by Lucy Snow
Ambassador Fuller sighed wearily. “After all this time, Melissa, I had no idea you were one of those people.”
“Those people?”
“The ones who believe the Kreossians mean to do us harm, or to hold us back from something. If I had known that before hand I would not have brought you on this mission.”
“Oh, no, Ambassador, you must believe me!” My voice was tinged with fright; I did not want Fuller to think that way about me. “I am not scared at all, I was just curious as to what gives you the confidence that the Kreossians mean well.”
“Sit down, Melissa.” His voice had hardened, and this wasn’t a request so much as a command. “I’ll tell you why I’m sure the Kreossians won’t do us any harm.”
“A-Alright, sir,” I said, cowed, sitting down on chair at Fuller’s desk, turning it to face the bed.
“There are two reasons I am fully confident that the Kreossians do not wish to harm us. The first of which is very simple - if they wanted to do so, they could have eliminated every human from the face of the planet in minutes, with technology like theirs. In fact, they might even have ways of killing us all without harming any of the other life on Earth or anything that we’ve built.”
“Which means without blowing us up?”
Fuller nodded. “Exactly. The things they showed me on their ship-“
“You were on their ship?! That was never in the records! Or in your book!”
“No, it was not, because I didn’t tell anyone about that part. You’re the first person to know.”
That was a huge honor. “Why me?”
“I’ve been wanting to tell someone for 50 years, and now seemed as good a time as any, considering where we’re headed. We should be arriving any minute now, yes?”
I looked at my watch. “Yes, we should be arriving soon. You had better get dressed, Ambassador.”
“Oh, oh, yes, I had better do that. I wouldn’t want to show up looking like this.” Fuller smiled and stood up, as fast as if he had been thirty years younger. I smiled inwardly; Fuller was clearly excited about the upcoming meeting with the Kreossians.
I stood up as well, but I still had a question. “Sir, what was the second reason?”
“Oh? What second reason?” Fuller’s mind was already somewhere else, probably on the station.
“The second reason you’re sure the Kreossians won’t hurt us. The first one makes sense, but, uh, the more the merrier, in this case.”
“Oh, right, yes, of course. The second reason is an extension of the first: why? Why go through all the trouble? They could easily destroy us - if they wanted to, why not do so? Why give us plans for the station? Why encourage us to build something that would help us communicate with them?”
I nodded. Fuller sat back down, and I did as well, after a moment. “That makes sense too. I’ve always believed in their good intentions, but last night I was thinking about it some more while trying to sleep, and I couldn’t shake the thought that they might have other goals.”
Fuller waved the idea away. “I’m sure they do, but still, perish the thought, Melissa. Whatever plans they have don’t concern us. In a few hours all your fears will disappear. Now,” he clapped his hands together. “I have a question for you, my dear.”
I sat at attention. “Yes, sir?”
“Why are you here?”
I was taken aback, unprepared for this question. “I-I’m your assistant, Ambassador Fuller…”
“Yes, yes, of course you are. But I have many assistants. Why did you volunteer for this assignment? You could be doing so many other things with your life, instead of spending the last few years preparing for this mission.” He sat back and watched me, trying to read my face for any reaction.
“Like what? This is what I want to do.”
“I know you want it, but don’t you want other things? Like a family, for example? I seem to remember there was a young man who took you out a few times.”
I remembered Jack, and how Jack had reacted to hearing that I had volunteered for this assignment, and how much of my time it would occupy. He hadn’t stuck around much longer.
Of course, I wanted a family. Working with Fuller all this time over the last few years had been wonderful, but it wasn’t the same as having a special man in my life.
“I do want that, of course, Ambassador. But so far romance and this mission have been incompatible, and I thought this was more important.” For now, of course. Once this mission was over, that was a different story.
“Just as long as you’re keeping that in mind, Melissa.” Fuller looked up, wistfully, as if he were remembering romances long past. He paused like that, staring up toward nothing in particular, a smile making its way across his face, before looking back across at me. “It’s important, you know. Take it from someone who they say has done important things with his life. Love and romance may seem like small things, but it’s the small things that make the big things worth it.”
I smiled, partly because it was a nice thought and partly because I found it funny that Fuller was trying to give me romantic advice. “I’ll keep that in mind, Ambassador. Thank you.”
“Of course.” He stood up with a flourish, gathering his robes about him. “And now, I need time to get ready, so please make sure the ship is on course.”
“Yes, sir,” I said as I mock saluted, earning a chuckle from Fuller as he turned around and addressed the green robes laid out on his bed. “I’ll be in the cockpit, join me when you’re ready, or call if you need anything.”
“I’ll be fine,” Fuller snapped, but in a nice way. “I can still dress myself, you know.”
“I know, sir.” I opened the door and stepped out, pressing the button and hearing the door slide closed behind me.
Continuing on with the imaginative names, the ship we were on, while officially named the “Horizon,” was called “the ship” by everyone on Earth. It was tiny - living quarters and kitchen for two, storage room, cockpit, and engine room. Not large on the luxuries, but I cared more for those than Fuller did.
The design plans and specs for the ship had come with those for the station, and they had represented a huge change from prior incarnations of human spaceflight vehicles. The biggest change was that both the ship and the station were engineered and constructed in space - neither had ever known an atmosphere, and if all went well, neither ever would.
As I eased myself into the pilot’s chair, I looked out the large view screen to the front - another innovation. Prior human space shuttles had actual windows in the front.
The station was there, off in the distance, getting closer by the minute. It looked dark and foreboding - the Kreossians clearly prized function over form. I looked at the readouts in front of me, satisfied that every ship system was running correctly.
Then I pressed a series of keys on the pad, inputing the access code for the station. It responded immediately, showering my display with various diagnostic data, assuring me that everything there was working just as well.
I smiled. Everything was going according to plan. The automated guidance system came to life and reoriented the ship so the station was directly in the center of the view screen. The display said we would arrive and dock in 20 minutes, and that the Kreossians had not yet arrived.
The ship had limited long range sensors, but I checked them anyway - no other ships to be found. I sat back in my chair and wondered where the Kreossians were.
The door to the cockpit opened and Fuller came in, dressed in his green ceremonial robes, and sat down heavily in the chair next to mine. “There’s the station,” I pointed directly ahead. “ETA is 20 minutes.”
“And the Kreossians? They’re already here?”
“The station reports no one has yet arrived, and our sensors show no other ships in the area.”
“They’ll be here. They’re as eager for this as we are.” There was no way Fuller could know that, but I didn’t say anything.
All of a sudden more panels came to life
. “The automated docking procedure has begun,” I said, both to Fuller and to reassure myself. “The station is responding, and we’re being guided in.”
“Good, good. Nice job flying, Melissa.”
I laughed. “I haven’t done a thing, sir. The ship flies itself, I just checked to make sure everything was working as planned.”
Fuller nodded. “Sometimes just watching over an automated system is a feat in and of itself.” He stood up. “Now, let’s get ready to board the station and get this meeting started.”
I stood up too, and followed Fuller out of the cockpit, wishing I had his confidence.
Oh well, in just a few hours they would find out just what the Kreossians had in mind for humanity. I had never seen a Kreossian - they had allowed no photos at first contact, and Fuller had not spent much time describing them over the years.
Who knew, maybe they were good looking? Ambassador Fuller’s words about love and romance loomed large in my mind as I checked my instruments once more, then rechecked them almost compulsively.
It had certainly been a long time since I had had any romance in my life. But that was unlikely to change in the next 24 hours.
CHAPTER 02 - ARK
18 hours before I met Melissa…
I woke on my slab, my eyes opening and taking in the low light of the sleeping quarters, my senses instantly alert.
The room was empty besides myself, and I relaxed slightly as the realization washed over me. No threat here, safety for a few more moments - over my short lifetime, I had become used to the stress of heightened awareness, of dangerous situations. It had become so I relished them, and felt the times when I was relaxed to be out of the ordinary.
They would come again soon, but for now, I could afford to let my guard down just a little bit.
The walls of the Kreossian ship were thin, even a ship like the Draxxes, at least the internal walls, and I could hear my neighbors’ enthusiastic morning coupling. I sighed, noting the familiar rhythms of their energetic fucking. Every morning at this time, and most nights before sleeping as well. It was getting old.
It wasn’t just getting old; in truth it was frustrating and angering more than anything. I did not begrudge my neighbors finding each other and successfully joining; I did not hate anyone for being so lucky. But I did feel angry and frustrated that I had thus far been unable to find a suitable mate for myself.
Kreossians mated for life, and though I had been tempted, and certainly enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh many times, I had never been able to find someone with whom to share that ultimate bond, the bond of mating. It tore at me, this loneliness, rending my very soul, keeping me up nights staring out portholes into space while it seemed the rest of the flagship’s crew enjoyed the carnal pleasures of the ones they were destined to be with.
And I waited, waited for the woman who would become mine. And to fill the time as I waited for this woman, I trained.
I trained, and I fought. As much as I could, as often as I could. Because I was not the type to sit idly by while the rest of the Kreossians fucked all around me. I earned my glory one battle at a time, and had quickly become one of the most feared warriors in the entire Kreossian Empire.
And that felt wonderful. I lived for the chase, lived for the battle, lived to see my enemies cower before me, lived to see them beg for mercy, and most of all, lived to see the look of abject horror in their eyes as I cut them down and completed my missions.
I turned to my side, looking out the porthole at the star pattern arrayed out before me. I didn’t know the names of any of them. This was normal; my prowess and skill at combat and tactics had taken me to the far reaches of the empire in just a few short years. I was the first to say that as long as I knew the conditions on the ground or the size of my fleet and that of the enemy, where exactly I fought mattered little.
All the same, these were not my stars, and I felt the pull to go home. It had been a long time since I had seen the cliffs near my home city on Kreoss, and it would be many more months, if not years, before I would return. Memories of running through the fields and diving off the cliffs only to fly back up over, wings beating heavy in the damp air, watching the sun come up over the ocean, rushed over me in waves.
I sighed. No, these were not my stars, and I despaired of finding a sight so beautiful, a place so able to bring me peace and tranquility, anywhere else in the universe.
A smile slowly came to my face as I stared out the window at a particular group of stars that seemed to shine bright in his direction, all different colors. Of course these not being my stars meant there were more out there to conquer, more worlds to see and more worlds to take over, more glory to bring to the Kreossian Empire.
For now, without a mate with whom to share my passion and my life, glory and battle was all I had to live for. For now, it would have to do.
I turned to face the ceiling again, feeling the slab beneath me warm from my body’s touch over the last few hours. Of course, there was no glory in missions like the one I was on.
How dare the Kreossian Empire waste the talents of their most formidable warrior on this, a diplomatic mission? There was hardly anything lower. I had wanted to climb up the walls when I had heard about it, but Kaalax had given me a stern look, strong enough to keep me silent this time.
I remembered venting to Kaalax in private, railing against the shame at being assigned to escort him to a ‘conference.’ The very word sounded like something babies would play at, not fit for real men, real warriors.
Kaalax had listened as Kaalax always did, and when I was finished, Kaalax reminded me of my commitment to the empire and the oath I had taken to go where they sent me. This had not had Kaalax’ desired effect - I started up again, telling him just what I thought of the High Command and their ideas about efficiency and proper planning.
Again, Kaalax had listened, sagely, offering nothing to me but a small smile on his face. This had enraged me as it always did, which, I suspected, is why Kaalax did it so often. Very few Kreossians outside of the High Command had the gall to stand in my way like that, and I secretly admired Kaalax greatly for it.
Of course, Kaalax was no slouch either. Though his prime was long past, Kaalax had for at time been the empire’s most decorated warrior, feared across the reaches of known space as someone not to be trifled with. He was called the “Kreossian Dervish” for his way of seemingly being everywhere on the battlefield at once, and his unpredictability had laid many a foe low.
Looking at Kaalax now, I could just see vestiges of that mighty warrior in him. Kaalax of course was much slower now, but what he lacked in speed, he made up for in cunning, guile, and experience. It was a potent combination, one that I had grown fond of during the last 2 years spent as Kaalax’ second in command.
I got up and began my morning calisthenics routine, focusing on waking my muscles up and getting ready for the day, tuning out all the thoughts that made their presence in my mind known.
Glancing at the time piece on the opposite wall of the spartanly decorated quarters, I realized that all my mewling about and bellyaching about not having a mate or seeing my home world in years had made me late for a very important appointment.
And one did not keep Admiral Kaalax waiting, if one was interested in keeping one’s head in close proximity to one’s body. Kaalax may be old, but he still was respected and feared, and more importantly, he was still in command. Command went a long way in the Kreossian Empire, as I well knew.
I quickly got dressed to meet the admiral on the bridge. Throwing some water on my face, I stared at myself in the mirror for a few short seconds before drying myself off and readying myself to leave my quarters and see the rest of the crew.
