by Amanda Rose
He stood there, in stillness, staring straight up watching the sky change. It was mesmerizing. Even the feeling of radial heat from the artificial placement of the sun in the sky felt as real as standing on a planet. Hiroshi pulled up his camera to take several photographs, and then just allowed himself to enjoy it. Hiroshi spotted a nearby bench in his peripheral vision, walked over to it, and sat down. He sat there for over an hour watching as the sky changed from light blues, to fuchsia pinks, pale greens, and a golden spread of yellow and orange hues, until finally it gave way to the star scape of night.
Chapter 12: The Conclave
Norita tossed and turned all night. No matter how she moved her body felt uncomfortable, and her mind was wide awake. General Yamamoto was in a deep sleep in the other bed, his snoring exasperating her insomnia. I might as well just give up trying to sleep, she thought feeling frustrated.
She laid awake wrestling with sleep that refused to come for the rest of the night. When daylight finally came she felt dread. They better have something like coffee on this station, she thought, wondering how in the world she’d be able to concentrate during her meeting with the Conclave.
With Takeo still sleeping soundly, Norita quietly got dressed and walked over to the balcony to take in the view, and to do some stretching. Her father had taught her that waking up the body helped to wake up the mind. Daddy you always knew what to do… Norita’s father had raised her by himself, all while smoothly running the ship.
Her mother had died when she was an infant, and her dad hadn’t remarried after her loss. From a young age he imparted much wisdom to Norita, as much in life lessons as he did in leadership. As his only child Norita was sole heir the Empire.
What would you do? Norita asked, trying to imagine her father going in to meet with the Conclave. He had such grace in politics, she always felt the need to live up to his standards. Why am I stressing over this so much? There’s nothing I can do to prepare, I don’t know what they want… Because it’s important. Because this is the single most important meeting humanity has ever had. She let out a long exhale. Stop it. You’ll do fine.
After finishing her stretches Norita proceeded to have a shower. There were no water restrictions aboard the Bastion, much to Norita’s surprise with the incredible size of the station and number of people aboard. She turned on the nozzle and a strong stream of hot water came running from the shower head. She stepped into the stream, closed her eyes, and stuck her face under the water. The bliss of the fresh water running across her face helped calm her nerves and made her feel much more awake.
She luxuriated in the feel of it. For the past several months with the tight water restrictions on the Saisei the shower felt especially good. Sponge bathing had been their only method to clean their bodies; full pressured water felt like it was washing away months of grime. She stood there, almost in a meditative trance, enjoying every second.
Once Norita had finished showering, and got dressed, she walked into the common room to find Takeo was awake. It was still early. The station ran on a 26-hour clock; a 26-hour day was the median daytime hours from the various planets of all the main species that lived aboard the station. It was in the 7th hour according to the station’s clocks.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Norita asked, surprised to see him awake.
“No, of course not. Just habit to be up now, my body has learned to follow the military hours over the years,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Right. That makes sense. I suppose we all get our own rhythms in life,” she said as she finished drying her hair with the towel.
Their appointment with the enclave wasn’t until the 15th hour. Just like the day before, it felt like they had nothing but endless time on their hands. “Do you want to be alone to prepare?” Takeo asked.
Norita shook her head gently as she began to brush her hair, “No. There’s really nothing to prepare. I’ll go stir crazy waiting alone. Maybe… maybe we should go for a walk. We do have 8 hours before the meeting, after all.”
“Fair enough,” Takeo said.
The two of them finished dressing and then left their room to explore the station.
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“Hey!” Raiden called to Freya.
Freya turned to see him as he jogged up the walkway to join her at the patio table she sat at, just outside a small bistro. The walkway was large, over 20 feet across in this area, so restaurants sprawled out tables for patrons to enjoy the views. Small vendors had stalls littered everywhere, and various performers, some in troupes, some solo acts, performed along the promenade.
They were meeting for breakfast in the entertainment district. It lived up to its name. There were incredible murals from the best artists from across the galaxy decorating the white buildings. Playhouses, digital entertainment, interactive games, and performers of all kinds, made this wing of the Bastion the liveliest of them all. Yet for all its energy, and the business, it was as relaxing as it was enlivening.
Raiden took a seat across from Freya. “Hope you weren’t waiting long,” he said, picking up the menu off the table.
“Nah, just got here,” Freya lied, smiling, just happy to be with her friend. “So, what was the big rush yesterday?”
Raiden took his eyes off of the menu to look up at Freya, “I found water for the Saisei,” he said, beaming.
“Yeah?” she said, surprised.
“Enough to completely resupply the ship,” he nodded.
“Damn, nice job. I’m gonna have to up my game. Can’t let you get to Captain before me,” she grinned.
“Always a competition, huh?” he said, letting his eyes lower back onto the menu.
“You know it,” she jived.
They sat in silence as they decided on what to eat. The waiter came over and took their orders, and their menus. A moment later their server returned with water, a coffee-like hot drink, and some qas berry juice. Raiden grabbed the hot drink and drank deeply, feeling instantly replenished.
Freya picked up her cup and sniffed it. It smelled nutty and bitter. She tilted the cup and the thick liquid slowly oozed around like molasses. She cringed at the idea of it, but saw Raiden drinking it down, and decided to bravely take a sip. The hot liquid touched her lips and had none of the taste of the bitterness she had smelled, and instead had a rich taste which reminded her of a toasted walnut.
While it was thick, it wasn’t sticky, and was surprisingly easy to drink without leaving a lingering coating in the mouth. She swallowed, licked her lips, and set her cup down. Looking up, she saw Raiden still drinking his, his eyes closed, an expression of enjoyment on his face.
“Guess you adapted to this place fast,” she said, smiling.
He opened his eyes, almost feeling embarrassed, “Oh, uh, yeah, haha! I didn’t even think I was going to drink this stuff when they first gave it to me, but it’s great. Better than coffee, once you get used to it. It’s made from some sort of super nutrient rich nut or seed or something that’s got sustained energy. Just a few days of this and I’ve never had so much energy in my whole life. No crash cause there’s no caffeine,” he explained, then took another gulp.
“Sweet,” Freya said, impressed, and drank more of hers. After a few gulps she set the cup back down, “Yeah, I guess I could get used to that.”
They sat in silence for a moment, and Freya looked around, taking in the sights, then looked back at Raiden, “So, any news from the General?”
Raiden shrugged, “News about what?”
Freya rolled her eyes and mimicked his shrug, “Anything? We’re all grounded while we’re stuck docked here.”
“Are you serious?” he asked, not hiding his annoyance.
Freya sighed, crossed her arms, and gazed at the floor. Shit, another fucking lecture… she thought. “Look, I’m sorry,” she started to say, trying to back track. But she wasn’t sorry, she just didn’t want to hear him berate her.
“We’ve just found the most amazing discovery of, of… of fucking ever, and you’re complaining t
hat you can’t go fly? Really? What the hell is out there that’s better than this? Nothing’s ever good enough for you, Freya, is it?”
“You know that’s not what I meant,” she tried to explain.
“No? Than what did you mean?” he challenged her.
Freya went to speak but saw their waiter coming and decided to wait. Casually the waiter placed their food down in front of them and wished them a good meal. Freya watched him walk off, waiting for him to be out of ear shot.
“I,” Freya felt at a loss for words. Shit! How did this spiral so out of control? I don’t care that we’re grounded, I don’t care what the orders are, I just… I didn’t know what else to say… her mind felt noisy, and she felt frustrated. “I… look, really, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just feel like… I’m not sure, like I’m a bit out of place. It’s been a lot to process.” Why is it so hard to talk to you? Freya wondered. We always talk about everything…
Raiden stared for her for a minute without saying a word. It was rare for them to fight. Freya was always so strong, but right now she looked meek and defeated. Her arm still in the sling, he felt a pang of guilt for yelling at her. She’s been through a lot lately, I shouldn’t have snapped… he thought. “Look, it’s OK. Sorry I took it so seriously. Let’s just let it go,” he said.
“Right,” she replied.
“So, what did you do on the station yesterday? It’s massive, I felt so lost at first,” he said trying to change the subject.
Freya picked up her utensils, “Well after you left, I,” before she could say another word her comm clicked on.
“Hey Freya, I just got out of customs, where are you?” Koji’s voice asked.
“Sorry,” Freya said to Raiden, then clicked on her comm, “Hey, I’m just having breakfast with Raiden, we’re in the entertainment district. Just look for a big waterfall that feeds into the main aqueduct and you’ll see us.”
“On my way,” Koji said.
“It’ll take him a while to get here,” Freya said, then took a bite of her breakfast. They’d both ordered a mix of eggs and grilled meat that came with a sautéed leafy green. The eggs were pungent. She ate a bit of the meat, which was aromatic like pork, but hearty like beef.
“So, you two…?” Raiden asked, starting to eat his breakfast too.
“Yeah,” Freya nodded.
“Serious?” he inquired.
“No. Not yet, anyway,” she said casually. “Whatever this is let’s get it for the Saisei,” she said tapping the meat with her utensil.
“I’ll get right on that,” Raiden chuckled.
“Well, you kinda are the lead negotiator now,” she winked at him.
“Oh, hell no!” he said, and they both laughed.
Just as they were finishing up eating breakfast Koji walked up. Raiden watched him and Freya, and the playful joy between them. He felt happy for them, and yet somehow excluded. After a few minutes they walked off to explore the station together, and as Raiden watched them leave he felt more alone than he had felt in years.
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Norita stood in the corridor leading to the Conclave. It was an immaculately designed part of the ship; the corridor’s ceiling swooped up, leading to the chamber doors that were over 20 feet high. Takeo sat nearby, waiting patiently. They were to be called in at any moment.
The pacing helped Norita to get the hyper-energetic energy out of her body, and to focus her thoughts. Just calm down, she told herself, annoyed by her nerves. The massive doors swung open, and an Ethlana attendant came to guide them inside.
Takeo stood up and began to walk a pace behind Norita. They walked through the massive doors and into the inner sanctum. An arched walkway, over a water feature teaming with exotic fish, lead up to a wide curved platform. Around the arch of the platform was a raised area with seating where the Conclave assembly members sat. The attendant walked as far as the edge of the walkway, and then extended their arm indicating for Norita and Takeo to continue forth.
Norita and Takeo walked to the center of the platform and then bowed respectfully to the Conclave. When they stood back up fully, they could see nods of appreciation and acknowledgement. There were 5 members of the Conclave present. As it had been explained to Norita prior to their arrival, while the Bastion had political representation of all sentient species, the Conclave was made up of the 5-founding species who’d found the station first and who put forth the most resources and personnel to run it.
The 5-founding species were the Ethlana, the Veata, the Baas, the Chuchana, and the Veick. The Ethlana had substantially more resources and people to devote to running the station. Their culture was affluent, and prized wisdom and innovation above all else. With their 700-year life span it was no wonder their influence was so widely accepted.
The Veata were an insect-like species. They walked on 4 legs, and had 2 arms, their bodies bottom heavy. Their appearance struck Takeo as being exactly like that of a praying mantis. The quick-twitch head movements they made left the General feeling uneasy.
Baas’ came from a cold home world and were covered with fur. Their stature was short, most of them standing no more than 3 feet tall. While they looked like a sort of dog-bear hybrid, their minds were sharp, and their people incredibly resourceful.
The Chuchana were by far the most unusual species on the entire station. They were advanced beings, who explored the far reaches of the mind and spirituality. In the millennia’s they’d spent exploring thought, they’d slowly evolved more and more away from the physicality of their bodies. So much so that they no longer required food, and like plants they were able to extract nutrients from sunlight through photosynthesis.
The Chuchana looked like jelly fish and floated in the air. Their ability to float was attributed to their incredibly light physical structure, and the natural helium produced by the gases of their bodies. On the Chuchana home world uranium and thorium were incredibly abundant, and the life forms that evolved on that planet all gave off helium gas to some extent. Their many years of dedication to matters of the mind had also allowed them to develop telekinesis, which was rumored to be how they moved with such precision while afloat in the air.
To make matters even more interesting, the Chuchana had no mouths. Originally the Chuchana had communicated through movement to one another. Over the years, with their incredible minds, and after learning language from other species, they now communicated solely through telepathy.
Finally, there were the Veick. From what Norita had read, despite their reptilian-like appearance, in many ways they were more human than any of the other alien species. Their cultural and political values were similar, and their commerce system also mirrored humanity’s. They were thoughtful and well spoken.
Each of the species had an appointed speaker at the Conclave: Saaya for the Ethlana, Ouct for the Veata, Ent for the Baas, Ecoatay for the Chuchana, and Zar for the Veick. Norita had memorized their faces and names the day before. Standing before them all now, her anxiety lifted. The Conclave was a peaceful and serene place, and the faces of the speakers welcoming and kind.
“We are honored to welcome you to the Bastion,” Saaya said.
“It was passed on to us that this is your first contact with other sentient life, is that right?” Zar asked.
Norita nodded, “Yes.”
“Astounding,” Zar said. “Please, tell us about you and your people.”
“Well,” Norita began, thinking about where to begin. “I’m Empress Norita Hiroshu, and my blood line has served to help lead humanity for many generations. Though I am my people’s leader, we are a democratic society, where everyone’s opinion is heard and valued. My people, humans, we’re now nomadic, although we weren’t always. Our home planet is very far from here, and as far as we know it was destroyed after we left. We had to evacuate our planet well over 200 years ago when it could no longer support life, so our ship, the Saisei, it is our home. Though given the chance we’d like to find a planet to colonize,” she smiled, hoping to ha
ve summarized everything well.
“Such a long time in space to have not drifted into other inhabited worlds,” Ouct said curtly.
“I’d be happy to upload our flight path,” Norita replied. “I’m sure if it wasn’t for the wormhole if we’d have spent many more lifetimes without encountering any other life forms,” she shrugged.
“The worm hole you came through hasn’t been used for centuries. All the resources from that quadrant have been well mined,” Ent chimed in.
“We would be grateful to be able to add your star charts to our galactic map to help complete the areas of space you’ve travelled through,” Saaya said hopefully.
“I’ll have them sent over after our meeting is concluded,” Norita nodded.
“Thank you,” Saaya smiled.
“You’re most welcome. I have a question,” Norita started.
