“Is this really the right thing to do?” Marchei asked. “Did the human government not suspect her and her crew of being unwilling agents to the invaders?”
“Watching Foster and Doctor Pierce come under attack by the invaders at the monolith and continue to be so after her interaction with it, makes me believe the Carl Sagan’s crew were victims, nothing more.” Anderson said. “I will have to consult with EISS before I make a final decision about this, however.”
“Send her,” Kroshka blurted. “Or I will personally see to it she and her crew receive a commission with the Imperial navy and serve on one of our ships. If they are successful, the invaders will remember the Empire as the people that sought to end the conflict, not Radiance or the UNE.” Kroshka made eye contact with Foster, her tone switched to a more confident one. “So, prepare yourself and your crew Foster, because your new mission will happen one way or another.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Anderson said, holding his hands up. “And as Foster herself said, warships are out of the question.”
Foster grimaced. “I’d say get me back on the bridge of the Carl Sagan, but that ain’t an option right now.”
“Not to mention out of date,” Anderson said. “But . . . there is one other option.”
34 Foster
UNE Arm, Hanger Bay
Amicitia Station 14, Arietis system
August 11, 2118, 12:45 SST (Sol Standard Time)
Rebecca Foster’s eyes opened wide when the heavy sliding doors parted.
Her mouth opened wide.
Her heart and chest filled with joy.
She, along with Pierce and IESA director Barker, entered the hanger bay. Barker extended his hand forward, introducing them to the ship that rested inside.
“I present to you, the XSV Johannes Kepler,” Barker said. “A joint venture between the IESA and the Radiance Union, fully funded by the UNE.”
Foster and Pierce recognized the ship immediately, recalling the strange one that had flew outside of the station’s atrium observation deck when they had first arrived. The XSV Johannes Kepler was a small deep space scouting and exploration ship Barker briefly explained as they gawked at its sleek design, fresh coat of paint on the hull that reflected the lights from the ceiling. There were three decks from what Foster could see, with the lowest one having an entry ramp lowered where teams of IESA personnel pushed crates of cargo up the ramp into the ship.
“We caught a glimpse of it strutting its stuff about,” Foster said.
“Final test flights,” Barker said as they moved closer to it. “We got word the other day that it’s officially spaceworthy, and about damn time too. The FTL engine alone cost us billions to design, test, and build.”
“And well worth the effort,” said a Rabuabin woman who walked off the entry ramp, dressed in a Union Navy uniform, a grey jumpsuit. “It’s the fastest ship in the quadrant, clocking in at two light-years per month.”
“This is Saressea,” Barker said, introducing the two to her. “She is the Radiance liaison officer of the Kepler.”
Saressea made a half smile and stepped closer to them, the rings attached to her horns made slight clinking noises amidst her dark caramel hair. “Don’t forget, engineer, acting captain, on again off again, everything else the damn ship needs.”
The four boarded the ship via the lowered entry ramp into its cargo hold. Slipping past multiple crates, they climbed up a ladder that took them to the second deck, and were given a quick tour of its corridors, waltzing past access panels that had been left open for last-minute system checks.
“As you can see, it’s smaller compared to other ships, making it ideal for atmospheric flight and landing on planets should a suitable landing zone be found,” Barker said.
“I can’t see this housing a large crew,” Foster said, noting the short amount of time it took to walk from the aft to the forward section of the ship, passing past the science labs, sickbay, hydroponic bay, and cryostasis chamber.
“No, it can’t, fifteen to thirty personnel, tops,” Barker said. “Just a team large enough to conduct ship wide operations and venture outside to explore, which was its primary function, deep space exploration and recon.”
Their tour continued, strolling through the third and final deck which housed crew quarters, mess hall, gym, and recreation rooms. Pots of plants decorated the walls making it feel almost like the hallways to a hotel, while observation windows to the left, right, and above displayed what was going on outside. It reminded Foster of the habitat rings she was familiar with, only there was no need for the ring itself since artificial gravity was a reality.
Their tour ended when they arrived at the bridge. Similar to the Carl Sagan and Radiance ships, directly below the bridge was the captain’s office. The bridge itself was flashing with holo screens hovering above computer stations with the main view screen upfront upstaging everything with various holographic overlays from its HUD.
Barker and Saressea spoke of the bridge details, such as the fact they were in the process of modifying it to be more user friendly to non-HNI users, since Foster and company will be taking command. Other facts were blurted, facts that went in one ear and out the other with Foster and for good reason.
The captain’s chair.
It drew her closer to it as if she was magnetized to it.
She stood next to it, stroking her finger across its material, wondering what the small holo screens floating above its arms were able to do. She reminisced about the brief moment she sat in the captain’s chair, in command of her own ship.
“It’s all yours, Foster,” Barker said, snapping her attention out of the trance she put herself in. “That is, if you’re willing to accept the new assignment.”
A smile fueled by pure jubilation stretched across her face, and without further words Foster leaped into the chair, resting her arms on its armrest. She felt at home and gave Barker her reply. “Of course I am.”
“Very well then,” Barker said, facing a workstation off to the right. “EVE?”
A woman with long brown hair tied in a braid, donning an IESA uniform, stood from a computer she was performing a service on. She looked like EVE, only in human form, opposed to the holographic AI Foster and Pierce had become used to seeing.
“EVE . . . love the new look,” Foster said as EVE approached.
“New look?” EVE said, looking puzzled. “I have been in operation with this exterior shell for approximately one month, seven days. There is nothing new about it.”
“She’s a far cry from the hologram assistant we’re used to,” Foster said to Barker.
“This is the latest EVE model,” Barker explained. “Gone are the days of the holographic EVE models. All Earth ships are now given at least one humanoid android which houses EVE’s quantum computing functions. In addition, an exact copy of her AI also exists within the ship and is constantly linked with the physical android model.”
“That is correct, Director,” EVE said. “In addition to assisting the crew with system related matters, I am also able to assist with physical duties, ranging from repairs, medical attention, combat, or exploration.”
Foster’s memories flashed back to the day the Carl Sagan made preparation to leave Earth. She, Williams, and Rivera had spoken about an android EVE model that had been in the designing phase before they left for Sirius. Looks like they went and made it standard.
“EVE, this is Captain Rebecca Foster, she will be the new CO of the Kepler,” Barker said.
EVE nodded keeping her hands behind her back in a professional manner. “Understood, Director, crew roster has been updated. Will there be any other additional members to the crew?”
“I will be . . .” Pierce said. “If the good captain is okay with it?”
Foster looked up at Pierce, the two of them smiled at each other. “Don’t be silly, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you,” Foster said, then addressed their android assistant. “EVE, this is Doctor Travis Pierce, Science
Officer.”
“Understood, crew roster has been updated, is that all for now, Captain?”
“That’s it for now, EVE, thank you.”
EVE returned to the work on the computer terminal with its wires and circuitry exposed from its sliding panel.
“As you might have seen already, Foster, the Kepler doesn’t have much of a crew at the moment,” Barker said. “Radiance will be sending a select few of their members soon as per our agreement with them.”
“Eh? What sort of agreement?” There’s always a catch.
“Radiance helped build this and they want at least a small team of Radiance personnel to be members of its crew at all times. The rest of the crew was supposed to be made up of IESA and UNE military personnel. But given the new crisis we face, I’ll leave recruitment and the handling of this mission in your hands.”
Foster eyed the vacant bridge stations. The helm and navigation, communication, psionic station, tactical station. . . “There’s one team we absolutely must have,” Foster said. “My crew from the Carl Sagan.”
Barker nodded in agreement. “You already know where to find Kostelecky, Rivera should still be on Earth, Tolukei is here on the station in custody of the Union, everyone else has gone to Sirius to live.”
“Call in whatever favors you can, I need Tolukei here,” Foster said.
“I’ll do what I can.”
“As for everyone in Sirius,” Foster mumbled to herself. “This ship got one of them fancy QEC I keep hearing about?”
“Yes, it’s directly linked with ops here on the station,” Barker said. “They’ll be able to relay any message you need to send across the network.”
Last time Foster checked, Williams was living with her mother in Sirius. Now that she had a ship, sending a message to them should be easier. I’ll contact Mom and have her give Dom the good news, he’ll grab everyone else to join the party.
Foster stood to give the forward view screen a closer look, admiring all the holographic overlays it displayed in regard to the ship’s operational status, with the view of the hanger bay in the background . . . And a small commotion brewing near the hanger exit doors.
She shifted her face closer to the screen requesting it to zoom in on what was going on. The screen flickered and changed, external cameras depicted two UNE Marines arguing with Odelea, blocking her entry into the hanger.
“Heh, what ya’ll think is goin’ on down there?” Foster said, pointing.
“Great,” Barker said drily, standing next to Foster, observing the screen’s contents. “Give me a moment to sort that out.”
Foster wasn’t one to read lips, but she wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if one of the Marines had told Odelea to ‘fuck off’ as indicated by his face and hand gestures. Foster shook her head and retreated, following Barker outside into the hanger, where the conflict between Odelea and the two Marines continued.
“Miss Odelea, may we help you with something?” Barker’s condescending voice said.
Odelea looked forward past the barricading arms and rifles of the two Marines, locking her Aryile eyes with Foster. “My Gods, Captain Foster!”
Renewed energy poured into Odelea’s body, allowing her skinny, arms, legs, and frame to slip and squirm away from the grasps of the Marines, strutting over to Foster amidst the grunting shouts of the two men.
“Uh, yeah that’ll be me,” Foster half-jokingly said as Odelea fetched a holographic document for Foster to read.
“Please, I have a dire request to make—”
“Do it through the Radiance embassy,” one of the Marines said, yanking Odelea away from Foster. “I’m sorry about this, you two, we’ll have her removed.”
“Thank you, Corporal,” Barker said to him.
Foster winced looking at the distraught and desperate Aryile girl after skimming the holographic document given to her. “Let her speak.”
“Foster, don’t worry about her,” Barker said. “After the forum meet up, I’ve been told she’s landed in hot water with her own people. Never mind the fact she attended uninvited.”
“Yeah, so let her speak,” Foster insisted.
“It’s a waste of time.”
“Director, you said somethin’ about me having authority to run this gig anyway I see fit, right?”
“Well—”
“And we’s gonna need Radiance personnel onboard before we can take flight.” Foster glanced at the bright glowing document hovering before her face. It was a formal request for Odelea to join the crew. “Let the poor gal talk before ya’ll haul her ass away.”
Barker gave the nod to the two Marines to release Odelea, sighing loudly in the process. Odelea ran past him back to Foster, forcing her to brace herself, half expecting Odelea to leap in to her arms at the speed she was moving.
“Thank you, thank you!” Odelea chanted. “I would like to be a part of the crew, I have as you already know, made several breakthroughs in regard to language of the invaders, amongst other things.”
“That might come in handy,” Foster said to her. “Unfortunately, we got a science officer and he ain’t one for having assistants, tried that back in Sirius before we lost our memories.”
“Oh, I see then . . .” Odelea said with sadness.
“Radiance, to my knowledge, hasn’t finished selecting personnel for the crew anyways,” Barker said. “If you’d like to be part of the team, best to apply with them first, rather than jumping ahead in line.” Barker’s hand beckoned to the Marines to remove Odelea, this time for good.
Foster looked at the sadness of Odelea’s face as her lips twisted, it brought back memories of her undergoing a similar feeling not long ago. Feelings she felt back when the development of the Carl Sagan was put on hold, along with her dreams of traveling to the stars. What ultimately changed her fate and feelings was the decision of the newly elected president at the time to order the Carl Sagan’s construction to continue.
That one call changed everything, not just for Foster, but for everyone, as it led to her team putting an end to Marduk and the threat he posed. Foster was now poised to make a single call, one she hoped she’d be thankful for making in the future.
“I’m okay with trial runs however,” Foster said to her. “And I’m sure Doctor Pierce is as well.”
“We should let Radiance make the call here,” Barker said.
“How long will that take?” Foster said, facing him. “We’s need to get this boat goin’, the way I see it, if we bring her along, its one less person Radiance needs to find, and I still want Tolukei on the team, so that’s two, three, if we count Saressea.”
“You might be onto something there . . .” Barker said, then paused to enter a deep thought. “That will bring the current crew manifest up to six when Kostelecky transfers over. Three members of Radiance to three members of Earth, the Union will be okay with a premature launch with those numbers.”
Odelea’s hands and legs moved in a skittish manner. “Then?”
Foster made the decision. “Welcome aboard, Odelea.” Don’t make me regret this girl!
“Scholar Ary Odelea reporting for duty,” Odelea said, and performed the traditional Radiance greeting gesture. “Your acquaintance is recognized.”
Foster smiled returning the gesture by placing her hand over her shoulder. I hope that was the right hand . . . “Your acquaintance is recognized. Now, get whatever you need to make this happen; I wanna leave as soon as we secure Tolukei.”
35 Fighter Number 3,482
Ancient City
Jacobus, Kapteyn’s Star system
Vanunu Season, Day 24, Stellar Cycle 8,579 (August 11, 2118, 12:00 SST (Sol Standard Time)
Fighter Number 3,482 lowered his rifle when Divine Commander Lahamu graced the presence of his squad, using the powers gifted to her from the great creator of the universe. Lahamu, known to the humans as a Dragon Maiden, summoned Fighter Number 3,482 to stand in front of her, remove his helmet and kiss the sacred figure on her Voelika, and then
kneel in front of her divine beauty.
Divine Commander Lahamu’s words echoed in his head, she was attuned to the emotions of negativity, anger, and hatred. The forces she brought onto the human homeworld had been slain, and her partner, another Divine Commander, taken captive. His whereabouts was unknown. Divine Commander Lahamu asked for a status update, reluctantly, Fighter Number 3,482, gave it, though the words he put into her mind weren’t ones that would make her emotional stance transmute into a positive one.
Fighter Number 3,482 put the words into her head that a human female touched the sacred monolith and stole what they came to secure. Lahamu responded by bludgeoning to death five random fighters of his squad, coating the ancient road with boiling blood, fragments of their skulls and horns. Fighter Number 3,482 was grateful that was the punishment she had chosen as the children of the five would be granted the privilege to continue to live, breathe, and grow strong.
Lahamu touched the monolith and attempted to use her divine magic to pull any useful information away from it. The winds of the planet blew past her, scattering her golden hair about. The monolith began to glow the longer her hand rested on it. She pulled away with a gesture on her face that was still attuned to the emotion of anger and then gave Fighter Number 3,482 permission to put new words into her head, words about the alien ship that fled the system.
The ship was constructed by a species known as Hashmedai. It was puzzling as to why a human would board one of their ships, even more puzzling that a female Vorcambreum and a male Rabuabin had accompanied the human female and her male partner. Humans, Rabuabin, and Vorcambreum seeking refuge on a Hashmedai ship went against all the foresighting that had been conducted over the past stellar cycles.
The Divine Commander later learned that the Hashmedai constructed ship entered the conduit. The ship had somehow covered itself with the ethereal fluid needed to exist within the conduit, preventing the balance of nature from taking corrective action, and removing matter that did not originate from the other universe.
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