by Jeff Sims
As soon as they exited from their first jump, Crista performed a passive scan of the immediate area. She shut it off after 2 minutes because there was a chance that they could be detected if someone was actively scanning the precise area where they were located. The chances of detection were miniscule, but they didn’t want to stay any longer than absolutely necessary.
She announced, “Well, we are still in the Conron system and are exactly where we’re supposed to be.”
She quickly entered the next set of coordinates and locked them into the transponder. Victor slapped his left cheek to obtain the next set of secret numbers. Victor waited a moment for Crista to rub her cheek. He then said, “Go” and Crista pushed the hyperspace button.
They repeated this process 9 more times over the course of the next 10 days in ship time (or 19 days in real time). They were on the far outskirts of the Waylon system and aligned with the entryway to the unrecorded Waylon – Earth hyperspace corridor. Lorano had discovered this corridor months earlier using the gravity charting missile technique.
Crista ran a passive scan and announced, “That’s odd; the Sunflower is here.”
Victor said, “Here. Are you sure it is here? Are you sure we are here?” Victor’s voice was a little panicked. He took several breaths to calm down.
Crista said, “If the Sunflower is here, then the humans are here.”
Victor replied, “True, but how does that help us?”
Crista said, “Maybe we could take some of the humans back and they could help us capture the new ones.”
Victor replied, “Or, they would just run off when we land and we would have to replace them in addition to the 45 we already have to get.”
Crista said, “We could fly over there and ask, I suppose.”
Victor did a quick calculation and said, “It would take 2 days to travel there at .04 light. We can’t micro jump because it would mess up the sequence in the navigational computer.”
“Yes, and Lorano isn’t here to reprogram it.” Crista continued, “How about if we send them a message and see if they can jump over here.”
Victor agreed and said, “Good idea. A message can get there in just under 2 hours. We need to send something that doesn’t identify us, but gives them a reason to come here. It should be secretive and coded.”
Crista smiled and said, “I know exactly what to send.” She took a moment to collect herself and said, “Computer, send the following message to the Sunflower – Come here and bring the humans.”
Chapter 3
Frank adjusted his tie and studied himself closely in the mirror. He thought that he spotted a hair with a gray tip on it, so he ordered the mirror to change to 15x magnification. “Aha, there it is,” Frank said to himself.
Frank grabbed the offending hair with a pair of electro-tweezers and held it tightly. He grabbed a paint brush and dabbed a tiny amount of coloring on it. Then he carefully painted the hair. He made sure that he didn’t touch any of the other hairs. He had to be precise because if he just dabbed the entire area it would create a dark spot. His opponents would notice the spot and accuse him of hiding his advancing age.
Now that the hair was appropriately recolored, Frank adjusted the mirror back to normal and studied himself again. His green skin shown no signs of wrinkles, his hands looked firm and strong, his nails were perfectly manicured, and his skin was firm. In summary, he looked great.
Frank’s doorbell chimed. He grabbed his communicator and looked at the being standing on the other side of the door. Perfect, his 1:00 appointment was here. Frank walked back to his main office, sat down at his desk and said, “Computer, release the lock on the door.”
The door slid open and a white being walked in. He was short by human standards, but well within two standard deviations of the average human male’s height. He was however, taller than most Solarians and just barely taller than Frank. Frank smiled and waved him to one of the chairs facing his desk.
Frank said, “Thank you for taking the time to see me while you were on Advranki Prime.”
The being made a polite chuckle and said, “I was officially summoned to your office the moment my mini-freighter touched down on the planet.”
Frank responded by eloquently changing the subject, “So, you are Jack Dogbarks, the captain of the Jackal.”
Jack responded, “Thank you. This is quite an honor. I didn’t realize that you even knew I existed, let alone who I am.”
Frank gave his award winning smile. He knew it was early in the conversation to break out his big smile, but he had another appointment soon and wanted to end this one as quickly as possible. Frank replied, “I know that we haven’t met in person before today, but I have read every report that you filed while you were officially observing Earth.”
Jack was surprised. He said, “Wow. I didn’t realize that the reports went to the highest level of government. I just figured they were read by a low level worker and filed in a waste bin somewhere.”
Frank neglected to mention that he had in fact only read a brief summary of the reports earlier today in preparation for this very meeting. The summary had been meticulously prepared by the aforementioned low level worker. He gently slid the waste basket where the summary reports were currently residing farther under his desk so Jack couldn’t see them. Frank stretched lazily, gazed around the room, and politely asked, “Can I get you anything, a drink perhaps?”
Jack declined the offer for refreshments and said, “Okay, get to the point, why did you call me here?”
Frank smiled at his own wit. The stalling gambit had worked. Frank answered, “I understand you were given a contract by the Hiriculans to haul cargo to an outpost. Please tell me about it.”
Jack said, “Yes, it is a limited contract for three trips. What would you like to know?”
Frank responded, “How you got the contract, where you are going, and what you are hauling.”
Jack replied, “Well, technically, the contract is for hauling cargo from the outpost to Solaria. They are going to fabricate some of the detail components such as light fixtures, specialty flooring, and solar panels at the outpost. My contract is to haul the finished goods from this outpost to Solaria.”
Frank asked, “What are you hauling there?”
Jack said, “Unfortunately, I don’t have a contract for the trip there. I filled my secondary hold with miscellaneous goods from Solaria. I plan to fill my main hold with dried sea moss. That is why I came to Advranki Prime.”
Frank said, “Well, that makes sense. How did you get the contract?”
Jack said, “That is the funny part. Right after the Solarian government announced the agreement for the new building, I simply walked into the Hiriculan embassy and asked if they needed cargo hauled for the project. I guess I was the only one bold or stupid enough to try it. Anyway, the Hiriculan embassy on Solaria gave me the contract.”
Frank asked, “Where is the outpost?”
Jack replied, “Way out there. It is three jumps past Influenla. I am told the system is rich in raw materials.”
Which brings us finally to the point, Frank thought. He said, “I need you to perform a favor for your government.”
“Favor?” Jack asked.
Frank replied, “Yes. When you get to the Influenla system, I want you to try to stop at the newly constructed Hiriculan space station there. I want you explore the station and try to ascertain what they are doing. Is the station purely civilian or, as I suspect, is the military sharing the station.”
“So, you want me to be a secret agent?” Jack asked.
Frank answered, “Well, that is one way to put it. Really though, you just have to stop at the station as part of your legitimate business. Then, just send a coded message back afterward telling us what you found.”
Jack said, “I don’t know, it sounds dangerous.”
Frank said, “As compensation, the Alliance government will pay you 50% of your contract for this information.”
Jack sai
d, “You are going to pay 50% of my total contract just to look at what the Hiriculans are doing at some space station?” Frank nodded yes, so Jack continued, “And all I have to do is dock at the station and look around.”
Frank said, “Yes.”
Jack asked, “What makes you think that they will let me dock?”
Frank replied, “It is supposed to be a civilian station. By our treaty, any civilian ship can use it. Besides, you have a legitimate shipping contract with the Hiriculan government. They will definitely let you land.”
Jack said, “I heard there was an incident there. What happened?”
Frank replied, “We sent the cruiser Justice to investigate, but it was turned away. Again, I doubt the Hiriculans will deny access to a legitimate freighter.
Jack replied, “Okay” and stood up to leave.
Frank said, “One more thing. Well two to be precise. First, can you remove the white die on your skin? You look suspicious as a white Solarian.”
Jack shook his head no and said, “Sorry, my skin wasn’t dyed white, it was bleached. However, I have some very effective make-up that will cover my hands and face. I will wear it on the station to avoid suspicion.”
Jack got out the make-up and quickly applied it. Frank was impressed. He looked like a naturally blue Solarian. It wouldn’t pass a close inspection by another Solarian, but it should fool any casual observer; especially one from another race.
Frank said, “The second item is a passenger. I want you take someone with you. She is a decorated military officer and a pilot. Her name is Ella Birdsong.”
Frank handed him a sealed packet. He said, “Inside are her official orders and a fake identity. She will pose as Ella Songbird, your crew member. She is waiting for you at the supply depot in Conron.”
Jack laughed and said, “CANDY.”
Frank looked confused. He said, “Are you asking me for some candy?”
Jack said, “Sorry, I recently ferried Lorano to the very same supply depot. He said at the time that it should have an acronym and suggested CANDY for the Conron Alliance Navy Depot and shipYard.”
Frank shook his head and said, “I don’t think the name will catch on.”
Jack said, “I agree.”
Jack stood and left the office. He started walking back toward the spaceport. This isn’t good, he thought. He was already a secret agent for the Hiriculan government. Now he was a secret agent for the Alliance. He mused, does that make me a double secret agent or do they cancel each other out?
Either way, he knew that he had to contact the Hiriculan embassy and warn them before he left. But how could he secretly contact them? He mentally listed the ways he could make contact; lifting a finger for each one. He could call from his ship, call from a relatively secret location, or call from a very public building, or walk in the embassy’s front door.
He mentally concluded, if I tried to place a call to the Hiriculan embassy it will be traced. They may not know what I say, but they will certainly know that I placed a call.
As Jack was walking, he imagined that his every move was being tracked by the Advranki government. He resisted the urge to look left and right for invisible cameras. Jack shook off his bad case of paranoia. It was unlikely that there were cameras tracking his every move. However, with the high level of Advranki technology, he was certain that he, along with every other being on this planet, was under constant casual observation.
The Hiriculan embassy was only 7 blocks from the Alliance Senate building. If Jack continued walking in this direction, he would pass the embassy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t on the way to the spaceport. If the Alliance were tracking him, they would know that he purposefully went to the Hiriculan embassy without reason.
Suddenly, he had an idea. He went inside a public building just before the turn to the spaceport and used the Advranki public communication system to contact the Hiriculan embassy. When the connection was established he said, “Hello, my name is Jack Dogbarks. I have a contract from the Hiriculan embassy in Solaria to haul cargo to Coufla.”
The voice answered, “That is certainly nice for you.”
Jack continued, “That embassy told me to collect some personal mail and gifts bound for Coufla from the Hiriculan embassy here on Advranki Prime. I have a question though, is someone going to deliver the packages to my ship or am I supposed to go to the embassy to collect them?”
The voice said, “Wait a moment please.”
Jack waited for what seemed like two moments. He was starting to get nervous and considering breaking contact when the voice finally returned and said, “Thank you. The packages are here at the embassy. Please stop and get them before you leave the planet.”
Jack said, “Thank you” and quickly broke connection. He headed directly to the embassy; there was little point for subtlety now. Jack walked the remaining 3 blocks to the embassy and entered the front door.
Jack immediately recognized the voice from the communicator. It was attached to a younger looking Hiriculan female. She said, “The packages are through there, in an empty office on the left.” She waved him forward past the security barrier.
Jack walked through the body scanner and received a welcoming beep that indicated he was unarmed or a Solarian or something. Perhaps the thing just beeped randomly. He walked into the main corridor and down a well apportioned hallway.
The hallway was relatively short; there were only four offices on each side. Jack looked into each office on the left. The first three offices were occupied. He recognized the occupant in the final office on the left, entered, and sat down in one of the chairs.
Ambassador Bline smiled and said, “Please, have a seat.” The statement was a little late since Jack was already seated. Bline continued, “Is there anything I can get you?”
Jack said, “No. Thank you for the kind offer though. I have some important news that couldn’t wait. Thank you for taking the time to see me.”
Bline responded, “Not a problem. I really liked your cover story. Saying that you needed to collect mail was genius. Now, no one will have any second thoughts about why you actually came here.” He paused for a moment and said, “What is the news?”
Jack tried to think of an intelligent way to give the information after the nice complement, but he simply blurted out, “The Alliance government just hired me for a secret mission to spy on you.”
“Me?”
“No. Not you specifically. I meant that the Alliance wants me to infiltrate the new Hiriculan space station located in Influenla.”
“Did they say why?”
“No. Well yes. They suspect that you, or rather the Hiriculan government, is secretly using the space station as a military base.”
Ambassador Bline’s ear stalks perked straight up. He said, “I see. What are your specific instructions?”
Jack replied, “They want me to land on the space station and snoop around. Then I have to submit a report to the Alliance.”
Bline smiled and said, “Well, that is easy enough. I will just write the report for you and you can submit it at the appropriate time.”
Jack responded, “No, that won’t work. There is a complication.” Jack almost said her real name and military rank, but stopped at the last moment. There was no point in potentially endangering her life or getting her captured.
Bline simply said, “What?”
Jack said, “The government is sending a second person on the mission with me. She is going to pose as my crewmate. I don’t know who she is other than she is a Solarian. She is going to meet me at the spaceport.” Jack left out exactly which spaceport. He figured that Bline didn’t need to know everything.
Bline said, “That is smart actually. Since each of you will be forced to write an individual report, you both have to be accurate and truthful. That will be enough to keep either of you from lying or submitting a prepared document.”
Jack looked at Bline for a moment. Bline was remaining silent, so Jack finally said, “What do you want
me to do?”
Bline responded, “I want you to go to the space station, snoop around to the best of your ability, and report back exactly what you see.”
“But what if we see something we shouldn’t?”
“You will see exactly what we want you to see. Nothing more or less.”
“What do you want me to see?” Jack asked.
Bline responded, “Don’t worry. With this advanced warning, we will hide anything that we don’t want the Alliance to learn about.” Bline laughed at his own wit. He continued, “Therefore, you can feel free to report anything that you see.”
Jack said, “Okay. That seems simple enough.”
Bline said, “One more thing. Let’s change your cargo route this time.”
Jack: “How?”
Bline: “I am going to change the destination for your first load from Coufla to Influenla.”
Jack: “Why?”
Bline responded, “Two reasons. First, it will give you an ironclad reason to go to the space station in Influenla.”
Jack: “How so?”
Bline said, “I will have a Hiriculan freighter take the cargo from Coufla to Influenla. Then, both ships will land on the station and transfer the cargo. I will ensure that the Hiriculan freighter arrives two days later than you. That will give you plenty of time to explore the station.”
Jack replied, “That is really smart. You said two reasons, what is the second reason?”
Bline replied, “It will significantly shorten the trip. Since we really don’t know who the second person actually is, the less the being sees of Hiriculan space the better. This way you can complete your trip in significantly less time and be done with her that much faster.”
Jack replied, “Thank you” and attempted the traditional Hiriculan gesture for departure.
Bline repeated the gesture correctly and said, “Wait, do you see the boxes behind you?”
Jack looked back. There were several large boxes behind him. Jack couldn’t remember if he saw them on the way into the office. He decided that someone must have placed them there during the conversation. Jack finally replied, “Yes.”
