The Kindness of Strangers
The wolf was losing patience. The pushing and shoving in the "P" line was getting dangerous. A serious risk of a crush was developing due to the number of people already in the line. The continuous cycle of the transport ships landing and unloading at the distant starport was only making matters worse. Every landing brought more of them. The wolf snorted, as he got a whiff of the odd scent of one the group at the front of the line. Not a foul smell by all accounts, but neither was it sweet. Several hours of having to inhale that was starting to get to him. He stood up with a growl and tried to look authoritative. An easy task for one of his kind thankfully, made easier given that the assembled creatures seemed to have an instinctive fear of him.
"One at a time! One at a time..please! Stop pushing!" he growled, before taking his seat again and waving the next group forward to his desk.
"Name?" he asked in a base monotone.
"Prichard." came the reply.
"Previous residence?"
"Swansea, Wales" came the rather disjointed reply, then a pause "Earth...I guess that does not mean a great deal now."
"Number in party?" barked the wolf.
"Three. My wife, and daughter. My son did not make it." the creature replied sadly.
The wolf's tone softened. The emotions associated with the loss of a family member almost a unifying force among many races. This one was no exception. The grey furred lupine shuffled in his uniform, which felt hot despite the low temperature of the afternoon and the light colour of the greenish grey battle pattern. They were designed to cope equally well with a number of environments, from semi-arctic to semi-arid. Leaning back, the lupine straightened his name badge, and proudly brushed the patch on his arm. The flag of the Silovian Republic. His government; His race; His world, and his home. He could not imagine being without one or previously having one and yet having it taken away through no fault of his own. However every new arrival had suffered just that. Everyone had a story to tell. Feeling a little more sympathy for the assembled party, he then adjusted the collar on his fatigues and leaned forward.
"I'm sorry. I cannot begin to imagine how that must feel." said the lupine, his amber eyes doing their best to look mournful. They gazed over the creature, taking in his features. The first few refugees that had come to his desk he had just ignored with a certain amount of disdain, but now that he took the time to look carefully it was apparent at just how naturally vulnerable these creatures were. They had no fur. Just naked flesh. No claws or real sharp teeth to speak of, and compared to most other races were physically quite weak.
"I am still trying to get used to it all, myself." replied Mr Prichard. His emotions a mixture of sadness and relief that he not only survived the rouge meteor impact which had so utterly devastated his homeworld, but also that he and his family were allocated a place to stay so quickly.
Mr Prichard and his family were grateful, both to the government of Silovia, and on a more personal level to the Silovian citizen who was now checking him and his family in. To a human of course, a native Silovian looked somewhat fearsome. Childhood tales of attacks by the large predators these creatures resembled were never far from even the adult subconscious. Yet, here was what amounted to basically an upright wolf offering food, shelter, warmth, and even a degree of compassion and understanding. The demonisation that these creatures had received now seemed as entirely unjust as it was irrelevant.
The Silovian male continued reading his check list.
"The records here list you former occupation as a plumber. We cannot legally make you labour, but if you could offer your services when required. it would help us make your stay here more pleasant. Can I put a note on your file that you are willing to co-operate? Unofficially there are often extra rations in it for you if you do, but don't tell anyone I told you that." the wolf grinned widely and winked.
"I would be more than happy to help in any way I can." replied the man, even managing to smile a little.
The lupine soldier looked down at his list and checked off family marked as "Prichard 12 of 34."
"Your billet has already been arranged." he continued "Your family is to be quartered at camp sector nine, tent thirty six. Bunks sixteen through to eighteen have been set aside for you."
He then gave each of the Prichard family their ID tag necklace, and ration chips before pointing out the inoculation tent
"You need to go there for disinfection and inoculation. We have some nasty infections here on my world which can be caught by your people too. Once done, you can go to your billet and relax. You're lucky to have made it, Mr Prichard. Welcome to Silovia."
"Thank you very much. You're so kind to us." Mr Prichard said as he took the wolf's paw in his hand and squeezed it slightly.
The soldier was slightly taken aback. Physical contact was supposed to be avoided in situations like this. In his official guidelines it was warned that getting too close to any one particular case was always a recipe for disaster. He withdraw his paw, but only after a reassuring pat to the human's hand.
"Just following orders, sir. Now if you don't mind moving on.. I have a few more of you to process."the soldier said.
'Silovia number four refugee camp' was just one such camp on Silovia. There were many more, both on Silovia and in other jurisdictions throughout the known galaxy. The Caldarvierie had set up at least sixteen such camps throughout their territory. The Mykolians another fourteen. Everyone was pulling together for a common cause. It was quite heartening to see such a mobilisation of good feeling and sympathy come so quickly from so many desperate races in response to the immediate need of just one. He was glad to be part of it, despite his outward aloofness, which he kept up to prevent himself from getting too close to any one particular case. He called forward the next man as he watched the Pritchard family stroll off towards the inoculation tent. He sighed and started the depressing roll call again and a very cold and gaunt looking man stepped forward.
"Name?" the wolf asked.
"Palunkiewicz." the shaking man replied.
********
Several hundred groups later and he was finally relieved. The queues were still long as he stretched and left the desk to the female who came in to replace him. He smiled as he looked her over, thinking the she-wolf rather attractive. He took note of her name for future reference before making himself scarce. Off duty at last! His first port of call after a quick wash was to the bar to relax with his fellow soldiers. Drink too much. Gamble too much, and sleep no where near enough. A perfect evening as far as he was concerned.
His tail flapped behind him as he sprinted past the perimeter fencing, making his way towards the military barracks set aside for staff at the camp. Before reaching it, his ears picked up a sound. He halted and listened more carefully. It was a pitiful sobbing sound coming from behind one of the massive accommodation tents. He looked around, then pulled out his pistol. Protection was vital in situations like this. The security at all refugee camps was top notch, but their size and the fact that the guards could not be everywhere at once meant that crimes such as rape, while rare, were not totally unheard of.
Rounding the corner, he was relieved to see not an assault or theft in progress, but instead a human child. Probably no more than five years old, and obviously lost and crying her eyes out as a result. He holstered his weapon and hesitated. Unsure of what to do. Procedure did not cover the relocation of lost individuals. His responsibility was entirely the processing of newcomers. Their fate when they got here was someone else's responsibility. Yet her piteous crying tugged at his emotions. He knelt down to face her and extended a friendly paw.
"Hello." he said in a friendly tone.
The child sniffed a bit and looked at him curiously.
"Do you speak 'standard? I'm afraid I do not speak any Anglic.'" the lupine asked, curiously.
The child continued staring at home. Obviously not understanding a word. Most adults all through the known worlds spoke at least a few words of the Galactic 'lingua franca' in addition to their own local language. However this cannot be expected of a child.
He sighed, and held out his arms, and to his surprise the child ran into them. She was cold, and shivering. He run a clawed paw through her soft hair; the only hint of fur these mostly naked creatures possessed. This seemed to calm her a little. He then checked the tag around her neck, and found her to belong to a family billeted in sector six, tent four. The well built lupine easily hoisted her onto his shoulder as he set off in the direction of sector six. His friends would have to wait for his company at the bar. He had responsibilities, whether they be officially delegated to him in the form of direct orders, or unofficial in the form of going beyond the call of duty. The safety and comfort of a lost child was one such unofficial order. She just like others of her kind were vulnerable now, and it was up to the strong to protect them all. He had to make their safety and comfort his personal responsibility. She, like so many others was now totally dependant on the kindness of strangers.