Chapter 2: Belle Station

Roy had learned that the ship he was on was a Saresii Courier and officially operated under the charter of the Science Council.

It was a Henjiitah Class cruiser and 600 meters long. It had the outer appearance of an elongated bulbous plant leaf and reminded him of the thick water filled fleshy leaves of the Glow bush. The ship was not green however but had an iridescent color of pearly pale orange. The ship was called the Gayimeera and since it was not a Union Fleet unit it did not carry the USS prefix. The crew members of the Saresii Science Academy and were closely associated with the Union explorer corps. I learned that the Saresii government, just like other member societies maintained a fleet of spaceships. The Gayimeera ran errands transported passengers and small items of special freight. Conducted medical transports and performed myriad other missions within Union space.

The Gayimeera approached a tremendous space station, and eventually passed through force field membranes and proceeded into a hangar where Union Battleships found room to land. The Gayimeera appeared tiny and like an exotic bird compared to the massive warships that were serviced here as well.

Cara explained to him that this was a Gigamon Station and it had a diameter of 36 kilometers. Roy could not really envision anything that big man-made, especially after they had debarked and he stood on a slide belt looking up a 3500-meter Uni Design Battleship, it was bigger than the highest mountain on Green Hell. It blew his mind when Cara said that this was only one of sixteen battleships currently serviced and that the station had room for two hundred at the same time.

Only Partner remained pretty much unimpressed and sat behind him on the Slide-belt, enjoying the ride.

A green uniformed Klack apologized for checking their CITIs and explained that this was a procedure for any out of system arrivals. Roy had no problem with that.

After the access controls, Cara stopped for a moment as if to orient herself and Roy could not blame her. They had stepped into the Outer Ring Concourse. According to a sign projection he spotted, it went all the way around the stations’ equator for almost 114 kilometers.

Slide-ways, People movers, Ride Bots, Taxis and Inter-station transports moved troves of beings in both directions. There were civilians, but beings in Union Fleet black predominated, perhaps the crews of the battleships getting shore leave explained the dense crowds.

Cara pointed to the left. “I booked us rooms at the Sheraton. There we can get settled. While I am here, I might as well report in. In the meantime, you are free to explore the station if you like. Tomorrow we go down to Humongous, where I like to introduce you to a friend of mine, it is eager to meet you.”

She was technically his guardian and he promised Uncle Sam to behave and take the great and rare opportunity to go to college on Sares.

While he really liked Cara, he wasn’t so sure he would enjoy Sares, if the ship was any indication of the culture he was about to experience. “Sure sounds like a plan.”

He said aloud and added, “Is there a Saresii outpost here?”

She approached a Taxi stand and said. “No, we are full Union members there aren’t any Saresii embassies or outposts. I was ordered to take you to Sares, however, I am still a PSI Corps officer and there is a field office here, it is common practice for an operative to report to a local post.”

She hired a larger open Taxi that also allowed room for Partner. Roy followed his big animal onto the hovering transport flyer and said. “Who ordered you to do that?”

“You have an important appointment with the Wurgus on Pluribus and since I care about you, the Civil Affairs Council decided that I accompany you to Sares and pick you up from there for the Wurgus meeting. That was our original plan, even before all these events as you recall.”

He realized she would not be there on Sares while he was going to College there. “Where will I stay? I don’t know anyone.”

“My parents have eagerly offered to take you in. No worries you feel at home there in no time.” He was certain he would not feel at home. -””- Cara was gone to report to whoever she had to go. Roy had taken a long shower and was now with Partner outside the Hotel and wondered what he actually wanted to see or explore. The station was big and impressive and certainly had great recreation facilities but nothing really attracted him.

He felt a lit forlorn and a wave of homesickness came over him. He longed to be outside in his beloved jungles. Union installations always appeared clean and orderly, but there was hardly anything alive and green.

A group of teenagers spotted him. They were all dressed in colorful Space suit combinations. One of them, a young man with blue skin came over in a relaxed manner and grinned with an open friendly face. “I’m Sobyr and I noticed your sidearm and simply had to get a closer look, it’s a TKU 9 right?” “No, it’s a TKU 12.” The boy was about his age from the looks of it perhaps ten centimeters shorter. He had bright blue skin and coppery hair. “Legal? “Yes, I am licensed for this TKU 12 Sobyr turned to the other four beings and said. “That Dirtsider carries a genuine T12, how whamo is that?” To Roy he said. “Don’t take offense calling ya a Dirtsider. It’s how we call pretty much anyone, not from Belle Station.”

“No worries.” The open way the other guy acted appealed to him.

The other four also came closer.

There was a lizard, it had bright green skin. It was not a Shiss as it had neither four arms nor those leathery wings. The lizard being had a long, agile moving tail and was taller than the others, it moved on muscular hind legs.

Then there was a cute olive-skinned beauty with black shimmering hair cut to a chin-length bob and an adorable upward pointing nose.

The third of the bunch had an all chrome skin and looked like an android. Roy wondered if he was an X101 or a Stellaris. He didn’t know how to tell the difference, but the silvery guy was not an adult.

The final member of the group was the most alien of the group and had the appearance of a Burrow Digger centipede, keeping about one-third of its body upright. Unlike the centipede life forms of Green Hell, this creature upper half lacked the many small feet the rest of the body featured, instead there were two quite human proportioned arms but with hands of only two very long fingers tapering in sharp claws and a similar long thumb. The face of the alien being was split horizontally and vertically almost like a pie and each section had a bulbous red pupil-less eye.

The blue-skinned teen said. “You and your silent huge friend look lost. We know this station like no one else. Just tell us where you want to go and we can get you there.”

Roy shrugged. “Not lost, I have just no clue what to do. The ship I came with has a three-day stopover and I am supposed to keep myself busy until we go on to Sares.”

“Why don’t you hang with us until then? Maybe I start by introducing us to you.”

The blue-skinned guy took a step back and pointed his flat hand at the girl and said. “That lovely sheila here is Aat Amenemhat. Her family is from Petra and her father is the Station Security Chief. Then we have Ncchsi, she is a Maggi-Suron from the Spinward Sector, her mother runs the Med Center here. Alejandro Rivera is a Stellaris, just got his new skin yesterday and is probably the only Stellaris insisting to be Puerto Rican.”

The chrome skinned teen said. “I am not the only one, my family roots are from Puerto Rico Terra and my dad says that is very special. We Stellaris are based on human DNA after all, and our ancestors came from there.”

Sobyr smiled and then pointed his hand at the centipede. “Meet Pictfram. Perhaps he is the first Xiptin you talk to, as they have joined the Union only very recently.” Finally, Sobyr tapped his thumb against his chest and said with a sigh. “Yes I am Thauran and what makes matters worse of a Noble family but don’t let that scare you off.”

Roy introduced himself and greeted them all. “I am Roy Masters from Green Hell and that is Partner, he isn’t sentient but a very smart pet. He’s a Fury Beast.”

The Xiptin crawled closer to Partner and its truly alien face split four ways as he said. “It is a magnificent animal and I heard stories of Green Hell. From what I have seen it must be paradise with wonderful mud pits.”

Roy could not believe his ears. There was a member of a species he had never even heard off, saying nice things about Green Hell. “There is a stretch of many hundred square miles of bogs and mud pits not so far to the east to where I used to live.”

The Xiptin’s voice did not seem to fit the being, it sounded like a singing voice of a trained opera singer and the centipede intoned what he said melodically. “We only have a Mud tub in our home here and I would love to dig into a real deep bog, but then I probably would not survive the competition that resides in those mud pits of your planet.”

Roy smiled from ear to ear now and said. “Green Hell is dangerous, yes, but if you don’t disturb the balance and go with the flow instead of against it, I am sure I could find you a bog to enjoy.”

The Saran girl had a fine smile and held up her PDD. “Guys they declared the System open again. Let’s go out there before the professionals pick all the good stuff.”

Sobyr nodded and said to Roy. “Want to come along?”

“Sure, it isn’t anything illegal right?”

Sobyr made an insulting face, “Her father is the security chief, mine is the Station Commander. We might not always act like angels, Roy but this is a Union Military installation and not a Civilian world. Even the world Illegal is illegal here.”

The Stellaris added. “Marines are the police here. They enforce usually before they ask.”

Roy apologized. “I am sorry, I just promised to stay out of trouble and this is pretty much my first-time off-planet. Yes, I would love to tag along.”

Sobyr had long lost his frown and smiled again. “It’s all good. Just follow us. We need to get you an EVA suit as well.”

-””- Roy and Partner followed the group to a large Inter Station transport access point and they all boarded the next tube car. There was plenty of room for them all. The Thauran tapped a destination icon.

The Lizard said. “I think we need to tell Roy what it is we are going to do.”

Alejandro agreed with a nod and said. “There was a space battle just a few hours ago and the system was now declared safe, meaning once again open for civilian and commercial traffic. The fleet is certain all enemies are either gone or destroyed.”

Sobyr made a wide gesture with both of his arms. “I am born and raised on this station, and there is only so much to do, even on a big one like this. So we are taking our Bison out there and see if we can scavenge some debris. Space ship metal scrap is valuable and sells well on our Xchange.”

Aat, the Saran girl sat down and crossed her legs while looking up from underneath her black bangs. “While there weren’t any space battles in this system before, we usually go scavenging in the Nolbu ring. That is our local asteroid belt with lots of abandoned mining bases and all kinds of junk. We think we can find us some space battle debris.”

Alejandro, the chrome skinned Stellaris added. “They say sometimes you can even find artifacts, you know cultural stuff and things still good to use. Space law allows salvaging and anything floating out there is free for the taking. A few hundred Credits extra isn’t so bad you know.”

Roy nodded. “I saw part of the battle as we came in, and I sure could use a few extra credits, but I never been outside in a spacesuit.”

Pictfram spread his thin arms. “It took me quite a bit to get used to EVA, but you humans seem to have a natural skill for it. We going to show you the basics and you be as good as we all are by tonight.”

Sobyr agreed. “The suits will do most of it and the rest is like diving in a really big ocean.”

According to Sobyr, they were almost at the bottom of the Space station now after the ride with the IST let them out in a much less busy corridor.

Pictfram said. “When you saw the station from the outside you might have noticed a green glowing ball on the bottom of it, right?”

“Yes I did and if I recall correctly from school I think it is the Gravo Anchor that keeps the station where it is.”

The centipede made his four-way split face move in a quite disturbing fashion and said. “Yes, and we are just 600 meters above it. This part is called the Station’s basement and that is where all the private storage bays and hangars are.”

Alejandro brushed a key card over a locked door and said. “This is a small docking bay we use.”

What Alejandro called a small docking bay was to Roy still a very big cavernous room and in its center stood an old rugged, tough-looking boxy shaped and somewhat ugly space ship. Roy estimated it to be perhaps sixty meters long and twenty high and wide. It had large flexible mechanical manipulator arms attached underneath the ships cockpit windows.

The Stellaris opened the boarding ramp. “All aboard the Calypso. We are leaving soon.”

Roy made wide eyes. “You guys have a space ship of your own?”

Passing by Roy to climb aboard the Saran girl said. “It is only a very old surplus Long Range Bison. It was used by the engineers who built the station. It’s almost 300 years old. We restored it a little.”

Alejandro was next climbing in. “It has ISAHs but only for in-system flights. It against the law to go past the system with it, not that it would have the range anyway. Maybe you know that by law any Ship with a Union registration able to go TL must be piloted by someone who has passed the federal Shipmaster test. But no one would even call a brand new Bison a ship, this is more like a boat.”

Nosy as he was Partner stomped right on in and Sobyr made an inviting gesture. “You’re next unless you changed your mind.”

Roy went over the short belly ramp into a small cargo hold. Sobyr right behind him said. “No it isn’t a ship officially but to us, it’s the Devastator.

Pictfram was all alarmed and wiggled his long fingers and his tail.”Roy, your Partner beast has licked over my tail pincers, they are very poisonous. We need to get it to a Vet right away.”

Roy received nothing but friendly excitement and happiness from Partner. “Not to worry Pictfram, he can eat and swallow pretty much everything and poisons won’t harm him. When Partner licked you he meant to express that he likes you.”

“What an amazing life form.”

Partner now felt even more happy as he was the center of attention and the Saran girl started to pet him. He raised his head so she could scratch his throat. She coed.”Oh isn’t he adorable and so soft.”

Roy grunted. “Keep that up and you need a bigger cargo hold, for him swelling with pride.”

Alejandro and Sobyr had climbed up a metal ladder with railings and sat behind the controls of a small command deck.

Ncchsi held out a spacesuit and said. “This should fit you. We don’t have an auto dresser but you can use that tiny hygienecell back there to change.”

Alejandro said. “It’s a good one, Roy. A genuine SII – EVA Engineer 7. Father insisted we had all our suits checked by the Suit Technician before he allowed us to use them.”

Roy thanked them and went to get changed. Somehow his mood has improved greatly. This unexpected little adventure and these five beings he felt were well on their way to becoming friends of his was, of course, the reason. He also looked forward to go EVA and wondered how it would be.

-””- They were almost 4 light-hours from the station and near the orbit of the second most distant planet of the Kappa Andromedae system. So far their external cargo bay held a few pieces of twisted metal scrap, collected with the manipulators, and now according to Sobyr, they were approaching the area of the main engagement.

Out here in the small ship, Roy got a real sense how big space really was and to find some scrap was actually not that easy. Especially since the little bison had only the most rudiment sensors.

Roy didn’t mind. He learned a lot about the Xiptin, the Sarans and how it was for teenagers to grow up on a space station. In turn, he had shared with them how it was to be on Green Hell and of course, they asked him about the most recent events as they knew Green Hell was at the center of the reasons for the war after all.

The most reliable sensor they had were Alejandro’s eyes. His engineered eyes could see further and make out things in space no normal human eye could. He interrupted Ncchsi who was just about done explaining Roy the features of the Spacesuit. “Sobyr drop us to 20 km/sec and turn a little towards Galactic North and about five dots up on the Z-axis. I think I saw a reflection, high albedo.”

It became quiet in the small craft and everyone was gripped by a sense of anticipation, even Roy.

After a few minutes, Sobyr the Thauran teen said. “I don’t know how you do it but I got a substantial piece of mass on the scanner now.”

Alejandro leaned forward and was staring out the forward viewport. “It’s a big section of a T cruiser, the T bar is gone but most of the forward section is still there.”

After about six or seven minutes of more silence, Sobyr said. “I read some very faint energies.”

Roy asked, “Could there be still live Kermac Warriors?”

Sobyr turned and said. “Highly unlikely, I can see the thing now. There is a gaping hole where the bridge was and another one at engineering, life support is completely gone. Besides, we don’t have life sensors, but if we can tow that thing to the station we get enough credits to afford better sensors.”

Roy went back to the Hygiene room and detached his PDD from the Bio seal suit he had left there and then with it climbed up to Sobyr. “This is an SII Science Scanner with PDD function. My mother gave it to me before she left. I don’t think it has a terribly good range but it has the finest sensors you can fit into a hand-held, according to her at least.”

Alejandro took it. “And you’ve been jealous of our Bison. “That’s a genuine Science Corps – Mark 16. Sell it and you could afford a working Surplus Bison for sure.”

He activated the thing and played with the controls. “Let’s see according to these on-screen instructions the sensing distance can be increased by reducing sensitivity. To do that activate Sensor Program GS...” The rest of his sentence he mumbled as he started to adjust the programming of the device.

Xiptin raised more of his body of the ground and demonstrated just how long his usual curved and coiled body was and looked over the shoulder of Alejandro without using the ladder. “Our Stellaris is a genuine Science Nerd. He probably dreams about your gadget ten weeks after you’re gone.”

Alejandro protested without taking his eyes of the Scanner. “That is simply not true, nine weeks max.”

The chrome skin covered Stellaris voice trailed off again and then he said. “Well I can’t detect any life, but there are several active energy sources. It appears to be nothing bigger than an emergency computronic or emergency lighting.”

Sobyr pulled up the soft transparent hood from his helmet collar and said. “Well let’s check it out before the professional Salvagers come and take it from us. Possession is the name of this game” Then he closed the helmet and the thing became a rigid bubble.

They divided the cargo hold with an energy curtain and Roy said to Partner. “Sorry, you got to stay behind. There isn’t a spacesuit that fits you.”

Partner blinked, then sneezed and the emotions he got from Partner were a little confused but he sat down on his hind legs. Xiptin patted the beast’s side. “No worry I keep you company as someone has to stay behind in the ship and that is me this time.”

Roy also folded his helmet up and he could feel his own pulse rate go up as Sobyr opened the cargo bay doors. The Thauran was the first to push himself out and Roy took a deep breath and then pushed off right after the Girl. Space seen through a viewport was spectacular, but seeing it through a refraction free space suit helmet was overwhelming and no word in Roy’s vocabulary could describe what he saw, it was so completely different to any experience he had before. Even sitting on the balcony bubble of the Silver Swan. His mind had lost all sense of up and down. A short burst of his suit thrusters had accelerated him towards the ominous dark shape only noticeable because it blocked out starlight behind it, he had a distinct feeling as if he would fall, but he had no idea if he was falling up or down. His stomach felt very queasy and he had to swallow hard to keep it down, but as he neared the shape he could now see details inside the razor-sharp circle of light from his chest-mounted lamp, he forgot about his stomach and he no longer felt sick. He saw a twisted and torn hole in an otherwise smooth metal surface. Alejandro, only wearing a thruster pack as this was the environment his kind was designed for, shot past him and so did the lizard. They had reached the hole, Roy was still about 150 meters away as he watched Sobyr use the hull breach to enter the wreck.

Suddenly he felt imminent danger. His unusual awareness made his entire body tingle and he somehow knew they weren’t alone.

The sudden feeling made him touch the thruster controls, the wreck became bigger and way too fast. He remembered the instructions they had given him and pulled the joystick to activate the counter thrusters. Braking speed so rapidly that he banged his forehead against the helmet plate and then he flew backward away from the wreck.

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