ERA 5326

For years, mankind stared up at the stars, wishing they could create their own fate in those wondrous balls of fire. No matter who was asked, all would have the same answer. The stars were the gateway to the future, and very few understood that better than the pioneers who lived on the frontier of  Alliance territory.

In a dark part of the wondrous sky, a sleek, bullet-shaped object cut through, its engines burning blue with huge jets of plasma. Lights ran along the edge, always scanning the darkest corners of the sky. Along the sides were blue streaks of paint, denoting its function as a shuttle. The most illuminated part of the hull was the designation, 'Alexandria'. It blasted silently through the vacuum of space, its destination a brightly lit space station in the distance.

Inside the Alexandria, many beings sat in bunks, flight seats, or walked around. Some carried luggage, or conversed. This time, two were in a heated argument.

“Grellick! You stupid human! That was my bunk!” A blue alien, four arms, with a single pony tail reaching down to his waist, towered over the average-sized human standing in front of him.

“Hey, Zurn! It's not marked as yours! Besides, that lazy Norian stole mine!” Grellick, a skinny Caucasian human with mousy brown hair, pointed at a large, fat, pink slug-like entity. “Hey! Gunter! Get out of my frakkin' bunk!” The slug rolled out of the bunk, slithering over to Zurn and Grellick.

“You got a problem wit' me, humie? I eat humies like ya fer brekkie!” Gunter slithered in front of Zurn, who was shaking his head.

“Gunter, you can't take Grellick's bunk. Your bunk is with the rest of the Norians in the aft compartment! Get out of here!” Gunter was about to object when Zurn lifted him up. “And don't you say nothin' 'bout it or I'll get the rest of the Huzilians to help me toss you out an airlock!” Gunter closed his mouth, slithering away to the aft compartment. Zurn shook his head. “You'd think that a mentally backward Norian would learn how to properly speak Alliance Basic. Oh well.” Zurn turned to Grellick,  who was clapping.

“I've never seen a Huzilian pick up a Norian like that before! That was awesome!” Just before Grellick was about to shake Zurn's hand, an announcement came over the ship's communications system.

“We will be docking with the Echo-5 Station in five minutes. Please secure your belongings on your person, and prepare for deceleration.” Grellick shrugged.

“Well, Zurn, see you on-station, then.” Grellick grabbed his drawstring duffel bag from underneath Zurn's bunk, tossing Zurn his sling bag.

“All right, Grellick. Hope we can get on the same maintenance crew again.” Grellick laughed, smiling at Zurn.

“That's why we're friends, junt.” Just before he made it to his flight seat, the deceleration began, flinging him onto his back. His body slammed into a guard railing, knocking the wind out of him. He gripped the railing, weakly bringing himself back up to his feet. “I hate deceleration.” He swung his back over his back as he heard the tell-tale clunking of metal on metal, the docking procedure beginning. Zurn was snoring in his flight seat, while a few of the all-female race, the Gonorrians, eyed him up and down. Grellick shook his head, walking towards the airlock to disembark the Alexandria. He stared at the airlock, gulping as he stepped over the threshold. The message that played for newcomers still played in his mind, but this time, it did not play. A maintenance crew was repairing the communications system aboard Echo-5, the most evident part being the Public Address speakers lying against the wall. A worker stopped to shimmy down his rope.

“Hey, Grellick Henderson! Good to see you, you stupid son of a gun!” The worker, a purple, tentacled alien wearing a high-visibility suit, waved at Grellick.

“Foche, you arrogant Nuzite! How have you been!” The two friends embraced, laughing as they did so.

“Grellick, word in the Civilian sector is that you might try to get a job with the Frontier Colonists. It would be an amazing job, but the Dominion of Narta... ain't a place for an arrogant Nuzite, right?” He nudged Grellick in the side, laughing.

“Foche, you have no idea the opportunity I could have. To be one of the first to step onto a new world, see it before terraforming! What a rush!” A familiar blue alien walked up behind Grellick and Foche, squeezing them both. He let out deep laughter as he set his friends down.

“Foche! Ha! You Nuzite jerk! How you doing?” Someone tapped Grellick on the shoulder, making him turn around. A strange man in a black suit was staring at him.

“It isn't polite to insult a citizen aboard this station.” Grellick waved him off, laughing.

“Nuzite tradition. You insult each other as a greeting! A fun way to blow off steam, eh, Zurn? Ha!” The three friends laughed as they walked away. “Hey, drinks are on me tonight! How about the Den tonight? I heard they got the good stuff on tap!” Zurn turned to Foche, who nodded. “All right! The Den it is!”

The Den was the seediest bar on the entirety of Echo-5. Smoke poured out when Grellick opened the door. Zurn and Foche were already inside, laughing and joking as they sat at the bar. Grellick sat down beside them, raising his hand.

“Nuzite brewski. Make it the smooth kind, too.” A metal bottle was slid over to Grellick, who shook it up. “Thanks, babe. I'll be sure to give you a good tip tonight.” He chugged part of the drink, sputtering when he felt it burn all the way down. “Real smooth. Nuzite beer for you two as well?” Zurn  nodded. Foche shrugged.

“Thought I'd try human whisky. It's not every day you get a safety bonus on station.” The holographic television in the corner blared on about colonizing opportunities on the frontier. The bartender whistled and pointed.

“Something about a new world, patrons! Quiet and listen!” The Gonorrian on the screen was rattling on about a newly discovered world.

“Sources have been saying that this world is a Class 5 planet. That would be the fifth to be discovered since the commission of Echo-5. What is more interesting is not the planet itself, but the inhabitants. Prospecting company GeoTech distributed photographs of the inhabitants. They appear to be fairly large, colourful equines with three distinct groupings: Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony. There are many opportunities being offered by GeoTech to colonize the uninhabited areas on this new planet, which currently does not have a name. Its designation is J-144. GeoTech. Explorers into a new future.” The program ended with an advertisement about signing up with Geotech. Grellick turned with a big smile towards Zurn and Foche.

“Guys-”

“Grellick, if you're going to talk us out of going with maintenance-”

“This could be our chance to be somebody, not just numbers on a computer anymore. To blaze trails on a new world, to meet new races! Don't tell me that's not appealing to you!” Grellick raised his hands in the air for emphasis.

“It does seem interesting. Foche?” Foche was grinning from what could be one ear to the other.

“I say let's do it.”

“All right. One more round! To new discoveries!” They raised their flasks in the air, knocking back their drinks fast. Three friends cheered as they stood up to go sign up.

“Well, a human, a Nuzite, and a Huzilian. I'd never thought I'd see the day when you three maintenance workers decided to make something of yourselves.” The clerk at the desk seemed to know Grellick and his friends.

“We saw the new discovery, and thought, 'Why not? Let's blaze some new trails!” The clerk flexed its fingers, its mask hiding which race it belonged to.

“Well, then. Enter the door to your left. That's all you have to do. I hope you like it on J-144.” Grellick, Zurn, and Foche entered the door, seeing no other sentient beings around.

“Foche, why are we the only ones?” Grellick turned to Zurn and Foche.

“Because it appears that no one wants to do something radical or new.” Foche sat down in a seat. Grellick and Zurn followed suit. After about five minutes, a small alien, purple, with a single eye, waddled into the room. Its voice sounded like a child's.

“If you all would come with me?” The trio stood, following the waddling Guzeri into the next room, where three sets of clothing sat. Long trench-coats, with wide-brimmed hats, metal combat armour, heavy trousers and thick steel-toe workboots.

“Are these what we have to wear on that world?” Zurn ran his finger along one of the uniforms, checking the trench-coat. It had four sleeves, and was the perfect size for him.

“Unfortunately, yes. Now, the coats, they have a camouflage matrix installed, so you can use them to hide yourselves from any being that might decide you will make a tasty meal. The armour is for extended combat, of course. Now, you will get some weapons.” A large rack of various firearms slid out from the wall. Zurn retrieved a very large shotgun, Foche lifted a folding rifle, while Grellick settled on a small handgun. “Suit up and get ready.”

When all three were suited, they regarded themselves with a certain modicum of mirth. They did not appear like their thought of pioneers, but more like operatives about to be inserted into a war zone. Grellick flipped out his handgun, spinning it around before sliding it quickly back into the holster. Zurn pumped his shotgun, popping an empty shell out. Foche merely securely strapped his rifle to his back. As they finished preparing, a large holo-screen dropped from the ceiling. A human in a military uniform appeared on the screen.

“Welcome gentlemen. I am General Havok of the Alliance Military faction. As you should be made aware of, there are four factions in the Alliance: the Military, the Civilian, the Pioneers, and the Intelligentsia. Whatever you do, do not mess with the last one. First things first, you've been given your special uniforms that will allow you to hide from enemies. Second, you've been given weapons for self-defense.” A large map of what appeared to be a landing zone was shown. “The world still has not been identified. Now, something that you were not told on the news. This planet-” The map zoomed out. “-is on the demilitarized zone between the Alliance and the Dominion.” Grellick stared, Zurn crossed his arms, and Foche made a choking sound. “That means that the Dominion of Narta may have already detected J-144 and may have sent a team of pioneers as well. We will be sending you aboard the Nosferatu, our quickest jumpdrive corvette. Until you are dropped off on the planet with a three-being shuttle, you will be in command of the Nosferatu. Any questions?” The trio looked around at each other without speaking. “All right. Head to the Military Sector and meet with Security Director Zuask. He'll be the one wearing a suit of security armour even inside a civilian Mag-Train station. I do recommend you take the Mag-Train. Godspeed, good sirs.” The screen slid back into the ceiling, leaving Grellick, Zurn, and Foche seated in the small room. As they sat there, the room began to move. A beeping sound emitted from a speaker near the door, followed by a short message.

“Mag-Train online. Please remain seated at all times while train is accelerating and decelerating.” The train began to move faster and faster, the metal spars outside speeding by quicker and quicker. A hissing sound echoed inside, followed by another message. “Air seals active. The car is now pressurized. Entering vacuum.” The train exited the outside of the station, running on a rail system outside. Grellick turned to watch various shuttles of differing races come to and leave the Civilian sector of the station.

“It's still amazing just how many races are in the Alliance.” The shuttle suddenly shifted tracks, floating weightless for a few seconds before the magnets kicked in again. Zurn chuckled.

“Echo-5 may have state-of-the-art defense systems, but the rail system still has to rely on action/reaction forces to switch tracks in vacuum.”

The train slid to a stop in the Military sector's Mag-Train hub station. As the trio left, a large crowd pushed past, various languages and voices creating a cacophony of noise. A single man, wearing security armour and cradling a laser rifle in his arm, walked briskly up to the trio.

“I've been sent by the security director. I'm Agent Black. I'll be your guide to the Nosferatu.” The trio fell into step behind Black as he walked away. “So, I hear you're the three going to J-144? I don't envy you. I don't want to go anywhere near the demilitarized zone, even if I wanted to be a Pioneer. You lot are crazy.” The rest of the walk was spent in silence. Zurn pointed out several good places to find a good time to Foche, while Grellick shoved his hands in his pockets. When he looked up, several security agents were aiming at him, Zurn and Foche.

“What's going on? Where's the Nosferatu?! Black!?” Another security agent stepped forward.

“Hold still for identification scan. If you have any papers, please present them now.” A small wrist scanner waved over Grellick. “Grellick Henderson. Former maintenance worker in the Civilian sector of Echo-5. Recently hired by GeoTech as a Pioneer. He's clean. So are the Huzilian and the Nuzite.” They dragged 'Black' out. “This man is a wanted criminal. I would hazard a guess that he intended to lead you to a waste grate, shoot you, and take your place on the ship to escape the full extent of the law.” The imposter was dragged away, with one security agent kicking him in the stomach. “I'm Director Zuask. Now, the Nosferatu is currently in Bay 12. The entirety of your trip will consist of training and practice. A full two days travel time.” Grellick held out his hand to Zuask.

“Thank you, Zuask. I'm sure we'll be fine on J-144.” Zuask chuckled.

“A planet in the DMZ. It's just great. I hope you get there before the Dominion, or we will have a war on our hands for that planet. You do know its significance, right?” Zurn looked at Foche, who gave the equivalent of a human shrug. “It is strategically important. A single launch platform in J-144's gravity well could tip the balance in the current stalemate.” Zuask handed a Personal Data Assistant to Grellick. “These are your orders, from the Magistrate of the station himself. Don't cause anything that might create hostilities between the Alliance and this new race. Godspeed, Henderson.” Henderson gripped the PDA tightly, shoving it in his coat pocket. A loud voice boomed over the Public Address system.

“Pioneers boarding for planet J-144, please come to Bay 12. The Nosferatu is waiting.” Zurn pointed at a sign that distinguished the bays.

“That's Bay 12 right there. Let's see what kind of people crew the Nosferatu.”

As they entered Bay 12, they were greeted by the sight of a sleek, silver bullet with four wings at the flat end. Two large engines were on each wing, humming quietly. The front of the bullet was pointed, sharp. Underneath, two large laser cannons perched, glowing red with their deadly aptitude. A being inside a pressure suit approached the trio as they sat in amazement at the jumpship.

“Welcome to the Nosferatu. First, I am a Junto. Now that's out of the way, I am the captain of this fine jumpdrive corvette. Would you come aboard?” Without much else to examine on the hull, they followed the captain inside.

The actual inside of the vessel was smaller than expected. The captain pointed to various places.

“This is the common area, where you'll be having your meals for the next two days. Your quarters are marked by the yellow lines on the ground. Refer to the guides on the wall for which lines go where. Command Bridge and Engineering are off-limits. I think that's all I need to say.” The Junto turned to them with a red curve appearing on his helmet. “My name-designation is VIG-56.” VIG left for the Bridge. Foche tapped Grellick on the shoulder, a confused expression coming across his face.

“What's a Junto?”

“Cybernetic race. The pressure suits make certain that their bodies are at a consistent temperature. Don't make one mad, or they will not hesitate to hunt you down and murder you. I had an uncle who did that once. That was never pretty.” He dropped his duffel bag on the ground. “Let's get settled in. They should be leaving soon.”

As the Nosferatu undocked, a small shuttle silently clamped magnetically onto the underside of the hull. Inside, a single man sat.

“Well, Alliance dogs. You will never be able to fight the Dominion if we get to J-144 first. It will be our world.” As he continued to speak, his voice began to distort as his face was covered in shadows. “My world.”