Chapter 2: Leaving Home

I returned home late one afternoon to find several vehicles parked outside my home. The entrance was open and there were several strangers inside.

A stranger, wearing a uniform I didn’t recognize, blocked my entry.

“My name is Brian. I live here,” I stated, and without a hint of emotion. I learned long ago to dial down my human side when dealing with other Tians. It made me appear volatile or disrespectful. Underneath, my heart was racing. I took a slow breath to centre myself.

He signalled another being who came out and escorted me a short distance away.

“What happened?” I asked. He took out a hand scanner from his uniform and confirmed my identity before speaking.

“Your mother is dead,” he said, straining to look up at my face.

I didn’t respond immediately. My intuition told me my next response was important. Don’t smile or do anything they could interpret as an admission of guilt. Don’t get angry or upset. That could suggest I might become aggressive. My responses were being recorded as potential evidence.

I took another breath. I kept my arms near my sides. No big gestures they might misunderstand. So far, so good. He wasn’t preparing to apprehend or subdue me. I may be bigger, but I was unarmed. No need to compound things. “Can you tell me how it happened?”

“Initial evidence shows she killed herself earlier this afternoon.”

“I see...” I knew it might happen someday. It wasn’t a shock to me. Sometimes I was hoping for it. She was a mass of negativity and despair. Nothing I did could help her. At least now she was at peace. “She hadn’t been happy as long as I could remember.”

While I processed the information, another uniformed being, this one a female, came over and stood beside me. I had nothing more to say, since I half expected it to happen. When I thought about the last interactions I had with my mother, I saw nothing exceptional.

I’m pretty sure the vid-recordings will confirm that I did nothing wrong. (grin) They have nothing on me, or they’d treat me differently.

The female reached up to put her hand on my shoulder. Was she trying to show empathy to me? I tried to calm myself further and focused on neutral thoughts in case she was trying to read me.

It’s not every day you lose your only parent. I don’t want to break down in front of strangers. Tears are definitely not Tian. There’d be time for that later. I’m Tian, and I need to act like one. I took a breath and wiped my eyes on my sleeve.

“Your mother left this for you.” She said, passing me a note. I looked at it but she wrote it in English. I’d never really learned to read that language, though. But I didn’t feel inclined to share this right now. I put the note in my pocket. I took another calming breath.

“So, what happens now?” I asked her. The other being had backed off, leaving me in her care. As a minor, I figured they assigned me to her.

“Brian. I am from the central orphanage. As of today, we have updated your status to orphan. I will help you gather your possessions and take you to your new home. I have also contacted the scientists, because your mother was a subject of their study. They suggested Earth rituals involved burial of their dead. They want to arrange a suitable ceremony, if this is acceptable to you.”

I nodded my agreement. By now, I was pretty sure she hadn’t picked up any of my inner thoughts.

Within a short time, my mother finally left her self-imposed prison in a bio-container. Most of my life, I had rarely seen her step out of the entrance to our home. This event seemed both surreal and somehow important. I had a hard time understanding the significance, though. I felt numb.

Shortly after, we gathered my things and left.

The central orphanage was very nice. They staffed it with qualified and caring beings. I got a pleasant room to myself, no worse than my last home. The decor was fairly plain, like all Tian dwellings. I was perfectly happy with it, since I grew up a Tian. They arranged for a slightly longer bed for me, which was a plus as I was outgrowing my last one.

A couple of days later, I got to attend the “funeral”. It was a simple ceremony. The scientists and several of my classmates attended. The scientists had provided a plot of land with an inspiring view of the mountains and we laid her to rest there.

I learned from the scientists that they ended their study of about 15 cycles in duration. They were moving on to something else and they bid me farewell.

I’d long ago made a list of all their names, and one day I planned to deal with them. I wasn’t ready yet, as I was still young, and I needed to plan it out carefully.

After the funeral, I returned to the orphanage. Free from distractions, I applied myself to my studies. Over time, I took subjects more focused on a career involving space travel, including advanced astrophysics and navigation. I excelled at whatever subjects I selected. Clearly, I was on a mission. My mentors and the advisors at the orphanage saw me as a model citizen, and a testament to their guardianship. Perhaps because of my good behaviour, they didn’t interfere with my progress. They could take credit for my success and devote their time and energy to less well-adjusted beings in their care. I didn’t care what they did. I wouldn’t give them a reason to bother me. By now, I used the system to my advantage and find what I needed without their help.

I added training in weapons and unarmed combat to my schedule. Tians were fairly peaceful, but I knew I’d need them in the future.

At the early age of 18 cycles, I had all the pre-requisites, and I expressed my intention to go for training and certification as a shuttle pilot. This was when I first triggered a negative reaction. They invited me to an office for a meeting.

“Brian, are you sure that’s a wise move?” my so-called career advisor asked me. At this point in my life, I still needed the approval of a guardian.

“It’s what I want to do. I’ve completed all the pre-requisite subjects. I’ve met all the entrance criteria,” I responded.

“We hoped you’d choose something different.”

“It’s in my career plan I prepared 2 cycles ago, the one that YOU reviewed.” I was getting red in the face. She had noticed my reaction and seemed anxious. How could she shoot me down now? Was she under orders to keep me grounded? I took a deep breath. I didn’t want her to use my emotions against me and get labelled as irrational or unstable.

“How about courses in applied physics? I’m sure you will find them more suitable?” she was a piece of work. I was fantasizing about doing serious injury to her, but I showed nothing. Not here, not now.

“It’s what I want to do,” I repeated calmly. “How about we find out if I get accepted for shuttle pilot training? If not, I will meet with you to discuss alternatives then.” I remained calm but firm in my resolve. We both knew I would be top of the list for acceptances. Besides, I had already sent in my application. If she blocked such an ideal candidate, she would have to explain her actions to someone. And I was very close to adding her name to my list at this point.

A couple of days later, I got an acceptance response. My so-called career advisor wasn’t happy at all, but I was now beyond her reach. I couldn’t care less for her, and planned to prune back any interacting with her in the future. I didn’t understand the logic in it. That was the last time we met. Perhaps she had the same assessment?

I took to shuttle pilot training like an aquatic bird to water. Everything made sense to me. I was abnormally keen for a Tian. With near perfect scores, I completed my shuttle pilot certification, and I had my first vocational qualification!

At once, I signed up for shuttle assignments. There was plenty of demand for qualified shuttle pilots. Tian Prime is a hub in this part of space, and lots of vessels would arrive in orbit and need cargo and personnel moved. I encountered no further resistance, and I had a job to keep me busy. I was a productive member of Tian society.

From then on, I spent more of my time piloting a shuttle into orbit, and delivering cargo and personnel to vessels that were visiting Tian Prime. I looked down on the planet of my birth and observed it in all its glory.

Actually, I saw how small Tian Prime was, compared to the galaxy. It was quite the paradigm shift. As a child, you respect your elders, but now I looked down on them all, and they didn’t impress me.

I met beings from other star-faring races, either aboard their vessels while loading cargo, or planet-side at the Central spaceport. A few of their languages I knew from my earlier studies, but I soon reached the limitations of my knowledge. Fortunately, they almost all spoke Tian. I was one of the youngest shuttle pilots, looked weird (for a Tian) and I was less reserved (for a Tian). I became popular for the first time in my life.

No-one questioned my choices any more, or perhaps it was that I didn’t need another being’s approval. I kept calm, rational, and unemotional. I performed a needed role as a pilot.

In all interactions, I gave all the correct responses, ensuring no justification for anyone to interfere with my life. I was a perfect Tian, with a career ahead of me. My experience in space gave me a calm confidence that few could disturb. In time, perhaps they’d leave me alone, or so I hoped.

The day arrived, and I celebrated my birthday, of 20 cycles. I had reached the Tian age of maturity. This day my status changed from orphan/ward of the state to adult Tian. They encouraged me to leave the orphanage, to pursue a career, or do anything I wanted.

I had no family to tie me to here. It was time to move on from this planet.

I saw multiple opportunities to travel the stars, being a citizen of a space-faring race.

There was, of course, the Tian military, and scientific exploration vessels, and commercial passenger and freight transports.

Based on my experience as a shuttle pilot, I decided on a career as crew aboard a cargo freighter. It would get me away from Tian Prime, and make use of my piloting skills.

There was a freighter I knew, the Opolu Naa, from the Ori Confederation. The Ori beings were marginally taller than me, so they were significantly taller than Tians. By now, I was reasonably proficient with the Ori language. I contacted the captain and asked for an interview at the Central spaceport.

At the appointed time, I arrived at the offices of the Ori Confederation at the spaceport. It was a bit more luxurious to me than I was used to. Tian buildings were mostly spartan. I already felt a little out of my comfort zone. My experience with Ori was loading cargo into the hold of their ships. Compared to Tian decor, this felt pompous to me.

I walked up to the desk in the entrance area and announced myself to a female Ori seated there.

“Hello, my name is Brian and I have a meeting with captain Jegho of the Opolu Naa,” I said. I tried to keep calm like the Tian I was.