Space Chronicles The Beginning

Chapter 20

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.

- Revelation 6 -

Marty could see the playfulness in Angie's beautiful eyes. It was the way they gleamed and sparkled in the harsh light of the Space Port's corridor outside their quarters. There was a hint of the eroticism in them, but most of what he saw was a tacit tease.

"Jean-Michael and Lucia have been reassigned to the X-3001."

Marty faked surprise. He had expected as much. "Are they being replaced?"

Angie playfully tilted her head. "Of course. I think you'll like the replacements. They're old friends of yours."

"Oh, really?"

"Come and we'll meet them."

He followed her to a meeting room on the command deck. When he entered, he indeed found a friend.

He looked at Angie. "Is that Birdie?"

"It is I," the bird alien said, sounding like a parrot. "I am pleased to see you again, Martin."

"I had assumed that I would never see you again. This is a nice surprise."

Angie was all smiles. "They sent a team back to Beta CVn and established a relationship with Birdie’s people that sparked the formation of the ULGP."

"Yeah, I heard about the Union of Local Group Planets. Who taught Birdie how to speak English?"

"Lia. She has another student." Angie waved a hand, and a Mehen came into the room.

"Is this Ninja?" Marty asked Angie.

Angie smiled.

"I am honored to be with you again, Martin." The words were embellished with hissing sounds.

Marty gripped his hand, which was more like a claw. "Welcome, my friend." He turned to Angie. "First we had an international crew. Now, we have an intergalactic crew."

"They volunteered, just like some humans that have volunteered to go with aliens."

"It's an exchange program," Marty said. "Speaking of aliens, has Tyler been briefed on how to deal with the Roswell aliens?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since we got back."

The Mehen perked up. "If you are saying about the Cleats, they have stopped all actions against my people."

"Honey said that she has been in contact with her people," Angie said. "And, they reported the same. I also heard that the Centaurs conveyed the same situation."

Marty rubbed his jaw. "Sounds like they're lying low. Maybe the Dragon aliens are keeping them busy."

"Good," Angie said. "Maybe they'll leave us alone."

"I wonder how new the Dragon aliens are to this part of the galaxy."

Nobody had an answer to that.

###

Marty took a swallow of a dark green liquid and smiled at his Mehen friend. "This stuff is great. Your people make a hell of a brew."

“It is the drink of warriors,” Ninja said. “We drink it after battle.”

“Or on any other appropriate occasion, right?”

Ninja gestured in the affirmative with his claw.