The Herald
We can never truly start anything, because all begginnings are really just the ending of some other part of our life, or chapter in a story. In the same tone, nothing ever truly ends, for every ending is the beginning of something new. And so life is cylical, beginning and ending in a grand circle that spins and spins, and occasionally leaves us with mile markers, to show where an Journey ended and a new Adventur began.
It was a crystal clear night in the mountains just north of Portland, Oregon. An Astronomy club from Portland State University was camping out for the weekend to do some stargazing away from the light pollution of the city. from here stars were endless. Many had taken a fifteen-seater van up, some had driven themselves. they were in a clearing working with their telescopes, filling in star charts, and just generally having a good time.
"That's not right," Terry Winters observed, looking at his star chart, and back through his telescope. he gazed up at the sky and blinked at moving light in the sky. it was moving too slowly to be a meteor, comet.
"What have you treed there Terry?" asked the Professor, Dr. Elenore Hubing.
"That light is getting... bigger," he said of a large light that was moving.
Elenore crouched down to get a good look through the scope. "I think you must have picked up a satelite, or peice of space junk re-entering," she said as she adjusted the sight. "Keep an eye on it though, see what happens," She instructed him as she walked off to tend to the other members.
Terry did so, and more and more he realized this wasn't something that could be happening. "It's a ship!" he yelped. "I've got details... there are engines... It's a ship!" he quickly rattled off the coordinates to the others who fixed their telescopes on it.
"Holy crap," Beccy Long yelped. "he's right."
"Hold up!" Nathan Wright inturrupted. "I'm in AFROTC and that is no kind of ship I've ever seen before."
"Um..." Terry had now taken to switching between a notebook he was jotting numbers down in and his telescope. "That thing is headed this direction... roughtly..." he checked his map. "one mile south of here."
Soon it was obvious to all looking through their telescopes that it was a ship of some sort of unknown designs. Terry pulled out his GPS, which he'd brought on the trip in case they had gotten lost (Terry was not a wilderness person, and as such was terrified of such instances). He tracked their movements as they rushed through the brush and trees to the spot that he'd calculated. they found another clearing. the ship was very low now, and it wasn't alone. Two jets criss crossed over head.
The ship they had been tracking was shaped like an egg, as tall as a mobile home and about half as long, laying long ways. It had four thrusters, spaced evenly around it, that were slowing and controlling it's descent. on the fat rear of the egg were three long rods sweapt backwards. They had a faint green glow to them that made most of the college students fear radiation in some parts of their minds. Landing struts folded out from the under side of the egg. The egg itself was collored a light gray with a black stripe running the length. there was an obvious cockpit, though in the darkness all they could see within were tiny red and green lights. The egg touched down suprisingly gently.
They saw the lights in the cockpit shut off. The reflectie dome gave a hiss and was then knocked away. That was when the students got their first look at it. It had gray-ish blue skin with an elongated head with no hair. it was the size of a slightly tall man. It had two large dark eyes toward the front of it's long head, over top two large nostrils that were flaring. it's jaw protruded and seemed to curve upward some. It was wearing a breathing apparatus with a hose running from a mask covering it's face, down to a large machine hooked on the left side of it's waist. It wore a suit with four fingered gloves, heavy boots, and some sort of writing down the sleeves, and ornaments on the Right leg.
It looked around, taking in the surroundings. It seemed to nod, then looked at those present. It regarded the seven human beings individually, then it looked to the one in front, Terry. It hopped down from it's ship, landing in a crouch. The machine on it's waist emmitted several long deep noises. It snapped it's jaw twice, and spoke a string of unknown words as it removed the mask.
Someone behind Terry shoved him further forward. "H-h-hello," he stammered.
The alien jutted it's head forward. "Hu-ldo," it repeated.
Terry looked around and thought for a moment. How the hell did you handle something like this. In the movies all the aliens spoke english... or didn't bother to speak at all. he patted his chest. "Terry," he introduced himself.
The alien jutted his head forward again and blinked it's eyes at Terry. Then the alien snapped it's jaws twice, and clenched it's eyes. It patted it's own chest and said "Skraldin."
Terry pointed his finger at the alien. "Skraldin?" he asked. then he pointed at himself "Terry?"
the alien mimicked. he pointed at Terry, "Ted-Ree," and then pointed at himself saying "Skraldin."
Terry reached behind himself grabbing the first person he could, Michelle Nguyen. "Michelle," he said, pointing to the girl. He pointed back at Skraldin, stating what he believed to be the aliens name, then pointed at himself giving his own name.
"Me-Chel," Skraldin said, pointing at the girl. "Ted-Ree," he pointed at the only human who would speak with him. He gestured to himself. "Skraldin."
"His name is Skraldin," Terry told everyone.
"Duh," snarled Nathan. "But why did you drag Michelle in?"
"I wanted to make sure he was saying his name, and not his species," Terry whispered.
Terry turned back to Skraldin, not sure what to say. Luckily, he didn't have to.
"Skraldin," the alien began. "Dooska," it pantomimed giving something. "Ted-Ree po Me-Chel." it pointed to both of them.
"It wants to give us something," Terry gasped in astonishment. "Welcome," Terry smiled, extending his hand.
Skraldin jutted his head forward again, in what Terry was beginning to guess was an expression of confusion.
Terry slowly took Skraldin's hand, and placed it in his own, and shook hands.
Skraldin snapped his jaws twice and gently returned the shake.
this was as nice as things got. This was the moment the governement decided to step in. Jeeps rolled in, unloading soldiers who put everyone at gunpoint.
Terry's arms flew into the air as a natural reaction. Skraldin, sensing it was the appropriate thing to do, followed suit as all the others who had greeted him when he first arrived had done the same as Terry.
A tall black man in fatigues strode forward. "Who made first contact here?" he barked.
"He did!" yelped Beccy Long, pointing at Terry.
"I'm Lt. Col. Ivory Markham," the tall black officer said, walking toward Terry and Skraldin. "What have you learned from him?"
"His name is Skraldin," Terry answered, at which point Skraldin tapped his chest with his hands. "And I think he wants to give us something."
Markham looked at the alien closely, which caused Skraldin to blink rapidly as he leaned away from the officer. Markham patted his chest. "Markham" he said coldly.
"Mard-Kome" replied Skraldin.
~*~
'Well that was fast,' Skraldin thought. He had expected to have to actively search out the planet's military forces. Now here he was standing in front of one. He couldn't be sure, but judging from the way the humans who just arrived were holding the sinister looking black devices, they were weapons of some sort. Skraldin had no intention of giving the humans reason to discharge them. Skraldin looked around at the activity. the humans were moving fast, setting things up, errecting small for legged structures. Skraldin wasn't sure about their purpose, but turned back to his new aquaintance. He tapped his right leg, where the decorations were.
"Seetu," he said. "Seetu Skraldin." Then Skraldin pointed at the man's chest, where his own decorations were.
~*~
"What's that mean?," Lt. Col. Markham asked Terry for no other reason than the young man was there. "Seado?"
Terry studied Skraldin's motions carefully as he watched the alien repeate it. "Rank," he finally gasped. "'Seetu' must be his rank."
"Lieutenant-Colonel Markham," replied the officer.
"Duten-Dant Kurd-Ahl Mard-Kome," Seetu Skraldin replied as it's posture straightened, it's left hand snapped to it's side and it's right extended out to his right at the shoulder, then bent up at elbow perpendicular to the rest of his arm. it's fingers were straight.
Markham saw it for wat it was and returned with a salute of his own.
But if I had the money and the opportunity I'd love to intern at DC. Writing Batman is undoubted second on my list in between performing the Hajj and watching Dream Theater live.
