First Contact (Galactic Axia Adventure) (21 page)

Stan furrowed his eyebrows at the news. Except for his commanding officer back on Theta, no one knew he was aboard this ship. His mission was classified. No one should be able to find him here. He reached over and turned on his portable computer and activated its link to the ship’s comm system.

“Go ahead and send it down,” Stan said into the speaker. “I’m ready to receive.”

“Transmitting.” The intercom clicked as the connection was broken.

Stan sat down in front of his computer. After going through its usual warm up routine, the screen came alive but not with its usual opening scenes. Instead, it was blank white except where dark type was beginning to appear.

HELLO STAN.  THIS IS ERT.

Stan immediately perked up and reached for his keyboard. His fingers flew across the keys. HELLO, ERT. HOW DID YOU FIND ME?

IT ISN’T EASY, came the reply. I HAVE AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR YOU FROM DELMAR AND THE SENDERS. SHERRY HAS BEEN CRITICALLY INJURED IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT. MAJOR JAKE SENDER HAS REQUESTED THAT YOU COME IMMEDIATELY. THE HASSELS ARE ALREADY ENROUTE.

Stunned by the news, Stan didn’t immediately reply. Of their own volition his fingers awkwardly typed out a reply. I CAN’T COME RIGHT NOW, he typed. I HAVE ORDERS TO BE HERE.

Just then there came a knock at his door. Annoyed at another interruption, Stan got up and opened the door. Outside was another trooper with an official envelope. Stan signed for it and the trooper left while Stan closed the door and returned to his computer. Tearing the envelope open, Stan was astonished to see that he’d just been granted emergency leave and that a ship was enroute to take him to Mica. He looked up and saw that Ert had printed something on the screen.

YOU SHOULD BE RECEIVING NEW ORDERS SOON GRANTING YOU EMERGENCY LEAVE. THE SHIP TO TRANSPORT YOU IS ESTIMATED TO ARRIVE IN ABOUT AN HOUR TO DOCK WITH YOUR SHIP. PACK YOUR THINGS AND I WILL CONTACT YOU AGAIN WHEN YOU ARRIVE ON MICA.

ORDERS RECEIVED AND UNDERSTOOD, Stan quickly entered. THANK YOU, AND I WILL SEE YOU ON MICA.

HAVE A GOOD TRIP, came the reply. ERT.

Stan realized the message was over and shut off his machine. An hour later he was standing in the control room of one of the docking bays of the mothership. He watched a new style of patroller glide in and land on the pad. As soon as it was safe, he picked up his gear and walked out to the patroller.

As he approached the hatch, he took in the sleek lines of the new ship. He noticed the designation AR-237 with the curious name
Cabbage Patch
printed underneath the nose in a stylized script. Stan had read an article about these new ships and had been impressed with their capabilities and new drive system. If the article was correct, his trip to Mica would be a quick one.

Arriving at the hatch, Stan waited impatiently for the captain of the patroller to open up. Admittedly, he was anxious to be on his way to Mica to be with the Senders. After what seemed like an eternity. The hatch opened and the captain stuck his head out. “Care for a lift?” Delmar asked.

∞∞∞

Down on the surface of Maranar, preparations were underway for the meeting with the Galactic Axia envoy team. The chairman and his senior staff, along with the senior scientist Garret, had spent many hours going over what they wanted to discuss with their visitors from outer space.

“Are you sure they didn’t mention any agenda they’ll have during these meetings?” the chairman suspiciously asked the scientist.

“I’m sure,” he said from where he sat across the desk from the chairman. “The commander only said the team wanted to evaluate whether Maranar was ready for admission into the Galactic Axia.”

“Then they intend to take over!” one of the chairman’s aides exclaimed.

“No, they do not!” Garret replied tersely. “She said they were concerned that premature exposure of the Axia to our society could have seriously adverse effects on our own culture. If we’re found to be ready, then we’ll be given a choice to voluntarily join the Galactic Axia or remain independent.”

“What if we remain independent?” the chairman asked. “Will that mean we have to defend ourselves against these Red-tail things?”

“I asked her about that,” Garret answered. Already his patience with these political types was wearing thin. “She assures me that even if we stay independent, the Axia will continue to provide protection. If we aren’t comfortable with that, contact with other independent planets could be arranged so they can provide a minimal degree of protection until we can take care of ourselves.”

The chairman sat silently and mulled over this unusual offer. “And what happens if we’re not ready to be opened?”

“Then they’ll continue to provide protection for us unless we ask them not to.”

“Did she say why they started watching us in the first place?”

“When I asked her that, she said she’d rather tell us personally,” the scientist answered. “She said that it was somewhat involved and a face-to-face explanation would work the best.”

“Have you notified the people on our contact team to be ready to go soon?” the chairman asked his aide.

“Yes sir. I’ve also informed the press team to prepare a cover story for our departure. I was assured that they were already working on it and it should be ready tomorrow.”

“She runs a tight ship in that press department, doesn’t she?” the chairman said with a smile. “Well, that’s enough for now. Let’s get ready so we can leave quietly and as soon as possible.”

The next morning found the chosen people leaving for different destinations at different times to throw off any suspicion. Using a variety of cover stories from field research to medical leave and vacations, the press team did an excellent job of helping them sneak away.

Once in route, the various members of the contact team changed modes of transportation, sometimes several times, and converged on the remote island retreat where the meeting with the Galactic Axia team was scheduled to take place. Taking advantage of a gap in the electronic detection sweeps and the effect of various minerals in the mountains surrounding the location, the ship bringing the visitors from space would have little trouble remaining undetected.

The aircraft carrying the chairman winged along on a course opposite the other flights from the Maranar Space Control. He again pondered the significance of the upcoming meetings. Although he felt a certain degree of trepidation about the whole affair, he had to admit that he was also extremely curious. In the last messages arranging the meeting, the commander from this Galactic Axia had specifically said she wanted to meet him personally. Such an invitation had overcome the last of his objections and started him on this roundabout trip.

The first meeting was scheduled to take place in another twenty hours. The chairman wondered if this would go smoothly or have hidden pitfalls waiting for the unwary. He had many questions that begged for resolution, both as a leader of the space agency and as an individual. He wondered if he would come away from this most important first contact with an alien race with more questions than answers.

Chapter Fourteen

Commander Tess watched the night side of Maranar grow in the front windows of the fast scout ship as they rapidly approached the planet. The reflective glow from two of Maranar’s three moons shimmered through light clouds onto the ocean surface below. She consulted the directions provided by the navigator on the mothership as Captain Taver maneuvered her ship to slip around the edges of the native detection fields. A skillful navigator herself, Commander Tess appreciated the diligence of the scout captain.

 Captain Taver leveled the patroller off and skimmed the surface of the ocean mere feet above the waves. It had been the commander’s choice to have AR-111 and Captain Taver transport the envoy team. She figured that having a familiar face among the Axia representatives would help set the natives at ease. Although they had seemed reasonable in their limited recent contact, Commander Tess knew from experience how quickly the mindset of unprepared natives could snap shut and lead to very serious consequences.

Keeping her speed just slow enough to prevent sonic disturbances, Captain Taver deftly guided her ship toward the remote island. At first only a tale-tell sliver of land in the darkness, their destination grew quickly on the horizon. The ship crossed over the surf pounding the rock surrounding the barren island and lifted just enough to clear the screen of trees encircling an old landing strip. Captain Taver silently stopped all forward motion and brought her patroller to a hover over the designated landing zone.

As previously arranged, several natives exited a ramshackle building and motioned the ship toward a defunct hanger just in front of the patroller. It had been decided that this island, a former stopover point for early transoceanic aircraft, would be ideal because of the old hanger in which to hide the ship from the prying lenses of orbiting satellites.

As soon as the hanger doors were opened, weak illumination came on inside and the captain carefully guided her ship into the building. One of the natives signaled that the ship was clear of the doors and Captain Taver gently set her ship down on the worn and cracked concrete floor.

Inside the ship they could hear the hanger doors roll closed behind the ship. The lights came up in the old hanger and those aboard the ship could see various natives standing around the parameter of the building.

“Well, here we go,” Commander Tess sighed. Captain Taver stood and opened the hatch of the patroller. Following protocol, she was the first to exit to determine whether it was safe for her passengers. When Captain Taver’s foot touched the concrete, it was the first time that a Galactic Axia citizen had set foot on Maranar as part of a first contact team. At a signal from the captain, the commander and the trooper-third couple exited the ship and stepped out onto the hanger floor. A small group of natives detached itself from those watching around the hanger and approach the Axia team. Commander Tess smiled as she read their obvious hesitation. The native group stopped a few feet away.

Silence hung heavy in the air while the two groups eyed each other warily. It was Commander Tess who chose to break the ice. Speaking to the man who was obviously the leader of this small native delegation, she addressed him in his native language. Silently, Tess thanked the linguistic team who had prepped them for this meeting.

“I understand I’m supposed to say something like ‘We come in peace’,” she said with a warm smile as she raised her right hand.

“And I’m supposed to scream something like ‘They’re after our women!!’” the Director of their Space Agency replied, smiling in return.

The mood warmed noticeably, much to Commander Tess’ relief.
This is going better than I hoped
, she thought.

Everyone seemed to be smiling and there was less tension than one would expect with a first contact. As if they’d known each other for years, the combined group headed out of the dusty hanger to a more accommodating meeting room in an adjoining building.

∞∞∞

The gathering in the visitor’s lounge at the hospital was a somber one. Although Jake and the Hassels were glad to see Stan again and introduce Leatha to the young man, their minds were on Sherry and her critical injuries.

“What happened?” Delmar asked as soon as they were all seated. His curiosity had been burning since first hearing of the accident.

“As far as they were able to tell,” Jake began somewhat stiffly, “the accident was caused by a mechanical failure in the steering mechanism of a freight carrier. A pin in the steering linkage sheared, making it impossible to control. Crossing the center line, it careened into Sherry’s car, nearly crushing it completely.” Delmar fought a flashback from his own past and focused hard on the here and now. He remembered seeing his own mother’s car crushed under the bumper of a truck when he was just a child. The others had already heard it so Robert took up the narrative from his friend.

“Rescue workers who arrived on the scene first were surprised to find there was someone still alive in the crumpled remains of the car,” he explained. “While some labored to keep Sherry alive, others struggled to free her from the wreckage. When they finally lifted her out of the ruined vehicle, they transported her to the emergency room here and have been working on her ever since.”

Agnes took up the narrative. “From what was left of the vehicle plate, they determined who Sherry was and went about trying to find Jake. They finally traced him to a speaking engagement in another town. Fast transportation was secured and Jake arrived at the hospital shortly after they wheeled Sherry into surgery. They allowed him to see her hours later when they brought her into recovery. Sherry regained consciousness briefly and mumbled her desire to see Stan, me, and Robert.”

Jake remembered vividly what happened next but was too overcome to speak. After squeezing Jake’s hand, Sherry slipped back into unconsciousness. Presently, he knew she was resting in the gray area between a coma and a beckoning white light.

“Jake enlisted the services of the local Axia Liaison office to call us,” Robert said, taking over. “The office was unable to locate Stan. Obviously, somehow he got through.” he added with a nod toward Stan.

“Actually, it was Ert who found him,” Delmar volunteered. “The unexpected availability of both Leatha’s and my ships were put to good use getting us all here in record time.” 

“We arrived yesterday,” Leatha said. “The liaison officer arranged a flitter to meet each ship at the space field and bring everyone directly here. Jake met us at the hospital landing pad.”

The door opened and Sherry’s doctor entered to update Jake and the others. Almost on cue everyone stood, their anxiety clearly written on their faces. Robert introduced Stan and Delmar to the doctor who then motioned for them all to sit back down.

“As you all either know or have heard, Sherry is still in a coma,” the doctor began. “This is not all that bad since it’s letting her body concentrate on survival and healing.” She could sense some of the tension ease in both Delmar and Stan.