by S. E. Smith
The KCC Protector drew a breath. “A’rch wanted to kill her on-world and be done with it.”
“Why didn’t you?” T’yke said.
L’Den hesitated. That was the question of his life. He could have let A’rch kill her. He should have. Or they could have simply left her like T’ren suggested. But—
All eyes were on him and he felt cornered, on edge. Wouldn’t killing her or abandoning her have made them no better than the humans? Because that’s what the humans would have done if the situation were reversed—
A prickly sensation infused him through the bond, A’rch letting him feel exactly what he thought of being compared to the humans. If you voice that thought, I will never forgive you.
I do not think your actions are like the humans. L’Den assured his mogha. I’m just trying to figure this out.
You’re infatuated with her. Why? Because she’s a broken being? You lower yourself to that of a molk.
If he could shoot plasma fire from his eyes, he was sure A’rch would be yelping from the glare he turned on him.
“I made a call,” he said to the staff as much as to his mogha. “Again, she’s a scientist, not a soldier. If it wasn’t the right call, I will remove her from the ship myself.”
“She will have an escort at all times,” J’ake said. “We can’t just have a human roaming about the ship. It might cause a panic.”
“Yes, of course,” L’Den confirmed.
“Thank you, Protector,” the Captain said. “That’s enough for now.”
Welcoming the clear dismissal, L’Den took his seat at the table, exchanging a glance with T’ren.
Barely listening as each officer gave a report on his or her duties, the KCC Protector was lost in thought as the topic devolved to possible causes of a power outage on Deck 13 aft and how many fuel cells needed recharging.
T’ren nudged his arm as the meeting ended and everyone started filing out of the room.
A’rch trotted out, a sense of purpose infusing the bond.
What are you up to? L’Den said.
I’m going to check on something, was the only clue the Korthan protector got.
“A word with you, Protector,” Captain K’ursick said. A’rch used the distraction to make his leave.
Taking the cue, T’ren walked out with the others, leaving L’Den alone with the Captain.
“You are the KCC Protector Commander, but I am responsible for the safety of this ship. You did not consult me,” the Captain said after a moment.
And L’Den was responsible for ensuring that safety, responsible for the safety of this entire quadrant of space. He just happened to be living onboard this ship—
“And if I had consulted you?” he said.
“I would have said no.” The Captain’s mouth was set in a thin line.
Exactly why L’Den didn’t consult him.
“I didn’t make this decision lightly, Captain.” Perhaps L’Den did make the decision hastily, but he was certain there was no immediate danger from a woman who was merely trying to survive. “I assure you; the safety of this ship has not been compromised.”
Captain K’ursick seemed to be satisfied with his statement and he was dismissed with a conceding nod.
As he walked out the door, T’ren waited against the wall, falling into step with him.
“You didn’t tell them you told the human you’re returning her by Civilian Order Treaty 217,” T’ren said once they were out of earshot of the planning room.
“I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
T’ren came to an abrupt halt. “Haven’t made up your mind?”
L’Den turned towards him. “There is a complication.”
“Uncomplicate it.”
If only it were as simple as that.
Chapter Five
Dirt clumped to the flooring as Tessa leaned the shovel against the bulkhead. Clapping her hands together, more sand sprinkled the floor—
Awaking with a start, Tessa stared at the ceiling, chill-bumps prickling her skin. She turned her head to the right, looking for the shovel. Instead, she saw a shiny wall, a desk and chair, free of dirt and dust and all manner of filth that usually accompanied her sleeping area.
Tessa’s eyebrows knitted. A shiver wracked her body and she hugged her arms. Why was it so cold in here? How was it so cold? Where was she?
Lightning went through her heart and she bolted upright. “Squeak?”
A lump at the foot of the bed started moving, zigzagging under the light covering before a fuzzy triangular face popped out next to her.
Tessa let out the breath she was holding. “Don’t scare me like that.”
Picking up the little creature, she kissed its nose while it sniffed noisily around her face. Everything came back to her in a rush. Right. She was on a Korthan ship, in her own apartment, no less.
Shivering again, she wrapped the bedsheet around herself like a cape. She’d forgotten how cold it could be in space. Or maybe it was that she was so used to the hot climate of the desert planet.
Squeak took his place on her shoulder, rooting around until he was under the sheet too. There was a layer of fur under his scaly exterior, but it was clearly not enough for him to find warmth either.
Stomach letting out a growl, Tessa scooted from the bed to get her bag. Rummaging through the contents, she produced a sliver of spider jerky and popped it in her mouth. Emitting a series of singsong squeaks, Squeak held out his front paws and she handed him a sliver of the jerky.
“There isn’t much,” she said to the creature, frowning. How were they going to get food? There probably weren’t any giant spiders for Squeak to hunt on the pristine ship.
Great. So, she put herself in a situation where she’d starve to death. Good going, Tessa.
“You should not have come with me,” she said to Squeak, handing him another small piece as he begged for more. “I don’t know what we’re going to eat when this runs out.”
There was a chime at the door and Tessa jumped, Squeak disappearing into the bedcovering in a flash.
The chime sounded again. Was someone visiting her? Wait, what was the time?
Looking all around the lamp on a table next to the bed, Tessa couldn’t see anything with the time on it anywhere. What had that young Korthan said to do? What was his name again? T’ym. His name was T’ym.
She waved her hand all around the lamp. Nothing. This isn’t working, T’ym.
Hold your palm at the base of the wall lamp. Wave slowly.
So now the voice in her head was giving helpful pointers?
Tessa looked around the room. There were two wall lamps—
The one by the door.
Following the direction of her inner voice, a hologram jumped from the wall, displaying 08-5-15 in white light.
Tessa had no idea what that meant, but she remembered T’ym saying ‘ten’ and that last digit read ‘fifteen.’
The door chimed yet again. Was it possible for a doorbell to sound more impatient?
Rushing to the bed, Tessa grabbed Squeak and put him in the bag with what was left of the sand-spider jerky. The doctor had said she’d be in some healing vat for two days. Squeak could run around the quarters as he pleased, but she wanted to make sure he understood where the food was. Plus, she didn’t want T’ym to see the little creature crawling around.
Running back to the door, she waved her hand for it to open before another chime could sound. T’ym blinked at her from the hallway, a look between perturbed, disgust, and confusion crossing his features.
“We are late. We must go now.” He turned and walked down the hallway without so much as a ‘Hello’ or ‘Good morning.’
Making sure the door was secure, Squeak hidden safely inside, Tessa followed.
As they made their way to the medical bay, the Korthans they crossed paths with gave a wide berth. Word was out about the human among them—
“What is this? You did not clean yourself,” Dr. A’yla said as they entered. �
�I should have just started your treatment yesterday. I let you leave so that you could have a shower.”
“What shower?” Tessa said.
The doctor turned an incredulous look on T’ym. “You did not show her?”
Tessa looked between A’yla and T’ym. Show her what?
“I didn’t know I needed to, Ma’am.” T’ym wrung his hands nervously. “I wasn’t sure what to do when she answered the door, so I just brought her straight here.” Was that why he looked confused before?
The doctor began speaking in Korthan and Tessa was under the impression that T’ym was getting a lecture on human methodology. Did Korthans think humans primitive? That wasn’t right. It was the other way around— The Korthans were the primitives.
Though, there wasn’t anything on this ship remotely primitive—
A’rch watched from the shadows as T’ym led the human away from her quarters. Sniffing along the edge of the wall, he stopped at the door. There was something going on here and he was going to find out what. He would prove to his alpha that bringing the human onboard was a bad idea.
Was that the sound of sniffing on the other side?
A’rch’s antenna shot straight up. L’Den, get down here.
You are at Tessa’s door, aren’t you? His alpha sounded contrite.
The mogha paused. Of course, he was at the human’s door. That’s where the danger was—
There is no danger. Vacate the area.
I need you to open the door so I can destroy— A’rch paused again, unsure how to complete the sentence.
Destroy what? his alpha said.
A’rch hesitated a moment longer. It.
It?
Yes. I don’t know what it is yet, but I’m telling you something is in there.
There is nothing there, A’rch. I am reading no other life signs in the area but yours. Your imagination is getting the better of you.
Just come look. A’rch whimpered.
I’m not going into Tessa’s quarters while she is in the healing vats. Vacate the area now.
A’rch’s antennae twirled, tail wagging. So, you will come when she is home? Maybe pay her a visit when she is well? I think you want to anyway—
Emotions warring within his alpha that were both confusing and satisfying, the mogha felt confident he’d struck a chord.
This time, there was hesitation from L’Den’s end of the bond. Yes. I will visit when she is well. If there is anything amiss, we’ll know then.
Satisfied, A’rch glared at the door, lowering his head. Growling for emphasis, he said, I will get you yet.
What was that?
A’rch’s head shot straight up. Nothing.
L’Den sat at his console, shaking his head in amusement. Moghas were wise and their bonds with Korthans made them formidable as well as fantastic companions, but they could get super-focused on the strangest things.
Continuing his perusal and analysis of the information from the human Ranger-class science ship, L’Den’s noticed a very recent timestamp on one of the recordings.
Initialize playback.
“I buried my best friend today.” Tessa scrubbed at her face with dirtied hands and L’Den realized that she had likely just buried her friend before making this recording.
Something squeaked off-screen and the woman bent over, reappearing with a small wriggling creature.
“This is all I have left of her.” She turned the creature to look it in the eyes and it paused to stare back. “Still don’t know what this is, but Britt loved this little guy.”
Despite the topic, amusement twisted his lips. “It’s a molk,” he said out loud.
Tessa put the molk on the table and it scurried off-screen. The woman’s eyes tracked the creature before raising up to the apparent video camera, her features becoming hard. At that moment, L’Den felt like he was staring into her soul—
“I am the only one left,” she said. “It’s time to face the facts; I’m going to die here.”
End playback.
L’Den stared at the dark screen. He and T’ren arrived two days after this recording. If they had acted faster, could they have saved Tessa’s friend? Would they have?
Chapter Six
The healing vat wasn’t as scary as she first thought. All she did was lay in a tube of light, sleeping for two days. And she felt so much better. Tessa didn’t remember a time when she felt so good, her body energized, mind clear.
Sitting on an exam table, she could see her reflection in the mirror finish of the wall in front of her. Her skin was no longer red and cracked, all the sores and scars from years of sunburns completely gone, though she did look a good deal older. Hair no longer sunbaked, the natural brown coloring had been restored. It was a lot shorter than she remembered—
“I had to cut the mats from your hair,” A’yla’s voice was behind her and she turned. “The vats can’t heal what is already dead.”
Tessa didn’t know what to say. Their concern about her health was mind-boggling.
“I have prepared a nutrition plan to bring your weight up and get your energy back.” The Korthan doctor held up a plate with a cube of something pink resting there. “Eat this now. T’ym will bring another to your quarters this evening.”
Tessa just stared at the cube. So, this would be how they’d kill her. Though it really wouldn’t make sense to make her healthy just to poison her immediately after—
“You really do think it’s poisonous, don’t you?” The doctor’s voice was flat. “You should know that’s just human propaganda, how would the humans say it, bullshit.”
Tessa didn’t want to discuss whether Korthan food was poisonous to humans and why. She knew what she knew.
But what if the doctor was right? She’d know the truth if Squeak wanted to eat the food. The little creature was how they found out the giant sand spiders were edible.
“You may take it back to your room with you, but if you refuse to eat, I will have to force-feed you.” A’yla gave her a level stare. “I’d rather not have to do that.”
Tessa was quite certain she’d rather not have to do that either. Good thing she had her very own food tester. If the doctor was wrong, then what?
One step at a time, she thought to herself.
That is a good plan, the voice in her head answered. Why did the voice feel like it was resigning to a one-step-at-a-time approach as well? Since when did her inner voice have its own feelings?
The exam room divider wall disappeared, T’ym waiting on the other side. Dr. A’yla handed him a covered container with the cube in it, speaking in Korthan.
“Show her where the shower is,” the doctor switched to Standard, eyes flickering over her body. “And where the clothes are.”
Tessa looked down at herself, at her hodgepodge of tattered clothing sewn from scraps of what was still useful from the limited wardrobe of Ranger VI. A sleeve from the leg of a pair of pants here, a front pocket from the back of another pair of pants there. A new set of clothing sounded very nice.
“Follow me,” T’ym said to Tessa without preamble.
They walked in silence.
“Do you have your gemkey?” the escort said once they were standing by the door to her quarters.
The gemkey! Tessa’s hands flew through the pockets of her clothing. “No, I forgot it.”
“Have it with you at all times,” he admonished, pulling a silver gemkey from his own clothing, unlocking the door.
“Yes, I will. It won’t happen again,” Tessa said, wedging herself between the escort and the door. Grabbing the food container, startled confusion crossed the young Korthan’s features just as she added, “Thank you. I will take it from here.”
“Wait, I’m supposed to show you—”
Tessa promptly closed the door.
Rushing to the bedroom, she searched the bed covering for her squeaky companion. Blinking up at her sleepily, his bulbous trumpet ears perked up at the sight of the container in her hand. That was a good sign.<
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Opening the container, she barely had time to show the creature the contents before Squeak was upon the cube, devouring it ravenously. Okay, so it must be fine. One problem, there wasn’t anything left for her to eat.
“You couldn’t save some for me?” she said.
The little animal looked up at her, emitting several low-pitched squeaks, head turning sideways, tail sticking up in the air.
Tessa grabbed her bag. At least there was some spider jerky—
“You ate all the spider jerky too?”
Squeak disappeared under the covers, the tuft of feathers at the end of his tail sticking out, giving away his position, unbeknownst to him.
Cold air sent goosebumps across her skin. Wonderful. She was either going to starve or freeze to death on this ship. Might as well be clean before she passes to the next life, although the healing vat took care of the filth that previously coated her skin. A warm shower just sounded nice—
Gently grabbing the tuft of feathers as she walked past the bed, Squeak let out a playful squeal as he turned, the feathers disappearing under the covers, a fat paw with long claws swiping out, trying to grab but missing her fingers.
Waltzing into the bathroom with a smile, Tessa studied the fossil-laden tiling. Since the doctor told T’ym to show her how to use the shower, there was definitely a cleaning appliance here somewhere.
She walked around the confines of the room, pressing her palm against the walls in as many combinations as she could think of. When that didn’t work, she jabbed at the walls with her index finger. Perhaps there were some hidden buttons somewhere?
Use the gemkey, that somehow all-knowing inner voice provided.
Right. The gemkey. Because it was so obvious.
Rolling her eyes, she went back into the bedroom to get the silver button. What did she do with it? After searching for several minutes, she found it laying on the floor. That was weird, but at least she had it.
Returning to the tiled room, she stood at a complete loss. There wasn’t a nook or an indention anywhere indicating where to place the gemkey.