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Melinda
My first days on Krovatia are a bit of a blur as I adjust to being on a different planet. It’s taken me a whole week to get rid of the space lag and bring my sleep patterns in line with the days and nights here. I’ve unpacked my belongings and set about making my new home feel like a home. Troy, Avery and I have spent time setting up our workspace and integrating our computer systems with the Krovatian ones. We’ve had help from a Krovatian liaison officer, a gentle young male named Desimar. He has spent countless hours with us, helping us with our tech needs and giving us valuable advice about how to get about in Krovatia.
After my initial meeting with Denishar, we have spent the last week showing our faces around the different government departments, as well as the Ministry for the Environment, getting to know the key officials and building up our knowledge base about this planet and its people. It has been weird going to work meetings and sitting across from half-naked individuals. I haven’t quite got used to the sight of women walking about topless as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. And maybe it is a natural thing and I’m the anomaly here, wearing layers of clothing that stick to my skin in the burning heat. I’m the one who feels awkward and overdressed.
As a concession to the local dress code, I have taken to wearing loose, sleeveless beach dresses, my legs bare and my feet in sandals. This is the most dressed down I have ever been in my entire working life.
We have been given a transport drone to use, but we never go anywhere unescorted. There is always a Krovatian officer with us, taking us wherever we need to go. It’s for our safety, we’re told, though I rather suspect it’s the opposite. Until a level of trust between our peoples is established, we are going to be treated like suspicious aliens. I guess that goes with the territory. This is what our mission is all about, lowering those barriers and encouraging a mutually fruitful cultural and trade exchange.
I’m settling down to sleep in my bedroom when the bleep of the communicator tells me I have just received a message. I glance at the screen and see it’s from Wyatt.Wyatt. The man I still love despite a divorce and light years’ distance between us. I’ve not had time to dwell on him too much since I’ve been here, but now, with his name flashing on the screen, it comes back to me how much I miss him. This adventure to Krovatia would have been so much better if he had been here with me, and if we could have shared this experience together. I try to quell these thoughts as I tap the screen to open up the message and project his image.
The first sight of his beautiful face has my heart clenching. He’s wearing a plain T shirt that hugs his chest, and his dark blond hair is rumpled sexily. He smiles, warmth radiating from his clear blue eyes. “Hi Mel, how are you honey? I just got your message from aboard the Olar, but with the time lag, I’m guessing you’ll already be in Krovatia when you get this.”
His brow creases in worry. “I hope everything is alright, that you got there safe and that everyone is treating you right. Please honey, let me know as soon as you can, even if it’s just a quick message to say you’re fine.”
I blow out a breath in frustration at the impossibly long time it takes for our messages to transmit. I already sent him a communication a week ago, as soon as I arrived here, but by my estimates, he won’t get it for another week. And in that time, he’s going to be fretting. I reach out a finger to the projected image as if to touch him and reassure him.It’s ok honey, I’m fine.
He continues, telling me about his weekend trip to the cabin with Dylan and the boys. It’s a strange feeling listening to him talk about his life back home—there’s nostalgia, but also a sense of disconnection. That life isn’t mine anymore, and although a part of me misses it, another, more powerful part is thrilled to be here. I wouldn’t have missed coming here for the world. I tap the communicator to transmit my response, suddenly eager to share with him all the new things I’ve experienced on this planet.
I smile at the screen. “Hi honey, I’ve just listened to your most recent message, and it kills me that you’re sitting there worrying when all is fine with me, and I can’t get the news out to you quickly enough. So anyway, this is me, a week into my life on Krovatia. I’ve been busy settling in. I’ve also met with some important officials and started a diplomatic dialogue. It all sounds very promising. Yes, they are a little distrustful of outsiders, but this is why this mission is so ground-breaking. I have a really good feeling about what we’re doing here and what we can hopefully achieve.”
I stretch my feet and relax on the bed while I think of the best way to describe the myriad fascinating things I’ve learned and observed in my time here. I grin, “Well, it’s been strange going to meetings with people only wearing loin cloths. It’s a bit disconcerting… I mean, sometimes you can’t help your eyes straying to the naked chests on display, but then you look quickly away to avoid embarrassing them and yourself. The interesting thing is that although they are nearly naked, they have a ton of artwork decorating their bodies. I thought they were tattoos at first, but I’ve been told it’s semi-permanent ink. Apparently, it’s kind of a ritual for people to have their body art re-inked every few months, following the latest fashions. They take this very seriously here. When we went out the other day to the market with our escort, I saw several body art shops—I guess they’re the equivalent of our tattoo parlors, but there’s even more of them about than back home. It’s like they’re compensating for not wearing clothes by having elaborate designs inked on their bodies. I’m wondering if I should try it out for myself, especially if it’s not permanent. What do you think?”
I reach out and take a sip from the peach colored drink by my bedside. I hold it out for Wyatt to see. “This drink here is something callednari. It’s fruity, a bit sharp and lemony, but with a hint of sweetness too. The closest flavor I can compare it to is iced tea, but with more fruitiness. I love it, and it’s like the national drink here. Everywhere you go, they offer it to you. I guess because it’s so refreshing and cooling.”
I tap my chin and try to think of what else to share. “Let me tell you a little about where we live. We’re on a secure, gated compound which has been newly built for the alien diplomatic missions. There are a dozen houses altogether, this one I share with Troy, Avery, Pravol and Treylor. Next door is where the other three Venorians live, and the next two houses are occupied by the Driskians. The empty ones I guess are there for when the diplomatic missions expand, as I hope they will. I got invited over yesterday for a visit to our Driskian neighbors and met them all. Really interesting beings. Reptilian features, green skin, but otherwise quite humanoid in appearance. Their language, beneath the translation of my ear device, sounded like a series of hisses and clicks. That weirded me out a bit! At first sight, they were a little intimidating, but on closer acquaintance, they’re not like that at all. Actually, they exude this great sense of calm and peacefulness. It’s amazing that through this mission, I’m getting to know more about their race as well as the Krovatians. I’m hoping to go on an off planet visit to Driskia at some point in the future, but it’s not going to happen just yet.”
I take a breath to pause and gather my thoughts. “How can I describe the city to you? Well, it doesn’t look anything like a city for one thing. There’s the central shopping district, which has some interesting food markets and those body art shops I told you about. They’re all located in a great big, well insulated building, away from the heat outside. There are bright rays of light that come through some strategically placed slats on the upper walls, so it doesn’t feel dark and dim. The place is like a cross between an arcade and a mall, but the architecture is nothing like what we have back home. Lots of arched ceilings and little turret like rooms, and narrow winding internal streets. It’s kind of cute. I’ve only been there once, but I’m hoping to do more exploring soon.”
I take another sip of my nari drink. “But apart from the central shopping district, the rest of the city is quite spaced out, with little clusters of housing units interspersed here and there. The houses are all whitewashed and have very thick walls to keep the heat out.” I scrunch up my face. “I’m not describing it very well. I don’t want to make it sound like the people are living in primitive huts or anything like that. Even though there’s a great simplicity to the design of the buildings, they are actually really cleverly built. And aesthetically, they’re so interesting to look at. Lots of high domes and arches—I get the feeling Krovatians appreciate a feeling of space. Next time I’m out and about, I’ll take some video footage so you can see what I mean.”
I pause. “Anyway, I better wrap this up. The exciting news is that in a few days, we’re invited to a state banquet where we’ll get to meet and mingle with lots of important Krovatians, so I’m really looking forward to that. I’m not sure what I’m going to wear though. How formal can I get when my counterparts are going to be in loin cloths?” I chuckle.
“So that’s all my news for now. I hope all is well with you. I miss you. Love you.” I blow a kiss to the screen, then end the communication.
???
I was not kidding when I told Wyatt I had no clue what to wear to this state banquet. I need to mark the occasion with something more formal than the strappy beach dresses I’ve been wearing during the day, but none of the evening formal wear I have seems to strike the right note when I’m going to be in the presence of nearly naked individuals. I decide to ask my newly friendly colleague—still can’t get over the personality change Avery seems to have undergone—for advice.
I walk to the end of the corridor to where her quarters are located and gently knock on her door. When she opens, I give her a rueful look, “Any clue what I should wear tonight?”
She laughs. “I’m having the very same conundrum. Come on in and see my final choices.”
I step into her room for the first time and look around curiously. She has the same basic space as I do, but she’s put a much more homey touch to the décor with some colorful throws on the bed and brightly colored rugs on the floor.
“This is nice,” I say.
“Thanks. I wanted to create a space that felt like home, even if I’m light years away from Earth.”
“That’s what I tried to do too, but I have to say, you’ve made a better job than me. Did you bring these rugs with you from home?”
“That one over here I did, but the rest I bought from this market that Desimar told me all about. He took me there that morning when you had your meeting with the Ministry for the Environment.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. I’ll have to ask if Desimar can take me there too one day. I could do with some of these decorative touches.”
“I’d love to come along if you do.” She leans over the bed and picks up two dresses. “So, which of these do you think?”
I examine the dresses. The first is a flowing maxi dress in a jade green silky material with a long slit up one thigh. The other is a sleeveless, form-fitting little black cocktail dress that comes down to just above the knee.
