The sun was still high in the sky on the other side of the continent as the golden ball settled onto its struts in the grass across the road from the top-secret safe house.
General George Ba-kerga came out and stood on the edge of the road as the hatch opened and ramp appeared. Considering the recent events in Capital Park, which he had followed closely on television, he guessed there would be no more fly-overs by military jets.
Brian emerged slowly, Priscilla’s bloody, torn body in his arms.
George thought he would take this moment like a soldier, but instead he felt the world start to wobble under his feet.
During the next hour, Priscilla’s body rested in the grass not far from the ship. Those who had once come to this place three times a week to learn from her, and the orphaned boy she had married, all stood or sat in a circle around her silent form. Words of farewell were muttered, with long stretches of silence between. George came and went, dealing with his own feelings, and his responsibilities, as best he could.
Ashley decided this was a time to give the people of Ko-tera Three their space, so she asked the crew, specialists, Daphne, and Alex, to stay in the ship.
Two or three at a time stood in the open hatch to pay their respects.
Eventually, the full heat of afternoon arrived and flies began to find all the blood and sweat. George noticed. “Brian, you can bring Priscilla inside. I’ve
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called the base for a refrigerated unit, and it should be here soon.”
The young man sat in silence a little while longer, then gathered Priscilla’s lifeless form into his arms again. The team was slowly crossing the road when Ashley dashed up behind them. “Susan Bo-kamla?”
The psychologist turned around. “Yes?”
“I realize this time of grieving, but I informed that your work be very important to world years to come, and so we offer you a year advanced training. If you wish this to do, must come with us this time.”
Susan stood pondering the situation. Lisa, having overheard, stepped to her side to silently offer what support she could.
“I guess . . .” Susan began tentatively, “. . . I’m the best person to . . . carry on Priscilla’s work . . . in some ways.”
Ashley remained attentive, but neutral.
After another minute of thought, the psychologist dug into her shoulder purse. “Lisa, here’s my keys. My appointment book is on my desk at home, and about a dozen clients need to be cancelled. Brian will be able to take care of everything with Priscilla’s money, but help him out a little. He might forget to pay the water bill, or . . . who knows what.”
Lisa nodded. “The team will continue to meet, and I’ll make sure he’s okay.”
The two women embraced in the middle of the rarely-used back road, in front of the top-secret safe house. Colonel Lisa Ka-markla followed the others into the facility where she worked, and Doctor Susan Bo-kamla walked beside Ashley back to the ship.
Those in the facility were too focused on their own concerns to notice, a few minutes later, the golden sphere silently float upward into the sky.
At zero-seven hundred the following morning, Lisa managed to wake Brian where he slept on some floor pillows beside Priscilla’s temporary refrigerated coffin. She got him into a shower and clean clothes, then dragged him out to Susan’s car, the only one still parked in the grass on the far side of the road.
Doctor Richard Tu-feltin, the blind historian, and Doctor Tanya Po-morna, biologist, were already waiting on Susan’s porch, anxious to learn whatever
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they hadn’t been able to glean from the radio or television. Sam arrived a few minutes later, followed closely by Sarah and Malcolm, then Larry. John soon pulled up in his rented car, Chris and Betty carpooled, and lastly George came in his own car, declaring he had found a sergeant with enough intelligence to answer the telephone.
With Brian not yet ready to think, much less cook, the others scrounged in the kitchen until they found enough packaged pastries, bread, butter, instant coffee, and cans of juice to get them started.
“Session Seventy-Three,” Sarah said, note pad in her lap.
They all looked at each other.
Eventually Betty spoke. “This is very uncomfortable. Our leader . . . our heart . . . is missing.”
Sam nodded. “We might be tempted to quit meeting, or meet very seldom, but Priscilla set events in motion that could go into high gear at any time.”
Malcolm coughed. “Yes, and the supreme irony is that the alien girl, or whatever you want to call her, would probably not have revealed their real purpose — preparing to evacuate other creatures — without Priscilla’s death.”
Sarah was taking notes furiously, trying to catch every word. “What did she say? Sentient creatures?”
“Sentient just means aware of the environment,” Tanya informed. “A worm is fairly sentient. She used the word sapient, which means self-aware or wise.”
After a moment of silence, George said, “I’d love to know who’s on that list.”
Larry cleared his throat. “There was a horse, a tiger, a large bird, a big snake, two dolphins, and a sea turtle on that platform with us.”
George nodded thoughtfully. “By the way, I have cleared Brian for the L-Six facility. I had to put down a reason, so he now has a job as a safe-house cook . . . if he wants one.”
“Thanks,” the young man said weakly from a pillow in the corner where he huddled with his arms around his knees.
A long silence indicated that the topic had run its course.
“I’ve been summoned to the capital to brief the president and Congress,”
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Sam revealed. “The courier came by the house just before I left.”
“Me too,” Sarah said.
“Yep, here too,” Doctor Chris Po-selem added.
“Malcolm, Lisa, John, Larry, Betty,” Sam began, “you’ll probably get summoned also. Couriers are probably at your houses waiting for you.
There’s a bright side to missing yesterday’s event, George, Richard, Tanya.”
The historian chuckled and the biologist smiled.
“We’ll be representing Priscilla, and everything she taught us,” Sam went on. “Some preparation time might be a good idea. The president will most likely have a different attitude after . . . yesterday.”
Everyone agreed with nods or words.
“After that, I’ll have to return to my assignment in the middle of nowhere,”
John announced with a tone of regret. “I’ll keep in touch by telephone.”
“Good,” Sarah said while rapidly taking notes. “We should also spend time just talking about what happened at Capital Park, for Richard, Tanya, and George’s sake, and just because there was so much that I’m sure no one caught all of it.”
“I’ll call for pizza about . . . eleven o’clock?” Brian proposed timidly from his corner.
Lisa looked at him, smiled, and nodded.