It was 4:20 in the morning when Skylar looked at her phone. After this Sarek had literally disappeared in a flash of green, the young woman couldn't bring herself to sleep. What he'd told her ran through her mind again and again, with more and more questions. He'd said he needed a human, but why? he'd said "they" were watching them, but who were this "they"? and what was this Glossary he was talking about ? he was an alien, a real, live one... How could a human be useful to him? he was the Captain of a Starship. It had all happened, hadn't it all been a dream? Skylar didn't know what to think. She got up and went to the kitchen: "When in doubt, eat".
She spent the rest of the night thinking, and when the sun came up, she thought she'd made her decision. Universe versus Earth. She couldn't pass up this opportunity. She would come to regret it, she knew. She'd dreamed of this moment ever since she was a child, ever since she'd found in books and stars a way to escape her family. But even if she no longer spoke to them, the concern remained the same: was she ready to give up her life to follow an unknown creature from the stars? was she ready to spend the rest of her life far from Earth?
She called her laboratory and informed them that she wouldn't be able to come in today. She needed time to think, and if she were to leave, she also needed to know what to take with her. What clothes, what books, photos, and her computer? she had to figure it all out. And should she say goodbye? a letter or just a mysterious goodbye? she couldn't understand why her mind was already convinced that she'd have to say goodbye. She was so lost...
The day wore on, and by mid-afternoon, she had already packed her bags, even if she still wasn't sure of herself, she had to. A backpack, a travel bag, and a suitcase - her whole life packed into three bags. It was a strange sensation. Her luggage had been sitting in the middle of her living room for half an hour now. She looked at her watch; the alien, Sarek, had given her until sunset. She had until dusk to make her decision. Her mind had become strangely accustomed to the truth: aliens exist and they visit Earth. Perhaps she'd always known this, an eternal dreamer. She didn't know what to do, and the more she thought, the more she felt lost. The sun would soon set, and she had to make a decision.
Sarek had been waiting for an hour and a half on land in the vacant lot he had indicated. The sun was almost down, he should have left an hour ago, and he was beginning to think that she wasn't coming after all. He'd been certain of his choice: she was the human he needed. Without a human, everything would fall apart, and they'd have no time to find another. He watched their sunset, diffusing an orange light, he had promised his crew that they would leave by tonight. Speaking of crew, this one was now calling. Sarek pressed his ear where the earpiece was.
"Yes?"
"Has she arrived?" asked Vahrak.
"No, not yet..." replied Sarek resignedly.
"You said until sunset."
"I know I did."
"And she's still not here."
"She'll come, I know she will."
"Sarek..."
"We'll wait a little longer."
And he cut the connection. Sarek ran a hand through his holographic hair. He couldn't have made a mistake like that, she was supposed to be the one.
"You shouldn't be here anymore," said a voice behind him.
Sarek turned around. The human, Skylar, was there with her suitcases. She'd come just as he'd expected. He had done well to wait. He approached her slowly, but noticed that her gaze had changed; she was no longer afraid, she was different from yesterday. Her long black hair fluttered behind her and her eyes shone with an emotion he didn't know.
"You came," Sarek replied.
"And you waited. The sun's setting, you should be long gone by now."
"I know, but I had to wait."
"You knew I'd come?"
"I hoped you would."
"I hesitated for a long time, until the sun went down, I still didn't know if I was going to follow you."
"It's a big decision. I need to be certain that you're sure of your choice, that you won't regret anything."
"Oh, but I'll probably regret it for the rest of my life. I've told you that. But what I'll regret most is not following you today. You're offering me the stars, I can't say no."
"It'll probably be dangerous."
"I know."
"And I won't always be there to protect you," warns Sarek.
"I know that too."
"There's a lot you'll have to learn in a very short time."
"Will the Glossary help?" she asked.
Sarek had vaguely mentioned it when he'd come to her room. It must have been important.
"Yes," he said, surprised, "everything you need to know about worlds outside your own is recorded in the Glossary."
"Like planets already discovered? galaxies and other celestial objects? different alien species, their habits, and customs?"
"Yes! and much, much more."
Skylar smiled, everything she'd dreamed of served to her on a plate, but her intuition still wavered. Something was wrong, it was too good to be true. Sarek had said he needed a human, he'd given her vague reasons, and yet that hadn't convinced her. He was hiding something.
Her smile faded as it had arrived. She set her backpack down beside her suitcases, took a few steps backwards, turning and looking at the mountains and the sun setting behind them. It was the last sunset she'd ever see from her planet, the last time she'd ever see these mountains, these buildings, these people... She was leaving for an uncertain future, not knowing if it was all a huge trap.
"Is everything all right?" asked Sarek as he approached her, somewhat annoyed by this sudden change of mood.
"This is the last time I'll see the sunset."
"You'll see many others."
"But not from Earth. This is the last time I'll ever set eyes on these mountains, these buildings, these trees. This is the last time, literally. The next time I come back here, I'll be dead."
A silence.
"And I have the strange feeling you'll never understand," she continued, turning to face him.
Skylar looked into his eyes, her gaze harder than she would have liked. She still had so many questions, not about what was up there, but about the Captain's intentions.
"I'll try to understand you as you'll try to understand us. I know that your species has a deep bond with its mother planet, a bond so deep that no one has yet managed to understand it. But I know that your need for adventure and exploration drove you to say yes."
"What are you hiding, Sarek?" she asked without blinking.
"Nothing that concerns you."
Skylar didn't answer; she knew he was lying in one way or another, so she just smiled at him. She knew he must not really understand what that meant, but at the moment she didn't care.
"I'm ready," she said.
"Are you sure?"
"No. But why wait? I said I'd go with you, so let's go.
Sarek was more than happy: he'd succeeded in his mission and finally had a human in his crew. His hologram tried to smile at Skylar, then he picked up one of her suitcases, she took the rest and he put his hand to his ear.
"Vahrak?"
"Still here," she replied into his earpiece.
"Ready to beam us up?"
"On your command.
"Activate beacon."
And both of them took off in a flash of green.
In less than a second, Skylar and Sarek had arrived in the teleportation room, in front of them was a single person, probably the one he had called Vahrak. From her shape and appearance, Skylar knew it was a woman or rather a female representative of Sarek's species. She had expected to panic at the sight of another alien but was surprised by the opposite.
"Hey," she murmured.
"Welcome aboard," replied Vahrak with a strange hand gesture. "Captain."
"Skylar, this is my Second, Vahrak. She will be the one you must obey when I'm not on board," explained the Captain.
"Aye, sir."
Skylar didn't know what to say, after all, this was surely the answer he'd been waiting for.
"Vahrak, take her belongings to her quarters, and await my orders."
The Second nodded and Skylar set off with Sarek at the opposite end of the corridor. She followed him without knowing where he was leading her, but deep down she knew she had no choice but to obey. This Vessel was looking more and more like a labyrinth to the human.
"You'll get used to it, said Sarek as if he'd read her mind, the hardest part at first will be finding your way around.
"Oh, okay. Where exactly are we going?"
"I'd like to show you something before we leave here for good. You'll like it, you'll see."
The two of them walked on for a few more moments until they reached a large window. From here, she had an unobstructed view of space and her planet.
"My God..." she murmured, moving closer to the window.
"I wanted to show you your planet before we left. I wanted you to see it in its entirety.
"Only... only a handful of people have seen it from space, and I'm one of them."
"There are only two places where you can see the space in this Ship: here, the outer airlock, and at the Command post."
Skylar and Sarek didn't speak for a handful of minutes. A few tears rolled down the human's cheeks, as she slowly realized that she was now part of history, that she was, and would be for many centuries to come, the only human to have traveled through space.
"Thank you," she said, turning to the Captain.
"It's the least I can do. Come on, excuse me in advance, but you need to see the ship's doctor."
"Oh, okay. Why do I need to see him?"
"To check you over and vaccinate you."
"Bacteria, of course. Wait, you're vaccinated against human bacteria and viruses? how come? I thought you were still in the "study" phase?"
"We are vaccinated or have antidotes against most viruses known in the Galaxy. The first thing we study in a new species is viruses, parasites, and bacteria. You, unlike us, are not vaccinated against ours."
"But mixing with the population of a new species not immune to your viruses means exposing it to mortal danger. You risk ending up like the Spanish and the Native Americans."
"Like who?"
"Maybe I'll explain it to you another time."
Skylar fell silent and followed Sarek to the infirmary. There, waiting for her was a being she'd thought was straight out of Doctor Who, a being with green, scaly skin like a snake. Skylar stopped in the doorway behind the Captain. She hadn't been frightened by the sight of Vahrak, but seeing this Doctor made her head spin. She took a deep breath and tried not to look too frightened.
"Welcome aboard, he said. I'm Qidell, the ship's doctor."
"Hello," she breathed.
"You have nothing to fear from me."
"Settle down," said Sarek, helping her to her seat, "I'll leave you in Qidell's imperial hands, Skylar."
Skylar smiled and nodded, after all, why not? another alien, that's why she'd come. Sarek left, leaving her alone with Qidell. There was silence as he prepared his instruments. The Captain had said he had to vaccinate her, but how could she be sure their vaccines would be harmless to her? as Qidell approached with the syringe, she stopped him with one hand.
"Wait, what's in this?"
"Everything you need to survive. You'll be immune to many known viruses."
"All in one syringe?"
"No, obviously, you'll have to have further injections, but this contains vaccines against the most virulent viruses and bacteria."
"Fine. Ok, quite honorable," she stammered, still not reassured. "It certainly works for you, and I'm sure there are details I'm missing..."
"What are you trying to say?" interrupted the Doctor.
"I know how vaccines work, and I'm sure yours are very effective, but my species is still in the "study" phase, isn't it?"
"Yes?"
"So how can I be sure that your vaccines won't kill me? have you tested them on a human?"
"That's a very good question," suddenly intervened Vahrak, who had returned. "So, Doctor, how do we know these vaccines won't kill her?"
"Have you tested them on a human?" asked Skylar again.
"No, but they're effective on all species known to date."
"But you haven't tested them on humans, and I don't think you're allowed to anyway. There's no guarantee it won't kill me. Which means I'm your... guinea pig."
Silence. Vahrak and Qidell looked at each other. Qidell was seeking support from his colleague; the human had raised a good point to which he had no concrete answer. Skylar, for her part, was wide-eyed, looking forward to an answer. She wasn't stupid, that was certain; she'd give them a run for their money.
"Don't look at me like that, the human's right."
Vahrah seemed almost amused by the situation, although Skylar was still unable to discern the emotions in this alien.
"If you give me the injection and I die of it, how will you explain that to your Superiors? Because you have Superiors, don't you? is there a clause to sign beforehand? Something that says I did it on my own free will?"
"A clause?" asked Vahrak and Qidell in unison.
"Yes. Something that will absolve you of any responsibility?" explained Skylar, who was beginning to understand more and more that their species was probably not governed by as many conventions as her own.
"Oh, I think I must have that somewhere," finally replied the Doctor after another silence.
"I'm willing to take the injection even if it means acting rashly, but if I die, you'll be responsible. And I'll be, well, dead."
While Qidell went off to find some document that would satisfy their new crew member, Vahrak did not move. She too was beginning to understand that Humans are probably one of those species ruled by hundreds of conventions. Skylar would not be easy to manipulate. They stared at each other for a few seconds, when finally a faint whistling sound was heard and the Ship began to move at last. The human looked at Vahrak without really understanding.
"The Ship has just left. Welcome to space, Miss Hogan."
Skylar suddenly felt extremely sad and drained. She lowered her eyes. As long as the Vessel had been stationary, she hadn't thought about it, but now that it was really gone... She couldn't help but regret her choice already.
"That's it! we're finally out of this hole!" exclaimed Qidell, returning with the document.
Vahrak smacked him on the back of the head, and when he turned to her with a confused look, she pointed to the human.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be insulting to you or your species."
"It's not my species you've just insulted," she said, "looking up at him, but my planet."
There was a bitter silence. Qidell handed her the document, which she signed, then gave her the injection. From the looks of it, she wasn't dying.
She was officially the first and last human in space. This was both a joy and a great sadness. She had left behind her planet, her people, and her family. They would all live their lives without knowing that the Universe was teeming with life. It made her nauseous. As the Doctor continued to examine her, Vahrak spoke.
"It's just a planet, you know."
"Just a... planet?" repeated Skylar.
She had to make them understand that her planet meant more to her and her species. It's true that they didn't really know humans.
"How many "intelligent" and "civilized" living species are there on your respective planets? in addition to your own?"
"Two," replied Qidell.
"Five," said Vahrak.
"So you've always lived with other species. You've always cohabited with them. You've never been alone."
"Exactly."
"Have you always known that you were not alone in the Universe?"
"As far as I can remember, yes. For both my people and Vahrak. That must be millennia now, isn't it?" he asked her.
"Oh, yes. A few millennia in human terms."
"So, locally and globally, you've never been alone. You've grown up, lived, and left your planets knowing full well what's out there?"
"What's your point?"
"Answer my question.
"Yes," replied Vahrak.
"It's cool, knowing you weren't alone in the Universe. Growing up wishing you could be part of some Starship that would take you far from home. But you see, we're not like you, we're very far from you and your Universe."
As Skylar spoke, Sarek came up behind Vahrak and stopped to listen. The human knew the Captain was there, but she didn't care. She had something to say and they would listen. When Qidell had finished with her, she sat down and continued talking.
"That's what you'll find hard to understand, it's not your fault, it's cultural. It's not "just a planet" for me and my people. We're alone, we've always been alone. Nobody's coming to tell us we're not, and nobody's coming for a very long time. Only one so-called "intelligent" and "civilized" species has survived on my planet, and that's ours. We're alone. And we'll be alone for a long time to come."
She paused and looked at them one by one.
"You think Humans only live for war, but we're a young species, we'll evolve. And one day, we'll deserve you, on your terms."
"It's not a question of deserving," Vahrak intervened.
"You know, I think it is. Your rules are ridiculous, why don't you help the young species to evolve, to grow, and to enter the right path? To tell the truth, there's no point in answering," she said as Qidell was about to do so. "I'll finish what I have to say, then you can make all the remarks in the world afterward. What I wanted to say is that Humans are more than you think. Many love war and live only to destroy, but there are many more who live to build and repair other people's disasters! We're so lonely, we're just looking for friends, maybe not in the best way, but that's the only thing we really want. So, we bond emotionally with everything, absolutely everything, and you know what we bond with the most?"
"Your planet."
"Exactly! we're emotionally linked with our planet because it's the only constant we've had for millennia! it's the only thing we're sure to see tomorrow or in 10,000 years. It's the only thing that's been with us since birth and will see us through to death. So no, it's not "just a planet" for me and my people."
Skylar had finished her tirade. She was aware that they might not have understood everything she'd said, but she didn't care. She stared at Sarek, the one who had studied the Humans the most, and surely he understood?
"Miss Hogan," he said as he stepped back into the light, come with me, "I'll show you the rest of the ship."
Vahrak let the human pass and stayed a moment chatting with Qidell.
Skylar and Sarek walked together to the kitchen. The kitchen was exceptionally functional and large. It was also bright and contained far more storage and seating than was necessary. It was the heart of the Ship, where the crew liked to gather. Sarek stopped on the stoop.
"What happened back there?" he asked, referring to what Skylar had said.
"I'm sorry, I got carried away."
"Don't apologize until you've explained."
Silence.
"A miscommunication, that's all."
"There'll be many more...
"I know, that's why I'm apologizing for what I said," she cut in. "I didn't mean to be rude. I just wanted them to try and understand that my planet means more to Humans than the fact that it's "just a planet"."
"You were right to explain."
"Sarek... Captain, sorry. It doesn't matter, okay? it's not important."
Sarek didn't insist, but watched her for a few seconds. He'd been trying to understand Humans, and so far they'd been a real mystery, despite some basic knowledge he'd acquired about them. The human said that what she'd explained to Vahrak and Qidell wasn't important, yet it seemed to have touched her deeply. Certainly, there was still much to learn about her species. Sarek had the distinct impression that it was she who would understand them better than they would understand her. But she was right, it didn't matter now, she was here and couldn't leave.
The two of them finally entered the kitchen. There was nothing very special to see here, but he'd said he'd show her the Ship, so that's what he did. She'd need a map for a while, otherwise, she might get lost.
She spent the next hour touring the Ship and meeting the remaining crew members. Sarek had taken her briefly into the Command post to meet everyone, but he had informed her that she was not allowed to be there without the consent of the Captain or his Second. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that there was a lot she wasn't allowed to do, but there was no explanation for it. Which she particularly disliked.
Skylar had been everywhere and seen so much that she hadn't even realized that three hours had already passed. She was beginning to feel sick as if the last three hours had literally finished her off. She was on a Spaceship, a real one. She was the only human to have encountered aliens, the very real kind. And she would be the only one traveling in space for centuries to come... All this had made her nauseous. The adrenalin had worn off and she felt an urgent need to be alone. She needed to assess her situation, and she couldn't do it surrounded... by aliens.
"Sarek... Captain, uh, sorry," she began.
"You'll get used to it," he assured her.
The two of them were once again not far from the kitchen, where Qidell and Vahrak were standing. Skylar stopped the Captain with a gesture.
"I'm sorry, but would it be possible for me to go to my quarters, I... I need to... well. I'd like to be alone for a while."
Sarek looked at her and understood. He had to remember that she had never seen aliens or space before, that she had only just learned that the Universe was full of life. She needed to settle down and digest it all.
"Come, I'll show you to your quarters."
The two of them walked for a few moments, then landed in front of a door in a dimly lit corridor. She hadn't been able to remember how they'd gotten there, but for the moment, that wasn't the most important thing. Sarek opened the door and stepped aside. Skylar looked at him and when she entered, the light came on automatically. It was just as she had long imagined, a mixture of Star Trek and The Expanse, real quarters in a real Ship. To the right of the entrance, she saw her belongings themselves beside a large mirror.
"There are no mirrors in space," intervened Sarek. "Very few species have any use for them. This is the only mirror in the Ship and it's yours."
"Where did you find it?" she asked, not daring to stand in front of it.
"Where you sell your objects. I'd hoped you'd be delighted with this gift, it's not like on your Planet, but..."
"It's perfect," she cut in, "thank you."
Silence.
"You have full access to the Glossary and everything you want from this, he said, indicating a kind of tablet resting on her bed. Everything you need to know about space travel is accessible from this. If you have any other questions, you can ask the on-board computer.
"Computer?"
"Computer," exclaimed Sarek, "this is our newest member, Skylar Hogan."
"Welcome aboard," replied the computer in a robotic voice.
"He'll answer all your questions. Take all the time you need," finished Sarek as he left.
The door closed automatically behind him. Skylar was now alone. An oppressive silence settled over her. She looked around. She had everything she'd ever dreamed of, and yet she already felt an immense loss. She missed Earth. She had known this would happen from the moment she said yes. It would pass sooner or later. She went to the mirror. Sarek had just said that there were no mirrors in space. It was a strange phrase. She stared at herself for a moment, tied back her hair, and finally stripped off her black leather jacket, then lay down on the bed. She thought back over the last three hours and all the questions she still had. Her instincts were not at rest, something was wrong with this story, and she couldn't figure out what...
She hadn't had a second to rest. She'd quickly realized that it would take the crew longer to understand her than the other way around. She was in her quarters, in what would be hers until she died. She had everything she needed, a bed, cupboards, and a bathroom. It was neither too big nor too small, just enough for one person. Sarek's Ship was huge, and she knew she'd get lost in it. But there was a strange calm in the air. Skylar had met the whole crew and by now they were probably all in the kitchen eating. For her part, she preferred to isolate herself for a while. There was a lot to take in and a few pages to turn.
She was officially the first human to have met aliens.
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