The Visitor

7. Over & Over

Inside the transferring chamber, Haĝiēn lifted his head and nodded at Qûarzar giving the okay for her to transport him to Earth. The suit's purpose was to protect his skin from the heat when entering the atmosphere. Later, he would engage with the uniform and decide what color he thought she would like best.

"Are you ready?"

"I am." 

The word ready wasn't close to how prepared he believed to be.

Never had he felt more excited and able to leave the comfort of the spacecraft to enter a planet. A planet he had been dreaming about exploring for many human years. And now, even more, thanks to the discovery of his curious human. The one he'd been interacting with for days. 

"I wish you safe journeys, Haĝiēn. Register everything you encounter and I will extract it from your brain when you arrive. Also, this compartment," she pointed at a hefty pocket on his chest, "will preserve many samples you collect safely."

Haĝiēn nodded. 

"Are you sure you don't want to advise the General about our first Psychokinetic transfer?"

"I absolutely am. This is an experiment between you and me to make sure we will be successful with the ones that follow. The official ones."

With a pursed-lip, Qûarzar's head swayed from side to side and her greenish luster wavered. "I'm not as sure as you. What if something happens down there and the Captain hears about it?"

"You doubt my abilities?" He smiled. "I'll be fine. I'm prepared. What do you think could happen?"

"No," she said with a straight face. "I don't doubt your abilities, Haĝiēn. It is not your arrival I'm concerned about. It is more concerning to me once you are there. What if a human realizes you are not human? What if they fear you or attempt to trap, or hurt you?"

"What?!" His mouth dropped, "I can look like a human."

Qûarzar eyes studied the lines of his body up and down in silence.

"I can. Look at me. Look at the clothing I'm wearing, huh?"

"I-I am."

"Who's not telling the truth now, Qûarzar? Do I not look human?"

She gave a nervous laugh. "Al-almost," She pushed the words out in two breaths.

He scrunched his brow.

"What about now?"

The alabaster glow left his body and the soft-gold of his skin was replaced by light-pigmented skin. His eyes, although larger than the average humans, could easily deceive earthlings, his nose, chin, and cheeks were exquisitely carved and his lips were thin. His tall body gracefully stood in the center of the room, naked and correct of all human anatomy.

"Very earthlike, Haĝiēn. Except for your hands, I would believe you are one of them."

Haĝiēn glowed.

"Er, not at this moment but before. When you weren't shining."

"Oh yes. I need to control that. I am not quite good at it yet."

"That's partly why I am concerned. I don't believe you are ready."

"We must. And tonight is the night."

"If you say so, you are in charge."

"Yes, I am ... So, what's wrong with my hands?"

~O~