The spatial forensics team carefully pores over every speck of space around where the derelict shuttle was found. Sometimes, ions with opposing spins can be detected, which is one clue as to the rough direction of the jump. While one group searches for that, another group carefully analyzes radio spectrometry of the stars around them. The energy burst forth by a jump is long gone seconds after, but it ripples out in a wave with a distorted shape, elongated to a point in the direction of travel due to the motion of the jump bubble. By diligently analyzing the faint distortions of the signals coming from the stars around them, and the refraction shape formed by the wave, the forensics team can piece together the full wave shape and find both the epicenter and the fairly close direction of the jump. From the epicenter, the team then looks for the exact direction by ‘tunnelling’ the point; lining up the distortions so that the undistorted path of jump is visible, ‘cleared’ of distortion by the jump bubble.
If those two methods turn up nothing, then the final method is to use a different kind of pulse that detects the landing bubble’s dispersion energy. But, because the humans have been able to detect the gravionic pulse so reliably, this method is much less preferable.
But, if the second method can find the tunnel, then a shuttle can be sent on the same path, and the forensics team can determine the human fleet’s landing distance based on the shuttle passing the ‘end’ of the tunnel into distortion. This has an accuracy of [~1 AU] and a success rate of about 20%. Factors that jeapordize this method include time since the jump, any intense spatial phenomena, such as a solar collision, nebula storms, and a black hole crossing the path.
So far, the forensics team is making headway on method two, so Baskylla Jardzen Khla doesn’t pry. Worst case, they can always pulse the humans again and try forensic analysis from the new point.
Khla sits in his chair, fidgeting with Neezha’s egg tooth. What could he do better? Could he try to get a message to the humans? How would they react if he told them of the pregnant human female he has onboard? Would they attack? Would they negotiate? If the human plan succeeds, Laurel becomes obsolete. If something happens to Laurel, he has nothing.
He almost snapped and killed the other one. She snuck out of Khla’s quarters in an attempt to meet up with someone. However, on her way, she tripped and fell, and her body miscarried the next day. Khla has not had her questioned yet. She will reveal who she was meeting, and that individual will pay. One life for another.
Khla knew there were risks if breeding humans was successful. Many Grodrrns lost out on the chance to have hatchlings of their own. Now, being Chulm’chn to a Saurmynnyka is in reach. Khla also knew Grodrrns would kill for such a once-in-an-eternity chance, but he had no idea so many self-serving traitors were on his ship. He’s still formulating how to lure them all out. Even since the Nordzen’s discovered betrayal, two more ranking Grodrrn officers have been caught. And, in only a few days. One was caught sneaking into Khla’s room, which is a punishable offense on its own, and his excuse was that he only wished to gaze on the hope for Grodurra. Khla, of course, replied that a good place to start was asking permission before he executed him.
The second traitor since Solly was a more junior officer, and tricked an orderly into opening Mrff’s quarters in an attempt to take Laurel. What he didn’t know is that, in spite of his more typical bias towards the humans, Mrff has been escorting Laurel on walks through the ship, especially to the observation and recreation decks. The orderly, more loyal to Mrff and Khla than most probably are, locked the traitor in Mrff’s room when she realized he was looking for Laurel, and she called the bridge after.
But now, the other female, whose name Khla no longer cares about, has jeapordized Laurel’s safety. The Baskylla Jardzen knows he won’t be able to simply lure out all traitors on his ship, but he also knows he MUST take extra care to protect Laurel, which will only serve to make it more obvious what’s special about her. It’s quite the conundrum.
It does also cross Khla’s mind to wonder what his own motivations are. He certainly wouldn’t object to being the first thing the next Saurmynnyka sees, but he also would prefer it to be Laurel’s daughter, the Saurmynnyka’s rightful Chulm’chn. But, if he protects Laurel and her daughter through to that point, what becomes of him? Can he simply return to the baskylla? Would his subordinates respect him? Would he be seen as Zhynnycz is? Positional authority only because of his connections?
And, what of his own Zhi? What if the humans are successful and Neezha becomes eligible to be a Saurmynnyka? Would that become her life? Would the Fievegal pin that heavy burden upon Neezha’s shoulders? Attempted assassinations, political relationships, worthless wealth. And, she’d never be able to fly again. Would the Fievegal look at the humans’ potential success as a cure, or as one single fluke to be forgotten?
Many questions swirl in Khla’s head, keeping him deep in thought.
“{Yarjen! Report from forensics ion team. Estimated direction Z, Y, Forty one, Twenty two relative.}”
Khla looks at the updated tactical screen now showing a pathway estimate in green. Something seems wrong with the direction though. The stars around the screen are telling him something.
It dawns on him what it might be. He growls, “{Set a range of 1.5 Solars with a five percent window and plot all probable landing zones on that trajectory.}”
Confused, the navigator replies, “{Yarjen, that’s… much too wide of an area to search without a pulse.}”
“{I don’t care. Tell me what’s at the end of that path.}”
The navigation team plots the coordinates as requested. Khla didn’t give it much thought any sooner than now because it was supposed to be a non-issue. But, the Fievegal knew what was precariously close to Earth in the grand scheme of the universe. Given another couple generations, and Earth might’ve been consumed.
Khla’s scales tighten. He can’t believe he didn’t think of it sooner. Alone, even a Fievegal battleship stands little chance.
The navigator’s scales noticeably dull in color. Khla closes his eyes. He knew it. The navigator quietly reports, “{M-More than… half of the estimate crosses the threshold, Yarjen.}”
Khla nods, still keeping his eyes closed. If the human fleet flew any longer than the last jump, they are already deep within.
The navigator says uneasily, “{P-Perhaps… perhaps we could send a message. They have several of our ships. We could warn them…}”
Khla replies coldly, “{No. It’d only alert… THEM.}”
The communications officer adds grimly, “{Assuming they haven’t already been found.}”
The navigator starts, “{But Yarjen…!}”
“{I know.}”
“{If they…}”
“{I KNOW.}”
The bridge is silent for a long time. The combat officer asks cautiously, “{Are reinforcements an option?}”
Khla shakes his head. “{No. If the Fievegal learns where the human fleet is, they will declare them a lost cause, or… attempt to trade.}”
Again, silence.
Khla stands up slowly, saying, “{I need to think. Navigator, take command. Do NOT proceed beyond direction determination until I return.}”
The navigator nods, “{As you wish, Yarjen.}”
Khla slowly walks off the bridge. He has no destination. At least, not a physical one. He cannot be mad at the humans. They have no idea what the universe holds. He could have been more tactful about trying to chase the humans any other direction. But, there was no plan for the humans fleeing Earth. They didn’t have the technology to escape. Everything until now has been reactionary. Grodrrns aren’t hunters. They’re overwhelming predators. Ambush, numbers, technology; they use surprise and overwhelming strength to win.
The one glimmer of hope Neezha’s message provided has been shattered. Not to mention, now, Grodurra’s fate may very well fall to the tiny handful of humans on Khla’s ship. Which, of course, at this point seems to be only Laurel.
Dumb luck intersects Khla’s path with that of Laurel and Mrff. The human says gently, “Oh! Yarjen Craw!” She grunts awkwardly, which she’s said is her clearing her throat, and says in passable Grodrrn, “{Jinntarrick mmrulk, Yarjen.}”
Khla nods, grunting quietly, “{Twin suns…}”
Mrff asks, “{What is it?}”
Khla replies, “{A worst case we didn’t even consider. The humans appear to have jumped into… into…}” This is possibly the most shaken Khla has ever been.
Mrff finishes, “{Zarrakyssns.}”
Khla nods. He feels sick hearing that name.
Mrff thinks silently for a moment. Laurel asks gently, “What is it? What’s wrong? D-Did I do something?”
Mrff replies to her, “No. Sommtheeng ilse.”
She looks at Mrff, and then at Khla. She asks softly, “Your Zhi?”
Khla looks away. His body is pressurizing. He feels helpless all over again.
Laurel presses, though, “What happened to her? Please tell me.”
Khla snarls, “Whih!? Whot weezdomm haff hoomins!?”
Laurel shrinks a little, but she replies, “Yesterday, you were so happy she’s alive. You’d give up on her, just like that?”
“NIVOR!” roars Khla. “BOTT, YUU NO OONDERSTOND!”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
He paces in a circle as he snarls, enraged to think about losing his Zhi again. A subconscious, rational part of his mind notices and is thankful when Mrff puts himself between Khla and Laurel.
But, Mrff adds, “{She’s right, Yarjen. Not to mention the human fleet. No matter the reason, we cannot afford to lose them to the Zarrakyssns.}”
Khla growls, struggling to hold back his rage, “{It’s too late.}”
“{No, it isn’t. The Zarrakyssns are no better off than we were. Stop underestimating these mammals.}”
“{If we try to communicate, they’ll be found. If we try to pulse them, they’ll be found.}”
Laurel offers, “No matter what, she’s your daughter. Your Zhi. You clearly care about her. Save her.”
Khla growls, “Eef we go, we cood lohze thim ond yuu.”
“You gave me real hope saying there was a chance for peace between my people and yours. I want us to go as much as I KNOW you want to.”
Khla replies, “The theengs loorkeeng tharr… they are nott leek ooss.”
Laurel scoffs. She replies, “If you want to prove to me that you can protect MY baby, you should start by protecting yours. I trust you. It’s clear Yarjen Murf trusts you. There MUST be a way to help them.”
Khla is silent for a moment. A long moment.
Mrff asks, “{Do we think the humans are at the end of this jump?}”
Khla replies, “{Split. If Neezha is the only one talking, she wouldn’t know about the forensics team. That’s not to say the humans wouldn’t have expected it, though. Dzor knows the far stars better than either of us, though. If he’s been anywhere near a window, he might realize it as I did.}”
Mrff replies optimistically, “{Then, if the humans expect forensics and jumped again, there’s a chance they jumped back out.}”
Khla nods, but counters, “{Meaning we need to run forensics at their landing site.}”
Mrff replies with a smirk, “{All the more reason to still send the shuttle, but with a message to be delivered manually.}”
Surprised, Khla replies, “{Are you suggesting we sacrifice another shuttle?}”
Mrff nods. “{Either with a message to the humans, or to bait the Zarrakyssns while scaring the humans somehow.}”
“{The latter would be certain suicide!}”
Mrff nods, “{Which is why I’ll do it. I’ve evaded them before.}”
Khla hisses, “{Unacceptable! If even ONE of their interdictors…}”
Mrff chuckles and replies, “{Give me some credit, Yarjen. I can’t prove it, but I think I know how they work. I don’t often talk about it, but… I WAS interdicted. Let me test my theory, save the foolish humans and our own, or die a glorious death trying.}”
Khla can’t think. He can’t allow this. Too many times, Mrff has been his extra tail for balance. He has vast wisdom. To lose him would be a profound waste. It would be devastating to Khla’s baskylla.
Khla replies, “{No. There’s too much that can go wrong.}”
Mrff replies, “{I will not fail, Yarjen.}”
The confidence Mrff expresses now is stifling. It’s nearly impossible to simply refuse.
An idea hits Khla. “{You can go, but first, you will identify all planet-bearing solar systems and asteroid belts around you and make note of their coordinates. Then, return. With that, we will have a list of things to search.}”
Mrff thinks carefully. He scratches his neck scales and nods, “{Yes, yes. That could work. It’d take time, but we’d be less likely to run into the Zarrakyssns. Agreed, Yarjen.}”
Khla looks at Laurel, saying, “We hoff plonn. Thonk yuu, Laurill.”
She smiles, saying warmly, “I believe in you.”
***
Spaceman Long wakes up on the shuttle. She stretches and yawns. She quickly realizes the Cave Queen is no longer on the shuttle. It’s an impressive feat that Long slept through the airlock cycling, but she was pretty tired. She relieves herself in the restroom and suits up. If she stays on the shuttle, she’ll only end up disturbing the others. So, she quietly cycles the airlock. She realizes it’s actually pretty quiet going out, which makes sense, since the external pressure is higher, meaning the external pump is the one that runs.
Long stretches, curiously looking around with her night vision. Fisher is on watch, patrolling casually around the island. The pilot is using a bucket and sponge to clean off some rather beautiful stones she gathered.
The teen spots the Cave Queen next to the water’s edge, sitting on the bank. Long wonders if she should leave the Queen alone, as it could be how she does her business. But then, the other times she did in the last day or so, the Queen returned to her hideaway.
Curiosity getting the better of the young woman, she approaches the amphibious Queen. The Queen is alone, and Long’s helmet picks up the soft, delicate and slow chatter of the Queen’s speech.
Once close enough, Long can see the Queen is cradling something in two of her ‘arm’ tentacles. It looks like a spherical gummy candy, with a different colored filling. And, due to the night vision, it looks like it’s glowing.
Just as the Queen starts to lower it into the water, it dawns on Long what it is. The teen quickly yelps, “WAIT!” She runs closer to the Queen. The tall alien halts, looking at Long with watering eyes.
Long’s heart wrenches, and she gently takes the Cave Queen’s arms away from the water. The Queen chatters delicately at her, and Long can’t help but feel pain in her voice.
The gelatinous mass certainly doesn’t look like much more than a gummy candy. But, the filling shows the faintest squiggles and circles of something taking shape. Long thinks quickly. Maybe it’s already too late. But, what if…?
Thinking quickly, the young marine urges, “Stay right there!” She sheds her backpack and retrieves her water bottle. Her working hope is that the egg is already cold inside the Queen’s body, and it would have to warm up when laid. If so, Long’s luke-warm water bottle, once warmed up, MIGHT work. And, it’s worth a try for just one. The science team is close to emulating human body conditions as well as a few variations. But, Long just wants to save this one if she can.
Long takes the lid off of her bottle and offers it to the Queen. The alien looks at her, confused and surprised. Growing impatient, the teen glances around. Fisher is on the far side, the pilot is distracted, and no one else is around. She quickly takes her helmet off, takes one of the Queen’s free arms, and she brings it to her forehead. Long says, “If it’s not too late, let me try. Please? Nothing to lose, right?”
Still stunned, the Cave Queen finally looks at the tiny egg. It’s about the size of a golf ball, and certainly seems surprising that its passenger could grow into the being before Long.
The Cave Queen gently drops the egg in the water bottle. Just as Grey said, words emit from Long’s mouth. She can feel her jaw move, her tongue flex, and her vocal chords vibrate, but she doesn’t feel the command the Queen is transmitting to her brain. She blurts out, “Why, though? What is one today? If your people don’t finish, there will be another tomorrow.”
Long’s heart aches for her, but she smiles tenderly, asking, “Then why were you talking to it?”
The Queen looks away, and Long adds as she holds up her bottle, “If we’re not done tomorrow, I’ve got a little more room here. If it works, you’ll have two more cuties!” Long grins, admiring the purple glowing jelly ball in the bottle.
The Queen says through Long, “They need warmth. That I know for certain.”
Long nods, humming, “Mm-hmm!” She adds brightly as she opens the front of her armor suit, shoving the capped bottle inside. She replies, “I’ll do my best to keep him or her warm, clean, and safe! You can count on me!”
The Queen stares at her a moment. She replies, “Her.”
Surprised, Long asks, “Really? How can you tell?”
“That color egg is female. The other color is male.”
“Wow! That’s cool! Why would your species have that trait though?”
The Queen thinks. She replies softly, “I don’t know. But, during times when there are more females than males, I have intentionally laid more males than females.”
Long nods, “I see! That actually makes a lot of sense.” Long takes a seat more comfortably next to the Cave Queen. She asks gently, “When you took Mina… Did you plan on giving her back?”
“Yes.” The Queen swirls the water with her tentacle, continuing, “I lost control of myself. Your allies had every right to kill me, even under my people’s own laws.” She idly strokes her abdomen with another tentacle, adding tenderly, “Even the most compassionate on this world have never been so forgiving… and so generous.”
“You understand what it means if you do come with us, right? You’ll never see this world again.”
The Queen looks up at the ceiling, saying distantly, “There IS nothing to see on this world. I knew the air outside had become toxic for me, but I had no idea the surface dwellers were gone. I used to be able to gaze upon the stars at night, the beautiful structures the surface dwellers built, and… my mother. All I had left until your people came was this cave and my nest.”
The alien then looks at Long, adding through the teen, “When you approached me, I was praying. I was praying that kind hands would embrace her, and that she would sleep. But, I was also praying your humans can do what they’ve said. That they can give my people a chance to live again. And, I was praying… to waste time… in hopes your allies would arrive with your machines in time for her. Now,…” She gingerly touches where Long tucked her water bottle. “I pray your compassion is not wasted.”
Long smiles. She replies, “Me too.”
Long’s heart skips a beat when Chief Grey’s gruff voice asks from behind her, “Beautiful morning, isn’t it?”
Long jumps with a start, scrambling for her helmet. Just as she grabs it, though, he adds, “Don’t bother. I already knew you had it off.”
Long slumps. She looks apologetically at him, though she can barely see him in the dark. She says softly, “I-I’m sorry, Chief…”
He replies plainly, “Not yet, you’re not. The Stranger just radioed. Incubators will be here in two hours.”
Long says excitedly, “Really!?” She looks at the Queen, who withdrew her arm. Long takes it gently and puts it back to her head. She exclaims, “The incubators are on the way!”
The alien smiles, replying gently, “I vowed I would get excited only when I see them.”
Long grins, “Fair!”
Long suddenly says, “Chief Grey, this one stopped me from…” Long realizes she still has control of her hands, and she covers her mouth. When the Queen stops trying to talk, Long says herself, “Hey! No need to tell him. It’s no big deal.”
Grey replies dryly, “Well, now I’m curious. Long, I order you to tell me.”
Long winces. She replies, “Ch-Chief… I… I just stopped her from crying is all. We kept each other company.”
Grey replies skeptically, “Mm-hmm.”
“It’s true, Chief! And, I wanted to talk to her, more. I accept responsibility for my actions.”
Grey replies, “One day, responsibility for your actions is going to mean death. For you or someone you care about. That’s why following orders is important.”
“Yes Chief…”
He then says, “Cave Queen, we’re going to ready the landing zone with some lights to make sure they land with enough room to unload the incubators. They shouldn’t be too bright, but please be aware of them. I need Long to help set up. If you need anything, please approach me.”
Long’s voice says, “I understand. But, this one truly did comfort me. I would be grateful to talk to her again.”
Grey replies, “We’ll see. We’ll talk in a bit. Will you be okay for now?”
The alien nods, and Long’s voice says, “Yes. Thank you.” She releases Long, and the teen feels a little lonely. It doesn’t feel forced, but like the touch the Queen gives is just comforting.
Long puts her helmet back on and joins the others aligning the lights and clearing the landing zone of large debris. The auburn haired teen is mindful of her water bottle, jostling around against her space suit and her compression shirt. She tries to hopefully not jostle it too much. She also hopes her suit thinks the bottle is part of her body, and automatically regulates it back up to normal body temperature.
The time passes fairly quickly, and the Charlie shuttle slowly appears in the mouth of the cave. It carefully hovers, disappearing briefly in the distant dark and haze before reappearing with the deep hum of its engines.
The shuttle carefully lands in the designated zone, touching down gently and shutting down its engines.
Long learns quickly why the landing positon was so crucial. The incubators are assembled onto a rack of 3 strange, transparent pods filled with pinkish liquid and a faintly glowing light in the base. A control console seems to maintain each rack, of which there are two. There’s also a dozen more marines with Lieutenant Kane, and he says, “Alright, everyone. We’ll need to team lift. Alpha team, can we get some assistance?”
All of Alpha team, including Long, proudly replies, “Sir yes sir!” The marines climb in, each taking hold of the first rack.
***