by J W Murison
Steven wasn’t sure what to say, ‘I don’t really understand you Charlie.’
‘Let me put you in the picture. You found out I had sold music to a Modloch music company. You immediately jumped to the conclusion that I had been making a few bob on the side. You got pissed off and gathered all the senior staff together to give me a bollocking, and more than likely kick my arse off the ship. Right or wrong?’
Steven flushed bright red, ‘Something like that.’
‘OK, let’s throw a wee scenario at you. Let’s just imagine for one minute that when you found out and came to your conclusion you hadn’t acted like a tit and instead pulled me down here for a wee chat. I am sure if you had contained yourself for a few minutes, and said something like, “Hey Charlie, I heard you have gone into the music business bud, what’s going on?” I would have replied with “Hey Stevie, great news, I managed to get round all these bloody awkward laws and opened up a bank account for the fleet. Here let me show you the details.” Now how do you think that would have panned out?’
‘Oh... Well, better’ The penny dropped.
‘I would imagine so. How many times have you pulled that little stunt, bollocking people in front of others? Once? Twice? Many times?’ Charlie sat down in the chair opposite Steven. ‘There are ways of doing things properly Stevie, and you either don’t know them, or you are being an ignorant prick.’ Charlie sat back and waited for a reply.
Steven tried to gather his shattered thoughts, ‘I was just trying to apologise to you in the canteen.’
‘Aye I know. You tried to make an arse out of me Stevie, instead I made an arse out of you twice. It seems you didn’t learn your lesson the first time round. If you find yourself in a situation like this again you invite them down for a wee talk. Then if you think it necessary you bring in the big guns. After you have tried to find out all of the relevant facts first. Forearmed is forewarned and all that.’
Steven slumped. ‘OK, I get it Charlie.’
‘I’m glad you do Stevie. You never know, you might just stop losing so many people.’
‘You think?’
‘Oh aye, I do.’ Charlie leaned forward, ‘Do you think I’ve been idle since I arrived here?’ He didn’t wait for an answer, ‘I have spent twenty years in the army. It is my job to look after a platoon of thirty men, to wipe their noses or boot their arses when needed. I have broken in a half dozen sprog officers and treated them exactly the same. I like to believe that when they left the platoon they were better men for it. Now I have you. You and this ship saved my life and I owe you big time. When you brought me here you thought you were protecting me. Looking after me. I am going to return the favour, repay my debt by making you the best damn officer I ever worked with. I have been reading the minds of the people in this ship, and those you have come into contact with while I’ve been here. I’m not talking about raking through their minds like a thief in the night, I am talking about those thoughts that are pushed out, shouted out if you want, when you were in their presence.
‘You have absolutely no problems with the military contingent on board. They adore you. Think you are the bee’s knees. They like the way you make a decision and stick with it. They admire the way you put yourself in harm’s way and take no shit from anyone. They don’t mind if you bawl them out, they are used to it.
‘The civilians on board this ship view you in an entirely different way. Many think you are an arrogant arsehole. They are aware that you never completed whatever course you were doing at college before your accident. They are also aware that you have never bothered to try and finish it. Of all of the civilians on board this ship, you are by far the least qualified. You don’t even write any scientific papers, it is as though you deem yourself above it. None of that may be true of course but that is exactly how they feel. Of course, many of the positions on board this ship have been taken over by youngsters at the academy who have more of a military background, but there is still a core of civilians that have stuck by you. You may feel that you have nothing to prove, and that they and many others were fools for ridiculing you and those papers you did publish when you were young. You are now writing whole new chapters in astral navigation, but not a single thing have you put forward for your peers to peruse. Do you really think that is the right and proper thing to do?’
‘I don’t really have the time to piss about Charlie.’ Steven shrugged.
‘Don’t give me that pish: make the time. You are riding roughshod over these people Stevie, and you know it. You think you don’t care about roughing their feathers, and you won’t be the first genius to feel that way either. Before you go any farther though, why don’t you take a wee look at some of the history books, and find out exactly what happened to those people? It will always come back and bite you on the arse. They have their pride Stevie; they have worked very hard to get where they are today. They will turn on you and they can hurt you.’ Charlie stood, ‘Here endeth the first lesson. I want you to have a wee think about the things I have said and remember this one thing: I am no bloody genius, but I could see most of this without reading a single mind.’
He made it half way to the door, ‘Oh! by the way. Before I forget. The Modloch think paper is a precious commodity. They stopped using it a thousand years ago. They now only have it in museums. A single piece of blank paper can be worth thousands, and I can’t find it on the prohibited list either. You might want to have someone check it out.’
Charlie left and a few minutes later Buzz appeared, ‘Just come to check you were all right partner.’
Steven slid down in his seat, ‘Yeah I’m fine.’
‘Did you have it out with him?’
Steven shook his head, ‘Barely got a word in.’
‘You don’t look great.’
‘My fellow countrymen have a saying for how I am feeling, I think they call it being “reamed”. How could that have gone so wrong? I was supposed to be giving him the lecture!’
Buzz burst out laughing, ‘Yeah, that’s pretty much how I felt after talking to him.’
‘What did he say to you?’
‘Lots and lots and lots. I had the pleasure of his company for a lot longer than you did. There is one thing he said to me that keeps going round and round in my head though.’
‘What’s that?’
‘He said when you were both young he used to protect you from the local bullies, but he never protected you from yourself.’
‘Did you understand what he meant by that?’
‘Yeah I did.’
‘Is that why you decided that I should handle it myself?’
‘Pretty much.’
Steven sighed, ‘Do you think he is going insane?’
‘Oh hell no!’
‘Me neither. Thing is Buzz, I know exactly what he means as well.’
‘Was he the same way as a kid?’
‘Yeah, pretty much. He is a little more articulate now though.’
‘You know I didn’t really like Charlie to begin with. I really didn’t want to like him.’
‘I think there are a few others who feel the same.’
‘I think he has earned his spurs though.’
Steven suddenly sat up. ‘Oh shit!’
‘What!’
‘Paper.’
‘What about it?’
‘Something Charlie just said. We need to check it out.’
CHAPTER 25
Lady Jane sat uncomfortably on the edge of a large couch, her most treasured possession in front of her. She watched the Emperor with great suspicion. Her encyclopaedia of the Earth’s solar system sat between them.
Mindful of Gairloch’s precautions and of the bacteria the Chief Engineer had warned about, they had come ready. The book was put into a unit and sterilised before the Emperor would touch it. They just hadn’t realised how large the book actually was. It didn’t fit into the sterilising unit, and there was a frustrating half hour while they waited for one large enough. When the light on the top glowed amb
er The Emperor’s assistant had removed the book and then the box. The book was laid down in front of the Emperor. His eyes devoured it for a long time and he even wore a pair of dark gloves.
‘This is a book worthy of a Modloch Emperor.’
Lady Jane scowled, ‘It is my most treasure position sire.’
The Emperor’s eyes glanced up briefly, ‘I understand Lady Jane. I shall not harm it nor try to procure it from you.’
Her head bowed a little in acceptance of his word.
He tentatively opened the cover and was soon immersed in the delights of the book. By the time he had turned the last page the King had arrived and sat down to watch with a puzzled frown on his head. The Emperor picked it up and felt the weight in his hands. It felt very satisfying. He laid it down with a sigh.
‘Lady Jane, I am very envious of you.’
‘As I have said sire, it is my most treasured possession.’
‘Why? It is only a book?’ The King asked.
‘You truly have no idea what you have here do you?’ The Emperor asked him.
‘Obviously not. I don’t believe the Earth’s solar system is that remarkable compared to many others, so it must be something else.’
‘You are right it is something else. It is the book itself. If this was printed in the Modloch language you could almost name your own price. As it stands, it is still worth probably over a hundred thousand in any local currency.’
The King’s eye’s widened in shock, ‘Why?’
‘In this part of the galaxy we stopped using paper over a thousand years ago. A framed blank piece of paper can go for hundreds. Something of this quality is considered precious. You will only find something like this in a museum or in a private collection. One of my ancestors had quite an extensive collection. After a tragic fire the remains were sent to a museum. Anything like this is kept in a vacuum. No one is allowed to touch them.’
The King shook his head, ‘That is astounding.’
The Emperor leaned forward, ‘We have desperately been seeking a commodity that the Earth has plenty of but which isn’t banned by intergalactic treaties.’ He tapped the book, ‘This is it my friend.’
‘I am struggling to understand sire,’ Lady Jane interjected. ‘You have trees, don’t you? Why not just make paper?’
‘A good question. Our whole ecosystem is micro managed. The few trees we do have are genetically altered to produce oxygen. They are owned by their respective governments and it is a serious offence to damage or remove one. To be truthful they are not suited for making paper. The plants and trees that paper was once made from were removed and became extinct a very long time ago. This is a simple truth across the galaxy.’ He turned his attention back to the King, ‘Do you understand fully what I am trying to tell you?’
‘I most certainly do.’ The King stood, ‘I had better make this information available to our President; I will contact him directly. This will need to be managed carefully and in a proper manner. If there is any way I can repay you for this information...’
‘Oh, I can think of a number of ways. We will discuss it later.’
The two laughed and Lady Jane retreated with her book cradled protectively in her arms.
When the President heard the same information from two different sources within hours of each other he swung into action. He called for a meeting of his top men; it didn’t take them long to come to a decision. Priority messages were sent to Earth and the race was on. The President wanted the same encyclopaedia Lady Jane had, typeset in the various languages of the diplomats that would be coming to the big function. As yet there were still too few acceptances for the function to go ahead, but since the discovery of Human music numbers had slowly began to increase.
CHAPTER 26
Charlie sat and chewed on his piece of omelette. His eyes were locked on to Komoru’s, who fought with a huge pillow. Her head eventually managed to appear fully as she pushed down the edge of the pillow with her chin. Her eyes gleamed. Charlie’s eyes lifted and the huge Lewis who stood at her back nodded. Charlie returned the nod before returning his attention to Komoru.
‘Evening Komoru.’
‘Good evening Charlie. That looks good.’
‘It’s lovely, only Cookie can make a grand meal out of powdered eggs.’
‘That is true. I wish he were on my ship.’
Charlie laid his fork and knife down, splaying them open. ‘How can I be of assistance?’
‘I just wanted to thank you.’
‘What for?’
‘For what you did for Steven.’
Charlie frowned; it had been a week since their little discussion and he had kept out of Steven’s way since. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Steven finished his papers. The ones he started so many years ago. We got word today that they were accepted due to the circumstances of his accident and injuries.’
‘What has that got to do with me?’
‘I have tried to get him to finish that paper a hundred times. You talk to him once and it is done. How did you do it?’
Charlie thought it over, ‘Some may call it a reality check, others might call it a royal arse kicking. Take your pick.’
She tilted her head slightly, ‘You have my admiration. I could not do it.’
‘You are only a genius Komoru. I am a fully-fledged drill instructor of a Scottish infantry regiment. I am afraid that, in the world of motivation, you are well and truly outclassed.’
Her tinkling laugh marched up and down his spine, making him feel uncomfortable, ‘So it would seem. I did not like you at first. Despite your friendship with Steven, I did not think you were suitable to be a member of these crews. You have since proved me wrong. The reason I am apologising is because you will know how I felt about you.’
Charlie shrugged, ‘I did not hold that against you Komoru. Even in the army, a man needs time to find his proper place, a little time to prove his worth.’
‘I can see that now.’ She stood and dragged the pillow round to his side of the table. ‘This is the first thing ever purchased by a Human from this part of the Galaxy. I got two. I think it only fitting that you take one of them.’
Charlie eyed the pillow with great suspicion, ‘I have no need for it Komoru.’
‘I am not offering it to you Charlie, it is a gift, and it would be very rude of you to refuse.’
Reluctantly Charlie reached out and took possession of it, ‘In that case, thank you very much.’
She clapped her hands, ‘Wonderful. I will leave you to your meal. Oh! Before I forget. You are invited down to Mya’s at the weekend. Babes knows the coordinates. Before you refuse, she has a real bath with hot running water.’
‘A real bath. Wow!’
She almost skipped away. Lewis grinned at Charlie and Charlie smiled back. He shook his head at the pillow and discovered his meal had grown cold. Cookie met him at the counter.
‘What’s up Charlie?’
‘It’s gone cold Cookie, can you nuke it for me?’
‘Nae bother.’ Cookie stuck it in the microwave and came back. ‘Hope yer no casting that wayward eye of yours at Komoru, Charlie.’
Charlie scowled, ‘I have never crossed that line Charlie.’
Cookie looked doubtful, ‘Really? I know your reputation.’
‘Aye, a reputation invented by arseholes like you.’
Cookie laughed, ‘A reputation well deserved.’
‘It’s not Cookie. Seriously, I have never stabbed a mate in the back, ever. Never will either. I have never even been out with a mate’s ex, let alone a lassie he was going out with.’
‘Aye well, I still don’t trust ye.’
‘Fuck you.’
Cookie handed back the heated food laughing.
Charlie finished his meal. He ignored the funny looks on his way back to his quarters with the giant pillow. He tossed it onto his bunk and jumped on top of it. ‘Holy shit!’ he exclaimed as he sank onto it. He allowed himself a smile. It was nice to
feel a little more accepted.
CHAPTER 27
The huge teardrop-shaped ship blocked out the planet below for a few minutes. Steven’s heart raced. As the first ship slid alongside to dock another appeared. It slid alongside the first. Komoru appeared; she too was nervous. She was docked on the opposite side from the two goliaths. They walked hand in hand to the airlock. The roof above them had been raised considerably to accommodate their visitors. For two days Babes had been busily reconfiguring a part of the ship to act as a reception area for their guests. She and Ico were both anxious over the visit.
An honour guard without weapons was waiting.
They had to wait almost ten minutes for the airlock to open. In the doorway stood the two captains, behind them a half dozen crew members. It was the first meeting between Humans and the people who built these ships.
Lady Jane stood at the end and watched like a hawk. She had come back aboard to observe proper protocol was maintained.
Steven stepped forward and bowed, ‘I am Captain Steven Gordon.’
Komoru stepped forward and bowed ‘I am Captain Komoru Kaizu, Steven’s mate.’
The return bow was less respectful. ‘I am ambassador Moranichetth and this is my mate Patriciallahetth. When we heard there was some of our ships in the Empire with disgusting meat-eaters on board our government sent us to investigate. You will return these ships to us immediately. We have the equipment on board to remove all of the nanites from your bodies. These ships shall return home and be decommissioned. If you refuse then our ships will simply order yours to deconstruct with you aboard. They are much more powerful than yours. Your crew will perish in the process.’
‘Then that is what you will have to do ambassador. Good day.’ Steven answered curtly.
‘We will give you a few hours for consideration.’
‘No need ambassador. My decision is final.’ The ambassador turned away. ‘Before you go you may want to take these with you.’ Steven nodded and some of the crew produced the cylinders that held the essence of the previous crew and those of the crews that had died on the black planet. The ambassador gave a silent command and members of his crew stepped forward to receive the cylinders. They retreated and the airlock doors closed.
