by S A Pavli
“You are a shameless alien hussy,” I said grinning. “But seriously,” I said insistently. She paused for a few moments, her face thoughtful.
“You are thinking of what will Hianja and Humans think if it was known that we became lovers?” I nodded. “Who knows. It’s never happened before. Do you think we should keep our relationship secret?”
“That is going to be difficult,” I said caressing a smooth curvaceous thigh. I pulled her towards me. “Do we have time for one more scientific experiment before we head back?” I asked.
“I think it’s our duty,” she whispered. “And I will instruct you on some Hianja experimental methodologies,” she added with a knowing look.
By the time we returned it was getting dark and our Hianja companions welcomed us with enthusiasm.
“We missed your company,” said Fetralin. “And our interesting talks. What have you been doing all day?” she asked curiously.
“Oh, just general scientific survey work,” Manera said vaguely. “Human methodologies are quite different from Hianja,” she said..
“I do not see how our scientific methodologies could be so different,” Interceded Nastro. “Science is Science isn’t it?” I was having trouble keeping a straight face.
“Of course,” I said. “The differences are mostly in your starting position and how far you want to go,” I looked straight at Manera and she nodded seriously but her mouth was twitching.
“Hianja like to take it slowly, a step at a time, but Humans like to ...um...go straight in,” said Manera and our two Hianja companions nodded politely, no doubt completely baffled by our double talk.
Chapter 17
The next couple of days past quickly. We were tense and worried about the forthcoming confrontation, particularly Manera. We decided we should prepare our case for the forthcoming investigation. Alfred did the ‘donkey’ work in gathering and organising the evidence, while Manera and I prepared our cases. But we still took time out for some exploration, although Nastro and Fetralin refused to stay behind. There was no more opportunities for Manera and I to repeat our ‘field trip’, and we dared not try any clandestine meetings at night for fear of being discovered. According to Manera, Hianja did not feel the continuous demands of sexual desire in the same way that Humans did, but there were times when she looked just as hot and bothered as I was. We did manage to arrange some private ‘meetings’ in which the communicators were discarded, doors were locked and garments were rapidly removed. But either our companions were the souls of discretion, or they just did not care, because they showed no sign of suspicion. It was Alfred who was suspicious because of the amount of time we remained ‘disconnected’ from the comms system. On the third day of our stay at the Base Camp, he brought it up.
“Paul, I am interested to know if you and Manera are intimate?” He asked in his best English Butler’s tone.
“Intimate?” I asked. “What exactly do you mean?”
“Are you having sexual relations with her Paul,” he said, more directly. The expression ‘sexual relations’ came out sounding like ‘tea and biscuits’.
“In what way are you interested Alfred?” I asked. “Would you like some prurient details, a few pictures perhaps, some anatomical observations?”
“Since this is the first sexual encounter between a Human and an Alien, it would certainly be of great historical and scientific interest,” he said, totally unabashed by my sarcasm. “But I do not suppose you will provide such information,” he continued sadly . “And it is not what I was asking.”
“Ah, that’s a relief,” I said “I am not a man to kiss and tell you know.”
“Indeed Paul,” he agreed. “My interest is in your welfare and the success of our venture.”
“Have no fear Alfred. My amorous adventures with Miss Manera will have no bearing on the success or otherwise of our venture,” I assured him.
“Are you absolutely sure that this will not have repercussions?” He asked.
“What, will her Father get after me with a shotgun?” I asked. “OK, OK,” I continued “I am being facetious. Alfred, we are all grown ups and if two grown ups want to play enjoyable games, it has no bearing on anything else.”
“It may call into question Manera’s objectivity,” he replied, and I knew he was right because the same worrying thought had occurred to me, but I had dismissed it.
“Nobody but her and me know,” I pointed out.
“It would be preferable if it stayed that way,” he warned,
“Of course Alfred, I know that, and we are being very discreet.”
We left it at that. I was baffled by this passionate obsession between two being who had evolved on different planets from different origins hundreds of light years distant from each other. It was hard not to believe that Life in our Galaxy had a common basis, if not a common origin. Was it because we both knew that it would not last, that fate would very soon rip us apart, perhaps for ever? And indeed, events moved inexorably on and the next day Alfred detected the arrival of foreign starships in the system.
We had continued to broadcast regularly to Smetronis, Manera giving him some serious verbal thrashings which were completely ignored. We now directed our antenna towards the arriving ships, broadcasting to them on their standard microwave channels. We confined ourselves initially to verbal transmission only, Manera sending urgent requests for help and requesting a response. The response when it came caused her to frown in anger. Alfred translated it for me;
“They are asking if Manera is being held hostage by the Earthman,” he explained. Manera’s reply was vehement and lengthy, and it was a minute before a reply came back.
“They are shocked,” translated Alfred. “They have already had Smetronis’s version of events and Manera has knocked them back. They can hardly believe what is going on.” The dialogue between Manera and the arriving ships continued for some time, with Manera verbally describing the events of the last two weeks in detail, and the voice at the other end occasionally asking questions. They finally stopped, with the assurance that they would proceed to establish full comms facilities, including video and computer links. They expected to arrive in orbit the next day and would contact us about how to proceed with the investigation. Manera slumped back in her chair with a sigh, the tension draining out of her. I gave her a smile and a squeeze of encouragement on the shoulder. “How do you think it went?” I asked.
“Very Good I think,” she said. “They were shocked by what happened to me, how the shuttle was shot down and how Smetronis’s men tried to kill us. I think they were also impressed by the fact that you risked your life to rescue me, and protected me from attack. But I think they were mostly excited by the news that we had contacted an alien civilisation at last. They cannot wait to meet you.”
“It sounds like we’ve got off to a good start,” I said. ‘That’s got to be worth a drink or two!” That evening we relaxed over dinner and a few drinks, making general conversation before taking ourselves off to bed. I was restless and unable to sleep, thinking of Manera’s silky body and warm sweet smell. Completely awake and restless I sat up and was tempted to visit her room which was across the passage from mine. Just when I decided to do it, the door to my room swung open gently and in walked the object of my desires. She walked quickly across the room and slid into the bed next to me. We embraced passionately and she gave little sighs of contentment as she snuggled down in the crook of my arm.
“We are taking a chance Manera,” I whispered.
“I do not care,” she replied. “I want to be with you tonight. It may be our last time together.”
And so she stayed the night, slipping out in the morning when the passage was clear. We did get some sleep, deep and restful sleep actually, after we had exhausted ourselves extending Human-Hianja relations to a new level of cordiality. It was after all, as we kept reminding each other, our duty!
The next day arrived and contact was resumed by the arriving Hianja. Technical details were ex
changed and Alfred set up the equipment to facilitate communications. The moment arrived when full video was set up. The screen displayed three Hianja seated against a blank background. They were dressed in the traditional richly ornamented and embroidered Hianja style. Two were women and one was a man. All were clearly of advanced years, but it was impossible to tell their age because Hianja aged well and gracefully. They were lean and strong featured, their skin still firm and smooth, their hair flecked with grey. They greeted Manera in a warm and friendly fashion, enquiring after her health and complementing her on her appearance. And indeed she looked stunning, quite the most beautiful creature I had ever seen I thought. The memory of our last night together would keep me warm for many years. An irreverent thought crossed my mind; I wondered what the boys back home would say on seeing Manera. Something like, “Constantine you dirty lucky bastard! Trust you to get shacked up with some gorgeous bit of alien crumpet.” I grinned to myself at the thought. She may be a gorgeous bit of alien crumpet, but she had a brain that would run rings around the best Earth had to offer. The object of my unworthy adulation turned her bright eyes on me.
“Paul, they wish to meet you,” she smiled encouragingly.
“Wish me luck,” I said with a nervous grin and walked into the field of view of the camera. I had made some effort with my appearance, putting on my dress uniform and brushing my now almost shoulder length hair into some semblance of order. I strode purposively to stand next to Manera. I could see the shock and excitement on their faces when they saw me.
“Guardians, this is Captain Paul Constantine of Earth,” she announced simply.
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances,” I said formally, and then smiled warmly. ‘Earth has waited a long time for this.”
“Ah, not as long as we have,” exclaimed the distinguished lady in the centre of the group of three. “It is indeed wonderful to be a part of this historic event. I am Guardian Kemato. This is Guardian Hamolatonen,” she said indicating the male to her right. “And this is Guardian Malanisa,” she said indicating the female to her left. They both nodded soberly at the introduction. “But Captain,” she continued. “I cannot believe that you are so…Hianja,” she finished, her eyes boggling out of the screen at me.
“Sorry to disappoint you Guardian,” I said, unable to suppress a smile. “I should have green skin and tentacles!”
“This is truly amazing,” she said. “A huge mystery. How can evolution create two species so alike on two planets separated by thousands of light years?”
“It is something we must investigate,” I agreed. “Perhaps genetic analysis of our DNA will reveal the answer.”
“It may reveal why we are so alike, but not how it came to be,” said the tall male to her right. “We may have to re-assess our ideas of evolution and how it operates,” Kemato nodded, before continuing.
“What of these terrible events that we have been hearing about from Chief Scientist Manera-Ka. They have put a black cloud over what should have been a happy and exciting event.” I nodded tensely in agreement.
“Guardians, the events which have occurred have indeed been tragic, and have led to the unnecessary deaths of innocent Hanja. We have recorded evidence and eye witness testimony to show what happened and to identify the persons responsible for these criminal actions. We will make all evidence and testimony available to you, myself and my AI and all our computer records are available for your scrutiny. These events must not be allowed to corrupt or misdirect future relations between our races, because I believe, that is indeed the aim of those responsible for these evil actions.”
“Why should these individuals, whoever they are, wish to misdirect relations between our two races?” asked Guardian Kemato.
“I cannot say for sure Guardian,” I replied. “Perhaps it is just xenophobia, perhaps it is fear due to misunderstanding. I do not know who these people are, but I believe their representative here is the security officer Smetronis. He has been in charge of the ships and men who have attacked myself and chief scientist Manera in an attempt to silence us.”
“Thank you in advance for your co-operation Captain Constantine. I can assure you that our investigation will be thorough and unbiased.,” said Kemato.
“I look forward to meeting you all in person,” I finished politely. They continued their conversations with Manera for some time after that, and Nastro and Fetralin were also introduced to the Guardians and had their say. Manera finished by then ‘introducing’ Alfred, who was also questioned at length by the Guardians. It was a couple of hours later before they finished and Manera relaxed and broke the link.
That afternoon the Hianja ships arrived in orbit. There were three of them , two the same size as the ship that Manera’s expedition had arrived in, and one even larger vessel. Each ship represented the three nearest Hianja planets, the two smaller ones were from Smetronis’s home planet Vasmeranta and a neighbouring planet Tanmeron, and the larger vessel from Manera’s home world Mesaroyat. The three Guardians represented the three worlds, Guardian Kemato from Manera’s home, Guardian Hamolatonen from Tanmeron and Guardian Malanisa from Smetronis’s home planet. They did not waste any time in arranging a landing on the planet, despite the late hour. Manera and I, Nastro and Fetralin, accompanied by Sundance, made our way down to the landing area to await their arrival. We lounged in the shade of the shuttle and I chatted to Alfred about the forthcoming meeting, while Manera chatted with her Hianja comrades.
“Alfred, how do you think the Guardians received your evidence?” I asked, to pass the time.
“They did not express any feelings either way Paul,” he replied. “But I was able to answer all their questions with good supporting evidence. I am confident they must accept what we are saying.”
“I hope that puts Smetronis in the shit,” I said bluntly. “Up to his scrawny neck.”
“I do not see how he can give a reasonable explanation of his behaviour,” he replied. “Either he is monumentally incompetent, or he is part of some plot to disable Hianja-Human relations at birth.”
“I find it hard to believe that he is so incompetent,” I retorted. “His only mistake was to misjudge our capacity to survive.”
“I detect that two Hianja shuttles are approaching,” alfred interrupted my ruminations. “One looks like it will land while the other covers it.”
“They are not making the same mistake as before then,” I mused. In a few seconds I was able to see the two shuttles approaching, one above and behind the other. The leading one came in quickly, hovering over the Epsilon for a few seconds, before coming down gently fifty yards away. The other shuttle stayed a few hundred feet up, hovering above the landing area. The Hianja shuttle was uncanny, it made almost no noise whatsoever as it descended like an elevator, smoothly and steadily, only a low gentle hum breaking the silence. We lined up a few yards from the airlock, waiting in anticipation. We did not have to wait long as the airlock doors slid open with a hiss and metal steps unwound from the ship to the ground. A number of gleaming metallic robots clattered down the steps, taking their stations to either side of the steps. They were short crablike creatures, armed with what looked like electronic stun weapons. After them came a Hianja male who stepped forward and saluted Manera, engaging her in a short conversation. Manera looked towards me, clearly pointing me out to the individual, although I would hardly have thought that I needed pointing out!
“Er, Yes, I am the alien,” I muttered. “Over here, the hairy primitive looking one. No tentacles I am afraid, and yes, I am normally this colour, not green.” I was trying hard not to grin as the individual approached me and stopping a few feet away made a little bow of greeting. He was a tall hard looking character, and his keen eyes drilled into me. He spoke and Alfred translated in my ear.
“Captain Constantine, I am Sametan Tenaka, chief security officer for this expedition and responsible for the Guardians safety. May I ask, do you have any weapons in your possession?”
“Welcome Sa
metan Tenaka,” I replied cordially. “No, I am not armed.”
“And your robot?” He enquired, indicating Sundance, his eyes lingering for a few seconds on the fearsome mechanoid.
“He is not armed,” I assured him. “He is here just to provide an audio-visual link with my ship and with Alfred, my AI.”
“I see,” he said, his eyes scanning the area carefully. “Manera assures me that you are completely trustworthy.”
I nodded reassuringly. He looked me straight in the eyes at that, and then turning briskly, strode back to the Hianja shuttle, speaking quietly into his communicator. Manera came over and stood next to me, a confident smile on her lips. A figure appeared in the airlock and descended the steps, followed by two more. The Guardians set foot on Omorphia, with careful deliberation, their eyes in our direction. Manera and I walked over, and they also walked towards us, meeting us half way.
In the lead was the tall female Kemato with the powerfully built Hamolatonen on her right, and the shorter plumper figure of Guardian Malanisa on her left . Kemato was an impressive female. Tall and lithe, she had a face that was far too heavy to be attractive to Human eyes, but radiated authority. Hamolatonen was smooth featured and grey, with a solid powerful body and piercing blue eyes. His stare was frank and friendly. The chubby Malanisa’s examination was slow and hooded. Did I detect a hostile glint in her dark eyes? Manera stepped forward and exchanged shoulder hugs with all three Guardians. Kemato moved towards me.
“I am delighted to make your acquaintance Captain Constantine,” she said.
“Thank you Guardian Kemato,” I said “The pleasure is all mine.” We exchanged Hianja shoulder ‘hugs’. She moved back and I exchanged the same greetings with the other two Guardians. Hamolatonen’s grip was strong and firm, and his stare was straight and unflinching, Melanisa took her time over the embrace, looking deeply into my eyes as she did so. I moved, waiting for them to take the lead.