Kai had paused in his work and planted himself on a bench nearby. He remarked sarcastically, “Try being a mollusk out of water, Sir. Then you’ll know what roasting really is.”
“What are you two princesses complaining about?” Brync teased. “At least it’s a dry heat.”
Kai looked at me. “Can I kill him?”
“You’re not mated, sure go ahead,” I said with a sigh. I sat next to Kai, fanning myself and watched Brync as he continued to pluck flowers and shove them into his bag.
Kai snorted at my response and added confidentially, “I think he may ask me.”
“Really?” I asked. “I bet he does.”
“I’d have to think about it, of course. Means leaving Sigma Seti Six probably.” Kai smirked at the Security Officer’s receding form. “Some security he’s providing. Hey, slow down! We don’t need every flower on those bushes, Brync!”
We rose and followed him into the quaint open-air market area.
“Looking for something in particular, Sir?” A young man called out to me. I was happy to note that my pregnancy didn’t seem to bother him at all. Even though Kai seemed highly interested in the fish the man was selling, I smiled warmly and shook my head, continuing onwards.
A few stalls down a woman had set out her leather crafts and it only took me a moment to find a basket filled with woven bracelets. I got an idea for a baby shower gift for my mate. I dug through it trying to accurately measure Quinn’s wrist in my mind until I realized I had a similar sized Charon with me. “Do you think this will fit Quinn, Brync?”
“Let me see,” he replied. He held out his wrist for me to place the bracelet around it.
“Oh, you make such a cute couple,” The woman purred at us, laying a hand on my belly.
Kai laughed and grabbed Brync’s arm from me. “He’s mine, lady.”
Brync snorted, handed back the bracelet and pulled Kai from the tent, grinning.
As I paid for my items of matching bracelets I watched my crewmember and his friend flirting under the shade of a bush. They poked fun of each other, jostled physically as usual but there was something definitely changing in their relationship. They were acting like a bonded couple. It was damn cute.
I joined them and teased, “Do we need to find a room for you two?”
They immediately moved about a meter apart and were all serious, quiet. I wasn’t buying it. “Don’t let me interfere.”
“Ready to go, Sir? It’s a bit of a walk back to the space runner,” Brync reminded me.
“Lead the way,” I said. “Unless you and Kai want to hang back and flirt some more.”
Brync was about to reply when abruptly Kai stopped, tilting his head and looking at the ground near a small bush. “Did you see that?” the shifter asked us.
“What, Kai? I don’t see anything?” Brync answered with his hand on his weapon at his belt.
“Like a slug but moved fast. I’d like to collect one.”
Seeing his friend was distracted, Brync teased him by flicking Kai’s ear. “Oh, there it is, Kai. Get it!”
Kai chuckled but retorted, “Quit it, damn it! I’m serious, Brync. That was a very interesting creature.”
“So go get it,” I ordered him. “But that will have to be the last thing. I think we gathered enough for a whole planet of scientists.”
“The captain should be headed back to the space runner by now,” Brync confirmed.
Kai handed the security officer his bag to hold and knelt, reaching blindly in the shrub. “Mmm, it’s cold and slimy,” he said. Brync snorted. Kai gave him a glare, “Shut up, Brync. I’m not cold or slimy.”
As he pulled out the slug like thing out of the brush, it pulsed and turned a different hue of orange and red. “Here it is,” Kai stated.
I frowned at the shifter remembering something my mother had once taught me. I pointed out, “Bright colors are usually a warning.”
“It’s not doing anything except sliming up my hand, Sir,” Kai informed me.
“Ew, Kai, you better be washing up before we…” Brync began. He was interrupted by Kai’s shriek of pain.
The shifter flung the animal back into the bush and grabbed his hand, wincing. I tried to pry his fingers loose so that I could see the wound.
“Damn it, Kai, how bad is it?” I asked. He showed me the large red welt. It was bad and getting worse.
“If you are allergic, we better inform Quinn and get back to the ship,” I told him.
When Kai didn’t move or answer, just stared blankly, Brync’s eyes filled with concern.
“Kai, you okay?” He asked. He rubbed his buddy’s shoulder. There was no response. “Kai?”
The shifter suddenly melted into his octopus form. This so surprised him that Brync took a step back uncertainly. He waited a few seconds, I assumed to see whether or not his friend would change back. When Kai did not, Brync squatted down next to him, lifting a pale tentacle. Brync glanced up at me, his eyes brimming, “That’s a hell of an allergic reaction.”
“Or maybe something else. Let’s get him out of here, back to the ship. Need help carrying him? I didn’t know he’d gotten so big,” I stated.
“No, I’ve got him, Sir, but let’s hurry.”
----------
Quinn was already waiting for us at the space runner. When we boarded with Brync carrying Kai he started the engines immediately.
“What happened?” He inquired.
“He was stung by something, Captain. The welt is growing, spreading up his arm.” Brync held Kai half way on his lap and half taking up the seat next to him. The mollusk’s long tentacles lay unmoving on the floor of the space runner.
“Did either of you collect the creature responsible?” My mate inquired.
I explained, “It was too fast but I did get a good look at it.”
“Well, hopefully Freelyn can help Kai,” Quinn said, his face reflecting concern.
Once we were aboard the Narada Marant we rushed Kai to the Medical Bay where we were met by the doctor and my mother, his nurse. Brync laid the still form on a medical bed, stepped back and gave the medical team some space. He stood nearby fretting anxiously.
Dr. Freelyn reviewed the data on his pad, biting on his knuckle as he thought. Quinn stood on one side of him, my mother on the other. I watched from the Medical Bay door.
Dr. Freelyn said, “Interesting. I’d say a definite allergic reaction but I don’t know if the usual shot of histamine will help. Don’t suppose it would hurt Kai. We have to try something.”
“Please, doctor, help him. He hasn’t responded to me at all, hasn’t even raised a tentacle,” Brync said sadly. He stepped forward and lifted a limp appendage to illustrate his point.
As Dr. Freelyn inserted the needle into the main body of the large cephalopod he explained, “This may not work, Brync. There may be nothing we can do but wait.”
There was an immediate reaction to the injection of histamines and it was a bad one. Kai morphed into a formless glob of purplish goo with floppy, swollen legs. Brync squawked as if he’d been shot. “Kai?”
The instrument panel above the bed still showed a heart rhythm and breathing so we all sighed over that relief. Kai wasn’t dead, just unshifted. Brync leaned over, softly caressing him, whispering, “Hang in there. They’ll figure out what to do.”
My mate, the doctor and I converged in the hallway to discuss the issue while my mother stayed to comfort our security officer. Before the Medical Bay door slid closed to separate us, I overheard her say, “Absolutely, Brync. The doctor always knows what to do.”
In the hallway, Dr. Freelyn said, “I have no idea what to do. I’ve never seen this type of allergic reaction in anyone before. Of course, I’ve never taken care of a shifter either.”
Quinn stated, “We should get a sample of that creature. Del, you think you can show me where he encountered it?”
“Yes, I’m sure I can,” I replied.
“Whatever you do, do it quickly. Kai is certainl
y unwell. If I can’t help him we may have to do an emergency run to his home planet,” The doctor informed us. “And we all know how much he’d want to do that.”
“Free, we’ll need to inform his parents that he’s ill, in case he makes a turn for the worse, they’ll be prepared,” Quinn said. “He’ll be fine though. I’m sure we can figure this out. Let’s head down to the planet, Del.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Del:
“Quinn,” I remarked as he brought the space runner in for a landing near the town center. “He’s going to be alright. He has to be.”
“Of course he is, Del. We’ll ask around to see if the locals know of a cure. If not, we’ll bring back an example of the species that bit or stung him and the doctor will analyze it,” he reassured me.
I was startled when one of the twins gave me a solid kick making me suck in a breath. “Um, Quinn, weird timing but someone just drop kicked my spleen.”
Quinn snorted, laying a hand across my belly he remarked, “Wants to have a say in the proceedings, I suppose.”
Another kick, this time from the other side. “Oh, did you feel it?” I asked.
Quinn nodded and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “I did. Very strong children we have there. I want you to be especially careful, Del. Don’t get stung, all right? Stand back if I need to catch this thing.”
“I’ll be fine,” I told him. “You are important to these babies too, Quinn. You be careful.”
As we quickly gathered items for the mission my mate teased, “Yes, Sir. Order to be careful heard and understood.”
I took the pair of leather gloves and sack from him and following him down the ramp, grumbled, “I’m serious. You better not get hurt. You’re too damn big for me to carry.”
----------
The moment we stepped into the market area a hush spread from stall to stall. Shutters were dropped over windows and doors slammed shut all around us. Quinn shrugged when I looked in his direction but we kept on walking to the very last row where Kai had been attacked. When we reached it Quinn knelt and started poking around into the bushes.
When a gonging sounded throughout the market I told him, “Hey, Quinn. I think maybe those officials are coming.”
“Good,” Quinn replied. “They can help us find the damn cure or catch one of those slug things. I can’t find anything under all these branches.”
As I leaned closer to him I observed a slug on a branch near his head. “Hold it! There’s one, right there!” I said pointing it out.
Just as Quinn grabbed at the creature it leapt off, landed with a wet plop on his shoulder and squirmed under the neck of his uniform. Quinn used a few choice Xolian cusswords and rose, patting his body as the thing obviously started exploring. “Del, reach under my shirt, it’s laying between my shoulders where I can’t reach,” he ordered.
“Highest hell, Quinn, it didn’t sting you, did it? I’ve never seen a slug move like that! It jumped! I swear it did.”
“It will if you don’t get the damn thing!” he shouted.
“What is going on here? Why have you returned to our planet uninvited?” A stern voice called out to us.
Quinn kept shimmying and dancing about trying to reach the creature under his shirt. I was trying in vain to help him.
“Hold still, damn it. I almost got it,” I hissed to him. A little louder I replied to the masked officials, “Kind of busy here. Hang on.”
“You will not speak to us, pregnant human. It is rude and disrespectful to our culture,” sneered the tallest of the Deathmasks. “We told you before, Xolian. We consider his presence an infraction of our agreement.”
“You can take a flying leap into the depths of Hell, gentlemen. My mate and I have good cause to be here… Del, it moved downwards… and your assistance to my ship and crew in time of great need is also a part of the agreement. Now uphold your end, we have accommodated your culture just as far as I care to today,” Quinn snarled irritably. I snorted at his temper for he usually was a better diplomat.
“We do not like your tone, Xolian. We will reconsider this agreement. Perhaps it was too soon for our governments to reach a pact. We do not understand each other. But if your ship is in need of aid, we will of course take that into consideration. What seems to be the trouble?”
Abruptly my gloved hand touched something squishy. Forgetting all about the government officials standing around watching us I grabbed the thing trying not to crush it in my grip. I gasped when it wriggled right out of my hand. “Damn, that thing is fast and slippery.”
“What are you doing exactly, Xolian and human from New Earth? Is this some sort of mating ritual?”
Quinn answered, “It’s what caused the problem aboard my ship. One of your orange and red slugs bit one of my crewmembers and he became ill. We were trying to capture one to study it for an antivenin but it slipped into my shirt.”
“What is a slug?” A smaller Deathmask asked slowly, pronouncing the human word with a distinct dislike in his voice.
“Here, I’ll show you,” I said as I managed to recapture it. This time I squeezed it’s soft body tightly and held on as it fought me fiercely. When Quinn hissed and jerked I knew he had been bitten or stung. “Sorry, Quinn. It got you?”
“Yes, unfortunately,” he replied.
I slipped it out from underneath his shirt, getting a good look at it as I did so. Up close it seemed more insectile than slug like or a strange combination between the two. Its head was reddish yellow with horn like projections and a wicked pincer like mouth. Its eyes were shiny black pools of pure evil. The orange colored body, which pulsed in my hand, had at least ten short stubby legs and a coiled tail. It made a loud hissing noise, twisted in my grip and whipped its tail at my hand, striking fortunately on the glove instead of my bare wrist. I held it out for the Deathmasks to observe.
“We’ve never seen anything like that,” the tallest one uttered with disdain. “It is not from our planet. Obviously your Intergalactic government is trying to trick us or embarrass us for some nefarious reason. You’d better leave.”
“What?” I responded angrily. “What do you mean it isn’t from your planet? Of course it is!”
“If you do not comply at once, Xolian, we will be forced to respond with our military. Return to your ship and leave our planet’s orbit. We will cease communication with the Intergalactic government at this time,” the official said adamantly.
Before I could reply with something nasty and definitely undiplomatic Quinn interrupted, “No need to threaten us or my ship. We have what we came for.”
Quinn turned to me and indicated for me to lead the way, He growled under his breath, “We need to go before I tear them limb from limb.”
“I was going to tell you the same thing,” I told him. Once we were out of the market, I asked, “Isn’t breaking this treaty a bigger deal than you are making of it, Quinn? Not rendering aid to a ship in distress?”
“It will be fine, Del,” he reassured me. “We’ve not started a war or anything. Perhaps they were correct. Perhaps they are not ready to mingle with other planetary races yet. Claiming that harmful animal isn’t from their planet and implying we were setting them up shows their minds are very closed. To be honest, they didn’t seem to be too eager to sign it in the first place.”
He slowed, laying a hand heavily on my shoulder. “I’m not feeling well, Del.”
“I told you earlier, you are way too big for me to carry, Quinn. Can’t you make it to the space runner? It’s not far now.”
His answer was to collapse to his knees in front of me. I barely had a moment to brace myself to catch him under his arms.
I tapped my Comlink and snapped, “Kasen, I need you down here. The Captain has been stung and he’s just lost consciousness. I need your help carrying him to our Space Runner.”
“Understood, Sir.”
----------
With their captain tucked away in a bio-bed, ill and unconscious, the crew looked to me for lead
ership and guidance. We were so screwed. I took a deep breath, leveled them with my best Captain stare and cleared my throat. The senior crew, whom I had gathered in my Ready Room, silenced at once.
“Captain Quinn as you now know is in the Medical Bay. He is unresponsive and unable to make command decisions…at this time. Doctor Freelyn is doing his best, however in the meantime I am assuming command of Narada Marant as her Captain,” I told them solemnly.
I expected questions and concerns, but got none. Puzzled I stared at Kasen the longest, knowing my Chief of Security surely has something he wanted to say. He lifted an eyebrow at my scrutiny but remained silent. I had to do this the Xolian way if I wanted to know what they were thinking. I said, “I understand I have my weak points. I’ve shown poor judgment in the past. I’ve needed the crew to rescue me numerous times, too many to count.”
“Twenty-seven, if you don’t count that time on Drescus. That time the locals rescued you,” Duron replied helpfully.
Kasen spoke up, “Twenty-eight then, it should be counted. A rescue is a rescue.”
I stood up and leaned forward on the table as Quinn had done so many times in the past. “That wasn’t my point, gentlemen. Yes, in the past I have been immature, a poor example of a leader. However, I do believe I bring something to the table. I led the team that saved Quinn from the Nurrin. I bartered a trade negotiation on Feronis and have been in command of over fifty successful missions. I may be the youngest Captain this ship has ever had and certainly the only human but I feel I am fit and ready for the position. If you have concerns I want to hear them now so that we may address them together.”
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