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Star Trek Chapter 12
The development of the transporter had been an accidental offshoot of late 21st century research in Quantum Mechanics. The human preoccupation with Quantum Mechanics was odd, most other races had dismissed it as an amusing but frivolous subarea of nuclear physics but of no practical application. However, it did allow humans to leapfrog past other space fairing cultures, skipping the FTL method of "jumping" outside of normal spacetime to travel to another, predetermined, location.
That is not to say that FTL Jump technology was not used by humans, it most certainly was, and for over a century, but the obvious advantages of warp drive was acknowledged-and research continued. Once the tremendous power requirements for warp were found (matter-antimatter reactors using dilithum crystals for beam focus) the advantage of travelling through normal space in a warp field was adopted.
For one thing, warp drive negated the need for either a jump gate or the use of specific, and sometimes far separate, "jump coordinates" where the gravitational fields of nearby stars and planets allow for the formation of a local "jump point." Warp technology allows a ship to travel FTL from almost any two locations and be aware of the space around it as it travels.
Another result of this early curiosity in Quantum Mechanics had been the invention of the transporter. It was an extremely convenient means of travel, once the existential issues of being destroyed at a subatomic level and reassembled elsewhere, were overcome. Again, transporters were a convenient, if power intensive, method of travel-at least for trips of no more than a few of hundred kilometers.
Revenge was equipped with a two pad personnel transporter but the system was limited to fairly short range, less than 200 kilometers and line-of-site. Justin normally didn't use it for "beaming down" to a planet because, while in orbit, he'd only be in range for ten or so minutes each time the ship passed overhead. Still, on this occasion, he had no choice. The result was that he'd have a seven minute "window" out of every 42.
Only two hours before entering Cardassian space, he'd received a coded message from Star Fleet telling him that the captives from the Gupporian transport had been bought by a Cardassian merchant named Elim Talic-chances are they were being kept at his facility on the planet. He was to contact a Ferengi named Jaktaw who might be able to act as a go-between for the purchase of the girl.
Justin would have to wear a full encounter suit as the atmosphere that Cardassian's preferred usually had toxic levels of carbon tetrafloride.
Illith's atmosphere was safely breathable to humans for short periods. It had a high level of methane and not enough oxygen for comfort but was OK. Inside the buildings, however, was another story. The Cardassians processed the air for their own comfort-and it would kill a human in about 15 minutes.
The encounter suit was actually a good thing because it would disguise Justin- he'd be carrying Aldornian documents, a species that breathed hydrogen peroxide. No one would look too closely. Also, of course, the suit would have a translator.
His view of his own ship faded from view and was replaced by a blank grey wall-he'd materialized with his back to the utility room he'd beamed into. He turned and found the room was dimly lit. There was some A/C machinery in the space, next to him was a deactivated janitorial robot.
He went to the door and listened-no sound. It was unlocked and the passageway empty. He walked to an intersection, then turned right. At the end of this hall an elevator door chimed, then opened, and three Cardassians, two alpha donor sex the other a carrier, stepped out. The alphas exchanged pleasantries, then separated in different directions, the carrier following her mate in dumb silence. If any of them noticed Justin he couldn't tell.
When Justin turned the next corner he saw the donor waiting at the doorway he was also going to-obviously one of the Cardassians had business with Jaktaw also.
What passed for seats in the hallway wouldn't work for humans or Aldornians so Justin had to stand.
"Is your mate meeting with Jaktaw?" he asked the carrier. She/it was squatting just outside the door, facing it. Cardassians have exoskeletons but only the carriers really look like bugs. They generally move around on all fours but, if they're in a hurry, they'll run on their hind legs.
The carrier scuttled around and seemed startled by Justin.
"Yes," it said.
"Do you know how long he'll be?"
There was a pause. The carrier shifted the large egg that was attached to its back.
"No."
"You should be hatching soon," Justin remarked.
The eyestalks of the creature relaxed and bent to the sides.
"Yes," it said. "I'm looking forward to having a baby. It's an Alpha, I'm so happy that it's an Alpha. They take the Betas so soon but I'll have years with an Alpha."
"That's good," Justin responded, then he looked up as the door opened and the Cardassian stepped out.
She eyed Justin suspiciously.
"Xellnos, come with me," she said, then started down the hallway.
"Congratulations on your daughter," Justin called after the pair.
The Alpha turned and gave a curt nod, then continued on.
"I understand Elim Talik has a consignment of humans he may be selling," Justin said to the Faringi after he entered the office.
"And what is the profit for me?" Jaktaw responded.
"I would pay you as my agent."
"Regrettably," Jaktaw said, "this conversation already represents a loss for me. Your purchase is impossible but I will give you information at a price."
Justin put two polatum disks on the table.
"I will require four."
Justin put one more down.
The Ferengi looked at the coins with disgust.
"The slaves have been purchased by a Centari named Bondo."
Justin put another, smaller coin down.
"He is preparing to take them to his ship as we speak."
"Do you know what species they are?" Justin asked.
The Ferengi looked up. "All but one are human. There is one canister that reports the species as "undefined" but the occupant appears to be a human child. I have no further information, now leave."
Justin had bargained with many Ferengi-they always had a price but they were also very honest-you got what you paid for. He left the office and headed for the elevator. Talik's warehouse was a short trip by ground transport. As the cab approached a Centari vessel was landing on the warehouse's roof.
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