Rescued By an Alien (Kissed by an Alien #2)
Chapter 1
One Small Blue Button
Krir stepped out of his mobile research lab, which also served as a housing unit, with an insulated bottle of ice-cold water laced with flavored stimulant powder.
Though the field season would end in fifteen days as the hot, dry weather settled in, for now the morning breeze was cool and the sky had the perfect amount of cloud cover.
There was still much to accomplish before the Qilffir Geological Agency came to collect him.
He stretched, and the sun peeked through the morning clouds blowing quickly across the turquoise sky.
The warmth felt good on the bare scales of his chest, which shifted subtly from their usual aqua, nearly the same shade of the sky, to a tan that matched the surrounding desert.
He shook himself, suppressing the unconscious camouflage reaction.
This rarely happened unless he sensed danger, but there was nothing strange on the wind or…
Krir gaped as it slowed. Space junk didn’t slow, but this object did, and it drifted down as gently as a whirling seed pod of the mzol tree.
He rushed into his unit, dropped his thin sleeping pants, and pulled on thick trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, and sturdy boots.
“Computer, have there been any tremors within ten klicks?” Even a soft landing would make the ground shake.
After a few seconds, the voice trilled, “Yes, 6.53 klicks to the northwest. Heading—”
“Send the coordinates to the rover.”
“Done.”
He grabbed the key and hurried to the small shed several meters from the housing unit.
Besides protecting the rover from the fine dust that often wreaked havoc on mechanical equipment, the shed housed solar collectors on every exterior surface to keep it ready to go.
He started the lightweight vehicle, waited for the coordinates to load, and headed out.
Leaving the scant shelter of the oasis, Krir drove through the rocky hills.
The dull green of shrubs and succulents flashed by, and the reptiles skittered out of his way as he dodged outcroppings and crevasses.
In a short while, he stopped at the large metal object.
No, not just any metal object, an escape pod covered in markings he couldn’t pinpoint. They weren’t Qilffiran.
He pulled his laser thermometer from the toolbox bolted to the back of the rover.
Pointing it at the pod, he read the temp.
It was hot, but with the thermal gloves also in the toolbox, he should be able to open the door.
Krir exchanged the thermometer for the gloves and approached the pod, step by careful step.
His training had prepared him for many emergencies, but he’d never had much use for anything other than basic first aid before today.
Krir jumped as the pod whirred and little jets poked out from the top and sprayed a liquid over the surface, sending steam into the air.
He waved his hand in front of his face and backed off.
Poison to keep away potential hostiles? Nothing smelled or tasted off, and after a moment, the jets stopped.
Merely coolant. The steam cleared and the outside access panel slid open.
Krir cautiously stepped closer, waiting for whatever might happen next.
Nothing did. He stared at the controls. The script was more angular than Qilffiran letters.
Giukan. He learned some common phrases during his training at the Qilffir Science Academy in case he ran into the aliens during his assignments without his translator handy.
As he had yet to meet a Giuk face to face, he remembered little besides some numbers, a few pleasantries, and emergency words, and he’d never learned to read their script.
Three buttons flashed in a slow, rhythmic pattern.
One big red button, one small green button, and one small blue button.
The red flowers of the itel vine carried a toxin that could paralyze even large quadrupeds. And the nys, an arthropod, had large red spots to show the avians it was not good to eat. So, he would assume red was bad here, too.
Green and blue. A fifty-fifty chance to get it right. If he didn’t, what was the worst that could happen? Self-destruct? Why would anyone put a self-destruct on an escape pod?
His favorite things were blue. The little flying arthropods that pollinated the mzol trees. His mother’s eyes. The crystal springs where he’d learned to swim in the hot months on Qilffir. He pressed the blue button.
A computer voice speaking Giukan came from the panel, telling him to pay attention, one of the few phrases he remembered from his training. He stood back and waited. The voice repeated the warning, and a soft alarm went off. He took another step back.
The pod made more whirring noises, then a series of loud clicks came from the door. Another moment, and the door slowly slid to the side. Red lights flashed for an instant before changing to a warm yellow.
Krir blinked. There were ten seats, but only one was occupied.
The gray seatbelts crisscrossed over the occupant, who was roughly the same size and shape as a Qilffiran.
But the details were different. Bright red marks covered its feet and an arm, and its forehead had a strange purplish splotch.
Short pants and a thin sleeveless shirt covered its smooth light tan skin.
Dark hair covered its head and fell to its shoulders. The figure didn’t move.
“Hello?” Krir said.
No reaction.
“Are you all right?”
A drop of red liquid trickled along its arm and fell from a fingertip to join a puddle of the same on the floor. What—
A low moan came from the figure, and its fingers twitched.
More red drops fell. The red slashes on the feet and arm weren’t markings, they were wounds. The purple splotch, too. This creature had red blood. Iron based?
You’re a geologist, not a biologist. And this is not the time.
He rushed in and released the creature from the restraints. He scooped it into his arms. Another moan greeted him, and the creature’s eyes fluttered but didn’t open. The scent of it…
No, Krir was pretty sure from the scent she was a female. But if she didn’t receive some medical attention soon, the point would be moot. He carried her out to the rover.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”