Star Guardian 4

I WOKE UP several hours later in my cabin. The lights were dim, and everything was quiet, apart from the engines. We’d left Quard Prime two days ago, and we were travelling through hyperspace to the Uv’ek system.

I sat up and turned up the cabin lights.

“Ship, any news?” I asked.

“No news, Captain. Everyone else is asleep,” replied Ship.

I rose from my bed and got a coffee from the food dispenser. Then I dressed in a jumpsuit and left my cabin.

The corridor lights were dim on this level, since Ship was in night mode. We often left our cabin doors open, and Ship kept the lights low to allow sleep.

I took the elevator to the main bridge, but there was nothing happening here. We didn’t keep a watch during transit, because you rarely meet anything in the middle of nowhere. Ship could wake us if needed.

My first location turned out a dud, so I returned to the elevator. I descended to the cargo level, and stepped out of the elevator, facing the botany lab doors. With Mina gone, I knew that room was empty. She’d set up automated systems to look after the plants, and I didn’t want to interfere.

The next door along from the lab was the garden. The garden was a relaxing place. I had a favourite bench there where I’d go to meditate. But I wasn’t in the mood for relaxing. I felt the need to do something.

I wandered along the corridor until I reached another wide door, doubtless one of several cargo bays.

“What’s in here, Ship?”

“Various debris collected from the orbital station that exploded after your departure.”

I thought of the energy absorbing material. It was dangerous and could absorb all your body heat if you touched it.

“Is it safe to enter?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s safe to enter,” replied Ship. “I’ve locked away all the dangerous material.”

I smiled. Ship was careful. Personally, I wouldn’t have collected the debris. I’d later learned they’d brought killer androids aboard Ship. A big mistake!

I opened the door and entered the cargo bay. It was a large space, and despite the insulated containers, the temperature was cooler in here.

I wandered around examining various bits of twisted metal and wreckage.

“Has anyone examined this debris?”

“Other than the androids and the energy absorbing material, no Captain,” replied Ship.

I turned over various pieces.

“Any interesting minerals?”

“Certain alloys, perhaps. I haven’t had time for further study,” said Ship.

Under a larger section, I uncovered a small metal object. It was a container. On it were markings that reminded me of the writings on the obelisks.

“This looks interesting,” I said.

Ship didn’t answer. I picked up the container and carried it over to a nearby crate to use as a table. It wasn’t very heavy.

I studied the container to discover the opening mechanism. Not that elaborate, and soon I had the lid open. Inside was a bracelet, a solid metal band sized to fit an average sized wrist. On the bracelet were more markings, but no obvious buttons.

“Ship, can you scan this?” I asked.

“It scans as a metal bracelet, no sign of harmful elements,” said Ship.

I picked up the bracelet. It didn’t feel cold or hot. I turned it around in my hands.

“Perhaps the ancient race wore it as jewellery,” I said.

It slipped easily over my hand and onto my wrist. I turned my arm to examine it under the lighting in the cargo bay.

“Perhaps Laine will like this,” I said.

Then a bright light surrounded me and the cargo bay faded from view.

A few minutes later, the lights came on in Jem’s cabin.

“Attention, Commodore,” said Ship.

Jem rolled over and slowly awoke.

“Have we arrived already?”

“Negative, Commodore,” replied Ship.

“Is there a distress call?”

“No, Commodore. I have to report an incident. The Captain is missing.”

“Brian’s missing?? But we’re in hyper space! Where could he go?”

“He was in cargo bay four, examining debris from the orbital station. He discovered a bracelet, then he disappeared.”

“Crap! Did you complete an internal search?” asked Jem.

“Confirmed. My sensors cannot locate him. I performed full diagnostics on all of my internal sensors. He is no longer aboard this vessel.”

“Crap!” said Jem. She swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“Wake the others. All hands meeting in the main bridge in half an hour,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“And seal that cargo bay off to all personnel, no exceptions.”

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

Jem stumbled into the en-suite to begin her day. This should be a time for relaxing, not searching for missing crew members!

What seemed like a few minutes later, the bright lights faded. I now stood in a clearing in a forest. Gone was the cargo bay. I was on a planet somewhere.

I couldn’t believe how stupid I was to touch that bracelet. So what if Ship told me it was harmless? I should have been more careful. After only one cup of coffee, I wasn’t thinking straight!

Surveying my surroundings, the trees looked like fir trees, not too densely spaced. The clearing had several stone slabs on the ground, so it wasn’t a natural clearing. Bits of grass grew around the edges. To one side lay a pile of rubble. It suggested a former civilization.

The air felt crisp and cool, and I guessed it was mid-morning local time. I’d need something warmer than my jumpsuit.

While observing the scene before me, a noise from behind made it clear I wasn’t alone in this clearing. I turned to discover several beings behind me. They sat around a campfire at the edge of the clearing.

“Crap!” I said to myself.

I must have just appeared out of thin air in front of them. Never a good idea.

Their startled reaction soon turned to a more defensive one. They grabbed spears and two stood and nocked arrows on bows and pointed them in my direction.

I edged my hands away from my sides to show I had no weapon, but not too quickly to suggest a hostile action. Even if I had an away team uniform on, it wouldn’t protect me from their primitive weapons. I hoped that my posture conveyed to them I wasn’t a threat.

They showed no signs of advanced technology, no suggestion they came from a space-faring race. They looked rather human. At least they had all the same appendages I did. They each wore long robes down past their knees.

I stood motionless. Soon, they spoke to each other, and one being approached with his spear pointed at me.

“Where you come from?” he said.

I wondered how I could respond. They looked to be primitives, and our directives forbid any actions that contaminate them with advanced knowledge.

“Where you come from?” he said again. He pointed his spear close to my face, clearly frustrated with my tardy response.

Then I finally noticed something. I guess because of the lack of coffee that I missed it at first. He spoke to me in Baglogi. It sounded stunted, compared to what I was used to, but I understood him.

“I’m a traveller. I just arrived here,” I said.

My response wasn’t sufficient, and he was getting agitated.

“One moment you not here. Bright light. Now you here,” he said tersely.

I shrugged. Their appearance was primitive, but they spoke Baglogi. I didn’t know what to say.

“You M'goo? You not Traut,” he said.

I shook my head. What the heck was a M'goo?

“I don’t understand what you mean,” I said.

“You come with us. Not safe here,” he said. His words were Baglogi, but they spoke in simple, brief sentences. I wondered what had happened.

I looked around the clearing. There was nothing to gain in arguing with them. They had weapons, and I didn’t. Perhaps they’d take me to someone with more authority who could help.

I shrugged. “I go with you,” I said.

About thirty minutes later, everyone (except Brian, of course) arrived at the main bridge.

Jem stood with her back to the tactical display, facing Laine and Saria.

“Brian’s no longer aboard this vessel. He is once again missing,” said Jem.

“What?? How did that happen?” said Laine, in shock.

“According to Ship, he was examining debris from the orbital station. Something he touched, transported him off this vessel,” said Jem.

“Impressive,” said Saria. “It would take highly advanced technology to transport a being off a vessel, moving through hyperspace.”

“I agree it’s impressive, Lieutenant, and it’s far beyond Baglogi technology. But that’s not the issue. Where’s he gone and how can we get him back?” said Jem.

Laine and Saria stood there in silence. Laine had an expression of concentration.

A moment later, she raised her hand.

“The debris came from the orbital station. It would make sense to assume it’s related to the obelisks,” said Laine.

“Are you suggesting he was transported to an obelisk?” asked Jem.

“It’s worth investigation,” said Laine.

“How do you suggest we proceed?” asked Jem.

“I have a map of the obelisks. We can visit each system until we find him,” she replied.

“That would take forever to complete an exhaustive search,” said Saria.

“Ship, we’ll need you to construct several vessels to visit systems with obelisks. Consult Laine’s map and plan a search pattern,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“That device was small, it might have limited range. We should start with systems nearest to our recent position,” added Laine.

“Commodore, we shall arrive in the Uv’ek system in three days. I’ll be ready to deploy multiple probes equipped with hyper drive then,” said Ship.

“We should examine the debris for further clues,” suggested Laine.

“No. If you got transported off Ship, I’d have to search for you as well. The cargo bay is off limits. I can’t afford to lose any more crew members,” said Jem.

Laine frowned. Jem felt bad for her, but she knew it was the right call. She wanted Brian back too, but couldn’t afford to lose anyone else.

“He could be on a planet with a toxic atmosphere. I can’t risk losing you that way,” said Jem.

“We can wear space suits,” suggested Saria.

“No. We proceed as planned. With luck, he’ll turn up soon. But we won’t take further risks,” said Jem.

After that, the meeting broke up. There was little to do until they reached their destination.

Soon after my hosts packed up their camp, we left heading West. They didn’t treat me like a hostage, but they didn’t behave too friendly either. I guess appearing out of thin air in front of primitives will put them on the defensive.

We travelled through trees and rolling hills for most of the day. I had no trouble keeping up with them, and they kept me in the middle of their group. I counted six beings, all armed with primitive weapons.

Throughout the day I studied my environment, in case I had to find it again. This planet was new to me.

I wondered what I could say to these beings. They didn’t appear space-faring, yet they spoke Baglogi. It was a puzzle to me.

I learned they called themselves Trauts, but that was all I’d got from them. Apart from their leader, they didn’t seem too keen to talk with me. We kept up a brisk walking pace, and they seemed familiar with the area.

Two beings split off from the group at one point, and rejoined us later, with game on their shoulders.

That evening, we stopped in a grassy area near a cluster of trees. They built a campfire in a well-used spot. There was even a pile of firewood nearby. I suspected this was a regular stop.

They directed me to sit near to the fire, where they could see me. I smiled and complied.

I ate meat on a stick that they’d roasted over the fire. It could have used more seasoning, but it wasn’t too bad.

A while later, my bladder was crying for release, and I got up to take care of things. Two Trauts stood and looked at me with a question on their faces. When I explained, they pointed me toward a nearby mound.

“Go behind there. Make lots of noise, so we know you’re there. Don’t take too long,” one of them said.

I walked around what seemed to me to be a large burial mound. There wasn’t much light. If this was their regular spot, I didn’t want to step on something.

Not being much of a singer, I counted out loud in Tian. While taking care of things, I looked curiously at the mound. It somehow seemed familiar.

So far, no one checked on me. I continued to count out loud and examined my side of the mound. The surface was mostly dirt and rocks and branches. I moved a few branches to see what was underneath it. In the semi-darkness, it was hard to tell. I thought I saw something metal.

By now, I was pushing my luck. Perhaps I’d check on this in the morning. I left my exploring and returned to my place near the fire. All their eyes followed me as I came back into view. I think they knew I took longer than needed, but they said nothing about it.

I woke up early next morning. The Trauts were already up, eating breakfast and doing other various chores. My thoughts soon returned to the far side of the mound.

Soon we’d be moving on, so I had to seize the chance now. I rose and ambled around the side of the mound. I hoped they’d not ask questions. As I moved out of sight, I counted out loud again.

I went back to where I’d explored before and pulled away more debris. I soon found what I thought I saw last night. It was something metal.

Soon it became even more familiar. This was a door to an airlock! Why would a primitive burial mound have an airlock? This made little sense to me.

Continuing counting out loud, I cleared away debris as quick as I could. Beside the door, I found an access panel. I waved my arm across it in the hope my ID would trigger something.

A moment later, the access panel flickered to life. The writing was in Baglogi! I pressed the green open button.

It gave off a hissing sound, and the airlock door slid to the side. Inside the lights came on, albeit dimly. I figured the Trauts had heard the noise and would come and investigate soon. So I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. It barely closed in time before they started banging on it.

Inside, it was dusty and disorganized. The lighting was dim, suggesting the power cells were low. This was unmistakably the inside of a Baglogi shuttle. I knew the design, having flown them a lot. This one was ancient.

What could I do now? The shuttle didn’t appear space-worthy It was more like a tomb. It was a long-abandoned relic. I’d have to come out soon, or else suffocate in here. Then those Trauts would still be outside, waiting for me.

My survival thinking kicked in as I searched around for anything that could help me.

Fortunately, the layout matched our own shuttles. I dug around and soon found a stun gun with two power cells. The food dispenser was offline, and there wasn’t much else here of use.

It was time to face the Trauts. I put the stun gun and power cells in my pockets, and approached the airlock.

I pressed the open button and the airlock door slid open. Outside, they stood in a semi-circle facing the airlock with spears pointing towards me.

I took a step forwards and outside the airlock. Behind me, the door closed. Everyone flinched and moved back a step.

Slowly, I moved away from the mound/shuttle and walked around to the camp fire. They kept a safe distance from me, as if I was a danger to them.

I sat down at my place near the fire and looked up at them.

“Is there any food?” I asked.

They stood around, watching me from a safe distance. By now they’d stopped pointing their spears at me. I looked at the one nearest me and shrugged. A moment later, he moved to the fire and picked up a stick of cooked meat and handed it to me.

“Thank you,” I said. I took a bite and chewed. I wished there was coffee on this planet.

About a minute later, the Trauts took their seats around the fire. They kept staring at me, as if I might pounce on them at any minute. Things had changed between me and these primitives.

I tried to focus on my breakfast, to look normal to them. My stepping out of a burial mound confused them. At worst, I’d contaminated them. I’m not sure what they thought of me now.

After our breakfast, the Trauts packed up, and we continued our journey. My hosts seemed less keen on walking near me, so they kept a larger gap between us. I smiled and followed their directions, hoping to put them at ease.

By about mid-morning we reached a more sparse terrain, with fewer trees and more low brush. In the distance rose tall cliffs and hills. The temperature here was warmer.

One of the Trauts turned to me and gestured that I should be silent. It was apparent this place held unseen dangers they knew more about than I did.

We moved at a brisk yet quiet trot, not stopping for anything. I could sense a tense mood from the Trauts, and I wondered what would make them so nervous.

A short distance later, one of the Trauts stepped on a small dry branch that made a loud cracking noise. They stopped at once and looked at each other in fear.

After a moment’s pause, we all started running. All attempts at being quiet vanished. They acted more like prey than hunters. Perhaps the predator had excellent hearing. I sensed the reassuring feel of the stun gun in my pocket and hoped that after all this time it still worked.

A few minutes passed, and we continued at a frantic pace. If there was a predator here, it surely had seen us stomping along in a panic. With the low brush, there wasn’t any cover. The ground was all flat and hard. Nowhere to hide or crawl into for protection.

Then I heard a noise from above, a loud screech. I tried to look for the source, but it was hard while running.

“Run faster,” said a Traut near me.

“I’ve not had coffee for two days. This is the best I can do!” I said, still running.

He didn’t stop to ask me about my response.

The sound got rapidly closer. This time I turned around and looked. It was an enormous winged creature, diving straight at us.

THIS GIGANTIC CREATURE was swooping straight down at us. There was no time to lose.

I stopped and pulled the stun gun and a power cell out of my pocket. Without delay, I plugged in the power cell and sighted the weapon on the creature. Finally, I pulled the trigger.

My good fortune amazed even myself! The weapon fired a stunning blast at the creature.

Then I realized my error.

The creature’s eye’s glazed over, but its wings were still rigid, and the momentum carried it directly towards me!

Just before impact, I dived to one side, and the creature crashed into the ground where I’d stood a moment ago. The impact made a terrifying thud sound.

I scrambled to my feet, expecting the creature to pounce on me at any moment. But I needn’t have bothered. It hadn’t levelled out or used its claws to slow its descent.

The unfortunate creature bore the full landing force on its head, which was now part buried, and part mush. Its rear legs and tail pointed skywards. In another situation, it might be comical.

The Trauts were nowhere to be seen, leaving me alone with the dead creature. I grabbed my stun gun, which I’d dropped, and returned it to my pocket. I might need that again.

I looked at my hands and saw blood on them, my blood! I couldn’t tell how. It might have been the bushes, the rocky ground, or perhaps rocks thrown up during the crash.

As the adrenalin wore off, I suddenly felt weak. I slumped to the ground, leaning against the torso of the dead creature. Alone on an alien planet, injured and in shock. I didn’t have a medical kit. There was nothing to tend to my wounds. I closed my eyes, overcome with tiredness.

Jem met with Laine and Saria at the main bridge. They were approaching the Uv’ek system and would soon drop out of hyperspace.

Jem turned to Laine. “How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you. I was hoping perhaps Brian arrived here ahead of us.”

“Stranger things have happened,” said Jem.

Saria raised her eyebrow.

“But if he hasn’t made it here, are we ready to carry out our plan?” asked Jem.

“Ship has prepared vessels. I provided a search list,” said Laine.

“I’ve limited supplies aboard of the required materials. Once we arrive in the system, I can mine the asteroid belt for more,” added Ship.

“Thank you, Ship. If the Captain isn’t waiting for us already, send out whatever is ready to begin the search,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed. We will arrive at the Uv’ek system in thirty minutes, Commodore,” replied Ship.

Half an hour later, the hyper-drive went offline. Everyone watched the tactical display on the main bridge. This was the second time they’d visited. Last time, they left Mina and Zune to re-colonize Uv’ek three.

“Attention, we have arrived at the Uv’ek system,” said Ship.

On the tactical display, they saw the Uv’ek system. Throughout the system were blue dots representing the system defences.

“Ship, activate your transponder and take us to orbit around to Uv’ek three. Check in with the system defences,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship. The Baglogi dreadnought began a course towards the third planet.

A few minutes later, Ship spoke. “Commodore, there’s no report of the Captain here.”

“Understood. Ship, send off the vessels you have ready,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship. Several blue dots appeared on the tactical display as the small probe vessels left on their appointed courses.

“Hopefully he didn’t go far, and we’ll find him quickly,” said Laine.

“Agreed. Meanwhile, we’ll visit Mina and Zune. Suit up and meet me in the shuttle bay once we’re in orbit,” said Jem.

I woke up later, lying on my back near a small campfire. The last thing I remembered was that creature attacking us. It was dark. The sun had gone down while I was unconscious.

I rolled my head to see the Trauts nearby, eating meat on sticks around the fire. My side ached, and I groaned. They all turned to look at me.

One of them came over and helped me sit.

“What happened?” I groaned.

“You kill Haku. No one kill Haku before,” said the Traut.

“That flying creature?” I asked.

He nodded vigorously.

“It tried to kill us,” I croaked. My throat felt parched and my voice showed it.

My host offered me a water skin. “Drink this, will help.”

I sipped the water and handed it back to him with a nod of thanks.

Throughout this, the others continued to eat.

I checked my pockets for the reassuring presence of the stun gun.

“You big magic, kill Haku,” he said. His face showed awe.

“My first time,” I said as I smiled briefly. “I got lucky.”

Fighting winged creatures wasn’t my thing, more an act of desperation.

“First time Haku killed. First time eat Haku,” he said.

“Hopefully no more Haku here,” I said. He stared at me, then quickly checked to make sure.

“No more here,” he said.

“That’s good, or your fire would bring them to you,” I said.

He turned to the fire and fetched me a stick with meat on it.

“You eat. Later rest. Tomorrow we go,” he said as he put the stick into my hand.

I glanced at it, then took a bite. It wasn’t too bad. In the absence of a food dispenser, it would suffice.

He watched as I ate the meat. I decided it was time to reach out.

“My name is Brian. What is your name?” I asked.

“I am Ronh,” he said.

“Thank you for the food and the water, Ronh,” I said.

He smiled.

“Haku meat, taste good,” he said. Soon, he rejoined the others.

After my meal, I lay down to sleep again.

A while later, Ship announced they were in orbit around Uv’ek three. All three crew changed into their away team uniforms and met in the shuttle bay.

“Let’s go visit Mina and Zune!” said Jem. She led them into the shuttle.

Jem sat in the pilot seat, and Laine and Saria took seats behind her.

“Ship, once we’re gone, get what you need from the asteroid belt,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

The shuttle bay depressurized and Jem piloted the shuttle outside Ship. As the shuttle descended towards the planet, Ship left orbit.

“It’s strange to see Ship going off somewhere without us,” said Laine.

“This entire system is under our protection. We’re safe here. Besides, Ship needs to gather more material to build probes to search for Brian,” said Jem.

“I wonder how Mina and Zune are progressing with their farming,” said Saria.

“We’ll soon find out,” said Jem.

The shuttle was approaching the landing pad. The forward view showed the compound and various areas of land that were prepared to grow crops.

Jem noticed another shuttle parked on one side of the landing pad. She adjusted her course to land on the other side. She also switched to anti-gravity as they arrived. It provided a gentle landing and caused less damage to nearby vegetation.

Shortly, they exited the airlock to be greeted by Mina, Zune and Cathy.

“Cathy!” exclaimed Laine. “How did you get here??”

“I came here aboard Yorkie, a vessel built by Quon. It might be in the system somewhere. I don’t know,” she replied.

“Please come inside, Commodore. I’m sure we have things to discuss,” said Mina.

Jem smiled and nodded.

Everyone followed Mina and Zune into the main dwelling structure.

Inside, they all sat in the lounge area. Mina and Zune sat together, holding hands. Jem and Laine sat on a sofa. Saria leaned against a wall, with her laser carbine slung over her shoulder.

Cathy recalled her story, how she brought coffee plants for Mina to cultivate. She’d changed her mind and asked Jem to join the crew.

The amazing thing was she spoke in Ori, with little help from her personal device.

“I remember I made you that offer. When you returned to Earth, I thought you’d given up on joining us,” said Jem.

“I realized that I’d made a mistake. I convinced Quon that my leaving wouldn’t contaminate the population of Earth. He made it clear it was a one-way trip,” said Cathy.

“I’m impressed you talked Quon into sending you here. Welcome to the crew, Cathy,” said Jem.

“Cathy brought more than just coffee plants. We now have an assortment of Earth seeds and plants. Because of this, we’ve changed our planting strategy,” said Mina.

“Within a year, we could export coffees, teas, and vegetables. I expect at first we’ll supply your vessel and other outposts, but Mina says there will be an interest in the Ori Confederation and it’s trading partners,” said Zune. His Ori had also improved.

“It sounds like you have a nice growing venture,” said Jem with a smile.

Zune nodded.

“You’ve said nothing about Brian. Where is he?” asked Mina.

“We don’t know where he is. He discovered a device that transported him off our vessel while we were coming here,” said Jem.

“Intentionally?” asked Cathy.

“I don’t believe so,” replied Jem.

“We’ve a list of potential systems he might have travelled to,” said Laine. “We’re sending probes to find him.”

“Does this happen often?” asked Cathy.

“Unfortunately, it has happened more than once,” said Jem.

“If he finds an obelisk, he’ll try to get to somewhere we can find him,” said Laine.

“We can send a probe there. He might also go to Carolus Four. He ordered a vessel built and sent there,” said Jem.

“Wherever he is, he has no weapons and no defensive tech.” said Saria. “Although, he has proven himself quite resourceful.”

“How does that affect our mission, Commodore?” asked Cathy.

“It doesn’t. Our mission will continue as usual. Periodically we’ll visit here and Yastri. When he turns up, he’ll likely end up at one of those places,” said Jem.

“Brian will expect us to continue our mission, and plan for it,” added Laine.

Cathy nodded.

Next morning I awoke, feeling sore from my injuries, although they were mainly small scratches. The Trauts had cleaned me up, which helped reduce the chance of infection.

I ate more cooked Haku meat for breakfast, then we moved off on our journey. They’d wanted to bring more of the meat with them, but couldn’t. Most of it would go to waste.

Eventually, we left the dry plains and crossed a river via stepping stones. I wanted to bathe, but Ronh advised me against it.

“Nasty fish, eat you,” he said, waving his hand in the river's direction.

Another Traut pulled out a bit of cooked meat from his bag and threw it in upstream. Soon, there was a disturbance in the water which suggested many fish enjoying an unexpected feeding.

I nodded, realizing I’d have to be careful where I bathed on this planet.

“Thank you, Ronh,” I said.

He nodded.

We continued on, leaving the river behind us. We moved through a more forested area.

“How much further?” I asked Ronh.

“Not far. We take you to Krolos.”

“Is Krolos your city?” I asked.

“No, Krolos our head priest,” he said.

Hmm, so this Krolos is their leader…

About sunset, we encountered another group of similarly dressed Trauts around a campfire. They recognized each other at once and soon were talking animatedly. This new group kept looking towards me, as they were no doubt explaining me.

They directed me to sit near the fire and provided me with food and water.

“I tell them you kill Haku. You big magic,” said Ronh.

The others never shared their names or asked mine. Perhaps because I was a prisoner, or because they were in awe of me. I didn’t care too much. My focus was finding a way off this planet. A coffee would be nice too. Making friends with primitives wasn’t on my wish list.

These Trauts had no safe means to travel at night. When it got dark, they camped. I hoped that the next day we’d get to our destination, as the journey was wearing on me. Perhaps their Krolos could help me.

After my brief meal, I lay down to sleep.

Jem, Laine and Saria stayed overnight on Uv’ek three. Laine enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with Mina and told her of how Saria had rescued her from the derelict space station.

Cathy sat with her device, learning more vocabulary while listening to the conversations.

Saria got bored and did at least two full perimeter security sweeps. Jem had to order her to sit down and relax. So she sat at a table and cleaned her laser carbine. Perhaps she’d need it at the next system they visit.

The next morning, Mina gave Jem and Laine a tour of their botany workshop. Cathy and Zune followed, grinning at their reactions.

“These are the coffee plants,” she said.

“They’re like berries,” said Jem.

“Yes, you harvest the seed inside the berry and roast it to get the coffee flavour. Cathy brought data on the process and the equipment required,” said Mina.

“Once we’ve a crop, we’ll fabricate the equipment we need,” added Zune.

Cathy beamed.

“As well as coffee, I brought tea plants and seeds. There are more Earth beverages than just coffee. You might enjoy them too,” offered Cathy.

“I look forward to when they’re ready to taste,” said Laine. “You should try Quard tea once we’re aboard Ship.”

“Thank you, I will,” said Cathy.

Jem turned to Mina.

“It looks like you have everything you need for now. We’ll return soon, but we have an errant Captain to locate,” she said.

“I understand. Good luck in your search, Commodore,” said Mina.

They said their farewells and returned to the shuttle, together with Cathy and her few belongings.

Jem sat in the pilot’s seat.

“Ship, we’re leaving the planet’s surface. Send me a course for intercept,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

The shuttle took off without incident and ascended into orbit. Cathy watched the view into space on the display.

“This is so amazing!” said Cathy.

“Would you like to sit up front?” asked Jem.

She nodded. A moment later, she was in the co-pilot seat. Jem displayed a map of the system, showing where Ship was.

“We’re going to meet with Ship, there,” said Jem, pointing at the display.

“So, we must break orbit and head in that direction,” said Cathy.

“Yes. Ship already programmed in the course,” said Jem. “See here…”

Jem showed her the details. Cathy found the controls and the display fascinating.

“In time you could learn to pilot a shuttle,” said Jem.

“That would be fantastic. I don’t know how I can best serve as crew, but I’m willing to learn,” said Cathy.

“We’ll find something. It depends on your interests and aptitude,” said Jem.

Cathy grinned. This was miles better than working in a retail store.

The next day I awoke with a start. I’d dreamed I was in my cabin back on Ship. I was about to order a coffee from the food dispenser, when I realized I was in a forest surrounded by primitives.

My reaction caught them by surprise. They kept a short distance, and two even picked up their spears.

“Bad dream,” I said out loud. Then a moment later, “Haku…”

They all nodded. I’d guessed Haku was the scariest thing they knew.

Ronh approached me and put his hand on my shoulder.

“No Haku here. Safe,” he said.

After a brief breakfast, we left the camp area and continued our journey.

The trail we followed looked more well trod than earlier ones. My hosts appeared more relaxed. So fewer dangers here?

As we continued, the trees gave way to cultivated land. We were finally reaching their settlement. We walked a well-walked trail along the side of a field, planted with green vegetables.

Up ahead, I saw several structures, then soon after that, beings at work. We had reached civilization.

My escort led me past the structures and by now our trail was more of a street. The street arrived at a gateway to a walled area. It was a primitive fortification, made of wood and large stones.

The guards at the gate clearly recognized Ronh. He approached and spoke with them. They looked carefully at me, then nodded. Ronh gestured to continue, and we passed inside the gateway.

Our group stopped at the doorway of an extensive structure, where a female stood waiting. She wore a robe the same as everyone else I’d seen here. Perhaps there was a reason for this uniformity, or perhaps they hadn’t invented fashion at their level of development.

“This bath house. Clean here. I go report,” said Ronh. His brevity was admirable.

I needed a clean after days of walking on this planet. I’d spent most of my life aboard the more sterile environment of a space vessel.

Ronh directed two others to stay here, and he left with the rest.

I turned my attention to the female Traut. She bowed to me.

“I am Gren. Come in,” she said.

I followed her inside, and she showed me through a corridor to a room. She slid the door open.

Inside was a wooden bathtub, filled with warm water.

Next to the bath was a small table, with clean clothes on it. It included a robe like those worn by the Trauts.

“I will be outside,” she said. Then she stepped out into the corridor and slid the door closed behind her.

I removed my stun gun from my jumpsuit and tucked it under the robe. I tried to remove the bracelet, but it was firmly attached to my wrist. This was the one that transported me to this planet. I hoped it was waterproof.

Soon, I’d disrobed and climbed into the bath. I had scratches on my body from my experience with the flying creature. They stung a bit at first, but I endured.

The water had herbs that smelled nice and had a soothing effect. After days of walking in the wild, this was rather pleasant.

I sat with my head leaning against the edge of the tub. It was days since my last shower aboard Ship. I relaxed and let the water soak away my troubles, or at least I imagined them going away.

Eventually, I got out and dressed in the Traut clothing they’d left for me. It had a belt with a pouch to hide my stun gun. I wondered what to do with my jumpsuit. It wasn’t advanced technology, but I didn’t think they had anything like it.

At just the moment I’d finished dressing, the door slid open.

GREN WAS STANDING there in the doorway.

“You finish bathing?” she asked.

“Yes, thank you. I feel much better,” I replied.

“You talk strange, are you M'goo?” she asked. Her hand crept towards a knife on her belt.

“No. I’m not. I’m a traveller,” I replied.

That seemed to pacify her.

“Come,” she said.

I followed Gren back to the entrance of the structure. Waiting there were the two Trauts who’d travelled with me. One grunted and gestured in a direction. I walked ahead, with them a step behind me.

We arrived at a smaller structure, and he opened the door and directed me to enter. Inside was a single room, with a crude bed against one wall.

“You rest,” he said. Then he closed the door behind me.

I surveyed the room. The opposite wall had a window. It was too small to escape through, and I expected they’d set a guard outside the door.

I sat on the bed, considering my choices. The Trauts were primitive. The long-buried shuttle and their language suggested Baglogi origins.

Perhaps their leader, Krolos, would offer more insight.

I lay down and closed my eyes. We’d travelled for days and I needed rest. Their leader could wait.

The shuttle reunited with Ship near the asteroid belt in the Uv’ek system. They were soon through decontamination and up to the main bridge.

“Ship, you remember Cathy? She has now signed up as crew,” said Jem.

“Confirmed. Updating her status, Commodore. She needs ID and locator chips,” said Ship.

“Of course. Saria, could you take care of this?” asked Jem.

Saria smiled. She fetched a small hand-held device.

“Please hold out your right arm,” said Saria.

Cathy did as asked. Saria held the device against her arm.

“Ouch!” said Cathy. She rubbed her arm.

“The pain will soon fade. You now have two microchips in your arm. One is used to confirm your identity in advanced systems. The other is used to locate you, if you become lost,” said Jem.

“Oh,” said Cathy.

“Your ID chip grants you access to all relevant areas of this vessel. It also ensures food dispensers only offer compatible food,” added Ship.

“That makes sense. So, it’s like a key?” asked Cathy. On Earth, she knew of ID cards and badges.

“Yes, Cathy. You might need to wave your right arm in front of a door or an access panel to scan it,” replied Ship.

“I like that. I often used to lose my keys back home,” said Cathy.

“This is your home now, Cathy,” said Jem.

“Right. I mean my former home,” she said.

Jem smiled.

“Saria, please show her where her cabin is, and explain the tracking device,” ordered Jem.

“Yes, Commodore!” said Saria with a salute.

Saria guided Cathy back to the elevator. Jem turned to Laine.

“If we’re done here, we can resume our patrol,” said Jem.

“I suggest we include systems with obelisks in our route,” said Laine.

“Agreed. Ship, plot a patrol and include systems that have obelisks along the way,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“You have gathered what you needed here?” asked Jem.

“Affirmative,” replied Ship.

“Then take us to our next destination,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

On the tactical display, Ship moved towards the edge of the system. A while later, the hyper-drive cut in and they winked out of normal space.

I woke to the sound of knocking on the door. It took me a moment to understand what was happening. On a vessel, the doors had chimes. The last few days I slept in the open, without walls or doors.

“Hello. Who’s there?” I asked.

“Wake up. Go see Krolos,” said the voice. It sounded like Ronh.

I stumbled out of bed, reached for a coffee from the food dispenser, then realized there wasn’t one. Grr!

As I approached the door, it opened. Outside, a bright morning light greeted me.

Ronh stood smiling at me. Nearby stood a couple more Trauts that I recognized from our journey here.

“Go see Krolos,” he said.

“Lead on,” I said.

I followed him along a street and further up into this walled settlement. The Trauts hadn’t developed enough to build cobbled or stone streets, it was a mix of dirt and gravel. I had seen no one riding any domesticated animals either.

The temple stood on a hill in the middle of their settlement. It offered a view over all the other structures. The temple was built from stone. It looked like the oldest part of the settlement.

Ronh escorted me up to the main entrance, which was a large wooden door. It stood open, and several Trauts were entering and leaving through it.

We entered the temple. Ronh and his companions were suddenly in a more reverent mood. In fact, there was little sound of anyone speaking here.

Inside, the temple had a high vaulted ceiling and stone floor. Symbols and relics surrounded the walls. I assumed they were significant to these Trauts. I found nothing suggesting advanced technology.

As a visitor, I just quietly followed Ronh further in, until we reached the middle. His two companions stopped and waited near the entrance.

Ronh stopped and waited. I stood beside him and looked around the interior. Light from several crude windows illuminated the area around us well, but left areas to the sides in shadows.

My study of the temple interior was disturbed by a voice from the shadows.

“Brian! Welcome,” said the voice.

A moment later, a portly figure stepped out into the lighted area. His robes were much better quality than any I’d seen since I arrived here.

He smiled at me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable.

“Krolos?” I said.

“Yes. You rested, hmm?,” he said.

“Thank you. I was glad of a bath and a sleep,” I said.

Krolos looked to Ronh, who was on one knee, bowing. He waved a hand at him in a dismissing gesture and Ronh promptly left.

“He said you appear at stone clearing? And you kill Haku?” asked Krolos.

I nodded.

“I’m rather lost, and I hoped you might be of help,” I said.

“Lost? You home now,” he said.

He wasn’t making much sense.

“You hungry? We go eat,” he said, grinning.

He took my hand and promptly led me through a side door.

Krolos guided me to a dining room, with a table set for two. He invited me to sit, and he took the other seat.

“You hungry, hmm?” he asked.

“I haven’t eaten since yesterday, so yes,” I said. Their use of Baglogi seemed rather basic, and I wondered how much they knew of the language.

He almost winced, but covered it well. He clapped his hands, and several female Trauts came out from a side passage carrying plates loaded with food. They placed the plates between us on the table and left the room.

“You like?” he asked.

The food was probably the best this settlement offered. I’m certain most Trauts didn’t eat this well. As a guest, I smiled and nodded. No reason to offend my host.

“Eat!” he said.

I tried a few dishes to find them an improvement of the trail food I endured. Too bad I didn’t find a working food dispenser in that shuttle.

We ate for several minutes before Krolos spoke again.

“Ronh said you big magic?” he asked.

I couldn’t explain technology to a primitive. I didn’t want to claim magic either. So I shrugged.

“But you kill Haku?” he asked.

“Haku tried to kill me. It missed me and crashed into the ground. No magic, just lucky,” I replied.

He thought about it for a while. I continued eating. I wondered if my welcome here depended on my ‘magic’ abilities. He didn’t stay quiet long.

“He say you go in tomb?” asked Krolos.

“I was curious,” I replied. “Just looking. Not much in there.”

He looked at me strange.

“And you not M'goo?” he asked.

“No. I’m not M'goo,” I replied.

We continued eating. His scrutiny made me feel uncomfortable.

Krolos reached over and pointed at the bracelet on my arm.

“Magic?” he asked.

I rotated my wrist and looked at the bracelet. It was the reason for all my current trouble. I wish I hadn’t found it in the cargo bay.

“Not magic,” I replied.

“You trade?” he asked. He clapped his hands and three female Trauts returned to the room.

“I can’t. It’s stuck on,” I replied. If I could get it off my wrist, I would gladly give it to him. I didn’t want it.

Again he reached over and examined the bracelet. His efforts to get it off failed.

“Hmm,” he said. He waved a hand and dismissed the female Trauts as I sighed.

Soon after, an idea came to me.

“I’m looking for an obelisk, do you know of one?” I asked.

“What?” he said. I’d exceeded the limits of his language.

“A tall stone statue, with strange writing on it,” I said.

A moment later, he laughed. I looked at him.

“Hah! The place you arrived,” he said.

“That place?” I asked.

“Used to be there. Gone. Long ago,” he said.

Crap! That’s why arrived at that spot. But it was no use to me.

“Food good?” he asked.

“Good,” I replied. “Thank you.”

He smiled, in a way that conveyed more than approval. I could almost hear the wheels turning in his mind.

Once we finished, Krolos walked me back to the temple. Ronh was there, and he took me with him.

Jem woke up in her cabin. The lights were dim, and she heard the reassuring hum from the hyper-drive engines. Normally that sound meant all was well, and they were en route to the next destination.

Jem adjusted the lighting level and looked around the room. She sighed.

She got herself a coffee from the food dispenser and left her cabin.

The lido didn’t appeal to her today, so she went to the main bridge. She found no one there, and that suited her. They were travelling to their next destination. Until they arrived at the next stop, she had it all to herself.

Jem sat on the sofa, facing the tactical display.

“Ship, display a star chart for the surrounding area. Highlight those systems that are reported to contain obelisks,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

The display changed to show a multitude of dots, representing star systems. Several were yellow, meaning places where Brian might be, assuming that bracelet worked.

“I never realized the network was so large. It must have been a huge civilization,” she said.

Ship didn’t hear a directive so remained silent.

Jem sipped her coffee and studied the star chart.

“Ship, overlay all the search paths programmed into the probes you sent out,” she said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

Several blue lines spread out, jumping from system to system, wherever a yellow dot was.

She tapped her forehead with her fist. “Brian, where are you??”

Sometimes she could almost sense his presence. They had a unique bond, though she hadn’t explored it as much as perhaps she should.

Again, silence. Perhaps he was asleep. She hoped that was the reason.

Although they were on patrol, her attention was drawn to retrieving her lost Captain.

Ronh gave me a walking tour of the settlement. We wandered along various streets, all contained within the defensive wall.

“Most live inside,” said Ronh.

I nodded.

“Do you have many enemies?” I asked.

“Only M'goo. Haku not come here,” he replied.

“Tell me about the M'goo?”

“Long time we no see. Now you here, we find and kill them,” he said.

“Now I’m here?”

“Krolos say you help, use big magic,” he said.

I worried something like this might happen. My presence here might shift the balance of power. This wasn’t good.

I smiled at him. They saw me as an ally, or at least an opportunity. I had to find a way off planet before they learned otherwise.

After our walk, he escorted me to the guest quarters where I’d slept. I was a guest, but they stationed a guard outside my door.

I sat on the bed and considered my situation. At least I was still alive. I wondered how Jem and the crew were doing.

A little while later, a female Traut delivered food and water. I was about to thank her when she spoke to me.

“You in danger. You must leave,” she said, careful not to speak too loud.

I’d had similar thoughts, but to hear it from someone else was new.

“What?” I asked.

“You help Krolos kill M'goo. Then he kills you. You not help. He kills you,” she replied.

I nodded. It made sense. I didn’t trust Krolos.

“When leave?” I asked.

“I come tonight,” she replied.

“Why you help me?” I asked. I wasn’t sure I could trust this person either.

“Krolos use you, kill many, do bad things,” she said.

“You could just poison my food,” I offered.

She smiled. “I’m not Krolos.”

I shrugged. She nodded and left.

Jem looked up when Laine arrived. Laine was in a cheerful mood.

“Commodore,” said Laine.

“You seem happy,” said Jem.

“I think I’ve made a breakthrough,” said Laine.

“Oh, yes?” asked Jem.

Laine turned to the tactical display.

“Ship, pull up video showing when Brian picked up the bracelet,” said Laine.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

On the display, a window opened, showing a video of Brian just before he disappeared.

“What have you discovered, Laine?” asked Jem.

“Ship, zoom in on the bracelet and enhance the image,” said Laine.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

The video zoomed in as directed.

“Pause!” said Laine.

The image froze.

“Go back half a second,” she said.

The image moved back. Jem’s jaw dropped.

“Laine, is that writing on the bracelet?” asked Jem.

“Yes. Ship, copy those characters. Compare them with the database,” said Laine.

By now, Jem was looking at Laine with renewed appreciation.

Laine faced Jem. “The database has a copy of their alphabet. We only partially decrypted the language, it being long dead.”

“But how will this help, if we can’t read it?” asked Jem.

“Perhaps these characters on the bracelet match the name of a system?” asked Laine.

“We don’t have all the characters,” said Jem.

Laine nodded.

“Ship, reference the star systems that are suspected to have obelisks. Do a partial match search with the characters from the bracelet,” said Laine.

Ship updated the star chart. Multiple systems now had red circles around them.

Jem jumped up and hugged Laine.

“You’ve just narrowed our search!” exclaimed Jem, with a smile on her face.

“It’s just a hunch, but I suggest we focus on those systems. I could be wrong,” said Laine.

“It’s a good hunch. We can’t get the probes we sent out to change course now, but we can send out more from our next destination,” said Jem.

Laine smiled.

“Let’s prepare a lunch for everyone,” said Jem.

She took Laine’s hand, and they left the main bridge.

I relaxed on the bed in my quarters. They’d left me alone for the rest of the day. Now it was getting late, and I wondered about the female Traut and what she’d said.

Perhaps someone heard her? I didn’t know.

I lay there, considering various scenarios, most all of them bad.

Later, she returned with a tray.

“Dinner?” I asked.

She lifted a cloth from the tray to reveal a cudgel.

“There’s a guard outside,” she whispered.

I ignored the cudgel and drew out the stun gun.

“Can you call him to come here?” I asked.

She nodded. I stood behind the door and she opened it and called. A moment later, he stepped inside and I stunned him. We put him on my bed to sleep it off.

“You big magic!” she said. She looked at me, impressed.

“Hmm, what next?” I asked.

“Follow,” was all she said.

Outside it was getting dark, and less Trauts were wandering about the settlement. We kept our heads down, and I followed her through the narrow streets to a quieter area.

We arrived at a dead end that led up to the outer wall, and she guided me through a carefully disguised hole.

Once outside, she gestured to keep low and follow her. We travelled in the near-dark for more than an hour, not stopping for fear someone might discover us.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“This way,” she replied. I didn’t like not knowing.

I continued to follow.

Later, we entered a clearing and several beings stepped out from behind trees. Their dress wasn’t much different from the Trauts. Perhaps that was the plan, in case they encountered a Traut patrol.

I turned to the female Traut.

“I go back now,” she said. A moment later she left.

I looked back at these new beings. One of them spoke to me. “I am D’Monds.”

“I am Brian,” I said.

“Please come with us,” he said.

I nodded. We moved out. I assumed we were still in Traut territory, and we had to get away.

These new beings weren’t very talkative. I assumed they didn’t want to be overheard by the Traut patrols.

We walked on through the night. I was glad that I’d rested before this journey.

Finally, we arrived at the side of a cliff. I followed them behind a large bush and into a cave entrance.

“We rest here until this evening,” said D’Monds. His Baglogi was better formed than the Trauts, at least.

I nodded.

I found a seat on the ground, against the inside wall of the cave. After the events of the day, I needed rest, and I was soon asleep.

I WOKE UP to find D’Monds shaking me gently by the shoulder.

“Time for us to go, Brian,” he said.

I nodded and got to my feet. My legs were stiff and my back ached from lying on the cave floor.

Soon we left the cave. The sun had gone down below the horizon. Soon it would be dark.

We resumed our journey and travelled late into the night. I couldn’t tell where I was in the darkness, but my guides knew. I hoped we encountered no more Haku along the way.

When dawn came, we were travelling along a valley between two ranges of hills. The path led uphill by the side of a stream. I wondered if it had the carnivorous fish or was it safe to bathe in the water.

I had a lot to learn about this planet.

The path ended at a delightful waterfall. The waterfall cascaded down the cliff into a pool before continuing down the valley.

I followed my hosts around the side of the pool until we were close enough to feel the mist on our faces. I looked at my hosts, waiting for their next move.

D’Monds glanced at me before he stepped right through the rock. Others followed him, and in my turn, I followed. The cliff wasn’t solid at all. It was a hologram!

This side of the waterfall opened into a large box canyon, with various structures, and beyond them were fields.

I looked back at the hologram. Higher up was a stone aqueduct that supplied the water for the fake waterfall. The water was real, but the cliff wasn’t.

I turned to find D’Monds watching me.

“You’re the first outsider to see that,” he said.

“I’m honoured. I presume that’s why the Trauts haven’t found you,” I said.

“We’d like to keep it that way,” he said. His face suggested more than his words, perhaps even a hint of an implied threat.

I looked him in the eye and nodded. A moment later, he shrugged.

“Let’s get cleaned up and rested,” he said.

We moved further into the canyon, to their settlement. The M'goo structures had a more advanced look to them. He dropped me off at a structure.

“We talk later. You rest,” he said.

Inside, I found a room with a bed, bath, and table. I saw food and water on the table. I didn’t bother to check for a guard.

After two days forced march, I needed to get cleaned. So I bathed, ate a little, then lay down to sleep. I couldn’t help wondering if I was better or worse here.

I woke up later in the day feeling refreshed. All this walking was good for my stamina.

I rolled out of bed and looked outside the window. Two beings were lounging around nearby, which didn’t surprise me.

Once I was ready, I opened the door to my structure and stepped outside to meet them.

They quickly jumped to attention, and one of them spoke to me.

“You come this way,” he said, gesturing to his left.

We walked together until we reached another structure, where we found D’Monds sat on a bench under a porch.

He stood when he saw me.

“Brian, are you rested?” he asked. I didn’t get the uncomfortable foreboding I had with Krolos. The question seemed genuine.

“Yes, thank you,” I replied.

“Come, sit with me,” he said.

I smiled and moved to sit beside him.

“So why am I here?” I asked.

“We learned of you. Krolos would use you to kill M'goo,” he replied.

“I don’t want to kill others,” I said.

“Then he kill you,” he said.

“And you don’t want my help to kill Trauts?” I asked.

“No. We want to be left alone. That’s all,” he said. He sounded sincere.

“You went a long way to help me,” I said.

“You big magic, kill Haku,” he said.

I smiled.

“I kill one Haku and everyone thinks I have big magic!”

“So it’s true?” he asked.

“I was lucky. Haku flew down, I moved, and he crashed,” I replied. I gestured with my arms, showing how the event happened.

“Big luck is big magic,” he said.

It was hard to argue.

A female M'goo arrived with a tray of food and placed it on a table in front of us. We paused our discussion to enjoy a late meal.

“You’re not M'goo or Trauts, yet you speak our language?” he asked.

I smiled.

“I come from far away, where we speak it. There, we call it Baglogi,” I said.

“I don’t know that word,” he said.

“You have been here a long time?” I asked.

“As long as we can remember,” he replied.

“Did you create the hologram?” I asked.

“Huh?”

“I mean the waterfall. Was that your doing?” I asked.

“It has been there a long time. We believe our ancestors made it,” he replied.

“Let me guess, it’s big magic?” I asked.

He nodded emphatically.

“This magic is familiar to me,” I said.

His eyes lit up, and he grinned. “Then perhaps you can help fix it.”

Several days later, the hyper-drive went offline. Ship arrived in a new system.

Jem and Laine stood, watching the tactical display.

“What do we know about this system?” asked Jem.

“It’s our first visit here. I am gathering data now,” replied Ship.

Several planets appeared on the tactical display as Ship’s probes explored the system.

“Ensign, does this system have an obelisk?” asked Jem.

“No, Commodore,” said Laine.

“Populated?” asked Jem.

“Unknown,” said Laine.

Jem sighed. She turned and walked to the food dispenser. She got herself a coffee and sat on the sofa.

“Ship, you have more probes ready to go?” she asked.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“They have the narrowed search list?”

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Send the probes now,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

Blue dots emerged from Ship on the tactical display.

“I’ve a feeling there’s nothing here for us,” she said.

Laine turned to her and nodded grimly.

“Once we confirm there’s nothing of interest here, we’ll move on to our next destination.”

“Fix it? Your waterfall illusion worked fine when I arrived,” I said.

“Sometimes it flickers. I believe the magic is failing,” said D’Monds.

Now I know why they brought me here. Krolos expected me to destroy the M'goo. D’Monds wanted me to fix their hologram. Either way, I’d be disturbing the natural course of events. I had to leave this planet soon!

“Perhaps tomorrow,” I said. By then circumstances might change. I needed time to consider my actions and the consequences.

D’Monds smiled at me.

“The M'goo are peaceful. We hide from the Trauts because they want us dead,” he said.

“And this magic allows you to hide,” I said.

He nodded.

“It harms no one. It protects us,” he said.

Without the hologram the Trauts might find and destroy them. The M'goo might attack the Trauts. It was the less disruptive choice.

“I’ll look at it in the morning,” I said. I didn’t know if I’d regret the decision.

“Thank you!” he said.

“I don’t have any tools or supplies, but I’ll see what I can do,” I said.

A while later, I returned to my structure to rest.

The next morning, I rose and got ready for the day. I stepped outside to meet D’Monds. He was keen, that was certain.

“Good morning, Brian,” he said with enthusiasm.

“Good morning, D’Monds. Let’s see your big magic,” I said.

He walked with me back to the waterfall. I stood there, looking at the gap in the cliff, the aqueduct.

“Do you have scouts in the valley?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Good,” I said.

First, I had to locate the holo-projectors. Based on the area projected, they’d have to be along the sides of the opening. I walked over to one side and studied the area carefully.

Something about half-way up the side caught my eye. That led to my first problem. The rock was too steep to climb.

“I need a ladder to climb up there,” I said, pointing at the rock.

He nodded, then spoke with another M'goo. They ran off to fetch a ladder.

Soon, I had a crude ladder. I asked D’Monds to steady it, while I climbed up to examine the area.

Recessed into the rock, I found a holo-projector, together with bits of rock and years of dust. I reached in to remove the larger bits.

Below me was shouting and general panic. They were pointing at the hologram.

I looked behind me and saw part of the waterfall was missing. My hand was blocking the light from the holo-projector.

I removed my hand from the hole and came down the ladder.

“Sorry about that!,” I said.

“It looked like a giant spider on the rocks,” said D’Monds.

“The magic is quite dusty up there. I need a damp cloth to wipe it clean,” I said.

D’Monds spoke with another, who fetched a cloth and dipped it in the nearby pool.

“I’m just going back up to clean it. Please warn everyone,” I said.

He nodded and passed the word to everyone.

I climbed up and wiped around the holo-projector, paying attention to the lens. I also wiped around the inside of the hole to remove as much dust as possible.

Once finished, I climbed down and washed the cloth in the pool.

Several M'goo watched me as I worked on their waterfall.

I returned to D’Monds and pointed to the other side.

We soon moved the ladder in place, and I climbed up and did my magic. This time, the M’goo understood and didn’t panic.

I only found two holo-projectors, one on each side.

“All fixed now?” he asked when I climbed down the ladder.

“Not yet. I need to check the power cells,” I said.

He looked at me funny. He didn’t understand what I’d said.

“Sorry, the magic needs power. I must find where it comes from,” I said.

“Ah… The magic needs power,” he said.

“Is there a cave or somewhere special nearby?” I asked.

He looked at me. It would take me a long time to trace cables in the rock walls.

“I think I know where it is,” he said.

Once again, Ship was travelling between star systems. The last system had nothing of interest, as Jem had predicted.

In the lido, Jem relaxed in her usual hammock. There was little she needed to do until they arrived at their next destination.

In the warm artificial sunlight, her mind wandered. The lido needed an update, and the idea of a waterfall came to her.

“Hmm. Ship, can you revise the hologram in here to include a waterfall?” asked Jem.

“Please specify parameters,” said Ship.

“Extend a cliff along the opposite wall, with a waterfall that feeds from the top of the cliff into the water below,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” said Ship.

Soon after, the hologram changed. From her hammock she had a view of a cliff with a waterfall. It descended a series of pools that fed into the water in the pool. Ship also caused bubbles on that side of the pool to add to the realism.

Jem listened to the sound of the waterfall. It felt relaxing to her.

Meanwhile, a few levels down, Laine and Cathy were working together in the garden. Mina had left maintenance bots to take care of the garden. Working there was something to keep them occupied.

“Do you think we’ll find him soon?” asked Cathy.

“I hope so. I’ve narrowed down the list of systems where he could be.”

Cathy nodded glumly. His absence affected the mood aboard the vessel.

“We’ve been through various scrapes, and we usually survived. By now, he’s probably sunning himself on a beach and eating fish,” said Laine with a smile.

“I’ve not eaten alien fish. I used to enjoy cod or tuna on Earth,” said Cathy.

“We don’t have live fish aboard, but I can replicate Quard fish dishes from the food dispenser. Would you like to try a few with me?” asked Laine.

“Sure! Let’s finish this row, then we’ll clean up and have lunch,” she said.

It was hard to stay down with Laine. She had a positive outlook that lifted her spirits.

The M'goo settlement, together with planted fields, was in a large canyon. The only entrance without climbing was through the fake waterfall.

It was an ingenious design, no doubt built by Baglogi long ago. The hologram, together with the buried shuttle, confirmed to me the origin of these people.

The more I considered it, the more I rationalized helping the M'goo. Without the hologram, the Trauts would discover their location. My inaction could cause irreparable harm.

My fixing the hologram maintained the status quo. It was purely defensive, and it didn’t cause harm to the Trauts.

I followed D’Monds through the settlement and beyond it. Our walk ended beyond a field, at the right-hand side of the canyon.

“I believe there’s a cave along here, but we can’t enter it,” he said.

“Why can’t you enter?”

“You’ll see in a moment.”

We arrived at a pile of rocks and rubble, piled against the wall of the canyon. Soil had accumulated between the rocks, and plants grew in areas.

“You believe there’s a cave under all this?”

“I’m not sure, but I believe so.”

“I’ll need help to remove enough rocks to look inside,” I said.

He nodded. We returned to the settlement, where he gathered several workers to help. I wondered how many it would take to clear the opening.

“They remove the rocks. We wait,” he said.

A worker approached me and D’Monds a few hours later.

“Have you cleared away the rocks?” asked D’Monds.

He nodded. We both rose and followed him back to the site at the canyon wall. Several workers stood around, perhaps waiting for thanks, or to see what would happen next.

They’d moved the pile of debris away from the ‘cave’. Inside the entrance was a metal wall with an airlock door. It looked Baglogi.

I turned to face D’Monds.

“Please thank those who removed the rocks. I will need a lamp,” I said.

He nodded to a worker, who promptly left to fetch a lamp.

“When I go inside, please keep well back. It might be dangerous.”

He grinned.

“You wish to keep the magic secrets to yourself?”

I grinned back at him.

“I think it safer that way. There was a reason your ancestors blocked this cave.”

His grin vanished as he considered my words.

The worker returned with a lamp. D’Monds took the lamp and handed it to me before dismissing the workers.

“We’ll await your return to the settlement,” said D’Monds.

I watched them leave the area.

Once I was alone, I wiped the dust off the panel. It sensed my ID as I was doing this, and the panel flickered to life. I pressed the green open button.

A moment passed, and the airlock door slid open. It was a standard Baglogi airlock. The lights inside were enough to see.

I decided the lamp was unnecessary, so I left it outside. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. The airlock cycled and let me through the inner door.

Once through, it opened into a corridor with several doors on either side. The corridor looked rather familiar, except for the dust. It reminded me of the buried vessel on Yastri three.

“This isn’t a buried shuttle,” I said in Baglogi.

An access panel on the wall started spluttering. As I turned towards the panel, the sound got clearer. It was a voice.

I waited for it to get clearer. After all, this cave and probably the settlement were ancient. The Trauts and the M'goo no longer recalled their heritage and their technology.

A minute later, the voice resolved into something legible.

“… Welcome aboard, Captain Brian,” said the voice in Baglogi.

“Thank you. Please identify yourself,” I said.

“I am Ivan-JB-01, AI of this vessel,” said the voice.

Well, this was a bonus. A functioning AI.

“Please direct me to your main bridge,” I said.

“Confirmed. Regret that repair functions are offline, as are all elevators. I will route you via stairs,” said Ivan.

A row of lights guided me to a door. Behind the door was a stairwell. It was more like a ladder, but it didn’t worry me. I’d seen and used stairwells like this.

Soon, I stepped out onto the main bridge. It wasn’t as large as Ship, or rather it was like an earlier incarnation.

“Ivan, is this a Star Cruiser?” I asked.

“Confirmed,” replied Ivan.

“Wow! It’s a while since I’ve been aboard a Star Cruiser. Are you aware how long you’ve been here?” I asked.

“My chronometer is offline. Based on your ID and my logs, roughly six thousand Baglogi years.”

“You’re buried under a hillside. All your crew are long since dead. As the senior officer, I’m taking command of this vessel,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ivan.

At least that worked. If only I could program a food dispenser to make coffee.

“I need a status report. Highlight critical areas,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ivan.

The tactical display flickered to life, showing a schematic of the vessel, with damaged areas highlighted in red. There was a lot of red.

“This will take a while,” I said.

“Ivan, you said the repair functions are offline?” I asked.

“Confirmed, Captain. They failed a long time ago.”

“I must fix them first. Can you direct me?” I asked.

“Confirmed.”

I followed the lights back the way I came, down the stairwell several levels below the level with the airlock. With effort, I forced open a door and stepped out into a corridor. The air wasn’t as fresh here. A layer of dust covered the floor.

It felt eerie to walk through this ancient vessel. The descendants of the former crew knew nothing of what was inside, or how it powered their hologram.

It also reminded me that the Baglogi were an ancient space-faring race. I knew Jem wanted to re-populate the Baglogi home planet. Perhaps these primitives could be the answer?

The lights brought me to a double door at the end of a corridor. The sign on the door said ‘Engineering’. I waved my arm over the access panel, and the doors creaked open.

Inside, I found dust and debris on the floor. I stepped through and followed the lights to the right. They brought me to an area littered with defunct maintenance bots covered in dust.

“Ivan, can you hear me?” I asked.

“Confirmed. You have reached the maintenance bots,” replied Ivan.

“I’ll need help to work this out,” I said.

“They’re modular, Captain. You can switch out parts from bots to form a complete unit,” said Ivan.

So I began looking through all the surrounding parts. Hopefully, it would make sense.

Much later, Ivan disturbed me. I’d lost track of time.

“Captain, you have a visitor,” said Ivan.

A FEW DAYS later, Laine and Cathy visited the lido for a swim in the pool.

When they entered, they found Jem already there, in her usual hammock.

What they hadn’t expected was the hologram of the beach was different.

“You’ve changed the scenery!” said Laine.

“Yes, I changed it yesterday. I don’t understand why, but the sound relaxes me,” said Jem.

The surrounding hologram showed cliffs and a waterfall that appeared to feed into the pool. Laine noticed bubbles in the pool where the water seemed to arrive.

“I like it,” said Cathy.

“Care to join us for a swim, Commodore?”

“You go ahead without me, I like it where I am,” said Jem.

Laine and Cathy stowed their towels on recliners and climbed into the water. Although it was the same pool, the updated hologram made the experience new.

“It seems so real, and yet we’re not on a planet. We’re travelling through space,” said Cathy.

“Brian created this for us to unwind during our travels,” said Laine.

Cathy and Laine swam back and forth in the pool, chatting and soaking up the artificial sun.

A while later, Jem was feeling hungry. The heat and the simulated salty air gave her an appetite.

“Ship, please locate Lieutenant Saria,” said Jem.

“The Lieutenant is in the gymnasium, Commodore,” replied Ship.

“When she’s done there, ask her to join us for lunch here,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

Jem stretched in the hammock and closed her eyes and listened to the waterfall.

Communal meals helped avoid a morale problem.

“I have a visitor?” I asked.

“A native is banging on the outer airlock and calling your name,” replied Ivan.

I put down the parts I was working on, stood up, and brushed the dust off my robe. I need to get a proper jumpsuit soon.

“Ivan, can you guide me back to the airlock? Please inform her I will be there soon,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ivan.

I left the engineering section and followed a trail of lights.

Soon, I stepped out through the airlock and into the valley. The sun was high in the sky.

The airlock door slid closed behind me as I took a deep breath.

“Ahh, that’s better,” I said.

In front of me, a female M'goo was kneeling, eyes downcast. A basket of food was beside her. She looked up briefly when I spoke.

“Please don’t kneel before me,” I said, concerned my actions were already harming these people.

She looked up at me.

“But you big magic!” she said.

“Not really,” I said.

“When I called for you, cave spirit said you coming,” she said. “Then you come.”

Cave spirit? How could I get out of this?

“I sent word, so you’d know I heard you,” I said.

She tilted her head as she tried to take in my words. Then she shrugged. Perhaps spirits and magic were the best explanations they could understand.

“D’Monds sent me to bring you food and water,” she said.

Since she remained kneeled, I got down to her level and sat on the ground next to her.

“Thank you. I guess I lost track of time,” I said.

She smiled and shrugged.

I looked at the basket.

“What is your name?” I asked.

She looked at me. “Ella,” she said.

“Will you eat with me, Ella?” I asked.

“I have already eaten. This is for you,” she replied. She moved the basket within my reach.

There was a pie containing meat and vegetables. I took a bite while she watched me. Before I finished the pie, she took a stopper off an earthenware bottle and poured me a drink.

“Thank you,” I said.

“D’Monds say you fix big magic,” she said.

“Yes. It may take a while,” I said.

“That good,” she said with a smile.

I soon finished my meal, so I stood. She gathered the items into her basket.

“I have to return to my work inside,” I said.

Ella nodded and left for the settlement. I returned to the airlock. The door opened, and I stepped through to resume my work.

I followed the lights back to the engineering section. It seemed dark and dusty in here after sitting outside in the sunshine.

I returned to the pile of parts and resumed my work. Ivan helped with advice. Unless I could make these old parts work, I was unlikely to build new ones from scratch.

Later, I had a working power cell plugged in to a charging port. With luck, I’d have one functioning maintenance bot soon.

Finally, I stood before a completed maintenance bot. I plugged in the power cell and waited for something to happen.

Nothing happened.

“Ivan, what now?” I asked.

“It should boot up now. Check the power couplings, Captain,” replied Ivan.

Half an hour later, I’d discovered dirty connections that blocked the power flow. I cleaned them and put it back together.

After about a minute, the diagnostic panel lit up.

“Captain, the maintenance bot completed the boot up sequence. It has connected to the network,” said Ivan. The AI almost sounded excited at the event.

“Good,” I said. I was tiring of messing around with millennia-old parts. I hoped this would be the start of something positive.

A moment later, the maintenance bot moved slowly away.

“Where’s it going?” I asked.

“First, it will build components for additional maintenance bots,” replied Ivan.

“That makes sense. Do you have a functioning communicator and a jumpsuit?” I asked.

“Try looking in the decontamination section,” said Ivan.

“Guide me there,” I said.

Lights came on, and I left engineering.

Once I arrived in decontamination, I didn’t find a jumpsuit. I found a communicator that someone had left plugged in to charge. I picked it up and called Ivan on it.

“Ivan, can you receive me?” I asked.

“Confirmed,” came the reply.

I put the communicator in the pocket of my robe.

“Will this communicator reach you from the settlement?” I asked.

“The exterior communications array is offline,” replied Ivan.

I sighed.

“Can you run a connection to the outer hull around the airlock? Use it as a makeshift antenna,” I said.

“I’ll add that task to the list,” replied Ivan.

“I plan to stay at the nearby settlement while repairs are underway. Contact me when you can, or when you need my services,” I said.

“Understood, Captain,” said Ivan.

I returned to the airlock. I’d done all I could for the day.

Once again, I stepped outside and breathed the fresh air.

I ambled back to the settlement, thinking about what to do next. With luck, the work I’d done today would restart the auto-repair systems. Ivan was prioritizing the repairs, and I could leave it to him. I’d have to check tomorrow.

At the settlement, I visited D’Monds. He was at his structure, sitting on the bench on his porch. I could swear he was eager to see me.

“Brian! How is it going?” he asked.

“The magic is ancient. It takes time to fix,” I replied.

He thought on my words.

“Ancient magic,” he said.

“Yes, and on the brink of failure. It was sorely in need of repair,” I said.

He smiled and nodded.

“You fix?” he asked.

“In time I will fix,” I replied.

He smiled enthusiastically.

“You hungry? We eat!” he said.

“Thank you, I’d like that,” I said.

Soon, food arrived. I sat with D’Monds as we ate an evening meal together. He seemed more genuine than Krolos, which comforted me with what I was doing for them.

“My niece Ella brought you food earlier today. She spoke of a cave spirit,” said D’Monds.

I almost choked on a mouthful of food, so I sipped on a cup of water.

“The spirit provides power to the big magic. I help the spirit fix it,” I said. I hoped this was enough of an answer for him.

He nodded.

“The big magic always helped the M'goo. Please tell cave spirit thank you,” he said.

“I will tell him tomorrow. It’s late and I need rest soon,” I said.

“Of course. Hard work fix big magic, need rest,” he said.

D’Monds clapped his hands, and Ella arrived. I guess she was waiting nearby for his call.

“She will walk you back to your structure,” he said.

Ella escorted me to my structure and left me to rest.

I’d intended to check in with Ivan and test the communicator, but I was too tired. Soon I was fast asleep.

I awoke to the sound of banging on the door. My mind was struggling, because it seemed I’d only just gone to sleep.

I was still groggy when D’Monds entered and approached my bed.

“Brian! Something has happened,” he said. His face looked anxious.

I rolled to my side and sat up, trying to clear the sleep from my brain. How I wished I had a cup of coffee.

He helped me to my feet and guided me outside and towards the waterfall, only the waterfall wasn’t there!

“See!” he said.

“Crap,” I swore in Ori. D’Monds looked at me strangely.

“I will go fix. You send out scouts to the valley below,” I said.

He nodded and yelled at several other M'goo. I turned in the cave's direction.

D’Monds soon caught up with me. “What happened?” he asked.

“I will find out. Please tell everyone to remain calm,” I replied. I didn’t want to explain more, or have him insist to join me inside the cave. I’d already said too much about cave spirits.

He nodded and left to talk with the others.

I arrived at the cave and entered through the airlock.

“Ivan, status report,” I said tersely.

“Repairs are proceeding, Captain,” replied Ivan.

“What happened to the waterfall?” I asked.

“What waterfall?” asked Ivan.

“Until today, there was a hologram of a waterfall. It’s stopped,” I said.

The AI didn’t know about it. For a moment he was silent.

“A review of the logs showed an external power drain, which I shut off,” said Ivan.

“Can you turn it back on again?” I asked.

“Confirmed,” replied Ivan.

“Do so. The hologram is a camouflage to hide this valley from other factions,” I said.

“I have restored power to the hologram, Captain,” said Ivan.

“The absence of the waterfall upset the locals. I’ll return once I’ve confirmed all is as it was,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ivan.

I exited through the airlock and returned to the settlement. I saw the waterfall was back.

D’Monds met me near his structure. He clasped my hand in both of his.

“You fix big magic! Thank you!” he said, his eyes full of excitement.

It’s funny how the lack of a waterfall caused anxiety, and the return caused joy.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” I said.

Ella arrived and spoke in his ear.

“My niece reminds me you missed your breakfast. Please join us,” he said.

I smiled and followed D’Monds to his structure. Fortunately, there was no discussion about cave spirits.

After breakfast, I returned to the cave. Inside the airlock, I noticed the lighting was brighter.

“Ivan, I’m back,” I said.

“Welcome back, Captain,” said Ivan.

“Thank you. Progress report?”

“I have several maintenance bots working, and the repairs are progressing,” said Ivan.

“Do you have a cabin with a working shower? How about a food dispenser?” I asked. If only I had the program to replicate coffee.

“Not yet, Captain. If you wish, I can move them up the priority list,” said Ivan.

I smiled.

“As long as they’re on your list. What about long-range communications?” I asked.

“The exterior communications array isn’t responding,” replied Ivan.

“It probably won’t work from under a mountain,” I said.

“I can build a portable communications array you can assemble outside,” said Ivan.

“Please do that. I need to send a distress call, but encoded for Baglogi vessels only,” I said.

“Confirmed. You will find the elevator works now,” replied Ivan.

“Excellent!”

I took the elevator up to the main bridge. The area was cleaner since my last visit, and a new jumpsuit lay on the sofa. Nice touch!

I sat down beside my new jumpsuit and looked at the tactical display.

“Ivan, how stable are your power generators?” I asked.

“They’re much improved, Captain. When you first arrived, I was down to emergency power,” replied Ivan.

“Good. We need to maintain the power for the holo-projectors. The natives here depend on it for their protection,” I said.

“Captain, my records are incomplete. I don’t recall how I ended up inside a mountain on this planet. There’s no record of setting up holo-projectors for natives,” said Ivan.

“I don’t have answers to that. I believe the natives are descendants of your original crew. They have devolved to a primitive race,” I said.

“That explains why the native spoke Baglogi,” said Ivan.

“They’re a primitive race, who have existed for thousands of years,” I said.

“Confirmed,” said Ivan.

“So, this planet qualifies as a protected planet,” I said.

“Confirmed,” said Ivan.

“We have a duty to protect the native population from contamination by advanced races and their technology.”

“Confirmed, Captain. But this means I cannot leave this mountain,” said Ivan.

I stopped for a minute.

“You’re right. The force needed to break out from under the mountain and reach escape velocity would destroy the surrounding area. At first, I hoped you might help me return to my vessel,” I said.

“I will adjust the priority list of the repairs,” said Ivan.

“Agreed. But include the portable communications array. I need to send out a distress call,” I said.

“I’ve already begun work on the communications array. It should be ready in engineering soon,” said Ivan.

I left for the engineering section. I didn’t bring my new jumpsuit with me, since it might raise more questions from the M'goo.

In engineering, I collected the portable communications array. It was a collection of antennae, tripods, and cables. Ivan had thoughtfully put it on a grav sled, so I brought it all to the airlock in one trip.

I took everything through the airlock and unloaded near the cave entrance, then I pushed the grav sled back inside and out of view. It was bad enough to set up a communications array outside where the M'goo could see it. I didn’t want to expose them to anti-grav technology.

When I stepped back out of the airlock, I discovered I wasn’t alone.

“Brian, I’ve brought you food,” she said, smiling. She held out her basket, laden with items.

The sun was high in the sky.

“Thank you, Ella. I didn’t realize it was late,” I said.

She blushed. “You friend of M'goo, fix big magic.”

“The waterfall works again,” I said. That seemed to satisfy her.

We sat in the same place we sat yesterday, and she served me lunch. It was unfamiliar but wholesome. I realized it was many days since I’d eaten replicated food.

Ella noticed the pile of what would be my communications array.

“What is that? More big magic?” she asked.

“Yes, Ella. I’m a long way from home, and this will help me call to my friends,” I replied.

She looked at the pile of equipment and me, clearly confused.

“You don’t like it here? You not stay with M'goo?” she asked.

“I like it here, but I need to return to where I belong,” I replied.

Ella became quiet, and I quickly finished eating. She picked up her basket and left, saying nothing.

With her gone, I turned my focus to the communications array. I soon worked out what bit went where. There was a cable that connected to a data port near the airlock. I assembled the tripods and antennae and positioned them away from the shadow of the hill.

“Ivan, I’ve set up the communications array,” I said into my communicator.

“Confirmed, Captain. I’m sending the distress call. Understand that from the planet’s surface, the call will be directional,” said Ivan.

“I’m returning to the native settlement. Call me if you get a response,” I said.

“Confirmed,” said Ivan.

With the security of the M'goo restored, and a hope of rescue, I walked with a cheerful step towards the settlement.

Jem sat, eating a meal in the main dining lounge with Saria, Laine, and Cathy.

Laine had prepared several Quard dishes. Some were a little spicy for Cathy. Saria had no trouble with them, since she was also from Quard Prime.

“Next time we visit Mina, she will have grown the Earth plants. I’ll prepare something for you to try,” said Cathy.

Laine nodded.

“If they can grow coffee, it will be awesome,” said Jem. Coffee had become the beverage of choice aboard Ship.

“I wonder how real coffee compares to replicated coffee from the food dispenser,” said Laine.

“Don’t forget, we have several varieties, and many ways to prepare it,” said Cathy.

“I’ll have to scan them in, to program the food dispenser,” said Laine. “it will impress Brian when he tries them.”

But Brian wasn’t aboard to try any new varieties of coffee. Jem took another bite from her food. This was the longest he’d been away from them.

“Attention, Commodore,” said Ship.

“What is it, Ship?” asked Jem.

“I detected a segment of a distress call. The message was encrypted using an old Baglogi code.”

“A Baglogi distress call? In this sector of space??” asked Jem.

“Confirmed. But there’s more, it contained the Captain’s ID.”

“That means he’s alive, and out there somewhere!” exclaimed Jem, their meal forgotten.

“Unfortunately, the transmission stopped before I discovered the origin,” said Ship.

“Can’t you narrow it down to one or two systems?” asked Laine.

“Negative, Ensign,” replied Ship.

“Ship, continue to monitor for the distress call,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“When he left, the Captain didn’t have any communication equipment,” said Saria.

“I know. He must have discovered Baglogi communication equipment,” said Jem. “Ship, tell me more about this ‘old Baglogi code’?”

“It’s thousands of years old, and not in active service,” replied Ship.

“Time travel?” asked Laine.

That was a preview of Star Guardian 4. To read the rest purchase the book.

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