Kalden Deltak was wearing the best uniform he could find. He straightened his back so he would have a more imposing stature on the uncomfortable chair. Raising his hand to check if his hair was neatly arranged, he instead ended up fondling his skull. That was the moment when he realized he should have polished his head for extra shininess. Why didn’t he think of that before now?
Because now was way too late for touch-ups. The screen in front of him glitched and then the image of a member of the Universal Consensus appeared. Kalden Deltak clicked his tongue in displeasure. That alien was almost radiating light from his bright baldness. The Nubilae felt utterly defeated from the very start.
The screen was barely long enough to be able to show the long egg-shaped head of the member of the Universal Consensus. His ears were large and glued to his head while going down to his chin, where the lobes converged in a single one, left hanging from there.
“State your official designation, unknown vessel,” the egg-headed alien demanded before Tejeda could say anything.
The Nubilae swiped up, and the screen vanished, showing Shayla, who was staring at him with concern on her face. “Why did you close the call?”
A stupid smirk emerged on Kalden Deltak's face, giving him the appearance of a scary mass killer. "Oh, huh, Shayla, hmmm, I still don't know what the name of this ship is."
Shayla literally facepalmed. Still holding her hand over her face to cover her eyes and not seeing him anymore, she murmured. "For crying out loud! This is the Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom’s flagship named SCF1. Called 1 since there are no numbers 2, 3, or 4; it's our only ship. Ha! I think I want to slap my face again."
Kalden Deltak raised his chin proudly and winked, not caring if her eyes were covered. Or was she looking at him between her fingers? Oh, well, he had better things to do right now than to ponder on peek-a-boo. He resumed his elegant posture and swiped down.
The screen reappeared and, after a few seconds, reconnected with the Universal Consensus member. This time, Tejeda managed to talk first. "This is SCF1, the Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom’s flagship. Sorry about what happened earlier. It was a glitch in the system, but now we should be fine. I am Kalden Deltak, the captain of this ship and the leader of the Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom. I have something I want to trade in the upcoming business meeting that is about to take place between you and the Alpha Pirates."
The Universal Consensus member had small black eyes that resembled two buttons stitched on a white tablecloth. They seemed to shrink even more if that was possible. “You seem well informed for a leader of a small irrelevant organization. We like information and the ways to obtain the pesky bits. Please, tell us, how did you get this data?”
Tejeda’s creepy smile didn’t have any effect on his interlocutor. "We have a very good hacker at our disposal. He managed to obtain the Interstellar Police database and we got nice intel from there. We may be inclined to share with you if you are kind enough to get us an invitation to the meeting."
The bald-headed alien, I mean the Universal Consensus member to avoid any misunderstanding, shook his head, making his chin lobe wiggle left and right. “Not yet, but we are interested enough to hear you out. You can call me Uni1.”
“Nice to meet you, Uni1. Are you the leader of the Universal Consensus?”
Tejeda was nearly mesmerized by the movement of Uni1's lobe as his head moved again. "I am the leader. I am the follower. I am everything. I am known as the Universal Consensus. Perhaps your database has become corrupted. You should have known about us and the benefits of our collective intelligence."
Now was Tejeda’s turn to shake his head and his hand touched his chin to check if he hadn’t a lobe there as well. "I can assure you the database is accurate and fully operational. The thing is, my head is not big enough to store all that data. I sincerely apologize for my biological faults. I would want to auction off a one-of-a-kind piece of technology, a robotic construct that can read people's minds and emotions. It is a breakthrough to link the psionic and technological paths of ascension. Do I have your attention now?"
Uni1 simply remained there still and silent for a few seconds. Most likely, a crucial discussion about what they should do was going on in his brain. Uni1's eyes moved after a while. "We want the database transfer to be made through subspace at these coordinates. Encrypt it using your preferred technique. We will be able to open it."
On the right side of the screen, a series of digits appeared. Uni1 went on. "On the feedback trail of that communication, you will receive an official invitation. How many individuals are expected to attend the meeting, and who will they be?"
“We will be two members. Me, Kalden Deltak, the captain of SCF1, and Shayla Bale, a human female and the second in command, who likes to wear red and has a weird object hung at her neck.”
Uni1 stared at Tejeda for a few more seconds before giving a short reply. “We will be waiting at the meeting for you and Shayla Bale.”
When the screen went blank, Shayla swiped up to see Tejeda. His grin was gleaming with delight. "We completed the task! We are both in!"
Her lips were pursed, and the area between her brows wrinkled in a frightening scowl. He didn't give a damn. Tejeda was triumphantly chuckling. He managed to utter after a few seconds. "All we have to do now is find you a lovely red gown."
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The Space Spoon 10. Welcome to Uthion
SCF1 was heading toward the Universal Consensus coordinates. Uthion, a class H stony planet with a perfect atmosphere for human existence, was their goal. It was mostly desolate, with just a few scattered tiny villages. The majority of Uthionians fled to other worlds as soon as they could. Many individuals would find it difficult to live with the continual danger of corrosive rain above their heads.In the past, nefarious groups from this region of the galaxy collaborated to build a dome in the northern hemisphere of Uthion, which was immune to the planet's weather conditions. The planet's tiny population and corrosive rain made it ideal for shady enterprises, illicit auctions, and trade.Tejeda and Shayla took a shuttle to the planet. After inserting the exact coordinates for the dome, he set the computer AI for automatic descent. The Nubilae turned around to admire Shayla’s outfit. After requisitioning several sheets, Tejeda asked Harland King and his team to b
The Space Spoon 11. Precious Commodity
The iridescent fringe decor with pink uplighting and hypnotic centerpieces was dazzling. Servers with wearable trays around their waists wore metallic and robot-patterned leotards, while multicolored laser lights turned the setting into a cosmic blend of hues.The atmosphere was clearly designed for a party rather than a serious conference. With the use of projection mapping, this majestic dome was transformed into a kaleidoscope of psychedelic colors and a futuristic paradise. It was not just a location for business and profit, but also entertainment and socializing.After everyone was seated, the projections changed, showing now images of the items put for auction. Not all people there were watching the pictures. Instead, many were dancing on some weird hypnotic rhythms that were completely new for Shayla.Her awe for the event was interrupted by Tejeda’s exclamation. “Look! I think you have a competition. She is smoking hot!”As they
The Space Spoon 12. Confusion
Pain is never pleasant, yet it is one of the most important aspects of existence. Without pain, it is impossible to claim one actually lived. Tejeda had the ability to make changes to his body while it was still in the metamorphosis stage. It was too late to make further changes to his physique once the procedure was completed.He once became sick of agony and developed a body with no pain receptors. That was one of the most traumatic moments of his life. Tejeda believed he was invincible, even if he was not. His body was perpetually covered with bruises and sores. Older ones were regularly swapped out for fresh ones.Because of blood loss, the Nubilae squandered that body. He had his hand severed in a struggle, and before he knew it, huff, he was dead on the ground, with too little blood to keep him alive. He promised he would never do it again. Tejeda cursed his decision when the first drop of acid rain reached his flesh.He softly hissed when his left cheek m
The Space Spoon 13. Dancing with an Admiral
Glasses collided with dull, atonal clicks, while the waitresses of different alien species served the drinks. For Shayla, the rest of the people there were mere shadows sitting at distant tables, conversing through muffled murmurs.She took a sip of Tomengaria whiskey, emptying her glass. The drink burned her throat, falling into her belly like a burning ember. After Tejeda left, things had become boring for Shayla. The worst was the constant flirts she had to endure. Why had she agreed to attend the meeting in that red dress?A Globonian approached her table, nodding at her empty glass. "Do you want another one?"The massive man had a T-shirt that barely managed to hide his filth. He didn't seem to be a waiter, more like another man trying his luck with the little woman dressed in red. "No, thanks!""What a pity," he said from across the table, his fetid breath reaching her even so. "I like a woman who can hold her liquor."“And I like a man
The Space Spoon 14. Decisions
“Is it true that you prefer me more as Admiral Vologorn than as Kalden Deltak?" Tejeda asked Shayla as his hand reached deeper under her dress. The tips of his fingers touched her gun holster.The surprised glare and her parted lips made him want to kiss her again, but there was no time for that. He softly whispered in her ear. "When I say ‘duck’, you duck. Then you run, find a cover and stay there."He slowly released the laser pistol from its holster and used his thumb to set it to kill. Tejeda’s now grey eyes were looking in her green ones, as both felt another kind of tension increasing. His left arm released her and moved to the chain around her neck. When he yelled, “Duck!” she let herself fall to her knees and rolled over to the left out of his line of sight.With the gun in his right hand and Carmen in his left, Tejeda remained alone in the middle of the dance floor. He didn’t have to look around the room to see
The Space Spoon 15. L-403
Like a shuttle revving up for takeoff, the dome filled with a loud hum, shaking the table on which Tejeda and Shayla were leaning. Their growing uneasiness was worsened by the steady increase in volume and tone.Shayla pressed her hands over her ears as the continuous noise scraped at her brain. The commotion died down just when she felt she couldn't stand it any longer. She opened her eyes and took her hands away from her ears just in time to hear Uni1 speak."L-403 is now ready for action. We are not a tolerant race in general. But our curiosity for the Nubilae compels us to be lenient this time. We are scientists at heart, and we like knowledge. One of our deepest desires is to capture a Nubilae while he is still alive. I will give you two minutes to consider your surrender. We will even think about letting your companion leave."Shayla wanted to decipher what was beneath the smirk on Admiral Vologorn’s face. He had a plan now for sure, but was that for
The Space Spoon 16. Idiosyncratic Beings
Shayla and E00 sat and looked into space while the wind died away. She stroked her index finger between the fingers of her other hand, rubbing harder and harder until the agony forced her to concentrate. Her tired mind fought to form logical ideas, to focus on something, to devise a strategy. Her mind was plagued by images of the purple eyes.“Shayla, I know what you are thinking, but you can’t simply stroll in that area,” E00 stated, his robotic voice disturbing her train of thoughts. “There are beta and gamma radiations that can harm your body irreparably.”“I have to. I need to see with my own eyes that there is nothing left, that his existence has ended.” Shayla paused, gasping for air. “He's reckless, sure, but I can’t believe he would throw his life away. At some point, he mentioned something about a self-preservation instinct embedded at the core of his species.”Shayla came to a complete stop. E
The Space Spoon 17. Evolution
Billions of years ago, a life-supporting planet imploded from its very core. The civilization that used to inhabit it developed weapon technology way above their intellect levels. I say this because technological advancement should be as high as their level of understanding of how to preserve their planet, especially before the process of colonizing other worlds.The debris left after the destruction of that planet, its name lost in time, scattered in multiple directions as the explosion threw them in a perpetual motion. Without friction forces, they kept moving through space. Some were simple masses formed from frozen water from the seas and oceans of the destroyed planet. One of these crashed on Nubilonia.It contained marine diatoms, carbon-based organisms, more specifically microalgae. When the ice melted under the perpetual sun of Nubilonia on the side where it was forever shining, those diatoms extracted silica from the sand in that desert and incorporated it int
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