His calm voice relaxed Julianna a little and she moved towards the spacehip and peered inside the open door. It seemed so small. How could a man travel in something so small, she wondered. The moment she stepped in, everything changed. It was a large room within, with strange machinery and technology all over the place, nothing like Julianna had ever seen.

"I can't believe my eyes. What kind of planet are you from?" her hands were in the air, gesticulating frantically.

"Like I said before, it's Kryos. And there's something important you have to know."

Julianna stepped out of the ship. "Could there be anything more serious than this yet?"

"Actually, there is," said Dacha placidly. His blue eyes were very serious now, gazing fixatedly at Julianna. "The future of your planet depends on it."

Julianna just stared at him in silence.
He continued: "I was a cast away in Kryos, a very hot planet three galaxies away from yours. You would remember how cold I was when you found me. I'm not used to the low temperature here. I lived in hiding but was caught stealing food to survive. I was then sentenced to death. Just then, something came up. The planet became unstable and it dawned on us that it would soon become unhabitable. It became hotter. We had to relocate or suffer annihilation. My people had always known that there was life on your planet, and so they had to send somebody down here to ascertain if we could wage war on the earth people and take over your planet. My mission was to learn your ways so as to know your weakness. On arriving, I discovered not your weakness but your strength which is love and kindness. These you will not find on Kryos. As you noticed, I have no heart. So are my people; heartless. The punishment for the littlest and most insignificant of crime is death."

Julianna had heard too much. She wasn't even listening anymore. She was so scared, to think that her home, her planet, everything was in danger of imminent destruction. She sat on the ground and her look became distant.

Dacha walked up to her.
"Your dad and yourself had shown me so much love and care this past few days, I'll take it with a smile to my grave."

"To your grave? How do you mean," said Julianna, looking up at him.
"My people are very sophisticated. Our technology far surpasses that which you have here on earth and they would wipe you out in the twinkle of an eye if they were to know how less sophisticated your people are."

"So we're gonna die afterall," cried Julianna. "There'll be no more humans for God's sake."

"Not if I do something about it, the only thing there is to do." Dacha gave a sigh.

"What's that?"
"Give up my life. I'll die before I see anything bad happen to you or this wonderful planet." He laid his right hand on Julianna's right cheek, caressing it. "I feel something for you which I've never felt before and I think it's what you call love.

Julianna was in tears now. "I'm in love with you, too, Dacha, ever since I first saw you lying down there shivering on the porch. But what is all this you say about you giving up your life for us?" she sobbed.

Dacha stood up and turned his back towards the weeping Julianna. "The meteorite that crashed into your barn? It wasn't a coincidence. It was a sign, a sign for me to return with my findings."

"And they'll still execute you when you return to them?"

"Yes, if I return with unfavorable news. They show no mercy. But if I come bearing good news, I might have a chance at redemption. And then they'll come and destroy you. But I'm not going to die by their hands. Nobody is going to die by their wicked hands anymore."

"I still don't follow," asked Julianna, confused.
"I'll send them a message in the spaceship but I won't return in it. A message that'll definitely take their minds off this planet. But still, I have to die."

"Christ, no!" cried Julianna. "Stop talking about death I can't have myself watch you leave."

"And I can't watch to see this planet get destroyed by my infernal kind. I'm dead anyway whether you like it or not. I came to learn how to destroy your world, but now my mission is to save it. Come with me into the spaceship."