Part Six

GT July | Stellar Allies | Part Six

Jax and Cliff felt completely crushed.

No… we're too late.

Words couldn't even begin to describe what the boys started to feel.

Hurt.

Frustration.

Anger.

Hopelessness.

Loss.

All of these feelings were for someone who they had barely begun to get to know. Both boys weren't even sure how to begin to make it right, but they knew they had to say something. They gazed down at the six inch tall figure as his shoulders began to tremble and shake. Ol'oih's arms wrapped around himself as his head dipped lower and lower. He was almost completely doubled over now.

Oh gosh… this is bad. Jax thought. If his crew is in Area 51, we can't do anything to help him. We don't have access to that kind of place, and his escape pod is shot. Unless we can repair it and he can signal more of his friends or others from his planet, we can't get them back.

Jax and Cliff glanced unsurely at one another, knowing something needed to be said. Just as they decided to break the silence, however, they noticed something. Hues of blue and pink began to emanate from the scales on his skin. Ol'oih uncurled his body and looked to the ceiling, eyes closed for a moment, before opening his obsidian orbs.

He looked relieved.

"They're okay. They're okay!"

"What? No way!" Cliff's smile spread from ear to ear as he breathed a sigh of relief.

Jax's features raised in surprise and joy. "Dude! No way. He found them? They're not taken or anything?"

"They have gathered with the others. If this map is correct where this 'Area 51' is, then they are nowhere near it. They are at the rendezvous point with the others. It is close too," pathed Ol'oih. His entire body thrummed with relief. He was sure his body was radiating vibrant colors all over, but he didn't care.

His crewmates – his friends – were safe.

The relief he felt couldn't be clouded now. Even though he knew there were countless other problems to solve, this was one that relieved an immense weight off of his chest. Over and over, as if it were grounding him, he repeated the phrase "They're alive. They're safe."

From beside and behind him, Ol'oih heard the two boys celebrating too. It was an amazing thing knowing these two humans who barely knew him or understood anything about him had the capacity to celebrate with him. It was reassuring that he and his people weren't entirely wrong about the human race.

All of this talk about conspiracies and these dangerous areas will be useful in the future. We'll need to observe longer if we want to make a definitive decision about if and when to make contact in the future. Ol'oih thought to himself. Looking up at the two boys, who were smiling and patting one another on their shoulders, he couldn't help but feel hopeful at the prospects of making true first contact with humanity.

"Okay, so… Ol'oih, what next? I mean, you said they're close, right?" asked Cliff. "Do we need to help you fix your space pod? Or take you to meet the others? Or what? What do you need?"

Ol'oih thought about the question for a moment as he considered his options.

"I… no…."

The response surprised Cliff.

"N-no?" he echoed.

"What does he mean no? Is he… or… well… are you worried we might tell? Because we won't. Promise! We want you to get home safe and back with your crew and everything. Right, Cliff?" reassured Jax.

"Yeah, absolutely. Ol'oih, we want to help you. I know hearing about the whole… conspiracies and Area 51 stuff wasn't our best moment… but we really do just want to help," agreed Cliff. Ol'oih looked up at the boys, his body now shifting back to the original blue hues he had before they began to shift from nerves. It finally seemed like he was feeling relaxed.

"It is not that. It is part of protocol," pathed Ol'oih as he sat down on his knees, his body finally beginning to relax. "Protocol states that the separated members of the party should remain stationary and wait for the collective to arrive with support. The signal I sent should have alerted their transmitters to my location. It was a weak signal, but it still sent.

"The best thing I can do right now is wait and to continue my directive of gathering information and practicing my language skills with you until I receive orders. But, honestly, thank you. Sincerely. Both of you have been very helpful and I would most likely not be here without you. I am certain of that."

Cliff smiled and looked over to Jax, whose confused expression almost made him look like a confused puppy.

"He's saying he needs to wait for orders and that his crewmates should have his location. He also said thank you for helping him," explained Cliff.

"Also, I… I did make a promise. You answered my questions, and now I should answer yours, if you have any," pathed Ol'oih. "So, please, ask. I am indebted to you, and it is only fair."

"Wow, okay. Cool! Um… we get to ask him questions now if we want," translated Cliff. Jax's eyes gleamed with scientific inquiry as he looked eagerly to Cliff and then back to Ol'oih.

"Well… um… I have one, if it's okay," said Jax. Ol'oih looked over to the boy, anticipating his question.

"Yes. I will answer anything as much as I can."

"He said sure," Cliff said.

"Um… okay… this is going to sound weird, but… can I try? Hearing you I mean? Or is it something that you can only connect or… path… to one human ever?" asked Jax. Ol'oih's colors flared orange just for a moment as he, like he'd seen the boys do many times, nodded.

"No, I can connect to anyone or anything with a nervous system. It is something we discovered when conversing with other entities. It is why I needed to use my addon to path to Clifford. If it is alright with you, Clifford – or, Cliff – I could switch," Ol'oih pathed.

Cliff felt a bit of disappointment that he would be on the receiving end instead of hearing Ol'oih directly, but he also knew it was only fair. With a sigh, he looked over at his friend and nodded. "He says he can path to you if you want. He said, 'anyone or anything with a nervous system,' which is super cool, by the way. You're going to have to explain that."

Ol'oih nodded, feeling amused at the boys' banter, and gestured for Cliff to move his hand closer.

"I certainly will. The end of our addon, in terms of your anatomy and physiology, functions like the end of a nerve or neuron. Think of my addon like an axon and my vertebrae, or these segments of my tail, like the myelin sheath. The very end of my addon is the equivalent to one of your axon terminals, which connects to your dendrites. Pathing sends messages and signals from me to you like neurotransmitters, which your mind interprets as my voice. Make sense?"

Cliff felt absolutely lost at this explanation and looked hopelessly at Jax.

"That was a lot of info all at once. Um… basically it's like a nerve and neuron from anatomy. Um… I'll let Ol'oih explain. First, how are you going to… um… disconnect?" asked Cliff. "And is it going to… you know… leave another gash?"

Ol'oih winced at the words as guilt hit him again.

"I do apologize for that again. I should have been more direct and more careful when establishing the initial link. And, to answer your question, no. Actually, I have something for that. Just… do not be alarmed. You are carbon based, correct?" pathed Ol'oih as he stood and walked up to the base of Cliff's hand where his addon was attached.

The two boys watched, fascinated, as Ol'oih lifted his hand and, unexpectedly, spat into his hand. The substance was a light cyan and looked like the cheap slime from a Dollar Store toy isle container. At the same time, he twisted his addon out of Cliff's hand before smearing the gelatinous substance onto the place where he'd been attached moments before. He quickly did it again, this time smearing it into the glistening gash he'd made earlier during his attempt to connect the first time.

Without the connection, Cliff couldn't hear Ol'oih's explanation for what was going on. So, like the little alien said, Cliff decided to trust him and lifted his hand up closer to examine the cyan colored substance. The moment he did, however, his eyes widened as he watched his skin netting and meshing itself back together. It was like watching a wound heal in fast motion, the skin sealing and not leaving so much as a trace from this or the previous connection point.

"Woah! Dude! Are you seeing this?" asked Cliff as he held out his hand to Jax. "My hand is healing, and fast too."

"No way! Your spit has healing properties?" asked Jax. "That's so cool!" Jax looked down in time to see Ol'oih nodding right as he gestured for Jax to lower his hand. Eagerly, he did so. Right hand firmly on the base of the escape pod, Jax felt himself shaking nervously as Ol'oih pressed the tip of his addon against his thenar. Grabbing the end firmly, Ol'oih pressed and twisted simultaneously as he felt himself connecting to Jax.

"Ow… that stings and feels super weird," muttered the teen as he looked down at his hand where the alien's tail connected to him. He could see a tiny dot of blood forming around the base, but his fascination with the connection point shifted instantly when he heard a small voice in the back of his mind.

"Apologies. I know this must not be the most comfortable, but it is the only way I can communicate with you," pathed Ol'oih. Jax's eyes widened as he heard the alien's voice for the first time.

"Woah! Dude… this is freakin' awesome!" grinned Jax. Cliff nodded eagerly as he looked between his best friend and their new comrade. "So, what was that you were telling Cliff about how this works? Sorry. If you don't want to explain it again, you don't have to."

Ol'oih's colors shifted subtly between blues and oranges before he pathed, "No. I do not mind at all."

Once again, the miniscule alien explained the process of how he was able to communicate, using the same examples as before when explaining everything to Cliff. Jax, however, had done a bit more research into the topic and better knew what Ol'oih was talking about with the whole nerve and neuron functions.

"Makes sense. Your tail… or… addon… just makes your body one big nerve that basically exists outside of our own bodies. That's wicked cool," grinned Jax. "Okay, so do you mind if we ask a few more questions?"

"Not at all."

"Okay, then do you mind me asking about your hair? Like… do you absorb things through your hair? How does that work?" asked Jax.

"Hair?"

"Yeah, like this," said Jax as he reached up with his left hand and pulled at a few strands of his hair. "Hair. It's the stuff on your head, right?"

"Oh! I see. That is what you call it. For us Stren, it is called 'liv.' It is how we absorb nutrients into our bodies. You and your friend made a comment about 'brain food,' but you are not entirely wrong. Much like my addon, the liv on my head absorb sustenance and distribute it throughout my body to whatever appendage needs it the most.

"Usually, that is my khonsci, which is the equivalent of your mind and spirit. It keeps me functional and mobile. It is like a baseline survival instinct our bodies have. Does that make sense?" pathed Ol'oih.

"Yeah, that does make sense," stated Jax.

"What? What'd he say?" asked Cliff, already hating the fact that he couldn't hear everything that was going on. "Is it actually hair? Or is it something else?"

"He says it's actually called 'liv' and that it absorbs food and sends it to where it needs to go. Also, I think they're consciousness is called' khonsci.' And 'Stren?' That's what you're called? Right?" asked Jax.

"That is correct. Excellent summarization," he commended through his pathing. "Now, anything else?"

"Okay, any other questions that you can think of Cliff?"

"Yeah, actually," said Cliff eagerly as he readjusted his legs to sit comfortably. "How do you know so much about us and our language? You said you were a language specialist of sorts, right? Does that mean you know all languages? Or just English? And how did you even learn that much without talking to us?"

"That is a great question. I am actually glad you asked, considering I am practicing for the first time with you two. Am I doing well?" pathed Ol'oih.

"Yeah, really well. Oh, right. He's asking if he's doing well speaking – or, pathing – our language," explained Jax. "And, I mean, some of it sounds a little quirky and overly formal, but overall, you're doing a great job."

"Thank you. I am trying to expand my vocabulary, but practical application is different than study in a classroom. Also, to answer Clifford's question, I am technically proficient in nearly every human language. I have a, as you all might say, knack for languages, which is why I pursued this career as well as my fascination with interstellar communication between beings.

"To answer the other part of your question, we have been learning your languages through the electromagnetic waves radiating in your atmosphere. The kinds of waves that our sensors are able to detect exist between a certain amount of hertz, which is abundant in your atmosphere. Based on our sensors and interpretations, we were able to discern that what we were detecting was language.

"It took time to identify the different languages, but we were able to divide them up and learn from them. Unfortunately, our sensors were not equipped to detect visuals based on the type of electromagnetic current these waves emit, meaning our sense of nonverbal communication from humans is limited. It is one of the things I was hoping to study on our expedition here if I am being honest," pathed Ol'oih. "Most of our information came from various things called 'podcasts' and 'shows,' though I am not entirely sure of their specifics. Could you explain them to me?"

"Cool." Jax turned to Cliff and explained the different elements of the most recent path from Ol'oih, condensing the information into brief points about radio transmissions and reading electromagnetic waves.

"So, you basically just listened to our different radio programs and learned our language from that?" asked Cliff.

"Yes, that is correct." Ol'oih confirmed. He watched as Cliff and Jax looked at one another in fascination.

"So, he basically did what RM did, but instead of using the show 'Friends,' he and the other Stren were using our radio shows and programs," stated Jax.

"Basically," agreed Cliff. "I almost feel bad for them though. Learning our language through radio shows? I mean, not to knock our entertainment system via voices, but the vocabulary from some of these shows is severely limited. There are hardly any 'educational' programs on the radio anymore. Thank goodness they had access to podcasts and other media."

"I disagree. There are still college radio programs that can be considered educational. Though you're right. Podcasts and the other media shows they might've had access to would be their best bet if they were trying to learn about our world and what we know," Jax stated.

"So, wait, if your people were able to pick up our radio waves, does that mean others could too? And does that mean we're making noise in the whole 'Dark Forest Theory'?" asked Cliff. He felt a touch of anxiety welling up in his chest as he looked down at Ol'oih, whose coloration shifted slightly as he looked to Jax.

"Dark Forest Theory?" he pathed.

"Oh, yeah. Um… it's basically a theory we have here on earth that there are other alien civilizations out there in the universe, but we don't know about them because everyone is hiding from one another. The idea is that the universe is a dark forest, hence the theory name, and there are lots of dangerous things living in the dark forest, so you need to keep quiet so that those dangerous things don't find you and kill you," explained Jax.

"Ah! I believe I understand. So, keeping quiet will keep your presence undetected from potential invading beings. The premise is that it is better to keep quiet and not attempt to make contact because of the unknown intentions of the other beings," Ol'oih pathed.

"Yeah, basically. Do you have anything like that? I mean, I'm guessing not since you're here observing and making contact with us, right?" asked Jax.

"Quite the contrary. For us, it is called the Dregvoik Alqan Effect. It is basically the same premise, but it goes further in that if contact is made, there are additional steps that must be taken to ensure the safety and survival of our people. It also advises on best approaches for observation and contact protocols," Ol'oih explained. "We have had a few colonies destroyed on uninhabited planets and moons we terraformed because of hostile beings, but our precautions prevented them from locating our home.

"Rest assured, we always take precautions when on informational gathering missions. It is what made this mission so unusual. I do not believe we collided with anything, and our ship should have looked like one of your satellites in orbit. I will not know until I see the ship log, but I think there is something going on with this."

"You think your ship would be able to tell you what happened?" asked Jax. "And does that mean our radio waves can be picked up by these other entities?"

"I can only hope. That is, of course, if I make it back to the rest of the crew, which I am certain I will. And as for your question, I do not believe so. Our equipment is set to such a low electromagnetic frequency that I doubt any space faring being would think to explore a bandwidth at a Hurtz level as low as your radio transmissions."

"Well, that's good news at least," sighed Jax.

"What?" Cliff inquired. Jax spent the next few minutes abbreviating everything Ol'oih explained, getting the pronunciation wrong a few times and correcting it with the guidance of their alien companion. They immediately bounced theories and ideas back and forth about this new set of information, their excitement becoming contagious.

The dazzle of science and discovery was evident in their eyes, and Ol'oih was very quickly picking up their use of nonverbal communication. His own curios mind was reeling after sharing and learning from the two human boys. Though it was hard for the human boys to see, Ol'oih was also filled with fascination and the urge to discover just like them.

He was right. Learning in a classroom was one experience, but it didn't compare to learning firsthand in the field with people who spoke the native language.

"Wait! Does that mean you know a lot of music?" asked Jax as he turned back to Ol'oih, who had taken to sitting down onto the ground as he listened to the others bounce ideas back and forth between one another. At the mention of music, Ol'oih's black eyes gleamed.

"Music? Oh, yes! I believe that is what it was called. The words are extended beyond normal pronunciation and tone and pitch alter depending on surrounding sound waves?" pathed Ol'oih eagerly.

For as long as he could remember, he'd been entranced by the odd waves he would study when these patterns would fluctuate, and now he had the words for it.

"Yeah, that's the basic concept for it. Dude, we're going to have so much fun with this," grinned Jax. "Well, let me ask. Do your people, the Stren, have music and movies and stuff like that? Things that you watch and listen to for entertainment?"

Ol'oih contemplated the question for a moment before nodding slowly, pathing, "I believe we do. We have visual stimuli most of us find amusing or entertaining and there are traditional pieces we all know. It is mostly harmonies and emotional conveyance. We do not necessarily need words to express sensations. Perhaps I can find a way to use my pod to transmit sound you will be able to detect to better explain what I am trying to convey."

"No, I think I get it. Oh, Cliff, he's saying that they have things like movies and their music is mostly pieces that convey emotion and stuff like that. He says they don't always need words to express sensations," translated Jax.

"Oh, you mean like how your skin and scales shifts color?" asked Cliff as he pointed to Ol'oih's cheek and then to his own where the little alien's coloration had shifted back to primarily blues and oranges. Taking a page from their book, Ol'oih nodded.

"Exactly. Our ciferi alternate hues of color which reflect our mental and emotional state in the present moment. We receive training to better control impulses and emotional flares when we are very young, and advanced training during basic for missions like this. It is to help convey a neutral slate as to not alarm whoever we are interacting with.

"Our hues also have different meaning to different beings, so indicating the correct hue while communicating is crucial to prevent offence and maintain good relations. Unfortunately, that is the one course I struggled with. Almost failed entirely, as you might have seen based on my nerves and excitement getting the better of me," Ol'oih pathed.

"He basically said that you're right. Colors and hues indicate emotions, and he said he almost failed his training because he was having trouble controlling his emotions," said Jax. "And I think his skin, or at least the thing that changes color, is called ciferi?"

"Correct."

"Wow, that's awesome," Jax grinned. "Oh! And he said earlier that he might have some music equivalent in his emergency pod that he can show us. That is, if he can figure out how to get it to transmit sound that we can hear."

Cliff's heart raced with excitement, but he also felt a pang in his chest. While Jax translated for Ol'oih, there were moments when their alien companion would look over toward the dots on the distorted screen. It was subtle, but from time to time there were flashes of yellow and gray mixed in with the oranges and blues.

If what their alien friend was saying was true about his emotions, it meant that he was probably feeling a bit nervous. At least, that was what the little mood ring paper said when Cliff read it. His mind wandered as he thought about everything Ol'oih must be going through.

He was on a foreign planet.

His friends and crewmates were close, but not close enough to just saunter outside to go and see.

He was essentially talking to giants, which would have been terrifying if Cliff was in his position. In a way, he actually felt like he could relate to Ol'oih, seeing that everyone around him was usually a towering giant, because of his achondroplasia.

It almost felt odd that Ol'oih was alright with just staying put and waiting for his crew to come and get him.

I wonder, Cliff thought as he watched Ol'oih glance subtly at the screen again. I wonder if he's worried that they won't come get him. In a situation like this, it might be one of those Spock moments – the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few… or the one. If he's the only one on his own, he might have been written off by the others. Yeah, he sent the signal and everything to let them know his location, but that doesn't mean they'll come.

Cliff decided to bring it up. The last thing he wanted was for Ol'oih to feel trapped, especially when he and Jax could help.

"Um… not to burst the bubble or anything like that, but… Ol'oih?" Cliff's sudden change in tone made Jax's smile shift slightly to a look of concern, and the same went for Ol'oih. "I… well… Are you sure you don't want us to go out and help you find them? Your crew I mean. I saw you glancing over at the screen. It wouldn't be any trouble, and if they're close it means you can be reunited faster. Not that we don't want to have you around and everything. It's just… I don't know… maybe I'm reading too much into this, but I don't want you to feel left out or left behind. Not if we can do something about it."

At this, Ol'oih felt his shoulders slump ever so slightly. Cliff had pinpointed his exact fears. There was no hiding it now.

Yes, he was terrified he would be left behind. He hadn't lied to the two companions he had found, but he hadn't told them the entire truth. Yes, he was supposed to wait after sending the signal. The second, more gut wrenching part was the fact that the danger level had to be assessed before Ol'oih could be rescued or retrieved, depending on the situation.

There were dozens of stories about how a Stren had to be left behind or left to defend themselves for extended periods of time because they were unable to be retrieved. Ol'oih had prepared for this physically through training; but now that it was happening to him, he didn't feel ready in the slightest.

The final part of the "shipwrecked directive" was that any safe location, whether it be a base of operation or established waypoint for observation to take place on the surface of the planet, had to be kept top secret.

No one was to know where it was other than those crew members involved.

It meant that as much as Ol'oih wanted Jaxson and Clifford to take him back to find his people, he couldn't allow it to happen. Despite the trust these two had earned, he had been sworn to secrecy. His training had even included torment and potential torture methods and how to resist them to prevent him from divulging the information.

Did he dare share these parts of the protocol? He'd already shared so much, and these two didn't seem to project any malicious intent and seemed genuine.

I think… I can trust them. Not with the location, but with everything else. Ol'oih thought to himself. His body thrummed with his electrified nerves as he took a breath to brace himself. Though the boys hadn't portrayed anger and didn't seem prone to violence, he was still uncertain about how they would react to his active deception.

"I… my apologies," pathed Ol'oih. Jax's confused look immediately prompted the alien being to continue. "I… I do want you to help me. I do want you to take me to the others. Few things would make me happier than to be reunited with them; but, I cannot let you. There are… rules. Directives. I cannot let you take me to the others because of safety protocols.

"Though I do not believe you are a threat to us, I… I have to stay here. It does not matter how much time passes. I cannot go find them. Since the others made it to the rendezvous point and I did not, I am the outlier. If we were all scattered, the protocol would be different. If I had not been found by you two, the protocol would be different. I… I am sorry. I should have said something sooner."

"Oh…" Jax mumbled, realizing now what the alien meant. He looked toward his friend, catching his eye, as he conveyed the pathed message. "Um… he basically said you're right. He does want to be taken back, but he can't. There are rules and stuff to help keep him and the others safe."

"So, he thinks we're going to hurt him? Or tell about them?" asked Cliff.

"No, he emphasized that's not the case. It's just part of the rules that he has to stay put and wait for the others to come find him. I'm sure there are specifics to the rules and stuff, but he didn't explain further. He just said that the protocol says he has to stay," explained Jax.

Cliff sighed, feeling his shoulders slump. "So, it is a 'needs of the many, needs of the few' argument," he mumbled. "Curses, that's crushing."

"I understand I was not entirely honest with you, and I apologize. I understand if you want me to leave and provide for myself, but… please… do not be angry. I have enjoyed getting to know you, and I would not want to lose my allies because of my mistake and misjudgment," Ol'oih pleaded, conveying through the connection how sorry he was.

"He says sorry for not telling us everything," explained Jax. "And he hopes we're not angry with him and that he'll leave if we want him to. He says we're allies now."

Cliff and Jax exchanged a look, each already knowing what the other was going to say. Ol'oih, on the other hand, glanced from boy to boy trying to discern their body language and the silent exchange they seemed to have with one simple look. Then, Cliff looked at him with a partial smile tugged onto his face.

"It's okay, dude. Don't worry," said Cliff. Relief flooded Ol'oih's thrumming body as he looked into the boy's face. "I was just worried that you felt like you couldn't leave. Like we were going to keep you against your will or something weird like that. And you don't have to leave. Honestly, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you want.

"I mean, we have to make sure my parents don't find out about you because they'll probably freak out; but, you are more than welcome to stay here while you're waiting for your crew."

Ol'oih's ciferi were radiating multiple gradations of color from blues to pinks and reds and greens and even hints of a coppery brown. Too many emotions were welling up inside him as he looked between the two boys.

"Yeah little man. You can stay here with us. If you need help and stuff like that, we can do that. I still have dozens of questions about your world and all the stuff you've done. And 'allies' is a bit formal. Let's just bit the bullet and call it like it is – we're friends," beamed Jax.

Friends. My human friends.

"I… I would like that. I would like that very much, as long as it will not be an inconvenience or imposition," Ol'oih pathed. Both boys chuckled when they imagined how much a six inch tall alien could be an "inconvenience" and waved away the concern.

"No worries. We're going to get you back to your people, whenever that might be. Now that that's over, let's figure out how to listen to your music equivalent. I've always wanted to futz around with alien tech," grinned Jax eagerly.

Ol'oih felt relief swelling inside him as he glanced once again at the dots on his pod screen.

Don't worry guys. I'm going to be alright. I have a couple of friends and, one way or another, I'll make it back to you. Until then, I'll keep up our mission to gather more information about human language and culture. There's so much I can learn from these two.

Truly, they're stellar allies. No. Better than that.

They're my friends.