Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 3 - New Shores by David Buck Page A

the Traders and hopefully the Maveen.
    Steve, Samantha, Dan and Rebecca ensured that their video cameras were working and started filming the island. For a moment Steve stopped filming as he regarded the gateway east of the island through which an occasional Maveen probe would fly through from time to time. Captain Narindestat returned the bow from Ian Ridge, and the rest of the boats came ashore as Ian began to speak.
    ‘Good morning captain, we are looking forward to our discussions and training today. However we wish to speak with the Maveen lead probe on a matter of prime importance to us before we start today.’
    The Trader captain looked thoughtful as he replied.
    ‘Certainly prime minister and I for one would like to accompany you if I may?’
    In moments a few Traders and several humans stood in front of the Maveen probes, and Ian Ridge nervously addressed the large dark forms of the alien ships.
    ‘Lead probe, it is the Australian prime minister, Ian Ridge here, and I need to speak with you urgently please.’
    After a moment the second probe from the left opened a large blue vision strip and regarded Ian as he replied.
    ‘Yes prime minister, I have been expecting your visit this morning. Your race is finding the new colony to be suitable for your use?’
    Ian swallowed his nervousness and replied.
    ‘Lead probe the world is most suitable, though we are concerned about the lack of fossil fuels and we will need further assistance. However the animals and plants on this world, together with your own nature, had led to several important questions that I need to ask you.’
    The lead probe looked at the assembled humans as it replied.
    ‘I must place emphasis on three things before your questions. First your race must pass as much resources and people through as possible to give the colony the best possible chance for survival. We will provide assistance until the colony is capable of supporting itself, but you must help yourselves as much as possible. Secondly you must look after this planet’s environment in a more effective manner, and this has been stated to you beforehand. Finally we will not answer questions that may cause you to know something that is detrimental for either you or us at a later stage. Now your questions may be asked.’
    Ian paused for a moment as he parsed the long answer. He felt a moment’s confusion over the probe’s final statement, and then he gave a preamble before starting his questions.
    ‘We agreed to all of your requests to the best of our abilities. Now it is obvious to our race that you have been on this world previously, my own culture has recorded you in our prehistory and seeded at least one world with our flora and fauna. So how long ago were you last on our planet?’
    The probe knew the way forward here was the truth, as it in turn stated a simple question.
    ‘Prime minister you are from an older Earth culture, and you know of past events from tens of thousands of years ago?’
    Ian drew himself up to his full height and looked the probe over as he answered.
    ‘My proud culture is that of the aborigines of the island continent to the east of here. We have references in our antiquity of tens of thousands of years ago to travellers, known as the maker of worlds and our stories tell of their work in our lands.’
    Rebecca came forward and held pictures of ancient aboriginal artwork depicting as beings similar to the Maveen sub probes, and then the sub probes themselves. The probe replied after a moment in the softest metallic voice that any could recall it speaking.
    ‘We were on this world both sixty thousand years and forty thousand years ago, and the initial visit allowed us to transfer the building blocks of several Earth ecologies off world. After twenty thousand years we returned for the larger animal species as the biology on Barede and other worlds had become established. We decided to leave on both occasions to ensure your races survival by our absence. So you