Diego scratched his nose and moaned in pleasure at finally having the itch relieved.
“You are a very brave man,” Eolai said. In English, not using the device on his ear to translate his words to Diego’s radio.
“Or a very stupid one,” Diego said, setting his helmet on a table nearby. He activated his radio. “Seeker, this is Diego, do you read me?”
“This is Radio, Diego.”
“I need to speak with the captain.”
“Hold for the captain.”
A moment passed, and Captain Moon’s voice came on the line. “Hello Diego. You wanted to speak with me?”
“I broke the seal on my suit. I’m contaminated. Can’t come back to the ship,” Diego said.
A slight pause. “Understood, Diego. Do you wish to explain your reasoning behind your decision at this time?”
“My nose itched,” Diego said.
Another pause. “I hope that’s not the entirety of your reasoning.”
“More seriously, Captain,” he continued, “I’m pretty certain that we’re in the deep end. The Yonohoans seem like good people, but I’m pretty sure they outclass us significantly technologically. I’m going to put my faith in their claims. Both their claims that they can keep me safe and healthy, and that they have only good intentions towards me and the people of Earth. I realize that I’m not the first choice that the eggheads on Earth would pick for an ambassador, but I’m here now, and even if my decision to expose myself on this ship means that I’ll never return to Earth, I’m at peace with that decision. Over.”
“Your words have been recorded, Diego. You are authorized to share public and non-classified information with the Yonohoans based on your own judgement. You are hearby discharged from your duties as a member of the crew of The Seeker of New Discoveries until further notice and named as a liaison between our ship and the peoples of the Yonohoah and the Topokans. It is my hope that you continue to represent the finest aspects of humanity and the people of Earth during this time. Over.”
“I’ll do my best. Diego out.”
“Captain Ji-eun Moon out.”
Diego turned to Eolai, who was smiling. “So what now?”
“Right now, since you have chosen to stay as my guest, I would suggest that you change out of that uncomfortable protective suit into something more comfortable. Perhaps you would like to bathe? And then we can eat.”
Diego nodded. “Okay. Sounds good. Let’s do that.”
~~~~
“You disaprove?” Captain Moon asked.
Her XO, Anthony Anders, pursed his lips and continued to stare straight at his screen. “Yes, to be honest. I would not have approved the docking with the alien ship at this time, nor would I approve giving them a hostage. What will you do if they mistreat him, or if he dies from illness despite the claims of their medical technology?”
“Record everything and justify my decisions to the people of Earth, if and when we return to face the consequences for our decisions here and now,” Moon answered.
Anders was silent. “Why him? He’s just a mechanic and pilot. We have some of the finest minds in the world aboard.”
“Have you considered the possibility that part of the reason I allowed Sergeant Cruz to make his decision to remain aboard the alien vessel is because he is not critical to the operation of the Seeker or the success of its primary or secondary missions? Although that is no longer true. Since the discovery of the alien world, the primary mission of the Seeker has changed from science and exploration into one of diplomacy. We’re all diplomats now, Anthony.” She paused for a moment.
“I hope that the Yonohoans and the Sulivans take that as seriously as we do.”
~~~~~
The shower finished, and as Eolai had shown him, Diego pressed the button that turned on the air-dry. It was the first proper shower he’d had since leaving Earth’s gravity well, and it was damn refreshing. The water had readily adjusted to the exact temperature he wanted it to with the surprisingly intuitive controls. The soaps that were provided were sentless, but Eolai had assured him that they had anti-persperant and deodorant properties built into them.
After he felt dry, he opened the cubical and began dressing with the clothes Eolai had set aside for him. Eolai had inquired as to what sort of clothes Earthlings usually wore, and Diego had assured him that he’d be fine dressing in the same sort of clothing that Eolai wore. Eolai had smiled at that, for some reason.
Stolen story; please report.
Once he was dressed in the grey clothing, he put on the sandals and was surprised at how comfortable they were, automatically strapping onto his feet on their own. After some consideration, he put on the other gift that Eolai had given him. It was the same sort of device that Eolai wore on his own ear. It looked quite a bit like a blocky blue-tooth.
“Hello, Sergeant Diego Cruz. It is a pleasure to meet you,” the device said to him. “Do I have your permission to begin scanning your brain activity?”
Diego blinked in surprise. “Who is this?”
“I do not exactly have a name. I am uncertain if you are able to understand exactly who or what I am. I am the collective consciousness of a number of thinking machines aboard this ship. Only a small portion of my existence is in the device you are wearing, but that portion is entirely dedicated to assisting you.”
“And you want to read my mind?” Diego asked.
“Only if you give me your permission to do so. It will take a significant amount of time to integrate with you, and I cannot begin until you have given permission. I assure you that both the Yonohoan and the people you call Sulivans place great value on mental privacy. While I will alert Eolai if I detect any actionable plans for violence, I will keep your mental engrems completely private otherwise. The purpose of this device is to assist humans in coming to understanding.”
“Can I change my mind later?”
“You may request that I cease monitoring your brain activity at any time. You may request that I delete all recorded brain activity at any time,” the computer assured him.
“Right. Okay. I consent, for now. Also, I’m going to call you Bob. Is that okay?”
“I shall accept that designation from you,” Bob answered.
“Can you put me in contact with the Seeker? Like you do for Eolai?” Diego asked.
“Absolutely. I shall use the same frequency which was designated for your mission’s use, if that is okay?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“I am broadcasting your words now.”
“Seeker, come in, this is Sergeant Diego Cruz. Come in Seeker.”
“I read you, Diego. This is Radio. You need the captain?”
“No. I am just filing a report. At Eolai’s suggestion I have taken a shower and am dressed in clothing that he has provided. It’s quite comfortable. He gave me a device that looks like a bluetooth, which is probably some super advanced mind reader slash walky-talky. The bathrooms in the human part of the ship are quite luxurious compared to the ones on the Seeker. Having gravity to shower again is amazing. As is having an actual toilet. They use a bidet system, apparently. Not sure if that’s standard or not. I am presently in good health and under no duress. Next up I get to find out what Yonohoan shipboard rations are like, I guess. Diego out.”
“Your report has been recorded and will be transcribed for the record. Seeker out.”
“Do you wish to stop transmitting now?” Bob asked.
“Yes Bob.”
Diego stepped out of the bathroom, the door opening automatically for him. He found Eolai on the other side, looking at a hologram of what Diego thought looked like a series of bacteria.
“What are you looking at?”
“Preliminary analysis of the microbes that were shed and analyzed from your skin and exrement,” Eolai answered.
“Those are my germs?”
“Yes. The ones that you shed in the bathroom,” Eolai agreed. “They are very similar to Yonohoan microbes and I believe that most of them serve the same functions. It is too early to determine whether or not they are infectious or dangerous to my people, but I am not worried. The computer has already figured out many ways of counteracting them if they cause an infection.”
“Huh,” Diego said. “I didn’t realize that was part of the plan, to be honest.”
“It is standard procedure. I hope you do not feel that your privacy has been violated.”
“You weren’t watching me while I was in the bathroom, were you?”
“I took your desire for privacy very seriously, Diego.”
“Then no. I’m happy to give you whatever samples you need for medical purposes. Well, I mean, not like my liver or anything. But I’m completely fine with you analyzing whatever you can take from me through non-invasive measures,” Diego assured him.
“Does that include your genome?” Eolai inquired, looking towards Diego with a serious expression.
“Sure, why not. The truth is that I’m very curious to see how my DNA compares to a Yonohoan,” Diego admitted.
“As am I,” Eolai agreed. “Of course, throughout the universe, the difference between the various peoples of humanity rarely exceeds two percent. Aside from that, it is not wise to make too many assumptions about your people based on a single person’s DNA.” He paused. “However, according to the analysis that has just been performed after you gave consent, the difference between an Earthling and a Yonohoan is approximately zero point three five percent.”
“That sounds like a pretty small difference to me,” Diego said.
“Yes. However, it will take longer to identify the meanings behind the difference. Would you chew on this?” Eolai asked, giving Diego a small cube of a soft substance.
“What is it?” Diego asked.
“It is a device which will analyze your digestive system, and other aspects of your body,” Eolai answered. “It will assist me in selecting what food to serve you.”
“Do I need to swallow it?”
“It will not harm you if you do, but swallowing your saliva after chewing it is sufficient,” Eolai explained.
“Righto. I’m just going to take your word for it,” Diego agreed, popping the cube into this mouth. It was easy to chew; basically the consistency of chewing gum, with a pleasant earthy flavor.
Eolai watched as the man chewed the nanite-infused gum and smiled, leading him into the dining area while the ships computer whispered in his ear. He was amazed by how trusting the man was; he refused to insult the man’s intelligence by assuming that he didn’t know how far he’d put himself into Eolai’s power.
That was good. Eolai had no malicious intentions, but each of the technologies that he’d exposed Diego to so far had a dark history. To see that Diego did not balk at them for even a split second was very reassuring.
He was pleased that he had taken the risk and named Diego a clansman.