Excolopolis_Poles of Enforcement

by Jack L. Marsch

  Murinko held the briefing, most of which was already common knowledge, but that made the details official. He described the two year mission in more detail, the tasks that had to be completed and the areas in which research was to be carried out.

  Then, appearing from nowhere, Sean Steersman joined them, surprising even Karen. He waited until the commander had finished, then informed everyone of the purpose of his arrival.

  “I have to say, you're in good hands. Your commanders have received the most thorough training possible, and their level of preparation is unmatched. However, they also possess qualities that go beyond mere training. They have the noblest and most valuable characteristics of humankind. Not for a second do I doubt the success of this mission, because no matter what you all face out there, it will be dealt with in a manner that will make us once again proud, make us feel that we are unique and exceptional in our galaxy. If, indeed, there's anything out there that measures up to or exceeds our intelligence and level of development, we are so diverse and possessed of such remarkable ingenuity, that we will be worthy of such a relationship. I'm proud of you all. Give your very best and listen to your intuition. I wish you all a very bon voyage!”

  “All hands ready!” snapped Murinko, “Launch in one hour!”

  Hearts beat faster and every one of the people in the room felt a huge pulse of nervous energy, even those not taking part in the mission.

  The ASEC delegation exchanged a few words with each of the commanders, then returned to the Condor which, after a very short flight, landed on the ASEC tower platform where they could witness the departure of space fleet.

  “Did you meet them?” Karen asked in a whisper, standing at the edge of the platform.

  Steersman nodded with a look that suggested the whole world had changed within him.

  “What happened?” she asked further.

  “We got the chance to talk. They sorted it out so that we could communicate. It seems that they wish to become familiar with us, and trade, though it's not that simple. They're not impatient or demanding, they're happy to wait and take their time … and they want to help.”

  “The whole thing is … just unbelievable,” said Karen, shaking her head. “So, what are they like?”

  “They are alien in every sense of the word, but they are somehow balanced. They didn't betray any strong differences in character and they seem homogeneous, less inclined to rage between extremes than humans.”

  “Did you meet more than one of them!?”

  “Yes. My first impression of them is that they're a predictable and trustworthy species,” Steersman continued. “They have a level of self interest, but they are curious and their way of thinking is very functional, pragmatic. My guess is that they've been forced to develop such disciplined behavioral patterns because of scarce resources.”

  “Well, they will no doubt betray any weaknesses they may have in the course of time.”

  “Maybe, but they don't count time. To them the concept doesn't exist,” he informed her.

  “They really are alien,” Karen said with a kind of wonder.

  “You have no idea,” said Steersman, slowly shaking his head.

  Karen could hardly imagine what Steersman had experienced. For her, true understanding, truly grasping the elusive or invisible had always meant first hand experience. This time, however, she was satisfied with eagerly awaiting events second-hand.

  *

  They watched the retreating hulks silently. Even distance could not hide their immensity, but eventually they disappeared from view as they crossed into space.

  Karen looked at her boss.

  “Do you have any further work for me, Sean? I think I need a vacation. I need to travel a while to recover.”

  “As a matter of fact, I have one more. You need to see this,” he took a package from his pocket. It was tied with a silk ribbon.

  “What is it?”

  “We met on this day, five years ago in Tokyo, remember?”

  “Of course, I remember. I've been remembering it ever since,” she laughed.

  “I got this for you, to thank you for everything you've done for me.”

  Karen peeled off the ribbon and opened the elegant wooden box. Inside she found an exquisite necklace.

  “Sean, it's beautiful!” Light reflected from the jewels onto her skin.

  “I hope you haven't had too much cause to regret accepting my offer back then,” he said, with an implied question in his voice.

  “I've spent the most intense years of my life here. It's like I've lived a full lifetime over the last few years, but I don't regret it, not for a moment,” she confessed.

  “I'm happy to hear that. We've had our ups and downs, that's for sure, but I think we've achieved results,” said Steersman.

  “Indelibly,” she answered wryly. “So, can I travel?” she asked with a smile.

  “Whatever you want, Karen. Whatever you want.”

  “I have a surprise for you too. I'd like to invite you to dinner tonight, I'm cooking,” her smile widened into a grin.

  “Wow! Thank you. I guess we never got to know each other from that aspect. I'll definitely be there.”

  “Done then. Seven, okay?” she said, almost coquettishly, and left the landing platform.

  The present

  At exactly seven, Steersman stood in front of Karen's door. He rang the bell. Inside, the lights were all on, the chandelier in the lobby sent crystalline shards of light through the glass panes in the door.

  “Good evening, Sean,” said Karen, as she opened the door.

  She had been preparing all afternoon, and judging by the look of stunned shock and the way he stared shamelessly at her, she had achieved the desired effect.

  Karen was wearing a black sheer summer mini-dress that flowed in sensuous waves.

  The golden tanned skin of her bare thighs and shoulders radiated an uncontrollable eroticism, causing the air to vibrate as if a mirage stood in the doorway.

  “Good evening, Karen,” Steersman croaked, as if his heart had stopped beating. And stood frozen.

  “Would you like to come in?” she invited, and he walked slowly in, still heavily under her spell, trying to calm his desperately beating heart.

  “Yes, very much so,” he murmured, pulling himself together. “You look stunning this evening.”

  “Thank you,” she said, flushing with becoming embarrassment.

  “Here you are,” he said, handing her large bouquet of flowers.

  “Fire Lilies, thank you, I love them. Could you please help me put this necklace on? I couldn't do it,” she held up the necklace and their eyes met irresistibly.

  “Certainly,” breathed Steersman.

  Karen turned. The dress clung to the lines of her body, outlining her taut muscles and supple grace. It flowed down to her hips and then flowed outwards, the light material leaving little to the imagination.

  “Can you manage?” she asked looking back at him with a cheeky smile.

  “Yes,” he said softly and began to concentrate on the locket. He lifted the necklace over her head, and slid it around her neck as she gathered her hair and held up with left hand. Her skin seemed soft as silk, and glowed in the golden light of the crystal chandelier. Her scent was intoxicating.

  Steersman had to fight for concentration as he worked the clasp, trying to avoid touching her skin as each brush of its satin smoothness was like an electric shock to his raw senses.

  “There you go,” he said, slowly breathing out.

  Karen let her hair go and it swept down, flowing stunningly across her shoulders.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, turning towards him.

  “You're welcome,” he replied hoarsely, his gaze drinking in her face, her blue eyes glowing like sapphires. Her breathing had quickened as a result of his proximity. They walked into the hallway, both painfully aware of the other's heartbeat.

  “Would you mind showing me around?” Steersman asked suddenly.

  �
��Oh, of course …. I'm sorry.” Karen laughed. “You haven't been here before, indeed. Please, look around while I get us a drink. What would you like?”

  “Just bring two glasses. I brought a bottle of Henri Jayer with me.”

  “Okay, one moment.”

  Steersman didn't feel comfortable exploring the house without her, so he walked into the cozy living room that opened out from the hallway. Opposite the door, a large fire was roaring in the fireplace, shedding a warm glow. Steersman looked around at the sculptures and pictures that were tastefully dotted around the comfortably furnished room.

  “It's really very tasteful, the way you've furnished the place,” he said when she returned.

  “I'm glad you like it.”

  Steersman observed her as she approached, unable to take his eyes off her. He liked the way she moved, the graceful sway of her hips almost independent of her upper body, the way her dress accentuated every tiny movement of her body. He opened the wine and poured it into both glasses. While they raised slowly their glasses together in a silent toast and took the first sip, they were looking deep into each others eyes. Karen felt light and free, as if something had clicked inside her since she found out the truth about him. Something, that had begun to stir since they met first, had grown into a maddening affection.

  “I like a room to trigger feelings inside me. Maybe it's silly,” she continued their conversation about the room.

  “Absolutely not. What feelings does this room trigger in you now?” Steersman asked, uncertainly.

  “Magic,” she said with an open heart. That first glass of wine was warming her and removing her inhibitions, it was exuberant despite its age, and Karen quickly felt its heavenly warmth go to her head, just what she needed.

  “Magic? What kind of magic?” he teased.

  They sat down onto a sofa in front of the fireplace, sinking into its softness, almost to the floor. The roasted smell of pine wafted out from the crackling fire. By the light of the fire, they felt themselves sinking deeper into the grip of their mutual attraction.

  “Can you feel it?” Karen said, closing her eyes. “The vibrations … close your eyes, Sean,” she said, noticing him observing her closely.

  “Okay,” he said, closing his eyes, his mind beginning reel. He shifted slightly, as sofa was not providing support.

  “Come, let's sit on the carpet,” she purred, taking him by the hand.

  Then they began to talk, talking as they never would've imagined possible. Not a word was mentioned about the past five years. They simply focused on each other and found that they knew almost nothing about their personal lives. This often caused laughter and perhaps a hint of regret, but it was as if they were meeting again for the first time.

  The evening passed quickly by in the beautiful perfection of each other's company. The bottle of wine soon disappeared and their legs buzzed with pins and needles. As they stood to stretch they both realized that they were hungry.

  “What treats wait in store for dinner?” Steersman asked, teasingly.

  “Pizza,” said Karen innocently, feeling the exhilarating effect of the wine.

  “Pardon?” laughed Steersman.

  “I hope you're not mad at me, that I lied,” she smiled a little remorsefully.

  “About what?” he asked, feigning shock at her confession.

  “About tonight's surprise. It's not dinner,” she said leaning against his chest, looking up at him.

  “Really? Then what's the surprise?” Steersman asked, his voice breaking.

  Karen's face moved close to his. A glow burned in her eyes, her scent intensified and she delivered the coup de grâce.

  “It's me,” she whispered, and her siren's song echoed in his ear, drowning out his thoughts and sending feelings like a flow of molten lava sweeping unstoppably through his body.

  It wasn't too soon anymore.

  All boundaries and inhibitions that lay between them broke asunder as Sean kissed Karen's lips. Nothing mattered other than the desire that coursed unbidden through their veins.

  Karen's heart lifted free of the corporeal world and her body soared. Burning passion etched itself into her skin wherever his hands touched her, and electric shocks flamed through her body following that first kiss. She felt the current of passion and a desire to be his. Now she truly understood what it meant to exist outside of time. It meant bliss.

  The hot flood of desire rode up around her, flooding her body, moving up over her hips, along her lithe flanks and across her breasts as he caressed her. It was almost painful in its intensity and she felt her mouth open in a silent scream of lust. She could not take anymore, she wanted him, wanted to be one with him and couldn't hide it any more. The straps of her dress fell from her shoulders and the tiny dress slipped down her thighs, falling to her feet. She stood naked in front of him and then began to tear at his clothes as they continued their desperate kiss.

  Karen had pulled the shirt from his shoulders as buttons flew across the room, tearing down over his toned stomach, quickly undid his belt and slid both shirt and trousers down to leave him naked. Then Steersman picked her up and lowered her gently onto the sofa, kissing her lips, her neck, her shoulders. She barely felt the weight of his body as she pulled him down to her breasts, then up again into a kiss of deep longing. She felt his hot breath on her neck, and nothing seemed real outside the sensation of beautiful tremors that ran though her whole body.

  *

  It was around midnight when they cuddled near the fire eating homemade pizza, quietly drinking in each other presence. They felt no sense of weariness, only a sense of shared bliss as they bathed together, then once again became entwined in passion until they were claimed by the sweet peace of sated exhaustion.

  Final coordinates

  The next morning the doorbell rang. Karen opened the front door. It was her neighbor, Bess Monaldi. She was a kindly housewife type, though perhaps a little pushy, but Karen didn't mind. She was glad that there was someone out there to say hello in the morning.

  “Morning, Karen. Sorry to bother you so early, but I don't seem to able to start this bloody GlideCraft, even though my husband showed to me how it works. I can't get it started and we need to be off. I have to take the kids to survivor camp, and the bus is waiting for us at school. Can you help me?”

  “Hi Bess. Sure, I'll show you what to do.” Karen smiled sleepily and walked barefoot through the grass to the open vehicle, in which two ruffian boys were already fooling about.

  “Stop it at once, you two! You'd better not come back from that camp until you've worked off all of that energy, you little monkeys,” said Mrs Monaldi.

  “Hey, guys,” Karen greeted them.

  “Hi, Aunty Karen,” the eight and ten-year-old boys replied with cheeky grins.

  Karen pressed the starter button, and the vehicle began to hum and rose slightly.

  “Thank you so much, I can never remember where the start button is,” complained Bess.

  “Yeah, I know. It was deliberately positioned to make it inaccessible for kids,” she said kindly.

  “By the way, how was the pizza?” Bess asked.

  “It was amazing. We didn't leave a single crumb. Thanks so much for helping me out, Bess.”

  “You're welcome. I hope your guest was happy with it too.”

  “He sure was,” she replied with a knowing smile.

  It was then that they heard a sound coming from above Karen's house. They turned and Karen recognized the heavy form of the Condor, hovering above the neighborhood.

  A gravitational radius reached down behind the house and picked something up. A few seconds later a form was hoisted up into the aircraft. Karen watched, smiling as the Condor departed spectacularly. Bess peered anxiously at her neighbor.

  “Everything okay, Karen?” she asked her.

  “Of course,” said Karen serenely, radiating her joy.

  “You seem … so relaxed and cheerful. I don't think I've ever seen you so happy.”

>   “Yes, Bess. I'm happy,” she said with a grin.

  *

  Steersman looked down Karen's house. He watched it retreat into the distance with a heavy heart. He was worried about not giving her any protection, but he knew Karen would not hear of guards, robots, or even the simplest of security measures, so he decided to arrange her safety differently. Sixty thousand kilometers away the sensor network received a twenty-four seven priority surveillance order.

  “I'm sorry, Karen, but I couldn't bear it if something happened to you,” he whispered to himself.

  On his return to the office, he contacted Space Fleet Commander Valko.

  “Commander Valko, how are things progressing?”

  “Mr Steersman! So far everything has gone smoothly. We are gradually accelerating and are monitoring all systems closely. In twelve hours we will reach maximum velocity.”

  “Excellent. Let's stay in close contact for as long as this critical period lasts.”

  “Copy that, sir.”

  “Please, change your destination coordinates to those that I'm now sending. You'll find the new location somewhere in the Kuiper Belt. It will probably be a dwarf planet,” he elaborated.

  “Sir?” Commander Valko showed a slight confusion at the change.

  “We have information that this dwarf planet is rich in mineral deposits, so we will begin our research there.”

  All he had told the commander was essentially true, though he had not advised him that the information came directly from an alien source. The ASEC had secrets … deep secrets … secrets which only certain people would be made aware of, and only at the right time.

  Of that, Sean Steersman would make damn sure.

  *** ***

  The end

  Afterword

  If you've made it this far then I would firstly like to sincerely thank you for reading this book and being a part of my journey. A novel is a very personal act of creation that only comes fully into being when it is shared with other people.