no, we do. There are many joint projects between Hexol and Earth, your planet and mine. Most of them are done remotely, though. Earth is just so far away from the rest of the planets in the Federation. We’re also still the newest member.”
“You’re saying errocks out there—people in general—are not the same like they are here?”
“Absolutely not.” I shook my head. “Believe it or not, I could be completely naked in a room full of men and no one would dare to touch me without my explicit permission.”
He lifted a brow ridge.
“Have you done that?”
“Um, no,” I blinked, then gave him a smile. “That is not a common practice. It was just an example.”
“Then how can you be so sure no one would touch you?” He gazed at me inquisitively. “You said you haven’t been this close to an errock before—clothed or not.”
“Because I know a lot about the larger nations of the Federation, including the errocks. I studied their art and culture. I know the errocks nation has been an active member of the Federation, instrumental in making the organization what it is—a safe, peaceful place where all nations live and work together in harmony. Their laws protect personal freedom of all individuals, and they strictly enforce them.”
His brow furrowed, Wyck stared at me with suspicion.
“One of the most esteemed politicians in the Federation government is an errock,” I continued. “His name is Krix Kussur. He came to Earth as part of a delegation, about a year ago. I was sick that day, but my friend went to the welcoming rally and got to meet him in person. He shook her hand and gave her a hug.” I crossed my stare with Wyck’s. “He did not attack her. Trust me, Nocc’s way is not an acceptable way of treating women.”
“It’s not...” he sounded as if thinking out loud.
It blew my mind that personal freedom and respect—something that I’d taken for granted—were a complete novelty to Wyck.
Did he really think that what was happening on the Dark Anomaly could be the norm anywhere else in the Universe?
But then again, had he ever had a chance to learn the truth, before now?
“You only know what the others told you,” I said, realizing just how isolated Wyck’s life had been in here. Their library was the only window into the world, and he couldn’t even use it fully because he didn’t know how to read.
Most of his life knowledge came from men like Nocc. I’d never met Crux, but I had a feeling he couldn’t have been much better than Nocc. This group of errocks had last seen the world outside of the Anomaly thousands of years ago. A lot had changed in the Universe since then.
What had happened out there since my arrival here? I’d been on the Dark Anomaly for over a day now, which must be close to a year out there. A dreadful feeling slithered down my spine. Aside from a few close friends, I had no one left on Earth to mourn my disappearance. However, I knew that the rest of my team had families who must be frantic to learn about their fate.
Since I might be the only one who’d survived, I owed it to everyone and to myself to find a way to get out of here.
Once again, my thoughts went to the ship and the damaged capsule. I needed to get out of here, and I might have the means to do that, but I needed help.
I moved my gaze back to Wyck.
“Would you like to see what the world is like out there?” I asked tentatively.
He shot me a glance, and I glimpsed a spark of curiosity in his expression. As grim and unaffected as Wyck tried to behave, I believed he was thirsty for new experiences. It couldn’t be easy for him to be cooped up in one place all his life. He had been soaking up every word I’d said about the world beyond the Dark Anomaly.
“No,” he said quickly, the light in his gaze dimming. “There is no leaving this place. Dreaming about what’s out there only leads to disappointment or death.”
Obviously, I wouldn’t try to get off the Dark Anomaly without making sure it was safe to do so. Yet Wyck didn’t believe it was possible to escape, at all.
I had to find another way to approach this.
“Can I get more slates from the library?”
“It’s not safe for you out there, even less so after what happened tonight.”