Chapter 11

"We came here looking for answers. There are six Jimworl on the scout ship; and they know more than we do. How do we get them to talk? Phoe, give us your thoughts," Jennifer asked, but she did not take her eyes off of her display.

Phoe answered, "They may believe that we destroyed their ship." Phoe paused and her voice faltered. She remained in thought for a few seconds, "We cannot offer them refuge. They are soldiers, and they are a danger to us. We can offer them food. We can offer to give their location to the Jimworl fleet." Phoe again paused in thought. "If a decision has been made to destroy human civilization, they may lie to us. They may fear us."

A lively discussion started. Mary asked, "You believe that we should pretend like we are a fourth civilization, who happened on to the scene?"

Mellissa offered her thoughts. "Let's tell them they get food for information. If they tell us lies, we will leave them hungry."

"Let them do the talking. See if they recognize our ship as something Worel designed. We can learn from what they ask us." And Charlie went back to his display.

"Well, Captain Jennifer, we have not heard from you. Any insight," asked Phoe?

"They are hailing us."

A male voice came over the com system. "I am captain of the Jimworl ship 'Scamp'. Please identify yourself. I am Hectane."

"I am going to pretend like I am someone not from earth. Mary, scramble my voice so that I sound masculine."

Jennifer answered the scout captain, "Two ships just destroyed many of your race. You are fortunate that you were not killed. Who are you? Who destroyed your ship and your base?"

"We are the Jimworl. We were too far from the battle to see the enemy ships. I do not recognize your ship. Who are you?"

Jennifer replied, "We may rescue you and we may not. Would you care to answer my questions? Who attacked your base? Why are you on an asteroid?"

Captain Hectane answered, "We do not need rescuing. Our ship is fine. I have no idea who attacked us. We know of only one civilization, other than ourselves. We call it earth. But earthlings are not space faring. They have neither the technology nor the intellect. There must be a race that we have not discovered. Are you a race that we have not discovered, but who has discovered us?"

"Phoe, any thoughts from what you have heard," asked Jennifer?

"Yes, he is baiting you. Our schools teach us that humans are only two hundred years behind the Jimworl. The Jimworl believe that two hundred years could become ten years, overnight. He has a suspicion that you are an earthling."

Jennifer went back to her com unit. "We are not from your galaxy. Any race that makes war for no reason is a race that we may choose to destroy. I am giving you an opportunity to explain the battle."

"That's telling them. Want to shoot a little xenon at them," asked Mary?

Jennifer ordered, "Let's all stay alert. Bring shields up to full. Mellissa, charge all phasors. Give them a reason to believe that we may destroy them. Phoe, your thoughts?"

"Yes, let's shoot the asteroid with a major phasor burst."

Jennifer smiled. She always liked to shoot her guns. "Mary, use your imagination. Give them some fireworks."

Mary prepared her xenon weapons. She brought the reactor up to thirty megawatts electric, and charged all capacitors over a four minute period. Mars1 fired a fourth of her xenon at the asteroid. The fire barrage went on for two minutes and drained the energy in all her capacitors to nothing.

"I want to fire this weapon more often. That one large asteroid is now ten little asteroids. Captain 'jerk off' Hectane has to believe we are serious." Mary began charging her capacitors.

Captain Hectane considered firing his weapon. But it was puny compared to what he faced. "This is Captain Hectane. Your firepower display was impressive. But I am telling you the truth; we have no idea who destroyed our base and our friends."

Jennifer ordered, "Mary I want you to damage Hectane's ship. Put a little hole in it. But do not destroy it. We do not want to send Charlie to do another patch job."

Mary hopped up and down several times as she calculated energy settings on her phasors. She would overwhelm their shields. Mary did not want the Jimworl to know that she could defeat their shields by modulating her phasors. "I am thinking a hole in their aft cargo hold would not hurt anyone. Unless you object, I am going to put a ten centimeter hole in her."

Mary fired and placed a hole exactly where she wanted. Then, with a deep smile on her face, she commented, "I will keep some phasors ready in case you want more holes."

"Mary, put another hole next to that one." Jennifer ordered. She would continue to make Swiss cheese out of the scout vessel until Hectane revealed more.

Hectane came on line, "I have no idea what that battle was about or who was involved. Please stop. You will destroy our ship."

"Mary, put another hole in her aft quarters. Just for fun, fire some xenon at her bridge; but do not breach her hull." Jennifer got herself a cup of coffee.

Mary set her phasor but did not fire it. Mary set her xenon at thirty percent power, one millisecond burst. Then, she fired both the phasor and xenon weapons at the same time.

The hull of the scout ship grew cherry red and bulged in. It survived the xenon blast. But there was a new hold in her aft quarter.

"Charlie, calculate how much abuse the hull can take. That xenon weapon is impressive. Phoe, do you think he is rattled?" Jennifer asked as she had another sip of coffee.

"I think that he believes that you will destroy him if he does not satisfy you," Phoe replied as she checked her scanners.

Charlie offered, "That xenon weakens the metal. Space your xenon impacts. Place impacts at least two meters apart. The xenon could be noisier if you modulate the xenon bursts at ten hertz. Change the power output to ten percent and the duration to four milliseconds. They will be rattled, maybe sick."

Mary changed the settings and announced that she was ready for another burst.

Jennifer opened the com to Hectane. "It is getting near my mealtime. So, we are going to increase our fire power until your hull fails or you talk to me." Com off. " Mary, shoot your xenon."

Mary fired her xenon weapons. The Jimworl had a terrible frightening experience. Sparks and smoke and an explosion of sound filled their bridge.

Hectane's first officer implored his captain, "Hectane, tell them something. They are kicking us around. They will eventually misjudge and kill us."

Hectane opened the com. "The Jimworl are engaged in a civil war." Hectane said no more.

Jennifer ordered, "O.K. Let's stop the fireworks." Com on. "Tell me about your civil war."

Hectane debated with himself. "Do I tell them more? Will telling them make any difference? Will they spare us if we talk?" Hectane decided to talk. "A couple of generals decided that our society needed a dictator; that democracy was inefficient. I am surprised that the war has involved us this far from Worlco, our home planet."

"Go on."

"I know nothing more."

"Phoe, is he telling the truth?"

Phoe stared at her console. "He knows more. We heard the offers to surrender. Those offers were ignored. In a civil war, you take prisoners. Get him to talk more."

"Communication link on. Your friends offered to surrender. Their repeated hales were ignored. Tell me about your civil war."

Hectane did not want to say any more. His adversary might be the human ship, Mars1. He answered, "We are ashamed to admit we are in a civil war. But we know nothing more. The war only started a short time ago. We get supplied infrequently and simply know very little about the war."

Mellissa suggested, "Let's go have lunch. Let captain Hectane stew for a while."

"Com on." Jennifer sipped her coffee. "Hectane, I am going to break for lunch. Do not disturb my lunch with any movement. I will return in a little while. Clean up while I am away. I am certain that you have a mess in your bridge. When I return from lunch, you will then tell me everything about your war or I will end your existence." Com off.

Mars1 retreated to five light minutes from the scout ship.

"Let's eat." Phoe brought everyone their food. "My people are locked into some serious shit. Hectane must fear our reaction to the truth. Of course, he fears Jennifer after Mary's test of his hull's integrity."

"Earth and Worel must somehow be factors in this civil war. Hectane has a strong fear that we are Mars1. He may be certain that we are Mars1. He may have pictures of us before we launched." Charlie was becoming an analyst.

Mellissa offered advice. "Let's allow Hectane to believe that we are Mars1 and see what he says. Then, we convince him that we are not Mars1 and see what he says next. The truth will be somewhere in between his statements."

Jennifer responded, "Your idea is sound. But its execution would be tricky."

Phoe asked, "Jennifer, what did you do before you became our captain?"

"I was in the United States military. I flew a warplane. Mary also flew a warplane. Mellissa flew a military refueling tanker. We three have all flown in combat."

"Phoe, what did you do before you were banished to the penal colony?" asked Mellissa as she ate her lunch, glancing at the scout ship.

"Nothing as exciting as going to war. I am trained as an engineer and worked in the family business. We built roads and bridges. While I was building roadways, I got involved with a group who felt that population control was unjust and unnecessary. The group felt that we could move our population to other worlds. I engaged in sexual congress with a Jimworl named lokyyt. I exercised my beliefs and produced two children. He turned me in to the population police for a reward. I was a fool; I had planned to marry him. I think he was into pornography. If I could kill him, I would gladly serve my time."