by S. E. Smith
Kordon nodded ignoring the changes. He knew the Ta’nee were very shy and did not like being the center of attention. He looked at each member intently so they would understand what he was about to say, though, having worked with all of them except for Mohan who he brought on board almost a year ago for over the past twenty years, he knew it was not necessary.
“I want answers. Find out if there are any signature marks from their ship. I want to know every ripple in space that has occurred in that region within the past month. Mohan, monitor all frequencies. Let me know if you hear anything out the ordinary. Toolas, get me a detailed report of the bodies. I want to know exactly what you know and what you think in the report. Bran, get me a report on the types of weapons that could have been used to cause that amount of destruction. I also want information on what types of shields they could have used. Report back in four hours.”
Everyone stood immediately as Kordon stood and strode back out of the conference room. He walked over to the commander’s chair on the bridge and gave the order to the helmsmen to proceed to the miner’s colony. He wanted to look at the destruction first hand.
Three years after crash landing
Gracie moved quietly stalking her prey. It was a small creature not much bigger than a squirrel. She didn’t know the names of any of the creatures on the moon she had crashed on – in truth, she didn’t care…at least not at first.
Gracie woke up three years ago to alarms sounding and a terrible headache. She finally managed to shut off the alarms resounding through the supply ship. She was amazed she was still alive. When the computer indicated the supply ship had crashed on the surface of an unknown moon it took Gracie a minute to realize something strange besides not being dead had occurred. It didn’t matter how hard she tried, the response from the computer system came up the same – unknown. Gracie shut everything down except life support even though the system verified the atmosphere was suitable for her life form.
A week after she landed she was finally so sick of being confined to the small supply ship she would have fought a bear to get out of it. Her first step on an alien world should have been filled with trepidation but Gracie was beyond that. She was alone. She no longer feared death but welcomed the possibility. She knew she was grieving the loss of Chance. It took almost six months for her to finally talk herself into forcing herself to move forward. She began stretching out of her comfort zone. The first six months she stayed close to the supply ship. She focused on finding enough food to supplement the MREs Crocker had stowed aboard the ship. It was strange but it was almost like he expected her to need them. Gracie didn’t need much. She had gotten used to living on very little during the years they lived in the subway system.
As the months turned to years, she learned to hunt, gather and forage for most of her food supply. She often wondered if this was what early humans must have done and felt when they fought for survival. The moon had a few predators but Gracie learned to avoid them. For the most part, there were primarily just small mammal type creatures like the one she was hunting now. She made sure to only seek them out a couple of times of month so she would not reduce the population, although they seem to be pretty prevalent.
Gracie aimed the bow she made and let it fly. It had taken her over a year to get any good with one. Gracie grimaced as she approached the dead creature. She still got queasy when it came time to kill and clean them though. It was only because she had no other choice that she did it. It was that or starve to death which she came very close to doing.
Gracie swung the bow over her shoulder and walked over to pick up the dead ‘squirrel’. She would have protein tonight. Working her way back to the supply ship, she marveled at how fast the plants on the moon grew. In the three years she had been on it, there was never really a ‘winter’. The coldest it seemed to get was in the thirties if she had to guess. Not near as cold as a New York winter, Gracie thought before she could stop herself. She fought against the wave of sadness that flooded her. This is why you shouldn’t think about it. She scolded herself.
Gracie quickly pulled some of the vines that threatened to cover the platform door away before she walked down to a nearby stream. The water was good as long as she boiled it first for at least five minutes. She quickly and efficiently cleaned her supper and set it to cooking in a large container she used as a pot over the open coals of the fire she kept burning. Laser guns were good for starting fires she discovered after several failed attempts to do it the Girl Scout way and a fit of temper.
Several hours and one full stomach later, Gracie turned the supply ship power on. She did a systems check at least twice a month to make sure the fuel cells were not leaking and to check for any communications in the area. She felt comfortable the moon was uninhabited except for her and the few creatures she saw. In three years, not a single space ship or communication had been seen or heard. She figured she must have traveled at least fifty miles in a circle and there was also no sign of additional life.
Turning on the power, Gracie set a random pattern for the computer to scan for any type of signal. She leaned back and carefully pulled the last picture of her with the guys out of the protective sleeve she kept it in. Gracie smiled softly and gently touched the tip of her finger to Chance’s cheek. She wondered if they were all okay. She liked to dream Chance had found her parents and sister and moved on. Perhaps, the Earth was now free and Chance had married someone else. He could have a child by now…one that looked like him. She imagined sitting with the guys, her and Chance’s son or daughter on her lap, while the other guys cooked barbeque and drank beer. She remembered her parents having friends over and her and her sister playing with the other kids. Gracie was so focused on her daydream it took a moment for the sounds coming through the communication's systems to register.
Gracie sat up straight in shock as the voices came over the system again. She didn’t understand them but she might be able to figure it out eventually. It sounded just like the chatter she used to listen to between the ham-radio operators. Her fingers trembled as she set the computer to record. Gracie listened to the traffic for almost an hour before she made a decision. She could hear the different cadence and even laughter. Laughter was good, she kept telling herself. Looking around the small supply ship she figured she had two choices – die alone on this small moon or try to find a way off it and back home. Either way, she would eventually end up dead.
Pushing the transmission button before she could talk herself out of it, Gracie leaned forward and began talking softly, hesitantly at first. “This is Gracie’s Touch reaching out to anyone who can hear this. I am currently stranded on an unknown planet or moon. If you can understand this, please respond. I repeat…this is Gracie reaching out to touch any friendly ship who could offer assistance. If you receive this message and can respond I need assistance.” Gracie repeated over and over before she felt she needed to power down for a while. The solar cells could power the supply ship systems for a short period and she wanted to conserve the power as much as possible. She would listen and try again tomorrow once the sun was up.
“This is Gracie’s Touch saying goodnight.” Gracie said before she shut down the system.
Gracie’s heart was pounding as she realized she had either done the smartest thing she would ever do or the dumbest. Only time would tell. Looking out through the front view screen at the dark forests slowly devouring her little home, she knew there was no going back.
Chapter 4
“Sir.” Mohan said softly as she approached Kordon.
She forced herself not to twist her soft fur-covered hands together as she waited for him to acknowledge her presence. She fought back her reservations about approaching him with the information she had but he ordered any unusual communications be reported to him immediately. That was the only reason she broke protocol and made her way down to the engineering room. Mohan flushed as another male crewman gave her an appraising look. The Ta’nee was known to be a very sensual creature. Mohan was
only half Ta’nee, though. Her father was a human male from a distant planet called Earth. Her mother and father met when he was doing research on the Ta’nee at their invitation. Her mother, one of the younger daughters of the chief, met and fell in love with him. Their union was a good one producing many offspring. Most of her sisters and brothers preferred to remain on Ta’NeeWak but Mohan wanted to explore more after learning about her father’s history and the history of his world.
That information was what gave her the reservations she was having about approaching the admiral. Her father taught her the old language of his planet. Earth Standard was based on many of the words but the message she listened to earlier was from the old ancient language no longer taught except to those who studied Earth’s history. She did not know anyone else who spoke it except her father and her.
Kordon finished listening to his chief engineer before turning to Mohan. He knew she would never have ventured down to engineering if she could have avoided it. He let his gaze flicker over her. No one, including Mohan, would know what he was thinking. His face remained carved in a blank mask. He learned long ago not to reveal his emotions or thoughts to anyone unless he wanted them to think they knew what he was thinking. It was a good way to end up dead.
“Walk with me.” Kordon said moving without checking to see if Mohan followed. He waited until they were in the lift before he nodded for her to explain her presence.
“Sir, you asked to be notified immediately if I heard any unusual signals or conversations.” Mohan began.
“I am assuming from your presence in engineering you found something.” Kordon responded.
“Yes sir. Over the past several hours there has been some routine communications between several long-range freighters. There was nothing unusual about their transmissions, signals, or any indication they were having difficulty from a foreign source.” Mohan stated as she watched the numbers flash as they went up.
She tried desperately to ignore the scent of the man standing next to her. It was becoming more difficult the higher they went. She fought the shiver of desire that rippled through her as she remembered the feel of his strong hands against her fur coated breasts. They had one brief, incredible night of passion on a spaceport in the Cumin system before she transferred onto his warship, the Conqueror. At the time, Mohan didn’t even know his name. They met in one of the local bars and before she knew it, they were in her bed. Kordon was the best lover Mohan ever had and she was devastated the next morning when she woke alone. Eight months later, she found herself commissioned to his ship. Kordon calmly explained he choose her because she was the best communication’s officer in the fleet. He also made sure she knew he did not fraternize with crew members. Mohan was forced to bury her embarrassment and her desire for him. Unfortunately, she still seemed to have problems with her fur changing colors around him. He knew it meant she desired him and was trying to entice him. Fortunately, other crew members just thought it was natural for all Ta’nee as it seemed everyone of them did it.
“What is unusual then that would force you to interrupt me?” Kordon asked impatiently. He had things to do. He still needed to review the reports from Toolas.
“There was another message being broadcast in the background using the same signal signature as the species that attacked the colony.” Mohan said hesitantly.
Kordon’s eyes swung around at that, narrowing. “Could you decipher it?”
Mohan nodded reluctantly. “Yes sir, but it was strange. It was a call for help. I’ve translated it and sent both the translated version and the original version to your office.”
The doors to the lift opened and Mohan gave a sigh of relief. She waited as Kordon strode out of the lift heading from the admiral’s office off the bridge. Kordon ignored the men standing at attention as he made his way to his office. Perhaps they finally had a lead.
Kordon sat down in his chair and swung around to his console. Pushing in a series of passwords, he accessed the files Mohan sent him. Within seconds, he heard the soft, lilted voice in the message. A shiver went down his spine as her voice seemed to touch something deep inside him. He ordered the program to restart and increase volume. Seating back, he closed his eyes trying to imagine the face behind the voice.
“This is Gracie’s Touch reaching out to anyone who can hear this. I am currently stranded on an unknown planet or moon. If you can understand this, please respond. I repeat…this is Gracie reaching out to touch any friendly ship who could offer assistance. If you receive this message and can respond I need assistance.” The voice was soft, hesitant at first but gained in strength as the female repeated her request for help. Kordon frowned as he listened to the slight tremble in it, as if she was afraid. The voice sounded young and the cadence was strange. He didn’t understand what she was saying though some of the sounds sounded familiar. It was her last words that held him transfixed to his seat.
“This is Gracie’s Touch saying goodnight.” The soft voice said before it faded away.
She sounded sad and something else. Kordon gritted his teeth. He didn’t like that sound in her voice. A voice like that should never be sad or…heartbroken. That was it. She sounded like her heart was broken. Kordon swung around and stood up. Walking over to the windows overlooking the darkness that surrounded them, he stood stiff with his legs slightly parted. His mind played the message over and over. The sound of the female’s voice seemed to call to him, beg him to find her, protect her…love her. Kordon started as that thought passed through him. Love? He had heard of it. He supposed he had even seen it before in others. That emotion was as foreign to him as feeling fear. As a Zion warrior and commanding officer in charge of the Confederation of Planets military, he did not allow emotions to be a part of his life. Zion warriors were bred to be fierce in battle, in control at all times, and nearly indestructible with an ability to heal rapidly and withstand great amounts of pain. That was why they were the officers of the Confederation of Planets. While many of his crew came from other galaxies, his fighting force all came from the Zion galaxy. Those were the only members of his crew he trusted explicitly.
“Have Lt. Mohan report to my office immediately.” Kordon said to the computer without turning around.
Within moments Mohan was back in front of the only man who could truly scare her. “Yes sir?”
“Explain the language the female is speaking. It is somewhat familiar. What history do you have on it?” Kordon asked turning to face Mohan.
Mohan cleared her throat flushing as it came out as a purr. “The female is speaking an ancient dialect from a planet called Earth. It is on the outer regions of the Confederation and is rather isolated. It did not come into the Confederation’s attention until one of their spaceships ventured into the path of one of the long distance freighters back in 2198, Earth year calendar. The language is taught only to those in charge of studying Earth history or those who want to listen to the old recordings from the Great Battle against an unknown species called the Alluthans.” Mohan paused. She was hesitant to tell Kordon what her search came up with using her private archives.
Kordon kept his expression blank but he could tell Mohan was holding something back. “Continue.”
Mohan flushed again. “The name the female kept repeating sounded familiar, as well as, the words she kept saying. I knew I had heard them before but was unsure of where. I…have my personal archives with me. My father was very passionate about his home world and its history. I went through the copies and cross-reference the name and keywords. But…” Mohan looked at Kordon confused for a moment. “…it doesn’t make any sense. There must be some mistake but even the computer is giving me an incorrect reading.”
Kordon fought to keep from reaching out and shaking Mohan. Why couldn’t she just give him the facts he asked for without him having to drag it out of her? Breathing deeply through his nose, he waited as she worked out what she was hesitant to tell him.
“Earth history tells of the rebel forces that fought agai
nst the Alluthans. One group, called the Freedom Five, was made up of four males and one female. The female was called Gracie Jones. For several hours each day over the course of five years, Gracie would broadcast to the millions of humans fighting. She called it Gracie’s Touch. She always ended her broadcast the same…except for her very last one which was received several days after the Alluthans were destroyed.” Mohan said ringing her furred hands together nervously.
“Why do you think the computer is giving you incorrect readings?” Kordon said as his gut tightened.
Mohan looked unsure for a moment as she responded. “I did a cross-match of voice, rhythm, pronunciation, everything. It all came back with the same results.” Mohan said in puzzlement.
“What were the results?” Kordon bit out impatiently.
Mohan’s head jerked up at the change in tone. She couldn’t remember Kordon ever speaking in anything but a cold, calm voice. Even when he made love to her, he spoke the same as he did if he was giving a speech or talking during one of their meetings.
