Page 60 of Malliko
Malliko
My head had never felt as peaceful as it did on Earth. With humans being unable to communicate through telepathy, all I had to relate to were my own thoughts and the information on humans that I accessed through the database of the Federation.
Maybe that’s why the message I received from the captain made me jerk awake.
She was short in her communication, letting me know that she’d been contacted by the Federation, who had received an alert that I had violated ethical rules.
Sitting up, I listened as the captain instructed me to return to the ship for a meeting about the complaint.
I knew from experience that these things were bigger than her and that it was better to comply than fight it. In my career in the Federation, I had led a team of soldiers in the cultural defense unit. It had been our main focus to protect species that were unaware of our existence or unable to defend themselves.
Getting out of bed, I went to talk to Tania. I wasn’t stupid and knew the complaint had to come from her.
She didn’t respond when I knocked and when I tried to open her door, it was locked.
It frustrated me that she had reported me. I knew the laws well enough to know I was operating in a gray zone when it came to how intimate I’d been with Clara last night. I hadn’t forced myself on her, but she had allowed me to give her oral sex based on her perception of my being human. The captain couldeasily argue that deception had been involved and that I had overstepped boundaries by being intimate with a human.
As the captain had informed me, I received instructions on how to return to the military base where a shuttle would take me back to theCammin-214. Tania was nowhere to be seen and instead I got a ride from a mute man in his late fifties who told me via telepathy that he too was a hybrid like Tania and worked for the Federation.
We didn’t talk much because my mind was occupied by the meeting ahead of me.
Cacala, the female shuttle pilot who had brought me down to Earth was excited to see me.
“I thought you were staying longer,” she said when I got back into the shuttle.
“So did I. I’m only going back for a quick meeting.”
Giving me a sideways glance, she arched her eyebrows. “I’m sorry to say it, but I’ve never heard of anyone being asked to come back for a nice little update. You’d better prepare yourself for the fact that you’re in trouble.”
I pretended not to know what she was talking about, but on the inside I was nervous.
Taking off, Cacala looked as much in control of the shuttle as she did the last time that I flew with her. Pressing the shuttle to accelerate with a speed that forced us back in our seats, she asked me, “Do you want me to distract you with some news that you might have missed out on?”
“Yes, please.”
“Where do I start. Hmm… the Federation is trying to recruit helpers for the crisis in the Britton Belt. They’re evacuating the population now.”
“It’s come to that?” I asked in a sad tone.
“Yes. The trouble is that the task of evacuating is time consuming, and the refugee camps are already full because of the war in that area.”
For years, my crew and I had patrolled the Britton Belt in an attempt to protect the locals from the ongoing attacks from the Malbreeans. Now it seemed that the battle had been lost and the locals were being forced out.
“If I was still with the Federation, my team and I would have been out there,” I said.
Cacala shook her head. “They’re not. They did their rotation and were looking forward to some time off. Nerix is the reason I know you’re in trouble. He arrived just before I took off to get you.”
“Nerix arrived at the research ship?” I stared at her in disbelief.
“Yes. I can put two and two together. A team from the Cultural Defense Taskforce shows up and I’m asked to transport you back to the ship. That can only mean you violated some kind of rule, but Nerix wouldn’t confirm that.”
Turning my head, I looked out the window. I used to enjoy the view of infinite space and planets, but right now all I could think about was how humiliating it felt to have to face my former team members and explain what had happened. It shocked me that my indiscretion could blow up to this level and for someone who was emotionally stable ninety-nine percent of the time, I tapped my foot and felt annoyed with Tania for reporting me to the Federation.
Once we reached the research ship, I quickly found myself back in the room where the captain had met me the first time. She stood with a serious expression on her face.
“The Federation has asked that their interrogators are given priority so I’m not going to ask you what happened. Humans are a protected species, and you knew that.”
I nodded.
