by Adair Hart
“We have not, but you have an admirable service record. You also did not put my friends into a holding cell.”
“I was asking Dr. Snowden how they came here from Earth,” said Andia as she dipped her head toward Dr. Snowden.
Evaran accessed the table console and then looked up and around. He focused on Dr. Snowden and circled a hand at him. “I see. Dr. Snowden, go ahead.”
Dr. Snowden extended a hand out, palm down. “Okay … To keep it short, Evaran and V saved me and Emily from an alien abduction, and now we travel with him.”
“An alien abduction? Human slavery was outlawed over five hundred years ago. Do you know which race they were?” asked Andia as she clenched her jaw.
“They called themselves the Krotovore,” said Emily, shooting a look at Evaran.
Andia tapped at the table console. She shook her head. “Not seeing them in the system.”
“Oh, actually,” said Emily, wagging a finger, “they came through Kreagan space. We saw their last visual log that said they were attacked. Evaran said it was most likely the Kreagans that did it.”
“And this was recent?” asked Andia, placing her hand on her chin and a finger over her lips.
“About three months ago,” said Dr. Snowden, glancing at Evaran.
Evaran half smiled. “You do not need to check with me after every statement. Please. Be honest with Andia.” He looked at V. “Did you not drink or eat anything?”
V turned his head toward Evaran. “I did not take in any sustenance.”
Evaran put a hand on V’s shoulder. “V, it is customary when invited to dinner to have something, even if you do not need or require it. For example,” said Evaran as he faced Dr. Snowden, “I will have what he had.”
The black strip nearest Evaran pulled back, and a plate with spicy rice and chicken-like chunks appeared. Evaran pulled the plate in front of him, then motioned at V.
V accessed the table console, and the black strip near him pulled back. A glass with silver liquid came up. He nodded at Evaran. “This will suffice.”
“I apologize. Please continue, Andia,” said Evaran, nodding.
Andia opened her mouth slightly ajar as if to say something. She glanced to the side, then turned toward Dr. Snowden. “Was the ship very large?”
“Yeah. We were just glad to get off it in one piece. If it wasn’t for Evaran and V, we wouldn’t be sitting here,” said Dr. Snowden.
“I can transfer the image of the ship from my data banks to the table if you wish to see it,” said V.
Andia nodded at V and gestured toward the table console near him.
V’s fingers flew over the table console, and an image of the Krotovore vessel appeared in the center of the table. “This was their ship.”
Andia scrutinized the display. “The Durnass incident. I read about it. That display matches what was reported in the Durnass system. A large ship coming out of nowhere is very unusual, especially one of that size. It fought a pitched battle until a Kreagan Dreadnought arrived. It then disappeared. And you were all on it?”
Dr. Snowden swallowed his bite. “Yeah. Once Evaran got us home, he came back three months later to check up on us, and we asked to travel with him. He said yes, and asked where we wanted to go. Since he had mentioned the Kreagan Star Empire when we were on the Krotovore ship, I wanted to see what that was. V then suggested we come to this event, as a way of meeting many cultures, and here we are.”
Andia smiled and took a bite out of her salad. “A very interesting journey, if not a bit rough. It is unusual to see anyone from a protected planet, though.”
Dr. Snowden nodded. “Yeah, that’s what Szaris said. We didn’t mean to cause any trouble, we were just curious.”
“Well, we’re human after all,” said Andia, grinning and nodding as she gestured at Dr. Snowden.
Dr. Snowden and Emily had finished most of their meal and relaxed back into their chairs. Dr. Snowden had enjoyed the food, and also enjoyed talking with Andia. He could see why she was prime ambassador. She was easy to talk to and had a reassuring tone when she spoke.
“Did you enjoy your meals?” asked Andia.
“It was surprisingly good. I haven’t had a burger like that in a long time, although I’m not sure it was beef,” said Emily.
Evaran nodded. “It probably was not.”
“Did you find accommodations for the night?” asked Dr. Snowden.
“I did. How was the Drodalian exhibit?” asked Evaran.
Dr. Snowden adjusted himself in his chair as he turned toward Evaran. “Enlightening, to say the least. I think you would have liked Szaris, our tour guide. Friendly fellow. I will say, though, it smelled horrible in there.”
Evaran pursed his lips at Andia, causing Dr. Snowden to look at her. Andia was grimacing.
Dr. Snowden’s eyes widened. “Did I say something wrong?”
Andia shifted her mouth to the side. “No, you would have no way of knowing. That smell you encountered was most likely roast human. Drodalians consider humans a delicacy, something they look forward to when coming to Kreagus. No doubt they got them from the black market.”
Dr. Snowden watched Emily dry heave. He rubbed the goose bumps on his arm. It dawned on him why Szaris said it was unusual for a Fredorian to be there. Although history had some role, it was the consumption of humans that would have really stood out. It also explained all the sizing up the other Drodalians did when they were there. “That’s disgusting! How can the Kreagans allow that?”
“They feign ignorance, but the black market is strong here. You can get pretty much anything, for the right price. I don’t know where they get the humans, and have protested, but the Drodalians are held in higher regard than Fredoria. It didn’t used to be like that in the past, though. We are still seen as a slave race,” said Andia.
Dr. Snowden noticed Emily wipe her mouth. It would appear she was done eating, but so was he. His appetite was gone.
Evaran cleared his throat and faced Andia. “On another note, how are the preparations for the full partner trade agreements with the Kreagans going?”
“What do you mean?” asked Andia.
“The Arkaron. Did you not find the crystals for it and activate it, then give it to the Kreagans in exchange for a full trade partnership?” asked Evaran with narrowed eyes.
“The Arkaron?” said Andia as she chuckled. “No one knows where the Arkaron crystals are. If something like that was occurring, trust me, I would know. I don’t even know what we would do if that happened.”
Evaran nodded his head. “Probably things like ask for a new Kreagan ranger program and better representation within the senate.”
Andia narrowed her eyes. “Those are awfully specific. You know something I don’t?”
Emily tilted her head at Andia. “What exactly is the Arkaron?”
“It was a device that allowed the Kreagans to receive messages from the great selector. The base of it is on the ancient Kreagan home world, but it’s missing three crystals. No one knows where they are, and they have spent a lot of resources looking for them. If they were found, getting a full partner trade agreement would be easy to do,” said Andia, gesturing at Evaran, “and also all those other things you mentioned. The emperor would grant literally whatever we want, within reason of course. It is a lost cause, though.”
“The great selector?” asked Emily. “Sorry to ask so many questions.”
Andia smiled. “It’s okay. I forget you probably wouldn’t know about that. I figured if you learned to speak Kreagan as well as you do, you may have studied other aspects of Kreagan culture. The great selector is a being made of some type of light, in the form of a ball with tendrils coming off it, that supposedly guided the evolution of the Kreagans. They believe they are a chosen race, superior to all other humanoids.”
“So they think it’s a god,” said Dr. Snowden.
“Yes. Five thousand years ago, the Kreagans fled their ancient home world in three colony ships, which were buil
t based on a warning received through the Arkaron. The Kreagans prepared a defense for an invasion from space, but the threat was portals opening everywhere on and around the planet, bringing forth abominations that ravaged their world. I’m curious now, why all the interest?”
Evaran eased back into his chair and laced his fingers. “Just curious is all.” He glanced around the room at everyone, and finally back to Andia. “It would appear we have a new purpose. Find the Arkaron crystals and assemble the Arkaron, then get Fredoria a full trade partnership.”
Andia laughed. “Well, I would certainly like that if you did, but if the Kreagans can’t find it, I don’t suspect you would fare any better. Do you know where the Arkaron crystals are?”
“I do not, but I believe we can find them.”
Andia shot an incredulous look at Dr. Snowden and Emily.
Dr. Snowden figured she was trying to figure out if Evaran was really being serious. “If Evaran believes he can find it, he probably can.”
Andia ran her fingertips across her chin and then glanced back up at Evaran. “What makes you think you will succeed where others have failed?”
Evaran eased back into his chair and smiled. “My ship is unique, and the technology at our disposal is more advanced than that of those who would have tried before. On top of that, we might be able to find information that would otherwise be hard to obtain.”
Andia shook her head. “And you’re doing this … just to help Fredoria out?”
Evaran paused as he looked at the table, then met Andia’s gaze. “Not quite. Since you are involved, it will not hurt to tell you that we can travel in time. When V told me who he was with, I looked you up in my ship’s database. This event was a major milestone in human history, and you are associated with it. I do not have all the details on it, just a short summary that it occurred and you were involved. The Fredorians present the Arkaron to the emperor, and I am guessing it is you who does that.”
Andia stared at Evaran for a few moments. “That’s quite a story. While I like the sound of this Fredorian destiny, I’m not sure I believe your explanation. You want me to believe you are time travelers here to set the record straight?”
Evaran smiled. “I did not know we would be involved until this point, as there was no mention of us in the summary. We will leave tomorrow morning, and even if you do not believe my previous answer, I still request you come with us.”
Andia turned her head and paused before speaking. “Why?”
“Per Kreagan protocol, we need official sponsorship for this mission if an audience with the emperor is required. I am thinking it must be Fredorian sponsorship.”
Andia narrowed her eyes. “This situation is very unusual. I’m sorry, but I’m not buying that you are time travelers or that you have a list of human events from across time. I will need to think about it. For now, you can all stay here tonight. The embassy has more than enough guest rooms. The kitchen is also open all night, so if you want anything, just head on over to it. My assistant will show you to your rooms, and if you need directions, just press the bright panels on the wall, a virtual intelligence will help you. Any questions?”
Dr. Snowden glanced around at the others. “None here.” He thought it was interesting that Andia did not even flinch at the mention of time travel. He remembered the first time he heard Evaran talk about it, and to an advanced civilization, that concept would probably have been well researched.
Evaran raised a finger. “I suspect you doubt our intent. Have the Kreagans do a full scan on my ship. They might be surprised at the results.” He interacted with the table console. “It is on landing pad A772.”
“A full scan, huh?” said Andia, chuckling. She looked at her table console. “That may take a bit. Very well. I will see everyone here tomorrow morning.”
Andia’s assistant escorted them to their rooms. Dr. Snowden wanted to check out the embassy, but he was tired. More tired than he could recall feeling. Maybe it was his body adjusting to all the activity or the twenty-six-hour day. He passed out when he got to his room.
A beam of sunlight peeked through the window, waking him up eight hours later. He sat up on the edge of his bed and stretched. He noticed the room he was in seemed less advanced than the Torvatta’s room, but he was not sure many could compare with that. As he cleaned up and put on his clothes, his PSD vibrated and then lit up. The PSD made him feel more secure, and he was getting used to it. Pressing the middle button this time instead of the top button caused a holographic display of Emily to shoot out the end.
“’Bout time you got up! We’re back in the room we were in last night, having breakfast,” said Emily. He noted she seemed excited this morning.
He navigated the hallways, eventually arriving at the room. When entering the room, he saw that Andia, Evaran, Emily, and V were already seated, and Andia’s assistant stood to the side of Andia. Andia’s lightly armored brown suit caught his eye. It surprised him in that he had not seen an out-of-shape Fredorian since his arrival at the embassy. Andia had a sidearm and multiple pouches across the suit. He noticed on Kreagus that light-armored suits tended to be the norm more than the exception. He got the feeling she was looking forward to this.
After picking an open seat and looking around, he accessed the table console and picked a dish that looked like eggs and bacon. The black strip pulled back, and he took the plate off it and placed it in front of him. The eggs were blue, and the bacon looked like beef jerky. He wondered briefly what animal they came from before digging in. “So, what now?”
Andia pointed at Evaran. “I’m going with you. I had the full scan done last night on his ship. According to the results, your ship doesn’t exist. That’s impossible. I’m not sure what tech is being used, but it is clearly more advanced than the Kreagans’. I still don’t believe in this Fredorian destiny or time travel business, but it will be nice to do something other than attend meetings all day. I have cleared my schedule for this.”
Andria’s assistant whispered something in Andia’s ear.
Andia nodded. “My assistant is against this for the official record.”
Evaran eyed Andia. “It might be dangerous.”
“I’m a Fredorian, working on the Kreagan home world. My job is dangerous by its very definition. I have some time off coming up, so moving it up won’t be an issue. May as well use it for something that might turn out to be interesting.”
Evaran nodded at Andia. “My ship, the Torvatta, has all the amenities someone of your position is used to.”
“Then it is settled,” said Andia. She looked at Dr. Snowden. “Once you are done, I am going to contact Valia Tu Kraas, a powerful senator who can get us an audience with the emperor should we succeed.”
Dr. Snowden nodded and then proceeded to wolf down his breakfast. He put the plate back on the opened black strip, and it disappeared as the black strip closed up. “If you’re ready, I am.”
Andia tapped at the table console and then turned around to face a large screen behind her. The head and shoulders of an elder Kreagan woman appeared on screen. She had silver ribbons intertwined in her hair, making her purple hair falling off her curved, cone-shaped head stand out.
“Andia, it is good to see you. I have read your request and seen the ship scan reports, which I find hard to believe, and find it intriguing,” said the senator.
“Thank you, Senator Kraas. We are honored by your presence. I have with me those who seek the lost Arkaron crystals,” said Andia. She pointed to Evaran. “This is Evaran, and his crew of Dr. Snowden, Emily Snowden, and V,” said Andia as she pointed at them in turn. “They believe they can find them, and plan to begin immediately. I will be accompanying them.”
“I wish you well on your journey, Andia,” said Senator Kraas. She faced Evaran. “I would suggest you start by visiting the information broker in the Galvin Rim.”
Andia jerked her head back. “The Galvin Rim? That’s a lawless place.”
Senator Kraas smiled. “Yes, and m
any have gone there to speak with the information broker without success. I suspect he will talk with you.”
“Why is that?” asked Evaran.
“You aren’t Kreagan. Nonetheless, I am sending an inspector and a ranger. They should serve you well. They will be there within the hour.”
“They will not be necessary,” said Evaran, meeting Senator Kraas’s gaze.
“I insist.”
Andia shot Evaran a look, then faced Senator Kraas. “That will be fine, Senator. We will let you know the moment we find anything.”
Senator Kraas closed her eyes and bowed her head. “Safe journeys to you all.”
The screen flickered off.
Andia turned to Evaran. “What was that about?”
Evaran met Andia’s gaze. “How well do you know this senator?”
“Enough to know she has a lot of power. She has never been a true friend to Fredoria, but she understands the possibility of this venture.”
Evaran narrowed his eyes. “I see. She wants to keep tabs on our progress. There might be some value in that.” He glanced at V. “Once the inspector and ranger come, we can go. V, head to the ship and bring it to this landing pad.”
“Acknowledged,” said V. He stood up and walked out of the room.
Dr. Snowden noticed the change in Evaran’s body language. It was apparent Senator Kraas rubbed Evaran the wrong way. He did not notice anything unusual about the senator, but he was still new to everything. Evaran could surely read alien body language much better than he could. Emily had walked to one of the large rectangular windows and was looking out. He walked up and stood beside her. “Pretty amazing where we are, huh?”
Emily smiled as she pushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. “It’s so hard to believe. We’re looking at the morning on an alien planet. It’s so cool.”
Dr. Snowden laughed. “It is, and now we get to find lost artifacts. Now that is cool.”
Emily half grinned at Dr. Snowden. “It’s so weird to hear you say something is cool.”
“Maybe feeling like I’m in my twenties is having an effect on my vocabulary,” said Dr. Snowden as he bumped Emily.
