Coeus?

by Andur

I nod slowly. “So what you want to say is that if we provide the correct lighter, this powder keg out there may blow up in their faces.”

  The SDF commander shakes his head. “The elders instructed us and the diplomats to be extra careful about dealing with the aliens. We can't start a war.”

  Who let this idiot in here. “I am not starting anything. It's only natural to explore every possibility to stay ahead of our enemies. Ed is right when he points out that the display out there has to be understood correctly.”

  Paul snorts. “I see it as a huge pile of randomly stacked books. Pull out the wrong one and pile may collapse on you. Pull out the right one and pile falls where you want it to.”

  “We'll see what our diplomats have to say once they return from the so called 'Gathering'.” Ed adds in a solemn voice.

  I tilt my head while eyeing the display. The Gathering is a huge golden structure which is managed by the Zeen. It's a huge spinning ring with a sphere in its centre. According to the records the Zeen built it thousands of years ago when they started 'guiding' the other species. There are other old races, but the Zeen are seen as some kind of teachers as they are able to communicate with almost everyone.

  When we entered the system it became clear that we didn't bring enough diplomats to handle all the requests and greetings which started flooding in. This system is like a gigantic ballroom where each guest shouts out his opinion at the same time.

  No wonder that it's just called a gathering. It's not like there is any kind of ruling system. If the Zeen wouldn't provide guidance and security this whole scene would come apart in one bloody mess.

  “At least we can narrow it down to a few main players.” Ed starts summing up the political landscape. “There are obviously the Zeen and their direct followers. Then there is this the Alliance which is trying to wipe out the Drazi. But like we said, it's highly likely that they are just puppets of the Zeen.”

  “Then we have some species which are simply too different from us to be taken into account. The Hyw for example are some form of intelligent balloons who live solely on gas giants. They aren't interested in the matters of lifeforms who prefer a nice planet like Earth.”

  I raise an eyebrow. How does a balloon who is living on a gas giant develop intelligence and technology?

  But Ed doesn't mind me and continues. “There is also an anti-war faction which is opposing the Alliance. They think that no species deserves being wiped out. But they are few and their influence is weak.”

  “Lastly we have a big group of unknowns who follow their own goals and might interfere solely for their own dubious reasons.” Ed finishes his very simplified summary of the situation.

  That's when I get a call over the net. It's from the head of our team of negotiations, so I take it immediately. The man who answers me seems to be very disturbed and surprised about the new development, but it's in a way what we already expected beforehand when we allowed our people to roam around freely on foreign space stations and colonies.

  At the end of the call I close the connection and place my hands in a praying position to think about the development.

  “Did something happen?” The SDF-commander asks after a while.

  I cut the contents of the call short. “Someone stole one of our ambassadors.”

  “Stole?” Paul asks with big eyes.

  “Abducted, hijacked, kidnapped, snatched, gone, never reported back after taking a piss.” I clarify which earns me a few weird looks.

  Galactic Centre, Aether

  Cyla

  “She is so cute.” Amia exclaims while rocking Aurelia on her lap.

  I've invited all of my female friends and family to have a big welcoming party for Aurelia. So far it's me, Saden, Galia and Amia in the living room. I've also invited Melan and Rhiannon, though they haven't shown up yet.

  Now that I think about it I may have to increase my circle of friends. Amia is the only one who isn't related to me by family... yet.

  “I have high hopes to get one myself soon.” Saden pats her rounded belly. “Normally I should have been faster than you, but Paul is a hard nut to crack.”

  “That sounds so wrong on several levels if you think about the context.” Galia points out.

  Saden purses her lips. “Okay, you have me there. The choice of words was flawed.”

  I concentrate my attention on Galia and Amia, who are sitting on my couch. “So, now that I've you two here I may as well take the chance to ask. What's going on with my brothers?”

  To my surprise Galia blushes.

  Amia is the first one to answer, as she is a promiscuous woman and doesn't know shame. “I and Martin became friends with benefits. Though he is kind of clingy and visits me on a daily basis. It almost feels like I am becoming a one-man type of girl.”

  I raise an eyebrow, then my eyes wander to Galia. “And you? I know that you are seeing Brenton and you are sleeping out of home about five days a week. There has to be something going on.”

  The normally very independent woman starts fiddling with her fingers. “Okay. I admit it. I am kind of living in his place now... most of the time”

  “About time!” Saden reaches behind her and produces a bottle of expensive wine out of nowhere. “I already feared that my older sister would never grow up!”

  “I was always grown up! Two years on Earth! You remember!?” Galia barks.

  “Pff. Yeah. Be glad that Gideon got you out.” Saden's attention wanders to me. “By the way... I happened to take a look into your bedroom. Why are shackles and ropes in there?”

  Aw... fuck! I should have locked it.

  All eyes turn to me.

  “Well, we are kind of experimenting.”

  They don't look away and even Aurelia is looking at me expectantly as if she would understand.

  “Geez. To keep the fire going, you know? A couple needs to explore new things once the run of the mill positions get old.”

  I'll kill Gideon for this.

  63. ~Searching for help.~

  “

  And today we announce that the first direct teleportation line to the galactic center is established.

  ”

  -Sol news channel

  Galactic Centre, Gathering-Station

  Gideon

  Why am I even here? My gaze wanders over the crowd of aliens which is surrounding me and I try to remember how I got into this situation.

  'Then we have to get him back! But how?' The SDF-commander had said.

  'We need someone who can get in and out as he pleases. A techno-mage. And he has to be able to take care of his own.' Paul thought aloud.

  'Someone who has proven that he can deal with an ugly situation alone.' Ed added with a grave voice.

  The SDF-commander's head turned to me. 'Someone who can read alien minds.'

  All eyes at the table focused on me.

  'No. I am a governor. I govern. That's my business. Playing detective isn't in my job description.' I answered and crossed my arms in front of my chest, showing them that my decision is final.

  'Actually it's in your job description.' Ed raised a finger. 'Article seven B, section one hundred and thirty-one. If a situation can't be handled by lesser skilled personnel, the higher officials have to take actions themselves to turn away harm from the citizens. That's how we managed to persuade an elder to lift his ass from his seat during the blood-magic incident.'

  Not to mention that the elder in question showed up much too late. I grumble and make my way through the crowd, shoving away the 'things' who stand in my way.

  Cyla wasn't happy with me going on a little investigation. Not at all. She isn't the type of wife who sits back and waits silently, praying for her man's safe return. I had a hard time in making it clear that I don't want her with me on this trip. In the end she consented with a very grumpy expression on her face.

  So my only problem right now is how to go about this. I already conferred with Illin and Ayo, but it was quite clear to me that they can't do much
more than handing the problem up the chain of command.

  I have no leads on how to go about this and nowhere to start. Actually there is somewhere to start and that's right where I am. The station's section for humanoid visitors. There are some things here who aren't humanoids, but most people in this place share roughly the same amount of arms and legs.

  How those appendages are shaped and used is an entirely different matter.

  It's here where our ambassador was last seen. He set out to explore the vast station and never reported back. I squint my eyes and turn in a circle while using the translator on various signs across the market street.

  The station is separated in several different levels, each one with a ceiling about twenty metres above my head. The beings who live here actually build their own houses as they prefer them. This resulted in an explosion colour, shape and size. As I expected it from an area where several different species intermingle.

  What are you interested in if you are a lonely ambassador in an alien city?

  I doubt that he would be stupid enough to try the food. Even if all the merchants are required to have their goods checked and their contents listed, I wouldn't want to be one of the first human test subjects.

  A gaming arcade? That's something I am very interested in, but right now I've no time and I doubt that the ambassador shares my interests.

  I raise the translator and decide on an approach the ambassador might have taken. “List points of interest for newly arrived visitors.”

  The wristband on my hand beeps and starts talking. “Interesting activities close to this area are shopping and foodstuffs, -”

  That's nothing a man would do without actually needing something.

  “-managing finances, -”

  No. We don't even have a proper connection to the galactic bank yet, though we already traded for a fair amount of their currency.

  “-visiting the amusement area.”

  The device stops talking and leaves me disappointed. Is there nothing like sightseeing? On the other hand this is a multicultural space station. It would be odd if there is something like an archaeological sight to visit.

  “Take me to the amusement area.” I instruct the device.

  “Turn left and walk until you leave the shopping district.” The device chirps back and I do as instructed.

  The more time I spend here, the less exited I get about Gathering-Station. The huge ring with the central sphere is an impressive structure. I admit it.

  But the creatures which are gathered here have the same problems and issues as my own people. To some species the problems might look a little different, but it's basically the same.

  There are poor and rich. Powerful and weak. One glance at the quality of the clothes, or lack of clothes tells me enough. It's surely better than in the rest of the galaxy. At least there seem to be no beggars or homeless people, surely a direct consequence of representing your own race. If you leave someone of your own to his own devices where everyone else can see it, it throws a bad light onto the entire race.

  I turn around another corner and enter the so called 'entertainment area'. A deep sigh escapes me and I scratch my head. This is clearly the red light district. Surely not where one of our diplomats would have spend his time.

  Nonetheless I continue to wander the area. I halt in front of a big display window. Behind it is a furry cat-woman dancing to attract some customers. Six big tits jiggle in rhythm with the music. If our diplomat ended up as some kind of sex-slave I'll leave him behind. That's the least he deserves.

  “Are you searching for entertainment?” A voice from behind me purrs in galactic standard.

  I turn around and find a lightly dressed mermaid woman in front of me. She is very close to human standard, a perfect example of almost parallel evolution. The sight of my face causes her expression to change.

  Since I am wearing gloves and a heavy coat with a hood, she probably couldn't identify my species before I turned around to look at her. It struck as wise to cloak my body as much as possible. There is no point in announcing from afar that I am human.

  Though there should be more than enough different species on this station. Maybe most people here don't even know all of them.

  “Do you know of someone like me?” I ask, simply trying my luck.

  “I don't know your species, but we could always test if we are compatible.” The woman strides closer, but I hold her at arms reach. “I didn't mean it like that. I am searching for someone of my species. He disappeared in this part of the station and the authorities aren't helpful at all.”

  She flicks her head sideways. “I don't know. Why are you searching for him and how does he look like?”

  An idea starts forming in my mind. I may have no idea about the power structure and the societies on this station, but who says that I need to know? I just have to hire someone who knows. And preferably someone whose loyalty doesn't lie with the authorities.

  That means I need a connection to the underworld and I am already at the perfect place to find the right person. “Let's try this another way. Please introduce me to your employer.”

  The woman starts fidgeting. “I am working solo.”

  I reach for my pocket and raise a credit chip. “Are you still working solo? Everyone has to answer to someone. Who controls the humanoid sector? And I don't mean the official figurehead.”

  “I am a working girl, not some kind of informant.” She replies chipped.

  “But women who share the beds of many men are bound to know many secrets.” I add a second chip of galactic currency. Probably equal to what she earns in a month. “We both know that it's always wise to look up before talking to someone. One might never know who pulls the strings.”

  She frowns and takes the chips from me. “I am not responsible for what happens to you.”

  I gesture for her to lead the way. “I am responsible for myself.” The woman leads the way with swaying hips and I follow. She guides me deeper into the red light district while I eye my surroundings.

  After a while she tries to start a conversation. “Are there no entertainment areas in your culture?”

  My gawking must have been obvious. How should I answer this? “There are, but I have no need to visit them.”

  She produces a strange chattering which isn't translated. “Coupled men who search for something different are no rarity.”

  “No, I guess not. But my wife would throw me out of the house if I do something behind her back. And she is a very crafty and resourceful person. I've no illusions that she would find out at some point.” I notice that we are now in a less strongly frequented part of the station.

  “How unlucky for you.” She gestures down a back alley. “That's as far as I can take you. The last door at the end of the street. The ones you want to speak with are named Madame Klaa and Sir Hud.”

  I raise an eyebrow and nod. “Thanks.”

  Then I walk down the street while checking for the hidden weapons in my clothes and the thin armour beneath. Hopefully I can talk to them, get some assistance and be back home for dinner. While I walk I notice several surveillance devices and cast a spell to scramble the electromagnetic signals in this area. It isn't aimed at a specific device, so there isn't much concentration needed.

  The alley is dirty, dark and narrow. And it stinks! I walk in a wiggly line to avoid the puddles on the ground. If that prostitute tricked me I'll find her and suck the knowledge out of her brain.

  At the end of the alley I use my fist to knock at the broad door. It's obviously meant for something far bigger and meaner than me. Five seconds pass without reaction.

  So I knock again, harder this time, and wait.

  I am about to knock once more when a window above me opens. A naked creature takes a look outside. “We are closed!”

  “I need to speak to Madame Klaa and Sir Hud.” I call back, fixating my eye on the naked creature's head instead of the udders which are dangling down its chest.

  “We do
n't have a Klaa or a Hud!” The creature vanishes and the window flies shut.

  I bite my lip and raise my hand again.

  This time I add a little magic to the mix. The metal door shudders under my fist and three sizeable dents appear. I have to give the one who built it some credit. If this had been bad craftsmanship I would've broken the door.

  Some muffled noise behind the heavy door stops me from finishing the door off.

  The door opens and I find myself in front of a big, green, muscular creature. The teeth are too big for its mouth and borderline on tusks. It's also a humanoid. I raise a hand to greet it. “Hi! Do you know Warhammer? A good game, the evil guys look exactly like you.”

  “You broke the door.” The creature answers accusingly.

  “Yes, I've business with Madame Klaa.” I repeat myself.

  “We have nobody with that name.” The door's guardian slams it shut.

  I sigh and look back down the alley, wondering if I should search for the whore and take her back home. Once she is shackled to my bed I could try all the things I can't do to Cyla.

  After a moment of indecision I decide to make sure and kick the door, breaking it out of its frame. The heavy metal door falls into the house and I step inside.

  Behind the door is a small room with two big and strong looking monsters. A horned one and a blue elven-like thing which reminds me of Cyla's father. I have to mention that I found his alien twin once I see him again. They are sitting at a sturdy table and playing cards.

  No green orc-creature. I wonder where he went?

  “Doesn't he know how to use the bell?”

  “He flattened Gork!”

  “Rrruuuu...”

  The pained sound from beneath the door causes me to pay more attention to my feet. My friend from the Chaos-Faction is pinned under the heavy door and doesn't look very healthy.

  Horny and Blue get up from their seats and close in on me. “Wait, I just want to do business! No reason to hurt yourself.”

  Horny is the first one to attack, charging me like a bull. I send a burst of energy through my arm and grab one of his horns, redirecting him into the wall and hurling myself above his head.