya Sector and then to Tixaya itself. Ximon finished up his last reports during the jump, along with the voluminous invoice. This included large amounts for travel wear and tear (based on both jump and in-system distances), crew salaries, consumable supplies, the loss of a robot to further the mission, and lots of incidentals. It was a hefty sum, indeed. It was all reasonable, but Ximon could imagine Robatham having a team of overeager accountants scrutinizing every credit or fraction thereof.

  As they entered the Tixaya System, Ximon was very glad to be back in the system he called home. Likewise, their passengers were clearly all anxious to depart and return to their lives. Ximon and Silas finalized reports as they neared the planet. Mantis secured them a fairly nice berth near easy transportation to both Robatham Associations and KSF headquarters.

  Silas had to go into Robatham Associates first thing the next morning. It was arranged that Ximon, Raiza, Shao, and Mantis’ telebot would join him there at 1300. Their passengers would also join them since Robatham was going to provide them information on the rest of their crew and assist them in getting there, or wherever else they wanted to go. Ximon invited Elsbeth, but she was definitely not interested. She and Peter wanted to get a head start on relaxing.

  Chapter Fourteen: Settling

  Silas set out early the next morning with all his gear and data. As he left, Ximon gave him one last object – the ornate scroll case that the Representative had left on the Mantis with orders it be taken to their leaders. Silas would stop by his house and then head into work to start the reporting.

  Silas tapped the case to his hat. “Rog, I’ll carry the mail. I’ve got to go by my house and then will get in and ‘set the stage.’ I’ll see you at 1300.”

  Ximon gave him a mock salute as he was about to leave.

  Silas turned back, “By the way, Robatham will be sending a team around about 1000 to collect the dead bodies from the Twilight that Raiza had stored”

  “Ok, Raiza will be ready.”

  The team arrived around 1000 and gathered the bodies efficiently and respectfully, operating under Raiza’s watchful gaze – they had been in her care, even if they were dead.

  Mantis ordered a couple of robocars while the crew was finishing lunch. When they arrived, the crew all piled in and headed to Robatham. The arrived at the small, nice office building about 15 minutes early and wen
t in to wait. Their passengers all had a hard time waiting patiently, especially the Canids. About ten minutes before their appointment, a sharply dressed young man of about 30 asked the passengers to follow him to discuss plans for them. The crew wished them well on their journey home because they weren’t sure if they’d see them again. In reply, the passengers, especially the Canids, thanked them for saving them and for their hospitality on the Mantis. Riona O’Mara gave Raiza a silent hug to thank her for her care and patience. Then they all followed the young man down the hall.

  At almost precisely 1300, the lovely Francesca came to collect the crew and escort them to the same conference room they had initially met in. She got the humans water and pastries. She also offered some to the robots, though she knew they weren’t interested. Silas was already in the room, looking far different than they were used to him. He was now clean shaven except for a goatee and wore a dress shirt and tie. He greeted them warmly and simply said, “It’s gone well.”

  Francesca also placed a hot beverage at what Ximon assumed was Johannes’s seat and a glass of water in front of another. Moments later, Johannes Roberto, looking dapper in a suit that must have cost a few thousand credits, entered. He was followed by a nervous, dark-skinned young man of about thirty in a far less-impressive suit.

  Johannes immediately shook hands all around. “Ximon, it is good to see you back ‘hale and hearty.’ You have done great work.” He kissed Raiza’s hand. “Ah, the lovely Raiza.” Then he shook Shao’s hand, “and you must be the Ms. Shao Tai that Silas has told me so much about.” Finally, he came to Mantis’ Telebot and briefly touched the top edge of the screen, “and you are the incarnation of Mantis. It’s good to meet you ‘in the flesh’ as it were.”

  He motioned them to sit. “Please, please. I see Francesca has taken care of everyone. Thank you, my dear, though I do wish we could find something that would interest the robots.” He pointed absently to the younger man. “This is Daniel.”

  Francesca nodded and took a seat next to Silas. It suddenly seemed odd, but Silas sat on the Robatham side of the table, while the crew of Mantis was on the other. Francesca brought up a few slides and images on the screens about the room.

  Robatham got started. “Again, let me thank you all for the impressive work. We strive for great work here at Robatham, but such great returns on such a complex task must be attributed to a great team. I see that we could not possibly have found a better ship for the task.”

  He rifled through a few papers in front of him. “Now, Silas has given us a solid overview and we’ve perused all the reports that you and he put together. Those too were great work by the way – clear, concise, with just the right level of detail. That makes our work much easier. We’ve also got your invoice. I’ve got our Accounts folks looking at that now, but I’m sure it will be fine. You will find that we’re not miserly when it comes to settling our accounts and we know that what you accomplished took great effort and considerable resources. We will have you a summary, or any questions, by tomorrow and you should have the funds within a couple days.

  “Now, there are few areas where we need to clarify a few things, despite the thoroughness of the reports. So, I’d like to have Francesca, Daniel, and a few other folks take brief statements from each of you. Should only take 30 to 45 minutes. Then we’ll reconvene. Do you mind?”

  Ximon shrugged. “Not at all, though I think we’ve said about everything we possibly could.”

  “To be sure, but the elucidation of perspectives can be helpful, as can having had a little time for reflection. If you all would please follow Francesca and Daniel. Thank you.”

  Francesca and Daniel led them out and deposited each in different small offices down a side hall. Francesca joined Ximon, Daniel joined Shao, and other associates went in with Raiza and Mantis.

  Francesca turned on a recorder and took notes on a notepad. She had Ximon summarize each separate meeting with the Representative. Then she had him summarize the events leading to the recovery of the Trailblazer and various crew. He was certain all of this was carefully covered in his reports, but he told it again anyway. Then she asked him to describe, in detail, the effects of the Representative’s ‘EMP weapon’ when used upon him. This he had only briefly summarized in the reports, so the depth of this discussion was new. He tried to be as complete as he could but couldn’t really convey how the weapon had made him feel.

  Next, she asked him to describe any lingering physical or mental effects from the weapon. This he had not really covered, and he debated how much to say. Ultimately, he summarized the aches, pains, mental weariness, and strange dreams. Finally, she asked him to describe some of the strange dreams he’d had since the weapon. This really made him uncomfortable, since dreams are notionally a reflection of the person’s brain and inner person. He described confused jumbles for the most part but did describe his dream about the destruction on Jeqarnius and the one of what might happen to any fleet that tried to attack the Shebatha.

  Francesca listened and noted all of this impassively and thanked him for his thoroughness and candor. Then she led him back to the conference room. Shao was already there, chatting with Silas, and Raiza was standing patiently inside the room.

  Raiza came to him and spoke in a whisper, “That was a surprising line of questioning. I hope I did not say too much or anything inappropriate.”

  Ximon patted her hand. “I’m sure it was fine, though that was odd.”

  Mantis returned several minutes later, followed by Daniel who noted, “Mr. Roberto will join us momentarily. Please, take your seats.”

  Johannes came in less than a minute later, smiling as usual. “Thank you all. That will be very helpful in clarifying a few points and in understanding potential effects on the crew members of the other ships.

  “By the way, I wanted to mention a few points. We’ve received word that the Trailblazer arrived at Xalanan and, naturally, filed some reports of their own. We have an agent there who met briefly with Captain Christopher and with KSF Operations. We’ll continue working with them after meeting with the KSF here. Our agent has also worked with the crew members of the other ships and some are already headed to their homes or home bases. They’ll all be taken care of, I’m sure. Likewise, Sandy is taking care of the Canid and other crew members you brought in. We’ll take care of them here and get them passage to their home base if they wish. They’ll be fine and we’ll enlist the local Canid community as appropriate.

  “Ximon, we will require your presence, and the presence of any crew you deem appropriate, at a meeting two days hence with government representatives. This will likely include the Tixaya Prime Minister or a deputy; at least one representative to the Republic Senate; the local KSF Commander, Admiral Pouret; and a Kremniy Republic Navy (KRN) representative, a Captain Qwilleran. There we will present this …” he pulled out the scroll case, “and summarize your team’s observations on the Shebathan desire to be left alone. It is our duty to ensure the government has the proper perspective on this.”

  Ximon nodded. “Of course.”

  “The right presentation is necessary here. Since you were acting as a civilian representative of Robatham, we would ask that you wear your best Mantis attire, rather than a KSF uniform. However, we would suggest that you wear this KSF ARC lapel pin. The government attendees will be well aware of who you are and of your record, but it’s always helpful to manage their impressions of things.”

  Ximon held up a hand to get a word in. “I’m anxious for any guidance or recommendations on what we can say and to who. It’s quite likely that the KSF will have follow-up questions for me and/or my crew.”

  “Thanks for bringing this up. That was the next point on our agenda. We, of course, have no desire to unnecessarily hinder your official or personal communications. However, you can understand that, in a case like this, there are potential financial and legal complications as issues get settled. You will also understand, better than most, that the government may quite likely imp
ose their own constraints on certain information on us all.

  “Naturally what can, and should, be said under our non-disclosure agreement depends a great deal on timing, context, audience, and mode of communication.”

  He took out a physical document, handed copies to the crew, and continued. “This document contains some guidelines to consider. In general, we have no opposition to you or your crew discussing the general trip, as long as the relationships between yourself and Robatham are clear and our customers’ privacy is maintained. We ask that you do not discuss your interactions with the Representative, nor the recovery of the Trailblazer or crew, with anyone outside Robatham Associates at this time. There could theoretically be legal implications as we work with all our customers. Now, of course, we do understand that you may need to discuss this with the KSF, or other government representatives, after our discussion two days hence. However, we would ask that you adhere, as strictly as possible, to the guidelines under ‘Discussion of Shebatha and its Representatives.’ If you feel you are being pressed beyond these guidelines, we ask that we be invited to participate in the discussion. That will allow for a fuller, more consistent understanding. Again, the government’s own restrictions may color this.”

  Ximon was perusing the document as Johannes spoke and found it interesting. The guidelines under ‘Discussion of Shebatha and its Representatives’ essentially provided a simplified version of events they were to try to stick to. In this version, agents of Robatham Associates, acting with contracted personnel, located the unconscious, captive crews and the Trailblazer. They were then able to escape in the ship with all the crews. It wasn’t wrong – it just left out a great deal of detail.

  Johannes went on, “We will inform you when we have finished negotiations and discussions and that will loosen these guidelines considerably. Certainly, you can all see why this is necessary.”