Nova Station, Strolla System
Acting Administrator Marcus Hawkins yawned. He'd had another restless night and about half the sleep he needed to function correctly. Marcus had gotten up early. Even so, he was still running late to meet with the Governor and Colonel at the Station's Medical Lab. When he woke up, he checked the station logs. Dr. Kabwika had already begun examining the creature. Though exciting, Marcus wondered why all this happened only a couple days after Dr. Mallik took leave. He stepped into the elevator and started his descent to his selected floor. As he did so, he ran through in his mind what he learned about what happened on Hydra.
They told him of a massive explosion, but very little more was shared. All that the Colonel's pilot would reveal more was that they were bringing in a live alien being, one they had not seen on Hydra or Nova. They wanted Marcus needed to get the med Lab ready and wake Dr. Kabwika and his assistants to receive and monitor it.
During the early hours, he had to get everything ready but was not even authorized to see the creature. He was not 'essential medical personnel.'
Marcus had little time to feel sorry about his inability to sleep, or the fact that the station commander was not 'essential' enough to have seen the alien as it arrived. All he knew was that they found an alien drifting in LHO—and still alive. That was a remarkable find. He could not help but think it had something to do with the alien shuttle he detected drifting a couple of days earlier in the same general area.
Besides preparing for the alien's arrival, a new security contingent of Space Dogs needed to housing. They were to guard the alien when and if it awoke. All had to prepare everything without revealing what was happening. The group had arrived at the Station in the middle of Marcus' designated sleep period. The whole contingent headed straight to the med Lab, where Dr. Kabwika and his team were ready. Most on the Station kept the same sleep schedule as the settlement on Nova did, and Marcus was no exception.
Colonel Hand and Governor Belter were already standing in front of the science lab when Marcus arrived. The Colonel seemed his usual taciturn self, but the Governor appeared unusually tired and stressed. There were also five Space Dogs along the corridor, armed and ready with laser blasters. Marcus felt their presence was a bit invasive but didn't want to protest, as the Doctor in his white lab coat was to begin briefing them on the situation.
Though normally very quiet, the Doctor seemed almost giddy. He was forty years old when they discovered the gate. Hunger and sickness were rampant at that time on Terra. Dr. Kabwika was born and raised in the Sixth Dominion and suffered less from food and water shortages than others of his age group in the other Dominions. His compassion prompted him to become a healer, a medical doctor. Then when Terrans found extra-terrestrial life in the Strolla System, he focused on a new career. Dr. Kabwika is the leading exobiologist in the Strolla System.
His research up until arriving on the Station had been theoretical. But, now, he had the opportunity to examine an extra-terrestrial up close. He was excited that he was now able to research an actual alien patient. It was clear the Doctor could hardly wait for the Governor to ask him what he had found out since the creature's arrival.
"The alien is still non-responsive, but it is breathing our atmosphere," Dr. Kabwika began, fingers of one hand pressing his glasses back in place, then brushing his white goatee as he lowered it. "Scans and a physical examination show it to be male, just over two meters tall. He appears to have many of the same organs humans have and a few others that, so far, we have not been able to identify."
Curious, Marcus wanted to ask about the organs, but before he could ask it, the Doctor answered. His words poured out in an excited rush.
"My best guess is that those extra organs act to store food, water, and oxygen, creating an internal environment that is, I suspect, what allowed him to survive in space."
"He wasn't wearing a spacesuit!" Marcus observed.
"Even if he didn't need food, water, or oxygen, how could he survive in space with the cold and radiation?"
Dr. Kabwika's brow furrowed as he listened to the question. Then his eyes danced with anticipation and excitement as he formulated his response.
"That is the most remarkable thing. Let's go inside." He waved the group toward the room where the strange creature was.
The alien was a big humanoid, bipedal, and clothed in what would resemble a pair of ragged brown shorts. He had a bare upper body that looked strong and muscular. His skin had a grey-blue tint, and there were strange ridges across the top of his head and cheeks that could have been bone, or simply scar tissue under the skin. The creature had two large eyes and a mouth similar to a human being, but larger. His nose was in the same position as Terran noses, but it was much smaller, without much protrusion. The top of his head was completely bare.
The alien's legs were the most unusual aspect of his visible anatomy, and they looked mighty. Above the knee, they resembled Terran legs. But below that point, each limb had a short shin that connected to what appeared to be enormous feet. These feet, however, weren't like Terran feet at all. To Marcus' untrained eye, they looked more like what you would see on a rabbit or a kangaroo. Of course, he had no real way of knowing how the creature would stand and move. If it weren't for Dr. Kabwika's word and the steady beeping of the machines monitoring the alien's vital signs, he would have no reason to believe it was even alive. Dr. Kabwika walked and stood on the opposite side of the alien's bed. From that vantage point, he could face the alien and the others at the foot of the bed.
"My current theory is that his body adapts to its environment," he began. "We found no signs of radiation damage to his body as would have been expected. Also, as you know, space is a vacuum. If humans were in space without a suit, their eardrums would immediately rupture. Then, their bodies and their brains would swell. Humans would experience extreme pain as they suffocated to death from lack of air."
Marcus felt an involuntary shudder pass up his spine as the Doctor described the final moments of agony. As a space pilot, he knew well the many ways one could die in space, and he didn't like to think about them, especially since his accident.
"But our friend here did not have any of those problems." The glimmer of excitement in Kabwika's eyes grew more intense. He glanced at the three visitors with a curious smile on his face. It was almost as if he was waiting for them to guess how the creature was able to survive.
"It's his skin," he then said with a smile.
Dr. Kabwika paused just long enough to allow for a potential question, and then quickly moved on when none was forthcoming. "The alien's skin seems to automatically and immediately respond to changes in its environment. I have been up since he arrived, running tests. They show that the alien's skin can endure intense pressure, dramatic temperature changes, and incredibly high levels of radiation exposure. It is truly remarkable. Either his species evolved in an environment unlike anything we have imagined was possible for organic life, or he's the product of advanced genetic engineering."
"Imagine being able to travel in space without spacesuits," Belter said in a quiet voice as he gazed upon the creature strapped to the examination table.
Marcus glanced over at the array of machines hooked up to the alien. "Will he live?"
Dr. Kabwika looked at him and shrugged with a sparkle still in his eye.
"I don't even know if there's anything wrong with him. As far as I can tell, he could just be taking a nap."
Marcus surveyed the motionless alien lying on the Lab's examination bed. He decided the creature looked more like he was in a coma.
***
Victor was bursting with so many questions, but he knew that Dr. Kabwika wouldn't be able to answer the ones that pressed him the most. The Governor asked questions such as: "Do you have any indication from where the alien came? Do you consider it an aggressive or hostile species?" or "Could the alien have anything to do with the mysterious shuttle or the killer bugs?"
He knew that it was premature for him to ask, but he did anyway. Until the alien revived, it would be difficult to make sense of all that happened. Belter would have to wait. His sole purpose now was to determine if what happened was simply a horrible accident or a prelude to an invasion, and he was determined to get answers. The System's first major incident, depriving Victor of his loving family, needed to be understood. He could not imagine life without them.
He fought back feelings of despair. Victor focused on getting answers, answers that perhaps could give him a reason to live.
Specialist Lopez entered to speak with the Colonel. He waited by the door until Dr. Kabwika finished with his report, after which he approached Hand with a message.
"Colonel, you and the Governor are requested to report to the command tower. General Strickland wants to speak with you both immediately."
Victor didn't know what to expect, although he doubted it could be anything good at this point. It had been only an hour since he forwarded his report to the Leadership Council regarding the events on Hydra.
He knew the Colonel had requested more personnel, but the General did not usually communicate directly with the Governor. The fact that he also wanted to talk to Victor made him nervous. Maybe it had to do with his report. Strickland was not on the Council, so there was no telling what he wanted.
But if the news had gotten to him, he was unsure how anyone in the Solar System would react to his way of dealing with the alien bug threat. He'd delivered his report electronically to each member of the Leadership Council not more than five hours ago. He had wanted to send it out while the events were still fresh in his mind, but the report was incomplete. There were still so many unknowns. He needed more time.
Victor knew the Council would have more questions and probably wanted more details about the incident, the bugs, and most certainly about the alien they found. At least the meeting with Dr. Kabwika provided some new information that he could relay if the subject came up.
The Governor thanked Kabwika. "You're doing a great job here. Please let me know right away if the alien's status changes."
"Thank you, Governor will do," Kabwika said appreciatively.
At that, commander Hawkins excused himself and went to speak with his sister, Jamie, who was part of the group assisting the Doctor.
Victor and the Colonel had decided that, until more information was available, they would not provide the details of what had happened on Hydra. Everyone who witnessed the tragic events, including the Doctor and his staff, had to follow the order. They knew, though, that it was just a matter of time before rumors would make revealing more information necessary.
Belter, Hand, and Lopez left the room, leaving Dr. Kabwika to return to his monitoring and tests. The Doctor didn't seem in the least bit tired.
They went down the hallway toward the elevator, and Walters joined them. He and Lopez flanked the two important men on either side. Around them, the corridor was swarming with Space Dogs.
"Colonel," Victor asked, "is it necessary to have so many guards here?"
Colonel Hand had not said much that morning, other than to give an order here and there to the Space Dog guards he posted, but his response was immediate and seemingly rehearsed as if he had been waiting for someone to ask him that question.
"We still don't know anything about this alien," he answered. "What if the shuttle was his? For all we know, he could have brought that bug to Hydra as part of an attack on us!"
Given the situation, Victor decided that it was a plausible reason. He had already underestimated the threat from the bug, and he did not want to make that same mistake again. Hand did have authority over the System's security, so he did not question the Colonel any further.
As they walked down corridors to get to the elevators that would take them to the tower, the Governor thought again about his family, Jonny's sense of humor, and his daughter's unconditional affection. Then he pictured Beatrice, his wife of almost sixteen years, in his mind, her waves of sandy blonde hair, her smile, and her sparkling eyes. Suddenly, Belter felt a shudder of weakness spread through his body as his legs almost gave out. He stopped and leaned against a nearby cabinet. He took a moment to muster up his strength and to focus his full attention on the present. There was still so much to face.
As the elevator carried the four men to the tower, Belter felt another wave of self-doubt wash over him again. The sensation felt like the weight of the whole Strolla System was on his shoulders, and it was unbearable. He stopped believing in himself. His family was gone, and his sole legacy now lay with his oldest son, Nathan. He feared that Nathan would probably also blame him for his role in the death of his mother and siblings.
Victor had always been confident, and as solid as a rock. He had faced many crises in the past, but now it was different. This once strong man felt weak, unsure of himself, and defeated. Perhaps he needed to accept the fact that the younger generation that had followed him out here would be better suited to handle the perils of this new world. Maybe it was time to give up and retire.
He felt old, worn out, and beaten