In Search of the Uldans, page 21
part #2 of Galactogon Series
Eine paused, looking down at his feet and thinking about something.
“I vould like to help,” the old man said. “My Friends have many D-class Ships. I can talk to zem, if you promise to take my People and me vit you to ze Udans. But I do not vish to talk Business now. First I must vatch the Video. Zen ve vill make a plan. Danke for your conversation, Herr Alexis. I have had a lot of Fun. I suppose zis is ze Time to exchange Contacts. Here is my Number.”
Having instilled in me the hope that I could finish the pirate mission soon, the collector dropped me off at the same place where he had picked me up. I had to admit that my first impression of this man turned out to be overhasty—Eine valued his name, did not deal in empty promises, tried to squeeze out the greatest profit for himself, yet respected his partner’s opinion. In any case, these were the conclusions I had come to following our meeting. Brainiac reported that Eine’s people had left the orbship without leaving any foreign objects and without digging around too deeply under the hood. Everything had been done according to our contract, clearly and honestly.
I climbed the stairs and knocked on the door. There was no answer. I saw no intercoms, knockers, buttons or other means of announcing that I was at the door. A bare wooden door with a handle. I pulled it and started from the piercing squeak. The door did not open willingly. I applied more force to crack it open and slip inside. The door slammed shut, pushing me forward and showering me with dust. A single dim lantern lit the spectacle inside. It seemed as if no one cared one bit about order in this place—everything was covered with grime, dust and cobwebs. Instead of the reception room to the leading arms manufacturer of the Precian Empire, I had found myself in some neglected barracks—a corridor that led me to a door and an intercom. I pressed the call button and received a curt response after a long ring:
“Visiting hours are tomorrow. Come back tomorrow!”
The receptionist hung up before I could say anything. I frowned and tried my luck again.
“What are you, dumb? Or deaf? I don’t have any time! I told you—come back tomorrow!” the speaker’s voice rattled as if he had just recovered from a long illness.
When he hung up again without giving me a chance to get a word in, I grew angry and kicked the door several times as hard as I could. Sparks flew in all directions and dents appeared in the metal. Meanwhile, the noise was so loud that my armor suit automatically dampened the sound. This time, my attempts to get in had an effect, albeit not the one I had counted on: A machine gun opened fire from the upper right corner. If I had died here, I would have had the snake make me another battering ram and come back tomorrow! But luckily the gun was firing ordinary kinetic bullets and my A-class armor suit managed just fine. Thanks to the inertial dampeners, I didn’t even budge from where I stood. Ten seconds later there was no trace of the machine gun: My shoulder-mounted blaster popped out and zapped it in a flash. I decided to give Hansa one last chance and again pressed the call button. After all is said and done, I prefer the path of peace.
“You’re a pesky one, aren’t you? Why don’t you go back to your orbship and cause your ruckus there?” came the displeased answer. “Ah all right. Come on in.”
I grinned, the Hansa man knew perfectly well who I was and why I was there. What remained a mystery was why they had arranged this entire circus. A click came and part of the wall next to the door slid upward. I appreciated the width and material of the wall—two meters of monolithic metal, decorated with a thin stone lining. Walls like this could handle an orbital torpedo if someone decided to bomb Belket. Any notions of exacting vengeance against Hansa immediately left me.
The front room in this bunker was much more like the reception room of an enormous corporation I expected. Modern and high-tech, full of surrealism and devoid of human logic, the decor caused me neither discomfort nor anxiety. To the contrary, my ape brain equated the interior chaos with comfort. I couldn’t help relaxing and even began to feel sleepy. The armor suit reacted to this by injecting me with a dose of synthetic glucose.
“What’d you come here for?” asked the boorish voice from before. The hologram of a Precian appeared beside me dressed in a white doctor’s tunic. The Hansa salespeople did not even bother meeting their clients in person. It was no wonder he had received me at the door the way he had—impunity gives rise to permissiveness.
“What happened to the red carpet for VIP clients?” I wasn’t about to tolerate this kind of attitude.
“Tell me which closet we threw it in and I’ll apologize to your human ass,” snarled the Precian. “Are you so stupid that you don’t know who you’re talking to?”
“I don’t need you dragging your tongue all over my human ass, thank you. And I believe I’m speaking to His Imperial Majesty’s subject, so I’ll be happy to return to the Emperor and inquire why his Imperial Majesty’s subjects are rude, obnoxious, asslickers.”
The grin vanished from the stupid Precian mug and he said solemnly:
“What have we, lowly tradesmen, done to earn this great honor—a visit from the great owner of the orbship?” The hologram’s tone had changed to unvarnished sarcasm. I winced at the realization that the adviser, knowing full well the attitude of this guild’s employees had sent me specifically to establish business relations with them. Surely the cunning Precian hoped that I wouldn’t succeed. I considered several options to how this scenario could play out and tried the first one:
“Engineer, I need schematics for something powerful and unique, which the Precians cannot replicate at their level of technology. And it has to be something we wouldn’t be sorry handing over to them.”
“What about silicahydralization. A process for turning sand into water,” suggested the snake, sounding unsure. “I thought of it a hundred thousand years ago and even created a prototype device demonstrating the process—the silicahydralizer. Should be knocking about the ship somewhere, taking up space. I never figured out a way to integrate it into the orbship and I’d be sorry to throw it away. It’ll seem like a divine miracle to them—their current tech will not account for its principles of operation, let alone allow them to replicate it.”
“Send me the schematics!” I ordered and turned to the hologram: “I was told that Hansa was unparalleled when it came to recreating the inventions of ancient epochs. That you can reconstruct the most incredible devices of the past. In fact, this is precisely why I wished to meet you. I wanted to verify the rumors.”
“What do you want to surprise us with? An Uldan wondercannon? A miracle shield? Or perhaps an engine of unprecedented power?” The hologram was mocking me quite openly now. I ignored the gibe and projected a hologram of the schematics I had received.
“I have a working prototype, so I can say for sure that it works. I want to understand how and why.”
The Hansa spokesman glanced at the hologram scornfully, yet I almost broke into a smile when his gaze lingered, locked and melted. The disdain on his face gave way to piqued interest, surprise, shock, and, finally, utter puzzlement. The Precian wholly succumbed to his examination of the schematics. I waited a few minutes and turned off the hologram, snapping him out of his reverie.
“It seems the rumors about your capabilities were exaggerated.”
“But that can’t possibly work!” A nearby wall slid aside and another Precian waddled in, this time in the flesh. He wasn’t the same one from the hologram, but he was dressed the same way. “Let me see that again!”
“There’s no ‘possibly’ about. It works perfectly well,” I insisted, re-casting the hologram. Two colleagues joined the Precian and they began ogling the schematics, arguing and poking their hands at different places of the projection.
“Prove it or I call BS!” one of the Precians turned to me.
“Engineer?”
“Will a video suffice?”
The Hansa experts glued themselves to the holovid. The Uldans visible in the background did not really add to the realism—in fact, to the contrary, they, made the video seem like a Sci-Fi flick. But the Precians made no complaints. It was as if they did not even notice the Uldans.
“But how?! Sand cannot simply turn to water!” One of the workers muttered in befuddlement. “And ‘silica-hydralization?’ Really? What a bunch of tosh!”
“Just because you can’t do it, doesn’t mean no one else can,” I concluded. “It’s all clear now. The emperor granted me the right to one Hansa device, but I can already imagine the level of your ‘celebrated’ products. I don’t need more junk on board my ship. I guess there’s nothing for me here. Open the door.”
The entrance panel slid upward and I held my breath. The moment of truth had come—if Hansa allows me to leave now, I won’t be able to come back for who knows how long. And even then at the price of great shame and humiliation. I stood up and walked calmly to the door. The Hansa techs watched in silence as I disappeared in the doorway. The wall behind me returned to its original state. That’s all. I suppose I had chosen the wrong strategy, yet I did not slow my gait. One must know endure defeat nobly.
“All right, we want to know the principles behind your device. What would you like in return?” They sent the same jerk from before to talk me out of leaving. The Precian’s voice caught up with me as I was descending the stairs. The players and locals loitering around paid no attention to him—I believe only I could hear him. An interesting trick. I need to ask the snake to reproduce it for me.
“You have nothing to offer me, bud. Barter implies an equal exchange, but I see that you lot only deal in dishing out abuse and rudeness for free. My regards to your marketing department. They did the impossible—Hansa is a much ado about nothing on a galactic scale. They really did stir up a fuss about a bunch of mediocre upstarts.”
“You forget yourself, human!” a note of steel surfaced in the Precian’s voice. “We make products that you never even dreamed of!”
“I believe it’s me who has a product that you haven’t dreamed of. And, unlike you, I’ve shown you proof. Before we start comparing how cool our toys are, why don’t you convince me that you have something even worth speaking about.”
“Turn back. I assure you we have something to discuss with you,” the voice replied arrogantly, and a part of the wall next to the door rose up. The passage led to a regular lighted corridor. I hurried to enter while the invitation remained standing. In a roundabout way, I found myself in the earlier reception room. All the same Precian engineers were still there.
“We want a prototype silicahydralizer for research.”
“First you will provide me with a worthy device, as per the emperor’s orders.” I’d be the one making the demands now.
“An exchange?”
“No way. I get one device for free—granted to me by the emperor. It is not your place to dispute it. Surprise me, prove that Hansa is worth its marketing budget and we can continue our conversation. Or give me some trinket. I’ll toss it in the trash bin and we can forget about each other for a long time. Choice is yours.”
The Precians began to confer among each other, whispering in a circle. Try as I might, I could not make out anything. A minute later, the very same Precian who started the conversation announced: “Very well, we are prepared to provide you with a device, which has no analogues in Galactogon. A set of extremely powerful engines.”
“But your engines are fundamentally different from the type my orbship uses.”
“That problem may be solved. We need only consult with your ship engineer. Ask the dispatchers to transfer the orbship to our repair shop. We will modify it there.”
“Brainiac, get on it,” I ordered the ship, but instead the snake replied with indignation:
“Cap’n, I seem to have missed something. I am working hard on upgrading the engines, trying to increase our velocity and you trust these sly devils more than me? I’m not even talking about the ethical aspect, although I am hurt, I just wish to remind you of the security of our ship.”
“Can we do this without the sentiments? First, you will evaluate, examine everything and draw a conclusion, and then we will make the final decision together. I know you longer than them, but they promised to surprise me. Give them a chance.”
“What surprise? You’ve seen those so-called modern ships! They fly about as fast as you walk. But okay, let’s take a look at their engines. But no advances and no discounts! I’m the one who has to pick up the pieces after your tinkering.”
The orbship landed in the repair dock right through the protective dome. It looked like a celebrity surrounded by fans. The local engineers, though they really were fans, were only interested in the upgrades and research. All actions with the ship were broadcast for me on the screen in the meeting room, and the Hansa staff provided a consultant explaining what was happening. The engineer got out of the hull and began to study the submitted schematics.
“Now we are planning the modifications that have to be made,” the consultant began to explain. “We have never worked with an orbship but Uldan technology is familiar to us. In fact, we need to study the assemblies for mounting the engines to the hull and ensuring that they function within their proper tolerances. Your engineer is examining our blueprints to find a way of wiring our engines to the ship’s computer.”
“Cap’n,” the snake called quietly, without looking up from the schematics. “I was a good ship engineer for you? Right? Wasn’t I?”
“What do you mean, ‘was?’ Are you going to resign? Get to the point, will you?”
“As embarrassing and unpleasant as it is to admit it, my achievements are childish hiss compared to these devices. I…uh…I admit that sometimes I grumble and complain too much. Sometimes I’m a bit too pushy, but…will we install these babies or what? Our speed will match the Zatrathi ships—surpass it in fact. I mean these are some rockets! I am ready to eat my tail from envy.”
“Have them installed and quit babbling. You’ll do better in the future.” I smiled, pleased with my foresight and relishing the snake’s embarrassment. Everything turned out for the best: I got not just new equipment, but the best equipment there was.
“Oh! They have agreed on the modifications they will make,” my consultant commented on the change in activity. The snake was hovering over the workers, making comments and gesturing with her little snake hands. Only fifteen minutes had passed and our engines had changed dramatically: The housing had been taken off and several compartments had been reconfigured entirely. The engineer dove into the hull and rolled out two outdated engines, then went back for the new ones.
“I’m done here, Cap’n,” came her report. “Our preliminary delta v is 1.9 times the previous one. If we race the Zatrathi ships now, we’ll leave them in the stardust. Even the cruisers. Although we will need to test them further. In any event, Hansa are like tech gods or something. They have my admiration.”
“Start working on a prototype sand-to-water converter,” I sighed. “You’ll give it to your new idols.”
Chapter Six
“I want it all!” I barely recognized the snake anymore. She was so impressed with Hansa that even once we’d flown off, my engineer couldn’t calm down for a long while. Delighted by the prototype silicahydralizer and having signed our cooperation contract, the Hansa specialists offered me a list of thirty products with detailed descriptions. There were improvements for the armor suit here, as well as new shields for the ship, an updated computer system, and even weapons. Thirty items all together, with the cheapest coming in at twelve million—a rapid-firing beam cannon for an armor suit—and the most expensive costing one and a half billion—an upgrade to the ship’s armor. According to its description, the armor could withstand a direct hit from seven A-class torpedoes at once.
Seeing the list, the snake lost her mind.
“Do you know where to get three billion?” I said, quoting the total cost of all the upgrades.
“Don’t look at me. I just know how to spend it. Getting it is the Cap’n’s problem,” the serpent said indignantly. “You can’t say no! That is, I mean, it would be irresponsible towards your crew and ship if you did. Go kill someone, rob a mogul, kidnap an heiress—we need it all! Hansa are geniuses! Geniuses! I’m literally ashamed of my prior attempts. In our time, they would be priceless.”
“They maybe geniuses, but they also charge an arm and a leg. You saw the price list,” I looked at the list again. “Stay here, I have to go see the local viceroy. Maybe I’ll manage to haggle for something else.”
The imperial viceroy’s residence was located next to the part of the planet that is commonly called the ‘military testing ground.’ This area was about two hundred kilometers in diameter and was completely devoid of vegetation, since this is where Hansa’s customers tested the weapons they bought. Droids, weapons, armor suits, torpedoes, and other means of mass and individual destruction—all were brought here. The viceroy issued the licenses for the tests and monitored them. It was quite a lucrative post. If you add the other, ever-vital component of bribery, it was simply the good life. People accustomed to living according to the law in reality felt liberated from their ethical scruples in the game and sometimes let their dark side to the surface. It was like this everywhere, so why not give them the opportunity to fool around in Galactogon as well?
