Bakala pulled out a flat rectangle that reminded Dan of a tablet computer. Indeed at a touch the device lit up. However, instead of holding it up and looking at the screen, it projected a holographic image in front of them.
"Dan Oleson," Speckman supplied.
Dan's image, his face red and blotchy, appeared in front of them.
"I've got you in 302, forward, with some of your crew," Bakala said, "if that's okay."
"Of course, where ever is fine."
"And you can tell the system to update your picture when you don't have that burn," he joked. "We'll get you a slate tomorrow." He shut down the rectangular object and gestured at it to show what a slate was. "I ran out quick. When we outfitted for this expedition we never thought we would encounter an entire planet that didn't already have them. For tonight, let me show you to your quarters."
"If you need some cream to soothe your skin," Kavi said, touching his arm again, "healer bay 17, just ask for Kavi."
"I'll send word when the captain wants to hold his next staff meeting, until then you are dismissed from duty, sir," Speckman said, snapping a salute.
Dan returned the salute.
"I guess I am dismissed from duty for the moment as well," Speckman added. "Think I'll go see what those boys found over in the kitchen area. Maybe some cool space food."
Out in the hallway again, Bakala shoulder bumped Dan. "I think that Kavi wants to put some lotion on you, man," he said with a laugh.
Dan laughed, too. The situation made him uncomfortable but having it out in the open made it less so. "Yeah, I kind of noticed." They turned right and went down the hall for a long way. Other passageways branched off here and there.
An overhead page spoke in Consortium and then English, "Secure in ten, repeat, secure in ten."
Dan looked at Bakala. "Don't worry, we've plenty of time. That's mostly for the equipment crew." To Dan's continued blank look he added, "We need to secure everything in the next ten minutes, so we can get off planet side."
"Are we still at the ship?" Dan asked.
"No, we've been cruising low and soft, out of the hot zone for several minutes now. As soon as the more severely injured and equipment is secured we will start to rise more sharply, a couple of g most like."
"Cruising? Damn, I didn't even know we were moving."
"Barely," Bakala said. "But yeah, we've good pilots, let me tell you. Good healers, too. Hell, it's just a great ship. I am honored to serve aboard her."
Dan smiled, "you call ships 'her' too?"
"Yeah, why not?"
Dan just shrugged.
"Don't worry about Kavi none, if you want, fine, you don't want, fine. Six weeks without docking? I am sure lots of people will be thinking about some companionship to pass the time. Maybe not as quick as her, but all the same."
After another couple minutes Bakala announced, "forward crew compartment." They passed through a double set of doors into another set of hallways. "You guys are hullside, got lucky too, port window. Well, I suppose it depends on our orbit, you might have a view of nothing."
He stopped towards the end of the passage way. There were doors up and down both sides of the hall, each with a set of symbols on them. If it weren't for the terra cotta colored walls and the oblong shape of the doors, Dan could almost imagine he was in a hotel somewhere on Earth.
As if reading his mind, Bakala rapped on the door and called out, "one more guest."
The door slid open. The quarters weren't as small as he had feared, but they weren't large either. If he had to choose a word to describe the room he would have said efficient. A walkway ran the length of the room. The room was just wide enough that he could extend both arms comfortably out and touch either wall. To his left was a closet, about eight feet long and divided into four compartments. To the right was a kitchenette area with a small sink. The kitchenette area ended a couple of feet shorter than the closet and there was a rectangle of frosted glass that proved to be the toilet facility.
Beyond this first area were two bunks on either side. Behind them was a small communal area, just big enough for a round table with a cushioned bench running around the edge of the room. A view screen was built into the wall on the left of the table and as promised, a small round window was at the very back to the room.
"Officer," Kleppie's voice barked. He leaped off the top bunk and snapped a salute. Tyler Madsen, another one of Dan's gunners, appeared around the curve of the common room, scooting rapidly out and coming to attention beside Kleppie.
"At ease, men," Dan said. "We are off duty. Besides we are bunkmates now. I will not tolerate formality in my quarters, understood?"
Kleppie deflated quickly. "Thank god, I was hoping you'd say that, sir."
The overhead went off again, this time, "five to secure, repeat five to secure."
"What do we need to do to secure?" Dan asked Bakala.
"We aren't going to do anything too fancy, you can lay on your cots or sit on the couch. There are straps if things get rough. They'll warn you. I should get back to my post. If you need anything, Mister Dan, just let me know." He winked and walked out.
Dan stared after him, wondering about that wink. If this were Earth, he'd have sworn he just got propositioned yet again. Did the Consortium have gay people?
Of course they did, he thought. It was just part of nature. That's what he'd always been taught.
Ever since their first arrival, almost four months ago now, this had been one of the most discussed topics in the LGBT community. The Consortium translator system had churned through most of Earth's many languages in less than a day. They had hit around seventy five to eighty percent English in no time, translating complex intellectual and technological terms flawlessly. The remaining twenty percent were cultural concepts that were too loaded with meaning and baggage for a logical system to translate.
Sexuality and gender were two areas that seemed to defy logical translation. Some conservatives had already latched onto the fact that there was no direct translation for words like gay in Consortium and were having a heyday with it, saying, "see, it's not a real thing after all."
As if to prove this was not the end of the discussion, when a small African nation had recently attempted to pass a law against homosexuality Captain Ganaka of the expeditionary force had reacted with the worst outrage they had seen from him yet. He called it a grievous human rights violation, to punish someone for being in love. It seemed to speak of acceptance.
Besides, the other side of the language barrier had to do with gender. The Consortium seemed to have numerous distinctions that defied translation as male or female. Even the brief glimpses they had seen of Consortium citizens showed that butch women and effeminate men were common and unremarkable and many people, like the healer Kavi, seemed ambiguous.
Dan turned his attention the present moment. "So it's the three of us?"
"Jensen will be joining us as soon as the healers are done with him. Don't suppose it will be until after we take off now," Kleppie said. He paused. "Walker?"
"Cheyenne," Dan breathed.
"We heard she lived, somehow."
"Yeah, I saw them bring her on board." He choked up suddenly, the image of the mass of white paste, the legs gone at the knee.
"Is she gonna make it?" Madsen asked.
"They think so. They've got technology we don't. But..."
"What?" Kleppie prompted.
Dan shook his head. "Her injuries were so extensive. You can't even imagine."
The overhead began beeping a warning signal.
"Come'on," Madsen said. "That guy said the couches were good enough. Let's get settled in." Dan followed him back and slid onto the couch. Outside their tiny window he could see the ocean. They were still low, maybe a hundred feet above the waves, gliding gently along.
Kleppie went to the kitchenette area and came back with three long cylinders. They looked like a pop cans, they even had writing along the side and a picture of a woman's smiling face, except it was twice as tall as an earth can and made of some sort of plastic-like material. Probably some sort of biodegradable carbon something or rather. The Consortium seemed to make everything out of carbon. It made sense, it was the most common element in the universe. Kleppie hit a button at the bottom of the can and then peeled back the top cover. "Nausea can," he said, mimicking Bakala's accent surprisingly well. He went on in his own voice. "They gave us a case of the shit. Once the radiation poisoning kicks in, we're going to be sick a lot."
"Yeah," Madsen said. "Mom's got cancer, you know. They've been doing radiation treatment on her. Now we get to experience the same things, hair loss, getting sick day and night, should be lovely."
"We got a much bigger dose than a radiation treatment," Dan said. "We will also get burns, radiation induced leukemia..."
"Anyway," Kleppie said over him, "this is a blend of electrolytes, fluids and nausea medicine."
Dan sniffed and then took a drink. It was warm. It tasted like a broth of some kind, slightly salty, but pleasant enough. "Well, sick is better than dead, I guess." He held up his can. "Here's to not being dead."
The others raised their glasses to his toast and drank. The pilot came on the overhead, her voice translated behind her for their benefit. Dan found the seatbelt-like straps buried in the cushions of the couch and pulled them on as instructed. Outside the window the world was dropping away as the ship's main engines cut on.
This is the end of episode one: Attack! Don't fear, episode two is ready to start posting. Thanks for reading and don't forget to vote and comment.