...Oh can it be,
The voices calling me,
They get lost,
And out of time,
I should've seen it glow,
But everybody knows,
That a broken heart is blind,
That a broken heart is blind...
“Geeze Jas, you wanna sing something a little more uplifting?” Chamkov commented over his shoulder.
“How bout I sing what I want and you keep your eyes on the road?” Jasmine replied with a lazy snark.
“Oh yeah, let me see, nothing, nothing, road, and what’s that? Oh, nothing!” Chamkov bounced with similar lazy sarcasm, his messy man bun following suit on the top of his head. Kat hit him on the arm from the passenger's seat with her paper fan.
“Not so loud, you’ll wake Warren…”
“Bastard,” Chamkov whispered, “is he actually asleep?”
Warren sat slumped behind the driver seat in Chamkov’s ‘06 Pajero. Sunglasses protected his eyes from the bright summer's sun; a pillow was jammed underneath his awkwardly placed head. Jasmine’s feet were in his lap as she had claimed the rest of the back seat. An evil grin crept onto her lips as she lifted her bare feet toward her friend’s face, she waved her big toe under his nose.
“He's gooooone” she confirmed, returning her foot back to the seat.
“How the hell is he able to sleep?!” Chamkov sighed. The car shook like the suspension was an added extra, fishing rods rattled in the back cab along with the rest of their camping gear, and although the car’s air conditioner was trying its best, it was no match for the sun’s merciless gaze.
“It’s his super power.” Kat chuckled. Pushing her glasses on top of her head, pastel pink hair framing her petite face. “Jas knows the words to every song, I never take a bad selfie, and Warren can sleep anywhere.”
“And what’s my superpower?” Chamkov asked, “Putting up with you lot?”
“You do it so well,” Kat replied while she sat to the side, looking over the newspaper.
Jas sighed, leaning back on the car door.
“You should really call Nadine, you know.” Jasmine's mother, Sandra mentioned as she buttered her toast in the back of the car. “Another investor in your venture would do wonders; then you won’t have to worry about the banks asking for garnitures.”
“We’ll be fine mum,” Jasmine smiled, sinking back against her own pillows. “Besides, we want this to be ours. Terrible interest rates and all. Our own B&B out bush, away from the city… Blue skies, big ocean… White sand..” She dropped her hand to the side and ran it through the fine granules of beach beneath her.
She stood to her feet and looked out at the ocean.
Nothing between her and the water but miles of white powder.
A swim would be nice, to feel the cool, refreshing water wash over her.
Jasmine took a step, feeling her weight sink into the earth.
Salted air lifted her dress and kissed her skin.
Her hair blew past her face, tickling her nose.
She reached up to put the locks behind her ear.
But there was no hair.
Jasmine woke to the bright lights of the Security room. Sweat beading on her brow, Sigi, Kimiko and Spades had all bundled around her.
Living breathing pillows, snuggled in close. Her eyes adjusted to the light and her brain remembered where she was.
She hated those dreams, the ones where it was just mundane enough to be convincing. Going to the supermarket, being late for work, standing on the beach. She must have been really tired, the lights were stabbing her eyes more than usual.
Jasmine could feel the bags under her eyes and the thin layer of oil on her face. Her arm was throbbing slightly from yesterday. She groaned while sitting up, the wall still an acceptable chair to prop herself against. Only when she moved did the dogs stir. Sieglinde and Kimiko were sitting either side of her; Spades still slept at her feet. Jasmine greeted the girls with a groggy “Good morning” and a pat. They panted and stared back happily.
“Good to see that you are awake Jasmine,” Xant's voice bellowed out of the unseen loudspeaker. Jasmine chuckled, never a moments peace.
“‘Awake’ is a very strong word,” she articulated slowly, blinking her eyes open and closed. “Any chance I could get a few more minutes before you start asking or telling me stuff? I'm not all here yet.”
There was a pause from the loudspeaker.
“Of course Jasmine, take your time.”
Kat, Chamkov, Warren... Mum.
A deep breath was in order.
She couldn’t think about them now.
Jasmine rubbed her face, Spades by her feet finally woke and rolled his head towards his new partner. All eyes were on her to make the first move.
“Fine,” she sighed. “I'm up, I'm up.”
“Excellent,” Xant’s voice echoed in the training chamber. “If you would please come into the office, I will relay the events of the meeting for you.”
Jasmine nodded.
“Okay, okay...” she still wasn’t entirely sure how it was the aliens operated so quickly after waking up. She let out a huge yawn before rising to her feet, dragging them toward the office. The dogs following close in suit.
She waved her hand over the sensor and stepped into the office.
“Morning-”
“Bark bark! (FOOD!)” Kimiko pushed through, Sieglinde and Spades nearly knocking Jasmine over.
“What?!” Jasmine staggered, trying to balance. Then she saw it. Laid out in the middle of the floor were several bowls of food. The dogs had dived into the bowls of food while Xant stepped back off the black piece of fabric laid on the floor.
“Xant? What is this?” Jasmine asked. A loud snap brought her attention to the side, Rynard was leaning against the console, dropping the thin glossy strips of Tassai into his mouth. Suk and Arc each had a bowl of the pesto sauce, the spoon was still in Arc’s mouth as he waved.
Xant was careful to walk around the dogs and as he picked up a plate untouched by the ravenous quadrupeds.
“When I returned to my office after the meeting, I found your eating arrangement.”
“Oh, God.” An embarrassed laugh followed. “I’m so sorry; I would have cleaned it up I swear, if you know, stuff hadn't happened. I uh, didn’t get any food on the rug did I?”
“There was a single paw print, but I believe that may have been Sieglinde’s doing and not your own.”
He offered her a plate of the jerky Ah’tau, she gingerly took a piece and began gnawing at the end. Xant took a piece himself, and for the first time, Jasmine saw him open his mouth. Instead of the small mouth she imagined at the tip of his face, it was like a crocodile’s, with tiny, sharp teeth in a mouth that opened up to his jaw.
Jasmine watched as he slid the piece of food in and quickly closed it shut again.
“Uh, thanks for the food” she replied trying not to stare, “You didn’t need to do all this you know.”
“I felt it was time that I tried to make you more comfortable in your surroundings,” Xant nodded, his chewing didn’t stop him from answering questions. Jasmine then realised maybe she could do the same.
“(But, you’ve already done so much.)” She replied in thought and to her pleasure it came out loud and clear as she took another bite of jerky.
“Not enough, ultimately.” Xant explained, “It was cultural misconceptions that caused the confrontation with Duuarn. To ensure it doesn’t happen again I need to ask you more questions about your honour code.”
Jasmine swallowed her Ah’tau.
“Honour code? Like, do you mean morals or laws?” she asked.
“Both, if it is not too complicated to explain.” Xant nodded. ”I will be taking Behavioural Study lessons from Dr. Jess to better accommodate your needs.”
“Uh, okay,” Jasmine said, unsure of where even to start. “How about to begin with: No more holding anything from Earth by the throat, got it?” She looked over to the three security guards pointedly.
“Yes, Your Grace” Arc and Suk replied in unison, catching Jasmine by surprise.
“Wait, what?” She thought she misheard.
“It is an Arvas honorific,” Xant explained, taking more food. “Females with powerful Freq abilities are addressed as ‘Your Grace’; males, ‘Your Honour’ unless there is another title.”
Jasmine smiled, and a warmth filled the office.
“‘Your Grace’.” she repeated. “Makes me feel like a Princess.”
“But you are a Princess!” Arc blurted out, “Isn’t she?”
“Of course she is,” Suk sighed at his brother, stirring the spoon in his pesto mix. “She would not have been able to command you otherwise,”
“I’m really sorry about that too.” Jasmine apologised to the twin Arvas, “I had no idea I had that kind of power, I had no right to make you hurt the doctor.”
Arc nearly choked on his second spoonful.
Suk’s wing fluttered in awe.
Even Rynard was taken aback by the statement.
But Xant just smiled.
“Are you guys alright?” Jasmine queried.
“Apologising for one’s actions is a rare proclamation, especially amongst those deemed ‘Your Grace’,” Xant explained, taking the last piece of Ah’tau from the plate. “Actions are seen as an extension of one’s self, to doubt your actions is unseemly.”
“So no one admits when they make a mistake?” Jasmine recalled the Doctor’s arrogance in the hallway.
“On the contrary, mistakes happen all the time, but to say you would have rather not taken action at all is almost unheard of.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Huh.” Jasmine mused, taking another slow bite of the jerky. “(Humans aren't like that at all, wishing we could undo actions or taken different ones is a universal thing, ‘what if I had done this?’ or ‘if only this had happened?’)” Jasmine found it hard to swallow her mouthful of bland protein, “Speaking of doing things, can I have some of your pesto?-” Arc thrust his bowl in Jasmine’s direction, pulling the spoon from his mouth for her.
“Uhhh, thanks.” she smiled, by-passing the saliva covered utensil in favour for dipping her finger in the bowl. Just on the edge, where the spoon had not touched, and just enough to smear on what was left of her jerky. She breathed in the familiar fresh-cut herb scent and took her next bite.
She nodded her head as she chewed, savouring the flavour. The other aliens then enjoying the strangely satisfying waves Jasmine produced from the simple act. Arc even began bobbing his head a little in time with Jasmine’s.
“See?” she mumbled through the food. “Taste is a commutative sense,” she turned pointedly to Xant, a pleased grin on her face. “Mmm, back home, at the café I worked in, we had this beetroot and macadamia pesto-based bruschetta with balsamic vinegar drizzled on top, God it was amazing...” she reminisced.
“Is food texture and taste really that important?” Xant marvelled.
“Food, important!?” she scoffed “It’s essential! Food isn't just nutrition, it’s a way of life! Chocolate on Valentine's day! Cake on birthdays! Full on feasts at Christmas! Every human celebration is accompanied by booze and food, we have entire media and professions dedicated to single delicacies! Cooking and food preparation is an art form.” With every explanation she became more animated, her Freq sweeping everyone up in the excitement. “Eating the same food, day in day out is considered a punishment too cruel even for inmates, in fact, those on death row are granted whatever they desire for their last meal,” she stopped again, as she noticed the surrounding group’s stares. “Uhh, that got dark pretty quickly, sorry.”
“You have an excellent talent for getting off topic Jasmine.” Xant nodded, “And I am sorry for forcing you through such torture as limited ration variety.”
Jasmine narrowed her eyes.
“One day I’ll be able to pick when you’re joking,”
Clang.
Everyone's attention was grabbed by Kimiko, who had placed an empty bowl in front of Jasmine, sitting beside it and looking up expectantly.
The human smiled warmly.
“You thirsty girl?”
“Bark! (Yes please!)”
“Such good manners!” Jasmine praised reaching down for the bowl and heading over to the security office’s food dispenser. Filling the stainless steel receptacle with water for the canine, she brought it back and set it in front of Kimiko.
“Right, so what do you want to know?” Jasmine asked while she repeated the process with another two bowls of water for the other dogs. Xant pulled his dataslate from his pocket to go over the culture notes Jess had given him.
“Perhaps you could explain why seeing the dog in that position caused you so much distress? And how that relates to your sense of duty?”
Jasmine looked to Arc who shrunk back a bit. She raised a hand to her throat.
“Okay, I'm not sure how it is in your bodies, but in this small space you have the main artery to the brain, the windpipe, and in the back, the spinal column.” She pointed each one out with a single finger, “To apply any kind of pressure or to raise a blade is almost always a deliberate act of harm. A single nick can kill a human in seconds. It's the same on a dog, but a dog can't fight back the way a human can.” Jasmine ruffled Kimiko’s fur gently. “Animals only attack people if they are threatened (or desperately hungry) and there is no reason for a human to attack a dog. So, to make the decision hurt an animal in this way, it’s immoral.” Her hand paused on Kimiko, and they shared a look of understanding. “People who abuse animals are a special sort of awful (evil).”
Arc’s wings fluttered, and his shoulders slumped.
“But I was only following orders,” he whimpered.
“Uh! I mean I know you guys didn't know, but it’s still an inbuilt reaction (response?), you were hurting the dog, I had to protect her.” Jasmine explained.
Kimiko thrust her head forward into Jasmine’s lap, eager to thank the human for her rescue. Jasmine smiled, petting Kimiko while Xant tapped away on his slate, adding extra notes to the recording.
Suk nodded sagely.
“You care for your subordinates, admirable and honourable by our code.”
“It would be pretty grim world if they didn’t,” Jasmine commented. Arc turned to Rynard.
“You care about us don’t you Capt?”
Rynard laughed.
“Sure I do Arc, ‘Station wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining without you!”
Arc’s shoulders returned to a more proud position. “Thanks Capt!”
“Jasmine,” Xant looked up from his dataslate, “You see the causing of pain to others as immoral, would that statement be correct?”
“Yes,” she answered firmly, and in the back of her mind wondered why she had to confirm such an obvious matter.
“What else would you describe as immoral?”
Jasmine felt the can of worms pry itself open and seep out into the conversation.
“Uhh, okay, let’s see, I’ll start off with the really obvious ones. 1. No murder. 2. No stealing other people’s property, 3. Don’t lie for personal gain-”
“Lying?,” Xant interrupted. “You have contextual conditions?”
Jasmine felt the can of worms knock over the rest of the display.
“Well, lying is... it’s okay if it doesn’t do any harm. Like, spreading rumours is bad or denying you stole something is bad. However, if you ask me if I like your new, (haircut? No, they don’t have hair, doesn’t work.) uh, jacket and I say yes, even if I don’t like it, your feelings aren't hurt." she shrugged her shoulders, "But it really doesn’t matter what I think of your jacket, if you like it, you like it.”
“Why would my feelings be hurt if you didn’t like my jacket?” Xant asked curiously.
“Well, you asked my opinion, and, sometimes if people don’t share the same opinion, they can get insulted or hurt.” Jasmine had to stop and consider the ramifications of her own cultural norms. How many times did she lie for the sake of someone else? To say the nice thing instead of the right thing? Did these aliens not care when someone was rude to them? It certainly would explain Dr. Krydon’s dismissive attitude “It's just polite.”
“So the teachings of the One flow over into everyday situations?”
“You know, you never actually told me what the One is,” she said, moving her legs, so they didn’t go numb from Kimiko’s weight.
“Ah yes, with all the commotion it slipped my mind, to paraphrase, the One is the teaching that your actions affect all those around you, and to consider those consequences and the impact of feeling your actions create,” Xant explained happy to share with her a small part of his own culture.
“So, ‘don’t be a dick’ basically” Jasmine chuckled. “I think that sums up every religion actually.”
“Don’t be a, dick?” Xant repeated, disheartened that the teachings had been condensed into such an unflattering sentence. Jasmine couldn’t help but giggle.
“Sorry, it means don’t be inconsiderate.”
Sieglinde, having noticed she was missing out on human attention, came bounding over for her share, face covered in the green and red Aksi’chta. Jasmine was quick to ensure the golden did not, in fact, smear whatever was left of the sauce on her face. “Don’t be unnecessarily mean or vindictive, work as a team” she further explained. “Life’s short, don’t waste it being miserable or making others miserable.”
Xant chuckled, the thought of a human’s life being ‘short’ was bitter sweet. He looked over his notes again, everything she stated was in accordance with GC law, so far. Her extreme sense of empathy seemed to flow into the human moral code, he decided to probe further.
“Is there anything else you feel would cause you to act in aggression?”
“Well, I suppose.” her eyes looked down to the ground, “I’d probably only really get aggressive or defensive if you forced me to do something against my will-”
Rynard couldn’t help but let out a huge roar of laughter, startling everyone.
Spades finally looked up from the food, growling defensively.
“Grrrrrrr (Don’t you come near the Namegiver!)” Spades threatened, the human calmed him down, Kimko and Sigi hiding behind the human. Rynard just grinned.
“Jasi, I don’t think even I could you convince you to do anything against your will.” Jasmine frowned, confused.
“Rynard, you’re a bloody ten-foot tall dinosaur. You already threw me to the floor like I was nothing, I’m not exactly going to argue if you threatened to do that again.” She rubbed her arm up and down. “I’m still sore from that actually.”
“Interesting,” Xant turned his head. “The pain-management should have numbed your injury completely.”
“Wait, what? Pain management?”
“Yes, the armour suit protects you from Nerv-shot and administers pain-depressor chems in the advent of trauma, it is truly impressive you can still feel your wound.”
Jasmine went pale, and the warmth receded.
“Wait, if it hurts this much and I’m on painkillers, just how bad is my injury?” She held her arm instinctively.
“Your bone has been fractured,” Xant replied pushing through the uncomfortable tension. “But Dr. Krydon has a regenerative solution on hand waiting for us in Medical, your wound should be completely restored in a matter of [hours]”
“[Hours]?!” Jasmine exclaimed, “You can heal a broken arm in [hours]?” she shook her head, before giving Rynard a smirk. “You really did break my arm you bastard.”
“Nothing personal,” Rynard shrugged playfully, “But if that’s all it takes to break ya, the GC Rangers wouldn’t want you on the front lines anyway,”
“We both know she would be leading from the back, Captain,” Suk spoke up with an air of refinement “Her Grace would make a fine Commander if ever there was one.”
“Because I’m a Princess?” Jasmine asked, fluttering her eyelashes and rolling her wrist in a practised manner of elegance.
“Of course, Your Grace” Suk repeated with reverence.
“Well, I already have the name and talking animal companions, might as well accept my fate.” she laughed. The room did not laugh with her, in fact, everyone stared in confusion.
“I’m not sure that translated correctly.” Xant began, at least he hoped it mistranslated.
“Oh,” Jasmine waved her hand “it’s a (pop) culture reference, there is a very popular Princess with my name, and there is this tendency to have Princesses being able to communicate with animals-”
“No, not that. You said, ‘you might as well accept your fate’,” Suk stared “As if it were a choice.”
“Isn't it?” Jasmine asked innocently.
Xant gripped his dataslate, he should have known better than to conduct a culture examination after only 3 hours of educational material. His pause was long enough that he lost control of the conversation, and was left to listen in as the Arvas guard suddenly spilt out his confusion.
“You don’t just shrug off your fate!” Suk’s wings lifted from his back, and Arc shifted to the side, “Everyone is given a calling in their life, and it is your duty to uphold that fate to the best of your ability, I as a guard, the doctor as a purveyor of knowledge and the Captain as a warrior. You are a Princess, to lead your people is not a calling you can accept with indifference!”
Jasmine did not appreciate being shouted at so soon after waking up, especially over a throwaway comment. She still wasn’t exactly sure what he was so upset about, but he was upset enough that he was trying to defend a point she didn’t know she was contesting.
“I’m sorry, but you’re the one who called me a Princess,” she reminded him, “It wasn’t my life choice to be abducted and studied, I’d be back home pleading with banks, trying to convince them that letting a bunch of 20 something's open a B&B is a worthwhile investment. I wouldn’t be leading anything but my own life.” Jasmine snapped. She hated being tired, she didn’t have her patience when she was tired.
“I think what Private Suk is trying to say-” Xant intervened “-is that it is better to accept the life you were designed for with as much enthusiasm as possible, rather than receive it with apathy.” The doctor nodded his head, hopeful that his concise explanation would help return the conversation to its jovial tone.
It did not.
“Accept the life you were designed for?” Jasmine’s tone was graced with a repulsion Xant had not heard before. “So you’re telling me, it wasn’t your choice to be a doctor you were literally created to be a doctor?”
Xant took a step back.
“Does this disturb you, Jasmine?”
The look of disgust said it all.
“On several levels actually.” The human replied. A nausea consumed the room. It was not the knot of anxiety that they were used to, but a physical sickness. No one was concerned with hunger, Xant felt he might never eat again. “(Fuck it’s too early for this,)” Jasmine cursed, doing her best to rationalise the new and horrifying information. “So you’re telling me, you guys are... designed from birth to fill out societal roles? So you’re only a doctor because someone else decided that’s what you should be?”
“Is that not how it is done on earth?”
Jasmine winced at the mention of her home, it reminded her just how far she was removed from it.
“NO,” she answered defiantly. “What I become is MY decision, my choice.”
“But, how do you know what is your calling?” Suk asked, seemingly in doubt of his role in life after only a few words from Jasmine.
“You don’t, that’s the whole point of life, to find your calling, to work and to strive to find out what makes you happy!” Jasmine turned to Xant, desperation in her eyes. “Xant, are you happy? Do you even like being a doctor?”
“Yes Jasmine,” he answered, hoping to put her at ease “I find the life of a researcher very rewarding.”
“But if you had the choice would you still be a researcher?” she asked. Jasmine’s eyes were searching again, he had noticed she did this when she was distressed.
“(Would you chose to live like this?)” her mind’s voice spoke concerned.
Then it dawned on him.
She had demanded to use her speech instead of the Zenthi Frequency so she could choose her words.
She was pushing herself to the limit to gain her Rights aboard the station.
She was angry at anyone who tried to restrain the dogs.
She rejoiced at the multiple selections for food.
She would rather give up her life than become a prisoner.
Every time she had acted out, it was in response to constraint, either for herself or others. Freedom, it seemed, was essential to the human.
She would not do well in the Rangers at all.
Xant put his dataslate away in his jacket pocket, before lowering himself. Sitting opposite Jasmine on the floor, becoming a part of the meal arrangement ritual.
“Our lives are not as tightly regulated as you make it seem.” Xant comforted, resting his hands on his knees. “I was designed for a role in the sciences, yes, but I had an aptitude for discovery and learning. I would have been useless in an engineering or programing field, and I was given the choice of what I wanted to devote my research skills to.” the doctor explained, revealing more of his life to her. “Jasmine, if given the option to choose my life role again, I would still choose the life of a researcher. It was the fascination with flora that pulled me from my clan collective to become my own mind. It was my drive to study that lead me to Esaander, and it was my decision to become your caretaker.”
Xant tried to emphasise the choices he made to her, that he was here on his own accord and not because of his benefactor's insistence. He would still be on Jothram if that were the case.
“You chose botany,” Jasmine recalled, from their first true conversation together. She sighed, processing yet another dystopian reality. Reproduction on the corporate level, breeding people to fill jobs. The thought made her skin crawl.
Spades raised his paw to her knee, the green metal tag clinking from his collar. Sieglinde and Kimiko both looked up sadly to their human. Jasmine unconsciously ran her fingers through their fur.
They were an uncomfortable truth sitting right in her lap.
She decried the designing of people and genetic tampering when humanity had done the exact same thing to their canine companions. The darkening pot being angry at the already black kettle. “Sorry…” she apologised half heartedly, unwilling to explain her revulsion any further.
“No, it is I who must apologise again, it was foolish of me to try and conduct an interview with so little experience.” Xant offered, but Jasmine’s attention was now on her furry companions. Silent exchanges of concern and care.
“Doctor,” Suk stepped forward, remembering his position as a guard. “Perhaps we should escort Her Grace to Medical?”
“Ah yes, the regenerative solution, Jasmine are you ready?-”
The human was already on her feet.
The dogs all stood, tongues wagging and waving their tails excitedly.
“Come on guys, we’re going for a walk,” she announced.
“Bark!Bark!(Walk!)”
“Bark!Bark!(Walk!)”
“Bark!Bark!(Walkies!)”
Rynard pushed himself off the console and rolled his shoulders.
"Well, that was fun while it lasted," He groaned "Arc, Suk!"
"Yessir?"
"Yes, Cap'n?"
"I'll be escorting Jasi and the doctor up to Medical, which means," he gave a snort, "You guys get to clean up!"