Chapter XIX

“Hell, thanks for the walk, ladies…,” I couldn’t help but comment. “But could you loosen up the guns?” I turned my head halfway to look at the enormous rifles that the gals in uniforms were carrying. After the whole fight ordeal, they upped the security against... around us.

Figures. Cool, whatever. This was promising to be everything and more Damien had foreseen, and hopefully beyond what Sebastian could wish for. All of us were here in any case; it’s just that… I chose to come willingly. I mean, it was a win-win in my scoreboard, and I might have as well. My dreams and wishes, those I shared with everyone and even those I kept to myself, have been blossoming at each step of this journey. But as for them? I’m not so sure. I just hoped, hoped, hoooooooped it could be the story those two deserved.

Watching idly the pacing of the group, I set my eyes over the two ladies in front of me, studying the design of the entire armor under the light of the ship. Hadn’t gotten the chance back on Earth, so heck. The material, I couldn’t begin to describe. It took me a couple of weeks after that to learn that the strange material was called Usrdatamantium, Usrd for short. It was light, it was tough, and they seemed to be using it a lotta’ things other than armors. But back to the topic. Since the metal was resistant, malleable at the right conditions and could be appropriately dyed in any color that they felt like, it was obviously pretty frigging dandy, without even mentioning all its countless application possibilities… But I mean, the original color of the metal was black. Like BLACK. LIKE BLACK. Blacker than the blackest black times… infinity! Holy crap. I heard it was thanks to the blend with dark matter or some science b.s. of that caliber. ANYWAY. Man!

These were different. These uniforms, unlike the ones they always wore, even when we first met them, looked like damn artillery resistant stuff. Like stuff you’d wear to charge into a full blown raid. I took notice that to allow for better mobility, the plates that shielded the joints robotically adjusted as they moved or shifted their extremities, neck or even waists. Rocking. This spring selection was dyed in a chic combat camouflage in the grayscale; quite fashionable. But to cherry-top it, of course, that wicked helm that they sported. The shapes and figures on them got to you. Guess it had a similar effect as that one weird psychology test with the black spots… what was it called? I know I read about it somewhere… It was called… RIGHT! The Rorscharch test! Them weird figures were covered by this polished, tough-looking glass. The coolest part? The spots themselves produced light from within, to be used like a flashlight. But creepy looking. Damn son. Oh. Man… I trail off bad, don’t I? Whatever.

Two officers up front, two on the rear… and I took a guess that Sebastian was behind that lot. I mean, I couldn’t even half turn to check before I felt a rifle barrel prod against my back, so I kept walking. The whole ship felt different. It felt… tense. People looked afraid. Fear and loathing in their eyes. Everyone took a step back as we cruised by. Conversations dropped. Eyes drifted away from meeting ours. I mean… who could blame them? It had been murder, no matter what color you wanna’ try to paint it now, Bob Ross; it still was taking the life of someone aboard, regardless, even if it was an arguable self-defense. ‘And seeing us like this,’ I groaned as I looked down at the foreign handcuffs. As we approached a new door at the end of the courtyard, I pursed my lips idly trying to come up with a way to put my little scheme into action. I still meant to take that plunge and grab that bull. And set things right. And, as we made a right to stroll through yet another hallway, something got my attention. Freezing in place, I felt a tremor slide down my neck and I turned to the wide glass pane on my left. And there it was, in all its god damn splendor… There it was, for the first time.

Space.

Wide, dark and stunning. Space.

Words and thoughts just flat out abandoned me. Drained. I felt truly insignificant for the first time in my life. There wasn’t anything I could do: I just… halted and stared. The whole world around me just went out for a split of a sec. It was… huge! Space was huge! And the stars… so many of them! It was all spangled with them like sand in a beach at sunset. Thousands. No. Millions. No…! Quintillions of sparkling dots! And that strange color along the… horizon? There were these red and orange clusters of massive clouds which dyed the background in an overwhelming boom of such an enormity… only to be pierced again by the millions of freaking dots, everywhere! It was… Gorgeous! GORGEOUS! Like nothing I had seen before! Absolutely incre—and that’s how long it all lasted before I was finally prodded again with that darn gun.

“I’m going, I’m going, gee. Calm your soggy snacks, Captain Crunch, or else you’ll have plenty of sag on your two fun bags faster than I can say ‘pull-up measures’.” Lucky for me, she didn’t catch or didn’t bother to linger on the drift of my polite response and simply shrugged it off. Still, as I walked, the joy of that brief moment made me puff my chest with a delicious warmth that simply made me be thankful for that brief moment, in spite of it lasting as long as it did. The best way to describe that feeling is like when you’re cooking something and you imagine it a trillion times in your head. All the ingredients, the steps, the cooking, the anticipation. You revisit the taste, over and over again, in your head, anxious to get the dish done already. And then you actually finish! And it’s so much better than you expected. Actually facing the magnificence of outer space, its infinite splendor for the first time, was a totally unique feeling. Try to imagine it yourself for a second. Now enhance that a thousand times! SEE? Shaking my head, I went off, numb with delight as the rooms rolled lazily past us.

Some time later we arrived to that one room we saw soon after we arrived: the one with all the computers and buttons that seemed like a control room, looking over the hangar. Hangar control room? Probably. Guided to the end of the room, I found myself faced with most of the usual suspects from last time. ‘Round two, I guess,’ I chuckled. Guess I couldn’t have asked for a better time to make a second impression, in all fairness. We waited. I yawned. All eyes were on me. I coughed. Frowns. Oh snap, oh snap, snappity crack-snacks.

At length, and after much awkward shifting in place, the Captain came in. Behind her was that chick with blue hair and Damien, who was now wearing this white, two-piece, cotton-looking gown with some very thin shoes that just wrapped up to his ankles, and was bandaged over the injuries. “Hey, buddy! You feeling alright?” I greeted him and nodded at Sebastian behind him who didn’t seem to notice me. He looked pretty bummed by all this.

“Hey Ignis. Doing fine. More than fine, actually. Medicine here is… well, incredible,” he sounded surprised. Damien just stood idly. He looked too ominous in all full white with his coal-black hair.

“Seriously? Good for you man,” I decided to leave it at that, becoming aware of all eyes on us again. All conversations died down, in expectation. Ladies on one side, us three on the other, and the Captain at one end, between the lines. Taking a few steps, her gaze swept back and forth, observing us; both them and us (figure that), with a troubled glimmer. I’m sure this wasn’t easy for her either. Ugh. Seriously hated to start on the wrong foot. Once she reached the other end, she spoke clearly without turning to look at us.

“Ladies. And gentlemen,” after taking a moment to correct what I supposed was her usual head greeting, she opened with that weird firmness that she consistently displayed last couple of times we all met, “in light of recent events, and after much premeditation I have come to a conclusion.”

Everybody held their breath.

“The Talvehtia has been assigned a mission by the Admiralty themselves and within their specific parameters, they made sure to make it plenty clear that the Earthlings,” that’s us in case you didn’t know, mind you, “were indispensable and crucial assets to the success of such mission.” She decreed with severity, turning around with a passionate and resolute air. Dang girl, you go. “However!” Ah, fuuu… “That does and will not imply that they are not to be held accountable for their actions, just as any other crew member. As it is the case, the three crew members that survived the confrontation are to be court-martialed in the coming day cycle.” There was a unanimous apprehensiveness held by everybody in the room. That was some really, really harsh stuff. “They will be held responsible for their actions and tried for charges including inciting a riot or insurgence, brazen defiance to authority through opposition to the very mission assigned by the Admiralty to the Talvehtia, and, of course, aggravated assault.” More uncomfortable shifting around the room. Holy crap, this lady was on fiiiiiiiire. Serious bees-knees right there.

“In short,” I commented to attempt and break the ice, “next one to start causing a ruckus goes straight out the… airlock?” I felt all eyes burning over me once again. ‘Wow, this is awkward,’ I thought before noticing Seri face-palming.

The Captain dug her fiery gaze on me and steadily approached. Standing in front of me, she inched closer, staring intently. ‘Oh fuuuuuu…. Fuuuu fuuu fuuu fuuuuuu…’ I made the strangest grimace I could think of.

“You’ve got good courage, kid,” she tapped me in the shoulder with her cane, “I like it. But do not let me catch you interrupting me again.” Then she smacked me lightly in the ribs.

“Yyyyyessss, ma’am.” That was much too close. Remind me to not do that again. Not with her. Na-ah.

“Now,” she said dismissively as she turned around. I was saved! Wahoo! “Shall we try some minor civilities again?” she stated, not as an invitation, but as an order. “You. The kid with guts. You start.” Dammit. Well, here goes nothin’.

“Umm… They call me Ignis. Kriegge. Ignis Kriegge,” I stuttered like an idiot. Screw me. I took a deep breath and just carried on. “Born and raised in Earth, believe it or not.” I swear I heard a chuckle somewhere. “Ignis is just a nickname I’ve been using for a while for this and that… but with a new start, comes a new name. So, I’ll make it official from now on.” Better start with dry socks, no? “Hmm… My favorite band… or musician, or whatever,” I gave up on trying to find neutral ground terminology, “is Dragonmight. I can show you sometime if you’re curious.” Silence. “Don’t answer that. And I’m… well, I’m actually very excited to be here.” That turned frowns upside down.

The Captain squinted in thought. She looked as if she was pondering on whether to ask further or hold back. Shrugging, she fired away, pacing again as she spoke. It was as if she couldn’t hold still thanks to whatever reason, but paced with so much patience, as if she didn’t have a single rush in the world. Worlds. How quaint! “And why is that, Mr. Ignis?” she asked.

Oh boy.

I held my breath for a second, carefully choosing my words. “I believe that each of us out there is made of something different. Not like… physically. Well, we might as well be, with all the extraterrestrial theme going on here. But no. Some are made of… science and reason. Some are made of music and melodies. And some of us are made of dreams. Dreams that are so grand and vast that… that our small bodies cannot hold or channel them. But this…,” I spoke as passionately as I could to perplexed faces around me, “this opportunity, this chance, is my chance to focus all that… intense force into becoming the… the catalyst that can transform dreams… into reality.” I stopped, out of breath and looked down, agonized by the embarrassing little speech I’ve done. My face was on fire. I coughed and kept my eyes averted.

Seri broke the silence, speaking up. “Thank you, Ignis,” I looked up and she furtively winked at me. “I am Serina Frevolis Transeli. Lieutenant Serina Frevolis Transeli,” she corrected herself quickly, not letting her bold bearings drop. Her maple eyes scanned the room for any opposition, which were only met with the Captain’s quiet signs of hasty but firm encouragement. “I’m a gunsmith. Best there ever was,” she spoke proudly as she stomped forward to emphasize her words, waving back her chocolate hair with her right hand. “So, look me up if you ever need yours polished,” she stated amicably even though we all knew guns were a huge no-no, especially after what happened. “And…,” she tested the waters prudently, “I believe these Earthlings aren’t a threat. I speak on their behalf and believe the incident was a case of self-defense bound to occur under the circumstances. Given,” she pressed on without waiting for a reply or an interruption, really pushing the limits as baffled faces greeted her response, “if they hadn’t done that much… would they even be of any worth to us? Little beings that dare not defend themselves?” The Captain’s eyes were on her severely. She had reached the boundary. “Thank you,” she curtsied and smiled as if she had not dropped the hottest bomb since the invention of the ham and cheese brunch sandwiches.

Suddenly, I remember our earlier conversation. ‘I’ll speak in your behalf.’ She… she had meant every word of it, then. I felt humbled and thankful. She had just stood up for what was a total stranger, in more ways than one. I silently mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to her, which won me another sweet wink. The Captain sighed relieved at the diplomatic silence, and I followed, relieved that she hadn’t gotten beef for standing up to us, although I hadn’t a clue if she was gonna’ get some from her buddies. The faces around the room looked thoughtful, as if a new window of understanding had popped open.

“We will revisit the issue during the court hearing, Lieutenant,” replied simply the Captain, trying to dismiss the powerful statement that had been just made. “Now, who’s next?” Out came her voice again, so naturally as an order. “Nobody? Very well then. Commander Franzisca, if you will.

She shifted in place but, after a deep breath, she proceeded more fluidly than the first time. “I am Commander Riole Franzisca, Leader of the Red-Wing division. The Red-Wing is one of the two trained combat departments aboard the Talvehtia, experts in multiple types of special operations.” This Riole girl was also wicked pretty. It was all about the black and white with her: her hair was nice and black with a single handful of pure white up front, and her make-up was all strong black outlines and shades with potent and gorgeous whites.

“Thank you, Commander. Volunteers?” The Captain lifted her eyebrows.

“My name is Lualeen Sorivantis.” We turned to her voice. “I’m the Commander of the Blue-Wing division aboard Talvehtia. Welcome aboard. I understand it has been a rough start for you, but I also believe that through cooperation we can mutually achieve our goals, whichever yours may come to be in the future,” she finished, bowing quietly. Her voice was soft, and still very solemn and unwavering, making her a kind of figure to admire. It felt as if her discipline and self-control was so strong that it would be impossible to catch her off guard. Now this lass here was all about the blue. Light blue hair, light blue eyes: peaceful and clear as a friggin’ forest brook but dead-sharp and dead…deadly as a sharpened icicle.

A murmur went around the rest of the personnel in the control room after Lualeen’s remark. That was the second supporting statement towards us from a high ranking officer and it was bound to make ripples, if not a god darn tsunami, after all the previous events.

The Captain paced towards the front of the control room and solidly stomped her cane, loud enough to silence the whispers. “If you’d be so kind, I want to invite you all to resume this little social call you decided to take over at the aforementioned, by Mr. Ignis no less,” oh boe, oh boe, pls no, “airlock. A one-way outing to go and polish Talvehtia’s hull without a suit would do some of you a whole lot of good. So go now, go and grab some fresh air, ladies.” There was a cryptic silence befitting a mausoleum for a solid minute. Just bear that in mind. A solid minute in which nothing but the beeping of the computers, buzzing of holograms and clicking of panels, broke. Not a single word for an entire minute. Damn lady, you scary. You supa’ scary. “No volunteers, then. Well now, where were we?” she turned to face us again, both of her hands on nook of her cane.

“I’m Damien Raven.” I heard him spout suddenly. “There is not much to say about myself. Earth is not—was not that great of a place. War, famine, terrorism, murder. Hunger for power, for lust, for misused knowledge. Those are the evils that rule the hearts of mankind. Always have. Laws were created only to attempt and keep humans from descending into further madness, holding us back just at the very brink. There was kindness, sure. A good amount. But not nearly enough to erase away the wicked. So, out here, I want to think it is not about me any longer. Or about us. That it is about you. About how… incredible this all is. How marvelous your civilization appears to be before us. We are but guests to the grand many wonders ahead of us. There is clearly malice still to be found regardless of where we go, sure…,” he said, placing his hand over one of his injuries, “but not enough to keep you from greatness and admirable prosperity. Far surpassing ours.” He stopped and looked up. A glimmer of nostalgia in his eye. “If this incident had happened with the roles being reversed… us Earthlings would have likely passed some terrible judgement, as we always tend to do. So… thank you for having us.” He bowed, humbled. He seemed different, all weird and grave. Did I miss something? “I’m sure there is plenty to be learned from you and I welcome it gladly. And modestly,” he added quickly.

Well, hell. Guy had been doing some hard thinking for sure. Some cracking down had come and gone inside that head of his. And well… right he was. Our history didn’t have much to be proud about. I felt pretty humbled out myself after that. With exchanged glances, a unanimous nod went around the room. But in all seriousness, could this guy chill out from the deep and unfathomable mysteries of life and the universe for like half an hour or so? Jeez-Louise, take five, dude! I shook my head and chuckled.

“We’re glad to have you on board,” responded Lualeen to everybody’s surprise, “but, as any other society within this universe, ours similarly faces its unique challenges. To struggle is to strive, and to strive is to live, is it not?” They exchanged a friendly smile. Hmm… Seriously, did I miss something?

The Captain simply nodded, seemingly pleased with the small exchange. “Let’s move on.”

“HI! MynameisZena,it’ssooonicetofinallymeetyou,dearmeI’vebeensoanxiousandwaitingforyoutoarrivesoIcanshowyouaroundandexperimentwithyouruniquebodiestoachievesomany—“ she just kept on going like a Formula 1 grand tour, in a single pull without even pausing to take a single breath.

“Zena. Stop. Breathe, girl.” Riole bid of her, holding her palms forward for her to just stop. “You will end up enduring a stroke at that rate,” she rolled her eyes and shook her head. I think we all shared the feeling.

“I’m… I’m sorry! I’m just… so… very… uh!” she was now taking deep, exaggerated breaths as she went through a set of spasmodic postures.

We kinda’ stared in confusion.

“She’s like that,” hummed Seri.

“My name is Zena Uhlmantros and I’m the” she paused to breath “Chief Specialist Engineer and Mechanic aboard Talvehtia. I’m basically in charge of everything around here! Hohohoho~! A woman with power!” she snickered proudly, chin up, fists to her hips, puffing her chest out.

The Captain cleared her throat.

Zena scurried to correct her statement. “I just keep machines running, that’s all. Really noooooot that big of a deal. Heheheeee…” she trailed off, quietly dragging herself to a corner.

By nature, Zena was kind of petite to begin with. Short, curly hair, not precisely the curvy sort. Very small hands. Very… flat. But she was simply… delightful, to put it one way. Her whole attitude and shortness was all part of her charm. She had on a weird work suit with tons of pockets, plus that huge tool belt. It all seemed just way too big for her, to be fair with you. And I guess that being flat thing was good, otherwise, those could have been too much for her to handle as well. But all in all, she was really cute. She was lovely and endearing.

The Captain shook her head and sighed. “Next?”

“Soibsaa. Asdurxas.” She stumbled down her own name. Niiiiceeee. “I’m Lieutenant Frevolis’ Ensign and I…” she scrunched her face like a gorilla with no arms and a nose itch, “and I guess it’s not entirely terrible you people are on board. So best behave.” She crossed her arms.

Wow.

Wooooooooow.

Suuuuuuuuuuuper smooth there girl.

Just. Wow.

I mean, she wasn’t bad looking at all. Sporting a smooth set of muscles over her lightly tan skin, she rocked it with a nice looking set of spiky white tribal tattoos that ran along her palms, arms and neck as far as I could see. Listen, I heard all kind of crap about white ink, but these people had it down to an art. That’s some fine white, let me tell you. Her hair was still tied in a ponytail from the last time I saw her. Color was like between a bluish gray and a very intense purple. And, forgot to mention, her eyes? Like silver marbles. She was a wild sight to behold. Don’t get me wrong. Pretty as high faux. Incredibly pretty. All of them were!

Like, too much. Wait, hold on a minute. Play a record scratch noise on the background for me and freeze that image like in a terrible teenage show, while we revisit this darling schnitzel right here. All of them. All of them were gorgeous. Mad, mad gorgeous. Some had it in them as a wild aspect, some in a more mysterious way, and others in the more classic style that I had come to know. Even Zena had that simple, girlish charm: genuine, petite and feminine in her own way, rocking her short factions and her curly hair. DNA enhancement? Beauty treatments? Advanced plastic surgery? Competitive space jetpack hokey? Who knows. But… it was worth making a note of. Anyway, where were we?

The Captain shook her head. “And we were doing so well.” The pressure-releasing sizzle of an automatic door opening nearby turned her head. “Ah, welcome,” she spoke to the new arrivaaaaaoooooodearlordwhatistheworldisTHAT.

Surprise must have been really obvious in all our faces, since the Captain chuckled at the sight. “Were you really so naïve to quickly believe that everyone in this universe is out to like you or me?” She smiled as she stepped aside, allowing him into full view. “The only reason we look alike is because we come from the same ancestry. We, too, are humans.” Woah. That was… well, not TERRIBLY unexpected, but a truth slice of a cake we weren’t ready for. But as for now the… man… thing… whatever that had just arrived had our curiosity by the guts. Between the six tentacles that emerged from his body, the unsettling red hue that dyed his gooey, filmy, glassy looking skin; or the two fish-like eyes staring towards us, with his squid-like tendril-sheltered mouth… I couldn’t decide what unsettled me the most.

He pressed a plate with a single cup forward, for the Captain. “Thank you. Since you’re here, would you please introduce yourself? It promises to be a learning experience for our new arrivals.”

“Surrre Captain,” he replied in a thick, vibrating voice, “the people of mine know me as Lhesfljadlasfouis Or'bantorton Zemasd'Etrius,” he said in a most impressive, single pull, “and I worrrk the barrr by the rrrecrrreational distrrrict, yes I do.” All three of us just stood dumbly in place, trying to let it sink in.

“Lhesf… I… I’m sorry,” Damien ventured, “but I’m not able to… pronounce your entire name.” He nodded. I mean. Yeah… no.

“Only people of mine planet home call me Lhesfljadlasfouis Or'bantorton Zemasd'Etrius,” he went on again, leaving us speechless, “but you all call me Fouis. Frrriend.” His mouth… tendrils made an eerie wave that made me feel he was smiling. “But I now must go. The taverrrn doesn’t get rrrun. Not with me not there,” his wording threw me off soooo hard. I had a hard time following.

“I will make sure to visit at some point, if I can,” Damien pressed on. “We’ll see what you have to offer.”

The weird thing made a noise of the likes I had never heard before. High-pitched, vibrating, like a moist siren? I think that meant he was pleased. He turned around and waved… six times exactly. Once with each tentacle arm… Wow. That HAD been a learning experience, alright. Weird alien meeting? Checked in my to-do list.

“Very well then,” chimed in the Captain in high spirits, “who are we missing?”

We all looked at each other and then noticed him. Sebastian. He didn’t seem like… he was taking it too well. We waited a couple of seconds before he said anything, but nothing came out. Leaning over, Damien patted his back and murmured what I can only figure were words of encouragement until he finally gave in.

“I’m…,” his voice died down. Patiently, we all waited. “I’m Sebastian… Hunairel… and… please don’t kill me.”

…

The room went still for a few seconds. Those four words had been a stronger statement than all of the previous ones combined. It showed… humility. Humanity. It showed fear. It switched the roles and unveiled them as the bad guy. Not us. It became obvious how terrified he had been now. All along… dammit. I mean, after no explanations, an assassination attempt, jail cells, handcuffs, kidnapping, and so forth... Well, by default, those items right there added to a bit less than the standard life of a prisoner. And no food. Jeez, I was hungry.

“Child,” the Captain spoke softly, very different from her natural tone, “we might have started on the wrong foot, but it is up to both sides to right a wrong.” Words of a true leader right there. Kind but not submissive or apologetic. “So I want you to withdraw for the day with an escort and have some dinner. Visit the recreational district. Find a garden. Take some air. Your friends will follow soon after we finish debriefing.” She signaled to one of the sentries to go along, and murmured a few words that made the officer lower her weapon.

Pacing away from us, the Captain seemed deep in thought as Sebastian went off. Everybody did.

“And now,” she pronounced with some uncanny solemnity, “my name, yet again, is Captain Jorgana Edrarde. I am in charge of this vessel and this lot,” she motioned around her with less grandeur than the first time, “is my crew. You are the crew,” she said out of the blue, staring at us. “Your training will begin tomorrow. You will be assigned a training partner that will show you the ropes and we will be keeping logs of your progress as you begin from scratch as Skylads,” the Captain explained in some more detail. I could already feel my stomach going around from the damn zero-G garbage. Ugh. “As previously mentioned, we hope, or rather expect, that your bodies will accustom as soon as pertinently possible to our daily routines, our diet, and our regular interactions.” She paced our way and stopped in front of us, her back against the lasses on the other line.

“I previously mentioned it, but I think it has become of the uttermost urgency and necessity that I make myself abundantly clear. Talvehtia is grand. Very big indeed. You will soon come to discover that on your own. But no matter how huge it may be, we won’t be able to coexist if we do not cooperate.” She was right. Don’t even got a joke for this one. We oughta’ make it work. “So, once again, gentlemen, let me welcome you as the newest crew members aboard the Elite Trans-Galactic Grand Cruiser, Talvehtia: the best battle frigate of her generation.” She seemed to beam proudly, and hell, she had every damn right to. Pretty impressive little space-cruising origami boat she had going here.

Reaching the end of two-line formation, she sighed, content with this outcome. “Now, do you have any questions?”

“There is… something that has been nagging at me. Two things, to be more precise, Captain,” Damien ventured again. You go, son!

All eyes were on him. “Well, what is it?”

“How… language. How can we understand each other so well?” Holy hell. That one was a darn good question. I can admit it had not YET crossed my mind. Bound to, sooner or later.

“A fantastic question,” the Captain gave a pleased smile. “Zena, explain to these two gentlemen how the process works.”

As soon as she was finished, Zena jumped in almost anticipation. “Aha! Well! I happen to be an expert in this topic too! You see, you have to think about it this way: the universe is a huuuuuuuuge place, right? As more and more civilizations came together through exploration and commerce, technology was pressured to develop a system that could allow us to connect, to communicate! See how important that is?” she just kept on going on and on, in that cute little boldness of her, before even giving anybody a chance to reply. “So, the Universal Rendition System was finally designed by the Intergalactic Exchange Bureau to fulfill the need of an automatic, real-time interpretation between species and every planet, galactic outpost, commercial vessel and even the older generation single-pilot fighters are equipped with one, which has a radius of effectiveness of one-fifth of a parsec in radius from the point of origin! Well, it varies per ship, but you know, ours will cover you even waaay out!” she was huffing and puffing for air at the end of her explanation. We just stared in dumb silence, trying to absorb this massive amount of extraordinary knowledge.

“Does that solve your question?” chuckled the Captain, far too delighted at our awe.

“More than you could imagine, yes…,” he replied after as second, equally as stunned as me. I mean. Wow. The chick KNEW her beeswax for sure. Kudos where they’re owed. “My other question was… I am fairly sure I heard you say our species are… related?” Little thief! That was my question! Well, better him than me.

“I will take this one, Zena,” nodded off the Captain, disregarding Zena’s anticipation. I could almost hear her say ‘oww…’ under her breath. “We most certainly descended from the same tree, Earthlings. Or should I perhaps say, emerged from the same oceans?” Is she going there?? “We, too, come from Earth.” AH SNAP SHE WENT THERE. “Many years ago, mind you, a large group of our ancestors was abducted by a civilization so ancient that by the time they found us, they had already gone through all the pages of their history. They were old, quite so old, and already nearing extinction.

“Alas, yes. They are long-gone now, and have been so for many years. To call our kidnapping mentors a super-developed civilization would be an understatement. With technology the likes has never been seen before up to this day, they began experimenting on us. Much like the way our ancestors back on Earth did as they began mastering how to live off the land; they set on selecting the best of each season’s yield, enhancing each successive harvest, until the ultimate crop of us, humans, was finally manufactured.” She spread her right arm as she beckoned around her, forcing us to quietly marvel at the perfection of everybody on board. May it be Soibsaa’s wild features, or Riole’s exquisite little flair, or even Zena’s childish charm, they were indeed the most enhanced and well-endowed humans I had ever seen. “Don’t get me wrong though,” she shook her head, grabbing her cane again, “stories tell that the ancients were unusually kind to our ancestors and helped us build our home planet to its current glory, regardless of whatever issues it may presently have. And so it is: we are the children of long-gone parents.”

Silence lingered.

We understood now. Sisters parted from us, too many years ago.

This was a reunion. A reunion of sons and daughters of Earth.

The Captain resumed after letting her words settle. “You’re probably wondering, so I’ll answer this as well. They took men all the same. Very few though, purely as slaves. They were deliberately kept short at harvest since our abductors strongly believed them to source patriarchal conflicts of interests and sexuality; a concept so arcane and rubbish as the harvest itself. Thus, their prime were kept around solely for their reproductive purposes for very short life spans, and the rest made up half of the population of the control group that served as a base of comparison to the evolutionary progress of the thick of the population. And those were my people, the Nahutnala, us children who were not bred for greatness, but made with love. The natural humans,” she finished; a somber expression of mixed emotions over her face.

Was she the only one of her kind aboard, then? There were too many questions that were better left unasked. We both nodded, thankful for her historical mind-blow. I dunno’ about Damien, but… damn, dude. Damn…

And, naturally enough, we were escorted soon after from the room after a prompt exchange of short nods as a silent farewell. A stormy cloud followed each of us, lingering long afterwards as a discreet sorrow.