Nest Among The Stars

'Alien' - Part 5

Concentrating his gaze narrowly into Michael's eyes, the stranger gave no hint of fear. Michael held the man's look, mirroring the others' intensity and lack of timidity. In that instance something inexpressible passed between them.

It wasn't only in what was absent from the stranger's eyes that was noticeable, but what was present. Michael saw within him an intelligence holding a compassion and certainty of purpose missing from most men.

There was something else there as well. Some indefinable 'quality of being' possessed this stranger in a manner Michael had never previously experienced in any other person. As they looked at each other Michael felt the stranger breaking into his soul, reading his thoughts, sensing his fears; knowing who he was.

Looked at objectively, Michael had no reason for uneasiness. He held the only weapon, or at least the only one that could be seen, a weapon which at full power would liquefy two-meter thick granite. And it was pointed at the stranger's head.

But the stranger's passive countenance and nonchalant lack of concern unnerved Michael. This was not the proper reaction to being discovered in a place or, more to the point, on a planet where your presence at such a time would give rise to the most dire of consequences. More troubling to Michael was the sense the stranger was aware of his thoughts, knew he was troubled, and that he also knew things Michael didn't know; things about Michael which he himself was unaware of.

Attempting to maintain control of a situation he felt slipping away from him, Michael ordered the stranger to place his hands on his head and slowly stand up. Obedience to the command would affirm his position of authority over the other man and solidify his control. However, without making a sound, the stranger undercut Michael's attempt by doing as he was asked in a way showing both a willingness to prove he posed no threat and that his compliance arose not from self- concern, but rather from concern for Michael's conflicted mind. There was no hesitancy, no anger, no fearing the consequences of refusal, no questioning remarks. Gently doing as he had been instructed the man stood up, all the while maintaining a pleasant smile as he did so.

Michael saw that, with a single notable exception, the stranger's uniform was the same as his own; dark blue pants, red leg piping, and black leather boots polished to perfection. The only difference in dress was what had initially appeared to be a gold breastplate covering the tunic.

Now that he was standing, Michael could see that the gold covering was flexible rather than solid, moving with ripples as if it were made from a thick stiff cloth. There were no insignia indicating the stranger's rank or his branch of military service, nor did he have a weapon attached to his belt. There was a slight graying to his otherwise blonde hair, indicating he was only slightly older than Michael's own age. The lucerne blueness of his eyes was unlike any other human's he had seen; there was a glow underlying the color.

Michael, aware that almost everything about him had long been public knowledge to all humans, did not ask how the man knew his name. All those who left Earth had been inundated with details of his life prior to their departure. Most everything would be known about Michael, while he knew nothing about the person facing him.

"Who are you?" Michael questioned, with only slightly less forcefulness.

"You may call me Nathaniel," came the gentle reply. The tone was out of place for the circumstances. The name was given as if polite introductions were being exchanged in genteel surroundings rather than in answer to a demand accompanied by a weapon aimed at one's head.

"I didn't ask what I 'may' call you. I asked for your name." Michael spoke with a controlled anger that wasn't just part of the control process.