Anyhow here the storys to make it easier for me to save them and for you lot to read them if that allright with you
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Passing time with On-line News
Some months ago, while I was doing a courier job in the system Menelaus' Frontier, I spent some days in the hotel section of the trading station, while I was waiting for my contact person. At the info terminal in one of the R&R lounges, I swept through the colorful on-line News, in order to keep myself up to date. But I had doubts again and again whether these things have actually happened.
I have already heard about the beautiful sunsets on Nif-Nakh, the seat of the Patriarch of Chin. The bedazzling colors in the sky are drawn gently and as well as sharply in contrasting color tones by the many meteorites cutting through the atmosphere. This magic event is a destination for dreamers, I always wanted to experience this performance myself - just for one time. But as I sit here now, I must read that these meteorites are no meteorites at all. In fact, they are prisoners condemned to death, who are placed into superseded, scrap iron-ripe and no longer flight-worthy spaceships and who are catapulted from a carrier ship stationed in the orbit, in order to burn up in the atmosphere. No more dreaming.
A few pages further I found a disappointing message: With the installation of the paranid landing computer in their equipment docks it is alleged that another secret system is installed as well, which scans and filters regularly the logs and the data banks of the ship and collects the result into its memory. If one travels in one of the Paranid sectors afterwards, this data is transmitted to one of several camouflaged receiving stations. Thus the Paranid are able to access enormous and extensive volume of data, which would explain their technical knowledge advances. But is it really like that? One would have to let the ship be completely checked. In my case, it would be best, if Teladi technicians would fullfill this tricky task. But who knows what the teladi will actually build in instead? And the Paranid would notice that then.... Oh, I rather don't want to think about it at all.
I also discovered an interesting warning: It was addressed to all pilots of Teladian ships, who left their ships in the original gold colors. Like me, hmmm..... Distrustful and aggressive individuals, as for example the Split pilots are, they mistake the golden glittery effects for laser cannons fired too often and react accordingly to their nature. An important note for pilots flying in the Split territories. This would also explain the sudden and unexplained attacks which I experienced a few months earlier in the system of Family Whi. Which just goes to show...
In the well looked area of Entertainment named "Colorful and Gossip" I read about the everyday life habits of other races. Like for example the Split, where it is normal to spend the time after breakfast for preparing measures against the plots within the family and to fulfill them, if possible before the evening is over. Speed and consistency is important , because the others will do the same. A daily challenge thus, in order not to lose one's reputation or the position of power. A Split has hardly time to relax, because the constant family feuds and the negative, aggressive attitude towards strangers require various time-consuming activities. Not so easy to lead a Split life.
My next job led me to the distant Teladi system Scale Plate Green, where I experienced adventurous events. More on that next time. No, I still have not repainted my Falcon yet *g*
Excitement in Chin's Clouds
I was on the way to the Teladi system Scale Plate Green, when in the Split sector Chin's Clouds I was surprised by a general excitement. More ships then normally were travelling between the space stations there. Just after leaving the jump gate I was contacted by a Boron Piranha pilot who asked for information about ships equipment possibilities in this area. A Teladi pilot offered a large sum of credits for my mineral scanner, another wanted to buy from me my 2 Hornet missiles. These questions slowly aroused my interest and also I began asking questions myself. I decided to land in the local Trading Port and apart from some provisions of food supplies for my further journey also wanted to investigate the reason of these unusual happenings.
It was already hard enough to get landing permission because the dock area of the Trading Port was apparently overcrowded. Thus I spent the time while in the waiting position with the evaluation of the data of various scanned ships. Ships of all races of the planet community were represented in this area. I even noticed a few rare Paranid combat ships, who traversed a little aimlessly from station to station. As if they looked for something, but would not know, where to begin with the search. Most of the ships, which I had scanned, had one thing in common: Full scanner configuration.
Finally after docking and making a few purchases I went into the visitors information room. From afar already I saw a large crowd in front of the info terminals. I pushed myself in between and looked out for a terminal, which was operated by a Teladi. When I came closer the Lizard hissed something like: "stay away" and "hold your distance", but when I held a just bought bag of Stott spice towards him, he changed his body language from rejecting towards accommodating. I only asked my 'business partner' if I could watch. The Lizard paged wildly through the message section and changed again and again to star and sector maps. I kept thinking how long it would take me to solve this puzzle: What did the Teladi look for? Which information was so important for him and probably all the others at the terminals too? When the Lizard studied the sector map of Chin's Clouds again and again, I had already my suspicions. The speciality of this system is the dense asteroid field in the center. I had to think inevitably of the large demand for transportation of persons to Seizewell, while I flew on the way here through the Teladi systems. Seizewell accommodates a well-known expansive asteroid belt. The questions about scanners and Hornets, which met me here spoke also for the fact that asteroids had something to do with the large unrest.
After a dozen more attempts of looking at pages the Teladi made a resigning movement and looked at me. Still holding firmly the bag of Stott in his claw, he shifted me closer to the terminal and selected the display area. He pointed at one of only recently published announcement of the Boron representatives of the Foundation Guild, in which it said something about the protection of the Markus Spaceflies. Everyone, who could indicate the accurate coordinates of an inhabited Spaceflies nest, could count on a premium reward. That was it - the search for fly nests. It is already taught to the children in the schools that the Spaceflies build their nests in asteroids. It is also well-known that the Markus Spacefly became a long time ago a protected species with an embargo of its universal hunt and trade. It is however not ruled out that the Split still use this poor organisms for the drives of their space ships.
I read the call twice and noted its call-off number. That would be an exciting quest for me, particularly since I had never seen such a nest ever in the universe. Unfortunately I had to hurry to meet my date line with the system Scale Plate Green. I decided there and then to look out for the Spaceflies at a later point in time. I also only would like to mention here that this search was very exciting and I made an unusual discovery, which increased my reputation with the entire Community of Planets enormously. However, more about it next time.
Scale Plate Green
My contact person was late. I always knew that the Split were erratic and often unreasonable, that's why I had little hope that my date would be on time. The 'Blue Arrow' was safely stored in the dock area of the Trading Station, where I requested a standard check of her with the supervisor of the station. Now I had some time to think over the realities of this system. The Teladi system 'Scale Plate Green' is scattered with 26 partially very mineral rich asteroids, on which the Teladi already built two mines, which are supposed to make good profit. But the major task of this system seems to be the production of the Teladian Nostrop Oil. Already four Sun Oil Refineries are to be found here. The population density is not very high in this part of the Teladi territory and even the corridors and rooms of the Trading Station appeared to be empty. I like this peace in large installations. The view from one of the relaxation lounges into the wide-open space with the planet hidden in the half shadow and the many slowly rotating asteroids calmed my inner excitement.
The weak light of the two central stars hardly illuminated the objects in this system. I had to remember that perhaps in one of the asteroids there could lay a hidden nest of the lovely space flies, remote, safe, undiscovered. Yes, still undiscovered, because one hears again and again that it presents a worthwhile occupation for Pirates to catch these cute organisms and sell them to the Split. If one knew where the nests were, then one could keep these areas under surveillance.
Something did not make sense to me, but first I had to sift the many thoughts, which raced through my head. The three suspicious characters, which I carried with me since the system Tharka's Sun, their strange indecision, as to how far they wanted to fly with me, then this mysterious job of the executive committee of the Argon Beta H.E.P.T. Laser Forge, to meet here with a courier of a SQUASH Mine Factory of the Split and to wait until further notice, the messages about a strange stranded spaceship, which circulated only in bits and pieces and unofficially - all that was fascinating and exciting, I wished only, I would have more time, in order to look more into this in detail.
At the info terminal I called up the space fly announcement and read it again. Now it became clear to me: The large unrest and the departure activity, which I had experienced in Chin's Clouds, were not to be seen here at all. The asteroids in this system did not seem to interest the reward hunters... why not? Nothing I would rather do now, then to fly there and examine each individual asteroid. But I had to complete a job first and this required that I remained here ready to be called up.
I went to the public map and discussion room, in which the front wall represented the current map of the entire system. The picture was transmitted directly by a navigation relay satellite, so that one had constantly an updated overview of the objects, their allocation and their movements. On the other walls were somewhat similar but not so highly detailed displays of the adjacent 3 sectors. Three groups, mainly Teladi, discussed excitedly and looked again and again to the right wall, which was dark and did not show any satellite picture at all. In their excitement they noticed neither my greetings nor me. I went to them and was told after a while that the satellite in the sector, to which the south gate led, probably failed and a new one is urgently required to be installed. The difficulty probably was that it concerned an enemy sector and one would not find a volunteer for this job. "I! I will do that!" I cried inside, but I was here bound. I did not say anything.
I sat down into a bowl, which was constructed for beings of my race and looked at the main sector projection. This sector must have a great strategic importance. Here two important travel and trading routes seemed to meet. One route leads from the Argon areas behind the east gate through the north gate across further Teladi systems to the Split, the other through the south gate across an enemy area into further Teladi sectors. I have never been in these corners of the universe before; even here in 'Scale Plate Green' I was visiting for the first time. And an enemy sector I only know from narrations. I gladly would like to feel the prickle in my belly again, when unknown surrounds me and could represent danger...
I called up the data of some of the ships flying in through the east gate. Some freighters have a long way before them, if they wanted to fly to the Boron systems. One even flew to the distant Paranid sector 'Trinity Sanctum'.
I shuddered suddenly, when something cool touched my head. When I turned, a Split was standing behind my seat. "The creature follows me" he said briefly. He turned and went off, without waiting for a response. I followed him through the corridors of the station. I was glad that he was there and had found me - I did not have to lose more time just sitting around. In the large main hall, where much activity prevailed, the Split turned briefly, in order to see if I was still there and to take the way to the docking area. He stopped before a combat ship of the type Scorpion and took out two locked and strong looking cases. "She takes freight and fly home." He said coldly.
I took a case from him and noticed that both would be too heavy for me. I looked at him briefly and said short but clearly: "Come Split, follow me." To my surprise he answered nothing, but did as I said. When we arrived at my Falcon, he said only: "Perhaps the creature will be spared from the Split - if it survives the way home." His lips twisted into a sardonic smile. "Perhaps not" he added. I lifted the second box off the ground and said, "Oh, thank you very much. Good flight home." But the Split was already gone. I saw him entering his spaceship, as I ran as fast as I could the whole way back until I was again in the room with the sector displays.
After a short discussion with the persons present and then with the station supervision we agreed on the fact that I should try to install the navigation satellite in the neighboring sector. The Teladi that had taken part in the preparation of the flight seemed grateful and I was pleased like a child to have finally, adventure before me. Finally I would meet the mysterious machines.
New Task
I had just a stazura to prepare for the new mission. In a hastily convened briefing, I was handed some information and material which I had to study before my imminent departure. Besides the general information which had been broadcasted by two former satellites, along with the communication logs of two pilots that luckily had returned, I also reviewed three sealed tapes with details classified as secret. These had been collected by the Argon Secret Service, Boron patrols and Teladi observers, - an act of confidence, which probably was related on the one hand to my good reputation with the races' governments. Or on the other hand to the apparently desperate situation they were in at the moment.
I was able to find some technical details about the machines' ship types in the Argon documents. So far the Xenon had similar class ship types at their command as to those that were known in the Community of Planets. There were three types of smaller fighters which were named N, M and L. Additionally the Xenon still possessed huge carriers and the big, fast and very dangerous destroyers, which were remembered painfully well by veterans of the Xenon War. The Xenon ships were thought to have the ability to use Hornet-class missiles, in addition to tremendously powerful energy plasma weapons. Uhh...I knew the specifications of that missile type - if any of them was to carry my name, then 'adios muchachos'... I really had to try to avoid a conflict with them. I would need quite a few sezuras really to be able to appreciate the situation I would be in after the jump.
Then I also had to think of my other still to be completed mission. The cargo which I would get from the Split had to be delivered to my employers regardless of the circumstances I was in or how bad my future looked! For this reason and due to the hornet menace, they let me choose between two ships for this mission. A small, lively 'Bat' and a hot-blooded fighter ship of the 'Hawk' type. Both were fast enough to evade a missile attack, but if the enemy managed to engage me in a dogfight, a Bat's agility and speed would be of advantage, because I wouldn't get anywhere against the enemy's superiority with any of the ships combat weapons. Thus I decided in favour of the Bat, which was then prepared for the mission by a group of technicians.
While I was still studying the Argon documents and being briefed for the flight by two advisors, a third Teladi entered the room. He seemed to be a high-ranking official, because a short glance by him was enough to make the other two advisors leave the room instantly without saying a word. The Teladi stood in front of me for a while and looked me over. "You know the official description of the job. But the reality is a little bit different." he started slowly. "It isn't just about where to place a satellite. By my estimate it won't be able to broadcast for longer than some stazuras anyway. We suggest that such installations are regarded as a border violation, which will lead to instant destruction. But we also want our information to be as precise as possible. Within the scope of this project from the Community of Planets, we want to gain further information concerning the strange machines we have observed. We need to learn anything about their attack strategies, firepower and possible communication methods. We need someone of your calibre for field surveillance who is able to evade an assault, while complete scanner, gravidar and other forms of data are continually streamed into our memory banks." He felt that I was just on the point of interrupting him and beat me to it: "After you had offered us your assistance, we immediately began to make inquiries about you. We of course now realise that the Argon as well as the Boron have absolute confidence in your abilities. If you should finish this job successfully, your reputation with the Teladi will be raised accordingly, and even the Ceo will be indebted to you." He then remained silent, giving me some time to reflect on what he had said. I didn't need much time, because this was a golden opportunity to solve a big task for the Teladi, with exciting rewards into the bargain. Exactly what I loved and needed! "How long will I be needed for reconnaissance there?" I asked, confirming that I was willing to accept the job. "As soon as you reach the Xenon sector, an armed fighter drone will be sent out from the sector 'Eighteen Billion', heading for your direction. This one will attract the Xenon's attention by some mock attacks so that we will be able to observe the reactions of the Xenon by means of the transmitter in your ship. In case the drone is destroyed we will need to know how this occured and what will happen immediately afterwards. Additionally we want to observe the reaction of the Xenon if we place a navigation satellite there. All things considered, the whole reconnaissance job shouldn't last longer than a wozura. Unless you've some reason to stay there longer..."
I discussed some further mission details with the Teladi, fetched some personal possessions out of the Falcon and then said good-bye to the other attendees. I configured the autopilot of the Falcon so that it would start its voyage back to the central Argon systems automatically in eight tazuras.
There wasn't as much space in the small fighter vessel as I was used to having. Still whilst I was settling in, I received clearance for take off. Shifting into thrusters, I passed the airlock at walking pace, and then geared up to full speed. Wooow!!! What an acceleration! Within a few sezuras I reached the Falcon's maximum speed, and the Bat's velocity display was still showing just one third of its maximum thrust output. I slowed down again and made a loop around the trading station, heading for the southern gate. On the correct path then, I tried some flight manoeuvres to get used to the Bat's controls and its flight behaviour. The cockpit design was well-known to me from the Falcon, just the outside view was a little bit more limited here. In other respects I came to terms with all the other control instruments without too many problems. I switched through the available camera views - impressed at how fast I had left the space stations behind me. At this speed I would reach the jumpgate within three stazuras.
fin...?
, I am but the sum of my experiences… and today I am more than I was yesterday. 