Phog pointed at his sensor readings. “Take a look if you like.”
“Why are you showing us this?” Celeste asked.
Phog frowned. “You are Grekk, aren’t you? I thought Depiom is only found in the Grekk home world.”
Tara folded her hands. “How come your sensors can detect Depiom?”
Phog laughed. “Okay. You got me there.”
“Well?” Tara demanded.
Celeste felt proud of Tara for pushing Phog to a corner. Why did this trader have the ability to scan for Depiom?
“Take a seat and let me explain,” Phog said calmly.
Celeste sat down while Tara remained standing.
“During and after the Enigma War it became common knowledge that the Grekk dominated the conflict because of their Depiom weapons and shields. It wasn’t a secret. There were many who talked about it even in my star system.”
“That still doesn’t explain how your sensors can detect it,” Tara stated.
“There were many wreckages and debris around because of the Enigma War. Over time many species picked up the ability to scan for Depiom. The reason was simple. They wanted to find their own Depiom mines because it was seen as a way to defend against the Grekk. To your advantage, that never happened. However, those scanners became so common that it became a standard part of most species’ ships.”
Celeste was stunned. “Are you saying there are many ships out there that can scan for Depiom?”
Phog nodded. “When a war ends species begin to look for better ways to protect themselves. I am sure the Grekk Empire was aware of it.”
Celeste didn’t want to believe it. If the Grekk Empire knew about it, why hadn’t she ever heard about it? Or was it something the empire didn’t want its citizens to know about? Commander Teval had also never mentioned it to her. Depiom had always been the empire’s way of assuring its citizens that no one could ever threaten them. The attack at Zandrax had proven that wrong. If Zandrax had access to a large concentration of Depiom, the peace of the Imperium Alliance was at stake. As Celeste looked out the viewport the storm had begun to lash out against the rocks. The peace in the galaxy was about to come undone. A galactic storm was rising. It would usher in another conflict. All the negotiations she had successfully negotiated for may mean nothing if the conflict expanded across the galaxy.
“How far are these traces of Depiom?” Celeste asked.
Before Phog could reply, Tara interrupted. “Can I speak to Celeste for a while?”
“Oh I finally know your name,” Phog smiled. “Go ahead. I need to check on my cargo.”
It was only then Celeste realised that they hadn’t introduced themselves to Phog. “And, this is Tara.”
“Pleasure to meet both of you,” Phog remarked and then sauntered away from the front of his ship and disappeared down the corridor.
Celeste knew something had happened. “Did you receive a comms?”
Tara looked at her incredulously. “How did you know?”
“There are only a few possibilities. What did the message say?”
Tara opened her device to show Celeste the message.
Envoy,
We are extremely glad to hear you are alive. The rest of the Grekk crew are uncontactable. Assumed dead. Received Commander Teval’s distress signal. Sending ships to Zandrax. Need your assistance to identify how much Depiom this species has at its disposal. Will send another message once we are nearer. Stay safe, Envoy. Commander Shail
Celeste was relieved the message had gotten through to the Grekk. She was still shocked that the Grekk Empire assumed the rest of the starship crew was dead. How could they be the only survivors from the starship? Losing a starship was a great calamity. But, losing nearly all the crew was unheard of in the Grekk Empire. As far as she knew the Grekk had never lost so many lives in a single attack even during the entire Enigma War.
“I cannot believe it,” Tara whispered, as she struggled to control her emotions. “They are all dead. Every one of the crew.”
Celeste hugged Tara tightly. She sobbed quietly. Tara was very proud of the Grekk Empire and its fleet. This had pushed her to join the Grekk Pilot Academy, with the intention that one day she could protect the Grekk Empire. It had always been her dream. Celeste knew she had to be strong for Tara. These were perilous times to be a Grekk. Once news got out that a Grekk starship had been destroyed, it would serve as new momentum for all the enemies of the empire to try to initiate hostilities.
Celeste let go of her. “We are not going to allow this to happen. We are Grekk! We will help Commander Shail by finding out about the Depiom.”
Tara wiped away her tears and stared at Celeste. “Can we trust Phog?”
“We don’t have a choice if we are to find the source of the Depiom. I know it is a risk. But we need to find the source and let Commander Shail know what to expect. If not, those Grekk ships are going to be flying into another trap.”
“I will keep an eye on him.”
Celeste smiled as they walked towards the back of the ship. They found Phog scrummaging through a very packed cargo bay.
“Phog …”
Phog turned around a bit embarrassed. “Oh you are here. Well I didn’t want you to see this part of the ship. It is quite a disaster.”
“But quite fitting a trader,” Tara said.
Phog chuckled. “You are right. A trader always ends up with too much excess cargo that never gets sold. We are known as hoarders. One day I need to clear some of this junk.”
“We have something to share with you,” Celeste started. “It is safer for all of us if you at least know what is going on.”
Phog paused and looked at them. Celeste briefly shared the first round of negotiation, the explosion in the hangar bay, the attack on the Grekk starship and how they eventually ended up on this planet.
Phog kept his eyes intensely on them. “Thank you for trusting me with this information. I know you didn’t have to share all this with a stranger you just met. It explains a lot. I assume you want to investigate the source of the Depiom, right?”
Celeste knew he was unsure. “You don’t have to join us if you don’t want to, but we wouldn’t mind the extra body.”
Phog jumped on his feet. “I volunteer! Depiom could also mean there are things of value there for me to trade.”
Phog was strange. He had a flair for the dramatic. At times, he was quiet. And then, at other times he seemed to come alive with a bout of energy.
“In exchange, Tara here might be able to help you with your engine issues on this ship,” Celeste announced.
She had discussed it with Tara and both of them had agreed that this ship would be their best chance off this planet. However, to even consider that possibility, the engine needed to be fixed.
Phog’s eyes widened. “You mean you know how to fix engines?”
Tara put her hands up. “I am not promising anything, but I have had some experience with ship engines.”
That was an understatement. When Tara had joined Celeste on the starship, she had initially faced difficulties adjusting in with the crew. Tara hadn’t wanted to be perceived as the Envoy’s assistant. She had been quite clear on it. After exploring her options, she had been assigned to Engineering. That was where she found one of her other strengths. Although her pilot training had required her to learn engineering, it had been nowhere near the same as actually working in the Engineering department of a starship. Tara had jumped in with both feet and never looked back. Over time she had earned the respect of her Engineering crew. If anyone knew how to fix Phog’s engines it would be Tara.
Phog raised his hand. “My sensors are picking up a broadcast.”
He went over to the display in the cargo bay and clicked on the console.
“What is it?” Celeste asked.
Who could be doing a broadcast? There was no one out here to listen to it.
“It is a Zandrax broadcast. I am going to play it.”