Chapter 59: Dentra

“Attention,” said Ship.

Laine and I were in the gymnasium, working out. I worked with free weights, while Laine jogged on a treadmill. I put down my weights.

“Go ahead, Ship,” I said.

“The Commodore and Mina are returning by shuttle. They just took off from the Yerill spaceport,” replied Ship.

“Laine, time to clean up and get ready to greet them,” I said.

We moved to the changing room and directly into the shower. This was the best shower aboard and a luxury to enjoy.

“Do you think their visit went well?” asked Laine.

“Well, they are coming back to us,” I replied. How would I know if it went well?

Laine and I changed into jumpsuits and left for the main bridge.

The main bridge was just as we left it earlier. The tactical display showed a view of the planet below us.

“Ship, any update?” I asked.

“Negative, Commander,” replied Ship.

We sat and waited. It wasn’t long before the shuttle entered the shuttle bay. I was mildly impatient. Usually I was on the away team missions. I was the one piloting the shuttle. Waiting aboard Ship wasn’t the same.

“Ship, once they have completed decontamination, let them know we are in the main bridge,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

I considered a coffee, but decided against it.

“Are you all right?” asked Laine.

“Not really. I’m keen to find out how they did on the planet,” I replied.

“Me too. Remember, no news is good news,” she said.

“Not knowing is frustrating,” I countered.

Finally, Jem and Mina arrived on the main bridge. Their hair was damp from the decontamination shower. Laine and I stood to greet them.

“Hello!” said Jem.

Laine rushed to them with hugs. I stood back, but smiled.

“Our meeting was a success. They appreciated that we returned their dead crew. They were cautious, but we convinced them of our sincerity,” said Jem.

I sighed in relief, “I am glad they did not detain you.”

“I’m glad too. We brought plenty of evidence to back up our claims. The dead crew had the biggest impact though,” said Jem.

“The Commodore was very convincing,” added Mina.

“That’s good to hear,” I said.

“Now that’s over, we can continue our patrol. Ship, what is our next destination?” asked Jem.

“Next on the list is Dentra,” replied Ship.

“Inform Yerill system control of our departure and take us to our next destination,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

Jem turned and hugged me. I hugged her back. I wanted her to think I’d recovered.

“They liked how we tricked the Lagaid into visiting a system with a black hole,” said Jem with a smile.

“I’m glad they liked it,” I replied.

On the tactical display, I saw that Ship had gathered the cloaked defensive probes and was moving out of the system.

“Did you eat on the planet?” I asked.

“No,” replied Jem.

“I’m feeling hungry. Perhaps we should have dinner together,” I replied.

“I agree. Once we’re clear of the system,” said Jem.

We sat on the sofa and waited until Ship reached the edge of the Yerill system, and the hyperspace engines engaged.

A few days later, the hyper drive went offline and Ship decelerated to sub-light speed as we approached the Dentra system.

We sat in the main bridge watching the tactical display. The system was active with vessels travelling within the system.

“Ship, deploy the cloaked defensive probes and activate transponder,” Jem said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship. We watched several blue dots on the tactical display emerge from Ship and surround our vessel.

“Attention, we are being hailed,” said Ship.

Jem pressed a key, and a face appeared on the display. “Welcome Baglogi vessel to Dentra. Please follow the assigned path on course for orbit.”

“Thank you for your greeting. We are changing course to the assigned path. Please inform ambassador Kazem of our arrival,” said Jem.

“Acknowledged Baglogi vessel,” he replied. Jem closed the call.

“Ship, take us in on the assigned path,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

It was a busy system, which gave me an idea.

“Ship, please do a passive scan of vessels in the system. Highlight any Lagaid, Varech or Gober vessels,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

Jem looked at me. “I was just being cautious,” I explained.

“Good thinking, Commander,” said Jem.

“Commodore, since Gober and Dentra are allies, won’t that complicate our relationship with Dentra?” asked Mina.

“I need to check with the ambassador before we visit the planet,” replied Jem.

“Attention, we are now in orbit around Dentra and I received an incoming hail,” said Ship.

“Thank you, Ship,” said Jem.

Jem pressed a key and a familiar face appeared on the display.

“Welcome back to Dentra,” said the ambassador.

“Ambassador Kazem, good to see you again. We came for a visit, but before we do, I have a matter to discuss,” said Jem.

“This line is secure, or do you need me to visit your vessel?” he asked.

“We can discuss here. We recently had an issue with Gober and I understand that Dentra and Gober are allies. I have concerns about our status if we land on Dentra,” said Jem.

“I see. Are you wanted for crimes on Gober?” he asked.

“No ambassador,” said Jem.

The ambassador thought for a minute.

“Where two of our allies are in dispute, we remain neutral. Since you committed no crime, Gober has no grounds for extradition,” said the ambassador.

“So we’re safe to visit Dentra?” asked Jem.

“Yes, you’re safe. If Gober makes a formal extradition claim, we will review their claim. If you could give me evidence that refutes their claim, I could hold on to that,” said the ambassador.

“Ship, please put together a package of evidence and send it to the ambassador,” said Jem.

“Confirmed ... Sent,” replied Ship.

“Wow, you are efficient! I can confirm Gober has made no extradition claims. I will review your evidence, but based on what you said, I have no trouble granting diplomatic immunity. We are still in your debt from your last visit,” said the ambassador.

“In that case, there will be four in our group. Please can you arrange accommodation for our visit,” said Jem.

“The princess declared you true friends and honoured guests. A suite of rooms in the palace complex awaits you and your crew. I can meet you at the spaceport when you arrive,” replied the ambassador.

“We will arrive shortly, ambassador. Considering our concerns about Gober, I ask you don’t publicize our arrival,” said Jem.

“That is a valid point. We cannot have a public celebration of your arrival and appear neutral,” he said.

“Exactly, it could undermine your position. See you at the spaceport,” replied Jem. She then closed the call.

“Ship, while we are away, plug in to their system-wide network. Get all relevant information and alert me if you find anything disturbing. Monitor all system activity, especially Lagaid, Varech or Gober vessels,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Time to go everyone!” said Jem.

We suited up in our away team uniforms and made our way to the shuttle bay. We entered via the airlock and took our seats.

I did my pre-flight checks. It felt good to be visiting the planet instead of waiting behind aboard Ship. The outer door opened, and we cleared Ship before turning towards the planet.

“I want everyone to be on their guard while we are on the planet. Keep your away team uniform on and don’t drink any alcohol,” said Jem.

“Commodore, if Dentra has an ambassador on Gober, perhaps Gober has an embassy here on Dentra,” said Mina.

“That is a good point. We need to avoid any Gobers,” said Jem.

That gave me an idea. “Ship, I have a question. Can you re-configure the adaptive camouflage on my uniform to change my appearance? Just to make my head look different?” I asked.

“Confirmed. Downloading a revised protocol to your adaptive camouflage module ... Update is complete,” replied Ship.

The shuttle was on a programmed flight path, so I stood up from my seat and activated the adaptive camouflage on my uniform.

“Wow!” said Laine.

“How does it look?” I asked.

Mina’s face looked ashen.

“Your face is that of my brother, Quon,” said Mina.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mina. I can get Ship to change it,” I said.

“No, don’t. It looks good on you. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. It may take me a while to get comfortable with it,” replied Mina.

“That is excellent, Brian! If you wear that in public, they won’t know who you are. If challenged, we can say we left Brian on Gober. We will call you Ensign Quon,” said Jem.

“We will have to inform the ambassador. When they scan my ID it will be obvious,” I said.

I sat back in my seat. “This might work,” I said.

“Every little helps,” said Jem.