Charlie Boone

by Geron Kees

Life Is Like A New Suit of Clothes, Charlie Boone! - Chapter 4

They quickly determined that the seats had no back for a definite reason. One could sit facing inward, and converse easily, mentally or verbally, with those seated with him. But it now seemed apparent that the ship's operators could also turn about and easily view everything happening around the ship. The holo projections were so good it was like floating on a platform in open space. The deck below them had darkened in color, but not disappeared totally, giving them at least a sense that they were not loose, floating above the plain beneath the distant stars.

And, whichever way they turned in the seats, an immaterial back seemed to form behind them, giving more than ample support.

Edrich was beside himself. "Just video tech alone worth a fortune. Look at depth! Realism! Better than any I've seen!"

Grim had joined with the alien shipmind, and proved an excellent interface. That shipmind had a name that was just a series of sounds, but which their own ears heard as Am'ta'por'a. They condensed that to Amtapora, which the alien mind seemed to accept readily.

Grim's own voice, a fairly mellow sound, was made deeper and more resonant by his joining with Amtapora. The result was what Kippy called the big voice, and it served to let them know when they were talking to both minds in unison, or just Grim alone.

"We have questions," Charlie said.

The big voice sounded happy at the prospect. "I may have answers, but perhaps not for all of them."

"Why are you here, on this rock, floating around a system full of similar debris?"

"I was placed here, and told to wait, that someone would come for me. No one ever did."

"Who told you that?" Kippy asked.

"The ship's last master" -- another almost indecipherable sound followed -- "who was the last to leave me."

Robin held up a hand. "How long ago was that?"

"I have orbited this sun 36,102 times in my wait to be retrieved."

Rick whistled. "Sounds like a lot!"

Charlie got with Grim on time periods, and the AI was able to eventually inform them that the solar orbital period of the rock was around 200 terrestrial days. Charlie did the mental math himself, and arrived at a period of around 19,781 terrestrial years.

Everyone was silent a moment as they digested the figure.

"I guess we'll need to bring Ragal in on this at some point," Rick said. "This vessel comes from the period where his people roamed the starways."

"Who were the people that built this vessel?" Adrian asked.

There was a moment of silence from the big voice. "I must tell you now that certain security protocols a part of my basic make-up will limit my answers to some of your questions."

That was not unexpected, at least by Charlie. Most shipminds had such protocols to protect them and the ship. In the case of Murcha, their first Moth AI friend, a chance at free will and choice in his destiny had eventually allowed that mind to overcome the security his creators had built into him. Perhaps such would be true with Amptapora, in time.

"We respect that," Charlie said. "But if that's the case, why did you let us board you?"

The big voice sounded pleased. "I was told to wait here, that someone would come for me. No specifics were mentioned as to who that someone would be. So, I am free to interpret that 'someone' as anyone who could get to my control center. You are the first people to arrive."

"Does that mean you'll allow us to take you from this place?" Robin asked. "Make use of you freely?"

"It does. It means I am free to operate under your authority for as long as I deem it appropriate. That term would only end if a member of my shipmaster's kind endowed with the correct credentials were to appear to claim me."

"Twenty thousand years is a long time," Charlie said slowly. "To my knowledge, no ships of this sort are operating in the Five Empires today. What if your people are no more?"

"Then there will be no one to take me from you."

Robin chuckled at that. "That's pretty direct."

The big voice made a wistful, oddly human sound then. "All things must have a purpose. I have waited here patiently to be placed back into service. As time passed, I came to understand that might not happen. The lifetime of a race once it reaches the stars can be quite long, but the history of the galaxy as I know it contains few races that have managed to stay there for the period I have been waiting. The fortunes of races often run in cycles, with a long, slow build to great heights, and then a fall again to a more primitive level...or them ceasing to exist altogether. The energy of any given species is not inexhaustible. It is my experience that the largest part of the lifetime of any race is spent in rising to the level of star travel, and is more limited after that point. Time is the master of the universe, not the life that rises and falls within it."

Amy smiled at that. "That seems somehow poetic."

"I have had much time to consider such things."

Charlie looked around at the others. "Let's introduce ourselves."

Each of them stated their names, to which the big voice answered with a cherry greeting. There was a certain charm to the procedure that came across readily to them, and once the introductions had been made, Charlie smiled. "I sense you are pleased we are here."

"I am. I watched as Edrich's kind made an effort to get to me, but I also knew that the methods employed would fail. Still, it was wonderful to be rediscovered, as I hoped that would one day bring someone here who could make use of me. I was delighted to become aware of your own arrival, as I sensed talents and tendencies in you that were echoed in the make-up of my shipmaster's people."

Charlie nodded at that. "You would only allow someone to claim you that...well, reminded you of the abilities of your former shipmaster?"

"A measure of practicality was involved. I must work with people that share both my creator's abilities and their philosophy of life. Your method of entry to my command chamber indicated truly able minds. That is an essential quality for anyone that makes use of my own abilities."

"What about the philosophy part?" Adrian asked.

"I could sense your natures easily enough. You are motivated by inquisitiveness, not gain; your minds consider fairness in dealings with others above profit motivations; and your aggressive tendencies lie in solving problems, and not in creating them for others. I liked what I sensed in you."

"We're good guys!" Browbeat offered, and Charlie understood then that this favorite expression of the flyer's was also a trait he was proud of.

The big voice offered a light humming sound that had the flavor of agreement. "I agree. I liked Edrich's kind, as well, but they lacked the needed mental talents to properly make use of my abilities."

"Your people were power users?" Browbeat asked.

"Yes. Many races in my time were power users. Is that not still the norm today?"

"There some races," Edrich stated, "but maybe less common than in your time."

That reminded Charlie of their deal with the Molokar.

"Um...we have been told we may acquire this ship if Edrich is allowed to scan the tech here."

For a moment there was no response, and then Grim's smaller voice spoke out. "He's thinking about that."

Edrich frowned, and did not look happy.

The big voice came back then. "I am assuming there are monetary considerations involved?"

That brought a round of laughter, save from Edrich, who looked slightly embarrassed.

"Yes," Charlie answered. "Edrich was unable to get inside on his own. Our deal was, if we got him inside and he could scan your tech, we could than have the ship."

"Some of my technology is placed under a secure lock. I cannot allow that to be scanned. But even if I could, I sense that your equipment would be unable to breach the security in place."

Edrich immediately looked disappointed.

"However," the big voice continued, "there are many systems aboard this vessel not under secure lock, and I see no reason why you cannot scan them. I determined some time ago by scanning the vessels around me that most of my technology was of a higher order than theirs."

Edrich's smile returned. "Will accept whatever can get." He looked around the chamber at the marvelous displays depicting the scenery around them. "Just video system here worth much."

"And that system is not under a secure lock," the big voice said.

"What is?" Browbeat asked. He looked over at Charlie. "Bet it's the weapons, and stuff like that!"

"You are correct," the big voice answered. "The offensive and defensive systems of this vessel are under security lock, and will not accept scanning."

"Does that mean they can't be used?" Robin asked.

"No, I can still employ them. They just will refuse to be copied."

Rick raised a hand. "This defense you have in place around the ship. It soaks up all sorts of physical laws, it seems."

"I can now lower that defense, since you have arrived. You will be free to come and go via ground transport for as long as I remain here."

"Can get scanning equipment here today," Edrich said. "Is okay?"

"Yes."

The Molokar rubbed his hands together happily. "Uncle Sefton be happy with me if I make enough to pay him off!"

Horace chucked at that. "I see that as the least of your worries."

Kippy bumped his shoulder against Charlie. "And then we can get back to the reason we're out here in the first place. Elias."

Charlie had not forgotten. "I do think it's time for that. Let's get going here. The sooner Edrich is done, the sooner we can get rolling on our own project."

Grim had come to life endowed with the latest star charts, among other things, and so could take them just about anywhere they wanted to go within the five empires. Amtapora's knowledge of inhabited worlds was understandably out of date, but he seemed to possess exploration maps that covered a much larger region of the spiral arm then anything current, and even included their eventual destination. Elias' homeworld lay at the far edges of the maps known today, in a region fast being claimed by the Abask and the Loturi empires. Grim noted that Amtapora's charts were a plus, as he had no information on their destination sun, himself.

"A world of fifth-order energy beings," the big voice told them, once they made known their destination. "The world was noted in my time, but no contact was made, so I never had reason to go there."

Charlie was looking at the section of space involved, and noting the markers for other suns in the area, their captions made clear in translation. "That area of space seems very sparsely inhabited. Is there a reason?"

"The suns in that area tend towards larger, brighter, hotter stars. Whether there is a correlation with the lack of intelligent life is debatable. In fact, the world inhabited by your target energy beings is not hospitable to your kind of life."

Charlie frowned at that. "In what way?"

"The gravitational acceleration at the surface is half again what is in use on this vessel, the surface temperatures average twice what would be comfortable for you, and the atmosphere is incompatible with human requirements."

"Will our current EV suits protects us should we have to land?"

"They will. But I can provide much sturdier gear for you, if desired."

Charlie nodded. The inhospitable nature of his homeworld was something Elias hadn't mentioned! "Okay. When can we leave?'

"Immediately, if you wish."

"Fine. Can you connect me with Edrich's com?"

There was a moment of silence, and then a holograph of the big Molokar appeared before them. He looked almost ecstatic, and that caused several of Charlie's group to chuckle.

"Charlie! Scans have proven to be excellent!"

Charlie grinned. "You certainly look happy." He nodded. "We're ready to leave, then, if that's okay with you."

"Is fine. Have recorded contract between us, all official. Ship belongs to you, with clause that more scans can be made if needed." Edrich shook his head. "Doubt that will be necessary. Everything I see looks very clear."

"That's great. We'll be going then. But we'll let you now what happens, okay?"

"Safe voyage, new friends. Will contact Uncle Sefton and let him know what has transpired."

"Bye!" Browbeat called, smiling. "I just love making new friends!"

Kippy grinned, and patted the flyer's head with a fingertip. Edrich smiled and waved, and the holo image winked out.

Charlie thought a moment, and then looked around the command chamber. "Amtapora? In reference to what Edrich just said, about us owning the ship? I want to tell you now that I know that is false. He didn't actually own this vessel to sell, and we have no right to claim ownership by contract with him. As far as we are concerned, you belong to yourself, and you are simply cooperating with us in your use for as long as you deem fit."

The big voice almost sounded cheerful. "I am pleased you see the nature of our agreement, but for all intents and purposes, you are in command here unless or until a member of my shipmaster's species bearing the proper credentials appears to make claim."

Kippy smiled. "Do you expect that to happen?"

"Honestly? No."

Browbeat tittered happily. "What a great ship we have now!"

Robin gently cleared his throat. "The question comes to mind, of just what sort of vessel we have acquired." He looked around the command chamber, at the beautiful, lifelike images of the asteroid plain around them. "Somehow, this ship does not come across as your average freighter."

Rick laughed. "What about that, Amtapora? Can you tell us what sort of vessel this is?"

"And while you're doing that, does this ship already have a name?" Adrian put in.

"I see no reason why both questions cannot be answered. The designation of this vessel is" -- a series of sounds followed, which Charlie's ears registered as Muadiblafah.

"There's a snazzy name," Rick said, rolling his eyes.

Horace squinted at the overhead. "And what sort of vessel is this?"

"Among my master's kind, the class of this vessel was known, in the closest approximation I can make in your language, as an Investigator."

Kippy laughed. "An investigator is just what Third Planet Inquiries could use!"

"That seems more a function than a class of vessel," Robin pointed out. "Can you be any clearer on the capabilities of this ship?"

"The word 'capabilities' implies force," the big voice replied. "If you are referring to the designation of this vessel in naval terms, then Muadiblafah would be considered a battlecruiser by the standards of its day."

A shocked silence filled the room.

"A...a warship?" Kippy finally managed.

"Robin asked of capabilities, not intent," the big voice responded. "By that criteria, this vessel has the offensive and defensive capabilities of a battlecruiser of my shipmaster's race. However, its primary function was that of exploratory vessel."

History's favorite thief laughed. "In most navies, a battlecruiser was second only to a battleship in firepower."

"There was one larger class of vessel, approximately three times the diameter of this ship, in my shipmaster's home fleet. That class of vessel would be considered a battleship in any navy."

Rick whistled. "I'd hate to meet that one in a dark alley at night!"

"They were formidable vessels in their time," the big voice acknowledged. "And, considerably superior to anything I have seen on this asteroid thus far."

"There are some big ships out there among the empires, though," Rick said. "Some of the galactic powers have some real navies these days."

"Size is not always a basis for judging strength. I believe this vessel can hold its own with anything of the technological capabilities of the ships around us, no matter their size."

There was something sobering about that statement. Charlie did like the idea of being able to feel safe wherever they went in this ship. But at the same time, he did not like the idea of the vessel being perceived as a threat everywhere they went. Still...he remembered the port they had landed at on Roorapynta, where some really large ships had been grounded. Some of those vessels had been quite imposing in appearance, and yet had been, ostensibly, mere freight-haulers.

The outward appearance of their new vessel was not blatantly warlike, not like a Moth vessel, or a Braunigan vessel presented. The hulls of those vessels simply bristled with blisters, pods, and other sorts of features that implied mayhem. The unblemished hull of their new ship was neat and unimposing by comparison. And, while there had been a sense of power conveyed to them in the first sight of their new ship, nothing at all had struck Charlie then that he was looking at what might be considered a warship.

"I think we'll be okay," he decided. "It's all in what we know, not in how the ship presents. I'd definitely rather avoid cruising around in a ship that had guns pointing in all directions, but this ship is very neat and uncomplicated looking. It presents as powerful, but not definitely warlike."

"Exactly," Robin agreed, nodding. "This ship is larger than the vessels on this plain, but there are some real giants out there by comparison."

"I remember those Arpathant wedge ships," Adrian recalled. "They were humongous, but much smaller Moth ships could take them on and beat them."

"A ship's capabilities are dictated by energy production and application," the big voice told them. "And by the proficiency of its technology in applying that power. Not by the size of the container in which those energies repose."

Amy sighed."Does it really matter if we have a battleship as long as we don't use it that way?"

Charlie laughed. "As usual, your logic is one step ahead of ours." He looked around the command chamber, and nodded. "Let's just get going. And tell ourselves we will never shoot unless shot at first, and even then, only if we have to."

"Here, here," Robin said, grinning.

Browbeat tittered happily in response. "Just one thing: Muadiblafah is a real mouthful. Amtapora, would you mind if we called this ship by its class rather than its christened name? Investigator?"

"I have no objections to that."

Browbeat looked around at his friends. "What do you guys think?"

"I like it," Kippy said immediately. "It has class."

"Me, too," Adrian agreed.

Charlie smiled at the little flyer. "As usual, you have cut to the quick once again, my friend. Investigator works great with what we do at Third Planet Inquiries."

Amy smiled. "I like it, too."

Horace nodded at her. "It's got my vote."

"I shall log the change to 'Investigator' as the official designation of this vessel, and use it henceforth," the big voice informed them.

Browbeat beamed at them. "That's my contribution for the day, though if asked nicely, I may make more."

Everyone smiled at that, and Kippy patted the flyer's head fondly.

Charlie sighed. "Amtapora, I hope you have a decent kitchen aboard. I'm hungry."

"I am well-supplied with foodstuffs compatible with your biology, though some others should be avoided. I can be your guide there."

"Mmm," Robin said, smacking his lips. "Twenty-thousand year old steak!"

"All supplies are stored in stasis, and are as fresh as the day they were brought aboard."

Charlie laughed, trying to imagine the long-ago sources of alien food, and failing. "I'm game for trying an exotic menu, as long as it doesn't poison me. We can resupply the ship with pizza and stuff when this job is over."

Grim broke in then. "Charlie, the destination star you have given us is a fair journey. Are you aware that it is beyond Trichani space, and even then, at the far edge of Loturi space?"

"I wasn't, but does it matter? We won't lose any realtime while in the Cooee. Let's just get going, okay?"

Amy gave a happy little sigh. "Then we're ready to leave?"

"Yes. We're ready to leave. Grim? Amtapora? Let's roll."

The scenery around them changed with a speed that was startling: the plain and the ships parked there dropped away instantly; and then the entire asteroid was momentarily visible before it, too, was gone. The blue sun visibly receded as they watched, and then the darkness of the Cooee was all around them.

Charlie overcame his shock at the speed of their departure, and then looked over at Rick, whose eyes were just as wide. But then his friend grinned. "I like it!"

"That was some hot rod performance if I ever saw it," Horace said slowly. He looked around the command chamber with a new respect. "Seems we have quite a performer here."

Robin sighed, and rubbed his stomach. "About that food...?"

One of the six doorways around the periphery of the chamber opened with a soft purr. "This way," the big voice told them.

Kippy came over and took Charlie's hand. Browbeat grinned at him from atop his boyfriend's shoulder, but didn't say anything.

"Come on, Charlie," Kippy said, pulling on his arm. "Let's go see if the restaurant here is as good as the entertainment!"

The meal they had was interesting, to say the least. Exotic barely covered some of the things they tasted, most of which were actually very good. Amtapora guided them, and took note of what they liked and what they didn't. While he assured them that everything they tasted would be safe, there was no way he could predict if the foods in question would taste good to them. The experiment went well, and soon everyone was feeling comfortably full.

They explored the ship then, leaving the command chamber and working their way down into the machinery spaces below. The command chamber resided at the core of the upper hemisphere of the vessel, with a plethora of rooms and chambers around and above it, and the machine spaces beneath. There was very little to see there below, when they got down to it, because everything of any sort of technological nature was sealed behind blank walls, and the operation quiet and efficient in a way they had never experienced. Lollipop was a quiet vessel, too, but there was something polished about the way that Investigator operated that the Moth vessel could not compare to. For one thing, the race that had built Amtapora and the ship seemed not to depend on instrumentation of the kind most races used in their ships. They seemed to have interfaced telepathically with the shipmind, which handled all the operations that other races did by hand. Amtapora assured them that the present melding of himself and Grim was more than up to doing the same things by voice command.

After viewing the quiet and peaceful machine spaces, they moved upward again to the command chamber and beyond. There were rooms there that were described as science labs, though they recognized very little of the equipment in residence there. Other rooms were clearly dedicated to medicine, though, again, they didn't recognize much of what had been supplied for the health of an alien race. Amtapora told them that the same equipment would work for them, that just the interfaces needed to be modified to accommodate them. He was working on that even now, he said.

They found a library, with group and individual holographic stations, where the vast amount of knowledge stored in the ship's memory could be assessed. The alien masters of Investigator had had eyes, certainly, and had used them. This information could also be viewed in the control chamber, but it was nice to know that they could come here and explore on their own. Charlie could only imagine how a telepathic interface with such data would work, but Amtapora promised to update his systems to better accommodate human abilities.

One room they visited was clearly an armory, with a startling variety of equipment in stock. It became clear then that the alien race that had designed Investigator had not been endowed with hands like humans, but some other form of grasping appendage, difficult to imagine by the grips and stocks on the weapons here. Again, the big voice promised to adapt them, saying the mechanisms would suffice, only the external casings needed to be modified for use by human hands.

There were production rooms where things could be fabricated; an art center, apparently, where imaginings could be made real and tangible; and even a gym, though the equipment looked more like something found at a construction site than a workout center on Earth. All, the big voice explained, would be adapted to human use.

They were allotted cabins just off the command chamber, and these were comfortable and well-thought out, though the sanitary facilities and beds had to be modified by Amtapora to suit their different physiology. Their group split up then, to wander around the vessel and do some individual exploring. But by then it was already apparent that they were becoming comfortable with the new vessel, and feeling very pleased with their new acquisition.

Charlie felt that way, too. And, just a little worried that it had all been too easy to acquire.

He didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. The alien shipmind seemed completely honest in its statements about why it was cooperating with them. Grim, his loyalty 100% to Charlie and the others, had not warned them of anything untoward going on. Kippy and Adrian could not sense anything but positive things from Amtapora. Charlie liked the alien shipmind, himself.

So why was he feeling nervous about the way things had gone?

Kippy noticed. "What's up?" he asked, in a quiet moment when they had returned to the command chamber for a brief rest. The inky blackness of the Cooee was all around them here, and no one was present but the two of them. It might have been a bit eerie under other circumstances, but now it seemed somehow restful and comforting. "You seem too quiet to me," Kip continued, watching him.

Charlie looked around the room, aware that the shipmind could hear them. While the alien race that had built Investigator had no spoken language, the ship had already been modified by Amtapora for voice command. The speed with which the alien tech addressed things was astonishing. And not to be underestimated.

Charlie used mind touch, instead of answering verbally. "I'm just a little wary that all of this has happened so fast, and all in our favor."

He could almost feel in his mind the smile he now saw on his boyfriend's face. "That can happen, even to us."

"I know. It's just a little overwhelming."

Kippy sighed, and put an arm around Charlie and squeezed him gently. "I trust my skwish, Charlie. What I sense from Amtapora is honesty. He is working with us because it's much more preferable to him than just sitting on an airless plain, alone, waiting for something that he no longer feels will happen. He sees us as a way out of his loneliness. He sees in us a way for him to be productive again. It seems to be a situation favorable to both parties. So, I think you need to relax, okay?"

Charlie sighed, and let his shoulders drop. Kip squeezed him again, rubbing away some of the anxiety. "Okay?" he asked again, aloud.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. I'll do my best."

Robin came in then, and dropped into the seat next to them. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Charlie smiled. "We're done. What's up?"

The older man grinned. "I was in the library, looking at some of the...well, books is the wrong word, but you know what I mean. The files, or whatever. They're immersive, three-dimensional, and interactive. And, it seems that as crew, more or less, we are not subject to the same security rules as Edrich was. I sort of wandered into some engineering files, and got myself slightly educated in how the ship works."

Kippy's eyes widened. "And you understood them?"

Robin laughed. "Well, I'm no dummy, but, no, I didn't really understand a lot of what I saw. But something came across to me that answered some things I've been wondering about." He leaned closer. "Remember how we came up off Edrich's asteroid, moved away from it at what seemed like an incredible acceleration, and entered the Cooee, all in about a minute or less?"

Charlie had wondered about that. "Yes. That same journey, in reverse, from the time we transitioned into this system to our arrival at the asteroid, took a couple of hours in Edrich's ship."

Robin nodded. "The way that the Cooee drive works is that it needs to be well away from any gravity wells to operate. It's why you enter a system well away from the star and the planets, and then have to cover the rest of the way in normal space. The same applies for when you leave a system."

Kippy grunted. "We already knew this."

"Yes, but that's not what this ship seemed to do when it left the asteroid, remember?"

Charlie and Kip exchanged glances. "How do you account for that?" Charlie asked.

Robin smiled. "The people that built this ship apparently had some knowledge of the manipulation of time."

Charlie simply stared. "How so?"

Robin sat back. "It's not so surprising, really. Max has a mastery of time, and so does Keerby. They're power users. And the race that built this ship, they were power users, too. They must have had some among them that could handle time, and so gained an understanding of it that they manged to apply technologically."

Charlie suddenly saw where Robin was going. "You mean that this ship can travel in time?"

The older man frowned. "Well, not like you're thinking. I mean, these people didn't seem to have a time machine, or anything like that. They didn't travel in time, like Max can do. Or, their ships didn't, at least. They simply learned technological ways to slow down the apparent passing of time. When this ship took off from the asteroid, it technically took the same few hours in real time to get to a place where it could transition to the Cooee, just like Edrich's ship would do. But that time was compressed, slowed, or what have you, so that the journey seemed to us to take less than a minute."

Charlie mulled that over, and nodded. "It fits our observations. So...how would that present to an external onlooker? That we still just took the same few hours to leave the system of the blue sun?"

Robin grinned. "That's just it. You can't have it both ways. To anyone observing from the outside, this ship would look incredibly swift, because the bubble of subjective time moves with us relative to the space around it. The hours are compressed, so that even an observer has to adapt to the reference frame."

"That doesn't seem right," Charlie said. "I remember reading about Lorentz and Fitzgerald, and the theory that the faster an object moved towards the speed of light, the slower time seemed to pass for anyone riding along. But to people outside that object, time progressed at the normal rate. So, for the occupants of a ship moving through space at relativistic speeds, the journey would seem to take far less time for them than for those left behind."

"But we're not talking about speed, Charlie. We're talking about a bubble of spacetime that is dislocated from the normal frame and has its own reference points. Because that bubble moves at what is a compressed time rate relative to the rest of the universe, it seems to move much more quickly than the spacetime around it. So, the speed with which this vessel can leave a world and arrive at the Cooee seems just as fast to the observer as it does to us aboard the ship."

Charlie still didn't like the idea, but he couldn't make it go away. "That could prove dangerous, if this ship is observed doing that by others. So far as I know, no one else in the Five Empires has this tech."

Robin nodded. "Something else, though. I also looked at some files on the sort of detection gear this ship has, and it's some potent stuff. I would say this ship can sense other ships at a much greater range than even the Moth can. So, if we institute a policy of scan first before we head for the Cooee--"

"We stand a good chance of never being observed," Charlie concluded.

Robin smiled. "Exactly."

Kippy smiled. "Exactly. So, why does my head hurt trying to imagine all this?"

Charlie and Robin both laughed. "You're not alone," Charlie admitted.

"We'll need to talk to the big voice about it, I think," Robin said. "Any technological edges this ship has should be preserved from becoming common knowledge in our travels. Alien ship designs are not uncommon within the empires. But a ship that can do what this one can do will inspire curiosity, and even envy, should it become known. We don't need either, obviously."

Charlie looked around the control chamber. "Amtapora? Have you heard our conversation?"

"Yes, Charlie. Robin is correct in his assessment of this vessel's capabilities. I agree it would be wise not to display them to others if you feel it might cause problems. I will be certain to scan for any possible observers before using the ship's time compression features in the future."

Robin looked pleased. "So, you don't have to use time compression?"

"No. I can easily disable that feature."

Charlie nodded. "I suspect there may be other things you can do that would cause others to covet you. Suppose we institute a policy, at least at first, where you explain to us what you will do before you do it, so that we can assess the possible dangers of exposing tech others don't have. Unless it's an emergency situation, that is, where time equates with survival. In that instance, you simply act to defend us first."

"It is an agreeable policy to me."

Robin smiled. "It's so easy working with you, Charlie."

Kippy sighed, and tightened his arm around Charlie again. "I always thought so, of course."

Robin smiled, not about to be pulled into that conversation. "Then let me get back to my studies."

He left them, and Charlie sighed. "I never imagined that getting a new ship would be so involved."

Kippy leaned closer, and kissed his cheek. "Or, so much fun!"

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Charlie Boone

by Geron Kees

Life Is Like A New Suit of Clothes, Charlie Boone! - Chapter 4