Returned

Picking Pieces

Three

Picking Pieces

Prescott took the Tesla car over the Mojave. He now trained his eyes to a small screen on the sleek dashboard. Bruno was a little panicky. He had had several experiences at NASA and had made several trips to Mars and the Moon, both of which had now been populated by humans.

But this out-of-space orb that just came was a little troubling. It had not followed any of the trajectories of either the moon or Mars. So where was this coming from? Especially, that most of the species that had been encountered on Mars had been conquered and subdued. However, he was the pointer person, and he had to go down to see first-hand before any human.

Soon, there was a beeper on the screen to the dashboard.

“Gotcha! There it is,” Prescott said almost under his breath.

“Yea,” was all Bruno said.

“C’mon man, don’t tell me you’re being panicky. We’ve been over this and again, how can you panic over this one? It must be from the moon… my best guess. Maybe even one of our material that has gone off course.”

“I do not think so Capn. This one is definitely alien.”

But as Bruno said this, he didn’t hesitate any longer. He took out his D3 handchute, a gadget that looked like an umbrella and opened the car door. As he jumped, he pressed a button and the ripstop nylon canopy spread, slowing down his jump.

When Bruno landed in the sand, he went to where the shiny orb was blinking. Bruno saw that it was some kind of mercurial looking metal, baked heavily into a crusted orb. There were shiny rainbow lights emanating from it. The robot bent over the orb observing it closely. Bruno pressed a button close to his temples and a blue laser light shot from his eyes unto the orb.

“Sending image to you Capn,” he said.

The laser light flashed and there was a click sound somewhere within Bruno’s head.

“It’s clear Capn, you can lower down now. It is not explosive,” the robot said.

Prescott took a downward surge and parked his vehicle a few meters away. He came out, took out a packet of electronic cigarettes, picked a stick, and started puffing onto it. The amber light at the tip of the electronic stick glowed as he sucked into it, puffing out plain white smoke. Bruno came over and joined him.

“What do you make of it?” Bruno asked.

“I dunno. I sent it to headquarters, they will know soon enough. Our job is not to know, is it?” Prescott said as he kept puffing.

“I think its alien… extraterrestrial,” Bruno said, not minding what his superior had just said about not knowing.

“Backup’s coming soon. They are the Techies and they know their job better,” Prescott said without looking in Brunno’s direction and kept puffing his fake cigar.

Soon, a sleek, transparent, glassy helicopter hovered above and landed a few yards away. A team of three techies stepped out and approached them.

“Oi… what have we found?” the leader of the recent arrivals asked.

“Something for you sir, I think. I hope you’d find out better. It’s an orb… looks alien,” Prescott replied.

“It IS alien,” the leader shot back.

***********

Azura smiled when he saw the convergence of the humans around his orb in the sandy area. His plan had been set in motion and it seemed it was already working accordingly. He felt ecstatic as he sat at his desk at the Academy. His only worry was that he could not see Tile or any of the other humans that had escaped with him. The signals reading on their computer screens showed that the rogue humans he was looking for were nowhere close to the orb, not even within ten thousand leagues. But he was sure they would be found in due time, he only needed to dispatch more orbs. Or perhaps they had sent some of their foot soldiers to survey the material and sooner or later, it would bring them to him. However it turned out, it didn’t matter anymore; the humans had killed his mother, on Ugubulugu grounds. He would finish with the humans who were farther off in another planet before he’d return to finish with the Ugubulugu scum on Kuv. They needed to be annihilated from his territory. His mother had been weak; she was supposed to have taken care of that a long time ago. But now, the Universe needed a new experience.

As he sat there, Azura considered the eartilings carefully. Somehow, he admired their sense of organization and precision. They seemed to be examining his orb to make meaning of it, but they were yet to know what was about to hit them. Tile, though his human father, had stopped being his father the day he murdered his mother and also left him for dead. And he had brought this upon his human race. Now at least, all the reforms he and his mother had put underway would be put to good use.

He still could not believe that his mother was no more, but the good news was that he was now the Magu of all Kuv, and he would do whatever he wanted. He had waited to heal before making his move, not that it had taken him so long to heal. He recalled how his ocoto had remained in flight until his special ops unit at the Academy had found him and brought him back to the Cretѐ. It took him only two gotri to be back on his feet and he couldn’t wait to set his plan in motion, which was why the orb, which was the first line of action, had been dispatched. But he needed to dispatch more. More orbs meant more chances to track Tile and his companions more rapidly. Meanwhile, he also needed to learn about the humans, observe their ways, learn their military system and artillery and above all, find Tile. But there was also another thing he needed to take care of back here on Kuv, lest he forgot.

Azura turned and summoned the two Sibuli corps who stood behind him and they attended quickly. He ordered them to find more men and go to fetch him Ipotu. That one had sealed his fate the day he helped the humans escape.

***********

Jennifer observed all of Tile’s souvenirs with nostalgia. All that played in her mind now was their sweet romance cut short, several years ago. She could remember the day of Tile’s disappearance and all the events that played out that day like the back of her hand. She had played it in her head everyday for the past thirty years. She remembered now how she had made the move to defeat her village people, perceived to have been responsible for her unmarriageable situation. Now she realised that they may have won. She had never had a proper marriage proposal from any man all her life. Even when Tile had agreed for them to get married, it had been her own idea, even though he had seemed to like it. But then, it never happened. And Atir… Alex Atir had not really married her, but had rather kept her in marital captivity. But what was that thing that was said about making lemonade when lemons are being hurled at you? She had made herself lemonade, and had become a massive breadwinner in all her village. She had sponsored scholarships for children in different families and had given handouts for startups for young businesses, most of which were now successful. Her people back home had seen light because of her. But then, if it were true that they were responsible for her not getting married, it meant that they had won.

There was a time she had gone back to see her prophet in Lesotho. The man had been very old by then, but had remembered her alright. He had revealed that her man, her soul mate, was still out there, beyond the reaches of the earth. And that his heart too was still beating towards her and that he was going to come back to her in due time. Sitting there staring at Tile only made her realise how right the man had been. But was this due time? Besides, would Tile still want her? Or would she him? He had slept with some alien and even fathered some demon out there. And there was this thing she was suspecting between him and the white lady just upstairs. Who knows what disease he must be carrying now from his alien planet?

The last thought sparked a new awakening in Jennifer.

“How long did you say you have been back?” she asked.

“Two days,” Tile said flatly. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re asking me what’s wrong. You have being out there on some extraterrestrial domain for eternity and just popped up now out of nowhere and think you do not need medical check-up?”

“Wow not so fast, it’s going to blow up the news and I wouldn’t want that please. Besides, I am just fine. There is good technology where I am coming from, and I served there as Prime Minister, so I had the best care I could get.”

“But there could be something you brought home which may be malignant to our environment. Please let’s do a check.” She paused and thought for a while. “But you are right, if we go to the hospital, the news may soon leak out and the Chinese would want you, at least to know what you know, and you may get into trouble in the process.”

As Jennifer said these words, Uzira’s image flashed in Tile’s mind as if she was standing right in front of him. The emotion Jennifer exuded now brought back memories of Uzira, the night she had come to his chambers and offered him herself for the first time. Soon, it was no longer like a memory, but as if he was reliving the experience. Uzira was right there in his presence, telling him how much she still cared for him, and how she had gone to the ends of the earth to find him.

“I don’t want to lose you again,” she was saying and approaching him, extending her palm to touch his cheek.

But it was Uzira’s bluish-green hand that he saw. He whimpered and scrambled to his feet in fear. But now, it was only Jennifer. Looking at him with utter shock and disgust. Anger welling up within her for being rejected.

“If you didn’t want to see me again, then why did you come?” she asked coolly, with suppressed anger.

“I didn’t mean that please,” Tile was saying. But he now sighted Rita who had come about the corner of the Dining area and had seen all of Jennifer’s expression of frustrated love. Jennifer’s back had been to the corner and now that she saw Tile’s eyes trained in that direction, she turned and saw the beautiful, young Australian.

Without hesitation, Jennifer crossed the dining room, out to the sitting room and went to the staircase that lay beyond. She ascended the stairs like she had forgotten something and was rushing to get it. But when she got to her bed chamber, she collapsed on the bed and wept profusely.