Extraterrestrial Refugees

Clarence hugged Gemma tightly. “I was so worried about you. You have no idea how relieved I am that you’re back.”

“I am, too,” Gemma said, stepping back. “Have you heard from Vance?” she asked, then promptly added, “And how’s your ankle?”

“I’ll start with the good news,” Clarence said, carefully lowering himself down into his seat at the council table. “My ankle is doing much, much better. Unfortunately, we still haven’t heard from Vance’s vessel.”

Gemma’s heart sank. Her chin quivered. She bit her lower lip to make it stop. “They must be with the others,” she stammered. She looked at Oscar and pointed at Barkley’s seat. “Oscar, you can take Barkley’s seat since he won’t be needing it today. Which I’m feeling increasingly guilty about. Was that the right decision?” She looked to Clarence.

“I believe it was. You know we need to do all we can to keep the peace.”

“Yes. This morning Oscar received a phone call,” Gemma said, nodding toward Oscar. “I’ve been invited by the United Nations to attend a summit day after tomorrow.”

“It will be a good opportunity for her to meet some of the world’s most influential leaders,” Oscar commented. Clarence nodded.

“I think it would be best for us to ask the others to delay their arrival until after the summit,” Gemma continued. “The sergeant who arrested Barkley said our arrival looks like an invasion and it will be treated as such.”

Clarence sighed and shook his head. “That could be dangerous for them.”

“That’s what I told him, then he accused me of threatening him. But it could be deadly for us as well. What if they use a nuclear bomb? Our force shields are strong, but they’re not truly impenetrable.”

“We must hope for the best.”

Gemma pulled out a stack of papers she had been carrying under her arm and laid it on the table in front of Clarence. He raised an eyebrow at them. “What’s this?” he asked, thumbing through them.

“Immigration papers. Everyone needs to get them filled out as quickly as possible,” Gemma explained. “We want to show these people that we are willing to do things the right way.”

“Gemma!” Justine’s voice echoed as she entered the room. She sprinted over to Gemma and nearly plowed her over with a hug. “Nobody told me you were back. How are you?”

“I’m good,” Gemma said with a chuckle. “How are you?”

“I’m alright.” Her eyes wandered over to Oscar sitting in Barkley’s seat. She pointed. “That’s not Barkley.”

“Oh, no. You remember Oscar. Barkley was arrested early this morning,” Gemma explained.

“Like, from Earth people?”

“Yeah.”

Justine cringed. “Oof. I feel somewhat responsible for that.”

“Don’t. But, I do too.”

The other council members greeted Gemma heartily as they trickled in. Oscar sat back, watching the reunion with a smile on his face. He watched Gemma, beaming with happiness. It warmed his heart.

“Okay, everyone, today is a big day,” Clarence spoke loudly to silence the group. He then had to explain why Barkley was arrested and reintroduced Oscar. “We have Oscar to thank that Gemma is with us again.” The group applauded.

“Oh, uh, not entirely. I mean, I did what I could, which wasn’t much in the end,” he said.

“It was a lot,” Gemma said, flashing him a smile. “And it meant a lot.” They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds.

“Now, as we know, the other vessels are here and waiting to land, but we’ve asked them to delay for a few days,” Clarence said. “The United Nations has invited Gemma to participate in a global summit. So, her reunion with us will be short. When must you leave?”

Gemma looked to Oscar. “Uh, the summit is in Berlin, day after tomorrow. So, she’ll need to leave as soon as she can.”

“Wait, you’re coming with me, right?” Gemma asked, shocked by how dependent on Oscar she had allowed herself to become.

“Uh, I don’t know if they’ll let me… But I can try to find out.”

“I’d appreciate it. You’ve been such a big help.”

“Indeed,” Clarence said. “I think we all agree we feel Gemma is safer with you around. Our next item on the agenda is the tours, which will resume today. The first one is in fifteen minutes. Justine, you’re giving that one?”

“I guess I am.”

Unwin leapt from his seat at the table, holding his hand to his ear. He stood, focusing intently. Clarence raised an eyebrow at him. “Is there a problem, Unwin?” he asked.

“We’re receiving an urgent message,” Unwin replied, rushing over to the communication control station. “They’ve been shot at.” Everyone in the room gasped; Gemma held a hand over her mouth. Unwin pressed a few buttons to turn on the speaker so that the entire room could hear the transmission.

“…pushed us a little off course, but the ship seems to be fine,” a frazzled voice said over the speaker.

“Captain, this is Captain Clarence on the Fortuna,” Clarence spoke into the sleek communication device he wore in his ear. “Is everybody onboard okay?”

“We—we think so,” the man stuttered. “Could be some injuries from people falling. The missile shook the ship pretty good.”

“Who do you think launched the attack?” Gemma whispered across the table to Oscar. He shrugged his shoulders.

“It better not have been the United States or I’m going to be livid,” he said.

“We’re receiving footage from the vessel Greetings now,” Unwin said. An image of a vessel identical to the Fortuna appeared on a big screen before them. The ship floated in the distance, with a multitude of vessels far beyond it. Suddenly, a rocket blazed toward the ship. There was a bright, white flash as the missile exploded against the ship’s force shield which deflected the missile, sending shrapnel and flames bouncing away from its surface. The ship, though pushed harshly to the side, withstood the blow without a mark. Within seconds, it was hovering level and on course again.

“We’ve just seen the video,” Clarence said. He looked to Oscar. “Can you help us get this to the White House?”

Oscar already had his phone out and was calling Charles. “Charles, someone shot at one of the Tetranese ships,” he said into his phone once Charles answered. “Was it us?” Gemma and the others listened to Oscar’s end of the conversation: “Can you swear it wasn’t us? What can be done about it? No, they’re not going to attack. Thank you.” Oscar laid his phone down on the table. “Charles swears it wasn’t the US. He’s going to get a team of investigators to work on figuring out the missile’s origin. Any footage we can get from the other ships would be very helpful for the investigation.”

“Unwin, you can get the man what he needs, yes?” Clarence said. Unwin nodded in response. Already, there was another video of the attack taken from a different angle playing on the screen.

“Maybe we should pause the tours for today?” Justine suggested. Clarence shook his head with his back turned to Justine.

“Absolutely not. We’re going to show them that we’re not phased at all by this attack and that peace and friendship remain our top priorities.” Clarence turned around and looked at Justine. “Please go down and be ready to welcome our next guests onboard.”

Justine nodded and started to leave the table, then stopped to give Gemma another hug. “I’m guessing I won’t get to see you again before you leave for the summit. So, good luck out there. I love you, my friend,” she whispered. She trotted out of the room.

“Clarence, I’m going to need to summon all of the operators,” Unwin said. “I’m receiving more distress messages than I can handle.”

“Do what you need to do,” Clarence said. “Then send a message to everyone to remain in their positions until after the summit. Let them know that we know they are eager to land, but that we just need a little longer to make sure they can do so without causing a war.”

Unwin did as he was asked.

Gemma looked down at the table. On it were small thumbnails of all the ship’s security cameras. She tapped on the one that showed the front gate to make it bigger. A group of twenty people were gathered on the ramp, waiting to enter. “What’s all this stuff these people are bringing?” Gemma asked. Most of them had their arms full with large boxes and bags. Clarence glanced down at the table to see what she was talking about.

“Ah. Most of the people who come for tours have begun bringing us gifts,” he explained.

“Really? Gifts?”

“Yes. Mostly food and other supplies such as diapers and—” he paused to clear his throat, “—feminine hygiene products.”

“That’s very thoughtful of them.”

“It is. The passengers have been enjoying trying the food. Most of it has been utter garbage with little to n nutritional value, but it is still appreciated.”

“Yes. It’s the gesture that counts,” Gemma said.

“Just be glad they haven’t started bringing you clothes yet,” Oscar said.

“Oh, they have. There’s a whole pile of them in the entry hall,” Clarence responded. “Your clothes must be worn to shreds after living on a ship for two years, they say.”

Oscar looked around at all the people in the room. “They have a good point. How do your clothes look as good as they do? I know each of you weren’t permitted to bring much with you.”

“We’ve all gotten pretty good at using a needle and thread,” Gemma said. “If you look closely, you’ll see most of our clothes are pretty patched up.” She pulled on the capped sleeve of her shirt and pointed out a hole on the seam that she had sewn up.

“Oh, I see. Well, I hope the clothes they are bringing aren’t worn to shreds themselves. People mean well when they donate, but other times they just see it as an excuse to get rid of junk they don’t want anymore.”

“We’re very good at recycling and repurposing,” Clarence said reassuringly.

Oscar’s phone began vibrating on the table. He flinched, snatched it up, and answered it. Gemma and Clarence watched him while he talked. A short moment later, he ended the call and stood up. “Your chopper is here. It’s waiting for you outside.”

Gemma peered out of the small airplane window at the patchy green landscape far below. The pilot had announced they would be landing in Berlin in just thirty more minutes. Gemma almost had another long journey behind her. Oscar, who had dozed off, stirred in his seat. Again, Gemma had to use her best persuasion skills to get permission for him to escort her to the summit. Oscar looked out the window with his tired eyes. “Willkommen in Deutschland,” he said with a chuckle.

“Danke,” Gemma replied.

“Hey, this will be fun—you’ll get to practice your German,” Oscar said over the jet’s humming engines. They were two of only six passengers on the private jet.

“Yeah, maybe. Have you ever been here before?”

“Once. I backpacked through Europe one summer when I was in college. I was totally reliant on my friends though to do all the speaking for me though. They ordered all of my food at restaurants and got directions and everything. I was completely useless. Isn’t that pathetic?”

“It’s never too late to learn.”

“You’re right. And I should, because I love traveling. That’s part of the reason why I want to be an ambassador.”

“You’ll make a great one.”

“Oh, why thank you.”

“But you better learn a foreign language or two first.”

“Meh, I’m an American—I can get away with it,” Oscar joked.

“Seriously though, I’m assuming you’ve known you wanted to be an ambassador for a while, right?”

“Well, yeah… Since my second year in college.”

“So, I’m just surprised you haven’t learned any foreign languages already,” Gemma said. “Why haven’t you?”

Oscar shrugged. “Guess I just didn’t have time. I double-majored for my undergraduate, and worked full-time to pay for it. And then just didn’t have time for it while I worked on my Master’s.” They sat in silence for a minute. Oscar put his hand on Gemma’s forearm. “I’ll just take you with me everywhere I go, then I won’t have to learn any languages. You’ll be my interpreter!” They both laughed. Oscar’s hand lingered on Gemma’s arm. She glanced down at it. His skin was soft and warm against hers. Needing a reason to free herself from his touch, she pointed out of the window.

“I just love how all the farm fields look like a giant patchwork quilt down there,” she said.

“Yeah, so do I,” Oscar replied. “Germany is a beautiful country.”

“I hope to be able to see more of it one of these days.”

“I have a whole list of recommendations for you when you do.”

“That’d be great. And I’ll make Vance come with me.” Gemma watched Oscar’s real smile disappear and be replaced with a forced one. “You know, he hasn’t traveled much, but I think he’d love it.” She looked out the window again.

“Why do you think you haven’t heard from him again yet?” Oscar asked.

“We don’t know for sure. Their communication system just broke or something. I’m sure I’ll hear the whole story when he gets here.”

There was a dinging sound followed by an announcement from the cockpit that they had begun their descent and it was time to fasten seatbelts. Oscar and Gemma did so. Gemma laid her head back and closed her eyes. “Gemma?” Oscar said. Gemma opened her eyes again and looked at him.

“Yes?”

“I know this is horrible for me to say out loud, but do you ever think something bad might’ve happened to them?”

Gemma took a deep breath. “Every hour that has passed since the last time I heard his voice.” She rubbed her eye and scratched her nose. “But I just feel like I would know in my heart if he was no more.”

Oscar nodded. “I’m sure he’ll be arriving with the others.”

“Yes, I am too.”

The sky over Berlin was covered with a blanket of gray clothes. A light drizzle of rain fell upon Gemma’s face as she stepped out of the plane and walked down the staircase to a white van that was waiting for them. Somehow the air carried the smell of cigarettes even though Gemma could not see anyone smoking nearby.

A man in a black suit stepped out of the van and extended his hand to Gemma. “My name is Karl Gunther, welcome to Germany,” he said with a thick German accent.

“Freut mich, Sie kennen zu lernen. Mein Name ist Gemma,“ Gemma replied in flawless German. Karl’s forehead wrinkled as he raised his eyebrows.

“Your German is excellent,” he said. They continued having a brief conversation in German. Oscar stood awkwardly behind Gemma, not able to understand a word. Karl stretched out his hand to him and said something in German. Oscar shook his hand, but knew he looked like a deer in headlights.

“He asked if you speak German, too, and asked what your name was,” Gemma translated. Oscar laughed sheepishly.

“My name’s Oscar, and I’m ashamed to admit that I cannot speak German.”

“Oh, no matter,” Karl said, slapping the air with his hand. “Most Germans can speak English very well. You will get by just fine.”

Two muscular men, dressed all in black, also exited the van. One’s head glistened in the raindrops. The other had a full head of long, dirty blond hair which was pulled back in a tidy manbun. Oscar introduced the men as they gave Gemma and Oscar firm handshakes. “They are your bodyguards, appointed by the UN in light of the recent attacks made against your people. Shall we?” Karl led the way to the van. Oscar pointed at the vigilant bodyguards’ biceps.

“You see, they’re real bodyguards,” he whispered. “Ain’t no way anybody’s going to try to do anything to you with those guns around.” They all loaded into the van and drove away from the airport.

“Would you like some water?” Karl said, holding a water bottle out to Gemma. She gratefully accepted it and took a long drink. The carbonation tickled her nose. “We apologize for making you come all the way to Berlin. These summits are typically held in New York City, but Chancellor Ulrike Klein insisted it be held in Germany. I assume you watched her message, inviting your people to come to Germany?”

Gemma nodded. “I did. It was very kind of her.”

“Yes, she’s very generous.” Karl lowered his voice to speak from the corner of his mouth through clinched teeth. “Often at the expense of her own people.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry. I should not have said that.”

“Does she feel differently now that she knows just how many of us there are?” Gemma asked.

“Well… yes. She—Germany—is not prepared to receive six billion people, but she has pledged to receive one million of you, which will be discussed at tomorrow’s meeting.”

“Okay,” Gemma said, bobbing her head. “That is still very generous.”

“Unless, were all of you planning on congregating in the same place? In New Mexico?”

“No. We know there are far too many of us for that.”

“Why New Mexico, may I ask?”

“My people have been researching New Mexico for years. We had hoped to show the people of your world how arid lands can become fruitful with the proper techniques and technologies before the arrival of all the others.” Gemma took a deep breath, stifling a yawn. “Unfortunately, the end came quickly than our scientists had predicted, which hasn’t left us with the years we were hoping to have to prepare Earth for our arrival. So, we’ve been trying to do everything in fast-forward, which is proving to be a bit of a disaster.”

“I see. And what was your reason for announcing the precise location of your arrival? Why didn’t you just sneak, or land somewhere like Antarctica where nobody would have noticed you?”

“We had considered it, but—limited as your technologies are—we knew there would be no sneaking with ships as massive as ours. We wanted to be honest and straightforward from the beginning.” She paused to smile. “And aside from that, who wants to live in a frozen wasteland?”

Karl laughed. “Many people consider Germany a frozen wasteland.”

“No!” Gemma looked out the window at a lush, vibrant green forested park they drove through. “Germany is beautiful.”

“That is because it is summer. Well, almost. Come back in winter. You may feel differently.”

“I doubt it.”

“I’ve seen the pictures of your ship. You really grow your own food on there? Did anyone die on the journey? Did you discard of the bodies in space? Were there any babies born in space? That’s going to make paperwork complicated… What are the living arrangements on the ship? Do families stay together?” Karl stopped just long enough for Gemma to smile at him. “Sorry for all the questions. I have been desperate to ask them. I am a very curious man.”

“It’s okay,” Gemma said. A big yawn escaped; she couldn’t hold it back.

“Oh, but you must be very tired. We will reach the hotel soon. There you can rest and eat.”

Oscar rubbed Gemma’s shoulder. “Why don’t you close your eyes for a bit? I’ll answer Karl’s questions as best as I can for you.”

Gemma didn’t think she would actually be able to sleep at all, but she dozed off to the sound of Oscar’s voice answering all of Karl’s questions—the same questions he had asked her: Yes, there were babies born in space. Fortunately, there were no deaths as everyone onboard was relatively young and healthy, but yes they would have been dumped in space had someone died. Yes, families lived together; single people were placed in shared dorm rooms. Gemma didn’t wake again until they were pulling up in front of the hotel twenty minutes later.

* * *

The director-general of the World Health Organization, Hans Pedersen, took the stand in the large conference room. He was a tall, thin man with short gray hair. His glasses glinted as he looked down at a stack of paper. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” he began. “I think we all have the same, big question—can Earth support so many people? The World Health Organization has run the numbers and the research makes the answer clear: no.” His gaze flicked over to Gemma who was given a prominent seat behind the podium. The large room was full of people from all over the world and Gemma felt all of their eyes were fixed on her.

Hans looked straight ahead again and explained how exactly the WHO had reached that conclusion. Gemma silently shook her head, struggling to wait until it was her turn to say something. “Considering the number of people on our planet who we are already struggling to feed and provide shelter for, we just cannot imagine nearly doubling our population. Sometimes you have to take care of your own and put your own first. So many of our own people have limited or no access to healthcare. They are hungry. They are uneducated. They are living in poverty. If we have not been able to solve these issues, then why should we consider trying to provide for so many more? Thank you.” He tapped his papers on the podium then returned to his seat. The next person on the agenda stood up and began speaking. She was an environmentalist from an international climate organization.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we must also take into consideration the impacts this will have on our climate,” she said with a British accent. “We are already in the midst of a climate crisis. How much bigger will mankind’s carbon footprint become if we try to fit six billion more people on our delicate little planet?”

Another gentleman with dark skin and black hair walked up to the podium and began speaking into the microphone. “I received intelligence this morning that it’s suspected it was North Korea who launched that attack on one of the ships. Of course, North Korea is denying it. That is one troubling concern we have—that even if the majority of the world should accept these refugees, other countries might not be so keen. We have no control over that. There could—and most likely will be—further attacks. People will get hurt. We worry it could be what starts another world war, those in favor of helping the Tetranese fighting against those who oppose.” He nodded curtly then left the podium.

Ulrike Klein walked up to the podium. She turned and gave Gemma a warm smile before she began speaking. “Meine Herren und Damen, Gemma, shortly after you arrived, I extended our warmest welcome to the Tetranese refugees. I did so before realizing there were quite so many of them,” she let out a little chuckle. “Germany is a small country and although we cannot provide for six billion, we are prepared to provide asylum for two million at this time. We encourage our fellow leaders gathered at this summit today to consider how many they can provide refuge for and then to do it. It is our belief that if we work together, we can make Earth their new home. Thank you.”

It was not until after they paused for lunch that Gemma was given time to speak. Fortunately, her speech was one that she had rehearsed for years. Her team had analyzed and predicted what the Earthlings’ concerns would be and had come up with solutions for each. She smiled at the crowd, hoping she had done at least a decent job of applying her own makeup. She still disliked wearing the stuff; it was all to appear more like them. “Most esteemed ladies and gentleman, it is an honor to be able to address you today. My people have long been aware of your concerns; we hear them, we understand them, and we care. We believe—no, we know—we have the solution to all of these concerns. You may be wondering how we are so confident about that. The answer? Because our people have already faced and successfully overcome these same problems.

“Our population was over twelve billion before our planet was destroyed by a solar storm over which we had absolutely no influence. But long before that event, our people nearly killed our planet. We had to learn how to preserve and protect it, as you must learn now.” Gemma scanned the crowd until her eyes landed on the environmentalist. “We have our own team of climate experts. They would like to meet with your world’s environmentalists to discuss what needs to be done in order to preserve your climate, as we had to preserve ours. We know bringing six billion additional people here will bump the total population up to over thirteen billion, but we are confident that our lifestyle and agricultural practices will ensure that every mouth on Earth is fed.

“In addition to that, we have advanced medical treatments. We know not only how to prevent most cancers, but we can also heal them. Aboard our vessel in New Mexico is a team of skilled doctors, waiting to meet with your doctors to show them this technology. Before opening up for questions, I would just like to reiterate that my people will in no way be a burden to yours. You will see in time that our being here actually comes with benefits that far outweigh the miniscule burden.” She flashed her bright smile around the room again. “Thank you. I understand we now have half an hour for any further questions you make have.”

Gemma was slammed with the questions. The askers were frantic more often than not, but Gemma had a calm, reassuring answer for each of them. The meeting was allowed to run an entire two hours longer than was planned. At the end of it, it was agreed that each country that belonged to the United Nations would welcome a certain number of the extraterrestrial refugees, after consulting with their own economists and medical advisors who would help determine how many they could feasibly receive. It was also decided that plans would be made for Earth’s leaders, doctors and scientists to come see and learn what the Tetranese had to offer.

It was dark outside by the time the meeting adjourned, it was night. The clouds had cleared, nonetheless, very few stars could be seen through the city haze. Gemma was escorted by her bodyguards back to the van to be brought back to her nearby hotel room.