“How do you know he’s the leader?”

I was staring at General Morgan like I’d never seen anyone like him before, but I was also extremely dubious about his claim. After all, the very streets I navigated every morning and every evening, once bustling with Big Apple activity and splendor, were virtually desolate now, all at the hands of the A’li-uud. It was hard for me to believe that capturing the leader was possible with anything less than an entire military branch and New York’s complete arsenal.

“He said he was,” Morgan replied. “And he has a special sword that glows and can’t be taken away from him. None of the others have that.”

“I see.” I frowned and pursed my lips.

Morgan propped his elbows on the edge of my desk and rested his chin in his palms, almost resembling a youthful schoolboy apart from his leering grin. “Are you afraid of the big bad alien, Roxanne? Would you like me to stay with you while you speak to him?” he asked in a babyish, patronizing voice. I held back the retch that rose in my throat.

“That won’t be necessary,” I said firmly, trying to force as much dislike into my gaze as I could. “When is he scheduled to arrive?”

He straightened up again before responding, squaring his shoulders and returning to his military, rigid way of sitting. “The squad picked him up, along with some of his buddies, outside of Newfield near Ithaca. By my estimation, they’ve got another three to three-and-a-half hours to go. You should be having lunch with that blue-skinned abomination, but I don’t think he eats tuna salad.”

I bristled at his words. “You know, General,” I said icily, laying emphasis on his title to impress upon him the responsibilities of his authority. “Just because he’s different than us doesn’t make him an abomination. Maybe it’s that kind of narrow-minded thinking that convinced the A’li-uud to attack us in the first place.”

“Don’t let that shiny new title turn you into a bleeding heart,” Morgan retorted with a flick to the nameplate resting on the front of my desk. I couldn’t see it, but I knew it was engraved with Roxanne Rigby, Ambassador of Alien Relations. It was perhaps the thing I was proudest of in my office. “These are vicious creatures that came here for no other reason than to show us they’re bigger and badder than we are.”

“That’s ignorance and fear talking,” I snapped. Though his distasteful comments were, for once, not directed at me, I found Morgan’s crude and intolerant attitude as repulsive as his constant attempts to get into my bed. “You can’t know what their intent is until you talk to the leader, and assumptions are only going to lead to some very big mistakes.”

“It’s not my job to talk to him. That’s your job. My job is to make assumptions that protect our country, or, in this case, our world.” General Morgan was stern now, and I was suddenly very aware of his forty years to my twenty-five. I felt like a scolded child. He only worsened the feeling by pointing at the nameplate again and saying patronizingly, “Earn that paycheck, Ms. Rigby.”

As he strode out of my office, I lowered my face into my hands again. The lingering anxiety from my nightmare had been washed away in the wake of this news, but now I felt fresh anxiety at the prospect of meeting with the A’li-uud leader. Morgan was right; it was my job to speak with him. As the Ambassador of Alien Relations, I was the messenger between our side and theirs, and it was up to me to get as much information from the alien as possible. Frankly, I wasn’t sure I was cut out for the task.

Three years ago, I’d graduated from NYU with a double major in Communications and Political Science. My intention had been to become the United States Ambassador to the UN, and I’d even managed to secure an internship there. Acquiring such a prestigious position was far from easy, though, so when the astronauts returned from their resources mission with knowledge of alien life, the title of Ambassador of Alien Relations was created and I was offered the job on a reference from my superiors at the UN.

If I’d known I was going to be coming face-to-face with the leader of the race that was slaying mankind around the world, I might not have been so eager to take the position.

Sighing heavily, I turned to my computer. I needed to prepare for this meeting. Various meetings between political powers, military authorities, and NASA officers had led to the same conclusion: we needed to establish a treaty of peaceful co-existence with the A’li-uud. Our numbers outranked theirs in great multitudes, but they were lethal fighters, and we didn’t know what kind of technology they possessed at their home base. It was possible they had the capability to wipe out our entire planet in one fell swoop, and we weren’t willing to take the risk of believing otherwise. The sheer havoc they’d wreaked in the few short months they’d been here was proof enough that they were not a force to tangle with, at least not until we were much better prepared.

So, discussion of peace was going to be the primary topic of discussion with the leader. However, it was critical I learned everything, from their motivation for attacking Earth to their reasons for allowing our astronauts to return home. The smallest piece of information could be the key we needed to understand them and protect ourselves. I felt wholly unprepared for the task, and, more than that, I was worried I would miss something important and jeopardize the entire existence of humanity.

It was a weight I’d never expected to have on my shoulders, but it was one I would carry as far as I could.

My door opened without a knock, and Madeleine burst in with wide eyes and her mousy hair flying out behind her. “Did you hear?” she demanded breathlessly. “They’ve caught the leader! It’s all over the news!”

“It is?” I asked, stunned. I couldn’t believe the military would have released such information yet, and for it to be so widely broadcasted already was even more surprising. Then again, the news was no longer about crimes, press conferences, sports shut-outs, and feel-good stories featuring animals learning Morse Code and such. Every station was focused on nothing but the A’li-uud. Helicopter footage of tall, muscular creatures with skin in varying shades of blue destroying whole cities was interrupted only by world leaders and political representatives around the globe making statements about current conditions and plans of rescue. Occasionally, there’d be an interview with a citizen of some decimated town recounting the aliens’ destruction and the horrors they’d seen. Turning on the TV now was like reading a book about the Holocaust: bleak, depressing, and incomprehensible.

“Is that why General Morgan was here?” Madeleine pressed. Even in her frantic state, her need to be in the loop was evident in her urgent expression.

“Yes,” I said, deciding to indulge her nosiness. “I’m to meet with the leader in a few hours.”

“Oh my God.” She clutched her cheeks in her hands, her nails digging into her flesh, leaving slight divots behind. Her eyes were still wide, and I detected a hint of sympathy in them. “Are you scared?”

I wanted to tell her I wasn’t. I wanted to say that this was my job and I was well-protected here. I wanted to be the strong, confident woman the Ambassador was supposed to be.

But I wasn’t.

“I’m terrified,” I admitted a little sheepishly.

She nodded slowly. There wasn’t an ounce of judgment or disdain on her face. On the contrary, she reflected the confidence I was supposed to have back at me. Her hands fell to her hips, and she jutted one hip out with cocky spunk. “Good. If you weren’t, I’d think you were stupid, and the last thing we need is a stupid person doing the talks with the aliens.”

It was a perspective I hadn’t considered before. Perhaps my fear was an asset, not a hindrance. If someone like General Morgan were to perform the interview, we’d probably end up in an even bigger and deadlier war than we were in now because he’d only succeed in pissing the A’li-uud off. Maybe my fear was the advantage we needed.

I certainly hoped so.