The Star Guardian

Chapter 3: Life Aboard A Freighter

The shuttle ride to the ship went smoothly. Because we were still in Tian's control, we were able to go quickly. When we docked with the Opolu Naa, I was relieved.

"Permission to come aboard," I said in my best Ori.

"Permission has been granted. Welcome aboard, Ian," said captain Jegho, who was personally greeting me. "I understand you had trouble planet-side, but you can tell me about it later. As soon as you board and the shuttle docks, we should depart. Any pause could allow Tian system control to intervene and stop us."

They directed me to my assigned quarters, where I dropped off my gear. I didn't have assigned duty, so I was unsure what to do next.

The Opolu Naa was on its way out of the solar system. As if I cared about Tian Prime being out of sight. I didn't do it. Many people there held grudges against me, including those who had nearly derailed my ambitions. They'd have to wait till I returned, but they'd be remembered.

I used my ID chip to log into a workstation in my cabin. It was similar to those I'd used on Tian Prime, with the exception that the language was Ori. On the freighter, I had to learn the protocols. I found a useful section of training videos and began watching them. There was a test after each video. It wasn't tough, and it helped me understand the language, which included technical words used on the freighter. I had to quit translating into Tian in my head.

An alarm distracted my training, warning that the hyper-drive was coming online. Soon I could feel a low hum, and I knew we were on our way. Interstellar flight needs a tremendous amount of power, but until you experience it aboard a vessel, you can't grasp it. As a shuttle pilot, I was used to sub-light speeds. This was so much more.

An hour later, I no longer noticed the hum. I'd finished the basic training material. Several crew members had stopped by, and greeted me during that time. They were all friendly, and much less reserved than Tians. Because of my upbringing, it was rather a culture shock. It was also different, not being the tallest person in the room. In fact, no-one was shorter than me.

On the workstation, I viewed my profile to see what the ambassador had done. He'd cancelled my work visa, granted me full Ori citizenship, and hired me as part of his diplomatic personnel. As of today, I reported to the captain aboard the Opolu Naa for unspecified duties. Well, that made sense. Freighter captains would be a diplomatic representative to each system they visit. And I had a new diplomatic passport.

I started a new list for beings I was thankful for. The Ori ambassador had the honour of being first on my list, and I suspect captain Jegho would join him soon. Sadly, no Tians earned a place on the list. It was a sad testimony that, until now, I hadn't needed a second list. Perhaps after I cooled off, my view would change. Right now, my experience at the spaceport left me seething.

Later I got a summons to meet with captain Jegho. He had an office near the bridge. When I got there, he was sitting at his desk, studying reports on his workstation.

He smiled as he responded, "Come in, Ian." His office was more opulent than anything aboard a Tian ship. I took a seat across from him. "How is it going on your first day on board?"

"Thank you, sir. I'm delighted I was able aboard," I said.

"Yes, I heard from the ambassador you had trouble leaving. Did you know you're the first Tian serving aboard an Ori vessel?" he asked.

"No sir, that's news to me."

"Tians rarely work on foreign vessels. You're the first one to approach us for work, Ian."