Delphi Envoy (Delphi in Space Book 14), page 12
“What is it?” Loxino had asked.
“Why, that’s the Paraxean relay thing. That was a big to-do when they got it.”
“Paraxean?”
“Yeah. You know those aliens from another star system that wanted to talk to us? Surely, you’ve seen the televideos about them. They’re the ones with those dog ears that move.”
“Yes, I’ve seen the videos. I never heard that they tried to talk with us.”
“Yep, they sent a huge probe all the way over here to our system. Then it started to broadcast on one of our security channels. Said they wanted to talk about trading technologies and such. That was just about one year after that colony mission went dark, so the government wasn’t having anything to do with them.”
“You aren’t telling me that something that small made it all the way here from another star system.”
“No!” the old man said, obviously insulted. “That’s just the relay. The probe was massive. Must have been two, maybe three meters in diameter—a sphere. When the big boys decided that they didn’t want to talk, they sent a spaceplane up to try and get the probe. As soon as they got close to it, it spit this little ball out then headed straight away from Aperanje. Can you believe that? It just started accelerating away from the planet. Well, that spaceplane couldn’t change its orbit that fast, so they had no hope of catching it. They grabbed the relay and brought it back down.”
“Wow. Didn’t they take it apart to learn how it worked?” Loxino asked.
“That was the plan. But as soon as they touched it, it started saying how it would fuse itself into a solid ball if they tried to open it. I guess they believed it. They kept it around for a while. It kept asking us to talk to it, but nobody wanted to. Eventually then sent it down here in that box. I put it right there; it hasn’t moved since.”
“You mean nobody has even tried to examine it for twenty-five years?”
“Right, well, except for me. One time, I came back here with all the lights off and opened the box. As soon as I shined my flashlight on it, it started to hum. I closed it back up right quick.”
“That is a good story. Thanks for telling me,” Loxino said with a laugh. He hefted the other box up. “Damn, this thing is heavy.”
“I’ll bet. Hey, you don’t have to walk all the way back up those stairs. Let me show you a shortcut.” With that, the old man had shown him a back door. He unlocked it with his keys. “If you cross over that aisle, the third door leads to the parking garage. You can take the elevator back up to the main floor.”
“Thanks. Wow, that will save me a lot of time. But, won’t you get in trouble?”
“Nah, there aren’t any cameras down here. Nobody will notice that you didn’t go back up the stairs.”
Loxino had waited six months before he went back. He got the doctor to send him down for some other device. He’d brought the old man a hot beverage and added a sleeping powder to it. By the time he’d gotten the device the doctor had sent him for, the old man was asleep. He grabbed his keys and got the Paraxean probe. He carried it into the parking garage and put it in a friend’s car that he’d borrowed for the day. Then he’d just locked it all back up, returned the keys, and taken the other device up to Dr. Sheparlox.
When he got home that night, he’d used a flashlight to look into the box. Sure enough, the relay started to hum, so he sealed it back up and hid it.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Ah, here it is,” Loxino thought as he pulled the box from behind a stack of other boxes.
He did a quick check with a flashlight; the relay started to hum. He closed it up and quietly exited the basement.
“Loxino, did you find what you were looking for?” his mother called out.
“Yes, I did. I’ve got to take it over to my house. I’ll come back for dinner.”
“Your father will like that. We never get to see you anymore.”
“I’m just busy. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
He hurried out to his car and put the device in his trunk. He didn’t want his mother to come out and see it. She was always nosy, and he really didn’t want to have to explain about it. He’d told her he needed the notes from an old college project.
Once he got home, he took it to his office in the basement. His wife and children knew better than to ever enter his office. He opened the box and pulled the relay out. It started to hum right away. After a few minutes, it started talking.
“Hello, this is Paraxea. We are the system twenty-one light-years anti-spinward of your star. We would like to discuss trade. Any attempts to tamper with the relay will result in it fusing into a solid mass. . . . Hello, this is.”
“Hello,” Loxino said. The device immediately stopped playing its recorded message.
“Hello,” the box said.
Loxino replied right away. “If someone is listening, I would like to discuss the Delphi League’s impending visit to Aperanje. I will be awaiting your reply twenty-six hours from now.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Minister Monafar, we got a message on the Aperanjen quantum!”
“When?!”
“Just thirty minutes ago. Should we call the President?”
“No! Now, what did the message say?”
“It said they wanted to discuss the visit. And that they would be listening in twenty-six hours.”
“Good. Bring the quantum up here. And don’t tell anyone about this. I’ll inform the President privately. This will be an advantage for Paraxea, so we don’t want anyone else in the League to know about it until we’ve explored what opportunities it presents. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Minister.”
◆ ◆ ◆
The next day, Minister Monafar was waiting at his desk with the relay sitting on the side table. Of course, he hadn’t told the President about the call. He might eventually, but first, he wanted to see what benefit he might derive from a special channel to Aperanje.
“Hello, this is Loxino, is anyone there?”
“Yes, this is Minister Monafar of Paraxea. What do you want?” His Comm was translating the Aperanje words to Paraxean. The program had been developed from intercepted communications years ago. It had taken some careful maneuvering by the minister to get access to the program without tripping any alarms.
“I’m looking for an ally to help gain the best advantage out of this Delphi League discussion. What are your interests?”
“I would also like to see a way to gain the best advantage for Paraxea.”
“Good, then do we understand each other?”
“I believe so. What can I do for you?”
“I need more time. Is there any way you can delay the arrival of the delegation?”
“I might. How much time do you need?”
“A couple of months would be nice, but I’ll take whatever I can get.”
“And how will this help Paraxea?”
“I will be able to get my people in place to control the negotiations as well as place the right people to exploit the trade agreements we reach.”
“And how does that help Paraxea?”
“We can establish a special relationship. With my people in place, we will be able to determine what items we trade and with whom. I’m sure there will be special imports that you will be able to provide us and some special exports we can provide to you, all under special terms.”
“Okay, I think I can arrange to delay the delegation by maybe two weeks. Is there anything else I can do?”
“If there were a way to create some chaos during the negotiations, it would be helpful. I always do better when everyone is forced to improvise.”
“I’ll see what I can do. When should we communicate again?”
“I will be listening at this relay fifty-two hours from now and every fifty-two hours after that. If you do the same, we can keep each other updated. I assume this communication cannot be detected.”
“You are correct. I’ll talk to you again in fifty-two hours. Good day.”
Minister Monafar was pleased; he had already promised Damien a delay and had set that in motion. He would have to think about how to create a little chaos, but he had a few ideas.
◆ ◆ ◆
After they had been underway for a few days, Catie invited Herr Hausmann to lunch. She planned to ask him for some general advice.
“Princess, thank you for inviting me to lunch,” Herr Hausmann said.
“Herr Hausmann, it is my pleasure. And please call me Catie?”
“Only if you call me James.”
“Of course, James. Let’s be seated.” Catie smiled, thinking that maybe James wouldn’t be as intimidating as Herr Hausmann.
Once the steward had taken their orders and provided them with beverages, Herr Hausmann looked at Catie. “Now, what can I do for you, or is this purely a social call?”
“I don’t have many opportunities for purely social calls, but this will be close. I wanted to ask if you had any general advice about this mission as well as the overall mission of the Delphi League.”
“Well, that certainly isn’t a simple question.”
“True, but I’m asking about your ideas, not asking for advice to solve a specific problem.”
“Hmm. Well, to begin, I think that the things your family is trying to do on Earth are amazing. And I’m fully supportive . . .”
“The things that we all are trying to do,” Catie said. “All of us on the MacKenzie board and most of the people from Delphi are part of our efforts.”
“Yes, yes. And I support the efforts as well. But it’s your family that’s taking the lead.”
“Okay, go on, you were saying?”
“Yes. You have an idealistic view that you’re promoting, and it mostly works, but you need to realize that some people will never sign up for it.”
Catie gave Herr Hausmann a puzzled look.
Herr Hausmann thought, ‘I can’t be the first one to tell her that the world isn’t a particularly nice place. She’s been involved in several wars, so she must know.’
“It’s just that there will always be some people who only care about themselves; they never have enough money or power. You cannot influence them by appealing to the greater good.”
“Like Constantine,” Catie said, referring to the man on Onisiwo who’d tried to kidnap her so he could gain control over how technology was introduced to his world.
“Exactly. And how did you deal with him?”
“Well, I never really had any success.” Catie didn’t mention that she’d made sure he was cash poor and in trouble with the top crime family on Onisiwo. She’d even arranged an unexpected meeting between Constantine and the head of that crime family.
“But I heard that he disappeared.”
“I did too. Apparently, he got on the wrong side of some powerful people. But, I agree, some people will only act in their own self-interest.”
“Exactly. And they will always be working behind the scenes to promote those interests. But if they manage to get placed in a position of power, you will have real problems. People like that can do enormous damage before you realize what they are doing.”
“I’ve experienced that before. The old chair of the Onisiwo Planetary Council was like that. He steered all the major contracts to his coalition before we realized it. We were never able to correct it.”
“Yes, that’s a good example. But occasionally, you’ll encounter someone who is so sophisticated about it that you never realize what they’ve done.”
“If you never realize it, how can they have done anything significant?” Catie asked.
“They bury the benefits in other things; they’re patient and think in the long-term. A small benefit compounded over years can generate enormous profits and advantages.”
“I see. I’ll have to think about that some more. Now, let’s move on to the social part. Tell me about your grandchildren. I understand that they’ve moved to Delphi City.”
Chapter 10
Onisiwo
The Aventurier and the Chesapeake made orbit around Onisiwo at 0400. They had been slowly adjusting ship time to match the time in the capital city, moving the clocks a few minutes each day of the month they spent in transit, so it was also early in the morning in the capital city. Catie had invited Liz and Margaret to breakfast in her cabin to do a little prep work before they headed down to the reception at noon.
“Hello, guys,” Catie greeted Liz and Margaret as the steward showed them in.
“Hi. I hope you plan to change before we head down,” Liz teased. Catie was wearing a shipsuit. Of course, Liz was wearing her captain’s uniform, slacks, and tunic over a shipsuit. Margaret was dressed elegantly as usual.
“Give me a break. This is the last time I get to slum it for months.”
Liz laughed as she gave Catie a hug and sat down next to her. “I know how you feel.”
“Maggie, come on. Sit down, and we’ll order. You know, I don’t know how you manage to dress so nicely all the time. Doesn’t it ever get tiring?”
“I don’t understand how you can wear those shipsuits. They’re a bit too revealing for me. Fortunately, I’ve never had to wear one.”
“They’re comfortable,” Catie said. “And when you’re part of the crew, you have to wear one. You can’t tell that Liz has one on under her uniform since she’s wearing slacks, but it’d be obvious if she were wearing a skirt.”
“Oh, I’ve never noticed. So, the leggings the women wear are really just their shipsuits?”
“Yes. If you wear a skirt, then your legs show. They make shipsuits in various colors so that it looks like you’re wearing leggings. A concession to fashion.”
Margaret harrumphed, letting them know she was not convinced.
Liz winked at Catie. “Are you ready to play princess for the next few months?”
“Yes. Thank god you’re going to be with me. We’ll have to have a few private dinners in my cabin so that I can let my hair down once in a while.”
“I’ll be happy to come to your cabin and let you complain, but not every night.”
“I don’t complain that much!”
Liz just smiled at Catie.
After they finished breakfast and the steward had cleaned up, Liz asked, “When do we leave, and do we take my shuttle?”
“No!” Margaret said. “You have to take the princess’s shuttle. It is a royal visit, after all.”
Catie rolled her eyes. “We’ll leave in an hour,” Catie whispered.
“An hour?”
“Hey, Duchess, you get dressed up in a fancy dress, so you look like royalty, and let’s see how long it takes you.”
“Sorry. See you in flight bay two an hour from now.”
The Aventurier had a shuttle iris in each flight bay, unlike a standard frigate that only had one in flight bay one for the captain’s shuttle. The Aventurier carried four shuttles, one for the captain, one for Catie, and two to handle the envoys and ambassadors, so they had flexibility when they traveled to the surface.
◆ ◆ ◆
Despite Catie’s desires, their arrival on Onisiwo was met by the chair of the Onisiwoen Planetary Council and the Onisiwoen ambassador to the League. Of course, that meant that there was press there as well. All of which meant that Catie had to dress up, not her favorite thing.
She descended the boarding ramp to be greeted by Chair Kloprewkro and Ambassador Maricosta. She waved to the crowd, sliding along beside Chair Kloprewkro and away from the reporters. As they moved Morgan did an excellent job of running interference for Catie, using her marines to block the reporters from gaining microphone access.
Catie did a quick survey of the crowd; she saw Prince Nikitas with a young woman hanging on his arm. Catie’s ire rose; then she got mad at herself. It wasn’t like they were in a committed relationship. But still, did he have to bring her to the landing?
Once they were inside the building, Catie relaxed. They were now safe from the reporters.
“Princess, are you sure you don’t want to say a few words for the reporters?” Chair Kloprewkro asked.
“Not today. I’ll have ample opportunity to speak with them over the next couple of weeks. And I’ve been told it’s a good idea to leave them hungry.”
“That is not what Cer Sam said,” ADI messaged.
“It’s what she should have said,” Catie messaged back.
Catie continued to follow Chair Kloprewkro to the reception room where the other League ambassadors were waiting. When they arrived, she saw that Prince Nikitas had found a way to arrive before her.
“Princess Catherine, may I present Princess Marianna. She’s excited to finally get to meet you,” Prince Nikitas said.
“I am,” Princess Marianna said. “Cousin Kozma has told me all about your adventure last year. But I’d like to hear it from another perspective. He tends to glamorize things too much.”
Now Catie felt really stupid for being jealous.
“I’d love to spend some time with you talking about it. And you could tell me more about Helike. We didn’t spend that much time there.”
“After the reception, we’ll get together. Now, I have to run over there to take care of our ambassador. I’m his aide.” Princess Marianna’s face made it clear that babysitting an ambassador wasn’t her idea of a perfect job.
Fiona leaned over to Morgan and made a trilling sound with her tongue. “Now that’s a nice-looking prince. I could just eat him right up.”
Morgan shook her head. “You’d better be careful.”
“I agree with Fiona,” ADI said. “In fact, I’m sure that Prince Charming is sad that Christina couldn’t make the trip. If Fiona made that sound for him, it would make him feel more at home.”
“ADI!”
“It would.”
“Maybe I should,” Fiona said. “We definitely want him to feel at home.”
“No way,” Morgan gasped. “Wait, I’ll give you five hundred dollars if you do it when Catie’s with him and they both can hear.”
“Deal.”
◆ ◆ ◆
Catie was excited about attending the reception, even if she had to dress up like a princess. Zoey and a couple of the other women they’d rescued from the Fazullans had made the effort to come north for the event. Of course, Charlie was there along with two men from the rescued mission. Catie would have been happy if that was the complete guest list, but that was inconceivable. Margaret and Samantha had arranged the usual collection of celebrities, business leaders, and politicians. Catie took a deep sigh and steeled herself to endure.
