HELIOS

Chapter 2

I walk as quickly as possible down the corridor to the conference room where the meeting is being held; when I reach the door I tug on my uniform making sure it's neat and unruffled. Military perfection was drilled into me as a cadet, and now it's just become a habit. I open the door and step in; everyone in the room turns to me. Some with recognition, others with curiosity as to who I am; it makes me a bit self conscious. That's when major Mandy Roberts stands up and I quickly snap a salute at her; she returns it with a smile on her face; she hasn't changed a bit as she walks towards me, and even with her uniform you can still see her shapely figure. Her amber colored eyes bore right into mine; her face is soft and round, but with confidence, an air of command is about her. She extends her hand and I take it feeling the warmth of it, which makes me remember much."Its been a while Captain Valdez. Please come and take a seat." I do as the major asks taking a seat at the table and as luck or fate whatever you believe I'm directly across from counselor Mindini, one of the senior reps for U.E.A.

"Gentleman, I would like to introduce Captain Valdez EXO of the Helios." It a voice that I recognize; I look down the table seeing Dr Theodore Wells standing using a wooden cane to help support himself. Dr Wells leads the development team that designed both the Hyperion and now the Helios. I study him more closely; he's aged quite a bit since the last time I saw him. There are more wrinkles around his eyes and worry lines on his forehead look deeper than I remember, but the eyes, grey blue are still sharp and they miss nothing.

   "If you would please look at the folder in front of you." He says. I open it up and the names of all the crew members of the Hyperion are there along with some personal info, and a picture of each. I flip through the pages feeling a pang of loss for each of these people. I personally knew all of them. I was supposed to command the I.S.V. Hyperion; instead I was lying in bed with pneumonia. "Now, I am quite sure that everyone here knows that we lost contact with the Hyperion on March eighth two years ago; its last transmission was received at 15:24 hours." He activates the screen on the wall behind him. "What no one know is the exact content of the message." He shoots a glare at each person in the room. "what you are about to see is the most classified information; all of us in this room have the security clearance to now be able to see and hear the final message of the interstellar vessel the Hyperion." An image forms on the screen it's not very clear it's... grainy, but it does appear to be... kick me if I'm wrong, a ship or something... made; not of natural material.

"Now this the final transmission of the Hyperion." He taps a button on the remote in his hand and the image on the screen changes. The face of a woman appears in place of the UFO; it's Karen Marcus, the chief science officer of the Hyperion. I recognize her immediately. [This is the I.S.V. Hyperion! We have come under attack...] She holds on as the ship shakes and trembles, fires visible behind her. [We encountered an alien... vessel and we attempted to establish communication with them... they opened fire...] The terror in her eyes and in her voice is unmistakable, as the ships lights begin to flicker. [Oh God the ship is breaking apart! Oh God help us...]

The image freezes at that point with the utter look of terror on her face, with tears streaming down her cheeks. I look at the other people in the room and the uneasiness is palpable on their faces. All except those with combat experience, which includes myself, major Roberts and colonel Bill Haverstone. Then I notice that counselor Mindini is rather calm and seemingly unmoved by the transmission.

   The screen goes dark and Dr Wells steps out from the corner. He eyes everyone of us. "I hope you can now appreciate the situation we face."

"Hmm." Everyone in the room turns to the source of the sound, as counselor Mindini stands with a look of what I can only see as arrogance on his face. He runs his fingers through his thin white hair looking at Dr Wells. "You believe that this thing." He waves a dismissive hand towards the screen, as he speaks with a heavy Russian accent. "Is truly the work of aliens!" He turns away from the table and looks at a picture on the wall. "You know what I think? It is terroist bomb!" He turns to face us. "That's what it really is!" The frustration was evident on his face.