by T J Bryan
Matchless nodded and then struck another pose lifting his arms above his head and flexing his absurdly toned muscles. Silvi though she had seen that kind of pose before in an old holo vid about body building. It had struck her as odd then, but now it seemed ludicrous."
Matchless spoke, "We shall return in eight months or your years, or in 401 of Wu's days. We shall bring as many of those engines as your require."
Silvi replied, "At four coins each we require 749 engines in addition to the one you have provided for testing."
Matchless struck another pose as did the other three Theans. "A deal is made," Matchless said. The Theans turned to leave and Silvi interrupted.
"And your commission. How do you wish to receive our genetic material?"
Matchless responded, "A fresh male and female cadaver will be accepted. It must be very fresh."
Before Silvi could respond the Theans were gone and Silvi was stunned. What had she committed herself and the Commonwealth to.
After a short conversation with Smilot confirming what they had seen and heard, Silvi returned to Ragnarök. Before leaving she asked Captain Smilot to locate any inhabitants of Wu Station who may have knowledge about Hypsistos; its culture, people, and economy.
Captain Anna Arast stood waiting on the bridge.
Silvi asked, "Did you get a good scan on the Thean ship? What can you tell me about it?"
Anna turned to first defence Rozel Eldjárn. "Mr. Eldjárn, what can you tell us about the Theans."
Rozel remained sitting watching the Thean ship on its' slow departure from the Wu System. "It is an old design but with very up to date Fusion engines. Propulsion is by reaction mass which is water, the ship design originates with the old Epigoini Republic, but it is not nearly a four thousand years old. If I were to guess based on its' mass and overall signature I'd say it was perhaps one hundred to two hundred years old. No older. But the engine is new or extraordinarily well maintained. Perhaps both. She was quite possibly built well after the Great war. That would mean of course that someone is running a shipyard out there in the void."
"Is she armed?" asked Silvi.
"Not that I can tell, but any ship out here in The Dark would be foolish to travel without either an escort or arms."
Anna continued, "We scanned the entry point and pinged our new portal monitors and we detected no escort ship. Now that does not mean there are none, but it is a good indication. I would assume the Thean ship has some basic munitions for defence."
Silvi thought a moment and the asked, "Which portal are they headed for Mr. Eldjárn?"
"Happy Landing. They are headed to the Happy Landing portal."
"Odd," said Silvi. If I remember Happy landing has entry portals only to Hsi and Fitz and Fitz will only bring you back to Wu. Hsi had a portal to Old Stones and that's about it. Astrogator Milford, if they end up at Happy Landing where can they go from there besides returning here to Wu."
Niles Milford worked his astrogation station for a few moments before replying. " Your right about not getting too far. From Happy Landing they have only Fitz and then back to Wu, or there is a Fitz link to Narlanda. The Narlanda link we know is masked. If they go to Hsi they might come back to Wu or move on to Old Stones. Now Old Stones has three portals, one is that crazy jump to the gas cloud so far way. The EG says the other two portals from Old Stones; one to Cranmore and the other to our old friend Sargon."
Silvi spoke to no one in particular, "Now, I wonder why Happy Landing. Other than returning to Wu or stopping for fish at Hsi there is not much out in that direction."
Anna responded, "I agree, If I were to speculate I'd say it is Old Stones. Perhaps they are on their way to Cranmore."
Silvi's vid-com chimed and it was Captain Smilot who had gathered three of Wu Stations inhabitants who had first hand knowledge of Hypsistos. They were waiting at the dock. Silvi excused herself and left the bridge and back to the dock. Silvi had decided long ago that strangers to the OCN should not be invited onto the ship unless there was no alternative and in this case the conference room on Wu Station was appropriate. Captain Smilot greeted Silvi and led her to the conference room where only hours before she had spoken with the Theans. The scent of the Thean males hung heavy in the room.
As they entered the conference room three of Wu Stations citizens were sitting at the table. One was a very old woman and the other two rather young.
Captain Smilot introduced the three to Silvi. "May I introduce May Wong from the Diana system with its' rather vigorous weather. May has been to Hypsistos on three occasions during her life."
May remained seated but nodded toward Silvi in a respectful manner. If it were not for Silvi she would still be a slave captive of the madman pirate who had ruled the Wu system less than one year ago.
"And this is Syrina Misoff from Eos and this is Alfida Pompey from Hypistos itself. All three are now full citizens of the Wu Republic and have little interest in returning to their systems of birth and I am proud of their membership in our society." Syrina was a pale young woman of average height but badly scarred from some past encounter with the pirates who had captured her, and Alfida was not much older. Alfida was rather short with dark brown hair and a slight curvature of her spine which Silvi knew was as a result of malnutrition at an early age.
Silvi wanted to put all three at ease. "Shall we have tea? I understand the Longwell Dragon tea is most fine from New Carthago. I really enjoy the fragrance of Longwell, will you have some with me?" asked Silvi.
All three nodded and Silvi stood, walked to the counter at the far side of the conference room and prepared the tea. Silvi took a long time in preparing the tea and Captain Smilot gathered some tea snacks to add to the moment.
Silvi poured the tea into five cups and sat down. She lifted her tiny cup and inhaled the vapors. "Excellent." Silvi commented, as the others reached for their tea. May Wong, like Silvi simply inhaled the fragrance of the Longwell Dragon tea as if the scent were enough of the pleasure of the tea. Syrina and Alfida swirled the tea about in the cup, and Alfida blew upon the tea in an attempt to cool the scented brew. Silvi lapsed into silence.
Almost five minutes passed before the tea was consumed and Silvi began to ask the three about their lives here on the liberated Wu Station. Syrina and Alfida proved loquacious and anxious to speak. May Wong remained silent although Silvi could see she was rather pensive in her appearance.
Syrina spoke first and loudest. "I vivsited Hypsistos on two occasions to install fibre optic systems for communications. A beautiful land it was. And the water. Oh my god the very idea of standing water and so much of it. You could actually smell the water, and sea water smelled different than the fresh. I never saw so much water in my life. And I found the men most attractive, but a bit selfish, if you know what I mean. Oh, and the food and wine. So wonderful. And the breezes from the west after the noon time rains. It was heaven. I never saw water fall from the sky. Some kind of miracle I think, but when we went outside and let the water wash over our bodies it was so wonderful. So heavenly. Well for the most part it was heaven, but for the men."
Alfida who was a native of Hypsistos interjected, "Well, that's the natural state of things. Men rule, women obey. Not that I am complaining, but I like it here at Wu much better. Here we outnumber the men ten to one." Alfida laughed with a powerful laugh that made Silvi wonder about Alfida's sanity. Her treatment at the hands of the pirates must have been horrific. But what of her prior treatment on her home planet of Hypsistos?
Syrina continued, "On my home planet at Diana no one would ever dare to venture outside, but on Hypsistos, oh it was so calm, peaceful and lovely. The gentle breezes, the smell of the flowers, and the ever flowing waves that covered the tops of the huge fields of grains. Oh and the wine. The wine."
Alfida snorted and then laughed. "They gave you too much. Did you see how the rustics really lived? Under the heal of those fat Senators, with all of their genealogy, and their history. Fat and decadent every one, and their
progeny, their sons were even worse. Only when the fields burned, and the Centurions came, and the wars raged did they ever prove their worth, and more often than not they died fat, dumb, and drunk as their neighbours took their lands and their crops and their rustics. No, there was no glory or honor on Hypsistos, only the pain of field labor and the hope of civil war to bring about a change."
"Alfida", asked Smilot. "Can you tell us about your life. As a 'rustic.'?"
Alfida laughed again and then began to cough uncontrollably. After a few moments she regained control. "Those Senators and their Centurions, they lorded it over everyone. They starved the rustics and then lived a life of luxury. So much wine and food, they lived well while we died. That is until we rose up and killed them all. Everyone of them and their snivelling sons. Those little bastards they died like piglets in a trough. I killed a few myself in my day and I would do so again if I had a chance." Here Alfida paused and looked about the room. "But I am from Wu now, and all that is in the past. It's over. I care not about those slugs."
Silvi could see that as much as Alfida wanted to be rid of her past it was impossible. The pirates had been bad, but her life on Hypsistos hard and possibly even worse. Alfida seemed to have run out of invective and Silvi turned to Syrina.
"Syrina, and what did you observe on Hypsistos when installing your systems?"
Syrina thought a moment before replying. "It is a fertile land and they had odd restrictions as to where we could dig to lay fibre optic cable. We often had to go miles out of the way so as not to disturb some grapes or trees. Now I know we can dig without making any damage to trees but they were so picky. Well, it all goes to show they were a funny lot. And their sons, the sons of the Senators, so many, so handsome, and so stupid. I had a number of them, if you understand, but none was worth anything. Just a bunch of studs if you ask me. Nothing else. Simple minded, simple lives, and they died simple as the civil wars swept the countryside. Killed them by the hundreds the Centurions did. I saw if for myself. Of course the Centurions knew we were contractors on the fibre optics so they left us alone. Just killed and killed they did until the rule of someone else was in place. Then everyone just settled down and began farming again. That went on for a while until it all started up again. You know wars. Revenge, honor, land rights, stuff like that."
Silvi nodded and knew that both Syrina and Alfida had provided all the information they could. Silvi looked hard at May Wong who had said nothing. "Well, thank you Syrina and Alfida. If I need to speak with you again I shall call on you. Now please return to your duties here on Wu." Both women stood and left the room leaving May Wong sitting silently in her chair.
Silvi waited until the two women had left the room. "Ambassador May Wong, would you like some more tea?"
May Wong sat up in her chair and nodded yes.
Silvi continued, "Captain Smilot tells me you were the representative of the Diana system on Hypsistos for many years. The official representative as I understand, and that you were captured by pirates while transiting from Hypsistos to your home world."
May nodded her head.
Silvi thought a moment. "May, as a formal representative of the Obsidian Commonwealth and its' Navy, I recognize your diplomatic privileges and we will honor them. Should you wish to remain silent in fulfilling your duties to your home system I will acknowledge that fact. However I wish to learn from you. As a keen observer there is much you can tell us about Hypsistos. Now let me be clear, we are not conquerors or colonizers. Obsidian is simply too small to have any desire for conquest, however we do seek the restoration of knowledge and civilization and you may well be in a position to assist us in that objective."
May straightened up in her chair and reached for a fresh cup of tea. "Ah, words I have heard before. And never spoken with truth. Always lies."
Silvi knew May was speaking the truth. The language of an ambassador who had seen too much of The Dark. "May, don't expect us to be different than those evils of the past, I cannot ask you to do so. But I can ask that you consider that we may be different. That our motives are honest, if not pure. Eventually some one, some how, needs to restore humanity and civilization and drive back The Dark into the light. Just give this a moments consideration before you reject our offerings."
May took a drink of her tea and looked Silvi hard in the eyes. "For the moment I shall suspend my disbelief. But only for a moment. A thing is not necessarily true because a man or system dies for it. But you have my attention."
"Thank you May Wong. I only ask for a moment of your time and for consideration without bias. You may accept or reject my views, but please listen."
They continued their discussion for two hours. May described the organizational system of Hypsistos in some detail including its' strengths and faults. Strong Hypsistos was on food production but weak on governance. The capital of Romulus was the seat of governance and in good times the lands of Hypsistos were peaceful and bountiful. But the ambition of men was unlimited, and within the Senate of Romulus men rose and fell in power, but occasionally went to war to prove their merit. But war they did, and every hundred years or so civil war was the result. Each Senator, who represented an extensive household, often dispersed across the verdant countryside, would raise an army headed by professional soldiers called 'Centurions.'
Then, upon some trumped up charge or aggravated insult, they would set to war. One household fell and another rose to prominence. But never did anyone achieve a victory to ensure peace. Warfare seemed a way of life and the rustics, as always seemed to bear the most of the misery of war. That is unless one considered the Senators and their sons who seemed to die like sunflowers under a wilting sun. Death was a constant on Hypsistos if one were a Senator or his many sons.
Silvi sought to draw the conversation back the proposed trade goods required by the Theans. "And what of the wines and foods of Hypsistos. I understand that they are in great demand by their neighbours."
May Wong smiled as if she finally thought she understood the mercantile motivation of the OCN. "Yes, their foods were in great demand before the Great war, and probably still are renowned in the histories. But I know little of these stories. Food passes and is gone. Life is what matters. Nothing else."
Silvi realized that May simply thought of her and the OCN as simply another predator to be killed or accommodated. In this Silvi was determined to prove May wrong.
"May Wong, may I invite you to visit our home system? To see our Assembly in its' work and to potentially join our alliance and the Senex of Stars?"
Silvi could read the scepticism on May's face. "No, I don't except you to decide now or perhaps never. But please give us a chance to learn who we in the Commonwealth are and how you might view our role in the universe." Silvi thought for a moment that her language was a bit extreme, but then again how could she otherwise express her greatest desire without hyperbole.
Ambassador May was silent for almost two minutes thinking. "Yes," she said. "I would like to visit your homeworld."
Chapter Seventy Four
Wu System - Destructor New Hildr - Year 3247. February 15 ET: 09:43
Farn stood on the bridge of her new ship the Destructor New Hildr. She was a destructor and had power only unimaginable when Farn was captain of the SAR Mist. 24 tubes with 48 autoloaders, 128 'K's and 128 sand casters and a crew of 17. Her armor was far more durable than a SAR. A destructor could take many hits and give more in return. The New Hildr also had a capacity for 32 anti-matter torpedoes, which were of course hopelessly disabled. Abel had left Farn with most of her experienced crew with the exception of a few destined for further promotion in the OCN. Farn was short a captain for the New Hildr and had to fill the role of both Commodore and Captain. For the Mist which sat in the docking bay of New Hildr she had a newly minted pilot in Elan Masters who had made only one out of system voyage before joining Farn.
Farn and the Destructor New Hildr entered the Wu System and without waiting headed immediately for Happy Landing. Their
objective was Narlanda and the Encyclopaedia Gallectica editors. Farn had not taken up residence in her captain's quarters but had rather bunked down with an increasingly fragile Nomi. Nomi needed Farn near her and Farn realized this dependence. Giving up the captain's quarters was a minor annoyance given the potential of Nomi's work on propulsion and something Nomi called 'gravity containment'. Farn had great affection for Nomi, but was increasingly worried about the intensity of Nomi's intellectual pursuits. After hailing Wu Station and acknowledging their right to passage, New Hildr immediately headed toward Happy Landing and then on toward Fitz. Two days later they arrived in Happy Landing. Farn did not stop even for a quick scan of Happy Landing before heading to Fitz and its' masked portal to Narlanda.
Farn had discussed the masked portal to Narlanda with Nomi, but Nomi had seemed distracted and annoyed by any discussion of 'masking' of portals. Farn was unsure as to how to interpret Nomi's annoyance. Nomi had either figured out what was the cause of the masking, or she had simply not yet figured out how to deal with the blockage. Farn had no way of determining which.
They entered the Fitz system and Farn deployed probes and mailbox systems around the entry portal. The system seemed quiet. A full scan revealed the remains of the Dumbbell ship and the destroyed SAR Kára. Toni Hamilton's ship was now just plasma and metal flakes as Ragnarök had ended her life with a few 'K's following the Battle of Fitz to avoid her recovery. Farn had little time for reflection as she called Nomi to the bridge and began the search for the masked portal to Narlanda.
Nomi went immediately to the astrogation station and then after some preliminary work stood and excused herself to the hold which held her advanced instruments. Farn was tempted to follow but decided her place was on the bridge. After an hour Nomi returned and began once again to work the astrogation station.
Farn knew not to interrupt Nomi at her work. When Nomi had a conclusion she would state it and right now Nomi needed to concentrate. Nomi stood once again and froze in a posture of deep contemplation and then raced for the hold of Hildr and her instruments. Soon she returned. She had a rather blank expression on her face which Farn knew was akin to a profound observation.
