Star Singer

Four

Oh gawwwd I went back to chapter three to resituate myself with the story....daaaamn it needs to be edited. I am so sorry QAQ

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     Anna was brought to a pause at those few words. These creatures had been confidently walking about, touching everything, and even went so far as to find her when they realized there was life on the ship. They seemed anything but scared to her. She slowly craned her neck to glance at her captain, who was slowly trying to mouth something to her, but Anna had never mastered the art of lip reading.

     Returning her attention to the being in front of her, the young woman hesitantly lowered her arms. Behind them Singer was deactivating due to inactivity, liking taking it's attention elsewhere. Anna's mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do. Heeler would not be out of the pod for a few hours at least. It was completely up to Anna to decide what to do.

     "Why are you here?" She asked again.

     This time, the alien creature mulled over the answer, since the last time it had tried, she failed to understand. It's tentacle appendages wriggled about and there seemed to be a glow emanating from the ones that had touched Anna previously.

     "We ... had to ... check ... Had to know ... if you are a ... threat. It is our ... duty ... or maybe our job." It responded.

     As it spoke, the alien seemed to become more and more comfortable with the language and speech. It struggled with some lettered, but swiftly found ways to make it work. Although it sounded weird, Anna was able to clearly understand each and every word. She swallowed down her nerves.

     "We are just passing through. We are headed for a planet, a place to colonize. We mean no harm or offense as long as none is done to us." Anna told him.

     The green alien nodded to her.

     "I know. I saw it...in your memories."

     I knew it, thought Anna. She did not know if she should be more frightened or offended. Surprisingly, she was starting to lean more toward offended. The more she interacted with this creature, the more confident she became. She was still terrified, but it was slowly ebbing away to be replaced by curiosity and wonder.

     "In that case..." Anna paused, not certain what she was going to say, "...In that case, do you want a tour of the ship before you leave?"

     That seemed to surprise the alien. It's many appendages stiffened for a moment and then seemed to move more animatedly. It nodded eagerly and then paused and tilted it's head again.

     "My companions?" It asked.

     "As long as they don't ... touch anything without asking, they can come," Anna agreed uneasily.

     The alien suddenly lifted it's head to the ceiling and opened it's mouth wide before violently snapping it shut again, making Anna jump in fright. It's body started to give a soft glow and she could hear a low, nearly inaudible hum that vibrated her very bones. Moments later, the other aliens were crowded at the door. The tall purple one was bouncing about, doing a sort of tappy dance in place. 

    "May they..." the green alien paused for a long moment before he found the right word, "Connect with you?"

     "Connect?" Anna asked and then remembered what had happened when the alien had touched her earlier. 

     She eyed the group warily.

    "We mean no harm... it simply will make... communication easier... We will not force it."

     Anna realized with dread that she was being given an opportunity to become these creatures' first and perhaps only exposure to humans. Whatever they did, they would see things and learn things about her people through her eyes. And she did not feel like she had the right to say no. Under the expectant eyes of the five, she stepped forward and offered up her arm.

     The green alien made some rumbling, barking sounds and the other four formed a sort of line, crouching down in an attempt to seem less threatening, perhaps. The first was, of course, the dancing purple one. It was so tall, it just about had to crawl over to her, which it did eagerly. It reached out with two of it's tentacles and as soon as their skin touch, the strange electricity shot through Anna's body.

     She managed to withstand it for a few seconds before she jerked away. The green alien had come up behind her and as soon as it saw her start to move, it reached out to push the purple one away. Despite knowing it didn't hurt, despite knowing these creatures were, at the moment, friendly, despite knowing this would help with communication, Anna was reluctant. The shock confused her nerves, giving her a mixture of a feeling of danger and ... dare she say it ... pleasure.