Deadenders
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: Castle reached a dead end with Season 8, but it's going strong here. Rating: K Time: The far future.
"That's Aurora." Rick said, looking down at the planet from orbit.
"It is all desert." Kate said.
"But it's home. My home, anyway."
"It's home for all of us now."
An alarm bell rang.
"Prepare for landing. All hands and passengers prepare for landing."
Once on the ground, Castle gathered his team together.
"The first thing we're going to do is…"
"Get something decent to eat." Kate said loudly. Everyone agreed.
"As I said, the first thing we'll do is get something to eat." Castle said.
It was just after sunset when they walked out onto the planet's surface. They were met by the commander of the Alphaville Militia, Captain Jackson Hunt. Since Hunt was one of the very small group of humans who couldn't have replacement organs grown for them, he had a metal left hand. He said he liked it better than the other hand as it was much stronger and much harder to damage.
"Captain Rick Castle. Welcome back to Aurora." Hunt held out his hand and Rick shook it.
"It's just Rick Castle now, Captain. They only kept us in the military so they could give us orders legally. Once we left the camp, we became civilians."
"In that case, you're now Captain Rick Castle of the Alphaville Militia."
"You'll be glad to know that I've brought a lot of weapons and ammo for the militia. It's still in the ship, but we can unload it at any time."
"No problem. We had a navy cargo ship land here with engine trouble about five months back. Had to send a message torpedo all the way to Sfax to get someone to come and fix her. They decided to just unload all of her cargo and leave it here. We have over a hundred giant earth moving machines. That'll come in handy if we ever want to build a planetary command center a mile underground. Not much use around here otherwise. But they did have plenty of small arms and ammo. I've got all I need and more."
"Glad to hear it."
"And I need every one of those weapons." Hunt said. "We got another damned shipload of troublemakers. This time a ship landed about a hundred miles south of here and off loaded some four hundred members of the penal battalions."
"A four hundred man penal battalion?" Castle said. "They could overrun the whole planet."
"Luckily for us, like the criminals and crazies that that we got sent before, they broke up into small groups. Still, they're better armed, and better trained than the criminal gangs we've been dealing with."
Castle nodded.
"But even a platoon of penal troops could be a problem."
"They are a problem. They raid smaller ranches and farms, or isolated Ka Raras groups and steal mostly horses and cattle. They trade those to clans in the south and east for furs, jewels, metals and even some chatka. Then they trade for modern weapons and ammo. There are a hell of a lot more modern, military weapons loose on this planet since you were last here, Rick."
"Can't you stop the trade in weapons?"
"With what?" Hunt said bitterly. "I have a part time militia that volunteered to protect Alphaville and only Alphaville. I've got exactly eight full time troopers and they aren't that interested in policing the whole of the Great Steppe."
"Thanks for the warning." Castle decided to change the subject.
"How's old Doc Grivas doing?"
"He's slowing down now that he's over a hundred. Why?"
"I have a Doctor Lanie Parish with me. I thought she could set up with Doc Grivas. I also have a medic, Doc Ryan, with me. I have a nice medical clinic for both of them. I'll be taking Ryan to the ranch."
"Another doctor? That's great. The navy also left us with two new helicopters. One is a medivac bird."
"My people have been existing on ration packs for months. Is Miss Meredith's still open?"
"Sure. Best restaurant on all of Aurora."
"And the only one."
"And they have no professional entertainment?" That was Martha.
When Rick looked at her, he was surprised. She was wearing a silver evening gown with a long slit up one side showing off her legs. He wasn't sure how much of what he was seeing was Martha and how much was artificial, but she looked great.
"No, ma'am." Hunt said." The entertainment around here is definitely amateur."
"The lead on, Captain Castle." Martha said, taking his arm.
The team, except for Martha, grabbed tables and began pouring over the menu. Martha, however, went to the only piano, sat down and put a large bowl on the piano. Then she began to sing an old soldier's song that allegedly went back to Earth's pre-spaceflight days.
Underneath the lantern,
By the barrack gate,
Darling, I remember,
The way you used to wait,
T'was there that you whispered tenderly,
That you loved me,
You'd always be,
My Lili of the lamplight,
My own Lili Marlene.
Conversation stopped at once and people began heading for Martha. Her bowl was soon being filled with money.
Castle was done with his dinner when Alexis came over to him.
"Can we go meet the computer now? I'm anxious to get started." She patted a case hanging by her side which contained everything she'd need.
Castle looked at his empty dinner plate and two empty dessert plates and sighed.
"I guess I'm done here. Let's go."
As they headed for the door, Alexis put her arm around him. When they reached the door, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. Then she ran out the door.
"Come on, lover." She called.
"What was that all about?" Rick asked when he'd caught up to her.
"I'm trying to make Kate Beckett jealous."
"Why?"
"She likes you, but she's had bad luck with men. I figure if she had a little competition, she'd get up the nerve to do something about you two."
"So far she seems to have kept her affection for me pretty quiet. Especially from me."
"That's how little you know about women."
"Are you planning our wedding yet?" Rick asked sarcastically.
"Did you know they have some kind of an all faiths place here? It'd be perfect."
"That's enough." Rick said as they reached the computer building and went in.
"Rick…Castle…is…that…you?" Said Charlie, the computer.
"It's me, Charlie."
"Come…closer…so…I…can…see…you."
Rick stepped closer.
"It…has…been…a…while. I…am…unable… to…reach…the…file…telling…me…how…long….it…has…been."
"It's been a bit longer than four years, Charlie."
"A…long…time…for…humans. Who…is…your…blonde…friend?"
"Hey, I'm not blonde. I'm a redhead."
"My…sensors…see…you…as…a…blonde."
"I'm here to fix that, and a lot more."
"The…last…human…who…tried…was…not…successful," Charlie said, managing to get a bit of an angry tone in her voice.
"Alexis is very good with computers." Rick said. "I'll leave you two alone. See you both tomorrow."
"Good…bye…Rick."
Rick saw that there was a light on in the Ancient's Research Expedition's offices. He went over and stood before the door.
"Richard Castle to see Professor Montgomery."
The door opened and he went inside.
"All the way in the back, Rick." Montgomery called.
Rick found the office and went inside.
"Sit down, Rick. I have some coffee for you. It's from Makassar. Some people say it's better than Earth coffees."
Rick took a cup and sipped it. It was very good.
"If you like it, I have a five pound bag of it for you."
"Thank you, sir. There's someone else that'll appreciate it. But can you tell me now what's going on?"
"Have you ever heard of the Rosetta Stone?" Montgomery asked.
"No. What is it?"
"Thousands of years before humans even thought of going into space, there was a nation called Egypt. It was quite advanced for its time: Militarily; politically; technologically; and economically. They had their own system of writing, of course. But they got conquered, numerous times and each conqueror wanted to do things their own way, including the system of writing. After a thousand years or so, no one could remember how to read the old Egyptian language, called hieroglyphics. Then another group of invaders found a stone at a place called Rosetta with both hieroglyphics and Greek lettering chiseled into it. They could read Greek and figured that both languages said the same thing and they were right. Suddenly, people could read the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics."
Castle was beginning to see where this was going, but said nothing.
"Now we have the Aurora Stone." Montgomery said. "Just before the war with the Xanks got underway, a scientist with the original expedition thought that the huge stone by your uncle's ranch actually had two languages on it. In addition to Ancient there was Thiskaddian. Now Thiskaddia is off way beyond Taurus, but they still exist. Also they're a very conservative culture, a lot more than us humans, and while their language has changed over the last hundred thousand years, they did have some experts that could help us. Unfortunately, the war took precedence over everything else and nothing has been done over the past fifty years."
"So we should be able to read some Ancient. How does that involve me?" Rick asked.
"We don't know much about the Ancients, as we call them, but we do know they were much farther advanced technologically than we are. Like the difference between us and those ancient Egyptians. Now the Human Command is gone. The last remaining members are leaving. And, wars that were going on fifty years ago between humans that were stopped in the face of the danger from the Xanks have started again. In addition, too many planets have been devastated by the war. Everyone is trying to grab as much land, industry and resources for themselves as they can. If we announce that we have a lead on translating Ancient, every human colony and some non-humans will show up here demanding their "fair share" of Ancient technology. Hell, I doubt that whatever's written on that stone is going to have us crossing the galaxy in minutes or giving us eternal life. It might just be some Ancient's grocery list. But people and governments are going to hope for the best. With everyone crowding around this planet, it wouldn't take much to start a war over Aurora and its so called Ancient secrets."
"Now Earth could place a planetary defense division here and put a whole task force in orbit around Aurora. That would be like telling the galaxy we'd found something when we haven't. I know. Earth isn't perfect, but we do try to think of what's best for all of humanity."
Montgomery smiled at Castle.
"However, if a young Auroran officer came back with a small military force and settled right next to the Ancient ruins, it'd just be natural for the Expedition to ask him to hire some Ka Raras and a few humans, maybe, as security. Not to guard the secrets of creation, or whatever, because we have no idea what's there, but to keep away local bandits and raiders. Perfectly reasonable."
"So that's why I've been able to get all the equipment I've gotten."
"And you'll get more, once the Expedition arrives and gets set up. Oh, you won't be running an armored brigade or anything like that, but you should be able to keep bad people away from your uncle's ranch and the site."
"I have plenty of extra weapons and ammo, as well as other equipment. I'd planned to hand some out to other ranches around us and provide the local Ka Raras with weapons." Rick had a sudden thought. "You didn't arrange for the criminal gangs and the penal units to be sent here to have a reason to have a security force for the site, did you?"
"No need to. There are humans and Ka Raras enough who'd try to steal from you already here. And nothing I've said leaves this room. Got it?"
Castle left Montgomery's office and went back to the ship. It appeared that everyone else was still enjoying Miss Meredith's hospitality, so he slung a hammock between two trucks and went to sleep.
TBC