Northern California Views

March 7, 1883 ALL

Hammer awoke after a Drago kicked him while asking "Are you dead yet?"

Hammer yelled "NO!" and the Drago turned and joined his fellow guards by Hammer's work bench. It must have been shift change because three Drago guards were looking at something on his bench. He held his stomach, where the Drago had kicked him when he remembered "The Multi-Phasic Transceiver" then stood up and ran across the room and pushed by the Dragos and grabbed it. The Drago looked at him angrily and made to grab it when another Drago from outside said "The Arch-Illian is coming." All three Drago ran outside and Hammer looked out the window and saw three Illian, three Golan and ten Drago coming up the road toward his house.

Hammer panicked. "They most know about my plans."

He moved quickly and grabbed what he could for food and water as well as the Multi-Phasic Transceiver and made for his ship. As he entered, he heard the Drago talking most likely paying homage, and then the sound of surprise right before he closed the door. He started the engines and launched on auto pilot, so he could install the transceiver, and the auto pilot took him into space.

Drago Captain Chorchec was studying a new word on the bridge of one of the new 14 point ships recently made in the build up.

"Hmm..." said Chorchec to himself quietly "Comply - act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes; "He complied with my instructions"; "You must comply or else!"; "Follow these simple rules"; "abide by the rules." This word might be fun."

Just then the scanner chief said "Captain, there is an unknown craft rising from Tri-Lar."

"One of ours or theirs." stated Captain Chorchec.

"Captain?"

"You know friend or enemy."

"It's unknown Captain."

"Your no help. Open comms."

Comms officer: "Open."

"Attention unknown ship you will comply."

(pause)

"Have they answered?" asked Captain Chorchec.

"No Captain."

"Where is it now?"

"Passing us into deep space Captain."

"Damn, open fire!"

Hammer was finishing up the installation of the Multi-Phasic Transceiver when flashes of light showed through the cockpit window. He looked out and saw that he was being fired upon.

"I've got to get to K-Space." he said and went about doing the calculations.

Captain Chorchev asked "Have we hit them yet?"

Weapons officer: "No, not yet, sir."

Captain Chorchev: "What's wrong with the gunners?"

Weapons officer: "Sir, they say that the targeting system we have is not working properly."

Captain Chorchev yelling: "What? Are you telling me that we have a brand new targeting system and it does not even work?"

Weapons officer: "It may not be calibrated correctly, sir."

Captain Chorchev: "All right then! Bring me the Golan that calibrated the targeting system."

Weapons officer: "Sir, we did not have time to bring a Golan up to calibrate it."

Captain Chorchev yelling: "What do you mean we did not have time!"

Weapons officer: "Well sir, you said "We do not have time for this, we need to get to the firing range." sir."

!!BANG!!

Captain Chorchev to new weapons officer: "Now, tell the gunners to go to manual and destroy that ship."

Scanner officer: "Sir, we can not, he has jumped to K-Space."

Hammer was able to dodge the shots being fired and completed the calculations that should take him into K-Space on a trajectory leading him to ID.

+++++

Hammer spent the last two days in K-Space adjusting the multi-phasic transceiver and doing final adjustments on his ship. When he was completed he turned on the Auto Pilot with the direction of ID programmed in, and started to play with the multi-phasic transceiver to see if he could receive any frequencies.

For the next two weeks he ate, and slept but mainly he was getting very frustrated with the multi-phasic transceiver. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't receive any signal. None. "These phasic frequencies are everywhere I should at least get some background static." Just then the auto pilot alarm activated to inform him he was close to his destination.

Hammer moved to the pilot seat shut off the Auto Pilot and made the adjustments for returning to normal space.

When the ship entered normal space Hammer noticed that the multi-phasic transceiver was receiving static which shocked him, but not as much as what he saw out the main viewport. Running out of air and food and, not to mention, not enough power to return to K-Space.

All there was around him was empty space.

++++++

Jonathan Starling was a chieftain of a minor Hun tribe which numbered one colony ship an old 12 point and two 7 points. But do to a bad raid against an ID shipping lane the tribe lost one of the 7 points. So now Starling had to deal with not enough resources and a possible mutiny on his hands. His tribe has seen many lean years and was getting very agitated and talking about the need for a new leader. But now with the loss of the 7 point it looked like they just might go through with it.

This day Starling was sitting in his command chair on the bridge of the 12 point wondering how he can fix this catastrophe, when the sensor officer said "Sir, we have a K-Space event 10000k to starboard."

"Is it ID?" ask Starling.

"Unknown, sir. Ship is a 2 point of unknown configuration and unknown energy source. And the energy source is diminishing rapidly. Appears to have one life sign aboard, sir, I'm not sure but with the limited information we have the life sign appears to be Tri-Larian."

"Tri-Larian...? What would a Tri-Larian be doing this far into ID space, after the last incident I didn't think that they would be on good terms."

"No sir, they are not."

"Ok, let's see if we can bring it in and investigate."

"Yes sir."

Hammer was panicking, he moved around the small confines of his ship looking for any way to increase his power to make the jump to K-Space. He worked with his multi-phasic transceiver to see if the power it gained from the phasic frequencies would work for power, but for some reason the energy did not transfer out of the transceiver. He was concentrating so hard on the problem that he didn't notice the slight jolt that rocked his ship.

"We have the craft grappled, sir."

"Good bring it in. I'll go down to the hanger, make sure that there is a security contingent waiting for me."

"Yes sir."

In attempting to rout the multi-phasic transceiver to his ship, Hammer shorted out the ship and drained the rest of his remaining power.

On the hanger, Starling received a comm, through his battle suit, from the scanner officer on the bridge, "Sir, the craft has lost all power."

"Quick bring it in."

Hammer felt another jolt, but was too busy trying to regain power to really notice.

Starling looked at the 2 point craft as it entered the hanger and was amazed at what he saw. One of the security contingent said "It looks like a bird." And indeed it did, a large black bird with retractable engines for normal space travel and the wings probably helped with travel through K-Space.

"Who ever built this did it with substandard parts, so my guess is either a genius, which this is all he had, or an idiot, that threw together what he thought would look good." stated a hanger tech.

As the craft set down on the deck and the hanger was once again pressurized Starling said "Well whichever it is we now must get inside to find out."

Hammer was working franticly trying to get power and was getting really irritated by the minor vibrations, so, that when the last one hit he said to himself "Look I don't have time for you I must fix my ship."

Starling had one of his security open the only visible hatch (which was remarkably fairly well concealed with the material used) and entered the craft. After a brief moment the guard poked his head out of the hatch and said with a humorous tone "Hay, you definitely gotta check this out."

So Starling entered the craft and looked around. What he saw shocked him. Everywhere was open circuit panels, live wires, and other devices that seemed to be in a state of repair. Over the comms Starling received "Sensors show that the air is breathable sir, but is a bit musky."

Starling took off his helmet and asked (almost gagging do to the musk) "Is anyone here?"

Hammer was working under the main console when he heard "Is anyone here?"

He lost it.

He yelled, "Look I'm busy trying to save me ass! So leave me alone and let me finish my work!"

Hammer worked a little longer when a question popped in his head "Wait, who said that. Someone's on my ship."

Hammer tried to stand up, hit his head on the underside of the console.

"Ouch (MAJOR EXPELATIVE!). Who put that there!"

Then scooted out from underneath and then stood up holding his head, and looked around. His eyes met a slightly grinning hu-man in a battle suit with his helmet in his hand.

Hammer looked angrily at the hu-man and said "How the devil did you get onto my ship."

At that point Starling laughed.

Hammer was sitting at a table and under guard in a small room with that foolishly grinning hu-man, who called himself "Chief Jonathan Starling of the Starling tribe," and a tech which introduced himself as Mack.

Starling sat across from the Tri-larian who called himself "Hammer Thinker-Inventor-Golan" which seemed odd to him but with not really knowing much about him or the customs of Tri-Lar, he decided it was better to just take him as he was (even if he really needed a bath.)

Starling "So Hammer, what brings you out so far from Tri-Lar?"

Hammer "Just traveling."

Starling "You know that this is pirate infested space out here, don't you?"

Hammer "I do now."

Mack "So about your ship, did you..."

Hammer "You can't have it!"

Starling "No, we just want to know if you made it."

Hammer "Oh, yes I did."

Starling and Mack looked at each other then Mack said "Where did you get the parts?"

Hammer "I used what I could get my hands on, why?"

Mack "So that's all you had to work with?"

Hammer "No..."

Mack "Ahha, I knew it!"

Hammer "It was the most usable I could find."

Mack looking dismayed and insulted at the same time looked at Starling.

Starling with a bigger grin "I see so if you had better parts you could have made a better ship?"

Hammer "Why do you ask?"

Mack "Look, we don't know if he really did build it he may have taken it from the one who did."

Hammer tries to stand up but is restrained by the two guards then looks angrily at the tech and yells "How dare you! I have never stolen anything in my life I would never debase myself in such a way, for you to even accuse me of this makes you the lowest form of life there could possibly be! I made my ship with my own two hands! And even with the shoddy equipment that the government would let me have it only took me one year to get away from my prison..." Hammer stopped wide eyed and a sudden chill ran down his spine. He had not intended to tell anyone of that.

Starling, still smiling but not as wide reached forward and pressed a button which activated a text file that read:

Wide transmitted message from: Tri-lar,

From: Arch-Illian Constance FRENETIC

To: All allies and enemies and all in between

Message: This is Arch-Illian Constance FRENETIC to all who are interested. A substantial reward has been posted for Golan, Hammer Thinker-Inventor-Cursed, for crimes against the Tri-larian government, the Tri-larian people and all of the Human expanse. He was last seen transiting to K-Space on a trajectory from Tri-Lar to ID in a 2 point craft; he was subsequently lost somewhere in K-Space. The Tri-larian government will pay for his capture in any condition as long as he is able to speak. He is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous, and it is advised that you do not turn your back on him.

Craft; 2 Point attack fighter, apparently home made, and resembling a large black bird. Unknown type of armament.

Hammer Thinker-Inventor-Cursed; Very intelligent, must be watched around equipment, has an aptitude for making devices, uses what is on hand to develop new devices, no known co-conspirators.

Hammer, eyes down cast and shivering slightly "So, I guess that's it right? You're now going to take me back?"

Starling not smiling now "Not yet. We need to talk some more. I need to know why your own government is after you this badly."

Hammer resigns himself to his fate and tells his whole story, with Starling and Mack watching him intently.

+++++

In a private room in the Capital city of Tri-Lar...

"So, he got away."

"Yes master, but there is no need to worry. The Hu-mans are greedy and

will not pass up on the opportunity to make more money. And when they do

they will be dealt with to insure that no one knows what we are

planning."

"Don't underestimate to Hu-mans. They are resourceful and not all are

greedy."

"Yes, but any who bring him will be."

"But, if they don't bring him in?"

"Statistically improbable."

"But still possible. He should not have been allowed to escape."

"I know, master, but there was no way to know that he would be able to

build a ship from common household machines."

"Well now it must be fixed. We MUST FIND HIM AT ALL COSTS!!"

Bowing "Yes, master, at once."

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