Chapter 8: The First Mission

After a good sleep, I awoke and made my way to the main bridge. When I arrived, Jem was already there, examining the tactical display. She smiled at me and invited me to sit with her.

It still felt surreal to me. I should have died in the pirate attack. I was the most junior crew aboard the freighter. Not only that, somehow I had saved Koluna. They rescued us in deep space where it was highly unlikely to be found. We didn’t die out there in space. Too bad I’d never been to a casino before. With this much good luck, I might have become wealthy.

I also felt confused about Jem. I only recently developed any affinity with other beings, and Koluna in particular. Since I met Jem, there’s a premonition that we were to be together. She looks so human to me, and she is so friendly and trusting. Tians never prepared me for social interactions with other beings. Outwardly, I kept quiet, having no clue how to act. Fortunately, Ship rescued me from what might have been an awkward moment.

“Brian,” said Ship, “I interfaced with the computer on board your escape pod, and then I projected the last known course of the escape pod. I am following this course back to the site of the explosion. We should arrive there within the hour.”

Smart Ship. “No problem, I would have done the same if I were you,” I said.

Jem smiled at me, a similar look to how Koluna looked at me. Did she know something I didn’t?

“Captain...” I asked.

“You can call me Jem, especially when it’s just us,” said Jem.

“Jem, what is going on?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” She replied.

“Since we met, you’ve been looking at me strangely. I figure I’m missing something...”

“Brian, I believe I might be the last of my species. Ship and I have been hiding out here in deep space. I expected to live my life in hiding, facing extinction. It has been many generations since the last recorded contact with another Baglogi vessel. Then suddenly, fortune sends you along.”

“Again, I’m very glad to be rescued, Jem,” I said.

“You’re missing the point. Ship, how close a genetic match is Brian to Baglogi?”

“Scans record less than 0.0001% deviation. I have compared to historical DNA scans. Brian would pass for Baglogi, were it not for his own admission,” said Ship.

“So...” I asked.

“The reason I was hiding was for my protection. I had no crew, and I am most likely the last of my species. It was more or less game over. I’m hiding in the middle of nowhere, and you just turn up. A near-perfect genetic match. The chance of this happening is infinitesimal,” said Jem, her eyes almost twinkling as she smiled at me.

“There’s more,” I said. “I’m not sure where Earth is. Even if I did, I wouldn’t travel there. I’d be alien to them. During my life on Tian Prime, I figured I’d never find someone else that was compatible in terms of physical or genetic compatibility. I always expected to be alone. Now I learn that you’re a near-perfect genetic match. That’s quite amazing!” I hoped I didn’t go too far. After facing death, I no longer wanted to keep it to myself. Life is too short.

“Excuse me,” Koluna stepped into the main bridge, “I was on my way here, and I couldn’t help overhearing you. May I join you?”

“Please do,” said Jem. “I would be glad of your thoughts.”

Koluna sat down with us. “It truly is amazing. I’m thrilled for both of you. In some cultures and belief systems, they’d consider such an event a miracle. Perhaps it’s some kind of message from the universe.”

This was getting complicated.

“I hope things don’t get weird somehow,” I said. “I am new to all this. Koluna, you’re the first being, the first female I have been close to. You mean a lot to me.”

Koluna smiled. Then I looked at Jem.

“Jem, although we’ve only just met, I felt a connection since we first met. You’re the only being I have ever met who is remotely genetically compatible. It seems too incredible to believe we could meet by sheer chance. I’m overwhelmed.”

They were both looking at me. As if I had all the answers. If I wasn’t sitting, I would probably have fallen over by now.

I continued, “By Tian standards, I’ve only just reached adulthood, and this is beyond my understanding. My education didn’t prepare me for this. In my entire lifetime, I never expected I might meet someone, or in this case two someones. I don’t understand what to do next. You both are special to me.” I’d ran out of what to say. I just stared at them.

They both smiled at me. It did nothing to improve my sense of unease.

Koluna spoke first. “Bri-an, you saved my life. I owe you a life-debt. I want only the best for you. Jem, you also saved my life when you rescued us. The same goes for you, too.”

“There’s nothing weird here, Brian. Your arrival saved my life too, both of you. We’re starting something new together. The three of us. Don’t fret over it, I think it will work itself out. We need to be patient,” Jem said. She pulled us both into a 3-way hug. We remained that way for some time. I felt simultaneously comforted and confused.

Later, ship arrived at the location of the attack on the Opolu Naa. We watched a view of the area on the tactical display. By now, it had been about 20 days since the attack, and the debris field had dispersed widely.

Ship scanned the debris and found little of interest remaining. Little remained of the large freighter.

I think the carnage shocked Koluna, too. I asked Ship to search the area for traces left by the pirate vessels. Eventually, Ship worked out an approximate direction that the pirates had left.

“Ship, please could you record the last location of the Opolu Naa, and the results of your scans in the log. Later, we can report the loss to the Ori Confederation and provide them with all the data,” said Jem.

“Confirmed.”

Soon, we left the attack site and followed the trail left by the pirates. Ship projected the star map of the area on the tactical display. It showed an uninhabited star system, about 5 days ahead, so it was possible that the pirates made their base somewhere there.

We were making progress, but I wondered what would happen when we found the pirates? I asked Ship “Ship, please could you summarize any precedence from Baglogi laws for what to do with pirates.”

“Pirates exist outside the jurisdiction of any civilized systems. They avoid systems with strong defences. They don’t obey the laws. Pirates prey on the weak, and threaten legitimate shipping, and they’re to be neutralized when possible,” said Ship.