Free Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 1 - Alien Flight by David Buck Page B

down on the hangar deck as the helicopter could not be housed in the damaged hangar.
    After the medical team came aboard, Samantha, three of her best surgeons, and several of her nurses raced for the sick bay rooms. The frigate soon cleared the last of the pleasure boats that had come alongside with the medical team. As she understood the situation, when the two TOW missiles had struck HMAS Perth they had killed four crew members and injured another nine. This was in addition to the initial injuries suffered by five crew members injured in the RPG attack just before the TOW strike.
    After scrubbing up, Samantha quickly donned a surgical outfit, and then sought the medical charts of the most seriously wounded crew members. The very busy ship’s doctor and his aides were delighted both from a personal and a professional sense to see her team safely about the ship. They knew that the medical team had some of the best medical personnel available, and they could really use their assistance.
    Steve watched the forty members of the medical team board ship, and after conferring quietly with his XO ordered the ship to set course for Singapore at flank speed. The frigate would use the stop over in Singapore to airlift the injured and dead crew members back to Australia for urgent medical treatment. Also temporary repairs could be made to the hangar deck, and additional fuel and food taken aboard for the return trip to the HMAS Stirling naval base. As Steve prepared his report to his superiors at the naval base, he pondered his likely conversation to his friend in the Malaysian Navy. The TOW weapons were one thing his friend had better be advised about he decided.
     
                                                                ***
     

Chapter 4
     
    The sensor chimes awoke Omerio towards the end of his long sleep. A very large lone ship had entered the system shortly beforehand and was edging towards the second planet at speed. Omerio rubbed his eyes and shoulders by habit and ambled over to the control console. He grunted to himself in satisfaction as his passive scan identified the agreed race and class of ship according to his briefing notes. Omerio quickly sent a low powered tight beam signal to the ship with the agreed identification codes.
    ‘It would do well to get this right straight away….’ he thought to himself. ‘I would hate for these folks to get trigger happy if I surprised them.’
    Omerio ran up the ships engines as the larger ship responded via a terse tight beam response. The Barus trading ship edged out of the shadow around the asteroid, and easily closed the gap to the larger Trader ship well before it arrived at the second planet. Once the two ships were in close proximity to one another, they began a video briefing session, and the broad impassive features of the Trader captain filled the view screen on Omerio’s ship.
    ‘Well met Omerio, of the house of Skanine, of the noble race of Barus, may the light of true justice temper your life.’
    As always the Traders acknowledged the standing of members of races they considered in good faith, down to their clan levels, considered Omerio as he responded in kind.
    ‘Well met, Captain Lord Narindestat of the Trader house of Bar Oberon, may the temperance and wisdom of the revered Deltas Vass bless you and continue to illuminate your path.’
    Omerio was relieved that at least the basics of the diplomacy protocols are being observed. He knew that if the communications were between any other vassal races then he could spend valuable time observing the political and social standings. He knew this was especially true with the Tilmud, who were sticklers for protocol and keen to take offence at perceived slights. By mutual and tacit understanding both Trader captain and Barus operative ignored further comment at an extended protocol level. Omerio knew that the required acknowledgements of their compliance to