Brooke let go of him and sat back. “What are you going to do next? After you go to that ceremony, anyway. What's the next step?”
Jack leaned back again, stroking his chin as he stared up at the ceiling once more. “I think I want to go back to Lirna,” he decided. “I want to know for sure. There was no way I could go back while the war was still going on. Now that it's coming to an end, travel will probably start back up again. We'll be allies, so it shouldn't be too hard for a human to go to the Ascendancy. Especially since some of the former slaves never came back, stayed citizens there. I want to go back to Aria's family home. Find her, or find out what happened to her. Maybe things won't be like they were before, but at least I'll know.” He smiled. “It would be nice to at least see some of her family again.”
His daughter nodded. “I think you should do that. I...I don't know if I'd want to go with you, but...maybe.” She looked at the floor. Jack didn't blame her. He knew that the vast majority of her memories of life in the Ascendancy were terrible ones. It had only been during the last few months of her life as a slave that she had found some measure of good treatment in the service of the royal family. She had already said, when Jack had first gotten the invitation to the ceremony on Earth, that she had no intention of going. Earth was no home to her.
Jack got up from the couch. “How about some dinner?” he asked her. “My cooking is getting better. I thought I'd try my hand at spaghetti tonight. Sound good to you?”
Brooke brightened up. “As long as you don't set the noodles on fire like you did last time. The kitchen still smells like smoke...”
“I'll do my best,” Jack promised, laughing as he walked towards the kitchen.
******
Looking out of the window of the shuttle was enough to make Jack feel some kind of happiness again. The journey from Cerelis to Earth had taken nearly two days, and that whole time he had been poring over updated records of what Earth looked like now. He had seen pictures from the war, sent back by human and Ailian intelligence sources, and none of it had looked very good. Cities in flames, buildings ruined, and countryside burned by the ravages of battle. To his surprise, when he arrived, he found that it was not all desolation and destruction as he had been expecting. Some of the major civilian areas still looked the same as they had when he'd left. Not all of them, though. Large swathes of Europe, Africa, and North America, where the majority of military centers had been located, had been virtually wiped off the map. But other parts still remained. Asia had been largely untouched, since those countries had been mostly civilian and industrial, and the rebels had taken care to preserve those valuable resources as much as they could. South America was in the same situation, and Australia was fine as well. Melbourne was his destination, and was the location of the ceremony that was to be held.
His shuttle was packed with dignitaries and other prominent civilians from Cerelis and several other important human worlds. Jack was recognized by most of them. A lot of them had seen his interview several days prior. Most of them had kind words for him, polite expressions of support for him and words of encouragement. He was starting to feel glad that he had come. He felt like he was returning home, even though he had no plans of restarting his life on Earth. Even so, coming here felt like a victory. He felt like he had made some contribution, however small, towards making this happen.
Upon landing at the spaceport on the outskirts of Melbourne, he was met by a small contingent of UN troops acting as an honor guard. Most of the people on his shuttle were not actually going to be part of the ceremony, but were just going to be simple attendants for the symbolic handing-over. He, of course, was different. He was escorted from the landing site to a waiting vehicle, inside of which was Earth's newly-reappointed ambassador to the United Nations Assembly, Jonas Fisher. Fisher had been on Cerelis when Earth had fallen and so had escaped death at the hands of the invading rebels, but he had resigned his position and joined the Navy with a vow to not return to his old job until Earth was back in human hands.
Once Jack was seated in the vehicle and they were underway, the ambassador extended a hand to him. “Welcome back to Earth, Mr. Squier,” he greeted him warmly. “It's an honor to shake your hand. I've seen you on the news broadcasts a few times, and of course I've read your book.”
“Already?” Jack inquired, slightly amazed. He took the ambassador's hand. “Heh...You must be a quick reader. It's only been out for a few days. And please...just Jack is fine. I've heard 'Mr. Squier' enough to make me sick of the words.”
“Jack, then.” Ambassador Fisher shook his hand firmly. “I managed to acquire an advance copy. I couldn't put it down. A fascinating tale. I'm sure it'll be an inspiration to generations of our people to come. You'd make quite an ambassador yourself, I'm sure.”
“I don't know about all that,” Jack said, reddening slightly. “I just survived. Nothing really special about it.”
“Now you're just being modest.” Fisher pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it, rolling down the window on his side of the vehicle in deference to his companion. “You know, it might seem petty, but of all the things that Earth has been through these past five years, I'm glad that Cuba made it through alright. Nothing as good as a nice cigar in the afternoon. This is the first I've had since the planet fell.” He took a puff and blew the smoke out of the window with great relish, then looked at Jack. “You ready for the ceremony?”
Jack shrugged. “I guess,” he said. “I'm not really sure what to expect.”
“Ah, the usual for this sort of thing,” Fisher told him, waving a hand dismissively. “Some Ailian dignitaries will be there, some Nuretan representatives, and of course a lot of UN people. They haven't even told me who will be there. Security stuff. I guess they're still a little worried about it, but I'm not. The planet has been swept time and time again since it was retaken.” He smirked. “A little paranoia can be forgiven, though, I suppose.”
“Even paranoid people have enemies,” Jack said with a smirk of his own. “I forget who said that.”
“Kissinger, I think,” Fisher said. “Another wise saying from another turbulent point in Earth history. Eh, who cares? This is supposed to be a happy occasion. We'll leave the paranoia to the people who make paranoia their profession.” He slapped Jack on the shoulder. “So anyway, you don't need to do too much. There's a big reception hall type of building near the center of the city that we're using for the ceremony. You'll be in the receiving line for when the foreign dignitaries come in, sort of near the front with me. Shake hands, say a few greetings, then the ceremony will begin. Like I said, nothing major.”
Jack nodded. “Fine.” He looked out of the window as the rest of the ride passed in silence, gazing at the buildings of Melbourne as the vehicle traveled through the streets. Just from looking at this city, he wouldn't have been able to tell that a major battle had been fought on the planet. Probably why they picked it to be the sight of the ceremony. Much easier to have a joyful occasion if the setting was placid.
******
Jack tugged at his collar as he stood in the receiving line at the reception hall. As much as the ambassador had talked down the formality of the event, things were looking very formal, indeed. Jack had brought his best suit with him, and he still looked underdressed compared with the rest of the attendants. Of course, there were military officers there, clad in their best dress uniforms, and most of the politicians and ambassadorial officials were wearing suits of a much more expensive cut than his. He wasn't used to wearing fancy stuff anyway, not since he'd retired from the military. He had made one concession to formality, however. Pinned to his lapel was a miniature version of his “wings of gold”, the badge that all fighter pilots wore on their uniforms. Even though he had never seen real combat in the cockpit of a fighter, he had worked hard to earn them, and wearing them made him feel just a little bit like he belonged in the room with all of these people.
They had been standing in line for nearly half an hour. Apparently th
ere had been some delay with the arrival of the Ailian and Nuretan delegations, so they'd had to wait while it was prepared. He hoped it wouldn't be too much longer. He was starting to sweat despite the air conditioning in the room, and he didn't want it to soak through his shirt and suit jacket. That wouldn't look good for the television cameras that were present in the building. Visions of cold drinks were starting to dance through his head, and he hoped that the first part of the reception wouldn't take too long, so that he could visit the bar and relieve the cottony feeling in his mouth.
Finally, the doors near the front of the line opened and the UN Marines stationed there snapped to attention as the first wave of dignitaries came in. The first to come in were the Nuretans. In the front of the line were a bunch of people in civilian dress that he, of course, didn't recognize. He shook their hands politely. For some of the people in the receiving line, it was their first time meeting any of the aquatic aliens in person. Most of them were slightly taller than the humans, and their green skin glistened in the lights of the reception hall. When one of them came to Jack, however, he had a flash of recognition.
“You are Jack Squier,” a female voice, bubbly in accent, said as the person came before him. Jack looked up to see that he was face to face with a Nuretan in a dark blue military uniform. She was slightly taller than him, had long, feathery white hair, and brilliantly neon eyes.
Jack had to search his brain for several moments before he recognized her. “I remember you!” he said suddenly. “General...General Soumaren...right? We met on Arbaros, and again on Lirna after the battle.”
General Kalma Soumaren nodded. “Correct,” she said. She took his hand, her slick-looking skin feeling smooth and slightly chilled against his own. “I am pleased to see that you made it home safely. You have been well?”
“Uh, yeah,” Jack said. “Pretty well, I guess. Good to see you made it through the war alright.” He remembered that General Soumaren was the leader of the Nuretan Imperial Marines, the elite fighting force of the Nuretan Empire. She had been the commander of the mission to liberate Lirna from the rebel forces, and had been at the palace when Jack had made his escape during the battle.
“I did,” she confirmed. “Not without close calls, of course. How nice to see you again.” She nodded to him, and then continued down the line. Jack would have liked a few more minutes to talk with her, but of course it couldn't be helped. The line was long, and it had to keep moving.
He hadn't been expecting to see someone he knew in the receiving line. From what the ambassador had told him, the dignitaries arriving were supposed to have been relatively minor in prominence. To have seen someone of General Soumaren's stature made it seem just that much more formal. Jack felt even more out of place.
The rest of the Nuretan delegation came through the receiving line, and Jack was introduced to quite a few of them. He tried to pay attention to their names, but there were so many of them that he knew he'd never be able to remember them all. Once the Nuretan delegation was all inside the reception hall, there was a brief pause while they prepared to receive the Ailian representatives. When the doors opened again, there was somewhat of a surprised hush that fell over the humans in the line.
As the first person in line arrived at Jack, he saw why. “Jack, what a delightful surprise!”
The hair on the back of Jack's neck stood on end as he saw who was talking to him. “L-Li'ren...!” he blurted out.
Empress Li'ren Amani, the ruler of the Ailian Ascendancy, was standing before him, resplendent in rich robes of blue and gold. The Ailian leader beamed down at him, her ruby red eyes shining as she beheld him. Jack couldn't believe that she would be here. If General Soumaren had been a surprise to see, this was an absolute shock. The rest of the receiving line seemed just as surprised as he was. The blue-furred Ailian waved her tail, seeming to find some sort of amusement in the astonished expression on his face.
The sound of someone's throat clearing was heard next to Jack, and he felt a little nudge as Ambassador Fisher kicked his foot. “Uh, I mean...,” he stammered. Jack gave a polite bow. “It's...very nice to see you again, Empress Amani. I wasn't expecting that you'd be here.”
“Likewise,” Li'ren said. Her eyes were twinkling with something that Jack couldn't figure out. “I felt that I should attend. Humans contributed so much to aiding our people in retaking Lirna. I would have regretted not being present for this historic ceremony.” She looked to her left, where the next person in line was approaching. “I think you will remember my consort?”
Jack turned his head to see who was stepping over, and he was nearly floored by what he saw. Another Ailian, taller than Li'ren and appearing to be several years younger, had just finished greeting the person to Jack's right and was turning her attention to him now. She had fur of pale orange, black-striped, and her robin's egg-blue eyes were beginning to widen as she perceived the human. Her pointy ears were pricked forward in amazement.
“Brother?” the young woman said, seeming to scarcely believe her eyes. Then her face broke into a smile and she grabbed his hands, clasping them warmly in her own. “Brother!”
“Sami?” Jack could feel emotion starting to well up inside of him. He smiled back at her, unhesitatingly stepping forward and hugging one of the Ailians he remembered most fondly of all. “Oh my god, it's so good to see you! It's been too long...” Words failed him further, as he was choked up by the happiness at seeing her.
Sami placed a hand on his head, which of course barely came up to her chest. Realizing that people were staring, Jack stepped back and looked her over. She looked different, and not just because she was five years older than when he'd seen her last. Though she was dressed in a midriff-length shirt and ankle-reaching wrap skirt, as typical of Ailian women, the garments were much richer than he recalled ever seeing her wear. They were of a deep blue color trimmed with gold, matching Li'ren's robes, and she also wore several thin strands of gold around her neck. What Jack found most intriguing of all was the adornment she bore on her navel: a simple but elegant piercing of gold and sapphire that he recognized as an Ailian bonding gem.
“Well,” Li'ren said, “I can see that you remember each other very well, indeed.” She sounded as though she was barely restraining laughter. Seeing that Ambassador Fisher was looking very confused, Li'ren nodded to him. “You are Earth's Ambassador, Jonas Fisher, correct? I am very pleased to meet you, Ambassador. I would also like to introduce my Royal Consort, Lady Sami Me'lia. As you can see, Jack and Sami are old friends.”
“In-Indeed...,” Ambassador Fisher stammered. He remembered a few seconds late who he was talking to, and he bowed to the both of them.
“So, you two?” Jack asked, looking between Li'ren and Sami. “I'm happy for both of you. You were such good friends back then. I knew that you would be good together.”
Li'ren's cheeks fluffed out a little, though she quickly smoothed them down again. “Quite,” she said. She gazed at Sami fondly, and her voice grew a bit quiet. “Sami has been there for me when I needed someone most. I do still grieve for Kri'a...almost every day...but I would not give up Sami for the whole universe.” Sami took her hand. “I think Kri'a would want me to be happy, and I am very happy.”
Jack had about a million questions that he wanted to ask, but for the moment it appeared he would have to wait to ask them. Just then, an Ailian male clad in the formal uniform of the Royal Guards bypassed the line, stepping up to Li'ren's side. “M'lady...,” he said, in heavily accented but recognizable English. “Forgive me...Commander say line must keep going...”
“Ah, of course,” Li'ren said. She looked down the line, seeing that it was starting to back up while she was standing in front of Jack and the ambassador. “I am forgetting myself, Sergeant. Please inform your commander that we shall be moving along shortly.” She turned back to Jack, while the Royal Guard sergeant looked nervously over his shoulder. “I am certain that we will have time to speak again later, Jack. I am sure there is much you would
like to talk about. It has been marvelous to see you again.”
Before Jack could respond, another Royal Guard, female and walking with a purpose, came up the line. She was walking imperiously, with great authority, and she came to a halt next to the sergeant. “Is problem, m'lady?”
The voice was enough to make Jack freeze completely still in place. His heart began hammering the inside of his chest like a snare drum, and he stared at the woman who was now standing near to him. He was strangely almost afraid to look at her, but he forced himself to turn his eyes towards the Ailian. She was focused on the Empress, but for Jack everything else in the room seemed to go silent and vanish.
She was tall, taller than anyone else in the room, and her black uniform was immaculate, unadorned apart from the silver, circular insignia near her collar that denoted the rank of commander. The left side of her face was lined with a few thin, faint scars, visible underneath her black-dyed fur, and over her left eye was affixed some sort of patch made of a reflective, black metallic material. The right eye was piercingly yellow, flecked with gold, and glinting from the bright lights in the room. As Jack looked at her, he saw her glance at him, then at the ambassador, before her eye snapped back to him barely a second later.
He swallowed, a huge lump in his throat making him feel like he was suffocating. The Ailian woman's muzzle opened a fraction. He could feel tears starting in his eyes. He saw her remaining eye begin to glisten as well, and her tail dropped to hang loosely behind her long legs.
“Aria...”
In a flash she was down on her knees, and Jack felt those strong, familiar, comforting arms wrapping around him and tugging him into her embrace. He could hear murmurs from those in the receiving line, but he didn't have a care in the world for them. His arms went around her as well and he clutched at her like she was a precious jewel. Their lips met and he felt the rumble of a low growl as they kissed each other for the first time, once again. Their time apart seemed hardly to have made a difference in that instant. They both trembled as a combination of relief, sadness, joy, and passion washed over them all at once. Tears were flowing freely from both of them, and he could hear Aria purring through her quiet sobs. Her tail wrapped around his body, holding him possessively, blanketing him with its soft warmth. Jack lost track of how long they held each other before breaking the kiss, leaning back slightly from each other as they gazed into each others' eyes.
Transmission Lost Page 68
