Part 4 - Part 07

“What do we have?” asked Amih.

“We need to have lawyers, we don’t talk to anyone without a lawyer present,” advised the Captain.

“And since we have no lawyers on this planet… We talk to no one… Woo-hoo!” yelled Ukasnek.

“I don’t know about that. The commission has the authority of the central government,” said Enai.

“And this guy here,” pointing at me, “is the authority of one million powerful plasma guns… Let them make us,” replied Ireva.

“Isn’t tomorrow exercise day for the soldiers?” asked Captain Orihci.

“Yes it is!” replied Enai.

“So, let’s show them what kind of power we wield here,” suggested the Captain.

“We’re agreed then! No talking without a lawyer. Pass it on and let everyone know,” I said.

At this point Amih turned to me and said, “You were right after all, our central government was involved in this mess. They’re responsible for what happened to my sons. Do whatever you can to expose them for the creepy things they do. And all this time I trusted them.”

“Mom, not all people in the government are like that… and you shouldn’t trust anyone anyway unless you know them well…”

“Except for politicians and bureaucrats appointed for life… You don’t trust them…” said Delche.

“Well Ori, you haven’t said anything. How would you approach this problem?” I asked.

“Well, I think we are limited by our moral boundaries. I used to think ‘we the elite’ were gifts of Mother Nature and the outlanders

were the scum of Ostikon and deserved what they got, until I became one of them thanks to you. You made my tranquil fantasy life miserable… Now I don’t trust anyone but don’t belong anywhere either… And on top of that, neither side wants me… But I’m grateful to you for that… You opened my eyes to the truth. Truth is more important to me than any illusion. If the people here feel the same way and are prepared to handle the truth… If knowing the truth is important to them… and we have the power to give it to them, then let’s give it to them.”

“Unlike the people of Ostikon, the people here are different. They’ve always been third class citizens and already know the truth of how it is to live under exploitation and humiliation. And even so, unlike my mother who isn’t from here, the rest of us here are proud to be farmers and even pirates… We know we are the pillars that support the planets around us when it comes to producing food. Even though they hate us and exploit us for being simple people, we still support them. Ukasnek has taught me a lot about life here… how people really live… and I don’t need Madam Grooni to remind me of that. She was born here too, in the same mud, but now she feels she’s better than me. Why, because she chose to live elsewhere? To support the lies of her government which committed my brothers and all our friends and neighbours to a living hell? For the greater good I suppose?! What greater good? Whose greater good?” replied Ireva loudly, looking angry.

Unbeknownst to us, Madam Grooni was standing outside the door of our conference room and heard everything. She had been coming over to tell us that she’d spoken to her brother and wanted some clarification from us, meaning me, Delche and Ori.

When she abruptly opened the door without knocking, looking very angry, everyone, including me, was startled.

“I’m prepared to ignore everything you said provided you answer my questions!” she demanded.

“Not without a lawyer…” whispered Ukasnek.

“Now you’re resorting to eavesdropping on people?” asked the Captain.

“Yes, if that’s what I need to do to get some straight answers…”

“Okay, please sit down. If it’s about your brother, Ori and I will answer your questions truthfully. We have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Besides, we were both there,” I explained.

“My brother confirmed what you said, that you had warned him that he’d been deceived and that you could have but didn’t blow up his ship… But why should I believe the rest…?”

“Because I can confirm the rest…” yelled Ori.

“Look, we can sit here and argue about who said what, who is lying and who isn’t… The bottom line is there is nothing you or your corrupt pals can do to me. I can just fly out of here and disappear any time I want to…”

“Why don’t you?”

“Because I have friends here who care about me and who need me. Besides, what’s in it for me to lie? Save my own skin? You know I’m untouchable… No one can land on this planet and cause me or my friends any harm…”

“I know that! You’ll blow them out of the sky before they even have a chance to land?”

“If you must know, I just destroyed the most powerful attack ship ever built. So don’t tell me I can’t do it. There are no challengers out there; not even your destroyers, that is, if they’re still even functional…”

“I know that!”

“So you know everything… right?”

“I also know how you defeated the so-called golden ship. Good move!”

“You know about the golden ship? How is that even possible?”

“What do you think, we sleep all the time? We haven’t kept an eye on you all the time you were here, you know. We have spies everywhere!”

“With all due respect Madam Grooni, the more you open your mouth the more I’m inclined to believe you’re here to cover up everything your government did and blame it on me. You’re just another patsy like your brother, being used to do the dirty work for the elite who want to get rid of me. Do I stand in the way of you finding happiness just as I stood in the way in Ostikon? And by that I mean in the way of the rats in both Ostikon and the ones running here to exploit your people?”

“How did you know that the rats from Ostikon were running here? No one knows about that!”

“I took an educated guess!”

“Yes, yes you are in our way. And yes the rats from Ostikon have packed up their bags and are coming here… since you destroyed their last hope… the golden ship. Ostikon is now free of rats.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, and now you hold the balance of power here just like you did in Ostikon.”

“Why couldn’t you tell us all this when you first arrived? You could have spared us all this grief?” complained Captain Orihci.

“Because my good Captain, I wanted to know who I was dealing with: a rational thinker or a lunatic!”

“I suppose you’re talking about me… not the Captain,” I said.

“Of course I’m talking about you!” she snapped.

“And? What have you concluded?”

“I wanted to be sure I wasn’t being lied to by my handlers… But I guess I was! I turned out to be the fool! Also I wanted to join the winning side…”

“Is that it? The winning side?” asked the Captain.

“No silly, I’m just joking. I’m sick of all the corruption in the consortium and the central government and I want it cleaned up before I die. It seems that no matter how much these greedy bastards grab, it’s never enough. And they could care less about the little people. I want a clean conscience when I die.”

“That’s good to hear… That you’re on our side… You had us worried there for a while,” said Amih.

“I still don’t trust government people… Not until I know how well they can hold their liquor…” said Ukasnek.

“I know you have rakia here. I also know that you, Captain Orihci were partners with the rakia king in Ostikon. So you must still have access to it?”

“How did you know about that?” asked the Captain.

“I kept an eye on my planet. I also come from a pirate family you know. It’s in our blood…”

“Well, let me introduce you to the rakia king himself,” the Captain said pointing at Delche.

“No f**en way?”

“Madam Grooni, language please…” said Amih.

“I can’t bloody believe it…” yelled Ireva.

“Ireva, bite your tongue…” yelled Amih.

“One minute we’re arch enemies… then the next minute we’re acting like best friends! What’s going on here?”

“It’s called diplomacy my dear…” said Madam Grooni.

After we all stopped laughing the Captain asked Enai to bring a bottle of Delche’s best and Ukasnek to bring some food for us. Ireva and Amih went with Ukasnek to help.

“It could have as easily gone the other way… We could have started a war?” said the Captain.

While everyone else was gone, Ori and I left the Captain, Madam Grooni and Delche to talk and went to my ship to check for messages. There were none. It appeared as if Asora was either ignoring us or had other priorities to tend to.

When everyone returned the Captain filled our glasses with rakia and said, “To our new alliance! May it bring us peace and prosperity… and to our new friend Madam Grooni.”

“Madam Grooni, I’m really impressed with your ability to influence people. To make them mad at you one moment and make them love you the next. I was ready to kill you a few minutes earlier and now I love you like you were the grandma I never had? I’m simply impressed… Will you be my grandma?” asked Ireva.

“She could be… not your real grandma, I mean… but a long lost grandma… We all come from somewhere right? You should get a DNA test,” said Ukasnek.

“Yes dear, I can be your grandmother…”

“Can I call you Grandmarooni?”

“No, just call me Grooni. Grandmarooni makes me sound so old.”

“But you are old and proud of it...”

“Yes, but I never married and have no descendants of my own. I simply don’t know what it feels like to be a real grandmother.”

I looked at Ireva and could see that she was getting under Madam Grooni’s skin but Madam Grooni caught my eye and said, “You’ve been standing there quiet and smug. What, no more jokes? No more smart remarks? Where’s that cool handed heroic Otsiron everyone loves to talk about?”

“Oh no, not another Ireva!” I thought to myself.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard about me but I’m still that same peasant, shepherd boy from a village nobody has heard of. I don’t speak any of your languages… I’m not educated… And hell, I’m not even a properly trained pilot…”

“And yet here you are… You managed to defeat, even kill King Rodot’s only son. He was flying the golden ship, the most powerful ship ever built in the known universe. With all your shortcomings, how did you manage to do that?”

“So, you even knew who flew the golden ship… But I think we knew that too… Captain Orihci figured it out…”

“Impossible! No one knew that… No one but a few…”

“Captain Orihci recognized the swearwords and curses Rodot’s son left us before he died.”

“Compared to Otsiron, who by the way saved my life on many occasions, that guy was a terrible pilot and a terrible gunner,” Ori exclaimed.

“The fact that Otsiron has survived all this time means he must have some hidden talents. And as for King Rodot’s only son, we have yet to hear from the King. He was too proud to let another pilot fly the ship, a gift from the Gods… and too anxious to make his son a living legend… And with a ship like that… How could he lose? But

enough about him. I want to know more about the rakia king. What did you call yourself? Delche? What kind of name is that?”

“It’s a Macedonian name. I was named after some king or hero of theirs…”

“He must have been a very good pirate…”

“No? I think he was a revolutionary…”

“Then no doubt he must have been a violent man, Anyway, I’m more interested in the man behind the rakia enterprise… the king and his empire. Are you here to start a company? Making rakia is legal here you know and I can help you establish a lucrative business. What do you say?”

“I can teach the locals how to make the stuff. That’s not a problem. I’m not interested in starting a business. It’s not in me anymore... All I want is a quiet life.”

She burst out laughing and said, “What? Flying with this guy isn’t exactly a quiet life?”

“Well he needs me, he needs us all… He has no navigator… And like he said, he can’t even read the maps or the instructions on his panel… or the diagnostics on his computer.”

“Don’t you think going into dangerous battles with him is a risk to your quiet life? He might have been lucky so far but his luck will run out one day. You know that he has more enemies than you can imagine… And the more popular he gets the more they want to kill him. In some of my circles he’s known as, ‘The alien that changed the world’…”

“But why? He’s not a bad person? He’s not violent… he’s not greedy… He is fair and wants to do right by the people, by all the people,” claimed Ireva.

“The last point dear… No one in the elite circles wants that… I want that… and that’s why I’m here. I dedicated my entire life to the

consortium and in the end, what do I have? Friends? No! Happiness? No! Family? No! I have money, lots of money… but it doesn’t give me any comfort… Look at him! He has nothing… And even by his own admission he’s not even a good pilot. But everyone not only knows him… but adores him. Even our military adores him… How ironic is that? Why? I want to have what he has…”

“And what’s that?” asked Ireva.

“Fame and friends, but mostly friends…”

“And a miserable life… All alone and no family,” said the Captain.

“No thanks, I already have that…” said Madam Grooni.

Everyone cracked up laughing. Those near to Madam Grooni patted her on the back.

“Then welcome to our misery,” said Captain Orihci and poured us another glass of rakia.

“Tell us something about yourself. Ireva told me you’re a local girl,” said Amih.

“Yes, I was born here. My parents were both pirates and were killed during a raid. Our house was burned down. When it was burning one of the raiders heard me crying and ran inside and saved me. He went around looking for relatives but I guess no one wanted to claim me so when they left they took me with them. The Commander who led the raid took me to his wife who didn’t… who couldn’t have children of her own. She decided to keep me and the rest is history.”

“How did you find out you were from here?” asked Amih.

“For one, the blonde hair and blue eyes… I kept asking my mother why I looked so different from her and even the other children in our community but she wouldn’t tell me. Finally just before she died she told me. She told me everything but by then my life was well-established and, because of my good looks, I had climbed the elite ladder very fast… My father being in the military also helped. He

opened many doors for me. Sadly he died a long time ago too and I was left all alone with no one.”

“Did you ever marry?” asked Ireva.

“No! I didn’t find the right man…”

“Yeah, men can be so obnoxious…”

“My dear I understand how you feel, given our physical similarities… being persuaded to do things you don’t want to do. But unlike me, you’re surrounded by family and friends who love you. I have none of those things…”

Tears began to roll down Amih’s cheeks so she got up and gave Madam Grooni a hug.

Just then the conference door was flung open and a man from the communications tower burst in, prompting the Captain to bark, “Doesn’t anyone knock anymore?”

“What is it? Is my team looking for me?” asked Madam Grooni.

“No, no Madam Grooni… I have a message for Otsiron… which is a bit urgent.”

“What is it man, speak up!” yelled the Captain.

“There is an Ostikon ship on approach and the pilot is asking for Otsiron. What should we tell him?”

“Ori you go with the man and find out what he wants.”

“I must go also, my team is probably wondering where I’ve disappeared to. But if you don’t mind, come with me. I’ve made a bit of a mess with them and it would help me patch things up if they see solidarity between us.”

So off we went marching into the common room and walked right in on a big argument.

“What, are you trying to start a war between the planets? Leave the diplomacy and politics to me, your job is to do the inquiry and these people are here to assist you. So please prepare your questions and set up your interviews. When you’re ready we’ll start calling the witnesses. Just the facts… No speculation. No opinions…. Everyone has an opinion and a theory… We’re not interested in theories. Only the facts… You know what to do. Now go and do it… We’ll meet again tomorrow morning here at 9 sharp.”

“Very impressive, Madam Grooni…” said Ireva just as Ori walked in asking us to go outside and direct the ship to land.”

“Who is it? Who’s coming?” asked Delche.

“They didn’t tell me!”

“Did you ask?”

“Of course I asked. They said it was for security reasons?”

“Now who is so important that they didn’t want to be identified?” I blurted.

“Stop guessing man and let’s get out there and find out. Madam Grooni, are you coming?” asked the Captain.

“Is it royalty? I hope its royalty. I’ve never met any of the Ostikon royalty,” said Madam Grooni.

“Some people never change…” said Ireva quietly.

“Be quiet dear. Sometimes you talk too much…” Amih scolded.

While waiting for the ship to arrive Ireva grabbed my hand, pulled me to the side and whispered, “Let’s test those hidden talents of yours. How do we know that Madam so and so isn’t stringing us all along to reveal all our secrets… and all those things she told us aren’t lies, eh?”

“I guess we may never know… Or we will know when it’s too late… My motto is; don’t say anything that you don’t want others to know…”

“But there has to be some way of knowing if she’s with us or against us?”

“What does your gut tell you?”

“Huh? It must be an earth thing because my gut doesn’t speak to me. It only grumbles when it’s hungry.”

“When someone is ready to sacrifice their interests for yours, then you can call them a friend. When someone is ready to give their life to save yours, you know they love you… Like your parents.”

“I know all that. What you’re telling me is useless information…”

“Oh be quiet. Here comes the ship.”

The diplomat from Ostikon arrives

“It’s such a small ship…” said Ireva.

“This can’t be. It’s a small shuttle. I’ve been on one these before. It couldn’t have flown from Ostikon to here, not in such a short time… What’s going on here?”

As usual, Captain Orihci made his hand motions and the little ship landed in front of us and turned off its engines. Just as the hatch began to open Ireva said, “Wouldn’t it wonderful if Val and Daf were piloting this ship?”

“Be quiet you two… Someone’s coming out…” Ireva’s mom harped.

He was a big, tall man. He had to bend his head forward to come out of the door.

“I know that man…,” I heard the Captain say.

“I know him too…,” I said to Ireva excitedly. “He’s the Captain of the research… He was the Captain of the research vessel that took me back to earth… You know the one… He’s retired now.”

“I don’t know what you’re babbling about… There’s a second person coming out…”

“That’s his wife, Ruzha’s adopted mother. Wow…”

“Now we’ll have three Captains… And how will you address each other?”

“Look, look a woman is coming out pushing a wheelchair… She, she’s the Admiral… Nagol’s friend…”

“And who’s the old man sitting in the wheelchair?”

“That’s old man Nagol… Wow he came… But why didn’t they tell us they were coming?”

After they exited the ramp I stormed my way over there to be the first to greet them… but when I remembered what I looked like I stopped.

“Now what?” yelled Ireva who was running right behind me.

“They won’t recognize me… Not like this…” I said with a sad tone of voice. “You go and translate for your father. None of them speak your language…”

But they did. When Captain Orihci spoke his universal translator translated his words to Macedonian, which Nagol understood and translated to the others.

The first thing Nagol said after he’d gotten out of the wheelchair, which the tall Captain later pushed into the shuttle and returned with a number suitcases, was “where is Otsiron?”

“I’m here… Nice to see you again… I’m glad you came.”

“Why are you hiding behind this lovely young lady…? Come over here so I can look at you.”

“I wasn’t sure how you would react seeing me like this…”

“I already knew what you looked like… Even with my poor eyesight I could identify you… I saw you in the recording you sent us.”

After that he hugged me and passed me on to the Admiral, tall Captain and his wife, who couldn’t understand me because my translator was speaking to them in the Galaxy Trader language. But thanks to Ireva she translated for me to the Ostikon language.

While I was greeting the others, Nagol greeted Delche and Ori and then passed them on to the others. In the meantime Ireva said to me, “Now I know how you Captains will greet each other… In fact let me do it for you ‘fat Captain, that would be you, meet tall Captain, that would be the tall guy, meet normal Captain, that would be my father’…”

“Ireva, enough… Leave the poor guy alone so he can greet his friends in peace…” said Amih.

“Can’t you see I’m helping him? I’m translating for him…”

Then I heard Nagol say, “Let’s go inside. We’ll answer all your questions inside later. I need some rest now. It has been a long flight…”

At this point Amih and Ireva each grabbed Nagol by the arm and helped the old man walk into the reception area. Ukasnek and Enai disbursed the crowd and sent everyone back to work. Delche, Ori and I followed behind.

“Poor old man Nagol, his physical condition seems to be deteriorating. I haven’t seen him since his wedding… he looks worse than ever,” said Delche.

“He’s just tired…” said Ori.

“You mean to tell me he married the Admiral…?”

“Yes, just after you left.”

“How did Gen, his granddaughter, take it?”

“It opened up the opportunity for her to take over his hotel and restaurant business…”

“That’s wonderful… I must congratulate them…”

When we got close to Enai we stopped so I could talk to him. “This business with the universal translators was great for two languages but now we have three. Any chance we can add one more language? And please, do something about these cubes… put a string through them or something so that we can carry them around our necks. Do we need to carry them in our hands? I keep losing mine…”

“Not to worry Sir, we’ll have a new model out any day now. I’ll put a priority on it… It will be portable and will plug directly into your ears… Also, it will auto detect the language. All you have to do is select the language you want to hear…”

“That’s fantastic Enai, thank you…”

“Where is Madam Grooni, I didn’t see her out here.”

“She decided to stay behind as she wanted us to settle our guests first before she met with them…” said Delche.

“That’s unlike her I think, but what do I know about diplomatic protocols…”

When we arrived in the reception area I spotted Nagol sitting in a chair with the Admiral standing behind him, holding him by his shoulders. The two Captains, the tall and the normal were facing each other talking and occasionally hugging. Amih was talking to the tall Captain’s wife and Ireva was translating.

I walked over to Nagol. He grabbed my hand and said, “It’s so nice to see you again… After you disappeared I thought… we all thought we’d never see you again. When we found out you were still alive…? Well, let’s say we began to hope once again…”

“Congratulations, I heard you married the Admiral…”

“Thank you, her name is Aneleh…”

“What about the Captain’s name?”

“It’s too difficult to pronounce, so we call him Captain Rolo. Rolo means tall in our language. Ah yes, his wife’s name is Ilisa. She’s a local girl from Ostikon, a very nice and kind woman. She is very fond of you, especially for bringing Ruzha into her life.”

“How is…”

“We will talk later, our luggage has arrived… Give us a moment to settle in and rest and I will see you later…” said Nagol and left with the others.

Moments later they were all gone. Just then it occurred to me that Captain Orihci was talking with Captain Rolo in a different language. I don’t remember blurting that out but Enai must have heard me asking so he said, “They were speaking in Captain Rolo’s native language.”

“How do you know that…? And did I ask that question out loud?”

“I speak that language too… No you didn’t ask but I heard your thoughts…”

“That’s impossible…”

“You talk to the soldiers, right? So I’m one of your soldiers and when you think of me I can hear your thoughts.”

“That makes sense, I guess… And how long has this being going on?”

“Not long… Since you came back from your last mission… But I could only hear snapshots of your words… Just right now I heard your entire sentence…”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy with everything… I just didn’t have the time…”

“You don’t speak Macedonian so how can you possibly understand me?”

“I don’t know… But your ability to project thoughts and words is becoming increasingly complex. I have to go now…” he said and left.

“I didn’t hear you say anything about the Captains…” said Ori.

“Neither did I,” added Delche. “If he can hear your thoughts perhaps you can hear his? Imagine communicating with your minds… How cool is that? How close do you have to be to communicate? And is it instantaneous or is there a time delay?”

“Delche, you’re starting to sound ridiculous…”

“This scares you doesn’t it? Admit it!” said Delche.

“Wouldn’t it scare you? It’s a good thing I never said anything derogatory about him.”

“Call him. Ask him a question. See if he responds,” said Ori.

“Enai, calling Enai, are you there?”

“He said yes, you scared the hell out of me. You sound like a loudspeaker in my head.”

“Sorry Enai. Is that any better?”

“Yes! Much better… not so loud.”

“You realize that you can hear him too. Do you know what this means?” asked Ori.

“Potential for mischief…” said Delche laughing.

“Now he can order our rakia from anywhere…” Ori suggested and laughed.

Their laughter combined with my nervousness made me laugh too.

“Telling jokes again, eh Captain Fat?” yelled Ireva as she entered the reception area with her mother following right behind her.

“This girl will be the end of me…” muttered Amih quietly but we all heard her.

We were interrupted by Captain Orihci who said, “I was just talking to Madam Grooni and she told me she wants to meet our new guests from Ostikon in the common room as soon as they are settled in. And also get the kitchen staff to bring our food, food for everyone for lunch into the common area. You guys are also invited,” ordered Captain Orihci looking at us and then he left. Soon afterwards Amih and Ireva also left.

“So you’re Captain Fat now, eh?” asked Ori jokingly.

“That woman never learns… No other woman here is like that… Except of course Madam Grooni… Ireva must have picked up her bad habits in Ostikon…” said Delche.

“Speaking of the devil, she’s back… And who do I see with her? Her grandma, Madam Grooni,” I said quietly but my translator, which I’d forgotten to turn off, betrayed me.

“Ladies, what can we do for you?” I asked nervously, waiting to be slammed for my remarks. I hoped that Madam Grooni didn’t think I was calling her the devil.

“Tell me about your guests from Ostikon. Who are the big guy and the old man? I want to know a bit more about them before I meet them. Miss goody two shoes here couldn’t tell me anything… Maybe she doesn’t want to?” said Madam Grooni, sounding disappointed.

“Well? Tell her! I don’t know anything…”

“Surely you met the old man at the academy of languages, right? You met me there and you remembered me right?” piped up Delche looking at Ireva.

“Oh, that old man… Doesn’t ring a bell…”

“The old man is Nagol, old man Nagol. He was my teacher during the old days at the academy of languages. The woman with him is retired Admiral Aneleh who is now his wife. The big guy is retired Captain Rolo, Captain of one of our long range science vessels and

the woman with him is his wife ex-diplomat Ilisa. She’s a nice woman,” explained Delche.

“I hope you can remember all those names…” Ireva said to Madam Grooni.

“You will remember them for me dear. You will sit beside me and be my interpreter while I talk to our guests from Ostikon.”

“It won’t be for some time… Nagol is taking a nap…” said Amih as she entered the reception area.

“Do you know any of these people Amih?” asked Madam Grooni.

“No! No I don’t. I may have heard about them from my husband but unlike the tall Captain’s wife who traveled with him, I stayed home to look after our three children.”

“Good for you Amih, and a fantastic job you have done…” said Madam Grooni.

“Oh, thank you. And I’m sure you’ll get along well with my daughter…”

I heard Delche sigh deeply and I figured it was time for us to leave and separate ourselves from these women. I felt sorry for Amih.

“Sorry ladies, we have to go to my ship to check for messages… from President Asora, Delche’s wife…” I said.

“Ex-wife…” said Delche as we started walking away.

“Don’t listen to them. They’re going drinking…” said Ireva.

“Why do I get the feeling they’re trying to avoid us?” asked Madam Grooni.

“I’m coming with you…” yelled Amih and then said. “Tell your father I’m with them, drinking…”

As we walked away Amih grabbed my right arm with both hands and held onto me until we arrived at my ship. Delche had to tell her to let go of me so I could enter the codes.

When we got on the ship, the first thing Amih asked for was a drink. Ori got us glasses while Delche put his hand in the booze box and pulled out a bottle of the green stuff. Just as Delche tried to put it back Amih said, “I’ll take that… And see if you can find some of the clear stuff…”

“You mean rakia?”

“Yes, yes, rakia.”

After Delche poured her the rakia she added some green stuff to it and started to gulp it down.

“Oh, slow down… You’ll get drunk,” said Delche.

“I’m sorry! I don’t know how you can take this abuse… I’m disgusted with all of it…”

“Please don’t drink any more… We have an important function to attend…” said Ori.

“And besides, what will your husband think when he gets here and finds you drunk, stoned out of your mind with three guys?” I said and tried to pull the drink out of her hand.

And as luck would have it, Captain Orihci walked in on us and said, “Are you trying to get my wife drunk? And what are you planning to do with her after she’s drunk?”

He sounded so serious and convincing that he scared the daylights out of me.

“He’s trying to take away my drink! I want to get drunk. I can’t take the abuse from your daughter and that old woman! Tell him to let go of my drink.”

“Are you having a nervous breakdown dear?” asked the Captain nicely.

“Yes…”

“Please Amih, let go of the cup. I’m your friend… I’m trying to help you. Why do you even care what other’s say about me? They’re not rude to you… You’re a nice lady. Everyone likes you. And besides, Ireva is an adult now and she can say whatever she wants; none of which reflects on you… Please do this for me… Let go of the cup,” I pleaded.

She finally let go and then gave me a big hug.

“I came to get you,” said the Captain. “It’s getting close to lunchtime and we should head for the common room.”

Our first stop was the reception area where we found Ireva and our guests waiting for us.

“Where is Enai?” I asked. “He should be with us. He’s part our delegation…”

“Call him! Call him!” said Delche excitedly. “Watch this… you’re not going to believe it…”

“Calling Enai, calling Enai… You’re needed in the reception area. Come quick…” I said quietly with a smile on my face.

“What is this… a joke? It’s not funny!” said the Captain.

“Wait for it… Wait for it…” said Delche.

“And there he is!” said Ori.

“What’s so urgent?” asked Enai.

“How did you know to come here?” asked the Captain.

“He called me,” replied Enai pointing at me.

“I don’t believe it! It’s some sort of trick…” Ireva declared.

“Enough,” said the Captain. “Let’s take our guests to meet Madam Grooni and the investigative commission. We’ll talk about Otsiron’s magic tricks later…”

Captain Orihci knocked on the common room door. Madam Grooni opened it and everyone inside stood up. With Ireva translating, the Captain then began to introduce our four guests and the diplomatic mission from Ostikon starting with Nagol, his wife Aneleh, Captain Rolo and his wife Ilisa.

Madam Grooni was the first to greet them and then sent them around the table introducing each investigator and the planet they came from. When they were done the four sat on one side of the table with Ireva standing beside Nagol. Madam Grooni sat on the other side of the table facing Nagol and the rest of her team sat around her on her side of the table. Nagol pulled out a recording device and said it was customary to record these proceedings. Madam Grooni agreed and pulled out her recording device and placed it beside Nagol’s. Then she asked us all to leave except for Ireva who was needed to translate. One of Madam Grooni’s people closed the door behind us after we exited.

Standing outside the common room door, Captain Orihci scratched his head and said, “So that’s how it’s going to be eh?”

“I’d trust Nagol with my life…” I said.

“Us too!” added Delche.

“He’ll support our interests and for sure he’ll tell us if we’re in some kind of bind,” said Ori.

“So, what do we do now? Get drunk?” suggested Captain Orihci.

“You can do whatever you want. I’m going back to my post in the reception area after I get my food from the dining area. I thought we

were going to eat in there with them, but what do I know?” said Amih and left.

“We’ve been working on a mini, multilanguage translator in the research lab. We have a prototype working. Now that we have some free time why don’t we go there and have a look at it,” suggested Enai.

“Oh, is that how you did your little trick with this guy here earlier…, with the mini translator? Where is it hidden…?” asked the Captain pointing at me.

“No Sir! I don’t know how but we discovered we can communicate through our minds… Just like he does with the soldiers… I have a chip in the back of my head just like them.”

“Well, I have seen many things around here that are unbelievable so why not this too? It may come in handy some day… When we’re in big trouble… right?”

“Right!” said Enai. I just smiled.

“Let’s go and get some food first. We’ll bring it with us,” said the Captain.

After we got our food we took it to the lab with us. Enai sat us down in the back room around a small table and pulled out a bottle of rakia from a cupboard.

“So, you’ve been pilfering our rakia I see…” said Ukasnek and laughed. “I see you’re still a pirate at heart…”

“No, I’m saving it for special occasions and for special guests…” replied Enai.

“Do you have enough cups, old friend?” asked Ukasnek, ready to jump up and get some from the dining area.

Enai pulled a bunch out from the cupboard and tossed them to Ukasnek who then passed them around after he filled them full of rakia.

“Wow… Are you trying to get us all drunk?” the Captain exclaimed.

“Why not…? I’d like to be drunk when I get screwed…” replied Ukasnek.

“Nobody is getting screwed… We have the big guy… who has friends with big guns…” said the Captain pointing at me.

“Well, do you want to see the gadget or chat all day?” asked Enai.

“Let’s eat first before we get really drunk… There’s plenty of time for the gadget…” Delche suggested.

After we finished eating and drinking, Enai brought a device that you could carry on your chest tied with a chain around the neck, with two ear pieces you could stick in your ears and said, “Who wants to try it?”

“Give it to the big guy,” the Captain suggested.

After he set the switch to Macedonian from the three languages available, Enai turned it on and handed it to me. “The rotary button sets the volume…”

After I hung it around my neck the Captain said, “Boy that looks nice with your badge hanging next to it. All you need now is to put your crown on your head and you can be the King of Nelez…”

“Guys please, let him try it first before you make fun of him.”

“Hey, that’s fantastic. Now you say something in Ostikon and see how it works,” I said and pointed to Delche.

There was silence…

“You’re sure quiet for a person who has something to say about everything…” said Ori in Ostikon.

“Good enough for me…” I said and gave the gadget to back Enai. “Fantastic job Enai, congrats… You deserve a medal for this…”

“Thank you Sir, but I don’t know how to interpret that… as sincere or a joke?”

“Enai, you’ve been hanging around the labs too long… Take it as a compliment. You’re truly a master of your craft,” said the Captain.

By now we were all drunk and asleep in our chairs when one of Enai’s associates walked in and said, “What are you all doing here? They finished their meeting a long time ago and Nagol has been looking for you.”

“We can’t be seen like this…” said the Captain. “Tell him we’re busy right now with other things and we’ll see him at dinnertime back in our conference room. Tell Amih to bring food and to invite Madam Grooni and Ireva; and only them.”

“Yes Sir!”

“How much time do we have until dinner?” asked the Captain.

“About three hours,” said Enai.

“Well, we have you to blame Ukasnek for this predicament…” said the Captain and pointed at Ukasnek snoring.

“The fun you can have with just one bottle of rakia,” said Delche. “Wait until I tell them how easy it is to make…”

“I know how to make rakia too… Why don’t we get Enai to build us a distiller and we can teach someone… with more time and passion… to make rakia for us here. What do you think?” I suggested.

“I’m with you brother…” said Delche and slumped forward. I looked around. Everyone was asleep.

Old man Nagol

“Sirs, please wake up… The Ostikon delegates are waiting for you in the conference room…,” I heard a voice say through my universal translator. But when I opened my eyes no one was there.”

“I heard it too. It was one of those people from the tower…” said Enai. “They must have been looking for us…”

“Let’s get going…” yelled Captain Orihci and then mumbled something that sounded like, “…Indiscretions…”

“Is there something wrong Captain?” I asked.

“No, not really… I’m just not used to working like this… I lose focus easily… I like structure…”

“Like when you were out in space commanding your own vessel and everyone knew what they were doing… and did exactly what you told them...?”

“Yes, that’s it! I think you understand…”

The moment we walked into the conference room we were greeted by Amih who said, “You look like hell, what have you been doing? Swinging axes?”

I smiled at her and continued to walk past her. Nagol was sitting near the far end of the table and Ireva was standing beside him.

When he saw me he asked, “Where have you been?”

His voice sounded weak.

“I’m here now… Sir.”

“Let me have a good look at you… What have they done to you, my poor boy…?” he asked in Macedonian in the same weak voice but my universal translator amplified his words in the Galaxy Trader language.

“Don’t you think his looks are an improvement?” Ireva asked in the Ostikon language.

Nagol raised his tired eyes and gave her a serious, cold look that was meant to kill.

“She was joking Sir, we’re friends… Good friends… She was just joking…”

When I looked up Ireva’s face had turned white and her usual smirk had disappeared.

I grabbed her face and gave her a kiss on the mouth and said, “See, we’re friends…”

I then heard Nagol say, “Children…”

Those who didn’t speak Ostikon didn’t know what had been said and it looked like I was asking for Nagol’s permission to marry Ireva. Ireva stood there stunned… I bumped her to get her out of her stupor. She immediately moved away and went to her mother.

Madam Grooni, who was dying to know what had happened, stood up and asked, “Are they getting married or something? By now Ireva had explained what had happened to her mother and father and I could see Amih smiling. She was probably thinking to herself it was about time Ireva got what she deserved for being so smug.

After Nagol sat me down beside him at the head of the table he waved for Ireva to come over and translate for him. When she did he asked everyone to get rid of those horrid talking boxes and speak to each other face to face in their Mother Nature given voices. He then raised his arm up, pointed his finger at Madam Grooni and said, “I remember you!” Ireva translated.

“Impossible! I have never seen you in my entire life!”

“It bothered me all day long but I finally figured it out. It’s your voice.”

“What about my voice?”

“I remember your voice. When I was a student, a very young student, the youngest in the languages academy… I have a gift for learning languages quickly… the authorities made me listen to a voice and asked me what it said. I didn’t know what it said because I didn’t know the language… But I remember that voice. I think it was yours… They told me it was important to translate what the voice said because the person speaking it was an important diplomat from the Galaxy Trader government…”

“Interesting…”

“So Madam Grooni, was that really you?”

“The first time I was employed as a diplomat was in my late thirties… but that was a long time ago.”

“It appears, although you don’t look it, you are even older than me…? Old enough to be my grandmother perhaps,” said Nagol smiling. The rest of us began to laugh. I could see Amih enjoying this. The women who had annoyed her were finally getting what they deserved.

After that I got up waved at Delche and Ori to come over and gave Admiral Aneleh a hug.

“I’m proud of you son,” she said.

I then hugged Captain Rolo’s wife Ilisa, who gave me her usual beautiful smile, followed by Captain Rolo who lifted me off my feet despite my large body.