'SEE YOU MORNING' 159 Strange Visitor

A new day began. Lübeck arrived at his post on the bridge and went through the briefing. What caught his attention most was that according to the received orders from the previous night, his mothership had taken in a fighter jet from an unknown source. He checked the detailed information and found it was an Ultra Sabre fighter.

Per the military standard identification manual, this aircraft belonged to the tayget from the Pleiades Star Cluster. Though he had served in lunar orbit and encountered a few alien races, such opportunities were rare. He then looked up the pilot’s profile. There was only one person on board, a woman with the rank of captain named Shizuka. Could she be Japanese?

An alien aircraft bearing an East Asian name from Earth stoked Lübeck’s curiosity. He pulled up the data from the gravity field sensors recorded the night before. Judging from the approaching direction and vibration waveforms, the jet had come from deep space. What brought her here? Lübeck could not help wondering.

The morning passed quickly. Lübeck arranged to have lunch with Brittany in the officers’ mess hall. While waiting for her at the entrance, he casually turned around and caught sight of a slender figure walking past.

Recognizing her at once from her back, he studied her appearance. She had a petite and slender build, with a rounded hip, a narrow waist and sloped shoulders. In contrast, her head looked relatively large. Her long black hair was tied up at the back.

She did not look like a person of Japanese descent from Earth. Could it be that the gravitational pull on her home planet was stronger, resulting in such a diminutive physique?

“Lübeck, what are you thinking about?”

Brittany walked over with her usual bright smile. Lübeck was not about to admit he had been staring at another woman, so he gave a casual reply.

“Nothing much. Just waiting for you.” He took her hand and walked into the mess hall together.

They fetched their food and sat down in a quiet corner as usual. Brittany chattered cheerfully about everything she had experienced that morning, eager to share every detail with the man beside her.

Lübeck glanced around the busy hall and spotted the petite figure sitting alone in another corner, staying completely silent and keeping to herself.

“What are you looking at?” Brittany noticed his gaze fixed on the other woman. She had never seen him pay such close attention to anyone else in all the time they had been together.

“That female pilot over in the corner. She arrived last night,” Lübeck told her frankly.

“I see,” Brittany responded indifferently. She had noticed the newcomer long ago; she would never let another woman draw her partner’s attention away.

“Keep your voice down. She might be an alien.”

“What?” Brittany clapped a hand over her mouth and stared wide-eyed at Lübeck.

Lübeck smiled inwardly at her candid reaction. She could never hide her thoughts, yet being with someone like her meant life was never complicated.

“Let’s go say hello.”

“Do we have to?” Brittany hesitated.

“I am the captain. We have a guest on board, so it is only proper to greet her.”

“Alright.”

Lübeck picked up a plate of fresh fruits and vegetables with Brittany, walked over and took a seat across from the woman.

“Hello. Excuse me, are you Shizuka? I am Lübeck, captain of the San Jacinto. Welcome aboard.” He set down the fruit plate.

“These are fresh seasonal fruits from our ship. Please help yourself.”

The woman merely lifted her eyes to glance at him and said nothing.

Brittany quickly introduced herself.

“I am Ensign Brittany, and I am his girlfriend.”

This time, the woman’s large brown-green eyes lingered on Brittany for a second. Her eyes were noticeably bigger than those of humans on Earth, while her nose and mouth were rather small. Could her home planet have an oxygen-rich atmosphere that caused the gradual degeneration of facial respiratory features?

Her chest looked compact, which suggested her lung capacity was likely limited. Her relatively large head required ample nourishment, yet it had to be sustained by her small mouth and underdeveloped lungs. It must have been a strain.

He also thought about how a large head would make childbirth extremely difficult for a female of her kind. A stream of thoughts raced through his mind, but seeing she showed no desire to converse, he took his leave politely.

“Please enjoy your meal. We will not disturb you further.”

With that, Lübeck and Brittany returned to their original seats.

“Why won’t she talk? Can she even speak?” Brittany asked, confused.

“Pilots have to communicate during mission operations, so of course she can talk. She just chooses not to for now.”

“Hmph. I think she just doesn’t want to talk to me.” Brittany pouted.

“Come on. I’ll keep you company and talk to you.” Lübeck soothed her, then stole another glance toward the corner. Shizuka did not look their way at all.

When he returned to his post in the afternoon, Lübeck spoke to the communications officer.

“Pull up the communication records. Find out why that Ultra Sabre fighter docked with our vessel.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Moments later, the full records were sent over. The stated reason was a request for resupply. Lübeck could not help but smile to himself. Her small frame indeed needed replenishments. The detailed list included food, daily supplies and ammunition. That meant she had engaged in combat somewhere, using NATO-standard ordnance.

He played back the audio of their exchange. She spoke fluent English with almost no accent, yet her tone was flat and emotionless, lacking the warmth and vitality typical of Earth humans. Perhaps her limited lung capacity prevented her from expressing more, or maybe she simply possessed no emotions at all.

Lübeck formed countless speculations, but he knew he could not question Shizuka directly. For one thing, it would be improper to pry into a lady’s private matters. More importantly, pilots of trans-dimensional fighters were bound by strict confidentiality agreements, and he had no authority to make such inquiries.

After finishing his afternoon work, he was scheduled to dine in the enlisted mess hall for the evening shift. However, he received a message from Brittany, asking him to meet her at the entrance of the officers’ mess hall again, as she wanted to dine there and would be a little late.

Lübeck could easily guess what she had in mind. He stood waiting at the hall entrance, but Shizuka did not appear for dinner. She was far too slight in build and needed more sustenance. He hoped she had already eaten earlier.

In the distance, he spotted a figure approaching. It was Brittany, yet she looked quite different up close. She had cut her hair into a neat short style, with bangs falling straight across her forehead, inward-curling side bangs reaching her cheeks, and the back trimmed to neck length. She had also dyed her hair a deep reddish-brown.

Lübeck smiled at the trouble she had gone to.

“Do you like it?” Brittany asked the moment she reached him.

“I do. I like you no matter what you look like.” He reached for her hand.

Brittany switched hands instead, slipped her free arm through his, and walked into the mess hall alongside him.

With her arm linked through his, Brittany wandered halfway across the hall, looking around for a suitable table. Many diners turned their eyes to them, for everyone on the ship knew who the captain was.

“Found a spot?” Lübeck asked.

Brittany scanned the room once more and nodded.

“You take a seat here. I’ll get our dinner.”

Brittany pouted slightly, looked at him and nodded again.

Lübeck turned away to fetch the food, amused by her little ploy. She clearly wanted to show their affection in front of Shizuka, but the alien woman was nowhere to be seen.