As the butler ushered the small group into the spacious dining hall, Rose, Luke and Henry continued to ask Kelly and Markelium what the secret was. As they were being seated Greva called out, "Luke, Henry do give the man his room." They replied, "Yes father" and quieted down. Rose however stuck near Markelium, as if being near him would somehow produce a key to unlock his secrets. When Kelly saw these he called out with a light laugh, "Rose my dear, you almost look like a girl madly in love and trying to figure out how to tell him." Rose turned red as the hair upon her head and she promptly backed off. As everyone settled into their respective seats the double doors to the rear of the room opened up and servants began bringing trays filled with an assortment of food out.
A few minutes later the feast and conversations were well underway. Henry and Luke listened to the tales that Kelly and their father exchanged while Ms. Krystal listened to both them while watching Rose with interest. Markelium, who was sitting between Kelly and Rose, was listening in on the two men, trying to learn a bit more about this day and age. Rose shifted in her seat, "So what can you tell me about yourself that's not classified?" Markelium turned his attention to the curious girl, "Well I was born on Earth in America and attended a naval academy on the base where my father had been stationed. I enlisted into the navy after graduation when I was eighteen just like my father had." Rose continued asking questions as dinner went on. Eventually Luke and Henry listened in as well and asked questions here and there. Rose's face brightened as she learned more and more about this mysterious person who was finally revealing more and more about himself.
After diner ended and the table was cleared of trays, plates and other items, the group moved into a lounge like area with several chairs and couches. Greva opened the door for his wife and daughter, "Um Kelly. May I speak with you for a few moments?" Kelly looked over to Greva as Rose and her mother entered the room, "Yes, of course. James? Could you keep these fine folks some company while we talk?" Henry and Luke found themselves seats and made themselves comfortable while Markelium gave a, "Yes Sir." and walked into the room and found himself a seat near Henry and Luke. Kelly's footsteps could be heard as they followed Greva's down the hall and to a separate room.
"So how long have you been on the Prince?" Asked a curious Luke. "Around four week's now." answered Markelium as he finished thinking all the dates out. "Where were you before that?" asked Henry. Markelium paused a moment, "I was in a naval hospital for a while. Mostly for physical therapy." Ms. Kyrstal was the first to speak up, "Why did you need physical therapy?" Markelium shifted slightly, "Well I was involved in an accident and after I recovered they placed me in the physical training program." The questions continued for some time making Markelium think of ways to indirectly answer them without diving into details that could relate to him or the Hudson. A few minutes later a knock at the door announced the arrival of Greva, "Um James my boy. I do believe that Kelly wants to talk with you for a moment."
Markelium excused himself and went out to meet Kelly. Greva escorted him to a nearby room and rapt on the door before entering. The first thing Markelium noticed as he entered the brightly lit room was Captain Kelly. The second was a dull silver container that sat atop the table. Kelly looked over to the pair as they entered, "Did you tell him anything yet?" Greva shut the door behind him and turned to his lifelong friend, "I have told him nothing. I figured that you should be there one." Markelium looked at them with a puzzled look but stayed silent. Kelly beckoned for Markelium to sit down at the table, "Let me start off by saying that this has come from the group that stayed behind to clean up the Hudson wreckage. They sent this to us here at the station in a package. We scanned it and it doesn't look like it's rigged in any way. Even though it's addressed to me I do believe it's for you since it came from the Hudson." Greva stood behind Markelium with his hands clasped behind his back waiting. Markelium looked at the box and then drew close to open it. Kelly pointed to a lock panel on the side, "Looks like you are the only one who is able to open it. It's marked to be opened only by you with your DNA and voice code." Markelium looked at the container and looked at the panel, "How do you know it's for me though?" Kelly looked at Greva and then back to Markelium, "The team tried to open it but then it displayed that you had ownership of it, so they sent it here." Markelium looked over the container, "Well I don't recognize it at all, but I'll try to open it." He then walked over to the side with the panel and placed his hand on the pad. The pad scanned his finger prints and sampled his DNA and matched it then asked for the pass code. Markelium thought a moment and tried a code. "Invalid" called the security program. He tried another code, "Invalid" replied the program. He tried this several more times until the program replied, "DNA and finger prints match. Would you like a hint?" Markelium sighed, "Yes please." The panel showed a text on its screen which Markelium read and soon a slight smile appeared on his face. He called out a code and soon the container emitted a whirling sound as locks and gears rotated and unlocked. A moment later the lid popped open.
Captain Kelly and Greva stood up and came over to the container. Markelium walked up, "I don't know what's in here but I think it was given to me after we went into cryo." Kelly looked at him, "How could that happen? Wait you mean that someone didn't go into cryo?" Markelium opened the lid and peered in, "I was the last one into cryo. I made sure of that." Markelium reached into the container and pulled out a metallic object. He placed it on the table and they got a good look at it. The object was about six inches long on all sides, and seemed to be made out of some lightweight materials. Captain Kelly bent down to look at it, "What is this?" Markelium looked at it, just as perplexed as they, "I have no idea Sir."
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Age of Lies (Original Version)
خيال علميThe original work for Age of Lies before I decided to revamp the story line.
