Space Trader (Galactic Axia Adventure) (6 page)

“Sounds like a plan.”

Ian Cahill and Tyrone Carlton walked together to Tyrone’s stylish old house set atop a small knoll overlooking his expansive property. The yard was a collection of odd objects, a few of which Cahill recognized from his travels around the galaxy. The outer edges of the property was ringed with what appeared to be restored spacecraft from various times and cultures.

“You planning to restore that Red-tail ship?” Cahill asked.

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“On how bad you sliced it up and on how much you try to slice out of me,” Tyrone said, a playful glint in his eyes.

“As much as I can get with as little pain as possible,” Cahill answered. Both men laughed, but both knew they were in for an interesting time of negotiation.

Carlton’s house was as eclectic as his yard. Memorabilia from civilizations scattered throughout the galaxy decorated every shelf and table. Ian saw books of every description lining the bookshelves in Tyrone’s simple study, rare books that were worth a fortune in the hands of the right trader.

“I’m happy to finally meet the legendary Ian Cahill,” Tyrone said. “Won’t you sit down?”

He motioned toward two leather chairs on either side of a window. Both men sat while a servant brought a tray with a teapot and two delicate china teacups. He poured the tea and then left quietly. Ian picked up his cup and took a sip. He couldn’t exactly identify the tea but it was rich and strong. Both men sat quietly for a couple of minutes enjoying their drinks.

“Interesting tea,” Ian commented at the taste of the unusually brisk tea.

“I picked it up on an interesting little closed planet called Sol-3 about twenty years ago,” Carlton admitted. “It’s called Earl Grey. I liked it so much, I brought back a ton of it.”

“Perhaps I can talk you out of a pound or two of it before I leave,” Ian suggested. “A bonus for closing the deal on the Red-tail derelict.”

“You never know. Anything is possible.”

Ian glanced around the large den from the matching chair opposite his host. “This is quite a collection you have here.”

Retired Captain Tyrone Carlton nodded and took a sip of his tea. Setting down his cup, he took the teapot and topped it off before speaking.

“I’m rather proud of it,” Tyrone agreed. “It brings back many memories. I have items from every mission I’ve ever been on.”

“Quite an accomplishment,” Ian said. “Most captains are too footloose to keep such a volume of artifacts.”

“I realized that early on so I kept only small items,” Carlton said. “It was fortunate that I was able to buy this place early in my career so I could start warehousing all of my little galactic treasures.”

“What are your plans for it once you’re gone?”

“If you’ll notice, I’ve arranged it so this place can be converted into a museum,” Tyrone answered. “There’s just too little interest taken in what is out there. I’ve seen too many people turn a blind eye to the known dangers that lurk just beyond their day-to-day awareness, not to mention the wonders of the universe.”

“Amen to that,” Ian said, raising his own teacup in salute. Tyrone matched the salute. They both took a sip. Ian smiled. The tea was most agreeable.

“So tell me, where has your trading taken you?” Tyrone asked after they had both finished their sips. “I’m always interested in what is out there.”

“I’ve piddled around here and there in this sector,” Ian offered. “Nothing much to tell really.”

“You’re much too modest,” Tyrone said. “Just as you checked me out, I took some time to research your travels after I learned of your acquiring that salvage out there.”

“You would make a good trader,” Ian commented. “Do you always research people who come to call on you?”

“To rephrase your remark to me when I asked you about your guns; always. It’s an old habit. Fewer unpleasant surprises happen that way.”

“A man after my own heart.”

“And a man who is good at steering a conversation, I see,” noted Tyrone. Ian nodded. The challenge of this meeting whetted his appetite.

“You want more than that Red-tail wreck out there,” Ian pointed out. “And it’s not just information either.”

“Very perceptive of you,” Tyrone agreed. “And though information has its own value, you are correct. I am searching for something more. But first, a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Have you ever considered a partnership?”

“I’ve been approached many times,” Ian answered. “But I work alone. I like my solitude and independence.”

“I wasn’t proposing coming aboard. I’m too old to be chasing around space. I’ll leave that for younger blood. What I am proposing is more of an underwriting of your efforts.”

“And what precisely would those efforts entail?”

Instead of answering, Tyrone opened a panel on the table beside his chair and pushed several buttons. Silently, the curtains of the den closed and the lights dimmed. Ian was impressed with Tyrone’s devices. Soon the room was completely dark and the only light was the amber glow from Tyrone’s control panel. Ian sensed rather than saw the retired captain push another button and a three dimensional projection of the galaxy appeared in the air above them.

“No doubt you recognize our galaxy,” Tyrone said as he continued pushing buttons.

“I also notice its one of the most recent versions,” Ian said. “I like your setup. I assume you have full rotation and magnification features?”

“I like to stay current.” With the push of another button, a small area of the galaxy was bathed in a green glow.

“The initial Axia,” Ian said. While they observed, the green area shimmered a little and then suddenly exploded into a near continuous expansion until it almost swept across the entire galaxy.

“The Great Leap,” Tyrone stated. “It only took two hundred years to cover all of the known galaxy. Mankind traveled farther and faster than anyone thought possible, spreading humanity like a plague among the stars. They settled planets ripe for the pickings, many time influencing other life already there, sometime interfering with their natural grown and development

“I’ve heard about that,” Ian said.

“But the Axia wasn’t ready for it,” Carlton continued. “The Axia collapsed in on itself, stranding citizens on far-flung plants and solar systems without any means of support or protection.”

Just as suddenly as the star field had formed, the green area started collapsing and fragmenting until it only covered a third of the stars shown. Then it halted its retreat and began marching back across the galaxy. Finally, it stopped in what Ian recognized as the current extent of the Axia and independent planets. One star started blinking and Ian surmised that it was their current location.

“Now to answer your earlier question about the efforts I would like to underwrite if you are interested,” Tyrone stated. He pushed another button. Several pockets of yellow appeared throughout the galaxy, surrounded in most cases by the green of the Axia.

“These are the lost areas that the Axia occupied several thousand years ago and then lost during the Dark Times. Even today little is known of them, although the Axia is slowly starting to search them. There have been many surprises.”

“So I’ve heard,” Ian agreed as his mind started cataloging all the tales he had heard from other ships. And these were the stories of the ships that had made it back. A small but not insignificant number had never been heard from again.

“My proposal is simple,” Tyrone said. He adjusted the controls to bring one particular yellow zone down in front of them. Then it slowly enlarged.

“I am looking for an independently minded man to go in and just look around. What I am most interested in is evidence of ancient Axia planets and populations. Naturally, I prize artifacts for my collection. We split any profits after I recover the costs.”

“So basically you provide the capital and I provide the ship.”

“And we both provide the curiosity.”

∞∞∞

Unexpectedly, another part of Ert’s system notified him of an earlier search he’d instituted. Curious, Ert followed the lead and found himself tied into the shipping manifests for the entire quadrant.

Scanning the shipping logs of numerous planets, the alien computer noted that a certain ship had touched down on Urun. If it had been possible, he would have smiled. Still he felt a sense of satisfaction about the event. Things were slowly moving in a favorable direction.

Further sleuthing showed the ship had touched down at the private landing pad of a retired captain—Tyrone Carlton by name. Faster than thought, Ert delved into information on the man and liked what he saw. This was an excellent development indeed! Trust the curious to find each other in this vast universe.

He noted that this retired Captain Carlton had a private collection of artifacts. To his surprise, he found what appeared to be a listing of the entire collection in the insurance records of the man. Most collectors kept their acquisitions private for personal reasons. This man was different.

Ert rapidly scanned the long and varied list. Each item was identified and described in detail. Pictures were also included and he made a point of scanning these as well. It did not take long for him to come to the end of the list and another dead end. Nowhere in Carlton’s collection could he find anything he was now looking for. If he had been human, Ert would have frowned. But he wasn’t human.

Chapter Five

Ian Cahill looked at his Nav board and smiled. Engaging both the autopilot and repeater board, he unstrapped from the control chair and stood up. Out through the front window of the
Cahill Express
he could see the distortion of the star field ahead of the racing ship.

Strangely, in spite of the ship going many times the speed of light, he could still see light from those stars ahead as well as the ones he was passing. As far as Ian could figure, the reason he could see light even of distant stars streaming by was due to some strange effect of the repulsion field caused by the drive of the ship. Not understanding the process, however, did not prevent Ian from enjoying the spectacle.

After stretching the kinks out of his back, he picked up the repeater board and went back to his worktable. He spread out the maps Tyrone had given him. Grabbing his stool, he sat down within easy reach of his teapot.

He smiled to himself as he flicked on the unit. One additional item he had brought from the retired captain was some of that unique tea. Tyrone claimed to have gotten it from a closed planet called Sol-3, an obscure little planet in an outer spiral of the galaxy. Ian didn’t ask how that unusual arrangement had come about. One didn’t ordinarily attain products from closed planets. But he was happy in any case to have some of the rich, dark tea for himself.

It took less than a minute and Ian had a fresh steaming mug of tea in his hand. He took a tentatively sip and studied the map laid out before him. The currently established parameters of the Axia were clearly marked. Also shown were the different independent planets and alliances.

He and Tyrone had double-checked the delineation before he left Urun. But with this two-dimensional map, he could not quite grasp the ‘lost areas’. The maps lacked depth in general and didn’t show the relationships Ian was looking for. He wanted a better overall feel for his destination, most particularly the first zone he planned to search.

“Guess it’s time to try out my new toy,” Ian said as he reached over and flipped another switch on the repeater panel. The cabin lights immediately dimmed and a multi-dimensional holographic map of the region similar to the one in Carlton’s house appeared suspended in the air over the worktable. The current Axia expanse was shaded with a mauve coloration. Independent alliances were colored yellow. This made the darkness of the lost areas stand out clearly.

“Magnify region twenty-three dash fourteen.”

Nothing happened. Sighing to himself, he reached over and flipped on another switch. “Let’s try that again,” he said into space. “Magnify region twenty-three dash fourteen.”

“I do not understand,” a mechanical voice replied. Cahill frowned.

“Magnify region two three dash one four,” he enunciated slowly and distinctly through gritted teeth. The holographic projector responded accordingly. Ian studied the image.

“Highlight our course to date.”

“I do not understand,” the mechanical voice said again. Grumbling to himself, Ian reached over and flipped off the voice control. Instead, he adjusted the image manually.

The course of the
Cahill Express
appeared in red, already a short distance into the first unknown area. With a few more adjustments, the currently projected course of the
Cahill Express
showed in bright blue. It projected deep into the first of the empty areas.

“That’s more like it.” Ian said to himself as he studied the map. Using the small panel, he adjusted his intended course a bit and then entered the information into the navigational console. He was just leaning back to refill his mug when the emergency klaxon sounded the alarm.

∞∞∞

Far out in the vast reaches of space a solitary ship traversed the empty void. Inside, its single occupant double-checked his navigational heading and adjusted it’s settings a few degrees. He glanced out the viewport and sighed to himself.

It has been many generations since my species have sent anyone out into the void
, he thought.
But a request from friends of long ago prompted this unusual mission.

Because of his prior experience in space and because of his relatively young age, Piaffè was selected to go. Obedient to the Code of the Jibbah, he accepted the assignment. One of the preserved ships of the Old Ones was brought out and fitted for the voyage. It had been safely stored for over a thousand generations, and yet was as ready as the day it had been built.

The Jibbah had forsaken space travel when their society entered the twilight of its time in the cosmos. But in their youth, they had traveled far and wide. Driven by curiosity, they explored their own galaxy, then the next, and then the next in an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. That was how they had met the Horicon.