ERA ADRIFT

5: PROXIMA

As the Era drifted toward the unknown planet. The pilot stepped down and looked over to Jenny and Jacob. He signaled for them and climbed back up the ladder. Overlooking his seat, Jacob followed behind and looked at the horizon line of the planet.
   Staring at the stars around them. Jenny looked over as other ships and vessels had passed their shuttle.
   "Here's the mission, we're going to land, make contact with who ever is present." The pilot started to explain as he continued on. "You'll only be ordered to do one thing, you are here as an ambassador for the astral collective for the United colonies of Tenetra." The pilot had continued to explain further. Jenny looked around the globe as she sought pure amazement.
   "If we make a peaceful presence and they agree, I'll leave and you'll become citizens of this galaxy." The pilot stated.
  Jacob agreed as he readied his suit.
"You'll only be receiving one weapon, don't try to use it if you need to, keep it concealed in your suit." The pilot stated as he turned over and continued to enter the atmosphere of the planet.
  
   Stepping down the ladder, Jenny followed behind and watched as Jacob readied his suit and Bailey.
"You don't seem excited." Jenny alerted with concern as she walked up to Jacob.
   "I'm sure there's something out there for me, but this is a new universe, who knows if they're even human." He replied with a sigh and distraught feeling.
  
   "I wish I could change your perspective on this, but ok." Jenny finished as she readied her suit.
   Bow rolled up and nodded to Jenny as she looked over to it. Picking it up, Jenny placed Bow in her pack.
  
  As the ship entered the lower atmosphere, a large collection of buildings paraded over them like towers to a flower. On a larger scale, Jenny wondered how they amassed just large sky scrapers. As people gathered around the ship, Jacob deployed his visor to conceal his face. Jenny followed behind.
   Humans; in wonder, and concern. Stepped back at various moments in skepticism of Jacob and Jenny's movements.
   As an ambassador stepped up to the alien ship. He smiled and waved. Jenny glanced at the friendly gentleman and waved back.
   "Hello, I am Commander N'kara with the Astral Collective, we are here to bring peace to your world." Jenny announced as she shook the ambassador's hand.
   "Peace be upon you pioneer, I am Governor Marcus Halcyon Federation." He smiled. "And you are?" Marcus asked.
"Jacob, Jacob Caraghan." He shook the Governors hand as the Governor retracted in force. "Jacob, who?" The Governor asked.
"Caraghan?" Jacob grew a concerned feeling in his chest as a Halcyon Guardsman raised his weapon.
"If I may state, I don't come from your galaxy, more or less your universe." Governor Marcus nodded in relief. "Come inside our center we'll explain." Governor Marcus walked inside the building as the crowd gathered around.
"I know you're pretty concerned with our intro back there do not fret." The Governor explained as they stepped into the auditorium.
"This is our bio synchronous lab, here we record anomalies, genetic information, even multi-universal travelers." Marcus stated.
"May I see your hand." Governor Marcus asked Jacob.
"I'm not too confident in this." Jacob replied.
"Fair enough, Miss N'kara?" He asked as Jenny looked over to Jacob and placed her finger on a biometric scanner. As she looked up, multiple projecting clouds exploded around the table.
"So far, we've discovered fourteen different realities in which humans exist." Marcus explain. "But in these fourteen, Miss N'kara exists in about twelve universes."
   The excitement Jenny shared when feeling like she wasn't alone. The Governor looked over to Jacob as he fell distracted to the stars and galaxies around him.
  "Do you want to try?" The Governor asked.

With a sigh, Jacob placed his finger on the biometric scanner and waited. As if an error occurred. Governor Marcus grew concerned and whacked his hand against the scanner. Looking at the data pad, he gasped with confusion.
   "It's as if you don't exist anywhere else." The Governor mumbled. "We can do a blood print and see if any other family members exist in our universe or, anywhere else?" The Governor suggested.
  Looking over to the empty star map. Jacob paused in disbelief. Aware of nothing, he just waited for the transponder to emit what he had wanted.
   Jenny looked to Jacob as she gently grabbed his arm.
  Placing his finger on the scanner, Jacob waited as he paused waiting to the prick to penetrate his finger. As the sensor analyzed his blood, only a few suggestions had appeared. None matched his direct DNA but existed only as relatives or family members.
None existed as him.
  
  "It seems by our scanners, you may truly be alone in this universe, there's always chances that you existed at some points but you are either deceased or never existed at all."

For a second in time, everything just paused. The commotion that gathered around and followed Jacob had finally stopped. He was truly alone, blinded by the slight uncanny feeling that all his ultimatums would eventually secede beyond the greater sense. Like an ice shelf crippling to the friction of heat molecules rubbing against the ice itself. Everything around him just melted away.

   As he sat and gathered around the library along the commons of the capitol city. He closed his eyes and waited for the voices to stop, for the sounds and tremors of gravity to conclude their wake. As the ample space around him amplified its wild and corrosive state. Only the slight echo of voices chattering around him as he sat near the glass.

Looking onward, the various ships that descended and departed distracted him from the most distant memories of his life. Pulling a flask from his pack, Jacob took a shot and looked out past the horizon. Taking another shot, and another. Feeling the welcoming warmth of alcohol in his system. Uplifting, he stepped outside and embraced the steps of the embassy as snow flurries had settled in for the evening. Stepping out, Jenny followed behind him as a couple Halcyon guardsmen followed behind.

"You okay?" Jenny asked.
Jacob truly felt lonely and wondered even with his eyes closed. Would the world emit a dream to allow him to feel whole again.

"The council is allowing us to stay as long as we need, if need be." Jenny turned over to the guards man. "They'll allow us to be full residents here."
"You can stay if you want, but I need to keep moving." Jacob stated.
Jenny asked as Jacob stood up grabbing his shoulder. "I get it, these things are difficult to process."
"You don't get it, the world, the universe I live in I'm either dead or never existed; and my last name has tarnished these worlds with fear." Jacob stated. "I don't want to live my life knowing I'm the literal definition of a failure."
"This world isn't for me, I'm sorry but I need to go." Jacob finished as he grabbed his helmet, pack and walked off.
"You're not going alone, you need me with you." Jenny replied. "I'm going with you, whether you like it or not."
"No you're not, you're staying here." Jacob finished as he pulled out his side arm. The guards in the background had rushed up and aimed their weapons at Jacob.
"Leave me out of this." Jacob turned as he walked away.
Jenny stood there and watched as he walked away. The snow flurries glided and landed in her hair as she looked over to the guard. Watching the EMP setting. Grabbing the gun, Jenny looked up at the guard as he paused with disbelief. Aiming, she fired the EMP round and fired at the guard. Turning over she aimed and fired at the other guard as they both fell to the ground. Marching forward, Jenny aimed her gun and fired multiple rounds to Jacob as he rushed and dodged each burst of fire.
Setting his gun to stun, Jacob aimed back and fired as the pulses flew right past Jenny. Rushing forward to get better aim. Jacob fired again as Jenny countered the stun round with her armor plating.
Turning back over to Jacob, she lodged a baton from her suit and threw her arm deploying a shock stick. Jacob looked for the pouch and saw one similar. Deploying his shock stick, Jacob rushed over and swung the first hit to Jenny's side.
"You're staying here, I'll beat it out of you if I have to." Jenny stood back up and wiped the snow covered gash from her cheek. Swinging back, Jenny defended herself as Jacob countered her swing, like swords fencing against each other Jenny swung again as she crouched and weaved Jacob's baton. Grabbing a handful of snow from the ground she threw a distracting amount to Jacob's face as he rushed to wipe each flake off. Lodging another swing to Jacob, knocking him to the ground. Jenny rushed up to Jacob crawling over his chest and throwing a knockout blow to his forehead. As Jacob laid there unconscious, Jenny stood up and gasped out of breath as the other guards followed from behind her.