December Read online

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  “It’s not a complicated ship, but it’s well put together,” Alana said as they came to the last section after completing their tour. “It’s much bigger than Kolean ships, but the systems are relatively similar. Shuttles for transport off the ship, good engines with a little better speed than ours, powerful, full-scope scanners...”

  Ted said nothing. He was too busy marveling at what he had just seen of the ship. He’d known for years long-term space travel was possible, but seeing it was an entirely different matter. He felt that with this ship, he could take on the galaxy, even if he had no idea how to work it.

  The last section they went to was an empty storage room near the boarding ramp. It was pitch black inside. Ted assumed it would normally be full of supplies—food, medicine, weapons—but for now it was empty and silent as a grave.

  But it wasn’t empty. There was a figure nestled in the corner of the room.

  Alana pulled her weapon from its almost bag-like holster as Trell held out a hand, signaling Ted to step back. Ted squinted in the limited light, trying to make out who it was. Or what it was.

  “Who are you, numeg?” Alana hissed, her voice low and dangerous, as she stepped towards the figure. Trell flinched at the unfamiliar word as he turned on the lights, leading Ted to believe the word Alana had used was rather derogatory. Ted could see the figure clearly as a male Drevi, but not one Ted recognized. He had on the uniform of the Drevi military.

  “Don’t shoot, please!” the Drevi practically whimpered, for Alana did look like she was about to open fire. “I... didn’t know.”

  “Didn’t know what?” Ted growled, feeling his anger rise uncontrollably. A small part of him commanded him to calm down, that taking out all his anger on this one man was absurd and cruel, but he didn’t want to listen. He wanted to feel rage, just as Alana clearly was. She honestly looked as though she wanted to kill the Drevi, and Trell appeared to be growing more and more uncomfortable by the second.

  “I... I’m not supposed to be here, you know?” he said. “I was just on duty, and tired, and...”

  It took everything Ted had not to reach out and strike the Drevi. You can’t hide behind ‘just doing your duty’ when millions of people are suffering and in pain! his mind screamed.

  “So you snuck aboard and decided to take a nap on this ship?” Alana’s bewilderment took Ted by surprise, enough to snap him out of his rage and calm him down significantly.

  In an almost human fashion, the Drevi blushed, embarrassed. “Yes.”

  It was all Alana could do to keep from bursting into laughter as her feral rage vanished in an instant. Ted could hear even Trell try to stifle a snicker.

  “I’m sorry, I really don’t want to have any part in this. I’ll do whatever you say, just please don’t hurt me.”

  “What’s your name?” Ted asked, in passable Drevi, taking a deep breath before he spoke.

  The Drevi looked surprised that the human had spoken in his tongue. “Vandoraa,” he replied.

  Trell turned to Alana so Vandoraa couldn’t hear. “He seems sincere...”

  “I’m not taking any chances,” Alana whispered fiercely.

  “We’ll treat him as a prisoner according to Kolean law,” Trell decided. “We’ll just have to figure out what to do with him later.”

  Alana looked somewhat unsure but nodded her agreement.

  “We’re not going to hurt you, relax,” Ted said, somewhat huffily, something that surprised Alana. And upon hearing the human’s words, Vandoraa relaxed visibly.

  “He invaded your planet and killed your people.” Alana’s words were sharp and confused, and Ted agreed with them wholeheartedly. But he knew screaming at Vandoraa wouldn’t help.

  Ted glanced at her and then back to Vandoraa. “It won’t do anyone any good to harm him,” he said softly. He felt his personal hatred melt away as he watched this pitiful man cower on the floor, fearing for his life. The alien was young—Ted could tell that much—though he wasn’t sure how young. The anger was still there, but it was no longer a raging fire—more like embers left over, but still with the danger of being rekindled.

  “That settles that. We’re going to Kolea,” Trell said.

  Alana sighed, following his reasoning without needing him to speak it aloud. The two of them had clearly been acquainted long enough to understand each other on a deeper level than speech. “You’re right,” she said. “Once they realize he’s gone, they’ll assume we kidnapped him. It won’t take long for them to put two and two together.”

  Trell continued. “We’ll take Vandoraa back to Kolea as a prisoner of war, report to the Parliament what we have found out, and allow Ted to testify before them. Hopefully, that will be enough for them begin an intervention.”

  Ted felt hope surge inside him, which he frantically pressed down again. No, he couldn’t afford to be optimistic. Not just yet.

  “Was there a holding cell or someplace we can lock him up until we get back to Kolea?” Alana asked, wanting to take the safe route. She looked from Ted to Trell, hoping for an answer.

  “I don’t think there were any holding cells. We could lock him in a room somewhere, though,” Trell said.

  “All right,” Ted agreed.

  Vandoraa nodded. “I will cooperate. You have my word.” As Ted watched the Drevi’s face, he realized how his knowledge of Drevi behavior could easily become their secret weapon. He knew more about Drevi culture than he was supposed to thanks to Dr. Hio, so he possessed knowledge Drevi would not expect a human to have. It began to dawn on him what an asset that could be.

  “I’ll take him,” Alana said. She looked at Trell. “You and Ted get back to the bridge and chart the safest and fastest way back to Kolea.”

  Trell nodded, and the decision was made. Ted followed the Kolean male back to the bridge. On their way, he took the time to admire the ship more. It wasn’t as eerily quiet as Ted would have assumed a starship in space to be. The hums of the engines and whirring of various mechanical parts made for a pleasant ambiance. He was surprised how comforting it was.

  They got to the bridge, going through the sleek, metallic doors. Trell went straight to the computer table he’d operated earlier while Ted glanced around before ultimately deciding, no matter how weird it felt, to sit back in the sturdy gray captain’s chair.

  An awkward silence passed. To Ted, it looked like Trell wanted to talk, but wasn’t sure if it was appropriate, or perhaps the alien was forming the sentences in his head, since English was a second language to him. Ted had firsthand experience of how difficult it was to be forced to speak a new language.

  Ted finally said something. “I... haven’t thanked you yet,” he began, feeling much more comfortable about the subdued Trell than the almost loose cannon Alana. There was something so welcoming about Trell, like an Earth songbird. After all, there was a reason people put birds in nursing homes to create a peaceful atmosphere. “The two of you came in and pulled me out of a life of despair. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

  Ted was speaking from his heart, and Trell sensed this. The Kolean smiled. “You’re welcome, Ted. You should say the same thing to Alana as well. She would appreciate knowing her efforts have helped someone.”

  “Her efforts?”

  “Alana and her mother have been very... steadfast in their belief that Kolea should help Earth. There is a growing movement on our planet petitioning the Parliament to act as well.”

  “I didn’t know she was so dedicated.”

  “Alana’s dedicated to every cause she takes on,” Trell said. “That is why she can seem... unreasonable at times. But she is a wonderful person. That’s why I am to be Bonded to her.”

  “Bonded? You mean, like in marriage?” The revelation wasn’t entirely unexpected, but it still caught Ted off guard.

  “I guess that’s what humans call it,” Trell said. “When two Koleans love each other and wish to commit, they are Bonded.”

  “You seem to love each othe
r very much,” Ted said, though once it was out of his mouth it sounded stupid. Trell nodded, and silence fell again. Feeling awkward once more, Ted said, “So, what’s it like on Kolea?”

  “Ted, just so you’re aware, you don’t need to make... small talk, I believe you call it, with us. Koleans like to contemplate during a silence.”

  “Contemplate what?” Ted asked, genuinely curious.

  Trell thought before answering. “Whatever we feel like, I suppose. Many Koleans meditate on a daily basis.”

  Ted smiled. “I like that.”

  “As for your question, I am sure you will see plenty of our world, and I genuinely hope you enjoy your time there,” Trell said slowly. It didn’t show on the outside, but Ted guessed Trell was nervous too. He didn’t have as good a grasp on English as Alana did and he was also acting as delegate for his people. This was a first contact situation, and Ted didn’t think either of them wanted to screw it up.

  Alana came onto the bridge at that moment, explaining to Trell that she had taken any and all technology from Vandoraa just to be safe, even though she didn’t think he’d be able to get a signal back to Earth at the current distance. Without wasting a beat, Ted bowed his head and thanked the alien woman profusely. Had she been human, Ted had no doubt she would have blushed almost as red as her feathers as she listened to his words. When he finished, she said, “Ted, I’m happy I was able to help you. You seem like a very good person. I’m honored to have freed you.”

  Ted sat back in the chair, dwelling on her words, as Alana asked Trell about the route back to Kolea. He told her that it shouldn’t be too difficult, so she replied with a very curt, “Let’s go.” As she walked back over to the helm, she added, “I’ll pilot. I want you to keep scanning the whole way there, and make sure we’re not being followed,” she told Trell.

  Trell nodded and glanced up at Ted. “Could you come over here and read the screens for me? I’m a slower reader than you, and if something happens, we need to know about it quickly.”

  “Sure.” Ted got up, feeling good to be useful, and trotted to the touch screen computer built into the surface of the table.

  Ted watched, fascinated, as he acquainted himself with the console that controlled the scanners and general operations of the ship. It wasn’t too hard to figure out how it worked, because it seemed English was the default language of the machinery, but he could tell it had also been programmed to pretty much every other major human language, and switching between them was just as easy as pushing a couple of buttons. There were a ton of different kinds of scans they could run but he had no idea what they actually did. That console alone seemed to control the basic operations, such as communication. He didn’t see anything related to weapons, however. Two large screens covered the floor in front of the captain’s chair and the pilot’s computer console, respectively, for holographic video communication. That was all for the bridge. There was only one door in or out, which led to the corridor from which they’d come. The interior was all the same dull metallic gray. The inscription of the ship’s name on it was on the wall to the right. They were deep inside the ship, for better protection.

  “Hey, scanners show a station out there, orbiting the eighth planet in the system,” Trell said, his tone giving away his confusion. “It seems to be adrift in space.”

  “Oh, that must be Neptune Station,” Ted said with a mixture of sorrow and excitement. It was the sister station of Earth Station, an international base at the edge of the solar system.

  “Is there anyone on board?” asked Alana, evidently surprised by this revelation.

  “No. The Drevi announced they ambushed the station before they even got to Earth. It’s how they learned so much about us and were able to take us over so quickly. Since it takes a week or so for messages to travel from Neptune Station to Earth, they took us completely by surprise,” Ted responded, his voice distant. It seemed the Drevi hadn’t been lying, either, for the station was drifting lopsided around the planet, looking completely abandoned. Not Neptune Station too...

  “I think we’d better worry about ourselves first,” Alana commented.

  “Maybe there are still supplies there?” Ted asked, his stomach already beginning to growl. But to his dismay, Alana shook her head.

  “Maybe, but it’s not a good idea to risk it,” she said. “The Drevi wouldn’t have left any resources on that station if they did attack it. And to dock, we’d be vulnerable if a Drevi ship came by.”

  Trell gave her a mournful look, but Ted answered, “No, you’re right. We should head straight for Kolea. Maybe we can check it out on the way back.”

  Alana nodded, and turned back to her console. “Making the jump to FTL travel.” Ted felt his teeth rattle in his skull as the ship jumped to faster than light speeds. Thank God they had artificial gravity and stabilizers, or the three of them would be nothing but smears on the walls going at those speeds. For a moment, he was afraid he would throw up. Great, Ted, your seasickness has officially transformed into spacesickness.

  “Are you all right, Ted?” Trell asked, having noticed his companion’s nausea.

  After a moment of keeping his head down to subdue his stomach, Ted nodded. “I think so.”

  “Space travel might take some getting used to for someone who’s never done it before,” Alana said from the helm. She still wasn’t sitting in the chair, and Trell wasn’t either, for that matter. Maybe Koleans just prefer to stand...

  Nearly fifteen minutes passed in silence as the three of them studied the panels, trying to figure everything out without pressing anything. None of them wanted to be responsible for accidentally crashing or blowing up the ship. As Ted toured the bridge, he checked under the captain’s chair on a hunch to find a loaded gun lodged safely in case it was needed for emergencies. With a bit of trepidation at his discovery, he made a note of it and continued looking around.

  The next three days passed in a similar fashion, and Ted found himself going absolutely crazy near the end of it. Fortunately, Alana had found some water hidden away in one of the storage bays, so their little escape wouldn’t be cut short by dehydration, but there was no food to be seen. He expected the Koleans to be a bit more talkative, but because the two of them were forced to take turns piloting and running the ship while the other slept, neither of them were up for conversation. Instead, they were focused intently on keeping the ship on course. Ted had never felt more useless. He tried to be there for part of Trell and Alana’s shifts to keep them company, but both of them were so tired and stressed that they weren’t very social.

  On the morning of the third day, the ship noticeably slowed down. Ted subconsciously gripped the console harder as he felt the subtle jerk of the ship, as if he were riding in a car that had just braked at a stoplight. He glanced up once his bout of motion sickness passed. On the screen, a planet could be seen, drawing ever closer. It was blue and beautiful. Ted might have mistaken it for Earth had he not looked closely and noticed that the continents were different. It looked like Kolea had four large bodies of land. The rest of the planet was covered in blue-green ocean.

  “I think I’m going to land the ship,” Alana commented as she pressed some buttons and pulled some levers.

  “We could just leave it in orbit and take a shuttle down. Uses up less fuel that way,” Trell suggested.

  “Yes, but if we’ve been followed, the ship will be safer in a hanger on the surface than floating in orbit. That, and I’m sure your guys at the KSS would like to examine it.”

  With that decision made, the ship began its decent into the planet’s atmosphere.

  “This is Orrica Guard Tower. Identify yourselves.” A young male voice with no holographic image to accompany it suddenly came pouring out of the speakers that lined the upper walls of the bridge.

  Alana replied into the small hole that was one of the several microphones located throughout the bridge. “This is Alana Teinn of the KIS. Identification number 3-9-2.”

  “What’s that ship
? It isn’t Kolean.”

  “It’s human—you may log it as the December. I have returned from my mission.”

  Understanding dawned in the young man’s voice, who had in all likelihood been skeptical that it was a Drevi trap. “Alana Teinn, we were told to expect you. You may land on pad seven.”

  “Understood,” Alana said, ending the transmission.

  Ted, of course, hadn’t understood a word said, because they were speaking Kolean. He would have to rely on Alana and Trell as translators. It would be difficult, but he could do it. It would be like the trip he’d taken to the Asian States four years ago. He hadn’t spoken a word of Chinese, so his companion, Dr. Huang, had been his lifeline.

  Trell leaned over and translated, “They gave us permission to land. Expect to be stared at. You’re the first human Kolea has ever seen.”

  At Trell’s words, Ted felt the incredible weight of his responsibility settle onto his shoulders. Trell was right, Ted was the first human these people would see. He wasn’t a diplomat! What if he screwed up or made some major cultural faux pas without even noticing it? What if they hated him for no reason? Would he be forced to return to a war-torn Earth with no help? Oh God...

  “Don’t panic,” Trell said, almost sternly. “Once the initial shock wears off, they will warm up to you. Just be kind and patient. They will forgive any cultural mistakes quickly because you are an outsider.”

  Ted nodded, taking a deep breath. He hoped Trell was right.

  The ship broke through the clouds. Ted saw a large airfield, nestled in a jungle that stretched as far as he could see, with enough landing pads to accommodate a small army of ships. Alana steered the December towards one of the larger ones on the right. Ted could see the sweat on her brow reflecting the dull light the bridge lights gave off. With a mild thump that made the floor roll a bit, the December touched down and the Kolean woman breathed an audible sigh of relief.

  “Good job, Alana.” Trell’s words were sincere and heartfelt.

  She inhaled deeply. “Let’s go. My mother is waiting for us.”

  III