by Ken Pence
“I take no offense then. How are the beverages?” the trader said.
“I think they are fine. It is customary on our world to bring the host a present. Susan. Would you do the honors?” Andrew said and Susan got up and gave the trader a bottle of wine in a box and a small white box wrapped in a gold ribbon.
“It is customary to open them now,” Andrew explained.
The trader opened the box and drew out the bottle of German wine.
“It is a Spatlese wine. That means it is the late harvest from select grapes. The fruit produces sugar and gets sweeter the longer they stay on the vine. I think they are too sweet later on. It is the best of that vintage we have with us. The top twists off – Earth had to stop using another material to seal the bottles because the trees that produced it were getting so scarce. I hope you like it,” Andrew said.
The trader called a servant to bring a clean glass and poured it into the clear glass. He smelled it and took a taste. “This is very good. Thank you. Do I open the little box now too?” he asked. “My people rarely open gifts in front of others.”
“Please,” Andrew said. “We derive pleasure if you are pleased.”
The Trader opened the box and gasped. There was a lamlee on a little bed of cotton. “A lamlee...this is too much. This material under it is unusual too.”
“That is a plant fiber called cotton. We make cloth and many other things out of it,” Andrew explained.
“Thank you for your generosity,” he said and a servant approached and whispered in his ear. “I must leave. It was an honor to have you here. I am sure you can find your way out.”
“Well that was abrupt,” Susan said, perplexed by the departure.
They were all getting up when the Marmut rushed in and went up to Fran. “This is for you,” he said and handed her padded box containing a glass statue of HER. It was exquisite and looked like her hair was blowing. The Marmut made her look good and the smile on her face looked pleasant in an odd way – not condescending. He was enjoying her pleasure.
“It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” she said with tears running down her face and before she knew it, she was hugging his upper torso.
He was a little flustered so he drew back as she released him. He too was crying.
“Thank you so much,” she said.
“I will walk you out,” he said.
It was odd that the host was not around but everyone suited up as they went out. Fran was the last to put one her helmet. “Captain. Everyone!” came a voice from the shuttle pilot. We have four large ships headed this way. Two came from the port and two are just entering atmosphere. They are headed straight for you. I was delayed and it will take me two minutes to get to you. They’re almost on you now.”
The Earth crew saw the foliage disappearing all around them. Fran’s suit began to sparkle and she was physically shoved out of the disruptor beam, off to the side. Fran looked over her shoulder and saw the upper half of the Marmut flash into nothingness as the beam swept back and forth. His lower torso fell forward with feet still churning. She had no time for sorrow as her suit indicated it could not divert any more charge from being hit. The radios were not working so Fran turned, flew up in the air and out of the beams. Others around her were doing the same though she saw one soldier in armor fly away from one beam but into two overlapping beams. His suit flashed weakly and dissolved. Suddenly her radio was working again.
She could see the ships in the air and flew up beside them. She tried her molecular disruptor but it didn’t do anything. Her laser made the surface hot but didn’t have enough power to penetrate. Soon, Andrew and Susan had seen what she was doing and all aimed at a spot on the hull. Together they cut a circle in the hull. A soldier in his battle armor flew up beside them and finished the cut. The inside pressure finally blew out the plate and the soldier flew in. The inside plating had no defense to the molecular disruptors and they simply cut their way to the bridge where terrified crew were cut down – slowly. They killed all aboard and then fried the controls. The ship started falling when its fields cut off but they cut their way through the bridge wall and flew up into the air. The shuttle contacted them.
“I’ve picked up the rest except for Airman Green...think we lost him. We’re above you. Come on up. The Odin and Junior will be here in a few seconds and have the ships in sight.”
The shuttle hovered, and they entered. It then sped back toward the Odin. The Odin started after two ships but they split...Shuler wasn’t having any of that and burned one of them out of the sky. The Junior reported it had done the same. The remaining ship stopped and dropped its shield. We sent in a team of four in battle armor. Their airlock was open but they simply used molecular disruptors and enlarged the hole. They evidently went to the bridge and were told a pair of traders had arranged the attack to get the lamlee from the shuttle. The timing had been off a bit and the resistance had been stronger than anticipated. They had surrendered because they heard that the last crew had been spared when they gave up. The four exited and had the Odin slice up the last ship that fell just short of the city – no quarter was given.
Captain Shuler and Admiral Kyger consulted and pulled out the maps and scans of the trading port. It was huge and they had only covered the barest portion of it. The next morning teams of five went down. They went to the bookstore and the produce store where they showed their maps. They then told the grocer they wanted the use of his four helpers. He balked until the Earth team gave him four lamlee for the use of the men. The grocer could buy four new slaves for that so he said yes. The four were told to warn the people in these buildings to immediately leave within two hours or they would die.
Those four returned and the Victoria said it was ready. The Albert signaled it was ready. The Albert landed outside of the old trader’s home and two teams exited with sleds. The forced entry and crated all the artwork and loaded it up on the shuttle. Thermal imaging showed no one left inside so they told the Victoria they were ready and they hovered over the mansion. They started playing Flight of the Valkyries over outside speakers and it boomed over the countryside.
The Albert started playing Eye of the Tiger and they both started raying the properties owned by the Traders. They left jagged holes in the dirt to make it more difficult to rebuild and left some building parts standing as a testament to interfering with those from Earth. The Traders Hall itself was precisely leveled to a shiny, level finish. It provided a large area for the Earth crew to put on some afternoon festivities. They went back to the produce supplier and gave him a list of supplies they wanted for a party at the former Trader’s Hall. They had a couple of kegs of cold ale and beer from Earth as well as huge supplies of local brew and wine. The produce supplier’s reluctance gave way when Susan gave him five lamlee and she said he could keep what he didn’t spend – but make sure there was plenty of it and it was good.
The fearsome four, as they were becoming known as, were given the job of running out giving flyers to the rave party. This planet was going to have its first old-time Rave party. Local musicians were encouraged to come play and they were told there were free drinks and food plus special door prizes.
No one knew what door prizes were but they were scared about seeing these Earth beings. They hadn’t liked a lot about the Traders but what these Earth people did scared them. They were intrigued; by all the things, they had heard about them, though. People who talked bad about them were shouted down as more and more people had seen their products and catalogs. Only a few had shown up until it started getting dusk and then they came in droves. It had been a workday until dusk...hard to party on a workday no matter what planet you are on.
Andrew got up where the musicians were playing and started to talk. All the beings made ready to leave because they didn’t want to hear any speech but he transmitted his words to a hidden sound system. “Friends and guests, we came to this world to trade and were invited to eat with a senior Trader at his home. We finished the meal and the t
rader said he had to go – show ourselves out. Four of his ships attacked us without provocation on the steps of his home killing a wonderful artist and one of my soldiers. We destroyed the four ships and leveled his properties but we wanted you to see us as traders – not warriors. I want to make you an offer. Anyone who brings us either of the two local traders will be given ten lamlee each – no questions...dead or alive...we would prefer them alive but they must be identifiable – do not bring bloody rags with no body.
A brave/foolish one said, “How do we know you have ten lamlee? How do we know you will give it to us?”
“We will be gone in a week.” Andrew held up a bag of lamlee and saw him run them through his fingers in front of the crowd. “Deal with him after we leave and you will surely get nothing. Do you want them back?” Andrew asked and a few weakly shouted – No. “I cannot hear you. Do you want them back?” and more shouted – No. “Still not able to hear you. DO YOU WANT THEM BACK?” he yelled and this time there was a resounding NO.
Andrew waited. “We shall now party,” he yelled and the local musicians started playing again. One group played a weird version of Flight of the Valkyries and another group started playing a twisted version of Eye of the Tiger. They must have picked it up from just hearing it once. It was pretty cool. More brochures were given out and the party was a success.
“We shall now party?” Susan asked chuckling.
“They don’t have contractions in Trade so how else do I say Let’s party!”
They cleaned up the next day and had an elaborate booth set up the next day to encourage people to send trade delegations to Earth. They brought Phillips down to work the booth and he wasn’t there fifteen minutes before he said they were doing it all wrong. He told them to give him ten lamlee and he’d have trade delegations swarming to Earth. He also said he needed LeiLei and we finally agreed. LeiLei had been bugging Joel about not taking her anywhere so we relented. She had on a suit that didn’t cover much of anything and she was to travel through the port helping us give out brochures. We assigned a soldier in camouflage to monitor her and one to follow Phillips.
The first thing Phillips does is goes to the local whore house – yep – we’re not the only ones who do it and he hired the prettiest of each species – we were told they were the prettiest and asked them to walk around with us. We had scoped out the hierarchy of the town but Phillips figured out who was running what and who was just a front man. He went around and went into these big-wigs offices with these girls. He gave them each a lamlee if they would promise to encourage a trade delegation to go trade with Earth. He told them he would give them another lamlee if they came to Earth and said they had been recommended. It doesn’t take much persuasion from pretty females when you’re giving them free money too. Earth would get their trade missions – Phillips thought.
I hope this crew knows what they’re getting into. Those house calls took two days. On the morning of the fourth day, a group brought in the younger trader. Ling went over to him and picked him up by the front of his robe with one straight arm.
“Why did you attack us?” Ling asked.
“It was my bosses’ idea. He wanted the lamlee,” said the quavering trader.
“Do you know where he is?” she asked.
“No,” he said and she took out her disruptor and dissolved his atoms down to his shoes. She then holstered and went over to the people that brought him in and gave them ten lamlee. “I will give you an extra lamlee each if you get the other trader. He will be your problem again for no pay if we have to leave before he is captured.”
Late that afternoon the old trader was brought in.
He started yelling that we could not do this to him. He was...Fran shot him through the neck on needle beam and he sat there gurgling and holding his throat. “You killed a master artist because of your greed. We lost a crewmember because of your greed. You lost shiploads of crewmembers because of your greed. We would have gladly made you rich but you will never steal from anyone again,” Fran said and took her disruptor and methodically erased every molecule of him. She was weeping when she finished.
Ling and Fran were working with the doctor who had relented about working for us. He was making a second learning cylinder to cover additional areas. We let the medical crew on both ships use it and they said it was amazing. The equipment and drugs were being sent to the Odin where they were integrating it into the two sickbays. Phillips recommended that we use the treatments on those working in the Earth Enclosures first since they were the most affected by working at 10 to 60 times normal time.
He also had us start working up ideal policies for prolonged life use. If we made it available for everyone, it would cost too much and the planet couldn’t support it – so how do you choose? It was going to get nasty quickly, when we got back to Earth. Most realized that Phillips had already thought through many of the implications before he’d left Earth. It was clear that humans would have to expand out from Earth and there were a lot of beings already out here. New settlements might be hard pressed to find worlds empty of intelligent life. Displacements of local alien populations could easily turn bad.
To Bellatrix
We left 68 Eridani and were headed to our last planned stop at the major trading capital of Bellatrix – a B2 class star that was 164.2 further light years away. It would take about seven weeks to get there and then we’d be 243 light years from Earth, Andrew thought.
Before we left, we held a memorial service for Airman Jack Green. He was the one killed in the attack. Fran had never known him. When we talked about him, she just thought about the Marmut. The artist had probably saved her life but had lost his in pushing her out of the way. Fran was crying for the wonderful artist who made the lovely statue of her when others were crying for Airman Green. She cried and Brad comforted her. She decided she’d stay on the Odin and get involved with the research and manufacturing. We decided we were going to try to make enough training machines to sell on Bellatrix. There were supposed to be trading ports all over the planet that specialized in different things and we wanted merchandise to trade.
Admiral Kyger wanted more teaching machines for trade at Bellatrix. Now that we could sell teaching machines AND duplicate any of the cylinder from the Sirius complex we needed complete sets. Everyone that could schedule time for training was doing so. The manufacturing cylinder from Sirius and manuals recovered from the used bookstore were the most sought after. Everyone had to have Trade language training to even qualify to ship out so no one was using those. Phillips was allowed free access to all. We even had him running the document scanners as we scanned all the new manuals into memory. Tod and Steve were given the field neutralizer and they were supposed to reverse engineer it and figure how to duplicate it. They were supposed to get Rett to help them with it because he had experience in the area – good luck with that, I thought.
Shiv was helping LeiLei. We had brought LeiLei over temporarily at the 80 light year waypoint when we stopped and checked out bearings. We were getting better and better at navigation and were very close on distance and time. Anyway, Shiv and LeiLei had produced five small versions of the learning machine but only 3 worked. Fran was scanning the videos of the construction and stopped the playback. One was of Shiv doing it and one video with LeiLei. “This might be the reason. Look at the difference,” Fran said.
LeiLei and Shiv both looked at the still frame and didn’t see any difference. They had both put the lamlee in the same spot and the circuits were identical. The lamlees were even from the same source.
Fran said, “Look. LeiLei is wearing gloves and Shiv is not. LeiLei, try taking out one lamlee and putting it back in without gloves.”
“But I might get a hair in the circuit,” she said. She was disheartened that all of her machines didn’t work, but she replaced the lamlee without gloves and it worked. “But why?” she asked. “Why would we have to handle it without gloves?”
“I have no idea,” Fran said. “Maybe it likes you
r hot little hands.”
The construction went much faster after that point and all of them worked, as long as, the lamlees were installed by hand.
Joel had stayed on the Odin also because of its extensive machine shops and he enjoyed the workout space. He helped LeiLei upgrade her suit and added strength, camouflage and armor to it. Shiv broke down and added the nano and meta-materials so she could have the same camouflage capability as the battle armor. She also added the armor but muscular enhancement would have retarded her strength. She did add the defensive camera system to see in all directions tied to a new MemDex.
Shiv saw LeiLei and Joel sparring in the gym while testing their new defense/offense system. Shiv noted that the human methods of defense did not translate well for LeiLei’s species so she told LeiLei to defend using her methods. LeiLei complained that the administrator had declawed her, as she normally would have respectable claws. Joel tilted his head and walked over to talk with Shiv. They both came over to LeiLei.
“I think we can do something about that,” Joel said. They took LeiLei to the shop and made close-up measurements of her hands and the placement of claws if she still had them. Shiv worked with LeiLei on the positions and strikes she would use. Joel worked on replacement claws.
They took her to the gym a week later and very carefully had her put on the suit. They had a manikin-like figure that Joel had added some steel – hydraulically operated arms. The figure had four arms. He put a heavy steel pipe in one arm and guns and knives in the other. He took his MemDex and had the manikin hold the pipe up between LeiLei and itself.
“Hold your hand like you would if you were striking something and slowly brush your hands across the pipe as if you had real claws,” Joel said and LeiLei did. The pipe wavered a bit and straightened unscathed. “I am glad that worked. We can’t have her slicing people up by accident or triggering their defensive mechanism. Okay. Now do it like you mean it,” he said.
