Page 65 of Malliko
“Nerix, give us something,” Ziba said. She was one of three females on the team. Being a hybrid between Tuncallon and Ugon, she was slender and purple with large ears. “Is he a villain or can we greet him like normal?”
Nerix gave me a sideways glance. “We didn’t find anything to charge him with.”
Ziba expressed her relief. “When we got the order to investigate an assault on a protected human and we learned that you were the accused one, the atmosphere onboard the ship was heavy.”
I greeted each of them and was bombarded with their questions. They wanted to know what my work was about and how humans behaved.
“Is it true they cry several times a day?” Elan asked. He was one of the new soldiers and seemed eager to understand the mysterious humans.
“I haven’t experienced that. I suppose a human in grief would be able to cry several times a day, but it doesn’t seem to be an everyday occurrence for the normal population.”
“Oh, then what about them being like volcanoes?”
“Volcanoes?” I wrinkled my brow. “In what way?”
He scratched his ear. “I’m not sure. I just heard they can explode like volcanoes.”
It annoyed me that I couldn’t give good answers to their questions, but I clearly still lacked a lot of information about humans. “I’m not sure if that refers to a physical phenomenon and how that would look exactly. Maybe they spew some material from their ears or mouth. It’s not something I’ve seen yet. I’ll make sure to ask one of our Earthbound agents.”
“Sounds like a fascinating planet,” Ziba said. “Don’t you feel lucky that you got to visit?”
“Very. I’ve learned some intriguing things about humans already. Did you know for instance that they have developed these programs to help them find love? Modern people meet in something called dating apps where they can sort through thousands of profiles to find a mate that is compatible. Some still meet randomly in real life, but many use technology to meet up because they can’t communicate telepathically.”
They looked confused, so I showed them my phone and swiped to show them Go2Match. “This is a good example for you to understand the dating culture. All these people are looking for love or sex. It’s sort of like a game that you have to understand and play well in order to succeed. First, you have to have the right text and pictures in order for people to want to match with you. Then at the next level you need to figure out what to say, and what makes that part extra challenging is that every humanis different, and you can’t read their thoughts. If you say the wrong thing, they might report you and then you risk getting banned from the app.’’
“That’s crazy.” Zobran widened his eyes. He had the typical yellow rings around the irises of his eyes that revealed he was Thaddoinian.
Feeling excited at sharing some of the fascinating things I’d learned about humans, I continued, “If you manage to entice them then you can proceed to the next level, which is to talk on the phone or send more pictures. Finally, you might win through to the highest level, which is to meet in real life.”
Nerix wrinkled his nose. “Wait, so the purpose of the game is to get out of the game?”
I thought about it. “Yes, you go into it hoping to find someone to connect with and once you do, you come out as a winner.”
Ziba smiled widely. “Do you win anything then?”
I smiled back. “Finding someone to connect with is the prize.”
She wrinkled her button nose and gave a disappointed “Oh.”
“It’s not as easy as it sounds,” I explained. “According to Clara, many never get further than chatting through the app.”
“I could win. I’m good at games,” Nerix said and looked at the others as if challenging them to contradict him.
“Not as good as me,” Zobran chimed in. Watching him square his shoulders, I tried to think how a human would perceive him. They might like his strong physique and looks with the way his hair was braided back. But that yellow ring around his eyes would give away that he wasn’t like them.
“Forget it,” Nerix said. “There’s not a game you can beat me in. You should know that by now.” It had always puzzled me how an Eidron like Nerix went along when it came to Zobran’s competitiveness. Thaddoinians were skilled in termsof technology, but when it came to maturity and wisdom they weren’t at the same level as us Eidrons or Ugons.
Looking at Zobran, Nerix added, “Besides, now that I’ve seen human women, I would be extra motivated to win the game. I can definitely see why they’re protected.”
“What do you mean you’ve seen a human woman?” Ziba asked Nerix with her head leaned to one side.
“Malliko showed us a memory of him and a woman named Clara. She looked like an Eidron woman but plumper and so sensual with the sounds she made and the sweetness of her smile.”
“Dream on, Nerix. None of us are allowed contact with humans. They’re on the list of protected species.” Zobran widened his chest as if Nerix had to go through him to get to the women on Earth.
“I wasn’t going to touch them, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t play the game, does it?”
Holding up my phone, I explained, “You would need a device like this one. It’s called a phone and I don’t even know how you would connect to their system.”
