The Alliance in Peril

by Peter Lewis Atkinson

  I could not believe that ship would need to be scrapped so I asked, “Do you know what failed?”

  Helena replied, “I do not know, nor does anybody else that I have asked.”

  I said, “Do you want me to find out? I do have a fault analyser so I can pinpoint your problem.”

  Helena replied, “Could you? It would be good to know what has happened.”

  Alenna, Jenna and I accompanied Helena to the port. We first went to our ship where I collected the Analyser and a few tools. Soon I was on the bridge of Helena’s ship and unscrewing the cover to the multi-socket for the analyser. I plugged it in. The reading stated no hydraulic fluid in the pump regulator controlling the front six stanchions. There were three options of things to check: the unions to the regulator, the main and secondary pumps, the distribution regulator itself. I needed to go into the bilge of the ship, not a place I liked going. Something catastrophic must have happened. It is unlikely all four pumps would fail at once. The distribution regulator is in two sections; if one failed the other side should still work, and the unions, they would also need to all fail, not likely. We all went to the shuttle bay where the entrance to the bilge is located, through a small round airlock. On the other side of the airlock is a ladder to descend to the lowest part of the ship. I switched on the lights before I descended the ladder. I could see the floor was covered in liquid; it was very slippery. The liquid I assumed was hydraulic fluid. I looked along the now slopping gantry. Everything was covered in this fluid. I would need some gloves and high grip boots before I could proceed. I returned to our ship to dress in some protective clothing. Soon I had returned. It was still very hazardous, holding on to the support rail. I slipped and slid my way towards where the distribution regulator was located. I did not have to spend time looking for the fault as it was evident. The side of the distribution regulator had blown out. That was unbelievable. There must have been a fault with the casting. I removed my gloves to scan the part number into my pid. After putting the gloves back on, I looked for the part of the casing that had blown out. I found it embedded into some insulation. I removed it and made my way back up the ladder, to where Helena, Alenna and Jenna were waiting.

  Helena said, “Did you find out what has happened?”

  I replied, “Did I,” dumping the shattered casing onto the shuttle bay floor. “The whole side of the casing has blown apart. You will require a new distribution regulator first, and then we can see about sorting out the two damaged pods.”

  Helena asked, “Do you know anyone who can do the work required?”

  I thought for a second before saying, “The changing of the regulator it fairly straightforward, so I could do that for you. As the pods go, I know Lidier’s work crew had swapped a pod from one ship to another. Perhaps she can help. Lidier has kept some pods, but the regulators from the scrapped cargo ship would have been melted down a long time ago.”

  Helena then informed me something I did not know. She asked, “What was the age of the ship she scrapped?”

  I replied, “It was one-hundred and two years, why?”

  Helena shook her head and said, “Pity, the pods will not fit. A ship of that age would have had the type ‘A’ pods and our ship being much younger has the type ‘B’ pods.”

  It hit me and I shouted out, “Zitter Bobeck. Zitter has a younger ship which she is in the process of breaking up. Perhaps she can help?”

  Alenna groaned before commenting, “I hoped we had seen the last of her for some time. Do we have to see her again?”

  “If you want to help your mother’s house, then yes we do,” I replied.”

  Alenna grudgingly said, “I suppose we have to see her again but don’t accept any more of her sculptures.”

  I had to return to our ship to change as I was covered in hydraulic fluid, but before Jenna and I parted from Alenna and Helena, I remarked to Helena, “You will need to clean up all that hydraulic fluid. It’s going to be a very messy job. I would also expect you to find a large pool of the stuff collected at the lowest point of the ship. Good luck on that. It’s not a job that I would envy.” The last thing I said to Helena was, “Keep that piece of casing, as we need to leave it with the Relnorians for them to inspect. They may feel that they would need to include it on a checklist when cargo ships are serviced. Makes me wonder if there was a faulty batch made.”

  After a shower Jenna and I made our way to our residence, Lara was expected back from her work in the city soon. As Alenna had not returned yet from her mother’s house there was little I could do other than spend time in the garden with the wives that had accompanied me to Earth. I spent some time just sipping fruit drinks and enjoying the pleasant weather. Lara arrived home and apart from a quick hug I was almost left out of the conversation she proceeded to have with the other wives. Both sides were asking questions, wanting to know everything about everyone, right down to the tooth one of my younger daughters had lost. A day later Minty and the rest of the family returned and they were so relieved to find us safe and well. Lumi had been taking Perri to see her mother, but now I was back, the trip was again in my domain. I was eager to see Lidier so was willing to go as soon as Perri was ready, which was always as quickly as possible.

  Soon after arriving at the moon, I asked Lidier, “When you changed that faulty cargo ship pod, did you find it that hard?”

  Lidier replied, “No, it was fairly straightforward. We do have suitable lifting equipment required to undertake such a project. The pod was very heavy. Why do you ask?”

  I replied, “Alenna’s mother’s house, the House of Motok has had a mishap due to a fault in the undercarriage system and in the process the front of the ship is resting on the front two pods. You can imagine what damage that has been sustained in the process to both of those pods, anyway, they will require replacing.”

  Lidier said, “Come with me.” We suited up and went outside, where she led me towards a pile of pods.

  I asked Lidier, “Are any the type ‘B’ Pod, as the ship in question is only thirty-five years old?”

  Lidier shook her head and said, “I don’t think so, and you just don’t get ships that young to scrap. If you can obtain two pods, I will be willing to help fit them.”

  I replied, “Thank you Lidier, I believe I can get two from somebody I know, who is scrapping a younger ship on Dregg. If I can get two, I will leave it to Helena to arrange an appointment to discuss it further with you. But before she does I need to fix the undercarriage problem for her.”

  Lidier asked, “The person you refer to on Dregg, it couldn’t be Zitter Bobeck by any chance?”

  “Yes!” I replied in astonishment, “You know Zitter Bobeck?”

  Lidier said, “Zitter and I go back a long way. We’re sort of friendly rivals, running the same type of business. How is Zitter, I have not seen her for at least three years and how did she come by such a young cargo ship to scrap?”

  I smiled and replied, Zitter was fine when we saw her just over two weeks ago. The ship in question has had a serious fire aboard.

  Lidier now said, “I am glad she is fine. I can now understand the reason for getting such a young ship. How do you find Zitter? She can be a little misunderstood, but she is all heart underneath that hard exterior.”

  I nodded and said, “I like her and have no problems in dealing with her, but Alenna is not that sure and so lets me do the business end with her.”

  Lidier, a little surprised replied, “Alenna lets you do the business and Zitter goes along with it, that’s a new one for me. You are the only male I know that is prepared and willing to do business deals.” After spending most of the day on the moon it was time to return to Alkarr.

  I said to Alenna, “It’s a small galaxy. Lidier knows Zitter, they
are good friends. What do you think of that?”

  Alenna replied, “The jury is still out on my feelings towards her. This may mellow, only time will tell.”

  While I had been away on the moon our old cargo ship was emptied and loaned to the House of Motok. I still had a day before we left to continue our busy schedule of cargo runs. I wanted to remove the distribution regulator as we were going to Relnor soon and I was sure the Relnorian engineers would be eager to inspect the damage. Jenna and Emily accompanied me this time. We had all donned protective suits and I then collected the tools I would need. When we arrived at the ship, we were met by Helena.

  I asked Helena, “How is the cleaning up of the hydraulic fluid proceeding?”

  She shook her head and replied, “Very slowly. It’s so unbelievable the amount of clean-up that is required; everything is plastered in the stuff. I have six members of the family working on the problem but we have to leave tomorrow, to go on a cargo run.”

  I confirmed, “So do we, but I need to remove that old regulator today.”

  Jenna, Emily and I climbed down the short ladder to the gantry, which had been cleaned free of the fluid. Emily left us to see her mother who was busy cleaning further towards the front of the bilge. Jenna was to assist me. We climbed down under the handrail to where the regulator was located; it was still very messy around it. We also had to watch our footing as it was so slippery. Now the regulator had fourteen hose connections, two for each of the six stanchion rams and two inputs from the pumps. First I photographed it. Jenna then made notes of which hose went where. I had a large spanner to undo the unions. Each union had a washer seal. I would need to obtain new seals as well. Once all the unions had been undone I could start on the four large bolts that supported the regulator. Jenna held a large wrench on each bottom bolt in turn while I turned the nuts. They all came undone fairly easily which was quite a surprise, but after all, they were all covered in the fluid which probably helped to lubricate them. I was ready to lift the unit away but before we did, some of the fluid needed to be cleaned from the floor. The regulator was made of a light alloy, but due to its size and bulk was fairly heavy. I could manage as long as I had a sure footing. A couple of steps and it was on the gantry, from there it was an easy task to move it to the bottom of the ladder. Threading a rope through one the mounting holes I was then able to haul it up and take it through the airlock. I then set it down on the cargo bay floor. The lighting was better here and I could inspect the regulator more easily. As I looked through the hole left by the casing failure I could see many fractures. My thought now moved to the other distribution regulator, the one for the rear six stanchions. I had this feeling that it could be in a similar condition and could fail at any time. I took the regulator along with the casing part to our cargo freighter. Jenna accompanied me as my chaperone. We left Emily behind. She was helping her mother in the clean-up process and she would find her own way back to our residence later.

  The next day we were ready to leave on another cargo run with rice, first to Mazar then on to Lusiana. I wondered if we could divert to Dregg before we returned to Alkarr.

  I asked Alenna, “Do we have time for a flying visit to Dregg after our delivery to Lusiana? I am sure you would like to get any business with Zitter over with a.s.a.p.”

  Alenna replied, “I have no choice as I must help Helena, so yes, we can spend a few hours seeing Zitter and I will also try to get to know her better.”

  The delivery of rice to Mazar was straightforward other than it rained the whole time we were there. On Lusiana it was, as usual, quite the opposite with the sun beating down on us and temperatures in the mid-fifties centigrade. What did I prefer, Mazar or Lusiana? Mazar wins hands down every time. On to Dregg.

  I called up Zitter and said, “Hi Zitter its Jake again. I bet you’re surprised to hear from me again so soon.”

  Zitter in surprise said, “Jake, good to hear from you again so soon. What can I do for you this time?”

  I explained, “Last time I noticed you had that younger cargo ship that you were breaking, the one which had the fire. Do you have any pods from it for sale; that is if they are type ‘B’?”

  Zitter replied, “Yes, I have four left. Do you want them?”

  “Good,” I said, “I require two,”

  “Well you know where to find me, I will be awaiting your arrival,” said Zitter.

  We made our way to where we landed last time. As before Alenna and Jenna accompanied me. Only this time I also took along Perri as well. She had vague memories of having met Zitter when she was a child.”

  Again we found Zitter welding yet another sculpture. Zitter stopped what she was doing and enthusiastically greeted us. I did not expect what happened next. Zitter gave me a quick hug. Alenna was surprised also. A Dregg giving another race a hug is very out of the ordinary. Anyway, the Dregg are not compatible, so no harm was done.

  Zitter now asked, “Well Jake, how do you like my gift of that sculpture? I hope you have it on display in a prominent place on your ship.”

  Quick thinking I said, “I love it and Alenna especially does as well.” I glanced at Alenna. She was giving me evils. I continued with, “I thought it should be appreciated by a wider audience. I have loaned it to a prestigious art gallery on Earth. The art critic I spoke to, said you are very talented.”

  Zitter replied in an excited way. “It’s in an art gallery! I tried to get my art displayed on Dregg but no-one wanted to know. Do you think I will become famous on Earth?”

  I smiled and said, “I will let you know how it goes, but before we get down to business I now need to introduce to you, my wife Perri. You have both met before.”

  Zitter looked at Perri and shook her head and replied, “I don’t recall ever meeting you. When did we meet?”

  Perri replied, “I was very young at the time. My mother’s house is the House of Zinda, I believe you know Lidier?”

  Zitter looked again at Perri and said, “Now I remember. You were that little shy girl who hid behind her mother and would not look at me.”

  Perri said, “Yes, I am sorry, but I had never met a Dregg before and I found you somewhat scary at the time.”

  Zitter laughed, “Scary, I hope you don’t find me scary any longer.” Zitter now turned to me and said, “Lidier, how's my dear friend and rival doing? I hope Lidier is well, and you are related to her Jake. That makes you almost family.”

  Replying I said nodding, “Lidier is fine and she gave her greetings and hoped you were also well. I only found out the other day that she knows you.”

  Zitter said, “It’s a small galaxy, now down to business. These ‘B’ pods cost upwards of fifty thousand credits each new and they don’t come along very often, if ever in good used condition. As it’s you Jake, you can have a pair for forty thousand credits.”

  I jumped at the price and said, “That very good of you Zitter, I accept. Now, does the ship still have a stanchion distribution regulator?”

  “I believe so,” said Zitter. “Do you need one? The ship has been drained of all fluids so it could be removed without any bother.”

  I cautiously said, “Yes, but only if it is serviceable. The one which I need to replace had blown apart so I will need to inspect it internally for any damage.”

  Zitter dispatched two of her work crew to remove it. In the meantime Zitter was eager to show off her art, beckoning Alenna towards a display. I stood back with Jenna and Perri. We did not follow them.

  Jenna said, “You will cop it. Fancy saying Alenna especially liked that sculpture when you know full well she didn’t! Should we follow them?”

  “No definitely not,” I replied, “I have Alenna where I want her, alone with Zitter. I want Alenna to get to know Zitt
er better. You never know, they might just bond in a friendly way.” I then sniggered.

  Jenna shook her head and said, “You planned that all along. I think you will still cop the wrath of Alenna for your actions later.”

  I dismissed it saying, “We will see.”

  We sat on a bench to wait, not an ordinary bench. This bench was one of Zitter’s sculptures made from a scrapped shuttle and was simply a row of seats mounted between four landing stanchions, probably from the same shuttle. Plus it had some fancy artwork that towered above, in an ark. I wondered how long it would be until Alenna and Zitter reappeared. In fact, the two Dregg who Zitter had despatched to remove the regulator reappeared first. They set the regulator down in front of us before returning to what they were involved in previously. I got up from the bench to have a look at the regulator. First I checked the outside, which looked fine apart from some strange patterns on the surface. I peered through one of the holes where the hose unions connect to. I could not believe what I saw; there were fractures in the alloy, some short, others disappearing from view inside. I was now very worried and wondered how many other ships of this age had their regulators in this same state. I took some photos of the regulator. I did not say anything to Jenna or Perri at this time. I would wait until Alenna and Zitter returned. I sat back on the bench and waited. When Alenna and Zitter reappeared they were carrying a sculpture between them. I sniggered. I had rightly summarised it was another gift from Zitter. Alenna had accepted it from her and by the expression on her face, she was not that enthusiastic about doing so. They set it down.

  Zitter spotting the regulator on the ground, said, “Are you happy with it?”

  I replied, “Far from it, look!” I showed her the fractures.

  Zitter having peered into the hole that I was pointing at, said, “Oh, that’s not right, is it?”

  “No,” I replied. Turning to Alenna I said, “We need to go to Relnor to report my findings. When are we going there next?”