The Nature of Predators - Gress’ Cases (4/8)

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Memory Transcription Subject: Gress, Krev Hostage Negotiator

Date [standardized human time]: August 4, 2156

Back in the safety of the tactical command center, I could see Rameki believed that Cabani had reaped his just desserts. Were it entirely up to her, with no consequences, my Resket comrade would let Kamae take his life, and deem those dueling papers legally binding even on Avor. This would demolish his reputation on Tanet, especially with Kamae putting him on blast on social media; that was punishment enough in my book. These sapients were young enough to have their full lives ahead of them, rather than dying for this instance of disrepute. I empathized with the female avian to an extent, knowing how I would feel if Nevi had been with someone else after I popped the question.

Then again, I didn’t think I was the type of person who could take a life, outside of my Lecca being threatened. Whatever my loved ones did, I’d never harm them. I fired off a message to the Listeners: a branch of law enforcement which didn’t officially exist. If criminals knew the methods we used to track them, it could hinder our impressive rates of solving crimes. My contact with the Listeners, a Trombil tech wizard named Shenala, jumped onto my request to track Cabani’s movements through his implant; he’d already downloaded one of those hyper-popular music apps that served as identifiers. 

Shenala searched to see who his movements were close with, apart from his known affiliates. This was much faster than hacking into his holopad, and combing through his messages with AI. Most of the Consortium’s leading tech experts were Trombil, but few were as good at parsing through digital space for clues as her. My mentor from the early days, Tiressa, had given me her contact and told me not to ask too many questions. As long as Shenala stayed this efficient at cracking cases wide open, I wouldn’t poke into the Listeners’ business. Within a handful of seconds, she’d pulled up a name—a Smigli named Dajel.

That checks out. Smiglis and Reskets are the most common interspecies pairing in the Consortium…those avians are drawn to pink. The question is how Cabani and Dajel met, and how Kamae found out.

“Got a lead on Cabani’s mistress; a Smigli who works in the cultural sensitivity department at Delegates Tower,” I told Rameki. “He was posted as security at the memory scan checkpoint, so that must be how they met. Why don’t we ring up Dajel, and see if they’ll talk?”

The Resket scowled. “There’s no ‘we’ about this. You said to leave it to you, so that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

“I know you don’t want to defend a dishonorable man. However, you understand the nuances of Resket-Smigli relations much better than I do. I like to understand why people make decisions.”

“You’d have to ask Cabani, and I doubt Kamae will let him say a word.”

“That’s why I’m asking Dajel; they’re the likeliest person to know all the details. Look, Rameki, you might think Kamae has the right to take Cabani’s life, but does she seem stable to you?”

“No.”

“Then do you think she should be making decisions about life or death, without consulting any of her loved ones for counsel?”

“I guess not.”

“So let’s find a way to placate her, and not have corpses lying around in a fucking park. It’s a bad look for Reskets to not be able to follow our customs on our world.”

“Put in the Smigli’s number. I’ll jump in if they need the Resket brand of convincing.”

I entered Dajel’s contact info on the nearest display, grateful that Shenala had given it to me. The inbound call would display an emergency services icon to the Smigli, verifying who we were; hopefully, that would make them pick up. If they loved Cabani, they should be willing to help us save his life. As accepting as Smiglis were of various cultures and with their occupation falling in the sensitivity service, Dajel might also understand how binding duels were to a Resket. That did leave the question of whether they’d put more stock in respecting their lover’s cultural practices than keeping him alive. It might be best not to mention that it was a duel if I didn’t need to. My ears were perked, ready to weigh whatever they had to say when we broke the news.

“Hello?” Much like when I’d chatted with Vinior and the CAR activists, the phone dialogue was patched into the truck’s speakers. “To who am I speaking with? Please make this quick; I’m on the clock, and my boss is up my—”

I cleared my throat. “Dajel, this is Gress with the Avor Police Force. I’d like to ask you a few questions about Cabani. I don’t mean to alarm you, but he’s been taken hostage by his fiancé.”

“Kamae did this? I knew she was angry when she caught him sneaking out, but…what can I do to help?”

“Background info will help us to understand her motivations; anything at all might help us to free him. How long have you two been seeing each other?”

“Years: since back around the time he first started dating Kamae. I was embarrassed when Cabani saw that I had feelings for him on the memory scan…it said, ‘Subject is presently showing signs of romantic infatuation.’ I tried to stop thinking about it when I walked in there, but it didn’t work. He was just so handsome and strong. So animated when he spoke...”

“And then what happened? What did he do?” an impatient Rameki prompted.

“Cabani waved me on pretty quickly, and we never talked about it…until I got stuck at the train station heading back to the orbital rings with him. It wasn’t his normal time, but after that, it was; he arranged it so that his departure would coincide with mine. That’s what I consider the start. One thing led to another, and soon, we were sneaking off to see each other daily…even outside of work. Cabani was torn up over the dishonor.”

“Then why didn’t he leave Kamae? Even more, why did he propose to her?” the Resket pressed.

I tapped my claws. “Easy, Rameki. Those are valid questions, but like they said, he was torn up. I’m sure he had his reasons, and was conflicted. Give Dajel a chance to explain.”

The Smigli drew a shaky breath. “Cabani wanted children. His family had been pushing him to get married and have some hatchlings, so they could be grandparents…and Reskets have a lot of pressure on them to listen. They approved of Kamae too, and told him to marry her. He says they screamed at him when he even posited the idea of a breakup.”

“Then he should’ve listened to his family, instead of fooling around with both of you,” Rameki interjected.

“He tried to listen to his family, even though he didn’t love her,” I countered. “You can’t force yourself to love someone. Reskets are fools if they think they can govern the heart.”

“How dare you, Gress? You spit on our culture!”

“Sapient beings have their own wants and desires. It sets them up to fail to live for someone else, out of a sense of obligation. Dajel, listen. Do you have any idea how to get through to Kamae? Who she’s closest to in her family?”

“Kamae’s father, Travai, loved Cabani,” the Smigli said. “They sparred all the time, and as I understand it, genuinely got on well. She listened to his advice, a resounding yes on whether to marry him. The best answer I can give is that maybe she’d listen to Travai if he says to let my darling go.”

“Thank you for your help, Dajel. I’ll get in touch with Travai right away; and you’ll hear back from me if you need anything else.”

“Please save Cabani, I beg of you. Goodbye, Gress.”

The Smigli disconnected from the call, and I scrambled to acquire Travai’s contact info. It would be late in the night at his timezone on Tanet’s eastern hemisphere, but this was worth waking him up for. The emergency dial tone would play even if his holopad was silenced; I had to hope that he’d still want to spare his future son-in-law, after finding out Cabani cheated on his daughter. Rameki scowled at me, while I waited for Shenala to forward the necessary contacts. I paid little mind to the tactical unit commander, instead dialing up my intended helper. She was likely unhappy with how I undermined and confronted her during our chat with the Smigli.

Dajel wouldn’t have listened to the Reskets’ brand of convincing, and I know their customs well enough to handle my own. By defending Cabani from Rameki’s brazen insults, I showed the Smigli that I was on their love’s side.

“You were trying to play soft cop, tough cop,” Rameki accused. “You used me.”

I drummed my claws on the desk. “And you acted just like I imagined you would. It worked, didn’t it? Look what we’ve found out. Cabani didn’t want any of this, but he tried to do his duty in his own way. Now, Kamae has wound up wrangled into it and hurt as well.”

“Cabani is paying the price for his subterfuge and disloyalty to his family.”

“He’s paying the price because your culture forbids him from choosing his own future. Travai liked the guy; maybe unlike you, he won’t want to see his daughter kill her fiancé and get locked up for murder. Once Cabani dies, there won’t be a choice to not press charges. Do you want to see Kamae thrown in jail for life? You yourself said she shouldn’t be making decisions.”

“You think you can play me again, after what you just did.”

“I think that I’m right. I’m going to call Travai and try to save lives—someone has to.”

The Resket commander huffed, turned her beak purposefully away from me. Between the outcomes of Kamae letting Cabani go, or claiming his life with all eyes on her, it was obvious which produced the better results. I waited as the outbound call passed along to Tanet, imagining that the father was being awoken from a deep slumber: it’d be to some shocking news. If I wasn’t certain what Travai would say to his daughter, I wasn’t going to put him in touch with her. She was volatile right now, not thinking clearly. Familial duty was all I could think of to reel her in, despite knowing that very concept was the cause of this all.

“This is Travai speaking. What is the nature of your call?” the avian greeted. “I…see this is the emergency line. I hope that everything is alright.”

I cleared my throat. “I’m Gress with the Avor police. Sir, I’ll get to the point. There’s a situation involving Kamae and her fiancé, Cabani. Kamae discovered that Cabani was unfaithful, challenged him to a duel in the middle of Tonvos Pyramid, and is currently holding a wing-talon to his throat with plans to kill him. We hoped you might be able to help talk her down.”

There was a long pause. “Cabani was a nice young man. I never expected…infidelity from him. It’s understandable that my daughter is aggrieved, though I know it’s against your laws.”

“Exactly,” I latched onto that last sentence, hearing how he rationalized Kamae’s response. “It is against Krev laws. I don’t want to see her waste her life, Mr. Travai, and my government has no choice but to throw the book at her if he’s dead. We can’t have dueling on our world become normalized. I know you want better for Kamae.”

“Of course I do, but I also care for her honor…and her heart. Cabani was everything to her; I feel deceived that he left such a positive impression on me, and responsible that I encouraged their marriage. Tell me one thing. Why? Why did he do something so disreputable?”

“Honestly, sir?” I have to gamble that he’s not like Rameki. The fact he wants to know why suggests that a reason might be worth sharing. “He felt like he had no choice; just like Kamae thinks she has no options now, in light of what he’s done. But there’s always a choice.”

There was another long pause, and when Travai spoke again, he sounded conflicted. “What do you mean that he ‘had no choice?’ He shouldn’t have stayed with my daughter under false, deceitful pretenses!”

“From what I’ve gathered, Cabani felt pressured by his family to have children, and marry Kamae. His family shot him down when he mentioned the idea of splitting honorably—so that’s why he kept quiet. It isn’t a choice in your culture to listen to your elders, but his heart wasn’t in it.”

“I…I see. Let me speak to my daughter, Gress. There’s something I need to tell her.”

“What are you going to say?”

“The truth. It’s not something I intend to say twice.”

The resignation in Travai’s voice caught me off-guard, and I weighed whether he could be trusted or not. It wasn’t likely I’d find another relative of Kamae’s that was so favorable to Cabani before all of this. I’d heard in his tone that he was internally warring about something after my explanation, so he must have some degree of understanding for the given rationale. Without my own weary sigh, I jogged out of the truck, back out to where the hostage situation was unfolding; I transferred the call audio to my holopad, placing it on speakerphone.

“Kamae? Your father wants to talk to you,” I said, extending the holopad. “With your sense of honor, you want to…do this the right way, don’t you?”

Kamae glowered at me. “I didn’t tell you to call him!”

Travai offered a tentative trill. “Listen, there’s something I never told you. Your mother and I…we weren’t the least bit compatible. We married to appease our families, because it was good for our stature and respectable. We didn’t make each other happy, but we did right by our relatives—our duty.”

“What are you saying, Dad?!”

“We made an…arrangement, to be outwardly married…to be the people who raised children together. Neither of us could force ourselves to love the other, no matter how hard we tried. The relatives who forced us to marry are long gone, yet we had so many wasted years. You were a great thing that came out of it, but other than that, my life has been unfulfilling.”

Wow. That’s surprising to hear that open admission, coming from an older Resket. He understands Cabani’s side. 

“Why are you telling me this? Now, of all times?” Kamae demanded. 

Travai heaved a weary sigh. “If I could go back, I wish I’d chosen the dishonorable path, done things differently…yet I find us passing those burdens to our children. I know Cabani hurt you, and believe me, I’m furious for that. But I get how it is to feel trapped in a life that you don’t want; he wouldn’t have made you happy, even if he tried to do right. It wouldn’t have been good for you, in the long run.”

“I’m trapped in a life I don’t want without him. I don’t know what you want from me; this is about how I feel! Cabani isn’t the victim.”

“You’re both victims of our society, and I wish it weren’t that way. I’m sorry. All I want is you to live a happy, better life, Kamae…I’d approve of anyone you loved. If you want to duel someone for what’s been done to you, duel me. It’s my generation to blame. I wish so deeply I could take your pain. Please, find a better way; jail and ruin isn’t the life I want for you.”

“Me neither,” Cabani piped up. “I…I never meant to hurt you, Kamae. I wanted to be honorable, but I failed. My selfish feelings made me break someone who deserved much better…I really do wish I was the man who could’ve been a good husband. Yet I’m not.”

“You felt forced to stay with me?”

“Yes. I wanted to tell you the truth, but I’m a coward. I thought…I could live two lives, which was so wrong and distasteful. I can only say I’m so sorry for making that mistake, time and again. If you wish for my death, I’ll…accept my fate on Tanet. Our lives don’t both need to end here.”

“Nobody’s life has to end here,” I interjected. “You always have a choice over your own actions. Isn’t that right, Travai?”

The elder Resket drew a sharp breath. “Gress is right. It would be a tragedy to see two promising individuals die so young. You don’t need to create regrets that you’ll take to your grave. It’s too late for me, but not for either of you to start again.”

Kamae’s eyes watered, squeezing shut, before she shoved Cabani away from her. “I…don’t want to take your life. I did love you and want what’s best for you. It’s just excruciating to accept that’s not with me.”

Rameki’s tactical team descended like a pack of Jaslips, whisking Cabani back to safety. The male Resket wasn’t making much of an attempt to retreat, despite having a wing talon to his throat seconds prior; he struggled as they dragged him back. I hollered after the unfaithful avian, asking whether he wanted to press charges. He screeched back in the negative, so I knew with legal certainty that I could let Kamae go. It was a formality with how almost every Resket believed dueling should be permitted, rendering the letter of our law unenforceable without a death. I took a cautious step back, lowering my eyes.

“I let him go. I just…let him go. After everything,” she whispered in a despondent voice.

“You did the right thing, Kamae,” Travai squawked. “I’m so proud of you. I have no doubt that you’ll find your footing. Anyone would be lucky to be with you, in all of your radiance.”

I flicked my claws in agreement. “You’re free to go, Kamae. For what it’s worth, I agree with your father; you can do a lot better than someone whose heart lies elsewhere. Oh, and next time you want a damn duel? Host it on Tanet to begin with.”

Kamae’s long neck drooped with sorrow. “You don’t have to worry about that, Gress. I’m going back to Tanet. I came here for Cabani…and now, I have no reason to be here. I…I need to be alone.”

“It’s completely okay to be alone, and focus on yourself. It sounds like Travai will be there if you need him too; this will hurt less with time. You’re strong enough to move on. I wish you the best of luck on Tanet.”

The Resket didn’t answer me, shuffling over to a cable car heading down to the ground level. I offered a polite goodbye to Travai, before taking a moment to reflect on what was truly important across all cultures. I never wanted Lecca to suffer for my mistakes, or to be held back from her dreams by what I wanted for her. Maybe one day, the Tanet natives would see that lesson for themselves, recognizing the dangers of their prideful, rigid culture. Sapients couldn’t be locked in a metaphorical box for long without cracking under the pressure. 

Today, I hoped that I’d helped at least two Reskets break free of their society’s stranglehold.

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A/N - Part 4! We learn from Dajel that Cabani wouldn’t leave Kamae because his parents pressured him to marry her and have children, as well as rejected the idea of a breakup, so he tried to make himself love her. Gress explains to Travai, Kamae’s father, how Cabani felt trapped by Resket culture. Travai proves more sympathetic to his future son-in-law than expected, having been in a similar spot with Kamae’s mother; Kamae eventually lets up despite her pain, after hearing the full truth of Cabani’s side and her father’s pleas.

What do you think about how Gress handled all of the parties, and also of the stifling confines of Resket culture? Do you sympathize with Cabani? Will the couple be able to start over with others now that they’ve separated!

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!