Chapter Text
The Star Beagle Adventures
Episode 5: All Good People
Scene 15: 10,000 More Stars
5.15
10,000 More Stars
The Beagle task force had spent another four days in the Serrat star system, entirely ignored by the hundreds of space ships coursing through the system. Now that they were no longer cloaked, hundreds of lunar bases and planetary bases were easily visible to the task force’s probes.
The dogfish robots were collected and each was found to have had enormous amounts of data uploaded, completely filling the available memory for each robot. The probes had been left alone, which was probably fortunate as these were far more sophisticated machines with far more delicate computer systems.
After recovering all of their assets and taking a large number of readings of the now visible current culture and technology of the native silicon-based lifeforms, whose population could not be guessed, but who had expanded their living space to at least several hundred environments throughout the system, the U.S.S. Beagle, U.S.S. Mako and U.S.S. Escort broke orbit and exited the system.
“We have added an information matrix to Dr. Rush’s monument. I doubt the, shall we call them the serrati?” asked Commodore Yui Song.
“That would warm the cockles of those cold, unimaginative hearts at the Xenoantropology Department,” Captain Skip Howard opined.
Captain Howard and the Beagle’s leadership were gathered in the executive conference room with the ship’s chief engineer and first officer, Commander Dutch Holland, participating from the Beagle’s bridge. Captain Rhonda Carter and Commodore Yui were participating from the bridges of, respectively, the U.S.S. Escort and the U.S.S. Mako.
“Well, for lack of a better term…” Yui Song made an amused noise. “I don’t think they have a word for themselves. I’m far from certain the concept of words makes much sense to them at all. At any rate, I doubt they will be very interested in Dr. Rush or the information available from his monument. But we might make things a little safer for the next carbon-based explorers who turn up in that system.”
“Safer is a well chosen term,” said Serafina Novikova, the UFP Diplomatic Corps Expeditionary Director. “Apparently they didn’t think peaceful coexistence would be possible with the last few carbon-based explorers who visited them over the past few hundred years. They drove some off and slaughtered others out of hand. They were watching us very closely. Note for future reference - taking something, other than readings and photographs, from their archeological sites would probably have been a disastrous mistake. However they didn’t seem to have an issue with us refreshing our food, water, atmosphere and hydrogen supplies.”
“Why do you think they went to the trouble to warn us about the tongue-fish?” asked Captain Carter. “They really didn’t impress me as caring much about us…”
“I would disagree with that impression,” argued Dr. Uto. “They limited their contact with us, according to their communication, because of the danger communication with them presented to us. The really seemed quite interested in us.”
“From what I could tell, they simply stopped everything they were doing and spent weeks just sitting in place and watching us,” Dutch Holland added.
“They were judging us,” Dean Sakura Nakamura Holland concluded. “They were willing to accept us as neighbors, in their home system. I’m far from certain UEG would feel the same way if they sent a task force and wanted to colonize a few of Jupiter’s moons. Skip, I think you’re the one that made up their minds.”
Skip Howard laughed. “Me? Why me?”
“You were the one who ordered Tentis to help the tongue-fish - even after they had killed one of our people.” Sakura took a deep breath. “I think our blobby silver friends… The serrati… I think they liked that.”
“There are some problems with the stellar information they provided us,” intoned the ancient former premiere of the Vulcan Science Academy, T’Eln. She touched a control, causing a large star-field to be projected above the conference table.
“This is the official U.F.P. star map of this part of the Alpha Quadrant we are currently exploring,” explained Yogi Massa, one of the stellar cartographers on T’Eln’s team.
T’Eln touched another control and two separate areas ballooned out, filling up with tens of thousands of more stars:
“And that is the stellar map they provided for this same region.” The ancient vulcan’s voice was cold and emotionless. But somehow, her statement sounded even more ominous as a result. “Tens of thousands of stars that we don’t appear to be able to see or detect at all…”
All Good People