pity this busy monster,manunkind,Ê
not.
Ê
The bridge of the flagship Zeoifh glowed with the various holographic diagrams of the small blue planet, flickered as the images changed and altered to display other things. A detailed terrain of the planet flashed for a moment, then thermonuclear readouts, areas of high population highlighted. The images were replaced with diagrams of the large metallic satellites that orbited the planet. The lights of the pictures were reflected on a perfectly sculpted face. Pale eyes glittered faintly, then narrowed, shutting out the light.
"This is the information the scout ship gathered?" the soft voice mused.
On the left of the bridge, a slight and shadowed figure rose deferentially. "Yes, Commander Pasdreti. This is the information that was requested on the Third Planet."
A small, amused smile touched the Commander's lips, and with a wave of the hand the images focused on the cylindrical satellites. "These satellites are hardly the products of a primitive backward planet with a point zero zero one technology rating."
Another wave of the hand and an orbital diagram of the planet came into view, showing areas of obvious technological activity in the large continent in the southern hemisphere and other regions. The planet's natural satellite also had signs of significant technological developments.
"Agreed, Commander," said the figure to the left. "Is such evidence of advancement constituting a threat to the Direut?"
The Commander nodded rather negligently. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. It would be preferred that, rather than elimination of a potential threat, assimilation could be used as the favorable option."
With a slight turning of the head, the dark and regal commander of the flag ship of the First Direut Battle Fleet brought the ship's communications officer to his feet. "Lieutenant, inform the Combine Head General that the fleet will engage in diplomatic action as respite from its typical wanton destruction."
Commander Pasdreti's eyes glittered again with concealed levity as the Lieutenant smiled slightly and bowed, turning back to the communications console. The Commander of the Zeoifh trusted his officers to be discreet despite the words of his orders, a trust built from dependability during thousands of battles and a sort of preservation of self through the preservation of the group. The Head General would receive a more diplomatically worded message. Meanwhile, a messenger ship would be sent down to the planet and engage the sentient species into a sort of temporary alliance.Ê
Pasdreti wondered if the dominant language had changed much since the last time the Direut visited the planet Earth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You know, Hilde," the young man known as Duo Maxwell said from his place on the spread blanket. He was laying down on his back, looking up to the stars that shone in the night sky. "I really think there might be another intelligence race somewhere, out there."
Hilde Schiebeker, his best friend and house mate of 10 years, nodded from her vantage point on the hood of their car, also peering up into the starry expanse of the heavens. Not knowing that she had responded, Duo craned his head up toward. "What do you think?"
She thought a moment before verbally responding, playing with a strand of cropped hair. Looking down to Duo's upturned, expectant face, Hilde shrugged. "Who knows? The universe is immense. Odds are another higher race cropped up somewhere, don't you think?"
Duo grinned like an imp and winked. "The truth is out there... ooooo!" He laughed as he lunged away from the empty soda can Hilde tossed at his head. The braided man picked up the can from where it came to rest on the patchwork quilt and slowly crushed it in his hand, looking back up at the sky. Something had caught his eye.
Duo squinted at a particular "star", which he though had just moved. "Hey, Hilde..."
"Yeah?"
He gestured towards to quadrant of sky he was observing. "Did you see that?"
The German girl brushed her unruly bangs from her face where the wind had blown them. "See what, Duo?"
"I dunno..." The wind was picking up a bit, giving a chill cast to the previously mild night.
Hilde blew the bangs away from her face with an exasperated burst of air, glaring down at Duo. "If you don't know what you saw, then how I can I know if I saw it?"
He shrugged less than expressively, leaning against his propped arms. "It looked like that star moved..."
Hilde huffed impatiently. "It was probably a shuttle from one of the colonies, ya big dumb lug! Now you're all caught up thinking it was a UFO, or something."
Eyes aglitter, Duo grinned up to his girl-buddy. "Wow, you really think it was a UFO, Hilde?"
Ê
"Baka," he heard her snort. "It's getting cold, Duo, let's head back home."
"Yeah, ok." Duo stood up off the blanket and bent to pick it up, folding the well-worn quilt as he walked around to the back of the car. Hilde slid off the hood and retrieved the crushed can, then made a perimeter check of their picnic area for any other trash. Duo laughed to himself watching her.
'That's my Hilde;Ê always looking after good ole Mother Earth,' he thought. Then his eyes were drawn up to the sky again with a bit of apprehension. 'I don't think that was just a shuttle...'
ÊÊ
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Almost half a world away, it was nearly dawn on the Mediterranean. The waves of the sea lapped quietly on the shore near a small villa, comfortable atop a bluff overlooking the water. Well tailored gardens that guarded the villa were washed of color in the silver pre-dawn light and it seemed at the sounds of the world muted in the transition of night into day. The calm and serenity was so complete that Quatre's harsh breaths frightened him terribly.
The young blonde man sat up in his bed in the little villa, his eyes wide and wild. He stared blindly at the wall opposite him, a clutched fist over his erratically beating heart.
'Scared, Allah, I'm scared! What is this, what's going on? What was that I felt, what's going on?? What..' Quatre's thoughts ran in circles as he struggled to gain control of his sleep dulled senses. He felt a light touch on his arm and he flinched in startlement.
"...Quatre?" Trowa's voice was slow from sleep, and soft. "...What's wrong?"
Quatre blinked, looking at his life partner, who was still half-asleep in the bed beside him.Ê
"Nothing, Trowa," he whispered in reply. "A bad dream..."
"...Oh.... Alright..." Trowa sighed, slipping back into sleep. Quatre laid back down and curled himself up against his lover's chest. Warm arms rose automatically to encircle him and he closed his eyes, trying to dispel the lingering tendrils of foreboding that lurked in his mind.
not.
Ê
The bridge of the flagship Zeoifh glowed with the various holographic diagrams of the small blue planet, flickered as the images changed and altered to display other things. A detailed terrain of the planet flashed for a moment, then thermonuclear readouts, areas of high population highlighted. The images were replaced with diagrams of the large metallic satellites that orbited the planet. The lights of the pictures were reflected on a perfectly sculpted face. Pale eyes glittered faintly, then narrowed, shutting out the light.
"This is the information the scout ship gathered?" the soft voice mused.
On the left of the bridge, a slight and shadowed figure rose deferentially. "Yes, Commander Pasdreti. This is the information that was requested on the Third Planet."
A small, amused smile touched the Commander's lips, and with a wave of the hand the images focused on the cylindrical satellites. "These satellites are hardly the products of a primitive backward planet with a point zero zero one technology rating."
Another wave of the hand and an orbital diagram of the planet came into view, showing areas of obvious technological activity in the large continent in the southern hemisphere and other regions. The planet's natural satellite also had signs of significant technological developments.
"Agreed, Commander," said the figure to the left. "Is such evidence of advancement constituting a threat to the Direut?"
The Commander nodded rather negligently. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. It would be preferred that, rather than elimination of a potential threat, assimilation could be used as the favorable option."
With a slight turning of the head, the dark and regal commander of the flag ship of the First Direut Battle Fleet brought the ship's communications officer to his feet. "Lieutenant, inform the Combine Head General that the fleet will engage in diplomatic action as respite from its typical wanton destruction."
Commander Pasdreti's eyes glittered again with concealed levity as the Lieutenant smiled slightly and bowed, turning back to the communications console. The Commander of the Zeoifh trusted his officers to be discreet despite the words of his orders, a trust built from dependability during thousands of battles and a sort of preservation of self through the preservation of the group. The Head General would receive a more diplomatically worded message. Meanwhile, a messenger ship would be sent down to the planet and engage the sentient species into a sort of temporary alliance.Ê
Pasdreti wondered if the dominant language had changed much since the last time the Direut visited the planet Earth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You know, Hilde," the young man known as Duo Maxwell said from his place on the spread blanket. He was laying down on his back, looking up to the stars that shone in the night sky. "I really think there might be another intelligence race somewhere, out there."
Hilde Schiebeker, his best friend and house mate of 10 years, nodded from her vantage point on the hood of their car, also peering up into the starry expanse of the heavens. Not knowing that she had responded, Duo craned his head up toward. "What do you think?"
She thought a moment before verbally responding, playing with a strand of cropped hair. Looking down to Duo's upturned, expectant face, Hilde shrugged. "Who knows? The universe is immense. Odds are another higher race cropped up somewhere, don't you think?"
Duo grinned like an imp and winked. "The truth is out there... ooooo!" He laughed as he lunged away from the empty soda can Hilde tossed at his head. The braided man picked up the can from where it came to rest on the patchwork quilt and slowly crushed it in his hand, looking back up at the sky. Something had caught his eye.
Duo squinted at a particular "star", which he though had just moved. "Hey, Hilde..."
"Yeah?"
He gestured towards to quadrant of sky he was observing. "Did you see that?"
The German girl brushed her unruly bangs from her face where the wind had blown them. "See what, Duo?"
"I dunno..." The wind was picking up a bit, giving a chill cast to the previously mild night.
Hilde blew the bangs away from her face with an exasperated burst of air, glaring down at Duo. "If you don't know what you saw, then how I can I know if I saw it?"
He shrugged less than expressively, leaning against his propped arms. "It looked like that star moved..."
Hilde huffed impatiently. "It was probably a shuttle from one of the colonies, ya big dumb lug! Now you're all caught up thinking it was a UFO, or something."
Eyes aglitter, Duo grinned up to his girl-buddy. "Wow, you really think it was a UFO, Hilde?"
Ê
"Baka," he heard her snort. "It's getting cold, Duo, let's head back home."
"Yeah, ok." Duo stood up off the blanket and bent to pick it up, folding the well-worn quilt as he walked around to the back of the car. Hilde slid off the hood and retrieved the crushed can, then made a perimeter check of their picnic area for any other trash. Duo laughed to himself watching her.
'That's my Hilde;Ê always looking after good ole Mother Earth,' he thought. Then his eyes were drawn up to the sky again with a bit of apprehension. 'I don't think that was just a shuttle...'
ÊÊ
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Almost half a world away, it was nearly dawn on the Mediterranean. The waves of the sea lapped quietly on the shore near a small villa, comfortable atop a bluff overlooking the water. Well tailored gardens that guarded the villa were washed of color in the silver pre-dawn light and it seemed at the sounds of the world muted in the transition of night into day. The calm and serenity was so complete that Quatre's harsh breaths frightened him terribly.
The young blonde man sat up in his bed in the little villa, his eyes wide and wild. He stared blindly at the wall opposite him, a clutched fist over his erratically beating heart.
'Scared, Allah, I'm scared! What is this, what's going on? What was that I felt, what's going on?? What..' Quatre's thoughts ran in circles as he struggled to gain control of his sleep dulled senses. He felt a light touch on his arm and he flinched in startlement.
"...Quatre?" Trowa's voice was slow from sleep, and soft. "...What's wrong?"
Quatre blinked, looking at his life partner, who was still half-asleep in the bed beside him.Ê
"Nothing, Trowa," he whispered in reply. "A bad dream..."
"...Oh.... Alright..." Trowa sighed, slipping back into sleep. Quatre laid back down and curled himself up against his lover's chest. Warm arms rose automatically to encircle him and he closed his eyes, trying to dispel the lingering tendrils of foreboding that lurked in his mind.