The Solarian Celebration: Book 3 of the Alliance Conflict (37 page)

Jack asked, “Why didn’t you just book passage on a commercial vessel?”

She didn’t immediately answer.  However, her lack of an answer told Jack everything that he needed to know.

Jack said, “You can’t book passage because you are wanted by Hiriculan authorities.  What is reaching Solaria worth to you?”

Prued’mo: “Nothing.  You already stated that you are going there.”

Jack: “Well then, perhaps you could pay passage and ride in a cabin like a normal passenger.”

Prued’mo: “You have already taken me this far for free in the stasis tube.  I could just go back and stand in there for another 6 hours.  Besides, why should I have to pay for a cabin if I didn’t use it?”

She had a point.  Jack really couldn’t argue with her.  He tried a different tactic.  “How about the electricity for the cryostasis chamber?”

Prued’mo: “The ship bleeds off more excess power than is used for maintaining the chamber.”

Jack said, “How about something different.  Is there any valuable information that you could tell me?”

Prued’mo’s mind immediately flashed to her 50,000
th
surgery.  She also thought about all of the experiments that the Hiriculans had performed on the Neto.  She knew that if she released the story the High Council would find her and arrest her, or worse.

She said, “Yes.  I do have information that you could sell to the news organizations.  However, we split the proceeds and you do not ever mention my name or how you received the information.”

Jack considered.  Half of something was better than the nothing he had gotten so far from this conversation.  Besides, he had already surmised that the Hiriculan government probably didn’t want whatever it was that she knew published.  That said, he knew exactly to whom he could sell the information.

Jack replied, “You have a deal.  I have a contact who will buy the information and keep the source a secret.”

Prued’mo asked, “How long will it take?”

Jack answered, “A week, maybe two at the most.  My contact is on Advranki Prime.”

Prued’mo: “I don’t have anywhere to stay and I don’t have enough money to rent a hotel.  I really can’t do anything until I am granted political asylum.”

Jack couldn’t believe that he had been hustled so badly.  However, he was now backed into a corner.  He responded, “Fine, you can stay with me for the next couple of weeks.”

…………………….

“Can we see it?” Senator Amanda asked.

Frank pressed the control on his communication pad.  A portion of the wall in his apartment separated and revealed an elevator.  He led Amanda and Korno onto the elevator.  He showed them the control panel.

“It is pretty simple,” Frank explained.  This button closes the door, this button opens the door, this button sends the elevator down to the bunker and this button sends it back to the apartment.”

Korno pointed to the final one.  This button had a protective cover over it to prevent an accidental press.  He said, “What does this one do?”

Frank said, “Don’t touch that one.  That button detonates the elevator shaft.”

“Can we go down and see the bunker?” Amanda asked.

Frank shook his head no and said, “It isn’t ready yet.  The interior decorators are still working on it.  Another time perhaps.”

Frank led them back off of the elevator and pressed the button on his com pad.  The door closed and the wall resealed itself.  Korno walked over and ran his hand along the wall.  There was no seam.

Korno said, “Impressive.  Do you really think that all of this is necessary?”

Frank gave the standard answer, “I would rather have a secret bunker and not need it than need a secret bunker and not have one.”

Both Amanda and Korno laughed politely.  Frank shooed them out and said, “Remember, you cannot tell anyone about this.  It has to remain our little secret.”

Frank sat down on his couch and watched a news update. It was a slow news cycle.  The furor over Senator Figur had largely died out with no new information and no new leads. 

Frank was concerned when the commission found evidence that Senator Figur had given the Hiriculans detailed information about the Sunflower’s mission to Trilon and the fact that it did not have any fighters on board.  Either Senator Figur really was guilty of espionage or someone else had planted damning evidence on his behalf.

That was followed by the news of yet another naval battle and another Alliance victory.  That battle was unbelievable.  The
Sunflower
exited hyperspace in Opron and was surrounded by an enemy fleet.  After exchanging messages, the
Sunflower
was asked to surrender and refused.  The Hiriculan battleship responded by firing its ion cannon. 

The battleship missed the
Sunflower
, but it accidentally hit one of its own destroyers that was transitioning to hyperspace.  The destroyer turned into antimatter and when it reappeared it annihilated the other 5 ships.  Then, the entire crew of the battleship requested political asylum.

Frank chuckled.  He couldn’t blame them.  He would probably request political asylum too if he accidentally destroyed his own fleet.

His communication pad buzzed, indicating an important message.  It was on the other side of the couch.  Frank extended his arm, but couldn’t reach it.  Instead, he said, “Computer, summarize message.”

…It is a message from Jack Dogbarks.  He has detailed information about Hiriculan mistreatment concerning Neto experimentation and breeding practices…

Frank leaned over and grabbed the communication pad and thoroughly reviewed the summary.  He clicked the button to approve payment from a secret account and started reading the detailed information.

He stopped reading and said, “Computer, schedule a press conference for tomorrow.”

Frank smiled and laughed.  Tomorrow was not going to be a slow news day.

Russ gracefully guided the
Sunflower
to one of the ten exterior docking stations.  He aligned the ship so that the left side of the hangar bay was attached to the station.  This made transferring cargo and personnel much easier than swimming through a tube. 

It also made it faster to undock the ship than if they had stored it in one of the three interior bays.  They felt the slightest of bumps when the cruiser touched the side of the station and the docking clamps engaged. 

Russ verified that all of the clamps were attached and gave Jim an okay sign.

Jim opened a system wide channel announced, “Welcome to Waylon.  We are now docked at the station.  Feel free to disembark at your leisure.  Also, please submit a name for the station.”

Admiral Solear docked a corvette in the docking station next to the
Sunflower
.  Shole, Kolvak, and three other Advranki engineers agreed to join him on the station and continue training the humans. 

The crew made a mad dash for the apartments.  Jim’s policy was simple – first one to claim a particular apartment got that apartment.  Jim and Russ waited for mad scramble off the ship to subside and leisurely strolled off the cruiser.  There were over 5,000 available apartments and only 86 occupants, so there was little fear of getting stuck with a bad one.

Jim tossed his belongings in one of the apartments and pressed the palm pad to register it.  He laughed, registering was only important because it was far more likely that he would forget where it was than worry about someone else claiming it.  Russ claimed the one next to it.

They walked together to the control room.  Admiral Solear called a staff meeting that was going to start soon.  They entered the station’s control room and Jim noted that they were the first to arrive.  Jim asked the computer to perform a passive scan of the area and show it on one of the monitors.

Russ looked at the monitor and said, “Impressive.”

Jim replied, “Yes.  There is certainly a lot of equipment in the system.  There is a mining drill and corresponding station, a cruiser, a full size space station, and 4 giant tugs.  I wonder why they left them here.”

Shole entered and heard the comment.  She replied, “Tugs are expensive to operate.  It was cheaper for the Altians to simply leave them then take them back home.”

Jim chuckled and said, “Well, I guess it is nice to have them handy if we ever decide to move the station.”

…………………….

Former Admiral Lopeq’la’s shift at the Sol City Hotel ended and he exited the hotel.  There had been quite a lot of turnover at the hotel after the incident with Senator Figur and the management had been happy to hire him for a front desk position.

The sun was shining.  It was a beautiful day in Sol City so he decided to go for a walk in the nearby park.  He listened to the birds singing.  He wandered aimlessly through the park until he reached the new office building.

He stopped and studied it for a while.  The building was coming along nicely and should be complete in a few more months.  The steel infrastructure was complete and the exterior glass was in place.  He had heard that the focus was now the interior. 

The thought made his mind wander back a few weeks to the day of their request for asylum.  He was scared at first that the Solarians would deny his visa application because the news of Hiriculan mistreatment of Netos had just been released.

However, the High Council released a statement formally accepting responsibility and apologizing for any misdeeds. They also pointed out that no one on the council was even alive when the experimentation was authorized.

This seemed to have appeased the Alliance.  That, and news of another crushing victory.  Lopeq’la may have forgotten a few bits of information, but he knew that he would never forget that particular fiasco.  He didn’t mind that the Alliance had changed the logs of the battle to make it look like he fired the killing shot.  In a way, it made requesting asylum more believable.

When they arrived in Conron the Alliance Navy had questioned him mercilessly. However, they gave up and sent him to Solaria when they realized that he really didn’t know anything of importance.  That made him laugh.  He had risen through the ranks as an intelligence officer and now he knew nothing of importance. 

The High Council hadn’t sent him any secret orders.  On the other appendage, they hadn’t publicly branded him as a traitor and disavowed him.  He continued walking and reached the obstacle course.  Bemused, he took his place at the back of the line and waited his turn.

When he reached the front, he saw Loid’pe.  Although they had never met, he recognized Loid immediately from the public trial the previous year.  Loid also recognized him.  Loid said, “Good afternoon Admiral Lopeq’la, I heard that you had arrived on Solaria.”

Lopeq’la smiled and said, “Just call me Lopeq.”

Loid said, “Great to finally meet you.  I was wondering when the cavalry would arrive.  I honestly thought that they would wait until the last moment.”

Lopeq smiled and said, “Well, we’re here now.”  He pointed to the course timer and said, “And I can’t wait to get into action.”

…………………….

Prued’mo checked her calendar.  It was her last appointment of the day and by far her favorite.  She peeked out into the waiting room and waved for the family to come back.  They were the only ones in the waiting room, so there was no need for her to call out their names.

Ponwe, his wife Jenna, and their Lucas Frogribt walked into the examination room.  Jenna said, “With so many Hiriculans here now, it is nice that they finally sent a Hiriculan doctor. 

Prued’mo smiled and said, “Thank you” in response.  She didn’t bother to correct the woman.  The High Council in their wisdom hadn’t sent her.  She had technically ran away and requested political asylum.  She could still remember the long line.  There were 30 Hiriculans in front of her at the consulate.

At any rate, her application was approved and she was allowed to open a small medical clinic.  Obviously, she specialized in Hiriculan anatomy, but she was surprised how many Solarians had started coming to her practice.  Apparently, as long the doctor was competent, they didn’t care what race they were.

She helped Lucas up on a counter and weighed him.  She checked his blood pressure and other vital signs and visually inspected him for any bruises or contusions. 

She patted his hair and helped him back down.  Prued’mo said, “He looks great, perfectly healthy for his age.”

Jenna switched positions with her son and Prued’mo gave her a full examination.  She said, “You are doing well for this point in your pregnancy.”

Jenna said, “Thank you.  See you next month.”

Prued’mo turned to Ponwe and asked, “How is the construction project doing?”  It was the obvious topic of conversation for most of her clients.

Ponwe smiled and said, “It is exactly on schedule.”

…………………….

Carank boarded a shuttle.  It was a regularly scheduled commercial transport that hopped between Askjunk, where he was working, and Avunk, the capital city of Advranki Prime.  He chose a seat and patiently waited for the other passengers to board. 

The transport lifted off and flew about halfway across the major continent.  It landed about 90 minutes later at the Spaceport.  Carank disembarked and took the electro lift to the 50
th
floor.  It was a pleasant day and he had plenty of time, so he decided to walk across the skywalk instead of taking the hovertram or a ground car.

He walked through the warehouse and shipping district.  The buildings here were spaced farther apart and were much shorter in this part of the city.  He was mostly walking along rooftops at this point.  He checked his communication pad and smiled.  He had just received an email stating that his reservation at a local restaurant was confirmed.

The warehouse district gave way to a housing district and then a business district.  The buildings were significantly taller here.  Instead of rooftops, he was now walking through interconnected buildings.

Eventually he reached the shopping and entertainment district.  He reached a particular building and took the electro lift down 48 stories.  He exited and walked into a hair salon.  He looked left, then right, and didn’t see her.  He checked the time on his communication pad.  He wasn’t late, or early for that matter.  He was exactly on time. 

Perhaps she cancelled her appointment?  Carank was about to leave, but then looked toward the back of the salon.

There she was, sitting in one of the chairs and getting her nails done.  Just like every Wednesday.  However, she normally sat in one of the chairs at the front of the store.  The manicurist left for a moment and the woman started rocking back and forth in her chair.

Carank smiled.  He walked toward the woman and motioned for her to remove her giant headphones.  He said, “Lexxi, it is great to see you.  I was in the neighborhood so I thought I would stop by and say hello.”

Lexxi didn’t look up, but she did say hello.  Carank eased into the empty chair next to her and said, “What color nail polish are you trying today?”

Lexxi replied, “It is a cross between sun-powder blue and ocean aqua trillium green.”

Carank watched the manicurist finish the coating and sealing process.  He then looked at her finger nails.  They looked blue to him.

Once she was finished, Carank said, “Hey, I was just about to have lunch at a new place near here.  Would you like to join me?”

Lexxi nodded.  She wasn’t one to pass up a free lunch.

…………………….

“Amy, Ms. Weisman,” the engineer hesitantly said after he poked his head into her office.  He was standing in the doorway, one foot in her office and one foot out.

Amy looked up from her computer and said, “Please come in.  I just read the email.”

The engineer responded, “Let me introduce Howie.  He has a theory I would like you to hear.”

The engineer walked in and sat down in one of the chairs beside her desk.  A man she didn’t recognize sat next to him.  It was strange because she hadn’t seen him in the doorway.  She wondered if the other man had been hiding behind the engineer.

All three sat in silence for a moment.  The engineer finally said, “Howie, tell her.”

Howie: “Hello, I work in systems integration.  My job is to…”   The engineer looked over at him and waved his arms to fast forward to the relevant information.

Howie: “I have reviewed our gaming database extensively.  I firmly believe that the missing sections of the cruiser aren’t actually missing.”

“What?” Amy asked.  “You are saying that the drawings for the hyper drive, ion cannon, electro lifts, and whatever else are actually in our system?”

Howie: “Yes.  Have you ever watched one of those CIA movies where the agent reads the top secret report?  All of the sensitive information has been marked out with a black marker.  That is what happened to our original games database.  All of the files are there, they are just somehow hidden from us.”

Amy responded, “You mean that there are actual drawings of a plasma reactor and an electro lift in the database and they are simply hidden from us?”

Howie nodded and said, “Yes.  Plasma reactor, hyperdrive, everything.”

Amy thanked Howie and he left the office.  The engineer remained behind and waited until Howie was out of earshot before continuing, “The key is the file names of the drawings.  They are numbered consecutively.  For instance, there are 793 skipped numbers where the plasma reactor should logically be found.”

“And the attachment?”  Amy asked.

Engineer: “The attachment is a drawing of a plasma reactor sub-system.  There isn’t enough information on it to learn anything.  However, the drawing number fits perfectly in our scheme and is one of the missing 793.”

Amy: “Wow.”

Engineer: “Further, I tried to upload the drawing into the games database.  The computer rejected it because it stated that the drawing was already there.”

Amy said, “Obviously, continue working on it.  Now, back to the email.”

Engineer: “Well, the email answered a few questions I suppose.  At least we know our 16 employees are alive and well.”

Amy replied, “Well, technically we know that the email says that they are alive and well.  We don’t actually know for sure.”

“True,” the engineer conceded.

Amy continued, “The two names sound very familiar, but I can’t seem to place them.  Do you know who Jim Donovan and Russ Brand are?”

Amy could see from the engineer’s pained expression that she wasn’t going to like the answer.  The engineer replied, “They are both members of Lost Squadron.”

Amy frowned and said, “Pilots, why is it always pilots?”

She sat up in her chair and stretched.  The smart fabric in her bra automatically adjusted and kept everything exactly in place.  The smart fabric in her shirt moved slightly up and down to ensure that it stayed perfectly taught.  She marveled for a moment at the new smart fabric clothing lines; they were absolutely amazing.

The engineer replied, “Further, both men are multi-millionaires.  They created the smart fabric that you are wearing.”