Stranger Times

Your Battlefield Solutions Provider (Smackdown Entry #4)

Slick, black walls in an octagon, this elevator was immense. Nearly the size of an auditorium, and twice as tall as a skyscraper, it cast Mariano and the soldiers into shadow and swept the dusty air away.

The elevator landed with a gentle hiss, an elegant display for something so massive. Mariano risked stepping out of his cover to watch a small panel slide down, and a lightly coloured doorway to open.

"On me," Mariano said, pointing his colt towards the opening. "Stay spread-out, fingers off your triggers unless I say otherwise."

Ahead of them, Mariano could see a pair of figures stepping out of their immense contraption, waving. Mariano, seeing this, decided to holster his weapon. "Mister Cacciatore, stay with your security. I'll approach. I was never briefed on first-contact, but we'll lead with an open hand. Even if the other one is armed."

The mayor nodded and stopped to let the special-forces soldiers get ahead of him. Mariano held his arms out, palms facing forward, and marched on until he approached the two figures.

The two figures, he discovered, were only about four feet tall, with milk-white skin and faces so smooth they looked like porcelain. They had a pair of what Mariano assumed were eyes on their oblong heads, large black eyes that reflected light like obsidian. The mouth was a narrow, long slit with only the barest hint of lips.

"Well! That's as sensible a greeting as anything we've ever seen!" one of them said, in immaculate though very accented Spanish. To Mariano's untrained ears, it sounded American. "Their second in command approaches unarmed, while the leader hangs back to assess our possible hostility, with a small but effective security force. Very sensible."

Mariano stopped, blinking in confusion.

"Indeed. Laudable, considering what our navigation specialist did to your village square. We've probably killed hundreds. We'll compensate your government, of course," the other figure said to him, and it took a few steps forward. "We'll toss the navigator out an airlock, too. Dastardly behaviour. We can't have that kind of carelessness. Bad first impressions are expensive."

As the little creature drew close, it held out its hand. "Xeń-Nagal Vogon, of Ogier-Vogon Solutions. I'm hopeful this regrettable mistake won't sour our relationship."

Mariano took the offered hand and shook it. "Lieutenant Mariano Velasco, Argentine Air Force. I'm..." Mariano looked back towards the mayor and gave a small shrug. "I'm not sure I'm authorised to say 'welcome to Earth'."

"We do come in peace, if that helps." The other figure said.

"This is former Brigadier Osvaldo Cacciatore, Mayor of Buenos Ares," Mariano said, stepping to one side and gesturing towards the mayor.

"Ah, the mayor! Excellent," Xeń-Nagal said, clapping his small hands. "We're already making progress. I'm here representing Ogier-Vogon, a mercantile firm that specializes in solutions."

"Solutions?" Osvaldo asked.

"Battlefield solutions, particularly. Arms, telemetry, strategic simulations, technological adaptations, our list of services is quite extensive," Xeń-Nagal replied.

"Arms? You're weapon merchants?" Osvaldo asked. The question sent a nervous shiver up Mariano's spine, and he unconsciously rested a hand on his pistol.

"Battlefield solutions providers. Arms is just a small part of what we do. We could discuss a wide variety of ways to help you in your current dispute with Great Britain. Particularly since the recent sinking of the Belgrano," Xeń-Nagal said.

Mariano noticed Osvaldo's drastic change of perspective at the news. The Belgrano's sinking, just eleven days ago, had damaged morale throughout the army and broke the patriotic fervour that had gripped the populace since the islands had been repatriated.