by Jeff Sims
Crista said, “Don’t you have some sort of ambassadorial corvette or something?”
Bline said, “Yes, I do. However, I loaned it to someone else to use. I had no intention of leaving Advranki Prime until it returned, but I received a message from the ambassador stationed at Solaria requesting that I go there immediately.”
Victor said, “Can I ask what this pressing business is?”
Bline said, “Well, it is official business, but I guess it isn’t a secret. Solaria is taking final bids for a new construction project and my government has asked me to be there to participate in the final selection process.”
Crista said, “It seems odd to send an ambassador for something so small.”
Bline responded, “Well, the construction project is sponsored by the Solarian government. The new building will be huge by Solarian standards and would look right at home on either Altian or Advranki.”
Victor said, “And you need to go for a bid because?”
Bline said, “Because my government felt it would be good to have a high-ranking government official present to talk to the Solarian government. Politics and all. I am sure you can understand that.”
Crista gave him a look that implied that perhaps she didn’t completely understand. She was about to speak when Bline stopped her with a hand wave.
“Please,” he said. “I really need to go now to get there on time. I will pay you for your trouble.” He offered them a figure that was about 100 times the typical fare on a cruise ship.
Victor said, “You could almost buy a new ship for that amount.”
Bline laughed and said, “Yes, but I wouldn’t have anyone to fly it.”
Victor said, “Okay. I suppose you can come with us. By the way, you are the first Hiriculan I have ever met. Do you have any special dietary, sleeping, or breathing needs?”
The ambassador replied, “No, I can sleep anywhere and eat anything, even Advranki sea-moss.”
Victor finally said, “Okay. You are welcome to join us.”
Bline said, “Great, when do we leave?”
Victor said, “We can leave in as little as an hour. I have to perform a pre-flight checklist on the hyperdrive and ion drive. The ship hasn’t flown in a couple of weeks, so I will probably have to refill the deuterium tank and check the polonium level. Will that give you enough time to grab your belongings?”
Bline pretended to look at his watch and said, “Yes. That is more than enough time. Actually, my luggage is already in route. I will board in 30 minutes if that is okay with you?”
Victor said, “Yes. Not a problem.”
Victor thought that it probably was a problem. He pulled up a number on his com pad and had the computer place a maximum security call to it. The number’s owner had said to call if he ever needed advice. Well, he thought, this certainly qualified.
Victor was shocked to see that only a moment later the connection was established and he saw Alliance Senator Frank’s smiling face. Victor already felt better. Victor said, “Sorry to bother you, but you said to call if there was an issue.”
Frank gave his ‘you must be in trouble, but don’t worry I can help’ smile and said, “What is the problem?”
Victor responded, “The Hiriculan Ambassador Bline stopped by our freighter. He wants us to take him to Solaria. It seems suspicious to me that he chose our ship for the voyage. Should we allow him to go with us?”
Frank said, “Do not underestimate the Ambassador. I am sure he will hack your computer system. If he does, he will find the secret coordinates for the last two jumps in the navigation system.
Victor had completely forgotten about the story Lorano told when they were in Frank’s office. He responded, “They are physically on the ship, but they are well hidden. He won’t find them.”
Frank said, “Then it should be fine. I suppose it is better to let the Hiriculan look then to deny him access. Just hide everything and then act like you have nothing to hide. Also, ensure that he can’t find any trace of the human habitation.”
Victor said, “The only thing remaining is the separate power source, bathroom, and dining area. Everything else has been removed; including the sleeping area.”
Frank said, “Then set up two beds and say that Lorano wanted a separate living area for him and Carank. Oh, and wipe anything important from your ship’s memory.”
Victor thanked Frank and broke the connection. He said, “Crista, make a sweep through the three forward holds. Make sure there is nothing humanish or humany or whatever up there. Then set up the two beds like Frank suggested.”
Victor checked his messages. He saw that he a new message from Amy Weisman and one from Lorano. He quickly read Lorano’s message and responded with a simple – okay. Lorano had modified the story of their official trip to Earth somewhat. He thought it was called serendipity, when one obtains a piece of information just before it is needed. He deleted the message.
He then downloaded all of the messages to and from Amy Weisman onto his personal com pad and then deleted them from the ship’s computer as well. He saw that Amy had sent him a new email. He would read it later. He then made a quick sweep through the back half of the freighter just in case he had missed something.
Victor was completing the pre-flight checklist when Ambassador Bline walked up the entryway and into the ship. He was followed by a hauler hoverbot carrying an impressive amount of luggage. Victor counted 6 large suitcases and one small handbag.
Victor greeted him with a simple, “Hello Ambassador. Welcome aboard.”
Victor said, “I am still getting ready to leave. Crista will give you are tour of the ship and show you to the guest quarters.”
Ambassador Bline smiled and said, “Thank you. First though, I have a burning question that I must ask.”
Victor said, “Yes.”
Ambassador Bline said, “Why are you white? I thought that all Solarians were blue.”
Crista answered, “We are white because we had our skin bleached white.”
Bline wasn’t sure about how to interpret the answer. It certainly was an answer to the question asked, but really didn’t address the fundamental purpose behind the question. He said, “Let me try again. Why did you bleach your skin white?”
Crista answered again. She said, “Because white is the easiest color. It is very difficult to die it black or brown.”
Victor said, “Let me answer. We dyed our skin white because we were members of the recent mission that went to Earth for the semi-century review. The Alliance instituted a new protocol for all future visits. Solarians are the only race allowed to land on the planet. We bleached our skin white so that we could leave the ship and interact with actual humans if required. Human colored tones are generally white, black, brown, and yellow. There are no blues.”
Bline had done extensive research on both of them. He knew that Victor had previously been employed for some sort of long-range, on-going human data collection that had recently been terminated. He also knew that Crista was the first Solarian to harm another Solarian in over a generation. Her psych evaluation had been inconclusive, but had noted that she was prone to random acts of violence when she loses her temper.
Crista showed Bline the engine room and the three spare bedrooms. Bline stopped her and said, “Crista, which one do you want me to choose?” Bline was staying a safe distance away from her and was treating her as nicely as possible.
Crista responded, “Let me show you the rest of the ship before you decide.”
They briefly looked into the completely empty third hold. Crista then led them into the empty and spotless 2nd hold. Finally, they entered the main hold. Crista said, “This is where Lorano and Carank lived and worked during the expedition. You can have this room if you would like.”
Bline looked at the sleeping area, the bathroom, and the dining area. He said, “It seems rather a waste of space for just two people.”
Crista said, “Well, they had a lot of equipment that filled most of the h
old. We also had to have enough room for Lorano’s ego.”
Bline laughed politely. He had never met the scientist personally, but he had heard stories about his aggravating personality. Bline liked the idea of having such spacious quarters, but he realized that if he chose them, he would have no reason to interact with Victor, Crista, or the control room. He said, “These quarters seem a little too spacious for just me. I think I will take one of the smaller rooms.”
Crista said, “Suit yourself.” She turned and walked back to the control room without checking whether Bline was following her.
Bline took a final look around before hurrying after Crista. There didn’t seem to be anything of interest left here. Lorano must have thoroughly cleaned the area before he left the ship.
Bline moved his belongings into the quarters that were closest to the control room – the room that had housed the missiles during the previous voyage. He did not unpack. He left his luggage exactly as it was; in locked and tamper resistant suitcases. Bline finished arranging his suitcases into a neat row and headed across the hallway to the control room. He said, “Victor, are we almost ready to leave?”
Victor didn’t respond. Instead he opened a channel to traffic control and asked for clearance to leave the planet and go to the Conron hyperspace lane.
He got an almost instantaneous response. A man’s voice said, “This is traffic control. You have been cleared for priority departure. The route information is attached. Have a wonderful day. Please turn you automatic guidance until you have cleared the planet. Control out.”
Victor looked at the route and was shocked. They had been given the most advantageous course possible. They would pass very close to the huge shipyard and fly right beside the home fleet – almost through their formation. The route would only take 5 hours versus the average of 14. Victor couldn’t help himself; he whistled softly through his teeth.
Bline said, “You’re welcome. Rank does have its privileges after all.”
A short time later they had arrived at the hyperspace lane and had again been given priority clearance. Crista entered the coordinates for Conron, double checked for accuracy, ran a computer simulation of the flight, performed a status check on the hyperdrive unit, and declared that they were ready to leave.
Victor said, “Engage the hyperdrive.” Crista knew that she could have simply pressed the button, but she still liked to hear the command from Victor. Crista pressed the button and they disappeared from Advranki Prime. After 20 minutes both Victor and Crista left the control room. Victor wanted to read the message from Amy Weisman and Crista wanted to check on their space garden.
Ambassador Bline finally had the control room to himself. He went back to his room and retrieved a mini-diagnostic computer from his luggage. He plugged it into the corresponding slot on the main control panel and started a hacking routine.
Bline was rewarded a few minutes later with full access to the navigation system and the ship’s memory. He was surprised, the encryption had been minimal. He figured he could have gained access even without the aid of the computer. He took a quick look over his shoulder, verified that no one was coming, and began to work on the navigation log.
He first verified that the freighter’s navigation log had not been changed, erased, or overwritten. After he was satisfied that it hadn’t been altered in any way, he downloaded it onto his com pad. He then found the freighter’s navigation log of the trip to and from Earth and verified it against the published route.
Bline checked it a second time. The ship’s log matched the published log. There was no evidence of tampering. Bline wasn’t sure whether this or not this was good news. His superiors were convinced that the Alliance had a secret route to Earth, yet it appears from the actual log that they made a series of detours exactly like it had been described on the official report.
He briefly scanned the ship’s computer for any sensitive information. He didn’t see anything especially interesting. In the spirit of thoroughness though, he downloaded the entire ship’s memory to his diagnostic computer. Perhaps a more detailed analysis would show something.
They exited hyperspace in the Conron system 8 hours later and updated their shipboard clock, downloaded any news feeds and warnings, and scanned the system. Very little had happened apparently in the three plus days they had been in hyperspace.
They set course for the Conron – Solaria hyperspace lane. In real-time travel it was a two day journey; this lane was about half the distance to the Conron – Earth hyperspace lane. However, the Ambassador was able to use his clearance to obtain a much better path by getting permission to perform a micro jump. They were able to cut the 2 day trip to merely 18 hours.
They had gathered in the galley for a group meal. Bline decided to try to question them about their trip to Earth. After a few polite words about the meal and the fresh vegetables, he asked, “So, tell me, how was your trip to Earth. I read the official report, but I would love to hear from people who have actually visited.” Bline doubted they would tell him anything, but he figured he had to try.
Crista responded, “We, Victor and I, I mean, were able to land on the planet. We hid the cruiser in a large hangar built for a blimp.”
Victor interrupted, “Well, technically it was designed for a dirigible.”
Crista gave Victor a look that implied the technical correction wasn’t worth mentioning ever again. She continued, “We walked to a nearby mall.” She noticed that Bline had a confused look on his face. She corrected herself and continued, “We walked to a nearby shopping center.”
Crista waited for a moment for either to interrupt her, but neither dared. She continued, “We exchanged some precious metal for their version of money and went shopping. We went into the first store that we saw. Inside we saw clothing, food, electronics, and weapons – lots and lots of weapons.”
Bline couldn’t help but interrupt. He said, “They sell weapons and food together?”
Victor answered, “Oh yes. They sell knives, axes, bows, and guns. A gun is a really crude version of a beam weapon. We had to buy some just so we could fit in with the humans.”
Bline asked, “What about the actual humans?”
Crista answered, “We met a few. Some were nice and reasonable, most were not.” Crista continued, “I only had to shoot two of them.”
Bline couldn’t believe the matter of fact tone that Crista had used. He found it impossible to believe. He really wanted to say something like ‘no you didn’t, but he managed to contain it. He recalled her psych profile. Perhaps that was why she had been chosen for the mission. He responded, “What did they do?”
Crista said, “One was only armed with a long stick, so she left me alone. The other just laughed at me after I shot him. He went for his gun so I had to stab him and shoot him an additional 9 times.”
Bline looked ashen. He said, “What happened then?”
Crista said, “Well, shooting him just seemed to make him madder. Fortunately, others restrained him and I was able to escape.”
Bline doubted the story, but asked anyway, “What are the humans like?”
Crista said, “They are huge, and powerful, and mean.”
Bline asked, “Well, what do you think they would do if they had discovered you were aliens?”
Victor said, “They would imprison us and interrogate us. When they felt we had told them everything we knew, they would kill us.”
Bline asked, “Just like that? For no reason?”
Victor said, “The humans are fighters. They fight for a good cause or even for no cause. I don’t think they will ever work with other races.”
Crista added, “I would classify them as antisocial.”
Bline was starting to think that he had been conned. He had now heard about people that fought apparently just to fight, buying weapons with groceries, shootings, and stabbings. He figured that they had simply made up the story for entertainment. Well, he thought, it may be a farce, but it was certainly entertaining.
Bline realized that he wasn’t going to get any useful information about Earth or humans. He decided to switch subjects. He said, “I understand that you were at Earth when the hyperspace lane was accidentally closed. How did you make it back to Conron?”
Victor said, “Even before the accident, the route from Conron to Earth was unpredictable. The simulation only gave us a 55% chance of success. I think that if the lane hadn’t been contaminated, the Alliance military would have had to close and re-chart it.”
Bline asked, “Why is that?”
Victor responded, “Because there was a gravity anomaly about 1/3 of the way there that was starting to cause issues.”
Bline asked, “A new system?”
Victor said, “Probably. Anyway, Lorano, the lead scientist on the mission, devised a method of charting gravity. It was pretty simple actually. We set the corvette on autopilot and had it jump before us. It constantly sent back gravity readings. Then we were able to jump following it based on those readings. It was a slow process because we had to wait for the readings.”
Bline asked, “Corvette?”
Victor said, “Crista and I traveled to Earth on this mini-freighter. Lorano and another scientist named Carank traveled to Earth separately on a corvette. When they arrived, we docked ships and they moved into the main hold.”
Crista said, “We then took the corvette for our excursion to Earth.”
Bline said, “What happened to the corvette?”
Victor responded, “After we made it around the anomalous system, we thought we were home free. However, Lorano and Carank decided to stay on the mini-freighter so that we could complete the report. We sent the corvette ahead of us like before. It was destroyed by the boulders from the moon. That was how we knew where to go around the debris.”
Bline said, “That was certainly fortunate.”
They arrived at the Conron – Solaria hyperspace lane and began the 8 hour jump to Solaria. Victor used the time to re-read Amy Weisman’s email and craft a response. It read:
Dear Victor,
