Page 31 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space
There was a beat of silence, then, “Oh, radio scanning. Not a concern. In addition, your governments are aware of our presence.”
“Oh, yeah.” I paused. “How long will it take for us to reach Chile?”
He said something in his language.
“Around five minutes,” Eashai translated.
“I am not comfortable with your time measurements,” the pilot explained.
“Understood,” I replied, even as my mind reeled. “I can’t believe it’s that fast, though. It would take at least half a day by plane.”
The pilot chuckled. “We are limited within the atmosphere. We will travel at much higher speeds once away from Earth.”
“Wow…” I breathed.
I could just see the landscape out the front window. Trees passed in a blur. Roads came into view and disappeared again within the blink of an eye. Then endless blue as we crossed over either the Gulf or the Atlantic.
Islands flashed as we passed over them, then a sea of green as we approached South America.
I didn’t as much feel us slow, as I noticed the scenery didn’t pass as quickly. Another stretch of water, then the ocean seemed to tilt as the pilot banked and steered us toward a forested mountainside.
We dropped between some trees, then into what appeared to be a ramshackle shed.
There was a slight hiss as the rear hatch opened again. The pilot stretched, then swiveled his chair so he could face us.
“It will not take long,” he stated as he stood and stretched again. “If you leave, do not wander far.”
Part of me was tempted to have a look around. While I’d visited Brazil and Argentina, I’d never been to Chile.
I turned to Eashai. “Shall we?”
He forced a smile. “Go ahead. I will stay here.”
I was about to ask why when the pilot chuckled. I turned to him.
“Eashai dislikes offworld travel,” he stated. “We accommodate by having him board early so that he can prepare himself.”
“I’m so sorry,” I blurted, turning to him. “You told me that it made you nauseous, but…”
His smile was still strained, but more genuine as he reached over and squeezed my hand. “It is alright, Gene. I have done this many times already, and will continue to travel between our worlds as things progress. It is an unavoidable part of my work.”
“Nothing helps?” I asked.
His smile faded and a contemplative look entered his eyes. “Not anymore.”
I understood without him having to continue that he was thinking of his lost mate. It was my turn to squeeze his hand as I reached over with my free one and laid it over his. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“Thank you,” he replied softly. “But I would prefer for you to focus on the experience. Your time with us is short, and it may be your one chance to visit another planet.”
“Oh… yeah…” Part of me knew that Floyd must have told him that I was only planning to be working on the base for a couple of months, but part of me didn’t like being reminded of that.
I considered for a second, then relaxed in my seat.
“You are not going to go outside?” Eashai asked.
“I can visit Chile any time. I may go out when we get to Russia, as I’m less likely to vacation there since international tension is high.”
A small smile returned to his face, and I saw what looked like gratitude in his eyes.
