Epilogue Fanfic
BFCrusader
Sweden Join Date: 2017-12-07 Member: 234281Members
Sweden Join Date: 2017-12-07 Member: 234281Members
CAUTION! THIS STORY MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT YET PLAYED THE GAME! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
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After hearing the automated message sent from Alterra, I was not really surprised, but I was shocked at the sheer amount I owed. And moments later, very much frustrated and angry. What was the point of trying to survive if this is what one comes back to? Where's the point of Alterra even encouraging people to survive when they are doomed to debt and poverty, if they even do make it? It would be more practical for survivors to simply end it...
But I... I wont accept this crap!
I pressed a couple of buttons, contacting Alterra again, only this time manually.
"This is survivor vessel Seraphim (A/N: Alternatively insert your chosen name.) to Alterra HQ, come in please." I called on the radio.
The computer voice I've grown so familiar with of late spoke up again.
"You are currently on hold pending your turn as there are many hailers in queue ahead of you, please hold."
"You have got to be effing kidding me..." I muttered angrily.
After a few minutes of waiting and no small amount of seething in righteous anger, I was surprised to actually be connected to an available radioman. Usually this would take forever, big time corporation and all that always taking their sweet time with everything.
"This is Alterra HQ responding to your hail. My name is Santiago, how can I be of service?"
"Yeah, hello. My name is Ernest Young. (A/N: Made up name of course, I know the real name is Ryley Robinson) I am the sole survivor of the crash of the construction vessel Aurora."
"Sole survivor? Dios Mio. What happened?"
"You haven't heard? I thought the vessel going missing at least would have been all over the news by now."
"It has not been reported on the news yet, though I did hear of a spacecraft going missing. I wrote it off as a radio black-out due to some kind of anomaly or something. You're saying it actually crashed?"
"Crashed, yes. But only due to us being shot down."
"Shot down?!"
"Yes, but I'm willing to tell my story once I've been given clearance to land."
"I am sorry, amigo. I truly am. But you have an outstanding debt of... Madre de Dios! One Trillion Credits!! How on earth did you manage that?"
"That would be me utilizing tools to make equipment, vessels and facilities made of materials procured on planet to survive and ultimately escape."
There was silence for a moment.
"Look," I finally said. "I need to talk to someone in charge so I can sort this thing out. This has to be a mistake. Alterra can't expect to encourage people to try to survive if all they get for their troubles are immense debt in the end. We'd be better of killing ourselves rather than go back, and I know Alterra want all the workers and whatnot to come back to work."
'Callous bastards.' I couldn't help but think to myself.
"Entiendo, amigo. I understand. I'll connect you to someone in the higher offices."
Turns out that took a long while since I was time after time redirected to someone higher on the food chain. At least it meant that they were taking this rather seriously.
'It remains to be seen whether they actually will resolve this or not.' I thought, remaining suspiscious that they wont let the money matter drop.
Finally I was connected to not one, but several individuals from as many departments. A man looking to be in his fifties in a suit appeared on a screen, as opposed to the radio that was hitherto used. On other screens came a woman wearing a doctor's uniform and a man wearing an obvious police uniform.
"Mr. Ernest Young. My name is Richard Hooper, I'm the Executive in charge of finances in this sector. Also connected with us are the heads of science, Ellen Weaver, and Chief of the Police Force, Carey Guttenberg."
"Greetings, Mr. Young." "Welcome back home, Mr. Young." The two spoke in turn.
"Hello. Hi. Thank you." I said lamely, I wasn't prepared for the friggin' heads of their respective departments to speak with me, conference style.
"We'd first like to offer our condolences for the ordeal you have gone through as well as our congratulations for making it back to us." Richard began, sounding sincere.
"Thank you." I replied. "But before we get into anything else, I want to discuss my current predicament."
"Ah, yes. Your outstanding debt." Richard surmised.
"Yeah, I kinda want that one erased."
"I am truly sorry but I cannot allow that." Richard responded, not sounding very sorry.
"You know I wont be able to pay that even if I was to live ten lifetimes." I argued. "Are you really going to bill me on sheer principle?"
"These regulations are in place for a reason, my boy." Richard offered as an excuse.
"They are there because they make sense to be there. This is a pretty unique situation in which it wouldn't make sense to apply said regulations."
"I fail to see your reasoning." Richard said condescendingly.
"God dammit! How can you expect to encourage people to survive a catastrophy such as what I went through if all that awaits them are unresolvable debts! We'd be better off committing suicide!!"
"You used resources that were Alterran property. Regulations clearly states..." Richard began but I interrupted him.
"To hell with the regs! And to hell with Alterran property claim! You have none, that planet was not claimed or colonized or anything! At the most I have a handfull of thousands of credits in debt for using tools that survived the crash. That I can understand."
Richard sighed. "I will reduce the debt you owe us by half, no more."
"Are you sh..."
"Mr. Young, if I may?" The Weaver woman addressed me. "We were notified that the Aurora was shot down, is that correct?"
"I'd like to know as well." The Chief of Police added.
"That's correct." I said, fuming.
"By what exactly?"
"An alien ground to air/space cannon. Referred to by the alien's own database as a Quarantine Enforcement Platform."
"Alien cannon? And did I hear you say quarantine?" Ellen asked, astonished and more than a little concerned.
"You heard right on both accounts." I replied.
"My god, alien life. Alien bacteria. The worth of the knowledge we could attain from this would be potentially incalculable." She spoke, her mind miles away.
"My concern is the threat of the weapon platform. Getting close to the planet, not to mention land, will be a suicide mission with that thing in place. The Aurora and the Degasi tragedies speak for themselves."
"Add the Sunbeam to that list." I said, sad at the reminder of my deceased wannabe rescuers.
"I beg your pardon?" Officer Carey asked.
"While I was on the planet 4546B, I received a transmission from a Bulldog Class vessel named Sunbeam. They responded to the Aurora's distress signal and were coming to rescue any survivors. However, I couldn't reply to them, only receive transmissions. If I could have, I would have warned them to stay away. The Sunbeam and all of its thankfully small crew all perished due to the same weapon that shot down the Aurora, trying to rescue me."
There was an unspoken agreement of holding a silent minute in honor of the unfortunate souls lost to this weapon, directly or indirectly.
After said minute, the officer asked. "How did you manage to evade the damn thing when you fled the planet?"
I was about to answer him when I stopped myself. I then said, "I will be happy to tell and share everything I experienced with you, but I want my debt erased or at the very least reduce it to near nothing compared to its current amount."
"That is out of the question." Richard said firmly.
"Do not be unreasonable, Richard." Ellen argued.
"You just want to get your hands on his data, ellen" Richard accused with a smirk.
"Absolutely! Do you not realize the potential profit that can be gained from said data?"
"Not enough to pay for the man's debt." Richard replied flippantly.
"You don't know that, Richard." Ellen argued, her tone getting firmer. "At least suspend his debt until we can evaluate the data's worth."
"I wont agree to anything less than what I've already demanded." I said, reaffirming my position. "Plus, you'll get even more." I added after a brief moment.
"More?" Ellen queried
"Yes, let's just say that there's a reason it took a while for me to get back and behind it all lies more than what my databank holds, which is to say it has everything recordable and studiable about the entire experience."
If she was not a dignified scientist, I was certain she would be salivating at that.
"I take it this means something in terms of the alien weaponry?" Officer Guttenberg questioned.
"Quite. But exactly what I wont tell until a signed agreement has been made which clears me of my debt."
"I do not think you are in a position to make such demands, Mr. Non-Essential Systems Maintenance Chief." Richard said, his tone heavy with superiority. "We are well within our rights to board you and take all data anyway, we only have this conference as a gesture of courtesy given your recent ordeal. But if you are going to be insubordinate and disrespectful and generally uncooperative..." He let the threat hang.
"You don't scare me in the slightest, Dick! Compared to the creatures I encountered you intimidate me as much as a mouse would. And if you try to board me, this 'Non-Essential Systems Maintenance Chief' will erase all data from my databanks and jettison myself into space rather than submit to you."
"No skin off my nose, go ahead Mr. Nobody." Richard (the dick) said uncaringly.
"Richard!" Ellen shouted, loosing her otherwise perfect composure. "This man has gone through a hellish experience and is bringing untold treasure troves of knowledge with him that he didn't have to make in the first place! Besides that, we owe it to all the lost souls to bring some good from all of this! His data cannot be allowed to be lost!"
"I concur, his data will shed invaluable light on this alien... installation and more about themselves as a race." The Chief of Police.
"Maybe so, but I..."
"That will be quite enough." A new individual appeared on my screen. I couldn't belive my eyes. This... This was the president of Alterra himself, Karl Mariner!
"Mr. President!" Came the unified address of respect from all present.
The president regarded, I presumed, me as he spoke. "So this is the Aurora survivor I have heard so much about?"
"So much, sir?" I asked. "I was under the impression that the Aurora had yet to be listed as missing when I arrived."
"Not at all, young man. The Aurora was on an important two-part mission, you may know this already. Part of the mission entailed frequent and regular contact. When no word was heard from the Aurora for some time, we feared the worst, and once the distress signal reached us, I was notified. I made the call to keep it quiet until we knew more. I was actually in the process of mounting a bigger search and rescue task force which would have included more armored and armed vessels when I got a notification that an apparent survivor had made it back to us. I have actually been viewing this entire conversation from the start."
"From the... but why the secrecy, sir?" I asked.
"I wanted to know the situation from the source but once I learned that you were about to speak with my subordinates here, I decided to see how things went. I am a bit strange like that, I suppose." He said with a chuckle. But he then looked quite sour, and I got the distinct feeling he was looking at the Executive's screen. "Imagine my surprise when I heard your predicament and everything that came after."
"Well, sir, the thing is..." Richard tried to explain.
"Save it, Dick." The President cut him off. "I ordered those regulations to deter undue use of equipment and materials. I did not, however, make it to put people into debt, trying to survive a catastrophy. Henceforth there will be some addendums to correct this oversight. This man is not considered in debt any longer. Do I make myself clear, Richard!"
"Y-yes, Mr. President." Richard replied, cowed.
"Very good. Now then, Mr. Young. Since you are now a debt-free man, perhaps you can now tell us what you know?"
"If it would be alright with you, Mr. President, I would first of all like to land this thing and have a shower, a hot-meal and some sleep before I debrief all of you. Oh, and, no offense, but I'd like that debt-clearing in writing before anything else."
"Oh, but of course. By all means. Richard, get that done right away. Ellen, brief your science teams on the new priorities you will receive tomorrow from Mr. Young. Chief Carey, you will be present for any debriefing regarding the mentioned aliens'... assets."
"Yes, sir."
"Straight away, Mr. President!"
"Understood, sir!"
The department heads vanished, leaving me with the president. "Now that it's just me and you here, level with me, please."
"Uh, sure, sir."
"Are these aliens still around and/or a threat.
"I... do not know for certain. They weren't present on the planet anymore at least. Either their race died out, they left for another galaxy or they are somewhere out there still, active or in hibernations or something. Your guess would be as good as mine... sir."
"I see. Well, I imagine you will have some busy days ahead of you. While I cannot reward you with money or rank or such for surviving for obvious reasons, you will be suitably compensated once the value of your collected data has been determined. Allow me to personally welcome you back and congratulate you on a job well done in bringing all that you have brought back to us, Mr. Young."
"Thank you, Mr. President!"
With that, the video shut down and I was alone with my thoughts.
I could only imagine the magnitude of that promised "compensation", given all that I learned and did, not to mention brought back. I only hope that that Cuddlefish I brought with me will be allowed to stay with me.
-- FIN --
----
After hearing the automated message sent from Alterra, I was not really surprised, but I was shocked at the sheer amount I owed. And moments later, very much frustrated and angry. What was the point of trying to survive if this is what one comes back to? Where's the point of Alterra even encouraging people to survive when they are doomed to debt and poverty, if they even do make it? It would be more practical for survivors to simply end it...
But I... I wont accept this crap!
I pressed a couple of buttons, contacting Alterra again, only this time manually.
"This is survivor vessel Seraphim (A/N: Alternatively insert your chosen name.) to Alterra HQ, come in please." I called on the radio.
The computer voice I've grown so familiar with of late spoke up again.
"You are currently on hold pending your turn as there are many hailers in queue ahead of you, please hold."
"You have got to be effing kidding me..." I muttered angrily.
After a few minutes of waiting and no small amount of seething in righteous anger, I was surprised to actually be connected to an available radioman. Usually this would take forever, big time corporation and all that always taking their sweet time with everything.
"This is Alterra HQ responding to your hail. My name is Santiago, how can I be of service?"
"Yeah, hello. My name is Ernest Young. (A/N: Made up name of course, I know the real name is Ryley Robinson) I am the sole survivor of the crash of the construction vessel Aurora."
"Sole survivor? Dios Mio. What happened?"
"You haven't heard? I thought the vessel going missing at least would have been all over the news by now."
"It has not been reported on the news yet, though I did hear of a spacecraft going missing. I wrote it off as a radio black-out due to some kind of anomaly or something. You're saying it actually crashed?"
"Crashed, yes. But only due to us being shot down."
"Shot down?!"
"Yes, but I'm willing to tell my story once I've been given clearance to land."
"I am sorry, amigo. I truly am. But you have an outstanding debt of... Madre de Dios! One Trillion Credits!! How on earth did you manage that?"
"That would be me utilizing tools to make equipment, vessels and facilities made of materials procured on planet to survive and ultimately escape."
There was silence for a moment.
"Look," I finally said. "I need to talk to someone in charge so I can sort this thing out. This has to be a mistake. Alterra can't expect to encourage people to try to survive if all they get for their troubles are immense debt in the end. We'd be better of killing ourselves rather than go back, and I know Alterra want all the workers and whatnot to come back to work."
'Callous bastards.' I couldn't help but think to myself.
"Entiendo, amigo. I understand. I'll connect you to someone in the higher offices."
Turns out that took a long while since I was time after time redirected to someone higher on the food chain. At least it meant that they were taking this rather seriously.
'It remains to be seen whether they actually will resolve this or not.' I thought, remaining suspiscious that they wont let the money matter drop.
Finally I was connected to not one, but several individuals from as many departments. A man looking to be in his fifties in a suit appeared on a screen, as opposed to the radio that was hitherto used. On other screens came a woman wearing a doctor's uniform and a man wearing an obvious police uniform.
"Mr. Ernest Young. My name is Richard Hooper, I'm the Executive in charge of finances in this sector. Also connected with us are the heads of science, Ellen Weaver, and Chief of the Police Force, Carey Guttenberg."
"Greetings, Mr. Young." "Welcome back home, Mr. Young." The two spoke in turn.
"Hello. Hi. Thank you." I said lamely, I wasn't prepared for the friggin' heads of their respective departments to speak with me, conference style.
"We'd first like to offer our condolences for the ordeal you have gone through as well as our congratulations for making it back to us." Richard began, sounding sincere.
"Thank you." I replied. "But before we get into anything else, I want to discuss my current predicament."
"Ah, yes. Your outstanding debt." Richard surmised.
"Yeah, I kinda want that one erased."
"I am truly sorry but I cannot allow that." Richard responded, not sounding very sorry.
"You know I wont be able to pay that even if I was to live ten lifetimes." I argued. "Are you really going to bill me on sheer principle?"
"These regulations are in place for a reason, my boy." Richard offered as an excuse.
"They are there because they make sense to be there. This is a pretty unique situation in which it wouldn't make sense to apply said regulations."
"I fail to see your reasoning." Richard said condescendingly.
"God dammit! How can you expect to encourage people to survive a catastrophy such as what I went through if all that awaits them are unresolvable debts! We'd be better off committing suicide!!"
"You used resources that were Alterran property. Regulations clearly states..." Richard began but I interrupted him.
"To hell with the regs! And to hell with Alterran property claim! You have none, that planet was not claimed or colonized or anything! At the most I have a handfull of thousands of credits in debt for using tools that survived the crash. That I can understand."
Richard sighed. "I will reduce the debt you owe us by half, no more."
"Are you sh..."
"Mr. Young, if I may?" The Weaver woman addressed me. "We were notified that the Aurora was shot down, is that correct?"
"I'd like to know as well." The Chief of Police added.
"That's correct." I said, fuming.
"By what exactly?"
"An alien ground to air/space cannon. Referred to by the alien's own database as a Quarantine Enforcement Platform."
"Alien cannon? And did I hear you say quarantine?" Ellen asked, astonished and more than a little concerned.
"You heard right on both accounts." I replied.
"My god, alien life. Alien bacteria. The worth of the knowledge we could attain from this would be potentially incalculable." She spoke, her mind miles away.
"My concern is the threat of the weapon platform. Getting close to the planet, not to mention land, will be a suicide mission with that thing in place. The Aurora and the Degasi tragedies speak for themselves."
"Add the Sunbeam to that list." I said, sad at the reminder of my deceased wannabe rescuers.
"I beg your pardon?" Officer Carey asked.
"While I was on the planet 4546B, I received a transmission from a Bulldog Class vessel named Sunbeam. They responded to the Aurora's distress signal and were coming to rescue any survivors. However, I couldn't reply to them, only receive transmissions. If I could have, I would have warned them to stay away. The Sunbeam and all of its thankfully small crew all perished due to the same weapon that shot down the Aurora, trying to rescue me."
There was an unspoken agreement of holding a silent minute in honor of the unfortunate souls lost to this weapon, directly or indirectly.
After said minute, the officer asked. "How did you manage to evade the damn thing when you fled the planet?"
I was about to answer him when I stopped myself. I then said, "I will be happy to tell and share everything I experienced with you, but I want my debt erased or at the very least reduce it to near nothing compared to its current amount."
"That is out of the question." Richard said firmly.
"Do not be unreasonable, Richard." Ellen argued.
"You just want to get your hands on his data, ellen" Richard accused with a smirk.
"Absolutely! Do you not realize the potential profit that can be gained from said data?"
"Not enough to pay for the man's debt." Richard replied flippantly.
"You don't know that, Richard." Ellen argued, her tone getting firmer. "At least suspend his debt until we can evaluate the data's worth."
"I wont agree to anything less than what I've already demanded." I said, reaffirming my position. "Plus, you'll get even more." I added after a brief moment.
"More?" Ellen queried
"Yes, let's just say that there's a reason it took a while for me to get back and behind it all lies more than what my databank holds, which is to say it has everything recordable and studiable about the entire experience."
If she was not a dignified scientist, I was certain she would be salivating at that.
"I take it this means something in terms of the alien weaponry?" Officer Guttenberg questioned.
"Quite. But exactly what I wont tell until a signed agreement has been made which clears me of my debt."
"I do not think you are in a position to make such demands, Mr. Non-Essential Systems Maintenance Chief." Richard said, his tone heavy with superiority. "We are well within our rights to board you and take all data anyway, we only have this conference as a gesture of courtesy given your recent ordeal. But if you are going to be insubordinate and disrespectful and generally uncooperative..." He let the threat hang.
"You don't scare me in the slightest, Dick! Compared to the creatures I encountered you intimidate me as much as a mouse would. And if you try to board me, this 'Non-Essential Systems Maintenance Chief' will erase all data from my databanks and jettison myself into space rather than submit to you."
"No skin off my nose, go ahead Mr. Nobody." Richard (the dick) said uncaringly.
"Richard!" Ellen shouted, loosing her otherwise perfect composure. "This man has gone through a hellish experience and is bringing untold treasure troves of knowledge with him that he didn't have to make in the first place! Besides that, we owe it to all the lost souls to bring some good from all of this! His data cannot be allowed to be lost!"
"I concur, his data will shed invaluable light on this alien... installation and more about themselves as a race." The Chief of Police.
"Maybe so, but I..."
"That will be quite enough." A new individual appeared on my screen. I couldn't belive my eyes. This... This was the president of Alterra himself, Karl Mariner!
"Mr. President!" Came the unified address of respect from all present.
The president regarded, I presumed, me as he spoke. "So this is the Aurora survivor I have heard so much about?"
"So much, sir?" I asked. "I was under the impression that the Aurora had yet to be listed as missing when I arrived."
"Not at all, young man. The Aurora was on an important two-part mission, you may know this already. Part of the mission entailed frequent and regular contact. When no word was heard from the Aurora for some time, we feared the worst, and once the distress signal reached us, I was notified. I made the call to keep it quiet until we knew more. I was actually in the process of mounting a bigger search and rescue task force which would have included more armored and armed vessels when I got a notification that an apparent survivor had made it back to us. I have actually been viewing this entire conversation from the start."
"From the... but why the secrecy, sir?" I asked.
"I wanted to know the situation from the source but once I learned that you were about to speak with my subordinates here, I decided to see how things went. I am a bit strange like that, I suppose." He said with a chuckle. But he then looked quite sour, and I got the distinct feeling he was looking at the Executive's screen. "Imagine my surprise when I heard your predicament and everything that came after."
"Well, sir, the thing is..." Richard tried to explain.
"Save it, Dick." The President cut him off. "I ordered those regulations to deter undue use of equipment and materials. I did not, however, make it to put people into debt, trying to survive a catastrophy. Henceforth there will be some addendums to correct this oversight. This man is not considered in debt any longer. Do I make myself clear, Richard!"
"Y-yes, Mr. President." Richard replied, cowed.
"Very good. Now then, Mr. Young. Since you are now a debt-free man, perhaps you can now tell us what you know?"
"If it would be alright with you, Mr. President, I would first of all like to land this thing and have a shower, a hot-meal and some sleep before I debrief all of you. Oh, and, no offense, but I'd like that debt-clearing in writing before anything else."
"Oh, but of course. By all means. Richard, get that done right away. Ellen, brief your science teams on the new priorities you will receive tomorrow from Mr. Young. Chief Carey, you will be present for any debriefing regarding the mentioned aliens'... assets."
"Yes, sir."
"Straight away, Mr. President!"
"Understood, sir!"
The department heads vanished, leaving me with the president. "Now that it's just me and you here, level with me, please."
"Uh, sure, sir."
"Are these aliens still around and/or a threat.
"I... do not know for certain. They weren't present on the planet anymore at least. Either their race died out, they left for another galaxy or they are somewhere out there still, active or in hibernations or something. Your guess would be as good as mine... sir."
"I see. Well, I imagine you will have some busy days ahead of you. While I cannot reward you with money or rank or such for surviving for obvious reasons, you will be suitably compensated once the value of your collected data has been determined. Allow me to personally welcome you back and congratulate you on a job well done in bringing all that you have brought back to us, Mr. Young."
"Thank you, Mr. President!"
With that, the video shut down and I was alone with my thoughts.
I could only imagine the magnitude of that promised "compensation", given all that I learned and did, not to mention brought back. I only hope that that Cuddlefish I brought with me will be allowed to stay with me.
-- FIN --
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