Chapter 2

Captain Ptoll paced in front of the reception area’s windows, looking out over the city that’s sole purpose was to support the Alliance Council. Following the event where the Benar had rushed to help the Druse ship only to find that this newly discovered race had intervened and done so in a dramatic fashion. When he had drafted his report, it had been full of vivid descriptions of the fight on the Druse ship, of how such a small party of these new aliens had literally torn the K-Tal apart. He did however suspect that the reason for his summons to the council was due to his parting comment in the report, the one that highlighted his observation to his Marine Commander, that these Terrans had been scientists and explorers and not soldiers!

“Captain Ptoll, we had read your report and seen the images collected from the Druse ship and your interactions with the Terrans after your get-together on your ship. We agree both as a council and in your observations. We have therefore decided to try and remain on a friendly basis with the Terrans.

We have decided that the K-Tall ship will be repaired and you, along with a Druse trading ship, will deliver the K-Tall ship to the Terrans.”

“Do you think that is wise? The K-Tall have probably the best shields of all the known races, we would be giving up a significant knowledge lead, to what is a relatively unknown race.”

“We are of course examining the K-Tall ship as we speak, and our scientists have uncovered the secrets of the K-Tall shielding. However, it is worth noting that those very shields did not save the K-Tall when they met with what was a mere Terran exploration vessel. We also note that the Terrans did share with you all the information on their weapons, so we too now possess the means to defeat the K-Tall shields. It is also worth noting that the Terran’s weapons are not weapons but tools! If they do indeed have real weapons, it is incumbent on us to make sure they are friends. As you so diligently pointed out they rushed into danger to help those they considered friends i.e., the Druse.”

It was almost a month before the science teams had finished investigating the secrets of the K-Tall ship.

It then took a few days to make repairs and crew the ship with a skeleton crew. The Bennar crew and Captain Ptoll used the time to prepare for the trip to the Terran home world. The inclusion of a Druse trader who had met and dealt with the Terrans on several occasions was considered a smart diplomatic move. It would take 6 months to travel to the Terran’s home world and it was not known if the Exploration ship had made it back to tell its side of the story. Just arriving with what were two warships may make for some tense moments.

Captain Ptoll was pacing the docking bay as he awaited the arrival of the Druse Trader. His latest information was that his guest would be a Senior Trader, the head of a trading house. The Druse society formed around its trading houses and to be told that this expedition would have a senior trader was a serious step up. Heads of trading houses are Druse royalty, this puts a whole new level of complexity on the mission. Seeing the Trader arriving Ptoll moved forward to greet him.

“Trader, it is an honour to have such an honoured guest on my ship.”

“The honour is mine Captain. My people and in particular my house owes you and your crew a debt. The ship you rushed to save was from my house and many of the crew were family. I would like you to inform your crew that they all have a boon from my house; if they are ever in need, they need only call, and we will assist.”

“Thank you, Trader, this ensign will show you to your quarters and I would be pleased if you would join me later for dinner, once we are underway.”

Much later the Trader and Captain Ptoll were talking following a meal. The conversation had gotten around to the mission and the Terrans in particular.

“So, Trader, you have met these Terrans in person, I am interested in your opinion of them.”

“Yes, Captain, a strange and possibly wonderful race. Did you know that they had detailed plans on first contact?”

“Don’t all races have plans?”

“Yes, they do, but not quite as detailed as the Terrans did. In my early conversations, it became obvious that they had covered every eventuality. They even understood that we could not come down to their world as the gravity was too strong. From our first meeting at their tiny research station, they quickly understood that they would be interacting with us in space. So, between that first contact with one of our explorer ships and the arrival of a trading vessel a year later, they built a space station ten times the size of anything they had built before. Industrious beyond belief.”

“So how did that first meeting go.” Asked Ptoll.

“Strangely easily, the station was manned by many nations so most of the issues we have had in past first contact were eased. They seemed very pleased that it was a trading race that had first found them and once we had the basics of the language and trading needs sorted we soon settled down to discuss how and what to trade.”

“So, what is it they have that’s so profitable?”

“Their world is a heavy world, they have an abundance of the heavy elements, as does their whole system. They are blessed with two reasonably accessible rocky planets and a belt of rocky asteroids from a failed planet. We traded anti-gravity technology for future deliveries of rare metals.

On a slight aside, do you realise just how close their world was to being a failed world? They are border line on gravity, just a little more and they would never have moved from the sea to land, they would have been an aquatic race at best. A system with so many rocky planets that are inward of the gas giants is rare and to have so many in the outer regions is such a benefit. Those giants cleared the rocky debris and acted to shield them from the outer comets that such a rich system had. Most worlds like ours are in poorer systems with so much less materials left over from the formation of the gas giants.

They are lucky beyond understanding, our science academy has had to revise its thinking on system formation.

However, that is not the biggest issue and I suppose it’s key to how we now perceive them. Firstly, within that first year of discovery, they took that information we sold them on anti-gravity. They then built a space station considerably larger than the one we first met them at, not as large as the ones we have on our worlds but certainly bigger than many of the less prosperous worlds have above their planets, all within a year. The first full-size trading ship that docked was shocked to find a fairly advanced station. They wrongly assumed that the survey ship had been misled and it took some time to reassure them that it was all new construction. The fact that workers were still building the station, did reassure them of the truth.

The next surprise was that they had tonnes of metals ready for the trader, in fact, it was a full load, and they had exceeded the delivery expectations many times over.

The next few visits paid off the initial trade of anti-gravity and they began seeking further knowledge and resources. The building of their first explorer ship was a mix of Terran technology and galactic alliance know-how. Our trading captain reported on the building of that first ship and helped the crews out on navigation, hazard awareness and general deep space issues, they even took them out of the system to better prepare. When the first flight took place one of our traders went with them as they jumped from one system to the next, just to make sure things went well.”

“So, in less than ten years they went from primitive liquid fuel low orbit ships to building interstellar ships. That level of progress is amazing, such confidence, such drive. I can now see better how they had the confidence to take on the K-Tal and in some way understand why they did it so willingly.

However, did you warn them of the hazards of the race like the k-Tal. They sent what was an unarmed ship out into the unknown.”

“Oh, we did. We told them of the K-Tal and other races that are less than friendly. Of worlds with hazards such as active volcanoes and dangerous beasts but they seemed determined to see it all for themselves. They are a truly ambitious and driven species, one that we for one, want to keep on the good side of.

Did you know that they and by they I mean all of them, seem to feel comfortable doing almost any profession, they may not experts, but they are well above the intermediate stage in almost all trades?

Let me tell you of an issue that arose on one of the early visits. One of our engineers was being nosy and strayed from the region where they had set up gravity fields for our race, the sudden change in gravity caught him by surprise and he fell, breaking his lower limbs. His cries of alarm caused several Terran engineers to rush to the area and they immediately stabilised him and splinted his limbs, they then picked him up and carried him to our ship so our medical teams could help.

Our medical teams are of course made up of a mix of our own race and that of the Perseids who are renowned throughout the alliance as the very best medical experts. They examined the patient and then discussed the immediate treatment with the Terran who had carried him in. They were shocked beyond belief that he was just an engineer, one who have not met a Druse before. When they questioned him, they found he had a solid knowledge of what to do.

Later when our medical officer was discussing the incident with the Terran trade contact he was trying to get them to recommend the engineer to become a medical officer, that his obvious skills are wasted being an engineer. They were then shocked to learn of the Terran ‘first aid’ that all of them are trained in it, and that they all could have done the same.

I ask you, Captain, could you have rendered medical aid to a species you had never met before? Would you have been willing to even try?”

“Absolutely not, I have been assessed for training of course and my assessment showed that I was best suited for 3D combat and command level, hence I am a ship’s Captain. I have a secondary assessment in flying.”

“Yes, likewise mine is in leadership and trading. But the Terrans will often change professions, some of them have multiple qualifications in totally unrelated trades. They are so flexible in their mindset that they see no issue in just trying something to see if they like it.”

“Come to think of it, when I first met the Terrans after the fight with the K-Tal I should have realised that the ship’s Captain Clair Summers, who said she was the ship’s Captain and a geologist. Those two trades were the ones she declared willingly, but then being able to lead a boarding party onto a hostile vessel and then engage in hand-to-hand combat, I should have spotted this before. She had ship’s Captain skills like mine, combat skills like my Marine Commander and science skills in Geology. She also said they dressed their own wounds and when we later talked about medical issues it was with a medical professional who had also taken part in the hand-to-hand combat!”

“As you can see it is not surprising that they are able to build a space station so quickly, they can all seemingly turn a hand to any task or at least help an expert if a trained apprentice is not available. A truly remarkable race.

I have not shared this with you yet, but my trading house is giving the Terrans a small shipyard, we will be providing the plans along with some of the more difficult-to-build items and thirty medium-scale 3D printers. It is my way of thanking them for saving my relatives in such a heroic fashion.

I fully expect them to have their own ships out in Alliance space in less than 4 years. I also suspect that they will turn things on their head.”

----------- Three Years Later:

Captain Ptoll was once again summoned to the Alliance Council on a matter concerning the Terrans. The last time had been when he had delivered the K-Tal ship to the Terran home world as a prize for their defeat of an attack by a K-Tal raider. His thoughts went back to the many conversations he had with the Druse Trader. The fact that the Trader had almost given away an entire shipbuilding facility was indicative of how high an opinion the Druse had of the Terrans. He also thought back to how the Trader had prophesied that they would be out in the galaxy turning things on their head!

“Captain, we have had a request from the Terrans to assist them in trialling their new warship. They have asked for you specifically as you had helped them before. We have, therefore, decided that you should take the Benar and her sister ship the Collbar to Terra and do some exercises with them. All we ask is that you use it as a teaching moment and not be too hard on them.”

“As the council wishes. However, it is my belief that it is more likely that they will be teaching me. As per my report following the delivery of the K-Tal ship, I believe that their military is first rate and has only been held back by the lack of technology.”

“That as may be, we would ask that you try and help them. We believe that they have a significant role to play in galactic affairs.”

Six months later as Benar and Collbar drop out of FTL in the Terran system.

“Sir, I confirm our location at the Terran system, the Terran home world is the other side of this system’s sun but I have a signal from the space trading station they built.”

“Very well, inform them of our arrival and our reason for being here, and ask if the Terran ship we are supposed to exercise with is at the station.”

A short while later the communications officer turns to the captain again.

“Sir, I have had a message from the Terran Station. They inform us that there are six ships deployed for the exercises and they are awaiting our arrival at this system’s fourth planet, the one they call Mars. They are stationed in orbit around the larger of the planet’s two moons. They also gave us communications protocols and the name of the commander, it’s Admiral Malenkov.” “Very well, Navigation set course for the fourth planet and sensors begin a sweep, let’s see how quickly we can identify their ships. Let’s try and get a signature on our sensors for the records.

Communications, inform the Collbar of our instructions, and call me when we get in sensor range.”

A short while later when the two ships are closing on the larger of the two moons of Mars.

“Sir, we are about to enter the orbit of the larger moon and I have yet to detect the Terran ships. I had a ghost return a short while ago but nothing that would indicate a warship.

Sorry sir, I now have a faint but definite signal of what seems to be six very small craft, not much larger than the scout ship we saw when we first met the Terrans at the K-Tal incident.”

“That’s to be expected, they have only had the Druse shipyard for a short while, they are probably still learning how to build using that. Let’s get closer and see.”

“Sir, we have a firm return on our sensors, they are a little off, they seem to fade in and out but still a sensor reading. They seem to not be using any propulsion and our infrared sensors are only detecting them as ‘holes’ against the background of the moon. We should be in visual range soon.”