//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: Horse Play // by Alden MacManx //------------------------------// “Cutter Encanto to Tascheter. Mission accomplished, no friendly casualties. Nine lifeforms that were Ratzi captives are aboard. Need translation assistance. Memory cores from Ratzi ships are aboard as well. You are free to destroy the base,” Major Atman Ryudan, Commander of the Hurin’s Marines reported as they lifted off the planet’s surface. “Tascheter to Encanto. Message received, will pick you up before closing in on the Ratzi base. What is the condition of the former captives?” asked George Jurgens, the Ulrongh communications officer. “They are all alive, but in some distress about their captivity. We’re trying to calm them down some, but communication with the species is difficult. They are intelligent and aware, but their language is not one any of us are familiar with. Fortunately, we can get through to them with my empath that we are willing to take them home, once we find where it is. Suggest Science Department be ready, along with Medical, when we arrive. Prepare a room for them to be kept in for a while, and have lots of vegetable matter ready for them,” Major Ryudan reported. “Understood, Encanto. Will pick you up in three-zero minutes. Tascheter out.” “Encanto out.” Major Ryudan, a red dracoform, put down the microphone and turned in his chair to look at his exec, Master Gunnery Sergeant Mudd, a Saganized human with over thirty years’ experience in the Marines. “Opinions, Gunny?” he asked. Gunny Mudd, a blocky human woman with reddish hair just starting to go silver, checked around the compartment. The only other beings there were the pilot and scanner operator. Assured there were no marines present, she allowed herself a small smile. “We caught them damn Ratzis completely off guard. Coming in on batteries alone kept them from detecting the zipper, and we got our zipper lock deployed before they even knew we were there. Well done on all hands.” “What about the prisoners they had? That is unlike the Ratzis to even take prisoners, Connie,” Atman pointed out. “That is true. It seems to me that there is something about the species the Rats are curious about. Once we go through the memory cores, maybe we’ll find out why and where.” “That’s why we have a big science staff aboard, Gunny. Let them figure it out.” After the Encanto was loaded back into its docking tube, the Hurin then went over to the site of the former Ratzi encampment. Once in orbit over the base, Captain Somers extended one of the five primary weapons mounts and took aim. “Weapon locked on target, Captain,” reported the Weapons Officer, Lieutenant Commander Hartens. Captain Somers confirmed weapons lock in his targeting reticle. Satisfied, he thumbed a button. A shell the size of a 50 caliber round entered the breech of the gun. It then released a blast of concentrated sunlight harvested from a G-class star. The blast vaporized the atmosphere in its path, the encampment, and ten meters of soil before winking out. “Scratch one Ratzi base,” Captain Somers said with satisfaction. “Stand down from Action Stations. Secure all weapons.” “Secure weapons and stand down from action stations, aye,” Weps responded, shutting down the one sun gun. Captain Somers let the firing panel retract into his command console before getting up. “I’ll be down in Sciences. Lieutenant Khaball, you have the conn,” he said. “I have the conn, aye,” Lieutenant Khaball replied, getting up from the helm and allowing one of her juniors to take over. “Helm, take us to the L-2 point behind the planet’s moon and go to full stealth,” Jamie heard as he left the bridge. He has a well-trained crew, and they show him that every day. In Sciences, which is down in the lower tetrahedron of the Hurin’s forward hull section, Jamie caught up with Commander Sardon, who was supervising the reading of one of the two Ratzi moletronic computer cores. “Find anything yet, Sardon?” “Nothing new so far, Captain. We’re confirming what we already knew about the Ratzis, but as of yet, we have not found the purpose of why they are out here. The one ship we followed here was indeed a supply ship, sent out here to outfit and expand the station,” Sardon said, keeping a straight face, which is usual for him. “Have you read the other ship’s memory core yet?” Jamie asked. “Not yet, Captain. I decided to do the tougher core first. I will keep you informed. Going to check on the former captives next?” “Thinking about it. Chief Lovell working on the translation matrix?” Jamie asked. “Knowing her, she should be about finished by now. Say what you may about her, she’s good at her job,” Sardon said, his eyes on the readouts of the CyberTap machine that is busy scanning the Ratzi memory core. “Very good at it, or else she would not be here. I’ll be looking at the passengers.” “I’ll call if I find something significant, Captain.” Jamie went aft, out of the dual tetrahedron forward section of the ship to the rectangular block aft section, which contained the hangar bays, ten of the twelve ZPE generators, the main rotolinear drive system and other pieces of the craft that could not be stowed forward. He looked via camera into the passenger holding area from the cargo officer’s office. What he saw was startling. There were nine small horses inside the compartment, colorful horses. Three had horns on their heads, two had wings, and four had neither. All of them but one had some sort of mark on their hind quarters, the smallest of the horses being the one without a mark. One of the ship’s doctors, Lieutenant Shylock, a Myrka gamma-caste, was inside doing a scan of one of the horned horses. “Hurin, where is Doctor Harris?” Jamie asked the computer. “Doctor Harris is waiting outside the passenger’s compartment, Captain. Apparently, they do not like being in his presence. When they see him, they go into some sort of panic mode, so he asked Doctor Shylock to handle the exams,” Hurin advised his captain. “Okay, so they are sensitive to vampires. One thing to remember. How is Chief Lovell doing with the translation matrix?” “About ten minutes more, she says, then she can try it,” Hurin told Jamie. “They reacted well to her, and she to them.” “Okay, then. I won’t rush her. Let me go out and talk to Doctor Harris.” Jamie left the office and caught up with his Chief Medical Officer, who was looking intently at a portable display pad. “Anything interesting, Lee?” he asked. Lee looked up from his pad, his pale blue eyes focusing on Jamie’s intense green. “Quite a bit, actually. They are all mammalian, able to handle terrestrial type foodstuffs without any difficulty,” he reported in the cultured British accent he inherited from his mother, who was formerly Queen Alice of Great Britain before her death and resurrection as a vampire. “They also incorporate magic into their biology and are able to use it in type-specific ways.” “Oh, really? Do you think they have anything to do with the star magic source some light-years further on?” “Could very well be, Jamie. I don’t have any records of that star magic node, so I cannot say for sure, but I’m willing to bet you could be right. For instance, the winged ones can fly, the plain horses have remarkable strength and stamina, and the horned ones can channel power through their horns. What they can do with it, I don’t know yet.” “How did they react to you?” Jamie asked. “They all cowered into a corner once I entered the room and would not move until I backed out and closed the door. That’s why Shylock is in there now. I suggest we keep vampires and Damphyr away from them until we do some more research,” Doctor Harris advised. “Well, once we talk to them, maybe we can get some answers from them and figure out our next move, like taking them home, once we figure out where it is,” Jamie said quietly, his brow furrowed in thought. His thoughts were interrupted by a bosun’s whistle. “Bridge to Captain Somers.” Jamie went to the nearest comm panel and pushed a button. “This is the Captain. Go ahead, Bridge.” “Captain, Officer of the Deck. We’re picking up a Ratzi ship trace at extreme range, velocity two point seven, apparently heading direct for here. ETA about two hours,” Lieutenant Khaball told her captain. “I’ll be up presently. Somers out,” he said before pushing the button again to break the connection. “Oh, great. More company coming,” Doctor Harris muttered. “and I don’t have enough biscuits made.” “I don’t know if that’s a blessing or a curse, oh master of the galley smoke alarm…” Jamie said with a small smile as he headed for the nearest lift. “Status report, Ms. Khaball,” Captain Somers said as he entered the Bridge. “Captain, the Ratzi ship is approaching, but the course is not from Ratzi-held space. It’s coming in from the center of the cluster. I’ve already ordered Engineering to ensure the batteries are fully charged and have entered hush mode. ETA is about two hours, if they maintain course and speed,” the yellow Baastari said as she rose up from the command chair. “Good plan. Any idea on what type of ship is coming in?” Jamie asked. The sensor operator, ST1 Hawklyn, a Korang, handled that. “Won’t know for at least an hour, sir. It’s too far out for a good read, and the star mana source behind it is putting up some fuzz. Could be one of several types, but fine tuning’s going to have to wait.” “Do a narrow scan as that ship comes in. This is an exploration cruiser, not the destroyers you have been serving on, Petty Officer Hawklyn. Passive only,” Jamie ordered. “Narrow scan, bearing three-three-two plus twenty-eight. Will do, Captain,” the orange-furred Korang said as she turned to her panel. Korangs bear similarities to Earth orangutans, like their system-mates the Ulrongh bore semblances to chimpanzees, but both species shared the bulbous head with bulging eyes their creator species had engineered into them millennia in the past. “And now, it’s hurry up and wait time…” muttered the Chief of the Boat, Master Chief Fire Control Technician Harry Bates, a human colonial from Proxima. “Exactly that, COB.” Jamie said, nodding in agreement. It took ten minutes for ST1 Hawklyn to prepare a report. “Captain, from what I can see now, what is out there is not a warship. Not a full warship, that is. It has weapons, but the power level is too low for even a Ratzi destroyer. A scout vessel, maybe?” “Not bad, Hawklyn. Care to place a wager on that?” Jamie asked. Hawklyn raised a hand. “No way, Captain! I may have only been aboard a few weeks, but I know not to bet with you, sir! Let’s just see what comes out.” “Knew you were smart, Petty Officer Hawklyn. That’s why you’re here,” Jamie said. Being as senior as he is, along with being well-connected, Jamie does not hand-pick his crew, but he screens everyone Personnel sends his way, and if there is something he does not like, he has said crew member diverted elsewhere. While waiting for the Ratzi to close, Jamie took steps to be ready for their arrival. He had all the sun guns loaded with class B shells, had the Exar fields on standby, and waited for them to come. Once the Ratzis closed to within one-half light-year, Jamie ordered the ZPE generators shut down. As the Ratzi neared, sensors got a better fix on its breakout point. As the ship came out of stardrive, it was met by five tenth-second pulses of concentrated spectral class B solar radiation, riddling its drive and power sections with holes, rendering it powerless. The cutters Encanto and Osborn headed out, with a half-squad of Marines aboard each, while the Hurin stood overwatch, sun guns reloaded. The boarding party went as expected, the ship turning out to be some sort of science craft, not a destroyer. The Ratzi crew fell rapidly, most of the crew not being warriors, but scientists, with two Marine casualties, none serious. The computer’s memory cores were recovered and brought back for analysis, while the Hurin took the Ratzi ship under traction as some of the scientists went over what was aboard, prior to its being dropped into the star. The best way to hide one’s presence is to leave no evidence, after all. Before releasing the ship, Captain Somers got a preliminary report on what the ship was carrying, mainly some sort of sample mix, along with a pile of written data, but done in a language nobody on board the Hurin recognized. All samples and data were removed to the Hurin before the ship was dropped, to coast into the star and vaporize. While waiting for Sciences to finalize their reports, Jamie went back to the horse’s holding area. Chief Lovell gave him the translator she had programmed. “This should work, but remember, there’s going to be gaps in it until we can learn more,” the rather rotund human mage advised the Captain. “Advice noted, Chief. Wish me luck,” Jamie said as he clipped the small box to his uniform suit’s lapel. “You have it, Captain,” she said as the door opened and Jamie went into the room to face the horses. Jamie looked over the assembled group of colorful little horses. “Hello, all. I’m Captain Jamie Somers, commanding the exploration cruiser Hurin Tascheter. I would like to take you all home, but we need to find your home before we bring you back,” he said in level tones, the box talking slightly out of synch with his words in a language he didn’t know. One of the horned ponies took a couple of steps forward. “You will to home take us?” she asked, the box speaking STE out of synch with the mare’s words. Jamie got down on one knee, the better to bring his head down closer to the horse’s level. At two meters in height, he towered over the little horses. “Yes, I will take you home. We have to find it first. The ones who took you are of a species known as Ratzi. They take without consideration of who or what is there. We have been fighting them for years.” The horned horse’s horn glowed a deep blue. The glow passed over Jamie for a few seconds before fading. “This one speaks true. Intent to bring us home is true,” the green and blue horse said to the other horses before turning her attention on Jamie. “I am Corporal Steadfast of the Solar Guard. The Empty Ones dragged us from our home with some sort of magic that put us all to sleep, magic I could not feel. The Empty Ones were curious, but also afraid. Why is that?” “What you call the Empty Ones we call Ratzis. They do not use magic, cannot use magic, cannot defend against magic, and are afraid of magic. You were more than likely stunned and brought for examination to find out how you work, Corporal. Now, what I want to know is, are you all right staying here for now? Is there anything you need, and now we know the translation matrix is functioning, I will have others come in to see to your comfort and see if you know anything that can help us get you home,” Jamie asked and stated. “Yes, there is. Some more food would be good. Do you eat fish aboard? The pegasi need some fish in their diet to maintain health” Steadfast replied. “We can do that,” Jamie said, standing up. “I will see that you get more supplies, and others will be in to talk with each of you.” ‘Please, do not send the Dark One back. He is anti-life, and his presence is frightening, even to me, a veteran guard,” Steadfast said with a bit of a plea. “The word you are looking for is ‘vampire’, and Doctor Harris will not harm you in any way. He is my Chief Medical Officer, and if his presence disturbs you, I will request he watch you from a distance until we find some way to make it so he could interact with you without fright. Acceptable?” Steadfast nodded vigorously, her mane and ears flapping some. “Yes, Captain. Even thinking about a vampire still makes me nervous.” “Stand down as much as you feel safe, Corporal. I have to get back to my job now. Thank you for not lashing out at us.” Jamie said as he backed to the door. “You are not the ones who took us, nor do you mean us harm. Stunning you without cause would not be according to rules laid out by the Princesses,” Steadfast said. “Princesses? Now, that is interesting. Others will find out more from you,” Jamie said, bowing slightly to the ponies before going through the door to the compartment. Once back in the corridor, he removed the translator and gave it back to Chief Lovell. “It works well enough, Chief. Find out what foods they like, and have some fish brought down. Report to Commander Sardon or Commander Seiryuu your findings at end of watch.” “Aye, Captain,” the chief said as she took the translator. Captain Somers’ next stop was the main science lab, to get a report from Commander Sardon. “Apparently, the Ratzi commander had enough time to wipe the main computer’s moletronic memory core. However, he (all Ratzis being males) did not get to the navigation banks in time. We know where that scout ship was, but not what the orders are. I still have some of the science records to go through yet,” the red-brown Sasquatch told his captain and long-time friend. They have worked together for fifty years and on four starships together. “Let me guess, this ship came from deep within the cluster, close to the star mana source?” Jamie asked. “I cannot say for sure, but that is the likely way to bet. I’ve sent the coordinates up to Navigation. At full power, we can be there within an hour, at the risk of letting any Ratzi within thirty light-years know there is a ship out here.” “That’s a good observation, Sardon. We’ll head there, but at about five per hour. Our sensors won’t be blinded by our own noise that way. Once we get close, we can camp in-system and send some probes out to look what we can find,” Jamie thought out loud. “That, and we can see what the Star Elves can sense, closer to the node.” Jamie smiled. “Good! Now, we have a bit of a goal, so, let’s go see!” “It’s what we’re out here for, Jamie,” Sardon said as Jamie left the lab, heading for the Bridge.