No one around the table seemed willing to break the heavy, uncomfortable silence that had filled the room after Genevieve’s portentous statement. For his part, Henry felt a deep frustration welling up within him that manifested as tension in his neck and shoulders.
She’s right that everyone needs to know, he thought. But I also think she’s not really hearing what Zhu and Ioane are saying. There’s obviously more going on here then we’re aware of.
The silence was abruptly broken by the door to the hallway sliding open. Sevchenko walked inside holding a thick stack of papers, and he halted mid-step just past the doorway after being subjected to a harrowing gaze from Zhu.
Henry groaned with dismay. “...Not again.”
“Message from Sol, sir,” Sevchenko said cautiously. “Uh—”
“Just pass it here,” said Zhu.
Sevchenko handed over the stack with obvious relief, and immediately dismissed himself from the room. Zhu set the stack on the table before him and began to rapidly flip through the pages.
“So what is it this time?” Ioane asked.
In response, Zhu placed a single page onto the projector’s slide.
----------------------------------------
From : The Joint Congressional Committee on the Intersolar Colonization Effort
To: Grand Admiral Leonard Zhu, Commanding, USF Vanuatu
Subject: Priority 1 Fragmentary Order (FRAGO)
References: Operation Shining Dawn
1. SITUATION:
The Joint Congress offers you and the entire crew of the Vanuatu its sincerest congratulations, Admiral. Your contact with sentient biologic lifeforms on A-1A is one of the most significant events in human history. The presence of said sentient life necessitates an immediate adjustment to your current operation order (OPORD).
2. MISSION:
The Vanuatu will continue its scientific exploration efforts as previously instructed, with the additional requirement of developing methods of communication with the sentient life forms inhabiting A-1A. Until an effective line of communication can be established, contact must be carefully curated and limited in scope. The Vanuatu must act with extreme caution so as to not unduly antagonize the inhabitants of A-1A.
In addition, the Vanuatu must begin construction of a modified transceiver array, along with a modified hibernation creche. Instructions have been included in the follow-on notation.
3. EXECUTION
A. Concept of Operations:
Establish communications with the inhabitants of A-1A. Construct new high priority structures.
B. Tasks to Subordinate Units:
Assemble the Faster Than Light - Simple Image Transceiver Array (FTL - SITA) along with a modified hibernation creche. Continue with construction efforts in orbit of A-1A as previously instructed.
C. Coordinating Instructions:
Current overlay remains in effect. Maintain a high state of combat readiness until the USF Bora Bora arrives.
4. SERVICE SUPPORT
No changes to OPORD.
5. COMMAND AND SIGNAL
The Joint Congress hereby recognizes Grand Admiral Leonard Zhu as the USF Vanuatu’s commanding officer.
ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT AND CHANGE OF MISSION.
----------------------------------------
“Now that’s interesting,” said Henry. “A transceiver that can send images at faster than light speeds. I guess their tech has come a long way in the last eighty years.”
“Why do they want us to make that?” Kaya asked.
“They want to see what the aliens look like, if I had to guess.”
Zhu turned to him. “Would they be able to send us pictures with it as well?”
Henry nodded. “If it works how our current transceiver does, I imagine it would, sir.”
“That’s all very nice,” Genevieve said impatiently. “But what was it saying about a modified hibernation creche?”
Zhu’s attention returned to the stack of papers before him. He began to flip through it once more, and soon replaced the page sitting on the projector slide with a new one taken from the middle of the stack. It appeared to be an inventory sheet listing the required materials for building a new hibernation creche, along with a complicated set of directions on how to assemble it. Henry couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but after a few moments of reading Kaya raised a few worried fingers to her lips.
“The hell is all that,” Ioane said with a dismissive wave.
“...These are directions on how to build a new hibernation creche from scratch,” Kaya said. “One with adjustable dimensions.”
“What does that mean?” Art asked, frowning.
Genevieve responded before Kaya could, anger rising in her voice.
“I’ll tell you what it means. They’re going to ask us to catch one of the aliens and put it to sleep in that creche so we can study it. They want us to dissect—”
The room exploded into noise before she could finish. Zhu and Ioane both shouted her down as Henry and Kaya let out stunned exclamations.
“That isn’t what was in our orders!!!” “Real nice assumption you got there!!!”
Genevieve shouted back, completely undeterred. “Well why the hell else would they want us to build that thing?!?”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Why do you automatically assume—” Ioane began, but was interrupted by Art, who seemed to be the only person in the room to have retained his cool.
“You said we haven’t been given an unlawful order yet,” he told Zhu. “How is abduction not unlawful?”
A pained expression crossed Zhu's face. “...Listen to me, people. We haven’t been told to do anything yet except build this thing. It doesn’t mean—”
“Of course that's what it means!” Genevieve cried out.
“I think we deserve to know exactly what they intend us to do,” Art said.
“What if they just want us to ask them?” Ioane shot back. “Not abduct one of them—just ask one of them nicely if they’d let us study them?”
“Or if they’d like to come back to Sol with us,” Zhu quickly added.
Art studied Zhu in silence with a worried frown. Genevieve let out a doubtful scoff.
“If that were really the case...then why is this something we need to build now?” Kaya asked.
A frustrated sigh suddenly left Zhu. “We don’t know what—”
“Do the aliens seem very technologically advanced to you?” Art asked him evenly.
“...I…no. I suppose not. Not from what we’ve seen of them so far.”
“What’s your fucking point?” Ioane growled.
“My point is that our history is full of moments just like this one,” Art said. “Where a technologically advanced group of people comes into contact with a less advanced one, and almost every time it happens the disadvantaged group gets destroyed. Sometimes it was done to them on purpose, other times it wasn’t, but it still happened all the same.”
“No,” Zhu said firmly. “I don’t believe that. We didn’t come here to genocide these aliens. That isn’t why they sent us here.”
“Then why are we here? Judging by our other orders we’re clearly meant to establish a permanent presence in this system. This doesn’t sit right with me, sir.”
“It’s obvious that Congress isn’t being truthful with us,” Genevieve added.
Henry suddenly found himself lost in thought as their argument continued.
Art’s right. Something about this whole thing feels off, like there’s something important we should know already but just don’t. Still, that doesn’t mean we can just ignore what we’re meant to do. Zhu hasn’t done anything truly unlawful yet, and as far as I can tell nothing Congress has told us to do so far is unlawful either.
He shook his head. ...I don’t feel free to speak my mind here. Anything I say might give Genevieve more ammo against Zhu.
Something Zhu said brought Henry out of his woolgathering.
“—so we’ll lift the information blackout.”
Genevieve seemed surprised. “...Excuse me?”
“The crew can know about the aliens,” Zhu said. “And we’ll release the bridge from detainment. Our instructions didn’t mention anything about keeping the secret under wraps, so I see no reason to continue the blackout.”
“Well, good,” she replied indignantly.
“However. We are still going to follow our orders.”
“That doesn’t—!”
“I’ve heard your concerns,” he said, glancing between Art and Genevieve. “I’ll note them in my log.”
He then stood up, briefly scanning the faces of everyone still seated before him.
“We have our orders. The science department will study the aliens in an ethical manner and find ways for us to communicate with them. Engineering will get to work on this new hibernation creche and the modified transceiver before they’re set to their other taskings.”
“Everyone else needs to do what they can to support those efforts. That’s all. Get to work, people.”
With that, Zhu gathered up the message and marched out of the room, his gait betraying an anger that wasn’t present on his face. Ioane followed him out, frowning deeply.
I’d probably be mad, too, Henry thought as he got to his feet. She was being openly insubordinate with him.
----------------------------------------
Henry exited the staff meeting room and was about halfway back to the bridge when Genevieve called out from behind.
“Hey, Red! Can I talk to you for a minute, please?”
He stopped mid-step and turned around to face her, confused. Kaya and Art walked around him and entered the bridge, both casting curious glances at Henry as they passed by.
“Are you talking to me?” Henry asked.
“Yes! Isn’t your nickname Red?”
“...No?”
“Oh…I heard Ioane refer to you as that so I just assumed…well why did you stop, then?”
He gave her a shrug.
“...Well, in any case. Why didn’t you say anything during the meeting?”
“I did,” he said simply.
“No you didn’t,” she fired back. “Not when it came to Zhu’s craziness over the aliens and the message. You went quiet. Why?”
He blinked. “I dunno.”
She studied him in silence for a moment.
“...I think I get it. Sometimes young men like yourself don’t feel confident enough to speak up, so you let everyone else do all the talking for you. I understand your hesitation, but you’re here for a reason. You’ve got a seat at the big boy table, now—you have to tell us what's on your mind!”
Henry’s mouth escaped from him.
“Well as an old woman you should understand that taking every opportunity to be antagonistic with people isn’t a good idea. Seems to me like that’s a great way to end up with zero friends real quick.”
He regretted it instantly. Genevieve’s mouth fell open with shock and anger, but after a few seconds she seemed to recover.
“...Touché. I shouldn’t have belittled your age. I apologize.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, too. You’re really not old at all, you’re—”
He stopped himself short. Pretty hot, honestly.
She raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, waiting in curious silence. Henry suddenly felt very aware that the hallway was completely empty except for them.
“...Uh, was that all?” he asked awkwardly.
“No, it isn’t. I wanted to ask you about the transmission process.”
“For the FTL array? Yeah, shoot.”
“Have you noticed anything unusual with it so far? Signs of tampering, damage, anything like that…?”
“No,” he said, taken aback.
“Would you even tell me about it if you did?”
He blinked, and realization dawned on him.
…I get it. She’s asking me if Zhu is on the up and up. Or maybe she just wants to know whose side I’m on.
“As far as I can tell everything’s in working order,” he said. “But I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t tell you if that weren’t the case.”
“Hmm,” she hummed. “I see. Okay, Henry. Thanks.”
“Sure. Do you want to ask me more questions? I wouldn’t mind answering a few more, y’know.”
“You—” she let out an incredulous scoff. “Well, if I ever have any for you I won’t hesitate to ask.”
He gave her a grin. “Then maybe I'll ask you a few?”
She rolled her eyes, and a smile briefly touched her lips. “Maybe later. I have something I need to do on the other end of the ship.”
“You’re not coming back to the bridge?”
“No. I’m going to use my newfound freedom to talk to a few people in the science department about what’s going on. I actually do have friends, believe it or not.”
He cringed. “...Yeah. Sorry.”
“Don’t mention it,” she said, then took off down the hallway.
I was starting to think I didn’t like her, he thought as he watched her leave. But now I’m starting to think I do.
----------------------------------------
The next four hours of Henry’s shift were mercifully quiet, save for a brief back and forth at the communications station. Zhu requested clarification on the orders they’d been given, obviously probing for more information on Sol’s real intentions. But their response was flat and unrevealing, little more than a reiteration of what they’d already said. They seemed perfectly unwilling to reveal more of whatever they had planned, and it looked as though they weren’t likely to change their minds anytime soon.
At the end of the shift Becker showed up at the bridge to replace Henry at the communications station, and after checking in with Zhu he gained permission to go off-duty.
“Get yourself some rest,” Zhu told him. “You did well today. Good job.”
Henry thanked him, and left the bridge in an elevated mood, looking forward to wearing his civilian clothing for the first time in eighty years.
The dormitories were a brisk walk down from the bridge, perhaps a few hundred meters past the hibernation creches and the galley. Two signs at an intersection indicated the dorms were split to the right and left, with A to M on the right and N to Z on the left. Henry went right, then followed the name plates affixed to the doors dotting the hallway until he eventually came across his own name. He placed his thumb against the speaker box next to the door and it slid open with a quiet whir.
His room was much larger than he’d been expecting, and to his complete shock the floor was covered in a cream colored carpet. The walls were painted in simple beige, and a soft looking elevated bed sat against the wall in the far right corner, adjacent to a closet. Across from the bed on the far side of the room sat a rectangular gray desk, with a black office chair positioned closeby. At eye level next to the desk a bare rectangular shelf had been built into the wall, just large enough to stack a dozen or so books side by side.
Henry stepped inside the room, and couldn’t prevent himself from smiling a bit. It smelled good, like the carpet had recently been washed with a strawberry shampoo. He sat down on the bed heavily and began to remove his boots, looking around with a mild sense of excitement that he soon chastised himself for.
Why am I so happy? What, I’m gonna feel all giddy just because I’ve literally never had a room to myself in my entire life and now I've got one?
Grinning, Henry stripped out of his uniform and made his way over to the closet, which was fingerprint locked as well. He pressed his thumb against the lock and the door abruptly popped open with a mild rush of air and a loud hiss.
Was it vacuum sealed? Ah, to preserve the stuff inside, I guess.
His bags were set on the closet’s floor side by side, and from them he pulled out a pair of gray shorts and his white Martian Marauders T-shirt, along with his portable workstation. He threw on his clothing, enjoying the feeling of free air against his uniform-free limbs, then sat down at the desk with his workstation, determined to knock out Kotel’s commendation so that he could enjoy the rest of his downtime.
He’d received and written so many commendations that he could practically write one in his sleep, and he soon found himself partially zoned out while writing it.
Today felt completely surreal. Too much happened to get a handle on. It’s never a good day when someone dies, but tomorrow will be better, I think. Or at least, I hope it will.
The commendation was finished in no time, and Henry went over his work a few times to make sure the praise within it sounded appropriately professional. Satisfied, he put his workstation up and left his room. He headed for the lounge, eager to finish off the day with some fun.