There was a paternalistic urge, one he imagined all parents must feel, to lay into Nikola, to really let him have it, to yell, Do you know what you’ve done? No, it was not his fault that there had been people lying in wait to attack in case he showed up, and no, it was not his fault that people died because of it. But it was reckless, it was careless, and he should not have done it. Kaveh had told him not to do it. But he had done it, and now people were dead. The first time the public at large ever saw an ETI, and people died.

This did not bode well for the future.

“I’m glad you’re safe, too.”

Nikola was planted calmly on the floor of a sterile interrogation room of stainless steel and glass. Kaveh felt this should be really intimidating to an alien, and surely the feds must have known that, but he seemed fine with it, seated right in the middle of it like a cat sunning in a windowsill. He wasn’t intimidated at all, and why would he be? He knew exactly what he was capable of, and the people here had no idea. He must be downright charmed.

“WILL YOU RELAY MY MEANING TO YOUR SUPERIORS, DEAR CLEVER CREATURE?”

Kaveh had no one to blame for this but himself. He had entered into this thinking of himself as the observer, the journalist gathering information, and had been deluding himself basically from the word go that he was not already a part of the story.

“Listen.” He crouched down in front of Nikola, hoping he was speaking quietly enough that the people on the other side of that mirror couldn’t hear him. “I’ll relay your meaning. I want you to trust me. I’m not just your interpreter. I’m your advocate.”

“AS I UNDERSTAND, MY BELOVED’S STRATEGY OF EMPLOYING AN INTERPRETER, OR AS YOU CALL IT, AN ADVOCATE, ACTS AS A SHIELD FOR ANY DIRECT COMMUNICATION I MIGHT GIVE TO YOUR GOVERNMENT THAT MIGHT BE POTENTIALLY WEAPONIZED OR MISUNDERSTOOD.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a reasonable strategy to me.”

“SO YOU AGREE THAT I SHOULD NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THEM DIRECTLY.”

“I’m saying”—he eyed those mirrors—“we should be extremely judicious with your communications with them.”

“SHOULD I BE JUDICIOUS WITH YOU?”

“I’m not saying I won’t make mistakes, but I have your interests at heart, not theirs.”

“ARE THEIR INTERESTS NOT YOURS?”

“Generally, no, they are not.”

“YOU PROCLAIM LOYALTY TO A POTENTIALLY HOSTILE EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE OVER YOUR OWN GOVERNMENT?”

He blew a long puff of air out between his lips. “Yep, pretty much.”

“ARE YOU UNIQUE IN THIS, DEAR CLEVER CREATURE?”

“Less so every day.”

“YOU MUST TELL ME HOW TO BALANCE FOR YOU THE KINDNESS YOU HAVE SHOWN ME.”