Ark: A Scifi Alien Romance (4 page)

Through gritted teeth, I accepted the lesson taught by the master tactician. “Yes, Admiral,” I said softly, chastened by the beating I had just received at the hands of the older man.

“It is not the stronger man who always wins the battle. You are far superior to me in that regard, and yet it is you who yielded to me in the end. How come?”

Kaalax stared at me till I was forced to respond, though I wanted to put this particular bout behind me as quickly as possible. “You were prepared for my attack,” I said, sullenly.

“I was prepared because I thought more than you.” Kaalax held up an accusing finger. “You’re brilliant, Ark, I’ve seen it off the battlefield, in the planning rooms. Your strategies are ingenious, your tactics breathtaking. But when you start fighting, all that falls away, and you fight as if once the feeling of combat hits you all your intelligence goes out the window.”

Kaalax took a breath and brought the point of his sword up, focusing on its tip. “There will come a day soon enough when your strength alone will not be enough to save you. I hope, for your sake, and the sake of the Kreossian Empire’s future, that you have the wisdom to prevail when that happens.”

I hung my head low, glad for only one thing in that moment, that no one else was around to see my shame. “Thank you for the lesson, Admiral.”

Admiral Kaalax grunted. “I’m not sure if you learned anything at all today, but the day is yet young, so we shall see.” He nodded toward the door. “Go and get cleaned up. Meet me in shuttle bay 3 in 30 minutes, we leave for the station immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” I walked toward the door.

“One more thing,” Kaalax said, just above a whisper, when I reached for the door. I turned around, looking back at the admiral and seeing a frail old man standing there, looking somehow smaller than he had just a minute before.

“Yes, Admiral?”

“Don’t ever be late again.”

“Yes, sir.” Kaalax dismissed me with a wave of his hand, and I left the gymnasium, my anger rising again at my poor performance.
 

I cursed myself as I quickly walked back to my quarters, vowing to spend more time in the gym and never let Kaalax defeat me like that again.

Back in the comfort of my home away from home, I showered, cleaning off the blood from my wounded shoulder, before dressing in my uniform and preparing my travel bag. We expected to be gone from the flagship no longer than a week, but I managed to fit all my things in a small bag. I traveled light, and the ship we were taking could easily produce more uniforms or anything else I might have missed.

Satisfied that I was packed and ready to go, I checked my chronometer and made sure I was standing in front of the entrance to shuttle bay 3 with 5 minutes to spare.

At 30 seconds till the Admiral’s chosen time, I looked up and down the corridor, not seeing anyone heading in my direction. Bewildered, I was about to ask the computer where the admiral was when shuttle bay 3’s door opened behind me.

I whipped around and saw Admiral Kaalax standing in the doorway. “Good, you’re on time for once. Well, don’t just stand there, let’s get moving.” Kaalax turned around and walked deeper into the cavernous shuttle bay, leaving me rushing to catch up behind him.

Once aboard the shuttle, we settled into our seats and began their pre-flight checks. I had come here last night and done the major checks in advance - everything was ready to go.

After we confirmed everything was ready one more time, I eased the ship out of the shuttle bay, accelerating slowly till we put some distance between us and the Draxxes.
 

Soon we were on their way to the station for the rendezvous. I sat back in my chair, relaxing for a little while despite having the Admiral as my only traveling companion.

“You aren’t thrilled about this mission of ours, are you?” Admiral Kaalax asked from behind me. It was only barely a question, far more of a statement.

I turned my chair around to face the admiral - the automated pilot would keep the ship on course without my direct attention. “Am I that obvious?”

“More than you think, Ark. Do you not believe in diplomacy?”

I snorted. “This isn’t diplomacy. This is child-rearing.”

“Cleverly put. You’re right, of course, but is the adult not able to learn from the child on occasion?”

“Once in a long while, sir. But these humans have nothing to teach us. They’re barely infants compared to us.”

Kaalax nodded. “And yet, we show them the way, like a good parent. We introduce them to what’s next, shield them from what we can, and prepare them to join the Commonwealth.”

“Why does the Commonwealth take such interest in a backward species like this one?”

“For many reasons, not the least of which is that every species that we bring into the fold makes us all stronger and better.”

“And another?”

Kaalax smiled. “Because sometimes recruiting is just as much about denying your enemy a recruit as it is securing them for yourself.”

I laughed. “So these humans are just pawns on our chessboard.”

Kaalax waved away the implication. “That may be the case for now, but I have studied these humans extensively, ever since we decided to make contact. They have a strength, a resilience that I have not yet seen in any other species. The Commonwealth would do better to include them.”

“Alright, Admiral, I am convinced. This is a worthwhile mission. But not for me.”

“How come?”

“I am a warrior, sir, I am here to fight. We are not planning on fighting these humans. Therefore, my presence is unnecessary. I could be better serving the Empire elsewhere.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Yes!” I said, a little louder than protocol between myself and a superior officer would generally allow, but Admiral Kaalax had always been on the lax side in matters that didn’t involve my time. “I mean, yes, sir. This mission won’t have combat, it won’t have glory. I am the wrong man for it.”

“Ahh, there it is, then.” Kaalax sat back in his chair, a knowing smile on his face. “We finally come to the truth of things, after all this dancing.”

“Sir?”

“Glory is what you’re after, what has always gotten you up in the morning, isn’t it?”

My eyes narrowed. “I can think of no better way to serve the Kreossian Empire, sir, than to earn as much glory in battle as I can in its name.”

“Quite right, quite right, young man. But here is something else. Diplomatic missions such as these are just as important as all your battles and campaigns. Glory comes in the results of the thing, not from the doing of the thing, Ark. Hopefully, if I have taught you anything in our time together, you will learn this in time.”

I considered this, mulling it over without speaking. Finally, I broke the silence. “I shall have to think that over more, Admiral. I trust I will have enough time to do so when we arrive at the station.”

“Let it be the second lesson you learn today, then.”

I saluted and turned my chair back to face the main view screen. I busied myself with system diagnostics and long range sensor grids, but I could feel Admiral Kaalax’ eyes boring into me from behind.

The ship continued its silent trip through empty space toward its rendezvous with humanity.

CHAPTER 03 - MELISSA

The docking procedure went off without a hitch, and within a few minutes of the automatic pilot bringing us close to the station, the ship and the station were locked together, held in place by a connection tube just large enough for Ambassador Fuller and I to stand side by side and walk through.

We knew from the sensor scans that the Kreossians had not yet arrived, and that the station was empty. Nevertheless, I hesitated when they reached the end of the airlock tube, looking at Ambassador Fuller for reassurance, who just gave me a small smile and nod. Buoyed by this, I pushed the entrance button and the door slid open, the sound of releasing gas loud as the two pressurized.

The station’s interior was similar in design to that of our ship, which made sense since both were derived from the same plans. Fuller and I had both walked through the facility when it was still orbiting Earth several times; in fact, one of the test procedures had been for us to live on it for a week, just as long as they expected to spend here when the real meeting occurred, at the limit.

Which was now. Goosebumps covered my skin, and I gulped as we walked around the familiar-yet-still-somehow-new station, testing out various subsystems and running diagnostics. The worst thing would be if something went wrong during the conference, so all these pre-meeting checks and re-checks were par for the course.

Of course, the side effect was that it kept me busy, which was good, since I was less likely to worry about what was to come. What would the Kreossians even look like? I had no idea.

Would they move around leaving gelatinous puddles behind them? A foul stench? Would they fly instead of walking? Communicate without speech? Have tentacles for arms?

The mind boggled with all the possibilities. They could be hideous! I smiled, wondering why Fuller had resisted describing them all these years. What was it he had said? Oh, right: “The Kreossians are unremarkable to look at; so much so that I have already forgotten them.” It had caused an uproar back on Earth, but in retrospect it had set off a frenzy of interest in these unknown and potentially scary looking aliens that had come to help us or eat us.

Maybe they were a race of vegetarians? Or, maybe they were actually a plant-based life form, and eating salad would be cannibalism to them?! So many possibilities!

“Melissa,” Ambassador Fuller said from across the small command room where we sat, still running systems checks.

“Yes, Ambassador, can I help you?”

“You’re fidgeting, Melissa.”

I looked down and saw that I was playing with my hands, moving things around the panels and compulsively running the same tests over and over again. I sighed and let my hands drop from the console. “You’re right, sir, I am. I’m just a little bit nervous, is all.”

“I understand the feeling. I am happy that I didn’t have time to experience it 50 years ago, or first contact might have gone very, very different for us.”

I turned. “You weren’t nervous?”

Fuller stared back. “I was petrified,” he said softly, “never more scared in my entire life. But that was only for a few seconds, while I was trying to figure out what was happening. After that,” he threw up his hands, “there was no time. The Kreossians are very good at putting people at ease when they want to.”

“I don’t know anything about them.”

“They were very clear on this point - they did not want information about them to get out. I remember exactly how Kaalax put it. ‘We chose you because we could tell you were ready. Your people are not, yet. It will be your job to change that.’” Fuller sighed. “And that is what I have spent my life doing.”

“We have come a long way in a short amount of time.” That was an understatement. In just 50 years, humanity had thrown off the trappings of the past, moved beyond division and strife, and united as one.

And all because we had found out that we weren’t alone.

“Yes, we have, and I think after this meeting, the pace will only increase.”

“What more is there for us? We’ve eliminated all the things that caused problems.”

“The great beyond, Melissa! We can explore what’s out there!” The look in Fuller’s eyes was one of excitement - such was the hope he had for humanity’s future.

“Fingers crossed it works out that way.”

Fuller laughed. “I can see you’re still a little nervous. It’ll pass soon enough.”

Just then the sensor panel in front of me lit up, klaxons sounding throughout the station. “Kreossian arrival imminent. ETA 1 hour.”

“Good, good, they’re almost here. It will be good to see Kaalax again, I wonder how different he’ll be. We’re all set for their arrival?”

“Yes, sir. You met Kaalax at First Contact?”

“Good. Yes, we met then. An impressive man, I am excited to see how the years have treated him. The stories he told back then were wondrous, I’m sure he’s picked up many more since.”

It took slightly under an hour for the Kreossian ship to dock. It looked different from the one Fuller and I had traveled in - this one was sleeker, more angular, looking almost angry and ready for combat, which raised my suspicions even more.

Fuller took it all in stride, and it seemed that he got more and more excited and animated as the clock ticked down their arrival.

Finally, the computer signaled that the Kreossian ship had docked, and Fuller and I stood in front of the airlock. The door slid open, and Fuller smiled at the sight of his old friend.

There were two Kreossian men standing in front of them. The one in front was clearly older and had a big smile on his face as he looked at Fuller. The other…oh dear.

The other one. He was…breathtaking. I knew I was gasping out loud but couldn’t find the strength to stop myself. This was my first look at an alien in person, and what an alien to start with.

Kreossians looked very much like humans, except bigger and much more muscular. The main difference between the two species, though, were the lines like tattoos that ran all over the Kreossian’s skin. They could be tattoos, but unlike any tattoo I had ever seen, they glowed and changed colors.

I couldn’t be sure if all Kreossians were like this, but if that were the case, I sure wouldn’t mind.

The second one had a scowl on his face, but he wore it well. He was taller and more muscular than the one who stood in front of him, and showed clear deference to the other when they stepped forward.

The older one raised his hand out, a little stiffly at first, but to me that seemed more because he was unused to the custom rather than any animosity toward the humans. The older one’s eyes twinkled with mirth, and I got the sense that this was a being who had enjoyed a long life of interesting experiences.

“Fuller, my friend!” the older one barked, his voice even yet cut with excitement. “You are looking so old! What has time done to you?”

Fuller stepped forward and shook his hand, wincing slightly at the Kreossian’s clearly strong grip. “Kaalax, wonderful to see you.” With his other hand, Fuller rubbed his stomach. “Years of good living and hard work, my friend, as I can tell you have no doubt shared in.”