Merek glanced up. “Sounds like Earth’s Central Intelligence Agency. Spies.”
Nodding, Richard said, “Probably similar, but dad only inherited this land. It has been in the family for generations. What about your father?”
Elise and the two clones exchanged looks. She rubbed her arm unconsciously. “I don’t have a father, and my mother is also dead. She commanded the fleet, and after she died, I took over. I’m named after her.”
“So hers is a recent death too?”
“The day I met you, she died of a stroke.”
“Oh.” Richard cleared his throat. “Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.”
All three stared out a window as silence filled the car.
Finally, to fill the quiet, Merek shifted uneasily and asked, “So, are there any dangerous things out there we should be aware of?” He tapped the window.
Jacoby eased the car around a curve and gunned it, climbing even higher. They emerged from the shadow of trees into brief sunlight. A pretty, green meadow with bright flowers showed up briefly before the dense forest reappeared.
A thoughtful expression filled Richard’s face. “Wild krell. They’re the most dangerous around here, although they’re usually higher up where there’s more snow. They’re a four-footed animal covered in thick white fur. They have sharp teeth, and are as big as a small horse. Also, they are carnivores. There’s an expression people use, ‘crazy as a krell’ because they’re so unpredictable.”
“I’ll be on the lookout.” Merek rolled a shoulder and cracked a few knuckles. He leaned his face against the side window and stared out.
“Well, they’re hard to see in the snow.” Richard kept on talking. “Their favorite meal is the yar goats that inhabit the taller peaks. They sneak up on them, almost invisible against the white background. And when they’re hungry, they’re not picky about their prey.”
Looking around, Elise considered the untamed nature of this new world. Wind whipped the trees back and forth, rocks fell unexpectedly from high ledges, and dangerous animals roamed free. She almost missed the controlled environment of her ship. Almost.
His brows knitting, Richard added, “Lots of gebbits about…”
Merek interrupted, “Yeah, know all about your gebbits.”
“Uh, yeah. That was Deuce’s fault.”
Elija sniggered until Elise shot him a glare.
“Lots of tasty fish in the lake, wild yelk, and all kinds of birds and fowl… also good eating.”
“Yelk? Are they dangerous?” Elija entered the conversation. He tilted forward, curious.
“Not unless you provoke them. They’re big with four feet, smooth brown fur, and big horns.”
Elija looked over at Elise. “Sounds rather like a moose.”
“We’re finally here, thank Fate,” Jacoby announced. “I was beginning to think I was back in school getting a biology lesson.”
A long, winding graveled driveway led to a huge rustic cabin. Tall trees surrounded the handsome homestead, which backed up against an imposing mountain.
Richard hopped out. “I’ll go in and open up while Jacoby and Merek bring in our luggage.”
“Go on ahead. We’ll be along in a minute.” Elise noticed Merek’s wide-eyed expression. “Give Merek and me a moment to take in the scenery.”
Richard nodded and left.
She stood still and closed her eyes. The wind played with her short auburn hair, lifting it and tossing several strands about. As she turned her face to the sun, a unique sensation of warmth bathed her exposed skin. Around her, trees and bushes rustled as if whispering a secret language all their own.
“Mother once described what it was like on Earth. But there’s even more to it than what she said. There’s life all around; you can feel a vibrant pulsing in the very air.”
Richard’s voice floated out from the open cabin door. “Are you coming?”
“It feels like I was meant to be here,” Elija murmured as he gathered up some bags.
Elise opened her eyes just in time to see Merek blink, his eyes misty. “Trajan would have loved this place,” he said in a husky voice. He noticed her watching him and ducked his head. “I better go help get the luggage inside.”
Elise smiled. Like Trajan, Merek had trouble admitting to feelings, but she knew his clone had them just as deeply as Trajan had. Like Trajan, he didn’t know how to deal with them. He would run away or cover them up, pretending they didn’t exist, but they were there, nonetheless.
As she entered, Richard’s comm started beeping.
“Ah, Service at last.” He peered at the device and groaned. “A hundred messages.” Looking up, he commented, “I need to take care of these” and disappeared into a bedroom.
Emerging for dinner, Richard apologized. “Sorry for the interruption. I promise to make it up to you by showing you around tomorrow.” He flourished a camera. “We’ll take pictures so you can show the fleet the area.” He peered out the window. “I only hope the weather is good.”
Dark came early with a rainstorm pelting on the roof and the air turning chill. Jacoby got the fireplace working and soon it warmed up the cabin. Elise stared at the flickering flames. She had spent her entire life in an environment where open combustion meant catastrophe. Enthralled, she gazed at the raw energy of fire. The noise of popping wood and the flash of sparks mesmerized her as she watched the unrestrained beauty of restless flames.
Jacoby claimed an overstuffed burgundy chair. Merek took a similar one nearer the fire. The tan walls turned dark brown in the dimming light, and the burgundy chairs grew black. Landscape paintings dotted the walls with the most dramatic one of a waterfall spilling down a mountain.
Restless, Elija wandered about the room. “We could add in a few labs out back.” He walked to a window overlooking a large yard. “At dinner, Richard commented that we could grow crops once the air cleans up a little more.” He tapped his lips in thought. “I wonder if Carter could design a machine to help purify the air faster.”
Richard’s eyes widened. He paused and shook his head, leaving the room and returning with a blanket. Elise felt chilled and eyed the blanket from her spot on the couch.
“I’ll share with you,” he said with a smile.
She wanted to protest and turn him down, but she was bone-tired, and that strong attraction to him hadn’t let up. It only intensified when in close quarters like this. In this cozy room, with rain pelting outside, it would be nice to curl up against his warm body and feel safe while assimilating all the sights and sounds of a strange new world.
Elise nodded and moved over as he settled next to her and flung the blanket over both of them. She laid her head on his shoulder. He eased an arm around her. She sighed, relaxed into him, and slept.
***
The next thing she knew, an approaching whirring noise woke her up. Bewildered, she opened her eyes to the gray beginning of morning and a hellacious racket overhead.
“What the…”
Merek sprang from his chair. “There’s a helicopter on the roof!” he shouted from the back door.
Blinking, she saw Richard talking into his comm. She rose from the couch, clutching the blanket around her.
Richard pointed out the front. “Trace says there’s a mob headed this way, wanting to check out the aliens. They’re not all friendly, and he’s worried about our safety. He’s not sure who’s in the whirly or if they pose a threat. He didn’t send it, but he says to get out any way we can.”
Dropping the blanket, Elise ran to grab her carryall.
Merek leaned in. “Elise, the pilot has white blond hair and dark clothes. Yelled your name.” He picked up their luggage and started up the stairs “I think it’s your angel.”
Richard leaped up the stairs following Merek to the roof. “Be careful. We have our share of crazy people on Alysia.”
She followed the stampede as Jacoby brought up the rear.
On the roof, the helicopter hovered like an avenging dragonfly over a flat
platform. The helicopter’s hatch flew open and Angel leaned out. “Hurry!” he urged, his hand beckoning them in.
Squinting through the dim light, Richard said, “I don’t know this guy. We can’t hop in with just any stranger.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry; that’s my guardian angel. And if he says to hurry, well, you better hurry. Get in.”
She gave the pilot a nod as the group wedged themselves into the craft. Not far away, a cloud of dirt and rustling trees signaled a mass of people on their way up the gravel path, headed for the cabin.
But Angel bent forward, latched the door, and the helicopter lifted off, heading toward a brightening dawn.
Chapter 11
Interrogation
In his well-appointed office, back in Tygel, capitol of the Democratic Union, Trace Walker leaned forward across his desk and glared at Richard. Next to him, Deuce fidgeted in his seat. Beside them, Jacoby stared out a window, trying to ignore all of them.
“My foremost question is: who leaked our location?” Trace glared at the trio. “There’s nothing on her office tape to suggest anyone connected to the Terrans leaked anything.”
Richard leaned back, putting up his hands in self- defense. “Certainly, not me.”
“Not me either,” Jacoby retorted. “I simply drove.”
“You could have disclosed your destination without knowing it. Have you told another agent unintentionally? Do you talk in your sleep? Did you mention it to a wife?”
Jacoby straightened indignantly. “I’m not married, sir.”
Trace turned to a slouching Deuce. “You’re already in trouble over the gebbit incident, you know. I assigned you to look out for our interests on the station and what happens? You let a gebbit ride along in the supply shuttle.”
Deuce struggled to sit up. “Hey, those critters are small and tricky. The gebbit was attracted to the food and slipped in. However, since then, I’ve tightened security.”
Richard spun around. “So instead of gebbits on board the space station, your tightened security let in Alysian assassins.”
Deuce glanced away. “I know. I thought we had security under control….”
“Apparently, we need to tighten it even more.” Trace sighed. “I’m attempting to get a handle on a situation that feels very greasy.” Trace turned an accusing eye on Richard. “This is your father’s fault for dying on me with that inconvenient heart attack. He said he’d help me transition into this job… be there when I needed him. I need him now. He left no manual on what to do after being hit by a comet, much less how to deal with invading aliens. Not a single word to guide me. I’ve just started in this position and too much has happened already.”
“Trace! I miss him too.” Richard’s voice held agony.
Trace swung around and faced the window. “Todd Jacoby, you have more age and experience. I want you to work with Deuce and secure that station.”
He whirled back around to confront them. “We have a developing situation, not only here in the Union, but all over the planet. Other leaders are demanding to see the aliens and find out what they’re up to. Frankly, I don’t blame them.”
“Let Elise go worldwide on the vids and talk to them.” Richard put his hands on the desk in front of him. “She suggested the idea on the way back in the whirly. People will see that she’s as human as they are. She can even play the ancestor angle.”
Trace’s brow crinkled. “The what?”
“Remember Braden told us the Enjelise brought us from another world to start a colony on Alysia? Earth is that world.”
Trace’s eyebrows shot up. Deuce and Jacoby’s mouths dropped open in astonishment. They stared at Richard.
“Seriously? And now Darius’ and Ariel’s son is involved with the commander of their fleet? Why is that happening?”
Richard shrugged. “I didn’t know the Enjelise even had a son. Or that they could reproduce like that. News to me.”
Trace waggled his finger at Richard. “Don’t act all innocent with me. According to some people, you know everything that’s going to happen. You ran the Timelab. Did some time traveling. What can you tell me that I can use here?”
Both Jacoby and Deuce leaned forward, curious.
Richard held up his hands again. “I closed the Timelab a long time ago and haven’t done any time traveling since. It’s dangerous. I only know about certain parts of the future. Very little, actually. The problem is that if I tell you what I do know, it’ll affect the outcome and could change the future. So, I can’t say anything. I don’t dare. But let Elise make a statement. Eventually, we’ll have to assimilate her people. Might as well start as soon as we can.”
Trace nodded. “Having their commander make a worldwide statement is a good idea. It would stem some of the curiosity and put a face on the stranger. Pick some attractive, normal types to show with her, and we’ll arrange an air date.”
“I think that’s our best strategy. We’re going to need to learn how to live with these people.”
Trace leaned forward. “Well, you certainly seem to be getting cozy with their commander. Be careful she isn’t manipulating you.”
“Oh, I plan to marry her,” Richard said with a smile.
He was pleased to notice their shocked expressions.
***
Elise sat in her headquarters back on the space station, speaking to Richard over a satellite feed. The connection was terrible, but she swore he had said she was to go on the Alysian version of international television and give a speech. She missed his physical presence and a tinny voice with intermittent static didn’t sufficiently take his place. If only he had a Terran comm unit. Maybe she should give him one. Then there wouldn’t be this difficulty in communicating. Most likely, the fleet would go ballistic if she did such a thing. Already several captains had voiced their disapproval concerning her relationship with him.
“What do you mean: do I want to give a speech either next week or two weeks out?”
“You get a choice.”
He had that sales tone in his voice.
“That’s not a choice. That’s a forced decision.”
“And bring along some attractive, normal-looking Terrans of both genders. I want you to show them how human you are. You might want to say something about how you’re going to help make this a better world. Stuff like that. I’m sure you’ll know what to say.”
“Richard, I’ve never given a planet-wide speech to an alien world before,” she responded. “Not ever.”
“I’ll be waiting on Alysia for you. I miss you. I took pictures of the cabin and the area around it. I’ll transmit them up later. Show it to the fleet so they can envision what will be available for them. Mention the fish and game, but leave out the krells for now. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.”
The line cut off.
She sat, staring at the feed, disbelieving the whole conversation.
Raising her head, she saw Tate at her entrance. “Commander, I’m back on station. Icabar and I finished our translations. We produced a set of deep learning tapes for both languages, and I even wrote up a cultural curriculum for Tygel University. So, my work there is done. But Icabar says you’re going to present a speech, and I thought I might offer you suggestions.”
Elise waved him in. “I need a communications expert.”
Wiggling into a seat in front of her desk, Tate enthused, “I’m your man. Intergalactic communication is my specialty.”
“I have no idea how to broadcast a speech to aliens.”
Rubbing his hands together, Tate said, “We need a small, but impressive group: Amanda series II, Merek, Herb Jones for the oldsters and a cute kid. We position you in front of a large image of the original, beautiful Alysia, so subliminally you’re connecting your group to a recovered future.”
Tate’s hands rose in front of him, spreading wide as if he were showing a grand panorama. “Talk about how happy the fleet is to be here, how much we have to offer, and suggest something to help cl
ear the pollution. Maybe Carter can build a big air filter complex for them.”
Tate gazed with rhapsody into a middle distance.
“I don’t know, Tate.” She furrowed her forehead.
“Benefits. If the customer sees a benefit, he’ll buy.”
“I’m not selling anything.”
“Sure you are. You’re selling the benefit of the fleet. You want them to accept us, don’t you?”
“Well, yes.”
“Wear something colorful in their style. You want them to identify with you. Have you ever worn a dress?”
A dress? She had seen old images where women wore that costume before zero g made it impractical. Did he actually want her to wear a dress?
She flopped her head over her arms onto the desk.
Oh, no! No way!
***
Elise shaded her eyes from the glare of a spotlight and shuffled her notes. She tugged on her black captain’s top with its gold collar and cuffs and patted the black pants with gold piping. Formal occasions like this required the appropriate uniform, not the ridiculous dresses that Tate had proposed. It was vital that the Alysians perceived the Terran Commander as a professional and not some frivolous, female fashion plate.
The Alysians had set up a covert broadcast station near Tygel. Evidently, a selected number of Alysians felt the media exposure far outweighed the risk of any alien contamination and currently they clustered near her on the stage in front of a beautiful image of a panorama of Alysia. They wanted her to address the Alysian world first, followed by a get–to–know–you—dinner where she would meet everyone personally.
Behind Elise, various notables arranged themselves. At her left, sat a short, older man with a craggy, tanned face. Next to him, lounged an attractive young male in a flowing white robe. A heavy-breasted, pinched-faced matron leaned in to whisper to an angular male with a prominent nose and glasses.
Standing off to the side, Richard conversed with a tall, dark-haired man with broad shoulders and a camera-ready grin. Entering through the door, a pale, young male hurried in and threw a quick glance her way. He waved at Richard, who returned his acknowledgement with a nod. The late arrival collapsed with an exhausted huff in the seat behind her.
Somewhat Alien: The Station (Terran Trilogy Book 2) Page 8
