The Visitor

by Brent Ayscough

  Baron pulled out his weapon, shot one of the Russians twice in the face, then shot another twice in the chest, dispatching them both. As Baron fired, another Russian was taking his pistol out of his pants pocket. Lachhiman moved to him, bringing his kukri up and then down. Landing on the man mid-shoulder, it buried itself several inches deep into his body, severing the clavicle of his gun arm. The Russian’s useless arm dropped the pistol, and he fell to his knees.

  Another, who had put his pistol in his suit-jacket’s side pocket reached for it, but hesitated when he saw the carnage. So he let it stay inside the pocket and surrendered, hoping to live. He, unfortunately, had never met up with a Gurkha like Lachhiman, who did not take prisoners. Lachhiman slit his throat deeply, dispatching him.

  A Russian, who had no weapon showing, leaped to pick up a fallen pistol off the ground and quickly moved behind Baron. He stuck the pistol to the side of Baron’s head. “Drop gun!”

  Lachhiman froze to prevent his employer from being shot. Baron did not drop his pistol, knowing the Russian meant to murder him, so there was no point in dropping his weapon. There was one other Russian left, the apparently unarmed man that was in the car behind the wheel and who was now getting out.

  Tak decided that she needed to act or die. She lifted the lapis colored device off her wrist computer and pointed it at carjacker behind Baron, who was holding his gun at the back of Baron’s head, and commanded it in her own language. A section on it lit up, and a thin, blue, laser targeting beam targeted the Russian, reflecting off his midsection. She rotated it up until the beam shown on the side of the carjacker’s head. As she pushed on it, the beam widened to cover his head. Another push caused it to make a “snap” sound, and an extremely bright, powerful blue laser emitted from it and engulfed the carjacker’s head, toasting it instantly. Ashes fell on Baron’s shoulder, depositing themselves rudely on his suit.

  Lachhiman watched this, as though he saw ray guns every day, and nonchalantly walked toward the Rolls Royce where the remaining Russian was getting out. On the way, he walked by the Russian with a deep cut through his shoulder and who was on his knees groaning loudly in pain. As Lachhiman passed, he swung his kukri, using only one hand, so that it cut right through that groaning Russian’s throat, finishing him as though cutting an undesirable weed.

  Lachhiman was then at the Russian coming out of the Rolls Royce. The Russian appeared as if he wanted to surrender and raised both arms and hands, yielding. But Lachhiman was in no mood for that and, with both hands on the kukri handle, he ran it into the man’s stomach, then twisted it once, and removed it. When the man fell and kneeled over in pain, Lachhiman brought the kukri down over the back of his neck, cutting the spinal cord as neatly as though by guillotine.

  The one still alive, who had an arm missing, was Lachhiman’s next target, and he dispatched him very quickly by cutting his neck wide open, blood spurting out like a faucet.

  Eight dead Russians lay about, covered in blood. Lachhiman had blood splattered all over him as well, as if he was a doctor who had just performed open heart surgery on several patients in a war theater.

  “Lachhiman, recover Tak’s property,” Baron said. He then turned to Tak. “We must hurry out of here. If there is any detection of our involvement, we will be detained.”

  Lachhiman collected Tak’s money and evening wear, put them into her satchel, and gave it to her.

  “How long would they detain us?” Tak asked.

  Baron thought a moment. “Well, they would try to sort everything out, and they would want to hold us for an inquest, with the possibility of bringing charges against us. I’d have to call on my connections to get us out but that could take days if we are unlucky.” And then he looked right into Tak’s eyes, as though he knew more than he was letting on. “If you can’t prove your identity, you’ll never be released.”

  She worried that she could be put into a jail and waste the rest of her stay, learning nothing more of humans. The starship would have to be summoned to come for her, and that might make quite a scene. To avoid that, she concluded it was time to take charge.

  She faced Lachhiman. “Let’s put the bodies in a pile.”

  Lachhiman looked at Baron, who nodded his approval. Lachhiman and Tak dragged the bodies and parts to the side of the road parts, Lachhiman taking either the arms or the legs and Tak the other half, and piled all eight of them up.

  “Unless you want their weapons, put them in the pile as well,” Tak said.

  Lachhiman collected their weapons from the ground, as well as the spent brass from the automatics that had been fired, including Baron’s, and put them in the pile of Russians.

  From her satchel, she pulled out a disintegrator, one of which she’d used to destroy her shuttle. She put it on top of her wrist computer and gave the computer several commands in her own language. The computer then imparted information to the disintegrator. She then took it off the computer, carried it over to the pile of Russians, and stuffed it in between the bodies and their weapons.

  “Stand back,” she said, moving back herself.

  She gave another command in her language, and there was a loud sound like an explosion. The bodies became covered in a ball of blue colored energy, disintegrating the pile, leaving smoldering fumes and strange odors. However, in her haste, she had miscalculated the charge. The overkill disintegration not only toasted the carjackers into infinity, it also evaporated a hole in the ground ten feet deep.

  Tak walked over to the hole and looked in. Smoke was coming out of the ground. “I guess I miscalculated a bit.” She then turned to Baron. “What about their cars?”

  “Those too,” he said.

  “Put them together on the side of the road,” Tak said to Lachhiman.

  He complied and put the cars, one in front of the other with their bumpers touching, on the roadside.

  This time, Tak took off the blue device resembling lapis and pointed it at the two cars. She pushed it and a laser light with a narrow beam came out. She pushed it again, and the blue laser widened until it covered both cars, determining their mass. She put another one of the disintegrators on the wrist computer, and it took in the information gathered from the beam.

  “Stand back,” she said, but it was unnecessary after the first explosion of energy, as and Baron and Lachhiman were already quickstepping backward, filled with apprehension.

  Tak spoke a command and there was another snap, and blue light glowed about the cars. They neatly evaporated, leaving only smoke and fumes.

  Tak went back over to where the cars had been and, seeing no hole in the ground, said, “That’s better.”

  “Lachhiman, get the European road hazard triangle out of the trunk and put it in front of the hole so no one crashes into it,” Baron said. “We’ll stop ahead somewhere for you to change. It looks like I have to also.” He looked at the gray ashes from what used to be a head that had landed on his shoulder, an imperfection of his near-perfect presence.

  CHAPTER 9

  On the road, after a stop to allow Lachhiman to change his clothes and Baron his suit top, a new conversation was begun.

  “Tak, I think it’s time we had a little chat.”

  Tak looked sheepishly at Baron, as now it had to be clear to him that she was empowered with a weapon not available on Earth.

  “Tak, it is obvious that you are not of this Earth.”

  “Was it the weapon?”

  “That only confirmed it. I’ve known for some time.”

  “How?”

  “Your speech. You have no discernible accent. I speak many languages. I’m able to place most people’s origin very closely because of accents, vowel drawls, choice of words, or idioms. I can do this in a number of languages, and certainly in English.

  “You have no accent whatsoever in English. There being no trace of British accent, that eliminates England, and certainly Scotland and Ireland. It eliminates English former colonies or territories such as India, Malaysia, and several islands
where English is spoken. Obviously, Australia and New Zealand are out, with their extreme accents. Canada is out with their uut and abuut for out and about. There are a few places like Nigeria where English is spoken, but I have ruled these out as they have a distinct accent.

  “That leaves America. Focusing there, you have no vowel drawl of the South, the Midwest, the Texas yee or the y’all, none of the long Os of the border to the northeast, no country or small town drawl, nor any trace of that easily discernible accent from New York, Boston, or whatever those other US states are called around there. The lack of any accent indicates higher education and in diverse locations, such as having gone to several schools in different parts of America and more likely Europe as well, and with much travel so as not to pick up an accent or vowel drawl. For example, you might have been a diplomat’s daughter and traveled all over the world, with the best schools or tutors. But the possibility that you had an extensive education with wide travel experience cannot be, due to the simple fact that you have not even the slightest bit of knowledge of places or history--not even the last Great War. So, as the saying goes, where on Earth did you learn your English? The answer has to be, you did not learn it on Earth.”

  He paused, looked at her silently for a moment, and, hearing no comment, continued. “Then we have the fact that you travel with gold bars and no currency. You have no luggage, only one outfit. No passport. No surname. No opinions of Earth things, which is impossible for anyone who has grown up here. How could anyone be traveling in Poland and not know that tak means yes? And, of course, there is that wrist device of yours that has not been invented yet. Then I just witnessed those little balls that generate an energy pattern, disintegrating things. And, not to forget,” he said, smiling. As he spoke, he reached for her wrist and held up her hand. “You have seven fingers.”

  “Seven toes too!” Tak said. “And, they are like fingers, instead of toes. I can use them like your fingers. I think the term is opposable with the big toe. But are you not shocked! No contact has ever been made with Earthlings by the Federation.”

  “But you must tell me, where did you learn your English?”

  “On the starship, I intercepted and studied Earth transmissions.”

  Then Baron turned toward the front of the car, straightened his tie, sat up very straight, and leaned toward her formerly. “Tak, it my distinct honor to be the first human to be introduced to a member of an alien race. On behalf of the inhabitants, I welcome you to Planet Earth. Would you allow me to be the emissary for humans with the Federation of Planets?”

  “Yes, that is acceptable.”

  By the most unlikely of selection process, the emissary for Earth had been picked to meet the first alien from outer space.

  Tak appeared anxious that her cover was blown. As she wondered if he would turn her in, the answer came.

  “Mademoiselle Tak, I extend an invitation to our planet. I suspect that you are desirous of not being introduced as an alien to anyone other than me, and I, therefore, give you my word that your visit here shall be kept confidential. Should you decide to make your presence public, however, you might mention that I was the first to introduce you to the planet.”

  She responded in kind. “It’s indeed a distinction to have the first contact with such a gracious and talented host. But please leave my presence here unknown. My mission does not allow me to make an introduction on behalf of the Federation.”

  “You have my word that knowledge of your introduction to the planet stops here. And you need not worry about Lachhiman. To say that you can trust him with your life is an understatement.”

  “Thank you. This is my first mission alone. I only arrived the night before I met you.”

  “May I ask--just what is your mission?”

  “I’m here to examine and evaluate the inhabitants of this planet, that is, humans. Our Federation wants a first hand, accurate report. As my race is, in many ways, close to humans in size, comes from a planet with similar gravity, breathes oxygen, and has a similar diet of eating animals and vegetables, I was chosen to come and mingle with humans to examine your typical life, what you do, if you have wars--and, if so, would you bring them to space if allowed off world, and other facts about your existence. As your race is reaching out into space, although just barely, I must compile a report on human activities and the likelihood of you being a threat to others.”

  When she paused, Baron seized on the chance to learn more. “Have you traveled to other galaxies?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you tell me how you travel?”

  “No, Baron, I was not sent here to educate humans on how to travel in space in order that your warring race can bring wars to others.”

  He had to press for whatever he could get about the universe. “Would you mind telling me how many planets are there just in the Milky Way that are like Earth?”

  She decided to continue revealing what she could, as payment for his care of her and upon his assurance that he would not expose her. “Baron, assuming you are asking about planets that are covered with water, like Earth, with stable atmosphere, capable of supporting life, there are over nine hundred thousand in the Milky Way alone.”

  Fascinated beyond his wildest imagination with the information, he pushed further. “How many planets in the Milky Way have intelligent life such as our Earth?”

  “Baron, Earth is not considered to be a planet with intelligent life. Your constant wars prevent that.”

  ***

  Not about to miss the biggest opportunity for any human, Baron proposed, “What if I invite you to join me as your guide for your tour on Earth? I’ll take you about for your entire visit. As you can see, there are perils for you here and I’ll be able to make your stay safe, as well as to provide you with the representative sample of humans and their conduct that you seek. And, since you do not have travel papers or knowledge of how to get about, you might very well end up detained, that is, in jail somewhere unless you have someone like me to prevent that.”

  “Do you think that if I travel with you, I will experience a true representative sample of humans on the planet?”

  “Without a doubt,” he lied.

  Baron considered the magnitude of this moment in his life, one that was of the most unimaginable royal status for himself and as that of the as yet unrecognized emissary for the human race for the first alien contact. In furtherance of his promise to be certain that her presence here would remain unnoticed, they motored the majestic 1936 Rolls Royce toward Germany with all of the stealth of Attila the Hun coming over a hill, in 450 AD, toward a city to conquer.

  ***

  Baron instructed Lachhiman to make their destination Rothenburg ob der Tober, a picturesque town on the Romantic Highway in nearby Germany, a site he felt sure Tak would like.

  Upon arrival, Baron saw that he was right about its effect on her. Inside the protective city walls, Tak was delighted and amazed. She turned about, soaking in the picturesque town. “This is absolutely beautiful!”

  They strolled along to the hotel. The reception area was made of handsomely carved and detailed wood. The floors, desks, stairs, bannisters, and walls were all in the same wood. Out from the back, bounced a pretty German girl in her teens.

  Baron announced himself in German. “I’m Baron Von Limbach. I have reserved your two best rooms.”

  The hotel restaurant provided the ambiance that Baron had intended, much like that out of a story book.

  “Tak, I remember that this place is known for excellent goose. How does that sound? It’s something like the duck you had in Poland, but perhaps more exotic.”

  “If that’s what you recommend.”

  The two of them satiated themselves with fabulous goose and wine and began to focus more intently on each other. It had, in fact, been quite a day with the two of them nearly killed on the road by Russian carjackers, clearly a trying event.

  Finally, Tak looked at Baron, wine in hand. “Baron, I’m very much interested in t
rying out sex with a human. Would you mind if I did that with you?”

  Baron nearly choked on his wine. “Although it will be a great sacrifice for me, I reluctantly agree to do this for you.”

  “I think you may find it something different and very interesting, which I’ll call Alien Style,” Tak said with a grin.

  Baron asked the girl at the desk to send up another chilled bottle of delicious Rhine wine and asked if she had candles for power outages to avoid giving the real reason.

  “I’ll send up another bottle right away,” she said. “However, there are already candles in the desk beside the bed.”

  “Do you have power outages so often?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. “This is the Romantic Road, and many people ask for candles.”

  In the room, there was a radio on the desk, and music was found. Candles illuminated the room and flickered off its vaulted ceiling. The four poster bed made an alluring nest.

  Tak disrobed in front of him as he watched and, to his surprise and delight, she was indeed different from humans. Her feet with seven toes were agile, like her hands, with the big toe opposable, and extraordinarily useful.

  Her sex was large and defined, with its own muscular system.

  The two of them engaged in what was the first such encounter of humans and aliens, a novel and exciting adventure for both.

  CHAPTER 10