“Oh my god!” said Tim
“What is it Lieutenant?” asked Delilah
“The video image feed from Outer Marker D9 via the Dillingham.” replied Tim
“Are you recording it?” asked Delilah
“Yes I am but I do not think it is something we would show on Career Day for the elementary school.” replied Tim
“Why is that?” asked Delilah
“Naked aliens, lying down” replied Tim
“Making out, male or female?” asked Lieutenant Ken Ishii
“I do not know” replied Tim.
“Can’t you tell?” asked Ken
“You take a look, you’re the biologist, me I am just a plain old regular government issue communication officer.” replied Tim
“What channel is the video feed coming over on?” asked Ken
“Channel 3” replied Tim
“Okay got it.” said Ken
Just then Doctor Theresa Simms walked in to the bridge and said “What’s new gang?”
“Ken is watching alien porn.” said Lieutenant Don Bartlow
“Don!” said Delilah “Be nice now.”
“Okay Captain” said Don “sorry Ken.”
“Not a problem” said Ken “Hey Theresa you should take a look at this.”
Theresa came over to Ken’s station. She noticed two figures moving right, going off the screen.
“What was that?” asked Theresa
“I do not know,” replied Ken “they looked kind of strange.”
“How strange?” asked Delilah
“They did not look like the Fodani or the Coovee that much is for sure.” replied Ken.
“How about other races of the Dicon Galactic Empire?” asked Delilah
“I suspect it is not the Watari, I do not think they would be foolish enough to take aboard their starship any piece of our technology.” replied Ken
“Hold on, maybe it is them.” said Delilah
“It is not their style, they would have attacked hours ago.” countered Ken
“Change in their style. Maybe attacking us is not their goal for now.” said Delilah
“And that goal would be?” asked Ken
“Study our technology, that outer marker has most of the technology that we employ on our fleet.” suggested Delilah
“I disagree with that assessment, Captain.” replied Ken “First of all the tachyon pulse unit on the outer marker is a common piece of technology of the Dicon Empire. And I doubt it they are interested in our radio/tachyon interface technology since that is what we traded with the Dicon Empire. Or the multi-language broadcast unit. And heaven forbid that they are after our cold fusion reactor technology, it is that stuff that is lethal to them.”
“Any other races from the Empire?” asked Delilah
“From what I remember, the Dicon Empire has ten major races that has colonies on other star systems, another thirty minor races that no do not leave the confines of their star systems.” reported Ken
“Forgive me Captain, but I do not think it would be one of them.” said Lieutenant Ivan Ramius.
“Why not Ivan?” asked Delilah
“For the simple reason if it was any of the races of the Dicon with the exception of the Watari, they would have simply contacted us long ago.” replied Ivan
“Maybe it is just a Dicon convey fleet from a race that we have not meant before and they are having some problems and came here for repairs.” suggested Don “While we a neutral planet we are a safe harbor for those who might need to repair their ships.”
“Assuming we have the spare parts in order to repair them.” said Ken.
“Still it does not make any sense at all.” said Delilah “And it does not explain why we are here, with the people we have and whatever stuff we have on board. Not to mention how the rest of the fleet is deployed. Folks I think this is someone new and the possibility of they being friendly is not very high.”
“Kind of pessimistic of you Captain, even coming from you.” wondered Ivan
“I get like this when they take away my favorite toy.” said Delilah
“I beg your pardon?” asked Ivan
“They removed telescope number 3 and put in god only knows what in that room.” replied Delilah
“They did.” said Ivan
“You did not know?” asked Delilah
“No I did not know.” said Ivan “What did they put in?”
“We were under orders not to look at the contents or the stuff in the main cargo hold.” said Delilah
“That is so unlike the UNSF to do that.” said Ivan
“I know.” said Delilah “Sounds like cloak and dagger stuff to me. I tried my best to get Mr. McPike to spill the beans if he is some sort of spy. No luck from him, I doubt it he would admit it if he was one.”
“I got the same silent treatment from Vince.” said Ivan “Except the only secret we were trading is how to prepare freshly caught salmon.”
“Salmon?” asked Delilah
“Yeah, he fishes in his spare time.” said Ivan “He even offered to prepare a couple of dishes for the crew.”
“With what?” asked Delilah
“Salmon” replied Ivan.
“We don’t carry that.” said Delilah
“We do now.” said Ivan “About one hundred fifty five pounds of the stuff.”
“You mean to tell me they removed telescope number 3 for that?” asked Delilah
“No Captain,” replied Ivan, “the salmon is in cold storage with the rest of the refrigerated items.”
Delilah just shook her head in frustration. She then turned her attention to Tim and said “Say Tim what is the latest feed from D9?”
“Oh just your typical insides of a starship I guess, saw movement way in the background.”
“What kind of movement?” asked Delilah
“Looked like shuttles to me.” replied Tim “Then after that a group of seven new guys walking on the ceiling approaching the outer marker.”
“What?” asked Delilah
“I kid you not Captain they were on the ceiling for awhile then they were on the floor like nothing happened.” replied Tim
“What else, did they look familiar?” asked Delilah
“Not really, they seem to be made out of five different beings, with three of them that looked the same carried some sort of rods, another one was carrying a couple of items.” replied Tim “They seemed to carry on a conversation among themselves because they kept looking at one another, until one of them must have said something profound because the rest of this group looked at him or her, I can not tell. In any event the one must have said something profound, stepped forward and is trying to say something to the outer marker.”
“What is he or she is saying?” asked Delilah
“I have no idea, the image feed has no audio to it.” replied Tim.
“Damn” said Delilah
“Captain,” said Tim “more new guys are showing up on the image feed.”