by Luigi Robles
4
Doka
Within twenty-four hours and with the help of the space elevator, Fain had Sodenia ready to depart to the Ochilenes’ homeworld, Doka. However, this time around it would only be a partial crew of three hundred ESAF officers, including the flight crew, on board. Three other ESAF ships were also ready to journey to Doka with a crew of two hundred each. The three ships would accompany Sodenia within the bubble created by the Alcubierre drive.
The largest ship joining the four-ship flotilla aside from Sodenia was the ESAF John Paul Jones, which was nearly half of Sodenia’s massive size. The Jones, as Fain mentally called it, was a destroyer-class ship captained by Henry Bevetola, an old friend of Green’s. Fain hadn’t talked too much to Captain Bevetola in the short encounters they’d had, but Fain knew he was an able man with decades of experience.
The other two ships that would join them were considerably smaller, at just a quarter of the size of the Jones: the ESAF Skid and Little Rock, both of which had just been assigned new captains that Fain hadn’t met before. Newly named Captain Edward Hoist and ESAF veteran Kepler Mirren were in charge of the frigates. The entire fleet was new to Fain, but for the most part, he had an idea of who everyone was. Anytime a captain of a new ship was elected, or a high-ranking officer was assigned to their new position, Fain would get notified with a complete profile of the new personnel.
After a short talk with Truman and Green, Fain headed up to the bridge. He was looking forward to seeing the people on the bridge.
The entire flight crew was already on the bridge, and with them the familiar faces that Fain had grown to trust. Pycca, Larissa, Kya and August were all there. The only one who wasn’t present on the bridge was Eora, but that was because her position was below the bridge, commanding Sodenia’s gunners and drone pilots.
“It’s nice to see you all again,” Fain said as he walked onto the bridge, straight towards the center console. “And this reunion deserves more than just this, but sadly time is something we can’t afford. Let’s get to it. Line them up.”
“Relaying command,” August said as he typed away at his station.
“How are we doing?” Fain turned towards Larissa. “Are we ready to go?”
This was the first time Fain had seen Larissa since they got back to Earth from their encounter with the Golden Armada. Larissa had asked for early leave when they got back. Now her hair was shorter, a lot shorter, reaching just past her jaw. She wore one side pinned back with a decorative bobby pin. She smiled when Fain met her gaze.
“We are packed for a three-week trip,” Larissa said as she opened a new window showing the tonnage of food. A total of 15.75 tons of food components were on board.
“Seems a little excessive, but OK,” Fain said. Then he turned towards Pycca, but she was paying no attention to Fain. Instead, she was looking straight at Larissa with her eyebrows furrowed. It looked as if the two had an unresolved feud. Fain had to cough just to get her attention.
“Yes, Captain,” Pycca said, flushing and turning quickly to face Fain.
“Is Sodenia good to go?”
“As good as ever,” Pycca said, her cheeks still red. “I did a manual inspection on the FTL drive and ran a full system diagnostic. Kya can concur that she’s in good shape.”
Fain turned to Kya, and she nodded with a slight smile on her face.
“Eora, talk to me.” Fain held up his wristband.
“Everything is good here. I have a full crew and we’re just awaiting orders.”
“Captain,” August said as soon as Eora finished talking. “The three other ships have finished lining up well within Sodenia’s FTL drive reach. They will be traveling with us to the Ochilenes’ homeworld without breaking a sweat. The flotilla is now in formation. The course is charted; we are ready to go.”
A familiar nervousness began to set in. He felt his heart beating faster, and his body felt lighter. But besides the edginess, he was also beginning to feel focused, with a better and clearer vision of the goal he wanted to accomplish.
He looked at the flashing blue button that would allow him to communicate with the entire flotilla and pressed it. “This is your captain speaking. We are about to embark on the first-ever mission outside our own solar system and into a new one that is 8.2 thousand lightyears away. Codename Alliance. We’re heading to Doka, the Ochilenes’ home planet. It took the Ochilenes six months to cross that distance with a fully loaded ship. We’ll make the run in less than ten hours. Our mission is to further ongoing relationships with the civilization who came to our aid when we needed them most. Hold on to something and stay alert. This is your captain out.”
Fain walked towards Sodenia’s pilot seat as everyone on the bridge, including Kya, who now had an assigned station next to Larissa, began to strap on their seatbelts. He felt the familiar comfort of the pilot’s seat as it began to turn on and adjust to every contour of his body. This time, instead of heading up to the command center, Fain opted to control Sodenia from the bridge.
“To Doka in four.” Fain turned to the right of the pilot’s seat where the Alcubierre drive lever was located and placed his hand over it, his heart pounding. “Three, two, one.” He slid the lever to the theoretical maximum mark above seven. That meant Sodenia would travel through space and time at .82 lightyears per hour. Kya’s theory was that while Sodenia was traveling at the Alcubierre drive theoretical maximum, the ship and everything in it would disappear from the regular time flow. But once the drive disengaged, Sodenia would return to the same time and space it left from, just on the other side of the galaxy.
The bridge fell silent as the clear view of Earth disappeared before them.
Fain used the nine-and-a-half-hour trek to plan, to move the pieces across the chessboard they were in while the rest of the crew, those lucky enough not to get motion sickness, made small talk. But everything he thought of led to the same path. Was there something he was missing? Or did he know everything he needed to know already? He abandoned his thoughts altogether when they were just a few minutes away from their destination.
Sodenia made its way through space at a staggering 282,178,931,297,423,070 statute miles per hour, before Fain began to pull back the Alcubierre drive lever. The numbers were staggering, and to a certain point nonsensical. If it wasn’t for the displays all around him clearly displaying the numbers, he wasn’t sure he could keep track of it all. In theory, he could pull back the lever to zero and they would emerge into regular space and time flow. But the numbers that were appearing on the main view screen regarding the distance they were traveling were so large, it filled him with unease. He knew that Kya was there to help in case he made the wrong move, but everything inside him told him not to try it.
Is this why they named it space? Fain thought as he moved the lever back once more. Because everything is so far apart? He watched as Sodenia’s indicator on the map began to approach the deacceleration mark at a more manageable speed.
“Kya, patch me to the flotilla,” Fain said as he kept his hand on the lever.
“Communications are now open,” Kya said.
“This is your captain speaking. We’ll be approaching normal space-time flow in t-minus two minutes. Remain in formation until we make contact with the Ochilenes. Motion sickness may worsen during deacceleration. Medical bays, be ready. This is your captain out.”
The room fell silent once again, and everyone seemed expectant. They held on to their seatbelts, armrests and chairs.
“Back to normal space in four, three”—Fain moved the lever back as he counted—“two, one.” The darkness on the main view screen faded away and, in its place, a strange new world appeared on the screen, with two orbiting moons. “It looks like we made it. Kya, status report.”
“All systems are functioning normally. We are 674,000 miles away from Doka and are currently establishing communication with the Ochilenes. There have been one hundred and seven cases of severe motion sickness reported.”
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�I hate this so much. I really can’t hold it in,” August complained as he hurriedly took off his seatbelt. “My stomach for sure is going to come out this time. Permission to be dismissed.”
“Correction, one hundred and eight,” Kya said.
“Go ahead,” Fain said, trying to hold back a smile.
August got up from his station and ran from the bridge.
“If anyone else is feeling sick,” Fain said as he got up from the pilot seat, “head on over to relieve yourselves. I need you back at one hundred percent as soon as possible.” Four more crew members on the bridge got up from their stations.
After communicating with the Ochilenes, the four-ship flotilla was directed to one of Doka’s largest space elevators. Unlike Earth, the planet of Doka had a lot more going on in space. Cuboid builder ships, space docks, space elevators and large buildings seemingly scraping the planet’s atmosphere blanketed the horizon. It was as if the Ochilenes had grown so comfortable with space that it was their second home.
Two shuttles carried Fain and the group of eight ESAF personnel to the designated space elevator. Kya, Pycca, Eora and five of Eora’s team members were in the group. Even though the atmosphere on Doka was similar to Earth’s own, it wasn’t enough, and they still needed to wear special off-world suits. The suits were much like spacesuits but came equipped with an air diluter and gravity negating equipment, along with inner compression devices. The group would also be escorted by two modified Anvelins, the spider-like machines now equipped with beefier, stronger legs to deal with Doka’s higher gravity.
Fain had been reluctant to bring Pycca to Doka, but she made her way into the group, claiming she wanted to test the new glitch tracking device she was working on. At that point, Fain wasn’t able to say no. As much as he wanted to keep Pycca safe, he also wanted to keep humanity safe. He told himself that all he needed to do was to be extra careful.
The space elevator that connected space with Doka’s world capital was much like Earth’s own space elevator, only a whole lot bigger. Multiple lanes went up and down the gray monstrosity; it was engineering at its best.
Busy was the first word that came to mind as Fain glanced at the capital from above. There were vehicles everywhere and strange buildings stretching as far as he could see. Their architecture was odd but somewhat familiar; Fain recognized what was a building, a bridge or a home. Though he was guessing, he was willing to bet he wasn’t that far off. He continued staring outside the large capsule windows as they descended. It took them around five minutes to reach the ground.
Fain saw familiar faces as the elevator doors opened: two of the three Ochilenes that had helped Earth in their darkest hour were there to greet them. Fain remembered their names well, and something told him that he would never forget—Elenon Sirallannka and Fermens Itomal.
Fain tapped the side of his helmet to turn on the universal translator, and the rest of the crew followed suit.
“Captain Fain Jegga and crew of Sodenia,” Elenon said as he bowed slightly. “Welcome to our humble capital, Verestero Ira.”
“Thank you for having us, my friend,” Fain said as he stepped towards Fermens and Elenon. “It’s good to see some friendly faces. Though where is Iremostal? I thought I would see him too.”
“He can’t join us at the moment,” Elenon said. “He is on a nearby moon, troubleshooting some of our new machinery. Rest assured he will be joining us shortly.”
Fain glanced back at Kya and Pycca, and they nodded.
“Oh, but don’t worry,” Elenon said. “It doesn’t appear to be one of those signaling glitches the report Truman sent us was talking about. Though, now that I think about it, we have had some odd things happening around here.” Elenon’s face creased, but then he shook it off. “But for now, let’s not worry about that. Our elders are waiting for you in the first building.” He gestured towards what looked to be the exit.
“It would be our pleasure to meet them,” Fain said as he began walking.
As they exited the space elevator building, a floating trolley-like transportation was waiting for them. It was easy to tell that the alien trolley had recently been modified to accommodate the human body; the seats in the back were larger than the ones in the front. The two Anvelins lined up behind the trolley-like vehicle, ready to follow.
“Forgive the rudimentary transport,” Fermens said as the group found their seats. “We’ve only been here a few days. Sodenia is formidable and a much faster space-faring ship than anything we can hope to achieve, at least when it comes to space travel. Traveling in a space bubble is the supreme form of transportation in the galaxy. Too bad it’s beyond our reach. The means of producing such technology disappeared when the Herrion did. But fear not; it’s a rather short distance to the first building anyway.”
“Don’t worry,” Fain said. “This is more than enough. We’re happy to be here.”
“A few days ago?” John, one of Eora’s team members, said in a low voice. “How does that happen? Didn’t they leave months ago? Like three months ago?”
“Yeah,” Sarah said, matching John’s pitch. “But they aren’t traveling like we are; they are jumping through space, so their time flow stays normal. Hello, Astrophysics 101.”
“What?” John asked with a blank expression. “Hold up. We have to talk about this.”
Fain looked at both Sarah and John and held a finger up to his lips, asking them to be quiet. He feared that trying to understand and explain relativity would turn into a debate on their way to the first building. Sarah and John nodded at Fain and fell silent.
The Ochilenes’ capital was equally impressive from below, if not more so. Things that Fain had never seen or even imagined were spread out along the busy streets. Their architecture was unique, entire buildings seemingly balancing on a single point. Unlike Earth, transportation flowed smoothly, not stopping for the slightest moment. Like Earth, there were stores and street vendors, and even parks, though the plants in the parks had a purplish tint and were greatly overgrown compared to the ones he was familiar with.
It was easy to tell when they were nearing the first building, as the bustle in the streets and the impressive architecture began to recede, and in its place there was calm and open. A single building was visible down their current path.
“I present to you,” Fermens said as she gestured towards the single building, “the Och Verea, the first building our kin built since time was first recorded.”
The Och Verea was a massive hemispherical building surrounded by gardens and pillars. It reminded Fain of the old Greek architecture if it were alien.
The trolley came to a stop in front of the first building, and everyone on board began to exit. A medium-sized group of around sixteen Ochilenes guards stood near the entrance of the building. Elenon led the group up the ramp and into the building, where a group of three Ochilenes wearing elaborate robes were already waiting for them. The two Anvelins remained outside in front of the ramp.
“Fain Jegga and flight crew of Sodenia,” Elenon said as he stood in between the two groups. “The elders of our kin, Echea Och, Noyrey Och, and Ahchel Och. They have parted with their roots to become the Och, to serve our kin for as long as they may live.”
“It is with great pleasure that we stand here before you,” Fain said as he took a few steps forward to shake the Ochilenes’ hands. It looked as if they’d been practicing how to shake hands, as each one of the elders shook Fain’s hand in a different way.
“We are in debt to you,” Echea said once Fain took a few steps backs. “To you and all the people of Earth. You were able to stop the Acram Armada and their endless conquest.”
“That’s not quite what happened,” Fain said.
“But the end result is indisputable,” Echea said. “The Acram have left our system and the subspecies contract was annulled. Our kin can rest now, knowing that for now, the danger has subsided. Placing our faith in the same place the Herrion race placed theirs turned out to be the right decision.�
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Have they not told them about the Immortals? Fain thought. The danger is far from over.
“We actually might have a bigger problem this time around,” Fain said, reluctant to change the positive flow of the conversation.
“Are you referring to the taunts we are receiving?” Echea asked.
“Yes, I believe so,” Fain said.
“We are looking into it,” Echea said. “We have some of our brightest minds trying to figure out what exactly is happening. But until we know, we shall not worry about something that might not even happen. Our kin have been through a lot. Now we are trying to rest.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Pycca said. Fain and the rest turned towards her. Pycca was looking down at a device. “But I think they’re here. Unless I’m totally wrong about their digital signature. But something is approaching.”
The likelihood of Pycca being wrong was low, and the likelihood of Pycca being totally wrong was almost nonexistent.
“Kya,” Fain said. “Talk to me.”
“Checking the flotilla’s radars,” Kya said. “There appears to be a bogey rapidly approaching; however, it’s unclear. The signal is fading in and out of existence. Adjusting to and emulating Pycca’s device, amplifying all frequencies.” A few moments passed before Kya continued. “Bogey is now clear, rapidly heading this way.”
“Form a blockade,” Fain said. “Do not let it through.”
“Orders to form a blockade have been sent,” Kya said.
“Captain Fain Jegga.” Bevetola came in through Fain’s helmet coms. “We have a bogey rapidly approaching.”
“Fire all weapons as soon as you get a clear shot,” Fain said. “Under no circumstances let it through.”
“Understood,” Bevetola said.
“I think we’re going to have to reschedule this meeting for later,” Fain said, turning to face the Ochilenes elders.
“We agree,” Echea said.