Jack's New Position

The two looked at each other and something passed between them. Some subtle body language that Jack couldn't read. They didn't answer but lifted him to his feet instead.

"We are your escort," the one with the fan said as she tucked it away. The other one handed him his bag. They both removed the nose filters and slipped them into a belt hidden under their gowns.

"Why am I getting an escort? It's Earth. I'm from there. I'm just returning to speak to my employer. Why do I need an escort for that?"

The stern one scowled at him. His eyebrows rose. He'd never seen that expression on an Altarian face. He struggled to keep from smiling as it looked so cute!

The other one gestured they should walk back to where the customs area was. She answered him. "You are also the Altarian Ambassador. There has been an attempt on your life. When you leave Altaria you must be accompanied by an escort."

"Oh!" he said, surprised. He didn't see the harm in that. "That's fine. Nobody mentioned that to me before." He smiled at them but they just looked back at him. "Uh, do you have names? You know mine."

They looked at each other once more and he swore that they were having an entire conversation before him without saying a word. The scowler spoke first.

"Bal."

"Gee."

"These are your names? I've never heard such short names on Altaria before," he exclaimed.

Gee just nodded as they went out into the customs area again. The line was much longer now and he sighed thinking of the delay. His escorts each held a hand up to the waiting queue of people and took him directly to the front of the line. The female who replaced Marrell looked up at him in delight then saw the cool looks of the escorts and quickly processed his exit for the Gate. She smiled at Jack and showed him the symbol of the Gate he was to enter in a few minutes. He thanked her and followed his escort down the hall to the Gate.

Jack had only travelled through the Gate Network once before and that time he'd passed through three of them to get to Altaria. Today he was apparently getting special treatment of a single hop to Earth. They approached the Gate and he saw his reflection staring back at him. The surface was perfectly smooth and flat. A Tik had once told him that the original Gates had been a physically difficult ordeal to pass through for many organic species but one of the original designers had ventured to Earth and worked with scientists there to perfect it. Now passing through a Gate was effortless and left only a temporary and pleasant tingling sensation.

They walked forward right into their reflections and walked out into a well-lit terminal building on Earth. Jack felt the minor change in the gravity. His body reacted with a strange sensation of comfort. His body was home but his mind and heart were definitely back on Altaria. He looked to Bal and Gee and took comfort in their presence. He approached the customs desk which indicated 'government officials only' above it. Nice for the local government to vote in a practice to expedite travel for themselves. Not that he was complaining now at the front of the line. The bored agent waved him forward.

"Name, Department, and reason for your visit," the man droned then looked up. "Excuse me, you two need to move to one of the 'Alien Visitor' agents."

"Actually, they're with me," Jack said with a smile.

"And you are?" the man said belligerently.

Jack put his hand on the biometric reader. "I'm Jack Danner. Altarian Trade Representative for Earth. I'm also the Altarian Ambassador and as such these two are my escort. Apparently ambassadors are not allowed to travel unescorted."

The agent tapped his screen and read the result from the biometric scan. He looked up at Jack suspiciously. "What is the purpose of your visit?"

"I was recalled by my boss at the Trade Commission headquarters." he answered.

"These two are not authorized to travel beyond the terminal," the agent said flatly.

"Well then, I guess I'll just go back to Altaria and you can inform the Head of the Earth Trade Commission why I was turned away. Thanks!" He made to walk back to the Gate and the two Altarians marched right with him.

"Wait!" the agent shouted behind Jack. He stopped and looked back at the agent who was waving at him to return. He approached the desk again with both escorts at his sides.

"Ambassador is the same as Diplomat right? I can authorize their entry if you accept responsibility for them under your Diplomatic authority," the man grumbled.

Jack looked at Gee who nodded.

"That sounds fine," Jack smiled and signed the screen where the agent indicated. Two small plastic bands came out of a slot on the agent's desk.

"They have to wear these at all times as they are your responsibility," the agent growled.

"Trackers?" Jack asked and the agent froze. Then he nodded slightly.

Jack handed each of his escorts one of the bands. They tucked them into their belts.

"They have to wear them!" the agent growled.

"The bands are active are they not? They are on their persons so they can be found. These females wear no ornamentation. They cannot. This is something else I will take responsibility for," Jack said.

The agent just scowled then pointed to the exit. Jack smiled and bowed slightly before he left. The three made it out to the transportation station and moved to the limo area. They didn't have to wait long before they were in the back of a comfortable automated vehicle. Jack let it read his biometric identity then gave the name of the Trade Commission headquarters and confirmed the location when the screen displayed the match. The limo pulled away from the curb on its gravity repulsion technology and smoothly sped towards the city on the gravity slipping field.

In the early days of the Gate Network on Earth, the limo's technology was imported from one of the visiting alien races. It destroyed Earth's automotive industry and all of its support industries and put many humans out of work. Now he enjoyed its comforts. He shook his head. It hadn't been all bad news. The demise of the automotive industry had some very positive impacts on the environment of the planet. Not that those out of work cared at the time.

Jack pulled himself out of his funk and looked at the two Altarians who were busy taking in the scenery.

"I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds when I spoke for you with the customs agent back there," Jack said.

Gee looked at him. "No. You defused the situation quite well. We have been informed that we must have these bands but you have identified them as trackers and have prevented them from being attached to us. This is very good."

Bal nodded at him. She wasn't smiling but at least the scowl was no longer in place.

He nodded to the two females and they returned their attention to the view. Then he noted that they were watching the vehicles passing and following. They weren't sightseeing at all. He felt guilty for assuming that. These were professionals.

Soon they were in front of the imposing building Jack had entered so many months ago hoping beyond hope for a job. At that time he had no way of knowing his life would change so dramatically. Bal exited first then Jack and finally Gee. There were some gardens in front of the building and both Bal and Gee immediately stepped in front of Jack then froze.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Something in the flowers! Erratic movement and bright colors!" Gee said tersely.

Jack looked as Bal prepared to grab him and run.

"Butterflies."

"What?" Gee said.

"The brightly colored flittering things by the garden are butterflies. Insects that pollinate flowers. You couldn't find a less threatening creature on Earth than a butterfly." Jack said. "They didn't brief you at all on Earth did they?"

Gee and Bal looked embarrassed and Bal's scowl returned.

"We're not likely to meet any creatures that pose a threat to us. Aside from Humans," Jack said and set off through the garden towards the building's entrance.

As he passed through the flowers a butterfly landed on his shoulder and Bal twitched. Then a second landed and a third. By the time he got to the door at least a dozen of the beautiful creatures were catching a ride. He stopped, looked down at the slowly flapping butterflies and grinned at the two Altarians.

"I have no idea why they are so attracted to my shirt but we better get them off before I go inside." He said, lifting one of the creatures up as it clung to his finger. Gee looked closer and almost smiled. He swore her black eyes twinkled as they studied the bright shimmering wings. She pulled out the little fan device and aimed it at the butterflies. They weren't fond of this mint scent and they all released their grip on Jack and flew off.

Jack smiled again and entered the building following Bal. They approached the security checkpoint and Jack realized the two Altarians were probably not going to be able to get through. He was about to say something when Bal walked through the metal detector with no trouble at all. He shrugged and put his bag on the conveyor and walked through the detector followed by Gee. He gathered his bag and went up the lift to the office where he'd been given the job. He recognized no one so he went to the reception desk.

"Hello, may I help you?" a pleasant looking woman sitting behind the desk asked him.

"Yes, my name is Jack Danner and I-" he began but was interrupted.

"Yes, Mr. Danner, please take a seat and I'll let the Director know you have arrived."

He smiled and walked over to the chairs. He didn't tell the Altarians to sit. While it looked like they were admiring the office he knew they were working. Covering the angles. Watching for threats. He stayed out of their way though he was convinced it wasn't necessary.

The Director arrived with two security officers standing behind him. Jack stood up and approached the man. He had only a hazy memory of him from the time he'd been here. There hadn't been any direct involvement between them at the time. Still, this was the man who had been issuing all of the angry notices to him and he was Jack's direct report.

"Good afternoon, Director Goodson. Jack Danner reporting as requested," he said with a smile.

Bal and Gee were now behind him on either side keeping an eye on the two security personnel.

"Mr. Danner, my recall notice said nothing about bringing Altarians with you. What is the meaning of this?" Goodson growled.

"When I was accepted to be the Trade Representative I was also appointed to be the Altarian Ambassador and these escorts were assigned to me. The ambassador does not leave Altaria without them, so I understand. This being my first time off the planet since the appointment it came as a surprise to me as well."

"Well you're here as an employee of this office so they will need to remain in the reception area while we meet," the director growled.

Jack was getting tired of being growled at. He looked at Bal and Gee to see their opinion of the idea. Both gave him a brief head shake.

"It seems that's not going to work. You see, this morning there was an attempt to assassinate me and they are a little sensitive to me being out of their sight. That said, they are very quiet and as my sworn protectors they cannot divulge anything they hear in my presence to anyone without my permission. That should take care of any confidentiality issues," he bluffed.

The Director was looking a little agitated as were the security men. After a moment of consideration he nodded. "Very well, follow me."

The security men led the way deeper into the office and stopped outside a conference room. They took up positions outside of the room and the Director went inside. Jack followed Bal and Gee brought up the rear. Bal and Gee took positions on the wall opposite the door and Jack took the chair between them also facing the door. The Director took the chair at the head of the table closest to the door. They'd just settled in when the Director's phone chirped. He looked at it.

"I have to take this. A moment please," he said and left the room.

A few moments passed then Gee quickly walked to the door and looked back at Bal. More body communication went between them but in his mind Jack pretended he could hear what they were saying:

Gee: "It's locked."

Bal: "I'll look for alternate exits."

She was scanning the walls and pointed out two ventilation ducts with her eyes.

Bal: "The vents."

Gee: "No good for the fat human."

Jack felt oddly giddy as he watched them and chuckled to himself until he found his head slipping forward to thump against the table surface. He was unable to move his body and felt his mind sliding into darkness. Before he went under he felt Gee step close and force her hand into the front of his pants. Something cold touched the underside of his cock where it rested against his balls.

He thought that was rather rude, her touching him like that but... darkness took him before he could say something.

He was drowning! He gasped for breath as water splashed over his face and chest. He sputtered then winced as sharp pains shot through his head. Man, he had a killer headache!

"Time to wake up," said a calm voice.

His surroundings slowly came back to him. He was soaking wet and chilled to the bone. He couldn't see anything in front of him as three intense spot lights shone directly on his face. The light stabbed into his brain and he looked down to avoid the pain.

When he could open his eyes he saw he was strapped down to a... barber's chair which felt like it might be bolted down. The floor was grey, concrete?

"What happened? Where am I? What happened to-" he almost mentioned their names. "Where's my escort?"

"That's quite enough questions from you. What we need to hear now are some answers," a new voice said, sharp and angry. Younger than the first voice, maybe. Male at least.

He tried looking towards the voices again but he couldn't see beyond the bright lights. His body felt strange and he definitely had some bruising he didn't have before. Jack hoped Bal and Gee were alright. He'd play along to buy time but he had no idea what was going on or how much time he had.

"OK, ask me a question," he croaked.

"Who is rejecting our products?" barked a third voice. Loud, angry and definitely male. Older.

"Geez, can you be a little more specific? There are a lot of products submitted for approval on Altaria," he groaned.

There was a muted sound of arguing then the first voice came back. This one was more unsettling due to its calmness.

"The military contractor products are all being systematically rejected. We've also noticed a pattern in your work as the Altarian Ambassador. You've prevented some very lucrative relationships between the Altarian Colonies and certain allies of ours. These relationships correlated to certain products we've been trying to convince the Altarians to adopt for those worlds."

The voice was smooth and hinted at an expensive education. He caught an accent. A certain crispness on the consonants and a strange stretch to the vowels. Too bad he was useless at placing accents. What he could get from the voice was a sensation of deadly intent. He felt his gut tighten.

Jack racked his memory for what the voice was talking about then something clicked. The desert warfare weapons package a contractor insisted was the perfect option for the Altarians on Callosephia. His radar had gone off like crazy when the vendor was so insistent that they'd be specifically suitable to be used for the new colony. He HAD rejected that AND he'd rejected the Sanosian's request to set up a 'resort' in the desert of that planet.

"The Altarian Trade Commissioner is the ultimate authority over these decisions. I'm the Trade Representative for Earth. If the Commissioner feels the product isn't suitable that's that," he said frankly. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as the hot spot lights beat down on him and his nerves strained. He started to miss the bucket of cold water he'd met earlier.

"You see, this is where the issue lies. We simply don't believe you. We think you are making those decisions," the cold voice said with a deadly calm.

"Wow. If that were true I guess that would make me a really important man," he said.

"Indeed it would," the voice said with just the slightest humor in it.

"But even if it wasn't you seem to be missing a vital and publicly available piece of information. Proving you are colossally dumb." There was a sudden sound of chairs being shoved back and someone being restrained.

Jack pressed on. "Earth finally has access to billions of consumers. A virtual goldmine for generations to come. And you are threatening that for your own greedy little corner of it? The Sanosian assassin? How did that make any sense? If he had been successful then Earth would have been back to sending delegates to try to open the market."

"Why? We would have just sent a replacement." The angry voice was back.

"Which would have been rejected. They explained it pretty clearly but you obviously didn't understand their intent. I'm Earth's Trade Representative. Without me, specifically me, there will be NO trade. Read the contract. It's available online. It doesn't generically say Earth's Trade Representative. It says Jack Danner. Which comes back to you being really... really... dumb. There are a lot of people, Hell, countries whose livelihood you are fucking around with right now. They will not be... pleased if you screw this up for them. The Altarian Security Ministry was notified that I was recalled to Earth. My escorts work for them. They will be expecting me back... soon."

There was silence for a time. Jack sat quietly and waited. Time was on his side. He hoped. Sweat trickled down his temples which had begun to itch terribly.

"What made them choose you?" the calm voice was back. A new ploy?

Jack chuckled. "Really? You want me to tell you the secret to having the Altarians pick a replacement for me? Dumb."

A chair behind the lights toppled this time and a beefy man rushed up to Jack from behind the lights and swung a mighty punch at his face. Time weirdly slowed as he took in the details of his attacker.

Tall. Ex-military. Buzz cut grey hair. Enormous muscles. Old, faded tattoos on his arms. Hate in his beady little pig eyes. Badly set flattened nose. Grimace of rage on this thin lipped mouth. Spittle? Ugh. Spittle.

The incoming fist looked like a sledge hammer as it came in to crush his face. Jack leaned his head into the punch and took the hit on the side of his forehead by his temple.

CRACK!

Jack's head rocked from the impact but he didn't go out as he'd expected. The chair's tight restraints kept him from moving. He hoped he might buy some time by passing out. The punch hurt like hell and his head rang like a bell but he snapped back to focus far faster than he expected. He opened his eyes.

The man was clutching his wrist and screaming in agony at the three broken bones sticking out of the back of his hand. The mangled fingers dangled at unnatural angles.

Jack's eyes went wide with shock.

A younger man wearing a kerchief mask came forward and gathered the injured man, leading him back behind the lights. There was the sound of a door opening and closing. The cold voice came back.

"Obviously you won't volunteer the answer. Of course we know that but you have to know there are ways to get the information from you. Methods far more effective and efficient than those demonstrated by our hasty compatriot."

There was a sudden sound of a gunshot.

"Our late, hasty compatriot," the voice got just a little colder.

He heard the sound of the door opening and closing once more. Jack assumed this was the masked man returning to join the interrogation. His stomach got a little tighter.