by Lisa Eskra
"My name is Eniqua," she said. "Would you like to participate in an exchange of cultural information?"
Ardri wondered why the alien had chosen their group from the plethora of other politicians and socialites cluttering the Great Hall. Perhaps Quesabel had shared a positive opinion of her from their brief encounter on Coralag. The captain was not the right person for a matter like this, but that might have been the Xuranian's motivation. "Yes, of course."
Eniqua led them out through the rear doors of the hall, which exited to the Daisy Garden. Long ago, the first president to occupy the Westwood Estate requested daisies be planted across Northampton. Presidents came and went, quickly growing tired of seeing the flowers everywhere. When the City of Dreams sprung up around them, it had become an unwritten rule to rid the place of the tacky plants. Today, the flowers could only be found on the grounds of the Capitol and the Estate. And even though the garden was well tended, the bright blossoms refused to be tamed.
"I am sure you have many questions about my people," Eniqua said as she strolled over to a large bush and examined the chartreuse flowers on it. "Not all discussion is appropriate for diplomatic channels. Quasabel felt I could discuss such matters with you, Captain Lothian."
"Yes, of course."
"Not all humans approve of friendly relations with us. Is it fear or is it something else?"
Neither of her compatriots looked certain what to say so Ardri began the discussion. "We don't know your motives. Your history. What sort of a people you are. Ignorance breeds fear. Given time, I think most would welcome your race. There will always be a few humans who choose to stick their heads in the sand and complain, but that's just our way."
She leaned in toward the flowers and cautiously sniffed them. "Interesting. The destructive path of violence is not our nature. Through peace and cooperation, species thrive. Flourish. In their aggression they fall."
"How old is your civilization?" Rashad asked.
"I am not sure, in your terms. We mapped the location of your homeworld long ago, before a sentient race had evolved. We thought this entire area of space was unoccupied. Had we known, we would have initiated contact sooner."
"How big is your territory?"
"One system is under our control. Xur is seventy-five light-years from here. We choose to explore the galaxy rather than expand past our solar borders. A royal proclamation many years ago instructed us not to. Do you believe in a divine power?"
Ardri saw his face drain of all color like he'd jumped into a pool of ice water. He fumbled with his answer and tripped over his words. "Well, we do. At least some do. And some believe more strongly than others. There are, of course, people who refuse to acknowledge a divine power. Not that I'm one of them or anything."
She seemed less interested in his answer than the question she asked next. "Do you believe your Chairman Dodd is blessed by that divinity?"
Her inquiry struck them rather oddly. "Well, our leaders are elected. I'm sure there are some people who do but not many."
"We believe ours is. The Divine Chancellor and the Queen Consort rule with absolute authority. Godly mana runs through the bloodline, which has brought our people millennia of wealth and prosperity."
Ardri found it surprising such an advanced culture would be governed by a monarchy. "Are they the ones with the scar patterns?"
She clenched her brow and stared at the captain for several moments. "Scar patterns?" she repeated, unsure of what she meant by that.
Captain Lothian pointed to her face and made swirling gestures with her finger. "The markings that Havier has on his body. What do they mean?"
"He is White Xi," she said as though it were all the explanation needed. When she saw their blank stares, she continued, "Most of our people fall into the Xunara class. They work as scientists, architects, artisans…the majority of jobs are available to them. Xunara who achieve a high level of success are promoted to the elite class of White Xi, just a step under our nobility, the Black Xi. Initiates of the White Xi are cloned upon death, retaining all memories of their previous lives and restored to their youthful appearance. All Xunara aspire to achieve such an honor in their lifetimes. As do I."
That sort of immortality seemed fascinating, but Ardri was eager to probe deeper and find out more. "What is your job, Eniqua?"
"I am the second-in-command of the Zen-Zavar, our flagship under High Commander Rhiel. I am versed in diplomacy and astrophysical science. I have toured roughly half of our galaxy."
"Are those dark-skinned individuals Xuranians too?"
"In a manner of speaking. 251 years ago while exploring the galaxy, one of our ships came across a race of sentients whose sun was preparing to go nova. Their homeworld, which was once made of mostly ice, had been transformed into a hot, barren chunk of rock. They had not developed spaceflight, but they were a loyal and honorable race. Had we not saved them, their people would have perished. They make up our Aikona class and function as bodyguards and security details due to their high dexterity and skill in unarmed combat."
"How many sentient races have your people encountered throughout the galaxy?" Rashad inquired.
She almost began to speak before catching herself and smiling at him instead. "I cannot tell you that. I would like to though…one day."
"Do the Xunara or Aikona function as soldiers? Who does the physical work?"
"I heard people do the arduous work in your society. Why do you not use mechanoids?" If the question had come from a human, it would've sounded incredibly arrogant.
"Robots? Our technology isn't quite at the point where we could program robots to do all the kinds of work humans do. So what exactly were you doing at Gamma Pavonis?"
"Scientific research."
"Could you be more specific?" He didn't even try to conceal his agitation.
"I am afraid I cannot." Eniqua seemed a bit perturbed, but the emotion quickly vanished from her face. "Thank you, Commander. Captain Lothian. I hope my responses interested you as much as yours did to me. Provided all goes well with the peace talks, there is a very strong likelihood we shall soon be allies."
As she turned to head back inside, Rashad placed his hand firmly against the door. "Why does an advanced race like yours want to be allies with humans?"
Judging by the way Eniqua forced herself to swallow, the rationale went beyond inherent kindness. "I…I cannot tell you that."
"Commander, step away from her," the captain warned.
He exhaled through his nose and ignored her counsel. "Then answer one question: are you just doing it so that you can destroy us one day? Because if you are, there will be hell to pay."
The Xuranian approached him until she stood so close to him their faces almost touched. Her eyes stared through him. When her lips parted, he must've felt her warm breath. "If we intended to destroy you, we would not be having this conversation right now. It is in everyone's best interests to be at peace with their neighbors."
He allowed her to pass, and she went back inside to mingle with other patrons. He placed his hand on Ardri's shoulder, bringing her to a stop beside him before she returned to the Great Hall. "I think they are sincere about wanting peace, but I'm not sure I trust them."
Ardri couldn't help wondering if she was better off now with that brief glimpse into Xuranian society. Eniqua's final words troubled her from the veiled threat. It frightened her to think Maxia might've been right about them all this time.
***
Amii sat in the public cafeteria of Icelandia Station and stared at the tray of half-eaten food in front of her. She hadn't seen Xander for hours, though from time to time she swore she heard him yelling at some poor young scientist for asking too many questions. As the days they spent here turned into weeks, she lost track of time. She could imagine worse fates than boredom, but it did nothing to lift her spirits in the interim.
Relations with the Xuranians had progressed at an astounding rate. At the end of the peace summit, Havier cordially invited humans to t
heir homeworld. ANN had already begun a countdown timer until the ships reached Xur despite the fact they had not started the voyage yet. She didn't understand the constant fascination with the aliens. Had all of humanity not been inundated by enough of it already?
Several AC officers entered the room whom she'd never seen before. One was a captain, female, late forties, of mixed ethnicity. Another was a lieutenant, female, in her twenties, with spiky red hair. Several men accompanied them of varying age and height though she could not make out their rank from where she sat. They headed over to the counter for lunch service.
"I thought the refuel would be done by now," one of the men said. "Don't these asshats know how to change out a few rods?"
The ginger-haired woman glared at him. "They decided to run a diagnostic on the engine systems. You know, something about not wanting the ship to blow up with the Vice President on board."
"What's our new ETA?" the captain asked her.
"Eighteen hundred hours, local time," she said.
A couple of the men grumbled at the news but said nothing.
Amii returned her attention to the screen on the wall. Leslie White reported from the Capitol every hour on the hour from dawn until dusk. She was the very definition of gorgeous, with brains to go along with her beauty. When she watched Leslie and saw the effect her breath-taking façade had on men, Amii felt self-conscious about her appearance.
Without even thinking about it, Amii closed her eyes and used her hand to cover her nose. She thought it looked the right size, but the cartilage at the tip didn't look smooth and left a slight ridge above her nostrils. Every feature on the journalist's face complimented her chiseled dimples and dazzling smile. Leslie had a petite frame and a curvy figure in contrast to Amii's tall and slender one, which at a glance could be mistaken for a gangly man instead of a woman.
One of the newcomers claimed the seat next to her in front of the news feed. He looked barely old enough to have hit puberty let alone graduate the Academy. His ash brown hair was parted down the middle, and he smelled like peppermint. "Ensign Fred Maxia. You look way too good to be sitting here all by yourself. Mind if I join you?"
"Feel free."
"You're too hot to be one of the scientists."
"You look too young to be an officer."
"Just graduated two months ago from the Academy at the top of my class," he said as he put his feet up on the table. "The Schenectady was the only place for me. I'm the ship's navigator. I was on the bridge when we made first contact with the Xuranians…earned an award of commendation. At our summer evaluations, I'm a lock to make lieutenant."
"So why aren't you out there in space doing whatever it is your ship does out there?"
"Ran outta gas." He leaned toward her and put his arm around her shoulders. "But on the bright side, I'm here for another seven hours. We could get to know each other pretty well, I think."
Amii noticed a hand drop onto Maxia's shoulder, and the touch alone startled him. "With a pillock like you? I think not." Xander's voice boomed across the room as he picked him up out of his chair and shoved the ensign away. The act drew curious glances from his crewmates across the room, many of whom rolled their eyes at the scene. Ensign Maxia straightened his shirt, no worse for the wear, and rejoined them.
She stared up at Xander, who retrieved the chair warmed moments earlier by Maxia and slid it back over next to her. "I trust your day has been more fruitful than mine."
"I'm pretty sure it hasn't. Unless you count being propositioned by that boy."
"What did he want?" he asked as he grabbed a plum off her tray and took a bite of it.
"Sex, I'd imagine. And I was almost bored enough to go along with it."
He stopped just short of spitting out his food. "That fellow hasn't been around here before. None of them have."
"They came in on the Schenectady. It's being refueled as we speak. Don't worry, they'll be gone by nightfall and we'll never have to see Maxia again."
He grabbed her wrist. "This is it. We're getting out of here."
"Come again?"
He pulled her close. "We're not a priority. No one expects to see me until tomorrow morning. If we stow away on that ship, we'll be gone before anyone realizes we're missing. We'll be able to board the ship in plain sight of everyone, right under their noses."
"What about after we get on board? What then?"
He waved his hand dismissively. "There are access conduits all over the ship for us to hide in. We'll just jump off on the first planet we come to."
She frowned. "The first planet is Xur."
"Bollocks. That's an eight-day trip, and we certainly can't hide there. The thought of traveling to Xur is a tempting one though. Imagine the knowledge, the possibilities we could only dream of…"
"That's a long time to try and stay hidden. If we get caught—"
"I know." He rubbed his forehead with his hands. "But I get the feeling this isn't going to turn out well if we stay here either. The AC is desperate to get their hands on my research. And if I don't give them what they want, things will get very ugly for the two of us indeed. I believe they'll take it with or without my cooperation. It's your call, Amii. What do you think?"
She considered their options. Stay behind and do nothing. Escape on the Schenectady and risk imprisonment at Caldos Minor. President Scheidecker had given them every reason to help the AC and help themselves, but nothing could stop him from using their intelligence agency to quietly acquire information Xander didn't want to give them. At least with Caldos Minor a future of hard labor was certain.
Amii wasn't sure if either choice could save them, but she didn't plan to go down without a fight. "Okay. Let's go."
"We should be able to find some uniforms in the laundry room. Stay close and follow my lead."
The barracks made up the western side of the base. A single security-keyed door protected the area, which did not have patrols during the daytime. With most personnel on duty at the moment, they had little trouble getting inside undetected. Xander appeared to have the way memorized or he'd been there before.
A row of two-tiered square machines lined the walls. Clothes went in the top dirty and came out the bottom clean ten minutes later. Amii fished through a number of driers while Xander went through a pile of clothes on a table near the door.
"Here we go," he said as he held up a pair of men's pants. "Looks like they belong to a midget but they'll do. How's your search going?"
She yanked open a door and several pairs of multicolored panties fell out. "I might have something." While digging through it, she glimpsed khaki and wrested a shirt from the darkness. She spotted pants next. "What about my feet?"
He drummed his fingers on his chin. "Wait here. I'll be right back." He stuffed the uniform he'd taken under his dark coat and disappeared out the door.
Amii ducked into a corner to hide. While she was there, she changed into the uniform. It belonged to a much smaller woman. The pants came up two inches too short, and the shirt barely covered her stomach. Nevertheless, it would have to do.
After ten minutes, Xander returned bearing gifts. He set a duffle bag down on a chair and stuffed Amii's clothes into it. She saw her book and their coats inside along with enough rations to last several days. He dropped a pair of boots in front of her, which she changed into.
She noticed him staring at her. "What's wrong?"
"Your knockers look huge in that. Must be one of those tricks they do with women's clothes for enhancement. I feel like a dirty old man looking at you."
"Hopefully, I won't have to use them." When he balked, she said, "You know, if we get in a tight situation."
Xander looked as if he wanted to say more but shook his head. He grabbed her old shoes and stuck them in the bag before zipping it up. With a finger over his mouth, he nodded toward the door, and she followed him out in silence.
They went through three restricted-area doors before arriving at the hangar bay with the Schenectady. A host of
scientists and officers scurried around, and the few of them that noticed their arrival paid no attention to their purpose here. Refueling the ship took precedent. Once they went on board, there'd be no going back. No claiming innocence. They'd be on their own, without the protection of the AC to fall back upon.
Amii took a deep breath when Xander walked toward the vessel. The large ship offered a foot of clearance from the walls of the hangar. Its rear hatch had been left open and unguarded. He made a beeline toward it and she followed close on his heels. They slipped inside without being detected by the crew and burrowed into the conduit system to hide.
The trip to Xur wouldn't be a pretty one, but at least they'd make it.
Chapter Eleven
Few things frightened Aliane in this day and age, but crossing into PAU territory was one of them. Her tiny ship would serve as nothing more than target practice for the destroyers that patrolled between systems. Large vessels posed a unique challenge for her telepathy; attempting to control that many people would never achieve a hundred percent success. On military ships crewmen were more prone to follow orders than risk challenging their captain. Regardless, she did her best to avoid detection, a task made easier by their small size and weak engine signature.
She'd ordinarily send Tiyuri alone on such a mission, but the dynamics of the request demanded her presence.
The colossus sat next to her and stared at the stars out the window ahead of them. He blanked his mind in a meditative state so clear she forgot anyone else was around. Of course, his psionic aura lingered, but not feeling that had grown uncomfortable over time.
"Are you looking forward to seeing Valera again?" she asked.
"I do miss her," he said without shifting his eyes, "and I fear seeing her will only make those feelings worse. So no, I am not."
