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“I can’t believe we’re here,” Lamar said, peering out the display window at the large ship docked before them. “After all our preparations, we’re about to venture back into space, facing worse odds than we did on the way here.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks.” Al studied the craft, searching for some miniscule unseen detail. “I’ve got a few plans in the works.”
“Yeah, we’ve noticed,” Etta said.
“Given what you had me researching,” Lamar said, “I’ve got a decent idea of what you’re planning.”
“I’ve got an indication, too,” Ivan added.
“No,” Al said, “each of you has one aspect of the entire plan. In order for it to work, all the pieces have to fit carefully into place.”
“It would help knowing what we’re doing,” Eli said. “That way, we won’t be spinning our wheels guessing what we’re trying to accomplish.”
“It would, but as you know, it isn’t always so clear cut. I suspect Quichoq still hopes to undermine us. He’s got a lot of power and influence. It wouldn’t take much for him to pull a few strings, especially if he has incriminating information on certain individuals in key positions. We need to be on our toes, but once I know we’re in the clear, I’ll bring each of you up to speed. I still may not lay everything out, but you’ll be able to work together.”
“I really don’t like that cretin,” Betty hissed.
“Believe me,” Eli said. “None of us do. Still, the situation calls for restraint. We withstood his efforts once, working in unison. It might be harder to resist individually on an ongoing basis.”
“You suspect he’ll have an Inquisitor onboard?”
Al shook his head. “No, he’s too insidious for that. It’s hard to disguise an Inquisitor. Rather, he’s likely to call on someone with the inborn mind-reading abilities, but who’s not in the Inquisitor class. They’ll be harder to identify.”
“You mean, no hard outer shell hiding the bitter inner coating?” Xi said, studying her partner.
“So would you object if we started comparing notes?” Mui asked, glancing at Ivan and Kaci.
“No. As long as it’s merely idle speculation, it’s more likely to throw doubt into the equation. But given how unsubtle Quichoq was, it shouldn’t take long to identify who’s a telepath and who isn’t. If he’s their best, then their art isn’t as nuanced as Zita’s.”
“Only because mine’s limited to my aids,” she objected. “Without them, I couldn’t do squat.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself. That’s the Tandorian’s major flaw. They’re so rigid in their thinking, that no one dares try anything new. We assumed our abilities would dissolve once the One was shut down. Instead, they have only grown. I suspect he activated our natural abilities, which our aids continue to promote. We’re now adapting to situations the Tandorians never considered. That’s our best shot, trying what they consider impossible. If you never try, you may never fail, but you’ll also never succeed.”
“That would be a difficult argument to convince anyone of, if evidence hasn’t borne it out so frequently,” Eli said.
“Hold on.” Al leaned in, holding his hand up. “Someone’s exiting the ship. We can see the connecting passage from here. Luckily it’s transparent so spouses can see those returning.”
They each edged forward, unsure what they were looking for.
“There’s a little trick which helps,” Eli suggested. “Your aids can boost your vision in specific instances by reshaping your lenses and pupils.”
Xi and Zita discussed it for a moment.
“Wow! You’re not kidding,” Del said. “That makes a world of difference.”
“Don’t shift your eyes too fast,” Eli warned, having experienced the effects. “It takes a little time for your eyes to adjust.”
“Damn!” Al muttered.
As he turned away, the others looked closer.
“It’s Quichoq!” Etta announced. “Once again, our leader is spot on in his wild-assed speculations.”
“Maybe,” Gary cautioned, “but he doesn’t look pleased. It looks like someone kicked his favorite puppy.”
“Isn’t that how he always looks? He’s not exactly your cheerful type,” Betty ventured, which produced a few chuckles.
“Hopefully it means he was unsuccessful,” Al said, “but it reinforces the fact he continues trying to undermine us. I wouldn’t put too much into reading his facial expressions, but even if he was rebuffed, he’ll undoubtedly try something else.”
“It seems as if performing miracles keeps getting more difficult,” Betty quipped.
“It’s not like tapping into Commander Lillslik’s aids benefited us much,” Eli said. “I mean, it proved we can extend our abilities to others, and he now supports us. But we didn’t pick up any useful intel from it.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Al replied. “I spoke to him again, privately. It seems he and Quichoq had their own encounter. When Quichoq pressed, he laughed. He said, and I’m quoting here, ‘Even though it felt like he was raping my mind, knowing he couldn’t get anything gave me confidence. I told him “You’re powers aren’t so terrifying now, are they?” He then proved my point by threatening me with a few ... personal matters if I didn’t relate what I was hiding, but I laughed in his face.’”
“It appears his overconfidence did more harm than it helped,” Eli observed.
“So it seems. Now, not only did we humiliate him, but he’s aware we’re actively undermining his authority. He’s unlikely to go away quietly.”
“No, miracles never get any easier,” Xi said, clutching her mate. “Not even for our local miracle worker.”
“Hopefully this time he won’t get shot in the process,” Betty said, taking up his other side.
Al led the others up the Tandorian equivalent of a ramp, a transparent tube leading from the passage Quichoq had left through, which led directly to the ship. They wandered into a worn circular room, complete with peeling paint and the smell of formaldehyde. There were dead versions of Tandorian rats, with toothed tentacles. Gary shoved one aside with his boot as the women stood in the center of the cylinder. Al held his hand against the sensor and it registered its acceptance. A moment later the floor lifted up, carrying them along, ending at a wide room which led into yet another entranceway.
Al saluted. “Ensign Al Collins, reporting for duty, sir.”
“You’re hardly a simple first-time officer,” the ship’s Commander said, stepping forward to shake his hand. “Everyone is raving about you. Welcome aboard the Blissful Destruction. Aside from a much-needed Intuit keeping the entire crew safe, you lead a nearly full unit of humans, who promise to turn the tide against the Zssizliq. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about you, and I’m eager to separate fact from fiction. Frankly, much of it is a little ... hard to believe.”
“Trust me, we’re hardly exceptional.” Al glanced around, noticing the walls. While in poor maintenance, they were constructed of a soft polymer, suitable for a ship being struck in open combat where the crew might be thrown against the nearby surfaces. “We’re just a little harder working than many others. We may not be the fastest or strongest, but we’ll keep plugging away until we figure out how to succeed.”
“Now that doesn’t sound Tandorian at all! Humility is not one of our stronger suits. Aboard ship, everyone brags about their exploits, but it’s only during combat they prove their worth as warriors.”
“That’s not quite accurate,” Al said, waving to indicate the dirt lining the walls and the peeling material hanging from the ceiling. “The true measure of a warrior is dedication to doing whatever is needed to succeed. Everything from keeping the ship running, pulling extra duties, and sacrificing themselves when necessary.”
“Please, as our assigned Intuit, let’s keep you from sacrificing yourself anytime soon. Otherwise, we’ll all go out with a bang alongside you. I’m Captain Yitzl, by the way. I know these are your people, but I’m eager to meet you.”
“You weren’t actually counting on us, were you?” Al asked as he made the introductions. “I understood this was essentially a test mission, to determine whether we could withstand the mental assaults of the Zssizliq. If so, only then would we be assigned a meaningful role in the fleet, commensurate with our capabilities.”
“That may be the official line, but everyone has high expectations of your abilities. If you can resist the Zssizliq probes, you’ll all become the onboard tactical decision makers for the entire fleet.” The commander glanced at his human crew before continuing. “Of course, that’ll mean splitting your people among a number of ships, but you’ll each take on significant positions within the Tandorian forces, transferring the knowledge of our strategies into the field.” He lowered his voice. “Currently, the high mucketymucks making the decisions don’t dare leave the shelter of Tandora, where they can’t win many battles.”
“Pardon me, Tandora? I’ve never heard of that. Where is it?”
“Alas, apparently I already trust you too much. Tandora is something not widely spoken of, but it’s the home planet of the Tandorian Emperor and those who control the entire empire. Like so much, its location is a closely-guarded secret so no one can launch an attack on it. We can stand to lose a single world, or even system of planets, but we can’t afford to lose our brightest minds. However, if you’re successful in your initial mission, you’ll pry that hyper-secret cabal out of their hole and spread their power where it’ll save lives and affect a change in this centuries old war.”
“That’s more responsibility than I was hoping for on my first duty assignment. We were just planning to get our feet wet.”
“You don’t fool me,” Yitzl said, slapping Al on the back and leading the entire team deeper into the ship, waving the warrant officer aside. “I’ve read your training results. You’ve been adapting at a rapid pace. Despite starting with a severe technical deficit, you’ve recovered amazingly quickly, absorbing a millennia of knowledge.”
“Again, that’s not the result of our intellect, only our dedication to our task, just as our ability to resist the Inquisitors isn’t a reflection of how tough we are, merely that we’re too stubborn to surrender information to bullies.”
“I definitely like your style. I’ve heard much of what you’re capable of, especially how you achieved so much by delegating tasks, assigning specific skill sets to each of your people, instead of having them duplicate the same knowledge.” He turned to Zita. “I understand you’re now proficient in Zssizliq?”
“I wouldn’t say proficient,” she protested. “After all, aside from a few recordings, I’ve never heard it spoken.”
“Believe me, that’s more than most experts know, and the few who’ve had a chance to learn haven’t lived long enough to utilize the knowledge.”
“I’ve always wondered about that,” Al pressed. “How is it that we started out speaking with them enough to decode their entire language, but now can’t talk to them at all?”
“You’ll have to take that up with the military experts on Tandora, as they haven’t shared the information with anyone. All we know is they’re not about to engage in conversation with us, not even to demand our surrender. Instead, they attack in wave after wave, buffeting us as an unrelenting horde. The attacks wear us down, as they anticipate our actions long before we ever attempt anything. Afterwards, they leave the empty hulls of our decimated ships strewn with our crews’ body parts as a warning to any who come to rescue us.”
“Well, no one promised this was going to be an easy assignment,” Etta quipped.
“No, it certainly isn’t.”
“Before we move on,” Al hesitated. “We had one ... unusual favor. It took a lot for us to escape Earth in one piece, and then we raced across phenomenal distances in record time to reach here. Through all that, our lives depended on the actions of the ship’s AI, only to have the entire ship scrapped before we ever set foot on Tandor. I know it’s an imposition, but we’d like to store the mechanical ‘brain’ of our ship in our living quarters, just as a memorial to what we sacrificed.”
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