The Strangers Read online

  With a gulp, I turned to meet our new escort. It was amazing how tall he was up close--nearly seven feet I guessed. It made me feel like a less than average human specimen. He stood like a sentinel in his plates of armor.

  He smiled.

  Or at least I think it was a smile. His lips pulled back from his pointed little teeth and his eyes widened.

  Rhine stopped abruptly.

  "Hello." He cleared his throat. "I am Major Rhine of the United States Army, a resident of Earth, and a member of the second envoy." He craned his neck to regard our new acquaintance. Rhine extended his hand and much to my surprise, the Etrallian guard took it.

  The Major managed to maintain his composure as the creature shook his hand heartily, claws inches from his wrist.

  "Mars." My other companion didn't step forward but he gave a little wave.

  The Etrallian's eyes lit up. "Like the planet. The red one."

  "Uh, yes." Mars scratched his head. "How did you know that?"

  "I've seen your star charts." He made a sound like a chuckle.

  Right. The first envoy had shared information with the Etrallia in order to kick off our new relationship. Afterall, if we knew their leaders, they surely knew ours. It wasn't unlikely they knew other things about us as well.

  "And what's your name?" I asked.

  The Etrallian smiled and made a strange sound that seemed to be in his own language. I fiddled with my comm device, wondering if it was malfunctioning.

  "It is a name in our ancient tongue," he explained. "The politicians have chosen Earth names, but I admit I don't have one yet. You may call me whatever you like."

  I thought for a moment. "How about Henry?"

  Mars shot me an incredulous glance. Rhine looked like I was embarrassing him or something. I ignored them both. Our new friend might not be a leader of the Etrallia, but we needed to be able to relate to him if we wanted to develop good relations.

  "Hen-ree." He tested the name in his mouth. After a moment, he nodded, satisfied. "Then I shall call you-" He spoke again in his ancient language.

  "Alright, then." I smiled brightly. "My name's Lena by the way."

  "Lee-na."

  "That's right."

  "Okay," Rhine said brusquely. "I believe you're supposed to be showing us the laboratories." He gestured to Mars and I. "These two are scientists."

  "Well, technically I'm looking for the medical station," I corrected.

  Henry inclined his head as if he had been given a direct order. "Please, follow me." He turned on his heel and led us out of the loading bay. We entered a series of corridors and he finally slowed his pace so we could keep up. For a creature of his size, I couldn't help but notice how quietly he walked, footfalls nearly silent on the metal floors.

  We passed by other Etrallians as Henry led us deeper into the ship. The ones dressed in fancy robes paid us no mind, but the others peered at us curiously before continuing on their way.

  I tried to keep track of the turns we made and what direction we were heading, but after the fifth turn, it was all but hopeless. It felt like we were going in circles and I wondered if we were lost. I tugged on Mars' sleeve and whispered my concerns to him.

  He frowned. "Either that or they don't build their ships around a grid layout."

  Entirely possible. A moment later, Henry slowed. We came upon a large glass wall, behind which sat what I assumed was the laboratory.

  "This way." Henry pulled open a heavy metal door and showed us inside. Large tables were spread out around the room, counters and desks filled with a handful of Etrallians at work on unknown projects.

  "This is where you'll be working." Henry posted himself against the wall. "I'm to be your guard whenever you're aboard the ship. Wherever you go, I go."

  "Actually, I'm their guard," said Rhine.

  I eyed the oblong object strapped to the side of Henry's thigh. It looked like it could be a gun. I wondered if Rhine had noticed it.

  "Two guards," said Henry.

  Major Rhine was still staring at him when another Etrallian approached us. He was wearing some kind of a lab coat. Grunting, he rested both arms on his hips and studied us speculatively. After a moment, Mars and I exchanged uneasy glances.

  Henry spoke in the old tongue and the lab coat glared. I wasn't sure how I could tell, but he didn't seem pleased. Henry spoke again, more harshly.

  "Gillis," said the lab coat.

  "Head Scientist," Henry explained.

  Reluctantly, Mars offered his hand.

  Gillis stared at it. He shot Henry an unreadable glance before narrowing his amber eyes. "I have much work to do." He strode back into his office.

  "Nice guy," said Mars.

  I managed to refrain from elbowing him in the ribs.

  MARS

  They left me alone and I was more than a little pissed about it. Even though it had been a week with no incidents, that didn't mean I couldn't use the company. Lena and Rhine were in the med bay, talking with someone named Kymera about Etrallian physiology and learning all sorts of good stuff. I was brooding about this while staring at soil samples under a microscope, when Lena burst into the lab, a little out of breath.

  "You've got to see this." She shoved a thin, cylindrical object into my hand. It looked like a tiny thermos, except open on both ends. I stared, perplexed. At least I wasn't alone anymore.

  "What is it?"

  "A miniature water purifier." She grinned. "This gadget can desalinate, chlorinate, all sorts of things."

  "Huh." I tipped the cylinder to peer inside. "No kidding."

  It hadn't taken us long to realize that the Etrallia were advanced. Actually, to say they were advanced would be an understatement. To us, advanced meant space-age tech like warp speed and holograms. As far as we could tell, the Etrallia had nothing like that, but they had contraptions for things we could never have imagined.

  "I just came across it in a drawer. Kymera explained what it was for and when I asked Henry, he said he wasn't sure. They've always had them lying around."

  "Well, that's useful."

  "Mars," she exclaimed. "Don't you see? If they make tiny devices like these, who's to say they don't have a larger one?"

  "You mean a water purifying plant." I considered the possibility. "On one of their ships?"

  Lena lowered her voice. "On this one."

  That's when our plan began to form.

  "You know what this means, right?"

  I nodded, comprehension dawning. If this was true, it changed everything.

  "We have to do everything we can to find it." Lena's eyes were darkly serious. "And we have to bring it back to Earth."

  I knew better than to call her crazy. Besides, she was right. If such a thing existed, the implications were enormous.

  "How are we going to find it?" Our only available source of information was seated in his office, studiously ignoring me. Here I thought all the Etrallia were interested in collaboration, but the scientist they called Gillis could make a puppy feel like a burden.

  I almost talked myself out of it, but the old guilt trip got me. It was the same thing that had dragged me back to a lab in the first place. There were people dying. Millions were counting on us whether they knew it or not. Besides, I was tired of looking at soil samples under a microscope.

  I quickly heaved myself across the room before I could change my mind. Bracing for Gillis's unnerving gaze, I knocked.

  When no one answered, I tried the door. Gillis turned as the door opened, a tablet in his hand. He said nothing, scrutinizing me through narrow eyes.

  I cleared my throat. "Er, could I ask you something?"

  He stared for another long moment and I tried not to look away from those dark vertical pupils. "I have no time for this, human."

  I was surprised to realize he was wearing his comm device. He seemed a bit of a rebel to me when it came to following protocol.

  "It'll be quick," I assured him. I leaned against the doorframe. "Those purifier devices.
Kymera showed us one and I was wondering...is that how it works here on the ship? Do you guys use a filtration system or is that only necessary if you're converting water you've found on a planet's surface?"

  Gillis put the tablet down. Even that innocuous movement seemed heated. "They told me you are a scientist." Now, I could tell. He was definitely angry. "Why ask about this engineering business?"

  I shrugged. "Curiosity."

  Gillis crossed his arms, a universally defensive stance. "I have more important things to worry about, Earthling. Go review the planetary samples. I'm sure you will find much to your amazement there."

  I couldn't tell if he meant this or if he'd resorted to mocking me. Either way, the conversation was clearly over.

  "Records," I murmured as we left Gillis to his work.

  "What?" asked Lena.

  Maybe I didn't need to ask for information. I wasn't a spy, I was a geologist. And it was time to do some digging.

  It wasn't a brilliant idea, but it wasn't too shabby either. After questioning one of Gillis's lab workers who didn't have a comm device or a clue what I was saying, I finally found the room where all the lab's files were stored. It took some super sleuthing skills, but I eventually found what I was looking for.

  "Some of the files were classified--scrambled or encrypted," I explained. "But it's not like I can read Etrallian anyway. The ones available had sample numbers attached so I did some recon. I'm pretty sure I can confirm those soil samples came from a planet with water." I grinned. "Saline water."

  Lena stole a glance at Rhine who was digesting this news in silence. "You've been spying."

  I couldn't decide whether he sounded disappointed or impressed. This was big. It could be everything. If a space-traveling race like the Etrallia had come across planets with oceans, then it stood to reason that they had some way of desalinating all that water--something larger than a couple of thermos-sized converters.

  "So, you're saying we go look for this giant water purifier without any idea which ship it's on or whether it even exists?"

  I shook my head. "Lena and I can't go looking. Someone will miss us, whether it's Kymera or Gillis. Even Henry."

  The Major shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me."

  "Charles," Lena spoke up. "This could mean saving thousands of lives."

  "You don't know that. Even if this thing exists, do you really think the Etrallia will just let us have it?"

  "Maybe we could borrow it," I suggested.

  "Or," Rhine lowered his voice. "They find out we're already dying and decide to take Earth for themselves."

  "Well, everyone's dying every day. Technically."

  Rhine glared daggers at me.

  "All you have to do is check this ship," said Lena.

  Since we weren't allowed access to the others, I figured this was a good call. Clearly, the Etrallia weren't keen on disclosing this information if Gillis's reaction was any indication.

  "It'll be big. In a large space, maybe like an engine room."

  "I still haven't agreed," Rhine protested.

  I slapped him on the back, good-naturedly. "We're talking mass amounts of hydrogen being distilled into clean drinking water. It'll probably be loud, too. That kind of machine would need a lot of energy powering it."

  "This is insane." Rhine ran a hand through his otherwise perfect hair. "Who's going to protect you two?"

  Lena shrugged. "We've always got Henry."

  Rhine looked like he might be sick.

  The Major left to search the ship right before we breaked for lunch.

  Then, he didn't return.

  It got so late that even Henry started to look suspicious.

  "How long has it been, do you think?" Lena whispered.

  "At least four hours." If he didn't hurry, Rhine was about to miss the last shuttle back to Earth.

  When we returned to the loading bay, we found the President discussing something with Curran over by our pod. Behind Curran stood two guards, clutching Major Rhine between them.

  I cursed under my breath. "Never send a soldier to do a civilian's work."

  "I didn't think they'd notice," Lena admitted. "Not with four dozen humans aboard the ship."

  "Well, they noticed alright." We slowed our approach. "Or Rhine tried something stupid. Either way, we're screwed." I chuckled mirthlessly. "Think we broke any Etrallian rules?"

  As it turned out, we hadn't. At least not officially. But that didn't stop Galentide, leader of the Etrallia from summoning our entire team to his Council Room the next morning.

  Needless to say, the President was not pleased.

  "Your people," boomed Galentide. "Are to remain in their designated areas. Humans in restricted areas of the ship will not be tolerated."

  We understood perfectly well.

  As I stood there practically shaking in my boots, I half-expected Galentide to lunge off the dais, claws wide, with the royal guard hot on his heels.

  It wasn't like we didn't deserve it. We'd invaded their privacy, after all. Just when Lena had convinced me we were saving lives, instead, we'd endangered them.

  We were exiting the chamber, well and truly reprimanded when an Etrallian caught up to us, blocking our way.

  I looked up, half-expecting it to be Henry but instead, it was Curran.

  He smiled, showing all his pointed teeth.

  "Forgive me," he said. "Galentide is only worried about the safety of our people. He doesn't want them to come to any harm."

  "We mean your people no harm." Rhine stepped forward. "Unfortunately, some humans have little restraint when it comes to our own curiosity." He looked pointedly at Lena and me.

  "We are the ones who should be asking forgiveness," the President agreed.

  Curran shook his head. "It brings me great happiness, you know. I have great plans for our forthcoming alliance. Great plans, indeed."

  Lena and I exchanged a glance. Was this guy serious?

  "Come, I have something to show you. I assure you, we have nothing to hide."

  If he wasn't second in command, I'm sure we would have assumed Curran was crazy. Instead, we followed him.

  We reached a large oval-shaped door, solid metal like it led to a vault. Curran ordered the guards to open the doors and we waited in breathless anticipation.

  "I don't suppose you'd gotten to exploring this part of the ship." I elbowed Rhine like he was a drinking buddy instead of active-duty military.

  The Major's face remained in his perpetually grim expression.

  "What did you do when they caught you?" I was still surprised this hadn't escalated into something far worse.

  "Pretended I was lost," Rhine grumbled.

  "That works."

  "We were just reprimanded by the king of an alien race," Rhine reminded me. "Apparently, it doesn't."

  "Okay," I admitted. "So maybe play up the confusion more next time." I leaned closer, studying Rhine's face. "And drop the frown. No one likes a sourpuss."

  Lena smiled.

  The doors groaned as they retracted into the ceiling. Inside was a space almost as vast as the loading dock, big enough to fit everyone onboard, I imagined.

  Translucent pipes lined the walls and twined around the catwalks like tangled vines. The tubes led to a vat in the center of the room, sealed off with metal bolts and covered with indecipherable symbols. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to be operational.

  Curran disappeared behind the vat. When he returned, he was clutching a metal cup which he offered to the President.

  Maria Burgess peered inside.

  "Water," said Curran. "But don't drink. Smell."

  The President took a whiff. She dipped a finger in the solution and tasted it. She smiled. "Like the ocean."

  "Saltwater?" Rhine took the cup to investigate.

  When he passed it to Lena and I, we confirmed their assessments. It was definitely a saline solution.

  "Now watch," said Curran.

  He shuffled to one of the tubes on the
floor, jimmied open a small canister, and dumped the water inside. Back by the vat, he pressed some buttons on a console and a low vibration filled the room.

  Lena clutched my sleeve as the vibration grew. Then, all at once the machine powered down and the room was as still as before. What had just happened?

  Curran withdrew the canister and poured the water back into its cup. Once again, he offered it to the President who took it mutely from his clawed hand.

  "Now, you may drink," he said.

  Maria Burgess drank. She took a single cautious sip. Then another, as if she couldn't quite trust her taste buds. By the third gulp, I was convinced.

  They'd done what we couldn't. They'd successfully created a large-scale desalination machine and for all we knew, they'd had this technology for years.

  Curran beamed--if you could call it that. In reality, he was showing his teeth, pupils wide. "Takes solar power and neutric energy."

  "Neutric energy?"

  "You do not have such technology?" Curran fiddled with his comm device as if he hadn't heard correctly.

  Major Rhine shot the President a sharp glance. I had no doubt the General would advise against sharing out weaknesses. But this was a turning point, more important than ego or imagined vulnerabilities.

  "We don't," President Burgess admitted. "On a much smaller scale, yes. But nothing that works quite so...efficiently."

  "I see."

  "Curran." I approached our host. "If I might ask, how many gallons of water can this machine convert at once."

  "Gallons?" Curran looked puzzled.

  Of course. The first envoy would have taught them the metric system. "What about liters?"

  Curran thought for a moment. "One hundred thousand, perhaps, but our engineers would know best."

  "And how much energy would you expend to purify one hundred thousand liters?"

  Curran shrugged. "Ten neutrinos approximately. Perhaps we'd dim the lights for a few hours, but the ship is quite capable of withstanding the expenditure."

  "Do you think you could introduce me to your engineers?"