Allie did her best to keep up with the blue-skinned brunette who was acting as her guide on The Hesperia. Shirin was considerably taller, and her long, athletic legs allowed her to move much faster than Allie had ever cared to walk. As they strolled down the long corridors which, apparently, were supposed to take them to the common room, Allie took a moment to focus on her high-heeled sandals. Two seconds later, they were taller.
As she was going on and on about how the common room was the crew’s favorite place, Shirin didn’t seem to notice what the blonde, curvy human was up to.
When her now too high heels proved to be more of a nuisance than a helpful addition, Alison sighed loudly and manifested a pair of sneakers instead. Now, Shirin’s stature was making her feel like a dwarf, but at least she could walk at the blue-skinned woman’s insane pace.
“Everyone, this is Alison Page. Alison, this is everyone,” said Shirin when they reached the common room.
A couple of Unxendi were sitting around a table, drinking some sort of blue liquid and playing a card game. The cards looked like nothing Allie had ever seen before, but she was too flustered by the curious looks the blue men were giving her to ask what sort of game they were playing. She waived at them timidly and nodded in greeting, but she didn’t have time to say anything, as Shirin motioned for Allie to follow her down a second corridor.
“The common room is fun,” she said, “as we usually meet there to play cards and blow off steam, but my favorite place on the whole ship is the bar. Promise you won’t tell Ark, okay?” Shirin winked. “He doesn’t like the idea of his First and Second Officers drinking from time to time. He’s such a stickler for keeping a clear head. Just in case anything happens, you know…”
Shirin’s playful gesture took Allie by surprise, and she quickly mumbled a “yes, of course.”
“Good. Now, let’s get a drink or two.”
Allie followed the blue-skinned woman into the bar, and stopped where she stopped in the middle of the room.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Look at this place. Isn’t it wonderful?”
Allie cocked an eyebrow and looked around her. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out because, in truth, she had nothing to say. To her eyes, the bar was empty. She stole a glance at Shirin’s profile, her confusion growing even more when she saw that her guide was completely fascinated with the cold, dark, empty space.
“This woman is so beautiful,” Allie thought. “I’ve never seen such long, black, perfect hair in my life! And that body… When does she have time to work out?”
“You don’t like it?” Shirin turned to Allie, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“Err… I…”
She looked around her again, her brows furrowed in concentration, but there was nothing to like. To be more exact, there was nothing she could form an opinion of. There was a tall blue man behind the bar, mixing a cocktail. He had started working on the drink when she and Shirin had walked in, which meant he knew what Shirin liked. The shelves behind him were empty, though, so Allie had no idea where he got the bottles he was currently working with. Other than that, there were only a couple of sad tables and chairs scattered around the room, but nothing special.
Shirin tilted her head to the right, watching Allie intently, waiting for her answer.
The blonde cleared her throat and forced herself to smile. Shirin seemed to be so enthusiastic about this place that Alison didn’t have the heart to tell her she couldn’t see a thing. She hoped a change of subject would distract her.
“For an alien race that can manifest anything, you seem to have a lot of technology here.”
Shirin cocked an eyebrow and answered reluctantly.
“Yes, but not that much. Just the basics, and most of it is in Sick Bay. The Unxendi aren’t big fans of technology, but when we’re in physical bodies, we can’t completely eliminate it. We don’t need it most of the time, but our abilities are significantly weaker while trapped in these dense, biological machines. Especially when we get hurt physically, our power of manifestation decreases, and then we need what you humans call medicine and medical devices to help us recover.”
“Fascinating,” Allie whispered. “Shall we?” she motioned toward the high stools she could see lined up along the bar.
Shirin didn’t move, but her whole expression changed. She chuckled lightly and crossed her arms over her chest.
“You can’t see a thing of what I’ve told you so far, can you?”
Allie blushed to the tips of her ears. “N-no…”
“We visited half of the ship, I took you to Sick Bay, the common room, told you about how beautiful and special The Hesperia is, and all this time you had no idea what I was talking about because you could barely see the things I was showing you.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to feel bad. It’s so nice of you to spend so much time with me and show me around. I’m pretty sure it’s me, not you. Trust me, I believe you when you say The Hesperia is amazing.”
“You don’t have to believe me when you can see for yourself.”
Allie pursed her lips and shrugged. “Except for the most basic pieces of furniture, all the rooms are empty,” she explained apologetically. “I guess having a bar on a spaceship is nice... Maybe I’m not that excited because I’ve seen so many bars on Old Earth, some of them pretty cozy and even romantically decorated with, you know… flowers and cute lights…”
Shirin laughed wholeheartedly. “Oh, this one is better than all the bars you’ve seen on Earth. Do you know why?”
Allie shook her head.
“Because it can be all of them at the same time.”
Allie’s blank expression told Shirin she wasn’t following her.
“Sorry, my bad. I keep forgetting you’re human and you need time to adjust to your own power of imagination and manifestation. I do it naturally, but I guess you probably have to remind yourself every single minute that you’re capable of seeing anything you want to see. Here, let me help you this time.”
Shirin extended her hand, but Allie just stared at it dumbfounded. She didn’t understand what the blue woman wanted from her.
“Take my hand. I’ll help you see this place through my eyes. You’ll still be able to manifest your own reality, if you want. Mine doesn’t limit yours.”
Even though she thought it was weird to hold Shirin’s hand, Allie took it, and when the alien woman wrapped her long, blue fingers around her own, the room around her changed as if by pure magic.
“Oh my,” Alison whispered in awe. “This is incredible.”
Slowly, she took in the walls, – covered in beautiful paintings of colorful galaxies, – the ceiling, – tiny, white and yellow lights hanging down from it, – and the floor, which was covered in some sort of red, plushy material. The whole room was gaudy, yet beautiful at the same time. The shelves behind the bar were filled with bottles, but Allie still couldn’t make out what was written on the labels.
Shirin noticed her confusion and was quick to give her the obvious explanation.
“Oh, you can’t read them because you don’t know our written language. Yet. That right there is Cerberus Blue Wine, one of my favorite,” she pointed to a tall bottle right above the bartender’s head. “And that one is Orin Juice. I know on Old Earth juice was a non-alcoholic drink, but trust me: this one is very strong. I wouldn’t recommend it to you right now.”
The second Shirin showed her the drinks and said their names, Allie could read the labels.
“This is mind-blowing!”
“I know,” Shirin chirped. “I mean, I don’t know, but I can imagine. Showing you around is so much fun! The first time I get to talk to a human and explain so many things which are obvious to me. Love it! Sometimes you’re really making me look for the right words. I might get a splitting headache soon.”
They both laughed, and Allie felt like she could finally relax in Shirin’s presence. They weren’t on the same page yet, but they were headed in the right direction. She only had to remember she needed to be open and willing to make an effort. Maybe, using her own imagination and power of manifestation would become natural at some point. Alison felt like she was in training, stretching a group of muscles she had never been quite aware of.
“Can I try the blue wine?”
“Sure. It’s a decent choice for your first galactic drink.”
They took a seat at the bar, and the young man, whose name was Keiv, handed them their drinks. Shirin didn’t let go of Allie’s hand, but the short moment of discomfort had passed, and they could both interact normally, as if they weren’t holding hands like two lovers.
“Can I ask you something? I wanted to ask your Captain, but I always forget.”
“Ask away.”
“We can manifest anything we want, right?”
“Yes.”
“But these things have to come from somewhere.”
“You’re correct.” Shirin sipped her cocktail before launching herself in a long monologue. “Everything you manifest on The Hesperia needs to be on The Hesperia in the first place. This is a spaceship, after all, and the options are limited. If you were on a different spaceship, or on a space station, or on a planet, you might have larger options. Let’s say you need a chair in your room. When you’re manifesting it, what you’re really doing is randomly choosing a chair from this bar, for instance, or from the common room, a chair which is not in use at the time, and transport it to your own room.”
“Like teleportation,” Allie noted.
“Yes, teleportation. It’s more of a human word, but I guess it works.”
“Okay, so as long as I’m on The Hesperia, the things I want, have to already be somewhere on the spaceship.”
“Exactly.”
“And what if I want something that doesn’t exist here? What if I want, say, a beef burger with sweet potato fries?”
Shirin furrowed her brows.
“I’m not sure what a beef burger is. Is it some kind of food?”
Allie laughed. It was nice to be the one who was amused at the other’s lack of knowledge, for a change.
“Yes, it’s a kind of food. If you ask me, it’s the most delicious food on Earth. I mean… was. On Old Earth.”
“Well, if I don’t know what it is, then I’m pretty sure The Hesperia doesn’t have it in storage.”
“So, if I want a beef burger with sweet potato fries, then I get nothing?”
“No, you’re going to get the next closest thing. Something that tastes approximately the same, but is made of what we grow in our greenhouse.”
“You have a greenhouse?!”
“Sure. Do you think we pluck our food out of thin air? We also have a kitchen, and plenty of cooks and cook assistants.”
“Wow!”
“Come on, drink up. I’ll show you the kitchen.”
Allie smiled and finished her blue wine in two gulps. The liquid was cold, smooth, and it tasted like the richest grapes. She would have to manifest a whole bottle later, in her room.
The kitchen was huge, but there were so many people running around, tending to weird-looking stoves, washing dishes, and peeling and chopping blue and purple vegetables, that it appeared small and crowded to Alison. Shirin made the introductions. The cook assistants nodded, but no one seemed to have time for the two intruders. The chef, a short, stocky man with dark blue skin, wiped his hands on a towel and stepped forward to properly greet the human guest.
“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, finally. Did you enjoy your meal last evening? Please let me know if you wish anything in particular. While I can’t promise it will taste exactly like the food on your planet, I can assure you my team and I will do our best.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me.” Allie blushed. Again. “Everything I’ve eaten so far was just perfect.” It was ridiculous how everyone was so nice to her. How much of it could she take in one day? She cleared her throat and looked around. “My choices are probably not the best, anyway. I don’t know anything about your food, so I can only ask for things I’ve eaten on Earth. I’m sure your traditional recipes must be delicious.”
The chef clapped his hands in enthusiasm.
“That is easily fixable. All you have to do is think of the Day’s Menu and the Chef’s Special Dish.”
“That makes sense. I’m sorry, I’m still learning. There’s so much to digest,” she chuckled at her own silly wordplay, “Sometimes, I miss the obvious. It’s oddly difficult to keep my mind open to things I don’t know and can’t even imagine on my own. I guess the human mind wasn’t made to work that way.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Page,” the alien chef encouraged her warmly, “you’re doing great already.”
“Thank you.”
Something sizzled behind him, on the stove, and his eyes went wide with concern. He turned around and yelled at a small, slender woman dressed in the white uniform of the Kitchen Staff.
“No, no, no! You burned it again!” He adjusted the funny cap on his black mop of a hair. “Excuse me, Miss Page. Duty calls.”
Allie turned to Shirin, a big smile on her face.
“I almost can’t believe my eyes.”
“We have a big crew, and the Unxendi love to eat.”
“I wouldn’t be able to tell by your looks.”
The blue-skinned woman laughed cheerfully.
“Our kind burn a lot of calories just by sitting around on our butts.”
“I wish that were true for me,” Allie mumbled.
“Why?” Shirin pulled at the blonde’s hand, guiding her between tables and counters. “You look amazing! I’d kill to have your curves. Unfortunately, my lifestyle and my Unxendi genes don’t allow it. And your white skin is to die for… I think it’s safe to say you’re the most exotic guest we’ve ever had, and everyone is so excited to see you around. Granted some of us were reluctant at first.” She paused and bit the inside of her cheek. “Me included.”
“Oh?”
Allie was barely paying attention to her. She was entranced by the multitude of vegetables, fruits, and spices the alien cooks were working with. She had identified some sort of purple potatoes and a bunch of fruits that looked like strawberries, raspberries and cherries, except they were different shades of blue. She was surprised to see a couple of green and yellow plants, but blue and purple seemed to be the dominant colors when it came to Unxendi food.
“When the Captain brought you on the ship, I guess I freaked out,” Shirin continued. “What he did is against our mission and the Council’s orders. I was afraid your presence here would put us all in danger. But the Captain seems to know what he’s doing, so I decided to trust him. I’ve known him since we were children. We practically grew up together and, so far, he’s never been wrong. Even though this situation is so unusual, and a small part of the crew is still unsure, I believe Ark had his reasons to save you. If he says the Council needs to see you, then the Council needs to see you. Until then, you’re fun to be around, so I’m not complaining.”
Allie glanced at their intertwined fingers. It was the first time she was walking hand in hand with another woman. She hadn’t even done it with her best friend in middle school.
“Thank you for being so nice to me, Shirin.”
“Anytime.”
Since all her friends were gone, it was a good idea for Allie to make a new one. She didn’t say it out loud, though. After all, she couldn’t know what Unxendi thought about friendship. Ark had been weird when he’d said he liked her, leaving her with the impression that his race perceived emotions differently.
Shirin led Allie out of the kitchen through a back door, and soon they found themselves in the greenhouse. Allie’s jaw dropped in surprise and wonder.
The largest room on the entire ship was designed as a tall dome. It was well-lit from all possible corners. The light was warm and slightly pinkish, and Allie felt like she could bask in it for hours. She didn’t know much about gardening, but her instinct said the pinkish light was more nourishing than the natural solar light humans had had on Old Earth.
“This is not a greenhouse,” she said. “It’s a bluehouse.”
Shirin laughed.
“Where did you get all these plants?”
Allie knelt to touch the blue leaves of something that looked like a watermelon.
“Most of them are from our home planet. Some we got from the other ships, but personally, I’m not a huge fan of them. Our chef likes to combine things and experiment with new ingredients. Sometimes, the result is acceptable. Other times, it’s a disaster.”
“Do you have anything from my planet?”
“Let me think…” Shirin walked between two rows of aqua blue and turquoise herbs. “This one here. I don’t know what it’s called.”
Allie stood up and ran to her side. It was easy to identify the plant. It was the greenest herb in the entire room. She plucked a leaf and smelled it.
“Eww…. Seriously?! Arugula? Awful!”
She held it up with two fingers, her face twisted in disgust.
Shirin grabbed it and munched it in a heartbeat. “I see nothing wrong with it,” she said thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t mind finding this in my salads.”
“Gross.”
“What? Why? Is it some sort of herb only animals eat? Like… what are they called? Pigs? Err… cows? Horses?”
“No, humans eat it alright. But I don’t. Not ever. If I have to eat blue veggies for the rest of my life to avoid arugula, I will.”
Shirin shrugged and ate another juicy leaf. “I like it.”
“Good for you.” She moved away from the offending herb. “So, the Unxendi exchange resources with other races?”
“In some circumstances, yes. We’re open to learning about their culture, traditions and lifestyle, and trying the technology they use, but the truth is these things rarely work the same for different races. It’s because we already have everything we need and the system you used to call on Earth… what?… resource exchange? Well, it’s not something that applies to us. Also, we don’t have what you call money, and we don’t trade things. Everything is readily available to us on our home planets, and when we’re out here, in space, on missions, we can find most things on the habitable planets we come across every few days.”
“Interesting,” Allie whispered. “I can’t even imagine a world without money and the need to buy and sell things…”
“It’s okay. It takes time. Humans operated on the idea that there’s not enough for everyone and they had to work hard to get what they needed, when Old Earth was, in fact, one of the richest planets in that area.”
“Are you saying it’s wrong?”
“Not wrong. It’s just a concept which isn’t true. You’d have eventually grown out of it, given time.”
“Time… If only we had had time,” Allie noted bitterly.
Shirin averted her gaze, mentally slapping herself for having brought up the topic.
“I’m sorry.”
Just as Allie wanted to say it was fine and there was no point in feeling bad about carrying out an order given by her superiors, her vision went blurry and everything around her started spinning. She fell to the floor, hands stretched out in front of her to lessen the impact. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but it had been enough to make Allie feel nauseated and slightly sick.
“I think I’m going to throw up,” she moaned.
Shirin laughed and patted her on the back.
“Deep breaths. That’s it. Just take a couple of deep breaths, and you’ll be fine.”
Allie did as she was told, then let Shirin help her back up to her feet.
“What happened?”
“We just dropped out of hyperspace. Thanks to you, I lost track of time and forgot there was a stop scheduled for today.”
“A stop? Like a stop on a planet?”
“Yes. We have to restock our water supply. Between Old Earth and the Council, Lyra is the best planet for that. Do you think you can find your way back to your room? I should have been on the Bridge by now.”
For a second, Alison wanted to say she would be fine and Shirin could go back to her duties. Instead, the words coming out of her mouth were: “Can I please come with you?”
Shirin cocked an eyebrow and studied her carefully before making a decision.
“I don’t see why not.”
Allie couldn’t believe her ears! She jumped in excitement, then groaned and grabbed her stomach.
“Only if you promise you won’t be sick,” Shirin added.
“Promise, promise! Cross my heart and… ugh!” She took a deep breath. “I’m fine.”
“Right. That means we’re walking.”
As she followed Shirin to the Bridge, Allie felt the Kidem ripple from her shoulders, where it had slept all this time, to wrap itself around her slightly disturbed stomach. She struggled to match the Second Officer’s quick pace.
“What does that mean? Walking is not the only way?” She whined when her question was met with silence and a mysterious smile. “Shiriiiiiin…”