Jill’s tail began to flick and I heard the faintest of purrs escape from her throat as she began to quickly tap an entry into the pad she carried. “That has possibilities, just a moment…there; tell me, how does this sound?”
“The mood here tonight is jubilant aboard the EDCS Danube as we celebrate with our allies in the fulfillment of the Treaty of Light. This revelation opens up never before imagined opportunities for exploration and economic expansion, as well as opening the entirety of the galaxy to the people of Earth. This amazing success shows that diplomacy with the Mendians is not only enriching our alliance, but is yielding positive benefits for each and every citizen of the UEA as we enter a new and unprecedented age of exploration and discovery.”
“That’s perfect! When can we get that out?” I asked, eager to get ahead of the news.
“Let me get everything vetted and I can have it on the wire in the next fifteen minutes,” she replied quickly.
“Make it happen.”
“No problem Boss, and, just a reminder, I left some paper work on the desk.”
“Thanks Jill. I’m pretty sure this would be impossible without you,” I said.
“You’re just learning this now?” she said in amusement, waving a paw as she gracefully turned and walked out the door.
No rest for the wicked, I thought to myself, reinvigorated by the breakthrough, an obstruction cleared. I glanced sourly at my desk, but there was no further excuse left to procrastinate on, and, thus, connected to my interface. The day had been a busy one and the quicker I cleared this out, the easier the following day was going to be. Still, the droning march of bureaucracy ever demanded greater sacrifice of my time and sanity. I chuckled darkly to myself as I started going over forms and filling out reports. I clicked on Space News for the background noise, letting it fill the empty artificial space.
“Here at Earth First, we care. We care about a strong and united Earth and a strong and united defense. Most of all, we care about peace. That’s why we support the Farthest Star Act. This act is good for the morphics, it keeps them safe. It protects the Earth and keeps us strong, and it makes for a better world, for all our children. Call your MP Today and tell him you support Project Farthest Star.”
I grumbled at the screen and tried to ignore the commercial. The day had not ended in flaming disaster, and I was trying to get some work done. Of course, I suppose if I wanted to be in a good mood, I wouldn’t have switched on the news in the first place.
Work was moving at a good pace, as Space News went through its regularly scheduled broadside of corporate sponsors, but eventually, even advertising must give way to programming. I heard the sound of trumpets and dramatic fanfare as the latest analysis program started up.
I set aside the government form for a moment to get caught up on the lie of the day.
“Shocking revelations from the EDCS Danube tonight. After a secret meeting aboard House Lethine with the Mendia of the Mendians most likely in attendance, Snow Dawkins returned with Etrana of Corval Prime, who dropped this bombshell revelation…”
The scene cut to Etrana informing the press corps of the 2.5 million species that shared the galaxy with man.
“2.5 million council species. That’s right ladies and gentleman, you heard me right, 2.5 million. What does this mean for Earth? Does this have security implications? We are joined tonight by Aaron Little of Earth First and Julie Arnold of the Morphics Rights Movement.” The reporter took a breath, then continued.
“Aaron, welcome, you have been an outspoken critic of the Treaty of Gates and the Morphic Movement that it has spawned. Recently, for the first time in UEA history, your party has won a majority share of the seats in the Earth Parliament, and will be taking power this November, and you say this revelation of the 2.5 million species should be a sobering moment for Earth.”
I stopped what I was doing and contacted Jill over the intercom, instructing her to watch. She replied with a simple “Got it, Boss” and cut the connection.
“This revelation underscores every concern we have had with the Mendian alliance all along. The Treaty of Gates was signed in, uh….2071 and the Treaty of Light in 2083, but we are just coming to this information now. Why have the Mendians been hiding this information from us? This is a huge number of species and we have a right to know if we are under threat. Now more than ever, we need to set our house in order. We need to pass the Farthest Star Act and prepare for our new place in our galactic neighborhood that has turned out to be larger than we ever previously imagined,” he said, poison disguised as reason and prudence.
“Our next guest will most likely disagree with you. Julie Arnold, you have championed the Morphic Rights Movement for ten years after the bombing of the Sao Palo Morphic Clinic in Brazil killed your brother, who was in the process of shifting, and you say this revelation is a good thing for Earth. Julie, welcome.”
“Thanks Tom, good to be here. While 2.5 million sounds like a large number on its face, consider that there are 100 billion known stars in the Milky Way. 100 billion Tom; combine that with the fact that we’ve discovered hundreds of worlds thanks to the benefit of Mendian Gate technology and all devoid of sapient life; well, it seems to indicate there must be room for all of us. These numbers and the invitation to the Galactic Council appear to be a huge opportunity for Earth, and we shouldn’t let these revelations devolve into an excuse to disenfranchise a growing minority on the world stage.”
I was happy to hear that her words would re-enforce my press statement if Space News ever got around to covering it. Shockingly, I wasn’t their favorite person. Julie though was a friend and had a good head on her shoulders. We ran in the same circles and I had encountered her at a few rubber chicken dinners. She was one of the few humans that was on the front lines in the fight for morphic rights.
“Aaron, do you have a response?”
“I most certainly do. I would love to share the naïve optimism of Ms. Arnold, but we have a planet to look after and a species to preserve. The human species. She speaks of distance and a demonstrated lack of interest, but can I just say that almost twenty years into first contact, we still barely know anything about the Mendians? Now, suddenly, we are told that we have been invited to a great council of 2.5 million species. Just where are they? As Ms. Arnold so readily stated, hundreds of worlds and yet we have met no one but the Mendians and who they WISHED us to see. Are they gaming their Gate system? What are they keeping from us? While I would love to live in a perfect world where there would be nothing to fear from such an introduction, that’s just, well, as previously said, naïve. We need to clean up our house, and focus on the possible threat this poses to Earth.”
I switched it off disgusted and angry, and began pacing back and forth. There really was no rest for the wicked. I sighed and hopped over to one of the porthole windows in my quarters and clambered up into it, laying on my back looking out into space. I closed my eyes and just centered for a moment, trying to find the needle of calm in the haystack of anger and chaos that raged within me.
Why did they always have to ruin everything? The world had just been brought in on the revelation that the vast and empty galaxy was teeming with life, and how did they react? Celebration? No. Wonder? No. Abject Fear? Absolutely.
They acted as if the 2.5 million suddenly appeared from a vaporous thought to terrorize only them. It was the pinnacle of arrogance and cowardice. I felt the cold metal press against my fur and I just stared at the vast and empty star field and longed for its simplicity. I thought back to Centioc One, and my shuttle, rusting happily in the clearing.
I desperately wanted to retire.
Snow, you’re barely forty-three. I said to myself, and chuckled. Past forty or not, I felt like I had already lived through two lifetimes and some days, all I wanted to do was rest. Maybe even head home to Kelowna, B.C and find a spot on the mountain. I closed my eyes and let my body go slack; the rhythmic thrumming of the ship and its gentle vibrations rocked against me and I thoug
ht of Charlie. Time seemed to slow and, for a brief moment, it was almost like he was there.
“Ah, I see you are in your grumpy window,” Jill said. I had not heard her come in.
“I like the view,” I protested.
“Boss, you also like to brood. I know you. You never met a negative moment you didn’t like. Now is it doing any good or do you want to work on a statement to the press?” The work was only pretext. I was grateful that she cared.
“I honestly don’t know if it’s doing any good. I think they ignored the last one. I don’t know if WE are doing any good at all. Tap dancing out here in space while the rest of the world spins off to crazy land,” I said, and looked over towards her.
“I’m not sure if we are, Snow, but I do know that Earth is still there to get mad at. Some people attribute that to you,” she said, trying to make me feel better.
“If it was due to me, I was the first person to save a planet by having a nervous breakdown,” I replied darkly.
“Boss, did you ever stop to think that’s exactly what it was going to take?” she responded, and I felt suddenly pinned.
“What do you mean?” I replied, she had me, might as well let her make her point.
“Everybody likes to make things nice and neat, but the world is anything but. There may have been nothing you could have said to prevent Apocalypse Day, but what happened ensured the Earth survived, and you were a part of that. You really need to learn to claim your victories where you can find them, Boss,” she said, trying to cheer me up.
“Yeah, Earth was saved, we renegotiated a new treaty and Charlie got gutted. Two out of three ain’t bad?” I said, and this time she shot me an annoyed look.
“Ok Boss, be broody. Now, we working on this statement or not?” she replied.
“We might as well,” I said, hopping down from my perch and getting straight to work. It was getting late after all and it had been a long day already.
Chapter 7
We were well underway towards Corval Prime and had just crossed the line in space that marked the inner planets. Two rocky worlds each other just beyond, one coated in ice and the other pockmarked by rocky craters. It was the first known incidence of a solar system with twin planets orbiting each other, even though both were completely uninhabitable; the worlds just beyond betrayed a mystery of gravitational balance and nature's unending commitment to design.
I was curled up in my window, letting my nanitic systems access the external feeds on the ship as we zipped by the rocky twins, enjoying the relative peace and quiet that long space travel inevitably brings. However, it would all soon end; in thirty-six hours, we would be taking up orbit around Corval Prime.
We had gone two weeks without a press conference, other than the daily briefings that I let Jill handle, so I had taken the time to get caught up on my paperwork. That was, when I wasn’t hearing about the events of the day from Etrana. She had become seriously addicted to Space News.
Almost on cue, the intercom chimed and I heard Etrana over the com. I checked the time in the system and it revealed it to be just after noon. She was right on time.
“Snow Dawkins will come, or will Etrana come there?” she said, a series of inquisitive chirps and low warbles flowed over the speaker and made my ears twitch. I had learned this meant she wanted to meet, not an utter insistence that I drop everything to come to her.
Her bird-like speech made my constant headache surge. I blinked, wide eyed, focusing through it.
“I’ve got a little down time today. I will meet you in your quarters in five minutes.” It was no trouble, she was just down the hall anyhow.
“This gleams! This is most shiny! Snow Dawkins will come! Yes yes!” With that, the intercom clicked off.
I logged off the system, shutting down my interface and for a moment, felt lost. I un-contorted myself and dropped from the porthole, stretching out paw over paw and quickly forgot about the momentary discomfort, smoothed out my fur and made my way to her quarters.
It took a moment to get adjusted. I always felt so much smaller after I disconnected from the ship, but it wasn’t a struggle, just a bit of fuzziness. The next thing I knew I was at her door and rang the notification chime.
The door slid open and I saw Etrana in the center of the room; she had made a small nest out of her blankets and sleeping pad, and it was set up in such a way that she had a perfect view of her screen. There was a bowl to her left of mercilessly pecked fruit. The lights were about as bright as the Danube could offer, and I briefly squinted, taking time to adjust to the photons' assault on my retinas.
“This "news" is not shiny! This news is most dull,” She chirped in a clipped, almost angry tone.
“Etrana brought the great revelation. Etrana told the reporters of the many many many of the Galactic Council,” she said, warbling slowly.
“They have not been taking it well,” I said, stating the obvious.
“Etrana feels they are most dim. Great Revelation, shiny shiny news! What do these ones do? Fear fear fear, then buy buy buy! Fear and buy, fear and buy! It is all this news is good for. Etrana understands not. Help Etrana understand, Yes yes?” she said, complete with plaintive frustrated tones.
“I wish I understood it myself, but for some people, fear will always be greater than knowledge. It is a great struggle among the humans at times for them to see the bigger picture,” I said.
“Humans struggle with large images? How does this relate to the fear fear fear of Space News?” she queried, and looked at me confused. I had to learn to explain my metaphors to her better.
“I apologize, no I mean to say that sometimes it’s hard for humans to see the larger implications. They are often focused on more immediate events, or events they perceive affect them more directly.” I thought back to my father. He had been a professor for his entire life, and I had most certainly not acquired his gift for teaching.
“Etrana requires an example,” she said, in a curious but demanding tone.
I thought for a moment, puzzling it over in my head.
“Ok, I think I have one. As you are aware we have just passed your dual planet system and have crossed into your inner solar system,” I said, patiently laying out the bread crumbs for her to follow.
“Yes yes! Corval Minor 1 and 2! These ones dance forever in the eternal night! Most gleaming!” she said.
“Yes, and for the humans, this is an unprecedented discovery. We have never witnessed a system arranged like this before, but we had no press conference, and it wasn’t even mentioned in passing on the news this morning,” I replied, continuing to lay it out.
“Etrana found this strange. Is this not shiny to the humans?” she asked, trilling.
“Some found it very shiny, but in the minds of many and partially due to Space News, people do not see the shiny, they see fear,” I said, it was an imperfect analogy and I knew I was going to have to clarify.
“They fear the planets locked in the dance?" she wondered, missing the connection. A desperation, like a hungry caterpillar, ate at the leaves of my patience.
“No. They fear the 2.5 million. They fear the unknown. The unknown is a great darkness to man. It has been something that has marred them since the beginning."
“Snow Dawkins and Etrana shine together! Etrana and Snow Dawkins will chase out this great darkness,” she said, viewing the problem from simple angles.
“I am afraid Etrana that this will be something the humans will have to learn on their own. Many already do, but there is still much distance to be covered. Back on Earth, right now everyone is trying to work out hidden angles, and the possible implications of your revelation,” I said, and I watched her eyes focus intently on me. She was trying desperately to understand.
“There is no reason to fear. Etrana means no harm!” she continued, almost sounding pained.
“I know that, and I believe that, our friendship shines.” She warbled and chirped, relieved, obviously very happy to hear my words.
“The humans don’t know you first hand and it is part of the species to not trust, to be cautious, sometimes even make assumptions. It is something I have struggled with as well,” I replied, clearly lumping myself in among the guilty, pausing in thought before continuing.
“It takes work to leave behind suspicions, and it takes courage to trust. I am sad to say that while we have great technology, we have never possessed an abundance of courage.”
Etrana clicked and coo’d then fell silent for a moment. “It is hard for this one to understand. The thinking of the humans is very foreign to Etrana. It is curious, it is maddening. It is both shiny and dim.”
“Etrana, I couldn’t have said it better myself.” She warbled curiously and reached out with her long wings and pulled me closer to her.
“Snow Dawkins is kind. Etrana is friend. We face this darkness together,” she trilled contentedly and seemed to seek out simple touch. It was awkward for me, but it portrayed a gentleness and an honesty in her species.
The intercom chirped, making Etrana flutter, and was quickly followed by Jill’s voice.
“Hey Boss. Where you at?”
“Etrana’s quarters currently. We were discussing the events of the day. I suppose this is about our arrival on Corval Prime?” Just when I thought I had gotten out of paperwork, it was already regrouping for a counter attack.
“Got it in one Boss. We're decelerating. If Ambassador Etrana doesn’t mind, I’ll join you down there,” her southern accent flowed over the speaker.
“Etrana wishes to nap! Yes a nap would be most shiny,” she said, raising the wing that had pulled me closer to her a moment before.
“Actually, Jill, I am on my way now. Setup in my quarters and be ready to go over the events of day.”
“Roger that, Boss. I also have a sealed message waiting for you when you arrive,” she said.
“Probably just the normal bad news, nothing to worry about,” I replied. “Leaving now. Be right there.”
“Roger that Boss.”
I entered my quarters and Jill was seated at the table where she normally worked. She was still dressed for the morning briefing, possessing a formal government style while still retaining the trappings of traditional femininity.
Rise of the Forgotten Page 5