The Treaty of Ten Systems

Down in the prep-room, Hammer prepared a pep-talk of his own. He had assembled the enlisted men there. A variety of different races stood before him, at least one from each system. He had changed out of his dress whites, he bore battle armor instead.

"My name is Gunnery Sergeant Jeff Hammer. I have been wounded twice and I have won many battles against impossible odds. Two weeks ago I was the luckiest son of a ***** in the mother-****ing fleet! That was two ****ing weeks ago. Today, I stand before the sorriest gathering of so called soldiers in the entire ****ing galaxy!"

"High Command would have me believe that you represent the best that each system has to offer. Undoubtedly, there is some truth to this, otherwise you would not find me here. For the rest of you I am less optimistic. Some of you look stupid enough that you might easily have been sent here to be cannon fodder. You'd die and then your leaders would point to your dead carcass and say 'See! We did our part.'"

"I say **** that! If you are only here to die, then I'll be left with dead idiots mixed in with dead marines. So here is what I've come up with in order to separate the killers from the fodder. Over the next few days, we will undergo an intense training regimen that I have developed. Anyone who is unable to keep up will be sent home. The rest will be Marines."

"Are there any questions?" Hammer asked. There were none.

"Very well. You are dismissed. Rest as much as you can, you won't be able to over the next few days," Hammer said.

Gulp, Rick thought. This guy's serious.

"And you aren't?" Gabe asked, correctly guessing Rick's thoughts.

"Sure I am. I can outrun, outsmart, outperform anyone here." He folded his arms smugly.

"Atta boy, Rick. Don't let those aliens see your belly." Gabe demonstrated by rolling over to expose his chest, which Rick scratched. "Ah, that's nice."

Their conversation was again interrupted. This time it was a nervous boy about fourteen years old. "Sir, I've been ordered to deliver a message to you.'

Rick sighed and held out his hand. He was surprised when the note turned out to be on paper. Someone high up in the chain, he guessed.

He perused the note and glanced over at Gabe. "Bad news, boy: you're not on the crew."

Gabe jumped up indignantly. "Not on the crew? I should jolly well say I am!" He turned a slow circle. "What do they take me for, a common street mutt? I'm a highly qualified individual."

"You are that, but apparently someone thought a dog on the ship wouldn't agree with certain parties."

Gabe rolled his eyes. "Isn't it legal to say the word 'aliens' anymore? That's what they are."

Adelaide

"I didn't know this was going to involve training," Jason commented. I studied him curiously. Most other humans would have been outraged, surprised or at least shown some emotion but still he seemed neutral. I certainly wasn't happy. I'd been hoping to take it easy, relax until we found a place that needed infiltrating. That didn't mean I couldn't rise to the challenge though.

"Should be simple enough," I said as we marched on down the hall; a column of soldiers retreating to their rooms.

"Why send anyone home? Surely even a poor soldier is better than no soldier," a person to my right mused. I drew my lips back in an unpleasant sneer.

"A poor soldier can get good soldiers killed," I spat. He carefully wiped the fluid from his face with the back of his sleeve and turned to face me.

"And what about a poor General?" he asked before entering a room. I didn't bother to note the number or the location - he wasn't worth losing a position on this mission.

When Jason and I arrived at our room, he sat down on his bed and began to read his book again. I located a pack of cards amongst my equipment.

"Time to greet the neighbours," I decided, "you coming?" He looked up and then nodded, somewhat reluctantly. "Pick a side, left or right?"

"Left," he said. I knocked on the door to our right.

The door closed behind Erik as he heard Lan saying "--while others come fresh and unaware."

Erik smiled apologetically at several scowling faces as he maneuvered through the crowd.

"This will not be an easy voyage and I ask nothing less of you than one-hundred percent of your effort." Erik wasn't certain, but he guessed the stern glance in his vicinity from Lan was intended for him. "If you feel you are unable to work with those of other races the exits are still open. I will not tolerate hostility among my crew, you either work together or you will be leaving. Today is a new day, a day to start fresh and look past the exterior and see the people you will be working with from now on. Today, we work together as one crew. You are no longer a human. you are no longer a Ganesh or Sorrence. All of you are crew members of the TSS Unity.

"That being said, take your stations and prepare to depart." A single Yes sir echoed through the ship as the crew dispersed. Erik watched carefully as members took their leave--some left briskly, some stumbled around. It occurred to Erik that this whole project could backfire in some cruel Spaceship of Babel metaphor, but he preferred not to think of those things.

"Undulaker," Lan's distinctive voice barked from a near distance.

Erik quickly turned and gave a brief nod. "Captain Taina."

Lan nodded, eyes slightly narrowed. "I should hope in combat you're more punctual than you were today."

Erik's jaw tightened. "I was taking care of another issue." He didn't leave room for question with his tone.

"I'm sure you did," Lan nodded. He straightened his shoulders to give Erik the impression of sternness. "Just so we're clear," he said, "I don't mean to trivialize your position aboard the TSS Unity, but I will not tolerate any funny business whatsoever."

Erik took a deep breath. "Well, sir, my position aboard--"

"I am well aware of your position, Dr. Undulaker," Lan snapped, "and I have never cared for it. The only intelligence I need is what I see on the ground."

"Fine," Erik smiled despite feeling his blood pressure rise.

"Do we understand each other?"

Erik nodded.

"Good," Lan pulled a chip from his pocket. "I need you to deliver this to GySgt. Hammer in the prep-room."

Erik noticed that for the most part he and Lan were the only ones left standing in the bridge. "What is it?"

"It's coordinates to our first destination." Lan paused. "They should be in your directory."

"Alright." Erik glanced up and made brief eye contact with his superior.

"Go."

Erik stood for a few more moments, just because he hated direct orders, before leaving the bridge and going down to the prep-room. Several of the recruits passed by him, talking amongst themselves, as he walked in to the prep-room. It struck him that he might not be able to identify Hammer, but as soon as he saw the short, almost-stocky man up front, he could tell. GySgt. Hammer had seen plenty of combat, and the slight scar on his neck was enough evidence of that. Erik stepped towards him, "GySgt. Hammer?"

"What?" Hammer turned and saw Erik standing there. "Apologies, sir." He made a half-hearted effort to actually look apologetic.

Erik smiled. "This is for you, from Cpt. Taina." Hammer took it from his hands. "Coordinates of the destination."

Hammer squinted at the chip and then looked up. "And you are...?"

"I'm Erik Undulaker," Erik stuck his hand out. Hammer shook it. "Depending on what's important to you, either Dr. Undulaker or Lt. Col. Undulaker--between us, though, Erik is fine."

"Great," Hammer said, taking the chip and holding it. "I'll see you around, then."

"Sure enough," Erik smiled and left the prep-room.

He touched his earchip. "Irene?"

"Yes, Dr. Undulaker?"

"Can you prep the lab?"

"Of course, sir."

Erik retreated back to his quarters as he heard the ship's systems power-up. He opened his suitcase and pulled out a picture. He ran his fingers over the glass casing, smiling sadly as he looked down.

Nothing feels as good as the present.

He set the picture on his desk and pulled out a small box from beneath his lab-wear. He glanced around the room before popping it open and pulling out a small petri dish.

"Sir," Irene said, "the lab is ready."

He pushed the dish back inside the box and tucked it in his lab coat. "Showtime."

Vidol Oratal

Vidol lay down on his bed, running through the information given to him in the briefing. Working together then. Whatever this Captain appears to be, he's not going to tolerate any **** from the rest of us. I'd better watch my step.

He thought for another moment longer before his communications device crackled into life. He picked it up and looked at it, suddenly connected to his home planet once again.

"Seer."

"Good day, Vidol. You requested that I find information on this Mamushito for you?"

Vidol smiled a little.

"I'm guessing you have it then."

"As much as I could at such short notice. I suggest you watch her carefully, she's more than a little crazy, or so it appears to me. Also, she's a computer genius, so don't keep anything...sensitive on your computer."

"Thankyou, Seer. Tell me if you find anything else that I might need to know."

"Very well, Vidol. Remember: watch your step, and try to work with these people - for your own good, if not for the good of the Treaty."

The link shut off, only a second before someone knocked on his door.

Vidol frowned at the door. Now who could that be? My roommate, probably.

"Enter."

The door slid open, revealing a Human and a Voider, who held a deck of cards. Remember what the Seer said, Vidol. Besides, they're grunts, not officers. He smiled.

"Good to see a proper pair of soldiers at last. Now, what can I do for you two?"

Hammer took the chip and inserted it into the computer. He entered in his access code and the relevant data came up.

The world was known as Barton and it was on the edge of the treaty systems. It was a human system and the planet was barely inside the habitable ring. The planet was cold and while liquid water was present near the equator, the Northern and Southern Regions both had a sizable region of permafrost. The gravity was 75% that of Earth's, so that is what they would train at.

He began to make the arrangements for the next morning, before going to sleep.

Hammer was up early. His computer flickered on automatically to brief him on the evenings events. Nothing unusual had occurred, no complaints or disturbances.

He had new messages. The first one gave him permission to use cargo bay eleven for training. The cargo had been safely sealed, so the naval personnel trusted him there, to a point. They would set the temperature and the gravity settings themselves, instead of trusting Hammer to do this. Hammer would have preferred to know how to do this, it could come in handy with dealing with boarders, but he decided that this was something he could talk over with his commanding officer, whenever they decided to meet.

Hammer hadn't met with his CO yet, but the way he figured it, the training of the men was ultimately his job. So, when his CO finally did talk with Hammer, he'd at least have his men halfway ready.

Hammer brought up a few more screens. The cargo bay had been made ready to his specifications. Now he only had to prepare for the men. He exited his quarters and moved silently into the prep-room. His battle armor took only a few seconds to put on. He waited only for the time to be an even number, before activating the quick scramble call for the enlisted barracks. He was surprised to see the floor brighten as yellow arrows pointed towards the prep-room. The designers had planned for everything. There was some noise as marines emptied their rooms and flooded into the prep-room.

"How about a few games of cards?" Adelaide suggested, shuffling the pack thoroughly.

"Sounds like a good idea to me and what might your names be?" The Diosu asked. Jason took a seat on the vacant bed while Adelaide settled herself on the floor of the room.

"I'm Jason," the human stated.

"The name's Adelaide in the standard tongue but if you can't manage that, Adi is fine."

"I'm Vidol."

"Nice to meet you Vidol now are you alright with me dealing the cards or would you rather the human did it?"

"Deal ahead," Vidol replied with a shrug. Adelaide grinned and shuffled the cards once more before dealing them quickly, trying to unhinge her opponents. Adelaide was one of the few members of her race who did not agree with cheating at cards. She did not however class making her opponents so nervous and paranoid that they were heavily distracted as cheating.

The Diosu whistled softly as he watched her deal the cards out. He allowed himself a sly grin.

"Not bad...for a Voider."

She snorted.

"And I suppose you could deal faster?"

"Are you kidding? Deal faster? I was talking about the fact that you managed to keep yourself from rigging the deck."

The human raised one eyebrow, glancing at his cards for a moment before looking from Vidol to Adelaide.

"And how do you know she didn't?"

"I don't, it's just a hunch. What's the game?"

Lan walked to his ready room, only a few paces from the bridge it was ideal for a quiet moment. The rumble of the engines was becoming stronger. Soon they would be in space, off to a lone planet.

He took a seat behind the gleaming oak desk, thick and sturdy it held nothing on it yet. The glowing panel displayed a number of possible entries for the captains terminal, known of them appealing at the moment. "And so we begin." He tapped a button on the desk, sending a communication to the Engine room, "What is the status of the Engines?"

"They're at about fifty percent right now. We should be in the air within the hour."

"Good, keep me informed." Lan clicked off the comm. Looking at his barren desk and thinking. There was still much to do before departure. He left the solitude of the ready room to bustle of the Unity. People were scrambling, making sure all systems were ready for launch. Checking and double checking.

"Hey you!" a small furry ball came barreling towards Lan, growling furiously. A dog?

"I figured you'd both know how to play cheat, right?" Adelaide grinned as she scooped up her set of cards and began to sort them carefully.

"Cheat? That's a kids game," Vidol scoffed, also examining his cards.

"Oh yeah? Say that again when you're losing," Adelaide retorted, surprised to find herself really looking forward to the game.

Jason went first, laying down 'two fours' and no one called the bluff so the round moved on to Vidol.

"Three eights," he declared, laying the three cards down. Jason checked his cards, his eyes hovering on the eight of diamonds as he hesitated. Seeing this, Adelaide looked at her own cards and frowned.

"Ummm..." she stared at the three of hearts. Jason looked up, noted her expression, analysed it and quickly said 'cheat.'

"She got you there," Vidol noted, turning the three eights over. Jason nodded and picked up the cards.

"I play four eights," Jason declared.

"Perfect opportunity to cheat," Adelaide noted.

"Are you accusing me?" Jason asked.

They weren't coming. If Egon had tear ducts he would have cried. He didn't, however, so he could not, but this changed nothing. He had been abandoned.

"Disconnected..." The word dribbled from the corner of his mouth and he savoured the fresh sting of pain that came with it. They had disconnected him and sent him on a never-ending mission. He might never see his family again.

Egon realised he was staring at the note. It disgusted him. Things had begun so well, yet it had all been a façade. He ran his fingers over the human 'Braille' once more and looked again for signs of forgery.

[pre]Earlier the bridge received an unofficial transmission from a Novarian ship addressed to the captain. It gave direct orders that concern you and so he decided to inform you of the transmission's details.

:BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:

As you are aware the Novarian, Egon Astral (dsc.), has been assigned to your command. He is a fine soldier but his deviation from the aim of The Cause has had unexpected consequences. Egon has been disconnected from the Novarian race after an investigation into possible disloyalty and, as such, is no longer welcome to return to his home planet or rejoin the Novarian navy. Orders dictate that he should be executed for deviation, but if you are willing to press him into your ranks, and therefore avoid extradition, then he could technically survive in exile. I beg you to consider this option, Egon is a strong warrior and was an asset to The Cause. If you do not accept this proposition then your orders are to perform the execution yourselves. However, do not do so until the orders reach you by the official channels.

I hope you consider this proposal seriously.

Unknown sender

:END TRANSCRIPT:

Do not attend the set briefings, remain in your quarters and await the decision of the captain. If you are required for any part of the discussion, one of the ship's personnel will contact you. If this is the case do not arm yourself, but comply without resistance. Your actions now could affect the captain's decision.[/pre]
It was not forged. Egon realised he had dropped the letter, but did not care. It was over; he was over. His life, his everything, had folded in on itself and there was nothing more he could change.

"Where is The Sentiment in this?" he muttered and picked up the letter. His fingers flickered over the Braille and he began to read once more.

"We're in."

Erik walked in as the doctors assembled together as though for the first time. Every race had presented the best diagnosticians they could muster, and here they all sat, in all their glorious garb and pride. It was a tinge sad.

"What happened?" Dr. Bidani asked Erik quietly.

Erik blinked, confused.

"Did somebody hurt themselves?" Dr. Bidani motioned to a small stain on Erik's white t-shirt.

"Oh," Erik smiled, "No. I cut myself while I was shaving an hour or so ago--I must have wiped it off on my shirt." He shrugged as if to say, 'What can you do?', and Dr. Bidani smiled and nodded.

As the chatter quieted, an uneasy hostility fell around them. Erik knew it wasn't unusual for medical personnel to be fiercely competitive, but he was also aware that most of the tensions among the species had yet to be resolved at the individual level.

Dr. Dragost, a Novarian, stood up from the far-end of the table and passed out folders. Inside, the details regarding protocol, chain of command, and miscellaneous details were explained in nauseating prolixity. Dragost read each of these details, word-for-word, as though they were in grade school. Erik understood the formal need to do this, but saw no practical value in treating everyone as though they were children.

"Dr. Undulaker will be joining us," Dr. Dragost said, gesturing to Erik, "as a medical consultant and, by a unanimous vote taken today, as the Chair of the Ethics Committee in the event of malpractice. Since I believe we're all familiar with Dr. Undulaker's work, I'll let him now address you."

Erik stood up slowly, slightly shocked and amused that he had been voted the presiding officer of an ethics committee. He cleared his throat as all of their eyes came to rest on him. "I--well, thank you, first of all. It's an honor to serve with all of you aboard this ship, although the specific circumstances could have been better." There was a slight nod at this remark. One of the aliens, a Voider, scoffed. "And let me make myself abundantly clear, right from the start," Erik said, raising his voice. "If I find out that any of you intentionally harm any member of this crew, I will personally make sure you pay for it."

"And how are you going to do that?" the Voider asked.

Erik smirked coolly. "Let's hope you don't have to find out." This sudden twist of conversation had put the whole congregation on edge. "But we are all professionals, each of us trained and specialized in our individual fields." Erik was trying to reign the discomfort back in. "Having only one of us is like having a body with only one system functional. We need each other, or else we die. Our crew relies on us, and we, in turn, rely on them. As scientists, our ultimate pursuit should be that of knowledge, of truth and of understanding. No race or political sway should ever keep us from remembering that basic fact about who we are." The tension had lessened, though Erik was still unhappy with the damage that had been done. "That said, I'd perhaps like to suggest bi-weekly meetings--case debriefs, clinical discovers, whatever--to catch everyone up with what's going on. All in favor?"

There were nods--some forceful, some hesitant. Erik was quietly surveying how much the individuals trusted each other, and making his own decisions as to who could be told what.

"Very well then," Erik smiled and saluted the crowd. "If you gentlemen don't mind, I have some business to tend to." He slipped out of medical commons and went down to the bridge. The engines had reached 63% and steadily rising. People swiveled in their chairs from monitor to monitor, checking and adjusting God-knows-what. Erik sat down at one of the few vacant desks and pulled out his PDA. He heard a slight commotion behind him and glanced over to see Lan fussing at a dog. He smiled at the image before returning to the loaded web browser. He quickly checked all of the server updates before looking at his new email messages. The first one he opened involved the potential security threat Yuki Mamushito could pose, but since no concrete evidence had been discovered that could connect Yuki to the database leak, no action had been pursued. Yuki had, however, been targeted for security detail.

Erik propped his feet up on the table and looked around. Things were finally getting underway, and he felt both utter excitement and terror surrounding the level of sophistication successfully pulling off a job like this would require. He opened his local newspaper's daily crossword and started working it.

"Dr. Undulaker," Lan's voice bellowed from across the room.

Erik didn't look up to acknowledge Captain Taina's presence.

"What are you doing in here?"

Erik suddenly furrowed his brow. "Tell me, you wouldn't happen to know an eight-letter word for arrogant, would you?"

"If you don't stand up right now, Undulaker, I swear to God I will put a hole in your knee and give you a reason to remain seated when a superior asks you to stand."

Erik smirked, but didn't say a word. He simply rose gracefully from his seat while Lan motioned him to the ready room. Once inside, Lan turned on him immediately.

"I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but such brazen displays of disregard will not be tolerated."

Erik's smirk remained unwaivering. A slight battle was taking place right now to see who would control whom, and it was not one Erik was going to lose. "Doesn't it bother you?" his voice cut like ice.

"What's that?" Lan asked sternly.

Erik slightly cocked his head to the side but didn't break his stare. "That we haven't even left the ground yet and someone from our crew has hacked the database? I don't know about you, but that concerns me."

Lan's eyes narrowed and his voice lowered to a growl. "You might be able to dupe the crew into thinking your intentions are theirs, and for the ship's integrity, I'm willing to let them think that, but if I get one ounce of information incriminating you, you should be aware that I will prosecute you to the full extent of my abilities."

Erik's smirk became a smile.

"You think you're so much better than everybody else, don't you?" Lan stepped towards Erik, violently invading his personal space.

Erik remained steadfast. "No, Captain Taina, I think I'm even better than that. And I have a feeling you're inclined to agree with me."

Lan's eyes flashed unkempt anger before he finally scoffed. "Get out of my office. I don't want to see you in the bridge again unless there's an emergency."

"Not a problem," Erik nodded curtly and opened the door.

"Captain Taina," a voice came over the intercom, "we're prepared for take-off."

**I'm not actually sure how to play this kind of cheat, but I'll give it a whirl**

Vidol glanced over at the Voider and smiled a little, "If you think I'm going to fall for that one, soldier, you're sorely mistaken."

Adelaide just smirked and settled back a little. The Diosu growled with impatience and then laid down his own cards, "Three Jacks."

The others looked at him for a moment, then Adelaide seeming to think for a long time before looking up at them, a crafty grin spreading across her face, "Card games on their own are fine, but what do you boys say we make it a little more interesting?"

Jason shrugged, then nodded, "Sounds good, Adi. How much're we looking at here?"

She held up a hand, "Now wait a second, let's hear what the Lieutenant has to say about gambling."

Vidol looked up, took a deep breath and considered it very carefully, "Gambling is...acceptable, as long as you don't mind losing to me."

The human raised his eyebrows, "Lose to you? You need to get your facts straight, sir. Grunts never lose to officers."

**That's okay, it's quite simple really. You can place anything from one to four cards at a time but they all have to be of the same type or at least in theory they do. The first to run out of cards wins but if someone calls cheat, you have to pick up the pile.**

"Well so long as we're clear on the rules..." The Diosu walked over to a case and withdrew a slim wallet, couting out a handful of money. Jason took one of those strange leather wallets from his back pocket and also selected a few notes then both waited while Adelaide pulled a handful of money from a pocket that, when closed, did not appear to exist.

"I believe it was my turn?" Adi grinned as she placed two crumpled, standard notes in the middle of their circle. She scanned her cards, noting the two kings.

"Three kings," she announced, placing three different cards down. No one called the bluff so the turn passed on. Jason added his money to the pile and played 'two sevens' which also passed without comment. Vidol added the same amount of money.

"Two tens," he lied, placing down his cards. Adelaide hesitated and weighed the chances of her hunch being correct against the growing size of the pile. She decided it wasn't worth the risk.

"I'll play three kings," she decided, placing the three kings down.