by J G Clements
“Captain…you say a ship is being dispatched to Ceres?” The look the Captain gave Sue indicated the affirmative. “Sir, if at all possible, I’d suggest you call that ship off if it’s not too late. You won’t be doing anyone out there a favor by showing up.”
Jack searched Sue’s face for several seconds. He seemed to be weighing a decision, the picked up a comlink from the wall. “Bridge, please notify the Rebound that they should stand down immediately and return to the inner orbits.” The whole time he did this he looked at Sue, reading the expressions on her face. As he spoke, he saw the relief there.
In less than a minute, a masculine voice with a bit of a southern drawl answered, “Oddjob…We are standing down and will return to lunar orbit.” Nodding as if to himself, the Captain returned the comlink, then continued his tour as if nothing had happened. Sue did a quick mental calculation of how long it has taken the Rebound to answer, and figured it had not been much further than the moon. Otherwise, the reply would have taken several minutes to get here.
With that out of the way, Jack continued as if nothing had happened. “So basically, the Crekie and some of their friends are planning a meeting, trying to get as many heads of governments and influential folks as they can to listen to what they have to say. The real problem, they think, is persuading Earth to get involved. And to take sides. Not that it’ll be difficult when you see what’s happening. But we need to get enough folks to actually see the big picture all at once so no one on Earth can use that knowledge for their personal gain.” With that he grinned. “They learned a lot from us over the last twenty years about how our minds work.”
They had come to what Sue believed was the front of the ship, but the thing was so big that she wasn’t sure if she was correct. Opening a bulkhead hatch, he stood aside and announced, “Visitors on the Bridge”. With that, the familiar bosun’s whistle sounded and the six crew on the Bridge came to attention, held it for a second or two, then resumed their positions. Maybe half actually made eye contact, the others never really stopped watching their instruments.
They were to find out later that the Bridge layouts were modeled after Earth vessels, usually with the Captain’s chair in the middle and surrounded by whatever task centers were appropriate. Each chair, however, could drop below deck and go right into their own personal lifepod. Decisions in space had to be made quick, and actions had to be quicker. They were to find out that when it was time to abandon ship, it was time to abandon ship NOW. There were four or five extra chairs, more or less next the the Captain’s chair. These were reserved for visitors.
Screens, video, hardware…it all made sense and could be figured out without anyone telling you what stuff did. The forward screen was just that. A massive display capable of 2D or 3D configuration. The Captain noticed them staring and added, “In combat you really need the 3D, but for normal travel the 2D is fine, especially if everything is pretty much in the ecliptic plane. When you’re in 3D it’s best to stay in the Captain’s chair, tactical station, or helm areas. Over there”, he gestured with is left hand. “In Life Support it’s too blurry and you’ll only get a headache.” Then as an afterthought, “And yes, it’s really good for watching football.”
Both girls smiled, either amused or just trying to be polite. They both had questions, but by silent agreement would say little. He was charming. That didn’t mean he wasn’t some kind of monster. Let him talk, until he got around to what he was here for.
“Right about now a member of the Crekie is meeting with the President of the United States. She took a shuttle out a few hours ago. You probably saw the hanger deck when you came aboard? We don’t normally use ships that can fly through atmospheres, but we brought one along this time. She’s trying to arrange a meeting with him and other world leaders. We were thinking about having the meeting, the first meeting, either here in orbit, or out by Ceres. Here is easy…they’ll also be able to watch the ship from the ground, but having an excuse to go to Ceres would force them into some time with us, allow them to form opinions, stuff like that. But you say Ceres is out of the question?
“Yeah. I’d appreciate it if you could pick another spot.” She ignored the look on Jennifer’s face, vowing to fill her in later.
“Where would you do it?”
“How long would it take to get to another star system?” Sue was interested in what he’d say.
“Somewhere around 5 to 9 days. A lot depends on Jupiter being in the way.” He turned and faced them. “I don’t pretend to be able to fully understand the drive, but gravity fields affects it. Below some threshold the ship is almost instantaneous, but close-in on a star system and its often 2 to 7 days to get far enough away from gravity to jump again. “ He turned back to face the screen, and nodding to one of the crew, the screen activated in 2D, with a complete map of the solar system. “As you can see, we exaggerate the size of objects, or shrink the distances, so you can see it at one look. Don’t let it fool you later on…You’ll need to master it to pilot your own vessel one day.” As he said this, a crewman handed him a short message. Without breaking his concentration or attention on the girls, he glanced at it then handed it back.
Both girls were looking at each other. Sue mouthed the word, ‘Own Ship?’ but said nothing. Instead, Sue answered his earlier question. “Two days is a good amount of time to rub elbows. My guess, however is that different world leaders will jockey for position, or form alliances.”
“Exactly what we don’t want. We want as many Earth governments to deal directly with the Crekie as possible. We don’t want a unified Earth government making the rules for all its citizens.” Jennifer didn’t seem to understand what Jack was getting at, but Sue got it instantly.
“How many officials could this ship handle at one time? “
Captain Jack gave her a puzzled look, “The crew of this ship is several hundred. We could take that many leaders or more if we didn’t mind crowding. The accommodations are easy to get used to, very Earth-like. But that’s not important to us. What is important is that we don’t want Earth governments forming some sort of alliance. We want to deal with each government, one-on-one. How would you go about that?”
“As many as would come. And I’d suggest you assign 2 or 3 crew or Crekie to each world leader. Keep them separate and off balance. Keep them busy during the trip and you’ll probably find out what they are actually thinking as opposed to what sort of coalitions they’re forming.”
“What do you mean?”
It was Sue’s turn to laugh. “Captain, in the two years of running the Fleet, Jennifer and I have logged thousands of hours of discussions with governments, both large and small. Alone, and private, most of them are pretty good. But in groups, geo-political reality sets in and the results are usually…poor.” Stopping for a second, she asked, “How would you choose which countries to invite? How do you plan to pick?”
“Oh. That. You’ll find this very interesting. Crekie has enough data to decide which countries are true democracies, and only leaders from those countries are coming.” Dropping into his Captains’ chair, he continued, “If a leader doesn’t represent a democracy, the Crekie don’t see how they represent anyone. They can’t, or won’t, fathom any sort of dictatorships as a type of government. So…even some very large countries aren’t getting invited”.
“Will this be hush-hush”? Sue had no difficulty understanding this alien. He really was a human that got here twenty years or so earlier.
“Probably not. Anyone on Earth with a telescope can see us in orbit right now. It’s no secret that we are here. The Crekie wouldn’t understand why you would keep your own people in the dark on such an issue anyway. They pretty much believe you have a right to know what is happening, make your own decisions, and not let some authority make them for you. And that’s why I like them.” Jack didn’t slow down a bit but brought the subject back to his agenda. “But you think we’d be better off with lots of dignitaries keeping the leaders going in circles? You know, you
might be right. I should send this out so they can think about it.”
With an absolute lack of décor, he was out of his chair and over to one of the unmanned consoles. He was familiar enough with the equipment that is took him no time to get it working to his satisfaction. “Crekie…Oddjob, we have an advisory.” With that, he relayed Sue’s advice on how to keep the leaders of the Earth from forming some sort of coalition or pact while on the way to a rendezvous.
Sue took the opportunity to ask why Ceres’ had been chosen as the original rendezvous point. Sensing something, the Captain asked instead, “Doesn’t anyone else know?”
With a tight shake of her head, Sue said “No.” Then realizing what was probably about to happen, felt compelled to continue. “Captain, I advise you to leave Ceres alone. If you can. I don’t think it’ll be appreciated.”
The Captain searched her face for the clues she wasn’t willing to give up. “Crekie…we advise different venue than Ceres.” He listened to the comlink, and by his nod made it clear that Ceres was not going to be the site. Gratefully, Sue gave the Captain a polite nod, and decided it was time to get back to the Fleet. Her Fleet. And to answer the look on Jennifer’s face.
Chapter 5. The Recruiter
Ceres Report: I’m going to get there too late.
I had calculated that I’d have a gravity-void when I got there…enough planetary objects would align to give me a very low gravity coefficient. But I’m going to miss the window so I can’t try my experiment: I’m convinced I can do faster than light travel, but only launching from a null-gravity area. And the next one won’t occur out by Ceres for a couple more years. The alternative is I’d have to get out past Pluto and try to make the jump. But I don’t have the supplies for that. Dang.
I am the Recruiter.
I try not to bother her, but I wish we could have longer conversations. Instead, every night I control myself and limit my conversation to a short ‘good night’. But for that few short minutes I get to feel her emotions. The mechanism on my collarbone lets them thru and I can sense the strain in her. She’s always busy, too busy, and I feel bad about stealing her time. She asked me why she was feeling guilt from me, and when I explained, she laughed. “Speaking with you a few minutes each day keeps me sane.” And so I would then reaffirm my vow.
Early one morning, just after waking, her voice was in my head. “Today is a good day for a hike. I’ll make you some tea?” Smiling back at her, I let her mind-touch go and got ready for a nice day on the mountain. I spent that time wondering if she can wake me that way, or if I needed to be awake to hear her?
She was where she always was, and though the day was cooler than I would have liked, when I got within thirty feet of her, there was an absence of wind. The temperature was warmer, too. I could only conclude she must have some type of forcefield here, and I wondered if she’d let me borrow it to put around my house this winter? Wonder if the neighbors would notice me mowing the grass while wearing shirtsleeves in February?
She was blonde today, exactly what I would have chosen for her if she asked. I think I let that thought leak through on our mindlink but it wasn’t intentional…more like being caught by surprise. Motioning me to sit, she then sat next to me. Before, she had always sat across from me, staring from an infinite distance. Flattered, I had almost worked up the courage to put my arm around her. Instead, she handed me a cup of green tea...just the way I like it. I sipped and waited for her to say something first.. She laughed….if I only I could have bottled it…and spoke to me in my mind. “You are learning, Recruiter. You know I called you here and that I need something. So you wait for me to speak first. Do you think I like the silent type?”
I didn’t know, but if she did, I could be very silent. In fact, I’d be anything she wanted. Whenever she wanted. But I don’t actually know anything. I spend most of my time guessing. She seemed to wait a second, to see if I would reply. After a moment, she continued. “There are some changes you need to be aware of, Recruiter.”
I chose to use my voice. “You mean the broadcast from the McKinsie Fleet?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so. Childhood is over for your planet. It’ll soon be time to grow up. I wanted to make sure that you understood this, and to see you one more time in person.” She put her hand on my arm to steady it as she refilled my cup. It was an excuse for body contact and it pleased me no end. “It may be awhile before we see each other. And I want to give you one more chance to withdraw from helping us.”
“You know my loyalty is to you. And you promise that what you ask of me is for the good of the Earth, don’t you”? I knew her answer, but I had a sense of formality that needed to be fulfilled.
“Yes. Though there may be times when that may not be as clear to you as you would like. It’s at those times that your loyalty will be tested.”
I nodded at this. I could imagine. “Am I still to be the Recruiter, and is your final offer still ...intact...for me?”
“Yes, though perhaps in a different way. When you are ready to leave, you may not need the appliance you use for the others. We might come and take you directly. Would that be acceptable?”
I was calm. Oddly serene. “Yes, that would be fine. Will you know when it’s time, or would I need to summon you?”
“We will know. I promise you. Remember my bond to you. You will never be alone unless you wish to be. And that is another matter I need to discuss. We will not be needing a Recruiter much longer. But we would like to have a human agent, who has helped us before become our representative. One who can speak to governments in our name if needed.”
I nodded again. “That’s fine. What do I need to do?”
“Here…take this”. She handed me a sort of necklace...fine metal mesh, almost cobweb in its appearance. “Put this around your neck...yes, that’s right. Now pull those 2 strands over your head...perfect!” There was a mild shock, and the strands were gone, dissolved or something. The tattoo on my collarbone stung, then just as quickly subsided. “Is this comfortable to your mind? Usually its very….snug, but sometimes the wearer feels it’s strangling them?” I felt fine, perhaps a little surprised but that was all. “It’s more like an amplifier for us. We can now mindlink across great distances, my human friend.” Denying me my name, she was teasing me…the mindlink let that leak through. But I wasn’t going to let her get away this time.
In my mind only, I formed the thoughts, “It feels fine, Spacegirl.”
I never saw her laugh like that before. Whatever her sense of humor included, being called Spacegirl absolutely pressed all her buttons. I couldn’t help but laugh along with her...it was infectious though I didn’t understand the joke.
She regained control and I could sense her mood changing. Whatever she had done to me now allowed me to feel more emotional exchanges than I could before. My impression was she would not be able to shield them as well either, but I wasn’t sure. Laughter had gotten something out of her system, and she was growing more serious. Like an ocean tide receding and exposing something long buried. She had always said that humans have trouble integrating their various personalities...but I think she was struggling to do the same. Somehow, the smiling pleasant woman who was always here to speak to me was being replaced. I only needed to wait to see what it would be replaced with.
Not in my mind, she chose to speak out loud. “Our path isn’t certain, but we believe that we might need to speak to your leaders. We want a human agent for several reasons. One, we don’t need them to examine the technology that allows me to be here in this place to speak to you. When it’s time for me to make an appearance, I’ll come in a ship. And second, we…I…trust your opinion of what we might hear from your leaders. You’ll be able to speak to me in real time should we negotiate with your President. Does that sound acceptable to you?”
“Perfectly.” I formed the twin emotions of calmness and competency. Probably almost one of them was real.
“Now, I’m afraid it’s time for you to start your hike down
. But I have something I’d like to give you.” She half turned, and from behind her she brought a gold necklace…a real gold necklace...with a small golden acorn dangling from it. I knew she didn’t mean it as an insult and I knew it somehow related to me feeding a chipmunk on a previous visit. “Do you like it? Will it remind you of your trips to see me?” And in those words I knew she meant this would be my last visit. Or last visit with her here to see me. I wondered if I was to come back here later, if I’d be able to find any trace of the technology she used? And would the device she planted in me tell her I was here trying to find it? I took control of my A.D.D and brought it back to the present.
“Yes, it’s perfect!”, I graciously accepted a gift I didn’t understand. She dropped it into my out stretched hand. “But should I be afraid of letting anyone examine it?”
“No, there is nothing that would trace it back to me. If you wish, and you don’t care for it you can sell it. Gold is valuable to you, right?”
“I’d never sell it. Gifts of jewelry are not normally sold or hocked. Thanks.” I slid it over my head and let it settle in. A momentary sense of cold, then my neck warmed it and I couldn’t feel it.
“Now, it’s time for you to go. And thank you for speaking to me each night, it’s nice. And be careful on the trail, too. It’ll be getting dark soon.” In my mind, a brief touching of concern, tentative, then withdrawing.
I didn’t answer. Standing, I faced her one more time and said I liked what she’s done with her hair. Blonde today and I’m partial toward that. Giving her a last wave, I started my trip down. Twenty minutes later I had made progress...downhill is always easier, and the top of the mountain was soon lost in the trees. A quick note spoken into my mind, ‘Bye for Now!’ And for the third time today, I nodded my agreement though she couldn’t see me.