by C. G. Mosley
With his spacecraft finally clear of the hangar, Roger gave the fighter throttle and within seconds the Comet was airborne. He rocketed toward the looming planet that he’d peered at before he’d left the surface of Titan. Somewhere just off the rings of Saturn, a mysterious alien space craft was hovering in place for unknown reasons. It would be up to him to try and discover not only why the craft was there, but also if they were going to pose a threat to the colony. Surprisingly, this seemingly dangerous undertaking had not rattled him. Roger was as cool as a cucumber and extremely focused. The Comet fighter was the most advanced military spacecraft that had ever been developed and it was a big reason why he felt as comfortable as he was.
The Comet was fitted with twin laser cannons—one on each side of the nose—and an electrical ion drive for powerful propulsion. The spacecraft was twelve meters in length with a wingspan of 23 meters. It was fitted with a titanium skin painted white in color trimmed with black. On average, the Comet fighter weighed over 40,000 pounds, depending mostly on its payload. The Comet was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and though he hadn’t asked, Roger was almost certain he was carrying one into space now. Suddenly, the radio crackled to life.
“Commander Stellick, this is General Hightower, over.”
“I hear you general,” Roger replied. He glanced at one of the digital readouts on the console in front of him. “I’ve got an E.T.A. of eight minutes before I rendezvous with the U.F.O.”
“Very good,” Hightower said. “Now I’ll make this quick. You’ve got a warhead behind you and if this thing goes haywire, your orders are to use it.”
Roger allowed himself to smile as he considered the general’s timing since he’d just been thinking about the possibility that he was carrying a warhead. “Roger that,” he answered. “How do I need to engage the target?”
“You do it by the book,” Hightower responded quickly. “You approach them head on and once in range, try to contact them by radio.”
“So, you’re assuming they speak English?” he asked with a chuckle.
“No, but it’s what the protocol requires you to do—as I said, we’re doing this by the book.”
“Alright, alright,” Roger replied. “And if they don’t respond?”
“Then you turn on all your landing lights and we’ll wait to see if they respond in kind,” Hightower explained. “Keep in mind that while you’re doing all of that, we’re going to be monitoring the airwaves down here. I’ve got a language expert right here beside me and if we hear any chatter from that ship we’ll immediately work to see if we can make any sense at all in regard to what they’re saying.”
Roger huffed. “That doesn’t sound real promising, sir.”
“Well it’s a start, and for now, it’s all we’ve got.”
“10-4,” Roger replied. There were a million other questions that he wanted to ask but he refrained from doing so. He trusted General Harry Hightower with his life and at the present time, he could not remember a moment where his faith in the man had been tested so heavily. Whatever bad scenarios Roger could think of—and he’d already thought of several—he knew Hightower had thought of them too and had a contingency plan to address them.
As he piloted the Comet fighter within several hundred miles of the outer edge of Saturn’s rings, a glint of sunlight reflected brightly off the metallic shell covering the mysterious spacecraft ahead of him. The ship was large—much larger than he’d anticipated it would be. There had been no time for him to get a visual of the ship before he’d left Titan, and as he scrambled to intercept it, it seemed the sense of urgency was not necessary.
For whatever reason, the craft remained in a stationary position and seemed unconcerned with his approach. Roger knew that, for better or worse, he was severely outmanned and outgunned. It was S.A.M.A.’s belief that it was a necessary stance to make it clear that the humans were peaceful. This moment was something Roger Stellick had been training for since he’d become the captain of the Titan squadron seven years ago. His unwavering commitment and diligence to his job had effectively destroyed his marriage and had put a strain on his relationship with his teenage daughter, Samantha. This was his moment to make it all worth it.
“Commander Stellick, provide an update please,” General Hightower said suddenly, shattering Roger’s thoughts.
He glanced at the console and said, “I’m only a couple of hundred miles away. The ship is very large and covered in shiny metal…so shiny that the reflection of the sun is pretty substantial.”
“Has the ship moved?”
“That’s a negative,” Roger answered. “The craft is still stationary and appears to be all metal…I don’t even see a window.”
Roger reversed thrusters and brought the Comet to a slow approach. “I’m going to attempt to radio them now,” he said as he flipped a switch.
“Unidentified space craft,” he began, his voice strong and direct. “This is Commander Roger Stellick, a pilot with the Space and Aeronautics Military Alliance of planet Earth. I want to make it very clear that we are a people of peace and wish you absolutely no harm.”
Roger released the mic and awaited some sort of response. The silence was long and unsettling.
“Please acknowledge,” he urged.
The silence continued and just as Roger was about to turn on his landing lights, the radio suddenly crackled to life.
Chapter 3
“Greetings Commander Stellick,” a voice responded.
Roger was taken aback. The voice that had replied to him was male, spoke in English, and appeared to be a man.
“Greetings,” Roger replied cautiously. “Please identify yourself.”
“I am Malcolm Steiger, Captain of the S.S. Pinnacle,” the voice answered. “You say you come from a people of peace?”
Roger cocked his head and sighed. The moment was surreal. “That’s correct,” he replied, doing his best to sound calm. “We are a people of peace and as I said, we mean you no harm.”
There were a few seconds of silence, and then, “If that is so Commander Stellick, then why are you carrying a powerful bomb on your ship?”
Roger winced as he realized that his task of appearing peaceful had just become a much harder sell. It was also unsettling when he considered the fact that somehow his payload had been discovered with ease. Clearly, as suspected, the technological advantage on the foreign ship was far superior to anything the humans currently had.
“Captain Steiger, my payload is standard issue and should not be taken as a threat,” Roger said quickly. “I assure you, I—humans, we come in peace.”
There was another long pause.
“Commander Stellick, I and my crew come in peace also. There is a matter I need to discuss with your people. Are you their representative?”
“Affirmative,” Roger replied. “Tell me what you want.”
“I’m afraid I’d prefer to do that in person,” Malcolm Steiger replied.
Roger chewed his lip and contemplated his next response. “Captain Steiger, I’m sure that can be arranged. Can you give me time to contact my superior office on Titan and—”
“Commander, I’d prefer to speak with you,” Malcolm interrupted. He sounded anxious.
“And I’ll make sure that happens,” Roger said. “All I need is to make arrangements for you to land and we can discuss whatever it is you want to talk about…just me and you.”
As Roger said the words, he was very cognizant that General Hightower was listening to the entire conversation. He wasn’t sure if he’d approve of the promises he was making to Malcolm or not, but at this point he felt that he had no other choice. The radio crackled to life as Malcolm spoke again.
“We won’t be landing…at least not yet,” he said.
Roger could feel his anxiety level rising and the cockpit suddenly felt very warm. Perspiration beaded up on his forehead. “What are you proposing?” he asked.
“I’d like to invite you to join me on the Pinnacle,” Steige
r replied.
Roger’s heart rate picked up. He knew that his vitals were being monitored on the ground as well and strangely he felt a bit embarrassed at how rattled he’d suddenly become.
“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” he said finally doing his best to sound calm.
“I sense that you don’t trust me,” Malcolm answered. “I assure you that no harm will come to you.”
Roger chewed his lip as he pondered his next move. “Allow me a moment to think it over,” he said, and he immediately flipped a switch that would allow him to speak with General Hightower.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“Absolutely not,” Hightower replied. “It’s much too dangerous. You tell him that he can land here and then we will consider sending you on board the ship.”
Roger took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. “This guy isn’t going to budge on this sir, and I think you know it.”
“Well if he refuses, then we’ll have no choice but to consider them hostile,” General Hightower said defiantly. “We will then respond accordingly.”
“Meaning what?” Roger asked, now annoyed. “You’ll order me to use the nuke?”
There was a pause.
“Roger,” Hightower said with an exasperated sigh. “I’m ordering you to use your best judgement right now.”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Roger flipped the switch back. “Captain Steiger, tell me how to board your ship.”
“Fly to port side and you’ll see the landing bay,” Malcolm explained. “Enter the ship and fear not, because there will be oxygen for you to breathe. By the time you get out of your ship, I’ll be there to greet you.”
“I’m on the way,” Roger said as he gave the Comet thrust.
As he piloted closer to the Pinnacle, Roger felt himself becoming more anxious. In comparison to his Comet fighter, the ship was enormous. He estimated it was at least 200 meters long and probably 150 meters tall. He looked closely for any sign of weapons, but saw none. The outside of the ship was sleek and looked almost seamless. After circling the ship once, he spotted the landing bay entrance. It was an odd sight as it seemed the rectangular opening just suddenly appeared. The bright illumination originating from the interior of the ship shone brightly into the blackness of space and almost beckoned him to enter.
Roger carefully piloted the Comet toward the opening and he soon got close enough that he could see beings walking around inside. As he entered the landing bay he noticed a loud humming noise and bright light coming from the ship’s hull, just below the outer metallic skin. Roger soon deduced that there must have been some sort of forcefield that he’d just flown through to protect the interior of the ship from the cruel vacuum of space.
Once inside, he saw two humanoid beings directing him to land on an illuminated strip in the center of the landing bay. The beings were covered head to toe in black armor and they carried ominous looking rifles. No sooner had the Comet rolled to a stop, the armored beings immediately began motioning for Roger to exit the vehicle. For a moment, he feared he’d made a terrible mistake.
He remained in the cockpit and looked around in all directions for any sign of someone friendlier. Captain Steiger had assured him he’d be there waiting on him when he arrived, but so far, he saw nothing.
“Commander Stellick, would you mind exiting your ship?”
It was Captain Steiger.
“I thought you said you’d be here when I landed,” Roger replied, unable to hide a bit of annoyance in his tone.
“I said I’d be there by the time you get out of your ship,” Malcolm countered. “My ship’s protocol doesn’t allow me to meet you until my men make sure that you’re not a threat. Please exit the vehicle so that my men will see you mean no harm.”
Roger clenched his jaw and shook his head. He contemplated jetting out of there before things got out of hand. However, when he glanced over his shoulder he was dismayed to see that the opening he’d flown through just minutes earlier was now gone and replaced with a solid wall. With reluctance—and no other choice—he opened the canopy and stood up. He showed his hands so that the soldiers watching him would know he had no weapon.
“Step out of your ship,” one of the soldiers commanded.
Roger quickly did as he was bade and was then carefully searched.
One of the soldiers then held up his wrist to his mouth and said, “It is safe to enter.”
The sound of an automatic door opening to his left made Roger look over; two more guards and another man dressed in what appeared to be a military uniform of some sort. The suit was dark blue in color and decorated with an arrangement of shiny buttons and what Roger believed were possibly military medals. There was no hat on the man’s head, only light brown hair cut short. His eyes were a striking gray color and bright with life.
“Commander Stellick,” the man said as he flashed a wide smile. “Welcome to the Pinnacle.”
Roger returned a smile, though his was less enthusiastic. There was still an uneasy feeling that he was having trouble shaking.
“Captain Steiger I presume?”
The man nodded and cocked his head slightly. “Commander Stellick I get the feeling that my appearance is not what you were expecting.”
The smile on Roger’s face did not fade. “You’re very perceptive,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but for you to look like…” he paused as he considered his next words.
“Human?” Malcolm asked, attempting to ease the tension.
Roger nodded and raised his eyebrows. “Yeah…exactly,” he said.
Malcolm laughed. “So, you and your people think you’re the only humans in the universe?”
Roger shook his head, and felt his face redden. “I didn’t mean that to come across as an insult.”
Malcolm’s smile seemed to brighten even more. “Relax Commander Stellick,” he said cheerfully. “I realize this must all be very confusing.”
“That’s an understatement,” Roger replied. “Your ship suddenly shows up in our solar system, you all speak English, and you all appear to be human. How can that be?”
“We are indeed human,” Malcolm answered. “Most of us have learned your language because we’ve been preparing for this moment for a very long time. Our fates have been intertwined for quite a while, but I must admit I didn’t anticipate our meeting happening this soon.”
“Wait,” Roger said, as he raised a hand to scratch his head. “Are you saying you’ve been watching us?”
Malcolm nodded. “For a long, long time, yes.”
“Why?”
“To the best of our knowledge, the humans of Earth are the only other human race that we are aware of. Once we discovered your existence, the leaders of my world began to plan for the moment that we would reveal ourselves to your race.”
“I see,” Roger muttered in awe. “So, you said that you didn’t anticipate this meeting happening so soon…what do you mean by that?”
Malcolm crossed his arms and for the first time his smile began to slowly fade away. Even the light in his eyes seemed to dim slightly as if Roger’s question had somehow conjured storm clouds to roll in and overtake his spirit.
“Commander Stellick,” Malcolm began. “My people are in grave danger—danger so great that we were forced to leave our home world.”
Roger cleared his throat and took a breath. “Are you saying that you’re looking for somewhere to provide you safe harborage?”
Malcolm considered the question and furrowed his brow. “Not exactly,” he answered. “Though any safe harborage your people are willing to provide would be greatly appreciated.”
“Well, obviously it’s not my call alone,” Roger replied. “But I know that the leaders of my world would be very interested to hear your story.”
“And I’m more than willing to tell it, but I’d like you to be the one to hear it,” Malcolm said.
Roger stared at him a moment and then looked to the
armed guards. They were quietly listening to every word of the conversation. Their helmets were perhaps blacker than the rest of their uniform and encased their entire heads. Their eyes were covered with round, bubble-like glass tinted so dark that Roger wondered how they could see through it. He assumed they were as human as Malcolm Steiger but part of him wondered if there was something much more sinister hidden from view.
“The guards are perhaps unnecessary, I know,” Malcolm said, as if he were reading Roger’s mind. “Again, our policy is to always err on the side of caution. However, I think it’s clear that you’re friendly and mean us no harm.” He paused and looked to the guards. “We need to have a private discussion, thank you for your support.”
The guards all looked at Malcolm, and then slowly at each other.
“I assure you, I will be just fine,” Malcolm assured them. “I’m going to take Commander Stellick to the observatory where we may speak in private.”
The guard closest to Malcolm nodded, and then motioned for the other soldiers to disperse. Malcolm then motioned for Roger to follow him.
“I’m putting a lot of trust in you,” Roger said. “I hope that counts for something.”
Malcolm smiled and put a hand on Roger’s shoulder. It was the first physical contact that had occurred between the two men. “Once you hear what I have to say you’ll understand why it’s not in my best interest to harm you, Commander Stellick.”
Malcolm then turned and headed for an arched doorway. The door had retracted into the interior of the wall and allowed the two men entry into a wide hallway. There were multiple doors on either side of the hallway, all of them still closed. Roger took note that each door had its own signage that was undoubtedly a label depicting the purpose of each room. Unfortunately, the words were scrawled in a language that Roger did not recognize. It didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen before and was a glaring reminder that he was no longer among earthlings.
“Your ship is amazing,” Roger said as he casually walked beside Malcolm. “Your technology seems to be more advanced than anything we have.”