Free The Black Planet by J. W. Murison

they came to be here.  These vessels are protected by a large treaty and are rarely attacked.’
    It didn’t take her long to find the reason in the captains log, she read her findings aloud, ‘they were cruising along the great barrier having picked up an expensive cargo that only grows on the rim when they were hit by a meteor shower.  They lost all power to the bridge.  The external damage was easy to fix but the interior damage took a fortnight.  When the work was completed and they got navigation back they discovered that the meteor shower had thrown them off course and they had already crossed the barrier.  They managed to send a communications pod through the barrier to let their family’s know what had happened.  The cargo and ship was officially written off by the insurers and ownership transferred to the captain and crew to do with as they pleased.’  She looked up, ‘that is all there is really.  Their long range sensors found this planet and they just partied on down until they died.’
    ‘Looked like dey all died de same time Miss Komoru.’
    Komoru spoke to Ico and he quickly found a plausible reason.  ‘You might be right Lewis, according to Ico the time of their deaths coincides with a large solar flare.’
    Lewis mulled it over for a few moments, ‘hard to believe dat our sun can be so lethal to these people.’
    One of her soldiers turned to Lewis, ‘Just as well Lewis.  I think our sun is the only thing that has protected us from annihilation.’
    ‘Yeah you're right Akio.  Still I don’t think every race out there is bad.’
    ‘No race is ever bad to you if you are strong Lewis.  These other races have been fighting over territory in their universe in much the same way we have been fighting over resources on Earth for many generations.  Our planet is a jewel and our universe untouched.  As far as they are concerned we are little more than bugs to be crushed under their heel.  If more than one race knew about us then their whole universe would be fighting to claim it for their own, in much the same way as the white man once cut up Africa and claimed it for their own use.’
    ‘Yeah,’ mused Lewis, ‘and America.’
    Akio nodded, ‘yes my big friend.  They respect strength and technology.  We are primitives compared to these races.’
    Komoru had been listening to the conversation, ‘it’s time to go check out the cargo hold.’
    The hold was filled with air so they didn’t need their suits.  They entered through a hatch high up on the level of the bridge.  As the lights came on they simply stood and stared.  It was filled to capacity with large bales of hay.
    ‘How the hell do we get rid of all this?’  Komoru whispered.
    ‘Good thing is Miss Komoru; der must be more than a hundred tons of de stuff.’
    ‘Good point Lewis, but how do we dump it?’
    Lewis pointed to a back wall, ‘looks like some sort of ram Miss Komoru.  Push de right switch and away it goes.’
    ‘I think you are right Lewis, but where is the switch.  We need to open the cargo doors first; there must be a station on board that deals with this.  Ico can you go through the ships schematics and find that station please.’
    ‘Yes my heart.’
    ‘Let’s go explore everyone.’
    They found a lift and soon figured it out.  They were lowered into the hull of the freighter.  Seventy percent of the cargo hold was filled with bales of grass.  Thirty percent was made up of more domestic products.  One locked cage seemed to hold mail.
    ‘This is fascinating,’ Komoru decided and cut into a strangely marked box.  She took out a highly decorated piece of cloth.  Lewis helped her and they stretched it out.  It was a puzzling garment.  ‘It looks like some kind of dress Lewis.’
    ‘Yeah fo de cow Miss Komoru.’
    Komoru suddenly saw it and burst out laughing, ‘oh I think you are right Lewis.’ 
    Lewis took out his pistol and changed the settings on it.  A green light lanced out and cut