Chapter 1
Terrans, they were a conundrum to me, and to most of the universe. Harmless, peaceful, diplomatic. So peaceful and diplomatic, in fact, it was mandatory for all battleships in the union’s armada to have at least one Terran onboard to act as a mediator and to calm bloodthirst and upset feelings. I scratched the base of my horns. It was why I was standing and waiting for the space shuttle to dock with my brand new battleship. A Terran had been assigned to my ship. Not to my crew, mind you. No, they weren’t a soldier or part of the ship’s crew. Their chain of command was the Terran commander back at the union’s home base. But while she, yes, they had sent me a female, was on my ship. She would be expected to follow my rules, my commands, and if her delicate sense of peace and love would get hurt by that, she would be free to ask for another placement.
“The shuttle is docking now, sir,” Geria, my second in command, told me. I grunted. Why I needed a Terran on my ship, I didn’t know. Or at least I didn’t agree with it. Which was making me cranky. And when I got cranky, I got lethal. The soft hissing sound as the airdock equalised didn’t improve my mood. I tried to get a grip. Admiral Kosh would accompany the Terran and he was a lot more scary than a horde of Terrans. When the door opened, admiral Kosh’s large, purple frame took up my entire view. He was a Gonon and unlike me they didn’t have horns. But they did have a tail with three sharp spikes at the end and talons that could shred through armour. I would take my horns over a tail any day.
“Admiral,” I said and saluted him according to custom by crossing my wrists in front of me. Geria and the other parts of the welcoming comity did the same. The Admiral nodded.
“Kapten Jeetz, thank you for letting us onboard,” he said. He did say we, even though he was the only one visible. “Let me introduce mediator Keita,” He moved away from the door and a woman stepped forward. My irritation was exchanged for surprise. All Terrans I had met had been pink. But this woman had skin almost the same colour as mine. The colour of space. But while my skin was almost completely black with a hint of blue, hers had undertones which reminded me of the rich soil of my home planet. It made her skin glow. Her long, black hair was braided in a intricate patterns and was gathered in a long braid going down her back. The white uniform of the Terran mediators with its pattern of mesh was a stark contrast against her skin. I found it hard to breathe for a moment and my hearts suddenly beat off pase. It was quite disturbing.
“Kaptain Jeetz, it’s an honour,” she said and saluted me not in the way of a soldier, but in the custom of the mediators. She raised her hand to her forehead. I nodded towards her. Her golden eyes found mine and again, my hearts fell out of sync. I may need to check that with the medics.
“Will you join us on our maiden voyage, Admiral?” I asked to change my focus.
“I wish, Kaptain. Your government has gone all out on this beauty. But, the council don’t take my wants into consideration and have seen it more appropriate to send me to negotiate with the Narwians,” he said with a sigh.
“How is that going?” I asked.
“Oh, you know. It’s always difficult when making first contact, especially with a race as developed as them,” he told me. He sounded calm and as if it was a small issue. But the swipe of his tail told me the issue was bigger than he wanted to let on. I grunted in return. The Narwians had showed up in our part of space not long ago. A clearly fully developed race with advanced ships and weapons. They had attacked some of the outer colonies before we could make contact. The talks had been ongoing since. My gut feeling told me something was going to happen soon, one way or the other. “Mediator Keita, it has been a pleasure. I hope your placement will be enjoyable and fulfilling,” the Admiral said to the Terran mediator.
“Thank you, Admiral. I wish you an eventful journey,” she responded. He hummed as it was the customary way to say goodbye for Gonons. He got back into the shuttle and we all waited until it had departed.
“Mediator Keita, this is my second in command, Lieutenant Geria. She will show you to your cabin and make sure you have the correct access to the ship’s system. When you have gained access, take the introduction training. Once it’s done, you will be promted to schedule a meeting with me. Plese make sure to do it promptly,” I said.
“Yes, sir.” I nodded towards Geria and walked away. It took all my years of training not to turn around and look back.
