by Z D Dean
Tears began to flow freely down Samix’s face. With a few sentences Zade had turned her into an emotional mess. Part of her tears were from the final realization of what she had done, part was from the sadness of how Zade saw her. To him she was nothing more than a narcissistic coward who only cared about herself.
He continued, “You clearly have a very promising military career ahead of you. I won’t invalidate my peoples’ potential sacrifice by asking you to jeopardize that. But I can’t sit back and passively accept my species fate without doing something to try and help them. We part ways when we land. You continue to your debrief and party to celebrate a successful mission. I’ll try to find a way to get back to the contested zone and find my planet to give them a fighting chance if the Domain ever comes.”
The last part was spoken as a firm statement, there was no hesitation or uncertainty in Zade’s voice when he finished.
“I’ll take the identification chip now. It should make it easier for me to find a ride back off this rock. If the Domain is as bad as you have said, I’ll try to help as many people as possible on my way back to my home world.”
Samix wanted nothing more than to justify herself, to make Zade understand that she was a better person than he thought, to get back in the good graces of the only man she had ever actually viewed about as an equal, the only man she had ever cared about. But she knew that right now any explanation would fall on deaf ears. Instead, with numb detachment, after showing Zade where the chip needed to go Samix explained what would happen once they landed as she injected the chip into his forearm.
“This chip gives you a background and clean criminal history, making it possible for you to complete transactions and stay under the security team’s radar. I didn’t make you part of the crew, so the receiving party won’t be expecting you to disembark with the rest of us. I put some credits on your chip to help get you started. All you have to do is watch the external ship cameras from your quarters and wait for them to take the crew to the debrief before you leave the ship.”
She didn’t even bother apologizing again, knowing it wouldn’t be accepted, before Zade headed off the command deck back to his quarters. She simply watched him disappear out the hatch, lost in her own thoughts. There was only an hour left before the ship landed back in the core, before she could see her family again, before she would be hailed a hero, before Zade disappeared from her life forever.
Mur spoke up for the first time since Zade entered the command deck. “This really is the best way for things to end.” It was a small comfort, but comfort none the less and it helped Samix get her feelings under control once again.
Chapter 15
As the ship closed with the planet, Zade switched his vidscreens to the view from the external cameras on the ship. He also tuned into the communications channel so he could hear the conversation with the locals. With the video and audio playing in the background, Zade explored the contents of his new identification chip. The first thing he noticed was that there had been one thousand credits added to his account. Zade didn’t know whether to be excited by the amount or disappointed. With no point of reference, he wasn’t sure if he could buy a house or barely be able to afford a cup of coffee.
The next component he began to explore was his background. It was broken into three parts: administrative, background, and notable achievements. Administrative was what he had expected: name, age, species, home world, etc. The background portion laid out his life and intentions in a brief narrative. It explained to whomever checked it that Zade was a warrior from his world. Proficient in firearms and terrestrial strategy. He was currently listed as a security professional visiting the core planets for security or mercenary work. The notable achievements section listed the few encounters he had had on the ship and laid out in a tabular format his successful defense of Unity property, ships and personnel during classified missions.
Before he could explore the contents of the identification chip any further, the speakers in his room crackled and, the voice of an individual working at the control tower demanded that the ship identify itself. Samix could be heard identifying the ship and requesting a spot to land. There was a brief pause, while the controller looked up the captain and corresponding ship. After realizing that we were the experimental exploration ship, the controller’s voice took on an excited edge. He moved the ship to the front of the landing que and informed Samix that the ship would first have to be scanned for external contaminants or threats. Before cutting the channel, he welcomed the crew back and told Samix that he would inform the authorities that the XES01 had returned.
The ship gently tugged at Zade as it adjusted its course to land. Within minutes Zade could see the gray and blue planet come into view. As the ship closed, more and more details were revealed. Zade could see that, although there were expanses of pristine ocean on the planet, almost every inch of landmass was covered in cities. The gray color came from the millions of huge skyscrapers that were the main feature of the cityscape. As the approach continued Zade could begin making out the uncountable number of vehicles, both aerial and terrestrial, zipping through the cities.
It appeared that the ship was heading towards a large open space located towards the center of the biggest city Zade could see on the planet’s surface. He assumed it was the spaceport at the center of the capital. A soft thud indicated that the ship had landed. Zade watched and waited. Shortly after the ship settled on its landing struts a convoy of ten or so black hover vehicles approached. When the vehicles stopped next to the ship, a multitude of creatures disembarked, some in elegant attire others in more functional wear. Zade was guessing that the former were some kind of dignitaries or officials whereas the latter were a security detail.
A subtle pressure shift announced the opening of the ramp, shortly after which the crew appeared on the external cameras. Samix led the crew, carrying the personal effects of the crewmember lost before Zade was brought aboard. The three crewmembers were loaded into separate vehicles which all sped away towards the largest most elaborate skyscrapers in the capital. After the vehicles disappeared into the throng that moved through the city like a river, the ship took on an eerie silence punctuated only by the hiss of air exchangers.
“It’s safe to leave the ship now.” Mur announced through the speakers in Zade’s quarters. He wasn’t abnormally loud, but the contrast with the silence of the ship still made Zade jump.
“Very well. The first thing I want to do when I set foot on solid ground is grab a drink and really think through my options. Can you show me the nearest bar or watering hole?” Zade asked the AI.
“There is a small restaurant less than a half a kilometer from the spaceport.” Mur stated as he uploaded a map of the city to Zade’s nanites.
As Zade walked down the ramp and observed his surroundings he could see a building, about two blocks away, highlighted a faint green. It was the nearest restaurant and Zade struck out towards it. As he followed the shortest path from the spaceport to the restaurant, Zade marveled at the different species that occupied the sidewalk with him. Mur must have uploaded some kind of identification routine with the map because, when Zade would look at an individual their species name would appear over their head.
It didn’t take long for Zade to find himself tucked comfortably in a booth at the back of the restaurant. He had requested the spot mostly because he wanted to be left alone to think, but also because it had a perfect view of the door. Samix assured him, when he got his identification chip, that the core was peaceful and no one would bother him but he was still a bit out of his depth. Zade efficiently ordered, what he approximated to be, a beer in a manner which conveyed his lack of desire for conversation. The alien working the bar worked effectively and quickly deposited a frothy mug on the table before Zade. After quickly scanning his chip to deduct the credits for the beer, the alien bartender vanished into the crowd.
A long gulp from the mug helped Zade relax. After savoring the flavor of the drink for a bit,
he pulled up his digital wallet and was pleased to see the drink had only cost him a fraction of a fraction of a credit. Meaning that this place was either extremely cheap or Samix had given him a significant sum. Zade didn’t do any planning during his first beer, he simply let the alcohol relax him as he observed the other patrons in the establishment.
As he did so, he found that the longer he inspected an individual the more information would populate about their species. A brief glance garnered him their species. A Slightly longer appraisal got him the species, home world, and how long they had been part of the Unity. An in-depth inspection could yield a full description of the species if he wanted it to. After learning about the patrons nearest him, Zade finally found the bottom of his mug. Raising the empty vessel, he waved to get the bartenders attention. The creature met Zade’s eyes, at which point Zade signaled that he would like another drink. The bar tender just smirked and turned back to his work.
Zade waited a few minutes and watched as the bartender blatantly ignored his request and continued chatting up a female at the bar. The longer Zade waited the angrier he got. Finally, fed up with the poor service, Zade headed to the bar to get his own refill. As he approached the bartender grudgingly pulled himself away from his crush and rudely addressed Zade.
Weather borne of the disrespect or the culmination of all of the challenges he had faced since being abducted, Zade snapped. Like a striking cobra Zade grabbed the bartender and hauled him across the bar, off his feet, so they were nose to nose.
“If I see the bottom of this god damned mug one more time, I’m going to rip your fucking head off. If that doesn’t kill you, I’ll start pulling off other parts until you cease being the useless piece of shit you are.” The venomous words fell from Zade’s mouth with the calm of a man discussing the weather. The girl sitting at the bar recoiled at Zade’s brazen actions.
After releasing the man, Zade returned to his booth and waited for his drink. The shaken bartender almost bumped into him as he slid into his seat. The bartender set the drink down with shaky hands, almost spilling the brew. As Zade held out his arm to be charged the bar back informed him that the drink was on the house.
“No need for that. I wasn’t trying to take advantage of this establishment; I just wanted a drink. Go ahead and ring it.” Without argument the proprietor quickly charged Zade for his second beer and retreated to the relative safety of the bar.
A few drinks saw Zade with the skeleton of a plan formed. His first priority would be to see if he could buy himself a ship with the credits he had. Barring that, he would look for work on a ship that was going into the contested zone. The work would get him closer to Earth while also earning him some much-needed credits. Zade worked through some of the finer points of his plan over his fifth beer. After determining that he would need to consult Mur about the price of a ship, Zade quaffed his beer and stood to head towards the spaceport. As he approached the door to the restaurant, four burley Xi’Ga men entered, clad in the same dark security uniforms. Their skin was a darker blue than Samix’s, and their lidless eyes were fixed on Zade.
“Are you Alex Zade?” The biggest, and presumably leader, of the four asked.
Not really looking for trouble, but not looking to have his plan delayed, Zade looked around feigning authentic confusion and pointed to himself. The leader nodded and Zade turned to head out a back entrance but was met by four more equally stacked Xi’Ga. Realizing that all escape routes had been covered and fighting his way out garnered little chance of success, Zade turned to address the group’s leader.
“Who’s asking?” He said, his voice exhibiting more confidence than he truly felt.
“The chancellor would like to speak with you.” Was the leader’s response.
Before Zade could muster a rebuttal one of the guards from the back of the restaurant stepped forward and cracked Zade across the back of the head, crumpling him to the floor unmoving. Zade was quickly hooded, trussed and unceremoniously tossed in the back of a nondescript black hover vehicle, that promptly zipped towards the center of the capital.
∆∆∆
Samix watched as the two remaining members of her crew were loaded into separate vehicles. The entire transfer was completed in relative silence, with the occasional congratulatory sentiment from the security team. Once loaded, Samix watched as the team gave the ship one last appraisal as if to check if they had forgotten anything, before they too loaded up and headed towards the capital.
The joy of being safely back home pushed thoughts of Zade and his situation from her mind. Samix simply relaxed for the first time since the XES01 left friendly space and enjoyed the trip to the capital building. As she watched buildings zip past the vehicles, Samix’s mind wandered to her reunion with her adopted parents. Her father was absolutely positive that Samix would come back safely after completing the successful mission, but she could tell her mother was positively racked with worry.
It was a dynamic that Samix had learned to accept during her upbringing. Her mother was the compassionate care giver that would obsess over any danger Samix could face during her childhood. Her overprotectiveness hit its peak when Samix got into the command program in the Academe. Samix’s father on the other hand was always focused on her climb to glory. Sure, he was proud of her achievements, but there was always “the next step.” Although either one taken individually would have driven Samix crazy, together they balanced each other out. Samix’s mother would preach caution, whereas her father would push her into taking risks to grow. As troublesome as they could be, Samix was excited to see them both.
The convoy rolled into the secure parking deck of the capital building and Samix was ushered towards an elevator. Although she was in front of her two remaining crew members, when she got out of her vehicle she could see that they shared her goofy grin. Presumably, Axis was thinking about seeing his tribe and Jorloss his family. When the crew exited the elevator ten floors below the secured parking area, Samix was separated from the rest.
She was immediately on edge. Not because she was worried about whether or not the other two would reveal Zade’s existence, they had decided not to reveal that information before they had landed. Rather, separating the crew wasn’t standard operating procedure when a ship returned. After securing the lost crew member’s belongings, Samix was led into a conference room where a de-briefer awaited her.
Sat against the back wall, as he was, Samix couldn’t identify the man. He looked vaguely familiar from the Academe, but she couldn’t quite place him. Engrossed in his computer, the de-briefer didn’t even notice Samix enter the room. As she moved around to take a seat, Samix caught a glimpse of what held his attention on the computer. Her heart dropped as she saw that he was reviewing the security footage from aboard the XES01. The footage was frozen on a frame that had Zade in full picture.
“So, we have some questions.” He stated flatly when he noticed Samix’s presence.
∆∆∆
Zade regained consciousness, no longer in transit. Even though his eyes were open the world was still nothing more than a black abyss, as he was still hooded. Being knocked unconscious was never a good time and not something unfamiliar to Zade after multiple encounters with IEDs in combat, but it always surprised him how bad the headache was when coming back to. After pushing the agony, which felt like someone driving an icepick into his skull, away Zade noticed that he was firmly tied to a chair.
He thought he hurt while in the darkness of the hood placed over his head. When his captors removed the hood and exposed a brightly lit office, it took all of Zade’s self-control to stop himself from vomiting. After a few seconds the pain behind his eyes began to subside, taking with it the urge to become sick, and Zade took stock of his surroundings.
With his head hung to his chest from the pain, the first thing Zade noticed was that he was tied to a rather elegantly designed chair which sat atop what appeared to be an expensive rug. As he lifted his head to look around, he could see he was in a gigantic
office, garishly decorated with a myriad of painted portraits hung along the walls. The portraits were of the man who was leaned against the large dark wood desk feet away from Zade. Not one to capitulate by breaking the pregnant silence, Zade simply glared at the man. The man openly scowled, his visage growing darker when he locked eyes with Zade. Although he couldn’t see directly behind himself, Zade sensed the presence of others standing directly behind him, most likely the security goons who abducted him he thought.
The man against the desk was an elderly Xi’Ga, based on the graying hair upon his head. He was dressed in what passed for a flamboyant suit on the core planets. The brightly colored suit was perfectly tailored, matching the rest of the man’s appearance.
“Why are you here Mr. Zade, is it?” The man asked, a vicious smile that never touched his eyes, on his face.
With a brief passage of time, Zade’s head began to clear, and he wasn’t especially happy with the way he had been manhandled. “I’m not really sure, but it appears a fan girl sent her thugs to kidnap me.”
One of the guards behind him stepped forward and cuffed Zade across the head. The strike sent stars across Zade’s vision and made his ears ring. “No one speaks to the Chancellor that way.” The rebuke presumably coming from the man who had struck him.
Zade wasn’t one to capitulate to bullies but he also wasn’t a glutton for punishment. Seeing that he had little leverage, he answered the question more diplomatically. “I am here because I have no way to get back to my home.”
“I don’t believe you.” The chancellor’s statement was punctuated with another strike to Zade’s head from behind, this one hard enough to topple Zade to the floor.