Chapter 205 (1/2)
The ship was shaped to get the most use out of the least amount of materials and energy. Shaped to use the atmosphere to help it land, with the thinnest hull plating it could sport, the weakest particle shielding, and a low wattage plasma cannon, the ship looked half melted already.
It exited jumpspace a good two hundred thousand miles from the resonance zone, dropping into realspace and cutting its engines immediately as well as shutting down the plasma cannon. It didn't bother trying to contact anyone.
The pilot knew the ship had already been spotted. The computer was already screaming it was locked up by nearly twenty fire control systems, had been lashed with RADAR, LIDAR, and every manner of scanning known and unknown to the pilot.
The ping of communication request came across the com-center and the Captain and sole being on the ship reached out and touched the accept icon.
A digital face made up entirely of swirling code appeared. It was a primate, with close set eyes, heavy brow and mandible, high sharp cheekbones, digital hair close cropped. It lowered its head slightly to stare at the pilot with an almost murderous glare.
”You got a lot of balls showing up here. What do you want?” the digital face asked.
”Landing permission,” the pilot said calmly. ”I am a non-combatant with only a single defensive weapon with ship performance far below your allowed specifications for civilians.”
”You have to be crazy,” the face said. ”Give me one good reason not to blow you out of the sky and make the world a better place.”
The pilot gave his reason. The digital face stared, shocked, then shook his head.
”You know what, this is above my paygrade. Stay right where you are. Power up anything, even a hair dryer, and I'll blow you back to your component atoms,” the digital face said.
”Understood. Will comply,” the pilot said.
He leaned back and waited.
Nearly eight hours later the ship was given permission to enter the stellar system, escorted by a quartet of warships. It took nearly three days to reach the pilot's destination. The ship waited in orbit for nearly two days until the lawyers got done and the ship was given permission to land. It was agreed that due to the risk that the ship should only be allowed to land on the most heavily armed and protected area of the planet.
The ship slipped though the atmosphere and landed at the busy starport, sitting in the berth until the umbilical hooked up to the ship and the pilot could leave the ship and enter the concourse.
Inside the concourse Billy Jane Iktakik McDougherty stood behind his desk, looking at the scanner results and checking the paperwork of everyone that moved up to his desk. A Rigellian female with her three ducks who was taking part in a body building competition. Next. A Digital Sentient who was making a pilgrimage to the Coalescing Site of the Digital Omnimessiah. Next. A Mantid doing a research paper of the Titan Rushmore's attack on Concord. Next. A nine-tailed blue furry fox-girl and her simian husband here to watch duels? Next. Big centaur-cow thing with tendrils on its face wearing a cover on its flanks, a vest, a sash, with a satchel that it was setting down on the scanner...
Billy looked at the creature in front of him. Cow body. Humanoid torso with four arms. Horse/cow head with catfish tendrils and six eyes. Billy checked the scanner. Standard datalink, Emergency nanite medical kit implant. Retinal link. Four stomachs, two sets of lungs, some other organs. Satchel contained a standard foldable computer, some datacubes for Terran language and customs and movies, a probe to check food and drink compatibility
Billy blinked a few times and stared at the being in front of him.
”Paper and documents?” Billy fell back on his most basic of training.
”Of course, gentle-being,” the centaur thing told him. It handed over plas-sheets and a datacube. The biometrics matched, the documents looked official.
”Reason for visiting Terra?” Billy asked.
”Espionage,” the being said.
Billy blinked again and started pinging his supervisors as fast as possible. ”Excuse me?”
”Espionage,” the being said. ”I am a spy. The occupational listing of 'antiquities expert/import-export facilitator is my cover.”
Billy started pinging his bosses faster.
”Length of stay?” Billy moved to the next question automatically.
”As long as it takes me to investigate your society, culture, government, laws, and any possible weakness your society might have so... um... let's go with at least one hundred of your years,” the creature said.
”That's... too long for a temporary stay. You'd need a visa for that,” Billy said. He pinged his supervisor's supervisor. Several times.
”Well, the longest temporary stay I might be permitted as a spy of a hostile government engaged in espionage,” the creature said.
Billy pinged security. Fast.
”Anything to declare?” Billy asked, starting to sweat.
”Oh! Oh, this is indeed exciting,” the creature said. Billy saw the telltale LEDs on the datalink in the creatures head light up. ”Ahem,” he lifted his chin and inflated a bunch of weird looking sack and crests on his shoulders, neck, down his back, on his lower body. ”You cannot win. Your primitive and weak culture is unable to overcome the might of...”
”No, no, do you have anything that might be forbidden,” Billy moved quick to cut off the monologue before it got to 'quake in fear' which Billy knew was the point of no return for supervillain speeches.
”Oh. Um. I have some maknaka fruit,” the being said.
”I'm afraid that isn't permissible. We'll have to destroy it but you will be compensated,” Billy said.
The creature nodded, opening the satchel and handing over the small plas container of weird looking lumpy fruit. Billy put it in the confiscation bin and handed the creature a credit stick.
”Thank you,” the being said once Billy showed him how to check the balance. ”That is most generous.”
”OK, weapons?” Billy asked.
”None on my person. My spaceship has a low wattage plasma cannon used to deter pirates and threaten people in order to make my daring escapes,” the being said.
Billy shook his head. ”That won't do. This nation requires all visitors to be armed or escorted by armed security. You have seventy-two hours to procure a weapon or private security,” he told him. ”You can buy a pistol or rifle at the gift shop.”
”Very well. What if I was to use it on someone for my own amusement?” the creature asked.
Billy sighed. ”The gift shop will inform you of the relevant laws and escalation of force permissions.”
”I would like to purchase a grenade launcher. Is that permissible?” the creature asked.
Billy nodded. ”Yes. You may purchase anything up to a Class III weapon as a foreign national. No anti-armor, anti-aircraft, or CRBAN weaponry, but a grenade launcher with high-explosive is fine.”
The creature nodded. ”I would much like one. I used one to escape local government authorities once, the explosions were most satisfactory.”
”Sure, knock yourself out,” Billy said.
”Hmm, is that a common pastime?” the creature asked. ”To render one's self unconscious through impact generated concussive force?”