24

Kenji took Airi back to the spare room and took a file out from under the bed.

'What is this?' said Airi in surprise. 'And what's this strange writing?'

'This is a report by Shen-ja,' replied Kenji. 'He gave it me a few days ago, for my knowledge and to give to Father on my next trip home. The plan, you see, was to access the enemy before attacking. I was to infiltrate the civilian side, while he was to be on the military side. Airi, even before his spaceship reached Earth, human infiltrants surveyed our plant for a future attack! I was there when our alarms went off, when we realised that our signals were being intercepted. The commander on your television was lying, Airi. The moment they discovered our planet, their first and only objective was to obtain it and colonise it; to enslave our people. If you don't believe it, look at this report. Shen-ja's current mission was to gather accurate information and transmit it back home to my father, so there are no lies in what is written here, I swear.'

'Okay... but... how can I read it when I don't understand the writing?' said Airi, looking at the strange symbols on the paper and wondering at the unusual script of the Xeljari language.

'I'll use the Force, it should work, I think,' said Kenji, and he held her hand and applied the energy needed for it be activated.

Airi shivered as she felt a wave of something go through her until the foreign letters on the page began to morph into understandable characters of her own language.

'This is amazing!' she exclaimed, but Kenji signalled to her to hurry and read before he ran out of energy.

She began to read:

- Shianxa has been discovered only recently and has been named Planet X; it is the only planet in human knowledge which is similar to Earth, which explains their special interest in it
- Humans wish to take over Shianxa and have formed a special task force called A-Unit to do so (complete member list and details on the next page)
- Humans know about the existence of Xeljari but don't wish to know anything more about us except our military capability; if anything, most entertain the belief that we are some sort of savage race that can easily be overcome
- The most deadly weapon humans possess is the nuclear bomb, which was orginally created to destroy parts of their own planet for some strange reason
- They are planning to use the nuclear bomb on Shianxa if their A-unit fails; we must prevent them from using it at all costs, due to its detrimental damage.

Airi stopped and looked up, just as Kenji's energy faltered, and the letters morphed back into strange symbols once more.

'Nuclear bomb?!' she exclaimed in horror. 'How could they?! Are you sure Shen-ja didn't make a mistake, perhaps?'

'No, this is accurate,' said Kenji, 'because Shen-ja succeeded in infiltrating this A-Unit himself — the TV didn't mention that, because it's a rather embarrassing mistake for the military, I suppose. Or perhaps, they don't want to have to explain why they had made the A-Unit in the first place...'

Airi looked at him, hoping to find some trace of a lie on his face, in his tone, in his words; but she could not do so. The more she thought of it, the more it made sense.

She flipped through the other pages, and saw the names of the members of the A-Unit — it was all real. She flipped to the last page, which contained a diagram of a horrid-looking bomb, along with what looked like the signature of the general himself! She shut the file at at once and handed it back to Kenji.

'You've made your point. Both our people and yours thought of war and colonisation at the same time,' said Airi.

'Yes,' said Kenji sombrely.

'They both disgust me,' said Airi with tears in her eyes. 'Humans... they've lost their humanity! And your Xeljari 'calm' race... they're anything but calm! I... I can't believe this is happening...'

'Look, Airi,' said Kenji. 'I know it's a lot to take in, but don't worry, our people would never resort to something like this! We would never hurt human beings! My father has always been against this sort of thing, and I know he would keep the peace on Earth if he got the chance to...'

Airi looked at him sharply. 'Got the chance to? Got the chance to what? Rule us? Colonise us? Is that what you're saying, Kenji?'

'Please, it's not as bad as it sounds!' said Kenji desperately. 'It's not like your leaders are doing any good running the place anyway, Airi, you can't deny that! Our planet is peaceful, our systems are refined and perfect, they really are. Our people are sophisticated and would never resort to cheap stuff like that awful bomb and stuff!'

Airi looked at him indignantly. 'Kenji, how can you say that? Are you really telling me that we should give up our freedom and allow ourselves to be ruled by others? You can't have learnt much about humans in your stay here, or you would know that no human would agree to this; they would rather die trying to free the rest of us! I'd rather die than live in such a world!'

Kenji's eyes widened. 'No, please, don't say like that, Airi! I would hate for anything to happen to you; I just meant... I just meant that...'

'Look, Kenji, I know you mean well,' said Airi, more gently. 'I've never seen unkindness in you, even when you say and seem to believe the most shocking things sometimes. And that's why, I'm saying this to you right now: do you really think that humans deserve what your people are about to do? Do you think I deserve to live as a secondary citizen on my own planet?'

Kenji looked at her sadly, and slowly shook his head.

'And what about your planet, your people? Suppose humans won somehow and ruled over them, colonised them; could you ever be happy and content? Could you ever accept it?'

'No!!' exclaimed Kenji, before realising how loudly he had said it. 'No,' he said more quietly, shaking his head. 'I would hate that. And I would rather die, like you said, in an attempt to liberate ourselves.'

Airi looked at him silently and said nothing.

The two of them sat together in deep thought, neither of them speaking. The minutes ticked by slowly as time writhed on.

'You're right,' said Kenji at last. 'What we attempted, what we initiated, was wrong and unstately, and it goes against the very nature of who we are. You reminded me of what true Xeljari values are: to be kind and selfless and considerate, not... not this.'

'Sounds like true human values to me,' said Airi, smiling at him. 'Maybe we're not so different after all...'

'Maybe,' said Kenji softly.

They fell silent again, but this time the atmosphere felt lighter.

'Still, Airi,' said Kenji, looking somewhat disturbed as his ears went down — he had changed back to his real form while they had been talking, but neither of them had noticed. 'Isn't it too late now?'

'Too late for what?'

'To stop all this! Even if I convince my father to abort the mission, humans are already planning to attack us. You saw the commander and that colonel... they looked so war-hungry! Did you notice the way he said "it" when talking about Shen-ja? As though he were some sort of animal!'

'I see what you mean,' said Airi worriedly. 'That unit, that bomb... and all that stuff they wrote in the article the other day...'

'What article?' said Kenji.

'I threw it away. But I think they're mixing up a lot of wrong information about aliens along with the facts, just so that people hate them from the start and don't object to any future attacks they launch on Shian-sha!'

'That's so mean,' said Kenji.

'It is...'

'Then, how can I do anything to stop our attack when humans are going in full war mode?' he said worriedly. 'It's too late!'

'No,' said Airi determinately, and Kenji felt a flicker of hope as he looked at her. 'It's never too late!'

'But, how can you say that?' said Kenji. 'We're at a dead end, and there's no way out of this. One of us is fated to suffer...'

'There's always a way out. You just have to believe in yourself, in your mission, and then even a dead end can turn into an escape route, it can,' said Airi passionately.

'Airi, I admire you very much, but don't you think this is going too far?' said Kenji. 'Belief isn't going to help us when basic logic has already failed.'

'Yes, it can!' exclaimed Airi. 'Belief, faith... these are things that can bend logic, bend Fate!'

'Airi, please, use your mind, not your heart!' said Kenji, wondering why she was saying these foolish things and why they were kindling hope in him when he knew nothing could be done now.

'No, Kenji; we must use our heart now, and trust it,' said Airi. 'And my heart says that a lot can be done yet if we only try!'

'Well, what do you suggest we do, then?'

'I'm going to find a way to stop the human attack,' said Airi, after a moment's thought. 'And you must convince your father and your people to stop theirs!'

'That's impossible, how are you going to do it?' said Kenji, shaking his head. 'And even me, I... my father never listens to me; he always looks down at me; how am I supposed to tell him all this? How am I supposed to convince him? We're both going to fail miserably, Airi!'

'So then, let's fail, but do let's fail together, Kenji — in glory, in honour,' said Airi.

'But — there is no glory in failing,' said Kenji, puzzled.

'Oh, but there is,' said Airi earnestly. 'There is! Even to fail for the right cause is worth it! The day you understand what I mean when I say this, you will understand humans completely.'

Kenji said nothing as he looked at her, awestruck.

'So, tell me, are you with me on this, Kenji?' said Airi, looking into his flickering eyes. 'I can't do this alone! I will do my very best to prevent a human attack, but you must promise me you will do the same and stop your father from proceeding with his plans!'

Kenji nodded and held her hand. 'I promise, I will stop him somehow. Xeljari will not attack as long as I'm around!'

Airi smiled. 'Thank you,' she said, with tears in her eyes.

'No, thank you,' said Kenji. 'For reminding me who I really am; and for trusting an alien like me with something like this.'

'I don't know what Xeljari are like,' said Airi thoughtfully. 'Perhaps I would never trust an alien, but you... I trust you, Kenji, no matter what. I believe in you.'

'Thank you,' said Kenji, and his eyes glowed with emotion. 'I won't break your trust; and I'll never let your belief in me break. I'll do my very best, and better.'

'So will I!' said Airi, and she nodded as she looked at him with a smile. 'I'll show you just how much good a human can do.'