Aliena (15 page)

Mrs. Green laughed. “Fair warning, Star.” They hugged as Brom and Star departed.

It was similar with the Roberts on the other side. Star was making sure they were prepared, and cementing their friendship. She was a born diplomat, by no coincidence.

Each second morning they ran, and Brom could not help noticing what a fit woman she was, in shorts and halter with her air in a ponytail, the bandage resembling a sweatband. Just like Aliena, of course, yet her expression and carriage differed, subtly. He tried to identify exactly what the difference was, for his work on cartoons, but it eluded him.

Then, seemingly suddenly, it was a week. “Brom,” she said earnestly. “The beach.”

Was he ready? Did it matter? He had agreed. In the week, coming to know her as he had come to know Aliena, he had built up a solid core of respect. She might be alien, but she was some woman. “I guess it is time,” he agreed, feeling guilty for looking forward to it.

They made a picnic excursion of it, with three cars: the two of them in his car, Sam and Martha in theirs, and the Smythes with Maple in theirs. They all knew what this meant.

“Brom,” she said softly as she rode beside him. She knew how to drive, but deferred to him. “We can wear suits and swim if you prefer.”

“But that would mean—no singing.”

“I made you agree to do this. That was unkind, and I regret it. I will not hold you to it.”

He shook his head. “I made a deal and I’ll honor it. We both know we have to do it sometime. Aliena won’t speak to me again if I don’t.”

“You may pretend I am her, if you wish.”

“That would not be fair to you, Star. But tell me: is it something you really want to do, or are you too bound by Aliena’s wish?”

“It is both.”

That set him back slightly. “We must maintain the semblance of the happy marriage that Aliena and I had. We both know that. That includes sex. But that does not require you to pretend to like it.”

“I have never deceived you, and never will. I am aware of the distinction between the shell and the reality. I know that you love Aliena and not me. But you have been supportive and decent throughout, and I am learning to like you. I have not yet learned love, but am trying. Aliena is reticent; I am not. I would like to have this interaction with you, if you allowed it. I would come into your bed at night, if you allowed it. I would seduce you. But I do not want to annoy you by being too forward.”

He knew she was telling the truth. Suddenly he was sorely tempted, but he held himself back. “Let’s go to the beach and see what happens. If you wish to do it then, tell me, and I will. Then later we can consider how we both feel about it.”

“That is fair,” she agreed.

The three cars pulled up at the beach. It was a hot summer day, and there were a number of people there. Star stared, enraptured. “Oh! I did not know it would be so compelling!”

Sam drew Brom aside. “There is a private inlet adjacent to this public beach. We have reserved it, and will guard it. No one is there. Go.”

“Maple, let’s go find some cotton candy,” Johnson said, picking the child up. “We’ll join them in a little while.”

“Yes!” Star cried, running toward it, fully clothed.

Brom followed, and soon they were at the private beach. Star tore off her clothing and ran naked to the water, exactly as Aliena had. The sight of her bouncing nude body turned him on, as before. Brom stripped and ran after her.

“May we sing?” she asked breathlessly.

“My soul’s going to shine like a star,” he sang.

“Mate me!” She plunged into the water, singing her Note. She splashed down in the shallow surf.

He followed, and in a moment they were in the the throes of it, still singing together. “My soul’s going to shine like a STAR!” he concluded as he plunged into her and climaxed instantly. She climaxed with him, as Aliena had, overcome by the moment and the surging waves.

Then they collapsed together. They had done it, gloriously.

“And at home, now that our ice is broken?”

“Anytime,” he agreed.

“May I initiate?”

“Anytime,” he repeated. “When we are alone.”

“Thank you. I am I think more like Lucy than Aliena in this respect. I crave this intensity.”

And their relationship was similarly imperfect, because she wasn’t Aliena. That was awkward.

“I think I should not have mentioned Lucy.”

“No, no, it’s all right. Just please don’t do what she did in the end.”

“I will not. Now I think we should dress, before the others return.”

“Agreed.”

She kissed him. Then they got out of the water, went to the shower, cleaned off, and got into their swimsuits.

The others returned. Sam and Martha had of course observed everything, wherever they had been hiding, and the Smythe’s knew of it. None of them commented. It was a tacit conspiracy of silence, but all of them seemed pleased. They had evidently wanted him to make it with Star.

They played in the surf with Maple and had a wonderful ordinary time. But Star was on Brom’s mind. She was not Aliena, but she was a lot of fun. And that singing surf connection had been almost identical to the one with Aliena. It seemed to signal the same thing: the commencement of their sexual association. Well, it was time.

“I must learn to dance,” Star said as they drove home.

“Dance? Why?”

“When the Unveiling comes, I will need to dance with selected men as part of the promotion. I must do it well.”

“I think you will need more competent instruction than I can deliver. I’m strictly a duffer dancer.”

“I will obtain it.”

She did, and overnight, literally, became expert. It also turned out that she had not exaggerated her delight in sex; she openly seduced him daily. This was another difference from Aliena, who while always amenable had seldom initiated sex, but Brom found that he liked it. Star had also made sure to have effective contraception; she could not afford pregnancy at this time.

Meanwhile rumors were spreading that something big was in the offing. This was the result of careful government leaks, preparing the populace for the revelation to come. Brom knew that it was being done on a global scale. The cooperation of nations was unprecedented; none wanted to be left out of it.

Star talked with the neighbors again, starting with Mrs. Green. “As you know, I am to be an Envoy from a distant realm,” Star said carefully.

“Yes, and I’m sure you will be a good one.”

“I must tell you more about it, that I fear will disturb or repulse you.”

“Star, if it’s some scandal in your background, don’t tell me. I like you regardless.”

“No scandal. But I must ask you to keep it in confidence, until the Unveiling in three months.”

“You have my word.”

“My realm is on another planet circling another star. I am a true alien.”

“And you can breathe our air? I have trouble believing that.”

“My natural body could not breathe your air. Instead my brain was transplanted into this native body, which had lost its brain.”

Mrs. Green was reluctant to believe, but Brom confirmed it, and finally she accepted it. “It’s a good thing I know what a nice person you are, Star, or I would have serious concerns.”

“Yes. And those who don’t know me may fear the worst. There will be considerable additional security in this neighborhood, to protect me against potential assassins. If you prefer not to live in such a situation, the government will arrange to buy your house for a good price and help place you wherever else you might prefer.”

Mrs. Green shook her head. “I’ll take my chances here. But thanks for warning me.”

“I am glad you will stay. I need friends around me.”

“You’ve got one, dear.”

Brom remembered how Johnson had remarked that Becky had been pretty, Aliena beautiful, and Star took it to an art form. He wasn’t thinking just of physical appearance. Star absolutely charmed people.

One month before the Unveiling the global publicity barrage began in earnest. Contact with an alien stellar culture had been made, and the aliens were sending an Envoy. At first there was wide rejection, as people suspected it was a hoax. But as more detail came, an increasing number began to accept it. Maybe this was for real.

Star made a quiet global tour, taking Brom and Maple along. The way had been cleared in advance, and there was no publicity. An early stop was in Italy, and the Vatican: the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.

They were ushered into a private office to see the pope himself. Brom held Maple on his lap as she hugged her starfish doll, looking around but silent, as she had learned to be. They were part of the background. He noted that Star was eerily lovely despite being quite conservatively dressed, without makeup, her hair plain. She looked much like a Catholic woman who had come to pray. An adorably dedicated one.

“As you know, Your Holiness, I am the Alien Envoy, to be Unveiled next month,” she said, and the pope nodded; he had of course been briefed. “My body is human, but my brain is that of a star-traveling starfish.” She smiled, and her beauty radiated. “I am called Star.”

The pope nodded noncommittally, waiting for her to pull the trigger; he was an old hand at this sort of thing. Folk frequently solicited favors of the Church, and some had significant power bases. Star’s intention was to enlist the Catholic Church’s cooperation after the Unveiling, or at least ensure its neutrality. It was a likely bastion of intolerance with respect to any alien visitation to Earth, that could be enormous mischief unless countered at the outset.

“I have come to request a significant favor of you, and to give you a small gift.”

“I am unlikely to grant a favor or accept a gift,” the pope said cautiously. But he knew that something huge was in the offing.

Star was unfazed. “We bring to Earth a number of gifts whose purpose is to advance Earthly technology and improve the comfort of human beings. Among these is what is popularly termed anti-gravity: the ability to virtually float without expending much if any power. The indications are that airlines, for example, could use this to decrease the weight of their planes and carry passengers far more efficiently. They will of course pay a licensing fee. There should be a good deal of money to be made from such adaptations. We wish to ensure that a fair share of such money is used for beneficial purposes, such as healing the sick and helping the poor to survive and even prosper. But my people are not conversant with the Earth economic pattern, so we prefer to enlist the assistance of those who are already committed to such good work. Such as the Catholic Church. Hence the favor: for you to arrange the appropriate distribution of a share of this money.”

“What amount are you thinking of?” the pope asked cautiously.

“Well, there are many channels, and this portion is relatively small, but should grow as time passes. Our expectation is that it would be about five billion dollars a year, to start.”

That signaled major league. “And what would be the restrictions? The strings?”

“No strings,” Star said. “We would not presume to try to tell you how to do what you understand so much better than we do.”

“I believe we could work something out,” the pope said. Brom was sure of that; five billion dollars a year could feed and medicate many needy people, who would be duly grateful to the Church.

“Thank you,” Star said sincerely. “Our representative will be in touch with yours. Now the gift.”

“No gift, please.”

“It is merely a song.”

“A song?”

Star sang what Brom knew was the pope’s favorite, because he had helped with the spot research: “Ave Maria.” She sang it in Latin, her bell-like tones making a breathtakingly lovely rendition.

The pope listened, clearly impressed. It was impossible for anyone to think that such a lovely person with such a wonderful voice could ever be associated with anything remotely evil. In fact she seemed more like an angel.

Then the pope raised his hand in a stop gesture. Star stopped in mid-note. He stood and walked to the door, gesturing them to follow. He led them through a labyrinth of passages until they came to a chamber like a small cathedral, where cleaning women were preparing it for the next service. He gestured for her to continue.

Star resumed singing exactly where she had left off. With the superior acoustics of this chamber the sound resounded, magnifying the effect. It was as if heaven was manifesting in this spot. The women paused to listen, impressed. Others came to stand at the periphery, similarly mesmerized. Brom realized that the pope had simply known that the song needed to be shared.

Star finished, and the listeners came out of their daze. “Thank you, my dear,” the pope said. “I do appreciate that gift.”

Brom knew that Star had accomplished her mission here. She had charmed the pope, and provided something he wanted. The Catholic Church was unlikely to oppose the starfish association. The pope surely understood her motivation, but he accepted it.

They went on to India, and China, and other centers of the great religions, where Star made similar presentations, concluding by singing their sacred songs beautifully in their own languages. There would surely be some religious objection to the starfish, but it was likely to be muted.

Star was a master diplomat. Yet when alone with Brom, she was an uncertain woman, wanting his reassurance. This did not seem to be an act; she truly needed him, as Aliena had. The act was her professionalism; she was good at it, but did not fully trust her own judgment. Maybe it was that he, as a human being, had the appropriate perspective. Of course he supported her fully; that was really his job. If only it could have been Aliena!

Two weeks before the Unveiling, the starfish mother-ship arrived and took up orbit around the moon. Now everyone believed, but many were seriously alarmed. Were the aliens coming as friends, or on a mission of conquest? Similar concerns played our around the world.

One week before unveiling, the announcement was made: the Alien Envoy had arrived. Because she could not live in Earth’s atmosphere, her brain had been transplanted into a human host. She had learned Earth’s ways and respected them.