by S M Matthews
He stares, then eventually says, “I’m sure it’s other ships. I just don’t know what…or who.” He packs up.
“Come on, let’s go inside, see if they are near enough that we can scan them without us powering everything back up. They’ll be less likely to spot us.”
Neb pulls us back on board, he’s moving quickly, but not so quick that he doesn’t steady me and help me out of my suit. He gives me back my little portable glow light before he jogs away to up on deck.
I want to know what’s going on, but I didn’t want to hinder him so I follow at a more sedate pace, trusting my little light in the darkness.
He’s not turned anything back on, and I sort of got the impression there might be a reason for that.
I make it safely up on deck, all three of them are in there in the darkness huddled around one dim screen.
I find my way to the safety of a chair and pull myself up, pulling my knees up. It’s even chillier in here with the power off for so long.
“What’s up then?” I ask them.
They are all standing quite still, all with their arms folded. It’s truly uncanny how similar they are sometimes.
Neb answers me, “It’s the Ta’Naw we got you from…our engines are off, theirs aren't. At this sort of distance it’s the best identifier there is. They aren't alone though.”
“So we can see them, and they can’t see us?” Ceph nods in answer, highlighted by the feint glow of my light. I hold it up a little so I can see them better.
“Right…so that’s odd?”
Ceph nods, “You never see more than one of their ships together…there’s just not that many of them…but then…they are probably out here for the same reason we are. It’s quiet…the chances of seeing someone is very small.”
“So how many of them are there?”
“Four.”
We sit in the darkness for what feels like ages after, waiting until the guys deem it okay to power up the engines, and therefore everything else. I sit, stewing on it. Gnawing away at a horrible thought. What if they are going to Earth again?
What if they take more people? More women? It can’t have been a fluke that we all happened to be female, not in a group that size.
The guys have pretty much said that we might have been a test group for…something.
What if they got what they wanted? What if they are up to something, and it involves humans? The guys have basically told me that the Ta’Naw have never really given up. Not really. Not since they catastrophically lost the war.
The guys have also told me though…that whatever the Ta’Naw did…it was pretty terrible for them too. Bad enough that basically no records of what happened survived, because their civilisation at the time…well, it crumbled.
Lam comes over and lifts me out of the chair, I let him, I’m totally used to this now. They just move me, and I’m okay with it. Especially since they are all so affectionate with it, I know it’s coming from a good place.
He hugs me, and I’m quite happy to curl up into his body heat.
“It’s okay,” he says quietly, snuffling around my hair and neck, “they can’t see us. They can’t get you here.” He’s smelled my concerns…but honestly that thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.
“That’s not what I’m worried about, I’m worried they are going back to Earth. What if they do the same again? But on a bigger scale?”
It flicks through my mind for a moment that if we follow them, it might take me home. The second I think it, I feel sick. The thought of leaving the guys now…I couldn’t. Just the thought of it breaks my heart a little.
I think I might be falling in love with them. Like properly in love. That is definitely something to contemplate another time. Not whilst I’m sat in the dark stressing over something I have no understanding of and even less control over.
We wait longer…and eventually they decide it’s now safe to power everything up.
“What are you going to do?” I ask no one in particular.
They share a look. I sigh.
“Before any of you even say it, you need to do something. Could you follow them?”
They share another look. “We could,” Lam says quietly, “but if they are going to Earth, then where is that? How long were you travelling for? What if we get caught in the middle of nowhere? They will be prepared for that sort of journey, and we just aren't.”
I don’t have the answers to any of those questions, if they don’t know where Earth is, then chances are, it’s pretty far.
I’m so tired. And I’m pretty sure that nothing that we do right this second will make any difference at all. They have four ships…and we are just us. I have no idea as to what we can do that would make any difference to this.
I need to sleep. I yawn again.
“We could just tell someone? You know where they are and the direction they are going right? If someone has decided humans are such dangerous animals, then surely they don’t want even more of us on the loose? You keep telling me that whatever they are up to, it’s got to be bad news, right?”
They share the look again…but then they do all nod.
“Fine then, who are you guys going to tell?”
Ear shrugs all round. I am too tired for this, and I feel like this is far too much responsibility for just me to be making these decisions.
Today feels as though it has been very, very long indeed.
Lam carries me to bed in his room, and the other two appear not long after. I feel absolutely powerless to do anything about those ships.
We don’t even know who to tell, or even if they will do anything about it.
I definitely don’t want to just sit back and do nothing.
LAM
Everyone else is still sleeping. I’ve woken early, the events of yesterday bothering me immediately.
As much as I don’t like it…I think Cora’s right. We will have to go somewhere. We have to try and get this data somewhere near enough to Homeworld that it actually stands a chance of being seen by someone who might actually do something about it.
My instinct is to just transmit to a Homeworld station and hope for the best but…if we take the data in, we might be able to hang onto a sliver of anonymity. If we send it, they will be able to identify the ship of origin.
Cora’s hand snakes its way across my chest and she snuggles into my side, still sleeping quietly.
We are already headed more or less toward Homeworld…there’s always the big Homeworld station. Rather than going somewhere small, like we usually would…we could use the opposite tactic. Go somewhere so big we are lost in the crowd.
If just one of us went, and was quick about it, the other two could be ready to leave before he even gets back to the ship. We can just hide Cora away.
Just concerned citizens doing our duty, reporting Ta’Naw activity.
Maybe.
The more I think about it, the more it seems to become the only choice.
I’ll broach the idea over breakfast.
CORA
We sit and listen to Lam over breakfast. He doesn’t like the idea of sending it via broadcast because he can’t even guarantee someone will even look at it. And even then, they would know the origin of the message. They are all averse to the idea of being called in for questioning for their trading with the Ta’Naw, so they don’t want to reveal that part.
Just that they have the location and the heading.
When he suggests Homeworld station, both Lam and Ceph speak at the same time, but he shushes them.
I kinda get his logic though, and when he speaks again, I’m nodding along to what he’s saying.
“We can get lost in the crowds there, and if we can get it to security there, it’s so close to Homeworld, it’s so much more likely they will actually do something with it. Only one of us actually needs to go across, drop off the data, and then we leave. Cora can stay hidden, we’d have to register her anyway, just being that close to a Homeworld asset.” I open my mouth t
o protest, but he shushes me. They know I’m not onboard with the idea. We are not some sort of dangerous animals. “I’ll go.” He finishes.
After a moment, Ceph and Lam both speak together, again. I roll my eyes. Brothers.
They are both protesting that they would also be willing to go. Which is sweet really. Especially since they are both looking at me. They know it’s what I want, I guess.
Something needs to be done. The worry that the Ta’Naw are heading to Earth again hasn’t really left me alone since we spotted them.
“You could just draw straws, or put your names into a hat or something.” They look at me, mystified. “Those are ways we choose randomly.” I get up and get some cups out of the cupboard, then out of the dried stock I get two reddish sort of beans and one blue-green spikey thing. I tell the guys to turn away and then put one thing under each cup, then shuffle them about.
“Right, you can look now, I don’t know what’s under the cups. Whoever gets the spikey thing is going.”
They each slide an upturned cup towards them.
CEPH
I don’t particularly like being on the station. I like it even less knowing how close we are to Home world. Everything about this is all far too…monitored. Everyone does the job they are told to do. Everyone stays in the box they are meant to stay in.
Doing what we’re told has never really suited us, and the social expectations everyone has feel like a heavy weight around your neck. Do well in education, get a good job, meet a nice female, have a set of cubs. Or two.
No thanks.
Absolutely none of that has ever appealed to us. Watching these people mill about the station, with their busy lives, self-important purpose. What are they even achieving? What could they all be doing? They must look like a hive of tiny insects, all milling about.
Not to mention the smell of so many different people and things and foods. It’s overwhelming when you’re not used to it.
It’s too busy here for my tastes. And it’s making me uncomfortable already.
I’ll find security, give over the data, and leave.
It was only a Ta’Naw sighting. We know they are out there…how have I allowed myself to be talked into this.
Oh yeah. Cora.
I shake my mane out, trying to get my bearings; these stations are beyond massive.
I pick a direction, there should be one of those station map signs around here somewhere.
I walk for a few minutes before I come across one. That’s where I spot her. She’s with two males, but I almost don’t notice them. Her manes growing back, her skin is flushed, healthy looking. She looks happy, she looks totally different.
I know it’s her though, and my feet carry me towards her on their own.
She spots me when I get close, and I know her males are moving protectively around her. I don’t care.
She smiles at me, “It’s you. I’d recognise those eyes anywhere.”
I can feel the hostility coming off the two brothers, but I completely ignore it. I have to tell her, and this might be my only chance. “I’m so sorry. We tried so hard, but they wouldn’t sell you.” I find myself fighting the urge to get down on my knees in front of her. To beg her forgiveness. The total horror that I’d left her in…it’s unimaginable. I hadn’t thought for a second that she’d even survived. “I’m just…I thought you would be dead soon after. I’m so, so sorry.”
I can see the tears forming in her eyes, and she rubs at them. The males flanking her have their hackles up; this is upsetting her.
One of them growls at me, drawing the attention of the people making their way past us. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, then tries again, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”
I don’t really want to…but I really want to know that she’s okay. She smells strongly of these brothers, so I guess that means she’s safe and looked after. I note the uniforms as I follow along, medical officers. Pretty important. She’s landed in the boat, at least.
I follow them silently to medical, none of them even try to make conversation on the way.
I could hand my data over to them, I think. They are officers, regardless of it being in medical and not security.
We go right through the medical bay and into their office. It’s not a small office, and I note the commendations on the wall behind the desk. I think they might actually be pretty important.
These two are protective, and hostile, it’s filling the room and making me uncomfortable. I think I want to be here even less than they want me here, so I don’t waste time playing with the fishes.
I drop the data chip onto their desk then back off again. Even though she’s sat in a chair on the other side of the room, just me moving toward her to get to the desk aggravated them even further. Obviously they don’t like seeing their female upset; and she is very definitely their female, I can hardly smell her she’s so thoroughly scented by them.
“You know who I am then?” They nod. It occurs to me that some of the hostility may be stemming from me leaving her there. I can’t help that now. I nod to the data I’ve left on their desk; neither of them have made a move to look at it. “We spotted their ship; moving with three others. That is the coordinates where we spotted them and their heading at the time.”
That gets their interest, all ears prick forward.
“Four Ta’Naw ships? Moving together? Are you sure?”
I roll my eyes, “It was only by chance we saw them, if nothing else, someone should know. Might be nothing but…I’ve never seen or heard of it.”
And Cora’s worried they might be going back to Earth.
The two brothers share a glance, “We will pass it on to security.” The one at the desk says. He pulls up a screen and starts doing something.
Hmmm…I’ll take it. I’ve done my duty.
These brothers are medics though…and pretty high up by the look of it. They won’t be at all stupid…and if Cora was quick enough to ask why the humans smell so appealing, surely they would be asking those same questions. Cora wanted to know if the Ta’Naw had done something to them.
I hate this situation that they are all in. If I ask, they will know we have a human. I don’t know what to do for the best. This human seems safe and happy. That must be taken into account, surely?
The one behind the desk growls a little, frustrated, “What?” he snaps at me.
The little female makes a disproving sound at him, clicking her tongue.
“Let him think, you two aren't being exactly friendly.” She looks to me, “It’s okay. They are just way too protective.”
“I know the feeling,” I say, defeated.
She gives me another huge smile, and sits forward in her seat, “I knew it! What’s her name?”
“Cora…it’s easier if she stays secret. Especially since that ridiculous registration got broadcast.”
She gives me a knowing, closed lipped smile. She looks sad again. “I understand, it’s good knowing that there’s another one that is safe though.”
Well, I’ve come this far, I might as well ask, “Do you know why they smell so good? Did they…do something to them? Cora wants to know…she says it doesn’t make any sense for a human to smell good to us like that.”
The one at the desk sits back in his chair, “The simple answer is no, they didn’t do anything to Grace, they just took a huge amount of samples from her. Maisy also allowed us to take some blood, and there was no evidence of anything being done to her either. At some point, literal ages ago though, they did do something to them. There’s a tiny sliver of our genetic code in theirs. It’s definitely Ta’Naw work, but it was so many generations ago that over time it’s changed and diluted. When this was first done…well, what they smell like now is dull in comparison.”
Well, at least I can tell Cora that. Grace is the one they kept awake, and if nothing has been done to her, then it’s very unlikely anything was done to Cora.
“Why though?” Everyone shrugs at me.
If that’s all they have, then I’m done here. Time to go.
I look to Grace again, but sigh. I want to fix it, to make it up to her somehow but there’s absolutely nothing I can say. I can’t even imagine what she went through.
“It’s okay,” she says to me softly. I don’t miss the disapproving looks both her males give her, obviously it is not okay with them. “You did what you could…and you got all those other girls out. I’ve met Maisy and she’s really happy. Poppy is safe too, she told me. I don’t know of any others but…I think you did what you could. I think you did the right thing.”
“Motivated by their finances no doubt,” the one at the desk scoffs. He looks at her pointedly. “And you do know of another one.”
She looks sad again, then nods.
“A human got arrested for murder,” she tells me. Of all the things I expected from her, it wasn’t that. “Show him,” she says to the one sitting at the desk.
He types something, then he turns his screen, showing me a news feed. The screen splits, another human with lots of pale mane, and two old males.
“By The Void,” I say to myself, “That’s Old Man Conspiracy Theory.”
