A/N; Here we go. The last chapter in this short story, there will be an epilogue which deals with some of the questions I'm sure you'll have with the ending of this chapter.
parthaker; In response to your review I can say that I have not read those books, but I have spoken to my dad about it and hopefully he'll buy them for me. I would do it myself but I don't have much money at the moment.
Leinad; With ninety people humanity could easily rebuild, it would take time but we could manage it. It's all about genetic diversity with that few people, but around eighty people is thought to be the minimum number we could get away with regarding it, any fewer and we'd all become inbreds. It's a fascinating thing to read about in my opinion.
As I said, this is the last proper chapter for the story. I did mention in the first chapter that it'd be a short story and it's really only dealing with what would happen if humanity fled Earth and after their journey they encountered an alien race, or in this case the Mass Effect Species. If someone would like to continue with the story just ask and mention this little piece of work.
Chapter 3
2069
"Look at the size of that thing! It's huge, you could fit thousands of people in it!" Ellen said in awe as the massive new alien ship joined the fleet.
"It must be nice to have thousands of people to crew that thing." Wilson commented. It was true, everyone was thinking it. There were only a little over a hundred humans left in the galaxy. And they were trapped in an alien system, surrounded by an alien fleet. It took nearly three hours after the new ship arrived that things started to happen. First the fleet of alien ships backed off, some moving to patrols beyond the Ark's sensor range. The only one left visible to the naked eye was the largest of them all, the one that arrived two day's after the Ark did.
"Their sending something over, I dunno, I think it might be some sort of video file. I'm having the computers sort it out." Ellen said as an instrument on her side of the bridge beeped. Suddenly one of the screens next to Tom snapped to life. It showed a basic diagram of the Ark and the monster alien ship. A dotted line ran between the two ships with a shuttle moving between them. The aliens were letting them decide whether the Ark crew wanted to go to the alien ship or if they wanted the aliens to come to them. The debate over what to do was tense, but ultimately Tom and Bentolli agreed they should go over to the alien ship, simply because the Ark didn't have the facilities for this, nor did they want to risk the fragile ship that had been their home for twenty years.
"Mum, dad? What's going on?" Tom and Ellen turned to face their oldest child. Fifteen year old Helen Davis. She was slim and but short compared to her parents.
"Helen, go back to your seat." Tom all but ordered, he turned back to the controls, he had more important things to do than explain this to Helen, he would, later, just not now.
"What's that?" Helen asked, looking at the alien ship. It was close enough to be visible without a telescope but far enough away so it looked small in the view screen. It was neither Tom nor Ellen who answered, but doctor Bentolli.
"An alien ship. People, with technology far beyond our own." she said.
"What's an alien?" Helen asked, unfamiliar with the word.
"A different race. Evolved on a different planet from us, under a different star in a different part of the galaxy." Wilson replied for her. Helen's mouth formed an 'O' shape as she began to realise the implications.
"Will they help us?" she asked.
"That's what we're going to find out." Ellen replied, she had turned back to her display and was trying to send a message back, showing the aliens the Ark crew would send somebody over. When the bridge was occupied by the six people meant to sit in it, it was cramped. Now with two people extra, it was full.
"Okay, sending the reply. But before I do, when are we going to do this?" Ellen asked. Tom and Bentolli looked at each other and seemed to have a silent conversation.
"Three hours. Gives them plenty of time to get ready and gives us time to tell the crew." Bentolli said.
"Who's going?" Wilson asked, it was a valid point. Either Bentolli or Tom and two guards. But which one of them would it be? Bentolli was the obvious first choice due to her more political background but Tom was more experienced with the Ark and the crew.
"Personally I think Tom should go, he's got the military experience as well to back him up if things go wrong." Wilson said offhandedly. Almost like it was a joke to him. Which it probably was. Eventually they decided on Tom going for now and doctor Bentolli would handle any further interactions with the aliens. Now all they had to do was tell the crew.
Gathering everybody in the communal area on deck ten was only part of the issue, they had to remove the floor of the two decks above it as well to fit everybody in. Looking up Tom saw Ellen with Helen and Michael floating by one of the ladders on the side of the hull. A hushed whisper was passing through the crowd and neither Tom nor Bentolli hushed them. They waited for the whispers to die down before beginning.
"I'm sure you're wondering why we haven't said anything about Earth II yet, why we haven't shown you what your new home looks like." Tom began. "You will all see Earth II, you'll see your new home. But the truth is we've encountered a problem we didn't expect. Something we were told was impossible. We encountered an alien fleet." Tom said, he let the words hang in the air as the crew began to understand.
"Myself and two others will be going to the alien flagship to try and communicate with them and get us passage to Earth II. Or maybe another planet, if they could take us, if they're willing. I don't know how long it'll take, I don't know if I'll succeed. I might not. They have warships, some of them are a hell of a lot bigger than us. I'm going to try and make sure they point their weapons somewhere else and not at us."
"When are you going?" Someone asked. It was a good question, a fair question.
"In one hour, that's when." Tom replied. He looked around the crowd, they were pale and thin, their muscle's had slowly deteriorated over twenty years despite constant exercise. He wasn't sure if they'd be able to walk properly when they made landfall, he knew the children wouldn't. He saw worried looks on their faces, some of the children looked excited, others looked bored.
"What about Earth?" Another voice rung out. Tom looked at person, one of the crew responsible for the plumbing.
"What about it? Earth drowned years ago. There's nothing left. But I will ask them, ask them to look for survivors still there. Maybe bulk up our numbers a bit. And maybe after some time they may take us there, allow us to see our homeworld, allow our children to see the world they were designed to inhabit. The world we were all born on." Tom replied. He had planned on asking, asking the aliens to look for survivors on Earth. He just hoped there was still someone alive back home.
There were more questions, more answers. Some anger at the aliens for blocking their path, some anger at Tom for waiting so long to tell them.
"What would you have me do? I let you go about your business like it was a normal day, it meant that if the aliens decided to blow us out the sky you wouldn't have died in fear of what they might have done. No, I let you think it was all normal." Tom replied to the anger directed at him. Soon enough, too soon for his liking, he moved to one of the glider shuttles with two soldiers, Levi and the Navy seal that had asked what they were doing when they first suited up two days ago, Mel Jones. Levi sat down in the pilots seat with Tom in the co-pilots seat, leaving Mel to pick one of the thirty other seats in the back.
"You know we're gonna have fun getting this thing out of the alien hanger right?" Levi commented. He was right, the shuttles were a one use only design meant to transport people down to the surface of Earth II, used as a shuttle between two ships.
"Yep, but at least we'll be the first humans to meet some aliens." Tom replied. Pulling away from the Ark Tom felt his stomach clench, it could very well be the last time he saw it, the last time he saw Ellen, Helen and Michael. As the shuttle got closer to the alien ship they realised just how much bigger it was compared to them.
"They're sending coordinates to dock," Levi said. Tom had a look at them, they pointed them towards a hanger that looked like it might only just fit the shuttle in. as they drew closer they could see it was open with a blue field over the opening and they could see small figures moving about inside, at least they looked somewhat human, it would make things slightly easier. Tom sighed as he settled in for the hour long trip to the alien ship.
XX
Destiny Ascension
2156 C.E
The shuttle was easily large enough to hold twenty, maybe thirty people if they were Asari or Turian sized. It filled the largest hanger with ease, it's black underside split open to reveal a set of skids while powerful, if small, chemical thrusters burnt to stabilise the delta wing shaped shuttle. The thrusters left scorch marks on the pristine hanger floor, covering it with a thick layer of black soot. The shuttle was rather inelegant in it's final touchdown, it just turned off it's engines two or three meters above the deck and letting the artificial gravity bring it to the down, bouncing on hydraulic suspension in the skids before it finally settled on the deck with a slight pneumatic hiss.
"Interesting. Able to produce viable non-Mass Effect based FTL yet unable to produce simple landing craft. Very interesting." The Salarian Councillor, Valern, said. Sparatus, the Turian Councillor nodded in agreement. Before Tevos could say anything however a ramp lowered from the bottom of the shuttle. The ramp was corrugated but plain, no decoration at all. A recurring feature with these people Tevos noted. Was it something in their nature or was there other reasons everything seemed bare and practical?
Three figures appeared at the top of the ramp, they wore full body vacuum suits with armour plates. Their helmets seemed be some sort of mask around where a nose and mouth were located on an Asari's head while the eyes were protected by a visor built into a helmet. It looked rather...odd. They walked down the ramp, slowly, carefully. Their movements were precise and calculated. It looked like they were struggling to walk at all. Carefully two Asari maidens approached, their hands and arms visible to show they were unarmed, unlike the three aliens which carried compact black guns.
The lead alien shook his head and held out a hand, a motion for the maidens to stop. They weren't needed it seemed. After reaching the three Council members, one of the aliens said something in it's own language. A few seconds later the lead one reached up and pulled at the mask and helmet, the alien was incredibly pale, it almost looked sick. Tevos doubted that this was a specimen in prime condition amongst its species. It drew in a large breath, a look of happiness passed briefly on its face. It was an emotion everyone saw, not just her. He looked uneasy, like he'd been stood up for too long. What shocked the crew the most was despite how ill it looked the aliens looked similar, like pale, tall, well built Asari. Tevos decided to move the 'meeting' to a more suitable location, she just hoped that the aliens would be okay with it.
XX
Alien Flagship-2069
Tom breathed heavily, he wasn't used to walking around this much any more. Back in the old days, back when they were still on Earth he could run for miles but now he was out of breath just from walking a few dozen meters. Levi had given the all clear on the suitability of the air, the mixture was slightly off but it was okay, it was breathable.
"I hope they're leading us somewhere so we can sit down, my legs feel like shit already." Mel said.
"Well, it's either that or they're going to kill us and eat for dinner. Although I don't think we'll taste too good." Levi replied quietly.
"Speak for yourselves boys, I am one hundred percent Welsh meat, I always taste good." Tom replied.
"Yeah, yeah. Funny, Tom. You probably taste worse than us, I like to think we taste of chicken. And I like chicken." Mel retorted.
"Yeah? Well you look like one too." Tom said causing Levi to burst out laughing and Mel to turn red. The aliens turned to face them with questioning looks.
"Real fucking funny." Mel grumbled.
"Oh shit man, don't do that again, I'm struggling to walk enough as it is. You keep making me laugh I'll probably keel over and not get back up again." Levi said. Agreeing the three men shut up, keeping their thoughts silent. Levi's laughter had caused some looks amongst the aliens. The tall bird like one didn't seem too happy about it, or maybe that was just the way they were, the three humans didn't know.
Soon enough they came to a room where they could sit down and enact the first talks between humanity, or what was left of it, and the alien conglomerate.
"You know three aliens leading their races reminds of a game my father and I played, can't remember it now, only that it was created before the flood and when we still thought all of humanity would make it into the stars, not just a few survivors." Tom said, Mel nodded his head.
"Yep, I know which game your on about. Ah the amount of time a wasted on games like that when I was a kid."
The lead alien sat down opposite Tom, the table was big enough for them to all sit down at but if Tom were to reach out he could easily touch the alien, not that he really wanted to. The strange blue alien said something, her voice was softer than the her bird like counterpart. She reached out with both hand and rested them in the middle of the table, at first Tom did nothing but the lizard like alien motioned for him to do the same.
"Guess mister Lizard wants you to touch the pretty blue lady Tom, I promise not to tell Ellen." Mel joked.
"Shut up you thick headed divot." Tom snorted before slowly reaching out with his hands, hesitantly he grabbed her hands gently, they were soft and warm, the texture was a complete contrast to his rough calloused hands. The blue alien said something else and every nerve in his body seemed to fire up, causing his hands to clench around hers so hard his knuckles turned white and a slight crunching could be heard.
"Guess he still has some muscle left." Mel whispered over at Levi who said nothing but nodded.
Memories flew by, he could see them all, running around his mothers feet as a child, school, sports day's. Rugby matches, both playing and watching with his dad at the Millennium Stadium. His first broken bone. His little brother being born, how jealous he'd felt at the time. His baby sister being born.
"Son, I know you don't exactly agree with everything I do but I'm doing this because it'll be for the best. I'm sending you off to Military school. You'll be staying there most of the year but we'll still see you at holidays." Tom watched as the memory flew by. He had been twelve and just about to enter secondary school when his dad had told him that. Ever since then Tom had been apart of the British Military. He didn't have to join once he was finished but he did anyway.
He watched his first kiss again with a girl whose name he couldn't remember, she was probably dead now anyway. Sneaking out of the school one night, getting caught sneaking back in and the verbal bashing he'd gotten that night. He'd nearly been expelled but in the end he'd gotten suspended for two weeks. His father face in the crowd during parade, how proud he looked, how proud Tom felt. Being told he was going to Sandhurst Academy to become an Officer.
More memories flew by, entire years gone again in seconds and before he knew it he was in the briefing about the flood. When he was told about everything. How the sea would continue to rise until there was no more land left and than how the Colonel had told him because of his genes he had been selected to be a part of The Ark, and if he accepted than he would be leaving his family behind on Earth. Tom didn't hesitate, he had abandoned his family, his mother and father and brother and sister just on the off chance that The Ark might work and that he'd be going off into space to find a new planet to live on, in the name of humanity.
"Incredible." Tom turned to see the blue lady next to him, it was a strange sensation to stand apart from your memories and view them from an outside perspective.
"I can understand you." Tom said, unsure of what else to say. "Does looking at my memories come as a normal first contact thing or am I just special?"
"I apologise. The meld was only meant so I could gain some information on how to communicate with you. You brought us here." The alien replied.
"Oh, well, now you know why we're here. Because twenty years ago my world drowned. The people on the Ark are all that's left of my people." Tom said carefully.
"I am aware of that now. I will speak to my compatriots after we finish the meld but that planet his an Asari Colony so ultimately it would be up to the Matriarchs on Thessia, my peoples homeworld, if you could settle on the planet." The alien said. The memories of the last twenty years flew by, the alien saw how they'd been living. Floating around because the engineers didn't have time to install a spinning section anywhere, how they had nearly lost the ship when a fire broke out and how an entire generation of children had been born, unable to walk or even talk in the same manner.
Before he knew it everything was receding, flying away from him and than he was back in the room with the aliens.
"Jeez, that was weird." Tom said.
"Ya think? We had to twiddle out thumbs and have a staring contest with the aliens across the board. What happened Tom?" Mel asked.
"Something good, I think." Tom replied, shaking his head to clear the dizziness.
"I dunno man, you kind of just spaced out on us for a moment there." Levi said, resting a hand on Toms back.
"Yeah well having someone in your head requires a lot of attention it turns out." Tom said looking at the two other men to gouge their reactions.
"Wait, what?"
"I believe he means me. I simply initiated a meld between our two minds to allow myself an understanding between our two people." The blue lady from across the table said in near perfect English. "I am Councillor Tevos, with me is councillors Sparatus and Valern, we are the leaders of a multi-species government that provides order, law and protection for many species throughout the galaxy." The recently named lady said.
"Cool." Levi chocked out with a rapid nodding of his head.
"Right, it's a pleasure councillors, I'm Tom Davis, Major Tom Davis. I'm currently responsible for the Ark and the well-being of everyone on board. With me is Lieutenants Levi Fritz and Mel Harper." Tom said. "And I hope you'll pardon me for being painfully blunt but your fleet hovering above our planet. We kind of need that planet and your people are all over it."
"With all due respect Major this planet is an Asari colony, what makes you believe you have more of a claim to it than you do?"
"Well, you saw my memories, out of context as they were, you still saw them. You know that we endured a twenty year journey with no gravity and risked everything to make it to this planet and I also know that you are perfectly capable of simply moving the few small buildings you have set up down there and taking them some place else. We can't leave this system on our own power, never mind moving to another star system which would take years in itself." Tom said in bitter tone.
"I am aware of what your people endured but the Matriarchs on Thessia would not support the decision to stop the development of the colony, no matter the reason as it would cost far too much." Tevos said in a more reasonable tone.
"Are you fucking kidding me? You'll doom an entire species just because 'it's too expensive?' You're just as pathetic as the bureaucratic ass holes we left to drown on Earth." Mel exclaimed angrily, slamming his fist against the table. His out burst had caught the other two councillors by surprise as they jumped back ever so slightly.
"Mel's right. It is pathetic, but surely an advanced civilisation like yourselves would be able to help in some form? I mean if your leaders are even remotely concerned about their public image as much as our politicians were than just appeal to their ego; it can't be that hard, just say how much the galaxy would love them and see how kind they are for giving up a colony to a race whose final survivors are fleeing their homeworld and are in desperate need of a planet to settle on." Tom pleaded, he hated the thought of begging, especially to an alien but he would do whatever was necessary to make sure humanity survived, even if it meant kissing blue alien ass.
"While that is not a very... elegant way of putting it, your idea might work, but if it should fail and the Thessian Government decided not to allow you settle on the colony? What shall you do than?"
"If that's the case I hope you can give us a lift to the next habitable planet because I don't think anyone of us wants to spend another twenty years cooped up in that metal death trap, even if we could leave the system." Tom said earnestly.
"I see." Tevos said before turning to her fellow councillors and speaking to them in her own language which was understood clearly by the two other aliens. After some talking between them Tevos turned back to the three humans.
"Councillor Sparatus and Valern extend their condolences for the loss of your homeworld but they are curious as to what caused this 'flooding' that destroyed it." Tevos said.
"I don't know much really, I never really looked into it, no one really did as we were all too busy moving up to higher and higher land. But from what I understand the sea levels rose due to the melting of the Ice caps in the polar regions along with large underwater earthquakes opened up some very large underground water reservoirs, as I said though I'm not a hundred per cent sure what exactly caused it, only how to escape it." Tom replied, it had started before he was born, by the time he was on his first deployment the United Kingdom had been swallowed by the oceans.
Tevos relayed the information to her fellows and carried on with speaking to Tom, Mel and Levi. She asked them about what humans were like before the flood and the Ark project. The lizard alien, Valern was fascinated with the warp drive which Mel was more than happy to talk about. Apparently Salarian's had had never managed to create a working drive like the one on the Ark.
"Meh, it took a lot of hope, determination and desperation to build it really. It was our only feasible hope of getting somewhere quick really, it requires a lot of power, hence the anti-matter reactor we all but bolted onto the Ark." Mel explained.
"That is incredible, despite the primitive construction the fact that your people still managed to create a ship capable of FTL travel while your world drowned is a feat that is unheard of in the galaxy." Tevos said.
"Well, it was bound to happen eventually really." Levi said.
"Oh? How so?" Tevos questioned.
"Well, a theory of probability suggests that anything is possible in the universe. Kind of like throwing your clothes in the washing machine and turning it on, do it enough times and eventually you'll open it and find that all your clothes are folded neatly in the machine, colour coded too as well." Levi said.
"I am over eight hundred years old and never have I seen or heard of anything like that happening." Tevos replied sceptically.
"Well, the universe is a big place. Chances are that some very lucky alien will open their washing machine and find out they don't have to do any folding to put it away. Hell it could happen to you tomorrow or it could happen in twenty billion years from now or it might never happen, the only certainty is that it is possible for it to happen." Levi explained further. They all continued to talk about various things, from cultures to odd quirks to literature and sport. Tom, Mel and Levi also learnt more about the formation of the Citadel Council and the struggles the early council faced. Tom also spoke of the many wars humans had waged during their history.
"Personally my greatest military hero is Admiral Nelson. Don't really know why but when I was little I was fascinated with his his exploits. He was considered one of my nations greatest heroes. I mean sure there were others throughout history but Nelson's actions were... inspirational I guess, when the world is flooding I guess you look up to old masters of the seas. Or at least I did." Tom said before going on to explain why Admiral Nelson was considered a hero, in the end though, he had said, it's all a matter of personal preference on who is really considered a hero. All three humans had different people they had looked up to from their history, they explained a little about each one and then Tevos did the same, recalling old memories from her early years.
After several hours of talking Tom decided it was time to take his leave. When he returned the next 'day' he would find out just what would happen to humanity, would they be allowed to settle the beautiful red and silver world or would they be taken some place else and be forced to wait even longer before they could restart their civilisation?
