Ark: A Scifi Alien Romance
myself and a superior officer would generally allow, but Admiral Kaalax had always been on the lax side in matters that didn’t involve my time. “I mean, yes, sir. This mission won’t have combat, it won’t have glory. I am the wrong man for it.”

    “Ahh, there it is, then.” Kaalax sat back in his chair, a knowing smile on his face. “We finally come to the truth of things, after all this dancing.”

    “Sir?”

    “Glory is what you’re after, what has always gotten you up in the morning, isn’t it?”

    My eyes narrowed. “I can think of no better way to serve the Kreossian Empire, sir, than to earn as much glory in battle as I can in its name.”

    “Quite right, quite right, young man. But here is something else. Diplomatic missions such as these are just as important as all your battles and campaigns. Glory comes in the results of the thing, not from the doing of the thing, Ark. Hopefully, if I have taught you anything in our time together, you will learn this in time.”

    I considered this, mulling it over without speaking. Finally, I broke the silence. “I shall have to think that over more, Admiral. I trust I will have enough time to do so when we arrive at the station.”

    “Let it be the second lesson you learn today, then.”

    I saluted and turned my chair back to face the main view screen. I busied myself with system diagnostics and long range sensor grids, but I could feel Admiral Kaalax’ eyes boring into me from behind.

    The ship continued its silent trip through empty space toward its rendezvous with humanity.

CHAPTER 03 - MELISSA

    The docking procedure went off without a hitch, and within a few minutes of the automatic pilot bringing us close to the station, the ship and the station were locked together, held in place by a connection tube just large enough for Ambassador Fuller and I to stand side by side and walk through.

    We knew from the sensor scans that the Kreossians had not yet arrived, and that the station was empty. Nevertheless, I hesitated when they reached the end of the airlock tube, looking at Ambassador Fuller for reassurance, who just gave me a small smile and nod. Buoyed by this, I pushed the entrance button and the door slid open, the sound of releasing gas loud as the two pressurized.

    The station’s interior was similar in design to that of our ship, which made sense since both were derived from the same plans. Fuller and I had both walked through the facility when it was still orbiting Earth several times; in fact, one of the test procedures had been for us to live on it for a week, just as long as they expected to spend here when the real meeting occurred, at the limit.

    Which was now. Goosebumps covered my skin, and I gulped as we walked around the familiar-yet-still-somehow-new station, testing out various subsystems and running diagnostics. The worst thing would be if something went wrong during the conference, so all these pre-meeting checks and re-checks were par for the course.

    Of course, the side effect was that it kept me busy, which was good, since I was less likely to worry about what was to come. What would the Kreossians even look like? I had no idea.

    Would they move around leaving gelatinous puddles behind them? A foul stench? Would they fly instead of walking? Communicate without speech? Have tentacles for arms?

    The mind boggled with all the possibilities. They could be hideous! I smiled, wondering why Fuller had resisted describing them all these years. What was it he had said? Oh, right: “The Kreossians are unremarkable to look at; so much so that I have already forgotten them.” It had caused an uproar back on Earth, but in retrospect it had set off a frenzy of interest in these unknown and potentially scary looking aliens that had come to help us or eat us.

    Maybe they were a race of vegetarians? Or, maybe they were actually a plant-based life form, and eating salad would be cannibalism to them?! So many
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