"To Thrive" -- An Alien Arrival Story (closed)

[PennySaver]

"To Thrive"

An Alien Arrival Story

closed​

14 March 2023

There wasn't a corner of the Earth that by now hadn't been devastated in some way by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It had seemed during the late summer months of 2020 as though the virus had been tamed; several drug trials had produced promising vaccines, and the strict stay-at-home and social distancing guidelines put in place to varying degrees around the globe had begun to make an impact.

Then mutated versions of the virus struck Australia in August and spread across the world, and making matters worse, a second mutation sprung up in the United States in September, spreading as well. By the end of 2022, the seemingly unstoppable virus had claimed more than 120 million lives directly, and indirectly -- through starvation, conflict, social upheaval, or companion diseases -- it was blamed for another 1.1 billion deaths.

The world had been engulfed by mayhem spurred on by what came to be known as the Variants: V-20, V-21, and V-23, the third mutation that sprung up in January of this year. More than 40 States across the globe were embroiled in violent civil unrest or outright civil war; 30 were involved in military conflict with their neighbors, mostly over dwindling resources. 14 Countries had been invaded in part or in full and conquered, again mostly for the resources they had which their neighbors wanted.

The United Nations had ceased meeting in mid-2022; it simply wasn't worth the time and effort anymore. War Crimes reporting had increased exponentially, but as there were simply too many with which to deal and so few resources with which to deal with them, the UN had simply stopped even registering the reports.

On six different occasions, world politicians and military leaders with their fingers on the buttons of their State's nuclear arsenals had very nearly pressed their fingers down.

The Human Race was on the verge of destroying itself, and if ever Earth and the life upon it -- Human and otherwise -- had ever needed divine intervention, that time had arrived.

But it wouldn't be God who would arrive to save the day. Instead, it would be aliens. The 1,200 meter diameter, wheel-like space station -- not space ship -- seemed to have appeared instantaneously in orbit, 235 miles above the surface of Earth. This put it very close to the current orbiting height of the International Space Station, which was at 225 miles and was due for an altitude increasing burn in less than a month's time.

Within seconds of setting off bells in astronomical observatories and military posts across the globe, the alien vessel began transmitting a radio signal to Earth in 12,000 languages and regional or social dialects, including 3,000 that had been spoken on Earth in as much as a thousand years.

The message was simple and direct: We come in peace.

The message also came with a countdown timer; the aliens had arrived 30 hours ago, and now that timer was very near to zero.

The police and military forces of most States of the world had already been on high alert due to the ongoing pandemic and social strife, so the arrival of the alien vessel had had little effect on them regarding deployment. The countdown timer had caused a bit of concern, though, and those nations that feared it might be a countdown to invasion and that also had the capability of striking at the alien vessel did indeed consider the option.

Within 12 hours of the ship's appearance, there had been National and even International discussions about whether the massive nuclear arsenals that had been threatening enemies all around the globe should instead be pointed at and even launched at the ship … just in case the aliens were about to attack.

But calmer heads prevailed, and those men -- and women -- with their fingers on the buttons chose a wait and see approach.

While the alien craft hadn't yet taken any aggressive action toward the planet itself, it had taken one in space, however: the ISS had been destroyed. It had been on an orbital path that would eventually bring it to within 22 miles of the alien vessel, and there had been talk of using the escape module to evacuate its six current occupants: 2 American, a Brit, a German, and 2 Russians.

But then Ground Control lost communications with the ISS. They continued to track it for hours … and then as it passed over a ground tracking telescope in Australia, a debris field was found where the ISS was supposed to be. The ISS had broken into three major pieces, and all of it was slowly descending into Earth's atmosphere where, presumably, most of it would burn up before reaching the ground.

Another 10 hours later, the countdown clock ran out. All across the globe, screens -- cell phones, computers, televisions, even some work station monitors in factories, military bases, and medical labs, essentially any device with a screen capable of picking up a digitally produced broadcast signal -- were filled with scrolling text that seemed to indicate a need for the viewer to select a language in which they wished to hear the imminent message. This scroll continued for as long as two minutes, to ensure that people less aware of what was happening had the opportunity to prepare their device for their own personal needs.

Then, an image of a beautiful, sexy, and seemingly Human woman in a tight fitting, curves displaying, latex-appearing full body outfit. Although most of the world wouldn't recognize the face before them, those at NASA, as well as others -- family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and space fans -- would recognize it immediately: it was Captain Sadie Thomas, Olympics beach volleyball champion, former US Air Force combat pilot, and current NASA astronaut assigned to the now destroyed International Space Station.

"Greetings, my name is Sharra," the woman said with a smile. "It is a pleasure to finally address you, the people of Planet Earth."

She was speaking in English, but across the world the hundreds of millions, possibly billions who had made a language choice were, of course, hearing her as they wished; for those who hadn't had a choice -- those watching on community monitors or listening on non-visual devices -- the message came to them in the language understood by the majority of that region's people, sometimes with a scroll below it in the second and even the third most spoken language.

"I wish to begin by telling you the most important thing I could say to you," she continued. "We come in peace."

She went on to explain how while she would understand if many people were alarmed at their sudden appearance in orbit of the planet, that there was no reason to fear. "We have come to your planet as benevolent beings. We only with to help the people of Planet Earth with their many and varied difficulties."

As she continued, she walked closer to what had to be a camera; her image slowly enlarged before the faces of the billions watching. "I should explain my appearance."

She waved her hands casually before her body as if some television informercial model demonstrating a blouse and explained, "The form you see before you once belonged to a treasured and beloved human named Captain Sadie Thomas."

Sharra went on to explain how their arrival had inadvertently caused damage to the ISS and -- knowing that lives were at stake -- they had very quickly sent a craft out to rescue the crew. The ISS could not be saved, but the crew was; she promised that the rest of the crew was safe and healthy and would soon be returned home. Unfortunately, Sharra continued, Sadie had been critically injured and had not survived.

"My race is not a physical one," Sharra continued. "We are a race of energy … of light. This would, of course, make communicating with the people of Earth difficult. However, we have the capability of occupying the physical forms of other beings … of essentially becoming that being."

She smiled and even chuckled a bit as she continued, "Please, do not be concerned by this. I am aware of your entertainment industries productions of … what are they called … body snatchers? I assure you … we are not body snatchers. We are a benevolent race of beings who are simply different from your own race."

Sharra again swept a demonstrating gesture before her, saying, "When it became obvious that even our advanced medical knowledge could not save Captain Sadie, I … occupied her physical being … so that I can communicate with you, the people of Earth, in a far more simpler manner. Having physical form will enable you and I to discuss how we can help you with the issues plaguing you and your planet at this time."

She took a couple of steps back, then turned left, right, and back to the screen. With a wide smile, she added playfully, "And I have come to learn that Captain Sadie was rather enjoyable to look at, as well … which can not hurt, I think."

Moving forward again, Sharra finished, "I will be making contact with the leaders of your planet in the hours to come, to determine how we can help you in both the short run and the long run. I will also be making contact with the family of Captain Sadie, to express my sincere regret for their loss and explain the way forward in regards to her physical form."

Sharra spoke for a moment about some of the great things that were to come without getting into many details. She did, however, say that they could not only bring an end to the current pandemic but could prevent all future ones. Then, with a peaceful farewell, screens across the globe simply went black.

################​

"Greetings, I am Sharra," she said as she entered the medical lab. She smiled to the man and -- looking toward the wall where earlier a holographic display had shown him her earlier message to the world -- she asked, "Do you have any questions about my presentation to your people?"

Although he was sitting atop a pretty standard looking examination bed, he was surrounded by an array of medical machines, many of which might have looked familiar from advanced Earth hospitals but most of which also featured 3-D holographic imagers that he would never have seen except in science fiction or futuristic movies and television shows.

Many of the machines illustrated images of portions of the man's body. One showed an image of his heart, beating and pushing blood into arteries, the image of which faded away. Another showed his brain, which was featuring bright colors in those lobes where brain activity was currently taking place.

A third machine featured a 3-D, life sized, full body holographic image of the man as he sat on the bed … though, the representation of him seemed to be floating in air, with the bed not actually illustrated. In addition to the bed not being in the image, neither were his clothes; his bit-larger-and-thicker-than-median cock lay off to the left in the crook where his thigh met his belly.

"My name is Sharra, as you already know," she went on as she neared him. "I wish to convey my regret at the loss of your crew mate. I understand that you are the Commander of the mission and that you are responsible for your crew, just as I am responsible for mine. I am truly sorry we could not save Captain Sadie's life."

 

[Knightmare27]

It had been a bad day at work for Dr. Stanley Reynolds. The day a giant alien thing appeared out of nowhere was definitely not the day anyone wanted to be in charge of the International Space Station.

He had been on the radio with ground control the moment that had happened. Of course. And they had told him what he had already figured out himself: No burn would ever get them out of the way of this object. There had been only one possible solution: Prepare the supply module for use as an escape pod and get out of there. This had never been tried before, and he was not happy that he and his crew would get to try it first, but there was no other way. Not enough thrust. Not enough fuel. A collision was inevitable.

He had gathered the crew and told them about all this. None of them had been any more enthusiastic about this, either. Neither did they have any idea what this thing actually was. It was too big for a space station. He had a very bad feeling about this. They immediately went to work going through the unfamiliar steps needed to make an escape back to earth. Hopefully, someone down there would help them figure out what exactly it was their station was about to inevitably collide into.

And then… he was somewhere else. There was no crash, no explosion, not even a bump. He just stopped being on the ISS and started being somewhere else. The effect was so disorienting that his senses took a few seconds to return. When he had convinced himself he could still see, he opened his eyes – and was struck by how familiar it looked. It was definitely not his station anymore, but it was a station. Since he knew of no other space stations in orbit, that only left one possibility. Oh no. Oh crap.

He looked down his body and saw he was wearing unfamiliar light clothing. Clothing you might get at a hospital. He looked around and saw that was exactly where he was. Some kind of hospital, though it looked off. A little too advanced to be human technology. Together with the sudden appearance of that object right in his path, this only left him one conclusion, one that he himself would have declared crazy, or at least laughably implausible, an hour ago. Someone had just made first contact with humanity.

Whoever these aliens were, they seemed to mean him no immediate harm. His bed was comfortable – inhumanly comfortable, almost – and there were no big-headed freaks with cold probes to be seen. He sighed in relief that, at least in this regard, all the UFO nuts had apparently been wrong. A display was mounted just above his bed. It, too, looked like something from the future and, as it flickered on, it proved to be holographic. Hopefully, it would provide some kind of explanation what had happened…

He gasped in surprise at the image that appeared. Sadie? So she had survived, too. That was an immense relief. What she was wearing, though, was anything but the regulation uniform. It was the kind of outfit she wore in his wildest dreams. Literally. There had been a…close flyby…on this mission, and he had feared he would have some explaining to do to Susan once he got back to Earth. Well, now aliens had arrived. There would probably be more interesting things on everyone’s mind than a little orbital adultery.

Why was she using a different name, though? Had the aliens given her a new name already along with the new outfit? He had to admit, though, that if they wanted to appeal to humanity, both the outfit and its wearer were really good choices. Not that he would have been a bad one, he had to admit. Women sometimes compared him to Sean Bean, especially if they were tipsy. But a speech given by a kinda-sorta-buff scientist would not have been nearly as good a choice as putting that bombshell in that kind of clothing.

It had been their second mission together. And suddenly, everything had changed. On their first mission, he had, of course, noticed her. But that had been it. But then, mission number two. A few days of working together and then they had…fit. It was not exactly love, maybe. A lesser attractive force. Earth had been far away, and Sadie right next to him. Things had happened. Things he would never regret, even though he was vaguely aware that he had been cheating on Susan, and that she had not really deserved that.

They came in peace. Well, that was something, at least. They could have been lying, of course, but he wanted to believe them for now. He had already lost (?) a space station today. He hoped like hell his home planet would not be next. Well, if she was telling the truth, it would not be. She seemed totally sincere, too. He flattered himself that he knew Sadie well enough to tell when she was lying. Or at least that he would somehow be able to tell if she was telling a lie about an imminent invasion from space.

So the aliens were here to help? He wondered what that help would look like. They clearly had superior technology (and very comfy hospital beds…), and resistance would probably be futile anyway. The kind of being which just made a city-sized space station appear in your orbit was not going to be stopped from helping the primitives. Not by the primitives, at least. These beings would be of assistance, whether humans wanted them to or not. Should he appreciate that? It made him kind of angry…

Sadie came closer to whatever they were using as a camera. What was there to explain about her appearance? She looked like she always did, except for all the rubber. It occurred to him that he had not yet seen one of the aliens. There probably was a very good reason they used her as a speaker. Whatever they looked like, they were unlikely to get a positive reaction. He was, of course, eager to see one of the beings himself. Until now, all aliens had been imagined by humans. What would an unimaginable extraterrestrial look like?
“Once belonged…” his heart sank. What had they done to her? Had they killed her? He felt a sudden urge to jump from his bed and attack them, but it was just for a moment. What good would revenge do? And besides, he had no idea what they were capable of. He lay back down, tears in his eyes, and kept listening. They would explain what had happened to the station next…and what had happened to Sadie. She was dead, that was for sure. But where was the rest of his crew? Had they all been killed?

So the ISS was destroyed, and the aliens had rescued him and his crew. Except for her. He breathed a little more easily, but just a little. Sadie was gone. And as friendly as the being…wearing…her seemed to be, it was not easy to look at what had once been her. Every second reminded him that she would not come back. If the aliens were telling the truth, then it had all been an accident, but this was still the second time he felt anger rise up against these mysterious visitors. They had arrived to help without asking if anyone wanted it…and now they had killed her.
Ah, so that cleared up why he had not seen a single one of these beings yet. Beings of light… he looked around suspiciously at the bright lights surrounding him. Until now, he had thought they were lamps. Now, there was the distinct possibility that there were actually aliens floating around him. That hey had been floating around him for quite some time. And that they had observed him. Sadie…Sharra’s revelations about their body-snatching did not exactly make him rest any more easily, either.

Now she explained that they were the nice kind of body snatchers. What a relief. If she was even telling the truth. The fact remained that they could take over human bodies at will. Strike three against the aliens. But even if he decided they were not to be trusted, there was not much he could do against them, was there? He would just have to go along with them and try to survive whatever terrifying new reality was in store for him and the rest of the world’s population after all these revelations.

At least she seemed to have a surprisingly human sense of humor, and even a flair for earthly pop-culture references. Outdated ones, admittedly, but they had studied up on humanity somewhat. Of course, if they had learned about humans’ attitude towards aliens from movies, they were probably not exactly expecting a warm welcome. This whole thing was starting to look more like The Day The Earth Stood Still than Mars Attacks, admittedly, but even the alien in that film had not exactly been friendly, had he?

Hell yes, Sadie had been enjoyable to look at! And Sharra was too, with her help. It was kind of unfair, really. Especially towards him. How could he not instinctively trust someone looking like her? Even while his brain was screaming at him about body-snatching tyrants from outer space? It was impossible not to like someone who looked like that, and the energy being currently inhabiting her body was clearly enjoying that fact, going by her wide smile. They had made a very good choice, indeed.

Ah yes, “take me to your leader”. Except she would be doing that by herself, apparently. It was nice of the alien to promise to offer condolences to Sadie’s family. He did not want to imagine the kind of havoc it would play on peoples’ psyches, though, if they got condolences over the death of their beloved daughter from someone who looked and sounded exactly like that beloved daughter. Who had taken over her body as a diplomatic vessel, had made her into an alien ambassador against her will.

She promised great things to come, but did not go into too much detail. He smiled at the thought that, at least in this point, alien leaders were exactly like human ones. Fascinating that one apparent universal of intelligent species was their capacity for bullshit. The promise of ending that pandemic sounded great, of course. Ending all infectious diseases sounded even better. They certainly could, with their advanced medical knowledge. Sadly, it had not been enough to save Sadie from whatever horrible thing had happened to her.

Minutes later, the door dilated, and in came…the being from the video. Sharra, still looking exactly like Sadie. That made it a lot easier for him to sound far less intimidated than he was. “Oh, many questions. You know, a giant space station just appeared in orbit, I have no idea where my crew is, you just announced yourself as our new…benevolent dictator, I guess?...and” – his tone became much more serious – “Sadie is dead.” How could he not have questions? Aliens had just made first contact, damn it!

He looked around himself for the first time and was, again, struck by how closely it resembled what humans would consider “futuristic”. It was like waking up on a set from Star Trek, but he was pretty sure these were actual aliens. No Trekkie was that dedicated. Or had access to that kind of technology. “Firstly, where is my crew? You said they would be returned home. Are they home already? Can I see them? I must make sure they are alright. Were any of them injured in the collision?”

He could tell that most of the displays were showing body parts…his body parts, in gruesome detail. He spent some time staring at the image of his own heart, mesmerized by its steady pulse, how it kept pumping blood through his body. When he looked back at Sharra, he could even see it pump harder. The brain display was even more fascinating to watch…but he remembered that he was here to have some of his questions answered, not to stare, slack-jawed, at the marvels of alien technology.

He had a second question: Why was she visiting him? She had held that speech, so she had to be a leader. The leader, maybe. Didn’t she have more important things to do? Was he really that important? Maybe these aliens really were better than humans…more compassionate. Maybe their leaders actually cared about the people they hurt, even if by accident. But wouldn’t she be a little busy soon? He was not the only one with questions, after all. Down on the planet, there would be millions of them to answer.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”, he said, wondering for a second why they could even understand each others’ languages so well. “I do not want to hold you up for long. I am sure there are a few people down on Earth who have more questions than I do. A lot more questions. I would be careful…” – he grimaced – “some of us can be…assholes.”

He wondered how whatever translator gadget they were obviously using would deal with profanity. Still he felt the need to warn her about that. The political chaos her announcement would cause would be a sight best watched from orbit.

 

[PennySaver]

Sharra studied the Human male as he responded to her inquiry about whether or not he had questions. He was attractive, physically. At least, that was what her knowledge told her, knowledge of Humans, Humans' likes and dislikes, Human's sexual preferences -- in regards to both sexual pleasure and reproduction -- and so many other facets of the species.

“Oh, many questions," he began, showing some confusion and concern but very little fear.

Sharra hadn't known what to expect from him, first upon regaining consciousness and realizing where he was, then after viewing the message and meeting her -- Sadie-become-Sharra -- for the first time. This seemed appropriate to her.

"You know, a giant space station just appeared in orbit, I have no idea where my crew is--"

"They are safe and healthy," she interjected, though, it didn't slow him down.

"--you just announced yourself as our new…benevolent dictator, I guess … and Sadie is dead.”

"First, Commander Stanley Reynolds," she began in a rather formal way that was the result of not fully understanding how Humans addressed one another in conversation, "I wish to convey my deepest sympathies for the death of your crew mate, Captain Sadie Thomas. When it was discovered that our necessary maneuvers would affect the International Space Station in a potentially destructive way, we made every effort to you and your crew at the earliest possibility."

As she was talking, Sharra looked to one of the floating lights that had caught Stanley's attention. There were four of them floating about the room, seemingly without specific course or purpose; they were often monitoring the 3D holographic images of Stanley's internal organs, but as these images didn't have a front or back, it wasn't likely that the Human would understand just what the little floating lights were doing.

The lights were about the size of a firefly, but a basketball sized, aura-like cloud of illumination surrounded each of them; these glows grew and shrank repeatedly and quickly, and while Stanley couldn't know it, this fluctuation was a result of the combination of their individual exertions of energy in their work and the silent communications they were holding with one another.

As Sharra stared at one of the lights in particular for a moment, a life-sized image of Sadia suddenly appeared next to the Alien-Human; she was in her ISS work suit, looking very much as she had when Stanley had last seen her. The holographic image was so life like that the Commander might have thought it was actually Sadie; it was difficult to tell that it was a production of energy and not matter itself.

"Unfortunately, we were late," Sharra continued, "and Captain Sadie Thomas was killed."

As Sharra continued, the holographic clothing covering the non-existent former Air Force combat pilot disappeared. Suddenly, a very nude Captain Sadie Thomas was standing before her former commander … even if it really wasn't Sadie … or even real. Sadie had just recently turned 32, and yet she had retained the firm, fit, muscular, and sexy body of her Olympic beach volleyball gold medal winning self from a decade earlier.

At 5'9", Sadie had been one of the shortest beach volleyball Olympians ever to reach the finals, let alone win. People -- particularly men who liked women and women who liked women -- hadn't been concerned with her lack in height, because she made it up in her excessive curves. For such an athlete, Sadie had a very dramatic body. Her frame measured out at 36-23-36 with uncommonly large breasts -- C Cups -- and wide hips; her weight often went up and down, depending upon her current athletics and training regimen, but currently at sat at 134 pounds, which she would have called fat for her frame if it wasn't for the fact that Sadie was a body shaming, body hating type of girl.

"We attempted to revive her," Sharra continued as the holographic image of Sadie -- of Sharra? -- continued to change. The 3D image zoomed in, with Sadie's feet, then legs, then groin -- with its natural bush of brown kinky curls -- and finally the arms and torso together disappearing while the head itself enlarged to twice it diameter. At the same time, the outer layers of the face, flesh, and then bone disappeared until all that was left for Stanley to see was the brain. Sharra was still explaining as the 3 second long transformation continued, "but her brain was starved of blood for too long a period."

The image of the brain, which at first was very light and showing signs of activity very much like the 3D scan of Stanley's still was nearby, slowly went dark … the obvious indication being that it was without activity. "Captain Sadie Thomas's body, however, was still viable, and it was decided that to make communication between our race and yours easier … as well as honor Captain Sadie Thomas … that I would inhabit her body."

Remembering his accusation -- or had it simply been expectation based on a culture of alien invasion movies -- Sharra smiled and said, "As far as my becoming a dictator over Planet Earth and the Human Race … no, this is not my intention. The benevolence portion of your question is accurate, however. We come in peace, and we bring with us wonderful technologies and great wisdom which we would like to share with you and your people.

"We have been monitoring Planet Earth for a very long time," she said, likely revealing something Stanley wondered. "We have seen..."

She hesitated a moment, wondering herself: did she really want to get into the horrors and atrocities man committed against man with this man for whom she had great plans for the future? No. Instead, she continued, "Planet Earth, the Human race, and many if not most of the other forms of life existing along side you have suffered over these past centuries … and I can help. This is all I wish … to be allowed to help."

Stanley asked about his crew, to which Sharra said, "I will take you to them shortly. As I have said, they are safe and healthy. Lieutenant Katya Baskin suffered a compound fracture to her right forearm and is being treated. I have been reassured that following treatment, the injury will hardly be noticeable."

She turned away from him to look to one of the floating lights as its aura became more active. After a moment of silence, all four of the lights suddenly zoomed away toward the same wall … and passed through it as if they were ghosts. Sharra turned back to Stanley, caught his reaction, and chuckled softly.

"Pretty cool, huh?" she said, laughing again. She asked, "Did I say that right...? 'Pretty cool … huh?'. There are still some facets of your language that I find difficult."

She half turned and gestured a hand toward the door through which she'd arrived. "I obviously can't pass through walls in my current form, so … if you would like to follow me, I will take you to your crew … and then … maybe we can talk, you and I … about the future for Planet Earth in which I see you playing a vital part."

Sharra and her people had been monitoring Earth for millennia, but much more recently they'd been monitoring one human from that planet, Doctor Stanley Reynolds. Sharra knew of his pre-NASA background; she knew of his fame since joining the ISS program; and she knew that there were many people of power, influence, and money in the United States who were looking at him for a possible run for the Senate seat that would be up for grabs in the 2024 election, just 20 months away.

She had bigger aspirations for the handsome, personable, charismatic family man, though. Sharra knew enough about how politics worked in the United States of America to put Stanley Reynolds in the White House in 2024, despite his having no past political experience. And once he was there, surrounded by men and women who were also where they were and what they were because of Sharra, she could begin to advance those aims of hers that she wouldn't be telling Stanley about any time soon.

They made their way down a passageway to a door similar to that through which they'd already passed. It opened to show a large, floor to ceiling window that looked out upon Earth … and standing before that big window were 4 of Stanley's 5 crew members. They all turned to see him, and while their reactions to finding him safe were the say -- joy and relief -- their reactions to what was happening to them varied: there was awe and excitement, there was fear and anger, there was intellectual curiosity.

"I will leave you to yourselves for a while," Sharra said with a polite tone. "You have a great deal with which to discuss amongst yourselves, and I have duties to--"

"Are you really Sadie?"

The question came from the British ISS Crew member, Dr. Betty Howardson. She wasn't a former or current military type, as were 3 of the crew; she was a civilian, a biologist with 3 PhD's who had been aboard the ISS doing a wide variety of experiments on possible vaccines for the virus ravaging the planet below.

"I mean..." Betty continued as Sharra stopped and turned to face her with a polite smile, "I can see that you are Sadia … in body, I mean."

The male half of the Russian team snickered a bit at the use of the word body. It had been no secret -- on the ISS or even on Earth -- that Victor Budanov had had a thing for Sadie Thomas. The two had actually met in his last days -- her first -- in Olympic sports. The now 52 year old had been a Triathlete when Sadie was spiking balls on the beach, and he'd tried to hit on her both then and more recently when they both amazingly ended up in their respective countries' space programs and then later in the ISS program in particular.

Sadie had denied him both times, though, which was probably the reason he now said in a very low voice, "At least the aliens saved the best part of her."

Sharra didn't entirely understand the man's comment, but she ignored it anyhow. She gestured to a door to the right, saying, "In the next room you will find a vast array of foods I believe you will enjoy. They are real food … from your planet. We expected to have Human guests at some point, though obviously not this soon. You will find more than 200 dishes prepared from over 1,000 ingredients, all grown here in our agricultural facilities.

"And through that door," she continued, gesturing to the left, "You will find quarters for each of you. The ship's artificial intelligence can answer any questions you have about such things as how to make the beds softer or firmer -- I am told that is an issue for some Humans, yes...? -- as well as how to dim the lights or produce additional items with the 3D printers which are present in each room … clothing and shoes, for example … to replace these rather uncomfortable gowns. You can link the AI to data bases on Earth, view any item you wish to wear, and the Printers will create it for you.

"But now, I must leave you," she said, smiling, giving Stanley one last look -- it was actually a bit of an ogle -- before turning and heading out through the doors that slid open and shut Star Trek style.

 

[Knightmare27]

As the hologram stripped away her clothing, he began to hate the display at his side which apparently showed him naked - for displaying very clearly what he thought of that. It was an involuntary reaction to Sadie. A woman who was dead, and at whose eerie holographic memorial he was now staring. Strangely, even that thought did not make the very embarrassing reaction go away. Wait, why was he ashamed of a biological function that these aliens had to regard as just another one, like the beating of his heart?

It was, without a doubt, Sadie's body. A body he had always thought she should have been prouder of. The...consciousness that was currently inhabiting her clearly was. He wondered why. Was it...she just enjoying the effect she was having on him, or did these energy beings have an appreciation for human beauty? If they did, he understood perfectly well why the alien was obviously having such a good time inside her.

He really had not needed an explanation of how exactly she had died, but decided to keep quiet for now and not interrupt her explanation. Even as she showed her, in great detail, just how much brain damage the poor woman had sustained. Somewhere in there had been every loving thought, every joke they had shared together. It was all dead now. Starved of oxygen, destroyed beyond repair.

He again forced himself to keep quiet when she claimed to "honor" Sadie by turning her body into a...suit for an alien diplomat. It was clear that Sharra meant well, and did not realize how fucking painful it was for him to look at her right now. He was terrible at this alien contact thing, wasn't he? This being was clearly trying her best, and here he was, complaining about who she had chosen to look like.

"I apologize for calling you a dictator. I understand that you are not here to take over." Her smile told him she had not been too offended, fortunately. He was not quite sure he believed his own apology. He did not know yet how far to trust the aliens. But even if they were lying - calling their leader (?) a dictator to her face had been a clumsy move either way. He decided to try a little more diplomacy from now on.

He had figured they had been observing Earth for some time. Their message had shown their homework. Not to mention that they had chosen just about the perfect form to present themselves to humanity. He wondered if they were telling the truth about Sadie's death. After all, there was a possibility that she had been purposely killed to provide exactly that perfect form. The whole thing was a little too convenient.

"Can I interrupt you here? You want to help us, I get that. But why? Why come to Earth, just to help us?" Why come all the way here to help what had to be random aliens to them? Had they done this to other species before? Were they space-traveling philanthropists? Missionaries? Colonizers? "Why" was the one question that had been burning on his tongue from the moment she had promised to help.

He nodded at the report that at least the rest of his crew was nearly unharmed. Given what they had been through, an easily-healed fracture was far better than expected. "Thank you for taking care of them. I am so relieved to hear that. You know, I had feared for a moment we would have to use the escape pod. No one has ever done that before, so, to be honest, I was kind of expecting us all to burn up on re-entry."

So some of the floating lights apparently were aliens. Oh great. From now on, he would look suspiciously at every lamp around him. And since these aliens were also body snatchers, nowhere would be safe from them. These revelations made him really, really hope these visitors were as benevolent as they claimed to be. Especially now as he witnessed four of them just float through a wall.

"Yes, pretty cool", he agreed, "you must have done a lot of research on us...since when have you been observing Earth, anyway? I am sure you already know, but there have always been people on our planet who claimed to have been visited by beings from space. Was that you? Or someone else? Is there anyone else out there?" He was asking the questions millions of UFO people back on Earth wished they could ask, and probably would at the first opportunity.

He followed her to check on his crew. As they passed through the door, he remarked: "If you can just pass through walls, why does your station have doors in the first place?"

It was something he had been curious about ever since the four lights had demonstrated the ease with which they passed through walls. Did they often inhabit bodies? Or did they maybe use robots which needed the doors? Or was there another, even weirder, answer?

He had never been happier to see his crew again. As promised, they looked unharmed. Confused, surprised and a little grumpy, but otherwise unharmed. Well, he was all of those things too, at the moment. He exchanged hugs with them as if they had just successfully completed a spaceflight. They were together again! And there was Sadie. Or so they thought. Oh boy, were they in for a depressing surprise...

Yes, some time alone with his crew would be very much appreciated. He had been worrying about them ever since they had prepared to escape. Whatever was going to happen to them certainly beat going down to earth in an untested craft and possibly becoming a fireball. "Well, looks like we just made first contact", he stated what everyone already knew. It was the only thing to say he could think of at the moment.

Betty had a strange way of phrasing that question. Of course Sharra was not Sadie. As far as we had concerned, Captain Sadie Thomas was dead, her brain annihilated by exposure to space. An energy being was inhabiting her body, but no one was her. Not anymore.

He was not happy at all with Victor's reaction. How could a man in his fifties be so childish? First-rate cosmonaut that he was, he was also a fossil who really, really needed to retire. He caused too much trouble in mixed-gender crews with his inability to know when to stop. He had always found it kind of ironic that the homeland of the first woman in space would send him such a...let's face it, sexist asshole.

Okay, that had really gone too far. For his comment, he gave Victor what his crew referred to as "the airlock look". Hell, if there had been an airlock around and he had known how to operate it, it might have been literal this time. No, the last thing he needed today was another crew member getting spaced. Especially an otherwise excellent one like Victor. He would take good care of every single one of them.

He thanked Sharra for the food they had prepared - well-prepared hosts, indeed. Annoyingly, another sci-fi cliché appeared in his head but he gave it a stern warning to back down. No, they were probably not going to eat them. What use would energy beings have for that, anyway? He had never realized how...alienist?...all these shows and movies had really made them. Why was he so suspicious? Maybe because these beings were suspicious.

Sharra's mention of clothing made him realize that he was still dressed in this hospital clothing. His decision what kind of clothing to order up was quick and boring: He decided on as close as possible an approximation of what he had worn on the ISS. It would remind him that they were still on duty. If the rest of the crew wanted something else, though, he would let them. How often did you get to play around with such a machine, after all?

The look Sharra gave him as she turned to leave answered his question about the aliens's appreciation of human beauty. Clearly they did, and she did. Quite flattering that even energy beings found him attractive, apparently. He had not been aware that he had quite such an intergalactic appeal. It gave him a strange mix of feelings. Sadie had been into him, and now the being inhabiting her body also was.

Left to their own devices, they quickly got themselves some food. It was so good to eat actual, fresh food. One of the underrated perks of being on an alien spaceship, right after the artificial gravity. They had done their homework on this detail, too. Most of the dishes were quite good considering that they had been prepared by cooks with a completely different biology. If they even did have a biology to speak of.

Over the meal, they began swapping information, and talking about what they believed the intentions of the visitors were. He and the two Russians quickly agreed that they had to be careful, while Betty and Ulf were in favor of taking their message at face value. He had expected that from the short, thoughtful German. A quiet, philosophical guy, just a little bit too trusting at times. Such as now.

"All I am saying is that they have been incredibly hospitable so far. Open about everything. Don't you think that if they really wanted to take over the world, they would have done so already? It is not like we could resist them for even five minutes.", said Betty.

"Well, maybe they are not planning an invasion. Remember, we do not know how smart they are. What if their goal is something else? They are nice, but do we know if they are good?". replied Stanley.

 

[PennySaver]

Before Sharra and Stanley joined the others:


"Can I interrupt you here?" Stanley asked. "You want to help us, I get that. But why? Why come to Earth, just to help us?"

"The Human species is very young, Commander," Sharra answered, using just his rank after he'd told her it was enough. "Planet Earth is more than four and a half billion years old. Your species only evolved half a million years ago … only industrialized 250 years ago. The Human species has been present on Planet Earth for less than a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of your planet's existence..."

Sharra looked to Stanley with a solemn expression and said softly, "And look what you have done with it."

She gestured toward a passageway and turned them down it, finishing, "We only want to help you put things right again. We come in peace."

Regarding Stanley's question about how long Sharra and her people had been observing Earth, she only smiled and gave the very vague answer, "Long enough."

About visits from extraterrestrials, Sharra laughed again. "No. That wasn't us. My people have never been to the surface of your planet. I have seen many of entertainment industry's productions regarding aliens ... UFOs. I have to admit, the cattle mutilations and probing of the orifices of Human abductees are rather funny at times. Unrealistic and, sometimes, a bit offensive … but always funny.

"Regarding whether or not there is life and are other intelligent species out there in the universe..." she continued, looking to the man with a pleased smile, "Yes, Commander, there is and there are. Our universe is full of life … some of it intelligent … less so than the Human species … more so. Some have done as my species has for longer than you can imagine … as your species only recently began doing … venturing out into the void of space."

Sharra chuckled, adding, "But none of them are coming to paying you a visit. Sorry … you are stuck with only me."

"If you can just pass through walls," Stanley asked as they passed through another door, "why does your station have doors in the first place?"

"This station's construction is not for the benefit of my species," she explained. "This station was constructed specifically for the benefit of your species. The station's diameter and spin rate were designed specifically to provide a level of artificial gravity that would be comfortable to Humans. The air mixture, temperature, pressure, humidity, and so much more … for you. The compartments and passageways are sized in height to accommodate even the tallest of you … the square footage of the staterooms in which you will stay prior to your imminent return to the planet are sufficient, I hope, to make you feel comfortable enough to perhaps return one day … to visit for a few days, a few weeks, a few months … as long as you wish. The furnishings in the compartments and the services available … they are all designed for you … the Human species.

"Here we are," she said, gesturing to a door that opened as they approached it … revealing his crew...


After Sharra left Stanley with the others:

"All I am saying is that they have been incredibly hospitable so far," the German said. Ulf added, "Open about everything."

Betty nodded her head enthusiastically. "Don't you think that if they really wanted to take over the world, they would have done so already? It is not like we could resist them for even five minutes."

The Brit got nods of agreement as well as doubtful smirks rolling and rolling eyes for her comments. She didn't care, not really; she was used to it. Betty had often been described as a strange bird for some of the things she had done or said during her 28 years of life.

One example was directly responsible for her being here today on an alien space station. Betty had been one of the youngest females to qualify for the British Space Programme, and she had been slated for an earlier launch to the ISS. But then to the surprise of her supervisors and to the people of the UK, she'd requested to give up her seat on Expedition 70 and go up on a subsequent one.

Why would anyone do that? many had asked. Why would someone pass an opportunity to go into space when there was always the chance that a second chance would never come?

The answer baffled and even disappointed people back home in England but helped make Betty a pop star amongst the people of Russia: going to space on Expedition 70 would have made Betty the youngest woman ever to travel to space, breaking the record set by Betty's hero, Valentina Tereshkova. Valentina had became the first woman to reach outer space -- flying aboard Russia's Vostok 6 in 1963 -- and she had done so at age of 26 years, 3 months, and 10 days. Expedition 70 would have meant Betty beat the Russian superstar's record by 16 days.

"Well, maybe they are not planning an invasion," Stanley said. "Remember, we do not know how smart they are. What if their goal is something else? They are nice, but do we know if they are good?"

"This is some of the best fake caviar I have ever had, wouldn't you agree Victor?" Betty asked of the male half of the Russian team after sampling another spoonful of the dark colored egg-like objects on a salty cracker. "Know who would love this...? Katya."

Betty didn't really believe that, of course; she was only trying to remind the others that while they sat here debating the pros and cons of having an advance alien species in orbit of their home -- a race apparently now led by their former crew mate, or at least her body with a body snatcher brain in it -- they were still missing yet another friend and colleague.

Despite there very different lives, Betty had come to like Lieutenant Katya Baskin very much. Kat was unique amongst the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the alien space station as she was from what many called the new Russian Aristocracy. The 33 year old's parents were members of the post-USSR's first generation of wealthy, powerful oligarchs; her grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents had included high ranking government and military leaders, as well as a man who'd once headed the KGB and was credited for the success of the rapid construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961; and reaching back to before the Russian Civil War and the formation of the Soviet Union, her family line included members of the last true Russian Aristocracy and -- if Ancestry.com's DNA testing could be trusted -- led directly to the bedroom of Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, the last Czar of Russia.

"I told you I saw her, didn't I … before we started dinner?" Betty asked Stanley. She could see in his expression that he hadn't been here yet when she told the others. "They let me see her. She was in an exam room, sedated … so, I didn't speak with her. But she looked okay, and they were tending to her arm. Sadie reassured me that--"

Betty stopped suddenly, realizing what she'd said. She cleared her throat as her eyes glazed over at remembering that her friend was dead … and yet not, both at the same time. She continued, "Sharra told me that Kat … Lieutenant Baskin will be fine and only needed rest."

"I'm tired, and I'm going to check out these bedrooms Sharra told us about," Ulf said, snatching up a couple of rolls as he stood to leave. He looked to Stanley for permission, though; they might not have been on the ISS any longer, but the Commander was still in charge. He pointed toward the door, beyond which was the viewing room and beyond that the door to the sleeping quarters. "S'okay, Commander?"

 

[Knightmare27]

Stanley could not help but blush a little when she reminded him just what humanity had done with their planet. "Well, as you said, we are a young species. Give us a few million years and we do better. If we make it to there, of course." At the current rate, he was not even sure they would last another century. Especially with the virus going around, its spread another testament to humanity's talent for fuckups.

He found it a bit disturbing that she found the things that happened in UFO abductions "funny", but at least those had not been them. They claimed.

It was an incredible revelation. The entire space station, designed specifically for humans? And they had gotten every detail right, too. No wonder the place felt so...un-alien. Far too much for just five people... by his rough estimate, this space station could take tens of thousands of people in comfort, and still have room left over. Whatever they were planning was huge, unimaginably huge for mere humans. He had never felt so mere before.

They were going to such insane lengths to accommodate him. He hated the cynical part of him that kept trying to point out that no one was that perfect, that no one did all this without some kind of motive. Why couldn't he shut this part up and just let them accommodate him? It had been a long day, and if they have some sort of hidden plan up their sleeves (so to speak), he would learn about it soon enough. Relax.

The aliens' plans were the only thing the reunited crew could discuss over dinner, of course. They were probably listening in - hell, for all he knew, every bright light could actually be a snooping ET - but he did not care. He wanted them to know that he still did not quite trust him. That way, if they did betray him, they would at least not think he had been an idiot for not anticipating it. And if they did not - well, could they blame him for being cautious?

"I guess there is really no way to find out what they are planning. We just have to wait and find out", Betty eventually said to general agreement from the exhausted crew. They had run through all the possible plans their hosts could be having, and come to no conclusion. At the moment, they would have to believe them, go along and watch. If they were lucky, these visitors from outer space really were there to do what they claimed.

This topic thoroughly exhausted, they turned to more immediate concerns. Their families back on Earth, and how they had probably reacted to this all... had they been sent the same message? Had they believed it? And, more importantly, how long until some idiot panicked and just tried to destroy the aliens out of habit? Knowing his species, someone would try. How would they react to that? Would they even care?

He approved the German's request, yawning. "Go ahead, go to bed. Everyone else, too." It had been a long day and they needed some rest. Especially since, at the rate this was developing, the next day would hardly be any more restful. He looked forward to getting some sleep. If their hospital beds were anything to go by, bed design was another area where their strange benefactors had done their homework.


***************************************************************


Ulf was a little annoyed by his commander's constant suspicion. Yes, he had the safety of his crew in mind, and that meant he could not trust everything. But what had these aliens done to him to deserve that much mistrust? Until now, they had been impossibly benevolent. It was so small-minded, so...human to expect everyone to be secretly evil. Was it really that impossible that these visitors were simply...different?

He agreed with Betty. These were no mere invaders. Invaders with technology that superior would not waste that much time with deception. They would have just taken over. The only reasonable explanation was that these extraterrestrials really were there to help. And, whether they were there to conquer or to help, they could not refuse anyway. Not in the face of technology this superior. They would have to take it.

For now, everything was fine...well, nearly everything. One crew member was dead, after all. A crew member he had come to like and respect over the course of their mission. He knew what she had been up to with Stanley, and he had not liked it. He had met Susan, the commander's wife, and she really did not deserve to be cheated on just because her husband got a little bit lonely while in space and could not wait a few weeks.

But what did it matter now? However much he had disapproved of their affair, they had both been valued colleagues. And now one of them was dead. Somehow, it felt terribly unfair. The five of them were honored guests, were pampered by aliens who were trying to cater to their every need and desire...and Sadie was dead. No ceremony, no great event. Just alive one moment, dead the other, dead beyond even the grasp of advanced technology.

He was getting tired, so he asked permission to go to bed. Not that he needed permission, but it was good to demonstrate to everyone that he was still their commander, and they were still a crew. Now, more than ever, they needed each other. He trusted the aliens, but he was not an idiot. If anything unexpected happened, he wanted to be able to rely on teamwork, since they needed any advantage they could get in that case.


***************************************************************


Victor saw the look the commander gave him for his comment about Sadie and rolled his eyes. Sometimes, Stanley really had a giant stick up his ass. There was really no need to send him implied death threats for a bit of dark humor. He knew very well that he had really liked Sadie, more than liked, even. And was there any denying that her body was just perfect? Had been just perfect. It was still hard to imagine that the being wearing her body was not her...

Katya was still missing, recovering from her broken arm. He did not mind, as she was his least favorite crew member. It sometimes seemed to him that a language was the only thing they shared. Her life had been so different from his, or from anyone else's. It was not just that she was from a long line of rich and powerful people. She was not even particularly snooty about it... but her naiveté annoyed him.

It was as if she was not even capable of imagining the lives of lesser beings. Oh, she was very sweet about it, very...considerate. She truly felt for those who were less fortunate than her, and did her best to help them overcome the incredible disadvantage of not being her. Betty seemed to not have the same problem, and the two were very good friends. Perhaps it was only him she was rubbing the wrong way. She did seem to be especially condescending when she was talking to him.

He went to bed because everyone else was, and retired to the sleeping quarters. The beds really were made just right... he would find out what their actual plans were soon. For the moment, he mostly wanted to sleep and get some rest. He had to admit that, for an alien abduction, this was working out quite well so far. No one had probed him yet. Not that he would have minded a probing from Sharra, given what she looked like now...

 

[PennySaver]

"Go ahead, go to bed," Stanley said. "Everyone else, too."

As she watched Ulf snatch up a couple of sweet rolls on his way to the staterooms, Betty said playfully, "That's how you get ants in your room."

There was laughter and questions -- Do alien space stations have cockroaches or rats? -- as the group headed for Viewing Room and then the Stateroom Hall. Betty looked back and saw Stanley stopping to look out upon Earth as it spun beneath the station or the station orbited above it or both. She nearly turned back to speak with him but didn't; he had to have had an uncountable number of things going through his mind right now.

Turning back, she watched as Ulf and Victor stood in the doorway of one of the stateroom. They gestured her over and told her, "Check … this … out."

The room was incredible, looking like a thousand dollar a night suite at a five star hotel: a huge bed covered in variously sized pillows, including chiropractic care designs; a desk with a computer that was one part 21st century Human, one part futuristic Alien; a machine that appeared to be a 3D printer; a large closet that was currently empty but -- per Sharra's message -- would be easily filled with things they printed; and -- once they ventured inside to the far end -- an amazing bathroom with a multi-head shower, a bathtub/Jacuzzi, a two person steam room, and -- beside the toilet -- a bidet.

Betty claimed this one, pushing the guys out into the hallway. They found doors leading into staterooms that they claimed for themselves. No sooner had she closed the door than one of the alien lights came through the wall and hovered in front of her.

"It would be my pleasure to assist you in understanding your stateroom if you would permit me," a voice spoke, seeming to come from all around her. The voice sounded very familiar to Betty, but before she could ask what she thought would be a stupid question, she heard her own giggle, followed by the return of her own voice, "Because I do not possess the ability to produce a voice of my own, I am using yours, Doctor Betty Howardson. If you find this disturbing, I can use another Human voice."

"You're … speaking with my own voice?" Betty asked with total disbelief. The light confirmed, and -- feeling playful -- Betty asked, "Can you speak to me in Commander Reynolds' voice?"

The response sounded exactly like Stanley: "Of course I can, Doctor Betty Howardson."

"Betty is fine," she said. "What do I call you? What is your name?"

There was a pause before the Light said, "I do not have a name."

"How can you not have a name?" Betty asked with surprise. "How do the other aliens … I mean … the others like you … how do they address you when they speak to you? Do they just say 'Hey, you!'?"

Betty heard her own giggle, which made her giggle, too. The light explained that the others knew who was speaking to whom without identifiers, making names unnecessary. Betty said, "Well, I have to call you something if you are going to be helping me understand your station."

"What name would you like to use to identify me then, Betty?" she asked herself, sort of.

The Brit didn't have to think hard on that at all. "Valentina."

Betty explained about her Russian cosmonaut hero, and the light accepted the name, saying, "I would be proud to use such a famous and cherished name."

Betty looked around the room, set her gaze, smiled, and asked, "How do I make a pair of cotton jammies?"

Valentina instructed Betty on how to search databases on Earth for a variety of goods -- including pajamas -- and after the Brit had found what she wanted, the computer sent the data by means Betty didn't understand to the printer. Five minutes later, the door opened … and there were a two piece set of bright red pajamas with white bunnies on them.

"I'm gonna like this place," Betty said as she looked herself over in the mirror. She looked to Valentina with a devilish smile and asked, "Ever heard of Victoria's Secret?"

 

[PennySaver]

15 March 2023

Because the world had been falling down around them like an unbeatable earthquake, the United Nations hadn't met in person since mid-2022, almost a year ago, and even the video meetings had begun to diminish as the amount of good coming from them had rapidly been nearing zero.

Now, though, 20 hours after the alien space craft, space station, space whatever had suddenly appeared in orbit of Earth and less than 2 hours after the alien liaison -- who was using the body of one of the US's own ISS astronauts -- had told pretty much the entire population of Earth that there was nothing to fear, the UN was holding the first video call that had included every UN Ambassador still alive since … well, since who knew when?

It began very peacefully and properly, employing all the appropriate protocols. The Current Secretary-General of the United Nations was Dame Patty Reed of New Zealand, the first female SG in the history of the UN and the first SG from New Zealand, despite that country's significant role in creating the UN clear back in the 1940s.

Patty had been a controversial choice as SG and had been vetoed by the US twice and China once before both Security Council members negotiated and compromised on other issues, ultimately allowing the Kiwi to take the position.

As the last of the Ambassadors from around the globe came online, Patty read them her prepared remarks about this historic event, then gave her opinions on how the UN and the world as a whole should respond. She then opened the discussion first to the Permanent Members of the Security Council in a randomly selected order: China, the Russian Federation, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Each had five minutes to speak on their country's behave, followed by three minutes each from the current, non-Permanent Members of the Security Council, also in a randomly selected order: Estonia, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Germany, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Niger.

The Ambassadors from South Africa and Tunisia who were also non-Permanent Members hadn't been able to join in to the video call. The former had been the birth place of COVID-19's Variant-21 and had been so devastated by both the virus and the social upheaval that followed that the country had nearly ceased to exist with regards to international relations. The former -- which had still be suffering from the mayhem of the decade old Arab Spring -- had fallen into total anarchy, becoming yet another black hole of international diplomacy.

The gist of the hours long discussion was that while most of the Ambassadors -- and, thus, the governments they represented -- feared that the aliens had ill-intentions for the less advanced human race and planet on which they lived, the was no true consensus on how to proceed regarding the new arrivals; there simply wasn't enough information and knowledge about them to decide upon an action to take regarding them.

But there was one item in which the UN Security Council voted unanimously and the General Assembly voted overwhelmingly: the crew of the International Space Station was to be returned to Earth immediately.

The problem, of course, was that while the Aliens had so easily sent their message to the people of Earth, the people of Earth didn't know how to send their own message to the Aliens.

Fortunately for the UN -- or, unfortunately, from a security point of view -- Sharra's communications people had been monitoring the entirety of the video session between the Ambassadors. She ignored the UN's attempts to connect to the alien space station via dozens of ground and space based communications systems, however. Sharra didn't feel that her message was only for the Ambassadors of those countries; it was for the entire population of Earth.

After 3 hours of feigning ignorance of the communications attempts -- or of the subject of the attempts, the ISS crew -- Sharra once again popped up on billions of screens across the world.

"Greetings," she said with that bright smile that so many people had seen upon Sadie's face so many times during her life. "For those of you who do not already know, my name is Sharra. And we come in peace."

She stepped a bit to her left … and right there behind her was the female half of the Russian team. She wore a 3D printed version of her Russian Space Program uniform, made on the unit in her stateroom from an image she found on the Russian web site offering military members direct sales of their uniform needs.

She stepped forward and -- speaking in Russian, though translations were spontaneously made available around the globe -- she said with a happy tone, "Hello, I am Lieutenant Katya Baskin, a member of the Russian team from the International Space Station … and I want to assure you that we are all safe and healthy and comfortable … and our host--"

Katya looked to Sharra, then back to the camera -- a hovering electronic ball that looked like something from Star Wars -- and continued, "--has reassured us that we will be home very soon … within a day."

With Sharra's encouragement, Katya spoke all about her experience thus far on the station, including the quarters, the food, the medical care. She held up her right arm, showing a very thin, almost non-existent cast, explaining how she'd been thrown against a bulkhead aboard the ISS, suffered a compound fracture so serious it that might have resulted in an amputation on Earth, and then flexed her fingers and played a little fingertip touching game, saying with delight, "All better, all fixed, all good. I can't wait to get to a piano again to see if I still have what it takes to become a rock star."

She laughed at that. Katya had been classically trained on the piano and -- to her parents' horror -- had actually been the keyboardist for a form of Russian-Tatar-Funk-Blues fusion that had been popular in the second decade of the century.

"I want to speak directly to the family of my good friend, Sadie Thomas," Katya continued with a sincere tone, now speaking in a heavily accented English. She looked to Sharra/Sadie, the back to the camera. "I want to tell you that our host, Sharra, has made every effort to show the utmost respect for the loss that you and I and all of the crew of Expedition 72 … all of those in the ISS program have suffered."

She looked to Sharra again and smiled. "Thank you. We miss our friend horribly … and we understand that while you may look like Sadie … sound like Sadie … even carry yourself like Sadie … that you are not trying to be Sadie … not trying to replace our friend. And we thank you for all you have done for us … and for Sadie's memory."

That part about carrying herself like Sadie Thomas had a bit of a secret meaning to Katya, one of which Sharra was aware after a long conversation with the Russian cosmonaut.

Sadie had always been a bit of a flirt, though, never a slut. But she had worn outfits that were a bit more on the sexy side than the average female astronaut; she had had a few more lovers than the generally conservative female space corps as well, though, only Sadie and a few of her close female friends had been aware of this. Sadie had been a woman who wasn't afraid of being a woman and of enjoying what being a woman was all about.

Katya had been very close to Sadie, too, from the moment they'd first met at an American-Russian get-to-know-one-another meeting at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, prior to the joint training in Russia for X-72. And Katya -- whose sexual preferences were a bit more varied than most astronauts or even most people -- had become a bit closer to Sadie than any of the other crew had ever come to know.

At a party in Berlin thrown to celebrate Ulf's participation in the voyage to the ISS, Katya and Sadie had had a close encounter that might have reached the heavens if they hadn't been interrupted by passing guests. They'd never gone that direction again, though, fearing it might complicate issues in the future; while Katya enjoyed a tussle between the sheets with other women from time to time, Sadie's tastes went toward lovers with a cock. That night at the party, Sadie had convinced herself -- and told Katya, as well -- had simply been a combination of alcohol, joyous feelings over going to space, and an immediate need for sexual pleasure while in the company of a beautiful woman.

Katya had been disappointed but she'd accepted Sadie's decision fully. The two had gone on to become best friends, so this Sharra/Sadie thing had both pros and cons to it.

"Our host has already made direct contact with the family of my friend, Sadie," Katya continued, now looking back to the camera and still speaking in English. "I want to reassure the people of America … the people of Earth … that we -- Sadie's family, Sharra, me -- that we are all on the same page when it comes to our host and to the tragedy that befell us regarding Sadie Thomas. While we all feel remorse over Sadie's death--"

Sharra interrupted with, "All of us. That includes me."

Sharra offered out a hand, and Katya took and squeezed it compassionately before looking back to the camera. "We also feel hope that this event will lead to our two peoples working together in harmony."

The two released hands, and -- while Katya remained within view -- the camera's POV shifted just a bit to more emphasize Sharra. She explained that she would be contacting the United Nations within the hour to discuss making an address to them, then said, "Once that is done and we have an understanding regarding our sending a shuttle to Earth, the crew members of the International Space Station will be coming home."

Both women smiled to one another, then to the camera, and billions of screens across the planet once again went dark. On the station, the two women turned together and headed down the passageway to the dining room in which the crew had had their first alien food the day before. The rest of the crew was there as their missing crew member entered, all smiles and joyous to see them.