Titan Stand

by Max Jager

  "What makes you think that was our ancestors?"

  "But that was some one hundred and thirty-seven odd years ago," gasped Matt.

  "All I will tell you is that Ceari and I were just children at the time, We will need to know you better before we tell you anymore."

  "Well the offer still stands," quickly added Matt, "Consider yourselves citizens of Endor. If you wan to hang around with the elves, or live out by yourselves somewhere no one will bother you."

  Bris and Ceari seemed to consider his words, then Ceari pointed to Doctor Black asking,

  "Are you a physician?"

  "Why yes I am, are you ill?" Ceari made a noise then replied,

  "Perhaps I will come and help." Then Bris looked at Matt,

  "Perhaps I will help you as well Matt, provided you keep that Clath away from us. We will go now and consider your words." With that, they both rose and disappeared into the dark.

  "Wow! "Whadaya think of that?" Exclaimed Steve.

  "Do you suppose Ceari is a doctor of some sort?" speculated Doctor Black

  All Matt could think about was that if those two were alive when the entire town of Coryville was brought here then Neistrian's must live some pretty long lives.

  The next morning Steve decided to stay a little longer as Roy and his elves hadn't made their minds up as to what they really wanted, so Matt departed for home alone. On the way, he started reviewing some of the music Patricia had collected from home. Stopping off at Mos Eisley, he sought out Brand and Clath to go over the music and let them decide what they wanted.

  Matt! Welcome," greeted Brand, "We were just over to your place this morning picking up all the beer and alcohol you brought us, most excellent."

  "Well just be careful with those steel kegs," cautioned Matt, "I paid a pretty hefty deposit on them and the next time I return home, I've got to take them with me."

  "Don't worry; I'll get them all back to you when they're empty.

  "Brand, I brought all the music you requested how about we go through it and you can decide what you want to keep."

  "Sounds like a plan, but I can only give you a couple milacentons or so."

  "We don't have to listen to the whole thing, back home we call it "sampling," let's get started, you'll see.

  In the end, they chose:

  Martin Denny's Quiet Village, Sandy Nelson's Teen Beat, Dave "Baby" Cortez the happy Organ, I want Candy by the Strange Love's, He Kissed Me by the Crystals, House of the Rising Sun by Eric Burdon, The Velvets Tonight, Preston Epps Bongo Rock, Elvis Presley's Oh what a night, and the Diamond's She say Oom Dooby Doom, and finally the one both really agreed on, Gimme Some Lovin, by the Spencer Davis Group. As a last minute thing, Matt threw in the sound track to "Guardians of the Galaxy, part two."

  Most Matt had never heard of but both he and Brand agreed the beat and pace of the music would work perfectly for the type of place Brand and Clath were running. Brand also selected a number of 70's and 80's music but would wait until later to run them.

  "By the way, where's Clath?" asked Matt.

  "I sent him to Golia to audition a couple bands, I wish he'd been here, he seems to have a better ear for the kind of music we're looking for."

  "Well don''t ever tell him," said Matt, but I've just come from Dinocki and had a rather interesting chat with Bris and Ceari those Neistrian's who were living out by themselves. Seems they belong to a very long lived race, and they both detest Clath."

  "Well that's too bad for them," replied Brand, I happen to like him, after all, he and I are partners."

  "Oh don't get me wrong," replied Matt, "I'm very fond of him myself, and as long as he's up here and they stay down there things should be fine." Brand then replied,

  "Matt, what I'm about to tell you stays strictly in this room and it's not meant as a slight or insult. Being human and from another galaxy you might not understand. Even though he's blue and I'm green, and we come from different worlds, we share a certain familiarity or perhaps a better word would be understanding. Apparently, Clath did something that totally shamed him from his own race, he refuses to tell me and I know better than to ask, anyway that's not the point. He grew up thinking a certain way got kicked from everyone and everything he ever knew, then got out in the world and discovered that everything he had been told all his life was a lie or close to it. "

  "I kind of gathered that from some of the things he told me," said Matt.

  "Well Clath has gotten an education of sorts, seen things met people done things that have changed his whole perspective. He hates anything to do with his race; you should have seen him tearing this place apart. It was all Rekton and I could do to prevent him from completely destroying Neistrian artifacts. I sent whatever he didn't destroy with Major Morford to hold for safekeeping. For some reason, he thinks the world of you and your human friends Matt and he now considers himself an "Endorian," so don't ever call him a Neistrian ever again or you might be attacked. It's strange I know but Clath has a lot of anger to work out, but he's young and seems to enjoy our partnership very much."

  "Thank you Brand," replied Matt, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

  "Oh by the way," added Brand, I have an especially dangerous job coming up and will probably be gone for at least a couple ugar's. I'll be "borrowing both Amber and Jezang, as both are very informed on the situation, I hope you don't mind?"

  "No not at all, both are free agents in my book. I'm a pretty decent pilot now although I haven't taken the exam so if I need to I can fly the Nora-Lee if I have to," replied Matt.

  "Well naturally, that means Clath will be running things around her, however, one of your friends approached me, a Lee Martin I believe. He told me his parents operate a restaurant back home and he knows all the in's and outs of operation. I also spoke with a Rokurou Haruto who has operated a restaurant as well who has offered his assistance as well."

  "Well all I know is that Lee's folks run a very popular place in Durango and he worked there.

  Chapter 143

  Titan Stand Chapter 143

  Before he headed home, Matt decided to wander around the former Neistrian town of Mindia. Trying to remember it as he first saw it several months ago it was clear that many of the old dwellings had been knocked down for the bar. The buildings that remained served now as either employee housing, shops or offices. The whole south end had been opened up and leveled for spacecraft parking that went all the way to the lake. There was still a lot of potential here and Brand knew it, but right now he was too busy with the bar.

  Before taking off, he shuffled through some of the CD's Liam said his folks gave him. He noticed a couple from a guy named Jim Croce who he had never heard of. The CD dated from 1989 but he also saw 1972 and '73 as well.

  "Probably Liam's folks had these," he thought, "Oh what the hell."

  Sticking a disc in the player Gandric and Gabe had built; he half listened as the man started to sing;

  "Like the pine trees lining the winding road, I got a name…" As the song progressed, he realized Croce was singing about him. As he was quickly approaching New Coryville, he had to hear the song over again, so he over flew and circled until he heard it two more times.

  "Godddamn!" He thought to himself, "Except for talking about moving down a highway that is my song." Feeling somewhat self-conscious as having personal "songs" was something only girls or couples did, he had to admit he actually liked the song and what it was saying. Finally circling back, he landed at the designated pad.

  "What was that all about" asked Liam, "Playing around or getting in more flight time?" Holding the CD case up Matt said,

  "Ever hear a tune that just puts the "hook" in you? I was listening to this old CD and there's the coolest song that just said Matt, this is your song."

  "I think that belonged to my dad," replied Liam, "He was a big Jim Croce fan. Guy got killed in a plane crash just as that album came out, that's the last one he did. Which one is it?"

  "I've got a name," replied Matt.


  "Yeah, I remember that one; I think it was featured in a movie or something, although I couldn't tell you which one. So what's going on with the elves?"

  "They found an old human settlement down in the mountains. Guy named Hatcher and a bunch of others snuck off with some horses, which apparently the Neistrian's brought as well. I've got his journal in my bag but there's a band of wild horses down there no doubt decedents of the ones they rode down there with."

  Just then, he spotted Justin and Meghan coming their way. Waving them over, he announced,

  "Got some news you two. First of all the elves discovered an abandoned settlement down in the mountains. Of course, everyone's all dead, but when the Neistrian's brought all those people here they brought horses as well. Anyway, there's a small herd of wild ones down there."

  "That's amazing," exclaimed Meghan, "Maybe we could breed them with our own stock?"

  "That's what I was thinking," replied Matt, "However those centaurs might have other ideas, they know about the herd, and in fact are on their way up here to have a look at the animals we brought from home. I don't know, but there might be trouble."

  "What," chuckled Justin, "Don't they want us riding horses?"

  "I don't know," said Matt, "I can't really get a fix on their thinking. All I know is that centaurs are real funny about people riding on them. Back on Denedra the queen's men do all the time, and a lot of them work for the government as couriers and they were real bitchy acting on the occasions when I rode them, especially Zyndon."

  "Well fuck them," exclaimed Justin, "I brought my horse and I'm damned sure gonna ride him."

  "Just settle down," said Matt, "Let's just see how all this plays out first. It's going to take them at least a week to get up here so we've got time to figure something out."

  "I thought centaurs were only in Greek mythology," said Meghan, you're telling me they're real?" Matt laughed,

  "Very much so, and they are very opinionated so don't insult them, let me know the moment they show up."

  As he and Liam started heading for town he added.

  "I talked with those two Neistrian's they found living down there"

  "Yeah, and…" replied Liam.

  "Well for one, they hate Clath with a vengeance so we have to keep them down there. Second, they told me they were kids when they brought all those people from Coryville here so obviously they are very long lived."

  "Wow," was all Liam could think of.

  "Have you seen Amber or Jezang?" Asked Matt.

  "Yeah, last I saw them they were hanging with those NASA people up by the repair facility." Together they walked up over the hill to where Facility 605 was located. At first he thought it was a little too far away however all the spacecraft traffic landing and taking off had changed his mind.

  They found Amber and Jezang talking to Major Morford, Masaki and Gary Simmons who were showing them a piece of equipment.

  "Matt," exclaimed the major "How's Emily and that young assistant of hers getting along, did Steve come back with you?"

  "They're just fine sir, Mr. Haines is still down there the elves still aren't sure what they want," replied Matt.

  "Well I hope he gets back soon, we've got problems with some of this transmitting equipment."

  "Have Gandric and Gabe look at it, they should be able to figure out what the problem is."

  "Well we can't find them either," replied Major Morford.

  "I saw Gandric over at the old raider ship which is now our generating station," said Liam, I'll let him know you're looking for him."

  Matt wasn't sure whether Major Morford was mad because Haines wasn't with them or what, but if Gandric was around he'd be able to figure things out in short order. Changing the subject, he turned to Amber and Jezang.

  "I hear you two are going with Brand somewhere?"

  "We are," replied Amber,

  "All we know is that it involves Khufrian's and one of the moons off Ethis 4. The environment is poisonous so Brand asked us if we were interested, what can we say?" Replied Jezang.

  "Well good luck and be careful," replied Matt I don't need to tell you how sneaky those Khufrian's are."

  Later that day the major stopped Matt and apologized.

  "I'm sorry for getting short with you it's not your fault. Gandric and Gabe showed up not long after you left and had the problem licked in no time. Frankly I've been a little short with everyone lately, we've been discovering a lot of problems with a lot of that equipment NASA sent us. Somebody really dropped the ball in the final inspection department. I feel like a real idiot trying to show off our technology as something special when half of it is broken or damaged. If we were around home, I'd be able to contact the right people for solutions or at least to get the ball rolling on getting everything replaced."

  "Don't worry about it sir, eventually you're going to have to shift over to a new technology anyway. Walter, James, Brad, and Charles are already learning and getting ready for it. We can't depend on home anymore."

  "I understand that Matt, but it doesn't make it any easier trying to get essential equipment working, especially the OPALS system everybody had such high hopes on."

  "I remember Mr. Janson saying something about it," replied Matt, "But what exactly is it supposed to do?"

  "Basically it's a high bandwidth space communications system using light instead of radio waves to communicate. It has the ability to achieve data rates almost a thousand times higher than conventional space communications."

  "So that's what that satellite Captain Krea dropped out in space is for."

  "Partially," replied Morford, "It's also a weather satellite which is the part we're having problems with."

  "Well when Clath gets back he might be able to help you with that if Gandric can't or is busy elsewhere, he's pretty good at stuff like that." Captain Morford chuckled,

  "I didn't realize he was such a whiz at that sort of thing. I really like the guy though, that ship of his is absolutely incredible, I was looking at technology at least a hundred years beyond anything we have back on earth."

  "While we're on the subject of Clath," added Matt, "Don't ever bring up the subject of the other two Neistrian's Bris and Ceari with him they hate him and he hates them, or ever fly down to Dinocki with him on board. Also, don't ever refer to him as a Neistrian, he's completely turned his back on his own race for reasons I'm not clear about. According to Brand, he considers himself an Endorian so refer to him as that."

  "Understood Matt, well I've got to get back to work, talk to you later."

  Four days later, Meghan had just finished brushing her horse and had stepped out of the new barn only to confront four grim looking centaurs who looked hard ridden and put up wet. Naturally, she screamed and quickly backed away. Justin Saylor who had been nearby rushed over to see what the problem was,

  "We mean you no harm," announced Zyndon, "But we've been running hard and are all done in." By this time, Meghan had recovered and started to apologize to them. Justin then appeared not understanding the situation yet.

  "Did they hurt you?" He demanded of Meghan

  "No, they just startled me. Everybody over here to the pump I'm sure everyone is very thirsty." Both humans were still adjusting to the sight of half human, half-horse creatures who wore clothes over their human bodies, and spoke.

  "Matt said you folks were coming," said Meghan, please forgive us for our ignorance but what is it you prefer to eat?" As Zyndon and his friends drank from the offered mugs of water, he replied.

  "Pretty much everything except meat and fish, no grass or raw grain though. By the way you wouldn't happen to have any cold ale around would you?"

  "Umm no…sorry," said Meghan.

  "I'm forgetting my manners," said Zyndon, "My name is Zyndon, just Zyndon; this is my mate Tressa, Ladhas and Issia over there." Justin and Meghan greeted all of them until Ladhas asked.

  "We take it you two are in charge of the stock including these horses of yours."

  "
That's right," replied Justin, "Say, you guys aren't here to tell us we can't ride horses are you?" The four centaurs gave each other puzzled looks as Ladhas continued.

  "That's why we're here to have a look at these horses of yours. Matt has told us all about them but frankly we had to see them for ourselves."

  "Well our personal horses are here in the barn," said Meghan.

  "The other's are out grazing, come on in." The four centaurs cautiously entered which immediately caused the two horses to become extremely nervous.