She got out long afterher clothes were clean. She put them on and sat on the couch, lookingout at an angry red world, waiting for her captor to come collecther.
She wished she atleast had an underarmor suit to wear but the aliens on this ship wereeven less likely to have one for her than the Humans on the EdgedStar. Their Quailusuits would have fit like a pillowcase.
At least I’d be covered up,she thought.
She was coveredbut the fabric of her t-shirtwas a bit thinner than she’d like. It had kind of been the ideawhen she bought it but it was more of a ‘feeling cutewhile falling asleep’ kind of thing, rather than ‘feeling exposedin front of hostile aliens’.
Herfriend, Jen, had the same shirt but shedidn’t buy it for sleeping in. She’s probably planningto wear it to class next month at USC. I wouldn’t besurprised…
The door opened behindher. She jumped off the couch, putting her back to the window as twoarmed and armored Quailu entered and took up positions flanking thedoor.
Memnon enteredthe prisoner’s room, still slightly peeved at Ereshkigal’sattitude. She’d assumed that he would watch while sheconducted the interrogation.
Still, she knew herbusiness. He’d forgotten how much the Humans relied on non-empathicnuances for communication. He would need to pay close attention toevery stray tendril of emotion from this primitive creature. He wouldneed to elicit emotions, nudge them to the surface where even thetiniest aspect might be more apparent.
These dratted creatureshad a way of bleeding off their emotions with gestures.
The prisoner wasstanding before the window, Kurnugia’s angry glow hanging behindher. She was wearing a ludicrous outfit that seemed completelyincongruous for someone traveling on a ship.
“Why is she dressedlike that?” he snapped over his shoulder at Ereshkigal.
“She arrivedlike that, lord. The team ran into difficulties, so we have what wehave.”
He looked back,intrigued by the response he felt from the Human. Embarrassment.A desire to hide.
She was standingin the same place, her arms crossed over her upper chest. Sheexpects to be ridiculed, hethought. Is it because of her clothing?
She’s a wild Human,he remembered. They may have different social norms.“Are all wild Humans so thin?” heasked her. The few Human females that still served on theDeathstalker were muchmore heavily muscled than this slender creature.
Humiliation, anger, helplessness.It was stronger this time, as if she’d been holding back but thendecided to swamp him. It feltdeliberate.
Maliciouslydeliberate.
“No,” she said. “Myfriends all have curves. I’m probably the one they like to hang outwith so they look better by comparison.”
Memnon reeledback as if she’d kicked him in the teeth. He’ddealt with some strong emotions, growing up at a relative’s palaceas a poor cousin, but this was next level.
He was certain ofit. She was weaponizing her emotions, giving him, allat once, a full dose of the emotional turmoil of a young Humanfemale, raised in the wild.
He grabbed Ereshkigalby the elbow. “Carry on with the interview,” he rasped, thenturned for the door.
He made it to thehallway, waving at the guards to remain inside. The last thing hewanted right now was their empty allegiance. They were probablylaughing at him behind his back every chance they got.
He waswalking weird. He didn’t know how he’d never noticed it before.Why can’t I just put one foot in front of the other likea normal person? He looked up tosee a weapons tech coming his way with a quizzical look on his face.
Nobody takes me seriously,he reminded himself. Not on the world where he’d grown up and notout here in the empire. “In the middle of a fief I’ve built up byright of gods-damned conquest!” hegrowled, terrifying the weapons tech who quickened his otherwiseperfectly normal pace and hurried past his lord.
Memnonreached his quarters and threw himself on the bed, face buried in hispillow. The same bed he’d woken up on with the name ‘Melvin theMinuscule’ drawn on his forehead.
And he’d beenon the bridge for a long timebefore anyone had botheredto tell him.
A chime sounded fromhis outer door. “My lord,” Garand’s voice greeted him,recreated by the syntactic feedback projectors that gave holos theirsense of solidity. “The cargo shuttle has returned from thehab-ring. You wanted to inspect the goods?”
“Go away,” Memnonshouted, his voice muffled by the pillow.
But then hethought again. Garand’s always been loyal, hasn’t he?“Wait,” he called urgently. “Come in.”
Damn it all, I don’t want to talk to anyone,he thought. He should have thought it before he spoke. Garand camein.
“Lord?” he asked,bemused by the sight of his leader lying face down on a pillow.
“Is my ass toobig?” heasked. Gods! What the hells did I just say? Damn itall. It’s that damned Human! She’s gotten into my head!
Garand was probablywondering the exact same thing. “No?” he said tentatively. “Imean, I’ve never noticed, one way or the other but…”
Memnon floppedover onto his back with a sigh. “Do we stillhave any of that narcoticweed we took from Enlat’s palace?”
Ereshkigal wasn’tsurprised that Memnon had fled the interrogation but she wassurprised that he’d left so soon.
It was a messybusiness, poking around in someone’s head. Itwas even worse if the subject was a different gender or species.
This prisoner was both.
It was going to take amore circumspect approach. Rather than brash comments about herclothing, Ereshkigal sought to find common ground and build fromthere.
“Why are youembarrased?” sheasked.
“Are you kidding?”the prisoner demanded. “I’m standing here with the high-beams onin a shirt you could probably read through if the text was largeenough.”
Did those idiots think to scan her forconcealed weapons? Ereshkigalthought with alarm. “Are you telling me you have some kind ofenergy-based weapon on your person somewhere?”
“What?”
“Your ‘high-beam’?”
“High… No!” Sheshook her head. “You Quailu keep your ships colder than we do. Youknow what happens… when it’s cold?”
Ereshkigal tried one ofthe head-shakes she’d seen Humans use.
The prisonerfrowned. “I mean, what happens to a woman…” Sheuncrossed her arms and gestured to her chest. “… Whenit gets cold?”
“Ah!” Ereshkigalexclaimed. “You mean they’re shrinking? But why are they stickingout now?” She took an involuntary step back. “Did they take youaway from your offspring?”
“What? I don’t haveoffspring. This happens when it gets cold.”
“Not for us,”Ereshkigal told her. “For us,
