by Z Gottlieb
Brad’s jaw dropped. It was the last thing he expected to be told. He now knew what Shinny was hiding, if she was hiding anything. He wondered if the three of them were delusional. “After seeing the ship and your hologram, I might believe you came from another planet, but I’m still having difficulty. Is your fleet run by a bunch of scouts? Shinny and you were fifteen when you relocated from New York.” He looked at the kid in the other club chair. “Your admiral doesn’t even look old enough to drive and seems to have a perfect accent, considering he came from another planet. If you are as you say and came from an advanced planet, why would you attend high school and college here?”
Griken shrugged at Brad. “I don’t need to justify to you what I’m old enough to do.” He lifted his beer and then pointed to his head. “As for the accent, that was downloaded onto my chip.”
Connor ignored Brad’s attitude and continued to explain, “Shortly after we are born, an organic chip is inserted in our brain. The procedure is safe and quick. The chip has dual functions. One function governs health and the other provides informational communications. The health function is exactly as it sounds. It keeps us in good health. After puberty, the rejuvenation function is turned on and our lifetimes extend into the centuries. The informational communications allows limited encrypted communication between individuals and strict downloads of information. A few Fleet channels are used for encrypted broadcasts.”
One issue at a time, Brad thought. “How old do you people think you are?” Brad asked suspiciously.
“I’m two hundred and fifty-nine years old, by Earth’s solar calendar,” Connor volunteered. “Shinny is a hundred and sixty-four years old. We both turned off the rejuvenation function when we arrived here.”
“Where does Nan fit in this?” Brad had always thought she was different, and might be able to accept she wasn’t from this planet.
“Nan has been on Earth for about ten years leading the academic teams observing the culture on this planet. Meeting her in Boston was purely happenstance. I had not been aware she was here until we bumped into each other. Both of us were aware of each other through reputations, but that was the first time we met.”
“What is she observing here?” Brad challenged. He couldn’t imagine how Wal-Mart played into her observations and couldn’t wait to hear their “explanations.”
“You would have to ask Nan for specifics. Our government sponsors teams to observe planets and, when appropriate, recommend their induction into our confederation.”
Brad shook his head in disbelief. They had an answer for everything and managed to skirt the Wal-Mart question. Either this was true or it was an elaborate, concocted story. “What happened to the twin story? Are you two even related?”
“Connor is my father,” Shinny answered, looking sadly at Brad. “I hate this conversation and am sorry for not discussing this with you sooner. I’ve always been aware of the risk of you learning the truth of my deception and knew it wouldn’t be pleasant.”
“Give me a break!” Brad snorted in anger. “That ‘father’ line came from the second Star Wars movie. How old is Kid Admiral?” He wasn’t sure how he felt about Shinny’s answer. From all appearances, it looked like a lie to him. However, what if it wasn’t, he asked, as he felt a stabbing pain in his chest thinking she may have lied to him throughout their thirteen years. He was having a hard time looking at her. She looked like a victim, but he was the one trying to comprehend this elaborate joke. Joke was the only thing he could think of, other than the three of them being delusional. “You still haven’t answered the high school question or explained why you bothered to attend MIT.”
“Attending high school and college is part of the cultural integration program. It enables us to blend into the culture we are studying. Because we appeared as young as children on this planet, attending school provided us with a broad spectrum of simplified information on Earth’s science, art, culture, politics, and technology as well as providing us a cover story for our activities,” Connor explained.
“Hmm, I believe I owe you an answer also. This will take me a moment since I’m new to the counting system on this planet.” Griken watched Brad stare at him. “I’m not going to sit back and take any more of your misplaced contempt. I’m about two hundred and thirty-two in Earth years. Moreover, I would appreciate if you stop referring to me as ‘the kid.‘ Admiral, Griken or Ken would be fine for now. You may find yourself regretting your continued disrespect.”
“Geez, the three of you are nuts,” Brad retorted. He was still trying to process the high school explanation. Learning anything in high school was the pinnacle of ludicrousness as far as he was concerned. Couldn’t they come up with something more believable?
“We need to move forward. Brad what will it take for you to believe us?” Connor asked.
“Riding in the kid’s, I mean Ken’s space vehicle would go a long way toward convincing me,” Brad suggested.
“That decision is up to the pilot. I will ask her after I conduct my business here,” Griken replied.
Brad was startled Ken didn’t say no, but then again pushing the decision back to the pilot could be a maneuver to delay proving anything to him. “Okay, I can wait. So why are you here?”
Griken addressed Connor in a foreign language, his tone an entreaty, followed by Connor with an aggrieved and aggressive tone.
Brad did not recognize the language and speculated whether it was part of their elaborate joke. “Could you speak in something other than pig Latin so I could understand?”
Puzzled by Brad’s statement, Griken gave him an odd look. “Latin wasn’t pushed to my chip. Would Spanish be better?”
Connor jumped in before Brad could speak, “We were speaking in CIG standard. We will continue our conversation in English for your benefit. Griken has passed on an invitation for me to resume my duties as Fleet Admiral. I told him I’m not interested.”
Easy way for Connor to explain away this elaborate alien joke or delusion, Brad thought. “Why not go back and sail the seven universes? It seems to me to be the dream of most American men and women.” Brad thought back to some of the past conversations he’d had with Connor on space exploration and flight. Brad loved his brother-in-law, but Connor was quirky. At times, Connor seemed more interested in riding a bicycle than reaching Mars.
“I’m not interested because I’m happy with my life here and what I’m doing now. I was forced into this semi-retirement position and I’ve taken on new projects. There are others who can take on the Fleet Admiral headaches.”
“Forced into retirement at twenty-eight? What are you talking about?”
“No, forced into retirement at two hundred and forty-four. Looking back, it wasn’t a bad maneuver on my part. I’m living the good life with Nan and my children and I even have a grandchild.”
“Grandchild, what grandchild?” Brad wondered how far they were going to take this delusion.
“Teledane is my grandson. My given first name is Teledane.”
Brad dropped his head into his hands, covering his face.
Griken spoke again, in English, “It’s not my place to convince your son of anything. I realize I need to do more than pass a message. I need to convince you to return. The interference of CIG and Fleet Headquarters over the past fifteen solar cycles has destroyed the Fleet, from budget cuts, unacceptable losses of ships, including three Battle Cruisers, and the loss of several transit gates. CIG planets and territories are paying the price now. When you moved here, CIG had strict control of the twenty-five transit gates that are passed to reach this planet; the number is now twenty gates. There needs to be a concerted effort to turn the decline of the Fleet around before it’s too late. Inviting you back is part of the effort. From my perspective, it’s a movement in the right direction, along with others who are being brought back, also.”
“The loss of the Battle Cruisers and the Transit Gates is numbing. It may be inexcusable, but I’m not convinced it meant the situation was s
o dire that I need to return to the Fleet at this time. Who else was invited back?”
“Yespeth, Olyrie, and Eteflo have been recalled to duty.”
“Yespeth is competent. She would be an exceptional Fleet Admiral. Why did they receive orders and I was invited?”
“CIG’s arrogance is incomprehensible at times. They had a misguided idea they needed to play to your ego by inviting you. They also believed that you would not accept your daughter reporting alone.”
Brad sat up in his chair listening to the crazy conversation. His head hurt from trying to figure out if it was real or an elaborate joke. If it was a joke, he wasn’t getting the humor, especially with the UFO and a dead animal smell in Connor’s backyard. He found it odd none of them seemed to be concerned about the horrible smell. He’d had enough and was ready to go home when Kid Admiral began discussing Shinny’s status. Brad looked at Shinny. “What did he mean when he stated you need to report back?”
Shinny sat up and closed her eyes, as if gathering her thoughts. “This isn’t the place to have the discussion. I would have preferred to discuss it with you at home but I feel as if you are leaving me no other alternative. I’ve received orders to report to a Special Combat Unit on Admiral Griken’s Battle Cruiser. My orders have me leaving with him, but I will request a delay to work out issues with you first.”
Brad shook his head. “I don’t understand what’s going on. This is either a nightmare or a joke. Either way, it’s not making any sense.”
Griken tapping on his tablet interrupted them. “Nee, I have approved your request for a transfer delay for thirty days. Work out the transportation details with the station commander.”
“Great, this gets better and better.” Brad sat back in his chair looking at everyone. He might as well stick around to see how this played out. “What’s next? Is it time to fly the aircraft in the backyard?”
Connor stood. “We’re done. I’m not going anyplace for now.” He turned and faced Admiral Griken, who stood also. “Again, I’m not convinced the situation requires me to leave my family at this time. If the situation changes and places my family under imminent threat, I’ll reconsider.”
“I understand your decision. I will convey your recommendation to CIG to consider Yespeth as Connor.” Griken looked down and rapidly tapped his pad. He looked up, facing Brad standing next to him. “The pilot has said she has enough fuel for an additional short flight.”
Brad had expected they would come up with an excuse. Then again, he wasn’t in the aircraft yet. He’d play along, in case this craziness was real. Standing and smiling, he said, “Admiral, thank you. This means a great deal to me.”
The front door to Connor’s house opened and everyone turned to look toward the front hallway as Nan walked in with Dane in her arms. “I was concerned and wanted to make sure there were no problems.”
“Whose child is this?” Griken asked.
Shinny walked toward Nan and reached out to take Dane from her. “This is Dane. He is Brad’s and my son.”
“Mommy, can we go home?” Dane asked curling tighter into Shinny’s arms.
“In a minute, honey, your daddy wants to look at something in Uncle Connor’s and Aunt Nan’s backyard.” Shinny explained to Dane.
Brad might be angry with her, but she wasn’t going to change her behavior. She would wait for him to initiate a discussion in her infuriatingly calm way. The sooner they could talk privately about the situation the better.
Griken walked over to take a closer look at Dane and touched his shoulder. “He’s a fine looking child.” He swiveled his head between Dane, Shinny and Connor. “I’m impressed, three generations.”
“Three generations of what?” Brad asked.
“Connor, his daughter, and his grandson are the three generations. Rarely do we see that where I come from,” explained Griken.
Brad rubbed his eyes to avoid looking like he was rolling them. How long would this game continue? “I see. There are some families on this planet that may have four or five generations alive at once.”
“I would be interested in learning more. Perhaps on my next visit I can learn more about the multi-generational families, especially with the shortened life spans.” Griken walked toward the kitchen with Brad and Connor following closely. He walked through the screen porch door tapping his pad while he stepped outside onto the grass. Brad stood next to him, with Connor following directly behind. Shinny remained in the house with Dane. The shuttle lit up for them to see it clearly. “It’s odd, but I haven’t been able to reach my aide, Commander Janeque, since I stepped into your house. I wonder if there is an issue with the communication linkage or the spectrum we’re using.”
“There shouldn’t be a communication problem. I’ll look into it later, if we can’t figure it out once I look at your aide’s pad,” Connor suggested.
Brad stopped, staring at the lit vehicle. He couldn’t hide his surprise at seeing the angular faceted structure with the folded wings. The vehicle looked about the same size as the small commuter buses in town. Looking around he wondered how they got it into the yard. Either they built it in the yard or the thing really flew. As they walked closer, the stench became worse and he stopped. “Hey, do you smell anything bad? I’m having problems with whatever that smell is coming from the ship.” Something flew past his face and a loud crash came from behind him. He turned around to look just as both Connor and Griken pulled him down to the ground and held him prone from both sides. A translucent blue opalescent screen surrounded them when he looked up. “What the hell is going on?” Did the two of them have to hold hands across his back?
“Somebody shot at us and missed,” Connor calmly explained.
Brad lifted his head and turned it slightly to look through the shield at the screened porch behind them. “Looks like the left side of your porch is gone.” He laid between Connor and Griken, listening to a rapid succession of ptzing, ptzing, ptzing originating with the shield. “What is that sound?”
“Someone is shooting at us. That sound is from the weapon fire hitting the shield.” Connor looked toward Griken. “Do you have your sidearm?”
“No, I left it on the shuttle. I didn’t want to look unfriendly bringing it with me. It’s just as well; it’ll be over soon,” Griken said as he continued to clasp Connor’s hand.
“You have a point there about not bringing it with you,” Connor yelled over the weapon’s fire hitting the shield. “No longer than five minutes. You’ll need to be patient; she needs to pass Dane to Nan and give her instructions to evacuate the children if necessary.” He maintained his grip across Brad’s back.
“What are you two talking about?” Brad asked as he turned his head back and forth between them. “Could the two of you have your reunion somewhere other than my back?” He turned his head a few more times back and forth and was met with silence. Great, he thought, another freaking secret. He hoped the shooting or whatever it was would stop soon. The noise was unbearable.
Shinny and Nan heard a loud crash outside the house. Shinny looked outside at the demolished corner of the screened porch. At the same time, she received her father’s transmission. She handed Dane to Nan, instructing her to move further back into the house to the children’s bedrooms and be prepared to evacuate. Connor would send the appropriate signal.
When Nan retrieved her earlier, Shinny still concerned over the unidentified vehicle that Brad saw, had outfitted herself with her body armor under her clothes as a precaution. The armor was a shear undetectable body suit stronger than graphene and could easily stop the initial impact of a projectile or laser. However, continued impact in one area could result in the suit’s failure. Although it was rare, it was still a risk. Shinny reached below her ponytail and pulled the hood over her head and down across her face like a stocking. She pulled out her sleeves and inserted her hands into the gloves attached at the end. She attached her sidearm tucked inside her jeans to her right arm with the wrist tether. The tether would allow her t
o drop the weapon if she needed to fight hands free. With her left hand, she grabbed her shield off her belt and held it in front of her, circling it to expand its size to provide additional protection to her body. She watched the shooter with her enhanced vision standing next to the shuttle, shooting haphazardly. The shooter was unskilled and inexperienced, looking at the number of times Griken’s shield was missed. She was relieved. Although she was ready to kill the shooter for putting her family at risk, it was more important for her to keep the shooter alive for Intelligence to interrogate.
Shinny sprinted toward the shooter, holding the shield in front of her covering her head and major organs. She purposely stepped high, using Griken’s shield to give her momentum as she pushed off, and changed the angle of her approach as she lunged toward the shuttle. Midair, she threw her shield, hitting the shooter’s deltoid. The shooter immediately dropped the weapon and was pushed back, hitting her head against the shuttle.
A loud bump of something hit Griken’s shield and someone flew over it. The sound was different than the sound of the weapon’s fire hitting the shield. “What the hell was that?” Brad asked as a runner sped toward the shuttle.
Connor braced his arm tighter across Brad’s back, “That was Shinny stepping onto the shield.”