“You are certain it will cause no problems for you to enter with our honor guard?” I asked, making sure the diplomatic protocols were smooth.
“Etrana is ambassador to Earth and Snow is Earth ambassador sent to Corval Prime. Why would this be issue? Etrana has duty to show! Duty to tell! Much shiny!” She bounced again, her clicks and warbles coinciding with spikes in pain that made my ears twitch.
The intercom chimed for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning.
God dammit, what now? I fought to keep it back from the voice collar.
“This is Major Nielson with your honor guard, we are outside your quarters awaiting you” he announced.
“Understood, Dawkins out,” I said, my tone tense. “Everyone ready?”
I had built some extra time into the schedule. It was only a five minute walk to the docking port, but Etrana caught sight of the UEA dress uniform with its silver epaulettes and ceremonial vine embossed swords and she was enthralled. The men of the detail showed great patience as Etrana visually inspected their uniforms.
“Most shiny! Many pieces! This gleams! You carry large knives like the Mendians!” she chortled happily.
“A ceremonial sword is part of the main dress uniform for UEA officers,” I said, explaining. “It is part of Earth culture stretching back far into our history.”
“Ah! Most gleaming. Etrana is pleased to know this. The martial culture of the humans is intriguing!” she said, and I nodded to the major. The entire entourage began making its way towards Docking Port Alpha. The Danube had six major docking ports, four in her ring, one near her bridge and one used for Engineering. We were using the one that was nearest officer’s country.
The short jaunt to the docking port was uneventful; soon we were all standing outside the airlock, emblazoned with the Earth Diplomatic Corps seal, waiting for the official notice to proceed through. Everything about this morning was calculated out.
Standing there, surrounded and waiting for the signal, I closed my eyes and tried to center myself for a moment. I felt a familiar pull as my nanites detected a Link.
“Corval Prime welcomes all Link enabled species to this Council starport. Please be aware this is neutral territory and all council laws are in force.” The announcement flowed through the Link, as Jill and I shared a worried glance.
“Boss, I wasn’t aware this sphere was Link enabled,” Jill replied, through the Link channel.
“Neither was I. Proceed as normal. Etrana, remember mentioning the Link is losing the game. Anything said to the press needs to be spoken,” I said, quickly covering my bases. Jill looked down at me and nodded, just as we were given the go ahead to proceed.
The door to the airlock slid open and we stepped in, letting the door close behind us. This was the most dangerous part of the day. As soon as the door slid home behind us, the pressure equalized with the starport and the docking tunnel. That was when I realized, the docking tunnel was translucent.
Stepping out of the airlock was like stepping out amongst the stars. You could clearly see the transparent barrier between us and space but it did nothing to lessen the wonder. Etrana chirped cheerily.
“Most gleaming, Yes? There is still much to see! Come come!” she warbled and seemed to strain against the artificial limitations of the honor guard.
“Amazing, if a little unsettling for some,” I said, as I watched some of my security officers turn slightly green at the gills.
We made our way to the opposite airlock where there was a symbol I had never seen before. Emblazoned on the door was a spiral symbol that was easy to work out as an artistic rendering of the Milky Way, with the center bright and gleaming. Around the seal, there were unusual markings that I assumed were words of some language I had never seen before. I focused on it and the information appeared from the Link.
“To ensure peace, order and stability in the galaxy -Council Starport- Corval Prime’
The doors slid open and we stepped out onto the red carpet. The press corps were already in attendance in a designated area, and I noticed Jeremy happily talking to a… something I had never seen before. It had fur, and was surrounded by others of its kind. They each had three large fingers flanked on either side by two long grasping thumbs. Sloping down their back, the brownish green fur gave way to an exceptionally long brown furred tail that they kept coiled vertically against their back. On the sides of their heads were massive ears that covered the sides of their skull, ending in triangular points. They seemed to be a weird mix between cat and monkey.
“Boss?” Jill nudged me in the Link and I quickly remembered what I was doing. I stopped focusing on the strange aliens and held up my paw in greeting. Darnack was up ahead, with the Mendian honor guard, heading towards the Corvaldian delegation at the end of the red carpet.
“Mendia Darnack! Mendia Darnack!” came the cries from the press corps; he moved by them not even acknowledging their existence. As one of his security officers trailed behind him, a more brash member of the press corps shouted out.
“Can I get a quote from your boss?” I saw the Mendian turn and stop briefly.
“Ssssilence human. You will sssshow ressspect,” he hissed, his short arm rotating towards his sword, an action I had seen before. The reporter, in a slow and deliberate movement faded towards the back of the press area, either from embarrassment or mortal fear.
Bad memories or not, I really had come to admire how his species handled the press.
We continued down the red carpet at a solemn pace. I had already told the press I would not be making any statements this morning and they had learned long ago to take me at my word. Up ahead, Darnack was bowing to the Corvaldian dignitaries, and then took up a place standing beside them.
The females all looked much like Etrana, with her long black feathers and simple but shiny accoutrements. The males, however, were easy to spot. They were covered in bright feathers and had plumage that actually stuck out above their heads, similar to peacocks. They also had long tails, but unlike the females, theirs gleamed in myriad colors. No two males were exactly alike and they seemed to wear a great amount of jewelry. I wondered how some of them managed to fly.
“I am Snow Dawkins, deep space ambassador representing the United Earth Alliance. I bear you the greetings of my people. May this be the first of many glittering days for our worlds,” I said. Etrana had helped me work out that last part and I heard a rogue contented chirp escape her beak when she heard it.
-
“Most shiny! Glittering, gleaming! Ki-Ki-Na greets Snow Dawkins of the United Earth Alliance! Yes yes yes! Very good! Very good!” one of the Corvaldian females chortled and warbled, and I noticed the other Corvaldians replied in similar, but varying tones, including Etrana.
“This one is Sona-Or. Sona-Or greets Snow Dawkins of Earth. This is most gleaming! This shines. Earth honors the Corvaldians with this presence!” The call and response of chirps and warbles continued.
“This one is We-Ki-Ba! We-Ki-Ba is happy to greet the Earth delegation!” He flattened out his tail and revealed the polychromatic feathers therein, complete with small silver chains with bells that jingled when he moved them. He was a most colorful character, having deployed the feathers in his neck to give him a most peculiar look, like he was sticking his head through a wreath.
“Most gleaming!” Etrana sighed and warbled, looking at We-Ki-Ba. Her tail twitched in subtle but perceptibility movements.
“This one is Kai-Kina!” another said, and imitated the actions of We-Ki-Ba. His tail feathers were adorned with gold, not silver.
“These are of Corval! These are of the Choir! These ones greet you!” they all said in unison, then dropped low and began a beautiful dance that included aerial acrobatics. The Two males worked together in their movements and motions, helping each other achieve dizzying feats.
Diplomacy and a show. At least the Corvaldians liked to keep it interesting.
Music flooded the air, resonant sweet and choral. It sent shi
vers down my spine and warmed my soul. The Corvaldians were all engaged in some kind of choral serenade.
“These ones honor Earth with the Great Dance! These ones honor Earth with the Great Song.”
“We of the United Earth Alliance are deeply moved by your gifts this morning. We find it most gleaming. Please accept this on behalf of our people.” Jill produced a wooden case, and opened it revealing a plaque that contained a massive one thousand carat diamond; emblazoned on it was the diplomatic seal of the UEA. Below it, on the case, in artful script it read…
“In honor of our meeting, and in the hopes of peaceful relations. We of the United Earth Alliance present this in friendship to our new Corvaldian allies, February 16th, 2090.”
The Corvaldians froze, transfixed by the large diamond in the center of the plaque, and then, Etrana trembled.
“This gleams! This is much much shiny! The humans honor us!” she chortled wildly, and it spread through the station. Every Corvaldian sung in reply. Jill leaned down to me and whispered.
“Well at least this is going well.”
Chapter 10
The Corvaldians finished their song, and the formal part of the morning's events melded into the mists of history. Jill had returned to the Danube with the press corps to handle the morning briefing and Jeremy had gone off somewhere with the strange species he was chatting up just before the ceremony, known as the Natulians of Natul. A distant world, on the opposite end of the Galaxy.
Standing with Etrana in the middle of the council starport and beholding the strange races that walked by, was a lesson in humility. Almost twenty years ago, we were still unsure if there was any other life in the universe.
I still remembered the day that it all changed.
“Etrana found this most shiny! Etrana found this gleaming! Most bright! Yes yes so shiny,” she chortled, snapping me out of my reflection. Her tone enraptured over the day’s events. I envied her simple ability to find joy in everything, whereas I struggled with old ghosts and regrets.
“I am very glad it went well,” I said, sagging from the relief in stress.
“Well! Well? No no no! That is most dim! These events were shiny! They were glimmering!” she chortled in a corrective, emphatic tone.
“Come, come, this way! We go!” She tipped her head forward and charged off in a direction, I rapidly followed after her. The deck was made of some kind of vaguely spongy gripping material and I found that my paws easily found their traction.
“Much shiny! This way come come!” Etrana said, leading me onward. I became aware that I was alone among dozens of all types of races, in all manner of configuration. Some seemed to be contained within exposure suits of various shapes and sizes, many of them geometric cubes, spheres and the like, of varying composition. Some were metal, others appeared to be made of types of plastic, or other flexible material. They floated by like miniature space ships.
Something seemed out of place about all of this, then awareness dawned.
No one noticed me. For years, everywhere I went, it seemed like someone recognized me. I had become a celebrity of sorts back on Earth and was accustomed to the press or some other organization following my every move. Not today though, I was an alien visitor to this world, but I was hardly unique. My heart thrilled at the sudden revelation of my anonymity and I eagerly picked up the pace, following Etrana. She made her way onto a lift and I moved after her.
A sphere floated by, which contained an insect swarm. Flashing colors of light erupted out of it, as it drifted into my path. It was floating by some mechanism or technology that I had never seen before. There was a quick and intense bright white flash that erupted from it, and then it was centered directly in front of me. I could see the insects inside that made up its essence; some were crawling across the transparent material that made up its front.
An eerie quiet permeated the air around me, and it was then I realized, we were alone.
It spoke in a voice that was monotone, flat and vaguely digital. There was no inflection, and the cadence was of a harsh and precise meter.
“Of Pyral hears your cries. Of Pyral sees your chains. Do you want to be free?” they asked cryptically.
“What the hell?” I muttered to myself before continuing. “What do you mean? What do you want?”
“Do you want to be free?” They asked again, more emphatically, I felt something, deep inside of me, separate yet not, straining against invisible chains I could not perceive, but still felt. My head swam in sudden agony and I felt sick, and I thought for a moment I would pass out, but somehow I didn't.
You will stay online. The barest hint of a whisper echoed through my consciousness, steeling my resolve.
Answer... I had to answer...
My inner world resolved and I shook my head clearing the cobwebs, my focus centered on the question.
“Well yes, I suppose. Doesn’t everyone?”
Yes! Yes! Please help me. The whisper again whined in begging tones, responding as if it was on fire. Was this a dream? There was no one else here that I could see.
They reached out with metallic, tendrils that erupted out of the back of the sphere, as if to touch me and then, then as suddenly as it came, it was gone.
I found myself standing before the lift, blinking.
“Is the Snow Dawkins ok?” Etrana clicked and warbled nervously.
It was simply a day dream, nothing to be concerned about. The faint whisper again flowed through my consciousness as the event slipped from the immediate forefront of my awareness.
"Snow Dawkins does not answer. Etrana grows troubled," she warbled.
“Yes, sorry, just spaced out for a moment. A blip in the Link or something. I’m ok,” I rationalized, reassuring myself as much as her, trying to ignore the rising tide of pain signaling a new headache on the horizon.
“Where are we going?” I asked, curious, joining her on the Lift.
“Down! Down down down!” she said. The lift engaged and I risked letting myself connect to the Link again.
A ghostly Corvaldian appeared before me. “We greet you! May you find this day to be most shiny! This one is a Galactic Council Information Construct.”
“Whoa!” I jumped back, slightly panicked, and bumped into Etrana.
“What is problem? Tell! Tell!” she said, obviously excited.
“A… construct just appeared, in my vision.”
“Ah, yes! Most shiny construct! Etrana sees to. Why does Snow startle?”
“First time,” I said, panting, trying to get my instincts under control.
“Ah! Most shiny! Etrana brings surprise!” She could say that again, I thought.
I made a mental note to restrict my impressions from the Link.
The construct remained in my vision, making none of the tones I was familiar with hearing from the Corvaldians, and then simply said, “These ones have arrived at the Grand Column.” I mentally disconnected myself from the Link and the Corvaldian vanished.
“Grand Column?” I looked to Etrana.
“Now is the time for Choir! Come come! We go! This way! Most shiny!” She practically erupted out of the lift and charged into the large room, where Corvaldians were filing into various cylindrical structures that seemed to descend towards the planet. I was about to board my first space elevator.
Etrana bypassed the queue and we headed for a non-descript door. It opened of its own accord when Etrana drew near and one lone capsule was before us, ready to take us down.
“Come come! We go to Choir! Official government business, most shiny! No queue. Etrana finds the queue dim!” she chortled and backed up to a bench like seat. That was all that was available. It resembled an amusement park ride, with seats against the walls and the center open for easy egress.
Etrana warbled and indicated a seat opposite her. I hopped in and began looking for restraints, and found none.
The door sealed and a padded bar came down from the ceiling and up from the floor, securing me in place quite effecti
vely; a similar harness, more adapted to Etrana’s anatomy was holding her secure as well.
“Etrana finds this fun! This part is most shiny!” I perked up my ears, looking out from my padded cocoon of bars; I had never heard her use that word before. I heard the sound of machinery, and then could see space below me, through the floor. For the briefest of moments, the world appeared distorted. I knew what that meant, a Higgs-field had just activated.
The capsule released and while it did not fall like a rocket, the descent was quite rapid and I gulped. My heart began to race and I felt panicked. Not necessarily from the detection of motion. The Higgs-field was controlling the G-forces admirably. It was the giant planet that we were screaming for that inspired within me new heights of terror. The deep darks of space began to lighten, and were quickly replaced by blue sky, then clouds and for the first time, I became aware of the thick foliage surrounding. Just below an emerald green crystal spire seemed to jut out of the forest. It shone like the mid-day sun and defied explanation. As it grew closer, I realized the spire was the top of a grand crystalline platform. The Corvaldian Choir stretched out before me like an emerald palace gleaming in the sun as its spire rocketed up above the trees.
We were heading right for it. It grew larger and larger in my vision, and that’s when I started to notice other details. There were lesser spires jutting up from the forest, some having great zeppelins tethered to them.
“Etrana finds it most shiny to be home!” She chirped happily.
“Are all your cities like this?” I replied, marveling at the wondrous design. Never had I seen urban planning give way to something so beautiful. The capsule slid down into the great spire at the center of the city and Etrana warbled out a happy contented song.
“Etrana welcomes Snow Dawkins to the Choir,” she said, as the barred restraints released and I could again freely move.
Rise of the Forgotten Page 7