In the morning you meet down in the dining room for breakfast. You
are all feeling more experienced, and ready to train. Long Wang wants
to get an implant in his noggin.
The women tell you that the approaching ship is eleven hours away from docking with its targeted space station.
Tully is going to get a download of all the basic science courses, i.e. mathematics, physics, geology, astrophysics and so on.
If his level progression allows a new weapon, he will be picking up blaster rifle as a weapon of proficiency.
He will look in the Jupiter II and see if there are any manuals and so forth. He will also talk to robot, "Can you walk me through doing repairs on you, Robot?"
"AFFIRMATIVE," says B-9. "BUT WE WILL HAVE TO FABRICATE THE PARTS."
Tully finds quite a lot of manuals on the Jupiter 2. They concern everything from hydroponic gardening to overhauling the ship's ion warp drive to manufacturing heavy water.
Finally, he will chat with Almada. "Almada, is there any limit to what you can create mineral-wise?"
"That depends," she replies. "What are you looking for?"
"Amalda, honey, do you have any protective gear?" Lo inquires.
"What do you need?"
"Any kind of armor or protective shielding?" he inquires.
"Would you like a shield belt like what the others are wearing?"
"Amalda, are we the only beings on the ship?" he asks her. "Or," he smiles, "are any of you divine types, such as a cleric, minister, rabbi, etc.?"
"There are other creatures on Amalda," Amalda4 replies. "You met a dragon yesterday."
"What is a cleric?" asks Amalda1.
"There are no government officials on the Amalda station," replies Amalda2.
"What is a rabbi?" asks Amalda3.
Tully heads off with the robot to try to repair him.
Long Wang and Zanax start training themselves.
That evening you gather in the dining room of the hotel for dinner.
Tully has been working on the robot.
Zanax has been training. Black-eye has been helping him...mostly by getting in the way.
Darian has been practicing with his blaster.
Lo Wang has been getting himself augmented.
"Hey Lo," says a voice from the cleric's lower regions, "I smell an elfie."
"That strange space ship will be docking at the military space station within an hour," advises Amalda1.
Tully says to Almada, "Are your transporter's fully functional, Almada? Could you beam us over there safely and then back again if needed?"
"Our transporters work but I would not recommend using them."
"Why is that?"
Amalda1 smiles.
"They are...erratic."
Zanax nods, "I concur."
Tully says, "I wonder if we should intercept them or not? How long would it take us to get there in our ship?"
"About two hours," says Amalda2.
"Can you scan the ship for life forms? Any tags for identification?" Lo asks.
Amalda4 smiles.
"This is a recreational station," she replies. "The system controller has already tried contacting them, but they have not replied."
"Remind me again of the status of that station?"
"Which station, Tully?"
"Any way to talk computer to computer?" Lo asks.
"Which computer to which computer?"
"Any weapons on this station at all?"
"Nothing that could defend it against a space ship."
"Your system to the incoming ship's system."
"The system controller has tried communications but the ship does not respond."
"You have a military station connected to or nearby this station?" Lo asks.
"That is the station that the ship is approaching," Amalda4 replies.
"The military one that ship is heading toward? Is it powered?"
"It is not."
"Is there atmosphere?"
"No."
"Is the nernal there active?"
" I suspect they are just scavengers, but it would be good to know. How many times has that station been boarded in the last 1000 years?"
"Three times."
"Probably not much left, but maybe there is. Do you know if there is life on board? I apologize if I have asked this before, but the drink and food have dulled my brain."
"You have not asked these questions before. Perhaps something else has addled your brain," she says with a warm smile. "There is life aboard the station but only at the microscopic level."
"Can you take us to it?"
"You have a ship. Several, in fact," she says.
"Forget that," says the voice from Lo's lower regions. "I wanna boogie."
Zanax looks strangely at Lo and draws a sword, "Hold still, Lo. I think there must be some demon parasite attached to your leg..."
"I am not a parasite!" says the voice. "I just want love."
"Back away Zanax, it's all good," Lo says.
"I don't know about that, Lo. If my nether regions started talking independently of my brain, I'd worry a great deal."
"Just means mine is smarter than yours," he smiles.
Darian chuckles. "Very unlikely."
"I'm smarter than you, too, Lo!"
Darian hears "pfft" from Lo's mouth and midsection.
"How about it, elfie?" says the voice.
"How about what?"
"You and me gettin' it on."
Zanax brandishes his sword once again, "Aha! Proof that there's a demon in your pants!"
"I'd rather die."
"Oh, I'm sorry," says the voice. "We haven't even been introduced, have we?"
Something pokes out from under the cleric's robe.
"He's Lo," it says, "And I'm Wang."
Darian looks away. "I'm sure you are."
"So, can we get it on, now?"
"I'd rather die."
"Yeah, it will be an experience to die for."
Zanax looks at Darian, "Shall I cut its head off?"
"As much as I'm disgusted, I imagine it would hurt Lo. He's our companion and that's something we don't do. Is it evil?"
"Evil! I'm good! As you'll soon find out!"
"No, I won't. You come near me and I will cut you off," Darian warns, starting to get angry.
Wang turns to Lo.
"I think we're going to have to woo this elfie the old fashioned way. You know...dinner and a cock-tail..?"
"Lo, keep your Wang under control or Zanax will cut it off."
Zanax sighs, "Well, it's not evil...annoying and horny, but not evil. I vote we cut it off anyway. All those in favor?"
Darian says, "Aye."
"Yipes!" says Wang, shrinking back under Lo's robes.
Tully nods. "I am not unopposed. While I think it would be bad for Lo, I think it would be worse for us to have something that can't keep quiet. Especially if we are facing the enemy."
"I'll keep quiet! I'll keep quiet!" says the voice.
"Amalda, please remove the chip from Wang. While you are at it, please max out my processing ability and storage capabilities," Lo inquires.
"Sorry," says Amalda4. "The chip was an organic insertion and has now fully integrated itself into the nervous system of that part of your anatomy. The only way to remove it is to use the technique that Zanax suggests.
"As for the abilities of your other brain, they are already maxed out."
Tully chuckles at Zanax's joke. He says, "Guys, what should we do next? Do you want to check out this other ship? They may have information about Nernals. Alternatively, we could head back to Oerth or continue on after that elf who was seeking a Nernal."
"Is there a way we or you can power up the military station?" Lo asks.
Amalda4 shakes her head.
Tully nods, "Very well, then, let's figure out next steps guys." He looks to Darian, Zanax and Lo. "What next? We can't loiter here forever. Well, I guess we could, but I am ready to get out there. More adventuring here or elsewhere?"
"I am sorry if I missed it. Can this station supply power to the military station? Are there weapons on that station?"
"No."
"I think we get in our spaceships and go investigate the visitor. We have two ships, right? If we take both of them out to meet the visitor, perhaps we can get a response. And, if the response is violence, I believe both ships are capable of responding in kind. Right?"
Tully says, "Let's do that then!"
You all rise from the table and leave the hotel, making for the hangar deck.
Tully says on the way to the docking bay, "Lo will need to pilot the XP class ship. I am taking the other, of course. Who is coming with me?"
"I will come with you, Tully."
Zanax asks, "Amalda, are our ships more powerful than the visitor's?"
Tully waits for the answer. "That is a great question."
"In what way do you mean?"
Zanax asks, "What are our chances of being victorious in battle if we fought the visitor's ship?"
"You are planning on fighting the ship?" asks Amalda2, looking concerned. "They have made no hostile moves!"
Tully interjects, "No, we are not planning on fighting the ship, but if they attack us, we want to be able to defend ourselves. If our ships have the ability to beat their ship in combat then they are unlikely to attack us. Oh, do you know how many beings can be carried in their ship as well? That is more relevant since they will likely be docked before we arrive there unless they are scanning for other ships."
"Tully, our military installations were stripped when the Ptarton Empire abandoned Alpha Centauri," says Amalda1. "So the high powered sensors which could answer your questions with one hundred percent accuracy are gone. That said, that ship is more primitive than even your Jupiter 2. But, the system controller has detected low level radiation leakage which is not entirely associated with its type two fusion reactor...indicating that it is carrying nuclear warheads. It has also identified constructs on the ship's hull which resemble gun turrets of some sort. Interestingly enough, the scale of the ship points to its occupants as being somewhat smaller in stature than a human or elf...perhaps kobold or gnome size or even smaller. Based on the scale and the level of technology of the ship it is likely that there are several hundred creatures aboard."
Tully nods. "That is good information. I have just a couple of more questions."
He pauses and says, "First, would a nuclear warhead be able to destroy this Station or would you be able to put up a shield to protect it? Second, do our ships have shields that could protect them from a nuclear blast?"
"The answers to both of your questions depends on the power of the nuclear warheads and the range at which they were detonated. Both Amalda and the scout ships are shielded," replies Amalda1.
He looks over to Zanax, Darian and Lo, "They are probably just explorers or, perhaps, settlers." He looks to Almada again and says, "Would you be open to or against several hundred of these things settling here? If that is their intent?"
"If they are friendly then we would welcome them...just we have welcomed you," she replies.
Zanax,, against his better judgement, joins Lo and Wang in the XP class ship.
Tully and Darian head for the X class scout.
"Let's move out," Lo says as he gets into the pilot's chair and straps in.
The controls in the cockpit look deceptively complex.
Tully communicates directly with Lo: "You might want to put on a space suit. The XP class has a tendency to crash or explode. Keep your personal shield up too just in case. Good luck, Lo and Wang."
"Ok then." He does as he is told.
"Hello," says a voice out of somewhere. "Welcome aboard the space scout Bill Gates. You may call me Bill for short, or Bill.doc if you prefer."
There is a mechanical sounding chuckle at this apparent little joke.
The Bill Gates, by the way, has three decks. The lower deck appears to be an unused open area or hold, 20' X 36' whose dimensions follow the outer perimeter of the hull, except for the rear bulkhead which is just a straight wall. Rising up through a hole in the ceiling you come to the second deck, which is a large room which takes up roughly the forward two thirds of the ship. You see tables, comfortable chairs and such in there. There are four doors along the stern bulkhead of the room.
The third deck is the control cockpit and is much smaller, only 10' in diameter and circular. Three chairs face forward where there is some sort of ledge or panel covered with small glowing lights and things. You appear to be in the open air above the hull of the ship, but when you extend your hands they sink into something invisible, yielding but ultimately resistant.
Zanax asks, "Lo, do you know how to fly this ship?"
"No clue how to fly, can we all fit in one ship?" Lo asks with a sheepish grin. "I don't think now is the right time to be taking lessons."
Tully says, "Ok, get on over here. It will be safer anyway."
Zanax rolls his eyes and heads over to Tully's ship.
Black-eye follows, as does Lo and his Wang.
Once everyone is aboard, Tully gives the word and the Steve Jobs turns and glides out of the hangar. There is a sparkly effect as the ship moves through the force field and out into interplanetary space.
Suddenly the ship accelerates, and the stars ahead turn to blue, purple and then are gone. An instant later they reappear as purple, then blue and then as normal as the Steve Jobs decelerates back to a non-relativistic velocity.
One bright, slightly flickering white star is in the centre of the field of the viewer.
"We are two thousand kilometers from the target ship," says Steve Jobs. "Shall we continue our approach?"
Tully says, "Continue our approach, but slow so that we arrive in 10 minutes. We don't want to seem like we are rushing up on them. Please hail them on all frequencies and in all languages. Listen for a response of any sort. Of course, keep shields up and scan for any weapons fire. Please advise us immediately of any response friendly or hostile. If they fire any kind of weapon, please take immediate evasive action."
"Of course," says the ship. It starts to move forward, you think...though the motion is not visible on the viewer.
He looks to everyone. "Stay buckled in just in case the Steve Jobs has to toss about."
"Let me assure you that you will not be tossed about," says the voice.
Tully nods. "Very good." He looks to the group and says, "I guess we see if they respond in any way."
He sips his drink and admires the stars.
The star in the centre of the field abruptly fades out.
"They are altering course," says Steve Jobs.
"To what direction?"
"They were decelerating towards the space station," Steve Jobs says. "They are now on a course to pass over it and continue out of the star system."
Tully nods, "Interesting. I wonder why they are fleeing? Did they respond to any of the hails? Do you know if that class ship would have any particular communications system?"
"The ship is of an unknown design. It has not responded to me."
Tully sits up. "Was that dot of light them? What is their course and speed?"
"That was their sublight drive. Their current velocity is 3 kilometers per second. They are rotating about their short axis to bring their drive to bear along their plane of trajectory. Would you like a magnified view with my iSight camera?"
"Yes, please. At their current speed, how long till they reach the next nearest star system?"
"Approximately 400,000 years," replies Steve Jobs, "But they are bound to accelerate since they have a superlight drive and 400,000 years is beyond the life span of most creatures."
The image on the viewer wavers and then steadies. You see now a dark grey cylindrical-shaped ship with a tapered nose and four streamlined tail fins located near its stern. It is completing a somersault maneuver. Apparently it had been flying stern first.
Suddenly the flickering star returns, dazzling you. You see now that it is a jet of brilliant light, emanating from the stern of the ship.
"The ship has engaged its ion warp drive and is accelerating to lightspeed," says Steve Jobs.
"Can you give me a rundown of what kind of capabilities you believe it has? Is it a sub-light speed ship? I know Almada said it had nuclear warheads on board. Can you detect any other weapons?"
"It has an ion warp drive, which is a primitive form of superlight drive, capable of perhaps a fifteen light year Jump. It is powered by a type II reactor, which fuses hydrogen into helium and helium into carbon."
Tully says, "Very interesting. I suppose we will not be getting to talk to them." He looks to the gang and says, "Want to check out the military station since we are almost there?"
"I detect no other weapons," says Steve Jobs.
A bison burger materialises in front of Black-eye.
Tully says, "Steve Jobs, how did you know that Black-eye wanted a bison burger?"
"It was what he ordered the last time."
Tully smiles and says, "I just picked up on that. How do you communicate with Black-eye, Steve Jobs?"
"He communicates with me via the touch wheel."
You do indeed see that the touch wheel is set to bison burger.
A burger and fries appear next in front of Lo.
Suddenly the stars in the field of the viewer shift rapidly in a crazy pattern.
"I am at last receiving a message from the alien ship," says Steve Jobs, "Via standard electromagnetic radiation. It is badly garbled and red shifted. I am working to decypher it."