by S. H. Jucha
“Things must be getting pretty casual on the Belle if the bridge crew can’t answer the comm in timely fashion,” Jessie said, with mock seriousness.
“Captain Cinders, apologies,” Birdie said, sitting upright. “Is the Annie inbound?” Birdie glanced at Dingles, who shook his head negatively after eyeing the navigation panel.
“We’re still in the dome, Birdie,” Jessie replied. “And no need to apologize, the dome’s console was the first contact you probably saw on your board. There’s some amazing technology here.”
Kractik heard the change in the leader’s voice. It was more animated than she’d heard when he spoke to his team or the Jatouche. His teeth were consistently exposed, which indicated some sort of emotional expression. She glanced at Tacticnok, who had approached the console, hearing the same things as Kractik. It was female intuition. The alien leader was a male, and all his actions and intonations spoke of an impending communication with a female of worth to him.
Tacticnok circled her finger around her face and pointed to Jessie. Kractik nodded her understanding and tapped furiously on her panels.
While Jessie was chatting with Birdie, his head and shoulders appeared on one of the bridge’s central monitors.
“Uh, Captain, did you know that we can see you?” Birdie asked.
Jessie self-consciously swept a hand over his short hair, as he said, “That doesn’t surprise me, Birdie. I was telling you about the incredible capabilities of this dome. Our hosts are showing us fascinating things on the order of about one an hour. It makes you dizzy.”
“Captain Harbour,” Dingles sent over his comm unit. “You’ve a call from Captain Cinders.”
“Transfer it to my device,” Harbour replied, excited to hear from Jessie and assuming he had left Triton.
“You’ll disappoint the bridge crew, Captain,” Dingles replied, trying to contain his humor. “They’re enjoying the strikingly sharp image of the captain on a primary bridge monitor. He looks happy.”
Dingles’ call ended abruptly, and, within moments, Harbour had covered the distance from her quarters to the bridge. Dingles decided not to make mention of the calm that a captain should always exhibit in front of crew.
Harbour glanced at the bridge crew, most of whom were grinning. She composed herself, having nearly called out to Jessie in her excitement at seeing him. “Captain Cinders, you appear to have survived your initial encounter with the aliens. How is it we can receive a visual image from you that appears to be originating from the dome?”
Tacticnok and Kractik watched some of the intensity fade from the alien leader, and they exchanged knowing glances. An important female to you, Jessie Cinders, but not your mate, yet, Tacticnok thought sympathetically.
“We’re making great progress, Captain,” Jessie replied. Had the Jatouche not switched to a visual comm, he would have had an opportunity to talk to Harbour with only his crew listening. That would have been a marginal improvement. It’s probably better this way, Jessie thought, giving in to the pressing needs of the moment.
Jessie gave Harbour an update similar to the one Yohlin received.
When Jessie was finished, Harbour asked, “What’s your expectations about how long you’ll be there?”
“That’s in flux, Captain. At this point, we’re teaching the Jatouche our language.”
“And when is it your turn to learn theirs?” Harbour asked.
“Good question,” Jessie replied. “I’m hoping they’ll solve that part too.”
“Can we call you?” Harbour asked, after seeing Birdie pick up her comm unit, put it to her ear, and point to Jessie’s image.
“Captain Erring asked the same question, and I don’t have an answer. I only minutes ago figured out that we can use the dome’s console to communicate to our ships. And this is before we’ve learned to talk to each other. We’ve managed to exchange names, but, after that, we’ve been reduced to images and elaborate pantomimes. At least, that’s what I’m doing. The Jatouche are patiently watching me while I go through my comic exercises.”
“I’m sure the Jatouche find your antics adorable, Captain. I know most spacers do,” Harbour replied. Her heart warmed at the broad smile Jessie returned.
“Yeah, I hear that a lot,” Jessie said. For a brief moment, Harbour and he connected again. It was an intimate touch in the midst of the oddities of recent events.
“How goes the work, Captain?” Jessie asked.
“We’ve just started, but it’s our third time out. Our people know their jobs well, and we’ve begun filling tanks ahead of schedule,” Harbour replied. “And you’d be proud of Ituau. She’s keeping the Spryte’s crew in line. They might actually be happy to see you return.”
Jessie chuckled at that one. “We’re about to shut down for the day, Captain. Been a long one. I’ll make a report at the end of tomorrow’s work. Cinders out.”
Harbour had drawn breath to say more, intending to say anything to extend the conversation, but Jessie’s image had disappeared from the monitor.
There were a number of bridge crew who wore various degrees of commiseration for Harbour on their faces.
“Good to know the captain and his crew are safe,” Harbour said perfunctorily and left the bridge.
In the dome, Jessie laid a hand on Kractik’s shoulder, patting it gently. He smiled, not caring whether his touch or smile were correct behavior for the little alien. The console operator extended her arm and patted him in return.
Observing the interplay at the console, Tacticnok and Jaktook exchanged glances. She called Jessie’s name, gesturing for him to follow Jaktook and her. In turn, Jessie signaled his crew to follow.
Below deck, Jaktook accessed the room where Jessie’s people stored their vac suits. The other half of the room appeared bare, but, as usual, it contained symbols, evenly spaced along the wall about a meter and a half from the floor.
Jaktook indicated to Jessie that he should touch the first glyph. When the captain did, a beam from the symbol scanned him, and a platform, complete with pallet and pillow, slid out from the wall. It floated a meter above the floor, held aloft by its attachment to the wall.
“No blanket,” Darrin noted.
“But the pallet is warm,” Aurelia said, running her hands across its surface. “I like that,” she added.
Tacticnok motioned to Belinda and Aurelia, and she led them to the rear of the room. Another carving accessed a small room beyond. Hamoi intended to follow, but, as soon as the females stepped over the threshold, Tacticnok closed the door.
Jessie caught Jaktook’s attention and pointed to the closed door. In reply, Jaktook went through the motions of washing. To make his point, Jaktook leaned toward Jessie, sniffed, and issued a soft growl. At the end of his pantomime, he pointed toward Darrin’s genitals, which caused the first mate to take a quick step back.
The room’s rear door slid open and Tacticnok exited, motioned to Jaktook, and the two aliens left the humans to their own devices.
“Food or facilities?” Jessie asked.
“Food,” Darrin and Tully replied in unison.
“Facilities,” Belinda and Aurelia, replied in their own chorus, and Jessie and Hamoi grinned at each other.
“Captain, boys, come with us. You won’t believe these facilities,” Belinda said, and stepped over the threshold.
When the crew crowded into the small room, they found it bare. Aurelia pressed a glyph and a sink slid from the wall.
“Where’s the faucet and controls?” Tully asked.
“Doesn’t have one,” Aurelia replied. “You get slightly warm water every time.”
“And here,” Belinda continued with a flourish, as she touched another symbol, “are your facilities.”
“All this technology, and we get a hose for a toilet,” Hamoi commented in disappointment.
“Au contraire, my young technician,” Belinda said. “Wait ’til you use this one. It’s not your average hose.” She grinned and left the men wondering.
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For her part, Aurelia touched a glyph on the rear wall and another door slid open, with a second threshold. “This is your shower,” she announced. “You won’t see an outlet anywhere. We looked. But, there are three symbols. From left to right, they are wash, rinse, and blow. Seems to me, we can strip off these skins, get a wash for us and them.”
“Now, if you men will leave, we would like to use these wonderful facilities,” Belinda instructed. She shooed them out the door, closed it, and grinned at Aurelia. Immediately, the women began stripping out of their skins.
“I still say we should’ve eaten first,” Darrin grumbled, sitting on the edge of his pallet.
“Knew there was a reason you weren’t married or with a partner, Darrin,” Tully commented.
“It’s not like we need the facilities immediately,” Darrin shot back.
Jessie rose off his pallet, leaned over toward Darrin, sniffed, and growled like Jaktook had done. Tully and Hamoi broke up in laughter, and Jessie grinned at Darrin.
When the women joined the men in the sleeping quarters, they were smiling ecstatically.
“I want one of those,” Belinda quipped.
“Which part?” Tully asked.
“The whole thing,” Aurelia replied, and the women laughed.
One by one, Jessie, Tully, and Hamoi visited the facilities. Each were grinning and smiling at the women, when they returned.
Darrin was last. “Guess it’s my turn,” he said.
“Please,” Belinda pleaded, and Darrin entered the facilities to the sound of his crewmates’ chuckles.
When Darrin returned, he said, “Now, can we eat? I’m starving. I can even handle another plate of brown paste.”
The group moved to the meal room, and Belinda bade the men sit, while Aurelia and she served them. It was easier than having everyone crowding the tiny kitchen.
“Good news, Darrin,” Belinda called out, when she operated the dispenser. “It’s not brown; it’s green.”
Aurelia swiped a finger into the paste and added, “Has a fruity taste but still has the consistency of the brown stuff.”
“Fruity, nutty, I don’t care. Bring me a plate,” Darrin demanded.
Aurelia stuck a utensil in the paste, grabbed a cup of water, and hustled to the tables and chairs, which the men had slid from the walls. She deliberately passed close to Darrin, who reached out for the food.
“Here you are, Captain,” Aurelia said sweetly, as she sat the food and water in front of Jessie. “A first mate is second in the presence of a captain, Darrin. You should know that,” Aurelia added.
In quick order, Aurelia delivered a second serving to Darrin and continued until Belinda and she carried their food and water to join the men.
“Interesting day,” Tully commented.
“Full day,” Belinda added.
The crew fed on their green paste and waited for Jessie to speak. “A remarkable day,” Jessie finally said, after washing down his bites of green paste with a sip of water.
“Tomorrow, do we continue with the console pictures?” Hamoi asked.
“We’ll see that part to the end,” Jessie replied. “Then we’ll have to see what our hosts have in store for us.”
“What do you think the Jatouche want?” Belinda asked.
“That was the question I was asking myself all the way out here,” Jessie replied. “But, after meeting them, I’m now asking: What is it that we want?”
“What do we want, Captain?” Aurelia repeated.
“Unless we’re prepared to risk another generational voyage in the Belle, Rules, we’re stuck with this system and our messed-up planet,” Jessie said. “We’ve established a strong enough foothold that we’re growing our population, running out of space on the JOS, and straining our resources. At some point, we’re going to have to limit our growth.”
“But we can build more domes,” Aurelia objected. She looked around the table, but her companions, except for Jessie, wouldn’t meet her gaze, and the captain’s eyes were sad.
“Growing the domes means more power for the governor and the families, Rules, and they’ll choose who can live planetside,” Jessie explained. “On top of that, an agri-dome has to be added for every two or three dwelling domes. That takes time, and it takes coin. The JOS and the spacers would have to finance the buildout with no guarantee they would be able to inhabit the domes when they were finished. More than likely, it would lead to a serious confrontation. And, don’t forget, our means of traveling between topside and downside is one thin little diamond thread, which the El rides on. It’s a tenuous connection.”
“But, who would dare cut it?” Aurelia asked.
“When things go sideways, people do stupid things,” Belinda said, gently touching Aurelia’s forearm.
“So, you think the Jatouche would help us with our messed-up planet, Captain?” Tully asked.
“Maybe they can and maybe they can’t. If they can’t, maybe they know someone who can,” Jessie answered.
“I knew it,” Hamoi said excitedly. “You think the Jatouche might have other gates, don’t you, Captain?”
“It’s occurred to me, yes,” Jessie replied, smiling at Hamoi, who beamed, as if he’d been vindicated.
-20-
Breakthrough
After morning meal, Jittak requested a private conversation with Tacticnok, and he was disappointed that Jaktook included himself without invitation. To his further displeasure, Tacticnok didn’t object to the dome administrator’s presence. In fact, it appeared to him that the opposite was true. Tacticnok welcomed his counsel, which meant Jittak was forced to keep his opinion on the matter to himself.
“Tacticnok, I see danger for us with these aliens. I think we should abort this mission and exit immediately,” Jittak stated tensely.
“State your reasons,” Tacticnok demanded. She couldn’t have been more pleased with the progress they were making, and she felt an urgency to help with the planet’s environmental calamity.
“It’s the alien called Aurelia,” Jittak replied.
“But she gave us nothing but pleasure,” Tacticnok objected.
“Pleasure or not, Tacticnok, we were incapacitated while she communicated with her mind. Her technique makes us vulnerable. They could overpower us, and we wouldn’t be able to resist,” Jittak argued.
“In that regard, Jittak, you must consider the possibility that the alien leader is lying and all of his people are capable of rendering us into a somnolent state,” Jaktook stated calmly.
“You make my point for me, Jaktook,” Jittak replied. “Worse, our home world would be at risk if these aliens ever used the Q-gate and visited Na-Tikkook.”
“No, Jittak,” Jaktook objected strenuously. “I point out to you the difference between unreasonable fear, which jumps to hasty conclusions, and the courage to trust until faith is validated.”
“We’ll be staying, Jittak,” Tacticnok stated with determination and ending the conversation. “But, I take your point. As soon as the language base is finalized, I’ve many questions to put to these aliens, and we’ll learn much more about their nature. We’ll discover if trust is warranted.”
“Tacticnok, the aliens are awake and have been in the meal room for a long while,” Kractik reported.
“Probably discussing whether they can trust us or not,” Jaktook commented, and Jittak glared at him.
“The two of you will stop your arguing,” Tacticnok commanded. “Until I say different, we work with these aliens to discover their nature and what they value. Am I understood?” When she received agreement from both of them, she said, “Come. I wish to be on the deck to welcome them, when they begin their day.”
Jessie and his crew trooped up the ramp. It was similar to the first day; the Jatouche were arrayed in two rows.
“Morning, Tacticnok,” Jessie said, and received a greeting in reply. Tacticnok motioned toward the console, and Jessie said to his crew, “I’m up first. If anyone discovers they haven’t a clue h
ow to reply to the scenes they’ve been shown, feel free to alert me.”
And so the day passed much the same as the first for Pyreans and Jatouche. One by one, the Annie’s crew gave up on the console’s scenes. Aurelia had bailed the day before. Today, Darrin was the first to give up, followed by Belinda. When Tully threw up his hands, it left only Jessie and Hamoi.
Jessie was concerned about Hamoi, wondering if the young tech was accurately responding to the scenes. He stood behind him and observed Kractik change the display. Hamoi would chat to the console and signal when he was finished. To Jessie’s surprise, Hamoi was imaginative in his descriptions of the scenes. He would begin with the basics, graduate to impressions, and then wax lyrically on the subject.
Grinning, Jessie returned to the rest of the crew, who sat in the same positions as yesterday, braced against the platform. “Hamoi’s better at this than any of us,” Jessie commented, as he resumed his seat.
Left to the efforts of Jessie and Hamoi, the rotations at the console became grueling. Everyone broke for a midday meal, enjoying another plate of brown, nutty-tasting paste.
“Why are you smiling, Hamoi?” Darrin asked, while they were seated around the dining table.
“I’m having fun,” Hamoi replied.
“How can you make sense of some of those images?” Belinda asked.
“You’re trying too hard,” Hamoi replied. “If you think this is about language, it isn’t.” Hamoi noticed Jessie’s stare and sought to amplify his statement. “I thought that was obvious to everyone. Late yesterday, when Rules abandoned her turn, she talked to me about what she saw. It seemed to me that the console was no longer interested in collecting vocabulary, grammar, and such.”
“You’re speaking of when the scenes began showing those unusual actions?” Jessie asked.
“Exactly, Captain,” Hamoi replied. “I think the Messinants programmed the console to help one group of aliens learn about the nature of another race.”