-"We're going back to the base", Wiper ordered his colleagues through clenched teeth. "This will be my last order as your captain. I'm resigning from Section Zero".
The Inkling and Octoling soldiers under his command let out a gasp.
-"Thomas, you're an excellent soldier", Mona told him.
-"Not excellent enough. It's over for me. I'm going back home, I don't wanna die for nothing. I've done enough… I'm sick of seeing people die. But at least I want to bury him…" He replied, looking at Ace's body.
Nobody found anything to say.
-"If humans, good or bad, hadn't interfered, everything would still be fine…" Jack growled, upset with herself. "Thomas, I'm not asking for your forgiveness, but I swear I'll hunt and kill every single one of these bastards. Humans who throw away their humanity are less than trash to my eyes".
-"That thing was of your kind", a member of Section Zero reminded her.
-"No. I have nothing in common with that piece of shit. It wasn't born human. To think some people actually miss ancient humans who went off into space for no damn reason…" Jack clenched her teeth and fists so hard the latter became white.
-"It was a… Drifter ?" Mona asked her.
-"Yes, without a doubt. Lost humans birthed generations of monsters through genetic engineering and technology… I'm gonna wipe them out. Destroy them. Crush them and all of their kind…" Jack's anger was tangible ; Mona approached her and touched her hand, soothing her rage.
-"Let's save your people in the spaceship first", she told her girlfriend.
Jack took a deep breath and calmed down.
-"Sorry. You're right. Still, eons of progress and we're back to square one. We would've been better wiped out by the sea here back then. Thomas, everyone, I must apologize in the name of my kind", she declared, putting a knee on the ground and lowering her head ; some discreet droplets of water fell on the ground.
Thomas put a hand on her shoulder.
-"No. Just keep your promise", he told her. "Everybody, we're out of here".
Two imposing Inklings carried Ace's body away as Section Zero retreated.
-"Thomas !" Mona exclaimed as Wiper was leaving ; he turned towards her.
Operative Omega showed him her invisible right hand :
-"I'll never forget him. He's part of me now. Every time I'll use that ink, it will be in his memory".
-"Thank you Mona. Despite all this shit, I hope we'll see each other again", Thomas wished before turning away and waving goodbye by raising his hand.
Jack looked at the dead cyborg and cautiously inspected its body, at times putting a device in front of her eyes when analyzing certain parts. She then explained the anatomy of the half-robot to her friends :
-"Barely any flesh left. There are a brain and a heart, all infused with biotechnology. The rest is artificial, even the blood vessels. Skeleton's fused with durable, elemental-resistant polymer. The nanites production unit is located in the abdomen where the intestines would be ; the power source is in the lower back, just above the coccyx, or the rear for you. Nanites become lethal only when exiting the body through the hole in the right hand, so I guess they become active when exposed to an exterior agent, probably light or oxygen. More disturbing, there's a… an artificial womb inside it".
-"What !?" Agent 8 exclaimed in shock.
-"Y-You mean… it-it was a-a g-girl !?" Pearl spluttered, horrified.
-"It was as much as a girl as you are a tree", Jack replied. "It means that they have reproductive capabilities… If each's equipped with these…" She mumbled.
-"Let's go find the survivors", she declared as she took out a silver, smooth, marble-sized ball from her chest pocket that she threw on the body.
The marble vanished as soon as it made contact with the corpse, which, after a few seconds, slowly began to disappear, starting by the chest where Jack had thrown the object. The decomposition accelerated suddenly, and in a little more than half a minute, the body was gone, eaten away by nanites.
-"You use the same technology as them", Agent 3 addressed Jack.
-"Our nanometric robots are designed to eat away artificial material and then self-destruct into common, harmless elements such as iron, copper or aluminum. They can't eat organic material : it's the door open to accidents. That thing's flesh disintegrated because of its own nanotechnology. It got what it deserved", Jack replied as they moved forward.
They hoped to reach the crash site in a few minutes, given the broken trees ; however, the ship seemed to have maintained a straight trajectory for some time.
-"Did it even crash ?" Marie asked, mostly to herself.
-"Undoubtedly", Jack answered. "Avoiding a rough landing doesn't mean not crashing".
The trees then became totally toppled, and everyone rushed in their direction.
-"I hope they're still alive and still there !" Agent 8 prayed aloud.
Two minutes of fast running and the spaceship appeared in front of them.
-"That's one of your ships ?" Agent 4 asked, looking at the black disc-shaped spacecraft resting perfectly horizontal in the middle of the forest ; under it, everything was crushed by its mass.
The black aircraft was totally featureless and seamless, with no sign of damage or even opening. As the group approached the ship under the remaining tree cover, Jack made a sign for everyone to stop.
-"I hear something. Eleven o'clock. Hide in your ink, quick !" She ordered. "If they're an ally, they could target you", she explained before proceeding cautiously and hiding behind a tree ; she peeked towards the source of the noise, then walked away and disappeared from everyone's eyes. After a few seconds, her voice was heard loudly in her native tongue, and everyone ran in her direction. When they found her, she was standing in front of another human, speaking in her language : like her, the young, dark-skinned man was clad in a soft black armor ; arms in the back, his posture was upright, almost tense, and he seemed to talk to Jack with utter respect.
-"Jack ?" Mona interrupted their talk, surprising the man who reached for his pistol before being apparently told off by Jack.
Squidbeak Splatoon and Cor approached the two humans, with the man looking at them with amazement ; Jack told him something, and he immediately reached for a silver ring in one of his pockets that he put around his left ear.
-"Go ahead, Sergeant. Speak to my friends", Jack told the man.
-"Do… do you understand me ?" The man asked to the Inklings and Octolings in Inkling.
-"Yes, perfectly. Useful device", Mona remarked.
-"I am Alexei Corwin, Sergeant of the Intelligence Division", the man introduced himself.
Everyone did the same, ending with Cuttlefish ; as soon as the old squid finished speaking, Alexei gave him the military salute ; Cuttlefish responded in kind.
-"Don't tell me you're the only one left…" Jack let out in a desperate sigh.
-"No, Captain Williams. The others are in the ship. I decided to scoot the area before taking the decision to let the passengers out. They are all civilians", he replied.
-"How many are they ?"
-"Thirty-two excluding me, Captain".
-"That's… low", Jack murmured somberly as everyone was heading towards the ship.
-"The attack took us by surprise, Captain. Consequently, evacuation was done in a terribly disorganized manner, but most of us escaped to warn New Constantinople. I am afraid that, while our opponents were neutralized, we suffered military and civilian casualties. Two cargos are down along with an unknown number of escape vessels and fighters".
-"The assailants were Drifters, we neutralized one along the way. The cyborg was in no condition to reveal its intentions, but it did kill a comrade, prompting the use of lethal force on my part. We must be careful, they're utilizing nanites-infused bullets".
-"Captain, may I ask who the soldier that fell was ? In which Division were they ?"
-"He was one of us", Agent 3 replied instead of Jack. "A member from another organization. He was called Zack. He died honorably while saving his captain".
-"Captain Williams, this soldier shall be awarded posthumously", Alexei told Jack.
-"I'm sure Thomas, his superior, will ensure that he will be. They could've built something together after all… They just needed… some more time…" Mona said, looking down.
-"I promised to avenge him. And I will", Jack added as they reached the spaceship.
Alexei put his hand on it, causing a round, human-sized hole to immediately form in the structure nearby, revealing a white corridor filled with metal doors. He entered inside ; with his index, he made a circular motion where the translator was, all the while applying his other hand on the white wall. After some seconds, a small, thin silvery rod with minuscule holes at its end emerged through the white surface, extending in front of Alexei's mouth. The Sergeant then spoke through it in his native tongue before the microphone slid back into the wall. With the same motion as before, he reactivated his translator and they went back outside, next to the spacecraft's door :
-"As a member of the Intelligence Division, I saved what I could : some food and material, including basic translators. But I couldn't do much more. I was the only and last soldier to embark on an evacuation vessel that our assailants didn't have destroyed yet. However, one of their devices compromised the evacuation towards New Constantinople, so we came here using the ship's engines".
-"No signs of other ships, or of our fellow soldiers still on Earth ?" Jack asked.
-"Negative, Captain".
The doors of the corridor suddenly opened – or rather slid inside the floor – letting the humans out : Mona and her fellow Inklings and Octolings would never have imagined such a diversity : there were children, women, men and everything in-between, of all colors and appearance, and some with cats or dogs in their arms or along with them. Each had or was putting a translator around their ear ; they gathered in the trail of destruction left by the aircraft for Alexei to count them.
-"Thirty-two. Everybody is here, Captain", he told Jack.
-"Perfect", she replied before addressing the crowd. "For those who don't know me, I am Jack Williams, Captain of the Polytechnic Division. I was part of the scouting squad tasked with observing the sentient life here. Earth has changed a lot since we left. Now, these people are its inhabitants".
Jack showed Squidbeak Splatoon and Cor with her hand.
-"Yo !" Pearl exclaimed.
-"Since the organization's project is, for now, unable to be carried, I ask everybody to stay in or near the ship until we find a way to fix it, or until help comes", the captain explained.
-"You mean we're stuck here for now, right ?" A woman asked.
-"Yes. I wasn't able to contact anybody since the attack", Jack replied.
Mona expected the humans to panic like most of her fellow people would do ; instead, all of them stayed perfectly calm.
-"Did you assess the damage of the ship's devices ?" Jack asked Alexei.
-"I checked the computers, Captain. The engines seemed fine, but this is not my field of expertise", the man replied.
-"Let's go see those things. If the dark matter's tank is damaged even in the slightest, the ship's gonna self-destruct : it's programmed to do so", Jack declared.
-"Does anybody have something of value left inside the vessel ?" Alexei asked the crowd, which after a moment of deliberation answered negatively.
The two soldiers went inside the spacecraft while the humans and Inklings and Octolings stayed outside, meddling and discussing with each other.
-"So, you're Earth's new people ?" A little girl asked Marie.
-"Yes. Well, we've been here since twelve thousands years", Marie replied.
-"We were very surprised when we learned Earth was populated by multiple sentient, evolved species. We love your culture ! I even placed bets on your Turf Wars !" A middle-aged woman cheerfully declared to Agent 3.
-"Most of us changed affiliation after this. We want to live with you in peace", an old man said.
-"You deserve Earth much more than we do, given how much we mistreated it in the past", another blue-haired woman added.
-"I find you cute miss !" A young boy told Pearl.
-"Thanks boy ! I'll sign you an autograph later", Pearl replied.
-"Your eyes… They're so…" A slender, tall blonde woman addressed Mona.
-"Strange ? Scary ?" Mona tried to guess.
-"Beautiful. That's such a nice hue…" The human marveled.
-"Stop flirting, Diana", someone falsely reprimanded her as two arms wrapped around her waist.
The other, dark-skinned girl was as tall as Diana, but more curvaceous and with a lower tone of voice.
-"I'm not flirting ! I was just complimenting her !" Diana protested.
-"I know where your compliments lead", the woman retorted. "Leslie, you've got such a smooth skin ! Isn't that how we started ?"
-"Well, huh…" Diana spluttered.
-"Excuse her", Leslie told Mona. "She doesn't even know which way you swing or even what you think and she's already trying to catch you".
Leslie smiled, and Mona smiled back :
-"I do prefer girls over boys and you're both gorgeous, but I'm all set, sorry. Really, I'd have loved to privately enjoy your company otherwise".
-"That's so nice of you !" Diana exclaimed, surprised by Mona's answer.
-"You should stop drawing the conclusion that a girl alone equals a girl for you", Leslie told her, kissing her on the cheek.
-"You can ask Agent 4 over there though", Mona said while showing her friend nearby. "She's cuter and funnier than me. Also, as far as I know, she's single".
-"Thanks darling ! What's your name by the way ?" Diana asked.
-"Mona. And you're welcome".
The girlfriends headed towards Agent 4, immediately receiving a positive response before even speaking.
-"How old are you ?" A boy interrogated Cor.
-"I'm eight", Cor answered.
-"Same as me !"
The boys did a high-five, laughing.
-"We heard your songs when we listened to your medias", a tall, pale old man wearing a white toga told Marina. "Your voice is stunning ! You and your friend make a great duo !"
-"Th-thanks", Marina replied, embarrassed.
-"Your music is something new to us. To tell you the truth, finding new things today is becoming complicated… There's so much past music that newer songs are just piling up on top of it without being listened… when they're not simply remixes", a shaved-head woman explained to her.
-"We're not culturally stagnant, but sometimes, novelty is too fast for us to catch up", a young man added.
-"We're also aware that your music is resonating with your DNA. To us, it's just incredibly good music however", the old man said.
-"Wow, thanks ! Next concert, I'll get you places !" Pearl promised.
Mona suddenly heard ruckus inside the ship, and Jack and Alexei hurried out of it at lightning speed.
-"GET AWAY ! THE VESSEL'S GONNA DISINTEGRATE !" They shouted.
Everyone ran away into the forest just as the ship abruptly lost tangibility, blurring its outlines and making it appear in a haze: it then suddenly dispersed in a bright flash of light along with some black particles which immediately vanished.
-"Wh-What happened ?" Cuttlefish spluttered.
-"Dark matter leak", Jack replied.
-"Can you huh… elaborate ?" Agent 8 asked.
-"Dark matter, our power source for long-distance travels, is confined inside electromagnetic fields to be harnessed. If one field's damaged, dark matter escapes primary confinement, triggering a self-destruction measure to avoid having containing it again and to prevent cataclysmic accidents", Jack elaborated.
-"Dark matter will phase through everything and anything, rendering their charge and properties null, allowing objects to coexist or orbit in the same space all at once. Any object touched by it is irretrievable : it can't be interacted with anymore but by containing and destroying it within a special electromagnetic field. Unless you do this, the intangible object will pass through and convert anything in its path until the whole planet becomes a pile of gravity-bound, untouchable particles. Just like a ghost : you can see it but you can't touch it, or you become a ghost yourself", she explained further.
-"Scary…" Marie summed up.
-"No ship means no place to sleep", a child suddenly pointed out.
-"I pick up a signal !" Jack exclaimed. "Jack to HQ ! Do you receive me ?"
-"What !?" She exclaimed after a short while.
-"Got it. Good luck", she concluded after some minutes ; she then waited for something, then finally addressed her fellow humans.
-"Bad news. New Constantinople and Upsilon-1 are under attack by Drifters. Don't worry, our defenses are repelling them easily, but it means they can't and won't send rescue ships for now", she explained.
The crowd let out an audible gasp.
-"Enemy ships aren't a threat, and no live has been lost, so I ask everyone to stay calm : the situation is under control. You're safe here, all Drifters in Earth's vicinity have been neutralized by our forces despite losses of personnel, I just got confirmation from one of the United Army's last standing drones", Jack reassured.
-"So, what do we do now ? Wait ?" A man interrogated.
-"Yes. HQ or someone else will contact me when the threat will be dealt with", Jack answered.
-"But… We're outside…" A little girl shyly pointed out.
Pearl suddenly took out her undamaged phone – housed in a special casing – and isolated herself to call somebody despite Marina's protests : she came back a minute later, smiling.
-"Don't worry everybody ! I got something for ya !" She exclaimed with her usual attitude.
-"What do you mean ?" Callie asked.
-"Not showin' off or anythin', but did you forget who I am ?" Pearl instead replied before looking back at the humans. "If you're ready to walk two hours, we're going to Camp Triggerfish !"
-"Did you just requisition the whole camp ?" Jack interrogated, disbelieving, as everyone was following Pearl's GPS application.
-"My family owns Camp Triggerfish, and I drew it when I was a child !" Pearl replied joyfully. "And hey, it's not the season, so it's empty. I just had to call my parents to warn them 'bout guests".
-"Did you precise the… nature of the guests ?" Marina asked awkwardly.
-"No, but who cares ? I promise nobody will disturb us", her girlfriend replied.
Reaching the camp took an hour and a half ; Camp Triggerfish was emanating a strange, melancholic aura at this time of the year despite the warm reds, oranges and yellows of the trees' leaves and the joyful aspect of the buildings and playgrounds ; all were totally empty.
-"You drew this when you were a child !?" Jack exclaimed.
-"Yep ! I can draw stuff pretty well. Mom and Dad put some things here and there, but most of it is me, even the song", Pearl explained. "Everybody, Camp Triggerfish is for you alone for free ! Enjoy !"
The tents were the perfect size for the children ; the bungalows, however, proved invaluable for the adults ; everybody decided to sleep despite the soon to be over night.
Jack and Mona were woken up by Agent 4, Diana and Leslie coming back to their bungalow, just as Jack's earpiece relayed something to her.
-"Roger ! We'll embark as soon as possible", she replied.
-"New Constantinople managed to send us an evacuation vessel, new model. It'll be here in a matter of minutes", she told Mona. "Better tell everybody".
As the new quickly spread around Camp Triggerfish, the ball-shaped, large silver ship appeared in the sky and silently hovered near the camp before slowly landing on the ground. As Jack approached it, an opening appeared in its otherwise totally smooth surface.
-"These antimatter-powered ships don't self-destruct", Jack explained as she went inside the spacecraft.
She stayed two minutes inside it before reappearing.
-"Nothing seems compromised, the ship's ready to take everyone home, unless some of you want to stay here for longer ; I will not oppose it", she declared.
-"The ones who want to go home, enter", she addressed the crowd.
Less than a dozen of people embarked on the ship.
-"I'll be back as soon as everybody is in safety", Jack told her friends as she followed her fellow humans.
The door closed behind her, and, a few seconds later, the silver ball took off in the sky.
-"Why those ships fly, by the way ?" Mona asked Alexei. "I mean, if you just have to fold space-time to travel, I don't see the point".
-"It's far less dangerous this way", the sergeant replied. "You can never know what could happen. At least in space there's no one around", he added.
The vessel reappeared two minutes later.
-"Drifters have been repelled, at least for now", Jack declared as she exited the ship ; she then addressed the Inklings.
-"If you wanna see what New Constantinople looks like…"
-"Really !?" Agent 4 exclaimed.
-"Info's been transmitted to highest authority : they can't afford you a special, lengthy reception given the circumstances, but an ambassador and the United Council will still welcome you for an emergency meeting", Jack explained.
-"You sure ? You have more… pressing problems at the moment", Agent 3 pointed out.
-"Don't worry, besides everyone getting disembarked in the most secure place possible, which is the Council's HQ, no Drifters have been spotted in our sensors' range. Besides, talking with the Council will help everyone to take better measures against the threat", Jack replied.
-"If you're sure…" Agent 8 agreed.
-"Captain Jack, with your permission, I want to stay here with our peers", Alexei asked his superior.
-"Granted. This is what I had in mind anyway", she replied.
The Inklings and Octolings followed Jack inside the ship, the door "closing" behind them ; after a minute, the vessel took off, leaving the Earth.
-"Wow !" Pearl exclaimed, looking at the Earth behind them, mesmerized.
-"Our planet… it's… beautiful", Marina whispered, at loss for words.
-"And just look at the stars !" Callie said, pointing at the cosmos on the other side of the ship.
-"To see such a thing at my age…" Cuttlefish sobbed, overwhelmed with emotion.
Marie and Callie smiled, pulling their grandfather into a hug.
-"We're going to teleport", Jack warned them.
Seconds after her declaration, the ship began to vibrate : the stellar sky suddenly shifted while the Earth was abruptly replaced with another, far bigger planet that the spaceship approached rapidly.
-"Is that New Constantinople ?" Agent 8 asked, impressed.
-"Yes. Humanity's haven", Jack answered.
New Constantinople was very different from Earth : instead of distinct, separate landmasses, a large portion of the planet was covered with a single green supercontinent forming a very large, incomplete ring around it ; the ocean was also peppered with small, almost indistinct islands.
The spaceship entered the atmosphere and quickly approached its destination in the middle of the continent : a colossal, dwarfing pyramid covered with vegetation and encased in a translucent dome, surrounded by an oversized city of infinite architectures mixed with vast gardens, parks and ponds ; except a few monuments, all the constructions were made of natural stone or wood.
-"Wow ! You love plants here !" Pearl joked to mask her amazement.
-"There are studies proving that being surrounded by plants improves well-being", Mona told her. "It must also be the case for you too", she addressed Jack.
-"That's true. Besides, every garden and park on New Constantinople is connected to form a giant ecosystem. All of these plants are the vital lungs of this planet. Also, many things are harvested from nature aside from food ; that's why we leave it mostly undisturbed", Jack replied as the ship was approaching the dome.
-"I didn't expect an advanced city to look like this, honestly. It's surprising… in the good way", Agent 8 complimented.
-"Human technology is discreet nowadays, and was already so even before we left Earth. The houses' windows, for example, double as solar panels", Jack explained. "And you haven't seen inside the planet", she added as the ship passed through a newly created hole in the dome to reach its destination.
-"Inside !?" Callie repeated, confused.
-"In fact, the city reaches under most of the planet's crust, and at some places even below".
-"Awesome !" Cor exclaimed.
The vessel slowly entered the pyramid, an opening forming on one of its rocky sides ; as soon as it was inside, the stones merged back together behind it. The spaceship came to a halt before creating an aperture in its structure to let the passengers out.
As soon as they disembarked, a tall, elderly bald man flanked by three helmeted, armed guards came to greet them, a translator already put around his left ear.
-"Welcome to New Constantinople, residents of the Earth !" He saluted the Inklings and Octolings, bowing respectfully before shaking hands.
-"I am Daniel Karlson, ambassador and diplomat of the United Council, the highest authority of the affairs regarding humankind as a whole. I am honored to make your acquaintance. Captain Jack Williams, I am equally honored to meet a young soldier of such a valor".
Jack bowed as she received the praise.
-"Please, follow me. The whole United Council is physically present to greet you, even under the current circumstances", Brian told them as he headed towards a large corridor.
The interior of the pyramid was, like its exterior, made of stone and glass ; however, the stone inside the pyramid was polished, looking like marble.
-"It's bothering me that we're far from being the highest authority on our planet, and that we're meeting the one here", Agent 3 addressed Daniel.
-"We know who you are, and that is irrelevant. You are the first ones with whom we made contact, and I think Captain Williams has already briefed you about humanity ; you are perfectly qualified to discuss with the United Council. When the current situation with Drifters will be dealt with, a delegation will be send to Earth to officially contact your leaders. However, I surmise the Council will send delegates soon, given the risk posed by Drifters to your planet. Regardless of their intentions, humanity will lend you a hand should you need our help", Daniel replied.
-"Thank you", Agent 3 thanked.
The glass elevator going up and down and sideways took them to another corridor, devoid of doors and ending on a wall. Daniel headed towards the dead-end and applied his hand on the wall all the while saying something in the human language ; after a moment, a triangular opening formed on the smooth stone, just like if it was modelling clay sculpted by an invisible hand. As they were walking into the newly created small corridor, Marina addressed Jack :
-"How does it works ? I mean, your "doors". Atomic alteration ?"
-"Yes and no. It's nanotechnology : billions of nanites are buried just inside this wall. To simplify, a detector made of different nanites analyzes any authorized person coming close ; if recognition is successful, it relays the information to the other robots : then, using the void between atoms, they push them apart to create a way of predetermined form", Jack answered.
-"Impressive tech", Agent 8 marveled, touching the polished stone.
The opening disappeared as soon as they entered the large pyramidal chamber where the United Council was waiting.
Mona analyzed the fifteen humans seated around an equilateral white table : there were eight women, two persons of indeterminable gender and five men, all of various ethnicities and ages ; there were tall seats left empty between them to accommodate for their smaller guests. They all stood up when the latter approached them ; they shook hands with each of the inhabitants of Earth and Jack, greeting Inklings and Octolings in Inkling language and introducing themselves before everybody – save for Daniel and the guards who left the room – sat down. An ageless blond woman with vibrant blue eyes, her hair tied in a complex bun, seated at one of the tips of the triangle, spoke first :
-"Allow me to introduce myself a second time : I am Anna Chartier, oldest member of the United Council. We apologize for borrowing your precious time, but Captain Jack Williams had taken a wise decision that needs to be commended. We are grateful to you for accepting her request of an emergency meeting, especially given the circumstances".
-"We wanted to visit you from the very start", Pearl replied.
-"Before we delve into the subject proper, I want to point out we can't substitute for ambassadors or representatives of our planet", Cuttlefish declared solemnly.
-"We are much aware of this. However, there are two points which need to be taken into consideration : first, recolonizing Earth was, is and will never be amongst our projects. We have known for some time that it was populated by a sapient race, but our decision was, at the time, to not inquire any further ; this directive was still in application some hours ago. However, we permitted an organization to contact you, but not on our behalf, under heavy surveillance and with strict restrictions. We made a mistake, and we deeply apologize. However, this turn of events turned out to be beneficial, which leads to the second point : Earth, along humans colonies, is under assault by former human settlers which we call Drifters, for they have drifted away in the cosmos in the early days of human colonization of space, or in some cases predating it ; had not the organization – and Captain Jack Williams infiltrating it – Earth would have suffered significant damage or fallen into the hands of the Drifters. Of course, this is by no means an excuse for our mistake. We are willing to atone for it, in any way you deem suitable", a young man of Asian descent explained.
-"You couldn't have known. None of us holds a grudge against this council. Besides, except us and a few others, nobody on Earth is aware of your existence, even though with the recent event, it's gonna be complicated for our government to cover up everything. The decision to officially contact Earth is in your hands alone, and I think no one here will oppose it. The only thing we ask for, as you can imagine, is assistance in dealing with the Drifters threat : no more, no less", Agent 3 spoke first.
-"Our assistance goes without saying, so our proposition still stands. But of course, there will be plenty of time to discuss this once the crisis will be over", a tattooed individual of indiscernible gender replied.
-"Thank you. Now, may I ask how you plan to deal with the enemy ?" Cuttlefish interrogated.
-"Localizing them is our priority. Depending on the distance and their arsenal, we will send specialized troops. Unfortunately, all of our detectors are returning negative results. Either they are very far away from us, or they use powerful concealment devices. Adding to the fact that they are probably nomads, it further complicates the task", a middle-aged, silver-haired man answered.
-"We keep a vast arsenal even in times of peace, just in cases like this. If Drifters refuse discussion, we will have no choice but to take very extreme measures", a woman with gills on each side of her neck added sadly.
-"Which means ?" Marie asked.
-"Total obliteration", an old woman clarified coldly, her steel eyes unwavering.
-"Harsh", Mona shrugged, her voice atonal as usual.
-"The risk is too great. Apparently, Drifters are attacking us purely out of envy or misplaced revenge, and they all commit suicide or auto-destruction before arrest. Nothing was found in their ships that would indicate any kind of plan", a black, imposing shaved-head woman explained.
-"Sorry to ask you this, but did something went wrong in the past, before those guys left ? I mean, they just broke up with the rest of humanity and went away with no reason ? That sounds… weird", Agent 4 pointed out.
-"Drifters are not a homogeneous group. Many factions left at different times, with sometimes several centuries between two departures. Most of them left in perfectly good terms ; others just took a ship and disappeared without saying a word. The results of their attempt at survival in deep space are not conclusive : the majority of them died of various factors ; we found dead ships and dead planets here and there. Some kept contact ; some did not. Whole groups came back, or a few survivors. All of this to say these people were not coerced to leave, and nothing had been done against them in any way. There is no secret behind these departures. Sometimes, some get tired of their own lives… and the thrill to discover something new at all costs sparks powerful emotions, for the better or worse…" Anna said.
-"Humanity's inherent thirst for discovery is not as intense today as it was in the past : novelty is now available to every human. Travelers, for example, will always discover something new should they go far enough : they have three main colonies and hundreds of satellites to visit, enough to cover millennia of existence", a woman – her hairless head and face covered in green scales and spiky protrusions – added.
-"Since when the last Drifters went off ?" Agent 8 interrogated.
-"The last true Drifters separated from us around the time we were terraforming planets, so around eight thousand years ago", another scaly human, male this time, answered.
-"They had time to build societies, or even empires… why only attack now ?" Mona mused aloud. "Are you sure it hasn't happened before ? Even a brief clash ?"
-"Their resources were scarcer than ours given their reduced number. We only attained our current society thanks to the diversity of human interaction ; with less people comes less social bonds. We never had any encounter with them in the past, only found some of their ruins and corpses. Nothing indicates a hegemony or any kind of settlement in the observable areas. But of course, as already said, they can hide, or be so far away we cannot detect them. The last hypothesis explains why they did not send more ships : traveling far has a cost", a woman of petite stature, her eyes mostly hidden behind her violet bangs, answered.
-"We are part responsible for this. A more careful monitoring could have avoided this whole issue", an immense bald man admitted.
-"A few hours ago, all detectors have been deployed as far as possible, and our defense systems are ready to take on a full assault, regardless of its form", another man – with gills on his neck, partially covered by his long, dark curly hair – added.
-"As we told you, we are also lending some of our forces to your planet", an incredibly long-haired, redhead teenage woman addressed Agent 3.
-"That's reassuring, thank you", Marina thanked.
-"Captain Jack Williams will stay in permanent contact with Earth's terrestrial defense forces that will be sent once this meeting will be over", a blond, short-haired woman with yellow eyes explained.
-"May I ask who you will send for this operation ?" Jack interrogated.
-"Colonel Ronda Dreyfus will be the head of the mission and your referent. You two are in amicable terms, as far as we know", the last, non-binary member of the United Council answered, their face devoid of any hair half-hidden by the collar of their mantle.
-"Absolutely. I would not go as far as saying she is a friend, but she is certainly a close acquaintance", Jack confirmed.
-"Are you going to build temporary headquarters on Earth ?" Mona asked the Council.
-"Most certainly", the scaly woman replied.
-"Then I have a suggestion regarding where you should install them : right where the humans still on Earth are. It's a deserted place this year, and relatively far away from civilization. Plus, you'll be able to get in touch with your people and learn more about us", Operative Omega suggested.
-"Excellent idea. Additionally, other forces will be send above and underwater, in orbit around your planet and low in the atmosphere. Overall, it comprises around ten thousand soldiers", Anna explained.
-"The Drifters' attack caught the organization off-guard, so they were not able to retaliate properly, leading to casualties. The battalions we are sending are perfectly trained, rest assured about this", the Asian man added.
-"However, for such an operation to take place without complications, we will need to warn at least part of your people. We already selected members of your government, but we are open to suggestions regarding who we should contact first", the man with silver hair declared.
-"The mayor of Inkopolis, Shella, should be contacted. Keeping Inkopolis in the dark about this won't do anything good in the short or long term", Mona said.
-"And what happens if they decide to tell everyone about you ?" Callie asked.
-"This will be their decision. We will not oppose it. However, our goal is similar : preventing the onset of panic amongst the population. I think they will understand", the long-haired redhead young woman replied.
-"I hope so…" Mona let out in a sigh.
-"Anyone has another suggestion ?" The genderless human covered with tattoos asked.
-"I was thinking of my family but… no, not a good idea. It'd only make matters worse", Pearl mumbled.
-"I may be wrong, but I don't think anybody has any more relevant connections", Cuttlefish told the United Council.
All of his fellow squids and octopuses nodded in a silent agreement.
-"This concludes this part of the emergency meeting", Anna declared. "Now, if you have any questions regarding humanity, please do not be afraid to speak. Our answers will be the most complete possible".
-"I have one then : why leaving Earth all those years ago ? I don't buy the idea that sea rising could've wiped you all : you already had space-travel, so building floating houses or whatever would've been a piece of cake", Mona spoke up.
-"We gave Earth to you. Our ancestors had nearly destroyed it in the past, and gave it so much scars they thought they were not worthy to live here anymore. They also had another problem at the time : overpopulation. It was decided everyone would leave except a few who would watch the last moments of humanity. Some stayed until the very end and died on their planet, while others left to rejoin us. When the last human still standing drew their final breath, we raced off in the cosmos and did not look back. It took only a few years", the woman with gills answered.
-"We were sure an intelligent species would appear someday, one who would avoid our past mistakes", the woman with yellow eyes added.
-"And you did not check on Earth since ?" Agent 8 asked.
-"We knew, given the brightness of Earth millennia later, that someone was there. But we were busy with our colonies, and each new generation, including us, came to view Earth as an old tale, as they were born in space or on our new planets", the scaly man explained.
-"They're your home…" Agent 4 summarized.
-"Absolutely. We do not forget about our roots, but we must care about our flowers too", the man with silver hair metaphorically stated with a smile.
-"You took a risk though : the species on Earth, including us Octolings and Inklings, aren't perfect : we did wars, we sometimes pollute our planet, we still use money, etc.", Marina pointed out.
-"You are evolving at your pace. Yes, there are conflicts : sharing is not easy. Even today, with everything we have, some of us still express envy and jealousy : it is human. But through dialogue, patience and understanding, everything can be resolved. We are not worried for you in the long term, and we are willing to lend you a hand for these matters as well", the bald man reassured.
-"Would you… would you help Octarian society too ?" Agent 8 spluttered.
-"Of course. We will help every species to the best of our ability", the imposing black woman replied.
-"Thank you". Agent 8 let out a sigh of relief.
-"Do you have any more questions ?" Anna interrogated her guests.
-"Huh…" Cor, having been silent until now, timidly hesitated. "J-Jack told us th-there we-were pe-people u-underground. C-c-can we g-go t-to see them ?"
-"Do not be afraid to speak, young man. Your words have as much value as anybody else here. Of course you can visit any part of New Constantinople you desire. We allow Captain Jack Williams to accompany you outside of her duties until your return to your planet", Anna answered.
-"When should we return ?" Marie asked.
-"Whenever you want. Captain Jack Williams will be in constant communication with a pilot aboard a secured vessel ready to send you back home any moment", Anna replied.
-"That's so nice of you !" Agent 4 exclaimed joyfully.
-"I know I may not be able to make a difference against Drifters and their technology, but you can count on me to fight with Jack. Till we're safe, her war is my war", Mona declared.
Jack put a hand behind her head to mask her embarrassment.
-"We will not try to influence your decision. Your motivations stem from a feeling which has proven to be invaluable throughout history, for all species capable of it", the old woman with an icy stare said in a gentle tone.
-"We're all in the same division, so I guess we'll be part of the fight too… if there's one though…" Agent 3 shrugged.
-"We do not want to put this on your shoulders", the tattooed individual told them.
-"No problem ! Heh, squids and octopi fight a lot. It's a sport back home you know", Callie laughed.
-"That aside, let's not forget Drifters have involved us in this war", Marie reminded the Council.
-"Yes, that is right. But please, do not feel obligated. Our forces are enough to deal with the threat", Anna pleaded.
-"Don't worry. We'll fight side by side, and, if we're useless on the battlefield, we'll let you handle things your way", Agent 3 reassured.
-"Our race doesn't tolerate aggression in general. Feelings aside, it's normal we want to fight back", Mona added.
-"We understand. If this is your choice, Captain Jack Williams will be your referent, she will keep you updated and may take you to any battlefield to her discretion. Our forces will be notified of your involvement", the violet-haired woman stated.
-"In the short time the organization had observed your planet, it had designed prototype translators destined to you. We refined them, and they are ready to be tested : our ambassador will give them to you once you will leave our headquarters. They function on the same principle as ours : a non-invasive connection is made with the brain, and everything you hear is processed by the translator, while the most important human languages are directly uploaded into your brain. By the end of the day, if you visit New Constantinople and talk to its citizens, you will be able to switch between languages effortlessly without the need of a translator", the woman covered in scales explained.
-"AWESOME !" Pearl yelled loudly before apologizing splutteringly, blushing.
The humans smiled while Marina put her hand on her face.
-"Our translators are the same. By now, Captain Jack Williams can probably speak your language, or at least a comprehensible variation thereof", Anna added.
-"The uploading is nearly complete. However, the device is slowed down significantly by analyzing two languages at once, which include one with only partial data", Jack stated.
-"What do you mean ?" Callie asked.
-"Processing Octarian is very long, as it is not spoken in my presence. Only sparse recovered writing and audio were available when creating the translators, so there is missing data", Jack clarified.
-"Marina and I will help you with that", Agent 8 promised.
-"Thank you".
-"I was wondering, since we're talking about technology… Be extra cautious when you'll show yourself to our people. Many Inklings and Octarians are going to try to steal your tech, all with let's say… dubious intentions. I'm not sure the world's ready for this", Mona warned the United Council.
-"As much as I hate to admit it, Mona's right. Some of us will definitely want your weapons at all costs", Agent 3 agreed.
-"Thank you for raising this point. We are aware of this, but hearing it from your mouth adds much weight to this problem. We will be extremely careful about it. We have hope that mundane technology will help solve a wide array of problems, but we cannot let our guard down and let harmless devices turn into weapons of mass destruction. For the time being, we will deny any access to almost all human technology to your people until social and economic issues are treated successfully", the black, imposing woman declared.
-"This is more reasonable, yes", Mona concurred.
-"Changing everyone will be difficult and long, but I'm sure you can show the way !" Agent 4 asserted enthusiastically.
-"We hope so", the yellow-eyed woman said, smiling.
-"And about our technology ? Do we have anything that you would want ?" Agent 8 interrogated the Council.
-"Your technology mostly revolves around the use of ink, which we could certainly emulate. However, the application of such a technology is still limited for us because of our different biology. Regarding your advanced biotechnology, there are also many obstacles mostly related to differences between our species, and evident ethical implications which need to be discussed amongst scientists and governments, including us. To summarize, your technology is not needed from a military viewpoint. However, some citizens can be interested in it. When our relationships will be sufficiently stable, we will see what can and cannot be done", the tallest man answered.
-"Heh. Who needs ink or Zapfishes when solar panels are built into windows ?" Pearl let out in a laugh.
-"Do not think of yourselves as inferior. We simply applied the derelict solar technology when we first colonized planets, but it was not made in a day. It is a knowledge that we are willing to share with you, given its harmlessness", the Asian member of the Council said.
-"Don't underestimate the idiocy of Inklings and Octarians. We created weapons with far less than this", Mona warned.
-"Octarians who live underground won't be able to use it I think, though", Marina tempered.
-"The devices using this technology have of course some autonomy, but using it underground would be inconvenient, if not pointless", the scaly woman concurred.
-"Besides, it's just a power source, right ?" Agent 8 asked.
-"Yes. The process of creating weapons with solar energy is entirely unrelated to harnessing it for domestic purposes", the tattooed individual explained.
-"As we said, we will be extremely cautious with technology. We will refer to you if we have any doubts", the woman with violet hair reassured.
-"Well, in that case…" Mona shrugged.
-"Thank you for trusting us", Anna thanked.
-"I have one last question", Agent 3 said. "Why only three planets and some satellites ? Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but given your technology, each one of you could own a whole planet".
-"That is exaggerating indeed. We may have only a few planets, but their size is enough for most of the population to live in individual houses. Besides, we possess three hundred and fifty-five satellites, or moons if you prefer, most of them easily surpassing the Earth's Moon in size, all fully habitable and orbiting around true planets that we cannot colonize because of different factors. For example, I am from Atlantis, a satellite slightly smaller than Earth orbiting around Papet Zeta, a gas giant. All the planets of this system orbit around David and Claude, a binary star", the woman with gills replied.
-"And I guess from your appearance that Atlantis is covered by water", Cuttlefish theorized. "Frightening".
The woman smiled :
-"Atlantis possesses only a few emerged surfaces indeed ; you are correct : it would be nightmarish for you".
-"And where are you from, if I may ask ?" Agent 4 interrogated the scaly man and woman.
-"We were born on Zerzura, an arid dwarf planet half the size of the Earth. It is the only dwarf planet that we have been able to colonize, millennia ago", the woman answered.
-"It is located thirty light-years from here, and is mostly isolated", the man added.
-"Even with such distance between us, we are able to maintain contact between galaxies and star systems : any information coming from these locations is relayed in real time to all others", the woman hidden by her hair explained.
-"Impressive. We're so far away from all of this…" Agent 8 marveled.
-"Do not worry. You will have access to our communication technology soon enough", Anna reassured.
A refreshing short silence hit the assembly, allowing Inklings and Octolings to process the key topics of the meeting.
-"Well, I think we're done for now", Cuttlefish finally declared.
-"Actually, I have one last question", Mona spoke up. "Jack told us there was barely any significant conflict in your colonies. You told us everyone can get what they want. So, how your society is functioning ? Unless you're some hive mind, I don't understand how personal whims can't affect your social behavior".
-"That is an excellent question that we expected you would ask. Most of our former society dysfunctions were solved by simply talking to each other. But we must be honest : the nearly limitless resources that we learned to harvest, then the colonization, destroyed the notion of poverty and most social problems. Formerly rich people reached the apex of their desires and fortune, but then nothing was left for them to desire. With the death of capitalism, they either committed suicide or scaled down their wants. When we left Earth, we understood that sacrifices had to be made by everyone to ensure our survival aboard our vessels : however, most had their house or even their whole town with them on board, so conflict stayed low. The first planets we colonized, New Constantinople and Gamma Prime, were still seen as a liberation, and had the process of terraforming not lasted some years, some would have jumped out the spaceships. It was decided that Gamma Prime, as a perpetual experience, would be left without any technology or man-made materials and devoted to subsistence agriculture ; at first only a few people, tired of technology, founded a colony. But as years passed, more and more humans from diverse earthly backgrounds adopted this lifestyle. When New Constantinople became what it is now, some Gamma Primus left their planet to reconnect with a minimum of technology without losing too much of nature. The record of these events are available to any citizen at any time", the man with silver hair answered.
-"I think it is best for you to visit New Constantinople to understand how humanity lives today", Anna gently told Mona.
-"You're right", Mona agreed.
-"All citizens will be alerted of your presence and given a brief summary about who you are, but we cannot control how they will react around you. We apologize in advance for any impolite behavior. However, given the diversity of humanity nowadays, I doubt anyone will pay attention, and we will warn the population to not overwhelm you with questions", the purple-haired woman declared.
-"Much appreciated. I'm not… comfortable around crowds", Mona thanked.
-"The Hidden New Constantinople is less populated than the city on the surface", Anna reassured.
-"We're going inside a planet ! Awesome !" Cor exclaimed. "Shame my phone's dead…"
-"We will give you something to compensate", the tallest man of the Council told him. "For you too", he addressed the others.
-"This meeting is recorded and available in multiple formats. Each of you will receive a copy of any format you desire before leaving New Constantinople. We ask you to keep these documents preciously, as they represent the first official contact between our species", Anna said.
-"Of course", Cuttlefish replied.
-"Then we shall declare this meeting over", the girl with long hair declared.
-"We sincerely thank you for your time, patience and understanding. We look forward to talk with you again", Anna thanked before everybody got up to shake hands.
The United Council escorted their guests to the door and gave their final goodbyes before the nanites sealed the thick wall shut.
Author's notes :
If you find the characters' sexual orientation confusing (or just want to know which way they swing), here's a recap :
-Mona/Agent 4 : pansexual
-Jack/Pearl/Marina : lesbian
-Agent 3/Agent 8 : bisexual
-Callie/Cor/Cuttlefish : heterosexual
-(I leave Marie out for the time being)
Don't be surprised at Cuttlefish and other characters speaking rigidly : in my headcanon, a meeting with (technically alien) diplomats/politicians, even for Inklings, is something important enough to let the most aggressive aspects of their culture aside for the sake of decency/politeness.