Gall Force Fan Fiction ❯ The Day After ❯ New Friends ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Frederick_Herrio 
Anime/Manga: Gall Force Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance / Sci-fi | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.02.2004 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 632 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gall Force Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance / Sci-fi | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.02.2004 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 632 | Status: Completed
Gall Force: The Day After
By Fred Herriot
gorgo@kwangju.net
**** **** ****
Edited by E.B. Kushnir
kush1@iaw.on.ca
**** **** ****
Based on the "Gall Force" series created by MOVIC.
**** **** ****
PART FIVE - NEW FRIENDS
"Is everyone comfortable?" Derek asks.
The Solnoids look at the Canadian. Derek wonders if he was up to welcoming ten alien women and two droids to Earth. They seemed human, but what was going on inside? Did they have iron-based blood or copper? Could they eat Earth food? They seemed capable of handling the atmosphere, but air alone couldn't sustain them. They brought what Derek assumed was food, but unless they had some replication system, it wouldn't last. Too many questions. Still, they were alive and healthy, though one was soaking wet from an unscheduled dip in the Atlantic. Turning back to Dave, Derek yells, "Hey, speed this thing up, will you?!"
"We're almost there!" the helmsman answered.
The Solnoids find their feet, looking at the approaching shore. The lights of the students' apartment were on. Behind it was a endless sea of forest. It seemed like a decent place to relax and unwind. The language barrier was a problem, but not an insurmountable one. "Hey, Catty, how fast do you figure that you can learn their language?" Lufy inquires.
"Given time and access to a computer, a night," the android responds. "For myself, TOIL and AIL, it is no problem. For you, however..."
"We'll learn it," Rabby sighs.
Derek watches them. The phonetics of their language were almost the same as English, just put together differently. Maybe the language problem wouldn't be so bad. He looks at the first woman who spoke...then found himself staring.
She was beautiful! Not like Sally. But this blonde-haired beauty from the stars wouldn't have been out of place anywhere in Canada. Oh, there was the tattoo and that rakish streak of green in her hair, but such could be explained as style. Her eyes, a curious shade of chestnut, were like metal. A warrior. They were also twinged with pain. A warrior who had seen people die. In fact, they all looked like that. Who were these people? Did they come from some war? If so, was their war coming Earth's way? Too early to tell.
Lufy watches the Terran staring at her out of the corner of her eye. Why was he interested in her? He seemed nice, although it was impossible to judge. Unlike Rabby and Patty, she hadn't met the curious creation the Paranoids forged. He seemed strong, more brainy than brawny. A thinker. She wondered if she and Rabby would have time to explore Sensualist philosophy. Perhaps it had some clues as to what beings like these were like.
"He seems to like you," Rabby notes.
"So I notice," Lufy winks at her, flashing her a thumbs-up. "What about yours?"
"He's not mine!" Rabby defensively cries.
Lufy laughs. Chet stares at her, then back at the lady he had pulled out of the ocean. Derek would be happy that these aliens possessed such cultural expressions as winking and the thumbs-up. Still, he couldn't stop staring at the woman beside him. How exquisite! Of course, they were all attractive, but how could Chet consider them over her? Strawberry-blonde hair, eyes as blue as indigo, a shapely figure which seemed ready to tear out of her soaked uniform. It was definitely a naval uniform. He wondered what rank she had achieved. His mother would never forgive him if he brought one of the ranks into their home. She was now staring at him, a light smile on her face.
Rabby reaches over to grip his hand. "Thank you for saving me," she smiles.
He draws her hand to his lips. They had lip-contact here on Terra, too! Rabby smiles. Despite the pain it caused her, the Species Unification Project wasn't anything less than a success. She was going to enjoy herself.
"You know he won't understand you," Eluza warns.
"Not yet," the first officer chuckles.
Eluza sighs, then stands. The craft rocked with the waves, but she had spent much of her time on Malthus' oceans with friends before she joined the military. Terra was so much like their long-lost world. Walking up to the craft's command area, she stares at the approaching dock. The first time she felt hard ground under her feet in years, literally. It would be nice.
The "Enterprise" pulls alongside. The Terrans hop off to secure the trawler, then help the Solnoids take their gear off. "At least they were happy to help us bring this stuff ashore," Patty grunts.
"Let's not push it, people," Rabby warns. "Remember, it's THEIR planet now."
A chorus of "yes, ma'am" come from the others. "I wonder what happened to the others," Amy muses.
"Oh, shit!" Lufy gasps. "What did happen to them?!"
"Let's worry about that later," Eluza sighs. "Right now, we should concern ourselves about our own survival."
"Good idea," Shildy nods. "Maybe the chance will come that we can dive on the Blossom and salvage what else we need from there."
"Later, Shildy," Eluza sighs. "It's time we rested."
The others moan agreeingly at that. Derek walks up to Oskar. "Hey, can you or Akira tell who're their leaders?"
"The red-haired one," the Israeli nods at Eluza, then Shildy and Rabby. "And them. However, they're all military officers. In fact, my old training sergeant would salivate if he ever got to command troops like those two," he points to Lufy and Miti.
"Yeah, I'll bet," Derek sighs.
Oskar looks at the Canadian, then laughs. "Ah, we heard about the Dear John from Sally," he glances at Lufy. "Perhaps God has been good to you by sending that exquisite creature your way."
"Oh?!" Derek hums. "And what would the folks back at the kibbutz say about you bringing back a girl with green hair?"
"Her?" Oskar points at Miti. "Certainly not! Now, she..." he nods to Eluza, "...is more my style."
"I see," Derek laughs. "Mazel tov, then."
"Kol toov to you," the Israeli replies.
The group proceeds inside. The main room is a living room with couches, a television with computer game systems, a VCR and LD player, a stereo-CD player system and shelves of books. Walking in, Rabby hums. "This wouldn't be out of place on Malthus."
"Agreed," Eluza nods.
Derek walks over to Lufy, pointing at her weapons, then indicating a clear spot beside one sofa. The Attacker places the weapons down, then gets the others to put the remaining gear there. Once that is done, people stream to the sofas to relax. "I've got to get these clothes off," Rabby looks at her soaked uniform.
"Here," Chet lightly touches Rabby's arm, then points to a stairwell. "Come along. We'll get those wet things off you."
Realizing he has to do the same, Rabby nods. They proceed upstairs to the Englishman's room. "I realize you may have lost all your personal items when your ship blew up, so I'll see what I can scrounge for you," he muses as he starts to tear through his shelves. In a minute, a T-shirt, blue jeans and a plaid shirt are found. "There you go," he hands them to Rabby, then hands her a towel. "I'll just step outside."
Chet walks outside, closing the door behind him. Rabby blinks. Why did he remove himself? she starts to undress. Was this some local taboo? Shrugging, she gets out of her clothes, then towels off. Taking the fresh clothes, she inspects them. Pants, shirt and overshirt. Save for the larger dimensions, they were no different than what she wore on Malthus. Things really were not different here on Terra...Earth, she corrected herself.
She quickly dresses, then walks out, wet clothes in hand. "Here, I'll take care of those," he smiles as he takes them to a bathroom to let them dry. Hanging them up, he walks back to his room. Rabby moves to follow him, but he closes the door in front of her. She blinks. Changing clothes was a private act on Earth. She could live with that...but couldn't deny the curiosity she felt about what he looked like under those clothes. Would she find out?
Inside, the Englishman undresses, then takes the towel to dry himself. He stops on detecting a faint fragrance. Perfume. The lovely lady wore a nice perfume...or was that underarm deodorant? "Or is that my bloody imagination?" he mutters to himself, then dries himself and dresses.
Minutes later, they rejoin the others. The Solnoids are separated from the Terrans. Rabby walks over to sit beside Eluza. "Hey, back on civvie street so soon?" Patty snickers.
"He loaned me his clothes," Rabby stares at Chet, who had moved over beside the Terran who had looked so intently on Lufy.
"Well, they seem friendly enough," Mal sighs. "And by the looks of things, they are advanced in certain areas. Television, for example," she nods to the television nearby.
"And computer games," Spea nods.
"Which does indicate a decent level of computer technology," Catty concludes, then stares at Eluza. "Captain, I propose that I integrate myself in Earth's communications network to ascertain an understanding of their language. I could then act as translator."
"We'll all have to learn it sooner or later, Catty," the captain hums. "Make sure TOIL and AIL are prepared as well."
"Of course, Captain," the android nods.
"I like to learn their names," Amy hums.
"Do they have names?" Shildy muses.
"Let's find out," Rabby stands.
The first officer walks over to the Englishman, tapping him on the arm. When he stares at her, she points to herself. "Rabby."
Chet blinks, then smiles. A name to attach to that pretty face. Sure enough, the others come up to introduce themselves. Even the two droids introduce themselves. "How do we introduce ourselves?" he looks to Derek.
"KISS-simple for now," the Canadian nods.
"Right-o," the Englishman hums, then turns to Rabby. "Chet."
The other Terrans introduce themselves. "Their names seem to be similar to ours, but with a Paranoid influence," Shildy muses.
The Solnoids' names elicit like comments. "'Catty,' 'Patty,' 'Amy,'" Dave hums. "It's like they're from around the corner, not another planet."
"I guess that theory on 'Star Trek' about planets developing on similar lines may not be so whacky after all," Jack muses.
"Well, at least we've got names to call them by," Derek hums. "Now comes the real hard part...teaching them to speak like us."
"We should make a reciprocal effort to learn their language," Akira muses. "Perhaps others of their kind are on their way."
"Are you saying this may be like Admiral Perry's trip to Edo in 1853?" Maurice muses.
"It can't be denied," the Japanese hums.
"Well, let's worry about that when the time comes," Derek sighs. "Right now, we're all tired and I haven't the foggiest idea as to how we're going to explain this to the landlady."
"Let's tell her that we found a bunch of people in a wrecked ship and brought them to safety," Len shrugs.
"Len, Canada has pretty stringent rules about illegal aliens," the Canadian warns. "She'll want to know where they come from, and if we can't give her a good explanation, or even if we did, she'll call the RCMP and Customs. Then we'll be in a world of hurt!"
"Agreed," Chet sighs. "Telling her the truth might help."
"If she'll believe us," Oskar groans.
At that moment, the front door opens and an elderly woman steps into the living room. "Oh, you have visitors," she muses on seeing the Solnoids, then blinks. "What on Earth?!"
Derek gasps on seeing TOIL coast his way over to take a closer look. The servobot circles the woman, then looks at Eluza. "Sensors indicate that this is a proper Solnoid-type sentient."
"We can see that," Rabby then turns to the woman. "Wise One, forgive our intrusion upon your hearthfire. We are lost travellers from a distant star seeking a new sun under which we can live to your esteemed years."
The others bow. She blinks, then turns to Derek. "Derek, would you care to explain to me who or what these people are?!"
"They're aliens, Mrs. Ross," Derek smiles.
"Aliens?" she blinks. "You mean boat people?"
"No, ma'am," Len shakes his head. "Aliens as in out there," he points straight up.
Silence for a moment. "Aliens?" Mrs. Ross blinks again. "As in...not from Earth?!"
"Yes, ma'am," the men respond as one.
"But...they look so human," she stares at Rabby.
"That's what we're trying to discover," Chet walks up. "We're as shocked about this as you, but until we can teach them to speak English, our questions can't be answered."
"I see," Mrs. Ross looks again at Rabby. This was an alien? "But where's their ship?"
"Blew up," Derek sighs. "Their lifeboat sank off the shore. We were able to pull them out in time with the 'Enterprise.'"
Mrs. Ross sighs. "Derek, if there is something I cannot stand, it's a silly story."
"Then explain that!" he points to TOIL.
"So?!" she shrugs. "People make robots all over the place."
"Robots that talk?" Derek counters.
Nearby, the Solnoids stare as the elderly woman continues her argument with their rescuers. "I think they're trying to convince her that we're not from Earth," Spea notes.
"I know," Miti snaps her fingers, then looks to Catty. "Catty, you can convince her."
"How?"
"You're an android! Show her!"
Catty nods. Walking over, she taps Mrs. Ross on the arm. The elderly woman stares quizzically at the young girl. Holding up one arm, Catty touches a point. A circuit hatch opens to reveal the complex gears and electronics underneath. Seeing this, Mrs. Ross gasps in shock. "What is that?!!"
"Good God, she's an android!!!" Chet exclaims.
"Are they all androids?!" Oskar wonders.
"Not Rabby," the Englishman shakes his head. "She felt real. I think I even felt a pulse."
"If Catty's the only one doing this, then she must be the only android of this group," Derek muses.
"That solves our language problem, then," Steve interrupts.
"How so?" Akira stares at him.
"She's an android," Steve points to Catty. "If we let her, TOIL and AIL at our computers, they could learn English quite quickly. Perhaps French, Japanese and Hebrew, too."
"But are their systems compatible with ours?" Len warns. "We got a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of stuff in there!"
"Do we have a choice?" Derek sighs.
The other men sigh, nodding. Steve directs Catty to the computer room. Each of the residents had an individual station. His machine was a 586 pentium-driven PC with full Net and Web access. The android's eyes brighten on seeing so many machines. Directing her to a chair, Steve turns on his machine, then calls up the basic DOS program. His machine had the latest Microsoft Windows software, not to mention an advanced word processor and other systems a Net addict required. "Now, how on Earth do we get you to integrate this stuff into your systems," he muses.
Staring at the computer, Catty quickly notices the modem. Her analysis from orbit revealed that Canada was well-connected in terms of telecommunications. Disconnecting the modem cable to the wall, she stares at the jack for a moment, then undoes the jack. "What are you doing?" Steve muses.
Opening the circuit hatch, Catty selects a terminal, then joins it to the modem cable. Blinking, the Terran nods. "Oh, I get it now!! You're going to copy the files into your processors! Brilliant!"
Catty stares at him, raising her free hand to show one finger, then two. "Yes, I understand," Steve nods, then looks at the machine. "We need to give you a file name...ah! I know!!" He then types out at the C:\> prompt FTPCOPY C:\*.* CATTY:\ then hits RETURN.
The computer comes on line, seeking out the modem connection. It locates the directory CATTY...literally, Catty...and copies files. The android jolts as the information pours into her system. Her own processors come on line as they take in the megabytes of data. In a minute, the computer relays all files have been copied. Steve nods, then breaking out a new line, disconnects Catty and reconnects his computer to the Net. He then looks at her. "How do you feel?"
Catty blinks. Her system was disseminating the word processor program, which possessed an excellent dictionary and thesaurus. Looking around, she stands, disconnecting herself from the modem line, then walks out of the computer room. Once back in the living room, she scans the books. Finding an Oxford English dictionary, she picks through it. Turning to Steve, she points at a listing of all the phonetic sounds English employed. "Ah, you want me to read it, don't you?" the university student nods.
"How's it going?" Derek walks up.
"Just a minute," Steve interrupts, then taking the dictionary in hand, begins to point out the symbols to Catty. "Ah, ay, b..."
In a minute, he is finished. Catty then takes the dictionary, finds a chair and begins to read. "What do you suppose she's doing?" Chet muses.
"She downloaded the words in my word processor's dictionary. I guess she needed to hear someone make all the sounds so that she can memorize all the words and how they're properly spoken."
"But learning how to speak the words doesn't guarantee that she'll comprehend them," Derek warns.
"Possibly," Steve nods. "At the same time, she downloaded all the other files. They were written in English. If she's got multiple processors in her mind, one system could process the words, another could trial the programs, a third could compare them and make sense out of what she has learned, comparing it to her own language and forming a translation. Something tells me these people are closer to us than we initially suspected."
Derek sighs. "Well, better be safe than sorry. In the meantime," he looks over to see Amy and Miti dozing off in Spea's and Mal's laps, "...I think it's time we all go to bed. Everyone looks beat."
"After what we've been through, sport, it's understandable," Chet chuckles.
Derek notions the others to start shifting the chairs around so that there was a clear space in the middle of the floor for the Solnoids. He then walks over to Lufy, tapping her and pointing at the sleeping bags. Nodding, the Attacker turns to the others. "I think it's time for us to put ourselves down for the night."
"Agreed," Shildy yawns. "Mother, I haven't slept in a day!"
"You mean three million years," Spea laughs.
Quickly, the Terrans make themselves scarce as soon as some of the women move to undress. "Why did they leave?" Miti hums.
"I think it's a privacy taboo," Rabby muses. "When Chet took me upstairs so I could change, he left me alone, then ensured I left him alone when he changed clothes."
Suddenly, there is the noise of someone falling on the stairs. "Idiot!!!" Derek's voice echoes. "What do you think they are, anyway?!! They're not Hollis Street hookers!! Get back up here!!"
The Solnoids find themselves giggling. "I think some're trying to challenge that taboo, Rabby," Patty snorts.
"Never mind," Eluza sighs, then looks to TOIL and AIL. "Both of you take the security watch."
"Affirmative, Captain," both servobots respond as they wheel their way outside...
* * *
Archimadies licks his paws as he returns to the apartment. Dawn was breaking over the Atlantic as he pushes his way through the cat door into the living room. Suddenly, the Siamese's nose twitches as strange scents come to his attention. There were new people in his domain. The cat's tail twitches as he warily walks in. He couldn't understand why the humans living here insisted on bringing other humans in his domain without his permission.
He quickly notices them sleeping in warm bags on the floor. Nine all together. An additional one was seated in a chair reading a book, much like Mrs. Ross did. Archimadies sits down, gazing at her. Her scent was odd, but she didn't seem dangerous. Standing, he walks over to her feet, then sits down and meows.
Catty blinks as she notices a curious creature at her feet. She lowers the book to gaze at it. A domestic cat, Siamese. There was no creature like this native to Malthus. Realizing speaking to it in Solnoid would confuse the cat, she addresses him in English. "Hello."
Hearing the friendly greeting, Archimadies crouches, then leaps onto the armrest, climbing up to take a closer look. His whiskers rub against her cheek, relaying all sorts of interesting information to his mind. She had the scent of a human, but it was overlayed by other scents, like the boxes which sat in the one room the humans chased him out of every chance they got. However, the creature seemed not interested in harming him, so he introduces himself, rubbing face, neck, sides and quarters against her skin.
Catty's sensory net detects a curious secretion the cat was leaving on her. She remembers that certain creatures on Malthus marked their territory this way. Obviously the cat had decided Catty was part of his territory. She gently reaches up to stroke his fur at the top of his head. The cat purrs in delight. Catty sighs, scanning the bookshelves. Finding a book on cats, she rises, placing the old book back and drawing the new one. Sitting down, she begins to read.
Seeing the creature was busy, Archimadies hops off the couch, then makes his way through the other humans. He then freezes on seeing prey quietly making its way across one bag. Field mouse. Archimadies crouches himself as he prepares to strike.
Amy yawns as she tries to sleep. The nightmare of watching the Lorelei Fleet wiped out replays itself in her mind. Why? Why did Journey sacrifice her friends in that useless fight?! Why did Journey keep up the fight after Malthus was destroyed? It made no sense. Suddenly, she feels a tingling sensation on her cheek. Her ship was on fire! "No...no...no, I want to live...!" she moans.
The mouse twitches, then tries to scamper off the girl's face...when ten pounds of hungry Siamese slams into it! Amy shrieks as the extra weight bounces off her face, her voice an alarm for Lufy and Miti. "Shit, we're under attack!!!" the older Attacker draws her pistol, then begins to scout for targets.
Everyone leaps up. Shildy turns on the lights. "Turn them off!!!" Miti yells. "I can't see!!!"
"What's going on here?!!" Eluza demands.
Amy is shivering, now being held by Spea. "Somebody stepped over my face!!" the young girl cries.
"Who?!!" Rabby looks around, her own weapon out and ready.
"If I may interrupt," Catty calmly stands, then notions by the front door. "He is responsible."
Everyone turns to see Archimadies toss the mouse around, batting it with mouth and forepaws in his playful dance. Eyes blink. "What in the name of the Mother is that?!" Miti demands.
"It is called a 'cat,'" Catty explains. "The smaller creature is addressed as a 'mouse.' The mouse was crawling over Amy's face, causing her nightmare. The cat decided to remove the mouse's presence from Amy. I have read," she holds up the book on cats, "...that mice are disease-carriers. You are lucky, Amy; I do not believe that we are fully shielded against Earth diseases."
"A good point since Amy's our nurse," Shildy sighs.
"Oh, I'm sorry, everyone," Amy looks contrite. "I didn't mean to wake you all up."
"It's okay," Mal smiles. "I think we're all going to have nightmares for a long time to come."
"Hey, look!" Lufy points. "The cat just made its kill."
Everyone watches as Archimadies lets go of the mouse after delivering its killing bite. He then starts to play some more. "Now, that's a hunter," Miti muses, holstering her gun.
"The little one's got an Attacker's spirit," Lufy nods.
"Oh, thank the Mother," Eluza sighs. "Alright, the problem's over with, people. Let's go back to bed."
"Look!" Patty points outside.
Everyone watches as the sun begins its rise over the Atlantic. Walking outside, the Solnoids stare as the yellow ball begins its march across the heavens. "The first sunrise I've seen since... since I joined the fleet," Rabby sighs, tears in her eyes.
"The first sunrise we've all seen, I suspect," Shildy adds.
Silence falls over them as they watch the sunrise. Suddenly the voice of Mrs. Ross is heard from inside. "Good heavens, what is all this noise?! Hello?!"
Catty walks inside. "Forgive us, Wise One," she bows to the landlady. "We did not mean to awaken you so suddenly, but a mouse frightened Amy and the cat moved to remove the mouse."
The elderly woman stares at Archimadies, still playing with his kill. "Oh, Archimadies!" Mrs. Ross sighs, then turns to Catty. "It's no problem, dear. Sometimes, I wonder if the silly creature ever had manners..." she blinks. "Why...you can speak English!"
"I have just learned the language," Catty nods.
Another realization dawns on her. "Why...you're that machine-girl I saw last night."
"Yes. I am an android."
The elderly Terran stares at the Solnoid android in confusion. "But...you're so human."
"I was constructed that way," Catty smiles. "It was necessary for people to believe that I was human so that I could fulfill my mission parameters."
"I see," Mrs. Ross then points up. "Then...you really are from...out there?"
"Yes," Catty nods. "We are from the planet Malthus, located five hundred and seventeen Earth-standard light-years from this solar system. Or rather," she looks sad, "...it was there."
That statement had so much meat to it, it takes Mrs. Ross a minute to fully interpret what Catty has told her. "Then...your planet...is gone?" she hesitantly asks.
"Yes," a tear flows down the android's cheek, then she turns to wave at Earth's home star. "That is the first sunrise we have seen in a long time."
"I see," Mrs. Ross emits an awed sigh. "I must admit, I may be a little too old to fully understand this. Derek and the others are into science fiction and things like that. I did see 'Buck Rogers' and 'Flash Gordon' when I was younger, but I never would believe I'd meet aliens...and androids...in my lifetime."
"We are sorry for intruding upon your hearthfire," Catty bows.
"Oh, please don't apologize," the elderly woman sighs. "But, unlike Superman, how on Earth are we going to integrate you people into our society? There are bound to be loads of questions."
"We do not understand that ourselves," Catty shrugs. "But, where else can we go?"
Mrs. Ross stares at the Solnoids. Their eyes spoke all the information she needed. They were survivors of an unbelievable tragedy, one which hopefully was over, or why would they come to a world which wasn't prepared to deal with it? Yet, they possessed a great strength. These people could survive on their own if need be, were in fact used to surviving on their own. "Well, I suppose you can stay, at least until you figure out what to do with yourselves," she chuckles.
"Thank you," Catty bows.
Everyone jolts on hearing Amy's scream. They spin around, then see that Archimadies has deposited the dead mouse at her feet. Mrs. Ross chuckles. "Oh, hush, child! Archimadies is just trying to give you a present."
Catty translates. "'Present?!!'" Amy gasps. "No way!! Get that thing away from me!!! Shoo, shoo, shoo!!!"
Everyone bursts out laughing...
* * *
To be continued...
By Fred Herriot
gorgo@kwangju.net
**** **** ****
Edited by E.B. Kushnir
kush1@iaw.on.ca
**** **** ****
Based on the "Gall Force" series created by MOVIC.
**** **** ****
PART FIVE - NEW FRIENDS
"Is everyone comfortable?" Derek asks.
The Solnoids look at the Canadian. Derek wonders if he was up to welcoming ten alien women and two droids to Earth. They seemed human, but what was going on inside? Did they have iron-based blood or copper? Could they eat Earth food? They seemed capable of handling the atmosphere, but air alone couldn't sustain them. They brought what Derek assumed was food, but unless they had some replication system, it wouldn't last. Too many questions. Still, they were alive and healthy, though one was soaking wet from an unscheduled dip in the Atlantic. Turning back to Dave, Derek yells, "Hey, speed this thing up, will you?!"
"We're almost there!" the helmsman answered.
The Solnoids find their feet, looking at the approaching shore. The lights of the students' apartment were on. Behind it was a endless sea of forest. It seemed like a decent place to relax and unwind. The language barrier was a problem, but not an insurmountable one. "Hey, Catty, how fast do you figure that you can learn their language?" Lufy inquires.
"Given time and access to a computer, a night," the android responds. "For myself, TOIL and AIL, it is no problem. For you, however..."
"We'll learn it," Rabby sighs.
Derek watches them. The phonetics of their language were almost the same as English, just put together differently. Maybe the language problem wouldn't be so bad. He looks at the first woman who spoke...then found himself staring.
She was beautiful! Not like Sally. But this blonde-haired beauty from the stars wouldn't have been out of place anywhere in Canada. Oh, there was the tattoo and that rakish streak of green in her hair, but such could be explained as style. Her eyes, a curious shade of chestnut, were like metal. A warrior. They were also twinged with pain. A warrior who had seen people die. In fact, they all looked like that. Who were these people? Did they come from some war? If so, was their war coming Earth's way? Too early to tell.
Lufy watches the Terran staring at her out of the corner of her eye. Why was he interested in her? He seemed nice, although it was impossible to judge. Unlike Rabby and Patty, she hadn't met the curious creation the Paranoids forged. He seemed strong, more brainy than brawny. A thinker. She wondered if she and Rabby would have time to explore Sensualist philosophy. Perhaps it had some clues as to what beings like these were like.
"He seems to like you," Rabby notes.
"So I notice," Lufy winks at her, flashing her a thumbs-up. "What about yours?"
"He's not mine!" Rabby defensively cries.
Lufy laughs. Chet stares at her, then back at the lady he had pulled out of the ocean. Derek would be happy that these aliens possessed such cultural expressions as winking and the thumbs-up. Still, he couldn't stop staring at the woman beside him. How exquisite! Of course, they were all attractive, but how could Chet consider them over her? Strawberry-blonde hair, eyes as blue as indigo, a shapely figure which seemed ready to tear out of her soaked uniform. It was definitely a naval uniform. He wondered what rank she had achieved. His mother would never forgive him if he brought one of the ranks into their home. She was now staring at him, a light smile on her face.
Rabby reaches over to grip his hand. "Thank you for saving me," she smiles.
He draws her hand to his lips. They had lip-contact here on Terra, too! Rabby smiles. Despite the pain it caused her, the Species Unification Project wasn't anything less than a success. She was going to enjoy herself.
"You know he won't understand you," Eluza warns.
"Not yet," the first officer chuckles.
Eluza sighs, then stands. The craft rocked with the waves, but she had spent much of her time on Malthus' oceans with friends before she joined the military. Terra was so much like their long-lost world. Walking up to the craft's command area, she stares at the approaching dock. The first time she felt hard ground under her feet in years, literally. It would be nice.
The "Enterprise" pulls alongside. The Terrans hop off to secure the trawler, then help the Solnoids take their gear off. "At least they were happy to help us bring this stuff ashore," Patty grunts.
"Let's not push it, people," Rabby warns. "Remember, it's THEIR planet now."
A chorus of "yes, ma'am" come from the others. "I wonder what happened to the others," Amy muses.
"Oh, shit!" Lufy gasps. "What did happen to them?!"
"Let's worry about that later," Eluza sighs. "Right now, we should concern ourselves about our own survival."
"Good idea," Shildy nods. "Maybe the chance will come that we can dive on the Blossom and salvage what else we need from there."
"Later, Shildy," Eluza sighs. "It's time we rested."
The others moan agreeingly at that. Derek walks up to Oskar. "Hey, can you or Akira tell who're their leaders?"
"The red-haired one," the Israeli nods at Eluza, then Shildy and Rabby. "And them. However, they're all military officers. In fact, my old training sergeant would salivate if he ever got to command troops like those two," he points to Lufy and Miti.
"Yeah, I'll bet," Derek sighs.
Oskar looks at the Canadian, then laughs. "Ah, we heard about the Dear John from Sally," he glances at Lufy. "Perhaps God has been good to you by sending that exquisite creature your way."
"Oh?!" Derek hums. "And what would the folks back at the kibbutz say about you bringing back a girl with green hair?"
"Her?" Oskar points at Miti. "Certainly not! Now, she..." he nods to Eluza, "...is more my style."
"I see," Derek laughs. "Mazel tov, then."
"Kol toov to you," the Israeli replies.
The group proceeds inside. The main room is a living room with couches, a television with computer game systems, a VCR and LD player, a stereo-CD player system and shelves of books. Walking in, Rabby hums. "This wouldn't be out of place on Malthus."
"Agreed," Eluza nods.
Derek walks over to Lufy, pointing at her weapons, then indicating a clear spot beside one sofa. The Attacker places the weapons down, then gets the others to put the remaining gear there. Once that is done, people stream to the sofas to relax. "I've got to get these clothes off," Rabby looks at her soaked uniform.
"Here," Chet lightly touches Rabby's arm, then points to a stairwell. "Come along. We'll get those wet things off you."
Realizing he has to do the same, Rabby nods. They proceed upstairs to the Englishman's room. "I realize you may have lost all your personal items when your ship blew up, so I'll see what I can scrounge for you," he muses as he starts to tear through his shelves. In a minute, a T-shirt, blue jeans and a plaid shirt are found. "There you go," he hands them to Rabby, then hands her a towel. "I'll just step outside."
Chet walks outside, closing the door behind him. Rabby blinks. Why did he remove himself? she starts to undress. Was this some local taboo? Shrugging, she gets out of her clothes, then towels off. Taking the fresh clothes, she inspects them. Pants, shirt and overshirt. Save for the larger dimensions, they were no different than what she wore on Malthus. Things really were not different here on Terra...Earth, she corrected herself.
She quickly dresses, then walks out, wet clothes in hand. "Here, I'll take care of those," he smiles as he takes them to a bathroom to let them dry. Hanging them up, he walks back to his room. Rabby moves to follow him, but he closes the door in front of her. She blinks. Changing clothes was a private act on Earth. She could live with that...but couldn't deny the curiosity she felt about what he looked like under those clothes. Would she find out?
Inside, the Englishman undresses, then takes the towel to dry himself. He stops on detecting a faint fragrance. Perfume. The lovely lady wore a nice perfume...or was that underarm deodorant? "Or is that my bloody imagination?" he mutters to himself, then dries himself and dresses.
Minutes later, they rejoin the others. The Solnoids are separated from the Terrans. Rabby walks over to sit beside Eluza. "Hey, back on civvie street so soon?" Patty snickers.
"He loaned me his clothes," Rabby stares at Chet, who had moved over beside the Terran who had looked so intently on Lufy.
"Well, they seem friendly enough," Mal sighs. "And by the looks of things, they are advanced in certain areas. Television, for example," she nods to the television nearby.
"And computer games," Spea nods.
"Which does indicate a decent level of computer technology," Catty concludes, then stares at Eluza. "Captain, I propose that I integrate myself in Earth's communications network to ascertain an understanding of their language. I could then act as translator."
"We'll all have to learn it sooner or later, Catty," the captain hums. "Make sure TOIL and AIL are prepared as well."
"Of course, Captain," the android nods.
"I like to learn their names," Amy hums.
"Do they have names?" Shildy muses.
"Let's find out," Rabby stands.
The first officer walks over to the Englishman, tapping him on the arm. When he stares at her, she points to herself. "Rabby."
Chet blinks, then smiles. A name to attach to that pretty face. Sure enough, the others come up to introduce themselves. Even the two droids introduce themselves. "How do we introduce ourselves?" he looks to Derek.
"KISS-simple for now," the Canadian nods.
"Right-o," the Englishman hums, then turns to Rabby. "Chet."
The other Terrans introduce themselves. "Their names seem to be similar to ours, but with a Paranoid influence," Shildy muses.
The Solnoids' names elicit like comments. "'Catty,' 'Patty,' 'Amy,'" Dave hums. "It's like they're from around the corner, not another planet."
"I guess that theory on 'Star Trek' about planets developing on similar lines may not be so whacky after all," Jack muses.
"Well, at least we've got names to call them by," Derek hums. "Now comes the real hard part...teaching them to speak like us."
"We should make a reciprocal effort to learn their language," Akira muses. "Perhaps others of their kind are on their way."
"Are you saying this may be like Admiral Perry's trip to Edo in 1853?" Maurice muses.
"It can't be denied," the Japanese hums.
"Well, let's worry about that when the time comes," Derek sighs. "Right now, we're all tired and I haven't the foggiest idea as to how we're going to explain this to the landlady."
"Let's tell her that we found a bunch of people in a wrecked ship and brought them to safety," Len shrugs.
"Len, Canada has pretty stringent rules about illegal aliens," the Canadian warns. "She'll want to know where they come from, and if we can't give her a good explanation, or even if we did, she'll call the RCMP and Customs. Then we'll be in a world of hurt!"
"Agreed," Chet sighs. "Telling her the truth might help."
"If she'll believe us," Oskar groans.
At that moment, the front door opens and an elderly woman steps into the living room. "Oh, you have visitors," she muses on seeing the Solnoids, then blinks. "What on Earth?!"
Derek gasps on seeing TOIL coast his way over to take a closer look. The servobot circles the woman, then looks at Eluza. "Sensors indicate that this is a proper Solnoid-type sentient."
"We can see that," Rabby then turns to the woman. "Wise One, forgive our intrusion upon your hearthfire. We are lost travellers from a distant star seeking a new sun under which we can live to your esteemed years."
The others bow. She blinks, then turns to Derek. "Derek, would you care to explain to me who or what these people are?!"
"They're aliens, Mrs. Ross," Derek smiles.
"Aliens?" she blinks. "You mean boat people?"
"No, ma'am," Len shakes his head. "Aliens as in out there," he points straight up.
Silence for a moment. "Aliens?" Mrs. Ross blinks again. "As in...not from Earth?!"
"Yes, ma'am," the men respond as one.
"But...they look so human," she stares at Rabby.
"That's what we're trying to discover," Chet walks up. "We're as shocked about this as you, but until we can teach them to speak English, our questions can't be answered."
"I see," Mrs. Ross looks again at Rabby. This was an alien? "But where's their ship?"
"Blew up," Derek sighs. "Their lifeboat sank off the shore. We were able to pull them out in time with the 'Enterprise.'"
Mrs. Ross sighs. "Derek, if there is something I cannot stand, it's a silly story."
"Then explain that!" he points to TOIL.
"So?!" she shrugs. "People make robots all over the place."
"Robots that talk?" Derek counters.
Nearby, the Solnoids stare as the elderly woman continues her argument with their rescuers. "I think they're trying to convince her that we're not from Earth," Spea notes.
"I know," Miti snaps her fingers, then looks to Catty. "Catty, you can convince her."
"How?"
"You're an android! Show her!"
Catty nods. Walking over, she taps Mrs. Ross on the arm. The elderly woman stares quizzically at the young girl. Holding up one arm, Catty touches a point. A circuit hatch opens to reveal the complex gears and electronics underneath. Seeing this, Mrs. Ross gasps in shock. "What is that?!!"
"Good God, she's an android!!!" Chet exclaims.
"Are they all androids?!" Oskar wonders.
"Not Rabby," the Englishman shakes his head. "She felt real. I think I even felt a pulse."
"If Catty's the only one doing this, then she must be the only android of this group," Derek muses.
"That solves our language problem, then," Steve interrupts.
"How so?" Akira stares at him.
"She's an android," Steve points to Catty. "If we let her, TOIL and AIL at our computers, they could learn English quite quickly. Perhaps French, Japanese and Hebrew, too."
"But are their systems compatible with ours?" Len warns. "We got a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of stuff in there!"
"Do we have a choice?" Derek sighs.
The other men sigh, nodding. Steve directs Catty to the computer room. Each of the residents had an individual station. His machine was a 586 pentium-driven PC with full Net and Web access. The android's eyes brighten on seeing so many machines. Directing her to a chair, Steve turns on his machine, then calls up the basic DOS program. His machine had the latest Microsoft Windows software, not to mention an advanced word processor and other systems a Net addict required. "Now, how on Earth do we get you to integrate this stuff into your systems," he muses.
Staring at the computer, Catty quickly notices the modem. Her analysis from orbit revealed that Canada was well-connected in terms of telecommunications. Disconnecting the modem cable to the wall, she stares at the jack for a moment, then undoes the jack. "What are you doing?" Steve muses.
Opening the circuit hatch, Catty selects a terminal, then joins it to the modem cable. Blinking, the Terran nods. "Oh, I get it now!! You're going to copy the files into your processors! Brilliant!"
Catty stares at him, raising her free hand to show one finger, then two. "Yes, I understand," Steve nods, then looks at the machine. "We need to give you a file name...ah! I know!!" He then types out at the C:\> prompt FTPCOPY C:\*.* CATTY:\ then hits RETURN.
The computer comes on line, seeking out the modem connection. It locates the directory CATTY...literally, Catty...and copies files. The android jolts as the information pours into her system. Her own processors come on line as they take in the megabytes of data. In a minute, the computer relays all files have been copied. Steve nods, then breaking out a new line, disconnects Catty and reconnects his computer to the Net. He then looks at her. "How do you feel?"
Catty blinks. Her system was disseminating the word processor program, which possessed an excellent dictionary and thesaurus. Looking around, she stands, disconnecting herself from the modem line, then walks out of the computer room. Once back in the living room, she scans the books. Finding an Oxford English dictionary, she picks through it. Turning to Steve, she points at a listing of all the phonetic sounds English employed. "Ah, you want me to read it, don't you?" the university student nods.
"How's it going?" Derek walks up.
"Just a minute," Steve interrupts, then taking the dictionary in hand, begins to point out the symbols to Catty. "Ah, ay, b..."
In a minute, he is finished. Catty then takes the dictionary, finds a chair and begins to read. "What do you suppose she's doing?" Chet muses.
"She downloaded the words in my word processor's dictionary. I guess she needed to hear someone make all the sounds so that she can memorize all the words and how they're properly spoken."
"But learning how to speak the words doesn't guarantee that she'll comprehend them," Derek warns.
"Possibly," Steve nods. "At the same time, she downloaded all the other files. They were written in English. If she's got multiple processors in her mind, one system could process the words, another could trial the programs, a third could compare them and make sense out of what she has learned, comparing it to her own language and forming a translation. Something tells me these people are closer to us than we initially suspected."
Derek sighs. "Well, better be safe than sorry. In the meantime," he looks over to see Amy and Miti dozing off in Spea's and Mal's laps, "...I think it's time we all go to bed. Everyone looks beat."
"After what we've been through, sport, it's understandable," Chet chuckles.
Derek notions the others to start shifting the chairs around so that there was a clear space in the middle of the floor for the Solnoids. He then walks over to Lufy, tapping her and pointing at the sleeping bags. Nodding, the Attacker turns to the others. "I think it's time for us to put ourselves down for the night."
"Agreed," Shildy yawns. "Mother, I haven't slept in a day!"
"You mean three million years," Spea laughs.
Quickly, the Terrans make themselves scarce as soon as some of the women move to undress. "Why did they leave?" Miti hums.
"I think it's a privacy taboo," Rabby muses. "When Chet took me upstairs so I could change, he left me alone, then ensured I left him alone when he changed clothes."
Suddenly, there is the noise of someone falling on the stairs. "Idiot!!!" Derek's voice echoes. "What do you think they are, anyway?!! They're not Hollis Street hookers!! Get back up here!!"
The Solnoids find themselves giggling. "I think some're trying to challenge that taboo, Rabby," Patty snorts.
"Never mind," Eluza sighs, then looks to TOIL and AIL. "Both of you take the security watch."
"Affirmative, Captain," both servobots respond as they wheel their way outside...
* * *
Archimadies licks his paws as he returns to the apartment. Dawn was breaking over the Atlantic as he pushes his way through the cat door into the living room. Suddenly, the Siamese's nose twitches as strange scents come to his attention. There were new people in his domain. The cat's tail twitches as he warily walks in. He couldn't understand why the humans living here insisted on bringing other humans in his domain without his permission.
He quickly notices them sleeping in warm bags on the floor. Nine all together. An additional one was seated in a chair reading a book, much like Mrs. Ross did. Archimadies sits down, gazing at her. Her scent was odd, but she didn't seem dangerous. Standing, he walks over to her feet, then sits down and meows.
Catty blinks as she notices a curious creature at her feet. She lowers the book to gaze at it. A domestic cat, Siamese. There was no creature like this native to Malthus. Realizing speaking to it in Solnoid would confuse the cat, she addresses him in English. "Hello."
Hearing the friendly greeting, Archimadies crouches, then leaps onto the armrest, climbing up to take a closer look. His whiskers rub against her cheek, relaying all sorts of interesting information to his mind. She had the scent of a human, but it was overlayed by other scents, like the boxes which sat in the one room the humans chased him out of every chance they got. However, the creature seemed not interested in harming him, so he introduces himself, rubbing face, neck, sides and quarters against her skin.
Catty's sensory net detects a curious secretion the cat was leaving on her. She remembers that certain creatures on Malthus marked their territory this way. Obviously the cat had decided Catty was part of his territory. She gently reaches up to stroke his fur at the top of his head. The cat purrs in delight. Catty sighs, scanning the bookshelves. Finding a book on cats, she rises, placing the old book back and drawing the new one. Sitting down, she begins to read.
Seeing the creature was busy, Archimadies hops off the couch, then makes his way through the other humans. He then freezes on seeing prey quietly making its way across one bag. Field mouse. Archimadies crouches himself as he prepares to strike.
Amy yawns as she tries to sleep. The nightmare of watching the Lorelei Fleet wiped out replays itself in her mind. Why? Why did Journey sacrifice her friends in that useless fight?! Why did Journey keep up the fight after Malthus was destroyed? It made no sense. Suddenly, she feels a tingling sensation on her cheek. Her ship was on fire! "No...no...no, I want to live...!" she moans.
The mouse twitches, then tries to scamper off the girl's face...when ten pounds of hungry Siamese slams into it! Amy shrieks as the extra weight bounces off her face, her voice an alarm for Lufy and Miti. "Shit, we're under attack!!!" the older Attacker draws her pistol, then begins to scout for targets.
Everyone leaps up. Shildy turns on the lights. "Turn them off!!!" Miti yells. "I can't see!!!"
"What's going on here?!!" Eluza demands.
Amy is shivering, now being held by Spea. "Somebody stepped over my face!!" the young girl cries.
"Who?!!" Rabby looks around, her own weapon out and ready.
"If I may interrupt," Catty calmly stands, then notions by the front door. "He is responsible."
Everyone turns to see Archimadies toss the mouse around, batting it with mouth and forepaws in his playful dance. Eyes blink. "What in the name of the Mother is that?!" Miti demands.
"It is called a 'cat,'" Catty explains. "The smaller creature is addressed as a 'mouse.' The mouse was crawling over Amy's face, causing her nightmare. The cat decided to remove the mouse's presence from Amy. I have read," she holds up the book on cats, "...that mice are disease-carriers. You are lucky, Amy; I do not believe that we are fully shielded against Earth diseases."
"A good point since Amy's our nurse," Shildy sighs.
"Oh, I'm sorry, everyone," Amy looks contrite. "I didn't mean to wake you all up."
"It's okay," Mal smiles. "I think we're all going to have nightmares for a long time to come."
"Hey, look!" Lufy points. "The cat just made its kill."
Everyone watches as Archimadies lets go of the mouse after delivering its killing bite. He then starts to play some more. "Now, that's a hunter," Miti muses, holstering her gun.
"The little one's got an Attacker's spirit," Lufy nods.
"Oh, thank the Mother," Eluza sighs. "Alright, the problem's over with, people. Let's go back to bed."
"Look!" Patty points outside.
Everyone watches as the sun begins its rise over the Atlantic. Walking outside, the Solnoids stare as the yellow ball begins its march across the heavens. "The first sunrise I've seen since... since I joined the fleet," Rabby sighs, tears in her eyes.
"The first sunrise we've all seen, I suspect," Shildy adds.
Silence falls over them as they watch the sunrise. Suddenly the voice of Mrs. Ross is heard from inside. "Good heavens, what is all this noise?! Hello?!"
Catty walks inside. "Forgive us, Wise One," she bows to the landlady. "We did not mean to awaken you so suddenly, but a mouse frightened Amy and the cat moved to remove the mouse."
The elderly woman stares at Archimadies, still playing with his kill. "Oh, Archimadies!" Mrs. Ross sighs, then turns to Catty. "It's no problem, dear. Sometimes, I wonder if the silly creature ever had manners..." she blinks. "Why...you can speak English!"
"I have just learned the language," Catty nods.
Another realization dawns on her. "Why...you're that machine-girl I saw last night."
"Yes. I am an android."
The elderly Terran stares at the Solnoid android in confusion. "But...you're so human."
"I was constructed that way," Catty smiles. "It was necessary for people to believe that I was human so that I could fulfill my mission parameters."
"I see," Mrs. Ross then points up. "Then...you really are from...out there?"
"Yes," Catty nods. "We are from the planet Malthus, located five hundred and seventeen Earth-standard light-years from this solar system. Or rather," she looks sad, "...it was there."
That statement had so much meat to it, it takes Mrs. Ross a minute to fully interpret what Catty has told her. "Then...your planet...is gone?" she hesitantly asks.
"Yes," a tear flows down the android's cheek, then she turns to wave at Earth's home star. "That is the first sunrise we have seen in a long time."
"I see," Mrs. Ross emits an awed sigh. "I must admit, I may be a little too old to fully understand this. Derek and the others are into science fiction and things like that. I did see 'Buck Rogers' and 'Flash Gordon' when I was younger, but I never would believe I'd meet aliens...and androids...in my lifetime."
"We are sorry for intruding upon your hearthfire," Catty bows.
"Oh, please don't apologize," the elderly woman sighs. "But, unlike Superman, how on Earth are we going to integrate you people into our society? There are bound to be loads of questions."
"We do not understand that ourselves," Catty shrugs. "But, where else can we go?"
Mrs. Ross stares at the Solnoids. Their eyes spoke all the information she needed. They were survivors of an unbelievable tragedy, one which hopefully was over, or why would they come to a world which wasn't prepared to deal with it? Yet, they possessed a great strength. These people could survive on their own if need be, were in fact used to surviving on their own. "Well, I suppose you can stay, at least until you figure out what to do with yourselves," she chuckles.
"Thank you," Catty bows.
Everyone jolts on hearing Amy's scream. They spin around, then see that Archimadies has deposited the dead mouse at her feet. Mrs. Ross chuckles. "Oh, hush, child! Archimadies is just trying to give you a present."
Catty translates. "'Present?!!'" Amy gasps. "No way!! Get that thing away from me!!! Shoo, shoo, shoo!!!"
Everyone bursts out laughing...
* * *
To be continued...