We walked back to where Graf stood patiently waiting. “Graf, I’m going to do some trading with this station so you’ll need to let Xul know. We will take the weapons and exchange them for some of the artifacts in the hanger of the Legacy. I need room for the Tibor shuttle. I am also going to take Rak’s personnel transport. By doing so it will be possible to say Rak, Tril and Arn took the transport and failed to return. If you find a buyer for the artifacts, the profits should be split evenly among all who help repair and arm the Legacy. I would suggest a certain amount go to the members of Tril’s and Arn’s clans. Their silence would help tremendously if it was to become known the patriarch of their respective clans disappeared with a considerable amount of Galactic weaponry into the void. You would be wise to insist the last orders you received were to run the station until the Overmaster or Overlord returned to take charge.”
That brought a big smile to Graf’s face as he took off to appraise Xul on the current events. Tria went back to the Legacy to inspect the weapon ports.
“Justice, how are we doing on repairs?”
“Things are going well Nathan or should I say Commander. We now have every scientist on the station except for those withheld for removing the dead, helping to refit the Legacy. With the additional time required to integrate the weapons, the ship will be here for an additional ten Earth days. With my ship command core in place I am now able to initiate repairs in many of my sub systems that were in need of critical maintenance. My exterior hull self-repair systems are now online as well. The defensive shields are now available for testing when we are clear of the station. The weapons core is active and I am waiting to initiate integration commands for the new weapons once their installation is complete. The Galactic weapons have power requirements well below the systems this ship was designed for. The Legacy can easily meet the power demands of all weapons firing simultaneously.”
We would no longer be forced to flee if we were engaged by hostile ships. We now had shields and a potent response to attacks. I guess I no longer considered myself just another passenger on a spaceship. I had been elevated by my crewmates to the rank of Commander. I shook my head in amazement at the chain of events that led me to being the Commander of an armed military starship. Justice interrupted my euphoria.
“I have been monitoring the interactions between Xul, Graf, and Klutch with the clan members of Tril and Arn. A suitable agreement has been made to secure their silence on the demise of their clan siblings and the current situation at this facility. They have shown a great interest in helping us achieve our goal of restoring the Legacy therefore further increasing their now considerable wealth. Their assistance will cut our repair time by an additional thirty two Earth hours.”
The power of the almighty credit had become almost magical. Although I found it distasteful greed was a universal constant, I also found that the right quantity of credits in the right hands was a very useful and powerful tool.
“Justice I want you to segregate all the race specific artifacts we have cataloged to be unusable and of low value to us and stack them over by the entrance to the weapons cache. I need the hangar ready to receive the Tibor shuttle and the Grawl transport as soon as we leave here. Get everything moved to the cargo bay as long as it doesn’t interfere with repair operations and lock it down.” Justice acknowledged my orders and informed me numerous crates stacked in the hangar bay contained large caliber munitions for ship mounted rail guns. We would be taking all of them with us. Tria was up on a scaffold looking into a large weapon port high on the upper hull of the Legacy. I asked if she had a minute to speak with me and she quickly rode the small gravity lift back to the deck.
The silly little smile returned to my face and my attempts to replace it with something else only made Tria’s smile bigger when she noticed my awkward expressions. “Tria, are you familiar with a pirate by the name of Eiger?”
“Yes Commander, he runs the depot where I had suggested we sell our artifacts. It is said that he is or was a pirate but no one would dare say it to his face. I am sure illegal activity takes place on the depot and it greatly benefits Eiger. He is known to be a shrewd business manager but also a ruthless killer if incited. I have had no contact with him so I can only relay what I have heard on the ships I have served on. It is also common knowledge at most of the depots I have visited.”
“Xul has told me Eiger was the source for the Zaen battle suit I gave to Coonts. He also told me Rak traded Justice’s warp core to get the suit. The Union ship we almost encountered when we came to this star system was Eiger’s flagship not a Union warship. Eiger took the core with him and I am determined to recover the core. I plan to go to the depot and see if we can trade our artifacts to Eiger for the core. If you know how best to achieve this goal, I would like you to start planning for that mission goal as soon as repairs on the Legacy are complete.”
“As you wish Commander, I will start thinking about workable scenarios and have some options for you to consider by the time we are ready to depart. I am aware there are Zaen freelancers on the outpost. It would be logical to assume they were Eiger’s source for Rak’s armor suit. Most all races would be interested in trading for your supply of artifact 699.The quantity you possess might convince the Zaens to provide us with the latest generation battle suits.”
Having the latest generation battle armor to protect us was another step in the right direction. The safety of my crew was a responsibility I would not take lightly. As far as I was concerned, I would trade all the artifacts to protect my only allies. “Thanks Tria I appreciate your input. Let’s get the Legacy armed and ready to go and we will all sit down for a planning session.”
I met with Xul to find out if he was expecting any guest at the facility in the near future. I was relieved to find out no one came to the station unless Rak had contacted them to do so. As far as he knew the anonymous Overlord who was in charge of the facility had never visited the secret base. Rak as Overmaster was responsible for the day to day operations. Due to the nature of the activities and the remote location very few had knowledge of the station. I inquired if he could give me any more information on Eiger only to find out it was Arn’s connection to the criminal underground that hooked Tril up with Eiger.
If I only knew what I know now, it would have been useful if I had stopped Coonts from whacking Arn. I told Xul there was a good possibility I would be coming back to the station with legally obtained artifacts. I would need expert advice as to the value and some place to store surplus items along with a generous fee for doing so. He was quite happy to let me know if I contacted him in advance he could make the interior hangar available to me and could supply the personnel necessary to help maintain or repair the ship whatever the case may be. He presented me with a set of very discreet communication codes that would put me directly in touch with him or Graf.
As I started to leave, Xul did me a solid by letting me know if I went to Eiger for the core he was going to get upset we would even know about the transaction. When he tried to contact Rak or Arn to clarify the situation and failed, it could lead to an extremely bad confrontation. He said it would be wise to make appropriate preparations before attempting to communicate with Eiger. Before I left, I would discreetly slip Xul a million credits. It was the least I could do. When we leave this place, the scientist will have to fend for themselves. If the story we concocted does not hold up, they might be able to bribe their way out of trouble. I sincerely hoped they would not have to.
19
I was making progress in the right direction, as in towards the more lawful side of my interactions with aliens. I knew Xul and Graf were of the shady persuasion but they were nothing like the snake I knew Drayen to be. I was passing out credits at an alarming rate and wondered what the balance on the cards I confiscated from Rak totaled. I knew I had not begun to scratch the surface on the ten billion I rooked Drayen out of but I knew my overhead was also growing on a daily basis. If it was anything like my old four-wheel-drive pic
kup, the cost of maintaining a starship was going to be a crap load of credits.
I went back to the hangar bay and saw Justice had piled our less valuable commodities out next to the now empty weapons cache. Everywhere I looked there were Grawl busily working on the Legacy and I wondered what it was costing me for the refit.
“Justice, can you give me a quick approximation of the amount of credits on the credit devices I have in my pocket?”
“Nathan, one card reads the even denomination of sixteen billion credits and the other seven billion three hundred million two hundred and thirty four thousand one hundred and twenty two credits. Your current expenditures at this facility are four point eight million credits and with the addition of the one million credits you wish to transfer to Xul upon leaving, five point eight million. The estimated value of our current remaining inventory of precious minerals and alloys is still in excess of three hundred million credits not counting your supply of artifact 699. There is also the matter of the credit device Sora left behind which has a value of two point one million credits.”
I was stunned at the amount of currency I was uncovering in the illegal artifact business. No wonder there was so much corruption. The value of artifacts was staggering. My old friends back on Earth gave me hell over the idea of going to Alaska and making it big. I laughed out loud startling several of the Grawl closest to me. Man they had no idea how big and I was just getting started. I was very comfortable with the knowledge I had assets in excess of thirty billion credits and was glad all of our expenses would be covered for the immediate future. I decided there was no reason we shouldn’t have the very latest in technology and equipment. I just needed to find the right aliens we could trust to get it.
The days passed quickly and the Legacy gradually took on the appearance of a new starship inside and out. The ship now had two high energy beam weapons on each side of the ship in previously vacant weapons hatches. The beam weapons could only fire forwards in sixty degree cones, but Coonts and Tria assured me our other backup weapons could fire in any direction. Behind point defense hatches on the top, bottom and both sides of the Legacy were the new railguns. The guns could cover a full three hundred and sixty degrees and one hundred and eighty degrees above and below the ship. Justice recommended we mount the remaining two railguns on each side of the hangar doors. Unauthorized boarding attempts would be met with a hail of hypervelocity heavy metal penetrators.
Over dinner Tria alluded to the fact her father had said Oolaran weapons were so advanced he believed they were of Guardian design. She said the Galactic weaponry we now possessed was of good quality, but was nowhere near the destructive power the original projected anomaly weapons were capable of. I tried to research the subject with my implants but found nothing other than there were several weapons systems missing on the ship.
“Tria, weapon system data was scrubbed from the memory cores when the Legacy was discovered. I would appreciate any information you might have.”
Tria looked like she was contemplating what to tell me. She pushed her meal tray aside and walked around the table and sat next to me. She placed two of her hands on my arm and leaned in close. “Commander, the information I have is considered secret by my people. I would have no knowledge of it if it weren’t for my father telling me shortly after my first Oolaran discovery. The Oolaran ships of the Legacy’s design had sub-light missile tubes front and back with a much larger torpedo tube between the front landing pads. He did not tell me if any of the weapons have been recovered but rumors abound among the scientist I personally knew. The whispers and speculation I have heard, was the torpedo had an interdimensional capability. It was believed to be a fire and forget weapon that could decimate immense capital ships. There were also sixteen point defense weapons at different points around the hull. That is why there is such a large selection of hatches for us to work with. Just below the front view screen of the galley was the ships main weapon system. The empty bay runs the length of the ship and ends where the dedicated energy source was once housed forward of the star drives. On the weapon’s lowest attenuations it was capable of projecting micro black holes that were capable of devouring large amounts of matter. On its highest output settings it was capable of projecting collapsing anomalies that could ingest huge portions of planets. All of this massive fire power was controlled by the now functioning weapons core. This ship at the word from its commander could destroy capital ships or entire planets.”
I knew from researching the available schematics of the ship it had a crazy amount of empty hatches and bays. Using them for their intended purpose would add to the growing list of priority acquisitions. I was amazed at how much destructive power a single Oolaran warship had at its disposal. It again made me wonder what could have happened to a race with such incredible fire power. The only logical answer that could come to mind was the frightening scenario of an enemy with better weapons.
We came off a sleep cycle and were waiting for the Grawl scientist to show up. My curiosity got the better of me and I decided it was a good time to corner Tria on a few things that were eating at me. She had been so forthcoming on state secrets, perhaps now was the time to find out about her warrior background. “Tria, could I speak with you a minute?”
“Yes Commander, how can I be of service?”
“I have been curious since I heard Klutch mention Chaalt women were warriors. It was obvious you are a very well trained fighter. Unless it is a closed society taboo to talk about it, I would like to know about your training.”
“No Commander, it’s not a closed society rule to not relate your past life. Generally, the less other races know about you the better. The matter of me being held by Drayen has given me a lot to think about. Other than the crew and the occasional stops we made at remote outposts, no one actually knew I was aboard the salvage vessel. I now believe a crew member aboard the salvage ship must have informed someone who was actively seeking out Chaalt citizens. If my theory is correct, it would explain our ship being boarded, and me taken off. I would like to think it wasn’t the Captain but I never really saw the altercation between him and the Galactic officer. The next thing I knew a Galactic officer was attempting to restrain me without cause. My attempts to calm the situation failed as the officer became more belligerent. Most races with knowledge of my people would not endeavor such foolhardy actions. I cannot verify the Captain was in the med bay. It would also be speculation on my part to know if the cargo was actually seized. All of these events happened swiftly and seemed well orchestrated. I was restrained by Galactic personnel and placed in an isolation cell.
I knew nothing of Galactic law or salvage procedures but it sounded fishy to me. “I wasn’t there, but it sounds strange a ship would show up then pull you off leaving the Captain and crew go. It also doesn’t make sense if the Captain started the altercation. Why didn’t they take him to? If the Captain was involved with your imprisonment, he was a fool. I would never surrender a crew member without a fight.”
I started thinking about how I must be sounding to her. It would be a better idea to be more professional in my mannerisms and knock off the white knight routine. My cheeks must have been giving away my embarrassment again. She placed two of her hands on mine and gave me a smile.
“I’m sorry Tria, what I should have said was the Captain is responsible for the crew and should have stood in your place.”
Tria gave me another smile that made my heart almost skip a beat. “I know exactly what you meant Commander. There are things I wish to tell you about myself. In my society females are dominant. We are the military and protectors of our race. There is a five to one ratio in female to male births. The men care for our offspring and take care of our homes. They are the scholars and the builders responsible for making our society what it is. When it comes to protecting all of those virtues, it is the females who take up the arms to protect what is ours and to broadcast our strength to our enemies. We start our training as children and by the time we are self-rel
iant we are the warrior cast and the protectors of our species. We serve ten stellar rotations and as our reward for our services we are given the choice to live and go where we may choose. Many like me wish to wander the galaxy and will eventually return to live out our final star rises teaching the young about the wonders of the galaxy.”
I think I just got the get to know me better speech. It gave me a noticeable lump in my throat I was having difficulty clearing. “I appreciate your candor and will respect your privacy by keeping our discussion to myself. I would like to know what you meant when you recently told me you would return home if the nature of your salvage demanded it. I take it there are things you have found your society demands by law you bring back.”
Tria’s emerald eyes and warm smile was making my cheeks tingle and I was glad when she finally spoke again. “There is no written law, but it is highly recommended to bring back artifacts that might be considered historically valuable. I have brought many such items back to my world to be studied by our scholars. If the artifacts are capable of improving our society, they will be made use of. Improvements to our society will bring status to the family of discovery.”
I managed to clear my throat and said, “You mentioned your first Oolaran discovery, have you found many?”
She had yet to release my hand and for some reason it made me feel a little feverish.
“I found some, but my greatest discovery came not long after leaving my home worlds. I stumbled upon the wreckage of a battle on the fringe of the galaxy. Amongst the debris of the unknown ships was a vessel like the Legacy. From what I could tell it was heavily damaged, but the remains were blown apart by a detonation from within. When I returned to my people with some of the artifacts, they quickly returned with a salvage armada and recovered the remains of eleven unidentified warships and the single Oolaran vessel.”
First of my Kind Page 24
