The Alliance in Peril Read online

  “Next week,” murmured Alenna. She then said, “Molk first then Grimda,” at which point my heart sank. By the expression on the face of Jenna and Perri, they were dreading that consignment, Alenna continued with. “Then straight to Relnor.”

  Alenna paid Zitter for the pods and along with the new sculpture, they were taken to our freighter, before being loaded on board.

  Before we left I said to Zitter, “Are you expecting any military craft at all?”

  “Alas no,” said Zitter, “I have not had any military craft for quite some time. I usually get at least the odd one now and again. Something strange, I was due to collect three gunships but at the last moment, that contract was not finalised. The only reason they gave, was that it had been deferred.”

  “Oh that, deferred. That saying in my book means it has been put on hold indefinitely,” I replied with a sigh.

  Zitter’s last words were, “You’re welcome to visit anytime.”

  As we prepared to leave Dregg I asked Alenna, “Well, has your opinion on Zitter now changed or are you still somewhat suspicious about her?”

  Alenna replied, “I have mellowed towards her since we had a long talk about many things. Alright, I am a bit ashamed. I do sort of like her now.”

  I replied, “I thought you would once you got to know her. Remember what Nindy had said to us, that Zitter would be wary of strangers until she gets to know them. I guess she has got to know us now and seems very friendly, perhaps too friendly the way she hugged me. I did hold my breath as being that close, her musky smell would have been overwhelming.”

  Alenna chuckled before saying, “You should have seen that expression on your face when Zitter gave you that hug. Though I was a little shocked at the time, thinking back now, I just have to laugh.”

  After going into star-drive I went to the cargo deck where that new sculpture stood. I planned to play a trick on Alenna, I was going to move the sculpture to our cabin. I needed help to move it, which wife would be willing to assist. No contest, River of course. Together we managed to get it to the cabin where I stood it in a prominent position so it could be seen, staring at you as soon you entered the cabin. I was in the galley and it was not that long before Alenna came looking for me.

  Alenna in a slightly rattled voice said, “Jake, come with me, please. I need to have a word or two with you.” I followed her and she took me directly to our cabin. “What is the meaning of this being here?” She said waiting for an answer with her arms folded.

  I replied in a positive way, “Oh, I thought you liked your gift from Zitter, so I set it up where you could appreciate it.”

  Alenna said, “I hate it almost as much as that sculpture depicting the Silka.”

  “Sorry Alenna”, I said. “Do you wish me to flush it out into space?”

  Alenna still a little rattled replied, “No, of course not, but please move it out of my sight. Perhaps we can we give it to that art gallery on Earth?

  I gave in and said, “Yes all right. In the meantime, I will store it in the waste recycling room, well at least for the time being. Anyway, what is it supposed to represent?”

  Alenna now explained, “It represents a large mythical bird known as a Pokbok. This bird has a long beak filled with teeth and large wings with claws at the end. It is often mentioned to small Dregg children when they misbehave, telling them that the Pokbok will come for you if you’re naughty. Not something an Alkarren would ever do to their children. Would human parents say something similar to their children?”

  “Not too sure on that one,” I replied. “Possibly some parents may say that the bogeyman will come and get you if you’re naughty or if children were to make too much noise they would wake a banshee, but most would not want to scare their children that way. Did you like any of Zitter’s sculptures Alenna?”

  “Yes,” replied Alenna, “Some were quite acceptable, but I was not given the option to choose or I would have chosen something less threatening.”

  “Never mind, I am sure it will be much appreciated by the art gallery on Earth,” I said, trying to hold back a snigger.

  We returned to Alkarr, where the pods were unloaded into the warehouse belonging to the House of Motok. Alenna could not see Helena and inform her about our findings regarding the distribution regulator as she had not yet returned from a cargo run. Alenna had instead left the details with her mother. Molk was our next delivery, which was fine as everyone liked going there, perhaps we might get some time to visit the beach. After arriving at Molk it became apparent that visiting the beach was not an option. Just like our last visit to Mazar, it rained continuously from the moment we arrived until the moment we left. Off to Grimda, it wasn’t raining, but that would not be anybody’s concern. The bugs were! There seemed to be a plague of flying gritchies. This insect hatches at the same time of year, every year. Gritchies, they number in billions, a little similar to locusts on Earth, only they are choosy about what they eat, leaving one plant alone while devouring all others around it. I had not seen so much plant life destroyed by any insects, only hard stems remaining. The wives, having viewed these insects from the bridge on landing were all dreading going outside even with their protective suits on. They all looked towards Alenna in a very concerned way; it was down to her who would be selected to assist with the loading.

  I said, “Well I will be volunteering, so count me in Alenna.”

  Alenna replied, “Thank you, Jake. I will leave it to you to select those who will assist you.”

  Alenna made for the bridge door, but before she exited I shouted, “Alenna you’re not going to get out of selecting my assistants that easily. Anyway, it’s your duty and you’re not going to pass the buck onto me.”

  Whoever I would have selected would have probably burst into tears and if it happened to be a wife she would have said that I did not love her and if I did, I would not have selected her for such an assignment.

  Alenna reluctantly turned around and said, “Ok is there anyone who will volunteer?”

  I was surprised. Yarkeli said, “I will.” Then she said, “As I had not been selected in the past, it’s about time I volunteered to.”

  Alenna also surprised replied, “Thank you Yarkeli. Is there anyone else willing to assist?”

  My sister with gritted teeth murmured, “I will also. I can’t let my brother always get one better on me.”

  I now said, “One more, how about you Alenna? You usually assist on Grimda.”

  Alenna looked outside and sighed before saying, “Ok, you are right as always, I must be seen to set an example.”

  It was awful. These gritchies would settle on the facemask or buzz in front of it so you could not see. There were so many, it was like peering through frosted glass. Our suits were covered in them. If you were to grab hold of anything, it seemed that at least one of these insects would find itself between your glove and whatever you tried to grip hold of and you would end up squelching it. The only good thing, it was the dry season and at least we did not sink knee deep into the mud. The toads, err, sorry the Grocka, find these a delicacy. The Grocka were not like any other race. They overindulge in eating to a point that they are so bloated after which they just slump down and fall to sleep where they are and for several days at a time. You would think they were dead by the number of insects that covered them. Their skin is like tough leather so they are quite oblivious to any attempt by any insect to bite or sting them. When we had finished loading the ore containers, I looked around the cargo bay; there were swarms of these gritchies. After leaving Grimda I had the job of de-contamination to deal with. I dreaded this. As I vented the cargo bay I observed a cloud which expanded when the insects exploded, and no one wanted to watch the monitor, not a pleasant sight at all to behold. On to Re
lnor. First, we had to deliver our cargo of ore. Once that was done we proceeded to the civilian spacecraft service port. We passed over the sales area; not a single cargo ship was on display. In fact, they had little of anything on display, strange I thought. We landed at the service port. Jenna went in front of us while Alenna and I carried the regulator between us. As we exited our ship we were greeted by a Relnorian. She was a little concerned that we had a problem with our new ship.

  Through Jenna, I explained, “I am not here because of my ship, but another. I wish to see an engineer as I have something that may require immediate attention. We were escorted to the service reception, where we deposited the distribution regulator on the floor.”

  “What can we do for you?” inquired the receptionist.

  I replied, “I need to see an engineer to explain our problem. Do you have one that can speak Zeln?”

  The receptionist said, “Please take a seat while I try to get hold of one.” We waited and waited. It wasn’t till over half an hour later that one appeared.

  I pointed at the regulator, telling the engineer, “It has come off a thirty-five-year-old cargo ship.”

  The Engineer got down to have a closer look, I had not seen a Relnorian appear that concerned about anything, she shook her head and asked, “Is this from a ship belonging to you?”

  “No,” I replied, “it belongs to my in-laws. The ship in question rests on its front two anti-gravity pods back on Alkarr,” then I showed her the photos I had taken of the other regulator back on the planet Dregg. Her face now turned to the look of fear. Relnorians pride themselves on their reputation for having the most reliable and dependable cargo ships ever built. She at once summoned others to come and see. Soon there were a number of Dregg talking to each other and by the look of their poise and expression, they were very concerned.

  I said, “What is going to happen? We need a new regulator so I can at least get the ship onto its front stanchions.” The most senior engineer was summoned.

  She took a long look at the regulator before saying to us, “Please come back later today. Hopefully, we can come up with a solution to this problem.” We left and returned to our cargo freighter, where we then had a meal.

  After the meal, I asked Alenna, “How long should we wait before returning?”

  Alena said, “I guess we should return about an hour before they close for the day.” So we waited before returning. As we approached the reception we could see a new regulator, a box of sealing washers and a number of drums of hydraulic fluid sitting to one side.

  The receptionist said, “You’re back. Please wait while I summon the senior engineer; she would like to have a word with you.”

  The engineer soon appeared and said, “We have checked all our spare distribution regulators and concluded that there was indeed a faulty batch. We will be initiating a priority recall for all ships fitted with regulators from that batch. Pointing to the new regulator she continued, “That regulator has undergone some tests including sonic pulse and we are satisfied that it is in perfect condition. Included with the regulator are the washer seals and hydraulic fluid that will be required.”

  Alenna was preparing to pay but the receptionist said, “No charge, you must bring the ship in question to us pronto as we need to replace the rear stanchion deployment regulator.”

  Before the engineer left she inquired, “You mentioned that the ship was sitting on its front pods. You know that they will be damaged don’t you?”

  I replied confidently, “Yes they are damaged. We have two replacements ready to fit.”

  The engineer did not comment any further other than saying before she left, “Thank you for bringing the problem of the regulators to our attention.”

  After loading the new regulator, seals and hydraulic fluid it was time to return to Alkarr. I wanted to get the fitting of the regulator out of the way a.s.a.p.

  I asked Alenna, “How long do we have before our next cargo shipment?”

  Alenna replied, “Two days. We are going to see the Flitten first but after that, we have our first shipment to Earth of the goods ordered from the trade fair. I expect you are looking forward to that trip, Jake.”

  I nodded and said, “Of course it’s Earth, my home planet. Everyone likes going home now and again.”

  I had two days to fit the regulator so after landing my priority was to go to the ship. The problem was that Perri wanted me to take her to the moon and was pestering me as soon as we landed. I told her bluntly that I had to fit the regulator first, then if there was the time I would take her. Perri was not that pleased suggesting, family should come first. I reminded her that the House of Motok was family and I would be sorting their problem first and if she was so eager she should assist me in fitting the regulator. The thought of becoming covered in hydraulic fluid was not incentive enough, so she declined. I took River and Emily with me instead. We informed the House of Motok that we were ready to enter their ship and were met by Helena and Emily’s Mother. Emily was not much help as she was more interested in spending time with her mother. Helena just watched us. River was a great help though. She assisted me all the way. First, we bolted the new regulator in place. Then we fitted each of the hoses to the unions making sure we had fitted a new washer seal to each. Once fitted, it was time to add the fluid to the system. This was River’s job. All River had to do was keep the reservoir topped up. I, on the other hand, had to bleed the hydraulic rams, two on each of the stanchions in turn, not an easy job. The rams are located a place that’s hard to reach and you have to crawl into a space which is just three foot high. As the stanchion had collapsed due to being only partially deployed I had to climb down into the stanchion deployment well, below the floor with little to stand on. So holding on tight with one hand was essential or I would end up falling through the opening to the ground below and risk being injured in the process. Bleeding was rather straightforward; undoing the bleed nipple and letting the air out, it hissed as it escaped. Gravity would force the fluid into the areas now devoid of air and when the hissing stopped fluid would drip from the bleed nipple. I would then re-tighten the bleed nipple before moving on to the next ram in turn. This part took two hours. When finished we all went to the bridge.

  I said to Helena, “This is where we see if I have succeeded.”

  I powered up the ship and spun up the pods with the exception of the damaged pair. You can fly a cargo ship with one pod out of action without too much trouble, but two, that requires more skill. To make things worse, two out of action at either end is even more difficult. I was not sure if I would get enough lift. The rear of the ship lifted, but the front remained stubbornly on the ground. I spun the pods next to the damaged ones to their maximum. I still did not have enough lift. I had no choice but to spin them beyond their recommended limit. Alarms sounded but I ignored them. The front of the ship lifted a little before setting back down. One more thing to try; firing the main and secondary thruster below the front of the ship. We lurched upwards. I quickly activated the deployment of the front stanchions. Slowly, a couple deployed and locked. Soon another did the same. The other three were being stubborn, moving in jolts, then another deployed and locked. Two more to go. Then a more serious alarm sounded. I looked at the display, overheat on pods three and four. The last two stanchions were moving but not very fast, I was worried that the pods might fail before the stanchions completely deployed. I waited with bated breath. Finally, they reached their full deployment and locked. Now I had to set the ship back down. I slowed the rear two pods to try and level the ship. It rocked in an alarming way. It was extremely difficult to level the ship but once done, I had to land. I dare not alter either of the front pods or the rear pods but instead slowed the centre ones. I let the ship gently descend, I did not wish to rush the landing. I had touchdown. I quickly slowe
d the front two pods three and four then shut off the thrusters. I put my head in my hands in relief. I then looked at my hands, and they were shaking. That was one of the most harrowing things I had ever done or experienced. I shut down the remaining pods and turned towards Helena and the others. Their faces were as white as sheets.

  Now relieved that the ordeal was over, Helena said, “I did not think we would make it! I am glad you were the pilot, as I would have lost my nerve a long time ago.”

  I replied, “Not quite over yet. There is still some air trapped in the hydraulic system, so I will need to revisit each stanchion to repeat the bleed process.”

  It was late in the day and we were all hungry but I had to finish so returned and removed some more air from the system. Any small amount left after that would probably find its way out through the reservoir when the stanchions were retracted. I had done my part and now it was left to Helena to arrange with Lidier to fit the two replacement pods. River, Emily and I returned to our residence where we had our final meal of the day. I was whacked and I fell asleep soon after.

  Chapter 3

  Rumours and Speculation

  The next day dawned and Perri was eager to leave early for our trip to the moon. I was hoping to have a lie-in, but it was not to be. I was persuaded to get out of bed, gently at first. As I was being a bit stubborn Perri took it upon herself to be more forceful. I was being too slow at getting out of bed for her liking. She lifted the mattress and tipped me out onto the floor. I was more surprised at where she had mustered the strength to do so.

  I was now lying on the floor. I then stood up and said, “Ok, you win Perri. I will shower and after we have eaten I will take you to see your family.” I grabbed a towel and made for the shower.

  Perri replied as she walked towards the door, “Don’t be long, I will have the food ready for you in the galley.”