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It was the first time that I had traveled outside the Earth. I couldn't deny that I felt some emotion, but also a little fear. I was approaching little by little, to that fantastic planet that our ancestors had colonized centuries ago, Chakona, the birthplace of the chakats, the skunktaurs and so many other creatures that today are part of the Star Federation. Almost fifteen Earth days had passed since my departure, on a regular-type tourist ship. Throughout the journey, the passengers had a cordial and friendly treatment from the crew. As a typical earth-raised human, I felt most comfortable being cared for by someone of my own species. However, little by little, I got used to the warmth and kindness of the chakats crew. And I should have, since my stay in Chakona would not be so short after all.

I am an engineer. On Earth, I studied at the University of Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, in South America. However, I wanted to hone my skills by taking a postgraduate course at the prestigious Dewclaw University. It is known by all that skunktaurs are the best in the Federation in this field. They impart to their students a solid, rigorous and good quality education. I come with the hope of obtaining the necessary knowledge and practice to perform at the highest level in my profession.

"Dear passengers: In a few more minutes, we will arrive at the Amistad spaceport on the Flinders continent. A sunny day awaits them and a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. We hope your trip with us has been to your liking."

A voice came through the headphones. I felt relieved. After two weeks of travel, I was anxious to breathe fresh natural air again. After a slight turbulence when descending, the spaceship finally broke through the clouds of the upper atmosphere. And through the window, I could see at great height, the unmistakable silhouette of the Flinders continent surrounded by a huge body of water that reached the horizon, as it appears on maps and tourist brochures. After a few minutes, the cruiser finally came to rest on the vast tile of the spaceport. My heart was beating like a thousand times. It was my first interplanetary trip and I had high expectations in Chakona.

After gathering my things and preparing to descend, I was led along with the other passengers, through a long tunnel outside the ship, towards a central building. Upon arrival, one of the chakat receptionists began to remove all the human visitors from the line, to lead them to a nearby compound. We were like ten people in all. In that place, another chakat, wearing an impeccable blue uniform, was carefully going through our papers and asking us questions.

"Your name is?"

"I'm Esteban Melinao sir..." I answered with courtesy. But the chakat scowled at me. Immediately, I remembered what I had been taught in the previous Chakona Visitor Course. It was very rude to call them sir or madam, as they are hermaphroditic creatures.

"Ehhh... I'm sorry. I mean Shir..."

"He he. Do not worry. It is a very frequent mistake of those who come to Chakona for the first time. I see here that you are a student, Mr. Melinao."

"Yes, postgraduate student. I came to do an engineering refresher course in Dewclaw."

"Wow ... I congratulate you. You have chosen the best university in the Federation!" she answered me with a certain air of pride.

"Thanks Shir."

"Your papers are in order. As it is your first visit to Chakona, our sanitary regulations indicate that you must be vaccinated against the main harmful pathogens for humans. And in addition, you will have to remain in quarantine for eight days here in the city."

"I understand," I answered. After digitally signing some documents, and being fully scanned, the receptionist called another port official to take care of me.

"Please, accompany my partner, who will take you to the vaccination center and then you will be able to rescue your belongings in the baggage hall without problems. Allow me to welcome you to Chakona and the city of Amistad," the receptionist finally said, extending his hand. I gladly shook it. After a few minutes, by a side door appeared a creature that I only knew from bibliographic records on Earth, and that I had never had the opportunity to see with my own eyes: A renzar.

"Regthar, I entrust you to Mr. Melinao. He is a first-time Earthman. Please guide him well until he is installed in the hotel. Have a nice day. Tail High!"

"No problem Shir Orested. Tail High!" replied the renzar in a cordial way. Then he stared at me curiously, and with a strange smile, he pointed out: "Mr. Melinao, my name is Regthar. Please follow me." I was stunned. This creature was at least eight feet tall. And just as he had read, this species had a stocky, thick body, with short dark brown fur. He really did look like a giant bear! I was barely one meter and seventy centimeters tall and walking beside him, I felt like a real dwarf. After advancing through a short corridor, we came to another room where a chakat dressed in white welcomed us.

"Hi, I'm nurse Clawis. Welcome to Chakona."

"Thank you Shir Clawis. My name is Esteban Melinao."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Melinao. I'm going to inoculate you with the regulatory vaccines for your own protection. Uncover your arm please." The chakat promptly injected me with the required medications. After a slight prod, shy gave me the last indications of self-care before letting me go. "Tail high!" shi greeted courteously, which I thought was funny, because neither the Renzar nor I had a tail. After leaving the infirmary, Mr. Regthar led me to the luggage portal. In that area, I had no problem recovering my belongings, which consisted of a single small carry-on bag.

"Wow, I honestly thought there would be more newcomers to Chakona on this cruise," my host suddenly pointed out as we walked through a wide corridor packed with passengers. "But I see that only you came!" he said smiling.

"It seems so," I answered, a bit nervous.

"And how was your trip, Mr. Melinao?"

"It was fine thank you. Although, I really wanted it to end soon." I added.

"Heh heh... Believe me, I understand you. We don't like being locked up for long, either. That's why I hardly ever go out into space," he sentenced. Despite the his intimidating figure, the renzar seemed a cordial creature. I suppose it must be, if he was serving passengers at the spaceport. Upon arriving at the exit gate, I presented a credential that was scanned by a chakat agent with a portable device. Then, I was allowed to pass, along with the renzar that was following me closely. Going outside, the temperature felt nice. I took a few moments to take a deep breath of the air of the place. The Chakona sun, known as Chakastra, shone with its warm rays almost from the zenith. Mr. Regthar looked at me with an air of satisfaction, as if approving of my first contact with this new world.

"You'll love it, Mr. Melinao. Chakona is a beautiful place to live. When I came here, several years ago from my native Grom, I fell in love with this place, with its nature and with its people. I never came back!" he said with a smile on his lips.

"Come on. I'll take you to his hotel," he added, as he took me by the shoulder and ordered me to follow him. After passing through a large parking lot crowded with personal transport vehicles or PTVs, similar to the ones I knew on Earth, we approached a large one, with large windows and numerous seats for transporting passengers. My host opened the door and invited me upstairs.

"You know, Mr. Melinao, I am usually tasked with accommodating several first timers at the same time. Today I only have you. If you like, you can sit with me and be my co-pilot. This way you can better appreciate the landscape of the city."

"Really? You are very kind."

"Heh heh... No need. I personally love showing passengers the benefits of Amistad and its surroundings. Especially those who come for the first time. My colleagues say that I should dedicate myself to tourism."

"Perhaps you should Mr. Regthar."

"Please, just tell me Regt. Is easy to know that you come from the Earth."

"That's right," I agreed--a bit annoyed. "In that case, you too, just tell me Esteban."

"Okay, Esteban. Go up. You are the only interplanetary passenger on my charge this week, therefore you are someone special. So, if you are not very tired, I offer you the possibility of giving you a little tour of the city, before taking you to your hotel, heh heh."

"Now?"- I asked, surprised.

"Yes, right now. And do not worry. There are no additional costs. It's courtesy of me. And...Here between us," he pointed out as he brought his big mouth or snout to my ear, "attending to you, makes it easier for me to escape a few hours from the airport confinement. As I had told you, those of my kind, we hate closed spaces... heh heh."

"Yes, I understand." I replied with a smile. "Well, I'm happy to help make your work more pleasant, Regt."

"The pleasure is all mine. Put your seatbelt on and we'll go!" he said with a big smile. When we were ready, the renzar started the PTV and we headed down a highway towards the city of Amistad.

Ir was curious to me that the first urban settlement to organize the planet, has been baptized with a name in Spanish, my native language."Amistad," which in the universal language means "Friendship". As we progressed, I was amazed at the number of chakats and other non-human creatures that swarmed the streets busy with their chores. They looked happy, and calm. Most of them did indeed keep their tails well off the ground. I lowered the glass of the vehicle window to feel the cool ocean breeze. It was delicious and reminded me of the old port of Valparaíso, where I had spent most of my childhood on Earth. My host and driver renzar explained each important place and building that we saw along the way. We passed by the National Museum, the Capitol, the Ka´turna and Cha´turna monuments (in honor of the couple of human scientists who created the chakats), parks, hospital, etc. He spoke to me enthusiastically about the history of the city and how the first settlers settled here.

"Excuse me, Esteban. If you don't mind, I'd like to loosen my uniform shirt. It is not a pleasure for us, who are covered in hair, to wear this type of outfit so tight. It's very uncomfortable and sadly, the airport still hasn't designed something that really fits the needs of my species. As you will see, most of the inhabitants here do not wear a lot of clothes. But if it bothers you, I'll stay like that," Regt said suddenly. I noticed him uncomfortable from the moment we got into the vehicle. The large size of him didn't seem to help driving much, although this PTV was clearly designed for creatures like him. His question amused me, because I, since high school, also hated uniforms and formalism.

"Of course. For me there is no problem Regt. Make yourself as comfortable as you want!" I replied, while still admiring the landscape. The renzar stopped the vehicle and after thanking my good disposition, he quickly detached himself from his shirt, exposing all of his skin. I was surprised by the huge body that he had. Fine dark brown fur lined his back and arms, while ahead of him, a lighter patch descended from his neck to his belly.

"Ahhhh...what a relief! Now let's continue!" he pointed enthusiastically, while he started the vehicle again.

We continue on and around the edge of a park lined with many leafy trees. There were a large number of chakats and other quadruped creatures. Many cubs were also seen playing with each other or with the adults.

"What a beautiful place," I said aloud, to which Regt replied, "It's the main park of the city. It is very nice to come here for a walk, to be entertained with your partner, with the clan, or with friends. On my days off, I come to this place to train."

"Train?" I inquired.

"Uh...Yeah. You see. I don't want to sound presumptuous, but, you are talking to the reigning champion of the city council's renzar fight club... heh heh heh."

"Really? I can imagine it. With that great body that you possess..."

"Yes. Thank you...heh heh...Do you know the renzar tournaments of force?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Ehhh...not really. I'm sorry," I replied apologetically.

"Ahhh...well, if you're going to stay in Amistad, you shouldn't miss it! They're a tradition from our home planet Grom. I assure that you will enjoy it very much. There is no better show than the renzar tournament, better than the chakker matches, in my opinion!" He declared eloquently. While the renzar talked to me about all that, I could not stop imagining the fragility of a human being like me, in front of this imposing alien race. I was sure Regt could pop my skull in one fell swoop if he wanted to. Seeing him without the top of his uniform suddenly intimidated me. I don't know why; I remembered the wild bears on earth. Without meaning to, I felt chills.

The tour lasted for another half hour, until we finally arrived at the hotel. The building was located in front of the sea, whose coastline was occupied by a huge beach in the shape of a "C". It was ideal for me. I liked the ocean, whether it was on Earth or Chakona.

"Thank you very much for the tour Regt, and for the chat," I said politely.

"Heh heh ... It was a pleasure son. I hope I didn't bore you."

"Won't you come in for a drink, to refresh yourself?" I invited him cordially, to compensate for his kindness.

"Oh no! Don't worry Esteban," He said urgently, "I must go back to the spaceport. When I'm not dealing with passengers like you, I have to work on the security team. They must miss me...heh heh heh. Also, the hotel officials could report me to my superiors if they see that I am not wearing the regulation uniform. They are very strict about it."

"I understand. In the same way, I hope to return your kindness." I pointed out while taking my suitcase. The renzar was thoughtful for a moment and then he said, "If you want to make it up to me, go see me fight at the town hall tournament, which will be in two more days. I have to defend the title, and interplanetary support like yours in the stands will be of great help... heh heh heh."

"If you say so, well...you know what? I agree! I'll be there supporting you! It's the least I can do after your cordial treatment." I replied with a smile.

"Grrr...great! I have a feeling with you Esteban. I think it will bring me luck. Thanks! Here is the promotional brochure for the tournament. There is the place and time of the event."

"Perfect. Have a good day- I said goodbye stretching my hand to shake his. But Regt, instead of shaking mine, pulled me towards him and gave me a tight hug goodbye."

"Take care Esteban, I'll wait for you in the tournament," he said, as he boarded the transport vehicle again and hurried back to the spaceport.

I was thoughtful for a moment. I met the most intimidating guy I've ever seen, and he turned out to be someone unexpectedly nice.

"Appearances really can be deceiving sometimes," I thought. And as I walked to the door of the hotel, I imagined that other surprises awaited me in this city called Amistad, the capital of Chakona. I would have eight days to find out while I was in my quarantine before leaving for New Bletchley to begin my studies at Dewclaw University.