Aliens in Sequoia National Park

by Sally Ann Melia

  “You did well,” Blake said. “Delaying them like that.”

  Jasmin waited.

  “I have to be careful,” he said a little defensively. “Being the CEO of three major corporations, it would be irresponsible for me to put my life on the line. But, you what a hero… I’ll make sure you get the credit.”

  “I don’t want any credit,” Jasmin snapped back. “I was just trying to complete…”

  “Yeah, the first contact protocol.” Blake nodded. “I get it. But a bonus, you’d like a nice cash bonus. Take yourself a fancy holiday? Get a new car? Jazz, I mean underneath you’re human like the rest of us aren’t you?”

  “What I would like,” Jasmin replied after a moment. “is for you to call me Jasmin, and yes a cash bonus is handy, I plan a trip to Everest base camp next spring.”

  “Right,” Blake considered this. “Yes, of course, Everest.”

  Really, Jasmin thought, he has no idea that I am joking. Oh well. She sighed and added,

  “…or the Maldives, or Hawaii, I’ve not made my mind up. Hawaii has some great dark skies sites.”

  “Yeah, yeah… you deserve it. You were a hero.”

  Blake smiled then and offered her his hand. With a nod, Jasmin accepted, and let him heave her to his feet. He steadied her as she slipped in the mud.

  “Thanks,” she murmured. He really did have a handsome smile. No she thought, think of something else, so she turned and bent to stroke the alien. “I’m just sorry this guy had to die,”

  “Me too, me too,” Blake said, but something told Jasmin he was hiding something.

  “Tell me,” she said. “If I was such a great hero, don’t I deserve to know?”

  Blake looked a bit embarrassed, then said.

  “The thing is this was always going to be a military mission. We were just here for PR. They were always going to shoot them. The aliens, they had to slow them down. Probably they should have shotboth aliens, really.”

  “What!” Jasmin said, then in dismay. “What? We meet aliens and kill them, is that our mission now?”

  “Orders were to delay them on the surface,” Blake said clambering to his feet, once more pulling out her gun. “The real action is going on up there.” He pointed skywards.

  “Up where?” Jasmin heard herself ask, even though her heart accelerated in dread anticipation. Why had Blake not said this before?

  “NASA ordered a raid on the extraterrestrial ship. We needed to divert their attention and buy our guys some time,” Blake said.

  “And you knew this? What about the space station?” Jasmin asked aghast. “Why didn’t you tell?”

  “I figured it might make your life too stressful after all, she’s your twin sister right? But on the other hand it makes for a great story. One twin on the ground, one up in space.”

  Now Jasmin saw the camera which had been peering down at her through out.

  Oh Blake, I really hate you, and she let go his hand, and stepped away from his grasp. Even as she did her mind raced elsewhere.

  What about May?

  What did Blake mean when he said the real action is up there?

  The International Space Station was up there.

  “Oh May… they’re coming. They are coming to get you.”

  Sequoia National Park

  Jasmin limped wearily down the path. Her artificial leg was completely jammed, and there had been nothing anyone could do to help in the forest. So now she really was a peg leg, her leg immobile and heavy hanging at her side. But still she could walk, and she was not going to complain. And under no circumstances would she give her place to anyone else. Whatever it cost, she would remain one of the eight stretcher bearers who carried the alien down the mountain.

  The small carpark had been converted to a field hospital and a canteen. All around, battle-weary men exchange war stories, they nodded, and even applauded as she passed. Someone offered Jasmin some food, another pointed to the medical tent, she just shook her head and stood resolutely beside the alien, brandishing her SETI ID at all comers.

  In the distance, she saw Blake, heading towards her in animated conversation with a military commander and a senior police officer.

  “We’re taking the corpse out on my chopper,” he said. Jasmin relaxed a fraction. “We are?” Better the Alien came to SETI than the military, but still…

  “No one here has the facilities to deal with dead aliens,” Blake whispered.

  “And we do?” Jasmin whispered back.

  Blake paused and glanced at her.

  “They are all shouting at each other over who was responsible for what. Either ways, I got them to say yes, so now we need to move fast”

  Jasmin remembered. The higher-ups are desperate the corpse comes to us, Markus had said that earlier about the Windsor attack. Her head spun, she could barely imagine the arguments between SETI, NASA and the military over who should claim the corpse, and yet Blake had won. She glanced at the weary yet committed cameraman and his sound brother. Maybe that was it, maybe fame and extensive film footage was what it took.

  “But we don’t have a lab that can…” Jasmin said, as the others from SETI took over the stretcher, and using robots, moved it swiftly to the helipad.

  Blake took her arm to steady her.

  “Easy, whatever we don’t have, I’ll buy it okay?” He looked into her eyes. “Trust me, we’re the right people, and we know the right people. Now quick as you can, let’s get our new friend home.”

  As the helicopter set off, Jasmin saw the forest below was burning.

  “Did we start that forest fire?” she asked.

  “A controlled burn,” Blake said. “It’s a good cover story.”

  “Did the others make it back to their ship?” Jasmin asked. “Have we heard anything from,” she paused then finished honestly. “Is the Space Station, okay?”

  Allen Radio Telescope Array

  For once she was not alone on the viewing platform looking out over the Array

  It was once more night at the Allen Telescope Array, but this was a celebration.

  Indecently large slabs of meat sizzled on the vast outdoor BBQ, alongside a long table set with salads, dips, chips and more. Chilled beers and wines were passed around. Someone was setting off fireworks. Someone else pressed a spitting, fiery sparkler in her hand, watching it burn, Jasmin nevertheless wandered off to a quiet corner.

  She took out her phone, it did not take her long to find her number.

  “Hey, May?”

  “Jasmin, Jasmin…. you won’t believe it. I saw you.”

  “What? Where?”

  “Jasmin you were on board the alien space ship, and you told me to ‘They’re coming to get you!’. And I am so glad you did. You saved me Jasmin. You saved my life.”

  “What are talking about? I’ve been here all the time. I mean, I was in Sequoia National Park. There was an alien landing. But I was not in space. I have never been on board the International Space Station.”

  “No, I didn’t mean that. I know.” May faltered.

  Jasmin recognised the tone. She remembered her quieter twin standing shamefaced whenever questioned. Never wanting to put herself forward, rarely drawing attention to herself, happy to live in Jasmin’s shadow. Why had no-one ever noticed?

  “You know you can tell me…” She coaxed.

  “Well you know we’re connected right? As Twins? You feel it don’t you?”

  Jasmin nodded, she was not sure what she felt the connection as strongly as May. And she was not superstitious about the magical power of twins either, but she was not about to interrupt May at this point.

  “And well earlier today, I was in trouble and you saved me. Oh it’s hard to explain, and I can’t stay on long. But you saved my life today, Jasmin. Listen I’ll send you an email… I can’t wait to tell you about the aliens.”

  “Me too,” Jasmin replied, before stopping herself, and adding. “I can’t wait to read it.”

  They parted with the usual nonsens
e, and Jasmin was left looking at her silent phone.

  Out of habit her eyes turned to the eastern skies where the space station would sometimes appear.

  “What happened to you, May?” She stared up into the sky thinking of the monsters she had encountered in the forest, and the narrow fragile confines of the International Space Station.

  “Where there aliens on board the International Space Station?”

  Please Review

  Reviews are important, they help other readers find and enjoy this book. Tell me what you liked and where you would like Aliens to go next. Login and Review:

  Amazon UK

  Amazon USA

  Amazon IN

  Amazon AU

  If you have no time for words - just click all the stars!

  Bonus features and further tales…

  Find out how Jasmin got her job at the Allen Telescope Array, and what Blake actually thought of her at interview.

  Visit here: https://www.sallyannmelia.com/thank-you/

  All the places mentioned in this short story are real, if you would like to see a detailed map with directions, timings, together with some further information about how this story was written please visit this page and select:

  Map and Background to Aliens n Sequoia National Park

  Read on…

  Aliens on the ISS

  Node 3. Tranquility, International Space Station

  Recommended soundtrack: Space Oddity, David Bowie

  If I die in space? Jasmin once said. Would I mind if I die in space? Why the hell would I? What else is life for, except to give oneself to a great cause that goes beyond a single human life.

  Yes, my twin would gladly have given her life to the space program, but - given the choice - she probably would not have chosen to lose a leg in astronaut training. Once Jasmin had fallen, that left only May. May had to become the astronaut, her elder twin would now never be.

  Yet if I die in space, May thought then surely both of us twins will have failed.

  “May, sorry to interrupt…”

  May knew that if she could keep up the pace of 8kmph she would burn off 360kcal, in the 45 minutes she had allocated on the treadmill. If she burnt off that much, then she could eat one almond and coconut cluster (250kcal) and she would have started loosing weight today. Loosing weight was good. Loosing weight meant she might be as slim as Jasmin.

  Dumpling. Mum had called me that, but Mum loved me…

  Dumpling, Dumpling, di-di-dee-dee-Dumpling. That’s Jasmin of course.

  Not fair Jasmin, I’m not a Dumpling. I’m losing weight.

  And breathe…

  I have a Phd from Harvard, I was second in my class at Browns. I co-developed the Proteus experiment and I scored 97% on the astronaut aptitude training….

  That’s right. That’s the mantra she has to repeat when she feels unsure of herself. It was at times like this May heard her twin’s voice encouraging her. Because above all else, both May and Jasmin wanted to be great astronauts.

  So when NASA said they would not get to choose their crew.

  “It’s out duty to get on with everyone,” Jasmin had said. May had nodded.

  NASA also selected the science projects.

  “Every job is interesting,” Jasmin joked. Not always, May thought, but that was not the point.

  Training, sleeping, eating and working, an astronaut’s life could look unrelenting.

  “I like having my day mapped out for me,” Jasmin had said. May shrugged.

  An astronaut’s only responsibility was to stay at a constant weight.

  I know how to diet, May said at one, and Jasmin just shrugged.

  Jasmin never dieted, May thought, she and I might have been twins, but I was always the fat one.

  I have been dieting since I was eight-years-old.

  And breathe…

  “May!” This time the voice was a sharp interruption.

  May turned to her commanding officer. Just 34-years-old, Captain Katherine Kidson, ex-Artic Explorer and Scientist, now International Space Station US Commander although no-one ever used the full title, and in fact the International Space Station was normally referred to as the ISS.

  “Hey Katy!” May replied but kept on running.

  “Have you eaten today, May?” Always the first question.

  May thought a moment, actually she should have had breakfast with Frankie, but…

  “Have a protein bar,” Katherine said abruptly. “Okay well I guess you know how everything is a bit fluid at the moment. What with the Visitor and everything.”

  Katy nodded to the red alarm light flashing high on the ceiling, as if the crew needed to be reminded that there was an alien ship parked alongside Earth, so the ISS crew were no longer the only living souls in space. They had company. So, of course they were on red alert.

  “Well we have a job to do,” Katherine said. “And so as it turns out so do you.”

  “Sure thing Katy - what do you need?

  Jasmin always said if you can force yourself to answer a question with ‘Sure thing, what do you need?’ then you’ve committed yourself to the problem and whatever comes next can never - will never - be that bad.

  “So we just received a transmission from Houston: they want to make some last-minute changes to the EVA.” Katherine said calmly but her eyes were bright with excitement. “You were scheduled to go EVA outside the ISS today - you remember your first Space Walk? Well, there’s been a change….”

  “What kind of last-minute change?” May asked. ‘Last-minute’ anything was unheard off, and normally meant some specific threat to the Space Station.

  “Nothing much - just you get to use the Space Scooter…”

  Space Scooter, that was BETA equipment. It was based on the small handheld propellers divers used under water, supposedly it would allow astronauts to fly around in space.

  Hold on. Even Jasmin had not been trained with the space scooter - the tech was so new. It had to be he pet project of somebody important, if not why else had it made the mission as a last minute shoe-in?

  And wait - May could not remember - had it been fully tested?

  “Oh yes, I trained with those in the pool.” May replied, and she meant a mere 30-minute trial in the astronaut training pool.

  “Yes, and they want you to use the long tethers, they think you will need three in total, because the scooter is in BETA , as you say, but Houston have confidence you can do what is needed.”

  May nodded.

  “So what is it, I need to do?”

  “It’s because of the Visitor,” Katherine repeated with an encouraging smile. “So I need to run through your schedule - you might need to delegate a few things today…”

  “Because of the Visitor?” May realized she sounded like a broken record repeating her commander .

  “While you were asleep, the Visitor moved,” Katherine said. “I guess you’ve not looked outside yet?”

  May shook her head, she would normally grab a quick look, but now she thought about it Prisha, Frankie and even Vladimir were crowded around inside the cupola, the six-sided observation window. Though they didn’t appear to be looking at Earth, so what were they looking at?

  “Hey Guys, let May have a peek.” Katherine called out.

  “I go,” Vladimir apologized. “Thank you, Commander Katherine. Doctor Prisha invited me”

  “I did!” echoed Prisha sounding guilty. The ISS has its rules. So while, they call it an exemplar of international cooperation, the Russians normally stay in their own modules. Katherine said nothing, but she watched Vladimir leave and waited until he was gone before nodding to May to go look and she said. “Meet me at my workstation in five - sorry to cut your exercise short.” She hesitated as she clung onto May’s arm.

  “And May - try to eat something extra before you go outside?”

  “I ate plenty,” May replied even as she folded the wrapper around the protein bar, and pushed the more than half that remained into her pocket.
Inside she was thinking. She had not even run for ten minutes, so she had not even burnt off 200 kcal. Why would she need to eat?

  Katherine nodded and pointed May to the view dome, and turned to an incoming call. May was relieved to feel the captain’s attention turn away and propelled herself toward to the dome-shaped lookout.

  At first, she was mesmerized by Earth. The planet spread out beneath her like a map. They were high above the Pacific, so no interesting landmass to scrutinize, but there were still swirling clouds of white above the deep blue. She took a photo for Jasmin, and texted it.

  Such a beautiful planet. She was so lucky to be skinny enough to see this.

  Why are you so worried about your weight, now? Jasmin voice inside her head. You’re on board the ISS aren’t you?

  Yes, but I am fatter than you Jasmin.

  Dumpling. Di-di-dee-dee-Dumpling.

  NASA stipulated was that you maintain a healthy weight. Jasmin’s voice was clear and critical inside her head again. You don’t need to diet.

  Yes, but I want to be as slim as you Jasmin, or at least as good as you.

  “May!” Someone called her name, she blinked, she had been miles away. “There!”

  Frankie was the only one of them who had made her way onto the astronaut program via the Air Force, possibly one of the toughest routes. Of all of them, the first all female ISS crew, she was the most competitive. Frankie had been good friends with Jasmin, and heart-broken when her injury has knocked her out of the program. May knew Frankie thought she got an easy ride precisely because her sister had been injured. Whatever Frankie thought or said behind her back, May knew she must always be polite.

  Now Frankie tapped the right-hand pane:

  “There.”

  “Thanks Frankie,” May heaved in closer to the glass. She had to twist her neck hard to get a good view.