seat.
“Why not? Weren’t you told to pick us up and bring us here?” I asked.
I turned back and kept walking toward the building. I went right in like I owned the place. The interior was lit with some dim bulbs and a couple of guys sitting at a table drinking. One was a tough looking guy and the other was dressed like any bureaucrat. I approached the table. I set my pack and rifle on an adjacent table, stepped back and stepped behind a chair.
Conspirators
“May I join you? I am called Robert and this is my girlfriend and language tutor, Twlise. I am sure you are concerned about me, and my ship.”
The big fellow (a freighter captain?) pointed to the chair with a funny grin on his face – apparently enjoying the discomfiture of the other man. I sat down in the chair and indicated Twlise to sit near me. “I am still learning your language so please…” Twlise said the word for me. “Yes. Please bear with my poor language skills.”
The freighter captain spoke up. “You have been here how many – nine days…and you speak our language?”
“No choice,” I said. “Twlise and my ship helped.”
“Your ship? Your ship has been at the LsPlay Confiscation Yard.”
“Yes. It has…hasn’t it? I can still talk with it.”
“That’s impossible,” said the bureaucrat.
“As impossible as coming from another star system? You limit yourself if you think it is impossible – just because YOU can not do it.”
“You don’t even know what is going on here. You couldn’t – if you are who you say you are.”
“Who do you think I am?” I said getting curious at this point.
“We hear you destroyed a patrol cruiser and then gave LeSlur a huge shipment of Twasolo,” said the bureaucrat.
“Close. My name is Robert Kobe. I came from a planet we call Earth about nine of your days ago. Seeing a ship in your system and being low on air – we went closer and that ship tried to damage us with …not sure of your words…energy weapons. Then they fired two missiles at us and we left. I landed and LeSlur came up with fuel I could use in my ship. I gave him a box of coffee – to me just a breakfast drink.”
“Are you saying you were damaged and had to land here?” asked the freighter guy.
“No. No. My ship was just a lot faster than the missiles even with our large…size…” I turned around to Twlise and she gave me the word… “Mass…our large mass. Their energy weapons do nothing to our ships.”
“That’s impossible,” said the bureaucrat.
“Now I know you are from the government,” I laughed and even the freighter guy chuckled. “The patrol ship’s missiles turned on them after we left. I can have my ship play you the recording later if you want.”
“What do you think is going on here?” asked the freighter guy.
I sat there thinking I ought to be honest with these guys – needed some support – had an inkling, what they were up to. I also figured how it could help me. “ Okay .”
The freighter guy repeated, “ Okay ?”
“Means…” I held my left hand out with my index finger lifted up…”I think that is correct.”
Twlise patted me on the arm and motioned me to go ahead – obviously proud of her ‘student’.
I pointed at the guy I thought was a freighter captain. “You are probably the pilot or whatever they call the freighter commander – also probably a high-ranking leader of the colony on Xale,” I said and saw his mouth drop open just as he was about to take a drink. I pointed to the other guy who (ah ha) had a resemblance to the freighter pilot. “You are probably his brother or family (I didn’t know how to say cousin).” Twlise said the word for me. “Yes…cousin of the pilot but working with the Prath.” I noticed the pilot take a gulp and pour himself another shot.
“You want me to go on?” I asked and the pilot put a glass in front of me and
“Why not? Weren’t you told to pick us up and bring us here?” I asked.
I turned back and kept walking toward the building. I went right in like I owned the place. The interior was lit with some dim bulbs and a couple of guys sitting at a table drinking. One was a tough looking guy and the other was dressed like any bureaucrat. I approached the table. I set my pack and rifle on an adjacent table, stepped back and stepped behind a chair.
Conspirators
“May I join you? I am called Robert and this is my girlfriend and language tutor, Twlise. I am sure you are concerned about me, and my ship.”
The big fellow (a freighter captain?) pointed to the chair with a funny grin on his face – apparently enjoying the discomfiture of the other man. I sat down in the chair and indicated Twlise to sit near me. “I am still learning your language so please…” Twlise said the word for me. “Yes. Please bear with my poor language skills.”
The freighter captain spoke up. “You have been here how many – nine days…and you speak our language?”
“No choice,” I said. “Twlise and my ship helped.”
“Your ship? Your ship has been at the LsPlay Confiscation Yard.”
“Yes. It has…hasn’t it? I can still talk with it.”
“That’s impossible,” said the bureaucrat.
“As impossible as coming from another star system? You limit yourself if you think it is impossible – just because YOU can not do it.”
“You don’t even know what is going on here. You couldn’t – if you are who you say you are.”
“Who do you think I am?” I said getting curious at this point.
“We hear you destroyed a patrol cruiser and then gave LeSlur a huge shipment of Twasolo,” said the bureaucrat.
“Close. My name is Robert Kobe. I came from a planet we call Earth about nine of your days ago. Seeing a ship in your system and being low on air – we went closer and that ship tried to damage us with …not sure of your words…energy weapons. Then they fired two missiles at us and we left. I landed and LeSlur came up with fuel I could use in my ship. I gave him a box of coffee – to me just a breakfast drink.”
“Are you saying you were damaged and had to land here?” asked the freighter guy.
“No. No. My ship was just a lot faster than the missiles even with our large…size…” I turned around to Twlise and she gave me the word… “Mass…our large mass. Their energy weapons do nothing to our ships.”
“That’s impossible,” said the bureaucrat.
“Now I know you are from the government,” I laughed and even the freighter guy chuckled. “The patrol ship’s missiles turned on them after we left. I can have my ship play you the recording later if you want.”
“What do you think is going on here?” asked the freighter guy.
I sat there thinking I ought to be honest with these guys – needed some support – had an inkling, what they were up to. I also figured how it could help me. “ Okay .”
The freighter guy repeated, “ Okay ?”
“Means…” I held my left hand out with my index finger lifted up…”I think that is correct.”
Twlise patted me on the arm and motioned me to go ahead – obviously proud of her ‘student’.
I pointed at the guy I thought was a freighter captain. “You are probably the pilot or whatever they call the freighter commander – also probably a high-ranking leader of the colony on Xale,” I said and saw his mouth drop open just as he was about to take a drink. I pointed to the other guy who (ah ha) had a resemblance to the freighter pilot. “You are probably his brother or family (I didn’t know how to say cousin).” Twlise said the word for me. “Yes…cousin of the pilot but working with the Prath.” I noticed the pilot take a gulp and pour himself another shot.
“You want me to go on?” I asked and the pilot put a glass in front of me and
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