Free Consortium of Planets: Alien Test by Jack Wells Page A

around him.”
     
    ****
     
    Alien Base:
    Even though Dean’s sensor indicated breathable air in their chamber, he asked Beth to stay suited up. He hoped that the aliens wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation.
    “L.T., be careful what you say to them. Getting you angry may be part of their game plan. Don’t let them throw us off ours. Just give them your name, rank, and social security number.”
    “Sorry, sir. I’ll keep it under control from now on. It’s just that he’s so damn smug.”
    Dean had said what he had to as her commanding officer but had to agree with her assessment of the alien. He relaxed a bit and smiled. “It would have been good to see you blow off his leg and bring him down a peg.”
    Mimicking the alien’s nasal voice, Beth continued. “It was just a projected leg anyway.”
    Dean responded with a sigh too tight to grow into the laugh that he intended. Instead, he got serious. “Lieutenant, I don’t give a rat’s ass if this is a test or not. We’ve been captured. We will escape and evade recapture. As soon as we get out of here, we complete our mission. Priority one is escape.”
    “Sir, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Apprehension began to show in her voice. “But escape won’t be easy, since it’s so difficult to distinguish between reality and their illusions.”
    “They obviously control what we see. What if they can control some of our other senses as well?”
    Beth nodded and reminded him, “Don’t forget about the way they made us float.”
    “That’s right! I’d say, at the least, they can control what we see and can affect gravity.”
    When she heard his excitement, Beth tried to imagine the amazing smile hidden by his face plate.
    “Good point, Lieutenant. I’d better keep you around.”
    He was kidding, but it felt good to Beth anyway.
    A female voice high above them suddenly interrupted their conversation. Strangely, they could hear her through their helmets. “Welcome, fellow sentient beings. You may take off your head coverings and breathe freely.” She paused while the Humans looked at each other and reluctantly complied. “You have already met Captain Aydr’n.” She waved at the alien beside her and then pointed to herself. “I am Searcher Wystl.”
    She was more compact than the other alien. Together, they floated half a meter from the ceiling, above Dean and Beth. Wystl’s legs were crossed yoga style. She held a small flat panel in one of her four hands and poked at it. Two other arms waved for emphasis as she spoke. Her body was covered in short, fuzzy, black fur that gave way to a face with greenish-gray skin. Her high cheek bones, large black eyes, and full dark lips actually made her face strangely attractive.
    She waited briefly for Dean and Beth to form an initial impression and then continued. “I am very interested in meeting a new species capable of reason. We’re finding fewer such species all the time. You seem to be complex and capable of learning at an acceptable rate. There is much for you to learn and much that you can share with us.”
    “Wystl!” Dean shouted, interrupting her monologue.
    “Ah, the colonel speaks!” Wystl exclaimed.
    Not sure if her excitement was sincere, Dean glared with irritation but continued anyway. “You need to learn at a faster rate about us if you think we’re going to share anything with you while we’re held captive.”
    Beth chimed in sarcastically. “If this is how you really look, aren’t you afraid we’ll be difficult to communicate with?”
    Wystl snorted at Beth’s obvious reference to what Aydr’n had said earlier and sounded surprisingly defensive for a moment. “I don’t always agree with my comrade or his decisions. Let’s just say that I have more latitude than he does. I don’t believe that your species is as easy to predict as he does. This is a peaceful introduction that allows us to interact without need of protection or prejudice. So far, I think it’s