Marcus sat off on the starboard side of the ship, at his control station. Daniel, on the opposite side slouched, staring at the readouts across a screen, only a foot away from his face. Jason stepped into the room calmly, his boots making soft clicks on the metal floor. The lighting in the bridge was dimmed and Jason squinted to see.
"Some reason why the lights are like this?"
Daniel's back stiffened as he spun around. Raising his hand he said, "headache, sir."
"Ahh," Jason said nodding. "No problem."
Now at ease in the dim light, the young pilot sat down in the captains chair. He streched out his legs, leaned back and looked back and forth between Marcus and Daniel.
"So what's going on?"
Marcus backed away from his station, still in his chair. He shot a glance at Daniel. The scientist stared back, oblivious to anything other than the pounding inside his head.
"Danny?"
"Oh, well, as far as we can tell, there is life on the planet. Definatly not human, probably intelligent but..."
"Probably intelligent?" Jason wondered out loud.
"Well, in our own galaxy there have been plants and animals documented that emit radiation and waves, not too unlike radio waves. It's not such a stretch to say that living things do exist that emit radio waves."
Jason bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Uh huh. So have you been able to listen to what's being broadcasted?"
"White noise, and plenty of it," Marcus interjected. He sat slouching in his chair, his feet resting on the wheels of the chair and his hands on his thighs. His hair stood up in all different directions in an array of blonde and light brown spikes and curls.
Jason's left eyebrow raised questioningly. "Could it be a problem on our end?"
Marcus shrugged and Daniel stared at Jason, running over the possibilities in his mind. A second or two later he opened his mouth. "It's a possibility."
~*~
Mary carefully layed Sara in bed. She cocooned the child in blankets and made sure the chairs were all secure against the edges of the bed. With that she leaned over and gave the small child a kiss on her small forehead and left the room. Mary's red hair swung around her waist as she hurriedly made her way down the hall to Lyssa.
"Hey, let's go."
Lyssa looked up from a small notebook and smiled. After putting it away she stood, took off her white overcoat and smoothed her pants on her thighs with her palms.
Mary smiled and held out her arm. Lyssa took it and they left the room. After a few minutes of walking, they came to the bar. Lyssa snickered, looking up at the sign. A smile came across Mary's face as she knocked. A moment later Jason opened the door.
"Hello ladies, you're the first to arrive."
Mary grinned as he waved them into the dimmed room. There was a bar on the left side and a couple table with chairs on the right.
"Have a seat. Can I get you two drinks?"
Lyssa wiggled her eyebrows at Mary and giggled. "Are you old enough?"
Mary frowned. "Shut up!" Then she paused for a moment. "Intergalactically, I don't think so."
Lyssa laughed as Mary stuck out her tongue at her. "Scotch, straight up."
"Woo!" Jason yelled, "she's not even legal, but obviously experienced."
Lyssa laughed again, "Can I have a martini?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Mary smirked at Lyssa as there was a knock at the door.
"Can one of you get that?"
Mary stood, her long red hair swaying from side to side as she walked to the door. She opened it to Marcus and Daniel waiting expectantly at the door. "Come on in, boys," Mary said smiling at them, before turning to go sit back down with Lyssa.
"So how old are you?" Lyssa questioned as Mary sat back down at the table.
"Nineteen."
"And Sara?"
"Three."
Lyssa raised an eyebrow.
"I was raped just before I turned sixteen."
"Ah, I see," Lyssa said with a look on her face as though she had bitten into a lemon. "That must have been horrible for you."
Mary shrugged. "I've got Sara."
Marcus sat down quietly beside Mary after they had stood listening for a few seconds. Mary shrugged again self consciously.
"Well, I'm twenty two."
Marcus sat shocked, listening to the two women discussing their age.
"Thirty two here," Daniel interjected.
"Twenty one."
Mary snickered. "You all sound like you're embaressed about the fact that I was raped. I've had three years to deal with it, the least you can do is not act like it's the end of the world."
Marcus grinned while Lyssa kept the sour look on her face. Jason marched over to the table with a drink in either hand and set them before the two women.
"Thanks."
"No problem. What would you two like?" Jason asked looking over at Marcus and Daniel.
"Brandy," Marcus said right away.
"Anything non-alcoholic," Daniel said calmly.
Mary's mouth turned into a small smirk, but she didn't say anything as she sipped her drink and her eyes met with Marcus' smirking face.
There was a knock at the door. Jason detoured from his route to the bar and opened the door. After taking Taylor and Jonathan's order, he went to the bar. Taylor and Jonathan made their way to the table where they pulled up chairs. A few moments later Jason returned with the rest of the drinks.
"Are Carmen and Jesu coming?" Lyssa asked.
"No," Jason said, "I've decided to leave them with the ship. Carmen's too young and Jesu's too old to be taken on something like this. Now, I don't have enough weapons for everyone especially since one is still missing."
Marcus twitched uncomfortably and looked down at his drink. Daniel coughed slightly and the rest looked around at each other.
"I can go unarmed," Marcus suggested.
"Me too," said Taylor.
"Thanks guys," Jason said, "The rest of us will be armed and I'll show you all what to do. Marcus, how long till we get there?"
"About two hours."
Jason nodded, then turned his head to Daniel. "Is there any chance we'll be blown out of the sky?"
Daniel paused and thought for a moment. "There is a slight chance, sir. But I think it's more likely that if they are that intelligent, we'd be captured and studied for the rest of our natural lives."
~*~
I am incredibly sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I didn't realize that grade eleven was going to be so demanding, and I kind of lost interest in the story. But thank my english teacher for complimenting me on my creative writing, which encouraged me to finish this chapter and continue writing this story. Like I've said before, I will finish this no matter what, but it may take me a while. Thanks to all who have stuck with me this far :)
"Some reason why the lights are like this?"
Daniel's back stiffened as he spun around. Raising his hand he said, "headache, sir."
"Ahh," Jason said nodding. "No problem."
Now at ease in the dim light, the young pilot sat down in the captains chair. He streched out his legs, leaned back and looked back and forth between Marcus and Daniel.
"So what's going on?"
Marcus backed away from his station, still in his chair. He shot a glance at Daniel. The scientist stared back, oblivious to anything other than the pounding inside his head.
"Danny?"
"Oh, well, as far as we can tell, there is life on the planet. Definatly not human, probably intelligent but..."
"Probably intelligent?" Jason wondered out loud.
"Well, in our own galaxy there have been plants and animals documented that emit radiation and waves, not too unlike radio waves. It's not such a stretch to say that living things do exist that emit radio waves."
Jason bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Uh huh. So have you been able to listen to what's being broadcasted?"
"White noise, and plenty of it," Marcus interjected. He sat slouching in his chair, his feet resting on the wheels of the chair and his hands on his thighs. His hair stood up in all different directions in an array of blonde and light brown spikes and curls.
Jason's left eyebrow raised questioningly. "Could it be a problem on our end?"
Marcus shrugged and Daniel stared at Jason, running over the possibilities in his mind. A second or two later he opened his mouth. "It's a possibility."
Mary carefully layed Sara in bed. She cocooned the child in blankets and made sure the chairs were all secure against the edges of the bed. With that she leaned over and gave the small child a kiss on her small forehead and left the room. Mary's red hair swung around her waist as she hurriedly made her way down the hall to Lyssa.
"Hey, let's go."
Lyssa looked up from a small notebook and smiled. After putting it away she stood, took off her white overcoat and smoothed her pants on her thighs with her palms.
Mary smiled and held out her arm. Lyssa took it and they left the room. After a few minutes of walking, they came to the bar. Lyssa snickered, looking up at the sign. A smile came across Mary's face as she knocked. A moment later Jason opened the door.
"Hello ladies, you're the first to arrive."
Mary grinned as he waved them into the dimmed room. There was a bar on the left side and a couple table with chairs on the right.
"Have a seat. Can I get you two drinks?"
Lyssa wiggled her eyebrows at Mary and giggled. "Are you old enough?"
Mary frowned. "Shut up!" Then she paused for a moment. "Intergalactically, I don't think so."
Lyssa laughed as Mary stuck out her tongue at her. "Scotch, straight up."
"Woo!" Jason yelled, "she's not even legal, but obviously experienced."
Lyssa laughed again, "Can I have a martini?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Mary smirked at Lyssa as there was a knock at the door.
"Can one of you get that?"
Mary stood, her long red hair swaying from side to side as she walked to the door. She opened it to Marcus and Daniel waiting expectantly at the door. "Come on in, boys," Mary said smiling at them, before turning to go sit back down with Lyssa.
"So how old are you?" Lyssa questioned as Mary sat back down at the table.
"Nineteen."
"And Sara?"
"Three."
Lyssa raised an eyebrow.
"I was raped just before I turned sixteen."
"Ah, I see," Lyssa said with a look on her face as though she had bitten into a lemon. "That must have been horrible for you."
Mary shrugged. "I've got Sara."
Marcus sat down quietly beside Mary after they had stood listening for a few seconds. Mary shrugged again self consciously.
"Well, I'm twenty two."
Marcus sat shocked, listening to the two women discussing their age.
"Thirty two here," Daniel interjected.
"Twenty one."
Mary snickered. "You all sound like you're embaressed about the fact that I was raped. I've had three years to deal with it, the least you can do is not act like it's the end of the world."
Marcus grinned while Lyssa kept the sour look on her face. Jason marched over to the table with a drink in either hand and set them before the two women.
"Thanks."
"No problem. What would you two like?" Jason asked looking over at Marcus and Daniel.
"Brandy," Marcus said right away.
"Anything non-alcoholic," Daniel said calmly.
Mary's mouth turned into a small smirk, but she didn't say anything as she sipped her drink and her eyes met with Marcus' smirking face.
There was a knock at the door. Jason detoured from his route to the bar and opened the door. After taking Taylor and Jonathan's order, he went to the bar. Taylor and Jonathan made their way to the table where they pulled up chairs. A few moments later Jason returned with the rest of the drinks.
"Are Carmen and Jesu coming?" Lyssa asked.
"No," Jason said, "I've decided to leave them with the ship. Carmen's too young and Jesu's too old to be taken on something like this. Now, I don't have enough weapons for everyone especially since one is still missing."
Marcus twitched uncomfortably and looked down at his drink. Daniel coughed slightly and the rest looked around at each other.
"I can go unarmed," Marcus suggested.
"Me too," said Taylor.
"Thanks guys," Jason said, "The rest of us will be armed and I'll show you all what to do. Marcus, how long till we get there?"
"About two hours."
Jason nodded, then turned his head to Daniel. "Is there any chance we'll be blown out of the sky?"
Daniel paused and thought for a moment. "There is a slight chance, sir. But I think it's more likely that if they are that intelligent, we'd be captured and studied for the rest of our natural lives."
I am incredibly sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I didn't realize that grade eleven was going to be so demanding, and I kind of lost interest in the story. But thank my english teacher for complimenting me on my creative writing, which encouraged me to finish this chapter and continue writing this story. Like I've said before, I will finish this no matter what, but it may take me a while. Thanks to all who have stuck with me this far :)