Page 32 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space
My thoughts raced. How could I help ease his discomfort? For a moment, I considered road trip games from my childhood, but didn’t know what would work well once we left Earth. I Spy would be the simplest choice, but it required a shared vernacular, and there were bound to be things that I didn’t recognize. Likewise, the various word and alphabet games probably wouldn’t work well with his translator.
He squeezed my hand again, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Your face tells me you are thinking about what to do,” he said softly. “I will be fine.”
I blinked. “You can already read my expressions?”
He tilted his head slightly. “Yes? We have spent many hours together. Is it not normal?”
I considered for several seconds, then chuckled. “I guess I can read you sometimes, too.”
He gave me a soft smile. “That is good.” Then he patted my hand before retrieving his. “I will be alright for travel. You do not need to concern yourself with my well-being.”
I frowned. “I’d be a bad friend if I ignored it. But…” I paused. “I’ll do my best not to add to it by being pushy.”
He nodded. “That is acceptable.”
There was a bit of chatter behind us, then the sound of the back hatch closing.
“You weren’t kidding that it wasn’t going to take long,” I chuckled.
The pilot turned from his controls and grinned. “They are efficient.”
A moment later we were moving again, the land quickly turning to water as we crossed over the Pacific. Islands came and went in the blink of an eye—a testament to how fast we were moving. I tried to guess our path as we reached land again, and my closest approximation was that we’d crossed over Southeast Asia.
It was only a few minutes later that the craft slowed again and descended into another dense forest—which I was beginning to assume was a natural shielding decision when it needed to land.
We touched down, but the door did not immediately open. The pilot seemed intent on something, then turned to face us.
“My apologies,” he said to me. “Unfortunately, you will not be permitted outside the craft while our other passenger is boarding.” He frowned. “The government here is being… difficult.”
One of my eyebrows went up. “Ok.”
He gave me a slim smile. “Thank you for understanding.”
I exchanged a glance with Eashai, who seemed slightly concerned.
“Keep out of sight of the door if you can,” he whispered.
I nodded as I heard the slight hiss that accompanied the hatch opening.
Annoyed voices immediately sounded from outside. One was definitely Russian, while the other was speaking Russian, but had the same lilting accent I’d learned all the Lalyllte had.
There was a final exchange, then heavy footfalls as somebody stormed in and plopped into a seat on the other side of the aisle.
The pilot turned to the newcomer, there was a brief exchange in their language, then the sound of the hatch closing again.
The hatch had no sooner sealed, when there was a burst of what I could only assume were expletives. I dared to glance around Eashai to see a green man with an angry expression, his color muddied by a flush of anger.
“Um… hi?” I offered.
He turned, and the blood drained from his face. He stammered something until I realized he was still speaking Russian.
“American English?” I asked.
He took a moment to collect himself, then nodded. “I apologize for my outburst,” he stated.
I shook my head. “It’s ok. But… if I may ask… what happened?”
