Mindshard (ON HOLD)

Suits

  “We won’t.”  Vaughn assured the government rep with a smile of her own.  That earned the slender officer a look as well, one filled with doubt and second thoughts.  A look both Vaughn and Finn ignored as they stepped past Krane to summon the tube with a slap of a button on the wall.

     The marines snapped to attention as the door to the tube opened with a hiss, each lifting a crisp salute to brow.  Even if Krane wanted to deny the importance of what was taking place here, they couldn’t.  Humanity was about to make a very big step into the universe beyond their domain and hardened veterans all, they weren’t about to let one of their own go without letting her know how proud they were of her.

  “Good luck, colonel.”  Ling said smartly.  Turning in place as Finn stepped into the airlock behind her, Vaughn returned the salute just as crisply as it was given.

  “Thank you, sergeant.  Carry on.”

  “Aye, aye, ma’am.”  Then she joined her comrade and, hissing once more, the door closed and Humanity’s first ambassadors to an alien people were gone, mission unknown.

     Vaughn sagged into her seat with a sigh, her bag dropping to the car’s deck beside her booted feet.  Already slouched in a seat opposite, Finn grimaced.

  “Thought that bastard was actually going to arrest us for a sec there.”  He rasped and Vaughn nodded as the tube car smoothly began to move, destination: Bay 1 waiting lounge.

  “Considering our mandate and his power, along with our reluctance to tell him what happened in the lounge, he should’ve.”  Vaughn pursed her lips thoughtfully.  “I wonder what made us so reluctant to talk to him?  Or him let us go?”

     Finn shook his head, no answer coming immediately to mind.  He wore a thoughtful expression of his own on his lean face.  Come to think of it, they had experienced a strange sort of defiance in the face of authority neither would’ve denied before meeting the Sidhe in the lounge.  Where he was hoping he wouldn’t vomit in his nervousness before meeting the Pax representatives, after he not only had erased any nerves troubling him, but garnered courage enough as well to agree to join them and defy Krane, despite his very real threat to hold them.

     What was different?  What had changed in them during their meeting with the Sidhe?  What did the Sidhe do to them?  What, . . .?  Finn’s eyes narrowed as they swung back to a thoughtful Vaughn, looking comfortable in loose overalls and a light jacket, her civilian attire donned before their meeting with Deks and the others.

  “You still have that cylinder Deks gave you, right, colonel?”  He asked.

     Looking at Finn somewhat startled by his unannounced address, Vaughn nodded and reached into her jacket to the inside pocket she had slid the cylinder into shortly after receiving it from the dark skinned alien.

  “Right here, Finn.”  She drew the cylinder out to show him.

  “Good.  May I see it a moment?”

     The silvery shape glittered in the car’s fluorescent lights as it spun through the air with a soft hiss, Vaughn smoothly tossing it over at Finn’s request.  Catching it, the wiry scientist instantly marveled at how heavy it was despite its size.  Only about thirty centimetres long and five in diameter, it was obvious the cylinder had been created with incredible craftsmanship.  Even with zero gee smelters and advanced forging techniques, no Human-made device approached the cylinder in its perfection.

     Turning the cylinder over in his hands, Finn continued his quick examination.  Along with being absolutely flawless, the cylinder’s surface was completely covered with strange, sinuous markings, the like of which he had never seen before.  They appeared to be language of some sort, maybe even the same Deks and the other Sidhe had used in the lounge during their meeting but, despite all his training and fluency in a number of human languages, it was beyond his ability to interpret or even recognize.

     Finn frowned, his eyes carefully tracing over the markings.  It was too bad; the markings, or symbols, whatever they were, could provide the answer he was looking for.  At least he hoped it could.  The cylinder wasn’t providing him with much else.  If it generated an energy field of some sort, he wasn’t feeling it, nor could he find any sort of power source for such a field.  And if it was influencing them in some fashion, it was doing so outside his ability to detect or discover.

  “Nothing?”  Vaughn asked, having intently watched Finn make his examination of the cylinder.  Reluctantly Finn shook his head.

  “Not that I could find, anyway.”  He admitted before tossing the cylinder back to the slender marine.

     Before Vaughn could comment further, the tube car was slowing for its final approach to the Bay 1 lounge area.  The deceleration forced the two into a thoughtful silence as they considered what would next transpire.  Whatever the future held for them, shortly it would be placed in their hands, whether they wanted it or not.

     Deks looked up from where he stood leaning against the entryway into the lounge at the sound of the tube’s access doors hissing open.  Of the rest of his silver-clad company there was no sign, having already returned to their vessel.  If the dark skinned Sidhe looked concerned about his solitary position in the human-held station, he gave no sign.  Instead he smiled in satisfaction to see Vaughn and Finn step out of the tube access door and walk towards him, bags over their shoulders.

  “Ready?”  He asked as he pushed away from the entryway frame and unfolded his arms, looking first to Finn then to Vaughn.  Both nodded, pasting smiles of their own on their lips.

  “Ready but nervous.”  Deks observed with a quiet laugh.  “Understandable.  Be assured you’ll come to no harm in our company.  You’ve my word of honor on that.  The Pax Drakonus is a place of peace, not war or violence.”  He waved them forward.  “Now, having said that, shall we quit this place?  I’m anxious to be about our mission.”

     Finn glanced over at Vaughn.  At her affirmative nod, he turned back to Deks.

  “Let’s go.”  He husked softly.