The Nature of Predators - Star Crossed (11/13)

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Memory Transcription Subject: Kelvanis, Terran Resident

Date [standardized human time]: January 12, 2150

Being honest with myself, I never expected to make it this far. As wonderful of a prospect as it was to get off of Aafa, I had been heading up to the station as a statement, lobbying for my posterity. I was nervous about what Earth would be like, with all of the unknowns it held and the potential shock value of its customs. Sitting here on a spaceship, gazing out the peephole as we descended into Dutch airspace, none of that mattered—especially when I thought about what Chloe had sacrificed for me to get here. She was snoozing against my shoulder, with a cast wrapped around her arm. I recalled our escape from Aafa, as I stuffed her in a wagon and put a tarp over it. Perry had seemed surprised that the two of us returned.

I wished I could have pointed out various landmarks: explaining how the School of the Flora operated at its peak, talking about the diplomatic centerpiece that was the Governance Hall complex, or painting a picture where the botanical gardens were. The weddings they used to host there—where we could’ve hosted ours, and gone to nature-journal together into our old age.

I remembered the abject horror on Volani’s face, when I told her that Chloe and I were tying the knot and absconding to Earth. I had to hug my sister goodbye for the second time, this instance with finality. She couldn’t have been less interested in using that to get herself Terran citizenship; she thought I was a fool…marrying a human I had known for a day. It was a fatal mistake in her eyes, impossible to comprehend. Why would anyone want to live on a predator’s world? Kenzo had mirrored her disgust, along with an aura of loathing toward the two of us, when we returned to the station. He’d fired Chloe, officially, for commandeering a shuttle without authorization, insubordination, and failing to report for work. However, much to his chagrin, my residency had been auto-granted once our marriage license was submitted.

There was so much left for us to accomplish as a couple, now that we’d made it to the Sol system. I was certain that many humans would have a negative reaction toward me on Earth, though it couldn’t be any worse than Chloe getting mauled by a hateful mob on day one; frankly, I expected it to be less widespread than that, given how prosperous Terra was. Any sapient was more likely to give into their worst desires under poor conditions. We both had a mission to try to share my story, along with the absolute lack of compassion back at the asylum processing station. More people needed to sympathize with the innocents that’d been caught up in Aafa’s quarantine, rather than see us all as the enemy.

I’d also have to overcome prejudices while attempting to find a xenobotany job in the field; Chloe knew that I wanted to join a survey team, but that meant we’d have to work around frequent travel requisites. It wasn’t clear if any humans would hire me, especially since it could create issues on the worlds of SC allies. I’d heard the horror stories about Kolshian expats on other worlds, which meant Earth might be the least dangerous place for me in the galaxy. Even then, it wouldn’t be entirely safe. I had a lot of tasks to tackle and challenges to overcome, but the first would be meeting Chloe’s parents. There was no telling how they would handle her coming back with a destitute Kolshian husband, fired in days and beaten to a pulp for it.

“Wake up, my love,” I whispered, jostling her arm. Her brown eyes snapped open, and she pushed herself upright with a dramatic yawn. “We made it to Earth. Can you check if your parents made it here in time?”

Chloe grimaced, before shooting a conflicted glance at her holopad. “Yeah. They’re here.”

“Something wrong? Did they react poorly when you told them about me? I know you think they won’t be pleased about…me, though they won’t be as upfront about it as Volani.”

“I, um, only told them that I met someone. I told them we were coming back together…and that we needed a place to stay, because I’d lost my job. I didn’t mention the…marriage or the Kolshian part.”

“What? Why not?” My head tilted to the side, wondering if she was ashamed of me. I hadn’t shied away from telling Volani about Chloe, even knowing how my only family would react; I hadn’t cared. “You don’t want them to know about me in advance?”

“I think they wouldn’t believe me if they didn’t see it. I’m shy, and doing something like this isn’t like me. I don’t think they’ll know what to think, Kelvan. They won’t be happy, but this way, they have to give you a chance.”

“I see. I don’t like springing it on them…seeming sneaky could make my first impression even worse.”

“I’m sorry. If you’re not comfortable with how I planned it, I can text them right now. I just wanted this to go as smoothly as possible,” Chloe murmured, snuggling up against my arm.

“No sense in it now. It doesn’t make a difference at this point; we’re just about touching the ground. You know your family better than I do anyway, so I’ll just trust that you’re doing what’s best.”

“I hope so. Honestly, I’m nervous about handling their reactions…and I feel bad about it, since you were so strong with Volani. I couldn’t bear it if they said anything of that caliber to me.”

I ruffled her hair with affection. “Don’t worry; it’s understandable when they’re people you love, and don’t want to alienate. As long as we’re together, it’ll be okay. Maybe things will go better than expected. Why don’t you tell me a little about where we’re landing? I didn’t give you the tourist experience on Aafa, sadly.”

“Well, I’ll be glad to be your tour guide! We’re landing in Utrecht, home to cozy canals, storied cathedrals, and the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. Lots of history and scenic views: you might enjoy walking around here, though I had somewhere else in mind for you specifically. That’s a surprise for later.”

“I won’t pry. Is this where you live? I was under the impression you lived somewhere more rural; this seems pretty dense.”

“Oh, this is just the nearest big city to home, so that makes it the closest space port. It’s about half an hour by train to Nijkerk, where you’ll see a lot more windmills and open air.”

“Got it. Sorry, I’ll be learning about your home from scratch.” I unclipped my harness as the vessel docked, and prepared to take my first steps onto Terran soil. I fitted her hand into mine. “Shall we?”

“Lead the way.”

The two of us strolled to the entrance in solidarity, and I prepared myself to soak in whatever sights and surprises Earth might have in store. The sun’s caress against my face was the first thing I took in, contrasting the biting wind that prickled my skin. I turned my face upward, inching closer to Chloe to draw upon her warmth. The spaceport wasn’t large, with only a few ports to dock on; I doubted this location saw much interstellar traffic. It was nothing compared to the crumbling, blocks-wide relic in the City of the Flora, which saw a mind-boggling number of flights arrive and leave from its premises. I should’ve guessed, given that my wife hardly saw aliens before coming to the Haf system. 

Aside from a security guard that was on his holopad, instead of paying any mind to the arriving ship, the only humans in sight were a silver-haired couple; their arms were interlocked. The whites of their eyes enlarged when they spotted me at Chloe’s hip, and she waved at them. Her father’s jaw fell open, taken aback by his daughter returning with a Kolshian. The air chilled me even further under his dismayed pupils, and I curled my tail around my sweetheart’s waist for comfort. It was obvious her mother was rattled as well, though she forced herself to speak—nudging her husband so he’d compose himself.

Chloe’s dad doesn’t seem to like that I’m with her at all. That is not a look of approval.

“Er, hi. I’m Elsje,” her mom managed. “Chloe, who is this? Is this that someone? Perhaps I’m mistaken.”

Chloe ducked her head. “You’re not. This is Kelvanis.”

“Hi! I’m so delighted to meet both of you. You raised such a lovely young woman, who’s caring and relentless when something is important to her,” I chimed in. “Chloe is perfect in every way; I couldn’t love her, and her family, more if I tried.”

“What…how did this happen?” her father growled, a hint of anger in his voice.

Elsje frowned. “Bram, calm down. Let’s not overreact. I definitely would like an explanation.”

“It was love at first sight. Kelvanis came in through my door, and it felt like I came alive. He was fun, thoughtful; nobody else has swept me off my feet like him. You don’t choose who you love, but you know in your gut that it’s right. The UN tried to send him away, and I couldn’t let that happen. The only way to save him was marriage, so that was what we did,” Chloe blurted. “Here we are.”

Bram’s hands were curled into white-knuckled fists. “You married a fucking sq…alien that was just looking for any ticket off world? How long have you known this Kolshian? A week?”

“Not to mention you had no wedding. You did this without thinking—without your family. This isn’t you, Chloe. Come to your senses, before this has more consequences than a job,” her mother said.

“I know this might be a shock, but he’s a very good guy.” Chloe bit her lower lip, eyes moving from side-to-side in search of words to say. “Give him a chance. You’ll understand why he’s the one once you get to know him.”

“I would’ve never meant to exclude her family, Elsje. Please accept my apologies if that’s how you feel; we had no time to plan, but we would love to have a proper ceremony when we’re ready. I’d be honored to learn about human—and Dutch—traditions,” I interjected.

Bram crossed his arms, ignoring me. “Chloe, what can this Kolshian possibly offer you? What kind of future will you have?”

“I’m going to find work, sir. I have valuable expertise in the xenobotany field, and I’m willing to go anywhere. I might not have a lot to my name, but I’ll work hard to give Chloe everything she deserves; the last thing I would want is to hold her back.”

“You’re destroying her future! This is not the life I wanted for her.”

“Bram, she’s already made this decision,” her mother sighed. “You don’t choose your child’s love interest. The least we can do is be supportive; we can’t leave her out on the street. Why don’t we get on the train, and try to be kind?”

Chloe squeezed my arm tighter. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Of course, dear. Your father and I both love you, and want what’s best for you. We’re just a bit startled at how questionably fast you moved things along. Look, I was going to make dinner for the two of you, so why don’t we have a nice meal at home?”

A glint of realization flashed in Bram’s caramel eyes. “Dinner. That’s a good idea. If he wants to learn Dutch traditions, why don’t we introduce him to stamppot? We can show him some of the pig slaughterhouses and farms; a large part of our economy, since many people here prefer the real deal. We sure do. It’s our culture.”

A queasy feeling simmered in my throat, at the mental image of touring cattle pens. I didn’t care what the Terrans did, and I wanted to make a good impression, but I had no interest in seeing real animals killed. From what I’d known about humans, their meat was supposed to be grown in vats; it was weird to think of Chloe putting real carcasses happily through her beautiful lips. It wasn’t like I didn’t know they were predators, regardless of what claims were made about their capacity to hunt. It didn’t matter to me in the abstract, and I thought I could get used to it the same as the eyes. These were cultural differences that I’d expected, and perhaps I was reading a bit too much into Bram making these pointed remarks. 

Still, I should be direct about how it made me feel, hearing about any living creature’s suffering. Bram might be testing me or trying to open up, but there were zero positives in mind to watching these pigs die in person. The Terrans could do what they wanted, and I wasn’t worried that their hunting would have any implications on my safety; regardless, I quite frankly wanted no part of that kind of tourism.

How do I phrase it in a way that’s polite, but reflects that I’m not okay with the suggestion? I don’t want to react like some typical herbivore who treats them like monsters—a lot like the throwing, I get that it’s evolution outside of their control.

“Kelvan won’t eat meat, Dad. And why the fuck would you suggest going to slaughterhouses? You’d never do that to a human,” Chloe hissed. “Shit, I have no interest in watching that.”

I managed to keep a placid expression. “It’s okay, Chloe. A simple no suffices; I’d much rather see parts of Earth that are pleasant, rather than amplifying your predatory aspects like the Federation does. You have so much history here, and beautiful sights like these canals…it’d be a shame to linger on the grisly.”

“The grisly? That’s how you see omnivory, isn’t it?” Bram prompted.

“I know people that…look like me are notorious for overreacting. I hope that you never feel judged by me for acting as you normally would; I have no interest in changing you. Feel free to eat whatever you like, and if you could just pick out a few vegetables for me, that’d be great. I’m afraid if I ate meat, I’d be spending more time getting to know the toilet than you.”

Elsje chuckled. “Kelvanis has a sense of humor; I like that. I’ll set aside some veggies for you. It’s not a problem.” 

“Awesome. I’m very honored to be your guest, and I hope that you’ll come to think of me as not the worst son-in-law imaginable.”

“Let’s get this over with. I have a lot of questions for you on the train ride,” Bram said, putting an arm around my neck. “Like whether you hurt my daughter. I see that her arm is broken, and I want to know how the fuck that happened.”

Chloe gasped with indignation. “Kelvan would never! He saved my life from the people attacking me—he was quick-thinking, and brave. I had to go after him on Aafa, when the UN sent him away.”

“You went after him in an unknown city full of aliens? The Chloe I knew would’ve never done that. She would be quaking in her boots just boarding a train, or walking through Utrecht.”

“I guess I’m stronger than I thought—and Kelvanis makes me feel safe. If you want proof that he is good for me, look at the before and after. I’d walk through fire for him.”

“Please don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t make the exterminators’ job that easy.”

Chloe’s teeth flashed with her laughter, as Bram scoffed: still keeping a stranglehold around my throat. I recalled some common “prey” fears about being strangled, and I suspected my father-in-law did too. He stared directly at me, making a show of licking his lips and baring his canines in a hostile way. I was certain at this point that Bram was testing whether he could scare me off by acting as predatory as possible; it wasn’t dissimilar to one of the ways I’d thought the humans on the station might test me. His weird, exaggerated behavior wasn’t going to get to me. I’d weather whatever he threw at me, and prove that I was no skittish herbivore that’d cower at any part of humanity.

It was time for me to demonstrate that I could endure Earth’s most “predatory” elements and not be a hindrance for Chloe to worry about as we went about our day-to-day lives.

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A/N - Chapter 11! Chloe and Kelvan get off Aafa without a hitch on Perry’s shuttle, leaving Volani behind quite possibly for good; Kenzo seethes, firing Chloe on the spot, but the plan succeeds in getting our favorite chair of a Kolshian citizenship. They arrive in the Netherlands with the hope of crashing with Chloe’s parents, who are both shocked that their daughter married a Kolshian in that short stretch—Bram is actively hostile, flaunting predator traits in the hope of scaring Kelvanis off.

Will Kelvanis be able to withstand the tests and win over Chloe’s parents? How will their time on Earth go together, as they start their new life? What do you think of Bram’s behavior, and assessment that he’s ruining Chloe’s future?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting! Gress’ series launches tomorrow, with our first true NOP2 bonus content.