--Earth Date: August 12th, 2051
--Assistant's Log: Alice Winters
"Good morning, Gerard! Ahem...this is Alice Winters, Beta Division civilian research and acting assistant to Dr. Gerard Dupuis, adjunct researcher aboard the HMV Event Horizon. Today's note will serve as a two month check up on various cellular cultures acquired from the planet we're now referring to as Demeter, in system L-287. The L is for the Lancer, by the way. I probably mentioned that before.
Anyway, we have been able to maintain stable cultures of the unicellular organisms acquired from Demeter by keeping them in a high pressure, isolated environment aboard one of the labs closest to the core of the ship. I believe Gerard wishes to examine them under close to zero G conditions later this month. While light, moisture, and substrate seem to be enough for now, the cultures do not survive long outside of their natural atmosphere, which has resulted in us primarily viewing the organisms under magnification in a post-expiry state. While unsurprising, it does attest to the relative fragility of such early ecosystems. As of this time we have not observed any direct adverse effects of jump space on these organisms, but in the interests of controlled study we are refraining from significant experimentation while outside normal space. We should be arriving in the next system momentarily, at which point we will begin work on attempting to isolate the genetic material of these organisms. Winters…"
Alice was about to terminate the log entry when a sharp tug from somewhere in her chest heralded the arrival of the Event Horizon in the Seil system. She and Gerard looked at one another as the lights in the lab dimmed and then slowly returned to full brightness.
"Miss Winters, did that seem...abrupt to you?" Gerard asked, placing a hand over his heart and looking around the lab.
"No question," Alice confirmed, taking a moment to fiddle with the holographic keypad of her A-MACS and properly catalog the research entry. "The pull on my body was much stronger than normal. But if there aren't any flashing lights or sirens we should be in the clear, right?"
"Should would be the operative word, to be certain," Gerard agreed. "Let us see if our dear Admiral has any announcements to make regarding that anomaly."
-----
Aboard the bridge of the Event Horizon, Natori Kaczynski was looking at reading after reading and chart after chart, processing data from multiple watch standers as Qul'Roth waited anxiously in the visiting dignitary's chair nearby.
"Admiral Kaczynski?" The alien demanded his attention with a concerned voice.
"A moment, Qul'Roth, please," he requested, taking the call from engineering with a furrowed brow. After listening for a few moments and giving orders to monitor the situation, the dark skinned human turned to the Ghaelen. "I am very, very pleased to have been right in this situation, Marshall Winters," he said cryptically.
"What happened, Admiral? Ghaelen warp drives do not simply deposit ships into regular space one second ahead of time," Qul'Roth insisted. The Admiral rendered a circumspect judgment.
"Unless they do...had our capacitors been any smaller this ship would likely be experiencing catastrophic core failure at this time. Jenkins, where's that buoy?" He demanded, his commonly playful demeanor replaced with utter seriousness as Qul'Roth stroked the fur of his chin in stunned silence.
"Unknown, sir. No readings yet," a young ensign replied.
"Expand the search range, check for unstable trajectories," Natori ordered, feeling a heavy and sinking weight in his stomach that had nothing to do with the transition from warp space. To come so far just for this?
"Sir, I've got something!" Jenkins yelled. "There's a lot of solar interference. Trying to clear up the signal."
Natori looked down at the map of the star system hovering just above his right hand thanks to his chair's three dimensional holographic displays. A new indicator had appeared marking the Lancer's comm buoy. It was far too close to the star. "Another few months and we'd have nothing," he muttered. "Jenkins, Clarke, I need this information yesterday!"
"Working on it, sir! Feeding you the Lancer's telemetry data now." Natori watched as a model of the Lancer entered the system well outside of the safe zone of the star's gravity well.
"By God, they almost fell in," Natori whispered, watching with horror as the ship seemed to skip through space for a few seconds as its warp bubble degraded. When the bubble finally faded in full, the tiny ship raced away from the fireball at full acceleration for a few minutes before escape pods fled and were eventually consumed by the vessel's reactor going nova. The rest of the bridge was able to watch the same sequence on the larger monitors high above, all activity grinding to a halt as Kaczynski stood slowly from his chair, his jaw clenched tightly. One solitary trail of a jump pod was all that remained. The other crew on the bridge rose to their feet as Natori removed his cap and held it over his heart. "Cassia," he called with unnatural fatigue in his voice. "Get me a full list of the Lancer's crew and prepare for shipwide broadcast."
-----
"Gerard, is all well here?" Yvonne asked, having headed directly for her husband in the C-3 laboratories upon experiencing the strange exit from jump space. He embraced her gently, a hand on each shoulder and a kiss on each cheek as he put her concerns to rest.
"We are fine, ma chatounette. Alice and I were just waiting to see if Natori or Cassia have anything to tell us. Otherwise it's back to work now that we're in normal space."
Yvonne waved at the young woman who had become a close friend over the months in transit. "I'm glad to see you both well. Oh, perhaps that is him now," she remarked as a chime rang out before Cassia spoke to the crew of the ship.
'All hands, Admiral Kaczynski requests your attention for an important announcement from the bridge,' the artificial voice informed them in her same polite and upbeat manner. Kaczynski was much more dour.
"Good morning, everyone. This announcement is to confirm that no, you are not going crazy. Our exit into this system from warp space was anomalous. We have not identified the source and the investigation is ongoing. However…there is no easy way to say this." Natori paused and sighed audibly. "It is with great remorse that I inform you all that we have discovered the final resting place of the Lancer."
Gerard and Yvonne spun on their heels as Alice dropped a rack of Petri dishes she'd been holding. The plastic discs popped open or rolled away as she slowly sank to her knees. Natori continued his broadcast.
"Data from the Lancer's comm buoy indicates that they too experienced an non-normal departure from jump space in this system. Eventually their drive core overloaded from the stress and the ship was lost along with its escape pods, which were caught in the blast."
"Noooooo!" Alice wailed, pounding the floor with her fists and shaking her head back and forth. Her hair spilled messily around her face as she keened and cried. "It can't be! Rusty!"
"Oh ma chérie," Yvonne whispered, rushing to the young woman's side as Gerard hung his head and closed his eyes. The older man pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, willing himself to remain strong for his young assistant. They were floating through a graveyard, her brother's graveyard.
"I would ask that you all join me in a moment of remembrance in honor of the Lancer's lost crew." Natori began to read. "Ensign Sonja Aramea, Ensign Albert Conners, Midshipman Dexter…"
The labs of section C-3 were anything but silent as Alice wept and called for her brother, dreading the moment Natori finally arrived at the deceased whose surnames began with W. "All this time...all this way and he's dead!" She mourned hopelessly.
"Chief Engineer Samuel MacArthur." The Admiral's voice continued without mercy.
"Oh God, Russell…Russell! My...he's my brother! He can't be...he can't be dead! You can't be gone, Russell!"
In spite of her sobbing protests, Natori carried on in a respectful monotone. The cadence likely masked his own sorrow as thousands of humans aboard the Event Horizon halted their daily work to remember the dead. The names kept coming one after another until, "and finally, Captain Jessica Yang. Let us all pause now to remember the fallen," Natori urged as the PA fell silent. Alice finally looked up from the ground, her cheeks red, her eyes bloodshot, and her hair an utter mess.
"B-but what about…Russell?" She babbled as a child might ask why their parents wouldn't be coming home again. "Gerard, Yvonne, what happened to my brother?"
"Oh Alice," was all Gerard could say, taking a knee alongside his wife so that he could rest a comforting hand on Alice's shoulder. He had no answers for the young woman and it pained him greatly to see her suffer so. It was at that moment Natori spoke again.
"Thank you, everyone. It is our solemn duty now to ensure the dead are remembered and that we return to Earth safely with this knowledge. At least we can offer their families and friends closure and the gift of surety. However, even in the darkest of moments we would do well to remember that there is always light to be found," the Admiral declared, a bit of his usual mischievousness returning. "And in this system there is indeed light for us to chase. Ladies and gentlemen of the Event Horizon, in addition to the Lancer we appear to have discovered the location of the longest, by several orders of magnitude, confirmed successful drop ever recorded by a HEL Jumper."
Alice's heart slammed into her chest and her breath caught in her throat. She tried to speak but only a formless noise came out. She didn't think her legs would support her if she tried to stand.
"On September 3rd, 2050, First Lieutenant Russell Winters survived the destruction of his ship and somehow landed his drop pod on the planet within this star system's habitable zone, a jump distance of several thousand kilometers. It is now our great privilege to seek him out. Navigator Amari, set a course for the unnamed habitable world with the twin moons!"
By the time Natori killed the broadcast, Alice was already halfway to the nearest tube station, sprinting faster than she'd ever moved in her life.
-----
"And now Qul'Roth, we wait," Natori said with a wan smile on his face, shaking his head in wonder at that solitary line that had somehow traced a path to the Earth-like world.
"I shall return when we are in orbit then. If you will excuse me, Admiral, there is much for me to consider."
"Oh I didn't mean that, Qul'Roth of Ghaela. You have asked me about your conversations with Miss Winters of late? About her insistence regarding human...passion?"
"Yes?" Qul'Roth admitted, confused as to what discussions of art and warfare had to do with an unknown planet.
"Then you might want to stay here for a bit of a personal lesson. Ah, and there she is. That girl can move!" Natori laughed as Alice barged onto the bridge and tore past the Marine guard, many of whom had put two and two together regarding individuals with the last name of Winters. No one had the heart to stop her.
"Natori! Where is my brother?!" She cried breathlessly, hands on her knees as she began to recover from her journey through the interior of the ship. Qul'Roth made an inquisitive sound but otherwise remained silent, observing the situation as Kaczynski had advised.
"Miss Winters, could I perhaps trouble you to refer to me as Admiral Kaczynski when on the bridge?" He requested.
"Fuck you...sir!" Alice saluted as multiple crew gasped in shock at her attitude. "Please, Admiral. Where is Russell?"
"That one I'm more than happy to let slide, though I would also request you at least ask permission before charging onto my bridge. Protocol and all that," Natori agreed as Qul'Roth sat back on his haunches and contemplated the utterly absurd idea of someone like him telling one of the high arbiters of Ghaela to go 'fuck themselves'. "Come, Alice. This is what we know so far."
Alice walked up to Natori's display as the watch standers and other crew on the bridge slowly returned to their jobs, analyzing data from the comm buoy, interpreting readings from the Event Horizon's own sensors, and monitoring the condition of the ship's drive core. The Admiral pointed to the recreation of events. "As far as we can tell, Alice, your brother was alive ten months ago when he crash landed near the eastern coast of that large continent in the planet's northern hemisphere. This is data from the Lancer's sensors. We cannot see his landing zone directly, but by the time we arrive the rotation of the planet should have us facing that location. Then we can perform a detailed scan of the surface and perhaps establish contact with his pod. It pains me greatly to do this to you, Alice, but I must ask that you remain patient a short while longer. For now I must ensure nothing is wrong aboard this ship. I am hesitant to press the engines just yet as they suffered a great deal of stress due to the circumstances of our arrival. Unlike Captain Yang I have been blessed with time. Report back to the bridge in…let's say eight hours. We should be close enough by then at our current cruising speed."
Alice didn't trust herself to speak anymore in that moment. She was far too elated and nervous to say anything coherent. It was difficult knowing that the Event Horizon could, under full acceleration, take her to her brother's last known location much faster. But she could not fault Natori for his caution. In either case, the unknown had never felt so wonderful in the face of the alternative. Instead she saluted and waved at Qul'Roth before departing. The two men looked at one another.
"You will not punish her for such an outburst?" The Ghaelen questioned academically, knowing that particular decision was a purely human matter.
"I had half a mind to, Qul'Roth. But when I consider what I'd do if it were my baby girl on that world instead of her brother...if she were military I would be forced to discipline her in some form, however nominal. Today I'm happy that is not the case," the Admiral explained.
"She is very attached to him," Qul'Roth stated, as if seeking confirmation that not all humans valued their biological siblings to such an extent. Kaczynski nodded.
"And I would not be surprised if the opposite is just as true. Cassia?"
'Yes, Admiral Kaczynski?'
"Begin adjusting the day/night cycle of the ship to correspond with that landing zone. Something tells me we might be here for a while."
'Yes sir, shifting to twenty one hour cycle now. Full sync will occur within two weeks if necessary.'
"Excellent. And now perhaps we can take some time to mourn and appreciate what happened here," Kaczynski said as Qul'Roth stood and bowed formally.
"On behalf of the Council and my people, I extend condolences for your species' loss, Admiral. Let us ensure that something is gained from this regrettable situation."
"On that we can agree, Qul'Roth. On behalf of humanity, thank you for your condolences. There are many questions in this system that need answering."
-----
The moment Alice finished telling Gerard and Yvonne about the situation with her brother, the elder scientist ordered a cleaning of the labs.
"But Gerard, we just got to normal space and-"
"Alice, dear, I respect your tenacity a great deal. But we both know that alien microbes will never win against your brother. Who, if he still lives, I daresay will be something of a species legend when his story is told," Gerard insisted, moving about the space and replacing his microscope and various other instruments.
"Oh please, Gerard," Alice allowed herself a laugh as she finally tracked down the petri dishes she'd jettisoned earlier. "I know my brother. I've known him since he was in diapers. Not really a legend."
"You are one of the few who know him so well," Yvonne replied, leaning against the bulkhead while waiting for her husband to conclude his affairs. "The rest of us though? What will we know other than what we are told? It is just like what you described with your pacified worlds. I'm sure he's a fine and strapping young man if he made the Jumpers. To think of survival against all odds after such a tragic beginning?" Yvonne fanned herself.
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"Ok, you so did not just get the hots from some fictional depiction of my still quite possibly dead little brother," Alice waved a mechanical pipette around for emphasis. "And I'm only so calm about it because an hour ago I thought he was definitely dead!"
"Then let us depart this most sensitive of areas before you become less calm, hmm?" Gerard proposed, placing a firm hand on her shoulder and beckoning for the instrument.
"Oh yeah, right. Of course. These are expensive to calibrate. Sorry Gerard," Alice muttered.
"No harm done," he assured her, returning it to its rightful place. "Cassia, are you with us?"
'Of course, Dr. Dupuis. How may I be of assistance?'
"We will return to the labs later. Can you please initiate the standby procedures for all networked equipment?" The doctor requested.
'Of course. Beginning documentation and shutdown now.'
"Oh, and Cassia?" Yvonne called.
'Hello and good morning, Mrs Dupuis. How may I be of assistance?'
"How much information about the habitable planet in this system has been made public?"
'Shall I forward this information to your personal device?' Cassia suggested in her slightly robotic voice.
"Myself and my husband, as well as Alice Winters, please."
'Yes Mrs Dupuis, commencing file transfer now. Have a good day.'
"And you, Cassia!" Yvonne called as she looked at Alice. "Shall we occupy ourselves with something more exciting?"
"You're the best, Yvonne. Thanks," Alice replied, all three of them heading for the tube station as the lights in the lab dimmed.
-----
"Is it normal to be utterly exhausted at midday? I feel like I can't...feel," Alice wondered, allowing herself to flop face first onto the neatly made bed in the Dupuis' living space. To say she'd become a regular was something of an understatement. She turned to find Yvonne staring down at her with a far off look in her eyes while Gerard tended to their lab coats. "Yvonne? Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes I'm sorry it's just...she used to do exactly the same thing," Yvonne whispered regretfully. Alice pushed herself upright and gave the older woman a complex look.
"Yvonne, you know I still don't really...understand that whole business, but you've become something like a surrogate mother to me during my time on this ship. Between that night when I just lost it over Russell and today and everything it's just…" she trailed off, sitting up and motioning for a hesitant Yvonne to sit beside her. "I'm sure you treated this woman with even more love and care than you treat me. I'm so sorry she hurt you like that. You didn't deserve it." Yvonne was rapidly blinking to forestall tears.
"Oh Alice, look at me crying when it should be me comforting you!"
"We already did that once today, remember? Probably best we hold off on positive and negative emotion until we get an answer from Natori. Don't think I can handle thinking Russell is dead three times in one day," she sighed, taking Yvonne's hand in hers.
"Thank you, ma chérie," she whispered.
"Did you call her that?" Alice asked warily, insistent on an answer.
"No Alice, I referred to her as my pet...by her request." Yvonne clarified with some reservation.
"Ok, that's a bit much but thanks for trying to distract me. That and I did ask for it," Alice replied, making an effort to not flinch away. Yvonne seemed most grateful.
"How about this planet then, hmm?" Gerard diverted the conversation, activating a display in their table and linking it to his personal device. "There you are, you beautiful blue and green thing. Oh and look at that, some long range sensor readings!" Gerard exclaimed as the women gathered around. "Well Alice? You're the expert here!"
"On culture and morphology maybe, not ecology," she protested playfully. "But yeah let's take a look...hrrrm. I wonder how accurate these atmospheric composition scans are."
"What do you see, Alice?" Yvonne asked curiously. "This is decidedly not my forte."
"Well it's nothing on its own and this would only be true if this planet was actually Earth, which it isn't, but that level of carbon dioxide could mean widespread burning of biomatter. Or it could just be a different planet but...oh look at it, you two! This is...this is by far the most Earth-like planet humanity has ever discovered, even from this distance! The oxygen levels, the nitrogen levels, ample water, tectonic activity, strong magnetic fields, the size and mass. If it weren't for the weird warp point and, you know, my brother's ship getting totalled, I would suggest Natori flag this planet for colonization. We'd just have to get used to the sun rising in the west but think about how pretty those two moons would be!"
"A system fraught with beauty and danger," Yvonne began with an impish smile.
"Oh would you stop it with the fairy tales?" Alice groaned.
"I must agree with my wife, Alice. Your brother could not have chosen a more compelling setting for his little adventure. I shall pray that the conclusion is a happy one."
"Thank you, Gerard. I guess that's all we can do for now, isn't it? Pray and wait."
-----
Alice had never known a longer day in her life, but eventually the call did come. She was on her way back to her cabin from dinner in the civilian mess hall when Cassia's voice hailed her from her personal device. Her A-MACS showed the digital avatar waving stiffly at her, mannerisms intentionally designed to not appear human.
'Alice Winters, the Admiral requests your presence on the bridge. Thank you.'
Alice took a moment to rest her hands on her knees, feeling like something was twisting her guts into knots. "This is it…" she whispered, wondering if she could handle bad news in front of Natori, in front of everyone. "Come on, Alice. Rusty is waiting for you. Move!"
Her body reluctantly obeyed her command and she altered her course, heading for the tube network instead of the longer but very much manageable walk back through a few sections of the ship to her own cabin. The way was well marked, with signs and arrows directing her at every split in the Event Horizon's corridors, but she was numb to them, arriving instead thanks to months of practice and instinct. She barely noticed the thrill of the ride. Alice only stopped when a strong hand on the shoulder halted her forward movement just outside the bridge.
"Hey there lassie, you doing alright?" The sentry asked kindly.
"I'm managing, Mac," she replied dully. "I'm just trying not to hope too much, you know? He might have been killed in the landing or starved to death or-"
"Now you just banish those thoughts, Alice. It ain't over 'till me ol' grandmum sings, and she ain't here right now. Probably best for us both, yeah? She wasn't ever a good singer," PFC MacGregor admitted, wincing comically. Alice managed a smile for him, having become familiar with the jovial Scotsman after frequent bridge visits.
"Thanks, Lachlan. You didn't know Samuel MacArthur, the one on the Lancer, did you?"
"T'was just a coincidence of names. He wasn't my kin. Suppose I'm blessed in this instance. You go in there now and hold yer head up. And if the worst happens you come down to the mess tonight, our mess. We'll do his memory right, soldier to soldier," he promised. Alice swallowed her tears and nodded.
"Yeah, I'll do that. Thank you," she whispered.
"Then you go right on in, little missy." MacGregor released her with a final nod, watching as she walked slowly towards Natori while the doors to the bridge slid shut.
"Hello, Alice. I'm very glad you decided to join us. Look at it," he encouraged, gesturing to the largest screens on the bridge where the planet her brother had landed on could now be seen quite clearly, the pure white of the ice caps contrasting with deep azure, verdant greens, and dusty browns. "It's teeming with life, Alice, complex life. There are forests everywhere!"
"I...wow," Alice muttered dumbly as she and the other personnel on the bridge did their best to hold both grief and solemnity in their hearts alongside what was easily the greatest planetary discovery in the history of humanity. "Admiral Kaczynski…"
"Say no more, Alice. We were just waiting for you. Clarke, Lee, Patel, begin full spectrum scan."
"Aye aye, Admiral," the crew replied. Almost immediately Cassia began gathering and categorizing data, showing information on the atmosphere, magnetic field, biosignatures, and more."
"Oh my God, Admiral! Look at this!" Patel called out, zooming in on a section of the coastline relatively close to the impact location of Winters' pod. It was the mouth of a river delta, and it was inhabited. Natori and Qul'Roth both stood as Alice gasped with barely controlled excitement. "It's a port city! Look at the sailboats!"
"By the Order," Qul'Roth whispered before turning to Kaczynski with urgency. "Admiral, we must quarantine this planet at once. The treaties are clear when it comes to this level of technology."
Natori and Alice turned to the Ghaelen with defiance and anger on their faces respectively. Alice was about to give him a verbal broadside when Clarke called for their attention.
"Sir, I found it! The signal is a bit shaky and it's using an outdated Omega frequency but it's definitely there!"
"Play it now!" Kaczynski ordered. All fell silent as a man's voice filled the bridge mixed with some static. Clarke cleaned the signal as Alice sank to her knees.
"Russell." She allowed herself a single tear of joy as everyone present listened.
This is First Lieutenant Russell Winters, Omega Jumper assigned to the now destroyed Dakota class scout ship Lancer. If anyone is listening to this, for the love of Kel do not warp out of this system!
"That is...an odd way to begin an automated distress call. Makes it sound like we're the ones in trouble. And who in God's name is Kel?" Natori muttered.
There is evidence of an ancient and hyper-advanced species on this planet, Mara. We located a facility a couple months travel by foot to the west of my pod. It is several million years old by rough radiometric dating, remains functional, and contains advanced technology, barriers, and robotics. We have reason to believe that this facility is by itself, or as part of a system, responsible for the warp anomalies in this system and the destruction of the Lancer.
"Wait, who's the 'we'? Who named the planet Mara?" Alice demanded in a whisper. Natori shrugged and pointed to the ceiling as the message carried on.
What's that, Io? Oh, right. I am in no immediate danger and my vitals are stable, so if any rescue efforts could land at my pod and hail me from there I'd appreciate it. Situation is a bit sensitive on the ground from a contact perspective. The Terran date is July 30th, 2051. This message is set to repeat. Winters out.
"My dear Alice, I could not be happier for you while at the same time utterly curious as to how one of the Galilean moons factors into all of this," Natori said sincerely as the young woman allowed a flood of relieved tears to fall from her cheeks down to the metal deck below. Her brother was alive and well, at least as of two weeks prior. "Though I am forced to wonder, why request we land at his pod specifically. Contact reasons? Where is he? Who is Io?"
"Sir? I think I might have an answer to that first question," Patel called.
"Go ahead, Ensign." At Natori's command the watch stander used the best optical scanners on the Event Horizon to focus in on the landing zone from above. "Here's the LZ, sir. See that little crater there? There's some sort of non-natural formations just to the east, walls, tilled land, and a bridge."
"And where does the bridge lead?" Natori pressed.
"Here, sir." Audible gasps filled the command center as Patel followed the narrow trail and quickly arrived at a large clearing full of agriculture, a palisade, homes, a basic wooden waterwheel, and the smoke of burning fires. Alice looked ready to keel over and expire on the spot.
"Well this is an absolute and unmitigated disaster," Qul'Roth declared loudly. "He's been in contact with pre-industrial civilization for months! Admiral, this situation must be addressed immediately and the influence contained."
"I will give you ten seconds to take that back your heartless son of a bitch! That's my brother down there, not some number on a sheet of paper!" Alice screeched, standing as tall as she could manage. The Ghaelen looked unfazed.
"Instead of attempting to minimize contact with the species in question, all evidence currently indicates that your brother attempted to integrate himself into their community. The Order and treaties make clear that this presents a problem for all of us! Had he respected the agreements and the relationship between our species, he would have put as much distance between himself and any other intelligent life as possib-"
"Alice Winters!" Natori roared, grabbing her by the upper arm as she tried to surge forward and quite possibly attempt assault and battery on an alien diplomat.
"Let me go!" She demanded hotly, straining against his painful grasp.
"I will not! Your presence here is not a right, but a privilege, one that you have just lost until further notice," Natori declared, pressing a small red button on his chair. "Private MacGregor, please escort Miss Winters back to her quarters where she will remain until we have need of her," he demanded, more for Alice than anyone else. He was now the target of her blazing ire, but he cut right through it with a gaze of ice. "Miss Winters, you will not be allowed to further complicate an already complex situation. Emissary Qul'Roth and I will discuss how the Event Horizon will proceed going forward given the extraordinary set of circumstances we have been presented with. You will be notified, along with the rest of the crew, when a decision has been made. Is that clear?"
"You! I trusted you!" She screamed.
"Is that clear?!" Natori shouted above her, turning her over to the Marine.
"C'mon now, lassie. Don't know what happened here, but shouting at the Admiral's gonna get ya nowhere," MacGregor advised. Alice tried once more to wrench herself free but it failed utterly.
"Fine just...get me away from these paper pushing sons of-"
The Marine gave her a firm shake of his head. "I don't think ya want to be finishin that statement either, Alice. Let's take a walk, yeah?"
Absolute silence reigned as Alice was led off the bridge, with more than a few watchstanders looking intently at the Admiral and wondering if he was really considering concessions to the Ghaelen. "Qul'Roth of Ghaela, would you accompany me to my quarters? There is much we need to discuss," he declared firmly, his voice completely devoid of any sort of diplomatic charm.
"Yes, I believe that to be wise," the alien agreed neutrally.
"Turnwell, get us into high orbit over that LZ and continue to monitor the situation. Locate Lieutenant Winters if possible. Lock down all hangars and shuttle bays, my override only."
"Yes sir, Admiral."
-----
"Thank you for your intervention, Admiral. Recommending Alice Winters to the council of foreign relations would have been a most unpleasant experience upon our return. I suppose this is why she is not in Alpha Division," the Ghaelen said as Admiral Kaczynski stood behind his desk with his back turned and hands clasped behind him.
"Allow me to make one thing crystal clear, Qul'Roth of Ghaela. I stopped Miss Winters only because it was my duty to do so. You wish to speak of diplomacy and tact, sir? Then let us address the emissary who suggested that her brother willingly lay down and die to satisfy a piece of parchment hundreds of light years away. To do so would be to suggest he deny his very humanity."
"I do not deny that Russell Winters found himself in a regrettable situation, Admiral Kaczynski. But the fact remains that he selfishly chose survival over the agreements laid down as a foundation of peace between our peoples," Qul'Roth replied. "This is larger than the life of any one organism, which in the grand scheme of things is all that any of us are. It is very clearly stated that contact with pre-industrial-"
"I know what the damn treaty says!" Natori barked. "The treaties also stipulate that hyper advanced races render everything else null and void. Had Russell Winters done as you suggested we would not have even known about their presence and quite possibly died on our exit of the system."
"Assuming he is not lying to justify his actions," Qul'Roth suggested with a non-committal tone.
"Indeed. Perhaps our time today would have been better spent ascertaining the truth of the matter, as opposed to insisting that a young man be expected to betray himself, his species, and his family," Natori spoke quietly. Qul'Roth snorted.
"I did nothing of the sort, Admiral."
"Oh I believe you'll find that you did, emissary. To make matters worse you angered, quite justifiably on her part, the only expert on sapient xenobiology and xenoanthropology on this vessel. You have placed her in a position where she may be forced to obscure the truth of whatever he found rather than harm her brother. And should that occur your threats will be responsible. The Order commands that you seek truth in all things, no?"
"It does," Qul'Roth confirmed.
"Then why don't we seek the truth before we condemn a man to the gallows?" Natori demanded. Qul'Roth remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Very well, Admiral. In my formal report I will note that Lieutenant Winters' actions must be interpreted within the context of claims of a hyper-advanced race. This does not preclude us from action regarding the village, however. The treaties-"
"Qul'Roth of Ghaela, I am going to pretend I did not hear that," Natori growled. "I find myself in the unenviable position of having to face Alice Winters in the hopes of obtaining her cooperation in analysing this planet, its people, and its history. I would suggest that in the meantime you file your report. Remember who controls the weapon systems on this ship, and who your species has demanded pull the trigger. I am in no mood to contemplate genocide."
"Was that a threat, Admiral?" The Ghaelen whispered. Natori turned on his heel to finally stare him down.
"No, Qul'Roth. That was a promise. Now I believe we both have work to do."
The Ghaelen stood and rendered the bow mandated by formality. "I agree, Admiral. I expect to be kept informed of any actions taken by this ship in respect to…'Mara'."
"You need not remind me of the agreements concerning this ship. I will inform you if or when I lift the lockdown on the shuttle bays."
"Very good, Admiral. Good day to you."
When the door closed behind Qul'Roth, Natori allowed himself to slump into his chair. "She is not going to be pleased with me. Damned space elk."
-----
Alice Winters looked up from where she was seated on the small bed in her cabin. Natori's tall profile filled the doorway, shadowed by light from the hallway. She said nothing as he stepped tentatively inside, looking around at the clean and rather unremarkable space. The neatly arranged books and papers did no justice to the fiery spirit of the room's occupant. "May I?" Natori asked, gesturing to her desk chair. She nodded.
"I almost started a war, didn't I?" She moped. Natori smiled, pleased to find her in a not so combative mood.
"No, but the subsequent attempts to send you to an educational facility for your 'crime' probably would have."
Alice huffed through her nose in as much of a laugh as she could muster. "Then why are you here? Isn't there a lot of stuff going on out there?"
Natori clicked his tongue but didn't reprimand her directly. "How many doctorates were you hoping to get out of this voyage, Miss Winters?"
"What?" She asked, sitting up straight as her elbows left her knees. "Uh…one sounds like a good place to start, right?"
"You are rather modest for someone who was ready to assault a Ghaelen almost twice your size. You understand-"
"You won't apologize and I was out of line. I get it," Alice confirmed with a snap. Natori nodded.
"Indeed I will not apologize, but I don't mind telling you either that I stopped you only on account of protocol. But that is the past, Alice. I'm here to discuss the future with you."
"I thought my future was sitting here until you tell all the little people what's going to happen," Alice said sarcastically. Natori rolled his eyes and sighed. "Ok ok yeah, not helping. Sorry. Russell is alive and I can't see him. Tell me when that changes."
"All joking aside, Alice, if your brother's evaluation of the situation is indeed correct...I'm seeing the opportunity for two doctorates at a minimum, one in xenoanthropology and one in xenobiology. That is to say nothing of what happens if your brother has found himself a place among the locals. Negotiations between species may be in order," Natori reasoned. Alice was suddenly serious and alert.
"Admiral Kaczynski, are you saying what I think you're saying? Because underneath all the Ghaelen induced rage I'm excited...really excited. And relieved, and happy, and a whole lot of curious so-"
"Please, Alice!" Natori called for peace, not wanting to get her hopes up too high. "All I am saying is that it may become necessary to interact with the species that inhabits this planet, not only to study these claims of advanced ancient life, but also to secure your brother's return in a non-disruptive fashion."
"What, you mean like if they set him up as a God or something?" Alice deadpanned. For a moment she and Natori tried to maintain serious looks but they failed, instead devolving into laughter.
"Truly the stuff of pulp fiction legends," the Admiral declared.
"Yeah except he'd hate that, no question," Alice claimed.
"Then perhaps you'll have to convince him to leave behind the simple Maran lifestyle and return to his people!" Kaczynski joked as Alice played along.
"But Admiral, what about his alien wife and five children!?"
"Oh ho Alice, are you saying he was perhaps striking out back on Earth?" Natori countered as the banter allowed them to ease the tension of the situation.
"He's in the military, you high ranking goofball. He probably never had a chance to think about that stuff."
"Ah very well, as you say, Alice. There's some truth to that. Nothing like a good laugh, is there?"
"No, sir. I'm fortunate to have something to laugh about today."
"Quite so. Now how about we calmly proceed to the bridge and see if we can't find out where your brother went, alright?"
Alice practically jumped off the bed. "Lead on, sir!"