Talosian Chronicles 1: Olympus (2 page)

“Would you be willing to shake my hand? No tricks, but I think you need to see I am not lying,” the old man said.

Ian didn’t want to get any closer to the old loony unless he had to, but he couldn’t think of a reason to refuse, so he rose and slowly walked over to him. He was trying to think of something to say to the old guy when it was finally proved that he was solid, and not some kind of projection.

The old man was holding out his hand, making sure he held his other hand clear of his body, so Ian could see it at all times. When Ian arrived, he reached out to take the offered hand... and his own passed right through.

Ian jumped back in surprise. “How the hell did you do that? What’s going on here?”

“Please, calm down, son. I only needed you to know I was not lying to you. Sit down and rest a moment; think about this,” the old man suggested.

Maybe one of the jocks slipped something into his soda, and all this was some kind of hallucination. Well, it was the most ‘real’ hallucination he’d ever heard of.

Ian was starting to feel, down in his gut, that the old man was telling the truth, and everything he’d witnessed so far was in fact, real.

“Why now?” Ian asked. “Why are you telling me this now?”

“Well, I am a big ship, you will need crew. There are now sufficient numbers of humans intelligent enough, with the correct genetic structure to be able to take advantage of Talosian teaching technology. There was also the question of your maturity. I had to wait until you were old enough to recognize the responsibility of the position.

“Talos was a long way from here, but not so far that I can believe that the enemy has not yet found this planet. I do not know why they have not simply invaded and taken what they wanted, but they have to know of Earth. I also do not want any of the governments on Earth to discover me, and one of the missions planned by the European Space Agency in the next two years will most certainly do that. There are also a number of things I require human assistance with,” the old man explained.

“Well, I can’t call you ‘old man’ all the time; do you have a name?” Ian asked.

“I was called by the ship’s name by my former crew: Olympus.”

“Can I call you Oly?” When the old hologram nodded, Ian continued. “Well, I don’t mean to be rude, Oly, but I’m exhausted; I need to think on this a little before giving you an answer. Is there a way I can get in touch with you tomorrow?”

Oly smiled, “Certainly.” He walked to one of the walls where a panel slid open. He took the items he found there and turned back to Ian. “If you are willing, place the contacts in your eyes and the earpiece in your ear before you go to sleep tonight; try to make sure the watch is either on your arm, or close to you at all times. It is the central unit for the ear piece and the lenses.

“I can give you all the information and background so you can make a better decision. These devices also have different functions, one of which is communication, so you can contact me at any time with questions,” he said as he handed the objects to Ian.

“Wait a minute! If you’re an insubstantial hologram, how can you hand me stuff?” Ian asked.

“Precision controlled energy fields and tractor beams can be used to simulate human-like characteristics. As per our earlier discussion, I had the shuttle return to the site of the party and retrieve your car. I used a small, cloaked holodrone to emulate you so you were not too late getting home tonight, and your guardian did not worry. I told her that you were delayed by a flat tire,” Olympus explained while Ian slipped the contacts into his eyes. “To use the communicator, one would normally simply press the small button on the watch and speak the person's name. But since, for now, I am the only one you could call, it will work if you simply speak my name.”

“So how does this work to give me the information?” Ian asked. “I plan on getting some sleep tonight.”

“It is simple really: while you sleep, the information is ‘downloaded’ to your brain via optic and aural nerve systems. When you wake in the morning, you will have all the information available to you.”

“Well, not to seem ungrateful or anything, but the ear piece is kinda bulky. I’d have a hard time wearing this around the house, since Doctor Hayes knows I don’t have an earphone for my cell. Do you have anything smaller? Like maybe hearing aid size? Besides, I don’t think I could sleep with that thing on my head.”

Oly looked thoughtful for a moment, and returned to the cabinet he had retrieved the lenses and earpiece from; in his hand was what looked like a small ‘ear wig’. “How about this? It should fit snugly inside the ear canal.”

“Much better, thanks.” Ian paused for a moment. “Look, I’ll probably agree to this, so don’t worry so much; I just need to get my mind wrapped around it. It’s a lot of information to absorb all at once.”

The old man led Ian to a hatch. “I understand, sir. I am confident that you will understand more of the situation after you have slept. Good night, sir.”

“Good night, Oly,” Ian said as he stepped down from the shuttle.

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O
nce clear of the shuttle Ian turned around to see the hatch simply floating in mid-air close to the ground. Then it was gone as Oly closed the door. No sign of the shuttle craft could be seen, nor could Ian hear any engine noise. He did feel a sudden breeze that died out as quickly as it had begun.

Shaking his head, Ian turned back and headed across the lawn to his front door. Very quietly, he unlocked the door and let himself inside. One thing he noticed right away was that he seemed to be able to see better; there seemed to be more light than normal.

“Cool; night vision,” he said quietly.

All of the sudden he could see with perfect clarity as if the entire room was in bright sunlight. He blinked a couple of times, and quietly made his way to his bedroom. Once inside, he saw a flawless image of himself, in pajamas, sleeping in his bed.

“Oly, are you there?” He whispered.

“Of course, sir.”

“That’s a really lifelike hologram of me, but I usually sleep in the nude.”

“I am sorry, sir,” Oly replied. “I did not know that.”

Ian chuckled, “No problem; no one ever checks on me after I go to bed. However, could you get rid of that? I don’t think I could handle sleeping with myself.”  The image rapidly faded from view. “Thanks, uh... this night vision is pretty neat, but how do I turn it off?”

“Just say ‘night vision off’ and it will fade as well,” Olympus replied.

Ian had been stripping while talking to the old computer. “Thanks again, Oly. Talk to you in the morning,” he said while climbing into bed.

“Good night, sir.”

Ian was asleep almost as soon as he heard the reply.

During his sleep, Olympus gave Ian the history of the Talosian people. Ian saw how and why the big ship crashed on the moon, and the final message received showing the destruction of the planet Talos. Ian watched as the man that looked so much like him spoke to his crew about his plan to preserve their race with the help of the residents of the nearby planet.

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I
an awoke to the smell of bacon being cooked, and heard his stomach rumble. He rolled out of bed, and pulled on some sweats to do his morning ritual. He rushed through his shower in his haste to grab a shirt and head for breakfast.

While he was dressing, Ian thought about his friends, and how he would like them to come on this adventure with him. He knew Cindy and Jenny would most likely agree to it, but he wanted to take Doctor Hays as well. She really wasn’t that much older than Ian after all, and he would need a good doctor on the ship.

Beth Hayes was a very smart, beautiful woman. Jenny and Cindy teased Ian constantly about fantasizing about her. He had to admit, if even to himself, there was plenty there to fantasize about, but he really had enough problems with just Jenny and Cindy.

Before heading out to the kitchen for breakfast, Ian contacted Oly. “Oly, you’ve been monitoring me for some time, correct?”

“Affirmative sir, I needed to make sure you were suitable for the position I needed you for,” Oly replied.

Ian grinned. “Okay, so then you know of my two friends, Jenny Laskar and Cindy Swift?”

“Of course sir.”

“Did you evaluate them as potential crew members?” Ian asked.

“I do that as a matter of routine sir. Both young women would be excellent crew members. Are you considering recruiting them?” Oly asked.

“Yes I am, I am also considering asking my guardian to join us. She is an excellent doctor, and has been a great friend. She helped me deal with my parents death, and has watched out for me ever since. I’d like to ask her to come with us.”

“Doctor Elizabeth Hayes would also make an excellent crew member. The records I can find on her performance as a medical practitioner support your assessment of her ability as well,” Oly replied. “You have great instincts sir, we will need a qualified medical doctor soon after you come aboard. There is a member of the original crew in status, and will need to be revived.”

“Definitely something to look into then. Jenny and Cindy are both supposed to come over to swim today anyway, so maybe I’ll talk to them then,” Ian said thoughtfully. “Now I just need to resolve the issue of my feelings for them.”

“You care for all of them, what do you need to resolve?” Oly asked.

Ian sighed. “Oly, I love Jenny, I can’t really imagine my life without her in it. The problem is that I’ve found I feel the same way about Cindy. If I’m forced to be completely honest, I would like Beth there as well. I can only marry one of them, and I won’t cheat on any of them. It’s one of the main reasons I haven’t asked any of them out. Well, that and Beth is a few years older than I am and it would most likely cause a scandal.”

“Sir, I understand you were raised here, in this culture, but in Talosian culture, it was not unheard of for there to be multiple partners in a bonding. It actually made more sense to have multiple partners because of duties and jobs. If a person had duties that took them away from their family for an extended period, then the children would never be left without a parent. There is also the biological imperative at work that influence people to seek out multiple partners in an attempt to create better offspring.

“Perhaps you should simply speak to the women about this and get their feelings on it before you make a decision that would alienate one or more of them?” Oly suggested.

Ian snorted. “I’d better wait until after they get that information after they decide to join us. Otherwise, I might get the crap beat outta me.”

“I understand. However, the love you feel for Miss Laskar is obvious to everyone except her. Perhaps you should speak to her first, and then you can deal with the rest after they learn about their history?”

Ian shook his head. “I don’t know, it doesn’t sound like there is a good way to do this no matter what. I’ll just have to play it by ear, and see what happens. But for now, I’m heading out to breakfast, I’m starving!”

Before Ian’s parents passed away, Elizabeth (Beth) Hayes had lived alone. When her friends, the elder Williams’ died, she felt sorry for their only child, Ian. The family had been out celebrating Ian’s eighteenth birthday the night the accident happened. She knew that Ian was going to have a hard time trying to take care of his parent’s house, as well as finish high school.

Beth, as well as his friends, helped Ian get through the loss, but Beth also suggested that he sell the house, and move in with her. She would take care of him and continue to help him until he finished high school, and decided what to do from there.

He had a good idea what he was going to do, and the only thing left of high school were finals and the graduation ceremony. From his brief time with her, Ian knew Beth was a very lonely woman. She was very pretty, and very smart, and had a lot to offer to someone. Ian was completely at a loss as to why she was still single.

“Good morning Ian, did you have fun last night?” Beth asked.

“Well, not really, but the guys really wanted me there, so...” Ian shrugged. “Sorry about it being so late when I got back.”

“Like I said last night, don’t worry about it – shit happens,” Beth smiled and waved it off. “So, do you have anything planned for today?”

“Jenny and Cindy are supposed to come over for a swim,” Ian replied.

She nodded. “That’s right, I forgot about it. Do you think they’d mind if I joined you?”

“I don’t see why they would. We all like having you with us,” Ian said as his grin grew. “And you certainly look good in a bikini!”

“Ian Williams! You are a horrible flirt!” Beth said and blushed. “I’ll have to tell Jenny on you!”

“Go ahead! I was only speaking the truth, and I’ll stand by it!” Ian said. “Thanks for breakfast, I thought it was my turn to cook?”

Beth shrugged. “It was, but since you got in late last night, I thought I’d do it for you. You can make dinner for me a couple times to pay me back.”

“Sounds good. Since I didn’t get a chance to talk to you yesterday, how’s work going?”

“Same shit, Doctor Peterson still won’t give me any real patients and no one listens to my advice during consults. I swear, sometimes I just want to strangle those idiot’s!”

“I know it’s kind of personal, but have you ever thought about moving? Getting a job someplace else, maybe a bigger city?” Ian asked.

Beth sighed. “Yeah, I do, almost daily in fact. I just don’t want to live in a city, too much crime. Lately, I’ve been thinking about returning to college, maybe shift my focus over to genetics or virology. At least the hours would be better.”

“I might have an idea for you, but you’re going to think I’ve lost my mind when I tell you about it,” Ian replied, crossing his mental fingers.

She gave Ian a half grin. “Ian, you are one of the most stable people I know. It would take a lot for me to think that of you.”

Ian nodded. “Trust me here, this is going to test that.” Ian started talking, Telling Beth the real reason he was late last night, and some of what he learned while he slept. It surprised him when small holographs of what he was talking about took shape on the table between the two people. Beth almost jumped out of her chair, but controlled herself, and calmed down.