She felt outside for the horom that the enemy was carrying, and concentrated deeply on joining the emanations. With all the energy in her body, she willed them to unite, bringing the distant fragment to the one in her hands.
Suddenly, the serene room erupted as the protector robot and two of the enemy appeared in their midst. The shell of the protector pressed against Tinis’s crystal, proving that it was inside it. Tinis jumped back as the invasion tripped the homeflower’s internal protection system. Deafening whoops sounded, shaking the main blossom. A harsh yellow beam lanced out of the ceiling, immobilizing the mechanical. Showers of sleep pollen showered down on the two adult Ocetians. They fell to the floor.
Pounding came from below the main chamber. Ga pursed his thin mouth in amusement.
“Another visitor,” he said.
Tinis held herself tense until Rish, smeared with bright red liquid but looking triumphant, dragged the third of the Ocetians up the ladder and into the room. Ro hurried to wind her arms protectively around Tinis. Rish threw the Ocetian, who was bleeding blue from several wounds, onto the floor with his cohorts.
“Greetings,” Rish said, showing all his flat white mouth bones. “I see you have your child back. I’d like you to meet the ones responsible for her abduction.”
“As the crisis is over, we had best depart,” the head of the Sughul clan said, rising hastily.
Rish moved between them and the top of the ladder, holding his big arms so none of them could retreat through the exit.
“Why don’t you wait until the Peacemakers get here?” he said,
“What are you doing, Human?” xi asked. “This is a violation of hospitality!”
The lumps of Rish’s fleshy face rose toward his fuzzy hair. “How much more of a violation is it to arrange for the kidnapping of a talented child?” he asked.
A squad of Peacemakers in dark red uniforms arrived short time-measures after the homeflower’s alarm went off. A solemn-faced officer scanned the inoperative protector and removed the horom crystal, checking its identification markings against one purchased by an employee of the Sughul family. The clan sat silently as the three pursuers and their protector robot were bound and escorted from the homeflower, then it was their turn to be removed from the Oghal household. Tinis still could not take in all that was happening.
Ga plied them all with glasses of nectar and bowls of fresh sunberries. The cousins and siblings hurried around to clean up the traces of the immobilizing powders. Mo came to squeeze Rish’s big hands in xir small, delicate ones. Xi looked up at him with as much admiration as an Ocetian would offer to a Human.
“There are not words to thank you enough for restoring our Tinis to us. You found her long before we thought you could. You are everything your advertisement said you were.”
Rish’s deeply toned skin took on hues of red. Ro fussed about him, dabbing at his face with a clean cloth to remove the traces of battle. He had to bend down so she could reach it. He seemed to take up most of the space in the homeflower’s cozy, round gathering room.
“I understand,” Rish said. “I’m a mother myself. I just followed the clues you gave. When you said that the Sughuls didn’t like you telling them no to their plans, I checked all the places where records said the clan had an interest. I found the domicile where they’d been holding her, but I was too late to pick her up there.” He shot Tinis an admiring look. “She was resourceful enough to get out of there herself. They were on her trail when I crashed their capsule.”
Tinis looked from one adult to another as they conferred with the Peacemakers. She couldn’t believe that her big, foolish Human friend knew her parents. Her senses told her that they did not know him well, but they trusted him absolutely.
“You did that on purpose!” Tinis said, astonished. “And you broke your ID and communicator deliberately?
“I had to make it plausible enough that you would believe in me, Lady Tinis,” he said, with a little bow. “I knew you’d be able to read it if I was lying to you. I’m new on this planet. I still needed you to guide me and tip me off as to the dangers on our way here, and you did.… I hope you aren’t disappointed that I’m not as dumb as you thought.”
Tinis thought about that. She had had time to absorb not only the facts and sensations, but much more of the ultraviolet light that fed her higher centers.
“No,” she said at last, trying to emulate his strange smile. “I am pleased. Humans are more than I thought they would be.”
He laughed. “And you’re pretty special, too, Lady Tinis. Few Human children your age would be as brave and calm as you were.”
“Thank you so much for bringing her home safely,” Ro said, squeezing Rish’s arm in his torn sleeve. “We owe you much more than your fee.”
“Oh, she did all the work,” Rish said, showing his mouth bones. He closed one of his eyes at Tinis. She understood it as a mark of friendly conspiracy. “No, I was just along for the ride.”
Tinis repeated the expression, to the Human’s clear delight.
“Yes,” she said. “He is an excellent sidekick.”
“We all got the directive. We all know what is in store for us. If we don’t submit, we die. If we submit, we’ll probably still die. We have to evacuate!” The Kraz Speaker put up their hands in a pleading gesture. “Just because we live deep within a gas giant, doesn’t mean our people won’t be impacted. The Conquerors have the ability to colonize any type of world.”
Raan harrumphed. They’d been talking in circles for over a standard hour now and he was tired of the others’ dithering. It was time to announce the first part of the plan to deal with the Conquerors.
“There is a way,” he said.
Though the other Speakers were near panic, they all calmed and looked toward Raan. His species always settled the debates between the others, so they would listen.
“The Acamarian Speaker is recognized,” Tiff the Acamarian arbitrator said.
“Thank you.” Raan stepped onto the circular platform which would amplify his voice to all present in the meeting chamber. Each of the four species had several representatives present to discuss the coming invasion of their home system. “You all know my species was forced from our home system by the Conquerors ages ago. We were unable to repel them. Many of our people died—slaughtered by the millions—we were forced to flee, to rebuild here. There is no way for us to stand against them now. The only species to ever successfully repel the Conquerors is Humans.”
This caused a stir, as Raan had intended.
“But Humans are extinct, what good does that do us?” someone shouted from the back. Probably one of the Bihamie, by the gravely voice.
Raan raised his voice. “They are not extinct, merely rare. We have some time before the Conquerors reach us. What we must do is find a Human and discover how they defeated the Conquerors. Then we will be able to stand against the invasion and keep our homes.”
It took a moment for his plan to sink in, then many in the room gave their species’ equivalent of a cheer.
Raan put up his hands for quiet and allowed himself a quick smile before continuing. “You will each choose one of your finest Space Core members for a task force to be led by me. Together we will find a Human, and the salvation of our system.”
More cheering.
As usual, the Acamarians’ plans were proceeding perfectly. Of course, getting the Bihamie, Wessen, and Kraz to cooperate with each other for more than five standard minutes on board a ship would try even the best Acamarian’s skills. None of the species got along well, and the Bihamie especially were contentious by nature. It was a good thing Raan was the finest Arbitrator his species had recently seen.
Raan walked onto the bridge of the ship to find his crew already arguing. Qasalas’s hackles stood on end—dark brown fur ruffled up from the rest of her tawny coat. Her tail lashed and she practically had her claws out, as if she was ready to leap into the safety of the jungle trees that covered her home planet. She, like man
y Wessen, was a talented fighter and Raan had put her in charge of security, as well as being their pilot.
Kaj’s shoulder scales flushed dark purple, making them stand out from the green scales that made up the rest of his skin. The thick scales protected his people on their icy homeworld and displayed emotion. He also bared his claws and snarled. The Bihamie was his engineer. It seemed both of them were angry at Nashira, his Kraz science officer.
The Kraz blinked violet eyes that looked enormous from the distortion of the clear-plas helmets they wore. It contained the gases needed to keep them breathing, circulated with a pack they wore on their back. Nashira had their arms crossed, a sign of their agitation as they unconsciously protected the tubes that kept them alive outside of their gas giant world.
“Hello, crew,” Raan said.
After a few more snarls and shouts they fell silent and turned to look at him. Kaj’s shoulders faded to a more neutral brown and Nashira relaxed their guard. It took a moment longer, but Qasalas smoothed her hackles.
“You all know how important our mission is.” He gestured in the general direction the Conquerors would come from. “We’re not going to accomplish it if we don’t work together. We must find a Human. To do this, we will have to learn to think as a Human does. I’ve uploaded files to each of your data centers. Study them. Learn them. Our first destination is Cignus Two, the last known location of a Human colony. It will take us some time to get there. We will use this time to learn about Humans. Any questions?”
The others stared at him, as if trying to accept that they would have to take orders from a pale skinned, big headed Acamarian. All three species used his as arbitrators, but none actually took commands from his people. Well, not that they realized, anyway.
Raan smiled. “Very well. We depart in thirty standard minutes. Dismissed.”
Without further comment, each left the bridge to prepare for departure.
Raan sat down into the captain’s chair. The Bihamie had provided the scout ship, so the chair was much wider than he required, and his longer legs meant his knees were bent awkwardly, but he wouldn’t have given up this position for anything. Adding captain of the mission that would save his people to his list of titles was a tremendous opportunity. One he didn’t intend to waste.
A loud clang echoed down the tube leading to the engine compartment, followed by fierce cursing. The Bihamie were brilliant engineers, but quick to anger.
Harrumphing, Raan stood to check the readouts. He simply hoped that the entire crew could cooperate long enough to find a new Human colony. It would have been much easier to use a single species crew, but his plan depended on the disharmony the mixed crew would create. He just had to hold them together for a short time. Throwing his narrow shoulders back, he headed toward engineering to start phase two of his plan; getting his crew to think: “What would Humans do?”
“Kaj, what’s wrong?” Raan ducked slightly to enter the engineering compartment.
“This …” he snarled something in his own language that Raan knew was quite uncomplimentary. “It’s broken. We won’t make our departure window.” He kicked the bulkhead. The high pitched screech from his claws on the metal made Raan wince.
“Remember what I said about thinking like a Human?”
“I have not the time for your silly document when our launch looms and my equipment is broken,” Kaj growled.
“I will read the passage.” Raan touched his wrist band and the document appeared, projected before him. “Humans bond with their machines emotionally. When the machines stop working, Humans will pet the machine and feel sad for it.”
“That is ridiculous. It is mere metal.” Kaj’s shoulder scales brightened to orange with scorn.
“Yet these Humans have done what no one else has and defeated the Conquerors.”
Kaj’s scales shifted to neutral brown while he thought before becoming a light blue of embarrassment. “I will try. Do not mock me.”
“Never.” Raan inclined his head and crossed his slender arms. “Perhaps if you pretend it is a Bihamie spawn?”
“Yes, of course.” Kaj gurgled deep in his throat and patted the offending piece of machinery. Then he made a few scratchy cooing sounds and ran his claws lightly across the conduit.
Inwardly, Raan smirked, but he showed no sign of his amusement. That would defeat the plan.
After a moment of cooing, Kaj straightened, his shoulder scales brightening to light pink triumph. “I have found the problem. We shall depart on time.”
“Well done, Kaj. We will find the Humans and defeat the Conquerors.”
Kaj nodded, his scales fading to brown as he concentrated on fixing the ship.
Raan sat in the captain’s chair and watched as the others prepared for departure. Qasalas and Nashira completed final systems checks. Kaj walked onto the bridge cooing gravelly nonsense words to a small box.
“What are you doing?” Qasalas demanded.
“Humans bond emotionally with their machines. When they aren’t working they treat them like sick spawn, to assist in repair.” Kaj’s shoulder scales stayed a soothing green several shades lighter than the rest of his scales.
“That is preposterous,” Nashira said.
“It works. We would not be leaving on time had I not expressed emotional sympathy to the particle conduit, allowing me to repair it efficiently.” For a species so quick to anger, it was impressive how well Kaj kept his composure.
“Remember,” Raan interjected. “We must constantly ask ourselves ‘what would Humans do?’ This is how we will accomplish our mission.”
Kaj nodded and took his seat. He opened the small box and began repairing it with the tool kit he wore around his midsection.
Qasalas and Nashira traded bemused glances. Finally, Qasalas shrugged and took the controls. “We are ready to depart, Captain.”
Raan tried not to show his pleasure at the title, keeping his features serene. “Clear to depart.”
The thrust shoved them back in their seats until the compensators engaged and equalized the pressure. He saw Nashira check the readouts on their life suit. The Kraz homeworld had a volatile, high-pressure atmosphere and they needed to wear their suits while away from the gas giant. Though Raan hadn’t heard of a suit failure in many years, the Kraz were wise to monitor them closely.
He watched through the viewport as the docking bay receded. The image switched to the rear at the touch of a button. The space station—considered neutral territory by all four races—spun gently to generate gravity. The giant ring and central spoke systems were one of the few places where their species frequently interacted. Arguments were common.
Raan switched the view forward and studied the screen. Currently there wasn’t much to see, just black empty space, but before long the shipyard would come into sight. There they would pick up their jump ring for interstellar travel.
Intersystem travel was reasonably quick, but getting to their target system would take far too long without the jump ring technology. The ring fit around the midsection of the ship and bent space around the vessel, folding space and time and making the trip take weeks instead of lifetimes.
Raan would need those weeks to continue shaping his crew.
“They brought me along to protect the Human,” Qasalas snarled. Her hackles bristled and she bared her claws.
Nashira folded their arms across their chest and backed away. “My suit is delicate. Were we to encounter enemies …”
“Qasalas, Nashira, what would Humans do?” Raan interrupted when he came across the altercation.
They both looked at him.
Harrumphing, he keyed up the document. “Humans go to great lengths to protect anyone they’ve pack-bonded with. This includes anyone they spend substantial time around.”
“Treat crew as pack?” Qasalas frowned, tail lashing.
“Yes,” Raan nodded.
Qasalas’s tail twitched and her whiskers quivered for several more moments before she nodded. She stepped fo
rward and brushed her arm against Nashira’s before turning toward Raan.
“What are you doing?” Nashira stepped away.
Qasalas walked over to Raan and repeated the gesture, almost knocking him over and leaving hairs all over his jumpsuit.
“Treating you as pack, as a Human would do. We Wessen rub against each other as part of our pack associations,” Qasalas rumbled deep in her throat.
“Very well.” Nashira shook their head.
“This means I will protect my pack to the best of my ability.” Qasalas didn’t even sound begrudging, as if she truly accepted the others as pack because a Human would.
Remarkable, Raan thought.
“Thank you,” Nashira said after a slight hesitation.
Qasalas brushed against Nashira again before heading toward engineering. “I must find Kaj.”
Raan moved to follow but Nashira intercepted him.
“I must show you something,” they said.
Raan inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement and followed Nashira to their lab.
“I have been studying what little we know of Human customs. I am most confused by this one.” They sat in a desk chair and used the holo to bring up an image of a small, twisted plant in a square pot.
“It is said that Humans find great pleasure in cutting the limbs from this, um, bonsai plant. I do not understand why they trim it in such a manner.”
Raan thought fast. Why would Humans want to trim a plant? He mentally scanned the document before finding a plausible answer. “You must touch it to understand.”
Nashira pulled their hands back to their chest and clenched them into fists. “Touch it?”
Humans Wanted Page 3
