Sci-Fi Summit Meeting

“Sint-a sol-en-akai-mien.” As was normal he did not hear my words so much as sense them. I imagine the message itself was a welcome distraction from his surroundings; specifically, from his changed surroundings. I could sense in his mind the suspicion of a Gua experiment; I addressed the concern as quickly as I could. “This is a quantum pocket, a constructed reality. The man you will meet here will have even less of a clue as to what’s going on than you do, try to cut him some slack.” These were my words to him. I could feel that somehow my own thoughts were bleeding into the message; he was startled. I cut the message off right there. Moments later, he met the stranger. To his eyes, Da’an would have looked exceptionally strange.

The man had skin the color of painted clay, his clothes were a one-piece violet suit and his head looked as though someone had carved an oval out of a rectangle. He was seated at the white stone table which apparently had been set out for the two of them: two white marble chairs. The man was seated at the chair further from him facing to Cade's right; quite intent on whatever it was he saw there. Cade estimated he was about 30 feet away from the table and wasn’t sure the man had noticed his presence. Walking forward slowly, he wondered what could have occupied this man’s attention so absolutely: they were in an alley in a ghost town. Cade was within 8 paces of the table when the man addressed him, without looking over.

“Hello.”  It whispered in a soft cadence.

“Hello.”  Cade replied as mildly as he could manage.

“I hope you will forgive my ignorance but is this your world?”

“I don’t think so. But it does a pretty good job of imitating it.”

“I believe I understand.”  Cade looked at the man quizzically. “It is a construct designed to emulate other environments.”  The man continued in the calm and withdrawn manner that was apparently normal for him, and still without looking up at Cade.

“I call them quantum pockets.” Cade Foster replied easily.

The enigmatic stranger tilted his head to one side. “I am within reason to describe this meeting as deliberate for us, if not for certain on our part. Will you please sit?”

“First tell me who you are.” Cade replied firmly and perhaps a little harshly.

“My name is Da’an. I am of the Taelon.” He paused for a moment. “And you?”

“I’m called Cade.”

“You do not wish to share your family name?”

Cade sniggered. “‘Family name’?” A moment later his face grew somber. “I’m sorry if I sound rude. I've never had much of a family is all. Not to mention, I don’t intend to tell you everything about myself all at once; force of habit, you understand?”

“I believe so. I take it they are not of your own creation, these ‘quantum pockets’?”

Cade smiled sarcastically. “No, an alien race, the Gua. They created these places to watch how we react to different circumstances, try to understand us, throw us off our game…pretty much in that order.”

“You have experience with them?” Da'an inquired, his voice devoid of intent; curiosity flooding his face.

Cade gave a small smile.“I seek them. Try to find out what’s going on in the Gua experiments and stop them. I’m sure you’re not one of them, they're not that obvious, but I don’t know what you want from me.”

Cade's level tone and imposing manner were as much for getting a ‘good reaction’ out of his messmate as any other reason. To a degree he succeeded. But it wasn’t the reaction he’d expected. The stranger barely raised his head, but managed to look Cade in the eyes as he stated: “You sound like William Boone.”

“Lacking evidence to the contrary, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Cade stated peaceably.

“You were meant to. William Boone was, in brief, a former police officer who was as respectful as he was reserved…and as curious about my kind as he was suspicious of our intentions. But I believe that by the end, he and I were friends.”

The note of sadness in Da’an’s voice as he said this wasn’t hard for Cade to understand. Not when he took a step back and considered that Da'an had called the man a friend and had spoken of him in the past tense.

For a few moments, no one said anything. Cade finally sat down.

“Do you mind if I ask you something personal?”

“Not in the least Cade.”

“What was he like, William Boone?”

“As I have said he was as respectful and reserved as he was curious and honest. I say reserved because he saw more than he spoke of. I call him curious simply because his desire to understand my people, in the end out-weighed his suspicion of us.” Da'an seemed to recognize he'd said too much. There was an almost embarrassed look to his face as he tried to look away.

“Da'an, not knowing anything about either of you until now, I guarantee you have not betrayed your people. Before you say anything, I have a friend from the other side of my own conflict. A solider named Joshua. The first time we met was when he held me at gunpoint trying to turn me over to his superiors. I managed to turn the tables. We didn’t part ways as equals, not at first. Our paths crossed many times after that. Understanding grew into respect and so on from there. It got to where he would help me on my endeavors as long as it didn't interfere with his own mission...or his loyalty to his people.”

“And does your story also have a sad ending? For your friend I mean?”

Cade paused, slightly taken aback by the man's gentle inquisitiveness. More so by how easy he was finding it to tell the stranger the truth. “I'd like to think that story isn't over yet.”

“Do I asses correctly that you count this 'Joshua' an ally?”

“...If not a friend. Why do you ask?”

“The way you speak about him is, and has always been, exactly my sentiment toward William Boone.”

Again the pause in his speech. Whatever Cade had been about to say vanished from thought as he considered what was going on. Instead he waited a moment and asked. “Da'an, how did your friend die?”

“My fellow Taelons would say..”

“..I'm more interested in what YOU would say.”

“He fought like a warrior for what he believed in and died for the self-same cause.”

“Alright, now what would the others of your race say?”

“That he was arrogant, reckless and didn't know what he was ‘getting into’. What is it Cade?”

“I'm just hoping my death will mean as much when it comes.”

“I do not doubt that it will.”

There was a distant look in the alien's eyes. Cade knew something was either troubling or perplexing him. But without knowing which, he decided to let him be. Several moments of quiet thought passed. Neither seemed in any rush to disturb the others' thoughts. “What is it?” Cade asked eventually.

“I am pondering something concerning the solider. Do you know what happened to him?” The light cadence which had faltered at his mention of his friends death had returned to Da'an's voice; which was meant to communicate that this was a question of curiosity, not a taunt. Cade Foster took it as such.

“I have my suspicions, but no, not for certain.” Another quiet pause.

“May I now ask you a question of a personal nature?” Da’an queried.

“Fair is fair as a friend of mine once said.”

“If your only encounter with aliens was of deception and trickery, how can you be certain that meeting me here is not simply another encounter of a similar kind?”

“Quiet voice, unassuming manner, carefully chosen words yet powerful meanings: diplomat!” There was a look of confusion in Da'an's face. A moment later Cade continued. “That's not the answer to your question. It wasn't meant to be, not directly. The simplest answer is: I'm the result of one of the Gua's experiments. They killed my wife to see what I'd do about it and they have seen. That's when I started my cross-country tour to stop these creeps. Half a year later I met Sasha. She too was the result of their interference; but was far more drastically altered. She just sent me a message; I heard it in my mind. I'll tell you now I still consider this nothing more than a quantum pocket...”

“...However...?”

“She told me the one I'd meet here would have even less of an idea what's going on than I do. So, trusting her words, it's pretty clear to me that you can't be a knowing part of the lie. Basically you feel like a king on a chess board rather than a player moving the pieces around at will.”

“Forgive my assumption but have you not considered this may be Sasha's doing? That we are here to learn either from or about the other, at her design?”

“Honestly no. Not that this could be her doing. I'd kind of figured that's why we were here though.”

“You are about to ask me what my theory on this meeting is?” Da'an whispered.

Cade sighed. “Specifically, if your fellow Taelons are looking to me as a possible replacement for Boone.”

“William Boone was supposedly an emissary between my people and yours. I do believe he WAS in truth.” There was a brief pause in the man's speech as if sizing Cade up.“But his motivations for accepting the position were never officially discovered...or disclosed.”

“You mean he was not free to share them?” Cade stated realization in his eyes. Da'an nodded.“ Strange.”

“Clarify, please.”

“It's strange that we each remind the other of a warrior-type and a close friend, who at least can be considered to be on the other side of a situation.”

“As I mentioned, this is most likely a deliberate meeting on someone's part. To answer your question, no. I do not believe that this meeting is for the purpose of replacing Boone.”

“I wish I had your confidence.”

“Cade Foster, do you believe in determined providence?” 

“I'm not sure what you mean!” Cade answered honestly.

“...The possibility that neither the Gua you chase, nor my own people are responsible for this encounter.”

“You said yourself that you don't think...” Cade started. “how'd you know my name?!”

Da'an did not look disturbed by the question. In fact he seemed almost relieved by it.“ 'Cade Foster believes in aliens. But with one exception, does not trust them'. The exact words of the message left in my mind before I arrived. I would have assumed it was from the synod...MY superiors...”

“Except for what I told you about Sasha.” Cade stated. A spark in his mind fanning into a flame.