by Celeste Raye
The briefing ended without Valeri learning anything of real importance. She hadn't even been introduced to the other scientists or the nurses before they were swept from the room. Only her father remained behind. Valeri turned to him and asked, "Is that it? Aren't they going to tell me anything more? I can't do my job like this. You have to make them talk to me. They must answer my questions."
Reginald patted her shoulder and said, "You'll do fine. Don't worry. It's a learn as you go process. Dr. Sparks is very protective of his research. You will be told things on a need-to-know basis. For today, this is all you need to know. Do everything you're told and nothing more. Is that understood?"
Valeri didn't like his patronizing tone or his rebuke. She held back the angry retort that leaped into her mind. She wanted to stay on this project and find out what was being hidden from her. The best way to accomplish that was to keep her mouth shut for now. She simply replied, "Sure, dad; you know I always do as I'm told."
Reginald smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He hoped that letting Valeri into the experiment wasn't a mistake. She was intelligent, observant, and tenacious when it came to her work. If she had a problem or a concern with how the experiments were performed, there could be major trouble. On the other hand, if she could be convinced of the importance of the experiments, she would be a strong ally.
"I am so proud of you, my dear," Reginald answered. "You are a real asset to our lab and have shown great progress. Your work, so far, has been impeccable and precise. Your reports are clear and detailed. They have helped our little project immensely. That is why I have given you this promotion. You earned it. Now, don't let me down. Be the intelligent, cooperative girl I raised you to be, and all will go well. Come, let's tour the facilities. You are sure to find some of the new equipment fascinating."
Valeri couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her father had never talked to her like this before. Not only did the praise sound condescending, but the admonishment to behave made her feel childish and immature. It saddened her to realize that the father she worshiped had flaws.
Valeri tried to remain attentive as Reginald showed her through the facilities. They truly were incredible. All the newest equipment was there, shiny and expensive. She figured they must be getting excellent funding from somewhere. There were x-ray machines, MRIs, defibrillators, surgical equipment, and dialysis machines mixed in with the normal lab equipment. Valeri almost asked why they felt the need for such things, but stopped herself. She knew it was still best to keep her mouth shut. Besides, she would never get a straight answer from her father. He would just remind her to stick to her own job and leave the rest to the others.
There were several locked doors in the facility. When Valeri asked what was in those rooms, her father only said, "They are the surgical suites that are necessary for our endeavors."
Valeri was shocked. They were performing surgeries on the aliens. How sad. She hoped they were treated well and not in any pain. Surely, the surgeries were just exploratory in nature, used only to gather information on anatomy. She wondered what the aliens looked like. She imagined odd little creatures, without much of a brain. She knew many planets had intelligent, humanlike inhabitants and had met many during their visits, but they would never do experiments on anyone they had a treaty with. These had to be species that she had never met, right?
"Can we go meet the aliens now? I have been waiting anxiously all day to see them. I can get to know the lab later," Valeri pleaded.
Reginald questioned, "Whatever made you think you would see them today? You have a lot of catching up to do first. There are charts to go over, reports to organize, and you really must read all the information we have on each species and their home planet. Then you can meet them."
Disappointment rushed through Valeri. It seemed she was being blocked at every turn. Would she ever be anything more than a glorified lab tech in this project? If not, she might as well have stayed back in her old department. At least there she knew exactly where she stood in the scheme of things and her father didn't treat her like a naughty child. She tried one more question. "Can you show me pictures of them or at least describe them? Are they scary or ugly?"
"There are no pictures that I can show you, nor will I describe them. Let's just say that you will be pleasantly surprised by how they appear. Some are quite nice to look at. Now you must go to HR and sign a non-disclosure agreement. We must protect this project and those within it. Until you have signed all the necessary documents, I can't allow you access to any more information." Reginald turned his back and walked out without saying goodbye.
Valeri did as she was told. She took the elevator down to HR. The stack of papers they gave her to read and sign would take all afternoon. How many different ways were there to say keep your mouth shut? Apparently, there were thousands. By the time she finished, her eyes were glazed over, and all she wanted was to be set free from the building. She took off the lab coat, let down her hair, and headed outside for some fresh air. It felt so good to leave the recycled air behind and breathe in the fresh spring breeze. Never had she been in such a hurry to get away from her job. The joy and excitement of the morning had fled upon meeting Dr. Sparks. Her own father had further doused her enthusiasm with his strange attitude. Should she allow them to bring her down? No, she was as determined as ever to do an excellent job and make a difference in someone's life. If she had to fight for her rights, then so be it. Tomorrow was another day, and she would make the most of it.
Valeri put her disappointment aside and tried to have a good evening. She rescheduled supper with her Mom, and ordered pizza and watched a sci-fi movie on her big screen television. The on-screen aliens got her ready for the real thing, or so she thought. Her dreams were haunted by shrieks and cries of pain from odd creatures. She woke from the nightmares hoping they didn't foreshadow the future.
Chapter 2
As Valeri got ready for her second day in the new lab, she tried to come to terms with the difference in her expectations for the job and the reality of it. She had expected to be informed of every single detail of the experiments but had been shut out of the loop. She had also believed she would be having immediate contact with the aliens. That hadn't happened either. It turned out that she had to put up with being a glorified assistant before she was allowed into the inner circle. She hoped the scientists would learn to trust her quickly. Actually, she hoped her father learned to trust her.
The building appeared otherworldly in the early morning mist. Valeri liked it that way. It reminded her of the special effects in last night's sci-fi movie. It was too early for the mobs of people that had filled the lobby the previous day. Valeri was able to get a better look at the modern glass and marble entry. Looking up, she was able to see the sky through the glass thirty-story ceiling. The large, round glass elevator stood in the center of the lobby and would rise quickly toward the visible clouds. Valeri took a deep breath, entered the elevator, and watched the rain begin to fall over her head.
In the lab, the lights were so bright that Valeri soon forgot about the dreary weather. She found notes from the scientists directing her morning. She sighed and got busy. There were hundreds of charts to update and computer files to organize. Valeri worked as quickly as possible. She wanted to get to the good stuff, namely learning about each of the aliens and their planets.
Valeri skipped lunch in favor of a quick coffee from the kiosk in the lobby. She was in a hurry to get back to the lab. A large stack of research papers had been delivered, and she was sure they were the ones she was waiting for. She crammed herself into the elevator with dozens of others and prayed it wouldn't stop at every floor. She needed to get her hands on those files. After at least six stops, the elevator finally settled on her floor.
Yes! These were the files on the aliens. Valeri grabbed the entire stack and sat at a table in the corner of the lab. It was time to find out who or what they were experimenting on. She soon became engrossed in faraway worlds.
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p; The first file concerned the planet Voltuni. It was a fairly large planet, at least twice the size of Earth. The landscape was green and lush. The plant life abounded with grasses, treelike structures, thick shrubs, and blooming bushes. Valeri found that odd since there was very little rain and virtually no sunlight on Voltuni. As she continued to read, she began to understand. The planet was electrically charged. The plant life absorbed the ions from the electric charges and used them as fuel. They stayed green and lush because they never had to wait for water or sunlight to get food. They were constantly fed by the planet itself.
The second file was about the life force found on Voltuni. The file explained that the Voltunis, as they were called, were beautiful in appearance. Their bodies were very human in shape, but that is where the similarities stopped. Their hair was silver in both the young and old. Their eyes were blue and silver swirls that spun like a galaxy. The skin or outer covering of the Voltunis was shiny, ebony. It had the appearance of black marble, yet was soft and pliable. Electric currents ran throughout their skin, like lightning in the sky. Valeri gasped out loud as she imagined such a beautiful sight. The Voltunis absorbed the electrical currents from their planet and used it as the energy that sustained them. Their level of intelligence was as yet unknown.
Valeri expected the next file to contain information on the sub-species from Voltari that the scientists were using in the experiments. She was wrong. The file only held the results of the blood tests that Valeri had performed. She assumed the correct file was somewhere else in the stack and she would find it later, so she continued on.
The next planet was called Reptilar. The name itself gave Valeri a good idea of what the planet and its life form would be like. Reptilar was a small desert planet. It was covered in large grains of coarse sand. The surface temperature was far too hot to sustain any life. All life on Reptilar was found underground. The deep sand contained hints of water, not enough for most species. Many types of bugs, worms, and lizards lived within the depths of Reptilar.
The life form on this planet, Reptilarians, lived far below the surface. Their bodies were covered in a skin resembling the lizards of Earth. It was the same tan color of the sand on their planet. The Reptilarians had huge, bulging eyes that were covered by a transparent membrane to protect them from the sand. Their tongues had a needle on the end, which was used to extract water from the granules of sand. It seemed that their diet was made up of the bugs and worms abundant around them.
Once again, Valeri looked for information on which bug or worm was being used in the experiment. She found none. Why would the scientists leave out that information? She would be seeing the creatures soon anyway. Valeri shrugged and picked up the next file.
The third planet was Arkani. This one Valeri recognized. The Arkani had a treaty with Earth. They had sent out an SOS just a few years ago. Their females had been dying from some unknown disease. This had been a shock to the Arkani. No one on the planet had ever been sick before. The Arkani men had requested wives. A scientist from Earth, Alexis Fisher, had gathered a group of volunteers and headed for Arkani. Their spaceship had been intercepted by the warriors of another planet, Milisaria. The king had tried to force the women into relationships with his knights, but they refused. His torture of the women caused a revolt, and the king was killed. Eventually, most of the women had been returned to the Arkani and married. Some had remained with the Milisarians, including Alexis.
Arkani was a large planet with one moon. It had dry, red soil and a very slow orbit. It went without sun for many days at a time. When the sun finally made an appearance, it's light was weak. They had to absorb all that they could of the sunlight during those days in order to remain healthy and run their technology in the dark days to come.
The Arkani were extremely intelligent and provided much of the technology and medications for nearby planets. They were not particularly strong. Their planet was a peaceful one, shunning war. Their main sustenance was a nutritional paste, though they imported food for their new human wives. The Arkani were thin and slightly slimy, with obvious veins. Their beauty was found in their wings and their kindness. They were a gentle species who treated their human wives with love and respect. They honored the women's intelligence and treated them as equals. Alexis Fisher had spent several days in the Arkani lab to find a cure for their females. In turn, the Arkani had healed the Milisarian commander, Nabvan.
The final planet was Milisaria. Why did they need to experiment with life on this planet? Alexis Fisher resided there. She was a scientist and had worked for NASA. Surely, they could get all the information they needed from her. Valeri glanced at the date on the papers. The experiment on the subject from Milisaria had begun before Alexis left Earth. That explained things a little bit, but not enough for Valeri's curious mind. She lifted the file and began to read.
Milisaria was a huge planet. It had an atmosphere that was almost the same as Earth. That was lucky for Alexis and the other Earth women who lived on it. It had large masses of green seas and marshes. There were rolling hills and four beautiful moons. The moons were visible even in the daytime. The planet was ruled by a king, his queen, and a group of councilmen. Its territory included many conquered planets.
The Milisarians were a race of mighty warriors. The most elite of its warriors were known as the Milisarian Knights. Commander Nabvan was their trainer. They battled for control of a planet, added it to their territory, and shared its bounty with all the conquered planets. At least that was how it was done now. The previous king had kept everything for himself and those who lived in the capital. King Shene was greedy and cared only about his power. He had many concubines, though Milisarians were meant to mate for life.
This was beginning to sound like a history lesson, and Valeri was intrigued. She dug into her purse for some old peanut butter crackers and settled in for more of the story. It was King Shene that had intercepted the spaceship full of human females bound for Arkani. He had chosen Alexis for himself. When she refused his attentions, he had her starved and beaten with a whip. Her guard, a commander named Nabvan, had saved her life and they fell in love. It was also Nabvan who killed the king and returned the women to the Arkani.
The story was getting better and better. Valeri enjoyed a good love story, and this was an excellent one. Alexis married Nabvan, and several other human females married Milisarian Knights. One such woman, Destiney, married a knight named Siefer. He was later elected as the Milisarian's new king, making the human female queen. Wow! A human was now queen of a faraway planet. Valeri's first thought was, "You go, girl!"
Tragedy struck when the humans became pregnant. Those carrying boys had no problems, but those bearing girls were plagued with illness and pain. One died in childbirth. Alexis, who carried a girl, was suffering from the illness. She found the answer to the problem and developed a serum. She gave birth before it had been properly tested, yet Nabvan administered the serum straight to her heart after their daughter was born and Alexis survived. Their daughter was named Nexxa. King Siefer and Destiney had a son, a prince named Scyon. The children were now three years of age. They possessed the intelligence of their human mothers and the superhuman strength of their fathers. Valeri's excitement grew. The scientist part of her wanted to explore the new species the matings had produced, and the romantic side of her wished to meet these loving couples.
Valeri didn't need to read about the appearance of the Milisarians. She had met several of the handsome knights when they came to Earth to make trades. They were very much like humans, except much taller. The knights she had met were at least seven feet tall. Their muscles were those of a bodybuilder. Their translucent skin was covered in tribal tattoos. The men all had long dark hair, dark eyes, and slightly pointed ears. They would be perfect on the cover of a romance novel. The one odd thing about them was that most possessed four arms, instead of two. Valeri imagined being held in four strong arms and found the idea delightful. They were warriors and got their technology and medicati
ons from conquered planets and trading with Earth. This was changing now that they had a resident scientist and a new king. King Siefer was sharing food and technology with all the villages of Milisaria and the colonies on the conquered planets.
Valeri discovered an extra page to the information on Milisaria. It described an uprising on the planet. While King Siefer was away caring for the colonies, his younger brother had started a revolt. The young man, Rowl, had been banished from the planet as a teenager. He blamed King Siefer for the banishment and wanted him dead. Nabvan and Alexis learned of his plot and warned the king. When the king's spaceship landed back on Milisaria, Rowl and his followers struck. The king and his knights were ready, and the fight began. King Siefer came close to death after he was struck down by a traitor, one of his own knights. Queen Destiney killed Rowl, and the traitors were all executed. The villages were reorganized, and the king set out to change the way Milisaria was ruled.
The Milisarians reminded Valeri of Earth. They were so much like humans in looks and as well as government. They fascinated her, and she could well imagine them as friends.
Valeri had a bad feeling about all of this information. There was far too much on the intelligent life of each planet and nothing on the lesser beings. Were the experiments actually being done on the species she had been reading about? Sadly, it would make sense. The DNA of these aliens would be more useful in finding cures for human illness than a sub-species. She just hated the fact that such actions were necessary. Perhaps, these subjects had volunteered for the program. Maybe the information was being shared with their planets, helping each of their species as well as humans. Valeri was determined to find out.
Valeri went to the monitor and buzzed her father's office. Reginald's face appeared on screen within seconds. He asked, "Why are you still here? It's way past time for you to go home for the day."