Page 32 of Tracked and Taken

“Just read me the overview.”

A pause.

“The Draelith are a prehensile-tailed, silver-eyed, rosette-marked humanoid species native to the Veil Cluster. Average adult male height: six feet three to six feet seven. Baseline body temperature: five degrees above human standard. Olfactory range: approximately two hundred and forty times human baseline, with chromatic overlay processing that translates scent-data into the visual cortex—“

“The tail section.”

Another pause. Shorter this time. SENTRY makes the executive decision not to make me ask twice.

“Tail semiotics. Rigid extension along the ground: working or threat posture. Tight spiral: controlled, deliberate, social. Loose or unwinding spiral: the file classifies this under recognition response, a sustained scent-recognition state in which the male’s olfactory system has identified a compatible mate, typically characterized by involuntary cataloging behaviors, tail-orientation signaling toward the subject, and extended chromatic-overlay fixation on the subject’s baseline scent profile. The recognition is his. The response is his. He falls first, and the fall is unmistakable to other Draelith males and functionally invisible to the target.”

The braid is still tight from the morning. I start untangling it.

“So rigid means threat.”

“Yes.”

“And the loose one. Plain language.”

A pause that is not a processing delay.

“Comfortable, Torres.”

“Comfortable.”

“That is the plain-language summary.”

Comfortable. Fine. Sprawled in reinforced chairs like the furniture should feel flattered; he is comfortable in most rooms. That tracks. That is a security-relevant data point about a civilian contractor and nothing else, and I am filing it as such.

“Anything else in the file I should know?”

“Retractable claws are voluntary under most conditions, with two documented involuntary triggers: threat response and protective instinct. Vocal register deepens in certain proximities. Purring is biologically involuntary and socially embarrassing and most Draelith males will deny its existence under oath. The file includes additional notes on reproductive anatomy, which—“

“Skip that.”

“Noted.”

“Archive the file under Personal. Do Not Open.”

“Archived.”

“And, SENTRY.”

“Yes.”

“Do not tell JINX you read it to me.”

“JINX is still muted, Torres. Per Tael’s instruction.”

“Oh.”

“When he unmutes, shall I volunteer the information?”

“No.”

“Noted. I will also not-volunteer it, per your filing category.”

“Thank you.”