“Will they send anyone to recover us?” Catarina sat at the desk, her face resting on her palms.
“No.” He doubted the Board would.
“Why not?” Engineer Rufus Eloff had been part of the initial meetings with the Board.
“You were there, Rufus. If we don’t return, they’ll deem us killed in action, and a recovery will be out of the question. The vote to approve our mission was already a close one, with only four of the ten Primaries supporting the Board’s decision.”
“Why did they keep us alive?” Bryson Kelley’s wife was growing frantic, and Preston wished he’d never left Earth behind.
“They need something from us. Which means we’re going to do what they say.” Preston glanced at Commander Garret Breaker, and thought the man had snapped. He hadn’t spoken in two days, not since the Velibar had stormed Obelisk and brutally murdered Lieutenant Hunt.
Preston closed his eyes, recalling Hunt lying in a pool of his own blood.
“Where are they bringing us?” Eloff asked. They were looking to Preston for guidance, leadership, and assurance, but he didn’t feel the least bit inspirational.
Preston didn’t have enough information. Hunt had been killed when he lunged at a Velibar soldier. The aliens hadn’t hurt anyone else, as far as Preston could tell, but they’d been shoved into this room, and hadn’t been allowed to leave in the two days since.
“Not to Proxima. We would have arrived already,” Preston informed them. “This implies we’re flying somewhere else.”
Catarina started to cry, and he averted his gaze.
Bang. Bang.
Someone was at the door. It opened, revealing a Velibar. His brown glossy brown armor was streaked in a dried stain, and Preston guessed it was blood. His crew’s or someone else’s, he didn’t know. The being stank like raw shellfish at the market. One of the tentacles drooping past its gray lips was torn off, long ago healed into a jagged scar.
He pointed a finger at Preston, the suction cups flexing, then relaxing. “With me.”
Preston glanced at Cat, offering her assurance. No doubt it was more of a terrified grimace. “Stay strong, my friends.”
The thing grabbed his arm, pulling him roughly. It was a good two feet taller than him, and twice his weight. Preston didn’t fight it, just let himself be dragged like a ragdoll through the corridors. He’d spent two years on the ship, and after two days with the Velibar on board, it no longer felt like his posting.
This place was unfamiliar and cold. “Where are we going?”
He didn’t respond as he took Preston onto the elevator. They landed, and he understood their destination. The being grunted and shoved him forward onto the bridge as the doors opened.
“What is your name?” The bridge was occupied by a single Velibar, the one from their first contact. He was slightly smaller than the being who’d roughly escorted Preston for this meeting, yet he commanded attention. Preston knew a true leader when he saw one, and this man was the real deal.
Preston walked over, standing as upright as he could. “Captain Preston Lewis of Obelisk.”
“Obelisk. Curious name,” the man said. “You recall what I told you?”
Preston didn’t need to be reminded. “That I am no longer human. That I am Velibar.”
“Correct.”
“How do you know my language?” Preston asked.
The Velibar laughed, his tentacles waving over his lips. “We have been listening for centuries. You would be amazed how few beings protect their outgoing transmissions.”
Preston cleared his throat, unsure what this man wanted with him. “What’s your name? I prefer to know who my bosses are.”
“Good. This is promising. My name is Oleth Con. First Regal of the Biks.” He pounded a fist against his chest, making Preston flinch.
“I am pleased to meet you, First Regal.” Preston tried but failed to keep his voice from trembling.
“What rank do you hold?” he asked.
This was an important question. If Preston was insignificant, they might do away with him. If he was too high up, they wouldn’t believe he was on an expedition to another system. It was obvious their tolerance was low.
“I’m the CEO of the second-largest Corporation running Earth,” he lied. Erik Trevors would have to forgive his discretion.
“Corporations. I’ve read on your manner of rule. I have to say, it’s unique, but not effective.” Oleth turned from Preston, gazing out the viewscreen.
To Preston, it appeared like they were moving much faster than Obelisk’s engines would allow. “Did you modify my”—he stopped to correct himself—“your ship?”
The Velibar laughed, his voice booming through the bridge. “You are mounted under our craft. We cannot wait for this rudimentary explorer to travel all this distance. It would take decades.”
Preston swallowed his fear. They were leaving known space, flying toward a distant and unknown future. Maybe the Velibar home planet.
Despite his worries, the concept of contacting an alien race intrigued him. For a moment his curiosity got the better of him, and Preston smiled at the thoughts.
“You are amused?” Oleth Con, First Regal of the Biks watched him with inquisitiveness.
Preston had to remember he was pretending to be one of the CEOs, and he chose his words carefully. “Luna Corp was my dream, as it was my father’s before me. But I’ve always had the longing to explore space outside our system. None of the others wanted to. They preferred to live within their comfort zone, obsessing over what was in front of our eyes. If they couldn’t taste or touch something, it didn’t affect them. Hell, if they couldn’t profit on it, then it was forgotten.”
Preston walked forward, standing five meters from the screen, hands behind his back. “I had always dreamt of exploring the unknown, so I lobbied to be sent to Proxima. They agreed to let me go after I explained we could strip the system of its resources. Hunks of rock means ores, and mining makes profits.”
Oleth must have felt at ease, because the volume of his voice dropped dramatically. “Am I to presume your lack of leadership on Earth means there is no congruent defensive fleet?”
Preston
