Chief Grey yells, “LONG! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” The young marine cries back, “Crawling, Chief!”
Grey crosses his arms. His once-golden anchor on his shoulder is now red, indicating his precarious status. He was granted a held-demotion at his Captain’s mast, meaning he’s still a Chief for now, but if he acts out again, he’ll be demoted two ranks below Chief, as if he was already demoted.
Of course, he doesn’t really care all that much. They’re not being paid anymore, and he still intends to do his job. If his real loss is responsibility, then so be it.
Then again, he does actually appreciate being the most knowledgeable person in the room sometimes. And, rather fairly respected. Grey barks, “You not notice the trip wire, Marine?”
“Tr-trip wire?” squeaks Long. Grey nods, and Petty Officer Fisher dumps a bucket of water on her, Mina, Rena, Pazna, and the other two rookies, Pratt and French.
Mina cries out, “Long! You’ve killed us all! Blegh…” Mina feigns death, and Rena cries out, “Every marine for herself!”
Long whines, “I’m sorry!”
Grey approaches, walking casually through the ‘wire field’ made of ropes, cables, and duct tape -almost literally ANYTHING they could find-. Grey takes a seat on one of the 5 gallon buckets serving as a post. The marines slump.
Grey growls, “EVERY enemy is different. Some use booby traps. Some use ambushes. Some will flood their sewers. Try to use your imagination and notice EVERYTHING out of place.”
“Yes Chief!”
“It could be a loose deckplate, a missing bolt hole with a laser beam behind it, or a damn hole in the ground with spikes in it. I can’t prepare you for every alien threat we might meet. Hell, I can’t even prepare you for every human enemy there was. But, I can try to make you paranoid enough to hopefully save your life someday.”
Long shouts, “I’m grateful Chief!”
Grey growls, “Don’t patronize me, Marine. Get back to the beginning and try again.”
“Yes Chief!” Long leads the rest of the way under the wire field, jogging back around to the beginning. Her seniors are less enthusiastic about the exercise, but Grey can always rely on them to put pressure on the rookies, if nothing else.
Grey asks gruffly, “Pazna, how many pounds of force does it take to trigger a Grodurn claymore?”
The rookie nervously replies, “Uh… Uh… Twelve, Chief?”
“WRONG! Twelve pushups right now! Go!” He shouts, “French! Your turn!”
“Three pounds, Chief!” replies the rookie.
“Wrong! And nice try. Thirty six pushups for you. Go!” The rookie groans and begins.
Rena replies excitedly, “Ooo! Ooo Chief pick me! I know!”
Grey growls, “Nice try, Thing Four. Classic ‘he won’t pick me if I pretend I know’. Twenty pushups. Go.”
Rena groans, “Aww!” and Mina laughs. Grey instantly barks, “Thing Three, you join her.”
Rena, as she starts her pushups, laughs at her sister.
Grey asks, “Pratt? Anything useful to say?”
“T-… Te-uh… Ten… Chief?”
“Twenty pushups for asking instead of telling. Go.” Grey looks at Long, who tenses a little nervously. He asks gruffly, “Long? Any guesses?”
The young teen squeaks, “U-um… D-Do… Do Grodurns even use claymores, Chief?”
“You tell me,” growls Grey. He won’t tell her yet, but he always appreciates where her head is at.
Long squeaks, “Um… I don’t think anyone’s seen one, s-so… if we suspect… w-we should assume anything and fail safe, if p-possible.”
Grey smirks, especially as she crawls over the same trip wire again while she’s answering. He replies proudly, “Excellent answer, Marine! So tell me why you crawled over the same tripwire again.”
Long’s instant excited smile is quickly snuffed out as she looks around. She spots it this time, still touching her shins. She slumps in disappointment, groaning as well.
She tenses when Dumas dumps his bucket of water on her. She lays defeated for a moment. But, Grey encourages them all, “It’s one thing to know the answer. It’s another for it to save your life. So we’ll keep practicing. Long, circle around to lane three.”
The young auburn haired teen replies, still slumped on the hangar floor, “Yess Chief…”
Chief Tachibana approaches along with Commander Hitch. Grey jokes, “Commander Hitch? You still work here?”
The officer smirks, replying, “You know I’ve been on the Andromeda, Chief Grey. How are you?”
“Good, sir.” Grey shakes both of their hands. Hitch remarks, “Honestly, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”
Tachibana clears her throat, replying, “Sir,… We haven’t been briefed yet.”
Hitch chuckles, waving it off. “Bah, it’s not a secret, Chief. You heard of the TEAU yet?”
Grey shakes his head. Even though he’s facing left from the wire field now, he bluffs, growling, “Long, is that a tripwire you’re on?”
He can hear her gasp and shuffle as she desperately looks around. She squeaks, “N-No Chief! B-But I see it! H-How do I cross it?”
“You tell me, Marine!” He lets her think on it a moment as he asks Hitch, “What’s a toe? Like a big toe? Pinky toe?”
Tachibana replies, “Tactical Exploration and Assault Unit. What we did on the iceteroid, but official.”
Grey chuckles, “So, nothing new but a name, huh?”
Hitch smiles, “Not exactly. There will still be the marines, but the TEAU forces are the vanguard and/or the cavalry, depending on the world. Special equipment, best weapons, and dedicated drop ships.”
Grey smirks, crossing his arms. “And, I assume we’re being volun-told for this great honor?”
Hitch smiles, “Nope. This time, it’s up to you. TEAU will be strictly voluntary. Any number of traumas and horrors could be awaiting the TEAU. But, if successful, it will unlock access to worlds with atmospheres.”
“Ones that might be occupied,” states Grey, knowing there is a catch.
Hitch nods, “The Captains have decided to fail as safe as possible. No more assuming it’s just bacteria. We’re running with a model based on Grodurns, and will adjust as necessary.”
Grey sighs, “I’m in.”
Surprised, Tachibana says, “Chief,… No one’s being forced into it. In fact, no one’s volunteered yet. This is still in planning…”
Grey looks at Hitch, saying coldly, “I’m a coward, sir. I ran my last mission on Earth in what I thought would be the safest way possible. It wasn’t, but I hoped we could lay low and then sneak onto the elevator. Many others died trying to hold the line, but I thought of myself and my marines first. I will die with that on my conscience.” He looks at Tachibana, adding, “I won’t die to hold a line already lost. But, I WILL die in pursuit of a home.” He then says to Hitch, “If my recommendation holds any weight, sir, Chief Tachibana should continue to lead our squad. She…” Grey is cut off when the female non-commissioned officer punches him in the chest specifically to halt him.
Tachibana growls, “Don’t be such a martyr, Grey. I was thinking of volunteering, but certain I would if you did. It’ll be an honor to conquer the unknown with you.” She offers another handshake. Grey gratefully shakes her hand.
Hitch adds, “I don’t know that there are many on any of these ships that are immune from being called, ‘cowards’, Chief. What matters now though is the fact none of us gave up yet.”
Grey nods.
A young voice squeaks, “C-Count me in too, Chief.” Grey turns to find Long, standing near him holding his FM radio-disguised ‘claymore’ with a pin holding the trigger. She presents it to him with a smile.
Grey replies gruffly, “You can’t, Long. The regular marine corps is…”
Her eyes water a little, and she says sourly, “No.”
Grey turns stern, asking coarsely, “What’d you just say to me?”
Long replies, “I heard Commander Hitch say it’s voluntary. I volunteer.”
Grey raises his voice, “You have NO idea what to expect.”
“NEITHER DO YOU! FOR ONCE, WE’RE IN THE SAME BOAT!”
“NOT ON YOUR LIFE, MARINE! YOU’VE NEVER BEEN SCARED OUT OF YOUR MIND, HOLED UP IN AN OUTHOUSE HOLE WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED! YOU’VE NEVER BEEN ALL ALONE IN A ROOM FULL OF CHARLIE WAITING TO CUT YOUR HEAD OFF! YOU’VE NEVER WATCHED A TIGER MAUL SOMEONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU WHILE YOUR RIFLE’S JAMMED!”
Long sniffles, whimpering as tears trickle down her cheeks, “I just want to help you. I can’t lose you.”
“Your time will come,” replies Grey more calmly.
Long sniffles and shakes her head. “Do-Don’t ma-make me be reckless, Ch-Chief. PLEASE let me join you, or… Or I’ll join my own squad.”
Grey takes a deep breath and sighs, “Can we discuss this later?”
She shakes her head. “You weren’t going to discuss it with me. So it’s not a discussion. I’m volunteering. With or without your approval.”
Grey sighs again. He glances partially at Tachibana and growls softly, “Were we this hard-headed as teenagers?”
Tachibana scoffs. She replies, “I can’t say for you, but I definitely was. How do you think I survived the Marines?”
Grey looks at Long and points at her, “No more of this in the field. If I give you an order, including abandoning me, you will follow it. Understood?”
Long hesitates. He growls, “Understood, Marine?”
Long straightens, squeaking, “Y-Yes Chief, but…!”
“No buts.” He adds, “I need you to trust me so we don’t ALL die.”
Long sighs, “Y-… Yes Chief.”
He nods. “Very well. I guess we make three.”
“Four!” states Rena proudly. She grins at Mina. Mina retorts, “What’re you looking at me for? You people are crazy.” Rena scowls at her, and Mina grins, “Kidding. Five.”
Brown adds, “Six.” “Seven,” states Fisher soon after.
Soon enough, the whole team, including Pazna, Pratt, and French volunteer with them.
Grey scoffs, “You bunch’a clowns.”
Rena says cheekily, “We’re YOUR clowns, Ring-master! Heeheeheehee!”
Grey smirks. He asks Hitch, “So, when’s the first circus?”
Hitch smiles. “We’ll be jumping, soon. Shortly after that, I believe.”
Grey nods. He notices Captain Long halt just as she notices them. She disheartens slightly, and she turns around just as suddenly. Grey says, “Chief, get these clowns cleaning up please. I’ll be right back.”
He jogs after the Captain. She still feels guilt following his Captain’s Mast, in spite of attempts for him to reassure her that she did the right thing. He manages to catch her in the hallway. “Cap!”
Long halts and hesitates, turning to face him after a moment. She states calmly, “Chief Grey.”
Grey asks, “Everything okay, Ma’am?”
She nods curtly, “Yes, Chief. Thank you.”
“Why’d you turn away, then?”
She winces, clearly wishing he hadn’t noticed. She asks, “Did Commander Hitch tell you what I suspect?”
“About pinky toes?”
She scoffs, but grumbles, “I thought so.”
Grey remarks, “I’m volunteering. Whole squad is, actually.”
She smiles half-heartedly, “I suspected you would.”
“So what’s the problem?”
She softens, replying, “I had hoped to be the one to tell you, so… you didn’t think I was… avoiding you or anything, and so I could hear what you have to say about it.”
Grey crosses his arms, retorting dryly, “So, you accomplish that by avoiding us and not talking about it, Ma’am?”
She slumps, but he adds, “I’m sorry you felt there was a need to. It was nice to see Hitch, and I’m guessing he’ll be the TEAU Commander, but your sister is still my responsibility, in spite of my best efforts to dissuade her. Don’t think for a second I feel any differently about either of you, Ma’am.”
The Captain softens, replying, “Thank you, Chief. If… you would… don’t let her lead out front…”
Grey chuckles, replying, “Done. But, for the record, she can handle it. She learns fast.”
Long smiles. She then asks, “Did he tell you we’re jumping?”
Grey nods, “Yes ma’am.”
“And, did he tell you why?”
Grey pauses. He shakes his head. He has instant suspicions.
It must show on his face, because she nods. He asks, “Are we shielded?”
Long replies, “Better than we were, but not what we were hoping for. The engineering teams are installing some kind of… energy absorption battery to try to shunt the EMP energy away from the electronics so we can jump further. But, we obviously have to leave quickly.”
“Any idea how close?”
“Not sure. Craw picked up on why we would ask instantly. She won’t answer at all. Not a lie or truth. I don’t think she wants to betray either us or them.”
“Sooner the better, Captain. We’ll be ready.” He whispers, “Just in case.”
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She nods. “Thank you.”
********
Baskylla Jardzen Khla studies the human captives in his ward. It took the science division several days to find the right mixture of air to keep the mammals alive. Many already had complications related to age, and Grodrrn-safe air, while close to the humans’, proved deadly to many. Many of those who have survived now have irrevocable lung damage, but it keeps them lethargic and docile. Fortunately, Grodrrn cuisine has proven safe for them, though the culinary division is taking extra precautions for sanitation.
There is some SLIGHTLY hopeful news, though. Of the 100 or so humans surviving so far, two of the females have finally been impregnated. One of them has been nothing but medical complications near continuously. It reminds Khla of every Chulm’chn’s dreaded horror story; when the egg is prematurely cracked. Nothing is more painful to a Chulm’chn than trying to desperately keep the shell intact, and hearing the agonized cries of the embryo inside as it is prematurely exposed to sunlight, cold, or bacteria before its tiny body can handle them.
There are, as one might expect, things a Chulm’chn can attempt to protect a cracked egg and increase the chances of survival. Some are padded cases, though moving the egg is strictly discouraged at that point. Others claim a shell adhesive can help, but the chemicals involved have unconfirmed side effects. Some doctors will attempt vaccination or antibiotics as needed through the cracks in the shell. And, on the complete reverse side, some Chulm’chn’s claim they’ve seen a shell with a whole chunk lost inside, and the hatchling still managed to grow to term. Fortunately, Khla was very careful with Neezha, and she hatched healthy, vocal, and colorful; all good signs both long and short term.
Now, of course, Khla is watching Grodrrn medical officers fawn over a particularly weak human in similarly desperate attempts to preserve a particularly weak embryo. The other human female, the slightly younger of the two, is trying to simply carry to term with as minimal interaction with the Grodrrns as possible. Khla expects she might actually yield a child. She remains calm, asks only to be left alone and provided necessities. She’s treated almost like royalty, compared to most Grodrrns especially. And, if she does bear a child successfully, especially a female, that child will almost certainly be as close to a Saurmynnyka as ANYONE could get, Grodrrn included. Nine and a half cycles for her body to mature fully is a short time to wait by Grodrrn standards.
Then again, he tempers his expectations. Not all eggs hatch, and there are no do-overs. Khla will count his blessings AFTER the fact, if either of these children are born. They have an abundance of apparently virile males, while only thirteen females of those not killed by atmospheric complications early on still had the ability to ovulate at all, let alone still were. Many of the aged female humans, and even the few youngest captured, had procedures done making them sterile. Interestingly, some of these were apparent attempts at gender swap, but using only basic barbaric practices that only created the illusion of swap. Neither the males trying to be female nor the females trying to be males could produce children.
Still, Khla has two optimistic chances, with others still presenting possibility.
Something dawns on him though. Even the science officers fawning over the sickly female call her ‘human’ and ‘mammal’. He looks at the healthy mother sitting in her own cell, quietly practicing the Grodrrn alphabet for mental stimulation. In all this time so far, no one even asked their names. These two humans, particularly, are near-spiritesses to the Grodrrns. They are hope incarnate. And yet, no one even cared to treat them as such.
Khla approaches and enters the cell of the healthy mother. She glances up at him only once, but says nothing.
Khla asks as gently as he can, “Commforrbull?” He knows even his softest voice might be unnerving for a creature so small.
She replies coldly, “Does it matter?”
Surprised, Khla realizes it’s worse than he thought. It’s his burden to bear, too. He gave the humans little thought as they searched for signs of the human fleet. Currently, they’re jumping to a pulse detected a few hours from the last wreck discovered. It’s like a simple game of Nyrrklyn. They simply must work from beginning to end, and they will reach their goal.
Khla takes a seat on the solid floor in front of the human. He replies, “Mih saurry. Ai feex. [My sorry. I fix.]”
She doesn’t look at him, simply continuing to scribble shapes on the electronic pad with her finger. Sensing the silence building, Khla states, “Ai Baskihllah Yarjen Jor’Vahssah Gurrhh Craw’hin. You coll Craw.”
She grunts out softly, “Okay…”
After another pause, he takes a deep breath and sighs. He asks, “Yuu not weeleeng, wor yuu? [You not willing, were you.]”
This time, her face responds and her teeth flash in a small gap in her lips. She asks caustically, “You care, suddenly?”
Khla nods sincerely. “Yuss. Deefeecoolt tuu oondurstond, boot, yuu haff mih… deepess grotitood. [Yes. Difficult to understand, but you have my… deepest gratitude.]”
“Gratitude!?” snaps the tiny being. She surprisingly quickly springs to her feet. “Gratitude!? You destroy my world, take me prisoner, and breed me like some… cow, and that’s gratitude!?”
Khla sighs. “I neegleect. Heer nau. Teel how shau groteetood. [I neglect. Here now. Tell how show gratitude.]”
The woman scoffs in disgust. She retorts bitterly, “Oh! I don’t know! How about a big ol’ ice cream. Or, maybe a feather pillow.” She snaps her fingers, snarling, “Better yet! How about you gimme my world back!? That’s right! You can’t!”
This female is being surprisingly candid. But then, Khla is thankful for it. Either the science division talks TO her too little, or she’s had no interest in talking to them.
Khla replies patiently, “Ai did not destroh word. Coom tuu concker. [I did not destroy world. Come(came) to conquer.]”
The woman softens a little. She replies more distantly, “I… know… Why is that… WOMAN still alive?”
“Wheech woomon?” asks Khla.
The woman growls, “The secretary of state. ‘The leader’ you picked up with us. Because she’s the highest ranking human left alive?”
Khla knows one of the females is claiming that status. It started bickering among the humans over their status. But, it’s meaningless. Few of them know anything at all useful. It was one of the humans that revealed the safe air mixture for Khla’s science division, undoubtedly saving lives. Which one was instantly forgotten.
But, Khla replies bluntly and honestly, “Not eenfeertul. [Not infertile.]”
The woman thinks on his words a moment, making sense of his pronunciation. When it clicks, she slows her pacing and fuming. Khla adds, “Ozz for ozz ai consorn, yuu ond othur prignont feemahl hee-ist ronking hoomins oleeff. [As far as I concern(ed), you and other pregnant female highest ranking humans alive.]”
She finally looks into his eyes, and he adds, “Seechwayshun torreebul foor oll. Boot, yuu chooz sorveevv ond haff offspreeng.” Khla removes his Zhi’s resin-encased eggtooth from his belt pouch, showing it to the human. She cautiously takes it to inspect it as he explains, “Thot eeg-toovv uvv mih offspreeng. Mih Zshee. She mih word. EENTARR word. YOOR offspreeng, eespishallih eef feemahl, weel be eentarr word tuu oll uvv Fievegal. She weel be preencess, thun kween oonteel Saurminicka eez boorn. Ond, yuu weel bee eentarr word tuu hor. [That egg-tooth of my offspring. My Zhi. She my world. ENTIRE world. YOUR offspring, especially if female, will be entire world to all of Fievegal. She will be princess, then queen until Saurmynnyka is born. And, you will be entire world to her.]”
The woman’s eyes water, and she whimpers, “Sh-she’ll just be a slave! Like the rest of us!”
Khla shakes his head, “She weel haff oon dutih een eentarr leef, ond thun free tuu duu ozz pleez. [She will have one duty in entire life, and then free to do as please.]”
The woman sinks to her knees, accusingly choking out, “Breeding livestock is NOT a duty OR a life! It’s cruel!”
Khla scratches his chin, replying, “Yuu no oondurstond. NOT leevstock.” The Jardzen tries to summon the full extent of his human vocabulary. There must be a specific word or phrase. He states, reaching it, “Preensiss-moothur. Tuu onlih oon preensiss.” He indicates one finger. “Onlih oon.”
The woman looks at him, but she replies, “But… You’ll still be forcing her. That’s what YOU don’t understand. You’ve FORCED us into this situation, and you intend to force my daughter -if I have one- to… carry your queen?”
Khla exhales slowly. He can see the perspective she’s posing, but it’s the only reason she’s alive. He replies, “Ai oonderstond porspeekteeff, boot, eez how eet eez tuu bee. Ootherweez, yuu alreedih deed. [I understand perspective, but is how it is to be. Otherwise, you already dead.]”
“You’re monsters! You know that!?”
“Tuu yuu, yuss. Tuu ooss, yuu arr monstors.” Khla stands up, towering over her. He says more normally, “Duu NOT forget, YUU occeept torms oovv sorveeval. Ai con pot yuu out oovv meezurih unny teem yuu weesh. Boot, ai duu not lih. Preensiss wood be preensiss. [Do NOT forget, you accept terms of survival. I can put you out of misery any time you wish. But, I do not lie. Princess would be princess.]”
Just before he leaves, the human squeaks, “Wait!” Khla looks down at her. She asks softly, “Your daughter… Your… Zhie… Would you let her do it?”
Khla fully faces her again. He nods, “Yuss. Eef cood.”
“Even if she didn’t want it?”
Khla crosses his arms, replying, “Ai wood lit hor deeseed thot, troo. Boot, ai omm confeeden she wood be prod ond ickseeted. [I would let her decide that, true. But, I am confident she would be proud and excited.]”
The human’s hand gingerly gravitates to her abdomen. She says distantly, “Promise me she’ll have a choice. Swear on your honor, if you have even an ounce of it, everything you said is true and that she’ll have a choice. Swear it, and I’ll cooperate.”
Dzor straightens his posture, cradling the sun as he says proudly and gently, “Ai swarr onn thee wormth ovv the soons, the Bachsoo, ond onn mih nom that yoor dottor weel be hoppy ond prod, list mih home freeze ond mih scalls torn blue. [I swear on the warmth of the suns, the Bachsoo, and on my name that your daughter will be happy and proud, lest my home freeze and my scales turn blue.]”
The human sniffles and wipes water from her eyes. She replies softly, “I… I accept. Thank you…”
Khla nods. The woman adds something surprising though, shattering the hypothetical. She states, “I think I’m carrying a girl. A… female. The… um… man that did the ultrasound recently seemed… extra excited. They told her she was carrying a boy, but he wouldn’t tell me what he saw.”
Surprised, Khla asks, “Sorten? [Certain?]”
She nods.
The room rumbles from Khla’s growl. She quivers in fear, but the human has nothing to be afraid of. He believes her.
Khla turns and growls, “[Science Norjen Sollih’hin. Report.]”
Another Grodrrn quickly enters the cell. “[Yes Yarjen!]”
Khla turns to face him. He glares at the window, nodding. There’s only a moment’s pause, and the door audibly bolts shut with the locks. This startles Solly, and he glances at the door, and then at Khla. He whimpers, “[Yarjen?]”
Khla asks coldly, “[Any information from the internal scans?]”
Solly tenses. He starts, “[H-healthy and growing, Yarjen.]”
“[Gender?]”
He tries to hide it, but Khla can hear the Nordzen’s heart. Grodrrns have naturally slow heartbeats at rest, especially compared to humans. Solly’s heart noticeably speeds up. Khla narrows his eyes.
Solly replies, “[W-we believe male, Yarjen.]”
Khla growls deeply, “[Who have you told before me?]”
There’s a pause as Solly slowly backs toward the door. He activates his own emergency unlock function, which opens the door. Just as he tries to flee, though, he turns to find the largest Grodrrn on Khla’s ship; Niolayt Jardzen Mrff.
Solly slinks back into the cell as Mrff ducks under the doorway to enter. Khla asks menacingly, “[Why flee, Norjen? Something to hide?]”
“[Y-Yarjen! You must understand! I-If a f-female is obtained…]”
Khla snatches the neck collar garment Solly is wearing, pulling him close. Khla growls, “[WHO did you tell?]”
“[N-Noone Yarjen! I-I wanted to con-confirm, before raising all our hopes!]”
Khla growls deeply, rumbling the room. He would rip Solly’s throat out right now, but his conscience stops him. Solly and many others may see a bargaining chip for status and fortune for themselves. But, Khla sees something else.
He sees a fellow Chulm’chn, desperate to protect the future offspring they tirelessly carry. He looks at the human. Her face, smell, and heartbeat are distressed. Grodrrn embryos are heavily influenced by the emotional atmosphere surrounding their shell. He can only imagine the effects when that embryo is directly attached to the one experiencing the emotional outside world.
Solly likely believes he could steal the child to his own ends. It’s widely known that a few small factions in the Fievegal seek the downfall of the Fievegal as a whole. Some have attempted to assassinate the Saurmynnyka long before the humans came along. Others would see themselves the Saurmynnyka’s ‘Chulm’chn’, which would make her loyal to that individual. But, that would require surgery on the human girl, and she would likely be discarded.
In any case, Khla’s focus is the present. This human Chulm’chn is in distress. It is time to end this moment.
Khla releases Solly, ordering Mrff, “[Take him to a cell and scan all of his communications. We’ll deal with him l-…]” He reacts only barely quickly enough.
Solly whips a blade out of his robe, slashing at Khla viciously. Khla manages to hop back, but he quickly realizes he wasn’t Solly’s real goal. Solly bolts towards the human.
The Nordzen reaches for her to take her hostage, but Khla is once more thankful for Mrff being the Grodrrn he is. The large Niolayt Jardzen is right behind Solly, swatting his hand away from the terrified woman and tackling him thunderously against the wall. The woman screams, but she is quickly drowned out by vicious snarls and growls.
Solly’s and Mrff’s clawed hands and heavy boots squirm and flip towards the comparatively frail and small little being too startled to move. Khla throws himself in a dive, blocking the other two from hitting her. A sharp pain bites his shoulder, but he carefully shields her.
Mrff manages to launch Solly across the cell, slamming him into the wall of the door. Mrff growls deeply, warning Solly not to rise without words.
Khla growls once he sees Solly yield, “[Get him out of here. NOW.]”
Two guards open the door and drag Solly out, restraining him. Mrff turns to face Khla. He says calmly, “[Yarjen?]”
Khla sits up, inspecting the woman. She’s shaking and afraid, but otherwise unharmed. Her eyes widen when she looks at his shoulder. Khla glances, but it’s too far back to see. He reaches to where the pain is. There, he finds Solly’s knife. It has a hooked tip, which makes them challenging to pull out.
Khla asks, “[Yarjen, would you?]”
Mrff nods. He steps forward and grips the hilt carefully. There’s an art to pulling this kind of knife out without causing more damage, but it still hurts. Mrff angles the knife, causing Khla to wince in pain, but he holds back any noise. Mrff extracts the blade, causing a sharp burn in Khla’s shoulder, but not tearing further.
The human gasps and whimpers. Mrff licks the blade tip and spits. He clacks his tongue a couple times, spitting again. He states, “[No poison, Yarjen. Should be safe.]”
Khla nods. He then looks at the terrified human. He states softly to Mrff, “Breeng overihtheeng soff wee hoff. Theess hoomin eez Hulm’hin tuu preensiss. Fromm theese pont farword, she eez mih onnor guist. [Bring everything soft we have. This human is Chulm’chn to princess. From this point forward, she is my honor(ed) guest.]”
Mrff is understandably surprised, but quickly understands. He replies, “Yuss, Yarjen. Onitheen ulss? [Yes Yarjen. Anything else?]”
“Onnih ond oll hoomin moteerolls solvijed. Onny untertannmen she deesarrs. [Any and all human materials salvaged. Any entertainment she desires.]”
Mrff nods, “Ozz yuu weesh, Yarjen.”
Khla asks the woman as Mrff exits, “Yuu oonharm? [You unharm(ed)?]”
She nods nervously. She states, “H-he tried to k-kill you…”
“Polleeteeks. Weel be deelt weeth lottor. [Politics. Will be dealt with later.]”
“B-But… you protected me? Why?”
Khla replies sincerely, “I look farword tuu sorveeng preensiss. Yuu hoff word, ai proteek leek she mih own Zshee. [I look forward to serving princess. You have word, I protect like she my own Zhi.]”
The small creature chokes, and she cries. But this time, she whimpers, “Th-Thank you…”
Khla nods. He says calmly, “Trih tuu reelocks. No forthor harm weel comm tuu yuu. Troosted gords weel be wotching nau. Eef problem, ai feex. [Try to relax. No further harm will come to you. Trusted guards will be watching now. If problem, I fix.]”
She nods. Khla states, “Ai weel leeve yuu tuu reest. Weel veeseet oftin. [I will leave you to rest. Will visit often.]” He adds, “Goodbih, hoomin-Hulm’hin.”
Just as he turns, the woman squeaks, “Laurel. M-My name is Laurel.” She offers Khla his Zhi’s egg-tooth back. Surprised he had forgotten it, he gently receives it. Khla does his best to repeat, “L-Lorill?” She nods. Khla nods as well. He states, “Craw.”
“G-Good day, Craw.” He nods approvingly and exits.
Mrff reports outside of the cell, “[Sollih did not communicate the news to anyone. His chambermaid did express that he was studying starmaps and refreshing ship operations, though.]”
Khla asks, “[I’m glad you and I both know. How many others?]”
“[Only the duty brigsmen, two, and a science orderly.]”
Khla thinks for a moment. He nods, replying, “[Good. We keep the number minimal. Execute Sollih for attempted treason. I suspect he was serving to overthrow the Fievegal.]”
Mrff nods. “[And the others?]”
Khla replies, “[Make it clear it is the OTHER human carrying a female child and the hope, but guard it like it’s still a secret. Sollih tried to kill Laurel because she is carrying a male.]”
“[Won’t potential traitors see through the ruse?]”
“[Perhaps, which is why Laurel will be moved to your quarters in secret while the other is moved to mine. Your door still locks, after all.]”
Mrff scoffs. He then turns colder, “[I’ll do as you ask. I will house her and keep her safe, but… Aren’t you treating this pr-… human a little too much like a Grodrrn? She is still a human.]”
“[So will her Zhi. But, that human offspring is to be Chulm’chn to the next Saurmynnyka. And, I intend to ensure SHE is. Not a Grodrrn.]”
“[To what end? They live a fraction of our lifespans. Both this human and her offspring will be dead before the Saurmynnyka’s body is even fully matured.]”
“[We are easily prepared for our Chulm’chn’s deaths, Murf. What I don’t want is another five thousand years of politicians and Haerroczaa’s swaying the mind of the Saurmynnyka. Humans have NEW thoughts. NEW perspectives. And… Our curse is idiotic to them.]” Khla looks at Mrff. He adds, “[I want Laurel to give birth to a healthy princess. Then, I want that princess to grow up with morals; human AND Grodrrn. And, I want the Saurmynnyka to grow up just like her, loyal to new ideas, not the old.]”
Mrff smirks, saying softly, “[You could find your own home in ice with talk like that, Yarjen.]”
“[Maybe. But, there’s still a long time before I could ever act on it.]”
Mrff sighs, “[I will protect Laurel and her offspring. But forgive me if I do not yet see her as a Chulm’chn.]”
Khla nods.
An intercom call goes throughout the ship. “[Jump complete. Yarjen Craw or Yarjen Murf, request your presence on the bridge.]”
Khla calls on his portable communicator in his wrist gauntlet, “[Bridge, Baskilla Yarjen. Spool up pulse generator and scan, same as before. Once visuals return, send recovery teams to salvage.]”
“[Yes Yarjen! As you wish!]”
The two Jardzens make their way back to the bridge while Khla heals himself with a healing salve. He can hear the pulse generator pulse.
Just as they enter, though, the bridge is alive. Officers are crowded around the pulse readout.
The navigator notices them, exclaiming, “[Yarjen! It’s the fleet! It’s the human fleet!]”
He and Mrff glance at each other. They both quickly crowd in, looking as well. Sure enough, detection size, resolution, and quantity is a CLOSE match for the human fleet.
Mrff states, “[They’ll know we’ve detected them. We should prepare to…]”
Khla replies, “[No. Send a scout ship to determine direction only.]”
Everyone on the bridge is shocked. Mrff stares at him for a long time. Khla’s not sure how to justify his reservations fully. A battle will stress Laurel, and he wants to believe she is all they’ll need.
Mrff surprises Khla, though, by saying more pointedly, “[An excellent thought, Yarjen. The humans will likely jump anyways before we arrive. If we can determine approximately where they land, perhaps we can catch them during a faulty move.]”
Khla nods, still surprised.
Mrff orders, “[You heard the Yarjen! Scramble the scout transport.]”
“[Yes Yarjen!]”
Mrff looks at Khla and whispers, “[Do not forget who we still have yet to find, Yarjen.]”
Khla nods, “[I know. But… I can feel it… She’s alive… We will not succeed pursuing the humans like predators. And, we’d only lose the hope we have with…]” He shrugs.
Mrff nods. “[Should the transport try to join their bubble?]”
Khla nods, “[If they can. But, ONLY to report landing location and retreat. No heroics, and ensure it’s our best standalone navigator.]”
Mrff nods. “[Consider it done, Yarjen.]”
Khla looks at the dots representing the human fleet. He is being cautious for Laurel, true, but he also knows better this time. The direct route will not work on the humans.
But, his Zhi will do what she must. She will be there for him to save. He knows it. He believes it.
He hopes it.
********