by Musser, Dale
“Can you tell me what you were looking at just before you went into the atrium?” I asked.
“I had just shown her the entertainment lounge in that section.”
“By any chance do you happen to have a version of a vid game called Drizen Ride among the available diversions in this lounge?” Senator Tonclin asked.
“Why, yes sir, we do. Chanina was most excited when she saw it.”
“I fear that she probably ran back there to play that silly game. The child is totally addicted to it. In fact, that was one of my reasons for bringing her on this trip – to get her away from that game for a day or two. Please do not worry; her disappearance is not your fault,” the senator said looking at Kala’s aide. “If you return to the entertainment lounge, you will probably find her sitting at the game, oblivious to how long she has been there.”
Just as the senator finished speaking, one the crew came into the dining room with an obviously embarrassed Chanina in tow.
“Where did you find her?” asked Senator Tonclin calmly, as he cast Chanina a scolding glance.
“Actually, Senator, she showed up at the bridge and advised that she had gotten lost. How she found her way there from the aft entertainment room I will never know. It’s a rather complicated path.”
The senator stared at his daughter as she replied, “I didn’t find my way, father. The little man showed me the way.”
“Little man?” asked Captain Stonbersa in a puzzled and concerned tone, “What little man? What did he look like?”
“Well he was shorter than me… and he walked kind of funny, like he was rocking when he walked… and he had a funny back, like he had a pillow under his shirt.”
“Chanina! What have you been told about speaking of people’s physical appearance?” the senator said in a chastising voice.
“Well he did father, and the captain asked what he looked like!” Chanina fumed.
“We have no one on the ship that looks like that – not to my knowledge anyway. Everyone on the ship should be taller than you are, Chanina,” said the captain.
“Well, he was shorter than me,” Chanina insisted. “I was crying when I couldn’t find my way back. Suddenly he was there and asked me what was wrong… and I said I was lost… and he said he would help… and he took me to the bridge.”
Captain Stonbersa turned to the crewman who brought Chanina to the dining room and said, “Did you see this individual?”
“No, sir. We were all occupied at our stations when she just sort of appeared on the bridge. None of us saw her arrive and when we did notice her, she was alone.”
“See if you can find out who this person is!” ordered the captain and then he turned to me.
“This is most strange, Tibby. Just last week one of the crew was checking some circuits in the vacant quarters area on the aft end of the ship and he swore that he saw a little man of a similar description in one of the unused crew mess areas. The crewman reported that this individual simply disappeared and he was unable to find him anywhere in the area. At first we thought he might have seen another crew member and that from his vantage point the person just appeared to be short and deformed; but now we have this corroborating report. I must say, it sounds like we have a stowaway onboard.”
The evidence certainly supported the idea of a stowaway. The NEW ORLEANS crew was placed on security alert and every crew and service staff member joined Marranalis and the security team to search for this elusive individual, but the search was fruitless. No one was seen in the vacant areas of the ship that shouldn’t have been there. At the same time, no one that was questioned admitted to having helped Chanina find her way to the bridge either. Captain Stonbersa was most perplexed by this mystery and ordered all monitors in the ship activated. Many of the security monitors in the unused areas of the ship had been deactivated until this strange turn of events. Even after a diligent review, no one that was not part of the ship’s known complement showed on any of these monitors.
The senator and his daughter spent the night on the ship and departed early the next morning. Shortly after, Cantolla announced that she was able to implement some small improvements to the solbidyum reactor unit after reviewing the plans that Lunnie had left behind and the original designs found in the TRITYTE archives. The new unit configuration was better suited for planetary power distribution and would allow the tremendous energy created in the reactors to be managed with complete efficiency, which meant power would be generated without leakage or dissipation and without the risk of overload on any element of the existing power grid. She and her team had already constructed two units, which were ready to be put into service.
I never ceased to marvel at the speed with which it was possible to manufacture items in the Federation territories. The Federation technology had produced robotic equipment and machinery capable of manufacturing raw goods into finished products within minutes or hours, where on Earth the same processes would have taken much longer. The solbidyum reactors, for instance, would have taken two weeks or more to manufacture on Earth; whereas the technologically advanced equipment of the Federation required only that the design was uploaded into the computer while the raw materials were supplied to the mechanized factory. After these initial provisions were made, the computer calculated the most efficient way to use the materials and complete the assembly. As one part of the factory cut and formed materials according to a template, another area assembled and installed electronic components. Observing these wondrous machines as they manufactured the solbidyum reactors was almost like watching time-lapse photography.
While the installation of the solbidyum reactor was taking place, I met with the new recruits for the FSO. When dining with Admiral Regeny, Captain Stonbersa and Kala earlier that morning, I was approached by Major Sokaia, who had confronted Marranalis the day before. “Vice Admiral Renwalt,” she said snapping to attention before me, “I wish to make an apology for my comments and actions of yesterday. I was totally out of line.” Admiral Regeny was seated across the small table from me with his back to the major, and I noted a smirk on his face as the major made her apology.
“I see. Tell me, Major,” I began, “were you ordered to give this apology or did you come to this decision on your own?”
I could see the major redden and clearly become distressed by my question as Admiral Regeny raised an eyebrow and looked at me in surprise.
“Ah, actually, both sir,” the major stammered. “Admiral Regeny did order me to apologize to both you and Lieutenant Marranalis. I had been off planet when the uprising took place and was unaware of the recent events that culminated in the honorary titles you received. After Admiral Regeny related to me all that had transpired and the valor you demonstrated on behalf of the Federation, I genuinely regretted my comments and actions. I assure you, sir, that I have the highest respect for you and your staff for what you’ve done and I will not make this mistake again, sir.”
“Have you made your apology to Lieutenant Marranalis already?”
“No, sir. I plan to do so as soon as I leave here.”
“Well, when you do apologize to Marranalis, tell him I said he is to make you his assistant. This means you will need to receive extra training from him; and though it will be more work for you, I think it will pay off in the long run.”
“Yes, sir. Will that be all, sir?”
“Yes, Major. You’re dismissed.” The major turned briskly and departed, still showing bright crimson on her cheeks.
“Tibby, I’m glad you weren’t my senior officer when I was in the ranks,” the admiral chuckled. “Major Sokaia is actually one of our best troopers – a real go-getter and a dedicated officer. I like the way you handled her. I think her abilities and aptitude will surprise you as she moves through the training.”
“I’m counting on it, Admiral. I just hope that I will be equally surprised with the trainees for the FSO. Speaking of the FSO, I need to get to the conference room to meet with them and begin their first training ses
sion, if you will excuse me.”
To say that the Federation was clueless when it came to spying would be a lie; but for all their advanced technology they were not very sophisticated about their operations. Their methods were crude and awkward at best; and anyone with an ounce of paranoia would be quick to spot a Federation agent investigating or spying on them. The group that had been selected for the first candidates as FSO officers consisted of mostly humans and only about a dozen non-human species. One of the non-human recruits in particular caught my attention; he was a chameleon, of sorts, who could mimic the textures, patterns and colors of his surroundings on his skin in much the same way that some of Earth’s aquatic cephalopods did. I could see where this individual might be an immense benefit on spy missions. Another non-human species was nocturnal and had to wear dark goggles during his training, as light levels for humans were painfully bright for him. Once again, I could see strong potential for him as an agent.
Nearly 40% of the group was female. I recognized my own surprise at this high ratio as a byproduct of the male chauvinism my culture on Earth, an attitude that I thought myself to be above. While I have always believed in equality among men and women, believing that anyone who can perform to requirements (regardless of gender) should be allowed to do so for equal compensation, I was nevertheless surprised to find so many qualified females among the recruits. I hadn’t given it any thought with the Special Ops training group, as I knew that over a third of the Federation troopers were females; but for some reason it never dawned on me that they would also be included in the FSO recruits.
After explaining what would be expected of them as agents, I gave the recruits an assignment to establish their individual aptitudes for creativity and to demonstrate how they would need to think as spies. They were assigned to bug the conversations in any one of three areas of the ship and, in doing so, garner some piece of confidential or secret information. These areas included the bridge, the offices of the High Command and the officer’s dining room. They were told that sweeps would be made of these spaces to locate bugging devices; anyone whose bug was located would be considered a failure and any information they retrieved would be deemed invalid. They were given permission to work in teams of no larger than five or they could work alone. They had two days to accomplish their task.
The troopers that were being trained for the Special Ops units required a somewhat different approach; these troopers required skills focused more on tactical stealth and intense physical engagement. With the enhancement of the learning headbands that was achieved by Cantolla and her team, martial arts knowledge and physical training was being given to all troops found to be loyal to the Federation. Since the enhancements included a version of the loyalty and truth tests, unsuitable candidates could be filtered out before imparting the martial arts skills. Troopers had no idea that they were being examined for loyalty via the headband device and the covert assessment proved to be especially effective in identifying those who had loyalty to and membership in the Brotherhood. These troopers were declared unfit and were relieved from duty in the Federation military, as long as it was found that they had not played a part in the recent rebellion. If the tests revealed that the troopers had been involved in the rebellion, they were brought up on charges of treason and mutiny.
The learning headband training had a double-edged effect in strengthening the Federation forces. Those who had not participated in the rebellion, but who had been a part of the Brotherhood, would be watched for future activities within the organization and, in the case of some individuals, their past membership in the Brotherhood also presented an opportunity for infiltration as spies. As the interrogations of these Brotherhood members progressed, it became clear that not all of them had known or realized exactly what the Brotherhood organization was really about; and once they found out, they had deserted its ranks. If they could be recruited into the FSO, these individuals could be trained as operatives. Once trained, they could solicit the Brotherhood to restore their membership, stating as a cover story that they had been dismissed from the military because they had failed the loyalty test.
Since all of the troopers in FSO training had already completed the loyalty tests and martial arts instruction via the learning device, I was not surprised when I entered the training area to see them engaged in fast paced martial arts combat under the direction of Marranalis. I noted that both Marranalis and Major Sokaia were actively supervising and advising the combats. Many of the sessions lasted only a few minutes before one opponent triumphed over the other. A few of the more closely matched adversaries sparred longer before one triumphed. When they finished, the losers were told that they would have extra duties for the evening. Marranalis was about to dismiss them for the day when I stepped forward. “Has Major Sokaia sparred with anyone today?” I inquired loudly enough for all the troopers in the group to hear.
“Ah… no, sir,” replied Marranalis. “I made her my assistant, per your orders. She has been assisting me with instruction of the others.”
“I see. And what about you, have you engaged in any combat practice today?”
“I demonstrated some techniques,” Marranalis said tentatively.
“Not good enough. I expect you and the major to both engage in combat as well. So if you please, I wish to see the two of you engage in combat now.”
I could see that Marranalis didn’t like the idea. Conversely, the major was enthusiastic for the opportunity to demonstrate her superiority over Marranalis.
I finished my orders with, “Oh yes, and the loser joins with the rest of the defeated adversaries in extra duty.”
Marranalis gave me a look that said, “Why are you doing this to me?” as he squared off with Sokaia.
Sokaia didn’t waste any time. She attacked quickly and nearly caught Marranalis off guard; but all the practice and additional training that he had received over the past months gave him an edge in speed and reaction. Instead of having to plan or think about the techniques, his responses came instinctively. Sokaia attacked repeatedly and, before long, Marranalis realized that he had a distinct advantage over the major. He quickly relaxed into a more automatic defensive mode and was soon throwing Sokaia effortlessly, blocking her moves and using her attack movements to his advantage.
After toying with her a few moments, it became obvious to all that Sokaia was no match for Marranalis. Finally, he threw Sokaia and landed her in a position where he was poised to deliver what would have been a fatal blow; and the contest was over. Sokaia finished in a breathless sweat, but Marranalis showed no signs of stress.
As Marranalis helped Sokaia back to her feet, I said to the recruits, “I wanted you all to see that, while the learning bands can give you the intellectual understanding and knowledge of martial arts, you still need to practice to make these moves a natural action for you. Even at this basic level the knowledge will benefit you greatly over one who knows nothing of these techniques. However, the more you practice and spar, the more natural these moves will become and the more efficient you’ll be able to execute your skills in real combat. You want these moves to become so automatic that they’re as natural as walking or breathing – like a reflex. To insure that you are better, faster and stronger at these moves than any possible opponent, you will have to train harder and longer than standard troopers. You must advance further, endure more and never ever give up.”
My lecture was interrupted by a communication from Captain Stonbersa via my wrist com. When I answered, the captain announced, “Tibby, we’ve had another incident with our mysterious passenger. This time we managed to capture him on the vid.”
“I’ll be right there, Captain,” I replied, while motioning to Marranalis to come with me. “Major Sokaia, you’re in charge of dismissing the troops until tomorrow.”
When Marranalis and I arrived at the bridge, the captain had the vid images displayed on the screen. “He’s exactly as they described him – short, hump on his back, and a sort of wobble in his walk. Look
… you can see him activating the food dispenser in the aft quarters area. We set up a hidden surveillance camera and got a clip of him. I sent crew members to capture him; but when they arrived, he had again disappeared without a trace.”
At one point the elusive figure turned to face the camera. The captain froze the image so we could get a closer look at him. My first thought was that I was looking at a hunchbacked munchkin from the Wizard of OZ, one of Earth’s classic fictional vid stories that featured a race of tiny people who lived under the threat of a… well, an evil person. There were some differences between the figure on the screen and the munchkins in the story. His eyes were larger and closer together and his irises were yellow. His skin appeared to have a slight yellowish tint, as well. His face was more triangular and his nose more pointed; and he had long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. While that image sounds somewhat sinister, it actually wasn’t at all. In fact, he looked curiously friendly. He also had rather large ears that pivoted in different directions to catch sounds.
“Anyone know who or what he is?” asked Captain Stonbersa.
“I haven’t a clue,” Marranalis said. “I’ve seen lots of life forms during my time in the military, but none like that.”
While we talked, Stonbersa activated the motion on the image again. We noticed that he had very small hands. Also, he chewed his food rapidly in small bites that reminded me of Earth creatures called squirrels and chipmunks.
Kerabac said, “I’ve tried running his image against all the species in the computer database; nothing matches. I have no idea where he’s from.”
