Chapter Text
Part 1.
The evening forest was especially beautiful. The last rays of the bright red sun illuminated the treetops. Water babbled in the stream, splashing against the cold stones; leaves rustled in the wind.
In a place like this, it would have been easy to lose yourself. To admire the sunset, forgetting everything else in the world: never flinching at a suspicious sound, never looking over your shoulder. Had this been another universe, Kel probably would have done just that. Lost himself here: left behind all the pain and hardships of human civilization—simply enjoying the moment.
But this was our universe. And it demanded that people always be ready to fight for their lives.
— « On your right! »
« Oof! »
A laser beam passed just inches from the man's head.
Kel had good friends.
Anyone else would have found it terrifying to be forced to work in a place like this. But Kel... He was simply, genuinely glad that someone in this godforsaken place actually gave a damn about him.
The tank sent by the Greys was ready to crush anything living that crossed its path into the cold, damp earth. But on this particular evening, its plans were not to be.
— « It. Came for me! Take the gun! I'll run away from the camp and distract it. »
It was Argemia. An Ariral. A seven-foot-tall alien. Kel's friend. And right now, she was fighting for both their lives.
— « ... And you. Hide behind a tree and shoot! »
Bang!
The scientist lay on the ground, stunned. Damn, that gun had some recoil!
It was his first time firing an Ariral weapon.
The Arirals and the Greys were at war. And the latter fought with no regard for the laws of war or civilian casualties. Did it even make sense to speak of any kind of “international law” in the context of an actual interstellar war?
A good question.
One might suppose Kel qualified as a “civilian casualty” here. Though, given his sympathies for one particular side of the conflict and his direct fire support, he could just as easily be classified as a combatant.
— « ... Got death avoid? »
Extending her long, six-fingered hand, Argemia stood before him in the bright red autumn sunlight, like an angel.
— « ... Sorry... Didn't know. The shot. Didn't think it would be so powerful. Sorry. »
« Are you kidding me? That was awesome! »
Dirty, his glasses knocked crooked from the fall, slightly scorched by the laser, but happy—the scientist got to his feet.
Beneath the black helmet that completely concealed the Ariral's face, her emotions were impossible to read. Yet, for some reason, the scientist had a feeling she was smiling. It would have suited her so well! He had seen her true self, without the invisible suit, only once: red hair, cat-like features. What scientist wouldn't be fascinated by a creature like that?
Argemia continued.
— « I. Have to go, but... »
I. Promise.
One day. I'll give you a proper welcome.
We can. Spend more time together—stay a little longer. Not just blow everything up.
Deal?
The way Arirals adapted to Earth slang was genuinely amusing to hear. Kel sincerely enjoyed how they tried to be more like humans, despite being completely out of this world.
« Deal. You've got yourself a deal. »
And that's how we roll.
***
It's me again, Kel. Still alive. For now.
You have no idea what I just went through! Bang-bang, blew the enemies to pieces!
“In a video game”. Ha! Yeah, right. Laugh it up.
I'd tell you all about it, but I'm afraid the entire world government would turn against me...
Yeah, probably better cut that part out.
By the way, none of you happen to be members of it, right?
Something rustled in the bushes. Kel stopped recording.
The scientist was sitting on the balcony, enjoying what remained of the evening. He had absolutely no energy left to investigate the noise. The sun had almost disappeared below the horizon, leaving him very little time. If only he could knock back a bottle or two of something alcoholic.
What a rip-off!
Ever since receiving the experimental Ariral vaccine, he had become almost completely immune to the effects of alcohol: beer, like any other alcoholic drink, barely affected him anymore. If he and Ena had a drinking contest, like back in their university days, he would definitely come out on top.
Probably.
— « Messenger. 1 unread notification. Hey, Mon Cheri. — E. »
And speaking of her, there she was. Ena was a scientist, a colleague, a gunsmith working for “ASO”, and an old friend of Kel's.
They had known each other since university. He was an undergraduate, while she was working on her master's degree. Ena was older than him; however, that hadn't stopped them from getting to know each other and developing a certain closeness. Though it hadn't lasted long.
Ena graduated, and their time together came to an end... only for them to meet again soon afterward.
« Messenger. Yeah. I'll have sushi. »
Kel replied immediately.
— « Messenger. Well, someone's eager. I say “hello”, and he's already talking about sushi. — E. »
— « ... Messenger. Though, yeah—that's actually what I wanted to ask you. — E. »
...
— « Messenger. ... Why don't you come over yourself? We're only about 20 miles away. — E. »
The “ASO” administrative building was indeed located not far from the observatory. Ena, Max, his boss Bao; even Kel himself, before becoming an observatory operator—they had all worked there.
« Messenger. You know, I actually have a job to do. »
— « Messenger. Ooooh. That “job” of yours is killing you, Mon Cheri... — E. »
« Messenger. Well, what am I supposed to do? »
And really, what was she trying to tell him?
« Messenger. ... Live off your scholarship, like back at university? »
...
— « Messenger. ... “ASO” reminds you of university too, doesn't it? — E. »
Now that was an interesting comparison! Pointless assignments, unrealistic deadlines, but most importantly—an atmosphere of complete youthful self-organization and idealism.
— « Messenger. ... If “ASO” is a university, then Bao is the evil dean. — E. »
Kel had a very vivid imagination: he immediately pictured Dr. Bao running after students, forcing them to prepare for one endless exam session after another.
He couldn't help but snicker.
— « Messenger. ... I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you came over to “study for your exams”. — E. »
« Messenger. You're pushing it. »
— « Messenger. Oh, come on! You're no fun. — E. »
It had already grown quite dark outside. Night fell quickly in these parts.
All it took was for the sun to disappear behind another mountain, and that was it—pitch darkness. It was also rather dangerous. If you hadn't made it back before nightfall, had no flashlight with you, or your phone suddenly ran out of battery, you'd have to find your way back practically by touch. One suspects that very few people living in cities truly understand what night in the wilderness is like.
— « Messenger. 1 unread notification. Hey. Dummy. — A. »
And there she was. Argemia.
Yes—nothing surprising about that. The Arirals had mastered the internet as though it were their own invention. They would occasionally message the human: warning him of dangers, letting him know they were planning to visit, sending various funny pictures. Sometimes it even got a little annoying.
Outside, night had become truly impenetrable.
Perhaps one day the Arirals would even message him and invite him for a walk through the forest in the middle of the night, in complete darkness. Knowing their personalities, that wouldn't be surprising at all.
— « Messenger. You. Me. Stroll. Want to? 🐾 — A. »
***
Standing outside, the human anxiously awaited the alien's arrival.
The forest had sunk completely into darkness. The only source of light piercing through it, casting a cold white glow upon the ground, was the porch light. But that didn't make things any better: if Kel were the protagonist of some thriller, ominous music would be building in the background, as the sense of danger grew with every rustle in the bushes.
What was that out there, in the forest? He had noticed it earlier, while sitting on the balcony.
However, at the moment, Kel was more concerned about something else: the Arirals. As everyone knew, the aliens were rather fond of pranks, and the last thing he wanted right now was to get smacked on the back of the head, have his food stolen, or be tripped up.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Ena.
— « Messenger. 1 unread notification. By the way. “PSR J1847−0312 A” and “B” will be particularly visible tonight. — E. »
— « Messenger. ... Neutron stars. They're getting closer and closer to each other, and might collide soon. — E. »
Oh, pardon us—we forgot to turn on the translator from “astronomese”.
— « Messenger. ... Could be one big, beautiful “boom”. Are you sure you want to witness that all alone? — E. »
The entire scientific community had been on edge for the past week. Two neutron stars relatively close to Earth were expected to merge, releasing a colossal amount of energy. It could happen at any moment, and would be an event of almost historic proportions.
But the scientist wasn't alone.
A distorted, mechanical voice came from behind him.
— « This. Also human? — ?. »
He instinctively turned his head to see who was speaking—but his eyes were immediately covered by something large, soft, cool, and smelling of wet coins.
The phone was slowly pulled from his hands.
« Hey! »
— « This. Need to check it out. — ?. »
The voice, despite being altered, was incredibly familiar to Kel.
Raising his hand, Kel touched whatever was covering his face. It was a large palm. Number of fingers: 1, 2, 3, ..., 6. Six fingers. The scientist immediately knew who it was.
Having calmed down a little, he replied.
« You know, it's rude to snoop. »
— « Even if it makes things better? — A. »
Argemia said, now in her usual voice. It was her. An Ariral in the flesh.
« Shrimp's in the backpack, by the way. »
— « Ack-ack-ack! »
— « ... No. First. I want to show you something. »
Suddenly, the hand was removed. The scientist was tossed upward, and a brilliant white light flooded his vision. A second later—darkness again. But the scientist remained suspended in midair, about five feet above the ground, with no visible means of support.
— « And the shrimp. I already extracted them. »
The voice sounded right beside his ear.
***
Argemia headed toward the dark forest.
The darkness had grown so thick that it seemed you could cut it with scissors. Under any other circumstances, Kel would probably have felt uneasy being out at night in a place where literally every rock and every patch of ground was saturated with anomalies.
But tonight, he wasn't alone.
The alien, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, gave Kel a strange sense of calm. Perhaps foolishly so. But it certainly made things a little better.
One grove followed another. What could Argemia possibly want to show him?
« By the way, you guys... »
Kel started a conversation. His scientific curiosity had suddenly gotten the better of him.
« ... How big is a typical litter for your species? Like, 1–4 offspring, or 5–8? Sorry if that's a personal question, it's just... »
Argemia stopped right in the middle of a dark forest clearing.
— « Don't. Make noise! »
— « ... You're attracting. Their attention. Want to meet Greys again? »
Kel decided not to argue.
The moon emerged from behind the parting clouds. In its light, it became clear that they had ventured far beyond the radio observatory. The red lights of the antennas were now far behind them, and an entirely new, unfamiliar landscape stretched out before the two friends.
What speed! The Arirals weren't just taller and stronger than humans—they were many times faster, too. They could cover enormous distances in a matter of minutes.
« Where are we going? »
The answer soon presented itself. Around the next bend, a building came into view.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary residential building, but one clearly in a terrible state. Entire floors had collapsed, and the facade was overgrown with vegetation. Nobody had maintained this place for many years. The sight was rather unusual, and even a little depressing.
Kel had never seen a town here before. What was this building? And what was it doing in a place like this?
« ... Is this what you wanted to show me? »
— « No. »
The human was lowered to the ground.
— « ... Up there. We need to climb. »
« The building? »
Slightly puzzled, Kel looked toward where his invisible companion was standing.
« ... You could've told me. I'd have brought some climbing gear. »
A brilliant white light flooded his vision once again.
A second later, a figure stood before him. Tall—over seven feet in height. She was wearing the same suit as before. Black, with a helmet resembling those worn by special forces during tactical assaults. Kel could only hope that the space cat-aliens weren't planning to arrest him.
— « No. »
Argemia continued.
She turned around, crouched down, and patted her back with one hand.
Did she want Kel to climb onto her back?
Without thinking too much about it, the scientist approached, shuffled his feet for a moment—and finally attempted to climb onto the alien. His first attempt was unsuccessful: even while crouching, the alien's shoulders were still too high.
He noticed a protrusion on her suit. It was probably meant for attaching tools or other equipment. The moment the human grabbed hold of it, the space cat-woman straightened up, shook out her arms, and broke into a run toward the building.
To say Kel was terrified would be an understatement. Of course, he'd pulled off crazier stunts on his ATV, but that was a machine. He'd certainly never ridden on the back of an alien before.
Three steps straight up the wall, and they were already level with the second floor. Argemia caught the ledge with her hands. Another agile movement—and the third floor was behind them. Then another, and another. She climbed effortlessly, making full use of her body: arms, legs, and tail.
Finally, the edge of the roof came into view. The alien pulled herself halfway up, allowing the human to dismount safely. Once Kel was standing firmly on the roof with both feet, she pulled herself up and climbed onto it as well.
Incredible! If only he could get a ride like that while hunting for hash codes.
— « Not dead? »
« No, I... »
The scientist was still trying to recover.
« ... Sorry, I need to catch my breath. »
— « Ack-ack-ack! »
Kel looked around. The roof was in terrible condition: a massive hole gaped in the middle of the concrete slab. It led downward, probably all the way to the first floor. Cracks were everywhere, and the roof itself was uneven.
From the height of the five-story building, there was a view in every direction, including the mysterious little town surrounding them. What was this place? It certainly looked abandoned.
Street after street stretched into the distance, each bearing the remains of the life that had once flourished here: residential buildings, administrative offices, and other structures. Abandoned cars stood along the roads, overgrown with vegetation.
Why had people left this place?
Kel turned around.
The Ariral in the black suit and helmet was still standing at the edge of the roof. Behind her, the lights of the observatory glowed in the distance. The base was roughly two and a half to three miles away.
The alien turned, took a couple of steps toward the edge of the roof, and sat down, letting her legs dangle over the side. She patted the spot beside her with one hand. The gesture looked slightly unusual, distinctly alien—but Kel understood it without any trouble.
He carefully sat down beside her.
An interesting fact: a sitting Ariral wasn't actually all that tall compared to a human. Arirals had long legs, but their torsos were relatively short—roughly the size of a human's.
Argemia's head was now approximately level with his eyes.
The helmet she wore was made of some unknown black material. Just by looking at it, there was no way to tell how the invisibility technology worked. There were no screens or other devices that might have been used to generate an image.
« How does it work? »
Kel was the first to break the silence.
— « What. Offspring? »
« What offspring? What are you talking about? »
The human was somewhat taken aback by the question.
— « Well. You asked in the forest.... »
« Oh, that... Forget about it. »
His blood vessels dilated, and he felt the heat rising to his face. Kel was embarrassed by the question he'd asked back in the forest.
« ... Forget about it. I meant your invisibility. How does it work? »
— « Ah... At your base. You had a word for it. »
“Polarization”. Yes—that's it.
Camouflage turns on. Light becomes very, very polarized. Not in ordinary three-dimensional space, but... Well, you understand.
Travels. To the other side of the body. There, it transforms back.
That's how it works.
That explained absolutely nothing.
Even a doctorate in astrophysics wasn't enough to understand what she was talking about. Were Ariral technologies really that advanced, or was he simply that primitive?
A brief silence settled between them. Before long, Argemia spoke again.
— « Camouflage. Know why I wear it? »
The scientist very much wanted to know. He had always wondered about it, but had never dared to ask or investigate on his own. And Argemia had never brought up the subject herself.
Arirals.
They're not what you think they are, Kellin.
I. Know I'm an Ariral too. And that's bad.
They can be dangerous, Kellin. You might meet them. Soon.
And they... They might want anything from you.
But you. Be careful. Okay? Promise me you'll be careful.
What was she getting at? Who were these Arirals they might encounter?
It was hard to overstate the impression her words had made on the human. Hearing such a confession was astonishing—especially from an Ariral. Was this concern, anxiety, affection, or all of those things at once?
After thinking for a moment, the scientist replied.
« I promise. »
Perhaps those were the most appropriate words he could have said at that moment. He didn't know who “they” were, or what the near future held. But he trusted Argemia like no one else. In many ways—including tonight—he owed her his life. And the questions? The questions could wait.
...
« Can I ask you something? »
— « Yes. »
« Where's my phone? »
Kel decided to lighten the mood. The alien hesitated slightly, caught off guard by the question, but eventually produced the phone.
« Give it back! »
With a swift, deft movement, the human snatched the device from her hand.
Argemia—apparently not expecting such a quick reaction—stared in surprise at her now-empty hand. Her helmet concealed her expression, but she was probably quite astonished.
— « Ena. Who is that? »
The alien started another conversation.
« Ah, Ena... »
Kel wondered how he could tease the alien enough to discourage her from reading his private messages.
« ... Oh, she's just a cat-alien hunter. »
Genius!
« ... Finds one, and she'll show them what happens when they read other people's messages! »
The alien's reaction was completely impassive. For a moment, Kel even thought Argemia had frozen, trying to process the meaning of his words. Had he been too harsh with her? Whatever the case, she soon rejoined the conversation with a question that left the scientist utterly dumbfounded.
— « What is a “cat”? »
Damn it! There goes that joke!
How was Argemia supposed to know anything about Earth's animals... Let alone the associations humans made with them.
“1–0” in favor of the Ariral.
...
— « Look! Over there. »
Argemia gestured toward the sky.
At first, it seemed perfectly ordinary to Kel. Just the sky. Nothing unusual about it. But soon he noticed a strangely pulsating star—one that, according to everything modern science knew, shouldn't have been there.
« That's... »
Before he could finish, the star erupted in an incredibly powerful, blinding flash of light.
The scientist's eyes actually began to hurt—it was that bright. After wandering for so long through the dark forest and its surroundings, such an intense, sustained burst of light sent a sharp ache through his head.
Kel squeezed his eyes shut.
But something else quickly caught his attention. Argemia was sitting beside him without her helmet. Just like that day. When had she even managed to take it off? The figure sitting before the scientist was no longer an “alien in a black suit”. No. It was her. The real her.
If only he could get a better look at her. The light pouring down from the sky gave his fragile human eyes no chance. But Argemia was probably enjoying the spectacle just as much as he was.
— « Merger! Boom! »
To his own surprise, Kel realized he didn't want her to put that suit back on. The thought was as strange and irrational as it was utterly sincere—and entirely innocent.
Why was he so attached to the Ariral's appearance?
It shouldn't have mattered to him whether she wore the suit or not.
But it did.
Kel was afraid of forgetting her.
The human wanted to remember her face; her voice, her way of speaking. Her habits; her wild, unpredictable personality. He didn't want to forget her. His mind greedily absorbed every scrap of information he could gather.
— « ... See it!? »
He could see everything so clearly...
***
Those were neutron stars, right?
They collided, the plasma ejection struck the surrounding shell of gas, and an enormous amount of energy was released.
But... how did you know they were going to collide today?
At this exact moment?
« ... There's no way to predict that in advance. »
— « “Neutron stars”. Interesting. That's what you call them? »
...
— « ... Surasshu. She told me. This morning. I didn't know myself. »
« Who's Surasshu? »
Two beings made their way through the forest, shrouded in the darkness of night. This time, Kel was riding proudly on the Ariral's shoulders.
From a height of eight feet, he had a pretty good view of the surrounding area! His dream of traveling around the observatory on the back of an alien could officially be considered fulfilled.
They would reach the base in just a couple of minutes. Kel continued the conversation.
There was only one way you could've learned about the merger and predicted the exact time of the collision...
You have technology that allows you to travel faster than light.
Right?
— « Yes. »
The Ariral answered without the slightest hesitation. She certainly didn't waste words!
« How does it work? »
— « Here. Take everything and tell you! »
It seemed Argemia was gradually getting tired of his questions. Soon, however, she calmed down and continued in a measured voice.
You. Don't know this technology. I'll try to explain.
Every point in space has... “Condensity”. Yes, good word. Condensity.
In some places, it's greater. In others, less.
Where. It's greater—the universe makes you obey. Its laws. Where it's less—you can make the universe obey you.
That's how. Space travel works.
That's how Surasshu went to the nearest system. Learned about the merger. And came back.
Faster than light.
To say Kel was shocked would be an understatement.
Just a few minutes ago, he'd been living among the technologies of his native twenty-first century. And now he found himself surrounded by warp drives, faster-than-light information transfer, and some utterly incomprehensible thing called “Condensity”.
Suddenly, Argemia stopped.
The human, who hadn't even recovered from his first shock, was instantly on the verge of a second. A hand clamped over Kel's mouth, as though ordering him to stay silent. The scientist tensed up. He began frantically looking around for a threat.
It didn't take long to find one.
They were only a few yards from the base. And that was what made their mistake so disastrous.
Who's that by the base?
A figure dressed in black was busy doing something right by the entrance to the building. The very same entrance Kel had used to leave the base a little over an hour earlier. What was that person doing there? Argemia began slowly backing away. Whoever this suspicious character was, their appearance clearly meant trouble.
One step, then another. It seemed they were just about to disappear into the dark forest. Then they could turn around, run—get far, far away. Arirals were fast, weren't they?
— « Hold on. Tight. — A. »
Argemia whispered to Kel as quietly as she could. But a tragic surprise was about to ruin her plans.
A gunshot rang out.
« Argemia! »
For a moment, the entire forest seemed to fall silent. No rustling leaves, no wind. The shot had been that loud. Its echo gradually spread through the surrounding woods, traveling dozens, even hundreds of yards in mere seconds. It was the sound of a weapon. A human weapon...
Kel hadn't managed to get a proper look at the attacker. A fatal mistake. All that had burned itself into his mind was a silhouette: a human, ordinary, of average height and build for these parts. The figure wore a long, battered black coat and something resembling a motorcycle helmet. Or perhaps a welding mask—it was impossible to tell from that distance.
In his hands was a long, elongated weapon, black as death itself. If Ena had been there, she would have instantly identified the rifle's exact model and configuration. But Ena wasn't there. From what Kel could recognize on his own, one thing was certain: it definitely wasn't a hunting shotgun...
A second later, the Ariral collapsed to the ground, all seven feet of her. Kel went down with her.
— « Ow! Ow... »
She was clearly in pain. Through it, Argemia managed to force out a few words.
— « ... Don't run. Hear me? Don't leave! »
Of course, Kel had no intention of going anywhere. He wanted to pick her up, carry her somewhere. Somewhere safe. But he couldn't.
Arirals weighed close to two hundred pounds. Even if he wanted to with all his heart, there was nothing he could do. All he could do was watch. Watch and hope that someone would get them out of there.
Suddenly, a tremendous roar erupted. A powerful gust of wind whipped through the human's hair and sent the fallen leaves swirling up from the forest floor.
At first, the scientist couldn't understand what had happened. But when he came to his senses, he saw it: something had appeared nearby. A large metallic object was hovering about five feet above the ground.
It was an Ariral interstellar spacecraft!
— « 𝌔 𝌇𝌐𝌂 — 🜃 —? — S. »
— « 𝌃⟖𝌗! — 🜃 ⟘⟑... — A. »
An unfamiliar voice sounded somewhere very close. The speaker was nowhere to be seen, and the language was unknown to him. Argemia, struggling through the pain, answered in the alien tongue.
A firefight broke out.
Several loud gunshots, followed by several blasts of alien weaponry in return. The spacecraft hovering above the ground blocked almost the entire view. Perhaps it was the only thing now separating our companions from the actual battlefield.
A thin stream of carrot-colored liquid trickled down Argemia's armor and dripped onto the ground. Ariral blood...
No knowledge of alien biology was necessary.
The Ariral's life was in danger.
For the first time, the human felt his heart tighten. He didn't know what to do. There was no ready-made instruction manual for a situation like this. Carefully lay her down, get up, and help in the firefight? Ridiculous. He didn't have a weapon. Stay with her and treat her injuries? How?
Before long, the gunfire died away. It all ended as quickly and unexpectedly as it had begun. The sound of an engine followed, then the fading crunch of a vehicle's tires.
He was retreating...
Argemia found the strength to speak.
Don't worry. About me. It's nothing, it's all nothing...
You'll be taken away.
Surasshu... She's good. Don't fight, okay?..
How was she even finding the strength to say all this?
— « ... She'll take you... — A. »
Her voice was growing increasingly sweet.
« No, no, no! Hang on. We'll help you, we'll get you out of here! »
Kel had absolutely no idea what to do.
He wanted to say something reassuring, anything at all. But it was painfully obvious that there was nothing reassuring about this situation. A hopeless deadlock. How deep was the wound? Was there even anything a human could do in a situation like this?
— « ⟘𝌉𝌃🜃 ⟘⋌𝌃! The heck?! What have you done to her?! — S. »
It was her. Surasshu.
I told you!
Told you, told you, told you—not to do anything stupid!
And not to trust anyone on this damn planet!
Kel had never heard such flawless English in his life. Surasshu spoke the language better than some native speakers. Was she even an alien?
« Can you save her?! »
Kel was terrified—and desperate enough to beg for her help.
— « Of course I'm going to save her! — S. »
Surasshu lifted Argemia into the air. Neither her hands nor the alien herself were visible. With extraordinary care, she carried her toward the spacecraft. The underside of the interstellar vessel opened, flooding the surroundings with brilliant white light. An instant later, Argemia was nowhere to be seen. Only the solitary spacecraft remained, hovering five feet above the ground.
Someone invisible grabbed Kel by the arm. He was dragged across the damp, muddy ground toward the interstellar vessel. Its metallic underside opened.
A flash of light.
***