The Visitor

The Visitor-

The shuttle broke through the clouds, shrugged off gravity and shot out of orbit into the void of space.But this was no ordinary scouting mission or freight run, this was a first for the shuttle,the crew, hell, a first for the whole planet. The mission this time would take the shuttle and crew to the farthest reaches of explored space, this time they would go to the nearest known inhabited planet, this time they were bringing the visitor home.
Within the control room of the ultra-modern technological marvel in which they were sitting, were the captain and his lieutenant co- pilot, who in being chosen for this mission, had been lauded as heros. Granted there were others involved behind the scenes, but since these two were the ones actually driving the ship, they were the ones to recieve the accolades.
The ship itself was also somewhat of a celebrity, despite the fact it was just a machine. It had served the space program well in the past, and was somewhat of a flagship of the fleet. And when it was outfitted with the most advanced engines that would thrust it across galaxies in a fraction of the time previously needed, she became the pride of the planet.
But the real star of the show was heavily sedated in a cargo hold, and therefore, completely unaware of the part he was playing in the potential advancement of interplanetary relations.
As the ship's rumbling trajectory took it further from the gravitational pull of of it's home, and it settled out and began correcting it's course for the pre-set coordinates, the pilot and his mate were able to remove their restraints and walk freely around the cabin.The captain walked to the sensor array, seemed to look distractedly at it, then walked to the status control panel, glanced at it and then back to the sensor array.
" Something the matter Cap ? ", asked the lietenant. " You're usually a real chatterbox on these missions and you haven't said two words that weren't orders since we left the launch pad. And now look at you ! Pacing?!? All due respect sir, but maybe you need to take a few deep breaths.".
" Well, with all due respect, lieutenant, but this is certainly no ordinary mission. Or have you not accepted the fact that there's a good chance we won't be coming back from this one ?", retorted the captain curtly.
There was no real argument to be made there. That was the reason that all the crew selected for this mission had no young families. They were heading into unfamiliar territory in every sense of the word. Very little was known of the alien and his race.Just the basic and trivial information that was stored on the databanks of their crashed vessel and the confusing and inconclusive results from two autopsies. From observation of this one in particular, it was gleaned that they could become aggressive when faced with the unknown, so how would they react when an awestriking spaceship from another world arrived just outside their door ? Would they be welcomed with open arms, or fired upon with the arms of an alien fleet?
" Sorry sir, I just don't think about that kind of stuff....makes it hard to stay upbeat. Me, I'm thinking about how sweet it's gonna be when we get back home....we'll have everything we ever wanted just GIVEN to us ! ".
The captain just shook his head and tried to repress a smile. For what this kid lacked in decoruum, he more than made up for in piloting skill. And if they wound up on the target screens of the alien's defenses, there's no one else in the galaxy that the captain would rather have to shake their cross-hairs loose than his co-pilot. Plus his laid back and humorous demeanor always made these treks go faster, and no one but a career astronaut could fully appreciate that.
" Basically, " , he continued, " I'm more worried about how they'll react to the two that we didn't bring back than the one that we did."
Yes, that was another issue to contend with. The original group of visitors consisted of three members. They had basically just fallen out of the sky with what would prove to be a mechanical failure almost on top of one of the larger cities busiest districts. One of the aliens was killed outright in the crash. It was the first time any of the scientists were actually able to see one of these creatures up close, and the entire scientific community was abuzz with the prospects of being able to study one of them in detail. Their existence had been known for some time, by virtue of their own explorations, and in more recent times by the occasional "UFO" incident. But the stories brought to the public eye of  " visitors from beyond "  and "the aliens watching us" were always covered up and denied by the government. But this time, since it happened in the middle of a metropolis and was observed by millions of witnesses, denial would have been futile.Perhaps it was a sign that society as a whole was finally ready to accept the idea of being visited by creatures from another world, without the spectre of mass hysteria threatening to be unleashed.
So, with sensational fanfare, the two survivors were exposed to the public through every media format there was, and almost instantly they became celebrities on a major (although reluctant) scale. The fact that every time they appeared on camera they seemed bewildered and frightened did nothing to detract from their charm. Nor did the strange guttural,throaty sounds that must have served as their language. If anything, since no one seemed able to decipher these strange sounds, it enhanced their foreign novelty. The visitors were indeed the most talked about and adored creatures in anyone's memories, although, they, themselves, didn't seem to fully understand this fact. Which is probably why one escaped.
It was never determined how it was able to breach the government facility's security where it was being kept, but it did, and in a small space of time it had found it's way into a densely populated area. Now, seeing an alien on video or in the dailies was one thing. In that context they could still be perceived somewhat as fictional creatures. But when one is standing in front of you in living, breathing, reality, it's just a natural tendency to over-react.A primal fear of the unknown, if you will. And when it began moving in it's jerky abrubt way and screeching in that ear piercing yelp of a language, the public saw it less as a friendly spaceman and more as a threat. Before anyone could stop what they were doing, caution had fermented into panic and by the time it was over there was another dead alien available to be cut up and examined by the docs. No criminal charges were ever laid under the circumstances, and besides in the pandemonium of the event, it would have been impossible to find the culpable party.Even if the one responsible were found, they would have been able to absolve themselves of wrong doing by claiming self defence. Who was there to argue ? So it was in light of this development that the government decided maybe it would be best to try and bring him home. Because what would it say about THEM if they were to kill the whole first group of interplanetary beings to stop by ? Let alone the fact that if they made no effort of good will, a galactic war could very well be the result. Or potentially, a bitter and perpetual spatial cold war, and no one was willing to risk that. Therefore, the powers that be put together this mission, and here were the captain and lieutenant carrying it out.
After what seemed to be an incredibly short time, a klaxon began to sound over the ships speakers, informing the pilots that they would be reaching their destination shortly.
" Come on then," said the captain, " I guess it's time to get our friend packed up and ready to go home."
They made their way to the cargo hold, where the alien seemed to be resting comfortably. The sedation had been a gamble since it's physiology was a mystery, but it seemed to be having no ill effects. It's respiration rate had remained deep and steady throughout the voyage.Feeling safe that the alien wouldn't awake any time soon , captain and lietenant lifted it's thick, hairy body, and secured it within one of the shuttle's escape pods.At the appropriate time, they would jettison the pod and set it's coordinates for the visitor's point of origin.
" Say, Cap..." began the lieutenant, " ...do you think it's gonna remember anything that happened to it?"
" I really can't say, I'm not even sure if it would be a good thing if it did. But I'm fairly certain that even if it does, it'll be faced with such an amount of skepticism, that eventually it will force itself to forget."
As they tightened the last restraints, the visitor's peaceful looking,blue planet appeared on the cargo hold's viewport.
" Would you look at that ! " said the lietenant in awe, " It's so beautiful. Sure is quiet though, I wonder where they keep their fleet ?"
"I'd just as soon not find out if it's all the same to you,lieutenant.I'll close up the pod, you enter the destination into it's navcom"
" Aye, Captain !" chirped the co-pilot , " Say, what's the name of the place we're gonna be sending him?"
" Not that it matters really, but the name we pulled from the databanks of their ship with regards to their home district referred to it as London, England. Now, fire the pod, and let's get back home before we find out where they hide their fleet."
" Escape pod jettisoned." asserted the lieutenant. " See, Cap? I told ya it was nothing to worry about."
And so, after an extraordinary and eventful stay, the visitor went home.