by T. J. Quinn
“Samantha told us you would be checking up on us, boss,” Phoebe teased him.
He chuckled. “She knows me too well,” he admitted. “I just wanted to make sure there were no problems you can’t handle. I have no idea how long we’ll be out, and we might not be able to reach you at all times. Use your common sense when making decisions and whenever in doubt, call me or send me a message. I’ll call you back as soon as possible.”
“We know boss. With all the vessels out in a mission, there isn’t much to do anyway, so we’ll just be here answering calls and providing potential clients with all the information they need,” Jonathan said, looking confident.
He was right of course, but he wanted things to run as smoothly as always. Things back on Earth were quickly moving towards a breaking point, and he wanted to have all his people out of there when that happened.
He guessed Gyeon had the same thing in mind.
“Just try to stay out of trouble. Remember, things are getting tougher down there, and the last thing we need is to have you two exposed to more trouble than you already are,” Ethan warned them.
“We’re quite aware of that, boss and we’ll be careful. At the first sign of trouble, we’ll move here and stay out of sight,” Jonathan assured him.
“Very well. Store all the food and water you can, just in case.”
“Will do.”
Ethan ended the call and started to study the charts he had on the solar systems, in the fourth quadrant. They had never been that far, and that side of the galaxy hadn’t been explored by humans or any other species known by man. They were flying almost blindly, and he had no guarantees the planets in any of those systems would be human-friendly. They had identified a few with high possibilities, and they were headed there.
Each vessel would be exploring a solar system, to begin with. With luck, each of them would find at least one planet Gyeon could move to with his people.
The journey to the quadrant they would be exploring was a bit boring. After a couple of weeks, they were ready to leave the vessel and go out exploring.
As soon as they entered the quadrant, they were intercepted by a few war vessels that identified themselves as the quadrant patrol. They were asked the purpose of their visit, and once the four captains explained why they were there, they were allowed to proceed.
They had never encountered that kind of patrol before, but it was the first time they had traveled that far into this galaxy.
“What do you think about the presence of the patrols?” Kenyon asked, with a deep frown.
The patrollers hadn’t been very happy with the Aslorian’s presence in the quadrant, but Ethan had been able to assure them they weren’t looking for trouble.
“It seems they take great interest in the quadrant’s safety,” Ethan replied, cautiously. “They looked too neatly organized to be illegal patrollers, but we can’t be sure. Be careful whatever you do and find out about them from all the planets you land on,” he ordered, with a slight frown. “That goes for all of you,” he added, looking at the other three men he was talking to.
Jaffar nodded. “We have no interest in bringing our clients into a region ruled by outlaws.”
“Exactly. Keep me posted with your findings.”
“Will do,” Gideon replied, and he ended the conference call.
Once at the quadrant, Ethan had been able to study the nearest solar systems and send each of his ships to the ones their sensors determined would be more feasible to find human-friendly planets. With their courses set, it only took them a few days to reach the one his vessel would be exploring.
The initial scan of the system told them they had fourteen planets to explore. The ones further from the bright sun that shined in the center of the system were quickly discarded since the temperature on the planets surfaces would be too low for human life.
This solar system didn’t have planets too close to the sun, so that left them with eight planets to investigate. Communicating with the planets’ inhabitants shouldn’t be a problem since they had bought the translators most of the galaxy species used. The devices were implanted behind their ear and translated automatically all the sounds they heard.
“Are we going to send probes to the planets before we land on them?” Conrad asked him as they approached the first planet’s orbit.
Ethan shook his head. “Most of these planets should be inhabited. Sending probes could be considered offensive, and that would be starting off with the wrong foot,” he explained. “We’ll enter their atmosphere and wait to see if we’re contacted by them. Use the camouflage shields. If we can evade their scans that would be perfect.”
“Very well, sir.”
Chapter Three
Ethan’s vessel entered the first planet’s atmosphere undetected, but as they got closer, it became clear why they had. The world was unlivable. A quick test told them the air was unbreathable and the presence of hundreds of volcanos dissuaded the presence of most life forms.
“Well, this one is too close to hell for our taste,” Conrad joked about it.
“We’ll try the next one on our list. Same procedure, Conrad.”
“Yes, sir.”
By the end of the day, they had visited three planets, and none was even close to what they were looking for. So far they hadn’t found intelligent life on any of the planets, but due to their inhospitable features, that wasn’t a surprise.
They established orbit around the last planet they had explored and called it a day.
Back in his quarters, Ethan took a long bath before he contacted the other commanders.
“Hi, boss,” Samantha’s voice greeted him from the other side of the screen. “Kenyon is busy right now, so he asked me to take your call,” she explained, with a naughty grin. “How are you? You don’t look so good,” she asked, this time with a slight frown.
“I always look the same, and you know it,” he replied, referring to the greyish tone of his skin. Though some of the latest cyborgs created by men looked a bit more like humans, including most of his men, he wasn’t one of them. Jared’s skin had even taken the dark chocolate tone of one of his biological parents.
Ethan, on the other hand, was as tall and strong as any other cyborg, but his skin color and his dark eyes, with no irises, identified him as a cyborg immediately.
“You know I wasn’t referring to your physical appearance. You look worried,” she pointed out.
“We had a highly frustrating day, that’s all. What about you guys?”
She let out a loud sigh. “The planet we went to today, looked perfect until we landed. We were immediately notified that we were welcome to visit, but not to stay. They don’t allow the presence of aliens amongst their people,” she explained.
“How good was the planet?”
“The oxygen levels were lower than we’re used to but still breathable. The food is a bit strange, but we were able to buy enough to replenish our supplies,” Kenyon explained, taking a seat next to Samantha and the other two commanders joined the conversation.
“That’s a pity, but you had better luck than us.” He told his men about the planets they had visited. Jaffar and Gideon had had the same luck.
“It’s just our first day here. Have a bit more faith,” Samantha urged them. “We’ll find a few planets, you’ll see.”
Her optimism made the men smile. But she was right about something – they had just arrived at the quadrant. They couldn’t expect to find the right planet on their first day out.
“Tomorrow will be another day. Get some rest, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow night.”
He ended the call and threw himself in bed. Though physically cyborgs knew not what tiredness meant, thanks to the nanocybots in their systems that kept them active and healthy all the time, his mind was something completely different. Stressful situations and frustration had the power to make him feel tired.
He wanted to finish this mission and start looking for a place to settle down. Planet Earth had nev
er felt like home, especially when he didn’t have any family other than his crew members, so moving out was something he really looked forward to.
He wanted a new life and a chance to forget the wars he had been forced to fight in.
The following couple of days had the same results for Ethan, but apparently, Kenyon had found a good option. They had landed on the planet and were doing a thorough investigation.
About to give up and change their solar system, Ethan’s crew finally found a planet that promised to have at least a breathable atmosphere.
The minute they entered their orbit, they were contacted by the planet patrollers and after their initial contact, and answering a million questions, they were finally invited to send an exploration pod to the surface.
The planet was called Efloria, and it looked green enough for their taste, but they hadn’t seen many water channels.
The air had just enough oxygen for them to breathe without support but the inhabitants weren’t that friendly. Very similar to apes, they were a bit too hostile. Fortunately, they allowed Ethan and his men to get all the supplies they needed, but they refused the possibility of having a human colony on their planet categorically.
Understanding their position and sure Gyeon wouldn’t pick this planet, Ethan didn’t insist.
They were walking across the small town they had landed on, about to leave the planet, when Ethan noticed a store offering some special worn by suits all the people they had seen.
Curious, he entered the store and asked about it, using the translator implants purchased on their first exploration trip.
The female behind the counter explained the suit qualities.
“This suit is made of a special fiber. It only comes in three sizes, because it literally adjusts to the person wearing it,” she explained. “As you can see, it clings to the body like a second skin, and it even has the skin properties, though, enhanced.”
“What do you mean?” Ethan asked.
“The fiber it’s made of has intelligent sensors and changes colors to suit the body’s needs. It will maintain your body temperature at a comfortable level, but it won’t resist extreme temperatures. It even detects the need to camouflage,” she continued. “The sleeves, once programmed, allow you to communicate with your control center within a broad radius of coverage of thousands of miles.”
“May we buy a few of these?” Ethan asked, loving the idea of getting his crew those suits.
“Of course, you may.”
They quickly made the transaction and soon, they were leaving the planet with more info on the planets surrounding them, enough food and fuel for a long time, and new suits for all his men.
The saleswoman was right about the suit. It fitted the body like a second skin, and it was amazing how it determined the appropriate temperature for everyone. Fitzgerald, one of his system engineers, had taken his time to program the suits to fit their needs.
“So, boss, where are we going now?” Conrad asked when Ethan entered the control room.
“To the fifth planet. According to the Eflorians, this planet might suit our client’s needs. It already has some alien colonies on it, so they shouldn’t be bothered at having another one,” Ethan explained. “They called it Dreshan.”
“That sounds interesting,” Daniel, the pilot, said, with a pleased grin.
“Yes, I thought so too,” Ethan agreed.
They set course to the planet, and soon they reached its orbit. Once more, a group of patrollers welcomed them to the planet, but the Dreshanians were a lot more welcoming than the Eflorians.
The planet was quite a sight for sore eyes, blue enough to make them think of when Earth was known as the blue planet. A quick test revealed the air had even more oxygen than their home planet and those results were excellent news.
The closer they got to the planet, they started to notice the oceans, rivers, and lakes, shining under the sunlight. This world was certainly worth exploring.
They were invited to land on the planet’s biggest continent, and a small welcoming committee received them at the docking bay. During their descent, they were surprised to see the planet showed very little signs of any population, at least, not like the ones they were used to seeing on Earth, before the wars.
There were no huge settlements, no highways or tall buildings, and surely, not so many artificial lights you would see from the planet’s orbit. All they were able to see were a few settlements, but they were too far from the coordinates they had been given.
“Welcome to Dreshan,” one of the male aliens, at the dock, greeted the small group headed by Ethan. “My name is Vlyse, and I’m a member of this planet’s ruling council.”
The city around them looked as if taken out of Earth’s history books, with its tall walls and small houses, concentrated around a huge building in the middle of it. The docking bay looked out of place in the small city.
The aliens were humanoids, as tall as Ethan and his men, but certainly not as built. Their skin tone was more similar to Ethan’s than to a human, but they had ridges, where he had hair. Their eyes were bright blue, and a bit larger than you would expect in a face not so big. They all wore some light blue tunics that covered their slim bodies.
Essentially, they didn’t look very dangerous, but the weapons a few guards carried, a few steps away from them, told another story.
“Thank you for allowing us to visit you,” Ethan replied, with a nod. “My name is Ethan, and I’m the commander of our vessel. We came from a planet called Earth, in the first quadrant,” he introduced himself.
“You’re very far from home,” Vlyse pointed out.
“Yes, we’re looking for a new home. Our planet is dying, and we need to find a new place to live,” Ethan explained.
“We went through that same situation a few centuries ago. We were lucky to find this place, and we established our new home here. Since then, we’ve helped several other peoples to do the same,” Vlyse told him, with a slight smile. “Perhaps, we’ll be able to do the same for you, as well.”
Ethan nodded but didn’t give the other man a straight answer. For some reason, the man didn’t inspire any trust. There was something about him, he didn’t like.
“It’s very kind of you,” Ethan said, with a cautious tone. “So, you’re not Dreshanian?” he asked, curious.
“Oh, yes, we are. We changed the planet’s name when we arrived. The natives belong to a species called Atheans,” he explained. “How many of you are there?” he asked, changing the subject.
“We’re ten,” he replied, reluctant to reveal such information, but he would have to trust these people, at least on a basic level if he wanted to explore their planet.
“You’re welcome to stay with us at the governor’s palace,” Vlyse offered, signaling the huge construction in the middle of the city.
“We wouldn’t like to bother you in any way,” Ethan tried to reject the invitation as politely as he could, but the other man wasn’t going to let him.
“No, bother. In fact, we insist. This way, we’ll be able to show you the other colonies already living here and the way we run things,” Vlyse said, leaving him no choice but to accept.
“That’s very kind of you.”
The man clapped his hands, apparently pleased. “Good. I’ll prepare transportation for you and your nine men.”
“Thank you, but it will be just seven. Our vessel requires the constant presence of at least two crew members in it,” he lied, blatantly.
He needed the ship always ready to leave and to do that, he needed to keep two of his men in it.
“As you wish,” Vlyse accepted, and while he turned to talk to the other men accompanying him, Ethan did the same with his men, making sure he wasn’t heard by their hosts.
“Khalil, James, I want you two to stay on the ship. Keep it ready to leave in case of an emergency. I don’t trust these people,” he ordered.
Conrad nodded. “Perhaps, I should be the one staying, instead of Khalil,�
�� he suggested, with a slight frown.
Ethan shook his head. “I’d rather have you with me.” Conrad was his right hand, and he was sure he would need his assistance.
His men nodded, and Khalil and James returned to the vessel, while the rest of the group entered the hovering vehicle that approached them.
Vlyse accompanied them. “Was this planet empty when you arrived?” he asked, curious, while they traveled through the city streets.
“No, it wasn’t. But the natives welcomed us and allowed us to take control of the rest of the planet. They were too primitive, compared to us and they were quite grateful when we introduced them to our lifestyle.”
Ethan had a hard time holding back a scornful snort. Earth’s history was full of stories like the one he was hearing from the alien’s lips. Things were never like the conquerors’ version. He doubted the people from this planet were as grateful or as happy as Vlyse intended to make him think they were.
“Where do they live?” he asked, curiously.
“Though they enjoyed our lifestyle, eventually, they preferred to go back to their primitive lives. They live out there, in the woods. We barely have contact with them these days,” he explained, with a tense smile. “They also stay away from the alien colonies we’ve formed all over the planet. You have nothing to worry about, though we don’t encourage our people or our guests to leave the city walls.”
Ethan almost grunted. Of course, they didn’t. They would hate to have their little tale proved to be a lie.
“Why is that?” he asked, interrogating the other man.
“The natives have allowed the wild animals to proliferate across the planet woods. There are very wild and dangerous beasts out there, and the flora is as dangerous as the fauna” he replied, in a cold, stiff tone. “We haven’t taken action on the matter because it doesn’t really affect us.”
“I’m sure of it.”
They reached the palace and Vlyse escorted them to the meetings room. “I’ll introduce you to our ruler, King Sefeth. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to meet you.”
