Har-Hi, Cirruit, and Shaka were next to deliver the results of their task. Har-Hi said, “There is only one ship here ready to go. The fighters are just as he said, still in warehouses in boxes and need to be assembled if we want to use them.”
Cirruit added, “The ship is a Scooper-Class Multi-Role Brigg. Minimally armed and shielded, decent cargo hold and a full set of science sensors.”
Shaka sounded a little disappointed. “No Virtu-bot Intuitive helm. It would be perfect to explore the system, though.”
Elfi came in, sat on a sofa and crossed her legs, looking at her own PDD. “As for recreation facilities, there is everything you could want: virtu theaters, restaurants, bars and clubs, swimming pools, gyms, amusement park, aqua fun facility and a big Terran-style forest with lake, waterfall and hiking trails. The park has over 12,000 acres and is really big.” She tapped on her display and said, “As for local attractions, there isn’t that much listed, as such things usually develop after a population occupies the place for a while and finds interesting things on their new world.”
She tapped her display again. “But there is a list of geological surface features listed worth visiting, and there is supposed to be a cave system leading to a large underground lake with liquid water.”
I remembered how much fun I had exploring the caves with Brenda on Wichita, at least at the beginning when it appeared just to be a scientific exploration and said, “I guess we could mount a geological survey expedition. Doing such things are, after all, part of our job description.”
Har-Hi held up two fingers and said, “Especially now that we have not one but two Science-obsessed friends. I bet they will be happy you said that.”
I grinned at him. “I saw some of the hardware you packed. During such an expedition, we could certainly test some of it. There aren’t any neighbors out there who would complain.”
He spread his arms. “Hey, I like science and all that, too. We Dai aren’t just about weapons and vaporizing things.” He mockingly tried to look insulted. “I will go and scan rocks and go ahh and ooh when I find one that’s interesting.”
Cirruit looked to the ceiling. “Fat chance there is a rock in the universe you would find interesting!”
Shaka added, “Except perhaps if they are living rocks of some kind he could fight.”
Har-Hi crossed his arms and said, “I am going to show you just how scientific I can be, and I am going to ask Wetmouth to explain every second rock and make you all listen!”
As if by cue, Wetmouth and Narth entered and she said, “Did I just hear my name?”
Elfi pointed at Har-Hi and said, “Eric suggested we mount a geographic survey expedition. Har-Hi wanted to come along and learn more about rocks and such and hoped you would point out to him the more interesting features.”
Wetmouth’s voice had a surprised tone, “Har-Hi said that? You guys are trying way too hard to look serious, but since you mentioned it. I actually wanted to take the opportunity since we are here and perhaps visit Richter 5. There are ruins of a civilization, and they have only been superficially surveyed.”
Cirruit said, “There is a ship available, and it has decent science equipment, not to mention that the base here has an entire Science section with the finest Union lab technology.”
I stopped them there and said, “We can talk about that later. We have lots of time, so it seems. What did you two find out?”
Wetmouth pointed at her PDD. “Narth and I found the Mission and General Orders for a Class B station is a 17,323-page document. Narth has started to read it, but it will even take him a little while to finish and then summarize it. It is very dry stuff for the most part.”
Narth held up a PDD of his own, “Wetmouth was so kind to equip me with one of these. I am actually quite amazed what it can do. I am also engaged, as she said, in reading the documents. So far I have found it all dry. None of the documents appear to be wet or mention moisture.”
I said, “It’s an expression to describe reading material that is not very interesting or easy to read, as it contains only legal, technical, or procedural subjects.”
Narth looked at his PDD. “I find it very interesting. The section I am consuming right now describes in great detail the maintenance intervals and procedures for Class B starbases. Did you know that the acceptable dust and dirt particle count for Union Fleet installations must not exceed 12.5 particles per cubic meter?”
I looked at him and said, “And I thought it was 13.6 per cubic meter.”
For perhaps the first time since I knew him, he actually sounded surprised. “You know about all that already?”
Wetmouth put her arm around his shoulder. “No, he was being sarcastic and made a joke. You will get used to it. To them, we are just walking computronics and data repositories and then must suffer their mocking.”
I lowered my head. “That was a mean one, Wetty.”
She bowed. “Sarcasm is a dish that only tastes when served to others.”
Narth actually laughed under his hood. “How have I missed all this? All that is Narth often thinks it knows so much and yet since I am among you, I’ve learned there is a myriad of concepts Narth does not understand. But I can assure you, Wetty; Eric does not think of us that way and appreciates us very deeply. His mind is closed to me, but his emotions and feelings are not.”
We bantered a little more, and then Hans came and found himself a seat, after the chair adjusted for his size, and delivered his report. “According to the Fleet intel report for this quadrant, there have been exactly 275 long-range scanner contacts since the base came fully operational eight years ago. That comes to about thirty-five contacts a year. None of the contacts were identified as hostile or unknown. Twenty-two civilian ships of various Free Space civilizations used this base as an entry point into the Union and have been processed by customs.”
Har-Hi frowned. “It certainly is a quiet corner of the universe then, and I can almost understand the commander’s sentiment.”
Hans tapped on his PDD and said, “Internal security, however, reported eighty-nine fatalities, including suicides and accidents, since this base became operational. Recent accidents include two officers who were crushed by a tunneling robot, about a year ago, a Starman first class drowned in the recreation lake after drinking too much and falling off his inflatable raft and only six weeks ago, ten recently assigned officers perished in a surface mission as their crawler cat drove into a dust lake and the reactor overheated.”
I sat up straight. “That is a very high number of accidents for a quiet place like this.”
He agreed and said, “Fleet came to the same conclusion, and an investigation was done. The investigation team of CID came to the conclusion in their final report that carelessness due to boredom was the underlining cause.”
Shaka said, “I can understand that. I mean, if you are posted here for a year or more it might get boring. I wonder how many of these obsolete or unnecessary posts there are, manned by bored crews.”
Wetmouth interrupted her reading and said, “These postings are usually voluntary, but the so-called Cabin Fever syndrome is well documented and known for millennia. Normally a good commander knows how to keep his troops occupied, but after several years that might be difficult in a place like this. I checked into the personnel files, and all the core officers have been here for eight years and have not filed for transfers but asked for extensions. With few exceptions, all officers and enlisted have been requested by the commander.”
I said, “It’s less than eight weeks for us, and I am sure we can keep ourselves busy. I still want us to cross-train each other. During my little odyssey recently, I realized how little I still have with xeno tech and that my navigation skills are not anywhere near those of Krabbel or Shaka. Despite the jokes earlier, I think we all need to brush up on general science some more. Since none of us is a real medic, I also want us to focus on learning more about battlefield medicine and general first aid. I want to know what I can do if K
rabbel gets hurt, or Cirruit, and I am certain all of you have areas that could be improved.”
Har-Hi grinned. “I thought school’s out? But you’re right. I sure could use some more science knowledge, and I mean that seriously.”
I slapped my flat hand on the desk and said, “Well, let’s figure this out tomorrow. It is almost 2000 hours, and I’d like to see you at that time in the restaurant on top of this building.”
Krabbel and Mao had outdone themselves. A long table was beautifully laid out with a centerpiece of sculpted ice. Fine Union logo decorated china and silverware.
There was beautiful music in the background; Wetmouth identified it as Mozart, who was, according to her, a Terran composer.
Mao greeted us almost as if he was the restaurant owner and rubbed his hands. “Friends, it is served. We got steamed Slime Diggers of Calva IV, Stunned Humm-Beetles, carefully aged raw Dino Livers, Nuflug Larvae marinated in Nanda blood, Sucki-Lums, Baldarian Mud-mash and some really stinky cheese from Terra.”
I almost gagged just hearing the choices, and I cursed, “Teaches me to ask a spider and a cannibal to make dinner!”
Krabbel snickered. “I think we really got you fooled this time!” He lifted the covers and said, “Pizza, roasted fish, mashed quadtatoes, gravy, steamed veggies and roast beef; for dessert, of course, ice cream, but with a hot berry sauce over it. We do have Sucki-Lums, but they are for Mao. He insisted!”
I glanced at the one remaining covered dish and was certain the metal lid had moved by itself. “Do I want to know what Sucki-Lums are?” I asked.
Har-Hi, Hans and Wetmouth simultaneously said, “No, you don’t!”
Elfi stopped Mao from explaining anyhow and said, “Go eat those later or on another table. You can’t be serious. You aren’t Shail!”
He smiled, defending his choice, and said, “Never judge before you try something. If you can get over the fact that—”
Elfi said with a sharp tone, “Mao!” then glared at him with her trademark dark-eyed glare and he ducked his head.
“All right, I eat them later!” he said.
At exactly 2000 hours, I raised my glass. “Recent events made it even clearer to me, how blessed I am for having such friends. I am convinced beyond any doubt that I have found the greatest treasure there is to be found in the Universe. So, I raise my glass and thank you for the privilege to be in your midst once more.”
They lifted their glasses, and there was a moment of silence. Then we drank and started to eat.
We ate and had a great time. Just as we were almost finished and a tending robot Mao had activated served coffee and liquor, the base commander appeared from the IBT shaft and came over. This time, he did look much more presentable and how a commander should look. He was clean-shaven, wore a clean uniform, and shined boots.
I called my friends to their feet and to attention
He looked somewhat surprised at the spread, motioned with his hand for us to continue, and asked, “What is the occasion, someone’s birthday?”
I answered, “No, sir. We just like to do this whenever we can. It became somewhat like a little tradition with us. Would you like to join us?”
He shook his head. “No, not really, Ensign. I tend to have dinner earlier and already ate.” He then flared his nostrils and sniffed. “Either someone here has used the table for a bathroom, or there are freshly opened Sucki-Lums.”
Mao grinned. “I found a whole case in the hotel stasis freezer.”
The commander pulled up a chair and sat down. “In that case, I do accept. It’s rare to find someone who isn’t Shail and appreciates Sucki-Lums.”
Wetmouth shivered. “It’s even rare to find Shail who still do!”
Mao lifted the cover and picked up something about the length of a human finger. It was oozing with a milky yellowish slime. The odor that wafted over instantly reminded me of the Environmental tanks Har-Hi and I had to clean once, and I could not help but cover my mouth to suppress a gagging reflex. The semi-translucent finger-long oozing thing moved and suddenly made a hissing sound, fighting the grip Mao had on it, and I could see a tiny mouth with teeth!
With a face of utmost contentment, Mao stuck it in his mouth. I heard it hiss even louder, and it seemed he had to fight whatever he just put in his mouth before he managed to swallow it.
To my horror, the commander did it, too.
Mao proudly explained, “It isn’t entirely without dangers. You’ve got to get them just right, or you will know why they’re called Sucki-Lums.”
Har-Hi was no less affected than I, but had it somewhat better under control, and said, “It’s considered a great feat in the Shail society to eat ten of them without getting hurt or killed.”
While Elfi pressed a bapkin to her mouth, Wetmouth said, “It is because Captain Elgar of the USS Wintergreen did just that, swallowing ten of these and during a Shail banquet that the Shail began to respect and trust humans and the Union. The Shail used their considerable influence over the Nosirrah and, instead of war, the dialogue was started, and it ended with the Shail and the Nosirrah joining the Union.”
I noticed the commander’s nametag and only now learned that his name was Cardwell.
The Base Commandant nodded. “All this, of course, made the reasons to build Richter Base obsolete.” He shrugged and, after eating another Sucki-Lum and drinking a glass of water, he said, “I don’t mind. I love this post. It is very quiet and leaves me time for my hobbies, but some can’t handle it and get crazy.”
I asked, “Like the ensigns in the Crawler Cat?”
He swallowed his third slime thing and nodded while fighting the thing inside his mouth. He swallowed and said, “Totally unnecessary, too; they did races across the surface, intoxicated with alcohol and drugs, way too fast and not wearing protective suits inside the cats, which is required, by the way, and would have saved their lives.”
He burped, applauded Mao for doing what he just did, and pointed at us. “That is why I was looking for you and came up here in the first place. I do not want to lose my cozy posting because you guys get bored and do stupid things. I was told you checked on the ship.”
“Yes, we were considering taking the ship to explore the system a little.”
Wetmouth added, “I am certain you have heard of this, sir. The initial survey team also checked on Richter 5 and found the remains of a primitive civilization, and I was hoping to go there to examine that further.”
He leaned back and declined Mao’s offer for the last one and said, “I told you that you can do what you like. Just do it properly and with all safety precautions observed.”
I said, “I promise you, sir, we will.” I was glad Mao put the cover back on the plate.
“Well, then carry on, and remember C & C is off limits.”
He got up, nodded to Mao, and left for the elevator.
Mao followed him with his eyes and said, “Maybe he isn’t such a bad person. I imagine it would take a certain type of personality to take a posting like this.”
I could see his tongue moving inside his cheek while he was talking and then realized it wasn’t his tongue.
Mao said, “Darn, I missed the head!” Something crunched, and he looked happy for a moment then leaned forward. “That is what my mind tells me. My guts tell me he was acting a role.”
Wetmouth almost whispered, “Do you know where he graduated from?”
Har-Hi groaned. “Please don’t say Newport.”
She said, “Sorry, but it was plain to see on his ribbon read out.”
Narth, who had until now and with great interest followed the Sucki-Lum proceedings, said, “His pulse rate increased, and I could sense a jolt of fear as you mentioned the Cat Accident. He didn’t like that you knew about it.”
I put my coffee down and cursed, “To hell with all those scheming, worm-infested bastards. There is no way this is a coincidence. No one can be that unlucky to get postings like that all the time and run into those shady characters and s
trange situations all the time. Before the Fleet expands even one person and one ship, they should start cleaning their own backyard first.”
Har-Hi also put his cup down and said, “Maybe that is why we are here?”
Hans asked, “So what are we going to do about it?” while eying the covered plate that was moving!
I said, “We continue exactly as ordered. He has not done anything wrong or treated us badly, but I think we check our quarters for listening devices and keep our eyes wide open.” I pointed at the covered dish. “And we are going to make sure the food we eat is well done and not moving the tableware.”
Cirruit said, “Those are high-security suites we are in are equipped with the latest anti-spyware to give ambassadors and flag officers the required privacy!”
I just looked at him, and Cirruit raised his hands. “I am going to sweep them nevertheless.”
I waved the robot to get me another coffee and said to him, “They have been here for years and had all the time in the world to do circumvent things if they are indeed up to no good. It was him who recommended these places in the first place.”
For the first week, we explored the base and used the recreation facilities. Krabbel could not get enough of the vintage-style thrill rides that were part of the local amusement park. Har-Hi worked out a class schedule, and we continued to cross-train each other. Har-Hi turned out to be quite a taskmaster as he drilled us in the still-empty Marine training facilities and in zero-G combat, where he was unbeatable. To my surprise, it was Narth who deeply enjoyed the physical aspect. He, in turn, began to train me and Elfi, who was already somewhat talented in psionics. The training at first consisted of simple meditation exercises, which weren’t so simple after all. He wanted us to sit in a darkened room and listen to our heartbeats, our breathing. Har-Hi and the others even Cirruit joined as well. Our sentient machine friend had, of course, no psionics whatsoever, but Narth was convinced that even Cirruit could become more aware of these things.
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 7 Page 75
