by J W Murison
‘Because I want to buy them off you.’
‘Seriously!’
‘Seriously. I need you to stop that fast freighter from taking off, and I need to get in touch with my ship.’
‘Do you mind if I meet you on the surface?’
‘Not at all. I also need to know if you have machines that can quickly fill a freighter with those blocks.’
‘I will find out. Could you put Commander Oralia back on?’
Charlie handed the phone back.
Within a couple of hours, Charlie was back on the surface, leaving the Chief with the Modloch families. The freighter Captain wasn’t looking amused.
He growled at Charlie. ‘This had better be good, we are on a tight schedule, one that is all to pot already because we had to pick you up on route.’
‘Toss it out the window, you are probably going nowhere for days.’
He shook his head. ‘Your funeral. Ambassador Gordon, our chief financial aid to the President, and the President himself are on the line.’
‘Excellent.’
The three of them were on screen waiting for Charlie and Dong Mings in the briefing room.
‘Stevie, Mr President, stranger.’
Stevie laughed, ‘Hey Charlie, what you up to?’
‘Nice to see you again Captain Murison. This is our financial director, Couper Angus. I told him that you were the one responsible for setting up PD music.’
‘Captain Murison, a pleasure, you are a legend in the financial world. I have to admit I’m quite excited to be called into a meeting with you like this.’
‘In that case gentlemen, I will get down to brass tacks. Now we have been with the banks for a couple of years, we are allowed to set up subsidiary accounts, aren’t we?’
‘That’s right Captain, but as yet we have had no reason to,’ Couper answered.
‘Well we do now. Set up an account, the PD building company. Liaise with the financial director of the planet here, Dong Mings. I will explain briefly: the Ortea live in huge caverns underground. These caverns are made by melting the rocks, turning it into magma, which is then put into moulds and set. Most of those are moulds of building blocks. Machines then build their dwellings, fusing the blocks together. I have just seen a whole city made from black obsidian. Now I’m no builder, but I will lay a bet they never used half the stone they took out to build it. It would seem all their cities are made like this, built from the stone they took out. They are all unique. The spare stone is kept in dumps out on the surface. Vast dumps. I propose to buy it in bulk, ship it home to Earth, and sell it there. The money can go into this subsidiary account and straight back to the Ortea. Building stone is not on the prohibited list.’
‘Can you see a profit in this Captain?’ Couper asked Charlie.
‘What film or pop star wouldn’t want a new house built with stone taken from an alien planet? We are also suppling the Ortea with food and seed, but I believe there is little profit in it. It is also only the bare essentials. This will give the Ortea revenue they can use to buy directly from us.’
Steven took a hand in the proceedings. ‘I will buy the first load Charlie. If I make a profit, the PD company can take over from me if it wishes.’
Couper disagreed. ‘That will be unnecessary Captain Gordon. We will do it, but instead of just shipping tons of rock Captain Murison, can you fill the first ship with samples of the rock and an idea of the quantity they have available?’
Charlie looked to the financial director. ‘Yes, certainly.’ Dong Mings confirmed.
Couper was pleased. ‘Now we will have to discuss a price.’
‘I have no objection to giving the samples away for free if you set up this account for us.’ Dong Mings suggested.
Charlie stepped back. ‘In that case I think I should let you gentlemen get on with it; you are more than capable of thrashing out the details on your own.’
‘I am quite sure we can. But could I have a few minutes to talk to the Captain in private please?’ Asked the Ortea.
They all agreed and Dong Mings accompanied Charlie out into the corridor.
‘Thank you for this opportunity Captain. What percentage would you like?’
‘I don’t take a percentage, I’m not interested.’
‘Are you so wealthy from your deal with the PD music company?’
‘I have never made a penny from that.’
‘Don’t you get paid by the company?’
‘Oh hell no! I only get my wages as a soldier. It’s all I need.’
‘Are all Humans like you?’
‘Very few. A lot are very greedy. The only person who made any money from that deal is the Chief underground right now. He was our initial sponsor, and I kinda twisted his arm to do it.’
‘How could an engineer possibly have that kind of clout?’
‘He was once an Ambassador to Earth, the only survivor to make it back alive from the ship the Burning Wind.’
‘I read a little of that. So that’s him?’
‘It certainly is.’
‘I am beginning to get the full picture now. This is probably the most important thing that has happened to us so far Captain. A foothold in the finances of the galactic family. If we make money, we could probably begin to purchase spare parts for our ships instead of making them ourselves.’
‘From what I have seen so far, your people have great skill sets, the Chief said so himself. Your engineers are doing repairs on stuff, making parts themselves, an art that the Chief said is almost lost within the federation. Old school he called it; don’t lose that.’
‘I will convey that to my superiors.’
Charlie broke away from the director and made his way back to the air lock where Morval was waiting.
The Captain caught him just before he reached it. ‘I just got orders to stay where we are for an indefinite length of time. Thanks!’
The sarcasm wasn’t lost on Charlie. ‘Were you going to be doing anything else?’
The question caught the Captain off guard. ‘Uh! No, don’t suppose so.’
‘Then stop being such a colossal prick about it.’ Charlie was about to swing away but hesitated. ‘You have an opportunity here few get Captain. You might get stuck for a week or two, I don’t know. You have federation money, get underground and buy some souvenirs. Sell them for ten times what they are worth. Make an impromptu documentary, sell it to some news company when you get home. How much do you think a bottle of Ortea whiskey would bring at home?’ Charlie walked away.
He met up with Morval again. ‘You don’t look happy Charlie.’
‘I’m beginning to think I’m turning into a bloody financier.’
‘Not good.’
Charlie sighed long and hard, ‘I wonder if there is a nice wee war going on somewhere…’
‘You’re joking!’ Charlie gave him one of his looks and Morval sniggered. ‘Yeah okay Charlie, so what is your thing?’
‘I think the happiest I’ve ever been was when I was a Sergeant training soldiers.’
‘You weren’t always an officer?’
‘Oh hell no.’
‘Foot soldier.’
‘Aye, infantry.’
‘Seen a lot of war?’
‘Too much probably. We had better go find the Chief.’
‘I heard he has gone fishing with those Modloch families. They asked permission for him to stay the night; it was granted.’
‘So it’s just me then.’
‘I will show you to your quarters.’
‘Fine.’
‘It’s in the same city I live in. Do you want to meet the wife and kids?’
‘Love to, but please don’t ask me to stay for dinner. I’m not allowed to eat people.’
Morval shook his head. ‘Don’t worry I won’t.’
Chapter 32
A federation destroyer picked them up a few days later. They then cross-decked to a Human destroyer. Their bunk space was pretty cramped, especially for the Chief. Charlie had
been brooding a bit, but the Chief was in high spirits.
‘What’s the matter Charlie?’
Charlie shrugged. ‘I just hope that this isn’t some federation plan to rescue all their citizens from that planet and then wipe it out.’
‘I don’t think it is.’
Charlies eyes flicked up. ‘Why not?’
‘I think the Emperor and Emperor Ne´ are up to something.’
‘Like what?’
‘I’m not sure. I was asked to evaluate a number of things. One of them was whether the Dent would be able to instruct Human engineers.’
‘Was that what you were doing at that school?’
‘The answer to that question would be yes. The Dent are a smaller race than us Modloch, they would fit in the downsized Human ships much easier than a Modloch engineer. I have to say I really enjoyed that trip.’
‘What was the fishing like?’
‘It was a wonder Charlie. The krill they were after are a bit like Human shrimp. They come in a gigantic swarm, and they glow. It’s blue Charlie, the same colour as the lights those young men have on their cars back on earth. It lit up the whole cavern with this beautiful blue glow. We hauled them in by the net-full, by hand and winch. The children had their own small nets, I helped them. I don’t think I have ever had so much fun. We sold them on the back market.’
‘You mean black market?’
‘No, it’s called the back market. There are dozens of vessels out there fishing, it’s like a race to get the best spots. The big vessels work for the government and the catch is shared out. The back market is for private catches. The Ortea have a currency, you can get cash or trade. The children are saving up for things they just couldn’t get at home. I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in years. Their houses were amazing as well, compared to those on our home world that is. Plenty room to have bigger families. Amazing. What about you Charlie? I never got to see your quarters.’
‘It wasn’t too far from Morval’s house. His kids are a bloody menace. Six of them all the same age. They were all over me. I was glad to get away. The quarters were okay I suppose. Not much different to what we would expect at home. The stone there was speckled blue, it was nice.’
‘The stone, right, how did that go?’
‘The freighter left a few hours before we did. Seemingly it took longer to choose the stones than load them. We will just have to wait and see how it goes.’
‘You don’t seem to have enjoyed the trip Charlie?’
‘It was okay I suppose. Last night I got to play with some of their marines.’
‘You must have enjoyed that.’
‘Morval did, I had to put a couple of them in their places, especially their drill Sergeant.’
‘Did you punch him out?’
‘A punch and a kick did it. Then I ran his men ragged around an assault course. I beat them at everything; they were not happy. Totally demoralised. Another drill Sergeant appeared then. He was an unarmed combat expert. After I dislocated both his arms, they all quietened down. There wasn’t a single one of them that didn’t want to kill me. They were very prideful. I think if they were armed, they would have.’
‘Not so much fun then.’
‘No, Morval thought it was a hoot though. He loved the fact they got taken down a peg or two. He doesn’t like them much, says they are too full of themselves.’
‘Elitist unit huh?’
‘Aye, it would seem the universe is full of them.’
Chapter 33
‘Let me put you in the picture Ambassadors.’ It was a Colonel from the intelligence services who was briefing them. ‘Early this morning the Emperor’s bio-domes were raided and all of the beekeepers were abducted.’ Steven and Komoru looked at each other, both were in shock.
He went on. ‘The Emperor is going nuts. He has sent out whole battle fleets to stop every freighter that has come and gone in the past few days.’
‘Any idea who did this?’ Steven asked.
‘It is obvious who is responsible Ambassador: the Albany. The problem is that it is an inside job.’
‘How do we know that?’
‘The whole of Modloch space is monitored from the moment you enter this solar system until the time you leave. There isn’t a single ship recorded going anywhere near the domes. If that is the case, the Emperor is chasing his tail, if he had one. The chances are, whatever ship took them is also not on the record either.’
‘You mean the Emperor is going to stop every freighter that stopped here, but the one that is the real culprit will get away.’
‘It is worse than that. The stopping of these freighters could cause a political backlash. Only federation vessels have the right to search and detain, unless within the area of that race’s space. By the time they catch up with the real culprit, or many of the freighters, they could well be outside Modloch space.’
‘So how can we help?’
‘The Emperor is screaming for you and your special interpreter. Right now, he has imprisoned all the staff who were on duty during the suspected hours of abduction and the whole damn system is grinding to a halt. Ever ship here is to be searched as well. It is a mess.’
‘I will get right on it then.’
The intelligence man cleared his throat. ‘May I ask who this special interpreter is?’
‘No, you may not.’
‘That isn’t very nice of you Ambassador. We are aware that good quality information has been flowing between you other departments and important officials; however, nothing comes directly to us. We would like to redress that balance. We insist that anything of value that you come across should come directly to us.’
Steven studied the man for a moment. ‘That isn’t going to happen.’
‘You don’t understand Ambassador, this is not a request.’
‘You don’t understand. You and your kind do not step foot on board my ship, ever. If I ever discover that you have tried to infiltrate my ship, the consequences will be very severe.’
He smirked unpleasantly. ‘You can’t threaten us Ambassador.’
‘You’re right, I can’t threaten you directly, but I can stop building new ships. I can stop building projects all round the world and in our solar system, you know, all the things you have no control over. Do you people really think that I can’t hurt you?’ The intelligence officer went tight-lipped, but didn’t answer. ‘No I didn’t think so. Keep out of my business, or I will smash your little community with a sledgehammer. I will pass whatever information I gain directly to whomever I believe needs it. If that is you, then it will come to you. Am I making myself clear?’
‘Perfectly.’
‘Good.’
Steven and Komoru communicated silently on their way back to their ships.
‘When is Charlie due back Steven?’
‘He should be back already.’ He concentrated and got an answer from Babes. ‘He has been back for half an hour. Babes is bringing him up to speed.’
When they docked with Babes, Charlie had changed and was waiting for them.
‘Hey Stevie, Komoru. We just received a transmission, the Emperor is waiting for us at the transport point on the city ship.’
‘No time for a coffee?’ Steven suggested.
‘He is waiting in person Stevie, and has been for about twenty minutes.’
‘Oh shit!’
‘Steven!’ Komoru chided him.
‘Sorry. It’s Charlie, he is a bad influence.’
‘Charlie!’ She grumped.
‘Great, I get the blame for everything. We going or what?’
‘You ready Komoru?’
‘Hi.’
Steven took a deep breath, ‘Let’s go then.’
A few seconds later they arrived on the city ship.
The Modloch Emperor was in a terrible mood. Those around him had never seen him so angry.
Gord gave Charlie a look as soon as he saw him. Charlie opened his mind. Thank the Human gods he is here.
The Empe
ror strode over and barely acknowledged Steven and Komoru with a simple nod. He looked down at Charlie who had composed his face into stone.
‘I need your special skills.’
‘Lead on.’
‘Walk beside me.’ Charlie fell into step. ‘I need you to work your magic Captain. If you discover the culprits, you will be well rewarded.’
‘I don’t need any reward. Just try and keep your friend off my friends’ back.’
The Emperor scowled for a moment, then he realised what Charlie was talking about.
‘I already talked to him and warned him off. Don’t worry about the female.’
Charlie’s mind was completely open now and he realised the Emperor was telling the truth. ‘Thank you.’
They arrived at a small shuttle terminal. Charlie and the Emperor, along with his guard got into the first one, Steven, Komoru and the ragtag of officials got into the following ones. As soon as they were alone the Emperor opened up.
‘I have hundreds of men and officers under arrest. Everything has ground to a halt. I need this resolved quickly, which is why I requested your presence.’
‘I understand. I need a room you can bring the men into one at a time. If possible I want to view them, but do not want them to view me. I need only a single officer in the room, the oldest, friendliest face you have.’
The Emperor frowned. ‘I don’t understand, that’s not how we do things.’
‘How do you expect me to read their body language if they are all quaking with fear?’
‘Ah! I see.’
‘Ask them a few standard questions, put them at ease, then ask them if they know anything about what happened. I will be able to read their response. If it’s done right, they need not need be in there any longer than a few minutes. I will need some way of talking to the interrogator too. If they are innocent he smiles happily, tells them they are free to return to work, and you send them back out the way they came past the line. That gives them the chance to talk to their friends, let them know it is going to be okay, just tell the truth, everything will be fine.’
