by Saxon Andrew
“Why?”
“They will be killed immediately!!”
The male lowered his head, “There’s been too much death.”
Ayet stared at him and said, “If one more of your children is harmed, the two of you and you children will be the only ones left living here!”
He heard a voice in say, “What if one of them die by accident.”
Ayet sneered, “You just better make sure that doesn’t happen!!” Silence followed his statement and he said, “I’ll be listening. If you need me, just call me.”
The Female said, “What is your name?”
“Ayet.” The female nodded as one of her offspring swam up to Ayet and held on to his mask. Ayet smiled and said, “You have beautiful children.”
“They might now live long enough to reach their full beauty. Thank you.”
Ayet lifted his hand and stroked the small alien on his mask. His mother had to force her baby to remain behind as Ayet swam away.
Rachel watched Ayet on the control room’s monitor and felt her eyes moisten. She didn’t have her brother’s heart; she was damaged by her mother and grandparents when she was a child. Alex had been suggesting a baby and she had refused. It was about time she agreed. She knew that her child would not be harmed. Her family knew how to love; it was time she started learning.
• • •
Summer brought a video to their quarters and showed Jimmy the recordings of Ayet’s visits to the Alien Parents. Jimmy watched and said, “One of them is following him wherever he goes.”
Summer smiled, “The mother named that child Ayet.”
“Really?”
“Yes, they struck it off at their first meeting.”
Jimmy sighed, “You were right; those babies didn’t commit their parent’s sins.”
“Live and Learn, my Love.”
• • •
Jimmy and Juan looked at Glen Webber, one of their lead scientists, and said, “What have you learned about their technology.”
“Well, we’ve taken their stardrive apart and have a working knowledge on how it functions.”
“How does it work?” Juan asked.
“The grey-colored field around their ship removes the ship from the universe so it can move faster than the speed of light.”
Jimmy and Juan stared at Glen and Juan said, “I’m sorry but you’ve lost me.”
Glen’s brow furrowed and after a moment he said, “You both know that laws of physics say that nothing can move faster than the speed of light, right?” They both nodded. “Well, that is not completely accurate. Nothing inside our universe can move faster than lightspeed. The laws of our universe prevent it from happening.”
Jimmy stared at Glen and said, “But something outside our universe might do it.”
Gen waved a hand, “There could be some universes where nothing goes slower than the speed of light. The point is that the grey-field separates the ship from our universe. It can move faster than light inside that field.”
“How does it avoid hitting objects?” Juan asked.
Glen shrugged, “I have no idea. I suspect that since it’s not in our universe, it just goes through anything solid.”
“Are you suggesting it could just go through a planet or star?!”
Glen smiled, “No, I suspect they can see objects ahead of them and move around the really large solids, like planets and stars.”
Juan persisted, “How can they see something when they’re moving faster than the light showing the objects?”
Jimmy looked at Juan, “I suspect the really large objects do have something they can see. It might be a curvature in space-time or something else. We know they would have plenty of warning.”
Glen turned to Jimmy, “How do you know that?”
“Commodore Boyer said that the freighter was slow. It can’t maneuver very fast.”
“That might not be true inside that field,” Glen replied.
“How are we going to find out?” Jimmy asked.
Glen smiled, “We’re installing the system on one of our ships and then we’ll give it a go.”
Juan smiled, “Don’t tell me, you’re going to put it on Boyer’s Striker.”
“How did you know that, General?”
“Just a lucky guess.”
Jimmy looked at Juan and he shrugged, “Ed’s ship has all the options included. I suspect he convinced Glen, here, to install it on his ship, so our new drives and weapons could be tested inside that star-field.”
“How did you know that?” Glen asked.
Ed looked at Jimmy with a small grin, “Just a lucky guess.”
Jimmy started chuckling, “It appears you know your boy.”
“He’s just like us, Jim; he doesn’t wait for things to happen, he makes them happen.”
• • •
Jillian said, “YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DO THIS ALONE!!”
“Hey, it’s a piece of cake. In and out, bodda bing, bodda boom!”
“Get serious! How will you find your way back?”
“The Alien Pilot explained in detail how the system works. All I need is the starting coordinates and a target coordinate. It’s easier than basic orbital geometry. We used the last coordinates in the Freighter’s stardrive for Earth and the one prior to it to go to where the freighter originated. They also found several other coordinates that the Alien apparently used a lot and programmed them in the stardrive on my ship”
“ED…”
“What’s the problem, Jillian.”
Jillian stared at him and said, “You’ve had a second chair installed behind yours in your Striker for training purposes. If you go, I’m going with you in the second chair.” Ed’s eyes narrowed and Jillian said, “Aha! It is more dangerous than you’re saying.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Then if it isn’t dangerous, why would you resist taking me with you?”
Ed shook his head, “Are you always like this?”
“You know I am. So, that settles it.”
“No, it doesn’t!!”
“Ed, this is a brave new world we’re entering and I have to go with you.”
“Why?”
“Chalk it up to my ego wanting to be the first to do it.” Ed opened his mouth and then closed it. Jillian said, “What were you going to say?”
“I was going to say that you don’t have an ego but, after consideration, I know that wouldn’t be true.”
“Are you suggesting I’m egotistical?!”
“I was a science project, remember?”
Jillian rolled her eyes, “Ed, don’t leave me.”
“I’ll only be gone for a short time.”
“Don’t leave me!”
Ed stared at her and saw her staring into his eyes, “What are you saying, exactly.”
“If something happened to you, I wouldn’t survive. Please, don’t go without me!!”
Ed stared at her and then sighed, “I’ll check with General Alverez.”
“I’ve already asked him and he said it’s up to you.”
“Jillian, you’re scaring me.”
“Please don’t leave me! If I were going, would you stay behind?” Ed stared at her in silence until Jillian said, “You could probably do it but I can’t!”
“All right, I’ll take you with me.”
Jillian screamed and hugged Ed. She kissed him on the cheek and ran out of the launch cave, “I have to pack!”
Ed watched her disappear and began to feel shaky. He forced his feelings out of his mind and wondered if this was going to be a good thing. He touched his cheek and smiled slightly. Maybe…just maybe…it would be.
Chapter Eight
The Urrik Foot Commander looked at the Female Gread on his monitor and saw other Gread swimming behind her. He said, “We have not been paid.”
The female sighed, “You were paid the full value of your contract.”
“My two ships have not been returned.”
“That is not something within m
y authority.”
“We have not been paid.”
The Female was losing her patience fast. Dealing with Urriks was impossible. It always turned into a circular argument. This was more than fifty times she heard ‘We have not been paid’. She looked at the huge Urrik and said, “Perhaps you should pass this up to someone else.”
Two-hours later, the Guild Urrik appeared on her monitor, “We have not been paid.” She put her head on her desk and banged it up and down. She looked up and said, “You have been paid the full value of your contract.”
“My two ships and pilots have not been returned.”
“That is not within my authority to handle.”
“Then, who is in authority?”
The Female straightened up, this was a new track. “He is wherever your pilots are located.”
“You will pay for the additional time you’ve kept them.”
Uh-oh, here we go again, “I am not authorized to do that.”
“Why not?”
My, my, this Urrik was brighter than any she had ever spoken with, “Only the Owner of my Firm is authorized to make new contracts and he has not returned.”
“Where is he?”
“I have been ordered not to reveal that information.”
“We have not been paid.”
“Perhaps you should pass this further up the line.”
The Urrik stared at her and said, “You are ordered not to reveal the location of my two pilots?”
“No, I have been ordered not to reveal the location of my Firm’s Owner.”
“Then tell me where my two pilots are located.”
“I would have to tell you the owner’s location, in order for me to do that. I have been ordered not to do so.”
“Were you given direct orders?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll get back to you.”
• • •
The next four-months were spent dealing with one high ranking Urrik after another. She wondered why the Owner had not returned but it was not up to her to question anything he did; she liked her job. The owner chose her because she refused to do anything but what she was told. That proved to be costly as he sat in the Lagoon and reviled himself for his stupidity. Finally, a Urrik Guild Master called in help. The female had argued with the Guild Master for an hour and he finally pressed a button. An image appeared on both of their monitors and the Female sighed, “Finally, someone who could do something!”
The olive-green colored, big-headed Alien said, “What is your issue, Guild Master?”
“We have not been paid.”
The Big-Head turned to the Female and said, “Why has he not been paid?”
“He has been paid full agreed upon value of the contract negotiated with my Firm’s Owner.”
The Big-Head looked at the Guild Master, “We have not been paid for the additional time.”
“Additional time?” the Big-Head asked.
“They have been kept for more than eight-months beyond their rent.”
The Big Head looked at the Female, “Is this true?”
“It is.”
“Why hasn’t the Guild Master been paid for the additional time?”
“Only the owner can negotiate contracts. It is not within my authority to pay for anything that has not been contracted for.”
“Where is the owner?”
“I have been given direct orders not to reveal where he went.”
“May I assume the ships the Guild Master is referring to are also at his current location?”
“They are.”
“Were his orders in writing?”
“They were.”
“Show me.”
The female pulled out a sheet of plastic, held it up in front of her monitor, and the Big-Head increased the size of the document on his monitor. “Oh, my!”
The Guild Master said, “What do you mean by that?”
“It appears the owner of the business you made a contract with is pretty good.”
“What does that mean?”
“This document forbidding the revelation of his location has been stamped by the six Law Centers in this district. In order to vacate this order, I will have to go to each of those courts and have it modified. Are you willing to wait that long?”
“We have not been paid.”
“Are you willing to pay for me to do it. It might be less expensive for you to simply wait for the owner to return.”
“We have not been paid.”
The Big-Head pressed a button on his panel, taking an image of the document. He said, “You can put it down now.” The Female removed it from in front of her face and the Big Head said to the female, “I’ll get back to you.” He looked at the giant Urrik and said, “I’ll send you a weekly update along with my bill on what progress I’ve made. I will continue working on your issue as long as you pay my bill within a week after it’s delivered. Do you have anything else to add before I end this contact.”
“We have not been paid.” The Female and the Big-Head sighed at the same moment and ended the contact.
• • •
Ayet donned his swim-gear and walked into the lagoon. The Aliens pretty much ignored him; they had become accustomed to him after his numerous appearances. Ayet swam across the lagoon and found the two Alien Parents near the fence. The child they named Ayet swam out to meet him at an incredible speed. Ayet shook his head, these aliens were incredibly adapted to the water. Young Ayet swam in and whipped around him. “Hi, Ayet!” he heard over his mask’s translator.”
“Hi, yourself. You’re speaking much better.”
“I’m learning from my father and mother. The others are also starting to talk with me.”
“How’s that going?”
“One of them saved me from a long fish with sharp teeth a few days ago.”
Ayet frowned, the openings in the fence couldn’t be made so small that fish large enough to be consumed by the Aliens were kept out. Unfortunately, barracudas were thin enough to get through as well. “You need to keep your eyes open!”
“I’ve been told that and I’m getting better at doing it.”
Ayet arrived at the parents and said, “How’s it going?”
The Father looked at Ayet and shrugged, “I guess as well as it could be being cooped up in this prison. I do long for open water.”
Suddenly, the Mother said, “WHAT IS THAT THING?”
Ayet looked outside the fence and said, “That is what we call a Great White Shark.”
The male’s mouth was open, “THAT THING IS HUGE!!”
Ayet shook his head as he watched the shark circling just outside the fence, “It’s probably being drawn here from the blood of the fish you’re eating. I’m surprised one hasn’t shown up before now. However, that one isn’t that big.” Both Aliens turned to him and he said, “That one’s only eighteen feet long. Some of the older ones are double that size.”
The Male yelled, “Hey! Everyone, come and take a look at this!” Everyone ignored him but one Alien swam over and yelled, “GREAT MAWLER’S FINS, WHAT IS THAT!!”
The others heard him and began swimming toward the fence. They were stunned by the shark’s size. Ayet said, “The Great White Shark is one of the largest predators in our oceans.”
The Mother turned to him, “What do you mean ‘one of’?
“The Apex Predator in our oceans is an Orca Whale. It’s commonly known as a Killer Whale. It would eat that Great White easily.” The Aliens all looked at Ayet and he said, “The largest Great Whites can hold their own with a Killer Whale but the Killer Whales travel in pods and the Great White is a solitary species. Even the largest Great Whites avoid a pod of Orcas.”
Suddenly, the Great White came out of a turn and went full speed toward the fence. It hit the fence with a force that caused all the Aliens to back away. The Great White’s nose was burned by a bright light; it flushed its bowels and swam away at its best speed. The Male turned to Ayet, “Maybe this lagoon isn’t so ba
d.”
One of the Aliens said, “We could handle it if we were armed.”
The Lead Alien glanced at the fence and said, “But we’re not!”
The Aliens swam away and Ayet swam around the lagoon with the small Alien swimming with him. This was the part he enjoyed most during his swims.
Finally, Ayet swam back to the Parents and said good-bye to his little friend. He looked at the Father and said, “If we can resolve our issues where you’ll leave us alone, we might allow you to go home.”
The Father shook his head, “As far as I’m concerned, they’re resolved. I have no intention of ever coming here again. However, I might be forced to stay.”
“Why?”
“I brought two Urrik Warships with me and your ships destroyed them.”
Ayet nodded, “They were killing us, it was self-defense.”
“I know. But they are long overdue and the rent owed for them is piling up along with penalty payments. Once the Mercenary Guild learns they’ve been killed, I’ll be fined a fee that will break me. I’ll have no way to pay it and that would lead to my death.”
Ayet looked at him and said, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s my own fault. The Urrik will demand their ships and pilots back and my assistant will refuse to tell them where I am. The Urriks will bring in a Big-Head to represent them and they’ll take it to the law-centers. It will take some time and a lot of funds to get the legal decree for my assistant to reveal the coordinates of this planet but it will eventually happen.”
“What happens then?”
The Alien looked at Ayet and blew some bubbles out of his gills, “The Urriks will come to take possession of their pilots and ships.” The Alien shook its head slightly, “But that is going to take some time for them to be able to modify my instructions. It’s going to take time but by the time that happens, the costs I’ll have to pay along with the penalties and late fees will break me. I might be better served just to stay here.”
• • •
Rachel had stopped looking at the satellite feeds and listened to Ayet’s conversation. That Alien was an idiot telling Ayet what was coming but it only proved they weren’t that bright. She pressed a button and said, “DAD, I’M SENDING YOU AND GENERAL ALVEREZ A RECORDING!”
