Adios Amigo

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  The instructor came to stand in front of Jose. He said, "Jose are you ready?" All Jose could do was blink and then a box like thing dropped down from the ceiling stopping about six inches from his face. Two eye like circles stared back at him like a dead statue with blank eyes.

  The instructor had his hand a remote control and pushed a button. Two lights came on shining directly into Jose's eyes. The instructor said, "You can blink all you want Jose, but always look at the light."

  Jose tried to say something but only a croak came out. He blinked a few times and then the light was slowly changing colors. He was becoming hypnotized with the kaleidoscope of colors. He relaxed and began to enjoy the sensation. He felt his mind working quickly as pin pricks of needle like points tickled his brain.

  Then as quickly as it began, it stopped. Jose was released and after a few seconds regained his balance. Alin came over and asked him, "Well Jose, how did you like your first morning at school?"

  Jose said in Tosthoc, the native language of Posthoc, "I feel fine Alin. My head feels full, but somehow I feel stronger than before."

  "We decided to accelerate your learning so you could catch up with our age group. In a week or so you'll be on your way. Meanwhile, let's go get some lunch, I'm hungry."

  Jose wasn't the least hungry and his head hurt something awful. Strange words were flying through his mind mixing with his own language. He followed Alin to the cafeteria. Angkie waved and smiled at him. Jose, weakly, waved back. She stared at him and then sat down with her friends.

  Alin doubled up on his lunch sharing with Jose. He said, "Sorry about that session this morning, but you must endure to catch up. The head pain, they tell me, goes away eventually. Now let's eat so we can make it through this afternoon's session. Jose groaned just thinking about it. He did his best to eat, but he had no appetite.

  The afternoon session was a repeat of the morning. Jose tried his best to endure the growing head pain, but when he opened his eyes, all he could see was a rainbow of colors floating by. Why they are doing this to me, he wondered. Is it that important that I succumb to severe pain? The pitiful garden in Mexico was starting to look good to him.

  (((((())))))

  Two weeks later Jose thought his head would explode at any minute. He couldn't get out of bed. Every muscle in his body hurt and every time he raised a thought, a mountain of information would flow through his mind; along with a pain that hurt beyond imagination. The only way he could stop the pain was to not think. However, thinking was what this race wanted. New ideas were encouraged and experiments were funded with state money. It became clear to Jose that this planet and its culture were in severe competition with other worlds to reach the top or to main the top of the list.

  The instructor had told him that he was chosen to infuse new thoughts and ideas into the Posthocins position in this solar system. It was expected of him to lead a new team of idea people forward and there wasn't a lot of time to waste. That's why they pushed Jose so hard.

  Jose had no idea what they were talking about. The information that was boiling in his brain needed organization and some kind of order. Jose thought it would never happen, but it took a girl to belay his fears and to make sense out of nonsense. Her name was Angkie and she came to his rescue.

  At lunch time Alin, Jose and Angkie sat talking over trays of food. Jose had determined that fish was the main food of choice for Posthocins. He found it tasty and enjoyable; no matter if his head felt like the weight of the world was upon his shoulders. Angkie said, "Jose, after school today let's meet at the Center to put your mind in some kind of logical order."

  "Any help I can get would be welcome," said Jose.

  "I've an idea," said Alin. "Let's do this mathematically by computer. I think once we set up a program, it will all fall in place."

  "Yes, I agree. But we need to release the information a small amount at a time and let Jose view it," said Angkie. She drew a picture on her metal tray and suddenly the drawing made sense to Jose.

  "I think I've got it," said Jose jumping up and down with glee.

  Across the cafeteria, Alto had been watching this Jose alien with ever increasing anger. And now he had his girlfriend Angkie helping him was just too much to swallow. He strode over to their table and said, "Angkie I need to talk to you please. This romance with an alien from a primitive place is not going to happen to me. You're my girl and let's get that straight Jose whatever your name is."

  Angkie had been taken by surprise and then shocked at what Alto said. Jose was even more shocked as most had been friendly and helpful; with the exception of that teacher. Jose caught most of the words, but still wasn't sure how to put it all together.

  Angkie stood up and faced Alto saying, "First of all I'm not your girlfriend Alto. Where did you ever get that idea anyway? Second of all, we're supposed to help others and especially aliens who come here to live and learn our way of life. Now you're here making a big thing of nothing. If the Seniors here about this you're dead meat Alto. I can see you now, underneath the boat cleaning fish for the rest of your life."

  Jose had it figured out and he stood up towering over Alto. He outweighed him by twenty kilos or more. Jose clinched his fist and then Alin stepped in saying, "Okay relax everyone. We'll have the power weights here next if weren't careful. Alto take a hike before Jose here rearranges your mouth."

  "Okay, I'm gone but this is not over yet. Jose best keep an eye out," he said over his shoulder as he scurried from the cafeteria.

  "Pay no attention to him Jose. We have to get your ready and that takes precedents over bad manners," said Angkie. As they were walking back to class that confrontation made Angkie think about Alto and his friends; especially if they decided to harm Jose not physically but mentally.

  (((((())))))

  Among other things, Jose learned the days, weeks, months and years according to the Posthocins calendar. Their week was eight days long. Thirty two days in a month. Sixteen months and a year were five hundred twelve days. That was the time it took for Posthoc and Hocpost to go around their sun. He was to learn more later about their solar system, but for now that was sufficient.

  Jose had been in his new home for two months and had almost forgotten about the confrontation with Alto. The three of them, Jose, Alin and Angkie were at the shopping plaza looking for some software for Jose to use in his studies. Angkie had drawn out on a computer program his learning progress by subject. Jose could see visually what he was packing around in his head. As he saw it, by subject and section, it locked into his mind in chronological order from beginning to where he was now.

  It was starting to make sense to Jose and he was happy about that end of things. They had what they came for when they walked out and literally bumped into Alto and his friends. Alto said, "Well, now, isn't this a cute trio of friends." Jose looked and at least eight boys were with Alto. Alin looked a little nervous, but Jose stood his ground.

  Jose said, "You know Alto you make a lot of noise when you have all your friends around. Back in my world, if we have a beef, we settle between each other. How about you and me step around back and have it out?"

  "You'd like that wouldn't you," said Alto. But not today Jose, but another time for sure. All eight scurried away laughing and pointing behind them.

  "We need to report him as us Posthocins don't act that way. We welcome new people with open arms. I'm really confused about this kind of attitude," said Alin.

  School ran for six days and then two days of home study. The only thing nice about home study was Jose wasn't subjected to the brain light machine. Thus he was free of headaches on the weekends. Angkie came over to Alin's house once in awhile to organize Jose's information overload.

  One part of Space Geography that was nice and helpful came when Jose could study his home planet Earth and its solar system. He compared the two for compare and contrast.

  Earth's solar system has nine planets, he found out. With a color monitor Jose could see that Earth was blue in col
or similar to Posthoc and Ergo. Posthoc and Ergo solar system totaled eight planets, all contained life forms. Jose discovered that the atmospheric condition allowed each planet to harbor life. Posthoc an Ergo were further to the sun than earth was to its sun.

  Earths solar system and its planets were much further away from each other than this solar system. In comparision, in Posthoc and Ergo's solar system all eight planets were as close to the sun as Mars was to its sun. Later when Jose went to space he could see that the planets surrounding the sun here were very close indeed to each other.

  When Jose began to learn economics he found that all of the planets in Posthoc's solar system traded heavily. It was then he wondered how the raw materials were extracted and how much manual labor went into the system. He was shocked when he found out much later in his studies.

  On Sunday, [day 8 of the week] the entire family took a space ride to show off their solar system to Jose. A tourist ship, not shaped unlike the fishing boat, left early in the morning and didn't return till late at night. Alin invited Angkie to come with along with Jose and his family. She accepted with a thin lipped smile and sparkling eyes that Jose was beginning to fall for.

  Because of the expense of space travel, the ship had a load of goods to deliver to another planet. Consequently, two military space ships would provide protection from marauding pirates. When told of this information, Jose got a little excited about the risk factor. Alin told him not to worry that it had been a long time since a pirate attacked a tourist ship.

  Inside the ship very comfortable chairs were provided for viewing out the bubble windows. All of the seating was sitting on moveable flooring that very slowly made a 360 degree circle for optimum viewing out all sides. And of course one only had to look up and the entire roof was glass revealed with a retractable metal roof. One floor down was a dining hall and the next floor down had sleeping beds to rent if you got tired.

  Jose was focused on the bubble that showed Posthoc and Ergo as they rose to space. It wasn't long until the next planet showed its blue - green form. Alin said "That's Pratinus and it's known for its abundant forests of trees."

  "I've never seen trees before," Jose said.

  "Just wait my friend. Time will come when we will visit this planet and see the manufacturing of wood products."

  Angkie said, "Some of the solar systems most beautiful furniture comes from here. The craftsmen here are centuries old and all harbor their own secrets.''

  All continued to stare out at the millions of stars and colorful planets. Their moving floor reached the other side of the ship revealing another planet off in the far distance. It was huge, Jose thought. Angkie said, "That's Lividus and as you can see it's a mix of black and blue color. That's because the oceans are blue and the mountains are black, because they're treeless. Minerals come from here. Some of the rarest stones are found here. The security is so tight you need an escort to land here."

  Jose thought that this would be the place pirates might attack a cargo ship. He asked, "Do pirates ever attack cargo ships coming from here?"

  Alin looked at Angkie and Angkie said, "It's been known to happen, but we don't hear about much. It's not published so the population doesn't worry. Military space ships are all over this place. You can't see them because they are cloaked; meaning invisible to us."

  "Really, is that true," Jose asked.

  "Yes Jose it's very true. Right now I'd bet there're at least three or four of our military space ships cruising around this big planet," said Alin.

  Jose was looking hard and then he saw a whitish flash appear near the planet. Then another one and then more; too many to count. Alin said, "Pirates and our military guys are in a battle with them. Look at the streaks of weapons being fired. Oh my………..look there…. a big ball of yellowish fire exploded!"

  "Do you think it was a pirate ship being destroyed," asked Jose.

  "I hope it wasn't one of ours," said Angkie. Angkie was sitting between Alin and Jose. Before he realized what happened she reached over and held his hand. He felt a hard squeeze and knew she was scared. He gently squeezed her hand back. Jose couldn't believe how nice it felt holding a girls hand for the first time in his life.

  The tourist ship made a sharp turn and then it happened. Jose felt a shudder go through the ship and the ship rang with alarms. Alin screamed and so did Angkie. Jose pulled her close to protect her not knowing what to do. From out of nowhere came oxygen masks to put on for safety. A voice came over the speakers, "Don't panic citizens. We've been hit by a weapon fired from a pirate ship. We're drifting in space. I'm sure a rescue ship will come soon. We sent our message of distress out already. Oh my, off the left side is a pirate ship. What could they possibly want from us?"

  Another voice came over the speakers saying, "This is the Expit and we'll board you in a few minutes. Hand over your cargo and we might let you go."

  "Alin said, "Pirates don't take prisoners. We're in trouble."

  End Part One.