Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“I, uh… I wouldn’t suggest you bring that up to the world leaders.
There are some countries who are really strict about what kind of media their people can consume, and they’d take offense.
” It was the politest way I could think to say ‘Do not send the leaders of Earth videos of tentacle porn’.
They would immediately assume the aliens were here for deviant purposes and lose their collective minds.
“I believe I said the same thing,” Crow interjected, giving Voo a stern look. “They are already difficult to speak to. We don’t need to make things worse.”
Voo pouted like a little kid, slumping in his seat. Which again, how did this guy get into a place of power?
Crow turned back to me, smiling again. “Have you had any traditional Krezikian foods yet, Enzo? We’ve been told by past human companions that it is quite enjoyable to the human pallet.”
My brows snapped together. “Past human companions?”
Aster mentioned picking up humans every decade or so to check on our development, but I didn’t think they kept them. Alarm bells went off in my head, but before I could spiral, Aster rested his hand on my forearm.
“Remember when I told you about our visits here?”
I nodded quickly, my jaw working overtime to keep myself from saying something I’d regret.
“Some preferred to forget the whole thing, and we put them back where we found them. Others… chose to stay.”
That surprised the indignation out of me, and my jaw dropped. “They went to space with you?”
“Not me specifically. This is my first trip to Earth. But yes. They were far more interested in joining us than being sent back to their homes. They provided us with basic information on human health and physiology, so we were prepared for this trip. Most are now mated in the community and quite happy. I can connect you to them if you wish.”
I didn’t want to come off as too eager but come on. Who wouldn’t want to talk to humans who’d literally jumped planets? I wanted to know why, what sent them running, and what information they shared with our lovely invaders. I had about a million questions.
“Uh, yeah, sure. That sounds good. How many are we talking about?”
“Not many,” Crow assured me. “The choice to join us was a more recent development. I believe the first was brought to us about a hundred human cycles ago. During what he refers to as the roaring twenties.”
“Refers? He’s still alive?”
Ian spoke up without actually looking up from his tablet. “Humans have a lot to gain from us, including medicines that increase your lifespan.”
Voo nodded enthusiastically. “Your lifespans are tragically short. How are you supposed to develop and learn in such a short amount of time?”
“I want to say humans learn fast out of necessity, but they also don’t do well with change, so maybe I’m wrong,” I replied with a shrug.
“That’s why I came to speak with you. I know my message wasn’t approved, but I think you might be coming at this all wrong.
I don’t think your plan will work like you think. ”
Crow pressed his lips together, a deep frown on his face. “No, perhaps you are right. But that is for another time. For now, it is time to eat.”
Like someone was listening and just waiting for the signal, the double doors slid open and a group of Krezikians came bustling in with carts of food. Not food bars like I’d been eating all week, but real food. Really weird food.
Three dishes of different sizes were set in front of me.
The first looked something like a salad, except the leaves were deep blue, and the plants were like nothing I’d ever seen before.
The second plate was… okay, I didn't know what it was. Some kind of fish, maybe? It looked like a bloated grub bug with eyes, which was a little weird, but it also had fins and scales. At least it smelled delicious. It was lying on a bed of what looked like marbles, but when I poked at them with a fork, they were actually squishy. Unnerving, but I was game to try something new as long as they didn’t bring me those food bars.
The same thing for every meal for a week was getting exhausting.
The final dish was a soup of some kind, except it was bright pink.
I started there since it looked the most innocent, besides the color, and it was surprisingly delicious.
A little spicy, with a thicker texture like curry.
It reminded me of Indian food with the spices, and I finished the whole thing before moving on to the next.
The salad tasted like a salad, so that was good.
No surprises was good. There was a dressing on the side that was like their version of a vinaigrette, but it was a little tart, and the salad was fine without it.
I was the most hesitant about the main dish.
It looked like a bug, and I was adventurous only to a point.
But Aster seemed to enjoy it, and I figured it’d be impolite to outright refuse just because of how it looked. I took a small bite, chewing slowly.
“What do you think?” Aster asked with a curious smile.
I nodded slowly. It was different, sure, but not bad. It had a similar texture to tofu, which I’d had in the past because my sister-in-law was vegetarian. And the spices sealed the deal. It was almost like Italian tofu, and I’d never say no to Italian anything.
“It’s good. What is it?”
“It’s called Scrildi,” he replied. “It is a delicacy from our planet. Its meat is hard to come by, so it is only eaten during special occasions. We don’t want to over hunt the creature and decimate its population.”
Of course, they were focused on that. They actually gave a shit about the environment. Meanwhile, humans hunted animals to extinction just to put their stuffed heads on their walls. I always thought that was fucked up, to be honest.
“So, Enzo. Do you mind if we ask you some questions?” Shae prompted about halfway through the meal.
It felt rude to say no, but hopefully, they’d steer clear of anything porn-related. I nodded once, taking a sip of the wine they brought from their planet. It was sweeter than wine on earth. Pretty sure my mom would kill for a bottle. It was that good.
“Thank you. Could you explain what a veal chop is?”
Okay. Not what I was expecting. “Uh… It’s a slice of meat from a baby cow.”
The entire table went silent, and I was greeted with horrified looks all around. I grimaced. Yeah, okay, it was weird to kill baby animals for meat. Humans are weird. That probably wouldn’t change anytime soon.
“You… you eat babies?”
“Uh… sometimes, yeah. I mean, I’ve had it before. It’s popular because it’s more tender than regular steak. But it’s expensive, so it’s not something people eat regularly. At least, not your average American.”
“There are foods too expensive for everyone to consume?” Tan?th asked, genuinely confused.
It was my turn to frown. Did they not have economic classes? “I mean, yeah, sure. There are some people who even eat literal gold flakes. That’s not something I’d likely be able to afford, though. The 1% probably eat it more often.”
Crow tipped his head with a frown. “The who?”
Ah, shit. I probably shouldn’t have brought that up. It was controversial even among humans. Though, if they wanted to make big changes to the environment, the rich elite were the ones controlling most of that. The government cowed to them more often than they wanted to admit.
“Humans divide themselves into different categories. Classes, age ranges, skin color. You name it, they’ve made groups so they can either align themselves or discriminate based on those facts.
One of the biggest ones that affects the most people is the 1% versus the other ninety-nine percent.
The one percent hold more wealth in the world than the entirety of the middle class.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they earn more than the middle and lower class combined.
This wealth disparity is a big issue with humans since the 1% aren’t great at sharing, and the lower classes live below the poverty line and can’t afford food. ”
Again, a look of horror overtook the Krezikian’s faces.
“How many people are in that bracket?” Voo demanded. He actually looked serious for once, his eyes wide and a little angry.
I shrugged. “I mean, I could look it up to give you exact numbers, but I’m pretty sure it’s like a million people?
Maybe two. Not a ton compared to the rest. There are some in that group who even make the rest of the one percent look poor with their net worths.
They make billions of dollars, while the rest of us make pennies in comparison. ”
“And those who are not 1% cannot afford food?” Tan?th growled.
Tipping my head side to side, I said, “Sort of? Middle-class families can afford food and stuff. Some even do pretty well. It’s the lower class that’s struggling.
Governments don’t force a livable minimum wage, and companies aren’t inclined to give it unless required because it affects their bottom line.
This leaves too many people homeless because they can’t afford rent, food, or even healthcare.
Don’t get me started on health care, especially here in America.
People would rather walk on a broken leg than get an ambulance, it’s so expensive. ”
I felt bad about upsetting the meal, but it felt important to say.
I turned to Crow, leveling him with a look.
“Which is why I think your plans aren’t going to work like you hope.
The 1% has more control over the environment than most governments.
They are responsible for oil spills, fracking, poor labor practices, and even child labor.
They aren’t going to want to change things.
They’re rich because of the way things work now.
And they’ll push back against the governments if they try.
It could take years of debate to get any headway. ”
Crow straightened, pushing away from the table. “If you’ll excuse me.”
He headed for a door I hadn’t noticed off to one side.
It was smaller and blended in with the rest of the panels, so I didn’t know where he was heading until he already disappeared through it.
My eyebrows flew up, but I didn’t have time to ask questions before I was bombarded with more from the rest of the siblings.
“What do you mean child labor?”
“How many people are without food?”
“Why are they unwilling to share it? Isn’t the health of their workers important for the quality of products?”
I put my hand up to slow their demands. “I can try and answer your questions, but you’re better off speaking to experts if you want actual numbers and facts. I just know what Google tells me. And don’t trust the news. It’s biased.”
That only set them off more, and I spent the next hour or so fielding questions left and right about the reality of being a human.
I had to explain how the government leaders they took weren’t as powerful as they thought, and how likely it was that they’d be attacked again.
I was surprised they didn’t know all this already.
If they picked up humans before, why did no one explain the truth?
Were they hoping to spare the Krezikians?
Because that seemed a little cruel. They came out here completely unprepared.
And until they got some sort of control over the population, the attacks would continue.
I looked at Aster, who looked heartbroken after I explained child labor. He was sensitive, and it hurt him to imagine children in such poor conditions. I was careful where I bought from to avoid supporting those agencies, but not everyone cared as long as their products were cheap.
Feeling the need to provide him some comfort, I rested my hand on his. He immediately flipped his over, lacing our fingers together. And if my heart skipped several beats, no one had to know.