25th June 2307
I was 10 years old when I first saw the alien space ship enter the atmosphere. My mother used to say to make a wish on every shooting star because you never know which ones yours. We had seen many stars flying across the sky and every time I had made the same stupid wish. Every time it had never been granted. But this star was different than the others, and so once more I wished upon a star.
“I wish I could also journey across the sky.”
The day the star fell, is the day my parents disappeared into the ashes left in its wake. I learned early on that every dream has a price to pay and that I would see this one through to the end. Because if I stopped now my parents would have died for nothing.
Commander Edward Marien
----------------------------------------
I sit across from two men dressed in black suits. The one on the right holding a briefcase on his lap while the other looks out the window of the black limousine appearing uninterested in everything else. Nothing since this morning seemed to make much sense from the distress signal I intercepted and sent up the command chain to these two men who basically abducted me soon after. I've been driven to the airport and flown on a private jet then stuffed into this vehicle without a single word; I'm almost certain that there were speed violations on every leg of this damned journey which I hope they pay dearly for.
The guy with the briefcase must have noticed my intense gaze because that self-confident smirk spread across his face. Luckily for me he took out a document from the briefcase before I said something I would regret.
"Dr. Marien. We have a patient on site who was a direct witness to the incident which was experiencing symptoms of PTSD. The Australian government in accordance to the Pacific defence treaty have determined that the information the boy may provide is critical in the establishment of a proper response to a possible foreign incursion. As he has no close family and is now a ward of the state we have already injected the needed levels of Nano-Adjustments and are extracting a witness account of the event as we speak. As the head of CETI (Communication with Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) you must recognise the usefulness of having a direct eye witness account to this event and judging from his reaction to the Nano-technology he is a future candidate for space capable command. Sign this document stating that the infusion of this technology was necessary for the survival of the patient and he will be placed in your care. It is in both your, and the boys best interest... After-all a boy needs his mother." He said handing me both the pen and a thick stack of paper.
"Is there a point in my reading any of this?" I ask feeling exhausted just looking at it.
"Whether you sign this or not is irrelevant. We will get what we need either from you or through other means. The conditions stated in the contract will still apply except your involvement due to your unfortunate disappearance. We are now playing a dangerous game doctor and one we will not take lightly, nor should you." He gestures slightly to his side where I notice the firearm holster unbuckled, his hand gently resting on it. "But please take all the time you need; just keep in mind we arrive at the destination in 15 minutes.
I grip the pen tightly as I sign at the bottom of each page taking a short glance at each page to try and piece together what exactly I have gotten myself into. As I finish signing the 46th page he reaches out and quickly retrieves both pen and contract before closing the briefcase and spinning the combination lock.
"I thank you for volunteering your expertise to the ASF. Your work Visa and housing will be provided courtesy of the Australian government. I also congratulate you on your adoption of Edward Marien formerly known as Edward Clark." The unnatural smile never leaving his lips. "It appears we have arrived just in time. You must be anxious to see your son and of course keep him alive should he start to reject his treatment although the risks appears minor at the moment. It would be unfortunate for a young mother 21 years old to have to bury her son so I suggest you hurry just in case."
With that I exit the vehicle, my mind only now catching up with what just happened as I am escorted towards a tent with a red cross set up. I enter the tent and see only one occupant and rush to his side prepping the medical material already set in place and begin his examination. Currently he is in an unconscious state which isn't unusual for those who undergo the Nana-Adjustment. They probably exploited the period of time between injection and his current state where the mind is forced to calm but the machines haven't proceeded with the modification yet to forcefully retrieve the information they needed.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
While he seems to be well adapted he will probably be the youngest ever treated with this procedure and it is unknown how it will affect his development later on. His physical condition displays no anomalies despite a few scratches here and there which are quickly treated and patched up. A small scar from a metal fragment will remain just behind the ear but nothing else of note. The only real issue is the radiation levels he is currently displaying on the monitor. While not damaging in the short-term it may provide long-term damage to skin tissue which is better addressed sooner rather than later.
I look through the organised medical supply case and swiftly identified the Rad-X serum and prep it for injection. There is a surprising lack of pain-killers, but they can't be used in combination with the Nano-Adjustments anyway. I'm glad he is unconscious for this part because administering this while he is awake would be worse than burning alive. A necessary evil that some have had to endure while in combat situations. I feel myself shudder at the thought. I walk beside the bed and steadily inject it into his vein. As the last of it was injected I see the last thing I ever wanted to see. Crystal blue eyes staring back at mine.
----------------------------------------
"It's a mess David." I say as I gesture to the wreckage "One that we allowed to happen. We allowed this vessel to reach Earth but we couldn't let it land, could we?" My hands drop to my side with an audible clap. "Two dead and an orphan we risked crippling for information. If this weren't classified information I'd be eaten alive during the next election. Still might be."
"With all due respect Prime Minister, this was the plan all along. We couldn't have a potential hostile dictate where to land and so grounding it was the best course of action. We've been over this in the briefing." The curt reply came from behind.
I turn around to face my long time friend and shake my head dejectedly "It's out of my hands now anyway. Whatever's inside is now US property and we'll follow along picking up the pieces one by one."
David walks up to me and pats my shoulder "Look at the bright side Frank. The US is already drawing up plans for new infrastructure and state of the art facilities all on Australian soil. Investment in our industries are already starting to steadily climb and good jobs will follow suit. Imagine the election campaign! Prime Minister Frank Rezult gets Results!" David's hand gestures at the structure in front of us. "The spark of a new economy! We've been excluded from space for too long and now it's right at the tip of our fingertips. We just have to keep in line as usually and we can ride this all the way up proving ourselves the indispensable military ally we've always claimed we were."
I turn away from the site and walk with David back to the car "See to it that the good doctor is suitably accommodated. We wouldn't want to seem rude to our benefactors. I'll go over the construction plans which will be good for publicity and you do what you do. Give me a call later tonight." I say shutting the door.
I take one last look through the tinted glass at the spacecraft resting on top of the smouldering remains of the isolated farm house and I can't help but think to myself that I could have prevented that.
----------------------------------------
It's been 4 hours since I injected the Rad-X into his system and every now and then I still feel him spasm in my arms when the serum hits a particularly large cluster of nerves. I sort of panicked when I realised he was awake and pulled him into a sitting position on my lap with me fully embracing him. He looked confused at first but that swiftly changed as I felt him shivering. A strangled scream sounded for a time as the Serum kicked in fully until he collapsed back into me lifeless if not for a twitch every now and then.
I felt hopeless with nothing to do except whisper comforting words and promises about the pain ending soon. I graduated medical school after three years and yet I'm reduced to this state. I knew that it was only temporary but every part of me screamed to do something. So, I told stories that my parents read to me while growing up. I sang lullabys and nursery rhymes and when that failed me I talked about my job at CETI.
I told him about how I worked as an emergency staff doctor to people who search the stars in order to find life where ever it might be hiding in the billions of trillions of stars. I talked about the colonies close by and how some of my friends from school were living on planets once inhospitable now flush with life of all shapes and sizes. Most of it unexplored since its formation and just waiting for the bravest of us to adventure beyond the safety of our artificial paradises.
I hold a glass of water up to his lips and he takes shallow sips before looking up at me "Will you take me to those places?" He asks in a frail voice.
"I will one day. You just need to rest for now. Build up your strength and I'll take you to all the colonies and we'll explore every last crevice. You have my word." I desperately confirm.
For the first time in a while he starts to cry but I think it's from a different sort of pain. One that I'm not qualified to address but I will have to do at the moment. The circumstances of our meeting might be the worst, but I'll at least try to make the best of a bad situation... To think that this all started because I discovered that distress beacon by accident.
----------------------------------------