Memory transcription subject: Maeve, Temporary Resident of Venlil Prime, Exchange Program Refugee

Date [standardized human time]: Sept 10th, 2136. End of 2nd Claw.

The dim lights of the shuttle played over the fur of the two Venlil at my side. I was never good at sleeping on planes, despite the complete darkness that enveloped us as we cut over the Night side. Even with the shortcut, the flight still took a full claw; not enough for my own nap, but I was quite happy to be an improvised pillow for these two.

We had just passed through a polar night storm and regained cruising altitude when Taisa stepped from her co-pilot’s chair and addressed me, “If the satellite is correct, that should be the last storm before we arrive, so it should be ‘smooth sailing’ from here, to quote Christopher.” The twitch in her tail did not escape my notice.

I nodded and thanked her for the update, expecting her to return to her seat. Instead she stood there and swiveled her ears for a moment, her tail curling on itself as she spoke up, “If you don’t mind my asking, I think we gave you your ride to Hidden Plains a while back. I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing?”

The sharp memory flashed in my mind, memorable though unwanted, “Oh! Yeah… uh… well, I kept the arm!” I lifted the casted arm from its sling, “Still stings sometimes, but that should level out later. I’m sorry you had to see that; I know the Venlil don’t handle gore very well.”

She sighed, her ears lowering towards me. “Yea, it wasn’t the best of experiences. But I try to push myself through stuff like that. I’ve… Seen worse if I’m honest.”

Knowing what happened to Marcel, and the Venlil wildlife, I can’t say I was surprised. “For what it’s worth, I would like to thank you for being where you were when you got the call. I… I had lost a lot of blood. I’m not sure I would have made it to the hospital if not for you. So: Thank you.”

Her tail swished with pride as her ears perked up. “We’d been doing training so Christopher can get certified for extra-atmospheric flight, so it’s lucky we were in the area at the time! When Christopher saw what had happened to you… I didn’t think the old Model R’s could go that fast without falling apart!”

I joined her good natured laugh, “Trust a human to break the speed limit. How did you get to be here? I didn’t think we would see us -- see Humans -- working with the Venlil for a while!”

Her tail fell into a lazy, pleased swaying. “We were in the exchange program! Eventually we realized that neither of us really had any plans for once the exchange was done. I studied to be an engineer's mate on a star ship and he was a sailor for a long time so… It just kind of seemed like the best course to go!” Taisa cleared a seat across from us and sat down, “So we asked the exchange program if we could: ‘Run an experiment on Human-Venlil business partnerships.’ The wording was his idea, but I guess they thought it had some merit! We’re hoping that, once the training is done, they’ll move us up to something a little bigger!”

My mouth split into a smile she couldn’t see, but the habit was hard to break. “That is fairly similar to us. This one," I nodded my head to Valek on my left, “actually invited me to come to his family farm. We talked to the admin on Beta station, and Tarva cleared us for early departure to participate in the Integration experiment." I nodded to Alvi on my right, pausing slightly as she stirred, then lowered my voice, “This one met us on the train over. We talked and… the rest is history. A fantastic history.” The fingers of my good hand wound through Valek’s wool while I reminisced.

Taisa laughed a little, her tail wrapping over to her lap. “I can’t say I exactly invited Christopher to Heartwood, but he was so excited to see it I couldn’t really tell him no!” Her ears swiveled a little bit back up towards the cockpit before snapping back to me. “Well, outside of getting injured, how have you liked Venlil Prime? Christopher was pretty annoyed about the gravity at first but I think he’s getting used to it? It’s kind of hard to tell sometimes with him; he usually just deals with stuff and keeps it to himself. It worries me, but he’s getting better about it.”

“Yeah that’s a whole thing with us humans: as social and community driven as we are, we hate to be a burden, so tend to keep our problems to ourselves. Don’t take it personally; he's not keeping secrets, just trying not to be a bother. Just be there for him, and he will get through it. As to the planet… I love it!” I couldn't hide the glee in my voice, and Taisa’s ears perked up at my tone. “Everything is so familiar! And, yeah the lack of a day/night cycle takes some getting used to, but I get to see a Venlillian sunset all the time! Earth sunsets only last for a few minutes!”

Her ears lowered in thought before responding. “Yea Christopher had complained about the constant night, but he still can’t stop staring at the sky! I think it’s half the reason he’s been playing his guitar in-”

“Hey Taisa, are our guests awake?!” The pilot called over the engine from the cockpit.

“Not all of them, you noisy rekan, quiet down!” Taisa hissed back up at him.

“Ok, ok, sorry! We’re not too far out from Dawn Creek, I just wanted to check in and make sure we were all ready to land here in a little bit. I’m sure my Co-pilot already said it but I hope you’re feeling better!” The pilot, Christopher I assumed, continued. “If e’er ya need a ride give us a ring!

“Sam has been really good to us. If he trusts you then I do too. I’ll give Taisa our contact. You keep your eyes on the road- Uh... Sky. Air?”

He chuckled, deep enough it was almost lost with the engines. “Aye aye, Captain.”

I quickly brought out my pad, “Anyway, here. We’re going to be in Dawn Creek for a few days, but we live in The Grove.

Taisa produced her own pad, tapping it against mine to receive the contact. “I’ve been to The Grove a few times, my family used to sell our Shadeberries there for a distillery I think. What are you guys doing all the way in Dawn Creek?”

I tried, with only marginal success, to keep my excitement to a quiet whisper, “Some of the kids in the village told me about a Gravity Arcade! I’m sure you're familiar with it but to us, the whole concept has been science fiction until only a few months ago! We’ve experimented with simulated null-gravity before, but have only recently figured out how to actually do it!”

Her eyes lit up in recognition before she calmed herself so as not to wake the sleepers. “I’ve heard of it! I’ve never actually been but hear it’s a lot of fun! You guys should have a blast! Just be careful with the paint area, I’ve heard it can get everywhere!”

Taisa and I kept talking about everything under the Venlil sun, and some outside of it. She told me about her home of Heartwood, of its massive, ancient tree surrounded by rivers and houses, spreading out to shadeberry fields. She told me about their constant twilight, and the everpresent stars above them. She was talking about her town’s Festival of Night when the shuttle cabin was flooded with Daylight. “-- and the food! Lines and lines of stalls of the very best Crystaled Mel Root you've ever had! And more than a few wine ca--”

Our bodies lurched slightly as the ship decelerated, the sudden movement pulling my companions from their rest. Christopher called over Valek’s frankly unnecessarily loud yawn, “We’re coming in on final approach, shouldn’t be more than a few minutes. Please secure anything not tied down in the cabin! Taisa, if you'd be so kind as to check the readout on the landing struts, I think #4 might still be a bit sticky.”

With a parting flick of her tail, Taisa unbuckled and stepped back to look over the console at her co-pilot’s seat. Alvi picked her head up, and bleary eyed asked me. “Wh-Where are…” before giving her own yawn.

“We are just landing in Dawn Creek,” I answered, “should only be a moment more. You sleep alright?” Her near eye met where mine should be.

“A little stiff, but I’ll be ok.” She unbuckled and stood from her seat, stretching tall with a small whine.

I looked behind me and saw our pilots were distracted, before quickly flinging my veil over Valek’s head and planting a kiss on his snout, which he silently returned with a headbutt. We stood and collected our things, however few they were: change of clothes, toiletries, toothbrush, the normal essentials for staying a few days in a new place. By the time we were stretched and collected, we felt the ground come up to meet us, and we nearly toppled from the rough landing.

“Stars go dark, does this bucket have any dampeners??” Alvi asked over our captain’s announcement:

“Touchdown! I think that might be my best landing yet!”

“What?!” Venlil voices echoed on either side of me while I cackled at the situation.

“Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking, we’ve arrived in Dawn Creek, the local temperature is uhhhhhhhh… Something and it’s daytime. We hope you’ve enjoyed your flight on C-n-T Airlines, enjoy your stay!”

Taisa was the first to meet us, and walk us the short distance to the loading ramp, Christopher following close behind.

“Glad to see you up on your feet! From what I saw of you the last time we met, I’d hate to have been on the receiving end of that fight. Christopher Dewey,” He proclaimed, sticking out his gigantic hand. “Good to formally make your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure is mine! And uhh…” I took his hand in the usual fashion, and was surprised by the light touch he had. I jerked my head back, asking him to bend down, while I lifted myself on my toes to speak in his ear, “C-n-T airlines? Cunt airlines?”

His posture snapped straight as a board as his face stared straight ahead, “Mhm… Yep. Yep, that one’s gettin’ changed. Thanks for that. Don’t, uh…” He dropped his voice to a whisper, “don’t tell Taisa, I will never live it down.”

I fell back on my heels and belted out a hearty laugh, before picking up our bags. “Thank you so much for the ride. What will you be doing after this?”

“I know we’ve got a delivery to haul off to the capital for the exchange. Outside of that, probably head back to Heartwood and try my hand at wooing some more townspeople. I think they're starting to open up to the music! Been seein’ more windows forgettin’ to be closed, at least.” He responded, a note of pride in his voice.

“That’s a good start! I just started by sitting in the most public place and answering questions. The kids were the first… and the best if I’m honest. I wish you luck in that. Hearts and minds, and so on.”

“What are children if not curious? Even alien ones, I suppose. You as well! They’ll come around, just takes time. Hearts and minds indeed.” He chuckled, looking down to Valek and Alvi, “You two keep her out of trouble, don’t wanna have to make another hospital run if I can help it.”

Valek let out an exaggerated sigh, “Man, we are trying! Are all humans as accident prone as she is?!”

“YES!!!” A loud bleat sounded from Taisa next to Christopher. “The number of times he’s whacked his head on door frames would be funny if it didn’t dent the brahking door!”

The suddenly deserted hanger was echoing with our laughter. I nodded a thankful farewell to our escort, and turned to walk away.

Our backs were met with the sound of closing doors and charging engines. We had rounded the corner before Valek spoke up, “Alright I gotta ask: was that a human??”

“Valek!”

“What?! You saw it! Him?” -- “Yes, Him.” -- “He was as big as a Mazic and by far the wooliest human I’ve ever seen!” While his tail thrashed in playful indignation. “He had wool coming out the top and bottom of his visor!”

“You're one to talk! You have hair coming out the everywhere!” I ducked in an effort to tickle him, and he hopped just out of my reach… but right into Alvi’s! Her claws found their mark just under his ribs. Valek bleated in anguished betrayal while I cheered at our improvised ambush.

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I thought about the events of last week. We had all been so… distant. So cold to each other. I missed this; I missed the warmth I saw between them, and that I felt filling my own chest. I bent down to the pair and wrapped them both in a giant and only slightly squirming hug.

Alvi whistled in playful admonishment, “Maeve, I was busy!”

“Oh? Do you want me to stop?”

She twisted around in my arms to wrap hers around my neck, as Valek did the same. “Don’t even joke about that.”

Our embrace lasted only a moment, before we all stood and walked out of the hangar. Black - squishy? That's weird - asphalt stretched in every direction, interrupted by Venlil, and other species I didn’t know, on foot and in carts moving boxes and bags and crates.

Valek spoke up beside me, “I hope you don’t mind walking: I doubt anyone will give us a ride. But once we reach the tube it should be easier to navigate.” Valek stepped off in what I hoped was the right direction. The constant distance the other xenos gave us was never fun to see, but I had to admit that our little ‘herd’ made the transit much easier. No one panicked, thankfully, but more than a few ears and eyes watched me until I was well out of what they probably assumed was pouncing range.

Remembering our conversation, I spoke up, “Sam said he got us a hotel in the Entertainment district: Setting Sun. He said they were friendly to humans, so we should be ok.”

We had just found our seat on the terminal tube which was conveniently, and totally by coincidence, entirely empty. Alvi checked her pad, “Well DenFinder gives it good ratings, and it apparently has a wonderful view when the sun touches the horizon. Too bad we won’t be here long enough to see that… Good news is: it's only a few cells from the Arcade, so that will make walking easier.”

The tube had reached its station, and Alvi guided us to the next platform. “This one should take us to the Financial District. According to this… thing,” Alvi flicked her ears in irritation at the distressingly over-sauced plate of pasta the Venlil called a ‘map’. “Financial’s the main city hub; we should be able to find a connection there.”

More trains, and more suddenly disappearing crowds; it had dawned on me that maybe I didn’t handle cities well. It seemed Valek was picking up on my anxiety; he kept himself between me and the crowds whenever we were sitting or waiting, which happened a lot.

I was thankful the train stations were elevated along with their transit; Financial had beautiful architecture! An interesting mix of old and new, it was clear why this was the center of the city. From the elevated window, I could see throngs of Venlil walking about their day, and I was immediately reminded of ‘busy street’ stock footage. Though the lack of suits and ties, or any clothes for that matter, was rather amusing.

It didn’t take long for our train to arrive. It whisked us through towering buildings only broken by the occasional squat stone hexagon; it almost looked like a bunker. Tamping down the questions that implication dug up, I had noticed that our surroundings were slowly changing. As we got further from the Financial district, older buildings were becoming less and less frequent, increasingly replaced by towering glass spires.

Humans were no strangers to skyscrapers, but these were so much… smoother. While New York felt like you were surrounded by towering monoliths, here it felt like I was a particularly small bug in a Giant’s lawn made entirely of glass!

As we stepped down out of our last station, I noticed that the Venlil of the area were keeping a very obvious distance. But that was all they did at the moment; no screams, no pleading, just avoidance.

I feel like a shark swimming through a school of fish. Even if they aren't screaming, they're still terrified of me.

But I'm just another fish. Looking for a school.

I kept my head forward as we walked, but I could still catch details in my periphery through the netted fabric of the veil. Despite the Venlil’s comparative lack of stamina, their cities relied heavily on pedestrian traffic and public transit, but personal transports and rideshares were still relatively common. The squishy ‘asphalt’ was ubiquitous anywhere there wasn't greenery,

“Why is the ground… soft? What is this??” I asked, as I tested the ground with my heel.

“Helps resist stampedes.” Alvi answered immediately, as if that made any sense. “Though it looks like we won’t need to worry about that.” Her ears swiveled in confusion, “Though it is a little weird…”

“How I’m not treated like a walking nightmare?” I tried to inject humor in my voice, though I doubted my success.

“Yeah. That. I wonder if there are other humans here? Maybe they’re not so strange in the cities?”

Another herd crossed to the other side of the walkway. “Maybe,” I mumbled.

We were passing by a large park, and I could see what Valek meant about Forums. This area didn't seem like a ‘park’ so much as just a place buildings weren’t. Vehicles lined the border serving as a parking lot, but the center was still vibrant with greenery; and a massive congregation of Venlil. There had to be 10 or 12 groups, with individuals milling about from one to another. Their airy language made it sound like a field of reeds in a breeze. WIthout a focus on any particular speaker, my translator didn’t process their words so I could only hear a mess of their native language.

One group, closer to us than the rest, fell silent and very obviously stared as we passed by. A blue bird, two Venlil, and a black and white… spiky bear?

“Keep moving,” Valek switched sides, to put himself between us and the group. “They won’t give us trouble if we don’t interact.”

I dropped my voice, “Who are they?”

“Exterminators. You can tell by their wool cut.”

“Exterminators?” I ask, “Who are…”

“Alright, here it is!” Alvi’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and questions to look at a sign of a red four-pointed star, with blocky venlil script in the quadrants of its negative space.

We stepped through a door that slid open without anyone touching it. Well at least they have some automation figured. The entire front was a glass facade, just as with most other Venlil buildings I’ve seen, and the inside was decorated in what I could only call ‘retro-futurist’ aesthetic. Swooping designs and scattered circles, with real wood paneling and everything fitting a tri-color theme of red, white, and gold. Ok. Where is the shag carpeting? I know it’s around here somewhere.

Alvi and Valek approached the front desk while I tried to take in as much of the room as I could without moving my head; I had no desire to spook the receptionist with ‘predatory tracking’ before we even got our room keys. Even still, I could feel the eyes of the receptionist on me, and I couldn’t decide if it was better to be completely motionless or to move around and ignore them. Thankfully, the exchange was brief, and Valek checked in on me while Alvi finished with the front desk.

“So! Your third time in a proper Venlil city! And the first time you're staying. How are you holding up?”

“It… It’s a lot. We have big cities too, but I’ve just never been good with… uh… with people. Thank you for helping me through it.”

Valek did his slow blink, it was incredible how much like cats their emotives were. The glass elevator opened out to the same park we just passed, and I was struck with recognition,

“My brain just said look at the pretty sheep in the fields. Still getting used to this.”

I saw Valek give his tail a mischievous flick. “Well, I could do that ‘baa’ thing if it helps.”

“Oh, please, don’t. Not-”

“Baaaaaaaa.”

I groaned in pain while Alvi laughed on my other side, quickly interrupted by a terrified bleat behind us. I couldn’t even turn around before they were already sprinting down the hallway. I looked up at what floor we were on, then remembered I can’t read Venlil. Yet. Alvi punched what must have been a ‘close’ button and we were on our way. As we got higher I could see the grid of the city.

Their city ‘blocks’ were arranged in oblong cells, diamond or hexagonal in shape. The glass facades were fairly transparent at and just above ground level, but became steadily more reflective as they climbed, allowing sunlight to illuminate the ground below. While the financial district was relatively plain, this entertainment district was plastered in physical banners and trailers, with symbols that looked like language, and others that must be brands. Seems no one really can get away from ads.

Our elevator whistled when we got to the correct floor and we stepped out, Alvi leading the way. The hotel seemed to be stacks of single hallways, achieving quantity by height rather than footprint. Our room was only a few doors down from the elevator itself.

Aaand there’s that shag carpeting.

The room was decorated with the same theme as the lobby, though there was an amorphous rug of red shag in the center. The master bed was also circular, with raised sides making it look more bowl-like, though there was also the more familiar slab-style bed on its far side, having folded down from a closet.

“Every time. Every time…” I muttered as I took off my veil.

“Something on the breeze, Maeve?” Alvi looked at me with kind attention.

“It… Every time I learn something new about the Venlil, some of it is… just like Earth. And some of it is still completely alien. Like, this room?” I motioned to our surroundings, pointing at specific examples, “Bold colors, round edges… the lamp is a frickin’ bubble! This is dead on Retro-Futurist; Humans had a whole era of this styling over 150 years ago! This rug is Shag Carpeting!” I turned to the bed and made a wide excited gesture. “This is a Murphy Bed! The spheres and bubbles were popular because we had just made it to space and everything needed to be aerodynamic! And that…!” I stood in front of the giant cushy bowl, “... That is new. We never had bowl-beds, our backs are bad enough as it is.”

Alvi hopped into the center of the bowl and looked at me, “We only started exploring deep water fairly recently, with the help of the Kolshians, so these are inspired by those deep-water vessels. Dyvol made a name for herself by setting the look for this style just under 100 years ago. The bed is Warren-style, and considered very traditional. Seeing that alongside DeepWater style is really anachronistic, and Dyvol was known for weaving unfitting styles in new ways.”

“Even that!” I couldn’t stop my excitement from edging my voice, “We have architectural celebrities because of the new styles they perfected; god, this entire room looks like it came out of an Andy Warhol catalog! It is so much like home… but…”

Earth is home. Not Venlil Prime. You can’t stay here. You shouldn’t stay here. This is not home.

I took a breath, and stood straight. I dried my eyes with my hands, and sat down to think.

“Maeve, are you ok?” Valek was by my side, and Alvi was climbing out of the warren.

I retreated into my thoughts. What is home? Why do you need to go back to earth? Do you want to go back to earth? Do you want to leave Venlil Prime? One at a time.

What is home? Too hard, move on.

Why do you need to go back to earth?

I have an apartment, and a job. I have friends who like me, and I like them. All of my stuff is there --

I halted myself. That hadn’t been true.

All of your stuff is here. You filled out a form of everything you could remember you need, and they didn't miss anything you noticed. Maybe you missed a few things, and maybe you’ll be sad later, but it is no different than moving apartments.

Your apartment and job have always been temporary. At worst you’re in a different temporary place, but at least the new one doesn’t have rent.

You hated your job. And yeah, it may have sucked less than job hunting, but that was going to happen anyway, eventually; what difference does it make that it’s on another planet?

Why do you Need to go back to earth? You don’t.

Do you Want to go back to earth?

I remembered the trees, and the butterflies, I remembered the night and shining stars. I remembered the perpetual sunset. I remembered new life; giant, and completely unlike anything I had ever seen before.

No.

Do you want to leave Venlil Prime?

I remembered Elva, while she taught me of promises. I remembered Leksi as he stood before a mob to defend me and support me. I remembered a sea of children, eager to learn.

No.

So I ask again: What is home?

I lifted my eyes to the two people in front of me. Both looked afraid, but not of me. They looked afraid for me. Valek stood by my side and I felt his tail behind my back. Alvi sat in front of me and took my hand in hers.

Home. Is where I want to be. And I want… to be here.

I dried my eyes and met Valek’s, “Valek… How do I apply for Venlil Citizenship?”