"Got one," John announced cheerily as they entered the bridge with Cutter in tow. Sissy had tilted back the command chair and had her feet up on a makeshift foot stool. A large cool drink was precariously balanced on her protruding tummy.
"I think the wee lass hae gotten bigger jus' in the time we hae been gone," Greyhawk said to John.
Sissy turned her head to the newcomer without moving the rest of her body.
"You know how to get us there?" she asked bluntly.
"Well, we was discussin' my, uh, compensation, you know, for my help ..."
Cassandra poked him with her gun. "Yeah, sure," he said quickly. "No problem."
"Oh, good," Sissy said and turned back, closing her eyes in exhaustion. "I can't wait ..." Then she lifted her hand and waved them off, eyes still shut. "Go plan something. I'll be here if you need me."
"Okay, so tell us, how do we get there?" Cassandra demanded.
They were in the conference room and Cutter was sitting at the head of the table. John guarded the door.
"Do I still get the platinum?"
Joanie looked up from caressing her gun. "Oh yeah," she said, "if we don't kill you."
The skull-faced weasel was still trying to play cool. "Hey, c'mon, you promised," he said to Cassandra. "We had a deal."
"Yeah, well, that was me you were dealing with then. I'm the good cop," Cassandra said, "She, on the other hand ..." Joanie looked menacing. "Besides, that was also before you tried to kill me."
"I wasn't going to kill you." Cutter squeezed his face into a weak smile.
"Nah, just cut her up some. That how you got your name? Cuttin' up girls?" John said from his position by the door. Cassandra growled. "From the looks of you, I think you should be named 'Cuttee' instead." Joanie snorted.
"Enough. Where are they?" Cassandra demanded. "If you're good, you'll get the reward I promised."
"Well, it ain't that easy to just tell you. They live in this real secluded valley, with the highest mountains on this whole world surrounding them. Plus they have a very sophisticated security network around them. They can knock just about anything out of the air if they want to."
"Well, how do we make them not want to knock us out of the air?" Teresa asked.
"You have to have a pass code. They give it to whoever they contract supplies from and it's always different."
"Hmmmm ..." Cassandra mused.
"Hey," Teresa interjected, "how 'bout we call them first?" Everyone looked at her.
"You know, like a comm link. We tell them we're here, what for, they let us in, we go home. Like that." Teresa looked at all the unbelieving faces. "Wha-a-a-at?"
"Good thinking, lass," Greyhawk praised her.
Cassandra looked right back at Cutter. "But they must be on some secure frequency. If we broadcast, fishing for a response, we might let the wrong people know."
"Oh, well, 'course I know the frequency. But they won't answer without a password. And if they aren't expecting you, they probably won't answer at all."
"We'll take that chance."
Sissy entered.
"Captain, we have a plan," Matt announced.
"Great, very nice. Ooooooohhhh ... I forgot, which way is the bathroom again?"
"Explorer to ISS, we are 1000 klicks and closing. Beginning docking maneuver in zero five seconds, do you copy."
"Captain, I am receiving unidentifiable communications on the S-Band," Donovan informed her.
Sissy, with her feet propped up, answered with a sigh.
"What is the source, Donovan?"
"I'll display it."
On the view screen, Sissy could see a primitive space station that used solar panels for power. Another intra-space vehicle was maneuvering close to it.
Sissy chuckled. "What's up with this? Are we dealing with an infantile spacefaring world?"
Cutter fawned next to her, "Oh, yes, didn't you know? They're unbelievably primitive, and they have no idea that there are other worlds with intelligent life. They believe they are alone in the universe. Amazing, really."
The skullfaced man made Sissy's skin crawl. Wish I could just throw him off the bridge, she thought. Too bad we actually need this creep. "Oh, yeah?" She waved her empty glass at him. "Could you fill my glass, please?"
Cutter hissed, took the glass and removed himself from the bridge.
Sissy reluctantly sat up and placed her tired feet on the floor. "Cassandra, does this thing have a cloaking device?"
"Yes, Captain, it does."
"Matt, please engage it. I don't want to be spotted by these people. God only knows what kind of turmoil it would cause."
Matt gave the command. Cutter returned with the glass of iced tea and hissed as he handed it to her.
Sissy sighed again. Not only did the creep give off the vibes of a cockroach, he sounded like one, too. Great. She was exhausted. Pregnancy was not as easy at it looked on other people ...
"Thanks." Sissy sipped the tea and thought. Wait, why couldn't she throw him off the bridge? He'd served his purpose, to direct the ship to this place. It might be dangerous to allow him to witness any resulting events. She didn't trust him for a single nanosecond.
"Cutter, return to your quarters now. We'll call you if we need you," she ordered. This time he held the hiss until he got through the door on his way out.
"Donovan, have you managed to raise the colony yet?"
Donovan rattled keys as his hands crisscrossed the controls. "No, Captain. They are not ... hold on, I think I have something. Yes."
"On-screen."
The face that appeared in front of them was aged but not old, a good looking human face that appeared to be well acquainted with humor. His full head of hair was almost white. He had a full white beard that was kept short. He was not smiling now.
"Who are you people and what do you know of Elvis?" he demanded without preamble.
Their introductory broadcast included the name. The crew had figured that this was their only key to raising the colony.
"We were sent by Elvis to deliver a package to you," Sissy replied politely. "Is this channel safe, or do you have further instructions?"
The man did not change expression, but to Sissy it seemed his manner softened somewhat. He appeared to be thinking.
"No, this channel is safe," he finally answered. "We have a land line to a transmitter that is far removed from our location. No adversaries can triangulate our position from this." He paused to think some more. "What is this package?"
Sissy stood up and displayed her profile to the camera. She pointed at the prominent bulge in her abdomen. "This."
"Oh, my God!" The man couldn't help but show his surprise.
Sissy continued, "All I was told was that this is the result of two people named Mulder and Scully. Does that mean anything to you?"
The man dismissed this comment. "We must get you here as soon as possible."
Sissy laughed aloud. "I agree. Oh, lord, how I agree. Give us your co-ordinates and we will beam down immediately."
The man now looked wary. "Well, there is a problem ... we cannot divulge our location on any channel. Comm-Sec, you know."
"Comm-Sec? Oh, sure. Right. Comm-Sec." Sissy could not mask the disappointment in her voice. "What do you suggest?"
"We will dispatch a guide to your location. You will then have to beam down to the surface according to his instructions, and travel to a rendezvous point where we will pick you up," he explained. His face darkened a little. "But you must at all costs take enough people with you to protect the child. We have to assume that this transmission is not secure. We must proceed as if the enemy knows this plan."
"How, then, will we know that your agent is really your agent?" Cassandra asked. Always in the cloak-and-dagger mindset, Sissy thought. Good. Somebody needs to be. I'm not used to all this deadly skulking around.
"When he arrives, you are to contact us again on this band. He will have with him a password and a private signal that only the two of us will know. He will rendezvous with your ship in exactly two hours."
"Okay," Sissy said. But she was uncomfortable all of a sudden. What was she getting into NOW?
"Oh, and one more thing," the man looked down at something off screen for a moment. "Set your transporter beam to the location I am transmitting and acquire the object that is there. If we are betrayed, this will act as a two-way homing beacon. It has a short range, but it will transmit your location. In addition, it will let you know when one of our agents is nearby. Both this device and the frequency it operates on are totally secure. You, Captain, must have it with you at all times. Allow no one else to have it. If this situation gets out of control and you are separated, it is you and only you that we will acquire. The child must not be lost!"
John approached Sissy. "This just arrived by pony express," he said. Sissy looked. He was carrying a pair of ruby red shoes.
"Oh, great!" Sissy said. "Got it. Them. Whichever. Say, what's your name, so I can thank you properly?"
"Buddy. Buddy Holly."
Sissy smiled. "Well, Buddy, I love your fashion sense."
"Captain, there is a ship approaching our location!" John called from his location.
"From Canopus?"
"No, sir. It is unidentified, and it is powering up its weapons."
Oh, boy, the party's starting already, Sissy thought wryly. "Matt, go to red alert and take evasive maneuvers," she commanded. "Well, Buddy, gotta fly. Looks as if we have company. We'll be back here in two hours if we can. Excalibur out."
The bridge was bathed in red light. In the viewer was a very nasty looking Klingon Bird of Prey.
"Matt," she called, "Get us out of here."
"Yes, Captain."
To be continued....
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