December

by Karen Lofgren

  *

  An ulla, it turned out, resembled something like an open bus, only it had three wheels instead of four, one in the front and two in the back. Apparently, with modern rail and air travel, ullas had been rendered almost obsolete. It held about thirty people and was open to the air with the exception of a tarp shading the passengers from the sun. It was unbearably hot—several passengers were fanning themselves with their tickets or something else they had handy. But Ted, stuck in a suit, was forced to sit there and take the heat, his brow damp with sweat. Fortunately, before they left the capital, Alana had stopped at a tailor’s shop and as luck would have it, found several not-awful-looking outfits Ted could wear. Trell promised most other necessities, such as personal hygiene products, could be borrowed from his parents. Ted was grateful for the offer.

  “I hate these things,” Ted heard Alana mutter under her breath. The Koleans standing around them, attached to the floor in weird leg harnesses to keep them anchored in case of an accident, didn’t seem any more eager to be on this old thing than she did. Trell seemed to be the happiest person on beard, though Ted assumed that was because Trell was looking forward to seeing his family.

  Trell’s family lived in an even more remote region of the planet than Millika and Alana—few people seemed to live south of the capital city. The country they were driving through was an odd mix of savannah and deep forest. Every once in a while, there was a large copse of gnarly trees, usually by water, but the rest of the area was covered in dry, long grasses, with trees interspersed throughout. Ted wasn’t sure what was powering this bus-thing, but its exhaust didn’t smell like any fuel he was familiar with, including gasoline, which hadn’t been used on Earth since he was a boy. Whatever it was, its exhaust smelled vaguely of cinnamon.

  Everyone riding the ulla was eerily silent. Ted wondered if it was some kind of etiquette or something. It was very unnerving to a man who was used to Baltimore’s public transportation, where he was lucky to hear his friend talking beside him.

  “Ulla aren’t used much anymore,” Trell explained to him. “Only in regions where rail transport isn’t available are they still around.”

  Ted nodded, having figured that out on his own. The rest of the trip passed in silence.

  When the sun was high in the sky, the ulla stopped at the end of a long, dirt road that vanished into a copse of trees.

  “This is our stop,” Trell said softly as he gathered his bag before stumbling over the limbs and packages and suitcases of the other passengers to exit the ulla. Ted followed quickly, and Alana and Millika flanked him.

  The second the group had disembarked, the ulla sped away along the wide dirt road, kicking up dust as it went. Millika and Ted shielded their eyes and mouths from the dust while Ted watched the ulla drive away. Trell looked up the driveway towards his parents’ house.

  The walk up to the house was a lot cooler than the bus ride had been thanks to the shade and lack of people squashed together in a small space. It was nice and simple—trees towering on either side as the path wound further and further into the mini-forest.

  At last, a house came into view. It looked small and modest, and older than Millika’s home on the other continent. This house had similarities to human houses of the late 20th century, but like the newer Kolean houses had been, it was more circular-shaped and airy-looking, even with its dark brown-tiled roof.

  Trell trotted forward and made an odd sound, something between a gargle and a bird squawk. Ted noticed there was no doorbell, so he assumed this might be the standard greeting of someone on your doorstep. Or it might just be acceptable in the presence of family.

  Within seconds, the door opened, revealing the same Kolean woman Ted had seen on the screen of Trell’s video phone. Her face brightened instantly as she saw the guests, but particularly Trell.

  “Trell!” Trell’s mother said, happily nuzzling her son’s forehead.

  “Hi, Mom,” he said, returning the gesture sweetly.

  “And Alana, welcome,” Sefra said as she repeated the gesture with her future daughter-in-law. Sefra also bowed politely to Millika.

  Then Sefra’s eyes landed on Ted. Her jaw dropped before she quickly recovered and composed herself. “Jerum! They’re here!”

  A male Kolean came into view. “Trell,” he said, repeating with his son the same process Trell had just completed with his mother.

  In almost the same fashion, Jerum looked as shocked at seeing an alien life form on his front porch as his spouse had, but to his credit he didn’t allow his mouth to hang open. “And you must be a... human, right?”

  “That’s right,” Ted said. “I’m Ted Anderson.” Trell translated this time. It seemed Alana, Trell, and Millika would tag team the duty of being Ted’s personal translator, which was only fair. For the first time, Ted felt a little embarrassed having to rely on his companions just to understand what was going on. He longed to understand and speak the language himself so he wouldn’t have to inconvenience his hosts all the time. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” Sefra said. “Don’t just stand on the porch, come in, come in all of you.”

  Trell entered first and went through a nearby door to deposit his bag. Ted glanced after him for a moment, before deciding to follow Millika and Alana into the main room.

  Ted guessed Kolean interior decorating was all relatively similar, since the inside of Sefra and Jerum’s house looked a lot like Millika’s. There was the same large screen on one wall, odd art pieces and lamps that decorated the room, and no places to sit. The only real differences were the size—this house was a lot smaller—and the location of the kitchen area, which was off to the right instead of to the left.

  “Please, make yourselves comfortable,” Sefra said as Jerum ran into the kitchen.

  Millika and Alana stepped to a section of the floor adorned with a mat and stood side by side, a look of comfort passing over their faces. Ted glanced at them skeptically before stepping onto the mat himself. Almost instantly, any pain in his feet, legs, and back vanished entirely. It was like he was lying on air while standing up. Ted had had arch problems his entire life—every time he stood for more than a few hours on end, his feet would start throbbing. But this... this was something else. Why on Earth didn’t Millika have such a fabulous mat? He probably would never have stepped off it, had that been the case. Ted found himself almost asleep by the time Jerum returned with some sliced-up fruits and a bowl of seeds of some sort, which he placed on the table in front of his guests.

  “What’s going on, Millika?” Sefra was asking Alana’s mother. “Alana and Trell brought a human back with them?”

  “They better not have been followed by the Drevi,” Jerum said. His tone was joking, but the look in his eyes betrayed his fear.

  “No, we checked multiple times for pursuers,” Alana reassured him and, it sounded like, herself.

  Millika calmly took a piece of fruit and bit into it, the crunching sound vibrating throughout the room. “It’s an odd situation, that’s true. And I’m afraid I don’t want to tell you much because we’re trying to keep poor Ted from turning into a sideshow for the media, but yes. Ted is a human my daughter and your son happened to... run across, on Earth. They brought back a Drevi as well.”

  Ted had almost forgotten about Vandoraa, and found himself wondering how the young Drevi was holding up. I hope he isn’t sitting in some cold prison cell, fearing for his life, Ted thought. Damn. I must be a bleeding heart or something.

  “You brought back a Drevi? Trell, what were you thinking?” Sefra cried to Trell in the other room.

  Trell came out, shaking his head. “It’s not like we had a choice, Mother. We hadn’t planned on bringing the Drevi back. He was a stowaway. But Ted has proved to be a wonderful help in everything we’ve needed him to do.” Ted shot Trell a grateful look.

  “Has the Parliament met him yet? Have they made any decisions?”

  Millika looked conflicted. “I’m afraid I’m not
authorized to tell you anything. But rest assured, they’re working hard and should release a public statement any day now.”

  Sefra huffed. “Well, we elect that awkward-smiling Verra Norms guy year after year; he’d better be doing a good job.” She turned to Ted. “So, have you had a good first impression of Kolea?”

  “Well, I wish it would have been under better circumstances,” Ted began, “but I’m very grateful for the hospitality and assistance I have received, especially from your son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law. And your planet is absolutely beautiful.”

  “I’m so glad Trell and Alana have been helping you. Where is your journey taking you next?” Sefra inquired.

  “He has a personal invitation from Fjala Mahr,” Alana said.

  Sefra nearly exploded with joy when she heard those words. “The Fjala Mahr? He’s going to see Fjala Mahr?”

  “Yes. Soon,” Millika said. “After our visit here, in all probability.”

  Jerum and Sefra both looked dumbfounded. “I guess it makes sense she would want to meet him, but that’s... amazing,” said Jerum.

  “I’ve always wanted to meet her.” Sefra sighed. “But she only sees people by invitation. I’ve always wondered if that meant her health wasn’t good...”

  Ted looked at his companions, confused.

  “My parents are just surprised that she’s extended an invitation to you,” Trell explained. “Since most Koleans, if they wish to see her, must ask for an appointment, and then hope she accepts them.”

  Wow, Ted thought. This was a bigger deal than he’d originally thought. But Trell was right. It made sense that such a high-ranking person, even a reclusive one, would want to meet the first human to visit Kolea.

  “Are we planning to meet Fjala today?” Ted asked.

  Trell turned to his parents and exchanged a few sentences with them that no one bothered to translate, so having no other option, Ted waited. Trell turned back to him. “We’ll stay here for a while and then head north. We’ll have plenty of time to reach Star Keep before sundown.”

  Alana went over this plan in her head, searching for any foreseeable issues, and apparently found none, because she nodded, agreeing to the proposal.

  “That sounds like a good plan. Would you mind if we imposed on your hospitality until then?” Millika asked.

  Sefra and Jerum, in unison, waved their feathered hands in an odd gesture that made them look like they were drying fingernail polish. “No, no, stay as long as you like,” Sefra said. Jerum’s nod confirmed his mate’s words.

  Jerum looked at Trell. “We want to catch up with you, of course, but this might be the only time we get to see a human. Would Ted be willing to talk with us?”

  “I’d rather he not,” Millika cut into the conversation. “He could easily tell you something he isn’t supposed to.” She paused, looking at the disappointed looks on their faces. “He’s friends with Trell, so I’m sure Ted will have plenty of time to get to know you better at a later time. You haven’t seen your son in months. Why don’t you talk to him while Alana and I look after Ted?”

  Jerum hid his disappointment better than Sefra did, but they both nodded in understanding. “Come, Trell. Let’s go outside on the porch and talk.”

  They left, leaving Alana, Millika, and Ted standing on the comfortable mat. “What is this thing?” Ted found himself blurting out, pointing at the plushy thing beneath his feet.

  At first Alana looked surprised, then she laughed. “Oh, I guess you’ve never been on one before. As you’ve unfortunately noticed, Koleans don’t sit down like humans do. So we have these mats, they’re called banaktu, in place of whatever furniture humans use. Millika has one in her apartment in the capital, but not at her house, yet. The good quality ones are somewhat expensive.”

  The more Ted had thought about it, the whole Koleans-not-sitting-down thing wasn’t as weird as it sounded. He had yet to see bare Kolean legs or feet, but he could imagine how they would look. Penguins didn’t sit down, neither did ostriches. The way they slept was equivalent to a mother bird settling down on her nest for the night. And judging by the food and drink he had been offered, Koleans ate a diet of mostly fruit and seeds. He had yet to see anything with any sort of meat in it. It was kind of funny how similar his new friends were to his old pet parakeet.

  “It’s absolutely wonderful,” Ted said in regards to the mat, already feeling himself drift off to sleep.

  “Humans sit down a lot, I take it,” Millika said.

  “Yes,” Ted said. “Most of our homes have large couches.” It was clear the Koleans had no word for “couch,” since both Alana and Millika looked at him oddly, trying to translate the word.

  Ted described a couch, and though Millika and Alana understood, they still seemed to have a hard time visualizing it.

  “Um, may I ask why I’m not supposed to discuss the Parliament’s decision with Sefra and Jerum?” Ted asked, changing the subject.

  “Please understand,” Millika said, “Macedr doesn’t want news getting out to the populace before it’s ready to be announced. This planet already endured a Drevi invasion. Imagine the panic it could cause if it is announced under the wrong circumstances that Kolea might go to war with them yet again. They want to make sure the people hear about it in a way that assures them the situation is entirely under control, because we are on the side of right. Because that’s what we’re doing, isn’t it?”

  Ted nodded. “I see your point.” He wasn’t wild about lying to anyone, but for a people who had gone through what they had, it made sense to approach the issue gently. “I have another question.”

  “And what would that be?” asked Alana.

  “Well, if the issue of what to do with the Drevi and with Earth is so sensitive, why did the Parliament send... well...?”

  “Just me to Earth?” Alana grinned.

  “Well, yes.”

  “Think about it. My mother is the Vice President of the KIS, and she helped me get my job there. But it’s just a mid-level job. If I had been captured, I wouldn’t have been able to tell the Drevi much.”

  At the thought of the Drevi capturing Alana... Ted didn’t even want to imagine it. But the tactic made sense. The less an agent knew, the less they could tell the enemy. “But why you? Why not someone else?”

  “A couple of reasons. One, I can speak English, thanks to living with my mother. And two, while I may not have graduated top of my class, I have shown an aptitude for work in the field which the KIS appreciates.”

  “Weren’t you scared?” Ted asked, curious. “Going on a mission that important and dangerous alone?”

  “A little. But I think I was more focused on what the Drevi were doing to your people. Makes me a bleeding heart, I’m sure.”

  “I don’t think so,” Ted said, but the second the words were out of his mouth they sounded stupid. “Why did Trell come with you?” he asked, covering up his embarrassment with another question.

  “He wasn’t supposed to.” Alana’s tone and expression were a combination of annoyed and amused. “Trell works for the space program, so he knows about ships, but he has no experience with intelligence missions. He came along without official permission because my mother asked him to.” She shot Millika a look as she said this.

  “I asked him to because I, like any good mother, didn’t want to send you out there all alone.”

  “But don’t you think the President of the KIS, not to mention the whole Parliament, would be angry that you let someone go along who wasn’t authorized?”

  “Oh, please. Okim and I have known each other for years. He might have been upset with me, but he understood in the end. Once I showed him Trell’s credentials, he thanked me for making the right decision.”

  Alana snorted and shifted her weight, but said nothing more. Millika checked the hand-held device she’d used a couple of times thus far. It seemed to have a clock on it, too. “Oh, it’s getting late. It’s going to take us at least five hours to get to Star Keep. Alana, wou
ld you go outside and inform Trell?”

  Alana, eager to get out of the house of her in-laws and to the residence of one of the most important people on the planet, went out the back door.

  “Is there anything I should do to... not offend Fjala?” Ted asked Millika.

  Millika smiled. “Just be human. She’ll want to see you as you really are, I promise.”

  Trell, Alana, Sefra, and Jerum came back into the house, and while Jerum ran around to get some things to give to Trell, Sefra went into another room to get something else. Ted assumed it must be for Alana, but when she got back she gave the small box to Ted instead.

  “Go ahead and open it,” the Kolean woman said encouragingly. “When I heard Trell would be bringing home the first human our species has made contact with, I decided I’d give you this. Think of it as your official welcome from our people. And I hope your star shines brightly.”

  Ted could guess the meaning behind that particular blessing, and accepted the box with grace. The box itself was small, but Ted didn’t let that fool him to the importance of its contents. In the box was a small round golden thing that Ted first thought was some kind of weird pocket watch. But as he flipped it over, it had no face or readout. It wasn’t a coin either—it had no writing on it except a small inscription on the back, which read, “May the peaceful light of the stars bond our two peoples together.”

  “It’s called a peral. Koleans give them to each other to show bonds and trust amongst ourselves. Many Bonded pairs exchange them as well. I hope it can be a symbol of peace and trust between our two peoples.”

  Ted gripped the object tighter. “Thank you, Sefra. I’ll treasure it always.”