Chapter 19
(181st dawning of the 3,687th orbit)
3rd Planet
Ku Chang/Paul Eratus is concerned about the state of mineral production in Inner Mongolia. He is the beta in charge of this area for the People. Mining operations are divided between state run mining operations and wildcat operations that are run for the most part by criminal elements. As a broker for foreign organizations he has in the past been able to obtain supplies of these minerals and send them to the United States for transshipment to the Ganymede station. As demand has increased, competition has increased and supplies have become scarcer
He often has to deal with the criminal elements to get the supplies he needs. He wonders if the supply chain would improve if he could establish a space port in some remote area of Inner Mongolia or over the border in Mongolia.
His wife is also concerned about the number of abandoned babies. In urban centers special stations called, “baby hatches”, are established where these babies can be left to be picked up by orphanages but in the remote areas the unwanted babies are just left outside to die. Sometimes the babies have diseases or deformities that could easily be corrected or cured by the healers on Ganymede. Meng Li/Jane Alcanda wonders if something couldn’t be done to help them.
[Jane Alcanda, I am really concerned. Every day it becomes more difficult to obtain the metals that we need. Today I was at the People’s Mining operation and the shipment of minerals that I had been promised has been given to another party. My guess is that the other party gave a bigger bribe than I had given. Now I’ll have to deal with the criminals that run the wildcat operations. And I still have to bribe the officials at the China Northern Rare Earth Group High-Tech Company to refine the ore for shipment. I really have to find a better way.]
[Paul Eratus, I know, my love. Our situation here becomes less tenable every day. Aren’t there other countries where these minerals can be mined?]
[Jane Alcanda, there are mineral deposits that contain the elements that we want all over the world. There are huge mineral reserves in Mountain Pass, San Bernardino County, California, and Polycorp has a refinery there. But that operation is having problems because of the pricing pressure that our China operations have caused in the world markets. These pricing pressures are largely caused by the wildcat and criminally operated mines here locally.]
[The Lynas Corporation in Australia has extensive mining operations. They own and run a refinery in Malaysia. There are untapped deposits in Brazil. Somehow I have to work out a way to remove myself from the restrictions that operating in Inner Mongolia place on us. A high council meeting has been called and I have been invited to attend. Perhaps the others will have some suggestions.]
[Paul Eratus, my love, I’m sure you will work something out. Meanwhile I have another concern I think we should address. The child restrictions that our government places on people mean that many babies that are diseased or who have deformities are left out in the wilderness to die. If we could somehow get these babies to the Ganymede station, our healers there could cure the diseases or correct the deformities. Smuggling the babies to Montana would be a huge task and I’m not sure how we could accomplish that. Still, if we could work out a way, these castaways could be saved and would be a welcome addition.]
[Jane Alcanda, why don’t you attend the high council meeting with me? I’ll ask the moderator to give you a chance to address this issue.]
Chapter 20
(177th dawning of the 3,687th orbit)
3rd Planet
Felix county Montana is bordered by the Missouri river on the North. No interstate highways run through it. The county seat is Bordon, Montana. The main industries are hunting and fishing in the hills and along the mighty Missouri. Dan Baldwin has been Sheriff and Coroner here as long as anybody can remember. Dan Baldwin is a beta. His full name is Dan Baldwin/Dick Draakoe. With a population of less than 1,500, there’s not much money to pay a sheriff. Everyone thinks it’s strange that his cat is always with him. His cat’s name is Nirpaul. People always say, “That’s a strange name for a cat. Why did you name your cat that?” None of that matters to Dan Baldwin. He always answers, “Because that’s his name.” Nirpaul Hassan is an alpha. Dan Baldwin has a part time job. Long ago he built a warehouse back in the hills. The warehouse sits within a 10 acre enclosure. The fence surrounding the enclosure is high enough to discourage the casual observer. And that’s the idea. Behind the warehouse is a flat field with concrete slabs between the field and the warehouse.
Once or twice a week a sleek space ship lands nearly silently on that field. These ships are not visible until after they land. Upon landing doors in the side lift open and strange looking robots emerge and head for the warehouse. They load up the goods that are found there and carry them to the ship. When the loading is done, the ship again invisible rises nearly silently into the air and at unimagined speeds flies away. Dan Baldwin’s job is to make sure that no alien ever witnesses these activities.
Baldwin is aided in these tasks by Gunter Eikel. Gunter is a gamma. Gunter is little over 2 meters tall and covered from head to toe in short shaggy fur. Gunter lives in the woods and Bad Lands that surround the warehouse compound. He is adept at hiding from the aliens. But you would smell him, if he got close enough to you. He and his family are nocturnal hunters. Nothing that moves in this area escapes his notice.
Chapter 21
(184th dawning of the 3,687th orbit)
3rd Planet
[David Cletus, it is Captain Moozoog; are we safe to land?]
David Carson/David Cletus is always both nervous and excited on the nights that a supply ship is expected. He is a beta. As the warehouse manager, it’s his job to make sure all the goods that are being shipped out are ready for shipment. That’s not the hard part nor does that make him nervous. The hard part is to make sure that the landing goes undetected. The warehouse compound has been designed to make sure that the landings will go undetected. The supply ships have cannot-be-seen (CNBS) technology. They’re not visible until after they land. At that point they’re behind the tall fence that surrounds the compound. But the landing is only nearly silent not completely silent. Any aliens in the area might hear the strange sound the ships make in flight. To protect against anyone hearing he depends on Sheriff Dan Baldwin and the gamma Gunter Eikel to make sure the area around the compound is clear of aliens. Thus before answering the ship’s pilot he reaches out to these two.
[Dick Draakoe and Gunter Eikel, are we safe for a landing?]
[David Cletus, Gunter Eikel it is, No aliens do I sense near the enclosure.]
[David Cletus. It is Dick Draakoe. I’m on my way. And I’ll be there in a few minutes.]
David Cletus calls out to the ship, [Captain Moozoog, it is David Cletus. Stand by, we’re checking now.]
David Cletus felt the adrenaline rush on the nights that he had to handle these landings. It was so exciting. There was always the chance that they would be caught.
[David Cletus, it is Draakoe. I’m at the entrance to the enclosure now. I don’t see anyone.]
[Gunter Eikel, Draakoe. There is a deer, that I shot this afternoon, for you in the back my transportation machine. Is it your sense that we are still clear? I let Nirpaul out just a second ago. He should link up with you soon.]
[Dick Draakoe, Gunter it is. No activity do I sense. For the deer my wives and I thank you.]
[David Cletus, we are clear.]
[Captain Moozoog, all is clear. You may land.]
Nirpaul Hassan stalks through the night near the outer fence of the compound.
[Gunter Eikel, do you sense my nearness?]
[Nirpaul Hassan, see you I do. Quite near to you am I.]
[Gunter Eikel, I sense another near me. Am I being hunted?]
[Nirpaul Hassan, being hunted you are. A fox it is. Keep moving with stealth. Hunt him will I.] The huge gamma moves silently through the night. It’s amazing that one so large can move without any noise at all. Bending down at
exactly the right moment, he grabs the fox by its neck. One quick twist and the fox gives up his life. [Nirpaul, the fox no more is. My wives will much enjoy. Very tasty is the fox. Much fun is hunting with you as bait, Nirpaul. More often do this we should.]
David Cletus and his companion, Marc-Andre Blenheim, watch from the second floor office window as the ship materializes.
[Captain Moozoog, good landing. Send out the loading robots. We have 37 containers for pickup.]
[David Cletus, I have two passengers for you. They’re coming out now. They may need some help. They’re nor used to 3rd planet gravity.]
The front section of the ship opens and two robots emerge and roll across the concrete slab that separates the landing field from the warehouse. The overhead doors have been raised in anticipation. Each robot latches on to a train of five wheeled containers and pulls them out to and then into the ship. They then return for another load bringing with them empty containers from a previous trip. Within 30 minutes the loading is complete.
Behind the robots come two betas. They walk very carefully as if they’re carrying a huge weight on their shoulders.
[Dick Draakoe, it’s Cletus. Were you expecting visitors? We have two disembarking from the supply ship now.]
[David Cletus, it’s Draakoe. Yes, they’re John Kaatoe and Thomas Adolphus from the Ganymede station. Please make them comfortable until we’re done here. Make them comfortable on the 1st floor. Don’t try to get them up to your 2nd floor office. They’re not used to our gravity. They’re going to stay the dark at my house and then I’ll drive them to Salt Lake City in the dawning for the high council meeting.]
[Dick Draakoe, will do!]
Nirpaul silently pads back to Dan Baldwin’s 2016 Dodge RAM Big Horn Crew Cab truck. The truck is vividly marked with Sheriff’s Department markings. As usual the passenger side window is open. He leaps through the window and settles into the passenger seat and prepares to patently wait for his companion.
[Captain Moozoog, your loading is complete. You are cleared for takeoff.]
[David Cletus, thanks. See you next trip.]
The ship lifts up and shoots into the dark. Its eerie sound quickly Dopplers off as its speed increases. The ship disappears and stillness returns to the night.
[David Cletus, do you want me to wait while you close up and give you a ride into town?]
[Dick Draakoe, you don’t need to wait for me. I have my transportation machine.]
[Gunter Eikel, did you get your deer?]
[Dick Draakoe, many thanks, my wives will be much pleased; the deer I have and a fox thanks to Nirpaul. Fine bait he makes.]
[Nirpaul Hassan, are you ready to go? Are you OK? Why was Gunter using you for bait?]
[Dick Draakoe, I’m fine and waiting for you in the transportation machine. Our gamma was just joking around. Who knew he had a sense of humor?]
[Nirpaul Hassan, it will be a glad day when I get you to think ‘truck’ and not ‘transportation machine.]
Dan hops in the truck with the Sheriff Department markings. He gently strokes Nirpaul and starts the engine.
[John Kaatoe and Thomas Adolphus, it’s Dick Draakoe. I’m on the way to pick you up. I hope the gravity is not giving you too much trouble.]
[Dick Draakoe, it’s Thomas Adolphus. We’re doing just fine for a couple of betas that weigh seven times as much as we’re used to. I haven’t been to the 3rd planet during this life time for many orbits and this is the 1st trip for John Kaatoe.]
Dan Baldwin helps the two betas into the big truck. He starts down the road that will take him to Sand Springs, Montana Highway 200 and the 30 mile trip back to Bordon.
Chapter 22
(177th dawning of the 3,687th orbit)
3rd Planet
[John Prymuus, Alizar. I heard a call for a high council meeting. I had hoped to live this life without the bothers of the affairs of state. Have you attended these high council meetings in past lives?]
[Alizar el Shelaman, I have. I was chairman for the high council meeting in the 3437th orbit. Have there been many high council meeting since then? Where and when is this meeting to be held?]
[John Prymuus, some place called Salt Lake City; in two dawnings. Do you know where that is? I’m not sure how many meetings have been held since then. A few I believe. I was the moderator for the meeting in the 3560th orbit,]
[Alizar el Shelaman, sure it’s in Utah. It’s a good thing we asked Paul Acacius to charter us a plane.]
His cell phone rings, “Hi, this is Walter Karnaugh.”
“Hello, Walter, this is Liz Mosby. I’m in your charted jet and we’ll be landing in Reading in about 60 minutes.”
“We’ll meet the plane when you land. Tell the pilots to prepare the plane for an immediate turn around and to file a flight plan for Salt Lake City, Utah. I assume you’re prepared for a little trip.”
“I am prepared for whatever is needed. I also have the reports that you requested. We’ll see you in 60 minutes.”
[Alizar el Shelaman, we need to get moving. I’ll pack my things and tell my folks we’re leaving. I’ll also tell them that I’m taking you with me so they won’t worry when you disappear.]
The ride to the airport was uneventful. The she-alien and her mate had been disappointed by the abrupt departure. Walter turned south on Route 183; turned left into the airport road; then turned at the 2nd right into the Millennium Aviation parking lot.
Walking into the lobby he announced himself, “Hi, I’m Walter Karnaugh. I‘m expecting a plane to pick me up here shortly.”
“Yes, Mr. Karnaugh, your Gulfstream G650 is inbound with an ETA of 5 minutes. Can I get you anything? Will you need a pet carrier for your cat?”
[John Prymuus, is he serious? He’ll need more help than he has available if he thinks he could put me in a cage. Ask him to bring me a saucer of beer.]
“I don’t think my companion would take too kindly to being put in a cage. Perhaps if you have some beer available you could put some in a saucer for him,” Walter smiled at the thought. [Alizar el Shelaman, it might be worth the price of admission to watch him try to cage you. Are you a good fighter?]
“Right away, Sir! Your plane is landing now.”
“Well, I guess we won’t be needing that beer.”
Karnaugh watched the beautiful jet pull up next to the building. Claude Applebee hadn’t spared any expense in the charter. The jet came to a stop and its engines were silenced. The door in the sleek side magically appeared and the stairs were lowered. The first down the stairs was a slim gorgeous young blond woman in a tailored business suit. Following her was a somewhat older man whose uniform that marked him as the pilot.
“Hi, I’m Liz Mosby,” she smiled, “and this is Captain Thomas Hanson.” [John Prymuus, it’s nice to meet you. I am Jane Ceekundah. Claude Applebee/Paul Acacius sent me. He didn’t know what your travel plans were but he thought that this Gulfstream G650 would probably do. I have all the papers you asked for on the plane. The plane’s crew are all aliens but they seem nice.]
[Jane Ceekundah, it’s nice to meet you too!]
In her he saw a beautiful, 20-something, expensively dressed young woman. He’s thought was that old Applebee was doing some match making as well as seeing that his client was well taken care of.
In him she saw a 20-something, young man in ill-fitting clothes. Knowing that he was newly awakened, she guessed that he was just starting to teach his body to grow slimmer and more muscular. When he briefed her on this assignment, Applebee had told her that this young man was perhaps the wealthiest beta that had ever lived.
“Please call me Tom, Mr. Karnaugh. I understand you want to go to Salt Lake City. If you’re ready to go, I just need a few minutes to file a new flight plan and get the plane refueled”
“We’re ready, Tom. Salt Lake City is where we need to go.”
As they approached the plane they could see a tabby alpha at the top of the stairs. [John Prymuus and Alizar el Shelaman, this is Laketa Gode
swanger, my companion.]
Alizar was delighted. [Jane Ceekundah, Laketa and I know each other from many orbits and many lives ago.]
[Laketa Godeswanger, it is a delight to see you again.]
[Alizar el Shelaman, you old faker, it’s good to see you, too.]
“Mr. Karnaugh, this is Saryellis “Sary” Johnson, our flight attendant, and this is Nigel Northrop, our 1st officer. You wouldn’t guess it from his name but Nigel is British,” Liz makes the introductions.
John extends his hand, “Nice to meeting you both. We’ll just settle in and start to work. Liz, why don’t you and I use these two seats with the table between us? I see that Alizar and Laketa have commandeered the couch. Sary, I’d like a Yuengling, if you have some. Something for you, Liz?”
“Yes, I like a Yuengling, too.”
“Of course, Mr. Karnaugh, two Yuengling, right away.”
[Alizar el Shelaman, do you want anything?]
[John Prymuus, yes, I’d like that beer I was promised a few minutes ago.]
“And open another Yuengling for Alizar and Laketa. Perhaps in a saucer would be best.”
Mosby opens a flight case on the floor next to her seat. From it she extracts six 1-inch spiral bound notebooks each with a neatly labeled cover. Placing these on the table between them she then put a leather briefcase on the table. Opening the briefcase, she indicated the contents. “Here is the $10,000 that you requested. And here are the credit cards. You need to sign these receipts for the firm’s records. This first notebook is a record of real estate holdings not including residences. The second is a list of residences and describes how they are staffed at present. The next is bank statements of US banks. The fourth is bank statements of non-US banks. The 5th is a listing of all stock holdings. And the final note book is a listing of all other tangible assets and a consolidated balance sheet. The brief case and the flight case are gifts from the firm.”
The Adventures of Alizar: The Beginning (Aizar Book 1) Page 4
