The Off-Worlders

by George Willson

  Turner took them off the hospital grounds driving right back the way they had come before. The difference was that once they hit the main road, Turner put a light on top of his car to move a bit more expediently. As it was early morning, there was no traffic, but he did not want to be pulled over by an overzealous patrolman either. They had to get back to that warehouse as soon as possible or risk Pingrit figuring out Blake’s sabotage.

  “So how did you all meet Pingrit Talkisan?” Turner asked.

  “He approached us at our hotel right after you released us,” Michelle said. “Wanted to know pretty much what you asked us.”

  “Turns out he was the one who called you all out,” Blake said. “Said it was their standard operating procedure to let the local population deal with cleanup.”

  Turner chuckled. “That is not the procedure,” he said. “But why would he call us if he still needed something off the body?”

  “I’m guessing he killed the guy, but when he got to the ship, he figured out that he couldn’t get in without the key,” Blake said.

  “But you got in,” Turner said. “Why didn’t you just tell him you could?”

  “I didn’t trust him,” Blake said. “I felt like he was lying about something from the beginning because his story didn’t quite make sense. I just figured we’d play along to find out what he was doing.”

  “I guess you were right,” Turner said. “The warehouse is up here. We’ll just park along the curb here and go behind it.”

  Turner stopped behind a car already parked in front of the warehouse. “Is that his car?” Turner asked as they got out of his vehicle and walked to the sidewalk.

  “Looks like it,” Blake said. “We can be assured he’s already out there, so let’s be cautious."

  The four of them walked around the outside of the warehouse to where the back of the property met a tree line. Blake walked along it until he appeared to find what he was looking for in the undergrowth.

  “Follow me,” Blake said. “It’s through here.”

  He led them through the undeveloped part of the property behind the warehouse which was thick with trees and other plant life. It was very hard to navigate. It became difficult to see Pingrit in the front and had they not been somewhat noisy, Michelle felt like she might have lost them altogether. The trees grew so close together in this area that it blotted out the sky entirely leaving only what ambient light that could penetrate the sides of the vegetation to come through. Only faint differences from their dark shadows against the slightly lighter plant shadows allowed them to follow each other, and the sheer volume of foliage made the air incredibly thick.

  Something further in was making a lot of noise. They emerged into the clearing to find the ship right where Blake had left it. Standing to one side was Perry who had his arms crossed. He glanced up as they entered the clearing and walked over to them.

  “Going well, I see,” Blake said.

  “I suspect you had something to do with this,” Perry said.

  “I did,” Blake replied.

  The ship sounded like it was trying to build into something as systems became louder and louder from the outside, but nothing ever happened. The engines never came on. They could see Pingrit in the cockpit getting frustrated. The cockpit door was closed, and they could see him shouting at the machine. They all quietly watched as Pingrit got angrier and angrier at the ship’s inactivity. The hum of its system only got louder. So much so that Perry and Michelle covered their ears. Another system blew wind out from the bottom of the ship, and still, the engines never came on, and the ship never moved.

  Finally, the noise of the ship wound down, and the cockpit opened. Pingrit jumped out, his face red and bursting with exasperation. He saw Blake standing nearby and walked up to him, not even considering how he got there.

  “You!” he screamed. “What did you do?”

  “When would I have done anything?” Blake said. “You found me where you left me.”

  “Maybe you should stay where you are,” Turner said. Blake noticed that he had drawn his gun. Pingrit bared his teeth in anger and said something none of them understood before he tapped something out on a wristband he wore and disappeared.

  “Typical,” Turner said casually. “I hate matter transportation devices.”

  “It’s got to be short range, detective,” Blake said.

  “Meaning that he’s within fifty miles of here,” Turner said. “Where did you put the starter links?”

  Blake walked past the ship and retrieved three blue items shaped like large capsules. He carried them to Turner who only looked at him.

  “I don’t suppose you can open it like you did before and put those inside,” Turner said. “I also need to put a beacon in it to summon a tow ship to pick it up properly.”

  “Might not be a good idea to leave them with the ship in case Talkisan comes back,” Blake said. He tossed one each to Perry and Michelle. “Maybe you can take them with you, so the ship remains disabled until it is on its way.”

  “That does sound better,” Turner said as Blake used his electronic lockpick to open the cockpit. The cover slid forward, and Turner leaned in to do something none of them saw. When he finished, he tapped the exterior lock button again which slid the cockpit closed.

  “All right,” he said. “Back to the car with us.”

  Turner led the way back through the foliage to his vehicle.

  “So you drove off and left us,” Michelle said to Perry as they walked.

  “It was not by choice,” Perry said. “I got tossed all over the dang seat before I could find a seatbelt to strap in. Dude drives like a maniac.”

  “Well, he was in a hurry,” Blake said.

  “Still, I can’t say I appreciated his driving or leaving you all behind,” Perry said.

  “Did he say anything worthwhile?” Blake asked.

  “He sure wanted to know a lot about you,” Perry replied. “One question after another. I felt like I was in another interrogation. I mostly feigned ignorance.”

  “Did you really have to feign it?” Blake asked. Perry gave him a grimace.

  “Not for some of the questions,” Perry said, “but when it came to our place of origin, I gave him nothing.”

  “Did he say anything about knowing the person he killed?” Blake asked.

  “Oh, about Thorwin?” Perry asked. “Good old Thorwin. My old buddy. That fat rat bastard Thorwin? That guy?”

  “I guess they got on well,” Blake said.

  “Well, they knew each other, that’s for sure,” Perry said. “I asked if he knew the victim, and it was like the floodgates opened. I got all the skinny of the lifelong friendship of Pingrit Talkisan and Thorwin Bystins. Ok, maybe not all of it. It wasn’t that long a drive, but wow, did I get an earful.”

  “It looks like you can tell us while we’re driving,” Blake said as they approached the vehicle. The car they believed was Pingrit’s was gone.

  “It appears that he only transported back to here and drove away in that car,” Turner said. “That’s a little odd.”

  “So where are we going from here then?” asked Perry.

  “Oh, just one thing left to deal with tonight,” Turner said.

  “And that is?” Blake asked. They all got into the car and closed the doors. Turner started it up and put it into drive.

  “I’m getting the three of you off this planet.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT[1]

  Turner drove them down a street leading away from the downtown part of the leading and into the more sparsely populated areas. He was not driving fast like he was when they were going to the warehouse, but he was driving with a purpose, focused on his destination.

  “Why are you getting us off the planet?” Michelle asked.

  “Look, you all clearly don’t belong here, and you got mixed up in a murder,” Turner said. “I have to deport you immediately.”

  “What about Talkisan?” Perry asked.

  “He is my problem, not yours,” Tu
rner said as he started the car and drove. “I am here for a specific purpose. I’m the local representative of the Federation to help people who get stuck here get back off-world. We have a hub here where I can call a ship to have you picked up. From there, you’ll be scanned and returned to your planet of origin.”

  “Ah, that could be problematic,” Blake said.

  “It’s all done genetically,” Turner said. “It’s very efficient.”

  “But our planet of origin is Earth,” Michelle said.

  “Your friend here just disabled a ship like it was a toy,” Turner said. “You can’t tell me that’s local knowledge. I know local knowledge. I’ve lived here for ten years.”

  “Why do you stay?” Perry asked.

  “Because it’s quiet here,” Turner said. “Everything is so grounded and peaceful. Sure, you have traffic and such, but it’s all on one plane. You move forward. You stop. No one is going to crash into you from above. Even crime is simple. I enjoy the people I work with at the station. I get close to the elements, and I can do my galactic job of getting people back home if they get stuck here.”

  “Why do you think Talkisan hasn’t sought you out?” Blake asked.

  “I’ll have to look him up,” Turner said. “Since he is willing to use illegal technology, he probably has a criminal background. We’ll go to the hub and see what we have on him. You know, when I call a ship for you.”

  “What did Pingrit say about himself and the other guy?” Michelle asked.

  “They grew up together on Torgets,” Perry said. “Apparently, they went to the same school, grew up on the same street, did some activities together. When looking to the future, they started by enrolling together in the police force. It seems that one requirement of being a police trainee is strict legal adherence, and that was something Pingrit could not do. He had his reasons, of course, but the bottom line was that he was caught stealing from the academy and sent home. Well, getting him there was supposed to be an investment on the part of the family, but returning home in shame was devastating. Apparently, they barely had the funds to get him there, and bringing him back created a bit of a tense financial situation. And who do you think turned him in?”

  “Thorwin,” Blake said.

  “Thorwin,” Perry confirmed. “He was apparently stealing extra time in the physical training facility by way of hacking access cards to allow them to get in after hours. He offered some of this extra time to Thorwin, who felt it would be cheating since everyone was afforded not only time within their schedules, but time after as well to use the facilities. Pingrit felt it was still insufficient, and he was struggling, so he found a way to get a bit more. Thorwin decided his career was more important than friendship, as Pingrit put it, and reported him. The academy gives no warnings. He was immediately sent home, angry, bitter, and dejected.

  “He said he was in his own ship when he detected the approach of Thorwin. He didn’t know who it was, of course. He only knew someone had landed. He went out to the landing point to see if he could talk his way into a ride, and he flat admitted that if he couldn’t, he was going to take it one way or another. When he discovered his old friend out there, they had it out. Or at least, he did. Thorwin was unapologetic and maintained he had done what he had to. Pingrit was also unapologetic and insisted he was trying to help them get ahead. One thing led to another, and a throat punch later, you have one dead Thorwin and a Pingrit with no regret except that he didn’t realize the ship was locked.”

  “Why did he call the police?” Turner said. “That part made no sense at all. It still doesn’t. He could have taken his time to get away, discover the ship was locked, come back, get what he needs, and none of us would be having this conversation. That’s the one fact I can’t wrap my head around.”

  “I didn’t ask that,” Perry said, “and he didn’t offer it up. By the time we had gotten to that point in his story, we had arrived back at the warehouse. He didn’t say much after that until he announced that I should stand back while he stranded me. He did note that he and Thorwin were always fond of that model of ship. I’m guessing that it is older.”

  “It is,” Turner said. “It might have come out about the time he and Bystins got into the academy.”

  “He said that he and Thorwin always said they’d get one of them,” Perry explained. “I could see maybe a hint of nostalgia as he spoke, but then he was happy to have it to himself. He used that badge thing to open the cockpit and jumped in. That was about the time you all showed up.”

  As Perry concluded, they found themselves on a road with open fields on either side and houses set deep within them. They were not out of town, by the look of it, but in a less populated part of it where the properties were larger and the houses more extravagant. Turner pulled into a gated driveway, typed a code in a panel, and the gate opened. He drove through it, and it closed behind him.

  He opened a garage door using a remote and pulled in. He closed the garage door behind him and led them into what they expected to be a house. Instead, the first floor of the house was a large control room with two women seated at a pair of panels only moderately paying attention to them as they talked to each other.

  “Good morning,” Turner said as he walked in.

  “You all stay up rather late, don’t you?” Perry said.

  “The best time to bring in a ship is the middle of the night,” Turner said. “Makes them harder to see, especially when we do it without lights. As such, we work at night. This is Talia and Karafa. They sit in here bored most of the time since it stays pretty slow.”

  “What do they do?” Michelle asked.

  “Monitor incoming transmissions and watch for incoming ships,” Talia said. Both of the women were relatively young. Talia had black hair that was a bit longer than shoulder length while Karafa’s was brunette and cropped fairly short.

  “Are you from Earth?” Michelle asked.

  “Oh God no,” Karafa replied. “Everyone gets assigned these babysitting jobs at least once in their career. Part of the initiation process, they like to say.”

  “I get a lot of turnover,” Turner said.

  “It’s a temporary thing until we either rotate to another backwards planet or get assigned to a Federation world,” Talia said. “Till then, we’re stuck here.”

  “They act like it’s a punishment, but they’ve only been here a month,” Turner said. “I wouldn’t mind getting someone for a bit longer, but no one wants to stay.”

  “Because it’s boring,” Karafa said, and Talia emphatically agreed. “Can you imagine only having the places on your own world to go to? How archaic is that?”

  “And when it comes to archaic,” Talia said, “I can’t see them ever being a part of the Federation anyway. Have you seen their news programs? They can’t even get along with each other. How are they supposed to handle other species on other planets?”

  “They’ll probably think they’re better,” Karafa said.

  “I know, right?”

  “So what about this Pingrit character?’ Blake asked, thankfully cutting off their dialogue.

  “Oh, no,” Turner said. “This whole affair is none of your concern. I’m getting you a ride off world ASAP.”

  “Where does he think he’s going to send us?” Michelle asked quietly.

  “So are you going to scan us now?” Blake asked Turner.

  “Since you seem unwilling to cooperate, you leave me very little choice,” Turner said. “Step into the scanner here.”

  Turner pointed to a round, lighted circle on the floor with glass walls leading to the ceiling. On the outside of the chamber was a computer panel with some controls. Perry shrugged and walked into the cylinder. Turner flipped a switch. The pad lit up even brighter as the cylinder whirred, and a lit arm encircled Perry. After only a few seconds, it wound down and stopped.

  “All right,” Turner said, “Looks like we’ll be sending you back to…” Turner wrinkled how brow as he looked at the result. “Terra. Possible glit
ch. Next!”

  Blake sent Michelle onto the pad, and after a moment of glowing and whirring, it wound down again. Turner appeared concerned but still undaunted.

  “Terra,” Turner said. “All right, you then: the leader of this little group. Maybe if we find out where you’re from, we can sort out why you’re taking people from Earth. Step in.”

  Blake walked onto the pad and waited while it whirred for him as well. His was not a quick stop, though. It continued for at least a minute before the machine finally beeped, and a red light stayed on. Michelle looked to Turner who had a surprised look on his face.

  “Problem?” Blake asked.

  “According to this, you don’t exist,” Turner said. “Anywhere. That’s impossible.”

  “And you found that my companions were telling you the truth as well,” Blake said. “They are from Earth.”

  “That’s what it said,” Turner said.

  “I thought you said humans were everywhere,” Michelle said. “If everyone is the same, how can that machine tell where we’re from?”

  “Genetic drift,” Blake said. “Everyone has in their genes a little history book of where they came from. The machine matches that code with other samples from its database to determine your planet of origin.”

  “But you don’t exist,” Perry said.

  “Well, I don’t exist,” Blake said. “Not yet.”

  “I’ve got to send you somewhere,” Turner said. “You can’t stay here.”

  “Why not?” Blake asked. “Is there an intergalactic law that prohibits habitation of a planet not in the Federation provided the inhabitant does not share technology or influence development?”

  “Um,” Turner began, but Blake interrupted him.

  “There isn’t,” Blake said. “I’ve checked before. Now, it is frowned upon. It is discouraged. And yes, they really do not like people doing it, but it is not technically illegal. What is illegal are the things that people tend to when they get there. We don’t want a repeat of that hoverboard incident, do we?”