Alien Alliance (5 page)

*

Showered and ready, Sarah returned six hours
later to find massive changes. Alan said “I’m now the quartermaster
and we are up to 380 confirmed, outfitted, and ready to go. Most of
the passengers are from Embassies or the local Universities or
people who just happened to be holidaying or working in New
Zealand. The quick, like Simone, contacted their Embassies. Some,
just turned up and asked to go. I tried to get a range of
Nationalities and occupations. I’ve been making decisions with the
Airport Manager. But there is a little problem. Two hours ago, a 20
person diplomatic team from America turned up. Their leader, Mathew
Western, declared he has been designated the leader of this
expedition.” Alan looked at Sarah to see how she would take this
but she shrugged. He continued, “Teams from Kenya, Britain, China,
Japan, Brazil, Australia, Russia, India and Indonesia are on the
way. Jolene has decided to go, as has Hine. The roll is filling
fast. This is going to be interesting!”

Alan’s blue eyes were laughing. He
announced, “There are about 180 or so racing for the last 40 seats.
We’ve got a political war going on by conference vids. Madge, the
Airport Manager, has decided that the roll will be finalised 30
minutes before the deadline. Since there is no official New Zealand
team, Madge has decided she is the umpire. She will divide up the
seats between the Teams that are here. The American Team were
simply the first here. The time limitation and the distance has
been the problem. I’ve ordered some extra packs which I was paid in
advance for and the unclaimed packs will be auctioned off. Madge
wanted me to ensure they did not get left for her to deal with.
Fair enough. The auction house will pick them up.”

Thirty minutes before departure, Sarah’s
Team and all except the last ones allocated, boarded. The American
Team had taken the ‘free’ seats but Sarah had anticipated a
diplomatic Team would consider those seats as theirs. That, she had
expected but she was disconcerted to lose the leadership. Unwilling
to cause conflict, Sarah decided to accept it and work with Mathew
Western but having looked him up on his website, she could not see
how he thought he was qualified for this. He was a business man.
His family were mostly military. Nowhere on his website did he
mention any interest in SETI or even science fiction and she did
not recall ever seeing him at any of her displays, exhibitions or
book releases. His major interest was War Games! Hardly a
qualification! His Team had already boarded.

Boarding with the rest, Sarah was shown into
a large hold. They each had their personal items and one ‘Pack’
allocated to each person and she watched as the luggage was brought
in by what looked like robotic trolleys. The packs had already been
checked by the Aliens. Once 56 people had been counted into a hold,
the hold door was closed and locked!

Sarah calmed down the unsettled people in
her hold explaining that this was probably for safety during
takeoff and got them organised setting up the tents and allocating
space. She noticed Stella and her mother were among the first to
get their tent up and their gear stowed away. They looked like they
were used to working together. Both then went to help others. No
one knew what was happening. There was no sensation of movement so
most presumed they hadn’t left yet.

The organizing was very fast. Dan from her
Team, and an Australian, Con, were getting the toilet tents up and
securing them over the holes in the wall recesses. Still a little
unsettled most decided to go to bed. Most had had very little sleep
lately…Sarah decided that was a good idea. The few minutes she had
got were rather insufficient. Most of the time she had tossed and
turned.

On wakening, Sarah found to her relief that
the hold doors had been opened and the walls seemed to have been
moved in the corridors. Both ends were blocked off.

“When did this happen?” She asked Alan.

“About two hours ago. There was the sound of
machinery moving. Several minutes later the hold doors opened, one
after the other. It was all done from somewhere else. We’ve seen no
one. We have heard what sounds like engines and there has been some
sensation of movement but we aren’t certain. It’s a bit eerie. Not
what I expected,” he said feelingly. Sarah also felt uneasy. She
went off to explore. She saw they could mix with all those in
‘economy class,’ which was seven holds, but could go no further.
Their world was the seven holds and the wide corridor connecting
them. She saw no windows. She felt no sensation of movement. She
heard no sounds of engines, just a sort of hum. She felt
claustrophobic and it was smelly.

She noticed that people were milling around
looking very uneasy and there were some problems. There was no way
to heat food or water. Sarah became the automatic leader simply by
organising and taking charge. There was no sign of Mathew’s Team so
she figured she was justified. She decided that the food should be
pooled, rationed and prepared, so it was. She saw to it that the
‘packs’ were handed over, cooks were volunteers but since most of
the food was just, ‘add water and serve,’ it wasn’t difficult. It
also wasn’t very interesting.

The Alien food on tap, so to speak, was not
popular by itself but mixed in with strong tasting food or spices
it was fine. Sarah declared it was used as much as possible as that
stretched their supplies out. Sarah and Alan had decided not to
bring any of the old style gas bottles or any other type of food
heater as all could be a fire hazard, explosion hazard or smelly
and the latest chemical camping food heaters, being designed for
outdoor use, would be hazardous inside with questionable
ventilation. Not to mention very expensive.

*

Stella wandered through the seven holds,
looking around. There were several other children. She saw an Asian
girl who looked about 11 and several younger girls but none her
age. Turning back, she was approached by a boy, shy, very good
looking, blond, blue eyed and a bit shorter than Stella. He looked
about her age.

“Hi,” he said with a faint accent, “Do you
speak English?”

“Yes.”

“Oh good. I’m Donny, I’m Swedish. My Dad’s a
Diplomat at the Swedish Embassy and Mum’s a Biologist. I’m 15.”

“I’m Stella Black. American, from Vermont.
I’m 15 too. My Mum is a doctor and she was supposed to go to the
Antarctic.”

“Was your Dad going to look after you?”

“No he scarpered as soon as Mum got pregnant
with me. I’ve never seen him. My Mum’s parents live in New Zealand
and I was going to stay with them but as soon as I found out a baby
was going I decided I was too.”

“Yeah same here,” he said with a grin,
“Simone’s real popular with the kids. There’s another boy our age,
Mahmoud, his Dad’s a scientist, Molecular Biology I think he said.
His Mum’s a doctor of something, I forget what. He’s 15 too. He’s
Indian but he speaks good English.” Donny waved and a good looking
Indian boy came over. He was slim, almost black, with a pure white
grin, mischievous eyes, quick moving and rapid speaking.

“Hi I’m Mahmoud. My parents are scientists
and were both at Dunedin University doing a sabbatical. We were due
to return to India. Isn’t this cool?” The three moved out into the
corridor to talk and were later shyly approached by the small Asian
girl Stella had seen before.

“Hullo,” she said using very good English,
“I’m Li. I’m 15. I’m from China, Shanghai.”

Li looked just under five foot tall and like
a little doll. She had long straight black hair, worn loose. Stella
noticed it was even longer than her own reaching Li’s waist. Stella
felt a bit guilty for dismissing her and delighted to find another
girl her own age. She introduced the others.

“My Mum’s a vet and my Dad’s a Diplomat at
the Chinese Embassy here in Wellington. I had a heck of a fight
with them and they’re still mad at me,” She smiled in pure
mischief, “they thought they were going to leave me behind but I
booked myself on just after them and ordered a pack all by myself
and just told Mr. MacKellar I’d had a fight with my parents over me
going and they made me pay for my own pack if I wanted to come. He
thought that was so funny he never questioned me further. He had
just passed my parents though and I came running up after they were
out of sight. I acted all indignant and told him the Embassy
wouldn’t pay for me either. That bit was true.” The others laughed.
Stella was aghast. And she thought she’d been difficult! Wait till
her Mum hears this.

Donny and Mahmoud had had considerable
problems with their parents too but had used simple
manipulation.

“I didn’t think it would work. They bought
my two little sisters too. Paswalda convinced them. He told my
parents it would be the adventure of their lives and their kid’s
lives. My little sisters are very stubborn and determined. I think
they take after me.”

“I just said they couldn’t go and leave me
behind…very tearfully. It worked,” said Donny.

They all laughed again but were a little in
awe of Li. Li said, “I’ve travelled all over the world with my
parents and have lived in seven countries. I speak six languages,
five fluently. I used to get left with my grandparents a lot but
they’re both gone now. Sometimes I get dumped in a boarding school
but mostly now they take me with them when they travel or work,
which is why I wasn’t going to tolerate being left behind this
time.” There was a determined gleam in her eyes. Stella looked at
her appraisingly.

“People make the mistake of thinking I’m a
child.” Li said.

Stella grinned. Her impression was that Li
was bright, self-disciplined, practical, resourceful and full of
initiative.

Li added, “I’m used to being independent and
often left to amuse myself. I’m a bookworm, which is a useful
cover. I’ve learned that if I appear to be absorbed in a book,
adults will often forget I am there. I hear a lot more than they
realise.”

Stella laughed. “I’ve often used that tactic
too. If you look absorbed and keep quiet you learn a lot you aren’t
supposed to.”

*

Life on the ship was uneventful for the next
few days until Beatrice and Yogabala, who had become firm friends,
were fiddling with what looked like a tiny wall panel. Bea
accidentally opened it and was startled when she noticed a pipe
inside the wall was hot. The two found the panel could be widened.
After a whispered conversation, she and Yogabala asked the day’s
cook for a can of creamed rice. They tucked it beside the pipe,
kept checking it for a while and then took it back to the cook in
triumph to be opened.

“This is steaming hot!” said Helene,
startled. “How did you heat it?” The girls giggled and wouldn’t
tell her but Tasha got it out of them. They took Tasha to the
panel.

Two days work from Dan, Con, Tue and Nial,
plus a cut up tent for the floors, two deck chairs that had been
made of plastic pipe, some craft glue from Harsha, and a few other
bits and pieces and they had two showers, with tepid water, hot
water for coffee and tea, hot water to heat food and a celebration
was held. The other holds quickly searched, found the same hot
pipes and duplicated the feat. This was more civilized!

Sarah set up a roster for showers. Everyone
could shower every two days (she was still on Earth time). One
pipe, the hottest (they had found four in each hold), was reserved
for hot drinks and was virtually a boiling water tap. Two pipes
were used for heating food, by running hot water through a laundry
tub with the pots in the tub. It took a while for the food to heat
but the food was all pre-prepared and heating was all it needed
mostly. The rice took nearly two hours to cook but was delicious.
One pipe was used for the two side by side showers. The showers
were contained in a toilet tent, with a second tent beside each
being a dressing tent. This increased waiting time for the toilets
by pinching four of the toilet tents in each hold but no one
minded.

The taps were the most difficult things to
make. The first attempts resulted in large leaks and minor burns.
The final product used a combination of plastic from a redundant
toilet, some string, parts of two thick copper bracelets courtesy
of Rani and Harsha and an idea from Akira. The copper needed
heating for several hours before it was malleable enough. The
coffee and tea addicts had to wait. But the finished product was
effective although it did leak. The leaking hot water was
channelled and used to wash clothes.

*

The designated diplomats did not fare nearly
so well. “Where are the rest? Why have we been separated?” Mathew
asked of no one in particular. Like the others, he was feeling a
range of emotions: disquiet, fear, apprehension, annoyance and
bewilderment. Having allocated rooms to themselves they were all
jammed into the biggest room, which they had decided to use as a
lounge.

“He clearly doesn’t know what to do,”
muttered one.

“Neither do I,” muttered another with
feeling. “There’s no portholes, no communication, no sounds. I keep
expecting to be contacted by the aliens.”

After hours of no contact Mathew, although
very worried and flustered, said, “We need to plan how we are going
to deal with contact, what trade we can organise and how we will
handle diplomacy.”

“We are scientists, biologists, astronomers,
not traders,” protested one.

“Trade was what I had intended to
concentrate on, leaving First Contact more to Sarah and SETI.”
Mathew consulted his notebook, reading out the plan his PA had
devised. “I have some prepared samples, photos and descriptions of
art, music, seeds, spices, designs and architecture, jewellery,
sculptures, textiles, exotic pets, literature, poetry, games and
electronics, and knowledge. In return, I wanted technology, medical
knowledge, military equipment, art, music, space technology, and
knowledge. But what will ET want? We have so little to go on. In
fact, we have nothing to go on. The only thing I know is that Sarah
paid for SETI’s seats with seeds—flowers, vegetables, trees, shrubs
and climbers. But what are the wants and needs of the aliens where
we are going? We have no idea who has invited us. What do they
want? What are they like? What are their intentions towards humans?
What are their tastes?”