I sat back in the comfortable conference chair and glanced down at one of the various packets passed around to each of the twenty people present at what can’t be called anything other than a debriefing. Officer Bardwell had just begun his presentation; I probably should’ve been paying close attention as I was about to willingly emigrate to an alien planet. But I was too excited about actually getting there and couldn’t focus on much of anything for a long period of time.
“You will be given a few small gadgets to help you acclimate to being on your new planet. This pretty little necklace is a translator, you speak English and it sounds like Mandarolian to which ever native you are speaking to. They speak Mandarolian back to you and it will translate as English to your ears. If you want to speak English to an English speaker, simply turn the pendant over and switch the device off, the same goes for speaking Mandarolian. I strongly suggest you continue learning their language, it’s not much different from a romance language here…” Bardwell held up a relatively small silver pendant in the shape of Earth cut in half that dangled from a delicate looking silver chain.
“That chain looks kind of flimsy Officer,” I spoke up, and there were a few smiles and chuckles heard from around the conference table. I didn’t think what I said was all that funny…
“It may look it, but trust me it’s gone under scrupulous tests, each device we give you is made to last,” he said, not unkindly, and then continued his lecture. I glanced out of the huge floor to ceiling glass behind Bardwell, who stood at the head of the mahogany table. Washington, D.C. was pretty under a blanket of snow. The only thing I knew I’d miss was the scenery on Earth. White sand beaches, glittering cities, mountains, plains, and the like. The day before I had watched a video about tourist attractions on Rolar. They had their own unique set of natural landscapes. All in the form of rocky mountainous terrain, lots of hills and plains, and odd grey sand beaches. There were also a lot of volcanoes on Rolar which made me nervous, even if they had devices that would control a volcano’s activity should it become volatile. Nevertheless, I was excited for the adventure. New planet, new experiences and opportunities.
“This next one is to help with the atmospheric pressure on Rolar, the planet’s mountainous terrain means that many of their cities and towns are a mile above sea level or even higher. Even those of you from mountainous countries or areas will need this…” Bardwell held up a flimsy looking metal ear cuff and I wondered how that thin piece of plastic would help with the effects of high altitude pressure. “You’ll get a pair of these, you hook it onto your ear and it will self-adjust so that it doesn’t fall off. It works with your sinuses, circulation, and a bunch of other medical stuff you can read up on in one of the packets given to you. Basically you wear this, and you don’t even have to worry about your ears popping on the shuttle ride off the planet. In fact, it is mandatory that you wear these while on the space shuttles to Rolar,” Bardwell reached into his open briefcase that was sitting on the table and he seemed to rummage around for something. I took the time to glance around the room at the few space officers posted against the wall, they seemed to be paying attention, but also their eyes looked distant, so I figured most of them zoned out.
The people seated at the conference table, the other emigrants, were definitely paying attention. There were ten men and ten women, I wonder if that was done purposefully...
“Ah, the next device is to help regulate your temperature, on Rolar the temperatures can get a bit extreme compared to Earth’s standards. The Rolarians have had years of evolution to grow tough skin, but we humans have not. This will keep you warm in their extreme winter and it will keep you cool in their hot summers. It’s just as easy to use as the other devices, what you have to do is stick the patch at the back of your neck and you’re golden. What nanotechnology has accomplished today is unfathomable to my ninety-year-old grandfather.” That got a laugh from the table and I smiled.
“So that about covers it as far as what you need to help your body adjust and survive on Rolar, I strongly suggest you read your packets for a more in depth description of these devices and their recommended use. Next thing on the agenda is the food on Rolar. Yes, you can eat it, yes it will make you throw up, yes it is difficult to digest. If you want to be so bold as to eat Rolarian cuisine right out of the gate, be my guest. I tried it, the first time I threw up. The second time I was full for a week and backed up for two. Please, just stick to foods and restaurants that say H.G. it means ‘human grade.’” Bardwell made eye contact with each and every one of us at the table before continuing.
“You’ve all been taking classes and reading books and watching videos about Rolarian culture. You are emigrating to their planet, so yes, the United Nations is telling you to assimilate. Earth has not created a colonialization program on Rolar. Each of you have decided to make the planet your new home. So learn their ways, and fit in, if you want to celebrate Christmas, and Hanukah or what have you of course you can do so. Just be respectful of their culture, their politics, their social structure, and try not to make waves. The very existence of this program means that the Rolarians have made policies. exceptions, mandates, set up embassies, allowed ambassadors, and a whole host of other things to accommodate humans living on their planet and in their society. Not to mention the mentors you’ve each been assigned to help in your process of settling in. The same as Earth is working out the kinks to do the same for Rolarians who wish to immigrate here. We need you to know that. You. Are. Safe. You are taken care of and there is nothing to worry about other than settling into your new life on a new planet.”
*****
Jasiah
I stood by the passenger bay of the space port and waited for the human woman called Anna Spolekis. I even had to hold up a sign with her name on it like all the other aides who volunteered to mentor the humans. Their space shuttle had just landed and I could see through the large windows of the space port as the humans exited the shuttle and walked down the long curving hallway that would lead them to us. The hallway doors were opened and the humans spilled into the waiting area; I counted ten females and ten males. They all seemed to be competent as they identified their names and paired with their mentors.
One female was fussing with the large rolling case she carried and seemed a bit flustered. I watched as no one from her own race stopped to help her, so I stepped forward and offered my aid.
“Excuse me, do you need assistance?” I asked. I spoke English even though I was told the humans would have translators. I had been to Earth enough times that it was mandatory for me to learn the language.
“You speak English!” she said in surprise and looked up at me with wide eyes. Her gaze fell to the small board I held and she pointed to it. “That’s me,” she said and gave me a wide smile. “You must be my mentor,” she said excitedly, and I nodded once. The human was a flurry of excitement; I knew I would have to learn to adjust to her nature in order to tolerate it.
“You are Anna Spolekis?” I asked, and she nodded before handing me her Rolarian identification pass. I handed it back to her after confirming her identity and briefly studied her features. Humans and Rolarians were much the same in appearance, though there are differences in skin tone, and physical durability. Anna had long blonde hair that fell nearly to her waist and her eyes were a bright blue, the color of the sky. She had tanned skin and her body appeared to be athletically fit. She had soft looking pink lips, a gentle curve of a nose, and a soft jaw and chin. Her cheekbones were well formed and not too high, her eyebrows arched and her lashes were thick in framing her eyes. I supposed she was beautiful, even to Rolarian norms.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Jasiah Kane, you may call me Jay, or Jasiah,” I said, and she gave me another grand smile.
“It’s great to meet you too Jasiah, you have a really cool name,” she said, and I inclined my head in acknowledgement of her compliment.
“Shall we travel to your living quarters now?” I asked her.
&
nbsp; She bent down to push something into her traveling case and clasped it closed.
“Yeah, I’m excited to see my apartment,” she said and then stood quickly to go. I led her from the waiting area out to the front of the space port where a transporter was hovering in wait.
“Have you been given transporter lessons?” I asked her as I loaded her case into the holding compartment at the front of the vehicle. Anna’s eyes were wide with wonder as she circled around the sleek vehicle and acquainted herself with it.
“It looks like one of those cars on iRobot! But it hovers…it kind of looks like an Audi too,” Anna said. I simply waited for her to answer my question as I stood by the driver’s side door. “They gave us simulation lessons back on Earth, it’s pretty similar to driving a regular car,” she said, and I gestured to the driver side.
“Well perhaps you should get real practice in then,” I said, and she gasped in excitement as she hurried around the vehicle and got in. I went to get into the passenger’s side before she took off without me.
“Wow, it’s so nice in here, leather seats and all…” she said as she fastened her safety harness and then tapped a control behind the wheel to take the transporter out of stationary mode. I watched her carefully as she eased away from the curb of the space port and lifted the transporter into regulation hover space before accelerating forward onto the road.
“Very good, it seems to come natural to you,” I commented, and she glanced at me with a big smile before paying attention to the road space.
“So where am I going?” she asked, and I input the target destination into her transporter’s directional system. A display came up on the windshield that passively alerted her when to turn and what signs to follow. “Wow this is so cool…and look at the city! It’s all white brick and silver and glass…” she said, and I hoped she was paying attention to her operation of the transporter more than she was sightseeing.
“Tomorrow we have a full day to tour the city,” I said, and she glanced at me with wide eyes.
“Great! I can’t wait to see what it looks like during the day time, at night it’s so pretty,” she said in awe, and I couldn’t help but smirk at how childlike she seemed.
Soon we arrived at the residential building her home was in. I directed her to station the transporter in the garage underneath the building. From there we rode an elevator up to the lobby and that look of wonder came over Anna’s features once more. The lobby was ornate with its marble floors, chrome accents, and grand views of the city.
“Wow I’m so lucky I was able to afford a place like this,” she whispered as we walked over to the front desk where she would get her key.
“There are some residential buildings and home associations that welcome human immigrants, you got your home at a discounted price,” I informed her, and she looked up at me with an odd smirk.
“Oh, okay then,” she said, and I wondered if I crossed some human social norm by telling her so. Anna stepped up to the front desk and gave her name to the building manager who was very excited to have her.
*****
Anna
Pocco, the building manager was very excited to get me settled, he showed me where the ‘correspondence’ or mail room was, he gave me a pass key that would allow me to get into the building’s gym, pool, and lounge area. Then he gave me a specialized pass key that would allow me to operate the elevator to get to my apartment.
“Now I will show you your home, yes?” Pocco spoke good English, not as well as Jasiah, but it was good. I loved their almost Romanian accent, it was a mix between an Italian accent and a Romanian one. Plus, the sound of their language flowed beautifully too. I couldn’t wait to master it.
“Of course, I can’t wait to see it!” I enthused. I thought I heard a sigh from Jasiah, whom I was learning wasn’t the most exciting guy in the world. Yes, he was gorgeous, but he held himself so in order and was kind of stoic if you asked me. Jasiah was tall, as in upwards of six and a half feet, but then I was realizing that a lot of the Rolarian men were tall. He was well built for his height, not stocky at all and hardly skinny or flimsy. He looked exactly like a young James Dean, but with dark brown hair and striking green eyes. I mean Jasiah was…gorgeous.
“Good, good, let us go then and I will give you…the grand tour, as they say on your planet,” Pocco said, and I laughed with him as we all walked towards the elevator. Pocco was a lanky guy with great black hair that was perfectly coiffed, his features were cute and he had pretty light brown eyes that were almost caramel colored. His skin tone was café au lait colored and he had a great smile. I warmed to him almost as soon as I met him.
“So your home is on the…thirty-fifth floor. It has three bedrooms, and three grooming rooms, all of which have a separate ah, what you call toilet.” Pocco went on to describe the apartment as the elevator rode up to the thirty-fifth floor. It stopped and opened to a nice carpeted hallway that had occasional sweeping views of the city with large windows. I couldn’t get over how beautiful the city of Rado was. It served as the capital city of one of the main ‘islands,’ or continents on Rolar.
We went all the way to the end of the hall where my apartment was. It had a marker on the door which translated to LQ-Seven.
“So this is you, living quarter seven. On the entire floor there are only seven living quarters, which means the homes are quite spacious. We took high esteem in creating sound barriers in each home, so you will not have to worry about noise, even if a neighbor is having a grand celebration. Trust me, it has been tested,” Pocco said, and I laughed with him as he used my pass card to unlock my door. We stepped into a nice foyer which had two large archways leading into the rest of the apartment.
“So as I have given you ample description of the home, I will let you explore for yourself and get acquainted,” Pocco said as he handed me my pass card.
“Thank you so much Pocco,” I said, and he inclined his head gracefully.
“Please feel free to call the front desk with any questions, concerns, or needs,” he said and then bid me a good evening before he left me alone with the apartment and Jasiah who was like a silent pillar behind me. I looked up at him with a small smile and gestured to the right.
“Shall we explore then?” I asked, and Jasiah nodded once before gesturing me to walk ahead of him. I went through the archway that led into the living room and on the right wall, which wasn’t really a wall at all, was a huge view of the city. The living room was fully furnished in sleek contemporary furnishings, though it didn’t make the place feel cold at all and there was even a gas fireplace.
Behind the living room was another archway that led into a dining room which was open to the kitchen. I was relieved that all the stainless steel appliances seemed to be straightforward, there was a stove, an oven, a sink, dishwasher, and fridge. On the left of the kitchen was another archway that led to a wide hallway which housed all the bedrooms and a bathroom. Everything was spacious which was a huge change from my New York apartment, and I lived in a nice building in the city as well.
“Is everything pleasing to you?” Jasiah startled me as I had forgotten the silent pillar was there. “I apologize…I frighten you?” he asked me with concern evident in his face.
“No, it’s fine…I just forgot you were there, you startled me is all. But yeah this place is amazing, I think I’ll love it here,” I said, and Jasiah nodded.
“Very well then, I will show you where you can buy food and supplies for your home and then afterwards, perhaps we can share a meal at a nearby restaurant,” he said politely, and I smiled.
“That sounds great!” I said, and the ghost of a smile touched his lips. Jasiah was definitely too rigid for my taste. I wondered if I could shake him out of his shell somehow. “Hey before we go…I want you to know that it’s okay to be yourself around me. You don’t have to be so overly polite,” I said, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“You think I am not being myself?” he asked, and I nodded and then gestured
to his stance. His hands were held behind his back and his shoulders square.
“You look so rigid,” I said, and he glanced down at himself.
“Well I did not want to be too comfortable around you and risk conveying…the wrong message,” he said.
I nodded in understanding. “It’s fine, we’re going to be around each other for a while, we might as well be familiar. You have my permission to lighten up,” I said, and he seemed a bit bemused. “You know…loosen up a bit, this isn’t a job right? You volunteered to be a mentor,” I said and he nodded.
“Yes I did…and I will try to ‘loosen up’ as you say,” he said and then let his hands fall to his side.
“It’s a start,” I said with a chuckle and then gestured him to follow me to the front door.
*****
Jasiah
I had Anna operate the transporter once again. I was impressed that she got a handle on it so quickly.
“So how did you get into the position to volunteer to be a mentor?” she asked me as we rode to the market. I looked at her and studied her profile as she was paying attention to the road space.
“Well, I am a galactic exploration general. I took leave as a sort of vacation and found it to be an incredible waste of time, so I volunteered to mentor a human immigrant,” I answered, and Anna looked at me with a smile.
“So you’re working on your vacation?” she asked, and I shrugged.
“I do not think it is work. Work is taking long voyages into space to find other planets like Earth to exchange intelligence and create relationships with. This is…well it is not that,” I said, and Anna giggled. The sound was musical and I realized then that she had a nice voice. It was smooth and airy.
“Well your job sounds really cool, have you found other planets in the galaxy like Earth, or like Rolar?” she asked, and I glanced at her again just as her eyes touched mine. She glanced away from me quickly and then looked back when she came to a stopping light. Anna’s eyes were beautiful; it was extremely rare that you would find blue eyes on Rolar. It was more likely to find violet eyes or purple even.
The Crime of Protection Page 125
