《The Prime Empire》


 Chapter 1

    "We are ready to initiate the first test of the jump-drive, Sir," said Lieutenant Fallborn.


    "Very well, input navigation telemetry to RA 14h 39m 37s | Dec -60¡ã 50¡ä 2, and prepare to engage," Captain Winterborn ordered.


    Lieutenant Fallborn entered the coordinates into her console, "Sir, coordinates are entered and the course laid in."


    Captain Winterborn looked on reflectively, "This test could be what redefines space travel for all of Humanity. Instead of traveling at warp, taking weeks, months, or years on a voyage, we will be there in moments. This could be the single most impactful event in history. With that said, engage the jump-drive Lieutenant."


    Lieutenant Fallborn entered the code required to unlock the controls, and with great solemnity, pressed the button the engage a jump.


    The world went white.


    They could feel themselves being twisted and bent, as if their souls were being compressed and stretched.


    Moments later, reality reasserted itself - the world no longer washed out in white nothingness.


    "I can''t believe it..." whispered Winterborn, "we''ve done it! We''ve traveled using a jump-drive!" The ship burst into cheers of joy and pleasure. They all knew what this would mean for them, and for humanity as a whole.


    As she gazed triumphantly out the viewing port, she noticed something was definitely wrong.


    "Lieutenant Fallborn! What are our current coordinates?"


    "Sir...I don''t believe this. The instruments must be faulty..." Her voice was low, worried.


    "Lieutenant, I need an answer now!" Winterborn barked.


    "Sir, according to our instruments, we are in a different spiral arm of the galaxy..."


    Suddenly, the panel flashed to life, blinking and blaring the distinct warning that radio communications were occurring nearby. "Wait...that isn''t possible," Fallborn stammered, "Sir, we''re picking up signals indicating intelligent life in the system."


    The Captain''s blood ran cold, "First contact? On top of everything else, we have confirmation of alien life?"


    "Sir, there seems to be a planet in the system with signs of advanced life. From the debris field surrounding their planet, they appear to be space capable," she reported.


    The Captain sighed heavily, "Well, let''s go and say hello."


    They arrived at the planet in good order, sending out a message of universal peace and brotherhood. The message being broadcast simultaneously in every Human language, and in binary sequence.


    "Sir, they have received our message. They are not responding."


    "I wonder what they''re waiting for-" the rest of the Captain''s sentence was cut short by an advanced looking ship pulling to port of her vessel. "Shit!" she exclaimed.


    "Something''s happening, Sir, it appears as though the aliens have accessed our translation sub-systems!" exclaimed Fallborn, "They have interfaced with the A.I. Core, I''m reading a massive data exchange."


    Winterborn mentally accessed her neural implant, a clear green overlay came to life in front of her eyes. "What the hell? They''ve downloaded our entire lexicon-library...Well, I assume this means they''ll want to talk." Flicking her eyes to the side, she sent an alert to Junior Lieutenant Ava Springborn, "Attention security chief, our security system has been breached. Diagnose vulnerability in our computer systems. Also, send a security team to the main airlock. This is first contact, so ensure security forces aren''t seen. Winterborn out."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    An affirmative answer was shortly received.


    "Sir, they are requesting permission to board. What should I say? Also, they''re speaking English, Sir," Fallborn reported.


    "So, their translation A.I. must be advanced...Well say yes, dammit, we need to make sure this goes well."


    Their response given, they waited near the docking bay. As the doors opened, they could make out three aliens standing in the airlock. They were a deep crimson, with five scaled arms. Their eyes were deep, slanted gashes in their skulls. The Captain was vaguely disturbed by the location of the fifth arm, it rested on the upper back, an omnidirectional joint seemed to allow total freedom of movement.


    The only thing the crew found more surprising than their appearance, was what they did when the doors opened - they threw themselves to the ground in supplication.


    Winterborn dropped to the cold metal floor, mimicking the posture of the aliens, and gesturing for Fallborn to do the same.


    The visitors seemed shocked, almost scandalized by the action. The lead alien questioned her, "Why do you bow, master? You are the ones to discover us, not the other way around."


    "Ah, I''m sorry. We don''t know the custom," Winterborn stood and dusted her uniform.


    "Never apologize to one as lowly as I, good master, unless of course it is your pleasure. According to galactic law, any species which discovers another is given dominion over that species. For the first time, my species seems to be the one discovered." While she had difficulty interpreting their facial expressions, they seemed vaguely relieved.


    "Wait, how many species have your people discovered? How often is this an issue?" asked Winterborn.


    The creature chittered, "At current count...438. Of course, your species now controls them all as well."


    Fallborn fell to her knees. The Captain felt like following her lead¡ªhow would she explain to her superiors that they had accidentally conquered 439 species?


    Captain Winterborn stood straight, forcing herself to be calm. "I''m afraid I don''t really understand. Why would this be a law which everyone follows? It doesn''t make sense."


    The alien cocked its head, "Of course it does master. Before we initiated this law, there was anarchy¡ªcomplete and total war. Everyone fought one another. At this time, there were only about fifty known space faring species. The law was passed after the bloodiest day in recorded history."


    The Captain sat, contemplative, "I see. So, by establishing this rule of conduct, you make the entire point to discover new civilizations as fast as possible. I have a question though," she paused to consider her phrasing, "What happens when a species disobeys the law? What if they don''t give up their sovereignty?"


    Sharp wheezes erupted from the aliens, "I apologize for laughing, master. Did you forget that we previously controlled 438 species? That''s 438 fleets, 438 armies, 438 civilizations which can supply their resources to an effort of war."


    Captain Winterborn nodded slowly, "Yes...Yes, I''m sure that would give anyone pause." It certainly gave her pause.


    Fallborn stood up, her legs still shaky, "Sir, if I may?"


    "Speak freely Lieutenant," Winterborn replied.


    "Well, obviously there are more questions than answers right now, but I''d just like to know¡ªwhat happens when a subject race discovers another one? Do we take control? Or are they under the supervision of the race which discovers them?"


    The aliens chittered together before answering, "Ultimately, that is down to the judgement of the First Species. When we were the First, we preferred fairly direct leadership, insisting that each planet have a delegation of First there to assist in leading the government."


    "Excuse me, would you? We need to confer," the Captain pulled Fallborn around the corner. "We need to report to central command. We need their permission before deciding anything here."


    "Sir," Fallborn said in a strained whisper, "I agree, we don''t rank highly enough for this to be our problem."


    "When we get back, we''ll get into contact with Admiral Fortha Summerborn. It''ll be her issue," Winterborn smiled in relief.


    At their return, the lead alien prostrated itself further, "This one apologizes for its temerity, master, but we could not help but overhear..."


    "...You couldn''t help but overhear a whispered conversation through multiple layers of bulkhead?" Winterborn asked, astonished.


    "We have exceptionally sharp hearing, master. I apologize once more for our transgression. I''m afraid that you do not understand the entire significance of what has transpired. The species which found us is the new governing species, yes. But more than that, YOU are the commanding officer of the vessel which discovered us. You are the new ruler of the First Empire. You are in fact, The Prime."


    Captain Winterborn, Prime of the First Empire, First of her name, passed out¡ªsmacking her head heavily on the floor.

 Chapter 2

    Forty-three minutes later, Captain Winterborn blinked open her eyes, wiping away a few tears. She noticed that she was in the Medical Bay and sighed in deep relief, "Oh, thank the Gods. It was all just a dream."


    The Chief Medical officer, Julia Springborn, walked up beside her. She stood at an impressive 6''4", with stone grey eyes, and her hair nearly done in a tight bun. "You have a mild concussion, Sir," she said brusquely, "And I wouldn''t be thanking the Gods yet. I think they must not be too fond of you, Sir."


    Winterborn''s blood went cold, "Wait, so you mean....?"


    "Yep, the red aliens are sitting just outside the Med-Bay. I thought we were going to have to call security to get them to leave when you all came in. Funny thing though, when I told them to leave as an order, they just gave up and waited outside." The Doctor certainly seemed amused by all this.


    "I''m glad you think this is all so funny. They seem to think I''m some kind of Empress or something." The Captain leaned her head back into the pillow, sighing heavily, "I don''t know what I''m going to do, Commander. I really don''t."


    The Doctor walked up beside her, giving her a handful of pills to swallow. "If you want my advice, Sir¡ªgo along with it. If I understand the situation, and I always do, you''re in line for a big promotion. How many people can say they''ve taken over a galactic empire over the weekend?" she winked, "That has to look good on a service record."


    Winterborn considered this for a moment, "Well, you have a point. I doubt Central Command will be handing out whippings for securing control of an entire spiral arm of the galaxy."


    Getting slowly to her feet, she walked through the automatic doors. There, the delegation of aliens sat, uncomfortable in chairs which were not designed for their bodies. They leaned forward, trying to accommodate their fifth appendage. At the sight of Winterborn, they jumped to their feet and promptly prostrated themselves before her once again.


    "Look, if I am this Prime, I can order you to do whatever I like right?" she asked wearily.


    "Yes, Prime Winterborn," the lead alien replied.


    "Okay, well, then please stand up. I''m uncomfortable with all this bowing and supplication."


    The aliens promptly stood, their heads slightly lowered to her.


    "Alright, that''s better. What do I call you anyway?" she asked.


    "Do you mean my species? Or do you mean my name personally?"


    "Both, I suppose. I gather that you aren''t called, ''The First'' anymore," she said.


    "We are the Second now, master. We are the first among your servants. Our species is called The Quin''tel. I am First Governor of Tra''brus, the planet in which we are in orbit. My name is Ren''Brus. This," he gestured to the Quin''tel on his right, "is Val''brus, my Minister of Governance. This," he pointed to his left, "is Bre''brus, my Minister of Strategy."


    Winterborn looked at the three with consideration, "That would make you, what? The three most powerful leaders on your world?"


    "Yes," said Ren''brus, "though more specifically, we govern a system of twenty habitable planets. Roughly two hundred billion citizens."


    Winterborn stopped breathing for a moment, "How...how many planets are there in the Empire?"


    The aliens conferred for a moment before Val''brus spoke, "At last reported count, just over two-thousand one-hundred established worlds. We also have around a thousand colonies being developed, but they do not meet member-world requirements."


    Winterborn could hear her heart pounding in her chest, "Are the other member-worlds similarly populous to the ones you three govern?" she asked numbly.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Wheezing laugh erupted from the three aliens, "We apologize for our laughter, once again. No, the other planets are not similarly populated."


    Winter born sighed in relief, "Oh, thank the Gods-" she was cut off as Val''brus continued, "Our planets are relatively new. Their populations are still growing. The average member-planet is home to over thirty billion citizens."


    Once again, the Prime of the First Empire nearly found herself sprawled out on the floor. "This can''t be good for my mental health. I just can''t take much more of this."


    The aliens seemed to communicate nervously through a series of rapid clicks, "Have we displeased you, Prime? We meant no offense."


    Winterborn held her temples, massaging them rhythmically. "No...No, you''ve done nothing to displease me. I was just surprised at the sheer number of people I am now apparently responsible for."


    The Quin''tel grouped closely together, clicking quietly¡ªtoo low for the universal translator to pick up. Ren''Brus stepped forward, "Prime, we are afraid that we don''t understand. Are your people not extensive and powerful? Do your own worlds not have similar populations?"


    Winterborn pursed her lips, "I''m not at liberty to discuss the particulars of the Terran Dominion. Suffice to say, we are militarily sophisticated, and technologically advanced." She felt uncomfortable in revealing that the Terran Dominion barely scraped 198 billion citizens¡ªa number which had seemed absurdly large to her before, now seemed absurdly low.


    "We understand, Prime, we made it a point to avoid allowing our population figures to be known while we were the First. It is prudent to keep such information on a need-to-know basis."


    She looked at Ren''brus, contemplative, "How many of your species are there, exactly?"


    Ren''brus and the others wheezed with laughter, "We are a relatively low-population species, as we do not breed or maturate quickly. Our last census put the number at just under 425 billion citizens."


    A low population species indeed thought the Captain. "How long has your species been capable of faster than light travel?"


    "We have been an active force in the region for over two-thousand five-hundred years. We first developed space travel three-thousand five-hundred years ago. We are an old civilization, though I would guess from the level of technological sophistication in this ship, your species must have been active for a similar span of years. Am I correct?"


    Winterborn looked at Ren''brus, pride shining in her eyes, "No, you would not be correct in this assumption. We have been space capable for around three hundred years." The alien''s slanted eyes seemed to narrow further, "Furthermore, we became faster-than-light capable around one hundred fifty years ago."


    The Quin''tel gathered together, once again conferring with one another in their clicking tongue, still too low for the translator to pick up. "I apologize for our impertinence, Prime. We mean no disrespect, but are you being truthful? In our experience, faster than light travel usually requires between five hundred and one thousand years if the species has no assistance," Ren''brus paused contemplative, "Was your species uplifted? Or technologically assisted? That could explain the speed of development."


    Winterborn considered what she would say, she didn''t want to give any more information than necessary. She considered the possibility that she''d already said too much as it was. The Captain decided that a small history lesson wouldn''t be too risky.


    "No, we weren''t assisted technologically or uplifted in any way. Most of our technological progress came during a series of particularly bloody civil wars. Billions died in the conflict, our home world was on the brink of collapse due to the sheer magnitude of the ever escalating war. Eventually, the will to fight was sapped from our people¡ªtoo many women were made widows, too many mothers never saw their children come home..." she straightened her uniform, noting that the Quin''tel were rapt, "At this point, the male population was near spent. Women made up over eighty percent of the human population. This being the case, we were able to seize political power all throughout the world. We soon proved to be the more capable leaders, and we had learned the lesson of peace and cooperation over fighting and conflict."


    Ren''brus and the others stood silent, trembling slightly. "Your people fought each other with such violence that you endangered your world? It is incredible that your species made it to space at all..."


    She wasn''t sure, but Winterborn thought she might be hearing fear in the voice of the Quin''tel.


    Lieutenant Fallborn entered the hallway, heading towards Captain Winterborn and the Quin''tel.


    "Sir, we have an incoming message from someone identifying themselves as ''the former Prime''¡ªthey are seeking to meet with you to formally turn over power. Apparently, there is a ceremony which will be broadcast to all member species of the Prime Empire."


    Winterborn stood straighter, unconsciously coming to attention, "Well, I suppose we''ve already come this far...very well, let the former Prime know that I will speak with her momentarily." She turned to look at the three Quin''tel, "You three, I''m going to need significantly more information about the Empire, its current political position, resources, technology, and anything else we can think to ask." She turned back to Fallborn, "Work on establishing communication with the Central Command, Lieutenant, we need to brief them on the situation."


    "Yes, Sir," said Fallborn, snapping off a crisp salute.


    "Would you three accompany me to speak with the former Prime?"


    Ren''brus looked hesitant in his agreement, "If that is your will, Prime."

 Chapter 3

    Winterborn and the three Quin''tel walked down the hallway and towards the conference room. Each subsequent step seemed to cause the Quin''tel to shrink more into themselves, their steps slowing.


    "What can you three tell me about the previous Prime?" asked Winterborn.


    Ren''brus shuddered, a wordless clicking escaping his mouth. "The Second is a...formidable Quin''tel. He is clever as he is venerable¡ªgiven his age to be over three-hundred years, he is cunning indeed," Ren''brus paused briefly before continuing, "He rose to prominence in the last war with the Galactic Federation. He was a Captain of extreme skill, rising to the position of Admiral during the conflict. He was the youngest to attain that position in history, barely one-hundred twenty."


    "I see," the Captain replied, "I must admit, it''s odd to hear of a male in any position of authority. Though I suppose if he earned the post through merit, I can''t fault it."


    The Quin''tel seemed surprised as he said, "We do not place importance on gender, we have found sex to be a poor judge of individual capability in most cases."


    Winterborn considered this as she palmed open the door to her conference chamber. Stepping inside she said, "I understand your position. Our position on sex related to capability is one we learned through experience within our own species. We would not presume to judge the efficacy of your species'' gender dynamic."


    Winterborn sat down in her chair, facing the blank monitor where the former Prime would soon be displayed. "Stand behind me, the three of you. I want him to be able to see you clearly."


    They all seemed to wince, but moved to follow her order.


    Pressing a button on her wrist, a communication device sounded to life, "Fallborn, patch the com-link through to my conference chambers. We are ready to proceed."


    "Patching through, Sir," came Fallborn''s voice in the Captain''s ear.


    The display activated, the wall now looking like a window into the room of the former Prime. As he came online, they saw the former Prime looking out at the Quin''tel and Winterborn as if they were rotten food served to him at dinner. With a voice which rasped like sandpaper, he spoke, "I am Sin''tel, former Prime, and current Second of the Prime Empire...You are my usurper, and the traitors who assisted them. I am not a man for platitudes or small talk, so let me be direct. The Quin''tel you have on your ship are traitors to the Prime Empire. They have endangered everything by their actions. Do. Not. Trust. Them."


    Winterborn regarded the former Prime carefully, "Ren''brus, what is he talking about?"


    Ren''brus took a step back, his five red arms linked together, rubbing them nervously. "We..." he gestured to the other two, "...have done what is right for the Empire. The former Prime simply disagrees with our actions..."


    The elderly Quin''tel wheezed with sharp laughter, "You did what was right by handing over the Empire?! You sabotaged Empire property! You allowed yourselves to be scanned first! You delivered the Empire into the hands of a race of which we know nothing!" The Quin''tel on the screen quivered as he finished his tirade.


    Val''brus stepped forward, "Our actions will light a new spark into the Empire! Under our leadership, the Empire has grown stale and stagnant. We are besieged by the Federation, we are threatened by civil war! We have never faced the kinds of internal threats we face now. We cannot survive if we continue as we have."


    Winterborn looked sharply at the three aliens, steel in her voice, "We are going to have an in-depth conversation about this. Mark me," she turned to the former Prime and said, "Have they done anything which would invalidate my claim on the Empire?"


    The former Prime scoffed, and said, "No. No they haven''t. They''ve also informed nearly every species in the Empire about the events as they have occurred. We no longer have the option of assassination to make this go away. If we did, our right to rule would crash. Rebellion would cease to be a fear, it would become inevitable."


    Winterborn smiled a shark-like grin, "I''m glad that''s sorted out. Besides, destroying this ship would be more difficult than you think," she lost the predatory tone as she shifted gears, "Now, tell me about these troubles you''re having with rebellion and the Federation. I don''t want to Captain a sinking ship."


    The Second began to speak, but was interrupted by Ren''brus, "The Galactic Federation is a group of species who banded together early in our history. They formed the Federation in response to the Quin-Afari accord, which cemented the existence of the Prime Empire," he paused, walking around to look Winterborn in the face, "They are one of the most consistent threats to the Empire. They constantly seek to disrupt and destroy our hold on other species."Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Winterborn nodded, "Makes sense, they could claim the moral high-ground, and potentially break one of their greatest rivals in the galaxy. So this rebellion, is the Federation behind it?"


    The Second looked surprised, "Well...Yes. We believe they are kindling the fire of rebellion. The few rebels we have put down are also using Galactic Federation weapons and ships. When asked, they say that they''ve had weapons and ships stolen by our citizens..."


    "So they are ducking responsibility for arming the rebels, and helping them to destabilize your rule. I''m impressed."


    Sin''tel sat, silent for a moment, "With this all in mind, do you still plan to accept the position of Prime? The position has many obligations, and the duty cannot be shirked once taken on. Do you intend to risk this?"


    Ren''brus spoke up, "Be aware, Prime. If you do not accept the position, your species will default to being considered a subject species of the Empire. Very few escape the yoke of the Empire for long. Even with the trouble we are facing now."


    Winterborn grew still and quiet, her mind racing at the implications of what the Ren''brus had said. This was definitely a more complex situation than she had previously thought.


    "So..." she considered carefully, "if I reject the position of Prime, The Prime Empire will attempt to use that refusal as a casus belli?"


    Sin''tel inclined his head forward, rocking it side to side, "That is correct under most circumstances. Under these, however, I would be able and willing to make an exception. We could say that we discovered each other at a mutual moment."


    Val''brus laughed, his voice a wheeze, "This is a lie the Empire has used before. It isn''t widely known, but other civilizations have been in your position before. They were either assassinated, or given this offer. Inevitably, they wind up as servants to the Empire."


    The ancient Quin''tel on the screen looked harshly at Val''brus and growled, "Don''t listen to the traitor, we can both record this meeting. The proof would be simple to produce. Besides, this situation is unlike any other, the Humans'' claim has been broadcast to every species in the Empire. We can''t quietly make this go away."


    Winterborn nodded to herself slowly, taking in what the elderly Quin''tel had said. "You both make interesting points. Given the situation, I don''t think I can rush to a decision. This represents a significant opportunity and risk to my people. We could use this position to leverage ourselves into a powerful force in this sector of the galaxy," she paused, breathing deeply before continuing, "This could also embroil us in what sounds like civil war, and possibly a war against The Galactic Federation."


    The Second looked at Winterborn; she almost thought there was respect in his alien gaze. "Very well, take the time you need to consider. Decide soon, you cannot afford to dally," looking at the Quin''tel behind Winterborn, he scowled, teeth like interlocking razors showing, "Regardless of her decision, you three had better not be caught around honorable Quin''tel. You are hereby banished from the company of our race." Turning promptly back to Winterborn he reiterated, "Time is of the essence. While you deliberate, our Empire is floundering. Make up your mind, Human." With that, he reached forward and severed the communication.


    Winterborn leaned back in her chair, running her fingers through her thick, red hair. She sighed deeply, and closed her eyes, calming herself. "You know, my ship is a research vessel, Daedalus class, built to research new forms of space travel."


    Ren''brus looked at his fellows, his head cocked to the side, "Prime, I''m afraid I don''t understand the point. Would you enlighten your humble servant?"


    She smiled and laughed softly, "I understand, let me explain. I enrolled in the Fleet Academy in the science division¡ªI dreamt of pushing back the veil of ignorance, furthering the cause of science. Turned out," she said, pushing the chair back, "I was more suited to command, to guiding others in doing the work which I thought of as my destiny."


    She stood from her chair, the Quin''tel chittering too low for the communicator to translate. As she walked towards the door, Ren''brus called out, "We understand. To strive to be what you aren''t, that is torture. You do yourself credit by following the path for which you are suited. Many of our people haven''t learned this lesson yet."


    They walked behind Winterborn, trailing behind her like puppies following their mother''s milk. She turned her head to them as she walked and asked, "So, tell me about the ceremony to transfer power from one Prime to the other. What steps are involved? What are the pitfalls I need to look out for?"


    Val''brus answered, "First, we will travel to the home world of the previous Prime, Quin''tel. When you reach the planet, you will meet with the Prime Council. A group of representatives from each Administrative Zone-"


    The Captain cut in, "Are you three representatives of a zone? You do Govern twenty planets."


    Ren''brus responded, "No, we are...we were minor Governors. Our Administrator oversaw the direction of a dozen Ministers of our group. They would typically be responsible for at least two-hundred worlds."


    Winterborn whistled in surprise at the staggering number as Val''brus continued, "You will meet with each individually. This time is used to meet each representative, you will later decide if they are to keep their positions based on these meetings. Next, you will dine with the former Prime, there he will offer to officially become your Second."


    "What exactly does a Second do?"


    "A Second serves as the direct go-between for the Prime and the public. They handle public relations, organizing events, and doing other diplomatic tasks required of them by their Prime."


    "Do I have to accept his offer? Can I choose someone else?" she asked.


    Val''brus looked shocked at the idea, "....Yes, I suppose that you could do that. However, custom would then dictate that you behead the former Prime. Otherwise, they could represent a threat to your position, and your life."


    Winterborn went slightly pale, "Well, I definitely don''t want that. I suppose it may be helpful to have someone around who understands the position though, even if he is a curmudgeonly old reptile."


    Coming to a stop in front of a heavy, blue door, she turned to look at the Quin''tel. "This is where you and I part ways."


    Ren''brus looked concerned, "Where are you going, Prime? Is there anything we did to offend you?"


    She laughed quietly, "No. It''s late, and I''m exhausted. I''ll call Fallborn and let her know to collect you. She''ll see that quarters are made to accommodate you all. No offense, but I don''t want you all in my bedroom."

 Chapter 4

    Lieutenant Fallborn walked into the hallway just outside the Captain''s quarters, meeting the aliens as they milled around aimlessly. Fallborn was struck by the oddness of these creatures; they were the first alien species Humanity had encountered. Many, including herself, had begun to think that Humanity really was just alone in the universe. Now, they found themselves faced with the reality of not just one new sapient race, but over four hundred. Not only that, but she had grown up watching the ancient Sci-Fi programming. When she imagined meeting alien races, it had always been in the form of Vulcans, Klingons, maybe even Wookies if it came down to it. What they had gotten instead were five feet tall reptilian creatures with five arms. They were different in almost every way conceivable. Another thing television and novels had failed to mention was the smell¡ªthe Quin''tel gave off an odor like a mix of sulfur and ox-musk.


    As she approached the aliens, they formed up in a line, bowing their heads. Ren''brus was the first to speak up, "Lieutenant, thank you for coming to guide us."


    She resisted the urge to hold her nose, "No problem. Thank you for waiting patiently." Holding back a yawn, she turned and walked towards the guest quarters she had arranged. As they walked, she decided to try and gather information, "So, tell me about your people¡ªwhat are they like?" Ven''brus answered quickly, "From what we can tell, we differ from your people in a number of ways. For one, you are less formal than we. I have noted that while you speak to the Prime with the honorific ''sir'', it seems to be a formality more than anything. You seem to be friendly with your superior."


    "Yes," Ren''brus added, "We have also noted that prostration seems to make Humans uncomfortable. This is....very odd to us. All species in the Prime Empire use various methods of lowering oneself to show subservience to their betters."


    Fallborn nodded as she walked, "We weren''t always this way. Many governments in the old days insisted on displays of fealty or subservience. We don''t have the same ego as we once did."


    "You mean now that your females are in control of the government?" asked Bre''brus.


    Fallborn blinked, she hadn''t yet heard the third Quin''tel speak, "Yes, that was part of it....Though I don''t think the custom was long for the world under the male governments either. Understand, I don''t think men were honestly the problem to begin with¡ªI think it was inequality. Personally, I tend to think a government purely based on merit, rather than gender, is the best option."


    The aliens chittered behind Fallborn in what she now thought of as surprise, "You do not share the ideology of your people? Of your leader? And you aren''t afraid to voice your opinions?" He seemed both excited and mildly disturbed.


    Fallborn slowed as they reached the three doors marked off as the Quin''tels'' quarters. "Well, yes. I suppose so. We don''t limit the expression of our people¡ªif you have an unpopular opinion, that''s all it is, unpopular. Unless it impinges on the rights of another person, you''re free to say, or do, more or less anything you like."


    The Quin''tel began to hop up and down, barely lifting their clawed feet off the ground. Ren''brus spoke in a rush, "Would that be a right afforded to species whom the Prime rules over as well? Freedom of speech?"


    She was speechless for a moment, "...Probably? That particular right has been passed down for hundreds of years. Under our charter, you would likely have the freedom of expression, the right to protest, the right to locally elected government...the whole thing. Though I can''t give you any guarantees; that kind of thing is way above my pay grade. Way above the Captain''s too actually."


    They fell to their knees in front of Fallborn, their rapidly clicking tongues not being translated. They were either speaking too quickly for the translator to keep up, or this was some kind of wordless display of emotion.


    She was notably uncomfortable, "Listen, we really don''t like the whole prostration thing...could you stand? Please?"


    Slowly, grudgingly, they stood. Ren''brus spoke softly now, "Thank you. I''m glad we ended up with you as the Prime species. We never could have imagined our plan working so well..." he was cut off by a sharp nudge from the heretofore silent Quin''tel, Bre''brus.


    Fallborn made a mental note of the odd behavior, she''d be sure to mention it to the Prime¡ªthe Captain, she corrected herself. "These are your quarters," she said, pointing to the three doors, "You are free to select any room you like."


    They talked amongst themselves for a moment before saying, "Is there a difference between the rooms?"


    She shook her head, "No, they are identical."


    Ren''brus nodded and pointed towards the door in the middle.,"We will take this one then."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Fallborn lifted her eyebrows, "You can have all three. One to a room if you''d like."


    The Quin''tel looked at each other and back to Fallborn, "I''m sure that is generous, but my people prefer to sleep in one chamber, together. Only the Prime sleeps alone if they choose. Do Humans always sleep alone?"


    "Well, no, but we only really sleep with people we love. Family, mates, that kind of thing."


    Ren''brus nodded, "That isn''t so uncommon, don''t be embarrassed."


    Fallborn was going to protest, but she thought better of it. She tapped her wrist and a graphical overlay appeared in her vision; by mentally selecting her inputs, she set up the middle door to accept new palm information. "Go ahead and place a palm on the square next to the door, each of your palms will be keyed to open the room. No one aside from the Senior Officers will be able to access your room."


    Each of the Quin''tel walked up to the hand-scanner and used their fifth arms to press their clawed hands against the pad. Fallborn was vaguely disquieted by the fifth appendage¡ªit protruded from their upper back, and seemed to have an omnidirectional shoulder. The arm reminded her of lemurs and other primates, she wondered if the appendage served a similar role in their evolution.


    Hand prints scanned, Ren''brus and the other Quin''tel followed Lieutenant Fallborn into their temporary quarters. The rooms were spartan in their design, one bunk bed, a restroom boasting no more than a shower, toilet, and sink, along with a desk. The Quin''tel seemed somewhat disappointed in their lodgings, if the lack of any kind of reaction was anything to judge by.


    "Is there a problem with these quarters?" she asked.


    Ren''brus bowed slightly and replied, "No. Nothing is wrong mistress...we are simply used to quarters which are designed for Quin''tel bodies. Typically, we sleep in large beds, sprawled out together. There is another thing...but we do not wish to trouble you."


    "Please," said Fallborn amicably, "if there''s anything I can do, let me know."


    Ren''brus bowed low, "Respectfully mistress, the temperature in this ship is far too low. We are ectothermic, relying on outside sources of warmth. Our clothes are inlaid with thermal cloth, an electrically heated fabric which regulates our body temperature, but we prefer to sleep without clothing. Would you be able and willing to increase the temperature of the room?"


    Fallborn nodded, pulling up the temperature control system in her visual interface. "What temperature would you like me to set the room to?"


    "Forty-one degrees Celsius," Ren''brus replied, at a raised eyebrow from Fallborn, he elaborated, "Quin''tel is an unusually warm planet by most standards, especially mammalian lifeforms such as yourself."


    Fallborn nodded and made the necessary adjustments to the temperature controls. "We used to have places on Earth which boasted similar seasonal temperatures, though they were considered to be extremely uncomfortable."


    "Ah, your species installed climate control systems?" asked Ren''brus, "Many species in this arm of the galaxy tend to disagree on whether or not to utilize such technology. Many point to the damage it can do to an ecosystem, if temperatures are regulated, many species which evolved to live in those conditions will inevitably die off. We choose to make use of planet-wide climate control systems as well. Too many planets disagree with with us, and these clothes," he gestured to the nearly skin, or rather scale-tight red suit he was wearing, "are rather uncomfortable to wear. Mostly we like to go without them. How did your people deal with displaced species?"


    Fallborn listened politely, or at least she made an effort to. She tried and failed to choke back a small laugh when she realized their entire species were nudists. She regained her composure enough to reply, "Yes, we had similar arguments when the systems were being theorized. Eventually, we decided to relocate the affected species to orbital artificial enclosures. We were able to better preserve their ecosystems far away from the company of humans."


    The three Quin''tel seemed shocked, "That''s ridiculous! The effort required to relocate a single species would be...nearly unthinkable. Let alone thousands, or hundreds of thousands. Furthermore, if you had the technological sophistication to develop vast orbital stations, why not just live on the stations?"


    Fallborn laughed, "That was another point brought up. Ultimately, we decided that no effort would be too great to return these species to as close of a life before humans as possible. No matter what we did, there was nothing we could do to remove our influence entirely. Be it pollution, ignorance, or outright abuse, Humanity seemed to negatively impact most other species on the planet," she paused, smoothing out her uniform, "by creating these enclosures, we were able to give them nearly perfect ecosystems in which to thrive without our interference."


    Ren''brus showed his teeth in a smile, the effect rather ruined by a mouth full of interlocking razor sharp teeth. "If as the Prime species, you show us one-tenth the compassion that you show your native species, we will be in good hands."


    Fallborn nodded to the small alien, "I can''t promise you that the Captain will agree to being the Prime, nor can I guarantee your treatment if she does. That being said, I hope this all works out for the best. Now, I''m going to go and get some rest. How long does your species typically sleep, anyway?"


    Val''brus mimicked the ''smile'' Ren''brus had put on display earlier, "We sleep from ten to twelve hours, though we sleep every thirty hours. Your ship''s time is significantly offset from ours, we will not require sleep for another five to six hours."


    "Well, according to my circadian rhythm, I''m due for a good eight hours of sleep. We have a full day planned tomorrow, and I''ll not be facing it short on sleep. If you need anything, press the button by the door. A crewman will be there to assist you."


    Walking out of the quarters, Fallborn exhaled and breathed in the clean air. She decided to avoid being caught in small rooms with the Quin''tel again, the smell was almost a physical force. Taking a few more breaths, she began to walk. Shortly, she came to her destination¡ªthe Captain''s quarters. Placing her hand on the scanner, she waited for the Captain to answer the door.


    "Enter," came a muffled voice from behind the door, and the door slid open. "So," Winterborn addressed her as she walked through the door, "do you have anything to report?"


    "Yes Sir, they definitely know more than they''re letting on. There''s little doubt of it now, they''re up to something."

 Chapter 5

    Fallborn took in the familiar cabin¡ªas always, there was an ordered chaos about the room. Stacks of paper lay strewn across nearly any surface which could hold them. She was always struck by the archaic habit of the Captain, always burying her nose in books and printed paper when she could easily just use a data-pad.


    Captain Winterborn leaned languidly into her broad leather chair, nursing a cup of steaming tea. "So," she reiterated, "what exactly did you find out, Lieutenant?"


    Fallborn looked away from the mess of papers and books, returning her attention to Winterborn. "Sorry Captain, I was distracted by your uh...collection," coming to attention, she continued, "Sir, it appears that the Quin''tel not only planned our ''discovery'' of their species¡ªthey also seem to have planned for Humanity to be the one to discover them."


    Winterborn looked surprised, "Really now? Of course, I expected that the Quin''tel engineered the discovery of their species...What makes you think they designed for us specifically to find them?"


    Fallborn mentally summoned her visual overlay, sending a file to the Captain, "The file I''ve attached goes over the details in more depth, but I''ll give you an overview. First, the Security Chief has finished her report on the initial meeting with the Quin''tel-"


    "Their infiltration of our U.T.A.I. database?" Winterborn interjected.


    "Exactly. The Chief noted something extremely odd. It looks like they used Exploration command codes to access the database. Specifically, the codes came from a ship which went missing about a year ago..."


    Winterborn hissed in a breath, "The Icarus?"


    Fallborn nodded, "Precisely. The first ship to test the prototype jump drive. As you recall from the mission dossier, the ship was assumed to be lost."


    "Right," she nodded and placed her steaming cup on the end table, "Pieces of the ship were found strewn across half the system..."


    "Yes, Sir. However, if the Quin''tel discovered them, it''s likely that they were captured, interrogated, and destroyed."


    Winterborn stood and began to pace, "When I was talking with the Prime, the former Prime that is, he siad that it was standard procedure to destroy an uncontacted ship if they discovered the Quin''tel first...what if, when the Icarus jumped, it appeared in this system? Or one of the twenty that Ren''brus and the others control?"


    "Yes, Sir. It seems we''re of one mind. The ship could have been found, secured, information stolen, and sent back to our space."


    Winterborn stopped pacing, "Why would they destroy the ship if they decided they would want us to lead them? It doesn''t make sense."


    "What if they only solidified their plan after following standard procedure? It has been a year after all."


    "You have a point, the arrival of the Icarus might have just been the catalyst to set the stage for their future actions. Do we have any ideas how they could have brought us here? We were meant to arrive in Alpha Centauri, not the other end of the galaxy."


    Fallborn nodded, "That moves us on to our second point. We have discovered buried sub-routines in the navigation system. It appears our location was pre-determined..."


    Winterborn looked sharply at Fallborn, "Are you saying we have a traitor aboard, Lieutenant?"


    "Sir, I think it''s too early in the investigation to make that call. Remember, these Quin''tel had access to high-level command codes. It''s possible they could have planted the routines in our systems after the fact."


    "Wait," Winterborn paused, "that doesn''t make sense. The command codes would have been changed shortly after the ship was lost. There''s no way the old command codes should have worked to download our A.I. data-banks, let alone our navigation systems. Something here doesn''t make sense. Do we have any idea how or when the routines were planted?"


    Fallborn shook her head, "No, Sir. Whoever planted the sub-routines covered their tracks well. In fact, it''s a miracle we found them at all. We''re not sure, but it seems that the Icarus command codes were embedded in the trusted platform module. We think they used those command codes as they were recorded in our core systems as obsolete codes. The security system wouldn''t react to receiving them in the same manner it would if they were entirely foreign. Honestly, whoever did this was extremely competent."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Winterborn cursed under her breath, rubbing her temples, her eyes closed. "We''ll need to up the security situation level. We''ll restrict access to core systems to senior officers only, I''ll also want the security team conducting interviews with all crew. We need to ensure the loyalty of our people."


    They stood in silence for a moment, Winterborn sat down heavily in the cracked leather chair she always favored. She sighed, "Well, Lieutenant, this situation isn''t going to un-fuck itself before tomorrow. I''ll go over your report tomorrow morning. I know you''re off duty, want to stay for a drink or three?"


    Fallborn laughed and sat down in the chair across from her, "Sure, I''d like that."


    A quiet, but insistent alarm gradually pulled Winterborn out of sleep. She stretched against the smooth silky fabric of her sheets, luxuriating in the clean feeling of the fabric against her skin. Reaching out an arm, she rested her hand lightly on her guest''s hip. Fallborn moaned huskily and stretched out, rolling over to look Winterborn in the eyes.


    "Good morning, Captain," she purred.


    "Call me Willow when we''re off duty, you know that," she smiled and sat up in the bed, speaking on a mock serious tone, "That, Lieutenant, is an order." Winterborn leaned over kissing Fallborn lightly on the lips.


    "Aye aye, Captain-I mean Willow. Or do I call you Prime now?" she asked playfully.


    Willow took her hand away from Fallborn, and said, "Dammit Rosa, you just had to bring that back up." She draped her legs over the side of the bed, "Well, I suppose it''s time to get back to work," she sighed and stood. "You coming to the shower?"


    "I''ll be there in a moment, I have to run through the night''s reports."


    "Don''t be long missy, I expect you to be in the shower by 0605," Winterborn giggled and walked away from the bed, stretching as she walked.


    Rosa sat up, calling up her visual overlay, displayed in orderly columns were five overnight reports. Thankfully they were all run of the mill duty reports. She quickly read the documents and forwarded them to the first officer.


    Hopping out of bed, she nearly tripped on a stack of paper, she shook her head and laughed softly. Stepping carefully through the mess, she managed to navigate her way to the bathroom. She looked through the misty room and saw the slim, fit silhouette of Willow through the fogged glass. "Why exactly do you spend every credit you earn on books and paper? If you keep these spending habits up, you''ll die a beggar," she laughed softly, pulling the glass door open slowly.


    Willow turned and looked at Rosa, smile side on her face. "There isn''t anything wrong with spending a bit now and then, it''s not like I don''t earn enough to indulge in my....personal interests." Winterborn reached out with one wet hand, pulling her into the shower, "I indulge in you after all."


    Fifteen minutes later, they were both dressed and ready for duty.


    Winterborn checked her reflection one last time before nodding to herself, "Alright Lieutenant, let''s get this day started. I''m sending a message to Commander Val Springborn to meet us in the conference room. I think we all need to go over the events of the last day. Per our report, we should have a few hours before the Quin''tel wake up."


    "Yes, Sir. I recommend calling the entire Senior Staff, we''ll need to make sure they''re briefed on the upcoming investigations, we don''t need our officers out of the loop."


    Winterborn looked at Fallborn, her mouth drawn into a tight line, "I don''t think so, Lieutenant. We''re not sure who we can trust at this point. In fact, I''d say that if we are facing a traitor, it''s more likely to be one of the Senior Officers. We can apprise each officer of the situation as they are cleared of suspicion. For now it''s between us, the First Officer, and the Security Chief," she paused, troubled, "I fear too many know of the situation as it stands."


    Winterborn called up her visual overlay, sending a message to the Commander and Chief Security Officer to meet them in the conference chamber at 0640.


    Fallborn nodded her understanding. Smoothing out her uniform, she followed the Captain out into the hall.


    They walked through the clean metal hallway, nodding to crewmen and staff who stood at attention, saluting as they passed. "Lieutenant, please send a message to the mess, I''d like coffee and pastries sent up to the conference chamber."


    Fallborn smiled, "Any way I can get you to amend that order to include a few grilled cheese sandwiches, Sir? I''m starved."


    Winterborn shook her head fondly, "I''ll approved the request, Lieutenant. Just this once."


    They walked through the automatic door, entering into the well-appointed conference room. Fallborn was struck by the sight of the vast green expanse of the planet which dominated the window-scape. She was still amazed by the idea that an entire civilization lived down below¡ªan entire alien civilization. Somehow it was still difficult for her to really understand, to really grasp that billions of lifeforms lived just below.


    Winterborn noticed her staring, "Incredible isn''t it? Now that I''ve slept on the situation, I can finally start to wrap my head around the idea that we''ve discovered alien life! Humanity isn''t alone in the universe. Looking down on this planet, it really begins to sink in doesn''t it?"


    "Yes, Captain," Fallborn replied, walking over to her chair to sit down, "I''m not sure it will ever sink in how not alone we really are. According to the Quin''tel, we are a drop in the bucket. We are a grain of sand adrift on the ocean."


    Winterborn took her seat at the head of the table, "You''re right, we''re Insignificant when it comes to population. Something the Quin''tel said has stuck with me though¡ªwe''re extremely recent newcomers on the universal stage. We''ve essentially just stepped out of diapers compared to some of these civilizations. From what I understand, we''re technologically advanced enough that the Quin''tel thought we were an Elder species. I don''t think Humanity will be outclassed for very long."


    The conversation slowed as the door slid open and two officers stepped into the chamber.


    Both officers came to sharp attention, snapping off a crisp salute, "Sir," said Commander Val Springborn.


    "At ease, Commander, Lieutenant. Please, sit down, we need to discuss something of grave importance," she looked at each officer in turn, "We may be dealing with a traitor."

 Chapter 6

    Commander Val nodded, her stern features hardening into what resembled a stone facade. ¡°Captain, I respect your decision. Prudence would dictate that we move forward with the utmost care and caution. This may not hinder the traitor, but we can¡¯t be too cautious.¡± She turned to look at Ava, ¡°Lieutenant, I¡¯d like you to go over the crew profiles with me after the meeting.¡±


    Ava nodded, ¡°Right, Sir. We should try to rank officers and crew by likelihood of having perpetrated the sabotage.¡±


    Val smiled, her mouth a thin line, ¡°Once we establish communication with Command, we¡¯ll see about cross referencing our gathered information with their intelligence. Maybe we can pin down this rat quickly.¡±


    Winterborn turned to Val, ¡°On that note, our first priority should still be establishing communication with Earth¡ªwhere are we on that front?¡±


    Val sighed and stood, ¡°Well, traditional communication methods are out for obvious reasons. Ordinarily, a message could be carried in a matter of days, or weeks. A communication from here would take a century. What we¡¯re working on right now should cut that time down to hours. By attaching a jump-drive to a probe, we could send a message directly to Earth without the problems faced by more traditional methods.¡±


    Captain Winterborn reached out and picked up her cup of tea, taking a long, slow drink, ¡°That sounds like it will work. Get the designs finished and get a working model online. Of course, if we could trust our own navigation systems, we could just as easily make the jump ourselves¡­still, there¡¯s no way we can do something like that until our system is purged of all foreign commands. How are we doing on that front, Lieutenant Springborn?¡±


    Ava flicked her eye to the side and called up her ocular implant, sending a file to all present. ¡°As you can see, the Security A.I. is about 45% done with the diagnostic. We expect to have the scan completed within the day. The actual cleaning of our system could take longer depending upon both the depth of their skill, and the depth of their infiltration.¡±


    A soft chime rang at the door. Winterborn frowned at it, ¡°Enter!¡± she called out.


    The door slid open to reveal Ren¡¯brus, with Bre¡¯brus and Val¡¯brus at his heels. They bowed their heads reverently, ¡°Prime, would you permit this loathsome creature to interrupt?¡±


    Winterborn¡¯s frown deepened, ¡°Yes, of course Ren¡¯brus.¡±


    ¡°Excellence, we have received word of a possible attempt on your life from a faction of loyalists to the old Prime. We don¡¯t know exactly when they will strike, but our sources claim that the attack is imminent.¡±


    An urgent alert sounded over the ship¡¯s intercom, warning icons flashed in the corner of each of their eyes.


    The officers leapt to their feet, Winterborn sent a message across all intercoms and implants, ¡°Battle stations!¡±


    Each of the officers ran towards the center of the ship, passing hurried-looking crewman and officers. Finally, they made their way to the central command. The room was more like a bunker than one might expect compared to the traditional depiction of a star-ship bridge; it was essentially a box designed from the most durable material Humanity had been able to throw together. Effectively, it served as a bomb shelter. Absent too were screens and consoles; in their place were bio-pods designed to support life and maintain a livable environment through the harshest conditions. Actual control of the ship and orders could be delivered over neural communication networks.


    The Quin''tel were extremely displeased at the idea that they''d have to wait in their quarters.


    Winterborn stepped into her bio-pod, slipping into a molded form designed just for her. As the hatch closed, a 360-degree view of the ship lit up as if being projected from within in her head. She could feel the presence of her officers brushing against the edges of her mind. She ordered the ship to break orbit of Tre''brus, turning to face the incoming combatant. What she saw staggered her...Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    A very familiar ship loomed in the distance, a ship which looked very much like the one they were currently occupying.


    The Icarus was flying on a direct intercept course, and they were gaining speed.


    The ship was a standard Daedalus Class research vessel, if a few years outdated. The design was practical and efficient¡ªtwo long cylinders joined together in the center, with a sphere at either end. The vessel had no windows, and a massive array of sensor dishes and deflectors. The rear sphere of the craft was dominated by a massive thruster, firing a pulse of energy out into the vacuum of space. They had definitely cranked up their acceleration to maximum in order to get here.


    All this and more flashed through Winterborn¡¯s awareness, a flicker of thought amongst an ocean of consciousness. Together, Winterborn and her officers performed evasive maneuvers¡ªfiring the rear thruster of the Athena at full power, pushing the antimatter drives to their maximum thrust. The enemy had far more time to accelerate, but the tactical A.I. on board the Athena estimated that they would be able to avoid impact, and with 1.2 seconds to spare.


    The ship lurched forward abruptly, the inertial dampers absorbing the worst of the acceleration¡ªthough most of the crew were secured in battle positions.


    Winterborn watched through the view screen, her heart stilled as the Icarus barely missed the Athena and cursed when she noticed missiles being fired from the rear launch bays. Two Ares Class II torpedoes burst from the ship, igniting their fuel in a rapid burn. She felt Fallborn react, firing a combination of flares and flak. Their countermeasures succeeded in destroying the first missile, but the second managed to navigate through the debris and flares.


    Ava acted quickly, firing a missile of their own, with commands to intercept the incoming torpedo. Meanwhile, the Icarus was rapidly turning to face the Athena, its Vernier thrusters firing at full power to curve back around.


    Winterborn ordered three missiles to be fired¡ªtwo directly into the projected flight path of the rogue ship, and one targeted at their estimated escape path, should they somehow evade the first two missiles. The Icarus fired two volleys of flak at the incoming missiles. One exploded as the missile smashed into the column of shredded metal. The other avoided the flak, dodging around the explosion of the lead missile. The torpedo successfully impacted the shields of the Icarus, a bright dome of light flashed, crackled, and fell. Their shields were down.


    Winterborn directed the third missile to disable the power generation systems of the Icarus. If the ship''s power was disabled, they may be able to recapture the vessel and find out who was responsible for the assault.


    The Captain watched as the missile landed home. An immensely bright explosion¡ªwhich would have blinded her if not for the visuals being transmitted directly into her brain¡ªerupted from the old ship. Metal blew out in a sphere of debris, propelled by the venting gas from the explosion.


    A cheer broke out over the link, crew members laughing and even crying in exultation. Winterborn settled the cacophony of voices and emotions with a grim reminder, "Hold your celebrations; the Icarus may be disabled, but she''s still hurtling towards Tre''brus. We have to secure the vessel and slow it down."


    Just as she gave the order to come abreast of the derelict ship, she saw what looked like thousands of small ball bearings collide across the bow of the Icarus. Hundreds of substantial explosions rocked the ship, shattering it into a fast moving spray of wreckage.


    Winterborn cursed as the A.I. identified the source of the attack¡ªthe Quin''tel ship which had delivered Ren''brus and the others.


    The mood in the link instantly turned sour, Winterborn''s anger chilling the triumphant mood to a standstill.


    In a cold fury, she disconnected from the link and exited the bio-chamber. She stalked out of the room and marched towards the Quin''tel chambers. She found the door locked, and nobody answering her request to enter. She cursed again, and placed her hand on the pad, opening the door with her override.


    She found the Quin''tel, their bodies lay twisted on the floor; thick green blood seeping from a dozen wounds across their bodies.


    Winterborn''s fury quashed, she rushed to the side of Ren''brus. As she knelt, she sent a message to Med-bay, calling for an emergency medical team to be dispatched to the room.


    Ren''brus coughed weakly, reaching out his fifth arm.


    Winterborn grabbed the scaled claw, pleading, "Who did this to you? Who did this?" Her voice was heavy with forced calm.


    The Quin''tel opened his claw, and out dropped a piece of fabric.


    A strip of Terran Military uniform.

 Chapter 7

    Winterborn grabbed the tattered piece of cloth from Ren''brus'' clawed hand; green blood stained the dark grey fabric. Winterborn looked at the cloth and smiled grimly¡ªchances were that whoever had owned the garment had left a DNA trace. She''d have her traitor before the day was up.


    Winterborn looked up to see Doctor Julia Springborn stepping through the open door¡ªbehind her trailed three other medical personnel; they carried emergency field kits, and walked with grim determination.


    "Move aside, Captain," said Julia, her voice a rush, "What happened to these three?"


    Winterborn briskly shuffled to the side of the room, "I have no idea...when I came in, they were in this state."


    Julia flicked a quick glance towards Winterborn, a flicker of doubt was clear in her eyes. She knew that the Captain wasn''t telling the entire story.


    Winterborn stood straight, rebuking the doctor with a steely look, "Stabilizing the Quin''tel is of utmost importance. The information they carry is paramount. Ensure their survival, Commander."


    Julia broke eye contact, "Sir, I''ll do my best to stabilize the Quin''tel, but we really just don''t know hardly anything about their physiology. I suggest contacting the Quin''tel ship for medical assistance."


    Winterborn nodded, her face a mask of anger, "I suppose that is for the best, both for them and for us. I have a few things I need to discuss with the Quin''tel." Winterborn stalked out of the ransacked quarters, walking hurriedly towards her conference chamber. As she walked, she called up her visual interface. She quickly sent a message to Ava, ordering her to make contact with the Quin''tel ship double quick. She wove her way through bustling crew members, each working through the list of post-battle maintenance checks and procedures.


    Stepping through the sliding doors, she sat down at the head of her conference chamber, waiting somewhat impatiently for the screen to light up.


    Her impatience wasn''t tested for long, as a voice chimed in her ear, "Captain, the Quin''tel captain is ready to speak with you."


    Winter born cleared her face of irritation and affected one of calm. "Put them through, Ava."


    The wall was suddenly lit with the image of a red-scaled Quin''tel, its face crisscrossed with old knotted scars. The Quin''tel bowed its head and said, "Greetings, Prime. This one thanks you for deigning to speak with one so lowly as I."


    Winterborn waved a hand, "Think nothing of it. This is not a time for pleasantries or ceremony. I need a Quin''tel medical team sent over immediately. Ren''brus and the others were injured during the attack."


    The scarred Quin''tel''s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "The Prefect and his ministers have been injured? Thank you for bringing this to my attention," the Quin''tel proceeded to press several buttons in rapid sequence on a console in front of him. Winterborn was surprised to see analog instrumentation on a ship so advanced. "I have ordered a shuttle sent over carrying a medical team. We will restore them to health aboard our vessel. Thank you again for the assistance," the Quin''tel bowed more deeply, "We do not deserve such a thoughtful Prime."


    Winterborn sat straighter in her chair, "Don''t go praising me yet...What''s your name exactly?"


    "I am Gul''bres, Captain of the Vol''en''brus, Prime."


    "Gul''bres, why did your ship fire on and destroy the Icarus? We had already disabled their vessel."


    Gul''bres looked surprised, at least as far as Winterborn could tell. "We fired on them to ensure the safety of the Prime, of course. We were reading abnormal fluctuations in their antimatter engines. Our engineers calculated the odds of the ship exploding at 99.9%. Further, the explosion would have been timed to detonate as you came abreast of the vessel," bowing his head, he continued solemnly, "We did not wish to act without orders, but the risk to your vessel was simply too great."


    Winterborn leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers. She obviously couldn''t discount the possibility that the Quin''tel had acted with her safety in mind, after all, they seemed to nearly worship her. "Fine, fine. But I''d like your people to send over the readings which spurred your actions. I don''t mistrust you, but I''d like to confirm things on our end."


    Gul''bres inclined his head, "If it is your will, Prime. If I may be dismissed? I need to file a report on this incident with the Regional Authority Office as soon as possible," he smiled, or rather attempted to imitate one, showing rows of razor sharp teeth, "I also need to check on the Prefect and his ministers."


    The Captain nodded, "You''re dismissed, ensure the Prefect and his ministers survive. I need them alive."


    The Quin''tel nodded, and the wall went black. Winterborn leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples. She finally had the time to review the events of the last hour. They had found the Icarus, and in one piece¡ªat least for several moments it was. It didn''t make sense to her¡ªthe fleet had found debris which stretched on nearly half an AU, all belonging without a doubt to the Icarus. She had the distinct feeling that one of the two was faked.


    Her introspection was interrupted by an insistent chiming at the conference room door. She groaned and sat back up in her chair before saying, "Enter."Stolen story; please report.


    The door slid open to find Julia dominating the doorway. "Sir, I''ve taken the liberty of examining blood samples found in the Quin''tel quarters. I have...odd results."


    Winterborn perked up, "What have you found, Doctor?"


    Julia looked grim, "Sir, there appears to be another alien on board. There is a blood sample which doesn''t match either human or Quin''tel DNA."


    Winterborn hissed in a stream of breath, thoughts whirring in her mind. Was it possible the torn cloth had been a plant? A ruse intended to shift suspicion onto a member of her crew? "Commander, was the blood found on the torn cloth? Or was the blood found elsewhere in the chamber?"


    Julia nodded, "The strip of uniform was covered in both Quin''tel and unidentified alien blood. Analysis indicates that the interior of the cloth was mostly the unknown alien''s blood, while the exterior was mostly coated in Quin''tel blood..." Julia let the implication sink in before continuing, "Captain, I think the unidentified alien might have been wearing one of our uniforms."


    The Captain furrowed her brow. "I don''t understand what the point would be. It''s extremely unlikely that any alien life form would look anything like a human being."


    Julia frowned, "Well, you''re right there. The medical A.I. has put together an image of the alien based on the genetic information acquired from the cloth. Here," she said, forwarding the 3-D image to Winterborn''s ocular implant, "is that representation."


    Winterborn accepted the message and examined the image. The thing which floated before her eyes was absolutely repugnant. She noted that the monster had the rough size and shape of a human, but that was where the resemblances ended. The creature was frail and bony, its skin was white and sickly. Horrifyingly, the monstrosity lacked eyes of any kind¡ªthe A.I. had noted that the creature had photo-sensitive skin. It was likely that it could ''see'' the light spectrum through its skin. All in all, an extremely repulsive creature.


    "I''ll forward this image to the Quin''tel. Hopefully they can enlighten us on what this creature is. Meanwhile, I want you to input the genetic data of this creature into the scanning filters. I''d like to know where this thing is on the double. Understood?"


    Julia stood to attention, snapping off a quick salute, "Yes, Sir. I''ll have this thing found within the hour." Turning on her heel, she stepped out of the conference room.


    Winterborn called up her neural interface, sending a message to Ava. "Ava, send a request to speak with the Quin''tel Captain. I''d like to meet with him personally."


    Ava''s voice responded back almost immediately, "Sir, I was just about to contact you. I attempted to view the recorded logs from the attack. The recorded footage from the security cameras, individual tracking information, and security logs for the last three hours have all been wiped. This represents a massive failure in security."


    The Captain''s heart felt heavy in her chest, she was speechless for a moment, the news sinking in. "Call a meeting of the Senior staff. Everyone who was present during the briefing. I don''t think we can trust talking about sensitive information over insecure channels."


    "Right away, Sir. Do you still want me to arrange a meeting with the Quin''tel Captain?"


    "Yes...Yes, we''ll still need to meet with them. I''ll take two security officers with me as an escort. Oh, I''d also like to have Commander Julia along," Winterborn paused and smoothed her uniform. "That will be all, Lieutenant."


    "Yes, Sir." Ava logged out of the connection.


    Winterborn sat back down at the conference table, opening her ocular interface. She noticed that her nutrition levels were a bit low¡ªshe definitely hadn''t been eating properly over the last day or so. She definitely wasn''t a stress eater. She quickly tapped into the physical display information for her officers, and she nodded at what she saw. It seemed that nearly everyone hadn''t been eating well. She took the time to order lunch for her officers, they would all perform better with a full stomach.


    Each officer trickled in over the next few minutes, during that time Winterborn assembled a report on the alien intruder who had apparently made their way onto her ship. She assumed that it must have come aboard at the same time as the Quin''tel. She wondered why the thing had attacked them. Was it possible they were working together? Maybe relations had soured between them during a meeting. Stranger things had happened after all¡ªif two groups of humans could come to blows while working together, surely two species working together could have a similar disagreement.


    Finally, Fallborn stepped through the door and took her place at the conference table. Winterborn closed the report and regarded each of her officers in turn, staring hard into each face.


    "We''ve had another security breach," said Winterborn, her voice heavy as the grave.


    Commander Val leaned forward, placing her elbows on the desk. "What?! How? We just changed every security code we had access to. No one aside from the most senior officers had any kind of security access."


    Winterborn nodded to Ava, "Lieutenant Ava has more information, I was just briefed on this myself. Please proceed, Lieutenant."


    Ava stood, and shared a document with the assembled officers. She waited a moment for them to work their way through the information, "As you can see, we have suffered a serious data breach. We can''t tell who accessed the system, who attacked the Quin''tel, or what¡ªif any¡ªsecurity codes were used. They cleared all security footage, data logs, and location logs for the crew. We essentially have no data regarding the events of the last three hours," she held a pregnant pause, "This confirms for us that there is in fact a traitor on board. We were considering the possibility that the sabotage had been conducted before we had left, but this no longer seems to be a reasonable guess."


    Fallborn leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk, "Is it possible that the alien intruder mentioned in your report could have been responsible for the sabotage?"


    Ava shrugged, "I suppose that it''s possible, but very unlikely. We think it likely that the alien boarded along with the Quin''tel. It would beggar belief to assume that an alien with less than a day''s time on the ship could so severely infiltrate our security measures."


    "Is it possible the alien and the traitor are working together?" asked Val.


    "We are definitely exploring that possibility...that being said, we don''t think it''s all that likely. We''re relatively certain that the Quin''tel and the traitor have similar goals. Why would the traitor attempt to kill the Quin''tel if they were working together?"


    "Well," said Fallborn, "they didn''t actually kill any of the Quin''tel right? It could be that they are trying to muddy the waters."


    Everyone looked at her, she continued, "If they knew we were catching on, they may have wanted to make it look like they weren''t in league with the traitor. We were certain before, and now we can''t be. I''d say it was relatively successful if that was their aim."


    "That''s a fair point, Lieutenant. Plus, the traitor seems to have covered the tracks of the alien. If they weren''t in league, that wouldn''t make sense," said Winterborn, leaning back into her chair.


    A chiming at the door announced the arrival of lunch, but suddenly, she didn''t feel at all like eating.

 Chapter 8

    The food was arrayed before the officers by three crewmen, each with heavy bags under their eyes. Winterborn let out a silent sigh, empathizing with the stress the crew must be under. Each course was selected from the officers'' food preference lists. Ava took her seat and practically fell into her meal. She always had the same meal for lunch¡ªa steaming bowl of clam chowder, a slice of sourdough bread, and a root beer. Val was more reserved, picking away at a spring salad, her appetite obviously diminished by the current situation. Winterborn examined Fallborn¡¯s "meal"¡ªas always she had a plate absolutely loaded with decadent dessert items. This time she¡¯d gone for a double chocolate brownie ¨¤ la mode.


    ¡°Remind me again, Lieutenant, why do you insist on eating sweets for every meal? Don¡¯t you get tired of it?¡± she asked, her lips curling into a sardonic smile.


    Her reply was muffled by the food which stuffed her cheeks, ¡°Well, Sir,¡± she paused to swallow, ¡°Since everything we eat is whipped up in a laboratory anyway, so no matter what I choose, I get the same nutritional value. Why wouldn¡¯tI pick something delicious?¡±


    Ava snorted with laughter, ¡°Because normal people like a bit of variety, maybe?¡±


    Fallborn shook her head as if talking to a severely ill-informed child. ¡°You obviously don¡¯t have the palate required to enjoy the spectrum offered by sweets.¡± She sat up ramrod straight, lifting her chin in mock superiority, ¡°From the delicate and light textures offered by an apple tart, to the rich decadence of the double-fudge brownie,¡± she gestured at her plate, ¡°The realm of desserts offers more fulfillment than any other individual meal.¡± She snapped a quick wink at Val, ¡°You people can suffer through grilled artichoke hearts and asparagus.¡±


    Winterborn laughed, her mood lifting. ¡°I happen to like artichoke hearts! There¡¯s nothing weird about that!¡± She popped one into her mouth for emphasis, looking around the table for support. She hung her head in mock defeat as each eye failed to meet hers. ¡°I¡¯m going to court martial the lot of you! This is mutiny!¡± Everyone at the table laughed softly, their predicament momentarily forgotten.


    Commander Val coughed lightly, ¡°I just wanted to say, Captain, I think you¡¯re handling this situation well. Between everything that¡¯s going on, no one would blame you if you were feeling a bit overwhelmed. I just want you to know,¡± she gestured to the other officers, ¡°we¡¯re behind you one-hundred percent. We know you¡¯ll get us through this.¡±


    Winterborn bowed her head slightly, ¡°Thank you, Val. Thank you all. I believe we will come out on top in this situation. We may be out of our depth, but I trust that everyone here can swim.¡±


    Fallborn coughed, ¡°I uh¡­I actually never learned how to swim.¡±


    ¡°I guess everyone aside from Rosa will be alright then,¡± giggled Commander Val.


    The laughter died down gradually, everyone obviously grateful for the reprieve from the seriousness of their situation. In the ensuing silence, Winterborn looked on at her officers. It disturbed her to know that one of the people sitting before her could very well be the traitor. The idea brought bile to her throat, her mood slipping like sand through open fingers.


    A message from Commander Julia flashed in her ocular interface; it read: ¡°Captain, scans of the ship are complete. No alien lifeforms are present. Either the alien has left the ship, or they¡¯re capable of evading the sensors.¡±


    If her mood had fallen before, it was blackened now. Winterborn swore under her breath, the other officers tensing at her expression. ¡°We weren¡¯t able to track down the alien lifeform with our internal scanners.¡±


    Commander Val cursed softly, ¡°What¡¯s the next step? If they aren¡¯t on the ship, they probably fled to the Quin¡¯tel vessel with Ren¡¯brus and the others, right?¡±


    Winterborn nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve had the 3-D mock-up of the creature sent to the Quin¡¯tel; we hope to have it identified soon. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll try to have the Quin¡¯tel drop shields and allow themselves to be scanned,¡± she looked to Val, ¡°How far along are we on the jump-drive probe designs?¡±


    Val rhythmically rapped her knuckles on the desk, ¡°We should have the designs finalized in the next few hours. Materials are another matter, we¡¯ll need a lot of ore to fabricate these probes. We¡¯re not going to be able to just modify one of the Mimir II probes¡ªinstead, we¡¯ll have to build one around a jump-drive,¡± she paused, ¡°It would be helpful if the Quin¡¯tel could supply us with raw material.¡±


    Fallborn shook her head, ¡°It would be helpful, but can we really afford to trust them? They may try to sabotage any materials they supply in an effort to keep us from contacting Command.¡±


    Winterborn sighed heavily, massaging her temples. ¡°That¡¯s a fair point, though we should be able to inspect any ore they provide us before utilizing it. Our 3-D printers should be more than capable of simply breaking down the ore into its component parts. I don¡¯t see how they could sabotage ore in any significant manner.¡±


    ¡°We should pursue that option. Hell, given your status as the ''soon to be Prime'', I¡¯d be surprised if they didn¡¯t have an ore shipment to us by the end of the day.¡± Val smiled and stopped rapping her knuckles on the desk, ¡°Honestly, I think they might be hurt if you didn¡¯t ask.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Winterborn was about to respond, but was cut off by a priority one message flashing insistently. The message was from the Quin¡¯tel; it read: ¡°Communication not safe. Meet us on our ship.¡±


    Winterborn frowned at the brusque message, this definitely wasn¡¯t good. Rising to her feet, she announced, ¡°I¡¯ve received a message from the Quin¡¯tel Captain; I need to meet with him. Val, continue working on the probe,¡± she turned to Ava, ¡°Keep going through the crew logs, we need to exonerate as many people as possible. I have to know who we can trust." Finally, she turned to Fallborn, ¡°Rosa, work with Doctor Julia on a scanning protocol to find this alien. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d appreciate it,¡± she turned her gaze to take in the faces of her officers, ¡°Dismissed.¡±


    Winterborn turned and strode out of the conference room. As she walked, she called for two security officers who had been cleared thus far by the investigation to meet her. They joined her side as she approached the docking bay. As they waited, she approved the request for the Quin¡¯tel shuttle to link up with the Athena. Winterborn watched through the visual display in her ocular implant¡ªthe shuttle was obviously alien, with proportions which defied human design philosophy. While the basic geometry made sense from an engineering standpoint, the main body of the shuttle was a wide oval. The aesthetics were nothing like those of earth; the hull was decorated with thousands of tiny hair-like protrusions, in fact the ship looked rather like a floating ball which had been experimenting with new facial hair. As the outer airlock slid open to accommodate the peculiar-looking craft, she saw a long tunnel extending from the ship. She was startled to see the mouth of the tunnel shifting its shape to better match that of the Athena¡¯s docking port. It struck her then that she hadn¡¯t actually paid attention to how the Quin¡¯tel had docked with the Athena the first time around¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t have been built to Terran specifications, after all.


    ¡°I suppose they had to build something capable of interfacing with hundreds of species ships eh, Sir?¡± observed one of the security officers.


    ¡°That makes sense, Warrant Officer. I suppose it¡¯s easier than trying to standardize a single building spec.¡±


    The hiss of oxygen filling the airlock drowned out the ensuing silence. After a moment, the Captain''s visual display indicated that the airlock was now safe to open. She proceeded, and looked on to see three Quin¡¯tel. She almost called out to Ren''brus when she remembered he''d be resting in their equivalent of a med-bay.


    The Quin¡¯tel bowed to the floor, with the apparent leader among them speaking in reverent tones, ¡°This one is not worthy, Prime.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t bow. I made it known to Ren¡¯brus and the others that Humans are generally uncomfortable with bowing and scraping.¡±


    The Quin¡¯tel hurried to their feet, the leader stumbling over himself with apologies. ¡°This one is most sorry. This one will ensure that all of our people know that this is your judgment,¡± he inclined his head, ¡°Now, if you would follow this one. The Captain is eager to meet you.¡±


    Winterborn and the security officers followed the three Quin¡¯tel through the docking tunnel. She was surprised to see that, upon closer inspection, the walls were entirely smooth. She had expected interlinking scales, or some other malleable design, but now she suspected that the structure was composed of some kind of nano-material. She¡¯d have to ask Ren¡¯brus when she could find the time¡ªthat is, if he was able to recover from his injuries.


    She spoke up to her guide, ¡°How are Ren¡¯brus and the others recovering?¡± She was mildly surprised to hear genuine worry in her voice. She hadn¡¯t realized it before now, but she had grown fond of the neurotic little Quin¡¯tel.


    The three new Quin¡¯tel chittered very softly, and seemingly concerned. Finally, the guide turned his head as he walked, saying, ¡°The Prefect and the others are doing well. Ren¡¯brus will need one of his eyes replaced, and Bre¡¯brus will need a new arm. Val¡¯brus should be fine, he got away with only a few shattered bones.¡±


    Winterborn was shocked by the casual nature of the response¡ªtwo would require major surgery, and the third wouldn¡¯t fare much better. Still, she was glad to hear that the Quin¡¯tel possessed the capability to regrow organs and limbs. ¡°Approximately how long does it take Quin¡¯tel to generate new tissues and appendages? It takes us a little more than a week to have something like an arm regrown.¡±


    The Quin¡¯tel excitedly chittered, ¡°Humans can regrow limbs and organs too? Regeneration is an exceedingly rare trait in the galaxy. And so fast? Humans are truly worthy of being the Prime species.¡±


    Winterborn raised her hands, ¡°Wait a minute, I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding. We don¡¯t physically regenerate. We grow organs, limbs, hell, entire bodies in laboratories. Recovery from the surgery lasts a hell of a lot longer than a week as well.¡±


    The Quin¡¯tel seemed to deflate. ¡°Ah, a technology. Yes, there are a number of species who blaspheme against nature in such a manner. They are not blessed in the way of the Quin¡¯tel, so we do not judge them...you...too harshly.¡± The Quin¡¯tel realized quickly what he had said, ¡°This one did not intend to criticize the Prime. This one will submit itself for discipline.¡±


    ¡°No, please don¡¯t worry about it. Our cultures can¡¯t be one-hundred percent compatible.¡± Still, Winterborn was surprised. She wondered if this was a religious consideration, or something relating to a bad experience. She asked the question on her mind, ¡°Is that a religious belief? Or something else?¡±


    The Quin¡¯tel stepped up to the entryway of their shuttle and pressed a button on his shirt; the airlock opened as they approached. ¡°You could call it a religion, yes. We believe that technology is technology, and biology is biology. They should not mix in unnatural ways,¡± he seemed concerned, speaking rapidly, ¡°Not that we presume to judge you, Prime. Understand, this is merely a belief of my people.¡±


    The airlock was a head taller than the shorter Quin¡¯tel, but Winterborn still found herself having to duck under the low door. As she stepped though, she was startled by the environment which greeted her¡ªshe was surrounded by what could only be described as trees, low-hanging vines, and small red flowers set in a field of shiny green moss. The trees were covered in an emerald fur, looking much like something out of a Doctor Seuss book. She was even more startled to realize that there seemed to be genuine sunlight filtering through the canopy. She was breathless at the sight, were it not that she had just walked in through the airlock, she¡¯d have sworn that she was on the surface of an alien planet.

 Chapter 9

    The three Quin¡¯tel retracted what one could assume were their lips, displaying their teeth in an off-putting attempt at a smile. The leader spoke up, ¡°Many species are surprised when first boarding a Quin¡¯tel ship. We do not much like to be away from the home world, and so we create biomes on our ships. The atmosphere is kept to the average temperature of Quin¡¯tel itself, though we have reduced it to make you more comfortable, Prime.¡±


    Winterborn chuckled softly, ¡°Well, surprised is definitely the word I''d use. Isn¡¯t this impractical?¡± she waved her hand, encompassing the veritable rainforest which surrounded them.


    The lead Quin¡¯tel chittered a brief laugh, ¡°Yes, this one supposes you could call it impractical¡­but what is the price of morale? We would not thrive living aboard a ship without the comforts of home. From what this one has come to understand, it does not appear that Humans have the same problem. Do you not have similar practices to remind you of home?¡±


    Behind the party of six, the airlock door slowly slid shut. Winterborn turned to watch as the tunnel they had just exited began to retract and collapse. Winterborn gazed in awe of this, her mind aflame with the implications of such a technology. She decided to wait until a later point to inquire about how such a mechanism worked. She spoke in a far off voice, ¡°We have music, videos, and food. Some keep photographs or small trinkets from home. We really don¡¯t have anything more significant than that.¡±


    The Quin¡¯tel shook his head slowly, ¡°This one is sorry to hear that. A connection to one¡¯s home is necessary to thrive. Though this one is sure that the Prime knows best.¡±


    Winterborn watched through the visual display as the shuttle pulled away from the Athena, noting that the Quin¡¯tel ship didn¡¯t have any obvious thrusters¡ªshe wondered if they had managed to perfect impulse technology. While Terrans had such technology in the works, it was definitely in its infancy.


    She was about to pose the question to the Quin¡¯tel when a thought struck her; she would soon be the head of state for these people, wouldn¡¯t she? If she gave the command, they would likely share any tech they had. This could be an opportunity for Human kind to make a vast leap forward in the technological sphere¡­


    Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the Quin¡¯tel ship, Vol''en''brus¡ªthe vessel was absolutely massive, similar in size to the capitol ships of the Terran Empire. Unlike the simplistic, almost minimalist design of the shuttle she currently occupied, the Vol''en''brus was seemingly designed to flaunt its complexity. The ship was all angles and sharp edges, the colors were bright and bold. She inspected the vessel as they approached, and again couldn¡¯t identify anything which resembled engines or thrusters.


    She had to stop herself from staring at the ship; she wondered if the Terran Empire would be capable of the engineering feat that ship represented...


    The shuttle rapidly approached the ship; it soon dominated the entire view-screen. The shuttle approached a large, hexagonal airlock which opened slowly to welcome them. The ship gracefully landed on a pad which roughly matched the size and shape of the shuttle. The airlock behind slid shut, hardly making a sound as the seal was re-engaged. A tunnel similar to the one which had taken Winterborn and the others aboard extended from the wall of the shuttle. The shuttle''s own tunnel reached and melded almost perfectly to the extending one.


    The lead Quin''tel looked up to meet Winterborn''s eyes, she could''ve sworn that he seemed smug. The Quin''tel quickly dropped his gaze, bowing his head. A series of alien symbols appeared on the display; it took a moment for Winterborn''s visual implant to interpret the information displayed there. It seemed to read something like, ''Proceed is acceptable''. She assumed that the docking procedures were complete.


    The Quin''tel bowed his head and addressed her, "Prime, this one is ready to receive you on the Vol''en''brus."


    Winterborn and the others walked through the strangely smooth tunnel. She ran her hand along the surface of the metal, it was oddly warm to the touch, and to her great surprise, there was no discernible seam between where the two tunnels had met. She was careful to record everything she felt and saw¡ªshe planned to go over the data with Rosa later.


    They stepped through the threshold of the tunnel and out into an opulently appointed receiving area. As before, the room was filled with plant life; unlike the shuttle, however, every plant seemed to weave together into a tapestry. It was as if every living thing were a single stroke of the brush in a painting. Looking at the scene before her, Winterborn was struck by the image of a planet full of life and vitality, where every animal and plant lived in harmonious coexistence.


    The scarred form of the ship''s Captain stood with his head bowed to Winterborn. He waited patiently for her to notice him, his eyes were firmly locked on the ground. Still, when her eyes finally fell upon him, he dropped to his knees and bowed low to the ground. Winterborn frowned at the sight, and was preparing to ask him to stand when the Quin''tel surprised her by loudly speaking up, "Prime, this one apologizes for this, but we need to collect a blood sample from each of you. It is possible that one of you isn''t who they say they are."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Winterborn nodded, ¡°So, it¡¯s some kind of shapeshifter or changeling?¡±


    Captain Gul''bres mimicked her nod, ¡°Yes. They are called the Ven; they are a species which lives in the furthest reaches of the Empire. They were discovered by the Quin¡¯tel over a century ago, but were not brought under our dominion. Not that we didn¡¯t try,¡± he paused, ¡°They act now as a mercenary force which will work for anyone who has the resources. Now, we need to test you and your officers before we speak further.¡± he nodded to the Quin¡¯tel who had escorted them from the shuttle. Winterborn nodded to the security officers who had been nervously looking towards her for direction. They relaxed, if only a little.


    ¡°Please bare your arm, Prime,¡± said the Quin¡¯tel to her side. She noticed the security officers being given the same treatment. The lizard-like being held her arm in a firm but gentle grip. She found herself surprised by the strength present in the small digits of this alien''s hand. The Quin¡¯tel reached with his fifth arm for a small tubular device sitting on a waiting metal tray. He pressed the mouth of the tube against her skin and warned her that a small but sharp pain would be forthcoming. As he warned, a feeling not unlike a bee sting burned her arm where the tube met skin. She made a point not to show any of the discomfort that she so readily felt.


    She heard a yelp of pain from one of her officers, and looked over and turned a grin at the stricken warrant officer. ¡°Now, now. That wasn¡¯t so bad was it, Warrant Officer Sam?¡±


    She smiled ruefully, ¡°No, Sir. I was just surprised, Sir.¡±


    A moment later, the Quin¡¯tel seemed to visibly relax. Captain Gul''bres bowed again, pressing his forehead against the lichen-covered floor of the ship. ¡°This one thanks you for your cooperation. You are cleared. Neither you nor the officers who accompanied you are Ven. I apologize for the inconvenience.¡±


    Winterborn crouched before the Captain and placed her hand on his shoulder, ¡°I understand. You were doing your duty, and you were doing me a favor,¡± she pointed at one of the tubes, ¡°Do you mind if I borrow a few of these? I¡¯d like to get testing my crew as soon as possible.¡±


    The Quin¡¯tel shook his head in imitation of the Human gesture, ¡°I am not permitted to allow this technology to leave Quin¡¯tel claws. I apologize.¡±


    Winterborn opened her mouth in surprise, ¡°Not even if your Prime demands it?¡±


    He shook his head again, ¡°Captain, I must respectfully remind you that you are not yet coronated. When you are endowed with all the significant powers of your position, of course we would not hesitate to comply,¡± he somehow managed to bow lower, ¡°We give you this deference in recognition of what you will be, not what you are now.¡±


    Winterborn helped the Quin¡¯tel to his feet, ¡°Fine then, would you accept coming aboard with a few of your people to test our crew for us? We would be most gratified to finally have this situation put to rest.¡±


    The Captain inclined his head, ¡°Yes, Prime. That would be acceptable. We can arrange for no more than a hundred to assist you in this fashion, and no less than fifty. Such is protocol.¡±


    Winterborn was surprised at the high figure, ¡°Why that many? I was expecting a medical team, maybe two.¡±


    The Quin¡¯tel chittered in wordless displays of surprise before the Captain quelled them. He spoke solemnly, ¡°In cases where a Ven has been found, you want as much force available to help take them down. Truly, it is a shock that the Prefect and his aides weren¡¯t killed. They will be honored for this display of martial prowess.¡±


    ¡°When can you have your people sent over?¡±


    He cocked his head to the side, ¡°We will send them over along with you. We cannot allow the Ven to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Make the arrangements, I want this sorted out as soon as possible.¡±


    A full compliment of one-hundred Quin¡¯tel filed in through the airlock, boarding the Athena. She had not notified her officers that such a force was arriving on the advisement of the Gul''bres; she wanted to maintain the element of surprise for as long as possible. In order to accommodate this, she ordered a general staff meeting. The Quin¡¯tel took up positions around the ship, watching all shuttles, access tunnels, and service stations. A team of twenty accompanied Winterborn to the Officer¡¯s mess, where she had ordered her crew to gather. She watched each of her officers for any sign of treachery, though they all seemed to react with surprise and alarm in equal measure. All of them, save for the doctor, who seemed to show very little reaction at all. Winterborn made a note of that; she¡¯d be the first to be evaluated.


    ¡°Hello all,¡± she addressed the nervous group, ¡°it is my duty to inform you that we have been infiltrated by a creature called a Ven¡ªthey are a species apparently capable of mimicry. We must find this creature to prevent further harm that may come to this ship and her people. We will start by checking everyone in this room.¡±


    The doctor stepped forward, coming to a sharp salute, ¡°Sir, I would like to inspect the devices the Quin¡¯tel are using to ¡®test¡¯ us¡ªI need to be sure that they aren¡¯t trying to cause us any harm under the guise of friendly overtures.¡±


    ¡°Denied, Commander,¡± snapped Winterborn. ¡°I have seen the technology the Vol¡¯en¡¯brus has at their disposal. If they wanted to cause us harm, we¡¯d be debris by now. I have already been tested by the same method. Now, let¡¯s start with you then, Doctor. Once cleared of suspicion, you will be allowed to assist with the testing.¡± She nodded to the Quin¡¯tel at her left and right, who walked carefully towards the doctor. Several Quin¡¯tel held weapons which looked shockingly close to the firearms of the Terrans, though she supposed that the design was natural enough that most species with projectile weapons and Human-hand-like appendages would very likely have similar designs.


    Winterborn wasn¡¯t exactly sure of what had happened next; one moment the doctor was standing still, and the next she had become a blur. She bolted towards the officers faster than the Captain would have imagined possible. The Quin¡¯tel had fired, but they had been far too slow on the draw. The doctor now held Rosa Fallborn firmly in a headlock, keeping the lieutenant squarely in front of herself. She was a human shield.

 Chapter 10

    Winterborn stepped forward, her hands splayed to the sides in a warding gesture. "Don''t do anything you might regret. If you kill her, you won''t be leaving this ship alive."


    The thing which wore Commander Springborn''s face smiled, rotating its hostage to be directly in the path of the Quin''tel weapons. "I know that, Captain, I just need a bit of leverage. I know how fond you are of Rosa here." The Ven licked Fallborn''s cheek while staring Winterborn dead in the eyes.


    "I swear to God," whispered Winterborn, "If you harm one hair on her head, I''ll kill you myself."


    The Quin''tel Captain stood at Winterborn''s side, he spoke to her softly, "We can wound the Ven if you allow us to fire through the hostage. The information the creature could reveal to us under interrogation could be invaluable. I request permission to fire, Prime."


    Winterborn sagged under the weight of the situation, "No. Don''t fire unless I give the direct order. We can''t risk getting Rosa killed."


    The Ven smiled broadly, showing a disturbing, perverse pleasure in the situation. "Now," it said, "move away from the door and prepare a shuttle for me. If I see signs of sabotage or bad faith, I will kill your lover."


    Winterborn waved to the Quin''tel pointing weapons at the Ven, "Clear the path, nobody fire without my direct command."


    The Quin''tel obeyed reluctantly, stepping away from the door and lowering their weapons. The Quin''tel Captain whispered as they cleared the door, "Forgive my impertinence, Prime, but you are making a grave mistake. Don''t let personal feelings interfere with practical decisions."


    "I know what I''m doing, Captain," whispered Winterborn through clenched teeth. She tapped into her comm system, "Prepare shuttle three for departure. Clear a route to the ship. I don''t want any personnel anywhere near that route."


    "Affirmative, Captain. Clearing a path now," reported Ava.


    Winterborn watched as Rosa was dragged into the corridor. For the first time, she understood exactly what it was to want to personally kill another living creature.


    As the Ven dragged Fallborn into the hall, Winterborn tapped into the ships cameras to watch their progress.


    She waited a moment, watching the Ven''s progress through the ship. She ordered security forces to rush to establish multiple firing angles in the shuttle bay. With the way the bay was built, there were several firing angles which could be utilized¡ªif they setup in the correct locations, at least one officer should have a safe angle to fire no matter where Rosa was being held. Winterborn sent a message to Rosa, reading: ''Do not resist when you enter the shuttle bay. We will have sharpshooters prepared, we don''t want any sudden movement.''


    Rosa read the message and sagged in relief. This prompted a sharp jerk from the alien that was dragging her. Rosa winced in pain, feeling the joints in her neck popping. The knowledge that a plan was in place was more of a comfort to her than she could have imagined. Truth be told, though, she hadn''t really planned to struggle¡ªshe had tried plenty hard as soon as the Doctor¡ªthe Ven¡ªhad grabbed her, and she knew just how strong it was. She wasn''t sure if the special forces soldiers from Terra would have been able to break their way free from the creature. No, she''d already given up on resisting.


    Even with the plan in place, fear thrummed through her heart like a drumbeat. She couldn''t help but imagine a thousand scenarios where the plan went awry¡ªthe sharpshooter missed and shot her instead, the Ven evaded the shots and stole away with her in the shuttle, the Ven was shot, but managed to snap her neck in the process...she shuddered at the myriad of ways this could go wrong.


    Needing to distract herself more than anything, she resorted to trying to learn something, anything, from her captor. "Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you or your people?"


    The doctor''s face smiled and spoke like it was addressing a toddler, "Silly girl, I don''t have anything against you, personally. Your people are little different than any other species. I do this for the profit of my world. This is just business."


    Rosa winced as they rounded another corner, the Ven leading with her body, taking in every detail of the hall before moving forward. "Can you tell me who hired you? Or is that against some kind of code of honor or something?"


    A laugh as clear as a bell sounded from the Ven, "No. We can''t disclose a client''s identity to a third party. I appreciate the attempt, girl."


    They rounded the final bend leading to shuttle bay three, the Ven picking up speed as it walked, effectively carrying Rosa''s mostly-limp body along. She palmed the door open, ducking behind Rosa and pushing her slowly into the open room. Rosa was hoping for a shot to take the Ven out as soon as they cleared the threshold, but was quickly disappointed. As far as she could tell, none of the security forces had made their way into the shuttle bay at all¡ªthat was until she saw a slight shimmer in the air on top of one of the air vents. She had to keep herself from smiling¡ªthe security forces had made it into position after all.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The Ven picked up pace, pushing Fallborn forward at nearly a run. Just as they were about to reach the shuttle, she heard a voice in her neural implant, "I love you, Rosa. Good luck."


    The sound of a firing rifle split the air. Time seemed to move in slow motion¡ªthe Ven''s head turned towards the source of the sound, the creature seeming to move at standard speed against the backdrop of the world in slow motion. Rosa felt absolute horror as the creature gripped her chin, wrenching to the side with vicious strength. The sound of her neck snapping sounded like a crack of lightning on a quiet night.


    The last thing Rosa heard before losing consciousness was the wet sound of a bullet splitting the skull of the Ven. She managed to smile, knowing that the thing that killed her wouldn''t live to gloat over her body.


    Winterborn watched the visual feed in horror as Rosa and the Ven collapsed to the ground. Time seemed to slow; her blood ran cold, and she felt as though the world had been brought down on her shoulders. She managed to collect just enough of her wits to order a medical team to the shuttle bay, "We have an officer down, neck injury, report to shuttle bay three." It pained her, but she had to be careful, "Wait for security personnel to verify that the intruder is incapacitated before entering¡ªwe can''t risk further casualties."


    The Quin''tel Captain stepped forward, and seemed to be about to speak, before Winterborn raised a hand and said, "I''m sorry, I need to check on my...my officer. Please wait here, I''ll be back to meet with you soon."


    Winterborn hurried out of the conference room, nearly running for the shuttle bay. She arrived, nearly breathless from the emotional storm which raged inside her. She saw medical staff crowded around the large, steel-grey door. She could see her own concern mirrored on their faces. She walked up to the Lieutenant on duty, wringing her hands unconsciously.


    "Lieutenant Johanna, do everything you can to keep Rosa alive. I don''t care if you have to wrestle the Devil himself. You got me?"


    The Lieutenant looked to be no older than twenty, but there was steel in her amber eyes. "Yes, Sir. He''ll not take her away from her duty on this ship."


    Winterborn nodded, her spirits bolstered slightly by the confidence of the woman. The door slid open, heavily-armed security officers flanking the door. The medical team rushed into the room, medical scanners in hand.


    Winterborn watched in a state of rigid calm which her training told her was shock. The medical staff scanned Rosa''s twisted neck, ascertaining the severity of her injury. Time slowed to a standstill as she waited for the diagnosis¡ªto find out whether or not Rosa would survive.


    "She''s suffered a break in her C3 and C4 vertebrae, breathing has stopped. Apply a N.U.R.S.E. to assist with breathing and maintaining other vitals." They pulled a jacket-like item from their medical kit, first placing a support brace around Rosa''s neck to keep the neck from moving, then securing her into the device. Winterborn recalled that the N.U.R.S.E. worked by manually stimulating the lungs and using electrical impulses to ensure the heart continued to function.


    Winterborn hissed out a breath she hadn''t realized she''d been holding as they announced that Rosa was still alive, and that there was a chance she would make it out of this situation.


    "Let''s get her to med bay¡ªshe seems stable for now, but we need more advanced facilities to keep her that way," the Lieutenant organized her team like a seasoned officer of double her years. Winterborn decided to keep her in mind for the new position which had just opened up.


    Winterborn walked up to Fallborn as she was loaded into a medical gurney, and grabbed her hand. She followed along with the medical team, nearly jogging to keep up. "I''m not going to let you go, Rosa. I love you. You aren''t going to die."


    Shortly, they arrived in the medical bay. Rosa was set on the medical table, the N.U.R.S.E. still pumping away, keeping the spark of life alive like a bellows to the flame. Lieutenant Johanna grabbed her shoulder in a comforting grip. "We''ll take it from here, Captain. We''re going to need the med bay clear for surgery. I''m sorry."


    Winterborn thought about arguing, but dismissed the idea. They would be able to better care for Rosa without her present. She nodded to the Lieutenant, giving Rosa one lingering glance before stepping away. She walked back to the shuttle bay they''d just come from in a daze. Who was responsible for this? It couldn''t be Ren''brus and the others, they had been attacked by that monster just as surely as Rosa had. She couldn''t think of anyone who had a direct motive to do all of this, to orchestrate everything which had happened. She knew one thing, however¡ªwhen she found the culprit, they would pay dearly for what they''d caused.


    She entered the shuttle bay and stared at the body of the Ven. It still looked exactly like the Julia Springborn she had known, or thought she knew. She now wondered if there had ever actually been a Julia at all? Was this officer who served with distinction ever anything but a traitorous monster? If so, what had happened to the original? Was she floating around in space somewhere? Winterborn shook her head slowly, trying to clear her rapid flood of thoughts.


    Someone placed their hand on her shoulder, she turned her head to see Commander Val standing behind her, a worried look on her face. "I''m sorry this happened, Sir. I know how much Rosa means to you...you should know that the entire officer staff are rooting for her. We all love Lieutenant Fallborn, she''s kind of like our collective little sister."


    Winterborn nodded slowly, tear now streaming freely down her face. She pulled Val into a hug, a sob escaping despite her best effort. "Thank you, Val. I appreciate every one of you. I have the best crew a Captain could hope for."


    Val patted her on the back, holding her in a warm embrace. "Sir, there is something which needs your attention." Winterborn pulled herself out of the embrace and composed herself.


    "What is it, Commander?"


    "Sir, the Quin''tel would like to meet with you as soon as possible. They say it''s urgent that they talk with you. Oh, and I''d like to report that all other officers have been tested by the Quin''tel devices. So at least among the officers, there are no other Ven."


    Winterborn patted her on the shoulder, "That''s good news, at least. We need all the good news we can get at this point." She wiped her eyes with the cuff of her jacket and snapped off a crisp salute to Val. She turned to walk away, stepping past the medical personal there to collect the body of the Ven. She simply nodded to them, and was off to meet the Quin''tel Captain.

 Chapter 10.5

    Winterborn stepped into the conference room, which now stood empty of all but Gul''bres¡ªthe scarred Quin''tel sat at a chair which had been brought from the Quin''tel vessel. It looked fairly normal, save for a large slit which ran directly down the center of the chair. She walked to the other side of the table, sinking into her chair and letting the weight of the previous twenty minutes fall from her shoulders. She rubbed her face in her hands, and sat up straight in the chair¡ªsteeling herself for the conversation ahead.


    Gul''bres inclined his head slightly, "Prime," he picked up a glass of water, lapping at its contents in a manner humorously reminiscent of a dog or cat from back on Terra. "We have news from the Empire¡ªthe coronation is set to be held within one week. Custom dictates that the Prime be coronated on the day set by the Tertiary Council."


    Winterborn nodded slowly, "And what if I don''t arrive on time? What are the consequences?"


    "You wouldn''t be fond of the answer, soon-to-be-Prime," he showed his teeth, "If you are late by so much as a day, your claim to the title of Prime will be forfeit."


    "That doesn''t sound so-" started Winterborn, but she was cut off by the grizzled Quin''tel, "Also forfeit would be your life."


    Winterborn nodded and barked a laugh, "Of course, of course. I should have expected as much. Though," she paused, "next time, you should lead with the threat to life and follow with the loss of position."


    Gul''bres chittered a laugh, "I will make a note that your species values life over position. Unfortunately, there is still much we don''t know about your people."


    Winterborn inclined her head, "Agreed. There is still much we both have to learn about each other. For example," she gestured to the two Quin''tel at the door who stood with their heads inclined, "Why don''t you behave like the other Quin''tel? I notice that you hardly act meek or subservient at all."


    Again, the Quin''tel laughed. "You''re right, I don''t behave like the others. I think you have probably met one other of my species who behaves as I do. Am I right?"


    Winterborn thought for a moment before saying, "You''re just like the previous Prime, Sin''tel."


    Gul''bres inclined his head again, "We are of the same family. Our people are famously strong-willed and irreverent. Most of our clan are in leadership positions of some kind as a result."


    Winterborn laughed, "Well, I can definitely see the resemblance." She sighed heavily, "I''ll ensure that we are there on time. How far away is Quin''tel? Is it possible to travel there using warp drive?"Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    He shook his head, "No, not practically. The home world is, on average, five-hundred light-years away from here. Unless you have managed to exceed the warp barrier of twenty-five times the speed of light, it would take far too long to travel that far." He stood from the table, walking towards the visual display on the wall, "We can either utilize your jump-drive technology, or we can travel to the Var''eds system and use the wormhole nexus located there."


    Winterborn was stunned, "Your people have mastered the science of wormhole dynamics?"


    The Quin''tel shook his head, "No, mastered wouldn''t be the word. We can only create hubs in limited numbers. We have to build a quantum tunneling station at either end of the proposed wormhole, from there it takes a massive expenditure of resources to tunnel our way through space-time. As a result, there are few nexuses throughout the Empire, and the ones that do exist serve hundreds of thousands of ships annually."


    "How long would it take us to reach the nearest nexus?" she asked.


    "Around three days if the projected specs of this ship are accurate, 2.4 days if we take the Vol''en''brus."


    She steepled her fingers, thinking hard about her next decision, "We''ll go through the nexus. Currently we can''t trust our jump-drive system. The Ven sabotaged a number of our systems and we are still trying to quantify the damage."


    Gul''bres turned to look at her, "You are wise. The Ven are creatures of exquisite cunning and deviousness. I would not be surprised if they left traps and mires all through the ship," he walked over to the table taking a drink of water, "I would suggest scrapping this entire ship. Such is the standard protocol for any Quin''tel ship found to have been infested by a Ven for any length of time."


    Winterborn sighed, "Well, I don''t think that''s currently an option. We have yet to make contact with our government."


    Gul''bres bobbed a nod, "in that case, the nexus will work fine. We should leave as soon as we can. As we say on Quin''tel: The Horn''el''ing mates at midnight on the solstice," at Winterborn''s laugh, he laughed along. "I think we should avoid idiom for now. By your reaction I doubt my meaning came across well."


    Winterborn stood, extending a hand for the scarred Captain to take, "I think I understand Gul''bres. We have a similar idiom on Earth: The early bird catches the worm."


    Gul''bres chittered in laughter, "I think we should definitely avoid idiom for now. That was ridiculous." He took Winterborn''s hand and gripped it firmly. Again, Winterborn was surprised by the strength in that grip. "What I intended to convey is that we only really have one chance to make this work. I have known many leaders in my time, soon-to-be-Prime, and I think you will make a fine leader for the Empire. I admit to some trepidation before meeting you, but I think you have what it takes," he bowed low at the waist, "You have the support of my faction of the clan. If you need aid during the coming trials, call on the Vreen''bal''ar. We number only a thousand ships in our personal fleet, but they are good and strong crews."


    Winterborn was touched, "I appreciate what you are offering. I just hope that I never have to call on you or yours for aid."


    "The wise prepare for conflicts they cannot expect and never hope for. Remember that Winterborn," he clapped his claws together, "Now, we will return to our ship when the last of your crew have been tested. From there, we will need to begin our journey to Quin''tel."


    Winterborn nodded, "Thank you for all the assistance you have given us, Captain. I will remember this."


    She accompanied him to the shuttle bay, waving as he stepped through the airlock with his personal guards. She hoped that he had nothing to do with the events which had occurred over the last couple days. She didn''t know what she would do if he had.