SODIUM:6 Defiance (5 page)

I asked if there was a procedure for us to follow to register our ship while visiting their system. He said there was, but whether or not we would be accepted as guests was not up to him. We would have to take our case before the registrant and the registrant was not fond of ships showing up without warning.

I again wondered what flaw in our shielding the aliens had used to detect us. It seemed that we were about the only ones that we could fully hide from. I dare not ask how they knew we were there as I did not want it to seem as though we were attempting to hide or spy, which we were.

The science officer, Bor Fein, then appeared on the holo-screen. She introduced herself and was giddy with excitement over the opportunity to speak with a fellow science officer, especially one who was a different species than the three beings who made up the Megar Accord. I asked if she had images of the three other species while I offered up an image of Hershen. She was shocked by the six white eyes that adorned his face. The Pern, the Rechin and the Geffel were the three remaining Accord members. The images of each placed them as archway species at the DaCuban site.

I asked if they had made contact with any other species to which she replied, only the Meche. They were a deplorable race of beings who had been a constant nuisance to their sector four mining colonies. Many of their miners had been abducted and never heard from again. I asked if they had an image of the Meche.

The Meche were human-like in appearance except for their cloven hooves. Their high foreheads hung over deep set round eyes. Narrow shoulders dropped down to an expanded waste. The expression on the image I was shown was of a scowl. The Meche matched up to left door and the row with the Ogle. I was starting to believe Hershen's theory about the good and the bad species.

After the registrant set up a meeting for our review we passed through their tests with flying colors. We had been approved, pending a one week course about what was proper behavior and what was offensive. Once through the course we would be issued a transponder that would allow us access to the three star systems that made up the Megar Accord.

Again, I was thrust into the role of Ambassador and again I attempted to represent the AMP in the best light possible. Who knew if one day we would be seeking trade or perhaps even an eventual alliance? I made our first order of business to become familiar with the station and its inhabitants.

The station turned out to have a hollow interior that was widely used for ship repairs and large cargo unloads. Travelers who could afford private accommodations on the station were also privileged with docking facilities on the interior. It seemed every species had their ultra-wealthy.

The station was well ordered with guards posted at most major hallway intersections. Shops bustled with customers and small kiosks adorned the hallways with barkers plying their wares. Except for the Pern, the Bwatt were the taller of the species with their clam shaped head jutting up above the others. The Rechin had dark droopy skin with round hairless heads. The Geffel were the smallest of the three and were covered with a forest green fur. Most Geffel had white fur covering one side of their face.

I took note of appearances of those within a species as it became apparent that color or thickness of fur or width of the eyes made a difference in each society. The wealthy Pern had a black seam that ran the length of their skull from the top down to the base of the neck. The shopkeepers and other business types had the same seam with a reddish tint and the lowest order of Pern had no color to their seam at all. They were the ones pushing brooms, wheeling around containers or begging from the crowds.

The Rechin had two castes with the high order having nodules on the forehead while the commoners had smooth skin. The Geffel seemed to all be workers or assistants. Their small stature and thin frame no doubt limited their ability to do heavy lifting of any kind. After a day of touring the station we headed for the Pern world of Bekin.

On our trip to Bekin we logged the speed of the transports that were moving between systems. The had achieved 20 times the speed of light making the jump to Bekin a seven month journey. We traveled the 12 light years distance in less than a day.

Upon our arrival at Bekin we chose to land in the capital city of Sage. We had no currency for docking fees but we had been given an Ambassador's pass that allowed us free access to any port. A small welcoming committee of politicos was assembled to greet us as we arrived. Several fainted when our Sodium skin turned from transparent to white. Such things were only available on the largest of the military ships such as the cruiser that had held us in the static field.

The city Mayor quickly whisked us away in a long white transport for a red carpet tour of his city. We were offered plates covered with delicacies of the planet to which we humbly declined. I explained to the Mayor that all our nutrition was derived from our suits. At first his eyes lit up with the thought of how much money could be made with such a suit. He then looked back at the plate of boiled gurgles before him and began to eat with a smile on his face.

The tour ran for most of the Bekin morning before we were invited to the Mayor's home for a lunch that we would not be eating. His residence took up the 82nd floor of the Pern Government building in the center of Sage's downtown district. The Mayor lived well.

In the mid-afternoon we were paraded before any number of businessmen who pried and prodded us for details about our suits, our ship and any possible trade. Each was soon told that I was the first Ambassador to their system and that I had no authority to trade or divulge any information other than polite greetings and minor facts about our culture. They quickly got the idea that their business ventures would be going nowhere and just as quickly lost interest in the beastly humans and their tall yellow sidekick.

We reached the Rechin worlds of Horn and Mantis four and six days later. Each time a tour of the capital was offered followed by greetings from their business elite. I overheard one comment made stating that the humans were no fun. They were too stoic and lifeless. I wanted to ask the fellow if he had ever been around a team of scientists. If he had, the behavior would have been better understood.

Our final visit was to the Geffel world of Skkez. The Geffel were the friendliest and most humble of the three species. They ran the mining colonies where the Meche had been known to pirate. I asked the Governor of Skkez if we could visit one of the mining colonies that had been attacked by the Meche. He hesitated to answer before warning us that he thought is was a terrible idea. The Meche were evil and their raids seemed to be planned just when protections were always at their lowest.

My first thoughts were that the Meche had someone on the inside feeding them information, but I didn't have enough knowledge of the situation to make such a call. The Governor then asked if we would need an escort. He would be willing to send a destroyer with us if only because he did not want an incident with the Meche to happen while we were his guests.

I declined the offer and assured him that while we had no offensive capabilities we were quite capable of defending ourselves. After several attempts at offering a military escort and being declined, he decided that perhaps he would only look to increase patrols in the area as a precaution. I thanked him for his consideration.

While on the Ambassadors tour on Skkez one of our scientists had taken the time to disassemble and study the Megar transponder. It had a highly accurate starmap of the region built in and he was able to transfer the map to our ships systems and then on a lark to one of our QE comm cubes. It was an impressive accomplishment for only having had the device for a few days.

We departed Skkez three days later, heading towards the mining colonies of sector four. Our first stop was a far colony on a rocky world with no atmosphere. We set the Saxon down in a mining camp where tunneling equipment and crew quarters had been abandoned. Hershen and I exited the ship to explore the mine. Just before entering we saw the remains of a Geffel guard who had been cut nearly in two by either a particle beam or laser weapon. Once inside the mine, there was evidence of a skirmish with an air-locked room showing broken windows and signs of a struggle.

We proceeded into the mine for nearly half a kilometer before turning back. When we again reached the surface I was stunned to see a menacing black craft landing before us. We stepped to the side and set our suits to full. The Meche exited their ship wearing black and silver suits and carrying long-cylinder particle rifles. Several dozen stormed past us on their way into the shaft.

As we watched-on, one of the Meche made his way to a small box sitting on the floor of the tunnel next to the airlock room. He picked up the box and shook it before turning back towards the Meche officer near him. Several minutes later the soldiers marched back to their ship.

Before I could say no Hershen took it upon himself to follow the soldiers back to their ship. He sent me a text to stay put as he was going for a ride. With any luck we could pick him up just above the planet as he would attempt to blink out and step outside after liftoff. It was a risky maneuver and one that I was not used to seeing from Hershen. I wasn't sure if he had grown bolder or just insane in his years of service with me.

I soon had a video feed from inside the crew quarters on the Meche ship. Lockers lined the walls and the center of the room was crowded with seats much like in the old Earth airlines. The Meche were conversing in a language filled with clicks and pops. Harris was immediately busy with his translations.

Hershen waited for the opportune moment and with the slightest of micro-bursts he propelled himself forward to the officers room. Again lockers lined the the walls with seating, albeit more plush, taking up the center in rows.

As he drifted onto the bridge the Meche pilots were repeating commands as if going over a checklist before lifting off. With the final command a button was pressed and the Meche ship disappeared from my view. Seconds later dust and debris blew out from where the Meche ship had set down. They had lifted off.

The video feed from Hershen's helmet continued a broadcast over his QE comm. The Meche ship accelerated for fifteen minutes before beginning to slow. It had flown to the other side of the rocky planet. When it came to a stop a large Meche vessel appeared before it. The smaller ship entered a port on the larger ship's side. Hershen was now on-board a Meche cruiser.

I sent him a text and asked that he please drift out of there at the earliest opportunity. We did not want to have to chase them half way across the galaxy in order to bring him home. He asked for only a few more minutes to accomplish the task at hand. When I asked what that was his response was for me to be patient. Again, Hershen's bold behavior put me on edge.

Five minutes passed and our sensors detected the Meche ship departing from the planet. Hershen texted soon after, asking for a pickup. When we arrived the door opened and in drifted Hershen with a broad smile on his six eyed face. He winked at me with three eyes at once.

He stepped over to his station on the ship and retrieved a QE comm cube. He then held it up in front of me. I asked what it was he was trying to say. He responded by telling me that he had placed the corresponding cube on the Meche ship and that we would now be able to track their whereabouts. I then asked how we would do that as the QE device was only capable of transmit / receive and had no location service with it.

He remarked that the one on the Meche ship did, courtesy of science officer Hillman and his boredom. Hershen had stashed the QE cube with the star maps aboard their vessel. Unless someone stumbled across it, jammed in and behind some piping, we would know their location for the next six months to a year as the nano-reactor in the cube kept it powered up and broadcasting. With a little software tinkering that six months to a year could easily be extended further.

We had our desired encounter with the Meche. When we returned to the planet Skkez, I presented the Governor with another QE cube with the promise of patching through the Meche ships location when it came into sector four. He was grateful and offered up any service that the Geffel could provide.

I asked that he use the knowledge not to destroy the ship but to chase it from his territory so that we could continue to track its location. With luck we would find the Meche home world. As I was turning to leave I thought of a new request. I was interested in knowing how the Megar were able to detect our ship. He asked an aid for the information and suggested we sit for a few minutes.

When the aid returned he handed the Governor an electronic pad. The Megar had discovered that when a ship dropped through light speed there was a tiny signal given off when energy was once again converted to matter. They had stumbled upon it centuries before and had given the sensors in all sectors the ability to detect it. At anything over a quarter light years distance from a sensor the signal dropped to the same level as noise. The Governor was delighted to offer it as a gesture of trust.

We departed the sigma Orionis area having established good starting relations with its governments. The tracking of the ship was a gift that the Geffel could not have been more grateful for in their longstanding fight with the Meche. We had definitely made new friends.

We had identified four new species whose symbols adorned the DaCuban site including one from the left door, the "evil" door. The Meche ship was headed towards Mintaka at the other end of Orion's belt, we were following after. The trip would take us 20 days at full speed but the Meche ship was moving much slower. Our estimate was for an arrival in 57 days. The exploration of new worlds was turning into quite the adventure. And it seemed to be transforming Hershen into a thinker and doer rather than just an observer. It was a change I was glad to see.

As we puttered along, shadowing the Meche cruiser, the techies on our science team attempted to integrate the portable static field generator into the Saxon's systems. If we happened to get captured within another static field we would be able to open a window in the field and slip out. That is, unless the field generated had a higher power level behind it, in which case we would be out of luck.

The team took the time to study the loads of data the Pern, Rechin and Geffel had given us about their people and cultures. It was an anthropologist's dream come true. As we cruised along I ordered the crew to maximize their sleep-time. Given the current situation, I was unsure of when the opportunity might come again. If our full energy was needed, we would be well rested.

The Meche ship slowed on its approach to Mintaka, veering off to a planet orbiting a much smaller nearby star. Before dropping through light speed one of the techies mentioned using the static field as a sort of shield for the matter to energy conversion issue. If we were to project a static field just in front of the ship as we dropped through light speed we should be able to block the signal from traveling in the forward direction.

But there was still a problem. The static field would reflect every signal, again leaving a possible point of detection. Hillman soon had the answer, he would modulate the power going to the field causing a standing wave to ripple across its surface. Any signals arriving at the field would be diffused and reflected back at a different angle. The static field was deployed at one quarter light year’s distance as we slowed the ship; we were not met by any escorts.

The Meche system had two planets and three moons in use by their populations. Transport ships were logged moving between each. The larger planet had a thick atmosphere while the smaller had the blue marble look of Earth. The three moons were each about 500 kilometers in diameter.

Several space stations were in orbit around the smaller world and our sensors detected the Meche cruiser docking at one of them. It was determined to be a military station as the ships docked at it all appeared similar in color, shape and size to the one we had followed. Harris got immediately to work translating the signals that permeated the space surrounding the Meche worlds.

We again placed the static field in front of the Saxon and pushed the throttle forward. We shot through light speed and then drifted towards the planet. After passing we would slingshot around its sun back to a safe distance. The maneuver would bring us to within 250 million kilometers of the smaller planet where our sensors would be able to detect an object on the planet's surface the size of a Meche.

As we neared the planet, Harris spoke up with an excited voice. He had a language translator ready and had also broken the encryption on their military channels. If we were spotted, we would soon know.

Science Officer Brett Miller doubled as our radio frequency specialist. He was able to fine tune our receiver to single out signals coming from the Meche cruiser we had followed. They reported the incident at the mining colony as an anomaly. The sensor they had left behind triggered but nothing was recorded.

They also reported returning 212 new Geffel prisoners. The response from their commander was that it was hardly worth the effort. The next time they had better not return until their holding cells were full. The captain responded with a submissive reply.

We soon had mountains of data from televised signals giving us our first look at the Meche. They were bipeds with a copper colored leathery skin and a head that looked as though it had been chopped down the middle with a meat cleaver. Their slanted red eyes set deep into the base of each cleaved stump. Droopy dog ears hung from each side and a small mouth with sharp teeth lay in the center between the eyes.

The Meche were a small species at only a meter tall. They had twin elbow joints, a bulbous midsection and spindly legs. There was nothing about them that could be counted as attractive. Images of their offspring were always of a large crowd sitting before an instructor. After a day of images it seemed the species was one with no sense of humor, no sense of adventure and nothing any of them did could be construed as entertainment.

We scanned all of the ships in flight to see if any stood out from the rest. We hoped to be able to see something that told us of interaction with any other species. The ships were all of the same sleek black appearance with four antennae protruding from the bottom of their fuselage. I wondered if the Meche also lacked an imagination.

Once we had completed our recon run and moved to a safe distance we decided to make a run to the nearest stars. All had planets in the habitable zone that were burnt out hulks. I wondered if the Ogle had visited them in the past, subjecting every living creature on them to a fiery CME death. The systems surrounding the Meche were lifeless.