《Our Place in the Galaxy》


 Chapter 1: Launch Day

    ¡°So what¡¯s with the skull patch¡± the little blue creature''s words buzzed as the translator in Jack Hallsen¡¯s ear morphed the strange sounds into english. ¡°Hmm, well a lot of warrior groups from my people like to be as intimidating as possible so I guess it¡¯s just for intimidation.¡± Hallsen¡¯s reply took a moment to translate into the Usali dialect before the little blue slug thing could reply, ¡°Two questions, one, if you¡¯re supposed to be a stealth group wouldn¡¯t the enemy never see it? Two, wouldn¡¯t you have the intimidation factor down? I mean look at you, you''re larger than even the biggest Al¡¯domi warrior.¡± Hallsen thought about this for a moment before giving an answer, ¡°Hmm, I never really thought it all through but I guess the patch is just in case one of my group gets killed, then hopefully the enemy checks the body, sees the skull, and shits themselves.¡± Hallsen seemed a bit annoyed with the line of questioning from the blue creature, he was just here for a drink after all, or at least as close to a drink as he could get on this floating pile of rubble, ¡°Also you have to keep in mind that I¡¯m not even the biggest of my own team, let alone my species¡± the 5¡¯11¡± tall man seemed to resent that he never got that extra inch to hit six foot. ¡°Wait you guys get even bigger!?¡±


    ¡ª


    In the year 2118 catastrophe struck the human race, an experimental gravity bomb tore a hole in the fabric of space resulting in an unknown species coming into Earth¡¯s orbit. Before Contact could be established with this new race they began an orbital bombardment of Earth¡¯s surface, turning the planet into a barren wasteland. With the planet¡¯s surface reduced to dust the aliens left, thinking Humanity had been wiped from the galaxy, what they didn¡¯t know was that humanity had built underground bunkers designed to sustain human life indefinitely during the second half of the 21st century. These bunkers were designed for the martian colonies that had been established prior to the aliens'' bombardment. What followed was a period of rapid reconstruction for Earth, aided by a now independent Mars, over the next 200 years.


    Today was the big day for Hubert Reece, for the first time ever humanity would have a shield against those who would seek the extinction of the human race. He always hated the way suits fit him since he could never get one tailored to fit, the shoulders were always too tight and the length was always too short, he looked like a gorilla stuffed into human clothing, but today was a special occasion so he had to bear with it, at least for a little bit. The man glanced at the antique clock that sat on the wall of his living room, ticking away. It was hard enough finding batteries for it but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to get rid of a family heirloom that had been passed down to him after his father passed away just over two years ago; His dream was finally coming true, humanity would finally be safe if everything worked out.


    Snapping out of his daze when he noticed the time Hubert hurriedly grabbed his briefcase and helmet before rushing up the stairs to his airlock. Snapping his helmet into place over his membrane underseal he could just barely make out the noise of Jerry Farnik blaring the horn of his car. After hitting the big red button on the side of the wall the airlock door slowly started to open as a big blue pearl in the sky slowly came into view, it had a little more brown in it these days compared to pictures of old but Earth¡¯s resilience showed proudly even after its near destruction almost 200 years ago. The door to Jerry¡¯s car opened and Hubert stood still for just another moment to finish taking in the beauty of the Earth. ¡°C¡¯mon Hugh¡¯, you¡¯re wasting time, we gotta get you to the docks for the christening ceremony.¡± It was an ancient tradition that somehow made it through the devastation but it was one that Hubert was glad remained as he was going to be the one to perform the odd ritual.


    ¡°You know you¡¯re going to be late now, we were supposed to have you at Huygens by 10:00¡± Jerry spoke in a dejected tone, knowing that Hubert wouldn¡¯t really care all that much. ¡°The launch isn¡¯t even until noon, being a few minutes late won¡¯t change that, plus who even cares about this ceremony anyway?¡± Hubert¡¯s response came as a shock to Jerry. ¡°What do you mean who cares? This is supposed to be good luck for a ship, for your ship¡±.  ¡°My ship doesn¡¯t need luck, I designed it to last¡± Hubert seemed more and more agitated by the conversation with Jerry. ¡°Look, I know Public speaking isn¡¯t really your thing, but you were the lead designer on this ship, and not just any ship, the flagship of the navy and regardless of whether or not you think you should be doing the honors it was given to your and now you are responsible for bringing hope to the entire human race, so screw your head on straight and get it done, alright?¡± Jerry¡¯s suddenly serious tone snapped Hubert out of his pouting fit, ¡°Right¡± was all he could give in response.


    The rest of the drive was quiet as the two made their way to the Mons Huygens Dock Yards, the premier ship construction and launch system on the lunar surface. As the gates opened a massive underground chamber was revealed, showcasing the 2000 foot long, 450 foot wide flagship, the largest ship they could make that would still be able to launch from the lunar catapult system, as it was being loaded into the launch bay before final checks were conducted. As the car drove past the dock workers loading up the ship faint yelling could be heard over the sound of metal scraping against metal echoed deafeningly throughout the underground chamber, how anyone could yell so loudly was a mystery to both Hubert and Jerry.


    Eventually the car rolled into a small parking lot and stopped in front of an office building, the two men got out and headed inside. Walking through the narrow hallways seemed ironic to Hubert considering the space just outside the building was so open. After passing a few doors the men reached a conference room meant to hold important meetings relating to the daily operation of the Huygens facility, inside were a collection of important figures such as Chen Huyang, head of the Mars Colony and Duncan Kreed, President of the Stellar Defence Committee.


    Kreed was the first to speak up, ¡°You boys are late¡± the irritation in his voice was on full display leaving no room for doubt that he was not happy about the current situation. Hubert replied in his usual disinterested tone ¡°Yeah, but a few minutes late just to make sure my speech is in order for the ceremony hardly seems like a big deal¡±. Kreed scoffed ¡°Is that all you think this is? This was supposed to be a meeting to discuss the future of humanity and all you can say is that it doesn¡¯t seem like a big deal!¡± his sharp tone cutting right through Hubert¡¯s nonchalant demeanor ¡°Um¡­ uh¡­ yes, sorry sir, it won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°It better not¡± Kreed replied with a stern expression.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Next it was Huyang to speak up, ¡°Gentlemen, settle down, please, we have much to discuss¡±. The meeting lasted almost an hour and a half, most of it related to the launch ceremony as Hubert had expected but what came next was something unexpected. ¡°After the launch ceremony is complete and the flagship forms up with the rest of the fleet they¡¯ll head to Mars to formalize the union of Earth and Mars.¡± Kreed spoke with a spark of pride in his voice; After spending over an hour with the man Hubert could tell he wasn¡¯t one to hide his feelings, that¡¯s probably what got him elected in the first place he thought.


    ¡°For our final order of business you¡¯ll need to listen up, Reece.¡± Hubert¡¯s normally tired looking face grew an inquisitive look, for all his lack of outward expression he couldn¡¯t help but be the curious type. Kreed spoke sharply and to the point as he often did, ¡°As much as I hate your attitude and lazy approach to life I know you¡¯re the best man we have for this job. We¡¯re starting an experimental weapons program and I want you to be the director of the program.¡± Hubert¡¯s inquisitive look shifted to one of shock, ¡°Sir, don¡¯t you think this is a little too much responsibility for me, I mean I¡¯m just a ship designer, I don¡¯t have any experience in management.¡± Kreed chuckled, ¡°And the fact that you realize that tells me you¡¯ll do just fine, besides, we¡¯re sending Jerry here with you to keep you in line, you¡¯re fine with that right Jerry?¡± Jerry sighed ¡°Absolutely sir.¡±


    The two men walked quietly out of the building towards the car, thinking over what they had just been told, in essence it was up to them to ensure humanity had a place in the galaxy, a task neither had any intentions to take lightly. The men reached the car and as soon as the doors had shut Jerry burst out into a fit of hysterical laughter ¡°HAH! Um,uh!¡± he said mockingly ¡°HA¡­ hooooo, if only you could have seen your face.¡± ¡°Were you thinking about that the entire meeting?¡± Hubert asked, a bit annoyed. ¡°Most definitely, I¡¯ve been looking forward to the day someone finally put you in your place and it was even better than I could have imagined.¡± By now the tense atmosphere of the walk back to the car had dissipated and the two had gone back to their normal routine of taking jabs at each other during the car ride, ¡°At least I had more to say than just ¡®Absolutely sir¡¯.¡±


    The drive back to the launch platform was relatively short and the men found themselves surrounded by journalists and reporters asking questions about the launch. Out of the sea of individuals Hubert could only hear one question ¡°Is the ship safe to fly?¡± came from an unknown voice in the crowd. ¡°This ship is the most robust we¡¯ve ever built, if the others flew this one will too.¡± The rushed nature of the defense program always bothered the public but Hubert knew his designs were sound and just wished that by now the public would put at least some faith in his work. When they emerged from the crowd Jerry reassured Hubert ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, everyone knows you do great work and those reporters are just looking for flashy headlines and controversy¡±. ¡°I know, but it just baffles me how some people could still seem on the fence about a planetary defense force after what happened¡±.


    Shortly after the men approached the back of the stage where they found a very twitchy woman with a headset on and a tablet in her hand. ¡°Oh good you''re here, is your speech ready? Do you have a memory stick so I can load it onto the podium?¡± The questions practically shot out of the woman at light speed. ¡°Yes everything is ready, here¡¯s the memory stick¡± Hubert handed the woman a small green rectangular box before adding, ¡°Are you okay, you seem on edge?¡± The woman, not even bothering to make eye contact, spoke while doing something on her tablet, ¡°How could I not be? I¡¯m only in charge of making sure this entire ceremony goes smoothly.¡± Before Hubert or Jerry could give a response the woman snapped out of her twitchy behavior, ¡°Sorry I¡¯m just a bit stressed from all of this, it¡¯s a pretty big day after all. You¡¯re on in ten, good luck out there.


    Ten minutes flew by like nothing and Hubert slowly walked onto the stage, as he emerged from behind the curtain he was greeted with an ocean of people, it looked as if the entire lunar colony had shown up for the ceremony. As he reached the podium a wave of calm washed over him as his initial nerves melted away. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I¡¯d like to make this as brief as possible but I can make no guarantees, for today is a new dawn for humanity. Two centuries ago we were faced with an unforeseen cataclysm, almost two thirds of our population was lost, each life a sacrifice we shall never forget. But today is not a day of mourning, today is a day of celebration and hope. We have bounced back as we have throughout history with sheer grit and determination, and with us we¡¯ve brought a message for those who would seek our destruction, that we will never stop fighting for survival.¡± After a brief pause for applause Hubert continued his speech which lasted about half an hour. ¡°And with the christening of this ship I usher in a new age for the human race, an age in which we shall never again have to fear annihilation at the hands of some unseen foe.¡± Cheers roared out from the crowd as the bottle smashed against the ship.


    As he walked off the stage Hubert saw the woman from earlier reach the podium and he could hear from the speakers ¡°Now if everyone could please leave the staging area and proceed to the viewing area we can get the ship launch underway.¡± He could hear the footsteps of the crowd stomping out of the launch bay and out into the viewing dome as the curtains drew closed. ¡°That was great Hugh, best speech I¡¯ve heard in a long time.¡± Jerry seemed a little too excited that someone else¡¯s speech had gone so well. ¡°The best part is still to come, let¡¯s head to the monitoring room. The men entered a room full of screens and keyboards each with a unique readout or camera feed to give as much information about the launch as possible.


    As time for the launch quickly approached tensions began to rise in the room, calls of ''nominal readings¡¯ and ¡®looks good here'' could be heard from the various crew members watching the status readouts. Eventually the countdown began, sending everyone into an eerie silence. The tension in the room only grew as the countdown reached its finale ¡°3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Launch¡± an electric hum could be heard throughout the station as the magnetic launch catapult fired up and began to move the massive ship. Just before reaching the base of Mons Huygens the support boosters fired with their distinct orange glow to help propel the ship out into lunar orbit. As the ship barreled towards the peak of the mountain the tension in the room seemed to disappear. The massive battleship flew into space with ease, as if it had done so many times before. A sense of pride washed over Hubert and everything seemed to move in slow motion as he muttered under his breath ¡°We¡¯ve finally made it.¡±


    When the ship had successfully reached orbit Duncan Kreed approached Hubert with his usual stern expression, although this time with a slight hint of a grin, ¡°Well you¡¯ve done it, now it¡¯s time for you to meet up with the fleet and get to Mars.¡±

 Chapter 2: The Alliance

    ¡°So how do you feel about the complete annihilation of your people?¡± The little blue creature¡¯s continued bout of probing questions only seemed to irritate Hallsen, ¡°How do you know it was complete, my people don¡¯t go down that easy you know.¡± ¡°Look I know I said you were bigger than the Al¡¯domi but those guys have some pretty awful ways of wiping out a planet, I mean it was all over the news Jack, complete destruction of the planet''s surface, nothing survived.¡± The expression on the creature''s face was something Hallsen had learned meant concern in his time on the Pvari mining outpost. ¡°The surface huh? Well did they get the bunkers?¡± The creature paused for a moment to think about what was just said, ¡°The what now?¡±  Hallsen grew a smug look as he downed the last of his drink ¡°We¡¯ll be back, just you wait.¡±


    ¡ª


    The interior of the ship seemed oddly comforting, warm lighting and a dark color scheme was an interesting departure from the normal bright lights and gray walls on older military vessels, not that Admiral Sabin Porter was complaining, in fact he thought the cozy interior of the ship would help improve morale on long voyages. As he soaked in the sight of his new home the Admiral watched as Second Lieutenant Carrie Hopper walked through the bridge bulkhead, opening with a faint hiss. ¡°Admiral, we¡¯ve received word that the shuttles are ready to begin docking, they¡¯re just awaiting your go ahead.¡± The young woman with short, dark hair and amber eyes spoke sharp and to the point. ¡°Thank you Lieutenant, tell them to begin docking procedures immediately, we¡¯ve got a tight schedule to keep.¡± Lieutenant Hopper replied with a simple ¡°Yes, sir¡± and walked back out the way she entered, the door closing behind her with a faint hiss once again before the solid clank of the latches engaging.


    Docking procedures on this new line of warships was fairly streamlined as far as docking one ship to another during spaceflight was concerned, a hangar door was located near the bow of the ship just above the keel on either side. When the door opened a landing deck would be revealed and a crane would move the shuttle to its proper docking bay after landing. Hubert Reece felt an enormous sense of pride watching his designs in action, although he hadn¡¯t developed the crane system in its entirety, just having a hand in it seemed to be enough for Hubert to consider it his own. As the massive crane moved to grab the shuttle Hubert braced for the inevitable jolt that came with any two large pieces of machinery making contact, but to his surprise it never came, the crane gracefully lifted the shuttle and carefully placed it in shuttle bay 12, the last docking bay intended for shuttles, the other 88 docking bays were designed for various other fighter and bomber type craft. Only a moment passed after the shuttle bay doors had closed before it began to fill with air again, for now the airlocks seemed to be working as intended but only time would tell if they were truly reliable.


    The walk to the bridge was relatively long, roughly half a mile of walking to get from the lower deck of the hangar bay to the upper decks of the ship, the use of various corridors and stairways had been chosen for the design over elevators to simplify the design and add reliability in case of emergency. Seeing the ship¡¯s corridors up close and at full scale was something of a surreal experience for Hubert, it was one thing to visualize things for a design and another to see it first hand on the completed product. Of course the admiral had put his own signature on almost everything you could see but that did little to change the fact that this ship was forged by Hubert and his team, and now he was on his way to become the head of another such team, although this one was supposedly more clandestine than the first.


    ¡°Excuse me, Lieutenant Hopper, before we reach the bridge, is there anything you can tell me about the admiral? I generally like to know what I¡¯m in for when meeting new people.¡± Hubert¡¯s question broke the silence that had formed over the last six minutes. ¡°Well, as I¡¯m sure you can see, the Admiral isn¡¯t exactly the most orthodox of military minds, in fact I¡¯d say he¡¯s probably the strangest of the bunch.¡± The woman spoke in a relatively soft tone for someone of her position, ¡°Just don¡¯t go insulting him directly to his face, he really hates any form of disrespect and is liable to throw a few punches when he gets mad.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the info, and I¡¯m in a pretty good mood today so we shouldn¡¯t have any troubles.¡± Hubert¡¯s reply drew a snort from Jerry, ¡°Hugh, you¡¯re probably the most unintentionally disrespectful person I know, this is gonna be anything but easy for you.¡± ¡°No I just disrespect you because you¡¯re so easy to disrespect.¡± ¡°And what the hell is that supposed to mean!?¡± Hubert chuckled at Jerry¡¯s outburst, ¡°It means exactly what it sounds like.¡±


    The hiss of the bulkhead had become a seamless part of the ship¡¯s ambiance for Admiral Porter by now as it once again opened to reveal yet another group of people wanting to meet with him, except this time the people that came through the door were some people that the Admiral wouldn¡¯t mind spending some time talking to. ¡°Ah, the famous Hubert Reece, glad to have you on board, your designs have fascinated me for some time now. Did you know I was one of the members on the committee that chose your design for this flagship?¡±, the admiral''s face lit up as he spoke. ¡°I had no idea, I thought admirals were supposed to be helping to restructure military personnel during the ship trials.¡± Hubert seemed shocked that the admiral had such a vested interest in his ship designs. ¡°Normally yes, but since I¡¯m going to be leading the flagship fleet the committee saw it fit that I be part of the team that chose our ship designs¡±, the admiral¡¯s face grew a big toothy grin, ¡°Of course, I pressured them into it a little bit.¡±


    The admiral wore his emotions on his sleeve, something Hubert found to be a bit strange for someone of his station, but Hubert''s apparent discomfort at the situation did little to sway Sabin¡¯s mannerisms. ¡°Out of all the designs we considered yours was by far the best to suit our needs, do you know why?¡± The admiral¡¯s question was clearly meant to test Hubert to see if he really knew what he was doing or if he just got lucky. ¡°If I had to guess I¡¯d wager it was the heat management systems, I¡¯ve never seen a ship that has such an efficient heat management system, not to mention it doubles as a weapon in an emergency, and with the shear heat output of the warp drive you¡¯d need a reliable way to dispose of said heat.¡± The admiral, not at all surprised by Hubert¡¯s answer replied, ¡°Precisely, all the other designs had mediocre heat management due to them using conventional heat syncs as well as a combination of too many dedicated weapon platforms, your design struck the perfect balance of firepower and reliability, not to mention that catapulting your heat sync at the enemy is just plain hilarious.¡± Hubert chuckled at the admiral''s response ¡°Heh, yeah I figured the best way to get rid of heat was to just throw it at the enemy¡±. Just as the admiral was about to respond to Hubert¡¯s remark a loud beeping noise echoed throughout the bridge, ¡°Well it appears the martians need another progress update, those folks can never just have a bit of patience. It was nice meeting you Mr. Reece, I¡¯ll have Lieutenant Hopper show you to your quarters.¡±


    Again the door hissed as the mechanism activated. A man showed up on the large display positioned in the center of the bridge, all that could be seen was his torso upward, he was wearing a brownish red suit jacket with a black tie, immediately giving away that he was a martian politician, ¡°Is everything running according to schedule Admiral?¡± Porter looked irritated by this question but remained calm, ¡°Yes Mr. Chairman, we¡¯re entering final system checks now and should be entering martian space in two days time.¡± ¡°Good, I¡¯ll see you then¡±, the chairman, a role given to the second in command of Mars, responded before suddenly cutting the link. ¡°What a prick¡± Admiral Porter muttered under his breath before sitting back down in his chair ¡°I¡¯ll be glad not to have to deal with him anymore after the elections are done¡± he thought to himself. Various politicians had been campaigning for years in an effort to become the President of the new solar alliance that was about to be formed but for some reason the Martian Chairman Han Biwual did not include himself in the running, perhaps out of respect for President Huyang or maybe he just didn¡¯t like the idea of presiding over the more rowdy members of humanity. Whatever the reason, Sabin Porter would be glad to be rid of his condescending tone once the elections were through.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The ship passed its systems checks with flying colors and the rest of the trip to mars was relatively uneventful, Admiral Porter had a few chats with other ship captains to test out comms systems along with a few combat simulations to test the data link with the other ships in the fleet. Upon arriving to Mars the crew could see that the celebration was already well underway, fireworks could be seen exploding in the atmosphere just over the colony domes and a series of lights was set up to guide the ship to its orbital zone. Admiral Porter looked down to the display screen on his wrist which had been buzzing to notify him that it was time to enter orbit, he quickly pressed the button to shut off the notification and then a second button which opened up the ship''s intercom. ¡°Alright everyone, it¡¯s time to enter our orbit. Once we reach orbit I and our guests will head down to the martian surface for the ceremony. While I¡¯m gone First Lieutenant James Trale will be in command of the ship. You all know your rolls so let¡¯s get this done.¡± The admiral¡¯s matter of fact, monotone delivery was in stark contrast to his usual energetic self.


    As the admiral walked through the ship''s hallways the ship and its crew appeared to be operating as if they were a single organism, to an outside observer it might appear to be chaotic inside the ship but to the well trained eye everything was running as smooth as could be. This sight gave hope to Admiral Porter and helped calm his nerves, despite his confident exterior he often held doubt that humanity could really stand up to the alien threat that had nearly wiped them out all those years ago. Porter stepped into the shuttle, sat down in his seat and fastened his safety harness. The interior of the shuttle proved to be roomier than he was expecting of such a small craft.


    The engines of the shuttle growled to life as the hangar doors opened, the red surface of Mars seemed much closer through the shuttle''s windows than from the display on the bridge. As the shuttle took off Porter noted the sound of the engines which were loud enough to drown out any other sounds that could normally be associated with a large metal vehicle in motion. Despite this fact he found their noise rather comforting, unlike all the rattling and clanking of metal heard during the launch of the ship that was soon to be officially named USS Resurgence just a few days prior. The red planet grew ever closer and Porter felt a wave of nerves wash over him briefly before subsiding, he knew that after this ceremony his life and the lives of his crew would have to be put on the line in order to ensure humanity could live on.


    Entering the atmosphere of the red planet Admiral Porter could begin to make out the shape of crowds formed under the domes scattered throughout the planet¡¯s surface, fireworks booming over them as the shuttle entered one of the domes through a retractable roof. Touching down in the center of a large stadium the shuttle came to a rather easy halt, gravity being what it was on mars made for easy landings it seemed. Stepping out of the shuttle Porter could see what appeared to be a large portion of Martian military personnel except they weren¡¯t wearing the standard Martian red uniforms that the planet was known for, instead they were wearing a deep blue uniform with white accents, the colors of the new union that was about to be formed. With the Martians apparently all in on the new alliance Admiral Porter began to feel at ease as he approached the stage where Martian Chairman Biwual was giving his speech.


    ¡°And with the arrival of humanity''s first ever interstellar fleet we Martians shall willingly join hands with our brethren from Earth to form the United Solar Alliance, firmly placing all of humanity under one banner for the first time in history.¡± Chairman Biwual extended his hand towards Admiral Porter and porter reached out his own to meet the chairman¡¯s, normally this honor would be between the leaders of the two planets but Earth¡¯s leadership had never truly solidified after the incident so the admiral was given the role of acting as a representative of Earth given the circumstances. As the two shook hands the crowds assembled under the domes began to cheer, the massive uproar practically shaking Mars to its core, Admiral Porter thought the domes might shatter at the sheer force of the noise.


    ¡°No longer are we divided by any creed or nationality, we are all humans. We venture forth as one people, united by a desire to survive in a harsh and unforgiving galaxy, and though it may be unforgiving we choose to not be shackled by the chains it wishes to place upon us.¡± The chairman¡¯s speech had reached the point where he appeared to be rambling aimlessly to Admiral Porter whose duty required him to stay for the remainder of the ceremony. By the time it was over Porter had nearly fallen asleep, the Biwual¡¯s speech exhausting the little energy he had left. The crowd, however, was still cheering, despite the Martian propensity for efficiency, they seemingly enjoy long winded and motivational speeches.


    As the crowd funneled out of the domes and into the subterranean cities, the chairman turned to Admiral Porter as he headed toward his shuttle. ¡°Thank you for doing this, I know you¡¯d rather attend to your duties on a ship, but it means a lot to the Martian people that Earth is as invested in this alliance as us.¡± The emotional attitude of Chairman Biwual¡¯s statement seemed much too out of character to Admiral Porter, perhaps he had been wrong about Han Biwual. ¡°Well Chairman Biwual, I¡¯m just glad to see you have an emotional reaction to something for once.¡± Admiral Porter chuckled at his own joke but Biwual was having none of it. ¡°Yes, well there is much to do, I wish you well out there, please do keep us safe will you.¡± The return of Chairman Biwual¡¯s extremely blunt attitude only seemed to add to the joke for Sabin who by now was fully enveloped in a fit of hearty laughs, ¡°HAH¡­ very good, well in that case you have nothing to worry about, our fleet is up for any challenge that comes our way. Do your best keeping this rock running smoothly, alright?¡± Han Biwual gave a grunt of affirmation before turning to exit the dome.


    The door to the shuttle closed behind Porter as he sat down and fastened his harness once again. Soon after the shuttle¡¯s engines roared to life and the small craft practically leapt off the surface of Mars, headed back to the USS Resurgence. The ride back the ship was much less nerve racking for Admiral Porter who was glad to be headed back to what would be his home for the foreseeable future. The ship¡¯s docking crane was a welcome sight for Porter, he could finally somewhat relax knowing he was returning to his normal duties.


    The halls of the ship felt welcoming and Sabin knew the choice to decorate the ship interior rather than leaving it as a plain gray interior was a good one. The mechanisms of the doors hissing as they opened and closed had become a background noise that provided comfort to him as he made his way to the bridge. Upon entering, First Lieutenant Trale was the first to break the silence, ¡°Welcome back Admiral, it¡¯s good to see you¡¯re still in one piece.¡± Admiral Porter welcomed the jovial tone, ¡°It¡¯s good to be back Lieutenant, have our guests been dropped off yet?¡± ¡°Yes sir, and all the shuttles have already returned, we¡¯re ready for your orders.¡± The daily operations of ship life soothed the admiral as he settled into his seat. ¡°Good to hear, Johnson, get us to Ganymede, we¡¯ve got an outpost to establish.¡± Navigation Officer Trent Johnson immediately began plugging away at his screen, ¡°Sir, course set for Ganymede, ready to launch at your command.¡±


    ¡°Punch it.¡±

 Chapter 3: The Calm

    To most normal people the P¡¯vari mining outpost would seem strange, with it¡¯s near permanent night having semi-constant switches between a bright night and near pitch-black night that happened roughly every two hours by human time, but for Jack Hallsen this just meant criminals had a hard time seeing him coming. Being the de facto sheriff simply because nobody on the station could take you down wasn¡¯t exactly his idea of a dream job, but being stuck in space with no way home wasn¡¯t ideal to begin with. As he walked down the halls on his way towards his apartment, tv monitors filled with constant news about how the Al¡¯domi wiped out humanity could be heard. Two-hundred years of the same nonsense political debate about how the Al¡¯domi should have more power on the council had grown old for Jack, Usali medical science had extended his life far beyond what a human would normally live for and Jack had grown jaded over the years because of it, the Al¡¯domi¡¯s ever confrontational nature had grown tiresome. As Jack closed the door to his apartment the constant hum of the stellar lamps required for him to get adequate light exposure drowned out the noise of Al¡¯domi political discourse, finally he¡¯d be able to get some sleep.


    ¡ª


    ¡°There¡¯s no way you can possibly even think about going through with this, those things tried to wipe us out of existence!¡± The young man¡¯s voice echoed through the small conference room. Soon after Duncan Kreed, now president of the union, spoke up, ¡°Congressman Weskle, you may hold some amount of sway when deciding which laws get introduced internally, but don¡¯t forget for even a second that I have final say on foreign policy.¡± John Weskle, a prominent figure in the stellar congress, slowly sat back down in his chair before speaking again, this time in a much more calm tone, ¡°Yes of course Mr. President, I just mean to say that sending envoys to a species that nearly made us extinct is practically a suicide mission, and with no military escort either, it just sounds like a good way to get people killed for no reason.¡± President Kreed paused for a moment, then gave out a heavy sigh ¡°Congressman Weskle, I¡¯ve personally looked over the data that we pulled from their ship over a thousand times. All the evidence suggests that their actions were merely the result of being nearly ripped to shreds by a wormhole, one that we created, mind you, and thrown into an unknown hostile environment.¡± Silence Fell over the room as Kreed stood up out of his chair and walked towards the window, looking at the orange sky, ¡°The only way we can know whether or not they wish to see us all dead for sure is to send a diplomatic mission to show that we intend to settle our differences peacefully. To say that this mission has no reason is akin to saying that striving to be the best people we can be has no reason. I refuse to allow ourselves to become warmongers out of spite for a transgression over two-hundred years old.¡±


    The silence became deafening as the group of congressmen thought for a moment about President Kreed¡¯s words, even John Weskle who had previously been the most vocal of the committee members. Eventually Carrie Jonstan, perhaps the quietest of the bunch, was the first to speak up ¡°Sir, they should at least have a rather sizable military escort, if they do turn out to be instantly hostile they¡¯ll need a means of protection.¡± Kreed stood still for a moment to process the statement before sitting back down in his chair to speak, ¡°Generally yes, it would be a good idea for them to have a military escort, however doing so introduces the risk that this is seen as an attack, we¡¯re operating on very limited intelligence about this so called Galactic Council, surely it¡¯s better to limit the chances that this sparks a war unnecessarily.¡± Tensions within the room became palpable again before John Weskle spoke, this time slightly more calm than his previous outburst, ¡°This is a suicide mission anyway, those bloodthirsty Al¡¯domi bastards are going to kill them the moment they step foot in front of the council.¡± Kreed, visibly angered by Weskle¡¯s response took a few deep breaths before addressing him, ¡°As far as we know, the Al¡¯domi do not control the council¡¯s actions and taking that kind of action would likely create a large political rift between them, something the Al¡¯domi could not possibly want, so let¡¯s all calm down for a moment and think about what our best course of action is.¡±


    For a time the room hummed with a low murmur as the members discussed various actions that could be had, among the ideas gaining traction was sending a military escort until the diplomats reached a point where contact could be made with the alien council. It was determined that the communication range of humanity¡¯s ships would extend past the sensor range of the council, making a safe zone for the ships to establish contact. After discussions among the committee members had died down President Kreed again rose from his chair to grab control of the room, ¡°Alright then, so it¡¯s decided, we¡¯ll send a military escort along with the diplomats until they reach a safe range to attempt to establish contact with this alien council. After contact has been made we will attempt to set up negotiations with the council in order to peacefully resolve any issues between us. Let¡¯s hope this goes well, after all it¡¯s only the fate of humanity that¡¯s at stake here.¡±


    ¡ª


    Weeks passed as diplomats were gathered for the mission, many weren¡¯t willing to take the risk of being the first to contact those who had nearly been the end of the human race two-hundred years prior, others simply felt the responsibility was too great for them to handle. Eventually a group of four daring envoys was gathered and the trip had been planned, three escorting destroyer class cruisers and one large battlecruiser would escort the diplomats to the safe zone for establishing communication. Among the envoys chosen was Chaise Spencer, a young man from Earth determined to see the issues of the galaxy resolved peacefully. As the rest of the envoys were loaded into their tiny shuttle that would take them to the ship waiting in orbit, Chaise took a moment to take in Earth¡¯s atmosphere for what he knew could very well be the last time. ¡°C¡¯mon Spencer, let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡± The pilot for the shuttle sounded a bit annoyed by Chaise¡¯s stalling. ¡°Right¡± he replied, ¡°Just a moment.¡± Chaise took one last deep breath of Earth¡¯s air before stepping foot on the shuttle and having the door close behind him.


    Life aboard a spaceship was much different than Chaise had gotten used to on Earth, for one the air seemed thick and stagnant, almost impossible to breathe at times, and the food was average at best. Despite being bothered by the atmosphere aboard the ship, the knowledge that his mission was likely going to be a major event in human history kept Chaise focused through the journey. As he walked through the narrow corridors of the ship other diplomats and various crew members would pass by, each having to shimmy sideways past one another to make enough room, these cramped spaces aboard the ship surprisingly made Chaise feel more at home where he often had to share space with his six brothers and four sisters, a product of the repopulation efforts of Earth. Carefully weaving through the corridors, Chaise makes his way to the storage room of the small transport vessel, the one room with a large enough window to get a good view of the stars. Chaise would often come here to take in the view, where most would get bored of the endless sea of stars and nothingness Chaise saw an ever changing tapestry.


    Lost in his own thoughts, Chaise hadn¡¯t heard the footsteps of someone else sneaking up behind him, ¡°Admiring the view?¡± Chaise jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion, and swiftly turned to reveal that the intruder was none other than Sara Walgren, a young woman who Chaise had grown acquainted with on the long journey. ¡°I was until you showed up¡± he jokingly retorted, Sara laughed and joked back ¡°It¡¯s not my fault your head¡¯s always off in space¡­ Makes you way too easy to startle.¡±


    Sara stood next to Chaise and they both looked out at the stars, for a moment there was nothing but silence before Chaise spoke up, ¡°Do you think the aliens on the council really want us all dead, I mean are we really such a threat to them that we need to be wiped out?¡± Sara remained silent for a moment to think about the question, ¡°I don¡¯t think it even has to be about whether or not we¡¯re a threat, It might just be that they didn¡¯t like the idea of suddenly being sucked through a wormhole and saw it as an attack.¡± She looked at Chaise who didn¡¯t seem very convinced by her answer ¡°I mean just look at Humans, we make rash decisions like that all the time, perhaps we have more in common than either of us realize.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s a good point, anyway, did you find out how much longer until we can make contact with the council?¡± Sara sighed before answering, ¡°The captain said it¡¯s going to be another two days at least. I guess they need to make sure we don¡¯t inadvertently give our position away.¡± Chaise reached up to scratch the back of his head, ¡°I suppose that makes some sense, but aren¡¯t we still well outside of the council''s projected sensor range?¡± ¡°Apparently they don¡¯t want to take any chances.¡± Sara seemed a bit indifferent about the situation but Chaise was growing ever more impatient, to him every minute they wasted was another opportunity for things to go horribly wrong. The two stood in silence, staring at the stars, the uncertainty of the future weighing heavily on them both.


    ¡ª


    Aboard the USS Keeper, a frigate tasked with aiding in the escort efforts, Captain James Jones awaits the signal to switch to area patrol from the lead ship as the convoy approaches its destination. ¡°Captain, sensors show we¡¯ve reached the designated coordinates.¡± the young nav officer spoke in a low, matter of fact tone. Captain Jones gave a small grunt of affirmation, ¡°Good, hold position until we receive orders from Admiral Keiler.¡± Soon after finishing his command the ship''s comms signal began blaring its alarm, ¡°That¡¯d be him, sir¡± a voice spoke out from the main comms terminal. ¡°Alright, on screen¡± the captain replied. The main screen of the bridge flickered to life as the face of an older man with gray hair but surprisingly few wrinkles came into view. ¡°This is Admiral Farnis Keiler, the convoy has reached its intended location and we are switching to area patrol, you all know your roles so get to it. And remember this is a diplomatic mission first, so any unknown ships are to be hailed if they breach our patrol zone and are only to be fired upon if they fire first, Keiler out.¡± The screen slowly faded out of view with Captain Jones speaking up shortly after, ¡°Alright everyone you heard the man, you all know your jobs so let¡¯s get to it.¡±


    The noise aboard the suddenly busy ship could have easily been mistaken for that of a bustling city, the halls echoing with mechanical scraping and the shouts of orders being given out. As everyone reached their stations an eerie silence fell over the ship, the captain staring intently at the sensor display that showed all the data the ship was acquiring from its surroundings. While he knew the best case scenario was that the convoy wouldn¡¯t be interrupted, the young captain secretly wished for just a bit of action to help ease his nerves. Just as the thought crossed his mind a large object appeared on sensors, the crew attempted to hail the object but no response ever came as the object drifted ever closer to their position. With bated breath the captain studied the readings, no heat signatures and no signs of life were reported as the object flew within range of the ship''s high detail sensors. With no order given to fire the gunners could only watch as the object hurtled through space towards their position, but as the mysterious object came into view it was clear that it was just an asteroid. Everyone aboard the Keeper could breathe a sigh of relief knowing the object was no threat, and a sense of calm washed over the ship as a budding confidence began to form.


    ¡ª


    Chaise could feel the tensions in the room rise as they began their broadcast, though spoken in the common human tongue was filtered through a computer generated translation algorithm to what everyone had hoped was an intelligible language spoken by at least one of the council species. It seemed like hours had passed since they began sending the message to the council, everyone held their breath as the signal flew through space heading for the seat of the galactic council. Suddenly a response came and the technicians immediately switched off the outgoing signal in order to focus on the incoming message which was run through the translation algorithm before being played for the diplomats to hear, ¡°I see you vermin have crawl from your hole. We do not acknowledge your claim of territory but has hear you request. Send attach coordinate, one warship allow for good faith.¡± The transmission was followed by a string of numbers before it abruptly ended. It was apparent that the translation algorithm needed some fine tuning, but it had functioned well enough to communicate, and the message was clear enough to all who heard, send the diplomats to the coordinates with one escort.


    The halls immediately filled with the sounds of chatter from all the crew and diplomats as they rushed to their designated positions. Chaise made his way to the conference room where diplomats were to remain until the decision was made as to how the negotiations were to be conducted, if a face to face meeting could be arranged then they would use the conference room as a shuttle, given its quick detach escape pod feature. If no such meeting could be arranged then the conference room would be where negotiations took place anyway. When Chaise reached the room he found himself alone, none of the others had shown up yet. He wandered around the room for a bit before settling on a chair to sit in, the dual functionality of the room meant that the chairs were all uncomfortable due to their built in harnesses and rigid, pragmatic construction, but they all served their purpose well so there wasn¡¯t much to complain about all things considered.


    Eventually the others slowly filled the room, one, sometimes two at a time, the four envoys had all sat in their seats by the time the crew had moved to man their stations. Slowly the noise level of the room grew as more people settled into their positions, waiting for the moment when they could finally, truly have a discussion with aliens for the first time. The buzz in the room seemed to be heavily focused on the brief transmission they received from the council, some claimed that the council had been too disrespectful toward them while most simply chalked it up to nuance being lost in translation. Chaise found himself rather conflicted about the message, on one hand there was a lot of small details that could be lost in translation and he understood that the council had to look out for their own best interest, but something didn¡¯t sit right with him about how matter of fact they were about only allow one of the escort ships to be present, let alone why the escort ships even went along with this absurd idea in the first place.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Captain, incoming communications from Admiral Keiler, sir.¡± Communications officer Trent Kollins spun around in his chair as he informed the captain of the news. ¡°Very well, open the channel.¡± Static could be heard as the comms channel opened up, shortly after the voice of Admiral Keiler could be heard loud and clear throughout the bridge, ¡°Captain Jones, the Keeper has been designated as the lone escort vessel for the remainder of this mission, if anything goes wrong you are to rendezvous here to regroup and extract the VIP¡¯s, good luck.¡± Captain Jones mulled over the admiral¡¯s words for a moment before replying, ¡°Sir, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, why us? The Keeper is the least capable ship on this mission; we won''t be able to protect the diplomats if this is an ambush.¡± ¡°You¡¯re also the least hot headed of the captains on this mission, James, you¡¯re the only one I can trust to not act rashly if negotiations go south, we can¡¯t afford to be the one to fire the first shot.¡± The admiral''s harsh tone softened for a moment to address his long time friend. ¡°The Keeper has an extensive array of sensors, you¡¯ll be able to see an ambush coming from lightyears away, Keiler out.¡± The sound of static returned as the channel closed before the bridge was engulfed by an intense silence. ¡°Alrighty then, I guess that¡¯s that.¡± The captain held down a button on the arm of his chair and his voice could be heard across the entire ship, ¡°All crew prepare to resume escort duties, we¡¯re going solo on this one so I want everyone to be on their A-game, that¡¯s all.¡± Letting go of the button Captain Jones gave out a heavy sigh before addressing Comms Officer Kollins, ¡°Trent, send word to the diplomats that they are to stay on our six until we reach the destination, and tell them to be ready to open a channel back to Ganymede so we can record these negotiations.¡±