are they doing here?”
O’Hara took a deep breath and replied, “I
don’t like it, either, but Admiral Lay didn’t give me an option.
They’re here to do whatever they do. So long as they don’t get in
my way, or cause problems, it should be fine…but look at them,
doesn’t it seem they know about aliens? What was it Franklin had
said? Extraterrestrial matters were his concern?”
“ Most intriguing…right, well, anyway, I
suppose they’re just cubicle jockeys, eh?”
O’Hara chuckled and shook his head, amused.
Then, both he and Nandesrikahl heard a ruckus. Becker and Imes were
arguing, which was nothing new. From the snippets they gleaned,
Imes had started exercising in front of her again, something he
often did to try and elicit a romantic liaison, and instead of
taking it in good fun, Becker exploded.
“ You two need to settle down,” Franklin
said.
“ Hey, this isn’t your business,” Imes
retorted pointing his finger.
“ Both of you need to shut up, and I
swear,” Becker screamed. “Oh good, Captain, settle
this!”
“ Nothing to settle, really, Captain,”
Adams interjected. “They–”
“ Whoa! I won’t have either one of you
telling me how to run my crew,” O’Hara barked. “Now, all of you
shut it, and get over whatever stupid squabble you have with each
other.”
Becker and Imes both winced before stomping
off in opposite directions.
“ They just need to fuck,” Zakowski
said, laughing uproariously at his own comment.
Swain and Day shook their heads,
giggling.
“ Alright, I know tensions are up, and
I’m sure everyone’s anxious as I am to see what’s aboard that
vessel, and certainly, we’re all freaking about leaving our ship
and flying for light years with aliens, but we need to get some
rest,” the captain stated.
“ Are we maintaining communications with
Eon while we’re gone?” Swain inquired.
“ Yes, as a matter of fact we are.
The… agents , here, told me they’d send reports. Besides, if
the admiral can open a channel with the ambassador then we can use
that same channel,” O’Hara answered.
“ Good enough for me,” Swain
sang.
The Thewlian ship arrived shortly thereafter.
Fitzpatrick had been the first to spot it, and she called everyone
over. When it landed, everyone snatched their equipment. Quickly,
they jogged over to the extended platform. The bay door was raised,
and the ambassador motioned for them to make their way inside.
Cautiously, they all stepped aboard, their boots clanking as they
walked.
“ I’m glad to see you all here. We will
make introductions soon. For now, follow me.”
The loading zone had a few vehicles, chairs
and tables, everything a traveling ship carried. There were six,
massive, cylindrical elevators all in a row at the center of the
spacious zone. Phoenix Crew was escorted aboard two of the
elevators. The ride took them up two levels then the doors to both
elevators slid alongside the inside of the car to an open position.
The Humans observed the narrow, but rather high corridor before
them. Innumerable, tall, oval doors, which turned on hinges and
opened into rooms, revealed Thewls, who eyed the Humans.
The design of both the doors and rooms were
rather primitive. Each room had two, long beds alongside one wall,
two foot lockers, and a large, steel dresser. Each crewmember was
instructed to share time and space with a Thewl in order to better
understand each other. Captain O’Hara called his crew together for
a last recommendation.
“ Alright, we’re guests here, so, as
long as you’re up and about, I want you to explore and interact
with our new friends. For now, I want Swain to learn as much as
possible about how everything here works. I want Nandesrikahl to
learn about the languages and culture. Zakowski, find sickbay and
see what they know about medicine. DeReaux, see if they have small
arms. Martinez, check on their explosives and electrical devices.
Ask every question, but don’t be abrasive.
O’Hara took a deep breath and replied, “I
don’t like it, either, but Admiral Lay didn’t give me an option.
They’re here to do whatever they do. So long as they don’t get in
my way, or cause problems, it should be fine…but look at them,
doesn’t it seem they know about aliens? What was it Franklin had
said? Extraterrestrial matters were his concern?”
“ Most intriguing…right, well, anyway, I
suppose they’re just cubicle jockeys, eh?”
O’Hara chuckled and shook his head, amused.
Then, both he and Nandesrikahl heard a ruckus. Becker and Imes were
arguing, which was nothing new. From the snippets they gleaned,
Imes had started exercising in front of her again, something he
often did to try and elicit a romantic liaison, and instead of
taking it in good fun, Becker exploded.
“ You two need to settle down,” Franklin
said.
“ Hey, this isn’t your business,” Imes
retorted pointing his finger.
“ Both of you need to shut up, and I
swear,” Becker screamed. “Oh good, Captain, settle
this!”
“ Nothing to settle, really, Captain,”
Adams interjected. “They–”
“ Whoa! I won’t have either one of you
telling me how to run my crew,” O’Hara barked. “Now, all of you
shut it, and get over whatever stupid squabble you have with each
other.”
Becker and Imes both winced before stomping
off in opposite directions.
“ They just need to fuck,” Zakowski
said, laughing uproariously at his own comment.
Swain and Day shook their heads,
giggling.
“ Alright, I know tensions are up, and
I’m sure everyone’s anxious as I am to see what’s aboard that
vessel, and certainly, we’re all freaking about leaving our ship
and flying for light years with aliens, but we need to get some
rest,” the captain stated.
“ Are we maintaining communications with
Eon while we’re gone?” Swain inquired.
“ Yes, as a matter of fact we are.
The… agents , here, told me they’d send reports. Besides, if
the admiral can open a channel with the ambassador then we can use
that same channel,” O’Hara answered.
“ Good enough for me,” Swain
sang.
The Thewlian ship arrived shortly thereafter.
Fitzpatrick had been the first to spot it, and she called everyone
over. When it landed, everyone snatched their equipment. Quickly,
they jogged over to the extended platform. The bay door was raised,
and the ambassador motioned for them to make their way inside.
Cautiously, they all stepped aboard, their boots clanking as they
walked.
“ I’m glad to see you all here. We will
make introductions soon. For now, follow me.”
The loading zone had a few vehicles, chairs
and tables, everything a traveling ship carried. There were six,
massive, cylindrical elevators all in a row at the center of the
spacious zone. Phoenix Crew was escorted aboard two of the
elevators. The ride took them up two levels then the doors to both
elevators slid alongside the inside of the car to an open position.
The Humans observed the narrow, but rather high corridor before
them. Innumerable, tall, oval doors, which turned on hinges and
opened into rooms, revealed Thewls, who eyed the Humans.
The design of both the doors and rooms were
rather primitive. Each room had two, long beds alongside one wall,
two foot lockers, and a large, steel dresser. Each crewmember was
instructed to share time and space with a Thewl in order to better
understand each other. Captain O’Hara called his crew together for
a last recommendation.
“ Alright, we’re guests here, so, as
long as you’re up and about, I want you to explore and interact
with our new friends. For now, I want Swain to learn as much as
possible about how everything here works. I want Nandesrikahl to
learn about the languages and culture. Zakowski, find sickbay and
see what they know about medicine. DeReaux, see if they have small
arms. Martinez, check on their explosives and electrical devices.
Ask every question, but don’t be abrasive.
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