The Nature of Predators - Star Crossed (4/?) (Patreon)

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Memory Transcription Subject: Kelvanis, Kolshian Asylum Seeker

Date [standardized human time]: January 5, 2150

The confines of our official interview eventually morphed into casual conversation; the human and I spent hours chatting about anything and everything. As nervous as I’d been to share my story, expecting fierce hostility, I’d found out that Chloe was petrified of me; it never crossed my mind that one of her species would behave like that toward me. I’d had no clue how to reassure someone from a predator race, but I’d decided just to handle it like she was a normal person. Her body language had undergone a drastic shift, suggesting that I’d chosen correctly. It was intriguing to hear what her life was like, and to learn about Terrans firsthand.

I leaned forward, after I finished recounting how the underground shadow caste caverns had become havens for crime. “I guess it’s a shame, because they could be used for housing or reallocating resources. Instead, just smugglers and seedy shit. Now that I’ve told you about the splendor of Aafa, why don’t you tell me a little about what Earth is like? I have a lot to learn, especially if I’m moving there.”

“Earth varies greatly from place to place, but I can tell you what I know about my country, the Netherlands. I’m a rural girl, but that’s actually pretty rare: we’re one of the most urbanized countries, with limited agricultural land set aside. If you run into Dutch people, aside from me, it’d probably be consulting about flood control. That’s our specialty,” she answered.

“Do you really build your cities near dangerous water? Not to sound like a typical Kolshian—I’m not saying it’s reservoirs of predator disease—but that is kind of asking for it to wash away your settlements.”

“I guess that’s always a risk, but you need water for life. Droughts get bad enough as it is. That said, my nation is one of the most vulnerable in terms of…being at risk of flooding. Pretty much our whole landmass is at or below sea level. Had to find ways to adapt, building levies and making room for the water to go. You’re right that floods are going to happen, but it’s like a tree in a storm. You want our constructions to bend, but not break.”

“Did you use a plant metaphor just for me, Chloe?”

The human laughed, flashing her teeth. “I thought you’d enjoy that. But yeah, that’s how the Dutch wound up as the galaxy’s de facto experts on living near water. I saw on the internet that Sillis—the Tilfish world, I think—wanted our help with their superocean closing in. Our engineers also helped when we’re rebuilding worlds, especially that commune we built for the Thafki.”

“You didn’t see many of them before your kind showed up on the scene. Given another century, with their numbers…they might not have existed at all as a free species. Can you imagine what it’s like, losing your homeworld and being relegated to a commune?”

Chloe’s smile faltered. “I…I can imagine exactly what it’s like. It wasn’t that long after we found out aliens existed that they tried to kill us all. We knew they didn’t mean to leave any of us alive. I remember sitting out in the open space, staring up at the heavens, while there was a light show like I’d never seen before. Even then, I was old enough to realize that was…our last stand.”

“I’m sorry. It’s an awful feeling, powerless on the ground with…your whole world on the line. An impending sense of doom from the flashes in the sky. Just wanting to protect the people you care about.”

“You and Volani had already lost your parents. I had mine with me for the end.”

“It’s not a competition, Chloe. I’m sure we shared many of the same feelings, and I just…I wish the Federation saw we weren’t that different. I wish you hadn’t gone through that.”

“I do too. It skewed my perception a lot. I don’t think I realized how much I’m still just a scared thirteen-year-old in my head, not wanting the space creatures to come in the night. I guess that’s always been what aliens meant to me…until I met you.”

“Oh? And what do they mean now?” I whispered.

“That’s a good question.” Her cheeks deepened in color, like they had during her anxiety attack, and I worried that I had pushed a disconcerting subject somehow. “Well, um, hearing what you’ve been through, and uh, helping you—”

There was a click as the door popped open, and a human with a short black mane poked his head in. He didn’t wear any of the excessive armor or have weapons like the guards; relief flashed across Chloe’s features at the interruption, or at least, that was what I thought was in her eyes. There was also a hint of a new emotion—something decidedly ugly—swirling in her pupils. My caseworker was not fond of this guy, which put me a bit on edge; from what she said, she only knew a single person on this station. She’d mentioned an asshole named Kenzo, so if this was him, I should be prepared for nastiness.

The last thing you need is to say something that’d get Chloe in trouble on her first day; follow her lead. You know nothing about human social customs, and that “Kelvan the chair” trick can’t work on everyone.

“What the fuck are you doing? You’ve been talking to this fre…visitor for hours. You don’t need to write his autobiography,” the Terran hissed.

Chloe donned a smile that seemed mocking. “Didn’t you tell me to talk to him? I’m doing the job you left me to handle, Kenzo.”

“I came here to check you were okay. For all we knew, something happened to you.”

“I’m fine. Call off the search party. You can see yourself out of my office now.”

“You two need to pack it up. The security guards’ shift is up, and we’re closing for the day. You can go settle into your room; isn’t that what you wanted?”

I raised a tentative tentacle. “Um, excuse me. Where is my bag? The guards took it.”

“I wasn’t talking to you. You belong on the bottom floor with the other riffraff,” Kenzo snarled. “Stop disturbing the girl on her first fucking day; I’m sure she’s as sick of you as I already am, but she’s too polite to say.”

“I’ll handle the goodbyes.” Chloe rose from her chair, with an authoritativeness that I hadn’t seen before. A storm swirled in her dark brown irises. “And I’ll start with this one. Get the fuck out, Kenzo.”

A scowl crossed the male human’s face, before he retreated from the office. Chloe closed down her workstation, a sudden weariness replacing her determination once she realized the time. I could feel a bit of hunger gnawing at my stomach, and knew that the less-than-herbivorous alien must be craving a meal as well; all that bothered me was that I was keeping her from taking care of herself. Still, I didn’t want this delightful chat to end. What if Kenzo was right about me outstaying my welcome? She’d been nervous around me, and I’d eaten up hours of her time, when she’d only been trying to get through a few questions.

What had Chloe been about to say when her cheeks brightened earlier? Perhaps I was too chatty, but she didn’t want to be rude. Still, she called me a ray of sunshine, and…if one human agreed that I didn’t deserve to be quarantined, that’s a good sign.

“Goodness, I really enjoyed meeting you, but I hope I haven’t occupied too much of your day,” I decided to say. “After all this stress, you must just want to lie down and enjoy a meal.”

Chloe waved a hand dismissively. “Fuck Kenzo. I wish I could talk to you more; you’re better company than most people I’ve known. Besides, I’ve learned a lot about Kolshians, and I feel like it’s good for me. Thank you for sharing your story and being patient.”

“What else would I have done? Yelled at you to hurry up and write down my answers?”

She chuckled. “That might’ve been a little intense. A real Kenzo move. Anyway, it’s me who’s been badgering you with questions. Much as I’d like to, I won’t keep you any longer.”

“You’re keeping me from being alone, and I wouldn’t call that a downside. Would you really like to continue talking?”

“Absolutely. It’s a shame they’re kicking us out. If there were somewhere we could go, I’d offer to head to the first floor, but that might be a bit too much for day one.”

“I wouldn’t expose you to stress like that. Are Kolshians allowed in the human area?”

“Somehow, I doubt they’ll like it. Maybe if you came with me…stuck close…”

“I could help carry your bags to your living quarters, Chloe. That’d be worth it for a few extra minutes.”

“Well, I can’t say no to a little heavy lifting help. I wouldn’t waltz you through the mess hall, but we might be able to hide out in my room. One way to find out if they’ll say anything.”

“A proper science experiment. Let’s do this!”

I strolled over to where the human had left her bags, relieved that the painful prospect of bidding her farewell had been pushed down the road. My mind wandered for a moment to whether the UN would be giving my tote back, but that wasn’t a priority now. Chloe protested as I picked up both of the duffels, one in each tentacle; while she’d intended to split the carrying load, I had a more chivalrous plan in mind. The primate’s eyes rolled back in her head, before admitting defeat. I followed her out of the office, and soaked in every detail of the curls in her mane. Would it be weird to offer a compliment?

My cheeks puffed out in an attempt to exile those thoughts. A sense of adventure buzzed in my chest, as I followed Chloe de Vries away from the designated meeting zone; Volani would’ve chastised me for letting myself be lured to a predator’s lair, but I couldn’t begin to see this human as threatening. Passing by the UN guard who’d been unamused by my small talk earlier, I found myself wondering how Chloe would’ve answered my questions about soft blankets. If Terrans didn’t brush soft things up against their exposed skin like we did, then I had a feeling she’d try it. Her open-mindedness was commendable; it was a big part of why I felt drawn to her.

It's nice to have a human who hears what I’m saying, and who doesn’t treat me like some scourge that shouldn’t be directly addressed. Chloe sees me. Because of that, I trust her.

The Terran summoned the elevator, as I adjusted the bags in my tentacles. She must’ve brought a lot of things to this station, much more than I’d ferried up here for my trip; then again, that made sense, since she was moving here on a permanent basis. Chloe smiled at me, extending a hand in an offer to take one off my tentacles, though I once again refused to share the burden. Small lines creased the skin by the corner of her eyes. We strolled into the cable car, and I noticed a note mentioning that the third floor was locked to human biometrics. Unless detecting a Kolshian aboard was a problem, I might be able to make the ascent with her.

“Sleep on the left, eat on the right. Room 12. Pretty sure that’s what Kenzo said, and I won’t bother asking him again,” Chloe murmured, as the elevator began to rise with a button press. Success. “I’ll ask about them confiscating your bags tomorrow, by the way. Unless there’s something you need right now, in which case, I’ll head back down.”

I observed the human out of my periphery. “Tomorrow is fine.”

“Great. I have no idea how long the application process normally takes, but what you told me was compelling. I’ll keep you informed on any developments there too.”

“It’s nice to have someone on my side. Shit, you didn’t have to do anything extra.”

“Neither did you, Kelvan. I wouldn’t have made it through today without you. Lord knows, I didn’t have any of my people on my side.”

“That means that neither of us are up here alone anymore. We’re in this together.” The elevator dinged open, and I stepped out, eager to be rid of the bags. There were no humans on guard, though I noticed a passerby give us a lengthy, direct stare with forward-facing eyes. “Look, we made it. Left, Room 12?”

“Don’t quote me, but I think so.”

We took off down the hallway at a brisk pace, in the hopes of locating her room before any armed Terrans could evict me. Chloe’s eyes scanned over the doorframes, before she identified one with two specific markings. I kept watch out of my periphery for any security closing in on our location. The primate inched over to the handle, pressing her thumb to a scanner; that must’ve meant she’d given some identifier of her fingers to the UN. Was digit mapping a common way for humans to confirm their identity? We ducked into the room, as soon as the mechanism unlocked.

There was a tidy bed in the center of the quarters, a wardrobe, and a viewport wall with a breathtaking snapshot of the stars. I tossed the bags onto the mattress, hoping that was a decent place to leave them for now. Chloe flashed her teeth, perhaps amused that the stunt had worked; we could continue our conversation without a soul in sight. A sudden rush of nerves permeated my stomach, and I could feel a flutter in my heart from the bared fangs. It was difficult to think of anything to say, under the scrutiny of her eyes. Cold anger at myself followed, furious that fear of humans was still affecting me.

You talked with her for hours, and now you’re nervous? Fuck, I thought I was over this predator dogma. I prepared for this, passed the exposure tests like it was no big deal. Why now? What is wrong with you, Kelvanis?

“That’s part one of our plan down. I guess I should get us some food.” Chloe continued to smile, creating new somersaults of my insides, while a horrific guilt tugged at my conscience. I did see her as a person, not a monster, so why did I feel so on edge—so worried about what I might say? “I’ll sniff out some herbivore snacks, if you’re comfortable sharing a meal.”

I bit the insides of my cheeks, praying that my voice wouldn’t betray my anxiety’s treason. “Of course I am. That would be lovely. I’ll wait here.”

“Make yourself at home. I won’t be long.”

The human patted my shoulder, causing an electric shock to run down my limb; I could feel a rush of adrenaline in my veins, fight-or-flight kicking in as if I were in danger. It was a challenge to mask the chemical rush, and I jerked my tentacle behind my back to hide its quivering. The primate noticed my withdrawal, but simply left with a hint of disappointment. I could feel my heart thudding in my chest, and I rubbed the spot where she’d touched me in numb silence. Why was my brain spooked around timid, sensitive Chloe?

Even with the Terran out of the room, I couldn’t stop replaying the entirety of today. I had been searching for any way to extend our conversation not too long ago, but now that I was here, I couldn’t bear for us to be in the same room. Whatever the reason was for my mind going rogue, Chloe couldn’t see that I was frightened of her. That would break the precious rapport we’d built up over our time together. It was important to gather myself for our shared mealtime, before I acted like every herbivore that humanity had needed to coddle. It would be easier to get it together if my thoughts weren’t scattered in the wind. 

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A/N - Chapter 4! Chloe and Kelvan spend hours talking, and exchange stories about Aafa and the Netherlands; however, Kenzo comes to kick them out as the guards’ shift is over, and is rebuked by Chloe for his abysmal attitude. Kelvanis wanted to continue talking to Chloe, and is livid to be struck out of the blue by a sudden surge of anxiety; he would be horrified for his caseworker to see his unwelcome fear. Will he be able to pull himself together before she returns, and discover why he’s suddenly reacting with fear? How will their meal go? What do you think of how Chloe has warmed to Kelvan…and now wants to spend time with him?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!