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“—before he detonated a bomb! People have died, and it’s because of my father’s actions,” I said over Brett’s continuing attempts to deny everything. “Two members of his team died in the blast, and I have no doubt he was hoping he’d kill me, too!”
In the silence that followed, I sat there shaking and flushed, sweating suddenly in the wake of speaking that thought out loud. We might not be live, but I knew that would be the soundbite everyone would replay.
Brett lost it. “Only because you’re a little queer whore,” he snarled. “You’ve already let one of those animals chew on you, haven’t you? I can see the marks. You’re nothing but a freak, like that other one.” He stood up out of frame and shouted, “Cut the feed!”
Py’s bite marks. I closed my eyes and sighed as I slumped in my seat. I hadn’t given a single thought to the fact that they might be visible given the low cut of my tunic’s collar. And I’d been proud of them until now.
Sure, it was possible Doug and the crew wouldn’t air that outburst, but everyone in the room now knew I was gay and had done something with one of the Norlons. Ensign Codisin probably had no doubt who, and I worried that I might tarnish Py’s reputation. Maybe even obliterate it. We might be great together, but that didn’t mean we should keep seeing each other.
“Owen,” Doug said quietly.
I swallowed hard and looked at him. “I’m sorry. I can explain.”
But he shook his head. “We’re not in the business of involuntarily outing people, so we won’t air that. You have nothing to apologize for or explain.”
I could’ve cried in gratitude and rubbed at my eyes hard to try and disguise that. I’d probably never given PBS News a single thought, but goddamn, they were my favorites now. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Let’s start again,” Ashley said with a nod toward Doug. “Santos can go on Fox News to peddle his bullshit.”
Doug’s smile was calculated as he turned to look at me. “How about it, Owen? Want to start over, just the two of us?”
While the second version of my interview proved to be way better than the first one, we still talked about the possibility that my father might’ve brought me along so he could kill me with the rest of his enemies. I’d cried talking to Doug about everything and even come out in order to explain why my father had hated me. Brett and those who’d loved my father’s politics would pick up the torch and come after me, no doubt, but maybe I just wouldn’t ever go back.
What was even down there for me anyway? Like my father’s legacy would be his final act, mine would forever be tied to him. I was the one who hadn’t known, hadn’t died. I could go back home and get my law degree, pass the bar, and join a liberal firm working to beat back people like Brett. But it would always come up that I was my father’s son.
Up here, with Py, I could reinvent myself and get away from all of that.
Something else Doug and I had talked about were a few of the programs the Norlons were still successfully running on Earth, including the recruitment of human sex workers. Clearly, I didn’t mind sex with a Norlon, so maybe I could…
But no. It wasn’t just anyone that had my attention and interest. As I left the interview, the only Norlon I wanted to be near was Py. And not even to fuck him! I really wanted one of his incredibly soft and warm hugs.
“Could you take me to P— Captain Langarus?” I asked Ensign Codisin as my cheeks heated.
They stared at me for a moment, whiskered bunny nose twitching. They had, of course, heard everything from the interview, so I knew they could guess why I wanted Py. “He’s probably on the bridge and may not be available, but we can try.”
I nodded since that made total sense. “Thanks.”
The journey took us down corridors and onto lifts, and I was lost within seconds. Like I seriously could not have gotten myself back to the conference room Doug and the others were using, let alone Py’s quarters. It made me smile to think that I was under lock and key but had no idea how to go anywhere.
What I saw on the way was a lot of interior grayish walls with warm lighting and darker tile floors. It definitely felt like we were heading into the more functional areas of the ship, and there were a lot more people in uniform here, too.
I started feeling like I was one hundred percent going to interrupt something far more important than my fragile emotional state. I should turn around and go back to the room. Just when I was about to tell Ensign Codisin to forget about it, we stopped outside a door that didn’t automatically open for us. A voice said something in a language I didn’t understand, and the ensign had a brief conversation with whoever that was.
“They’re checking,” Ensign Codisin said.
“Oh. Okay.”
How weird that it hadn’t occurred to me until now that the Norlons had their own language. Of course they did. Any of them that had spoken English around me had probably done so to include me in the conversation. Which was an example of how inclusive they wanted to be. Norlons might have their faults, but they were just so nice.
Suddenly, the door gave a hiss and separated, each side sliding away to reveal a lot of people doing various tasks while either looking at their own smaller screens or the big one on the wall in front of them. It was clean and bright, definitely sci-fi in its level of tech, with everyone speaking that other language in calm, low tones. I hesitated to walk in.
“Owen.”
My attention snapped to the other side of the room where Py stood in a doorway. His expression was curious, so at least he wasn’t annoyed that I was visiting him at work. Like a dork, though, I just waved at him before I realized I should probably go to him.
He gave me a little smile before stepping back into the other room so I could follow him inside. Only then did I realize this had to be his office. Warm colors, a few knickknacks, three things that looked like they might be awards, and even a few strange plants decorated the space. It felt a lot like his quarters.
“Are you alright?” he asked as the door shut.
