by Adair Hart
“Yes. However, for now I have locked it to this timeline in this universe. From your perspective, it will only show stellar cartography of places I have been.”
Dr. Snowden shook his head. “I have so much to learn, but at least now I have an opportunity to do so.”
Evaran nodded and then pointed to the last door on the left. “The final door leads to a large conference room. Very useful, and I suspect we will be using it quite a bit. Let me show you to your rooms.” He walked through the living quarters door.
Dr. Snowden and Emily followed him. It reminded Dr. Snowden of a large lobby of a hotel. Doorways lined the sides and were broken up periodically by what appeared to be matter replicators. The center of the room had a large seating area composed of couches, tables, and chairs. They walked to the first two doors on the right wall. The doors had a white shield in front of them. A console stood out to the side of each door.
“Dr. Snowden, yours is the first door on the right, and, Emily, yours is the one to the left of it. The rooms are spacious, more so than you are probably expecting. Just place your hand on the console by the door, and the door will turn transparent. Once inside, put your hand on the inner console, and it will go back to the white shield. V has already placed both your items in your rooms. Get settled in, then meet me in the conference room when ready,” said Evaran.
Dr. Snowden rubbed his chin while looking at Emily. He watched her go into her room, and then he went into his. The room resembled a luxury suite at a hotel. In front of him was a short hallway leading to a large room. To his right was a smaller room, with what looked like a storage area. He walked into the large room and stared at the scale of it. It was much larger than he expected, about the size of his house. The Torvatta definitely didn’t skimp on living quarters.
He took in the scent of a freshly cleaned room. It reminded him of the carpet cleaner powder he and Emily used to clean their carpets. To the right were two rooms, and to his left, there was one. The main room had several couches and chairs, along with a smaller area with a dining table and replicator pads. Walking to the right, he peered into the first room, noting it was a grand bathroom. In the room next to it was a large bed with several tables and a desk. He walked across the main room to the other door and peeked in. It looked like a study area, with several workstations, a work table, and some other items he could not identify. He suspected he would be spending some time in that room. There was a balcony, but he figured it was probably a hologram.
He walked back to the bedroom and saw his backpack sitting on a chair near the bed. It looked inviting and drew him over, where he then sat on the edge. He tapped it with his hands and noted it was soft to the touch. With a flick of his feet, he kicked off his shoes and then lay down. The spotless ceiling stared down at him as he put his hands behind his head. He could get used to this. He wondered what Emily thought of the rooms as he pulled his PSD out of his pants pocket and then opened it, revealing that it was about 7:10 p.m. He thought about going and checking on Emily, or seeing Evaran, but the bed felt too relaxing to get off of. He closed his PSD and put it on the small table to the side. It was not long before he was fast asleep.
About ten hours later, he slowly opened his eyes. Evaran and Emily were standing over him. He rubbed his eyes and sat up on the edge of his bed. “What time is it?”
Emily pulled out her PSD and tapped the second button. A holographic display shot out the end. “According to the PSD, it’s 5:00 a.m. You had a good night’s rest.”
Dr. Snowden noted that the top button expanded the PSD and the second button shot the same display out as a projection. Evaran had mentioned that the bottom button was a shortcut to the stun beam. He wondered if that shortcut was programmable or if the third button was for that. He would need to play with it some.
Evaran half smiled while gesturing at Dr. Snowden. “I am glad you slept well. The bed has a neural effect that allows you to sleep better. There is no rush. When you are cleaned up, I will be in the conference room.” He nodded and walked out of the room.
Dr. Snowden surveyed the room, then looked at Emily. “You’re awfully chipper this morning.”
“I ran in the holo room. That room is so cool.”
“So it’s really lifelike?”
“Oh, yeah! I ran along a road near the ocean. I could smell it, with a light wind around me. It felt a bit like the virtual simulation, although more real, if that makes sense.”
Dr. Snowden nodded. “Well, I’ll leave the running to you. I’m going to get rigged around, then meet you two in the conference room.”
Emily squeezed his shoulder, then left the room.
It did not take him long to get cleaned up. When he reached the Torvatta’s main room, he noticed how quiet it was. He walked to the conference room entrance and went in. Evaran sat at the head of the table, facing the entrance, with Emily seated to his left and V to his right. Looking to his left, Dr. Snowden saw a counter with various gadgets on it, and several replicator pads.
Emily had a cup of coffee in front of her. She pointed to another cup in front of the seat next to her. “I got you a cup of coffee.”
Dr. Snowden smiled and sat next to her, noting that the seats were wide and comfortable. He grabbed the coffee cup and inhaled deeply before taking a sip. He closed his eyes and hummed. “Just the way I like it.”
Evaran nodded. “I am glad you like it. Now that we are all here, we can discuss where to go. Before we do, let me lay out some guidelines. Anywhere with low technology needs to be carefully considered. Also, any place inhospitable to human life would require some preparation, although we can still go either in suits or to observe from the roof or in the bridge. Wherever we go, we also need to take into consideration our appearances.”
“Got it. Emily, what do you think?” asked Dr. Snowden as he turned toward her.
Emily drummed her fingers on the table and paused before speaking. “Being a history major, you know I will want to do something historical. There are so many events I would love to see.”
“That would definitely require a change of clothing. Dr. Snowden?” said Evaran.
“Well, I thought about it quite a bit in the last three months. I would like to see this Kreagan Star Empire you mentioned, in this time period. You said they dominated this region of space, so I wanted to see what they were about, and how they view Earth, if at all.”
“May I suggest something?” asked V, raising a finger.
“Sure, go ahead,” said Dr. Snowden, gesturing at V.
V tapped at a table console, which spawned a holographic display that shot up from the middle of the table, showing a solar system with one of the planets highlighted. “Kreagus, the Kreagan home world, is having a cultural exhibition event. Approximately one thousand three hundred civilizations are participating, and it occurs once every four point six years. If you wanted to meet not only the Kreagans, but also members of their empire, this would be an efficient route to do so.” He moved his fingers around the table console, and a new holographic display of a galactic region appeared, with green dots sporadically populating it. “You can see all the civilizations participating here.”
Dr. Snowden’s eyes widened as he pointed at the holographic display. “Okay, that’s where I want to go!”
Emily giggled. “It seems we’re going to this event. Maybe we can do historical next, then?”
“Sounds good to me. Evaran, that okay?” asked Dr. Snowden.
Evaran half smiled. “Of course. One thing to note. Their day is twenty-six hours long, so it may be a minor adjustment for you. We can go as we are since diversity will be everywhere and we should fit in.” He gestured at V. “V, set the coordinates but wait until we are on the bridge to go.”
“Acknowledged.”
They exited the conference room, and V walked up the left side ramp to the front of the ship.
Evaran walked over to the elevator-looking structure Dr. Snowden had seen earlier at the end of the entrance area. “Dr.
Snowden, Emily, I would like to show you something before we go.” He tapped on the console, and the door slid open. He gestured for Dr. Snowden and Emily to enter.
Dr. Snowden glanced sidelong at Emily, then walked into the elevator. Emily followed him in, with Evaran taking up the rear. Dr. Snowden noticed immediately how spacious it was. He figured it was dimensional mechanics at play, similar to how the rest of the Torvatta worked. The engineering that must be required to support that boggled his mind. Evaran touched the interior console, and the door closed.
After a moment, the doors reopened, and Dr. Snowden noted that they were on the roof. He stared out into the abyss of space punctuated by pinpoints of light. The images he had seen from his work did not compare to this. He reached out to the side of the elevator and steadied himself as he looked at Evaran.
Evaran gestured for them to exit the elevator. “Do not worry. There are guardrails along the sides, and you can breathe due to the Torvatta’s shielding. You will not float off into space.”
Dr. Snowden stepped out, taking his time to look around. He had read that the smell of space was similar to steak and sweaty feet, and was thankful he did not have to experience that. Looking to his right, Earth caught his eye. He rushed over to the waist-high light-blue shielding and gazed at Earth.
Emily and Evaran walked over to him. Evaran waved a hand at Earth. “Your planet, in all its glory.”
Dr. Snowden moved his head slowly from side to side, taking in the view. He could see the continents and cloud cover. This was not something he had expected to see right away, but he was not complaining. He initially thought this was a rare opportunity, but maybe it would be routine after traveling with Evaran for a while. He licked his lips as his eyes misted. “It’s … it’s so beautiful.”
Emily grabbed Dr. Snowden’s arm and laid her head on it. “That’s so cool.”
They stood for a few minutes, soaking up the image before them. Evaran laid a hand on Dr. Snowden’s shoulder. “You did not get the opportunity to see Earth like this when I returned you home from the Krotovore ship. Seeing it up here versus through a screen is a different experience. Is it what you expected?”
Dr. Snowden nodded. “Yeah. Seeing it through the screen was like watching it on TV. This is … a lot more impactful than I expected. It makes our problems seem so petty. I have read of the overview effect, but never imagined I would be feeling it. Thank you.” He grinned and looked at Evaran, then back at Earth.
Evaran half smiled. “There will be many opportunities to see stellar phenomena up close like this. The roof is a good observation spot. You are free to come out here whenever you wish.”
Dr. Snowden pursed his lips and looked down and around. “I’ve been meaning to ask, though, why are we not floating? I noticed that when you picked us up from the abduction.”
“The Torvatta’s shielding is made of energy that your physics would call exotic. It prevents external matter from interaction, unless it is weakened at a point to allow interaction, such as the ramp. By default, the only weakened points are areas where thrust is needed.”
“So we could fly into the sun and stand outside?”
“Yes, although there would be some complications. Weakening the shield for thrust in that environment would be dangerous. Also, external matter outside can react unpredictably to the shielding, so some caution is needed. Now, are you ready for Kreagus?”
“I am. As Emily would say, let’s do it.”
Emily stepped back and swatted Dr. Snowden’s arm. “I don’t sound like that!”
Dr. Snowden laughed as they headed back to the elevator. Once back in the Torvatta, they headed to the command area. Evaran sat in his command chair, and Dr. Snowden and Emily sat in the U-shaped seating to the right. V was at the front console, busy working on it.
A portal, similar to the one that Dr. Snowden saw when Evaran took them home from the Andromeda galaxy, appeared outside the Torvatta. They flew through the portal, and after a few moments, they appeared near a planet.
Dr. Snowden noted that every time they used the portal or time traveled, they were in space. He wondered if there was a rule for that. Looking out the window, he could see various ships, satellites, and other things he did not recognize. The seat of an empire was before him. What would the various aliens be like? Would they know of Earth, or did it go by another name? There were a lot of questions he hoped to get answered. Traveling like this was all he thought about for three months. Getting to see Earth from the roof was a great way to begin the journey. A big grin crept onto his face as he imagined what he would learn.
“V, locate a communications satellite,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged.” V tapped at several panels on the main console, and the front screen zoomed in on a satellite with a highlighted green border. “Satellite located.”
“Take us next to it, and engage the interface beam,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged. I got this.”
Dr. Snowden chuckled, and Emily giggled.
The front screen zoomed back out, and the Torvatta flew toward the satellite.
Dr. Snowden noticed that the various ship designs he was seeing were all over the place. He figured with so many alien races, that was to be expected. Most were elongated, but some had large spherical designs. It made him wonder what type of technology was used to provide thrust and power. Or what the Torvatta used, even.
The Torvatta pulled up next to the satellite that was highlighted earlier. A metal rod extended out of one of the panels on the side. A blue beam shot out of it and connected with the satellite, causing the front screen to change to a generic user interface. Dr. Snowden wondered if this was what Evaran’s ARI was like.
“V, download current information and locate an attending species that is close to human. Determine what credentials are required and register us per any requirements,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged.”
Emily turned to face Evaran. “That’s a lot to do just to visit the planet.”
“It is. However, this is Kreagus, the seat of an empire. It is heavily secured. They do not let just anyone on. Then again, there are not many that can access information in this manner to speed up the process. The satellite has already registered this access attempt, so there will be a response. We should be gone by then, however,” said Evaran.
This made sense to Dr. Snowden. He wondered if they would be discovered when they went below, but figured with thirteen hundred other civilizations attending, they could blend in. Half of them probably did not know the other half. He had seen some ship designs that seemed to be related. One of the larger ones had a similar design aesthetic to the satellite, and it looked menacing. Probably some type of law enforcement ship.
“Credentials replicated,” said V.
“Good. Let us see who we are going to be now,” said Evaran as he got up to get the credentials. He walked around to the back of the ship near the ship entrance. He returned to where Dr. Snowden and Emily were sitting and handed each of them a credential pass. “Looks like we are Fredorians.”
Dr. Snowden looked at the pass. It had unusual designs on it and was razor thin. It was about the size of a credit card, and the back of it had an unusual texture. He flopped it around. “So … we just carry this around?”
“It will bind to any clothing material, so you can just place it anywhere on your shirt,” said Evaran.
Dr. Snowden placed his on the top left of his shirt. Emily looked at the credential pass, put it on her right arm, then looked at Evaran. “Who’re these Fredorians we’re impersonating?”
Evaran gestured at the front screen. “V, show the Fredorian profile.”
“Acknowledged.”
The front screen showed a male and female human on the left side, with white-and-gold one-piece suits. A belt separated the top half from the bottom. They had on black boots and a thin, flat metallic collar-like device. To the right of them were various statistics about the Fredorians.
Dr. S
nowden scrutinized the screen. “They definitely look very human.”
Evaran tilted his head. “It appears they are human. Interesting.”
“You mean as in from Earth?”
“Yes. V, bring up the timeline of their history.”
“Acknowledged.”
The front screen changed to a chronological timeline of Fredorian events. Evaran moved his hands around the ARI, causing the timeline to scroll. “It would seem any human that was abducted from Earth and freed from enslavement was put on Fredoria. They began as a refugee planet provided by the Kreagans.”
Dr. Snowden’s eyes fixated on the enslavement period, highlighted in light green on the screen. “They would need a lot to make that worth their while, but I guess that would explain all the alien abductions you hear about.”
Evaran looked at his ARI and pressed a button on it.
The front screen showed a document.
“Humans from Earth served many purposes, it seems. They were used for manual labor, medical research, food, and … other activities. The Kreagans outlawed slavery roughly five hundred years ago. I am guessing at that point, they were dumped to Fredoria.”
“That sounds brutal. For an advanced civilization, they sure took a long time,” said Emily, glancing at Evaran.
“They probably viewed humans and other races as inferior,” said Evaran.
Dr. Snowden’s face turned light red at the thought that humanity had been a slave race. He had always imagined that an advanced race would have been enlightened, and helped others when a civilization became space ready. He shook his head.
A soft red light blinked at the top right.
“What’s that?” asked Emily, pointing to the red light.
V flicked a finger on the console, and a new display popped up on the screen. It showed a ranking of the top twenty civilizations and their incidents with law enforcement. Fredorians were highlighted as number three. The screen then zoomed into the list of incidents.
