“Only one way to find out.” Kel touched one of the lights. The door through which they had entered slammed shut, and all of the lights in the room dimmed.
A small point in the middle of the room slowly brightened. Within a few seconds it started to resemble a white, hot star. The light brightened several small spheres that quickly spun around the star.
“This is the Ulliam system,” Fran said.
A loud voice, spoken in the familiar Ulliam dialect, boomed throughout the chamber. From the planet that represented Ulliam, a small, egg-shaped object appeared. The egg quickly established the familiar looking tail of a comet, and the voice continued to speak as the comet drifted away from the sun. “I wonder if this is a documentary,” Kel pondered.
“Or a reeducation tool. I don’t know about you, but I think we need our overstressed and overworked translator down here to let us know what this guy is saying.”
Chapter Ten
“Captain Cook, it’s been ten hours. I demand an update,” Rulla Plooma yelled to Marjorie. She knew his tiny form on the monitor wasn’t so tiny in real life. His little maneuver a few hours ago still fresh in her mind, she had half a mind to shut the transmission off.
“Rulla, I’ve already sent you a report about what we have found, and I expected you to communicate that to your government.”
“Oh yes, that report. I do not care you found some aliens asleep on the comet. I just want it to not destroy my planet. I think that you are hiding something from me. Perhaps you want our planet to be destroyed and you’re only here to claim it as your own afterwards.”
“That’s ridiculous to even consider,” Marjorie said. “Why would we want a dead planet?”
“It will only be dead by population, not material. It’s no secret that you want us to join because you want our metals. Do not deny it, Captain, I know.”
“I won’t deny it, because it’s true. A mutual treaty will benefit us both. You’ll get the technology to explore, and we’ll get the materials to help protect you and the rest of the alliance. I don’t see why that’s such a big deal.”
“It is a big deal to my people. Why should we give you anything?”
“I am not hiding anything about the comet.” The less you know about my ship, the better, she thought. “Everything is on the report I gave you.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I visited the comet to confirm what you have found. After all, it is my planet, and I know you have your ambassador over there.”
“She’s only over there as a translator, not a diplomat.”
“But she is still over there. We have no representative should you make contact with the aliens.”
He had her backed into a corner. She didn’t want to relent but felt she had no choice. Saying no would be an insult. Plus, he did have a point. She hated to admit it, but it was a very good point. “Fine, Rulla, but on one condition. Only you go along. My men will watch over you, both to protect you should you need it and to watch you should you decide to try anything.”
He considered this for a moment, then gave what she thought was a smile. “That is acceptable. I will have my ship on yellow alert, ready to attack should your people try anything. Do we understand ourselves here, Captain?”
“We do. I’ll alert my men that you’re on your way.”
~*~
Professor Ricter found it necessary to follow Ling to Kel and Fran’s location. She understood he was curious but wondered if it was more than that; perhaps he was jealous Kel and Fran found the two important things on the ship. She got the feeling the professor was the kind of man who didn’t care if he didn’t find the stuff; he’d still put his name on as the person who discovered it anyway.
They found the room where Kel and Fran were and walked in. Whatever simulation they had told her about had ended, and the two of them stood in the middle of the room looking around. She could hear Fran talking. “I don’t see any holographic equipment.”
“Could be hidden,” Kel said. “Or they could use some holographic technology we’ve never seen before.”
“What did you find, exactly?” Ricter asked, walking over to them.
“It’s some sort of movie or simulation,” Fran said. “No way to tell until we have it translated.”
“I’ll do my best,” Ling replied, putting a small earpiece in her ear. From her a pocket she pulled out a small black box that she held in her hand. “All right, let’s play the show.”
Kel walked over to the control panel and pressed a few buttons. The room dimmed and the show started. She tried not to concentrate on the images in front of her, a large sun with planets surrounding it, and instead focused on the voice that boomed in her ear.
She didn’t listen to the story, only the words as she frantically tried to translate them to Common. She didn’t hear her own voice as she spoke; instead she felt as if her voice were just a vessel that her mind used as it heard the words and did its best to figure out how to convey the meaning of the language. The phrases she didn’t know, she just repeated, hoping when she saw them in context she could figure them out.
Finally, the show ended and the lights came up. The others stood around her watching, waiting for her to say something. “This is going to take some time to figure out,” she finally said. “I’m going to stay here and look over what I’ve recorded; I may need to rerun the program again to fill in some gaps. You’re all welcome to stay, but I really do this better alone.”
“Can’t you tell me anything?” Ricter asked.
She looked over what she had loosely translated. “It’s their story. That’s all I want to say right now.”
“You mean it’s why they are here?” Kel asked.
“I don’t want to say right now, Commander. I’m sure you understand that. I know how important this is to everyone, and the last thing I want to do is give you bad, or even wrong, information. So please, I’ll have it translated shortly, and when I know the full story I’ll let you know.”
“Commander Lipton,” Captain Cook’s voice said in the radio, “please respond.”
“Lipton here, go ahead.”
“Commander, you’re about to have some company. Rulla Plooma wants to inspect the comet. I want you and about five guards there to watch him.”
“Why is he coming over here?”
“We really had no choice. He has a right to make sure that we’re doing our job and not trying to deceive or destroy the planet.”
“Captain, that’s—”
“No talking, Commander, only listen. He’s coming over, and I want him treated with the respect we would give any visiting captain.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll head back to the shuttle to greet him. Commander Lipton, out.”
“I’ve never seen her talk to you that way before,” Fran said.
“Yeah, she gets that way when she’s stressed. She’s right; I shouldn’t speak my opinion on an open channel like that. It might not be secured properly. Will you guys be okay while I meet this Rulla guy?”
“I still want to find the particle accelerator, if they have one,” Fran said.
“I’ve done all I can in the hibernation chamber,” Ricter said. “I want to go with Fran to check the ship out. Ling, when you get that translated let me know right away.”
~*~
Kel had better things to do. He could be exploring the comet with Fran or helping Ling with the translation or, the worse of all evils, helping Professor Ricter to do something. He did not look forward to meeting this Rulla.
He felt the shuttle lurch as the Rulla’s transport latched onto it. The portal opened and in walked the tallest alien Kel had ever seen. Kel was a tall man to begin with, and when he came up to an alien’s chest, that alien was tall. He had to admit this Rulla carried with him an aura of intimidation. He looked around and sniped, “I would have expected something more cheerful.”
From what he had read, the Rulla would sense any tentativeness and mark it as a sign of weakness. Kel had to be careful about wha
t he said and did in front of this alien. “Rulla Plooma, I’m Commander Lipton. Welcome on board.”
“Commander? So, you have less authority than the captain?”
“Yes, but I hope to be promoted soon enough.”
He made a noise that resembled disgust. “I did not plan on meeting someone of lower rank.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I can assure you any order I give will be followed.”
“I carry the same rank as your captain, so you will have to answer to me as well.”
He took a deep breath to try and relax the rage in his gut. “We do not have a treaty, and therefore your rank is irrelevant. However, as a representative of your people, I will respect your diplomatic standing.”
“You say all the right words, Commander, but your eyes betray your fear.”
“I’m sorry to say that you’re wrong; it’s not fear I’m holding back.”
“So, you would like to fight me, then? You would like to throw me off this shuttle and see my dead body float in space?” He leaned in so close Kel smelled his foul breath.
The challenge could not go unanswered. He wanted to tell him the truth, that yes he wanted to see him off the shuttle. Instead he just smiled, looked up at the Rulla and bared his teeth. “I would love to fight you one day. But today is not that day. We have work to do, and this is not getting it done.”
Plooma gave off what sounded like a laugh and pulled his face away from Kel. “You Earth people have more backbone that I gave you credit for. That will serve you well in the future. Show me what you’ve found. I would also like to meet this Professor Ricter. I have a few questions I’d like to ask him.”
Kel let Plooma stride by him before he started to breathe again. “This diplomatic stuff is for the birds,” he said under his breath.
~*~
For once it seemed Ricter was too preoccupied to talk. As they walked down yet another endless hallway lined with doors that led to living quarters, Ricter wrote down notes in his pad. He was distracted; it wasn’t hard to tell that. The events of the past few hours seemed almost impossible to comprehend, and it was going to be up to the professor, Fran, and Thomas to gather as much information as they could before the captain needed to make the final decision about what to do.
Ricter said, “This map that Thomas created is good, but I can’t make heads or tails of where an engine might be.”
“We’re heading toward the front of the ship, and most ships have their particle drives there.”
The deeper they walked, the more Fran heard a deep, low hum. She placed her hands on the wall, and then leaned against it where she placed her ear. “Do you hear that?”
“No, what do you hear?”
“It’s a purr. I think we’re getting closer to the engine.”
They continued to walk down the hallway, following the deep bass sound of the engine. They finally reached the end of a long hallway with a large door. Ricter did as he had done with all the other doors and placed his finger inside the hole and flipped a switch. The door opened. The low thrum vibrated through Fran’s body and made her teeth rattle. The room was smaller than one would think from an engine room. However, in the middle was something that looked to Fran’s eyes like a smaller version of the particle accelerator they had on the Arwen. “I think we found our accelerator.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s a good bet the comet as been in wormhole space for a long time. Thomas will be happy to hear that; it will prove that the ship isn’t as old as we once thought.”
“Professor, Fran, Kel,” Ling said through the communicator, “I have a good translation. Well, at least one that I’m comfortable with. You guys might want to come back to the hologram room.”
“Guys,” Kel said, “I’ve got some company. Rulla Plooma will also be joining us.”
Fran had the feeling that was more of a warning than just simple information. Professor Ricter replied, “Thank you, Commander. Ling, can you tell us what we should expect?”
“The reason they left Ullima.”
“I think that’s a good enough reason to hurry, don’t you?” Kel said.
Fran and Professor Ricter jogged down the hallway trying to get back to the hologram room as quickly as they could.
~*~
Ling, who was much shorter than most, tried her best not to stare at the massive alien in front of her. The few dealings she’d had with the Jerrasic had been short and monitored by Blueic. She knew how to deal with them but still felt very uncomfortable standing in the same room as an alien who made it his job to start wars.
“Okay,” Kel said, “I’ve got the captain conferenced in. Captain, can you hear me?”
“Yes, go on.”
Ling forced herself to look away from the Rulla and at her notes. “I’ve figured out how to get this simulation working, so I’m going to start it and translate just what he’s saying.” She walked over to the computer and started the simulation.
The room went dark, and the narration began. Ling read her notes out loud as it played, trying her best to keep it synchronized with the images as they appeared. “We made a huge mistake in creating the Ulliam. They rebelled against us and forced us to leave in a very unfit manner.”
Like before, the sun slowly faded into view. “We do not know how advanced they will become in the next thousand years, so we must take precautions to be sure they do not find a way to hunt us down and destroy us. We built ourselves a ship and disguised it as a comet.” The comet appeared around the planet. “They will never suspect the object that will appear after a thousand years will be us returning home. Hopefully they will lose their bloodlust after all that time.” She stopped the simulation as the comet left the system. “That’s it, that’s all it says.”
“Who are they?” Professor Ricter asked.
“Well, after the simulation ended I noticed this light blinking, so I pressed it. Now, watch this.” She pressed the other button. “What we saw was just the end of the story. This told me everything else.”
The room dimmed again and the solar system disappeared. In its place was a close-up of the Ulliam planet. Green and brown dominated its mostly flat, ocean-less surface. “This is a history module. He gives a series of what I think are numbers and letters. Hard to tell. The rise of Meriam and the Ulliam.
“Altering the genes of the Ulliam to make them our helpers was a foolish mistake. In making them smarter, we also gave them the ability to understand the concept of slavery and independence. But we needed to make them smarter since our lives were so short and our reproduction rate so long. We were few in numbers, but we managed to conquer the planet with our vast intellect. We needed another race, a race that lived longer and was much tougher than us, to help as we tried to unlock the mysteries of the universe. We did not think of them as slaves. We thought of them as helpers.”
The image zoomed in on the planet, sweeping through the atmosphere. In the distance, over the flat surface, a large city grew closer. Ling recognized it right away as Ulliam City, the capital of the planet. Buildings reached high into a clean, clear blue sky. City blocks radiated out from the center of the city.
“We outsmarted ourselves when we introduced some of our genes into their gene pool; the result was the mutation known as Meriam. He was the Ulliam who led the rebellion that forced us off the planet. The war was short. We were powerful in weapons but small in number. Meriam understood and sent wave after wave of Ullima into our capital city, killing as many of us as they could.
“So we used the newly discovered technology of holed space, and we fled.” The image faded and was replaced by the sun with a repeat of Ling’s first translation. “That’s it,” she said.
“So, they fled. Cowards,” Plooma said.
“They did what they needed to do to save their race,” Professor Ricter replied.
“I would rather die for my people than run with them. These creatures do not need to be alive. We should destroy this comet and finish what the Ullima could n
ot three thousand years ago.”
“Rulla,” Captain Cook said, “I will not destroy the comet. Ricter, Kel, I want you back on the Arwen. We need to figure out how to move this thing out of the way. Rulla, you are more than welcome to join us if you want.”
“I believe I have as much a stake in this as you do, so yes, I will join you.”
“Good. Fran, Thomas, Ling, I want you to see what else you can find.”
“We did find an engine room,” Fran said. “I’d like to take a team down there to see if we can figure something out from there.”
“Okay, Kel, give her some men. I look forward to seeing all of you in the conference room in twenty minutes. Cook out.”
Chapter Eleven
Marjorie heard the cursing the minute she walked off the elevator. She had decided before the meeting to see how Chief McFerren was doing with the strangelet problem. She had tried her best not to bother him and let him do his work without her hovering around but the critical hour was approaching and she felt she needed a progress report.
She walked in to find him under the computer, digging into some wiring and cursing louder than she would have liked. “Chief, how’s it going?”
“Not good,” McFerren said, crawling out from under the computer. “That bastard did us good. He locked the cone, and then password protected the computer with an encryption program I’ve never seen before. I’m trying to manually unlock it, but I just can’t seem to do it.”
“What exactly did he do?”
“He locked the mechanisms for ejecting the strangelets into space. Unless we physically throw the particle accelerator out, we can’t get the strangelet off the ship.”
“What’s to prevent us from doing that?”
McFerren grinned. “I wasn’t going to bring it up because it’s kind of a crazy idea.”
“We have a comet that’s really a spaceship about to crash into planet. I have a crazy alien from a cult that thinks this is okay that was killed by a scientist when my best men couldn’t. And to top it all off, the comet is carrying aliens we’ve never heard of like some sort of cosmic ark. Throwing a particle accelerator into space doesn’t seem all that crazy to me in retrospect.”
The Arwen Book one: Defender Page 9
