Page 5 of My Alien Pirate

My gaze drifted to my left hand and back to the questioning alien. I tried to nod but the strap across my forehead prevented me from making more than just a slight dip of my chin. This seemed to be enough, however, and the being slowly reached for the restraint on my left wrist. As it popped open, I rubbed my wrists. "Thank you," I said, knowing they couldn't understand me but hoping they would guess my meaning.

Another moment and the lighter colored alien leaned closer to me. I flinched and raised my hands in automatic defense, but it simply reached over me and touched the metal on my forehead. The restraint slid open, and it stepped back again. We stared at each other for long moments in silence, until the alien that had released me pointed to itself and made a series of soft chirping sounds. Then it gestured to the larger alien and repeated a different set of sounds.

I sat up slowly on the table and continued staring. Neither of them made a move toward me but stood still and watched me with their curious multicolored eyes. As my panic started to recede, my scientific curiosity started to mount. Keeping the aliens in my sight in case they made a move toward me again, I tried to take in my surroundings.

I was obviously in some scientific or medical lab. Everything was white and sterile looking, very similar to my own lab backon the Phoenix. The being that had released me repeated the sounds and gestures it had just made more slowly. I studied the smaller being more closely. It repeated herself again.Are they... introducing themselves?

"Grixxa?" I repeated hesitantly, pointing to the smaller alien. It nodded, its ridges flashing with what I hoped was approval. "Zharrox?" I asked, gesturing to the larger one.

I was pretty sure I had mangled the pronunciation but they both showed teeth in something I assumed could possibly be a smile, and some of the tension in the room dissipated. I found myself relaxing slightly despite the strangeness of the situation.

The smaller alien, Grixxa, made soothing chirping sounds and pointed to me, tilting its head in a questioning manner.

It wants to know my name, I realized. I swallowed. "Nova," I croaked. "I'm Nova."

Grixxa repeated the sound, its pronunciation slightly off but recognizable. Then it gestured around the room, made a sweeping motion with its arm, and looked at me expectantly.

I frowned, trying to understand. "Where am I?" I asked, mimicking its gesture. "What is this place?"

Grixxa's ridges pulsed. It pointed to the bigger alien, Zharrox, then to itself, then made a motion like it was carrying something.

"You... you brought me here?" I guessed. "This is your ship?"

Zharrox stepped forward, moving more cautiously now. He pointed to me, then made noises like things exploding and a motion like he was lifting something.

The memory came flooding back—smoke, heat, confusion, and then...the fireman. "You rescued me," I breathed, looking at Zharrox with new eyes. "From that ship. You saved my life."

As understanding dawned, I felt the last of my panic subside, replaced by an overwhelming sense of curiosity and wonder. I was on an alien spaceship, communicating—however crudely—with actual extraterrestrial life forms. It was a biologist's dream.

Well, Nova, I thought to myself, a hysterical little laugh bubbling up in my chest,you always wondered if you would make first contact. Looks like you got your answer.

My eyes darted between Grixxa and Zharrox, taking in every detail of their alien forms. The way their skin shifted colors, the intricate patterns of their bioluminescent ridges, the strange grace of their tentacles – it was all utterly fascinating.

"I... I have so many questions," I said, my voice still shaky but now tinged with excitement rather than fear. "Can you understand me? How did you find me? Why did you bring me here?"

As Grixxa began to respond with a series of chirps and gestures, I found myself leaning forward, eager to begin unraveling the mysteries before me. I had no idea if it was responding to my question or simply telling me something about their ship but the terror of moments ago was rapidly fading, replaced by an insatiable scientific curiosity.

Mom always said my curiosity would get me into trouble, I thought wryly.But I bet she never imagined it would lead me here – to the greatest discovery in human history.

5

Can You Hear Me Now?

Iwatched, fascinated, as the strange alien female—Nova, she'd called herself—gradually relaxed. Her fear was still palpable, but curiosity seemed to be winning out. I found myself oddly relieved by this. The last thing I wanted was for her to be terrified of me.

Why do I care?I wondered, perplexed by my own reactions.She's just another alien. Probably valuable, but nothing more.

And yet, as I observed her attempting to communicate with Grixxa, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was something...special. Her blue eyes sparkled with intelligence as she tried to piece together meaning from our gestures. The way her lips curved when she understood something new sent an unfamiliar warmth through my chest.

"Zharrox," Grixxa chirped at me, her bioluminescent ridges flashing with amusement. "You're staring."

I felt my scales flush a deeper purple. "I'm observing," I retorted. "She's a new species. We need to learn all we can."

Grixxa's crystalline eyes glinted knowingly, but she said nothing more. Instead, she turned back to the little female and began a series of elaborate gestures, trying to explain where we'd found her.

I stepped closer, unable to resist joining in. I mimed an explosion, then pretended to carry something. Nova's eyes widened with understanding.

She made sounds like 'Da sip' inher strange, flat language. Even though I couldn't understand her words, her soft, sibilant voice sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. "Eee as ofyr. You..." she pointed at me with her slender fingers, "you karriimeot?"