Punishment

by Guerin Zand

  “I’m going to go up and see if he’ll talk to me.” I slung my SCAR-H over my shoulder so as to not alarm him.

  “Wait, Guerin.”

  “What is it, Katie?”

  “He has a gun if you hadn’t noticed. You’re going to be exposed and an easy target.”

  “He’s not going to make a shot from that distance with that rifle. Look closely. He only has open sights and at 300 yards that’s almost an impossible shot.”

  “Almost impossible.”

  “You two stay back and cover me. You should be able to make the shot from here if needed, but don’t. If he raises his gun, give him a warning. I don’t think he will though. He knows we’re here. We must have tripped some alarm or something coming up the trail. Why else would he come out now? He’s looking around, trying to find us. Trust me, I’ll be ok.”

  “Somethings wrong, Guerin.”

  “I know, Steve, but I don’t think we’re in danger. I think we’re being tested. Trust me. I’ve been through enough alien bullshit to smell their crap even at this distance.”

  I stood up and made myself visible to the man on the front porch. It took him a few seconds to notice me walking towards him, but his only reaction was to raise his hand over eyes to block the sun. His gun was pointing downward and he was simply watching as I approached. I waved at him. I don’t know exactly why but it seemed the thing to do. His one hand remained to shield his eyes from the sun and he raised the hand with the rifle in it and waved back. I was glad that Steve and Katie didn’t take his raising the gun as a reason to shoot.

  It took a while to reach the front porch. The whole time the man just stood there. The rifle was still in his left hand but the barrel remained pointed at the ground. When I finally got to the porch I stopped and we both looked at each other. Neither of us spoke for a few seconds. The man was definitely a native American. His jet-black hair, tanned skin, and strong face were just what one would expect.

  I held out my hand. “Hello, my name is Guerin Zand.”

  He reached out, took my hand, and we shook. He had a strong grip and, as is the usual male custom, we tried to impress each other with our strength. The handshake only lasted long enough to show each other we didn’t need to prove anything. “Jim Black Wolf. Are you lost?”

  “No. We’ve come here to talk to you if you have a few minutes.” I purposely let him know I was not alone. He probably already knew that so I thought being honest about it was best.

  “Are you with the government?”

  I smiled. “Well, not any government you’d be familiar with.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Jim. Do you mind if I call you Jim?”

  “That’s fine.”

  “Jim, I think you know exactly what that means. I’ve come to talk about what’s been happening here.”

  “Are you the ones my friends said would come to help?”

  “Your friends? I’m sorry, Jim, I’m not sure who your friends are. I think maybe I wasn’t given the whole story. My friends are well known for not giving me all the information I would like. Perhaps your friends have done the same?”

  “That’s possible. Perhaps you should come in and we can talk. We have coffee brewing and your friends are welcome to join us.”

  “Thanks. My friends would be more comfortable staying where they are for now. After we talk maybe I’ll introduce you.” I used our comms to tell Steve and Katie I was invited in for coffee and they should hang tight. I’d test the comms once I got inside.

  We entered the lodge and it was beautiful inside. It was decorated as one would expect in a south-western style country home. The furniture was old but in perfect condition. The first thing I noticed was the windows were transparent from the inside. I turned to the nearest window and walked over to it. I put out my hand to touch it and it wasn’t glass. It felt solid but had no texture that I could feel as I slowly moved my finger over the surface. I tried my comms and got no response. Something was shielding this house.

  “Interesting.”

  Jim just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders.

  “Can you disable the shielding, please? My comms aren’t working in here. You must have some advanced shielding. My comms can’t be blocked by any known Earth technology.”

  Jim walked over to a roll-top desk and opened it exposing a control panel that was not of this world. He did something and he nodded to me. I checked the comms and I got through. I reassured them that things were ok. I would check back in with them within the hour.

  Jim placed his rifle down and leaned it against the desk. I unslung my rifle and placed it on one of the couches. I removed my pistol from the holster and set it next to the rifle. Jim came over and seemed interested in the weapons I had with me.

  “May I?”

  I reached for the rifle, ejected the magazine, cleared the chamber, and handed the rifle to Jim. “It makes my rifle seem like an antique. What’s the range?”

  “With that optical sight, 800+ yards.” He looked impressed and he carefully inspected the rifle. He handed it back and I returned it to the couch. I then picked up the .45 I had brought. I again made the weapon safe before I handed it to him. He just gave it a quick inspection. The sidearm didn’t appear to interest him as much as the rifle. He handed it back and I put it on the sofa.

  “Please. If you’ll follow me to the kitchen we can sit and talk over coffee.” Jim led the way and I followed. In the kitchen was a young woman. Another native American with long jet-black hair and as beautiful a woman as I’d ever seen. She smiled and brought the coffee pot from the stove and sat it on a mat to protect the wood table top. I noticed as she walked to the table that she had a limp.

  “This is my wife, Sally Flying Woman.” She simply nodded to me as she pulled out a chair and motioned me to sit. Jim took a seat as well and Sally brought two mugs, filled them with the steaming coffee and handed one to each of us.

  “Thank you,” I said. Sally again simply nodded and began to walk away. “Won’t you be joining us?” Sally looked at Jim and he signaled her to take a seat. I took a sip of my coffee and asked Sally, “How long have you been married?”

  Sally looked at Jim and he answered. “Almost 60 years.” He looked to see my expression. He expected his answer to shock me. They both looked at most to be in their late 30’s.

  “She doesn’t talk?”

  “She can, but she is, well, not shy, but wary of strangers.” I didn’t press him for an explanation.

  “Ok. Well, the reason I was sent here is because you shouldn’t be here.”

  “Where should we be?”

  “I don’t mean it like that. I assume you are both human?” They laughed and nodded yes. “This place shouldn’t be here. It is not built by humans, correct?” Jim nodded yes again. “Well, there are restrictions that do not allow outsiders on Earth, or their technology.”

  “I am not aware of any such restrictions.”

  “Perhaps you’re not, Jim, but your friends are. I was sent to find out what you’re doing here and decide what should be done about it, if anything.”

  “And what gives you that right?”

  “Good question. It might be better if one of your friends, the ones who built this place, could join us?”

  “That would be highly irregular. They come when they need to speak to us. We do not summon them.”

  “But you can communicate with them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you tell them an emissary from the Collective would like them to come and talk.” Jim started to say something but I held up my hand to stop him. “Jim, if you are not aware of the Collective, your friends most definitely are. It would be easier for me to have this conversation with them and they can explain it to you. I need to understand what you’re doing here and who is behind this. If I can’t get answers I will have to remove this facility, whatever it is. I have no other choice.”

  Sally got up and left the room. “Sally will send a message.
I was told that someone would be coming to help us. Is that not why you are here?”

  “No. Not that I know of, but like I said, sometimes I am not giving all the information I need. What is it you need help with?”

  “Some travelers have gone missing.”

  “Travelers? You’ll have to explain who these travelers are.”

  “This facility is a layover, a transit hub, for travelers. Their method of travel is limited by the distance they can reach, and this facility is part of a larger transit system. Usually, travelers will simply arrive and then depart to the next hub or their final destination. Some may be weary from their travels and will stay for the night to rest and we provide lodging, food, and drink. Some like to venture outside to see Earth, sightseers you might say, before traveling on. Some of the travelers have been here several times. We consider them our friends and they may simply stay a few days to visit. Two travelers came through with a small group about a month ago and have gone missing. Our friends said they would send help to find them.”

  “Do you know where these travelers are from?”

  “No.”

  “Jim, travel to this planet is strictly forbidden, except for a few exceptions. In those cases, special permission is required, and the travelers are well monitored. Your facility is not only not allowed to be here, but you have allowed others to travel her in violation of this restriction.” Jim shrugged. He obviously was not told about any of this which did not surprise me. His friends obviously didn’t want him to know any more than he needed. That sounded familiar.

  “Earth is like a game preserve, Jim. You can think of me as the park ranger who was sent to investigate an illegal settlement in this preserve. What I find is a bed and breakfast where trespassers are welcomed. What should a park ranger do about this?”

  Sally entered the room and whispered something in Jim’s ear.

  “A friend will be arriving shortly. If you’ll follow me I will take you to where he will arrive.”

  I followed Jim to the back of the kitchen where he opened a door that, from what I could tell, led back into the hill the lodge was built into. The walls of the hallway were made of solid rock and they were polished smooth as glass. We walked down the hallway to another door. This door was made of metal and was several inches thick. Jim waved his hand over a hidden sensor and the door slid open revealing a large cavern dug out of the hillside. There were rows of equipment that I could not recognize. The light inside the room appeared to come from the ceiling but I could not see any light source. We walked past an area that was a series of shelves like you would see in a warehouse, packed with boxes of varying sizes. Jim led me back to an area with several machines surrounding it. I saw what appeared to be a control panel of sorts and a platform.

  Sally handed Jim a piece of paper and as Jim read what was on the paper he entered some commands at the control panel. I looked at Jim. “Now we wait,” Jim explained.

  We only waited for a couple of minutes when, what I assumed was an alarm, sounded from the control panel. Jim entered another command and the alarm was silenced. On the platform, a cylindrical field of some sort appeared. It reminded me of the stasis field I had seen used in the medical center on the shuttles. A bright, almost blinding light, appeared inside this field and it lasted a few seconds. When the light faded, the field that contained it disappeared and a being was standing there.

  These aliens had transporters! No, according to my alien friends there was no such thing. Have I mentioned how much I hated it when those assholes lied to me?

  I walked up to the platform. “I’m Guerin Zand. The Collective’s Earth emissary.” I held out my hand.

  “Froshjen Leank.” He reached out and shook my hand. “I’m from the planet Schlearj. Are you familiar with my planet?”

  “No.” Of course, I wasn’t. That sort of information would be too useful. Froshjen was a typical looking human if one could say that. He was slightly shorter than me, had orangish-blonde hair, very small round ears, and a thin build. His skin color was a bit pinker than that of white skinned humans.

  “Should we go somewhere we can talk?” Froshjen held out his hand to indicate we should return to the main house.

  “I am going to ask my friends to join us if you don’t mind. They should hear what you have to say as well.” I used the comm to contact Steve and Katie and updated them with what I currently knew. I told them to come and leave their weapons on the porch. Someone would greet them at the door.

  “That would be good,” Froshjen replied. “I’m sorry I was not aware that an emissary had been chosen. If I had known, I would have requested to speak to you directly.”

  “Not a problem. The Collective aren’t known for being open with that sort of information.”

  We made our way back to the main house and we returned to the living room. I moved my weapons from the couch and set them out of the way. I sat on the couch and Jim and Froshjen took a seat in a couple of the chairs available. Sally went to the front door and waited for Steve and Katie to arrive. A few minutes later they entered the living room and I made the introductions. The three of us took a seat back on the couch and Jim and Froshjen took their seats as well. Sally stood behind Jim with her hands resting on his shoulders.

  “So, I understand you have some questions for me?”

  “More than a few Froshjen.”

  “Please, Guerin, my friends call me Fro.”

  “Ok, Fro. What the hell are you doing here? You know the Earth, and the surrounding area for many light years, is restricted, do you not?”

  “Yes. We are aware of the Collective’s restrictions on travel to this area. This facility is only a relay station, for lack of a better term. The travelers who pass through here do not stay. We thought perhaps the Collective would ignore our presence since we avoid any form of interference with human development.”

  “I don’t think building an alien outpost, and hiding it from the Collective, is hoping they would ignore your presence. You are obviously trying to hide it from them and a couple of your travelers have decided to stay. If you’re not going to be honest with me, then I don’t see a reason to continue with this discussion. As I told Jim, you need to convince me not to kick you off this planet or that is just what will happen.”

  Froshjen sighed. “We did contact the Collective when the travelers went missing. We thought perhaps if we were upfront about it they might consider making an exception for us.”

  “Well, I’m the one that will make the decision and it doesn’t appear to me that you’re being upfront with us. It sounds to me like you’re just covering your ass here.”

  “Let me try and explain then. Our method of transportation is not as advanced as the Collective’s. We simply do not have the ability to manipulate spacetime that they have. To travel long distances we can spend years, centuries, traveling in craft at faster than light speeds, or use the transportation mechanism to send individuals nearly instantaneously between two locations. The problem is that this method has a limited distance we can travel. We can send a being’s conscience, or soul as Jim often says, through the void, but not their physical body. We actually don’t send their bodies, but the information required to duplicate their body is sent. Their body is destroyed at the departure site, this is part of the scan needed to make an exact copy and recreate it at the destination. It is the limit on how far we can send that information that is the factor. For that reason, we need these relay stations. Earth is the only habitable planet in range that we can use to reach beyond Earth.”

  “Well, that explains why Earth, but that’s not my problem, is it? You know the rules and you could have asked the Collective to make an exception before you built this facility. I still have not heard a reason why I shouldn’t shut you down.”

  “The reason for this station is not just to make travel beyond Earth convenient. Are you aware of the Trogan empire?”

  “Yes. I recently had a bit of a disagreement with their emperor.”

  �
��You’re that human? I had heard about an incident with the Emperor and a human, but the news out of the empire is not always accurate. Many believed it was just propaganda put out to justify future actions against Earth. Everyone is aware that the Trogans want to annex Earth.”

  “Yes, that was me. I have no idea what story the Emperor may have put out there, but I would bet it’s mostly just that, a story.”

  “Then you are aware of how the Trogans treat the people of planets they occupy surely?”

  “Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”

  “We use this transportation system to help refugees and slaves from these worlds escape the Trogan empire. Many of the independent worlds have treaties with the Trogans that would require them to turn over these people if the Trogans requested it. Not all of us agree with these treaties. They were made by governments more concerned about what the Trogans might do if they did not have these treaties. They are not as concerned for the lives of these refugees. That is why we have to send these people out beyond the Trogan’s reach.”

  “If that is all true, then the Collective would most probably have allowed this if you asked. Why didn’t you?”

  “We don’t want it known what we are doing. If we had asked, that information might get out, and we would be shut down by our governments.”

  “You’re still not telling me everything, are you?”

  “No. We think that somehow the Trogans did find out. It’s possible that the two missing travelers are actually agents of the Trogan government.”

  “See, that’s exactly why I have a problem with you operating on Earth. You know that there’s a price on my head, literally?”