Squatters - SDD Two

"It's cold in space, cold, dark and empty. Forgive me for starting this journal entry on such a depressed note, but after five and a half months in space it is difficult to fight off depression. I guess that's why there are so many heavy drinkers in the interstellar transport business.”“Let me start again. This is the personal journal of First Officer Stephen LaGrande on the starfreighter Deliverer. Today is June 30, 2228. We are 132 days from Epsilon Indi Four carrying import goods from Earth. The ship is maintaining trans-light speed and all systems are operating well within specs. Tomorrow we will drop out of trans-light and dock with the Solarian/Epsilon Transport Station. It is a small-automated station used by long haul crews for a rest stop on the way to and from the Epsilon Indi system. We will still be in a tin can, but at least the walls will be a different color and the food will taste better. I hope we are getting in ahead of the Pegasus this time. That crew leaves the station a mess.”
“Our crew is getting restless. Dr. Melanie Thatcher has patched up a broken nose and two loosened teeth since yesterday. That's not bad considering our freighter has a crew of forty three. Tomorrow they will have holo bots to take their aggressions and frustrations out on. They will also have holo vids from home waiting for them on the station's computer.”
“The station is also our supply point. We will take on fresh food products and fresh water for the final leg of our trip. We could probably make it to Epsilon Indi Four with what we have but it would require some . . . "
Stephen's com. link buzzed interrupting his composition. "Commander, the captain wants to see you on the bridge on the double."
Stephen groaned and pushed his com. button, "On my way." He lifted himself out of his chair and stretched his six-foot-five-inch frame. His hands hit the ceiling long before his arms unfolded. Long ago Stephen decided the company should either build bigger living areas in their star freighters or hire smaller people.

Stephen mumbled to himself as he tried to comb his thick black hair, "I don’t see why the company started this policy of hiring Solarian Defense Directorate ship captains. We’re transporting grain and farm equipment, not joining a battle group." His blue eyes drooped in anticipation of another clash with his superior, but he squared his shoulders and marched out of his quarters toward the bridge.

As Stephen entered the bridge, he expected another battery of questions designed to prove that some system was not operating at 100 percent. He took a deep breath and marched up to the raised command chair that dominated the rear of the bridge. "Reporting as ordered Captain."
Linda Merriel was a slim blonde in her forties. Her green eyes were not set to attack. They were contemplative. She stepped down from the command chair and motioned Stephen to follow her over to the sensor station on the right side of the bridge. She addressed Sensor Chief Michael O'Hara, "Chief, please bring up the system’s analysis of the events of the last few minutes."
Captain Merriel filled in her first officer as the display came up. "Several minutes ago helm got a report indicating the system was making a slight course adjustment to avoid a cloud of matter picked up on the long range sensor array. I had Chief O'Hara punch up the analysis of the cloud and this is what we got."
Stephen looked at the sensor screen and saw an image of an irregular shaped cloud drifting through the shipping lanes. Analysis indicated that the cloud contained bits of solid matter and gases such as oxygen and hydrogen. The solid matter was analyzed. It is made from a variety of elements ranging from organic matter to metals.
Captain Merriel talked as Stephen studied the screen; "I wanted to get your opinion before I composed a message back to the company and to the Solarian Space Agency. It looks to me like a ship exploded."
"Exploded?" Stephen responded, "That thing all but vaporized. It must have had a complete failure of its antimatter pod. Nothing else would explain it."
Chief O'Hara asked, “How about a collision with an object at trans-light speed?"
"No," Stephen answered, "If the explosion occurred while the ship was
at light speed the debris cloud would be a thin veil of matter strung out over several thousand miles, and it would be moving at a much faster rate of speed. This ship was going far below the speed of light when it exploded."
"Then you are convinced it was a ship?" Captain Merriel asked.
"Oh, there's no doubt about that, the question is what ship. There should not have been a ship on this run for at least a year. The Venture was the last one through and we received a report listing its arrival at Epsilon Indi Four before we left Earth. Unless, of course, it was a military ship; you would know more about that."
Captain Merriel pondered that possibility then shook her head, "No, I believe that to be unlikely. The Europa battle group is in charge of this sector of space. The patrol
routes rarely bring them close to this segment of the shipping lanes. We will record the incident and gather the sensor data into a report. A copy will go to the company and a copy to SSA. We will just label it is an unknown ship. Of course we could consider dropping out of trans-light to get a sample of the cloud's makeup. It may tell us what ship was destroyed and how it met its end."
Stephen caught Chief O'Hara cringe out of the corner of his eye and he picked up a low groan coming from someone on the bridge. He took this input into consideration as he responded, "Captain, the crew is looking forward to a rest break at the Solarian/Epsilon station. If we stop to investigate, it will have to come directly out of their rest time in order to keep our schedule. I believe we should report the incident and continue on. At the speed the cloud is moving it will be around here for a long time. Maybe we can take a look on the way back to Earth, if we don’t get a notification that an SSA investigation has started."
"Very well," Captain Merriel answered in a clearly disappointed tone, "we will pass it up for now. It just saddens me to know I have a first officer with so little curiosity. Since we are traveling through the same general area, and we do not know what destroyed that ship, I want a full crew on watch tonight instead of a skeleton crew."
"But Captain that will mean more personnel will be starting their rest period out of sync. The sensors will . . . "
Captain Merriel cut him off. She was clearly in no mood to hear any pleas. "Thank you for your input. I'll get the messages out. You're dismissed. Relieve the night watch at 0500-tomorrow morning. I'm sure the crew will want to dock at the station as soon as possible."

Stephen responded, "Aye aye captain," as Captain Merriel returned to her command chair.
Before Stephen turned to leave the bridge Chief O'Hara whispered, "Thanks Steve, we all appreciate it."
Stephen whispered back before he left, "I spoke up to save myself. If I do not get a break from her soon, she will have me in the brig for popping her on that skinny nose of hers."
O'Hara tried to suppress his laugh as Stephen walked away.

The crew was up and eager when Stephen entered the bridge. He stepped up to the command chair to relieve Lieutenant Jacob Howl, "I'll take over now Jake. Sorry about getting you stuck on night watch on the eve of crew rest."
"No problem Steve. I got the word from second shift about how it all happened. You know if you keep challenging her in our behalf she's going to end up knocking you off this ship."
Stephen smiled at the possibility, as he answered, “Maybe that wouldn’t be too bad I’m due for some Earthside work. I may just look into it when we get back."
Jake laughed, "Who are you kidding Steve? You're a space dog. You lived more of your life breathing circulated tin can air than you have breathing real air. You'd go nuts on Earth."
Stephen considered the possibility for another second then moved on to business, "Well did this bucket give you any trouble during the night?"
"Nope," Jake answered as he stepped off the command chair pedestal, "the old girl ran smooth as silk. I did have Menuri go over the sensor analysis of the cloud again. Some additional data was added at the end of the second watch. She has determined that the explosion must have happened within the last thirty days. Elements of the cloud are still emitting measurable amounts of heat and radiation."
Stephen knew Sensor Specialist Menuri Osaka was probably the best data analyst on the ship. If she says the explosion happened within the last thirty days, you could bet your bankroll on it. "Thanks Jake, maybe I'll poke around a bit myself while I'm here. Get some rest. We should be docking at the station in about four hours."
"Three hours forty seven minutes and twenty six seconds provided of course that our captain doesn't change her mind."

Stephen waved as Jake left the bridge. He spent the next hour getting status reports from each station on the bridge and from the crew personnel in each of the six transport pods. He compiled the data and composed his initial status report for the morning.

Once that chore was complete he had the analysis of the cloud transferred to his screen. The more he stared at the screen, the worse he felt about passing the incident by. It was as if he decided to leave survivors drifting in space. He told himself, "That's silly. No one could have survived that blast. Unless . . ."
Stephen reanalyzed the data looking for the slightest trace of directed energy, something that might have been caused by an escape pod leaving the ship before the explosion. The internal structure of the cloud was a chaos of minute random movement. There was no way to tell. The explosion would have obliterated any trail of an escape pod. Come on Steve," Stephen berated himself, "you’re making yourself crazy. Forty one living people, not counting the captain of course, are more important than a bunch of space debris. Shake off this guilt and get back to work."

As Stephen pulled himself away from the analysis, the navigation chief got his attention, "Commander, we are approaching the transition point for the station."
Stephen sat up in his chair and started doing his job. "Engineering, are you ready to drop out of trans-light?"
"Yes sir, ready to kick in space normal propulsion on your mark."
Stephen turned to his sensors. "What's between here and the station Skip?"
Skip answered in his southern American drawl, "The same as usual Commander, a whole lot a nothin."
Stephen announced on the ship-wide intercom, "All stations prepare for space normal propulsion. Check all cargo racks and report when ready."

Stephen knew they had been checking those cargo racks since they started their shift. It took only a few minutes for each station to report, ready for space normal propulsion. When he had all of the ready messages, Stephen gave the order. "Ok Sam, drop us out of trans-light. Engage space normal propulsion and begin deceleration. Helm, guide us to a nice smooth rendezvous with the station."
With a big smile on his face, Engineering Chief Samuel Robins responded, "My pleasure sir."
There was a small jerk as the ship engaged the space normal propulsion. The view screen at the front of the bridge came on as the crew checked space normal stability. Finally Helm Specialist Mary Sharp reported to Stephen, "I have helm control Commander. Deceleration is smooth. The estimated time of arrival at the station is one hour and twelve minutes."

The jerk that was felt when the ship came out of trans-light woke Captain Merriel. She checked her status board then buzzed the bridge. Stephen answered, "Bridge here."
Linda Merriel felt like she had been saying the same things over and over again since she took command of the ship. She tried to stay calm and to pretend she did not mention this type of thing before. "Commander, was that sudden jerk caused by the transition out of trans-light?"
Stephen answered quickly, "Yes captain. It's a common occurrence in this type of ship. I guess we have gotten used to it."
That was just the kind of attitude that made Linda Merriel long for the discipline of the Gallant's crew. She once again tried to remain calm as she answered, "Commander, we are not supposed to get used to something like that. Jerks like that may cause damage to goods we are transporting. I expect you to find out what caused the jerk and get it fixed. If it can't be fixed in transit, I want a detailed report of the problem and a recommended solution before we reach Epsilon Indi Four. Do you understand Commander?"
Stephen clearly spoke through clenched teeth as he replied, "Aye aye Captain."

Linda thought to herself as she climbed of bed, "They hate me. They all do, especially LaGrande. I guess I made some waves in their smooth sailing. They all expected LaGrande to be named captain when old Pernelli retired. Well that's too bad. This is my ship now and as long as I'm in command it will be the best ship in the transport business. I intend to make the company sit up and take notice of my skills. It's the only way to get my life back on schedule."

Linda and her husband Matthew had it all laid out. Two years ago they started their long-range plan. Having a child was first on the agenda. They both wanted a family, but it was difficult to schedule children into the lives of two Solarian Defense Directorate officers. Timing was everything. Two years ago Linda became pregnant. She stayed with the Gallant for seven months then took a leave of absence for six months. She had twin girls. Linda was amazed at how much she enjoyed caring for them. Matthew was first officer on the S.D.D. Yorkshire. Three months before her leave was up the Yorkshire returned to Earth for a total refit. This would keep Matthew on Earth for at least eighteen months. The twins would have at least one parent with them for the first two years of their lives. The next step was for Linda to command the Gallant for another two years. Matthew had inside word that the hyper-drive technology used by the military was going to be released for civilian use just when Linda's enlistment would be ending. Linda had technical background in hyperspace theory and propulsion. If she offered herself to a transport company, and brought the hyper-drive technology with her, she could have a very high profile position and a permanent office on Earth. The twins would have to spend no more than six to nine months without a parent at home. Matthew had offered to resign his commission sighting the fact that he had the junior rank. Linda wouldn't hear of it. She was ready for a change and she wanted to be near her children.

The plan was working well until Andrea Chen appeared on the Gallant. Linda will never stop wondering why Andrea Chen had to be a friend with her admiral. Andrea's appearance on the Gallant began a chain of events that took the entire Gallant battle group back in time 141 years to avoid an alien invasion of Sol. Their entire time in the past was spent near a very isolated research station in orbit around Alpha Centauri. The only evidence the four people on the station were left with was one holo vid recording. The recording was kept secret. No one on Earth ever knew of the battle.

Upon returning to their own time they found themselves eight hours in the future. During those missing eight hours the defense directorate had tried in vain to contact the battle group. A Takelvee warship appeared in human space in the sector the Gallant battle group was supposed to be patrolling. The alien quickly returned to its own space, but its presence highlighted to the directorate that the Gallant's sector of responsibility was defenseless for eight hours.
Identification and control of a temporal anomaly was entirely theoretical until Ms. Chen convinced the admiral to put it to practical use. Her statistics and historical evidence were compelling. She produced a recording made by a man named Peter Mescara. From all indications the recording's date of February 19,2187 was accurate. This date was written across frames that clearly showed Admiral Barrison, Andrea Chen, and, Commander Jackson (Linda's first officer from the Gallant) inside an ancient space station. One frame even showed Linda's face on the view screen. They had to travel back in time because they already did.
The kiss of death for Linda's career was the temporal anomaly itself. Knowing one existed and that it was usable were two very dangerous pieces of information. The battle group could not transmit to the defense directorate the fact that they were leaving their patrol route without compromising at least some information about the anomaly. The information was so sensitive that it could not even be used in their defense. The handful of top officers that were privy to the information and saw to it that no one received bad marks on their records, but the directorate had to lop off a few heads to prove to the Solarian Council that they were in charge of their fleets. Linda's was the second head to go after the admiral.
Linda had just gotten back from her leave of absence when this all happened. She found herself out of the service two years too early. She and Matthew could not afford to lose two years of salary. Linda also could not afford to have two years of dead time in her career. The solution was for Linda to get established and recognized in a large transport company and to present them with hyper-drive technology when it became available.
Getting hired by Galactic Transport was not too difficult. To actually become established and recognized would take accomplishment. Accomplishment in the transport business meant a marked improvement in time of delivery, a marked reduction in damaged merchandise, and solid paperwork to back it up. Linda had less than eighteen months to become established and recognized before the hyper-drive technology was released.

When Linda entered the bridge, she could feel the heat from her crew. Stephen rose and surrendered the command chair to his superior. As she took her seat Stephen reported properly, "Engineering has started a preliminary investigation of the bump we felt when we came out of trans-light. Sensor Specialist Menuri Osaka has added additional results to the analysis of the cloud. It is available on your console. We are on a smooth course to the station. We should dock in approximately fifteen minutes. Helm control will be released to the station's auto-navigation system momentarily."
Stephen began to walk away but the captain stopped him, "Commander, please pass the word to all officers that I would like all of you to join me for dinner on the station this evening."
Stephen's response was considerably less than enthusiastic. Linda could not help reacting to it as he turned to leave, "Don't worry commander, I won't take up too much of your time. I'll order something that can be eaten fast."
The remark let Stephen know Linda was feeling her crew's resentment deep inside. Looking at Linda for a second, Stephen could see the toll that this command was taking on her. He opened his mouth to speak out then realized where he was. He mumbled, "Yes Captain," and moved away.

The station appeared on the bridge view screen as a fat cylinder hanging vertically in space. Four cylindrical arms radiated from its center. At the end of each arm was a semicircle of metal that resembled a massive claw. Before Stephen reached the exit to the bridge, the station's auto-navigation system contacted them, "Welcome G.T. Deliverer to the Solarian Space Agency Solarian/Epsilon Transport Station. We will have to make a small adjustment to your course in order to bring you into docking bay number two. We have some debris blocking docking bay number one. The station is 100 percent operational. There are 126 holo bots available for your enjoyment. Each suite is equipped with holo window imagery and the food service processors are already preparing tasty treats for your noon meal. Please make sure everyone who boards the station registers with our system. This will allow us to have your holo vids, from home, ready for you in your suites. Also if you have any preprogrammed holo bot scenarios we can make them set to activate on your voice key. There are four registration stations just inside the docking bay. Scheduled on the hologram entertainment network for tonight are . . . "
Stephen stopped and looked over to the captain. She returned his questioning look with one of her own. As Stephen returned to the bridge, Linda was already giving orders. "Mary, interrogate that system. I want to know exactly what the debris is on docking bay number one."
Stephen was coming at the same question from another angle. He went to the sensor station. "Skip, give me a full sensor break down of the entire area around the station, especially docking bay one."
Stephen walked over to the captain's chair. As he reached the pedestal, Linda spoke, "I saw by your reaction that debris isn't usually found in the docking bays on this station."
Stephen answered as he puzzled over the possibilities, "Not unless ships are now taken to crashing into the station instead of docking with it." A connection between the debris and the cloud immediately came to Stephen's mind.

As the commanding officers pondered the questions Mary Sharp reported, "Captain, the system claims that its auto-navigation system inadvertently locked on a large collection of debris that happened to be drifting by. It must have assumed it was a ship. The debris hit docking bay number one. It claims that there is no damage, but it says it does not have the facilities to eject the objects from the bay."

Skip Macgraw was ready with his sensor report when Mary Sharp was finished, "Captain, the debris is mostly metal. It has some fiber material mixed in, but I'll be dogged if I can tell you exactly what metal it is and I sure don't see any impact marks on the station to indicate a collision."
"How about organic matter?" the captain asked.
"None Captain, it must have been some kind of probe. Maybe it was an old Take'm Out spy drone that had run out of power."
Linda looked at Stephen, "Take'm Out?"
Stephen smiled, "Takelvee Captain, Skip was in the space marines for eight years." Stephen paused then asked, "Well Captain, what does this do to our rest period."
"Nothing," Linda answered, "I'm not going to risk insurrection, but I would like a security check run when we get on the station, and I want everyone to keep at least one eye open. Well since we couldn't go to the mystery, I'd say the mystery came to us."
Stephen reached for the com. link on the captain's chair, and then stopped. He looked up and asked, "With your permission."

Linda nodded and Stephen switched on the ship-wide intercom, "Lieutenant Baxter, please report to the bridge. Lieutenant Baxter to the bridge, please." Stephen explained, "Phil Baxter is the closest thing we have to a security officer. He worked for the company's cargo management section for a couple years."
"I know Phil Baxter." Linda responded just now realizing why the name had sounded familiar, "He served on the S.D.D Yorkshire with my husband. I believe he was a security chief then."

While they waited, they watched the claw of docking bay number two approach on the view screen. Stephen called over to the sensor station. "Skip, are you getting any unusual readings around the docking bay?"
"No sir," Skip answered, "everything is clean as a whistle."

Phil Baxter entered the bridge as the docking bay claw passed by and disappeared from the view screen. Mary Sharp reported to the captain as Phil reached the command chair, "We're stopped and locked in Captain."
Linda held a finger up to Phil while she gave the bridge crew her final orders. "OK ladies and gentlemen, let's have a nice orderly shut down of the bridge. Let's not lose anything in the stampede to get out of here. Have a relaxing three days. I'll expect you refreshed and ready for duty in seventy two hours."
Linda then turned to Phil Baxter, "Hello Phil, it’s nice to see you again. Forgive me for not stopping by to see you. The truth is that it wasn't until Steve mentioned your security background that I realized it was you."
Phil smiled at his captain, "No apologies necessary Captain. We only met once and that was a long time ago. How is Commander Merriel?"
"Matt is good. He's at home baby sitting while the Yorkshire is in for refit. I can fill you in on that later. Right now we would like you to help us with a possible problem." Linda explained to Phil what she and Stephen had been concerned about. Then she turned the discussion over to Stephen.
"Phil, we would like you to pick ten members of the crew and go into the station ahead of the rest. Interrogate the security logs on the system and give the station a quick once over. I know we are not equipped to do a detailed scan of the station, but do the best that you can."
Linda added, "I'll give you the SSA code that will get you access the station's motion sensors and door locks. The sensors themselves should indicate the presence of any life on the station, but a quick look with human eyes will make us feel a bit more comfortable. You also have my permission to equip your group with hand held weapons. Make sure they use proper discipline with them. I don't want any accidents."
Phil asked the ultimate question, "Want do we do if we find an alien?"
"Then you become famous, unless they're Takelvee. "Linda quipped, then she got more serious. "If they are not violent, try to communicate. If communication fails, back out of the station. We'll pull away and notify S.D.D. If Takelvee are on the station, the Europa battle group will have to be alerted. If it is a new alien race the S.D.D and the S.S.A will have to figure out what to do about it."
"OK Captain. I’ll handle it. I'll give you a report in an hour."

Linda dismissed the Lieutenant and the first thing he did was grab Skip MacGraw, "Come on Skip, we're going to be the first ones in the station."

The captain had a guard posted at the ship's exit hatch. He had orders not to let anyone but Phil Baxter's people out until he got word from her. The bridge systems were on standby and the crew had left. The large room was suddenly quiet. Stephen and Linda looked around. Linda spoke up not realizing the impact of her words. "You know, this is a darn good running ship. When you are tasked to improve a ship's performance sometimes, you focus too much on finding the negatives."
"Captain," Stephen said almost amazed at Linda's assessment, "the crew would very much like to hear you say that."
Linda had forgotten for a moment that Stephen was standing next to her. She quickly snapped back to command form, "That doesn't mean that I condone the lax attitude that surfaces, and I would like your public challenges of my decisions to end. You are my first officer. I expect you to support my decisions. If you do not feel that you can support me then maybe you should transfer to another ship."
Stephen thought to himself, "Now there's the dragon woman we all know and hate. I should have known her conciliatory tone would be temporary." Then he answered Linda, "I will follow your instructions, Captain, but a first officer's prime duty is to inform the Captain of the state of the cargo and the crew. A first officer must make recommendations that will keep both in prime condition. Simply echoing the statements and feelings of the captain would show lack of responsibility on the part of the first officer."
"Don't quote the book to me Commander." Linda snapped, "You know all of that is done to prepare the captain for a command decision. Once the decision is made, the first officer should support it without hesitation."
Stephen held his temper and responded as coolly as he could, "I believe Captain, that the book for merchant shipping is written somewhat differently than the manuals written by the Solarian Defense Directorate. In any case, I will follow your orders on this run. When we return to Earth, I'll weigh my options. Now, if you will excuse me Captain, I will return to my quarters. I trust you will have me informed, should Phil finds anything on the station." Stephen turned and left without waiting for an answer.

Phil Baxter's party came through the tunnel from docking bay two into the main body of the station. The station's sensors picked up their entry and announced, "Welcome aboard the SSA Solarian/Epsilon Transport Station. Please register at one the four stations in this room so that we may serve you better."
Phil stepped over to the closest station. He selected the MANUAL OVERRIDE command and entered the SSA security code. The system gave him full access and he released all door locks. Next he requested a full sensor report from the thermal and motion sensors. Nothing unusual was reported. Phil examined the information then turned back to his crew, "OK, the system says the place is empty. Let's give it a quick look to make the bosses happy. There are thirty rooms on each floor. We’ll split into three groups, one on each floor. Each person gets ten rooms to check. I'll check the docking bays, the cafeteria, and medical. I told the captain I would report in an hour. We have forty minutes left. Let's get going."
Skip MacGraw moved along checking his third of the top floor. All of the rooms were dark and quiet. He came to room 326. The door slid quickly open as he hit the button. He looked up expecting to see another dark room. His eye's bulged from his head. He had no time to react before he was engulfed in a blinding white light. He fell into the room and the door slid closed behind him.

Phil completed his rounds and returned to the entrance room. He queried the computer system one more time while he waited for his crew to return. One by one they filed in and gave the all clear. Everyone returned but Skip. Phil looked around then he asked, "Has anyone seen Skip?"
The two crewmen who searched the third floor with Skip told Phil that they thought he had come down ahead of them. Knowing how anxious Skip was to complete this chore made Phil worry. He wasted no time, "Ken, Larry, Tom, come with me. We're going back to the third floor. The rest of you, wait here, if you do not hear from us in five minutes, get back to the ship and inform the captain."

The search party moved quickly to Skip's section of the third floor. As they moved down the hall, Skip stumbled out of room 330. He was rubbing his forehead and cursing. Phil ran up to him, "Skip, what happened? Are you OK?"
Skip continued to rub his head as he blushed with embarrassment. "Yeah Lieutenant, I'm OK. I went in that room yonder and clunked my daggarn head on the sliding door. I think it’s broke. The damn thing closed before I was out of the way."
Phil poked the man next to him, "Larry, check out 330, just to be sure." Then Phil turned back to Skip. "Well I think we better let Melanie take a look at you. It's best to make sure you still have what few marbles you started with."
Skip's eyes widened and he quickly objected. "Oh no, please Lieutenant. She'll stick me in sickbay for observation and I'll miss the entire rest period. I've gotten bigger lumps trying to get out of bed in the morning. Please Lieutenant, I promise if I pass out or anything I'll contact Dr. Thatcher immediately."
Phil could not ignore such a desperate plea. "OK, Skip, but if you have any problems and you don't report them I'll have your ass. Do you understand?"
Skip let out a sigh of relief, "Yes sir."

Phil transmitted an all-clear message to Captain Merriel and she opened the station for the rest period. Each crewmember entered the station and registered. There were many ways for the crew to spend their time.
The Hologram Entertainment Series was available which would allow crewmembers to view anything from Shakespearean plays to the latest variety shows. The miniature entertainers would perform right in the crewmembers’ rooms. This system was also used to view holo vids sent from home.
The cafeteria not only served good food, but it also doubled as a social room. It contained many popular holo games and plenty of big comfortable seats.
Each room was equipped with a holo window imaging system. This system allowed a crewmember to create a window on any or all flat surfaces including the floor and the ceiling. The images seen through the window and the sounds heard were up to the user. This feature did a great deal to relieve the cabin fever that develops on a long transport run.

By far the most popular item in the transport station was the holo bot. A holo bot was an android that contained a hologram processor in its chest. Each android had an anatomically correct human form. They came in both sexes and all shapes and sizes. Under the androids transparent skin was the hologram screen. It is what made the android a holo bot. The android itself had no detailed features. The projected hologram made the android appear to be any person the user programmed them to be. A crewmember may have up to three programmed androids in his or her room at one time.

Newcomers to the station would choose the obvious programs for the holo bots, but after a while their programs get more creative. Users have done such things as boxed with the great boxing champions of history, argued theory with the leading minds of the age, and had dinner with families that they missed. In spite of popular belief, statistics proved that the most frequent use of holo bots was to create a scene with family members.

Being second in command, Stephen was given suite 102. It was much larger than the regular rooms and contained its own food service holo bot. Stephen was surprised to find a holo vid from home waiting for him. He had seen his parents before he left. The holo vid made him a little nervous. Kicking off his shoes, Stephen dropped down into an oversized lounge chair. With his feet resting comfortably on the hassock, he commanded the holo vid to begin.
A second later an image of Stephen's mother and father appeared on the carpet in front of him. He watched as his mother spoke, "Stephen dear, I hope your trip is going well. There's nothing wrong, so don't worry. As you can see, your dad and I are fine. We wanted to contact you because the most amazing thing has happened. The time seal on your great grandparents ancient holo vid has broken. It’s been in storage for so long that we had forgotten about it. The timer counted down to zero and it set off this loud tone that scared the heck out of your father and me. It was heard half way down the block. Anyway, we brought out the holo vid and called the family together for the viewing. We expected it to be some quaint and clever message from your great grandparents. We didn't expect to see what we saw. The rest of this holo vid will be the message from your great grandparents. Have a safe trip dear. We love you."
Stephen's parents disappeared and two strangers appeared on the carpet before him. They looked at each other for a moment then the man began to speak. “Greetings. For those of you who came along after we passed on, we are the ones who started this clan. I am Ivan Korodevech and the lady next to me is Dr. Jamie O'Donnell. We are married and, as you can see, we are expecting the first one of you to be born very soon. Now we speak to you from one hundred and fifteen years in the past. What we are about to tell you will be somewhat difficult to believe. We hope some of the things we speak of will be common knowledge in your day. That would serve to validate our story.”
“Jamie and I were two of four volunteers to be the first humans to work outside of the Sol system. We traveled in a cryogenic sleep ship to the S.S.A research station Orion. It is in orbit around Alpha Centauri. Our companions during this time were Dr. Marianne Shields and Mr. Peter Mescara. They have also married and started a family. Their family should be seeing a message from them today as well."
Ivan paused as if he was thinking about how to begin. Jamie continued for him, "In the year 2087 we were seven years into our twenty-year term at the station when the most fascinating event happened. We picked up a light speed ship on our sensors. As you know, at that time Earth had no faster than light capability. That ship disappeared, but soon after seventeen light speed ships appeared. They turned out to be human ships from something called the Gallant battle group. They took control of our station under the authority of the Solarian Defense Directorate. You are right in what you are thinking. The Solarian Defense Directorate wasn't formed until 2105. Anyway, they quickly prepared themselves and the station for a military confrontation with an alien race called the Takelvee."
Ivan took over. He seemed anxious to relate this part of the story. "The aliens expected a helpless station and a human race defenseless in the face of their light speed warships. They should have been right, but instead they met a human battle force that they were no match for. Now I can finally tell the world. I, Ivan Korodevech, was the first human to target an attacking Takelvee warship."
Jamie looked at her husband with some amusement. She picked up on the story while Ivan stood looking quite pleased with himself. "Admiral Barrison allowed the Takelvee to withdraw only after he had the word of a warlord of the Takelvee Hegemony that they would not violate human space again. The word was passed under the seal of the Hegemony. Andrea Chen said the Takelvee would keep their word for at least fifty years. I hope they never break it.”
“The four of us that were on the station know we were visited by humans from the future. They came back to save humanity from destruction at the hands of the Takelvee. I will now give you as many names as I can remember. If any of these people are known to you, please thank them for us and for all of humanity.”
“Admiral Barrison, commander of the battle group
Ms. Andrea Chen, representing SSA (we think)
Commander Thomas Jackson, first officer S.D.D Gallant
Captain Linda Merriel, commander of the S.D.D Gallant
Chief John Roberts, engineering specialist S.D.D Gallant
Second Class Michael Shera, S.D.D Gallant”

“Well that's the end of our story. We love you all. Be healthy and be happy and if you know any of these people shake their hand for us. Good by."
They both waved as their images faded.

Stephen left his room in a daze. He was amazed at what he just saw. He knew the holo vid was genuine. His mother told him that she used to watch the time lock count down the hours when she was a little girl. As a boy he would do the same thing. He walked slowly down the corridor wondering how this information would affect his relationship with Captain Merriel. Should he tell what he knows, or should he ignore the fact that his captain participated in the single most important engagement in human history.

Stephen entered the sparsely populated cafeteria. The crew had finished their noon meal and headed off to conjure up holo bot scenarios. Stephen spotted Engineering Tech Richard Santos sitting alone in the furthest corner of the room. He was torn up inside by the sudden loss of his wife. Stephen grabbed a tall glass of orange juice and a thick slice of Black Forest cake and walked to Santos' table.

Richard Santos was staring straight ahead. There was no indication that he had seen Stephen approach the table. Stephen stood, for a moment, then asked in a quiet tone, "Rich, do you mind if I sit down?"
Richard slowly looked up at Stephen. It seemed to take him a moment to recognize who was speaking. Finally he responded in a voice that personified his torment, "I'm sorry Commander, I don't think I would be very good company right now."
The more Stephen looked at the man the more worried he became. Stephen sat down without an invitation. Then he tried to get Rich's attention. "Rich, I think we better talk about it a little bit. You never went to see Doctor Thatcher did you?"

Richard looked at Stephen. His red and swollen eyes narrowed. "Excuse me Commander, but I didn't know that you had ordered me to see the doctor. I thought it was a suggestion. The fact is, unless the doctor can bring Karen back to life, she can do nothing for me. I have to think to work and as long as I think, I'll think of her."
Stephen came right back, "Melanie Thatcher is a great deal more than a pill dispenser. She can help. Look Rich, I can't tell you that I know how it feels to lose someone close to me. I have yet to feel that kind of pain. What I do know is that Karen would not want you to suffer like this. Why don't you go to your room, select a soothing holo window view and try to get some rest?"
"It's a collision you know." Rich said realizing he really did need to talk, "It's not like you suffer just sadness or depression. It is a collision of so many emotions. The worst is guilt. You start thinking of the things that you hadn't said to her, and you wonder why. You think about the times you made her sad, and you wonder how you could have done it. The worst times are when you catch yourself thinking of the things you are going to do without her, and hating yourself for considering the possibilities."

Stephen had to struggle to find something to say. Finally he responded, "My mother once told me that no one will ever hate you with the passion that you can hate yourself. No one will be as horribly unforgiving and as passionately vindictive to you as you will be to yourself. We are our own worst enemy at times.”
“I remember talking to Karen on several occasions. She did not look sad or unloved. You both were very lucky to have found each other and had the time together that you did. You know sometimes I wish I could have settled down enough to deserve a good partner. Waking up alone, or with someone whose name you can't remember, is not the greatest way to live. Try to think about how full you made Karen's life and how full she made yours."
Rich looked at Stephen for a minute, let out his breath and began to stand. "Thanks Commander, I'll try to fight off the guilt and maybe I'll see Doctor Thatcher later. Right now I think I'll take your advice and lay down for a while."

Stephen watched Rich leave and wondered if science will ever find a cure for that kind of pain. In the same instance he wondered if they should.

Mary Sharp was enjoying her holo bot scenario. Jake was everything she had programmed him to be. As she relaxed in her easy chair, Jake brought her a glass of wine. She smiled at the holo bot and said, "Well big guy, I've about run out of things for us to do, and I think I've already stretched every muscle in my body."
Jake took a seat and suggested, "How about conversation?"
Mary looked at her made up man quizzically, "I didn't program any conversation capability into you. Conversation was the last thing on my mind."
"Conversation capability is now standard in all programming." Jake answered, "I can access subject matter from the SSA database stored in our system and respond in conversational form."
Mary smiled at the holo bot and realized how some people get attached to their own creations. She decided to give it a try, "Ok Jake, what can you tell me about the interstellar transport companies. I have a feeling serving on the Deliverer is not the best job for rapid advancement."
Jake responded quickly, "There are five transport companies currently moving goods between the star systems. Your own, Galactic Transport, is the largest. It serves all four star systems containing settlements in human space. You know the details of your own company, so I'll move to the others. Mercury Transport has Sol/ Alpha Centauri and the Sol/ Tau Ceti routes. They own the star freighters Star Connector, Starburst, and Star Carrier. Their routes are easier, and their loads are smaller, but they pay less. If you are looking to get ahead, and you are willing to take a risk, you may consider RAD Express. They are the newest company in the business. The bought out Sol Family Transport and they are in the process of converting their old interplanetary freighters to interstellar capability. They will need experienced officers, and, indications are, they will pay top dollar."
Mary was amazed at Jake's usefulness in this area, "Big-guy, you are as good in this room as you were in the other room. That sounds like a good tip. I'll check it out when I get back to Earth. What about the other two companies, I had heard of Mercury Transport and Sol Family Transport and I did pick up some rumor about RAD Express, but I don't know of any others?"
Jake calmly explained, "The other two companies are beyond your access and, I am sure, your interest. The GISDDXT and BVEEKL transport companies are the main Takelvee civilian transport associations. Like everything in the Hegemony, they are civilian run, but controlled by the government. GISDDXT serves the five Takelvee systems above the stellar plain of the Takelvee home world, and BVEEKL serves the three systems below the plain."

Mary suddenly bolted upright. She began getting a strange feeling about her made-up friend. She casually rose from her chair and walked over to her dining table. After picking up her system remote she continued the conversation, "I got out of the S.D.D. five years ago. I know what they knew then, and I know they haven't learned a hell of a lot about the Takelvee since then. When it comes to the Takelvee, if the S.D.D. doesn't know it, no human does. The S.D.D. knows of six Takelvee worlds that they are willing to talk about, and they give no information about their positions relative to any star. How did you know more than the S.D.D., and how the hell do you know details such as the names of their transport companies? What was the source of that information?"
Instead of answering the big holo bot started moving toward Mary. Relieved that she took the precaution of picking up the remote Mary hit the scenario shutdown button and the holo bot turned into a motionless, featureless android. Mary took a deep breath and pulled her robe tightly around herself. As she turned toward the bedroom, the featureless android came back to life and lunged for her. Mary dodged and the machine's heavy fist came down splitting the dining table in half. After rolling across the living room Mary was back on her feet. The android came again, and Mary dodged one more time and ran into the bedroom. She reached the emergency power shutdown switch by the bed just as the android entered. The room went dark and the android froze in place. Mary grabbed an arm full of clothing and dashed out of the room.
Stephen had just reached his door when he saw Mary running toward him clad only in her robe. He waited and she rushed up and told him what had happened. Stephen brought her into his suite and contacted Phil Baxter. Phil answered his buzzer on the third ring. Stephen apologized for bothering him then related Mary's story.
"That's very interesting." Phil responded
Stephen was surprised by his reaction, "Then you don't think this was a system glitch of some kind? You don't think the crazy talk about mythical Takelvee transport companies indicates a failure in the system? I thought that when Mary demanded a source to its information it tried to comply. When its network queries failed, the flaw manifested itself in violence."
Phil's voice came back through the link sounding hesitant, as if he wanted to say something that he couldn't say. "That sounds very logical Steve, but there is a reason why I feel the holo bot was not reacting to the flawed data. With your permission, I would like to contact Captain Merriel. There are certain pieces of information that the captain and I . . . I'm sorry Steve I just have to talk to the Captain. It has nothing to do with you, believe me. I promise. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can."

Linda Merriel was enjoying her own type of holo bot scenario. She was having a conversation with three of her all time favorite people in history. Around her dining table from her right to her left sat, Ms. Susan B. Anthony (The principal force behind the drive to win the right to vote for women), Ms. Amelia Earhart (The finest female aviator of the early twentieth century), and Dr. Marianne Shields (Director of the first research station outside the Sol system and the co discoverer of trans-light propulsion). Linda wondered how close these replicas were to the real people in personality. She hoped they were close, because she was fascinated by their stories and their descriptions of their time in history. Linda had one test subject. Dr. Shields was chosen because she knew her personality through discussions with Admiral Barrison, Tom Jackson, and Andrea Chen.
Linda thought it was remarkable how the holo bots not only responded to her, but also to each other. It was as if they were really interested in each other's lives. "I remember when I marched into the polling place and voted for the first time." Ms. Anthony was saying, "It was twenty years before the 19th amendment was finally . . . I’m sorry. I’m talking about the 19th amendment to the United States constitution. The amendment gave women the right to vote."
The forceful revolutionary grumbled under her breath, "Huh, like they had the right to deny us in the first place." She then returned to her story, "Anyway, this was 1872. I voted, and was promptly arrested for the act. They fined me one hundred dollars. In those days one hundred dollars was a lot of money. Well, they didn't get a nickel of it."
The last statement brought out a round of laughter. Then Linda asked Amelia Earheart, "I was told that you were a nurse before you entered aviation."
"Hardly a nurse." Amelia answered, "I helped as a nurse's aid in Canada for a while. That was during the war. . . . ah, World War One, I mean. It's hard to believe that even more devastating wars following that one. In some ways I'm happy I wasn't around to see them. Captain, you are a symbol of all we wanted to accomplish. Commanding one of the finest starships ever built. Facing an alien enemy . . . "
"Not to mention,” Dr. Shields added with a sly smile, "getting the TIME to do it all." Her emphasis on the word time made her meaning clear.
At that moment her communication link buzzer rang.

The holo bot's smile made Linda Merriel very nervous. She shut down the scenario as she answered the link. Phil explained what had happened to Mary Sharp. He added that he had done some checking and other people mentioning funny little statements made by the holo bots. “They seem to know more than they should. They are talking about things that should not be in the SSA database. Things from our previous jobs, if you get my drift."
"I do indeed Phil," Linda answered, "call Commander LaGrande. I think we should meet in the cafeteria as soon as possible."

Stephen left his room after getting the word from Phil. Half way to the cafeteria to Phil called out from behind him. Stephen slowed down a moment to allow Phil to catch up. When he did, he saw Rich Santos run out of his room, leaving his door open. Phil caught up to Stephen and asked, "Wasn't that Santos running down the hall?"

Stephen picked up the pace saying, "Yeah, and he didn't look good. I talked to him earlier today. He's pretty messed over losing his wife." As the two men passed Santos' room they stopped a moment and stared in. There, sitting on the couch, waiting patiently was a holo bot in the image of Karen Santos.
They looked at each other, and then ran down the corridor after Rich. They passed the cafeteria yelling to Captain Merriel as they went by. The captain joined the chase. They saw Rich up ahead banging on a door. Before they got to him, Rich pulled Skip MacGraw out of the room punched him solidly on his jaw. Skip's head snapped back and struck the edge of the doorframe.
The officers arrived in time to see Skip slide to the floor, a trail of blood following him on the doorframe. Doors along the corridor began to open and Captain Merriel yelled, "Call Doctor Thatcher, NOW!"
Phil had been a friend of Skip's for several years. He grabbed Rich and pinned him to the wall. Stephen put his huge frame between to the men to settle things down, "OK, OK hang on Phil, let's see what going on here. I think we both have a good idea what this all about. This is about the holo bot in your room isn't Rich?"

Rich Santos was shaking and crying. He pointed at Skip and lashed out, "That worthless piece of filth started up that scenario in my room while I was in the cafeteria. He has played pranks on me before, but I didn't think he was this low. He didn't show up in the cafeteria the entire time I was in there. Doesn't he know how badly it hurts?"
"He didn't do it." A female voice came from inside the room. Stepping to the door, tying the sash of her robe Menuri Osaka repeated her statement. "He didn't do it. While everyone went to the cafeteria to eat, we thought it would be a good time to slip into his room. I'm sorry Captain, I know there are rules against bridge personnel dating, but it was just one of those things." She then saw Skip. She thought he was knocked out by a punch, until she saw the blood on the doorframe. She began to cry and knelt down next to him. She looked up at Rich, with tears in her eyes, "Rich, how could you? Skip just likes to have a little fun. He'd never be purposely cruel to anyone."
Rich, still shaking answered, "I didn't hit him that hard. He shouldn't have gotten more than a lump on his head."

Doctor Thatcher made her way through the crowd grumbling, "I better not have had my rest period interrupted for a bloody nose or I’m . . . " She spotted Skip on the floor and stopped in her tracks, "What the hell is going on here!"
Captain Merriel had no time for pleasantries, "Skip the intro doc, this guy's in trouble. He's taken a bad hit to the back of his head.”
The doctor knelt down next to Skip. She carefully rolled him over to see the back of his head. Touched the area near the wound and a circular path of scalp and skull slid out of position. Melanie's eyes widened as she quickly replaced it and pull bandages out of her bag. She yelled as she wrapped the man's head, "Get to the sick bay, get a stretcher, and get it back here at once!" When her task was finished, she turned Skip over to Menuri's care and slowly stood up. She stepped to one side and motioned to the officers to follow. With a look of shock on her face, she spoke in a voice that was strained, "Captain, I don't know how, but someone operated on Skip's brain sometime today. The blood is coming from the surgeon's entry point. The reopening of the wound poses a serious danger for infection."

"Wait a minute doctor, " Captain Merriel interrupted, "how could someone do brain surgery on Skip? It seems that Menuri has been with him every minute since he left the ship."
"Not every minute,” Phil said remembering Skip's problem during their inspection of the station. He related the story to the officers and the doctor. "I wanted him to go see Doctor Thatcher, but he begged me not to report it. He was afraid he would spend the entire rest period in sick bay."
Melanie voiced her fears, "It’s clear that someone, or something worked on Skip to prevent him from alerting us to their presence, but I have no idea what was done or how they did it. I will have to probe to discover the damage, and then I am not sure if I should try to fix it. It might have been just a short term memory modification to blot out what he saw."
Captain Merriel took control, proving why she had been in command of one of the most powerful starships built. "Phil, get down to the control terminal on the double. Shut down all amusement activities except the one in my suite, and then issue the order to evacuate the station. I want my people out of here, do you understand."

Phil answered, "Yes, Captain," and pushed through the gathered crowd and dashed down the corridor.
Captain Merriel turned to Melanie, "Doctor, get Skip back to the sick bay here in the station. I intend to get you some help with his condition." The stretcher had just arrived and the doctor got busy.

Captain Merriel stood up with fierce determination in her eyes and began to march through the crowd. Stephen didn't know what his captain planned to do, but he did know it was dangerous. He stepped in from of her, "Wait a minute Captain. What is your plan of attack?"
"Frontal assault Commander," Linda growled, the anger clear on her face. "I have a holo bot in my room that made implications about things it shouldn't know. Whoever or whatever these creatures are, they have to learn that no one screws around with my crew. Now, get out of my way."
Stephen stood firm, "Captain you don't know what they are capable of. They did attack Mary Sharp when she challenged them. Why risk your neck over a bunch of space wrecks like us?"

Linda stopped and glared at Stephen, and then lashed out, "Don't you dare to be so presumptuous. You have no idea of my opinions of this crew. The fact is Commander; the company did not give me this assignment because Deliverer was the worst ship in its fleet. They gave to me because it is the best. They assumed, if I could improve its performance then the entire fleet would benefit. This is one of the highest rated crews in the business. I wouldn't dare push them so hard, if I didn't believe that, and nothing is going to endanger them while I'm in command." With that, Linda pushed Stephen's big hulk out of the way and proceeded down the corridor.
Stephen and the crewmembers in the corridor were stunned for a moment by the captain's remarks and her clear respect for them. Stephen snapped out of it and ran to catch up with Linda. This time he didn't stand in her way. He walked with her, and tried another approach, "OK, I apologize for the space wreck remark. That was stupid, but at least let me come with you."
"You can't." Linda snapped as she kept marching. "What the holo bot mentioned is highly classified. You cannot be made privy to it."
Stephen knew he had to come out with what he knew. "It wouldn't have anything to do with your encounter with the Takelvee in 2087 would it? Now before we get tied up in a bunch of questions, my great grandparents were Ivan Korodevech and Jamie O'Donnell. My family just opened a time-sealed message from them. They transmitted it to me. I saw it earlier today. That's probably how our friends found out about it."
"Great," Linda grumbled, "it’s probably all over Earth by now. Ok Steve, you guessed right. I would appreciate the back up."

Suddenly everything went black. People began yelling and jabbering. Linda yelled over the noise, "Quiet down! Let's maintain some order. Chief O'Hara, did I see you back there?"
The chief answered, "Yes, I'm here Captain."
Linda took over again, "OK, choose two people. Find Doctor Thatcher, and help her get Skip to sick bay."
Chief O'Hara acknowledged the order began to move. Linda heard Phil Baxter's voice as he met Chief O'Hara group, "Phil, is that you?"
Phil answered, "Yes Captain, when I issued the evacuation order, the system shut down all power. Then it displayed a request for you to return to your suite. I don't like it, Captain."

Linda waited for Phil to reach her before continuing the conversation. "Phil, Steve and I will deal with my suite. I want you to take our remaining crew members, here in the corridor, and split them into two teams. One team will find the manual override for the power systems and get the power back on. Then they will return to the computer terminal and try to regain control of the computer using my SSA authorization. The second team will move to the cafeteria, and pick up any utensils that can be used as weapons. Then they will the move toward my suite. Stay at least three doors away until you get word from me. That's three doors Phil, no closer. The aliens are jabbering about things that people cannot be privy to. I can't explain why, but Steve is already privy to the information. OK Phil, take over. Steve and I have an appointment in my suite."
As the groups moved carefully down the corridor, a chilling fear crept over them. The darkness pressed in on all sides. Suddenly pounding and yelling was heard all around them. Phil was the first to resolve the mystery, and he called up to the captain "The doors won't open. The people are trapped there. I'll handle it, Captain."

Linda and Steve separated from the group and slowly walked through the darkness together. The dark was black as pitch. Its oppression, and the knowledge that unseen aliens were around them, crushed them with a psychological force that made their breathing labored. The pounding ended and the silence added to the pressure.

When they reached the hub, their eyes drank in the small blinking glows from the computer terminals. The message requesting Linda to return to her suite blinked on each screen. Carefully they ascended to the top floor. A light shone brightly from Linda's room illuminating the otherwise black corridor. With the light to guide them, Linda picked up the pace. Without hesitation she marched into the suite with Stephen behind her. The three holo bots were active and waiting for her entry. Linda got down to business, "OK, let's drop the mystery and suspense. Release control of our computer and return power to this station at once."
The holo bot playing Susan B. Anthony stood up and answered, "We will do just that, after we have a little talk."

"We have nothing to talk about until your people release control of this station." Linda snapped back. "Send these robots back to storage and greet us in your true form. You cannot hide from us forever, and we do not cringe from alien life forms."
The holo bot stood firm, "Releasing the computer to you would deprive us of our only defense. We do not know how humans treat squatters in their territory. We have learned a great deal about you in the twenty six of your day periods that we have been here, but we are not sure we can believe everything as presented. The Takelvee seemed fair and just, if you read their literature, but we found them quite the contrary."
Linda changed her tactics, "We have learned a few things about you in the short time we have shared this station. We have found you secretive, manipulative, and violent. You do not respect other life forms, and you prey on innocent beings. In fact, you mimic the Takelvee in about every way."
The holo-bot's demeanor seemed to change. The alien's modification of the robot's systems tied them closely to their own emotional state. The holo-bot suddenly looked less sure of itself. It answered with hesitation, "We were only trying to defend ourselves. We are not warriors. Our computer skills are our only protection.”

Linda pressed her advantage, "Spying on other beings every move, attacking them in their quarters, performing sinister operations on them. These are not defensive actions. These are actions of an unfeeling aggressor. Did you think that spending twenty six days analyzing the data at one space station made you an expert on the human race? Were you sure that plunging us into total darkness wouldn't cause some physical or mental breakdown in humans. Our comrade now lies in sickbay in danger of dying because of your invasion of his body. Another had to flee from her quarters to save her life. Neither of the human beings did anything that would warrant deadly force to be used in your defense. You have been aggressive and violent. You wait until you can trust us. We have far more reason not to trust you."
The holo-bot's face was now displaying great regret and sadness. Its voice was full of emotion as it responded, "We deeply apologize for what happened to your Mary Sharp. The modifications made to the robot's reactive subsystems were flawed. The priority given security issues was too high. Once the robots began to react, we could not control it. Your Skip MacGraw discovered our quell. No alien can be allowed to know the location of our quell. We simply erased a portion of his short term memory and replaced it with new information. The wound should heal in a few of your days. There should be no side effects."

"Skip MacGraw had an accident." Linda lashed back. "Your handiwork has dislodged itself and he is in serious danger of infection. Our doctor is reluctant to perform any procedure. She fears that operating on Skip without knowing what was done initially could kill him. Some people may think it’s wrong to advertise a human weakness at this time, but humans are not very graceful in the dark. We tend to bump into things and trip over things. If anyone, trapped in their quarters, is injured, you will be able to add their suffering to your list. How much do we have to suffer to make you feel secure? I give you my word as commander of the humans in this station. No harm will come to you. Please return control of the station to us, and help us save our comrade."
Suddenly the holo-bot shut down. The blank face android stood like a stone statue. Linda and Stephen looked around nervously. The room was very still. Stephen talked in a low voice as they waited for something to happen. "You handled that brilliantly Captain. How did you know they would be so sensitive to being portrayed as Takelvee in their morals."

Linda answered quietly, "When they mentioned the Takelvee the holo-bot's face looked like it tasted something bad. The Takelvee must have done them great harm. The rest was a big guess, and don't start applauding yet."

After a few minutes two small aliens emerged from the holo-bot entrance panel. They were barely three feet in height and no more than thirty or forty pounds in weight. Their skin was a milky white with an elusive iridescence to it. Their eyes were big and black and their mouth, nose, and ears were very small. They were hairless and a set of seven very long fingers radiated from their tiny hands. They wore full body suits in a reddish brown color. The adornments on the suits were slightly different. They gracefully glided over to Linda and Stephen. The alien with the brightest adornments spoke to the commander of the humans, "Captain, the station is yours. Please forgive us for our actions. Our medical people are on the way to sick bay to assist your doctor. Please inform her of their impeding arrival."
Stephen spoke up, "I've got it Captain," and moved to the communication set.

As he left, the alien began explaining their situation. "Captain, in a very strange way your actions brought us here."
"Do you mean the debris detected floating across our shipping lanes? Was that your ship that was destroyed? Was its destruction caused by some human aggression or action?"
Both aliens bowed their heads as if suddenly overcome with great depression. The one that was speaking fought if off and answered, "Yes it was our ship, but that is not what I meant. You, Captain Linda Merriel, you were commanding the Solar Defense Directorate starship Gallant. You somehow moved your ship and its escorts back in time and turned the Takelvee away from human space. We did not know, until we had monitored the transmissions coming into the station, that you were the Captain Merriel. To ease your worries, we only know what was in those transmissions. We do not know any more than what is now becoming common knowledge on your home world."
"What do my actions as commander of the S.D.D Gallant have to do with you?" Linda was suddenly feeling defensive.
The alien explained, "When the Gallant and its escorts turned the Takelvee away. They were badly humiliated. That was their first major defeat, and the first time they were ever forced to honor anyone's space. They turned the imperial fleet away from human space, and toward our world. They fell on our planet without mercy. They killed millions and enslaved the rest.”
“Forty thousand manage to escape in a giant world ship. It could only travel at sub-light speeds. After generations of tense traveling we slipped unnoticed into human space. We were hoping to find a world we could settle on. When systems began to fail we knew our only hope was to move into your shipping lanes and beg for assistance from the first ship we saw. Our time ran out. The world ship's engines developed a critical failure. Our small party was set out to search for help. We had only been away from the ship for a few of your hours when all that was left of our species lit up space in a great fireball. We located this station and took refuge. From what I have read about squatters in your data banks, as owners, you do have the right to expel us back into space. Maybe that would be best. All is lost now. It was not just our people. We had salvaged writings of history, works of art, and things that you call videos. They were all saved from the Takelvee, but they are all gone now. We are all alone now, with no past and no future.”
Linda was almost dumb struck by this incredible twist of fate. "Are you saying that our action to save our species destroyed yours?"
"To be honest, the Takelvee would have found our world eventually. It’s likely that your action only hastened our demise. It matters little now. There are only twelve of us on the station. You may do with us as you please."
"What I please," Linda answered, "is to put this entire nightmare right, but I know I can't. What I can do is see that you are taken care of. Do you have the capability to procreate?"
"Yes,” The alien responded, "among our twelve are representatives of all three of our sexes."
"Then it’s not over,” Linda stated with relief in her voice. "It’s just beginning. I'm sure that the Solarian Space Agency will do everything they can to find a suitable planet for you. Until then, this station will be your home. The upgrades you have made in the holo-bot systems tell me that you can teach us a thing or two about building computer systems. You no longer will be squatters. You will be renters. You will pay the rent by teaching visitors some of your computer science and medical knowledge."
Stephen returned and reported to Linda, "Captain, our friends have arrived at sick bay. They were a great help to Melanie. Skip will be as good as new in a couple days. Phil has everything running normally, and he said he will contact SSA when you are ready."
Linda answered, "Thanks Steve. I'll contact him shortly.
The alien noted, "We have observed that your crew handles itself very well. That is a compliment to your leadership. The teamwork that you have displayed is very impressive."
Linda smiled and answered, "It has improved dramatically in recent days." Then with a glance at Stephen she added, "and I expect it will improve further in the future."
Stephen gave her a big smile of agreement.

Captain Merriel canceled the evacuation order, and the extended the rest period by one day. When Deliverer got underway Stephen wrote in his journal. “We’re on the final leg to Epislon Indi Four. The rest period might not have been restful, but it was invigorating. This business isn’t all bad, not when you work for a good captain.”