Earths in Space vol. 1: Where Are the Little Green Men?

Episode One: "Liberty or Death" -- Act One

ACT ONE

Kaden Cadmus kicked the tall punching bag in his office. His shin pounded hard into the canvas, perfectly horizontal. He did it just to do it, to remind himself that he could. Then he threw his elbows against the bag, again displaying superb form. For good measure, he twisted around for a spinning back-fist and nailed his target. His bare hand didn’t so much as smart.

He still had his moves, but the bag was sorely out of shape. It had lost much of its fillings, rendering it soft and saggy.

That was fine. It served its purpose in its time, and he wasn’t the one who needed a sturdy bag.

Kaden approached the two-way mirror opposite his desk, and he watched the product of his hard work.

On the other side, his employees taught martial arts to people of many ages and backgrounds—college students, middle-aged parents, fitness buffs, the overweight, the underweight. They all worked together to improve their health, increase their self-confidence, and learn self-defense techniques. Later in the afternoon, kids would be doing the same.

He had seen so much as a sheriff’s deputy, and that was just in his peaceful, rural hometown. To whatever extent possible, people needed to learn how to avoid becoming victims, and this—opening a martial arts school in the city—was Kaden’s contribution.

He studied the best techniques to craft the most effective curriculum. He started out small, teaching classes out of a hole in the wall until he could afford to expand, which came soon enough. He hired superb instructors to run the classes so he could focus on the business end of things and ensure the school’s financial solvency. He wasn’t sure if business management would be his thing, but he figured it out. He needed to figure it out, for them.

Kaden did all that and more, and he did it in a relatively short amount of time. This school had a long life ahead.

So he achieved his goal. He opened his school. Good for him. But he wasn’t contributing anymore.

He expected to resume a more hands-on teaching role by this point, but he was rusty as an instructor, and his teaching staff was so exceptional. Why break the flow? Why get in their way?

Kaden stared at the two-way mirror and saw his ghostly reflection staring back. It reminded him that thirty was just around the corner. He knew that wasn’t old, and he knew the several years beyond wouldn’t be old either. But “old” didn’t seem quite as distant as it once did.

Had he done all he was supposed to? Was that it? Did he already fulfill his life’s purpose by opening the school? What was left? Conventional wisdom said it was time to settle down and raise a family. That would have been a worthy goal.

Kaden and his desolate reflection parted ways, and he slumped into the chair behind his desk. His mind wandered back to an earlier period, when time stretched farther ahead than he could see.

He wondered what Amena was up to these days. He hadn’t heard from her in over a year, when she left the sheriff’s department to explore some new opportunities. Then, she vanished.

*****

Amena couldn’t believe she traveled thousands of light years to discover a forest and a teenager. What the heck?

She spotted some squirrels running around, and they didn’t even have the decency to be purple or neon.

Her ears perked up upon hearing soft buzzing. Maybe the bugs would be legitimately alien. She never bothered to study insects, though, so she wouldn’t exactly know. Maybe her crew needed an entomologist, but they only had so much room up there. Maybe if they had a really tiny entomologist…