by Aaron Dennis
“Well…might as well get a move on,” he sighed.
O’Hara quickly donned his uniform. He was meeting the admiral again and had to be at his best. Clothed, ready, and awaiting confirmation from Admiral Lay, he noticed it was a few minutes past 05:00, and he was getting a little nervous.
Do I have time? I have time, he thought on his way to the men’s latrine. He opened the stall and sat down. There, he attempted a mental review of yesterday’s meet and greet. I do want to help, but at what cost? They want to go to Earth to study something practically incomprehensible. Maybe we can request the data and have it relayed to Presh instead. That should circumvent any commotion these Thewls would certainly cause if they landed on Earth.
“Captain, this is Admiral Lay. Do you copy,” Admiral Lay called through the earpiece.
“Copy, Admiral. I’m on my way.”
His voice reverberated throughout the steel room. The captain finished up, washed his hands, and proceeded to the loading zone, where he was received by the admiral and two men he didn’t recognize. They wore pinstriped suits and bore no facial expression.
“Riley,” as the admiral began, O’Hara winced and wondered why he referred to him by his first name. The admiral wasn’t usually so friendly. “There’s much to discuss. These are my...associates, Franklin and Adams.”
The admiral took a breath and gave the captain a stern look. The four then proceeded towards a small, drab, green building.
“These two gentlemen are from The Bureau,” Lay said as if it meant something. “They made their way out here to meet with us. We were up all last night reviewing your dialogue with the ambassador. They feel, and I agree, that we should do our best to keep Thewls away from Earth. I won’t lie to you, this will be a difficult maneuver, but,” he took a pensive inhalation before continuing. “I’ve requested as all the data I can from Earth. We’ll be inviting the ambassador to take a look at it. I hope that satisfies him…. ”
After that, Lay scrutinized O’Hara. What bureau, was his only thought. They weren’t FBI, that agency had no jurisdiction over alien matters, and they didn’t look like CIA, Made their way out here? From where? The captain looked around.
There was no wind on Eon that morning, and the dark clouds overhead lingered. O’Hara was steady as they walked into the small, and cluttered, makeshift office. It contained a great deal of communications equipment, which gave the feel of a storage room more than a workspace, but military men made due. The admiral took his earpiece off and connected to a computer. He pressed some keys and turned a knob.
“This is Admiral Lay for Ambassador Weh. We would like to set up a second meeting in order to provide help,” he said as he looked over his shoulder at the two associates.
O’Hara also scrutinized the clean-cut men. They still showed poker faces.
A voice then erupted over the speakers. “We thank you. We will send a squad for a second meeting in two hours.”
“If it’s possible, give us some time to prepare and arrive, say eight hours,” the admiral asked.
“Of course, Admiral,” the voice replied and then there was just the hissing of the comm. channel.
“I’ll upload all the data to the Phoenix. Franklin and Adams will accompany you to the meeting. Pick your best men, and show the Thewls anything they ask for,” Lay heaved. “I’m afraid this as far as I go.”
He smiled then, but it was a sad expression. O’Hara saluted, and the admiral returned it. When Lay started to leave them, O’Hara called out.
“Sir, what do you mean?”
The old man’s smile flickered. Instead of replying, he turned and left. The captain looked over his new companions. They were strange.
Both men were roughly six feet tall, athletically built, and wore black, pinstriped suits, but their shoes were military, combat boots, which their slacks didn’t effectively hide. Their striking similarities also gave them the appearance of brothers.
Both had angular features, hard eyes, and though Adams had black hair combed back, and Franklin had short, curly, brown hair, both had chiseled chins, and high cheekbones. After further observation, which they didn’t mind, he noted something else strange; their eyes were in a state of repose; they were both totally unruffled by everything.
The captain had seen gray and blue eyes before, but the calculating, almost all-knowing, confidence the men possessed culminated in their stare. Finally, they slightly gestured with opposing hands, inviting the captain. O’Hara nodded, and they made their way back aboard the Phoenix.
It was a quick return trip to the meet and greet with the ambassador. Adams and Franklin didn’t say a word for the whole ride. They simply sat, staring at the wall on the bridge, not even the screen, which displayed all kinds of terrain over which they zipped. The rest of the crew eyed the duo curiously.
Suddenly, Adams said, “My associate and I think it best to keep this meeting a small one. Perhaps, you’re willing to have the two of us accompany you and no one else.”
Furrowing his brow, he scrutinized them yet again. He felt a little uneasy. They were too calm for whatever was taking place.
“I’m sorry, what bureau are you two from again?”
Adams and Franklin exchanged looks. “The Bureau,” Franklin replied.
They even sound the same, O’Hara thought. “I’m taking Swain and Nandesrikahl. Fitzpatrick and DeReaux will post outside.”
Minutes later, the AMS came on, stating they reached the programmed coordinates. The group of seven went out to meet the Thewls. Seeing the new faces, the four, spec ops members looked at each other. O’Hara knew they were wondering about Adams and Franklin. He gave them a shrug of resignation, so they assumed information was on a need to know basis.
Fitzpatrick and DeReaux posted up on a different hill than before. Their vantage point was less appealing, but it wasn’t wise to set up in the same place twice, even if it was under friendly conditions. Thewl ships pierced Eon’s hazy veil, silvery, soundless, vessels landed, blowing a puff of dust into the air. Once the loading platform released, a rover pulled out while other Thewls set up chairs and tables. Something intriguing caught DeReaux’s eye.
“Joi de vivre, they brought women,” he nudged Fitzpatrick.
She smiled and nodded. “Maybe...Thewl men have tits, and the women are the ones we’ve been dealing with.”
With a slight frown, he shot her a dirty look. At that time, Adams and Franklin sat down on chairs placed in front of the ambassador. The captain remained standing directly behind them, practically holding his breath.
“I’m glad to see you again, ambassador. These two men are the admiral’s associates, Adams and Franklin,” he said, carefully.
“Yes,” Adams agreed. “We understand that you require certain data for your project.”
Adams produced and opened a tiny, chrome briefcase he had concealed in his suit jacket.
“What we have here,” Franklin began as he produced a memory unit from his inner, jacket pocket. “Is a rather extensive, data archive, and we are more than glad to help you and your men find what you need.”
O’Hara interjected, “We believe that your landing on Earth may cause a disturbance. Our people back home haven’t received word of our collaboration.”
The ambassador nodded and called for someone, “Let us have a look at this data.”
One of the Thewls stood and walked over to Adams and Franklin, who didn’t exhibit the faintest sign of shock. It was like they had met and dealt with aliens all their life. The briefcase Adams had produced was in actuality a computer, which he placed on one of the high tables. Franklin showed a Thewl how to access the information from the memory unit. She suddenly turned to the ambassador and spoke Thewlish.
“My Captain, is this all the help you will provide?” Ambassador Weh asked.
“What more can I give?” he rebutted. “Is nothing there helpful?”
“I was hoping to travel to Earth together and make some acquisitions.”
; “With all due respect, Ambassador, going to Earth will be difficult. It’ll take too long to get there, and I’m sure all the data you require is in that computer,” he said, pointing at the machine.
The ambassador nodded. “Yes, some data does seem to be here, but there are a few pieces of equipment which reside on Earth that I need to see. I’m certain they will provide clues regarding where to search for the travelers. As far as time is concerned, we have methods of travel which surpass yours, as you already know.”
O’Hara was getting angry. He ground his teeth, huffed, and shook his head. At his wit’s end, he turned to the men from The Bureau.
“Allow me to confer with my men on a course of action.” He motioned for Swain and Nandesrikahl to come over. “Do you think we should go to Earth?”
Swain chimed in first. “If we do, we absolutely need to clear it with the admiral.”
Adams cut in, “Actually, we asked Admiral Lay to sequester himself from this mission.”
Franklin added, “Yes, we are here to steer you in the right direction.”
Nandesrikahl was uneasy as he addressed the suits, “You’re not Navy. You’ve no say in this matter.”
Adams smiled and said, “I may not be Navy. Anything extraterrestrial is, beyond measure, absolutely my matter, Sir.”
Franklin added, “Let’s see what they turn up from the data provided then see what else they need.”
Swain and Nandesrikahl looked at their captain with incredulity.
“Who the Hell are these guys, Captain?” Swain blurted as his mouth remained agape.
He said it was my mission now, the admiral. O’Hara looked off into the distance, where a rocky hill hid a patch of golden trees. The swaying foliage was visible beside the hill’s crest, and pressed against the hazy, purple sky, it brought to life a feeling of nostalgia. When Swain asked about the new men again, O’Hara watched the female Thewl’s work on the computer. She was cross referencing black hole theory with ancient scrolls and artwork.
She looked up and said something to the ambassador then went back to cross referencing beings of light with the Sol system. Her gurgled speech animated her superior, who nodded before addressing the captain.
“We may be in luck. It seems there is another planet. Somehow, your scientists overlooked it.”
O’Hara looked confused. “What, what do you mean? What other planet?”
Nandesrikahl’s face lit up, and he answered, “I know the planet. Yes. It all makes sense. The Sumerians believed that there were other planets we don’t include when teaching the Sol system. They’ve written that men came from one of these planets.
“A story says that once, there was a large planet, which collided with another planet. One planet was destroyed, and it became the asteroid belt of our system, the Kuiper belt. The remaining piece of the badly damaged, but surviving planet, became Earth. Men came to Earth from yet another planet, an immense planet, far away, with a strange, elliptical orbit around the sun. If this planet is real it may be the home of the travelers.”
The Bureau agents glanced at him. O’Hara thought he saw them smile, but they both hid their faces with a hand gesture. Weh, however, was pleased; he patted Nandesrikahl gently.
“How is it that your astronomers have left this planet out of history, yet the first civilization was familiar with its existence,” a greenish hue grew over his face.
“I still don’t understand,” O’Hara was ruffled. He looked from Swain, who was just as confused, to Nandy, who grinned like a buffoon.
“We shall go looking for this planet. I invite you to join us,” the ambassador said.
Swain nearly burst as he grabbed the captain’s shoulder.
“Someone needs to explain what’s going on. Ambassador, are you saying there’s another planet in Sol system,” O’Hara asked
“I think your man, here, has already said as much,” Weh replied.
“Okay, but if we go looking for it, the Phoenix would take over ten years to travel that far.”
“You may gather your crew and board our ship, if you must.”
O’Hara already knew he had to go with them, but his mind raced. He tried to focus on the steps required to undertake such an adventure. First, he needed to pick his crew. Next he had to have them board the Thewlian ship, and since he had to bring Day, that meant placing Roberts in charge of the helm, but he was dealing with a top-secret mission, so it was imperative to send her back to Presh. The only problem was what to do with Adams and Franklin, who were both eyeing him at the moment.
“Yes, Captain. We’re ready to move when you are,” Franklin said.
“I need some time to get ready, Ambassador,” O’Hara spoke, slowly. “We can’t just drop everything and hop aboard. Do you mind if I take some time to organize?”
“We will depart in twenty four hours. I hope you are ready by then as there is little time to waste. Lokians are always on the prowl, I assure you.”
With that, the Thewls thanked the Humans for their assistance, packed up, and entered their ships. O’ Hara called the rest of his crew back, and together, they all boarded the Phoenix, and marched straight for the bridge. During the hike, Nandesrikahl tried to answer their questions about the elusive planet. The captain was mired in thought, however, and until they set foot on the bridge, where others were chatting about the new colony, he kept his eyes glued to the ground.
Eventually, he noticed Day sitting at the helm with her chin resting on folded hands. She stuck out her bottom lip and looked at O’Hara, who was obviously frazzled. He went straight for the intercom.
“Attention, crew of the Phoenix. This is Captain O’Hara. We’ll be returning to the colony now. After most of you have been reassigned, the Phoenix will return to Presh station due to certain, residual, energies registering in the AMS. The engineers will reconfigure the system to solve the problem. Thank you.”
Day furrowed her brow. She was taken aback and didn’t believe O’Hara’s claims for a second. Searching his face for some clue, she did a double take when he winked.
During the next twenty four hours, the spec ops team, and Adams and Franklin, packed their gear. Day manually flew to the colony. There, they dropped off the remaining, grumbling crew. After that, it was a slow flight to Presh at minimal speed. At the moon station, O’Hara and his crew boarded a small shuttle.
Day took the helm, and flew right back to Eon, but it had been less than twenty four hours, so they caught some R and R. As twilight set in, they stepped out to walk around a stretch of grassland. Martinez hooked ear buds to his comm. unit and closed his eyes, relaxing against the hull of the shuttle, listening to music. Nandesrikahl, however, was irritated. He approached the captain, who was cleaning his gear.
“Sir, if I may?” he began. O’Hara looked up from his work and gave a half nod as he returned to wiping sections of his rifle. “I don’t trust these two blokes. I mean, who are they and what are they doing here?”
O’Hara took a deep breath and replied, “I don’t like it, either, but Admiral Lay didn’t give me an option. They’re here to do whatever they do. So long as they don’t get in my way, or cause problems, it should be fine…but look at them, doesn’t it seem they know about aliens? What was it Franklin had said? Extraterrestrial matters were his concern?”
“Most intriguing…right, well, anyway, I suppose they’re just cubicle jockeys, eh?”
O’Hara chuckled and shook his head, amused. Then, both he and Nandesrikahl heard a ruckus. Becker and Imes were arguing, which was nothing new. From the snippets they gleaned, Imes had started exercising in front of her again, something he often did to try and elicit a romantic liaison, and instead of taking it in good fun, Becker exploded.
“You two need to settle down,” Franklin said.
“Hey, this isn’t your business,” Imes retorted pointing his finger.
“Both of you need to shut up, and I swear,” Becker screamed. “Oh good, Captain, settle this!”
“Nothing to se
ttle, really, Captain,” Adams interjected. “They–”
“Whoa! I won’t have either one of you telling me how to run my crew,” O’Hara barked. “Now, all of you shut it, and get over whatever stupid squabble you have with each other.”
Becker and Imes both winced before stomping off in opposite directions.
“They just need to fuck,” Zakowski said, laughing uproariously at his own comment.
Swain and Day shook their heads, giggling.
“Alright, I know tensions are up, and I’m sure everyone’s anxious as I am to see what’s aboard that vessel, and certainly, we’re all freaking about leaving our ship and flying for light years with aliens, but we need to get some rest,” the captain stated.
“Are we maintaining communications with Eon while we’re gone?” Swain inquired.
“Yes, as a matter of fact we are. The…agents, here, told me they’d send reports. Besides, if the admiral can open a channel with the ambassador then we can use that same channel,” O’Hara answered.
“Good enough for me,” Swain sang.
The Thewlian ship arrived shortly thereafter. Fitzpatrick had been the first to spot it, and she called everyone over. When it landed, everyone snatched their equipment. Quickly, they jogged over to the extended platform. The bay door was raised, and the ambassador motioned for them to make their way inside. Cautiously, they all stepped aboard, their boots clanking as they walked.
“I’m glad to see you all here. We will make introductions soon. For now, follow me.”
The loading zone had a few vehicles, chairs and tables, everything a traveling ship carried. There were six, massive, cylindrical elevators all in a row at the center of the spacious zone. Phoenix Crew was escorted aboard two of the elevators. The ride took them up two levels then the doors to both elevators slid alongside the inside of the car to an open position. The Humans observed the narrow, but rather high corridor before them. Innumerable, tall, oval doors, which turned on hinges and opened into rooms, revealed Thewls, who eyed the Humans.
The design of both the doors and rooms were rather primitive. Each room had two, long beds alongside one wall, two foot lockers, and a large, steel dresser. Each crewmember was instructed to share time and space with a Thewl in order to better understand each other. Captain O’Hara called his crew together for a last recommendation.
