Vast Mantis

by Jim Henderson

  Chapter Four: More Clues

  During jump Ximon and Silas had several meetings, with Mantis, Euclidia, and Io in attendance to discuss strategy. Rather than survey the system from closest to furthest from the sun, they decided that they wanted to refuel first, in case they had to jump away from danger. According to the available data, Kaqarbius had no gas giant, but they could skim freestanding water on the main planet – Kaqarbius-4. So, their plan was to head there, scanning it in the process, then head to the other planets to look for anything of interest.

  Upon leaving jump, Mantis checked position and Shao scanned. Everything looking okay, Ximon headed for Kaqarbius-4, having Shao scan for likely bodies of water to skim. Ximon also had Peter deploy one of the decoys.

  Shao perused her screens and compared data with Mantis. “Ximon, it appears most of the bodies of water are frozen, though the previous data didn’t suggest that. We’ll need to look for water near the equator.”

  As they got closer, Shao continued, “We’ve got several suitable bodies of water. I’m highlighting them here.”

  Soon after, Ximon was surprised to receive a hail.

  “Inbound ship. This is Griffontown. We invite you to visit our establishment at the coordinates shown. We have a lake of semi-filtered water, can sell you refined fuel, and are receptive to trade.”

  Ximon tried pulling up the data on his screen. “Mantis, I thought the data showed no one living here.”

  “Correct, Captain, but it would appear that someone has set up an establishment. I’m scanning for other signals now.”

  Silas, manning the guns from the co-pilot seat, said, “Ximon, I think we should visit. They may be one of the best options for information.”

  Ximon signaled the station back. “Griffontown, this is Mantis. Inbound to visit and to skim.”

  He then made an announcement to the crew. “All, we’re going to be landing and visiting some small outpost. Let’s plan on everyone but Euclidia going. We’ll take weapons.”

  Elsbeth messaged him back in what Ximon could easily imagine as a snarky tone, “So, you’re not expecting everything to be peaceful and quiet, eh?”

  Ximon just rolled his eyes and took it in his stride.

  Everyone got ready. Most just grabbed pistols, but Peter grabbed a shotgun. Silas had an armored vest on and carried his own weapons – an impressive-looking rifle, a pistol, and a knife.

  The ‘station’ didn’t look like much. There was a large hangar, a few permanent buildings, and about 20 prefab shelters, all near the shore of a lake. A small dock stuck out into the water with several small boats attached. There appeared to be cultivated fields stretching in both directions along the lake. Ximon also noted a small radar and communication set-up.

  Mantis landed on the obvious, cleared flat strip a few hundred meters from ‘town.’ The few people scattered around looked up as they came in and a couple of people headed toward them as the engines shut down.

  The crew came down the ramp, met by two scraggly looking men wearing pistols.

  The older and scragglier of the two, wearing dirty green coveralls, spoke. “Welcome. I’m Tomas Griffon. We want no trouble here. We’ve got some things to trade and can often use what y’all might have. We can also negotiate prices for fuel or skimming rights.”

  Elsbeth muttered under her breath, “Prices for skimming rights?”

  Tomas pointed to a few different buildings. “Jenkins has a bit of a bar set up in there, Granger has fresh fish to sell, and Suzie Jones has a good supply of produce over there. Other than that, will you be needing to buy fuel or to skim?”

  Ximon nodded, “We’ll skim, but we’d like to look around if you don’t mind and we’d love to hear your stories.”

  “Please, feel free. Here’s our price list.”

  Tomas handed Ximon a piece of paper with hand-written rates for skimming per ton or refined fuel per ton. The refined price wasn’t too outrageous, but Ximon figured it wasn’t really refined. The price to skim was ridiculous, so he’d try to negotiate on that. They could always just take off and skim without these folks’ consent, but they did notionally claim the lake and Ximon didn’t want to be a jerk or cause trouble when he was operating on an expense account.

  Elsbeth, Peter, and Raiza went to look at the produce and other goods. Shao and Silas, with Io in tow, went to chat with the locals to investigate what they might know about any passing ships. Ximon stayed and negotiated with Tomas.

  He had to haggle a bit but got them down to a more reasonable price. He chatted with Tomas for a while. Griffontown had been in place for just over a year and was doing ok. Several ships had visited them in the last few months, but Tomas couldn’t recall the names. Ximon agreed to buy Tomas a drink and, over that, Tomas remembered that the ships included Trailblazer, which had sent a team down to buy some fuel and used its shuttles to get it. By the time they were done, Raiza and her group came back with a little produce and some spices.

  When Silas finally arrived, he explained that they had talked to a lot of the people, bought a few drinks, and looked at the logs of the radar system. He, too, had found that Trailblazer had been there, but had also found that their intended destination was Ozu. Further, he confirmed that the freighter Algol had been through there about a month earlier, also headed for Ozu.

  They thanked the town, took off, skimmed, and completed their survey of the system. They found nothing else of note.

  As they finished their survey, the crew gathered to discuss the next step.

  Ximon summarized, “Okay, we’ve found one ship and its crew, we’ve also found solid traces of two more. As I see it, we have three options from here. One – we go to Nalenus and see if we can find out anything else. Two – we go to Oza. Three – we go to Ozu. Personally, I’m not sure we’re likely to find much at Nalenus. We know that Twilight headed to, and maybe back from Oza, and that may, or may not, have caused its trouble. We know two ships headed to Ozu and have no direct indication of them having trouble, other than that we’re out here hunting for them. So, I’m thinking Ozu might be the logical move. Thoughts?”

  Silas nodded, “Yeah, I think Ozu is the best move right now. Nalenus might be useful but could be a waste of time.”

  Elsbeth wrinkled her brow in a quizzical look. “As far as we know, those two ships went to Ozu and were destroyed like Twilight. If we find some wreckage at Nalenus, like at Udirzaus, then I think it’s a real strong sign we should go home. So, maybe we should see if we get that sign rather than avoiding it because it might be inconvenient to find.”

  Shao looked between Silas and Elsbeth, apparently with divided loyalties. “I would suggest Nalenus as first choice, Ozu second, and Oza not.”

  Mantis chimed in, “Captain, I think there is merit to investigating Nalenus as it could provide valuable information. The delay should only be seven to ten days. It seems a worthwhile investment of time.”

  Ximon looked about. “Any other thoughts?”

  Euclidia said, “Captain, I believe it’s worth noting that these are not Boolean choices between going to Nalenus or not, Oza or not, nor Ozu or not. It’s strictly a matter of sequence. If we go to Ozu and find out that was a bad plan, then we can’t go back and benefit from knowledge at Nalenus. But, if we go to Nalenus, we can then go to Ozu next.”

  Elsbeth said, “We’ve invested months in this effort. It seems silly to begrudge us a week now when it could save our lives.”

  Ximon held up his hands, “Okay, got it. I see the value of Nalenus first. Silas, what do you think?”

  “I always felt it could be useful. I just wasn’t sure that possibility was worth the expenditure of time, but it can’t hurt. It sounds like the consensus is to go there.”

  Ximon nodded with finality. “Okay, Nalenus it is. We’ll jump shortly, get there and investigate again. Thanks everyone.”

  Later in the bridge, Silas turned to Ximon smiling. “Ximon, you run a very democratic ship – even the robots vote.”

&nb
sp; Ximon laughed. “Hey, I’m just trying to stave off the inevitable robot uprising.”

  “That could be a real problem on this ship. I’ll help you watch for that.”

  When they came out in Nalenus, all was quiet. Their location was quickly confirmed and there was nothing nearby to threaten them. Still, Ximon had Silas come sit in the co-pilot seat to man the guns, had Peter deploy a decoy, and had both Shao and Mantis do a variety of scans.

  “Mantis, tell us about the system.”

  “Captain, from previous survey data, the Nalenus system has four planets, two asteroid belts, and 13 dwarf planets. It has no gas giants. Nalenus-Trey has extensive water in liquid form which could be used for skimming.”

  “Okay, similar plan, we’ll hit Nalenus-Trey to refuel first and then visit the rest of the inner planets from there. Tell me more about Nalenus-Trey.”

  “It is 1.1 astronomical units from the sun, with a diameter of 12,000 kilometers and has two moons. It has a dense oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere.”

  As they approached Nalenus-Trey, Ximon noted that Mantis’ description of extensive water was an understatement. Over 90% of the surface was covered in water, with only about 15% frozen. Theoretically, they could skim almost anywhere. However, Ximon soon noticed, and Mantis confirmed, challenging weather conditions – substantial wind, scattered electrical storms, and very heavy waves. Skimming in those conditions could be perilous. He headed for one of the largest land masses they had noted and had Mantis monitor for any transmissions. The records hadn’t indicated any settlements on Nalenus, but they hadn’t noted any on Kaqarbius either and they had visited one there.

  The land mass they approached was about 10,000 kilometers square. Ximon had hoped it would reduce the wave action from the primary wind direction. It did, but the waves were still pretty high thanks to forces from other directions. Mantis directed him to a sizeable bay that was well sheltered. The waves were much smaller here, but still substantial.

  “Everyone, strap in. We’ve found about the calmest water we could, but skimming may still be rough.”

  The skimming took longer than normal because Ximon had to take it slow to avoid potential damage. Even though he was controlling it, Ximon found the ride rough and somewhat nauseating. He suspected it might bother Elsbeth or Shao more.

  As Ximon focused on keeping the ship steady enough to finish the process, Mantis signaled an alert. “Captain, we have an incoming voice signal.”

  The message was a bit garbled and contained considerable static. “Alien vessel. Please identify yourself and state your purpose here. You are targeted.”

  Ximon was a bit shocked. “Mantis, triangulate that signal ASAP. Shao, scan for anything – air, land, or sea.” He then keyed a response. “This is the Kremniy Republic Scout Ship Mantis. We are here simply to refuel and survey the system. May I ask who I am addressing.”

  There was no immediate response.

  Mantis displayed a map of the bay on the main screen with a circle highlighted. “The signal is coming from a point 20 kilometers away at a point on the ocean. No vessel noted.”

  Shao tapped a few keys and added a few dots to the map. “Roger, I’ve got a small object on the surface at the point designated, as well as another about 15 kilometers away. Working on visual images now, but the waves are making that difficult.”

  Finally, another message came in. “Very well, Mantis. This is the Copheyu. Please report what else you detected in the system before you entered our atmosphere.”

  “Copheyu, we only entered the system a few hours before entering your atmosphere but detected no other vessels during that time. Our intent is to scan the other planets before departing.”

  “Thank you, Mantis. Our ability to view beyond our atmosphere is limited at this time. Did you note any meteors or asteroids approaching the planet?”

  “No, Copheyu, we did not. If in our further survey we detect any, we can let you know. Have asteroids been a problem in the past?”

  “Only recently. Approximately 15 months ago, the planet was struck by a sizable meteor which triggered seismic activity and a change in weather patterns. Almost 20 smaller meteors have struck the planet since that time, though none for 45 days.”

  “Copheyu, that sounds very destructive. Are you in need of assistance?”

  “We appreciate the offer, but things appear to have stabilized. We hope to put up a few satellites shortly. If you do see anything imminent as you do your surveys, we would appreciate hearing about it.”

  “We will do so. If you don’t mind me asking, are you an aquatic species or do you simply have ships underwater?”

  “We are primarily Cetan and some aquatic semi-humanoids. However, we do also have a few humans in our community. We have underwater ships and bases as well as protected cave complexes.”

  “Very interesting, Copheyu. Would you object if a more formal delegation from the Kreminiy Republic came to visit you?”

  “Not at all. We are always willing to talk to peaceful beings.”

  “Very well. We will pass that on. One final question if I may, did any of the following ships come here to refuel within the last month or so: Trailblazer, Twilight, Nyx, Arapahoe, Lost Pilgrim, Horus, or Algol? They are lost and we are seeking them.”

  Ximon had to repeat the list several times, but Copheyu finally confirmed that they had received word that a Nyx had refueled. However, they had no information on their destination.

  “Thank you for that insight. We have finished our refueling and will now depart.”

  “Fair winds and following seas, Mantis.”

  Copheyu then cut the connection.

  Mantis said, “That was quite interesting, Captain. Other than the Cetans, there are very few fully aquatic civilizations that have any technological capability.”

  Ximon said, “Yeah, not many. I guess the effects of the wind and waves are low enough under the sea to make it livable. Very interesting.”

  They headed for orbit around Nalenus-Trey and began doing thorough scans. As they scanned more, they saw that there was indeed a lot of particulate matter in the upper atmosphere, consistent with meteor strikes. The planet’s two small moons were also heavily pockmarked with craters that suggested some strikes had been quite recent.

  As she looked at the findings, Shao noted, “Couple this with the meteor strikes and collapsed planets we saw elsewhere, and it looks like there’s an unusually high level of such things. Basically, this is a dangerous neighborhood.”

  Silas added, “Yeah, I don’t think I’d want to ‘plant my flag’ here, though the real estate might be cheap.”

  Ximon had to agree. “Yeah, well let’s see what else we find in this neighborhood.”

  He headed for the first planet to start additional scans.

  Over the next few days, they scanned all but the far reaches of the system. While scanning, they saw no other ships or remnants thereof. They did note that one of the two asteroid belts was, indeed, composed of material that appeared to be planetary crust and core material, not normal asteroid material. A bit more data to support the ‘bad neighborhood’ idea.

  Completing that, Ximon decided that it was now time to head to Ozu. Their time on Nalenus hadn’t done anything to rule that out or suggest an alternate path. Ximon half-expected some grumbling from the crew but didn’t get any. He could only assume the decision to go to Nalenus had reasonably addressed their concerns. He was pleasantly surprised.

  Chapter Five: Almost Ozu

  The jump to Ozu was routine. They ate, drank, slept, played games, read, and trained. That is, it was routine right up until it was anything but.

  Ximon had just gotten out of the shower and was shaving. There was a loud, unmistakable “clang” of what sounded like something heavy and metal striking the hull. Substantial jarring supported this notion. Then there was a sound like electricity arcing and a sensation of his hair standing on end. The lights faded, then came back on but were flickering slightly.

  Ximon y
elled as he wiped his face and threw on his robe. “Mantis, what’s going on?”

  He heard only a staccato stuttering from the speakers as he ran out of the room toward the ship’s locker. As he came to the galley, he saw Raiza lying on her side in front of the counter, arms and legs at an odd angle, and something still cooking on the griddle.

  He skidded to a stop and kneeled beside her. “Raiza, are you ok?”

  She made to get up, but her motions were clumsy as if she was drunk. She stuttered, “Xi-xi-xi-mon,” and then fell silent.

  A scream of “Peter!” from the direction of Elsbeth’s room suggested Peter was having similar problems.

  Just then Silas came running into the galley from Shao’s room wearing only black boxer underwear. Shao was just a bit behind, a light silk robe flapping open to reveal a purple negligee. Silas ran to the locker and started pulling out weapons. Shao stopped in the middle of the galley and stared blankly before Silas’s urging got her moving to help him.

  Elsbeth’s door opened and she stepped out, completely naked, “Help! Something’s wrong with Peter.” She then quickly ducked in and grabbed a robe before coming toward the galley. Seeing Raiza, she stopped and seemed to comprehend. “What’s going on?”

  Ximon looked up at the ceiling. “Mantis, what’s going on?”

  Mantis seemed to have found her voice, though it was a bit garbled. “Captain, there is a ship adjacent to us in jump space and a pod has attached to the port airlock. We seem to have been hit with a large EMP pulse.”

  Elsbeth stared up uncomprehending, her voice full of confusion. “Next to us in jump!?”

  Silas, now wearing an armored vest over his underwear, came up carrying an armful of weapons and tossed one to Ximon. “Wake up people. It sounds like we need to repel boarders.” He then tossed a pistol to Elsbeth, but she just stared as it clattered at her feet.

  Silas moved toward the airlock, carrying a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. Ximon stumbled after him while Shao, a vest looking very strange over her robe and negligee, took up position in the hallway.