The 25th Colony

Like a chameleon, the Juban warship exterior changed to beige as it landed on the desert near Cairo, Egypt. The door and ramp opened silently and Grus Harm ventured cautiously outside. Even though it was nighttime, the oppressive heat of the desert quickly enveloped him and he had to take a deep breath. He had trained for this, but the small, mild deserts on Jubas were no match for the massive and brutal desert he now faced. He walked quickly away from the warship as the door and ramp closed and, from a suitable distance, watched his last link to home disappear in the night sky. A few lights twinkled in the distance and he shifted his huge backpack to a more comfortable position. He braced himself as a gust of hot, dry wind blew a fine dust into his eyes. He pulled a metallic shield with a visor over his head that protected him from the dust and heat and started toward Cairo. He needed to be there before dawn. Grus was totally unprepared for Cairo. Despite extensive training, he was overwhelmed at the sights, sounds and smells as he entered the ancient city. Even at night, the streets were teeming with people, vendors in open stalls, vehicles and animals pulling carts. He waited in the shadows until he spotted a solitary figure that seemed large enough, then pulled him into a dark alley and robbed him. He quickly donned the stolen clothes and hid his large backpack. His first task was to find a safe place to stay before daylight, when his unique features would cause him to stand out in the crowd. At a little over two meters tall, it seemed to Grus that he was much taller than the average inhabitant in this city. He also had to figure out a way to hide his orange hair and disguise his orange pupils. There wasn’t anything he could do about his height or his large bodybuilder-like frame. His first victim had also unwillingly provided a small animal hide pouch with some local money and identification papers he could modify if he found the right equipment. He looked around at the adobe walls of the houses and buildings, the dusty streets and menagerie of people and animals and wondered how he would ever be able to survive in this environment. But, first a place to hide…he pulled the hood of his newly acquired robe over his head and headed further into the city. He tried to be unobtrusive, but noticed some people staring at him. He assumed his height was the issue, and walked quickly with a purpose. As he walked along a nearly deserted street a vehicle passed him and stopped next to a young female walking a short distance ahead of him. Two males jumped out, grabbed the female and forced her into the vehicle. She saw Grus and yelled to him. He had a limited knowledge of the language but knew she was asking for help. Grus hesitated. This was not his affair and he certainly didn’t need to draw attention to himself. He tried to ignore her cries for help, but instinct and his own internal values took over and he pulled out a small transmitter he knew would temporarily disable all electronic devices. He pressed the button and the vehicle’s engine failed. The driver quickly jumped out and opened a compartment in the front of the vehicle to determine the problem. The other male was still trying to subdue the female when Grus opened a rear door of the vehicle, grabbed the male by his clothing and jerked him out of the vehicle with such force he went flying through the air and slammed into the nearest building’s wall. Grus walked quickly to the other male and banged his head on the vehicle’s engine. The female exited the vehicle and stared at him - uncertain what to do. He motioned to her. “Run, before they wake.” Even as he spoke, he realized his hood had come off and she was staring at his orange hair and eyes with a frightened look. He quickly pulled the hood back on and waved her away. Instead of running away, she walked slowly to him. She seemed to be well-dressed and looked at him with the darkest eyes he had ever seen. “Thank you.” Grus didn’t know the proper response, so he nodded. She unexpectedly handed him a small card. “I would like to repay you somehow. Call me at this number.” Grus didn’t understand what that meant but nodded again and watched her walk off. He was distracted by the first male who was now stirring on the sidewalk and trying to get up. He walked over to him, removed all his possessions, then knocked him out again and resumed his search for a hiding place. He stopped under a streetlight and searched through his newest possessions and found even more money. His nose reminded him he had not eaten in some time when he realized he was standing near several street vendors selling food. He pulled the money out of the animal hide pouch and went to see what was available. A little while later he saw a sign that indicated rooms suitable for resting were available. He retrieved his backpack from the alley and soon was resting on a bed. He pulled out the card the female had given him and stared at it. He would ask the housing attendant who had taken his money what was written on the card, and what it meant to “call her.” Akila Hamdy took a long hot shower and crawled into bed still shaking from the night’s events. She had been a reporter for the Cairo Daily Times, an English language newspaper, for many years and had reported on crimes and women’s issues for years, but had never experienced a crime herself. She felt violated. She couldn’t stop thinking of the huge albino man who had come to her rescue. She had seen albino animals in zoos, but had never actually seen an albino person before. There was something else about him she couldn’t shake off. Had he actually picked up her attacker and thrown him through the air? She shivered and then wondered if he would ever call her cell phone and allow her to repay him somehow. She knew most people who looked “different” often stayed in the shadows, away from people. She did hope he would call her. The next day at the newspaper office, she described the attempted kidnapping and the albino that intervened to Ahmed Lacksmi, her editor. “Through an informant we learned that your attempted kidnapping was not random. Your last article helped the police arrest some arms dealers, who are determined to extract revenge. Please be careful and allow us to provide a guard.” She shook her head. “Thank you, but I cannot do what I have to do, and meet the people I need to meet with an off-duty policeman following me around.” It was only a minor comfort to Akila that the attempted kidnapping was not random. Grus adapted quickly to his new environment. He found several foods he could tolerate and actually developed a taste for strong, black coffee. No one bothered him when he visited a nearby 24 hour café after midnight. He opened a local newspaper and found a picture of the female he had rescued from kidnappers next to some text. He tried to read her article but it was in English and he had only a very limited knowledge of English. The café owner read it to him and Grus asked what arms smuggling meant. Later, the rooming house attendant helped him use a “house phone” and call her cell phone. After a few tries he connected. Akila knew who was calling her as Grus’s voice was different and he stumbled with verb use and tenses. The Arabic language was difficult for him... After a few false starts, he asked her if he could meet her one night. After the attempted kidnapping, Akila avoided walking anywhere and took a taxi to meet her albino rescuer. She entered the 24 hour café and easily spotted her rescuer in a corner. He stood up when she approached.