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Galina, The Blue Venture
As the Blue Venture settled into orbit around Galina, Alex opened hailing frequencies. "Greetings Galina, Galactic authority. This is Blue Venture, LC Class merchant vessel 241WTE, on mission for Queen Gaia of the Simoi, holder of the Black Throne. Do you copy?"
"Welcome Blue Venture. Galina GA here. Please state the purpose of your intended visit and transmit trade visa."
Alex glanced at Val. "Sounds like Gaia was right, as usual. I'm glad she provided us with official status."
"Let's just hope it gets us to the right people," Val replied.
"Acknowledged, Galina GA," Alex said into the commlink. "Transmitting diplomatic credentials now. Our directive is to make contact with the human settlement here on Galina and establish diplomatic relations with same."
"Stand by, Blue Venture. I am forwarding your request through channels." A brief silence followed. Finally, the Galinian official came back onlink. "There is no separated human colony, however, our intergalactic envoy will be happy to meet with you. She is one quarter human. Is this acceptable?"
Val's eyes widened and Alex had to clear his throat twice before responding. "Galina GA, we would be honored to meet with your envoy."
"Excellent, Blue Venture. We will patch you through to Dolan Spaceport."
"Thank you, Galina GA."
A three-tone chime sounded and a new voice spoke. "This is Dolan Spaceport to Blue Venture 241WTE. We have a berth available. Please follow homing beacon 7741E. It will guide you all the way in."
"Acknowledged, Dolan Spaceport. We have acquired beacon 7741E and will follow it to our landing zone."
"Thank you, Blue Venture. Please wait aboard your ship until the envoy's representative contacts you. They have been notified and are on their way. Meanwhile, will it be acceptable to begin medical screening aboard Blue Venture while you wait?"
Tamar palmed the flight controls, following the gold blip of the homing beacon on her screen, adjusting course as necessary.
Catching Val's nod, Alex confirmed their willingness to undergo screening. It was standard procedure, especially if the incoming species was arriving from outside the home system.
"Very good, Blue Venture. Welcome to Galina, and to Dolan. I hope you enjoy your visit. Dolan Spaceport out."
Cutting the connection, Alex turned to Val. "One quarter human?"
"Galinians are humanoid, and their physiology is entirely compatible with yours." Dash flicked his airscreen off and turned his gel chair to face the others. "Interbreeding would be possible, perhaps even inevitable."
"You think they're completely integrated?" Val asked. "Could that protect them from HiveZ?"
"HiveZ is no longer a threat, in my estimation," Dash said with the air of someone repeating something he'd already been forced to say too many times. "But, even if they were, the mixing of bloodlines would likely change the genetics of the resulting progeny enough to protect them. That is, if we are correct in our understanding of how and why HiveZ is able to track humans specifically."
"According to Tessa, HiveZ doesn't trace humans via DNA," Alex said.
"No, her theory is that they tracked unique elements of the human soul. However, it stands to reason that if our bodies are a mix of traits derived from our parents, our souls are also a composite. Adding a compatible species to the bloodline would then result in something unique, regardless of outward appearance."
"Can't fault your logic, Dash," Val said. "Let's just hope you're right on both counts."
"Both counts?" Dash asked.
"That HiveZ is dead, and that the humans here, first generation or fourth, are safe and/or immune."
"How many purely human citizens do you suppose they have?" Alex asked. "I mean, it's been several hundred years. If they've been intermarrying all that time, do you think there are any left?"
"Let's save that question for the envoy," Val said. "We still don't know for sure how humans are viewed here, or how the government will react to a potential threat to the population."
The Venture quivered slightly as Tamar eased the ship into its berth.
"Docking now, Captain," she said. "We are needing fuel and supplies. Shall I contact Dolan Spaceport?"
"Good thought. You go ahead," Val said. "Do you and Rakan want to make a supply run? Port authority should be able to point you in the right direction."
"As you are saying. Should we be looking only for food, or trade goods also?" Tamar asked.
"I'll leave that up to you. You always manage to find the best bargains. Just..." Val eyed her first mate carefully. "Just no plants or pets, OK?"
Tamar huffed an affronted breath through her trim whiskers. "I am not bringing pets on board! And plant was only the one time."
Val's eyes narrowed. "And the voracina is still on board, isn't she?"
Rubbing the short, soft fur along her jawline with her paw, Tamar didn't meet Val's gaze.
The comm-link indicator flashed on Alex's control panel, saving her from the need to reply.
"The representative and medical team are waiting to board," Alex said. "Should I bring them to the lounge?"
"Yeah, I'll meet you there," Val said. "Tamar, you and Dash with me. Alex, get Rakan up there, too. Might as well have everyone screened at once."
"What about Irina?" Alex asked.
"She's three, and she won't be leaving the ship. My first instinct is to say no. Yours?"
"Agreed," Alex said. He turned back to his control panel as the others entered the OPT. A moment later, he finished his response and followed, heading to the brow instead of the lounge.
Galina, Dolan Spaceport
Twenty minutes later, Blue Venture's entire crew gathered in her lounge. Coffee had been set out and the screening process begun.
"As you probably know, the scan is not invasive. Just a simple sweep and we're done," Hart Norrell said. The tall, barrel chested Galinian appeared to be in his early twenties, with blue skin so pale it was almost white. His eyes were gray with dark blue lashes.
Val itched to ask him if he had any humans in his family, but it felt impolite to ask. "Galina GA mentioned an envoy we might be talking with?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Kellene Gardner has been our intergalactic trade envoy for ten years now. She is eager to meet with you and has cleared her schedule for this afternoon. Is that acceptable?"
"Of course. To be honest, it's more than we expected. It isn't as if you had much notice."
"Oh, the advent of new humans is most welcome to us. Do you think you might want to settle here?" His eyes rounded and he clapped a hand over his mouth.
"We – I don't think–" Val began.
"That isn't what we're–" Alex said.
The representative lowered his hand. "I apologize. That was intrusive and rude. Let me get these scans done and I'll take you to Madam Gardner."
"No harm done," Val said mildly. She allowed him to press the scanner to her arm and felt nothing as the device completed its work.
Hart clicked the toggle for Galina on her interstellar passport and looked up. "All clear. Next?"
Several minutes later, Hart led them to the dock. Turning to Tamar, he smiled. "The autolev is fully automated with all the latest market information. Just tell the onboard DEVA what you need, and it is programmed to take you to the place with the best products at the most reasonable prices," he said.
He waited politely while Tamar and Rakan climbed inside before addressing Val. "Captain Demyanov? If you and your people will join me, I can take you to Madam Gardner's offices."
The autolev was a luxury model with a fully stocked nourichef and crystal glassware. Val gave Alex a sideways glance and held up a glass. "Cheers?"
They traveled through a city of broad streets and well-kept parks. People walked the sidewalks or sat at outdoor cafes, chatting. Many matched Hart for paleness, but skin tones ran the gamut from midnight blue to tan with indigo freckles. She saw only one person whose pigment landed in the brown range – a topaz-eyed woman with sable hair.
"Hart?" she said. "How long has it been since humans settled on Galina?"
"Oof, you're asking me for ancient history here. The arrival happened back in my grandfather's time, so –" he did the necessary mental calculations. "About two hundred ISA years."
"Two hundred interstellar averaged years. So that's..." She turned to Alex. "What, in Earth years?"
"About three hundred years," Alex said. "So, it took them around four hundred to find Galina."
"Oh, the Partnership started before the Arrival."
Alex and Val looked at him blankly, hearing the capitalized words in his tone.
"Sorry. I forget you didn't grow up here, so you might not know." His face settled into the concentrated look of a doctoral candidate giving his dissertation. "The BRSC, or British Royal Space Colony, left Earth in the year one AEE." He paused and his face relaxed. "That's After Earth Evacuation." His facial expression regaining its intensity, he continued. "Because of an error in navigational programming, the Earth solar system was lost to the BRSC. Concluding that this might be due to the actions of extraterrestrial beings, Parliament chose not to try to recover the lost navigational data, and instead set out to find a new planet upon which to settle."
"So, the same thing that happened to the U.S. Fleet happened to the BRSC," Alex said.
Hart gave him a startled glance, losing the studious expression entirely. "Did it? Oh. That explains a lot. Anyway, they looked for a new home for a really long time and then found Galina. We started out as trading partners, but they had a hard time keeping resources in hand. Meanwhile, we were gaining quite a bit from human technology and they were basically surviving on the raw materials we could provide for trade." He shrugged. "And, of course, people from up there met people from down here, and fell in love and intermarried. After a while, it just didn't make sense to stay separate. The HOSH and domes are still up there, but most of the human population migrated to Galina ages ago." He pointed up, wiggling his fingers slightly. "It's an artist colony now. They make the most incredible stuff up there – everything from statuary to textiles – and provide several of our most popular exports."
"Like meat pies?" Val asked with a dry look at Alex.
Hart's eyes widened again. "Yeah! How did you know?"
"Call it a hunch," Val replied.
The autolev floated to a stop and Hart looked out the window. "Here we are. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to Madam Gardner."
"Right behind you," Val said.
