Contact

by M. D. Neu

  “You don’t know me.” Brad took a deep breath. “I don’t expect you to buy this, but it’s the truth. God knows it’s the truth.”

  Jerry rubbed his face as he leaned back. “I get you want to apologize and make things better, but this story can’t be real. This is crazy talk. Come on, it can’t be.”

  “Okay, Brad, I believe you.” Todd wished Jerry knew his brother like he did, or thought he did. “Jerry, he’s my brother. I’m asking you to trust him. If not for him, then please do it for me. And Bradley, if it’s some joke…” He fell silent.

  The worry all over Jerry’s face made Todd’s heart sink. What could Todd do? This was his brother, and his gut told him it was the truth. He could make Jerry understand. He had to at least try. “What else do we need to do?”

  Four: Last-Minute Reservations

  NODDING, MIRTOFF TURNED toward Danu. They had been reviewing her schedule and the coming event for hours. There was much to plan for, and she was worried. They were worried. The whole of the Nentraee civilization was relying on this going well.

  And I still have to deal with General Gahumed and her proposal.

  Danu’s head tilted as he focused on the meeting details. His hand lifted from the datapad, and he brushed a piece of hair back over his ear. He was a handsome enough Altraee male and represented his clan well; his black hair and bright green eyes always seemed to bring a smile to everyone’s face—even hers. But right now, this was a distraction. She had to pay attention to her duties, not to an attractive member of her staff.

  “Madam Speaker.” Danu checked his datapad. “The leaders of Earth want to move the schedule up by one of their days. They’re trying to get in front of rumors.”

  “Of course,” Mirtoff said. Security was at the top of the list. Everything they’d seen in Earth media over the last several months warned them that these humans didn’t value life the same way the Nentraee did. There was no telling what would happen when their arrival was announced. She would need to be more guarded than she had hoped. If they had another option, a better option than this world, she would take it. But the ships were getting old, and her people were restless—they had been in space for too long.

  They needed this.

  She went through the revised schedule and updated human timeline. “It appears the changed timeline won’t affect our preparations. It is their announcement and our introduction to their people. I still want us to take our later dealings with them as slowly as possible. I don’t want to rush into anything.” Mirtoff shifted in her chair. “At least not until enough time has passed, allowing the Earthlings to understand the situation and grow accustomed to our new shared reality.”

  Tapping her fingers, she changed the information on her device to the venue. She had hoped to have the first meeting with the humans in the new diplomatic ship Mi’ko had constructed; however, they wouldn’t be able to accommodate the number of people to be included.

  We wasted resources building the ship and now it sits.

  She swiped the image of the diplomatic ship out of her view.

  With luck, it’ll be useful once our two peoples become accustomed to each other.

  “Very well.” Mirtoff put the datapad down. “I expect you to ensure the details are worked out before we go.” The cool of her desk chilled her hands as she rested them. “I don’t want to go in showing force, but I want to be prepared if need be. Please make sure General Yee Awon is in contact with both our shuttle and our people on the ground.”

  Danu made notes.

  “That said, I want to keep my personal escort small: no more than two guards,” Mirtoff concluded.

  Danu’s eyes were wide and his typically full lips thinned into a firm line. “What of the humans’ most recent schedule change?” His face didn’t reflect the worry in his voice.

  “At this point, it’s up to the Earthlings on how to address our first introduction.” She reached over to the docking port on her desk, pulled out a fresh datapad, and tapped. “We’ve had to trust them so far. Unlike General Gahumed, I see no reason to not continue along this course of action. Our stream has been calm so let us continue in good faith that it will remain so. I don’t want to be like Gahumed who only trusts her clan, and even then, not all of them.”

  Danu nodded his agreement.

  “Plus, if I left the planning to her, we would meet them armed, showing force, and not try to trade for resources.”

  “Which is why you’re our Speaker, not her.” Danu finished his notes.

  He is too generous with his praise.

  Mirtoff turned to gaze out the office window, their worn-out ships and Earth off in the distance. She saw Danu glance at her in the reflection.

  With a soft sigh, Danu left the office as Mi’ko walked through the door. The two males couldn’t be any more different. Danu was young and had the physique of a Head Security Aide; his clothes showed his toned and muscular form. Mi’ko could have been Danu’s father. He had the body of an older man who spent a great deal of time behind a desk and got little physical exercise. His suit was loose, to hide the bulges and softness of his body. They offered each other a polite bow as they passed. The door closed between them.

  Mi’ko came more into the reflection, reminding her of the day he brought news of the humans. Today, they had a new set of worries. He poured a cold cup of tuma. The edges of her mouth softened. He didn’t like the sweet and spicy taste of the drink. He was pouring it for her.

  He knows me well.

  “Where’s Faa?” Mi’ko saw the empty couch.

  “He doesn’t handle my stress well. So he elected to stay with my brother and niece until this introduction is over. The poor thing.” She turned from the window.

  “I know you’re worried. There’s a great deal at risk.” Mi’ko handed her the cooled cup.

  The scent filled her lungs with that familiar tingle she enjoyed. She took a sip. “Wouldn’t you be?”

  He took a seat.

  She sipped her tuma, then said, “As General Gahumed has been pointing out for months now, the humans are barbaric.” Mirtoff shook her head. “They kill each other and think nothing of it. Even their entertainment shows violence and disregard for life. How they’ve managed not to destroy themselves up to this point is amazing. We’ve not seen anything like it.” She put down the cup. “Even now, they fight, and we can do nothing. They have the societal plagues our world had before the Clan War.” She huffed. “It pains me, but for once, I agree with General Gahumed. We should limit our contact. Scientific and diplomatic contact to start.”

  Mi’ko nodded.

  “They’re capable of many great things, but the fighting…” She sighed. “I don’t understand them.”

  “It’s not our home. They are far from perfect. They must learn, like our people. We were not always peaceful.”

  “We almost destroyed ourselves back then.” She pursed her lips. “I know we’ve been over this many times before, but I’m worried. What if us showing up causes the least open-minded of them to do something drastic? We could prompt them to have their own Clan War.”

  Mirtoff skimmed the various reports on her desk—everything they had gathered on Earth and the humans, much of it from their UN organization. An attempt by Earth to form a global government: United Nations. From what they had learned, it was not an overly useful organization. If it were up to me, I would abolish it. Her eyes closed. That wasn’t her decision; it wasn’t her home.

  She sipped her drink, cooling her nerves. “What if I’m the Speaker General that allows our race to die off because of these beings? Because I fought to trust them and work with them. Then a single human decides to end it and ends us as well.”

  “Mirtoff, there’s hope. Not all of the information we’ve gathered is pessimistic. They’ve accomplished a great deal. They went from learning to fly and then to space in under seventy years. It took us almost double that time. As a society, they help each other when there is a local disaster. Even in their poorest
areas, they’ve improved life expectancy. Humans are able to cure several terrible diseases. They have much to be proud of. This is the safest and wealthiest time in their history.”

  She rested her hands on the desk. “You believe in them?”

  “I still have concerns, of course,” Mi’ko said. “They seem to protest over many trivial matters. Even in their most stable regions, citizens fight with law enforcement and riot, and they seem very sensitive, easy to offend and not allowing for an open exchange of differing opinions.” He glanced up at her. “But, I believe in their potential.”

  Mirtoff received reports from some of the most powerful domains on the planet. Each culture was different. “There are two hundred and three countries on Earth, and most of them compete with each other in one way or the other. The ones that don’t fight only pretend to be friendly. People are starving in some areas of their world, and in others, they seem to consume all there is to eat. It’s shameful; they could feed all their people. The ability is there now, and yet they choose not to.” She rubbed her temples. “Maybe we should pass them up and move on. There are other resource-rich systems and worlds. Even Faa has lost his excitement, the poor little one. The more I learn of them, the more I’m unsure of my choice.”

  Mi’ko met her gaze. “Madam Speaker Mirtoff, I’ve never known you to make a bad decision.” He paused and reached up to fix his tieback and address the lopsided bow. “We picked these humans because their level of development is almost in line with ours. We have found that not only do they value technology, but we also share some of the same precious metals and jewels. They are more advanced in some areas and less in others. This gives us a way into Earth’s markets, should they approve. And more importantly, from a biological point of view, we are similar.”

  His lips hinted at a grin. “The potential to trade and learn from each other is great when the bridge is equal distance. Don’t you agree?”

  Mirtoff sensed the lines on her face softening.

  “They have space capabilities,” Mi’ko continued. “An orbiting platform, and they’ve been to their own satellite. There are human probes on the planet they call Mars and elsewhere in their solar system.”

  Mi’ko rested his hands on her table. “No other beings we’ve encountered have been this developed. I believe this to be the best option. Everyone is getting excited to meet and interact with them.” Mi’ko stood up and bowed in support. “You’ve done well, and the choice to be here is done in the best interests of both the Nentraee and the humans. I’m sure J’Veesa would not have led us here otherwise.”

  “You’ve always had a level head, Mi’ko.” Mirtoff rubbed the back of her neck. “I can see why Laina was joined to you and allowed you to raise her children. Thank you.”

  Picking up one of her datapads, Mirtoff pulled up a file. “We’ve identified upward of seven thousand languages on this world. Who has heard of such a thing? It’s impossible to learn them all,” she said in amazement. “We should focus on their main languages: Chinese, Spanish, and English.”

  “Remarkable, but to be fair, I’m more interested in learning about their technology.” Mi’ko scanned the office. “They have unique organic and synthetic polymers. These are things I’ve never heard of or seen before. Think of the benefits to our people with what we could trade and acquire. We have a chance to change our economy and grow in prosperity.”

  “Ever the industrialist, Mi’ko.” Mirtoff picked up her cup of tuma and finished it.

  Mi’ko’s crooked tieback was loose again. He reached to fix it. “I’m afraid so, Madam Speaker.”

  Shifting through the datapads on her desk—food, military, weather, culture, family, religion, biology, others—she pulled one out. “There are many technology centers on their planet with a few highly advanced areas. The United States of America’s western boundary is a large hub for scientific and industrial development, according to these reports.”

  Mi’ko nodded his agreement. “As is much of the United States.” He took the offered datapad. “They seem to be the politically dominant country, for good and bad,” he said, then added, “There are others who, I believe, are as dominant—Russia, China, Japan, India and many of the countries in what they refer to as Europe.” His eyes twinkled and the lines on his face seemed to vanish. “I’ve had Weaqu and GanCee busy with research. I want to know everything about their superior optics, advanced biometrics, and their uses of these new polymers. Who knows what other areas of technology they have that we have not researched; it’s fascinating.”

  The longer Mi’ko spoke, the more relaxed Mirtoff became. Hearing his excitement and his optimism was catchy, and she was grateful for it. “I should have figured as much.” The edges of her lips turned up and her eyes opened wider. “How many languages have you learned, Mi’ko?”

  He offered her a smile as an answer but said nothing else. She would let him keep his secret. “Where do you plan on focusing?”

  “We’ll contact their centers of technology, of course, but I want to start in the United States. There is an area called Silicon Valley—an intriguing place with its research and development. It reminds me of my home city of OoNowa on Benzee. I’ll start there.”

  Mirtoff’s cheeks raised in a warm smile as she turned to the window. Earth waited off in the distance.

  Five: The Plan

  JERRY COULD ROLL his eyes all he wanted. It didn’t matter what Jerry thought right now. Brad had regained Todd’s trust.

  “Monday, stay home. Don’t go to work.” Brad rubbed his hands on his legs. “Mom and Dad will stay with Lori and me. Just for a few days. Jerry, it would be a good idea to check in with your family, because once this hits, the phone lines are gonna be jammed.”

  Jerry only offered a curt nod.

  “I don’t think you should tell them anything, but make sure they have what they need,” Brad offered.

  “Don’t worry.” Jerry crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I won’t be sharing this info with anyone.”

  “If the phones don’t go crazy, I’ll give you a call on Monday. We can see how things go from there.”

  “I hate to bring this to your attention, Todd, but what are we going to do with Dan?” Jerry asked. “He’ll be here tomorrow. What are we supposed to tell him?” His voice shifted higher and squeaked. “Ah…sorry, Dan. Aliens are coming. We have to stay home, or they’ll eat our brains.”

  “Who’s Dan?” Brad asked.

  “He’s a friend of ours,” Todd explained. “He wants to stay with us a few days.”

  “Ah, well that shouldn’t be a big deal.” Brad checked the clock on the wall. “Listen, I’ve got to head to the folks’ house. Toddy, tell me you’ll stay home on Monday. You too, Jerry, just to be safe, please. I want to make sure my baby brother and his family are safe.”

  Jerry sighed. “Fine.”

  “We’ll stay home on Monday.” Todd’s jaw was set in determination. “All three of us will stay home.”

  Jerry remained quiet, keeping his arms crossed in front of his chest.

  Brad stood with Todd.

  “By the way, what was in the email you sent me?” Todd asked.

  Brad sniffed as his cheeks lifted into an awkward smile, “Oh, that. I knew you didn’t read it, judging by how surprised you were to see me.” He paused, “You realize you need to work on not holding a grudge, little brother.”

  “Pot. Hi. This is kettle.” Todd glared at him.

  “Anyway, dick, perhaps you should try addressing things head-on. Like I am now.” His face changed into their mother’s favorite expression—the one she used when he had gotten in trouble for eating the dried dog food as a kid.

  Todd’s chin dropped as he glanced at the hardwood floor.

  “All it said was ‘I owe you an apology. Something big is happening, and I need to talk to you. I’ll come see you as soon as I can.’”

  “So, basically, a cryptic, annoying note that would’ve pissed me off. Got it.” Todd tried to hide his emb
arrassment with a grin.

  With a half smile on his lips, Jerry nodded. “Look, Brad, I don’t want Todd to get hurt. This better not be some trick or something. He deserves better than that. Especially from his family and you. He’s trusting you but—”

  “I know,” Brad interrupted him calmly.

  “Jerry, I realize this is hard for you,” Todd said. “Please, just do this for me. Please.”

  The room was silent.

  “God, I’m sorry. I can never recover that lost time, and I feel like shit for it. Not again. Never again.” Brad enveloped Todd in a hug. His arms tightened almost painfully. “I love you so much, Toddy.”

  “I love you, too, Bradley, but you’re on probation. I don’t want to hear any dumb crap anymore.”

  “Not anymore.” Brad held up his hands. “I was so stupid, and all my bigotry did was strain our relationship. I realize that now.”

  “I’m sorry about your jaw and lip.” Todd rubbed his goatee-covered chin as if he had a sympathetic pain there. He took the thawed peas and damp, reddish-stained towel from his brother. “Did you want more ice or something?”

  “Nah, I’m good.” Brad rubbed his jaw. “Lori isn’t gonna be pleased, but I’m pretty sure she’ll get over it.”

  “You’re one hell of a guy.” Brad turned to Jerry. “I didn’t see it before. I guess, I pictured you as one of those overly dramatic drag queens.” Jerry’s eyebrows raised and Brad shrugged. “I was an ass. Anyway, you must be special to have captured my baby brother’s heart. I’m sorry. I should’ve been a bigger man, and treated you—” He paused, shame in his voice. “—as you deserved.”

  Jerry opened his mouth to speak, but Brad held up his hand, stopping him. “I understand I’ve asked a lot of you, not only to forgive me, but also to trust me and my crazy story. I hope you’ll do both. There really is an alien fleet out there, and I think it’s gonna change everything. I’m not crazy.” He grinned mischievously. “Well, maybe a bit. I’ll let you figure that out on your own.”