SODIUM:6 Defiance by Stephen Arseneault Page A

than the three beings who made up the Megar Accord. I asked if she had images of the three other species while I offered up an image of Hershen. She was shocked by the six white eyes that adorned his face. The Pern, the Rechin and the Geffel were the three remaining Accord members. The images of each placed them as archway species at the DaCuban site.
    I asked if they had made contact with any other species to which she replied, only the Meche. They were a deplorable race of beings who had been a constant nuisance to their sector four mining colonies. Many of their miners had been abducted and never heard from again. I asked if they had an image of the Meche.
    The Meche were human-like in appearance except for their cloven hooves. Their high foreheads hung over deep set round eyes. Narrow shoulders dropped down to an expanded waste. The expression on the image I was shown was of a scowl. The Meche matched up to left door and the row with the Ogle. I was starting to believe Hershen's theory about the good and the bad species.
    After the registrant set up a meeting for our review we passed through their tests with flying colors. We had been approved, pending a one week course about what was proper behavior and what was offensive. Once through the course we would be issued a transponder that would allow us access to the three star systems that made up the Megar Accord.
    Again, I was thrust into the role of Ambassador and again I attempted to represent the AMP in the best light possible. Who knew if one day we would be seeking trade or perhaps even an eventual alliance? I made our first order of business to become familiar with the station and its inhabitants.
    The station turned out to have a hollow interior that was widely used for ship repairs and large cargo unloads. Travelers who could afford private accommodations on the station were also privileged with docking facilities on the interior. It seemed every species had their ultra-wealthy.
    The station was well ordered with guards posted at most major hallway intersections. Shops bustled with customers and small kiosks adorned the hallways with barkers plying their wares. Except for the Pern, the Bwatt were the taller of the species with their clam shaped head jutting up above the others. The Rechin had dark droopy skin with round hairless heads. The Geffel were the smallest of the three and were covered with a forest green fur. Most Geffel had white fur covering one side of their face.
    I took note of appearances of those within a species as it became apparent that color or thickness of fur or width of the eyes made a difference in each society. The wealthy Pern had a black seam that ran the length of their skull from the top down to the base of the neck. The shopkeepers and other business types had the same seam with a reddish tint and the lowest order of Pern had no color to their seam at all. They were the ones pushing brooms, wheeling around containers or begging from the crowds.
    The Rechin had two castes with the high order having nodules on the forehead while the commoners had smooth skin. The Geffel seemed to all be workers or assistants. Their small stature and thin frame no doubt limited their ability to do heavy lifting of any kind. After a day of touring the station we headed for the Pern world of Bekin.
    On our trip to Bekin we logged the speed of the transports that were moving between systems. The had achieved 20 times the speed of light making the jump to Bekin a seven month journey. We traveled the 12 light years distance in less than a day.
    Upon our arrival at Bekin we chose to land in the capital city of Sage. We had no currency for docking fees but we had been given an Ambassador's pass that allowed us free access to any port. A small welcoming committee of politicos was assembled to greet us as we arrived. Several fainted when our Sodium skin turned from transparent to white. Such things were only available on the largest of the military ships such as