Starship Armstrong - Season 3

Part 52 - Coincidence and Misunderstanding (IX)

The Museum appeared to still be open to the public but it was suspiciously empty considering the Armstrong delegation was inside.

Ensigns Anhkbayar and Gul cocked their heads to the side almost in unison as they looked at an exhibit showing the complete history of the human species. It had three panels.

Gul looked over his shoulder. He couldn't shake an uneasy feeling since soon after they arrived.

"Do you get the sense we're being watched?" he asked.

"No," scoffed Anhkbayar.

* * *

Agent Blue and Agent Green spotted the target almost immediately upon arriving at the Museum. Young girl, white uniform. She ticked every box. They were both proud of how quickly they found her.

She was looking at the History of Mankind exhibit. Probably probing for weakness. Agent Green made a note of it.

* * *

"So I can just take one of these right?" asked Wagner, gesturing to the can of Museum Of The Universally Acknowledged One True Terra branded pens on the desk.

"For the last time yes!" snapped the woman trying to work the reception desk. "No, not you," she told the person on the phone.

Wagner pointed at himself and made a confused face. The receptionist grabbed one of the pens and angrily shoved it in his hand.

Wagner took out the pad of paper he swiped from the ground car. He kind of felt guilty about it now but it was too late to do anything about it.

He couldn't remember the last time he actually wrote something out with a pen and paper but something about it felt right. Authentic. Like the message would hold more weight if it had a physical presence in the universe.

In the messy handwriting of someone who was trying but who has no real muscle memory for it Wagner slowly wrote out his note:

"I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't want to take advantage of you and I'm afraid I just ruined everything. Can we start over?"

He decided to keep it simple since he didn't know how far into it McAfree would read.

Wagner pulled the note off the pad, folded it neatly, and tucked it into his interior shirt pocket. He put the pen back in the can. The receptionist glared.

Meanwhile McAfree lay on an out-of-the-way bench trying to nap.

"Hi," said a chirpy voice.

She opened one eye. It was the tight-uniformed idiot from the welcoming committee. She opened her other eye. He was pretty enough to warrant both two eyes.

"Mmhmm?" she said, still lying down.

"Earlier, in the car, you were trying to say something about some dates not matching before your superior officer cut you off weren't you?"

"Yup."

"What were you trying to get at?"

"Oh just that it's really embarrassing that your whole dopey planet believes you're the homeworld of humanity. You're a bunch of ants strutting around boasting about being giants. You're not even one of the core worlds for heaven's sake! You're a lost colony operating a fraction of K whose forgotten so much of your own history that you don't even remember arriving on the planet. But I guess we're all supposed to humour your ridiculous delusions until we've had a chance to chat with the higher ups so as not to unduly upset you."

"What?"

"Don't tell me you actually buy any of this?" McAfree waved a hand around, indicating the museum. "2,000 years? Really? On the actual homeworld the fossil record extends back 55 million years, and that's just for direct ancestors of humanity. We've been a starfaring species for longer than 2,000 years."

"I can't believe it..."

"Then don't, what do I care? You came to me. I didn't bust into your cave and start educating you against your will."

"I need to go think."

"Don't hurt yourself," said McAfree, closing her eyes again.

* * *

The subversive girl and her companion (potential co-conspirator) continued to engage in espionage by studying the History of Mankind exhibit. She scratched her head and yawned. Probably some kind of signal to her handlers with the False Terrans. Agent green made a note of it.