"Let's imagine an extraterrestrial comes to ask you just one question."
"Which question?"
"You can come with me, on my ship. I'll give you the stars, space, and everything up there…"
"But?"
"But the only condition is that you can never return to your planet. Would you come?"
The conversation was becoming increasingly interesting. What had started as a boring wait had turned into a real philosophical debate. Skylar Hogan was in her second year of a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Anthropology. She'd never taken her driver's test, which is why she was still there, waiting for a bus that was always late. As usual, she was looking up at the reddish-blue sky, signaling the end of the day. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard when a young man, probably about her age, had started talking to her. He'd said his name was Sarek, “like in Star Trek,” she'd told him, but from his confused expression, she'd realized he wasn't familiar with the reference. What a shame.
He had continued to chat with her, asking for her first and last names. She knew he was a foreigner because here, talking about your private life to a stranger wasn't normal, but she did it anyway. Something about him put her at ease. She told him briefly that she was looking at the sky, wondering what the stars and galaxies were like. Then the conversation quickly turned to that subject. He wanted to know why she loved space when he thought it was “empty and terrifying.” She had replied that, on the contrary, it was full and exciting.
Skylar was particularly fond of space and the stars, knowing practically every kind of celestial object. She often complained about not being born at the right time.
This Sarek had just asked him a question, or rather a very interesting dilemma. If an alien came and offered to take you with him to see space and the stars, offering you the Universe, but in return, you could never return to your planet, would you do it? Skylar's answer was already clear in her head.
"Yes, I would."
Sarek looked at her, speechless. She'd said yes. All the humans he'd asked this dilemma had answered “no”, she was the only one who had answered positively.
"Yes?" he repeated. "But if you accept, you'll never be able to see your planet again."
"I know, she replied with a smile, but this hypothetical alien would offer me the Universe, how can I say no?"
"But doesn't Earth count?"
"I love Earth, and I'll probably cry every night and regret my choice, but the moment I set foot on an unexplored planet, I won't regret it."
"I'm… surprised."
"You know, Homo sapiens is such a lonely species, we've conquered the planet, but we're extremely lonely. We've always dreamed of what might be up there, she says pointing to the sky, we want to go there at all costs. Today, we dream of space, we dream that someone will come down to Earth and tell us we're not alone. We're at war with each other, but we're only children, we only want friends."
"It's profound."
"I was born here, I grew up here, and I'll probably die here. I love my planet, but if an alien came and offered me the Universe and in return, I could never return to Earth, I'd accept."
Sarek had just found his rare pearl, and he didn't have time to reply before she was already getting up. Her bus was arriving.
"I'm sorry, I've got to go, she said gesturing to the bus, but thank you, it's been a lovely chat."
She waved and got on the bus. Sarek waved back and pressed his ear to the spot where his headset for communicating with his Vessel was hidden.
"Vahrak?" he said.
"Yes?" replied a female voice.
"I've found the human we need!"
"Really? are you sure?"
"Yes! I'm on my way, I've got her first and last name, so we'll be able to find her more easily."
"Okay, we'll wait for you."
Sarek headed for downtown. It had been a few weeks since he and his crew had landed on Earth. He was beginning to understand how humans worked. He was Captain of the Krœnos, and he desperately needed to recruit a human. But these creatures all seemed to have a deep bond with their planet, and every single person he'd posed this dilemma to had answered in the negative. They all wanted to travel into space, but none of them wanted to do so if they couldn't return. Until he came across this woman, Skylar, he'd asked her the same dilemma, and she'd said yes. She'd even explained her choice. He knew now that she was the one he wanted. She'd never traveled in space and certainly didn't know anything about engineering or piloting, but that wasn't a worry, there was no need for her to know all that. Now, she had to agree to come along – for her, this was just a conversation with a stranger.
Sarek finally arrived at the hotel room he'd paid for an indefinite stay.
"Vahrak? I'm in."
"I'm activating the beacon."
The beacon was what allowed his crew to retrieve him, a kind of teleportation. The beacon was rarely used, only on planets that didn't yet know they weren't alone in the Universe. On other planets, they could land safely. Here, he had to hide and hide his ship from the radar.
A flash of green enveloped Sarek and, in less than a second, he found himself on his ship. The Krœnos was huge and bright but looked like a labyrinth to anyone who hadn't been there before. Vahrak greeted him when he arrived.
Vahrak and Sarek were of the same species, known as “Fortis”, humanoid creatures between 1.90 m and 2 m tall, with bluish skin, long arms with three fingers, and walking on their nails like horses' hooves, but rather muscular. They had two large blue and black eyes. They were quite impressive creatures. Sarek had the Captain's Bracelet on his wrist, which enabled him to project an image of a normal human into the minds of humans when he was on Earth. As soon as he reached his ship, he deactivated his projection. He and Vahrak headed for the Command Post.
The ship was orbiting the Earth's natural satellite, commonly referred to as the Moon. On arriving at the command station, the Engineer's post was occupied, just what he needed.
"How much longer are we going to simmer here, Captain?" asked Ilki'thelae, the ship's engineer.
Ilki'thelae resembled what humans call “little gray”, but he was of the Silurin race. He was 1,20 m tall, humanoid, long-limbed, and very lean, with reddish skin and large, bulging black eyes. It was a being of extreme intelligence.
"Very little, I hope. I finally found one. One in particular," she responded positively to the dilemma.
"I didn't think humans were capable of that," says Vahrak. "From what we've been able to observe, they seem to have a unique bond with their planet. Are you sure this human is really human?"
"Yes, for sure, she described herself as a “dreamer”. That seems to be a category of humans particularly apt to leave without looking back. She's the one we need."
"Well, we'll just have to recruit her," continued Ilki'thelae, "any way of finding her?"
"I've got her first and last name, and according to their various networks, I think we can find her," replied Sarek.
"So let's go and see what we can find out about her. First and last name?"
"Hogan Skylar, place of residence somewhere in the city where we recently landed."
Ilki'thelae entered the first and last name into the system and only had to wait a few moments. Only one result came out. He consolidated all the information and spoke.
"Right, I've got a Skylar Hogan," he said as the woman's face and personal details scrolled past. "Second-year Ph.D. in Evolutionary Anthropology, if that means anything. License in Biology and Anthropology, Master's in Anthropology… Okay, I'm sorry, but I'm not understanding everything here. What are License, Master, and PhD? What kind of information does that give us?"
"They're degrees, Ilki," Vahrak informed us. "It means she's incredibly intelligent."
"Where does she live?"
"I've got an address, but I'm not sure if it's right."
"Send it to my Bracelet, and I'll do the rest."
"Are you going back down to Earth, Captain?" asked Vahrak.
"Yes, I have to finish recruiting."
Sarek greeted his crew and headed back to the teleportation site with Vahrak. In less than a second, he found himself in his hotel room. He would wait until nightfall before heading for her home. But for now, he had to find out where her home was. Ilki had given him an address, but he wasn't sure it was right. He went there and finally spotted the human on her balcony, leaning over to look at the sky. He was certain it was her. Her long black curly hair flowed down her shoulder. Luckily, she hadn't seen him. He knew what he had to do tonight. He returned to his hotel room and waited for the night to progress.
Skylar, living alone in a vast apartment with no pets or family, sat for a few minutes watching the stars before finally closing her shutters and going to bed. As the night wore on, she was startled awake by knocks on her shutters. She got up and switched on the light, but the noise didn't return. She wanted to be sure, so she opened her windows and pushed open her shutters. What a surprise to see Sarek, the young man who had spoken to her that very day! how could he be on her balcony when she was on the 3rd floor? surprised and frightened, she took a few steps back.
"What the hell?!" she cried. "How… who are you?! How do you know where I live, and for God's sake, how can you be on my balcony?!"
"I'm sorry to frighten you, really," replied Sarek, "stepping gently towards her, but that wasn't my intention".
"You barge into my house, in the middle of the night, on my balcony! I don't know you, we've only spoken once!"
"Perhaps this will dissuade you from calling the authorities."
Sarek reached for his bracelet and deactivated the illusion. Skylar stared at him dumbfounded, realizing that she now had a real alien in her home. The human burglar side seemed almost more reassuring, but strangely enough, she didn't back down. This creature, this alien, was gigantic compared to her 1.60 m, but it looked so majestic, so unlike anything she'd ever seen or dreamed of. She couldn't believe her eyes; it was as if she were still dreaming. Sarek was now inside her home and didn't know what to say or do. He had thought that revealing his identity might dissuade her from calling the authorities, but it could also have the opposite effect. When tears began to stream down her face, it was as if she were still dreaming. Sarek was now inside her home and didn't know what to say or do. He had thought that revealing his identity might dissuade her from calling the authorities, but it could also have the opposite effect. When tears began to stream down his cheeks, he soon realized what this meant. By observing humans, he had come to realize that this reaction was natural when they were frightened or sad.
"No, please, I didn't mean to frighten you, really!"
"No… I… it's not that, I'm not scared, I'm…"
"You are?"
"We're not alone," she breathed smiling, "oh my God… You're an alien, an extraterrestrial… a real one?"
"Yes, I am," he replied, trying to smile back at her.
Smiling was not a natural reaction for the Fortis; they considered it a threat, whereas humans saw it as a way of expressing joy. He tried to adopt some of her emotional reactions to show her that he wasn't mean, but the result was inconclusive. Skylar sat on her bed, looking almost lost. Sarek came to her side.
"I'm sorry to barge in like this."
"Sorry, it just takes a little getting used to… just… shit. We're not alone, there are people up there," she says, referring to space.
"More than you think."
"But why isn't anyone coming? Why isn't anyone getting in touch with us to assure us that we're not alone?" she launched, new tears running down her cheeks.
"You're not ready, you're far from ready."
"So the people, my people, they're going to live their whole lives thinking that we're alone or that we don't deserve you? Is that it?"
"It's not a question of deserving or not, it's just that… you're a Type 1 people, so for us to get in touch with you, you have to evolve to Type 2, or even 3, it sometimes depends. We observe you, but we have no right to interfere in your evolution or your lives in general."
A silence ensued. Skylar awkwardly dried her tears.
"Okay… okay," she continued, regaining control. "You just said you had no right to interfere with our evolution or our lives. But the truth is, that's what you're doing with me. Right now."
"You're smart. Some people have special permission."
"Just like you."
"Exactly like me. I'm a Captain, my ship is in orbit around your satellite. Now, listen carefully. What I asked you when you were waiting for your transport wasn't just some hypothetical question, it was…"
"It was true! Oh, shit… you… you're really offering me to come on your ship and see the stars? See the Universe?"
Skylar looked at him confused, but at the same time completely disturbed. It was true, her dilemma was real! at the moment, she had answered yes, that's why this alien was there, in her home. But would she still have the strength to answer positively, knowing that it was all true? she stood up and looked outside. The stars were strangely bright and clear as if they'd suddenly become truer than life. He was offering her the chance to explore the Universe, to walk among the stars, but in return…
"But I could never return to my planet."
"Yes. That's the only condition," he said, taking a step behind her.
Skylar looked up at the sky, then down at her surroundings. Now that the prospect of no longer seeing her planet was real, the trees, mountains, and buildings nearby seemed more beautiful, as if she were seeing them for the first time. It was her choice, her life, no one to force her and no one to stop her. Her dream. An ordinary life on Earth or a life of adventure in space.
"Why?"
"That's the only rule. But if it's any consolation… If you die up there, we're obliged to return your body to your planet."
"Of course," she smiled, "we always come back home."
"Exactly."
There was a new silence. Skylar turned to him, to the alien she had so long dreamed was real. What could she do now? should she accept or not? so many new questions raced through her mind.
"Why Earth? Why come to a planet with a Type 1 civilization?"
"You seem to be asking the right questions. I need a human. The Glossary says that you're useful, curious, and survivable, that you could one day be a wonderful asset."
But Skylar didn't have time to answer as Sarek continued:
"You know the dilemma, you know the condition, I won't force you to come with me, it must be your choice and yours alone. Tomorrow, when the sun sets, I'll return to my Vessel. If you accept, meet me on the vacant field beside your building; if you refuse, don't come. Your life, your choice," he says before leaving in a flash of green.
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