Earth

2027

"Do you need help, ma'am?"

The woman had not tried to hide that she didn't belong here. Soon there would be no need to ever hide that again. Those walking through the quaint town square of the small city wore comfortable clothing and walked unhurriedly. Her high-heeled shoes, impeccable hair and make-up, and long dress signified that she either planned to spend a night in the city or that she'd come from there. Either way, looking around for the shop she needed to visit made her look lost and so everyone would assume she was a visitor.

"I'm looking for a pawn shop," she said. "I heard there was one around here."

"Right over there, ma'am." He pointed across the street toward the end of the block. "Have a nice day." The young man had been taught manners. He smiled pleasantly before continuing on with his arm looped for the young woman at his side to hold.

"Thank you."

It was truly amazing to see people's commitment to pretending everything was normal. While much of the population could do nothing except for focus on the existential threat to their planet, others seemed to avoid it at all costs. Even with their differences, most people still went to their jobs in the morning. Many schools had canceled for the week and some parents stayed home with their children, but normal life had not entirely halted. Rather, people seemed to engage in comfort tasks in order to be able to continue living as they had before. Churches and bars were full, but late nights at either didn't shut this city down in the morning. She'd read through the Replica's report of this city and it was very similar to the city she'd visited last night. She suspected that it was a trend which would continue in every city she studied.

Eventually, this normalcy would have to end for a short time. While Vehru intended to minimize loss of life, inevitably every town and every home on Earth would feel the threat of worlds colliding. The people would protect their lives and livelihood at all costs. This was a matter of self-preservation, afterall, not just for their society but for the life they had built for themselves and their families.

She did pity them. Seeing them strolling the street like it was a normal Saturday morning while the first fleet of Aeroluxes patrolled the Earth seemed so sad to her. They just could not accept what was happening. Vehru had done well, she supposed. All attacks had been focused on military bases and away from civilian population centers. Ordinary people were only exposed in person to Lumiean soldiers who spent their time helping. No, the woman did not blame the people of Earth at all for going about their daily business as much as they could, even if it did make her sad for them. Afterall, she had been sharing a planet with them for the past twenty years. It was a survival skill to persevere through a crisis without letting their lives shut down.

This did not mean that nothing had shut down. There'd been a news article this morning about massive numbers of employees quitting or calling in sick. Many small businesses had temporarily closed their doors. On one block, half the neighbors may have been preparing for war while the other half pretending nothing was happening. Earth couldn't even be united in their panic.

With a sigh, the woman crossed the street and walked toward the pawn shop. In truth, Vehru's replica could gather plenty of data without her. From social media to hacking companies that collected data to government records, the advanced AI had a wealth of information about the individuals of Earth. Still, Vehru valued qualitative data as well. Sitting down in a restaurant and listening to the conversations happening around her as well as gauging people's response to her provided insight that supplemented what the replica had already gathered.

Obviously, the replica could also listen in on conversations. But at the end of the day, an experiment benefitted from multiple observers. It was important to not simply analyze all the recordings the replica had taken but as a human being to enter the world and let millions of years of evolution do its job. Humans were social creatures whose survival had depended upon being able to communicate with one another and organize themselves into groups. Case studies being conducted along with the truly staggering amount of data the replica had amassed would give Vehru the insight she needed to navigate phase two of this operation. It would be a challenge after what the witness had done.

A groan worked its way out of her chest as she replayed Rory's heartfelt plea to earth. The fall to the federation was inevitable. Why make this a more dangerous process for the people of this planet?

She shook off the thoughts as she entered the pawn shop so she could focus on the task at hand. This part of the experiment was something that only she could do. She'd selected a dozen targets in this city and would interact with the same number in the next. The sample size needed to vary nicely in demographics and in their profile. This man had been sought out because he not only provided a sample for Americans who were partial to conspiracies, but he also was a survivalist. A very good one.

"Hello."

The man behind the counter turned to face her with a skeptical half-grin. "Miss. What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to sell a few things. Tough times."

His gaze skittered down her. He was probably thinking times couldn't be too tough given her outfit. That could be sold too. But if he wanted to make a comment, he refrained. "That's what I'm here for."

She withdrew the bag of jewelry from her purse and placed it on the table.

"I'll need your ID as well."

With a nod, she withdrew her wallet, opened it, and turned it to him. "I hope the jewelry can fetch a good price."

His expression fell as he read her license, looked up to her face, and then back down. Finally, he asked, "Really?"

"Yeah. Really."

"Wow. Dr. Christine Johanson." The man eyed her over the rim of his glasses and whistled low. "Mighty brave of you to flash that name in public these days."

"Why? Because this alien business is somehow my fault?"

"Being connected to it at all paints you in some kind of light. You might be a hero to one person and a villain to the next."

She smiled politely and retrieved her ID from him. "Thank you for the advice, random stranger."

The burly man shrugged and leaned against the counter. "In case you missed it, we're at war, lady. Things are about to get ugly real fast. We have to look out for each other's safety."

"You think someone will kill me."

He hesitated for a second like hearing the implications of what he had said aloud made him self-conscious, but he finally nodded. "That's something I think you should worry about."

"Who is really at fault in this war?"

His brows raised. "The aliens obviously. Government too. You can't trust any of em. If you ever need anything at all, you come back here. We've got what we need to survive."

Christine's gaze remained steady on him. "Food, supplies, weapons, ammo?"

"And a lot of it."

"Do you know how simple it would be for an advanced alien race to determine who on this planet is armed? Hacking gun registries is the simplest solution but not everyone registers. An AI can easily judge with an impressive degree of accuracy the likelihood that an individual has weapons."

The fine muscles in his face had started to tighten. Christine had made him uncomfortable. She had to stop herself from smiling. It wasn't nice to play with the locals, but she'd learned too much about Earthlings while living on this planet, and she couldn't help poking fun.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I wonder how the aliens will react to all your weapons," she said.

He cleared his throat and pushed off the counter. "Listen, miss–"

"It's not like you're hiding who you are. I'm sure your facebook says it all." Despite this man's tendency for paranoia, he craved community and wanted to express his beliefs. So he'd left plenty online that could be used to profile him. He did, in fact, have everything he needed for survival.

"You're starting to sound weird, okay?"

"I figure that if someone has weapons and we're at war, everyone wants to know whether they're an enemy or not."

"I'm looking out for my family and neighbors. That's all. I'm no one's enemy if they don't threaten that. But if they do? You better believe we're enemies."

Christine did allow herself to smile this time. She'd only been trying to gauge people's reactions to her name to gather information for Vehru and ascertain how much more could be done with this identity. It was hard not to seize potential where she saw it, though. "You're a resourceful man. That could be an asset to someone. I'm sure that one day, you might be called upon. Consider it wisely."

"Called upon by who?"

"By something bigger than yourself. It happened to me. I had the opportunity to tell the world the truth and help prepare them for this day. I answered that call." There was no need to say the rest. Clearly, he would feel the call to action from her and would remember this if Vehru chose to reach out to him. Even though this was a smaller city, it was only a thirty minute drive from the city, and he could be put to good use someday.

Christine had done what she'd come to do, either way. She would wrap her business up and move on to the next target.

----------------------------------------

Thirty years ago, Christine had come to this planet with the others in her program, and she hadn't talked to a single person from her home world since, not even those who also came to Earth. It was essential for them disperse to their chosen countries, excel in their chosen fields, and earn the trust of those with power until it was time for them to act. It had come early for her, ten years before liberation, when Christine enacted her most important mission. Prepare Earth for first contact by breaking the news of Rory to everyone.

She'd landed herself in prison for six years, but that was expected. Christine couldn't say she enjoyed that time, however. Now that liberation had come and her people could focus on helping this wayward world, she relished the thought of being able to see another person from Lumiea. Anyone. She just wanted to be herself again for at least a minute. In thirty years, she'd never broken her cover. It was time.

Vehru had transported her to the base she'd created out of Fort Freedom and Christine waited now to speak with her.

When the commander entered the room, emotion flooded her at the familiar face.

"Christine." Vehru smiled warmly and it seemed quite genuine. "You've done well."

"As have you."

The commander took Christine's hands and squeezed them lightly. "Your sacrifice will never be forgotten. I know it's been hard to live on this planet all these years alone."

"I'm thankful to have the opportunity to return to my people. Although, I've become comfortable here. I may even miss it."

"I'm sure you will. Your work here is done though. It's clear from testing civilians over the past few days that there's not anything more you can do with this identity. I'm sorry we couldn't take you home sooner. We could not risk your disappearing and setting off concerns."

"I understand. I needed to see this identity through. Are you sure it isn't too early for me to leave?"

Vehru shook her head. "Not at all. You've planted the story that you're laying low. By the time anyone figures out you're gone, people will be worried about other issues. The younger soldiers could use fresh and experienced faces around here."

"Your Witness and her people are not behaving."

Vehru had often allowed Christine to see a level of frustration that she often didn't show others. Growing up, Christine's generation had been trained as thoroughly as the younger generations so they could serve as instructors and some as generals or advisors. However, the elite program created for sending operatives to Earth early remained a secret from the highest ranking. Only those sent to Earth and the commanders knew. Vehru wouldn't be able to tell anyone who Christine was until phase 3, so the next few weeks would give her the chance to unwind, while also seeing some of her own people, even if they didn't know who she was.

"Are the others in place?" Christine asked.

"We've had a few challenges. One death–natural causes. A few failures to reach the positions they needed to. However, around seventy percent of our operatives are in place and thriving. I'm happy with this number."

"Have any of them located the data Rory sent over her hand mod?"

Vehru's stare and tone sharpened in anger. "Not yet. Whoever has it is being very careful. I'm impressed, honestly. We did manage to get the handmod the data was originally sent to, but forensically we've not made any progress."

"How did Rory get her hands on all of that in the first place."

"I made a bad call. I let them distract themselves by gathering information. I didn't think they'd ever slip it past me."

"How bad is it?"

The commander crossed her arms. "It's manageable, but it speeds up phase two, and I'm not happy about that."

"I wish I could talk with her. It would set off alarm bells."

"Yes, don't do that. Jace and Rory are intent on making messes for me to clean up."

Christine sat down on the couch in Vehru's new office. "Can I see updates on the mission?"

Her rank didn't necessarily qualify her for this. However, of all the people on Earth, Christine was one of those closest to her. The commander trusted her.

Vehru swiped her fingers and an orb projector rose off the desk, casting images upon on of the walls.

"I've taken over Jace and Rory's bodies for now. They're at the Ashby Hotel."

Christine snorted. "I bet they're mad."

"Surely. That's allowed me to use Jace on some missions I know he would resist and to rally the troops. The kids listen to him. I haven't done much with Rory yet. I plan to have her make an address soon."

"Why the wait?"

"The other husband, Theo. He's intuitive. I think he'll be able to tell it's not his wife. I'm not ready for anyone to realize that. I'll use her at the perfect time and then it won't matter."

Christine leaned back. "I didn't anticipate that development to be honest. Theo has always been very professional. I guess some bonds are too strong to deny."

"In many ways, he's the wild card I couldn't prepare for. At least with Jace, I had many years with him under my thumb."

"So, what's this?" Christine nodded at the world map displayed on the wall. "Those are the Aeroluxes, I take it?"

Hundreds of small circles zipped around the map. "They are. The green markings are where our troops are providing humanitarian aid. Red markings are troops engaged in combat. The highlighted buildings are bases that we have taken control of." While troops and Aeroluxes were spread generously over the world map, there were not as many bases as she expected.

"That's a lot of world left to conquer, Vehru."

"It won't take long when things heat up."

"I thought your troops would be under attack more."

"Earth is preparing. So far, we've dominated all military engagements. I expect that the largest militaries in the world will come out swinging soon."

"Especially with the help Rory gave them."

It must have been more of a problem than Vehru wanted to admit because she didn't usually get quiet and she had gotten uncharacteristically quiet while looking at the map.

"What am I to do with this Witness of mine?"

"You need to connect with her emotionally and morally. Otherwise, she's going to remain cold to you." Christine scratched her left arm. "She's smart, though. I'm not sure you can get through to her."

Vehru took a seat on the chair across from the couch, still looking at the map. "I'm not either."

"Why do you think Rory never figured it out?" she asked. "That you sent operatives, I mean. Or do you think she did?"

"People can be surprisingly simple to box in, no matter how clever they are. Clue a person in on a few possibilities and their mind often stops there. Not always, of course. For Rory, it's likely because I overwhelmed her. I'm sure at some point over the years it occurred to her that we could have implanted agents on Earth. Once her memory returned, though, so many things hit her at once."

Christine nodded. "I suppose you're right. Jace should have known."

"Jace can be an oaf. It's not because he's stupid but his obsessions narrows his attention severely. Beyond that, he truly does not spend as much time thinking as Rory."

She chuckled. "I suppose since Jace never saw any signs of the program after he poked around so much, he had no reason to believe you'd sent people ahead of Rory."

"What about Theo?" Vehru asked. "You're not surprised about him?"

"Theo is innocent. His trusting nature is what allowed him to bond with Rory in the first place. I wouldn't have expected him to suspect me. He's no fool, though. Don't underestimate him in this war."

"They're all teaching me not to do that. They managed to get a nuclear warhead past my replica. It was detected once it breached the barrier over this base. Fortunately, the barrier disarmed it. Still. I was surprised. Surprised and impressed."

"Earth will like they all do. Maybe just not as quickly as we thought. Maybe two months instead of one."

Vehru laughed. "I just hope we can get this done without inflicting too much damage on them or hurting our standing with the High Commanders."

The thought of that haunted Christine as she watched the troops positions subtly change on the map and the Aeroluxes quickly navigate Earth.

This truly was the calm before the storm.