by Ashley West
...Of a sort.
There was only so much you could prove from a grainy cell phone picture, but there was definitely a large, hulking shape in the image that had been shown on every major news network and late night comedy talk show for the last month or so.
Reactions ranged from people calling him a liar, to people calling him an idiot, to people who believed him. Katia wasn’t really sure where she fell on that list, mostly because she had too many things to do to worry about whether or not one man in a state far from hers had actually seen an alien or not.
But she still listened when Simmons got on the air.
“Thanks for joining us for Half Time, Mr. Simmons,” the DJ said. “So I’m sure it’s safe to say you’ve had a busy few weeks.”
“Oh, yeah. Definitely busy. Been on more talk shows than I’ve ever even seen before.”
The DJ laughed. “Fame will do that to you. We don’t have a lot of time here, and I’m sure most of our listeners have already heard you speak somewhere or other, but can you, real quick, tell us why you believe there’s more out there.”
“Of course.” Simmons was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “I mean, I could say it’s because I’ve seen it with my own two eyes, but I know there’s a bunch of people out there who don’t believe me and think I’m an idiot or something. And that’s fine. We don’t always believe stuff, even when they’re right in front of us. But think about this: it’s a big universe out there. Planets and nebulas and stars stretching out farther than we could ever get to. How in the heck can we say that we’re the only things kicking around out in all that. Just us on our little planet? It don’t make sense. Just because water and air and all that are things we need, don’t mean it’s all other species need. I believe we’ve been visited. And I don’t think it’ll be the last time.”
She had to admit, it was a moving speech. Far from just being a crackpot like so many people assumed he was, Simmons spoke with an intelligence not usually heard on radio interviews like this. And he had good points. Katia didn’t particularly want to think about the vastness of space, and luckily her exit popped up quickly, and her mind was back on work and her goals for the week.
“Good morning, Royal Tree Suites, how may I help you? Oh, yes, of course. Mmhmm. If you’ll give me just a moment, I can pull up your reservation information, Mrs. Scott.” Katia pressed the phone between her cheek and her shoulder, practiced fingers going to the keyboard to look up the reservation for the customer. “Alright, I’ve got it. And you wanted to add another room to that? Unfortunately that floor is all booked up, Mrs. Scott, but I can book you for a single on the next floor down. Yes. Yes, ma’am, it has all the same accommodations. We can go ahead and add it to your reservation, and you’ll be charged at checkout. Alright. Excellent. I’ll take care of it right now, Mrs. Scott. Yes. Thank you, ma’am. Have a good day.”
She hung up the phone and sighed, blowing her bangs out of her face. She’d only been behind this desk for three hours so far, and already she wanted to be done with it. Her feet hurt, and the fact that she didn’t get a chair to sit in made her want to smack something or someone. Knowing that after this she had to go to her second job, just made things worse.
Still, Katia entered the reservation information into the computer with the usual firm, decisive clatter of fingers on keys, and then sighed, grateful that the lobby of the hotel was deserted so she could sag against the polished counter for a moment.
Royal Tree Suites was one of the nicer hotels in the city. It wasn’t as fancy as the ones near the airport, but it was several steps up from the inns and motels that lined the highway. It boasted free wifi, an indoor pool, and free continental breakfast for anyone with a reservation. It was a nice mixture of luxury and quaint, and still affordable on top of that, so it was very popular.
Which, of course, meant that Katia’s downtime was nearly nonexistent outside of her breaks. She answered phones, she answered questions, she greeted guests, and handled checking in and checking out.
When a woman with four screaming children stopped by the desk to complain that the couple in the room next to hers had been banging on the wall all evening the night before, Katia had to offer her sincere apologies instead of pointing out that maybe they just wanted her screaming hellions to keep their mouths shut for five minutes so that they could get some sleep or watch HBO or something. But professionalism demanded certain things, so she just smiled and said she’d have a word with them.
“Why is it that people can’t control their spawn?”
Katia laughed and turned to see her coworker Eliza coming up to the desk. She was one of Katia’s favorite people to work with, mostly because of things like the comment she’d just made. Eliza was amazing at smiling and being accommodating in the face of the guests, but as soon as it was just them, every sarcastic and rude comment she’d wanted to make came pouring out, usually making Katia laugh so hard her stomach hurt.
“Who knows?” Katia replied, sliding over so there was room for Eliza behind the desk. “Maybe they’re scared of them.”
Eliza snorted. “I know I would be. You know one of the best things about not being interested in men?”
“According to you, there’s a million things that are good about it.”
“Well, yeah, but some are in the top tier of good stuff. Like no accidental pregnancies.”
Katia nodded. “Alright, yeah. I’ll give you that one.”
“Thank you.”
Having someone there with her made time go by faster, and soon her requisite five hours behind the desk were done and she was heading to her car to drive to job number two.
Working this hard was stressful, and more often than not, when she finished a two job day, she ended up needing several cups of coffee to get through it all and then finding herself slumping into her house like her feet were weighed down with lead. She managed something quick and easy for dinner and then dragged herself into a shower before finally falling into bed. Luckily, it was only three days a week that she ended up at both jobs in one day, so she wasn’t always knock down, passed out exhausted. Just most of the time.
But it was for a good cause.
In her house, in the little, otherwise useless, cabinet above her refrigerator was a jar labeled ‘The Lily’. It was mostly symbolic since there wasn’t any cash in it, save for a some loose change and a few crumpled dollars, but it held the bank statements and deposit slips for the bank account she had set up for the express purpose of saving money for the inn she wanted to run in the future.
It had always been her dream to have one of her very own. Ever since she’d stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast with her parents when she was a child. Just remembering the sense of wonder and being at home away from home that she’d experienced made her want to have something like that of her own, and as an adult, all of her extra money was going towards it.
Katia had plans. She had business plans, financial plans, layout plans for the inn itself, ideas about who she would have staffing it. All of it had taken shape in her mind and in a pile of notebooks that she kept in a drawer in her bedside table. As with most things, money was the thing in the way, hence the two jobs.
Her father had always told her that anything worth having was worth working hard for, and she was sure that it applied here. So whatever she had to do, she was going to do it, to make her dreams come true. As cheesy as that sounded.
“Are you getting enough sleep, Katia?” her mother asked, and Katia snorted, pouring her another cup of coffee. It was...probably very sad that the only time she could really make to have a conversation with her mother face to face was when she was at work.
Her parents understood her drive, her need to make this happen, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t worry about her and want her to not have to work her fingers to the bone. She could always see the concern in her mother’s eyes when she asked that question, and hear it in her voice, as well. Katia always nodded, though, before she took her break
, settling in on the other side of the small table.
“I’m fine, Mama,” she said, propping her chin up in her hand, elbow on the table.
“And you would say that even if you weren’t fine,” her mother replied sternly. “I know you have dreams, Katia, but you can’t work yourself to death to achieve them. You need to take care of yourself.”
“I am,” Katia insisted. “I have three meals a day for the most part, and I get plenty of exercise running around here and the hotel. I get as much sleep as I can, probably more than I did when I was in college, even. I’m doing what I have to do, Mama.”
Her mother sighed and nodded. It always came to this, and they both knew it always would. Katia was pretty sure her mother just needed to say the words. That she needed to know that she had expressed her concern and that Katia was still aware of it. And still looking after herself. It was nice that her parents cared, at the very least.
“Tell me what’s been going on with you,” Katia said, changing the subject. “Any bride horror stories from work? You know how much I love those.”
A smile curled over her mother’s face and she settled in. They only had twenty minutes to catch up, but it was a time they both looked forward to, Katia knew that. She liked hearing her mother’s stories of being a seamstress who specialized in wedding dresses. It was a welcome break from thinking about her own jobs.
When her break was over, she’d go back to the grind, back to working herself to exhaustion in the name of her goals. It wasn’t a perfect life, not yet, but it was hers, and she had made it for herself. She was working towards making things even better, too, and that was admirable, even if only in her own mind.
So she let herself have this time, sipping her coffee and leaning back in her chair, ready for a story.
Chapter One: The Make of a Leader
The sound of polished boots on the hard, equally as polished floor rang out as Silas Kerandron, Captain of the Left Arm of HIMA, Champion of the Battle of Fells Deep, strode into the fortress.
As he walked, his feet continued to announce his presence, the not at all subtle clomp clomp clomp that made the people milling around the entry room of the fortress look up and take notice. There were servants going about their tasks, cleaning and tending to the various bits of tech that kept the place running. There were messengers, searching for the ears that their words were meant for while looking suspiciously at the other messengers going to and fro. There were other members of HIMA, collecting assignments from the higher ups, coming in off of patrols, preparing to head out. And of course, there were the guards, ever present, making sure that everyone stayed in line.
There was hardly ever a time when the fortress wasn’t a swarming hive of activity, and the guards were always on call, watching, collecting information, passing it on. They weren’t strictly a branch of HIMA, Her Imperial Majesty’s Army, rather, they reported directly to the Empress’ right hand, Carnello, and were tasked with keeping Her Imperial Majesty safe. They were her first line of defense, but only hers.
HIMA were the guards of planet.
As such, they were afforded much respect when they were out and about. Silas had no sooner stepped into the main part of the entry room when servants were bowing, messengers were inclining their heads, and the guards were thumping their right fists over their hearts before lowering them back down to their sides in a sign of respect. Silas returned all of these gestures with a nod. When he saw someone he recognized, he waved shortly, but kept moving. No time to stop to talk; he had a meeting to attend. With the Empress herself, no less.
It had been a good three full cycles since he’d been assigned to the position of Captain, and things had changed greatly. Now people looked at him with that deference in their eyes. When he had a victory, his name went on it, rather than just the name of the squadron he’d been in. And, probably the biggest change, now he had meetings with Her Imperial Majesty.
Ammaline was the Empress of Gathra, and as it was one of the biggest planets in the entire Quadrant, she had quite a lot on her plate. HIMA was spread out through the planet, broken up into different sections, named for the Empress’ body. She, of course, was the head. They were hers to command. Other than that, there were five sections: the right arm, the left arm, the left leg, the right leg, and the tail. Each section defended a part of the planet, and it just so happened that the left arm defended the capital and the areas immediately surrounding it.
Carnello was waiting outside of the Empress’ office when Silas arrived, head down, eyes focused on the tablet in his hands. The man was always doing something on that thing, scheduling meetings, attending to messages, fingers always in motion. He barely glanced up when Silas arrived, just motioned with one hand for him to proceed into the office.
“She’ll see you now,” he said in his usual bored, clipped tones.
“Thanks, Carnello. And you’re looking wonderful this evening.”
The man glanced up then, heavy brows knitted into a frown. “Excuse me?”
Silas just laughed and shook his head. “I said have a good evening, Carnello.” And he was through the door before Carnello could figure it out one way or another. Sometimes it was the little things in life that kept him going.
The Empress’ office wasn’t lavish by any stretch of the imagination. There were no sumptuous fabrics or tapestries depicting old battles on the walls. No draperies, no frills, no inlaid furniture. It looked like the office of a military general almost. Spare, clean lines, no excess.
Of course, it was different when the Empress sat behind her desk, because she added beauty to the room where there would have been none. There were some who said that Empress Ammaline was the most beautiful woman in the Quadrant. There were others who said she was the most beautiful woman in the entire galaxy. Either way, it was agreed upon that the Empress, with her creamy pale skin, bright jade colored eyes, falls of golden hair, and long, prehensile tail, was a vision.
She was a member of the Alagertha tribes, who hailed from the northern parts of the planet, and a member of her family had been in power ever since Gathra had declared itself its own independent governing force about five hundred full cycles ago.
Ammaline was kind and fair, smart and sharp, skilled and diplomatic. Under her leadership, Gathra was flourishing, while they were a military planet, it was much less focused on war and fighting than other planets who said the same. Their mission wasn’t to go looking for trouble, but rather to continue to defend against it when it came knocking on their doors. Unfortunately, that happened often.
Silas had a feeling that something having to do with a new threat was what he was in her office to discuss this evening.
He presented himself before her, keeping his eyes downcast as he bowed from the waist and then tapped his left hand over his heart twice. The traditional salute of someone who was essentially thought of as being the Empress’ left hand.
“Captain,” she said, in her dulcet tones, rising from her seat and pressing her palm to her head before extending it out towards him. She would make that salute to anyone in the army, as she was its head. “Please, do come in and have a seat.”
“Your Imperial Majesty,” Silas replied, moving closer to the desk and allowing himself to drop into the seat opposite it. “You said that this was a matter of some urgency?”
She nodded, golden hair cascading about her shoulders. It was held back this evening, with a circlet of platinum that sat nestled against her brow and was studded with the rainbow colored gems from the Dipthe mines. The greens brought out her eyes.
“I did,” she agreed, sitting back down once he was seated. “You’ve been keeping up to date on the attacks in the pleasure district, I assume.”
It wasn’t a question, and it didn’t need to be one. They both knew that any acts of crime that were committed around here came to Silas’ attention before long. “Of course,” he replied. “I’ve been getting regular reports from the people who do those patrols.” He pulled out his tablet and
let his fingers find the relevant notes. “Seven attacked so far, several robberies, two people found dead, though no one can say for sure if they’re related to this.”
“I am inclined to treat it as if they are,” Ammaline said. “Targeting the pleasure district is a low move, Captain. Committed by someone who thinks we will not care because of where these attacks are taking place. I would like you to show them that we do, in fact, care. And that we will defend our people, no matter what area they might be from.”
“Of course,” Silas said again, a frown wrinkling his forehead. “Do you have ideas or suspicions about who is doing this, then?”
She nodded. Her tablet was in her hands in a second, and she drew a pattern on the screen with slender fingers, calling up a holo image that hovered above the desk in glowing blue lines. Silas squinted and then tipped his head back until the lines resolved themselves into something that made sense.
What he was seeing was a reptilian creature, hunched over, with long arms that nearly dragged the ground. Each finger on a large hand was tipped in a talon, and the same went for the feet, the toes of which were splayed outwards. A long tail did drag the ground, tipped in spikes that had to be at least half a foot long. As Silas watched, the image moved, and a long tongue came sliding out of the creature’s mouth. It licked a bulbous eyeball and then disappeared back into that mouth, slowly enough for Silas to catch a glimpse of sharp teeth.
“Well,” he said. “That guy’s not invited to any of my dinner parties.”
Ammaline smiled a tiny smile. “Likewise, Captain. Are you familiar with the Fremeri?”
He had to shake his head. Being a member of HIMA gave him plenty of chances to travel and see other planets and moons in the Quadrant, on the behalf of the Empress or chasing down some criminal, but he couldn’t say he had ever seen or heard of anything like that reptile creature.
