3.38.
The Other Shoe finished it’s drop through the atmosphere. It was larger than most atmospheric entry ships. Larger than any spaceship that had ever landed on Earth, in fact, by a factor of ten. If it relied on traditional rocket engines to return to orbit, it would have been permanently grounded. It’s ability to use gravitic engines meant that its landing and subsequent takeoff were only clumsy and not impossible.
The idea of parking it in the park near her boyfriend’s place hadn’t flown. The park was too small and dense. She had to find an empty lot outside of town in order to make her plan, initially just a joke with an old friend, actually work.
She hadn’t meant her joke to go any further than being a joke, but Command actually loved the idea. The Other Shoe ’s dramatic performance during the second and third battles for Earth rendered it a topic of intense curiosity and interest. Its internal layout wasn’t exactly a top-secret matter, and the brass had decided that while recordings of the interior would not be allowed, private tours of the common areas would be.
The public just had to agree to being searched for cameras and other recording devices, which didn’t deter many.
The entire section of land had been secured and blocked off by the ESF in preparation for the landing. The public was made aware of the landing in advance, and thousands came to see The Other Shoe drop.
They each felt a thrum in their bones as the ship approached from the gravitic engines. Some were worried about cancer, but the pamphlets and reports on the matter assured them that it was perfectly harmless. Or rather, the gravitic engines could crush them into a golf ball, but it wouldn’t give them cancer. And as long as they stayed in the marked off observation zone until the ship came to a full rest, then they’d be safe.
A few tried to skirt the rules. They lived to regret the experience, surviving with only minor injuries. They were less than pleased when they were prosecuted for the injuries they caused the security people who chased after them, but if they weren’t prepared for the consequences of their desire to get a fantastic picture of The Other Shoe making its historic landing, they shouldn’t have engaged in such reckless behavior in the first place.
Once the ship was firmly on the ground and its systems turned off – the ones that turned off at least – Captain Moon spent a moment observing the crowd from within the bridge, utilizing the external holographic view that was normally used to observe planets and ships coming in to doc with the Other Shoe .
“There are a lot of people here,” she commented.
Her XO nodded nervously. “Glad I don’t have a speaking role. Nobody’s going to remember my name even if I go outside and shout it.”
Captain Moon grinned. “You’re not the one whose shyness I’m worried about. Do you think the Yukopans will be more or less hesitant to go outside when I tell them that if they don’t, they’re going to be volunteering to serve as a tour guide for the duration of the landing?”
The XO shook his head. “I have no idea, ma’am. You understand the xenos way, way better than I do.”
Moon smiled. “Well, let’s find out.”
The looks and scents of terror that the Yukopans expressed when presented with the option made Moon smile even wider. They knew better than to plead with her. They knew by now that when ‘the brightest moon in the sky’ issued an order with that particular sort of sadistic grin, that it was meant to be obeyed.
She left them to decide whether or not to expose themselves to the waiting crowd on the promise that if they did, they’d be able to hide themselves during the tours, or whether they’d volunteer to take part in the tours in one form or another at a later time. It was not an easy dilemma for them to solve, so she would give them some time.
Ten minutes or so ought to do it.
She emerged through the airlock, allowing the gravitic engines to float her down to the ground before walking calmly to the podium which had been set up in advance before. Which had also been slightly crushed by the landing. She lifted it off the ground and straightened it out a bit, finding the microphone nearby and holding it rather than trying to put it in its holder.
“Hello everyone, and thank you for coming to our little display of the ESF’s recent acquisition from our wonderful new allies, the Yukopans. As you are likely well aware, the Yukopans are a separate and distinct people from the Topokans, which are close allies of our friends the Yonohoans. They’re as different as the Russians are from Americans, but also as alike. They’re very shy, but hopefully some of them will work up the bravery to come out and say hello by the time I end my speech, after which I’m afraid that it might be too late.”
She said this knowing that the threat would be implicit to her crew.
“Anywhoo, while I’m sure that many of you are planning on taking advantage of the tours we have lined up, the landing and the introduction of the crew are the only things on the agenda for today,” she continued. “As many of you are already aware, my name is Captain Ji-eun Moon. I’ve been with the ESF for four years, with a long military history before that that I won’t bore you with but you can surely read on wikipedia if you’re interested.
“Yes I was the captain of The Seeker of New Discoveries , yes I stepped down to promote Captain Anthony Anders to take command from me when I had concerns about my medical fitness to lead the mission. I no longer have those concerns, and Admiral Anders, as he has recently earned a promotion due to his tactical brilliance, was more than adequate to the tasks laid out before him. I had every confidence in the abilities of my crew during that mission, as I have every confidence in my new crew aboard The Other Shoe . And would you look at that, some of them are ready to join us! Why don’t you all give a hand for our Yukopan allies!”
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The crowd burst into applause and whistles and screams of approval. The three Yukopans who had appeared abruptly vanished back into the ship.
Captain Moon laughed. “I told you they were shy! Don’t worry though, if you take part in our tours, you’ll surely get to see them up close and personal!”
Two more stuck their head out of the ship and ducked back inside seconds later.
“That doesn’t count!” she called to them.
The crowd laughed, although they didn’t really understand the context.
“Anyway, a few curious details that you all might find interesting about our fuzzy wuzzy allies. Number one, they reach physical maturity at age three, by human reckoning. However, they do not reach mental maturity until age thirty, nor the age of majority, in which they gain the rights of an adult, until age eighty. They live for between three hundred and five hundred years, so those ages aren’t as restrictive as you might think,” Captain Moon continued. “There are some physical differences between adults and children that you can spot if you know what to look for, but there are no kids aboard The Other Shoe ’s crew. The average age for the Yukopan crew is two hundred and fifty years!”
She paused to let this factoid process in their minds.
“I’m not really going to talk too much about their children for a variety of reasons, including the fact that I’ve never met one. If you do meet one of their children, you should be aware of the fact that they are every bit as protective of them as we are of our own. The fact that they have placed their children on Planet Earth is a very significant statement from their people to ours. They are trusting us to help them continue to survive and thrive in this universe, and they’re eager to play their own role in our defense.”
She paused for a second, then said “If you’re uncertain about the lengths the Yukopans will go to defend their children, simply ask yourselves a very reasonable question. Why are their no Rosantean POW’s from Australia?”
She allowed that question to sink in, then smiled and turned the topic of her speech again to other matters. “Many of you are very curious about The Other Shoe’s armament and capabilities. Unfortunately those are not public information at this time. We will be giving guided tours of the interior, yes. But The Other Shoe is not being retired or becoming a museum piece in the near future. In two weeks, she’s going back into orbit to keep up the defense of Earth, or possibly taking the fight to the Rosanteans. I don’t know for certain what the future will bring, but when The Other Shoe drops, I’m certain you’ll know it.”
She grinned. She was really rather proud of the name she’d given her ship, and the laughter and cheering of the crowd suggested others appreciated it as well.
She stepped down from the podium and spent a while shaking hands before disappearing into her boyfriend’s car.
“So, are you still mad at me?” she asked.
“I’m furious. And I’ll remain furious until we’ve completed the obligatory make-up-sex,” Trevor said sternly.
“How’s Isabelle?” she asked, referring to the cat that she’d boughten then abandoned with her boyfriend when she’d rejoined the military.
“Good. I doubt she even remembers her mother. You’ll have to start from scratch in earning her affection. I suggest you employ that policy with me as well.”
“Oh, I think I remember some things which will help with that second matter,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows at him.
He chuckled. “We’ll see. We’ll see.”
“I am sorry,” she said. “Not for re-upping, but for not talking about it first. That was a shitty thing to do to you.”
“Thank you for admitting it,” Trevor said. “It would have been nice to hear that much sooner.”
“I wanted it to be in person. Not in a hologram. I did apologize before,” she pointed out.
“Yes, and I forgave you through a hologram, but I’m still angry,” he said.
“Couples fight.”
“Yes they do,” he agreed. “They also talk to each other before making life decisions.”
“Sorry.”
“I’m thinking about joining too,” he admitted.
She blinked at him in surprise. “But then who will watch Isabelle for me?” she asked.
He scoffed. He knew she was joking.
She didn’t know if he was.
She swallowed nervously. “Do you want to talk about it before or after the obligatory makeup sex?”
“After,” he said firmly.
“Okay,” she agreed. “You know, the speed limit is mostly just a suggestion.”