Page 49 of Accidentally Abducted

The formal dismissal tone sounds, and I bow deeply before turning to leave the chamber. As I walk toward the exit, I feel the weight of multiple gazes on my back, particularly my brother's.

The doors slide closed behind me, and I stand motionless in the antechamber, struggling to process what has just occurred. I am returning to Earth. To Jake. With the Council's blessing.

I am still standing there when the doors open again and Kav'eth emerges, his bioluminescence pulsing with barely contained agitation.

"What did you do?" he demands without preamble. "What did you share with the Elder?"

"The truth," I reply simply. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"You have manipulated this situation from the beginning," Kav'eth says, his voice low to avoid being overheardby the chamber attendants. "First by continuing the assessment with the wrong human, then by forming an inappropriate attachment, and now by influencing the Elder with emotionally charged memories."

"I shared what happened," I counter. "The Elder drew her own conclusions."

"And now I am to be sent to Earth like some novice researcher, to conduct an assessment that should have been completed days ago."

"Perhaps you will find the experience educational," I suggest, unable to resist.

Kav'eth steps closer, his voice dropping further. "This is not a game, Zeph'hai. Our people's future hangs in the balance. Whatever connection you believe you have formed with this human—"

"Jake," I interrupt. "His name is Jake."

"—with Jake Morrison," Kav'eth continues, the human name sounding strange in his formal cadence, "it cannot take precedence over the greater purpose of this program. You are being sent back to Earth as an emissary, not a mate-seeker."

"I understand my assignment."

"Do you?" Kav'eth studies me with the penetrating gaze that intimidated me as a juvenile. "Because from what I observed in that chamber, you have lost all perspective. You challenged the Council. You engaged in unauthorized empathic sharing. You exhibited emotional responses that would disqualify a junior researcher from field work."

"And yet I am being sent back to Earth," I point out.

Kav'eth's bioluminescence dims slightly. "Yes. Against my recommendation."

We stand in silence for a moment, the gulf between us wider than it has ever been. Finally, Kav'eth speaks again, his tone shifting to something that reminds me of our childhood.

"Be careful, brother," he says quietly. "Humans are an unproven quantity. Whatever connection you believe you have formed, remember that three days is nothing in the span of a lifetime."

"Some connections transcend time," I reply, thinking of Jake's words about food and care and love. About the empathic bond that persists even across interstellar distances.

Kav'eth shakes his head slightly. "I hope, for your sake and for our people's, that you are right." He straightens, his formal demeanor returning. "I depart for Earth in two cycles. The Derek Cross assessment will proceed according to original protocols."

"I understand." I hesitate, then add, "Try the pancakes. They're quite illuminating."

Kav'eth gives me a look of utter incomprehension before turning and walking away, his posture rigid with the burden of an assignment he never wanted.

I remain in the antechamber for several minutes after he leaves, processing the implications of the Council's decision. I am returning to Earth with official sanction. But so is my brother, to assess Derek, the human who was always supposed to be part of this program.

A week. Seven days until I can return to Jake. The time frame is both frustratingly long and surprisingly brief for such a momentous shift in policy. Already, notifications will be spreading through our communication networks, the first human will potentially be joining our society. Jake Morrison, cultural liaison.

How will he react to this offer? To being asked to leave his world behind, to become not just my partner but a representative of his entire species? It is an enormous responsibility, one he never signed up for.

I consider whether I should attempt to contact Jake through the emergency communicator, to warn him about Kav'eth's imminent arrival, about Derek's involvement, about the position being prepared for him. But the communicators are meant for true emergencies only, and any unauthorized usage would be detected immediately, potentially jeopardizing my newly granted permission.

No, I will tell him everything in person. I will explain the program fully, offer him the role of cultural liaison, and... what? Ask him to leave his world for mine? Offer to stay on Earth with him? The logistics are overwhelming when examined in detail.

What if he refuses? What if three days was enough for me to develop lifelong attachment, but insufficient for a human? What if his feelings have already begun to fade with distance and time?

The doubts circle like predators in deep water, but beneath them runs a current of certainty that I cannot explain rationally. I know what we shared. I felt it through the empathic bond. Whatever his answer may be, I owe him the chance to make that choice with full information and agency.

As I make my way toward the preparation chambers, where I will be briefed on my official emissary duties, I find that the details matter less than the simple fact that I am returning to Jake.

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