Cain continued working his jaws to keep from laughing out loud. He opened the hatch for Brutus. Nathan stayed in Rand’s lap and BJ had reclaimed his position on the pillow bed atop Commander Daksha’s shell.
“Cats! I would have never thought to bring cats aboard a star cutter. They would make life interesting, that’s for sure,” Brayson offered.
“You have no idea. These two were born aboard ship. They are only a month old, but knowledge is passed down from the mother to the kittens because of their mindlink. These two were born with the knowledge of twenty generations of Hillcats. The one that just left is their father.”
“Interesting. I wonder how our leadership will look upon sentient animals,” Brayson wondered out loud.
The Lizard Man spun his chair around and looked at the visitor from Earth who had never stepped foot on the planet. “I am Lieutenant Peekaless of the Cygnus Marines. While embarked, I operate the data systems on the bridge. Before joining the Space Exploration Service, I taught history at a school that bordered the Amazon Rainforest. All of that, yet they insist on calling me Pickles, because they can’t properly pronounce my name, but I’ve never been called an animal.”
The Lizard Man looked from one visitor to the next without blinking. His large eyes stood out in his head. Lizard Men had a demonic look to them for those who’d never met one. Cain remembered the look well from the three that tried to kill him on the rainforest road. Lutheann had showed what she was made of that day, braving the rain to defend her human.
No one wanted to step in and say it was okay that the newcomers didn’t understand what diversity was all about. No one received a free pass on board the Cygnus-12.
No one.
“I’m sorry, Lieutenant, no disrespect intended. We will have to get used to some things. It is a different universe out there and we have much to learn. Earth’s children have become our teachers,” Brayson offered.
“I’ve been called an animal,” Cain blurted. “Does the opinion of an ex-girlfriend count?” No one laughed. Maybe they would later. Cain sobered.
“Captain, you and your crew, please come take a look at this plaque. The Cygnus-12’s journey has not been an easy one. If you wondered why we were fully armed to meet you at the airlock, here’s a name. Ensign Lindy. A human. She was our discipline instructor at Space School. She was assigned to the maintenance section of this crew, and we headed into space together.” Cain shifted to allow the visitors a better view of the plaque that had way too many names on it.
“The Concordians, colonists like ourselves, all human, decided that they needed our ship more than we did and boarded us, through the airlock you used. Ensign Lindy died right there. A human two thousand light years from Earth, killing another human. That is a travesty. There are animals out there, but they aren’t on this crew. Look at these names. Wolfoids who died in service to Cygnus VII, in service to this ship and its crew, a Lizard Man, and humans.”
Cain couldn’t take his eyes from the plaque. The new additions pulled at him. He could see Bull standing at the wall on the obstacle course and letting the others use him to help them climb up. He saw Bull on the RV Traveler as they laughed at his injuries from the Androids, making fun of him because he was such a big target.
The major put a hand on Bull’s real name, Aurochs Ring. Cain’s tears trailed down his face. He didn’t try to stop them or wipe them away.
Captain Brayson turned to Commander Daksha. “What a crew you have, Commander. I’m honored to stand among them.” Brayson put a hand on Cain’s shoulder. “Let me contact my people and then, if you would be so kind, let’s find a few couches and see what this baby can do!”
***
With his couch in waste treatment occupied, Cain took the empty seat in the third sensor pod. He was able to bring up various information, including the camera showing engineering. Ellie was elbow-deep into one of the coolant tanks. He couldn’t see what she was working on, but her toolkit was nearby.
He knew that they couldn’t begin acceleration with loose tools, which meant that the system she was working on was tied to the EM drive in some way. She wrapped up within a minute, then wheeled the cart into its designated slot. Ellie secured the case and the connections, double-checking that it was secure, despite the steady green light above the storage location.
She jogged across the space and jumped into her seat. She activated something on her console and within two seconds, the captain made the announcement over the ship-wide broadcast.
“Prepare for acceleration, ten gees actual. Ensign Kalinda please report to the bridge.”
Cain understood that she’d been assigned to escort the Earth navigator to his acceleration couch. Stinky had taken Captain Brayson, and Fickle had escorted their pilot.
Cain instantly thought the worst. “Jolly, security override. I need to know where Kalinda and Astral Star are right now. Show me the video feed!”
“Only because you insisted,” Jolly replied while showing a live feed of two naked people on an acceleration couch in ship’s stores, jumping up to get dressed.
“Shut it off! SHUT IT OFF!” Cain yelled. “Damn, Jolly! You could have warned me. I may never get that image out of my head.”
“You called for the security override. I can’t be held responsible,” Jolly deadpanned.
Cain shook his head and changed the topic.
“Since we have some time, what do you think of the earthers, Jolly?”
“Out of all the people we’ve met outside of Cygnus, they are the most welcoming,” Jolly said tentatively.
“What else, Jolly? You’re holding something back.” Cain shifted uneasily in his chair.
“Board shows green, accelerating in three, two, one,” the captain reported.
Cain was pressed back into his chair. His discomfort grew as the feel of five gees weighed on him. He breathed heavily to acclimate himself to it and then returned to his conversation. “What else, Jolly?”
“The others from the group, the ones who didn’t stay, seemed very uncomfortable.”
“I think they were leaving their captain and two others on a ship filled with strange creatures. I would have been uncomfortable, too,” Cain rationalized. He took time to think before continuing. “I have to say that Brayson seems open to things. Pickles put him in his place in a hurry, and Kalinda seems to have overcome her distrust of the navigator. The ‘cats don’t seem to have any problems with these three. I think we’re going to be okay.”
Cain didn’t know for certain, but he had high hopes, especially since no one had shot at him. He considered that a bonus.
He intended to ask Captain Brayson why the Ganymede Seven did not send a message sooner to announce that the Earth cutter was inbound, and Cain wanted Brutus around when he asked the question. It wasn’t the most above board thing to do, but the earthers hadn’t yet earned Cain’s trust. He couldn’t afford to give it freely since he was responsible for the security of the Cygnus-12.
The acceleration ended after thirty minutes. The Ganymede Seven had been left far behind. The distance between the two ships would increase with each minute and even more so when The Olive Branch accelerated again after three hours.
In between, Cain had some people to talk with.
***
The ‘cats had stationed themselves throughout the ship in order to help their people better understand the earthers. Cain figured that Brutus and Carnesto had something to do with that, and he appreciated it.
‘If we fly to our deaths, we all die, so it’s important to us to keep you stupid people from doing anything stupid,’ Brutus replied directly into Cain’s mind.
‘I’ll accept that explanation and reiterate my appreciation. Where are you, little man?’ Cain asked.
‘See what I mean? Humans are stupid.’ Cain looked around and found Brutus standing right behind him.
‘Let’s find that captain of theirs.’ Cain switched to speaking out loud. “Jolly. Where is Captain Brayson?”
&nb
sp; “The visitors have all gathered on the mess deck with Captain Rand and the bridge crew,” Jolly replied happily.
“Who’s left on the bridge?” Cain wondered.
“There’s no one on the bridge, but the captain has locked out all the controls. Even I can’t release them without two command personnel present.”
Cain smiled. Rand wasn’t completely taken either. Trust but verify. Cain had seen those words in places throughout late twentieth century Earth literature. He thought he’d understood what they meant, but now he was certain.
And maybe that was why the earthers rushed up to the Cygnus-12 before announcing themselves. They also wanted to trust, but wanted to verify first. Brutus would be able to tell him for certain shortly.
Cain had not been far from the mess deck, so he didn’t have time for his usual conversation with himself to work through his strategy. He figured he’d wing it, and Brutus would keep him going in the right direction.
‘It is the burden of my life,’ Brutus moaned.
Cain scooped Brutus up and scratched behind his ears. “Stop wiggling. You’ve seen how they dismiss the ‘cats. If I’m carrying you, they’ll think nothing of it and will talk and, most importantly, think freely,” Cain whispered as he leaned his bracelet close enough to activate the hatch. Brutus resigned himself to being carried.
‘While we’re here, get me some steak,’ Brutus demanded.
“The little man is hungry. What a good growing kitty,” he cooed.
‘You will pay for this,’
‘I have a scar on my face that suggests I’ve already paid for this,’ Cain replied in his thought voice. Brutus laughed quietly into Cain’s mind.
Cain filled a plate with meat and then put two strips back. He returned to the table with the visitors and the bridge crew, taking a seat close to Captain Brayson.
He put Brutus on the table along with his lunch. Cain wasn’t eating. He needed to give his complete attention to the matters at hand.
“Captain Brayson?” Cain said during a break in the conversation.
“Call me Mel,” he said with a smile.
“Okay, Mel, thank you. We’d entered systems on three different occasions. In two cases, there was cause for concern and we had to deploy our defensive systems. Our protocols, as you saw, were devised because of those actions. When you brought your ship to meet us, it seemed that you’d seen your share of hostile intruders, but you also said we were the only colonists to have ever returned. Can you explain the dichotomy to me or maybe you’ve run across aliens?”
Cain rubbed Brutus’s back. The ‘cat was slowly chewing a piece of beef, also concentrating on the earthers.
“We have many settlers throughout the solar system. Some have become violent. The procedures we use are because of the pirates, the pilgrims who think they are no longer a part of earth. Even you understand where your roots are. We’ve learned the hard way that it’s easier to be ready to fire than not. As for aliens? Why would you say something like that? There is no evidence of aliens.” Brayson snorted as he chuckled, but saw the looks on the faces of the bridge crew.
They were deadly serious.
“There are aliens?” he asked, the smile frozen on his face until his expression changed to one of horror. “How much don’t we know about our own universe?”
“I can’t answer that second one. As for the first one, we’ll show you what we came across and share our data with whoever your leadership is, whoever the best repository for such information may be.”
“Aliens,” the captain said as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. “Are they green or look like spiders? Tell us!”
They leaned forward and listened intently. Cain looked at his shipmates. Rand spoke first.
“Major Cain was right in the middle of it all. A colony planet where the aliens wiped out all human life, tens of thousands of settlers were killed about a hundred years ago, but the aliens left something behind. Care to share more, Major?”
Cain looked at Brutus. ‘Anything?’
‘They seem afraid of aliens, but the images in their minds are ridiculous, almost like nightmarish dreams. Their policy is what he said it was. Sounds like your trust but verify. These three are harmless, except that navigator seems unable to think of anything other than our navigator. Come to think of it, that’s all she’s thinking about, too. Humans…’
Cain forced himself not to look at Astral or Kalinda.
He locked his eyes on Mel’s. “The aliens were bots, manufactured lifeforms, not really sentient but answering to a mechanical intelligence. They were easy to kill, and they were hard to kill. We were able to capture one and download everything it knew. Before you ask, we did not bring it with us. We never determined how they communicated with each other. We didn’t want to lead them here, although we suspect they know where Earth is. They tapped the colony’s computer systems, which means they know where our home world is, too.”
“Is it war out there?” Brayson asked after thinking for a moment.
“There’s an awful lot of nothing out there, but when there is something, someone wants it, either to hold it or to take it over. And that’s why the Cygnus Marines were established. Like I said, we needed a unit capable of projecting power, to protect ourselves while we explored. It sucks that we come across as a military expedition. We only want to explore the galaxy. My great-great-grandparents were the ones who brought free trade and peace back to Vii after the civil war. We are a young civilization, but we like to think we’re mature, too.” Cain shifted in his seat to get a better look at the captain.
The man was older, his dark hair thinning. He had heavy smile creases around his sharp eyes. Cain could see the wheels turning inside the man’s head.
“Thanks for that, Major. So you are somebody, like royalty. I’m pleased to meet you!” The captain resumed his happy-go-lucky attitude while he processed the information about aliens. That had shocked him to his core. He was the captain of a small cutter, barely larger than the shuttles that The Olive Branch carried, and there were aliens out there who destroyed entire populations. Brayson could be on the front lines of a war and he would be completely useless against the enemy.
“I’m not,” Cain answered. “My great-great-grandmother was the President of Vii for a while, but I’m nobody. Now him! He’s a prince among his people.”
Cain pointed an accusing finger at Brutus, all of a sudden thrust into the middle of the conversation. He saw that everyone at the table was looking at him. He opened his mouth and let the half-chewed piece of beef fall onto the table. He turned to Cain.
‘I owe you,’ he growled in his thought voice, glaring into Cain’s eyes. Cain held up one hand to block the other’s view as he gave Brutus the finger.
With a snarl, Brutus leapt at Cain’s face, knocking him backward, and they both went to the floor.
When Cain finally peeled Brutus off his face, there were two perfect claw scratches, one on each cheek, and four parallel scratches, blood starting to drip from each thin line. Brutus jumped back to the table, gratified when those seated at the table jumped back from him. He crouched and gobbled the rest of his meal.
Cain exercised a great deal of self-discipline to stand up, dust himself off, and keep from smearing the blood on his face. He knew the scratches were there because they burned.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off to sickbay now.” Cain bowed his head pleasantly and walked around the table to leave, giving Brutus the finger as he hurried toward the hatch.
“We have the same gesture it seems,” Captain Brayson said thoughtfully. “It is interesting to see what survives thousands of years and is so universal, all creatures great and small know what it means. My honor meeting you, Prince.”
Brutus looked at him for a moment, then jumped off the table and headed for the door.
“I can see where your major got his scars,” Tian said with a coy smile.
“Our major has seen more fighting than any other human or intelligent cr
eature in the entire Cygnus System. Don’t let his young age fool you. He cares more about humanity than any other being I’ve ever met,” Daksha added from the side of the table. “And I am one hundred and thirty-eight years old.”
Captain Rand slapped Brayson on the back. “He’s not lying about that. Shall we head back to the bridge? Pickles, if you can bring up some of the things we talked about on the main screen, I think our guests will appreciate the show.”
“Of course, Captain.”
Stinky sat quietly watching. Tian kept stealing glances at him. He stared at her until she made eye contact. “You have a question?” he asked.
“I have many questions. What is your specialty on board the ship? I mean, how can the Wolfoids contribute?”
“I’m not sure I understand your question. We have Wolfoids in engineering, maintenance, on the bridge to fill in. I can’t fly like Lieutenant Pace, but I do have some flight time with the shuttle. We do all the jobs. We take courses from basic mechanics to astro-physics. One of our Marines is a doctor of astrophysics, by the way. He tutors those who need a little extra help. And Briz, the Rabbit, he was in our class at Space School. He’s smarter than all the rest of us combined. We are all the same inside, and we are all different. Why is this such an issue for you humans?” Black Leaper asked pointedly.
Captain Rand scowled.
Lieutenant Pace looked at their pilot, the young woman, differently than the others.
Cygnus Arrives: Humanity Returns Home (Cygnus Space Opera Book 3) Page 22