by Joe Crouch
Zooming to the inner system itself the terminal connected with the local datanet, providing information on traffic, stock at different civilian trading stations and more. The amount of ships travelling to and from the planets blew his mind, the display was awash with signatures being updated in real time, everything from small frigates to freighters the size of small space stations zipped and lumbered through the massive system. Displaying information for the most industrialised world, Desciea, he imagined that this must have been their capital world, spinning his chair to face Fez he shouted over “Fez, is Desciea your capital world?”
“It is,” he replied, his mind obviously elsewhere. Turning back to his console he flicked through the other planets and moons learning as much as he could.
“Captain, we’ve received instructions to take up orbit twenty-one and fly a shuttle down to the surface where we will be greeted,” the officer said without looking up from his terminal.
“Great…” Fez sighed, “I don’t suppose we have any choice in this matter?”
“It doesn’t appear so, Captain.”
“Right… Take up orbit but keep her going slow, I still need time to think,” the Ioution grunted, slipping back into his own mind. He wondered what was going on, it wasn’t like Fez to be distracted, there had to be more to his mood than he was letting on.
Strolling back to his quarters he knew he had to look presentable, he slipped into his official TEF uniform, something only admiralty would get to wear normally, and proudly puffed out his chest. There was a lot he could be proud of so far on this assignment, but this was to be his biggest test no doubt, fighting on the ground he was comfortable with but dealing with officials, especially alien ones, gave him pause. There was no time to relax, though, he would be piloting the shuttle down to the surface and would need to make an impression, and first impressions were everything, if he came charging down to the surface in a ball of flame, he wouldn’t expect to be invited back.
Stepping over the bulkhead into the hangar bay, he saw that the contingent of marines had formed a perimeter around Xe’Olo, the accusations of her war crimes quite obviously being taken seriously. As he approached, the fighter reacted to his presence and extended its greetings by lowering the ramp for them all to enter, seats formed as people boarded. Xe’Olo was strapped in tight with Ioution marines sat around her, there’s not exactly anywhere she can escape when we’re in flight he thought. Moulding to his body, the pilot's seat was getting used to his nuanced frame, he expected to stand and see his butt-cheeks in the seat like his old sofa had.
The flight checks were complete, everyone was seated and permission had been granted, a faint humming noise echoed around the ship as they lifted off the decking and passed the protective shields into space. It wasn’t long before they had left the Mar’Ell behind and were skating along Desciea’s atmosphere, attempting to get a smooth entry into the world below. From orbit, the planet looked very much like Earth, the continent shaping was vastly different with many smaller landmasses placed randomly but the oceans were a vibrant blue and the land had a lush green look to it all. Descending from orbit, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of homesickness at the sight of it all, now they were closer to the surface vast jungles spread across multiple islands, deserts broke up the fertile lands and large cities were scattered around different coasts. It was one of the larger cities they were headed to, it was on one of the northern continents and they had been instructed to take up a landing spot outside the city, no royal welcome for the galactic newcomers he thought.
The Arrakis-two and her crew swooped along the forest’s canopy tearing leaves and twigs off their standings as the grav-drive did its work. They took a long route around the city to reach their landing point as they didn’t want to get too involved with the local traffic. The towering stone mega structures came into view over the horizon, the different shapes formed by the architects were incredible as arches crossed the sky giving the locals a quick transport line. The base they had been assigned to came into view as the vast hangars filled every available plot of land, as they drew closer he could see a wide variety of alien craft being manoeuvred around. Coming in for landing saw the welcoming party below as they stepped away from the ships ‘backdraft’. He was hesitant, not only about lowering the ship near so many people but he didn’t want to get involved in any over-the-top political situations, but curiosity got the better of him and lowering his ship produced a loud thud as the landing struts took the ship's weight. “Alright everyone, we have a simple task, escort the prisoner and our guest to the high council chambers and then we have some down time,” the leading marine was met with a round of affirmative responses as he stepped back into the passenger area and lowered the ramp for a swift exit.
Stepping down the ramp he knew there would be a welcoming party but what greeted him seemed like the entire Ioution army, they stood there motionless, watching as the marines walked down with Xe’Olo in tow, her face as glum as ever as she was led away towards a waiting vehicle. Sean, Fez, and Farel stood at the lip of the ramp and watched as the geneticist pulled away from them in the van that floated off the surface, two smaller cars followed closely as they took off down the long, straight road towards the city. It wasn’t long before a more official looking Ioution stepped forward and introduced himself, he was taller than Fez, but not by much and had large brown eyes with a balding head, dressed head to toe in what looked like a ceremonial gown. “I am High Councillor Joran, and welcome to Desciea, Ambassador Sean Maguire of Earth, I heard you’ve had an exciting trip,” the Ioution smiled, revealing his mouth which had a severe lack of teeth. Not knowing the customs of the world, Sean bent at the waist giving a small but respectful bow and replied.
“Exciting is one way to put it High Councillor Joran, what your race has built is extraordinary, if I may say so.” The Councillor looked at Fez who shrugged his shoulders.
“I assume you bending over was a sign of respect?” Joran asked, puzzled.
Embarrassed, he squeaked out a reply, “It is, I still have a lot to learn, forgive me.” Nodding, Joran led the team away from the dusty landing pads and towards a luxurious vehicle that was waiting, sliding inside, the seats felt like they were made of leather, however ridiculous he knew it was. The rest of the team sat across from him, moments later Joran gracefully stepped in and positioned himself next to him with a watchful eye. With a single tap on the separating wall, the vehicle lifted off the ground, kicking up dust and crept forwards out of the landing zone and onto the main road that led into the city.
The sights that greeted Sean were straight out of films and books he had read when he was younger, the towering city was almost alive as billboards autonomously floated in-between the large structures, advertising some form of shuttle or food item. The buildings were smooth and almost every one extended past the clouds, only their blinking lights could be seen through the thick haze. Looking up, he noticed a stream of aircraft taxiing people about, their erratic movements made him feel a bit closer to home. Gazing out the tinted windows, the vehicles that passed were the least alien thing he had seen so far, designers on Earth had built far more foreign and elegant designs, maybe as a race Human’s had a knack for creativity.
“Captain Feghouli, how is the Mar’Ell handling?” Joran asked, breaking the silence.
“Very well High Councillor, it was instrumental in the defence of the Human world, and has undertaken multiple ground based operations since the ship was deemed mission ready.”
“That is good to hear,” Joran said, “I must admit I do have a soft spot for her, one day I would love to accompany you as a passenger,” Fez nodded, hiding his disapproval behind a false smile. It wasn’t long before the extravagant vehicle pulled into a large side street, its visuals were much more vibrant with flora and a large, exotic building that stood firm in the middle of the wide lawn. Stepping out of the car he noticed the area was well guarded with a shield that formed a dome around the perimeter. The building was
made from an ultra-smooth dark stone, pillars held the concaved roof in place as they seemed to extrude out from the underground like a natural formation. The grounds were well kept, lively arrangements of flowers popped with life as the sun's light reflected off the various colours of the petals. Large, looming trees created areas of shadow where Ioutions gathered to talk.
As the ensemble walked along the cobbled stone path, it illuminated green underfoot, showing the way even in the darkest of nights. The doors in front of them were wooden, with all the technology the Ioutions possessed it was fitting that the council chambers were more antiquated and sat in the middle of a sea of technical marvels. As they climbed the white, marble stairs, the doors opened, gently cushioning themselves against an inside wall to reveal a large open space filled with alien artwork and otherworldly trinkets.
The group were escorted in and led to a large rounded table to wait, the glowing metallic inlays that circled the hard-wooden surface glowed a faint red, letting them know their presence was not yet requested. Sean glanced around the room, long tables were decorated with many statues, they all had their own unique look and were quite possibly from different species. Paintings, or at least pictures made with something like paint, adorned every wall, the art styles varied, some eerily similar to what had been depicted by the great artists back on Earth. Mulling around the beautifully lavished room while awaiting their call, the High Councillor grew ever more frustrated at having to delay, he stormed towards the door but the two guards placed an arm in front of his body, blocking his movement any further. “This is ludicrous,” the councillor declared, “I’m part of the High Council I should be allowed in there at once,” the guards didn’t falter, instead instructing the irate Ioution back to a seat where he slumped down in a huff and browsed through a provided terminal. They didn’t have to wait much longer as the doors slammed open to the sight of Xe’Olo being held by four large guards as she kicked and screamed.
“My research is vital to the war effort,” she boomed, flailing about trying her best to lift her weight off the ground, “Without genetic weapons this war will be perpetual and we will all be in our graves long before someone brave enough steps up.” Getting off a lucky kick to one of the guards she broke free and darted towards Joran, her lanky frame was surprisingly agile as she jumped over chairs and grabbed the councillor around the throat, using him as a shield. “Now, release me to finish my work or I will end his life,” she shouted, tightening her grip, “I’ll give you sixty seconds to make a decision.” Deliberating, the guards spoke amongst themselves, not knowing what action to take, but before any decision could be made Fez snuck around behind her a placed a weapon against her head.
“Let the High Councillor go, Xe’Olo, or you’ll be seeing the grave far sooner than you expected,” Fez said, pushing the barrel further into her skull. In a violent outburst, she attempted to flick around, but he wasn’t caught out and pulling the trigger he let off a bolt to the back of her head. A bright green flash came from the barrel not only killing the Ioution but leaving her with no trace that a head even once existed. The bodies remains slumped to the floor in a disjointed pile as the councillor was released.
“My thanks, Captain, I’ll be sure to make note your duty,” Joran huffed, brushing himself off, he then turned to look towards the guards who had let her escape, “If I see any of you again, you will end up like her,” he boomed, pointing towards the headless corpse, “Now get out of my sight.”
Once the group relaxed and the area had been cleaned, a well-dressed Ioution appeared through the doors summoning Sean and Joran to follow. The halls beyond were extravagant, even more so than the waiting room, the whole area had a certain class about it, what were the sought-after metals of Earth seemed to be the same here, as gold seemed to be brushed over every lamp and picture frame. The wooden furniture had an artisan look to it, sweeping curves and fancy figures dominated the shaping of the adornments. Arriving at a set of massive ornate wooden doors, the Ioution who had summoned them took out a terminal and keyed in some commands, with a snap the shield that had been invisible around the entrance disabled, allowing them access. Inside was a small circular room, benches lined every inch of the walls as they curved around with steps that led up to higher levels until the seating area was stacked five high. The cushioned chairs were a dark green and looked like a more traditional seat from back on Earth, and sat in many them were powerful Ioutions with the High Council members all seated on the lowest tier, closest to the podium that was positioned in the centre of it all. “Please, Human, stand there,” a shadowy figure said, pointing towards the dais, following the command he stepped into the slightly smoky chamber as his team waited outside.
Treading onto the dais’ surface allowed it to illuminate blue, he placed his hands on the cold metallic surface in front of him and sat down in the large, concaved chair. On his seating, the platform began to hover, slowly rotating giving him a view of all who had attended the meeting, sending chills down his back. The platform came to a stop in front of a large Ioution who was decorated with bulky golden chains and a tiara bounded around his forehead, standing, he began to speak.
“Welcome, everyone. Today, we welcome the Human colonies into our ever-growing galactic community,” the Ioution paused, allowing a faint applause to fill the atmosphere, Sean guessed he must be their version of a president or prime minister. “The Humans have been under our eye for a while now, their species deem themselves peaceful until all other options have been exhausted, they have a small area of operations, all within their system of birth.” The president looked around at the still crowd then turned his attention to Sean, “Would you say this is correct, Ambassador?”
“Yes, High Councillor, this is all factually accurate, our race has a torrid past of war, famine, and jealousy, but in the last century we have banded together to form a united coalition of countries.”
“Quite, I have a brief version of your history from your own president, whom we have been in contact with for a lot longer than one might imagine,” the official smiled, not recognising the bomb he had just dropped. He observed the room, half of the attendees didn’t seem to care about anything that was being said, an ‘I’ve-seen-it-all-before’ look in their eyes. “It is this history that makes me uncomfortable, Sean, I must admit, your species learnt of our existence many, many years ago, and your response was to develop warships.” His body cold, he had no idea how to respond, it was this exact situation that everyone back on Earth had wanted someone more experienced to be assigned to the role for. Taking a deep breath, he let out a sigh.
“It may be a worry to you, but while we have an uncanny ability to start war within ourselves, there are always people voicing their concerns about it, and eventually they come out on top, common sense prevails in the end.”
“That might be so, but how do we know that a spark from another species won’t cause your people to burst into a new galactic war,” asked the president. Feeling irate at his personable attacks on his own race, Sean had to bite his tongue and smile. “Furthermore, what exactly do you offer in terms of strategic importance to the war with the Xuron?”
“As we speak, my people are constructing a forward fuelling station for your ships to use, it might be a while before it is fully operational, but we aren’t sitting idly by as the war rages on, as you have demonstrated, we have a knack for it.” He was trying his best against the typical bureaucratic wrangling that happened at these events and it seemed to be no different here, he would have to try his best to demonstrate his worth.
“And that is a good first step, but I just cannot release from the possibility of your races’ presence being negative.”
“What are you trying to get at, Councillor?” he interjected, the impatience obvious in his voice.
“What I am trying to get at, Human, is that I believe Feghouli’s rush to assist your planet was misguided, mistimed, and pointless, our forces are already stretched protecting other species we have tried to in
clude, and I assure you, one more does make a difference.” Sean stood in disbelief, would the Council of the Ioutions just be willing to let his race be destroyed by the Xuron? Relaxing his emotions, he looked around the room once more, looking for support – None was forthcoming.
“I’m not sure what I can say, honestly, your mind seems made up, what is it exactly you want us to achieve before you’re happy with our inclusion into your little circle,” Sean dictated.
“I want the fuelling station complete, a galactic trade hub constructed, access to some of your industrial mining outposts, and a complete evaluation of your species mindset and how inclusion might affect the populous.” The councillor was blunt in laying his cards out on the table, but this gave Sean a chance to retort, listing off demands he thought would be beneficial.
“This discussion is not a one-way street, Councillor, I would like to request technological assistance, there are many processes I’m sure your scientists can teach ours, you gotta invest to get a return,” the High Councillor looked down, frowning.