Rachel watched the night sky disappear as the orange crystal folded up, and they began to descend; a surge of fog expelled from the glass-like substance, heavily obscuring her vision from inside the transparent mask it had given her.

She glanced down as the creature breathed a long hiss. Rachel’s ears stiffened, causing the bubble to expand with its sharp movement; from the base of the necklace came a deep masculine voice. “I thank you for accompanying me.”

Shifting to her left in the small space, she glanced down at the creature with a slight frown. “I can understand you … this device you gave me is some kind of translator and oxygen unit?”

The alien looked up at her, continuing to make various hissing sounds and hand gestures while the necklace translated. “It took a long while for us to analyze the speech patterns of your race; we have been trying to understand you for some time.”

“How are you monitoring us?”

The translation was nearly toneless. “That is not of concern, your intent is.”

“Oh? Do you know about the crystals?”

“The devices you used to come to this place? No, we are not residents of this moon.”

“Moon?”

The creature paused for a moment, looking up at her blankly. “You are unaware of the place you have arrived? By the information we have, you are here to determine threats. We will be no threat to your people.”

Rachel restrained a frown, keeping her demeanor neutral as the platform ceased, opening up to a plain orange crystal hallway. Seven more aliens were waiting for her; they all wore a white banner-like shirt with a black crescent and a cross running through it, just like Scarlet had described.

Her ears twitched as she expanded her ears, and she could distinguish the strange horror-like musical noise Scarlet had told her about humming through the outer edges of the crystal structure on closer inspection. One of the sharp sounds she speculated was linked to the production of the orange fog.

The hallways were relatively silent, but she did hear the shuffling of feet through the structure and the cracking of crystals as people passed through areas and the walls resealed themselves, and the soft hisses and clicking hand gestures of more aliens. However, the device at her neck wouldn’t translate anything, likely because it was so far away.

The seven aliens in front of her spread out, not making any sudden moves as they observed her in a non-hostile manner.

“Not a threat?” She asked, keeping a lax pose, but ready to move at a moment’s notice. “How so? One of your people attacked me. Are you saying that was a mistake, and what is the purpose of you bringing me here?”

The alien walked out, turning as she didn’t follow. “These are my fellow researchers; there is no need to be so defensive. Yes, the attack against you was from a divergent faction within our team. We know you have the ability to defend yourself if needed, and your species has weapons that we have never seen before; we do not wish to escalate into conflict.”

Researchers? So, is this a facility designed for study? The insects could be a point of interest for them, and we just so happened to get caught up in the middle of it. There’s also the threat of this divergent faction, and perhaps they changed their mind when the attack didn’t work.

Also, we have weapons they’ve never seen before? Is he talking about Scarlet, me, and Fiona, or is he referring to the military? It’s good that we can communicate with them, but…

Activating Mental Acceleration while keeping Emotional Detachment in play, she slowly exited the lift to take in the hallway with her broad field of view; the orange fog obscured almost everything beyond several meters.

They certainly have different technology than we do, and it seems far more advanced. Who knows if a nuke would even damage their structures … no, if Scarlet could break into it, then it can’t be that tough; a Hydrogen Bomb should have no issue.

This is unexpected, though … why would they go through all this trouble? They likely took the equipment and men to program this necklace … we still don’t know what happened to those soldiers. If they learned our language this fast, then that must be a factor … I wonder. What if the Green Berets are connected to some kind of mind scanning technology?

Swapping to Korean, she said, “Is this opposing view still a threat to my people?”

Each of the creatures glanced at each other before they began hissing.

“Did you understand her?”

“I did not? Are you sure the transition method was correctly calibrated?”

“Yes, the interface was a perfect execution, but there is so much information; perhaps this is a set of data that is unavailable to the others?”

They understand I’m a woman, and unavailable to the others? They might be using some kind of brain link.

Swapping to English, she asked, “Which is better, fries or onion rings?”

They all made rapid hand gestures to one another, tone of voice still monotone.

“I do not understand the question.”

“Indeed, there seems to be no right answer.”

“Conflicting answers … it does not make logical sense.”

“This was not expected with the data collected.”

“How should we proceed?”

It’s highly likely that they’re using some kind of mind scanning technology to get that kind of information. If that’s the case, then they could be seeing Science Fiction or pure Fantasy-based weapons as the standard technology for our world, and we’re not going all out until we assess the threat of this world. Of course, they could also know about nukes and many other weapons the military is researching.

The main problem is their motive and methods they’re employing. It’s perfectly reasonable that they’d use our soldiers as information banks, but the issue is how humane it is. If our military had that capability, then we’d no doubt employ something similar. Some things just don’t add up, though.

They don’t know about the crystals. That could be a lie; I have no clue how their bodies would even react if they lied. They don’t want a conflict, but at the same time, we both must conquer the opposing side to close the gate, by the testimony of the birds. This could cause some complications.

Any way you look at it, abducting soldiers is a hostile action; you can’t incapacitate people, bind them against their will, and keep them in a place where they can’t communicate with their allies without expecting retaliation. However, perhaps this is nothing wrong with this alien culture. Maybe this is standard, and if it is, then we have a lot to set straight.

Rachel hummed thoughtfully, drawing their attention. “That you know about fries and onion rings means you’ve somehow obtained some cultural understanding of our world, and it’s highly unlikely that you would have gained that information from mere conversation. You have our soldiers and equipment, don’t you?”

The aliens made more hand gestures toward one another with short hisses.

“It was a test?”

“Perhaps she does not trust our words?”

“A mistranslation?”

“Perhaps.”

“What is the point of this exercise?”

“I cannot see a solution.”

Rachel cut into the conversation before the next could respond. “For a solution, we can begin with a bit of transparency. You don’t want conflict, but you’ve taken some of our people, haven’t you?”

Glancing between each other, the aliens went silent for a much shorter time than Rachel perceived. After a few seconds, they began communicating as if she wasn’t there again, ping-ponging off each other’s statements and questions.

“Transparency?”

“We have been very transparent.”

“Perhaps, we have not?”

“Again, we go back to the translation errors.”

“The match is ninety-eight point seven, seven, two percent accurate.”

“Yes, which is well within the margin of error.”

“Where is it … the words have different meanings.”

“I can see that now.”

“Confusing.”

“Perhaps, to us.”

“I am sure we are confusing to her.”

“The subject is the key.”

“Visual representation is powerful to … humans.”

“Such amazing technology.”

“Frightening technology.”

“We are seen as aliens…”

“Such terrifying and confusing policies toward aliens.”

“Yes, quite conflicting.”

“We should not make enemies of humans.”

“We must move past this barrier.”

“The subject was people we have taken.”

“Correct, which means the humans are upset that we took them.”

“How odd. We could not understand each other without them.”

“They did not know our ways.”

“I see…”

“Yes, that is most illuminating.”

“They have many technologies to understand us.”

“Perhaps, it is more complicated than we perceive.”

“Possible.”

“Very possible.”

“We can not comprehend the small one’s technology.”

“Yes, the way that she can speak to others seemingly without a device is fascinating.”

“The manifestation of energy out of seemingly nothing is equally as terrifying as it is intriguing.”

“We are getting off the important topic.”

“Correct, we need to establish a degree of … trust.”

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“Trust … how strange of a meaning when connected to individuals.”

“The distrust of humans makes them unpredictable, and their wild, inconsistent behavior makes them a threat.”

“Yes, but we cannot combat such creatures.”

“We are on cycle again.”

“Perhaps this distrust has also affected us as we are becoming wary of objective human action.”

“You may be correct in your hypothesis.”

“Is it productive to bring back such a radical change to the collective?”

“That will be something to run simulations on once we have obtained safety.”

“Indeed.”

“That would be the best action.”

“Alleviating this one’s concerns is the pressing issue.”

“Incorrect.”

“Identifying the purpose of the human’s interaction with the growing energy crystal mass is of the highest priority.”

“Correct, the rapid increase in the burrowing roots will reach our ship within twelve hours.”

“We do not have the resources to combat such aggressive proliferation.”

“The humans do.”

“Yes, and the energy crystal mass will reach the gate to their world shortly.”

“That must be the reason for the three heading into the growth zone.”

“They would freeze on contact.”

“The tiny one seems to have technology that protects against such a case.”

“Impressive.”

“Most impressive.”

“Combating a pulse wave of negative eighty degrees Celcius that bypasses all known material is powerful.”

“Most powerful.”

“If only we could contain such a force.”

“Impossible.”

“Already discussed.”

“Yes, it has bypassed every attempt at containment.”

“Perhaps, with the human’s aid?”

“We must take things one step at a time.”

“That would be the safest route.”

“What might be left after the humans deal with it?”

“Undeterminable.”

“We shall see.”

With Emotional Detachment active, Rachel only analyzed their statements with an objective mind to get to the goal in mind; however, inside her detached bubble of emotions, it all seemed rather strange. How they each knew who was speaking and how they were gaining all this information was a mystery to her.

They’re far more advanced than us, but whatever inaccuracies are in their equipment are making it appear that we’re extremely sophisticated, advanced, and that anything the soldiers know of in Science Fiction and Fantasy, coupled with our abilities, are fact.

It doesn’t seem like they’re very warful, to begin with, either. At the very least, their weapons of war aren’t on this research station or inside the shield. However, the question is, are these aliens the real creatures of this world or just traveling visitors?

The Azure Frost is something they can’t combat, and they obviously think that we’re so advanced that we can deal with it in a snap. The moment we recognized it as a threat, we decided to take care of the problem.

The one that had brought her down ceased his hand signs for a moment, looking up at her neutral expression as she watched him. After a moment, the others dropped their hands and turned to study her. Seconds passed, and a few of them continued to sign and hiss.

“We wish to know how the humans will deal with this threat.”

“If the humans will grant us an explanation.”

“Infinite possibilities.”

“An answer would be illuminating.”

They’re curious as a species, and it appears they go to great lengths to understand different species. Giving them an answer might be the best option to get the ball moving. They said they don’t want to fight us, and they haven’t given me any indication that this group would do anything.

However, the group that thinks differently than them might be an issue as we move on. We’ll have to get to that. Telling them about the Hydrogen Bomb wouldn’t be ideal at this point, and from what they just said about it bypassing all of their known material … that might be an issue.

Rachel hummed softly; she responded while stretching out her arms and calves. They carefully studied every move she made while loosened up.

“What you call an energy crystal mass, we call the Azure Frost. It is an ice crystal-like substance that feeds off solar energy during the day while it hibernates. Once the sun drops below the horizon, it will begin to proliferate, based on the amount of energy it’s receiving from the sun.

“It has a core that if plucked will begin the process of slowly killing it. The ones we’re sending to deal with it will be draining that energy, breaking it, or bringing it back with them to our world for safekeeping.”

The seven looked at each other, hands and arms making gestures as they spoke.

“Slowly die.”

“Good, it will be taken care of.”

“Perhaps we could bargain with the humans for a piece?”

“Doubtful.”

“Unlikely with what we have to offer.”

“Indeed … next, we must move to peaceful relations.”

“Yes, the people taken and the equipment.”

“Should we ask about keeping some of the equipment.”

“True, perhaps we may learn from it.”

“It would be best not to provoke such creatures.”

“That would be the safest route.”

Again, the one that had brought her down motioned to her, saying, “Come. We will take you to them.”

The group turned toward the left hallway as if she’d naturally comply; the mystery behind the creatures caused a pulse to shoot from her tail to the tips of her ears.

It could be a trap, but I have to follow them; the chance to save lives is worth the risk. They certainly have a different way of doing things than a human. It would help if I could recognize the tone of their voice and what kind of emotions they’re exhibiting, then it would be so much easier.

Although, I can understand a bit of their emotional state from the words they use. Clearly, they have pain, and Scarlet could feel emotion from them, but this device doesn’t translate them at all. I can’t even tell who is talking most of the time.

I need to get more information about what they know about the crystal. With their advanced technology, maybe they can tell something about them that we can’t. I can’t tell them that we don’t have a clue where they came from, though.

They barely moved in the time it took Rachel to think about her next move.

The walls were smooth, and the fog thick, making the journey all but blind. She expanded her hearing again to catch the hissing around the facility, but still, the device wouldn’t translate something so far away; she was beginning to map out the open layout.

She seemed to be in a large circular hallway that went on for miles; there were many branches to it, and after some time to compile the data, hundreds of the aliens all working on different aspects of the ship.

Her eyes scanned the back of the aliens as they moved in a more disorganized fashion than she would have expected. She gave them several seconds to bring up any more conversations before starting her own. “What should I call your race?”

“We do not have a word to describe us.”

“We are us, and not the same as others.”

Two stated, making gestures and low hissing sounds.

“What about the group that diverged from your idea of making peace?” Rachel asked, turning her head slightly to observe the smooth wall. “Is there a chance that a group of your people wishes harm to humanity?”

“No.”

“They were misinformed.”

“Upon further analysis, it was determined that combat would not be the most efficient path forward.”

“I see,” Rachel ran her hand along the wall, and just as Scarlet said, a faint imprint followed; the crystal was warm to the touch, causing prickles to cascade down the nerves in her palm. “What have you been able to determine about the gates?” She asked, using the word they had picked.

“Fascinating.”

“Immaterial.”

“Material.”

“A contradiction.”

“Convenient.”

“Would save travel time.”

“An impossible spatial and temporal dimensional field that interferes with our conventional understanding of the universe.”

“It should not exist.”

“Yet, it is a reality we cannot dispute.”

“No energy.”

“No particles or waves; no gravity, yet it has a pull.”

“No detectable signs to observe, but visual.”

“Damaged our ship without warning.”

“Incorrect.”

“Yes, the spatial and temporal dimensional field damaged our ship.”

“Perhaps, the crystals are connected to the field.”

“Were we a bridge between the two realities?”

“If that is the case, then the humans brought the Azure Frost to this world?”

“An experiment?”

“How did the humans create this … stargate … crystal, and force field.”

“Many names your people give it.”

“Powerful and contradictory.”

“We do not understand the concepts within your mind.”

“A hive of confutation.”

So, even to these aliens, the crystals are something impossible to understand. That doesn’t give me hope in humanity, puzzling it out. Even to them, these gateways don’t release any kind of indicator. They’re ghosts to reality, but follow a certain set of criteria that force an ultimatum upon people to fight. Why? They really don’t make sense. There’s no reason to even believe someone created them.

I can’t really answer their questions either, and telling them that we purposely created the portals to get to the Azure Frost could lead to a negative view. I suppose I can be honest and let them spin their imagination out of control.

A low hum escaped Rachel’s throat. “Humanity is naturally curious; we explore almost anything new we come across.”

“Dangerous.”

“Fascinating.”

“We are almost to your request.”

Rachel paused as the aliens walked several more steps before turning to a wall to their left, and one slid his hand over the smooth surface. A holographic image pulled out of the wall with strange symbols tumbling inside the triangular sphere. After it played with it for a moment, the orange crystal began to open.

It revealed a large room with what appeared four standing crystal-shaped human mummies, surrounding a burning red ball of energy that released the heat of a low fire. Other than the sphere of light and humans, the room was empty.

“They’re alive, I assume,” Rachel asked with a neutral tone.

“Yes.”

“The shell has been programmed for their needs.”

“The Matrix is functioning nearly at full capacity.”

“The human mind has so many ideas and contradictions to sort through.”

“A frightening place.”

“A wondrous place.”

“Inventions and concepts never imagined to us.”

They walked into the room, and Rachel circled one of the crystal structures, ears alert to any sound of cracking crystal that might seek to entrap her. Debating on how to answer, Rachel chose to dig a little deeper into their race and purpose. “What is your purpose on this moon?”

“The humans have methods to determine our reasons.”

“Another test?”

“Perhaps.”

“Humans seem to enjoy their traps and tests.”

“Irrational and rational, many times within the span of a sentence.”

“We came to the fourth moon of our planet on research.”

“To study the strange life that lives in a constant struggle to survive.”

“We have not experienced such methods for many ages.”

“We seek advancement in a block within our lives.”

“We seek for purpose as it fails our race.”

“Much has been uncovered from the minds of humans.”

“Many things to be studied for ages to come.”

Rachel released a soft sigh as she turned around to view the creatures. She felt a little bad for the ultimatum the crystals forced; it was an eat or be eaten system; however, perhaps there could be a more humane way to deal with the conquering of these people, and there was only one way to find out.

“The crystals do go beyond your understanding, but they do come with a terrible price.”

“Sacrifice is something we have been learning.”

“It gives value to things that we have not experienced in ages.”

“Right,” Rachel said. “The crystals require the conquest of the opposing side. This could be from full destruction, taking the resources from you or this planet, or anything similar to dominating this side. That is also the purpose that the Azure Frost was employed. Not by us, but by someone else.”

The aliens went silent again before communicating with one another.

“Someone else that is an enemy of humans?”

“How frightening?”

“There are many such things within their memory.”

“Yes, such as these Dalek…”

“Frightening creatures.”

“Horrifying technology.”

“Weeping Angels.”

“Cybermen”

“Perhaps, The Master.”

“Such creatures exist; we must bring back this data as soon as possible.”

“If the price for such technology is the conquest of an area, then it cannot be helped.”

“What is the most effective means?”

“The power core would be of sufficient damage.”

“Yes, and we would be stranded for approximately twelve days.”

“Incorrect.”

“Indeed, twelve-point-three-two days.”

“We could use that time to research this sonic screwdriver device that is of such value.”

“It would provide great benefit.”

“We must also look into this Artron Energy.”

“Most wonderful.”

“It could change everything.”

“Possible error.”

“Indeed, we might be overlooking the fact that we are not native to this moon.”

“If that is the case, then the hive mothers might be the solution.”

“Conquering the insects would be simple for the humans.”

“True, it is not an issue for the humans.”

“Our conclusion could be incorrect.”

“We must test it, then.”

Rachel had no clue what they were talking about, but they’d obviously connected to some story in someone’s head and were extracting from it ideas.

“Okay,” she said with a bright smile. “Shall we combine our efforts and test these theories? The sooner we can conclude our business, the sooner you can get this information back to the rest of your people, which would be of the most critical importance.”

“Most logical.”

“Yes, let us proceed.”

“Follow us.”

Rachel was beginning to like the little guys; she followed them to the opposite wall, and the one that had gone up to request her visit activated an elevator at their feet. Rachel looked up as the large platform lowered, and the hole above was filled in by crystal.

These guys have such an advanced type of crystal technology. They’re crystal experts, and they can’t tell anything about the gates … that says a lot.