by Tigertalez
Jurresh smiled at Adonna benevolently before looking back at Tasid as he answered. “I have reports that far more females signed up for it than we had anticipated.”
“That’s wonderful!” his mother said with excitement. She looked up at Errim as they entered a lift. “You are going to take part in The Catch, too, aren’t you?”
Tasid held back his chuckle at seeing the color that spread over Errim, as he answered. “I am. I believe I made you a promise,” he answered, and then he sent her a wink.
Adonna laughed. “I can’t wait to see it. Even though their atmosphere is much smaller, it will be exciting to see my boys fighting their way to a mate.”
“Aren’t you worried the humans won’t approve of our mating ritual?” Errim asked her.
“Not at all. I’ve seen the competitions they do for fun. They like to challenge themselves. Today, they share with us some of their cultures and traditions, and when the mating rituals are held, it will be our turn to show them some of ours.”
****
“Hurry, Benny, they’re going to show up any time now,” Maggie said over her shoulder.
Juno looked towards the kitchen to see Benny pouring drinks. A large feast sat on the coffee table in front of them, and the drinks were the last to be brought. All the girls were seated around the television, to watch the huge event.
Benny scurried over and handed cups of juice to everyone, then plopped down beside Juno. “I wonder how they put all this together so fast. It takes four years to prepare for the Olympics, and this is far bigger than that.”
“First off, they have to build a new stadium for each Olympics, but they didn’t do that here,” Juno answered.
Paige added, “They also had a lot of help from other countries, like China, who donated most of the fireworks.”
“Yeah, but the choreography of the performers had to have been a nightmare to put on, on such short notice,” Juno said.
****
Tasid’s father and mother entered the transport and took their seats. Tasid stopped just inside to take a look around. There were rows of seats in the middle and seats against the walls on the sides. The pilots were on the floor above.
Errim took a seat next to where Tasid would be sitting. He noticed Burren, Yebiri, Skane, and Sharrow were already seated. Also going were Pyx, his head engineer, and his head cook, Norlo. Everyone was dressed in their new attire, complete with smiles. The rest of the seats were taken by his parents and a security detail. Everyone else going from his ship was on a different floor further down. This vessel had several floors.
Entry into Earth’s atmosphere wasn’t nearly as harsh as others he had flown through, so Tasid didn’t have any problems reading through reports using the band on his wrist. Once they touched down, they waited for the other transport from the diplomatic fleet to land next to them, before they opened the doors and the ramp was let down from the lower level, where they were going to exit.
****
Juno saw little Amanda hop up and down.
“Look!” Amanda pointed and shouted excitedly.
“Those are huge shuttles,” Jeri said, surprised.
Kaycee added, “Yet sleek and fancy.”
Benny gasped. “It’s opening.”
Juno felt her stomach flutter with anticipation. She took in a sharp breath when she saw the aliens begin to appear. She recognized Tasid, right off. The sun shone on his blue skin, brightening it. His large muscles flexed and moved as he started down the ramp.
****
The sun was shining bright and warm as Tasid stood and looked out around them. He saw several of the human dignitaries he had been dealing with standing to greet them at the bottom of the ramp, along with a sea of humans all around, most of whom held video devices. Many were in uniform and were lined in a row, making a path to their destination. Some were holding rifles, some held swords, and others were holding flags that lightly waved in the breeze.
Errim joined just behind him. Behind them were his parents, then the rest of the crew. Tasid slowly walked down the ramp but stopped halfway. The breeze felt so good flowing across his skin, he couldn’t help but open both sets of his wings wide and high, to stretch them. He tilted his head back and flapped them once, enjoying the sensation.
****
Juno watched Tasid stop, and his wings began to open wide. Her stomach did another flutter, only much stronger. His wings were beautiful to her, and opening them showed off more of his seriously fit bodily form. His head tilted back, and he closed his eyes. A blissful and tranquil look relaxed his features, enhancing his attractiveness.
Juno would have been happy to stare at him longer, but the camera moved to reveal the other aliens, who were behind Tasid. The ones with wings did the same as Tasid, taking a moment to enjoy the sun. Their lines and colors were stunning, and she could hear the crowd’s approval.
****
A loud cheer erupted from the sea of humans, and they began clapping. Tasid opened his eyes and looked around. Errim, Jurresh, and Sharrow were also flexing their wings, and behind them, he could see the brightly colored wings on Burren, Skane, Norlo, and Pyx flutter. The crowd grew louder, watching their display.
Tasid folded and wrapped his wings back into place behind his back and over his front, then continued down the ramp. At the bottom, he was greeted by several dignitaries. The one who governed what they called the United States stepped forward and extended his hand.
“Advocate Tasid, welcome to Earth.”
Every dignitary smiled at him and offered their hands to shake as they were led down the red floored path. The clicks of the devices many held were almost as loud as the claps and cheers. Everyone from both transports followed behind, greeting each dignitary along the way.
The man beside him talked about the events they were providing for the day. “All around the inside of the stadium are food booths, each representing different styles and cultures. In the stadium arena, we will be performing different events featuring all different kinds of music and rituals that are part of that group’s culture. The best part of the events will happen after dark.” The man smiled wide, and Tasid could hear the excitement in his voice. “I can’t wait for you to see it. We are eager to show you our best.”
Throughout the day, the group made their way around to all of the different food booths and was introduced to many more people. At one booth, Tasid saw a small human peeking shyly around the corner of the table. Cocking his head to the side, he squatted down. Suspecting it was one of their young, he kept his voice calm and sweet.
“Hello, and who might you be?” he asked.
Big brown eyes stared silently back at him. One of the females running the booth ran over and picked up the little one. She seemed unsure at first what to do, glancing worriedly around at all the reporters and security personnel. But one of the human dignitaries smiled and nodded at her, which seemed to give her the confidence she needed. She placed the little one on the floor.
“This is my son, Liam,” she said.
She held Liam’s hand and pulled him forward. “Liam, sweetie, this is Advocate Tasid. Say hello.”
A tiny voice responded. “Hi.” The small child smiled up at him. Tasid’s translator implant made it possible for him to understand the child. He also wore an external one that translated his words to others around him. He looked forward to when the humans were implanted, but for now, this would do.
“Hello, Liam. How old are you?”
A small hand rose up in the air, displaying four fingers. Tasid had learned what their timelines were, which were similar to their own, so he understood the child to be four years old, which was very young.
“Four? Wow! On my planet, little children who are four learn how to fly. Would you like to learn how to fly someday?”
The child looked at Tasid’s wings. “I don’t have any wings.”
Tasid gave him a reassuring smile. “That’s ok, you don’t need to be born with wings to fly. All you need is a t
alon. That is what we call our small flying crafts. We call the males who fly them flyers.”
The child looked once again at his wings. “Can I touch them?”
Tasid nodded his head and carefully spread out one of his battle wings towards the small child. In spite of the strength of the hard, boney arms, Tasid could feel the heat from the little fingers gliding over the features. The webbing was more sensitive, so he felt the tickle from the light touch.
Tasid dramatically squirmed and giggled. “It tickles.”
Liam laughed, and Tasid didn’t think he had ever heard a sweeter sound. The laugh was infectious and filled his heart with joy.
Liam pointed at the other wings Tasid had. “You have four wings.”
“Yes, I do. The hard ones are called battle wings, and these,” Tasid pointed to the lighter blue feathers that were as impenetrable as the toughest metal, “are called guardian wings.”
Liam pointed to the band on his wrist. “What’s that?”
Tasid looked down to where the boy was pointing. “That is my holo-band.” He tapped on the top of it, and a holo-screen popped up. He showed the child how it showed him information, brought up different files, how he wrote notes in it, and he even contacted Horo, who was in charge while he was off ship. Only Horo’s head was showing, but he was very understanding about the call, and even waved and smiled at the boy through the connection.
Tasid’s mother walked up beside him. Tasid looked up at her, surprised it had taken her this long to come forward to gush over the child. Adonna, though a female of his race, was still much taller than the humans. She knelt down and smiled at the child.
Tasid introduced her. “Liam, this is my mother, Adonna.”
“Hi, Liam. Look, I don’t have wings either.” Adonna twisted her body just enough so he could see her back.
The little boy’s eyes scrunched up. “What happened to them?”
“In our species, the females don’t have wings, only the males.” She held out her hand to him. “Can I look at you?”
Liam looked up at his mother, who just smiled back down at him and nodded her head. Liam reached out and took Adonna’s hand, and walked closer to her.
The look on Adonna’s face was one of pure adoration, as she held up his hands and placed them against hers to see the size difference.
“Look how pink you are compared to me,” she said.
Liam looked up at her. “That’s because you’re blue.”
Everyone around them chuckled with amusement. She took off her own personal wristband and handed it to the boy. “Here, Liam, you can have my holo-band if you’d like.”
The boy’s mother gasped. “Oh, we couldn’t.” She looked nervously around at the human officials. Tasid kept his face passive, but inside he was starting to get upset with how frightened this female was. Are all females this timid? What are the males doing to them?
The little boy turned and begged his mother. “Oh please, Mother, please, please, please.”
Tasid encouraged her. “It is ok to take it. We can easily get more.”
The female took in a deep breath and shakily nodded her head. The boy squealed and jumped up and down excitedly.
As Adonna secured the band around the tiny wrist of the little boy, the boy’s mother asked him, “What do you tell her?”
Liam threw his arms around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you!” Then he turned and ran back to his mother. Once there, he turned and waved at Tasid before being led away.
When Tasid helped his mother back up, he saw her eyes welling up with happy tears, which she was trying to hold back.
They resumed their tour around the booths before being led to a VIP area.
****
Juno’s eyes were teary after watching Tasid interact with the little boy.
“I bet he’d be a great dad,” Benny said breathlessly.
Paige sighed and agreed. “Yeah, I’d bet that, too.”
“And did you see how he helped his mother up?” Kaycee asked. “He’s better mannered than most of the men I know.”
“And better built, too.” Jeri laughed.
Juno kept silent, admiring him privately. Not like I stand a chance at getting him.
****
All around Tasid and the other dignitaries, people filled the stadium as bands of instruments played down below on the field, and brightly uniformed people marched in patterns to the music. Errim, Jurresh, and Adonna sat with him along with three of the world leaders. Behind him sat his other officers who, from the sounds of it, had never been happier.
More music of a different sort played, and dancers came out. Dainty females looked to be floating on the tips of their toes across an area set up for them, their movements flowing and graceful.
The next group of dancers jumped and leaped, hopped and rolled around the floor to a heavier beating music, only to be replaced by others who kept their arms straight down to the sides while still managing to leap and tap around the floor.
Several long brightly colored costumes, which he was told were dragons, danced around. The small men underneath twisted and turned the creature around the arena.
Men twirling fire came out. They breathed it out in tongues of flames, as barely dressed females, in hardly more than long bladed grass skirts, swayed and waved their arms and hips, to a different sort of music, in a mesmerizing manner, with their thick flowing black hair stretching long down their backs. The only ones Tasid felt could rival them were the hypnotic dances performed by “belly dancers”. Their display of movements had his groin stirring. Fortunately, his predicament was completely concealed by his guardian wings. The day seemed to pass in a blur of colors, sounds, and expertly choreographed movements.
Humans parachuted down from the sky to land on the large green field, with colored smoke trailing behind them. Loud aircrafts flew overhead leaving an array of colored patterns. Humans rode on the backs of animals doing many different tricks.
Throughout the day, murmurs of awe and appreciation rippled around through his parents, officers, and other off world dignitaries, letting him know that he wasn’t the only one who was completely enthralled with all the different shows of entertainment, customs, and rituals.
As the sky grew dark, the stadium floor was cleared and the lights were dimmed, leaving only a dark blue glow that was cast onto the crowd. A thunderous sound began rumbling through the stadium as giant arcs of sparks exploded around the top of the arena. Suddenly a picture formed on the stadium floor, taking up the entire field, and music played loud. The picture on the field moved to the ages of the humans’ past. During each period, humans came out dressed like the moving picture under their feet, each acting out a different skit, each explained by a narrator. The music would change with the picture, and more humans would replace the ones before them. They showed tragedies, battles fought, and their accomplishments. Explosions boomed around them in bright colors and in different shapes. Humans wearing brightly lit clothes danced around while others wore black to blend in, so all that could be seen was their weapons of light shooting and slashing through the air. People were strung on wires around the stadium, doing floating acrobatics.
The final scenes were focused on what they called “the race to the moon”. The floating humans wore space suits, to appear like they were floating in space, while white dots were lit to resemble stars in space. They showed scenes from different stages of their space programs, ending with a scene Tasid recognized as the first meeting he had with the humans on the space station. Tasid had shared the recording with the humans when he found out they hadn’t recorded the event. They were showing key points that made the crowd cheer, and he felt himself truly moved to be added into their story.
The lights turned on to light up the arena floor. A procession of people, some in groups of two or three, others in groups of ten, began parading through the stadium, each led by a flag. When the flag would pass them, their country was announced. The people representing that count
ry wore their native garbs and waved to them as they passed, as a greeting was said in their native tongue.
After the last group passed, a cheer rose from around the stadium. The lights dimmed once again, and a huge display of “fireworks” lit the sky above them, synced to more music.
“What do you think of them?” the president asked, and pointed up at the booming and snapping exhibition.
Tasid couldn’t take his eyes off the sky. “No one has ever made explosions anything other than for destruction. You people have managed to make it one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in all the galaxy.”
Tasid fought to keep the tears from falling. He had never been a sensitive male, but this was truly a sight that pulled at his emotions, after a day that had left him feeling raw and vulnerable. He could feel the rumble of the explosion in his chest, and the sounds of the music amplified its effect.
The display ended with two giant falls of sparks that looked like raining lava, as the last of the fireworks burst overhead.
Tasid stood and clapped enthusiastically, as did everyone else around him. Jurresh leaned over slightly and spoke to the human delegates. “You can add those things as a commodity. Worlds around the galaxy will pay you heavily to provide those at their different events and celebrations.”
Tasid noticed the delegates looked thrilled with that bit of news, as they should be.
On the flight back to the ship, Errim asked him, “So what do you think?”
Knowing he was referring to what he thought of the humans, Tasid answered, “Until now, I didn’t think I would make a good advocate to the humans, because I didn’t believe I had anything in common with them, but tonight I saw a small part of what these people endured, and also what they accomplished. Now I can feel a bond begin to form with them, and I am proud of the title. I feel more confident in understanding what decisions I should make for them.”
Indeed, the thrill of the evening had lifted his spirits enough to actually look forward to the days to come.
****
