We left the bridge and Narth, “Don’t you think the Fleet does a good job covering our bases? How could we possibly cover all bases the fleet has?”
As I was trying to formulate thoughts to explain my expression, Shea said, “It is a reference to an old Terran sports activity, where points in the playing field are covered by players to perform ritualistic and strictly regulated activities with a little ball and bats.”
I wondered if there was anything she didn’t know. Even I had no idea where that expression originated.
Wearing our dress uniforms, we went through the mooring arm tunnel and into the main body of the asteroid that had a radius of roughly seventy-eight kilometers.
I wasn’t prepared for what we saw. The asteroid was hollowed out and most of it formed one gigantic cavern. Terrace-style levels circled the walls as far up as I could see. Each terrace had stalls, shops, and merchant booths. There had to be thousands!
Narth shook his hooded head and responded to my thoughts out loud as he said, “No there are 2,300,040 shops, stalls, and booths.”
I looked at him. “Lucky for you, someone was just thinking about how many there were and you overheard it; otherwise you wouldn’t know how many shops there are.”
Narth held up a little colorful flyer. “No, I have not done so, but one can read this fact in this information pamphlet I pulled from a slot at the entrance.”
I had no other reaction but to gently elbow him in the side. “Smart-ass!”
Narth objected that his smarts were not located in his behind, and I wondered if it would be possible for me to talk to Narth without using any acronyms, synonyms, or words that could have different meanings. I decided that this would be impossible and not much fun either.
The ground level was one huge open space, and here, too, merchants had set up shop. A ship dealer occupied a sizeable area to our right, displaying a row of used and new civilian space ships, mostly of Kartanian origin, but also a few civilian Union models.
Toward the left, another merchant sold skimmers and landing tanks. Farther to the back were cages and tanks holding live animals, including the most bizarre life forms I had ever seen.
The bazaar was not very busy, as I assumed most customers had fled. I could see repair crews flying with their material-loaded skimmers in every direction.
A group of four beings dressed in shiny golden floor-length robes approached. Two of them at first appeared to be children, but their wrinkled faces and bald heads dispelled this notion very quickly. The other two beings behind them were very tall, carried spear-like weapons and wore shiny helmets with mirrored visors hiding their faces.
While the small ones reminded me of the Kermac, they did not have the characteristic white skin but instead a deep gold-bronze skin. Unlike the Kermac, who were as tall as average humans, these Golden were only about eighty centimeters tall and did not have the glued-on ceremonial beards all Kermac had. But, like their brethren, they appeared to be completely hairless, had big round eyes, small noses, and little mouths. The left one managed to look down on us in a very arrogant manner, even though he had to look up to us.
He greeted us, saying, “He, the all powerful and richest in all the galaxies, he who carries the exalted name of Sobody, and the most sacred title of Merchant Eldest of the Golden, the Keeper of the Consecrated Laws of Profit and Guarantor of Wealth, has in his great wisdom requested that you in all haste be brought before him. You must know of the rarest privilege to be in his presence, but few lower life forms were ever allowed to gaze upon The Being most Perfect. You will kneel at all times and crawl to the throne circle and only if you are commanded to do so, you may come closer. It is at no point permitted to lift your eyes to him without permission. Your presence soils the palace as it is; do not add to the contamination by speaking or gazing. If you do all this, I think we will manage to get this audience over with to everyone’s satisfaction.”
I wanted to say something, but he put his finger on his lips. “Hush, hush, be quiet and follow me. Lower life forms must not speak when in the presence of the True Golden. Leave the blabbering to the sales floors!”
I took a deep breath, remembering the words of McElligott and, with much effort, I swallowed my pride and anger. They took Kermac arrogance to new heights!
I even managed to give my friends a nod to play along.
A shimmering slidewalk made of pink, purple, and golden translucent moving segments silently lowered behind those four Golden beings to the ground and carried us moments later up in a spiraling way upward to a sphere-like construct hanging without any visible supports in the upper middle of the hollowed asteroid. The sphere was made of diamond-shaped plates of gold and glass of various sizes. The slideway terminated at a guarded double door that led inside this diamond-shaped floating building.
The arrogant Golden who had spoken to us said, “Once through that door, you are in the Sanctum Regalis and in the very presence of he who is Sobody Merchant Eldest of the Golden. You are then to lower yourself to the floor and do not look up.” He looked at Krabbel and Hans. “Those brutish things shall remain outside!”
The door opened, but I did not go. I said, “If my crew and friends are not welcome, then I am not welcome. Tell that Majesty of yours that it was he who invited us and it was us who saved this place.” Diplomacy went only so far. I turned and said, “Let’s go, guys.”
A voice from inside the door called, “Most Gallant Captain Smith. Please, all of you come in; my chamberlain was more than unpolite and disrespectful. Please forgive us and come on in!”
The chamberlain bowed deeply. “Wisdom Incarnate! These life forms are neither cleansed nor properly searched and undressed!”
The same voice snarled, “Be silent; you are dismissed. The times of isolation have ended for more than just the Narth!”
Sobody looked very much like his chamberlain only much older and, while his face clearly reflected the knowledge of power, he did not have the same arrogant quality. I even noticed he had crow’s feet around his eyes, giving testimony that he liked to laugh and smile.
We entered the floating diamond-shaped building. The floor was a white polished stone, with curved columns of the same white material in equal distances all around the curved walls. Mountains of silken cushions and pillows were between them, and low tables held fruits and food delicacies from all over the galaxy and perhaps beyond. Sobody the Golden Merchant made a dismissive gesture.
With it, he dismissed the guards and waited until the doors were closed. Then he said, “Welcome, indeed, and thank you for your help. There is no question; you have saved this bazaar and the many lives in it, including mine.”
He stopped as his eyes fell on Elfi and he bowed deeply. “Had I known such a royal visitor of utmost importance walked among you, I would have prepared for a more formal reception. Your Majesty, it is an honor to greet thee in my humble surroundings.”
I learned then that Elfi could stare and make a face just as arrogant as they could and then some. She said, with a razor-sharp edge in her voice, “She, who is the princess, travels incognito and wishes not to make an issue of her standing and position. However, your chamberlain’s manners were insulting in the highest!”
He bowed again and said, “I planned to punish him for his ill manners before, but I assure you will have his head on a plate before you leave!” He bowed again, this time before Narth. “It is twelve thousand years since I had the privilege to greet a Narth in person.”
Narth did not bow and said, “You shield your thoughts well, but your reputation that you are immune to psionics and that the Golden cannot be sensed is not accurate.”
The Golden answered, “We are an old species, but what are we compared to the Narth? Since you can sense me, you know I mean you no harm. No shield can keep out the probing mind of Narth, this is a fact. I will, however, lower all barriers to freely allow you access, so you know I am truthful, and I will come to the real reason I have asked you here.” He gestured. “
Please make yourself comfortable. I have a selection of delicacies and refreshments that might delight you.”
We sat down on the pillows across from him, but no one took anything. I didn’t trust the Golden, and I didn’t really like him at all, but Narth sent me a thought that he was honest, at least so far.
The Golden looked straight at me. “I can sense you do not like me, perhaps it is because of our relationship with the Kermac, perhaps it was my doomed chamberlain and his bad manners. I can’t blame you for it, but I hope I can change your mind before this day is over.”
I said, “High Merchant, I am here because I was ordered to be here. I am here because I represent the United Stars of the Galaxies and you are an important representative of another culture and civilization. However, I feel there are other reasons why you wanted us here in person, other reasons than to thank us, that is.”
He declined his head, smiled, and his smile did reach his eyes. “Indeed, this is quite so, my young and beautiful Captain Smith.” He gestured around him and said, “I am the absolute ruler of those known to you as the Golden. You know we are relatives of the Kermac and, given the history of the Union, especially the Terrans and our distant relatives, it has always strained any relationship between the Golden and the Union.”
He pointed to Narth and said, “The Narth know our true history, and I am sure your hooded friend can if he consults the Narth Supreme, confirm that we suffered much from our so-called relatives. We were treated much like the Blue by the Ker and the Mac and had to fight in order to survive the genocide efforts of the Ker.”
Narth nodded slightly and, in my mind, I heard him say, “He does speak the truth.”
The old merchant took a piece of fruit from a side table but did not eat it and continued, “The Union did not like the Blue at first, but you embraced them after they decided to join the Union and I am sure you know there isn’t a Union member who dislikes the Kermac more than the Blue.”
Even I had to agree with that. I didn’t know any Blue personally, but I had talked to members of that species and learned about them in Union class.
He said, “When I heard the Narth had abandoned their age-old policy of isolation and become more active members of the Union, it made me think as well.”
He now popped the little blue fruit in his mouth, chewed and again focused his eyes on me as he said, “You see, we Golden built our business on the reputation of our neutrality and by keeping the secrets and details of ourselves closely guarded. We are not Immortals but enjoy a very long lifespan. My own aging process has been completely halted for over twelve thousand years now, and I have seen empires and species come and go. We travel to galaxies and places no one in the Union has ever even heard of, and we do business with civilizations who never heard of the Union. But then something happened that caught my interest; a species of humans were uplifted by the Sarans, and they arrived on the galactic stage not meekly, like other new civilizations do, but with a thunderclap eradicating the relentless Xunx completely. I could not keep my eyes off them and to put it in Terran words. I became the Terrans’ biggest fan.”
He again motioned to Narth. “As promised, I opened my shields, and you are welcome to monitor my thoughts to see that I am indeed truthful.”
Narth simply and dryly delivered statement was perhaps the ultimate arrogance, but I had to concentrate not to grin as my friend said, “Your shield was not very effective, but I appreciate the gesture. I concur, your intentions are of great benefit to us. I shall, however, leave you the decision to reveal it all.”
The old merchant bowed in his seat. “Thank you. I am glad you let me tell it.”
Narth’s voice in my head said, “He can be trusted, but what he has in mind might cause some turmoil. I’ll let him reveal it unless you insist.”
I simply shook my head and thought back, “As long as this is no trap and he gets to the point, I agree.”
Sobody moved his head and said, “Amazing, it seems you communicate telepathically with your captain and I can’t detect a thing! Seeing a Narth act almost like a human is perhaps the greatest wonder I have yet witnessed.”
Narth surprised me as he said, “Narth Supreme considers the discoveries I made through my friendship and service the highest achievement we Narth attained in millennia. It fills me with personal pride if I am considered to have human qualities.”
Sobody sipped from a glass, and I nodded to Krabbel. “Go ahead, Narth thinks he is trustworthy!”
Krabbel shrieked and took an already melting ice cream cone from a platter close to him.
The Golden merchant laughed. “Yes, I heard of the addiction Archas have for ice cream. When I saw one to be part of your crew, I knew I had to have some here.”
I thanked him and said, “Please continue and come to the point why we are here. We’ve learned much but still nothing of the real reason, and I am in a bit of a hurry.”
He slowly shook his head, and he had a wide smile on his lips. “Forceful, a little impatient, easy to anger, full of pride, and never to be underestimated; Captain Smith, you are a refreshing example of the exact qualities I admire so much in these evolved primates of Terra. Please believe me when I say I love your species. There is none quite like it in the universe I have seen so far.”
He took another fruit, looked at it, then he said, “I want you to tell your superiors, we the Golden will join the Union and give you unlimited access to all our files and technology, allow you to set up research posts on all our bases, and reveal to you the secret of the ancient gates and how they can be used to travel to other galaxies. All this, we offer under one condition!”
I was quite shocked by his revelation but said, “High Merchant, I am only a starship captain. I cannot make decisions for my government and grant or negotiate any deals or conditions, but I gladly convey them!”
He seemed pleased as he said, “I am certain you can call your ship and have a connection made. Call that old man of yours, McElligott, and tell him I want to talk to him.”
Elfi made the connection, linking Tigershark’s Comm. System with my wrist PDD.
The admiral’s holo-image appeared immediately, as if he had waited right by his terminal for this call. Before I could even brief him, he snapped, “How did it go? What happened? What did he want?”
Sobody walked over and placed himself inside the visual pickup sensor of my PDD and said, “I am right here, Admiral. We are still in my sanctum, and I asked your young captain to make this connection.”
I extended the wide-angle receiver so McElligott could see all we did and projected a field screen so Sobody could see the admiral better. McElligott slightly bowed to the old merchant. “Your Eminence, it is an honor to talk to you in person. I hope my young captain has represented the Union well.”
The merchant said, “She has indeed, sir. Let me come to the reason for this call, and I will offer you a proposal.”
The Golden repeated the offer.
McElligott wiped his mouth in an involuntary gesture. “What would that condition be?”
“I want to join this young crew and go on whatever mission they are on. I won’t ask for any privileges or to be treated like any other crewmember, but I want to be there. I’ve lived a very long time, and I feel old despite my body’s eternal youth. I want to soak and sponge up some of that vitality and energy, to be on a Union ship and on real missions. My Council of Elders is fully instructed and ready to travel to Pluribus and do what is necessary to integrate the Golden into the Union. We will accept Union law, participate with funds and recruits to your fleet. Give you unlimited access to all our files on alien species and technology. Our intelligence service has much to share as well. It will be good business in the long run, too, as I am certain.”
The admiral said, “A battlegroup is already on its way and will arrive soon. I will order the USS Baghdad to take you aboard as a passenger for a grand tour of Union Space. It is one of our newest dreadnoughts.”
Sobody’s voice b
ecame stronger. “No, Admiral. I was not talking about being a safeguarded VIP guest and being flown along safe space lines for a few weeks. I am offering you a great opportunity, and I think you understood what I have asked. I want to go with the crew of the USS Enigma and on whatever mission they have. Don’t take me for a fool or lightly. Don’t change their mission to suit me. My side of the deal is of tremendous benefit to the Union. My request should be little compared to that.”
McElligott wrung his hands as he said, “Sir, this crew is on a long and dangerous mission. I could not possibly guarantee your safety.”
Sobody sounded pleased. “Now we understand each other, and that is exactly what I want. I don’t want my safety guaranteed. The deal will be complete and unchangeable regardless if I get injured or die in the course of that mission. Ask your Narth. I have no hidden agenda, no alternate motives. It is simply the dream of an old and very rich man, to once more do something meaningful, something daring and perhaps dangerous. I want to share a cabin with another crewmate, scramble at alarm, die in the heat of battle or perhaps simply out of excitement. Again, I am not asking for any special treatment, in fact, I do not want any. I might not be a trained officer from your academies, but I have been traveling this universe longer than you and that Iron hero Stahl together and that should count for something. Besides, I am giving you a choice. You do not have to agree. But then as long as I live, the Golden shall remain as they were.”
“Why now? It seems almost as if you have planned this.”
Sobody shook his head vehemently. “No, Admiral. I did not plan for those little humans to attack us. Even we had no idea of their existence until they attacked. Our own battle fleet was too far out to arrive in time, but as I told your captain, I am a fan of the Union, so to speak, and I have been playing with this idea ever since I watched you grow as a civilization. I made definite preparations ever since the Narth have eased their Isolation and came to the conclusion my people need to do the same. It was chance that brought this captain and her crew here, but I would have asked for this eventually.”
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 7 Page 86
