C3-G12 (Book 1, Terraform)

XVII

We finally break through the brush and vegetation, our feet finding cobblestone pathways rather than dirt and leaves. Without the trees blocking our vision, we watch as silver bodies mill about the open space, moving in and out of buildings, carrying various items, and speaking amongst one another.

            We've stopped just outside of the woods, quietly observing the people go about a normal evening, doing what they can before losing the sun. After a moment, the Celxians start to stop what they're doing, looking back at us with this sense of awe that I'm sure is written across our faces as well.

            There's a final moment of stillness so complete that the trees have even seemed to stop their subtle swaying in the breeze. The two groups just look at the other, savoring the first moment of civility and contact between the people that would be sharing a planet from here on out. I swear nobody even breaths, afraid that any noise would tarnish the purity in this one moment.

            Soon, we're surrounded by a repeated series of hisses and clicks that move about the crowd of Celxians. Almost one by one, they each drop to a knee, lowering their heads in a submissive bow. Now, each of the once active bodies kneel before us. With their heads down, I chance a curious look to Bartlett, waiting for him to explain their reaction.

            "Their people are run by a monarchy, remember? So, to them, you eight are the human equivalent to royalty. This is a sign of respect." He whispers behind me and is just loud enough for the others to hear.

            "Okay...how do they know when to get up? Or how do we let them know it's okay?" I whisper back, trying to push away the uncomfortable feeling of being bowed to.

            Bartlett raises his eyebrows slightly and motions to move forward. That's a lot of help. Holding back a sigh, I turn around and almost as one, our group walks forward. The world is silent except for the clicking of our shoes on the pathway. Before long, we're only a few paces from the first Celxians and we stop, the officers falling back a few steps so the eight of us stand out from the crowd.

            Slowly, the Celxians begin to rise and we all release a collective sigh of relief. They begin to move all about, moving into a coordinated formation with the more important people in front and the more common in the back. As they move, their robes and cloaks move around them, all in varying shades of earthy tones. The dull browns seem to congregate in the back, many holding children still in front of them. Next, are the dark ambers who appear predominantly male, standing in a subtly protective stance, almost like they're trying to hide the action. Lastly, are the three hued sages, standing before us with their hands clasped in front of them. It would seem that coloration plays a part in determining status.

            "Wel—come," A female begins, a large smile on her face. "My name is Kree." She struggles through the word "is", her tongue getting caught on the s, dragging out the sound in a sort of reptilian lisp. Although, with their native language being a mixture of hisses and clicks, I'm not surprised that they naturally want to emphasize the sound.

            "Here, is Moct and Ara." She gestures to the male to her right then to the female on her left. "We happy to have you in our home."

            I take a deep breath and a small half step forward. "Thank you, my name is Serina." Kree's eyes light up at the sound of my voice and a large smile splits across my face. It lightens my heart to see her enthusiasm. I turn to the right slightly and introduce each of the others. Each give a small wave and a smile as I say their names, Leon being the last to be introduced. Turning back to face Kree, I pray I don't butcher what I'm about to say. I start into a series of hisses and clicks of my own then finish with the translation in our Galactic Common. "We are happy to be here."