A Judge from Lahathia
by Rhema Sayers
part 1
This assignment was going to be bad. I had heard of humans, but had never met one, so I was studying up on their history on board my transport. The history was impressive for its viciousness. From what I had read, these people were dishonest, conniving, bloodthirsty savages who should never have been allowed off their planet. Yet they were scattered throughout the known universe. Not a lot of them yet, but they were spreading. My research was upsetting my digestive system.
I had come on board the starship early to avoid being crowded in the corridors. I rather dislike crushing smaller beings accidentally, because I didn’t see them.
The other two populations on the world called Beorrh, besides humans, were Zabids and Casdis. I was familiar with Zabids, smaller than the average sentient, fur-covered and generally considered cute. They are, however, noted for being particularly violent when angry. I certainly would never want to rile one.
I have seen a few Casdis but have never met one. They are average size, feathered, and winged, but flightless, with very, very sharp teeth. They look ferocious, but their reputation is just the opposite: peace-loving and gentle. They are, however, predators; a trait that has always made me a bit uncertain as to whether they really are peaceful. I have seen vids of the species, and they always looked like they were hiding something, watching with slitted eyes and the occasional flash of sharp teeth.
I was one of the five beings selected as poll watchers for the five venues in the upcoming elections on Beorrh. These would be the first elections held under a temporary regime. The planet had endured twenty years of enslavement under the Frooks, a race that had now been almost wiped out. And good riddance.
Each of the poll watchers was from a different species, a different star system. I am Cadith from Lahathia. I was told one of the others is a Cyznoid from Alcafia, but I will not be able to verify that until I reach Beorrh. I had no knowledge of the other poll watchers as yet.
As the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court of Lahathia, I was a good choice for this position. Lahathian judges have a tradition of honesty. We cannot be bought. Very few planetary governments can make a claim like that. Alcafians claim their judges cannot be bribed, but that’s because the government watches them constantly. I understand that they are not even allowed privacy in the bathroom. Disgusting!
I was deep in my reading when I heard a commotion outside my quarters. I touched the button that turned the wall invisible from this side only and watched.
Two of the stewards were accosting a passenger, a strange-looking being. With a shock, I realized this was a human, one of those I would encounter on Beorrh. It was smaller than I had pictured it. Standing with its paws on its hips, it was talking back to the stewards, a Talwat and a Qi.
“Get your grubby claws and tentacles off me! I have a cabin on this floor.”
I wasn’t aware there was a human on board. I opened the door and slid out into the corridor. “What is going on here?” I asked.
The Talwat aimed one of its eyes at me. “Nothing to be concerned about, Your Honor. This human insists it has a cabin here.”
The human pulled its arm away. “I do! It’s just around the corner.”
I slid closer. “Why don’t you show us?”
The Qi cannot change facial expressions on account of their exoskeleton, but the Talwat was obviously not pleased. His fur turned magenta. Talwats cannot hide their feelings.
Despite his irritation, the Talwat graciously acceded to my suggestion.
We moved down the corridor and around the corner, the little human in the lead. It came to a halt before a door. “This is my cabin,” it said and laid a hand on the door. The door opened.
The Talwat turned a bit orange. “But that’s the cabin for the Ambassador to Beorrh from Arawan!” His tone was whiny.
“Of course it is!” snapped the human. “I’m the friggin’ ambassador!”
The Talwat stood very still for a moment as it referenced its files. Then it seemed to slump and the color went whitish. “I see.” A hesitation, then. “I apologize for the embarrassment, Madam Ambassador. Is there anything I can get for you?”
The human stood quietly, regarding the large steward. Then she placed a hand on his middle appendage and smiled. “You were just trying to do your job. No problem. And no, I do not require anything.”
The stewards bowed out. I was in the process of turning. My body is a bit long to make turns easily in the corridor.
The human looked at me. “Thank you, sir. Your help was essential to resolving the situation.”
“It was nothing.”
“No, you could have lain in your cabin and watched the little drama without intervening. I sincerely appreciate your interference. Would you care to join me for dinner tonight?”
I was stunned. No one invites Lahathians to dinner. It just isn’t done. Our food is considered distasteful, if not gruesome, by almost all other species. I turned my head to observe the ambassador. “I doubt you would enjoy the experience,” I said.
Her mouth widened and curved upward and her eyes squinted. “I am aware of what other species think. I don’t think your eating habits will bother me. Please come. We can talk.”
After a moment, I nodded. “I would be honored, Madam Ambassador. Is 19:00 hours satisfactory?”
Her mouth did that curl again. “Very satisfactory, Your Honor.”
* * *
That evening at 19:00, I slid down the corridor to the ambassador’s cabin. She welcomed me warmly. I had brought my usual staples, a large box of insects from my world. They were tasty enough, but I had been dining on them for over a month now and I was getting bored.
I noted that the ambassador had changed apparel. She now wore a long piece of shiny material that hid her legs and almost touched the floor with long lacy material on her arms. Her hair hung down her back. I looked at her for a long time.
Finally, she asked, “What are you staring at?”
“You. I’m trying to understand why you strike me as lovely.”
Her mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide. Then she threw her head back and made a sound I didn’t know. She reached out and touched my shoulder. “Thank you. I think that is the most wonderful compliment I have ever received.”
We talked for a while. She served me a mildly alcoholic drink that I am partial to. She drank something herself. I was amazed at how much alike we were. Not physically. I have an elongated body with multiple legs and four arms and hands. My head is held upright and I have a long mane of tendrils of a vivid green color running down my back. The rest of me is a grayish-green. My eyes have black irises and a pupil that opens and closes very like Sandra’s. That is her name: Sandra Wilkinson.
I rarely wear apparel, but tonight I had tied a soft, brown scarf around my neck. Sandra complimented it.
When we finally got around to eating, Sandra surprised me. She told me to put away my box of staples and rolled a table into the room. There was a huge bowl with a silver cover on it. I lifted the cover and was delighted to see small crustaceans swimming in salt water. There were dozens and dozens of them. I didn’t recognize the species, but I delicately removed one and tasted it. The squirming in my mouth always adds to the pleasure of the meal. It was delicious.
She brought out another table for herself and we ate in companionable silence. Except for the tiny squeaks of the crustaceans.
After dinner, we continued to talk until late into the night. I asked her so many questions about humans and their history. She was knowledgeable and answered honestly, even when the answer made humanity look bad. I could have listened to her for hours more, but her eyelids began to droop and her speech slowed.
We met again the next day on the recreation deck. At my age, Lahathians do not participate in what the humans call sports. I watched her run around the deck and then swim. Then we reclined in specially designed chairs that conformed to our bodies, and we talked. I hadn’t been so fascinated by a being for decades. Not since my third mate.
There was a group of humans on board. They welcomed me into the group meeting/party they had three times a week. One of the men, Gil, was almost as tall as I am, although his mass was much less. Gil was always laughing and making jokes. He was young and seemed to enjoy life greatly. He was a student, returning to Beorrh after studying for years at the University of Lanthau. An excellent school, especially for astrophysics, which was what Gil majored in.
Another man, Tom, was a xenobiologist and a doctor. He and his mate, Allison, were both physicians who had great knowledge of other sentient species and could act as healers for them. I found the pair particularly interesting because of the companion they had with them. They called her a dog. She would be classified as a pet. Not many sentient races keep pets.
This animal, whose name was Scrappy, was extraordinary. When I came through the door into the commons area, I saw the beast and she saw me. She had been circulating among the humans but turned and came straight to me. We stood, evaluating each other. Then she began to sniff. From one end to the other, I was treated to the experience of her cold nose. Then she sat and offered me a paw, which I shook gently and with some relief. While I am much larger than she is, Scrappy moves quickly and has nasty teeth.
Since meeting Sandra and the others, I have learned a great deal more about humans than is covered in our history books. Yes, most of the violence was very real. The wars were fought for power. Always for power. Although the American Revolution had certainly been at least partially for ideals. But that was an extraordinary group of people.
They lent me a number of books by humans with a very different viewpoint than that of any of the Allied races’ books.
Apparently idealists abounded throughout human history. And despots used their ideals to come to power. Humans must be very gullible. When I mentioned this thought to Sandra, she grinned — I know now what some of the facial expressions mean — and said “‘There’s one born every minute.’” Then she spent an hour explaining the comment.
We were three days out from Beorrh when pirates struck.
I happened to be in the human party area. There were about thirty humans, a couple of Phsssts, a Pflan, and three Codies. And Scrappy, of course.
I was deep in conversation with Tom and Allison about physiology and philosophy when the Captain announced that all passengers should return to their cabins. Nothing else. No explanation. I ignored the order. I was enjoying myself too much to be bothered. I noticed that no one else seemed to pay attention, either.
Half an hour later, the ship began pitching back and forth. The movements were damped by the computer so that we felt only a small fraction of it. Sandra was standing next to me and nearly fell.
Adam, an older human, with gray hair, stood up. “Evasive maneuvers,” he said. “We’re under attack.”
Nine or ten of the humans and the Pflan with its distinctive purple feathers sticking up, disappeared into a side room. They returned a few moments later with weapons.
Adam stepped forward. “Stay here. Barricade the doors. Block the vents. Hopefully we’ll be back.” He turned to Gil and Tom and Allison and a few others, doling out weapons to them.
I cleared my throat. “I think I can handle one of those, Adam.”
He gave me one without hesitation. I carefully ran my hands over it, adjusting it to fit my physiology. I knew how to use it.
We waited. The evasive maneuvers continued. Then there were several explosions somewhere forward of our position. Then silence for a time.
Finally, we heard yelling and gunshots from the corridor. Tom turned on the one-way transparency. We watched as a group of Casdis shot down a multi-species band of crew and passengers. There were no humans although there was one Pflan. I could tell by its feathers that it wasn’t our friend.
Bodies littered the floor outside the door. Inside the commons room, we fell back to take positions behind tables and couches. Being the largest, I stuck out on all sides.
The doors swept open. Several Casdis ran in to be greeted by gunfire. Their bodies fell in the doorway. No more attempted entry.
A voice called out: “We only want the judge. Send him out and we’ll leave. The rest will not be harmed.”
I didn’t move, but my heart sank. The humans began to move forward, in front of me. One of the Codies called out: “Push him out. They just want him, not us.”
Every person in the room turned and looked at it, including its fellow Codies. It looked back at us and asked, “What?”
I began to push my way forward. “Haspu is quite right,” I said, using my bulk to push people aside. “They apparently want me, not you. Let me go see what it is they want.”
Scrappy stopped me. She bit my leading edge. “That friggin’ hurt!” I yelped.
The voice from outside called out: “Don’t be foolish. He is nothing to you. Send him out, and you will all be left alone, I swear.”
Tom called out. “The Casdis are not noted for honesty.”
“I have no reason to lie. We want the judge. No one else. Trying to kill all of you would cost us lives as well.”
“What do you want with the judge?” called Allison.
There was no answer.
She called louder. “What do you want with our friend?”
No response.
Tom yelled, “Answer us!”
“We do not talk to females of any species. They are not intelligent enough to carry on a conversation.”
This brought about an abrupt silence as our group considered this response.
Tom said. “It seems like an odd time for a joke.”
The Casdi screamed back: “This is no joke. Send out the judge now or we will kill all of you.”
Tom looked at me. “I’ve never come across a group like this. They’re crazy.”
He moved in front of me as though to protect me. I couldn’t help but smile, as I looked down on him. “Tom, it would take a lot more of you to protect me. Please. Be assured that I am perfectly capable of protecting myself.”
I moved around him and started for the door. “I’m coming out. Please don’t shoot. I will be glad to talk with you, even go with you if necessary. But leave my friends alone.”
A shout from the corridor: “If you come out, we will leave with no further violence.”
Copyright © 2023 by Rhema Sayers
