Dateline, Ryzax VII; a class-M planet, by Federation standards, that is not interested in becomming part of the Federation, Romulan Empire, Klingon Empire or any other larger organization that does not directly serve its main global interest: isolationism. Therefore, I absolutely had to check it out.
      I was barely able to book passage on a small freighter that claimed to be an "antiquities" vessel...which to me sounded less than honest...but for 800 credits they simply couldn't pass me up! I guess business is not so good these days...in antiquities. So, with my satchel and a little bit of pocket change I headed for Ryzax VII.
      The Freighter was, as I expected, stopped shortly after takeoff, inspected and surprisingly let go by Federation authorities. While the antiquities business may not be good...it certainly is creative!
      "Now entering the orbit of Ryzax VII...buckle up!" Of course, it brought a small smile to my face since the ride so far had been anything other than smooth! Nevertheless, I strapped myself in and prepared for descent.
      The next few minutes were very harrowing. Not only did we dip and dive, churn and burn and get tossed to and fro, but we also found ourselves in the middle of a formation of aircraft. The freighter was surrounded and the aircraft were like nothing I had ever seen before. The shape was very triangular but there were no canopies, external engine outlets, or landing gear. It was almost as if we were surrounded buy arrowheads that moved at three times the speed of sound. I made a small notation in my notebook and held on as the pilot of our freighter attempted to lost our 'escorts' through the tall peaks on the planet's surface.
      There were at least four aircraft that I could tell...at least there were four aircraft that the pilot told me he was trying to 'lose.' After a few minutes of dodging our aggressors, I was called to the bridge. There was one open seat next to the pilot and I was asked to sit there. "I'm not a pilot," I told the captain. "No problem," he said with a smirk. "I'm not much of one either!"
      The canyon walls seemed to get taller and taller the farther we flew. Then I looked down and realized the river below was getting wider and wider. Those two facets together could only mean one thing...we were losing altitude. As we dived colser and closer to the river below, the aggressors stood firm and right on our tail. Just when I thought our freighter would be transformed into a makeshift submarine, the captain and I pulled with all our might on the yolks in front of us. The rickety vessel lurched forward and upward, leaving hundred foot tail sprays of water behind us as we avoided the river. Two of our attackers were not so lucky. We reduced our following by half when two of the airplanes crashed into the shallow river and exploded.
      "Ha, two down and two to go," the captain said as he zipped back toward the sky.
      "What are those things?" I asked. "Sure don't seem normal."
      "Computer," the captain said. "Analyze attacking aircraft."
      "The aircraft are of the origin, Ryzaxi. Approximate length, 22.3 meters; wingspan, 12.9 meters; maximum speed 3.3 mach, crew compliment zero."
      "Zero," the captain said. "Like a ghost ship?"
      "A drone," the computer replied. Armament is approximately twice that of a Federation scout ship."
      And, as if almost on cue, two blasts ripped past our bow on the starboard side, detonating on the mountain in front of us and sending rubble cascading into the fiver below. As the phase blasts continued, our communicator beeped. Without even answering it, an image appeared.
      "You are trespassing in Ryzaxan airspace. This is your final warning. Your weapons are no match for us and if you resist, the next shots will not intentionally miss."
      As much as I wanted to actually meet someone on the planet to discuss the philosophies of the isolationist theory, I think I got my answer in the form of a practical demonstration. So, in light of this, we decided to continue out of the Ryzax atmosphere and out of the system.
      So many more things to see and places to go.

~mtc