ground. She knelt beside Denna as her convulsions stopped and she became still. Her opal eyes sparkled in the firelight, released the tragedy of her life, and didn't close. Rafael dropped to his knees beside her and touched her, stroked her bare arm. Ash fell on them, and Denna's pale arm was streaked with gray.
"What have I done?" Rafael cried. "Denna? Denna! Forgive me!"
"Do you have a head-bag?" Fidelity asked, shivering at the prospect of using such a device.
"She wouldn't want that," Rafael replied mournfully. "That has already happened to her once before. I killed her! I killed my son and now I've killed my wife!"
1-19 The Golden Visitor
Navy Commander Admiral Etrhnk was actually startled, and immediately knew the visitor was a harbinger of his death.
The three Marines stood apart in proper tactical formation, treating the shorter being as dangerous, their weapons pointing toward it but not precisely at it. There was no doubt the visitor was female. She stood still, holding up her Diplomatic-Level Navy Pass, while watching Etrhnk through a strangely-veiled hat as he approached the Security detail.
"Stand down!" Etrhnk ordered immediately after realizing who the visitor was. "Return to your duty stations."
"But, sir," the ranking Marine said, lowering his weapon, "we don't know how she got aboard!"
"I have responsibility for the visitor," Etrhnk said with menacing finality. "Speak to no one of her. Thank you for bringing her to my direct attention. I have your names. I will enforce this as a full security mandate. Carry on."
The Marines secured their arms, came to attention, saluted Etrhnk, and hastily departed.
The shrouded being watched the Marines move out of sight. She turned around and gazed in several directions, none of which should have held much of interest to her. Finally she let her barely visible eyes rest on Etrhnk. "You won't hurt them," she said. It was an order, not a request.
Etrhnk walked slowly around the visitor, trying to judge whether the Marines had seen too much, enough for them to realize the visitor was alien. He did not doubt she was not a member of any of the human races, but his perception was aided by knowledge the Marines did not have. She was artfully concealed in a high-fashion Essiin clothing ensemble. She was playing at being Essiin, daring to let a glimpse of golden skin pass for an extreme body-fashioning. That the Essiin could let their sense of aesthetics overbear their logical pursuits always remained a mystery to Etrhnk. The Marines must at least know she was female. He was embarrassed to receive a lone female in public, not wanting the storm of speculation it would arouse concerning his personal life. Privacy was vital in keeping his power and position. Embarrassment, of course, did not reach beyond the secrecy of his thoughts, and despite the calamity this Golden One would bring, he admired her courage. "Come," he dared order her.
Etrhnk walked swiftly toward his offices and residence on the flagship. The alien followed, emitting a heavy exhalation which clearly expressed dissatisfaction. He was relieved when he finally escorted her into the absolute privacy of his suite on the Eclipse. He was relieved to let his stunted emotions rest from what little they were stimulated.
"That was too quick!" the Golden One complained in a voice whose complex quality seemed to cause him to resonate like a tuning fork. "I wanted to have a look around! Did you think I was too exposed? You know they would never believe I was a real alien. Real aliens are supposed to be small and green, anyway. My, you are a large one, aren't you? My name is Constant."
She made to offer her hand in greeting, exposing it from a loose sleeve, but Etrhnk dared not take it. Her hand had no thumb, only two pairs of opposed fingers.
Her name is Constant, he thought, trying to remember the odd name for his own sake.
"A pleasure," he lied, or thought he lied. He watched as she raised her veil and removed the hat - a hat with feathers. There were feathers under the hat, feathers on her head, and some golden covering on her face. And all of her feathers moved! Although he controlled his expression - with extreme effort - to show complete lack of concern, he felt his skin prickle with goose flesh and his nerves tingle with shock at seeing a real alien. It was for him a momentous encounter, and both magical and probably lethal.
"You've seen one of us before?" the female inquired, studying his face and showing a quite-human frown, along with a velvety ripple of pattern in the fur-like feathers of her face.
He answered slowly, wondering between words if there was some honorific or title he should add before her name. "No... Constant, but I've heard inadequate descriptions."
"You're the cool one." She looked him up and down, perhaps like the owner of a prize horse.
Etrhnk knew the alien's "cool one" corruption of Standard came from old English. This was not unexpected. That the alien spoke Standard and not Twenglish was unexpected. If his final days were at hand, at least he would satisfy his curiosity about the Golden Ones. "If you find my manner objectionable," Etrhnk said, "I must insist that I cannot easily change."
The Alien named Constant removed a layer of clothing, perhaps trying to be provocative - and succeeding - until she was only covered by a loose undergarment. Etrhnk could imagine, seeing the feathery golden covering of her exposed limbs, that clothing was uncomfortable for her. She piled the body garments and the strange veiled hat on the black table, gave the black/white room a quick survey, and turned her great dark blue eyes back to Etrhnk.
"Your manner is legendary," she said, "but I would deem it a challenge. If we have time. Find anything interesting happening on Earth?"
Etrhnk was now even more certain of his impending doom. "Yes. Two officers of mine encountered a child and a monster, and there is also a rumor of a ghost."
"That is certainly interesting."
"Should I exercise less curiosity?" he asked.
"Tell me what you know," she ordered.
Etrhnk told the alien female absolutely every piece of information he had gathered, and while he spoke she revolved around him, studying him. He didn't try to follow her with his gaze but the sight of her was fascinating. She was more human than he thought was normal for her species. Neither was she as threatening as legend called for but Etrhnk knew her power was supreme. He wondered at what she seemed to find so interesting about him. He also wondered that no Golden One had made personal contact with him until now. He knew his predecessor was often visited by one or more of these aliens, always with many orders and instructions. When he finished talking she had no questions about what he recounted. She did have questions about him.
"So young," the Golden One remarked. "How old are you in Earth years, Navy Commander Etrhnk?"
"I don't know exactly, but I believe I may be forty-eight."
"Old for a barbarian."
"I must not have the death gene. It is not clear how far my lineage entwines with theirs but I seem to have a majority of Essiin heritage."
"You are the best fake Essiin I've ever seen." She reached out to touch the dark skin of his cheek but drew back, suddenly indecisive. She turned away, recovered composure. "Rare, yet totally convincing. Your designers had a flare for the dramatic. You almost flaunt the crazy Essiin culture back at them. You can come out of the act around me, if you wish."
"It seems impossible now." Etrhnk had to remind himself that it was true he was not Essiin. Then he had to ignore the fact.
The wondrous alien creature apparently discounted most of Etrhnk's replies, as if she knew more about him than he knew about himself. Perhaps she did, and the idea both intrigued him and threatened him.
"We'll work on it!" Constant declared humorously. "It seems such a shame. So much wasted." She turned back to him. "Are you still in good fighting trim? You look like you are."
"It is a necessary condition of the occupation," he replied. The Golden One knew this. She must know the answer to every question she would put to him. It would be interesting to see if he could learn her purpose for such unnecessary talk. It occurred to him there was no risk to asking questions of
her, since he had so little life remaining. "How old are you?"
"Ah! A question! Excellent! Answer: I don't know. However, I am certain I'm older than hell. The approximate number is efficiently expressed using scientific notation. In base-ten the value would be two and the exponent would be six."
Etrhnk allowed himself to blink at the reply. The legends said the Golden Ones were immortal. The legends were correct. "You appear quite young," he remarked.
"Thank you! I'm sure I look hardly a day over a millennium. Are you having any fun? What do I call you? Etrhnk? Big E? I'm only trying to be friendly, not disrespectful. I know what you've been through to make it here and stay here. You are a legend among barbarians. You're almost too good to be true. I've known many of your predecessors and there is no comparison."
"Thank you." Her remark did not gratify him. There was no pleasure in what he had accomplished. He saw his life as a natural progression based on his abilities. He saw his job as useful to civilization. Without his effort and the efforts of his predecessors, the barbarians would have ruined everything. It was regrettable that the process was brutal, that it contradicted what little he appreciated of Essiin aesthetics. He wondered at her "trying to be friendly." Why would she try to be friendly with a human she was soon to terminate? "Why have you come to see me?" he asked.
"Oh, I know what you suspect