Page 87 - The Perpetrations of Captain Kaga

Claiming the Vegimal Property

Captain Kaga clambered back into the cockpit and called the base.
“What do you want?” came Iminux’s cranky voice.
“Quick! Put me through to General Kosla at GHQ!”
“All right, all right, don’t snap your roots,” said the Vegimal. Kaga
waited impatiently as the deepspace connection was made.
“This is General Kosla. That you, Kaga?”
“Yes, yes! Call off the attack: Lieutenant Lugo is safe; I have him
here with me, and we’ll soon have our business on Miglig
concluded.”
“That so? Well, too bad. We were all set to go. Another fifteen
minutes...”
“It’s all over now, General. Thanks for being so concerned about
Lieutenant Lugo. Over and out.”
Kaga returned to his friend waiting below. “That’s taken care of!
I’m bushed!”
Lugo looked at him questioningly. “Did I hear you tell him that we
were about to wrap things up here?”
“That’s right,” said Kaga. “I had an idea while I was driving up
here. But what did these wise old Vegimals have to say about the
ownership of mineral rights?”
“I’m not at all sure I understood their ideas. Maybe the Languex
hit something untranslatable—”
“Okay,” sighed Kaga. “Let’s go up there and I’ll hear for myself.”
They climbed up the rocks to the edge of the palisade. The three
ancient Vegimals gazed unceasingly out across the ocean, so Kaga
and Lugo were forced to pluck at their rigid limbs to get their
attention. Lugo had to turn up his Languex to high volume in order
to be heard above the pounding surf.
“O wise one!” he yelled. “There is another alien here who wishes
to learn from you. Please tell him what you told me about the
ownership of Miglig.”
Kaga had to lean out over the edge of the cliff to get his Languex
close enough to the old Vegimal to hear the reply.
“Who are we, the custodians of Miglig? Nothing but the offshoots
of almighty Igmal. Igmal, who came to this distant land from the
great orchards of Morgalee, carried by the wind, washed up by the
sea. Igmal, by the grace of whose power and persistence we lesser
mortals have taken root. Igmal, whose glory and grandeur we praise
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