CHAPTER 1
It was the same dark room as before. Several figures sat in the center, but it was too dark to tell if they were the same ones or not. The holographic display flickered on, to show a 3-meter globe of the Earth, with bright spots scattered seemingly randomly on the surface. A few of them were showing up belowground and underwater, as well as above the surface, as if they were in the atmosphere or in orbit.
"There does not seem to be any pattern to the flares, sir." This came from a personage that had not spoken yet, sitting in the next-to-last seat on the left. "Even Spec Array can't figure it out. We need more information."
The figure in the center sighed. "So I see. Can't say it's unexpected. Well, how about the operation? Any results?"
The rightmost figure nodded. "Picked up somebody strange. He was fairly glowing with some strange emission set, which the computers report as only possible in the case of emergence from a combination hyperspace transport and magical portal. The emissions faded rather fast, too. Just like the flares do. Also, if you'll take a look..." The figure tapped out something on the table in front of it, and two wavesets replaced the globe in the display. "The top waveset is the emission set from the flare the stranger arrived with, and the bottom waveset was taken from the stranger himself. If we overlap the bottom waveset on the top one, we get... this." The wavesets merged, and mostly canceled out, leaving a few simple sine waves. The waves moved together, and merged, leaving a compound wave that would be familiar to any medical practicioner. "A standard heartbeat wave. Quite interesting, is it not?"
"Fascinating, I'm sure." This from the bulky figure two seats left of center. "However, I do not see how it applies."
"We don't know yet. However, there's more. The person we picked up seems to be a human male, in his early- to mid-twenties. He is Caucasian, brown-haired, about six feet and 200 pounds. No, I am not going to repeat that in metric. He was dressed in simple jeans, hoodie sweater, and trenchcoat, with plain white and blue sneakers on. No, I will not mention what he had underneath. Look at any average young human male for that information. He had two swords in scabbards fastened to his back, under the trenchcoat, sticking out above the shoulders through holes in the coat that were apparently custom-cut for the purpose. The swords are on the katana model, three and a half feet long, with grip out of something much like sharkskin, and the blade itself out of a strong alloy, a stronger and less brittle, as well as more temperature-resistant, variation on the carbonsteel standard."
"Okay, so he has nice swords. Get on with it."
"I would, if you'd be so kind as to not interrupt. To continue, he seems to have no memory of who he is, where he comes from, or how he got here; in fact, his very clothes and his body seem unfamiliar to him, although he obviously knows how to handle himself and his swords. His knowledge of swordsmanship seems to be so deep as to be on the level of instinct, which might explain how he did not forget it, or the language."
The figure in the center spoke up again. "So what you're saying is, we now have a strange amnesiac in our midst, and we are no further in understanding the flares than we were before?"
"Uh... That's pretty much the gist of it, sir."
"Oy." The figure raised an appendage to what was probably its head. "Keep observing him, and report anything unusual."
"With all due respect, I believe he should be placed under my supervision!" The figure to the left of center stood. "I have the best facilities for incarceration of unknown quantities on the station, or within Sol System for that matter!"
"Captain... First of all, he, not you, has the best facilities for observation of specimens, living, nonliving, or otherwise, and of all sizes from subatomic to galactic. Second, it is my opinion that you are not needed for now. You will be called when your services are required. Clear?"
The bulky figure paused, speechless. "... Yes, sir."
"Very well. Dismissed." As the Captain was leaving, the central figure turned to the right. "Now, as for you."
"Sir, I just remembered something. The stranger has displayed signs of some unknown power, according to the report of Lieutenant Gravelrash, who picked him up and delivered him to Safe House #47B. On the way from the shuttle to the mansion entrance the stranger stopped abruptly and his skin turned solid matte black all over, even his hair. Gravel could only speak for the parts that were visible, of course, but he could swear the black continued even down the collar and up the sleeves. This appeared to coincide with a ray of sun breaking through the cloud cover, and lasted for an hour and some fifteen minutes, which is why the party was so late. When questioned regarding the incident, the stranger denied any knowledge of what happened, other than having had a feeling of enjoying the sun's warmth, much like cats and dogs do when they take their naps in sunbeams."
"... Fascinating indeed. Very well, go see what more you can find out. Also, see if he can be persuaded to join the Board on a trial basis, pending further investigation."
"I already mentioned the possibility to him, and he seemed amenable. He is currently going through Comic Archives right now. Seemed the best thing to do with him for the moment was to keep him out of trouble and under observation."
"Good job. Carry on." The figure pressed something on the table, dousing the holographic display. The lights came on, revealing Admiral Loweko in the central seat, surrounded by other Board and FLEET high-rankers. Starlock, in the rightmost seat, stood and rapidly left through a portal.
"Hmm. Someone should remind the good Captain that the department isn't actually his. Perhaps his CO can do it."
"Actually, the Commodore is probably encouraging such possessiveness, Jappus. Makes sense, grooming a potential successor in case of anything happening to him. Plus, he's got the Captain under close supervision already, you can bet." The adressee, in the next to last seat on the left, wilted under the Admiral's gaze, then hurriedly exited through the nearest door.
Aurora spoke up, for the first time all meeting. "I do believe the old military saying applies here. Hurry up and wait."
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