Arkroid listened attentively.
»What do you mean, Pi?« he asked with raised eyebrows.
»Well, just because it looks like a clasp and might possibly be used as one, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is one. I approached the problem differently and examined the sarcophagus more closely, and made an interesting discovery.«
The scientists in the room quieted down and listened. Once again Lai Pi had succeeded with few words in capturing their undivided attention.
He’s a genius, Arkroid thought. At psychology as well as technology.
»And?« Hayes’ loud voice came over the comm-link.
Lai Pi stood up.
»There’re tiny openings on the back side of the sarcophagus which I had overlooked. However, when I took new measurements of the supposed clasp, I noticed that the teeth’s dimensions are identical to the tiny openings at the back of the sarcophagus.«
»A key?« asked Arkroid, surprised.
»This could well be,« Lai Pi answered. »I made some additional measurements and can say now that the clasp’s or hair clip’s teeth fit exactly these openings – including the slightest surface irregularities.«
Arkroid shook his head in disbelief. It couldn’t be that simple – or could it?
»Banduk’s assistance was considerable. His nanobots explored every crevice but they were unable to enter the tiny slots. We believe that the energy field that preserves and protects the stranger also prevents the nanoprobes from entering the lock’s interior.«
»Then the hair clip’s useless, right?« Hayes asked via the comm-link.
»Well, we don’t know. We haven’t tried it yet,« Lai Pi said innocently.
»But why should it be different this time?« Arkroid asked tensely.
Lai Pi motioned to Banduk.
»Because the hair clip is composed of a material we haven’t been able to analyze. That’s not all. Leukonen has sworn that the hair clip glowed when the Globuster Lord tried to take control over him. I think that anything is possible – we know too little about the extraterrestrial object to try to make any sense of what we do know.«
Loud murmuring filled the room and Arkroid had to raise his voice to make himself understood.
»Well then, let’s simply try it out and insert the key into the receptacle!«
Lai Pi smiled.
»That doesn’t sound very scientific, Toiber!«
Arkroid shrugged his shoulders in apology.
»Such an arcane task as sticking a key into a lock wouldn’t be too much for our team of experts, would it?« then he continued, more seriously, »Pi … you, Banduk and I will conduct the experiment on the sarcophagus. I want some armed security people present before we begin!«
The beautiful stranger
The security team took position along the walls. Each person held in their hands a new type of laser weapon which Arkroid had only seen at Uluru so far. The short, thick barrels scintillated.
»I say again, open fire only in self-defense. If our guest wakes up on the wrong side of bed, let the three of us deal with it.«
The men and women laughed roughly and steeled themselves for action.
Arkroid passed the clip to Oodergoo and took position before the sarcophagus. Lai Pi joined him, observing with interest.
Banduk aligned the hair clip.
»It fits perfectly. All I need to do is push it in. Ready?«
He wore an insulated glove. He wanted to minimize the effect of a possible energy surge.
Arkroid nodded and Banduk slowly inserted the hair clip.
»It really fits! Unbelievable! I feel a slight resistance, but I can easily overcome it.«
Arkroid watched the sarcophagus impatiently.
What happens next? he wondered.
»I’ve inserted it as far as possible, definitely farther than the nanobots reached,« Banduk answered excitedly.
Then his surprised scream made all the participants jump.
»It glows! It glows blue. Look at it – like an aura.«
While Lai Pi stepped to Banduk’s side and nodded, Arkroid stared at the sarcophagus’ occupant. Had he just seen a flicker or was it his imagination?
No, it was real, a barely noticeable movement. The woman’s suspended hair fell onto her chest!
»Watch out!« Arkroid shouted and raised a hand to the security team. He saw a short blink and the woman’s mouth opened in a silent scream. Arkroid began to shiver.
Pi was right! he thought surprised.
Suddenly, the stranger made a single, smooth, flowing movement. Before anyone could react she had jumped out of the sarcophagus with a powerful leap, pulling a long, dagger-like knife from her right boot. She quickly swept about and stood behind Arkroid, bending his arm behind his back, pressing the blade against his neck.
Arkroid felt the warm, short, stroking breath on his ear and didn’t dare to move. He knew instinctively that he couldn’t match the alien’s fighting skills. Words he couldn’t understand whispered into his ear, which he guessed, were orders from the stranger not to move. Lai Pi and Banduk Oodergoo were glued to the spot but gave the men a signal to lower their weapons. The security team obeyed reluctantly.
The stranger looked around nervously but didn’t loosen her grip on Arkroid for a second. The blade was a wicked one and where it rubbed lightly against Arkroid’s throat a droplet of blood trickled down his neck. The stranger looked around again. She looked confused and had no idea where she was.
She’s probably looking for an exit, Arkroid thought, fighting not to panic.
Lai Pi slowly raised his arms, taking one step forward, at which point she shouted at him in an alien language. Her voice was sharp and forceful. The specialist understood the threat. He showed his empty hands, speaking slowly and confidently.
»Nobody wants to harm you. We understand that you’re in a bad mood after a long sleep but, please, you can’t blame that on us.«
Under normal circumstances, Arkroid would have convulsed with laughter, but now he cursed Lai Pi for his words. The knife still pushed against his throat and he dared not to swallow. Then he realized the specialist’s intention. It didn’t matter at the moment what Lai Pi said – it was how he said it. The stranger couldn’t understand what he was saying but perhaps the slowly spoken words would have a calming effect on her.
Then came her turn – she had suddenly noticed the golden shield, lying in full view near the sarcophagus. Her breath seemed to stop for a second then lightning-fast, she released Arkroid. With a quick somersault and a loud battle cry, her knife whistling through the air in a wide arc, she reached the shield and picked it up. Like a fighter ready for battle, she held it before her chest. Her golden eyes sparkled with fire.
Arkroid followed Lai Pi’s example and slowly raised his arms, then winced as the security team leader had misinterpreted him and aimed his weapon. The stranger grasped the situation immediately and touched one of the sensor pads on the shield’s back. A blue energy field established itself between the men and the stranger with a loud crack.
»The sensor pads really work!« Lai Pi commented dryly. The stranger responded with another warning, then she threw her knife at the soldiers who were still standing in threatening postures. The knife flew between two soldiers and hit the granite rock wall, embedding into it as if it were butter. Only the knife’s shaft protruded. The stranger used the distraction and drew a small weapon from her hip. Arkroid knew that a single false move could escalate the confrontation. He showed his empty hands and ordered the security team to immediately lay their weapons on the floor. When they hesitated, he sharpened his tone. The stranger turned her head toward Arkroid and her golden eyes stared at him. It was obvious to her that Arkroid was in charge here.
She reduced the size of her protective field and motioned with her weapon for Banduk, Lai Pi and Arkroid to join the soldiers.
The three men obeyed and the woman slowly approached the sarcophagus. With a quick movement, she pulled the hair clip fro
m the lock and stuck it in her hair.
»Look, it really is jewelry!« Banduk whispered to Arkroid.
Another sharp command in an unknown language pierced the room and she motioned to the locked door with her weapon.
Arkroid approached her slowly, shaking his head. Her eyes changed to thin slits. She seemed to study his every movement. Her energy shield’s blue sheen became a bit darker.
»I’m sorry we can’t communicate, but we can’t permit you to go through that door. Many people are working behind the door, and there are more soldiers waiting there. It would be a disaster if you force your way through this exit. Where are you trying to go, anyway?«
Arkroid put as much feeling as possible into his voice and looked directly into her eyes. She seemed to listen to his voice and slightly tilted her head.
»There’s no reason to fight. We’re interested in communicating, not fighting.«
As Arkroid took another step toward her, she raised her weapon.
»Okay, okay, it’s all right. I’ll just stand here.«
He tried to produce a friendly smile and hoped she’d understand the gesture. Arkroid touched his chest, said his name and bowed. Then he looked at her invitingly.
»Very good, Arkroid!« Lai Pi said.
The stranger looked longingly again toward the locked entrance. She was seeking feverishly for a way out. It must feel like a trap to her.
»Vasina!« she suddenly said.
»Vasina,« Arkroid repeated slowly, »we’re happy to meet you!«
He motioned to Lai Pi and the specialist approached carefully.
Following Arkroid’s example, he said his name and bowed.
Arkroid thought he recognized understanding in her eyes for the first time.
»Aedsia?« she asked in a whispering tone.
»Did I understand that correctly, Lai Pi? Did she just say Asia?«
The specialist slowly went to where the knife-like dagger was still sticking in the granite wall and pulled it out while she watched him attentively.
»What do you intend to do, Pi?« Arkroid asked calmly. He trusted the specialist not to take any ill-conceived actions.
»A gesture,« Lai Pi answered and turned the tip of the blade toward himself, bending his knees. Slowly, he went to Vasina and offered her the knife with the grip facing her.
He’s damn cunning, this guy. He’s showing her that we aren’t enemies by surrendering his weapon, Arkroid thought and followed Lai Pi’s example, bending his knees. Arkroid signaled the security team and the soldiers then followed suit. She looked at the knife in Lai Pi’s hand and then at Arkroid. The blue energy field collapsed a few seconds later. She slowly grasped the knife’s handle.
Lai Pi had carefully chosen his bowing posture, demonstrating he trusted her and placing himself under her power. The specialist twitched as the knife struck the table next to him. The knife had been thrown with such a force that the blade buried itself into the table top.
Just like the wall! Arkroid thought.
Lai Pi rose slowly, stepped back and said in friendly awe, »That’s some throw …«
»… and some knoife!« Banduk Oodergoo added his Australian accent thicker than usual. Arkroid joined Pi but ignored the remarks.
»Welcome to Uluru, Vasina,« he said instead. As he pronounced the name he made a sweeping gesture to include the whole installation.
She only looked at him with her golden eyes and seemed to relax. The first step had been made.
The visitor
The picture on the holographic command display was unbelievable enough for most of the crew, but what shortly after thundered from the speakers made them freeze.
»Do these pre-tachyon flies, buzzing around my ship like bloodsucking zeggs during the mating season, belong to you?«
Speechless, Maya Ivanova stared at the strange creature, apparently yelling into a translator while frantically waving his tentacles.
»I could use my cosmic zeggswatter and simply scare them away, but that might result in intergalactic complications. What do you think?«
Maya struggled to maintain her self-control. The Shwakan’s attempt at humor escaped Maya for a moment. At least she hoped it was humor that Scorge was going for.
»This is Maya Ivanova, commander of the Union cruiser Blue Moon. The four Hawks are merely to welcome and escort you to Triton Base. In the name of the Solar Union, welcome back to the solar system, Scorge!«
It was quiet for a moment and Petrow glanced at his commander inquiringly, then a gurgling sound came from the loudspeakers.
»Humanity allows females to command spaceships? That’s news to me. Wouldn’t it be better for you to protect your eggs from nest predators?«
Petrow’s mouth twitched and he quickly looked at the ceiling, but kept a straight face while Maya threw him an icy glance. Then she relaxed, forcing a smile and raising an eyebrow.
»Well, it happens from time to time that females are in command. Let me ask you a question, though: Why didn’t you officially notify us you were coming back instead of sneaking up on us? I thought we were friends? Why play hide and seek?«
»I’m inconsolable and apologize a hundred times. I preferred to approach with due caution after the previous events on your home-planet,« the Shwakan answered with obvious regret in his voice. »Actually, I intended to make a detour around your insignificant star for the next five hundred years but unfavorable circumstances have forced me to change my plans.«
Maya Ivanova squinted. Her scanner section had analyzed Scorge’s ship and discovered heavy damage to Yax K’uk’Mo’s hull. It looked as if the Shwakan had been in a vicious battle.
»What’s happened to your ship, Scorge?« she asked cautiously. »Did you collide with a comet or an asteroid?«
Her voice sounded concerned. She hoped that his translator unit was picking up on that. It could become serious for Humanity if the Shwakan’s opponents became aware of the solar system.
»No, no … the damage was done by pirates, those miserable Torbs! Just before the completion of an important deal, they suddenly showed up and scared my trading partners away. I almost had the Zyclon’s time eye in my tentacles!«
»What’s a Torb?« Petrow asked, irritated. He suspected that the Shwakan’s pomp and bluster would be just as annoying if Scorge were Human.
»Torb? Well,« Scorge began to explain, »many creatures acquire nourishment through a definite opening in their body and dispose of the indigestible remains through a different opening in their body.«
»We got the idea, no need to explain further,« the commander interrupted. »I assume you want to fly to Earth?«
The Shwakan turned around in a full circle. Maya evaluated this movement as a gesture of agreement.
»I take it that your beautiful blue planet still exists and that Humanity has survived?«
Maya nodded affirmatively.
»Of course, what else? We’ve neutralized the Soulwalker as a threat. We’re in the process of analyzing the situation and putting the pieces back together again.« She tried to sound as nonchalant as possible about it to impress the alien with Humanity’s abilities.
»This is wonderful news! Now nothing stands in the way of business!« Scorge screeched, happily.
The four Hawks had changed their flight pattern from intercept to escort and followed the pyramid ship on a parallel course.
»I’d like to meet with Arkroid and propose a further deal. Perhaps we can expand our trade relations even farther when I meet him on Earth.«
»We have nothing against that, Scorge,« Ivanova answered and signed to her second officer to change to a lower DEFCON state of alert, however, still maintaining Battle Stations. The four Hawks left their formation and returned to their base and the hangars again respectively.
Maya instructed Petrow to announce Scorge’s arrival to Earth and Triton Base.
»We’ll inform the Solar Union of your arrival. Fly to Earth and give Arkroid my regards.«
»I’ll gla
dly do that,« Scorge answered and shut down the connection. The Pyramidship changed its course and a short time later picked up speed. Petrow rubbed his eyes as he read the acceleration values.
»That ship is unbelievable. Did you see how fast it accelerated?«
Ivanova smiled briefly.
»Yes, it’s fantastic. One day we’ll have propulsion systems like that. You and I will live to see it; maybe I’ll even command one of those ships. However, what’s more interesting is, that this time, we can follow the Pyramidship with our scanners without difficulties. Either the Shwakan isn’t using the usual disguise or the Yax K’uk’Mo’ is more heavily damaged than he wants us to believe.«
Maya inhaled strongly.
»I think he’s very happy that he can hide here inside the Globuster Matrix. I think his enemies have found a way to neutralize his disguise, or else it was damaged or destroyed in battle. He didn’t know how the Globuster situation had turned out. I believe that he’s not only coming as a trader but also to request some favors. I hope that Arkroid sees through him and negotiates a decent deal for us.«
First Contact
They sat, facing each other silently, and searched for the right words to further an understanding. Toiber Arkroid would have given a lot for one of Scorge’s translation devices. He wished he had a way to contact the Shwakan and explain the situation.
Vasina was still wearing the golden comb in her hair. Arkroid’s glance constantly shifted to the unusual hair decoration and this finally caught her attention.
»Jamal,« she said softly.
Her pose radiated dominance and confidence. Although still quite young, she conveyed experience and wisdom. Arkroid immediately noticed the contrast. Her glance was dissecting, as if she could see through everything while her mood simultaneously projected a definite distance.
Was she accustomed to treating all whom she spoke with as subordinates? Arkroid thought.
Lai Pi turned toward the Merinian and whispered to him softly.
»She’s not prepared to return the comb. I think it belongs to her. We should change the subject.«
Arkroid, trying to avoid appearing unfriendly, smiled at her and began to speak, loud and clear. He didn’t want Vasina to think that secrets were being kept from her.
NEBULAR Collection 2 - The Expedition: NEBULAR Episodes 6 - 11 Page 2
