Pulsat Rad
was born on Prinsloo in the Rexenor system, a dry desert world, rich in
minerals and ore, which he hadn’t seen for 15 years.
He was one
of the lucky ones as his parents were able to arrange for him to get away from
his home world before the Mehreen Empire conquered the planet and enslaved the
Prinsloovian’s putting them under the yoke in order to rape their own planet of
all that was precious.
He had
never returned and had no idea of what fate may have befallen his parents, he
had met several of his own kind over the years, but none of them could
enlighten him, as they were in the same boat as he was.
He was
heavy set and had a rough bony skull which raised up like a crown which receded
to give way to a Mahogany scaled brow, cheekbones and jawline which framed an
ivory coloured face, and he had yellow eyes and his entire countenance betrayed
his reptilian ancestry.
He was
incredibly strong and found no difficulty in finding work among the many mining
operations he came across as he worked his way steadily, from world to world
and moon to moon, moving inexorably away from the Mehreen, it was on one of
those worlds, Kordesh, that he met his friend Vanzyl.
Vanzyl was
from Kessleria, the third planet in the Omeghard system, he was slender and
like Pulsat he owed his origins to reptilian DNA, but his kind evolved from
fish and possessed a scaly countenance and silver scaled skin, a sleek form,
large opaque eyes, pursed lips, and gills.
He was also
working for a mining company when they met but he did his work underwater.
He also
left his home world because of the Mehreen but in Kessleria’s case they wanted
the water, and in taking it they essentially brought genocide to the peaceful
Kesslerian’s.
Vanzyl was
more fortunate than Pulsat as he escaped from his home world with a large group
of friends who supported and comforted each other, but over the years following
their exodus, as they endured harsher and harsher conditions his friends
perished one by one until he was finally left alone.
Subsequently
his loneliness was keenly felt because his solitude was so extreme, and that
was because he could only communicate in clicks, whirls and whistles which none
but his own kind could understand, until that is Pulsat Rad arrived on Kordesh.
Pulsat
worked his passage on a Pan Universal Minerals Gargantuan cargo transporter and
was part of the crew that unloaded new processing plant to Kordesh and helped
to manoeuvre it in situ, but when the time came for the manager of the mine to
press the start button the motors ground to a halt after about 15 seconds
causing a good deal of head scratching, but very little else.
Until the
moment the slender animated fish like figure of Vanzyl approached the manager
and began loudly whirling, whistling and clicking at him.
“For God
sake get this freak away from me” the manager shouted and two burly security
men began man handling him away which caused Pulsat to rush forward.
“Stop,
stop, he can fix, he can fix”
“Wait” the
manager said to security and then addressed Pulsat
“Do you
understand what fish lips is saying?”
This
prompted a fresh utterance of whirls whistles and clicks this time directed at
Pulsat, because he could understand every tone and toot as if it were in his
own tongue, but that was common place for his species, there were very few
races he had met on his travels that he couldn’t understand, although he
couldn’t speak to them in their language, but he nonetheless understood every
word that they spoke.
“I said do
you understand this freak?” the manager shouted
“He ask me
same question” Pulsat retorted then added
“He know
how to fix”
“How?” the
manager barked and Vanzyl renewed his emanations
“He say,
intake hose connected outlet valve”
“That’s not
possible” one of the techs responded dismissively
“He say”
Pulsat repeated and shrugged
“Check it”
the manager snapped
“It’s a
waste of time” the tech said
“Check it”
“But…”
“Check it!
Now!” he demanded and the tech walked dejectedly away and ten minutes later he
returned shamefaced.
“Well?” the
manager demanded
“The hose
was connected to the wrong valve” he simpered
“So if I
hit the start button will it start?” the manager asked
“I think
so” the tech replied
“I wasn’t
asking you” he snapped
“I’m asking
him” he said pointing at Vanzyl who whistled a response which Pulsat translated
“Start,
yes”
So the
manager nodded and turned confidently to the machine and hit the button and the
great beast of a machine roared into life.
After
Vanzyl had saved the day, and the blushes of the techs, he was promoted to
engineer on the new plant, and because he was only able to speak in clicks and
whirls, which only Pulsat could understand, he was also promoted, but it turned
out that he too was an excellent engineer.
They spent
the next ten years working for Pan Universal Minerals firstly on mining planets
and latterly on a Gargantuan cargo transporter and they were happy enough, they
were well treated on the whole, though were still made to feel like outcasts,
and excluded from the main group, but without malice, which was perhaps worse
as that made them almost anonymous.
But they
would have happily stayed aboard indefinitely, however when the Gargantuan was
ordered to cross into Mehreen space to deliver a new mining rig the pair parted
company with Pan Universal and disembarked on Alwi.
They hoped
that with the glowing references from their employer they would have no problem
signing on with someone else but on Alwi there were 10 would be workers
competing for every vacancy so they were out of luck, so they spent all of
their time sitting on the terrace of the Alwi Ambassadors Lodge, watching all
the comings and goings and hoping to find a suitable ship to crew on.
And it was
there, after three long weeks that they met Visitor Parham, and Pulsat liked
him very much from the first moment and he liked him even more when he said he
preferred to be called “Bagg” because the was the name for female genitalia on
his world and it made him smile very much when he heard people call him that name.
As it so
happened Bagg was also looking for transport off Alwi to continue his
mission.
Visitors
were a Christian sect who took to the stars with the first migrants to visit
new worlds, spreading the word while seeking enlightenment, and they had established
Visitor enclaves in every corner of the known universe, they even thrived in
Mehreen space and they were the least spiritual beings to ever draw breath.
The
difference between Visitors and the established Christian Church on earth was
its spontaneity, they didn’t wait until Sunday to worship, they did it wherever
and whenever it was desired and it didn’t need to happen in a church, Visitors
worshipped everywhere.
He had
hitched a ride on a space dredger as far as Alwi but it wasn’t going any further
so he got off in the hope of getting on another.
He found
himself drawn to Pulsat and Vanzyl as he had not encountered either a
Prinsloovian or a Kesslerian before and he found then to be very amiable and he
found their relationship fascinating, so he remained in their company as much
as possible but every morning he left the Lodge and went in search of transport
for the three of them and on the fourth day he re-joined his companions at
midday with good news.
“Quickly
you two” he gestured “I have found a Tempest class freighter in need of an
engineer”
“What like
people?” Pulsat asked, but Bagg knew that what he wanted to know was what
species they were
“The
Captain is human, and the navigator appears to be also and the third is a Vann”
Bagg explained
“We look?”
Asked Pulsat
“We look”
Bagg agreed
They
stopped about fifty yards away and looked at the ship, it wasn’t a huge ship as
freighters go but pound for pound the Tempests had the highest freight to fuel
ratio yield of their class.
The front
section comprised of a sizable pressurized hold for large freight accessed via
a front loading ramp, above which was the flight deck, living and sleeping
quarters, mess facilities and bath rooms, at the rear was the main propulsion
and amidships were the universal pod bays, which allowed for a mixed cargo
option.
“You wait
here while I speak with the Captain” Bagg said and Vanzyl clicked
“She is in
engine?” Pulsat translated
“She is”
Bagg responded
“Very bad
place for Captain” Pulsat said
They
watched their new friend walk towards the ship and heard a scream emanate from
within
“Argh!!!!”
“Very bad
place for Captain” Pulsat said and then they watched as a conversation ensued
and after a short time the Captain scrambled out of her oily tomb and wiped her
oily hand on a rag before offering it to him to shake.
After a
further short converse Bagg turned to look in their direction and gestured to
them so they walked towards him.
“This is
Merionwen Strong, Captain of the Tornado” Bagg said
“Good
meeting, I Pulsat Rad, this Vanzyl” he said and clicks and whirls began to
emanate from Vanzyl which were clearly directed at Pulsat
“Ok I
speak” he said and more clicks and whirls followed
“I telling,
I telling” Pulsat retorted and to Merri he explained
“Vanzyl say
we very much like fix engines, very much like join crew Tornado”
“You fix
the engines and you have a deal” she said “on one condition”
“What is?”
he asked
“The
condition is that you don’t have any strange eating habits” Merri explained and
then she observed as the two engineers in waiting looked at each other in what
she supposed was puzzlement until Vanzyl made a long whistling noise followed
by a succession of clicks and Pulsat snorted.
“No, no, we
eat everything” he said and then he and Vanzyl proceeded to investigate the
engines leaving the Captain and Bagg to talk.
Vanzyl
whistled, whirled and clicked audibly as he inspected the four Plasma Turbine
Pyroclast Engines and the associated panels and displays and Pulsat said
“Captain
not engineer”
“Engines
fixed” Pulsat said when they entered the mess hall
“What
already?” Merri asked “You’ve fixed them both?”
“No” Pulsat
replied
“We fix
four”
“I already
had two working” Merionwen said indignantly which prompted Vanzyl to make a
long whistling noise followed by a succession of clicks and Pulsat snorted,
which clearly denoted laughter in the former and derision in the latter.
“We fix
four” Pulsat repeated and everyone laughed
“So you’ve
done in four hours that I haven’t been able to do in almost as many months”
“We are
engineers” Pulsat said and everyone laughed again
“Then it
looks like we’re getting off this rock at last” Merri said “and we have three
new shipmates”
Then after
the introductions were made Merri said
“Now sit
and eat”
“We eat
here?” Pulsat asked
“Where else?”
Merri said and Vanzyl uttered a soft whistle like a plaintive flute, then he
looked at his friend and whistled again
“Like
family, yes” Pulsat agreed
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