The moment of our warp jump had been exhilarating to Kaitlin, whose eyes had gone as wide as moons. The two humans sandwiched me, standing side-by-side to look out at the breadth of Ushala, the Kexin homeworld; its oceans had a far greener hue than Earths, with swirling yellow clouds and sandscapes below. The NASA scientist seemed to be about to cry—for the polar opposite reasons of Finley. The ship lingered at that vantage point, orbiting in a holding pattern, for the better part of an hour.
The Council are finalizing living arrangements, as well as transport from the spaceport. I can figure out a way to barter for better treatment for the humans, after they get to their new dwelling safely.
Finley curled his lip, eyeing Kaitlin’s giddiness as we descended through the atmosphere for a landing, flames licking up over the windows. “What’s there to be happy about?”
The scientist couldn’t stop grinning, pointing with a trembling hand toward the top of the city far below. “Aliens! I’m actually visiting another planet—a whole alien city! I’ll get to see my dream before I die. I’m the one who gets to be here; I’m so lucky!”
“Lucky?! How can you be so fucking blind to the reality of where we are? They threw us in cages and won’t even speak to us! We’re never going home, never seeing anyone we know again, never free to leave some human fucking zoo; our lives are over!”
“I’m sorry, Finley. Aliens are my dream, and one that I’d give anything, everything, for, but I know they’re not yours. It’s rightful, and perhaps the more normal, sensible reaction, to be upset,” Kaitlin offered. “This…isn’t how I envisioned it either. Sometimes, as our gambling friend would know, life deals you a bad hand. How you play it is up to you. I think we have to make the most of our circumstances; we owe it to ourselves.”
“The Saphnos being genocided is more than a bad hand,” I responded, bowing my head. “It’s removing us from the deck. I…don’t think you understand, Kaitlin.”
Kaitlin’s eyes shone with some tangled web of emotions. “I assure you, I do, though not in the exact same manner as you. We’re all still in the deck, right now. We should use the time we have wisely, Craun.”
“That’s easy for you to say, with your fancy degrees and bundle of joy attitude. You have your jazzy instruments and you want to talk to aliens. I didn’t sign up for this. I have nothing to ever look forward to again!” Finley yowled, his voice high and desperate.
“Don’t say that. You have me,” I consoled, though the words felt hollow. “We’re still together.”
“You’re here ‘cause they think I’ll kill you. It’s a matter of time before they take you away. What future do we have in a fucking habitat?!”
“I don’t know, but it’s my turn to protect you. To save the primal people. Let me try; you promised Terry you wouldn’t give up or accept it. Maybe there’s others who could see you like I do. I can’t just sit and watch them treat you like this. I won’t!”
The farmer gave me a sullen nod. “We should split up, Craun. This is no life for you.”
“I want to be with you—this is my fault, and it’s light-years beyond the alternative anyway. I’d take hanging out with you, in a habitat, over prison. Besides, you didn’t leave me during a literal alien invasion.”
“That was different. You were in danger, but we still had hope. It felt like we could fight back, y’know?”
“We still can, but not with guns. What we need in times of crisis is to stick together. All any of us have is each other,” Kaitlin said, a firmness in her tone that I hadn’t heard before. “We’re the only voice humanity has out here. We need to take care of one another, and to figure out a way to prove that we’re people. I know that it can be done, when empirical truth is on our side. And truth matters.”
I thought back to the hopeless conversations with Komadale. “There’s nothing you can say that will convince them, Kaitlin.”
“The science speaks for itself, even if that was true. No matter how they treat us, we can rise above it. Are you guys with me, or am I taking them on alone?”
“Of course I’m with you. You took me in, and I wish others could see your kindness.”
Finley folded his arms, as we both looked at him. “I don’t see the point but…fine. For Craun.”
A bright red face came to the sealed bulkhead, which suggested we were about to be moved planetside, now that we’d touched down on the upper level’s spaceport. According to a ship manifest I’d found lying around, the Kexin was a veterinarian named Snelga; I remembered how Finley’s expression had crumpled when I explained that much. The animal physician requested that the humans re-entered the cages willingly, so they didn’t have to be sedated for transport.
Kaitlin settled down in her barred penitentiary, an idyllic smile on her face. Resentment burned at Finley’s cheeks and earlobes, as he stared daggers at Snelga—then cast a stupefied glance at the NASA scientist, as though asking how she could go along with it so happily. The farmer realized, through an exchange of nonverbal communication with me, that it would be worse for him not to comply. We were on their planet, and we couldn’t stay on the ship.
The humans won’t “have” to be moved like this again, once they get to their new home; this is the last time. I just don’t want Finley getting hurt by refusing. Maybe this way, I can argue that the primals are rational? Is that Kaitlin’s plan: to be overly compliant?
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Finley stomped into the cage, and I patted his forearm soothingly as I followed. “It’s a shame this cage ain’t a pinball machine. Then I could break it at will. Wait, is Craun the Fair an escape artist?”
I settled down, hearing the cage doors click shut. “Just a swindler. Or so the baseless accusations say.”
“Hey. Wait.” Finley’s eyes stretched comically wide, and he pointed a finger at me. Snelga crept in to move the cages off of the ship’s cargo ramp, and observed us with curious eyes. “Is Project Iris a pyramid scheme?!”
“You’re looking at the wrong thing. Hazel’s Kiel packs? A multi-level marketing scheme, devised by Craun the Fair himself,” Kaitlin jested.
“You flatter me,” I responded. “It’s so rare that I get accused of things I didn’t actually do!”
Finley clicked his tongue in disapproval. “You’re a bad, crooked rock. Humans oughta’ve set you straight.”
“Wait, primals—you know he’s a fraudster?” Snelga exclaimed, seeming to be in disbelief. “If you understand, then how did Craun manipulate you?”
“Is it not true that his people were genocided and the Council ain’t done jack shit?”
“That’s…true enough.”
“Craun only had to tell us the truth. He needed our help, and we were glad to bestow it upon him,” Kaitlin offered, trying to keep her voice soft and warm. “My name’s Kaitlin; you might’ve missed it the first time I said it. I just wanted to say that we understand a lot more than you might think, from your preconceptions.”
The Kexin snorted, leading the cages out into the bright sunlight. “Poor sweetie. I know you don’t understand why you’re here. I promise it’s better for you here, but I know you can’t accept that. It must be so confusing!”
The NASA scientist stood, looking directly at Snelga with her fingers wrapped around the bars. “You believe our interaction with Craun altered our behavior, and made us emotionally and socially dependent on him. You think this would impact how we engaged with the rest of our society. That separation would cause stress and leave us unable to return to our lives. That we can’t be made ‘wild’ again.”
“That’s…really good, primal. You’re clever! That’s why you aren’t resisting. You know we’re right.”
“Actually, I know you’re wrong—and that the logic falls apart pretty easily. In the instances where an animal might become dependent on people, they relied on a person’s care and stopped being self-sufficient. However, it was humans that cared for Craun. The most he gave us was some technology and an interesting facet of our lives: something to talk about and learn about. We’re not debilitated or poorly influenced.”
Snelga looked like she couldn’t grapple with the idea of a back-and-forth with a primal. “Of course you were influenced. You had no knowledge of aliens. Craun didn’t physically care for you, precious, but he changed your goals and ambitions.”
“Humans already wanted to speak to extraterrestrial life. Craun put a name and a face to my fantasies, sure, but you could find an assignment five-year-old Kaitlin turned in at school. We had to write what we wanted to be when we grew up, and I said that I wanted to meet aliens. It was complete with a doodle of me holding hands with a green man with antennae. I’d say I haven’t changed a bit.”
The Kexin seemed at a loss for words, before swallowing and pointing at Finley, who was clinging to me. “What about that one? Wouldn’t Finley be stressed if Craun was gone? Is he not changed?”
“Is it wrong to be changed by caring about someone?” the farmer demanded. “Surely you got loved ones, in spite of the feathers.”
Kaitlin arched her eyebrows. “Finley would have a rough time emotionally without Craun, but that’s singular to Craun as a person. Love can be a form of dependence, but I know it’s a bond that exists outside the primal-sophont dynamic in your mind. If the species were different, if you thought we had intellect, you’d have no issue. It’d be a bond that transcends how they look on the outside, and rather connects the core of who they are.”
“How are you…who taught you to speak like this?” an astonished Snelga demanded.
“Time. Practice. Lived experience.” The scientist winked, and tapped the left side of her chest. “And my heart. I hope you can hear my sincerity.”
The veterinarian was too dumbfounded to mount a response, shooting repeated glances at the docile primal. Kaitlin was busy gawking at the Kexin city’s architecture; the buildings were reflective and bright, popping through their color choices the same way as the natives’ faces did. She beamed and offered a cheerful wave at the crowd, who seemed to have strong disapproval for me. Finley hid behind me when he noticed the massive crowd of onlookers. I studied the spectators closer, trying to identify them.
Animal rights activists. Oh shit, these are the people who might want the humans freed! People who hope they’ll be afforded respect.
The demonstrators stood along the path, having negotiated a brief pass by the cages before they’d allow security to proceed without inconvenience; such accords were commonplace, so that each party could get what they wanted—in this instance, to express their views and to go home. Kaitlin introduced herself cheerily, in awe of the new aliens before her eyes. She looked far too happy. One Clydid pulled out a phone camera to take a selfie in front of her, and the scientist gave her toothiest grin and made a gesture with two fingers.
The guards who’d been nervous by how close the Clydid had gotten, Snelga the veterinarian, and even the protestors themselves seemed flabbergasted. Kaitlin had not only understood what they were doing, but had been cheerful to pose; she was behaving very differently, compared to the other primal present. Her eyes glowed with delight, as she told the gatherers that it was wonderful to meet them and thanked them for their support. She began encouraging them to write to her, as the confused security wheeled us further onward.
Kaitlin had a dreamy smile on her face, closing her eyes like she was savoring a bite of the most wonderful meal. “I want to know everything, Craun! So much life out here, and so many people to talk to. Ushala, this entire world—I think I’m in love! Is this how you felt with Finley?”
“I…don’t think so,” I managed, taken aback by her unfitting enthusiasm.
Snelga focused on the primal scientist, perking up with a startling realization. “You like it here, Kaitlin?”
“Isn’t it obvious? How could I not?” Kaitlin gushed. “This is the happiest day of my life, even more than finding Craun. Real aliens, seeing their homes and their lives: it’s all I ever wanted and more! I’m so happy that I know about you!”
“That’s really good, sweetie! I love seeing you happy! That’s what I’m trying to do here.”
Finley pouted. “I’m not happy. I didn’t see what you’re trying to do, other than back me into a fucking cage and jail me for caring about Craun!”
“I’m sorry, sweetie, but I can’t let you go. I’m trying to make sure you get everything you need and love the best life possible. I want you to make a happy, safe transition to your new home, and I’m going to see that it goes well.”
“That’s kind of you to look out for us, though I’d request for you to be mindful what a being of our intelligence needs for contentment,” Kaitlin interjected, before the farmer could spit venom at Snelga. “This seems to be an excellent learning opportunity for us all. I hope you’ll continue to speak to us.”
“I love having a talking primal. As an animal lover, I always wished you could speak, but…I need a moment. This isn’t making any sense; you’re not supposed to be like this. Maybe it’s for the best if we don’t interfere with you, especially if you’re smart enough to do something with it!”
“It’s not interference if I specifically asked you to spend time with us! Besides, by your logic, we’re dependent on interacting with aliens, right? You could say it’s cruel not to speak with us.”
Snelga scrutinized the smiling researcher closer, and offered an incredulous laugh. “You played Komadale. You wanted to be here.”
“Of course I did, Snelga. Like I said, speaking to aliens has been my sole ambition for as long as I can remember. I’d give everything, up to and including my own life, if it made our friendship work. You might think I’m crazy, but I don’t care if it’s through a cage’s bars. I’m ecstatic to be here and I love talking to you! I hope one day, you’ll have a good time talking to me too. I’d be happy for a chance to make us being stuck together fun!”
The Kexin was silent as she wheeled us into the small home a block from the spaceport, which appeared to have basic amenities, temperature control, beds, and a functioning TV. The veterinarian met Kaitlin’s eyes, and I wondered to myself how the NASA researcher was so persistent. In her first attempts to speak with Snelga, Dr. Sharp’s self-introduction had been altogether disregarded. However, a simple back-and-forth made it clear as day that Kaitlin was as sharp as a tack.
Realizing that a primal is exceptionally intelligent might be a little threatening, especially to anyone who believes they aren’t people. Nobody wants to be upstaged by an animal. Let’s hope Snelga isn’t prideful.
“I need some time to think,” Snelga decided. “I’m going to leave, so you can get settled in. It’s…not like it’d be safe for me to be in here with you…loose. Please make yourselves at home, humans. I’ll be right outside if you need me!”
The Kexin veterinarian hurried out of the room, shock still plastered across her face; she seemed to be having a hard time processing Kaitlin’s pleas. Finley was relieved when the strange-looking alien left and the cage bars unsealed. The lanky farmer was grateful to stretch his legs, and to poke around the habitat. The NASA researcher, however, looked to be in bad shape. Her eyes sagged with exhaustion as she curled up on the couch, and I noticed that her tremors had gotten worse.
Without access to the pills she’d been sneaking at home, Kaitlin appeared to be rapidly worsening. Withdrawal? I had to think long and hard about whether to invoke Snelga’s services, but for now, I’d let the scientist rest. I didn’t want to destroy the progress she’d made with whatever her secret was, though at the end of the day, I wouldn’t risk her health. It was going to be a delicate topic to broach, so perhaps I should seek Finley’s opinion on how to proceed. The last thing I wanted was to worsen the humans’ present condition.
A/N - 43! Kaitlin is delighted to see an alien planet before her death and is determined to make the most of the situation; she wants to convince the Council humans are people. Finley, meanwhile, takes no joy in any of this. Kaitlin is brought out and is cheerful to the Kexins, and she amazes Snelga by how sharp she is. Snelga realizes from Dr. Sharp’s happiness that she wants to be there and played Komadale. Meanwhile, Craun mistakes Kaitlin’s exhaustion and tremors for withdrawal.
How do you expect Kaitlin to react if Craun broaches the subject? Do you expect our narrator to try to get Snelga’s help? Will our Kexin vet realize humans are much more than common animals?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!