Elena

Planet Kosmora 0938

The Dune Colony Embassy

The sound of my heels clicking down the corridor are much too loud for my current situation and the plan that is occupying my mind. Time is working against me. As the only woman in attendance tonight, I’m sure to be missed if I’m gone too long. I reach the restroom but instead of going inside, I slip out of my shoes and tiptoe a few more doors down, back to the room we all occupied barely an hour before.

It’s eerily quiet inside, the same sterile smell hanging in the air like that of a hospital room instead of the conference room where all of the important meetings of the diplomats are held.

“Okay, let’s see what secrets you’re hiding,” I whisper to myself. The files related to the treaty between Kosmora 0938 and Earth are located on their computer system. I was present at the final meeting, the last meeting before the treaty was signed which took place earlier. But it doesn’t take a genius to know that because a journalist was at the meeting, they only discussed the bare bones. None of the specific details were made public. Obviously, this didn’t sit well with me.

I turn on the system and wait impatiently while it flickers before coming to life. Every sound I hear has me looking around for places to hide or the closest exit to escape from. I’m sure our hosts wouldn’t appreciate their guests snooping around, but getting all of the facts is why I came along in the first place.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry,” I say to the computer. My leg won’t stop twitching under the table but I am reassured knowing that all of the men have moved on to dinner and drinks. Now that they consider their work to be finished for the day, they’re all probably half in the bag already. The screens in front of me come to life, illuminating the room in a blue hue that could certainly draw unwanted attention. “Here we go.” I reach down to my wrist and press a few buttons on my watch. Inside, I have stored the markings to identify the name of the treaty, written in Outrathi which is the official language of the Suthune. Their copy of the treaty is most likely written in Outrathi but I should be able to translate it to find out what our diplomats have planned for their people.

Symbols appear on the screen in front of me but I don’t know if I’m looking at files or programs. Their technology is more advanced than what we use on Earth and I’m not used to their system. But I am hoping that I’ll find something that matches the symbol on the piece of paper in my hand.

Conscious of the fact that time continues to tick away, I just start clicking on the buttons. I’m holding the piece of paper right next to the screen so I can look for a match as quickly as possible. The sound of voices close by makes me drop to the floor, just under the table. I’m looking to see if anyone enters while I’m crouched down on all fours. Seconds pass while I hold my breath, barely daring to breathe as if that would be enough to give me away.

Time passes and no one enters the room so I slide back up in the chair determined to finish what I came in here for. After searching through more symbols, I finally stumble upon a match. With a triumphant, “Yes!” I click on the file. I quickly detach my watch and flip it over to remove the small chip that is compatible with any computer system. It attaches right into the top of the screen and immediately synchs with the system and begins downloading.

Time seems to move backwards as I watch the green line slowly creep across the screen. I know I was chosen for this mission because no one thinks I’ll really ask any important questions, or actually do my job thoroughly. But in order to prove them wrong, I want to make sure I have the whole story. As soon as there’s a ding indicating that my files have been copied, I grab the chip out of the screen and click it back into my watch. A quick shut down of the system and I’m on my way out the door with my shoe straps hanging from my fingers. A trace of a smile crosses my lips as I exhale a long breath as soon as I leave the room, undiscovered.

I’m looking behind me when I run head on into the Commissioner.

“Oh, Commissioner Daniels, excuse me.” I put my hands behind my back to try to mask the fact that I’m holding my shoes instead of wearing them. Not that my shoes alone point to my guilt, but I’ve never been that great with a poker face.

“Hello Elena.” He looks down at me while holding onto my arms to steady me. They linger just a little too long and hold me a little too tightly. I lean back, trying to slip out of his grip. “I was worried, you’ve been gone a long time.”

“I lost my way. I knew if I found the conference room again I would be able to find my way back.”

“Ah,” he says simply, his gaze lingering just long enough to make it uncomfortable. “And you’ve lost your shoes?” He looks down at my feet, before slowly dragging his eyes back up my body. My pulse is beating erratically while I look up and down the hallway, hoping someone else will come walking along.

I hold my shoes up in front of me as I step out of his grip. “High heels aren’t the most comfortable. By this time of the night, my feet need a break. What are you doing here Commissioner?” I ask, changing the subject.

He looks at me for a moment and I wonder if he’s going to answer me at all. “Looking for the restroom,” he finally says. His eyes haven’t left my face and the longer the silence drags on, the more uncomfortable I feel.

“Okay, well, I’m going to head back. The restrooms are right there.” I point down the hallway and when he turns to look I slip around him. From day one of this mission he made me feel like the hot piece of ass sent along for his entertainment. Ironically enough, he’s the only one out of the group that makes me feel that way, and he just happens to be the one that finds reasons to hang around.

I’m relieved when I reach the dining room again, which is still full of people mingling and conversing. Subconsciously I touch the watch on my wrist where the treaty information is securely stored. Now that I have what I need, I want to get back to my room so I can uncover all of their secrets. The commissioner still hasn’t returned, thank God, and the Ambassador is deep in a conversation with a group of men. The perfect time for me to take my leave.

I don’t put my shoes back on until I reach the doors. The night is cool, making goosebumps spring up on my arms as soon as I step out into the night. Luckily, the hotel is right next door to the conference center and within seconds I’m inside the lobby. It only takes a couple minutes for me to make it up to my room. Once inside, I click the door closed behind me and stand in front of it waiting to hear the soothing sound of the lock click securely.

The chip is out of my watch within seconds and inside my device just as quickly.

“Okay,” I say to myself. “Let’s see what is really going on.”

I spread out on the bed, my skirt long enough to drape over the side. My toe rubs against the cloth of the blanket while I wait impatiently for the file to load. I think about all of the good that could come from this treaty. To everyone on Earth, Kosmora is our life line. Our natural resources have been depleted to the point where large populations are beginning to die off. Kosmora is a planet with resources compatible with Earth. We can use what they have to replace what is gone. We have the potential to thrive again, as long as Kosmora is willing to share what they have. From what we know, that is exactly what they are doing, for a price, of course. I’m just wondering what else Earth has agreed to give in addition to financial gifts.

“Finally.” I flip over on my stomach as the file loads. The symbols that load aren’t Outrathi, or English either. Before I let myself panic, I find the translate option and click it. Our government’s tech guy assured me that he made my device compatible to Outrathi. Without it, the device is useless to me.

“Hell, yes!” I say excitedly when the files slowly begin to switch before my eyes. My eyes flick back and forth over the screen while the details slowly translate and become clear. The only problem is that there are large sections of the document that aren’t translating for some reason.

“Oh no,” I say to the space around me. Looks like this isn’t going to be as easy as I originally thought.