Decay (6 page)

 

 

Alan stared out the window in his room, taking in the sight of Earth at its fullest. The view before him was beautiful, and something he would most likely never tire of. The planet was a mass of blue water and swirling white clouds mixed with some land. Alan was positive that Earth had a great deal more water than Altura. Then again, he had yet to see much of Altura from space. When it came time to travel to his station in Earth's orbit, they had traveled at incredible speeds to get there. All he did was blink, and his home planet was gone from sight.

He exhaled slowly, trying to process his thoughts in a coherent way. Soon he'd be meeting with his superiors, and he would have to explain to them what he believed to be the next best course of action. The problem was his boss didn't think much of his opinions. Hearing what Alan thought was most likely a formality.

Sir Tuliy, Alan's roommate and friend, knocked on the open door to Alan's bedroom. “It's time,” he said.

Glancing over his shoulder, Alan gave the man a slight nod before returning his gaze to Earth.
They will understand why I believe the way I do. I'll be respected. My people are not heartless.
He had to keep repeating these three things in his head, or else he was afraid he might lose his nerve. After taking in another deep breath, Alan walked out the door with more confidence than he felt. If he could put power into his steps however, then he could gain more courage.

The two walked through the apartment quietly. It was a large space with four bedrooms, only two of which were occupied. Alan and Sir Tuliy were the only people who lived there. In fact, Tuliy had been given the space to stay in alone for the duration of the ship's mission to Earth. He was the prodigy after all and had the most respect of anyone on the ship. When he'd found out Alan was living with female soldiers, he petitioned for his comrade to be his new roommate. Alan was grateful for the move, but he didn't feel worthy to live in such a fancy arrangement, when the rest of his equals were crammed into smaller rooms. It worked as good motivation to be more efficient. Alan wanted to be worthy.

“You seem nervous,” Tuliy said.

“I was hoping it wouldn't be that obvious,” Alan muttered.

“It's only because I know you and your mannerisms well. I don't think anyone else will notice. You're never one to take such firm steps when you walk. Naturally, I can't help but wonder if something is wrong.”

Alan slowed his pace and relaxed his body. His friend was right. Maybe his superiors wouldn't see the same things Tuliy had, but it was best to go in as much like himself as he could. Then he'd be the most comfortable. If Tuliy was planning to sit in on the meeting, that would help matters as well. The young man had a way of making everyone calm as well as more willing to listen.

Together, they made their way through the ship hallways. They passed by several of their peers, young, fellow twenty-something-year-old soldiers, who watched Alan and Tuliy with awe and admiration. Alan had never been on the receiving end of such a gaze before. For the most part, everyone on the ship liked to pretend he didn't exist. A small murmur could be heard amongst the soldiers as he and Tuliy opened the door to their superior's office.

“Go ahead and sit,” Sir Oriol said. He was the commanding officer of the ship.

Not surprisingly, he was alone in the room. While Alan had been expecting the meeting to be private, he'd been hoping to state his case in front of more than just Sir Oriol. It seemed his commander still didn't think Alan had earned the privilege to work anywhere except under the radar. No wonder his shipmates treated him like he was worthless.
I wouldn't be surprised if they think my new job is to be Sir Tuliy's maid,
he thought with a scowl.

Alan made sure the door was shut tight before taking a seat in front of Sir Oriol's desk. “You wished to see me sir?” He said it as more of a formality than anything else.

“As you know, most of our work has been done in a different city for the past month or so. I'm sure you and your charges have grown tired with the lack of field assignments, yes?” Sir Oriol asked.

“Yes, I've noticed a bit of a lag in the action, so to speak.”

“You aren't the only one who has not been getting assignments,” Sir Tuliy said. “Most of this is due in part to The Doctor being quieter about his experiments. My double agent told me he has essentially 'dropped off the face of the planet' which is an Earth phrase for disappearing. The disturbance at the warehouse on our last mission has rattled his confidence. He must be regrouping and reorganizing. I'm sure he has a new base of operations as well.”

“I'm sure,” Sir Oriol mused.

Alan scratched his chin for a moment, while he weighed his options. Did he dare make a suggestion? “We know who Bean and Sprout are.”

“And we've been watching them. Around every other week they sneak out of the house to meet with your betrothed, but we don't dare get closer because of the one they call Sensor. His gifts would make it obvious we were spying, since he can read our DNA from a great distance now. Since we're Alturans, we can't genetically blend in with humans even though we do physically,” Tuliy explained. “Unfortunately my agent isn't able to get in on these meetings, but he's working on gaining their trust. Naturally, they're slow to trust given everything that happened.”

“Makes sense logically. So they meet in places where they can't be interrupted. What I am saying, however, is that since we know their identities, perhaps we should get more aggressive.” Alan glanced between his superior officer, and the man who was fast becoming his best friend. “We might be able to extract a great deal of information from them.”

Sir Oriol's eyes narrowed. “You want to capture these two teens? Surely such a thing would be noticed. I doubt we'd be holding them for only a handful of hours.” He paused and ran a hand over his face. “If you would like to take this on as one of your side projects, Alanmendiquixanimackle, you may. Just know the repercussions of such an action will be solely on your head.”

Alan nodded. “Yes sir. I understand.” And it wasn't a task he felt ready to volunteer for. He'd re-propose the idea at a later date. Instead he asked about his other private project in an effort to show his desire to be involved. If he could show his personal investment in ending the war, then Sir Oriol might consider him for tasks otherwise not appropriate for officers of Alan's level. “Has there been any progress on the analysis of The Doctor's drug?”

“That isn't one of our priorities. You know this.”

“Yes, I do. I was just curious.” And it was a stance he didn't quite agree with. So much could be understood about the green and blue tribe's motivations by uncovering the secret of the drug. It was why he kept pressing Cadence to figure out how it functioned. She didn't seem as interested in it as him, but she was at least still working on it. He wished he could provide her with the resources she needed to be successful.

Sir Oriol peered across his desk at Alan. “And that is why it is another of your side projects.”

“I'm curious about the progress as well,” Sir Tuliy added. “Maybe I should sit in on the research Alanmendiquixanimackle's charges are doing and aide in the process? Two heads are better than one, after all.”

“So I'm told,” Sir Oriol said. His gaze darted back and forth between the two comrades. “I will allow it on your own time Sir Tuliyogljaes. You are not to ignore your other duties for this.”

“Of course not. I wouldn't dream of it.”

Alan glanced over at Sir Tuliy with skepticism; a trait he was trying to get past, but it was difficult at times. Trust was not something that came easily for Alan. Most of his life back home was spent with peers who constantly wanted to use him because of all the natural abilities he contained. Sir Tuliy's one natural ability was the power to copy the special powers of others and keep them for himself in exchange for providing a boost in the original user's power. It put Alan even more on edge than usual. However, Sir Tuliy was also unable to lie, an ability he gained from a comrade. So when the young man claimed to have no interest in everything Alan could do, he was believed. But Sir Tuliy had also confessed to an attraction to Cadence. Alan would have to ask up front if this was simply a ploy to get closer to her.

Sir Oriol relaxed in his chair. “So, I take it you have no interest in the field work I was going to assign to your charges? Do you have enough side projects to keep occupied?”

Perhaps too eagerly, Alan shook his head. “I would much like to know.”

“We are going to be doing another collaborative mission with the Yumsaltanz. They seem to be more interested in doing more aggressive work. A nice change since they are usually so passive in nature. I think they have finally come to understand the unforgivable actions of the Gelandrosimbol especially. Their charges are well trained and motivated, as we witnessed that night at the warehouse.”

“Yes, but they were a bit over dramatic in execution. I nearly lost one of the charges trusted in my care,” Sir Tuliy said casually. If anyone else had given the criticism, they probably would have been reprimanded for it. He was not however, and continued on. “So what will you be having us do with them?” Sir Tuliy asked with a raised eyebrow.