Chapter 62: Gobers

I returned to the lounge. Jem was talking with Laine and Mina. When they saw me, they stopped and looked at me.

“Commodore,” I said.

“Go ahead, Commander,” replied Jem.

“Ship towed the derelict vessels into the asteroid belt and set up a manufacturing facility,” I said.

Jem nodded. “Go on,” she said.

“Ship is building defensive probes, to form a systemwide defence network,” I said.

“We aren’t handing them Baglogi technology?” asked Jem.

“No. Dentra won’t be aware of their existence. It will be like the defences in the Earth system. They will only tackle threats that exceed Dentra’s capacity,” I replied.

“If Dentra isn’t aware of their existence, then spies can’t learn about them,” said Mina.

“Agreed, stealth is a part of their design,” I replied.

“What about building new patrol vessels?” asked Jem.

“That comes next. Ship will build them to Dentra specifications,” I replied.

“Good. You can inform the ambassador. He will be glad we are supplying replacement vessels,” said Jem.

“There is one other issue. Ship detected a Gober freighter in the system. I told Ship to keep out of sight,” I replied.

“I don’t think they will visit the palace complex. Make sure you keep that disguise on if you leave this suite,” said Jem.

“Yes, Commodore,” I replied.

“They might just be here to trade or deliver cargo,” said Laine.

“One can hope so. But they may also carry communications for their embassy here. By now, the news of my escape will be out,” I replied.

“Gober might have a good espionage network on Dentra. If they were listening to our recent arrival on the system control channels, they know we are here,” said Mina.

“But they aren’t certain that Brian is with us,” replied Jem.

“Once we restore their defences, we should leave Dentra,” I said.

“Agreed, no reason to stay longer than we have to,” said Jem.

“I will update the ambassador, Commodore,” I said. Jem nodded.

I returned to my bedroom.

I called Ship on my communicator.

“Ship, please connect me via a secure channel to Ambassador Kazem. Don’t mention my name,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

I waited about two minutes.

“Good morning, ambassador Kazem here,” came the voice on my communicator.

“Good morning, ambassador. Do you have a moment to talk?” I asked.

“I always have time for you. Should I come over to the palace?” asked Kazem.

“No, as long as this channel is secure. I wanted to inform you we will build three replacement patrol vessels for Dentra. They should be ready for you in one or two days,” I said.

“That is terrific news! Our manufacturing time would be much longer. It could be months before we get a patrol back out there,” replied Kazem.

“We will build the new patrol vessels to Dentra specifications. We can’t give you advanced weapons and risk our technology falling into the wrong hands,” I said.

“But what if the Varech return?” asked Kazem.

“A more powerful enemy might attack someday. I can only promise you that the Varech will not trouble Dentra again,” I said.

“I was hoping for something we can use to defend against a similar attack,” said Kazem.

“Your scientists can develop new weappons. We cannot give you ours,” I said.

“I understand,” replied Kazem.

“How goes your preparations for the public ceremony to honour the patrol vessel crews?” I asked.

“I arranged for Her Royal Highness to meet with the families later today. Today is a private event. I scheduled the public ceremony and a day of mourning for tomorrow,” replied Kazem.

“There is one other issue. Ship detected a Gober freighter has arrived in the system. We plan to keep a low profile. Our vessel is out of sight and we will remain in the palace complex. Hopefully they won’t stay long,” I said.

“Understood. If I find out any information on the Gober visit, I will update you and Her Royal Highness,” replied Kazem.

“And when the patrol vessels are ready, I will park them in orbit,” I said.

“Thank you, Commander,” said Kazem.

I closed the communications channel.

The Gober freighter moved on the pre-assigned course to an orbit around Dentra. Once they were in range, the captain contacted the Gober Embassy on a secure channel. A blue-green face of the Gober ambassador appeared on his display.

“Welcome, Captain Wales. How was your trip?” asked the Gober ambassador.

“My trip was uneventful as usual. Any news here?” replied the Captain.

“I heard a Baglogi vessel arrived two days ago. There were no announcements though,” said the ambassador.

“Oh? I haven’t detected a Baglogi vessel on my sensors,” said the Captain.

“There is no news of their departure. Perhaps they are on the far side of the planet,” he replied.

“I will task my first officer with searching for them,” said the Captain.

“One day ago, something happened, and three patrol vessels got destroyed,” said the ambassador.

“That is interesting news. Is it connected with the Baglogi?” asked the Captain.

“It might be. So far, Dentra hasn’t explained what happened. Their newscasts said nothing,” said the ambassador.

“That is very unusual. We will be in orbit shortly. Once I have delivered my cargo, I will meet you in person,” he said. The ambassador smiled and nodded.

He closed the communications channel.

After my call with the ambassador, I remained in my room. We had to lie low for a day or two while Ship completed the construction.

The Gober freighter had me concerned. We didn’t want the Gobers aware we were here. Ideally, we could leave Dentra before anyone noticed.

I lay back and practiced deep breathing. I needed to stay calm and rested. It wasn’t fun being relieved of duty, and I didn’t want that to happen again.

Although I didn’t sleep, I lay there calm. The bedroom door blocked most sounds from the lounge.

A while later, Jem entered my room.

“Brian, are you awake?” asked Jem.

“Yes, I’m resting and keeping out of sight. Do you need me for something?” I replied.

“No. I wanted to inform you I’m going for a walk around the palace gardens with Laine and Mina. I doubt any Gobers will visit the palace complex today,” replied Jem.

“Oh, thank you for letting me know. I saw the gardens this morning, they are worth a visit,” I said.

“Enjoy your rest. We will return later,” said Jem. She then left the room.

The Gober freighter arrived at an orbit around Dentra. Soon after that, a freight shuttle met their vessel and docked at the cargo airlock.

The crew had several containers ready in the cargo bay. This was everything going to Dentra. The airlock opened, and they moved the cargo from the freighter into the shuttle.

Captain Wales and the Dentra shuttle pilot reviewed the manifest and did the inventory count together.

“I need a ride down to Dentra with you,” said Wales.

The pilot nodded. It wasn’t unusual for crew members to visit the planet. He updated his copy of the manifest to include one passenger.

Captain Wales picked up a large duffel bag he had left by the airlock and took a seat in the shuttle. The pilot looked at the bag then the Captain, an unasked question. A shuttle pilot had to account for all passengers and cargo.

“Diplomatic bag, for our embassy on Dentra,” said the Captain. He lifted it to show the Gober crest on the bag.

The pilot nodded again. It was the one cargo exempt from documentation. He closed the airlock and sat at the controls. Soon they undocked from the freighter and began the descent to the planet below them.

Throughout their trip, the two beings did not speak. The pilot focused on a smooth re-entry and landing at the spaceport. The Captain stared at the view ahead.

Once the shuttle landed, the Gober Captain stood up and thanked the pilot and left through the airlock.

He passed through Dentra immigration without incident, thanks to his diplomatic credentials.

Next, Wales took ground transportation from the spaceport to the Gober embassy. Throughout he clutched the large duffel bag.

Entering the embassy, the Gober ambassador was waiting for him.

“Welcome, Captain Wales. Please come with me,” said the ambassador. He ushered him and his duffel bag past security checkpoints and into a basement office.

A few hours later, a call on my communicator awoke me.

“Attention, Commander,” said Ship.

“Go ahead,” I replied.

“You have an incoming call from the Dentra ambassador,” said Ship.

I sat up in bed.

“Please put the call through, Ship,” I replied.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Hello, Mr Ambassador,” I said.

“Commander. I have an update on the Gober freighter as promised. They delivered cargo, nothing special there. The Captain visited the Gober embassy,” said the ambassador.

“Thank you for the update. I am relieved it’s just a routine visit. We will remain out of sight while the freighter is in the system,” I said.

“Thank you for the video. I passed it on to our newscast people,” said the ambassador.

“Oh? Which video is that?” I asked.

“A video of our patrol vessels engaging three Varech warships. Within a few minutes, all six vessels were destroyed. The newscast will explain that our patrol vessels died protecting our system,” replied the ambassador.

I suspected Laine and/or Ship was behind this. It made me smile.

“I am glad we could be of help. You must talk to your system control staff, as they know what really happened,” I said.