Cocoon: Book 1 - Chapter 3
“Neutrality? Neutrality in regards to whom? Your chief of police is your lapdog–why should we trust a dog to keep the balance in our favor? Do you honestly believe us foolish enough to sign away our own soldiers for the sake of your pipedream?”
-NuWe Midal, The Forging, 2894
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The jump took around one week, a restless week at that. Jaido found himself in the commissary often, sitting and staring into his reflection in the lustrous white table. He practiced his facial expressions over and over; twitching the corner of his lips to create a smile of mischievous camaraderie; a slight wink to indicate an inside joke; lax eyebrows and a still mouth for perfect neutrality. Jaido could even modify the size of his pupils on command, though the brightness of the commissary’s glowing white bulbs discouraged it.
When the rest of the crew slept, Jaido practiced his pheromones, attempting to control his sweat glands to produce the smells he wanted. He tightened his jaw, and relaxed it again. This was a work in progress.
By the time the jump was complete, and the Mandela was in sight of the Luki, Jaido was exhausted.
The Luki was a truly monstrous vessel, the size of a colony. It was shaped like an oval jellyfish, with compartments descending down its center like poisonous tentacles, reaching out into the abyss. Sungwan would enter the Mandela through one of its four hangars, each big enough to receive four warships, and then some.
The crew sat in the bridge together, staring at the scene depicted through the periscope camera. They were being slowly pulled into the hangar. Sungwan moved away from the controls. “It’s out of my hands now, Captain.”
Kyli just nodded.
As the mothership absorbed its long-journeyed child, Jaido felt his heart clench in fear. He willed the feeling to the back of his mind, but it taunted him mercilessly. He heard its voice, cold yet venomous; don’t you have a job to do?
Ashani put her hand on the small of his back. He looked at her, and she nodded slowly, a concerned look in her eyes.
Powered magnets pushed the Mandela into a reserved spot in the hangar. It landed with a sudden thunk, a sensation that normally wouldn’t have fazed Jaido. Today was different, however. This was his first time setting foot on the Luki. This was the closest he’d ever been to his father.
One by one, the crew descended the ladder, down the exit ramp, and planted their boots on a ship some of them had only heard stories about. The hangar was truly colossal in scope. Its black floors shone with dancing light, reflecting mirror images of a warship and countless vessels Jaido couldn’t name. Pilots, soldiers, salesmen, and reps hustled and bustled on the walkways around the reserved spaces. The pilots and soldiers were mostly silent, but those there for business tapped their temples with vigor, talking with others of their creed and checking back to their bosses for updates.
Assan leaned down and whispered into Jaido’s ear, “Don’t get lost, little guy.”
Jaido rolled his eyes. “I’ll be fine.”
“I heard a story from a merc once, about a guy who came in for a jump stop, and couldn’t find his way back out,” Assan said.
“Don’t be an ass, Assan,” Naguila said. “That’s no story.”
At one point, Jaido would’ve been unable to identify the extremely subtle layers of sarcasm Naguila deployed in her speech, but repeated trial and error had corrected him.
“Captain, where are we headed?” Ashani asked. Jaido remembered that she was just as fresh-faced as him.
“Our meeting with Grand Commander Brutaius is scheduled for 0900. We will meet at the commissary at 0830, then head to the Commander’s office thereafter,” Kyli said.
“So, Captain. You’re saying we’re free until then?” Assan said.
“Yes.”
That was all Assan needed to hear. Jaido watched him and Naguila walk off towards what a sign indicated to be a lounge for those here on business.
“I think I’m going to stay on the ship,” Sungwan said.
Robett raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to join me at the commissary?”
Sungwan shook his head. “Too many people. Too many blank faces. They freak me out.”
Kyli turned to Jaido and Ashani. “I presume you two need a more… in-depth tour.”
“Yes, captain,” Ashani and Jaido said simultaneously.
Kyli pointed to a metallic booth deep into the hangar’s interior. “Ask them for maps. They charge, but I trust you two won’t have an issue with that.” She gave the slightest hint of a smile, and both understood.
Jaido and Ashani walked past a few other landed vessels before coming to the booth, which was besieged by several men in suits. The booth was round and jutted out of the hangar floor like a wart. The pair approached the opposite side to the businessmen, where they were addressed by a disembodied head of an android, with one round red eye.. “How may I be of assistance today?”
“We need maps,” Jaido said.
“Two maps,” Ashani added.
“That will be a total of two coin.”
Ashani grimaced. “A racket.”
Jaido cleared his throat. “I am the son of the Admiral Zenden–Jaido Zenden. Perhaps an exception could be made.”
“That will be a total of two coin,” the android’s simulated voice said.
Negotiating with androids was a fool’s errand, Jaido knew. But he thought of something right then and there.
“I am Admiral Zenden. I require a map,” he said authoritatively.
Ashani grinned.
The android did not respond for several seconds. Ashani and Jaido looked at it, and then at each other, with optimism.
“That will be a total of two coin,” the android repeated.
Jaido exhaled in frustration. Reluctantly, the two tapped their temples, and transferred the coin to the android. As soon as the transaction was completed, a notification appeared at the corner of Jaido’s vision, and he selected it, to find a map of the Luki.
“We gave it our best shot,” Ashani said, as they walked away, towards a corridor just past the booth. “Where should we go first?”
“I’m not sure. You don’t suppose there’s any entertainment here?”
“It’s a military cruiser, Jaido. I doubt it.”
“Well, yes, but what does Kyli expect from us? What’s the job?”
“I don’t know,” Ashani said.
“I can’t focus on anything,” Jaido said. “I keep thinking about the Admiral.”
Ashani gave him a sympathetic look, and put her hand on his back. “You’re going to be okay.”
Jaido smiled slightly. “I like when you put your hand on my back. It calms me.”
“I bet you wish you opted for Naguila’s physical negotiation training now.”
“That’s what this is, then? Physical negotiation?” Jaido said with a smirk.
Ashani chuckled. “So this is what you’re like when you’re nervous.”
Jaido became aware that they were out of place amongst the soldiers and the corporate with their diplomatic uniforms. Several eyes passed over them while they walked down the seemingly neverending corridor. He turned back to Ashani.
“Nervous isn’t quite the word for it.”
“Informal, I suppose,” she said.
“I don’t know what the job is. That may be why.”
Ashani shook her head. “You’re the youngest person in the crew, yet the only crewmate more serious than you is Robett.”
“Enough about me,” Jaido said, wanting to change the subject. “What do you make of this place?”
“I’m not stupid, Jaido. I see through that,” Ashani said.
“What do you want from me, Asha?”
“I want to know what frightens you about your father, the Admiral.”
Jaido shrugged. “I’m not afraid.”
“You’re not nervous. You’re not afraid. Then why do you seem nervous and afraid?”
Jaido felt cornered in the conversation, a sensation he was not particularly used to, or fond of. “I do not wish to discuss this any further.”
Ashani sighed. “I think I’ll go to the commissary.”
She stopped walking alongside Jaido, and turned around. He looked back at her, slightly frustrated, but relieved at the same time. An odd concoction. Only Ashani knew how to dig into his psyche. Even Kyli wasn’t allowed anywhere close. Jaido kept it that way thanks to his training. Still, some slipped out every now and then, and over time, his captain had developed a relatively observant understanding of him. Just barely, though.
As Jaido walked aimlessly through the corridor, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see a soldier, standing at almost eight-feet tall. The soldier’s eyes were comprised of two red orbs, and his pale skin fought against a metallic sheen for visual territory.
“Jaido Zenden,” the soldier said without tone. “Your presence is required in the Grand Commander Brutaius’ office. I am to escort you.”
“I was under the impression that the Mandela would meet with the Grand Commander at 0900.”
“I am ordered to escort you now.”
Jaido considered questioning the order more–but realized it would be pointless. Soldiers were blank, inflexible people. The soldier would not reveal anything that Brutaius had not directly ordered him to. So he relented, despite the stab of fear he felt crawling up his stomach, into his heart.
“Very well,” Jaido said. “Escort me.”