Knowing You're Safe

The Bihrelli sidled close to me. They were an average sort of Bihrelli; hermaphroditic, bipedal, two-armed creatures just under one and a half meters in height, with huge, black eyes that made them cute. This one’s skin was a pale blue, with uneven pale brown spots. Their tail twitched in the way that showed nerves or fear. There was nothing unusual about that, at least for this one.

“Hi, Jordi.” I’d long ago given up trying to pronounce their name and used a close equivalent. They’d done the same with me, even though they were always so tense when we met.

“Greetings, Tŷlŷ.” They said the vowels like some sort of mega-diphthong that mixed a, i, o, and u. “I am glad you are here for this.”

“Me, in particular, or the embassy guard?” I asked.

Their tail twitched even harder. “It is always a pleasantness to be in your presence, but I am relieved to see you — a…and the other guards — here in armed uniform to keep us safe.”

“Do you think there might be trouble?”

“There are many who do not want to see this treaty finalized,” they said. Their tail wrapped around my ankle as they moved closer. “The Drogne Empire has publicly threatened Bihrel and said that a treaty with Terra would be treated as an act of war.”

I could feel the trembling of their tail against my ankle. “You’re safe here, Jordi. I’ll make sure of that.” I put a hand on their shoulder. “Do you really think Drogne will try to attack if Bihrel has the backing of the Terran Union?”

“I think it would be foolish of them, but it would not surprise me.” They seemed to realize that they had hold of my ankle, unwrapped their tail and took half a step backward. “I am sorry for the inappropriate action of my tail.”

I looked into their big eyes. “It’s okay. Why are you always so nervous around me?”

They grabbed their tail and held it in front of them. “You are so big, and your weapons are frightening, and I — uh — think you are pleasing to look at and talk to and I just wish that I could find someone like you to…” their voice dropped to a faint whisper, “to parent with.”

I smiled. I’d suspected they might have a crush on me, but now I knew. “Well, adoption is always an option, but don’t you think you should take me for a date first, at least?”

I don’t know why I said that. Was I serious? The last thing I’d want to do would be to play with Jordi’s feelings and hurt them. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe I was serious. At the very least, I knew there was more to Jordi than just the cute puppy vibe that Bihrelli had.

“Natalia, report.” The voice over the radio interrupted my thought.

“West entry, no traffic. Jordi’s keeping me company,” I radioed back.

“Eyes on. Presidential motorcade is arriving at the south entry in five minutes. Bihrelli delegation arriving in seven minutes at the west garden landing pad. Be ready to escort them to the event hall. Jordi can help out with that.”

“Affirm, chief.” I turned back to look at the little Bihrelli. “You stay with me while I escort the Bihrelli big-wigs, and I’ll take you out to dinner this weekend.”

“Is the Kŷmŷ coming here?” they asked.

“Yes, Jordi. The Koimoi of Bihrel is coming here to meet with the President of the Terran Union.” There was no way I could pronounce the weird vowels of the name of office of the leader of Bihrel, so I pronounced it as most humans did. Surprisingly, the President was known for speaking fluent Bihrellian, and her pronunciation was even better than that of the ambassador, who was at the moment waiting to meet her motorcade.

I felt the vibrations of the Bihrelli shuttle landing in the garden, and held the door open at attention. The Koimoi and their retinue walked from the shuttle, their tails held in an appropriate upward curve. Jordi followed their example and got their own tail under control.

I left translation to Jordi and spoke in Terran common. “Right this way, please.”

No sooner had the last of the Bihrelli walked in the door than another shuttle, a rental, zoomed in to hover above the shuttle on the pad. Three waves of half a dozen Drognen soldiers dropped out of the shuttle. Where the Bihrelli were cute, the Drognens were anything but. Looking like a nightmare cross of a toad and a praying mantis, they slowed their descent with wings that were useless for anything other than dropping to the ground with style.

The alarm klaxon sounded through the embassy. I pulled Jordi behind me and began firing at the intruders. “Get them to the hall!” I yelled.

The sound of gunfire was evident from all sides of the embassy. One of the Drognens set off an explosive on the Bihrelli shuttle. There was no way the pilot survived it.

I stepped back to try to get in the door before the embassy went into lockdown, and ran into Jordi, who was still behind me. “Why aren’t you inside?”

“I cannot. The door is locked.” 

“The Koimoi?” I asked.

“Safe inside.”

I pulled out my sidearm and handed it to Jordi. “Know how to—”

“I know how to work your weapon,” they said, ensuring there was a round in the chamber and the safety was off.

“You continue to amaze me.” I swapped out magazines on my assault rifle; thirty-two more rounds and then I was out. “Make every shot count,” I muttered to myself. 

The Drognens were using the fire and smoke from the shuttle to conceal their movements, but there was a clear area directly in front of the recessed doorway where we took cover. To my surprise, Jordi had climbed the vine trellis beside the door and was perched above me, their big eyes, set in such a way as to have a far wider field of view than us, scanning.

Their tail tapped my left shoulder, and I swung my rifle that way to take a shot at the shape moving through the smoke. I heard Jordi take a shot and curse.

With their eyes and my reflexes, we managed to take out seven of the Drognens before my radio crackled to life. “Friendlies coming over the wall into the west garden.”

“Hold!” I radioed back. “Drognen troops under concealment of smoke in the west garden.”

“Roger, Natalia. We won’t fire toward the door. Find cover, incoming.”

I pulled Jordi off the trellis, pushed them against the door, crouched, and shielded their body with mine. My ballistic vest was better than nothing and I expected all hell to break loose. It did.

Three explosions rocked the garden in quick succession, followed by the sound of Terran weapons firing from the wall. It ended as quickly as it began. I tried to stand, but a piercing pain in my leg dropped me to my knees.

Jordi held their tail up to me, the end covered in blood…my dark red blood, not their bright pink. “You are injured,” they said, “do not try to move.”

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I am uninjured.”

I saw a trail of bright pink blood trickling down their face. “No, you’re not.” I reached for it, but Jordi shrugged.

“I just banged my head when the explosions scared me. It’s nothing.”

“Good, good.” My leg began to throb. I didn’t know if I’d taken a bullet or shrapnel, but either way it was serious. I began to get lightheaded.

“She needs a medic!” they called out.

I was too out of it to make out what was being said on the radio, but I heard the doors unlock and the alarm stopped. The lockdown was over. I crawled to the door and opened it for Jordi. “Get inside while you can.”

The assault team carried me in, and Jordi stayed by my side, their tail wrapped around my wrist. I was glad of it. A medic put an IV in my arm, injected me with something, and I awoke in a bed in the embassy clinic.

Jordi was sleeping in the chair beside the bed, their tail wrapped around my right wrist. A large bandage covered my left thigh. I lifted the edge to see what was under it and saw the remnants of what looked like an extensive surgery.

They woke up while I was examining myself and I felt their tail tighten around my wrist. “I am glad you are alive.”

“Me too. Did they say what it was?”

“A large piece of metal from the shuttle — from when the Drognens blew it up. I thought you knew.”

“I didn’t even notice until I tried to stand up after shielding you.”

“Thank you,” they said, “for saving my life.” They reached an idle hand up to a clear bandage over a couple of stitches above their right eye.

“Just doing my job.”

“Nonsense. Your job is to protect the embassy, the ambassador, and other officials, not a janitor.”

I grabbed their hand. “Well, I’m making it my job from now on. I’d hate to lose you.”

“As a coworker, or….” They trailed off.

“As a friend, at least. We’ll find out more as we go. Sound fair?” I asked.

“Very much so.”

“Where am I taking you to dinner?”

“You are not. I am taking you to my home to cook dinner for you,” they said. When I tried to interrupt they continued on. “I have been practicing cooking Terran food. I hope you like it.”

“Why can’t I take you out to dinner?”

“Because the doctor said you need to rest and stay off that leg for at least a week.” Jordi pulled out their comm pad and showed me a list of instructions and dates. “Until your first physical therapy appointment, which is already scheduled.”

“Wow, Jordi. Where is all this confidence coming from?”

“From you,” they said. “You did not laugh at me or turn me down right away, even though you are stronger, have a more prestigious employment, and are a much better fighter. That, and — I thought for a while I was going to lose you forever.”

“I thought the same,” I said. “So, first date at your place. You do move fast.”

“Second date,” they said. “The first was a little too exciting for me.”

It made me laugh, then I paused. “I wonder if we’re at war with the Drogne Empire now.”

“The Kŷmŷ and your President put out a joint statement about the terrorist attack here. The Emperor saw the wisdom of denouncing the attack by ‘unknown terrorists dressed as Drogne Palace Guards.’”

“You must have good connections around here, to know all that so fast,” I said.

They pointed with their tail at the screen on the wall. “Terran news.”

“Oh, yeah, they do seem to know everything that’s happening, whether they should or not.” I shifted slightly to one side in the bed. “Why don’t you use some of that newfound confidence to lay down here and snuggle with me? I don’t want to be alone right now.”

The little Bihrelli didn’t say anything, but crawled into bed next to me, their tail draped across my waist. I put an arm around them and snorted. “I don’t usually share my bed after the first date, but I’ll make an exception this time.”

“What about after the second?” they asked.

“You’re cheeky when you’re bold, aren’t you?” I patted their tail. “For you, sure. That doesn’t mean we’ll be doing anything right away, I just want to keep you close.”

“You are meant to be resting anyway,” they said.

“Yes, I am, and I feel so much more relaxed knowing you’re here and you’re safe.”