Page 163 - The Perpetrations of Captain Kaga

Investigating the Mystery of the Talking Plant
161
“Greetings, Captain Kaga,” the recording began. “You are invited to
the opening of the twenty-seventh PKU Galactic Trade Exhibition, to
be held on day seven/twelve at 1900 GST at the Center in Pontenga
City. RSVP.”
The image faded into more PKU pomp. A few seconds passed, then
the image reappeared.
“Captain, hello there!” Lugo waved at him from the screen. “Let me
encourage you unofficially to come out here. It’s a good chance to get
away from that Philosophers Club for a while, and I’d love to show
you around the Center. Did you know I had gotten a post-retirement
assignment here? I’m the assistant to Commander Quex, who’s in
charge of liaison with GHQ. This is the first time I’ve had a job like
this, and it’s quite interesting. Anyway, I had the duty of inviting
someone of your rank to an opening, so I got Quex’s permission to
put your name on the list. I hope you can make it! So long.”
The message ended, and Kaga removed the CardRec. He had
RSVP’d, then gone about the task of finding transport to Pontenga, a
terraformed planet near the hub of galaxy P9J-248. His only possibility
was the training flight; he attached himself to its crew as a senior
adviser, a common procedure by which old PKU officers hitched rides
to unscheduled destinations. By happy coincidence, the cadets were
due to land in Pontenga City the day of the opening, and return to
Radnelac III after two days’ leave.
The call to return to the acceleration couches had not yet sounded,
so Captain Kaga floated about his cabin looking for something to do.
He finally activated the library scanner, but he found little of interest
in the largely technical collection on-board. As he quickly skimmed
over the titles and cross references flashing past on the screen, his eye
caught a listing for an illustration of the Trade Exhibition Center on
Pontenga, and he called it forth to be displayed.
The PKU had commissioned a design by a Pontengan architect; the
result was a typical series of five-sided adjoining structures. The central
area contained a large entry hall with galleries on three sides. Doors on
the outer walls of each of the latter gave access to three other areas:
the PKU command post, special alien accommodations, and
workshops, storage rooms and office s for the exhibition staff. The
entire complex was surrounded by gardens containing exotic flora:

161