Finally the crew has been picked up

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Diaries of a Skunktaur

by Bob Reijns

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Part 7: Almost Home.

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Finally the crew has been picked up. Their signal has been discovered by the Marie Curie, a Chakonan science vessel. The captain, Chakat Silverstripe, picked them up and extended a more than warm welcome. On board they made a couple of new friends amongst wich the Chief engineer Parkinson and the captains mate, Chakat Blackears. Shi was the daughter of a Chakat and a Chakat-kin and inherited hir sires ability to form an empathic bond with

Skunktaurs and Chakats. Alexander was saved from death, the poisons removed from his body, but his nervous system all but gone. Everyone had a few nice surprises on board, but the last surprise was the biggest, and rather unpleasant.

*****

All four of us hurried towards the sickbay, where the doctors where trying to detain the capture of Alex as long as possible. Along the way Blackears explained the situation to us as good as shi could.

“Right now we’re in a sort of beaurocratig grey zone, Silver and I were worried this might happen.” Shi said, “When we came close to the Eart Orbital station, our computer linked up with theirs and all the information we got was uploaded, including us finding your ship, the information you had, and the report of Alexanders ‘crime’ and arrest.” I nodded.

We were nearing the location of the sickbay while Blackears continued “As it is, this ship is Chakonan, thus Chakonan territory. But or crew is part of Starfleet, and even though we’re from the ~Chakonan~ based Starfleet, it is the same organisation. We’re pretty sure they can’t touch you or your ship, since you’re independent AND Chakonan citizens. Earth Starfleet will be out of their leauge by taking you, but Alex is a different matter.”

I sighed and guessed, “Let me take a shot, since we turned the claim in with a Starfleet officer, they can arrest and try him, right?” Shi nodded,”But the captain has a plan, our only hope is that they didn’t send someone who’ll directly outrank hir. We can stall long enough to make sure we can get all of you to Chakona.”

Rounding the last corner, the hallway was filled with curious crewmembers, protesting nurses and the doctor and not to mention, a small ~army~ of Starfleet army personnell.

“Allright,” Silverstripe boomed in a tone of voice I’ve only heared once before, from Silk, just before the explosion that started it all. “Just WHAT is going on here? You, you and you, don’t you have a duty to perform?” Shi pointed at a few staring crew and they scurried off, shi was setting hirself up as the only figure of authority on board, and shi would need the image. A few soldiers looked up startled when shi began to shout and raised their weapons slightly. “YOU.. Didn’t they teach you to salute when you met a superior officer?”

They startled and immediately stood to attention, saluting, but most importantly, they had to put their weapons away to do it. Silver returned the salute and stomped into the sickbay proper, flanked by Silktail and Blackears and me behind.

“..then we will take him with us!” the last syllables of a discussion reached us when we came in. There was a middle-aged human standing there with the senior doctor, each accompanied by their respective staff, two soldiers and two nurses. They were standing on each side of the bed Alexander was lying in and didn’t even notice us when Silver scraped hir throat.
”What is the big idea here? Stomping onto my ship without permission? Without notice even! Intimidating MY crew and giving orders in MY place?” Shi thundered. The three of us almost automatically assumed positions near hir to emphasise hir command as much as possible.

The soldiers were immediately impressed, but the man merely turned and smiled.

“ Captain Silverstripe, I presume?” the man said, “I am commander Stephens, in charge of the security of the Earth Orbital platform.” We could all feel Silvers mental wince at the word ‘commander’, he outranked hir allright. Shi quickly recomposed and played hir part on.

“Why are you on my ship?” Shi demanded.

“I am here to take into custody a Alexander Dawson on account of smuggling an illegal DNA sample through spaceways,” he started, taking a breath to continue his story, “to collect a captain Silktail, child of Flutesong and Broadpaw and a Zwokkie of House Bluepaw, child of Softpaw and Jester for medical and psychological checkup, and a debriefing on their ordeal and discoveries o while travelling through uncharted space, and a certain Todd Fox, enlisted in Earths armies and under the circumstances servign in the Earth military branche of Starfleet”.

Silverstripe sighed, this was it. “ Counsellor,” Shi turned to Blackears, “did you get all of this?” Blackears nodded. “Then tell the commander our point of view.”

The air suddenly grew tense.

“ Commander, Are you aware of the morally inhumane act you are about to commit when trying to remove mr Dawson from this sickbay?” Blackears began, “Have you even asked the doctor wether or not he will ~survive~ being transported?” Shi waited for the doctor to cue in, she did immediately “Mr Dawson will NOT survive a transport off this ship, I’ve been trying to tell HIM that since he came barging in.” The commander glared at her and Blackears continued, loud enough for everone to hear, even in the hallway, “Given that commander, you are aware that you would KILL mr Dawson by moving him.” Everyone looked at us, even cmdr Stephens’ own personnel, who were suddenly a whole lot less eager to haul Alex off.

“Strike one,” I thought.

“As for Captain Silktail and hir Chief engineer Zwokkie, they are independent Chakonan civillians. If any, only the Chakonan based Starfleet may ask their cooperation, and this is Chakona you’re in sir. Would you KIDNAP Chakonan civillians? I’m sure our government will be ~delighted~ to hear that.” Blackears sensed shi had put the commander off balance with the first statement, and even now the buzz had started among his own people.

“And why do you assume mr Todd Fox is a member of you military force, sir?” Blackears finally asked with a sly grin on hir muzzle. The commander stepped up and tried to reclaim his end in the discussion with this opening.

“We have reason to believe that this person is the missing soldier under the codename FOX-10d, he had been lost and should resume his position under our command.” He brandished an official looking paper and presented it.

“Well this is very interesting,” Blackears said, “Answer me this commander Stephens, how can a deceased soldier be up and walking about the Marie Curie? Because you see, I have a different piece of paper, signifying that the person you name to be FOX-10d died during WW3.” And with an equally big grin as the commander had, shi gave him his paper back and one of hir own. The commander went pale.

“Well, since mr Todd cannot possibly be a deceased soldier, I see no ground on him being added to your command. I had though the act of pressing people to join armies had died even before the Second world war on Earth. Or am I mistaken, sir?”

The more Blackears talked after handing the commander the Certficate of Death, the more his face turned red of suppressed fury. But since noone was out of line, disrespecting or insubordinate, he was totally powerless. Even if he outranked everyone on the ship. And even when he would order his men to carry out the mission they were sent to perform, it was clear that not one of them would follow it due to moral reasons. We beat him… for now.

“I shall NOT forget this,” he said with his teeth clenched, “I will go back to the platform, I will contact my superiors and we will make you cooperate AND I will be watching the docking bay. If Captain Silktail or Chief Zwokkie step even an INCH off the Marie Curie, I will arrest them. Because they would be on EARTH. Remember it.” And he turned with those last words, marching out the door and barking at his men to leave the ship.

“ Oh we won’t forget sir,” Silverstripe called out behind him, “We won’t forget a word you said, because all your threats have been neatly recorded by the ships computer. Have a nice day, Sir.” Shi saluted to his back while he picked up even more speed leaving.

We stayed there, even for a full five minutes after he’d gotten off the Marie Curie before collapsing in a nervous heap. Even though Silktail and I were only there as décor, and probably as mental support. We were as exhausted as Silver and Blackears were.

Silktail and I decided to call it an early night, while Blackears and Silverstripe rushed of to Silvers study. The last thing I thought I heared, or sensed, was an urgency to call a Chakonan ambassador before cmndr Stephens got to the platform.

It didn’t take long for the Ambassador to respond, and considdering the circumstances he decided to get on board the Marie Curie as soon as possible. When we finally got the message that he was waiting for us in the captains offices both Silktail and I rushed there immediately.

Todd excused himself, wanting to stand guard by Alex just in case. Understandable and neither of us tried to argue.

Well, I said finally but the wait was no longer than an hour.

When we entered Silverstripes office we were greeted by the friendly face of Ambassador James Wolverton, a middle-aged human in an impeccable suit. First thing that struck us was his sheer length, the man must’ve been over seven feet tall, and not the skinny tall either.

At first I wondered why an ambassador of a planet governed by Chakat would be human, but as soon as I thought it I realised that in tense political situations, anyone would most likely be talking to someone who looks like themselves, even if nearly twice their size.

Silverstipe was the first to speak, “Ahh, Silktail, Zwokkie I’d like you to meet Mr James Wolverton, The Earth Ambassador for Chakona. Mr Wolverton, these are the two explorers mentioned to you.” Shi smiled a little when shi said that.

James got up to shake our hands, and completely in Chakat style added a warm hug as well.

“Pleasure to meet you two, allthoug I regret the situation we have to meet in. Please seat yourselves so we can all talk more relaxed.”

After we got seated and had been given a drink, the first thing James wanted to hear was a short recount of our story, out of curiosity and probably to break the ice as well.

“Good Gods, the things you must’ve seen, “ Said Ambassador Wolverton after we finished, “I’ve always wanted to do that kind of thing, but ironically, I never passed the physical examination.” Then his voice turned stern. “Sadly, after I got the call from Councellor Blackears I did a quick check of my own and it seems that Commander Stephens started his papertrail the moment he got off the Marie Curie.”

“And what does this mean for us?” Asked Silverstripe

“ Well, warrants for the arrest of Alexander, Silktail, Zwokkie and Todd are allready in processing, allthough I got my people to stall as long as possible. It means that the next time the good Commander boards the ship, he can take along whomever he wants.” James answered gravely, “The counts are Smuggling, for Alex; and trying to enter Earth without proper papers, ie being an illegal alien, for Silktail, Zwokkie and Todd.”

“ That’s ridiculous,” I interjected, “we have passes and clearances to dock, land and enter every planet allied with Starfleet, StarCorps and those belonging to the Universal Trades Treaty.”

James nodded and continued, “ That’s not the point. Point is that he can get you in custody for at least 24 hours while the matters get cleared, and that’s all he needs.”

Silktail nodded, “I remember that ploy, from an old movie, but the sad part is that it works in real life. What can we do?”

Finally the ambassador started to smile, “Very simple, Todd can request asylum on Chakona and Alexander has allready done so, requesting to be tried by a Chakonan court,” He said while taking out a signed and unsigned piece of paper.

“ But.. Alexander is still out cold, how did he..” I started, but James coughed conspiratorally and answered. “Mr Dawson regained conciousness long enough to make his request and sign with a thumbprint, it’s as legal as a signature, just before he relapsed into his catatonic state.”

I shut up wisely.

“As for you two, and his grin got wider, two of my staff have quit their positions recently and I need to attaches. The job positions are open and you only need to apply with me…”

***

Silktail and I impatiently waited for the customs to clear our totebags contents so we could finally enjoy some time on Earth after being stuffed in the Marie Curie so long. The both of us were still a little weary of soldiers springing out of nowhere to arrest us, but while we counted off the minutes, nothing happened.

“Allright, Shir Silktail and, “The lemurmorph with our bags checked her information, “Miss.. Zwokkie, here is your baggage again and I wish you a pleasant stay on Earth.” She concluded with a smile and we both padded off.

After we retrieved our ambassadoral passports from the other customs post we proceeded to leave the spaceport.

Once outside the overcrowded hall we took a deep breath and wrapped out arms around eachothers waists tightly.

“Finally we’re on a planet we know about,” said Silktail happily, “Lets go and have fun.”

I seconded that enthousiastically and we both went towards the market areas, scouting for souvenirs and generally having a good time. Sometimes I thought I noticed something odd in the people we met, Silktail did as well.

“Did you notice some people cross the street when we walk by?” Shi asked me.

I nodded, “ That and some of these stalls actually double their price when I ask about an item,” I added.

It was true, we were both getting the impression we were missing something important that had been taking place while we were gone. I was drifting with possibilities on my mind to give me an answer untill Silktail broke my thoughts.

“Look Zwokkie, this would look rather nice on you,” shi said while holding up a very blue shirt. “Try it on, it’ll be something different than a plain shirt and that vest you’re wearing most of the time.” I smiled and looked at the item, it was more of a sleeveless top than a shirt, but decided to try it on anyway, if only to please Silktail. I handed hir my vest and took off the shirt I wore underneath. Some people muttered a few words I’m sure I didn’t want to hear more clearly anyway. After I slipped the top over my head and put it into place I saw that it was a loose fit, ending just above my midriff, and actually did look very nice. Turning back to Silktail, I found that shi allready put my stuff away.

“Silktail? I’ll need to put those back on you know..” I started

“Don’t have to,” Shi replied with a sly grin, “I allready paid for it before I showed it to you. And you look wonderfull.” Shi ended hir compliment with a wrm embrace and a quick kiss.

“Now lets go spot something to eat, we’ve been walking all afternoon.”

I hadn’t noticed, but right after shi said that, my stomach responded with a hungry growl. Silktail chuckled and rubbed my underbelly with hir tail “And I guess that is an affirmative answer?” I laughed and nodded, “I think I saw a diner three streets ago, it might be a nice place.” We walked off in that direction, my arm round Silktails waist, hir hand up the back of my new shirt, softly rubbing the fur between my shoulders. As hir tail twined around mine I was trying memorise what shi was doing with hir hand, it felt good and I was sure shi’d enjoy the same as well.

***

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