by J E Kerry
With a wave of her hand over the face, Mai-loo-na uses the ring to let the distinctive scar crossing her face camouflage. It also transforms her hair color into dark brown and her silver eyes into ocean-blue, allowing a very natural Earth-like human appearance.
Satisfied with her transformation, she crosses back through the living room toward the teleport-lift, only to slow in front of an enormous white jade rock and collects a beautiful lavender jade pendant to place it around her neck. This unique pendant was gifted to Mai-loo-na by her father before he took off on his search for the ‘Source’. The gem is encrusted in a special alien metal that was mined from the core of the oldest meteor to have ever existed in the galaxy. The metal serves as a case for the jade pendant and it is carved in the shape of two mammoth dragons to signify that her father would always be connected to Mai-loo-na even when they were lightyears apart.
But ‘the precious gem’, as he usually called it, does more than just connect father and daughter through time and space, it also helps them meet in a special dimension where they can communicate on astral level. Every emotion felt by Mai-loo-na is felt by her father, from joy, pain, anxiety to anger, as well as love.
The pendant is the only thing close to emotional attachment that Mai-loo-na still allows herself to have. It is there to make sure she never forgets the love of her father but also to help Mai-loo-na play her part in a much bigger plan that is yet to unfold and would lead her to a distant planet where the destiny of the Laniakea universe will be soon decided on.
The princess takes a deep breath to clear her clouded thoughts before collecting herself and exiting her penthouse.
The An-CDC council members and its press, with their mobile-sized 3D HGPs, impatiently wait in the organic Lyr-an auditorium, where the most visibly prominent High Council figures, Counselor Tsung, Brooks, Tinibu and Azarov, have gathered on the elevated stage.
“Well, this is certainly going to be interesting.” Counselor Tinibu whispers into Counselor Brooks’ ear.
“According to my calculations, there is a 50% chance that we are going to die today.”
Brooks turns his head to Tinibu, noticeably puzzled.
“50% Aidan. 50%. But, no pressure. I’m sure you won’t kill us all.” Tinibu continues, gloating and relieved that he isn’t in his position. He pats Brooks’ back, who takes some steps forward to join their mysterious guest, now even more nervous than before, as Mai-loo-na enters the room and the camera drones are brought to life.
The audience gasps in adoration, they had never seen someone look so beautiful yet so fierce. They shift into position while the princess crosses the floor to the decadent Ly-ran Queen Ce-loo-me, her immortal mother who very much looks like a more venerable albeit alien version of the princess herself. Everybody always remarks how Mai-loo-na is the carbon copy of her mother, but she never sees the semblance. As much as she loves her mother, she feels they are like the opposite sides of a coin, always found together but too distinct to ever to be reconciled together. She never sees her mother get angry at anybody or raise her voice and knows that she inspires respect and adoration in the people while Mai-loo-na on the other hand only knows one way to get people do things; that is through the brutal force of the animalistic part of her warrior instinct.
Ce-loo-me appears to be in her 40s, but not a single wrinkle mars her porcelain skin. An impressive gold edged pearl jade necklace decorates her décolletage. Her Amazonian frame is draped over with a ceremonial Lyr-an robe, a glistening white article with laced trimmings running from the collar down the shoulders, all the way to either side of the ankles where the length of the garment comes to an end. Her white hair has been swept up onto her head where a diamond foam aigrette complements its shape from the back to the forehead of the queen in such elegance that one can’t keep the eyes of this alien artwork.
The queen’s mustering silvereyes scan her daughter’s human appearance.
“You’re late,” she telepathically communicates in Saren, the language of their people, without drawing the attention of any bystanders.
“Why the transformation?” the queen asks impatiently.
“I thought it might be best to look more like them this time.” The princess tries to defend her decision with respect.
“You are not to think,” Ce-Loo-Me reminds her daughter. “You are to do as instructed!”
“Forgive, mother,” Mai-loo-na apologizes and finally takes her position behind the queen on stage, just as Counselor Brooks opens the press conference. He does a last turn to Counselor Tinibu in his neck, who signs five and zero as in 50%, reminding Brooks on the calculations, and takes a deep breath before beginning with the probably most important speech of his life.
“A month ago, the A-Nation Council welcomed benevolent visitors to our planet,” Counselor Brooks commences. “Today, we have been invited to their colony, the first of its kind on Earth; as an alliance between two human races from different galaxies.”
The holographic screens on the AN-CDC streets switch to Counselor Brooks’ address at the press conference. Young and old citizens are coming together.
“This alliance is based on a mutual and peaceful co-existence,” he claims.
Citizens join to watch the screens on the sides of the Square Garden building.
“It is my honor to introduce the High Priestess of the Andromed-a Council, Queen Ce-loo-me of Lyr-a,” he continues and looks over to Ce-loo-me, nodding, as if they’ve had some sort of pre-agreement on this speech.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the housing area, Professor Jason Crown sits behind the desk in his study at home, working on a pile of translations, when his integrated table holo-screen automatically activates and transmits the press conference. He moves his eyes up and is instantly distracted by the queen’s impressive countenance as she lowers her head respectfully at the High Council and receives a rather reserved smile from Counselor Tsung who tries to read her expression, subtly crunching up his features. She shifts her focus to the audience and begins with her speech.
“Thank you, people of Earth, for welcoming us on your planet,” she says with a soft and accent free voice.
More and more citizens assemble in front of public holo-screens on the streets and listen curiously to the queen.
“The biggest question you might have is: Who are they?” Ce-Loo-me poses. “Just like you, we are divided into various races, such as the Siri-ans, Arcturi-ans, Antari-ans, Pleiadi-ans and more. Our people belong to the Andromed-a Star Nation and are member of the intergalactic, interstellar and interdimensional Andromed-a Council with its Galactic Federation of Worlds and the Galactic Federation of Light.” She straightens. “We call ourselves Lyr-ans.”
A dignified silence falls in the room while the queen uses that moment of surprise and draws the audience’s attention to her daughter, gesturing Mai-loo-na to join her speech at the front.
Back at the house of Professor Crown, he immediately recognizes the princess’ face and drops his coffee mug on the floor, revealing a hover-wheelchair and amputated legs, covered by a blanket.
“My daughter, Princess Dha-loo-ma, was born into a time after the Ori-on Wars when our people were forced to leave the planet.” The hologram continues, while the professor grabs his HGP and slides with the finger over scanned paper pieces. He slows on the ‘Pilchowa’ drawing of the princess, distinguishing itself from the live image of the press transmission by a scar crossing her face. He wonders to himself for a second and keeps watching.
“She grew up on our mothership, deprived of the pleasures that life on a lush planet like Earth can offer,” the queen continues while the press keeps hanging on her lips. “The universe might seem magical to you but magic always comes with a price. To ensure the survival of our species, we seek to ally with other planets and in exchange assist with our scientific knowledge and universal wisdom.”
Ce-loo-me takes a step back and leaves the spotlight to Mai-loo-na, introduced as ‘Dha-loo-ma’ (*referred to as such from now
on in the story). The princess shuffles forward, followed by the camera drones, and manages a shy smile.
“Thank you for allowing us to enter your space,” she begins while Professor Azarov has now also tuned in on the conference in his organic-shaped bedroom chamber, which is of monotone white architecture and color, with smoothly designed chairs, similar to the Riferator’s egg-chair, and a pristine-made bed, set on the opposite side of the room from a mirrored table-like platform of about hip-height.
The professor sits on the bed and takes his right arm prosthetic off, as he watches Dha-loo-ma continue her speech on the bedroom holo-screen.
“We hope that our alliance will help your evolution and create unity as a symbol of peaceful co-existence between the galaxies,” the princess says and looks to her queen-mother, almost as if communicating telepathically again, before turning back to the audience.
“We are of harmony,” she ends her speech with a magnifying look in her mysterious, human eyes, “always”.
∞∞∞
Wang stands half naked, with a towel around his hips, in the bathroom, his head somewhere else. He deactivates the holo-mirror broadcast of the press conference and takes a last look at the silhouette of a dragon shaved into his right side of the cut hair and touches the bar-code tattoo on his neck, which are both the result of him having passed the four weeks of SFB training.
He then turns around and exits the bathroom, walking straight over to the bed and collects up his Nanotech DMG, a detachable metallic glass housing, filled with nanites that will build a quantum stealth suit around his body. He attaches the device to his bare chest, where it docks to his skin via the integrated nano-needles that verify his DNA and sync this data with the external mainframe of the SFB.
Seconds later Wang’s quantum stealth jumpsuit armor has wrapped itself around his entire body like a second skin.
With a proud and satisfied look, he runs his thumb back and forth over the silver dragon logo applied to the left side of his arm, changing its color from silver to gold.
Unit 12
Wang, Philipe and Jodie strut along a futuristic white tunnel toward the ‘Escalator Hall’, wearing their brand-new SFB stealth suit armor and make-over haircuts, looking fearless.
The three friends enter the SFB building and are instantly impressed by the never-ending hallway and its black marble ceiling stretching in front of them.
A soldier glances at the new arrivals, amusedly taking in their awestruck countenances as if he was personally responsible for them.
“I see you are all primed and ready for the next phase?” he asks.
“Yes Sir!” They say in unison, their faces not departing from their awestruck dispositions.
The soldier gives them one last appraising glance before turning sharp on his heels and marching away, beckoning to Philipe and Jodie to follow him. Philipe and Jodie both look at Wang and exchange nods before following the soldier with measured steps.
Wang is the last to step on the escalator and sits down on the inbuilt bench that immediately sends out an electromagnetic-impulse to his Visuals and automatically activates an AR-animation featuring a narrated demo by Sniper.
“Spacetime Warrior 102-85-69,” Sniper’s voice comes through. “Your drive to the Decon-Checkpoint (decontamination checkpoint) will end in approximately 10 minutes.”
“Cool,” Wang says openmouthedly. His attention immediately rivets to the next display.
His 3D avatar, wearing the re-engineered smart suit, appears on the Visuals with Sniper’s voice commencing on the introduction of the suit and its features as two models, the Lyr-an and the old SFB one, melt together.
“The SFB stealth suit armor was gifted to our Council by Queen Ce-loo-me of Lyr-a,” Sniper says. “We’ve reverse-engineered the extraterrestrial technology of the Lyr-ans and upgraded our old model.”
The suit does a 3D spin and commences with the demonstration wizard for the internal features.
“The blood test you’ve done during your examination enables the suit to measure all chemicals in your body that initiate a fight or flight movement,” Sniper explains. “It will quickly apply some autologous dopamine and serotonin. You won’t need any pharmaceutical help to heal your body and recover.”
The suit does one more spin, pointing out the connection between the human body and itself.
“Your suit is always connected to you,” Sniper’s voice resumes. “It’s your second skin and knows how much sweat you’re sweating, how much air you’re breathing, your body temperature, your blood pressure, simply everything. It also adjusts to your size.”
The simulation zooms into Wang’s Visuals, explaining and listing all of its features next to the animation.
“The sensors of your Visuals include a bio-metric detection of close-by objects, a cybernetic polygraph, environmental metrics for precise measurements, heat detection, telescopic and night vision, as well as any personnel and organic information about living organisms and objects,” he further adds.
The picture of a brain and its functions pops up.
“The key to control your Visuals, are your thoughts,” Sniper elucidates. “You need to master them, in order to dictate the actions managed by your brain.”
The demonstration wizard now continues with the external functions and zooms in and out of the specific suit parts.
“This suit was especially designed for our soldiers to be able to go anywhere undetected, even into space. The combination of nano-tube carbon fibers, energy resistant crystalline weave and advanced composite ballistics cloth, has the ability to absorb all the shock on your body.”
Wang’s avatar does a jump from the cliff and levitates for a second before hitting the ground.
“If you were to jump 40 feet off a cliff onto the ground, all the weight will be distributed into the suit, letting your body feel nothing at all,” Sniper says with a smile in his voice.
The avatar is now in a jungle like environment, cloaking.
“The white reptile pattern allows you to blend in with your surroundings, cloaking the visibility of your entire body like a chameleon,” he explains further.
Wang’s avatar withstands a laser shot, as well as an explosion happening right in front of it.
“The suit generates a magnetic field which allows you to withstand bullets, lasers and fire.”
The suit simulates how an Adrenalin stimulating serum finds its way from the fabric through the sweat pores into the bloodstream.
“The Adrenalin stimulation serum finds its way through your sweat pores, right into your bloodstream.”
The avatar lifts an airplane and speeds up, flying faster than a VTH. It walks through a street and is able to pick up thoughts of other people touching. It stops and turns around to face another man behind. Mind-waves are exchanged. The man suddenly runs on the street and is hit by a car.
“This serum enables enhanced strength, speed and the ability to channel psionic manipulation skills.”
The wrist of the avatar’s arm shoots out a holographic inbuilt screen that is able to activate an alien rifle.
“The organic built-in screen, with holographic functions on both wrists, allows you to activate and use any weapon, machine or vehicle.”
Wang’s avatar fights against a Rebel and touches the neck with its left-hand microscopic glove stings, applying a tranquilizer to the Rebel’s bloodstream. The enemy goes straight to the ground.
“The fingertips of your gloves are able to apply various nano-biological drugs, such as tranquilizers, truth serums, poisons and pheromones.”
The avatar’s right hand now touches the Rebel’s neck and he wakes up.
“The left hand enables the drug; the right administers the antidote or revives a heartbeat.”
The avatar walks through the desert without any sign of exhaustion. The suit shows the plasma running from head to toe and keeping the induction of nutrients activated.
“On long and dangerous missions, you can wear your s
uit for 30 days without food or water. It cleans you and gives your body nutrients at the same time. It will be charged with an advanced water plasma we call P-H2O, similar to the propulsion system used for our ships.”
Wang’s avatar is propelled out of its spacecraft through an explosion and falls unconscious down from the sky. It is about to hit the ground as the white monatomic gold in the suit suddenly activates, triggered by the brain’s neurons. A self-protecting electromagnetic impulse is initiated, similar to a CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation), and the avatar regains consciousness.
“The suit doesn’t allow to hurt yourself. It protects you through orbitally rearranged diatomic elements and their assisted consciousness, connected through your skin with your blood and transferred to your brain’s neurons.”
The animation has come to an end and deactivates.
“This operational suit will serve you well on your missions. Please report any malfunction immediately,” Sniper’s voice initiates the end of demonstration, “You have now arrived at your destination and must proceed to the next chamber.”
The group of three has reached the end of the escalator hall and gets off.
Wang walks straight through a holographic wall, passing the sensory security tunnel.
He continues through a seamless glass door and enters the decontamination chamber, made of four automated infrared screens and six sprayer arms releasing a non-toxic vaporized substance on to his suit as he steps on a flawless X-ray treadmill and is transported to the exit.
A moment later, Wang, Philipe and Jodie enter the simulation hall from three different doors, joining the rest of the soldiers.
Above their heads, high up in the Watchtower, three SFB engineers prepare the simulation on their holo-screens while General Ma steps onto the avatar-platform in the center of the room and begins his speech as his avatar materializes next to Sniper’s on the ground in the Simulation Hall, where the last 24 standing soldiers from the training weeks wait curiously for the next announcement. Wang, Philipe and Jodie linger near the front of the group, confidently.
