Operation Earth

by Maria Hammarblad

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Come here.”

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and ambled back the way they came.

  “What was that?”

  “That was the full power of the Ancients. Talking to one of them isn’t so bad, but these chambers channel all their energy. In there, all their minds work as one.”

  “What?”

  “I never thought I would experience it.”

  The explanation made her feel even more confused.

  “What does it all mean?”

  “You are now a member of the United Galactic People’s Republic, and thus, your home planet is protected. It must be assimilated through peaceful means and negotiations, and cannot be conquered. All attacks will cease immediately.”

  Peaceful means? That sounds great; if this is all it took we should have done it long ago. A member of the United Galactic People’s Republic? I hope it doesn’t come with a bunch of new responsibilities. Life is hard enough to handle as it is.

  There were so many questions to ask, but she didn’t get around to formulating even one. Peter stopped walking again and fixed his eyes on her.

  “It also means you have your very own spaceman for all eternity. If I’m ever unfaithful to you, or misbehave, you have the right to kill me.”

  Say what?

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Not at all.”

  Oh my God, he just put his life in my hands. That’s not right.

  He cupped his hands around her cheeks.

  “You saved your world. We can iron out the details later.”

  Her mind was a mess of questions and thoughts, and she needed some time to sort it all out.

  That time would not be now.

  A woman clad in a long white robe hurried towards them. It was the first female invader Rachael saw, and she stared at the tall, thin alien.

  The woman’s hair was short and dark. Her eyes were the color of mercury. They seemed enormous, and if they had been knives they would have stabbed holes in both Rachael and Peter.

  She stopped just a step or so away.

  “Do you realize what you’ve done?”

  Rachael wanted to say, “No clue,” but this might not be the best time to tease people.

  Peter was the epitome of tranquility.

  “I do.”

  The woman moved too quickly for Rachael to react, hitting Peter straight over the face. The sound was high and sharp and made her wince. Her lover just rubbed his cheek.

  “Oh come now. I know you can do better.”

  She could and did. She hit him one more time, harder.

  The sound of the other woman’s hand striking her lover broke Rachael’s paralysis.

  “Don’t do that!”

  She didn’t expect her words to have any impact at all, but the other woman stared at Peter a moment longer, and took a step back.

  “As you wish. You are his one, and he is yours.”

  Is she grinding her teeth?

  “Thank you, Sweetheart. This is June, who coordinates the re-assimilation schedule. We just gave her a world of trouble.”

  He sounded detached.

  June... She sure doesn’t look happy. He had a relationship with June. Maybe it wasn’t as long ago as he pretended. I wonder if she wanted to be his One too, whatever the hell that is.

  They had clearly gone through some form of bonding ceremony, but if his life was at stake, she probably hadn’t realized the full extent yet.

  June shook her head.

  “It’s supported by the Ancients...”

  She fixed her cold, mercury-colored eyes on Rachael, who wished the floor would open under her feet so she could sink through it and out of sight. The relief she felt when June spun around and walked away was almost tangible, but short-lived.

  The other woman called over her shoulder, “You might as well come. I suppose she deserves to be there.”

  I don’t want to go.

  There had been enough of new experiences for one day. She wanted to sit somewhere familiar and try to puzzle everything together. Could she ask him to take her home?

  Peter already moved forward, and not following wasn’t an option.

  They passed many doors. How big was the ship? Did it ever return to their home world, or did people live out their entire lives on board?

  Ahead of them, a black furry animal ran across the corridor.

  Am I seeing things? Hallucinating?

  “I could have sworn I saw a cat.”

  Peter nodded.

  “A few of the men brought cats from the surface. They’re spreading.”

  On a spaceship. And this doesn’t worry you? At least it looked well fed.

  By the time June stopped, Rachael had seen more cats, and her feet hurt. If she’d anticipated walking like this, she would have worn better shoes instead of jumping into whatever sat by the front door.

  The entrance was large and gray, decorated with an iridescent web-like pattern.

  June stared at Peter. “You know the rules.”

  He nodded and pressed his palm against Rachael’s cheek.

  “I can’t go in there. Don’t worry. I’ll wait for you here.”

  She definitely didn’t want to go on her own, but the door slid open, and he pushed her toward it.

  How was this peaceful re-unification supposed to happen anyway?

  Chapter Thirteen

  June carried an aura of owning the world, and maybe she did.

  She sure wasn’t afraid of anything on the ship, and Rachael vowed to show herself a worthy representative of her people. Thoughts raced through her mind at supersonic speed.

  God help me, I want to run and hide behind Peter. Chin up, back straight. He wouldn’t let me go in here if it were dangerous. But how would he know? He said he’s never been here.

  A glance around the oval room revealed dark gray walls lined with a peculiar yellow pattern, reminding her of twigs in a tree. Fleshy stalactites hung down from the ceiling, forming a circle of chairs. A couple were empty, and they looked raw and organic. She wouldn’t sit on one of them if someone held a gun to her head.

  Along the walls were alcoves, much like the ones she’d seen in the corridor. All but one were occupied by women. Only their faces could be seen, the rest of their bodies were enclosed in the same creepy material that made up the chairs.

  This can’t be real. Maybe the aliens don’t exist. Maybe I can dream them all away, make everything back the way it used to be, and only keep Peter?

  Good idea, but it wasn’t a dream.

  June took a few more steps into the room, and one of the pods opened up. A woman with a shaved head sat up and blinked several times. Her scalp was covered with a blue and greasy substance. Her eyes were unfocused.

  “I never get used to the transition,” she whispered.

  “These girls connect to the ship. Together they control all its functions.”

  June’s explanation was feasible, but creepy.

  Interesting. I didn’t expect her to be nice or helpful.

  The woman with the shaven head found her footing.

  “All barrage cruisers are returning to base. We are ready for transmission to the leader of Theta Y.”

  June fixed her mercury-colored eyes on Rachael.

  “We were never able to figure out the name of your world’s leader.”

  “That’s probably because we don’t have one. There are two-hundred-something independent countries, and they have a leader each. Also, the name isn’t Theta Y, it’s Earth.”

  Being able to meet the other woman’s eyes and sounding cheeky filled her with a sense of accomplishment.

  “How unpractical. Very well. Pilot, activate viewers and prepare for transmission to Earth.”

  The pilot leaned back in her alcove again, and Rachael tried not to look as it closed up around her. It looked like the ship ate her, and as much as she didn’t want to see, it was impossible not to gawk.

 
They’re all women, I bet they’re bald to get better contact with the ship. I wonder why men aren’t allowed. Maybe they’re not as good as working in unity, or maybe there’s some difference between the male and female brain...

  One more thing to scribble down on her mental list of questions for Peter.

  Rachael averted her eyes from the alcove and looked at the wall instead. It blurred, and she squeezed her eyes together.

  Am I having a stroke or something? Maybe being in space isn’t good for me.

  It wasn’t her eyes. It was the wall.

  It flickered a couple of times and showed an image of the Earth rotating slowly, surrounded by large alien vessels.

  All the women around the room spoke as one, and the sound was eerie enough to make Rachael’s skin prickle.

  “Operation Theta Y relabeled Operation Earth. Transmission ready. Please proceed. Transmission ready. Please proceed.”

  June wrinkled her nose.

  Was it in disgust with the situation or the environment?

  “Talk to them.”

  “Who? Me?

  “It is your world, I suggest you say something... soothing.”

  Rachael stared straight ahead, her mind emptier than it had ever been before.

  Can they hear me now? Like, right now? I don’t know what to say.

  The silence was almost tangible. Great, no one else would speak until she did.

  “Ehm, Hi everyone. I’m Rachael, and I am one of you. I... I come from Boston, originally. Good news, we won’t be bombed to a pulp. More good news, these people aren’t bad if you give them a chance. They’re actually not that different from us.”

  They even have cats. I can’t say that, everyone will think I’m crazy. Maybe I am crazy. Will people recognize my voice? Maybe they’ll think I have a worm or something in my head making me say this. Okay, stop worrying.

  “I’m in one of their ships right now, and it’s creepy because it’s different, but different doesn’t mean bad. We’re all different too. I mean, familiar different, but they will be familiar too once we get used to them.”

  She needed to say something encouraging and comprehensible, but what?

  “I think something really good can come out of this. It’ll take time, but imagine if we can combine the best of our world with theirs. And... umm... please don’t shoot at the aliens.”

  Okay, now seven billion people are rolling their eyes at me for babbling incoherently.

  June smirked.

  “Thank you, Rachael. Citizens of Earth, as my counterpart so eloquently stated, if you do not fire at us, we will not fire at you.”

  *****

  Rachael carried her shoes in her hand when she left the bridge. Getting out of there was a relief. Were the pilot girls just like her at one point, blissfully unaware of a hairless future with goo on their heads?

  Peter waited outside, just like he promised. He looked like he was standing guard. Seeing him made her think about the strange ceremony they went through. It was overwhelming and made her shy.

  He said he was hers now. Did that mean she was his? It might not be that simple. This culture was complicated.

  “I just talked to the men I sent out for your mom. They say she’s a feisty lady.”

  It was a good distraction, somewhat easing the urge to fidget and blush, and Rachael laughed.

  “I can imagine. Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine. She didn’t exactly appreciate their company at first, but I thought it was for the best.”

  He shifted his gaze downwards to her hands.

  “Why are you carrying your shoes?”

  “Oh... They made my feet hurt. I’ll put them back on.”

  Walking without them was heavenly, but might break some alien taboo punishable by death. Taking them off had been stupid in the first place, but they squeezed her toes so much.

  She didn’t have time to move. He scooped her up in his arms.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m carrying you.”

  “No, you don’t have to do that. Let me down.”

  He walked down the corridor and sounded like he explained something to a child.

  “You are my One to cherish and protect.”

  “Well, you’re probably tired too, and I can walk just fine.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’ll carry you until I can walk no longer.”

  He sounds awfully amused.

  “But...”

  “No ‘buts.’ We can talk about it later.”

  She gave up and wrapped an arm around his neck. To be honest, resting her head against him felt pretty darned good.

  “Peter... I love you.”

  He flashed a smile.

  “I love you too. Are you okay?”

  Some days I can barely walk and talk at the same time, even without hauling another person around. He’s not even breaking a sweat. It’s like I weighed nothing.

  “I don’t know. This must be the strangest day ever. Are you?”

  “I’m fine. It is an unusual day, but I’m fine.”

  They met few people and no one even lifted an eyebrow at seeing Peter carry her. When they turned a corner, she thought the person coming their way wore some form of suit. It was a tall woman with dark blue skin and a cascade of green hair. Each strand ended with a feather.

  The skin on her face looked almost human, with golden freckles sprinkled over her nose, but further down it turned into a thick hide. Her arms were covered in feathers.

  She wore high-heeled white boots and a miniature white dress.

  The apparition lifted a webbed hand in greeting.

  “Ground Commander.”

  He nodded and continued down the corridor without missing a stride. The strange woman fixed Rachael with eyes as mysterious as the white cat’s that followed her, but didn’t say anything.

  “That’s an alien.”

  “I’m an alien.”

  “I know, but I’m used to you.”

  “Life took another turn on her world. She’s an engineer.”

  He stopped in front of a plain gray door that slid to the side when they came close. How did he know which door was which? They were all identical.

  He put her down on a hard bed in the middle of the room.

  “This is home. I have to go back to the surface, but it would make me feel better if you’d stay here for a while. Would you do that for me?”

  He has learned how to ask and get a yes. I hope I’m not supposed to stay here forever. If I want to go home, will he come with me? Maybe there isn’t a home anymore, maybe it was destroyed. Wait a minute, go? He’s leaving me here?

  There were too many questions, too much to deal with at once, and she pushed it all away. Thinking too much about it would send her headfirst into panic.

  “Okay... Do you have to go right now? Will you care for Bonbon?”

  “Of course.”

  The thought of Peter handling cat food and cleaning the litter box was hilarious enough to put a smile on her face. It would have been nice to turn into a fly on the wall to watch him. On the other hand, deeming from all the felines on the ship, maybe it wasn’t as strange as she thought.

  The world was peculiar, indeed.

  He sat next to her and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. His touch soothed her.

  “We’ll deal with everything in good time. For now, just know your world is safe. Make yourself at home, I have no secrets from you. Everything that’s mine is yours.”

  She sought his eyes, and his steady gaze soothed her worst fears.

  “Okay. Please hurry back, and take care of yourself.”

  It was much too easy to imagine him being shot by angry Earthlings. The surface would probably be volatile for a while. How long might it take before everything settled down?

  “I will.”

  Then he was gone, and she was alone in the alien spacecraft.

  *****

  Peter parked his vehicle outside the house where he dropped Er
in off a couple of days earlier.

  Looking her up wasn’t a good idea, but he needed help. Should he have told Rachael? No, she had enough stress without knowing what really happened to him during their time apart.

  He tugged at the uniform jacket and scrutinized the low blue building. Even at a time like this it was neat. She probably had a small army of housekeepers and gardeners.

  As likeable as she was, they might still be faithful, performing their duties.

  She was pretty shaken up when he dropped her off. Hopefully that had passed. He needed the cool businesswoman.

  Nothing moved when he climbed the stairs, but the door slid open before he had the time to knock. The black muzzle of a shotgun stared at him. Above it were a couple of bright blue eyes.

  “Go away.”

  “I need to speak with Erin.”

  The gun poked out a little further. He could probably grab it, but violence would be counterproductive.

  “I said, ‘go away.’”

  Erin’s voice drifted out. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s one of them.”

  This was taking too long.

  “Hey Erin, it’s me. Peter, I mean. I need to talk to you.”

  Running footsteps approached and the well-known warm female voice said, “What are you waiting for? Let him in.”

  The door finally opened. She wore a skirt suit and high-heeled pumps. Her nails and hair were perfect. Good.

  Meeting her eyes, it was hard to believe this was the same woman he spent so much time with, the same woman whose life he saved so many times. Was the connection between them still there?

  Erin eased his worries through throwing her arms around him.

  “Commander! I am so happy to see you!”

  The man with the shotgun looked about to faint. Where did Rachael’s people draw the line for infidelity? Hopefully, this wasn’t it.

  “I need your help.”

  “Anything.”

  She grabbed his arm and tugged him toward an inner room.

  “We need to find representatives for the Earth people. Someone the people on the street will believe in.”

  “You’re in the right place.”

  She finally released him and stepped over to a window.

  “Was that your Rachael I heard? On the transmission?”