Chapter 10: Travel To The Ori Confederation

I awoke feeling rested. It was hours since we fell asleep. I climbed out of bed and did my usual washroom visit. On the food dispenser, the screen thoughtfully showed the estimated time to the Ori border. There was lots to go yet.

I got a cup of hot beverage and took a seat at the table. My mind wandered as I sipped my drink and inhaled the vapours.

I sat for a long time. Then suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind. Jem’s voice said, “Good Morning!”

“Good Morning Jem,” I said. I took a moment before I realized ... She’d greeted me in English, which was the Earth language my mother had used with me long ago. I turned in my chair and her arms until I was facing my captain. She was smiling.

“You speak English?” I asked, in English. I hoped she wasn’t too fluent, as it wasn’t my best. It had been many cycles since I spoke it.

She smiled and responded in Ori, “Only a little. I did some research, and Ship had recordings in the archives. I learned some greetings and a few phrases.”

“It was a pleasant surprise. Thank you. I haven’t heard that since before my mother died,” I said, in Ori.

“I’ll be back in a moment.” She let go of me and dashed to the en-suite.

After taking another sip of my drink, I realized it had gone cold. Returning my cup back to the food dispenser, I got a fresh cup for myself, and something for Jem. I put our drinks on the table.

Soon Jem returned and sat and took a sip from her cup. She nodded and smiled at me. I smiled back.

“You smile a lot.” I said.

“I do since I met you. We’re all smiling a lot recently.” She said.

“Yes.” We both took a sip. It’s funny how quickly your life can change.

“When we have time, I’d be glad to share with you the recordings I have. Earth is a closed world, too primitive. But other races have observed from afar.” She smiled at me. I felt she was trying hard to win me over. It was ok, but she was in danger of overdoing it.

“You had me at good morning.” I said in Ori. “If I never hear it again, it would be fine with me. Earth isn’t my home. I am content to let it be.” I slid out of my chair a bit and opened my arms, and she was in my lap. We hugged.

“Jem, if I am a genetic match to Baglogi, does that mean there’s a connection between Humans and Baglogi?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Perhaps many thousands of cycles ago, some Baglogi settled on Earth.” She said.

“Or perhaps long ago, Earth had an advanced space-faring society. They had some terrible war, and the survivors regressed to a more primitive level. Meanwhile, some had escaped the war and moved on to become the Baglogi.” I suggested.

“I don’t have an answer. We can only speculate.” She said.

A while later, Koluna had awoke. We all ended up in the main bridge to plan our visit to the Ori Confederation.

Koluna said, “We need to tread carefully. This vessel is a warship, and it could trigger the wrong reaction.”

“I agree. We don’t want to get killed trying to meet our future ally,” I said.

“What do you have in mind?” Asked Jem.

“You negotiate with a potentially difficult vendor from the same side of the table. If they see me first, they should listen to me. Then, at Ori High Command, I suggest just Bri-an and I meet with them. Our Ori citizenship credentials should offer us protections you don’t have. We cannot put the last Baglogi and our captain at risk.” Koluna said.

“Are they likely to want to board our vessel?” Asked Jem.

“Interstellar laws allow for allied and friendly vessels to be sovereign territory. We need to state we are friendly, and seek a formal alliance, and ask for safe passage. We must avoid any actions they could interpret as hostile. Then we should be safe.” Koluna replied.

“Koluna, Ori is your home, so we’ll follow your lead. Let us know what you need. Brian, you work with Koluna on this. I’ll be keeping out of view once we reach the border.” Said Jem.

“Yes, Captain.” I smiled. We’d been fairly informal so far, but I understood this was an order. “Koluna, when you’re ready to talk further on the plan, I’ll be ready.”

It seemed we had worked out the important details. I headed to a room where I could have a private talk with Ship.

“Ship, when I was aboard the Opolu Naa, there were various video training courses available to help crew learn skills needed. Do you have this capability? And am I permitted to take such training courses?” I asked.

“Confirmed. Please state the courses you would like to learn?” Ship answered.

“That’s the problem. I don’t know what courses you have available.” I said.

“Confirmed.” Said ship. Does it have a sense of humour? “Perhaps we can start with your learning objectives.”

“I would like to become more useful as a crew member. I expect I may need to perform multiple roles. Please prioritize roles that are needed the most, and would most fit my skills and experience.” I said. I figured Ship knew what courses I had completed on the freighter because the ID chip in my arm contained such information. The screen now showed a list of roles.

“Ship, that list is too long, please could you truncate it to the top 5. Then select training courses on those roles, together with pre-requisite courses.” I said. The screen now showed an impressive list of courses. “Excellent Ship! Are all these courses available in Ori?”

“Unless you would like to take them in the original Baglogi?” Said Ship.

“Oh no, Ori is fine!” I would need to learn Baglogi one day, if only to return the favour to Jem. “If you could assign me a training schedule, then I am ready to begin,” I said. I wanted to use my spare time to learn more.

“Processing complete. You may begin when ready.” The screen now showed the starting page for the first course, so I sat down and began my studies. We started with foundation courses. They were in Ori. There was a lot of testing to confirm how much I already understood. Based upon my current level, Ship would adjust the training. It worked out well for me. I didn’t get bored, and I was learning a lot.

I was reviewing a program on Baglogi engineering, and I was so engrossed in the subject I didn’t hear someone come in. Suddenly, I felt her hands on my shoulders.

“Hey Brian.” Said Jem. “Great idea! How is it going?”

“There’s always more to learn. Ship has been helpful. These courses are really well-designed. I’m enjoying the process and learning a lot.” I said.

“Did you know you have been at it since this morning? You missed a couple of meal times. I thought it best to leave you to it. But it’s time to sleep now.” Jem said, as she squeezed my shoulders in some kind of massage. I realized I hadn’t got up from my seat for hours. I rolled my head around to release the tension in my neck.

“Ship, save his place and end training for today.” Said Jem. “Come on Brian, time for rest...”

Reluctantly, I got up. My back ached from sitting all day. Jem guided me back to my/our cabin. Koluna was already in bed, and we changed and joined her. I was unconscious as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next day, we were still several days out from the border. After breakfast with Koluna and Jem, I returned to my training. Unlike the freighter, I didn’t have a work duty schedule. It seemed like this vessel ran itself. I was used to working, and for now, the training courses were my work.