Humans Don't Hibernate [Part 83/?] (Patreon)

The world seemed to slow to yet another complete and abrupt halt at Evina’s proclamation. The felinor once more seemed to find it in her heart to condense a warning that would’ve taken even the most fearsome of warlords or trash heap tyrants by gut-twisting shock into yet another one of her signature attempts at wordplay.

Though this time, even I recognized it as strained and reasonably shoestrung for impact.

“They’re a nice enough person, so don’t let their alien features get to you.”

As her strained wordplay here was only saved, if barely, by what was being inferred.

Along with what could only be described as a carefully choreographed entrance that was definitely not a coincidence.

“I believe your friend is referring to me, Eslan.” A strangely synthesized voice spoke from somewhere down the hall, just as my rational and thinking mind had discerned the inappropriately punny hint from Evina as to exactly who we were about to meet.

My fur immediately puffed up, my whole body once more tensed, yet despite the word danger reverberating throughout my waking mind… it really didn’t go further beyond that. No inklings of syncope, no preludes to a loss of consciousness, nothing.

It was… similarly to before, as if my mind had just… changed, and accepted whatever happened next with the grace of ‘whatever will be, will be’, now that I’d accomplished that which was my most unattainable of lifes’ goals.

Making it to space.

The stress was there, but tempered by the absolute joy and ecstatic fervor that came with my unimpeded view on the planet below.

Meeting an alien however, bordered somewhere between the pure joy that I’d expect to come from making it to space, and the primal debilitating fear that came with facing the complete unknown.

I took a few moments to steady myself, as the voice once more spoke with its oddly precise manner of speech.

“Are you alright, Eslan?” The voice started up again, as I could just about make hints of a tone of voice that was not at all congruent to the popular image of an alien in what survived of the pre-war sci fi pop serials. His voice was definitely not the stereotypical cold and calculating indifference you’d expect from your typical first contact scenario, but instead a reassuring, calming, almost caring tone of voice. “I understand that first contact is a strenuous and taxing endeavor, and an experience that drains one’s constitution. I understand, given your state of health and the circumstances surrounding it, if you are unable or do not wish to continue this beyond this conversation; at least for now. So if you wish to defer or delay our meeting, I will be happy to respect your decisions-”

“No.” I responded confidently. In what was a rare act of asserting my position, using a tone of voice that shocked even Evina, I interrupted the alien without hearing the rest of his placating dialogue.

It took a moment for me to realize what I did.

And in that time, even I became shocked at the sudden outcry of excitement I’d allowed myself to express without any filters.

“I…” I attempted to continue, carrying on from the momentum of my growing sense of wonder. “I appreciate your concerns. I really do… but I… I want to get this over with.” I managed out, before quickly correcting and second guessing myself. “Not that I mean that in a negative context mind you! It’s just… I mean… I want to get over this anxiety of the unknown. I… I want to see you. I’m… excited to see you!” I attempted to both fix that poorly worded response, and to double down on the excitement welling within. “I’ve been fantasizing about the day I get to leave that trash heap of a home, to make it into the untouched and pristine peacefulness that is space, and all of the wonderful and enlightened beings that must call the stars home.” I managed out with what was finally something that more fell in line with those thoughts and feelings and fantasies that preoccupied my otherwise dull and dreary days. The only thoughts aside from my care and concern for Evina, that lit up my dark and monotonous existence.

The alien didn’t immediately reply to my statements. Which made me question if I’d fumbled or in some way managed to completely screw up that first contact.

A sudden - whoosh! - of one of the doors at the very end of the corridor however clued me in to the reality of the situation.

As it seemed like the stellar being had simply decided to expedite things, and take me up on my reaffirmations of my own readiness.

I stood there now, my eyes for the first time finally ungluing itself from the window and the view beyond, towards a new sight that I found myself equally transfixed upon.

And unlike my prior preconceptions based on the popular depiction of an ‘alien’, my eyes weren’t met by the sight of some dark and slimy goo creature, or a ferocious predator that walked on all fours, or even a hive of bees, or a collection of gross flesh… but instead, an unassuming creature that was borderline cute.

With its smooth pink skin, its bright and bubbly eyes, and a face that seemed forever fixed in a toothless smile - the being was the polar opposite of the dangerous and unknown. Though I knew that its apparent ‘smile’ was more than likely just a result of its anatomy, with its mouth line simply shaped like that by nature.

Two head… ear… frills rounded out the figure’s features. Which, personally, I could’ve done without, as it was the only real point of contention that was truly alien in its strangeness.

Otherwise, I couldn’t have asked for a more affable face to meet among the stars.

His clothes were… for lack of a better term, completely normal as well. A pair of pants and a jacket that resembled something vaguely military, like a marriage of utilitarian practicality and universally neutral aesthetics. It didn’t scream science fiction, like those depictions of skintight bodywear on those old serials.

But perhaps that was to be expected with the realities of being in space.

Regardless, I realized I’d been gawking for what was probably longer than could be considered polite in any culture by that point.

Which meant that an apology was at the very least in order.

“I apologize for just gawking, I… this is just too-”

“I understand, Eslan.” The alien interrupted, placating my concerns once more through a translator that was seemingly always detecting his speech no matter where he was, if the voice coming from the speakers above were of any indication, along with the fact that the true words coming from his mouth were nothing but a garbled gibberish belonging to some alien language. “I will not take any offense to any perceived social slights, because that would be unreasonable and unjust. There is a cultural gap between us, so any offenses I will take as simple oversights born of both of our ignorances to either of our cultures. An ignorance which, with time, I can imagine will slowly be filled through bilateral dialogue.” He continued, in a way that still felt eerily academic, as if he was pulling his entire lexicon from several encyclopedias and dictionaries.

But despite the awkward and stilted word choice, it was the intent of his speech that really struck a chord within me.

The planet below me, and the world that I unfortunately hailed from, had more or less ended my faith in sapiency.

I’d lost all hope that we’d ever move on from bickering gangs, let alone have any hope of emerging from the bunkers to rebuild towns, with the dream of rebuilding our nations remaining just that - a dream.

So I’d placed every last ounce of my faith in the stars. A distant dream that shooed away the nightmare of nihilism, shedding at least some light in a sea of dark.

Yet despite that, there was always that tangible and palpable fear that the stars would simply be a second more pronounced round of barbarism.

Just with bigger guns, more resources, and a heck of a lot more collateral damage.

This one interaction thus far demonstrated that that fear was unfounded.

And more or less doubled, tripled, and quadrupled my hopes of a civilized reality existing just beyond the confines of the planet I called home.

The fact that the alien had started with such earnesty, such care and attention to the finer details of social interaction, of being enlightened enough to actually acknowledge that ignorance in first contact went both ways, instead of just one way from the party of the less advanced… meant that his culture understood fairness.

It meant that space, and everything within it, must have been the great filter that filters out self destructive tendencies, and short sighted civilizations.

I felt a huge sense of hope welling within me once more, and tears threatening to stream down my face.

This was the one and only other interaction I’d had in my entire life, aside from my interactions with Evina, where someone looked me in the eye and regarded me as an equal worthy of social respect.

Worthy of any courtesy for that matter.

And from an alien no less.

“I…” I struggled to form my mess of thoughts into words, but found it close to impossible to do so. “I appreciate everything you just said, more than you can imagine.” I managed out, in a response far less eloquent than it should’ve been, but it was literally all I could manage at this point.

“I’m glad to hear that, Eslan.” The alien replied shortly thereafter. “My intentions here are to be of help to you, and to Evina, so please feel free to ask me for whatever you need. Which, leads me to my next point. I’m sure you have quite a few questions for me. I’ll be more than glad to address them, either here and now, or perhaps back in the medbay?”

Questions.

There were just too many to count right now.

From exactly how they managed all of this.

To the details of faster than light travel.

To exactly where they came from.

Yet all of those questions seemed to go completely out the window, with Evina butting in.

“I’m sure we should catch him up on exactly where we’re both at right now, Lysara.” The wastelander spoke with a confidence and casualness that brought a sense of groundedness to the conversation I wouldn’t have imagined was possible.

“Oh, of course. The whys and details of exactly why we are here above your world, and the parameters of our mission. That should be a good place to start, yes.” The alien seemingly agreed to Evina’s requests with little issue, once again taking me completely by surprise at just how familiar these two have already become.

Or, more specifically, just how cordial and down to earth the alien was in interacting with primitives.

“Right then, this shouldn’t take too long.”

…

And indeed, it didn’t. As ten minutes was about how long it took to explain perhaps a condensed version of their reason for being here.

The whole story… from start to finish… was without a shadow of a doubt, something pulled from the pages of a science fiction serial.

The fact that the alien had arrived at our planet specifically, as a result of an aberrant signal, one from deep within the New Lorissa forests no less… was shocking enough in itself. But the fact that the resultant consequences following a survey of the source of the signal signal could potentially lead to a series of findings that could very well shift the course of galactic history? Now that… that was something that completely blew me away.

All of that… brought an unbridled excitement to stir within me. So much so that I had to sit back down on my wheelchair as I contemplated everything he had to say.

Moreover, despite the overwhelming sense of excitement at it all, it was tempered by one, very important question. A question that I had to direct not just to the alien, but to Evina as well.

“With everything being said, I must ask… why exactly am I here? How do I fit into all of this?”

“Ah.” The alien responded first, turning to Evina as if to ask for her approval to address the question. Which she accepted with a simple nod. “As per the terms of our arrangement, Evina has requested that you be brought up for medical care and assistance, Eslan.” The alien explained, commenting on Evina’s strange arrangement as a local guide to the planet, and more specifically, to the locality that was the New Lorissa forests.

This revelation… hit me with the force of a falling sack of bricks. As for the first time throughout these constant reality-shattering revelations, I was met with an answer that finally landed closer to home. One that was filled with a guilt-ridden sense of indebtedness, as Evina once more demonstrated not just her dealmaking skills, but the fact she had me in mind whilst so far away and removed from home.

“You didn’t have to do this, you didn’t have to do any of this for me, Evina.” I managed out, directing those words to the wastelander who simply smiled and shrugged.

“Like I said before, Eslan. I’d go to the very ends of the world if it means I’d find a way to heal you. I guess I just underestimated how far I had to go, since I definitely went a little bit beyond just the ends of the world.” She chuckled, gesturing to the space beyond the window, and the alien that stood before us.

And whilst I once more internally winced at that pun, the circumstances here were just too overwhelming for those sorts of feelings. As I couldn’t help but to reply with the most earnest and appreciative smile I could muster.

“Thank you, Evina. For everything.”