by S. H. Jucha
At Patrice’s request, Esteban added the other captains to the conversation. She updated them on the agreement with Olawale, and the promotions of Lucia and Oleg. At this time, she didn’t expect the other captains to object to Oleg’s selection. After Esteban closed the connections, she waited for calls from the captains, who hadn’t been selected.
When the call came through the Rêveur’s controller for Patrice, it was routed to Esteban. Unexpectedly for Patrice, it was Oleg.
“Captain Tenard,” Patrice said in surprise. She heard Oleg’s gentle laughter in her ear comm.
“You were expecting calls from my contemporaries, weren’t you?” Oleg asked. “Perhaps to hear their objections?”
“I’d considered that possibility,” Patrice admitted.
“I thought that might be the case. I decided to call you and put your mind at ease,” Oleg said. “I was the one who received the captains’ calls. They expressed their relief that you promoted me. Apparently, they didn’t want the position any more than I did.”
Patrice heard Oleg’s soft laughter again before the connection was closed.
“A good choice,” Esteban said. “We’ve learned from Omnian leaders that those who don’t covet power are usually the best to promote.”
* * * * *
Jess and Tacnock exited their docked packet ships, leaving their senior officers in charge of the crews’ downtime. They met in a station’s corridor. Tacnock tilted his narrow muzzle up at Jess and chittered. He was delighted not to be left behind.
They made their way to the bay that the station director reported had been cleared for the visitors. A Sylian crew chief stood in the airlock. He stared through the bayside hatch’s clear panel. The bay doors were open, and the Sylian home world shone beyond.
The crew chief noticed Jess and Tacnock crowd beside him, and he said, “The Omnian shuttle, the one they call a traveler, is on its way here.”
Within moments, Jess felt warm breath on his neck. The Sylian station director stood behind him.
“I’m jealous,” the director said. “I’d love to ride in that ship.”
“If we’re clever, the visitors might be with us for a while, and you might get your opportunity,” Tacnock offered the director. When he saw Jess frown, he added, “Clever doesn’t mean dishonest, my friend.”
Jess nodded, accepting the clarification.
“Here it comes,” the crew chief said in a rush. The ship had taken him by surprise. It had appeared without the usual engine flares that heralded a vessel decelerating before using its jets to maneuver into the bay.
The observers watched the sleek vessel, with its soft-swirling blue, green, and white hull. It slid into the bay and hovered there.
“No skid or landing gear,” Jess noted.
“Here it comes,” Tacnock said. As a Jatouche, he had the lower eye view and was the first to see the landing gear extend from the traveler’s bottom.
“No external engines,” the director marveled. He’d been told that, but he had to see it to believe it.
“We never saw engine flares at the moon,” Jess commented, “and Captain Bellardo made that point clear to us. I think we’d better start taking the visitors’ statements for facts.”
The crew chief eyed the airlock’s indicator for bay pressurization. The telltale flashed green. “How are you boarding?” he asked. Then he uttered, “Oh,” as the hatch seam appeared and the hatch folded down.
When the crew chief opened the bayside airlock hatch, Jess and Tacnock hurried out.
Tacnock didn’t wait for any visitors to descend from the traveler. Instead, he scampered up the hatch steps and bumped into a solid pair of legs.
“You’re an enormous human,” Tacnock said in Jatouche. He was embarrassed by his rudeness and forgetfulness. The visitors didn’t possess the alliance’s ubiquitous ear wigs.
“My friend apologizes for his exuberance,” Jess temporized, having climbed the hatch steps and witnessed Tacnock close to the feet of a human and staring up at him in wonder.
Tacnock appreciated Jess covering for him, as he continued to regard the largest and darkest-skinned human he’d ever seen.
“Jess, he doesn’t seem perturbed by my appearance,” Tacnock said, which Jess relayed.
Olawale laughed, when he heard the translation. It was a deep bass tone, which reminded Jess and Tacnock of the Crocians.
“Once you’ve met the giant ocean-going Swei Swee or the Dischnya of Omnia, there’s little that surprises you,” Olawale declared. “You’d be surprised to learn that there are mobile, sentient plants called Ollassa.”
Olawale introduced himself. As he did, he noticed that the furred alien followed the conversation. “That’s right. You understand me,” he said to Tacnock.
Jess produced the box of ear wigs that he’d grabbed on his way through the station. “As I mentioned, we understand one another through the use of these,” he said.
“Thank you,” Olawale said, accepting the box, taking one, and passing it to Patrice.
“The only reason that Tacnock and the packet ship crews could understand you is that you’ve a language common to the ear wigs’ data banks,” Jess explained again.
With the ear wigs in place, Olawale completed the introductions of Patrice, Lucia, Edmas, Jodlyne, Esteban, and Juliette.
Then Jess and Tacnock reciprocated.
“Come. Take a seat,” Olawale offered, and everyone walked the aisle to the front of the main cabin.
“Beautiful ship,” Jess commented. “What’s its range?”
“It’s limited to a system,” Olawale replied.
Tacnock presumed a mistranslation, and Jess thought his question might have been misunderstood.
Before either could speak, Olawale added, “As long as a traveler stays in system, it has an inexhaustible range. Food, water, air recycling, and boredom are the limiting factors for those individuals aboard.”
At the cabin’s front, Olawale and Patrice sat side by side in rear-facing seats. Lucia chose to sit opposite them.
“Here, Captain Cinders,” Juliette said politely and indicated the place next to Lucia. “I saved this seat for you.”
Lucia covered her frown, while Juliette delivered a brilliant smile to Jess.
Tacnock sat across the aisle from the foursome, with Esteban and Juliette for company.
Jess eyed Olawale, Patrice, and Lucia. “Why do you look so different from one another?”
“Three-quarters of a millennium of generational separation,” Olawale replied. “Patrice and I are from Earth. Commodore Bellardo is from Méridien, a planet lighter than Earth.”
“Commodore?” Jess queried. “I must have misheard your rank.”
Olawale chose not to explain the reason for Lucia’s change. He covered it by saying, “The commodore commands the warship squadron. She also captains the OS Judgment, one of the Tridents.”
“Impressive,” Jess said, appreciating the momentary opportunity to directly face Lucia. She tipped her head in acknowledgment.
“Where are you from, Esteban?” Tacnock asked, mesmerized by the shifting colorful forms on the SADE’s face.
“Juliette and I are Méridien in origin, but we chose our appearances. We’re ensconced in avatars. We’re SADEs,” Esteban replied.
Tacnock wasn’t sure of the meanings of what Esteban had said, but he was intrigued by the option to explore a unique facet of the visitors. “I’m delighted to meet you both,” he said, displaying rows of small sharp teeth. “If I bother you with too many questions, please don’t be offended.”
“You’ll find we’re patient with biologicals,” Juliette replied and winked, which delighted Tacnock.
“Is something wrong, Captain?” Lucia asked Jess, when she noticed his furtive glances toward her.
“Sorry,” Jess replied softly, tearing his gaze away from Lucia’s face.
Olawale repressed his desire to chuckle. He said, “Our Méridien cousins have long practiced genetic sculpt
ing.”
“They’re quite good at it,” Jess managed to reply and stole another glance.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Lucia replied. Her face flitted between a polite smile and a frown.
Juliette sent privately to Lucia,
The cabin lights dimmed, and conversations turned toward the defenders’ desire to discover the origins of Omnians and Earthers and their reason for entering the Sylian system.
At one point, Tacnock asked Esteban, “When do you expect to get underway?”
“We’re underway, Captain,” Olawale said.
That and other surprises, such as the service of made-to-order meals, awaited the defenders on their flight to the Sylian home planet.
-4-
Talsoma
“Are you certain that you want to hold the meeting with the visitors in the throne room?” Soshona asked Talsoma.
“No, but we’re not meeting in the planning room or my private apartments. Where else?” Talsoma replied irritably.
Soshona tipped her head to the side, granting Talsoma’s point.
“I want Kasie Cinders in the meeting,” Talsoma said.
“I assumed as much. She’s on her way,” Soshona said.
“I would have thought we’d have had many cycles to prepare, not less than half a cycle,” Talsoma groused.
“We’re not in communications with the visitors’ shuttle, which means we don’t know where to meet them. We can presume Captain Cinders will direct them to the royal shuttle pads,” Soshona offered. “Definitive word will come to us when their shuttle is spotted on approach. Until then, there’s no use in us attempting to meet them.”
“An awkward moment of first contact,” Talsoma commented.
* * * * *
“Who’ll we be meeting?” Olawale asked Jess, when his implant connection with the traveler’s controller showed them entering the planet’s atmosphere.
“The Sylian monarch, Her Excellency Talsoma,” Jess replied.
“Do you expect her to be in residence?” Olawale pursued.
“Yes, she’s been there ever since she ascended the throne,” Jess replied.
“Where is it most appropriate to land?” Esteban requested.
Every SADE knew of Julien’s critical first-contact tool. It was a portable holo-vid. Esteban pulled his device from a bag and activated it. His holo-vid displayed imagery of the passage through a thick layer of clouds. “This is a view from our ship’s exterior,” he said.
“We’re dropping through the atmosphere without vibration?” Tacnock asked in surprise.
“But you don’t know where you’re going,” Jess protested.
“Your squadron commander made comm calls to a prestigious-appearing compound, which is in the center of your greatest city,” Juliette replied. “We presumed that location to be the residence of your government’s senior officials. Were we incorrect?”
The traveler broke through the clouds. Esteban greatly magnified the view, and the monarch’s resplendent residency was displayed in the holo-vid.
“Yes, that’s the right place,” Tacnock agreed happily.
Extending the holo-vid toward Tacnock, Esteban said, “Please, feel free to manipulate the display.”
Tacnock flashed his teeth at Jess and dived into the display. His early manipulations required Esteban to reset the view more than once. When he learned the rudimentary acceptable gestures, he zoomed in on the royal enclosure.
“You’re showing an approach to the southeast corner,” Jess remanded Tacnock. “We should be landing on the north side of the compound. It’s nearer the palace.”
“A little help might be nice,” Tacnock retorted. “You’ve been there more often with Kasie than me.”
Jess leaned out of his seat and across the aisle to shift the display. He’d watched Tacnock play with the holo-vid and had picked up the basics. He realized that it was quite intuitive.
“Yes, the palace,” Tacnock said excitedly, when Jess framed the imposing structure in the holo-vid.
“The grounds in front of the palace would be the most appropriate place to meet Her Excellency’s advisors or staff, whoever comes to greet you,” Jess said. “You’ll notice that gardens cover nearly every meter of the grounds. They’re treasured by the Sylians,” he warned.
“We’ll be careful,” Olawale replied soothingly.
“Thank you,” Esteban replied, retrieving his holo-vid. He shared the coordinates with the SADEs, the fleet’s senior commanders, and their traveler pilot.
“What are your intentions with Her Excellency?” Jess asked Olawale.
“To chat, what else?” Olawale replied, smiling good-naturedly.
Jess and Tacnock glanced at each other. Their thoughts were similar. The visitors’ calm demeanors indicated their extensive experience in these types of situations.
The captains watched the holo-vid’s display. The royal compound expanded until it eclipsed the display. Then the palace’s gardens filled the view.
the pilot sent in reply.
Olawale chuckled. Then he sent,
The pilot smiled to himself. He’d always wanted to perform this subtle ship movement for an important occasion and imitate the Omnians’ first encounter with the Ollassa, the sentients who were a symbiotic amalgam of flora.
As the mosaic of centuries-old ornamental stonework filled the holo-vid display, Tacnock’s mouth opened to object, but he was silenced by Jess’s subtle shake of head.
“Mind the last step,” Olawale announced to his guests, as the cabin lights came up. He refrained from chuckling.
The passengers exited, and Tacnock failed to spot the landing gear he’d seen in the station’s bay. He expected the shuttle’s three extensions to have shattered the precious artwork. He dropped to all fours and burst into a loud round of chittering.
“The landing gear isn’t extended. The ship is floating,” Tacnock declared to Jess. “There’s a gap between the traveler’s bottom and the stonework.”
Jess laughed softly. Then he turned narrowed eyes on Olawale.
“Apologies, for not preparing you,” Olawale said. “Then again, we wouldn’t make much headway if we stopped to explain everything we can do.”
“What now?” Jess asked.
“We’ve been rude enough to land in the royal compound without permission,” Olawale replied. “It’s only proper to wait for a reception committee.”
Soshona listened to the report coming through on her ear wig. “The visitors have landed,” she said to Talsoma.
“Good. Where do we meet them?” Talsoma asked.
“Here ... in front of the palace,” Soshona replied in disbelief.
“The gardens ... the stonework,” Talsoma said in horror. Then a thought occurred to her. “We didn’t hear or feel the blast of the shuttle’s engines.”
“The visitors’ ship is reported to be floating above the compound’s grounds,” Soshona replied, shaking her head with incredulity. “It’s not tail down, and there’s no blast burn. Apparently, there’s no damage, and the visitors have disembarked and are waiting.”
“I must meet them,” Talsoma said, setting down a device on the planning table.
“Wait, Your Excellency,” Soshona said. “The senior visitor is an expedition leader, not a ruler. If anything, I should meet them.”
“Agreed,” Talso
ma replied, after a brief moment of consideration. “Take a small entourage. You’ll want to impress our visitors.”
Soshona and a few of her staff exited the gates that marked the palace’s entrance onto the broad expanse of carefully manicured and decorated grounds. Her step faltered for a moment. It was due to a combination of three things — the unusually colored ship, its unnatural suspension above the stonework, and the collection of individuals waiting for her. If she judged by uniform, she thought she should greet the slender, delicately sculpted female. If she judged by size, she should greet the enormous male, and if she judged by decoration, the individual, whose skin appeared to imitate water, should be met first. Fortunately, her captains provided the answer. They’d bracketed the dark male and were turned slightly toward him.
“I’m Fleet Commander Soshona. Is this still your customary greeting?” she asked, extending a hand backed by white fur and palm and fingers of black pads.
“It is,” Olawale replied. His smile was a flash of bright white teeth against his ebony skin.
“My compliments to your pilot and your engineers,” Soshona said. “That’s an impressive display of both,” she added, indicating the traveler with a wave of her hand.
“It was our intention to meet with your ruler soonest but not disturb your beautiful grounds,” Olawale replied.
That the visitors could utilize incredible technology without sacrificing courtesy wasn’t wasted on Soshona. “Then if you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to Her Excellency Talsoma,” she offered.
Talsoma paced in front of the throne, while she waited for Soshona to return with the visitors. She’d frequently reviewed what she proposed to say. Her advisors patiently waited in their chairs, which flanked the throne, and watched their youthful ruler impatiently stride back and forth.
Soshona signaled to Talsoma that she was inbound with the visitors, and Talsoma hurried to take her place on the throne.
Olawale walked into the throne room beside the Sylian fleet commander. They were a stark contrast. Where he was smooth-skinned, she was covered in fur. Where he was a deep mocha, she was intensely white. Where he was tall and heavy boned, she was slender and of moderate height.