Read Online Alien Alliance by Maxine Millar - Free Book Online Page A

favourable job. At least he
was popular here. Donny’s solution to many problems was to ‘build a
bridge and get over it’ said not unkindly by his grandfather. It
meant find or make a way to cope. If stumped, go and help someone.
Drawn to older men, Donny liked Helkmid. His way to become a friend
was to go and help him. As usual, it was working.

 
Incommunicado
    Trlin kept going up to the entrance. No one
had heard anything. There were no messages, just no ship, nothing.
They were all getting very worried. This had never happened before.
There had been delays before, but there were always messages. That
morning, the power had been cut off and that was a serious problem.
Although they had their own internal power supply, which they had
bought with them, the external power ran the communications. They
now couldn’t communicate. And they couldn’t go outside. They were
blind in the sun even with their dimming glasses. Trlin paced,
hoping someone would bring them a message. Near dusk, he saw a
small creature. It wasn’t any animal he had seen before. It must be
sentient. He watched it as it crawled under a bush. Due to the
dimming light, he could see a little. Was it a Scientist? A
Botanist? What was it doing? Then it called out and he saw another
one, a different colour but similar.
    He called out, “Can you help us please?” The
two looked around. He waved. They saw him. Now would they ignore
him as most Races did? They didn’t, they came over to him. To his
astonishment, they came into the cave! One pointed at his
Translator and he handed it down. It adjusted the Translator and
handed it back.
    Words tumbled out as Trlin tried to get his
message across. “Please can you get help. Our ship has not come.
The communication to the spaceport has been cut off.”
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Our ship has not come for us.”
    “You missed the ship?”
    “It did not come. Because it did not come,
we now owe money to the Yojider.”
    “Who are they?”
    “The communication company.”
    “We don’t have any credit.”
    “I can give you credit. Can you pay for
us?”
    “Why can’t you pay it?”
    “We can’t go outside in the day time and the
office is closed at night.”
    “Why can’t you go out in the daytime?”
    “Because we are blind in daylight. Our eyes
can’t see in bright light.”
    “Why can’t you pay electronically?”
    “Because the power is cut off to us,” he
replied patiently.
    “Oh. We don’t know any other way to pay
bills.”
    Trlin sighed. They were either very stupid
or had decided to have fun at his expense.
    Another voice was heard calling and Trlin
looked up. A bigger one, same species. It came over, seeming
annoyed. “Where have you been? I’ve been searching everywhere! Mum
will be furious! Do you want to be grounded?”
    “These people are in trouble. They want our
help.” The bigger one looked at Trlin who had been listening and
was beginning to see what was wrong.
    “Are you their parent?”
    “No, the sister of this one,” Ilse said
pointing at Bea.
    “Where are your parents?”
    “Back in the city.”
    “Please can you bring them here. Please ask
them to help us,” Trlin begged.
    Bea interrupted, “He can’t go to the city.
He needs us to pay a bill for him. Urgently. I don’t know how
to.”
    “Oh. Mum will know. What do we pay it
with?”
    Trlin handed her a credit transfer. Next
second she had the little ones on the run. Trlin watched his rather
large Transferable Debit Card go with them. The older one didn’t
know where to pay it. Or who she was paying it for. Oh well. They
might bring their parents back. They might cash it in. Probably the
latter. He went back into the cave, very worried. He wondered if he
should try to get into the city again but the last time he had
tried he had got nowhere. No one would help. Most wouldn’t even
talk to him.
    Mid morning of the next day, another adult
came at speed to get him, “Those Aliens are coming back.