“We will be requiring your assistance and that of your
colleagues as Alfonzo was of the opinion that your story is the true one. Tell
me what you can of the Afoixox.” Eve sat down across from him and waited
patiently for Hans to speak. Hans sipped at the water until it was gone before
said anything.
“They are small creatures, very unintimidating by human
standards and covered in dusty red fur from head to toe. They are relentless in
their pursuit of war and will stop at nothing to take what they need before
moving on again. If they are not fighting, their life is meaningless. If you
trap one alone in a room long enough it will begin to fight with itself.
“They understand diplomacy and have used it before to gain a
hold on civilizations that they are afraid may defeat them in outright battle.
They are cunning, very clever. However, once again, their true character comes
out quickly enough. They will fight, they will always fight. The Shai Halad
believe that their constant war was and is how they keep their population under
control. Are you aware of the old saying “breeds like bunnies?”
Eve nodded her understanding and Hans continued.
“They’re worse than that. They multiply very quickly, if not
for war they would never survive. Its funny saying that about a race, but it’s
true for the Afoixox. It’s been a very long time though. Maybe they’ve
changed?” Hans thought about that for a moment and smiled. “It has been
millions of years since the Shai Halad last encountered them. It’s possible,
but then again all the predictions say that it is highly unlikely.”
“Then we will go on the assumption that the Shai Halad were
correct in their assessments. However it would be good to know more about these
Shai Halad. Knowledge is important.” Eve tapped her fingers randomly on the
table. “I need to meet this one that you call Ohaehim.”
“I don’t know if that will be possible.” Hans met her gaze
for the first time. “Getting off Earth and to him would be hard and getting him
here is impossible.”
“Point.” Eve held impossibly still for a moment, her already
dead eyes managed to look far away. “Okay, I am formulating another plan. However,
I will need to contact your alien to be able to clear up this current
misunderstanding with the government. Can you communicate with him?”
“Misunderstanding?” Hans could not think of a worse word to
explain the situation.
“You object to something?” Eve asked. Hans decided it would
be better not to explain to her what bothered him so much. She wouldn’t
understand.
“I don’t know. I haven’t tried and he said he was going to
monitor things to learn about our race, but he said he would not be contact
with us.” Hans struggled to keep the anger out of his voice.
“Good, then this is a very simple plan. Your alien will
provide us with more information and we will incite a reaction from the Afoixox
in a public forum. Then we will override all communication channels with our
own message.” Eve stood up from the table. “Follow me.”
Hans was left with no choice but to follow her as she walked
back through the control room ignoring all inquiries. She wasted no words or
energy on anything other than getting to her destination. Hans didn’t bother
asking questions because he knew that it would fall on deaf ears. He had a
feeling that the explanation would be coming soon enough.
Eve finally stopped outside a door that had no way of
manually opening it. She placed her hand on it and it responded to her touch by
disappearing. She stepped inside and Hans followed her in to a room that was
wall to wall electronics. He had never seen a system like this before it almost
distracted him from the fact that door had reappeared almost magically behind
him.
Hans had a million questions running through his brain, but
he knew that there were more important things than doors and systems. It was
making sure that Alfie hadn’t sacrificed himself for nothing. Hans asked the
only question that really mattered. “What are we doing here?”
“This is my office. I had a few acquaintances set me up with
a set up that would work for me. Almost all of the technology you see here is
considered illegal by RAST. You aren’t jacked are you? Of course not, I read
your profile. I can fix that.” Eve started activating what seemed like random
machines and then tried to hand Hans a small cable. He looked at it confused.
“Put it in your mouth. Best I can do in these circumstances,
but I need your help here. I don’t know if the alien will speak to me without
you.” Eve proffered him the cable again. Hans took it and put it in his mouth
as she had instructed.
“Wha-” Hans started to ask before a wave of information
caused him to break off mid-word. It was almost overwhelming. He wasn’t able to
move or even think as more information than he could possibly imagine washed
over him, through him. As quickly as the wave of information washed over him,
it stopped and he was left blinking into darkness.
“Sorry, miscalculated. This is an interactive virtual
interface that I helped to create for those who are not permanently connected
the way I am. Adjusting…” An image of Eve appeared in front of him and she reached
out and took his hand. “That’s better. Let’s connect with your alien now. No
time to waste.”
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