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Bones and Mortar

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Bones and Mortar

Captain Keating settled into his chair with a sigh. Dealing with the Vargr always put him in a bad mood. “I can't see paying more than ten thousand credits for the grain. Transport costs alone will eat all my profits. Besides which, it is not as if your people plan to eat it.” He smiled a smile which minimized a show of teeth. The level of required insult to show dominance was a tricky matter. “Unless you plan to use it yourself?”
Rrolkatea bristled slightly. The fur on his back and arms puffing at the implication that he ate plants. The canine Vargr did eat plants, but only in desperation or medicinal reasons. “I suppose ten thousand is reasonable” he replied, not trying to hide his teeth at all. “I shouldn't expect a runt to have much to pay with. Perhaps next time your larger litter-mates should chip in on the cargo.”
Captain Keating didn't bother correcting him about the crew not being siblings. It wasn't important to point out the error, especially now that the deal was done. “Very well, I will expect the delivery this evening.” He remained seated and deliberately avoided eye contact as the Vargr rose to leave. The raised tail and twitch or his ears told that he too felt the deal went well.
Captain Keating radioed down to one of his crew. “Pal, get the bay ready. Our cargo's due in a few hours.” Pal's real name was a little dance only the six limed Hiver could do, but for the ease of its human crew mates it choose “Friend” as a name. Its translator took “Pal” and “Friend” as the same, so the crew used the easier of the two.
“Understood, Captain” the artificial voice of Pal's translator replied.
The Captain switched off the com and slipped on a jacket as he left the ship. The star-port was open to the atmosphere and this world was a bit chilly for his taste. He headed for the nearest bar. The most likely location of his absent crew members. They weren't alcoholics or even overly social, it was simply that, after weeks on board the ship, the need to unwind was big. Besides, the star-port bar was where to get a feel for the locals without being expected to follow local customs.
The bar was crowded despite the early hour. The patrons consisted of an even mix of Human crew and local Vargr. Keating spotted his crew near the back and headed in.

Devin glanced over his shoulder nervously as he walked down the street. He wasn't nervous for any reason in particular. The Vargr tended to do this to him. It was rare for him to travel to a non human world. Hell, the Imperium didn't have many where intelligent xenos outnumbered humans, and the small percentage that did  he tried to avoid. Devin glanced up and accidentally made eye contact with one of the damned wolf-men. He quickly put his eyes back on the ground. Sweat broke on his forehead and he tensed, waiting for the confrontation. He didn't really need to worry. The Vargr in question barely noticed the scrawny human reeking of fear, but Devin continued to sweat as he scuffled quickly down the road.
He reached the post-board for the star-port. The tech level here was fairly high so the board consisted of a large holoscreen. Devin scanned the board. All the current ships docked here and in orbit, as well as cargo to haul or sell, and any other legal ship business could be found here. Ship destinations and empty staterooms were his interest today.
The Harpy, bound for Xaphan. A few stops in between, that might be a problem. A few extra months could cost everything. At least it was scheduled to leave port tomorrow. Devin placed a hand protectively over his breast pocket. The chip inside held all the information he had collected so far. He was fairly certain the artifact was on Xaphan. The Vargr he had spoken with here had been part of the crew rumored to have seen it in action. No one could seem to agree on the exact planet the rumors had originated from, but his contact here had been very clear on his description of it's operation. Devin didn't see any reason to doubt his word on it's location. The primitive technology on Xaphan would explain why word of its existence had spread so slowly. Once word reached the right ears though, the Imperium would have scholars swarming out there to study it. Fortunately for Devin, he had been in the right place at the right time to overhear. Maybe with some luck he might be the first scholar to officially study it and therefore gain the right to lead the team the Imperium sends.
Devin turned from the board to find the Harpy.

The Harpy sailed silently through empty space. Its thruster plates warping space behind it slightly causing forward thrust. It had emerged from jump space about a week before and was on course to rendezvous with the port on Xephan.
Captain Keating knew the Imperium kept this star-port in operation to serve as a fuel and repair port for any of its passing ships. The surrounding stars were a bit far to cross without this port. He knew this was destined to become a busy world once the colonies spin-ward grew more, but for now it only seemed a waste of funds. The locals fell back to barbarism during the long night. Everything this base needed other than raw materials needed to come from off world. Oh well, it worked to his advantage. He had traded the grain a few worlds back for a load of some modern entertainment equipment, as well as the power generators to run them. He had taken a pretty big hit in the trade, at least he felt he did, but this market was ripe for these goods. He should more than make up his loss. It helped that he had acquired a passenger for several jumps. The cost of the stateroom lined his pocket a bit. There weren't many people coming to this little slice of Limbo. It didn't qualify as Hell. Hell would be more exciting.

Pal rested on a stool in engineering. All six of its limbs were currently occupied in the repair of the equipment in front of it. How Humans even managed to work on such complex equipment, let alone create it, with only two manipulators was beyond it. Pal focused all six of its eye stalks on the circuit board. It had not taken Pal long to learn the workings of Human technology. They were slightly behind the Hivers after all, but differences in thinking made solutions to the same problems different between the two species. Pal felt he had learned enough to return home and claim victory in its chosen task. Of course, there was no prize or real reward for the victory, but, like all Hivers, Pal had chosen a task to complete. Victory meant respect from fellow hive members and perhaps more resources for its next chosen task. However, Pal wasn't ready to return home yet. These Humans had turned out to be much more interesting than it had expected. The past few years Pal had been observing them very closely. It had tapped into the security cameras for the ship, and used them to watch the various doings of the crew and passengers. Pal was aware of the Human concept of “privacy” but what purpose it served or why anyone would desire such a thing was beyond its ability to understand. After all, the information it could gather by watching the passengers in their staterooms told Pal more about Human mating rituals than any book he could find anywhere, and that was only one aspect of humanity. These last few months had added another item of interest for it. The one named “Devin” kept a journal on a storage chip. Pal had observed him every night making entries. It seemed he (Pal was fairly certain it was a he) was seeking an ancient piece of technology created by the race known as “The Ancients”. Pal did not know the nature of this object, but desire to learn had drove it to search Devin's stateroom twice while the Human was in the galley eating. It seemed the man kept the chip hidden well, or on his person at all times. Pal hoped the opportunity to ask would arise. It knew coming forward and simply asking would reveal its observations and anger the Human, but not asking was about to drive Pal to desperation. After all, this was Devin's destination. If it didn't ask soon, the opportunity would be lost.

Ariel disembarked the Harpy and headed directly for Belial's Chambers, a bar known for its cheep booze and party atmosphere. She had spent most of her life around this sector of space. Even her military carrier in the Imperial Marines was spent stationed on starships patrolling the spin-ward edge of it. She now worked aboard the Harpy, double duty as both security and navigation. She preferred the former, but was skilled at both. The Chamber's main room was mostly empty, only a few off duty star-port personnel. The locals did not frequent the port, and port employees mostly worked daylight hours. That was fine with Ariel, she wasn't yet in the mood to bead some heads in. that would come later, after a few drinks.
Shortly after sitting at the bar she saw Pal enter. The starfish-like creature caused a few heads to turn. This was not a typical place to find one. Not just because the Hiver federation was quite a few sectors away, but bars in general. Alcohol did not affect Hivers and violence was avoided in all but last resort situations. Ariel would have considered him [no, it, she corrected herself, they were hermaphrodites] a coward and showed it little respect, but Hivers evolved a flight reflex instead of a fight or flight. She couldn't blame Pal for something evolution did.
Pal approached her and its translator interpreted its movements and spoke “Hello, Ariel. I have information you may be interested in. I must speak with the Captain, but with his approval, I believe I may have a job.”

Captain Keating swore out loud. He stomped down the hall toward his quarters. He couldn't believe someone had out maneuvered him. Just a month before the Harpy's arrival, the Ramora had docked with a load of almost the exact same goods. He couldn't find a single buyer at his asking price. In the end he had to settle for barely enough to cover the basic ship costs. He needed to find a way to make up for his loss or else he probably wouldn't have the next payment for the bank on the Harpy.
He rounded a corner and almost ran into Pal. “Greetings, Captain. May I speak with you?” it asked
“Not now, Pal. I have a lot on my mind.” Keating replied.
“But it may solve your monetary worries.”
The Captain stopped. “Pal, I think we need to have another discussion about privacy, but, for now, go ahead”
“Well, Captain, it has come to my attention the the man named Devin has been asking around the port for a guide into the wild. He is not likely to find anyone. The locals don't deal with off-worlders and the port employees are busy with the dry season here. He is offering one hundred thousand credits.  Have spoken with Ariel, and if you allow us to use the ship's air-raft, I will give you my half of the pay.”
Fifty thousand would make up his loss and put a little padding in his pockets. “Why would you give up you half?” Keating asked.
“My people contribute all they produce and earn to our hive in return for food, shelter, and supplies. While I cannot say I consider you and your crew my hive, you have provided me with these things and I am interested in what Devin seeks. It is not hard for me to contribute as I would for my hive.”
Captain Keating thought for a moment, “Ok, but I can't afford to lose my air-raft or train new crew, so I'm coming along. You two are off the clock for the duration as well, so if anything happens it is your problem.”
Pal agreed and the two went to make preparations.

Ariel sat at the controls of the air-raft. The wind blowing through her hair as they flew along, propelled by the thruster plates under the craft. At the moment the top was down so they could enjoy the fresh air. Several meters below them, fields of xeno grass raced by. Ariel adjusted course to avoid a large herd of animals. At the sound of the craft's approach the creatures lifted their heads to investigate, revealing multifaceted eyes atop large, frog-like mouths. As one they began to bellow warnings as they quickly raced away.
“It should only be a few more miles” Devin said, “Right in that forest somewhere.”
“Whoa, wait a minute, Ariel. Land before we get to those trees. Those are mortar trees. It's not safe to fly over them in the dry season.” the Captain said.
Mortar trees were a local flora that grew tall and straight. Its leaves were clustered near the top, and the very top were a cluster of hollow tubes. During the dry season, gas pressure would build up in these tubes until they burst, launching seed pods about the size of a Terrestrial coconut for miles. Upon landing, the pod would crack open, releasing a pyrophoric chemical. The resulting fires soften the seed, allowing germination, as well as clearing competition, and fertilizing the soil with ash. The star-port kept the surrounding area clear of mortar tree saplings, and every dry season they made a fire break surrounding the whole port.
Ariel landed just outside the forest and the group headed into the trees. The trunks of the mortar trees were covered in a calcium based, flame retardant bark. The stark white color made the forest look like a boneyard.
The group traveled on foot for awhile before Devin stumbled and caught himself on a tree trunk. A small, beetle-like animal scurried over his hand and he pulled back to squash it.
Captain Keating quickly grabbed his wrist, “Hold on! Those are pop beetles. They live inside the mortar trees and ingest some of the pyrophoric material. Crushing it would make it go off like a firecracker. You'd probably lose a few fingers.”
Devin's eyes widened and he walked more carefully as they moved on.

A few miles into the forest the group found a circular clearing. Devin spoke up, “Ok, this is it. Hold back a minute and we can analyze our next move. The people who saw this in action say it is a functioning disintegrater They didn't get closer than the edge of this clearing.”
In the center of the clearing stood a tall, white tower. From a distance, or the air, it would have appeared to be a dead mortar tree, but from the edge of the clearing it could clearly be seen that the base widened before reaching the ground, the tubes on top were too small and numerous, and the surface was too smooth and glossy. This was clearly not a natural object. As the group walked the edge of the clearing, looking for clues about the object, a small flock of avian creatures flew overhead. A beam shot from the top of the tower, followed by another, and another. One after another, the creatures vanished as the beam hit them.
Captain Keating's jaw dropped, “They were right, a disintegrater. I could make a fortune from the finder's fee.”, he muttered to himself. To Devin he asked, “How do we get to it? I don't want to go up in smoke here.”
“I'm not sure. To be honest, I hadn't thought this far ahead. I have been searching so hard for this, that I guess I just figured getting up to it would be obvious.”
The Captain frowned and stood deep in thought. Another flock passed and was shot into nothingness.
“Captain,” Pal spoke, ”I have noticed an odd thing which might help. The beams seem to decrease in strength with each shot when fired rapidly and the pause between shots increases. After the long pause between flocks, it started over. I believe it may only have a limited supply of energy that requires a recharge period. If we provided a target that needed a large amount of energy, it may provide us with an opportunity to reach the base of the tower.”
The Captain thought for a moment, weighing the monetary loss against the potential gain. He then punched instructions into his wristcomp, programming the air-raft's autopilot to fly in hard and fast from the opposite direction. He told everyone, “Get ready to run.”
As the beam flew from the tower, they all took off running. Pal used all six of its limbs to propel it. As they reached the tower, there was a sharp bang as Devin accidentally stepped on a pop beetle. He screamed as he tumbled forward and a beam from the tower hit him before he even hit the ground. In the blink of an eye he was reduced to a cloud of atoms.
The others pressed against the tower to remain out of the gun's reach. An iris opened in the wall as soon as it was touched, revealing stairs leading down. “Come on!” The Captain yelled, “There must be a way to shut this thing off.”
Ariel took the lead as they descended and entered a small room with a large, raised platform at one end. In the center of the room was a control panel covered with buttons and screens giving readouts in an unknown language. Above the panel was a holographic display of what appeared to be the surrounding stars. Ariel marveled at the clarity of it. Even the holograms she had seen in the marines weren't close, and those were the best the Imperium had to offer. She approached the display and reached out to touch one of the stars. The display immediately zoomed in on it. Strange symbols floated next to it and its planets. Other objects could be seen, such as asteroids, comets, and moons. Some of the objects were highlighted in red. Ariel touched one and the display zoomed in closer. It became obvious it was a starship. Ariel's face whitened, “Captain, this is the Issacson. I served under Captain Seavers for eight years on it. I think what we are looking at is a real time display of the subsector.”
“WOO HOO!”, Captain Keating yelled, “This is worth a fortune! Pal, see if you can figure out the control panel. Ariel and I will see if we can find an access panel to shut down the weapon system.
The Hiver approached the panel and began to examine it as Ariel and the Captain began to examine the wall behind the raised area of the room. A button began to flash on the panel. Two of the Hiver's eye stalks watched the Humans, two examined the panel, and the final two remained locked on the button. Curiosity overtook caution almost at once and it reached a manipulator forward to push the flashing button. A ripple of light and electric crackle filled the room as the humans vanished. All six of its eye stalks turned to the spots where they had stood. It seemed it had found an internal disintegrater. Maybe a garbage disposal. It decided to rule that button out as an off switch and turned back to the panel.

One minute Ariel and the Captain were standing on the platform, then came a moment of disorientation and the feeling of being turned inside out, then they were on the deck of a starship.
Ariel recovered quickly and took a combat stance as she looked around. The bridge crew of the ship stood dumbfounded and staring. The familiar voice of Captain Seavers spoke, “What the...Ariel?”
Ariel turned to face him and her knees went weak as she realized they had just been teleported instantly onto the bridge of a moving ship over ten light years from where they started. She turned to look at Captain Keating as he doubled over, alternating between explosive laughter and screams of “I'M FLARKING RICH!!!!!!”
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