A Strange Planet called Zigrida Pt. 08

Scott answered, "I guess our young guys would feel the same way." Then asked, "How are the boys born?"

There are places in the province where older Zigrida women produce a serum that channels the male sperm so that only male babies are born; they raise them to 7 rotations, then they are sent to the refuges to grow to maturity.

Where are you from; how does the reproductive process work?

Scott explained it; after an hour had gone by, he finished.

Coya responded, "That seems very complicated."

Scott replied, "Man, you don't know the half of it." Laughing.

Commander Sarah and the Zigrida leadership

Sarah speaks to her assembled team of science officer Lisa of the Enigma and six of the Imperium's crew women; we have to stick close together. I don't want anyone taken captive. Melissa has done a chemical analysis of the planet's inhabitants; we as females should be immune to their telepathy and pheromones. As far as we know, the only weapons they use are ropes and traps; we know they have some form of communication but are unsure exactly what it is or how they use it. We will be dressed like Zigridians but will have laser stun weapons in holsters, only use them if threatened. Behind us will be 4 Bots in stealth with stun guns; their computer instruction panels locked, they have specific software to listen to only me, the captain.

"Okay, let's go," stated Captain Sarah; with that, they all got into the surface lander heading for the leadership building in Azulla valley of Quzerline province.

The ship flew out of the hangar bay, heading towards the planet.

Lisa spoke to Commander Sarah, "What do we do if they say we will talk, but then would want to take us somewhere?"

Sarah replied, "The only talking will be out in the open; I will make sure they understand that, okay?"

Lisa said, "I will not be captured by these people anymore."

Captain Sarah then saying, "I understand it will be okay, remember you are the only one here with experience with these people." We have a backup ship ready if we need; rescued; it's not like before when your crew had limited numbers.

"Understood," she replied.

It was noon in the middle of the day when the landing ship, not in stealth and sounding very loud, flew into the atmosphere. Everyone outside on this sunny warm fall day looked up into the air seeing a spacecraft for the first time; everyone rushed near their houses; however, they remained to look up into the sky.

The ship landed in a meadow 100 yards from the Edifice leadership building, the engine shut off.

Commander Sarah, science officer Lisa and the team lowered the door and walked out, standing near the ship. There was a message sounding from the space-ship in the people's language saying that they have come in peace and wanted to communicate with their leadership.

Aa'luna, the security officer, Kycatria, the bio-scientist, and Leilani leader of Maliene valley, now in charge of investigating the strange people, walked out. Twenty-five others gathered together, slowly walking towards Commander Sarah.

Kycatria then spoke, saying, "Speak."

Sarah replied, "Look, I will be straight with you; we know radiation hit this area years back, devastating the male population.' 'Then someone sent a resonance beam pushing it away.' 'We have come from another world investigating the sound that beam made, as we did not know other people lived in light-years of our planet."

"I am in command of the second spaceship we are in the orbit of your planet.' 'The first ship sent was commanded by Commander Scott, who you call Male-one. His space-ship was broken, going through the radiation belt. He came here trying to get help when your people abducted him; we are sorry for any misunderstandings."

Aa'luna said, "What do you want from us?"

"We want to open up a dialog with you," Spoke Captain Sarah.

Leilani was the next to speak, "Where are your protective devices?' 'We can only speak with you if you reveal them to us; we know you have them hid."

Commander Sarah ordered them to stand down from stealth mode; they became visible, with three hovering behind them, with one remaining in the lander.

The planet's women stepped back; then, there was a conference between the three leaders.

Kycatria then said, "How many Male-ones are there, and where are they?"

Lisa agitated they even asked such a question, blurted out 3, only three, and you are not getting them either.

Leilani then got hostile, saying, "Where is my breeding cream you stole from me!" Then turning to the 25 gathered with them, she said,' 'okay, girls." Then the group used their minds telepathy together to rewrite the Mission Robots software she had taught them.

Commander Sarah then told her people to get back to the ship; this is getting out of hand; the door opened quickly, but the Zigrida females rushed them before they could all get in. The Bots began stunning the rushing females, dropping 15, as Commander Sarah and her crew made it inside.

Ten women on Zimba's with ropes rode up from the other side of the ship, five were stunned, but one roped a Bot with a 15-cord cable, causing a momentary systems electrical surge. It stopped. It then rebooted, causing a memory wipe; while waiting for its instructions to upload, Leilani's telepathy wrote in instead.

Commander Sarah said, "Leave it; let's get back to the ship." She looked at Lisa but did not say anything.

The lander made it back to the Enigma minutes later.

Commander's Scotts/Sarah's Log

In the briefing room, Captain Sarah, back in the ship, met Commander Scott, explaining what had happened while trying to open up communication with the Zigrida women.

He told her they had all been monitoring the audio, saying, "It is a shame." He then continued, "The Bot they have can't leave the planet, so it poses no harm."

Sarah said, "I believe we should let them hold on to it; all it will do is what they want it to do, as a servant.' 'Being made by us, they have something to see first-hand we mean them no harm; they can even ask it our intentions it will tell them."

"Yes," he agreed.

Captain Scott continued to see Ia'lena and the children; he loved them and their mother very much. Of course, all visits were in secret. He got a chance to see all three crawling, walking, saying da-da; and ma-ma. He fed them and played with them; he was a real father.

Two years went by real fast; they were ready to make a jump from planet Zigrida.

The Commander and Coya became good friends and came up with a way to get through the Radiation using the resonance beam he helped create; they were ready to make the jump.

Coya said, "He would sneak into the resonance telepathic beam chamber and move the auto sweep to the coordinate of the jump you have set; the beam should weaken the radiation enough to get you through."

Commander Sarah asked him, "What if you get caught?

He said, "At my age, I am immune to their telepathy and pheromones; even so, all they will do would be to put me to work repairing buildings and roads all old males use to do, I will be okay. Of course, you know I'll escape anyway, he laughed.

Scott replied, "I will teach you how to write instructions into the Robot the Zigrida females have; you can use it to get back down to the southern pole."

The Solar Vortex Jump from the dark moon of planet Zigrida

The time came, they were ready, but before he left, he wanted to speak with Ia'lena for the last time; and had not told her he was planning on going, not wanting to upset her. Taking a stealth Bot like he always did, he was at the house in no time.

Scott said, "Ia'lena, I need to speak with you about something very critical."

She sat down, listening.

He went on; my people are about ready to leave this planet and go back home. I know it's a shock, but I thought you should know.

Ia'lena said, "I packed our bags already; the children are ready. I left the house in Tlipion's hands. I am ready when you are."

Commander Scott was surprised, saying, "You know already?"

She replied, "Of course, silly, I have telepathy, or did you forget?" The girls kept telling me, daddy going back home Earth, daddy going Earth." She put her hand to his mouth, saying I know you did not want to ask me to leave my family and my planet; that is so sweet, but I am staying with my mate, you.

So, the Commander/ Captain Scott said, "I better go get the lander; the Bot is too small." He got back an hour later. I packed everyone in with their belongings and headed to the Enigma.

Making it back to the ship, he introduced her to Sarah and the crew. Put her in his crew quarters and the children in an adjacent room next to theirs.

They were ready to make the jump.

He put the kids to sleep in capsules, not afraid or shaken up by the bumpy trip.

Everyone was strapped in on the command bridge, waiting for the resonance telepathic beam to focus on the coordinate 56YV-N98. After an hour, Coya contacted them, saying, "Go now."

Commander Sarah said, "Scott, it's your ship; give the command."

Scott said, "Steve Shields up.' 'Mike, jump us out in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Now!"

Mike hit the jump button; the ship powered for 3 minutes then blasted off up into space at the coordinates chosen. After 35 minutes, the space-ship reached the Radiation belt; it was weak, just like Coya said. But the craft started to slow down.

"Steve," the Commander said. 'how is the mag shielding?"

"Holding commander," he replied.

Just then, Captain Sarah said, "Scott, you are going to have to use the light-speed engines; we are slowing down too much. We will stall without the magnetic field of another planetary body to pull us all the way through."

Commander Scott said, "Mike, you heard the Captain, hit it."

The ship shifted into light-speed Mach 2; there was a slight rattling and rumbling. However, in 30 minutes, the space-ship Enigma busted its way through. However, it did experience some harm to the light engine, but unsure how much.

The resonance beam had weakened the Radiation so much they made it through much faster in ¼ of the time.

Commander Mac McCartney in Command of the Quilotoa was in the area when his sensors sounded; he sent a subspace radio signal asking Captain Scott or Sarah?

Both Commanders on the Communication Com said, "Yes, it is both of us."

McCartney said, "It has been three and a half years every-body gave up hope, but for me, I only come here once a week continuing the probes into the Radiation to no avail.

Commander Scott said, "Yes, we know we have a massive log to report, laughing."

The Enigma and Quilotoa were on their way to Neptune before making the final-jump and journeying towards the Earth.

"WE ARE GOING HOME!"

The End.