Isaac and Janet watched in amazement as the creature passed through them and wandered through the room.

"What's happening." Janet was scared.

"It's alright the same thing happened when you were picked up." Isaac recognized the creature as being like the ones the Americans supposedly shot down at Roswell, and then did an autopsy. Isaac never believed the stories. Until now.

He held Janet's hand to reassure her. "Believe me when I say we are on another planet. My guess is we are on Proxima b. Can you feel how lighter you seem?"

 

Before landing on the planet, the craft stayed for a few moments as if in its orbit. It was still in the Fifth Dimension and its walls transparent. Isaac was quick enough to spot that the 'W' of Cassiopeia had a sixth star that was brighter than the other five. It could only be our Sun and the planet could only be Proxima b, the only known habitable planet in the Alpha Centauri system. If they were more distant from our Sun, Cassiopeia would look different. Interestingly, the people of Proxima b call the constellation 'Theoter' because it looks like the latter of that name in their alphabet.

 

Isaac brought his thoughts back to reassuring Janet. "We have been abducted by aliens, but don't panic. I read a book by Arthur C. Clarke once. He said that you must never panic in a situation like this. He said 'imagine you are a Neanderthal and somebody from our generation traveled back in time and took you for a ride in a car. You would be scarred at seeing the scenery pass by so fast, but what you shouldn't do is open the car door and jump out.' Just relax and see what happens."

 

Janet was falling in love with Isaac. Apart from his other attributes, he seemed to know what to do in this extraordinary situation.

What happened next wasn't at all pleasant. The creature from Prixima b was in the next cell to Janet. He screamed at her waving his hands through the bars. It seemed he was trying to touch her, trying to hurt her. Trying to kill her. She flattened her back against the cell wall to be as close to Isaac as possible, and further from the devil from hell.

 

***

 

 

The situation was monitored in the cockpit. "Blimey there's hatred in that guy. I wonder what triggered that," said the Pilot.

Glosnik, looked away from the monitor and glanced at Pudsore. "Can you stay in the present while I go back into the past and see what it's all about."

"Give me a moment. I'll find a more isolated spot then you we can stay as long as your like."

Five minutes later, Glosnik picked up her stanley. It was a tool devised by STAN, the Space-Time Adventurers Network. It enabled the user to go to anywhere and anywhen. It looked like a walking stick. Its hollow tube concealed a laser that was focused on a small pebble of dark matter at the ferrule. A control panel on the handle enabled the user to change the frequency of the laser, taking the user back in time, or the pulse repetition rate, which changed the location. Their spaceship was covered in similar devices but larger than the stanleys.

Glosnik traveled back in time just one minute. She was invisible from the cell room, where Isaac and Janet were imprisoned in the present. She put her mind inside the mind of the man they had just picked up from Proxima b to find out why he was so angry.

"Those people are from Earth," his mind said. "Some time ago they shot down one of our spacecraft and killed the crew. They are evil people. I must kill them before they kill me."

Glosnik walked into the room in the present. Isaac looked up to her in disbelief. She was over sixteen feet tall. No wonder the ceiling was so high. The tall lady went up to the angry man from Proxima. She took him out of his cell, picked him up and rubbed her cheek against his. She tried to feed her thoughts into his mind by going back a couple of seconds into his past, and putting her head inside his. People only saw her standing before them in the present. She was unsuccessful, but she did calm him slightly. She searched his mind for his language.

In his own language, she said "I'm sorry that these people were murderers, but you are safe here. We won't let them hurt you."

"Thank you. Where am I? What is this place." His voice was mumbo jumbo to everyone including Glosnik. She entered his mind a second in the past and understood.

She rubbed her cheek against his several times then put him on the floor. His question unanswered. He growled at Janet. Glosnik looked fiercely at Janet, saying in English, "What have you got to say for yourself. You killed his friends."

"No she didn't," Isaac said. "Neither did I. They were killed by our military and the whole matter hushed up. Many people on Earth, ourselves included, are disgusted that it happened. On behalf of our planet, I would like to apologize to the people of Proxima b. But what's past is past. It happened over seventy years ago. I can't bring his friends back to life again, but I can assure him that we mean him no harm."

Glosnik, five seconds in the past, hopped through the minds of Isaac, Janet and Preeter, (the man from Proxima b). Janet was scared. Preeter was frightened, but Isaac seemed to understand the situation. He spoke with authority. She returned to the present. Those in the present were never aware that she went into the past.

She walked over to Isaac's cell, and said in English, "I need your help to defuse this situation. If I let you out of your cell will you tell him about the disaster, apologize on behalf of your planet and reassure him that you mean him no harm."

"Yes, but he wouldn't understand a word I say."

"Just say it. I will translate for you. Keep your sentences simple."

"If he was from our planet, I would put my hands together and bow my head as a gesture of supplication, but I don't know if that body language is the same on his planet. He might think it a hostile gesture. What should I do to show him I mean him no harm."

"My word Isaac, you are really on top of the situation." Glosnik searched Preeter's mind. "Lay with your tummy on the floor. Your arms outstretched, and your legs apart. One ear, it doesn't matter which one, should touch the ground as your speak. OK?"

"OK" Isaac clasped Janet's hand before he was let out of his cell. He took up his position on the floor as per his instructions. He spoke in English and Glosnik translated into the language common on Proxima b.

"Preeter, I wish you no harm. What our military did to your space explorers was terrible. I regret what they did. Many people on my planet regret what they did. I can only apologize on behalf of Earth for your tragic loss. I don't know what all this is about. This tall lady seems to want to be your friend. She wants to be my friend. I would like us to all be friends."

Preeter adopted the same posture on the ground as Isaac. He put his hand on Isaac's and looked him in the face. He spoke in his native language and Glosnik translated into English, "True friendship takes a long time to develop, but we have made a start. I accept your apology and no longer consider yourself an enemy."

They stood up and hugged each other.

Glosnik released Janet from her cell and said to her, "Janet, your friend Isaac has made friends with your enemy. Now I want you to show Preeter your friendship."

Janet crossed the room to where Preeter stood. Hugged him and gave him a kiss on his lips.

In English Glosnik said, "They never kiss on the lips on Proxima b. It's not in their culture."

Then she spoke to Preeter, "Janet has just shown you what on Earth is a symbol of great friendship. Not casual friendship. Great friendship."

Preeter stood for a second then returned the kiss on Janet's lips. In that moment love passed between the two strangers, and jealousy filled Isaac's heart.

Glosnik sensed it. She picked Isaac up and rubbed her cheek against his, and said in English, "Don't get jealous. I'm going to remove the partition between your cells so you and Janet can share kisses. I'm proud of you Isaac. You have changed potential hostility into the landscape of love."

 

***