Quantum

by K A Carter

  A significant pause followed. It was as if none of them had the words. S’tiri looked around waiting for someone to say anything. He was ready to say something; say anything. Finally, a voice came from a crowd of silent voices. “It is a pleasure to meet you on behalf of the Irinan U’naan.” Captain J’elan spoke. It felt awkward on the bridge. The man on screen seemed smug and gave the shady impression of being a bureaucrat. S’tiri expected it to be confirmed once he met him in person.

  A shuttle awaited them in the bay.

  S’tiri accompanied J’elan with Z’oni and Donas onboard the human cruiser. To them it smelled funky but aside from that it was a seamless adjustment to the artificial air. S’tiri weaponless, looked the most cynical of the four.

  S’tiri and the boarding team were greeted by the dark-haired ambassador. A meaty hand extended in front of them, open with the fingers dangling. Five fingers. J’elan looked at it for a split moment and smiled. It was a gesture he wasn’t familiar with. Neither was S’tiri for that matter. Behind him, S’tiri could see a row of people behind the man. He towered over them by at least a couple feet.

  In a large briefing room, the man sat down rather relaxed. He was joined by an older human whose silver hair contrasted against a rough looking skin layer. “Let’s get to the business” the ambassador said.

  J’elan paused as the others took a seat. “Business?”

  Chapter 9: Nario

  Nario grinned staring at beings he never imagined he would be standing in front of. “You expect me to believe that you came this far out for a peaceful exchange?” he said.

  “Are you not used to peace?” said the towering being next to J’elan. J’elan held up his hand in an unusual gesture. It must’ve meant stop, because the being seemed to do so.

  “May I ask who your aids are?” Nario asked.

  J’elan’s face was unreadable. Nario was good at reading faces, but he was staring at an entirely other species. His skills seemed less practical now. Most of them looked like floral colored humans. All pink and purple with discolored brands on their bodies.

  “Apologies” J’elan said. “This is S’tiri and Z’oni, two of my hands to aid in diplomatic relations.”

  Nario didn’t plan on changing his tactics, although he was rather a novice at handling negotiations in general. “Why in the galaxy would that be?”

  “For a short such a short-spanned existence, humans have quite the history,” S’tiri said, through the foreign alien face eyes squinted at him.

  “I imagine not unlike your own.”

  Captain Bay turned to Nario. He didn’t need psychic powers to know that the captain was worried that he was pushing buttons. It was apparent that neither group knew what the other was capable of.

  “So, why contact us?”

  “We were under the impression that a species such as yours would be open to building relations.” Nario’s HUD flickered, most of the translation coming through as far as he could tell.

  Nario scratched lightly at the backside of his ear. “We were doing alright without the contact. So, I ask again. Why are you really here?”

  “In all alliances there are exchanges that are the focal points of the agreement.” The tall female. The translator on Nario’s HUD delayed as she spoke; he could tell from the silence in between. “We are currently at war with a species. In exchange for military aid, you may name your price.”

  She was blunt. Nario liked to hear it. It was something he was familiar with.

  The table started to look like a high stakes poker game. Captain Bay’s shoulders tensing up with each word Nario said.

  “Although we may be a suitable ally, surely you can’t expect to immediately divert resources to,” Nario paused. “whatever war you currently waging.”

  Underneath, Nario had a small fear for the unknown. Out of anyone, only Rhion would probably recognize the difference between how Nario was acting and how he really felt. Corrinne too, she’d spent enough time with him. Not having the either of them there clouding up his thoughts helped. For the split seconds before he responded, Nario remembered he had left Rhion to handle another mess. At least that’s what it felt like. Would this career continue on until he had more messes to manage than he could keep track of? It was time to send Rhion a subspace message. He’d get to that later. After the matters at hand were resolved.

  “Well, there is merit to your proposal,” Nario started. “I will have to consult my superiors.”

  “Yes,” she finally took a seat.

  In the same moment j’elan took on a secondary posture. “This could benefit both parties. We have extensive resources we would undoubtedly be happy to share.” His words sounded jestingly optimistic.

  Nario rubbed his fingers together, thoughts brewing. “It won’t take long to get work back to the people I work for. I’d like you to stay within communication proximity.” It wasn’t an offer so easily rejected, and Nario personally thought it was a good deal. But that was because he was a war-hero. Nario was realistic about the sort of things mankind still had to face, at least he had a good idea about it. Still, it wasn’t his place to make the choice on the spot. It would have gone against all his better judgements.

  Nario walked the corridor toward his cabin. As the door widened, his senses kicked in automatically. There was someone behind him coming into the room. He turned to see Corrinne hastily approaching. It caught him by surprise but he didn’t dare hesitate at the sight of her.

  “I missed you,” she said wrapping thin, muscular arms around him. “Not so easy being on a ship with my favorite official and not being able to talk to him.”

  Nario smiled with endearing eyes. “I missed you. I wish you could’ve been there to see them Cor.”

  “Next time, make it happen,” she replied with bass.

  “You can’t really be here right now.” Nario was pleased to see her, but the idea of being flagged for misconduct on a ship was all to likely. Nario wasn’t the reckless young soldier he used to be. Back then he took the risks quite lightly. And although he hadn’t known Corrinne when he had first enlisted, he knew if he did she would be the one he’d risk it for.

  “Are you not happy to see me?” She said it frowning.

  “It’s not that. It’s...” he paused for a moment. “Have you been keeping up with the fact that we just met with aliens for the first time in history?”

  “Second time in history,” she added. And that’s not my job, I aim a gun and shoot down the sights when my squad leader tells me too.” The comment made Nario chuckle under his stressed demeanor.

  “What’s going on?” she added. “You can talk to me about it.”

  Nario continued by telling Corrinne about the two deals that were in place, one of them with the Lanx already sealed. He left out the gory details. It was against policy to discuss matters of federal intelligence with marines or anyone outside the group of officials that would be in the office when something needed to be discussed.

  She comforted him for the night. Despite Nario mentioning how they couldn’t be caught.

  ∆∆∆

  Nario woke up in the middle of the designated night aboard the Gresham. A subspace message from Rhion awaited at the terminal left side of his bed. The video came clear through the terminal without any interruptions. Something that came as a shock to Nario being roughly 4 parsecs away from his friend. Nario wasn’t certain about that, he wasn’t counting.

  “Should’ve done this sooner, sorry about that D.L. The Lanx completed the deal early yesterday. For now, were staying on Brios, Venture departed an hour ago. Something about an emergency aid transportation for a CPF official in the brink, going back to Earth from Pluto. So, be a gentleman and pick us up on your way back. Thad out.” The message had his name stamped at the bottom right of the video.

  Nario wiped his face with thick fingers. The video bright against scruffy chin. As far he was concerned the Lanx was more important than the present negotiations.

  A motionless Co
rrinne laid next to him, panting in a deep sleep. He’d gambled with worse odds. Getting caught with Corrinne in his bed seemed worth it again.

  ∆∆∆

  Nario joined the Irinans aboard their ship. It was called it the L’uremzod. When he said it, he was sure it sounded funny with his accent. Marines accompanied him, one of them being Corrinne. Each of their armor suits noticeably worn with tinted visors. Their faces couldn’t be seen through them, but each suit had a badge with a name. None of them took them off. None of them except Nario.

  He coughed more than he ever had, the air aboard was like breathing through a sauna, and he’d swear there was a mist. The deal the Irinans proposed looked better after talking to superiors. Two days prior, he’d have backed out and given a wavy middle finger while doing it. One lanky bastard was enough to deal with. After talking with the Chancellor, orders shifted from be cautious to make it work. It was unexplored terrain, and with young Erusha in office, the desire was certainly to establish a name for the CPF as quickly as possible.

  “I just need to know what we are getting out of this deal before I validate this.” He had a data tablet in his hand, sitting across from J’elan. It had the details on it, but he wanted him to say it. “We have technology that could benefit you. Warp technology, Weaponry, and terraforming techniques. We’ve read through your history. Our advancements could push your society forward centuries.

  The CPF had already developed their own terraforming techniques, but compared to what corporate scientists were practicing, Federal terraforming technology was rudimentary and took longer. It was only the graceful centuries that had past that made much of the inner planets habitable.

  Nario was a seasoned soldier. The trade of technology for boots on the ground rattled him a bit. However, it wasn’t his call. J’elan had the sleek tall female that mouthed off days earlier, go over everything. On behalf of the Federation’s Chancellor, Nario signed the document. It was in the form of a finger placement scanner on the tablet placed in front of him. It was official, mankind was a recognized species in the Milky Way; or at least soon to be. Nario was neither pleased nor discontent. A day off would’ve been an adequate reward. Now, his job would most likely mean managing both sections of diplomacy

  Bay had split the group of ships in two. The drone ships accompanied the light freighter transport that took up space of the cargo bay on the Gresham, back to Lanx space. The marines that came with Nario along with scientists tasked with looking over data the Irinans gave them all booked the ride back with him. Nario sat across from the scientists, their faces giddy with excitement to probe new technology. He could hear them mumbling about it.

  The return to Lanx space was pleasantly familiar. Ships visible in the distance; scattered in all sorts of directions. Brios’ night side showed hexagonal shapes of light from the cities on the surface. The skyrift surrounded by as much traffic as there was when he had first come to the system. By the time the freighter had docked to the skyrift, Nario’s eyelids felt like boulders and a small pain came over his stomach. Exhaustion, hunger, and old war wounds creeped up on him like an oncoming fog. It was time to rest for a change. He had a smile waiting for his friend. It been long enough without seeing Rhion.

  The doors opened in front of him to a variety of aliens. Behind the crowd were humans. It was safe to assume whom they were; the marines. Golden hair sat at the same level as most of the other heads. “Well I’ll be damned,” said Nario. He grinned. Rhion’s face had been marked with dark ink. Nario had remembered it as the emblem that was printed on Swarran’s uniform. It was apparent that he’d persuaded Rhion to get the mark as a sign of unity to the Voathi. Nario never would’ve agreed to it. Rhion being left to tend to the deal was just a stroke of chance.

  “I kind of like it,” said Rhion. “Gives my uniform some character.”

  “And to think I always thought you weren’t big on tattoos.”

  “When the fate of humankind rests on such a small fee, you pay it. I’ve paid bigger for the Alliance.”

  That part was true. Rhion had his share of scars from battles. A past riddled with conflict. Civil War. Before Nario had joined up Rhion had been fighting as a private against the Rebellion Coalition. Crackpots with guns that wanted to run things for themselves on the newly found colonies in the system. He was seasoned and not unlike Nario, wouldn’t bat an eye at making the necessary decisions when the time called for it; possibly even more so.

  Nario was just pleased he wasn’t the one that had to do it. “Taking one for the team then old pal,” he said.

  The marines’ expressions ranged from groggy to stagnant. Nario strayed from letting his eyes wander toward Corrinne. The freighter jumped into warp. Nario swore he could feel it even though the gravity dampeners were in a perpetual state of activity. He dreamed of a vacation, at least one day off. It was four hours back to the Sol system. Despite the beautiful scenery on Brios and gorgeously engineered eburnean ships the Irinans flew, all Nario could think about was seeing Mars and Earth again. The constant traverse through the void created a very gruesome homesickness.

  All of the holographic sunsets and sunrises, food that looked and tasted of human culture, and recreation that was provided aboard every federal ship couldn’t ease the desire to see familiar ground. It was more than just the act of being there. It was a mind state for most. Nario feared for what would be of his time once he arrived back. It would consist mostly of drinks at bars with Rhion, and the occasional visit from Corrinne when she wasn’t off away with family or wherever it was she goes in her free time. He didn’t know for sure.

  Nario liked the idea of it being the only thing he had to worry about. After the few weeks he had it’d be back to the black endless void, and back to more peaceful expeditions. It wasn’t the job that took it out of him. That never was the case being enlisted in the CPF forces, but it wasn’t the same as serving on a Class M Cruiser. The life of some politicians. If Rhion were in front him, hearing his thoughts he’d probably tell him to quit whining. That alone kept Nario from thinking about it too much. It was best to enjoy the time away from it all.

  The freighter dropped out of warp, and Nario could see out a small window. It was Mars. Oceans painted it like a brittle brush against a soft canvas. It’s fragile appearance seeming almost too ethereal. Once dead land centuries ago, now restored to its rightful beauty. A verdant world. One that rivaled the Earth in its entirety.

  “Home sweet home”

  Chapter 10: Jericho

  “I don’t know how to get this thing into warp,” Freya said, with her voice weak and shaky. “I haven’t had enough time. I can give you impulse maybe.” She continued at the controls after keying in full impulse speed.

  Jericho banged his fist against the side of the cockpit. “It won’t be enough,” he said lightly but sternly. “You have one minute to get us into warp,”

  Freya nodded like her life depended on it. It did, all of theirs did. Jericho hated the CPF, but he ran his ship quite similarly. If you can’t do the job, get off at the next stop. The crew had cycled through a multitude of crew variations before it got to the one it had. It excluded Freya, Anda, Gideon, and Scud. It was only a matter of if they did their job, and they did. Scud was the unspoken XO. The others had joined up and thankfully, never left.

  Zen stood motionless, gripping her mouth in disbelief. She didn’t speak. Just tears and a growing redness around the eyes. She pressed her back against the terminals that were adjacent to the pilot’s seat. Gideon’s voice came from a communication node next Jericho’s ear in the cockpit. “Captain I got it, I got the encryption down!” Jericho moved closer to the voice node as if it would become clearer. “I bypassed the encryption that was connected to the main systems hub. It’s what controls the warp drive. You should be able to pull up the warp dock and punch it..” The node clicked off immediately after. Jericho mulling over the rocky stutter that had taken hold of Gideon as he spoke. He hoped that whatever he had down with the system wa
s truly beneficial.

  With a few keystrokes, an intricate holographic interface appeared on the cockpit screen. “Do you recognize any of these?” said Jericho. By now he’d imagined the two ships sternly pursuing them and likely at enough of a close proximity to board them.. He side angled the map and brought up a scan view of the dorsal side of the ship and the surrounding area. The ships were inching closer and closer on the scanners. “I’ve never seen that type of a ship before,” Zen said out of nowhere, trying to mask her quivering voice. “We need to do something now!”

  “This doesn’t look familiar at all,” said Freya. She was referring to the warp dock. Her fingers tapping against empty air; ready to key in warp.

  We could end up on the other side of the galaxy for all we know, thought Jericho. It was a hard decision to make. Take your chances trying to warp or turn the ship around and fight. The choices brought him to choose the former. Jericho nodded at Freya with an unsure shake of his jaw. Jericho watched as she prepped the warp jump. Sounding off the count down through a mic that connected at the headrest. “Warp jump in three, two, one.”

  ∆∆∆

  The Icarus dropped out of warp in what seemed to be only minutes. Jericho was puzzled at the fact. Freya sat back in her seat with relief and closed out the ancillary holograms that had been displayed. Only the wide angled, thick window that separated vacuum was in Jericho’s sight. It showed nothing more than a vast darkness dotted with small sparkles of light. “Bring up long range scans of surrounding systems. Are we near Moranth?” The question seemed redundant. They couldn’t have been far from it. The jump took only a matter of minutes. “No signs of ships in the area,” said Freya. She sounded surprisingly calm about it. “I’m scanning a three-light year radius. No sign of anything. I think we’re out of place.”