Commander Barnes noticed Kalian’s attention linger.
“Ah, good timing. Let the Chief Commander greet the Ambassador, I want to introduce you to someone.” He guided Kalian over to the seated woman, leaving the Chief and Lieutenant to meet Ambassador Arlek alone. As they approached, the woman stood up again and saluted the Commander.
“Sir.” The Commander responded in kind and she stood at ease. The top of her head only came up to Kalian’s eyes but he could tell that he would be a fool to judge her by her height and slight frame alone, as a UDC soldier she would know a hundred ways to put him on his ass.
“Kalian Gaines, this is Lieutenant Commander Li’ara Ducarté; she has been selected to be your personal security detail for the mission.” Kalian reached out his hand to greet her formally. For some reason he felt nervous about shaking her hand, his palm felt clammy.
“Hi... I’m Kalian, strong grip you’ve got there,” he let out a small nervous laugh.
You complimented her grip?
She pulled her hand away and stared at him for a moment.
“Mr Gaines...” Like the other soldiers, she didn’t say much.
“Please, call me Kalian.” She simply nodded in return.
“Li’ara’s been escorting VIP’s and various government and UDC officials for years. She’s going to stay on your six at all times Kalian, she’ll look after you,” Commander Barnes gave him a reassuring pat on the back.
“Lieutenant Commander could you show Kalian to the mess hall, get him something to eat and drink. The Chief Commander and I are going to brief the Ambassador before you get the green light. After you’ve seen to Kalian you need to report to Commander Hawkins in the hangar bay, he’s prepping the ship.” He gave Kalian one last reassuring look and disappeared into the bright light of the Nevada desert.
Li’ara looked Kalian up and down, her eyes darting to specific points on his body. In a few seconds she had assessed him for any potential strengths and weaknesses she might need to know in the field. From the look on her face he had a feeling she had found more weakness than strength.
“Have you ever had any kind of survival or endurance training?” She sounded doubtful.
“I took a self defence class when I was nineteen...” Kalian remembered taking the class hoping it would teach him some mental and physical discipline. Nineteen was a hard year; he had been forced to isolate himself for hours every day. At least once a week he had woken up to find his belongings in a different place to where he had left them. The self defence class had helped for a time, the concentration required during the sparring matches allowed him to focus. Unfortunately it was only temporary, like everything else he had tried.
“So that would be a no then.” She turned on her heel and headed towards a side door he hadn’t even noticed. She made no motion for him to follow but he remembered the Commander’s orders about the mess hall.
They walked in silence until they reached a large empty room lined with tables and benches, it all seemed very sterile to Kalian.
“Wait here until I come for you, someone will be along soon with food and water.” Li’ara turned to leave.
“Wait, where are you going?” He regretted asking a question that had already been answered.
“I have to meet Commander Hawkins in the hangar bay; he’ll be coming with us to the Icarus station.” She left without saying anything else.
Ambassador Arlek stood at the central control station, reviewing the current data being relayed by every ship and satellite in the system. There wasn’t a lot of it. The station was covered in holographic readouts and scans that all fed back the same lack of knowledge. The Chief Commander ordered the latest images of the nearest drone sweep to be displayed on the large monitor at the head of the room. Arlek swept his scarlet robs aside as he moved round the station to get closer, the ship was astonishing. It was larger than any vessel made by Central Parliament or even the great warships from the corporate wars.
He touched the main station’s glass top and brought up the message sent by the aliens. It all sounded good except for the last part. Why on Earth would they want to meet a teacher? The possibilities this meeting held were not lost on him. If indeed these aliens were here to make an alliance, they could finally reclaim the years lost to them during the wars. The aliens could help humanity reach a golden age of technology that they should have conquered centuries ago. That responsibility fell squarely on him.
And so it should.
Arlek knew that no one else in Parliament was better suited for this than he. For decades he had mastered the art of manipulation and political manoeuvring. If there were aliens on that ship looking to make a deal with mankind, then he was going to secure it.
“What do we know about him?” He asked.
“There’s not a lot to know.” Hendricks swept his hand across the nearest holograms and displayed the teacher’s file. “He’s got no record. Parents died when he was a kid. He’s been lecturing at the San Francisco University for four years, he’s intelligent but he’s kept to himself, barely has a presence on any of the social networks. All in all, he’s unremarkable.”
“You’ve spoken to him?”
“He hasn’t got a clue what’s going on.”
“You’re sure?”
“We scanned every molecule of his body on his way through here. There are a few strange markers in his blood that we can’t explain yet, nothing alien but we’ve got the best going over it as we speak. I saw his reaction when we showed him the message; he was just as shocked as we were.”
There was something more to Kalian Gaines, there had to be. Arlek hated mysteries. He had spent years in the government uprooting every secret and leveraging every lie. He had anyone who mattered in his pocket, their sources now his own. Information was power and he had positioned himself deliberately to ensure everything passed through his office. How could there be no more to learn about this man? Everyone had secrets.
“What of them?” Arlek dismissed the data file on Kalian Gaines and looked to the magnificent ship.
“We know even less, I’m afraid. It appears they were always here, just cloaked.” That was technology Arlek wanted. “Our scans are useless against it. We don’t even know what its armaments are like.” That part seemed to particularly trouble the Chief Commander. A young cadet swivelled in his seat and caught their attention.
“Sir, they’ve responded. They’re agreed on, Icarus.” He reported.
“Have it ready, we launch immediately.” Arlek ignored Hendricks look and made for the lift, it was time for some answers.
Without his Info-band working he had no idea how much time had gone by. He had made one attempt to leave the mess hall but had been turned back by the guard stationed outside. It appeared they had closed off the entire room just to hold him in. They had brought him food but recent events had caused him to lose his appetite. When he had lost count of how many times he had paced up and down the door finally slid open to reveal Li’ara.
“The Ambassador’s been briefed and our guests upstairs have agreed on the location.”
“When do we leave?”
“Now.”
Chapter Two
Kalian was led through a maze of corridors and security checks where both Li’ara and he were retinal scanned. Eventually he found himself in another lift going back below ground level. Li’ara didn’t speak much on the journey; Kalian didn’t mind silence, but with her he found it uncomfortable.
“So you’re going to keep me safe, are you?”
“That’s the idea.” She sounded bored, which surprised Kalian given their extraordinary circumstances.
“Do you even know what you’re keeping me safe from?” Kalian briefly looked at her to see if he achieved any reaction. Li’ara gave a quick glance but remained silent.
Kalian realised this type of mission must be normal for Li’ara, escorting people into unknown territory with an infinite number of possible outcomes. She didn’t know if they were heading i
nto a fight or a simple conversation. He assumed this was the reason for her calm exterior. To even have this assignment she must be pretty good. He found himself hoping.
In any event she looked prepared for a fight. Since leaving Kalian in the mess hall she had obviously gone to meet Commander Hawkins and change her uniform. Instead of the all grey UDC garb, she now wore a combat survival suit covered in various plates of matte black armour. Besides her face there wasn’t one part of her body that wasn’t covered or protected. Kalian noticed the suit fitted her perfectly as if it had been made just for her, with every curve matching her own. He had never seen this kind of outfit on other UDC soldiers, he assumed they were used for missions people didn’t get to see or hear about. He suddenly felt quite vulnerable in just his jacket.
I’ll be fine; this is a historical meeting of two intelligent species, not some galactic war.
The hangar bay was bigger than Kalian had imagined. The ceiling was at least three hundred feet high and wider still. Lining the walls were hundreds of small ships capable of space flight. Most of them had smaller machines hovering around them screwing in new bolts or replacing old wiring. The soldiers and pilots milling around stopped what they were doing to watch Kalian and Li’ara walk down the middle of the hangar. He wasn’t sure how many people knew about him and his connection to current events. The guards who brought him here didn’t know anything after all. Kalian straightened his back to appear more confident in the new environment.
At least look as if you’re supposed to be here.
The ship they were heading for was obvious; it sat in the middle of the hangar with an armed guard at each corner. Several UDC mechanics were working on what Kalian assumed to be the engine at the back. The ship itself was quite different from the others in the bay. The surrounding vessels were practical in their design with no thought to appearance. This one on the other hand looked as if it had been polished for days by Cleaning Mechs. It had been put together using as few panels as possible to make it appear smoother. It still didn’t look as smooth as the alien ship. Painted against the silvery hull were the giant white letters of the UDC, underneath were smaller letters that read; FATHOM.
The ship had bilateral arcing wings on either side that sloped almost to the ground. There was something about the pattern on the wings that caught Kalian’s attention; hundreds of hexagons all fitted together like a bee hive. He had seen that pattern many times before in images from his own lectures. The ship has a Solar Drive. The design of this particular ship allowed for the wings to absorb the magnetic fields of the Sun so it could power the Solarcite in the engine.
“I’ve never been on a ship with a Solar Drive before. I didn’t even know we could make them so small.” Kalian marvelled at the ship. He had never paid much attention to the design of ships or any other vehicle, but he could appreciate the advance in technology this particular ship represented.
“It’s not combat-ready yet, but at a pinch it’ll get us out of there faster than light.” The reply had come from a deep rasping voice behind them. Kalian turned to find a man in similar armour to Li’ara standing only a couple of feet away. He had his thumbs tucked into the armour on his chest plate. He was no taller than Kalian, but there was something about the way he presented himself that made him appear larger. Kalian assumed it was his armour; it was thicker in most areas compared to Li’ara’s. it was obvious his armour had taken some damage, several dents and chips were visible on almost every piece. The most notable aspect to the man was a tattoo that arced over his shaven head. Kalian couldn’t make out the intricate pattern, but it started above his left eye and reached over the top and out of sight.
“Commander Hawkins, this is Kal-”
“I know who he is Lieutenant Commander,” he didn’t take his eyes off Kalian. “I’ve read your file Kalian Gaines, and those are five minutes of my life I’ll never get back,” the Commander started walking round Kalian like a predator circling its prey. “I can’t figure out why an alien species would wanna talk to a history lecturer,” he leaned in closer. “But it puts me on edge. You’re gonna stick to her like glue, you do what we say and we’ll all be back in time for dinner.” The Commander took one look at Li’ara before moving away. Kalian noticed the nod of her head as if there had been some silent conversation between them.
They really don’t like me being here...
Something the Commander had said echoed in Kalian’s mind.
“What did you mean, when you said it could get us out of there at a pinch?” Kalian had never been taught Solar Drive at a higher level, but he knew the ship would have to be near the surface of a star in order to absorb the magnetic fields. How could any ship speed them away, if they were thousands of kilometres away from the Sun?
Now that Commander Hawkins was walking away Kalian could see that his tattoo went all the way down his neck and into his combat suit.
“Don’t ask questions you don’t need answers to.” The Commander didn’t even look back as he said it. Kalian looked to Li’ara to shed some light on the topic. Before she could say anything the lift doors at the end of the hangar bay opened revealing a small party of people. Kalian recognised Chief Commander Hendricks and Commander Barnes immediately; next to them was a man he had never seen before. The man appeared regal in bright red and gold robes that reached the floor. His hands were hidden within the folds of his sleeves. As they got closer, Kalian could make out his short blonde hair that came to a point in the middle of his forehead. Kalian didn’t need an introduction to know this was Ambassador Arlek.
“You must be, Kalian Gaines,” the Ambassador extended a hand from his robes to greet Kalian. He noticed the Ambassador hadn’t waited for an introduction. Kalian assumed he must stand out here as much the Ambassador does. Kalian nodded his hand in response.
“Ambassador Arlek, I assume.” It was impossible to tell how old he was, he could have been anywhere between fifty and a hundred and fifty.
“I am sure you are eager to get to the bottom of this, Kalian. I am as curious as you are to their interest about meeting you. But we should not lose sight of the importance of this meeting. First and foremost this is an historical meeting of two species, who knows what this might lead to for humankind. Before we approach the subject of your relevance I think it prudent to address the concerns of Central Parliament.” He’s good. Kalian had heard politicians talk enough on the Vid-Net at home. He was trying to make Kalian feel like they were familiar by addressing him by his first name. Then he tried to make them equal by giving them parallel goals as to Kalian’s relevance. The Ambassador had been well trained in art of debate and elocution; he knew how to make his own goals appear the most important.
He might not have been as blunt as the Chief Commander, but the Ambassador had just told Kalian not to get in the way. The Ambassador didn’t wait for Kalian’s reply, his attention wandered past him towards the ship.
“So this is the Fathom...” the Ambassador looked over the ship with an inspecting eye. “Are you certain it’s safe?”
“It might only be the prototype, but it’s been vigorously tested.” The Chief Commander explained.
“I’m sorry to interrupt sir,” Commander Barnes stepped in. “The Icarus station has been evacuated and the deadline is approaching.” He looked to Commander Hawkins who nodded in return to his silent question. “The Fathom is prepped and ready to launch.” He took Ambassador Arlek over to meet Commander Hawkins who would be his personal security. Kalian reminded himself to ask Li’ara about the ship later.
A few minutes later the Chief and Commander Barnes left for central command. The four passengers boarded the Fathom, a ramp extended out of the side through a large panel that opened up on hydraulics. The ship was more spacious than Kalian expected, the immediate interior resembled a living space found in most homes. He noticed a room at the back with nothing in it except several racks on the wall filled with UDC weapons. There was another room next to it behind a wall of glass with a red li
ne that ran through the centre. This room was all white and filled with compartments and a single bed in the middle.
Commander Hawkins went straight to the front of the ship and disappeared into the cockpit without a word. Ambassador Arlek took a seat on one of the sofas, wrapping his hands into his sleeves again. Li’ara sealed the door behind them, gesturing at Kalian to take a seat opposite the Ambassador. Kalian wasn’t sure what to expect from a ship with Solar Drive, would it take off like the craft that brought him here? Did they need to be strapped in or hold onto something? Rather than take the chance of asking another stupid question, he decided to watch what the others did. Neither the Ambassador nor Li’ara looked uncomfortable; Li’ara went through to the weapons room while the Ambassador examined the interior.
Kalian heard a loud hum from somewhere inside the ship as the engines came to life. Lights on various pieces of equipment lit up and a small image appeared on the cockpit door of Commander Hawkins at the helm. A clunking noise was audible under their feet as the Fathom’s landing gear retracted into the ships belly. Kalian could feel the ship ascending, how were they going to get out of here? He hadn’t seen any large hangar doors.
“Grav Enforcers coming online.” The Commander’s voice came through a speaker over their heads. Moments later Kalian felt that familiar pressure pass from head to toe. He could no longer feel the ship ascending. He instinctively looked round to get his bearings, but just like the craft that had brought him to The Hub, the Fathom had no windows either. Li’ara walked back into the room with a gun attached to her right thigh. The sight of the weapon reminded Kalian that Li’ara was more than she appeared. He really hoped her particular skills wouldn’t be required, he put the thought aside.
Intrinsic: Book One of the Terran Cycle Page 4
