Read Leaving Blue 5.1 for Free Online

closed, the space vessel took off, then flew outside. S4, a sun-like star, blinded me for a second and we turned port. On E4, in the middle of a vast ocean, clouds spread.
    “Hours from now, you and I will land in the Stra valley,” UE said, speaking through my earplugs.
    “Their robots will help me load boxes of wafers and bottled liquid inside the shuttle’s cargo holds. Then I’ll fly back to Exp One.”
    I paused, thinking. “Understood. What do the Reen want in return?”
    “I don’t know. They will discuss that with you.”

Chapter Six
     
     
    The shuttle landed on a grassy plain, next to trees. The canopy opened. I climbed out and went down a ramp.
    Not far away, a humanoid who was just under six-foot tall with ebony hair, orange skin, and huge eyes dominating most of her face took a few steps toward me.
    I looked closer and noticed her tiny mouth and small nose.
    Above her waist, slightly narrower than any human’s, gray highlights on her tight indigo jumpsuit shifted as she hesitated.
    I wondered if she was half humanoid, half insect. This stranger didn’t have any corneas, making it impossible to tell if she was looking at my face.
    I hesitated. “Why are you here?”
    “I am a translator, your guide,” she replied softly, sounding like a robot.
    “What is your name?”
    She replied, stony faced, “Irea.”
    It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
    Behind me, a humming noise grew louder.
    I looked over my shoulder.
    A thirty-foot-long, ten-foot-wide clam-shaped car descended and came to rest in the dirt. Six humanoid robots got out. The front of it opened. They pulled out boxes.
    UE said, “Greg, these are the supplies for Exp One.”
    “Good. I’ll examine them in a few minutes.”
    “Understood.”
    Irea raised her chin. “Captain Frim, I will take you to your quarters.” She pivoted and walked toward adjacent trees, me behind her.
    After passing them, we paused next to a nine-foot high, fifteen-foot in diameter dome, one of several.
    Irea took a step toward me. “The Reen Council wants to speak with you. They will arrive soon.”
    I cringed, insulted by her icy tone. She didn’t care about me. She was only following orders.
    Wanting to know more about this area, I looked up.
    To my right, a few miles away, smoke came out of a volcano.
    In front of me, eighty yards away, a small group of twelve-foot high creatures, a species vaguely resembling silver scorpions, crawled out from behind a grove. Unlike any arachnid, their thoraxes and legs were covered by small diamond shaped facets.
    As these repulsive looking beings came closer, my stomach muscles tightened, a nervous reaction. Were they going to tear my body apart, eat it? I couldn’t tell.
    Much to my surprise, all six paused, forming a circle around us, Irea and myself.
    Irea pointed at them. “This is the Council.”
    I remained silent, amazed that they weren’t going to devour me.
    Irea glanced at me. “Greg, are you the one who fought the Uduss?”
    “Yes, but I wasn’t alone. Jen and two robots helped.”
    Irea stared at the Council Members.
    To my left, a turquoise head the same size as mine came out of the bottom of a Member’s thorax. The head, a body part that was at the bottom of thick neck, moved toward me. This being didn’t have any eyes, nose or a mouth. Its face was covered by diamond shaped facets. In the middle of its face, several facets rose, creating an oval shape, meaningless to me.
    My guess was that the Member was speaking to Irea, using the facets.
    She remained silent, staring at the Member. Then Irea glanced at me. “Why didn’t you leave before the Uduss attacked?”
    “It broke into Exp One before we could escape.”
    “Has any member of your race ever encountered the Uduss before?”
    “No.”
    “Would you kill them again?”
    “Yes.”
    Irea glanced at the Member, a blank expression on her face.
    Without warning, all the Members turned and hurried away.
    I glanced at Irea. “Where are