Page 5 of Malliko
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, but he lied to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your cousin can’t stand me. Or anyone for that matter. He’s obstinate and ill-tempered and I can’t imagine what gave you the impression that he idolizes me. Nerix doesn’t have an idolizing bone in his body.”
The planet was getting big now and I could see mountains and rivers.
“That’s weird. He said that he was upset to lose you as a captain.”
Still chuckling, I shook my head. “My guess is that he’s lying.”
She looked puzzled but stayed quiet for a few minutes before she pointed to the Earth. “See that big island? It’s an example of how strange the locals are. I’ve seen it up close and it was covered in snow and ice. But you know what they call it?”
“No.”
“They call it Greenland.” She gave me a go-wonder look and shrugged. “All I’m saying is that from what I’ve heard humans are difficult to figure out. The ones I’ve met have all been a bit slow.”
With my research mode in place, I asked, “Slow how?”
“I respect that they’re pure emotional creatures, but I don’t know if I could do it.” She pointed to her head. “That ego thing messes them up.”
I sat for a moment trying to remember what I had heard about ego. “It’s the tool of separation, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I think so. Several people have tried to explain the concept to me, but it’s so strange that I still don’t fully understand it.”
“Maybe I’ll know what it’s about when you pick me up,” I said optimistically.
For the rest of the flight, she asked me questions about my time in the Federal army. I answered while enjoying the view of planet Earth. Unlike many planets I’d visited Earth was gorgeous, with lots of variety in nature.
We flew across large oceans and just to show me the diversity, Cacala dove in and showed me what fascinating creatures lived here.
Some of them were massive and moved in packs. They sang to us as they told us about their home.
“I’m confused,” I said. “The captain mentioned that the locals don’t know telepathy.”
“Oh, she was talking about humans. I’ve met lots of species here that are telepathic.” We sat mesmerized by the bulky sea creatures that watched us with interest before swimming off.
“Oh, look at that beauty.” Her whole face lit up when what looked like an underwater spider came swimming toward us. “I’ve seen one of these before and they are too curious for their own good. The last one I met suckered itself to the shuttle and wouldn’t let go despite my warnings that I had to leave. I almost killed it when I broke the surface and rose up high. Let’s go before it reaches us.” Expertly, Cacala steered the shuttle upward and back into the sky.
“Don’t tell them I took a detour. It’s just that it’s my only chance of seeing some of the planet.”
“I won’t tell.”
“Good.” We smiled at each other, and I wondered how a cousin of Nerix could be so fun and friendly when he was a grumpy bastard most of the time.
“Are you sure they won’t see us?” I asked when we flew above a city with tall slim buildings.
“I activated the deflection shield the moment we got close to Earth. They won’t see us, but they might pick us up on their radar, so I’m afraid we’ll have to increase speed.”
“Shame,” I said because I’d been enjoying seeing life on the surface. Cacala didn’t press buttons. She was mentally connected to the shuttle and controlled it with her mind. When she pushed our speed to a different level, the details below us turned blurry until she landed the shuttle and turned to look at me. “Time for you to set foot on Earth!”
Around us were a few low buildings and a desert that reminded me a little of the Comlark Valley on Eidrona. “Thank you, Cacala. I felt very safe in your competent handling of the shuttle.”
She lit up. “I’ll tell Nerix you said that.”
“I’ll even tell him myself if I ever see him again.”
