Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 2 - Maveen Offer

by David Buck

  ‘So you are obviously using filtered sea water to produce fresh water, and in turn oxygen and hydrogen. How well are your refuelling attempts proceeding?’

  Garendestat paused for a moment before replying to Steve. His instructions from the captain had been quite specific, and he again wore the standard tunic of a Trader lieutenant around his sling.

  ‘Well we think we need three or four days, as the salts in your sea water have delayed our preparations.’

  Steve considered the amount of water being passed through what was obviously a jury rigged and fair sized electrolysis installation.

  ‘When you leave our world, can you leave this facility here as it would interest out scientists?’

  Garendestat looked at the facility and thought about the weight of all the panels that had gone into making the rushed project work. Halbindestat, the chief engineer, was already thinking of leaving anything not essential behind to lower launch weight.

  ‘Steve, I will ask the captain later, but I see no problem with your request. Now it is the middle of the day and we will take a break to have a cool drink and meal.’

  Steve nodded in agreement, and Garendestat led him back down to the ground and a nearby awning. As they walked inside, Steve noted that several Trader engineers were engrossed in stripping down and refurbishing strange pieces of Trader technology. Samantha walked over as they entered and handed Steve a hat.

  ‘Steve you have to watch the sun today, as you are already going red.’

  Rebecca and Dan walked over as well, with Dan taking a rest from his recording efforts. Dan quickly gave a brief report, as Garendestat had then moved off to join to both Emeria and the Trader captain for a moment.

  ‘Steve, the ship reports no big news near us, though there are several messages on your satellite phone for us when we clear these shields. Also there is some media flap going on about new messages being received from space or something.’

  Steve acknowledged Dan’s information as he replied.

  ‘Dan, we can only deal with what we have in front us now. I will deal with all that when we return to our ship.’

  Garendestat had now returned and offered further questions. Steve had now donned the hat, even under the awning, as no doubt he might forget to wear it.

  ‘So are humans vulnerable to the sun light? Is it the visible light, UV light, or some other component of the sunlight?’

  Samantha answered the question, as Steve had not been asked the question directly.

  ‘Garendestat, we suffer skin burns and associated long term illnesses if we get burnt too often by the sun’s ultra violet light.’

  Rebecca, with her darker complexion, cheerfully chimed in with an observation.

  ‘Well some of us are from different parts of the Earth and that means we can have better protection under the sun. I am a descendant of the Aborigines, the first inhabits of the continent to the east.’

  Garendestat asked another two questions, this time of Rebecca.

  ‘So do you still have to be careful? And are their any other differences between you and other humans?’

  Rebecca retained her happy disposition as she replied, but Garendestat observed that the other three humans now looked uncomfortable for a moment.

  ‘Yes I am still careful as I have a white ancestor. Also the sun’s ultraviolet light is not filtered by our atmosphere as well as it once was. As for your last question we are all the same biologically from your perspective, but there are cultural differences amongst us.’

  Garendestat was happy with the answers and soon lead the humans over to the large table, now covered with food and drink, in the corner of the awning. Captain Narindestat still conferred with Emeria as they approached and he greeted them.

  ‘My friends, we invite you to join us for a meal. We have some of our own food here for you to try. We of course are looking forward to seeing for ourselves what you brought over.’

  As the four humans looked over the contents of the large table, Garendestat went over to speak quietly to a junior engineer for a moment.

  ‘Can you please give me a flux reading for the ultra violet light in full sun? Also can you check the level of industrial pollution on this planet by a side scan laser? Now I want the results supplied to me later please in a discrete fashion.’

  The junior engineer nodded his understanding and quietly moved away to carry out his new orders. Lieutenant Garendestat then rejoined the humans and other Traders all now gathered at the main table.

  ***

  Chapter 8

  Ian Ridge was feeling both tired and frustrated in what was a momentous week in human history. There had been an outburst of anger over the RAN disabling a media boat and the killing three people in the process. But the outburst had already begun to subside as new reports came in of space ship now in orbit around the Earth. Ian viewed the set of photographs from the old space station and several satellites.

  Apparently the space ship was about the three times the weight of an Anzac frigate at around fifteen thousand tons. The space ship was also about one hundred and eighty meters in length. The aliens in the space ship were a race called Barus, and they were obviously different to the Trader species now on Earth. Already the latest media reports were concentrating on the admission by the alien commander that a rogue member of her crew was responsible for the recent pandemic. The reports also highlighted that the Barus were merely sorry that the mass deaths had had taken place.

  Ian wanted to know the significance of the Barus turning up now and their relationship with the Traders. As he looked again at the initial report and considered the lack of real information, Gregson hurried to his desk.

  ‘Prime Minister, the US President is on the phone wanting to speak with you again.’

  Ian was careful not to let any of the tiredness or pressure show in his voice, as he picked up his phone and took the call.

  ‘James, how are you today? Yes I am viewing what information we have available on these new aliens, and I assume you would have additional information available from your defence department. Yes, I understand the Barus explanation exonerates your country of the pandemic, and let me congratulate you on that exoneration.’

  Ian then suppressed a start of consternation about what he then heard from the US president. He listened for several minutes as President Whiting outlaid what was being planned internationally in response to the message for the Barus. As the US president got around to asking for his opinion, Ian was constructing a diplomatic reply.

  ‘James, remember that we do not know yet of the relationship between the Barus and the Traders. For all we know what you are considering could cause a battle between humanity and the Traders on our soil. We are still awaiting a report of the meeting between the Traders and Steve Greene’s small group that is currently taking place. Now I understand you are not constrained by my opinion here, as the Barus are not in Australian territory, but perhaps you could request they land somewhere and submit themselves to our justice.’

  Ian listened with limited patience, as James went through a series of reasons why that would not take place. He thought that some of the reasons had merit, but was concerned about the logic behind other reasons, and he stated as such in his reply.

  ‘James, I know you would not want to tip off the Barus, and I understand the rationale. However to link your response to them, and then how we should treat the Traders if we succeed, is something I think we should consider carefully.’

  The two men talked for several more minutes, before again agreeing to update each other with any new information or decisions. Ian hung up the phone, glanced at his watch and called in Gregson again.

  ‘It is getting late on the Abrolhos islands. So have either of my two messages been answered yet?’

  With the answer negative, Ian Ridge sat back and looked out the darkened window. He needed to think further about this complex situation involving three sets of aliens on or nearby to the planet.

  ***

&nbs
p; Colonel Bill Ackerton again looked at the set of classified orders from the Pentagon. He was evaluating the best way to execute them without compromising the continuing need for his forces to protect the United States of America. In his role in the US Strategic Command as a senior technical specialist and senior manager, Bill controlled the changes to the relatively new Minuteman IV missiles that now formed the backbone of US strategic defence forces.

  At four locations around the country, members of Bill’s technical team were swapping out the heavier MIRV warheads, and then replacing them with top secret and much lighter space warheads. Bill was certain that discrete and secretive teams in Russia and China were also conducting similar work to several of their own late model ICBM missiles. The other requirement that his team had to address was the avionics of the missiles. The programmers uploaded the revised software to the missile controllers to allow space intercepts, but due to space weapons test ban treaties, the altered missile configuration had never been tested.

  Bill knew that this lack of testing was the real source of his concern. He knew that there could be no assurances given on how these altered ICBM missiles would perform. He was sure though, that the added performance of the Minuteman IV missiles gave them an edge over their contemporaries from Russia and China in this untested scenario. Bill had also reviewed the attack of the US 5th fleet on the aliens in the Indian Ocean five days earlier, and was not filled with any confidence. Two team members looked up from their calculations and nodded in agreement, as he voiced the concerns everyone in his team must be considering.

  ‘We have our orders. We are to prepare to attack a single alien ship at high orbit using our best missiles in an untested manner. The target is mobile, has powerful shielding technology and weapons of their own to defend themselves. I think our chances of success are poor, but we have our orders.’

  The colonel privately thought to himself about the level of political ill will this set of orders had caused, so soon after the debacle with the US 5th Fleet. The strain was in ways similar to the friction caused by the abortive right wing coup attempt in 2024. He remembered back to the attempt, when several politicians and senior military figures were imprisoned for their actions, and a greater number forced into early retirement. The coup had been caused by another round of heavy defence cuts, as the US government sought to balance the needs of their social services programs with the necessity to rein in budget deficits. Bill had just entered the US Air Force at that time and he remembered that time of fear and uncertainty vividly. His base had been locked down, and all personnel restricted to the base for the duration of the coup attempt.

  Bill was brought back to the present moment as a team member reported his test results.

  ‘Sir, the light payload enables the missile to avoid orbit staging and remains inside the nominal booster envelope values.’

  Bill checked by habit the changes made by the team member, not that he had any real concerns. His satisfaction was evident in his reply.

  ‘Lieutenant Myers, excellent result with your programming efforts. This is the best we can do so quickly in this scenario. Please ensure the flight profile is loaded and activated in the four missiles.’

  Bill then walked out from the strategic command research centre, and when he was out of earshot, he placed a series of urgent phone calls to his own superior officers.

  ***

  Captain Narindestat reviewed the sensor data with annoyance. The information clearly indicated that a small Barus research ship was now in high orbit around the planet. The captain though about the likely reasons that the Barus were present and his own ships’ existence on the planet figured large in all the reasons he reviewed.

  The captain thought it interesting that the Barus commander made no mention of his ship, or her crew, in her messages to the humans. The recordings of the messages from the Barus commander were played again to the bridge, and he almost had sympathy for the extended apology that Gindane gave to the humans.

  Surely the matter could not end there from what little he already knew of the humans. Twice the humans had either attacked or attempted to attack his ship merely from being present on the planet. The captain was sure that the Barus ship would be best advised to stay well away from the humans for the foreseeable future.

  Narindestat looked around the bridge as he tried to think this suddenly more complex situation through further. He noted the condition of his crew as they went about their duties, for several now sported the healed glimmer tattoos on their skins. He now looked at his own large tattoo on his left shoulder. Fortunately his own tattoos were still intact, though he had felt ill on occasions over the last few days.

  ‘The glimmer tattoos, so that is it. If the Barus see a healed tattoo then we are in real trouble.’

  The captain whispered urgently to himself, as he issued a series of orders. Fortunately he recalled something his son had quickly mentioned about the general nature and the curiosity impulse of the humans. So perhaps he could use that trait in this scenario.

  ‘Lieutenant, I want Garendestat and those humans brought onto the bridge as soon as possible. You are too politely, and I stress the politely, obtain the video device off the humans before they walk on the bridge.’

  Marenkestat listened carefully as his captain gave specific explanations of his orders, before he walked of the bridge to find his friend. Garendestat had led the humans into the ship through the side corridor from the ramp after a terse order from the captain. A couple of times, the amazed humans would pause and look around at the oval corridors of the Illuria that the crew took for granted. They all paused again at another intersection and Steve, with his naval background, commented again on the inside of the ship.

  ‘So the fore and aft corridors are shades of grey and they are the largest. The transverse corridors are either in yellow or green shades depending on port or starboard I guess. All with the durable black coated floor that I noticed runs throughout the ship.’

  Garendestat responded crisply to Steve even as he attempted to second guess the reasons his father wanted the humans on the bridge.

  ‘Your guess is accurate. The ship is set out to aid in finding our way around easily, and the advanced titanium alloys are light, durable and strong. We should hurry along now please.’

  Within minutes a perplexed Garendestat led the quiet group of four humans up to the bridge doors, and Lieutenant Marenkestat stood waiting for them with two armed crew members. Marenkestat quietly called in Trader to Garendestat.

  ‘Follow my lead and know we mean no harm to the humans, but there has been an off world development.’

  Marenkestat then turned to the humans following Garendestat and spoke in halting English.

  ‘I have a polite request of you. We cannot allow your video device on our bridge, so if you can leave the device and the carry case with me, then Captain Narindestat would like to see you again.’

  Dan wordlessly handed over his video camera as requested, but felt the two full video data cartridges burning a hole in his chest pocket. He followed his companions as they silently entered the large bridge of the Illuria and looked around. An impressive eight metre screen dominated the front wall and several other screens topped expansive control consoles, behind which stood the Trader bridge crew.

  Dan considered the earlier strange request, for even if he did not get his video camera back he had enough recordings to support their reporting efforts. The captain looked at them from his command chair as he greeted them with an apology.

  ‘I am sorry to ask you for your video device, but an off world situation has arisen and I need to show you a set of messages sent to your world this morning.’

  The humans watched with amazement as Captain Narindestat replayed the transmissions from the Barus ship. The Trader considered that the humans must be confused, as they had experienced centuries of no interactive with alien races. Now first the Traders and the Maveen arrive together, followed this morning by the Barus.

  Ste
ve looked at the recordings with real interest, so the mystery of the source of the pandemic was resolved. He knew that now the whole world had learnt of the truth it possibly did not bode well for this new race, the Barus, in any dealing they might attempt with humans. Steve turned to the captain and asked.

  ‘Is this the off world issue that lead to our video camera being seized? And if so we need it back at some stage for our reporting efforts.’

  Captain Narindestat looked at Steve for a moment as he replied.

  ‘Steve I am truly sorry but we will have to insist that the device stays with us until we leave the planet, upon which it will be returned to you intact. Now what do you see anything different about me compared to the rest of the crew on the bridge?’

  Steve ignored the question as he laboured the point with the Trader captain, who for his part remained calm.

  ‘Captain, we need to present you and your crew in a positive light to our authorities to prevent a possible military strike. The video camera would have aided our efforts considerably, and I cannot see how the camera can be a problem at this stage.’

  Samantha had been following the exchange between the two males. She now looked around the bridge at the Trader crew and the captain with the eyes of a medical officer and human female of sharp intellect.

  ‘Captain, you are the only Trader present who has their glimmer tattoo intact. I assume this has some significance with the Barus ship orbiting our world?’