by E. M. Haeger
Rhine stood. "Henry told you this?"
"He made no promises."
"Then, how do you--"
"They need water as much as we do, Rhine." Lena raised her voice. "We need to offer them access now before they think we're stalling."
Rhine shook his head. "We can't just lead them to water. That gives them all the power. You know there's no guarantee they'd uphold their end of the bargain."
"Henry thinks--"
"It doesn't matter what Henry thinks." Rhine took a deep breath to steady himself. "Have you ever considered that maybe this is what they do?"
I glanced from him to Lena.
"Make you their friend," Rhine explained. "Then, they turn on you."
I thought a vein might burst in Lena's forehead. "There's no evidence to support that."
"No," Rhine agreed. "We've only just met them. You can't really tell me a month of good behavior is enough time to truly know a different species."
"What are you so afraid of?" Lena asked.
"Once we give them water, they might never get enough. Or worse, force a monopoly on us and withhold water whenever they want to get their way." Rhine shook his head firmly. "It's not an option."
Lena didn't seem convinced. "Think of everything we could learn from them. They're our allies, not enemies."
"They're desperate, Lena. They'll attack--what do they have to lose?"
Flushed and angry, she looked from me to Rhine. "Everything."
She thought I supported Rhine, but the truth was I didn't know if either of them had it right. It would be wise not to show all our cards, but at the same time, we had to make sacrifices for the greater good.
"They're already working on vaccines for human disease," Rhine pointed out. "It's our only defense right now. Once they crack it, we're finished."
"They wouldn't do that," Lena said quietly. "They came to us as neighbors. We need to give them what they need."
"And when will it be enough? You have to think of the future..."
Lena was thinking of a future brighter than any we could imagine.
"Humans and Etrallians living side by side? No." Rhine shook his head. "We'll die of thirst before they give up that power. The purifier's their main bargaining chip."
Lena's eyes burned with a cold fury. "If we don't proposition the coalition I guess we'll never know, will we?"
"Come on, Lena. They'll do what they must to survive. It's human nature."
"They're Etrallia, Major Rhine. Not human."
"All the more reason not to trust them."
LENA
I didn't mean for it to happen. It wasn't to spite Rhine or even to prove to myself that Henry's friendship was valid, it was more because I needed reassurance, the kind of comfort I could no longer find among my own people.
There was Mars, but I sensed his position was more neutral than anything. He didn't share the belief that had driven us to interact with the Etrallia in the first place: that we could all get along and also gain something in the process. Maybe he wished it were true, but he didn't truly believe it. I feared he and Rhine weren't the only ones. I feared we were all beginning to lose faith.
Beside me, Henry stirred. He heaved himself into a sitting position with a cross between a groan and a growl and peered down at me.
I smiled meekly. "Good morning."
He inclined his head. "Happy waking."
It was an interesting phrase, necessarily devoid of any particular time of day, perfectly suited for the timelessness of space. Still, I couldn't help wondering if it truly did bring him joy to wake and find me in his bed. Awkwardly, I threw off the solar blanket, still wearing my clothes from the night before, now crumpled from sleep.
Henry watched me as I rose. What was he thinking?
I hadn't the slightest.
I guess that's what you get when you befriend an Etrallian.
Quickly, I tugged at my wrinkled blouse, smoothing it into place.
This was absurd.
I had fallen asleep in his bed, nothing more. It hadn't been intentional and yet here I was thinking like a human.
I laughed, nervously. "If you could just give me a minute." I dragged a hand through my mussed hair and shuffled toward his washroom.
"Certainly." Henry nodded graciously.
I knew nothing about how intimate relationships worked among their species. Given all Etrallian reproduction took place in a controlled laboratory, I was probably obsessing for no reason. Still, Henry had never mentioned any kind of lover or companion. For all I knew, they didn't exist. Sharing a bed could be as simple an interaction as sharing a protein bar in the mess hall.
"Lena."
I jumped. Henry's face crinkled in surprise. He took a step back. "If you need anything..." He glanced around the washroom with something like a self-conscious eye.
"Oh, this is quite sufficient. I'll be right out."
He gave me a nod and retreated.
At least I knew how to work the wash basin. The Etrallia didn't have anything that resembled a shower. I supposed it was for the best given their current water situation. Wouldn't want to be wasting precious gallons on hygiene when people were dying. Not that they required much along the lines of hygiene. Given their reptilian bodies, they weren't likely to produce any kind of sweat. I wondered whether they found humans quite repugnant for this reason.
After splashing a small handful of water on my face, I examined myself as best I could in the shiny reflective wall. The Etrallia weren't much for vanity as far as I could tell, but there was something universal about the need to see oneself, the curiosity of watching one's own reflection.
To my own eye, I looked tired. Weary, perhaps, but no worse for wear. With all luck, I'd be able to stop by my quarters before reporting to the Committee back on Earth.
I emerged from the washroom feeling better than I had the night before about the Etrallia's prospects. Major Rhine was only one man. There were more than thirty representatives on the Committee, from countries far and wide. Surely, their opinions would vary as well. They might even let me say a few words. I didn't need to argue the Etrallia's case for them, only to present the facts. Together, we were better off.
I found Henry pacing. He tried to hide it, but the nervous shuffle started as soon as I returned.
"Well," I shrugged, palms out. "This is it."
Henry straightened.
"Don't worry," I assured him. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure your people are heard."
His gaze was serious, his voice solemn. "I know, Lena." In one large stride, he crossed to me, placed a gentle hand on my forehead.
I smiled as I raised my own to place against the side of his head. He felt warm. Firm and alive. "I'll be back, my friend."
He chuckled. "You always come back."
"Today won't change that." I said it too earnestly, perhaps. In truth, it was impossible to know what would happen next. It wasn't my decision to make. For all I knew, I could be banned from the ship for not returning on schedule last night. His people may have had strict rules, but my punishment could be severe as well, especially where our people's welfare was concerned. Hopefully, Mars had explained my absence for me.
"I must go."
Henry withdrew his hand, our moment of affectation past. "Go now, Lena of Earth. I'll await your return."
That was the last moment of harmony we shared. That was the moment he should have warned me.
5
Decisions
MARS
The answer was no.
I tried not to look at Lena as the revelation of the Committee's decision began to sink in.
We'd entered this room, somewhere in Washington D.C., with the knowledge that today, a decision would be made.
This decision would affect the destiny of the Etrallia as well as our own. It wasn't a decision just for us, it was a decision for all of mankind. That's where the Committee came in.
In order for a motion to pass, it had to be voted on by
a coalition of approximately thirty countries who'd sent representatives to the Summit. Majority ruled, but the more the better.
I'd just resumed my seat next to Lena when someone called for a vote.
From where she sat on the panel at the front of the room, President Burgess looked surprised. This Summit was supposed to last all day, but it was barely early afternoon.
Rhine glanced back at me. He was seated next to General Wilkerson and the rest of the military team. He gave me a small nod.
I'd spoken about the potential benefits of the Etrallia's water purifier. Standing there before our world leaders, I'd explained how being able to use the machine for even twenty-four hours, could literally save lives. It wasn't rocket science. I'd given them cold, hard facts based on Curran's data. Whether they trusted it was a whole other story.
They were here to discuss how to proceed. The rest of us were here to merely share information when necessary. After that, we could only observe and hope for the best. That's what I was doing when they called for a vote. I'd expected some discussion, maybe some back and forth as people argued issues. Instead, they voted no.
We did everything we could. We shared everything we knew, shared our views, our advice, and most of all we shared the true story.
But these were people who had never met the Etrallia. Presidents and Prime Ministers, career politicians and elected officials. They were used to dealing with potentially hostile countries. Not potentially hostile aliens.
The Committee wasn't concerned with my estimated number of lives saved. They were concerned only with the number of lives we could lose should the Etrallia decide to seize the upper hand.
"How many would suffer?" The U.K.'s Prime Minister asked.
It was a valid question. One that had no definitive answer.
I suppose they were right to be cautious. I, myself, couldn't guarantee something like that would never happen. I'd seen Zubeida look at us sideways one too many times not to see that as a potential possibility. Not all of the Etrallia liked us. This was true. Still, it devastated me to realize we'd never have a chance to try. We'd never get a chance to be allies because the Committee had denied the Etrallia's request for immediate ocean access.
Our alien neighbors wouldn't die of thirst. Not yet. But they would not take this lightly.
I was still trying to avoid looking Lena in the face.
LENA
I had to find Henry. He should hear it from me.
I'd pretty much begged the President to ask the Committee to reconsider, but she'd explained for the last time that the decision was out of her hands. Majority ruled and it wasn't her role to make this choice for the entire planet.
In other words, we were screwed. The Etrallia were screwed and we would be soon.
The next day, instead of packing up my supplies in the med bay, I deliberately set out for Henry's quarters. When no one answered the door, I figured he must be working. At first, I thought it was strange that he didn't meet us at the loading dock. Now, I worried he'd already heard the news. Refusing to accept this, I decided to try the lab.
As I made my way through the main corridor, an Etrallian politician looked at me sideways. I was so surprised by the eye contact, I nearly stumbled over my own feet. Not once since arriving here had the heads or politicians paid us any mind. They all seemed content to ignore human beings so long as we were content to ignore them. He stared as we passed each other and I sucked in a breath of air, frozen for a moment. He disappeared around the corner a second later and a wave of relief washed over me.
I arrived at the lab a little out of breath.
"Henry," I called tentatively, my voice echoing throughout the space. The lab was utterly empty. If Mars had been here, he must have already left. Which didn't make any sense, actually. He was supposed to be gathering our samples, packing up whatever we had a legitimate claim to before returning to the pod.
I ventured past the workbenches and microscopes to check the room hidden in the back.
The second laboratory was unusually dark, faint illumination coming from an exterior window full of stars. The machines glowed green and yellow in the dimness, allowing me to see the outline of their shapes as they whirred and hissed.
Through the shadows, I could make out a strange contraption. A wire of some sort stretched from wall to wall with large sacks hanging from it. On the floor, a large vat gurgled and churned, black liquid sloshing inside. Tubes fed into the vat on all sides, directly linked to the sack-like objects up above.
"Lena."
I jumped, clenching my fists, fingernails biting into my palms.
Gillis stepped from the darkness, amber eyes aglow. "What brings you here?" His gaze traveled my length and then settled on my face. His lips curved into a genuine smile.
It took me aback. The last I saw him he'd been spewing venom about the selfish nature of human beings. Now, he seemed calm and collected. It spooked me more than all the Etrallia politicians combined.
"Where's Mars?" I choked back my fear and met his eyes. "Have you seen him?"
Gillis inclined his head. "Indeed." He leaned back, resting his arms on the table.
"Do you care to share when you saw him?" If he was in the mood to play games, I wasn't biting.
Gillis shrugged. "You just missed him. It's a shame, really. He left in a hurry."
I raised an eyebrow. Did I trust him to tell me the truth? I peered deeper into the room as if expecting to find my friend gagged and bound. I looked closer and my hands grew cold. That's when I realized what the sacks were.
My heart kicked in my chest as my mind struggled to comprehend what it was seeing.
They weren't sacks, they were bodies. Human bodies. Strung up like animals, heads dangling limply toward the floor. The dark liquid coursing through the tubes...
It had to be blood.
My jaw dropped without my permission.
"Not the most effective method." Gillis watched me impassively. "But it does do the job. You should see the first few rounds." He shook his head slowly. "Disastrous."
I couldn't reply--couldn't think. Was he draining them? Their blood? With effort, I schooled my racing thoughts. A human body was nearly sixty percent water. And this was a mad scientist I was dealing with. A desperate scientist who probably thought he was saving his people.
"You're a monster," I breathed.
Maybe they weren't the wisest words to utter aboard an alien ship. But if any person--any living being--could do this and feel no remorse, it was the appropriate word. I didn't care that my people had refused them access to our oceans. I didn't care that they'd come in peace and wanted to work together. For a moment, I didn't care that they were on the verge of extinction.
My people were hanging from a wire in an Etrallian laboratory. Murdered. Lifeless. For an experiment that wasn't likely to save any more lives than it would take.
Gillis had made a choice. For all I knew, the whole Etrallian fleet had made a choice.
They'd chosen themselves. They'd chosen Etrallia. And if we weren't already at war, we were now.
"Curran won't be pleased." My voice sounded numb to my own ears.
Gillis laughed. "I have nothing to hide." He gestured to his contraption. "Run and tell him. You'll find I'm not the only one who feels this way."
I couldn't believe him. Curran would never condone such drastic action. Not even after we'd failed him. He didn't want war any more than we did because he knew as well as anyone how it would end. The Etrallia would lose more of their people than they could afford.
For us, it would be self-defense. For them, it would be a last stand. Maybe the very last.
I ran.
I should have stayed and checked every face to make sure what Gillis said was true. I should have looked for Mars but instead, instinct took over and I ran for the pod.
Mars had to be alive. He had to.
And I had to warn the others. If I could make it back to Earth in time--
I rounded the
corner outside of the mess hall and collided with a wall. A tall, hard, Etrallian wall.
"Lena!" Wide arms encapsulated me and I immediately pushed against them.
"Let me go!" Roughly, I fought my way out of the embrace. The face above me was more familiar than any of my team. I took a firm step back all the same.
"I've been looking for you," Henry explained, his antenna twitching madly.
His agitation did nothing to soothe my nerves. He reached for me again, clearly concerned, but I stopped him with a hand.
"No." A dark anger clawed its way into my stomach. My blood still running hot, I looked Henry in the face. "We offer you water," I said slowly, "and this is how you repay us?"
Henry said nothing.
I wanted him to speak. To deny he knew what I was talking about.
He didn't.
For a second, I couldn't breathe. I tried to step around him, but he shifted, blocking my path.
"Lena."
"Let me through," I said firmly, voice rising.
"Lena, what is this about?"
"What is this about?" I snapped. "Gillis is running human experiments. That's what this is about!"
Henry glanced around as if worried someone might overhear.
I didn't give a damn about his discretion. "We try our best to help you and you let that maniac murder my people." Now I really was yelling.
Henry pulled me further down the hallway and leaned in close. "I didn't know, I swear to you."
The hard metal of the wall dug into my back. "Bullshit."
Henry blinked, not understanding. "He is a scientist."
"As am I," I shot back. "But I haven't been experimenting on your people like I stumbled upon a bunch of space rats."
"It is only him, Lena. But if what you say is true, then you must know he will not stop. He will get what he wants."
I shook my head. This was everything that could possibly go wrong. And yet it wasn't entirely unexpected, was it? God, I was a complete idiot.
"I was warned this would happen."
I slipped away from Henry and made for the loading dock. There wasn't a minute to waste.