The rack is stupendously heavy, even with everyone helping. The high gravity is certainly a major culprit. But, the marines are carefully able to offload the first rack, relaxing, stretching, and flexing before moving the second.
Dr. Caldaren, who was helping at the back, then explains, “Alright! Let’s get this fired up.” He starts working on the first rack’s console, explaining to no one in particular, “We set variants on each pod, to hopefully find the right niche. The embryos will be monitored closely. Any showing better development, we’ll dial the other incubators to those. We can try as many or as few as the Queen is comfortable with. There are obvious risks with this method, but I imagine, so too with a host, hmm? So, where is our royal majesty?” He looks around.
Long is briefly startled a little when the Queen’s head appears in her peripherals right next to Long. The large alien mother chatters delicately as she curiously looks at the machines.
Caldaren excitedly says, “Ah! Cave Queen! My, you are a thing of beauty, aren’t you?”
Grey growls as he approaches Long and the Queen, “She can’t understand you yet, Doc.” The chief takes off his helmet, drawing the Queen’s attention. She gingerly touches his head, and he says to her, “This is Doc Caldaren. He’s the field operator for the incubators, I guess. He’s going to guide you through how to use them.”
Caldaren says warmly, “A pleasure to meet you, your Highness.”
Grey replies, “She doesn’t call herself a queen. We call her that.”
“I know! But, she truly is, is she not?”
Grey’s voice softens to wonder, remarking, “Th-These… are the things you spoke of?”
Caldaren is caught off guard, but he snaps back into it, “Yes, they are! We’ve done our best to emulate our biology, as well as one estimated from the blood sample we took from you. Your DNA is carbon-based, but structured differently from anything on our world. Still! We tried to emulate a womb based on that. And, if any are working better than the others, we will change the others to match. Now, obviously, there is a HIGH risk of failure until we find what works for certain. You may lay as many or few as you are comfortable with.”
Grey’s voice replies calmly and a little distantly. “There is always risk. I am accustomed to being detached once their fates are outside of my control.”
Caldaren replies sympathetically, “I understand. Regardless, we’ll do our best for one hundred percent success, if we can.”
The alien Queen nods. There’s a pause, and Caldaren says, “Feel free to inspect them. Touch, poke; whatever makes you comfortable that they’ll work. If they feel too hot or cold to you, let us know, and I can adjust. Once set, the conditions will stay.”
Grey’s voice says softly, “It’s… a little bright.”
“Say no more!” Caldaren hits some buttons on each console, and the lights deactivate.
The Queen looks down at Long, and the teen smiles through her helmet. But, the Queen seems to want something.
Grey growls gruffly, “Go ahead. Long, hold her hand if she wants.”
The Queen glances at him and then at Long. Long smiles warmly again, offering her hand. She says gently, “I’d like to look, too.”
One of the Queen’s tentacles gingerly wraps around Long’s whole forearm, but the point is the same. Dumas jokes, “Chief, the Queen doesn’t have hands.”
Grey retorts, “Keep it up, and neither will you.”
The Queen steps forward, and Caldaren welcomes her to look, prod, and touch as she sees fit. Long mimics her, and they touch the surface of the first pod. The material is some kind of thick, rubbery material. Caldaren explains, “We used clear silicone to make the pods flexible, in case the eggs expand at all. We weren’t sure how many there’d be.”
The Queen sighs, her grip on Long’s arm tightening a little. Grey’s voice asks, “Where do I…?” She is searching for a word.
Caldaren snaps his fingers, replying warmly, “Ah! Yep! In the top, here. This ring is a partial iris, to seal the uh… pod. It should allow insertion easily enough, and I can reduce pressure as needed.”
“Would the hatchlings have to claw their way out? Normally, the hosts give live birth to the hatchlings. It’s supposed to be rather painless. But, this material is quite thick.”
The doctor replies, “Nope! Nice part about this is, we can open it in the lab and extract any hatchlings carefully, leaving the rest to keep incubating.”
The Queen strokes the object affectionately. Caldaren offers, “We can open it enough for you to touch the liquid if you wish. Most of them are a nutrient bath of extremely basic amino acids, and one is just pure water. You can feel the temperature, too, though.”
The Queen nods. She seems rather stunned that the humans made something so amazing so quickly. It’s clear that, while very hopeful, the Queen was worried it was all an impossible dream. She inspects all six pods, asking for only one of them to be cooled down. Her comfort zone seems to be between eighty degrees and one hundred degrees, though she admits she’s been less picky before.
The laying process is something else to behold. Plenty of the marines lost interest or were uncomfortable watching, and went elsewhere. But, Long found it strangely fascinating. And, she enjoyed seeing the gummy orbs with tiny lives forming within more clearly.
The Queen gambled her whole clutch, though. While she knows she’ll have plenty more soon enough, she seems more at peace with the risks her brood faces as long as they are intentionally placed. It’s as if, instinctively, she’s okay with the risks as long as there’s a chance, as opposed to the simple discarding of so many unlaid eggs.
The Queen admittedly looks much more slender almost instantly after, indicating her abdominal tissues are extremely elastic, and her organs can shift in her torso some. Relieved of the fear and desperation, the alien relaxes profoundly more, and she expresses countless thanks to the marines.
Kane then says, “Now, then, Cave Queen. We can teach you how to use this device if you prefer to stay on this world, but my understanding is that you weren’t opposed to being uplifted.”
Grey’s voice replies gently, “You proved yourselves truthful. And, there appears to be nothing else for me on this world but awaiting death. I would be grateful to join you in the sky.”
“Are you sure? We haven’t hatched any yet. And, we can’t stay long enough to ensure they will. If you come with us, we most likely won’t be able to bring you back.”
The Queen smiles, tenderly touching Chief Grey with another tentacle, and then Long with a third. “You have given me more now than I’ve ever had, humans. If you’ll have me, I am certain my place is in the sky with you. That is the reason I alone survived. I MUST trust this sign.”
Kane nods, “I understand. We’ll gather what we can to ensure you have food and whatever else you need.”
Grey’s voice says, “I was told you seek the materials of this cave, yes? You have my full cooperation.”
Kane nods. “Thank you. But, focus on gathering anything and everything you need or want; medicines, food, tools, and ESPECIALLY any seeds and mud you grow plants in, as well as breeding pairs of any animals, if any, that you eat. Anything you consider treasure. We’ll bring some crates down and try to bring it all. We’ll also make sure we can keep the plants alive before we leave, if we can.”
The Queen asks through Grey, “You believe you are being pursued by enemy sky people?”
Kane nods, “That’s correct.”
Tachibana says, “We’re still new to space travel, ourselves. So, we haven’t figured out how to lose them for good yet. We can usually only squeeze a few weeks or months out of a stop.”
“I don’t know how long that is, but I understand. My decision stands. I am your ally, if you will still have me.”
Kane offers his hand, saying warmly, “Welcome aboard.”
The Queen looks at his hand, and then at Long. Long says kindly, “You wrap your arm around his hand and shake gently.”
She does as instructed, following Kane’s lead once she wraps her tentacle around his hand. The Queen says through Grey, “Welcome aboard.”
The marines chuckle, and Grey says gently back to her, “Close enough, Cave Queen.”
The first mining ships start on metals on the surface while the marines work to make the Queen ready to depart. Kane returns to the fleet once more to ready living quarters suitable for a creature of perpetual darkness.
Long noticed that Chief Grey made no mention of Long removing her helmet. But, she’s afraid to say anything about it. He may still be planning punishment of some kind, not least of which is telling Angelica.
For now, Long stays focused on her tasks. She’s helping pack crates with the goods the Queen brings them, from baskets of seeds and powder, to small trinkets and her strange weapon. She even brings seeds and ‘leaves’ that provide the material for her weapon, the ‘leaves’ are more like porcelain plates in feel and brittleness, but she claims they grow on the aquifer bed as simply as anything else.
The auburn-haired teen is also careful with her own tiny passenger. She’s not certain how she’ll keep it up, now that she’s thinking about it, but she’s determined to try. If six variations of methods are good, one more shouldn’t hurt.
Once her chosen belongings are sent into orbit, the Queen stands at the island’s edge. She looks out at the waters she’s probably known all of her life. Long stands with her. The tall alien quietly chatters something, which Long doesn’t understand. But, the teen has some idea what the Queen is saying. She’s saying goodbye, perhaps even praying for luck, for the fallen inhabitants of her world, and for her children who never got a chance. She’s promising to do her best, to keep fighting, and to hold them all close in her heart and in stories she’ll tell generations to come.
Long wishes she could take her helmet off, to hear what it is the Queen is actually saying, but she doesn’t. Chief Grey was right, in a way, but if this world was so dangerous, he and Mina would already be lost.
Long gently touches the Queen’s arm. The alien mother looks down, smiling softly.
Chief Grey’s voice comes over the radio, “Long, bring the Queen. We’re ready to head out. Miners will be coming in next.”
Long replies, “Yes Chief.” She looks up into the Queens eyes and points to the ship with a smile. The Queen nods, taking one last moment to seemingly kiss her tentacle and then touch the water’s surface.
The two walk together back towards the shuttles, and Chief Grey says, “Long, you and I will ride with the Queen in Charlie shuttle. Everyone else will ride in Alpha shuttle.”
Tachibana asks, “You sure, Chief? It’s going to be cramped in Charlie.”
Grey replies, “Yes, Chief. Long’s been connecting really well with the Queen. Should help ease the transition.”
“Alright. We’ll come help unload as soon as we clear quarantine.”
“Affirmative. We’ll get the Queen to her quarters first.”
Long and the Queen join Grey at Charlie shuttle, finding room between the crates to ride. Grey ends up against the cockpit door, and Long sits in what would be the Queen’s ‘lap’. Just like every other part of her, the Queen is soft and gentle.
Once the shuttle takes off, Grey takes his helmet off. He says gruffly, “Good. We’ll have to go through a separate quarantine with the Queen.”
Surprised, Long asks, “Wait… W-What do you mean, Chief?”
He sucks his teeth, retorting, “Tch! Rookies. One of these days, though, you need to listen to orders.”
Long is surprised. He’s covering for her? But, he’s right. She replies softly, “I know…”
Grey lays back, crossing his arms. He adds, “Let me see it.”
Long pauses. She knows exactly what, but how does he know? How does he notice something she was so careful about? She’s amazed at how he never misses anything.
But, maybe he’s talking about something else. Long tests the water, asking innocently, “S-See what, Chief?”
Grey smirks dryly. He replies, “The potentially dangerous lifeform you have hidden at your left kidney.”
Long tenses. He even knows where her bottle ended up? How? She squeaks, “H-How…?”
“Doesn’t matter. Show me.”
Long cautiously unbuckles and unzips her armor, whimpering, “Sh-She’s not dangerous, Chief.” She presents her water bottle with a glowing purple gummy inside.
Grey takes it gently, inspecting the bottle. He asks skeptically, “Planning to tell anyone you had this?”
Long whimpers, “Chief, I… I… I just…”
Grey replies, “Might not even survive. Could be too late. If it was in the incubators like it’s supposed to be,…”
“Sh-She was going to discard her, Chief. She was… too many. Too early.”
Grey studies the contents quietly, giving no indication of his thoughts. He hands the bottle back, saying sternly, “That’s not a stray cat on your porch step or a chicken egg. That’s a child. You understand that, right?”
Long protectively holds the bottle, replying, “I know that!”
“It’ll require constant care. An entire laboratory is dedicated to the incubators.”
Long replies, “But, she’s only one. I can handle it.”
“You think you can outdo professionally designed incubators with your water bottle?”
Long nods nervously, “Yes. I’ll keep the water clean, and I’ll warm it with my body. I won’t let her out of my sight until she hatches.”
“How will you know it’s working?”
“I… I don’t know. B-But, if I didn’t take her when I did…” Long looks down at the precious cargo in her bottle. She whimpers, “What’s one more strategy, Chief? Especially if it means one more success?”
Grey is silent for a moment. Long looks up with watering eyes, doing her best to force a smile. She says tenderly, “I-If it means anything, Ch-Chief. I didn’t hesitate…”
Grey scoffs and smiles gently. He puts his head back and closes his eyes. He says gruffly, “Fine. But, I’d figure out a way to explain it to the overlord, and explain it as soon as possible. That’s not something you can hide forever.”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Long smiles at the Queen when she gently touches the bottle and chatters softly. The teen replies to Grey, “How did you know, Chief?”
The aging marine retorts, “You wouldn’t bend at the waist after your conversation alone with her. I knew you didn’t do anything TOO crazy out in the open, but you were hiding something. Stewed on it all day until I figured out what.”
“D-Do you think… An-um-Captain Long will be mad?”
Grey scoffs, “You tell me. You attempted to prevent a needless death. And, being the little teenage dummy you are, you instantly got sentimental.”
Long tucks her bottle back into her suit and zips up. She replies warmly, “I’m learning from the best, Chief.”
“Hilarious. Now shut up and let me nap.”
Long giggles, “Yes Chief. But, um… c-can I take… my h-…”
“No. It’s only an hour. You’ll survive.”
“Okay…” pouts the teen.
The shuttle is dark and fairly quiet. But, the Cave Queen idly fidgets with Long’s armor and hands, as well as touching things in the ship. They can’t see outside, as everything that emits light is covered or powered down to protect the Queen’s sensitive eyes and skin. The young marine hopes they found some way to give the Queen more than an empty conex box like the Grodurn prisoners have. The Queen is their guest, not a prisoner.
What surprises Long, though, is when the Queen starts making a continuous noise. It’s not her talking in her own language, nor crying or laughing. Instead, it has a melody. Long’s first instinct associates it with a cicada, almost, but it’s sweeter and softer, like a child humming. And, the melody is also unlike a cicada, but melodious and changing like a songbird.
Long can see that Grey has his good eye open, also surprised. The weathered soldier’s expression relaxes, and he listens peacefully as he closes his eye. The song is comforting and delicate, like the way the Queen speaks and touches things. One would never guess how strong she actually is at a glance.
After a while, the pilot reports over the shuttle intercom, “We’re docking at an exterior airlock, Chief. Polonia is reporting your path is marked and lights taken care of. Lieutenant Kane and Commander Hitch are waiting to guide you.”
Grey presses the intercom button near him, replying, “Affirmative. Give us the go ahead when we can open the door.”
The ship quakes as it connects, and Long is a little surprised when the Queen hugs her in surprise. For a species that customarily lives alone, the Cave Queen is rather sociable. At least, that’s how Long sees it so far. Long gently strokes the Queen’s arm, trying to comfort the alien. Long understands. The teen was terrified the day Angelica dragged her to the space elevator. The only reason Jessica held it together at all was her big sister’s firm grip on her hand.
The pilot announces, “Docking complete. Green light Chief. You know, metaphorically this time.”
Grey chuckles and stands up. He replies, pressing the button, “Thank you. Opening our outer door now.”
The three cycle through the airlock, which is thankfully controlled from the inside. The path is a tight fit for the Queen, but she is able to fold her ‘legs’ with more ‘joints’, still maintaining rigidity, but giving her closer movement. She gently holds Grey’s head as he leads.
The Polonia’s inner door opens, and it, too, is pitch black, as if the whole ship lost power. Commander Hitch, the commanding officer of the TEAU marines, and Lieutenant Kane are waiting in suits.
Hitch remarks, “Wow… she IS big.”
Grey replies warmly, “A lot friendlier than the crocs, too.”
“I’ve heard she can be a little… too friendly.”
“Yes, Sir. But, it’s been sorted out.”
Hitch nods, “Coulson reported that she understands, but she was nervous about rejoining the mission.”
Grey replies, “No complaints. I expect I’ve got a fight coming though.”
Long giggles. Hitch then says, “Madame Cave Queen, my name is Hitch. I understand you know Kane. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Grey’s tone softens, and his voice says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Hitch chuckles, remarking warmly, “I was ready for it, and it still got me.” He then explains, “Alright. Reason this tub is here on the floor is so we can rinse you all down thoroughly and try to minimize contamination. Long, Chief, you’ll come through first, and then we’ll all gently scrub down the Queen with brushes.”
“Scrub… down?” asks Grey’s voice. He turns, replying himself to her, “We’re cleaning all the mud, dirt, and germs off.”
He then says, “I see… please… be delicate.”
Grey nods and steps up onto the grate. Hitch sprays him with a sprayer while Kane scrubs with a large brush. Once finished, they wave Long forward. She steps up, and they do the same with her.
Once complete, the four humans gesture for the Queen to step up, and they wash her gently, gingerly ensuring to clean around all of her tentacles. She recoils a little, making a chirping-like noise that causes them all to halt. But, Long knows this face to be jovial. She says to the others, “I… think she’s ticklish.”
The other three chuckle, and Kane replies, “Well, well, well. That’s neat.”
Hitch replies, “Let’s hope she’s okay with that.” They gently resume. Grey asks, “Stranger, do you understand what she’s saying like the Grodurns?”
Kane replies, “She hasn’t said much in her own tongue yet. Took a few phrases before I could understand the Grodurns. And most of those were violent threats and taunts.”
Long wants to bring up the singing, but she decides not to. She’s the most junior person present, and isn’t quite on a friendly basis with Kane and Hitch, kind and friendly as they seem to be.
The Queen chirps playfully a few more times, but doesn’t stop the group from cleaning her. Once satisfied, they help her down, and Grey brings one of her arms to his head. He asks warmly, “Enjoy that, did you?”
His voice says more jovially, “Admittedly, yes. I’ve never known such a feeling.”
Grey replies, “We call that ‘ticklish’.”
Hitch adds, “We were worried we hurt you.”
The Queen replies through Grey, “Not at all. It was quite pleasant.”
“Good. You’re welcome to bathe regularly in your quarters.”
“What is quarters?” asks the alien curiously via Grey.
Grey replies, “It’s your new nest on our ship. Where you’ll live.”
Kane adds, “For now, it’s smaller than your previous home, but we should be able to fit your bedding location, a pool, and a garden, with larger ones being maintained by our crew.”
Hitch adds, “We converted the pool deck. THANKFULLY, Russel finished the Gaia, which gave us the space we needed. So, let’s head there. If you’ll follow us. Chief, please be careful.”
“I’m fine,” growls the soldier.
The five make their way down the hallway at the Queen’s pace. She’s a little awkward, and even remarks through Grey, “I feel… as though we’re about to float.”
Hitch replies, “Sorry about that. We have lower gravity where we come from, and did our best to copy that in the ship. It’s about two thirds of our own gravity, which is about one third of yours. So, you are much lighter here than on your world.”
“Will it go away?”
“You’ll get used to it. But, we’re also learning more about the technology to generate it, so when we get that far, we may be able to get closer to your world, if you wish.”
“This is okay,” admits the Queen. “Just strange.”
Kane replies, “Just wait.”
An airlock has been set up at the entrance to the pool deck, but this airlock doesn’t pressurize. The doors are windowless, allowing no light into the pool deck. However, that’s not to say there is no light in the pool deck.
Somehow, the pool deck is letting light from all of the surrounding stars above the deck into the room while simultaneously polarizing the solar system’s sun down to an equally comfortable level.
The Queen’s ‘legs’ give out, and she sinks to the floor. Hitch quickly asks, “Are you alright? We can close the light out entirely.”
The Queen’s arm slowly sunk off of Grey’s head, and she chirps softly and tenderly, staring directly at the sky. Long knows she’s not being hurt by the light, or she would be screaming. Instead, she is transfixed on the stars. Long’s curious how they did it. She too is bewildered.
Grey gently takes the Queen’s arm and puts it back to his own forehead, asking, “You okay, Cave Queen?”
“Th-these are… the stars…” murmurs the soldier distantly and in awe, undoubtedly from the Queen.
Kane replies softly, “That’s right.”
Grey’s voice asks, “Is… Is this an illusion?”
Hitch chuckles, “In a way, yes. Obviously, we know too much light hurts you, but this room was MEANT to always see outside. There are plenty of stars that are too bright for us, too, so this room can polarize the light coming in to an equal level. We just set that level to what compared to the lights the TEAU teams used for landing Charlie shuttle.”
Grey adds warmly, “You get the best view on the ship.”
The Queen crawls forward by somewhat shuffling her noodly tendrils, turning in a full circle. Grey’s voice says tenderly, “I… I haven’t seen stars since… since the last sky people came… a-and… that’s the sun?” She points at the severely dimmed, humongous light source in view.
Kane replies warmly, “Yes, Ma’am. Dimmed way down. You’re seeing it at a fraction of a percent of its full brightness.”
“It’s so beautiful…” murmurs Grey’s voice softly.
Hitch jokes, “God, can we have her swap to Long? Grey’s voice is killing me.” He suppresses chuckles.
Grey looks at him, retorting, “Hey, sir, I didn’t even know I could sound like that.”
Grey then says more softly, “Apologies…”
Grey’s tone warms, and he replies, “No need! It’s just humorous to us. But, I’m not against swapping, either.”
Kane replies, “I can’t make that call on the ship.”
Long squeaks, “I-I wouldn’t mind sir! Really! The Queen is very kind!”
Hitch replies, “It’s a quarantine issue, Long. N-Not to mention… the other factor…”
Long replies, “Because of my sister?”
Hitch looks away, uncomfortable audibly confirming but doing so regardless.
However, Grey replies, “You said Coulson is clean, correct? She was exposed to standing water in the Queen’s nest. Plus, you just washed us all down. I think companion detail to our guest is more suited to a spaceman than a chief, anyways, now that we know she’s not hostile. If Mina didn’t get sick, I don’t think any of us will.”
Hitch remarks, “Pretty blunt to try to dump the responsibility on a junior, Chief.”
Grey replies sincerely, “I’ll do it, but Long’s smarter and friendlier than I am. And, she doesn’t have leadership duties.”
Hitch asks, “Are you comfortable with this, Long?”
The teen smiles and nods, “Yes Sir! I’d be honored.” She notices Kane has been quiet though. Does he realize what Grey knows?
Hitch asks, “How about you, Madame Cave Queen?”
The Queen bows, seemingly imitating Kane from before, and Grey’s voice says gently, “I am grateful to you all, but I AM admittedly most trusting of this one Long.”
Hitch sighs. He says softly, “I still think the captain will have something to say.”
Grey replies, “The Captain vowed to respect positional authority decisions involving Spaceman Long. If you have oversight on quarantine, final say is yours.”
Hitch grumbles, “Literally anyone else, I’d agree with you, Chief. But…”
Kane finally speaks, “Chief, didn’t you tell me one of the Queen’s terms for coming with us was a speaker of her choice? I must’ve forgotten to mention that to Command.” He adds to Hitch, “My apologies, Commander.”
Hitch growls, “I know what you’re doing, Lieutenant.”
Kane replies calmly, “But do you want to prove it? If the Queen is comfortable with a less intimidating speaker, then shouldn’t we keep her comfortable? After all, Grey’s right. If there was anything to catch, Coulson would have it.”
Hitch growls, “Fine. Long, I’m assigning you to the Queen’s companion detail. We’ll find volunteers for other shifts, I guess. But, you WILL scrub down and get antibiotics regularly, understood?”
Long replies warmly, “Y-yes sir!”
Hitch adds, “Go ahead and swap.”
Long takes her helmet off, as Hitch grumbles, “Captain’s going to kill me.”
Grey replies as the Queen warmly chirps while she swaps her arm to Long, “It’ll be fine, sir. There are far worse things our young spacer here could be doing.”
The four marines show the Queen around the deck. The water in the pool has been replaced with water from the Queen’s lagoon, which contained some interesting concentrations of various minerals and salts, ironically close to what Earth’s dead sea contained. The base even has some of the sand and mud as well. A small patch of dirt has already been transplanted with several of the plants from her nest’s garden, and an actual bed, mostly consisting of a bunch of simple comforters, is tucked near the pool’s island fountain, which is currently off. They show her how to close down the polarization to pitch black using a computer console. They have to demonstrate when she both is and isn’t holding Long, as the words make sense to her when she’s touching Long, being translated through Long’s mind the way speech has been. But, once she lets go, the letters and numbers become gibberish. Her ability clearly bypasses communication barriers, but it doesn’t replace learning a language.
The Queen, however, quickly proves herself fully capable when she chirps out a soft and delicate, “Y-Yaenk y-you.” It takes a few moments when she says it for anyone to realize she was saying something to them. Grey repeats, “Yaynk you?”
Long squeaks, “Thank you! Sh-she’s saying thank you, Chief!”
The four humans chuckle together, and they reply, “You’re welcome, Cave Queen.”
The Queen grins, showing her two sharp, multi-pointed teeth. She might not understand, but she knows. Long takes her arm gently, putting it back on her temple to say excitedly, “Miss Queen! That’s amazing! You’re already learning our words!?”
Long’s voice turns soft, replying, “I… I will try. Please show me patience…”
Hitch chuckles, “Of course! You certainly don’t have to, but it’ll make all of our lives that much easier, I’m sure.”
The rest of the time is spent moving the rest of the Queen’s belongings to her new space. Grey orders Long to stay with the Queen as everyone else retrieves crates. She is to answer the Queen’s questions or ask for help the Queen might need. And, of course, while the others bring the Queen’s belongings, Long helps the Queen place them or stack the crates out of the way for later. It’s laborious work, but Long enjoys it. It’s certainly nice that no one had to die on this mission, AND they made a friend in an intelligent, interesting, and kind lifeform.
Armored bodies come and go for several hours, to the point that Long loses track of who’s who. She focuses on helping the Queen sort things. She’d never have noticed the who that approaches her.
Long nearly whirls and smacks straight into a person that appeared suddenly behind her. The woman she discovers causes all color to drain from Long’s body. Fortunately, the room is dark.
Captain Angelica Long stands with her arms crossed, looking seriously at Jessica. The young teen nervously fumbles, finally managing to salute and say “C-Captain.”
It finally dawns on Jessica, though, that her elder sister isn’t wearing a helmet. Of course, that doesn’t mean Jessica is in the clear yet.
Angelica asks stoically, “Any issues, Spaceman Long?”
The younger sister squeaks, “N-No, Captain.”
“I see you’ve met our guest.” That one was definitely sarcasm, even though Angelica’s tone was plain.
Jessica looks down, “Um, I’m… I’m on companion duty. I-I speak for Miss Cave Queen, and I mo-monitor her for…”
“I know.” Jessica silences. Angelica breathes deep and sighs. The elder sister says softly, “I hope you aren’t making your decisions based on whether or not I’ll say ‘no’.”
Jessica replies softly, “I’m not. But, I… I dunno. I found her fascinating. And, she’s very kind.”
“Kindness won’t prevent a viral or bacterial outbreak, Jessica. We’ve gotten lucky so far.”
“I know… But, someone had to so we could…”
“Chief Grey had permission. But, it should have never gotten even THAT far. We’re still working on solid first contact plans.”
“I get that, but… we knew Mina was okay.”
“For the time being. What if the infection has a long incubation time? All I’m saying is…” She sighs again, finishing, “Just, stop being so gung ho, please? It’s hard enough for me that you’re a soldier. I’m already proud, though. You don’t have to be a hero.”
Jessica smiles. She replies, “I’m just doing what I can, Big Sis. Please don’t worry so much.”
Angelica smirks. She then says, “Alright. Introduce me to our guest, please.”
Jessica smiles and nods, escorting Angelica closer to the alien quietly watching them. The teen smiles when the Queen reaches gently, though she motions as if to touch Angelica as well. But, the Captain doesn’t flinch.
Once touching Jessica, the Queen says through her, “You are both so… similar.”
Angelica chuckles, replying, “Thank you. We’re sisters. I’m also Captain of this ship. Captain Angelica Long. I’m responsible for everyone on board.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I am grateful for this new home. It is luxurious. Much like the surface dwellers of my world.”
Jessica replies, “The ship is like a big moving building. We have lots of people onboard.”
The Queen nods. Angelica then says, “We’ll do everything we can for you, but please understand, we’re trying to catch up to ourselves. I must thank you, though, for granting us access to the aquifer. It’ll help immensely.”
The Queen smiles, and Jessica’s voice says softly, “What helps one can help two.”
The captain smiles, “Couldn’t agree more. Additionally, you are not a prisoner, so your doors won’t be locked if you need to evacuate this room. But, I have to leave the lights on for everyone else. We will try to make you something as quickly as possible.”
The Queen replies through Jessica, “I have a nest, my children are being given a chance, and I can see the stars. I have plenty.”
The auburn-haired Captain smiles, asking warmly, “Do you wish to see your children? We can try to schedule a dark time to take you to the lab.”
Surprised, the Queen replies, “I… I would be grateful.”
“Consider it done. Once we get you your own suit, you can visit on your own time. Please be patient. We’re tackling many problems.”
The Queen replies humbly, “Of course.”
Angelica then says politely, “Also, please continue to be kind to my sister. She’s all I have.”
The Queen again replies softly, “She has extended me far greater kindness.”
Jessica blushes, even as the Queen is still talking through her, taking the instant chance she can to complain, “Stop! I’m right there!”
Angelica giggles warmly. The Captain then states, “If you’ll excuse me, I wanted to check in, and now I have a few more stops to make. Have a wonderful day, Cave Queen. Spaceman Long.”
Jessica replies, “Thank you, Captain.”
The Cave Queen nods and chirps her own, “Yaenk you…”
Captain Long smiles warmly, replying, “You’re welcome.” The Captain makes her way through the darkness to the airlock.
The Queen murmurs through Spaceman Long, “Humans stay in social contact with siblings…”
The teen smiles gently, “Mm-hmm. Angelica’s amazing. She’s just trying to be protective of me though.”
“I see…”
Long spends the better part of the rest of her day helping the Queen make her new nest more comfortable. She keeps it a little warmer than the cave, but not much, and she stops frequently to admire the stars.
The young spacer is happy things turned out like they did. The fleet needs all of the help they can get, and the Queen needed help too. And, it helps make the ship feel less small.
Hope warms Long’s spirit. The universe is so big, and she’s getting to see it first hand. She’ll treasure moments like this day forever.
***