January 15th, 2024
“Damn! We’re being followed,” Harry shouted as he sat down on the pilot’s seat. All of us were inside the cockpit as he turned on the communicator. On the screen appeared a Qarri. Scarlett looked ready to tear into him, so I held her back. I was terrified as I knew his species was far more advanced than any others.
The Qarri stared at us and shouted, “Disgusting humans! Your visages fill me with revulsion! I’m here to capture you all and sell you to the highest bidder!”
“Over our dead bodies!” I shouted back.
“I’ll arrange that,” he replied before cutting communication. It didn’t even take a second before the shields were hit by rockets.
“Warning, shield hit!” the ship announced as Harry swerved the ship. Several more shots were fired, but only a few hit the shields.
Looking at the rear-view display, I came up with a plan. It was a move out of World War II, but it would do. “Do a barrel roll!” I shouted, immediately facepalming when I realized what I said.
“Yes,” he replied as we all strapped ourselves in. The spaceship moved in a cylindrical manner, managing to get behind the bounty hunter. Without hesitation, Gruma slammed her fists on the weapon buttons. In an instant, several missiles were fired. The sheer amount overwhelmed the bounty hunter’s shield capacity, and his ship blew up.
Harry let out a malicious laugh and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, that’s how you do it!” Gruma and Scarlett cheered as I sighed. At least the danger to us was gone for now.
As they went through their cheering, I walked into the living room and heard Mr. Black all out to me, “Mr. Smith, can you please come over here?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied as I sat down on a recliner across from his. The soundproof walls shot up, preventing anyone from hearing our conversation.
The catman looked around before asking, “How’s your relationship with Scarlett?”
I smiled. “Mr. Black, Scarlett and I have a wonderful relationship. We’re close to one another since we were best friends before getting into a relationship. It’s pretty stable since we can spend a lot of time watching TV or playing videogames next to each other without it getting too heated, neither in anger nor passion.”
He tapped his fingers together and replied, “Good. Good. Now then, do you think you have a future with her?” The question caught me off-guard. It seemed a bit early to ask about marriage, especially so soon after the fight. But I guessed what he saw meant he was unfazed by the earlier events.
“I’m sorry, but it’s a bit too early to ask that. I would wait until we’re back on Earth and she’s human again,” I replied as I held my hands up in a sign of innocence.
Mr. Black sighed. “Mr. Smith, that’s what I was afraid of. You apparently see her as an unwell human woman rather than a mutant woman. Do you find her current appearance attractive?”
I scratched the back of my neck as I tried to think of a proper response. Saying no would make me look like a jerk while saying yes would make me look weird. I hesitantly answered, “I mean, I sort of do, but I want her to be human again before I make a final verdict.”
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The catman frowned as he replied, “You seem scared. I know what you’re feeling. I had a girlfriend once who felt the same way. She was scared of admitting she was into me since society would label her something and make untrue assumptions. Our relationship died soon after as she eventually didn’t want there to be the possibility of people making the connection between the two of us.”
After a short pause, he continued, “Mr. Smith, I won’t judge you and no one else can hear you. Do you think Scarlett is beautiful? The foxwoman one, that is. Answer truthfully.”
I took a deep breath before truthfully answering, “Yes, sir. Scarlett is very beautiful. Her reddish-orange hair, her bright blue eyes, the contrast of reddish-orange, white, and black fur. Her tail is soft and fluffy, making it comfortable to be hugged by. Her face is the perfect fusion of human beauty, familiarity, and intelligence combined with an exotic appearance. Then, there’s the obvious, such as her body shape and bust. The reason I don’t like talking about it is that there’s some people on my home planet who would also be attracted to her, but they are strange people with a bad reputation. Falling for a foxwoman made me see myself as being associated with them when I didn’t want to be.”
He scratched his chin and replied, “I see. Now then, does it matter what those people would say? They aren’t here. Besides, deep down, you know who you are. Despite what others say, nobody can change the real you. Nobody but you.”
“Okay, dad!” I sarcastically replied as I rolled my eyes. “Tell me something I haven’t heard a thousand times.”
He sighed. “Quentin, you may have heard similar things several times before, but you need to learn to stop being so easily embarrassed. Being attracted to a sapient humanoid being is very different from being attracted to an animal. She’s also not a fictional creature. It should become easier for others to accept her once they see her and talk to her.”
“I know,” I replied as I sighed. Looking at the TV on the wall to avert eye contact, I added, “There’re bigger concerns that I should be worried about. The Qarri will almost certainly attempt to stop us before we reach the gateway. We’ll have to drop off Gruma and Harry at Besmen before heading back to Earth. Despite your assurances, I still feel guilty for taking you there. The people of my planet will probably not accept you. They’re known for being rather closeminded.”
He smiled and said, “It can’t be any worse than the millions of planets that the Qarri reside on. Or many similar groups. Besides, when we land down on Earth, Scarlett and I are going to immediately be public figures. We can decide how Earth humans see us. While some will fear us, there’s also only two of us. We probably won’t run into too many people.”
“I see,” I replied before thinking about how to get used to my home life again. “I’m now just worried about getting a job once I get back home. Despite the amazing adventure I went on, it’s kind of a year wasted. It’s going to be difficult to get my foot in the door of these industries versus my classmates who started applying before they graduated. I procrastinated on Earth, and now it’s my own problem. How can I get anyone to hire me?”
Mr. Black smiled and said, “In time, you’ll get your answer. Keep applying for jobs. Keep trying. You’re still young. Perhaps your parents will be willing to let you stay at home until you get your dream job. It’s going to be tough at first, but you’ll work your way up. Trust me, I’ve seen several young adults working terrible jobs and I gave them some advice. Get education or training, apply for entry-level positions, and then work as hard as you can to get promotions.”
“But what if the entire system is rigged against me. The economy is completely broken and there’s no way to go anywhere,” I replied, remembering what my classmates told me. A few of them were probably political extremists, but most of them had genuine concern that there was no way up.
“If that’s really the case, then there’s no advice I can give you. Being poor sucks, but you can learn to be happy with what you have. Remember, family and friends are more important than riches or amusement,” he replied, which reminded me of Malgorth. The latter, on his deathbed, told us the true meaning of life was for those you loved and who loved you. It was oddly reassuring to hear those words repeated to me. Life was tough and challenging, but there were those more important than power or wealth.
It only strengthened my desire to get back home. My family loved me and wanted me to return. They probably thought I was dead, but I’d show them that I’m still very much alive. Perhaps I could even introduce them to Scarlett, so she’d have people to fall back on. Ultimately, it was where I belonged. No amount of luxury could replace them.