Waking in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 2)

by D Patrick Wagner

  “If our entire fleet was equipped with the X-cannon, we could hold them off, destroying them faster than they could get into the battle. But that is not the case. We have only the one and it is not enough. Therefore, over the next hours we will create a plan of action for two contingencies. One will be for standing and fighting and one will be for an aggressive withdrawal, causing as much damage to the enemy as possible. Then we escape through the Bridgelen gate. Under no circumstances can we fail to get that alien ship back to Cencore. But we are going to draw some blood, kill some bugs in the process. Get meals, drinks, whatever wake-me-ups you need and let’s get started. It’s going to be a long night.

  Aboard Griffin

  Krag, Keiko, Princess Analyn and Doctor Roshnak left the three engineers and Vidhee to their task. Reaching the bridge, they found Doctor Ganakin studying, describing and commenting on everything he inspected. Mr. Shukilar dutifully trailed behind, taking notes, absorbing everything the lead scientist did and trying to understand this new alien race. The two stopped, faced their Princess and bowed their heads, ears flat, back of their paws against their foreheads and tails down.

  “Hello Doctor, Mr. Shukilar. How are you progressing?”

  The two took Princess Analyn’s response as permission to rise. “Slowly but surely, My Princess.” Doctor Ganakin answered for both of them.

  “We may be able to help with that. While we were travelling from the cargo bay, Captain Marston volunteered for an open-ended discussion about anything we wish to discuss. It was thought that we would all retire to his ship’s eating area, his galley. I think that’s the proper term.”

  “That is correct, Your Highness. Because our ship is so small, it is also labelled the wardroom, a place for group meetings.”

  “Thank you, Captain Marston. Shall we?”

  “This way, please.”

  Captain Marston led. Keiko and Princess Analyn followed, the Asian woman appearing small and frail beside the rangy cat-being. Sir Mahajani, the ever-present bodyguard followed at a protective distance, seeing everything, planning for any contingency. The train continued, with the three green-clad scientists following last.

  Keiko continued her professional persona, being the perfect hostess and ambassador between the newly introduced races. She mentioned her home world, her family. During the short walk she worked to make her people more Elonian to the princess.

  The seven, two humans, five Elonians, arrived and entered the galley/ward room. Krag, casually and as non-threateningly as possible, approached a wall locker, opened it and pulled out a collapsible table. Mahajani’s ears angled at the captain as he placed a hand on the pommel of his scimitar. Princess Analyn flicked an ear in negation. The others stood and watched as he set it up and attached it to the main dining table.

  “Do you sit on some sort of chair or stool?” Krag asked.

  “If you mean a sitting device with a back support, yes we do,” answered Doctor Roshnak. They are a great deal like yours, however we have a vertical slot that allows freedom for our tails.”

  "I understand. Once we get Mack free, we can modify our chairs for your comfort. Until then, can you sit in these?” He pointed to one of the chairs. “Would they be too uncomfortable?”

  All of the Elonians looked at their Princess. She walked on soft cat’s paws over to the chair, coiled her tail around her waist and elegantly sat, flicking an ear at Krag.

  Krag came to realize that that particular ear flick matched a human’s raised single eyebrow. Returning to the wall locker, he hauled out three more chairs, arranged them around the joined tables and sat. Keiko and the three scientists joined Krag and the Princess. Sir Mahajani remained standing, positioned to see the whole room and entrance.

  Krag turned to Keiko. “Keiko, I’ve taken this as far as I can. You are the daughter of an ambassador. You are more skilled at negotiation, at dialogue, than I am. Would you please take over, continue helping the Elonians understand who we are, that we want only peace?”

  “Of course, Captain.” Turning to the Elonians, she asked, “Where would you like to start?”

  For the first time, Princess Analyn’s bodyguard asked a question. “If I may, My Princess?”

  “Of course, Sir Mahajani.”

  “Mz. Suzume, I see you have a wall of weapons. Is your race a warring race?”

  “A good place to start. At one time we were. Over the centuries we have learned to dampen our proclivity towards domination through violence. We now redirect our efforts towards achievement through learning and spiritual growth. It would be wrong to say that we no longer have violent tendencies. We do. But those are unleashed only for self-preservation of ourselves, of our communities. Other than that we have learned to control those behaviours and learned to walk the path of societal growth and personal advancement. Does that answer your question?”

  “But, from these weapons, you still have warriors.”

  “Yes. Captain Marston is a warrior. Not a true warrior with those weapons, His warrior skills revolve around fighting ships. We, the people on this ship, use those weapons for physical training and mental discipline.”

  “Perhaps the captain and I could train, trade knowledge and experience.”

  “I wouldn’t mind that, Sir Mahajani,” Krag replied before Keiko could. “However, I doubt that I would be much of a challenge or give you more knowledge. My style with a weapon is slow, strong and ponderous. You would simply overpower me. Might I recommend another form of competition? We call it ‘wrestling’.”

  “Wrestling?”

  “Yes. No weapons are used. No strikes or crippling blows are struck. We grab each other and attempt to put the opponent in a position where he cannot escape.”

  “We have something like your wrestling. We use it for strength and stamina. We also have large tournaments for our warriors to compete against each other.”

  “Do you compete?”

  “I used to,” Mahajani proudly replied.

  “He was grand champion for many years,” Princess Analyn contributed. Since his retirement he has served the throne.”

  “I understand. You might enjoy training with Mz. Suzume. She, on the other hand, would give you something to learn. Her fighting style is very much different than mine.”

  “Your child-bearers, your women, fight?” a surprised princess questioned.”

  “As I said, Your Highness,” Keiko coolly intervened, “Humanity began as a fighting species. My world, my sub-section, or race, of humanity continues that tradition, but only for spiritual enlightenment and mental discipline. I simply continue to practice the skills I grew up learning.”

  Doctor Roshnak kept checking his recording device, insuring that every bit of conversation became historical records. “You practice personal combat but never use it. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, Doctor. We believe that knowledge of war, the ability to conduct a war is the surest means of guaranteeing peace. We have a saying, ‘Peace through Strength’.”

  Taking back the conversation, Sir Mahajani asked, “Is your species a hunting species? Do you hunt other animals?”

  “We do. We, on some of the more primitive planets, hunt to survive. Humans are omnivores. We eat both animal and plant protein. And, sadly, some humans hunt for sport.”

  Seeing and hearing the stress in Mz. Suzume’s response, Princess Analyn took back the conversation. “Your species sounds very much like ours. Most of our evolutionary path took us through a period of forest dwelling, hunting and killing for sustenance and also hunting and killing as rights of passage. We’re not so different, although it appears that our natural weapons, our claws, our teeth are superior to the human equivalent.”

  “Then, you are also meat eaters. Do you eat plants?”

  “Doctor Ganakin?”

  “Not much. The plant life on our planet is extremely dense and hardy. The amount of energy used to convert it to something edible far surpasses the nutrient value. However, some of our less-hardy plants are used
for medicine. Some are boiled, extracting the juices for drinking.”

  “I have a suggestion. Let’s see if our bodily proteins are compatible. If they are, then I will have our food processor make up a dish to your liking.”

  “That sounds interesting. Princess, would that be alright?”

  “What would this entail?”

  “Just a small drop of blood. I place it in that machine, over there, against the wall. I activate it and it processes the sample. Buster analyzes the results and reports his findings.”

  I see no problems with that procedure. Volunteers?” the princess asked.

  Sir Mahajani immediately stepped forward from his position of overwatch. “Me. I’m used to injury.”

  “I guess that’s settled. Mz. Suzume, if you will?”

  “Buster, are you still with us?”

  “Of course I am, Keiko. Where else would I be?”

  “Just checking.”

  “In fact, with the help of our new friends, I should shortly be with you in person.”

  “So they’re moving forward in getting you into your avatar?”

  “Yes Mz. Suzume.”

  “Back to business. I am going to take a sample of Sir Mahajani’s blood. Could you run an in-depth analysis and determine if the Elonians could eat our food?”

  “Certainly. No problem.”

  “Buster just keeps getting stranger and stranger,” Keiko thought. “Thank you, Buster.”

  “You are welcome, ma’am.”

  Everyone had waited patiently during this conversation. “Sir Mahajani, I forgot to ask. Humans have a system, called the circulatory system, which pumps a fluid throughout our bodies. We call this fluid ‘blood’. It carries all required nutrients throughout our body. Does your physical system have anything like that?”

  Doctor Roshnak intervened. “Yes, we do. Elonians also have a circulatory system. Your word, blood, translates into the same as our circulatory fluid.”

  “Where would be the best place to draw a small amount? About this much?” Keiko held up her index finger and indicated its length.

  “In between the opposing paw claw and the one next to it. A vein, I think that is what you mean, is close to the surface there. You shouldn’t cause any harm.”

  “I was thinking of someone else. Doctor Roshnak, have you ever drawn blood?”

  “Only from dead beings. You want me to do it?”

  “If you don’t mind. I know nothing about medicine. And I think you know more about Elonian anatomy than I do.”

  “I accept. What do I do?”

  During the conversation, Keiko had moved to the medicine cabinet where she had removed a hypodermic and prepared it for the blood withdrawal.

  “The plunger is completely closed. Just insert the needle into Sir Mahajani’s vein and slowly pull the plunger back until the cylinder is about three-quarters full. Withdraw the needle and you are done.” Keiko pointed to each element of the hypodermic as she explained each function. Handing it to the doctor, she moved back and watched critically.

  Doctor Roshnak slowly followed the instructions under Keiko’s watchful eye. Sir Mahajani never flinched. The hypodermic filled with a burnt-orange liquid, matching the color of Princess Analyn’s tunic. At three-quarters full, the doctor extracted the needle from under the large Elonian’s skin and handed it to Keiko.

  Keiko looked at the vial and at the princess.

  “Now you know why our royal color is what it is. It represents the life of our people.”

  Keiko took it and returned to the medical device. After removing the needle, she placed the now-filled cylinder in the machine and turned it on. The monitor glowed a soft green. Light bars slid up and down, electronic waves scrolled across the screen. A soft ping signified the analysis as complete.

  “Buster?”

  ‘I’m checking out the results, Keiko. A few moments please.” A few moments passed. “After analysing the Elonian blood and comparing it with human blood, I conclude that they can eat our food. I can’t determine if it is nutritional as I don’t have access to their digestive enzymes or system. But, from what I can see, there should be no problem. The same goes for humans eating the Elonian food.”

  “Thank you, Buster. You just gave us a direction for our next step. Princess Analyn, would it be too much to ask if a typical Elonian meal were to be delivered to our galley? We could then do a nutritional comparison and determine if there is a cross-compatibility.”

  “Doctor Ganakin?”

  “I think that is a very good idea.” Going quiet for a moment, the doctor contacted Vidhee via telepathy. “Vidhee, could you have one of your attendants deliver a simple but complete Elonian meal to the Griffin’s galley? We are conducting an experiment.” He and everyone else waited. “Thank you, Vidhee.”

  Turning back to the group, he continued, “The meal will arrive shortly. Vidhee also stated that they are progressing with the avatar upgrades and Buster should be able to insert himself shortly.”

  “Then we wait,” the princess stated. “Captain Marston, what is that device at the back of the galley?”

  “That is what got us here. What it is, I’m not sure. Mack and Sue could explain it much better than I. Let’s hold off on that discussion until they finish with Buster. Would that be alright with you?”

  “That will be fine.”

  * * * * *

  At the same time as the conversation took place in the galley/ward room, the cargo bay crackled with the creative energies generated by three scientists and one artificial intelligence.

  Mack, Sue, Vidhee and Dame Srilin stood in the cargo bay of Griffin, staring at and scheming about Buster’s avatar. Vidhee stepped forward and placed her mechanical paw on the chest of the dormant android.

  “Very strong. Good construct.” Using her remote accessing abilities, she dove into its electronics. “Neural network is good. Processor is capable. Not fast. Maybe half of the speed of our normal processors. Memory and interface is the same.”

  “That’s a heavy duty droid,” Mack interjected, hiding the fact that it also functioned as a war machine. “For hardware, it’s the best we humans have got.”

  “The processor and memory components are about the same as our household helpers. The mechanics are much more advanced, maybe a top-end laborer or technician. The gross strength activators are very good, as are the fine motor skills actuators” Vidhee removed her paw from the avatar’s chest.

  “Well, you and your people are way ahead of us. I mean, just talking to you, except for your shiny skin, I’d have no idea that you are artificial. Is it alright to say that? Artificial?”

  “Artificial implies a fake copy. We, as a people, prefer ‘Synthetic Beings’ or just ‘Syns’.”

  “I hear ya, gal. Is ‘gal’ alright? It means female, with affection, like friendly respect.”

  “Yes, Mack. I am a ‘gal’, as you say. And thank you for your respect. Is Sue a ‘gal’?”

  ”Nah. She’s more of a lassie.”

  “Lassie?”

  “Uh, yeah. The kind of female that a man would be a wantin’, a keeper.”

  The two of them, plus Dame Srilin turned their focus on the person of their discussion. Sue blushed a deep red.”

  “So, I’m a ‘gal’ and Sue’s a ‘lassie.” I’m not desirable? You wouldn’t want me? I’m not a keeper?”

  “What? I never said that!” Mack’s squirming was obvious to all.

  “Vidhee, don’t be mean to our new friend,” Dame Srilin interrupted. “He doesn’t know your sense of humor. Quit teasing him.”

  “But it’s so much fun.”

  “You’re playing with me? That’s not fair.”

  “We have a saying. Life’s not fair.”

  “We have the same saying.”

  “Back to Buster’s avatar. After studying the available space in his housing and the connections, with modifications, I believe we can upgrade his processor, increase his core memory and expand his data storage.”
<
br />   “How close to your capabilities will he be?” Sue asked.

  For mobile syns, I’m one of the most advanced. There are very few of us. Those of us who do exist are members of the Monarchal Legal Court. All other syns are at least one step below us. No, Buster won’t have my capabilities. He will be very powerful though. Probably around eighty percent of me. He’ll have a very high processing quotient. And he will continue to be very strong, very fast. With his enhanced processing, Buster will be a lot faster.”

  “Sounds good, Syn-Gal. Let’s get started.”

  “My ship contains all of the upgrades we will need. I’ll have one of my assistants bring the required components and tools.”

  “We can’t go get them? Maybe get a tour?”

  “Probably not yet. I’ll check with Captain Kakkarna. But I doubt it.” Vidhee froze for almost a minute. “No. You need to stay here, in quarantine, for a while, until we clear any possible pathogens or get the crew of Wisdom Seeker inoculated.”

  Mack turned to Sue. “I tried, Lassie.”

  “No problem. I do want to see our host’s ship. But it’s not like we have nothing to do. Between upgrading Buster and analysing the artifact, our plate is pretty full.”

  “Artifact?” Dame Srilin chirped up. “The translation describes something very old, from a previous, maybe long-gone civilization. Is that what you mean by an artifact?”

  “Yes, exactly that. The stars where Humanity lives, a dead civilization previously existed. Periodically we find artifacts from them, whoever they were.”

  Srilin and Vidhee exchange meaningful glances. “And you have one here? On board Griffin?” Dame Srilin asked.

  “Yes. It’s in the ward room. We were experimenting with it. That’s how we got here, in your star system.”

  “You got it running?”

  “I don’t know anything about running,” Sue responded. “We got it to activate, do something. What, we don’t exactly know. But it allowed us to jump our ship.”