Chapter 13
The next morning after they had eaten, they went to the lower cargo bay to practice. They had decided to wear not only their concealed weapons but the others as well. Ron found special shoulder holsters for them that allowed quick access to the weapons even while sitting. They practiced getting the weapons out of the holster while they were turned off. Ron said they would need a lot more practice before they were 'quick-draw artists'. After twenty minutes of drawing practice, they switched to shooting practice. They had Auntie set the targets to a faster speed than they had been practicing with. They also walked the length of the cargo bay and had the targets pop up unexpectedly. To make sure they were only hitting their targets, they had Auntie start docking points for hitting someone else's target. After 40 minutes of this, they returned the targets to the armory and reloaded their weapons.
They went to the situation room to see what the ship in orbit was doing. It was still sitting there. Auntie said there were six creatures in it. Ron asked Auntie what the normal procedure would be if the ship was hostile. She replied that normally she would outrun them until they reached deep space. She was vulnerable while she was in atmosphere because she couldn't move as fast as she could in space. One problem right now was the lining on the engines. It was causing a decrease in performance and was dangerous to blast at top power for too long. All of the additional weight from the new trade items was also compounding this problem. It was going to take more thrust to get off the planet. Another problem existed when firing the rail guns in the atmosphere. They couldn't get rid of the heat quick enough and could warp the rails. Once they were in space, they were designed to radiate the heat into the vacuum.
Ron asked about the rail guns and their capability. Auntie told him they would fire 12 rounds per minute at 25,000 feet per second. They fired both a solid projectile and a ball of plasma energy. In the atmosphere, she could hit a 10 foot target at 500 miles every time. Once they were in space, that range was 1500 miles. Occasionally; she could hit the 10 foot target at triple the distance, but she had to have time to set it up and everything else had to be just right. Ron couldn't believe that she could hit something at 1500 miles, let alone 4500. He asked what kind of damage the shots made when they hit a space ship. Auntie said if the shields were up, the plasma balls would rattle everything in the ship. If she got three to four shots timed close together, it would usually knock out engine power and most of the sensors. Basically, it would blind and cripple the ship. If the shield wasn't up, the ship would look like a small nuclear bomb had hit it. The solid projectiles weighed about 10 pounds and would usually punch a hole clear through the ship even with the shield up. If it didn't go through the shield, two or three shots closely spaced would overload the shield and destroy it.
Gus asked, "How many rail guns do you have, Auntie?"
She replied, "There are two of the big ones firing the 10 pound projectiles and four smaller ones that fire 1.5 pound projectiles. The smaller ones fire at 35,000 feet per second but could fire projectiles at the rate of 20 per minute. They are mounted on gimbals that allow them to rotate in different directions. There are two on the top and two on the bottom, guarding the mid-ship area completely. There are very fast motors moving them on the gimbals, so they could guard against small fighter ship attacking. I also have six pulse laser cannons that are very effective up to 300 miles away."
The trio got the idea that anything attacking Auntie was in for a very rude surprise. Unless someone had some very advanced, military-type space ships, they were not too likely to survive.
Knowing they had a formidable ship once they were in space didn't solve the problem of that ship sitting in orbit above them. How much pressure would the engine linings stand? How quick would that ship attack?
"Auntie, how much will your shields withstand?" Ron asked.
"I can take more direct hits than their shields but I'm not sure of their weapons capabilities. It is possible to overload the shields and break them down. I don't know how accurate they are either," she answered.
"What happens if they fire down on us but miss your shield?" Tik asked.
"They will hit the planet somewhere around us. If they have rail guns, there could be a lot of damage -- whether they use plasma balls or solid projectiles. If they use laser cannons, it will be just about as bad."
"We can't let them fire on us as we lift off. We don't want anyone here hurt!" Gus declared emphatically.
The other two agreed. They were interrupted by Auntie telling them that Kota and Zibo were on their way. It looked like they had some paperwork. Ron said it was probably the paperwork for the sale of the targets. He told Auntie to let them in and to tell them to come on down to the situation room.
Kota and Zibo walked in and the trio saw that the paperwork wasn't the only thing they were bringing. From the looks on their faces, they had some really bad news.
Kota acted like he didn't know how to break the news and he finally just blurted out, "We just received word that there are several Nodac-Liujia warships on the way here. The Bugs have evidently put a lot of pressure on them to capture Auntie, or destroy her, if they can't have her. They are willing to risk a war with Europaische to accomplish this. I'm afraid our friends here would be the losers of such a conflict. The Charter Navy is on the other side of Nodac-Liujia, so they would be two to four days behind the warships. By then the Nodac-Liujians would have this planet subdued and have evidence planted that said they were attacked first. The Nodac-Liujians and Bugs would move in and our friends here would become their slaves, just like we were on the mother ship. If any Europaische statesmen escaped, they could take their case to the Charter Alliance but it would take years to get a decision. By the time the Navy could come back in here and move those sewer crawlers out, they would have plundered the planet."
"If we were off the planet, would the Nodac-Liujian warships still attack?" Ron asked.
"I don't know. They may want to attack anyway to make an example out of them. They would like to tell everyone NOT to help you. Word of a planet conquest would definitely limit the number of planets that would trade or help you in any way," Kota said.
"How many warships are coming? Do you have any idea of what kind of armament they carry?" Tik asked gravely.
"If you can direct Auntie to communicate with our ship's computer, I can show you pictures and more details," Zibo said.
Tik directed Auntie and soon they had pictures of three warships up on the view screens. Kota and Zibo liked what they were seeing and decided they were going to retrofit the freighter with the same viewing equipment. Auntie put a list of armament and shield capacities on view screens next to the pictures of each warship. The biggest warship in the middle carried 50 small fighters. They could be used for space-to-planet fighting also. The fighters were very lightly armored because they depended on their speed for protection. The warships were another matter. They had the weapons and the shields to give a lot of punishment without taking it themselves.
"If you are attacked by someone like the Nodac-Liujian ships, do you have the right to retaliate?" Ron asked, as an idea started to germinate.
"Yes, we have every right but there is no way we could do any damage to those ships with all their shields," Zibo protested.
"What about the fighters? How would your space ship fare against them?" Ron asked.
"They wouldn't stand a chance. As long as all 50 didn't attack at once, we would definitely spank them," Zibo stated with conviction.
"Where is the weak spot on those warships? If you had a ship that could fight them, where would you try to hit them?" Ron asked.
"I guess it would be somewhere near the rear, where the power plant is located. Then you try for the engines. If they can't move, they become a sitting duck. Why do you ask? Have you got a warship up your sleeve?" Zibo asked with a growing curiosity.
"Auntie, what do you see as their greatest wea
kness?" Ron asked.
Auntie studied the plans for a few seconds and then said, "Like Zibo said, the power plants. When they are in battle, the shields are heaviest around this area. These ships have several layers of shields in this area to keep them safe."
"Do they keep this shield up during a hyper-space jump?" Ron continued to question.
"No, they take too much power to operate in hyper-space. They would activate the shield shortly after they dropped out of hyper-space. If they are not in battle mode, they may only have minimal shields, just to protect from meteorites or asteroids," Auntie said.
Tik, Gus, Kota and Zibo were all looking at one another. They were wondering what in the world Ron was up to. It would be suicide to try to attack one of those warships, let alone three.
"Kota, can your sources tell us about where the Nodac-Liujian entered hyper-space and where they will be coming out? See if they know when they will get here," Ron asked.
Kota used his communicator to relay to their ship. He broadcast his request and they waited. In the meantime, Ron started asking Auntie some questions by ESP.
"Auntie, what would be the optimum range to destroy those power plants and engines?"
"If I was 200 miles away; coming in from the rear, I could destroy the power plant and the engines. The solid projectiles would rip through about half of the ship before they were spent. The warships would detect me before I could get anywhere close to 200 miles though."
"What if you popped out of hyper-space right behind them? How close could you come out of hyper-space behind them safely?"
"If I knew their position before I jumped, I could be less than 200 miles."
"How long would it take you to fire your weapons after you came out of hyper-space?"
"It would take only a few microseconds and the projectiles would be on their way. I would need to be on target for almost two minutes to be the most effective. If we did attack like that, I would suggest that I jump right back to hyper-space before they could get shields up or bring their weapons to bear. I assume you want me to fire on all three warships."
"Yes. I don't know what kind of formation they fly in but I would hope they would be close together."
Ron turned back to Kota and Zibo. He asked, "If you were attacked by the ship sitting in orbit, would that mean you could legally attack those warships coming in here?"
"It would depend. If we saw them preparing to attack and we demanded an explanation, their answer could justify such an action. All they would have to do would be to indicate that this was a planet-wide action," Kota explained.
"What if one of the thugs from last night confessed to a conspiracy with the Bugs?" Ron asked.
"If we had that confession, we wouldn't have to wait for that ship in orbit to make any hostile moves. That basically would be a declaration of war," Kota stated firmly with fire in his voice.
"If we were affiliated with you, that would include us, too, wouldn't it?" Ron asked.
"Most definitely."
"Well, in that case; if my partners agree, we need to affiliate," Ron asserted. He looked at Gus and Tik and they both nodded yes. All of the trio could feel the exultant 'Yes' in Kota's mind. They could almost feel him pumping his arm in victory.
"Do you know where any of your attackers are? Do you think they will confess?" Kota asked anxiously. "What do you have in mind with those warships? I've seen you studying and I think you have a battle plan."
"I do have a plan but it has to be approved by all of my partners first. We would need your help, too, and there is an element of danger for you," Ron stated.
"If there's danger for us, how much danger will you be in?" Kota asked in a very concerned voice. They had just agreed to an affiliation and he didn't want to lose them right away.
Ron continued, "I don't have all the details worked out, but Auntie says it is doable. Basically, we need to disable that ship in orbit and get into space. When we know where the warships are going to pop out of hyper-space, we need you hidden somewhere close to give us an exact coordinate of where they are. We will be out of the area and will make a hyper-space jump back here. We will come out within 200 miles behind the warships. Auntie will be ready with her rail guns and will pepper the back end of those bad boys. She says it will destroy their power plants and engines. You would have to help us take care of the fighters but the warships will be out of commission without power," Ron outlined his plan.
"I've never heard of anything like that. All ships have special overrides to keep you from coming out of hyper-space too close to other bodies. What if you came out of hyper-spacer with another space ship or asteroid coming right at you? You might not have time to react before a crash," Zibo declared.
"That's part of the help we need. You would have to tell us everything is clear where we would be jumping. As for overrides, Tik can work around the one on Auntie. That is, if she agrees to the plan. I, for one, would like to stick it to these Nodac-Liujian warships. It would send a pretty strong signal to everybody that it's not nice to mess with an Alcantaran space ship and her oddball crew! Those Bugs better beware or we will start hunting them and they could come to the same end!" Ron declared angrily.
Tik immediately and vehemently affirmed, "I'll be glad to bypass the override. If we can stick it to the Bugs or their allies, I'm all for it -- no matter how dangerous. I owe them for two years of hell."
Gus joined in with equal vehemence, "Count me in, too. I owe them for three years. It sounds like we have a good chance to cut the Nodac-Liujians down to size. If conquering a planet sends such a strong signal, what will one old trading ship destroying three warships send?"
Kota and Zibo stared in amazement at the trio. They were used to defending themselves and the annals of the Traders had many stories of the exploits of other Traders defending themselves but there had never been anything close to the scale these three were talking about. Kota and Zibo both were glad they were friends with the trio and not being hunted by them. They didn't know if the whole Charter Navy could keep them safe if this trio was after them.
Kota had a message come through. It said his sources would get the information he needed. His source expected the warships to arrive in about five days. He also said that the Nodac-Liujians were loading troop ships. It looked like they planned to occupy Europaische. He didn't know if more warships were going to move toward them or not, but he would keep them updated.
Ron asked innocently, "Does the Charter Navy ever make 'Calls of State'? Do they visit other planets just as a courtesy and to kind of show off their newest warships?"
"Yes, they do. I can remember a couple of times, I was on a planet they visited. It was very impressive and the whole planet talked of nothing else for weeks afterward," Kota exclaimed.
"Since they won't be able to get here to help us in time, I think now would be a really great time to show off a bunch of their warships at Nodac-Liujia. Do you have a way to make that suggestion?" Ron asked.
"Both of us have a few connections that could make some strong recommendations," Kota responded. "If we had a confession, it would make the recommendations even stronger. The Charter Navy doesn't like galactic wars that disrupt Charter Alliance trade."
"Maybe this crisis could end the planetary war here. If they knew they were about to be attacked from space, maybe they would stop fighting amongst themselves and concentrate on their real enemies," Gus mused.
Zibo looked at the trio amazement and exclaimed, "You all are natural born traders. You have come up with trades and solutions that even trained and experienced Traders wouldn't have figured out. Here you are being threatened, yet you think of solutions for your trading partners. I hope you have made up your minds to stay with the trading and become full-fledged members of the Charter Alliance."
"Well, it's these super heroes here who are doing all the saving. I'm just along to tend the computers," Tik said slyly, as she blinked her eyes like a damsel
in distress.
"Who was it that rushed right into the face of danger to warn our friends, the Traders?" Gus retorted with a laugh. The whole group joined in and that helped relieve some of the tension.
"Well, as the trusty side-kicks to all you super heroes, what do we need to do now to make this happen?" Kota asked.
This brought another chuckle from everyone and Ron stated, "Auntie, could you put this up on a view screen so we don't miss anything? Tik, you need to check how many solid projectiles we have and see if we can substitute something from here if we don't have enough. Gus and I need to find at least one of the attackers. Kota, we need all of the Intel on these warships you can get us. Keep us apprised about the troop ships too. Zibo, we need you to find a place to hide your ship close to the entry point for those warships. We need you there for our eyes and ears. What else?"
Kota added, "I've got to get my groceries loaded and we need to warn the local officials about the danger."
Gus jumped in, "Maybe the local officials could get word to the national level which could quickly stop their war. Kota, do you have some official report on the Nodac-Liujia warships that you could show Fu and maybe the police captain? Speaking of which, they will want us to sign the report pretty soon."
"I need to plot some hyper-space jumps for us. As soon as I know about where the warships will come out, I can have something started. All I would need then would be the final position," Tik said.
"Kota and Zibo, if you could work with some of the locals to warn the national officials, it would be a big help. Gus and I will start right away to find our attackers. We need at least one of them alive to confess, so we'd better leave Tik behind," Ron said with a grin.
Tik gave him the raspberry as she started checking the loads that Auntie had for the rail guns.
Kota said, "Now, if we just had some help from space to take care of our friend out there. Even if someone could keep them busy for a few minutes, we could get into space and keep them from firing into the planet."
Tik quipped, "You mean something like another Nodac-Liujian trader ship crashing into them?"
"That would work but wasn't exactly what I had in mind. A Charter Navy ship would be more along the lines of what I was thinking. Where would you get a Nodac-Liujian trader ship and how would you get it to crash into that one in orbit?"
Ron and Gus looked at one another with a big grin. They had another answer to their dilemma. Gus responded, "Tik always has something up her sleeve. Do you remember those two ships that were sitting here last night? What do you think happened to them?"
"I thought some of the remaining crew got word of what happened and rabbited away before they could get caught," Zibo answered.
"They were empty. Everybody came into town to ambush us. Tik had a hand in flying them out of here and hiding them on some asteroids a little farther out," Ron said.
"How in the world did she do that? None of you left the police station before we did and we all went to supper. When did she have time to get out here? And besides, how did she get back if she flew them out to the asteroids?" Kota said in a puzzled voice.
"They didn't say I flew them out there. They just said I had a hand in flying them out of here," Tik replied with a chuckle.
Kota stammered as he said, "But, but I just don't understand. How did you do it? Did you have help from the locals?"
"I'm afraid those are trade secrets. Maybe one day you will be in the 'need to know' loop and we can tell you. For now just say the Alcantaran ghosts had something to do with it," Tik proclaimed with a sly grin.
Kota received a message just then and announced that their groceries were on the way, so he and Zibo hurried out to start loading them into their space ship. Ron and Gus went to the armory to pick up two stingerray guns. They needed something that would incapacitate rather then kill. Ron felt like a walking arsenal. He had his concealed weapon, the regular weapon in the shoulder holster and now the stingerray. They contacted Auntie by ESP and asked her to check radio traffic between the ship and the planet. She said there had been a few encrypted messages back and forth. Ron asked her to launch several of the remote detectors and to pinpoint the location of those messages here on the planet. Auntie immediately launched the sensors and started searching for the attackers.
Ron and Gus then headed into the terminal to talk to Fu. When they walked up to him, Fu immediately noticed the extra weapons they were carrying. He saw that two of the weapons were stingerrays. Ron and Gus both could see the disapproval written on his face.
"Hello, friend. I'm glad to see you disapprove of these weapons. We do, too, but right now we have to have them. We need to take some of our attackers from last night captive and these do work for that -- as both of us can attest," Ron explained.
"Oh, I didn't mean to be so rude and obvious," Fu said.
"That's all right. We have some bad news and we are going to need your help in a big way. Kota will fill you in on all the details as soon as he finishes loading his groceries, but we have just learned that three Nodac-Liujia warships are headed this way and they intend to subdue your planet and enslave the population. We have a plan to stop it but we need at least one of our attackers alive. Do you think you could get your police chief out here pretty quickly? We need to discuss some things with him and Kota needs his and your help to notify national authorities but we need to stay here at our space ship to keep checking some things," Ron quickly broke the news.
Fu turned very pale and was visibly shaken. He shakily asked, "What do you need me to do? How can one old space trader and one pleasure craft stop three warships?"
"We'd rather not say right now. Sometimes walls have ears, if you know what I mean. We just need you to get the police chief here as soon as possible. Those warships could be here in five or six days, so we don't have much time to get ready," Ron proclaimed.
"One way or another, I'll have him here in less than an hour," Fu declared.
"The less time the better. When he arrives, bring him to our ship and we will meet there. It's easier to show some of the things we know on our view screens. If we get permission, Gus and I will be leaving to round up our attackers. Kota and Zibo can use our ship to explain in detail what you will be facing," Ron emphasized.
"I'll start right now," Fu said as he returned to his office.
Ron and Gus went to Kota's ship to tell him the news. Kota was scurrying to get the groceries inside so Ron and Gus helped him. In just a short time they had everything inside. Kota said his new robot would store everything from there. He and Zibo followed Ron and Gus to Auntie. They were just headed up the steps when Fu and the police chief came out the terminal door. Gus led Kota and Zibo down to the situation room while Ron waited for the two locals. He led them up to the upper galley and then they took the secret elevator down to the situation room. Ron wanted to keep the two from seeing any more of the ship than they had to.
When they walked into the room, Tik had the pictures of the warships along with the armament data on the view screens. She had found some comfortable chairs for everyone and they all sat down. Kota did a brief explanation of the situation. He didn't mention that the trio had taken Auntie to escape the Bugs but just said the Bugs had issues with them. Ron explained they needed a confession from their attackers before they could take care of the warships. He asked for the police chief's permission to hunt them down and bring them in. The police chief gladly gave them the permission. He said he would call the station and alert all of his policemen to that fact, too. Ron and Gus excused themselves to take off immediately. Auntie had two likely locations already and they wanted to look them over. Kota, Zibo and Tik explained the rest of the idea about ending the war and uniting Europaische again. They made plans for bringing this idea to pass.
Ron and Gus went to the upper cargo bay to pull the fliter out. Ron jumped in the pilot's seat and Gus climbed on the back. They flew out of Auntie and heade
d out of town. Both locations Auntie had found were in isolated areas not too far from the city. When they were close to the first site, Ron took the fliter down to tree top level. Auntie warned that they were very close, so Ron slowed to a crawl and actually dropped down to where he was brushing through the trees. Finally, Ron could just barely see a house through the branches. Gus stood up so he could see, too. They studied the grounds and the house; and before long, they spotted two Europaischen guards. They were almost hidden in some shrubbery. Peering closely, Ron and Gus spotted the stingerrays that they carried. The guards were facing toward two roads that approached the house. Ron saw a faint track that led away from the back of the house. Ron and Gus used ESP to discuss an attack plan. They decided to use the stingerrays to take out the two in the shrubs and then to land in the back. They would slip up on the house to see how many were in the house.
Auntie interrupted to tell them she could check with the remote sensors and could also pinpoint where everyone was at. She reported four more creatures inside the house. She thought they were all Europaischens. They were all together in a large room in the front of the house where they appeared to be watching a TV or something. Ron and Gus made their move. They got ready and both fired at the same time. Both guards just slumped slightly where they sat, now unconscious. Ron flew to the rear of the house and quietly landed. They rushed to the rear of the house. Auntie reported the four were still sitting in the front room.
Gus slipped up to the back door and stealthily tried it. It was unlocked, so he slowly and quietly opened it. He slipped inside and Ron followed. They found the door that led to the front room where the four were sitting. Gus silently opened the door and they both sprang through. They zapped the four with the stingerrays before any of them could even move. Ron and Gus moved through the rest of the house checking to make sure no one had found a way to avoid Auntie's sensors. There was nobody else in the house but they found quite a cache of weapons and communication gear. Gus went outside and hauled the two guards into the house while Ron started tying up the four inside. When they had everybody securely tied, Ron picked up a couple of stingerrays to supplement their weapons. Ron told Auntie to let the police chief know where the house was located and what they had found. He told her to advise him to get here quickly and quietly. If they hid in the house, they might capture other citizens who were involved with this conspiracy. Then they hurried to the fliter and headed for the second location.
They used the same approach again and were studying the layout when Auntie reported the police had arrived at the first house. They had quickly loaded up the six unconscious citizens and were headed to jail with them. They had left a contingent of policemen to see who would show up in their trap.
Ron saw at least four ways of escape from this house. The three roads coming in were guarded by two guards each and there was another one on the path. Ron guessed that with this many guards, there had to be at least one of their attackers in the house. Auntie confirmed that she had spotted two Nodac-Liujians and six more Europaischens. They were in three different rooms throughout the house.
Gus quipped, "We need one of those invisibility cloaks now. It would be a lot easier to sneak up on the guards outside and might give us a better chance inside."
Auntie answered, "But you do have invisibility cloaks. You can set your shields to make you invisible. When you turn it on, just think 'invisible'. The shield bends the light around you, making you invisible."
Ron and Gus both tried it at the same time and were amazed to see the other one disappear. Ron backed the fliter away from the house and set it down 400 yards away. They decided that Gus would take care of two of the sets of guards in front and Ron would get the other set, plus the one in the rear. They quietly worked their way to the road. They knew they would make less noise walking down the middle of the road and besides, the guards couldn't see them. Ron and Gus quickly took care of the guards and made their way to the back door. Auntie warned them that one of the Europaischens was in that room.
They slipped around the house to a window in an empty room. They quietly opened the window and slipped in the house. They closed the window and Ron opened the door a crack. There was an Europaischen there with his back to them. He was working in the kitchen fixing something to eat. Ron eased the door open a little more and looked around. There was a door leading to the front of the house and the rear door going outside. He slipped out and went to the door leading to the front of the house. Gus slipped into the kitchen and closed the door. The Europaischen went to the table to sit down and eat. When he had everything on the table and had sat down, Gus zapped him with the stingerray. The Europaischen slumped over into his food. They left him that way as they proceeded into the house.
Auntie reported that the other five Europaischens were in the next room that Ron and Gus had to go through in order to get to the two Nodac-Liujians. Ron and Gus walked quietly into the room and saw the door leading to the Nodac-Liujians was closed. They pulled their stingerrays as well as the ones they had taken from the other house. They opened fire and soon all the Europaischens were out cold. Gus led the way to the door. Auntie reported that the Nodac-Liujians appeared to be lying on two beds on opposite sides of the room.
Gus kicked the door open and rushed into the room. The Nodac-Liujians sat up in bed in surprise, trying to figure out what was happening. There was a sickening smack and the one on the right collapsed back onto the bed. Terror filled the eyes of the other one as he tried to get off the bed. He stood up and there was another smack. The Nodac-Liujian dropped unconscious across the bed. Ron hadn't seen anything moving but guessed that Gus had hit the two with his fist and knocked them out cold. He quickly moved through the rest of the house making sure it was secure. He switched off his shield and returned to the room with Gus and the two Nodac-Liujians. Gus had found some wire and had them both tied up. He had switched off his shield also and was moving to the five laying in the other room. Ron helped him tie the five up. Ron sent him to get the six out front while he tied up the one in the kitchen and dragged the rear guard inside. It didn't take long and they had them all tied up.
"How are we going to get those two to talk? I'd like to beat on them until they confessed but I don't know if the Charter Alliance would accept it under those circumstances," Gus mused aloud.
"Yeah, they probably deserve a good beating but I think you are right. I guess the beating will have to wait. Come on. I think I hear something in there. Open the door so Auntie can bring a sensor in here. We want clear no nonsense video when they confess," Ron answered.
While Gus opened the door, Ron asked Auntie if the police chief, Fu, Kota and Zibo were still there. She said they were. They had just finished making plans and were getting ready to set them in motion. Ron asked her to show the scenes with sound from the up-coming interrogation. Ron asked if it was possible to open voice communication through the sensor and she said it would be done.
Gus returned with a sensor hovering over his shoulder. They both walked back into the room with the Nodac-Liujians. The one on the right had come to and was glaring at them. Gus walked over and shook the other until he awoke.
The one on the right snarled, "Who are you? Why did you attack us?"
"Oh, we didn't attack you. Did you see either of us?" Ron quipped.
The creature didn't look as sure of himself as he asked, "If you didn't attack us, who did? I know the door crashed open and then something hit me."
The other creature was showing signs of terror as he said, "I saw you fall and there was nothing there. I stood up and all of the sudden, it felt like someone hit me on the jaw with a club. That's the last thing I remember until just now."
Ron caught on right quick and sent a thought to Gus to follow his lead. Then he said, "I think you just met our friends, the Alcantaran ghosts. They aren't happy at all that your race is helping the Bugs. They're really upset th
at you were shooting at us last night."
He flashed a thought to Gus to think of the scariest creature he had ever seen and then to send the feelings of terror he had at that sighting. Gus thought of the spider creatures that had attacked the Bugs back on the mother ship. Gus didn't have to make up any feelings of terror about those creatures and he sent a strong signal at the two.
The creature on the right which was obviously the spokesman said, "We don't know anything about an attack or any Alcantarans or Bugs. You've made a big mistake and you'll pay for it."
"Oh, you may know the Bugs as Challeka Traders of Elgebar V, but the Alcantaran ghosts don't make mistakes. They have you both marked and it took a lot of pleading on our part to keep them at bay until we had a chance to talk to you a little more," Ron continued smoothly.
Gus' ESP and Ron's story were getting to the two. The one on the left looked like he was about to wet himself but was afraid to do anything to call attention to himself.
The one on the right made one more attempt at bravado as he said in a trembly voice, "Well, they made a mistake this time. We've been right here the entire two days since we landed. Someone stole our space ship last night and left us stranded. We're staying with friends until we can get our ship back."
While he was talking, Ron asked Auntie if the sensor could project in 3-D and she said it could. He told her to find these two on the video from last night and project it in the middle of the room in half size.
"Oh my, calling the Alcantaran ghosts liars will really make them mad," Ron said as he shook his head.
Suddenly the shoot-out appeared in the middle of the room. Both of the creatures were prominently shown firing multiple times and then leaping into the get-away vehicle. The creature on the left promptly fainted and tipped over on the bed. The one on the right turned a ghostly white but barely remained conscious. Even with his hands tied behind his back, Ron could see him shaking like a leaf.
"Would you care to revise that last statement?" Ron asked. "I'm afraid we can't keep the Alcantaran ghosts at bay much longer once they start showing your life like this. I heard of one creature that messed with them. It took years to die. They would torture it while it shrieked itself hoarse. They would stop to heal its voice and then start again. I think they can reach down inside of a creature and torture its soul as well as its body. Trouble was, none of the authorities could get close enough to the creature to do anything. They were completely helpless."
Gus joined in, "Ron, you're scaring me. I know we're friends with the Alcantaran ghosts but I don't want to take a chance on that torture. Let's get out of here before they think we took too long with these two."
The one on the left had come to while Ron was talking and now let out a terrible sounding moan and wet himself. As soon as the one on the right smelled his friend, he let go with his water and started moaning himself. Ron and Gus started to leave the room.
Both creatures screamed in unison, "Please don't leave. We'll tell you anything you want. Just don't turn us over to the Alcantaran ghosts."
"Why did you attack us last night?" Ron asked.
"The Bugs have offered a bounty on you of 50,000 credits. They have offered 1,000,000 credits for your ship. We didn't think you looked that tough, so we were going to try for it," the creature on the right almost screamed.
"Is that all there is to it?" Ron asked.
The dam had burst and both creatures started telling about their planet wanting to expand and Europaische would fit right in with their plans. They were an advanced group making contact with the network the Bugs had set up earlier. Their warships should be here in six days and they would have control over the entire planet in three more. There were troop ships that would arrive by then to occupy the planet and enslave the population. The Bugs would back them all the way in this and would share in anything they found on the planet. The Bugs were staying clear so the Charter Navy wouldn't get involved but they would arrive in force once the Nodac-Liujia had the planet under control. Ron asked about the other two and new terror leaped into the two Nodac-Liujian's eyes. They had no idea how he knew so much about their numbers or their plans. The creatures said their shipmates had already crossed the border into the warring country. They were activating the Bug's network there.
Ron acted like someone had just whispered in his ear. After a few seconds, he said, "We need to go discuss these things with the Alcantaran ghosts. They have some questions for us and we want to verify your story. The police will be here in a short time and I would suggest that you repeat your story to them and answer any questions about these secret networks. I'm pretty sure you will have an Alcantaran ghost escort and I'd hate to be in your shoes if you're lying."
"Everything we've said is the gospel truth. We'll tell the police phone numbers, contacts and passwords. Please just protect us from the Alcantaran ghosts!" the two pleaded in terror.
The two moved to the middle of the room and stood back to back. They were searching around the room for anything that moved. Ron and Gus left them there for the police.
Once they were outside, Ron asked, "Auntie, did you record all of the interrogation and did everybody there see it all?
She replied, "Yes, they all saw it. I've already made copies to show the authorities. Kota said that with this confession, the Charter Navy would be paying a call on Nodac-Liujia very shortly. Fu and the police chief will be in touch with national people shortly and they think the war will stop in a hurry. They will be preparing for the Nodac-Liujia warships and; if worse comes to worse, they will prepare to fight on the ground against an invasion."
Ron told her, "Good. We're headed back to the fliter and will be back at the space port shortly."
When they returned to the space port, they found that Fu and the police chief had left. They had appointments to talk to the mayor and other high ranking officials from their country. Auntie reported that the police had arrived and were in the process of moving all the prisoners to the jail. The two Nodac-Liujians didn't even want to wait until they got to the jail to start telling the police everything they knew about the invasion. The police told them they had to wait until they were at the station so they could tape everything.
Ron and Gus flew into the back door of Auntie and secured the fliter again. Kota's ship alerted him to the fact that they were back. He came over to report that the Charter Navy was on the way to pay a 'State Visit' to Nodac-Liujia and to ask the leaders of the planet some hard questions.
Kota looked around and whispered, "Did you just make up the part about the Alcantaran ghosts?"
Ron and Gus looked at each other and Ron whispered back, "We can't talk about that yet. It's not safe."
Kota knew better but he still looked spooked. Ron and Gus laughed, so Kota was pretty sure they were joking but….
Kota left to see if he could get more details on the warships that were headed their way. After he left; Ron and Gus almost had to lay on the floor, they were laughing so hard. Auntie had alerted Tik that Kota was in the ship, so she came in as the two were laughing.
"What's so funny? Did I miss something?" she asked.
Ron told what Kota had said and his reaction when he had whispered back. Tik laughed but she still didn't get what made it so funny to the other two.
Tik asked, "Why did those two sewer crawlers think there were ghosts around? You didn't find more invisibility capes, did you?"
For an answer, Ron turned his shield invisible. Tik yelped in surprise which set the other two into a fit of laughter again. She was tapping her foot, working up an angry reply, when it struck her how those two had been knocked out without seeing anything. She broke into laughter again with the other two.
When she finally caught her breath again, she asked, "Which of you two knocked them out?"
Gus held up his hand because he still hadn't caught his breath. Finally, he said, "You know that Kota doesn't believe in ghosts and probably has thousa
nds of scientists who can prove they don't exist, but right now, he isn't sure. I could see it in his face. This may be a blessing in disguise because I'll bet word of this will spread like crazy. Bounty hunters will be a lot more cautious now and I'll bet 50,000 credits a piece won't tempt most of them. As a matter of fact, when the Bugs get word of this, it will answer a lot of questions about missing relics and how we could unlock secrets that left their scientists in the dark for years."
"Yeah, I hadn't thought about that. We need to build on this mysterious legend every chance we get. Drop a hint here and there but don't say anything overtly. This could be an edge that will keep the Bugs and their allies off our backs for awhile," Ron affirmed.
"How do you make yourself disappear? I don't see a cape," Tik inquired.
"Just think 'invisible' when you activate your shield, little one," Gus instructed.
Tik had to try it right then. She blinked out of sight and then back in again. Suddenly, she had a thought. She asked Auntie, "Will your shield do the same thing?"
Auntie replied, "Yes, but before you think of using it on that orbiting ship, you should know that some detectors will pick me up even when I'm invisible. Some of the neutron detectors follow my power supply and engines. If we had something sitting on the ground here that looked like me, we might be able to sneak up on that ship. However; if they have anyone that is only moderately competent, they may spot us and start firing. If they weren't looking for us, we might have a chance."
"Oh well, it was a thought," Tik replied.
She reported that she had inventoried the projectiles and had ordered 100 stainless steel rods of the same diameter and length as Auntie's original rounds. She had ordered 500 of the smaller ones and they all should be delivered early in the morning. She had offered a bonus for the shop to put their order first and to work all night to get them done. Tik headed back to the situation room to finish working on plots for the hyper-space jump. Ron and Gus had Auntie make her shield opaque before they took a grav-sled outside and flew up to the rail gun pods. They had Auntie open them and then they inspected everything. They had her move all the weapons while they were inspecting them to make sure everything was ready. They didn't know if they worked but Auntie ran diagnostics and said it all checked out.
Satisfied that they were as ready as they could make everything, Ron and Gus returned inside. They took the stingerrays back to the armory and reloaded them. They checked their other weapons out of habit. They went to eat and then had a practice session with edged weapons. After they were through, they returned to the living quarters and talked about their dreams and hopes for the future. Finally, when they were relaxed, they turned in for the night.