Written: Friday. January 10, 2020.
It took a few more tries before the molten aura started to dissipate from Toby’s hands. Toby had to really give everything he’s got — even if he didn’t really know what else it was that he had at the time being — in order to minimize his “Heatblast Powers”, as he called it.
“I swear,” Toby said to himself, “my friends and those two aliens are gonna have some major explaining to do once I find them.”
“It’s just right there!” Omnius pointed towards Toby’s house. “I wanna go home now, man.”
“Okay! Jeez! We’re going already.” Toby replied to the alien robot. “You could’ve helped me on putting the heat out of these hands of mine, you know. We would’ve been inside hours ago.”
“Your hands, not mine.” Omnius took a creek frog from the ground. “Come on, buddy. We’re going home!” the frog struggled a little, but accepted its fate just as quickly, when it realized that Omnius had a solid grip to the otherwise slippery frog.
“Rib-bit, rib-bit.” the frog sang.
“You’re Macrodon!” Omnius told his new pet. “And you’re gonna live with us from now on.”
“I don’t have a say on this matter either way, huh?” Toby said, a tad bit too much to himself than towards Omnius. “Alright. But you gotta sneak back to the side of the house once we enter, okay?”
“Okay.”
“We have an old and unused fish tank in the garage. You better put that little guy there, before he goes jumping all over the place.”
“Will do, dude.” Omnius said. “But first — “
“What is it now?” Toby asked, irritably.
“What does a fish tank look like?” Omnius asked. He just stood there, holding Macrodon the creek frog; Genuinely waiting for Toby to answer.
Toby took a deep breath, “Just look for a glass-walled rectangle. Once you find that, put a little water in it for your pet.”
“Alright!” Omnius said. “Don’t know half of what that meant, but I won’t fail you!” he gives Toby a salute. Macrodon croaks under Omnius’s hand as he makes for a soldier’s posture.
Toby chuckles a bit at the sound of Macrodon’s croak. “Yeah, whatever.” then heads off to to the front door. Omnius followed suit; heads for the garage.
Back in the abandoned lot, the ship looks like it’s been through a hell of a beating. The ramp was forcibly opened up, the roof had a big hole on it, and the electricity was out — that is to say, if it ran on normal electricity.
“What does this thing even run on?” Drew asked Ervagh. “Do your vehicles run on regular gasoline as well? Or at least some form of it on your planet.”
“We have been traversing from planet to planet for quite a long time now.” Ervagh replied to Drew. “We don’t have gasoline, boy. At least, we have no need for it other than sustenance. Our transit spacecrafts usually run on the energy of the Mother Ship — to answer your question.”
“you guys drink gasoline?” Amanda asked.
“That’s Metal, dude.” Tom said to Ervagh. “No wonder you guys could summon epic fire blasts with your hands.”
“Personally, I am not capable of doing so.” Ervagh mused. “Lady Veergha here, she — “
“Cannot.” Lady Veergha held her right hand out, seeming to be struggling with it.
“But, my Lady, that is one of your key features. This was why you were promoted, remember?”
“I cannot perform this skill as of late, I’m afraid.” Lady Veergha glowered. “It’s been like this since…since I breached with him.”
“With Toby?” June asked. “Is that why he was able to do that awhile ago?”
“I’m afraid so.” Lady Veergha replied. “This is all new to us — new to me. But I’ve come to a logical conclusion on the matter at hand: In the process of producing a mind breach with Terran Tobias, my own cerebral data was forcibly opened up for observation, but for the opposite member of the breach; Terran Tobias.” She rubbed her temples as she continued. “As I looked into his older memories, he may as well have looked into mine. I’m just fearful as to how much he was able to learn.”
“Why are your clothes all tattered up like that?” Lily worriedly asked, as Toby entered his house.
“There was this huge fire.” Toby told his mom. “It happened in our very classroom. I barely made it out cause I wasn’t just gonna leave my textbooks under my armchair.”
“But you’re not carrying any books with you, dear.” Lily said, looking around Toby, holding one limb up at a time to see if there were any bruises or burns.
“I’m fine, mom.” Toby took a step back a little. “The books are gone. I didn’t get them in time. Hence, my uniform being ruined and all.”
“Well,” Lily ruffled Toby’s hair. “at least you’re alright, kiddo. That’s all that matters to me.”
“I’m gonna head off upstairs to clean up.” Toby said, as he started to walk. “Is it okay if I go out after I finish taking a bath?”
“Oh, of course not.” Lily looked at Toby. “Where are gonna head off to late in the afternoon? Plus, it’s getting dark out soon. And — “
“Alright, mom.” Toby answered. “I’ll just go out tomorrow, then.”
“That would be safer, dear.” Lily said. “I’ll be whipping up some Extra Hot Pancit Canton while you’re cleaning up.”
“Make it two, for me, mom.” Toby called out, in the middle of flying up their staircase. “I’m feeling hell-a hungry right now.”
“Alright, kiddo!”
“You should’ve told us that that was what you were going to do with him!” June shouted at Lady Veergha. “What is it with you aliens? You think you could just enter our world, disguise yourselves as one of us, and…and just — “
“I didn’t know that it would happen the way that it did awhile ago.” Lady Veergha clarified. “We Volgans do this all of the time with our kind. It’s how we transfer information with one another, especially to our dying folk. Their memories are salvaged, re-purposed, archived for historical documentation. I simply wanted to understand what Terran Tobias’s memories were trying to indicate.”
“And you’ve done an amazing job at that.” June said.
“I’m sensing what you would call sarcasm right on your tone, girl.” Lady Veergha admonished to her. “I have almost had it with this conversational endeavor your kind seems to partake in so much; Volgans do not argue. We do not debate, or spend energy on trying to understand if whether our actions lead to a just or an unjust consequence.”
“We simply do, and move forward.” Ervagh added.
“Then that’s what’s humanely wrong about you two.” June said. “About your whole race, or any other damned race living out there in the stars.”
“That’s something Toby would probably say at this moment.” Drew pointed out.
“Yeah.” Tom said. “Either that or something about the space-time-continuum.”
“Not helping.” Amanda said to the two boys.
June dismissed the three of them, and kept her eyes glued on Lady Veergha. “The whole reason as to why we have these long conversations — that you so effortlessly resent so much — is because it’s how we get to understand each other, as a people, as a race, as a community. We don’t just touch other people’s hands up with our heads and look through their whole history in order to find out everything they’ve done in the past. Instead, we share those moments with the people around us — the people we choose to share those memories with — by talking about it with those people; by starting a conversation. We don’t just give personal information away like that because we’re forced to do so, but because we want to.”
“Well,” Lady Veergha said, after taking what seemed like a long minute in order to absorb everything that June had told her. “if it wasn’t already clear to you: We are not like any of you. We are not beings that eat three times a day because their bodies will grow weak if they missed even just a single meal. We are not a race that bickers with their brothers and sisters from across other regions of the world. We do not put up huge walls for barricading others from our territory. We are a singular race. We can thrive for a millennia, and another, and then another after that, without wars, or suffering, or slavery. There is nothing humane about us, Terran June.”
“I’m starting to feel like humane has a different meaning on their planet.” Amanda pointed out.
“Have you looked at yourselves, recently?” June asked the two aliens. “‘Cause you two look pretty human to me.”
“Believe me, it pains us to brandish your image all the time.” Lady Veergha said. “But this planet’s atmosphere gives us no choice. We’re stuck looking like this while we look for the orbs.”
“No, you’re missing the point.” June said. “It’s not just the looks that you can copy off of us. It’s our values as well.”
“Why is it that you think that we would even want to?” Lady Veergha asked June. “And even if we wanted to, how could we?”
June took a deep breath. “By starting a conversation.”
It took a few more tries before the molten aura started to dissipate from Toby’s hands. Toby had to really give everything he’s got — even if he didn’t really know what else it was that he had at the time being — in order to minimize his “Heatblast Powers”, as he called it.
“I swear,” Toby said to himself, “my friends and those two aliens are gonna have some major explaining to do once I find them.”
“It’s just right there!” Omnius pointed towards Toby’s house. “I wanna go home now, man.”
“Okay! Jeez! We’re going already.” Toby replied to the alien robot. “You could’ve helped me on putting the heat out of these hands of mine, you know. We would’ve been inside hours ago.”
“Your hands, not mine.” Omnius took a creek frog from the ground. “Come on, buddy. We’re going home!” the frog struggled a little, but accepted its fate just as quickly, when it realized that Omnius had a solid grip to the otherwise slippery frog.
“Rib-bit, rib-bit.” the frog sang.
“You’re Macrodon!” Omnius told his new pet. “And you’re gonna live with us from now on.”
“I don’t have a say on this matter either way, huh?” Toby said, a tad bit too much to himself than towards Omnius. “Alright. But you gotta sneak back to the side of the house once we enter, okay?”
“Okay.”
“We have an old and unused fish tank in the garage. You better put that little guy there, before he goes jumping all over the place.”
“Will do, dude.” Omnius said. “But first — “
“What is it now?” Toby asked, irritably.
“What does a fish tank look like?” Omnius asked. He just stood there, holding Macrodon the creek frog; Genuinely waiting for Toby to answer.
Toby took a deep breath, “Just look for a glass-walled rectangle. Once you find that, put a little water in it for your pet.”
“Alright!” Omnius said. “Don’t know half of what that meant, but I won’t fail you!” he gives Toby a salute. Macrodon croaks under Omnius’s hand as he makes for a soldier’s posture.
Toby chuckles a bit at the sound of Macrodon’s croak. “Yeah, whatever.” then heads off to to the front door. Omnius followed suit; heads for the garage.
* * *
Back in the abandoned lot, the ship looks like it’s been through a hell of a beating. The ramp was forcibly opened up, the roof had a big hole on it, and the electricity was out — that is to say, if it ran on normal electricity.
“What does this thing even run on?” Drew asked Ervagh. “Do your vehicles run on regular gasoline as well? Or at least some form of it on your planet.”
“We have been traversing from planet to planet for quite a long time now.” Ervagh replied to Drew. “We don’t have gasoline, boy. At least, we have no need for it other than sustenance. Our transit spacecrafts usually run on the energy of the Mother Ship — to answer your question.”
“you guys drink gasoline?” Amanda asked.
“That’s Metal, dude.” Tom said to Ervagh. “No wonder you guys could summon epic fire blasts with your hands.”
“Personally, I am not capable of doing so.” Ervagh mused. “Lady Veergha here, she — “
“Cannot.” Lady Veergha held her right hand out, seeming to be struggling with it.
“But, my Lady, that is one of your key features. This was why you were promoted, remember?”
“I cannot perform this skill as of late, I’m afraid.” Lady Veergha glowered. “It’s been like this since…since I breached with him.”
“With Toby?” June asked. “Is that why he was able to do that awhile ago?”
“I’m afraid so.” Lady Veergha replied. “This is all new to us — new to me. But I’ve come to a logical conclusion on the matter at hand: In the process of producing a mind breach with Terran Tobias, my own cerebral data was forcibly opened up for observation, but for the opposite member of the breach; Terran Tobias.” She rubbed her temples as she continued. “As I looked into his older memories, he may as well have looked into mine. I’m just fearful as to how much he was able to learn.”
* * *
“Why are your clothes all tattered up like that?” Lily worriedly asked, as Toby entered his house.
“There was this huge fire.” Toby told his mom. “It happened in our very classroom. I barely made it out cause I wasn’t just gonna leave my textbooks under my armchair.”
“But you’re not carrying any books with you, dear.” Lily said, looking around Toby, holding one limb up at a time to see if there were any bruises or burns.
“I’m fine, mom.” Toby took a step back a little. “The books are gone. I didn’t get them in time. Hence, my uniform being ruined and all.”
“Well,” Lily ruffled Toby’s hair. “at least you’re alright, kiddo. That’s all that matters to me.”
“I’m gonna head off upstairs to clean up.” Toby said, as he started to walk. “Is it okay if I go out after I finish taking a bath?”
“Oh, of course not.” Lily looked at Toby. “Where are gonna head off to late in the afternoon? Plus, it’s getting dark out soon. And — “
“Alright, mom.” Toby answered. “I’ll just go out tomorrow, then.”
“That would be safer, dear.” Lily said. “I’ll be whipping up some Extra Hot Pancit Canton while you’re cleaning up.”
“Make it two, for me, mom.” Toby called out, in the middle of flying up their staircase. “I’m feeling hell-a hungry right now.”
“Alright, kiddo!”
* * *
“You should’ve told us that that was what you were going to do with him!” June shouted at Lady Veergha. “What is it with you aliens? You think you could just enter our world, disguise yourselves as one of us, and…and just — “
“I didn’t know that it would happen the way that it did awhile ago.” Lady Veergha clarified. “We Volgans do this all of the time with our kind. It’s how we transfer information with one another, especially to our dying folk. Their memories are salvaged, re-purposed, archived for historical documentation. I simply wanted to understand what Terran Tobias’s memories were trying to indicate.”
“And you’ve done an amazing job at that.” June said.
“I’m sensing what you would call sarcasm right on your tone, girl.” Lady Veergha admonished to her. “I have almost had it with this conversational endeavor your kind seems to partake in so much; Volgans do not argue. We do not debate, or spend energy on trying to understand if whether our actions lead to a just or an unjust consequence.”
“We simply do, and move forward.” Ervagh added.
“Then that’s what’s humanely wrong about you two.” June said. “About your whole race, or any other damned race living out there in the stars.”
“That’s something Toby would probably say at this moment.” Drew pointed out.
“Yeah.” Tom said. “Either that or something about the space-time-continuum.”
“Not helping.” Amanda said to the two boys.
June dismissed the three of them, and kept her eyes glued on Lady Veergha. “The whole reason as to why we have these long conversations — that you so effortlessly resent so much — is because it’s how we get to understand each other, as a people, as a race, as a community. We don’t just touch other people’s hands up with our heads and look through their whole history in order to find out everything they’ve done in the past. Instead, we share those moments with the people around us — the people we choose to share those memories with — by talking about it with those people; by starting a conversation. We don’t just give personal information away like that because we’re forced to do so, but because we want to.”
“Well,” Lady Veergha said, after taking what seemed like a long minute in order to absorb everything that June had told her. “if it wasn’t already clear to you: We are not like any of you. We are not beings that eat three times a day because their bodies will grow weak if they missed even just a single meal. We are not a race that bickers with their brothers and sisters from across other regions of the world. We do not put up huge walls for barricading others from our territory. We are a singular race. We can thrive for a millennia, and another, and then another after that, without wars, or suffering, or slavery. There is nothing humane about us, Terran June.”
“I’m starting to feel like humane has a different meaning on their planet.” Amanda pointed out.
“Have you looked at yourselves, recently?” June asked the two aliens. “‘Cause you two look pretty human to me.”
“Believe me, it pains us to brandish your image all the time.” Lady Veergha said. “But this planet’s atmosphere gives us no choice. We’re stuck looking like this while we look for the orbs.”
“No, you’re missing the point.” June said. “It’s not just the looks that you can copy off of us. It’s our values as well.”
“Why is it that you think that we would even want to?” Lady Veergha asked June. “And even if we wanted to, how could we?”
June took a deep breath. “By starting a conversation.”
End of Chapter.
* * *
* * *
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