Chapter 5 killed a lot of people

Unless the creatures on her planet were even more fragile, I hadn't expected that to be the case. "I..." Her eyes grew even sadder, as if she felt guilty. "I killed someone." "You did? So what?" I shrugged. "I've killed a lot of people, mostly Settlers..." "I'm a good person, or I was..." "Whoever it was must have deserved it." "She didn't deserve it, but she asked me..." "She asked?" She rubbed her eyes again. "Don't start crying again," I growled. Her crying was making my head hurt. "I'm... I'm sorry..." "Keep telling me." "I..." She sobbed, trying her best to stop another wave of crying.

I almost told her she could let it go, until she took a deep breath and resumed her story. "I was a doctor at a hospital in Dallas, and among all my patients was Harley. She was undergoing cancer treatment. The chemotherapy wasn't working, but one of the neurosurgeons was using an experimental procedure and subjected her to surgery that could either cure her or leave her a vegetative. I was one of the residents who was monitoring her, and the day before the surgery, I had a conversation with her. Harley asked me not to leave her a vegetative, that she didn't want to continue living like that. Chapter 9 I blinked my eyes and a tear ran down my face. Some professors told us not to get attached to our patients, but they never warned us how difficult it was. They were people like us, and it seemed completely impossible not to see them that way. Harley had been there since the beginning of my residency. Seeing us every day. I followed her through every reaction to the heavy chemotherapy. I admit that I was excited about the experimental treatment. I wanted her to have some chance of survival, but they were minimal. "I hoped, I prayed, I waited... But the surgery failed and, instead of saving her, it sentenced her to a vegetative state. She was still breathing, but she couldn't move, she wasn't even able to eat. "One day I stayed up late with her, alone, and I ended up doing what you asked me to do, I turned off the machines," she said out loud. She had never tried to deny what she had done, especially when the hospital was sued by Harley's husband, who would rather have her that way than not have her anymore. It might seem selfish, but human beings tend to be like that. "What is cancer?" After everything I had told the alien, I was even more surprised by the question he asked. I had expected a lot of questions, but not that one. "You don't know?" "If I had, I wouldn't have asked. How rude! I shouldn't have expected kindness from someone who had threatened to kill me a few times, but I always expected the best in people, even though it frustrated me many times. He's not a person, Camila! The creature before me was rational and communicated fluently, yet he had an appearance that was frightening at first. However, disregarding the thick, red skin, his appearance was humanoid, almost like those strong guys in action movies. Maybe he was even handsome for someone of his species... Hey! -Come on, tell me what cancer is. - Ah, cancer... it's a generic name for a set of more than a hundred diseases caused by the disorderly growth of cells. - Disease? What's a disease? - You don't know what a disease is either? Is this thing not working properly? - I pointed to the device in my throat. - There must be no corresponding word in my language. - How do you refer to someone who has something in their body that impairs its functioning? That's a disease. - We don't have a disease. - Your body can't be affected by any disease? - Disease? - Negative change - I tried to be as clear as possible, but it was as if he was unable to understand. - No, that doesn't happen. - Then how can your species be killed? He backed away as if I had said something terrible, or made a threat, the posture he assumed frightened me and made me shrink. - Do you think I'm going to tell you our weaknesses, Earthling? - No, but... - I cringed, regretting asking. - Never mind. He pulled away and retreated, assuming a defensive and threatening position again that made my hair stand on end. If I had a choice, I would have run away, but I didn't... I remained sitting in the chair, motionless, with a distant look, and I found myself trapped once again, but there I didn't even have the company of my beloved books. Which made the environment even more lonely and strange. It seemed that death was not enough for what I truly deserved, and that this was the most appropriate punishment. To end up trapped in a crazy experiment with a guy who literally seemed like a demon. Chapter 10 She remained in complete silence, which I didn't bother to break. The Earthling seemed very fragile, easy to break, but that wasn't enough to make me let my guard down. She could just be waiting for the right moment to attack. The fact that we had communicated didn't mean I could trust her. We weren't on the same side, we didn't even know each other or each other's names. The only thing we seemed to have in common was our disagreement with the plans the Colonists had for us. Just look at that creature, I thought as I looked at her from across the small metal table. Fragile and too small compared to the women of my people. Those bastards must be crazy if they thought there was any anatomical compatibility between the two of us. There was no way I would have a relationship with her. I hadn't even gotten involved with a female on my world. My concerns were different. Before the Colonizers arrived, Vartax already had problems. We faced constant internal battles between nations. Power... That was always everyone's goal, no matter the planet. When the Colonizers arrived, we were forced to unite to expel the invaders, but we were already too weakened by the internal struggle, in addition to the enormous difficulty of working together. I wanted to go back, I needed to fight, but it was increasingly obvious that I would be incapable of doing anything trapped there. Mating! Of all the things the Colonizers could want to do with us, this was certainly the most ridiculous thing of all. I would never agree to it and she would be incapable of giving in. Even if we were anatomically compatible, even with all that difference in size. What could happen to her if there was in fact fertilization? Her body was so small, fragile, so... I was surprised to realize that the curiosity inside me was tempered with a slight air of excitement. It sounded so ridiculous that I would have started laughing if I hadn't been sure she would notice. The Earthling was shrunken, but I could see her small body almost catching my eyes and holding my attention. How could such a small female have such... large breasts. In my species, women didn't usually have such large breasts, standing out so clearly from their thinner torsos than men. Did Earthlings need more milk, did breasts serve to produce food for the babies, or just to whet male interest? What was I thinking? Hold yourself, Philtorn, this is ridiculous! Since birth, I was raised with a purpose: to serve my people and lead them in the best way possible. I was prepared, trained, and taught for this. My routine since I was a child was full of commitments. I woke up every day with the sun and