ARRIVAL- Chapter Four: Encroaching Force
27 Sep 2017Tranquil (BORGGY)
IV
“It has been about two months since Ali and I were at one of the Guardian sites collecting data for analysis. The relationship between Guardian and Thargoid tech is indeed a chaotic one, perhaps, it is because of the materials the ancient race used or that it might be similar to ours”
“ Anything which is not Thargoid in origin is deemed impure”
“That was what Ali said”
It is profoundly quiet in the cockpit of the Wraith as their are not many beeps or boops as their usually is particularly when Ali is busy. The only thing that breaks the silence is Joe’s voice, currently making a log entry.
“...So it has been quiet really till the Thargoids showed up...in force”
“Not invasive”, Ali interjects.
“I’m doing my log here, do ya mind?”
Silence
“Thargoid vessels have grown in number...they have arrived and are encroaching into Human space, at present it is the Pleiades sector that is a hotspot for Thargoid activity; which is where we are at the moment and have been for these past months, waiting and observing. Vessels of both Federation and Empire have been attacked, even a Farragut- Class battlecruiser which me and Ali examined.
Joe grasps a bottle of beer and swigs down a portion before continuing, he wipes his mouth.
“And it’s been god-damn boring! Most of the time”
He swigs again.
“On the plus side however, INRA has paid me generously as promised with all this data, though it’s not enough to get my mother off Artemis 4...honestly I don’t think Laphria will be the best place to stay anymore now that the Thargoids are back. I’m not sure where is safe anymore, I don’t know if a fleet of Thargoid ships will hyper in and start ravaging every single Human inhabited world!”
Joe finishes off the beer and then proceeds to crack open another one, although he does not drink from it right away and instead places upon his desk.
“Maybe a remote system or Sol, secure but very expensive. I don’t know”
He drifts into a blank stare for a minute until realising he trailed off, “End log”, he says.
Silence...
His fingertips touch the cold surface of the fresh beer and carefully he picks the bottle up into his grasp. Ali breaks the silence.
“That ordeal with the last Thargoid ship was certainly inspiring”, she muses.
“With those circling drone things yeah, it certainly was one of those moments to back the fuck away. How are you anyway, I know I’ve been cold in a sense”
“Cold?? That is my place, you Humans can be all over the place one moment to the next. But I appreciate the consideration...I am fine”
“That Thargoid seem to have fried you up a little bit”, he says with a grain of empathy.
“Thankfully it was only an acute amount of time”
“Shame we didn’t get any data”
“They possess a significant degree of encryption and malware protection”
Joe takes a massive gulp of the beer whilst examining the barnacles up ahead- which they have both already checked about an hour ago and no signs of Thargoid presence appeared. This is the place where the first barnacles were discovered back in 3302, Merope 5c.
“I ponder on what instruments this new Aegis organization has”, says Ali.
“Oh yeah, what do you have on them?”
“I am not clear on them myself, INRA has not told me anything about them so I do not know if their a rival group or a splinter section of INRA”
“Can’t you dig?”
“Joe, if I was to do that I would be violating INRAs protocols and it might trigger a decommissioning...which means death”
“Can’t you ask?” Prodding a little further.
“No, Joe!” She growls.
The man sighs and gets up off the seat to walk around with beer in hand. He goes from one terminal to another viewing diagrams of Thargoid ship schematics each encompassed by a jumble of numbers that make no sense. All their observations of the Thargoid ships seem to suggest an inquisitive approach. The only new thing now is that they are taking occupied escape pods for reasons unknown. Although Ali had mentioned experimentation is to be the highest probability.
“So what does our higher ones want us to do now? I’m so bored on being on this rock...”
A few beeps and bloops and other electrical sounds ring off.
“Hold on”, Ali tells him.
Joe heads into his cabin and proceeds to check his personal device, a hologram consisting of applications, notifications and other things envelope around his arm. Joe activates the network link allowing him to connect to the galactic network system, all messages, calls and updates will appear. Eleven missed calls and one message pops up, all from Joanna Jenkins. They blink, lighting up the dim-lit room. He sits upon the side of his bed anxious in what the message might hold. Nonetheless he taps it anyway, opening the message.
Hi sweetheart, are you okay? Something has popped up on the news talking about Thargoids! All systems have been put on alert and everyone is panicking. I don’t know what to do and I need to find out if you’re okay?? Please call or message me, please xx
“Ahhh, crap”, he says aloud.
Suddenly Ali’s voice bursts out from the shadows startling him.
“Other agents are going to take over from here and they want us to meet an information broker who has ties with us...apparently he has our next assignment. I have the co-ordinates they have sent”
“Where?“
"HR 1185, on a carrier known as the Indra, it orbits the fourth planet of the system”
“Grr, dammit”, he curses under his voice.
“Something wrong?” Ali asks.
Joe pushes himself off the bed and fast walks to the ships seat and buckles in, with a dabble of his fingers ship diagnostics arise.
“My mother is worried sick...I need to get her off that planet!”
Quietness ensues again, until; “We can’t divert from our task, Joe”
Surprisingly, a hint of sadness is carried by her voice, something that he has never heard before. Looking down, eyes closing, stuck on what to do. In a few minutes he engages the engine drive and primes the vessel for lift off.
“Lock in the co-ordinates then, Ali”, he asks, enthusiastically.