Zuva gave a throaty chortle. “Reminds me of my youngest, always covered in mud and who knows what. Did anyone hear about what happened with Viv and her team?”
Melody remembered that Viv had the honor of escorting one of the oldest Leviathans known. “They’re the ones guarding Gramps?”
“Yup, that old crochety bastard,” Zuva said with another laugh. Gramps had the distinction of being one of the few ill-tempered Leviathans. “He activated a Founder device near the Eris System. They think it might be one that stores the fuel cells.”
Once it had been discovered that Leviathans could turn on the Founder devices, the UC had become way more interested in assisting LEaP. They had been especially keen on figuring out what exactly powered the Founder devices. It hadn’t been Leviathan blood; while the Leviathans’ song could activate the devices, the machines themselves had run on a far different power source. One with rechargeable fuel cells.
The black market was about to take a major hit once scientists figured out how to incorporate the tech into their engines and machines. LEaP had been promised with having the honor of the first Founder engine ships, new Stingers to help protect the Leviathans from bitter poachers.
“Crescent is trying to eat one of the probes again,” Mei giggled.
“Jesus, not again,” Melody groaned.
“I told you all, babies like to stick shit in their mouths,” Zuva said. “I got it.”
Along with new fuel sources, they had found machines and tools designed solely for caring for the Leviathans. Apparently the Leviathans were Founder devices themselves, organic creations of that long dead race. Why and how the Founders had created the Leviathans was a mystery, but the creations had outlived the creators and now were one of the few keys that the UC had to unlocking the mysteries of the Founders. The Leviathans’ songs were the biggest key, the code that brought the Founder devices back alive and activated those ancient machines.
“The first Founder device-powered ships should be available soon,” Rosa said. “We may be out of a job.”
“We’ll never be out of a job,” Zuva snorted. “Poachers are always going to be killing Leviathans, if not for fuel then for other, stupid, reasons.”
“And there are other animals that get targeted. We might not have to protect Leviathans anymore, but there are other creatures that need protection,” Melody replied.
“Did you hear? Scientists finally decided on an official name for a group of Leviathans.” Mei piped up in her quiet and soft voice.
Melody grinned. “Did they take our suggestion?”
“Yes. A group of Leviathans is now known as a ‘choir,’” Mei said.
A choir of Leviathans, all singing their celestial songs. “Perfect,” Melody said.
There was a holo-pic on her console. It showed a smiling Melody arm in arm with a taller woman, Noel, while in the background, baby Leviathans could be seen swimming through space. Noel had coded the words ‘Proud Grandma’ into the pic and it made Melody smile to see it. Proud indeed. The first Leviathans born in almost a century, and she had been the one to help make it happen. Her and her team.
Zuva was right. They would never be out of a job, but that was okay. This was what she had to do. Something to prove that she wasn’t the weak and broken prisoner that had been dragged to freedom by her friend. Instead she was the one who protected the weak. She was the one who fought for the frail, spilled blood, and lost friends guarding Leviathans.
She was one of the brave ones.
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Copyright 2020 Jharice S. Blake
I am a writer/artist who was born in Florida but moved around a lot growing up. My mother is a Jamaican immigrant and growing up in West Indian culture has had a huge impact on my writing. I have one dog and two cats and currently live in Indiana.
Giganotosaurus is published monthly by Late Cretaceous and edited by LaShawn M. Wanak.
http://giganotosaurus.org
Songs of the Leviathans Page 3