Page 96 of Malliko
“I’m not. Lios specifically told me to stay away from you. I don’t think he’ll agree with my decision to couple up with you. It’s not only going against his instructions but my culture as well.”
Cacala added, “Clara. Don’t worry. My cousin, Nerix, is on the Cultural Defense Team and they are all nice. Although the captain, Lios, is unusually annoying for an Ugon.”
Clara leaned against me and squeezed my hand tight. “Remember what your mother said. Humans have free will. I’ll promise you that when we leave that interview, no one will be in doubt that I want to be with you.”
Kissing her, I nuzzled her nose and squeezed her hand back. My head was exploding with thoughts and confusion. My culture didn’t usually have longer relationships. It was unlikely that the ones interviewing us would understand my desire to pursue a relationship with a human female.
“Whoa.” Clara’s eyes widened and her hand went up in the air as she pointed out the window. “Is that the ship?”
“Yes. That’sCammin-214. Because I’m working as a researcher under the captain of that ship, the interview will be conducted there. If Cacala goes around the ship, you’ll seeThe Great Defender, which is the nickname for my old ship.”
“You had your own spaceship?” she asked so I had to explain.
“It belongs to the Federation, but I was the captain for a long time when I worked on the cultural defense team.”
Running her hands through her hair, she gave me a nervous smile. “I’m scared, but let’s do this.”
Taking her hand, I assured her, “No one will harm you here. I promise you that much.”
“Oh no, you’re not in danger,” Cacala exclaimed. “But you can expect a lot of curious glances. Few have seen a human up close. I don’t blame them because before I took this job, you humans were like mythical creatures to me.”
“Mythical?” Clara wrinkled her brow.
“Yes. We’ve all heard of humans and your incredible talent for creating art and being in touch with your emotions. Humans are these untouchable beings living in an unreachable place and we’re fascinated that you know nothing about our existence. There’s something incredibly pure about that. And of course, there are stories of the beauty of your planet. You can be sure that if the Federation ever opened it up for visitors, Earth would be stormed by curious travelers.”
Clara held on to her seat when the shuttle slowed down and entered the docking station. Maybe she was expecting the landing to be bumpy, but Cacala did an excellent job of piloting the shuttle. I just hoped that the interview would go as smoothly as the landing.
CHAPTER 30
The Interview
Clara
I stepped off the shuttle, my eyes widening in awe at the sight of the alien spaceship that I was now inside. I had felt excited to step into the shuttle that had brought us here, but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer scale of this research ship up close. The shuttle had docked onto the side of what I could best describe as an inside harbor without water. In comparison to the larger ship we had entered, the shuttle looked like a dinghy next to a yacht. I took Malliko’s hand and walked with him, but kept gazing around taking in every detail. Large windows drew my glance outside where the darkness was dotted with stars, planets, and galaxies.
“Are you okay?” Malliko asked me and I gave him a reassuring nod. But in reality, it all felt like a dream. I could feel the vibration of the ship's engines through the metal grating of the docking bay. Examining the intricate and beautiful details of the spaceship's hull, I wondered if anyone at home would believe me if I told them I’d been onboard a spaceship. As we walked, my fingers ran along the smooth, metallic surface and everywhere I looked, I marveled at the complexity of the technology. Some people dreamed of visiting space, but that had always been outside my realm of imagination. Never had I thought that I would one day find myself standing on a spaceship, surrounded by aliens. Taking a deep breath, I smiled at Malliko. This was going to be the adventure of a lifetime.
“Hello, Captain.” Malliko raised his hand to his forehead, and I noticed that the woman in front of us did the same thing.
Her first word sounded like welcome, and her smile widened when she looked from him to me. Her next words made zero sense to me, but I heard my name in there.
Smiling back, I asked Malliko. “Will you translate, please?”
He looked surprised. “You didn’t understand her?”
“No. I’m afraid I only speak English and Spanish.”
The captain laughed and switched into fluent British. “My apologies, I must have chosen the wrong language. I was told you were from the USA, and I confused it with USSR. Is this better? I picked English now.”
“Yes. It’s fine.” I wasn’t sure they would pick up the difference in accent and I wasn’t bringing it up.
“The cultural defense team is waiting in the entertainment room with a few of the staff members. I’ve kept it to a minimum, but as you can imagine, it’s caused excitement to get to experience a human woman up close.”
“I’m flattered by your interest but assure you that I’m not that special. There are billions like me on Earth.”
The captain led us through hallways that seemed like a maze to me. “I’m sure there are, but to be able to visit Earth is an opportunity so rare that few ever get to experience it. The few humans who visit us have all been male. This is my first time seeing a woman as well.”
“I hope you’re not disappointed then,” I said and received a polite smile in return.
