The Nature of Predators - Star Crossed (8/13) (Patreon)

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Memory Transcription Subject: Chloe de Vries, United Nations Consultant

Date [standardized human time]: January 6, 2150

With a plan to fight Kelvanis’ application denial in motion, I felt good about our chances. There was no question to an outside observer that it was wildly inappropriate for a caseworker to hook up with a potential asylum seeker, perhaps seeming as if I pressured him; everyone “knew” that his species was repulsed by humans, like he said. To any Sapient Resources representative, I looked like a lonely spinster who seized the first opportunity to corner an alien, as soon as she got to the station. What did I care about getting fired, if it saved the man I loved? It wasn’t like the human company here was pleasant. While the Kolshians could use a proper ally to process requests, there was one that I wanted to rescue from Aafa above all others.

The hardships that Kelvanis has endured, trying to scrape by as an orphan, and warring over those scraps with others? I can’t let him go back there, never to visit the stars again—barred from his career passion and from me. Sacrificing myself is worth a shot.

In the case that Sapient Resources stuck to the blanket denial, in spite of this morning’s incident, I needed to conjure up a backup plan. If I was going to inquire whether Kenzo was willing to fill positions with Kolshians, I should learn to use the internal messaging app. Both of us would prefer to speak face-to-face as little as possible; whatever had happened with the knifing incident, his abrasiveness wasn’t fun to manage. Even over a text chat, I was certain he’d have comments over my “poor judgment.” Selling him on Kelvanis, when he believed all Kolshians were backstabbers, would be difficult. I decided to save that task for last, instead diving into options for aliens to gain citizenship.

Familiarizing myself with all potential avenues for extraterrestrial immigrants was a good idea, especially given my current occupation. I dodged the AI assistant, manually plugging in a search for “how aliens can guarantee immigration.” I’d known in the back of my head that the internet was connecting us to hundreds of star systems across the galaxy in milliseconds; I’d seen content and posts by aliens, so it wasn’t a foreign concept. Still, it was weird to be on the other end, dialed into Earth from this distance. It made me feel like I’d never left home, yet a quick glance out any viewport could tell me Sol was a mere speck in the distance. A speck that I needed to bring Kelvan to, for him to have a chance at a better life.

“Let’s see,” I murmured aloud, trying to focus. “The official UN website is probably a good place to start. I see student and work visas…applications for Terran citizenship from SC citizens. Special programs by country: that’d show our initiative back home, in the Netherlands.”

I don’t think that’d apply to Kelvanis’ case, since I think they’re more eager to bring in human-allied species, just in general.

“Refugee acceptance program, with a subheader for Mental Health Protective Services and ‘Talpin Act covered persons.’ Must have something to do with those predator disease facilities.” I continued to scroll, knowing that Kelvan had already kicked the tires of his refugee eligibility, to no avail. “Check case status…wonder if he’d show up. Permits for businesses; forms for imports and such.”

None of those options seemed to apply to my favorite alien, unless he tried to get a work visa for Volani’s perfumes or something like xenobotany expeditions. Maybe Kelvan could’ve applied to work with scouting forays beforehand, and helped his case that way, but it was too late to apply for jobs at this point. I scrolled past another link for alien adoptions, and one for citizenship for permanent residents who had served in the UN Peacekeepers. Imagining the humans who’d had to create all of these bureaucratic protocols on the fly, and iron out the details to suit every nation hurt my head. People from space trying to move to Earth was just something we dealt with, as if it was normal. Sure, adopt a Venlil—why not?

My reality of interacting with only a few aliens was becoming less and less common. Terrans in cities were probably used to going into work, and sitting across a cubicle from a teddy bear-like Zurulian; the next generation’s kids in schools probably had an adopted Krakotl occupying a desk, brought in through the very options I’d just been looking at. I didn’t think I could adopt an adult Kolshian, even if Kelvan was orphaned at a young age, so there was no sense lingering on that point. Besides, that would have too many weird implications if we were a couple—not a viable option. There had to be something on here that could help Kelvanis; I wasn’t going to try serving him up on a platter to the military, where he could get killed.

“Project Chronicle application forms. Even if he had expertise, Kolshians would be the last race they’d want sorting the galaxy’s history,” I murmured. “Aliens born on Earth. Nope. Nonprofit workers. Let’s see what else…relative or spouse of Terran citizen.”

That idea halted my mindless scrolling, as the light switch flipped on something I could do to grant Kelvanis eligibility; it would be irrefutable and surefire. All we would need would be to file legal documents, however, that could be done from a remote space station outside the Sapient Coalition. Just through that filing, Kelvan could bypass the entire asylum process; while it wouldn’t be immediate citizenship, it would get him to Earth. There were no laws precluding any species from utilizing that clause, so he couldn’t be denied for being a Kolshian. Yet as promising as that option looked, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about pursuing it. While there was nothing I wouldn’t do to save my beloved, I wasn’t remotely ready for a lifelong commitment…joining ourselves in the eyes of the law.

The two of us had only met yesterday, and there were still basic things we didn’t know about each other. If Kelvanis was the one, like I believed deep in my soul, he would still be after we had time to get to know each other properly. Nobody had made me feel this giddy and swept off my feet before, but I wasn’t delusional enough to rush into marriage. I’d heard plenty of horror stories; we needed to live together, and ensure that we were compatible, before taking that plunge. Using spousal privilege to get him to Earth should be a last resort, if all other channels failed us. I’d rather exhaust all other options before having that discussion, but at least it opened up a route to circumvent his denial. What I wanted was to have a chance for our relationship to bloom on a natural course—and for him to choose that option of his own accord.

Because he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. I guess we could get a divorce after getting him off Aafa—if that’s how that works—but marriage is something more exalted and romantic to me than a legal loophole.

My hope was that the Sapient Resources complaint would prove to be enough; I was tempted to follow up on Kelvanis’ visit there, but decided I should look into the Kenzo option instead. The chat app proved easy enough to access, with a clear message bubble denoting its purpose. I’d no sooner than searched up his name and typed out whether he’d be interested in hiring a Kolshian, before he fired back an “Absolutely the fuck not.” So much for that idea, given the lack of flexibility in those words. I leaned back in my chair, rummaging my brain for other ideas. The more options I could put in my toolset to help Kelvan, the better. 

My brainstorming session was interrupted by a knock on the door, and I wondered if Kenzo had reconsidered the Kolshian hiring scheme; he had to at least be a little curious what benefits I’d dreamt up from his side. Perhaps this was Sapient Resources, following up on whatever salacious story Kelvanis had told them. That would be good, if they were already looking into me. I could just admit to everything I was accused of, and it’d have to give his story credibility. Their decision could be reversed sooner than I expected, if this was the case. Whoever it was, my voice was brimming with enthusiasm as I told them to come in. To avoid suspicion, I should probably tone the peppiness down. 

The door creaked open, revealing a sly-looking Perry. “Hey. Figured I should knock. Wouldn’t want to walk in on you hooking up with another Kolshian; there’s some things I don’t wanna see, man.”

I gave him an unamused look, wordlessly asking why he was here with an “I don’t have time for this” arch of my eyebrow. While it hadn’t felt like I’d been searching that long, my brain’s tendency to zone off down rabbit holes had made scrolling a single webpage take over half an hour; it shouldn’t have been that hard to do simple reading for the man I loved, but here we were. If Perry had come here to try yet again to dissuade my efforts, I didn’t want to be bothered. The way he’d spoken to Kelvanis had made me want to jam a fist into his Adam’s apple and stop those sounds in their tracks. I did notice that he was holding a wad of toilet paper, which raised some very obvious questions of why that wasn’t flushed away.

Perry cleared his throat. “Come on, don’t be a sore sport. That was funny. Look, I only came here because Kelvanis shoved this into my hand—you can imagine the look on my face—and begged me to give it to you as he was leaving.”

“Leaving?” My heart plummeted like a stone, and I echoed the words without understanding. “I don’t understand! He was going to file a grievance. What did you do? Did you deny him access to Sapient Resources?”

“Girl, I haven’t done anything. I humored this because I can tell you fell for him hard, and I figured it was right.” The security guard walked over to the desk and carefully set down the paper before me, which had permanent marker writing I couldn’t read in the thin fabric. “You should have a visual translator in one of your desk drawers. Kind of necessary in this line of work.”

Perry took that as an invitation to open my cabinets, which I let him do in a mute daze. If my love had gone to Sapient Resources with a bombshell accusation like this…and gotten nowhere…I didn’t follow any of this! How could I have been so wrong on whether Kelvan would be heard out? The security guard procured a scanning object, holding it over the note from the sweet Kolshian; he was happy to spy on the communique he’d been asked to pass along. I watched as English letters displayed the clumsy message in holographic form, feeling my throat close up. The world went hazy near my peripheral vision, tears stirred by an immediate sense of loss.

“Dear Chloe,

I hope that this note finds its way to you. Forgive the medium, but I had to sneak off to the bathroom just to write it; I’m glad I thought to steal a pen. I guess after I swiped a writing utensil, you know for sure that we’re all a bunch of thieves. Sapient Resources will never recover from this loss.

Really, I know about your plan and what you told me to do. I wrote just like you said about making advances during the case, and inappropriate conduct…feeling taken advantage of, not getting to go to my quarters, all the right words. Then I sat across from SR, and she had a look in her eyes; I knew she’d eviscerate you. An inquisition. I asked what the consequences of something like this could be.

Without flinching, she said criminal charges might be in order, if I was coerced or preyed upon. What a horrible accusation: an awful way to frame a love that’s both mutual and beautiful. It just happened, and I wouldn’t drag your name through the mud. I sure as shit wouldn’t risk you getting sent to prison, with permanent, serious charges on your record. 

It’d ruin your life. That’s not what people who love each other do. You are young, and you have so much of your life ahead of you; I want you to find happiness. I won’t let you take the fall for me, never in a million years. I told them I made it all up, so they could be livid with me—not you.

I’m being removed from the station in a hurry, and I won’t have a chance to say goodbye in person. I’m sorry that this will blindside you; I wish there was an outcome where I wasn’t hurting you, where I wasn’t breaking your heart just like I swore I wouldn’t. But this is best, and it’s the only way to keep you safe.

They’re yelling at me, and I’m running out of toilet paper; sorry for the rips and tears, this is flimsy. I wanted to leave you with something to remember me by. It’s difficult to discover new flowers on Aafa (I’ll try to draw a hafflower by my name, as the galaxy’s worst keepsake). I’m going to try to discover something new in the oldest world, so that I can name it after you. I’ll pluck the chloeflower from the dirt, and wish we were picking it together.

I love you. 

Kelvan ❃”

Choking sobs emanated from my throat, and I pressed a hand to my mouth. Perry had finished reading the handwritten message as well; I could see sympathy in his eyes. That guard better keep it to himself if he thought this was proving him right about the Kolshian breaking my heart. It was shattered into a million pieces, at the thought that he was being hauled off the station right this very second. Like he wrote, we never even got to say a true goodbye! This had to be a cruel joke; it hadn’t even been an hour since we’d sat in this room, and promised to fight this.

No. This can’t be. Kelvan’s not gone; he can’t leave! Why would he be so fucking selfless? This wasn’t what I wanted!

I knew Kelvanis would never hurt me, but why couldn’t he see this plan through when it was at my behest? Even if there were criminal charges, they could be dismissed down the road; after we’d bought time to get his case reconsidered, or find some kind of alternative option. I’d rather have my life under a prosecutor’s spotlight and lose my job than have him gone. Forever. I had to find a way to stop them from shipping him off. Maybe I could catch him before he got onto the ship, and try something; fuck it, the marriage loophole from earlier would suffice! Kolshians docked in a different spot than where I’d flown in, but surely I could find it, and if I ran…

“You toId him to make those kind of accusations about you? Are you fucking stupid?” Perry hissed. “That would’ve worked too! It would’ve been surefire, and it seems like he knew that…but he didn’t do it. Holy shit, I guess he does care.”

I glowered at him, enraged by his flippant attitude. “You’re just now getting that? Fuck off! Actually, no; if you really believe Kelvan loves me, then take me to him. Stop this.”

“How the fuck do you think I can manage that? I’m not Superman.”

“Take me to his ship. There’s no time to waste; we have to stop them. We’ll get married—”

“Hold your horses, sister. That’s not a proportional response or something to rush into. Just let him go. You can move on, and there’s other fish in the sea. It’s for the best, and Kelvanis knew it too. His words, right there.”

“Both of you think you can decide what’s best for me! I don’t need you telling me anything. I won’t let him leave the station.”

Perry crossed his arms. “It’s a little late for that. Kelvanis’ shuttle has already taken off; I felt that slight shudder of a ship detaching a few minutes ago.”

“Then we’ll make it turn around! Stop this, get on the radio—before the shuttle gets to Aafa. Tell whoever’s in charge we were getting married, that this was a mistake; say whatever. Please, Perry, please help me. I’m begging you.”

“I wish I could, but they won’t listen to either of us. I am sorry. Marriage papers need to be signed by both of you to officialize it, and that’s not gonna happen with him gone. Supposed intention’s not gonna cut it.”

“So there’s no way I can get it signed? A way to mail them to him, or something. We have all of his data on record.”

The guard laughed. “Chloe, we don’t exactly have a postal service between here and there; essential travel only. The airdrops are for vital supplies in central locations. Unless you’re going to walk down to Aafa and hand it to him, you’re shit out of luck.”

I blinked several times, before leaping out of my chair in a frenzy. Perry was being facetious, but by God, I would do it. If shuttles went down to the ground to transport refugees, there had to be a way to get to the surface and forward the papers to Kelvan. After he’d put me ahead of his own aspirations of a better life, I wasn’t giving up on us now. Perhaps I’d completely lost it, but it didn’t seem possible to move on from the bright-eyed Kolshian. All I needed to do was pick up the pace getting the documents in order, and then I’d arrange the logistics; maybe the security guard could help, after his change of heart on our love. Perry’s expression morphed from one of sympathy to one of exasperation, as he inferred my thoughts and realized the literal interpretation of his words.

“No. For fuck’s sake,” Perry groaned. “You’re human. You’ll get yourself killed.”

The guard’s frustration grew more palpable, as I gave no indication that I’d heard his warning. Without any regard for the risks that a rescue mission might entail, I felt my jaw tighten with hardened resolve. I would do whatever it took to get Kelvan back from Aafa, no matter how reckless or haphazard it might be. The love of my life wasn’t going to slip away that easily.

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A/N - Chapter 8! Chloe researches different options for alien immigration to Earth, revealing a lot of the resources and path available to extraterrestrials since the end of the war; she realizes that marriage might be the most viable option, though she’s a bit wary of rushing into that as anything other than a last resort. However, caution is thrown to the wind when she receives a note hastily written by Kelvan, informing her that he backed out of the SR complaint after learning it could involve criminal charges. Chloe decides to go after him on Aafa, despite the apparent danger for a human.

What do you think of Chloe’s reckless determination to come through for Kelvan, and the marriage plan she’s landed on as the best option? Did Kelvanis do the right thing by backing out of his complaint for fear of hurting her?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!