“The alien script we found earlier wasn’t binary,” I reminded Jade.
“That’s true. I can’t wait to learn what we’re dealing with.” Jade and Luther surrounded me at the pilot’s seat, gazing with awe as we neared the ice world. It was tiny, cold, and dark.
“More aliens,” Luther said. “Just what we need.”
“Good aliens. To help us defeat the bad ones.” Jade was smiling. She was really getting into this.
“Do I have to remind you that Refuge is under assault by five Squids?” So far, the Velibar hadn’t struck the planet yet, but they were close. Maybe a half day from orbit.
“Better Refuge than us.” Luther crossed his arms and tapped his toes impatiently.
R11 sent me a location on the planet. “This is our destination.”
“About time they shared it with us.” I keyed it in and commenced my descent. Varn was directly beside me, keeping pace in Killer.
I checked the thermal readouts when we were within the atmosphere, and shivered as we lowered. The entire world resembled the North Pole. Snow and ice were everywhere. Only five of our escorts had come along, with the rest remaining in orbit above as sentries.
“Look at that.” Jade pointed, and I shifted the Racer, slowing as we neared a giant wall of white-blue ice. It had to be two hundred feet tall and ran for as far as my eye could see.
Our allies landed near the base of the frozen cliff, and I copied them, shaking my head as I peered up. “This is incredible.”
“I’m not much of a snow guy,” Luther said.
“I’ve never seen snow,” Jade told us.
“I prefer sunny beaches.” R11 got a laugh from Luther.
“Let’s suit up for a meet and greet.” I was the first down from the cockpit, stalking to the cargo hold, where I dressed quickly. The others joined me, and R11 opened the airlock, letting us pass. “What are they saying?” I asked our robot.
“Proceed to the entrance. You can’t miss it.” R11 indicated the ice wall.
“Are they meeting us?” Luther grabbed three handheld firearms and passed them out.
“They are not.”
“Why?” I asked R11.
“Because they are ships.”
He wasn’t making any sense. “What are you talking about?”
“They are not sentient beings. Those craft are controlled by a positronic device,” R11 said.
“Robotic. They’re computer-piloted.” Jade smiled again. “This is magnificent. Ships that fly themselves and communicate with robots.”
I clipped my gun onto my leg. “Then what will we contact?”
“Good question. I guess we’ll find out soon.” Luther jogged down the ramp. Varn, Aster, and Jinx were already outside. Despite the ridiculously cold temperatures, there was no wind to speak of. No snow fell from the sky, but a foot of it had accumulated on the ground.
Varn’s expression was stoic as he surveyed the area. “They coming?” He indicated the five alien ships parked a short distance ahead.
R11 filled him in, and Varn peered at the vessels. “What’s next? We let robots race Pods for our entertainment?”
“It could happen,” I told him as we walked toward the giant wall.
The entrance was carved as an opening, reaching over ten meters, with a curved archway. Metal beams lined the inside, supporting the immense weight. As I stepped through the doorway, I glanced up. A sliver of sunlight broke past the clouds and reflected off the shiny surface.
The foyer was empty.
Varn went first, waving his arms. “Hello! Earth to ice planet.”
“Would you keep it down?” Aster shoved her captain, and he nearly tripped.
Everything was pristine. Pure ice so crystal-clear, it was blue. No furniture adorned the area, just emptiness. The floor rumbled enough for me to worry the entire place was about to collapse.
“There.” Luther started for the rear of the room, where another door had begun to open.
The being that emerged seemed surprised to see us. Its steps faltered, and it made a series of throaty sounds. It wore a yellow uniform with a thick white collar. The shoulders stuck out straight, making the creature’s torso appear like a triangle.
“We’re from Earth. We’ve been in communication with you. To come to Refuge.” I walked closer to it, raising my hands peacefully.
“Refuge.” It mimicked my word. “Earth.”
“That’s right.” I appraised it as I approached slowly. The being’s head was bulbous, and there was no sign of hair. Its skin reminded me of clay, with two ridges running along the edges of its temples, continuing downward past a circle of a mouth. The eyes were narrow and wide, the whites a stark contrast to its face.
“My name’s Arlo Lewis.”
“Lewis. Arlo Lewis,” it said, like it was practicing.
“And what’s your name?” I asked.
The creature peered past me, and then at the gun on my suit’s leg. “No fighting.”
I unclipped it and set the firearm on the ground. “There will be no fighting. I promise you.”
“Hawk, you sure about this?” Luther asked behind me.
“Drop your weapons.” I scanned the room, finding small flickers of light encircling us from the floor, the corners of the walls, and the ceiling. I suspected we were well-guarded, and if we made the wrong move, we’d be as good as dead.
Everyone did as I ordered, and the being relaxed. “I am Trid of the Darlor. We have been in contact with you, Arlo Lewis.”
“Arlo is fine,” I told him. “How is it you speak English?”
“Our allies, the Stin, created a means to communicate. You sent us your teachings, the Stin analyzed, and patched it to us,” Trid said. His eyelids blinked sideways, reminding me of a reptile.
“The robots in the ships?” I asked.
“The Stin accompany us wherever we go. The Stin and the Darlor are allies,” Trid assured me.
R11 walked closer, and Trid staggered away, taken aback. “Hello, Trid of the Darlor. I am R11 of SeaTech.”
“SeaTech.” The alien tested the word.
“We need your help, Trid. Is there a place where we can discuss things?” I asked.
Our host opened his round mouth and bared a series of long sharp teeth. He inhaled deeply and turned on his heel, stalking out of
