Solbidyum Wars 3: Pirates of Goo'waddle Canals (2 page)

“Have you mentioned this to Stonbersa or anyone else?”

“No, I’m afraid to say anything to anyone on the ship.  You never know if A’Lappe is around or not with the way he uses his personal cloaking device.  He might be listening if I did say something.  I deliberately waited to talk to you here on the planet, since he doesn’t like to leave the ship.  Even so, I’m not sure he doesn’t have some sort of listening bugs he might be using, so I did a sweep of this area of the estate earlier.  As far as I can tell, the place is clean.”

“When I first met A’Lappe,” I began, “he told me that he was hiding from individuals who want to kill him and that they are after knowledge he has.  He implied this knowledge was associated with the 10X fusion reactor technology, but it may be more than just this. 

“I don’t think A’Lappe intends us any harm.  Just the opposite; he seems to have come through helping us more than just once, and if it were not for him, Kala would still be in stasis, dying from ruguain poison.”

Kala squirmed in her chair.  “I have to agree with Tibby. A’Lappe has shown us nothing but the utmost care and concern.  I think we should not say anything about what we know or suspect.  Sooner or later, I think he will tell us about his past.”

“I think that Kala is right,” I said.  “I would appreciate if you didn’t say anything to anyone about this.  Let’s just let it play out for now.  What is the other thing you wanted to talk to me about?”

“In a way, it overlaps with A’Lappe.  In doing some work with the RMFF energies, it appears there are some trans-dimensional fields being generated by the when the field is active.  When I mentioned it to A’Lappe, I expected him to be excited and want to research it further.  I believe that, if what I was observing is what I think it is, it could open the door for dimensional travel.  It would also allow us to speedily traverse great distances in our own universe by means of dimensional doors.  But when I mentioned it, his reaction was far from what I expected.  His face got dark and he looked extremely nervous.  First he tried to tell me it was impossible, and used some of the weakest arguments I have ever heard.  When he noticed that was not working, he tried to change the topic.  Finally, he said that he would look into it, but he was sure the phenomenon I was observing was something else.  I think he knows full well what is happening, but for some reason he doesn’t want us to know.”

“That is strange.  I honestly have never seen A’Lappe act nervous or stressed.  If you evoked that reaction from him, it must have hit some mark he is trying to avoid.  But again, I think we need to let it play out.  In the meantime, I want you to research this dimensional idea you have on your own and don’t involve A’Lappe.  Let’s just see what happens. 

“Is there anything else?”

“Yes, something A’Lappe and I have been discussing.  You had asked us both to look into whether another collapsed black hole could be found like the one from which the solbidyum originated.  We think we have located a remote section of the galaxy that appears to be devoid of stars, similar to the zone where the original solbidyum deposits were found.  It’s nearly ten months out from here at top GW speeds.  Because of its remoteness and the lack of any planets or stars in the area, it’s not been investigated.  A’Lappe and I would like to send some probes out to sample the dust in the area for solbidyum, but we wanted to present the idea to you first.”

“You and A’Lappe really don’t need to get my permission for projects like this; you know I trust both of you and you have my full backing.  But I am glad you mentioned it, as I think it would be expedient for everyone to keep this as quiet as possible.  If anyone in the galaxy gets even the remotest idea that we are looking for another solbidyum site, who knows what or who it will be set into action to attempt a takeover to secure the site.  Something like this could trigger yet another war.”

“That’s what we thought, also.  A’Lappe wants to launch the probes from your personal hangar on the
NEW ORLEANS
, where you store the
ALI
.  That way no one will know about it, other than the bridge crew, you, A’Lappe and me.”

The hangar Cantolla referred to was hidden on the underside of my space yacht, the
NEW ORLEANS
. It was there that my Mirage Fighter, the
ALI
, was stored for use as an escape ship in the event of an emergency.  Only a few of my ship’s crew and a few members of the admiralty Board knew of its existence.

“I think your approach to this is sound.  See to it.”

Just as I was completing this comment, I noted one of the house staff, along with Piebar, approaching with a cart of food.  Our first dish was comprised of cold chopped fresh vegetables; this dish reminded me of chopped tomatoes, cucumber, and onions from Earth, tossed in a lemon juice dressing.  Of course, that was not what it was, as tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions didn’t exist in the Federation planets, but the flavors were similar.  The dish had a way of enhancing one’s appetite without being filling.  Finally, our main dishes were set before us; and I was surprised to see large cuts of meat that looked like steaks.  I had not had a steak since I had left Earth over a year earlier.

“Is this meat?” I asked in amazement.  It was not that meat was uncommon in dishes, but large cuts of meat like a steak were seldom seen, and most dishes tended to be synthetic foods that, while flavorful, lacked the textures of natural foods. 

“Indeed it is, sir,” Piebar said.  “First Citizen Kalana suggested you might enjoy having some Fubalo steaks.  They come from right here on your estate, I might add.”

I was surprised, as I had forgotten that the southern part of my estate was a vast, grass-covered meadow where large animals grazed.  Apparently, this was meat from one of these creatures.  In addition to the Fubalo steak, there was an item that resembled a baked potato from the outside, but when I cut into it, I found it to be more like a giant mushroom, with a dark and earthy flavor.  Another item served in a smaller side bowl looked like cooked spinach, but had a completely different taste that I cannot relate to any Earthly thing I had ever eaten.  Everything was delicious.  The meat itself was comparable to the best and most tender steak cut I had ever eaten back on Earth.

“I thought you might enjoy this, Tib,” Kala said.  “You have often commented on dishes you miss from Earth, and I cannot begin to tell you how many times you have brought up missing steaks.  I’ve been planning to surprise you with this meal for some time, and I felt tonight would be as good an occasion as any.”

To say I nearly had tears in my eyes over the joy of eating a steak again would be a slight exaggeration, but I was very close.  “Thanks, Kala, this is…well, wonderful—incredible, in fact.  This Fubalo tastes just like the steaks I remember from home.”

Both Kala and I glanced at Cantolla, who seemed to have gotten carried away eating.  It was quite obvious that she was enjoying the meal.  All of a sudden, she realized we both were looking at her, and she raised her eyes and sort of froze in our gaze with her mouth full of food and a bit of the juice from her steak running out the side of her mouth.

“Oh, my,” she said, after gulping down a large bite of food, “I do apologize.  I don’t think I have ever eaten anything this delicious in my life.  Is this what your food is like on Earth, Tibby?”

“Much of it is,” I said.  “Our foods tend to be natural and organic in nature, and we have few synthetic foods.  Those that we do have are made from organic compounds.  We also have a dish made from the flesh of a domestically raised bird on Earth that we call a ‘chicken.’ It is very popular, and I suspect you would like that as well.”

“You will have to tell me more about that, Tib, and I’ll see if I can’t surprise you with something similar,” Kala said.

“Kala, you are a dear.  This is about the best surprise you could give me.” I kissed her on the cheek.

I had just finished my last sip of afex when Piebar set another cold glass in front of me.  Kala nudged me and motioned with her eyes to Cantolla, who was just finishing her last bite of food.  I was half expecting her to ask if she could have another plate of food prepared, but she sat back, licking her lips in an other-than-dainty fashion.  “
Wow, that was incredible.  I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything so good.”

“Well, I hope you enjoy your desert, as well.  It
, too, is something that I hope is similar to a dish Tib has described from his Earth,” Kala said.

I raised an eyebrow in a questioning look at Kala just as Piebar set a small bowl in front of me that seemed to be covered with large froth of whipped cream.  I took a small bite and was delighted that it tasted like whipped cream.  Beneath that was a reddish fruit in syrup that was much like a cross between a peach and a mango—both fruits from Earth. 

“Kala, if I were not already madly in love with you, I think I would be now.” I leaned over to kiss her again.

“Yes, and if it weren’t for you being madly in love with Kala, I certainly would be,” Cantolla said
with a grin.  Both Kala and I broke out laughing when we looked over, as she had a mustache of whipped cream on her lip.  I was surprised by Cantolla this particular evening — she had always come across as being in control and prim and proper.  Both Kala and I had dined with her many times on the ship and at formal functions, but we had never seen her so careless in her dining manners.  It was as though the experience of the new foods had so impressed her so much as to override her normal self-control.  It was funny, and both Kala and I had to grin.  Cantolla noticed and suddenly realized she had dropped her guard again and that there was whipped cream on her lip.

“Oh!
I am so sorry; I completely lost my manners and decorum.  I am so sorry.”

I laughed.  “Cantolla, it’s al
right.  It totally delights me to see you enjoying this food so much.”

“No, it’s not
alright.  Perhaps I need to explain.  I told you and Kala when I first started working for you that my parents were both scientists.  Mother was a biologist and worked with plants and, as she was a botanist, meat was a rarity in our home.  We only had it when Dad got cravings for it and complained.  Even when we did, it was very small portions, usually mixed into some mass of vegetables.  I still eat that way most of the time.  Likewise, we seldom had sweet fruits; Mother tended to stay away from those in her research, sticking mostly to green leafy vegetables.  There was little in the way of manners when we ate and most of the time we didn’t even sit down as a family.  Dad always had his head stuck in some research project, and if we didn’t take a plate to his study or lab, he would forget to eat.  Mother would set food out for my brother and I, and we ate whenever we happened to see the food. 

“When I went off to the university, I was the laughing stock of the campus for the way I ate.  Unlike at home, where everything was fresh, at the university everything was synthetic.  But my eating habits were really bad.  If it had not been for my first girlfriend in college making an effort to teach me some refinements, I might be sitting cross-legged on this table, gnawing on a bone and growling like some carnivorous beast.  Most of the time, I remember and act civilized, but when I get into a really good meal, I sometimes forget and start eating like I’ve been starved and it’s the first food I’ve had in weeks.  I really do apologize.”

“My situation, while different from yours, in some regards is similar,” Kala began.  “We lived in a relative rural area and most of our food was grown in our garden or greenhouse, so we didn’t get a lot of meat, either.  But in our house everyone was expected to sit down at the table together and eat; Mother was very strict about our manners and eating habits.”

“What are eating customs like on your planet?” Cantolla asked me.

“They differ all over the planet,” I said.  “Where I came from, eating habits are very similar to those here, but on some parts of the planet, they are almost the opposite.  In one country, it is considered extremely rude to belch at the table or after the meal.  In other parts, it’s considered rude if you do not, and it’s an insult to the cook.  One country may see it as crude and vulgar to eat with one’s hands, and in other countries, that is the preferred method.  The same thing applies to smacking one’s lips or slurping food — it depends on where you are.”

“How strange,” Cantolla said, “that you should have all these different customs on one planet.  There are differences from one planet to another here in the Federation and in some restaurants that specialize in foods from a particular planet, but as far as having different customs on one planet, it’s rare.”

“Well,” said Kala, “most of the planets in the Federation are ones that have developed technologically and have integrated with other cultures by way of mass interplanetary transportation. These civilizations had also formed one world government before joining the Federation.  Tibby’s world was just getting to that point; and from what he’s told me, it is far from having a unified government for the entire planet.”

“Really?
How many different governments do you have on your world, Tibby?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure—the number seemed to change every few months, as governments rose and fell with revolutions and conquests.  When I left Earth, there were close to two hundred that I am aware of.”

“Two hundred! On a single world? Did they all have differing languages as well?”

“I read someplace that there were over a thousand languages in use on our planet, but there were only about twelve major languages used globally.”