Chapter 7

I spent the next few minutes sorting these new revelations in my mind, but why did I end up with the Iridians instead of the Altherians? Why were they treating me with such genuine kindness? It puts me on edge! I really need to start to learn more about the reasons behind their benevolence. After a moment I will my muscles to lift my body out of the medical bed and my feet hit the floor. I stand, my vision goes blurry and I feel dizzy for a moment. When my vision returns, I stretch. Arching my back and raising my arms to stretch out my newly-thawed bones. My back crackles and my neck pops, and a moan of relief escapes me. I look around the room. A clean medical bay with four beds and an operating room next door, the door is open, and I walk towards the open sliding door that leads into the operating area. Peering around the corner of the doorway, I see another Iridian with Olive-green, shoulder-length hair and short, petite stature standing at a computer console in the corner of the room. Entirely focused on her work, I cleared my throat to grab her attention. "Excuse me?" she still jumps in surprise at my inquiry, despite announcing my presence. "oh! I thought you would be gone. Did you need something?"

I reply hesitantly, but I must have it answered! it is a question I have been formulating in my mind. "What year is it?" the woman blinks and turns to look at me to reply, leaning back on her console with her buttocks. "The year? You humans and your strange time-keeping systems. That would be… 3042, I believe? As for the month, that would be... February?" her reply went through my mind like a lightning bolt, and I felt my eyes widen, and my heart rate quicken. "Wait, so... So a whole year has passed since I went into cryo then!" I exclaim. "Where is Farsa!" I demanded.

"S-she had to go back to her quarters, miss Elise!" my sudden outburst seemed to startle the Iridian, and I sighed, calming down a bit as I began to slowly accept this new reality. "I should go see her. Can you give me directions?" I inquired, after all, Iridian ships were laid out differently from a Commonwealth cruiser or a Federation battleship. "Take the corridor left once you exit the medical bay, and it will be the third door on the right at the end of the hall." she readily provided the direction toward Farsa's quarters. I decided to thank her politely "thank you, miss..?" I subtly asked for her name. The reply was given with a nervous fidget "m-m-Maisa! Maisa.." I take one last look at her, amused that she said it twice. She is a nervous one, isn't she? I thought to myself before heading out of the door, turning left in the corridor, and approaching the third door on the right side of the hallway, three doors from the end. I assumed the door at the end of the hallway was an elevator to the different decks of the ship, meaning that this was not a small ship at all.

I put my hand to the sliding double doors and the circular hologram turned blue from a red color and rotated ninety degrees clockwise with a counter-rotation of the center. A typical feature of Iridian navy ships. The door opened into a small room with a twin-sized bed with fine linens made neatly on the soft bedding, which sat on top of a metal slab integrated into the bulkhead of the wall on the left side of the room. There was a coffee table and three chairs in the exact center of the room, and a flower vase sat atop the table. A line of shelves on the right side wall of the room displayed various items. A bust statue of a likely famous but obscure figure from Iridian history, a stack of Iridian-made data pads, and leaning on the wall sat a mGlass, a Systems Commonwealth device. It is unknown to me if it still works, Or why she has one in her office slash quarters.

In the back at the center of the room's opposite wall sat Farsa, with her teal hair draped down the back of her chair in front of a desk console. She swiveled her chair around to face me and clasped her hands together as the door opened. "Ah! Elise. I was expecting you but not this soon. Come, come! Have a seat, we need to have a conversation it seems judging from that look you have on your face."

I purse my lips, sitting down in one of the chairs at the coffee table. Farsa meanders in the meanwhile to a cabinet "I have tea and I have a fine Iridian Ale. which would you like, Elise?" I sigh, she is being too nice. "Ale, please" Farsa smiles, and brings a glass of Iridian Ale, which is rather strong and colored an iridescent red and orange. The Iridian sits in front of me in an opposing chair. "Truth is, I cannot afford to lose more allies. And I would rather you assist me and my people willingly." she offers me a self-depreciative smile "we are currently in the midst of a conflict with the Imperial Iridian government. The Imperial loyalists want to keep the Empress on the throne, We all want a change. They call us the Federalists." she sighs, giving me a dejected look "they have us all on the run, and I am desperate for allies." she takes a very long draw of her glass of ale before setting it down, allowing me some time to process what she said. It seems I have missed a lot. If the normally united Iridians are at war with each other, something big happened. I think to myself, half lidding my eyes. After a moment, I observe Farsa a moment to gauge her honesty. My gifts are tempting to use on her, as I can probe her mind for more information, but that might get me shunned. I need allies if I am going to make it to Alterian space, and allies are a commodity I am short on. "What do you need me to do first?" I ask, looking at the glass of Ale she sat before me on the coffee table, clearly, she is fond of humanity's upholstery and furniture. I muse internally. "Elise, I need you to do a bit of scouting ahead of my forces. Clearly, you are not an ordinary woman, and I have a hunch you can do that for me."