The Project

Chapter 23

The Project Chapter 23

Having nothing more to discuss, Deev then gave Alex and Kelly a red metallic device in the shape of a tube. It appeared to be around four inches in length with a pocket clip at one end. Alex thought it was a ball point pen but Deev said,

"Don't loose that, it's a data storage device, every computer in this universe has a port that that will fit into. Everything you need to know, and a lot you don't want to know is stored in that little device. It also contains star charts and navigational data to find your way around. The "no fly" zones are also listed, be smart travelers and stay well away from them, some are military areas some are areas that have a lot of space junk floating around, high asteroid areas as well as updated raider territories. You have been warned. All the planets that are part of the Oxynia trading company as well as several that aren't are listed, along with important data about each place."

Alex looked at the small device that in a way, held their future as Deev added,

"When you return here to register your craft, we will install a special device that emit's a coded signal that tells everyone who you are…"

"Couldn't raiders or bad guys use that to know who we are and attack us?" Asked Kelly.

""Well only if they took over your ship," replied Deev, "Try not to let that happen, and you can best do that by staying out of the danger zones. Oh and whenever you go through a particular planet's security station they should all have a place where you can get the information stored in that thing updated, it will prevent you from stumbling into dangerous situations that have suddenly popped up since your last update."

"I thought everything was all peace love and understanding in your galaxy?" questioned Kelly. Deev gave her a curious look.

"It is…At the present time, but the empire is a vast area, things are changing all the time, but a wise traveler is a safe traveler, so just use your heads."

They were just starting to leave when Deev added,

"Although I'm finished talking to you, someone higher up might see my report and decide they want to speak to you as well, so just be advised of that fact. Gruk is around here somewhere, he'll run you back to Doradus." Before long, they ran into Bria who had been wandering around as well looking for them.

"I guess we're all done here," said Alex, "Once we find Gruk and Kleg we can head back to Doradus."

"Have you looked around this place yet?" Asked Bria,

"No, how could we?" Replied Alex, "We were getting the "third degree" about earth, but yeah, I did want to look around al little bit before we have to go back."

The trio fond their way out of the office area, into a large corridor that offered overhead viewing windows giving them a chance to look out into space, as well as a good view of various spacecraft getting ready to land. The corridor happened to be rather crowded, and before long it was suggested that if they wanted to stargaze it might be best done at the observation cubicle at midpoint. As all three stood looking up at the space traffic, coming and going from Fort Kamata, Alex remarked,

"Think of it Kelly, we are the first people from earth to visit such as this and watch all kinds of spacecraft just going about their business."

"So what about me?" injected Bria, "This is all new to me as well."

Yeah," replied Alex, but you live in the middle of all this, Doradus is part of the Oxynia trading empire, our world is stuck out in the backwaters of space. Heck! Half the people on earth don't even think there's anyone else out here."

"Well I still find it all pretty amazing," replied Bria.

"So did you get all your paperwork straightened out?" Asked Kelly.

"Easy as pie," said Bria, "If we should have any problems I'm supposed to contact the trade office, they have a sort of embassy that works with small trading planets that don't really have embassy's on other worlds. Doradus is classified as a class seven trade planet which isn't all that much, but according to the fellow I talked to that doesn't matter, we are a member in good standing with Oxynia so that's all that counts."

"Well that's good to hear," said Alex, "Come on, we'd better go find "Frick and Frack," no telling where they went to."

"They are in the bar," replied Bria, "I saw them go in there; I'll show you the way."

Both Alex and Kelly felt a little self-conscious going into a bar, neither was quite eighteen yet, but no one said a word when they entered.

"Look, there they are!" Said Kelly, pointing to a table in the rear.

"Yeah but whose that with them?" Asked Alex. The two Golians appeared to be sitting with a couple female Golians, with all their attention focused on them.

"It's probably not a good idea to bother them right now," remarked Bria, "Let's go sit at that table over there, when they are done doing, whatever they are doing, they'll be sure to see us." The three sat down at a small table, whereupon what Alex guessed was a waitress suddenly appeared. The creature was humanoid and walked on legs very similar to those of humans. "It" had light green scaly skin, large copper colored eyes a very flat nose and small openings in each side of it's head which he assumed were ears. The creature's general appearance reminded Alex of a large reptile though the features were not that harsh. The creature began to speak to them in a somewhat high tinkly metallic sounding voice which convinced him "it" was a "she." She wore very bright colored clothing with a lot of bright jewelry, especially several bracelets of varying colors.

"Can anyone understand her?" He asked, taking his tiny translator from his right ear and tapping it on the table.

"She is asking us what we want to drink," said Bria, "I don't know about you, but I can understand her." Bria then held up three fingers and asked for three ales, whereupon the waitress left.

"I couldn't understand her either," added Kelly, "Maybe it's our translators?"

"Where did you get them?" Asked Bria.

"Arna gave them to Kelly and me," he replied.

"Well mine came from our Selantrian contractors," said Bria, "Maybe your's are too old, according to Datt Licon, they need to be updated from time to time."

"Well I can understand the Golians, and you all right," said Alex.

"I have no idea," Replied Bria, "Better check with Gruk, maybe he can help,

By the way, who's paying for the ale?" Alex and Kelly looked at each other, then back to Bria. Fishing out some coins he'd received on Deneva, Alex held one up.

"Will they take these?" Shaking her head, Bria replied,

"I doubt it, places like this generally just accept Oxynian credits, it's the same way at the hospitality room at the palace back home, coins only work locally…So what? Am I supposed to pay here?"

"I guess," said Alex, Kelly and I can't get credit cards until the Karla-Ann gets checked out and we get proper ID." Bria glared at him,

"All right, but let's not make this a habit shall we?" Feeling very embarrassed, Alex tried to change the subject but not before the waitress returned with their beer. She took Bria's card and placed it in a small device she wore on her wrist like a watch. Kelly then asked Bria,

"Ask her where she's from; our translators don't seem to be working too well."

Both Kelly and Alex could understand Bria, but not the waitress's response. After the waitress had left, Bria said,

"She told me that she is a Khufrian and works for the Oxynian trading company. She also told me she was in some sort of training program and will be transferring to another place before long."

"Must be some sort of reptilian race," muttered Alex.

Kelly and Bria then engaged in conversation about the quality of ale they were drinking while Alex looked around. Gruk and Kleg were still in conversation with their lady friends so they were stuck here for awhile longer. The bar seemed to consist of half Golians, and that race the contractors were members of,

"Selantrian's yeah, that was it," he remembered. As he observed the scene around him Alex realized that he was feeling pretty good, in fact he now realized he'd been drinking his ale pretty fast and he was drunk. Breaking into Kelly and Bria's conversation, he exclaimed,

"This beer must be stronger than I thought, I think I'm drunk." Bria gave him an amused look.

"What's the matter can't hold your ale?" Alex shrugged,

"I don't know, I thought I could, damn, this stuff is really strong." Bria chuckled,

"It's just Blacksaddle, brewed on Deneva, you mean to tell me all the while you were there, you didn't drink any Blacksaddle?"

"Naw," he replied "All I remember drinking was brandy, it really put me on my ass." Bria laughed, as Kelly offered an explanation.

"Where we come from Bria, the beer is pretty weak. Nobody wants to get a gut drinking real beer so they drink what we call "light" beer." She then gave an accusatory glare to Alex.

"Don't deny it Alex, I've been to a "kegger" or two, and it's always that light crap."

"Well you had better get used to drinking the real thing," added Bria, there are a lot stronger ales out here than Blacksaddle." Suddenly the three realized that Gruk and Kleg were standing next to them having snuck up while they were talking.

"How long have you three been here?" Asked Gruk. Alex looked up at the two Golians,

"Umm for awhile, we saw you guys sitting with those ladies and didn't want to bother you." Both Golians chuckled, They are friends of ours, you should have come over.

"Well we didn't know…"Added Kelly.

"They work in the dispatch office," said Kleg, we learn all sorts of interesting bits of information. Now if you three are quite ready we can head back to Doradus."

Back aboard the ship, both Alex, and even Kelly were feeling the effects of the ale so opted to lay down for awhile. The next thing he became aware of was suddenly being shaken awake by Bria. Opening his eyes the cabin was flashing red,

"GET UP YOU TWO, RIGHT NOW, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" Shouted Bria, "Hurry, we've got to get to the bridge right now!" Both he and Kelly stumbled forward as Bria pushed them along.

"Who is attacking us?" Cried Kelly,

"Gruk says it's raiders, all I know is that one moment we're just flying along and the next Gruk is swearing up a storm twisting and turning shouting about raiders." As soon as they got to the bridge Gruk ordered them to strap in.

"THIS IS GOING TO BE ROUGH SO HANG ON!" Shouted Gruk.

"Where did the raiders come from?" asked Alex,

"We don't janken know! Sualla told us there were alerts out but not in this sector," replied Kleg.

Suddenly it felt like a giant had slapped the side of the ship,

"Bolk! Any more hits like that the shields will fail," snapped Gruk, as he frantically tried to out maneuver the raider ship chasing them.

"How come there is only one ship?" Exclaimed Kleg,

"I think he's pushing us into a trap," replied Gruk, "It's all I can do to keep out of his plaser cannons,"

"Don't we have anything to fight back with?" returned Bria.

"Yeah," replied Kleg, but that raider is more maneuverable than we are, if we try and turn to get a shot at him we'll loose precious speed, and he'll finish us!"

Suddenly a voice came over the ships comm,

"You will cease your escape, we will get you in the end, stop now and allow us to board you, resistance is futile."

Strangely Alex wasn't scared, but he was certainly pissed off having quickly sobered up.

"What if we let them come aboard and ambush them?" He asked.

"None of us are wearing side arms, besides once they come aboard, they will know right away if we do, then they will just kill us all, at this point it's just better to surrender and let Oxynia pay our ransoms," explained Gruk, his voice heavy with dejection.

"So you guys don't have any weapons on board?" Continued Alex.

"No," replied Kleg, we already told you."

"How can they tell if we have weapons?" said Kelly, Gruk sighed,

"All photon based weapons give off a signature; those raiders will have a reader that will tell them how many we have." Suddenly Alex had an idea.

"Tell them we are surrendering," he exclaimed, "Hurry call them now!"

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

"Do you have a needle gun on you or something?" Asked Gruk. "I told you they will pick it up." Alex just grinned,

"No, I've got something better!" Unbuckling himself, he ran back to the cabin where his gear was stored. Grabbing his shotgun and AR, along with a bandolier of shotgun shells and a shoulder bag that held several magazines of ammo for his AR, he quickly returned to the bridge.

"How will they board us?" He asked. Pointing to the airlock door Gruk replied,

"They will lock onto us and come through there," then Gruk and Kleg saw his weapons.

"What are those?" They asked,

"Our salvation!" Exclaimed Alex, "they won't pick these weapons up, now Kelly, you and Bria get back into that cabin and lock the door right now, Gruk, you and Kleg get ready for a "s**t storm," and be ready to grab any weapons they drop, things are about to get "real" around here!"

"Hold on there Alex," shot back Kelly, I ain't hiding back there, throw me that shotgun." Suddenly they could feel the raider ship lock on, with no time left; Alex grimaced, and tossed her the Mossburg along with the bandolier.

"It's loaded, just rack it," he told her. Bria refused as well, taking cover behind the galley island.

"Everybody down, and don't say a word, whisper-shouted Alex, "I need to get all of them in here at one time. Kelly when I open up you just hold the trigger down and keep pumping, that gun kicks so aim for their legs." She nervously gave him a nod as the airlock hissed, and the door opened.

Four figures wearing what looked like black spacesuits cautiously entered, each holding a strange looking handgun.

"My reader shows negative weapons," Alex could hear one announce.

"Everybody get in here and reveal yourselves, right now!" The four raiders seemed to visibly relax, at that moment; Alex held his breath and squeezed the trigger.