In Search of Home

Epilogue

He got Vok'Rul the same thing he did every year: a book.

Books about the planet Earth, sometimes the Solar System as a whole. Once, he had gotten the alien a book about flowers and made sure to tab every page that contained orange flowers that looked similar to the ones planted in front of the mansion. Other times, he'd get Vok'Rul short novels, stories about aliens that he'd find funny. When the first books had been published about the Vokkrus' visit to Earth, he sent them to him, too.

Viktor would send the others gifts as well. There was no shortage of cookbooks for Thruul to flip through. Coloring books for Nohkka were in high demand, especially after the first one he had sent her. The colored drawings he'd received in return were charming and rather good for Nohkka's age.

Rest assured, he didn't get everyone books all the time. He once gave Rukka and Kac an assortment of family games, things like board games and cards, just to see what they'd do with them. A disgruntled but fond Vok'Rul had written to him the next day the ship had been due back, asking what sort of evil contraption 'Hungry Hungry Hippos' was.

"Can you bring this to Vokkra?" Viktor asked Nhorki, the new delegate of A1-308. She was young, much younger than some of the usual Council members. Apparently, there were a lot of trading seats on the Council, lately (and by lately, Viktor meant the past five years; time went very slowly for beings who lived to be up to 1000). She told him in hushed whispers that the last delegate complained of the cramped meeting rooms and wished that the humans were still animals - if only to spare his back the pain - all within earshot of Vok'Rul.

Suffice it to say, the leader didn't like that comment.

Nhorki took the package - a few presents, all wrapped up in cheesy snowman wrapping paper, labeled for all his Vokkrus friends across the universe - and said, cheerfully. "Of course, Lord Kohgrash!"

Viktor had long since given up trying to convince the Vokkrus to stop calling him that. If it wasn't Lord Kohgrash, it was little lord instead, and Viktor found that he hated that even more.

Nhorki continued, an expression of confusion and questioning coming over her face, "But, forgive me if this is too forward," it never would be; Viktor had none of the regal upbringings that all these aliens seemed to have, "wouldn't you prefer to deliver these yourself?"

He had to bite back a sigh at the question. While he was certain he could go back to A1-308 with no issues - he no longer had to use a cane to get around, and his mental health, while far from perfect, was well enough that his daily life didn't suffer too much - he would like to finish college and get his degrees before traversing across the universe.

Vok'Rul's offer of ambassador was still on the table, but Viktor knew the clock was ticking. They had yet to be introduced to the Local Group Galactic Alliance. There were many factors to this; lack of space travel technology for humans, lack of people educated enough to act as intergalactic delegates, the sheer terror of leaving the planet again, etc. The fact was that Vok'Rul didn't want to bring just anyone to the Alliance who he didn't know. Rukka had told him that much.

"Truth is, Kohgrash, that he does not want to put his trust in random humans - greedy humans, I know the type who rise to politics - to look after your planet in a way that benefits your species," she had told him somewhere in the third year of visiting Earth.

"I would love to, Nhorki," Viktor said gently, giving her a warm smile. Nhorki smiled back, making a choked cooing noise. Most Vokkrus he knew thought their smiles were rather adorable. At least, most of them had the decency to hold back their verbal exclamations. It had been nearly insufferable during the first few years - as many still viewed them as animals - but as time went by, most Vokkrus viewed them as people first. "But I'm afraid I'll be stuck here until I'm finished with school."