Long Ago

"How far away are we from our destination?" Impatience was clear in her voice. "When will we be there?" Her bright eyes scanned the screen, looking for answers.

She hummed and tapped her fingers on the console feeling restless and bored. She had been in this spaceship for too long and longed for fresh air and greenery. She missed her home planet, even though she knew it was dying.

"Please be patient, we are only six hours away from our destination," A robotic voice said from beside her.

The screen showed a blue-green sphere that was getting bigger by the minute.

"Oh, I thought we were almost there." She rubbed her eyes to remove the remnants of sleep from them. Then she looked at her partner and smiled. "Everything is on course, right?"

"Yes, and after traveling for months, six hours is almost there." The tone was just as emotionless as before.

"You're right, of course, I'm being impatient." She chuckled, feeling both excitement and apprehension. This endeavor had the potential to turn into a disaster very quickly if they weren't careful.

"Not on my watch," she muttered and tried to calm her pounding heart.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing, just talking to myself," she was sheepish, "I do that when I get excited sometimes."

"It's understandable. We're all excited about it."

She nodded but wondered if that was true. Were they all excited about it? Or were some of them afraid, angry, or doubtful? She knew that not everyone agreed with this mission. Some of her people thought it was too risky, too desperate, or naive.

"Let's hope things go as planned. Otherwise, we'll have an intergalactic incident at our hands." She wondered about the wisdom of their move, knowing that some of her people had ulterior motives. They didn't care about peace or coexistence. She wished she could trust everyone on board, but she couldn't. She had to be vigilant and cautious.

At this point in time, she was unsure of everything related to her mission. Things hadn't been going well for them, and most didn't even know how it all started. But wars and nature took away any happiness there was. All they knew for sure was that soon they wouldn't have a home planet to return to. And that prompted their leaders to devise a plan so incredible. The thought made her shudder, and she told herself they would be fine. They were survivors and would overcome every difficulty coming their way.

She might not like to be in charge, but she understood the importance of her role and vowed to protect her people. She wouldn't let them down, no matter the personal cost. She felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders, and a soft sigh left her rosy lips. She wondered exactly how far she would be willing to go if things went wrong.

Hopefully, nothing would go wrong and there wouldn't be any need for drastic measures. Because all aside, she was a pacifist by nature.

"We're peaceful beings. And all we want is a place we can call home. I'm sure everything will be fine. After all, we don't want war." She reminded herself.

"Don't we?" The robotic voice was thoughtful.

"Yes, yes, peaceful, that's what we are," she said, but why couldn't she believe it?

Her worst nightmare was to find hostility and react to it the way they always did. Would they destroy another planet if they couldn't make it their home? A shiver ran down her spine, and she told herself not to worry. She was leading this mission, and she wasn't like her elders. There was no way she would repeat their mistakes and be homeless, yet again.

"Of course," the robot said, "It's a simple and straightforward task. All we need to do is find a safe place, conduct a successful dialogue with the natives, and secure a new home for our people."

"Right, simple and straightforward," she was trying hard to keep her spirits high.

This was it. Soon the fate of her people would be determined. If only it were as simple or straightforward as Steven made it sound. But Steven didn't understand because he was just a robot. To her, it was all a bad dream—a nightmare in the making.

Her whole planet was on the brink of extinction, and Earth was their only hope. Thinking of Earth and Hope in the same sentence left a bad taste in her mouth. She had never heard anything good about earthlings. They were savages, the worst sort of thugs, but there was no other choice for now. Their home was all but gone. Most were scattered across galaxies, but they needed a stable home planet. And if they could find safe haven on Earth then so be it. The only problem was humans had no idea about life on other planets.

Those arrogant creatures believed themselves to be the only intelligent life in the universe. It was kind of ironic when you thought how far behind in time they were. This would be their first contact, and she wasn't sure about the kind of reception they might give. One thing was for sure her people wouldn't force their way. They could, easily even, but it was unacceptable. Not this time. Not now that she was leading the expedition.

Hopefully, humans would have enough sense to realize they would be benefited from this alliance. Enterers were far ahead of them when it came to science and technology. And they were willing to share their knowledge if humans decided to give them sanctuary. There were only a few thousand of them, anyway. Earth was big enough for all of them.

But she feared what her own leaders would do if humans were not receptive to their terms. This was a desperate situation and even the most peaceful of beings were known to stoop to violence for far less.

"Oh, well, let's worry about that later," she said, eyes fixated on the screen. Their destination grew closer every minute, and so did her anxiety.

Back to Now

I woke up with a start and wondered about the strange dream. Yet, it wasn't the first time I had dreamt about that alien woman and her robot assistant. I didn't know her name, but she called the robot Steven, which was oddly earthly. My lips stretched into a smile as I considered if they ever reached Earth. As far as I knew, no humans ever made any first contact. This all might just be a dream and nothing more. Still, with my abilities, one never knew. I might be seeing a glimpse of the past or the future.

Those two had featured in my dreams before but not quite like today. This time, it was more vivid. Almost as if I were that woman, coming to Earth for the first time, hoping to find a home for my people. Her emotions were strong, and I could almost taste them. Especially her anxiety was palpable. But then, I was an anxious person by nature, and it might be my own anxiety I was dreaming about in a rather imaginative way.

I looked at the wall clock and cursed under my breath. It was a good thing my boss was such a great person. At least he wouldn't fire me on the spot. With that thought in mind, I got out of bed and started preparing for the day ahead, which looked endless even before it began.

Later, as I made my way to the subway station, I tried to recall more details from my dream. The alien woman had long black hair and blue-green eyes that sparkled with emotions. She wore a white suit that looked like it was made of some advanced material. She had a slender figure and delicate features. She looked beautiful and graceful but also strong and determined. She seemed like someone who cared deeply about her people and their survival.

The robot Steven was a contrast to her. He had a metallic body and a round head with two blue lights for eyes. He spoke in a monotone voice and moved with precise motions. He seemed like someone who followed orders and logic but also had some curiosity and humor.

They made an odd pair but also seemed to have a good rapport. They trusted each other and worked together as a team. I didn't know why I knew that, but I did.

I wondered where they came from and what their planet was like. And why did I keep dreaming about them? Was it just a coincidence? A random product of my subconscious? Or was there something more? Did I have some connection to them? To their mission? To their fate?

I shook my head and tried to dismiss these questions as silly and irrelevant.

It was just a dream.

Or so I hoped.

But these thoughts changed my mood. No longer feeling curious, I now felt dread creeping up on me. The feeling of being watched made the hair on my neck stand.

I looked around, but everyone minded their own business. Early mornings were the busiest time of the day, and no one paid any attention to me. Yet, the feeling persisted.