The Pilots and the Frontier
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: After all this time, you know what this means, right? Rating: K Time: About three years after my story the Pilots and the Passengers.
"The red dots are members of the old Commonwealth that now have representation in the House of Planets. The blue dots represent star nations like Kzin, Cynthia, Donnaria, and Hoka, among the best known, who joined the Empire by treaty for military, political and/or economic reasons."
"Or for philosophical reasons, like the Xankandi." Lindane interrupted.
"The Xankandi?" Castle was unfamiliar with them.
"Hydrogen breathers from a sub-Jovian world. They joined, so they say, for philosophical reasons, although no one understands their philosophy. In the fifty-two years they've had representation in the House of Planets, they've never voted or even said one word in the debates."
"Learn something new and useful every day." Castle said.
"A moosefull of useful noosefulls." Said the Quinncunx.
Castle went on.
"Then there are some five thousand or so worlds like Kate's World, that are still being integrated into the Empire after being damaged in the Collapse. They're shown in green."
"And that's the Empire." Said Spotty.
"Then there are the planets shown in white. Some twelve-thousand of them."
"Twelve thousand?"
"They're generally uninhabitable, or only marginally habitable. But, they're useful as military posts, mining colonies, scientific research centers, trading posts on planets with native populations, or are just in a place where several trade routes cross. For example…" Castle tapped the pad and on tiny white dot appeared, far from the borders of the Empire. "This is the farthest Imperial outpost from the Empire itself. It's known by some number I won't bore you with, but it features two black holes orbiting each other. They're pretty close to touching each other and no one knows what will happen when they do touch, although everyone guesses it'll be pretty spectacular."
"That's a lot of planets." Spotty said, examining the holo.
"There's more. Not everyone wants to join the Empire, and the Empire doesn't want everyone to join it. So, we have the Orion Spiral Arm Defense Organization and the Orion Spiral Arm Trade Organization. While not part of the Empire, we do have obligations with the members which can involve the need for military help. And for some small but proud star nations, troops from a non-Imperial star nation, don't offend their sensibilities. And, being able to trade with the Empire and other star nations is a big advantage for everyone, without the Empire having to run things completely."
Castle tapped the pad again.
"And if you put a perimeter around all of that, you get an Empire that looks like this."
The area covered was three times the size of what most knew as the Terran Empire.
"Moecious is coming back with a very big satchel." Kate said. "I think we should get ready to go."
When the Pika-Don landed at the spaceport of the moon known as G/3, short for Gachon's third moon, a little cosmetic work had been done to it to make it appear to be older and more battered than it was.
Moecious left by himself and headed for the entry facility. While he waited in line, he scanned the long list of things that were absolutely forbidden for travelers to bring. He smiled, and attached three one-hundred crown Imperial notes to his passport. He handed the passport to the guard.
"Greetings Citizen Alphonse Cerveza." He said, reading the name from the passport. "Are you carrying any contraband?"
"No. I would never do such a thing."
"Are you sure you don't have a small weapon on you?" The guard said, looking at the large blaster holstered at Moecious' waist.
"I'm reasonably positive, but let me check."
Moecious made a show of going through his pockets, and as he did, another hundred crown note fell onto the guard's desk.
"No, no weapons of any sort."
The guard nodded.
"Be on your way, Citizen."
Once within the complex of tunnels that made up the station, Moecious found a crudely drawn map of the area. He found the Luxor easily enough. The Luxor was said to be the most luxurious restaurant in the entire system. He hurried along the tunnels hoping to find a decent meal at the end of his journey as the military rations served aboard Pika-Don, even with the spices and sauces he'd brought along, were only barely palatable.
The area he was in didn't fill him with confidence, although he remembered finding a small human restaurant on a backward planet that served something called barbecue that he had found delightful. However, he had to push his way past touts, pimps, and the occasional thug. Given his size, fangs, claws and the highly illegal weapon at his waist, most let him pass by.
The only exception was a prostitute, possibly human, but with so many tattoos, body piercings and paint that it was hard to tell. She was two feet shorter than he was, and was way too thin. And very persistent.
"What's your name?" He finally demanded.
"Silla, Great Lord."
"Do you wish to earn money, Silla?"
She just smiled, showing teeth that were now multi-colored.
He tossed her a hundred crown note.
"Go bother someone else, and do it far from me."
The girl, if that's what she was, ran off happily.
The Luxor, when he found it, was a disappointment. The floor was concrete, covered sloppily with tattered carpets. The furniture was mismatched and the décor decidedly down market. He sighed and went in. He sat at a booth in the back and put a flower, a Tarranian rose, in a small pot in front of him. A waiter appeared and after inhaling the scents from the kitchen, Moecious decided to only order a drink.
"Do you have Cynthian ale?" He asked,
"Of course, Great Lord. Would you like a three-liter bottle?"
"That'll do for now."
The waiter scurried off and returned with a large bottle. Moecious tasted it and found that while the bottle was certainly from Cynthia and had once contained ale, what was in it was doubtlessly a local, inferior brew.
"Excuse me, but isn't that an Illyrian rose on the table in front of you?"
Moecious looked at the speaker. He was short, painfully thin and dead white. He apparently had no teeth and no external nose or ears, merely holes. His eyes were large and a muddy brown and he was dressed in a tunic that fell to his knees.
He replied with the phrase that would identify him to his contact.
"No, it's a Tarranian rose. I find the scent, the aroma, if you will, to be invigorating."
"Could I perhaps experience the aroma?"
Moecious nodded and the other sat down across from him.
"You are not what I expected." The alien said softly.
"I expected someone who would give me and item in exchange for money after exchanging the words we just did."
"You're from within the Empire."
Moecious nodded.
"I'm a businessvorlag and I'm here to do business. This is what I do, move consignments from one place to another. I assume you have something for me as I do have something for you." Moecious nodded to the case sitting by his foot.
"This is just very unusual. Unprecedented even."
Moecious shrugged.
"All of my work is unusual. If it wasn't, people would use the Imperial Post and not me."
"Still, I don't know…"
"If you don't wish to do business with me, that's your concern. I can return to my client and tell them you wouldn't deal with me."
"We'll deal with you." Said another voice.
The Vorlag took a second to realize that the speaker was Silla, now minus her tattoos, piercing and extra coloration. She sat down next to the other one. She was blonde, quite slender but quite pretty.
"Do you know what you're carrying out of here?" She asked.
"No, only that I'd have no trouble carrying it myself and getting it into my ship. I don't want to know the details and few people want to tell them to me."
"This is highly irregular." Said the white alien. "They've never sent an Imperial before."
"Shut up." Growled Silla. She smiled at Moecious, showing fine, white teeth. "May I see the money?"
"As long as it doesn't leave this table."
He pushed the case over with his foot, keeping his hands near his blasters. He did have more than he had bribed the guard to allow him to carry in. If they were going to try to cheat him, it would be when they knew he had the money.
Silla put the case on her lap and opened it. She smiled when she saw what was inside. She took out a jeweler's loupe and examined the bills, very carefully.
She closed the case.
"Give it to him."
The alien pushed a data cube across the table. Moecious quickly swept it into his pocket.
"It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Citizen." Silla said, picking up the case and getting up.
Moecious had decided to finish his ale, poor though it was. He changed his mind when the white alien was hit by a blaster bolt. Silla drew her own blaster and fired. Moecious saw there were at least three beings after her. Then he saw another was heading for him with a very nasty smile on his face,
Moecious raised his hands.
"No reason for violence. This is just a job for me, It's business, nothing personal."
"A very wise attitude. Same here. No sense in getting hurt for money."
He held out his hand for the cube. That's when Moecious shot him in the head with the tiny blaster he'd had up his sleeve.
As he stood up to flee, he collided with Silla.
"I need to get to my ship! I can pay you to help me."
A blaster bolt sizzled between them and a voice yelled, "Kill them both. Get the money and the cube."
"We both need to get to our ships." Moecious said, now firing blasters with both hands.
Silla was very good with a blaster and between the two of them they managed to get out of the Luxor with no one after them but an outraged waiter who'd been stiffed for the bill. Moecious tossed him another hundred crown note.
Once outside the Luxor, Moecious headed for the space dock. Silla grabbed his arm.
"Not through the main tunnels. That was the Nammett Mob back there. There are a lot more of the bastards. I know how to get to the space dock using the service tunnels." She looked Moecious over. "Given your size, we may have to take a few detours."
She led him down a dark corridor and to a door in a small alcove. She fooled with the lock and it opened.
"Follow me."
They went through the dark, dirty and dank tunnels for half an hour. Then Silla suddenly stopped.
"Thrax, are you here?"
In response, what appeared to be a giant spider floated down on a rope that he made within his body.
"Who else would be here, but old Thrax?"
"Has anyone else been this way? Can you sense anyone following us?"
"No one comes to see old Thrax. No one. Ever."
Silla walked over to the spider.
"Thrax, you know that's not true. I come to see you and I'm nice to you. I'm very nice to you."
Silla had reached under Thrax's body. It took Moecious a second or two to figure out that Silla was masturbating Thrax.
"Do you like that, Thraxie?" Silla said with a moan. Thrax just moaned. He moaned for several minutes, then let out a loud groan.
"You are very good to old Thrax, Silla. You and your friend may pass."
The two ran past a very happy Thrax and were soon to the space dock.
"Which ship is yours?" Silla asked,
Moecious pointed it out.
"It looks fast."
"It is."
Silla gave him an appraising look.
"You're good with a gun, think fast and have a fast ship. I might need someone like you in the future."
"My professional name is Alphonse Cerveza, but due to my job, I move around a lot. But perhaps you can find me."
The two parted company.
TBC