Starfall

by Chris Doverspike

  This is my chance. I slowly begin to get to my feet, it’s a struggle but I manage. I can barely walk, the pain from my ribs is unbearable. I think I shattered them when I hit the ground. Everyone vies for a position on the ships, even though they don’t have to. I feel someone grab me. “Put your arm around me.” It’s Admiral Richards! He’s determined to get us both to safety. I put my arm around his shoulder. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy to see anyone in my entire life.

  Getting to the rescue vessel is the lesser of two evils. I can’t let the pain stop me from getting onto this ship, it’s either deal with it, or die. The crew member grabs my hand and pulls me up, which makes getting on here significantly easier. Like those who entered the ship before us, we are told to wait in the hangar until we reach Transcendence Space Station. The pain is getting the better of me. “I need to sit down.” I tell the Admiral, feeling nauseous. He assists me as I make my way through the large crowd of people and towards the wall. Everything becomes blurry, and it’s getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open. I spot a familiar face, two if you count the fact that I’m seeing double. “Aura?” I manage to say before I pass out.

  I open my yes, staring at the ceiling of some kind of medical facility. I can always tell I’m in a med bay just by the smell. There’s a searing pain running through my ribs, which is making it extremely difficult to move. I manage to sit up on the bed which I lie, but not after a brief struggle and shear willpower. A medical robot glides into the room. The robot is pretty plain when it comes to design if you ask me. Pale white, and egg shaped with red stripes down its sides with the word Medical written in bold white lettering across the front of it. The robot hovers toward me, keeping its body a couple inches off the ground.

  The little robot lets out a swift yet smooth sounding beeping noise as if I’m supposed to understand what it’s saying. The panels on the medical robot’s body begin to separate, revealing its inner workings. It looks funky, but also intricate enough that I couldn’t make heads or tails of any of it. The medical robot rises from the ground. There’s a small, stubby arm extending from some kind of opening near the middle of its panel less body. I cringe when I see the needle on the end of it. “What are you gonna do with that?” I stupidly ask the robot. Of course I know what it’s for, I just don’t like it. The robot responds with a noise, a beep like before only now it seems annoyed. I don’t know what the damn thing is trying to tell me. “I’m sorry. I don’t speak code. I can’t understand you.” I politely tell it.

  The robot raises its voice, becoming more annoying with each passing second. “I told you I don’t understand you. I know you can understand me.” I’m trying to get through to this damn thing, but it’s not working. I look over at the door right as Aura walks in. “You look like shit. Worse than usual.” Aura tells me with a half grin. “Still look better than you though, but that’s easy.” Before Aura can respond to my come back, this damn robot interrupts angrily. “Do you understand this thing?” I ask Aura, hopefully she can add context to these head rattling noises. “It wants you to put your arm out so it can give you a shot of Alleviation.” She tells me. All this time and that’s all this robot wanted? “Alleviation?” I ask. “It’s a new type of drug that can heal wounds, and even broken bones.” Aura explains as I put my arm out to receive the shot.

  I close my eyes as the robot pokes my arm with the unnecessarily long needle. The shot doesn’t hurt to bad, it’s just every time I get a shot, or even look at a needle it sends shivers down my spine. As the robot lowers back down to its normal height, it closes its panels and returns back to its regular form. As it glides away, it beeps quietly, I take it as some kind of mumbling. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.” Aura tells the robot. “What did it say?” I ask as I slowly get off the bed. I’m rubbing my ribs gently; the pain has dissipated down to nearly nothing. “Oh nothing. It just felt the need to mention how obnoxious you are for not understanding its language.” She explains while we exit the med bay.

  “Sensitive little thing, isn’t it?” I ask. “Yeah, it’s something alright. Damn thing doesn’t realize that it’s way below organic life when it comes to being a quality doctor.” Aura states boldly. We walk through a long hallway toward an elevator. Above it reads: Med-bay. There are hundreds of rooms here at least, and every one of them is being used to treat the wounded. On that thought, I think my ribs have pretty much healed already. I gently touch them just to make sure, even though I don’t even know how a broken rib is supposed to feel, well aside from the pain that is.

  “That Alleviation stuff really works, huh?” I know my words feel like a question, but it’s really just me stating the obvious. “The doctors here were able to treat nearly everyone who was injured from the attack in a little over three hours. Granted there were dozens of doctors and medical robots working, including myself. But the results were astronomical. It’s a miracle that just a small dose of Alleviation can heal almost anything.” Aura enthusiastically explains.

  “How bad was it?” I ask. “Pretty bad.” Aura’s enthusiasm fades away almost instantly; I almost feel bad for asking the question. “The Academy was a complete loss, luckily the fleet was able to drive them back before they could level the entire city. But by the time it was all over…they might as well had.” She speaks with sympathy. We step inside the elevator. The buttons on the wall read: 1. Shuttle Bay, 2. Med-Bay, 3. The Galley, 4. Sleep Quarters 5. Debriefing… I know somethings up the moment Aura selects to go to debriefing. “What aren’t you telling me?” I ask her.

  “Admiral Richards asked for us both to meet him in debriefing ASAP.” She tells me as the elevator doors open even before she finishes her sentence. We enter a large room that contains a slim, yet wide table placed directly in the middle. A huge Transcendence insignia is engraved in the carpet, across the floor underneath the table.

  Admiral Richards is standing at the end of the table, using his VI to watch reports on the recent attacks. “Thousands are confirmed dead, and the death toll is still on the rise.” The Admiral tells us as he turns off his VI. “Sir?” I can see the Admiral feels for these people. “I’m sure you’re wondering how Transcendence could let something like this happen?” He continues to explain without any interest in hearing our response. I’m not sure what’s gotten into the Admiral, I honestly believe he’s just looking to vent his frustrations. “They don’t even know. This unidentified threat has technology more advanced than any species in the known Galaxies. Their stealth system is so advanced that our sensors completely missed their entire fleet. Dozens of ships…slipped passed our defenses undetected. By the time the Academy let out a distress call it was too late.” Admiral Richards is trying his best to keep himself together. “The council on Haven asked to meet with the Admirals who were on Alpha at the time of the attack. That’s why I asked the two of you to meet me here. To discuss our next move.”

  “Our next move? And just where do we fit into this?” Aura Asks. “We were all at the Academy, we saw what happened. The council is going to declare war. I want to assemble the best crew possible. I’m going after this new enemy.” The Admiral explains. “So what you’re saying, is that you expect the council to just give you the keys to a starship?” Aura speaks her mind; I don’t think she likes the idea of being forced into the Admiral’s plans.

  I think about this for a moment, just the thought of being out in space, making a difference, how can I pass this up? “I’m in.” I confidently inform Admiral Richards. “What!?” Aura says to me, completely shocked. “No one’s forcing you to do this Aura, you can stay here if that’s what you desire. Stella, meet me on the Endeavor at 1300 hours, from there we will head to Haven.” Admiral Richards exits toward the elevator. Aura grabs my arm, turning me to face her. She makes sure the Admiral is gone before speaking.

  “Are you sure this is the best solution at this point Stella?” Aura asks me, concerned. “I don’t know if this is the best solution, but right now it’s all we got.” I respond t
o her with as much confidence as I can muster right now. “I hope you’re not doing this just because it’s your chance to venture into space.” Aura says. “Look. If you want to stay here, and wait it out hoping that somehow things get better then be my guest. I know I’m making the right choice.” I turn and walk away, Aura doesn’t say a thing.

  I think I might have gotten to her, considering she always has something to say about everything. In a way I had hoped that she would have taken the hint that I actually want her to come with me. I mean how perfect would that be? Two best friends trekking across uncharted space trying to save the galaxy. I hail the elevator. “Wait.” I hear Aura call out as she approaches. “Change your mind?” I ask. Aura lets out a long, nervous sigh. “Yeah.” She says as the Elevator arrives. “After everything that’s happened, I didn’t get to say this right away. I’m happy to see you alive.” I say to Aura sincerely as I press the button that will take us to the hangar. Aura looks at me and manages a nervous smile. “You know. When I saw you on that ship, I normally wouldn’t have caught you when you passed out. But considering I was so glad to see you survived the attack, I was happy to do it just this once.”

  Aura and I join Admiral Richards as we take the shuttle down to Haven. I stare out of the window next to me, watching our descent into Docking bay 31. “What do you think? Amazing isn’t it?” I ask Aura after noticing she’s staring out the window with the same look in her eye as I had when I first came here. “Now I know why you wanted to get off Alpha.” Aura responds. I look over at Admiral Richards, I hope he didn’t hear that. “Wait. You knew about Stella’s plan to escape?” Damn it. “I helped her actually.” She says without any kind of hesitation. “Really Aura?” I ask with my face in the palm of my hand. “Oh relax. You were living in a glass closet Stella. The Admiral would’ve found out eventually.” Aura says to me without any regrets.

  The shuttle pilot lands between two other shuttles, the fact that he’s so close to side swiping these shuttles is cringeworthily. Is he trying to cause us more misery than we already have? I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the landing was smooth, well… Smooth enough anyways. It’s nice to be back here honestly, considering I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing the glory of it before I was put in holding. It’s bittersweet though, considering what happened at the Academy, my excitement isn’t fully realized. It just doesn’t seem right to feel happy after everything that’s happened.

  We walk through the hallway leading to the security checkpoint. It feels like Déjà vu. I personally hope the same guards who were here last time are working the post, that’ll make things interesting for sure. “Hello Stella. I am glad to see you have returned to Haven.” The VI says to the three of us as we approach the security door. “I swear this thing is taunting me.” I say to Aura, and Admiral Richards. “Please stand by while I open the doors.” The VI continues. You know, they say these VIs don’t have a mind of their own, but I beg to differ.

  The three of us step into the holding area. The same group of workers continue to slave over their virtual keyboards like they haven’t left since the last time I was here. Hell, they’re probably in the exact same spot to. As we approach the door at the other end of the room, out of the corner of my eye I see the same five guards I was really hoping would be here. “Keep doing what you’re doing guys, great job.” Everyone in the room looks back at me, the guards give me the stink eye. Admiral Richards just shakes his head in disapproval. “What?” I ask as the three of us step through the door, and onto the surface of Haven.

  We walk through the vast, immensely beautiful and diverse surface of Haven. It’s like walking through a giant globe, all around the giant space station is a clear almost glass like sphere. Which is strange, considering that when you look at this place from the other side, it’s an enclosed structure. On the inside, well, that makes this place even more wonderful. Trees are planted all around, and fountains line the concrete paved ground. There are different vendors scattered about, from food, to weapons, to even clothing. All from different sectors of the Known galaxies, and run by various different species.

  We arrive at an elevator. The Admiral touches the call button, and the elevator speedily slides down a cylinder shaft made completely out of glass, it looks like it doesn't have a single electrical mechanism operating it. The interface within lists four levels which aren’t labeled as anything besides numbers. I don’t understand the logic in this honestly, how are people supposed to know what’s on each level? Oh well, it can’t all be perfect.

  As the Elevator takes us to the highest level I can see Haven in its entirety. The elevator rises extremely fast, which is making it difficult to make out what’s on each passing level. I feel around the walls, it’s hard to believe actual glass can withstand this much pressure without eventually breaking apart. It doesn’t feel like glass, more like a metal or steel. How do they do this? Just like the exterior of Haven, it fools the eyes. In the books it doesn’t say what materials were used to build Haven, strange, you’d think they’d explain something like that.

  “Whoa.” I catch myself saying as I look upon a massive sphere shaped building, surrounded by a green, grassy landscape. There is a brick pathway leading up to the stairs of the building. I’m speechless to say the least, I’m not sure what’s going to happen once we meet with the council but I’m hopeful it’ll go well. The Endeavor already has its own crew, which should help further Admiral Richard’s convincing of the Council. “Does the Council know who attacked the Academy?” I ask the Admiral. He hesitates for a moment. “No. They had told me that the fleet that attacked us is completely unknown.” He responds.

  “Why do I find that to be complete bullshit?” Aura adds her two cents. “Yeah, well. To be honest I don’t fully disagree with you, but we can’t jump to conclusions until we know more.” The Admiral states. His distrust of the Council is nothing new to me, he doesn’t exactly have the best track record with them.

  We reach the top of the stairs where we are greeted by a hologram of a female Nim. She’s formal, wearing a blue Admiral coat along with the Transcendence Insignia pin on the left side of her chest. It doesn’t take me long to realize she’s part of the council. Based on what she’s wearing I can easily recognize her rank. The Admirals of the Academy Wear Red coats, which is basically the only major distinction between their rank and the council’s. “Hello Admiral.” The Nim council woman formally states. She doesn’t bother paying any mind to me or Aura.

  “Council Woman. I received your message, and I’ve come by request of the council.” The Admiral responds. “And the other Admirals?” It takes Admiral Richards a moment to respond, I can see he’s still rattled by what happened. And honestly, I can’t blame him. “I’m the only one.” He responds softly. “Come. We will continue this discussion inside.” She responds after a moment of anguish. The doors open slowly as the Nim council woman fades away.

  The only thing preventing the three of us from falling into a giant, seemingly endless pit of darkness, is a bridge stretching halfway to a giant balcony. Which is where four council members stand, watching us walk to the end of the bridge. The council consists of a female human. A male Harca, which is a race that if it wasn’t for their pale, glowing complexion and solid colored eyes, there wouldn’t be any significant differences between their appearance and a human’s.

  The third council member is the female Nim that we first met before we entered. Nim, unlike the Harca, have many features that differentiate them from humans. They are covered in multi colored, overlapping scales, and their eyes are similar to that of a human besides one noticeable difference: their pupils are elliptical. The fourth and final council member is a male Xerox, the largest, and strongest species in the known galaxies. Their skin is a light bluish purple color, with a rough and thorny texture.

  “Who are the two that accompany you, Admiral?” Asks the Nim councilor. “You were given specific instruction to only accompany yourself with fellow Admirals.” The Harca councilm
an adds. “This is my lieutenant commander Stella, my first officer. And lieutenant Aura, my chief medical officer.” The Admiral states. My jaw drops for a moment; did I just hear that right? Aura and I look at one another; she’s as shocked as I am right now. “Whoever they are, the fact still stands. They are not authorized to be here.” States the Xerox councilman with complete authority. “They were on Alpha when the attack occurred, they have as much of a right to be here as I do.” Argues Admiral Richards. The council is silent for a moment, I think the Admiral might have gotten to them, hopefully in a good way.

  “Enough. They may stay.” The female Nim speaks out. “The nature of this meeting is to further understand what we are up against. Based on what little video evidence we have, and what the Admiral informed us of. We are facing a species with technology far beyond that of the known galaxies.” The Nim council member continues. “We need to ready a fleet in case they attack again.” The Admiral says, confident this is the right thing to do.

  “There have been no other sightings, or attacks. A fleet cannot be assembled until we know exactly where this new enemy operates.” Says the Harca councilman. “No. We need to prepare now. They can be anywhere, our sensors couldn’t pick up their cloaking technology, and the only reason the fleet was able to push them back was because they retreated on their own.” The Admiral argues.