Creators of the Towers

By Cecil Cory

Davin Mac Ferson is a young man who spent his young life not wanting to be different from anybody else. As he grew older, he wanted people to look up to him. His time in the Federation military gave him an opportunity to become a ship’s engineer. As soon as his enlistment was completed, he found a job with a small transportation company. After a couple of years, he had had a belly full of small ports, backwater stations, and being blamed for the condition of the ship. What he longed for was the chance to be the Chief Engineer of a luxury liner. He dreamed of walking deck and having a passenger stopping him and asking him if he was the captain, and being able to tell then ‘no I am the ship’s chief engineer’ and continuing on his way. He never dreamed he would be left on a Transfer Station, black listed by the captain, and find a way off the station before he was put into servitude. He did not know that his chance meeting with a passenger on the ship would lead to his fight for survival in the Alpha quadrant.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781304356628

Book preview

Creators of the Towers

Creators of the Towers

By

Cecil Ian Cory

Copyright

Version 1.3

Copyright © 2013 Cecil I Cory / Lulu Press

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-304-35662-8

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Acknowledgments

I wish to thank several people for their help and understanding.

First, to Eugene Fitzgerald for his help in proof reading this story for me. It has been a great help in completing it.

Next to my Mom and Dad for their support and belief that I could do almost anything I wanted to do.

Last, but not least to my wife Karen who has kept me going when I felt I could not go any longer.

Chapter One

I’m sitting here now feeling lost the same way I did so many years ago. I have been thinking back trying to figure out what I did to end up here. When I was young, I never wanted to be different from anybody else all I want was to live quietly on a planet hold down a decent job and raise a family. Then I grew up and thought I could be a great warrior. As I grew older, I thought how I wanted people to look up to me. I look around me now and see the devastation I have brought to the people around me and wonder how and why.

I guess it started after I left the military and struck out on my own. I got my training as a ships engineer in the military and felt I could use it once I was outside. As soon as my enlistment was up, I left the military and found a job with a small transportation company.

The first two and half years were not as I expected. We spent most of our time in small ports delivering supplies to backwater stations. Places where you had to fight, or be stomped into the deck if you looked at the wrong woman.

I grew hard and cynical about what I was doing. It was nothing like what I had dreamed I would be doing. I remember back in the military thinking how I would someday work on one of those fast passenger ships. How the women would look at me in my uniform as I walked around the ship. How I dreamed of them asking me if I was the captain and replying ‘No ma’am I am the ship’s chief engineer.’ Then tipping my hat and continuing on my way. Instead, I sat in a small room and looked at seventy-five year-old equipment that needed more help than I could give on a ship whose captain was more worried that he would not make his next delivery point ahead of schedule than to take the time to repair the drives. I remember my last trip on that ship.

The ship dropped out of the third jump since it left Termain. A simple run, not more than eight jumps of six-hour durations with another ten hours to recharge the ships jump system, if the ship had been working right. When the ship was new, it was capable of doing almost two parsecs an hour on a fifteen-hour charge. However, now it was lucky to do one parsec an hour when it jumped on a ten-hour charge. The ship had five more to make before it reached the Sulamitis system. Every ten hours, like clockwork, the captain would jump never letting the system get fully charged. I tried to tell him on numerous occasions that if he would let the system charge for another two hours we would have enough in reserve to make up the time difference from the faulty capacitors. He wouldn’t hear of it.

The captain looked at their location as he did each time they jumped and just like the last two times, the ship dropped out of the jump thirty microseconds too soon. Davin tried to explain the problem with the capacitors and even sent memos to the ships company telling them that the ship needed more repairs then he was capable of handling in space. All of that had fallen on deaf ears for the last year. This time the captain stormed into the engineering section fuming about how it was Davin’s fault that they were always late reaching their destination. Coming from the military, Davin knew you were not supposed to talk back to the commanding officer. However, he had taken about as much of the captain’s guff as he could stand. He flat told him what he could do with the ship and if he thought, he could do any better to do it if not to get the fuck out of his engineering.

That did not go over very well. Him being the captain and Davin being just a young ship’s engineer fresh out of the military, he told Davin that as soon as they reached the next port he wanted him off his ship. Davin thought that would be just fine, he would find a new job on a different ship, one where they would actually appreciate his skills.

Ten hours to the millisecond, after they had dropped out of their jump they jumped again. When they dropped out it was a full hundred milliseconds sooner than they were suppose to have. Davin was busy trying to find out what had happened when the copilot walked into engineering. He stopped in the hatchway and looked at the smoking inductor bank as Davin was pulling the panels off from the jump drive.

What happened? The copilot asked as he walked into the room.

I don’t know. Davin replied. Davin pulled the cover off the bulkhead and looked at the fried supper conductor coupling from the inductors to the jump drive. He looked at the copilot and pointed to the coupling. It is going to take four hours at least to fix this. He told him.

Do what you can. Just do it as quickly as you can. We are in a bad sector of space. There are rumors that some Trayaxen pirates are working in this sector.

What the hell are we doing out in the Trayax system?

We’re not. We are in the Rudneva system. He thought he could use Istria to slingshot us out and gain some distance, but we dropped out eight hundred and fifty seven billion kilometers from where we want to be. The copilot said then headed out of engineering leaving Davin there alone trying to fix the jump drive by myself.

I liked the copilot he never blamed you for something going wrong with the ship unless you did something stupid, which I tried my best not to do too often. He is also always there when you get in over your head on some of those stations we stop at. The Captain on the other hand always found fault with what you did or blamed someone for his short sightedness.

The ship carried a passenger onboard this trip even though they normally did not carry any extra baggage along. The captain had agreed to transport him to one of the outpost stations for a considerable fee. The passenger had shown up just before they were to leave Termain, booked passage and loaded his things onboard with the last of the cargo. He didn’t say anything to anybody. Most of the time, the passenger just stayed in his cabin only coming out to eat once a day. On this day, he walked into the engineering section as Davin was struggling to pull the supper conductor coupling out of the bulkhead. He grabbed a wrench and started helping without being asked. When the captain showed up, he started in on Davin again and accused him of enlisting non-ships personal to help. The man never said a thing. He just put the tools he was using down and walked out of the room. Then the captain lit into Davin again. The passenger and Davin had almost finished with the connector before the captain had showed up and by the time the captain had finished belittling Davin he had finished installing the superconductor back into the coupling. The captain stood there watching him as he finished putting the housing back into place. Just as Davin tightened the last connection, the captain lit into him again.

If you had done the proper maintenance on the jump drives it wouldn’t have broken down and we wouldn’t have lost so much time.

Davin reached down and picked up a large wrench that was lying on the deck. He was about to say something to the captain when the captain hurriedly walked out of engineering. Davin looked at the captain’s back then at the large wrench he held. He tossed the wrench back into the toolbox. I guess the wrench I had picked up off the floor must have convinced him that he had better leave. Davin thought as he whipped his hands on a rag.

They didn’t see any Trayaxens before the ship was charged ten hours later. Then to the microsecond, the captain jumped the ship again. Once again, the ship dropped out of the jump thirty microseconds too soon. They continued to jump then ten hours of charging until they reached the Taluses Station. As soon as the ship docked, the captain and the copilot left the ship. Davin was left behind with the rest of the crew to oversee the unloading of the supplies for the station and to pick up any cargo to be transferred to the outer systems.

Davin had just walked out of the engineering section when he saw the man as he was leaving the ship. The man stopped for just an instant and looked at Davin, then nodded his head and continued towards the rap leading into the station.

Five hours later, the captain, and copilot returned. The captain located Davin in engineering trying to finish the repairs to the superconductor connector. He walked into the room just inside of the hatch.

You’re fired. I have a replacement and I want you off the ship. The captain said.

Davin stood up tossed the tools he was using in the toolbox then walked towards the hatch. The captain suddenly back out into the corridor and two men from station security stood before Davin.

Make sure he is off this ship within the next hour. The captain said then moved further out of Davin’s reach.

The two security men followed Davin to his meager quarters and watched as he packed his things. As soon as he was finished, they escorted him out of the ship then to the inspection station.

Davin stood at the inspection station and waited for the robot to look at his identification. After what seemed like hours, he was let through to the next room. Once again, he stood there as the robot droned on about the dos and don’ts on the station. The door finally opened and Davin walked down the ramp and found the connecting corridor to the ramps leading to the interior of the station. He located the ramp leading to the administration offices. The two guards told him that he was to report to Flight Control as they headed towards the interior ramp.

Davin followed the signs and located Flight Control. When he walked in, he could see several robots standing at the counter going over information being received from the ships in and around the station. He walked up to the counter and one of them scooted over towards him.

How can I be of assistance? It asked.

I was told to report here. He replied and handed the robot his identification chip. It placed it in the reader.

Your captain has filed a formal complaint against you. He states that you are incompetent and insubordinate. He states that you threatened him with a weapon. He also states that you deliberately caused his ship to be late for deliveries by not doing the proper maintenance to the ships jump system. He wishes for you to be removed from his ship.

I never threatened him with any such thing. As for that thing, he calls a ship you will find that I had informed the shipping company that there were problems with the ships jump drive and that it needed more repairs than I could do in transit. You will find a copy of the transmittal in the ships records.

We are not allowed to access the ships records without the permission of the captain of the ship. He has refused this station access to those records. You have been granted access to the station for a period of not more than thirty days. After which you will be placed into custody and placed on the first ship as indentured. You are allowed limited access to the station until such time as you can arrange transportation from here. 

Where can I find a terminal that I can use?

There are public viewing areas on the main floor. They will accept all standard interfaces and it costs one credit for five minutes.

Davin left there confused as to what was going on. It is no use arguing with a robot. You can’t win. They only go by what they are programmed to do. He thought. He now fell into a category of an insubordinate perfidious reprobate and he even knew a few of them. He walked out of the flight control and headed back towards the entrance of the station. There he jumped onto the moving walkway and started down the tunnel.

Taluses Station was not just one station. It had grown over the years from a simple relay point in orbit around a large gas giant to a complex the size of a small moon. Communications spars stuck out from all sides of the different platforms that extended from the old structure. Three large docking facilities were extended out over the station with several large buoys for the larger transports.

The walkway opened up into a large room with all types of pleasure establishments. He stopped at the end of the walkway then was jostled by the person behind him as he pushed past. Davin located information display telling him where one of the public viewing rooms was located. Once he located it, he hurried to the closest one on the main corridor. He walked into the little room and dropped a credit into the slot next to the port.

First, he brought up the listings to see if any of the ships in port needed an engineer or any other type of personal. The only ship that listed any openings was the one he had just left. He entered his name and certificate number and other qualifications into the system. He no sooner had entered his qualifications, than a red flag appeared next to my name. He clicked on the flag and read the bullshit that the captain had said he had done on his ship.

He had to have been waiting for me to enter the system. He mumbled. 

He found the place to rebut the claims against him and entered what he felt was the truth along with a copy of the messages to the owners of the ship that outlined what the problems were with the ships drives and jump drive. He knew it wouldn’t matter as long as that flag was set he was doomed.

He spent the next twenty-nine days trying to survive on the station. He couldn’t afford the prices they wanted at any of the hotels. He found himself sleeping in bars or other places until they would kick him out. He ate at the cheapest places only when he had to, to keep from starving. What he thought was strange was that a beer was only a credit, but a simple meal could cost you twenty credits. 

Davin just finished checking to see if any of the new ships that docked in the past few days needed anybody. He did not find anybody who needed a hand. He walked to the bar he was using that day. He walked back to the back of the bar to one of the booths. The android scooted over and he placed an order for a beer. He sat there and thought about what he was going to have to do to keep from being taken and sold into indenture to some ship. He had just finished the beer when a man walked up to the table.

I hear you are looking for work and a way off this station. He said.

Yeah Davin replied and sat up looking at the man.

I need an engineer one of mine took sick and had to be put ashore. Are you interested?

When do you leave?

In three days. You can start then.

I have to be off this can by tomorrow.

The man turned and started to walk away. He stopped a few meters away.

To bad, I was told that you were good. I was told that you fixed a broken superconductor connector in free flight and kept an old piece of junk going. We could have used a young man like you. Good luck on finding a way off the station before the guards locates you.

I’ll take the job if I can report to the ship today.

No we won’t be able to board anybody for three days.

I’ll take the job. I’ll find a way.

Okay if you are able, you will find the ship on platform Delta, slip seven. The man replied and walked off.

Davin watched him as he walked out of the door then got up to follow him. As he reached the door, he saw him walk up to the passenger that had been on the last ship. They grabbed each other at elbow and shook arms then they headed for another bar. He continued to watch them as they disappeared inside. He made his way to where he had stashed his things in a storage locker. As he approached one of the security guards walked up to him.

Are you Devin Mc Ferson?

No my name is Davin Mac Ferson, why?

You have twenty-four more hours before you have to leave the station.

I have just signed onto a ship as one of their engineers. I need three more days.

You have twenty-four hours to leave the station. Or you will be taken into custody The guard replied then the two of them walked away.

Davin looked around the storage area and could see two droid guards standing in their charging racks a short distance away that hadn’t been there before. He knew if he returned for his things after the time was up they would be activated and he would be taken. He would have to find a place to hide then make it to the ships berth without being seen and from what he had seen on this station that was going to be a good trick.

With his ramblings around the station, he found an old passageway down to some of the lower levels where he was sleeping for the last two days. He hadn’t seen any cameras on that level and felt if he stayed there, that he might be able to get away with it. However, first he wanted to see the ship he had just signed on to and make sure that he wasn’t being jerked around by the other captain.

He headed for the Delta docking facilities then to the observation platform. From there he could see all of the ships docked on the Delta platform. He located berth 7 and found it empty. In fact, there were only a two small ships berthed on the Delta platform.

It must be a trick set up by the captain. They all stick together to screw you. He cursed and hurried away from the observation platform. 

He knew that he had enough credits saved to purchase a place on one of the freighters that were leaving the next day. It would take all he had, but that would be better than spending several years working off the passage as an indentured deck hand. The only problem with that was they were all like the last ship he was on and only went to some of the smaller mining facilities. It would take him years, if ever, working at one of them to save up enough credits to reach the outer arm.

His blood started to boil as he made his way back. He found himself walking right into the bar where he had seen the two of them enter. As soon as he walked inside, he knew he was in trouble. All he could see were aliens except for a human sitting in the back. Several of them turned and looked at him as he stopped in the middle of the room.

Two of them stood up and he reached for the only weapon he had. They walked towards him then turned towards the back of the room and into the restroom. He stood there and watched them until they were out of sight then he heard the whine of a stunner charging and looked towards the bar. The Fenrir behind the bar was holding a large stunner and was pointing it at him.

Put it away and take your trouble outside. I run a respectable establishment and won’t have your kind causing any trouble.

There is no problem. He replied and shoved the small stunner back into my pocket. He held up his hands to show him he was unarmed. The bartender didn’t lower the stunner. I’m looking for a couple of men who came in here about a half hour ago.

What do you need son? A voice said from the back of the room. He looked towards the voice and saw the passenger from the ship leaning out of one of the booths.

I’m looking for the captain you met outside. He replied his blood was starting to boil again.

Come over and sit. He will be back in a few minutes. The man replied. Davin walked over to the table and a Fenrir followed behind him. Bring another round. What will you have son?

I’m not your son. A beer. Davin replied then slid into the booth. The other man walked out of the restroom and back over to the booth. Davin quickly stood up as he approached. Tell your captain friend nice try, but it didn’t work. I went out to Delta and there’s no ship in slip seven.

That is right it will not be here for another three days. The man replied and slipped into the seat. The Fenrir returned with the drinks and set them on the table.

Sit down son. The other man said.

I’m not your son. Davin replied to him again.

Davin isn’t? Sit down Davin. My name is Jose Perez this is. He could see the other man shake his head and captain Perez stopped. What makes you think I am trying to trick you? I told you up front that the ship wasn’t going to be ready for three more days. Captain Perez said. Davin noticed then that Perez and the other man had the same accent.

That is what you captains do isn’t it? If someone stands up to you when you fuck up, you blackball them and do your best to have them put into servitude for the rest of their lives.

I have no idea what you are talking about. I found your name on the list for engineers when I arrived and looked into the charges that your last captain brought against you. I also looked up the ship and found that it had wrecked and that the cause was from a jump drive failure. I assumed that you knew this. Yes I read your statement, but I had all ready decided to offer you the job.

Especially since you are the only engineer qualified for the ship out here. The other man said as he leaned back in the booth.

I cannot put you on the ships manifest until it arrives. That is the law. Captain Perez replied.

Sit down Davin and drink your beer. The other man said.

Davin sat down and picked up the glass.

Three days later, I made my way to berth seven and found the ship. I was able to get onboard with the guard robots hot on my tail. The man who hired me was waiting for me just inside of the ship and as soon as I was onboard, they sealed the hatch and we got underway. I remember I was so glad when we pulled away from the station and didn’t really care where we were headed as long as it was out of that sector.

Chapter Two

The Xamaeve'keso was small cramped and very fast. There wasn’t much for armament on the ship. There were only two small rail guns and six blasters all of which were controlled from the cockpit. Its shielding was like something I had never seen before. That and that it could change course in jump was strange to begin with, but when I met the rest of the crew I knew I was in for it. There were a total of eight crewmen onboard the ship and not one of them, except for the captain, where human. This really didn’t bother me that much. I have dealt with nonhumans while I had been in the military. I made some good friends of some of them, but these guys were different. They were short with large heads. Not large like the ones you have seen on the beings from Dschubba with their big budging long eyes and two holes where their nose should be. They more like a human heads, but larger with large eyes two holes with a small nose and a mouth below it. Their long hair hung down their backs, or tied up in ponytail. Their hands had three fingers and an opposable thumb attached to its single jointed arms. They stood a little over a meter in height. The main difference was they were very smart a lot smarter than I was.

The crew did not pay any attention to Davin as the captain showed him to the cockpit. The captain pointed to a console and told him to sit down. Davin looked at the unfamiliar symbols and controls. The copilot looked towards him and could see his confusion. He started translating the symbols for Davin. Davin noticed that his English was impeccable except for the slightest accent as the captain had. The copilot handed Davin a marker and told him to put the translations under the controls until he learned to read them. Davin looked at the unfamiliar controls and could see the faded translations that had been there before. It took him several hours to figure out what they were and how they worked. Once he had it, he removed the markings from the console not wanting to look too stupid in front of the others.

This Xamaeve'keso did not have an engineering section. You controlled the drives and monitored what they were doing all from the cockpit and the console where Davin was working. Davin found out during the trip that everyone onboard that ship could have done his job as well as he did or even better. Why the pilot had hired him was never told to him by anybody onboard. However, he was glad he took the job at least he wasn’t going to be sold to the highest bidder as indentured and have to work for almost nothing to pay his way off that station.  

The Xamaeve'keso was very fast her sub light speed was almost .6 the speed of light. This was unheard of for a privately owned ship. There were only a few military ships that fast. Her jump speed was four parsecs per hour with a jump rate of three hours and a full charge rate of twenty hours. Where or how they stored all of that energy he never found out. The Heavies where he had his training were just a little faster than she was and a third of the ship was used to store the energy to sustain a jump of less than three parsecs per hour with a five hours charge rate for a maximum jump time of eight hours.

The Xamaeve'keso left the Taluses Station at .05 the speed of light and headed out towards the outer arm. The Orion–Cygnus Arm is 3,500 light years across and approximately 10,000 light years in length. Davin had not been that direction since he had joined the military. He had always been heading in towards the center of the galaxy or towards one of the inner arms. He found out that they were headed for the Twin Suns system about hundred and fifty parsecs from the Taluses Station. In a little over fifteen days, they had crossed space to that system stopping only twice to refuel the ship.

The Twin Suns system wasn’t as Davin had heard about in his history classes. The ancient planet that once orbited the larger of the two suns had long ago been torn apart by the gravitational pull of the two suns and most of it had plummeted into the larger of the suns. There was only a trail of small asteroids remaining in orbit about the larger sun.

The ship slowed and docked with the station in orbit around He'konéenoo'e. Captain Perez stopped by Davin’s cabin before he departed the ship.

You are not to leave the station or attempt to go to the surface. If you do, you will be taken into custody and probably killed. Captain Perez said. You can go to all non restricted areas on the platform.

Davin heard rumors of their justice system and did not want to experience it for himself.

The planet consisted of one large land mass bordered by large glaciers on both polar caps. There was one large city called Wa-Hi-Nasa and another smaller one at the base of the elevator called He'aman. He found out that it meant to elevate someone or something from one of the guards on the platform. There are other small villages scattered across the countryside, but most of them did not have any names that the guards knew of. The station itself was not that big and was attached to the only elevator leading to the surface of the planet.

They put me up in a room in a small hotel and told me to stay there until they returned. I found out later that it wasn’t a hotel, but the BOQ. Somehow, they thought that I was an officer. Shit I barely made sergeant in the military. I was there for a week before anybody showed back up.

I remember that I spent most of my time   wandering around the station looking at the different creatures that inhabited this system. The bulk of the people were like the ones on the ship. They are called Triskelia. There were some humans, mostly in Space Fleet uniforms. The others referred to us as off worlders. Then there were the Cawte. The first time I saw one, I thought to myself. These are not some guys you want to meet in a dark alley. They stand almost two meters in height with large arms and three fingered hands. The fingers have claws on them that can rip you to shreds. They can inject a poison from the claws that will kill you if you are not treated soon after being injected. They stand upright on two legs and have a tail that is as long as their legs. I found that there are different casts of Cawte. I saw some in Space Fleet uniforms some in the different uniform of their Space Fleet then there was the camouflage uniform of a Cawte warrior with their sword strapped to their back. They acted as if their shit doesn’t stink and look down on the others. I saw very few civilians on the station and they were mostly technicians working on the station or office personnel.

After Davin had been there a week, a woman about his age showed up at his door. When he opened the door, he saw this young woman dressed in a long gown of brightly colored silky cloth.

Engineer Davin Mac Ferson you are to come with me. She said.

Who are you? Davin asked.

I am Pilot warrior María Perez. She replied.

Any relation to Captain Perez?

I am high warrior Perez’s daughter. He sent me to locate you and to being you down to the surface. The Warrior council wishes to speak with you. I am to make sure you do not offend anybody and lose your head while you are there. María answered.

Are you some sort of high warrior? Davin asked. Davin heard about their warrior class and he knew that they had some women members.

I am. She replied. However you shall treat me as your guide or guard depending on the way you behave. If you will gather your things we will be leaving.

She stood there as he packed his bags then Davin followed her down the corridor. He watched her as she led the way and was intrigued by the colors that were intricately woven into the cloth and how they seemed to change hews as she moved. He felt that she was rather cold as if this was not what she wanted to be doing. Davin followed her to the elevator and down to the surface. He had ridden in some elevators leading to the surface of a few planets before. He had never been in anything that moved that fast and not feel any movement at all.

Once they were on the ground, they boarded a car sitting on a flat road. The doors to the car closed then it started to move. It increased in speed across the surface until the landscape seemed to blur as it flew past. The car slowed as suddenly as it had accelerated then stopped at an elaborate station made out of black volcanic stone polished to the point where you could see your reflection in it. Davin followed her out of the car and through the station to a small room. She stopped and pushed a symbol that he could not read and the doors to the room opened. They stepped into the room and the doors closed behind them. She pushed one of the many symbols lit on the wall and the doors opened again. Davin stood as she walked out. She stopped and looked back at him.

Are you coming or are you going to stand there all day? She asked.

He grabbed his things, walked out and looked around the large chamber where they had stopped.

Where are we? He asked her.

We are two hundred Tarren meters below the surface. She replied and continued across the cavern. We found many caves after the great war over five hundred standard years ago. We moved the entire complex down into them to protect our forces. After the war ended, we expanded them. Few off worlders are allowed down here.

I take it that you were born here.

No I was born on Pachama in the village of Háa'êstahe Hoóhtseto. Where were you born?

Me? My mom and dad were poor miners working out in the Gulf quadrant. I was born on mining platform 2977 in the Hotel quadrant. I grew up on platform 2835B or as we called it, stink hole bravo and yes it stunk. He could still remember the smell of that place. He remembered that as he grew up there, it didn’t bother him. However, after joining the military when he returned on leave how it smelled. He also remembered how his leaves became shorter and shorter until soon he was not going at all to see his folks.

He continued to follow her across the cavern then to another set of doors. There was a Triskelia standing guard outside of the door. The Triskelia came to attention and spoke in a strange language to María. She replied as if it was her native tongue. He stepped aside to let them pass.

You can leave your things here. He will make sure they are not disturbed. María said as she opened the door.

Davin set his bags and case down then followed María into the room. He was not expecting to see the group of people both human and alien sitting around the large table. María walked up to the table and stopped then spoke to them in Triskelion. Davin just stood there looking around the room. When she finished an elderly Triskelia spoke to him in English.

Engineer Davin Mac Ferson. He said.

Yes ah yes sir. He stuttered out.

Engineer Davin Mac Ferson we understand you are a trouble maker and you should not have been allowed to be brought here. Is this true?

Ah Sir I ah...

Address him as high warrior 8th Nâhahé Póhkéso. María said to him.

High warrior 8th Nâhahé Póhkéso I do not know what you are talking about. Captain Perez...

High warrior Perez. She said softly.

High warrior Perez hired me as a ships engineer. I didn’t know where we were going or why. All I knew was that I needed a way off the station so took the job. I did the job as best as I could. As to the last ship, I was on, it wasn’t my fault that the jump drives were bad. They were old and I tried to tell the Captain of the ship that they needed servicing. He ignored the warnings I gave him. I even contacted the owners of the ship and tried to tell them about the jump drives. They never responded either. I put a copy of the letters I set to them in the file. Captain I mean high warrior Perez said he read it.

Why did you accuse warrior Perez of trying to have you put into bondage? Another Triskelia asked.   

"I thought he was like the other captains I have run into out there. If you criticize what they do or how they command, they will fire you on some trumped up charge then dump your ass on a station and black list you. The stations will give you thirty standard days to leave the station knowing that you will have to pay for passage to one of the mining colonies if you have the credits. There you will have to find work just to survive and try to save enough to leave. I had enough credit saved to purchase a place on one of the freighters that were leaving the next day. It would have taken all I had, but that would be have been better than spending several years working off the passage as an indentured deck hand. The only problem with that was they were all like the last ship I was on and only went to some of the smaller mining facilities. It would take me years, if ever, working at one of them to save up enough credits to reach the outer arm again where I could find a job on a larger ship. I knew I was going to have to start over at the bottom.

High warrior Perez came to me and offered me the job. He told me that one of his engineers had taken sick. He told me that the ship would leave in three days and was leaving that sector of space. I had only one more day before they were going to arrest me. He convinced me to take the job. After I first talked to him, I went looking for the ship. I located berth 7 and found it empty. In fact, there were only a two small ships berthed on the Delta platform. I thought then it must be a trick set up by my last captain. I had heard about other captains who got their rocks off screwing with blacklisted people. It pissed me off so I went looking for him."

Where you going to kill him? Another Triskelia asked across the table from him.

No I just want to confront him and let him know that he couldn’t intimidate me like that.

You had a weapon on you did you not? A Cawte asked.

Yeah I carry a small stunner with me. It gets me out of trouble sometimes.

And into more trouble other times. The Cawte replied. The men around the room laughed.

Sometimes. What is this all about? I didn’t threaten anybody. I have not threatened anybody since I arrived.

If you had we would not be having this conversation now. High warrior Nâhahé Póhkéso said. We will make our decision after we have finished hearing your defense for your actions. Go on and tell us your side of what transpired in the meeting house.

Meeting house? It was a bar one used by aliens. Ah, no disrespect meant, I have some good friends who are aliens. Davin knew he was digging his grave deeper by the looks on their faces. When I walked into the bar and saw the six Grendel turn towards me I figured that it must be their bar. You don’t want to fight them. The only way to win is to kill them and I knew I didn’t have a chance against six of them. Two of them stood up and I pulled the small stunner out of my pocket. Blasters are not allowed on Taluses Station or a lot of the other stations. I keep a small stunner with me just in case. I figured I could slow two of them before the others got me. I watched them as they headed for the back of the bar. Then I heard the sound of a large stunner charging. I looked towards the sound and found a Fenrir behind the bar holding a large stunner that was pointed at me. He told me he didn’t want any trouble and I told him I wasn’t looking for any and I put my stunner away. He didn’t lower his stunner. I told him that I was looking for a couple of humans who had come in there about a half hour earlier. That is when the passenger from the ship spoke.

That was warrior 6th Ludwig Adalwolf he was my contact in that sector. Perez said.

Continue. The high warrior said.

I went over to his table and he bought me a beer. When high warrior Perez returned to the table, I confronted him about there not being a ship in slip seven. He told me that the ship would not be there for three more days and reminded me that he had told me this before. He convinced me that he was on the up and up. We talked for a while and I left them after a couple of beers and went back to where I was staying.

Where was that? A human asked.

I was hiding in the lower levels trying to stay away from the guards that were looking for me.

Why were you hiding from the guards? He asked.

"Because I didn’t have enough credits to rent a room, eat and still have enough to buy a ticket off the station if I didn’t find the right job. I was sleeping in the laundry room for the hotels. It is off limits to the public. The guards don’t patrol much down there.

After I left them, I picked up my things from the storage locker and headed down there. I hid there for three days then made my way to slip seven. There I found the ship and made it onboard just before the droid guards were able to get me."

What did you do before you signed on with your last ship?

I was in the military. I was a mechanic and worked on Heavies. I got my license as an engineer working on them. I thought I could get a job on one of those big commercial passenger liners. Instead, I ended up on an old worn out cargo ship. What is this all about anyways?

Thank you Engineer Davin Mac Ferson. You will go with warrior María Perez while we discuss what you have told us. Warrior María Perez will see to your needs until we recall you with our findings. High warrior Nâhahé Póhkéso said.

Davin had no idea what he had done or what the inquiry was about. It wasn’t until a lot later that he found out that it was a job interview.

María Perez ushered him out of the room and back to the elevator. She pushed a symbol and the doors closed and opened on another level. Davin followed her out of the elevator then to a room with a small desk. She went to the small desk and entered some information into the system then told him to place his hand on a plate on the desk. Davin felt a slight tingle run through his body then a voice in my head. The voice told him a number in English. He looked at María and she seemed to be bored to death with what she was doing. When he removed his hand, she stood up and started out of the room.

What number did it tell you? She asked me.

Four hundred and thirty five. I replied.

Four three five. That is two floors up on the right hand side. The mess hall is on level one and six.

Level sixteen.

No, one and six. That is right you are a stupid off worlder. Our system is a base eight system. One and six is equal to your fourteen.

What level are we on now?

You are on the administration level, level two and one. Housing for personnel starts on level eight and runs to level one and eight. The conference room was on level two and five. Your room is on one and seven.

What room do you live on?

That is none of your business.

What if I need to see you about something?

You will not. You are not to leave your room without someone to babysit you, which unfortunately I have been assigned. You are an off worlder and subject to our laws while on the planet surface. Someone or I will make sure you get to where you are needed. You can move from your quarters to the mess hall and back without an escort, but only to the mess hall and to your quarters. If you try to go anyplace else they will locate you and you will lose your head. 

She meant that literally. He found out that if you screw up in their system, they would cut your head off. He grabbed his stuff and followed her back to the elevator. There she pointed to the symbols on the wall and counted them off then told him to do the same thing. He could hear her count them off in Triskelion as he counted them back in English. When he had finished she told him to push one and seven. He counted down seventeen places and she grabbed his hand.

Your room is on one and seven not seventeen. Now count them down again.

He counted down to eight then started over again. When he reached the second seven, he stopped. She nodded her head and he pushed on the symbol. The doors closed and opened again. She walked out then stopped and looked at him.

Your room is that way. I would suggest you learn to count and read our numbers first. We only have eight symbols for one to eight. It is not that hard even for an off worlder to learn them. Davin followed her down the hallway until she stopped in front of a door. She looked at the door then at Davin. This is your quarters. Place your hand on the pad and the door will open for you.

Davin set some of his things down and placed his hand on the plate next to the door. The door opened and she just stood there as he struggled to carry his things inside.

The room was similar to some rooms he had stayed in on some stations. There was a bathroom off to one side as you entered then a bed that looked too small for him with two nightstands next to it. There was a bureau along one wall with a small terminal at one end. Davin turned around to look for María, but the door was closed and she was gone.

For the next six days, Davin was met in the morning then escorted to the dining hall then taken back to his room. For the noon and night meal, the process was repeated. For those six days, nobody came for him except for meals. After the sixth day, he was allowed to travel between the two levels unescorted. He started   wandering around the two levels that he was allowed and only found closed doors. One day he had had enough. He walked into the elevator and pushed the top symbol. The doors closed and opened on the surface. He walked out and felt the cold night wind hit him and penetrate the clothing he was wearing. He could see his breath as he walked around looking at the moon lit surroundings.

He hadn’t wandered too far when a young Triskelia warrior stopped Him.

What are you doing on the surfaces?

I need some fresh air. Davin replied.

The Triskelia warrior nodded his head and told him not to   wander too far. Davin nodded to him and walked toward a field of grain that was growing not far from the station. He hadn’t been out there more than five or ten minutes when he saw this large beast. It rose up on its hind legs and snorted its large head. He could see large body covered in fur and its large paws that looked as if they could crush you. Its head looked like similar to a water buffalo that Davin had seen in some pictures. Davin wasn’t sure what it was so he quickly made my way back towards the station.

As he walked back onto the polished platform a cars suddenly stopped in front of him. One second it wasn’t there then it was. Startled he jumped then moved back as several Triskelia and humans got off. They were all speaking Triskelion as they looked at him as they passed. He stood off to one side and watched them as they made their way to the elevator. When he turned back towards the car, it was gone. He only felt a breeze as the air filled the void it left behind.

The guard walked over to where he was standing looking up at the stars. He was trying to find a constellation that was familiar.

They are pretty are they not? The guard said.

Yes. They look so different from the ones I grew up looking at.

Where are you from? I know you are an off worlder, but I do not hold that against you. Me I grew up right here. My father and his father were all warriors. In fact I don’t know of anybody in my family as far back as we can remember who was not a warrior.

I’m from out there, someplace. I don’t recognize any of the constellations from here. You don’t sound like you want to be in the military.

It is all right, but I wanted to be an explorer and see new worlds. I thought I could get into our space fleet, but I couldn’t pass the tests.

I know what you mean. It took me two tries just to get into the army. When I took my exams to get my engineer certificate I had to cram for weeks. If my sergeant hadn’t helped, I probably would not have passed. I don’t know what good it did me. I ended up on a piece of junk ship with a captain who blamed everyone else for his failures. My name is Davin, Davin Mac Ferson.

It is an honor to meet you Davin Mac Ferson. I am Háahk Póhkéso. Háahk Póhkéso said then held out his arm to him. Davin reached for his hand and he quickly grabbed Davin’s arm at the elbow. Davin could feel the strength in his grasp as they shook arms.

So what did you do to end up out here in the cold?

My father’s father found out that I had complained about one of the high warriors. He had them put me out here to learn some respect.

Your father’s father, you mean your grandfather.

Yes in English that is what he is called. Here he is called high warrior 8th Nâhahé Póhkéso. He is the high warrior of our space warriors. He is one of the ones who spoke to you the other light.

Just then, the doors to the elevator opened and María Perez walked out. She stormed over to where Davin was standing.

What are you doing out here? You were told to stay on levels one and six and one and seven not go   wandering around. She yelled at them.

Good evening to you too. I needed some fresh air. It was getting stuffy down there stuck in that room with nothing to do.

You warrior Háahk Póhkéso high warrior 8th Nâhahé Póhkéso will hear about this.

So what, I am all ready on his shit detail list. Go on and tell him tell my ného'asêstse ného'e tell my whole family for all I care. As soon as I can, I am getting off this rock and onto a real planet just as far away as I can get.

How dare you speak of your father’s father like that? María Perez exclaimed.

Háahk Póhkéso just made a rude gesture and walked away. Davin could see the shock on María’s face and it was all he could do to keep from laughing. When she looked at him, he stood there smirking trying not to laugh. This seemed to make her angrier. He hadn’t said anything and he didn’t know what Háahk Póhkéso had said for sure. He had used a strange word for his grandfather that Davin hadn’t heard before. 

Let us go. She said and headed for the elevator.

I was going back inside soon anyways. It’s dammed cold outside after dark on this planet. Davin replied and followed her back inside.

She pushed the button for his level and the doors closed then opened again on the room level. Davin walked out ahead of her and down the corridor to his door. He stopped when we reached the door and looked at her.

I would offer you a drink if I had anything to drink. He told her then put his hand on the plate by the door. He walked inside and as he was going to shut the door, she walked past him into the room.

Do you know how much trouble you got me into this dark? Do you know who told me that you were outside?

No, and you know what, I really don’t give a shit. You come up and get me from the platform, then act as if I was trying to invade your system. Your high warrior what his name, yes high warrior 8th Nâhahé Póhkéso accuses me of trying to kill captain Perez.

He is not a captain he is…

"I know a high warrior something or another. I don’t care. I’m here because I was hired to look after the drives and to be the ships engineer on the Xamaeve'keso. It didn’t bother me that the only person who would talk to me was the copilot all the way here. We land here and your daddy tells me that I am to stay on the platform because I’m not wanted here. Therefore, I do what he says and I’m treated as if I’m some sort of space crud they scraped off their boots by the people on the platform.

You drag me down here and treat me as if I was some sort of punishment detail then take me before an inquisition by some short shit high warriors. I didn’t threaten anybody. I have not threatened anybody since I arrived. I haven’t tried to kill anybody since I left that piece of shit I was on and believe me I know how to do that. Hold on I know what you are thinking I sabotaged the ship before I left. I didn’t have to. That piece of junk was doomed before I was hired onboard. I spent two and half years trying to keep it from blowing up. I didn’t have to do anything to it. All I want now is to find another job as a ships engineer and get out of here. So if you don’t mind, why don’t you run along back to your daddy and tell him I quit and all I want is off this frozen Popsicle."

I must have pissed her off for she walked out of the room and I didn’t see her again for a long time.

Three days later, Háahk Póhkéso, the guard he had talked to outside, came for him. He took Davin down to the conference room again to appear before their high warriors. Davin walked into the room and sat down in one of the chairs. He thought they were going to have apoplexy epically high warrior Nâhahé Póhkéso. Davin felt that they must have thought he was going to cowl down to them.

She must have ratted me out. Davin thought. The first thing they brought up was about him going outside without his escort.

Am I some sort of prisoner? Davin asked.

No you are not a prisoner. High Warrior Nâhahé Póhkéso replied.

Then way am I treated as one? All I did was to go outside to get some fresh air. I didn’t try to sabotage anything while I was out there.

Did you sabotage the other ship before you left? A Cawte asked.

Davin didn’t even reply. He just stood up and started for the door. When he reached it, he stopped.

You hired me and I expect to be paid. If I’m not going to be treated respectfully then I quit and want to leave. Davin opened the door and walked out of the room. He could hear the men in the room start to shout as the door closed.

Davin thought that he could catch a ship out of there headed for somewhere in that quadrant of space. That evening Davin was sitting alone at his usual table when Háahk Póhkéso walked up and sat down.

Aren’t you afraid of what the others are going to say? Davin asked.

About what? I am your new guard. I was told to stay with you anytime you left your room no matter where you went.

Then I am a prisoner here.

"No if you were a prisoner you wouldn’t be allowed to move around. You sure pissed off my father’s father. I could hear him and the other shouting outside the door for over three