The Traveler

Return to the Krell

We took a cab from the city to the countryside limits, an incredible distance. The driver just shook his head and took the deal. Kren had offered a generous sum. And he was a very persuasive individual.

Kren gestured towards the blank laptop screen on my lap. Only it wasn't really a laptop; the flat, square shaped object has a translucency not dissimilar to the material that formed the construct of the front window aboard the Traveler. There were no keys. A simple color pad was the only way to input information. Kren told me that the infinitely varied shades of colors was their medium of communication. Each and every distinct hue of any general color that we name has an underlying meaning, so to speak. We as humans lack the capacity to distinguish between such similar hues. But with practice it was very possible to learn. He demonstrated this by holding up the tablet device before me and asking me to observe the difference between the shades. To me it was impossible; the only thing crossing my visual cortex had been lime green. There was no difference. Kren pointed to the lime green square on the right; "This one's lighter. It, in our mother tongue, about matches the word 'victorious' in our language. But that's just a few colors. Not every color has a direct translation. Many are more like...feelings. Each has a certain mood, and when you combine them, the magic of language happens." I gazed fascinated. The Krell's language was based off color and the complex invisible hues that they were represented by. He pointed to a square on the left. "This one is the equivalent to the word 'hero' in your language." His rough southern accent still dominated his speech. I smiled, "So what...ah...color is the word 'enemy'?" I asked. The word had been random, but clearly a slip of my subconscious feelings.

"Let me see..." he consulted his device, also raising an eyebrow in curiosity at my chosen word. "This is it." I stared at the screen transfixed. It was an unidentifiable mix of gray and blue and perhaps even some brown at certain angles. I remarked: "What an odd color." Before I could invent another clever word, the driver interrupted. "Is this the street sir?" Kren nodded to the rearview mirror.

Kren had a whole family of Krell that were waiting for him back here. The city Krell were only stationed in Atlanta to operate long-range communicators. We, on the other hand, had to leave to go to their base and cooperate directly with the Krell commander. I pondered the operation thoroughly as we had taken the long ride to the outskirts of the city. We rode in complete silence, except for the moment where I sneezed rather loudly, nearly frightening the death out of the cab driver, who happened to be our chauffeur. I realized that I had forgotten my seatbelt; I did not find one either. I watched as the landscape curved and tumbled into something gorgeous and green. The experience of seeing the countryside brought me a sense of security and calm. Had I seen this before, I wish I knew. But the essence brought me to a peace of mind.

The cab parked behind a large yellow traditional-looking building ahead. All one had to do was to follow, quite literally, the yellow brick road. For this yellow path trailed up to the front porch of the cheery home. A sudden urge to identify with this color forced me to nudge Kren gently; "What is that color? Both the house and the sidewalk up to it are yellow." He grinned. "That, Lindsey, is the definition of the word 'hope'." His amused look caused my already red face to turn brighter. I turned away to hide my blush. He said nothing, but turned to face the two approaching figures from the 'Hope House'. I still thought the color was clever. I wondered if this written symbolic language was created for a simplified communication between computers and their kind. I wouldn't be surprised. And how were they able to precisely identify each unique shade? The idea baffled me. The car door opened from the outside and two youthful men greeted us. "Kren, so nice to meet you again! And Lindsey, beautiful in person! So glad to finally meet you; we have a lot to catch up on." A dark haired one, wearing a plaid red shirt approached me; his right arm extended in a gesture. For a second, although I feel a bit foolish when I think about it, I thought it was an alien gesture. I snapped back to reality and shook hands with him. Instead of letting go, he gently pulled me out of my seat. I stepped outside into the refreshing mild air. I could detect the crisp leaf-like scents of pines and oaks and of other trees in the vicinity. I took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling renewed. Kren, I saw out of the corner of my eye, leaned in to hand the driver the bill.
We were led up to the house to meet the rest of the group. I grew anxious to meet the rest of these friendly beings...who had allowed me to join them so kindly. I was led towards a set of narrow descending stairs, as the others slowly dispersed to the front and behind me. We were forced to travel the three flights of steps single file. The walls closed in as we touched a cooler atmosphere; they were made of brick and concrete. The metallic clanking of our heels down the staircase suffused the compressed space around us. The landing was flat and the prolonged hallway leading us even deeper gave me a new sensation of unnerving claustrophobia. It wasn't all too different from the time I had been encapsulated in the white containment room. But I was surrounded by friends here. It was different. A circular metal, rounded interior met my eyes and I realized that this was indeed an underground ship. A ship underneath the earth itself; an ingeniously engineered hiding spot from curious eyes. At the same time that I realized this fact, I perceived myself more of an alien among these creatures. They looked human; I knew all too well that looks can be deceiving. Apparently, Kren caught sight of my disposition. To my surprise and delight, he pulled me closer to him and held me practically in the crook of his arm. Even though he generally lacked any bodily fluids, blood and organs, Kren felt undeniably warm and comforting. I appreciated him at that moment. His kinetic flow encapsulated both of us in a pulsing living blanket. It was very reassuring.