Brandedfool

I woke up when Skaalt’s ship touched down on the roof of the hospital, as promised. “Alright,” Sandra said, “let’s get Acharya up.” I unbuckled my seat restraints and pushed myself up a few inches. But pain shot through my leg and I stopped with a wince. Sandra leaned down to me and said, “put…

Skaalt’s personal ship still, to this day, has some of my stuff in it. Little things: Chintilik-style chairs and bedding and decorations. Things that make small, bi-pedal folk like me comfortable. Most of it, though, is suited for his species. The control panels are over my head in some places and the furniture is twice…

The World Health Organization, which is the human equivalent of the Interspecies Galactic Health and Wellness Coalition, sent us to India to have Skaalt land. Before I tell the story of Skaalt’s landing and the events immediately after, let me first describe India. It is the most populous country on Earth, and is home for…

“Aren’t you tired?” Isa asked Theresa.Theresa looked up from the debris she was tearing apart. Her hands were sore from gripping the crowbar, and sweat was collecting under her suit. She was the only one still cracking apart metal, looking for valuable computing components and hidden trinkets. All the Lorak had stopped hours ago, and…

I finally got to see a human give birth ten months after I’d first arrived on Earth. Which is, coincidentally, about the length of the human gestation period. The day I landed on Earth, the baby I eventually witnessed being born might have been conceived. We were in Korea when a private hospital reached out…

“I have a correction to make,” I messaged Skaalt, “Sandra definitely likes me just as much as I like her.” It took several minutes for him to reply to the message, which surprised me. Normally, he took hours to respond to a personal message like that one. “If she does anything to hurt you, I…

“You,” Jiemba said, “you are my brother from another star.” “You are my hatch-mate from a different nest.” I told him. “Greetings. The sands are gentle tonight.” It is always odd to come across a dron from another species. It is a Chintilik social class, after all, and it isn’t expected to translate off-world. But…

It was a thirty-hour drive to Alice Springs from Sydney. Most of it was across the hot, red Australian outback. Nick wanted to fly there, and argued that there wasn’t much to see on the drive. But he was outvoted (and not in charge, I reminded him), and he didn’t have to come on the…

The crew of the Quick Sliver crouched on either side of the command center’s door, ready to spring. The Lorak were pressed further away with ranged weapons, while the humans were up close. All except Markus, who was holding Isa upright in his arms. She was shuddering violently. There was the sound of heavy footfalls…

“You still have to dress up,” Sandra had informed me. “Even with your scales. Your usual robes are nice, Archie, but they’re working clothes. Put on something fun.”I did, because I didn’t want to stand out. And because I wanted to impress Sandra and Nick. Just a little.So I dug into the very bottom of…