Through the Looking Glass Ch. 08

The leader nodded, "I am Demm, commander of the star cruiser Groton. This is Luna, she is my... 'wife', and chief science officer."

"How do you do," Mitch said with a small bow, "Please forgive us if we seem too curious. It's because you are the first beings we've met that are not from our world."

"This is our first trip to this world as well," said Demm, "but we didn't expect to find your species here. How did you arrive on this world?"

"Well, it's complicated," Mitch started, "Lisa and I are scientists and have the ability to travel from one dimension to another, so this Earth really isn't the one we came from."

"'Earth'?" asked Luna.

"Yes, that's the name of this planet," Lisa answered, "In fact, 'Luna' is the name of our moon."

"'Moon'?"

"Uh, the natural satellite that orbits this planet."

"Really?" Luna smiled as Demm entered that information into his device.

Mitch suddenly got a puzzled look on his face when what Demm was saying registered in his mind, "Wait a minute, what did you say about 'not expecting to find us'?"

"We did not expect to find your species on this world. Our initial scans of this planet did not detect life forms such as yourselves, only lower forms of animal and plant life."

Then Luna spoke, "We have discovered fossilized remains that resemble your skeletal structures, but you two are the only live 'humans' we have found here."

"...oh," Lisa groaned, putting her hand to her mouth. She turned to Mitch and let him take her into his arms and hug her.

"You are distressed by this," said Demm with a pained look, "I am sorry."

"No, it's all right," he responded, petting Lisa's head, "we've encountered a world like this a few days ago."

Lifting her head from Mitch's chest, Lisa asked, "What happened?"

Demm shook his head, "We do not know," he lifted the green sphere tipped device, "but, with your assistance, we can now find out. The translation matrix has successfully incorporated your language; we can now interpret your language from the artifacts we have uncovered. Will you help us?"

Lisa wiped the tears from her cheeks and nodded, "Yes, of course; we'll be glad to help." Mitch nodded with her.

"Come," Demm smiled and waved a hand, "our main camp is this way."

The group walked along somewhat of the same path that the main street used to occupy, but Mitch stopped and pointed at the old library.

"We were going to check out that building when we first got to the city; it's a library and it contains books and information we may need."

But Demm shook his head, "Not necessary, Mitchell. We have already scanned the contents of that structure; all of the information is stored in our portable computer nodes. You will be able to access it from there, and help us translate your written language at the same time."

"Wow," Mitch muttered, "that's a time saver; alright, let's go."

The group continued its trek through the foliage, winding between plant covered obstacles. Along the way, they asked questions of each other.

"What is your species called?"

Luna addressed Lisa's question, "We are the Krellin. Our home world, Krell, is some three hundred and sixty hyptocamps from here."

"'Hyptocamps'?"

Luna thought for a moment, "How do you measure interstellar distances?"

Lisa shrugged a little, "Well, our species doesn't have interstellar travel, at least not the humans from our dimension. But we measure space distances in light-years," she went on when Luna looked puzzled, "oh, that's how long light travels in a year for us. A 'year' is how long our Earth travels around our sun once, 365 days. And a 'day' is how long Earth revolves once on its axis."

"Ah, I understand now," Luna tapped her scanning device and entered the information, then nodded, "then, by your measurements, Krell is approximately seven hundred and ten of your light-years from Earth."

"Wow," she uttered, "We've discovered evidence of other planets around other stars, but we didn't know if there was any life on them. Some have suspected that there were other life forms out in space, but you are the first we've ever come in contact with."

Luna smiled, "I am honored by that. Demm and I have only had this type of contact twice in our travels."

"Are there other life forms like you and me out there?"

"Oh, hundreds of different intelligent species," Luna nodded, "we suspect thousands more in the undiscovered and unexplored regions of space. Our species, and dozens more, are part of an organization called the Grand Alliance, and our primary mission is to explore the galaxy." As they walked through the brush, Luna continued, "May I ask you something, if it is not too intrusive?"

"Of course, Luna."

Perusing the curves of Lisa's naked body, Luna asked, "Your construction differs from Mitchell's. Is this how you differentiate between your genders?"

Lisa looked down at herself and nodded, "Oh, yes; I am the female of our species."

"And Mitchell would be the male, like Demm," Luna returned the nod, "I thought as much, but I had to be sure. There are a few species that have opposite constructions and sometimes more than two genders; some take offense at being addressed incorrectly." Luna paused, then asked another question, "Do all humans go about without protective garments?"

Lisa thought about that, then realized what she was asking and blushed a little, "Oh, you mean clothes. Uh, no; humans, for the most part, don't usually walk around in the nude."

"We find it more comfortable and relaxing to be without garments," Luna gestured at her uniform bib, "We only wear these to protect us from the elements of the worlds we visit... and so as not to upset the local populations, as well. Some find the non-use of garments... unacceptable."

Lisa agreed, "There are many in my world that consider showing off certain parts of the body... rude and disrespectful of others' feelings, at least out in the open and in public."

"Then you do not normally go about unclothed? If you and Mitchell are uncomfortable, we can provide garments for you."

"No, no that's all right; I don't mind if you don't."

"Actually, it is preferred," said Luna with a little shyness, "it is easier for us to study your forms. Your body is beautifully constructed."

Lisa blushed, "Thank you."

"Mitchell is also well constructed; do you enjoy his form?" She saw Lisa pause a bit at that question, then, "Oh, Lisa; I am sorry. I did not mean to pry into your personal affairs; that was rude of me."

"No, it's okay Luna," she replied, patting her arm. Luna's skin was very warm and soft to the touch, "You want to know all about us; asking questions is the way to do it. Actually, I very much enjoy Mitch's form and he enjoys mine, that's one of the reasons why we're a couple. And yes," Lisa leaned in, whispering, "he is well constructed... very well constructed."

Luna leaned in too with a smirk and whispered back, "So is Demm."

The two women giggled as Mitch and Demm lead the way to the camp site and conversed as well.

"I believe they are talking about us, Mitchell."

He nodded at Demm, "Do your women talk like this with other female species?"

Demm lifted his head in an eye rolling gesture, "Sometimes, I think it is one of the universal constants."

Mitch chuckled, "You can add human females to that list."

"I heard that."

Mitch looked behind him to see Lisa giving him that 'look' that women seem to always give men, and said, "Oops." making Demm laugh, a hearty deep chuckle.

"Just out of curiosity, why are you here?" asked Mitch, "In our dimension, we've barely begun space flight. In fact, we haven't even left our star system unless you count the probes we've sent over the years. We're obviously not as advanced as you are; why us?"

Demm answered, clearing away some low hanging limbs and vines, "Our initial scans of this world indicated that there were no sentient life forms present on the surface, only animal and plant life. We are surveying this world as a potential site for a colony. The materials and resources here would make this planet an excellent location for an outpost station, used for refueling and resupplying ships. Your world and its companion planets mark the galactic northern edge of known space; this is an ideal area for long range scanning for further exploration."

"Really?" Mitch raised an eyebrow at that, "I feel kind of honored by that. So your people want to use Earth as a way station of sorts, a 'jumping off' point from known space into the unknown to explore it."

"Precisely, we and dozens of other species who have joined together in a quest for knowledge."

"Wow," said Mitch, astonished.

"Of course," Demm added with caution, "we will need your permission to do so; it is your world, after all."

But Mitch waved him off, "There won't be any need, Demm. Lisa and I will be leaving tomorrow, and this Earth really isn't ours to claim. Use it as you see fit; at least someone will be here to appreciate it," he sighed, "Besides, I don't think the people who were here would mind, in fact I think they would have been thrilled to meet others from different worlds." Mitch chuckled a little and added, "You know, it sounds a lot like a TV show I use to watch when I was a kid."

Demm looked at him, puzzled, "'TV'?"

"Uh..." Mitch patted his shoulder, "I'll explain it later."

The group plowed through the area where the park should have been and came across the slight valley where the scientists' laboratory would have been standing if it had been built, Mitch's and Lisa's hunch being right. In the crevice below was the site for the Krellin's exploration camp.

As they walked down, Demm asked, "If I may ask, why are you and Lisa without garments?"

"Well, it's a long story," Mitch replied as he and the group entered the camp.

There were two other Krellins there, tending to machines and utensils scattered around a heating unit in the middle surrounded by foldout seats, and sitting next to the camp was a large craft of dark gray-purple metal with two pea pod shaped engines. The two beings were startled for a minute, obviously worried when two unknown animal species walked into camp with their fellow Krellins, but Demm put them at ease and told them what was going on.

After introductions were made, Mitch and Lisa were invited to sit with the Krellin and talk, mainly about what the two scientists were doing on a supposedly uninhabited planet. Mitch told them the story of how he and Lisa were able to travel from one dimension to another, describing the circumstances and events that occurred during their visits. The Krellin listened with interest and curiosity, hearing of the fascinating and sometimes frightening events that took place.

"...and every time we jump into a new dimension, our appearance changes," Mitch went on, "sometimes we're dressed normally, other times we're dressed oddly. And sometimes," he gestured at his naked body, "not at all."

"We detected an inter-spatial anomaly a sort time ago. Was this your 'gateway'?"

Mitch looked at Demm, surprised, "You detected the portal? I didn't think that was possible; it doesn't come into being in normal space-time."

"Interdimensional-continuum distortion is one of the main components involved in interstellar travel. At first, we thought it was another Krellin vessel but, when the reading appeared on the planet surface, we knew it must be something else. That is what brought us to your initial location."

"Well, the 'bridge' that's created doesn't allow us to travel distances, it only brings us to the exact same point we left in the last dimension to this one, and so on. We can never predict what will happen to us when we jump; we just go along with events as best we can and deal with the situation as we go."

Luna gasped, "How unnerving... and exciting at the same time."

"Indeed," said Bram, their group's chief engineer, "very daring and bold. Were all humans this way?"

Mitch nodded, "For the most part, yes. Some preferred to examine situations before moving into them, while others just charged right through them. But almost all humans have that instinct within them, that compulsion that drives them: the need to know, to learn."

"That is a trait we have in common, along with other intelligent species," said Noly, a female Krellin who specialized in biological studies, "the need to explore, to experience new things and gain knowledge from them."

"Exactly," Lisa chimed in, "humans have always been curious and strive to find the answers to questions that came up, even if it took years... well, at least the humans in our dimension."

Noly got a sorrowful look and put a hand on her knee, "I am so sorry that there are no others of your species here, Lisa. It is regrettable."

Lisa patted the being's hand, "Thank you, Noly. All I want to know is what happened and why."

"That is something we may be able to find out," said Demm, pointing to a portable structure off to the side, "We have recordings and artifacts in there that may give you the answers you seek."

With that, the group rose and headed for the structure, with Mitch and Lisa in tow. Once inside, they saw tables and computer banks lining the walls, almost all of them filled with items and the computers analyzing them. It was somewhat warmer than usual, and Mitch and Lisa gaped a little when all of the Krellin removed their bib garments and hung them off to the side, revealing their nude bodies. The colored patterns that accented their skin also accented the females breasts and their (and the males') genitalia.

Luna nudged Lisa and indicated her husband's rather thick penis and large scrotum. Lisa whispered, "You were right; very well constructed." and the pair quietly giggled again, with Luna blushing an unusual shade of turquoise.

"Now," said Demm, getting down to business and turning on an oval view screen set on the middle table, "we have scanned everything we have uncovered so far, but have only been able to identify some of the items to an extent," the view changed from certain recognizable objects to written text, "The information from your... 'library', I believe you called it, is also stored here. Once we have deciphered your written language, we can search for the information you need. Mitchell, would you read some of what is written here?"

Mitch peered at the screen and started reading a chapter from 'Gone With the Wind', while Demm adjusted his translation device to record him and at the same time scan the words he was reading aloud. The device beeped and clicked, matching the letter symbols and their accompanying sounds, then finally bleated out a string of blips indicating that the translation was complete.

"The matrix has translated your written language," said Demm, nodding in approval, "We can now translate the data we have collected," he then motioned to the image of the writing, "Is this text considered part of your history?"

Mitch nodded hesitantly, "Yes, but only as a form of entertainment. This book contains elements from our history, but the story itself is a work of fiction."

"Ah, so this 'slavery' it speaks of... it did not happen?"

Almost ashamed, Mitch replied, "I'm afraid it did happen in our history. Slavery has been in our recorded history for nearly six thousand years, possibly longer. One of the more infamous times it happened was in a land called Egypt, the people there enslaved another because of their different religious beliefs."

"Was this practice ever stopped?" asked Luna, hopefully.

Lisa nodded, "Yes it was, but not until about a hundred and sixty years ago. People who had a different skin color than Mitch and I have were enslaved for many years before it was finally abolished. That's one of the historical elements from that book; it describes a war that took place that ended slavery and united a nation, the land mass where we are now."

Demm nodded sadly, "We, too, have had our share of slavery in our history, and it was based on different skin tones," he indicated his accent colorings, "Those of darker colorings were suppose to be 'superior', while others of lighter tones," he motioned to Bram, who had shades of off-green on his skin, "were thought to be 'inferior'. Idiotic. I thank the Creator that we got passed our ancestors' backwards thinking." Demm shook his head at the stupidity of it.

Bram nodded to his commander, "Agreed, our ancestors were so foolish. Judging and enslaving others because of their appearance? Ridiculous. Thank the Creator it's..." he checked the calculations on one of the computer screens and nodded to Mitch, "...almost five of your centuries in the past."

Mitch understood, "We still have people in our dimension who consider others of different skin colors 'inferior', and I wholeheartedly agree with you: idiotic thinking."

Demm turned back to the main screen, "Well, now we can find out what happened here, if any events leading up to all of this was recorded."

"While they are working on that," said Luna, inviting Lisa over to another long table, "you can help us identify these items."

"I'll certainly try," she answered, perusing the plethora of artifacts scattered over the table, "but I might not know what some of these things are. Everything here was made before I was born and some of it isn't used in my dimension anymore, but I'll do my best."

Lisa worked with Luna, picking up items and parts of machinery to identify, while Mitch scanned the information gathered from the library on another screen after Demm showed him how to use the controls. He told Demm to focus the search on periodicals and newspapers, after describing what those were, but magazines and papers were hard pressed to find. Any exposed paper would have dissolved to dust over the years depending on the circumstances, but Demm and his team managed to find some that were somewhat preserved and intact.

Mitch then told Demm to search for anything that had to do with medicine and science first, then try to find a headline that seemed urgent about the matter. Since nothing of what they've seen so far looked as if a conflict or natural disaster had occurred, Mitch figured a medical or biological emergency could be the reason for the absence of humans.

Luna picked up an object from the collection on the examination tables and asked, "Is this some sort of industrial device?"

Lisa smiled, "No, that was used for preparing certain foods and drinks; it's called a blender."

"Hmm," Luna pointed at another piece of metal, its handle worn and cracking, "and this? It looks like a weapon of sorts; Mitchell has one."

"That's because it is a weapon," Lisa frowned, carefully picking up the old and tarnished pistol, "This is a gun, I think they called it a 'Policeman's Special' .38 revolver. It was used for protection against anything that threatened the user. It fires metal projectiles using a small chemical explosion, and it can inflict great damage to anything or anyone it's used on. Law enforcement people and soldiers in the military used variations of these weapons, and in the wrong hands these can be very dangerous."

Luna's red eyes widened at that, being careful not to touch anything that looked similar to the gun. Another item was pointed out by the being, and Lisa giggled a little.

"Uh, that's a brassiere," she said, surprised to see a garment intact, "It's used to... to support... uh..." Lisa cupped her breasts and hoisted them a little.

Luna blushed a bit, "Oh... it is a female garment." She stared at Lisa's boobs, "Yours do not need supporting."

Now Lisa blushed and laughed, "Well thank you, but the bra isn't just for support. It also keeps my breasts from bouncing around; that can be painful for some women. It also accentuates the curve of them, making them more attractive to men."

But Luna shook her head, "You do not need such a garment; you are attractive just as you are." She put the bra against her body and said, "This garment does not fit me properly," and sighed in concentration. Lisa's eyes bugged out when she saw Luna's light blue breasts swell up and expand to fit into the bra's cups, "There, that's better. Is this how they are suppose to look in this garment?"