Max suspected a storm was brewing up there. A dangerous stillness hung in the air.
The Tribes alien bent her snake-like neck and lowered her head. Even though Max had met multiple Tribes aliens, that neck trick still turned his stomach. Rick had been surprised that Max didn’t find Tribes aliens aesthetically pleasing since few other species had internal skeletons, but that neck....
“Who are you?” she demanded. “Unknown species, but we hold contracts with Ugly ones. If you seek profit, we will drive you out of business.”
That was aggressive. Behind her a dozen other aliens watched with guarded expressions. Max recognized the pith helmet of tentacles that was a Pajekh and the purple striped People of Red, but there were also aliens he’d never seen before.
“I’m visiting, and the name has changed. They are Hidden ones, and calling them ugly is rude.”
“They are ugly, and I am unconcerned with rudeness,” the Pajekh said. Max wondered what their name translated as. Max’s computer consistently failed to process his query; however, he now mentally translated Pajekh as “People of the assholes.”
“We get first access to profits,” an alien in back called out.
Max took a deep breath. “The Hidden ones should get first access to profits since this is their world.”
“I am of ship that identified new trading route. I will defend my access to unregulated profit,” a People of Red alien insisted.
“Wait. What?” Max focused on this new speaker. “Define unregulated profit.”
The People of Red alien, who was not red, offered a less than helpful, “Profit that is not regulated.”
The Tribes alien raised her head to its full height. “I pay to claim profits. Hidden or ugly, I will not give my profits to those of inhospitable ugliness.” The head dropped, and the neck folded into the tight s-shape that made Max’s stomach churn. “I have paperwork.” She said that like it was the final word on the matter.
Star Trek had given him an unrealistic view of aliens. Most were bureaucratic assholes who made love to their paperwork and permits. He knew military officers back home who would adore that, but Max didn’t. “Don’t let me get between you and an admiration of late-stage capitalism,” Max said dryly. “I am married to a Hidden one, so if anyone has a right to profits after the Hidden ones themselves, it would be me. If you treated them with more respect, you wouldn’t have to fear losing all your profits.”
A greenish blue alien with an upside-down triangle mouth responded by baring a set of vicious-looking fangs. That felt like a threat, but the moment Max thought that, he realized he’d been showing off his own teeth to aliens who lacked them.Huh. He should stop smiling so much.
The Hidden one guard slid forward. “You take profit being surrogate for Ugly one. You develop weapons.”
“Disgusting,” the Pajekh snapped. Max assumed it was scandalized by the surrogate parenthood and not the weapons, although a logical creature should switch those. Improving waysto rip out each others’ guts was more ick-worthy than childbirth, even if both were... not pleasant.
“Hey!” Max pointed his finger at the guy. “Those are my children. I gave birth to them and they are mine, even though we are not genetically related. So watch how you talk about them.”
The Pajekh retreated to a spot behind the green-blue fanged dude. Max wondered when dealing with aliens had become an annoyance rather than an adventure. Somewhere around the time he figured out that Gene Roddenberry was far too optimistic. The only aliens Max liked were the ones he was related to.
“I will be a trader with Hidden world. How does one get unregulated profit?”
The People of Red alien bellowed in distress and most of the aliens shifted, many sinking lower on tentacles. While Max couldn’t assume that meant the same as it would for Hidden ones, he’d hit a sensitive topic.
“I am asking for clarification. I am not claiming unregulated profit here,” he said before the crowd turned into a mob.
“Go away!” the Pajekh screamed, although he stayed behind the protection of his green-blue bodyguard. Unwilling bodyguard. The guy kept trying to escape by sliding sideways, and the Pajekh moved with him.
This was useless, and Max didn’t have the patience to keep beating a dead horse or an annoying alien. Max pulled his radio and touched the symbol for Kohei. “Hey, kiddo. It looks like a storm is moving in. Are you and James heading back to the ship?”
“We can leave the waters and return Max Father,” Kohei said. Max knew it was unfair to ask Kohei to wrangle his brother, but now that Max’s righteous anger had worn off, he was exhausted. He wanted to crawl into the bed he shared with Rick and fantasize about hiding in deep space–just him and his family.And Dee, not that she wanted to hang out in space. She was all about heading home to Earth.
The radio clicked. “Max Father,” Xander said, “entry has registered Rick Father as missing individual rediscovered by government.”
Max blinked. “What?”
“Entry in computer of government has registered Rick Father as missing individual rediscovered by government,” Xander said in a patient and serious voice. One day Max would explain how questions could be used to indicate surprise, but so far, every conversation had ended with more confusion.
“Considering that Rick has been in space working on his programs, he has been missing from Hidden world,” Max said. “Why is that important enough to radio me to tell me?”
“The type of entry in the computer of government is associated with alarm over the status of missing,” Xander said. “And Rick Father does not respond to my request for clarification.” That was concerning, especially if the Hidden ones were as obsessed with correct paperwork filed in triplicate as the rest of the universe. Earth included. After trying for five months to requisition new boots, Max included Earth in the paperwork-obsessed category.
“Max?” Dee’s voice came over the radio. “Xander is worried because the entry seems to suggest that the government has more than a passing interest in Rick. They use a code next to his name that is associated with government decision makers.”
