Undeclared

Do you know why I pulled you aside today?
No idea.
Right. You’re on the crossing to Khech, for what, the first time?
No. I’ve done this three times before.
Three times? Then you know what you’re supposed to declare?
Sure.
Well?
Well, what?
What are you supposed to declare?
Foreign food, which I don’t have, and Khech currency, which I also don’t have.
That it?
Can’t think of anything else.
What about that?
The human?
Exactly. You’re supposed to declare any and all humans at the crossing.
Oh, yeah, right. I forgot.
You forgot? You’re a bionoid mech.
Must have skipped my last update, then.
Uh-huh. How often do you use humans?
To be honest? Maybe 2 or 3 times a month.
Have you ever been caught or questioned by the constabulary while using a human?
Yes. Once. Last year.
What did the constables say?
That recreation use of humans isn’t legal yet, and I probably shouldn’t have a human on me.
Probably?
Definitely.
Where do you get your humans from?
Different places. Sometimes through the mail.
Have you ever purchased a human for your friends?
Um. Yeah. A few times.
Did they exchange Khech currency for those humans?
Not at first, no.
When did you start selling humans?
Last… um… a few months ago.
A few months ago?
Yeah. Like, last year some time.
Last year some time. How often to they buy humans from you?
Now?
Yes, now.
Once a [incoherent].
What’s that? Once a what?
Once or twice a transposition cycle.
Your friend sent you a message asking you to sell her dad’s human. What’s that all about?
My friend?
Your friend, Feit.
Feit? I don’t recognize that name.
We downloaded the message directly from your implant.
Oh, right, that Feit. Well she got a human for her dad’s 150th birthday.
150? That’s a big one. Nice gift.
Right? And when the human arrived, it was defective.
And your friend’s defective human, is that the one you didn’t declare?
Yeah. Sorry about that.
It’s defective, huh? In what way?
I… uh… don’t remember, exactly. I think it has a Stoke habit.
Yeah, that Stoke is pretty harsh on humans.
But I think the trip here cleared most of the Stoke out of its system, so its not contagious or anything.
Where did this friend of yours, Feit, get the human from?
Sudbroc Continent, I think. Maybe Tomdah.
Where is your friend at?
What?
Your friend? What residential sector does she live in?
She moved. I don’t know her new sector.
I see. Where were you going to sell this defective human?
At an exchange.
Right. Where?
Udkech. They don’t have laws against using or buying humans.
But profiting from the human trade is illegal here. So is the intent to profit.
What if I just gave the human to someone?
We still consider that trafficking in recreational humans, which isn’t legal here.
And if this defective human doesn’t make it to Khech?
That depends. Take it back and there’s no problems. Leave it in a corner somewhere and you’ll be charged with abandonment.
You know, I’m not doing anything wrong, really. I’m simply trying to help out a friend.
Tell you what. As this is your first misfiling of your declaration, I’ll let you go with a warning.
Thanks for that! And I can leave with my human?
No. I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.
But the currenc– I mean, my friend will be so disappointed if the human is disposed of. I mean, she wanted it to have a good home.
Your documentation is all in order now. Leave the human here and proceed to the crossing.
And the human?
I’ll see that it gets relocated safely and appropriately.
Yes. Alright. Um, thanks.
Have a good cycle. [electronic beeps] Hey honey, I got our baby a human for his birthday!
THE END

Undeclared ©2018 Lesley Donaldson

Image of ship in a space port by Computerizer on Pixabay

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