Aether Princess Ch. 01

Oliver opened one eye, then the other, as his alarm went off. Reaching over to his right, he picked up his phone, unlocked it and turned off the alarm. He set his phone down on the bedside table and rested his head on his pillow. Minutes later, another alarm went off, and Oliver jolted awake. He turned off the backup alarm, stumbled out of bed, and walked to his bedroom windows. As he opened his curtains, Oliver was met by the early-morning darkness and the sound of wind and rain outside. After pulling the curtains shut, Oliver locked the windows and ran his hands along the windowsill, feeling for any traces of water. Relieved that no rain had gotten in, Oliver half-walked, half-stumbled toward his bedroom door.

Walking through his apartment in the dark, Oliver opened a nearby cupboard, pulled out two towels, and flipped a switch. Grimacing at the bathroom light, he walked in and took a shower. Half an hour later, Oliver returned to his bedroom with a towel around his waist. As he finished drying himself off, he searched his chest of drawers for underwear and socks. Once dressed, Oliver headed to the kitchen and made himself breakfast. He turned on the radio and listened to the morning news as he ate.

"As I'm sure you are all aware, it is currently raining with strong easterly winds," a male voice said.

"I hope you remembered your umbrella, David?" a female voice asked.

"I certainly did, Sharon," David replied.

"The Federation's Climate Control Representative told us that the issue with the Weather Control Station will soon be resolved," Sharon said.

"Apparently, there's a bug in the software, and so the entire planet has been enjoying rain with strong easterly winds. I wonder why it's easterly?" David asked.

"No idea, David," Sharon replied. "In other news, a new trade deal was recently signed between the United Nations and the Federation," she said, changing the subject.

"In exchange for seventy per cent of the ores found inside the asteroid belt, the Federation has agreed to reduce the percentage as we build our own space mining vessels," David interjected.

"Seventy per cent? That's a lot to give away," Sharon pointed out.

"While true, it covers some of the initial costs the Federation has faced over the last few years," David replied.

"And now it's time for the ad break," Sharon said.

Thirty minutes later, Oliver reappeared in his bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror as he retrieved his toothbrush from the cabinet. At twenty-five, Oliver was an average-looking guy with blue eyes and blonde hair slowly turning brown. He kept it short, similar to the military style his older brother used to have. As he brushed his teeth, Oliver adjusted his stance and looked at his flat stomach and toned arms. When he wasn't at work, he enjoyed going to the gym a few times a week to keep from gaining too much weight. Unlike some of the guys he regularly saw at the gym, Oliver avoided making his arms too big, as he never liked drawing attention to himself. His brother once pointed out that big muscles don't necessarily mean strength.

Spitting out the last of the toothpaste and swishing it out of his mouth, Oliver ran a hand over his face, checking for any missed stubble. Using his electric shaver to remove the bits he missed earlier, Oliver put everything back in the cabinet, adjusted his work t-shirt's collar, and headed for the door. Pulling on his coat and grabbing the bag he kept his lunch in, Oliver opened the apartment door and headed to work.

Waiting for the bus that would take him into the centre of New York City, Oliver put in his earbuds and listened to music. As he waited inside the shelter, rain and wind crashing against one side, the area around the bus stop gradually filled with people. Usually, Oliver wore his sunglasses outside, however, because of the rain, he kept them in his bag. Looking around the bus stop, Oliver noticed everyone was keeping to themselves, either listening to music like him or reading on their phones. A few tried to stay dry underneath their umbrellas, but the wind kept turning them inside out. Minutes later, his bus appeared, and after paying with his phone, Oliver was glad his usual seat was free. Sitting down and placing his bag on the seat next to the window, Oliver took out his phone and browsed the internet.

"Did you see the news?" a man sitting behind Oliver asked.

"Yeah, there's an issue with the new Weather Control Station," the woman next to the man replied.

"I heard the whole of Europe has flooded," another man said. He was sitting to Oliver's left.

"Have you seen Africa?" a different, older man asked, "thunderstorms over the Sahara Desert," he added. Despite the music coming from his earbuds, Oliver still heard people gasp.

"Well, the Federation did say they would look into turning our deserts into habitable areas," an older woman pointed out. She wore an old-fashioned headscarf, with what looked like a plastic bag keeping the rain out.

"Don't you think it's all a bit sudden?" the man behind Oliver asked.

"What do you mean?" the older woman replied.

"Well, they arrived five years ago, offered us membership without asking for anything, and then bam," the man said loudly, "all this new tech everywhere. Just doesn't seem right," he grumbled.

"I'm not sure I'd have accepted that trade deal," another woman said.

Forty minutes later, Oliver was glad it was his turn to get off the bus. As the doors opened, he shuddered as the wind and rain hit him. Stepping off, Oliver hurried over to a nearby covered walkway. After a quick shake of his coat and a check of his watch, Oliver turned right and walked down the path to work. Ten minutes later, he walked through the Supercentre main doors. A few colleagues said hello as he passed the main desk, and Oliver stopped at the newsstand to pick up a copy of the New York Times.

Walking through the men's Locker Room door, Oliver took off his coat and bag and headed to his locker. He placed them on a nearby bench, took out his lunch, and then unlocked the locker and neatly stored his coat and bag inside. Sitting back down, Oliver picked up the newspaper when he heard a familiar voice.

"Have you seen the news this morning?" Tom inquired.

"I heard it on the radio when I woke up, and then had to listen to the whole bus for forty minutes," Oliver replied, looking at his friend. Tom was fifty years old but looked like he was still in his thirties. Oliver found him annoyingly handsome and wondered why the guy was still single. At five foot ten, Tom was only three inches shorter than Oliver, but he always seemed taller. The only real giveaways were a few wrinkles and his white hair.

"I bet you they were talking about the Weather Control Station," Tom guessed as Oliver looked at him.

"There were also some conspiracy theories being thrown around," Oliver said as she stood up and locked his locker.

"Well, make sure you don't repeat any of them near the Manager," Tom warned as he stood up and walked over to Oliver.

"I'm not that stupid," Oliver complained, looking at Tom.

"She's in her office if you want to talk to her," Tom said, laughing as Oliver rolled his eyes.

"Just because she's an alien doesn't mean she'll have any info on what's going on," Oliver said, turning and heading for the door. As he pulled it open, a dark shadow appeared, and Oliver looked up and into the familiar red eyes of Slasa, his Manager.

"Hello, Oliver," Slasa said, looking down at him.

"Morning," Oliver replied, making eye contact with his Manager, all four eyes to be exact. He never knew where to look.

"May I enter?" she asked, gesturing toward the Men's Locker Room.

"I'm decent," Tom shouted from inside.

Oliver smiled at Slasa and then held the door open, waiting for her to walk in. He watched as she ducked down and entered the room. Oliver noticed she quickly looked around the Locker Room before turning to him. Slasa was an Asnoi, a predominantly female race of blue-skinned humanoids. With two arms and legs and an average height of eight feet, she often ducked through doorways. Despite her blue skin, pointed ears, four red eyes, and the very sharp-looking teeth hidden behind plump lips, Oliver found her attractive. Due to their home planet's higher gravity, Asnoi were very strong and had muscular bodies. As she turned, Oliver watched her long black hair swish round and fall over her left shoulder. Slasa always had it as an over-the-shoulder ponytail. Noticing he was watching, Slasa smiled down at Oliver as he looked up at her again. The lights above cast shadows down her white blouse, and the tight-fitting skirt she wore had ridden up slightly.

"I'm glad I've found both you and Tom here," Slasa said to Oliver. Her English was perfect, but she spoke with an almost thick, Eastern European-sounding accent. At times, it was difficult to understand what she was saying.

"Oh?" Tom said as he wandered into view.

"Corporate has managed to get the last spot at an event being held at the UN building this Saturday," Slasa replied, looking at both men. "Seeing that both of you are the senior members of staff at this Superstore, and we're the only one in the City, one of you gets to go," she said.

"For a minute there I thought you were talking about our ages," Tom replied, tucking in his t-shirt.

"While age does factor into the decision, it's also how long you've been working for the company," Slasa admitted, "You've been with the company for ten years," she said, addressing Tom, "and you've been here for five. You joined shortly before the Federation arrived?" Slasa asked Oliver.

"Yeah, I joined just after I turned twenty, and you guys appeared a year later," Oliver replied.

"That would be the Chennar, not the Asnoi," Slasa corrected. "Their scouting fleet found the Sol system," she added.

"Yeah, sorry. There are so many races I sometimes get them mixed up," Oliver apologised and then noticed Tom mime hanging himself.

"Oliver," Slasa said, her tone shifting, "be careful how often you use that sentence. I know you well enough to know that you're no xenophobe. I strongly suggest you mind your words, especially around the Chennar," she warned.

"Oh, er... sorry, Slasa, I didn't mean anything by it," Oliver apologised, his face turning red as he shifted on the spot.

"If I weren't your manager, I'd scoop you up," Slasa replied, with a smile. "You're so cute when you apologise," she said. Slasa went to cup Oliver's left cheek but stopped herself.

"So, who gets to go?" Tom asked after coughing loudly. Slasa looked embarrassed for a moment and then composed herself before replying.

"Well, it's up to you two," Slasa replied. "You aren't required to do anything while you're there. Think of it as a turn-up-and-watch event," she said.

"I volunteer Oliver," Tom said, walking over and slapping him on his back. The blow nearly knocked Oliver over.

"Me?" Oliver said, regaining his balance and looking at his friend.

"Yeah, plus you're younger than me, and you'll appreciate it more," Tom pointed out.

"But you've been working for the company longer," Oliver replied, and Tom held up his right hand to stop him.

"I can tell this event is for the young," he pointed out, "I could go, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it more than me," Tom said.

"Fair enough," Oliver conceded. "I guess I'm going," he said, then looked up at Slasa.

"I figured it would be you," she said, smiling. "Remember, the event isn't until Saturday, so you've got plenty of time to do a bit of research," Slasa said as she headed for the door. Tom and Oliver watched as she ducked down and squeezed through the doorway.

"I never get tired of watching her do that," Tom admitted.

"I heard that," Slasa replied, her voice coming in through the closed door as she walked down the corridor.

"Sorry," Tom shouted, miming 'whoops'.

"I guess I need to brush up on my aliens," Oliver said, checking his uniform in the mirror before picking up his lunch and heading for the exit.

"I need to go pee," Tom said to no one in particular as he headed in the opposite direction.

*****

"Steve, what does this say?" a female voice asked, pointing at her monitor.

"What have you got for me, Zoe?" Steve asked as he walked over to her desk. He placed his left hand on the back of Zoe's chair.

"It just came in from the Federation," Zoe replied, "the translation software is having difficulty translating it," she added.

"Hmm, I'm not sure, but it might be Chennar," Steve replied, trying to vocalise the words. After a few tries, he gave up. "Dave, you're our expert on Chennar, is this their language?" he asked, looking over at Dave.

"For the last time, I'm not an expert on Chennar," Dave replied, walking over to Zoe's desk. "The UN might have sent me for Chennar language lessons, but those lessons were less about learning their language, more about..." his voice trailed off when he realised the whole office was watching him.

"I know, I know, I'm only teasing," Steve replied, laughing. "Five minutes with a Chennar and you know what they're after," he said with a wink, then laughed again as Dave rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I'm surprised the UN Ambassador managed to get the Federation down to seventy per cent, considering how long he spent on his back," Zoe said as she ran the translation software again.

"You'd think they'd send it in English," Steve complained. "Or one of the other five we use here at the UN," he said.

"Hmm, I don't think this is an official message from the Federation," Dave said, watching the monitor. "They know to limit their communications to those the UN gave them, so perhaps it's from someone else," he wondered.

"One of their Megacorps?" Steve suggested.

"Perhaps," Dave replied.

"The translation software is designed to work on the one thousand diplomatic languages the Federation uses," Zoe said as she opened a new window. "Perhaps it's someone wanting to bypass their diplomatic core?" she wondered.

"Hmm, look at this piece of text here," Dave said, pointing to a translated section. "Despite the gaps, the software says it's Hannos, but it's having trouble with the rest of it." He bent over to take a closer look.

"I think you might be onto something," Steve said. "The sections that are translated all correspond to Hannos within the Federation's diplomatic languages. Zoe, do we have all of the Hannos language on file?" he asked.

"Yes," Zoe replied, "it should be within the language codex sent to us by the Federation," she then adjusted the translation software and ran it again. They all watched as it slowly translated the transmission. Apart from a few letters and sentences, the text slowly changed to English.

"What does it say?" Dave asked.

"Hello people of Earth.

We ar. the Hann. s Inter. tellar Cruise Liner, Aether Princess. Our vessel will a. rive within your Sol system in tw. nty of your days. We would like to invite one of you to enjoy a V. I. P experience on board the. ether Princess. The voyage will take five of y. ur years before returning to y. ur Sol system. All exp. nses paid.

In accordance w. th your customs, a prize draw will be held during the up. oming event at your U. N building.

We look forward to welcoming th. winner on board when we arrive."

"Huh, I did not expect it to be that," Steve said.

"All this over some Cruiseship," Zoe scoffed.

"There's a section at the bottom that still hasn't been translated," Dave pointed out.

"I wonder why it didn't translate?" Zoe said.

"What does that bit say?" Steve asked as he pointed to the untranslated section.

"Information for the winner," Zoe replied. "Something about there being no need to bring clothes as they'll be provided as part of the V. I. P experience," she said. "The next bit is scrambled, I think they might have been near a solar flare," Zoe suggested.

"That would explain why there's so much interference on the transmission," Dave replied.

"I can just about make out the last bit of the transmission before it cuts off," Zoe said, leaning closer to her monitor.

"As. p. rt. of. the. VIP. experie. ce,. the. Human. win. er. will. get. to. experi.. ce. the. very. best. c... u. i.. s. the. Federa. i. n. has. to. offer," she then looked at Steve and Dave.

"What's a cuis?" Steve asked.

"I have no idea," Dave replied.

"Whatever it is, it's the very best cuis the Federation has to offer," Zoe pointed out.