CHAPTER EIGHT
From inside the airbase hovering just above Novacadia's upper atmosphere, one could see the curviture of the planet and the swirls of weather fronts that looked like curls of steam on a pot of stew. The planet was covered seven-eighths by water and the rest was mostly jungle. Looking like green patches on an aqua globe, these land areas were few and far between. After the initial touchdown on their planet ten years ago, the humans had concentrated their searches only to the regions where life would be possible--namely, the temperate region around Communion. "Sir, the equipment has arrived from Earth."
General Garrison was in a bad mood and he'd had seven cups of coffee too many. When the young lieutenant had arrived at the doorway of his quarters, he'd smoothed back his tousled hair and glued a fake look of enthusiasm on his face. He had no patience for the young ones--they were overly confident and, in his opinion, full of themselves. "The new technologies we needed to scope out the planet?" he asked, trying to sound authoritative.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. It will help us in our search for the escaped Novacadian. We've scanned the North Forest, the plains and the mountains, and so far we've had no sign of her. Have your men installed it yet?"
"They've just finished. You can take a look for yourself." The Novacadian in question had not been a target for suspicion in the beginning. She was smaller than the rest, with tiny limbs and a frail posture. She had a habit of blending into the background. If there was any indication of the Novadians having personalities, hers would be meek and subservient. But when she'd escaped, all of the astronauts were baffled. All of the others who'd attempted to do so had first made some sort of violent outburst. She, on the other hand, had quietly slipped away in the middle of the night. In General Garrison's mind, that made her even more dangerous than any of the others. It showed quiet rebellion and intelligence that the others did not have.
The general peered onto his console and logged into the new system. He then began the precise steps needed to operate the new technology that he had been trained for back on Earth.
"Holy Mackerel," he said, as the green lights filled the console. The lieutenant had no idea what it meant.
"What does it mean, sir?"
The general, who was wearing only his shirt and pants, put his coat on. "Now, I'm not sure if this is correct," he said, straightening his collar. "But it's worth looking into. If this new technology is any good, then those green lights mean life."
"You mean...there are others?"
"That's exactly what I mean. Get your troops together, lieutenant. There's going to be a war."
In the cave, the festivities continued. Anthony noticed a sad note to their celebrations, as though they were hopeful and at the same time mournful. He looked at their faces, which looked so human. The main thing that distinguished their appearances from the humans was their huge, expressive eyes and blue-white skin. Even when they were experiencing great joy, though, they looked sad.
He was still shaken by the ceiling of the cave disappearing and then coming back, but to these creatures it was normal. He wondered what else, what other wonderful things they were capable of. He wondered what made Eve so special.
Eve opened her eyes at one point. "Anthony, there's going to be trouble."
"What do you mean?"
She looked worried, unusually so, and he realized with startling clarity that he could sense her emotions; he could sense her great concern.
"What's going to happen?" He heard his voice echo as though he were the only person in the room. If a human had been there, he or she would have thought that Anthony was crazy, talking to people who didn't talk back. But he could hear their voices without uttering a sound as clearly as though they were shouting them. But before Eve could answer him, sevral people approached her with garlands, wanting to take her to the dance floor. "What's going on? Tell me what's going on."
She peered over her shoulder as the group led her away. "Anthony, we're about to be invaded."
Anthony stared after her. "Who?" he breathed.
"Your men."
Anthony stood up, letting a garland of flowers drop to the floor. He followed her. When he caught up to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then we have to stop it."
"There's no way," she said. "There's no use frightening these people or getting their hopes up. Plus, they're about to join their families. It's what's meant to happen."
"Can't you leave the cave, run away?"
"There are too many of us. We will be seen. If we are not seen, your equipment will detect us. We have nowhere to go. Besides," she said, raising her hand, "they already know."
He gasped. "Is it because I came here?" he said. He looked down, feverishly throwing his gaze left and right. "I can't believe I was so stupid! I've just endangered all of you!"
She placed her hand on his. "It's not your fault. It was bound to happen at some point."
"But what about the prophecies? Aren't you supposed to, like, set them free or something?"
She looked at him seriously. "If that is meant to happen, then it will happen," she said, and then added, "even though I know you don't believe it."
Anthony snatched his hand away. "I hope you free them, Eve, but I don't wish that you die a horrible death. Honestly, I think it's cruel and ignorant. I'm sorry I can't have respect for your...er...religion, but that's just how I feel."
She kissed his cheek. "Dance with me, Anthony."
"Right before you're taken back into custody?"
"I won't be able to when I'm a slave."
"Human beings would never refer to this as slavery, you know."
"I know. It's for science, right?"
Clasping her small hands and pressing his body against hers, the last thing in the world he would have thought he'd be thinking about right now was the fact that Novacadians didn't have sex. But her smell was so clean and intriguing--a mixture of sage and something similar to lavender--and her body was so light and graceful, that he had to close his eyes to savor the feel of her in his arms. Sex with an alien. Now there was a thought.
He realized with abruptness that Eve probably knew what he was thinking about, since she had done so before, but suprisingly, he didn't care.
What surprised him most was that he ended up caring so much about the welfare of these aliens, who, only hours earlier, he knew so little about, and with what amount of passion, too.
When he was a little boy he had a "Mars Attacks" poster hung up on his wall. If only he had known, then, that the little green men would turn out to be an intriguingly beautiful woman.
"You have bravery, Anthony," Eve said, as they were dancing. "Perhaps your dream was not an accident after all."