Part 4 - Part 08

We all sat down. I was on Nagol’s left and Ireva sat on his right. Nagol looked at me and said, “This man is very important to me… You just don’t know how important he is… He has impacted our worlds more than you can imagine. And now I would like to bring you up to date on the events that have transpired on my planet. But first let me thank this man here for inviting me and for giving me the

opportunity to visit your world and make new friends. As much as I’d like to speak in Macedonian, his native language, I will speak in my native language to make things easier. Ori and Ireva will translate. Any questions before I start?”

Captain Orihci stood up and said, “As a representative of this planet and as a good friend of Captain Otsiron, allow me to welcome you all to our humble planet. We heard many great things about you, about all of you, and we’re glad to have you with us. I’m sure we will form a lasting relationship that will bind our two worlds… Thank you!”

They all bowed to show respect. Delche, Nagol and Ori also clapped their hands in honour of me; the earth man… Because, as Nagol had said, that’s how earthlings show respect and acceptance.

“I’ll spare you the details about what I’m going to say. I’m sure they’ll come up during the interviews which will become available for everyone to read. I’ll start from the moment we found out Otsiron had disappeared.

Although no one was certain that he was alive or dead, we all trusted his promise that he would return after the war was over. We waited a long time but nothing.

Many began to believe he was dead, even our enemies, but not all of them. They knew how tricky he could be sometimes, so they began to prepare for his demise in case he was still alive. To make sure he had no help from Ostikon, they dismantled our newly formed military and began to work on secret projects.

Then suddenly one day we received a message, I believe from this facility, asking us to send DNA machines… The request came on behalf of Otsiron but still no word from him.

When word came that he might still be alive, his enemies began to accelerate the work on their secret projects. One of those projects was a warship; a very powerful warship. Its parts were manufactured in many places. Very few know what they are made of. The ship

was assembled on one of your remote planets, here in this sector of space.

It was an expensive ship… with an impenetrable hull. Otsiron’s cannons couldn’t penetrate it. They made sure of that. His ship’s torpedo couldn’t even scratch it… The hull was made of a very rare alloy about ten times stronger… It had twice the cannon range and three times the speed… I’ll be here all day if I tell you all the advancements that were made on that ship…”

“Who sponsored this expensive ship? Who paid for its construction?” asked Madam Grooni.

“The Ostikon government treasury, Anelia and her sponsors, the rich in Ostikon as well as foreign funds were funneled in… I have no proof where the funds came from but it was a lot of money. Enough to build a fleet of destroyers… If anyone knows anything about this money it will be your Ambassador to Ostikon. He was neck deep in shady stuff before, during and after the war. But I speculate it was your consortium of planets that also paid for it. You should know that…”

“Yes! A lot of money was funneled into secret projects but I don’t know anything about them. I wasn’t privy to many things… Especially to classified military projects.”

“We didn’t know about any of these things either. We didn’t know they were planning his demise until after a ship of that caliber was blown up over your planet and the architects who were planning his demise started fleeing our planet. When they were gone the people who worked on those secret projects began to spill the beans to save their own heads.”

“Well, how were they planning to bring about his demise? Assassinate him? Have a duel with him… How?” asked Delche.

“I believe they were going to wait for him to come to Ostikon and ambush him when he arrived.”

“So, why was there a change of plans? asked Captain Orihci.

“Well, when they saw the kind of power he wielded with the super soldiers, from that dreaded recording you sent us, they panicked and immediately accelerated their plans to destroy him and his ship here before he had a chance to bring his army to Ostikon. Then when the recording was shown on television on channel 45, the people of Ostikon went wild… expecting to be liberated. The little people, especially the outlanders, went wild. Panic became a pandemic among the elite and the very rich began to abandon ship. Almost all of them left and fled to this sector of space… I guess to set up shop here. Those who remained behind took serious action against anyone who tried to aid his return. No one from the side who supported him was allowed to fly in or out. They monitored all our communications and everyone was being watched. Even though I’m old, I was also being watched ever since you asked for me to come here in one of your communications…”

“Sorry about that! I’m surprised they didn’t attempt to assassinate you…” I said.

“They tried on several occasions… The last time they tried they thought they had succeeded. That’s how I was able to come here. My friends had a funeral for me with an open casket. I played dead well and had them convinced that I was dead. But instead of burying me in the ground, my granddaughter had me cremated. After I was placed in the oven, Captain Rolo rescued me and took me with him and Ilisa on vacation; on his old science vessel.”

“Didn’t they suspect you of being part of the conspirators, Captain Rolo?” Ireva asked.

“Yes they did… But I had prebooked my vacation a long time ago, so they allowed me to go?”

“And how did you manage to bring Nagol and his wife Aneleh without being seen?” asked Captain Orihci.

“I smuggled them… in big suitcases. Ilisa always takes a lot of stuff with her when we go on vacation. She’s also a diplomat… They’re not allowed to search her…They figured the suitcases were hers and

didn’t bother to even inquire… Besides, I’m a former Captain of that vessel with a big reputation… No one was going to question what we had in our suitcases. We had requested two rooms… when we got to our rooms… Nagol and Aneleh took one and Ilisa and I took the other. We brought them food from the restaurant but they hardly ate anything…”

“How did you get the shuttle? Did you have to steal it?” asked Ukasnek.

“No. The shuttle is mine. It was retired when I retired. It was given to me as a parting gift. It’s old but works fine… I told them I was going to that planet… you know the one… where Captain Orihci and his family lived. I set a course for there in case someone was monitoring us and we left. Then when the science vessel was too far away, we changed course and came here. Ruzha had given me the coordinates of this facility. She got them from Daf.”

“How did you get Nagol and Aneleh on the shuttle without being stopped?” asked Captain Orihci.

“I just asked the tower to open the hatch and they let us out. No one even saw us leaving…”

“You poor souls, you went through a lot to get here… We owe you much gratitude…” said Amih.

“Now it’s your turn Madam Grooni. What is your government planning to do with all the information your team is gathering? What more do your really need to know from these poor farmers that you don’t already know? Are you here to put the blame on them for what your government has done?”

“Not that it’s any of your business but they can do whatever they want with the information we give them. You have no proof that my government was involved in anything. Those who broke our laws and committed crimes will simply be prosecuted and punished. That’s how it works.”

“In theory…! But how does it work in practice? I know you’re here to support the interests of those who pay your salary but where do your loyalties lie…? And by that I mean your personal loyalties… I’m asking you this because the pendulum is about to swing…”

“Not that it’s any of my business but I could ask you the same question!”

“I stand where I always stood… beside the little people… We are all little people… But some of us somehow, for various reasons, get it into our heads that we are somehow bigger than others. Since I discovered him, and to this day, I stand behind this man… He has proven to me to be on the right side. I believe he not only holds the balance of power here but is the key to our future. He brought more desired change to my world in less than one year than we could have brought in many generations. My old friend Prince Voskot even gave him his mistress, this ship for which he gave up his chance of becoming king. Of all the people he knew in Ostikon… and beyond, he chose him to fly his thousand year old mistress. Why him? Because he saw something worthy in him…! Unfortunately Voskot died before he could see his results. You all know what Otsiron has done… Forgive me my friend for sounding like I’m boasting… I know how you Macedonians feel about boasting… but I had to say these things… Our world today stands on the edge of a precipice… and without you… I’m certain we will again fall back into the dark ages, for another thousand years. So Madam Grooni, this is where I stand…”

“As I already told Captain Orihci and Captain Otsiron I stand on the side of fairness. I believe in peace, law and order. But I’m afraid I have been deceived far too many times to believe mere words. But at the same time it’s difficult for me to find my way out of the labyrinth… Too many times I have heard government officials and even philanthropists say ‘for the good of the people’, and then they end up creating messes like this one with the super soldiers… My heart goes out to their families… And I dread to think what would have happened if it wasn’t for Otsiron who stopped this madness. I have to give you and Prince Voskot credit for making the right choice and to you, Otsiron, for doing the right thing… and for your

sacrifices. From now on I openly pledge my loyalty to you. And may God forgive me if I’ve made the wrong choice.”

Everyone was stunned, except for Nagol who had expected no less from her. We are all little people after all. Was all this genuine or just a show? I admire Nagol very much but I know nothing of his past. The same goes for Madam Grooni. Are they kingmakers or riders of popularity? To me it makes no difference. I’m just a simple person stuck in a complex situation. All I know is that I can do things that scare the hell out of many people.

“Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way why don’t you tell us something about our friends back in Osticon? How are they doing?” I asked.

Nagol took a deep breath and with a stronger voice said, “Where do I begin?”

“Well, you can start with your wedding to Admiral Aneleh…”

“As you know she retired the moment she came back with our soldiers with the aim of spending the rest of her life alone. But thanks to you, you brought her back to me and we decided to get married. That’s it…”

Looking a bit shy Admiral Aneleh interjected and said, “Actually, it was my idea to get married. After many years of living alone he was too shy to tell his friends he had a girlfriend. That wasn’t him… So I suggested we get married. That way he didn’t have to squirm and tell his friends himself. His granddaughter Gen, as you call her, made all the arrangements and invited our friends. I can’t say it was a small wedding but it was okay. He didn’t want to travel anywhere, especially outside the planet. You know, with his health and inability to tolerate strange foods… Also being with me all the time took attention away from his business. He started neglecting his duties… Then when Gen was tossed out of the military, and I mean that literally, it’s a good thing that Anelia didn’t put a price on her head because she was probably afraid of you, I suggested she take over his business. She was thrilled… But he became bored and spent a lot of time advising President Asora. Poor Asora… she was

president in name only. She had the responsibility but no authority. The poor woman was also abused by the opposition…, sometimes even by her own ministers. She had lost the support of everyone. People didn’t understand how she could be president and have no power to help them. I think her enemies wanted to humiliate her as much as possible. But she stood her ground… She refused to call you back to help her… She never believed you were dead… They would have paraded your dead body through the streets… But she figured whatever you were doing here must be important… She is better now. Since the rats started bailing she began to take control of the government… And now that she has some experience she knows what to do. I’m sure Ruzha will join her, the first chance she gets…”

“How is Ruzha doing?”

At this point Ilisa, Captain Rolo’s wife stood up and said, “I’ll answer that. Like Aneleh said, when Gen was kicked out of the military Ruzha was demoted to lieutenant and forced to work for Anelia’s propaganda machine. But she refused. Because she disobeyed Anelia she was charged with insubordination and they threatened her with court martial, which carried the penalty of death. I don’t know what Anelia was thinking… How could a rebel like Ruzha help her? Ruzha was popular, very popular with the people. That’s why Anelia wanted to exploit her. Come to think of it, Anelia probably wanted her dead and found a nice, legal way to get rid of her. I couldn’t help her, even as an ex-diplomat… But Rolo here stepped in and asked them politely to let her go. Surprisingly they did. Rolo has many friends outside of our planet… I guess the rats didn’t want to stir the pot too much…”

“What happened to Val and Daf? I heard they went back to school?”

“Yes,” said Nagol, “but not as students… as teachers. The moment they were demobilized the academy of languages, my old school, took them back. They figured that, with the stories they had to tell, they would attract many young people to the academy and they did. It’s sad that those two who’d done more than anyone on our planet to bring our soldiers back, didn’t get any recognition. They were sent home like common soldiers with nothing to show for their sacrifices. But the soldiers they brought back, especially the sick

ones, will never forget their heroism and sacrifice. And I guess that’s what counts in the end. But unlike us old people, they had no expectations of the military or the government. They are very happy telling their stories and entertaining the young.”

“And you Captain Rolo, how’s life treating you in your retirement?”

“Well, as you know, I’m not native to Ostikon and… Once a foreigner always a foreigner… When I was working I got to go places, meet other cultures, make new friends and sample all kinds of cuisine. Life was great… But everything has its time and retirement was inevitable. So after I retired, that was after you left Ostikon for earth, we spent much time getting to know Ruzha and establishing her career as a journalist. After that I decided to do some rakia trading. I bought rakia from Delche and sold it to Captain Orihci’s associates… He was my primary contact. That is until the war broke out and I went bust… We all went broke… But I’m grateful to be here, to have been chosen by Nagol to go with him. I was tired of constantly looking behind my back and hiding in Ostikon.”

“Why didn’t you leave? Go back to your home planet? You could have taken Ilisa and left?”

“For the same reason you haven’t left. All my friends are in Ostikon… Ruzha is in Ostikon… We couldn’t have abandoned her…”

“I have lived an entire lifetime among people and in luxury, all kinds of people, but until now I never understood what real friendship meant. So Captain Rolo and Ilisa, do you mean to tell me you were prepared to suffer and even give your lives for these people? For Ruzha who’s not even your daughter…?” asked Madam Grooni.

There was a resounding “Yes!” from everyone.

“This is a new concept for me…”

“You said you came from a pirate family. Being a pirate and all that is associated with pirating is in your blood… and friendship is a new concept for you? You also pledged loyalty to Otsiron. You know that this alone could have you killed? Are you prepared for that?” asked Amih.

I looked at Captain Orihci’s face. His eyed were wide open. He was surprised by Amih’s comment and by the way she stood up to Madam Grooni.

“Well, yes… I guess I have to learn that giving my word means something… I’m a diplomat not a soldier…”

“So according to you, your life is more important than that of a soldier who is willing to give his… or her life for the cause you support…?”

“That’s how the world works… right? We make the decisions they die…”

“Lady, you will never have any friends unless you’re prepared to make personal sacrifices. You can’t become famous and important at someone else’s expense. This is war and wars calls for personal sacrifice. That’s what I think…”

I stood up and clapped my hands. Moments later Madam Grooni did the same and after that everyone stood up and clapped their hands. This was Amih’s victory. No one would dare intimidate her again.

After everyone sat down I remained standing and said, “Now if I may, I would like to say something…”

Everyone looked at me and Nagol said, “Of course… Go ahead…”

“I don’t know what pledging loyalty to me means… But I can assure you Madam Grooni by doing so you are committed to a cause that will make you many enemies… My enemies will now be your enemies… And there is no turning back for you… This isn’t a game we play here… and if we don’t work together and look out for each other, we will not survive. I’m not a hero nor do I want to be one.

I’m a simple person caught in a complex situation… of someone else’s making… I don’t want to be popular either… The only thing that keeps me moving are my friends who need me, who I don’t want to see hurt and suffer. And what have I really done all by myself… to deserve being called a hero? I have done nothing without help… I have done nothing alone. So Madam Grooni, if you want to help me then you must be prepared to help my friends… Ukasnek here is the real hero. He almost died… He was cut to pieces when he escaped the fury of the robots while looking for Amih’s sons who had been kidnapped from their home. His body was torn to pieces and he was barely alive when he gave me the information and, with Ireva’s help, the coordinates to find the robots and destroy them. But he didn’t do that alone either. He found Enai hiding in the forest. He told him what the war was all about and gave him the critical information that I needed to defeat the robots. Later, when I engaged the robots, Enai also helped me. In addition to saving my life twice he built the bomb that destroyed the lead robot, which ended to war. Not to mention the two young ladies who led the Ostikon soldiers to their escape from this planet. And what about these two… Delche and Ori? They guided my ship and fought side by side with me, risking their own lives… without giving it a second thought… not only one time but twice.

Dear Madam Grooni, if you want to help us then please use your influence to expunge Ukasnek’s record so he can walk as a free man and make sure everyone knows that his heroic deeds and sacrifices helped end the war. If you do this, I’m sure you will have a friend for life… Enai and his associates also deserve recognition… Without Enai’s help, I’m sure I would have been killed and the war would have still raged on. Without him and his associates the super soldiers would have gone mad and who knows what harm they would have done to the population here. Worse, their power could have been harnessed by some destructive, evil madman… Without Enai and his associates I wouldn’t have been able to communicate with the soldiers… or with anyone here for that matter. After Val and Daf left I was mute.

And you my dear friend Nagol, as a diplomat your first act should be to recognize the heroic deeds of all my crew who fought with me side by side. Make a call to Asora and recommend that she do that

publicly. Ask her to reinstate Gen and Ruzha to their former positions… I’m sure Gen can hire someone to look after your business. She’s a soldier at heart… You know that… don’t rob her of that. Give her a chance to rebuild Ostikon’s army and fulfill Prince Voskot’s dream.

Please, do whatever you can and right the wrongs of the past. That’s the only way the people will accept you and perhaps respect you, Madam Grooni.

Tell your people what we are really doing here. Tell those who are missing relatives to either come here or send us DNA and we will look for them. Their sons and daughters are in good hands here… Tell them that…”

Amih couldn’t wait any longer so she jumped out of her seat and began to clap her hands.

After everyone was done clapping Nagol said, “I have to go, I need to rest… Good speech Otsiron… I’ll do what you asked.”

“I’ll also do what you asked…” promised Madam Grooni.

“Before we go I would like to remind everyone that tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock we have our weekly march. We will be putting our super soldiers through exercises. Perhaps Otsiron will give a performance for us… something to welcome our friends from Ostikon,” suggested Captain Orihci.

The great parade

“You sounded like a politician yesterday… And there, in front of your mentor…” Captain Orihci said. “How long are you going to be in that damn shower?”

“Nagol is a good man… He’s intelligent, wise and patient just like Voskot was. I would have been speaking Ostikon by now… and would have been a good pilot too… had I listened to Voskot. But… I never thought I would be here this long. I ignored most of what he tried to teach me. Did I ever tell you we went hunting together? We cooked the quarry in an open pit? He was vegetarian… but he humoured me. We even got drunk on fermented juice… on several occasions. I had no idea who he was at the time… that he was a prince and a pillar of his society. Not a peasant like me. He sure had a humble heart…”

“Let’s go! They’re waiting for us. Your buddy Nagol was out there early this morning. He was the first out… His internal clock must be screwed up with the difference in time.”

“Yeah, I can believe it… Nelez is like Earth. Ostikon is hell in comparison… Not just the long hours but the smells, the humidity, the heat…”

“I’ve never been to Ostikon… For that matter, I haven’t been to any planets except for a couple of them. I was in space most of the time.”

“How did you get to know Captain Rolo? I noticed you spoke to him in his native language.”

“He taught it to me. I met him on one of his expeditions when I was a boy. I was on vacation on the planet his team was exploring. He was just a cadet then. He looked very unusual… tall and thin like a stick... I made fun of him… He was fascinated by me when he found out I was a pirate. We became good friends…”

“Well, fate brought you together again… He could help you put a crew together for your destroyer… I’m sure he has a lot of contacts everywhere… Unless of course you plan to retire…?”

“I should talk to him about it…”

“Where have you been? This poor man has been standing here forever…” complained Amih.

“Someone should have told him what time it was…” mumbled Captain Orihci.

“Thank you for your support… last night,” said Ukasnek and gave me the thumbs up.

“Good morning Sir…”

“Oh, good morning my boy… It’s wonderful here… I never knew the air could be this clean and cool in the morning… I can’t get enough of it…” he said in Macedonian, looking into the distance and then turned to Ireva. “Please get me a chair my dear…”

While Ireva ran back into the facility to grab a chair Nagol said, “It’s my own fault for keeping myself isolated in Ostikon. I was given many chances to go away but I turned them down and made excuses. I never knew this planet was such a beautiful place…”

Thinking that Nagol was complaining, Amih kept whispering in my ear in her native Galaxy Trader language but I didn’t know what she was saying. Out of respect for Nagol we had all turned off our universal translators. I guess Nagol didn’t like them because they were so impersonal and monotone and also threatened his profession. They could easily replace people as translators and his old school, the academy of languages, would have to close down.

Nagol could see the worry in Amih’s face so when Ireva came back he sat on the chair and waved them both over. He said something to Ireva which she translated for her mother; bringing a big smile to her face.

It was nearing nine o’clock and Delche, Ori and Enai still weren’t there. I decided to page Enai using my new method of communication… mind to mind.

“Enai are you there…? Please turn off the automatic transmitter, find Delche and Ori and bring them here. It’s almost time for the soldiers to come out… And please bring that new… you know… Your prototype universal transmitter… I could sure use it right about now…”

Moments after I relayed the message to Enai he made an announcement to the entire facility and it seemed as if every worker came out to watch the parade. Ukasnek ordered the crowds to clear the doors and brought Madam Grooni and her team close to where we were.

The moment Enai, Delche and Ori arrived I called for the soldiers to start coming out and line up in rows of one hundred. As the doors burst open and black dots began to appear along the entire length of the facility, I could hear Nagol getting excited, laughing and cheering like a little boy. The soldiers were unarmed but still looked fearsome.

With my universal translator plugged in my ears, not only could I understand what everyone was saying but I could hear from a great distance. I discovered that it was directional too. I could hear further in the direction the gadget was facing… And I could adjust the volume.

I could see Madam Grooni’s mouth moving so I turned towards her and listened. “Look at them…,” she said. “What’s the big deal watching soldiers run around and line up? They’re all ugly like him… They look like an army of gorillas… At least gorillas have some intelligence… These things are all drones… Dummies…”

I became very angry and stopped listening. She was interfering with my concentration. At that very moment I decided she couldn’t be trusted with anything.

I began to focus on Nagol and could hear him laughing and cheering. “Imagine how Voskot would have felt if he saw all this…? My granddaughter would be thrilled…” I heard him yell.

I then heard Ireva say, “Wait and see what they’ll do next, after they’re all outside…”

By the time all the soldiers were out, the line stretched halfway down the valley and was nearly invisible. To bring the soldiers closer I ordered them to form ten blocks. Ten perfectly arranged rectangular, black blocks. At least that’s what they looked like from this distance.

“Why are they standing there, why don’t they do something…?” I heard Madam Grooni complain. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to know what she was griping about this time.

I yelled as loud as I could, “MARCH!!” They all dropped their right foot down hard on the ground in unison. They took another slow step and dropped their left foot hard. The ground began to shake and each step sounded like a torpedo exploding. As they came close they sounded louder and louder with each step. Nagol jumped out of his chair and was ready to run down towards them and greet them each individually, in person. Ireva and Amih grabbed him by his arms while Aneleh tried to calm him down. I saw Madam Grooni and her bunch run through the crowd in panic and head for the facility door where Ukasnek stopped them. When the soldiers came close to the crowds I yelled, “STOP!!”

“Where are you going?” yelled Ukasnek. “The show hasn’t started yet. Do us the honour and come back and watch the show.”

Madam Grooni was speechless… She had nothing to say. I went over to where they were and said, “You are all a disgrace… All of you!” But there was no one to translate what I’d said.

After that I went over to Nagol and said, “Sir, you give the order and they will do want you want.”

“I want to see them form the Macedonian star, the symbol of our new order…” he said.

And just as he said that the soldiers began to maneuver into position, creating the shape of the Macedonian star with their bodies.

“Now I can see why my granddaughter wants to be a soldier… There is nothing more thrilling than this.”

“Please,” the Admiral whispered. “You will give him a heart attack… you’re overwhelming his senses… He’s not used to this…”

After the soldiers created the Macedonian star, which could be seen from outer space, I stopped the march and took him down to the soldiers to see them face to face. I introduced him to Nine.

“This is my friend Nine, I named her that. Her real name was Jess. She was Ireva’s first cousin before she was turned into a super soldier.

He touched her face and said, “She’s very beautiful… What’s going to happen to her…?”

“That I don’t know, Sir. I don’t know what to do about them and what’s going to happen to them…”

“It must weigh a lot on you…”

“Yes it does but I don’t know what to do. I take it one day at a time.”

“I would like to come with you on this march… But I don’t think I can walk far…”

“Give me a moment Sir,” I said and contacted Enai to bring something that we could carry Nagol in on the march. Enai responded instantly and brought what he called ‘the mobile throne’. When I told Nagol what Enai called the chair, he laughed like a child. At the same time I summoned Enai’s daughter and asked her and Nine to carry him. Enai decided to come with us.

“The worst and most painful thing about her is that she doesn’t even know me. I would do anything if she would just look at me… and know that I’m her father. I love her very much but she won’t reciprocate. I know she can’t… but it still hurts me like hell. Despite being their employee, an important employee at that, they still took my daughter from me and turned her into a mindless zombie. I can never get over that…” Enai said painfully.

“You poor man…”

At this point Nagol decided to hold the hands that were carrying him and after a while I could feel the satisfaction the two female super soldiers were feeling.

“They like that,” I said to Nagol.

“I have always had that effect on women…” he said jokingly.

“Would you like to hold your daughter’s hand?” I asked Enai.

“More than anything in the world,” he replied.

I then asked her to extend her hand to him and she did. She also looked at him. After taking her hand the poor man almost broke down with emotion. He cried uncontrollably.

“The poor man… I can understand how he feels… He has a lot of pent up emotions inside of him. I wondered what had happened to him in the past…”

“I don’t know and I don’t want to ask him right now. It’s too emotional even for me.”

When we reached the end marker I ordered the soldiers to turn around and go back to the facility while, at Nagol’s request, Enai, myself and the two soldiers carrying him stayed behind.

“I see children down there. They ran from the farms to greet the soldiers. Do they live here?” asked Nagol.

“I don’t know…,” I said, but according to Enai they do.

“You’ll have to bring me here someday… I want to see the children and visit with them.”

We then followed the soldiers on their way back. When we caught up to them, they were stationary in the Macedonian star formation, as I had instructed them. After we went past I dismissed them. Nagol kissed the hands of the soldiers that carried him and let them go. Enai didn’t want to let go but realized she would go anyway and drag him with her. He eventually let go. There was sadness in his eyes and everyone noticed.

“She is his daughter…” Nagol said in Macedonian to Delche and Ori, and then in the Ostikon language to Aneleh, Rolo and Ilisa.

Enai followed his daughter but then, before entering the facility, he turned right and went to his lab. She went back to the barracks.

“I’ll hate to see what happens when parents arrive looking for their children and find them like this?” said Captain Orihci.

“I just don’t know how I’ll react when I see my own two sons…” said Amih.

“Oh Mom, you see them every day. They’re alive and well… just like cousin Jess. As long as we have this guy here they’ll be fine…” said Ireva.

“You’re appreciating me more and more I see…?” I said.

“What’s going on with you two again…?” asked Nagol.

“Don’t look at me…” I said.

“I’m looking at you…” replied Aneleh. “There is no shame in speaking up… Just say you like the girl…”

“No, not her… Maybe her cousin Jess… But not her…”

“You’re breaking her heart… Saying things like that in front of her…” said Ilisa.

“Leave them alone…” said Nagol and looked at me. He smiled and then looked at Captain Orihci.

“We should get together with Madam Grooni and discuss the plight of these poor soldiers and see if we can do something for them…”

“Of course…” replied the Captain.

“Ladies you can go back now, the demonstration is over. Ireva please take the chair back with you…”

After they left I called Enai back and told them all what I’d heard Madam Grooni say to her people when we started the parade. I also told them I had decided I couldn’t trust her.

“I agree…” said Nagol. “Not until she proves herself… But at the same time she stands on the threshold between war and peace. We don’t want a war with the Galaxy Trader government or with the consortium. So we must tread lightly and keep her happy and busy; also make her feel important.”

“What if she is just sabre rattling to maintain a bad girl image to impress her sponsors to let her keep her job?” asked Captain Rolo.

“That’s a possibility too… But how can we know for sure?” asked Captain Orihci.

“We can’t…” replied Nagol.

“Perhaps we can…” I said. “We can attach a small listening device on her and monitor her communications at all times. I know she carries a portable transmitting device with her, which she uses to communicate with someone… with whom… I don’t know…”

“That’s not a good idea. I’m sure she’ll find the listening device and then what? She’ll either be furious with us for not trusting her or she

will play us. She’s far too experienced and clever for that… I think she’ll play us,” said Nagol.

“There is another way… This way we can monitor both conversations; hers and whoever else she talks with. Remember how we caught the tower guy? Enai reminded us.

Captain Orihci, at this point, explained to the others how we found and caught the mole that was coordinating the assassination attempt on me by the pirates when I was shot in the back by the little ship.

“I’m sure she’s thought of that and is probably using a well-hidden frequency and strong encryption…” said Ori.

“We can monitor everything here. We have very sophisticated military grade portable equipment that won’t only capture and record messages but can decrypt any method used by the Galaxi Traders anywhere. I just need to know when she uses it and find the frequency,” said Enai.

“That’s impossible...” said Captain Orihci.

“What if we place a listening device in her room…? Until we figure out the frequency,” I asked.

“I’m sure she checks for such devices before she makes her call… I would!” replied Nagol.

“Why not simply ask her to make a call… Say to expunge Ukasnek’s record… And then look for the frequency when she does…” suggested Ori.

“Please, don’t get me involved in all this… I’m already deep in trouble with the law,” protested Ukasnek.

“We’ll find something simpler then… that doesn’t put anyone at risk,” said Delche.

“Let me take care of that… And also put a watch on her. Every time she’s in her room alone start monitoring all unusual frequencies.”

“My device can do that too. It can exclude all known frequencies and just look for odd ones,” said Enai.

“Do it then…” ordered Captain Orihci.

“I need to get off my feet soon, I’m getting very tired…” said Nagol. The two Captains, who were standing next to him, grabbed him by his arms and escorted him to the eating area. The rest of us followed. The women, including Madam Grooni, were already there eating their lunch. They made room for us at their table.

“Drinking again eh? Is that why you told us to leave?” asked Ireva, looking at me.

“Sorry dear, my husband doesn’t drink…” said Admiral Aneleh, Nagol’s wife. “Young lady… I like you. You’re pleasant to be around but you don’t help yourself… or anyone… when you talk like that, especially to him… You’re not building any amicable relationship doing that… He is a person too and has feelings… Besides you’re too young to be sour like that…”

“Too young?! She’s old enough to be my mother…!” I said.

“You’re not helping…” said Nagol.

“It takes two… my dear Nagol…” piped up Aneleh.

“What did I miss?” said Enai after he arrived out of breath and was ignored by everyone.

“And you! You! If you calculate your age in earth terms… You’ll see that you’re old… enough to be my grandfather…” protested Ireva.

“Enough!” said Captain Orihci and turned to Nagol. “You told me you had something to discuss with Madam Grooni. This is as good a time as any.”

“Oh, yeah… I almost forgot… Today, perhaps after I eat, I’m planning to go to the communications tower to make some requests to my government in Ostikon… You know, about some of the things we discussed the other day… and I’m wondering if you want to come with me. I would appreciate your support and perhaps you might add something to my report on behalf of your government… What do you say? Maybe at the same time you can file your report…”

“I’ll come with you… And I’ll endorse your ideas… Why not? But as for filing any of my reports… I think it’s a little early… Don’t you think…?”

“By that I meant make a request to expunge Ukasnek’s record, recognize his efforts and things like that… It would mean a lot to him and to this team. Am I right?”

“Oh yeah, that… Yeah. I’ll see what I can do.

When the women finished eating, they all left together. Nagol and Madam Grooni left and went to the communications tower. We decided to stay with Enai who was still eating his lunch.

“Did you do it?” asked Captain Orihci.

“All done… I’ll let you know when something transpires… I’ll keep an eye on it…”

“Well, there isn’t much else for me to do here so I think I might go and do my rounds… I hope that woman doesn’t land me behind bars…” said Ukasnek and left.

“Maybe we should go and check out how the DNA project is going. It should be done soon. Did we ever decide what to do with the Ostikon staff and the Ostikon DNA machines when we’re done?”

We all looked at each other but no one had any answers. Captain Rolo piped up and said, “I haven’t seen your setup… Why don’t we go and have a look at it…?”

When we got there we found Amih, Aneleh, and Ilisa serving snacks and drinks and talking to the DNA machine operators. Moments later Ireva showed up and asked where Nagol was. Her father said that he and Madam Grooni had gone to the communications tower.

“And who is translating for Nagol?”

“I don’t know…” answered Captain Orihci.

“Men!” she muttered and ran off.

“I don’t know what the fuss is all about? Some of our tower people speak Ostikon. If not they’re smart enough to use a universal translator. Enai made sure we had enough of those to sink a ship…”

“Let it go…” said Captain Rolo. “She’s just trying to be helpful. I’m sure Nagol will appreciate her company. He’s a good man.”

Moments later Ireva came back with Nagol who looked a little disappointed.

“Sorry Sir, for sending you without a translator,” I said.

“It’s not that… just as I started making my report that woman stormed out. She said she’s been away from her team for too long and had to go back. She didn’t even give me the endorsement she promised.”

“Oh well… women…” said Captain Orihci and we all laughed.

Only Ireva didn’t find it funny.

Moments later Delche and Ori returned from talking to the Ostikon crew. No one had any idea what they were expected to do after the tests were done.

“I’m keeping the tall girl…” said Enai, “even if I have to adopt her… She is brilliant and very polite. She even admits that she is very unusual for a person from Ostikon… She believes she was either adopted or kidnapped from another planet,” added Enai and

laughed. “At least that’s what she tells me when I compliment her for being so smart…”

“Well, how do the other’s feel?” asked Nagol.

“Most want to stay… Hell, all of them want to stay… Even their parents and relatives tell them to stay… It is hell out there in Ostikon right now… They’d prefer to stay,” said Delche.

“I can attest to that…” added Captain Rolo.

“So, what do you say Sir?” I asked.

“Enai, can you find them work if they stay? They all speak your language, right?” asked Nagol.

“I sure can, I can even give them their own lab to work in. We have a big lab down this corridor that has been empty for a long time. They can use it…”

“I like them, they’re good people,” said Ireva.

“Maybe you can learn something from them then…” said Captain Orihci.

“And what is that?”

“To be polite…”

“She is coming with me… She’s had enough abuse for one day… The rest of you go and get drunk. I’ll see you tomorrow… That’s enough excitement for me for one day,” said Nagol and left holding Ireva’s hand.

“Aren’t you worried about your man running off with a younger woman, Admiral?” I asked Aneleh jokingly.

“Don’t you toy with me, young man… I’ll spank that big ass of yours. I outrank you and I’m military… Not a softy like him. I know how to kick ass… even a big one like yours...”

Delche was the first to crack up laughing and then everyone else started laughing.

“This is too much laughing for me. I’ll go tell the workers they have a home and jobs here…” said Enai.