Freedom's Myth by Stephen B. Pearl

Author:Stephen B. Pearl [Pearl, Stephen B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science, fiction, science fiction, space, space opera, spaceship, clones, cloning, adventure, aliens
ISBN: 9781928011866
Publisher: Brain Lag
Published: 2022-12-09T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

A Source of Information

Croell looked out from the Mary’s two-metre-wide loading hatch at the jumble of shipping containers that filled the Republic transfer hangar.

“It is a mess,” remarked Zandra.

“Star Searcher, how was this originally organized?” Croell asked the air.

“According to the periodic table of elements. Something all technological sentients know, before that miscreant, Ryan Chandler, extracted the cargo he took without any regard to my system.” Star Searcher’s voice echoed into the hangar.

“The periodic table?” repeated Croell.

“Did you make allowances for the shipment elements that were to be taken or the Star Hawk’s dimensions?” asked Zandra.

“Loading a vessel is the responsibility of the vessel’s crew,” stated Star Searcher.

Croell and Zandra looked at each other. Both flexed their hands.

“We will take what we can,” breathed Zandra.

“You said you would supply us with assistance,” added Croell.

“They are in transit.” There was a swooshing sound and a slight change in air pressure. A minute later, a female otterzoid on a grav-board and a cougar-tan, male felinezoid emerged from behind a stack of crates.

“May the Great Flyer of the Skies flick tongue at our meeting. I thank you in advance for helping us,” said Zandra.

The otterzoid increased the altitude of her board as she approached so that she was at Zandra’s eye level. “You’re welcome. You have six hours, make the best of them because our sentence is complete after that, and it is ridiculous to begin with. Honestly, five subunits inside the legal division, and they act like we deliberately rammed a ship. There wouldn’t have been a problem if that crab-faced sea slug had any idea of real ship design and unloading parameters.”

“My love, there could be an open comm,” cautioned the felinezoid.

“I don’t care what that… crab overhears. This is clams in the sun! We needed to pick up Pruul from school, and we weren’t within ten thousand spatial units of that ship when we sneaked past to the docking spar. I—”

“I apologize for my captain. It has been a difficult couple of days.” The felinezoid swished his tail in a friendly way.

The otterzoid looked at him. “You are the better part of me, my love.” She turned to Zandra. “I am sorry. My circumstance is not your fault. I am Captain Sooplus, and this is my first mate and husband, Mueperss. What can we do to aid you?”

“Zandra and Croell.” Zandra indicated herself, then her mate with her foreleg. “Somewhere in this pile are crates going to the Murack Five relief effort. We need to sort them out and load them. Star Searcher should have given you readers with files to identify which ones.”

Mueperss looked over the jumbled boxes and lashed his tail.

“The Murack system in that?” Sooplus gestured to the Mary. The ship filled less than a quarter of one end of the hanger. “Sweet fish, you’re doomed. Bubble out the contract and find something safe to do, like wrestling an ‘orca-like swamp dweller’.”

“Our word has been given,” observed Croell.

“Your death feast.” Sooplus drifted to a felinezoid cargo container and scanned it.

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