He was tall, over two metres in height, and slender in build. At first glance he looked human, but closer examination revealed he was anything but, starting with the graceful upward arching eyebrows and large, almond-shaped eyes of icy blue. Long, shoulder-length blonde hair, nearly platinum in color, was pulled into a neat tail and bound with a golden clasp, decorated with a thumbnail-sized ruby, leaving the sharply pointed ears uncovered. High cheekbones and finely chiseled features finished the look, so perfect that the man was beautiful, if Finn could use such description on another male. He wore a beautifully elaborate suit of silvery metal, with scalloped joints that seamlessly fitted into the suit to allow for full freedom of movement. A streamlined helmet was cradled under his right arm.
Finn blinked when he noticed slow tendrils of steam rising off the metallic suit, streamers of condensation oozing down over the polished metal. Wherever this being had just been, it was extremely cold, so much so it was condensing water directly out of the station’s atmosphere. Oddly enough the steam and the rivulets of water injected a note of normality into an increasingly surreal situation.
Before either human could comment on it, or further challenge this beautiful stranger and the indefinable look on his face, the heavy door leading into the connecting boom irised open with a hiss. Finn and Vaughn twisted around just in time to watch a handful of silver suited beings step through the door and into the lounge.
As several of the silver armored beings took up positions all throughout the lounge, heavy silver weapons of some sort held at the ready, a handful quickly made their way through the chamber, small scanning devices working feverishly in their hands. Quick and efficient, they were done their sweep in a matter of minutes, returning to where most of them stood by the entrance. Helmeted heads then bowed together in obvious conversation before one of them reached up and removed its helmet, the seal breaking with a puff of compressed air.
The helmet swung down and under this one’s arm, just as the first one had it, revealing a handsome face much like the blonde man’s, except more square and masculine, the skin tanned and the hair a light brown. This man was also a good twenty-five centimetres shorter. The man paused to hand his helmet to a colleague then stepped forward, drawing a heavy cylinder from a waist pouch as he did. Before he spoke, however, he made a gesture and the tall, blonde man standing behind them placed a device on one side of the entrance to the lounge. A second matching device went on the opposite side and, after a gauntleted wave at the closer of the two, a shimmering wall of energy was born between them, completely blocking the opening.
Nodding in satisfaction, the second man returned his attention to a stunned Vaughn and a bemused Finn, bowing low with the cylinder in both hands. He then spoke a long, convoluted statement in a flowing, musical language that, while completely alien, somehow sounded familiar before he returned to the upright. The cylinder was raised to touch him on the forehead then the man gently cleared his throat before speaking again, this time in lightly accented English.
“Greetings, humans, from the Pax Drakonus of the Sidhe. I am Deks Rountree and I bring the salutations and respect of our combined peoples. Please, accept this humble gift.”
Not knowing what else to do, Vaughn took the proffered cylinder with a smile and a nod of thanks, silently marveling at how light it was despite its size and the intricate shapes and etchings that covered its entire surface.
“This scroll symbolizes the hope of the Pax that our two federations will work together in peace and harmony towards a greater understanding of each other and the universe.”
Finn bowed deeply, not knowing what else to do.
“Such is our hope as well, honored guest of the Directorate.” He said formally. “You are well met by our people and you’ve our thanks for this cherished gift.”
The tanned being smiled broadly.
“Well said, friend.” He replied, his voice smooth and unfettered in its soft locution. Then the smile vanished. “Now to the reason we’ve erected a warding field to prevent any eavesdropping. Not to put too fine a point on it, the Pax needs Humanity’s assistance in finding an ancient talisman of great power and value, lost millennia ago. For that assistance, we are authorized to extend an invitation to Humanity to join the Pax and the thousands of worlds it has dominion over.”
Finn almost couldn’t help the astonished step back he made, Vaughn gasping out loud beside him. Membership in a massive union of planets in exchange for their help finding some ancient artifact? Could the aliens have come up with a better offer to a struggling Human Race? More than likely not!
“We’ll have to examine the conditions and details of this invitation, of course.” He began, fighting to keep the excitement from his voice. “But, at first blush, it sounds like an offer too good to resist.”
Deks smiled once again, the relief obvious on his face and in his voice, if his emotional responses were anything like a human’s.
“We had hoped you’d feel that way.” He replied. “Of course the final negotiations will take place between full diplomatic teams at the Directorate’s convenience. In the meanwhile the search for the talisman must began immediately. A great deal rests on the discovery of its resting place.” He turned to gesture at the knot of beings still in their full suits behind him.
“These individuals make up the Isivir team assigned by the Pax for the mission, experts all in a variety of fields deemed necessary for the successful completion of this task.” Deks turned back to them. “Just as I’m sure you two are experts in the fields you were selected for. But I’m curious; we expected a somewhat larger team to greet us. Are you just an advance party for them?”
Finn’s smile was thin.
“Uh, no, actually.” He rasped. “Colonel Vaughn and myself are it. We’re the liaison team.”
A sculpted eyebrow slowly rose in astonishment.
“You’re meeting the Pax for the first time with only the two of you? I don’t understand. Either you’re in possession of some remarkable talents and abilities or your Directorate seeks to mock the Pax in some fashion.”
“Of course no disrespect to the Pax was intended, Mr. Rountree.” Finn hastily reassured the Pax spokesperson. “Only caution. Without going into great detail, the Directorate’s position on our home world is tenuous. They didn’t wish to further exacerbate it by introducing an uncertain variable in the form of the Pax and its existence.”
Deks frowned, nonplussed. The tall blonde man standing by the door, however, wasn’t so put off. He nodded in understanding as he stepped past Finn and Vaughn to join Deks close to the lounge’s center.
“Our operatives on Earth have reported this uprising you make mention of, friend.” He said, his voice a velvety baritone that caressed the ears. “Poverty, overcrowding and dwindling resources have fomented rebellion against your Directorate. Your military now fights several battles against rebels and terrorists across your home system.”
“You have operatives on Earth?” That from Vaughn, finally finding her voice in learning the Pax had an established presence on Earth.
The blonde man turned his almost too-big eyes onto the lean marine officer.
“Do you not attempt to insert operatives into nations outside of your own, regardless of whether they are allies or enemies?” He countered with no hint of apology in his voice.
“How long have you been watching us?” Finn wanted to know.
The big blue eyes swung onto him.
“Long enough.” The tall alien evasively replied.
Like a flood of light into a darkened room, Finn realized why the Pax operatives were on Earth.
“Your talisman is in human territory somewhere, isn’t it.” He rasped, more a statement than a question. “You sent in operatives in an attempt to find it and they’ve failed. So now you’re forced to elicit our help in locating it.”
“Very astute, friend.” Deks said with a quick glance of reproach at the blonde alien. Apparently the presence of Pax operatives on Earth wasn’t something the humans were supposed to know about.
“Several of your years have been spent in the search, to no avail. Unfortunately the need for the talisman has only grown greater over time, along with our urgency in finding it. So the Pax governing council decided to extend the hand of friendship to the humans and your Directorate, in the hopes that those who inhabit that world would know of its whereabouts.”
Finn and Vaughn exchanged a quick glance. Both knew that any spy worth their pay would take all measures necessary to accomplish their objective, including interrogation of any locals they deemed in possession of the information they needed. No doubt the Pax operatives had already questioned a number of humans in an attempt to ascertain the location of their lost artifact, humans most likely to have such knowledge in their heads. If those particular people didn’t know, how could they expect a xenobiologist and a marine colonel would know?
Again the image of the sacrificial lamb floated up in Finn’s mind, turning his thoughts once more to the possibility that the Directorate was sacrificing the two of them to avoid looking bad to not only the people of Earth, but the representatives of the Pax as well. It was a conclusion Deks and the other Sidhe came to as well.
“So.” The shorter of the two aliens rasped. “I think I’m beginning to understand why we were met by only the two of you, instead of a full diplomatic team. And why the Pax didn’t send one either.” He leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowed. “Perhaps we need to make some assumptions here in order to move forward.”
“Assumptions?” Again Finn and Vaughn exchanged glances. “We’re not qualified diplomats, ambassador.” Vaughn went on to say. “While we speak for the Directorate, we can’t make agreements without consulting our superiors.”
“Nor would we ask you to.” Deks quickly countered. “However, with the designation of an officer, Colonel Vaughn, I’m assuming you’re in the Directorate’s military, yes?”
Vaughn nodded.
“The Unified Defense Force Marine Corps.” She said.
“So, would it be fair to say you favor action over discussion?”
“Always.” Vaughn frowned. “But I fail to see, Mr. Ambassador, what, . . .”
“I’m driving at?” Deks finished for her with a smile. “We can stand here and discuss our two governments and their past actions all day, without determining what we need to do to carry on. We can rehash the merits of one course of action over another without actually deciding what we’re doing about our challenges. Or, or we can simply do them and let the governments sort out the mess after.”
It was Vaughn’s turn to smile.
“You sound like a military man yourself, Mr. Ambassador.” Deks shrugged.
“Not military, but a man of action, yes.” He said. “And I’m no diplomat so you don’t need to call me ‘ambassador’, colonel.” He looked over at Finn then back to Vaughn. “That being said, let me make a suggestion. Assuming you two are authorized for movement and access within the Directorate, why don’t we incorporate the two of you into our team, tap into Directorate resources and see what we can find?”
Once again Vaughn and Finn exchanged glances.
“What do you think, Doctor Finn?” Vaughn asked in a low voice. “As you pointed out earlier, the Directorate is hanging us out a little on this. If we combine our resources with the Sidhe, we wouldn’t be operating alone and could be much more effective.”
“Effective as what?” Finn frowned. “Diplomats?”
“Whatever our roles, we could find the Pax’s artifact without overexposure and much more quickly than if working independently.”
Finn’s frown became thoughtful. Vaughn’s logic was certainly hard to deny. If they worked directly with the Pax, as part of their team, they could experience a much higher level of success than if they worked alone. Not to mention, the blame for failure would certainly spread much better over fifteen or sixteen, versus two. And now that he was thinking about it, it would give him the chance to work in close proximity with a previously unknown species, studying their daily rituals and habits, as well as get a good look at them physically and learn a bit more about their culture and technology. In all, it was a rather good idea.
“Agreed.” He said after his moment’s worth of pondering. “Let’s do it.”
Vaughn nodded and turned towards Deks.
“Looks like you have yourself a deal, Mr. Rountree. We’ll take a more direct role as liaisons and work in your team, along with the understanding that we retain directional independence and that we won’t be breeching any Directorate protocols or laws.”
“Sounds like you’ve worked in such teams before, colonel.” Deks smiled. “Done and done. How do you humans finish such verbal negotiations? We Sidhe clasp forearms.”
“Close enough.” Vaughn extended her hand and, taking it, Deks gave it a firm shake before letting it go.
“Excellent. Now with that out of the way, we can move forward. While we currently find ourselves within the Directorate’s purview and therefore our goal, ironically I think it best if we retreat back to Pax space. There we can acquaint our new allies with the situation as best we can. Then, after full team incorporation, we can renew our search. Agreed?”
Always in favor of a complete briefing before every mission, Vaughn quickly nodded. And Finn wasn’t far behind in his anxiousness to begin studying the Sidhe.
“Just let us get our gear and we can be on our way.” The wiry scientist added.
“Very good.” Deks said. “Meet us back here in about thirty of your minutes.”
“Perfect. See you then.”
The warding field dropped with a soft hum and, with nods to Deks and the blonde alien, Vaughn and Finn stepped out into the corridor beyond. It wasn’t long before they were fairly racing along the broad passageway towards the transit tube that had carried them there, both bristling with excitement.
“Damn, I’ve got to find a comm station.” Vaughn rasped as she slapped the call button for the tube. Just beside her, Finn favored the lean marine officer with a curious look.
“Why?” He asked.
“My kids.” Vaughn quickly replied, returning his look. “I have to call my brother and see if he’ll take my son and two daughters while I’m gone.” She grimaced. “I sure hope they understand.”
“Huh.” Finn gnawed thoughtfully on the inside of his lip. “Fleet reassigned an officer with a family to an unknown assignment?” He looked back at Vaughn. “Are you getting the same feeling about this thing that I am?”
“That Fleet, the UDF and the Directorate are completely unaware of what they’re doing?” Vaughn grimaced. “At the risk of questioning the authority of my superior officers, yeah. I am definitely getting that feeling. That, or the Directorate is keeping us even deeper in the dark than we first suspected.”
“I hope not.” Finn growled, the tube door opening in front of them with a hiss.
A compact lozenge of metal and plastic accelerated along a plastic tube using compressed gas, the transit tube was the station’s primary mode of internal transport, of both people and materials. He ducked in through the door, through the brief connector airlock and into the tube car itself, dropping into the first convenient seat. Due to the Fleet shutdown of the zone with the Sidhe at bay 1, it was empty. Vaughn joined him a moment later, picking a seat opposite so she could face them as they continued talking.
Consumed as they were by their own thoughts however, talking was forgotten as they silently watched the car slide effortlessly through its tube, buoyed by an anti-gravity field and inertial dampeners. Only when the car began to slow in preparation for the next stop did Finn finally feel the need to share the tumult surging through his mind.
“You know.” He began, taking hold of a nearby handrail in preparation of pulling himself to his feet. “This situation is starting to bother me.”
“Now it’s starting to bother you, Finn?” Vaughn said with a bemused smile.
Finn chuckled at the irony of his own statement, just as the car came to halt and the door began to hiss open, the fast sealing connector airlock snapping into place as soon as the car stopped in place. He pulled himself up and around to begin stepping out the door. Only to jerk to a halt in startled surprise.