“What qualifies as urgent?” Mori asks.

“That is what your Handler will be for. She’ll be here soon to join us on the tour. Basically, any questions you have regarding protocol and any plans you have for human interaction will fall to her. And she’s at your disposal for any basic work you need to outsource.”

“Handler?” I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest. “I thought that Pakka stated we would not be allowing any non-Kar’Kali scientists on our research team. Other species are generally full of distractions.”

Jen busies herself with a pile of papers on the edge of her desk. “She won’t be on your research team. She is there strictly to monitor your interactions with the human public and consult on matters of data collection among human subjects, volunteers, what-have-you…”

“What have you what?” Pakka says expectantly when the human seems to stop mid-sentence.

“What we will have is none of this handler nonsense,” I interrupt. “Perhaps some species cannot comport themselves in public, but not the Kar’Kali. Our project is of the utmost importance and it cannot be jeopardized by feeble human cognitive functions.”

There is a light knocking against the glass. I turn to see a new human female in the frame of the open doorway. The sight of her stops my brain working. I simply stare, in shock, as a hammering in my heart grows stronger and stronger.

“Feeble human cognitive functions reporting for duty,” she says with a wide smile. “I’m Ella Sacco, nice to meet you guys.”

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter 3

Kila

I cannot stop looking at the female named Ella. She has been walking with us as we tour the facility but does not say much. Jen leads the conversation, dictating all the information we will need to function in the building. My eyes slide to Ella while Jen talks, drawn like magnets to the human’s face.

She is not objectively different from other human females I have seen, but I find her much more appealing. Her hair is dark brown like the color of fertile soil, and her skin is a warm tone like sunlit sands. Her eyes are a luminous blue, framed by long black lashes. The silhouette of her body seems to burn a hole in my brain, a place in which her curving shape will make residence indefinitely.

There is surely something very wrong with me. My veins feel like fire under my skin at the sight of her.

It is not often I concern myself with how others respond to my opinions, but since I realized she heard me disparaging her, my mind has not rested. Does she hate me? Does she think that I hate her? After all, humans are known to be feeble-minded, are they not? Certainly, she is not…

What would make me so certain of that? I wonder. I have not spoken to her past an introduction. Why do I feel I know her? I know her to be intelligent. Perhaps it’s just the eyes… Yes, they glow with intelligence, darting around, watching our reactions as Jen explains… something. What is she explaining?

Pakka grasps my arm. His hand is cold like ice against my heating skin. “Are you well, Kila?”

“Yes,” I insist, though my brow is sweating. “I just need to sit for a moment.”

“Hey, why don’t I sit with him in the lab while you guys finish the tour?” Ella suggests, turning to look at me with concern. She brushes her tiny hand over my elbow, and the feel of her touch crackles through me. “I’ll get you some water.”

The others nod in agreement and we part ways. I am too panicked to refuse, knowing that if I run away it will only add to the impression that I hate this woman. I don’t hate her. I don’t know what I think of her, but I’m starting to feel like my stomach is knotting just by looking at her.

“C’mon,” she says. “The lab is just down the hall. You think you’re just dehydrated maybe?”

I shrug and follow her. Perhaps if I focus on my new surroundings, the effect of her proximity to me will dissipate. The hallways here are poorly lit and un-decorated. This building was once used for human research offices prior to the planet’s neutralization, and it seems they did not bother to update the transitional areas with the Alliance’s new materials. The floors are a made of a hair-like fabric with a strange pattern printed on it, while the walls are massive bricks thickly painted over in a yellowy-white color. It makes for a shocking contrast when Ella pushes open the door to a modern lab room, outfitted with all the highest quality furnishings.

The room has sterile, fire-resistant Linx-stone flooring and benchtops, an in-ceiling lighting system, and a top-of-the-line programmable storage system installed on the far wall. There are several screens spread around the benchtops for computer access. The open space in the lab is packed to the brim with boxes of all shapes and sizes—no doubt the equipment Pakka has ordered for our project.

While I am looking around, Ella has already bustled through a door at the back of the lab and she soon emerges with a glass water bottle.

She holds it out to me with a bright smile. Our fingers brush lightly as I take the water from her, and the feeling sends my whole body tingling.

Before I take a sip, an idea strikes me, a possible explanation for my physical response to her body.

“Are you planning on sexually propositioning me?” I ask her. “Perhaps, emitting a pheromone to entice me?”

She blinks and her mouth falls open. “I—I … I’m sorry—WHAT?”

I take a long drink of water, hoping it will indeed make me feel more myself again. “I suppose that is a ‘No’?”

“Oh my God,” she sighs. “I guess I have my work cut out for me on this project. No, I wasn’t planning on propositioning you. I hope that’s not how you start all your friendly conversation.”

“No,” I explain. “Your appearance has triggered a physical response in me.”

“Oh…” Her cheeks begin to flush a pretty shade of pink, and her mouth twitches. Those wide blue eyes flicker, dropping to glance at the front of my pants. “That sounds like a personal problem.”

Unable to decode what it is she means by this, I simply take a seat in one of the padded chairs with rolling wheels that has been provided for the lab. I work on finishing the bottle of water, following Ella with my eyes as she picks her way around the room. From the way she opens cabinets at random and pokes the equipment boxes, I can tell this is her first time seeing it as well. When she bends over, I am drawn to the shape her backside—firm, round, and curving out further from her frame than I have ever seen in a Kar’Kali female. Come to think of it, it protrudes further than almost any of the human women I’ve noticed as well…

“You horny little shit,” she laughs, turning around. Great Ka, I’ve been caught staring. “I see you checking me out. Look, I’m flattered and all, but I thought people that flirt and mess around are ex-communicated in your culture.”

“Yes,” I say, “They are known as Deviants. But I would have to remove my suppressor chip to engage in forbidden activities. Do not worry. I was simply distracted by your well-shaped...”

She snorts. “Ass? They won’t cuff you for looking, will they?”

“No,” I assure her. “I hope I haven’t made you uncomfortable. The suppressor prevents me from arousal or true sexual attraction, so you have no need to be concerned that I or my teammates will bother you with sexual advances.”

“Mmmhmm…” She doesn’t sound convinced by what I’ve said to her. “That’s alright. With my last team, I found that honesty was the best policy. Just tell me whatever you’re thinking. That’s how we will get to understand each other’s cultures and avoid having miscommunications.”

I nod, tapping my fingers against the empty water bottle. She has noticed as soon as I’m done and offers out her hand toward me. “Here,” she says. “You relax and I’ll get you some more. I think you’re looking better already.”