by Ken Pence
"They insult us. I will not stay here and have them argue endlessly over who did what and… " the Captain noticed the crewman manning the communications station was beginning to shuffle around and oculars looking up at the ceiling. "Yes. What is it now?"
The crewman snorted and said, "They have already left Captain and are out of efficient communications range.
The Captain looked at 'raymondoshira's' sleeping form on the floor and wanted to butt it and trample it. The angry cinnamon smell of the Captain was very apparent to the crew. Now we will trade.
***
Ling, Susan, Andrew, Brad, Tod, Joel, Fran, Desiree sat around the lounge toasting the completion of the repairs with other off duty base personnel. It had been two months of relative time within the field but only days of 'normal' time since the attack. The main problem had been the enormous logistics problems of raw materials of food stockpiles and repair materials. It was obvious they could produce heat, light and water with their almost limitless energy source of the cold fusion but food and manufactured materials were easier to consume than to produce. They had finally kicked back a bit and were having an, 'old home week' party to celebrate the completion of their Herculean labors.
The Hawk and the Constellation were two of the ships that were constantly on guard now. Three additional ships had been completed in the Arizona Enclosure and were now in service and, literally, tons of supplies had been ferried to the lunar station. The Constellation reported the Ullumff vessel first and shadowed it as the navigational system directed the ship back toward the lunar base. Colonel Kyger was alerted.
"Sir, they are about twenty-five minutes from docking sir. We're bringing them in much slower this time. I want them to see that there is no damage and everything is nominal."
"Good job Ari. I'm glad you're still able to escort them in. Hope they recognize your ship," Brad said.
"That's a big roger to that," said Ari remembering the recent fate of some of his sister ships. "I doubt they'll be able to tell the difference between ships much yet."
"Imagine you're right. Look out for any unwanted guests will you?"
"Will do, sir."
Brad turned to his friends and said, "Shall we see what is up? Ling. Who do you want with you? I'm more concerned about Oshira then I am about UmBllatt and friends."
She paused and then spoke. "How about two security and Desiree? Two security men carted Oshira away for a debriefing in a field. Tod. Can you help with his interro... ...interview?" Everyone nodded or gave a 'thumbs up'.
"Good. Other suggestions. Andrew?" Brad looked to Andrew.
"I think we ought to tell them as much of the truth as we can and do that as policy. The truth is easier to stick to than some tale and they aren't dumb. Remember what Rett said. No telling what Oshira has convinced them of. I think we ought to treat him as a criminal and Brad, see if you can get him banned from any thing like this again," Andrew said to his friends who generally nodded. “Brad. Would you get someone to look for any unscheduled transmissions that were picked up just before the attack? I didn’t think about it ‘til now but I bet Oshira and Alexander exchanged words about then.”
“Will do,” Brad saw that they were ready, "Let's set the port to Ullumff conditions and get set for our guests."
They filed out to their appointed areas as support, negotiations or liaison.
***
Captain UmBllatt was still angry when he returned to the lunar base. He wasted little time after the ship was secure to indicate which of the crew was to go with him and who was to escort 'raymondoshira'. He felt sure that these beings would be angered by his abduction of their 'oshira' and worried about it delaying the talks. There appeared to be no damage to their complex though and he wondered what had happened. It had certainly looked like an imminent attack situation. No doubt, these beings, these men, would lie about the cause and extent. He came here for trade and trade he would pursue. There was huge profit potential if that calculator was any indication. Imagine that 'oshira' being saying they were worthless. Obvious he was some political appointee. Well here come the squeaky little stick beings.
Ling and Desiree were with two of the largest security people on the base. The security fellows; like pro wrestlers but bigger, were also wearing environment suits that made them appear even larger; nearly the same size as the Ullumff. The women looked like pixies compared to their larger escorts and the visitors. They could see a very bedraggled Oshira being obviously escorted in the back of five Ullumff. The captain, UmBllatt appeared to be in the front and Ling caught the cinnamon scent immediately...he smelled wonderful...sexy? Yep. He smelled sexy...imagine that! She chuckled to herself.
"Greetings, Captain," Ling said. "Your vast experience served you well as you avoided an unfortunate attack on our station by a rogue military group. Several ships were destroyed but the situation has been resolved and there will be no more unexpected interruptions. Thank you for saving Mister Oshira. I hope he was not too much of a burden."
"Burden! I understood that," Oshira shouted in English and pressed forward through the Ullumff. "I resent that. Do you know what I've been through? I'll dare say someone will answer for this!"
Desiree nodded to the security men who moved in and took Oshira up under the arms effortlessly even with the heavier Ullumff gravity settings. Ling said in Trade. "I desire your trade here to be successful for all."
The captain was puzzled. Admitting an attack... Pleased that they had rescued that 'raymondoshira'. Interesting. I don't see the signs of any damage so they must have defended this base pretty well. Odd. I wonder what underlies their admissions. I don't like little stick beings even though two of them are of reasonable size. Those two big ones almost gave me a turn, he thought, and snorted. The other Ullumff in his party caught his humor scent and wondered what made their captain laugh.
Ling continued as the captain absorbed the situation. "We will, of course, change the terms of any agreement we make with you..."
The captain swiveled ears and oculars toward her and the cinnamon scent became strong again.
"...to make the conditions more favorable for you and your crew. You were inconvenienced with a hasty retreat and being saddled with an unwanted guest."
"Saaddulled?" UmBllatt said questioningly at the English word.
Ling thought her Ullumff vocabulary wasn't up to the task but then she thought of, "...carrying a heavy, unwanted load." Ling and Desiree looked at each other as all the Ullumff went crazy with snorting and oculars looking around madly. She was worried because just then, one of the Ullumff in the back obviously passed gas from the smell and all the Ullumff went around snorting and snorting while almost jumping up and down.
Deity. The captain thought as he fought to catch his breath after laughing so hard he almost fell down. An unwanted burden... How funny! I think we can do business with these beings after all.
"Your rooms are the same and have been restocked with more of the refreshments. Your bracelets have been reactivated and will open the same doors as before. We thought you would want to eat, drink and," Ling couldn't think of the Ullumff equivalent to 'freshen up' so she just said, "wash."
The captain replied with a polite grunt which surprised the rest of the crew aware of his earlier rage. They had been hoping that their captain didn't ruin their chances of viewing documentaries and cold beer and peanuts. The yellow bracelets had become a status symbol on board the ship and they were glad they didn't have to give them back.
The four crewmembers enjoyed seeing their room and wasted no time in raiding the refrigerator and turning on the display.
The captain went to his room for a short while, came out, and barked some orders to one of the crew. The crewmate jumped up and practically ran out of the room back toward the ship with the bellows of the captain receding behind him.
Andrew and Brad looked at the monitors with alarm near the conference room.
"Think it's bad?" Brad asked.
"Don't think so...
" Andrew answered and sat back as the Ullumff came bolting back out of the ship carrying a meter long tube and a small cloth sack. "Think we were right. He'll ask to see us soon I think."
Brad raised his eyebrows and took a sip of water, missing his Jack Black.
***
UmBllatt had learned enough and arranged to have trade negotiations to start again. The humans were all filing into the conference room and the Ullumff clomped in and leaned against their support 'chairs'.
UmBllatt raised himself to his full height of fully two meters and grunted. Even the humans understood that he intended to speak first and had an important announcement to make. Even though he seemed odor neutral now an acrid reek began to emanate from the other crewmembers. UmBllatt raised a meter and a half tube about ten centimeters in diameter level over the table.
"For my trading partners as a gift," he said and handed the tube over to Andrew.
Brad opened the end after a brief description of the procedure from the Ullumff navigator. UmBllatt was silent with oculars rigid.
Andrew swiveled the end of the open by squeezing as indicated and inside was a rolled up sheet of plastic... metallic...thin material. They slid the material out and unrolled it. Fran just happened to see what it was and gasped followed shortly after by Desiree and then every human in the room sucked in air or muttered when they saw it... a star chart. It was not like anything they had ever seen. It had markings that were obviously names or inscriptions near them and lines of various thickness and colors and lengths between the vividly colored stars. It was a wealth of information like none had ever seen. The humans were struck absolutely speechless...it was so very beautiful…so very functional.
UmBllatt broke the reverie again with a more abrupt grunt and indicated something beside one of the Ullumff. The crewmember reached down and picked up a heavy sack, which he handed over to UmBllatt. UmBllatt, with great theatre, held the bag high over the table and slowly reached into it. He drew forth a thick book, which he held in front of him.
"This is a book explaining all the inscriptions under each system in the chart. It explains about each planet in the named system and the inhabitants and what has been successfully traded in the past. It has warnings about prohibited products or dangerous areas and navigation hazards. It rates each system through the use of many variables for ease of entry, facilities, quality of goods and the like. This Uoott Guide is also yours as a gift," UmBllatt said.
The Ullumff crew began to fidget a bit and one bumped another and whispered, "He gives them an old chart and Uoott guide. It is at least five years out of date. He... oof!" said the crewmember as his crewmate prodded him to keep him quiet.
***
The trade session went on for about an hour before anyone thought to bring in peanuts and chilled juices in cans. The humans had to demonstrate how to open the cans and later open them for their guests but the juices were an instant hit. The grape juice was particularly pleasing to the Ullumff and they couldn't get enough of it. Brad had brought several cases of it to the station for Rett but had just set it aside until he thought of it for the visitors.
***
Captain UmBllatt summarized the session of trade: "It is customary to place the trade goods directly in the others warehouse or quarters or ship for inspection prior to conclusion of any agreement. Each group can then examine the goods or information and signify acceptance in the morning. We may post a guard outside our quarters," UmBllatt declared. "Is that acceptable?"
Brad and Andrew winced a bit knowing that UmBllatt was going a bit outside the manual as it laid out trade rules but not too far off base to be unacceptable. "It is acceptable then. Fifty language sets and ten portable players. Fifty high definition charts of local systems for fifty cases of calculators like I gave you," Brad said.
"Fifty in addition to the calculator you gave me separately," UmBllatt said thinking of the huge profits and not wishing to add his gift to spoils that would have to be divided later. "We will now deliver the goods here to this room."
"Yes. We will deliver the calculators to your rooms," Brad said and humans and Ullumff scurried off to deliver the items.
Lines of Ullumff, ten in all, had come off the ship and were under the direction of two of the original five. Humans could tell those two were from the original five because of their yellow bracelets. Each of the ten carried a heavy plastic box about two thirds of a meter square. The fifty boxes and ten players took up the entire end of the conference room. Desiree and Ling figured out how to open the box with the help of one of the Ullumff and squealed when they saw the contents. There must have been twenty-five training cylinders in each box with several manuals containing color picture prints on some type of plastic-metallic material that was tough as hell. Everything seemed to be made of the same stuff in various shades and thicknesses.
Susan came over and got out one of the manuals too with Andrew looking over her shoulder.
"Good God. Look at that. What is it? My Trade isn't up on the reading side. What is this stuff?" Susan asked.
"Each box seems to have a complete language set with instructions for use to learn all about one culture. EVERYTHING about a culture."
Tod and Joel were prowling through some of the other boxes.
"Look at the markings on the box. Anybody recognize anything?" Joel said.
"Doesn't that one say 'Tros' on it?" Ling asked pointed to one of the boxes on the bottom left.
The guys went over, dug down, extracted the box and set it on the conference table. Ling showed Brad the trick to opening them and they reached in and pulled out the manual in the box marked 'TROS'.
"It's about the Tros culture in the same format as that book. It has tons of info about...oh...look at this Susan!" Brad said moving over to her.
"What is it...oh...no wonder Rett got upset when we started introducing ourselves. Look at this everybody. This is on the sexual habits of Tros," she said holding the pictured pages out for everyone to see.
"Makes 69 look pretty tame doesn't it Brad," Fran said with a coy smile at Brad.
Brad blushed hugely and everyone else laughed pleasingly at his discomfiture and her innuendo.
Joel spoke up after looking in several of the boxes, "Looks like solid information about fifty different cultures. Boy is Earth going to have to expand its perspectives quickly. Tod. How about these cylinders and players? Look like they'll hold up?"
Tod pried open the back of one of the players and saw its tiny tubes and power supplies. It looked complicated as hell but though everything was jammed in; all the parts were much larger than any integrated circuit and each part seemed to snap freely into separate connectors. The connectors were attached to thin boards and there were wires neatly connected to the bases of the connectors. Apparently, there was no such thing as printed circuits. Amazing!
Tod looked up. "These look fine. They're like the first ones we traded for. They'll learn a lot about manufacturing techniques from those calculators but not much else. Who would of thought these language sets would have been this complete? We got a good deal with that star chart and index 'gift' and these manuals -- we ought to be in a lot better shape for trade. Hey Joel. Did you get those maps digitized and stored yet?"
"Yes, boss. Put it in the system and anyone can pull it up but since I don't have my regular help, referring to the loss of one of the best technicians in the attack, I haven't finished scanning in that book that goes with it. We're a third of the way through it though. Ought to have that scanning finished in an hour or two and then it will take a while to link all the references on the chart to the pages in the book and provide translation. A couple of days I guess as most of the scanning is automated. I have them working on it in a field so it ought to be finished soon. It was a clear copy," Joel continued. "Whatever that stuff is they print it on; we need to find out how they do that. It is tough as iron and resistant to water and looks like it would hold up forever...Great stuff...flexible and thin as all get out. Trade for the formu
la of that next ship."
"We'll keep that in mind," Brad said and they all laughed realizing how many things would change with an influx of new ideas and technology.
Captain UmBllatt was contemplating popcorn when the door buzzed. This food is very enjoyable -- light and crunchy. I will have to find out how they produce it. I wonder if it is a delicacy that takes elaborate preparation. Probably, thought UmBllatt, as he savored another fist full. The door buzzed again.
UmBllatt realized that there must be someone outside and he had failed to post a guard as allowed. He motioned two of his crewmembers to move toward the door and then yelled, "Enter!"
A lunar service tech came in with two large boxes on a dolly.
"Where do you want these mack?" said the tech to the Captain.
UmBllatt decided that 'mack ' must be some obscure term of respect and indicated the wall to the left wondering why the boxes were so large. He had only traded for fifty cases and was puzzled by their large size.
The tech stood back as other techs came trooping in behind with similar loads. The tech indicated the wall beside the other two boxes. More and more boxes came in until the end of the suite was covered with boxes. All the techs had been required to learn rudimentary Trade and the team leader had had more training than most. He finished counting the boxes and then turned to Captain UmBllatt with a digitizing pad. "Sign here to say that you received fifty cases of calculators."
Captain UmBllatt was suddenly suspicious that this many boxes was some sort of ploy to give them non-working goods. Surely each calculator didn't take up each box with instructions and packing. If it did; then they sure packed them well. UmBllatt motioned his two crewmen over to open and inspect the boxes while the tech stood by with the same disgruntled air of the longshoreman of old. The Ullumff were having trouble looking for the opening devices on the cases so the tech whipped out a small utility knife and slit open four of the cases the crew had been pawing at. The captain had sucked in a quick breath on seeing the knife but relaxed when he realized that the tech was only cutting open the top of the boxes.
