The Aelonian shuttle connected with the Jerusalem's airlock, and Emet boarded the small, silvery vessel.
The shuttle's pilot, a female Aelonian, greeted him.
"Greetings, human! I am Nelitana, pilot of this shuttle." She handed him a glowing glass flower. "I will accompany you to my mothership."
Emet accepted the gift. "Thank you, Nelitana."
Nelitana was taller than him, but slender and graceful. She was also naked. Very naked. The Aelonians believed that nothing should be hidden—not the mind nor the body. Emet could not only see her body. He could see into her body. Her skin was transparent, revealing the glowing organs, her circulatory and nervous system, even her last meal. She seemed made of glass, same as her flower, filled with glowing orbs and liquid light.
"You seem joyous, Admiral Ben-Ari," Nelitana said, flying the shuttle back toward her mothership.
Emet struggled to stifle his smile, cursing Duncan for making him think of walking lava lamps.
"I'm pleased to be welcomed aboard your ship," he said.
Nelitana returned his smile, teeth shining. They reached the Iliria, the Aelonian flagship. The shuttle flew into a hangar, and they stepped out. The air was cool, the gravity light, the shadows deep.
Nelitana accompanied Emet along a dark corridor. The ship had no artificial lights; the Aelonians relied on their own glow. As they walked, Emet saw doorways leading to caverns filled with other Aelonians, but also glowing plants and luminous fish in aquariums. Perhaps they were pets. Perhaps food sources.
They finally reached the bridge, a circular chamber like a planetarium. Monitors covered every surface—the walls, the domed ceiling, even the floor, displaying an image of space all around. Emet could see the stars, the rest of the armada, and his own fleet nearby. It felt like floating through space.
Admiral Melitar, the Aelonian who had hailed the Jerusalem, greeted Emet.
"Welcome aboard the Iliria, Emet! Thank you for joining me on my ship."
Emet bowed his head. "Thank you, Admiral. It's an honor to be your guest."
The admiral was even taller than Nelitana, standing a good eight or nine feet tall. Admirals from other species were here too. A mushroom the size of a tree, deep purple trimmed with white, stood on the bridge. He was an Esporian; his species flew the fleshy pods that hovered outside. There was a white crystal with a thousand shimmering panels. This was a Silicade—a species that communicated by refracting light into meticulous wave lengths and patterns. There was a Gourami that floated in an aquarium, its indigo tendrils swaying. A Tarmarin was rolled up into a scaly ball in the corner, perhaps uninterested in the conversation. Two magnetic balls spun around each other near the back, crackling with electricity; Emet didn't recognize that species.
The giant mushroom puffed out a cloud of spores—its way of speaking. As Emet suppressed a cough, a computer translated the message.
"He is a wanted terrorist!" The Esporian blew another cloud of spores. "With great shivering pleasure, my pods shall decompose his ships of rusting metal."
The living crystal shimmered, refracting light into blue and yellow patterns. A translation computer picked up this language too.
"I agree with the fungus. We Silicades are beings of order, and humans are creatures of chaos, wanderers with no home of their own. An abomination. Let us sear them away, then return their energy and atoms to the cosmos, before we continue on to sear the Skra-Shen."
Emet faced the crystal. He raised his chin.
"How many scorpions have you killed before?" he said, and the crystal was silent. Emet turned toward the fungus next. "And you? How many of their ships have your pods destroyed?" The mushroom too remained silent, and Emet nodded. "I thought so. But I have fought the scorpions many times. My people have been fighting them for years. We have destroyed their ships, slain them in battle. We have video footage to prove it. The footage does not merely prove the worth of humanity in battle. It also shows Skra-Shen battle formations, tactics, weapons, intelligence you should study before the battle. You need us. More than we need you. We've not flown here to be insulted but to fight. To fight at your side. To—"
Admiral Melitar raised his hand. "Admiral Ben-Ari."
Emet turned toward the Aelonian and bowed his head. "If I misspeak, Admiral, it's out of passion, not pride."
The glowing alien knelt, bringing himself to eye level with Emet. "I know what many in the Concord say of humans. I know they mock humanity for lacking a homeworld. I know that your people have suffered oppression and hardship. I am not unsympathetic to the cause of humanity. While many scorn your people, I have found humans to be intriguingly earnest, capable even of nobility." The others on the bridge scoffed, but the Aelonian continued. "Do you truly wish to fight? It is likely that many of your ships will not return."
Emet nodded. "We humans have never shied away from sacrifice. Millions of my people suffer in Hierarchy lands. The scorpions have been slaughtering them. Harvesting their skin. This is a war all humans will fight."
"See how the humans are bloodthirsty!" said the Tarmarin, finally unfurling. "How they crave war and bloodshed!"
Melitar raised a hand. "He is concerned for his people, General! He is no different from you or me."
The scaly alien sputtered. "A pest? No different from us?"
"Does he not care for his young?" said Melitar. "Does he not yearn for his homeworld?"
"Homeworld?" The other aliens laughed. "The humans have no homeworld."
"We do!" said Emet. "We come from a world called Earth. A world across the galaxy, on the edge of Concord space. A world we were exiled from. We've been lost for thousands of years, but we yearn to return home." He looked at the Aelonian admiral. "We will prove humanity's worth in this war. In return, grant us safe passage to Earth. Acknowledge Earth as the homeworld of humanity, and accept us again into the alliance of nations. Name us a Concord species. You will find us valuable and noble partners."
The aliens all looked at one another.
Finally the Silicade spoke. "We could use their intelligence."
The mushroom scoffed. "I suppose they are valuable fodder."
At that moment, Emet was glad Duncan wasn't there. The doc would threaten to chop up the Esporian and serve him on a pizza. And if Duncan's daughter were here—the wild Mairead McQueen—she would likely already be aiming her pistol.
Melitar nodded to Emet. "Fight with us, humans, and if we win this war, I will convey your request to my superiors. The request of an admiral is not easily dismissed. I will do my best to grant you a stage at Concord Hall, where you may speak of your people's hardships and dreams, of your yearning for Earth. The greatest leaders in the galaxy will hear your plea."
"That's all I can ask for," Emet said.
"But know, Emet Ben-Ari, that this war will be long and hard, and perhaps we will not survive. Even should we win this battle, it is likely the first of many. The Hierarchy is mighty, and for years, it has been arming for war. It is possible that the entire Concord, this great gathering of civilizations, will not withstand the fire. Perhaps Concord Hall will no longer stand when you're ready to speak there. All peaceful, wise civilizations are now in peril."
"Then truly we must all fight together," said Emet. "I'll return to my ship now. We'll reach Terminus within an hour. I'll prepare for battle."
Melitar held out his hand, palm raised, and Emet placed his own hand upon it.
"Fight for Earth," said the Aelonian, "but also for all civilization. A shadow falls across the galaxy. May we cast it back with light."
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Jade stood on the bridge of the Venom, her personal dreadnought, overseeing her conquest.