AL Clark - Jonathan G. Meyer (good books for high schoolers txt) 📗

two shuttles. The captain decided he didn’t want to risk more than two with only four shuttles left after the meteoroid strike through the shuttle bay.

Planetfall was as before, with the ships falling through the clouds before dawn to land by the forest. One ship would carry the first four habitat modules.

A habitat module consisted of a six by six cube that self-deployed into a twenty-four by twenty-four-foot self-contained habitat. The cubes could be stacked or added end to end to construct whatever dwelling was required. The modules were multi-purpose, versatile shelters that would serve as temporary quarters until more permanent buildings were built.

On board the second shuttle was: Al, two security officers, Elizabeth, the town planner, and a crew of specialists on habitat construction.

Upon arrival, Al left one security officer to patrol the grounds and took the other to help deploy the two watchers. They programmed them to stay one-hundred and eighty degrees apart, and circle the perimeter of the construction site at an altitude of one-hundred feet. If a threat occurred, an alarm is sent to all the officer’s security pads.

Al issued specialized security devices to each officer the day they joined his team. The pads were small enough to fit in a pocket, and multi-purpose, with functions tailored for surveillance and communication.

The watcher alarm includes live video, audio, and details such as distance, size, temperature, and speed. Al felt better once they were deployed. Now they would know if anything tried to sneak up on them.

They tested the response of each watcher and then Al sent his officer back to help with the unloading. He decided to assist Elizabeth to install the satellite dish they would need to boost communication with the ship in orbit. She was busy unpacking when he arrived.

Al asked, knowing she was fluent in anything electronic, “Got any idea what you’re doing?”

Her answer was quick, “Well...I think this thing gets connected to that thing, and then you add this little spiral thingy to the side of that thing, um...Add a few wires and bingo; you have instant communication with a spaceship in orbit.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

Liz admitted, “It may be a little more complicated than that. I forgot to mention all the computer jargon.”

Al chuckled and asked, “Need some help putting the things together? I can help with that.”

“Sure—grab that box and follow me. We have to find an out-of-the-way clearing where we can do the install.”

The satellite needed a direct line of sight to the ship, and an elevated position to protect it from animals and signal blockage. They found a spot just inside the camp perimeter, far from the people constructing the habitats. Before they could begin to unpack, Al received an alarm. Something triggered one of the surveillance drones, and the device in his pocket was screaming.

The intruders also heard the alarm and ducked for cover. Al took his pad from his pocket and opened it to see what the watcher saw. A hundred feet away were two ‘people,’ hiding in the forest behind some bushes. The silent drone floated directly above them; invisible and unnoticed.

His radio squawked to life, “Come in Chief Clark. We just got an alarm, sir, and it appears you have company.”

His officers in the camp saw the same information he did.

Al whispered to the device, “I have the alarm. Maintain your positions. I’ll call if I need help.”

He did not need a lot of people rushing to their rescue.

Elizabeth whispered, “What do we do?”

“I’m not sure. What’s the protocol for first contact?”

“We are not ready for that.”

Al grimaced, “I don’t think we can wait until it’s convenient.”

“First contact has to be done very carefully, by trained people. In other words, anything you say can be taken wrong and sometimes with dangerous results—maybe we can sneak away?”

“I don’t believe that’s wise. I’m pretty sure they saw us—as well as heard us.”

“All right Al, but we can’t say anything more than we have too.”

Together they stood up, walked to within twenty feet of the bushes where the others were hiding, and waited until the natives acknowledged them. Al could only take it for a minute or two before he finally said, “Hello...you can come out now.”

They heard a short, subdued conversation in another language coming from the bushes, and two heads slowly poked above the greenery. Hesitantly, they stood up and came from behind the bushes, and immediately fell to their knees. Some fruit dropped from the baskets they were carrying which they hurriedly replaced. They were obviously scared.

Al held up his hands in what he hoped was a universal gesture of friendship, and they cowered even more. They were not just scared; they were terrified. Al knelt beside them and motioned for them to stand up. They grabbed the baskets and stood, holding the offerings out.

They were clearly humanoid and young. A little short by human standards, with the tallest one standing only about five-six, and the other a little shorter. They had long dark hair and dark eyes, were dressed in skins and furs, and carried pointed spears. The tall one had a belt over one shoulder fashioned from something resembling alligator skin.

It became apparent the taller one with the beard, was male, and the other female. If the two aliens were cleaned up, they could easily pass for humans.

Elizabeth and Al had a short discussion and decided it is only proper to trade a gift for a gift, so Al asked if she had anything to trade in her pack.

“I do have some chocolate.”

Al couldn’t help himself. “Does every woman carry spare chocolate with them?”

“Umm...sometimes?”

“I’m just kidding. Chocolate is perfect for this situation. Let’s trade.”

They each accepted a basket and Liz, in turn, handed each of the natives a bar of chocolate and pantomimed eating them. Their faces lit up, and they went back down on their knees. The two humans just shook their heads. This was not how they had imagined first contact would go.

Al thought it necessary they find out where the two lived. The natives watched spellbound as he knelt down and drew a rough plan of the valley in the dirt and explained his makeshift map.

“This is the forest. Over here is the river. Up there is the mountain.” He pointed to them and then the map and asked, “Where do you come from?”

When the aliens figured out what Al was trying to ask, they pointed at a lower portion of the mountain while shaking their heads up and down. It seemed the gesture for yes was universal.

“That would explain how they knew we were in their valley, Liz. From where they live, regardless of our precautions—they saw us coming.”

What do you say to two strangers from another world that can’t understand a single word you say? You stand around smiling and nodding your head—a lot. Al knew there were experts on board Excalibur that would know just what to say. They were people trained for this kind of thing and spent most of their lives dreaming about it. Al also recognized that first contact, done incorrectly, could result in all sorts of accidental damage.

Al pointed at the natives, then the spot where they said they came from, and told them with a big smile, “Go home...you...go home.” Liz followed his example, and eventually, the two young natives started bowing and slowly walking backward. The humans smiled and nodded their heads until the natives were perhaps thirty feet away, at which point the first alien race ever seen by humankind turned and raced home.

Al and Liz watched them until they were out of sight, shook their heads a few times, and immediately returned to installing the satellite dish. They needed to call the ship as soon as possible. The captain needed to know about this impromptu meeting.

****

KIRA THE GIRL, AND Toji, the guy with the beard—ran. They were good at flight; having learned to run not long after they could walk. It was already late in the day, and they had to be Home before dark. However, there were daylight dangers in the woods, so they slowed a little as soon as the star gods were left far enough behind.

From the time they were little, they were taught to move swiftly and silently through the forest. On this occasion, the two young natives excitement overrode their training, and they couldn’t stop whispering. Their first meeting with the Kuthra had gone well, and they were coming back with gifts. The elders would be pleased.

Kira and Toji were specially picked to deliver the tribute due to their skills in the woods and were only expected to drop the baskets nearby and quietly slip away. The fact that they actually spoke to a Kuthra was beyond their wildest dreams.

The Sansi tribe watched the humans arrive and depart on their first visit in their remarkable flying machines. When the gods returned, the elders were convinced The Prophecy was coming true; where mighty gods came down from the star in the sky to help defeat the ‘Riktors.' The prodigal saviors were coming to help them.

Kira and Toji scrambled up the path leading to their caves on light feet as the sun was setting, and so engrossed in their discussion that they almost ran into the crowd awaiting their return. The tribe hurried them into the main cave entrance and blocked it off with large, heavy boulders. They no longer left it open and posted guards, as posting guards outside—at night—usually ended badly.

The mountain was naturally riddled with caves, and this section was the indigenous people’s homes. Over time, they systematically blocked all but a few entrances and made the mountain a safe place to live. In the past, hundreds lived here. Now, they were down to a few dozen.

They called themselves Sansi. Every person on Tiera—the native name for Avalon—were Sansi. Except for the Kuthra, of course, who came from the star in the sky.

There were no wars between Sansi for they were all too busy hiding from the Riktors. The beasts would suddenly appear and take their children, or kill the adults, and then take their children. They were the creatures that came in the night and a part of the natives’ nightmares.

The Sansi elders watched the star that brought the gods for many cycles, and the elders had predicted that one day they would come to save the Sansi. The natives could not go outside to see the star at night, but it could be seen moving across the sky through small holes in the upper part of their cave. It was a special star, and many prayers had been addressed to it.

Kira and Toji’s friends and relatives surrounded the two tribute deliverers, and when they were safe inside, they brought out the chocolate that the Kuthra had given them. They put their hands to their mouths and said in their tongue, “You eat it. It is food.”

The senior before them accepted one of the chocolate bars and carefully opened the wrapper. He smelled it, broke off a tiny piece, and with a wince, put it into his mouth.

His face transformed into one of delight, and he proclaimed, “It is the food of the Gods!” The Sansi cheered.