Alienation

by S E Anderson

  The person to my right had feline features. They clutched their glass in a tight grip, their paw wrapping around the stem, and stared down at me, ears up and pointing aggressively. Their body was all gentle curves, poised in such a way that I wondered if they were a dancer. I felt myself shrinking like Alice after eating the cookies, and I shuffled off before the stare burned a hole through my chest.

  I was out of place and probably not the only one to have noticed it.

  I just wanted to get this night over with. As much as space exploration was exciting and all, I'd already had enough of it. The novelty was wearing off, and exhaustion took its place. There was just too much going on for me to enjoy anything anymore. I wanted to complete the mission and leave, find Zander somehow—still hadn't worked that bit out—and have him bring me home. And then maybe I would sleep for a week.

  Not to mention my unstable hand trying to keep my anxiety from spewing. Every few seconds, I’d get a clench in my gut, a reminder that panic was waiting, lurking. That I would let it through and break down right here in the middle of an alien gala.

  I forced myself through my breathing exercises and focused on remaining in control. It was harder than it sounded.

  I chose a vantage point near the oversized marble stairs of the palace, close to the canapés and hors-d'oeuvres they had set out. Little cups of foam exactly like those I had eaten for lunch sat on a long table, with different bits of colorful fruit sticking out. I wasn't a fan of those. I knew that from experience.

  I walked to another table and grabbed a glass of some pink fizzing liquid and held it in my hand for effect. I wasn't planning on drinking any, having no idea what the beverage contained and feeling wary of the food I had eaten on this planet so far. Now, I needed to mingle, to show I was here for the people and not for an ulterior motive.

  Trying not to look shifty over here.

  I wandered around the grass, trying to avoid conversation, and to check out some aliens without drawing any attention to myself. The quartz man was subtly trying to kiss a humanoid, but it involved much leaning down and leaning in, and every time he did he seemed to knock someone else out of the way. So he'd straighten up, adjust his shirt, and try again. All the while, the person he was trying to kiss had no idea, being in deep conversation with the sentient patch of gas. The gas now had three olive-shaped things hovering along with the bracelet.

  Out of nowhere, a gelatinous blob rose from the ground, growing and forming before me until it was a seven-foot-tall, fifty-armed, semi-translucent mass of a being. It waved the arms at me in harmony.

  “Hi, nice to meet you,” I said, already too late to run from its presence.

  The creature waved its arms, frustrated. Somewhere in my mind, I knew it wanted to communicate, to say hello, to point out how the two of us were similar in our isolation from the rest of the event.

  But I could not respond. My translator said nothing, did nothing to my own voice as I opened it to say hello. My fingers twitched by my side.

  Awkward.

  Worse than awkward—I wasn’t supposed to be here! How was I sure I wasn’t giving them an act of war toward Earth?

  “The Guengeron don’t have ears,” said a voice from my left. “They use sign language.”

  “I don’t have enough arms,” I replied, not taking my eyes away from what I thought might be the Guengeron’s irises—two small black olives that floated in the space that had no appendages.

  “No one here does,” said the stranger. I turned around to see a Roswell gray—well, green, actually—all large head and bulbous black-brown eyes. “Diplomacy has been slow and tedious. Give it a bow. At least show it you respect it.”

  I made eye contact and bowed. The blob melted into the lawn once more.

  "You new on this planet?" asked the stranger. Their eyes blinked slowly, green lids coming down over black tennis balls, and I stood back, feeling an odd sense of recognition. They wore a uniform of some kind, a purple so deep it almost looked as black as their eyes, covered with small triangular pins in different metals.

  I straightened and smiled. It would be weird if I ran away now, especially since they had just helped me out, so I was going to have to make conversation.

  Insert internal groaning here.

  "Hello to you," I replied politely. "Yes, this is my first time to Da-Duhui. I'm from ... no, I'm the ambassador from Earth. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

  "Earth, eh?" they said, awkwardly shifting their weight from foot to foot. "Pretty out there, isn't it? Is it even in the Alliance?"

  It was tough to decipher their expression, what with their reptilian features. If they were human, I would say they really needed to go to the bathroom. But it was hard to read a lizard, and I hadn’t seen enough Futurama to know what Commander Kiff’s body language meant.

  "Not yet," I replied. "I'm surprised you've heard of it. Everyone I talk to seems to have no idea it exists."

  "So why would you," they said, scrutinizing me, I think, "an ambassador from a planet that's not even an outpost, be invited to the mayor's party?"

  "Ha, I don't even know!" I said, laughing to mask my terror as I tried to come up with some believable excuse. "I left my planet during an exchange program. Next thing you know, boom: only Terran in the Alliance, so suddenly I'm an ambassador. I think the mayor just liked the novelty of it. Of me, I mean. I was surprised to get the invitation myself, but you can't pass up an opportunity like this."

  "You're not a child hire, then?"

  "No way," I replied, desperately trying to figure out what he meant by that. "No, it was all very official."

  "Good!" They smiled, and for a second I thought their face looked joyful. "Imagine how embarrassing it would be if the mayor had accidentally invited one of them."

  "Yeah, totally," I agreed.

  "I'm Sekai No-Oji. Killian High Commandress," she said, bowing deeply. And that's when it hit me.

  "Holy shit!" I said, before I realized the words had left my mouth. She laughed, as if I had told a fantastic joke.

  "Excuse me?" she said, seemingly taking no offense. Not that I could be sure.

  "You're Killian." I grinned. "I actually know a few Killians. I met your prime minister, and I..."

  I stopped right there. I'm sure, from their side of things I wasn't the greatest person. Well, the me who helped their rescue maybe was, but the one who had pretended to be Blayde and crashed their ship into the Atlantic probably wasn't all that popular.

  "What did you say your name was?" she asked, her eyes widening.

  "I didn't," I said. "It's Sally. Sally Webber. Enchanté."

  "You're Sally Webber?" She stepped back, seemingly in shock. “The Sally Webber?”

  "Yes, I—"

  "Grimosh," she sputtered, taking the words right from my mouth. "You were with them. You're her!"

  "I'm me, what?"

  "When the"—her voice dropped to a whisper—"siblings, when they rescued me from Earth. They said there was a human with them. A Terran. Her name was Webber, too. Was that...?"

  I nodded slowly, and she opened her mouth wide, letting out an actual croak. Her breath smelled of flies and fish, so not pleasant. But she was so ecstatic I couldn’t exactly ask her to close it.

  "You saved my life!" she sputtered. "You and... them. You brought me home. I can't believe I didn't recognize you before. It's been five years, but you never forget the face of the person who... wow. And meeting you here, of all places!"

  "Five years?" I asked. "It's only been two for me. Theory of relativity or something, but..."

  I froze as it hit me. Five years. If it had taken Zander and Blayde two years to get back to me, was it possible three years had passed on Earth when we had come to Da-Duhui? Had I been missing from Earth for so long?

  Or were they just measuring time differently? I wasn't sure how my translator worked when it came to talking time or dates. It didn't exactly come with a manual. Or maybe it did when you weren't stealing it off an assa
ssin who got what was coming to him at the hands of your roommate.

  I shuddered. I thought I would be gone for a few days, not a few years. If I really was missing… oh fuck, what had I done?

  "I just can't believe, of all the places in the universe, that I'd run into you—of all people—here." She smiled warmly. "We missed you at the banquet."

  "I missed the trip," I said, putting all other thoughts from my mind. No, I had to get through this night, then I could worry about repercussions for my travel. "I was busy elsewhere. Beating up the guy who held you captive."

  "And you got him?"

  "He's very, very dead," I replied. Speaking freely about it was weird. For the past two years, it had been my biggest secret. After all, who goes around telling their friends they murdered their boss, who was an alien and a murderer himself, and blew up their workplace? Not very popular water cooler conversation.

  "Thank you," she said, bowing again. "I'm ashamed I have nothing to repay you with."

  "Tell you what." I pulled my iPod out of one of the dissimulated pockets. "Let me have a picture with you, to commemorate our meeting."

  "A... picture?"

  "A photograph?" I said. She seemed confused. "An image, freezing time."

  "Is it dangerous?"

  "Not at all," I said, holding up the iPod. She watched herself on the screen, jumping slightly from foot to foot as she had before.

  "Oh! I have seen these. The Alliance uses them."

  "You're not Alliance?"

  "Not yet," she replied. "We’re trying to sign an accord. That's why I'm here."

  "Impressive!" I said and took the picture. It looked hauntingly fake. "Best of luck!"

  "Look, I owe you my life," she said, as I pulled away, "so if there's ever anything I can do—"

  "Well, actually, there might be," I said, inspiration hitting me like a lightning bolt. "If you happen to see Zander here tonight, or Blayde—"

  "Shh!" She reached her hand to cover my mouth but thought better of it. She pulled back hastily. "Never say their names here," she said. "They're not very popular. But if I do happen to see them."

  "Thank you." Relief gnawed at my heart. Another person on my side.

  "Grimosh!" she exclaimed. A swear so strong we had no translation. "She's walking this way."

  "Who is?" I asked, trying to follow her gaze.

  "Travoshi." She shuddered. "Or, should I say, the Travoshella. The mayor's wife. She's coming right at us. At you."

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Making friends in high places, on top of high buildings

  The woman forced her way toward me, striding powerfully along with her entourage surrounding her, fanning out like her very own peacock tail. Her dress looked almost like the ones worn in Versailles when France still had a king. It brought her human waist in tight, though the fabric was quite generous around her ample bosom. As she drew nearer, I could tell she had at least a foot on me, though that could be from her extremely high heels, which seemed to keep her feet on ballerina pointe.

  Her hair was pure white, though her face didn't look a day past forty. The hair was held up at four points that hovered around her scalp, giving the impression that it was defying gravity—though it was cheating, unlike Zander's, which actually did.

  And even from that far away, I could tell she was coming right at me. There was no doubt about it. I stood my ground, afraid that if I ran or showed any sign of weakness, she might call a chase and I would somehow be found out.

  This could not be happening. I didn’t want to draw any attention, not with the plans I had in store for the evening. I could not have this woman calling me out before I had a chance to carry out my part of the bargain. I couldn’t get kicked out, or worse, thrown in whatever jail they had. Not yet, not now.

  But her skin—oh my gosh, her skin—was as dark as the night sky but glowed like the sun. It had small diamonds inlaid in intricate patterns, like constellations on her face. Her arms wore physical jewelry, but the gems on her face seemed almost as if they had grown there. And yet, the brightest part of her face was her eyes: bright blue, an electric color unlike anything I had seen in this city.

  "Your Ladyship," I said, in awe and in terror, bowing low and hoping my translator was bringing my words up in the correct context. "It is truly an honor to meet you."

  "My, my," she said, flashing teeth sharpened to a razor's edge. "What do we have here? A Killian envoy and a new face amongst our midst. A face so new, in fact, that I don't recall seeing it on the invitations."

  "I-I only received my invitation today," I stammered. Fuck. The words I did not want to hear. "I assumed it was a last minute change of plans. The bracelet did not have a sender … that I know of."

  "How peculiar," she said, and just like that she moved on. "Is this your first time at an official soiree of ours?"

  All eyes of her entourage were fixed on me. Who were these people? To her left stood a young woman with those same electric blue eyes, though with only a single gem on her face, just below her eye, like a tear. Her daughter, maybe?

  "It is," I said, feeling my lips dry and crackle as I spoke. "I am an envoy from Earth. We're new to ... all this."

  "Earth, you say?" I nodded. "Never heard of it. It's not part of the Alliance, is it?"

  "No, ma'am."

  "Trooq?"

  "No, sorry."

  "Union? The Order?"

  "I'm sorry, ma'am. We're pre-contact," I stammered. "I am here as part of a social experiment."

  "She saved my life, Your Ladyship," Sekai piped up. "She has been invited off-world as a gift from me."

  She put a hand defensively on my shoulder, and I felt nothing but trust for her. I had no idea which of the Killian prisoners she had been. They had all looked the same: sick, dying, gray-colored rather than the vibrant green shade she gave off now. But I had saved that skin, and now, she was going to save mine.

  "This ... Earth," said the Travoshella, mouthing the word like it left a bad taste in her mouth, "is it part of your corner of the galaxy, Killian?"

  "It has an Alliance outpost in orbit," she said, surprising the Travoshella. "A small terminal, popular for tourism and for people who like high-risk travel."

  "How delightful," the Travoshella said, in a tone that made it sound like the news was anything but. "A tourist hot spot. How quaint. You don't usually see any of those at our parties."

  Sekai's grip on my shoulder tightened, though it didn't seem conscious on her part. But I knew what she meant. I was on thin ice. I felt it too. I had to think fast, as if there was any kind of slow thinking on this trip.

  "Your Ladyship," I said, solemnly, reaching up to my ears. "I asked my dear friend here to take me to you this evening. Even as far as Earth, we have heard tales of your beauty. I specifically wanted to meet you. And, of course, to give you these."

  My silver earrings. The ones I had gotten as a birthday gift from Grammy. They were simple hoops, but they were all I had. And they were worth much, much more on this planet.

  "I came bearing gifts of rarest silver. I hope you can accept these as a gift from all Earth-kind."

  Her eyes bulged as she saw the earrings in the palm of my hand. A man jumped forward instantly, taking them from me before I could utter a word. He held them up to the light, as one of the bubble dancers drifted overhead. She waved at him, and he ignored her, intent on the metal.

  "They're real," he said, shocked.

  "It is as precious on Earth as it is here in the Alliance," I lied. "I speak for all the people of Earth when I say that these are meant as a symbol of peace and prosperity."

  "Incredible," she said then restored her face to factory settings. "Your gift pleases me. The fact you brought them to me and not the president symbolizes you are much smarter than you appear."

  There was a president involved in all this? Oh boy.

  "Your Ladyship's will is my command," I said, bowing again. She nodded and smiled.

  "Walk with me," she ordered, wr
apping her arm around my shoulder and practically shoving Sekai away. The latter gave me a worried glance. At least, I think it was worried. I tried to speak to her with my eyes, to share my panic. Either she got the gist of it or was thinking it herself, but she joined us, walking on my right side like my own personal bodyguard. I felt relief wash over me.

  "Tell me about your planet," she said, cooing. "Is silver plentiful there?"

  "Oh, no, ma'am," I replied, trying not to stare at her face-diamonds. They glistened under the hovering lights, beautiful in the dim. "It is the rarest of all Earth metals. It is in such short supply that we keep every piece of it in a single vault. It would fit in the palm of your hand."

  "Oh my." She gasped. "What a gift!"

  She seemed different now, almost giddy. She tapped my shoulder as we walked, like I was her pet. I didn't know where to look that would not offend her, so I stared right ahead.

  "My planet has many cities," I said, waving a hand wide. "We have many trees and oceans, but we have no cars that fly."

  "How primitive," she gushed. "Tell me, are they civilized?"

  "When they want to be," I said, and she laughed. The second she did, her entourage joined, almost robotically. Ha-ha. Ha-ha. Ha-ha. Sekai stiffened at my side.

  "And you saved this Killian's life?"

  "It's a long story," I replied.

  "We crash-landed there," Sekai explained, "and she was the one to find us. She defeated the man keeping us captive and helped us return home."

  "What a heroic act." She grinned. "If the people of Earth are like you, then we should talk more about contact."

  Shit. I wasn't going to be responsible for this. I was just trying to break into a palace, not create diplomatic relations with alien nations. I wasn't an ambassador, no matter how many times I said I was.

  "They are in talks already," I lied. "The ... um ... agency ... is going to bring us in when the rest of the population is ready. But we must not speak of it."

  "Of course. Your secret is safe with me. Oh, hello, it's Gramha'ak! I am sorry, child, but I must go. But know that the Da-Duhui high council are now friends of the people of Earth. Fare thee well!"