Ad Astra - The Alagore War

AA V1 Alagore, Chapter 6

"My name is Sergeant Benjamin Ford."

The elf girl stared at the hand, analyzing the welcoming gesture. It was surprisingly similar to the orc's and lats. But each had their variations.

"I am sorry," Ford said. "I assumed you already knew what a handshake was."

"I do," Fraeya said. "At least, I have seen versions of this."

Ford then explained the basic principle of their greeting gesture, which was surprisingly simple. She then reached out and grabbed his hand, which he shook softly. "It is nice to meet you. Welcome to Earth."

"Thank you," Fraeya said. "You are the first to tell me that."

"Really? I am sorry to hear that. It has been hectic here since you all arrived so I guess decency was thrown out the door."

"I will admit, things were harsher than I expected but some of your kind already express kindness. Including you but I want to ask, what is that word you used? Hectic?"

"Oh, you must not have a word for that. Basically, it means trying to organize chaos."

Fraeya couldn't help but nod, finding this world utterly different than her father imagined. "I am sorry that our arrival has caused so much turmoil. Our intention was never to bring harm. We were only trying to seek aid."

"It is okay," Ford said. "Honestly, my country has a love-hate relationship with the unknown and drama. It gives them something new to focus on."

She stood there, confused by what this man had said. "I am sorry. Everything about your world is so different."

"What do you mean?"

Taking a frustrated breath, Fraeya folded her arms together. "I do not know where to begin. To start with, everything you build is without the influence of magic. The Sages in Matho would call your people backwards thinking, yet what you have is impressive. Your lights are not crystal and can be turned on by a button. I see them everywhere. And let's look outside. Your sky is so empty, having only one Moon."

"One moon? That is definitely different," Ford said as he walked to the large window. "But I wouldn't say it is empty. You just cannot see it."

"What do you mean?"

"Watch this."

Fraeya looked at the young boy. Ford seemed very energetic and outgoing compared to many of the people she had encountered so far; and she liked it. Different from the Legionaries in their mission. Their spirits seemed broken, only having duty left in their lives.

The more she thought about it, Fraeya noticed similar traits among the few Altaerrie she had met. Some were nice like Ryder while others were cold and direct. Some seemed sweet, like Ford. But there was something else that she couldn't put her finger on that made them stand out.

Seeing that the Altaerrie man wanted her to stare out into the white snow horizon. She was shocked by a sudden explosion in the distance. "Are you under attack?"

"Nope," Ford calmly said. "That is what we call a rocket. It sends military personnel to that moon you see hanging high above us. So, we might only have one, but we are very active."

Fraeya struggled to understand. The idea that the Altaerrie Could accomplish such a feat. "You can go into orbit? You can sail through the Cosmic Sea?"

Ford was surprised by the elf girl's response, not being what he expected. "So, do your people understand the concept of gravity and orbits?"

"Of course," Fraeya said. "Why would we not?"

"Good point. It was wrong for me to assume. I guess it is my time to apologize. To answer your question, yes. We and other nations on Earth have colonies on other worlds outside of ours. All within this star system of course."