Chapter 5
First Encounters
Unknown,
N/A.
I always wondered how space would look like. Up close, intimately.
I was floating. High up, it seemed, but I had no idea where. All I could see were stars. Bright, twinkling stars, millions of them all around me. They seemed so close, yet so far away, as they didn't look like the sun, or their real form - big, round and fiery. But I liked them this way; they were...comforting.
Where was I? Or rather, where am I? I was floating, in the middle of nowhere. But that made no sense - I didn't have any space-wear or anything, but I was breathing. I wasn't moving though, and strangely, I had no urge to. It was like an ocean of calm had swept over me, covering me with a relaxing sensation. I simply lay there, peacefully.
My eye caught some movement. Over there, to the left. What was it? I looked over, but all I saw was more stars. But I was sure one of them had actually moved, maybe just by a few inches.
Then another movement, this time above me. I glanced up quickly and saw another star inch to a stop. At least, I was sure I did. I glared hard at it, like a child glaring at one of his toys, believing that if he looked hard enough it would speak.
Another movement. This time, I was very sure, at it was right in front of me. Or, at least, in my scope of vision. I stared at it as it floated a few inches sideways and stopped. Were these really stars? Or something more dangerous.
Suddenly, I was scared. What were these things? Stars don't move! Okay, they do, but not that quickly. Definitely not like this.
More of them started moving. First one by one, then several of them together. Soon all of them were moving. Meanwhile, I couldn't even move. It was like I was paralysed, or frozen. My heartbeat was rising quickly. What was happening? Were they grouping together? For an attack, maybe?
I realised they were forming a circle. Around me. They moved systematically into different positions, until they were in a neat circle surrounding me. I was really, really sure they were going to kill me now. And I still didn't know what these things were.
Then one started to glow. Like an adjustable lamp, suddenly turned up to 11. Again, the others followed, first one by one, then more and more, til all of them were glowing like thousand watt spotlights. At a stadium. During full house. I suppose they looked more like actual stars now, but I liked them better a few minutes ago.
At first, this huge amount of light they were emitting didn't affect me at all. I found this strange, as you would think that a million stars glowing so brightly would probably have blinded me by now, right? As I wondered about this, suddenly it did. Affect me, that is. I can't explain it: One moment I could stare at them without any effect to my eyes, and the next I was blinded and using my arms to shield myself, cursing from the pain. It was so strong, even through the small gaps between my fingers they seemed like white, fiery suns.
Suddenly, everything stopped and starting fading away. And I was slowly being dragged back into the darkness.
******
De-Malina Losave 12C (Medical Cruiser 12C),
West Ragashakenva,
35510 UST (2510 A.D.)
I opened my eyes slowly and painfully to a sea of white light. Were those stars still around? No, it was a lamp above me. Its design seemed strange, though, a kind of flowery pattern, not like anything I'd seen before. It gave off a soft, soothing glow, not like the sharp light from the stars.
Then I realised it was floating in the air. How......? I gaped at it, mesmerised by its glow, trying to find a support system of some kind. There was none, as far as I could tell.
I heard voices. They were some distance away, but not too far, as their voices sounded clear. However, I couldn't pick up any English; in fact, it didn't even sound human. Slowly, I turned to my left, in the direction of these foreign sounds.
I was in a hospital of some kind. A ward. Nothing in it looked like anything from the hospitals of the Earth I knew, except the neat, bed-like structures in two rows across the entire room. I took in the beds, which were all floating, except mine. Even their sheets looked different, somehow. I took in the round, flowery-patterned floating lamps, and the dull grey walls. And I tried to take in the creatures at the end of the room.
There were three of them. I couldn't see their features clearly from this angle, but it was obvious that they weren't human. Only one of them had even a few similarities; she looked female, with a slim, agile-looking body, light skin and strands of red-and-white hair. Like an anime character out of a Japanese comic book, only...different, somehow. I couldn't see her face, though. She was the loudest of the three, speaking fast with a rising volume.
The one on her left was taller. It - I have no idea of its gender - was greyish-black, with shiny skin that reflected the glow from the lights above. It had a thin and long head, and it also had a slim body, just more muscular. It seemed the most cheerful of the group, at least judging by the tone of its voice.
The third and quietest one leaned against a wall, mostly listening, but occasionally chipping in. It was big - not the plump kind of big, but just... big. Fit, muscular. Not very tall, but on par with the other two. You wouldn't want to mess with this guy - or girl - in a fight. It looked like it could knock you down just by walking fast and ramming into you. It had no neck; instead, its head seemed to be moulded into its upper body somehow. It had a weird face too - a glassy black slab with two slits for what I supposed were eyes. I didn't see any nose or mouth. All three were wearing what appeared to be different versions of the same suit; black and kevlar-like, but thicker, with a logo on the shoulder.
It was a wonder that I had yet to scream.
Maybe, it was partly due to fact that I wasn't that scared any more. Sure, there was plenty of fear left from where it came from, but the fact that I was still alive calmed me down a bit. And, yes, the soothing lamps helped too. I had the feeling that they were used for calming patients...but why? A scary thought crept into me. Patients that had gone mad?
Enough, Sean. Stop freaking yourself out. It's not going help you, not one of bit.
Suddenly, there was knocking on the door that I hadn't noticed. The three stopped abruptly and turned towards it. Without waiting for an answer, the door was opened and...lo and behold, it was Mr Davids. But oh my, how much he'd changed.
Gone were the shirt, slacks and sunglasses that he was well known for. In its place was a sharp looking, late-thirties guy who looked fit enough to be a soldier. He was wearing the same suit that the others were wearing, only this one was actually made for a human. Well....he was a human, right? I think.
What remained were the intelligent, observing eyes and the small smile that he was also well known for. He strode in the room, with more confidence than even when he walked into our classes. The three gave him a slight bow, like he was a master or something. Who knew? He probably was.
Mr Davids bowed back and spoke a few words to them. Then he turned over to me and smiled even brighter. "He's awake."
Instantly, the room's attention was turned to me. Me, lying helplessly in a weird hospital bed, mouth hanging open. I suddenly realised how weak I looked, and that I was wearing a plain silk shirt and pants. They were comfortable.
Mr Davids strode over and plonked himself on my bed. "Well, you're awake! About time. How was your rest?"
I was speechless for a while, closely watching the three creatures that had also approached us. The girl - yes, it was obvious she was one now...sort of - whose face was the only one I hadn't seen, folded her arms and stared at me, rather frostily. Her face looked partly human, but it wasn't - it looked feline, like a jungle cat, mixed with some form of a human face. This made her look sharp, and a little fierce. Which somehow I felt was exactly the way she wanted it.
Mr Davids turned around, then back to me and laughed. "Don't worry, Sean. They won't bite." He snickered. "Well, they can, but I believe they won't."
Believe. How reassuring. I continued staring wide-eyed at them for a while, then murmured, and" How long? "
He shrugged. "Seven jungas or so. Which is about 12 hours Earth time." He got up, and made a gesture towards the others. "Time to say hi... Oh wait, I forgot." He dug into his pocket, and took out a tiny black object, the size of the peak. "Put this in your ear. It's a Translator. Latest edition," he added with a smile.
I slowly placed it at my pinna. Once it touched my skin, it immediately rolled into my ear canal, making me jump. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the cat-girl roll her eyes ever so slightly. I sat up straighter, if only not to me make me look like an idiotic weakling. Which I probably was, compared to these guys.
The "Translator" vibrated a little. It made a few buzzes in some incomprehensible language, then said in a clear female voice, "Neural waves detected. Setting primary language as English." It paused, and said, "Good afternoon, Sean Anthony."
My eyes grew wide with shock again. How......? Hoping not to look like a fool again, I calmly said to Mr Davids: "It knows my name."
He shrugged. "It reads your brain waves and transmits some of its own, so naturally it's bound to pick up your name somewhere."
A translation device that read my mind? Cool but creepy. For "certain reasons", I decided not to say anything about it. Yet.
"Anyway, like I said, time to say hi," said Mr Davids. "Sean, meet..." he pointed at the tall black guy, who made a small wave, "Jonetelo," then the cat-girl, who did nothing, "Cecilea," and finally the big red guy (I think), who made that small bow gesture that they had made earlier to Mr Davids, "Khongard."
"Er... hi," I said dumbly.
The black one suddenly gave a loud laugh - at least, it sounded like one - and slapped my back, knocking the wind out of me. Man, that was hard. "Come on, we are all friends here, yes?" he said heartily in perfect English. Wait, he wasn't; his was mouthing different words than what I was hearing. The Translator was doing its job.
Despite my nervousness, I had to smile. This guy's friendliness was infectious. With his height, he still looked intimidating, but he had a easy-going attitude on his face that was easy to understand. I liked him immediately. "You humans shake, right?" he asked, and offered his right hand. "Jonetelo Etike, from Adika, Clo Galaxy." I shaked it. He had was a strong but friendly grip.
The red creature stepped forward. When he spoke, I had no idea where the sound came from, as I still could not see any mouth. Or nose, for the matter. "My name is Khongard. I come from Geenash, Ragashakenva - this galaxy. Welcome." I wasn't sure what to do, as he did not offered his hand - which were huge - so I made the bow gesture. His face had no expression, but his eyes curved slightly upwards. Hopefully it meant that was good.
Finally, the cat-girl took a step forwards and stiffly offered a hand. "Cecilea Silviore. I am from Ski-la, Pluorine."
Since the start, I had sensed her hostility towards me. I had no idea why, but I might as well try to diffuse it; it wouldn't help to have enemies here. Wherever here was. Didn't that red guy - Conegard or something - mention Ragashakenva Galaxy? I had no idea what was that, or any other of those galaxies for the matter. Right now, it was about making friends with this new and strange people.
So I took her hand and shook it as friendly as I could. "Sean Anthony. From Earth," I said, glancing to the other two at the same time.
"I know who you are," she said, withdrawing her hand.
I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, and for a moment there was an awkward silence. But Mr Davids solved that easily. "Alright, it's time to show you where you've ended up in." He laughed at this. "But first we get you changed. Can't have you travelling in those flimsy clothes. Jon, pass that pack, will you?"
Jonetelo tossed over a flat grey pack. Mr Davids caught it. He squeezed it gently, and it suddenly bloated up to fives times its original thickness. A slit opened on one side, and from it Mr Davids pulled a set of clothes. I realised this was the uniform that they all were wearing. I looked to Mr Davids.
He nodded. "You're a Starfighter, Sean. Or at least, one-to-be. So join the group."
I took the set of clothes and ran my fingers over them. It felt like like a cross between leather and kevlar, with the insides being softer and comfortable. They were a light-absorbing black, with some detailing here and there. On the left shoulder, was the logo that I'd seen on the others: a silver "G", with a smaller "A" inside. They were linked together, with the bottom up-curve of the G attached to the right slant of the A.
On the chest, there was a logo that I hadn't noticed: It was a bright yellow lightning, slanted from the right to the left, intersected by something like an inverted Nike logo doing the same, forming an X shape.
"Our logo," said Jonetelo suddenly, making me jump. Again. He pointed to a small room at the back. "Go change. We'll be waiting."
I got up slowly, only now realising how my body hurt. I was feeling aches and cramps all over. Probably aftereffects of the space travel. But I didn't want to show it, so I stiffly dragged myself to the other end of the room. Behind me, the four continued their conversation, only this time it was all English, at least to me. It might as well be Greek, however, as I didn't understand the content at all.
The door which was completely flat, and as I walked I wondered how to open it. But what it did next should have come as no surprise - it opened and then closed behind me. It was small and empty, so I didn't know what it was for. I didn't think they had changing rooms in hospital wards.
I laid down the pack and started to change. Thankfully, my boxers were still in place. I couldn't go around without them. I put on the uniform, which fitted really well. In fact, it seemed to expand and contract when needed to fit perfectly. There was a shirt, pants and a pair of finger-less gloves, which I wondered about.
Making sure I had wore everything properly, I got out. Surprisingly, there was only Mr Davids left. I walked up to him, and suddenly all my queries and worries came back. He turned around and exclaimed, "Well, you don't look too bad!"
I smiled, then turned serious again. "You do know I have a lot of questions."
He made an exaggerated sigh and shook his head. "Yes, yes I know." Then he smiled. "But all in time, please. I promise to tell you what you need to know later. But now, it's time to meet the world you never knew."
I hesitated, then nodded. What could I say? Besides, I was starting to have a new feeling grow inside me; a mix of anticipation, curiosity and fear. Just like before a competition, or going to an exotic location for a holiday. In other words, I was, in a weird way, high.
"Just one, please?" I asked.
"Shoot."
"Are you really Mr Davids?"
He gave me a wide grin. "Yes and no. I was Mr Davids back on Earth, but my real name is Denson. Lucas Denson." He turned and walked to the main door and beckoned to me. I followed, that feeling inside me growing every second. Even the hospital had given some clues; what was I going to see, out there?
Mr Davids - no, Lucas Denson - waved and the door opened. "Sean?" he said.
"Yeah?"
"Welcome to 2510."
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