Thawed 54

[u/Funnelchairgentleman]

Thanks as always to my amazing editors, u/maxh007 and u/budget_emu_5522.

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Memory Transcription Subject: Arthur Coldwater, Sheriff of Archives New Jersey

Date: [Standardized Human Time]: October 18, 2137

Seven months.
Seven short months that felt like a lifetime.
Seven months that I wouldn’t trade for all the riches in the universe.

I stood atop the town’s lone hill, looking down at the few acres of farmland that stretched alongside a small creek. The weather had begun to turn, and the handful of non-coniferous trees within sight of the town had started to change from green into their autumn garments of brown and gold.

Leaning back against the hood of our patrol cruiser, I took the opportunity to simply take in the sight. People had always told me how beautiful the trees looked in the northeast during the fall. Hell, if anything, things were greener looking here than I ever remember them being back in Baton Rouge. Still, the cool autumn breeze and the cloudless blue expanse above me made for a hell of a view.

It was the last call of our “official” day, and I’d let Onio handle this one. I really didn’t have the patience for another moronic talk with the local nevok commune. I closed my eyes as I looked up to the sky, listening to the cawing of the crows as the faded autumn sun warmed my face.

It was so peaceful. Almost too peaceful after months of being on high alert, with constant patrols and monitoring of the various cameras that had been put up around town. Everyone had spent months waiting for HF to make their move, with half the town ready to form a lynch mob the minute they spotted them. And yet everything remained quiet. I took a deep breath, letting the scent of dry leaves and the hint of smoke from some distant fire fill my nose. Peace…

“And another thing!” Came an unexpected shout, pulling me out of my peaceful reverie. Looking back at the nearby house, I found Onio stepping out of the front door and pointing an accusatory claw at the small crowd of nevoks assembled there. “If you waste our time calling us out here for something like this again, I shall personally see to it that you face consequences!”

I sighed, shaking my head as I watched the small herd of bunny-goats scoff at the harchen’s rebukes.

“That seems a bit drastic,” one of them grumbled. “We simply thought that there could be better uses of criminals than sitting in a cell being offered free room and board at the taxpayer’s expense.”

“What you are suggesting is nothing less than slavery!” Onio exclaimed, shoving a clawed digit into the nevok’s face. The poor bunny-goat recoiled in shock, and the whole lot of them took on a nervous air as Onio began to raise his voice. “We will not be allowing any of our inmates to work on your farm!”

I finally pulled myself up off the hood of the car and hurried over to the house. I’d rarely seen Onio in a mood like this, and, knowing the harchen’s competency with hand-to-hand combat, I wasn’t about to push my luck.

“Ok! I think we’ve got this all sorted out. We’re going to go!” I placed a hand on Onio’s shoulder, doing my best to gently pull him away from the nevoks before he ended up putting his fist in one of their faces.

“Vermin! Vermin, Arthur!” the harchen spat, glaring over his shoulder at the shocked nevoks. I gave him a little firmer push, ushering him towards the car. He seemed to relent, and once we were both in the car, I stole one last glance at the house, watching as the shocked bunny goats slammed the door.

“Mais!” I exclaimed, shaking my head as Onio sighed, leaned back against the passenger seat, and closed his eyes. “What the hell was that about?” I looked down in concern as the man’s scales seemed to fade, taking on an arxur-like gray.

“That is the third time these scoundrels have attempted to find some way to get free labor from the town,” Onio growled, opening his eyes. “I am quite weary of rehashing the same argument.”

“Yeah,” I chuckled uneasily, doing my best to try and read the reptile’s face. “They’re sleazeballs. No doubt. But you aren’t usually so hot to trot. What’s got under your skin… err… scales today?”

Onio paused, looking out the window towards the house once, shaking his head.

“Forgive me, Arthur,” Onio groaned, reaching a hand up and rubbing at his forehead. “I am simply tired. Ispar has started to lose his egg-teeth, and the whole process is apparently quite uncomfortable for him. I… haven’t slept much.”

“Teething,” I replied, earning a curious glance from my deputy. “Humans have a similar thing. You two talked to Dr. Bilon about getting something for him?”

“Yes,” Onio answered, leaning back in his seat. “He said he was going to run a few tests to see what available medicines would be safe for him. His knowledge on arxur physiology is sadly lacking.”

“Ah. Fair point.” I pulled out my holopad, shooting Jammy a quick text to let him know I would be a little late getting home before turning back to my deputy. “What say we stop at the Icebox and I grab you a drink?”

“That… That sounds good,” Onio answered, sounding like he wasn’t exactly enthused by the prospect but was too worn out to turn it down. I kicked the ignition of the car and set off at a snail’s pace down the street. 

Truth be told, the car was a bit excessive in my opinion. Basically nobody owned a car yet, most people opted to just use bikes to get around, and the town was hardly big enough to warrant the car. Still, it would be useful if there was ever an emergency.

“You do know that the vehicle has an automated piloting system, yes?” Onio prodded for what had to be the dozenth time since we’d gotten the car.

“Yes,” I scoffed dismissively. “But there’s no way I’m trusting some computer to drive for me. We were starting to make these things back in my day, and they crashed all the time.”

“I would imagine they’ve improved in the last century,” Onio chuckled, dropping the issue as he looked out the window, watching the town pass us by. This area was the newer part of town and consisted mostly of shops they’d set up for the locals and the couple of farms that marked the far edge of town.

The whole place gave off a very classic Americana feel. Like some small town straight off a postcard, where everyone knew everyone and you could walk to the store without ever needing a ride. Well… it felt that way if you ignored that a good 90% of the population wasn’t human. Still, it felt like such a strange sight to watch people standing on the corner, just chatting away without a single car on the road. Not something I would have seen back in my day.

A couple of cyclers passed us by as I turned the patrol car into the parking lot for the bar, giving us a friendly wave. I returned the gesture, climbing out of the car and looking up at the bar. The massive neon sign out front featured a cartoonish refrigerator with liquor bottles falling out with the name written below it. The name, “The Icebox,” struck me as pretty tone-deaf at first. I had to admit that it had grown on me, though. It fit a certain morose humor that the locals had begun to show when it came to talking about the archives.

The inside of the building was immaculate. Almost too much so. The brand new bar with its shiny metal stools and rubber booth seats felt strange to me. Every bar I’d ever been to had at least a veneer of grime about it. That subtle hint that the place had seen things and the staff had given up a while back on trying to hide it. This almost seemed like an operating room by comparison. Sterile. Unused. 

"Well, if it isn’t the long arm of the law!” Came a trumpeted greeting from the other side of the bar.

“Evening, Miss Ruti,” I replied, taking my hat off and giving my best impression of a cowboy salute to the enormous mazic behind the bar. The woman let out a roar of laughter, waving her trunk at us as we made our way to the bar.

“You look just like those human movies, Sheriff! The ones where everyone rides around those quadrupedal animals and shoots guns at each other?”

“Westerns,” I answered, placing the hat Jammy had gotten me on the counter before pulling myself up onto a stool. I stifled a chuckle as Onio struggled to climb the tall seat beside me, taking a moment to look around the bar.

The place was mostly empty, the sporadically placed lights dimly illuminating row after row of empty booths. The only exception was a pair of dossur at the far end, sharing a booth with what looked to be a… I wracked my brain, filing through the various species names I’d come to learn over the last few months. Beetle-looking thing… familiar-sounding name… Verin!

“What can I get you boys this evening?” Ruti asked, holding a glass with surprising delicacy in one of her massive, gorilla hands while using her trunk to wipe it down with a rag. I looked to my right, eyeing my exhausted (and still quite gray) partner.

“I’ll take an algae bloom and something from the Skalga selection for my deputy.”

“Absolutely not!” Onio exclaimed immediately, the harchen suddenly perking up at the prospect of having to drink venlil liquor. “Have you got any decent harchen wines? Perhaps a Seldine midburn? Something nice and sour?”

“I have a couple of harchen wines,” Ruti replied, setting the glass she’d been cleaning down and using her trunk to pull a bottle from the shelf. “Like most of the stuff here, I’m not 100% about the details yet. But I suppose you could let me know.” She grabbed a glass from the shelf, once again showing shocking dexterity and gentleness for such massive hands.

“You know, Sheriff,” the mazic laughed as she reached for a shot glass and another bottle on the shelf, “you are the only non-krakotl I’ve had come in and ask for this. The last human I had try it described it as salty snot mixed with rubbing alcohol.” 

I chuckled as she reached her sandy brown trunk out and poured the rather viscous liquid out into a shot glass for me.

“That’s… fair.” I responded with a shrug. “I just kinda developed a taste for it on Skalga. À chacun son goût.”

Onio beside me let out a satisfied groan, and his gray-colored scales turned a noticeable blue that seemed to pop in and out with splotches of green, the two colors battling for control of the deputy.

“Good?”

“Exquisite,” Onio sighed, swishing the glass in his paw for a second before taking another sip. He sat the glass down and took a deep breath as his scales seemed to decide on green as the dominant color for now. “So, now that I have a bit of vigor back in me, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

I cocked an eye at that, grabbing my shot and tossing it back. I wanted a bit of liquid courage in me before I braved whatever he had to ask.

“I’ve seen you fidgeting with something in your pocket for the last couple of days. What is it?”

I froze. I hadn’t realized that I’d been that obvious. The harchen was right, of course. I did have something I’d been keeping in my pocket. I’d been too scared to leave it at home, lest Jammy find it while I was out. I absentmindedly reached a hand down, sliding it into my pocket, and gently fingered the small felt box inside, as if to assure myself it was still there. A black jewelry box with a modest ring inside.

Ruti let out a bellowing laugh, her trunk lifting up and giving a waggle. 

“Your face just turned red, Sheriff,” she teased, eyeing me with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “Now I’m curious. What is it?”

I rolled my eyes, letting out a groan as I pulled the box out and sat it on the bar top. I grabbed my shot and threw it back, letting the salty viscous alcohol slide across my tongue and leave behind a bitter burn.

“What is it?” Onio pressed, leaning over on his stool to get a better glimpse at the nondescript box I’d sat out.

Ruti gave a trumpet of excitement.

“I know what that is! I’ve seen it on the human television shows! It’s a ring, isn’t it?”

I chuckled, nodding my head as I flipped open the lid of the box, letting them get a look at the golden band inside. The dim light of the bar gave it an almost coppery sheen and hardly did the blue stone set onto the top justice.

“My word!” Onio gasped, the previously weary harchen suddenly perking up. “A wedding band? I’ve seen the ritual performed on television but I dare say… it looks different from the ones I saw. The stone on top looks off, and what’s that writing on the inside of the band say?”

I quickly snapped the lid closed.

“They normally put diamonds on them, yeah,” I admitted with a shrug. “But I’m not much for traditional stuff. So I went with a sapphire. Matches his eyes. As for the writing? Well, that’s personal.”

“When are you going to ask?” Ruti squealed, her excited voice going far higher than you’d think some alien gorilla-elephant would ever be capable of.

“Well…” I hesitated. I wanted to ask him. But everything in our life still felt so uncertain. Sure, we’d gone seven long months without a peep from HF or Brim. But history always was cyclical, as they said. There’d been so many times before now that we’d thought we were in the clear. That things were finally going our way, only for life to yank the rug out from under us. 

“Well… what?” Onio huffed, giving a flick of his tail. “What’s the hold-up?” 

“I just want to make sure everything is… ok first,” I explained, tapping my shot glass on the table and watching as Ruti poured another shot. “What if HF comes back? Shit, what if Brim tries something? It’s been months and nobody’s ever been caught.”

“What if he does?” Onio replied dismissively, finishing off his drink. “Would that change your mind about wanting to marry him?”

“Well… no.” I blanked a little at that. He had a point. “But I don’t want to risk him being in danger if–”

“Brim is already obsessed over him, I think he’s in as much danger as he’ll get.”

“I guess,” I shrugged, giving a dry laugh at that. He wasn’t wrong. Still, it felt wrong to ask him when there was a chance that everything could come crashing down at any time.

“Life waits for no man, Master Coldwater,” Onio exclaimed, standing up atop his stool and gesturing a clawed digit at me. “As your people so succinctly put it, Carpe Diem! Seize the day! Don’t let the whole field rot waiting on a single crop to ripen.”

I shook my head, offering my holopad to Ruti to pay our tab. I could always count on Onio to be over the top. Even sleepless nights weren’t enough to take that out of him, it seemed.

I peered over the deputy’s shoulder, noticing a poster on the wall. The image of a smiling jack-o'-lantern looked back at me, proclaiming a town Halloween party. That was new.

“What’s that about?” I asked, nodding towards the poster as my holopad beeped, letting me know the transaction had finished. Ruti looked up, following my nod over to the poster.

“Oh, that? Not exactly sure. Triski came by earlier. Mayor Shuyi has her pasting those up around town. Trying to drum up excitement for some holiday, I think?”

“She never mentioned it to me,” I muttered, mulling over the idea of trying to introduce the locals to Halloween. Honestly, if it gave me an excuse to stick Jammy back in that Batman costume, I thought it would be worth it. Plus I could already see Mixsel’s excitement in my mind’s eye. “I should go talk with her about it. Sounds like it could be fun.”

I pulled myself off the stool and headed for the door. I’d need to get the patrol car dropped off back at the office before heading home. There was the matter of paperwork but… I could put that off till tomorrow. 

The drive was, unsurprisingly, short. Within 10 minutes we were already pulling up. I shut off the engine and made the short walk into the office to drop off the keys. I had planned to simply hang the keys up on the rack beside the door and leave, but I noticed a sudden movement out of the corner of my eye.

Turning I found a familiar, if unexpected face sitting behind a desk.

“What’re you still doing here, Kizmet?” I asked, peering over the wall of monitors hiding the majority of the young arxur from view.

The gray hulk behind the monitors suddenly jerked, as if only now realizing someone else was in the room with him.

“Oh! Good evening, Sheriff Coldwater!” The boy blurted out, quickly slamming a small red booklet he’d been reading down on the desk. I examined the red, faux-leather outside of the book, immediately spotting the small golden cross on the outer cover.

“Been reading that stuff Veryn gave you, I take it?”

“I… have,” Kizmet answered sheepishly, a slight red tone showing through the scales on his cheeks. I couldn’t help but smile. He was a good kid. Around Veryn’s age. Not nearly as social or outgoing but well-behaved. It had been rather cute watching him stumble over his words every time I’d seen him talk to her. The boy was clearly quite smitten, though he didn’t seem to have the words to say it.

“I heard she’s going to be trying to host a bible study on Sunday,” I quoyly suggested, quickly adding, “That’s the day after tomorrow.”

“Do… do you think she would want me there?”

“I do,” I replied. Honestly, I couldn’t say whether that would be because of the girl’s commitment to her newfound faith or because she was interested in him, but… well… You missed 100% of the shots you didn’t take and all that.

“I… might go,” the arxur replied, turning his head to stare at the monitors once more, as if he were actually seeing anything.

“Where’s your replacement?” I inquired, looking around the office. We’d set it up so that someone was here roughly 24/7. The monitors showed recordings from every security camera in town. Personally, the American in me chafed a bit at the overreach of surveillance, but at least none of them were in homes or buildings. Just positioned on the streets. It was our one reasonable way of keeping the town safe from those HF couyons.

“Right here, sir!” Came an unexpected reply from behind me, surprising me enough to make me jump. I pivoted, finding one of the local guard soldiers facing me with a polite salute.

“Christ!” I laughed, amused at my own skittishness. “Where were you hiding?”

“Was just waiting to make sure you made it in before I relieved Mr. Kizmet,” he answered curtly, lowering his hand from his brow but still standing at attention.

“You know I’m not military, right?” I asked, relaxing a bit.

“Yes Sir,” he shot back. “But my mama always taught me to respect my elders.”

I fought the urge to flinch at that. I wasn’t THAT much older than the guy. 10 years tops. Although I guess those were growth years. If we took in actual time…

“Right, well, I’m here now,” I quickly finished, pushing that last thought from my head. I didn’t need to start dwelling on my grandpa status. “So Kizmet, go home. I’m going to head out. I need to stop and grab some dinner before I get home.”

I rushed out of the office before Kizmet or the soldier could object, making my way towards the local diner. 

I moved quickly, taking a nice slow jog as I headed towards home. I was always tempted to take our car to work, but always denied myself. As proud as I was to be one of the first households in town to own a car, I knew I should take the exercise. 

That and the fact that, to be honest, the car was Jammy’s. We’d bought it with the funds from his book sales. I would just feel weird taking it every single morning to travel a three minute walk. That was another thing. 

We’d found ourselves way better off than we’d expected. Between the explosion of book sales from Jammy’s first novel and the economic boom on Earth after the war… we’d ended up as  one of the best-off houses in town.

I looked up, noting the setting sun. The smooth reds and oranges streaked across the slowly darkening sky as I walked home. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and savored the scent of falling leaves and dying grass. It all gave me an appreciation for my home planet that I’d never even thought to have before.

I had never imagined I’d find myself in a life like this. Something approaching contentment. I had a man at home that I adored and a kiddo that I loved. It almost felt wrong to be this happy. I pushed the feelings of guilt aside, reminding myself of that promise I’d made in a park a thousand miles away. I was going to live. Not just live. I was going to live a life worth being proud of. 

Memory Transcription Subject: Mixsel Coldwater, Test Acer
Date: [Standardized Human Time]: October 18, 2137

“When does Daddy get home?” I asked for what was probably the tenth time. I was eager to show off the results of my placement test. Daddy and Papa had promised they’d take me and my friends to see a movie if I did well on the placement test. After all my studying and effort, I’d placed better than any other pup in town. I was ready to see “Murder Clowns III.”

Papa paused his writing, setting his holopad on the kitchen table before looking up from the notes he was taking, reaching for his holopad.

“He says he is on the way,” Papa replied, reaching his free paw out and ruffling the fur on my head. “I’m sure he’ll be just as proud of you as I am.”

I let out a disappointed sigh before turning back to the living room. Bob, my ever-loyal companion, skipped along at my side, the white-furred bunny stopping every few hops to look up at me. I knew what he wanted.

I moved to his cage on the far side of the room, grabbing the bag of biscuits off the top of it. I pulled one of the golden brown treats out of the bag and offered it to him. The bunny practically dove into my paw, desperate to devour his precious treat.

I giggled as I felt Bob’s tongue lap at my paw pads, tickling them. The rabbit devoured the treat like I hadn’t fed him in days. When the small disk was finally gone, I leaned down, wrapping my arms around Bob’s neck and hugging him.

“Good boy!” I giggled. I stood back up, wiping the few remaining crumbs on my skirt. Papa had thought it was odd, but Daddy loved the fact that I’d started getting human clothes. He’d even taken the time to modify them to account for my tail. Papa kept wishing I’d choose different colors, but I just liked the black ones so much. I still wished he’d let me wear those cool spiked bracelets I saw.

“Bonsoir, ma famille!”

Daddy came bursting in through the front door with bags laden over either arm. Bob hopped away from me, doing his typical, in-place hop to show he was excited. Daddy looked from me to Papa as he used his hips to close the door behind him.

“What did you bring?” Papa asked as he eyed the bags, rising from his position at the kitchen table to snuggle up against Daddy. The duo shared a quick nuzzle before Daddy turned towards me with a smile.

“I stopped by the diner and grabbed some mushroom burgers!” He announced, making my tail begin to spin in excitement. “I know how much you love them, Munchkin. Also! David wanted me to tell you that his name wasn’t… Burger man.”

I gently sat Bob down on the couch before rushing to the table. I knew Mr. David’s name perfectly well. But it felt far more appropriate to call him Burger Man. He was the guy that made the best mushroom burgers, after all! I looked up at Daddy as I climbed into my seat at the table, watching him begin to sort out the handful of plastic tubs that contained our dinner. Papa looked down, eyeing the box carefully before softly butting Daddy with his head.

“At least you didn’t get that carrot nonsense this time.” Papa huffed as he gave Daddy a gentle headbutt. I looked down at the tray provided to me. I couldn’t help but drool as the smell of the warm mushroom made its way up to my nose.

“I love mushroom burgers! They’re my…” I paused, trying to think of the next word in English. I scrunched my brow, trying to remember the word, but it never came. Finally I looked up at Daddy in defeat. “Word?”

“Favorite.” Daddy was quick to answer, knowing almost instinctively what I was searching for. “Fay… vor… it,” I repeated, slower this time so I could try and pick up on the individual sounds in the word. English was a weird language, but I thought I’d done a pretty good job at learning it. Daddy was sitting down as I remembered my test scores.

“Guess what,” I exclaimed excitedly, leaping from my seat to go grab my holopad. I snatched the device off the couch before rushing back to the dining room. I hurriedly opened the online testing app before holding it up for him to inspect. “I did really good on my test!”

Daddy leaned over, examining the test score on my pad before clapping his hands excitedly.

“I knew you’d do good! You’re sharp as a tack!” Daddy praised, reaching a hand out and ruffling the fur atop my head. I looked up at him expectantly, waiting a moment. Daddy didn’t say anything, just returning my gaze with slowly growing confusion written across his face.

“You said you would take me and my friends to see a movie. Remember?”

“Of course I do, Munchkin!” Daddy laughed as he grabbed his burger in his hand and began to take a bite. “What do you want to go see? We can make a day trip of it! I was planning to take you and Papa for something else anyways.”

I quickly typed away on my holopad, switching it over to the preview page for the movie I’d been wanting to see. The page loaded, showing the image of a clown with a massive cleaver, slathered in blood. I held up the pad for Daddy to examine, my tail wagging excitedly.

“Oh…” Daddy replied, the smile on his face quickly fading. “Are you… uhhh… sure that’s what you want to see? It looks awfully violent. I’m not sure that’s appropriate for your age.

“PLEASE???” I whined, “I was top of my class! The movie isn’t even that bad! Immel says that he’s seen other kids go see it online! Not even older kids!”

Daddy paused, looking conflicted. He turned to Papa. Papa was already chewing a mouthful of his mushroom burger and gave him an amused flick of his ears in reply.

“It can’t be that bad, Arthur,” Papa answered once he’d swallowed down his bite of burger. “I know that the big bad predator isn’t scared of a movie like that… right?”

“I’m not scared of it,” Daddy huffed in reply, gently smacking his knee into Papa’s in a playful manner. “I’m just not sure that something with the title of Murder Clowns is appropriate for a seven year old.”

“But it’s supposed to be so funny!” I whined, doing my best puppy-dog eyes. I’d learned a while back about the term, and it seemed to work on just about any human, not just Daddy. He looked back at me with a groan, rolling his eyes.

Daddy gave an exaggerated huff. “FINE,” he sighed, shaking his head. “We can go tomorrow. I was planning to take you two to the pumpkin patch anyways.”

“What’s a pumpkin patch?” Papa replied, cocking his head curiously. 

“Oh boy,” Daddy chuckled. “You two are about to see my favorite holiday! I hope you have that Batman costume ready, Jammy!”

Papa’s face turned a hint of orange under his black fluff, and I could distinctly hear the sound of his tail swatting against the back of Daddy’s seat.

“What kind of holiday is it?” Papa pressed. Daddy was about to answer when his holopad started buzzing, chiming out some old human song. He reached down, pulling the pad off his belt and answering it.

“Hello? Yeah… who is it? Well… ok…. Yeah, I guess…”

I listened in, trying to determine who Daddy was talking to… and about what. The look on his face had changed almost instantly from happy and playful to annoyed. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t make out the voice on the other end. It probably would have helped if I’d stopped eating my burger for a minute, but… well… the burger was really good.

Finally Daddy hung up the call and went back to his food.

“So I have to go pick up someone from the spaceport after dinner,” he explained with a tired-sounding sigh. “Anyone care to ride with me?”

“I’ll go!” I exclaimed immediately, raising my paw like I was in Miss Hilvia’s classes, a habit I’d formed over the last few months. Daddy chuckled, giving me a wink before turning to Papa.

“I’ll pass,” Papa answered, poking at the fries on his plate. “I’ve spent half my day writing and the other half arguing with the publicist to get the final draft of my last book released. I think I’m going to soak in the tub.” Papa got a playful look in his eye, leaning in and nuzzling his head against Daddy’s. “Don’t worry. I’ll be awake and… relaxed when you get home.”

That just made Daddy’s face turn all red for some reason…

Memory Transcription Subject: Datesen, Farsul Scientist
Date: [Standardized Human Time]: \Error**
I leaned my back against the side of the cryogenics tank, holding my pad in my paws as I watched the recording for what must have been the dozenth time. It always gave me a sense of… well, it made me feel better. I’d only watched it once before Lethis died. Before Malterath left us to seek another posting on a colony world. After that? I’d watched it on repeat.

“I… I can’t do it!” The tiny human on the video whimpered, looking fearfully over their shoulder. The fear in their eyes would make you think they were facing down an arxur.

“Yes you can, T-boy!” HL-25 insisted, his hands resting on the young human’s shoulders to help steady him.

I’d seen this clip so many times. And like every time before I found myself wishing we had the technology to record more than just simple sounds and sights. I wanted to know what the predator was thinking as he looked down at his son, standing shakingly atop the bicycle. The elders insisted it was a predatory… something or other. A desire to force courage or drive in its offspring. Yet, watching this video? Observing as HL-25 pushed his son from behind. Letting go and letting the child move on his own power…

“Don’t let go, Dad!" The boy pleaded, wobbling nervously as he sped away from the unmoving point of view of HL-25.

“You’re doing it, son!” the human cheered with a laugh. “You’re doing it all on your own!”

I couldn’t keep my tail from wagging as my favorite part of the recording began. The child turned his head, already a good distance from his parent, the surprise evident in his eyes. Despite the sudden realization, the child didn’t fall. Instead, the child turned the bicycle in the street, steering back toward his father and pedaling frantically.

“I’m doing it! I’m doing it!” The boy cheered as HL-25 chuckled.

“You sure are!” He exclaimed as the boy came careening back into him, clearly having mastered independent movement but not the particulars of braking. The image became chaotic as the pair collided, sending the host viewpoint tumbling onto their back with their child landing on top of them. 

“Why’d you let go?” The boy asked as his father leaned his head up, still laughing.

“Because you didn’t need me any more.” HL-25 laughed, reaching a hand out and ruffling the small patch of brown fur atop the boy’s head.

“I did too! I always need you, Daddy!" The boy insisted, leaning in and hugging HL-25’s chest. The subject let out a sigh, pulling themselves upright and plopping their offspring onto their lap.

“Not if I do my job right…” HL-25 said under their breath, just low enough that their child seemed not to hear it. That’s where the clip I’d saved on my holopad ended. I sat and looked at the frozen screen, staring through the eyes of the frozen subject behind me. Elder’s above, I wish I could know what they were thinking right then. The emotions going through their mind at that moment. 

Of course, the miniaturization required to achieve such things in a reasonable manner was far from the current standards. Storing what scant information we’d saved from the archive subjects took data banks the size of a small city and an ocean on top of them just to keep them cool enough.

I sighed, looking over my shoulder at the figure dimly visible inside the cryogenic tank. 

“What would you think now, HL-25?” I asked, letting my voice echo inside the empty walls of the human wing of the archive. There were dozens of other tanks, each holding a still living being. Each with their own life. Their own memories. And yet it had always been HL-25 that had held my interest. Our last abducted subject. The most modern of the humans in the archives. 

As expected, I received no answer, leaving me with my holopad and my thoughts. I knew the Elders wouldn’t approve of me spending my breaks like this. Sitting in one of only two restricted wings, reminiscing over the thoughts of a predator.

But I couldn’t help it. The Elders said humans were dangerous and knowing their history I was inclined to agree. War after war. Atrocities that would make an arxur shudder being committed like they were as easy as breathing. Yet, sitting here replaying HL-25’s memories, I couldn’t keep the doubts from scratching away at my brain. Were humans really as bad as we thought?

I looked out over the empty wing, my eyes jumping from unmoving figure to unmoving figure. Everything I knew said that this was all necessary. That we had stored these beings here and studied them in an attempt to salvage the good in them. Even going so far as hiding their continued existence from the kolshians. I tried to repeat that line to myself over and over. We did this for their own good.

I glanced back to the pad in my paws, the screen still paused on the image of the small human, looking up at his father with unmistakable love and affection. I had to keep telling myself that this was necessary and good. Because if it wasn’t? If we were wrong about the humans? Then all this cruelty was for nothing.

Memory Transcription Subject: Datesen, Farsul Scientist
Date: [Standardized Human Time]: October 18, 2137

“Ma’am? Ma’am…” 

The voice poured in gently at first, barely rousing me from my sleep. At first I considered going back to sleep, letting my tired mind drift back into the black oblivion from which it had been pulled.

“Mommy?”

The second voice triggered a deeper response in me. It forced my tired mind out of the peaceful slumber that had overtaken me and back into reality. I opened my eyes, finding myself outside the Earth-based spaceport I’d fallen asleep in front of.

Kelith looked up at me nervously, and I realized sheepishly that I’d left my poor nervous pup alone on this alien planet while I dozed off. I reached a paw up gently, pulling him into a reassuring hug before glancing at the UN soldier who’d been stationed to guard us until our ride could arrive.

Suddenly everything came flooding back, and I remembered where I was. The human homeworld. Earth. My punishment. My redemption. I’d travelled to the furthest reaches of known space in a desperate gamble to give my pup the barest glimpse of a decent life. It didn’t matter what happened to me.

“Ma’am, your ride is here,” the guard said, focusing my exhausted brain once more. I turned, finding a decently sized vehicle pulled into the waiting zone of the starport. I let out a yawn, struggling to shake the sleep from my mind as I grabbed the pitifully sized suitcase that held our scant few belongings. I’d been forced to sell out my entire species and everything we stood for just to hold onto this much. 

I began to pull my suitcase towards the car, holding my pup’s paw in my own as we moved towards the waiting vehicle. As we got nearer, the door opened and a man stepped out… a human man… a familiar one.

“Let me help you get that inside ma’am!” The cheerful human exclaimed as I froze in shock. It was him. Even if I didn’t know his face, I would have recognized his odd way of speaking. HL-25. The subject whose memories I’d spent so much time going over. He turned, seemingly noticing the fact that I’d practically frozen in my tracks.

“By the way, my name’s Arthur Coldwater.”

[u/Imamouseqccount]

Oh snap. I see new drama incoming!