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  Without something to do, Mike was almost lost. Sitting in a chair that faced the large window, he stared at the stars streaking by. The ship had increased speed and the trail of light behind each passing star was always fascinating to him. Turning his gaze back into the room, his eyes rested on the small spinet piano sitting on one wall. Mike had always enjoyed playing that old spinet. It had belonged to his grandmother. He remembered her sitting with him at the piano and showing him what keys to push and how to read the music. Starting at the age of three she taught him to play, his talent had grown continually. Many at the university had wondered why Wilkes hadn’t chosen music as a major, but Mike had wanted to build things, so engineering had been his choice – not that his piano lessons or his playing had suffered. On the contrary, some at the university considered his piano skills better than some professionals. That didn’t really mean anything to Mike. He played because he enjoyed the music and especially the challenge to get a piece just right.

  Mike walked over to the spinet and sat on the well-worn wooden bench. Placing his hands on the keyboard, he began to play Gershwin. It was the second of his three preludes, and had a sad and almost forlorn melody which matched his current mood. As he played, his mind returned to the taunting he had endured. All through his life, Mike had heard the comments behind his back about everything from his high grades to his glasses. He was sick of it. Even when he had gone out of his way to be friendly, the comments continued. Mike realized that this was just childish behavior which should go away when one became an adult, but today’s taunting from his peers simply added to his frustrations.

  The door opened and Mike’s mother, Mary Wilkes, came into the room. She heard the music and knew Mike had been having a bad day.

  “Hi there handsome,” she said with a smile.

  Mike looked up and smiled at his mother. He immediately stopped playing the prelude and switched to Gershwin’s Rialto Ripples, something his mom loved. She walked up to her son and placed her hand along the side of his head, running her fingers through his blond curls. “Bad day?” she prodded.

  “The usual,” he said as he continued to play. “But,” he said as he switched to a fanfare before turning to her, “I placed out of my exams.”

  Mary smiled at her son. “Not bad. So I guess we just have to go to graduation,” she said with a smile.

  “Just about,” he said. “But one thing did come up.” Mary gave a questioning look.

  “I was invited to go to earth to get a doctorate,” he grinned.

  “Well! Doctor Wilkes. That has a nice ring. What did you say?” she asked.

  Mike gave a shrug. “I told them no.”

  “No?”

  “Well, actually, I asked if I could wait for a year or so. I think I’d rather get some practical experience outside of a classroom. They said it would be fine,” he told her. “I mentioned it to Lieutenant Hadaie when I saw him on the way to his watch after class. He thought it was a good idea too.” Mike chuckled, “I guess he’s about the only one as excited about it as I am – and he’s from another world.”

  Mrs. Wilkes grinned. She was so proud of her son. She knew he was concerned about his inability to get in with “the group,” but he had made friends aboard the ship and in the long run, he might be better off. Now Michael had made a very important decision in his life. Although she might have jumped at a chance to get a doctorate, he was delaying things for all the right reasons. Practical experience would go a long way when he did go for his doctorate. He needed to know of her support. “Ulon is a nice guy. We think a lot alike. And I agree with him, the university will just have to wait. You deserve the time to do what you want for a while. Besides, we should be headed home in a few months. There will be lots of new worlds to see between now and then. When we get back, a little time on earth may give you all kinds of things to think over,” she said to Mike.

  “Thanks, Mom,” he said. “I was kind of afraid you might be angry.”

  She gave a surprised look. “Who, me? Not in the least. Your father won’t either if he knows what’s good for him,” she said with an angry face. Both laughed and she gave him a hug. His father would just have to live with the decision.

  Hadaie had to postpone his meeting with Mike after his watch was over. Instead, the Captain asked him to meet with the new crewmembers just below the bridge in the crew’s observation lounge. A part of the Captain’s indoctrination program for new crewmembers was to get to know and understand a little about the twenty eight difference species of humanoid aboard the Lexington. Hadaie had been saved until last. Of all the species aboard, his was the most interesting and different. As he entered the lounge, the other crewmen came to attention and he had them take their seats.

  As Hadaie looked at the thirty four new crewmembers, he saw a mixture of interest, complacency, and some who were too bored to care. He would change that.

  “My name is Ulon Hadaie. I am an Angelan. Some of you may have heard that my home planet was destroyed a few years ago by an asteroid. As a result, I may well be the only Angelan you will ever see. While most of the other humanoids onboard the ship are very similar to people from Earth, you can see I am a little different,” he said. Hadaie got up and walked closer to those in the front. He held out his hand. “As you can see, my skin is very smooth. It’s almost like the skin of a dolphin on Earth. The greenish color is because my blood is based on copper instead of iron, and although I do have lungs, I can also breathe through my skin. I don’t really sweat. Instead, my hair acts as a radiator. If I get to moving very fast, it can turn a bright red as it sheds excess heat. And I can make heat. One of the traits we have is how fast we both think and move. While most humans use only ten to fifteen percent of their brain, I am using over ninety, at times. My brain is also operating at over ten times the speed of yours. This doesn’t mean I’m smarter, it just means I can do more tasks at the same time. Then, there is the rest of my body. My muscles are faster as well.”

  Hadaie suddenly disappeared. The class was startled until they heard his voice call out from the back of the class. He was standing there, as if he had been waiting for them. He disappeared again and suddenly he was standing again at the front of the class. He was holding all of the communications devices he had taken from their uniforms. His hair was glowing red. The class began reaching up to where their pins had been, surprised that anything, or anyone could move that fast.

  Hadaie was grinning as he began tossing the communications badges back to the crewmembers. “You see? I have the ability to move fast enough that if I did it for a long time, my uniform would disintegrate from the friction. That’s just a few of the things my people could do. Since I joined the Earth Fleet, I have found that I enjoy your curiosity and desire to learn more about this universe we live in. I also enjoy your humor, which is very similar to ours. I also have another gift which comes in handy every so often. For Angelans, like most humanoids, our greatest senses are through our fingertips. We touch a lot. But because of the speed of our brains, we can also do this,” he said as he walked back to the computer console. He placed his fingertips on the screen. Suddenly, the monitors along the far wall began changing. The lights began turning on and off. Images began to appear showing landscapes and beautiful vistas which were not from Earth. “These are images in my mind of my home planet,” said Hadaie through the speaker system in the room. “As you can see, it was quite beautiful. I can also control other things,” he said. The images changed to the inside of one of the pneumatic elevators. Inside was Captain Dickson. The new crewmembers watched as inside the elevator the lights began flashing and suddenly the elevator stopped and began changing direction. Then it reversed itself again. They saw Dickson get a smile on his face, look at the camera and say, “That’s enough Lieutenant. I’m in a hurry.” The elevator resumed its journey and the screen went blank. The rest of the crewmembers were laughing now. Each of them wanted to get to know this alien better.

  Hadaie was smiling at them. “We found o
ut that it doesn’t make any difference which operating language is being used, I can understand it and work my magic,” he said wiggling his fingers at the class. “Are there any questions?”

  One young woman raised her hand. “I know you said your planet was destroyed, but weren’t there more of your people around the galaxy who could get back together?”

  Hadaie seemed to give a sigh. “Actually, no. You see, we once explored the galaxy like we are doing here. But our mental processes became so intense, we found it easier to build machines which would allow us to explore without leaving our homes. I left because I was fascinated with Earth and its people. When the opportunity came to go to earth and obtain additional degrees, I jumped at the chance. Everyone told me I was a little crazy to do so. Two years later they were all gone and I was alive. I actually hope to one day find another of my species. So if anyone tells you about a green girl, hanging around somewhere, please let me know,” he said.

  There was more laughter in the room. A young man raised his hand. “If your skin is like that of a dolphin, do you not have to keep it wet?”

  “Actually, no. You see, my skin has a thin layer of oil all over it. I’m not sure how it works, but my skin produces it. Even if I were to run my fastest, my skin won’t be harmed.” He looked up at them, “And no, I am not slimy.”

  The class erupted in laughter again. A second young woman sheepishly raised her hand. “Please excuse me if this is too forward, but if you are the last of your people, is there not some way for you to mate with a human or some other species and at least keep something going of your race?” she asked.

  Hadaie looked at her and smiled again, “Is this a proposition,” he asked. The crowd laughed again and she blushed a bright red. He walked up to her. “Thank you for thinking about me. The thought has crossed my mind. Our DNA is very similar and there could be a possibility, but I’m not sure it would work. You see, when Angelans mate, we tough these very sensitive fingertips together,” he said holding up his hands. “At the right time, the male’s part is excreted through the pores in the palm of his hand and the female’s receptors are in her palms as well. You have seen what we can do through our fingers, so you can imagine how intense it could get. My concern is that this touching is very personal and very powerful. I’m not sure what might happen to the brain of another species. If I truly cared about that person, I would not want to harm them. Instead, I am content to make friends. Unless you want to give it a try,” he said with a wink. Once again, the room filled with laughter. At the end, each came up to shake his hand and say hello. They had each discovered a new friend.

  Chapter 2

  Deception

  After a day of watching from the other side of the planet, a long range shuttle lifted gently up and moved through the force field and into space from the number two hangar bay of the Lexington. It skirted out between the engine pods and took a course heading back out into space away from the planet. Inside, Dickson was talking with the shuttle's helmsman.

  "Now remember, I want to make sure he cannot see us until we are well out of the system. Do you understand?" he asked.

  "Yes sir," the helmsman said. He had already understood, but this just reinforced the fact to him that he should make no mistakes on this one. He pointed to the display. "This course should do it. I'll call when we have reached the farthest planet," he said to the captain.

  Dickson smiled. He had noticed that the course had already been laid in and just awaited his command. "Very good. You can go to scale 2 at your convenience."

  "Aye sir," he said initiating the engine command. The shuttles mini transpace engines quickly thrust the craft beyond light speed.

  Dickson turned to the others. "When we get there, I want to act like this is our ship," he said. "I may be wrong, but I have a feeling this ship is responsible for some of the unexpected changes on the planet. Chris," he said turning to his trusted engineer, “I want you and Hadaie to keep an eye on the technology and general conditions on the ship," he said. Turning again, to Tosh, “Commander, stick with me and get a sense of the attitudes and in particular what their leader is about. If they are just observing like we are, then we have a nice visit and go home. If not...." he shrugged and gave them a look of apprehension. Commander Tosh had proven her exceptional skills many times in the fleet. She had a particular ability when it came to the personality of other groups or individuals. Her insights were often the first indication of trouble. Captain Dickson had come to rely not only on her skills but on her common sense as well.

  Tosh nodded. She had already sensed something, but all it did was make her nervous. "If there is a problem, just keep an eye one me or follow my lead. I'll try and warn you if I sense any danger."

  Pike sighed slightly. "I guess it would be too much to ask for a tour of his ship, otherwise Hadaie and I will just have to look at what's in the general area around us.

  "I will endeavor to pick up any additional information I can,” Hadaie said. "I’ll try to determine the relative technological stage and conditions."

  Dickson had gotten used to his crew anticipating his wishes. After years of closely working together it was hard not to know what each other were thinking. It made his job much easier in the long run.

  "Very good. Even if I wanted, I doubt I will even hint at a tour," he joked with them. "They may ask for one in return."

  "We've reached the outer planet sir, I'm turning in now," the helmsman announced. "Straight in course at scale point seven, sir."

  "Very well. Now let's see when he can pick us up," Dickson said smiling at the helmsman for making a flawless transition.

  The shuttle finished its turn after slowing to sub-light speed and began a straight course back to the planet. At scale point seven, they were relatively slowly returning. Twenty minutes later the sensor panel gave an indication.

  "Sir, we are being hailed," the helmsman said turning and smiling at the captain. He had earlier made a bet that it would take them another twenty minutes to see them. His prediction had been right on the money.

  Dickson nodded and smiled. "About half way there. That means his sensors are not that advanced. Open a channel."

  A strange broken voice came over the speakers in the shuttle. "This is Levid commanding the Amad Por. I have detected your approach. Please identify yourself," he demanded.

  "This is Captain Fred Dickson of the Earth Space Cruiser Lexington," Dickson responded. "We are on a peaceful exploration mission in this sector. We now see you in orbit of the nearest planet. Good day to you, sir."

  The tone of voice changed immediately from aggression to delight. "Excellent. I always take pleasure in meeting advanced races like myself. Do you plan to stop in this system?" he asked.

  Dickson glanced at Tosh who was mouthing the word "careful" as he spoke. Dickson nodded and continued, "We were hoping to observe planets in this area. I hope you don't mind our joining you for a short time.

  Levid sounded almost as a father to a child. "Mind? You are most welcome, sir. Please enter orbit and if you can, I will host you for a meal this evening. We can get better acquainted," he said graciously.

  "An honor sir. With your permission, I will enter orbit and dock with you within the hour," Dickson said.

  "I look forward to it. Gives me a chance to show off what I've done down there. Within the hour then," Levid said before cutting the link.

  Pike looked around at the others. "Pretty arrogant isn't he."

  Tosh spoke up after staring out the window a moment. "Sir, I sense real danger here. That was mainly a show. Although I sense no animosity toward us, I sense a general evil around him. If he is nice to us, then he wants something from us. There is something devious behind just about everything he said."

  "Looking at his signal,” Hadaie said, "it is similar to what we were using some one hundred fifty years ago. That was the transition from regular radio energy to transpace. It was an interplex communications set."

  Pike nodded. "Not very reliable bu
t it did allow for limited faster than light communications."

  Dickson sighed. "Our first indications," he said to everyone. "Helmsman, continue on course. Take us into position next to his docking port," he ordered.

  Within 55 minutes, the shuttle had worked its way into orbit and had matched the course and speed of the Amad Por. The Amad Por was a big ship, sensors measuring her at nearly 320 meters in length and painted all black. There were a set of rocket type propulsion units in the rear of the ship and a bulbous nose with some sort of viewing ports at the other. Between was nothing that looked like it would be in any organized builder's plan. It was a maze of shaped compartments covered with different types of antenna, docking type modules, solar arrays and attached bottles and shapes. There didn't seem to be another view port on the ship anywhere except on the nose. The ship was nothing but a big black hole in space.

  As the shuttle made its approach, a set of lights flashed on next to one of the docking ports. Taking this as an invitation to dock, the shuttle maneuvered into place and then eased onto the docking port. The automatic port attachment system on the shuttle attached itself effortlessly to the hull of the Amad Por while a similar system magnetically attached itself as well. Sensors indicated that the atmosphere on both sides of the airlock were a similar oxygen/nitrogen mixture and safe to breathe.

  With a nod, the shuttle door was opened to reveal that the same door on the Amad Por was already open and a very rotund man was standing by impatiently, wearing flowing burgundy colored robes. He had very silver hair and his skin was crimson in color. But his eyes told them much. They were dark, wide open and darting back and forth in a hurried manner, as if he were very anxious to get things over with.