Page 8 of His Human Librarian

But he wants me gone, which isn’t happening.

I’ve been on many missions in the past where I remember being highly irritated at the way our team was misunderstood and treated poorly by the locals. But at least I was always able to hide behind the Head Librarian and could instead focus on my work.

Not this time. I’m the only one here and so it’s all on me.

I overheard him saying humans were primitive, which hurts. Sten Sandstone’s words sting like physical blows. Because…I guess I care what this monstrous male thinks about me? What he thinks about humans in general. My ancestors were indeed secretly kidnapped off the original planet and enslaved on New Earth for millennia by the Hurlians and we’re only on our second generation of freedom and self-determination.

When we first arrived atthe med lab, he dropped me off and was out the door without a backward glance.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” the attendant laughed with a snort of smoke, “or the med lab will take care of you. I’m here to guide beings onto the machines and I maintain the lab.”

My stomach churned with fear at my first sight of this kind female. The flash of her fangs and the barbed tail reminded me of a horror show. I remained nice though, hoping this stance would keep me safe. “To be truthful I don’t even know the extent of my injuries,” I admitted to her, “because I woke up bandaged and without pain.”

“We’ll find out soon enough.”

I start chatting with her, hoping pleasantries would keep her from charring and eating me whole. “This med lab is as up to date as the ones on the main city of Gravian,” I comment.

“Yes, mainly this site is for the locals in Fire Creek but because the transporter station is nearby and because we’re the nearest med lab for a hundred nanco, I do get a mix of beings here. And they always make the same comments as you, how nice and modern our facilities are, which makes me happy, knowing even though we’re so remote, we have the best for our Hyrrokin.”

“I didn’t expect to find something as extensive as this in a rural area. Usually only very basic med labs are provided by the Intergalactic Health Organization.”

“We were on a wait list for one of those free labs, but it was taking so many years, the Sandstones stepped in and had this one built.”

I was about to ask another question, but then a wand moved over my body to beep out results. I signed off on the health plan with my fingerprint.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t forget that this will be quick and entirely pain free. Remember to do your best to not move so this process can be quicker and more effective.”

The translucent shield covered my body and the bandages disintegrated. Bright lights and a warmth radiated over my skin, lingering on the cuts and the hurt ankle. Within two minutes it was done.

The shield retracted and I sat up, unassisted. I wiggled my toes and looked at my legs and grinned. “Too bad it didn’t also fix the tear in my shirt and the grease stain on my skirt.”

“Right?” she laughed. “I’ve often wished that for others that arrive too. Hyrrokin say that all the time. It’s the number one most requested thing.”

I glance at her gruesome features, less scared now that I’d spent more time with her.

“Here are your human foot coverings.” She hands me my shoes. “You’re so lucky to be paired with Sten Sandstone. Are you leaving here and going to the Sandstone Ranch?”

“Yes,” I say, determined to get myself to that ranch, which will then get me to those artifacts. The best part of my job is always the unveiling of the textual objects and the delicate work to get them out of their original location and into a lab for restoration.

“Oh,” she sighs. “I’ve been at the Sandstone ranch a few times for the yearly barbeque they hold after the rainy season ends each year, but I’ve never actually been inside of the main house or stayed there overnight. I hear it’s beautiful.” She leans in to whisper. “You know they’re the richest beings on this part of the planet. And we’re lucky they’re so generous. This med lab was purchased by the family for the community to use for free.”

My eyes widen.

“And they had the transporter station built too. We do have to pay for that use, but locals get a very reasonable discount.”

And then we hear loud voices as a group of other Hyrrokin arrive up in the med lab, needing treatment. The attendant rushes off to help an injured male to a med lab bed.

And suddenly I’m stressed because there’s too many of these satanic-looking beings in one location and they’re looking at me too closely.

I grab my broken shoes and step out, barefoot, through the same doorway I saw Sten exit, ready to let him know I’m finished. And that’s when I overhear him talking to someone through a screen about me. None of it is anything truly surprising, but it still hurts to hear him repeat it all to someone else.

And when he looked up at me and knew I’d heard, he wasn’t even remorseful.

“Let’s get in the vehicle,” he growls.

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