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I had no idea who she was communicating with. Even though alien telecom technology was beyond imagination, it still didn’t offer texting service across twenty thousand light-years. I knew her actions were just a way for the sixteen-year-old to deal with all she’d left behind on Earth. The move must have been especially traumatic for her.
    The first home I had to show them was fifteen minutes away, so I passed the time getting Jennifer to tell me more about what she was looking for in a home. We’d been over this before, but it really looked like she needed to talk. Alien-Regret-Syndrome was beginning to set in.
    “All I’m really looking for is a place that’s functional for us as Humans. As you know, I was in the Corps when I was younger. I ended up marrying another diplomat and that’s when I had my children. After the divorce, I met Mark when we were both in South Africa, and we’ve been married a little over a year now. I’m telling you this because I want you to know we’re not afraid of new things or new places.”
    I nodded. “I understand, however this is your first assignment off-planet, isn’t it?”
    “That’s right, but we’ve served in eight countries back on Earth, and have encountered a lot of strange cultures.”
    I nodded again. I’d also spent much of my military career in foreign countries, but no matter how alien they appeared to be on the surface, the one thing they all had in common was that they were populated by other Humans. They may dress differently, speak a different language, and even have a different skin color, but they were all Human.
    What Jennifer Wilson and her family were about to experience went far beyond anything they could expect from internet searches or even possibly running into a few aliens back on Earth. Even the space station where they had come from this morning was segregated, mainly by gravity and atmosphere requirements. The half-hour drop in the shuttle to the surface – squeezed in next to a myriad of other creatures – had been their first real encounter with what was to come.
    Just wait until they witness first-hand how some of these aliens live within their homes. From years of experience, I carried a ready supply of barf-bags with me at all times, just in case.
    The next few hours would be an eye-opening immersion course in alien cultures, consisting of a mixture of species that had spent hundreds of years interacting with one another. Humans were new on the scene, and we still had a hell of a lot to learn.
    **********
    I saw Miranda looking at me through the rearview mirror; her dark eyes locked on mine and wouldn’t let go. Only Jennifer’s exhalation at a near-collision with an alien truck-like-thing snapped me out of the trance.
    Hell, I guess there’s no avoiding it.
    “So Miranda, you’ve come a long way for an internship, haven’t you?”
    She flashed a brilliant smile at me, made even brighter by the bronze tone of her skin. She was a total contrast to her blonde-haired, fair-skinned cousin. “I suppose so,” she said, “but I just graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Galactic Affairs, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll be at the American Consulate.”
    “ Galactic Affairs ; you can get a degree in that now?”
    “It’s a new specialty, and I was in one of the first graduating classes at Long Beach State. The Consulate doesn’t know exactly where to put me – not yet – but I’m sure they’ll find a good place. After all, I come cheap.”
    “If you need any help finding your way around, just let me know. I have a lot of friends at the Embassy, and it’s all part of the service.”
    Damn, if that didn’t sound like some blatant come-on, then I don’t know what would!
    I quickly turned my attention back to Jennifer before Miranda could respond. “I understand you’ll be staying at temp quarters in the Compound until you close on your home.”
    “That’s right. I haven’t been to the Compound yet, but I’m