“Kiyi! Kiyi! Look!”
The older sister smiled and extended her talon towards the moltling trundling towards her across the smooth stone floor his three legs pattering as moved towards her.
“Yes Oler, I see it,” said Kiyi as she grabbed the moltling in her talons keeping him in place. Oler puffed himself out, looking like nothing more than a ball of feathers, a beak three flailing legs and three waving talons.
“I’m a Human!” exclaimed Oler as he grabbed the mask that was hidden somewhere in his feathers and slipped it on over his face, the cheap plastic covered two of his eyes leaving two more to glare out at his sibling awaiting approval.
Kiyi fluffed her feather in resignation “I can see you’re a Human! You do have a lot of feathers though, I didn’t think they had those!”
The ball of feathers in question wriggled out of his siblings grasp and fell onto the ground, “I don’t have feathers, I have hare! I comb and pile it in different ways as it gets longer!”
To emphasize his point Oler dragged his talons over the top of his head, causing his already messily collected feathers to stick almost straight up. Kiyi grinned, “Oh, there we go. Now you are most definitely a human!”
Oler chirped in happiness, squirmed out of his sister’s grip. Tumbling to the floor the small moltling carefully picked up his third leg and waddled out of the Center room barely keeping his balance on only the two stubby limbs.
“Why can’t you be that cute?” asked Kiyi’s mother watching at her youngest moltling wondered off trilling to himself in merriment.
Kiyi indignantly fluffed her feathers out, “I am 23 mother, and I am fairly certain you have images of me doing far more embarrassing things.”
One of Kiyi’s fathers looked up from the roost in the corner of the room, “We do, but it’s never the same. All grown up like you are we can’t call you cute anymore.”
Kiyi’s other father let out a small whistle, “Well we can call her beautiful. I have heard she is courting no less than four males at the moment.
“All of whom I am sure are far better for her than the two male’s I am stuck with,” muttered Kiyi’s mother glaring at her mates.
Kiyi’s Father glanced at one another, and both wisely decided to say nothing. Any utterances as she was in such a mood would bar them both from the nest for the night leaving them to sleep on the Center room perches.
Kiyi’s mother chirped in annoyance, “Kiyi you are not actually courting four are you? At your age that is likely to lead to ruin, keep yourself to two.”
Kiyi blanched her lower eyes snapping closed in embarrassment, “Mother! That is none of your business! In any case I am not courting four males!”
Kiyi was not going to mention that the number was larger than what her Mother thought, but then she was so old fashioned thinking that anything beyond three Mates was scandalous.
Her Mother glared at her for several longs moment and let out a disgruntled warble, “I don’t need to know, you are right. Now, go make sure your Brother is ready. I have feathers to pull.”
She turned back to the two males in the room who both quickly quelled under her gaze. Kiyi retreated glad her fathers were so understanding and willing to cover for her.
“Oler, are you ready to go!” she squawked backing out of the Center room of the main nest.
Oler popped his head down from one of the higher roosts in the ceiling, “Are we leaving!?”
“In a moment, you need more on than that mask. It is cold today, where is your heat generator?”
The moltling dropped from the high perch to the floor landing in an uncoordinated heap, “I don’t need it!”
Kiyi slowly blinked her four eyes, “Where is it Oler?”
Looking at his sister and seeing something of his mother in that gaze the moltling quickly realized that he was not going to win the argument, “In my nest!”
“Let’s go and get it then, we are going to be leaving as soon as you have it.”
That got the moltling to move, and leaping up to his feet forgetting to pretend he was Human Oler quickly padded on his three peg like feet towards his nest at the end of the room and dove into it, following to ensure he did not become distracted Kiyi watched as he dug about in the synthetic branches and stuffing that was his nest.
Toys, several data pads, and a disturbing amount of food was quickly flung into the center cavity of the nest as Oler searched, flitting from one part of the nest to another in flurries of movement only ever searching one location for a heartbeat before looking in another.
“Oler…”
“I have it!” cried the moltling.
Pulling the cylinder out Oler held it up and quickly strapped it to his leg.
Kiyi looked at the mess in the center of the small nest, “First thing when we get home you’re cleaning.”
“When we get home, let’s go!” said Oler ignoring the task for the moment. Bounding forwards the Moltling grabbed at a bunch of Kiyi’s feathers and dragged her back to the Center room.
Kiyi glanced at the few feathers on the floor, and looked at her mother who was slowly preening herself. Both fathers were trading looks with one another looking somewhat bemused at the posturing they had to endure from their mate.
“Are we ready to go?” asked Kiyi’s mother.
“We’re ready!”
“We’re going to see a Human!” chirped Oler.
Settling onto her perch Kiyi put a talon on Oler ensure he remained still, which was an impossible task as he bounced up and down.
“Humans have only two eyes, how do you think they see thing?” asked Oler.
“They seem to get by,” said Kiyi distracted. She was starting to regret volunteering to take her brother forward into the limited closer seats to the stage. Her Mother and Fathers were further back in the stadium, not having to watch a child in the pressing crowd.
“Humans can consume both meat and plants, I think that’s amazing! You could drop one on almost any planet and they would live!” said Older excitedly as he once again pulled the mask over his face.
“Very interesting Oler, now calm yourself! We need to settle in if we want to see the Human!”
Oler’s eyes widened and his feathers went flat. For a brief moment the moltling was absolutely still, before he once again started to bounce up and down with excitement.
Kiyi let out a low keen and tearing her eyes from the moltling looked around the stadium.
It was filled with her species for the most part, but nearer to the stage were several hundred aliens of varying species. Kiyi looked them over, taking in the strangeness of them for several moments.
A low hum blared and a sonic boom echoed over the stadium.
“Humans!” said Oler before anyone else in the vicinity.
The famed drop pod flared its jets, and dropped into the stage with enough force to cause the metal beneath to screech in protest for a moment. Kiyi shied away from the bright flare of the rockets, but Oler ever eager watched.
The metal pod was still for only a moment before the hatch in its front fell away, revealing the small Human who slowly stepped out.
The Human was clad in their customary isolation suit, and raising a soft talon it stepped out of the drop pod its helmet reflecting the light of the day into the crowd.
“Hello!” shouted the human into the microphone.
The crowd let out a cheer.
Squinting through the sunlight Kiyi looked at the Human, it was male as far as she could determine, and old. The skin on it’s face was wrinkled and pockmarked, scars ran down one side of it’s face and the hair was a wispy white. Still, it looked to have the same eagerness Kiyi so often saw in Oler’s eyes.
“I thank you for inviting me to your Human day!”
The crowd let out another cheer that continued for several minutes. Kiyi let herself be swept up in the merriment and joined in shouting. As she did so she continued to observe the human, and determined it was male given the lack of fat deposits on its chest.
The Human raised his hands and slowly lowered them, calming, and quieting the crowd. Oler was now froze in place his eyes locked on the Human.
“When Humanity stumbled on this Confederation, it was a nation only in words and theory. There was no spirit, no cooperation, no comradery. The species of this galaxy were together, but distinct and unchanging. The only times the many species interacted was to expand and contest borders. The only trade being done was raw resources, rocks, minerals, elements. Those were the only things traveling between the stars. The Galaxy was still cold and lifeless, each species only having carved out a larger hole to wither and die in.”
The Human began its speech, and the crowd listened, attention focused on the member of the historic species. The Human stood up straighter then, the wrinkles on the face behind the clear metal tightening lending the face more youth.
“So, we Humanity struck out, we tried to bring the Galaxy together. Humanity was not homogenous, and we saw no reason to be. We took pride in the fact, that although the inhabitants of one planet, of one continent, one city one household to the next, each person was different from another and yet we were still one. The Confederation back then when we were first traveling between the stars did not agree.”
The Human let out a small laugh, “The first great achievement that Humanity counted was the purchasing of a scraped barge from the Geeril. This planet, and it inhabitants were the first species we turned to in the stars to learn about, to try and learn from. We took the scrapped vessel, and pulled every bit of data we could from it. Not just the computer data but everything we could learn from the scratches in the floor and the arrangement of the corridors.”
The Human looked out at the crowd, Kiyi shifted on her feet as the Human’s eyes swept over her. It was disconcerting the way the Humans seemed to lock eyes with an entire crowd even with only one set of eyes.
“We learned that the Geeril were alien, and at the same time familiar. You are not free of war, strife, problems. Like us though you love, care for your families above almost anything else, and want nothing more than to raise children and ensure their lives are better than your own. For three hundred years Humanity learned, collected, and adapted. We tried to share our own culture with others, and what we had learned from other aliens. No one wanted to listen.”
The Human shook his head, causing the wrinkles on his face to move like feathers as he did so.
“It is not an admonishment. When I was a child, Humanity was content to collect and learn, taking in the cultures of a hundred worlds. Some Humans even dedicated entire worlds to the art of cultural replication. We tried to emulate the aliens of the galaxy, we wanted to learn through experience. It was a glorious time for Humanity.”
The Human curled up his soft talon’s in his glove.
“When I was only fifteen, the age between child and adult for Humans the Enemy attacked. The Tauii were wiped out in a day, and made their famous plea to the stars for aide only when the star of their home system was consumed. The Coalition government, apathetic and powerless having never faced a threat even close to that of the Enemy was paralyzed. A million species for the first time trying to work together in a bid to save themselves at the cost of others. Humanity was only another alien voice shouting in the beginning.”
The Human reached into the pocket of his suit and slowly drew out a small black knife. He spun it around in his hand for several moments eyes locked on the weapon.
“Humanity had interacted with as many species as possible, and so we approached the Fer’eyew to try and form a more lasting union. A vicious domineering species, one that respected only power and personal achievement were the Fer’eyew. They are nearly double our height, and if they had any inclination for expansion through space they could have perhaps been just as dangerous as the Enemy. The commander of the now famous Human Marines challenged the Emperor of the Fer’eyew in single combat. The alien was stunned, and seeing us as only small creatures accepted the challenge with a laugh of dismissal.”
The Human flicked the blade down, and it embedded itself in the stage vibrating for a moment.
“Of course, the Emperor was fighting a Marine.”
Kiyi along with the rest of the aliens smiled and a smattering of laughter filtered through the crowd. The prowess of the Human warriors was well known, and nearly unmatched. Although few Marines were Human anymore.
“When he won Commander Voskos had the Fer’eyerw Emperor at knife point, by his own blade. The one you see in front of you, he offered an ultimatum.”
Kiyi’s eyes widened and she looked at the object. It was the knife that had begun it all, if the Human was to be believed.
“Instead of killing the man, and rightfully taking command of the Empire Commander Voskos did something unprecedented in Fer’eyew culture. He helped his opponent up, and offered him more power under the condition he listened to new ideas. Voskos promised the Emperor he and his warriors would never have to want for battle. He promised that they would be able to fight for righteousness against the ultimate foe.”
The Human leaned down and fumbling slightly with the heavy gloves he was wearing pulled the knife out of the stage.
“So, contrary to our fictions the most violent race of aliens we could find besides the Enemy submitted to learn from us.”
The Human put the knife away and pulled out a small wooden branch, one that had several dozen lengths of cloth tied to it.
“Humanity continued this pattern, brining races and species together under our banner. Not by impressing on them our own ideals, but by understanding them to the best of our ability and appealing to that. I at the age of twenty was part of the contingent that negotiated with the Flarion. A princess with spikes, poisonous burrs, and acidic blood gifted me this promissory to seal their allegiance to Humanity after one of my greatest friends sacrificed himself in one of their religious ceremonies to call upon their gods.”
The Human placed the stick on the podium.
“As we gathered species under our banner, and tried to organize every resource we took it upon ourselves to execute the brutal mathematics of war. I do not envy the leaders of Humanity at the time, as we amassed allies and power we willfully ignored billions. We consciously left billions of men, women, and children to be consumed by the Enemy. We tried to save as many as we could, but even so the Galaxy lost nearly five thousand species. Five thousand unique perspectives, entire histories and peoples who now only exist in the libraries of Humanity.”
The Human held the stick up and the cloth on it billowed in the wind.
“The Flarion are among those lost.”
The Human sighed, and the entire stadium was silent for a moment. Stunned by the speech Kiyi nearly fell back onto her haunches. Shaking her head and looking for a distraction she glanced down at Oler, or at least where he was supposed to be. The moltling was absent from his small perch.
Jerking around Kiyi looked for him in the crowd.
“The mathematics of war are brutal, we should not be forgiven for letting those species burn. I can only say that it was the only way we could see to win, and to this day what is left of Humanity regrets it.”
Kiyi straightened up looking for her sibling, barely managing to stop herself from calling out.
“When the Enemy reached this system, we Humanity and the forty thousand species we had allied with, attacked. The warlike, the moderate, and the peaceable. Each fought and served alongside Humanity. The warlike Humans sacrificed and burned in joyous glee with the warrior species. The moderate Humans planned alongside the knowledgeable generals of very army and coordinated support for the army of trillions. The peaceable remained in the background with those who swore never to take a life and healed the injured, cured the sick, and fought to save every life possible.”
The Human drew in a shaky breath.
“I was nearly fifty when this took place. Most Humans who fought were raised alongside the allies of Humanity and were alien themselves, something Humanity took joy in. The Enemy as simple as they were, as powerful as they were only lost due to overconfidence. Trillions died in that battle, and in a last spiteful move the Enemy laid a curse on Humanity. The Human virus.”
The Human tapped at his helmet, “They understood in their last moments what had defeated them, and took revenge. I hesitate to call anything pure evil, but the Enemy is close.”
The Human held up his hand and clenched it after a moment in his suit.
“They took it all away. A virus harmful only to Humanity, lethal within a day. Every species is a carrier, every form of life save our own. We are once again relegated to a single world, outnumber not even a billion out of what was once trillions. The many allies we formed can do nothing but watch, as we lament.”
The Human drew himself up, “As horrible as the virus is, it shows how little the Enemy understood. We have passed along our thoughts, our ideas. Ever since that day of the Enemy’s defeat the people of this galaxy have strived to learn from, and understand one another. You see us as a model, and I tell you with certainty you will surpass Humanity. Do not give up your own ways, but do not hesitate to learn from others. Some ways are better, some worse, all are different and you can at the very least strive to understand. Even if my species should pass into darkness, the spirit of Humanity will not die!”
The Human punched his soft talon into the air and Kiyi now desperately searching the crowd, only half listening to the alien desperate to find her sibling glanced up.
Above the human in the rafters of the stage a familiar ball of feathers and enthusiasm moved, nearly all eyes locked on it with the Humans impromptu pointing.
Kiyi’s feathers went flat in horror, above the human was Oler, his generator one again loose from its strap. The contraption fell, and hit the stage next to the human.
The suited Human paused and looked down, before glancing with the rest of the crowd to stare at the same spot as Kiyi. As if sensing the attention Olen dropped, letting go of the metal beams the moltling plummeted towards the floor. The human quickly stepped under him, and caught the foolish child barely straining to take the molting’s weight.
“Oler!” Kiyi gasped.
The human looked out at her and then back at the small moltling who was staring back at him all four eyes wide.
The guards two large Tell glanced at me and then the Human unsure what to do.
“Well hello, who are you?” asked the human looking at Oler. His words were slightly muffled the speaker in his helmet further away from the microphone, although the entire stadium had gone quite enough it was hardly needed.
“I’m Human!” squeaked Oler.
Kiyi began to push her way through the crowd towards the stage.
“You’re human?”
In response Oler slowly reached up and drew the mask on top of his head down.
The Human chuckled, “It seems you are a Human indeed.”
The Human turned back to the podium, and looking out at the crowd for a moment seemed to come to some sort of decision.
“Oler, what makes you human?”
The moltling ignoring the crowd to stare at the face of the aliens he idolized thought for a moment, “My face?” he pointed to the cheap plastic mask.
“Perhaps, what else?” asked the Human his teeth showing.
Oler let out a low warble that was amplified through the microphone he was almost sitting on. The sound reverberated through the aliens in the stadium. Kiyi still fighting through the crowd to retrieve her brother was almost to the stage.
“I want to know more! I want to learn about things that are strange, and see them for myself!”
“Well then Oler, I have a treat for you.”
Reaching up the human grabbed at his helmet, and before the bodyguards on the sides of the stage could react the human removed it. The stadium which had been quite before was deathly silent as the seals released, and the human lifted the protective helmet away and dropped it to the stage.
Taking Oler’s small talon the Human raised it to his face, Oler let out a low bleat as he felt the Humans wrinkled face.
“You, you, you’re going to die now!” squeaked Oler even as he felt the Human’s skin wonderment still in his voice.
The Human laughed, and he stepped forwards towards the microphone.
“I am old Oler, I remember the times before we had to wear these things. When we were free to explore. The Enemy has only made it more difficult for us, they tried to take away so much. Were we anything but Human we would be bitter for having our dreams ripped away, but it only made the dreams of exploring more arduous.”
Lifting the Moltling up the Human placed the light feathered creature on his shoulder, and turned to the crowd.
“I am old, I cannot bear to be separated from the dream.”
Kiyi was like every other alien frozen now, at the edge of the stage.
Oler his talons going through the human’s hair now looked down into the humans eyes as he looked up, “What do you want to explore?” asked Oler.
“Tell me about your world Oler, show me what your world is like as my last adventure. That way we can both be human.”
The little moltling slowly blinked his four eyes, “Ok. Can my sister help?”
The Human smiled, “I hope so.”