Chapter 19

How come birds
Don't fall from the sky when they die?
How come birds
Always look for a quiet place to hide
These words
Can't explain what I feel inside?
Like birds I need a quiet place to hide
- Elton John -

"We have entered normal space, Angie."

"Take us down to 3000 kps, Delphi."

"Yes, Angie."

The crew was unusually silent after a jump. They acted as if they were bored, and it was obvious that the malaise that permeated the crew wasn't going to go away soon.  The long mission had begun to take its toll, and this was no more obvious than in Angie. She seemed detached and lethargic, and she showed signs of moody and depressed behavior.
Marty could see it in her eyes and the way she acted. He was running out of ways to entertain her, but keeping her happy had become his primary task. He just had to get more creative.

"This is a G0 V class dwarf," Karl said. "It has a 1.1 mass, a 1.2 radius, a 1.3 luminosity and a 5890 K temperature. The metal ratio is 1.1. A habitable planet would be at 1.1 AU."

"There's a planet at that distance," George said. "It has the right temperature."

"The bolometric temperature of the third planet is 289K," Masai said. "Spectral analysis shows strong oxygen-hydrogen and oxygen-oxygen bond peaks."

"Take us to the third planet, Delphi."

"Yes, Angie."

"There are no enemy vessels in this system," Ninja said. "There is a vessel of unknown configuration 523,000 kilometers away, moving at 220 kilomters per second at 3.42 radian degrees to our trajectory."

"I have that," George said, switching the telescopic view to the main screen.

"That looks like an egg," Marty said. "It reminds me of the space craft we saw on Birdie's planet."

"That particular object has a mass of 4285 metric tons," George said. "The engines are chemical."

"He's right," Anna said. "There are traces of liquid oxygen and hydrogen leaking from the object."

"I wonder where it's headed to," Marty said.

"Its present trajectory has it on course for the eighth planet, a gas giant on the order of Saturn," George said.

"We have to assume that it came from the third planet," Angie said. "Stay alert."

"We have a signal from the third planet," Brigit said.

The command deck was filled with bird chirps and clicks. When Birdie heard this she broke into song.

"Do you recognize any of this?" Lia asked her.

Birdie swiveled her head to look at her. "No, but it is beautiful."

"I'm surprised because the signal is identical to that of your planet. We should have video shortly."

Several minutes later, Lia transferred the video to the main screen.

"Wow!" Marty said. "They look like angels,"

"They're birds," Ferris said. "Unlike Birdie, they have wings."

"Those outfits they're wearing remind me of what altar boys used to serve in," Angie said.

"Yeah," Marty said. "They look like albs and surplices."

Birdie had come forward to get a better look. She swiveled her head around to address Angie. "I wish to be on the landing party, please."

"That's a bit premature, but if we go, you will be included."

"Thank you," Birdie replied after a brief song.

"We're working on a translation," Lia said. "Our experience at Birdie's planet will make the process easier."

"We have plenty of time," Angie said. "We'll go to split shifts as usual." She turned to Marty. "Call me if something happens."

"Yes, Admiral."

He watched her leave the command deck before letting out a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, the crew sensed his concern, and it escalated their concern.

###

Marty, George, Karl, Jean-Michel, Tyler and Andy were enjoying off duty time in the swimming pool. It was the principal way that they could get away from the women. Marty and Tyler were waiting for Jean-Michel to complete a dive off the low board. Andy was strolling along the side of the pool to join them. George and Karl were resting on a bench.

The expectant appearance of Angie caused all of them to freeze. She was wearing a white tee, long pants and sneakers. Despite the fact that they were all nude, not one of them attempted to hide anything from her female eyes.

"Good evening, Admiral," Marty said, saluting.

"Excuse my intrusion, gentlemen, but I wanted to ask you if I could have the use of the pool for a few hours."

Marty looked at the other men and turned back to her. "Sure. How soon?"

"How about in one hour?" she asked, looking at each of them.

"No problem," Marty said.

After the initial exchange, Angie stood just watching. Taking this as a cue to do something, Jean-Michel bounced off the board and did a backward dive. After a delay Tyler climbed up to the board and did a normal dive.

Angie rewarded both of them with smiles and clapping. Marty mounted the board and executed a half gainer. When he surfaced and swam over to the side of the pool, she rewarded him with a big grin. Andy got up on the board, looked over at her and then did a backward dive. She rewarded him with a whistle.

She watched them performing for her and she liked it. They didn't care that she could see everything. But, before they lined up for another round, Angie held her hands up.

"Thank you, gentlemen."

She turned and left.

"We must not have been entertaining enough for her," Andy said.

"Why did she come in person?" George asked. "She could have sent Ninja or Noasa."

"She's bored," Marty said.

"If that's the case, why didn't she stay longer?" Andy said.

"I think that she feels ashamed for intruding on our privacy," Marty said. "I suppose that she would stay if we asked her to, but she would probably feel guilty for exploiting her rank."

"What difference does it make," George said. "She sure as hell knows what we look like."

No one could dispute that.

###

Marty watched Angie come out of her quarters and plop on a couch. "Want a beer?"

She looked at him for several seconds before replying. "I had better not. Technically, I'm on duty."

"Speaking of that: were you on duty when you visited us men in the pool?"

"What are you inferring?" she said with her forehead deeply furrowed.

He reacted with alarm. "I wasn't inferring anything. I just wondered why you ran off so soon, that's all."

She turned away and sighed. "I have no business invading your privacy like that. Just because I'm the Admiral doesn't give me the right."

"The guys didn't mind," Marty said, smiling. "You could have stayed."

She reacted with surprise. "Really? I thought that you men resented me seeing you in the . . . you know."

"We don't mind if you see us. We just don't want the other women to see us. The guys know that you won't tease us or try to play tricks on us. Even more important, you won't tell what you've seen. The men trust you."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do. I'm over it, and I hope that you are too."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. However, I sense that you're still upset."

"I'm worried about you," Marty said. "The entire crew is worried about you. I've been trying my best to keep you happy, and the men are with me on that. If watching us will amuse and entertain you, it's worth sacrificing our male pride. We have nothing to hide from you. All we ask is that you don't allow the other women to see us."

"Maybe I should allow you guys to see them," Angie said.

Marty's eyes widened and he held a hand up. "Absolutely no way! That would be a bad idea. Please don't do that."

"Yeah, you're right. I was just trying to show my appreciation to you and the other men."

"The other men are not like me; they have never been married," Marty said.

"They are not like you, but it isn't because they haven't know women. George and Andy are divorced. Karl's wife died in a car accident. Jean-Michel had a child out of wedlock, and poor Tyler has an estranged wife in Israel."

"Oh wow, I didn't know."

"Angelina and Martin, please come to the command deck."

"That's Honey," Angie said. "I wonder what's wrong."

When Angie and Marty arrived on the command deck, they found everyone absorbed by an image on the main screen.

"That spacecraft is in trouble," Honey said. "Lia has intercepted communications between it and the third planet that indicates that they have depleted their fuel supply and are on course to crash on the gas giant."

"We detected a leak from the craft," Anna said.

"How many people are on that ship?" Angie asked.

"Two," Lia said. "The conversation indicates that they have accepted the fact that they will die."

"Change our course to intercept the alien craft, Delphi."

"Yes, Angie."

Marty rewarded her with a smile. "What's the matter: don't want to be the Pharisee?"

"We'll have to drag them into the main hangar," Angie said, ignoring him. "We'll also have to check for explosives and weapons."

"I am doing that now," Ninja said. "The energy profile is too weak for weapons."

###

The alien spacecraft appeared as a tiny spec against the eighth planet, a gas giant that resembled Saturn, rings and all.

"Prepare to lock onto the alien ship, Delphi. Pull it into the main hangar."

"Yes, Angie."

After several minutes, the craft was secured and the hangar pressurized.

"Resume course to the third planet, Delphi."

"Yes, Angie."

"Honey, take over," Angie said. "Lia, Ferris, Birdie, Rosie and Jean-Michel, come with Martin and me. Ninja, tell Moto and Kata to arm themselves and go to the main hangar."

"Yes, Admiral."

When Angie, Martin and the others reached the main hangar, the two angel aliens had already disembarked. They immediately broke into song, which Birdie joined in.

"Who are you? What is this vessel?"

"We are star travelers," Birdie told them. "Most of us are from across the stars. We are curious."

"Why did you save us?"

"That is something that we do. We will take you and your craft back to your planet."

Marty studied the two creatures but it was difficult to really access their bodies because only their heads and claw-hands showed. They had heads similar to Birdie's and the same two finger-thumb hands, but the big difference is that they had wings.

"Are you injured?" Birdie asked them.

"We are not certain. The journey was difficult."

"We would like to examine your bodies to determine your health, if it is permissible."

The two aliens swiveled their heads to look at each other before one of them answered. "It is permissible."

"Check out their spacecraft," Angie ordered Ninja and Jean-Michel. She turned to Marty. "You, Ferris, and Birdie take these two to Onuki and check them out."

"Yes, Admiral."

When they arrived at the Medical Station, Onuki was waiting, and she wasted no time.
"We want to remove your coverings," Onuki told them.

"This is permissible," one of them said.

Ferris and Birdie worked together to strip the first angel alien. The surplice came off first and then the alb. What was underneath surprised everybody. The individual was a male and he possessed a humanoid-type body with smooth pink skin and an organ that was surprisingly long. His arms and legs bent like Birdie's, but the bone structure was more like that of a human. While Ferris and Birdie stripped the other alien, Onuki had the male recline on an examination table. Soon, several screens became filled with images of his body.

"He has dozens of ribs like Birdie," Marty said. "He also has a four-chambered heart. Look at how the wings are attached. Those ligaments and muscles look powerful. I'd love to see him fly."

"We may get that opportunity when we arrive at their planet," Ferris said.

"I do not see any breaks," Onuki said. "The sternum is reinforced. Notice that the wings are integral with the clavicle and scapula. The entire girdle structure is well developed."

"Yes," Birdie said. "My people had similar structures in the before time, but they have atrophied since then."

The second alien was a female but she didn't have any breasts or umbilicus. These aliens obviously came from eggs like Birdie's species. The only way that she could be recognized as a female is the fact that she didn't have an organ. Otherwise, the male and female bodies were similar. How boring.

Angie greeted the two angel aliens when they came on the command deck. "Welcome. We are pleased to be able to help you in your time of need."

"We are grateful for your help," the female said. "We were resigned to our fate before you saved us."

"How do you go to other stars so easily?" the male asked.

"We are able to create a quantum singularity and enter it. The process creates a means of distorting space to bring distant locations close."

"Why did you come to our star system?" the female asked.

"We are curious, and we are searching for evil creatures that kill and eat us."

Uma showed them a picture of a Dragon alien.

"This is the evil creature," Angie told them.

"We have seen this species," the female said. "They do not kill us, but they did take many of our people away."

"I am afraid that they have eaten them," Angie said. "We are trying to stop them from doing this, but we need to find their home world. Do you have any idea where their home world is?"

"We believe that it is in a collection of stars near our collection of stars," the female said.

"Well, that makes it either a well traveled rumor or a fact," Angie said. "Almost every alien species we've found that has seen the Dragons has said the same thing."

That conclusion was becoming the truth.

###

The angel planet was like a jewel—a perfect deep blue ball with wispy white clouds on a star filled background—a perfect home world for angels. The two angels that had been rescued sang songs of joy when they saw it. These bird aliens fascinated birdie. They were obviously of the same fiber as she, and she was anxious to learn about their culture and their society.

Angie decided to take Birdie, Rosie, Tyler and Anna on her landing party. She assumed that the two angel aliens would provide good will for their visit. From observations with telescopes and an atmospheric probe, these aliens appeared peaceful, but appearances could be deceiving.

When Angie sat the Lander down on a clearing near a city, many angels flew to the location. The two rescued aliens vocalized through song how they had been saved from certain death. The presence of their spacecraft helped to reinforce the telling.

Seeing large aliens flying around was both fascinating and confusing. How did a society of such beings live and work. A leader eventually flew in and welcomed back her two rescued citizens with prolonged song.
"We thank you for your mercy," the leader said. "We are in your debt."

The word 'debt' implied some sort of payment, but what form it would take was unknown. Tyler tried to coax information from them, but they were hard to comprehend. Males and females seemed equal, but it was difficult to discern the gender difference. Females appeared to be in charge here, but males were obviously treated well. There was none of the matriarchal abuses that Angie had seen in the pseudo-human species. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they had wings.

The angel aliens obviously valued modesty, but when Onuki examined the two rescued individuals, they exhibited no problem with being naked and seeing each other. This made them different than any species discovered so far.
Angie and her landing party were taken to a large amphitheater where several aliens were singing as in a recital. Some of them played instruments that sounded like flutes with a special blowhole to accommodate a beak. This indicated that they valued the musical arts, a fact that didn't seem so unusual for bird aliens that sang.

Birdie totally enjoyed the visit. She was in seventh heaven and it showed in her song of joy. The fact that they had wings fascinated her. The discovery of a bird alien species made her feel special. She had much to tell her people when she returned.

"These are devices that will show our home planet and the home planets of many of the species of intelligent life that we have visited," Tyler told the angel leader. "It also explains how we can generate singularities and travel to the stars."

"Thank you for your generosity," the leader said. "We will study it with great interest."

"If we locate any of your people on our search for the evil aliens, we will rescue them and return them to you."

"We are grateful for your efforts."

All in all, the visit had been pleasant, but it was time to move on. Angie gathered her landing party and bid her farewells. The trip up was filled with discussion.

"This is one of our more pleasant alien visits," Tyler said.

"Yes, it was most interesting," Birdie said. "I have learned much."

"That's really why we're out here," Angie said. "Unfortunately, we have a more serious job to do. I would have loved to spend more time here, but we can't."

"I suppose that we'll have to go through decontamination," Tyler said.

"Yep," Angie said. "We have no choice. Onuki's orders."

When the Lander docked, the dreaded process began with jet-sprays of smelly disinfectant both before and after undressing. After that, the landing party had to scrub up with antibacterial and antiviral soap in a common shower. Birdie and Rosie didn't mind. They were uninteresting in the nude. Tyler had to endure showering with Angie and Anna, but he didn't seem to mind the fact that they were seeing his body. Modesty was slowly becoming a useless virtue, a victim of the necessities of space exploration. Familiarity was slowly eroding prudish mores.

When the landing crew arrived on the command deck, Marty greeted them with smiles. "Did you enjoy your visit with angels?" he asked Angie.

"Yes, we did. It was certainly one of our more pleasant alien contacts. These creatures are definitely more sensible than any of the pseudo-human species that we've encountered. That was refreshing."

"Let's face it," Marty said. "All of the aliens are different. We can't expect them to be like us, and that goes for the pseudo-humans. They all have flaws, both cultural and moral. We humans certainly fit in that category."

"Yeah, you're right. It's just that I don't have time for nonsense. We're at war, and war demands expediency."

"Oh, well," Marty said. "At least we've had some peace for a while."

Nobody could fault that sentiment.