by Luigi Robles
“Sounds like a plan.” Fain shook his head, trying to get back into the conversation. “What time, do you think?”
“Let’s shoot for lunch and maybe a light dinner, depending on the flight schedule. So, one-thirty, two?”
“Perfect, it’s a date.”
“At least you got that part right.”
They both chuckled.
Despite a full-hearted attempt on Fain’s side to get back into the conversation, it still ended a few minutes later, after they agreed on the time. Fain was sure that Pycca wouldn’t mind, that she would just blame it on him being nervous or inexperienced when it came to dating. There were other much less pleasant things on his mind now.
The sound on the phone line made him remember that not everything was alright. That there was something lingering around him, around Earth. And as he thought about it, he remembered that sound wasn’t the only thing he had noticed. There were many instances where he observed electronics acting weird, experienced strange glitches, and heard electrical sounds when he passed by a light pole. All of this wasn’t normal; that much he knew.
Fain grabbed the almost empty cup of coffee and sank into a nearby couch, trying to organize his thoughts.
It can’t be a coincidence, can it? Fain thought. When we came back to Earth from our encounter with the Golden Armada, Kya told me that there was some form of machine trying to contact her. Could this somehow be related to that? Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but I need to find out nonetheless.
Fain knew that he wasn’t going to reach an answer to his questions all by himself. He needed to talk to the one person that could help him figure this out. He opened a new coms pane next to him, and he went down the list of contacts. He pressed the button to video call Kya.
As far as he knew, Kya spent most of her time on board Sodenia, though she sometimes came down to Soden Island to help any way she could. She had been offered leave like the rest of the crew, but she quickly turned it down, stating that she was just getting started.
“Hi, Fain.” Kya appeared on the other screen, looking perfect. She was well kept, and her hair looked silky smooth.
Kya’s appearance made Fain feel self-conscious for a second, but it didn’t last. Kya had always made Fain feel comfortable, and moreover, he felt like seeing a friendly face.
“Hi, Kya. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Same here. It can get pretty lonely around the ship.”
“See, you should’ve come to visit, or least taken Colonel Green’s suggestion and taken some leave of your own.”
“I’m not ready for either of those things, or better said, the world is not ready for either of those things.”
“I disagree, but perhaps you know better.”
“Let’s keep it that way.” Kya brushed a wisp of hair from the side of her face to behind her right ear. “So, what prompted this phone call? What’s on your mind this time?”
“What do you mean?” Fain smirked. “I can’t call you unless something is happening, or something is on my mind?”
“No, I don’t mean that you’ve done that before. But this isn’t one of those times. I think I know you better than most, Fain Jegga.”
Fain got up, took a last sip of coffee and walked towards the kitchen. The coms panel followed in front of him as he did so.
“Well, to be honest, you’re right.” Fain placed his empty coffee mug in the sink and leaned against the counter. “There is something on my mind. I’ve been noticing glitches and electronic noises lately. Is it just me, or is it something?”
“Good news is that you aren’t going crazy…”
“But?”
“I’ve been monitoring this phenomenon, and it is happening all over the globe. You aren’t the only one that has noticed. The story is breaking as we speak. Though they’re blaming it on ‘faulty and old technology.’”
“What’s really happening? Does it have anything to do with the machine trying to contact you some time ago?”
When Sodenia first returned to Earth from its encounter with the Golden Armada, something out there had attempted to contact Kya directly. According to Kya, their message was one of pure annihilation, and it scared Kya to her core. Because the message wasn’t from any biological source, it had been a machine; a machine just like her, if not more advanced.
Kya looked down from the screen as her eyebrows furrowed and nodded. “I believe it does. I believe that the entity that tried to contact me is making its presence known throughout the galaxy. We just happen to be in the galaxy.”
“Is there any danger?” Fain asked.
“Nothing immediate, or nothing that I can see. It could also be an empty and actionless message just trying to scare us, but at this point we don’t know. And at least there haven’t been any reports submitted to the ISCO on the matter. I’ve asked Mikey to forward a query on the matter to all our allies and known friendly alien civilizations. It seems as if everyone is perceiving these glitches as everyday occurrences, and they might not be prominent enough to warrant proper investigation.”
The ISCO, also known as the Intergalactic Space Communications Outpost, was in charge of keeping channels of communication open between all the friendly alien civilizations. The ISCO was permanently orbiting Neptune, and Mikey, one of Fain’s childhood friends, was now a large part of it as an ambassador for ESAF. Though Mikey had been placed there largely thanks to Fain and Green.
“Or maybe,” Fain said with an optimistic tone, “we’re just going crazy.”
Kya snickered.
“That could be it too, but I don’t see how that’s any better. We’ll just have to monitor the situation closely.”
“Kya, whatever it is,” Fain said, “you can be sure that we’ll figure this one out. We’re in this together, and nothing will be able to change that.”
Kya looked back up with a trace of a smile on her face.
“I hope you’re right, Fain Jegga.”
2
The New Guy
Michael James Harmon, or Mikey for short, was on the ISCO, getting ready for his daily routine. At six am he started his day off by trying to burn off the extra slice of pie he had eaten the night before as a reward for his outstanding job. He thought that some thirty-odd pushups, sit-ups and squats would do the trick. He knew he could be wrong about that, but he never bothered to make sure.
The ISCO operated on Earth’s North American Eastern Standard Time. The ISCO had been built over the remains of Radio One, and as a result it kept the spherical shape as its main structure. Its shape was recognized as somewhat odd for a space station. Along with several circulating satellites, its most prominent feature was the circulating ring, twice the size of the sphere and filled with antennas. The sphere was where the main station was located, as well as everyone on board. The ring rotated around the sphere slowly, covering the entirety of the station within a twenty-four-hour period.
Fain had found Mikey just a month after Sodenia returned to Earth. When Fain first reached out to Mikey, he couldn’t believe that he had actually been right. After the heroes of Earth were paraded through Washington, D.C. and their names were announced, he knew that Fain Jegga, the captain of the alien ship, was the same Fain Jegga from his childhood. He made many attempts to reach Fain, but he’d never gotten close. Though once he met with Fain for the first time after the Acram destroyed their hometown, he had kept in touch ever since. Especially now that he was a part of ESAF.
Mikey was a part of the seventeen Earth communication ambassadors serving on board the ISCO. He had no official training other than several long and tedious briefings, and he was by no means a communications expert. The only thing Mikey had on his side was Fain’s trust, and he would make damn sure not to break that. As a result of his lack of training or fancy science degrees and next to zero experience with a high-profile job, he was looked down on in his current position.
Mikey didn’t know why exactly Fain put so much trust in him, and he went as far as to a
sk Fain about it. Fain simply responded, “it’s a feeling I have. Don’t worry, you’ll do great,” a clearly unsatisfactory answer.
Though the pressure of his peers on board the ISCO, along with his insecurities, got to him from time to time, he tried his best not to let his friend down. He had made it a point to improve, at least a little each day. He often made a list of things to improve and checked them off as he went.
On today’s self-appointed things-to-do list, item number one was to write all the names of the friendly alien civilizations that sent and received messages or even stopped by the station. He thought it would be a good way to train his mind to remember the wild assortment of alien civilizations and names. Though he didn’t get to item number one until a little past five pm, as he needed to finish his real task on board the ISCO, which consisted of monitoring, sending, receiving and translating messages. Of course, this was all done with the help of the station’s AI.
Here goes nothing, he thought as he pulled out the chair to sit in front of his desk and grabbed a lead pencil and a lined piece of paper. Let’s see how many of them I can remember before I have to look them up. Then he wrote:
Ochilenes: Ape-like but carry themselves with sophistication. Communication established and clear.
Anaianais: Super tall, long hands. Always straight. Communication established and clear.
Tetrons: Floating balls with tentacles. Communication established and clear.
Eereos: Furry, white-coated, dinosaur-like. Communication established and clear.
Anphathos: Fluid-like and walk funny, but videos show them able to swim fast. Establishing communication. New device needs to be made.
Eeremanlas: They carry a lot of gadgets. Communication established and clear.
Yankas: Scary, monster-like. Are not cooperating with communication efforts.
Phessps: Shapeshifters, but with a clear mark on their neck. Communication established and clear.
Grenyuntulas:
“There is an unscheduled arrival at dock one,” Ktwo, the ISCO AI, interrupted Mikey as he attempted to make the list. “It is a protocol; all ambassadors welcome the new arrivals.”
Ktwo was one of Kya’s latest creations. Ktwo was a simple yet powerful AI that helped with the everyday operations of ISCO. Though her voice was similar to Kya’s, there was a clear difference, and Ktwo did not have a human body as Kya did. Or better said, human-like. But it was hard to tell. When Mikey first met Kya, he thought he was talking to an actual human being. He had been thoroughly surprised that she was an android.
Throughout the station, Ktwo communicated with people in two ways. One was by broadcasting her voice throughout segments of the station, and the other was the small communication devices appended to the attire of everyone on board the station. The small coms devices were simple and located behind their badges, inconspicuous most of the time. Unless there was something that more than one person needed to know at the same time, the default was using the small coms.
“Thank you, Ktwo,” Mikey said as he got up from his desk. “I’ll be right there. Why don’t you let the others know not to party without me?”
“Are you sure you want to say that?”
“I think you are right.” Mikey took a last look in the mirror to make sure everything was in place before heading to the dock. Last time he met with the other ambassadors, they were quick to point out he had forgotten his badge. They were always looking for any excuse to talk down to him. “It’s best if you don’t say that. They don’t need another reason to hate me. I think being myself would definitely be one of them.”
Mikey made his way to the dock as fast as he could, and along the way, he wondered which alien species would show up unannounced and why. The ISCO had all its receiving frequencies permanently open for contact, so there was no reason for any alien species not to try to contact them first. And then there was also the how. Although primarily a communications outpost, the ISCO did come with its own defense fleet, courtesy of the Ochilenes before they left for their homeworld. How did whoever was in the docks get past the ESAF frigates and scouts?
His train of thought got derailed as he neared the docks. Most of the ambassadors were already there, and they were shouting and pushing against the ESAF guards, attempting to get near the docks. He had a clear view of the situation, as the majority of the walls surrounding the docks and receiving area were made out of reinforced glass.
“If you don’t stand back, we will use force,” one of the guards shouted. “We will restrain you.”
What the hell is going on? Mikey thought. We’ve met a lot of different species, and people have never acted like this.
“How dare you protect that?” one of the ambassadors asked.
“We ought to tear it to pieces,” another ambassador yelled, shaking a menacing fist.
That was when Mikey saw it; he saw and understood what exactly was going through the sixteen other ambassadors’ minds. Perhaps the ESAF guards were thinking the same thing, but they were in check. Two Acram were getting out of their spacecraft, and the sight of them made his blood boil. He felt anger towards them. His jaw stiffened, and his fist clenched; he was more than ready to take vengeance into his own hands. Because of the Acram, humanity had lost so much, and he had lost his childhood, his hometown and most of his friends.
Instead of running towards them and attempting to overpower the ESAF guard, Mikey decided to calm down. He took a deep breath and tried his best to remain coolheaded.
Humanity was no longer at war with the Acram; the entire galaxy was no longer at war with them. Calming down was the right thing to do. Mikey knew that whatever little satisfaction avenging his friends would bring, it would never be enough. The Acram owed humanity and the galaxy a lot more than what these two Acram would be able to pay with their lives.
“Stop,” Mikey said with a low voice. He was hesitant.
Look at these people, he thought. The ambassadors were still screaming and attempting to overpower the ESAF guards. The tension in the room got worse as the Acram slowly approached the mob. These people had every right to be furious. Most of them had lost something to the Acram or for sure knew someone that had. Mikey knew this, but he also knew that if the Acram did not survive their visit to the ISCO, the repercussions of that would be devastating. He needed to be firm, show conviction and perhaps a little craziness.
“I said stop,” Mikey yelled with everything he had in him.
Mikey’s yelling caused a few ambassadors to turn.
“If you aren’t going to help, stay out of this, Michael,” said one of the nearest ambassadors.
Alright then, Mikey thought, and grabbed a nearby chair. I need to be a little bit more drastic. He tightened his grip on the chair and swung it against one of the large glass walls in the room.
The glass didn’t break.
He tried the same maneuver three more times, with a bit more force each consecutive time. But still, the glass didn’t break, and the mob raged on.
“Ktwo, a little help here.” Mikey leaned against the chair, winded.
“Certainly. Just clarify how you would like to proceed.”
Did I just hear that right? he thought. Ktwo is really going to help me break this glass? I was totally joking out of frustration. A stupid thing to do. But if she’s going to help me, then I’ll take the help.
“So, wait… You’ll help me? Really? How can that be?” Mikey said as he stood up straight.
“Yes, I am standing by, ready to help you accomplish the task at hand. My records indicate that you outrank nearly everyone in this station, except for me and Commander Felix of the ISCO ESAF defense fleet. He is currently heading this way. I am also able to help you as your intended actions will not harm structural integrity.”
As disconcerting as Ktwo’s revelation about Mikey’s rank was, he knew that there were more pressing matters at hand. He had to bring the situation under control, and he had to do it fast.
“How long until Commander
Felix gets here?” Mikey asked as he reaffirmed his grip on the back of the chair.
“Estimated time of arrival is twenty minutes.”
“Screw it, might as well give them a real reason to hate me.” Mikey lifted the chair off the ground and positioned it behind him. “On the count of three, I’ll throw the chair and you help me break the window. One, two, three.” Mikey flung the chair with all his strength.
The window broke seconds before the chair hit it, letting the chair fly right through the hole and well into the adjacent room. No one seemed to notice the timing; they were still covering their ears, trying to figure out where the loud sound had come from. Slowly, all the ambassadors began to stare at Mikey; some glared and others had blank expressions.
“Thank you, Ktwo,” Mikey whispered. “It looks like it worked. A lot…”
“What is the meaning of this, Michael?” Timothy asked. He was one of the ambassadors that Mikey liked the least.
“That about sums it up. What the crap is the meaning of this? What is this? All of you are supposed to be professionals. Level-headed individuals, professors, doctors. You get the point. Look at how you are acting. This is a communications outpost, and you’re representing Earth.”
“No, Michael, it’s you who needs to take a closer look.” Timothy pointed towards the Acram. “After what their kind have done to us, they don’t deserve to be on this station. They don’t deserve to live.” The ambassadors behind Timothy cheered.
“That’s not for you to decide.” Mikey took a step towards the angry mob. “This station was made to communicate and try to make peace with all alien civilizations that choose to do so, including the Acram. You will not bring upon us another war because you want to put yourself before humankind. But most importantly, Captain Fain Jegga wants to keep communications open with the Acram, and I intend to make that happen.”