Memory Transcription Subject: Jonah Ahab, Human Civilian
Date [standardized human time]: 6 January 2137
Somehow, coming to terms with the difficulties of finding a low-level accounting job in the aftermath of a global travesty that killed billions was starting to take a backseat to my worrying about my arxur lover. Either way, sleep was not comin’ easy to this Jonah brother. Viath not answering my usual nightly texts was strange enough for the first day, but after day two, I was starting to get worried. Day three, and now I really am worried! God, did they really process him?! And if I went down there to investigate, I’d certainly have a lot of explaining to do-
*Ping*
Hmm? A text on my phone? At this hour? That certainly wasn’t the funny little text tone that I assigned to Viath, anyway. Checking the aforementioned phone, it was a text from a number I didn’t recognize.
> “Hello Jonah Ahab. This is Shesh, overseer of regional operations for the arxur in your region. I wish to speak with you privately. I will send pictures of my certification. Please find the leader of your local UN detachment and they will be able to escort you here.”
…Well, I was going to worry that I was going to disappear, but if the UN are made to know what’s up, they’ll know who to look into if things go pear-shaped… God, actually, I could go for a can of no-sugar-added sliced pears right now – No, no, priorities, Jonah! Finding out what’s up first, then can of pears. Well, if now wasn’t a good excuse to freshen up for some meeting, I wouldn’t know what was!
- - - - -
Wow, going through these proper channels happened a lot quicker than I was expecting! Thankfully, the UN provided transportation for me in the form of a jeep manned by three peacekeepers… Something about this felt disproportionate.
Whatever the case, further inland we went to the base, proper, the jeep crunching on the gravel beneath it, stopping right at some seemingly standard office building, if on the shorter side. The peacekeepers started exiting the vehicle, about which time I figured I ought to do the same. The three lined up to guide me towards the door. I was a little confused, having come to the assumption that at least one of them was going to walk me in or something, but I reasoned with myself that I didn’t really base that assumption on anything. I headed right into the door, meeting immediately with a somewhat smaller arxur female at a reception desk. I moved to pull my phone out of my pants pocket, but was interrupted by the lady.
> “Ah, you’re Jonah Ahab, right? Shesh wanted to see you, he’s down the end of the hallway to the right.”
>
> “…Thank you, ma’am.”
I stopped pulling my phone out of my pocket and made briskly for the office in the direction that she had described. I tried not to pay much heed to the open doors I passed, but really, they just had basically large stacks of paperwork with one or two arxur working them each.
I knocked on the door once of my intended thrice, and it seemed to just slide open, revealing a dimly-lit room, with a desk across from me in front of a set of chairs, one of which was filled by Viath- Oh thank god he’s alright! The more formally and shinily dressed arxur behind it stood up from his seat and beckoned me in.
> “Mister Jonah Ahab, I presume? Please, come in.”
>
> The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I obliged, striding towards the seat further from Viath… partly to potentially dissuade the idea of us being “together” and partly because I kinda just liked the symmetry.
> “So, my associate, Jörmun, had brought to my attention a… specific kind of relationship between you and Viath here.”
Off to the side, Jörmun leaned against the wall, nodding.
> “…Now, due to a recent string of administrative successes, from the campaign against the Federation to the work on the meat laboratories, our Chief Hunter has seen to it that he could… “divest” assets towards other “projects” of his.”
Not quite sure where this was going, I shrugged.
> “…And… I might assume me being here would be… relating to that?”
>
> “You assume correctly. Isif wishes to implement many reforms, as well as advertise them to those of other arxur clans. One of these, of course, being the transition away from our eugenics program and to return to freely chosen relationships. We believe that you and Viath could be useful for that.”
>
> “’Advertise?’ Man, now I’m starting to regret switching majors on the last year!”
>
> “…I’m sorry, ‘major?’ Is this a reference to a military career?”
>
> “Oh, no, my academic history. I, uh… went into college with more of a film focus in mind, but switched to accounting over time.”
>
> “…I still don’t follow.”
>
> “Right, because ‘film,’ ‘advertisements,’ y’know?”
>
> “…Indeed. We’re still forming our public relations department with our new outset in mind. We feel that advertising how a new age of more amicable relations with other species is forming can help show the other clans that we no longer are bound to the fate that the Federation had forced upon us.”
>
> “Well, so far it sounds good – Oh, damn, right, I’m sorry, Viath, I really should be including you more. What do you think?”
Suddenly realizing that he is being talked to, Viath perked up and formulated a response.
> “I’m… just here to follow orders.”
>
> “…He is right, Viath. If what I understand of human relationships to be correct, one-sided affairs tend to be… ‘strained.’ If you do not wish to continue on this path, then that’ll be the end of this discussion.”
>
> “I mean… I’m interested.”
>
> “I might want to hear more about this deal first, though.”
>
> “We’ll be making some promotional material. Posters, shorts, films, livestreams… Even outside of the intraspecies politics, we feel that there is a market to capitalize on. You two are far from the only couple we’ve approached with deals like this. While we are also looking into arranging more couples for this purpose, we believe that more naturally occurring ones, like your own, could offer more authenticity.”
>
> “Alright, I get the ‘why us,’ now, but more specifically, what did we have in mind for us to do?”
>
> “We can run a few auditions for you to try out for. Some different projects to develop. We have plenty of written screenplays by your human arts communities – though, if you write scripts of your own, we can review them and make offers for them. We are also working on revitalizing our own arts, and taking heavy inspiration from our human allies. Further, I can promise you that you and Viath will be pleasantly compensated for your work.”
>
> “…Got an example?”
Shesh opened a cabinet on his side of the desk, pulling out a manilla folder and opening it. Removing a packet, they described it:
> “Human and arxur couple find love in a town where both species are at odds with each other. They seek to pursue their love despite the persecution of their families.“
>
> “Space Romeo and Juliet?”
>
> “…That is how some of my human associates have described it, yes.”
>
> “Well, that is something I can cut my teeth on… figuratively, of course. Meaning to… get initial experience in a… given field of work.”
>
> “Mmm hmm. If we can get you consistent work on projects, we can arrange a salary of… sorry, hold on…”
>
> Shesh glanced at another packet on his desk.
>
> “…One hundred thousand dollars a year. Each.”
>
> “Ooh, I’m liking that deal! Viath, what do you think?”
>
> “…Will we get acting coaches?”
>
> “Yes.”
>
> “Sounds good to me. Are we in agreement, Jonah?”
>
> “I’m in.”
For the first time in this entire interview, Shesh’s expression changed, now cracking a slight grin.
> “That’s wonderful to hear. I’ll leave this screenplay here, the audition for the part of Jules will be tomorrow-“
>
> “Oh, I’m going to be the Juliet?”
>
> “You take it like a Juliet.”
I teakettled at that one, with Shesh and Jörmun giving their own whole-hearted laughters. With his funny jab received well, Viath bore a big dumb grin on his face.
> “Christ, Viath! That… Where did that come from?!”
>
> “I learned it from someone I like.”