Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 2 - Maveen Offer Read Online Free PDF Page B

antiseptic cream to smaller areas outside the blackened tattoo sites. She stopped after several minutes as Samantha continued to check the injured arm as best she could.
    ‘We will get the portable X-ray machine up and X-ray this arm, though I don’t know how well I will go if I have to set the bones. Steve can you see about getting the upper section of Garendestat’s suit off and we will look also at the tattoo problem on his left shoulder.’
    Garendestat motioned to Rebecca, and pointing at the tattoo sites she had been treating, he gave her a nod. She responded by saying ‘Better’ and he repeated the word with a nod. The Trader did not know exactly what the humans were placing over his damaged glimmer tattoos, but he was already starting to feel better as he sat back quietly under the now shaded deck with another bottle of water.
     
                                                                ***
     
    Ian Ridge settled in the plush chair at his desk and suppressed the urge to yell at someone. The usually urbane former diplomat was livid at the reports from HMAS Townsville on their encounter with the USS North Dakota. If the reports were correct then HMAS Townsville had prevented a major loss of life, not to mention the strong potential for radioactive contamination on the central west coast of Australia. Also there was an unconfirmed report the aliens appeared to have destroyed a US missile over the Indian Ocean.
    Gregson, the communications manager, walked in after a knock and announced.
    ‘Prime Minister I have the US president on the phone again as you requested.’
    Ian Ridge resisted, just barely, the urge to use strong language as he spoke to the US President James Whiting.
    ‘James, I am sorry to trouble you again. I hope your navy fellows are keeping you up to date. There has been an incident just off the Abrolhos Islands involving a submarine from each of our countries.’
    Ian listened in silence to the profuse apologies from the US president, noting that in the last ten years or so this would be one of their better efforts after the pandemic, before he replied.
    ‘Okay James, we are singularly unimpressed as you can imagine, and we will have to sort a lot of this out after the situation with the aliens is resolved. Now we have to be quick about this matter, so are you in agreement with my requests?’
    The prime minister listened as the US president confirmed his requests and stated that he would actively promote the science mission. After several more minutes the conversation ran down again and was concluded.
    As Ian sat back in his chair, he considered further how his efforts would be received internationally, and then a flustered Gregson laid another report on this situation on his desk. Ian glanced initially at the report to establish the importance, and read in awe that first face to face contact between humans and another intelligent race had just occurred.
     
                                                                ***
     
    Douglas Stoneham sat with his three colleagues aboard the commercial flight from Perth to Geraldton and took the opportunity to consider his options. The astrophysicist and former astronaut knew that his life had not been this interesting since fifteen years ago when he had been stationed for two years on the now abandoned moon base. Their flight would take less than an hour, and then the Americans would be driven to the police launch in Geraldton harbour, before being ferried out to the Aurora Discovery.
    Already there was a flurry of speculation as they boarded their flight about the landing of a large space ship at the Abrolhos islands. From what Douglas could establish the police in Geraldton were turning back all boats seeking to leave the port and light plane flights from Geraldton airport were now prohibited.
    There was even some talk of the