Doc Tomas and Robin suggested I keep a journal. Apparently, journals are a big thing out here, most people keep one and some families pass them down from one generation to the next. Paper journals aren’t as common, so I’m writing this on the tablet. You better not be reading this, Robin!
-From the Journals of Maggie Kaye, Key Holder
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Ux’thu watched the live feed of Maggie and Zo’naf on a large crystal screen in his quarters. On another screen there was a copy of the data being collected from the tablet, and on still another, he had the data copied from the old tablet. Most of the data was beyond his scope of knowledge, but he was sending it to Si’l Vala Reshka’i back on Silva Prime. If anyone could decipher the data, it was her.
He had also saved the few items the girl had with her when she arrived. It wasn’t much: an ID card such as was often used for station residents, a handstitched bag in bright colors, a half-melted tablet, and a small keychain hologram of Lix’al, the famous Silvarian singer. He picked up the keychain, holding the miniature holoprojector delicately between his claws.
In a way, the singer was as much an ambassador of the Silvarian race as he was, winning over the hearts and minds of humans with her Earth-inspired music and outfits. If the girl was a fan, he might be able to get the singer to make a visit. It would do well towards building cooperation. Although it may not be necessary, apparently the girl was the daughter of Theodrakis.
That single fact made things more complicated, and aroused suspicion in him. Theodrakis had always been loyal and obedient, only faltering once in his discipline. Ux’thu forgave that instance because the boy was young and in love, but now he suspected that there may have been more to that once instance than he had realized.
He looked at the red-haired girl, so much like Nora now that he knew to look for the similarities. And she had a Key too, where had she gotten it? Was it the same one that her mother had had? Had little Nora passed on? Or was this an entirely different Key?
A gentle chime rang through his chambers, and Ux’thu turned his attention to the door. The readout above the door showed that it was Theodrakis, early for their meeting. Ux’thu looked back at the screens showing the girl and decided to leave it up. “Enter.”
The door slid open with the barest whisper of sound to allow the tall red-haired human to enter. Ux’thu couldn’t help but smile fondly at the boy, barely in his forties and such an accomplished young human. Not many made it through the rigorous training to become a captain in the Silvarian space force, and for a human to have done it! Many had thought it impossible.
“Ambassador Ux’thu.” Theodrakis bowed slightly, tension singing in his muscles as he straightened. “You asked to see me?”
“I did. No need to be so formal Theo, you aren’t in trouble.” Ux’thu set down the little holograph projector and waddled around his desk to his chair. “Sit down, would you like anything to drink?”
Theodrakis let out a barely audible sigh, some of the tension easing from him. He settled down into the single human-style chair, his back inches from the soft cushion. His gaze strayed to the screen showing the human girl, Maggie, and he frowned. “You know.”
“I do. Am I correct in assuming she’s Nora’s?” Ux’thu curled up on his own nest-like chair, settling his forepaws on the desk.
Theodrakis nodded and folded his own hands on his lap. The poor boy was nearly fidgeting from stress! Ux’thu smiled kindly, his tendrils settling back in a way that he knew humans found non-threatening. “You know I forgave you for that disappearance long ago. A child isn’t going to change that, if anything I should be pleased, don’t you think? Our family grows! And she has a Key, a fully integrated Key at that. Do you know where she came across it?”
“Si’l Vala Tomas didn’t have much detail, only that Flame had hired some smugglers to bring her one, and that it had melded with her by accident.” Theo’s shoulders slumped slightly, and he let out a sigh. “We knew that the rebels were trying to get ahold of Ancients technology, but I didn’t think Flame would go so far as to try to kidnap and kill an innocent Earthling to get it.”
There was no denying the woman’s motives with the wound the girl had suffered. If it hadn’t been for the Key, she would have been dead. As it was they had just had to regrow a good portion of her internal organs. The Key had aided in that recovery as well, which had provided its own set of interesting data.
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“I am sorry Theo, I know she was your friend but she has truly lost her mind.” Ux’thu shook his head, his whiskers drooping. “Surely you see why we must hunt down the rebels now?”
“I will admit that extremists like Flame need to be brought to justice, but there are legitimate grievances they bring to light. You have to admit that the Alliance has treated humans unjustly. In many cases we’re seen as no more than pets.” Theo’s face darkened as he spoke, green eyes growing hard. “The Freedom Coalition is an extreme terrorist wing, but there are good people in there.”
“Like Si’l Vala Tomas?” Ux’thu raised a furry eyebrow, lips curling up in a smile.
“People like Si’l Vala Tomas, yes.”
Ux’thu smiled wider, and let out a chitter of amusement. “Don’t worry Theo, I won’t send hunters after your friend. I always approved of Si’l Vala Tomas, he’s a very talented Si’l Vala, and the humans need to see more of their people in those roles.” But it confirmed what he suspected, Galaux Station was a nest of Freedom Coalition terrorists. He would have to find a way to weed them out without upsetting Theodrakis. “If nothing else, Si’l Vala Tomas sent your daughter to us, he knew that she would be safe here.”
“Will she be safe here?”
Ux’thu reeled back at the question, his opalescent eyes widening. Theo met his eyes squarely, his face set in grim lines. “Of course! Where else in the galaxy could she receive such care as she would here? I will care for her as much as I care for you and Nora. More, I will spoil her, isn’t that the prerogative of grandfathers?”
“You see yourself as her grandfather?” The barest glimmer of humor entered Theo’s eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly. If Ux’thu wasn’t so familiar with human facial expressions he would have missed the signs entirely.
“I raised you as my son, did I not? Gave you the best that I could, even though others argued I should raise you as a pet.”
“Like you did my father.” Theo said softly.
“Yes, like I did your father. I won’t apologize for it, he was happy and well cared for with me. And when you were born, I promised to raise you as a son.” It had been a grand experiment too, seeing how far a human could go if they were raised as something other than a pet. Not all humans in the experiment were as successful as Theodrakis or Tomas, and some of them had turned against their betters, like Flame. Humans still needed guidance from Silvarians and those like them, but it had proven they were capable of great things.
“And you did.” Theo smiled, and finally slumped back in his chair, his gaze moving back to the screen that showed Maggie. She had fallen asleep, her food half-eaten. The Uxlik medical officer adjusted her bed so she was laying down again, carefully tucking her in. “I’m having a room prepared for her. Si’l Vala Do’sai says she will be alright to leave the medical bay in a couple of days.”
“Good. I’ll have to come visit her soon. She will be needing training, help acclimating to life beyond Earth. I’m certain the Freedom Coalition didn’t bother to help her with any of that.” Ux’thu gave himself a shake, settling his fur back into order. “Poor girl.”
“I believe that’s what her strange friend was supposed to help her with.” Theo tapped the ruined tablet lightly. “Do we have any more information on that?”
“Tech Ger’al claims it is not dangerous, but it’s also a mystery. He copied the programs and data onto two computers: one in his workroom and another onto that tablet your daughter has. The mystery comes in the actions of the two computers. We can see that the entity is interacting with your daughter, is aware and seems to be emotionally invested in her well-being. But the same is not true for the computer in Tech Ger’al’s workroom. There doesn’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary on that one at all. No sentience, no emotions, no driving force, just data on what the hologram should look like.” Ux’thu was sure that it wasn’t Earth technology, just as he was sure it was nothing Nora had given the girl.
He suspected it was an effect of Ancients technology, but how it worked or how it was transferred to one computer and not the other was a mystery. If anything it should have been duplicated on both. But the data didn’t lie, it may have been copied onto both but the tablet was running something much more complex and unpredictable.
Theodrakis frowned, tapping his fingers lightly against the arm of his chair. “I don’t like that. I want to know what it is, and what it’s interest in my daughter is.” He froze, as if realizing exactly what he said. His daughter. His gaze returned to the screen and the sleeping girl on it. “I never wanted this for her....” He whispered.
And that was the root of it all, wasn’t it? Ux’thu smiled, his look softening as pieces began to fall into place. Little Theo must have found out Nora was pregnant. He sent Nora and the baby away before the baby could get involved with the Ancients technology. A pity, it would have been a valuable research opportunity to see how the girl responded to the technology as a baby. But as it happened she was here now, with a fully absorbed Key.
“She’s here now, all we can do is take care of her to the best of our ability.” Ux’thu said, his voice gentle and soothing. “There’s no better place for her now, except perhaps Silva Prime.”
“I won’t send her there.” Theodrakis said, a dangerous edge entering his voice. “She’s safe here, and we have the technology and knowledge to take care of her. On Silva Prime she would just be another research subject.”
Ux’thu nodded slightly, allowing his whiskers to droop. “Surely it isn’t as bad as all that, but I understand you want your daughter close. We’ll do what we can here.” It would be limiting, not having the research and training facilities available on Silva Prime, but they would make do. Perhaps he could convince Si’l Vala Reshka’i to come to them. In the meantime though, he would do what he could. “Why don’t you go spend some time with her? Find out what we can do to make her more comfortable.”
Theodrakis nodded and stood up. He stared for a long moment at the screen, watching as the girls chest rose and fell with each breath. They had nearly lost her before even knowing her, he was bound to be protective for a while. Hopefully it wouldn’t blind him to what was necessary.