The Intercepters

I stepped out of my space vehicle. Planet Ilta! After three weeks of flight I had made it outside the Milky way. Looking towards the horizon, I noticed an object floating in the sky. It seemed too far away to see, but my Helpfulnesses, whom I had enlisted to help me on my vacation, were still getting things set up. I might as well check it out and take a walk. As I walked towards the object, the ground gave way under my feet, as if it were on springs. I had not imagined Ilta to be like this and it was hard to keep my balance. I jumped, tentatively, then in bigger bounds. It was far easier then walking. I hopped around, feeling the air. It was cool but not uncomfortable. I held out my arms and tried to get used to the environment. The ground was bright purple, so intensely colored that it seemed to radiate color. There were no hills, but flat purple ground stretching out as far as I could see to meet a neon yellow sky. It hurt to look at such a bright color, so I kept my gaze down. And there were the strange objects, which I noticed as I walked, always floating and bobbing in the air. They were like round things with wings. Some smaller ones were flying and buzzing around my head, and I ducked as one passed right over me. “Sorry!” a voice said.

“What was that?” I exclaimed.

The object squirmed and wiggled above my head. It was yellow and orange, with little extending appetites which buzzed like a large insect, and the wings which rotated. “Sorry,” it said again, in perfect English. 

“I thought you were a machine,” I croaked, thinking of nothing else to say.

“Me! A machine! Well, yes, I–not me exactly, of course, but I’m a machine. I am talking through a machine,” it responded. 

“So you’re a person?”

“Not half. I’m broadcasting my signal from the small building on your right.”

I looked, and took notice for the first time of a low, squat building on a hill. It had a flat roof and was open at the sides. I could just see a person inside it, waving. 

“See, I’m waving right now,” the voice said.

“Can I come talk to you?” I asked. “I’m a space vacationer. I only just arrived.” 

“Oh, welcome. But you are talking to me,” it said, flying in tight circles. 

“Personally.” I was feeling very lost, and I wanted to discuss this new place with another person. Personally. 

“Well, okay. I’ll let you come over.”

I jumped and bounced over to where the building stood. It was quite a ways but I found could cover great distances in my leaps and bounds. I saw that there was no door. I grew closer to it, not knowing what to expect. 

“I’m opening the door,” said the flying thing and a panel of the wall slid apart. I walked in. It was dark. 

Then the panel crashed back into place behind me.

And the perfect voice said, “Attention, Intercepters. We have a human.”

And the voice said, “Attention, human. You have been Intercepted.”

To be continued!