Outcast

by Guerin Zand

  Prima gave me a funny and questioning look. I just shrugged my shoulders. I had never referred to her as my wife before, but I thought it best, especially under the circumstances. It was a bit of a confusing issue for me. I mean, we were planning on being together for the long term, and since she wasn’t human, marriage didn’t make a lot of sense. A religious ceremony on Earth was out of the question and I hadn’t run into any justices of the peace, or anything like that in my travels. Calling her my partner, or mate, seemed a bit insulting from my standpoint. Wife had a meaning to me, and it appeared it did to Prima as well. That was a good thing, since I think I was currently in the doghouse, big time.

  “You have a wife and children?”

  “Yes. I told you about my wife last night, remember.” Scirla nodded. “We didn’t get a chance to talk too much, so I didn’t have time to tell you about my daughters. I’m not really sure what’s going on here. I’m hoping you can explain.”

  “Dad?” Maria interrupted. “Maybe we should let her rest a bit first? I’m sure this is all quite a shock to her. Why don’t you go get cleaned upped and changed while Prima and I take care of Scirla? We’ll take her to medical, get her checked out. We’ll give her the basic package and a comm bud. Then we’ll show her how things work on the ship, like indoor plumbing and all. You can interrogate her once she gets some rest and she feels a little more comfortable.”

  Maria was looking at me like I was a total idiot. I could take a hint.

  “Ok.”

  Prima grabbed Gamma up in her arms and left with Maria and Scirla. As I saw them leaving together I got a really bad feeling.

  Chapter 34

  This Never Happened to Captain Kirk

  I was on the bridge, trying to look important, checking in on the progress of the Maricindi. It looked like they were on schedule and I signaled Zrill that I would come down when they were ready to leave. He acknowledged the message and informed me they would probably be ready a day earlier then we had allowed them.

  “I don’t think you should be the one to go down there, Guerin.”

  “Why not, Kelly?”

  “Something could still go wrong. I don’t see why you need to take the risk. I can go in your place.”

  “I should go. Zrill already knows me. If someone he doesn’t know shows up it might make him a bit skittish.”

  “Fine, but I’ll go with you, just in case.”

  “Sure, if that’s what you want to do, Kelly. Try to be nice, ok?”

  “Oh, like you?”

  Prima and Maria entered the bridge at that time and my daughter couldn’t help but make a smart-ass comment.

  “Who knows, Kelly, if you’re nice like my father was, you might come back with a husband.”

  “Real funny. Where is Scirla by the way?”

  “She’s taking a nap with Gamma.”

  “Really? You left Gamma to watch her?”

  “Why not? They seem to have hit it off. If she needs anything, Gamma can help her. She knows her way around the ship. We gave Scirla a comm bud and taught her how to use it. They’ll be able to understand each other.”

  “Sure. Great plan.” I shook my head and looked back down at the display to see if the Bayru were up to anything.

  “Look who’s talking. Anyways, we did have a long talk with her once we got her hooked up with a comm bud. We think we understand what happened between you two.”

  “Are you going to tell me, Maria, or just leave me in the dark?”

  “I’m getting to it. First, you were right that there are a few issues with our translation of the native language. We’ll have Scirla help us update the database when we get the time.”

  “The word we thought meant family actually has a couple of meanings. It just depends on the inflection used with that word. When it’s used with more emphasis on the first syllable it really means tribe or community. When the first syllable is not emphasized, it means family as we normally use the word.”

  “A lot of good that does me now, Maria.”

  “Could you try not to be such a dick, Dad?”

  “Whatever.”

  “It gets better. When Scirla asked if you would like her to join you, she wasn’t talking about having a drink with you. What she really asked, was if you wanted to join ‘with’ her. You know?” Maria made a circle with her thumb and forefinger on her left hand while poking the forefinger of her right hand in and out of that circle.

  “But I didn’t, you know?” And I returned the gesture.

  Maria rolled her eyes at her annoying father, and yes, it was my job to annoy her.

  “Anyways, it also means to join together, like in ‘Will you marry me?’ When you said, ‘Yes, please join me.’, you basically said, ‘I do.’ So congratulations, Dad, you’re married.” Maria had a real shit-eating grin on her face. I didn’t like it.

  “I am not married, I mean, I didn’t marry her. You did explain to her that it was a mistake, didn’t you?”

  “We tried, but you have to understand, Dad, from her point of view, she is your wife now. She belongs to our family now, in both senses.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She is a part of our family and she’s also now a member of our community. She no longer belongs to her old society. If we send her back she would be shunned. Getting booted out of a community is a big taboo to them. No other community will accept her if we send her back. She’s not like some shirt you bought that doesn’t fit right. You can’t just return her.”

  “Tell me you’re making this shit up. You’re just having a little fun at my expense. Ha, ha. I get it. Nice joke.”

  “Sorry, Dad, I’m not joking. Besides, the Guides sent her a message that she interpreted as meaning that she would join your family. You know how they are about those messages.”

  “But she knew I already had a wife, so how could she think I wanted to marry her?”

  “It’s not uncommon for men to have more than one wife in their society, Dad. Procreation is a priority for a species at their stage of development and multiple wives is a means towards that end. It wasn’t uncommon in early human history as well.”

  “Do you have anything helpful to tell me, daughter?”

  “Well, technically, you screwed up this first contact, but it is not unprecedented.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, yes. A very similar thing happened to your hero, Captain Kirk, when he visited the planet Amerind. Although he had lost his memory before he ‘joined’ with the native woman and put a bun in her oven. A total violation of the Prime Directive.”

  “You do realize that this never happened to Captain Kirk. I mean, just about every space babe he violated ended up dead before the end of the show. That’s exactly what happened on Amerind. He always came out of it looking like he was always faithful to his lovers. It was just the big cruel universe that always took them away from him and conveniently left him free to tap that next ass. He’d mourn for maybe five minutes at the end of the show and he’d get over it. He was always ready to bed the next space babe by the beginning of the next episode.”

  “Yea, I know that. It’s just the best story I could come up with to make you feel a little better, Dad. There are a lot of differences if you want to pick it apart. He had lost his memory, while you were just too stupid to know what you were doing.”

  “AND, I didn’t violate Scirla, or put a bun in her oven!”

  “There is that.”

  I looked over to see Senri snickering.

  “FUCK YOU SENRI! This isn’t funny.”

  “Oh yes, it is. I just want to be in the room when you explain your new wife to the Collective. If you thought you’d be in trouble for interfering on Taes, you just wait until they hear about this.”

  The whole bridge was laughing, including my other wife Prima. When I looked over at her for some support, she simply nodded her head to the side to let me know I was on my own. I left the bridge. I figured I’d go make myself a cheeseburger and try to
enjoy myself. On my way to the galley, I thought I probably should check in on Scirla and Gamma. They might be hungry too. At least they wouldn’t make fun of me, I hoped.

  I entered Gamma’s room to find the two of them playing that electronic Lego-like game where they each took turns building on what the other did. I thought it was probably a lot for Scirla, but she seemed to be enjoying it. Of course, they had provided her with one of the Collective’s onesies which she was wearing. She did make it look good, but I’d show her more options later on.

  “PAPA!” My little monkey put out her arms and I lifted her up to give her a hug. “Do you want to play?”

  “Not right now. Scirla, are you hungry?” She nodded yes. “Then we might as well get you started with the basics. I’ll make you my famous cheeseburger and fries.”

  “ME TOO!”

  “Yes, you too, Gamma. You can even help if you want.”

  I reached out for Scirla’s hand and smiled at her. She forced a little smile in return and took my hand. I don’t think she really wanted to be married any more than I did. This new world probably made the whole thing even scarier for her. I couldn’t see her as my wife, it just wasn’t how I saw her. Sure, there was a time I would have just gone with it and had my fun with her, but that’s not what I was thinking about. It was more like I had just adopted another daughter, a ward that I was now responsible for.

  I carried Gamma and led Scirla by the hand to the galley. Huiliang was there doing something and I gave her a look that she took as her signal to leave. I put Gamma down and we both proceeded to hit the ship stores to get the ingredients for our meal. I pulled a stool over and motioned for Scirla to relax and have a seat. Gamma quickly ran into the Captain’s mess and grabbed Scirla a cola to drink at my suggestion. That seemed to bring a smile to Scirla’s face.

  While Scirla sat and watched, Gamma started to slice up the tomatoes and onions. She grabbed a head of lettuce and tore some leaves off for the burgers as well. She grabbed the pickles and placed them on a table with the ketchup, mustard, and mayo. She put the three condiments into a bowl, with a dash of Tabasco, and whipped up what we affectionately called Gamma Sauce. I started to form up the patties and Gamma handed me the bacon. I took the hint and started to fry up a few slices of that perfect meat on the grill. I filled the fry baskets with French fries and set them into the hot oil. Having done her part, Gamma climbed up on Scirla’s lap while I went to work on the grill.

  “I hope you’re not to overwhelmed with everything new you’ve seen, Scirla.”

  “I don’t understand any of it.”

  “You will. Our lives are not that different than what you’re used to. The equipment we use is different. I’m using the equipment here to cook our food instead of a fire, but I’m still just cooking a meal. We are still just making food to eat.”

  “How though? How do you cook without fire?”

  “Fire is just a different heat source.” I grabbed her hand and she started to pull back. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” I placed her hand above the grill for a second. “See, it’s hot, just like fire. Don’t worry about the tools we use and how they work. You will learn in time. I just want you to see that we are no different from the people of Taes. We cook our food, we eat, we play, we drink. Our clothes are made of different materials, but we still wear clothes. We also wear shoes, and we do everything else, just like your people.”

  I flipped the burgers over and the sound of sizzling meat filled the room. I went over and pulled the fry basket out of the oil to let the fries drain. Gamma tried to sneak a fry out of the hot basket and I smacked her hand. “You wait!” She pouted and went back to Scirla’s lap.

  “Once you get used to living with us, then we can discuss your education. There is a lot for you to learn and there will be time for that. There are also a lot of possibilities for you in the future. When you’re ready, you can choose what you want to do, ok?”

  She simply nodded. The burgers were almost done. It was time to add the cheese, and in a few minutes, we would all be in heaven. I emptied the fries into a big bowl lined with paper towels to soak up the remaining grease and salted the tasty little buggers. I told Gamma to take the fries and ketchup to the table in the Captain’s mess and to set the table for three. She brought back three plates for the burgers.

  I pulled the toasted buns off the grill and placed them on the plates. As I pulled the burgers off the grill, Gamma ran the plates of garnishes over to the table. I left the burgers open on the plates and carried them into the mess. I signaled for Scirla to follow me. Gamma led Scirla to her seat and we all sat down. The feast was about to begin. I grabbed a couple of beers from the little fridge in the corner and opened them. I put one down in front of Scirla.

  “Gamma, do you want to show Scirla how to fix up her cheeseburger?”

  She shook her head up and down and proceeded to give Scirla a crash course in the art of the cheeseburger.

  “First you take a few slices of bacon and put it on top of the cheese, the yellow stuff.” Gamma demonstrated on her plate and Scirla followed her lead.

  I took a piece of bacon from the plate and broke it in half. I ate one half and handed the other half to Scirla to taste. She smelled it first and then took a bite. Then she finished the piece and smiled. “I like that.”

  Gamma smiled back. “Everybody likes bacon. Now take a slice of onion and put that next.” She watched Scirla copy her action. “Good. Now a take a leaf of lettuce and put that on top. Then a slice of tomato and top it with a few pickles.” Scirla was smiling and I could tell her and Gamma were hitting it off. “Take the top of the bun and put as much Gamma sauce you want on the toasted part like this.” Scirla seemed to be enjoying the whole ritual. I think Gamma made her feel a little more at ease than I did.

  “And then you put the top of the bun on, and you eat it like this.” Gamma took a giant mouthful and the insane amount of sauce started to drool down the side of her face. She grabbed her napkin and wiped up the excess sauce. Scirla followed Gamma’s lead and took a big bite. Her eyes lit up. Once again, the cheeseburger did not disappoint. Gamma then showed her how to eat fries and dip them in ketchup. Well, Gamma drenched them in ketchup and I explained to Scirla she might not want so much on her fries.

  I lifted my beer and motioned Scirla to do the same. “Beer. It’s a drink like Candi, but not so potent.” I took a swig as did Scirla. Once again, I could tell she enjoyed the drink.

  “Papa says I’m too little to drink beer, but sometimes he lets me have a sip, right Papa?”

  I wasn’t stupid. I could take a hint and I handed Gamma my beer. She always tried to take as big a sip as possible until I signaled enough. I took my beer back and she giggled. Scirla also laughed a bit. It was a nice dinner. Sometimes, being a mutant spaceman wasn’t so bad.

  We all finished our burgers and I reached for another couple of beers. I told Gamma to clean up the plates and kitchen, and then go bother her sister for a while. She pouted a bit, mostly just for show. She had a good time at our little private dinner and she actually liked doing these little chores. It made her feel grown up and she went about her duties with a big smile. Finally, she left. It was time to have a more personal talk with Scirla.

  “Did you enjoy your meal?”

  “Yes, it was very good. Is all your food that good?”

  “It depends on what you like. Later I’ll show you how to use the replicators and you can make food just like you normally eat on Taes. What do you think of beer?”

  “It’s much better than Candi.” I laughed. Almost anything was better than Candi.

  “I wanted to talk to you about us being joined. You know that it was a mistake, right? I mean, I didn’t understand what you were asking me.”

  “Are you going to send me back to Casular?”

  “That’s up to you. I understand that it might not be good for you to go back to Casular, so you’re welcome to stay here. I don’t want to make you do anything you don�
�t want to do, ok?”

  She nodded. “I would like to stay. I have no family back in Casular now.”

  “Then you are now part of our family. I know it will take a while for you to feel comfortable. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the crew later and you’ll make friends. What I really need to talk to you about is me and you being joined. You did not want to join with me, did you? Maybe you felt the Guides wanted it and that is why you did it?”

  “The Guides message was confusing. It was simply my future was with your family. To join your family, I had to join with you.”

  “But did you want to?”

  “No. I was scared by what I saw in the naissarance, but the Guides know what is best.”

  “But you are scared, aren’t you? I scare you.”

  She simply nodded.

  “Don’t be. We live by different rules in our family than the rules the families on Taes live by. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do here. I want you to understand that. For now, let’s just forget that we were joined, ok.” Again she nodded. “I will arrange for your own living space. Right now, I just want you to learn how to live in this family. It’s not going to be easy, but everyone here will help if you ask. When you understand things better we can have this talk again.” That seemed to put her a little more at ease. “Are you ready for me to show you around and meet the rest of the crew?”

  “Yes.”

  First stop was the bridge. The sight of Taes and the stars from orbit made her face light up.

  “This is heaven?”

  “No.” I pointed out the forward window. “That is Taes.” She gave me a strange look. “We are just very far up from the surface. Taes is what we call a planet.” I brought up the viewer to show the system. “See, the planets are round when you view them from so high up.” Senri piloted the ship down towards the surface. “And as we get closer you don’t see all of it, so it no longer looks round.” Senri brought us back up to our previous orbit.

  I put my hand over one of her eyes. It startled her a bit, but I asked her to trust me.