by Doug Farren
Chapter 7
Heshgerv walked over to Tom and gently took his arm. “May I have a word with you?”
Tom allowed himself to be led away from the rest of the family. They were all at the starport waiting to board their shuttle. Although they had arrived on separate days, they would be returning to Fanish on the same flight. The shuttle was due to begin boarding in half an hour.
As soon as they were sufficiently far away, Heshgerv said, “I think you will recall that I had concerns over your declaration of gragrakch with my cousin.”
“Concerns?” Tom smiled. “Hostile objection would be a more accurate description.”
Heshgerv dipped her head and her tail drooped in embarrassment. “I have known Lashpa since we were very young. Over the past few days, I’ve watched how she behaves with you and you with her. I was wrong. I didn’t think it would have been possible, but you are gragrakch. I’m very sorry I doubted your sincerity.”
Tom reached out and put a hand on Heshgerv’s chest. It was a Rouldian gesture of comfort and acceptance. “Apology accepted. You were within your rights to question our decision. Your expression of your belief at the time was embarrassing but understandable. Frankly, I was surprised you were the only one who objected so vocally.”
Heshgerv glanced back at the family to make sure nobody was listening. “There were others who questioned your understanding of gragrakch. They chose not to voice their concerns so as not to ruin the celebration. It was even suggested that you had somehow coerced her. But, it’s inconceivable that Lashpa could have been wrong. Once declared, gragrakch is a lifelong commitment and cannot be reversed.”
“And what do people think now?”
“There is still much talk,” she replied. “But now it’s focused on how unique the bond is between you and my cousin. We can see that not all of the changes that have occurred since Lashpa left Fanish are a result of her peacekeeper training. Even though it’s difficult for some of us, we’re glad you two found each other.”
“As am I,” Tom replied.
Lashpa looked over from where she was standing with her parents. The look on her face told him she knew exactly what they were talking about. She dipped her head ever so slightly indicating her approval.
“We should get back to the others,” Tom said. “Thank you.”
Tom started to turn to leave but stopped when Heshgerv grabbed him by the arm. “Shava told me what you did for Lashpa—the little surprise modification you made to her ship. Has she seen it yet?”
“No.”
“Your surprise is yet another indication that you are truly chuloogranack. She’s going to be happy beyond belief.”
“I certainly hope so,” Tom said, heading back to the others.
“We have something we’ve been saving for the right moment,” Kirth said, as Tom and Heshgerv rejoined the group. “The family wants to formally thank you for giving us this opportunity to visit our home world. We’ve had a very good time.”
Tom glanced at Lashpa and instantly knew that something big was about to happen. “It has been my pleasure to spend time with you during the past few days. I’m glad to have been able to see your home world with you. It’s a beautiful planet filled with amazing people.”
Kirth reached into his pocket and pulled out an identicard. “I know you have a peacekeeper identicard granting you access to any planet in the Alliance. This one is a special issue from our central government recognizing you as a Rouldian citizen. More importantly, it’s proof that you have been entered into our central genealogical database as a Rouldian. This is important as it solidifies your declaration of gragrakch with our daughter in a manner than cannot ever be challenged.”
Tom took the identicard. “I … I … How did you manage to arrange this?”
Kirth’s tail was curled up over his back indicating how pleased he was over Tom’s reaction and proud of what he had accomplished. “I made an official request through the Department of Genealogical Records on Fanish.”
“A request?” Shava said, putting her hand on her mate’s chest. “It was far more than just a request. He made a pest of himself until they capitulated.”
Tom stared at the identicard. “I don’t know what to say other than thank you!”
Lashpa leaned over and put an arm around Tom. “You are the first non-Rouldian to be entered into our genealogical database as a Rouldian. Congratulations!”
Shava took a step forward and wrapped her arms around both Tom and Lashpa. Even though he was sandwiched between two reptilians, he felt perfectly at home.
After squeezing hard enough to have cracked a normal Terran’s ribs, Shava released them. “This is a fitting conclusion to what has been the best trip of my life. We’ve visited our specie’s home world, stood in the foothills of Vrlich’oon, and now we’re leaving with memories and mementos we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Thank you!”
Kirth put a hand on Tom’s back and one on Lashpa’s chest. “When will you two be leaving Roulda?”
“Tom and I have some business to discuss with the Department of Genealogy,” Lashpa replied. “After that, we’ll check in with peacekeeper command to see if they have any assignments for us. If not, we’ll pick one of our own.”
An announcement was made that boarding was about to begin. Tom walked over to Kirth, touched two fingers to his lips, swiped them down Kirth’s neck, then touched them with his tongue simulating the Rouldian tradition of tasting as best he could. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Have a safe trip home.”
Kirth’s tongue flicked out and touched Tom’s neck. “May fate look favorably upon you.”
“And you as well.”
The near ritualistic parting ceremony was repeated with the entire family before they turned and headed for their shuttle. As soon as they were out of sight, Tom turned to Lashpa and said, “I’m going to miss them.”
“As will I.” She turned and began walking. “My ship informed me a few moments ago that we have received an assignment. I’m assuming you received the same information?”
“I did,” Tom admitted. “He told me we couldn’t leave for at least another day because our ships are being modified. Orion said we would receive our mission briefing from Rouldian Fleet Command. I wonder what that’s about?”
“Krish also did not elaborate. We are to meet with Rouldian Fleet Command in about two hours.”
“Our appointment with the Department of Genealogical Records is not until tomorrow morning,” Tom said. “If you don’t mind, I need to take a break from this gravity and I’m curious about these modifications. Since we’re already at the starport, do you mind if we check up on our ships?”
“I was about to recommend the very same thing.”
* * * * *
“WHAT THE HELL!” Tom exclaimed as soon as he saw his ship. “Orion! Where’s our particle beam cannons?”
Each peacekeeper is assigned a Seeker-class scout ship. The 300 meter diameter, black, saucer-shaped ship was the peacekeeper’s mobile home and office. The ship’s AI—the most advanced AI built by the Alliance—continually monitored and guided the peacekeeper assigned to it. If a peacekeeper ever attempted to violate the law, their ship’s AI could disable their cybernetics. No such intervention has ever been required.
Other than its shape, the most distinguishing feature of the Seeker-class of ships was the large particle beam cannon mounted on top of the craft. The cannons on both Tom’s and Lashpa’s ships were gone.
“The mission requires that all exterior armament and missiles armed with nuclear warheads be removed,” the Orion instantly replied. Tom glanced at Lashpa and saw she had received the same message.
“These modifications have obviously been going on for some time,” Tom said. “Why were we not informed?”
“Your presence was not required and you were visiting with family,” Orion said. “We decided not to interrupt. Please board the Krish.”
Side by side, Tom and Lashpa walked over to the Kri
sh’s entrance ramp. A large, flat truck was parked under both ships along with a small military guard. One of Krish’s missiles was in the process of being transferred to the truck.
“This has got to be one hell of an unusual mission,” Tom said.
“Indeed,” Lashpa replied. “I can’t think of any situation requiring a peacekeeper to be disarmed.”
“I hope we won’t be without any means of defense,” Tom said.
As soon as they entered her ship, Lashpa stopped and tilted her head up. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air. “Something is different,” she said, turning to look at Tom.
Unable to help himself, Tom smiled. “I don’t see anything. The gravity is dialed down a bit though. Thank you.”
Lashpa started walking down the passageway. “My ship smells different. What did you do?”
The door to her stateroom was open. She stopped just short of entering, her tail curled tightly over her back and vibrating with intense pleasure. After staring into the room for several seconds, she slowly put her right front foot down into the new living floor.
Even though peacekeeper limbs were cybernetic, they were equipped with thousands of microscopic sensors allowing them to feel almost identical to the natural limbs they were designed to replace. Early cybernetics equipped with only rudimentary tactile sensors had resulted in a decrease in the quality of life and a constant feeling of numbness and a sense of loss.
Lashpa inhaled deeply through her nose then exhaled through her mouth. Swinging her head around, she looked at Tom. “It feels and smells like real grass!”
“It is,” Tom replied. “I did some- - -”
Lashpa whirled around, wrapped her arms around Tom, and put the side of her face against his. “I don’t know how you did it, but, thank you!”
Unlike Terrans, Rouldians do not cry when they experience extreme emotion. Most of their body language is expressed in the movement and position of their tails. Their facial expressions are very difficult for non-Rouldians to read. Tom, having spent so much time with Lashpa, could read hers as well as he could those of a Terran. If Lashpa had been a Terran woman, she would have been crying with joy and smiling from ear to ear.
Tom put his hands on either side of her head. Tears of his own joy ran down his face. “You’re welcome.” They remained like that for a moment before they parted.
Wiping his eyes, Tom said, “I did some research and found out that most of the higher-class Rouldian starliners have real grass flooring. It took some digging, but I found the company that installs it and arranged to have them put it on your ship. Krish had to make some minor modifications to keep it hydrated.”
“But, how was it done so fast?”
“The grass comes in rolls complete with soil and a built-in network of hoses to keep it fed and watered. On Earth, we use a similar technique to create a lawn. We call it sod.”
Lashpa stepped into her new stateroom and closely examined the floor. Running her hand through it, she rumbled with delight. “I don’t know how I can ever thank you enough for this,” she said.
Tom stepped inside and laid down on the new floor. “It’s not the same as the park at the academy, but it’ll do.”
Lashpa joined him, laying her head on the grass next to his leg and curling her tail around until it rested next to his other leg.
“No. But it is real grass.” She ran her head back and forth as she inhaled deeply. “My ship has a real grass floor. Thank you.”
Tom draped an arm over the back of Lashpa’s neck and scratched lightly under her ear. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter 8
An aide stepped into the small conference room where Tom and Lashpa had been waiting for the past 10 minutes. “Everyone has arrived. They’re ready for you.”
The two peacekeepers walked across the hall into the main conference room. It was filled with high-ranking officials representing the Rouldian space force as well as the government. Tom’s ship identified them as he scanned the room, overlaying their names and positions in his field of vision. Grand Admiral Thirsh sat at the head of the long, low, oval table. A government adviser and a Fleet Admiral sat to her right. Two other Fleet Admirals were seated to her left.
Tom sat on the end of the bench-like piece of furniture that served the same purpose as a Terran chair. Lashpa settled into the one to his right.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” Grand Admiral Thirsh began. “There were some internal matters we needed to discuss first. Everyone here knows who you are. Can I assume your ships have identified everyone present or would you like us to formally introduce ourselves?”
Lashpa glanced at Tom, then replied, “No formal introductions are necessary.”
The room lights dimmed and a long-distance view of a planet appeared over the center of the table. “This is L103-021. It’s located 340 light years from Roulda. Several months ago, an automated survey probe identified it as being suitable for colonization. No intelligent life was detected. Six weeks ago, the planetary survey ship Vartha’oon arrived to conduct a thorough survey to confirm the initial findings. At first, no sign of advanced or advancing life was found.
“Shortly after beginning their survey, the Vartha’oon’s probes detected low levels of electromagnetic radiation. Further investigation determined it was coming from a primitive, arboreal animal. A decision was made to capture one of them. This is what happened.”
The planet dissolved and was replaced by the video recording of the attempted capture of the creature. The recording included all communications between the Vartha’oon’s bridge crew and the shuttle sent down to retrieve the specimen.
At the conclusion of the video, the Grand Admiral continued with her narrative. “Shortly after this event, another survey probe captured this image.” The view shifted to show the grounded warship.
“That’s a Chroniech warship!” Tom exclaimed.
Grand Admiral Thirsh slowly nodded her head. “It is an interesting coincidence that you are here today,” she said, her tail swishing back and forth. “Because, we believe you’ve seen this ship before.”
“When?” Lashpa asked.
“PKX-177.”
Tom’s mind flashed back to the time he and Lashpa had discovered two Chroniech warships that had been stranded in Alliance space following the end of the Chroniech war. An advanced race called the Kyrra had ended the war by sealing themselves and their ancient enemy, the Chroniech, inside an impenetrable transdimensional barrier that warped space. Several Chroniech ships had been outside the barrier when it was erected. Most had been destroyed.
“So that’s what happened to it,” Tom wondered aloud. “It disappeared into deep space while the other one went on to attack several Alliance worlds. What is it doing on the surface? Warships like that can’t land—they crash. But it looks intact.”
“You will see in a moment,” the Grand Admiral replied. “Immediately upon seeing the warship, the Vartha’oon left the system. We dispatched a fleet from the nearest base to ensure the Chroniech had not established another base of operations in Alliance space. The presence of the grounded warship and the manner in which the survey probe was destroyed, however, led us to believe we might be dealing with an advanced species and not the Chroniech. Going on that assumption, the fleet was instructed to make contact. We’ve prepared a short video documenting what happened after their arrival.”
Tom and Lashpa watched the encounter with the drone as it tried to get a closer look at the Chroniech warship. Through the records of the Tharveth, they watched as the Paranuth was warned and then attacked. The record clearly showed how the Tharveth attempted to warn off the attacker after it began pulling the Paranuth toward the planet and the counter-warning from the alien ship.
“Computer, hold!” Tom said. “I’ve seen that type of weapon before. That’s Kyrra technology!”
“I did not know you were at the battle of Almaranus,” Admiral Fach said.
“I was a communications tech on the Komo
do Dragon at the time,” Tom replied. “Even though we were still docked inside the Kyrra worldship, I was watching the progress of the battle from a communications station in the worldship’s control room. I can tell you for a fact that we are not dealing with Chroniech. They would not have bothered to fire a warning shot. If they were in possession of a weapon like that, your entire fleet would have been destroyed.”
“We have come to the same conclusion,” Grand Admiral Thirsh said. “As further proof, continue to watch and you will see what became of the crew of the Paranuth. Computer, resume video.”
Ten minutes later, the video concluded and the lights returned to normal.
“As you can see,” the Grand Admiral said, “As long as the crew cooperated, they were not harmed.”
“Have you been able to establish communications with them?” Lashpa asked.
“Not exactly. The Tharveth continuously transmitted a standard first contact language translation request but received no reply. Shortly after the crew of the Paranuth were far enough away from their ship, a short text message was transmitted directly to the Tharveth.”
The Grand Admiral touched a control and the message appeared on the room’s large monitor. “As you can see, it’s in Galactic Standard. Shortly after the message was received, Admiral Shurvith ordered the fleet to leave the system. They are standing by one light year from L103-021’s star.”
“Why are our ships being disarmed?” Lashpa asked.
“The Vartha’oon was allowed to orbit the planet and deploy its survey probes. The class-one probes were also allowed to operate within the planet’s atmosphere. A survey probe was destroyed when it attempted to capture one of the planet’s indigenous inhabitants. The Paranuth was warned not to approach any closer and was disabled when it ignored that warning. We believe, and Peacekeeper Command concurs, that the inhabitants respond negatively to armed intrusions and violence of any nature. If we are to establish contact with these people, we will be required to follow their rules—meaning no weapons.”
