“Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will erase.”

–T.S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

“Thank you kindly for agreeing to see us on such short notice, Representatives.”

“The pleasure is ours, Representative. Thank you for being willing to meet with us here. Not many Titans will agree to meet with Dunnermacs unless we are all on land.”

Loona sat in the office of Rep. Maybel Zimm (Dunnermac North Sea-Great Ocean Party) in a room away from the Representative’s usual meeting area. Instead of sitting in the traditional Titan power desk, the Dunnermac Representative was swimming in a tank the size of a small swimming pool, filled with water and vegetation from her home planet. A speech synthesizer sat on a desk outside the tank, linked remotely via a waterproof transmitter. Of course, Zimm was not the only person in the room wearing a translator; indeed, everyone was, including Loona’s staff.

Inna and Ammer sat to Loona’s left; on Loona’s right were two more members of the legislature. Rep. Blrrr (Omicron-Glory) and Rep. Representative-for-the-Western-Avartle-People (Avartle Western Continent-Caucus-for-the-Representatives-of-the-People). They both watched the swimming Dunnermac with inscrutable expressions – at least, they were rather inscrutable if you were human or Archavian.

“We’re happy to meet wherever is most comfortable, Representative.” Ammer chimed in from the armrest of Inna’s chair. “Requiring you to meet on land is silly. We just appreciate that you have a spot for us to sit.”

“Thank you, Mr. Smit. Now, you said that you think the humans are attempting First Contact?”

“Something is happening, Representative,” Loona said. She was also in a good mood; Felltree had won the semi in record time, curb-stomping The Hierophant; she did feel bad about waking Nonah with her shouts, but then, Nonah was used to it. “We aren’t sure, but there is at least some evidence it may have happened.”

“Why would military not tell legislature of contact?! Should not they tell us, tiny human?!?!”

“An excellent question, Rep. Blrrr! They certainly should have! I find their silence most vexing!” Ammer politely shouted.

“Representative-for-the-Western-Avartle-People supposes we have no evidence at all that anything is happening, Tannhauser-West-Representative?”

“We have some evidence, and we are working to gather more. Obviously, Representative, we would not move unless we were certain. What we wanted to know, however, is whether you would be willing to support a push for human rights should it prove true.”

“Of course,” Zimm said, swimming a lazy backstroke. “It is in our interest to support the candidacy of any new species for membership in the Empire.”

“The representative districts are drawn to benefit Archavians! Adding tiny humans to Empire would give non-Archavians more glorious power!” Blrrr added.

“And this would help give us all more power against the people-from-Archavia, who control more seats than their population should allow,” the Avartle representative signed.

“My colleagues are characteristically blunt,” Zimm said, with a slight smile and – if you could see in ultraviolet – a hint of embarrassment. “We mean no offense.”

“I take none,” Loona said. “You are right!” she kindly shouted to Blrrr. “Should you ever be interested in working to create districts that are more fairly apportioned, please, let me know. I would be happy to sign on. It should have been done a long time ago.”

“The time is not right, but with humans in the Legislature and Titans like you, the non-Titan members of the Empire would be able to gain a more equal say in governance. You can count on the support of the entire delegation from the Great Ocean.”

“The Ler will also support the tiny, pathetic humans when they wish to join the Empire!” Blrrr said.

“Representative-for-the-Western-Avartle-People believes all non-Titans will support the Humans if they ask to join,” Representative-for-the-Western-Avartle-People said.

“That is excellent news, Representatives. Excellent,” said Loona. They’d expected this answer, but as Ammer had taught her long ago, you need to have your yesses firm. “Now, I do have another question, and I’ll leave it to Ammer to present.”

“Thanks, Representative Armac. It’s about how to present this should we get solid documentation….”

* * *

“Navarchos on deck!”

“As you were. Captain Gwenn, so good to see you.”

“Navarchos Bass, it’s always an honor to have you back home on the Gyfjon,” Lauryna said, grasping his wrist. “You know my XO, Rovlan Tam?”

A serious, enormous Hoplite man smiled and grasped the Navarchos’ wrist. “Commander Tam, good to see you as always,” Aertimus said. “Wouldn’t be the Gyfjon without a Commander Tam on the bridge.”

“I’m honored by the comparison, sir.”

“You should be,” he said, arching an eyebrow. “Lemm’s a hard act to follow. I ever tell you about the time she and my wife got into a fight? Only happened because Eyrn kicked me in the face a bit.”

“I’m…sorry sir, what?”

“Don’t mind the Navarchos, he’s leaving out about three-quarters of the relevant details,” Lauryna said.

“Hey, don’t make me get into what Junior Crewmate 3^rd Class Gwenn was doing at the time! How is Izzy, by the way?”

“Oh, you remember me? Well, that’s big of you, Navarchos.”

Aerti’s face lit up; he paused, and crouched down just a bit. “Isabel Ibanez, are you still letting Lauryna carry you around?”

“What?” Isabel said. “I’m only 166. It’s not like I’m old.”

Izzy looked very good for 166. Indeed, had she reappeared in the 21^st century, it’s likely nobody would have put her age above 65. And her eyes moved as keenly as ever, giving the appearance of a mind not much older than 20.

“Well, I’m honored you came out to greet me, Izzy. It definitely wouldn’t be the Gyfjon without you aboard,” Aerti said, extending a finger, which Izzy grasped with two hands.

“So how’s your troublemaker of a wife doing?”

“You can ask her yourself – she’s coming over on the next shuttle. You don’t think she’d forgive me if we didn’t bring her by to say hello, do you?”

“Maybe she can destroy a medical bay for old times’ sake,” Izzy chuckled. “Captain – sorry, Navarchos Bass – I know you need to have a Big Serious Meeting with Lauryna, so I’ll hang out here and wait for Eyrn. I know Commander Tam will wait with me, won’t you, dear?”

“Well…uh…of course, Izzy. I’ll be happy to,” Rovlan said, looking quizzically at his commander. Lauryna, for her part, just gently handed Izzy over to her XO.

“When Dr. Bass gets here, she’ll take Izzy; they used to live together, you know,” Lauryna said.

“Oh? I didn’t know! When was this?” Tam asked.

“140 years ago or so. We had a nice big place in Nevada.”

* * *

“All right,” Darren said to the assembled group. “Looks like we’ve cleared the landing check. Rixie sent a message that the damage to the port nacelle made the deckhand wince, so nice work, Doc. We should be going off into the station in about five, ten minutes, so let’s do a last run-through, make sure nobody’s confused. Epistratichos Xanthopolous, Mr. Prefrontal, you guys ready?”

“Yes, Mr. Secretary,” Lysis said with the slightest of smirks. “We’ll coordinate with Rixie where to set the drop and pick-up; we’ll try to find out as much as we can in the command center.”

“Doc, buttercup, you’re sure you can hack comms, allow us to communicate with Avalon without interference?”

“I helped design the communications system,” Naskia said. “I know a few shortcuts.”

“Bright girl. Beanpole, bright-eyes, you’re going to wander the market, try to pick up rumors. Now, Alesia, you’re sure you’re up to acting like a pet?”

This brought a chuckle from both Sorcha and Alesia. “Darren, back when we were younger we used to do this for fun to freak people out,” Alesia said. “Sorcha would carry me around, I’d act like a pet, then I’d suddenly switch to my normal, loveable self; hilarity would ensue. I can handle it.”

“Why am I not surprised? Trixie’s gonna try the official route, and twit is gonna freelance because that’s what twit does.”

“Damn right!” Alex said, not even looking up from his pad, which he was using to pull together data from the probe.

“Doc, buttercup and I are gonna set up HQ in whatever room Trixie got for us; once we’ve got that sorted out, we’ll adjust as needed. Questions? Did I miss anyone?”

“Other than Alesia, is any other human officially on station?”

“Good question, buttercup. Trix declared twit and bright-eyes; everyone else is sneaking on. No sense making ‘em wonder if we’re going to a dang pet show somewhere. ‘Specially if they’re already freaking out about humans.”

Rixie poked her head around the corner. “All right, we’re cleared,” she said. “And if the mood on the docks is any indication, something big is going on. All ready?”

“Hold on!” Alex said. He looked down at the pad, a lopsided grin slowly crossing his face. “Damn hell. They did it.”

“What?”

Alex didn’t answer; instead, he hit a few keys, sending the image to the small room’s viewscreen. The group looked up, and gasped in unison.

It was a ship. A tiny little ship, primitive by Imperial standards, sitting in high orbit around Titan.

“My God,” Niall said, stepping forward to look at it. “Is that…?”

“How big is it? We’re not looking at a Titan ship or something, are we?” asked Lysis.

“Not unless the Titans are building ships only twelve units long,” Alex said.

“Amazing,” Darren said. “Dad gum, we did it, didn’t we? Is she an American ship? Chinese?”

“No,” Niall said, seeing the flag displayed most prominently on the vessel’s side. “It looks to be flying the United Nations’ ensign.”

“All of us,” Alex said, clapping his hands together. “Ha! We all pulled together to do it! All of us!”

“I never thought I’d live to see it,” Niall said. “Amazing.”

Everyone in the room was awestruck by the tiny vessel, but for the three men who had been born on Earth, there was something more. It was like witnessing Armstrong’s landing on the Moon, or Gagarin’s first orbit; even as they had all gotten very used to spaceflight far more advanced and far-reaching than Earth yet had, to see their home world make this leap…it made each of them incredibly, incredibly proud.

“All right,” said Darren, finally. “Twit, make a copy of that – Beanpole, you’re going to have a delivery to make; rest of you, fall out. Good hunting.”

* * *

“Izzy looks great. 25. Can hardly believe it.”

“I know. I’m worried about her; she just had a kidney regeneration,” Lauryna Gwenn said, looking past her commanding officer to the wall of her ready room. “And I know, with the time she spent in stasis, she’s really only about 18, but she still won’t even consider the retroviral treatment….”

“Everyone dies eventually, Lauryna,” Aertimus said, gently. “Pretty sure that’s a universal law.”

“Aye, sir, but I was kind of hoping the universe would make an exception in her case.”

Bass gave a gentle smile. “Wouldn’t surprise me. That girl is tough as nails. Old shaar will probably outlive me. Now, you’ve seen the information I’ve sent through?”

“Aye, sir,” Lauryna said, examining her pad. “Looks like a gorram omnishambles.”

“That it is. That’s why I’m going in to take command.”

“How’s Kir taking it?”

“About how you’d expect. Furious. Then again, he did settle a bit when I reminded him that he’d offered to resign a couple days ago, and I could still ask him to.”

“Are you going to?”

“No. But it shut him up for now.”

Aertimus drew a deep breath. “Lauryna, You and I have served together for a long time. I’m going to be blunt with you. I am walking a real tightrope with the Navarchos Imperii.”

“To be fair, half your family has ties to Earth.”

“Well, exactly,” Aertimus chuckled. “And as Izzy definitely qualifies as your family….”

Lauryna smiled back. “Point taken, sir.”

“You see, Solis has decided that we should not contact Earth. I couldn’t possibly disagree with his decision more. But….”

“It’s not your decision.”

“Exactly. Lauryna, I haven’t quite hit the point where I throw down my comets in a huff, but I’ve been close a couple times. You’re probably going to feel like it too. If you get to the point where you just can’t do what you’re being ordered to do, let me know. I will find a way to get you out of the way without wrecking your career.”

“Is it that bad, Navarchos?”

“Yep. And it’s going to get worse. Captain Gwenn, you’re going to get a series of difficult orders over the next few days. Now, you remember the mission to Earth where we picked up Eyrn, Izzy, and Darren?”

“It would be very hard to forget, sir.”

“Exactly. You were just out of the academy, you appeared to be eight or nine years old, as I recall. Afraid of your shadow, and doing everything to the letter. You remember, right?”

“Aye, sir.”

“You and I both know how that mission ultimately went. Lauryna, I want you to promise me that when you get those orders, you show precisely as much attention to your duties as you did during that mission. Do you understand?”

Lauryna studied Aertimus’s face. She’d spent two years as his executive officer, and another twelve under his command, and she still sometimes had trouble reading him when he was playing it close to the vest – it’s why she stopped playing cards with him long ago. His face showed no hint of what she thought he was telling her to do. But his eyes – his eyes were twinkling.

“Sir, I completely understand. As you know, I always conduct myself that way.”

She smiled as she watched the Gama Fleet commander fight not to laugh. “That you do, Captain,” he finally said. “That you do. All right, I’m putting the Minatar at the edge of the restricted zone; we’re gonna put the Gyfjon in orbit around Titan. Understood?”

“Aye, sir. Are you taking command of the Gyfjon for the duration?”

Aerti looked around the ready room wistfully. “Tempting. It always feels wrong to be on this side of that desk. But no, Captain. It’s your ship. I’m just hitching a ride.”

“Good,” Lauryna said. Then, realizing that was probably not exactly proper etiquette for addressing a flag officer, she added, “That is to say….”

Aerti chuckled. “First rule of captaining: never let the old man take your ship if you can possibly avoid it. Still, Captain Gwenn, I sometimes think when I told you to loosen up back in your youth, it took too well.”

Lauryna grinned. “Learned from the best, sir.”

* * *

On her table, Hala Nejem paced.

The low Titan gravity made pacing difficult; she more bounced back and forth. Still, the action came from the same place; she couldn’t just sit still. Couldn’t just rest on the platform that served as her prison.

For the thousandth time, she looked over the edge. She’d done the math; it was possible, just possible, that she could make the drop relatively unscathed. But no matter how well she knew that intellectually, she couldn’t quite convince her mind of it; everything about the drop made her brain recoil. Besides, even if she made it to the floor, what then? These people were not fools. They had her well-guarded.

All she could do is what she’d been doing; continue to record all the data she could, in hopes that somehow, someday, she’d be able to send it. Hope for a chance to escape. And die before living as a curiosity.

* * *

“As you can see, the species we believe to be occupying the base on Titan is physically formidable and extremely technologically advanced. We do not know as there is any scenario in which we can hope to win a direct conflict with them.”

Xú fumed as she watched the transmission from Houston. Her people were down there. How dare they not warn them! Their approach would have been different. Oh, they would have still tried to rescue Hala. They had to. But they would have gone with a different approach.

What had really frustrated Xú, though, was what Harwell had said before that.

“We have had suspicions for some time that there was extraterrestrial activity in the Sol system. Nothing definitive has been found, but a growing number of anomalous readings have brought the question forward. We did not discuss this with you as it has only been discussed on a need-to-know basis….”

That the JTSA had suspected it – suspected that there were extraterrestrials in the solar system – and not warned them.

“We have not sent you up completely unarmed,” said Harwell. “The power sources for the Atmospheric Probe and the Impact Probe can be combined into a small fusion bomb. We are sending technical specifications….”

Xú muted him. Mukta had this all figured out. Indeed, she was assembling the weapon right now. They would use it if she thought they needed to. But she was done listening to what Earth told her to do. The Lem had been sent into a wolves’ den without even knowing that wolves existed. They were on their own. It was going to be up to Xú to lead them safely home.

Instead, she studied the file on the alien the Americans had once held. She needed to know these creatures, understand them, if she was to hope to bring her crew back alive.

* * *

“…and I said, ‘A date with my tonsils?’ Yeah, he didn’t appreciate that much.”

Izzy burst into laughter. “No, I can’t imagine. My goodness. Wonder whatever happened to Reese.”

“Well, he was gonna drop of a message for Niall’s mom, and Reese would’ve got it done. I just wonder what the Army thought when they finally talked to him.”

The two giggled at that thought, as Aerti and Lauryna rounded the corner.

“Well, you two having fun?”

“Dang right,” Eyrn said. “My little sister and I were just talking ‘bout Area 51. Strange place to be nostalgic for, I suppose.”

“It was interesting,” Izzy said. “Can’t say as I was expecting to guard a giant troublemaker when I got the assignment.”

“Iz, you took my troublemaker label a long time ago.”

“And you aren’t getting it back!” Izzy said with a grin.

Eyrn chuckled, then turned to Aerti. “So, ‘spose I need to head back to the Xifos?”

“No, you’re coming down to the station,” Aerti said, sitting down next to his wife. “I’d like you there in case I need someone to talk to the humans.”

“You could take me,” Izzy said. “I am one.”

“Might take you up on that, Izzy. We’ll see. Anyhow, Captain Gwenn?”

“Aye, sir. We’ll head in to Titan; I’ll have your shuttle ready for landing.”

“Excellent. Now, was Eyrn telling the story about how she nearly ate a private?”

* * *

Ted awoke and stretched; he had slept fitfully. Each time he approached wakefulness, Tigoni’s revelation had reasserted itself, bringing him wide awake. His dreams were confused and fretful, full of blind alleys and closed spaces. He felt as if he had barely slept.

He looked over at Tig’s bunk; the blankets were completely disheveled, and she had managed to work her way almost horizontal across the mattress. She appeared to have been sleeping about as well as he had.

He smiled, in spite of it all. He couldn’t help thinking she looked adorable, if roughly the size of a freighter. He was right to be angry, but he wondered if he was right to be angry at her. His translator was still in early alpha release, so he didn’t get it all, but at one point during the night, he had scrolled back through her side of the conversation; the more he looked at it, the more he thought Tig had been trying to say that she thought the practice of humans being pets was wrong – even as she admitted having owned a human pet at one point.

Ted had always been a good student, and he knew well that Earth’s history was full of horrific crimes by one group against another. What made his species worthwhile was that it was also full of those who stood up for those who were being oppressed, even when they were not themselves at risk. People who had given their reputations, their freedom, even their lives to defend those who needed defending. Ted had attacked Tigoni, but he wondered if he might well have been shooting the messenger. She didn’t have to tell him. She could have lied. She’d been honest. She’d let him know the truth. That was something.

He sighed. When she woke, he’d apologize. It wasn’t her fault that her people were awful; his ancestors were evenly split between Spaniards and Mayans. Half of his ancestors had ethnically cleansed the other half. Well…except for the part that was Anglo. That side had just been awful to the other sides when they came to stay in a new country.

He had plenty of awful in his very DNA. He couldn’t fault her for failing to be better than a human.

He heard a noise, and saw Ulala walk into the room, straightening her uniform. He walked over toward her, and nodded. “Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning, Ted,” she said, quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“For this,” she said, and before he had time to react, she had plucked him from Tigoni’s writing table. He tried to fight against the soft hands of his captor, but it was like trying to force his way out of a vise. Before he had a chance to even register what had happened, he found himself dropped into a pocket, and with a soft zipping sound, the light went out.

The pocket shifted and swayed, and Ted tried to get his bearings.

This was really not what he’d been expecting. Ulala had sounded at best neutral last night, willing to let Tig intervene on his behalf. What had changed?

He did not need to wait long to find out. Soon enough, the pocket opened, and an enormous hand fished him out, and plucked him, pulling him high into the air where he could face his captor.

“I’m sorry,” Ulala said, looking at Ted with a weary sadness. “I am. I am turning you in to my superiors. I don’t like it, but…Tigoni is my friend.”

“Okay,” said Ted. “That makes no sense. If she’s your friend, why are you going against what she wanted?”

“She’s…a very passionate person. She’ll destroy her career to get Hala out; I could see it last night. She gets it into her head that there’s a right and a wrong and if she’s not actively trying to do right, she’s making things wrong. If you’re around, she’ll strap on two stun-prods and go charging in to free Major Nejem, and probably get herself killed in the process.”

“I never asked her to do that. I wouldn’t want her to do that,” Ted said. “I just wanted her to get me close. The risk is mine.”

“She wouldn’t let you go in alone. Tig wouldn’t want you to face that all on you own. She’d be more than happy to throw herself in front of the onslaught. And I can’t have her do that. I can’t have her destroy her career, maybe lose her life, just for a human.”

Ulala paused, and looked away, just for a second. “No…that’s not…that’s awful. And it’s wrong. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t let her do this for anyone. She’s right, you’re no less worthy a species than any other. If Maj. Nejem was a Titan in this same situation, Tig would still be trying to work out how to free her – and I’d still be trying to get you turned in, lest she go charging for glory.”

“You’d probably having less success,” Ted said, evenly.

“Probably,” Ulala conceded. “I know you have no reason to do anything for me; I’m betraying you. But I think you recognize that Tig is a good person. She wanted to help you. All I’m asking of you is that you do not bring Tig into this. When they question you, tell them I found you.”

Ted smiled ruefully. “I wouldn’t betray her,” he said. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Ulala started to stuff him back in her pocket, and paused. She looked back down at the tiny human in her hand. The tiny man in her hand.

He was a person. Just like Hala. Just like every other human alive. She knew it in her bones. Had known it for a long time, at least in theory. But now…she was holding a tiny person in her hand, and she couldn’t ignore it.

“Gorram,” she said, softly, to nobody.

She couldn’t bring him back to Tig – that would get Tig arrested, or killed.

But she couldn’t turn him over, either. Because Tig was right – what they were doing to Hala Nejem was criminal.

She looked around. It was quiet, for the moment. In one swift movement, she knelt, and brought her palm level with the ground.

“Go. Quick. Before I change my mind,” she said.

He was almost too shocked to react, but he had a lot of practice, overcoming shock to react. He leapt from her hand, and headed for the busy passageway.

He dodged, ducked, and spun around them, not even registering the creatures attached to them. He made sure to run across their gait, rather than away. Twice, shoes crashed down, just missing him, forcing him to dive and roll. But at long last, he made it to the wall, and leaned up against it, breathing heavily.

Ulala watched him run, and sighed. He was out of Tig’s hair. That was all Ulala was worried about. As for his goal…she had to admit, she hoped he succeeded.

If he didn’t, she hoped he at least would do her the courtesy of not mentioning her name.

Ted watched her until she walked away, and then set about looking for cover. The last thing he wanted was to be rounded up as a stray pet.